//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 
// Story: Christmas Company 
// by LightDoinStuff 
//------------------------------//

The distant sound of pancakes sizzling on a skillet woke Fluttershy from her slumber. She glanced at the nearby clock, confirming her suspicions that both had slept in considerably compared to the previous days.

And yet, she felt more at peace than she had any day prior.

The mare left Mark's room and trotted to the kitchen. Her eyes were greeted with a large stack of pancakes, a bottle of syrup, a jug of orange juice, and of course, her gracious host. Said host was currently busying himself cooking a final pancake, not noticing the pony glancing at him as he worked.

Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Good morning."

Mark was caught slightly off-guard, though he quickly recovered. "Morning Fluttershy. How'd you sleep?"

Fluttershy smiled. "Very well, thank you."

"Glad to hear it." Mark replied with a smile before turning back to the stove. "I'm just finishing things here, go ahead and take a seat at the table. I'll be right over with everything."

Fluttershy did so, her mind wandering to the decision the two would have to make regarding that woman's offer. With a much clearer head, she felt better about the prospect of discussing this with Mark - and moreover, she was ready to trust whatever decision they came to.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the pancake-stacked plate touching base with the table.

"You alright there, 'Shy?" Mark asked.

She nodded. "I was just thinking about…that woman."

Mark's smile fell. "Right, we still need to figure that out."

He finished placing the other items on the table. "Well first, let's eat."

He said grace and the two feasted.








The clock read 1 o' clock PM. For both of the room's occupants, this small bit of information would ground them in the present moment when considerations for the future went on too long.

Nevertheless, both knew they couldn't spend all day thinking about what lay ahead.

"So what are we going to do?" Fluttershy asked, breaking the seemingly eternal silence.

Mark shook his head. "This isn't an easy one, 'Shy. I hope you know that."

He glanced over at the mare. When she didn't reply, he continued.

"On one hand, it's the best chance we have of taking the proactive approach in getting you home. This person clearly knows something about your world, and she even has that bit she showed me. I don't know what to make of her, but there's definitely something there we may want to look into."

Fluttershy knit her eyebrows. "But…"

"But there's also the fact that we know relatively little about her. I didn't exactly get any bad feelings, but the facts don't explain everything. There's just so much that could be the case, and…"

Mark glanced away as he trailed off.

"Mark?" Fluttershy asked, worry filling her tone.

Mark sighed deeply. "I just don't want anything bad to happen." He glanced back over at Fluttershy, "To either of us."

Fluttershy's face showed deep consideration for the matter. Her eyes were closed as she processed everything she had learned and experienced up to that point, hoping somehow she would find some hidden answer that would help them both.

She let out a sigh of her own.

"Mark," she began, "I’ll be the first to admit I know very little about this world, and much less its people. However, I do know you. You’re a good person, and you’re proof there are good people here."

Her eyes slowly opened again, the pupils focusing on her host.

“Surely you’ve known good people and bad people alike. You met this woman, and you had a conversation with her. What did you think of her?”

Now it was Mark's turn to think, his eyes shut tight. His brain replayed the events of the previous evening, trying to analyze every detail of the interaction. Finally, he had an answer.

"I was afraid throughout everything. I thought for certain you and I were done for. It felt as though the walls were closing in on us."

He paused to collect his thoughts one last time.

"And yet…this woman, I don't think she wanted to hurt me - or hurt us. She asked a lot of questions, but I saw concern in her eyes, not malice. She really seemed like she wanted to help."

"It’s up to you, Mark." Fluttershy stated after a brief pause.

Mark let out a deep sigh.

"I think we'd better eat an early dinner, because afterwards, we have a trip to make."