Chapters I was sitting on the rock, overlooking the countryside like I normally did on a Saturday. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The birds were chirping and it was peaceful, like normal. I looked at my half blank sketch pad and sighed. Not much to draw anymore, and I didn't feel like drawing what there was. I decided to pack up early and head home, maybe go into town and get some shopping with some of the little money I had left from my last job.
Try as I might, an Art Degree doesn't go very far in a job interview.
I sighed again and picked up my sketch pad and pencils and placed them in my rucksack. I stood up, threw it over my back and walked down the hill and into the trees. As far as I know no-one else knew about this spot just out of the woods. I cross a shallow stream from the beaten path and after a two minute walk uphill from the stream I reach my drawing spot. It's quiet, good for drawing, and away from the noise of the nearby motorway I use to get here.
Anyway, like I said, it was a normal day. Recently I'd lost a lot of inspiration from the hillsides where I drew. I reached the bottom of the hill where my path met the stream. I hopped onto the first stone, intending to hop across them in succession. As I reached the second one I heard rustling in the bushes across the path. I looked up, and it me me lose my balance and fall straight into the flowing water with a splash, face first. I pushed myself up, kneeling in the inch deep water.
'What was that?' I wondered to myself. "Hello?" I called into the foliage.
There was no reply. I stood up and wiped myself clean, getting some stray leaves of me.
*Ribbit*
I felt something on my head. I reached up and touched something slimy. It was a frog.
"Get off!" I shook my head and the frog leapt into the river. I waded out of the river onto the path. Thankfully my rucksack, and its contents, seemed dry, and I was only slightly soaked. As I shook myself off and stepped onto the path I heard the rustling noise again, somewhere from in the trees ahead of me. I decided to check it out.
Stepping over the low bushes at the paths edge, I made my way through the small plant life to where I last heard the rustling. After a few seconds I heard it again, much closer. I stepped forward into a small clearing, and sitting on a boulder was another person. A girl, about the same age as me as far as I could tell, looking into the forest.
She didn't appear to notice me. She had a yellow sweater and a long brown skirt. The most surprising feature was her long, flowing, pink hair. I stepped further forward and broke a twig, making a snapping sound. She turned around then, her eyes wide with fear.
"It's ok, I won't hurt you." I found myself saying, holding out my hands. It did little good, because she shakily jumped to her feet and, hesitantly, ran deeper into the forest.
"Wait!" I shouted. I jogged after her, knowing she would get lost if she went too far. These woods were several miles wide, and it wouldn't be the first time a person went missing. I vaulted a fallen tree, trying not to ruin my clothes and not quite believing how this girl could move so quickly through all the plant stuff. "Please, stop!" this was ridiculous. However much ground I covered she seemed to stay just as far ahead. After a minute I stopped, listening for any kind of sound. Nothing. For all I know I could have been hallucinating.
Or, she was hiding somewhere.
"Please, I don't want to hurt you, I just want to help." I called out, looking around.
I waited a few seconds. Still nothing. I was just about to head deeper into the forest when I saw a flash of pink to my left. I looked properly and saw her hair billowing out from behind a tree. A moment later the girl herself stepped out and I got my first proper look at her. As well as the yellow sweater and brown skirt, she was barefoot and had turquoise eyes. Her expression was lost behind the hair covering her face. I stepped forward, reaching out to her.
"What's your name?" I asked quietly. It somehow seemed necessary. Well, I suppose it was. She was clearly scared.
"Fl…" her voice trailed off, completely inaudible.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that."
"My names Flutt…"
"A bit louder, please. I won't bite." I smiled reassuringly.
"Fluttershy." her voice barely louder than the first two attempts.
"Okay." It seemed a little odd. "What are you doing out here Fluttershy?"
"I, I don't know. F-first I was feeding my animals, t-then I was here, like this." she looked down at herself.
"What do you mean, 'like that'?" I asked, treading forward slowly so she wouldn't run away again.
"I'm not a pony anymore."
I stopped stepping forward. Not a pony anymore? That was... a little more than odd. Maybe she hit her head? It would explain why she was so scared; she was probably dazed and confused, I reasoned with myself. I decided to humour her for the time being.
"Ok, and how did you get here?"
"I-I don't know, first I w-was in my garden, t-then I was there, on that rock." she shivered and rubbed her arms, before looking worriedly at her hands. She shivered again as she clenched her fingers.
"It's pretty cold out. You should go home." I said.
"I don't know where m-my home is though." she said. She sniffed, like she about to cry.
"Ok, do you want me to take you to town?"
"To t-town?"
"Yeah, Lincoln. Where are you from?"
"P-Ponyville."
She'd definitely hit her head on something. "I don't know where that is. If I go back to my apartment I can look it up, though."
"Well, I don't know." she looked around, unsure of herself.
"Look, I could take you to my apartment, I can look for 'Ponyville' and if I find it, I could take you there. If I don't, you could contact someone to help." I added.
"Oh, well, t-that seems like a g-good idea. I think. If that's alright with you." she added gingerly.
"No problem. Let's go." I waved her towards me and set off. I looked back a second to make sure she was behind me. She stepped forward carefully, following in my footsteps, almost exactly. I led her back through the forest towards the path.
"Are you sure you have no idea how you got here?" I asked, holding back a branch for this 'Fluttershy'.
"No." she said quietly.
"Did you hit your head on something? A rock maybe?" I let the branch fly back, and walked past her.
"I d-don't think so. I was just sitting in my garden, feeding my animals, then there was a, a flash of light. Then, I was on sitting on that rock, with, these." she held up her hands.
"What? Hands?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She looked at them again oddly. "Y-yes." she nodded.
She must have hit her head hard. "Ok. Well, let's just try to find this Ponyville."
"Sure." she nodded.
I stepped into the clearing where I first saw her and continued through towards the path. I stopped and made sure she was still following me again. Once she was next to me I led her to the path.
"Don't you have any shoes?"
"No, ponies don't normally wear them."
"Uh, sure… come on, it's not far to the car-park from here." I added.
"Car-park? What's that?" Fluttershy asked.
I looked back at her oddly. "Are you sure you're okay?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm lost and scared." she sniffed again.
I felt my heart implode. She truly seemed lost, and I felt sorry for her. "It's ok. I'll help you find this, Ponyville, then I can take you home."
She nodded. "Ok."
I smiled back, trying to reassure her. "Okay then. Follow me. I led her towards the car-park. It was deserted except for a family having a picnic on a bench and their people carrier, and of course my dirt bike. I've had that bike for 3 years now, and it's never done me wrong. I walked up to it and waved over Fluttershy. She stepped up nervously, eyeing my bike and the families car. I pulled my leather jacket out of my rucksack and picked up the helmet from the bike. My hoodie would be streamlined enough to ride, so she could have the jacket, and I'd rather she had the helmet, as was proper.
"Here, wear these." I thought of something and delved into one of the pockets in my jacket. I pulled out a hair-band. I always carried some in case my girlfriend forgets to tie her hair up before we go.
"Oh, and don't forget to tie your hair up."
"Tie? My 'hair'? D-don't you mean my mane?"
I looked at her. This was crazy. "Sure…"
She tried hopelessly to tie her hair up. "Want some help?" I asked after a moment. She nodded so I stepped over and put her hair into a pony tail. It would still get blown about, but it would help. I handed her the jacket and helmet, which she managed to hesitantly put on herself.
"Never ridden a dirt bike before?" I asked.
She shook her head, eyes wide with fear.
I put my rucksack on backwards, so it was over my stomach and chest, then sat down and pulled the key out of my pocket. "Just sit down, and hold on tight."
Fluttershy climbed awkwardly over the bike and sat down, shuffling to get comfortable and placing her hands between her legs. "Like this?" she asked through the helmet.
"Almost." I chuckled and took her hands in each of mine, then pulled them round my waist. I started the engine and rolled the bike backwards, before blasting down the dirt road to the main road and the motorway. Fluttershy gripped my waist a lot tighter than before and she was pressed against me, obviously scared somewhat.
"You okay Fluttershy?" I shouted.
I felt the helmet move up and down, signalling a nod. Or, it could have been a shake of her head. My hoodie was too soft to tell.
I turned down the main road towards the motorway.
I sighed and closed the tab I was on. I'd spent the last four hours studying this My Little Pony thing. Apparently it's popular as hell with these people called 'Bronies'. I'd watched half a dozen episodes and found it remarkably good for a show for little girls. I'd paid special attention to the pony called Fluttershy. The similarities between the shows Fluttershy and the one currently asleep in my room were more than skin deep. From what I'd seen of their personalities, they're identical in every way. Other than the physical appearances, they're both incredibly shy; they both even speak the same way. An interesting thing I'd found out was that on the show she was adept with animals.
That would explain why Mits hadn't attacked her like she did with other people. The mailman still glared at me and Jas.
I shut the lid on the laptop before I could try and convince myself they were the same person, pony, thing. I rubbed my eyes. I should start going to sleep before midnight more often. Jas would be back from America the day after tomorrow, well, tomorrow, seeing as it was 1am.
I grabbed the blanket from the coffee table and curled up on the sofa, head on the arm rest.
I groaned as sunlight streamed through a crack in the curtain, straight into my eyes. Millions of miles away, and the sun still has perfect aim. Why?
I sat up and rubbed my face. A small light was flashing on the laptop. I stood and stretched, touching the ceiling. At 6' 1" I wasn't that tall, but I was a couple of inches up on Jas. I smiled. She'd be back tomorrow. She'd been in America visiting her parents for two weeks. We'd chatted on webcam a couple of times, but I still missed her.
I heard a sigh from my bedroom and remembered my guest. I walked up to the door and peeked round, but she was still asleep. Mits was curled up in front of her, like she did with Jas. That made me smile, but it didn't last. I turned and frowned as I thought about how I was going to tell Fluttershy she wasn't a character from a cartoon show.
There it was again. I niggling doubt at the back of my mind. As much as I try to convince myself, there was some part of me that wanted to believe her, that she had been a pony.
I sighed and stepped into the kitchen to start breakfast. As I knelt down to open the cupboard I decided to make something a little more appetizing than probably burnt toast. I pulled put some pancake mix and pulled down a frying pan from over the oven. As I turned the hob on, I heard footsteps behind me. Looking over my shoulder I saw Fluttershy step into the living room, sleepy eyed, blinking and hair a mess.
"Morning, Fluttershy." I said unsurely.
"Good morning, uh, Jamie?" she asked me. I'd told her my name on the way back here.
"Yeah. Want anything to eat? You must be hungry. I'm making pancakes." I held up the pan and box of pancake mix.
"O-ok, but, um, can I clean up first? That is, if you don't mind…" she held a strand of her pink hair in front of her face.
I nodded. "Sure. If you want I can wash your clothes. You could borrow some of Jas's in the meantime, I'm sure she won't mind." I said as I started preparing the pancakes.
"Ok." she said quietly. She stood there twirling her hair, and I realised why. "Bathrooms just there." I pointed at the door.
"Thank you." she nodded and walked in.
I smiled, put down the cooking supplies and jogged into the bedroom, stepped over Mits and opened the wardrobe. I took out one of Jas's shirts, some jeans, and underwear before placing them on the bed. At the last second I grabbed a purple towel from the spare room. I walked up to the bathroom door and, not hearing any running water, knocked gently.
"Yes?" came her muffled, still quiet voice.
"I've got a towel for you. Do you want me to leave it on the doorknob?" I asked
"Okay." she said.
I placed the towel and as I walked away I heard the door open and close behind me. I stepped back into the kitchen to make the pancakes. As I poured the mix into the pan and let it simmer. I'm not much of a cook, if my Sunday roast is anything to go by, but pancakes are just about the one meal I can cook well.
I set up another pan and flipped the first pancake. I grabbed a couple of plates and some knives and forks. As I set them on the table I heard my mobile ring. It was still in my pocket from the day before, in the clothes I'd slept in. I picked it out and saw it was Jas.
"Hey Jas!" I said brightly.
"Hey Jamie, god it's good to hear from you!" Jas said back quietly. It was 9am here, so it would be about midnight in Anchorage, where Jas was.
"You too Jas. I'm just making some pancakes. What are you up to?"
"That's why I'm calling you. I'm packing my bags. The airports closing early, so I need to come back a day sooner. I'm catching the next plane to London, then I'll take a train to Lincoln. I've got it all arranged."
I was a little surprised, but in a good way. "So when will you be back?" I asked.
"Well, I'm leaving in 3 hours, the flight will take about 8 hours, and the train takes another 3. Plus I have to get from the airport to the station, which could take up to an hour if the traffics bad…"
I did a quick working. "15 hours, so… midnight?" I asked.
I could hear Jas tapping the phone. She would do that whenever she was thinking. "Yeah, about that."
"I'll meet you at the station then." I beamed. Guess I'd get to see her sooner than expected. Then I frowned, hearing the running water coming from the bathroom. I didn't know what was going to happen with Fluttershy, and if she didn't have anywhere to go, she'd be staying here again tonight. "Jas? I have something to tell you."
"What is it?" she sounded curious.
I sighed into the phone as I flipped a pancake. "It's a long story."
I told her about sitting in the woods trying to draw, then finding Fluttershy, bringing her back here, trying to convince her she wasn't a cartoon character, failing and letting her stay the night. I re-assured her I slept on the sofa.
"So you're not mad?" I asked, holding the phone with my shoulder as I placed four pancakes on a plate.
"Of course not. I know you Jamie. But she really thinks she's a cartoon character?"
"Yeah. But the weird thing is, even though it's impossible, there's some small part of me that makes me want to believe her."
"That's crazy though, how could she be from a cartoon show? Look, I've got to go, this call will be costing me a fortune."
"Alright. Talk to you when you get back tonight. Text me when you're nearly here so I can pick you up."
"Ok. See you soon Jamie. Love you!"
"Love you too Jas! See you soon."
"Bye!" she hung up. I put the phone back in my pocket as the bathroom door opened. I made sure not to look.
"I've laid out some clothes for you in the bedroom Fluttershy, and I'm cooking the pancakes."
"Ok, thank you." I heard her soft footsteps head into the bedroom, and when I looked round I saw Mits sitting on the sofa, staring down the hallway. She turned to look at me and meowed.
I simply raised an eyebrow and went back to cooking the pancakes.
Seven minutes later (what, I'm precise) the pancakes were done and Fluttershy came out of my room, her hair in the towel.
"Hi Fluttershy. How many pancakes do you want?" I asked, turning around to face her. She looked nice. I turned away quickly and placed the pancakes on a plate.
"Oh, just three please." she asked, sitting down at the table.
"Sure. Want any butter? Lemon maybe?"
"Just some butter please."
"Alrighty." I opened the fridge, pulled out a tub of butter and cut out a lump. I placed it on top of the pancakes and as it started to melt I picked up the plate and placed it on the table in front of Fluttershy.
"Thank you Jamie." she smiled up at me.
"No problem." I smiled back at her and went back to the oven to make myself some pancakes. When I looked back, she was clumsily holding the knife and fork, cutting into the top pancake into pieces. She picked the cut off piece up with the fork, like a spoon, and it slid off. I laughed. "You have to spear it." I told her. Again, I was close to believing she really was a cartoon character. She finally placed the pancake piece in her mouth. As she did so, she beamed.
"This is really nice." she said.
I smiled. I always appreciate it when people appreciate my cooking. Well, my good cooking. "Thanks Fluttershy. Glad you enjoy it." I went back to cooking my pancakes. When they were done, I squeezed a slice of lemon over and laid on a piece of butter. I sat down across from Fluttershy, who had just moved on to the last pancake. She was having real trouble using the knife and fork, and as it was she ate slowly anyway, as if unsure how to. I laid into my stack of four pancakes.
After we'd both finished, I looked across at her. Given my last attempts at telling her she wasn't this Fluttershy, I was weary of trying again. A thought struck me. I was no medical expert, so I couldn't be sure it wasn't some sort of head injury, or drugs. It was still early, about half nine.
"Fluttershy, can I take you to a doctor?" I asked, swallowing the last piece of pancake. Fluttershy had finished a couple of minutes ago, and had waited for me.
"Um, ok. Why?" she said.
"I just want to make sure you're ok."
"Ok. Thank you for the pancakes. They were wonderful." she smiled at me.
I smiled back. "No problem." I took both her and my plates and put them in the dishwasher.
"I'm just gonna change, then take you to the clinic. 'K Fluttershy?" I asked. She nodded.
I stepped out of my room. I'd showered, dried myself and got dressed ready to take 'Fluttershy' to the doctor's clinic for an appointment I'd made. She'd been sitting on the sofa, watching reruns of Spongebob Squarepants on the TV. She looked around as I stepped into the spare room to grab the bikes helmets and the leather jackets used for riding it. As I stepped into the living room, she spoke up.
"Um, if it's alright, can I, maybe ask you a few questions?" she asked. "I'm very, very confused."
I didn't like keeping her in the dark. Especially when she looked at me like that. "Sure. What do you want to ask?" I asked. I sat down next to her, and of course Mits curled up on my lap, pawing the helmets.
"Where is this place?" she started.
"Lincoln?" I asked.
"Yes. Where is it?"
"England." I said. I thought I'd told her that, but couldn't be sure. Her eyes were full of confusion. She really didn't know where she was.
"And where's that?" she asked, looking straight at me.
"Europe. On Earth, in the Sol system, in the Milky Way." I said, semi-sarcastically.
"The Milky Way?" she muttered. "And what are you? What sort of creature?" when she saw my face she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be mean."
I just looked at her. Did she really not know? "I'm human. You're human! Fluttershy, do you really believe you were a pony?" I cringed when I realized how aggressive I'd sounded.
It showed on her face. She leaned away from me, cowering against the armrest. "Sorry. I didn't mean to sound… mean." I subconsciously copied what she'd said.
She nodded, but I could see she was still scared. "O-ok. But, yes. I really was a pony. I can remember it. I was there yesterday, Twilight visited me, then I fed my animals, then there was a flash of light, and then I was sitting on that rock, in this weird, new body!" she nearly shouted.
I was taken aback at this outburst. For a few seconds I looked into her eyes, and she stared back. Her expression softened. "Sorry. I'm just so confused, and a little scared." she whispered, looking down into her lap as the credits started rolling for the cartoon show in the background.
It's always the quiet ones . I thought. I nodded. "It's alright." I remembered something; in the show, all the ponies had these 'cutie marks'. If she had been a pony, surely she would have one? Compared to the craziness of the current situation, that actually made some sense to me.
"So, you have a cutie mark? Can I see it?" I asked.
She nodded and pulled the waist of her jeans and underwear down enough to make my cheeks flush. To my shock, there really was a picture there, on her thigh. The same one as on the images on Google. The three pink butterflies, with cyan blue bodies, the same colour as her eyes.
That made me think. She couldn't be high on drugs; if she had been, surely they would have worn off by now? I hadn't seen her take more since I'd found her, and there hadn't been any evidence that she'd taken some while in the bathroom, so I ruled that possibility out.
If she was crazy and thought she had been teleported or whatever, where had that mark come from? It must be a tattoo. It couldn't be real, after all.
Could it?
No, it couldn't be. If she hit her head, though… Maybe she was a fanatic of the show, and had had a tattoo inked onto herself, and her hair dyed and styled, all to look like this Fluttershy. IF, she had hit her head…
All the more reason to get her to a doctor. ASAP.
"Ok, Fluttershy. Let's just get you to the doctors." I said, shaking my head and standing up.
"Ok, if you think I should go." she said and followed suit, but didn't pull up the jeans. Not enough to expose a certain area of herself, but enough to make me blush again. Apparently she wasn't particularly modest. I point to the jeans, trying not to look.
*Ahem* "Aren't you going to pull your jeans up?" I asked, rubbing the back of neck and looking out the window.
"Should I?" she asked. I nodded.
"Yes. Of course, you wouldn't know that, you're normally a pony." I said sarcastically, shaking my head.
She beamed as she pulled the waist up. "Yeah."
I just stared at her. "Well, let's get going. Here," I handed her the jacket. "Can you put that on?"
She nodded and pulled it on haphazardly, nearly swiping me around the face as I ducked. I straightened it up for her, grabbed the keys and headed out the door, Fluttershy behind me.
Traffic meant we were almost late for the appointment. I wanted to facepalm when I realized I'd made an appointment for 9:30am. I pulled up in the car park alongside the clinic, kicking down the dirt bikes stand. This time, both I and 'Fluttershy' were properly equipped for riding, with helmets and my leather jacket.
"We're here Fluttershy, you can let go now. I'm losing circulation to my lower body." I added. Apparently she wasn't going to get used to my dirt bike anytime soon.
She loosened her grip and I helped her off the bike. I stepped off after her and undid her helmet for her.
"Thanks." she whispered. She was looking around the car park, at the other buildings surrounding it. "Are all your towns like this?" she asked, suddenly grasping my arm, worried.
She was utterly convinced she was in another world. It made me believe she was too sure to be crazy. Was that possible? I have no idea, I'm not a psychologist.
"Yeah. Come on, let's go." I gently tried to prise her hand off my arm, but she wasn't having it. She had a surprisingly strong grip. I led her around the gravel path to the front door, carrying the helmets in one arm. She jumped back and nearly pulled my arm off as the automatic door hissed open in front of us.
"H-how did..?" she stammered before I cut her off.
"Automatic doors." I explained. "Come on, we have an appointment in a few minutes." I ushered her in. She hopped quickly through the doorway, obviously scared of what was to her, apparently, the black magic of automatic doors. She finally let go of my arm and looked through a pile of second hand books the clinic was selling to raise money while I spoke to the receptionist. After being pointed in the right direction, I led Fluttershy down the hall.
"Have a seat Fluttershy." I pointed at the seat. She was too busy reading a poster depicting the female body to hear me. She was looking it over, studying it even.
"Fluttershy?" I asked again. She finally looked round, and noticed me gesturing at the seat. She sat down next to me as a pensioner sitting across from me coughed, but she stayed transfixed on the poster.
After being in a rush to arrive, the doctor took another ten minutes before calling us in.
"Jamie Goodwin?"
I stood up, and grinned as I realized it was Steven, one of my friends from my college years. "Yep, that's me. Come on Shy." I waved her up, and she followed me into the doctor's office.
"Jamie, it's been too long mate. Anyway, you said you were bringing someone in?" Steven asked me as we fist pumped.
"Yeah, but first, a quick word." I gestured and brought led him away from Fluttershy and whispered to him. "Have you heard of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?"
He nodded.
"Well, she thinks she's one of the characters, specifically one called 'Fluttershy'. What do you make of that?" I stopped and realized he'd nodded. "Wait, how do you know about?"
He held up his hands. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I sort of watch it." Steven admitted.
I stared for a few seconds. "So you know about a character called Fluttershy?"
"Yeah. She really thinks she's her?" Steven whispered.
I waited for a few seconds to get over the fact Steven was a Brony, then shook my head. "Yep. That's why I brought her here. I found her yesterday in the woods, lost and confused. What she says somehow makes sense, but it's crazy. At first I thought it was drugs, but they would have worn off by now, and she hasn't taken any since I found her. And she seems too sure to be crazy."
"I don't know…" Steven looked over my shoulder at the girl in question. She was looking around the office, occasionally reading a poster about Flu vaccinations, or a pamphlet on quitting smoking.
"And here's the kicker. You know those ponies have cutie marks?" Steven nodded. "She has one. Or at least, I it looks like it, but it must be some sort of tattoo."
Steven thought for a few seconds. "Let me look her over, then we can get onto creating theories about her."
"Excuse me, but, what are you talking about? But, you know, it's none of my business, so you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." a quiet voice said. Steven and I looked at her, then Steven turned back to me.
"If she is a fake, she's a damned convincing one mate." he whispered to me, then turned to Fluttershy. "It's alright love. Now, what's your name?"
Fluttershy blushed. "Oh my, you, l-love me? If you don't mind me saying so, that's a bit sudden." she smiled slightly at him.
Steven stopped dead in his tracks. "What?" he asked. Then he laughed. "No, no! I don't love you, it's an expression!"
Fluttershy's cheeks reddened further. "Oh no, I'm s-sorry!" she stammered nervously.
"It's quite alright. Now, what's your name?" Steven asked, kneeling down so he was at the same height as her.
"Fluttershy." she whispered almost silently. Unlike my introduction to her, Steven was directly next to her, so he heard her first time.
"Alright then." Steven stood up and whispered to me. "Jamie, could you step outside? Doctor patient confidentiality and all."
I nodded understandably. "Don't scare her. She's shy as hell."
"Alright. I'll call you in when I'm done." Steven ushered me out and closed the door. I sat down next to the helmets.
I was sitting back in the seat, going through a pamphlet but not paying any attention when Steven called me back in. Fluttershy was sitting, looking a little scared.
"Alright Jamie, Fluttershy here has agreed to let me tell you what I've found." he turned to look at her and she nodded.
"You ok Fluttershy?" I asked. She nodded again.
"Yes, Dr. Steven was very kind and polite." she confirmed.
"Good. So Steven, what was it?" I asked, walking closer to him. He whispered to me.
"Well we can write off your theory of a head bump. There's no sign of one, and she doesn't remember hitting her head, so I'll take her word for it. I've taken a blood sample to check for drugs and whatnot, but that will take a couple of days to come back, and she doesn't show any symptoms, so I reckon she's clean. I even did a few muscle tests, and she shows signs of relaxed activity, just like, I should mention, the Fluttershy from the show probably would. It looks like she's spent her time mostly without serious exercise."
All of this was a surprise. I'd thought she was similar to the shows Fluttershy, but to have a qualified doctor saying she lived an apparently identical lifestyle…
"And I checked out the cutie mark you mentioned, and it's definitely not a tattoo. It's as though her skin has formed into a different colour altogether. I'd have to take a sample to be sure, but I wouldn't do that to her."
"Wait, you're saying her cutie mark is real?" I asked.
"As far as I can tell…" Steven said.
"So, what does that mean?" I asked, looking at the girl in the seat. I was now having trouble believing she WASN'T the real deal.
"I think, Jamie…" Steven turned and looked at her as well. "…she's the real deal."
I grabbed Stevens arm and pulled him towards me before whispering in his ear.
"Stop saying she's the real deal, I'm having enough trouble believing she's fake already. And how could she be the 'real deal'?" I whispered loudly.
Steven shook his arm off me. "Why not? Like you said, it's not a head bump, drugs, insanity. What else would it be?"
"But it's not possible! Stuff like this doesn't happen!" I whispered, exasperated.
"That's probably what cave-men thought when they created fire, a mystical force that could hurt and warm, or before the Wright brothers. No-one thought it was possible to fly, but look at us now, there are thousands of planes, flying millions of people all over the world every day. Maybe, teleporting between dimensions is like that. There's always crackpot scientists saying it's possible."
I mulled over on this. He was appealing to my sense of logic, and it was working, god damn him. Maybe it was possible.
"So you're saying she's a hipster?" I smirked.
Steven punched me in the arm. "You know what I mean." we were interrupted by a buzz from Steven's computer. He looked, then turned back to speak to me at a normal volume.
"Look, I have other patients to attend to. I've just pulled a night shift, and I'm getting off in just under an hour. If you want, we can meet up at eleven and talk some more. How about it?" Steven sat down at his desk and filled out a form.
"Alright, I guess. Honestly, this is giving me a headache. Wanna meet at Gregg's?" I asked.
Steven nodded. "Sure. Eleven o'clock."
I turned to Fluttershy and smiled reassuringly. "Alright Fluttershy."
"Are we going?" she asked.
I nodded and helped her to her feet. "Yep."
"Ok. Thank you Dr Steven." she thanked him.
He looked up and smiled. "It was no problem Fluttershy. And please, call me Steven."
"Ok, Steven." she smiled at him again.
As she and I walked out of his office, he called out something.
"Oh, Jamie! Say hello to Jas for me!"
"Will do!" I called back. I turned to Fluttershy. She was looking at that same poster again, the one showing the female body.
"You know Fluttershy, if you enjoy looking at that poster so much, I could probably buy one." I said as I picked up the helmets.
"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that." she said.
I smiled. She really was the real deal. "Don't worry, it's no problem. In fact, I'm pretty sure I have a book or something like that in the spare room. I'll be sure to have a look for you." I stepped up to the automatic doors. She grabbed my arm again as they opened, but didn't jump back this time. I looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. Then she blushed and I'm fairly sure she made a *squee* noise.
I didn't ask.
As I helped her get her helmet on, she asked me something, but I didn't get to hear her properly through the helmet. I flipped her visor up for her.
"Pardon?" I asked.
"I said, who's Gregg?" she said.
I laughed a little bit. Of course, it was such a common phrase around here that I hadn't thought to explain it to her. "It's a place, sort of like a mix between a café and a bakery."
She blinked once. "Like Sugarcube Corner?" she asked.
I blanked. What? Oh yeah! From the show, Sugarcube corner was a bakery. "Yeah. Except Gregg's isn't made of gingerbread." I grinned at her. "Ready to go?"
She looked worriedly at the bike, but nodded. "Uh-huh."
"Alright then." I pushed her visor down and straddled the bike. As she sat down behind me I started the engine and kicked up the stand. I rolled the bike forward and Fluttershy gripped my waist tightly. I started thinking. Until I met Steven in an hour and a quarter, there wasn't anything to do. I may as well go back to the flat. It looked like Fluttershy would be staying longer than I first thought, and my flat was the only place she could stay. As Jas would be getting back tonight, I couldn't give her the bed again.
I smiled. Jas would be back tonight. Then I frowned. I'd have to convince her Fluttershy was real. I went back to planning. I could set up the spare room. It was mostly empty, just a few boxes against one wall and a wardrobe. I even had a camping bed in there behind the boxes. It wouldn't be much, but at least she'd have somewhere to stay. I explained the plan as we walked up the stairs to the flat.
"…sorry if it doesn't sound that, well, comfortable." I said, opening the door to my flat.
"Oh, I don't mind. Especially as you're already giving me somewhere to stay, and helping me, and feeding me." she said. She smiled at me, truly grateful.
"It's no problem Fluttershy. Now, if you want you can sit and watch some TV." I held out a hand towards the sofa.
"TV? Is that the moving picture frame?"
"Uh, yeah." I nodded realizing what she meant.
"It's amazing." she knelt in front of it. "Moving pictures. It's magic."
"Not quite. It's technology." I laughed and walked down the hall to the spare room. Before walking in, I threw my leather jacket and helmet through my bedroom door, onto the bed. Looking back into the spare room, I realized a box had tipped over, spilling the contents over the floor. Why does stuff like this always happen when you need to do something? At least I could see the camping bed. And there was my old biology textbook. I picked it up and blew the dust off it before taking it out to Fluttershy.
"Here you go Fluttershy. It's a biology textbook from when I was in secondary school. Might be a bit old, though."
She stood up and took it from me, smiling. "Thank you. I'm sure it will be fine."
I smiled back at her and went back to the spare room. It was the same size as the bedroom, maybe a tiny bit smaller. I righted the fallen box and packed everything back in, before pulling the camping bed from behind the stack of boxes at the back of the room. I say boxes, but a lot of the crap in there wasn't in boxes. As well as the camping bed, there was a spare duvet, an old tent and of course the wardrobe where me and Jas kept our spare clothes.
After ten minutes, I'd made no headway into preparing the bed for Fluttershy. I'd lost the instructions, and couldn't find them in any of the boxes. I was sitting cross legged on the floor, tugging on the folding legs, but they were refusing to open.
"Come on, poxy bed frame. Unfold!" I muttered through clenched teeth. I pulled it, but simply trapped my hand in it. "Damn it!" I realized someone was watching me.
"Oh, hey Fluttershy." the bed jangled as I tried to raise my hand in greeting, but it was still stuck between the bed's leg and body. Fluttershy was standing half in the door frame, sort of hiding from view.
"If you don't mind me saying, I think you have to pull that lever." she pointed at the bed.
I turned it over and saw a small lever, with a green pad on the end. I would have face-palmed, had my hands not been full. With my right hand trapped and my left hand holding up the bed, I couldn't get it.
"Uh, I can't quite reach that. Could you get it?" I asked.
"O-ok." Fluttershy walked over and knelt down on the floor. She reached over me and pulled on the lever. There was a bang as the legs came loose and hit the floor. I pulled my hand back and put the bed down. There was a red mark across the back of my hand from the metal bar.
"Doesn't that hurt?" Fluttershy asked. She reached towards my hand, but I waved her off.
"It's fine." I wasn't lying. It hurt a little, but I could deal with it. I was too annoyed anyway.
Damn invisible lever . I shook my hand to ease some of the pain and looked at the clock on the wall. 10:00.
"Alright Fluttershy. I'll finish putting the bed up, then we can meet Steven at Gregg's." I looked at the bed. "You wouldn't happen to know what I have to do know?"
She giggled. "I think you lock the legs in place." she pointed at the bed.
I looked at it. There was a simple guide on the underside of the bed, with pictures and instructions. It had been concealed by a sleeping bag, which had been held in place by the bed's legs. This time I did face-palm.
"Would you mind helping me with the rest of it, seeing as I'm an incompetent fool?"
"Um, ok." she smiled at me.
"Ok. Now, according to this I have to secure the legs in place like this…"
I led Fluttershy down the pedestrianized road, but had to keep stopping to let her peer into shop windows at the displays of clothes and other items. Currently she was staring into the Argos window at the lawn mower poster taking up the whole display. She was getting a few odd stares, but that wasn't surprising given her pink hair and odd behaviour.
"Come on… Shy, we'll miss Steven." if I called her 'Fluttershy', the stares would no doubt get worse. 'Shy' was bad enough if I'm honest.
"Ok." she dragged herself away from the window. Because the town centre was so close, we'd walked there. It had only taken five minutes, but as we started down the pedestrianized road, Fluttershy had been complaining of aching legs. I guess if she really had been teleported here and changed into a human, she would still be getting used to her new body.
I shook my head and smiled. I actually believed she had once been a pony. Well, Steven was right, it was the most logical explanation. I sighed and looked at Fluttershy. She was walking alongside me, looking up at the small skyline about a mile away. I tapped her on the shoulder, and she looked around quickly.
"Here we are Shy. Gregg's." I stepped up and pushed open the door to the café, and the smell of baking wafted out on a blanket of warm air. As we stepped in I realized just how chilly it had been. I looked around quickly, and saw Steven sitting at a booth table, in the corner away from the other customers, drinking Pepsi.
"Hey, Steven!" I called quietly, so as to not annoy the half a dozen other people here. He looked over and grinned at me and Fluttershy.
"Alright Jamie? And hello to you Fluttershy."
"Hello Steven." she said.
I sat down across from Steven, and Fluttershy sat next to me. Steven was staring at her as though she was some sort of rare treasure.
"Alright, straight to the point." he started, keeping quiet, presumably so others couldn't hear him. "Fluttershy, you were once a pony, correct?" he steepled his fingers at her. Apparently he had also taken to believing her.
"Yes." she nodded.
"Well, you're in another world, a world called Earth. As Jamie's probably explained, we, and for the moment you are as well, a human. Now, there something I- well, both me and Jamie," he looked at me and nodded towards her. "Need to tell you. In this world, there is a television show – you know what they are?" Fluttershy nodded, so Steven continued. "Well, there's a television show called My Little Pony: Friendship is magic…"
Oh god, this is going to take some time…
10 minutes and several Pepsi's later…
"So, in this world, I'm in a cartoon?" Fluttershy asked.
Steven and I both nodded. "And so is the whole of Equestria." he added.
Fluttershy looked lost, almost shell shocked. "How do I get back? I need to find my friends…"
"I don't know Fluttershy. Me and Steven will do everything we can to help." I said, then turned and whispered to him. "Maybe that wasn't the best way to tell her."
"She needed to know, and sooner rather than later, when some hard-core fan realizes." he whispered back, before talking normally. "And that's the next part. Now, Fluttershy, I'm sure you've realised that pink hair, and, well, your name, aren't exactly normal in this world."
She looked up at him and nodded.
"Well, don't look now, but it's not exactly subtle." he said.
"Oh?" she asked.
I joined in by nodding. "That's why people have been staring at you Fluttershy."
"So what do I do?" she asked, looking around at the other customers.
"Well, I have a small idea." Steven said. Fluttershy and I both looked at him. "It's your name and hair that stand out, so, you'll have to change them to avoid attention."
Fluttershy looked aghast. "On no! I could never change my name, or my mane- hair colour! I don't want to change who I am, not for anything! Like that one time, when I was a model because Rarity wanted me to, I hated it!"
Steven and I looked at each other. If she wasn't the real deal, nothing would be.
"Alright." he said quietly, thinking over what she said. "What if, we don't change the colour of your hair or your name, but pretend they're different while you're around other people that don't know you're a pony?"
"Steven, how are we supposed to pretend her hair is a different colour?" I asked.
"A wig maybe? It would be better than a dye." Steven shook his head.
"And what about my name?" Fluttershy asked.
"We can just pretend it's something different. How about Francesca?" Steven said.
I shuddered. Francesca was the name of one of my ex-girlfriends, that I now believe to be one of Satan's minions, and Steven knew that. "No." I said simply.
He smirked and Fluttershy just looked curiously at me.
"What about Florence then?" Steven asked.
