//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Christmas Company // by LightDoinStuff //------------------------------// There was a distant sound Mark couldn't quite make out. It was loud, urgent, and most of all…annoying? Mark's eyes shot open. His dreamless slumber has been disrupted by what he could now identify as a fire alarm. This realization spurred him into action as he leapt from the sleeping bag onto his feet, then rushed to the kitchen. He could already smell something burning, raising his fears. Trying to round the bend quickly proved a mistake as his speed caught up with him, causing his feet to slip out from under him, and his shoulder to make an acquaintance with the hard tile floor. "Gah!" He yelled in pain. "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness." Sounded a voice to his right, "Mark, are you okay?" Sitting back up after his impromptu skating accident, Mark confirmed the voice belonged to Fluttershy. With his mind still waking up and the sound of the alarm blaring, the thought of her having seen his display was the least of his worries. "'Shy, what are you doing?" He asked, trying to orient himself. "I just wanted to make breakfast," She explained, "but I think I turned the stove on the wrong way, and now there's that loud sound going off." Mark got to his feet, found the nearby box powering the alarm, and turned it off. He shook his head. "Okay, now that that's over…good morning, I guess." He gave a weak chuckle. Fluttershy's head was turned to the ground. "I'm so sorry, I thought maybe if I made breakfast it would help to cheer you up a bit." Mark smiled, his heart warmed by this gesture. After turning the stove off, he got on a knee so he was eye level with the pegasus. "I appreciate that a lot, 'Shy." He said calmly, "Yesterday was definitely a blur, but I know I wasn't doing okay." Fluttershy's eyes moved from the floor to his face. "You were there when I needed a friend most." He continued, "For that, I have to thank you." She smiled in return. It was good to see her happy again. Mark surveyed the kitchen, noting what seemed to be a burnt pancake - clearly the offender of the morning. "Well, shall we do a take two on breakfast?" He asked. The two had settled on eggs and toast for breakfast. The process of making them had thankfully been without further burning incidents, allowing the two to savor the calm morning. Midway through the meal, and after general discussion was had, Fluttershy decided to discuss the issue at hand. "Mark, how are you feeling?" She asked. He swallowed a bite of toast. "What do you mean?" "I mean since last night." She continued, "You were scared to the point you could barely do anything. I stayed by you through the night just in case." Mark averted his eyes, his smile disappearing. "I didn't mind," Fluttershy explained, "and I'd do it again if you needed me to. I just want to make sure you're okay." He glanced up at her glumly. This topic was bound to come up eventually, though he wasn't looking forward to discussing it. Still, after everything the two had been through, and especially with what she'd done for him, an explanation was warranted. "I have anxiety, 'Shy." Mark began, "I've been working with it for a while now, and I've got a pretty good handle on it. Times like yesterday though, those are really rough on me." His face fell again. "I thought I was beyond that." Fluttershy knit her eyebrows. "It's not your fault you're scared, Mark." Mark shook his head. "I just want to be able to be strong for those around me. You're far away from home without any way to contact your friends. Meanwhile, I'm over here safe and comfortable in my own home. I'm being selfish by forcing you to help me." Fluttershy's eyebrows lowered. "You're not forcing me to do anything, Mark." He looked up, surprised at both the look on her face as well as her tone. "I chose to stay here." She continued, "I chose to trust you. I chose to befriend you. I chose to help you." Mark sat unable to respond, the silence only broken after Fluttershy took on a softer look. "You're not forcing me to help you anymore than I forced you to help me that night. We help each other because that's what friends do, and you're certainly one of mine." Fluttershy's eyes began to water. "I just want you to be okay, Mark." She concluded. Mark sighed, closing his eyes as he thought over the mare's words. He chose his words carefully: "I don't know if I will be, at least for a while." Fluttershy got down from her chair and walked up to Mark, pulling him into an embrace. "Then I'll be here until you are." She promised. Tears finally fell from his eyes, providing an emotional outlet he desperately needed. Mark and Fluttershy sat in his room watching the news. The former was hardly paying attention, but the reporters at least served the purpose of providing something to fill the silence. With all that had happened, silence was Mark's worst fear. He recalled times before he was medicated, that silence was his mind's worst nightmare. It provided vagueness and instability - two ingredients that would spur his mind to frantically wonder about the world around him. He'd learned to value silence after the medications began to take effect, and even found contentment in the peaceful nothingness. At least, until now. A commercial break came on, featuring advertisements for various stores around the area. Each were offering up reminders of deals in time for the holidays, with the usual upbeat Christmas music playing in the background. Appropriate, considering Christmas was only two days away. A sudden realization had Mark's eyes shoot open. "I'll be right back." He said quickly, leaving before his pegasus friend could protest. His mind began to stir as he approached the front door. With everything that had gone on, he still was mentally kicking himself for not remembering this. He could only hope the worst hadn't happened… Opening the door, he breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing a white and blue box with the Amazon logo featuring prominently in several places. He quickly grabbed the package and returned inside, locking the door behind him. "What's that?" Fluttershy asked, tilting her head slightly. "Just a little something." Mark stated. