Friendship is Magic Issue 73

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #73 is the seventy-third issue of IDW Publishing's. In the issue, a magical amulet causes Fluttershy to become more animalistic.

Summary
The issue begins with a strange amulet making its way through a forest, carried some distances by various animals. It eventually finds its way to Fluttershy's Sweet Feather Sanctuary, where a dog buries it in the dirt.

The next morning, Fluttershy arrives at the sanctuary to greet her animal friends. She steps on the spot where the amulet is buried, and its magic bonds to her hoof. One of the animals being treated at the sanctuary is a ferocious yet injured Timberwolf. Angel questions Fluttershy's decision to let the Timberwolf stay at the sanctuary, but Fluttershy says it is a place for all animals to heal. As Fluttershy checks on the other animals, she pets an orange cat that frequently sleeps, and the magic of the amulet in her hoof seems to activate.

Later that day, Pinkie Pie goes to Fluttershy's cottage to give her a basket of cupcakes as thanks for looking after Gummy while she and Maud were out of town. There, she finds Fluttershy acting sleepy, lazy, and disinterested. The next evening, Fluttershy flies over an owl, causing the amulet's magic to activate again, and Applejack finds her behaving like an owl herself by the following morning. Over the next several days, Fluttershy rolls in the mud like a pig, uses a watermill like a hamster wheel, runs through Ponyville with bones in her mouth, and hangs out with and acts like various other animals.

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie, and Trixie convene at the School of Friendship to figure out what is going on and conclude that Fluttershy is likely under the influence of magic. Twilight tells Applejack and Pinkie to keep on Fluttershy with Rainbow Dash while she and Trixie investigate in the library. When Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow go looking for Fluttershy at her home, they find her brother Zephyr Breeze taking care of the animals—with little success—in Fluttershy's absence. Angel drags the ponies to the animal sanctuary, where the once ferocious Timberwolf is now acting timid and withdrawn like Fluttershy. Remembering Fluttershy's animal-like behavior over the past week, the ponies deduce that Fluttershy must now be acting like a Timberwolf, and they race off to find her.

In Ponyville, Fluttershy stalks Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle like a predator stalking its prey. Rainbow Dash stops her from pouncing on the fillies, but she manages to break free and escape. As Rarity walks by wondering what is going on, Twilight and Spike appear and explain that Fluttershy has been enchanted by Star Swirl the Bearded's "Animamulet", causing her to take on the characteristics and behaviors of animals. Unfortunately, they do not know where it is or how it works. Rarity, having a natural affinity toward gems, decides to help.

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash corral the wild Fluttershy and drive her toward the sanctuary just as Rarity and Spike find where the Animamulet is buried. However, with almost no available information about the amulet, Twilight does not know how to break its magical hold on Fluttershy. Spike comes up with the idea of eating the jewel embedded in the amulet, and Fluttershy returns to normal. Twilight commending Spike for his bravery and quick thinking, but eating the Animamulet's jewel has the side effect of causing Spike to start acting like animals himself.

A week later, Fluttershy returns the recuperated Timberwolf to his family in the Everfree Forest, and she says acting like the animals she takes care of has given her more insight into their various points of view. Spike is frustrated that he is still acting like animals, but Twilight says the magic of the Animamulet's jewel should be out of his system in another couple of days.

Quotes

 * Fluttershy: Don't give me that look, Angel Bunny. This place is for all animals to heal. Even Timberwolves.


 * Fluttershy: Strawberry... No. Chocolate... No. Banana... No for sure. Oh, blueberry!
 * Pinkie Pie: Are you sure you're all right, Fluttershy. You don't seem like yourself.
 * Fluttershy: I'm leaving now.


 * Trixie: Maybe she's just spending too much time with those animals.
 * Applejack: She ain't acting like herself. I saw her flying. High. When's the last time she did that?
 * Pinkie Pie: When she was a vampire.
 * Applejack: Oh, not that again.


 * Twilight Sparkle: What's easier to believe? That she's just tired and acting strange, or that she's under the influence of some weird magical spell?
 * [beat]
 * Twilight Sparkle: Magical spell, you're right.


 * Zephyr Breeze: I came over to borrow a—well, that's not important right now. But when I got here, Fluttershy wasn't around. And I could tell the animals were hungry, so I tried to feed them—it didn't go well.


 * Pinkie Pie: Angel Bunny! Hey! Hey, I think he's trying to tell us something. Maybe Fluttershy fell down a well!


 * Zephyr Breeze: If Fluttershy is acting like the animals, and this Timberwolf is acting like her, does that mean—
 * Pinkie Pie: Fluttershy will be acting like a Timberwolf!


 * Rainbow Dash: When Twilight said you were acting all animal-like, I thought she might be joking. I forget she's not that funny.


 * Rarity: Well, well... That's a pretty big gem.


 * Fluttershy: What's going on? I don't remember how I got here. What happened?
 * Rainbow Dash: Boy, do we have a story for you.


 * Twilight Sparkle: That was very brave, Spike.
 * Spike: Thank you. It was the only thingI could think of.
 * Twilight Sparkle: I'm glad it worked. I just hope there are no side effects.
 * Spike: Side effects? [WOOF, WOOF] Like what?
 * Twilight Sparkle: Could be anything.


 * Fluttershy: I'm back to myself. But I still have flashes now and then where I remember being more animal influenced. I think it's actually giving me insight into the animals I take care of. So I guess I'm happy about it. But I wouldn't do it again.


 * Fluttershy: I appreciate it, Spike. I was almost lost forever.
 * Spike: Aw, it was nothing.
 * Fluttershy: It was something. And something I won't forget.