"I like that name." Fluttershy smiled.
"Sounds nice." I nodded. "So, to avoid awkwardness in public, we'll call you Florence."
"Or Flo, for short." Steven added.
"Are you sure you're ok with this Fluttershy?" I asked.
She smiled. "Oh yes, I understand, and Florence sounds like a wonderful name."
"Alright 'Flo', while we're at Gregg's, you want to taste some of Earth delicacies?" I asked, pointing to the counter of pastries. "My treat."
She beamed at me and nodded.
A thanks to ChancellorPuddinghead for Fluttershy's new name and mane/hair ideas
I set the tray down on the table then sat down next to Fluttershy. She smiled at me sweetly as I handed her the plate with her iced bun. I'd made sure we didn't get any meat products like a chicken wrap or sausage roll. God knows how Fluttershy would have reacted. Well, how badly. I just had a gingerbread man, while Steven had a whole tuna crunch baguette. And a chocolate éclair for afterwards.
"Honestly Steven, you're the only one I know that can eat a whole tuna baguette, then eat an éclair to top it."
"Meh." Steven took a messy bite of the baguette and shrugged.
"You should see him eat, Fluttershy." I said as she took a petite bite out of her bun.
She giggled as a piece of tuna slid down Stevens chin. This atmosphere was nice: like we were all old friends meeting up for lunch. But it didn't stop me thinking about how Fluttershy was going to get home, back to Equestria. She didn't belong here.
I bit into the gingerbread man, taking off his leg as Fluttershy took another bite of her bun. Steven told a joke, but I wasn't listening. Fluttershy said she'd arrived after a blinding flash of light, in which she'd apparently been both transported, or teleported, to earth and turned into a human simultaneously.
I couldn't explain that scientifically. Equestria, from what I'd learnt, was a land of magic. That must have been what teleported here. If so, there was little I could do about it. I'd try, of course. And besides, I'm sure Fluttershy staying here for a while wouldn't bother Steven. It looked like he was having a great time. As far as I could tell, bronies had 'favourite ponies', and I wondered if Fluttershy was Stevens. I'd have to ask.
"Jamie?" Fluttershy asked.
I looked up. Apparently I'd missed something important. "Sorry, had my head in the clouds. What is it?" I asked, putting the half eaten gingerbread man down on the plate.
"I asked where Jas is." Steven said.
"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. She's been visiting her parents for a couple of weeks over in Alaska." I said. "She's getting back about midnight tonight. In fact, she should be about halfway over the Atlantic now."
"So, how are you going to explain how Fluttershy got here?" Steven asked before taking another bite out of his baguette.
Crap. I hadn't thought about that.
"I don't know. I guess I'll have to try and convince her, but she was pretty sceptical when I told her over the phone. Fluttershy, I'll need your help to convince her." I turned to her, and she nodded.
"Of course I'll try and help. After all, you're being so kind, letting me stay with you and everything."
"And you can count me Jamie. A doctor's opinion always helps." Steven said through a mouthful of tuna, bread and lettuce.
"Thanks." I said gratefully.
"But Jas isn't one to believe what can't be explained by science." Steven commented unhelpfully.
"That's precisely why I need all the help I can get." I muttered, taking another bite of gingerbread.
"Sorry I'm a being a bother." Fluttershy whispered almost silently.
I turned to look at her. She was looking down, hiding behind her hair.
"Oh no Fluttershy, you're not a bother. Honest." I tried to reassure her. She nodded and smiled at me kindly through her hair, but I could tell she wasn't sure. And she was obviously homesick, or something of the like. All I could think of to get her back to Equestria was the standard fall back Let's hope the problem fixes itself which wasn't a very good fall back. But what could I do?
I sighed and ate the last bit of gingerbread.
Across from me Steven finished his baguette and moved onto his éclair and Fluttershy was halfway through her iced bun. She even had a trace of icing on the tip of her nose. I looked at my watch. It was 11:20 now, but I had most of the day left. Me and Fluttershy could probably go into town to the hairdressers and get her a wig. And I should probably get her an extra duvet to put on top of the camping bed, to make it a little more comfortable. I could get that at Argos and carry it back.
Steven told another bad joke that I didn't listen to, and Fluttershy laughed softly. Steven yawned loudly.
"Well, I'm gonna go in a minute. The sugar helps, but I've been up since seven last night. I can hardly keep my eyes open." Steven rubbed his eyes and blinked several times.
"You sure you can even walk home?" I asked.
Steven nodded. "Better go now though. Well," he clapped his hands together. "It was nice catching up with you Jamie. How longs it been? A couple of months?"
"About that." I confirmed.
"And it was nice meeting you Fluttershy, a true pleasure." Steven reached across and held out his hand. Fluttershy reached out gingerly and grasped it, letting Steven shake it up and down. "Or Florence as we might have to call you now. Hopefully I'll see you both again soon." he stretched and yawned again.
"Yep." I nodded in agreement.
"That sounds wonderful." Fluttershy smiled.
"Alright. See you both later." Steven turned and walked towards the door.
I placed the empty plates and Stevens empty Pepsi cup on a try and stood up. Fluttershy followed my lead.
"Where are we going now?" Fluttershy asked me as a placed the tray on the rack and threw the Pepsi cup in the bin.
"I thought we could go get you a wig, then get a duvet from Argos." I pushed open the café door.
"A duvet?" she followed me out of the bakery into the cloudy April day.
"A thick, comfy blanket. Don't you have them in Equestria?"
"Well, I think the fancy ponies in Canterlot do, and maybe Rarity, but I just have a blanket." Fluttershy said.
"Then you've been missing out. You slept in one last night, and I thought you should have another to go with the spare one, to soften the camping bed. It's not bad, but not like a proper bed."
"Oh, you don't have to do that for me." Fluttershy insisted.
"I insist. It's not every day you get teleported to another world and changed into a different creature. You need to be compensated."
She smiled and hugged me unexpectedly. "Thank you Jamie. You're too kind."
I smiled at her as she let me go. "It's perfectly alright. Now, how about your wig?" I led her into the hairdressers.
The door made a dinging noise as it hit an overhead bell, temporarily disturbing the radio playing through the speakers. It was pretty empty, only one person getting their hair cut. Jas had worked here for a bit, before getting a job at the spa. A hairdresser stepped.
"Hello Jamie! So nice to see you again!" it was Amy, one of Jas's friends.
"Hey Amy, nice to see you too. I just brought Florence here in to get her a wig. She's an, old friend."
Amy looked over my shoulder at Fluttershy, who was standing looking around the shop at the gels, scissors and other haircutting tools.
"Why's her hair pink?" Amy asked.
"She, uh, she wanted to dye it, but got the wrong colour, and it takes a while to wash out, so she wanted a wig until it does." that sounded legit to me at least.
"Hmm. Well, Florence, do you have any idea what colour or style wig you want?" Amy asked.
Fluttershy shook her head. Amy turned to me and whispered.
"Is she mute?"
"No, no, just shy." I explained.
"Alright. Well, Florence, do you want to come with me and have a look at some of the styles?" Amy asked.
"Ok." Fluttershy nodded.
I sat down in one of the chairs while Amy led Fluttershy to have a look at the selection.
I pushed the door shut behind me as Fluttershy walked in and sat down, taking off her shoes and new brunette wig.
"Oooh, my hooves- er, feet, really hurt."
"They will for a bit after you do a lot of walking." I said, putting the rolled up duvet down on the sofa next to her and stretched my arm. It wasn't heavy, but I'd been holding it under my arm for a quarter of an hour. "If you want, I could get a bowl of hot water for you to rest your feet in." I offered.
"Oh, no thank you." Fluttershy said and picked up the biology text book I had given her.
"Alright. I'll be setting up your bed if you need anything."
"Ok. Thank you again Jamie." she smiled at me.
I smiled back at her. "No problem." I grabbed the duvet with my other arm and walked down the hall.
I stepped into Fluttershy's room. The boxes were piled along the right wall, and I'd draped a red blanket over them, to at least make the room look less like a cupboard. The bed was against the left wall, and the spare duvet was laid out on top of it. Dropping the new duvet on the floor, I grabbed the side of the one on the bed and pushed it down between the wall and bed, then grabbed the other side and pushed it under the legs, so it would stay in place. Now Fluttershy could lie on top and have the new duvet over her.
I was interrupted by my thoughts by a meow from behind. Mits was sitting in the doorway, lazily flicking her tail against the door and watching me prepare Fluttershy's room. I held up my hand and she stepped forward, and then pressed her head against my palm.
Mits is an epic cat.
I stroked her a couple of times then ushered her away.
"Go on, go see Fluttershy." I urged her.
Mits stood and walked out, as though she really understood what I'd just said. I shrugged and grabbed the other duvet, ripping the plastic cover off.
Crap. The duvet was there, but it didn't have a cover. It would still be soft, but not as comfortable. I'd have to look through the boxes at the back for a spare. I crawled over and started going through them. As I tried to reach down the back of the top one, the pile, which I should mention is about 5 feet tall, shifted and fell. On me.
Damn it, I knew I should have piled them up better. My arm was stuck under the boxes, and I couldn't reach up high enough to dislodge the top box. They weren't crushing my arm, but it wasn't comfortable to say the least. I saw a pair of scissors glint from inside an open box.
Nope, I'd rather not do a 127 Hours Later.
"Fluttershy, could you come here a minute?" I shouted.
I heard her footsteps down the hall, in no hurry. She stepped into the doorway, and saw me sprawled on the floor with my arm trapped. "Oh my, what happened?" she rushed over and lifted the top box off.
"Uh, small box avalanche. Thanks." I thanked her as she lifted the last box and freed my arm.
"No problem. Is that my bed?" she asked, looking round at the camp bed.
"Yeah. Sorry it's not much. I was just looking for a duvet cover when the boxes fell."
"Oh, you didn't have to do that." Fluttershy insisted.
"And I insisted." I stood and stretched my arm.
"Thank you." Fluttershy said. I felt like she was thanking me for everything today.
"You don't have to keep thanking me Fluttershy." I said.
She blushed. "Ok. But I am grateful for everything you've done for me."
I smiled. "Well, I've got nothing else on my To Do list, except to meet Jas at the station at midnight, so I guess we can just hang out today if you want."
She gave me her trademark smile. "That sounds nice."
I turned off the bikes headlight and biked slowly towards the stations main entrance. The lights from the concourse were enough to show Jas standing near the roads edge in the dark, waiting for me. She heard the bikes engine and turned to smile at me.
I braked and took off my helmet as she walked towards me.
"Hey there handsome." she said.
"And who might you be?" I asked, holding the helmet under my arm. The engine ticked over.
"A girl looking for someone to take her home. So, where's my helmet?" she asked, walking up and hugging me.
I held her back and pecked her on the cheek. "Right here." I said, holding up my bag. I pulled her dark purple leather jacket and helmet out.
"Thanks." she pulled the jacket on and I put her blonde hair into a ponytail so I could put her helmet on for her.
She hopped and straddled the bike, grasping my waist and nuzzling the back of neck. I revved the engine and set off back towards the flat.
It didn't take long. Me and Jas made our way up the stairs as she told me tales from her trip in America. I opened the door as she giggled and saw Fluttershy waiting for us.
"Hello Jas. Jamie's told me a lot about you." Fluttershy smiled sweetly.
In the words of Newton: bollocks.
Jas turned to me with a lightning stare. "Who is she?"
I stepped forward, holding up my hands in surrender. "Jas, meet Fluttershy." I smiled sheepishly.
"You mean the crazy girl you found in the forest?" Jas asked incredulously. Fluttershy stepped back, hurt.
"Calm down Jas, she's not crazy-" I tried to explain.
"How can she not be crazy? She thinks she's a flipping pony!" Jas said.
There were several things I wanted to say. But she was, in Equestria. There's no way we can know she wasn't. But I knew that would make me sound crazy and it wouldn't help my and Fluttershy's case. I had to distract her, at least until morning.
"Look, you're jet-lagged and tired. Can we talk about this in the morning?" I pleaded. Jas must have been up for at least 24 hours.
"Yeah, I am. But I want to deal with this, now." Jas dropped her helmet on the table by the door and stood facing me, hands on hips. "Well?"
Damn. "Come on Jas, you even said it, you know me. She was lost in the woods, no idea where she was, nowhere to go. I had to help her."
"And she really has nowhere to go?" Jas asked sceptically.
"No. Come on Jas, it won't hurt. I slept on the sofa last night, and I've set up the spare room so she can stay there. Come on, do we have to argue in front of her?" I gestured to Fluttershy, who was hiding behind her hair and cowering in the corner of the room, next to the window. "Especially now, you just got back and it's half twelve in the morning." I pleaded.
"Fine. We'll continue this in the morning." Jas turned and walked into the main bedroom, ignoring Fluttershy. I walked over to her as she sniffed.
Oh god, I couldn't deal with it if she started crying.
"Come on Fluttershy, don't cry." I rubbed her arm.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause an argument." Fluttershy sniffed again.
"I know, it's alright. She'll understand in the morning, she's just tired and jet-lagged." I tried to re-assure her. It seemed to be working, at least a little.
"What does jet-lagged' mean?" she asked quietly.
I smiled. At least that would distract her, for now. "I'll explain in the morning. Aren't you tired?"
She yawned. "Yes." she blinked several times.
"Let's get you to bed then." I led her down the hall towards her bedroom.
I heard rustling from inside my and Jas's bedroom, probably Jas changing into her pyjamas. I followed Fluttershy into her room and walked up to the wardrobe, swinging the doors open and pulling out one of Jas's old pyjama tops and trousers. I held them up to Fluttershy.
"Here, you can change into these. They're more comfortable for sleeping in."
"Thank you." she smiled sleepily and took them from me. She started to pull her top off, but I held my hand up.
"Woah, let me get out before you change." I grinned and stepped backwards.
She blushed. "Sorry."
"It's ok. Do you want anything before you go to sleep?" I asked, holding the door handle ready to leave her to her privacy.
"Do you have milk on this planet?" she asked.
I nodded, smiling. "I'll get you a glass." I closed the door behind her. Instead of heading straight for the kitchen, though, I walked into my bedroom and saw Jas, in her pyjamas, getting into the double bed.
"Want anything Jas?" I asked. I knew she would be angry at the fact that Fluttershy was here, but I hadn't expected her to do this.
"No thanks. I just need sleep." Jas said.
"Well, ok. I'll be in in a second." I said. She huffed as I walked out, but she hadn't banished me to the sofa, so it couldn't be that bad.
"Maybe it would be best if you slept on the sofa again." Jas angrily said after me.
Bugger.
I carried on into the kitchen and sighed. First night back and I and Jas had already had an argument. Enough for me to sleep on the sofa, no less. Mits padded her way over to me and pawed my legs gently, begging to be stroked. I knelt down and rubbed her head. She purred.
I've said it once, I'll say it again. Mits is best cat.
I stood and walked into the kitchen to grab the milk and a glass for Fluttershy. I sighed again as I poured the milk. Honestly, trying to talk Jas into believing Fluttershy was real: not going to end well. I put the milk down on the counter, I was getting hot. I hadn't taken my leather jacket off yet and the heating, though feeble, was still on. It had started raining as heavy as hell suddenly and the temperature would have dropped outside so I didn't want to turn it off. I shrugged the jacket off, threw it onto the sofa for later and took the milk into Fluttershy. I rapped on the door gently.
"Are you decent Fluttershy?" I whispered.
"Yes." she confirmed through the door. I pushed it open and saw her sitting on the side of the bed, the pyjamas crudely put on and crumpled, though not exposing her private areas, thankfully. I walked over to her and handed her the glass. She took it and smiled before drinking from it. Hey eyes widened in shock, at how cold it was I presumed. She drank it and put the glass down, leaving a white moustache on her upper lip. This felt just like a cartoon, I mused.
"Thank you Jamie." she handed me back the now empty glass.
"No problem Fluttershy." I smiled at her.
"No, really. Thank you for defending me, even though I caused an argument. You're too kind." she stood up and hugged me, an action I found was occurring surprisingly often. It still surprised me though. I hugged her back and rubbed her shoulder.
"It's ok Fluttershy. I should, probably go." I tried to let go, but she still gripped me, pressing her head to my chest, her being several inches shorter than me. "Fluttershy?" I asked. She let go at last, blushing slightly. "Good night." she said.
"Uh, good night. Sleep well." I said stepping out of the room and closing the door.
What.
I opened my eyes to sunlight, straight into my eyes. Again. Damn sun. At least the rain streaking down the glass of the window was dulling it down. As far as I could tell, I was the first one awake. I'd changed into some pyjamas, leaving the shirt unbuttoned. I was starting to miss duvets. I felt a pressure on my chest. Mits was curled up, asleep.
Curses.
I cupped my hands under her torso and tried to gently lift her off me. Her paws hung limp and she purred gently in her sleep. So cute. I laid her on the pillow I had been resting on and sat up. The flat was dark, the small crack in the curtain letting in the only light. And it was utterly silent.
I sat up properly. At least it was warm. I decided to check stuff on my laptop. I had deliberately avoided using it for fear Fluttershy would get curious and want to check out the internet. The horrors she might witness… I wouldn't let her see that.
I opened Chrome and went to my Hotmail account out of curiosity and saw I had 4 new emails. Two of them spam, as usual. No matter how many times they ask, I will not need Viagra for Christ's sake. There was one from the bank – I ignored it, I knew what it would say – and the last non-spam one from an art studio in town. It was a reply.
Most interesting. I clicked on it and skim read it quickly.
Thank you for your application blah blah blah we are interested in your artwork, and wish to meet you in person blah blah blah 9th of April. Please bring another example of your artwork so we can further examine…
I grinned, forgetting the situation between the two girls in the bedrooms. I'd sent them one of my better pieces of work, and they liked it! I wasn't hoping to become a world famous artist, I knew that wouldn't happen, but if they at least liked my art, I could sell it to them and get some much needed money.
I jumped up and punched the air. This was excellent! I did a double take. The 9th of April was tomorrow. And they wanted to see another piece of my art.
Not good.
I didn't have anything good enough to show them, what I'd sent them had been my best piece. I needed to draw something good, soon. But first, I had to deal with the Fluttershy-Jas situation.
I decided to wait until they were both awake. If I was going to convince Jas that Fluttershy was real, I'd need her to help. I might even have to take Steven up on his offer to help.
There was a creak as a door opened. Thankfully it was Fluttershy, so I still had time to figure out my strategy. She sat down on the sofa between me and Mits, stroking her head carefully so as not to wake her.
"Morning Fluttershy. Sleep well?" I whispered, deciding to button up my shirt for the sake of modesty.
"Good morning Jamie. I slept very well thank you, the duvet was very comfortable. What are you doing?"
"Checking my mail." I answered.
"Don't you have to go outside, to the mail box?" she asked, confused.
"Not in this world. Well, not all the time." I explained. "Look, someone wants to buy one of my drawings. But they want to see another, and I don't have one to show them.2 I muttered.
"Why don't you just draw something?"
"It's not that simple. It needs to flow; I need to want to draw it." I looked up at her. She was looking at the screen, her hair ruffled and her pyjamas were crumpled, the tell-tale signs of a long night. Speaking of which, what was the time now?
I looked at the laptop. Oh good, half ten. Even less time to draw the picture they wanted. I looked back at Fluttershy again.
Hmm.
"Fluttershy, would you mind if I drew you?" I didn't know how she would react to my request. She was shy, obviously, and she knew I was going to show it to people.
"I don't know…" she said, managing to whisper even more quietly.
"Alright." I sighed.
"…ok." she said after a few seconds.
I looked up at her. "Really?"
"Yes." she said.
"You don't have too." I said.
"Please, I'd like to help. But, I'm a bit messy." she looked at her fluffed up hair.
"Yeah. I think I could use a shower as well. And you must be hungry. If you want I could make you some breakfast while you have a shower, then I could have a shower."
"What about you?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'll eat with Jas when she wakes up. Though given the how late she was up, that might be a few more hours."
"If you're sure." Fluttershy whispered.
"What do you think about Jas?" I asked after a few moments.
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy turned and looked at me.
"What do you think of her? Is she mean, kind, caring? Give me your honest opinion." I asked.
"Oh, I don't know. It's rude to talk about people behind their backs." Fluttershy looked away.
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind, though." I reassured her.
"Well… I think she seemed alright, until I said hello." she frowned.
"Yeah, I guess you've yet to see her good side." I mulled. "I'm sure she'll be better today. Anyway, let's get you some breakfast." I stood up and Fluttershy followed. "Except I think we're out of pancake mix." I walked into the kitchen and knelt down to open a cupboard.
"I don't suppose you have any hay?" Fluttershy smiled, sitting down at the table.
"I wouldn't recommend eating it in this body." I chuckled. "Humans aren't really built to eat it. How about Rice Krispies?" I held up the light blue box of cereal.
"What's that?" Fluttershy asked.
I smiled and grabbed a bowl and spoon. "You'll like them, I'm sure." I poured the Krispies in and half-filled the bowl. Now for the magic trick. I pulled the milk out the fridge and poured in a little. I slid the bowl in front of Fluttershy. She was about to ask, but I stopped her.
"Shh, listen." I said, holding a finger to my lips.
She stopped and looked at the bowl. I could hear a quiet snapping, crackling and popping noise. Fluttershy beamed, apparently thinking this was the best thing ever. She tried to pick up the spoon, dropped it with a clatter, picked it up again and prodded the mushy mix with it, causing a flurry of noises.
"Go on, try it." I ushered her.
She scooped up a small spoonful and hesitantly put it in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully. "It's… nice." she said.
I shrugged. "It isn't exactly the best cuisine on the planet, but it's alright. Now, I'm gonna take a shower. Feel free to get a glass of milk or water. If you want I could even show you 7up when I get dressed." I offered. I wondered how she would react to that.
Fluttershy smiled at me as she her Krispies. "That sounds nice."
I smiled back and walked down the hall towards my room to get a towel and change of clothes. I mulled over the last two surprisingly eventful days.
I stepped in quietly so as not to wake Jas. She looked so peaceful. Not compared to last night, when she'd given me a look that could have melted rock. I grabbed my clothes and was about to leave when Jas's phone went off, indicating a text.
I know I shouldn't of, but I was drawn to the phone. I picked it up and looked at the display.
.
.
.
Who the hell was Jason?
I threw Jas's phone back down on her shirt on the floor after going through a couple of the texts between her and 'Jason'. I'd interrogate her later. Right now I was too pissed off to look at her sleeping form on the double bed. She'd been in Alaska for two weeks, but, evidently, not just to visit her parents. I stalked out of the bedroom with my towel and spare clothes. Fluttershy looked up at me questioningly.
"I need that shower." I said quietly. I wasn't going to burden her with my problems. I slammed the bathroom door shut, not caring if I woke Jas up now. I turned the water on cold, de-robed and stepped in. Well, stepped in and sat down under the stream. I heard a gentle knock at the door.
"Is there something wrong?" Fluttershy asked quietly through the door, barely audible over the water hitting the top of my head.
I didn't answer for a second. "Relationship issues." I called back to her.
She didn't say anything else and after a few seconds I presumed she'd walked back into the living room. She'd been watching another re-run of Spongebob when I'd stormed through.
I stood up after a few more seconds. Washing away the problem wasn't possible yet, not until I'd confronted Jas about it. I washed quickly, not bothering to clean my hair. I think we were out of my shampoo anyway. Something else I had to buy.
I sighed, finished up and switched off the shower. At least I probably looked – and smelled – a little cleaner. I towelled myself and pulled on my clothes slowly. I wasn't in any rush to go back out, but I knew I had to nonetheless. I shook my head and a mist of water sprayed out, making my shirt collar damp. I shrugged. Oh well.
I unlocked the door and walked back into the flat. Just as I'd predicted Fluttershy was sitting on the sofa watching the TV. She looked at me curiously again.
"Um, your hair's dripping still." Fluttershy pointed at my bird's nest hair style.
"Yeah." I replied. I wasn't really in the mood for talking. I sat down on the armchair facing Fluttershy and slumped onto the armrest, thinking.
After a while – it could have been five minutes, it could have been fifty - I looked back at Fluttershy and noticed she wasn't really paying any attention to the TV. Just looking around the room without moving her head, her eyes occasionally locking on the window or something outside.
"Something wrong?" I asked her.
She turned to face me quickly, surprised, then calmed down. Looking away, she replied "No."
I knew what that meant. "What is it?" I queried, leaning forward.
She didn't say anything for a minute. "Well, it's just…" she trailed off and faced me again, with more confidence. "I'm a little homesick." she admitted.
That made me think, and it struck me then that what I was going through with Jas was nothing in comparison to Fluttershy. Here she was in a foreign world, in a new body that was just as foreign as the planet. And the technology. In the cartoon, they didn't have TV's or computers, or planes, or even cars and dirt bikes. This was about as alien a situation as possible. At least we spoke the same language.
And then, on top of all of that, she had learnt, rather brusquely, that she was from a cartoon world. It was only normal – expected, even - that she would feel homesick. She was taking the whole thing very well, if a little quietly.
Mits stalked in and prowled around Fluttershy's legs, making her giggle. At least with Mits here Fluttershy could have her love of animals to relate too.
"I'll help you get home." I said resolutely after a minute.
"Hmm?" she asked. Fluttershy was stroking Mits and must not have heard me.
"I'll help you get back home." I said again, looking her straight in the eye.
She smiled warmly back at me. "Thank you."
I turned at a rustle coming from the bedroom. Apparently Jas was awake.
The proverbial shit was about to hit the proverbial fan.
I stood up and walked slowly towards the bedroom.
Jas was standing by the end of the bed, looking at her phone. I stopped in the doorway, returning the look.
"So?" she asked.
"So?"
"You read my texts." she said.
I nodded. Straight to the point, at least. She probably wanted to get this argument over with as fast as possible.
"So you know about Jason?" she asked quietly.
"I do now." I said.
There was silence for a few seconds, and I heard Spongebob's distinctive laugh from the TV.
"You don't want to know anything about this?" Jas asked.
I thought for a few more seconds. "How long?"
"A few weeks, maybe a month." Jas said. "I met him online. Not a dating website or anything, he was asking about the spa. A week later, he broke up with his girlfriend, we got talking, and one thing led to another. And then I found out he lives in the same town as my parents."
"Was it me?" I asked, trying to contain my anger.
"No, it was… I don't know what it was. It's just not exciting anymore." she confessed.
"We've been dating for seven months Jas! Why would you just go off with him?" I asked, feeling heartbroken. What me and Jas had was – or had been - strong.
"I don't know Jamie. But what about that creep in the living room?" Jas pointed through the wall, and I was taken aback.
"What!" I exclaimed angrily. "She has a name." I reminded Jas.
"Shame you'll only call her Fluttershy then. Come on Jamie, you don't really think she's a fucking cartoon character do you!" Jas was speaking at a somewhat normal volume, bordering on shouting.
"Jas, calm down. And yes, I do. She's not lying. I know she's not. Even Steven agrees, and he's a doctor."
"He would flipping agree, he's one of your friends! If I'd known it was this easy to convince you, I would have said there was no-one called Jason and that I wasn't cheating on you with him!"
"Hey!" that was out of order.
"I'm sorry Jamie, but it won't work out." she said, turning around completely now. "I'm going to pack a few things and go."
I stared for a few seconds as she flung open the wardrobe and started grabbing clothes. So she meant it. I turned and walked away. It was all too much to handle. I slumped back into the armrest I had been sitting in as my eyes started to water.
Seven months. Me and Jas had been dating for seven months, and it had to end like this? I realized Fluttershy was staring at me.
"Yeah?" I sniffed.
"What's wrong?" she asked. She sounded genuinely concerned.
"It's nothing. You don't need to bother yourself with it." I waved her off.
She watched me for a second. "Sit over here." she gestured to the space on the sofa next to her.
I considered it for a few seconds, and then she waved me over again, insisting. I grudgingly stood up, walked over and sat next to her.
"Now, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked again. She held my hand and I sighed.
"It's me and Jas. It just… well, it isn't going to work out. It's over." Fluttershy gasped softly, and I saw she was genuinely shocked.
"What happened?" she whispered.
"She met someone else." I said with a shrug. Fluttershy didn't say anything, so I looked up at her. She was frowning.
"I thought you were dating?" she said slowly.
"We were. Not anymore." I looked away again.
Fluttershy frowned harder, and I got a little worried. I thought back to her outburst the night I found her, when she proclaimed she truly had been a pony. There was a creak as the bedroom door opened and Jas walked out, holding the suitcase she had brought back from America and another, smaller, carry-all. Fluttershy was staring at her now, and I couldn't see her face. I pulled my hand back from her, not wanting Jas to see for some reason. Fluttershy stood up and walked in front of Jas, blocking her exit to the door.
"Move." Jas commanded simply.
Fluttershy stood her ground. "You cheated on him?" she asked quietly.
"It's none of your business." Jas replied acidly.
"Did you?" Fluttershy repeated, jutting her chest out like some sort of territorial animal.
"…yes." Jas confirmed, frowning at Fluttershy. Fluttershy returned it with a glare that could melt rock.
"How dare you." Fluttershy muttered.
"What?" Jas said, taken aback.
"How dare you!" Fluttershy spoke more boldly. "How could you do this? What has Jamie ever done to you?"
"I don't think it's any of your-" Jas tried to interrupt her, but Fluttershy was having none of it.
"I haven't even known him for very long, but already he's gone out of his way to make me welcome! He's let me stay here, he's fed me and helped me, and hasn't asked anything of me in return! He's clearly a nice person, and how do you repay him? You cheat on him and break his heart, with some stranger!" she stopped to take a breath, but wasn't done yet. "No-one deserves to have to suffer heart-break!" she was almost shouting now. "No-one deserves to be treated how you treated Jamie!"
Jas was dumbfounded. Hell, I was dumbfounded. I'd never imagined Fluttershy would be capable of something like that! Jas skirted around the glaring Fluttershy, straight for the door. She unlocked it quickly and turned around to face us, apparently trying to think of something to say back. After a couple of seconds, she gave up and settled with:
"You're both crazy!" she slammed the door shut.
There was a moment of silence as Fluttershy stood there, facing the door and breathing deeply from the rant she had just administered. She turned to me and her features physically relaxed.
"…um…" she whispered. She twiddled her thumbs nervously.
I jumped to my feet, swung myself over the sofa and hugged her.
"Fluttershy, that was absolutely amazing." I smiled. That was just about everything I'd wanted to say but didn't have the courage too. And from the shyest person/pony I knew. I hadn't been expecting that when I woke up.
I let her go and looked her in the face. She was blushing lightly, but smiling back at me. It took some will power not to lean forward and peck her on the cheek.
"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked her. Already the happy surprise of Fluttershy defending my battered feelings was wearing off, and I needed something to further distract myself.
"Whatever you want is fine." she replied. She leant forward and hugged me. "You must feel really upset." she said quietly in my ear.
I hugged back. "Yeah, a little. But your little display made me feel a little better too."
She giggled. "Sorry if I shouted."
"Honestly, I don't care if the whole of Lincoln heard." I let go of her and stepped back. I looked at her pink hair and caring face, complimented by the pale blue pyjamas. Jas's pyjamas.
I sighed and looked away from Fluttershy. Her argument with Jas had been enough to take the edge off the pain of Jas cheating on me, but it still hurt, and my heart felt half dead.
"I need to sit down." I turned away from her and walked around the sofa to sit down. Mits jumped up next to me and sat up, staring at me and meowed. Fluttershy sat down on the other side of me. Mits climbed onto my lap, did a 360, then settled, purring loudly. I rubbed her head and she pressed back against my hand as Fluttershy reached over and stroked her too.
I smiled a little. Maybe my problems weren't all that bad. Sure, I was running low on money, but who wasn't? And sure, I'd just… well, broken up with a girl I loved and thought loved me back. But here was Fluttershy, on an alien world, trying to make me feel better, and Mits, the best cat of all time. And I had a potential buyer for some art.
I smiled at the TV as Spongebob crashed his boat again and Fluttershy laughed. All in all, I guessed I wasn't that bad off.
A/N: Thanks to ChancellorPuddinghead for editing this chapter.
I sighed and looked over at Fluttershy. She had lost interest in the show too. It was another re-run of Spongebob. I knew I had other things to do, like getting the drawing for the art studio, but I didn't feel like it. Heart break hurts, no matter how quickly you get it over with or who you have to comfort you afterwards. Though I doubted anyone could help soothe it better than Fluttershy. Almost as if she had heard my thoughts, she shuffled over and laid her hand on mine.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I guess so." I answered. "A little heartbroken, but okay."
Fluttershy looked thoughtful for a second. "I didn't think she was very nice anyway."
I chuckled. "I guess not." Fluttershy was helping immensely.
I wondered what to do. Like I said, I had better things to do than sit and mope. And once again on cue, the phone rang. If there was some sort of deity up above, I'd kindly like him to stop reading my mind. I grabbed it off the coffee table and read the name on the display. Steven.
"Hey Steven." I said.
"You alright Jamie? You don't sound so good. Did you explain the Fluttershy situation to Jas?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Didn't go so well?"
"Not really." Fluttershy was looking at me oddly so I switched the phone to speaker. "Alright Steven you're on speaker, say hello to Fluttershy."
"Hey there Fluttershy, or Florence I suppose." Steven's voice said through the phones speaker.
"How are you doing that?" Fluttershy asked as she poked the phone base.
"Technology." I explained.
"We're getting off track here." Steven reminded us. "How did it go with Jas?"
Fluttershy looked at me quickly. I waved her off. "Not well. She didn't believe me, and… it went pretty south from there."
"Where is she now?"
"Well, to put it bluntly…" I trailed off, not sure how to put it bluntly.
"She was cheating on Jamie." Fluttershy said a tad scornfully, a frown scrunching her features.
"…alright, I'm coming over." Steven hung up.
I stared at the phone before returning it to the cradle. "That was pretty decisive."
Fluttershy nodded. "Jamie," she said after a minute. "Can you… can you show me an episode?" she asked me.
"An episode? Of what?" I asked.
She inhaled deeply. "Of… the show I'm in."
I looked at her. She me my eyes resolutely. Nodding slowly, I faced forwards again and opened flipped up the laptop. She leant forward and stared at the screen as I opened Chrome and went to YouTube. I knew the episode I was looking for, it was one of the ones I had watched the other night, the day I found her. Dragonshy, I think it was called. I hit the first result.
Fluttershy leant closer as the opening keys of music played. I turned the laptop so she could see it properly.
She watched, her mouth slightly open as she watched her pony self on the screen. She pointed at Angel, her rabbit, as the Fluttershy on screen swooped down.
"Not too fast now Angel bunny, you don't want to get a tummy ache."
"That's me… I remember this." the real Fluttershy said.
"You really should eat more than that, don't you think?" Angel hopped away, and cartoon Fluttershy flew in front of him.
"It's not playtime yet." she said, contrasting the cartoon her.
Now that the two Fluttershy's were speaking at the same time, I could actually compare their voices. Not that there was anything to compare; they were completely identical, almost like duplicates. In fact, they were as identical as possible, they were the same person after all, just a different... species. Their faces looked roughly the same, mainly the eye lashes. Their eye colour too, but I already knew that.
The theme song started playing and Fluttershy frowned deeply.
"How do humans know about us?" Fluttershy asked. Before I got a chance to explain we didn't, Twilights balloon landed and Fluttershy gasped. "Twilight! And there's Rarity, and Applejack, and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash and... me…" she trailed off as each of the ponies sang their lines.
"… and magic makes it all complete, yeah! My little ponies, did you know you're all my very best frieeeeends!"
"This is... weird" Fluttershy commented.
We sat and watched the next ten minutes of the episode together in silence. There was a knock at the door just as the cartoon Fluttershy shouted 'Avalanche!' and thus caused one. I stood up and walked to the door. Swinging it open revealed Steven in his cycling helmet.
"Hey Jamester, I'm here." he greeted.
"So I see." I said, opening the door wider for him. He looked over at Fluttershy as he unclipped his helmet buckle. "Is she watching My Little Pony?" Steven whispered.
"Yeah, she asked to." I whispered back.
"Are you sure that's safe?" he asked quietly as he put the helmet on the table by the door.
"What?"
"Well, it might cause a paradox or something."
"Hello Dr. Steven." Fluttershy said, not looking away from the laptop screen.
"Please, call me Steven." he amended. He turned to me. "How're you holding up?" he asked.
"About as you'd expect. The thing that rattles me most is that she was cheating on me weeks before she went to America."
"Well I'm here now little buddy." he said as he patted me on the shoulder and walked over and sat in the armchair.
"I'm a year older than you." I muttered as I joined Fluttershy on the sofa again, with Steven sitting to my right. Fluttershy smiled at that for some reason. I'd ask her later.
"So, Jamie." Steven began. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked sincerely.
"I don't know. If there was something to take my mind off of it, I'd be better."
"Hmm. Well, I have an idea. There's a house party tomorrow night that I've been invited to, and I can bring a couple of friends. If you want, you and Fluttershy can come." he offered.
I thought about it for a few seconds. It sounded like a good idea. A night out to relax; maybe even introduce Fluttershy, or Florence, to some people. Let her get used to life on Earth a little more, fit in for the duration of her stay.
"Oh, I couldn't. I can't" Fluttershy refused politely. "I'm not very good around others."
"Come on Fluttershy, it will be fun." Steven reasoned.
I nodded in agreement. "As good company as I'm sure I am, don't you want to meet some other people?"
She looked down into her lap, hiding behind her hair. "Oh, I don't think that's a good idea."
It was clear she was just nervous about being in a crowd. I honestly thought it would be best if she came. I pondered over it for a few seconds, then thought of something rather ingenious. "It would make me feel better."
She looked up and looked me in the eyes for a few seconds, before looking away once more. "Okay." she complied, if a little hesitantly. "If it will make you feel better."
I smiled gratefully. "Thank you Fluttershy." she smiled back at me and went back to watching My Little Pony.
"Maybe you could come to a couple of other parties until we can get you back to Equestria." Steven offered.
Fluttershy smiled kindly. "Well, I don't know about that." she said and went back to watching the show again.
That was a good point. I had yet to think of anything that would help get her back to Equestria. Well, Steven was a Brony, maybe he had an idea.
"Hey, Steven?" I asked. He was watching the My Little Pony episode with Fluttershy. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Steven, you going to pay attention?" I asked sarcastically.
"What? Sorry, yeah, I'm listening now. What is it?" he looked up away from the laptop.
"We need to think of ways to get Fluttershy back to Equestria." I said simply.
Fluttershy, realizing she was the subject of the conversation, looked up and paid attention. "Only problem is, I don't know how." I glanced at her as I said that.
Steven looked thoughtful. "I have an idea." he said. "The Internet. The Internet has answers to everything!" he clapped his hands together.
I face palmed. "Steven, strange as it sounds, I don't think the Internet will know about ponies from Equestria simultaneously being teleported to Earth and getting turned into humans."
He shrugged. "It's worth a try."
Fluttershy looked between me and Steven. "The, Internet?" she questioned.
Steven and I gave each other a look. Wordlessly, we seemed to reach the decision that Fluttershy shouldn't be allowed to witness it. Some of the things on there would scar her for life. Even simple things like news reports about a murder; but we both knew there were things much worse out there. I mean, I knew I couldn't hide her from the entire world while she was here, but I had to break the realities to her easily. The sooner the better.
"Uh, it's like a massive library that knows almost everything." Steven covered. "Jamie pass me the laptop."
I nodded. "Sorry Fluttershy, got to interrupt you." I apologized as I paused the video, opened a new tab and went to Google. "Alright Steven, what do you propose we do now?" I turned the laptop to face him.
"Well, uh…"
He didn't know.
"I know!" he clicked his fingers and started typing.
Damn it.
"What are you typing?" I asked.
"I'm looking for fan fiction."
Wait, what? "Steven, how is that supposed to help?"
"A lot of stories involve people going to Equestria, maybe one of the ways they get there will be right."
I shook my head.
"If you have a better suggestion, I'm all ears." he said as he tapped on the pad, opening a link.
"Didn't you say I'm in a different dimension now?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
Steven and I looked up at her, then at each other. "Actually, now she mentions it, I remember something about different dimensions. It was a theory by some big shot professor." he said.
I nodded. "Well done Fluttershy." I smiled.
She smiled back at me as Steven typed away. "Alternate, dimension, theories." he murmured, hitting enter and waiting for the results. "Here we go, Dimensional Theories. Uh, something about something or other, something else, here we go. The moment something is imagined, or a variant of something is imagined, no matter how detailed or vague it is, it becomes an existing, independent, fully functioning dimension with its own timeline and course of history. Therefore, as long as imagination is possible, dimensions shall be infinite. And, using mechanics as of yet un-mastered by the human race, possibly even undiscovered by the human race, travel between these dimensions is possible."
He stopped reading and the three of us mulled over this. It was a weird theory, but explained the predicament. The creator of it had imagined the world of My Little Pony, and somehow Fluttershy had travelled from the dimension it was in to ours.
Steven spoke up. "So, Lauren Faust imagined the My Little Pony world, and Fluttershy got shot across from their dimension to ours. See, simple."
I face palmed again, then thought of something. "So, if that's how Fluttershy got here, how did she transform into a human?" I asked.
Steven looked thoughtful for a few seconds, and then shrugged. "I dunno."
I rolled my eyes.
"So, I'm just a story, uh, a cartoon character?" she asked sadly.
I shook my head quickly, wanting to reassure her. "No no no, if this theory is even right, then you started as an idea, then became a proper living person- uh, pony. So not an idea anymore." I explained.
She nodded. "I suppose that makes sense."
"But that doesn't explain what triggered her movement to this dimension. Or how we help you get back Fluttershy." Steven said to her.
She looked down at her lap.
"I'm sure we'll think of something eventually." I said, hopefully, reassuringly.
"Yeah. In the meantime, why not relax?" Steven asked, sitting back with his hands behind his head to emphasise the point.
"I suppose so." she agreed.
"Do you want to watch the rest of the episode?" I asked as I commandeered the laptop and switched to the YouTube tab.
Fluttershy and Steven nodded, then Steven looked at his watch. "Scratch that, I need to go; dentist appointment." he said apologetically as I hit play.
"Alright. See you later Steven." I said as I stood up and walked to the door. He followed me and put his bicycle helmet on as I unlocked the door for him.
"Remember, tomorrow night, I'll meet you here at 6:00 and show you the way." he said. His helmet strap clicked into place.
"Alright. See you tomorrow." I said and closed the door behind him. I turned back to Fluttershy as the end theme song started playing out of the laptops speakers.
"So, Fluttershy," I began. She turned to look at me. "What do you want to do now?"
She pondered the question for a moment. "Well, you asked if you could draw Me." she recalled. I couldn't help but notice she was getting to be more confident around me. I smiled at her.
"Alright then. Shall we begin?"
A/N: Thanks to ChancellorPuddinghead for editing this chapter.
With a nod from Fluttershy, I stood up and walked over to my easel in the corner of the room. For the past few weeks it had just been sitting there collecting dust, but now I would have a chance to use it for the first time since I'd wanted to draw anything. I picked it up and carried it over. setting it down next to the TV. I undid the latch and the three legs popped open. I looked around, trying to remember where I'd left my art pencils.
"Thanks again for letting me draw you Fluttershy." I said as I spotted the metal case behind me on the TV stand. "I really need this money, I'm down to my last few quid, and I can't find inspiration in just anything." I picked up the pencil case and put it on the easels tray.
"Quid?" Fluttershy questioned.
"Sorry, it's a nickname for the money here. Well, in England anyway." I walked into the kitchen to grab one of the barstools while I tried to think of where I had last left a stack of good quality A3 paper. I was about to walk into the spare room to look for some, but remembered it was Fluttershy's temporary bedroom. I leant around the corner so I could see her.
"Can I go in?" I asked, pointing to the room's door.
"Of course." she smiled back at me.
"Thanks Shy." I asked, trying out the nickname. "Is it alright if I call you that?"
She nodded, still beaming. I smiled back and turned to what was now her room. I opened the door and saw it was pretty much as it had been the night before, except for the clothes Fluttershy had worn yesterday neatly folded and piled up on a box at the end of the bed. It was nice that she was neat if she was going to be a tenant here. I saw the corner of the paper sticking out from under a box.
"Uh oh." I muttered to myself. If the paper was bent then I wouldn't be able to use it. I went over and lifted the box off to get a good look. Well, it looked alright. I picked up the wad and dusted it off. Fine. Well, except for the top dozen or so sheets, but there were plenty more under that. I took half a dozen sheets and went back to Fluttershy in the living room.
She glanced up at me as I walked in.
"Alright, I'm ready to draw." I told her as I sat down on the barstool behind the easel.
"What do I do?" she asked as I pinned the paper to the easel board.
"Just sit there and I can draw you. You should probably get comfortable though, it'll probably take about an hour." I warned her.
"Okay." she smiled. Mits strode in from my bedroom and jumped onto the back of the sofa. I didn't recall seeing her leave, but she hadn't really been the same since she'd seen that ninja cat video on YouTube. She jumped down and nuzzled her way under Fluttershy's arm, purring happily.
I smiled. That would be a nice addition to the picture; she would help show off Fluttershy's personality and love of animals. I stopped myself before I started, though. Fluttershy was still in her – or Jas' – pyjamas. It would be better if she wore the clothes I'd found her in – they showed off her character better than I could in any drawing. I'd washed them and left them on the bathroom radiator to dry. They hadn't had labels of any kind, so I presumed they would be machine washable.
"Fluttershy, do you want to change into your clothes?" I asked.
"Um, okay." she nodded.
"Alright. The ones I found you in are in the bathroom, on the radiator. I'll leave you to get changed."
She nodded, stood up and walked into the bathroom. The door closed behind her and I heard the familiar click of the lock.
While I waited for her, Mits pawed her way over and sat on my foot, her trademark sign she wanted food. I stood up and tried to dislodge the ball of fur, but she simply wrapped her paws around my leg.
"If you insist." I muttered to no-one in particular. It wasn't the first time Mits did this, and it was too cute for me to mind much anyway. I swung open the cupboard door and grabbed the second to last can of cat food and the tin opener. I sighed when I remember it was a pull-tab can. I put the can opener back, cracked open the can and poured the food into Mits' bowl. While I was at it I thought I might as well changer her water. When I turned around, Mits' was sitting and pawing at her food. She looked up at me and meowed.
"Mits, why must thou be so picky?" I asked as I replaced the water.
The bathroom door clicked open and Fluttershy stepped out, fully changed. Her sweater was a little crinkled, and for some reason it annoyed me. Probably my OCD.
"Hello Fluttershy. Looking dazzling I see." I commented as I stepped up and pulled her sweater straight for her.
"Thank you." she murmured. She peered around me at Mits. "Come on kitty. Don't you want any food? You'll be hungry later if you don't." she pointed out. Mits meowed once then tucked into her food.
I looked from Fluttershy to Mits then back. "Wait, how…?" Closing my eyes, I held up my hands in defeat. "Shall we?" I asked, gesturing towards the doorway to the Living room.
She nodded, smiling. She walked in and sat down on the sofa in the same place she had before.
"Do you want to sit on the armchair?" I offered. It would certainly be more comfortable than the sofa for about an hour.
Fluttershy nodded and changed her seating. Mits prowled in and jumped onto the arm rest next to her. She crawled under Fluttershy's arm again and curled up in her lap.
"She knows I'm about to draw." I explained. "And she's a bit of an attention hog."
Fluttershy smiled. I picked up a pencil and drew a few little circles on a spare sheet to test it out. Deciding it was working just fine, I started on what I prayed would be a presentable piece of artwork that would win me some money. Well, the agnostic version of a prayer anyway.
After about ten minutes I'd drawn a basic outline of her and Mits, but when I looked up again I saw her starting to fidget.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
She looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Well, you've been so kind to me, and I hardly know anything about you."
I kept drawing impassively as I pondered this. "So, you want to know more about me?" I asked just to be sure that's what she meant. She nodded quickly and I responded with a shrug. "Well, if you want I suppose, though it's not much of a story." I cautioned. I thought about where to start. I hadn't really poured my heart out to anyone before.
"Well, I was born in St Elizabeth's hospital and grew up near London with my mum and dad, I went to primary school, had some good friends, standard deal. It was alright living in the city, until we got burgled."
"You were burgled?" Fluttershy gasped.
"Yep. Bugger stole my Gameboy, but not much else. Scary as hell though. Anyway, we didn't like it, but we couldn't afford to move out somewhere else, so we just had to lump it. When I finished school a couple of years later, I moved up here to go to the University of Lincoln to study an art degree. That was where I met Steven, as well as about half a dozen of my other friends. I guess you'll meet some of them at the party tomorrow. Anyway, I finished with an A*, though nothing worth mentioning in anything else, and since then I've been drawing casually and trying to sell some of my art. This is the first time I've gotten a bite though."
Fluttershy contemplated this for several minutes. Then she asked me a question that made me falter in my drawing of her.
"How did you meet Jas?" she asked. When she saw me cringe, she blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's none of my business if you don't want to talk about her." Fluttershy apologized.
I sighed as I continued drawing. "No, I might as well tell you. I met Jas on a stag night, funnily enough."
"Stag night?" Fluttershy questioned.
"Yeah. When a couple get married here, the groom and his friends celebrate, as does the bride and her friends, but separately." I explained. "Tom, the guy getting married, decided to schedule an hour at the spa. That was where I met Jas, about five months ago. We got on well, so we went on a couple of dates. I took her to the concert in that picture there. It was taken by her friend Amy. Two months ago she moved in so we could share the rent. Then… this. I don't know where she is now, but it's going to be harder to pay rent without her to help."
I finished adding the touches to Fluttershy's legs and skirt. I'd add colour when it was done. I moved on to the detail of her butter yellow jumper around the outline of Mits. She was quiet for the next few minutes. "Maybe I could get a job?" she suggested uncertainly.
I smiled. "That's a kind offer Fluttershy, but you don't have to do that. Besides, I'm not sure you'd be able to."
She looked up at me. "Why not?" she asked.
"Well, for a start, getting a job in this economy is hard as it is, but because you didn't go through the educational system, you don't have any qualifications. No-one can hire you without them." I explained.
"Oh." she sighed sadly.
"Besides, I'm sure we'll have found out how to get you home before it will do any good anyway."
She went quiet again. "Do you really think I'll be able to get back?" she asked.
Ooh, difficult topic. I'd been thinking about that a little, to get my mind off of thoughts about Jas as much as anything else. This professor we'd found seemed to be on the right track, and he'd said that travel between dimensions was possible. I was drawing a picture of the living, breathing proof of that now. But he'd said it was by means of technology unknown to humans. That meant it must be something from Equestria. If he was even right.
"Well, we know it's possible to get you back." I reasoned. She seemed to accept this for now and went back to being quiet, luckily not asking for details I didn't know yet.
"Thank you again Jamie, for helping me and looking after me." she said after a moment.
I smiled at her thanks. "I'd like to think anyone would do it." I liked to, but honestly, I didn't think just anyone would be as… hospitable. Earth wasn't as nice a place as Equestria.
Fluttershy was pretty silent after that. Mits' chest rose and fell in her lap, having fallen asleep. At least now she probably wouldn't run off before I'd finished, like she normally did. Eventually I started to notice Fluttershy looking out the window, obviously a little bored. Wordlessly, I stood up and walked over to the laptop. She made to get up but I ushered her back down.
"No no, you stay there." I knelt down and woke the computer from its sleeping state. I got another episode of My Little Pony up for her, and simultaneously opened a playlist with the whole first season on it. I turned it fully towards her.
"I presume you want to watch some more?" I asked.
She nodded so I hit play and went back to my piece of so called art. So far I'd mostly done her and Mits' bodies. Now I was going to move onto the most difficult part; her head.
I sat in intense concentration. More often than not I'd given up on a picture or started again simply because I hadn't gotten the face right. And this piece was especially important being as it was the deciding factor in whether they wanted to buy my art. The sound of the TV episode helped a little, as was my odd way. Sound or quiet noise generally helped soothe me while I drew, as opposed to distracting me. Fluttershy was enthralled with the episode in front of her. Now, concentrate.
A convenient hour later…
I laid the pencil down on the easels tray, done. It had been an hour and since I'd set up the laptop for Fluttershy to watch, and the picture was done. Every last bit of detail about her had been copied down in graphite onto the paper in front of me. I was happy with the result, which wasn't something that happened often. Fluttershy was drawn and I'd added small details like shading and whatnot. Now I was just pondering over whether to colour it.
Fluttershy realised I was done so stood up and walked over. Mits had woken up and stalked off a while ago. "Can I look?" she asked, halting before she would be able to see it.
I nodded and turned the easel to face her. I dropped the colour question as I studied her face for any kind of reaction. There was little need seeing as her face lit up as she looked over it.
"It's wonderful Jamie!" she exclaimed, slightly reaching out for it.
"Thank you." I beamed at her praise, though she was probably just saying it. "I'm not sure whether to colour it or not. What do you think?" I asked. I looked back over the art, checking for any mistakes. I was always paranoid about that I'd left some in. Content there were none, I picked up the pencil again and signed my name in the bottom left corner, showing that it was in fact done.
"It's so life like." she breathed, tracing Mits with her finger.
"Thank you Fluttershy, but you don't need to keep saying so. Thank you for letting me draw you. Now, I think it's time for some lunch. What do you say?" I asked.
"Okay. What do you have in mind?" she asked me.
I thought for a few seconds. "Well, there's not much. I think I might be able to scrounge together a couple of pennies to get something from the chip shop." I offered.
"Chip shop?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah. I'll explain on the way, but I think you'll like their chips." I assured her.
"Alright. if you think so." she agreed.
"Okay. One second, I'll get my wallet and we can go." I smiled at her as I walked over to the coffee table by the door where I thought I left it. It wasn't there. Shrugging, I walked into my bedroom to check my jeans from the other day. I was sure I'd left it on the table by the door. I stopped riffling through my jeans as the realization hit me. I dropped the jeans and sat there, appalled.
"Oh that bitch! " I shouted, then covered my mouth with a hand as I realised who was in the other room. Fluttershy peered around the door, frowning curiously. "'Scuse my French." I apologized.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Yeah. A certain someone stole my wallet."
Fluttershy's frown turned angry. I waved it off after a second. "No point getting in a fuss about it. She's gone now, and she doesn't know my debit card number. There wasn't much cash in there anyway." I said, rising to my feet. "She still pikeed about thirty-five quid, though." I muttered.
Fluttershy just stared at me oddly. I waved it off. "More local lingo." I explained. That was becoming a recurring problem. I supposed that as the show was American the language would be as well.
I pulled the bottom drawer on the dresser open and grabbed the tin where I kept my spare cash. Luckily Jas hadn't found it, so it was unscathed. I took a tenner, deciding that would be enough for a chip shop meal. I left the bedroom and ushered Fluttershy towards the door where I took down one of Jas's jackets and offered it to her. She took it and I helped her into it, and then threw mine on quickly.
"Are we going to go on your, bike?" Fluttershy asked, questioning both how we would get there and the name of my vehicle as she put on her wig.
"No, it's only around the corner. Besides, my biking license is in my wallet, and I'll get arrested if I'm pulled over without it. Are you okay to walk? I could get it and come back if you want." I offered, remembering her reaction to the walking from when I had taken her into town.
"No." she shook her head determinedly, her voice surprisingly confident. "I can manage."
I grinned. "Alright then. After you Madame Fluttershy." I opened the door with a click and held it open for her.
She giggled and walked under my arm; I soon followed, locking the door behind me.
A/N: Thanks to ChancellorPuddinghead for editing this chapter.
Translations (for those that need them :D):
Tenner: Our way of saying £10 note. Same as a fiver, but with £5
Like it or Lump it: If you don't like it, you have to put up with it.
A* (or A star): It's the English equivalent to an A+
Pikeed: Stolen. Comes from the word Pikey, a person who lives in a caravan/gypsies, who commonly steal things.
I locked the building's front door behind me and followed Fluttershy down the steps to the path. A car drove past on the other side of the road, but she still jumped back towards me, frightened.
"Are there a lot of them?" Fluttershy asked, pointing to the car as it turned around the corner.
"Yeah. Don't worry, they're safe. As long as you don't step into the road."
"Isn't this the road?" she questioned as I started walking down the road. She followed me, and I made she was walking to my right so I was between her and the road.
"Sort of. The road is the part for the cars," I pointed at the grey tarmac "And the path is for people." I finished, indicating the part of the road separated by the curb.
"This world is so different from Equestria." Fluttershy noted as she looked at the four storey brick buildings around us.
"Yeah." I agreed. From what I had seen of the show, our worlds weren't all THAT different, but there were still enough new things to be confusing and frightening. Different buildings, travel, culture.
And food.
I'd been thinking about food since I'd offered her a meal from the chip shop. Specifically a way to tell Fluttershy that humans eat meat. She probably wouldn't take it very well, being such an animal lover.
"Fluttershy?" I began hesitantly. There was no-one around so I decided it was safe to use her real name. I didn't want to alienate her.
She turned to me.
"There's something I need to explain." Alright, good so far.
"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, you know about animal diets don't you?"
She nodded, so I continued.
"And how some of them are carnivorous?"
A margin of a frown creased her forehead, but she nodded again "What is it?" she repeated.
"Well," I said "Humans are… how do I put this? Omnivorous." I said simply.
She frowned properly now, thoughtful. I wanted to say something else, but I let her think about it. We reached the end of the road and I led her to the right. Another car drove past.
"Are you alright Fluttershy?" I asked.
"So, humans eat… meat?" she clarified quietly.
I nodded, feeling a little guilty.
"Animals?" she asked again, and turned to look at me. I nodded and tried to read her face. She seemed a little hurt, and possibly even a little angry.
"Some people don't though. They choose not to eat meat." I explained by way of apology.
"Do you?" she asked.
I shook my head. "I only eat white meat though."
"White meat?" she questioned.
I nodded. "Poultry, like chicken or turkey. Fish as well." I added.
She looked away from me and down the path.
"Are you alright Fluttershy?" I asked. "You're not angry, are you?"
She didn't respond, but after a second she shook her head. "No. If that's what you eat, then that's what you eat."
I nodded, glad she was so understanding. "But you won't have to eat meat. You can be vegetarian."
She nodded.
"I'm telling you this because the place we're going to, the chip shop, sells fish and chicken on top of everything else. I didn't want you to be freaked out." I explained as we stopped at a T-junction. The chip shop was just down the road, but we needed to cross. At least traffic was light this far from the town centre.
"Thank you." she replied. I looked left and right and, confirming there were no incoming cars, I led Fluttershy over the road. She looked left and right fearfully, clearly watching out for cars and the like.
The last couple of minutes to the chip shop were spent in silence. Fluttershy didn't seem to want to talk about the meatier side of English cuisine.
I glanced up to see we had reached the impromptu restaurant.
"Fillets Takeaway." Fluttershy read out the name from the board above the glass window.
"Yep. The chips here are amazing." I pushed open the door. "After you Florence." I said to her, reminding her of her public name. She smiled back at me and walked in, and I followed. There was only one other person there. He was wearing a plain suit and was sitting on a plastic chair reading a magazine, probably waiting for his order. Fluttershy stopped by the door and read the menu over the counter while I stepped up to it and looked back into the kitchen where I presumed the owner was. While I was waiting Fluttershy walked up to my side.
"Is there anything, uh, vegetaren?" she asked.
"Vegetarian." I corrected kindly then nodded. "I could get you some vegetarian nuggets if you want." I offered. "What do you think about fish? Do you want to try some?"
She shook her head, looking into the glass counter that was showing off a variety of cooked fish and food. "No thank you."
"Okay. The veggie nuggets, then? They taste like chicken, but they're... not." I concluded, lost for the right word.
She looked thoughtful for a second, then nodded slowly. "I suppose I could try them." she agreed.
"Okay then. The cook should be out soon."
Sure enough, a minute later, he came through holding a paper bag.
"Boneless cod and chips for Mr Baker." he said, reading from a small piece of paper.
The man in the suit closed the newspaper, stood up and walked over to my side. The cook handed him the bag and suit-man nodded his thanks before walking out. The cook turned to me.
"So, what can I get you?" he asked.
"Can I have two medium bags of chips, an vegetarian chicken nugget meal and…" I trailed off as I looked down into the display to decide what I wanted to eat. I saw Fluttershy was looking disdainfully at some of the fish and in particular the chicken nuggets. "Uh, could I have two vegetarian chicken nugget meals actually?" I revised. The cook nodded as he wrote down the order on a piece of paper.
"So two medium bags of chips and two vegetarian chicken nugget meals?" he repeated. I nodded. "Want any drinks with that?"
I thought for a couple of seconds. "Two medium Cokes please."
He scribbled the last part down and nodded. "That'll be eight pounds fifty-four."
I nodded, pulled the tenner out of my pocket then handed it over to him. He took it and walked over to the cash register to get my change. A second later he came back and handed me the coins. "Is it take-away?" he asked.
I looked at Fluttershy questioningly, but she just gave me a deadpanned look. I turned back to the cook.
"I guess we'll have it here then." I decided.
"Right. If you want you can take a seat while you wait. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes." He turned and walked into the kitchen, out of sight.
I led Fluttershy over to a table next to where the other patron had been sitting. I sat down and she followed suit, sitting across from me.
"Jamie?" she asked.
"Yes Florence?" I answered.
"What do we do now?" she asked quietly, keeping in mind the cook was only a few metres away in the kitchen.
"About what?" I asked, unsure what she meant.
"How I'm going to get back to Equestria." she whispered.
I was prepared for this. "First we have to contact this professor. And like I said, if you got here, then we can get you back. We just need to find out how, and I bet the professor can tell us. Maybe even help us do it." I explained, reassuring both her and myself.
"Will Steven help?" Fluttershy asked.
"Probably. He seemed excited enough. Besides, I don't see why he wouldn't."
Fluttershy nodded. "When are we going to find the professor?"
I shrugged in response. "First things first, I'm skint. If I'm lucky, the gallery will want my drawing and I'll have a little more money. Maybe enough to hunt down this professor."
Fluttershy smiled at me. "Thank you for your help. Again."
I chuckled. "You have to stop thanking me Fluttershy."
"Sorry." she apologized.
"It's alright."
The dinging of a bell brought my attention to the counter. The cook was holding two plastic bowls lined with newspaper, each filled with chips.
"The veggie nuggets will take a bit longer, but you can have these now. Want your drink as well?"
"Please." I nodded. I walked back to the table and put the bowls down as he grabbed a couple of plastic cups, poured the coke and clipped a lid onto each. I grabbed a couple of straws and disposable forks, thanked him for the drinks and sat back down across from Fluttershy. I handed a fork to her and used mine to spear and eat a couple of chips. As I'd promised her, they were delicious. She tried to copy me, but only managed to fork one. She ate it and chewed carefully.
"It's… really nice." she concluded with a smile. She forked another two and ate them.
"Just nice?" I grinned. Before she could answer I picked up the salt shaker and vinegar bottle. "Try putting a bit of salt or vinegar on." I offered. I saw the cook come back with two more, smaller, plates. He walked around the counter and set them down on the table.
"Enjoy your meal." he said.
"Thanks." I nodded to him. I turned back to Fluttershy to see her stare curiously at the veggie nugget. As I watched she forked one and took a petite bite out of it. She smiled as she chewed it.
"This is nice."
I ate one and had to agree. They were alright, for the veggie option.
The bike puttered to an almost stop in the car park in front of the two storey art gallery and I guided it to a complete stop in an empty space near the front of the glass and steel fronted building. It was too far for me and Fluttershy to walk in the time we had, so I'd decided to risk taking the bike without my license. The art gallery was a rather small building as I remembered from my first visit, with a small gallery behind the reception with the better works. A couple of small rooms off each side led to more exhibits and the first floor held the offices and even a studio if I remember correctly.
Fluttershy's grip around my waist lessened and she stepped off the bike as I kicked the stand down. I followed her and took off my bike helmet and leather jacket to reveal a semi-formal suit without a tie. Fluttershy did the same, except she was wearing the same clothes she had yesterday, the ones I'd drawn her in. The drawing in question was in an A3 art folder Fluttershy had been carrying underarm for me. I put the helmets and jackets into my backpack and took it from her before straightening her wig and leading the way in.
The automatic doors slid open in front of us but Fluttershy, surprisingly, didn't seem fazed. I guessed she'd gotten used to them since the doctors clinic. I walked up to the secretary behind the desk and she turned and looked up at me with a smile.
"Can I help you?" she asked with what was probably forced cheer.
"I have a meeting with Mr Thompson." I told her, returning the smile.
"One moment." she tapped away at her computer. "Name?" she asked.
"Jamie Goodwin." I told her.
She typed a little more. "Alright, Mr Thompson is expecting you. Is she with you?" the receptionist gestured to Fluttershy.
"Yes, Mr Thompson is expecting her as well." I assured her.
The receptionist frowned but let us through. "Alright. He'll be in his office. Do you know where that is?"
"Yeah, don't worry." I nodded. Fluttershy followed me up the stairs.
"I didn't know he was expecting me as well." Fluttershy commented curiously.
I turned and put a finger to my lips. "He doesn't. At least not yet."
I turned down the hallway. Even up here, away from the general public's eyes, there were works of indie art. One particular piece that seemed to catch Fluttershy's eyes depicted two monkeys fighting one another with swords while several more in suits watched. I did sometimes wonder about the sanity of some of these artists. I continued down towards Mr Thompson's office, Fluttershy close behind. I stopped outside his door and took a couple of deep breaths.
"Alright, no pressure." I reassured myself.
Fluttershy saw me stalling outside the door, so she stepped up and knocked on the door for me.
"Come in." Mr Thompsons voice rang out from inside.
I grudgingly nodded in thanks to her and opened the door, making my way in.
The office was decked out with some fancy furniture; a four-seat sofa, laminate wood flooring, a floor to ceiling window with a view of the park over the road and an entirely glass table with half a dozen chairs, most likely for meetings. Other than those were the desk with two chairs in front of it, packed with papers, a computer, stationary of all kinds. Sitting behind said desk was the man we were here to see, Mr Thompson himself.
"Ah, Mr Goodwin, good to see you on time. A little early, in fact." he commented, putting down an ink pen and tidying up a couple of papers.
I looked at the clock on the wall. Fluttershy and I were indeed a couple of minutes early for my one o'clock appointment.
"Not that that's bad." Mr Thompson said, seeing me eyeing the clock. "Now, please, do take a seat." He gestured at the two cushioned seats in front of his desk.
"Thank you sir." I said. Best if I kept a formal attitude.
"Please, call me Peter." he amended as he reached across the desk and shook my hand.
Well, it had been a good idea. At least being informal like this seemed like a good sign. But Peter didn't seem like the name of an art gallery owner. I'd thought he'd have a name like Jackson or something. He looked behind me at Fluttershy, who was standing in the doorway.
"I presume she is with you?" he asked.
I nodded. "I hope that's alright, but-" He held up a hand to cut me off.
"No need to explain, I'm sure there's a valid reason. Please, dear, do sit down." Fluttershy accepted his offer and sat down in the chair next to mine. Peter continued, turning to me. "Now, I presume you've realised why I invited you here?"
I nodded. "Your e-mail said you were interested in my artwork."
"Yes. Your first piece showed real promise." he reached under the desk and brought out an A3 sheet. He put it on the desk in front of him, moving some of the papers he had been working on to the side. It was one of my better pieces, obviously, and depicted the Lincolnshire countryside on a snowy day. It was one of the few pieces I'd decided to colour.
"You have good stroke and size awareness; it's a wonderful piece of work. But there's a rather unknown phrase that goes 'Luck is doing something good once, skill is doing something good twice, and talent is doing something good as many times as you want'."
I nodded, keeping up with the conversation. Fluttershy stayed quiet by my side.
"Which is why I asked you to draw another. That," he raised a finger and pointed at me. "will at least prove you have skill. Do you have a piece with you?"
I nodded nervously and reached down to the folder at my feet. I undid the aged Velcro strap and carefully pulled out the sheet of paper, as though it would crumple at the slightest touch. Which, knowing my luck, it would. I put it down on the desk, facing him.
He peered down at it and moved it closer; examining it in the same way a doctor would a patient, looking for any signs something was wrong.
The finished drawing was a rather simple affair, though I'd put more effort into it than with the other he had seen. In the scene Fluttershy was sitting in the armchair, relaxed, stroking Mits while the little bundle of fur was curled up in her lap.
Mr Thompson, or Peter, looked up at Fluttershy. "Ah, I see now. I must say, this is very lifelike. And taking the initiative to bring her here today, that's very good."
I smiled, and saw Fluttershy do the same. This was looking promising.
"You said you got an A* grade in Art, didn't you?" he asked, picking up the sheet.
"Yes." I confirmed.
"Hmm." Peter laid my art down after a few seconds of closer exanimation. "Well, this is certainly a fine piece." he concluded.
I grinned at his praise. It meant a fair bit coming from him. "So… what now?" I asked.
He thought for a second. "I did say I was offering to buy this artwork, didn't I? If I didn't, I am now. Both this piece and your last."
I cheered inwardly; that was what I was hoping for. I turned to Fluttershy to see her grinning at me.
"Good to see you're both pleased by that. Jamie, I must ask, have you considered a job in art?"
I turned back to him and nodded. "I did ask, but I was told you weren't hiring."
"We're not." he explained and steepled his fingers. "…but, there can always be an exception. You clearly know your stuff."
"So, are you offering me a job?" I asked disbelievingly.
"On a trial basis, yes. I'd like to hire you as an art consultant. I haven't prepared a proper job description, because I had no idea I'd be needing one, but I can have one of my secretaries write one up for you. Then you can come back here at a later date and get all the official paperwork out the way."
"Thank you Mr Thompson." I grinned ecstatically. And stole a glance at Fluttershy, the one who had gotten me this far, made this all possible. She seemed to share my joy if the look on her face was anything to go by.
"It's only a trial basis mind you." he warned, then stood up and held out his hand. I followed his lead, grasped his hand with both of mine and shook it heartily.
"Thank you si- uh, Peter." I corrected myself.
"I'm looking forward to seeing you again Jamie. Someone should contact you by the end of next week. If not, ring up and I'll sort it out." He let go of my hand and turned to Fluttershy. "I'm sorry dear, I never caught your name."
She smiled and shook his hand gently. "Florence."
The big boss nodded. "It was nice meeting you. You have a very talented boyfriend."
Both Fluttershy and I blushed simultaneously. "We're not, together." I explained.
Peter nodded. "My apologies, I just assumed."
"It's okay."
"Alright then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork I need to do. Oh, I almost forgot!" he sat back down and reached under the desk. There was a quiet metallic clicking, presumably from a safe. He pulled out a small wad of notes and started counting them off. He eventually handed over a number of them.
"That's £750. That's an unofficial employment bonus as well as payment for both of your art pieces. Don't spend it all at once." He grinned. "Now, I'll let you be on your way. Thank you Jamie."
"Thank you ever so much Mr Thompson." I grinned, picked up my art folder and walked out, followed by Fluttershy. Once the door was closed I silently cheered.
"YES!" I whispered. "Yes yes yes!" I punched the air.
Fluttershy giggled at my overreaction. I stopped, stood up straight and pecked her on the cheek, making her cheeks flush red.
"Thank you Fluttershy. You've just gotten me a job and £750 to boot." I exclaimed ecstatically.
"Oh, I didn't do anything, really…" she tried to wave it off, looking away.
"Nonsense. Now, we have a party to get ready for, don't we?" I grinned.
A/N: Thanks to ChancellorPuddinghead for editing this chapter.
Translations:
Skint:Broke, out of money, open-the-wallet-little-moth-thing-flies-out
Steepling: My editor didn't know what this meant: [...okay, this is too funny. Even says "steeple" is only a noun! Ha! I assume that's British for "putting your fingertips together like Mr. Burns," right?] This probably isn't a word then, but me and pretty much everyone I know says it like this. And my editor summed it up better than I ever could, so thank you ChancellorPuddinghead
I followed Fluttershy towards the back entrance to the block of flats I called home. I couldn't deny the slight skip in my step after the way the meeting had gone just ten minutes ago. My mind had been wandering from one thing to the next on the ride back. Reflecting my mood, as it always does, no doubt. Fluttershy had seemed even more secluded than her usual quiet self.
I stopped at the top of the stairs, keys in hand to unlock the door, and turned to her. "Are you okay Fluttershy?" I asked, concerned.
She looked up at me, her helmet under her arm, and I realised her wig was in said helmet. She nodded, smiling. "I'm fine, thank you." She confirmed quietly.
I smiled back, but I knew something was up. I let it go, not wanting to intrude on her thoughts. I knew from my more dramatic moments no-one wanted to be interrupted when they were that thoughtful. I slid the key into the door lock as a car drove into the gravel car park behind us. I looked back to see a perfectly silver Peugeot coming to a slow stop. Along the side was the logo of the hairdresser Fluttershy and I had bought her wig from just the other day.
Wait.
I turned to Fluttershy, suddenly remembering she didn't have her wig on. It wasn't against the law or anything, but her pink hair was a curiosity that would draw attention. The car door opened before I had a chance to tell Fluttershy to put the wig on, and out stepped Amy, Jas's friend from the hairdressers.
What did she want?
I guessed I'd find out; she saw us, closed her car door and walked over.
"Hey again Jamie. Hi Florence." She greeted us.
"Hello Amy." I replied. Fluttershy waved shyly. "What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Well, Jas sent me to collect some of here things." she admitted, voice neutral.
I nodded cautiously, wondering Amy's ground on the situation. She was the best friend of my now confirmed ex-girlfriend, but didn't hold the natural look of disdain a best friend should save for her friend's ex-boyfriend. "I'll let you in."
"Look, I don't hold a grudge against you. Jas told me the whole story, and it isn't right. Here," Amy stopped me as I swung open the door and handed me my wallet. "I convinced her to let you have it back."
I nodded gratefully and inspected it as Fluttershy and I walked up the stairs. Amy turned and went back to her car, presumably to get a box. Blue and white with the cursive Ben Sherman signature showed me it was definitely mine, so I opened it up and went through the pockets. My card was still there, as was my bike license visible through the clear plastic sheet. Her spare keys had been added and all the cash gone. At least she had left the change.
I unlocked the door and led Fluttershy in. I put my helmet down and she followed suit.
"Alright Shy, we have," I looked at my Ben Sherman watch - I'd gotten the wallet and watch together as a gift, years ago - and saw it was a quarter to two. "Four and a bit hours until Steven shows up. I'd guess helping Amy pack up most of Jas's things will take an hour and a half-"
"I think about that too." Amy confirmed, entering the flat with two cardboard boxes under her arms. "What are we talking about?"
I clasped my chest in mock shock that was only half faked at the sound of the new voice. "A party Florence and I have been invited too. Steven is taking us there at six."
"Cool." Amy commented, disinterestedly. "So, where are Jas's things? She gave me a list." Amy told me as she handed the piece of paper over. I looked over it. It was mainly clothes, but there were a few other things as well. Her watch, her alarm clock, some jewellery. At the bottom there was a final item, simply called 'Personal Items'.
"'Personal Items'?" I questioned.
She snatched the list back. "Jas told me what it is. It's personal and secret. Look, I'm going to get her stuff now."
She walked off into the bedroom and I turned to look at a curious Fluttershy.
"Anyway, Florence, we'll probably have about an hour and a half to kill if we want to spend an hour getting ready." I worked out, as much to myself as to her.
She nodded, then looked away.
"Feel free to sit down." I offered. "While you're staying, this is your home too, remember. I'm just going to go help Amy."
She looked back at me and beamed. "Thank you Jamie." She turned back again and walked over to the sofa silently as I left the room and followed Amy. When I reached the door she had opened the wardrobe and was pulling out some shirts, folding them in half and putting them in the box.
"Jas wants all her clothes in this wardrobe. She says you can keep the rest." Amy explained. "Jas says she won't be able to bring anymore to America." She added before I could even start to think Jas was trying to be charitable by leaving some of her clothes for Fluttershy.
"Need any help?" I asked her, standing in the doorway. I noticed Mits sitting on the bed, staring at Amy, almost annoyed. Well, it certainly wasn't her happy face.
Which wasn't good.
I walked over to the bed and picked Mits up by her waist. She meowed in protest but her gaze stayed fixed on Amy. Amy turned her head to look at the source of the noise and raised an eyebrow at the sight.
"She isn't happy. This is for your own safety." I reassured her.
Amy nodded, recoiling when Mits hissed at her.
"Shush Mits." I scolded the ball of fluff and carried her out to Fluttershy.
Said guest looked up quickly from softly rubbing her cheek to see me walk in with Mits wriggling in my grip.
"Florence, can you look after Mits for me? She's getting… angsty."
She nodded in understanding. "Angel is like that sometimes. Well, a lot of the time actually. But really he's a sweetheart." She saw me struggling with the angry creature in my arms, desperately trying, and failing, to keep my grip on her. "Oh, sorry. Here puss puss." Fluttershy held out her hand to Mits.
Oh god. If there was one thing that certified a full blown Mits rage, trademark, it was calling her puss puss.
Instead, however, Mits effortlessly climbed out of my arms, leaped onto the back of the sofa, prowled up to Fluttershy and curled up around her neck, purring. Fluttershy giggled and rubbed Mits' ear with a finger.
I stood, flabbergasted, then held up my hands in defeat and went back to help Amy.
I followed Fluttershy into what was her room having just helped Amy take some of the boxes down to her car. It was still as tidy as before, bar a few open boxes where Amy had been looking for some of Jas' things. She let me step forward into the room, taking lead, and I made my way towards the wardrobe. Now that Amy had left, we were able to get ready for the party in peace. There were still about three hours until Steven showed up.
"Okay Fluttershy, now to find you something to wear." I stated as I opened the wardrobe doors with a flourish. My old clothes were on the right-hand side, but far outnumbering my own were Jas' - or Fluttershy's - clothes on the left hand side, separated by a piece of old A3 paper stuck to the roof of the wardrobe by Blu-tak.
"What is there?" She asked, reaching forward and stroking one of her new tops carefully.
"All of the clothes on the left hand side. They're all yours now."
She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands in surprise. "Oh, I couldn't, really…"
"Well, I have no use for them now Jas doesn't want them. It isn't exactly normal for me to go around wearing some of these. And I doubt any of this actually fits me." I pulled out a pair of jeans and held them up to my waist to prove my point. They were about half my size.
"Well, I suppose. But it doesn't feel right, you just giving me all of this with nothing in return." She stammered.
"Please, you've let me draw you for a start, and that alone earned me a load of money and a job. You're helping me get over an inevitable break up with my girlfriend." I pointed out, then added under my breath. "that she was particularly blunt about."
Fluttershy flicked through the array of clothing. Jeans, tank tops, mini-skirts, even a few of Jas' least favourable clubbing dresses. They were still good, but Jas just had better ones.
"So, what shall I wear?" Fluttershy asked, both apparently in awe at the selection before her and curiosity at what to wear.
I pulled out one of the clubbing dresses; a purple, strapless, simple item. I couldn't see Fluttershy wearing it, but I was only using it as an example. "This is a, human, clubbing dress." I explained. "It's what most girls wear when they go to parties. Well, the older ones anyway. I don't think it will suit you though."
Fluttershy shook her head in agreement.
"But that's alright, because there are plenty of other options. Like this," I replaced the dress and pulled out a miniskirt. "Most girls wear one of these if they don't have a dress. What do you think?" I looked back to Fluttershy to see her scrutinizing the article of clothing, unsure.
"I can see that that's not for you." I said as I replaced it. "We'll come to that in a minute I guess." I pulled out a black tank top with a Newgrounds logo for Fluttershy to admire. "Let's move on to upper body clothing. What about this?" I asked. Fluttershy took it from me and looked it over. "No?" I asked. I was starting to feel like Justin Hammer from Iron Man.
To my surprise, she nodded. "I like it. But what's Newgrounds?" She held the logo up to eye level.
"It's a website." I explained.
She lowered the tank top. "Website?" She questioned quietly.
I tried to think of a simple way to explain it. "Alright, you know how I showed you the show, of My Little Pony?" She nodded. "Well, that was on YouTube. That's a website. Newgrounds is a different website, and they're both on this thing called the internet. It's like… the Internet is a big building, and each website is a room."
"Okay, I think that makes sense." Fluttershy said after a minute of thought.
"Okay. Good. Now, what else do you want to wear? You can't just go in a tank top and knickers." I smiled jokingly.
"…knickers?" Fluttershy asked.
"Underwear. For wearing over your… uh, private area." I felt my cheeks redden profusely Fluttershy looked gormless for a second before twigging what I meant and her face became flushed as well. "You, did, put the knickers on, didn't you Shy? The ones I left in the bathroom?" I asked.
"Oh, yes." Fluttershy bit her lip and looked down, blushing.
I stood there, looking around awkwardly. "I… won't go on about it." I said eventually.
"I'll just let you pick what you think is nice." I excused myself, closing the door behind me. Mits was sitting in the doorway to my bedroom, staring at me with her tail flopping lazily from side to side. She tilted her head at me.
"Yes, that was awkward; you don't need to tell me." I muttered.
I walked back into Fluttershy's room after she had called for my help. She had been in there for about ten minutes now. As I pushed open the door I saw a number of clothes laid out on the bed; two clubbing dresses, three pairs of jeans, the mini skirt I had shown her and the tank top she had chosen.
"What's the problem Shy?" I asked, surveying the messy selection.
"I don't know what to wear." She mumbled quietly.
Oh god. I was the last person to give fashion advice. "I don't really know Fluttershy. I'm not really good with girly fashion. I could tell you what would look normal together if you want, but that's about it."
"Okay." Fluttershy accepted quietly. It seemed she got shyer if she was doing something new; like seeing Amy again, or the meeting with Peter yesterday in the art gallery.
"Well, the tank top would work well with both the jeans and mini skirt. You can wear either, but the mini skirt is a little short for you, I'm guessing, so why don't you try the jeans?" I thought aloud. "They're not very comfortable until you get used to wearing them though, and they're tight. I suppose you could wear a bigger pair and use a belt." added quietly.
Fluttershy looked at me to make a decision.
"How about you try on one of the bigger pairs first, then go from there." I decided at last.
"If you think that's what I should do." Fluttershy agreed.
"Are you okay to get them on?" I asked, looking over the jean's crotch with its buttons. I remembered how stiff they had been when I first wore jeans. These would be easier to put on, seeing as they were worn in a little, but I could only imagine the trouble Fluttershy would have with them. This was only her fourth day with a human body.
Four days. Huh. I could have sworn it had been longer than that. I guess it was just that after the un-eventfulness of Jas not being here this was a stark contrast.
"Ummm…" Fluttershy trailed off as she noticed the same buttons I had been looking at.
"Would you, like some help?" I asked reluctantly.
"Yes please." She nodded.
"Okay." I answered slowly. I took the jeans from her and undid the buttons beforehand, then handed the unfastened pair to her. "Alright, I'll just, go outside while you get those on." I walked out backwards.
After a minute, Fluttershy's quiet voice came from inside the room.
"Jamie, I don't think I can button this up."
I stepped up to the door. "Sorry Fluttershy, I can't really help with doing up the buttons. That needs another girl. Personal space and all. Can you do up some of the buttons? You only need to do a few, and the belt should suffice for the rest."
"Okay." She replied.
"Alright?" I asked, to be sure.
"Yes."
She went quiet for a while, maybe ten minutes at most.
"Okay, I'm ready."
"Alright." I opened the door slowly. Fluttershy was standing in the middle of the room, her normal attire folded on the bed. She was wearing the tank top and the jeans and her hair was still the same as before, as if it hadn't been touched. The last button on the jeans was still undone, however, and I could see a little bit of white cloth, which made blood rush to my face once again.
What? I'm polite.
"How do I look?" Fluttershy asked shyly.
"You look stunning." I said. And meant it. For being a, well, being , from another dimension, the clothes really seemed to suit her. I looked at the belt again. "Do you need help with the belt?" I asked, gesturing to it.
She looked down, and blushed when she realized her knickers were still visible. "O-o-oh my! I'm sorry!" She apologized. She quickly pulled together the jeans' partings.
"Do you, uh, want me to get the belt?" I asked.
She nodded quickly, so I reached forward and did up the belt for her, knotting the leather through the buckle and securing it, I made sure it was tight enough not to let her jeans fall down around her ankles but not tight enough to be uncomfortable.
"Is that okay Fluttershy? Not too tight?"
"It's fine, thank you." She raised her hands and covered her face. "I'm so embarrassed. I bet I'll just make everything worse at the party."
I reached forward and grasped her hand softly. "It's not your fault Fluttershy. And I'm sure everything will be fine. You'll have me and Steven looking after you, what can go wrong?" I asked.
She lowered her hands, smiled and glanced at the hand I was still holding and her smile grew just a tiny bit. "Okay Jamie. I trust you."
I let go of her hand, not wanting to give the wrong meaning. "Thanks Shy, it means a lot. Now," I glanced at my watch. "Three hours." I muttered, and searched my mind for the other thing we needed to do. Oh yeah, make up.
"Okay Fluttershy, we have three hours until Steven arrives. Do you want to put make-up on or anything? I'm sure Jas left some around here." Geez, all this mention of Jas was starting to get me down. Funny how fast she went from being my girlfriend, and my love, to a topic that should be exiled from conversation. Or at least until I'd completely gotten over it.
Fluttershy brought me back from my thoughts to the real world.
"No thank you. I don't really like putting make up on. I do it sometimes when I'm with Rarity, but I don't really enjoy it much."
I clapped my hands together. "Well, I suppose we have two hours to kill then. And I don't really feel like watching more TV."
"What do we do then?" Fluttershy asked.
I heard a meow from the doorway. I looked over to see Mits curled up in the bottom of the open wardrobe, then had a thought.
I turned back to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, have you ever seen how a cat reacts to a laser pointer?" I asked with a mischievous smile.
Thanks to ChancellorPuddinghead for editing this chapter
I hath made you all a playlist of music on YouTube for the party, to really get the feel of it. Start it when you get to DJ Danny, and skip ahead through the songs if you need/want to.
Mits' head peeked around the corner, eyeing her target. She slowly placed one paw ahead of her, keeping low. Slowly moving forward, she stalked her prey, stalking her prey, eying it for any kind of reaction and making sure it hadn't spotted her. She stayed low to the ground and moved closer and closer, getting ready to pounce. Lowering herself further, she jumped forward, and jumped forward towards that what had been taunting her for so long. But as soon as she got close her victim shot away from her paws, just as it had for the last few hours.
I chuckled as Mits crashed into the wall where the red dot had been just seconds earlier, and Fluttershy joined in, giggling. We had been sitting together, just chatting together for the last couple of hours and getting to know each other better, properly, while we waited for Steven to arrive. I'd even convinced her to tell me about some of her adventures.
"So Pinkie really fired cake mix from the confetti cannon and cooked confetti in the oven?" I asked incredulously.
Fluttershy giggled, smiling happily. "Yes, and Cranky wasn't too happy. Though, Pinkie said he wasn't actually very happy anyway, before she found Matilda for him." Fluttershy gazed down in thought as she recalled the memory.
I saw Mits getting dangerously close to the red dot, and swung it away quickly before she got it. Fluttershy had been amazed at Mits' reaction to the small particle of light. I saw the dot resting on the top part of the door and realized Steven should be here within minutes, if kept up his usual spot-on time keepin; giving me an idea. An evil, hilarious idea.
I pointed the dot onto the opposite side of the flat and watched Mits ran across the room and hide underneath the coffee table. I tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder.
"Watch this." I whispered, grinning as my idea formed fully in my head. Fluttershy watched me curiously as I walked over to the door and carefully and quietly unlocked it, keeping the laser aimed at the other side of the room. The door clicked, but Mits didn't notice, all her attention spent on the laser. I left the door shut but unlocked and crept back over to the sofa, before finally sitting down next to an inquisitive Fluttershy.
"Now we wait." I said simply.
"But, haven't we already been waiting for a while?" She questioned. "Not that I don't like talking to you." She added quickly. "It's relaxing stopping and talking to somepony so kind. Er, someone." She corrected herself.
I smiled at her. "Thanks Fluttershy. You're right actually; it's nice just to slow down. Even if my life wasn't exactly speeding by before I met you. Or found you in the woods, anyway" I pointed the dot up at the ceiling just as Mits pounced towards it. Fluttershy turned and giggled as Mits landed half on the coffee table.
"She's so adorable." She cooed.
I heard footsteps outside the flat and instantly pointed the laser at the door. Mits dropped from the table and stalked over to the flat's entrance. Fluttershy peered at me curiously as someone knocked on the door.
"Hey Jamie, it's me, Steven. Can I come in?"
"Sure. It's unlocked." I called back as Mits dropped low and got ready to pounce.
The door swung open and Steven appeared as he stepped forward, holding his helmet in his hands. "So, are you bo-" He was cut off as Mits pounced at the red dot, now sitting on his chest. She landed on him and clung onto his neck, making him scream. "OH GOD! Satan cat, get it off, get it OFF!" He stumbled backwards through the door, scrabbling at the bundle of fur hissing into his face.
Fluttershy gasped in surprise and covered her mouth with her hands, but I heard her giggle and even saw a flicker of a smile through her hands. I couldn't resist joining in, and started laughing before I finally jumped up and ran into the corridor to assist the frightened Steven.
"Demon cat! Kill it! It's evil!" Steven finally pried Mits off him with a gasp, but she kept wriggling and swinging around in his hands as she tried to break free. The sight only made me laugh harder, but Steven just glared at me, failing to see the funny side. I jogged up and took her off him, hands around her midsection, and she swiped at Steven. He flinched instinctively, then bent double, breathing heavily.
"Jesus, Jamie. That cat is insane! I don't know how you put up with her." Steven gasped.
Mits hissed at him, and I stroked her behind the ears to calm her down. "She's fine with me and Fluttershy."
"But no-one else. Especially your postman."
I cringed. "Don't remind me."
Steven straightened up. "If I have a heart attack I'm blaming you. Anyway, are you and Fluttershy ready to go?" he asked me. Then he muttered "You're lucky I'm still taking you after that."
"Sure." I turned and led Steven back to my flat before someone came to investigate the kerfuffle.
Fluttershy's head peeked around the door, now wearing her wig, and I could see she was trying to hide a smile. "Is everything alright?" She stifled a giggle.
"Other than Jamie and his evil cat taking ten years off my life, sure." Steven muttered.
Fluttershy giggled again, openly this time, and even Steven smiled. Just a little.
I mentally clapped my hands together, unable to do so physically. "Shall we make our merry way to this 'do' then?" I asked.
"Let's." Steven nodded.
"Okay. Let me just put Mits back." Said bundle of fur swung herself up and tried to escape, but I knew her tricks all too well.
"I could do that for you Jamie." Fluttershy offered.
"Nah, it's fine. Besides," I held Mits against my chest with one hand while I grabbed the laser pointer from my pocket, switched it on and pointed it inside with the other. "It's easy to get her in when you know how."
I let Mits fall to the floor and, landing on her feet, naturally, I watched her run into my flat after the red light. I grabbed my wallet with my keys and from the door table and shut the door before Mits could run back out again. It wouldn't be very far, and there were no main roads between here and the party, so it wasn't worth taking the helmets and jackets. I locked the door and pocketed the keys and my wallet before straightening up and turning to Steven and Fluttershy.
"Let's go."
Steven nodded and started walking down the stairs, leaving Fluttershy and me to follow.
"So Jamie, didn't you say you were visiting that art gallery today, to sell some art or something?" Steven asked as he rounded the corner of the stairs.
"Yep. And thanks to Fluttershy here they bought it, and gave me a job to boot." I grinned at the events that had happened just earlier today.
"Oh, I didn't really do anything." Fluttershy said, her cheeks pinking as her flip flops slapped against the stairs. I'd offered her high heels, but she hadn't liked them when she took them for a test walk. As the weather had taken a surprisingly warm turn for this time of April, especially after the drizzle that had been present since the start of the month, she had chosen instead to wear a pair of cheap flip-flops Jas had left behind
"Other than being my muse and inspiring the idea for the drawing that got me the job?" I asked, smiling back at her.
She didn't have an answer for that, so she just sheepishly smiled and blushed more.
"You really got a job?" Steven asked, surprised.
"Oh, thanks." I muttered sarcastically.
"You know what I mean. But congratulations man, good job! All the more reason to go to this party, eh Fluttershy?" Steven asked, recalling her previous reluctance to accept his invitation.
"Speaking of which, how many people will be there?" I asked. Steven walked out the back door of the building and waited for us. I saw the door was propped open with a brick to let cool air in; that was how he had gotten in without getting me to unlock it.
"I'd guess maybe twenty or thirty." Steven shrugged.
"T-thirty?" Fluttershy stammered.
I stopped outside the door and let Fluttershy catch up, like Steven had done. "Don't worry Shy, I'll be there with you. Besides, you don't have to even talk to them if you don't want to." I said, trying to reassure her.
She nodded, so she and I followed Steven across the small stretch of car park towards my dirt bike and his… bicycle.
"Steven, how are you supposed to lead us there on a bicycle? You do know a dirt bike goes faster?"
Steven turned and stared at me as though I were incompetent. "Jamie, this is a five hundred quid racing bike, and I keep myself in good health. I can average forty miles an hour if I wanted, but I won't because I'll get sweaty and ruin my clothes." He clipped his helmet on with finality. "Now hurry up. We have a party to get to."
I sighed and rolled my eyes, before straddling my own transport and starting the small engine. I felt Fluttershy get on behind me, so I turned and gave a thumb up to Steven. He nodded back and made his way to the car park's exit, and I did the same with my dirt bike. He cycled out and shot down the street, leaving me with no choice but to follow, the engine revving as I sped up.
I slowed the bike and swerved around a puddle left from the rain, stopping in front of the house Steven had directed me to, and cut off the engine. He'd led us into the suburban area of Lincoln, about a mile past the fish and chip shop Fluttershy and I had visited yesterday. His house was nearby, which would be handy for taking him home drunk as I always had to when I went to a party with him.
A few seconds later Steven himself stopped next to Fluttershy and me. He got off his bike and wheeled it up the driveway of the house, and I did the same. I pushed the standing leg down and turned to Fluttershy to see if she was alright. She was looking around wearily.
"Are you okay Shy?"
She nodded. "It's just… I get a little nervous around new pon- er, people."
I rubbed her shoulder reassuringly and looked around. I saw the road was mostly empty, bar three cars parked in front of the house, clearly belonging to people at the party. It was pretty quiet too, no music or regular party sounds.
"Don't worry Fluttershy it looks pretty empty here."
She smiled back at me, and I turned to Steven. "Steven, where is everyone?"
"Not here yet." he said. He looked at his watch. "The party doesn't start until seven."
I looked at mine. It was six forty-five. "Then why are we here so early?"
"So it's quieter. For Fluttershy."
I thought for a second. That actually made sense; Steven had thought of a good idea.
"Thank you Steven." Fluttershy said to him.
"Yeah, good idea Steven. Now, shall we go in? Looks like there's only about five people here."
"Sure. Let me just lock this up." Steven pulled a bike lock out of his pocket and snapped it around a fence post and the bikes front wheel.
I pocketed the keys and kicked down the bike's stand before getting off the bike to stand next to Fluttershy. I looked up and admired the weather; for once there was barely any clouds, and the ones that were up there were simple little wisps.
Steven elbowed me in the arm. "Come on, let's go."
He walked up to the door, and Fluttershy and I followed. I wondered what this party was in aid of. I noticed Fluttershy looking around warily again, so I put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She smiled back at me gratefully. The door opened ahead of us.
"Hey Steven, good to see ya. Are these two your guests?" a voice greeted. A head peeked out to join the voice, and I vaguely recognised him.
"Chris, long time no see." I grinned, stepping up and shaking his hand. He was another friend of mine, but unlike with Steven I hadn't seen or heard from him since 6th Form. They'd clearly stayed in contact.
"Same mate. How's life been treating you?" he asked, releasing my hand and letting us all in through the door, then through another into the front room. Before I could say anything though, he held up a hand. "One second." He said simply before turning to Fluttershy and smiled. "You haven't introduced me to her yet." He held a hand out to her. Fluttershy, in response, tried to shyly hide behind her temporary brunette hair.
"You'll have to forgive her, she's very shy." I explained, stepping in. "Her names Florence, she's visiting from America."
"America, huh? What part?" Chris asked.
Uhhh. "Indiana. Right Flo?" Indiana's a state, isn't it? Fluttershy simply nodded.
"Indiana? Cool. Anyway, nice to meet you Florence." Chris held out his hand. Fluttershy gingerly reached out and accepted it, gently grasping it and let Chris shake it up and down. "Anyway, you're here early aren't you?" Chris asked us all.
"We thought we'd get here early before it gets packed." Steven said. Fluttershy and I nodded in agreement.
"Cool, cool. Well, feel free to enjoy yourselves, have something to eat or drink, talk to people, just have fun." He smiled at us, then walked back over to the door to meet some other guests.
Steven stepped up closer to Fluttershy and me, forming a group huddle of sorts. "So, uh, what do I do now? I'm not very good at parties." Fluttershy admitted meekly.
"What do you normally do at parties? Pinkie has a lot of them, surely you go to at least a few?" Steven asked her, whispering.
Fluttershy nodded. "I do, sometimes, but usually I just stay away from the other ponies."
"Well, stay with me and Steven, we'll look after you." I told her.
"Though there's someone I want you to meet." Steven added.
Fluttershy nodded, but I could see she was worried.
"Don't worry Shy, it'll be fine." I reassured her.
She didn't look too sure.
"Anyway, let's get something to drink." Steven suggested, gesturing for us to follow him. He led us through a doorway we had come through, down the hall and into the last room on the right, the kitchen. It was clear this wasn't the first of Chris' parties Steven had been to.
The kitchens dining table was covered in an assortment of food, ranging from mini sausages on cocktail sticks to small, triangular sandwiches to bowls of crisps and biscuits. Next to the assortment of party snacks were the drinks Steven had promised, all as varied as the snacks. There were two glass pitchers, one filled with orange juice and the other blackcurrant with a couple dozen cups, more cups by the sink with a small hand written sign calling the tap an 'H2O Emitter', and at least half a hundred cans of beer and other alcohol. I decided it was in my best interest to warn Fluttershy about them.
"You might want to steer clear of these drinks Shy." I warned her. "Alcoholic."
She nodded in understanding.
"Do you want some orange juice?" Steven asked, picking up one of the sandwiches and taking a hefty bite.
"Okay." Fluttershy nodded. I picked up the pitcher and half-filled a glass for her. She nodded appreciatively and took it from the table while I poured myself a glass. Steven simply helped himself to a can of beer and finished off the sandwich.
Someone else entered the room behind us. "Hello Steven." a feminine voice said.
The group of us turned around and Steven grinned. "Brittany, nice to see you." He walked up and, still holding the can, hugged her. After a second he stepped back. "Jamie, Florence, this is Brittany. She's the person that I wanted you both to meet."
"Nice to meet the two of ya." She said with a soft Australian accent, holding out a hand. I shook it. "Nice to meet you Jamie." she said, releasing my hand. She turned to Fluttershy, doing the same. "And you must be Fluttershy."
I went wide eyed. How did this stranger know Fluttershy's real name? I turned to glare at Steven expectantly. He held up his hands apologetically.
"I probably should have told you sooner, shouldn't I?" He grimaced.
"Tell me what?" I demanded.
"Brittany knows the score. I explained it to her."
I dragged him off to the side. "You did what!?" I whispered.
"Look, as good company as I'm sure you and I both are I thought it would be nice if Fluttershy had a girly friend. While she's here anyway. She doesn't really hang out with stallions in the show, so why should we expect her to only hang out with us? Besides, I've known Brittany since year six. We can trust her." Steven said, taking a sip from his can.
I looked over to the two females on the other side of the room. Brittany said something I couldn't make out, and Fluttershy giggled softly, coming out from behind her hair.
"See. They're getting on fine." Steven noted, raising his can to them before taking another swig.
I shook my head and turned back to him. "So, is she Australian?" I whispered.
Steven spluttered on his beer, leaning forward. When he finally cleared his throat, he started laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked, frowning.
"Nothing. It's just…" He broke down into further laughing. After a few seconds he calmed down. "It's just, I thought you'd be a little more angry. You threw me off with that." He snickered, wiping alcohol off his face.
"Well, as much as it pains me to admit it, you have a point. And Fluttershy does seem to be getting on well with her."
"You're getting on with her well too though, aren't you." Steven added quietly.
"Who, Fluttershy?" I asked. He nodded. "How so?"
"Outside. Are you okay, SHY?" Steven imitated me, emphasising the Shy.
"So?"
"Fluttershy only let's her closest friends call her Shy. You must be pretty close."
"Really?" I asked. I knew she thought of me as a friend, but I didn't think it was that good a friendship.
"Yeah. Anyway, yeah, Brittany moved here from Australia about four months ago."
"But you said you've known her-"
"Pen pals." He explained.
Fair enough.
"They're gonna be wondering what we're doing, let's get back to them." Steven pointed out.
"Alright, but I want to talk to Brittany first." I said.
Steven looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then nodded. "Alright." He said, allowing my request.
"And no telling anyone else about Fluttershy."
"Fine, you can trust me." He winked, then walked back across the room to the girls. I followed.
"Hey again." Steven said them.
Brittany nodded and Fluttershy gave a tiny wave of her hand.
"Brittany, could I have a word with you?" I asked her quietly.
"Sure." She replied, and followed me a couple of feet away from Steven and Fluttershy, bringing a beer with her.
"Okay Brittany. Now, I don't want to sound brutish, or douche-ey-"
"…but you've got to know you can trust me. I know." She finished.
I nodded seriously. "Pretty much. Look, you can't tell anyone about Fluttershy. God knows what could happen if other people found out."
"I know, I know. Besides, who would believe me?" She grinned, bringing the cup to her lips and taking a drink.
"I suppose." I nodded. "I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong. I don't want her to get hurt."
Brittany looked like she wanted to say something, so I kept quiet until she finished her drink. "You're really concerned about her, ain't ya?" She finally said.
I nodded.
"Why?" She asked.
That threw me off my train of thought. Why was I looking out for her? "It's the right thing to do." I decided aloud.
"Nothing else? You two seem to get on well." Brittany noted.
"What are you implying?" I asked her.
Brittany was silent for a second, then shrugged. "Nothin'."
I studied her for a second, then nodded. "Alright. Anyway, interrogation aside, it's nice to meet you Brittany." I held out my hand, now smiling. She took it and shook hard, surprising me.
"Same. And please, call me Brit, I hate people calling me by my full name. It just sounds so formal." She grinned.
"Will do. So, let's get back to them." I smiled, then turned back to Fluttershy and Steven and saw them walking over, both holding small paper plates with biscuits and crisps.
"This is where the food is, so there's gonna be people coming in and out." Steven explained. "I thought we'd be better off talking in the garden. Fluttershy and I have some food we can with us."
"Good idea." I agreed, taking one of his biscuits and eating it in one bite. Malted Milk, my absolute favourite.
"So, what where you and Brit talking about before I rudely interrupted?" I asked with my mouth full, before taking a sip of orange juice.
"Oh, Brittany was just telling me that she works as a veterinarian." Fluttershy said, sounding surprisingly at ease around said newcomer.
"Really?" I asked. I glanced at Steven, who just smiled and took yet another swig from his can. A little early to be getting drunk, wasn't it?
"Yeah. When Stevey here explained the situation to me, he told me Fluttershy here loved animals." Brittany explained. "We could always use someone like her at the animal shelter."
"Don't call me Stevey." Steven mumbled under his breath as we exited the house, quiet enough so only I could hear.
Fluttershy nodded. "Brittany says they get a lot of injured and sick animals coming in and that they haven't been able to keep up with the workload lately."
"So I was thinking, maybe Fluttershy could do a little bit of work here and there? I mean, she's obviously knowledgeable enough in the matter, and has incredible skill with handling animals. Maybe you could even teach me a trick or two." Brittany added with what I was coming to recognize as her trademark grin, addressing Fluttershy directly.
We stopped at the end of the smallish garden and sat at a picnic table under the shade of a tree, setting down our snacks. It was about twenty feet from the open floor-to-ceiling glass sliding door that served as the main entrance to the house from the garden, and was well away from the other guests.
"Wow, that's really kind of you Brit." I said, then turned to Fluttershy and saw her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "What about it Fluttershy?"
She nodded eagerly. "Oh, that sounds wonderful Brittany. Thank you."
"No problem Fluttershy. And please, call me Brit." Brittany said.
"The DJ is in the house!" A voice from the house called out, followed by a few shouts of 'Woo!' followed by the start of a song.
"And that would be DJ Danny. Chris always calls him round to DJ at his house parties." Steven told us.
"DJ Danny?" I asked curiously.
"His names Daniel, he DJs, add one and the other and you get DJ Danny." Steven explained.
"Avicci." Brittany noted with a bite of biscuit.
"What's Avicci?" Fluttershy asked.
"A band. They make music, and this particular song is pretty popular." I said, filling her in.
"You should hear the Mario remix. So much better." Steven added.
"Psh." Brittany scoffed. "You're such a nerd Stevey." She smirked, rolling her eyes.
I grinned as Steven frowned at her, and I heard Fluttershy giggle beside me. The fact she was getting on so well only made my smile broaden. Brittany noticed, seemingly looking at me and smiling.
"So, Fluttershy, what's it like living with Jamie here?" Brittany asked.
"Oh, he's very kind. He made a room just for me, and he's helpful, and-"
"So you like him?" Brittany interrupted. I didn't like where this was going.
Fluttershy nodded quickly. "I-I mean, yes, he's a v-very good friend." She said.
Brittany nodded. "So you're not dating then?"
Fluttershy and I blushed as Steven fell back laughing at Brittany's forwardness. "N-no." Fluttershy squeaked.
"Huh. You two seem like you'd make a great couple." She shrugged, looking disinterested.
I gave Brittany my harshest glare as both Fluttershy's and my faces got redder. "What?" She asked innocently.
Fluttershy soon followed up with a question of her own.
"What about you and Steven? Are you dating?" She asked, with what looked to me like a tiny, sly smile as she used Brittany's tactic against her.
Brittany, however, simply started laughing. "Me? And Steven? Please, I'm way out of his league."
"You wish." Steven scoffed, wiping a tear from his eye and crumpling his now empty beer can. "Curses, my broth hath run dry. I'm going to go get another. And some more biscuits seeing as Jamie here's scoffed half of them."
"What?" I asked, feigning innocence as best I could through a mouthful of Malted Milk.
Steven sighed, smiled and walked back into the house.
"So, if you and Steven aren't dating, does he have a girlfriend?" Fluttershy asked Brittany.
I chuckled as I finished eating the biscuit, and Brittany joined in. Fluttershy looked between us, confused. "What's so funny?" She asked.
"She doesn't know?" Brittany asked, starting to chuckle more, trying to suppress a full laugh, and I calmed myself down to explain.
"Fluttershy, there's something you need to know about Steven." I smiled.
"What is it?" She asked. Brittany couldn't contain herself and started laughing properly.
"You re-, really have no clue?" She asked Fluttershy between laughs.
Fluttershy shook her head.
"Well Shy, Steven's gay." I explained.
Fluttershy simply blushed once again in realization and understanding. "Oh, my…"
"So, what were you all talking about?" The subject of our conversation asked, walking back over with another plate of biscuits and another drink.
"Nothing." we all said quickly.
He stopped and looked around us suspiciously. "Uh huh. Well, I've got more biscuits." He sat down at the table. "So help yourself. Not that you need an invitation, Jamie." He glared at me, pointing to his previous, and now empty, plate.
"Of course not." I said, relieving him of a Custard Cream. "That was quick."
Before anyone could say anything else the roar of a sports car sounded up in front of the house, making all of us bar Fluttershy, who simply looked scared and hid in her hair, turn and look down the path that went from the back garden, down the side of the house and into the front garden. Through the open gate we could see a red Porsche roll past in the street, engine revving.
"And how could it be a party without a twat?" Steven asked, frowning towards the front of the house.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"That, Jamester, is Donavon. Spoiled little rich-boy. The kind that thinks he has 'swag'."
Oh god, I knew the type.
"What's swag?" Fluttershy asked, genuinely puzzled.
I chuckled slightly at the question, and Steven and Brittany grinned. It didn't seem like something Fluttershy would say.
"Something that makes people look like idiots when they think they're cool." Brittany said coldly, letting her grin drop.
"Oh." Fluttershy murmured, sensing the bad feeling towards Donavon.
"A lot more people here now." Steven commented after a minute, peering into the house. I followed his gaze and saw at least a dozen people in the living room, some even dancing to the music but most just standing by the sides and talking, holding drinks.
I noticed Fluttershy looking frightened, like a rabbit caught in headlights.
"Don't worry Shy, we'll stay out here. Where it's quiet." I assured her once again, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She smiled at me. "Thank you."
Brittany tipped her beer can up completely, emptying it. "Well, I'm empty too."
I looked down at my cup and saw just a dribble of orange juice left. Fluttershy's cup was the same.
"Serving up hot spring rolls! Chicken and vegetarian!" Chris' voice called out from inside.
"And now sounds like the perfect time to get another." Brittany clapped her hands together. "Anyone else?"
"I wouldn't mind a spring roll." I shrugged. "Something hot. As awesome as Malted Milks are." I said. "And a refill would be nice. Do you want anything Fluttershy?" I asked as the song ended.
"The vegetarian spring rolls sound nice." She agreed, nodding.
"Okay, let's go get some." I agreed, standing up. Brittany and Fluttershy followed suit as the next song started.
"Oh my god. Danny's really got this song?" Steven asked, looking back into the house.
"What's so great about it?" I asked curiously.
"It's straight out of GTA." Steven grinned.
"Really? Wow." I said simply.
"*coughnerdcough*" Brittany smirked, following me and Fluttershy back into the house.
"Hilarious." Steven called back.
"I thought it was." Brittany replied coyly as we walked in through the door and into the kitchen as people entered and left, holding all kinds of food. Now at the table's centre were two large, half empty serving dishes, piled with the promised spring rolls, steaming with heat and kindly labelled in the same manner as the 'H2O Emitter'.
I picked up two paper plates and began transferring the delicacies from the vegetarian serving plate onto them. I saw Fluttershy reaching for one of the vegetarian rolls, and reached out to stop her.
"Careful, they're hot." I warned, before picking one up and immediately dropping it. "Sod." I muttered, waving my fingers to cool them. I hated being right.
"What are they made of?" Fluttershy asked.
"Pastry, and a variety of vegetables." Brittany said, picking one up, blowing on it and taking a small bite. "And a pinch of spice, too."
I stared at her in awe. "How can you eat that? It must be like fifty degrees."
She simply scoffed. "Obviously you've never tried Australian cuisine." Brittany said, picking up five more and dropping them on her plate, quickly followed by running over to the tap and soaking her fingers.
Chris walked in a second later as I tried not to laugh, carrying a dozen forks. "Here ya go guys." He said to us, placing them down on the table then leaving.
I smirked and picked up a fork as Brittany silently cursed.
"What's the matter Brit? Too hot?" I teased. She glared back at me and I laughed. I scooped up a couple of the pastries in a spoon like motion and dumped them on Fluttershy's plate. I repeated the action until there were half a dozen of the steaming finger foods served up.
"Want any more?" I asked Fluttershy.
"That's enough, thank you." She said.
"Meet you both outside." Brittany said, walking past with her paper plate in one hand and another beer can in the other.
"'Kay." I nodded at her, starting to get myself a plate of the thumb sized pastries. Fluttershy stood by my side, looking over the rest of the food.
"Looking for anything?" I asked her, looking up myself.
"Not really. A lot of food here looks familiar, though." She reached out and picked up a small frosted cupcake, glittered with sprinkles.
"Wassup e'rybody!" Someone shouted from behind us in the doorway, enough to make Fluttershy drop the cupcake in shock. "Dis where the food at, right?"
I looked back, revealing a completely stereotypical chav: loose jeans hanging too low, rubbish Nikes, a too tight black shirt with #SWAG written across it in red, backwards baseball cap and enough gold jewellery to make a king jealous. Had it not been blindingly fake of course. The very sight made me cringe: no doubt he was the owner of the red Porsche out front: Donovan.
He strutted over to the other end of the table and started searching through the food, and I turned to Fluttershy. "Don't pay any attention to him, just ignore him." I warned her. She nodded and I got a couple more rolls, deciding I'd go solely for the veggie ones.
A second later I heard the chav wolf whistle. "Well hello there pretty face."
I looked out the corner of my eye to see him walking over towards Fluttershy, pushing someone out the way and making them yell, but he ignored them. I kept an eye on him as he stopped about a foot away from her, planted his hands on his hips and looked her up and down. "I never seen you here before gurl."
God, he even said girl like a twat, and he tried to speak like he was black.
"O-oh, I'm new here." Fluttershy answered politely.
"That so, gurl? Well, dat means you need ma number." He whipped out a card from his jean pockets and slid it into Fluttershy's pocket before she could answer. "Gimme a call sometime gurl, 'cuz you are fine ."
I saw how uncomfortable Fluttershy was getting, and realized I'd had enough. I stepped up. "Back off."
He looked mock offended, and held his arms out, looking around. "Oh, big man? And who are you? Her boyfriend?" he asked, staring me down.
I returned the glare. "Yeah. I am."
Okay, I wasn't, but he didn't know that, and it was the only way to get the ego centred twat away from her.
It worked. He scoffed and stepped back, believing me. He turned to Fluttershy and grabbed a handful of biscuits, not bothering with a plate. "You could do better with me gurl." He winked at her, and even pinched her bum as he walked out. She responded with an "Eek!", jumping in shock, her entire face turning red.
I picked up my plate of Spring Rolls and put my other arm around Fluttershy's shoulders. "Come on, let's go back outside."
She nodded, picked up her plate and let me lead her outside. "Why did you say you were my boyfriend?" She asked quietly, getting over Donovan.
"Sorry I said that. It was the only way to get that wa- uh, jerk, to leave you alone."
"O-oh, I didn't mean to sound angry." Fluttershy apologized.
"It's alright, you didn't." I assured her as we walked outside into the sunlight, and I took my arm back from around her shoulder.
"Oh, okay. Thank you for making him leave me alone though." She said.
"It's alright." I said. Inwardly, though, I was kicking myself for not stepping in the second he entered the room.
"Nice of you to get back to us." Steven said as we approached the table.
"We got caught up with Donovan." I explained.
"That wanker?" Steven asked. "Sorry you had the misfortune of doing so."
I nodded as Fluttershy and I sat and her blush started to die down.
"What happened?" Brittany asked.
"He harassed Fluttershy. Even pinched her bum." I told them as me and Fluttershy set the paper plates down on the table.
Steven sat forward and frowned, utterly serious. "That isn't acceptable." He said gravely.
"Oh, it's okay. I don't want to cause any trouble." Fluttershy said quietly, scarcely above a whisper.
"Don't worry Flutters. We're going to get back at him." Steven declared, making a fist and slamming it into his palm, followed by snatching one of my spring rolls determinedly.
"You're taking this seriously, aren't you Steven?" I asked. "Don't get me wrong, though. I want to get back at him too."
"Same here. I hate guys who think it's okay to just walk up and harass women like that." Brittany said, scowling.
Steven leant further forward and clasped his hands together. "Alright, planning time. Now, how do we get back at a spoilt little rich boy?" After a few moments of thought and quiet, he clicked his fingers. "His car!"
"What about it?" I asked, finally getting to try one of the spring rolls. They'd cooled off considerably, enough to hold, and were delicious. I was no chef so I couldn't tell what kinds of vegetables had been used, but Brittany had been right about the spice. Scarcely any, but what was there made it even more delicious.
"His precious little Porsche. If we do something to the car, it's just as good as doing it to straight to him."
"Slash his tyres?" Brittany suggested.
"No, no. That would be illegal. Besides, he'd just make us pay for new ones." I said. Fluttershy was keeping quiet and decided to nibble on one of her spring rolls, unknowledgeable in the matter of cars, being from another world and all.
"Legal…" Steven muttered thoughtfully. He clicked his fingers again, sitting up. "I have an idea!"
"So? Don't keep us guessing." Brittany prompted after a second of Steven staying quiet, taking another spring roll from her plate and popping the whole thing in her mouth.
"Be right back. I have scheming to do." He simply said mysteriously, getting up and leaving.
"I wonder what he's up to…" I mused, tucking into the spring rolls.
His arm reached around me, making me jump, and grabbed another spring roll. "Revenge." he answered, before walking off into the house.
I shook my head, and turned to Fluttershy to rub her arm. "You alright now?"
She nodded slightly, chewing her pastry silently.
Brittany swallowed her spring roll and spoke up. "So, Fluttershy, wanna know more about the animal shelter?" She asked. I realized she was trying to change the subject, and I appreciated it.
It worked, and Fluttershy smiled and nodded eagerly. "Oh, yes, please."
Brittany smiled back. "Well, to start off, it's only a small family run shelter, not any of the big names like Dogs Trust."
Fluttershy raised a hand a few inches off the table questioningly. "What's Dogs Trust?" She asked.
"A charity that looks after abandoned dogs." I explained, then ate an entire spring roll. They'd cooled to the rather cool, but also just-been-cooked hot. The perfect kind of hot.
"Yeah, we look after all kinds of animals at our shelter, but we usually only get small animals. We got a veterinary license a couple of months ago, too, so we're getting a lot more people coming in with sick animals; too many for us to handle. Colin, the owner, has been looking to hire someone with experience with animals. And then I happened to talk to Steven, and on a spur of the moment thing I asked him if he knew anyone. You should have seen how his eyes lit up." Brittany grinned. "That's when he told me about you, and how adept you are with handling animals."
Fluttershy nodded eagerly. "I keep dozens of animals of small animals in my cottage, from cute little bunnies, to dormice, and dozens of birds." She told Brittany. It seemed as though she had completely forgotten the Donovan incident, being completely at home with talk of animal care.
"That's awesome. I'd love to have loads of bunnies." Brittany cooed.
Oh no. Girly stuff.
"Anyway, about your job. Where do you live Jamie?" Brittany asked.
I opened my mouth to tell her the address, but thought of something better. "You know where Filets Takeaway is?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, I go there all the time."
I nodded, then continued. "Come out of there, turn right, turn left at the junction and keep going for a couple of minutes. It's the block of flats with the jungle halfway up. Ms. Begot is crazy about plants. It's on the corner of the third road you come to, on the left."
Brittany looked thoughtful for a second, memorising the details, then nodded. "Alright. I'll come by in the mornings to pick you up Fluttershy," She said, addressing Shy directly again. Being no longer involved, I tuned out of the conversation and focused on my finger food, listening to the music coming from the house. Definitely the kind you would hear in a club.
I almost jumped out of my skin as someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned back to see Steven grinning. Silently he waved his hand at me, gesturing me to follow. I shrugged; their conversation didn't involve me anyway. I stood up and followed him as he led me up the side of the house.
He stopped at the gate and turned to face me. "Alright, the enigma of genius that is my mind-"
"Modest." I interrupted.
"…has led me to a plan. When you said 'legal' it gave me an idea. Being the stereotypical twat that he is, Donovan doesn't care about road law. Look at his car." Steven pointed out the gate to Donovan's red Porsche, parked down the road and halfway up the pavement. "That doesn't look like legal parking to me." Steven nudged me. "Look at the road where he's parked."
I did so, and saw double yellow lines, starting just where Donovan had parked. Obviously he hadn't seen them.
"And the signs on the street-lights clearly say any vehicle parked on double yellows will get clamped." Steven grinned.
I thought it over. "Okay, so what now?" I asked.
"Now we need someone to bring about the law." Steven said.
"Obviously. Who, though? Know any policemen?"
"Nope, nada." Steven said, rolling back on his feet. "But, Chris is a traffic warden." He smiled as the plan came together.
"Wow, that's… surprisingly convenient." I mused.
"Indeed. And it should be easy enough to convince him to work out of hours if I tell him it's Donovan we're nabbing." Steven started walking away, but stopped and turned back around, a glint of his eyes.
"What are you up to now?" I asked.
He pulled something out of his pocket, his iPhone, and navigated through the menus. "Give this to DJ Danny and tell him to play the song on my signal. He knows me." Steven handed me the device.
"Je ne regrette rien?"
"Yup. It's gonna be great!" Steven grinned, before heading back into the back garden and into the house to find Chris. I shrugged and followed him, looking for DJ Danny. The five foot speakers next to a portable DJ deck looked like the sort of place you would find him. Sure enough, he was sitting on a stool right next to it, chatting up a blonde girl and letting the music cycle automatically onto the next song, Last Friday Night I think. He saw me coming and stopped talking to the girl.
"What can I do for you man?" he asked.
I handed him Steven's iPhone. "Steven told me to give you this, and to play the song on his signal."
Danny took it and looked it over. "I dunno. I know a lot of Stevens man."
"Steven Graham." I said.
Danny's face lit up. "Oh, that Steven. Yeah, can do man." He nodded and put the small device down next to the DJ deck.
I nodded in thanks and walked back outside, the pounding music starting to drill into my head after only a minute. I never understood why it had to be so loud.
Fluttershy turned around as I sat back down next to her on the bench.
"What did Steven want?" She asked.
"Filling me in on his plan." I explained. "He's found a way to get at Donovan's car."
"Nice." Brittany approved, grinning.
"Yeah. Should be a few minutes though."
"Good, I can tell you what me and Fluttershy have worked out for her job."
I nodded and let her explain.
"I'll swing by each morning to pick Fluttershy up then take her to the shelter at about half eight." She said, addressing both Fluttershy and me. "We serve lunches there, so you won't need to pack a lunch or anything. I've told Fluttershy what she'll be doing there, and I'll drop her back off after work. The only problem is, I'm not sure when that will be. Sometime from like four to six o'clock, depending on how much work there is that day."
"And next week I'll be starting work at the art gallery, so I probably won't be back before half five, so I won't be in to open the door." I explained. "Actually, that's no problem. I have a spare set of keys I can give you Shy."
Fluttershy nodded and smiled at me gratefully.
"And finally pay. I don't know how much Colin will pay, but he's been looking for someone with Fluttershy's skill for at least a month, so it'll probably be decent. The shelter isn't made of cash, but it'll be quite a bit more than minimum wage." Brittany finished.
"Sounds good." I nodded.
Fluttershy nodded too. "Thank you so much Brit. It's very kind of you."
I turned around at the sound of footsteps behind us. It was Steven, a cheesy smile plastered on his face.
"The plan is set and the ball is rolling. Come on, let's go." he said, gesturing for us to follow.
Brittany smirked and stood up. "I've gotta see this."
"Alright, alright." I said, standing up as well. "You coming Fluttershy?"
She nodded. "Okay."
Steven and Brittany waited for Fluttershy to get to her feet before slowly heading towards the house, as Steven explained what would happen. "Chris called one of his friends from the council. Turns out Donovan went and parked his car it in front of a driveway that can't, under any circumstances, be blocked, so his car's going to get taken." Steven said, clapping his hands together gleefully.
"Donovan's getting his car towed?" Someone asked from the sliding doors.
"Yeah, don't tell him." I said quickly.
The guy grinned. "I won't. He bloody adores that car." With that he turned and walked back inside the house.
"Chris' contact better hurry up before Donovan gets wind of it." I noted as the guy who'd heard us told his friends as he passed through.
"Nah, he's out the other side of the house having a fag. By the time he's done his car will be halfway on the lorry." He clapped his hands together again, grinning. "This is going to be brilliant."
As soon as he said it Chris appeared in the doorway in front of us.
"The lorry's just around the corner. This is going to be an awesome joke Steven. Get back at everything he's done." he praised as we entered the house and made towards the front door.
"Are they going to take his car?" Fluttershy asked me quietly.
"Yeah, but not permanently, just move it. Then he'll have to pay a fine to get it back because he parked it in an illegal spot." I explained.
"Oh." Fluttershy replied.
I could sense her unease. I knew her well enough now to know she wasn't the sort to get revenge.
Wow, never thought I'd know a cartoon character like that.
"It's nothing too extreme. Just an annoyance for him. And technically we're doing the right thing, seeing as he's broken the law." I reassured her as we walked out the front door. More people came out behind us, news of what was about to happen spreading fast.
"Okay. That makes sense." Fluttershy nodded, now content that this wasn't just payback against Donovan for harassing her.
"Wait, where's Steven?" Brittany asked.
I looked around, but I couldn't see him. I saw one of the windows open out of the corner of my eye. When I turned to look properly, Steven's looked out and saw me. "Hey Jamie."
"Steven what on Earth are you doing?"
"Putting the icing on the cake with Danny." He said before disappearing back inside. I thought I heard a voice say something else, but couldn't be sure over the music.
I shook my head. A second later one of the five foot speakers appeared in the window, being twisted into place by Steven and someone else, presumably Danny.
I looked forward again as the tow lorry made its presence known with a hiss of brakes. There was a quiet cheer from the dozen people now assembled in front of the house. The lorry quickly manoeuvred into position behind Donovan's car, and the ramp on the back slowly slid back and tipped up, ready to pick up the car. One of the men got out and grabbed the equipment that would hold the car down in transit.
I turned to Fluttershy, smiling. She was timidly smiling too, but I could see she was getting uncomfortable being in the group of people spread out in front of the house. I tapped both her and Brittany on the shoulder and led them away from the main group and off to the side.
"Should be easier to talk here." I said by way of explanation.
"Good idea." Brittany nodded, folding her arms and leaning back against the house while Fluttershy smiled gratefully.
Suddenly the music behind us cut out and I could hear the chattering of everyone at the party, a few looking back into the house to see what had happened to the sound. No doubt everyone was here now.
Steven walked up next to us, standing between me and Brittany.
"Now we wait." He grinned, leaning against me jokingly, and I shoved him off.
Sure enough, just as the winch started to pull Donovan's car up onto the lorry, he came running from by the side of the house, shouting obscenities.
"Yo man what da fuck are you doing with ma car? You got any idea how much it's worth? I'll sue you!"
It was quiet enough to hear what the council worker said.
"I'm sorry sir. Your vehicle was parked in an illegal spot-"
"Like fuck it was! Gimme back my car!" Donovan shouted back, straight into the guys face.
"Sir, your car is being impounded. You can contact the council office on a weekday from ten am to five pm about having it returned." The man said with finality as the ramp levelled out, Donovan's car on top and held in place.
"You can't do this!" Donovan screamed. "I know people! I'll have your fucking JOB!"
The man just ignored him and climbed back into the lorry's cab. The second the door closed, recognizable sad music started blaring out of the speaker in the window, the kind you always got in French films when something loved was being taken away.
People started laughing as the lorry's engine revved and powered up while Donovan screamed further abuse at the men inside. I doubled over at the scene; never had music had such a fitting role.
"Turn that FUCKING music off!" he screamed as the lorry slowly drove off, too angry to try and speak like a chav. Donovan simply stood there, defeated, and watch as it stopped at the end of the road, did a three-point turn and drove back down the road, straight through the massive puddle I'd avoided upon arrival. A wave of dirty water rose up and crashed into Donovan, thoroughly soaking him.
Now everyone was laughing, even Fluttershy, and there were a few shouts of 'You deserved it!' and 'Take that!'
Donovan turned around, shaking with rage. "Fuck off!" He saw me laughing and his face screwed up, followed by him swiftly striding straight toward me.
"You! YOU did this!"
"Me?" I asked innocently. "I didn't park your car halfway up the path." I wiped a tear from my eye.
"You called the fucking truck though, didn't ya!?" he accused.
"No I didn't, actually." I said back. "It was probably the people whose drive you parked in front of."
He stopped in front of me, glaring, fists clenched. "Bullshit!" He screamed, shoving me back against the building.
There were shouts of outrage from the partygoers, and I heard Fluttershy gasp, but before a proper fight could break out Chris walked up to Donovan, brought his fist back and decked him square in the nose.
Donovan reeled backwards, getting ready to fight back, but when he looked up Chris had been flanked by several of the larger guys at the party. Chris put on a thin lipped smile.
"I don't appreciate my guests being assaulted. I'm going to have to ask that you leave."
Utter silence. The music had stopped now.
"You asshole! You punched me in the fucking nose! I know people! I'll kill you!"
"I asked you to leave." Chris repeated, his smiling veneer fading fast.
Donovan spat on the ground. "Fine. This party's shit anyway." He started walking away, holding his nose. "You'll pay for this!"
There was silence for a couple of seconds, then cheers erupted from everyone at the party.
"Let's go back inside. I'm ordering pizza." Chris announced, making the cheers intensify as everyone went back indoors.
"Are, are you alright?" Fluttershy stammered, reaching out to help me.
"I'm fine." I told her, standing up straight and brushing myself off. "I have to hand it you Steven, that was hilarious." I added.
"Yeah, nice job." Brittany agreed, high-fiving him.
"I'm just sorry it got violent at the end Jamie."
"Pfft, that wasn't violent. That was namby pamby boy getting angry. Besides, Chris dealt with him."
Steven nodded, still grinning. "Yup."
"Should we go back to that table?" Brittany asked.
Fluttershy and I nodded. "Yes please." She added.
We made our way down the side of the house as the music started again.
Fluttershy giggled softly while Brittany and I cringed at Steven's god awful joke. We were sitting back on the bench, and had been for about an hour. The sun had started to set a while ago, so the garden lamps were much appreciated in the sunset's glow. The music had been turned down and started playing softer songs in response. Fireflies, by Owl City, my favourite song, was on right now.
As the party had progressed, Steven had drunk another six cans of beer, and was quite drunk now. Being a happy drunk, we were stuck with his awful jokes. Brittany had been more reserved and only had two more cans, and I'd only had two. Fluttershy had stuck with orange juice.
I heard her yawning next to me.
"Getting tired?" I asked her. She nodded. "I guess we should go now then.
Brittany glanced at her watch. "I've gotta go now too." She stood up. "It was nice meeting you guys. Hopefully we'll see each other again sometime."
"Sure." I agreed.
"Bye Brit." Steven said.
"See ya." She nodded, then walked off.
I stood up and took a final swig from my can. Fluttershy followed, taking one last sip from the her glass of juice.
"You know, Brit's right. You two make would make a nice couple." Steven slurred, head resting in his arms.
"And you're incredibly drunk." I replied, patting him on the shoulder. I stretched my legs to wake them up after sitting down for so long. "Let's go Fluttershy."
"Okay." She agreed quietly, clearly embarrassed at Steven's statement. "She looked back into the house thoughtfully. "Jamie, what song is this?"
I nodded. "It's called Fireflies."
"It's really nice." Fluttershy smiled.
I sat down on my dirt bike and got the key out of my pocket as Fluttershy got on behind me.
"Thank you for taking me to this party Jamie. It was wonderful." She held me more tightly than normal, hugging me.
"It's fine. I enjoyed it too." I started the engine with and revved up, letting Fluttershy know I was about to go.
It was a quiet journey back to my flat, as it always was. Keeping the bike slow it took ten minutes to get back, but it was enough time for the sun to set fully so that it was completely dark when I finally rolled the bike to a stop in the car park behind the building.
Fluttershy and I walked up the stairs, quietly talking about the party. She was smiling happily, and it was clear she had enjoyed it. That made it all the better.
I opened the door and flicked the light on, looking about for Mits to make sure she didn't run out like she always tried. Curiously, though, she didn't.
"Mits?" I called. That always made her come running.
This time, though, it didn't.
As usual, thanks to ChancellorPuddinghead (aka jikilola) for editing, but more so this time because she did this entre chapter in ONE DAY so it was ready for me to upload before I left on holiday/vacation. This wouldn't be here it it weren't for her, so go thank her
TRANSLATIONS:
Hoo boy, a lot of translations today:
Biscuits - I suppose you'd call them 'cookies', though to us a cookie is a kind of biscuit in itself. Type Malted Milk, Custard Cream or Digestive in on Google Images if you're really curious, those are all biscuits.
Crisps - Potato chips, or 'chips'. Not to be confused with our word for chips, known to America as French Fries
50 degrees - That's in Celsius, so about 122 Fahrenheit
Chav - Someone who walks around wearing baggy imitation clothes, fake jewelry and baseball caps at 90 degree angles. (that's the shortened version. Check out Urban Dictionary for the whole thing, and visual aid)
Wanker/Twat - Offensive term for people we hate
Fag – While this is also an offensive slang word, it also means cigarettes (if a bit of a rude way of saying it)
Towed/Removed car – Instead of the hook under the bumper thing, we remove vehicles by putting them onto a flatbed lorry and driving off with it on top.
Lorry – Same as a truck, from medium sized vans to whole 'semi-trucks' or 'rigs'
Oh yes, and the Mario remix of Avicci that Steven was talking about:
Youtube Video
"Mits?" I called, walking further into the flat. I supposed it was possible Mits was asleep, but normally she was always awake for my return. Apparently the sound of my bike woke her up or something. Peeping my head into the kitchen doorway revealed Mits wasn't in there, or in her cat bed. I continued into the living room, but couldn't see her there either.
"Mits?" I called again, making my way towards the bedroom.
"Is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked.
"Probably not. It's just that Mits always runs for the door, and this time she hasn't." I explained, looking around my bedroom. Nothing.
"Oh no. Do you think something happened? M-maybe it was…" Fluttershy stuttered, trailing off.
"Donovan?" I asked, kneeling on the floor and peering under the bed. I thought back to earlier this evening. Was it possible that Donovan had gone through with his threats? No, that was ridiculous; surely he didn't know where I lived?
I swung open the wardrobe doors in case Mits had scrambled in there, but it was empty of any feline creatures.
"Check your room Shy. She might be in there." I suggested. I was starting to get worried: Mits was never like this. Even when she was hiding I could always see just a little bit of her. Her tail, a paw. It was like a sort of sense that you got if you owned a cat. And said sense said I couldn't find her.
I jogged back into the living room and gave it another look over. Sofa, no. Coffee table, no. Armchair, no. I heard Fluttershy walk in behind.
"She isn't in my room." she told me, clearly worried.
"Okay, thanks for looking." I said. A small movement caught my eye, to the right of the room. The window?
I stepped up and pulled the curtain open, but there was no Mits. Just the window, pushed open slightly to keep the room cool. The movement I saw must have been the breeze, blowing the curtain.
The window was open enough for Mits to crawl through. I threw it fully open and peered down. My flat was on the top floor of the building, five storeys up. Not even Mits would be able to jump from that height, and I'm fairly sure she was at least half made of rubber. There was a tiny ledge along the front of the building at the same height as the window, but only an inch wide. Surely Mits couldn't manage to walk along that? Then again, this was Mits.
Fluttershy joined me at the window and looked out, but seemed spooked. "Oh my, it's very high up." She searched down and around the front of the building, and noticed the mess of plants coming from the window two storeys down. "Do you think she went down there?" She asked, pointing timidly at the vivd array of foliage.
I hadn't even considered it, but Fluttershy was right. Mits probably could have jumped down to there, then to the ground. If she had then she could be anywhere by now.
"Most likely." I nodded, then turned and walked into the kitchen to grab a torch.
"What will we do?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'm going to go look for her. You stay here." I told her, and grabbed the torch from the cupboard. "I'll be back soon."
I hurried to the door and threw it open. I hadn't even had time to take my jacket off. I turned to see Fluttershy watching me, worried, from the kitchen doorway.
"Don't worry Shy. I'll find her."
She just nodded. I turned back to the door, unlocked it and walked out, closing it behind me. As I made my way down the stairs, my brain started running through a checklist of places where Mits could be. She was a lazy cat, not fat, but definitely not the overly active type, so she couldn't have gone too far. Normally she just stayed in the building when I let her out of my flat; the furthest she had ever gone before was to sit on the wall on the other side of the car park, behind the building.
I unlocked the back door of the building and swung it open. I looked at the back wall; no Mits.
'Okay', I thought to myself. 'Where else would she be?'
Honestly, I had no idea. So, deciding to get searching as soon as possible, I flicked the torch on and swung the beam of light around the car park, making sure Mits wasn't here. I kneeled down again, looking under the cars, but still saw no sign of her.
After a few minutes I'd done a loop of the car park and had confirmed there was no Mits here. Where in the hell had she gotten to?
I made my way to the front of the building and looked up, to see if I could gain any clues as to where the pesky cat had run off to. I saw Fluttershy looking down and I gave a small wave, followed by a shrug to show I hadn't found Mits. I looked down to the plants below her, but I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Then again, what had I been expecting? The plants were thick. But…
I pointed the torch at the ground; sure enough there were leaves all over the path, obviously having come from above. So Mits had come down that way. But where had she gone afterwards? Down the road? Towards town? Who knew how long ago she had gotten out? Hopefully, though, she would have stayed nearby. It was just a matter of searching for her.
I looked back up at Fluttershy one last time before walking down the road, looking for places Mits could be. I started checking behind and between wheelie bins and behind fences, making sure to keep the torch aimed low so it didn't shine in anyone's window, and occasionally calling out Mits' name.
As I searched, I tried once again to think about where she could be. I thought back to the garden in the flats, hoping to come up with a train of thought that could lead me to an idea, but instead I just thought back a few seconds earlier to Fluttershy, looking down at me from my flat. I didn't know why I did, and shook my head to concentrate on finding Mits.
I came to the end of my road, and thought about what to do next. Deciding to go with the logic that Mits wouldn't have gone far, I crossed the road and started walking back to my flat on the other side of the road, repeating my search tactics.
When I reached my building I stopped again, looked around, and carried on down another road, the one opposite my home. Once again, I got to the end without finding any sign of Mits, crossed the road and started heading back again.
I reached my flat without finding her, and continued down the last road. It was incredibly dark now. I couldn't see the moon, so my torch and the streetlights were all the light there was.
Speaking of my torch, the beam of light ahead of me faltered, so I shook the torch back and forth, trying to force power into the bulb. It came back strong, but it was obvious the battery was dying.
"Sod it, this better not fail now." I muttered, continuing on my with search. After a minute there was a flash of light, and a few seconds later a loud rumble. Oh good, a thunder storm. Just what I needed.
Once again I reached the end of the road without seeing head or tail of Mits. I was about to turn around when I spotted a tail shooting behind a car.
"Mits?" I called out quietly, trying not to get my hopes up. I crouched and pointed the torch under the car, but there was no Mits. Just a fox. They were harmless as long as you didn't provoke them, but I still never understood why they came into big places like Lincoln at night.
I got up and turned around to cross the road and leave the fox alone, getting more and more worried about Mits, but the torch beam faltered again and died. Cursing under my breath, I shook it and tapped the side, hoping to get it working. It wouldn't.
"Isn't that just bloody perfect." I asked aloud, to no-one at all.
As if someone in a position of cosmic power had some personal grudge against me, the heavens chose that exact moment to open up, the first drops of rain pattering onto the ground and my head, and quickly becoming a downpour.
"And there's the icing on the cake of utter crap." I muttered. I looked around one last time before jogging back towards my flat, a hand shielding my eyes from the deluge. I couldn't search without light, and I knew if I hadn't found her yet I never would in the rain. Hopefully the storm would be enough to convince her to return home thought.
It took longer than I remembered to get back to my flat. Probably because I was getting absolutely soaked. I finally arrived at the back of my building and gave a final, exasperated look around, hoping I would see Mits. I didn't, so I walked into the dry and shook myself off. Well, as best I could anyway. Taking my jacket off and turning it inside out, I trudged up the stairs, disheartened at my failure of a search.
When I finally opened the door to my flat I was soaked to the skin, and my shoes were full of water. Stupid England and its constant rain. It had been perfect weather earlier, and now this.
Fluttershy was waiting for me.
"Did you find her?" she asked, but when she saw the state I was in her faced changed completely. "Oh my, you're soaked. Are you okay? Please, let me help." Fluttershy walked over to me and took my jacket before I could protest and quickly walked into the bathroom and brought me out a towel.
"Thanks Fluttershy." I nodded in gratitude and wrapped the towel around me.
"So, did you find her?" Fluttershy asked again, hanging up the dripping jacket on the coat stand.
I simply shook my head.
"Oh." Fluttershy looked down sadly.
"The torch ran out of battery. I'll look again in the morning. Who knows, maybe the rain will bring her back?" I said, smiling hopefully at Fluttershy.
I saw a glimmer of a smile on her lips as she nodded. "Okay. But are you alright? You look cold."
I realized I was shivering. "Yeah, I just need to get out of these wet clothes. Thanks for getting me this towel." I shrugged my shoulders gratefully.
"That's okay." Fluttershy said. "Do you want me to get you some clothes?"
"No, it's alright. Thanks though." I smiled at her and walked off towards my bedroom. As I took off my wet clothes and got some pyjama's out of the wardrobe, my mind started wandering again. I was worrying about Mits, then I thought of Fluttershy, then about how I would help her get back to Equestria, then about what I had to do to do so. It probably didn't help that I was tired, and that beer I had at the party wasn't doing anything good either.
In short, my mind was a bit of a mess.
It took longer than it should have to get changed, even if I had to dry myself while doing so. I wrapped the towel around my soaked clothes and sniffed. Wonderful, I was getting a blocked nose. I heard another crack of thunder outside, and another within seconds. I looked out the window and hoped Mits would be alright.
I picked up the bundle of wet clothes and dumped them in the clothes hamper next to the wardrobe. I could dry them off and clean them later. I opened my bedroom door and stepped out to the smell of something cooking. Was Fluttershy making something?
"Fluttershy?" I called, heading towards the kitchen. Before I could reach it, though, Fluttershy stepped out holding a steaming bowl of red liquid.
"Hello Jamie." she smiled warmly at me. "I just thought that, since you were out in the rain, you could use something warm to eat." Hesitantly, she held the bowl out to me.
"You made this?" I asked, taking the bowl and spoon from her. I dipped it in and took a sip: tomato soup, delicious and wonderfully hot.
"Mm-hm." Fluttershy nodded. "Is that okay?" she asked timidly.
I nodded vigorously, eating another spoonful. "No no, it's fine. This is wonderful."
She blushed modestly. "Thank you. It's my own recipe."
"It's good." I complimented, sitting down at the table to eat. Fluttershy sat opposite me and propped her head up with her hands, looking thoughtful.
"Don't you want anything to eat?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I'm not really hungry."
I nodded and ate another spoonful of soup. I wasn't normally partial to soup, but Fluttershy had been right about me wanting something hot to eat after being caught in the rain, and this soup was delicious. I didn't know how she made something like this with the ingredients I had left in the kitchen.
Another lightning strike drew my attention to the window, and I thought of Mits again, out, lost and alone in the rain. At least it was some consolation that Mits was the most indestructible cat known to man. Hell, if she got hit by lightning she'd probably just deflect it.
Actually, on second thoughts, probably best not to think about Mits getting hit by lightning.
Anyway, if she hadn't shown up by morning I'd go out looking for her again, when it was light. Maybe Fluttershy could help.
I looked over at her. She was blinking tiredly.
"Tired?" I asked. She nodded. "You can go to sleep whenever you want." I said.
She nodded. "I think I might."
"Okay. Good night. And thanks again for the soup." I smiled at her, raising a spoonful of the red liquid.
She smiled back at me then went walked off to her room while I finished my meal. Once again, my thoughts strayed between Mits being lost, and the woman slash human pony in my flat.
Certainly a lot to think about.
After a few more minutes I'd finished and put the bowl into the sink. Like the clothes, I'd clean it tomorrow. I just needed to sleep right now.
I poured myself a glass of water and downed it in one gulp before deciding to check my email before I went to bed. I sat on the sofa and listened to the rain pattering against the window while I waited for the laptop to start up. When it did, I went straight to Hotmail and opened my inbox. Other than a few pieces of spam that had missed the spam box there were just three emails of interest. One from the art gallery with an attachment, no doubt my work briefing, and two from Steven.
I skim read the first one. It was just him telling me he had taken it upon himself to contact the professor about Fluttershy, and was now waiting for a reply. At least he was more organised than me. The second one had been sent this evening, just a few minutes ago, in fact. It was full of spelling errors and most of the text was illegible, as most things written when drunk were, but I gathered he had remembered Fluttershy liked the song Fireflies, and he had sent a link to a fan cover of it that he'd asked me to show her. I'd show Fluttershy in the morning, when I would be able to properly explain the fact she had fans. That was sure to be fun.
I shut the lid of the laptop, letting it power itself down, then brushed my teeth and retired to my room. I fell back onto my bed with a sigh and looked out the window behind the bed, watching the raindrops roll down the window and listening to the rolling thunder. I shivered and crawled under the cover so I could get warm after being caught out in the rain. I got myself comfortable, and it wasn't long until I felt sleep overwhelming me.
There was a quiet knock at the door, and I almost didn't hear it in my semi-conscious state. It came again, marginally louder I thought, though that was probably just me coming to.
"Uh, come in?" I called, lifting my head off the pillow and looking round at the door.
The door slowly creaked open, and Fluttershy meekly stepped in, now in her pyjama's. "Hello Jamie." she whispered.
"What is it Shy?" I asked, blinking tiredly.
"Well, it's just, the l-lightning…" Fluttershy stammered.
"What about it?" I asked kindly. I sat up properly, propping myself up with my elbows behind me.
"Well, i-it… frightens me." She admitted.
"Okay… uh, is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.
"Well…" Fluttershy said, looking away and twiddling her fingers together. "I-if it's okay with you, that is, c-could I… sleep in here with you?" she added quickly. It sounded like she was cringing, but I couldn't see.
I didn't see anything wrong with that. "Alright. Do you want me to bring your bed in?"
"W-well, I was hoping I could sleep in your bed, with you" she clarified.
That threw me. "Well, I don't know Fluttershy…" I trailed off, leaving my unease apparent.
"O-okay. I-it's alright. I'm sorry." Fluttershy apologized. Before she could leave, though, there was a terrific crack of thunder, louder than the others, and it lit up the entire room. In the brief second of light, I saw Fluttershy's face, and how truly terrified she was. She physically jumped, and I saw her eyes go wide.
Now I felt bad for saying no. I sighed inwardly as I realized the only option I had – without hating myself – was to let her sleep in here.
"Alright Fluttershy. You can sleep in here tonight." I relented. "But only tonight, though."
She nodded avidly and quickly crawled under the covers on the other side of the bed. "T-thank you Jamie." she stammered.
"It's okay Shy. Uh, good night." I said. I laid back down and on my side, facing away from her. It wasn't the first time I'd shared a bed with a friend. Knowing that didn't really help ease the awkwardness of the situation, but whatever. I was still tired, and it didn't take long for me to drift off.
I felt myself stirring, but was reluctant, as always, to actually open my eyes and get up. I could smell something nice, a sort of nature-y smell, like a forest with a lot of flowers. It smelt soft, too. Could something smell soft? No, it felt soft, but my sleepy mind was failing to work properly. Was it the pillow? No, there was no pressure on my face.
As I came to, my other senses woke up. My right arm was numb, under the pillow, my fingers against the wall like always. I felt warm too, warmer than normal.
I prised my eyes slowly open, blinking rapidly in the sunlight. All I could see, though, was pink. I sleepily realised it was Fluttershy's hair.
Wait...
I stifled a gasp. She had her back to me, and I saw I was lying right next to her. I even had one arm over her. I must have rolled over in my sleep without realising. Carefully, so as not to wake her, I tried to move my arm, but I couldn't. I wriggled my fingers, and found Fluttershy was holding my hand. That seemed sweet, but I just wanted to get out of this awkward situation.
Being granted some mercy for once, Fluttershy gently let go and mumbled something in her sleep that I couldn't hear. I shuffled back carefully and got up, still bleary eyed. As I made my way to the door, Fluttershy stirred behind me.
"Good morning Jamie." she said quietly. I looked back and saw her hugging the quilt, smiling softly.
"Morning Shy." I replied, smiling. I walked out into my flat, trying to get over the awkwardness that I just had to go through. I thought back to last night, wondering if anything had happened. I didn't feel hung over. I quickly remembered though, and was glad nothing like that had occurred, but I got instantly saddened when I realised Mits was still lost.
I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to see Fluttershy standing there.
"Thank you for letting me sleep with you Jamie." She smiled gratefully.
"It's alright Shy. Do you want some breakfast before I go look for Mits again?" I asked.
She nodded. "Okay."
Before I got the chance to get anything, though, there was a knock on the door. I looked at the clock on the wall: 7:37. Who would be knocking that early?
I walked over to the front door, unlocked it and swung it open. Standing there was a postman. The postman Mits had attacked a while ago.
And there, cradled in his arms, was Mits. Soaked, scratched, a little bloody, and unmoving.
Translations:
Torch – Flashlight, or lantern
Thanks as usual to ChancellorPuddinghead/jikilola913 for editing
I stared in horror at the sight before me for a few seconds, before looking up at the man holding Mits.
"What happened?" I asked quietly, barely able to talk, trying to take in the sight.
"I was on my route, just doing my job, and heard screeching coming from in an allotment behind some houses, like cats fighting. After it went quiet, I went in to have a look, and I saw her tail sticking out from behind a compost bin. And I'd recognise that tail from anywhere. She wasn't moving, so I had a look, and found her like this." He held Mits out, and I carefully took her, cradling her in my arms. She was still breathing, gently.
"Thank you." I said simply, lost for words, looking back up and nodding at him appreciatively.
"Look, I know me and that cat have history, but if it's any consolation, I hope she's alright." the postman murmured quietly.
"Thanks." I nodded again, and turned back to Fluttershy. She was looking at me curiously; when she saw Mits, however, her eyes went wide in shock. Nudging the door shut behind me with my foot, I carried Mits into the kitchen and slowly, carefully set her down on the table. Fluttershy hurried in behind me.
"What happened?" she asked, reaching out to Mits but not making contact for fear of hurting her.
"I, I don't know." I replied, my voice wavering. I ran a finger behind Mits' ear, and it flicked in response. "She's still alive." I paused. "Will she be alright?" I asked, turning to the animal expert beside me.
She gingerly reached out and inspected Mits' wounds, taking particular care not to hurt her. She caringly moved Mits' fur aside, and looked over her body and the bloody marks.
"It looks like she's been bitten, and scratched." Fluttershy noted.
"The fox…" I murmured under in realisation a few seconds later. Fluttershy looked to me quizzically, but I waved her off. "I'll explain later. Will she be alright?" I asked again, getting more desperate for an answer.
"I'm not sure. She's been bitten and scratched quite badly." Fluttershy slowly circled one of the larger ones with her finger. I saw Mits' eye open drowsily, but she didn't move. She just uttered a quiet meow.
"Can you help?" I asked, my eyes watering at the sight and state of Mits.
"I'm not sure. I think so. For now. I'll need a few things, though, and we need to get her to a vet, quickly. These cuts are very bad, and she's probably in pain."
I nodded. "What do you need?" I asked quickly.
"Um, well, a few of her wounds are still bleeding, so I need some cotton wool or gauze, and I need to clean her cuts with water and soap. And if you have something to cut her fur it would be useful."
I nodded, and quickly went about getting the necessary stuff while Fluttershy soothed the now awake Mits and pulled the worst of the dirt and leaves off her. I found a large plastic bowl under in the cupboard and dumped it in the sink, turning on both taps so it would fill while I looked for the other things. I jogged into the bathroom and flung open the medicine cupboard over the sink. It used to house most of Jas' makeup, but Amy had taken all but a few, near empty items with the rest of Jas' things. I saw a plastic bottle of cotton wool balls, but it was empty. I tossed it aside and grabbed another, almost full bottle from behind it. On the bottom shelf was a small pair of scissors, an unused bar of soap still in its paper wrapping and a spare sponge, all useful.
I rushed back into the kitchen where Fluttershy was gently stroking Mits' head, rubbing her ears. She let out a pitiful meow that almost broke my heart. No, it did. I placed the stuff I'd gotten on the table, and checked the bowl. It was half full, and dipping my finger in revealed it was a warm but not too hot temperature. I picked it up and turned back to Fluttershy, who had unscrewed the bottle of cotton wool and was gently pressing a piece against one of Mits' cuts. I put the bowl down next to the other items I'd gathered.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.
Fluttershy nodded. "Can you hold this cotton wool in place?"
"Sure." I answered, taking it and pressing carefully.
"No, you need to press harder." Fluttershy said, pressing my hand down. "You need to put pressure on, to stop the bleeding." she explained kindly.
I nodded. "Sorry, it's just…"I trailed off, looking at Mits. I felt my eye watering again, and blinked it away.
I felt Fluttershy rub my arm. She put another piece of wool in my other hand and guided it to another severe wound. "It's okay." She soothed.
I nodded, but didn't entirely believe her.
Fluttershy tested the water in the bowl and nodded. "This is a nice temperature. Can you press her cuts for a moment while I do this?"
"Sure." I took another ball with my free hand and pressed it against another cut on Mits' body, about an inch away from the first. Underneath each cut were a number of scratches ranging in size, dotted in a semi-circle pattern. Like a bite. The fox must have bitten her, which I guessed meant there would be two more cuts on her other side. Fluttershy picked up the scissors awkwardly, figured out how to use them and carefully cut some of the fur away from Mits' side where there was a large cut. Once she was done she got a piece of cotton, dipped it into the water and slowly wiped it across the wound, cleaning the dirt from it. I quietly whispered to Mits as I did so, trying to comfort her. It was clear she was in pain.
After about five minutes of this I checked the cuts I had been putting pressure on; they had both stopped bleeding so I dropped the two red-stained pieces of cotton and stroked her head, before getting another piece and following Fluttershy's lead of cleaning Mits' wound. I stuck to the smaller ones that didn't need fur cutting away. I glanced up at Fluttershy quickly, as if to silently ask if I was doing it right. It wasn't the first time I'd cleaned a scratch on Mits, but I'd never dealt with something this severe before. Fluttershy saw me glancing and smiled reassuringly at me, nodding.
"How is she?" Fluttershy asked after a few moments more.
"The bleeding's stopped." I told her simply, checking the cut I was cleaning at that moment. "But I think it was a big bite, so there's probably two more big cuts on her other side."
"Alright. Let's turn her over and make sure those are okay first. They could be bleeding." Fluttershy agreed worriedly. I put down the cotton balls and carefully picked Mits up, trying my best to not press down on any of her scratches. When I turned her over there were a few small spots of blood on the table cloth, and two larger ones. It seemed I had been right about the bite.
Without thinking I grabbed two more pieces of cotton and pressed down, trying to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible, before she lost yet more blood. Fluttershy went back to cleaning the other wounds while I did this, occasionally cutting away Mits' fur to get at them.
As we did this, Mits slowly pedalled her front left leg, like she was reaching out towards me, and meowed again.
"Shh, it's alright Mits. You'll be okay."
I was trying to reassure myself as much as her.
I lifted one piece of wool. It was red, but the wound had stopped bleeding. I lifted the other; it was soaked crimson red. Evidently, the other wound had yet to stop bleeding, so I grabbed some more cotton and pressed it back down. Mits meowed again in what I could only presume was pain.
"I think I've got all the small cuts and bites. Do you want me to take over there?" Fluttershy asked.
I nodded silently, and stroked Mits ear as Fluttershy took the cotton ball from me. After a few seconds of mindlessly watching Mits, I realised that, as good as Fluttershy's skills were, we needed a real vet. I turned and walked briskly to the coffee table in the front room and grabbed the Yellow Pages. It only took a few minutes of flicking through the book to find a local vet. Instantly, I jumped to my feet and looked around for my mobile. Where had I put it last night?
I clicked my fingers. My clothes. But where were they? My room?
I jogged into the bedroom and found them, one leg of my still wet jeans out of the hamper. I lifted the lid and sifted through the clothes, trying to find my jacket pocket. That was still wet as well. And there was my phone. Also-
Oh arse.
It had gotten wet while in my jacket pocket. I tapped the centre button, fully expecting to get either a black screen or an electric shock. Somehow, though, it was still working. Relieved, I ran back to the front room, peering into the kitchen for a second to see how Mits was holding up. There were about a dozen balls of cotton off to the side, some red from being used to stop bleeding, others just plain dirty from cleaning Mits. Fluttershy was busy comforting her, whispering and stroking her head.
I sniffed and turned away to ring the vet's office. I was miserable – no, that word didn't quite cut it – over Mits' condition, not to mention worried out of my mind. As I keyed the number into my phone, I realised just how much trouble I'd be in if Fluttershy hadn't been here. Everything had seemed to be going well. A job, a bit of money. But I suppose that's when something would go wrong, wouldn't it?
"Hello, The Veterinary Hospital, Lincoln, how can I help?" A female secretary asked from the other end of the line.
"Hey, hello. Well, my cat's got into a fight with another animal during the night - a fox I think - and she's pretty badly scratched up. I think she's lost a lot of blood." I began, slowly pacing around the sofa.
"Okay, when did this happen?"
"During the night. We only found her this morning, dirty and bloody. Me and a friend have cleaned most of the cuts and have done what we can, but I'm not sure what to do next, and like I said she's lost some blood."
"Alright sir, I can make you an emergency appointment for this morning and you can come in whenever, or if you think your cat is severely injured or you can't transport her, I can send a vet to look her over on site." The secretary offered kindly.
"I only have a dirt bike, and I'm pretty worried about her state, so… yeah, I think the vet might be a good idea."
I gave her my address and she assured me the vet would be there shortly, no more than fifteen minutes.
I thanked the woman and ended the call, carelessly tossing my phone onto the sofa. I slumped down next to it.
Fluttershy entered my vision as she timidly stepped into the room. I turned and looked at her, and didn't even need to ask.
"I've cleaned her as best I can and a few of her cuts are still bleeding, but they'll stop in a few minutes. She's okay so far, but the poor dear is in a lot of pain. She's asleep now."
I spent a second taking that information in, then nodded and faced forward.
"There's a vet coming soon. He'll check her over then take her to the veterinary hospital." I told Fluttershy. I kept staring ahead for a second, contemplating the next few hours. After a second I shook my head free of its thoughts, stood up and walked into the kitchen where Mits was still lying on the table. She looked… peaceful, given the circumstances. If it wasn't for the occasional, near invisible rise and fall of her chest I'd have thought she was dead. She was a lot cleaner compared to when the postman had brought her to us, but she still looked in a bad way.
I didn't want to leave her on the table. I grabbed her cat basket from by the corner by the door, placed it on the table and, as carefully as I'd ever treated her, picked Mits up and laid her in the basket. I sniffed again, the sight breaking my heart for the umpteenth time. I started towards my room, meaning to get dressed and accompany Mits to the veterinary hospital. I got two feet before I stopped, turned back and smiled gratefully at the girl standing in the doorway.
"Thank you Shy."
She smiled back at me timidly, and I turned back and entered my room. It only took a few minutes for me to find and throw on some clothes. A partly muddy pair of jeans and a crumpled shirt would suffice for now. I really needed to wash my clothes. And the dishes come to that.
I shook my head as I opened the door. Why was I thinking about things like that at a time like this? Well, my cat was currently on the kitchen table, mortally wounded. I was probably getting hysterical.
I reached the kitchen and pulled out a chair so I could watch over Mits until the vet arrived. As I sat down and started stroking Mits' front paw, I noticed Fluttershy had gone. I looked around the kitchen, then peered into the front room, but she wasn't in there either.
Before I got a chance to call out for her, though, I heard what must have been her bedroom door opening. A few seconds later she appeared in the doorway, fully dressed and wig on.
"You want to come then?" I asked.
She nodded. "I can't stand to see her in pain. I want to make sure she's getting better."
I smiled at her, then turned back to Mits. Fluttershy took a seat beside me and mimicked my actions.
It only took roughly another five minutes for a knock to come to the door. I jumped up and walked out, desperate to get the vet in as soon as possible. The keys were still in the lock, and I hadn't locked it after the postman brought Mits back, so all I had to do was swing the door open.
Sure enough, the vet was standing there, holding a common brown veterinary bag. In his early forties, he wore simple clothes, had short hair and showed tired eyes. I guessed he'd either just done a night shift, or he'd just gotten up. He held out his hand.
"Dr Stacey. I'm here about a cat, and I was told it was urgent. Jamie Goodwin?"
I shook his hand. "Yep, that's me. She's just through here," I told him, leading him in to the kitchen. "We've cleaned and helped her as best we can."
The vet nodded and placed the bag on the table before giving Mits a looking over. I sat back down next to Fluttershy as he did his job. Fluttershy put a hand on mine. I glanced at her quickly and smiled appreciatively, though it faded quickly.
It only took a few minutes for the vet to complete his examination.
"She's unconscious. Multiple lacerations across the torso, significant bite marks, and it appears her tail is bent, perhaps broken. You say she was out last night?" he asked, looking up at me momentarily.
I nodded. "During the storm. She got of the flat just before, and I went looking for her, but my torch died and I couldn't find her in time. I found a fox though, and I think that's what hurt Mits."
The vet nodded. "The bites and scratches look to be from an animal of about that size. I'm surprised she got away from a fox at all. Anyway, there's no time to dilly-dally; I'll take her to the veterinary and we'll give her a proper diagnosis and treatment there. If you can gather up any paperwork about her previous medical history for me it would be useful."
I nodded and rose to my feet. "Of course, I'll get them now. Thank you."
"It's perfectly alright. Her state isn't fatal yet, but it could deteriorate quickly. I'll wrap her up in some temporary bandages and move her in the basket. If she's bounced about it could re-open the wounds."
I nodded, and the vet went to work. I turned and walked out of the kitchen and towards my bedroom again. I sighed sadly as I riffled through the bottom drawer of my dresser, where I kept any important papers. It didn't take long to find the one I kept for Mits; simply labelled as Mits Stuff it kept her medical records and the pet insurance details.
Sombrely, I carried the folder back out into the kitchen. The vet had just finished wrapping the bandages around Mits' big bite, and Fluttershy was standing by his side, presumably having helped him administer them.
The vet saw the folder in my hands and nodded. "Alright, let's get her to the clinic, post haste."
I nodded in agreement, and he picked up Mits' cat basket with her in it, and awkwardly made his way to the front door. Fluttershy took the initiative and skirted ahead of him to open the door, all of her shyness lost for Mits' sake.
I followed them out of the flat, grabbing the usual things from the table by the door: keys, wallet, phone and my jacket and helmet. Fluttershy already had hers.
It didn't take long to get down the stairs, or at least it didn't seem to while I was distracted by guilty thoughts. As the vet put Mits in the back of his Land Rover I followed him over and handed him the folder, thinking it better he took them rather than me on my dirt bike. He nodded and walked around to the driver seat, and I put on my bike clothes as I made my way over to my bike.
Fluttershy was waiting, already with her jacket and helmet on. I wiped the seat with my hand to clear the water left from the rain and climbed on as the vet's Land Rover came to life behind us. Fluttershy joined me on the bike, holding on tightly as usual. I revved the engine to wake it up as the vet turned around in a three-point turn behind us. I wheeled backwards as he drove towards the road, stopping to look for traffic, then pulling out and turning left. I followed him in seconds.
Fluttershy and I sat side by side in the waiting room of the vet clinic, alone. It was simply decorated, with advertisements for the clinic and reminders about immunization and rabies jabs for dogs. There were a couple of pictures on the walls and some vending machines by the door, but the room was pretty bleak.
We'd been sitting there for about fifteen minutes while the vet looked over Mits in an examination room. Fluttershy was, as usual, being quiet, and I wasn't particularly chatty either. The trip to the clinic seemed to have taken barely any time at all, but now that we were here, waiting for the vet to come back, time had seemed to slow down. Plenty of time for my thoughts to make me feel even guiltier about Mits. My reasoning: this was my fault. If I hadn't have left that window open, Mits wouldn't have gotten out, she wouldn't have met that fox and I wouldn't be sitting with Fluttershy in a veterinary hospital waiting to see if she was okay.
I heard a growling noise. At first I thought it was one of the animals somewhere in the building, but then it came again, louder. I looked to the side; it was Fluttershy's stomach. Neither of us had had any breakfast, but at least I had had some soup last night. The last time she had eaten was at the party. It took about half a second for me to think of something.
"Be right back." I said to her simply. I stood up and walked over the vending machines. One of them had a rotating core, the sort with the little plastic doors that you slide open to get the food. Looking through the selection, there were a couple of vegetarian sandwiches I could buy, and I settled on a simple cucumber one. While I slotted the money into the machine, I looked at the machine next to it, full of drinks. After retrieving the sandwich, I slotted what change I had left into the second machine and selected a bottle of water. It dropped to the bottom with a bump, and I grabbed it and walked back over to Fluttershy. She was looking at me questioningly.
"Got you a sandwich. You sounded hungry." I explained, holding it up. "And a drink, if you're thirsty."
She smiled warmly as she took it from me and tried to open the plastic container. "Thank you Jamie."
"It's no problem." I smiled back, sniffling. I turned forward again as Fluttershy tucked into her food and tried to suppress a sneeze. Bloody cold.
After a few minutes I turned back to her. She had finished the sandwich and she was looking down, fiddling with the sandwich box. Her hair was covering most of her face, but I could just make out an expression of worry and concern for Mits' well-being.
I reached across the arm rest and laid a hand on hers thankfully.
"Thank you Fluttershy. For helping with Mits." I said quietly.
Her hand shied away slightly, but she didn't try to take it away. She looked up slightly and turned to face me, and smiled one of the smallest smiles I'd ever seen. "Oh, I didn't do much." She tried to disagree modestly.
I shook my head. "That's rubbish, Shy, and you know it. I'd have been lost without you. We both know that." I added, trying to cheer her – well, both of us up. I squeezed her hand slightly, and she smiled a little more at the action.
There was silence for a few seconds, before I asked another question.
"Do you think she'll be alright?"
Fluttershy's smile faltered, and she went back to staring at the floor.
Not really the best answer.
I looked forward again, searching for something to distract myself from thinking about Mits. I randomly picked up a two-day old newspaper from the table in front of us and skimmed through the first few pages. An article on a road accident on the A46 near North Hykeham, another about Malian rebels and Algerian hostages, and one about a riot in the slums around Rio de Janeiro.
I quietly placed the paper back down, not wanting Fluttershy to see.
"I think so." Fluttershy said quietly, looking up again.
"Hmm?" I mumbled, turning to her.
She turned to look at me, genuine hope in her eyes. "I think Mits will be okay. I don't think she lost too much blood, and she's a strong cat." Now it was Fluttershy's turn to lay her hand on mine, comfortingly.
I nodded, and turned away to think about it. Mits was indeed a tough cat, no denying it. And she was healthy and well before this. Surely she'd be able to pull through.
Apparently we would find out, as the vet walked through a second later.
"It's good news. None of the lacerations are life-threatening, though she lost a worrying amount of blood. One of the bites needed a few stitches, but most have scabbed over, and look clean. However, due to the circumstances she got the wounds in, and just by the sheer number of them, there's a good chance of infection. She's a healthy animal, but after the blood loss it will be hard for her to fight an illness, especially in her current state. We'll keep her here for a few days and watch for signs of infection."
I nodded. "And if she does get ill?"
"Well, with her body trying to recuperate after the wounds it sustained it'll have trouble fighting off an infection at the same time, like I said, but she's healthy and we have a full range of anti-biotics available. And according to her paperwork, you've kept her up to date with her jabs." He leant forward and lowered his voice. "Now, legally I'm not allowed to say this, but I have strong hopes she'll pull through. Don't tell anyone I said that, though, or I'll be for it." He smiled reassuringly.
I nodded again, smiling appreciatively. I was still worried about her, but my mind was settling slightly now I finally had a clear idea of Mits' condition.
"Would you like to come in and see her?" the vet asked.
Both Fluttershy and I nodded eagerly. We stood up and I took the sandwich box from her and tossed it in a bin as we walked into the vet's office. There was no sign of Mits, but he led us through another door into a larger room with metal tables and all manner of medical items. It felt very sterile, so much I felt dirty just for being in there. I shivered.
The vet led us over to a table off to the right. Mits was lying there, almost all of her fur shaved or cut off. Another vet with a face mask was rubbing her cuts with a swab, occasionally dipping it in a bottle of medical disinfectant. She looked up and acknowledged us with a nod before going back to work. Mits herself was asleep. Or knocked out. I couldn't tell.
"We're cleaning the lacerations with disinfectant before we apply the bandages to minimize the chance of infection. We'll keep her in a sterile kennel for the next few days and monitor her."
I nodded silently. Seeing Mits in this state still broke my heart, but the professional atmosphere and advice was reassuring. I glanced at Fluttershy without turning my head, trying to gauge her reaction. She looked impressed with the clinic, and concerned about Mits, in equal measures.
After a few more seconds looking her over I decided to leave. It was painful to see her like this and standing around feeling sorry wasn't doing anyone any good.
"Thank you, Doctor." I said.
"It's no problem. We'll contact you on the number you provided with the insurance details in a few days with an update on her condition. If she dodges an infection, she should be able to come home by the end of the week."
I smiled at the thought, and nodded again.
"Do you want me to lead you out?" the vet asked.
"No, it's alright. I'll leave you to your job. Thank you, again." I said. "And when she gets better, be careful. She's very feisty." I added. Mits had already got herself banned from another vet clinic.
The vet smiled understandingly. "It shouldn't be a problem. We've dealt with animals like that before."
I nodded and looked at Mits again for a few seconds. It was reassuring seeing her in trained hands, but still...
I turned slowly and headed towards the door we had come in. We walked in silence through the vet's office and into the lobby. I grabbed my bag from the seat and Fluttershy's water bottle which had been left untouched. The receptionist was talking on the phone, so I simply raised a hand as we walked out the door. She nodded and went back to concentrating on the phone.
I stopped and looked back to Fluttershy. "Are you okay Shy?" I asked.
She nodded. "I'm still a little hungry, but the sandwich was nice. Thank you." She smiled for a second, then looked down. "And I'm still worried about Mits." She added quietly
I smiled back gently and rubbed her arm. "Me too, but I'm sure she'll be okay. Now, let's get back to the flat, and I can make some proper breakfast, instead of a cucumber sandwich."
She nodded. "That sounds nice."
Three quarters of an later and we were back to the flat. The bike ride from the flat to the vets had only taken a quarter of an hour, at a guess, but halfway back I realised I was out of anything both edible and appetising – come on, cereal isn't all that great – so a quick-ish stop at a petrol station to refill the bike's petrol tank and a trip to Tesco Express allowed me a few simple things, like bread, butter and eggs. That was the limit of my shop though, thanks to the size of my bag, but at least it would be enough for a semi-proper breakfast.
As I cleaned the kitchen I had the radio turned on, tuned into the Chris Moyle's Show, while Fluttershy was sitting watching TV again. I felt pangs of guilt when I scrubbed off the drops of blood from the tablecloth and replaced it. I tried to push the thoughts out of my mind. Mits would be fine. She was healthy, and had all the medicine she could ever need.
I looked up at Fluttershy as a squeezed the cloth over the sink to get rid of the excess water. I felt bad just leaving her to entertain herself like this, but at the same time I couldn't think of anything for her to do in the meantime.
A few minutes later and the kitchen was clean. I looked over the ingredients assembled in front of me: butter, eggs, bread, milk, a single tomato and probably enough mix for a single pancake. Thinking it over, I could make a mini English breakfast. With a pancake. Delicious.
Ten minutes later Fluttershy stepped in to see the progress. I was switching between the two pans of eggs and the pan of baked beans on the oven, and making sure the toast didn't burn.
"Would you like some help?" Fluttershy asked.
"Uh, no, I'm okay thanks." I smiled. "It's almost ready, though. Have you ever tried eggs?"
She shook her head. "Pinkie and the Cakes use them in baking, but we don't eat them... directly."
I nodded. "Want some now? They're vegetarian friendly."
She pondered this for a second, then nodded. "Yes please."
"Okie dokie. Should be ready in a few minutes. Oh, if you still want to help, I could use a hand setting the table." I said, nodding my head towards the cupboard by the door as the toast popped up.
Fluttershy nodded eagerly and quickly got a couple of plates out, followed by two knives, forks and spoons.
"Pass me the plates Shy." I asked quickly, seeing the eggs start to brown around the edges. She did, and I scooped two eggs onto each plate, cutting both slices of toast into two triangles and adding them to the plates. Then a few spoonfuls of beans and finally the tomato, cut in half and going to each plate evenly.
By the time this was done, Fluttershy had straightened out the tablecloth and set the cutlery so that one set was to the right of the other, instead of across the table. I brought the two plates across and set them down on the table, along with the miniature tub of butter for spreading on the toast, and wondered what I was forgetting. Drinks! Of course.
"What do you want to drink Shy?" I asked her, opening the fridge. "I'm getting myself some orange juice. Do you want any?"
"Yes please." I heard her reply. I quickly poured two glasses, then brought them over to the table.
"Let's eat." I said, smiling and sitting down. Fluttershy nodded and picked up the knife and fork. I noticed how easily she handled them. She was getting used to human hands it seemed.
I started cutting up one of the eggs and noticed Fluttershy watching how to do it. She mimicked my cutting motion, and scooped a bit up with her fork. She chewed quietly, judging the food. She nodded and hmm-ed contently.
"Like the eggs?" I asked. She nodded. "This is an English breakfast. Well, most of one anyway." I added, cutting up a slice of toast and dipping it in the beans.
Fluttershy swallowed her food and smiled wide and happily. "I think it's very nice. Thank you for making it for me Jamie."
"No problem Shy. Feel free to help yourself to some butter for your toast if you want some." I smiled, gesturing towards it with my fork but not taking any.
She nodded, still smiling at me, then went back to her food. I did the same.
After a few more minutes of silence, bar the radio talk and occasional music, Fluttershy spoke up again.
"Jamie?" she began hesitantly.
"Yeah Shy?" I asked, putting my last bit of egg on some toast and eating while I waited for her to continue.
"Well, do you think, if you don't mind, that is, well… why did you, start dating Jas?" she asked.
I stopped chewing for a second, then carried on and thought as I ate.
"Oh, if you don't want to tell me, it's oka-" I cut her off by raising my hand. A few seconds later, I swallowed my food and spoke.
"No, it's okay. Well, I met her when one of my friends was getting married some time back. She was kind, gentle natured I suppose. She's pretty, as well. And she liked the same books I did."
"Like what?" Fluttershy pushed.
"Well, romance. Action. Sometimes fantasy." I shrugged to myself. "But we just seemed to… I don't know." I meshed my fingers together. "We got on well together. Oh well, it's over now." I shrugged, going back to my food.
Fluttershy did the same, looking thoughtful.
I finished my food first, while Fluttershy still had half her meal to go through. Even though she must have been hungry, she still ate with care and grace. I washed up another plate and pan quickly, then grabbed the pancake mix and set about making what I could while Fluttershy finished, use what was left in the box.
By the time Fluttershy had finished her food, the pancake was almost done. As she brought over her plate I showed her the pan.
"Just making a pancake for you Fluttershy. Still hungry?" I asked.
Fluttershy smiled warmly. "Well, I am a little bit. But don't you want one?"
I shook my head. "Nah, it's fine. You made me that soup last night. It's the least I could do." I told her as I turned off the oven and tipped the pan so the pancake slid onto the plate.
Fluttershy smiled more as she took the plate with the pancake, and walked back over to the table. She sat down and, picking up a knife, cut the pancake in half.
"You can have half too, Jamie."
I smiled at the selfless act. "Thanks Fluttershy." I said, walking over and joining her at the table. The plate was halfway between us, and as we started eating I couldn't help but be reminded of that scene from Lady and the Tramp, when the dogs eat the spaghetti and kiss. I chuckled inwardly at the thought.
"So, Fluttershy." I said, eating a morsel of pancake. "Is there anything you want to do today? You must be getting bored of just watching the telly."
Fluttershy kept chewing as she thought this over. "Well, there is one thing." She began when she'd swallowed.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Do you think, maybe we could, go back to the woods? Where you found me?"
I mulled over this. "Why?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"I don't really know." Fluttershy admitted. "It… I just want to see it again." She said.
I nodded. "Sure, I can do that. We'll go as soon as we've finished."
Fluttershy smiled for the millionth time. It was a nice sight. "Thank you Jamie."
"No problem." I grinned back,
TRANSLATIONS:
Petrol Station – Gas station
Tesco Express – Tesco is a big shop, like Walmart, but mainly focusing around food and stuff. The Express version is a smaller shop, a convenience store if you will. As opposed to Tesco Extra which is a massive two storey shop. With escalators :D
Decisions of the Personal Kind
"So, what did he say?" Steven asked.
Me, Fluttershy and Steven were sitting in Gregg's once again, talking over some small pastries. Steven had battled his hangover to meet us here, desperate for information about what the professor – or more accurately, his assistant – had said.
"Not much. He mentioned he might be able to help, but first he wanted proof that Florence here was actually who we say."
Fluttershy looked up from nibbling her pastry at the mention of her name.
"Huh." Steven muttered. "I mentioned her Cutie Mark when I first mailed him." he added.
I nodded. "Yeah, they wanted a picture of it and her face, like in a passport."
"But, um," Fluttershy piped up, joining the conversation properly for the first time. "How would they know it's actually… me ? I mean, I don't normally, well, um, look like this." She said gesturing to herself.
Steven nodded and turned to me. "She's got a good point," Fluttershy smiled at the comment. "Shouldn't the Cutie Mark be enough?"
I shrugged looked at Fluttershy, tipping my head. "I suppose… well, you have to admit that you at least look a little similar, Shy." I said. "For being a different species, anyway."
Steven shrugged. "Also a good point. But that's still not conclusive proof, is it?"
"I guess not." I admitted. "But we won't know until he gets back to us." I said ultimately, taking a bite of gingerbread.
"When will that be?" Steven asked.
"No idea. He just said soon." I answered.
He sighed. "But hey, on the bright side, we're on the path to getting you back home Florence." Steven smiled, keeping quiet about Fluttershy's identity.
She nodded simply, smiling back kindly, and took another bite of her pastry.
At that moment Brit walked in, shivering despite a scarf and thick coat. She spotted us and walked over quickly.
"Why is it so cold?" was the first thing she said, ignoring the tradition of hellos.
"It's England." Steven said simply.
"But it was warm last night." She said, exasperated, sitting down and undoing her coat. She noticed Steven's hangover attire. "Steven, take off your sunglasses, we're inside."
"Turn the sun off, then get back to me." He retorted.
Brit rolled her eyes and turned to me and Shy. "Hey guys. So, what's going down?"
I quickly explained to her about the assistant's email and what it meant for getting Fluttershy back to Equestria. I found myself not particularly chatty, but put it down to the fact I was just repeating everything I'd said so far.
"So you've just gotta wait?" Brit asked when I'd finished.
I nodded.
Brit looked surprised. "That sounds easy . Why the long face Jamester?"
My mood was that noticeable? I shrugged. "Mits got really hurt last night." I said, feeling even more down suddenly.
"Who's Mits?" Brit asked, concerned. "Are they alright?"
"Mits is Jamie's demon cat." Steven said.
"She's at a veterinary hospital." Fluttershy added.
"Oh god, I'm sorry Jamie, I didn't know." Brit gushed apologetically, looking embarrassed.
I waved it off. "Nah, you didn't know. She should be alright, with any luck."
"Well that's good to hear, right?" Brit said, nudging my arm. I didn't catch her mood.
She turned to Steven and started speaking again, but I failed to listen properly. Fluttershy nudged my side, trying to get my attention. I turned my head to her and she leant forward to whisper something.
"Is there a bathroom here?" she said in a barely audible whisper. I smiled, breaking out of my slump mood for a second and nodded.
"Just around the corner there." I whispered back. Fluttershy smiled gratefully and left to find it.
"Where're you off to Flut- Florence?" Brit asked, saving herself at the last second, as Fluttershy's chair grated backwards and she stood up.
"O-oh, I-I-I was just going to the b-bathroom." She replied quietly, embarrassed.
Brit and Steven shared a quick glance and Brit stood up and joined Fluttershy. "I'll come with you. I could use the loo." She said, walking with Fluttershy towards the lady's room.
Steven knocked on the table to get my attention. I looked back to him.
"Hey, Jamie, what's eating ya?" He asked, concerned. The fact Steven sounded serious was a cause for concern in itself. I knew I was feeling down about Mits and all, but…
I shrugged off both my thoughts and Steven's comment.
"Come on man. I have a hangover and even I can tell you're depressed about something."
I sighed, realising he wouldn't let up until he got a straight answer.
"Guess I'm just worried about Mits and all." I said, mimicking my thoughts.
"And..?" Steven pushed.
I shrugged for what seemed like the millionth time. "And I don't know. I'm not feeling too good either." I added, sniffling for emphasis.
"Nothing else?"
"Nope." I muttered, looking down at my legless gingerbread man.
"Sure? You can tell me anything, you know." He said, leaning forward and propping his head up with both arms.
I sighed, and thought back to my troubled mind the last day or so, made that much worse since the thing in the forest. I had a bad feeling that I already knew what that meant, but I still wasn't sure exactly. Should I tell Steven? Could he help?
"Well, the thing is, my heads been messed up since Jas left." I started to explain, deciding that it was worth a shot. "I've been feeling weird inside. I can't really place what it is either…" I muttered.
"Horny?" Steven asked.
"Steven!" I gasped. "It's not… guuuuh." I threw my hands in the air, exasperated. Yeah, so much for that.
"Alright, alright, joking aside, what is it that's got you down?"
I sighed. "I don't know." I muttered, reluctantly continuing. "It's like… like I'm missing something, maybe."
"Jas just left you," Steven said whimsically after a second. "And you were both pretty close. You even said it was like love, right?" I nodded. "If it was it would explain the emptiness. Maybe it's just loneliness?" Steven offered.
"Maybe. Are you normally this thoughtful with a hangover?"
"I always am." Steven said, modest as always. "So it's just feeling lonely that's got you discombobulated?"
"No, that's not the only thing that's been messing me up. There's other stuff too."
"Like what?"
"If I knew I wouldn't be confused Steven, trust me." I slumped forward on the table, laying head on arms. I was getting fed up of thinking. And it was cold. And I was ill. What did the world have against me?
A few minutes later Fluttershy and Brit returned together, re-joining me and Steven.
"Are you okay Jamie?" Fluttershy asked quietly, sitting down next to me.
"Mm-hm." I muttered, looking up. Brit was whispering to Steven about something. "Just a little tired."
"Do you want to go back and rest?" Fluttershy asked.
I smiled at the small sign of affection. "Maybe in a minute."
"What's the matter Jamie?" Brit asked.
"Tired." I replied.
"You should probably go home then, get some rest." Steven suggested.
"You sure?" I asked, a little surprised at the idea after Steven had made me come out to meet him with a hangover.
"Oh yeah, go on. It might be good for ya." Steven grinned.
"Are you okay with that Shy?" She nodded, wearing her trademark soft smile. "If you're sure then, I guess." I finished, shrugging for the millionth and first time.
"You gonna finish that?" Brit asked nonchalantly as I stood up, pointing at my snack. I pushed the plate over to her.
"Knock yourself out. I'm not too hungry, I already ate." I explained, pulling my coat on. Fluttershy was doing the same with one I'd given her.
"See you later. But remember, talk to me any time." Steven said.
"Bye Jamie, bye Florence." Brit goodbye'd, overly loud. I heard Steven mutter something along the lines of 'Damn you' as we left.
I put my hands in my pockets as we walked through the door into the crisp air, made worse by a sharp wind.
"Are you feeling a bit better Jamie?" Fluttershy asked.
"A little bit." I admitted. "Thanks for asking." I thought back to my talk with Steven. "You were in the bathroom a while with Brit. Did you talk about anything?" I asked.
I watched as Fluttershy blushed and looked away. "U-u-um, n-not really."
I was curious for her embarrassment, but didn't push it. "I won't ask if it makes you uncomfortable."
"T-thank you." She muttered, still looking away.
I decided to battle the puzzle of my mind with a nice brain dead yet productive activity: a much needed spring clean of my flat. And hey, it was spring and all, so why not?
As I sorted through the hamper of clothes in my bedroom I thought back to my conversation with Steven in Gregg's. His immaturity aside, it had at least been a little helpful in helping me pinpoint one of the emotions that had thrown me into such a foul mood. Some of it, I now knew, was just simple loneliness after Jas broke up with me – which still caused me misery whenever I thought about it. It wasn't just normal loneliness, I knew, because Fluttershy was here with me. It was losing someone close to me.
Speaking of which, I couldn't be feeling as bad as Fluttershy was in that aspect. She'd even said how homesick she was feeling after just a few days, and my heart swelled at the thought of her feeling so lost.
And that brought me onto the next feeling, I realized with shock. The one I had thought was just compassion to help Shy get home was… something more. I didn't want to admit it, but it made sense. The little things, like just that morning when I was lying in bed next to her, and accidentally telling her she was beautiful when we were taking the pictures. I had meant it, but not meant to say it.
But that wasn't conclusive, was it? I'd help anyone in her position, I'm compassionate like that, and I like to think others would do the same. And that morning, I was barely conscious, so-
Fluttershy appeared in the doorway, interrupting my thoughts at the perfect time to make me feel embarrassed.
"Hello Jamie. Um, I was just wondering if you wanted any help." She said politely. "Oh, are you okay? You look flushed. Are you feeling ill?" She asked, stepping into the room, concerned.
Superb, I was blushing. I stood up to meet her, the washing pretty much sorted. "No, I'm fine." I assured her quickly.
She stepped up to me, placing a hand on my forehead. "Are you sure? You're burning up."
I shivered at her touch, and gently brushed her hand away and smiled "I'm sure." I was blushing harder at her concern for me. I changed the subject fast.
"So, uh, do you want to help me then?"
Fluttershy blushed herself and smiled apologetically. "Oh, sorry. U-um, yes. D-do you need any?"
I nodded, smiling. "It would be helpful. I think I'm done sorting the clothes," I glanced back at the two piles of folded laundry. "…so, if you wanted, you could help me wash the dishes."
She nodded, so I grabbed the clothes and led her out to the kitchen. I tossed one pile into the washing machine and set the other pile down on the table, then turned to Fluttershy.
"So, I'll wash them and you dry them?" I asked.
She nodded. "Okay."
So Fluttershy and I set about washing the dishes. After adorning some rubber gloves I scrubbed and soaked each one then passed them onto Fluttershy who dried them. It was awkward just standing next to each other silently, especially with… whatever it was, so I scrambled for something to talk about.
"So, Fluttershy," Alright, good start, now add something. "Have, have you ever had a special someone?"
"A sp-special somepony?" Fluttershy stammered.
"Yeah."
"O-o-oh…" Her cheeks flushed again as I handed her a plate. "N-not really."
"Not ever?" I asked.
"…w-well, I've had crushes before, b-but I've never really had a truly special special somepony."
I didn't say anything in response. Just contemplated what she'd said.
"Why do you ask?" Fluttershy replied a second later.
"Just wondering." I said back. "Don't you want to find your special somepony?" I continued, mimicking the other worldly phrase.
"One day. Rarity talks about meeting her special somepony a lot, though, mainly at our spa trips, and she once gave me some romantic books to read." She sighed when she finished speaking.
"You miss her?" I guessed.
She nodded silently.
I pulled off a glove and rubbed her arm in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. "Don't worry Shy. I'm here for you." It seemed like the right thing to say.
"Thank you Jamie." She stood still for a second, then turned around suddenly and hugged me, her head against my shoulder.
My eyes went wide. I wasn't expecting the affectionate action, and it caught me by surprise, so much so that I dropped the plate I was still holding. It hit the side of the counter with a clunk and bounced off onto the floor, smashing almost perfectly in half.
Fluttershy gasped in shock, letting go and jumping back, a hand over her mouth. "O-o-oh my, I'm so sorry, I d-didn't mean-"
I waved her off, shushing her. "Not your fault, don't worry. I'm the clumsy one." I tore off the other glove and knelt down to pick up the major pieces, partly just to hide my now red cheeks. All this blushing was ridiculous now.
"I-is there anything I can do?" Fluttershy asked meekly.
"N-no, it's fine. Just stay there, there's pieces everywhere and I don't want you to cut your feet." I put down the two major pieces and grabbed a dustpan and brush from the cupboard, sweeping up the little shards.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you drop the plate." Fluttershy stammered, standing dead still.
"I know, I know, it's okay. You just, surprised me is all." I explained, finding the last little pieces.
"S-sorry." She said again. "I don't know what came over me." Fluttershy whispered, apparently only now fully realising what she had done.
"I don't mind, honestly," I assured her, tipping the pieces of china into an already pretty-much full bin. "I'm just gonna, take the rubbish out." I gestured at the bin.
Fluttershy nodded. "You're not… angry, are you Jamie?" She asked timidly.
As I did up the bin bag I shook my head quickly, desperate to get rid of that idea. "No, of course not. It was my fault anyway."
I pulled the bag out of the bin and head towards the front door. "Be back in a second." I said quickly, needing a second to think.
I headed down the stairs to the back door, mind reeling at Fluttershy's hug. That really wasn't helping to settle my mind.
Or perhaps it had, I realised with a shock as I stepped out into the brisk, windy air. But it really wasn't a result I was content with. Part of me had been trying to avoid it, and another part of me had known it all along. Or at least guessed.
I put the bag in the green wheelie bin and crashed the lid down while I thought about what that revelation meant. I remembered what Steven had said, and pulled my phone, now charged and dry, out of my trouser pocket and dialled his number.
I leant back against the wall while it rang. Steven picked up a couple of moments later.
"Jamie?" He answered.
"Steven, you know how I said I could talk to you about anything?"
"I remember mentioning it. Why?"
"I have a bit of a problem."
"What is it Jamie?" Steven asked.
"...I think I have a crush on Fluttershy."
"I bloody KNEW it!" Steven said, as loudly as possible with a hangover.
"Steven! Be serious!" I scolded.
"Fine. You have a crush on Fluttershy, so what? That's a good thing."
"Hey, I never said I did. I just said it was a… highly likely… possibility." I trailed.
"So yes?"
"That's not the point Steven."
"Then what is?"
"It's a problem, that's what."
"But how ?" Steven asked incredulously. "Your girlfriend just dumped you," tactful as ever Steven, thank you. "And now you've already got a crush on someone else, and she's pretty. Plus you two are perfect for each other."
"Maybe so but that doesn't mean it's a go- Steven!"
He laughed. "You admitted it."
"Shut up Steven, I said nothing. Even if we were perfect for each other, there's still a problem."
"What?"
"She's from another world. Dimension. Thing. What about when she goes back?"
"Alright, no need to be so dramatic. But I can see how that might be problematic."
"Yeah, only slightly." I muttered sarcastically.
"But you two are cute together, more than you and Jas. And besides, what if she likes you back?" Steven asked.
It took a moment for what Steven had said to sink in. I hadn't considered the idea that Fluttershy might like me before, but brushed it away. Impossible. She'd said herself that she had never even had a special somepony. It got me thinking back to the forest, though.
"Jamie, you still there?" Steven asked.
"Yeah, yeah, just thinking. What should I do?"
"Well what do you normally do with a girl you have a crush on?"
"I dunno, ask her out on a date." I said dumbly. I realised what he meant. "Steven, I can't do that."
"Why not? Hold on… crap I gotta go."
"Yeah, I need to get back too. I only came out to take the rubbish out. Shy will be wondering where I am."
"Hehe. Shy. You do like her."
"Goodbye , Steven." I hung up the phone before he could reply, and made sure to say my goodbye loudly. As good a friend as Steven was, he liked to wind people up. Mainly me.
I sighed and walked back indoors and pondered Steven's suggestion as I climbed the stairs. Why not ?
Because what if she said no? I could already imagine it, her face going red, wondering how to refuse without being mean. Or worse, what if she said yes just to not hurt my feelings, and didn't actually want to…
I slapped myself. I was overthinking this. Alright, I thought to myself, I have a crush on Fluttershy. I'll admit that much. But it's probably a passing feeling, from missing Jas. It's a rebound thing . And here I was thinking that I'd be enlightened when I realised what was getting me so confused. I felt like a character in a clichéd romance novel. And not a very good one, either.
I opened the door and stepped back into the flat. I peered into the kitchen as I closed the door behind me and saw Fluttershy at the sink, just finishing washing the dishes. She turned around when she saw me in the door.
"Are you okay Jamie? You were gone a while. Are you sure you're not angry at me?" she asked timidly.
I shook my head, eyeing the plates sitting on the drying rack. "Definitely not. You really washed up all of these that quickly?" I asked, surprised, gesturing to the sink. It had been a sizeable pile. "They look so clean."
Fluttershy smiled proudly. "Thank you."
"No problem." I muttered, still looking at the dishes. When I finally looked round, Fluttershy was standing almost next to me, enough for me to accidentally lock eyes with her, just for a millisecond. I looked away quickly, not wanting to get caught up. I scolded myself inwardly for doing it at all. "I could, uh, use a bit more help with the cleaning if you're still up for it." I said, admiring a particularly interesting section of wall.
"Of course. I'd like to help." Fluttershy replied, giving some sort of reaction that was unclear in my peripheral vision.
"Thank you." I said gratefully, turning back to her and smiling quickly. "Let's get to it then."
I put Mits' basket back down, cleaned and fluffed, as my final act of housekeeping for the day. I felt guilty as I realised I had hardly given her any thought since earlier, but she was in good hands.
The last hour and a bit had been spent tidying up the flat, which was a fairly quick effort thanks to Flutershy's help. We occasionally made small talk, but a lot of the time was spent in silence, me thinking over my current feelings for the girl staying with me, and her just thinking, as far as I knew.
I stood up and walked into the living room where Fluttershy had been avidly dusting. The room looked immaculate, and I could have sworn I saw it sparkle once or twice. I nodded, impressed.
"Wow, this is looking as clean as… well, as I've ever seen it." I said, running a finger along the coffee table. Fluttershy watched, smiling at the comment and cringing as I inspected, as though I would turn up a rogue flake at any second.
"Thanks Jamie. I'm used to doing a lot of dusting, what with living in a tree house and all, but usually I'd have my little animal friends to help." She looked whimsical for a moment, thinking about her woodland creatures for a moment; and, subsequently, her home again, no doubt. When the apparent thought had passed, she turned to me and quietly asked a question I can fully admit I hadn't expected her to ask.
"J-Jamie, do you think, if it's not too much trouble, I mean, that we could… go for a walk?"
My puzzled reaction must have been clear, if the way she looked down at her feet was any way to gauge it.
"Uh, sure, if you want to. Where do you want to go?" The incident in the woods when we last visited was still fresh in my mind. I really didn't need something like that to happen again. Even if-
"If it's okay, I wanted to walk around… Lincoln?" She pondered over the name.
"Yeah, it's Lincoln." I assured her, but that made me more confused. Lincoln wasn't exactly a massive city like London, or Birmingham, but it was still a sizeable and populated place. The most she had really seen of it was the occasional trips to Greggs to meet Steven and or Brit. And that was barely reaching into the city centre.
"Well, if you want to, I don't see why not. But, if you don't mind me asking, why?"
She shrugged and twiddled her fingers slowly. "I wanted to see it a little more, if I might be going back to Equestria soon." She looked up at me hopefully. Whether that hope was for the simple walk, or getting back home to another dimension, I wasn't sure.
Regardless, I nodded and smiled softly. "I don't see why not." I agreed.
After a mug of coffee for me and a cup of tea for her as a kind-of-reward for organising my small flat, we started the walk. Though that was a loose description, given that it was mainly just me leading Shy through the streets of Lincoln. I didn't really mind, though.
It was coming up to half seven, so it really wasn't all that bright, especially with the constant ominous cloud cover, but it meant there were less people driving around on the roads, and the wind had calmed down to a breeze, at least.
For her part, Fluttershy was just looking around curiously. She still jumped occasionally when something drove past, particularly if it was something bigger like a van or in one case a full on lorry, sending up a passing wind that scared the life out of her. From that point I made sure to keep myself between her and the road.
It didn't take too long for us to reach and slowly pass through the shopping area of Lincoln that we'd already been to that day to meet Steven and Brit, and from there we continued into the town centre proper. With more people around, Fluttershy was sticking closer to me and occasionally brushing against my arm. She was obviously, well, not exactly frightened , but wary at least. I was impressed she was still persevering.
After a few more minutes of walking, I led her down Brayford Way. It was a main road through Lincoln, but it had a spectacular view. The three lanes of traffic to our left as we approached the bridge was making Fluttershy flinch every time a car went past, so I pulled my gloved hand out of my pocket and linked my arm through hers, ignoring what my mind said as I did so. She seemed to relax somewhat and smiled gratefully.
Eventually we reached the crest of the bridge and I stopped, turning us towards the stone wall and looking over the water. Below us was a car park and facilities for something called Emmtec, bordered by the river and moored private boats. Behind us was an eight or nine storey apartment building, and down the road to our left, clearly visible on its hill over the town was Lincoln Cathedral.
Fluttershy let go of my arm and laid her hands on the rail, looking around in a soft mix of awe bewilderment at the several tall buildings made of brick, glass and steel. Standing next to her, I got caught up in the feeling, and looked around with her. I had to admit, the modern buildings around us did contrast a little with the huge stone cathedral atop the hill, and brick semi-detached houses leading down from it.
"It's all so… future-y…" Fluttershy muttered next to me. I chuckled when she said that, and she looked at me oddly.
"Yeah, but to us this is just modern." I explained. After a few seconds of thought I continued. "You know, Earth used to be like Equestria too, you know, before technology developed. We used to have buildings just made of wood, with straw roofs. No cars, or Internet, or electricity. It was a few hundred years ago, but you know…" I trailed off.
Fluttershy furrowed her brow then looked back over the water, thinking. "Maybe, then, one day, Equestria will be like… this…" She muttered.
I raised an eyebrow, surprised at the philosophical idea. "I didn't know you were such a deep thinker Shy."
She giggled quietly, barely able to hear over the noise of traffic behind us. "Thank you. I like to think a lot." She twirled her fingers again, though I noticed her hands were shaking.
"Cold?" I asked. She nodded.
"My, hands, are a little."
"Do you have any gloves?" I asked, gesturing at her coat pockets. She reached in and felt, but shook her head. I took my own gloves off and handed them to her. "Here, take mine." I offered.
She smiled appreciatively and I helped her put them on, taking her hands and rubbing them quickly to warm them up, then helped her pull the gloves over her fingers. She squeezed her hands, feeling the gloves over her digits. She looked up and showed the same smile from a second earlier.
"Thank you Jamie. They're very warm. But, won't your hands be cold now?"
I shook my head. "I'm used to the cold. I live in England." I chuckled at the joke, but Fluttershy just looked perplexed. "Right, different world and everything. Remind me to explain that to you later."
She nodded slowly, still a little confused, and went back to thinking and looked over the low skyline of Lincoln. I stood next to her, arms crossed and leaning against the stone wall and rail. My hands clenched as I thought about rubbing Fluttershy's hands. I tried to settle my mind on less confusing and difficult subjects, like the development of the human race. Yes. Much easier.
I wasn't sure how much time we ended up spending there, silently thinking and admiring the view. It must have been late, because the street light next to us turned on suddenly, creating a pool of light and making Fluttershy jump and knock into me. She looked up at the metal light source oddly.
"It comes on automatically when it gets dark enough." I explained, straightening myself.
She nodded and turned to me. "S-sorry. It startled me." She explained.
I nodded. In truth, it was kinda cu- shut up. "I guess we should head back now. It's gonna get cold soon. Well, even colder." I smiled again and rubbed my hands together.
Fluttershy nodded and blinked slowly, looking sleepy. "Thank you for bringing me out here Jamie. It was wonderful." She smiled, and her gratitude was enough to warm my heart.
"It was no problem, honestly." I stepped forward and linked my arm through hers again, and she held her arm comfortably in place through mine. Much of the way back was spent by Fluttershy quietly asking questions about the town, and the more modern world we lived in, most of which I was happy to answer. A few took a bit more explaining, but all in all I was surprised she was being so talkative suddenly.
"You're being unusually inquisitive today Shy." I smiled after answering maybe her third or fourth question about the Earth's geography.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to-" She stammered out an apology, and I cut her off.
"It's fine, it's fine." I chuckled. "You don't have to apologise all the time."
"Oh, sorry." She apologised again, and I chuckled. When she realised what was funny, she giggled too. Walking along like this with her, my mind felt… settled. I asked her a few questions about Equestria back, and by the time we reached my flat she was deep into relating a story about one of the finer points of Ponyville. I didn't even realise I had been holding her hand until I let go of it to unlock and open the door.
I'd left the window open to air the room out of any dust after the spring clean, so my first action was to quickly close it and turn the heating on, all the while still listening to Fluttershy's story. She walked in and pushed the door shut behind her, and I smiled as she whimsically finished her story and made her way over to the sofa, shivering as she sat down.
"Sorry it's cold." I said quickly, turning the heating up. I picked up a spare blanket from the chair and tossed it to the empty space on the sofa next to her. She pulled it over her gratefully and yawned.
"Tired?" I asked.
She simply nodded softly in response. "A little bit. I usually feel tired after a walk." She explained.
I looked at the clock and saw it was just after nine now. "Are you hungry? I could get you something to eat before you go to bed." I offered.
She shook her head, pulling the blanket up to her neck. "No thank you. I'm not feeling hungry."
Watching her settle and get comfortable in such an adorable way…
Ahem. I sniffled and stood up. "I think I'll get an apple then hit the hay, then." I mumbled, standing up and heading to the kitchen. I heard Fluttershy's blanket rustling while I grabbed and bit into an apple, defying my thoughts, and the bathroom door closed quietly a few seconds later. I crunched through my apple quickly, sighing as my mind refused to leave the topic of Fluttershy.
Tossing the core of the somewhat fulfilling fruit into the bin, I turned the heating down slightly now that the flat had reached a bearable temperature, and just walked into my bedroom. I heard the bathroom door open again as I was changing into sleepwear, and thought about closing the bedroom door, but I figured it would be fine. I pulled my shirt on and turned around, heading for the bathroom. As I passed by, Shy's bedroom door shut with a soft bang. Peculiar.
The simple affair of brushing my teeth later, I looked into the kitchen, instinctively checking on Mits, and my heart fell when I remembered. As I switched of the light and sat on the side of my bed, rubbing my tired legs, I found myself not thinking about Fluttershy for what seemed like the first time, and again hoping Mits would be okay.
Before I got the chance to start feeling down once more, the door slowly opened and Fluttershy appeared once more, in the same loosely fitting pyjamas she'd worn last night.
"Is there something you need Shy?" I asked.
"Well, I-I was lying in my bed, and it's very comfortable, but…" She looked down, embarrassed about what she was saying. "I-it's lonely." She whispered. "U-usually I h-have Angel Bunny with me, or at least in my bedroom. A-a-and, he's not there, and it feels… feels…" She sniffled.
I realised what she was getting at, and waved her over and spoke in the softest, most reassuring voice I could muster. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I understand."
My mind was telling me what would happen if I let her. My crush on her would just get worse.
"I don't mind…"
Don't do it.
"...if…"
Noooooooo.
"…you want to sleep with me for tonight."
She looked up hopefully, eyes moist. "You don't mind?"
My heart imploding, I shook my head and pulled back the blanket for her. "No."
She smiled the softest smile I'd ever seen, and gently climbed into the bed. I walked around the other side and shyly got in next to her. After some shuffling around to get comfortable, I ended up on my side facing Fluttershy, and she was doing the same. She smiled sleepily at me, and I smiled and blushed back. In a few moments, her eyes closed and a minute later she was asleep.
Okay, Jamie. She's just a friend, who's lonely, and you're being kind. It's nothing to fall in love about. And you probably could've tried to make that sound less suspicious.
Fluttershy murmured in her sleep and reached out for my hand, holding it and pulling it closer to her, like some kind of stuffed toy.
…dammit.
I sighed, resigning myself to this adorable fate. Doing so, I let myself think the single lock of pink hair falling across her face while she slept was cute, too.
The next day was spent relaxing in the warmth and comfort of my flat while I suffered from my cold after waking up in another awkward situation, with Fluttershy holding my arm until she woke up. From that point on though, the day was mostly uneventful, bar two things.
The first was a phone call from the veterinary hospital, confirming that Mits was illness free and as feisty as ever apparently. The news was enough to make my day, and I'm sure Fluttershy felt similar. Mits would stay in the vet's kennel for a day or two to heal some more and make sure she was okay. Though he mentioned he 'couldn't wait for me to be reunited with my loveable ball of fur', which was sweet of him.
The second event of the day came when I was casually painting on my easel, and Fluttershy noticed a blip on my laptop screen while she was reading.
"Jamie? There's a little number one next to the inbox thingy." She explained as best she could, pointing at the screen timidly.
I put the brush down and walked over curiously, sitting down next to her and turning the laptop to face me to have a look.
"It's from the professor…'s assistant." I muttered, opening it quickly.
'To Jamie Goodwin
Hello again my friend, it is Zhi Han Huang, Professor Shang Kai Hong's assistant. We received the photographs you sent us in good quality, and we have compared them to sources of information at our disposal. Both he and I, as well as our information sources, have deemed them to be accurate, and that you are telling the truth. This does indeed mean the Professor MAY be able to help. However, for him to do so, this Fluttershy will have to be physically present for some testing. Unfortunately, the more time that goes by, the less likely it may be possible for her to make a 'return trip', so to speak, so we require her to be here as soon as is possible. Thus I have, under the professor's instruction, prepared for you travel and accommodation to the University here, details of which you will find in a document attached to this email, with tickets for both her, and yourself to accompany her to the University.
I will not bore you with science you may not understand, Mr Goodwin, but I must make it clear the tests and procedures we are to run are crucial, and cannot be done without this Fluttershy present, here. And, as I mentioned, time is of the essence.
Thank you for your help and co-operation Jamie
Zhi Han Huang, 韓梔黃 University of Research, Lanzhou, China
I took a few moments to take in exactly what that meant. Fluttershy leant back a second later, perplexed and somewhat frightened. "What does he mean?" She asked.
I rubbed my face and turned to her. "I think it means, we have to go to China."
I paced around the room, thinking over every implication of the short message.
China.
CHINA.
I couldn't go to China. Not now. After weeks and weeks of effort and hunting, I finally had a job, and a decent one too. And even then, what about Mits? She would only get out of the vet hospital tomorrow, and I couldn't bear to leave her here with a pet sitter while I was gone for who knows how long. That and there wasn't a sitter within a hundred miles that would watch her.
I stopped my pacing by the window and turned to look back at Fluttershy, sitting on the sofa and re-re-rereading the message, trying to make sense of it. She looked apprehensive and worried, but I guess she had a right to be. The assistant had said they would have to run tests on her. That was terrifying in itself, but then also mentioning that time might be running out to get her back?
I sighed. That was another point. I didn't know this professor, or his assistant. I'd never heard of them before Steven had shown me that theoretic paper, or this place they apparently worked at. I didn't know if they were who they said they were, or if they could find a way to get Fluttershy home. Hell, I didn't know if I could trust them.
But…. it was the only viable way I'd found so far that had a chance of getting Fluttershy home to her friends, her animals, her LIFE.
I sighed again, and tugged my hair in frustration. A sniffle bought my attention back to the sofa. It was Fluttershy, looking at her hands, clenching them into fists over and over.
I walked over and knelt in front of her. "Shy? Are you alright?"
She looked up. She was teary eyed, but not properly crying. "H-he said we don't have m-m-much time. W-w-w-what if I can't get home?" She whispered.
That settled it. I took her hand and held it reassuringly, fighting the urge to pull her into a hug. I spoke quietly. "Hey, hey, don't say that. There's still time. We can do it, I'm sure."
Resisting hugging her became a pointless endeavour as soon as she decided to hug me, though. I mentally sighed and returned it, rubbing her back gently to calm her. Having a crush on the girl I was trying to help didn't help in the least, either.
After a few moments I pulled my arms back, and Fluttershy did the same, leaning back and blushing softly.
"Hey, Shy, why don't you go get something to drink while I look at this plan thing?" I asked softly. She nodded eagerly, getting to her feet and walking quickly into the kitchen. I watched her go, then sat up on the sofa and turned my attention to the laptop again. I double clicked the little attached file, and it popped up after a few seconds of loading.
Listed on the document were several things, all written in very formal English: The first of which was a small introduction, highlighting what was on the document, then after that was the plan to get to China.
For as much as I could be wary of them, these people were good thinkers. A train ride from Lincoln straight to London, from there a tube train to Heathrow airport. After a straight trip to Beijing, we'd catch a connecting flight to 'Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport', where there would be transport waiting for us. There were backups for each one accounting for lateness or missed flights and trains, and below all this was a timetable. Apparently our trip would begin Friday. The day after tomorrow.
Finally, at the bottom, was a short message detailing a package for us in the main post office in Lincoln. That peaked my interest more than anything else, and I decided to get it straight away, especially given how little time we had.
Still, if I was going to go, there was the issue with my new job, and Mits. I could ask Mr Thompson for a bit of leave before I began proper. He'd probably be a bit peeved, but he seemed like a nice guy, so I hoped he'd allow me to. And I supposed Mits could stay in a kennel for the duration of my trip, as much as it hurt not to see her. It was probably for the best, I told myself. Make sure she was completely recovered and all.
Fluttershy came back out holding what looked like a cup of tea and sat on the sofa while I mulled this over. I stood up, settling on the plan in my head.
"Fluttershy, I'm just going to the post office to grab something the professor sent us. I shouldn't be too long. Will you be okay here?" I asked. The short trip would only take about ten minutes, granting the post office wasn't too busy.
She nodded slowly, taking a small sip of tea. "Um, okay."
I smiled at her, grabbing my jacket and messenger bag by the door. "Thanks. I'll be back in a second." I assured her, pulling my jacket on and leaving, shutting the door quickly behind me.
I hurried up the stairs of my flat, the parcel in my bag banging against my side. It was light, mostly flat, and had a Do Not Bend sticker which all only made me more curious about the contents.
I opened the door of my flat and stepped in quickly, happily sniffling in the warm air. Fluttershy peeked out of the kitchen at my arrival, and I noticed the familiar smell of cooking. She smiled sheepishly.
"Oh, hello Jamie. I was just making some soup for lunch." She held up a wooden spoon, and I laughed.
"That's fine, Shy, that's fine. Smells delicious." I complimented, hanging up my jacket.
I jumped back in shock as Fluttershy disappeared and Steven took her place. "Hey Jamie!"
"Steven?!" I sighed. "Was there any need to scare me like that? And how the heck did you get in?" I asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Fluttershy let me in." he waved his hand at her as she stirred the soup. She looked apologetic and mouthed 'sorry' at me. I waved her off and smiled, showing I didn't mind, and turned back to Steven, now sitting at the table.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, taking the place across from him.
He grinned and wagged a finger in my direction. "You're not the only one who got an email from the professor."
"Er's assistant." I added.
He waved it off. "Whatever. Point is, I came over to see how things are going." He winked, as though this was supposed to have more than one meaning. Realising what he meant, I kicked him under the table, frowning. He laughed, and Fluttershy looked confused as she walked over with three steaming bowls of soup. She set them down and took a seat next to me.
"Anyway, I got another email from the assistant. He thanked me for 'making them aware of an inter-dimensional traveller', or something like that, and said they would take it from there. Clearly they have."
"Won't you be coming with us?" Fluttershy asked, looking up with a surprised look on her face.
Steven shook his head. "Guess not. It'll be just you and Jamie, off to explore to the great East in search of a way to another dimension." He traced his hand through the air, taking a sip of soup. "How romantic." He smirked.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fluttershy blushing, and knew I would be too. I fought the urge to kick him again.
As Steven laughed quietly, Fluttershy looked up from her soup, remembering something, and no doubt trying to change the subject. "Did you get what the professor sent, Jamie?"
I nodded, glad for the topic change. "Oh, yeah. Take a look at this." I reached into my bag and pulled it out, setting it down in the middle of the table.
"So, what is it?" Fluttershy asked.
I shrugged. "Let's see."
I reached forward and carefully ripped open one end, and tipped it up. A small wad of various papers slid out. I sifted through it. Train tickets, first class plane tickets, a map of the London Underground, even spare cash for catching taxis. And underneath it all was a small passport. Opening it showed Fluttershy's face, or more specifically Florence Goodwin's. Every detail was filled out meticulously.
Something struck me. It was the photo I had taken, just a few days ago, photo shopped perfectly to white out the area around Fluttershy's head, and painting her normally pink hair a more normal brunette, the same as her wig.
"So that's why…" I muttered. Fluttershy picked the passport up and looked at it curiously, and Steven whistled as he looked at the tickets.
"They really forked out a lot of cash for this, huh?" He asked.
I nodded. "Indeed. This is a fake passport."
Steven nodded slowly. "I'm no expert, but a good one is probably worth thousands. According to movies." He shrugged. "They've really spared no expense to get you to China Fluttershy." He noted.
Again, I got that wary thought about whether we could trust these people. Still, I thought, they could hardly have any bad intentions of they were willing to spend this much to get her there.
Soon after, we finished off the delicious lunch served by Fluttershy, and Steven bid his farewells as we stood by the front door.
"Well Jamie, Fluttershy, I probably won't see you again before you go, so good luck with your trip to China. And, if whatever they do works, I won't be seeing you again Fluttershy." He turned and looked her up and down, then held out his hand for her. She took it and he shook gently. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Fluttershy." He nodded slowly, smiling.
She smiled back. "It was a pleasure to meet you, too, Steven. Thank you for your help."
"It was a pleasure. Have fun in China. It's a wonderful country." He grinned and held up his hand in goodbye, heading out the door.
Fluttershy turned to me as the door clicked shut, smiling. "He's so kind."
I chuckled. "To you, yeah. Anyway, he's right. We're leaving the day after tomorrow. We need to start packing."
The travel day turned up faster than I realised, but I'd packed, with help from Fluttershy, everything we might need for the trip the day before, as well as a couple of books she had picked out for the journey. I'd called the gallery, and Mr Thompson had been very understanding about the situation. Well, I'd told a little white lie and said it was important family issues, but I suppose as Shy would be travelling under the alias of one of my relatives that was technically true.
And I'd been sure to warn her about the trip. I'd explained it would take a long time, and that we'd be going through some crowded places. When we did leave, she was wary of getting in the taxi that I'd hired to take us to the station, but I was able to calm her down without too much trouble.
After that was the train. I knew she was used to travelling with steam engines, but I wasn't sure how she'd react to the comparatively high speed electric ones in our world. When we got to the station, though, she seemed excited to go on the train. Maybe it was the idea of doing something she had done in her world. Something similar, to relate to. She spent almost the entire ride gazing out the window at the scenery and blur of towns, which gave me time to think.
My thoughts, though, were for the most part stuck on what Steven had said yesterday, about Fluttershy. 'If whatever they do works, I won't be seeing you again'. That went for me, as well. Fluttershy would be going back to her world. Equestria. Where would that leave me? As much as I hated to admit it, she had been the centre of my life for the last week.
It had felt much longer than a week.
And there was the whole crush business, too. As much as I'd tried to avoid it. I felt that need to help her, more than the compassion I'd first taken it to be, and the warm feelings I felt when I saw her smile. That was a full blown crush, maybe more…
No. I wouldn't let myself think that. It would hurt enough as it was to never see a friend again; especially one I'd grown so close to…
It was just before noon by the time we got on the underground train, so it was thankfully mostly empty. Heathrow was another matter, though. It was an international airport, it would never calm down. Fluttershy stuck to my side like glue, and I didn't feel circulation in my arm until we reached customs and she had to have her passport checked. I was stressing out over the false passport the professor had given us. What if they saw through it? An illegal passport, they'd lock us up and throw away the key. And god knows how many questions it would raise. Fluttershy had no details, no birth certificate, no records. It would-
The man on the booth waved her through, and she joined my side again. I sighed in relief, and we took our bags from the conveyor belt.
After a snack from one of the cafés and a short wait in the lounge looking over the vast tarmac of the airport, we were sat side by side in the first class part of the plane, waiting for take-off. Fluttershy looked to be enjoying the features and comfortable seats, and I'd given her the window spot so she could enjoy the view. I thought she would enjoy the sights, being a pegasus and all.
"You okay Shy?" I asked, smiling at her as the pilot said the plane would be taking off shortly.
She turned to me and nodded, smiling in a tight-lipped kind of way. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You seem kinda nervous. You sure you're okay?"
She looked down and sighed, the smile fading. "I am a little nervous." She admitted. "It feels like my first day at flight school. It's all new, and kind of scary."
I rubbed her arm and smiled. "I'm glad you're taking it so well. Most people get pretty nervous their first time flying."
She smiled back and nodded, but as soon as the engines whirred louder and the plane started to roll forwards she 'eeped' in an adorable way and crushed my hand, pressing back into her seat.
I let it be until we had taken off, then reached across and tapped her arm. "Shy? We've taken off now."
She sighed slowly, and visibly relaxed, nodding. "Thank you Jamie."
"It's no problem. But uh, could I have my hand back now?" I asked.
She looked down at the arm rest and realised what she had been crushing. "Oh, sorry." She let go and I flexed my hand, wincing. She had a vicious grip.
"It's okay." I chuckled and held her hand loosely to assure her. After a second she turned her hand the other way up and held it back. I looked up into her eyes for a second, and I briefly heard her thank me once again. I shook myself from the gaze and looked away. Every damn time…
"It's no problem. Anything for y- for a friend." I looked back, smiling in a vain attempt to cover my odd behaviour. She nodded, the smile absent from her face. Good. Now I was freaking her out.
"Um, how long until we get there?" She asked, managing to throw me off my train of thought enough to make me laugh.
"We've only just taken off Shy. It's a ten hour flight. Just sit back and relax, it'll be fine. Let me know if you get hungry, I'll call a steward over."
"Oh, okay." She sat back in her seat and giggled. "These chairs are comfy."
I nodded, wiggling back into it, smiling. "That they are. First class is top." I agreed. "Especially for ten hours."
Twelve hours later and we were getting off the final plane. It was 11am when we left Heathrow, so by our body clocks it was almost midnight, but the time difference had it at 7am. Fluttershy had at least managed to sleep the last few hours of the first flight, and the entirety of the last one, but I was awake through the miracle of caffeine and determination to get to the university. Though as we trudged through the airport, I couldn't help but wonder whether that extra sleep Fluttershy had gotten was helping or just messing her up more.
Luckily though I caught glimpse of the standard greeting card meant for us: GOODWIN scrawled across it in block capitals, clearly calling to us. I nudged Fluttershy, who once again had her arm hooked through mine, and led her over to the sign. There was a man there, but instead of talking he simply handed over a letter, took our bags and started walking to the door, nodding with his head to get us to follow.
I was wary about it, but did so none-the-less. It occurred to me that now I had started on the path to the professor, there was no going back. I was in a strange country, I didn't know the language, I had no local money, and even then it probably wouldn't be enough to get home. That one line from Alice In Wonderland came to me. Something about tumbling down the rabbit hole. Yeah, that fit. I was too tired to be bothered to remember.
The car he led us to was a simple four dour, but looked pretty luxurious given some of the other vehicles around it. The man put our bags in the boot and I took the initiative to sit in the back with Fluttershy. She yawned as I helped her get the seatbelt done up, and after buckling in myself I gave the letter a once-over. It was addressed to me, if the JAMIE GOODWIN on the front was any indication. It was just folded paper, so luckily there was no need to try and tear it open in my tired state. Written in just-readable English was a message:
Hello Jamie. If you are reading this, then you have taken my advice and offer of help, and I thank you. This is the last leg of the journey, and when you get to the University I have had a meal and some rooms prepared for you and Fluttershy. I have no doubt you are feeling tired after the extreme change in time. The driver is a man I have known for many years, he is reliable, and does not speak a word of English, so you can both relax from your hidden identities for now. The drive will be just over an hour, so feel free to sleep on the way. I eagerly await your arrival. -Professor Shang Kai Hong
Ah, a message from the professor himself, at long last. Wait, I was supposed to be travelling under secret identity too? Damn. Oh well, too late now. I looked at the rear mirror over the dashboard. "We're going to Lanzhou?" I asked.
He looked up in the mirror and grinned, giving a thumb up. "Lanzhou!" He agreed.
I nodded and shrugged to myself, failing to see the point of me asking him. I turned to Fluttershy to let her know she could let her hair down – literally, in her case – but she was already asleep, slumped in her seat. It made me smile.
Hell, what about her didn't?
I didn't even realise I'd fallen asleep until the driver was looking back through the seats, shaking my shoulder.
"Jamie Goodwin! Jamie Goodwin! Lanzhou!"
When I was sufficiently awake, he pointed out the side window. The University, or at least what I presumed it to be, was looming next to us. A mix between the more traditional oriental design, and modern glass and steel, there was nothing to really show it off as a place of learning. In the other direction, though, the view was spectacular, looking down into a valley with a sprawling city, which I guessed to be Lanzhou. I never knew the University was up on a small mountain.
It took a minute to wake Fluttershy up while the driver took our bags in.
"Shy? Wake up, we're here."
She mumbled something in her sleep, sleepily opening her eyes. "We… we are?" She yawned.
I nodded, smiling drowsily. "That took forever, huh? Come on, I'm excited to finally see the professor now." I urged, trying to get her awake.
It worked, slightly, and she nodded, undoing the seatbelt with some help, and I led her through the main door of the University. It was pretty sparsely decorated, but went far enough to have a simple but peaceful fountain behind a secretary's desk. We walked up and she smiled, pointing down a hall to the right. "Ah yes, Goodwin. Just go down corridor, last door. He is expecting you."
I nodded slowly, and Fluttershy smiled at her as we walked past.
I'll be honest here. I was pretty worked up after all this, and I could tell Shy was as well. We had just spent about 18 hours travelling, if not more, gone to a different country, and all on the word of one mysterious professor with a crazy idea about alternate dimensions. And it wasn't even him who had said so. It was his assistant.
I stopped in front of the wooden double doors, turning to girl next to me.
"Well… this is it Shy. Ready?"
She nodded, beaming, but still clearly tired and a little nervous. "Yes. Thank you Jamie. For everything you've helped me with. I appreciate it."
I smiled back, and took a step toward the doors. I laid my hand on the centre, then thought better of it and pulled it back, then knocked.
"Come in, please." A quiet voice came from inside.
I took a breath, and pushed gently against the wood. Both doors swung inwardly slowly, revealing a large, round room, two stories tall. Bookshelves lined the walls, a balcony ran around the edge of the second level, and a large table sat in the centre of the room. Two things caught my eye: First, was a surprisingly young man standing off to the side, writing an equation on a white board. He must have been the assistant. He was too young to be the actual professor. There was another, older man, with large glasses and a wispy white beard, sitting on a large chair off to the side, taking notes and looking up into the air. The professor, then.
The other thing: Another person, their back to us, looking in the same direction as the professor, as maybe two dozen books spun around the room slowly, surrounded by a purple tingling haze. The person had dark hair, with a pink and a purple stripe I recognised. The purple one was glowing with the same purple surrounding the books. When that person turned around, it turned out to be a girl, with dark purple eyes. Eyes that twinkled when they noticed us. The girl beamed. Then she spoke with a voice I also recognised.
"Fluttershy! You're here!"
This isn't a story chapter (as such), just a little area for notes about the story, credits, the promised (and very late) teaser, and links to the other stories, which will appear as the stories do :D
Credits (as such)
-First off, I need to thank the guys and gals who've been with this story since it first came out , and wanted it to continue. If not for you guys, this story wouldn't be where it is now. What a scary thought D:
-Secondly, there's Jikilola913 , my editor
-Then of course there's Kreoss from deviantART
-I also wanna thank 2 specific users, super monkey Bloodpool somewhat delivered Bloodpool xD
-And of course, we can't forget the whole cliched shpiel about you guys the readers being helpful too xD But seriously, thanks again to everyone that even bothered to look at the first line of the first chapter, all the way up to you guys who've read the entire story and love it. You're all awesome. Seriously. :D
-And a little addition, thanks to link_line999 for his help with the little translation to Portuguese in the Teaser, and for his offer of help with In Our World: Generosity when I get round to writing it
With those out of the way, here are the Teasers you all wanted to see:
Laughter
I grumbled and spammed the B button on my 3DS, annoyed that Pinkie had been so insistent I meet her at the park’s kitchens on my one day off, even making me ‘Pinkie Promise’. Especially when I had better things to do, like Pokémon catching. And maybe Mario Kart if I could find the cartridge somewhere in my room.
There was a sudden, thundering knock at the door. What now?
“NATHAN!”
It was Pinkie. Something was wrong. She sounded… angry?
“NATHAN! You PINKIE PROMISED!!!”
No, she sounded really pissed off. The knocking started again, but now it was like she was using her whole body, and was trying to knock the door down.
I had never feared for my life before then. I jumped to my feet and looked around for an exit, other than the door. Seeing only the window, I took a second to weigh up my options, but as the door visibly bulged, the window looked just about perfect.
I threw it open and climbed out, falling face first into the hedge. I rolled out and looked back at the window. There was a crash from inside. My guess: the door had exploded.
“NATHAN!? WHERE ARE YOU?”
My fight or flight sense said get the hell out of there, and it didn't have to tell me twice. I scrambled to my feet again, stumbling forward as I got myself out of the hedge. Pinkie must have heard me, because I could hear her at the window behind me.
“YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE NATHAN!”
Aw crap I thought to myself as I vaulted the turnstiles and ran into the park. No doubt Pinkie was going to be following any second.
As I ran around the corner of the lifeless Skull Rattler, a pink blur shot at me from the side. I swerved and Pinkie just missed me. How in the hell had she gotten there before me?! Regardless, I kept running. She was sprinting after me now.
“NATHAN! GET BACK HERE!”
Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god. Where do I go now?
The Ferris Wheel! She’d never get me up there. I leapt the metal barrier, hit the startup button on the console and leapt in the first car just as it left the platform. Pinkie was nowhere to be seen.
Follow me now, Pinkie.
I shuffled over to the edge of the car as it slowly circled higher into the air, looking around the park for that blur of pink, the color of doom.
Nowhere.
There was a tap on my shoulder.
“Hello Nathan.”
Oh sh-
Loyalty
“Hold up.” Jones said ahead of us, aiming his fist into the air. I put a hand on Dash’s shoulder, and Palowsky stopped behind us and raised his rifle, moving to a defensive stance.
“Problem sir?” I asked.
“You could say so. The path’s gone. It’s just another cliff down to the ground below us.”
I stepped up, leaving ‘Rainbow Dash’ behind me, and looked down. The sandstone cliff path we had been walking along just dropped away. It had been fine so far, away from insurgents, but this had been bound to happen. But we couldn’t go back the way we came. Not after the mess we’d made with the car.
I gave the cliff another look over. We couldn’t climb up, that was for sure, but what about climbing down?
I knelt down, picked up a rock and tossed it down. It clattered a couple of times before hitting the ground about thirty or so feet below. No loose rocks, no avalanches. The cliff was solid.
“We could slide down.” I offered.
The Lieutenant peered over the edge and gave it a look over.
“We have any other choices?” He asked.
“If I had my wings I could fly down.” Dash grumbled from behind, cradling her bandaged arm.
“Alright Grant. You go down first, check it out, then I’ll come down with the civvie. Palowsky keeps an eye out until we’re all down, then he follows.”
“Yes sir.” I nodded and flicked on the safety on my rifle.
“I’m not a civvie.” Dash mumbled.
“Cheer up, huh?” Palowsky asked her. “Shouldn’t be too long to the RV point. Then we can get out of this god-damned desert.”
I let my rifle swing down in front of me and swung my legs over the edge, getting ready to slide down on my butt. Just like I’d done on the stairs as a kid - except there was no banister to crash into if I veered right.
“All or nothing.” I muttered and pushed off. I spread eagled, trying to not go too fast. It worked, and I slid down fairly slowly, a few rocks tumbling down after me from the ledge. I braced my legs for the impact of reaching the floor.
“Oomph.” I muttered, collapsing at the bottom of the rock face. I rolled onto my front and pushed myself up, dusting myself off. I looked back up the slope where the others were waiting. I gave them a thumbs up.
“It’s all good.” I called out. I felt a wave of air in front of my face and the sound of stone breaking beside me. As my face was showered in shards sandstone and dust, there was a deafening crack.
“Sniper!”
Generosity
I showed this new lady into the shack where she would be staying. I was still trying to figure out what a lady dressed as nicely as her was doing here. She must have been a tourist, come to the city to enjoy the weather and beaches, maybe do some shopping, and got lost up here in the favelas. But that didn’t explain why she was acting so crazy .
“This is where you’ll stay until I know where you really came from.” I explained.
“In here?” She gaped, a look of horror on her face.
I resisted the urge to shout at this loco lady. This was one of the nicest shacks in the area. I had made it myself with the help of some friends. “It’s here or the fancy hotel you must be staying in.” I said, shrugging as though I couldn’t care.
“I’m telling you, I’m not some hopeless, lost tourist! Well, I suppose I am hopelessly lost, but I am not a tourist! And I want to know where I am right this minute.”
“I told you senorita, you are in the favelas of Rio De Janeiro, the most beautiful city in the world, in Brazil, on Earth.”
“Earth?” she muttered, suddenly confused.
There was a crash as the door swung open, momentarily letting in more light. A little boy ran over to me.
"Tio, tio! O Diabo de Sete Línguas tá vindo aí! Um dos galerosos ouviu falar sobre a Dona Rarity!" the little boy said, panting.
“What is he saying?” The lady asked. “I heard my name.”
"Valeu, Pedro. Agora corre lá com a sua mãe." I said back to him, pulling out a coin and handing it to him. He beamed and ran out again.
“What did he say? And what did you say to him ?” The lady asked again, impatiently.
“I will explain later. For now, you need to hide. The Seven Tongued Devil has heard about you and is coming to see you.” I explained, rushing over to the kitchen and opening the hatch that led to a small secret room, commonly used to hide contraband items from the police.
“Well why would I try to hide from him? Granted, his name is a little foreboding, but I’m sure he’s a dear at heart.” The lady said.
“It is rumored that he has murdered over fifty people, and robbed and cheated many more. He steals and kills, and does just about everything in between. Sometimes for pleasure. Are you sure you still want to meet him?” I asked, gesturing for her to come over to the hatch.
Her face paled, but she walked over and looked into the hatch.
“You want me to go, in there ?” she asked.
“It’s that or meet the Seven Tongued Devil.” I said.
She nodded hesitantly and climbed down the makeshift ladder into the basement.
“There’s a small lamp to your right.” I said quickly before sliding the hatch shut. Not a second later there was a knock at the door.
“Perdón?” a sarcastic voice said from outside, just before the door was kicked in. A man entered, dressed in camouflage clothing and waving a machete around. Two more men came in behind him, staying silent, but the assault rifles they cradled spoke volumes.
“Hello, my old friend.” The Devil said, smirking evilly and aiming his blade at me. “I hear you have a visitor.”
Honesty
My pa’s pickup bumped along the dirt road. The twins were arguing again, shouting at each other in the back. Applejack was sitting in the passenger seat to my left.
“So, tell me ‘bout this Sydney place we’re going to.”
“Well, you know, it’s only one of the most popular cities in all of Australia.” I said sarcastically.
“Oh, right.” She replied, taking this in. “So, this place is pretty big, then?”
“You could say that!” Gary said, shouting to be heard over the wind as the car travelled down the road. “Plus the opera house is amazing! Best sight there!”
“No way man, it’s the Bridge.” Larry said.
“Shut up Larry, it’s the opera house!”
“Bridge!”
“Both of you shut up or I’ll turn this car around.” I shouted. They both knew I wouldn’t, but it shut them up.
“Yes mum!” they both shouted at once, laughing.
“As if I’d want to be the mother of two numbskulls like you.” I shouted back, smirking.
“Those two always argue like that?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Whenever they’re together.” I nodded.
“Well ah can see how they could drive you up the wall.” AJ sympathized.
“Got that right.” I nodded.
A white SUV shot past us, throwing up a wake of dust. It slowed down and pulled alongside, keeping pace with us, and the window rolled down. Harrison was at the wheel, looking smug as he flicked up his sunglasses. His cronies sat in the back seats, jeering at us.
“Morning love. How you doing in that wreck?”
“I don’t know what wreck you’re talking about.” I shouted back. “But this here pickup’s perfectly fine.”
“Is that so?” he smirked, and swerved his SUV towards us. He backed off at the last second, but not before I’d tried to get us out of the way. I slammed my foot down on the brakes, skidding to a stop in the dirt by the side of the road. The SUV slowed to a gentler stop ahead of us.
“That moron!” I shouted, hitting the steering wheel.
“What did he do that for?” Applejack asked, shocked, as the twins jumped out the back of the truck and started shouting abuse at the SUV.
“Might want to get your steering checked out!” Harrison shouted, leaning up through the sun roof in his car. “Either that, or it’s true what they say about women drivers!” He ducked back in and drove off as his car got pelted with rocks, courtesy of the twins.
“His pa owns the orchard next to ours. Their business is better than ours, and they want our land. They’ve been trying to run us off for months.”
“Wankers!” Gary shouted as a final remark.
Magic
“Are you sure you want to go through with this Professor?”
The Professor was kneeling on the floor, putting the final touches on his latest odd contraption. The new girl was by my side.
“Of course I am boy.” He muttered in the characteristic commandeering tone.
I crossed my arms and waited. It would not be the first time he had used military surveillance equipment for an ‘experiment’ - a term I had come to use loosely around him - and he had been given stern warnings by the government not to do so. They were the ones providing his funding, after all. He was adamant this time though. As he was all other times, when I thought about it.
“Commencing detection process.” He stood up and tapped at a keyboard, and the device came alive. As the computer started its whining, the new girl decided to speak up for a change.
“What’s it doing now?”
The professor gladly took the opportunity to explain. “Well, my dear Twilight Sparkle-”
“Just Twilight is fine, honestly.” She smiled at the formality.
The Professor looked at her for a second. He wasn’t one for casual names. “Of course. This device will first use all kind of detection hardware and software known – and a few I have come up with myself,” There was a glimmer in his eye as he said that. “To detect all and every kind of energy in the area, and after running the same experiment in a different area and comparing and cross-referencing the results…”
She nodded unsurely as he droned on. It was the standard look for most people talking to the Professor.
“…Then perhaps we can find the method by which you have crossed the dimensional barrier.” He finished at last. Now he looked like a child in a sweet shop. As much as a partially mad, seventy year old man could.
We stood silently for a minute, before I spoke up again. “Is it done yet?”
The Professor turned to me, another glimmer in his eye, but this one was clearly of annoyance. “Child, have you any idea how many types of energy may exist in any one place at any one time? It will take hours to complete its study. If you had gotten the correct oscilloscope, it would be done by now.”
I grumbled about that. It was difficult enough to get into that outpost. It was the last time I would be doing it. “That’s if even it works correctly.”
“Pah. You hold too little faith in me, boy.”
“I’m simply constructing a hypothesis based on previous results and data. Just as you tell me to do, Professor.”
He looked ahead towards the machine and waved a hand back at me. “Pah. Go show our guest the library and leave me to do actual work.”
I had somehow forgotten about the girl standing right next to me while I had been talking with the Professor. She had turned to me eagerly at mention of the library.
“The library?” She asked.
“Yes. Where you… what did you say, professor?” I asked.
“Crossed the inter-dimensional barrier.”
“Yes, that…” I nodded slowly, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder and leading her kindly toward the library.
“And speaking of actual work, why don’t you check the computer to see if one of my colleagues has replied. I may need help to analyze this data!” The mad man hollered at me as we walked away.
“Why don’t you do it?” I retorted.
“You know I cannot operate that blasted email thing. Now hurry up, boy! Time is of the essence!”
And with those finished , a final note: Some of you have made the comparison between In Our World and Ponyfall.. I won't deny that connection, and will admit they share some similarities. However, I've never actually read a full Ponyfall, only the first few chapters of the Celestia and Fluttershy/Pinkie Pie stories. From what I know, and what I can guess from, I can only say that my series and Ponyfall MAY
I cut the bikes engine as I neared the building where I lived and free-wheeled down the empty road and into the small car park at the back of my building. Fluttershy was still gripping me tightly, obviously afraid from the trip, despite me staying in the slow lane on the motorway.
"You okay back there Fluttershy?" I asked as I put my foot down to stop the bike. I looked back and she shook her head. "Well, we're here now. Let's see if we can find your, Ponyville."
Fluttershy stood up and climbed off the bike and I followed suit. I helped her take the jacket and helmet off because her hands were shaking, before wheeling my bike to the garage around the back of the building. After I pulled down the door I led Fluttershy towards the back door, taking off my rucksack and carrying it in my hand by the strap. As I approached the door, it opened and one of the older tenants stepped out.
"Oh, hello Jamie." she said to me in her doddery old voice.
"Hello Miss Mayley. Off to the shops?" I asked.
"Yes dear. I see you've got your rucksack. Just been drawing?"
"Yes Miss Mayley. Sorry, can't talk, I have to help… Fluttershy, here." I stepped to the side so Miss Mayley could see her, cowering behind hair. I was still curious about her name.
"Oh, hello dearie. Fluttershy, I'm sure I recognize that name. I believe my granddaughter mentioned it once." Miss Mayley said to her.
"H-hello." Fluttershy said.
Miss Mayley cupped a hand to her ear. "Pardon? You'll have to forgive, me hearings going in me old age."
I stepped forward. "She said hello. Sorry, we really have to go." as much as I enjoyed these chats to her, they got tedious after too long.
"Alrighty then. Say hello to Jasmine for me." Miss Mayley walked away, around the side of the building. I walked through the door she had left open for me, Fluttershy following. I closed and locked the door behind her, and she spoke up.
"Who was that?" she asked quietly.
"Miss Mayley. She's the oldest person living here, and I exchange a few words with her."
"Oh." Fluttershy said quietly.
I made my way up the stairs to the fourth floor (that's Ground floor, 1st, etc) and pulled the keys out of my pocket. I twisted the key, letting loose the lock, and opened the door with a flourish.
"My flat." I said grandly. It was wholly unnecessary. My flat was standard, if anything. A short hallway had a door on either side leading to the bathroom on the right and the kitchen on the left. Past those the hall led to the living room, which held a sofa, coffee table which currently held my laptop, some of my better drawings and a small flat screen TV with a Nintendo Wii. Another hallway led off to the right, giving way to three more doors, two leading to the bedroom and a closet and the last leading to the spare room, where my girlfriend and I kept random junk. I closed the door, locked it and dropped the keys on a table with a jangle. "Make yourself at home. Put the kettle on if you want, or maybe I could get something to eat?" I asked, walking into the living room and dumping my rucksack by the sofa.
"I-I'm ok, thanks. Actually, could I have a daisy sandwich, you know, if that's alright with you."
I stopped and looked back at as she tested the sofa. This was insane. It's like she really believes she was a pony. Or was a pony. This was ridiculous. Before I could help her get back to where ever she was from, I need to figure her out.
"Can I ask you a few questions?" I asked, sitting down on the sofa.
"Um, sure." she sat down nervously in an armchair. A second later she screamed as a bundle of black and white fur leaped towards her. A moment later she uncovered her eyes to discover my cat Mits curling up in her lap.
"Don't worry about Mits, she's harmless. She seems to like you, though." I said.
Fluttershy reached out and gently stroked Mits, making her purr. I smiled at the sight. It wasn't often Mits warmed up to a visitor.
"Ok Fluttershy," I said, flipping open the laptop. "Where did you say you came from?"
"Ponyville." she said quietly, stroking Mits.
"And you said you were a pony?" I asked.
"Yes." she nodded as Mits purred again.
"But that's crazy. People don't turn into ponies. And ponies don't turn into people either." I said as the laptop played the opening chirp.
"But, I was a pony. Then, suddenly, I was that forest, wearing these clothes, and I had these," she held up hands. "And those." she pointed to her feet.
"And I suppose you had hooves before?" I asked as I opened Chrome.
"Yes." she nodded.
I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She must be deranged. Or high. Looking into her eyes, they weren't bloodshot, and she didn't show any of the other usual signs of drug induced fantasies. That must mean she's crazy. Or suffering from sort of amnesia.
I typed Ponyville into Google, expecting a map location. What I got surprised me, to say the least. According to this, Ponyville was a town of ponies, in a cartoon world. I looked back up at Fluttershy, then had a thought. I typed her name into Google Images and sure enough a picture of a pony came up. I held the screen up and compared the two Fluttershy's. They both had the long pink hair, cyan eyes and I had to admit the faces looked similar, if that was possible. I shook my head. It wasn't. I ran through different possibilities in my head; was it some sort of joke? No, what would she have to gain from it? Maybe she hit her head and actually believed she was this character. No, that just didn't seem right. I had no idea to approach this, so I asked her a question.
"Did you have a light yellow coat?" I asked. She looked up and nodded. "And wings?" I asked. She nodded again. I went back to the laptop. That didn't prove anything. It wasn't until I scrolled down slightly and saw a humanized picture of the pony in question. My eyes widened in shock and I'm fairly sure my eyebrows we're somewhere in the upper atmosphere. They looked completely identical, bar the cartoon feel of the picture.
I shook my head again. Someone must have just drawn it of her, right?
Whatever the reason, I have to get to the bottom of it. "Have you ever heard of My Little Pony: Friendship is magic?" I asked. She shook her head. I wondered why I even asked, of course she wouldn't have. Other than some sort of head trauma, the only logical reason for her thinking she was once a pony was insanity. Then again, if she was insane why was she in the middle of the forest? And she certainly wasn't acting insane. I stood up and walked over to her, but she flinched when I reached out towards her and looked even more scared.
"Can I check your head?" I asked, showing her my palms. After a second she nodded and I continued. The first thing I noticed was that her hair was incredibly soft, and smelt of the forest she had been sitting in. I massaged her head, feeling for any kind of lump or scratch. Nothing.
"Well, you haven't hit your head. Far as I can tell anyway…" I muttered and stepped back. She was rocking Mits in her arms.
"Why is she called Mits?" Fluttershy-I may as well call her that until I find out who she really is-asked and looked up at me.
"Jas, my girlfriend, wanted to call her Mittens, but I wouldn't let her, so we call her Mits." I laughed at the memory of choosing Mits as a kitten from the other adorable bundles of fluff.
Fluttershy pointed at a picture on the wall behind the sofa. "Is that her?"
I looked back at where she was pointing. It was picture of me and Jas.
"Yeah." In the picture my hair was blond, because I hadn't dyed it brown back then. The picture had been taken at a concert, about three months ago. I looked back at Fluttershy. She honestly didn't look crazy and there was something about her that just makes me want to believe that she really is this character from this cartoon show, make me believe…
Well, the impossible.
I was brought back to reality when Fluttershy yawned.
"Tired?" I asked. She nodded. I looked out the window and was surprised to see the sky darkening. It had been about 6 o'clock when I found her in the forest, and I guess I'd been looking online for longer than I thought. I looked at my laptop. Nearly 9 o'clock.
"Well… are you sure you live in Ponyville?" She nodded and I thought about it. She didn't have anywhere to go if she actually believed she lived in a fictional town. And if she believed that, I couldn't think of how she would react when I told her it was in a cartoon. Especially if she was tired. I decided to play along until morning. "Well…" I trailed off, not quite sure how to continue. "I can't get you to wherever you live, so I guess you can stay here if you want."
"Oh, I don't want to be a bother, I'm sure there's somewhere else I can go…" she trailed off.
"Do you know anyone around here?" I asked. She shook her head.
"Would you really let me stay here?" she asked. Even if I'd already said no, I wouldn't have been able to say no again.
"Sure. You can have the bed, I'll take the couch. Just give me a minute to clean up the room a little." I said before making my way towards my room. I picked up any clothes scattered on the floor and a couple of pieces of rubbish then made my way back to the living room, dumping the rubbish in the bin en-route. When I stepped up to Fluttershy I noticed she was asleep, her chest rising and falling peacefully. I lured Mits out of her lap and carefully picked Fluttershy up, careful not to wake her. I needn't have worried; she was dead to the world. I carried her fireman style into my room and lifted up the duvet before laying her down fully dressed and pulling the duvet over her. She shifted in her sleep and smiled.
My heart nearly exploded a second time.
I stepped out and closed the door gently, making sure not to wake her.
The bike rolled to a stop in the small wooded car park, crunching and turning over gravel. It was empty today, which was reasonable enough, seeing as no-one would have wanted to have a picnic or a walk in the woods after a night of torrential rain. That is, except for Fluttershy, for a reason she hadn't explained. I'd chosen not to push the matter, since she seemed to be a little sensitive about it.
Fluttershy let go of my waist as I dropped the bike's kickstand, and I took a breath. While Fluttershy had gotten used to the small, mostly quiet roads of Lincoln, she still wasn't adept at travelling along the four-lane motorway necessary to travel from my flat and the woods.
I looked back at her and took off my helmet. "You okay?" I asked.
She was trembling, but nodded bravely. She shakily put her feet down and climbed off the bike, reminding me of the first time she had got off it as I followed her. How long ago had that been? It seemed like weeks, but it had couldn't have been more than one, surely. So much had happened lately.
Fluttershy had taken off her helmet by now, so I took it from her and put it down on the bike's seat with mine. No point carrying them around if we could just leave them here.
"So, Fluttershy," I began. "Where exactly did you want to go?"
"I'd like to go back to where you found me, please. Is that okay?" She asked quietly.
I nodded at her reassuringly. "Sure. Just follow me."
She nodded and I set off across the gravel towards the small path leading into the woods.
I glanced sideways at her as we walked. She was looking down, fiddling with one of the sleeves on her bike jacket. She had left it on seeing as it was cold, even though we had both changed into more suitable clothing. For her, that was her yellow sweater and brown blouse.
I decided to stay quiet until we got to where she wanted to go, while dodging puddles of water still present from the rain last night, and let her talk when she wanted to. Fluttershy stayed silent as well, apparently wrapped up in her own thoughts. Eventually I could hear the tell-tale trickling of water that was the stream. A few seconds later and I could see it, flowing faster and wider than usual, carrying away all the water the rain had deposited. The small stepping stones were almost invisible, but we wouldn't have to cross the stream.
"I first heard you from somewhere in here." I explained, gesturing into the trees. I walked over and pulled a branch aside.
Fluttershy followed me as I started making my way through the shrubbery.
"Look out for the mud." I warned. Seconds later I put my foot down into an inch thick pit of it. Wonderful.
About a minute later I reached the little clearing. Sunlight was peeping through the gaps in the leaves, leaving the place with a somewhat magical feeling, like something out of a fairy tale. I wished I'd brought my art stuff. This would have made an excellent drawing.
Fluttershy stepped timidly past me and looked around the clearing, expressionless. Which was odd, actually. It was like she was hiding her emotions, and she didn't seem like one to do that.
"Are you okay Fluttershy?" I asked her, feelings of concern starting to stir in my mind.
She nodded quickly without looking at me.
I studied her for a second, then decided to ask a question I'd been wanting to ask for a while, no longer able to hold it in.
"So, why did you want to come back here?" I asked quietly.
Fluttershy slowly walked over to the boulder where she had been sitting the first time I saw her, not answering me. She looked at home here, in her characteristic clothes, yellow sweater just visible under her bike jacket. I made a mental note to draw this later, if just as a reason to remember it.
"I'm… not sure." She admitted after a few more seconds. I walked over to join her as she sat on the boulder, metaphorically deflating.
"No?" I asked, confused.
She shook her head as I sat down next to her. "I… it's just… I miss my friends." She revealed, looked down and fiddling with her jacket sleeve again.
I stayed silent.
"A-and, I miss Ponyville… and my cottage, and my animals… and Angel." She sniffed. "A-and, this is the first place I saw…" she trailed off.
I reached out and held her hand, grasping gently. "And it makes you feel closer to them?" I guessed.
She nodded, sniffed again and leant against me. I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb and put my other arm around her shoulders without even thinking, trying to reassure her.
"Don't worry Shy. I'll find a way to get you home. I promise."
She sniffed again, and rested her head on my shoulder. "Thank you Jamie."
I rubbed her arm. "It's no problem." I said.
I looked out into the woods, where Fluttershy had run away from me to when she'd first seen me. Thinking back, though, I couldn't blame her. If I had somehow teleported from my flat into some forest, in a new body, and someone came up to me in that kind of body, I'd be scared as well. And on top of that Fluttershy was naturally nervous anyway.
"Shy?" I asked quietly.
"Mm?"
"When you first saw me, and ran away into the woods… why did you stop?"
She didn't respond for a second. "…I don't know." She said eventually. "You looked kind, and I thought I could trust you."
I smiled – the comment was kind - and looked at her. She sniffed again and turned to look up at me. I let go of her hand for a second to wipe a tear from her face. She sniffed again and smiled up at me. For a bit I just sat there and looked into her eyes. Turquoise green, with a sparkle that made them look magical. She gazed back at me, smiling softly.
After what seemed like an eternity, Fluttershy laid her head back down on my shoulder, still looking up at me. Without even knowing it I held her a little closer as I felt the soft touch of her hair against my neck.
I was content just to sit there for the rest of the day with Fluttershy. Something about the little meadow, the dew on the grass, the very air, and Fluttershy sitting next to me… it was puzzling, but at the same time, comfortable. Cosy, even, though part of me hated to admit it.
Eventually, though, the little sunlight that was seeping through the leaves paled suddenly as the sun fell behind some clouds, and a cold wind flew through the trees. Fluttershy shivered next to me.
"Getting cold?" I asked quietly.
She nodded against my shoulder.
"I guess we need to get back then." I whispered reluctantly.
"I'm sorry." She apologised a second later.
"Hey, it's not your fault. To be honest I'm getting a little cold as well." I said, reluctantly and gently letting go of her hand and slowly standing up.
As Fluttershy rose to her feet, I noticed a flash of blue ribbon, just behind the boulder. I looked round the massive rock, and there was a woven basket nestled against it, decorated with a few strands of red, green and blue silk. The wind had blown a piece out, and that's what had caught my eye. I reached down and picked it up.
"What's this?" I muttered aloud.
Fluttershy looked over at the basket and her eyes went wide. She took it from me and looked it over.
"I-it's the basket I had on the morning I teleported here." She explained. "I was using it, to hold food for my animals."
"So it must have come here with you." I deduced.
Another gust of wind made me shiver.
"Shall we go, Shy?" I asked, rubbing my arms.
She nodded, still holding the basket. I slowly started walking towards the trees, but Fluttershy grabbed my sleeve quickly and tugged on it, wanting me to turn around. I looked back, and she was staring eagerly at a couple of deer, grazing in the trees, ten meters in from the other side of the clearing.
"They're so beautiful." She whispered.
I nodded. I felt Fluttershy reach for my hand, and I took hers as we looked at the animals.
After a few more minutes we left and headed back to the car park.
We saw Miss Mayley again as we entered the flat building. She didn't say anything and looked like she was in a hurry, but she still smiled and waved as she went past. I did the same, and Fluttershy just smiled at her.
As we got into the flat I sat down on the sofa and checked the time on my laptop. It was 11:21am now. Was it really only that early?
Just before I shut the laptop, I remembered Steven's email from last night and decided to get it up. As I did so Fluttershy sat next to me. She had brought the basket back from the woods, and was cleaning it up.
As I opened Hotmail it showed two new emails. I decided to look at them in a second, or I would just get distracted, but before I could open his one from last night I realized one of the new emails was from him, and titled 'URGENT LOOK AT THIS RIGHT NOW JAMIE'.
Well, that seemed pretty important. Postponing the original message, I opened the new one. It was lacking any real grammar, but it was at least legible, unlike Drunk Steven's email.
'jamie! check your email, quick!' I sighed. Only Steven... 'remember my last email? the one about the professor dude? i got a reply from him! He said he'd message you about fluttershy.'
I raised an eyebrow. The professor? Had he really replied that quickly? Back in my New Mail, the other message was from a 'Zhi Han Huang', from the University of Research in Lanzhou, China. Was this the message Steven was talking about?
Fluttershy noticed my puzzled expression. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Remember a couple of days ago when we found that website with that professors theory?"
She looked blank for a moment but nodded a second later.
"Steven contacted him," I continued. "And I've got an email from him."
"Wow, the mail travels really fast here." Fluttershy noted.
I smiled. "You have no idea." I waved Fluttershy over and opened the email from the professor before reading it through.
'To Jamie Goodwin
Hello, my name is Zhi Han Huang. I am the assistant of Professor Shang Kai Hong at the University of Research in Lanzhou. Your friend, Steven, contacted the Professor about this 'Fluttershy', or Florence as you have named her for incognito purposes, and how both he and you believed that she is from another dimension, explainable by Professor Hong's theories. He also mentioned that you would like to send her back, but are not sure how, and that this is the reason for contacting the professor. He has thus asked me to contact you, and to pass on his message that he would of course be willing to help. However, he first requires a photograph of her to be sure that what you are telling us is true. Please take it in the manner of a passport identification photograph, and the better the quality the better. Your friend also says that 'Fluttershy' has what he called a 'Cutie Mark', like the characters from the show you believe she originates from. A photograph of this would also be helpful. The Professor does believe he may be able to help though, and we will respond as quickly as possible.
Thank you, and please reply quickly
Zhi Han Huang, 韓梔黃 University of Research, Lanzhou, China
I finished reading it and sat back to mull it over. A photo? I wasn't really expecting the professor to ask for proof it was her, but it did sort of make sense. They wouldn't want some fake to turn up, trying to get into another dimension.
I realized how insane that sounded. If someone told me a month ago I would find a girl in the woods that actually came from another world, and was, in actual fact, a pony, well, I would have told them they were insane.
Talking about a girl in the woods, I needed to figure out what had happened between me and Fluttershy. I'd been trying to comfort her, as I would anyone that was crying, and then I'd looked into her eyes and been entranced, almost. No, actually, entranced sounded about right. The setting hadn't really helped, with the romantic feeling in the woods, and…
"What does this all mean?" Fluttershy asked, thankfully pulling me from my thoughts.
I shook my head quickly before answering her. "The Professor thinks he can help, but first he wants proof that you are who we say you are."
"My Cutie Mark, and a 'passport identification photograph'. What's that?" Fluttershy asked.
"It's a picture of a person's that they put on passports, to prove the passport's theirs." I explained. Hmm…
Fluttershy nodded. "And what's a passport?"
"A document you need to travel between countries on Earth." I said. Hmm once more. "And he wants us to reply as soon as possible. I think I have an old digital camera somewhere that I can use. It should still be day in China, so if we do it now they might reply right away." I said, briefly wondering where the camera would be.
Fluttershy nodded again, smiling now. "That sounds like a good idea."
"Alright, give me a second and I'll get the camera." I said, standing up and heading into my room to do so. It took about a minute of rooting through my chest of drawers to find it and the lead. It was only a cheap thing I'd bought to take pictures of things to draw from later, as a sort of reference thing.
I walked back into the living room and switched on the main light, needing more than just the sunlight coming through the window for a decent picture.
"Alright Fluttershy," I began, kneeling in front of her and turning the camera on. "For the first picture I need you to sit up straight and look straight at me. And try not to move, this isn't the best camera." I fiddled with the settings to get the lighting right, trying to remember how to get through the little menus, and after a few more seconds I tapped the little button on the top. There was a tiny flash and the picture saved itself onto the camera's memory card.
"The picture's taken Shy." I told her, turning the camera around so she could see. She looked at it unsurely and her smiled faded.
"Oh, I don't look very nice. My hair is all messy, and I look stupid." She said, frowning at the image.
"Nonsense, you look beautiful." I assured her.
Her cheeks flushed ever so slightly. "Really? You think I look beautiful?"
I felt my own face heat up as I realised what I'd just said. "Uh, yeah." I said. Good job, just embarrass yourself then give the worst reply known to man I berated myself inwardly.
Fluttershy smiled anyway. "Thank you Jamie. That's sweet of you to say."
I smiled awkwardly back at her. "No problem. Uh, shall we take the next picture?" I asked.
"Oh, yes, lets." She agreed, looking away.
I nodded, still kneeling on the floor. "Okay, could you just stand up quickly and show me it?" I asked.
"Alright." She said, rising to her feet. She gently pulled down one side of her blouse to, keeping decent, to reveal the three pink and light blue butterflies on her upper thigh. I did my best to keep the camera still and snapped one more picture then quickly looked away, embarrassed.
"Thanks Shy. I just need to upload these and I can send them to this professor." I said, standing up and stretching my legs.
"Then what?" Fluttershy asked, sitting back down.
"I'm not sure," I admitted, taking the memory card and slotting it into my laptop. "The professor says he can probably help, so we'll just have to wait and see what he comes up with." I said, finding the pictures and attaching them to an email as I spoke. I typed out a message quickly, thanking the assistant Zhi for the quick response and asking him what was going to happen next now he knew Fluttershy was legitimate. I sent it a couple of minutes later.
"There. They have the photos, so now we just need to wait for their reply." I said, leaning back. "So we just have to wait until then."
Fluttershy nodded.
"Now if you'll excuse me," I stood up and looked over at my easel, then Fluttershy. "I have a drawing I'd like to get down on paper."
A little while later and I was almost done outlining the basic parts of the drawing. It was the one I'd remembered from earlier, in the woods with Fluttershy. For the past half hour I'd been drawing and thinking back to that scene, and of course my moment with Fluttershy. I'd been replaying it over and over in my head, but I still couldn't really make sense of it.
Alright, so: I'd gone into the woods with Fluttershy. Okay, got that. She had gotten upset because she missed her friends and home. Understandable. Then I had tried to comfort her, and wiped away one of her tears. Then looked into her eyes, and then…
I sighed. Had I really been entranced, and then hugged her like that? And then just a little bit earlier I had called her beautiful, to her face no less, without even realising what I was saying. In all honesty though, I did think she was beautiful – I'd realised as much in the forest – but how much so? That much?
"What are you drawing?" the subject of my troubled thoughts asked, suddenly beside me.
I gasped suddenly, shocked by her sudden appearance, but recovered. "I-it's from earlier." I told her.
She gasped softly as she realised it was herself. "It looks wonderful Jamie." She complimented, smiling as she looked over the rough ground and trees.
"Thank you. But it's nowhere near finished yet." I added, taking in the praise. "Are you enjoying that book?" I asked. The other day Fluttershy had asked if I had anything to read, so I'd shown her my mediocre collection of books. She'd picked one called The Roar , by Emma Clayton. I'd only read it once a few years ago when it was published, so I couldn't remember what happened, but Fluttershy liked it.
"Oh, it's very good. Thank you for letting me borrow it Jamie." Fluttershy smiled at me.
"No problem." I replied. Fluttershy went and sat back down down on the sofa and I smiled as I continued to draw.
Not a minute later the phone rang. I raised an eyebrow and reached to pick my phone up and answer. It was Steven.
"Jamie, have you checked your emails?!" he asked loudly.
"Yep, calm down Steven." I assured him.
"Dude, we have talk face to face. Meet me at Gregg's?"