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at the vagueness, but decided it best not to press the matter. He briefly disappeared upstairs, and when he returned, the package was no longer in his arms. This raised additional suspicion in the mare, which she set aside for later discussion. The two returned to his room, letting the familiar sounds of the newscasters regain their collective attention. They were talking about local Christmas activities going on, many of which sounded fun, though Mark didn't want to leave Fluttershy alone while he went to experience them. He then remembered that he would still need to replace the flat tire on his car. With the substance inside only working for a few days, sooner was better. "Looks like I'll have to leave you alone for a bit after all." He internally lamented. "Hey 'Shy, I just remembered that I need to replace that tire on my car." He explained, gaining Fluttershy's attention. "I need to go now. Can you manage being here for a bit?" The pegasus nodded. "I'll be okay." Mark nodded in return, then stood up and began walking to the garage. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised. "Stay safe!" Fluttershy called back. Mark took his cue to leave the home, with the sound of the garage door signaling his departure. Fluttershy breathed a deep sigh. She worried about him going out after everything that had happened. Just last night he was barely holding himself together, now he had to go on acting as though things were perfectly normal. She then realized she didn't even know how long he'd be gone. The thought only served to trouble her further. She quickly decided the best course of action would be to distract herself with something. Glancing around the room, her curiosity once more pulled her to the nearby bookshelf. Perhaps she could find comfort in her kindred spirit: Alice of Wonderland fame. Despite her earlier concerns, Fluttershy had managed to engross herself in the book. She was so engrossed that she jumped slightly when the door leading to the garage suddenly opened. Only a few moments later, Mark peeked his head into his room. "Sorry it took so long, 'Shy." He began, "The guy had to grab a similar tire from their storage, and then there was some testing to be done, and…it was just a whole process." He held up two bags from behind the wall. "But hey," he continued, "I brought dinner." Fluttershy followed Mark to the kitchen, where he began placing the food on the table. "I was thinking burritos tonight. Is bean and cheese okay for you?" He asked. Fluttershy nodded. "That'll be perfect." Mark placed her food at her chair, then sat in his own. He'd chosen to pick the vegetarian option for himself, just so as not to worry his pegasus friend. She'd obviously been around omnivores before, just because of her line of work, but he still felt it was the best option. An hour later, with food eaten and dishes put away in the dishwasher, the two once more retired to Mark's room. It was getting fairly late, so both decided to get ready for bed, with Mark waiting until Fluttershy was done brushing so he could do so. While waiting, he tried his best not to think about what had happened yesterday. More especially, he tried to avert his mind from the experiences he'd had during his anxiety episode. His fears had felt so reasonable at the time that he could scarcely determine what was reality. And there was Fluttershy, trying her best to comfort him. All the while, she was likely struggling to keep her hope up after everything that had happened. "All done." The pegasus announced as she returned to his room. "Looks like I'm next." Mark replied with a smile before leaving. While brushing, he allowed his thoughts to continue. Had he even considered how she was doing? Had he asked? There was no doubt that the loss of their only lead would be demoralizing, especially to her. What could he do to help keep her spirits up? It wasn't like he could go outside and do things with her. Suddenly an idea began to form in his mind. He quickly filed the details away for later, intending to do something first that he felt would be a good step. He returned to his room a few minutes later, seeing Fluttershy waiting patiently, the familiar book keeping her attention. He sat down next to her, quickly catching her attention. "I know it's been a difficult little while lately." He admitted, "Especially with what happened yesterday. How are you holding up, 'Shy?" Fluttershy looked down, her face revealing more than a little discomfort. "I just don't know what we're going to do, Mark." He remained quiet but gave her his full attention, allowing her to continue at her own pace. "I thought maybe that woman would be able to help us. I still think she might be able to, but with her husband…" She wiped a tear that began to form, "You're the only person here I can completely trust anymore, Mark." Mark's eyebrows knit together. He was comforted to hear she trusted him completely, but the statement had come with a sour implication. "You trusted her completely?" Fluttershy pulled a face of uncertainty. "I think I did. She was so kind, I knew why you trusted her after talking to her those first few times, but now…” Mark shook his head. “I just can't believe she didn't know she'd married a monster." Fluttershy thought for a moment before responding. "I don't think he's a complete monster." Mark's face mirrored what he said next. "You don't?" He asked, flabbergasted. "I think he did something awful." Fluttershy explained, "He kidnapped me, and probably countless other innocent animals as well. I'm not sure I can ever overlook that." She breathed a deep sigh. "But I don't think he's a monster. He could have chosen to turn both of us in to his friends yesterday, but he didn't. I don't know exactly what went through his head, but he clearly has a heart somewhere." Fluttershy turned to Mark. "He wasn't evil, he was desperate. He lost his daughter, and he couldn't see anything besides that." Mark was stumped for words as he processed what she'd said. "Don't get me wrong," she continued, "I never want to see him again, but I can't look at him as a purely evil monster…not after what I know." Mark's mind was at the peak of conflict. This man had sold off who knows how many animals, and had nearly done so to Fluttershy! A deep feeling of spite swirled at this thought, lingering even as he considered his friend's reasoning. And yet, the near-victim of the abduction couldn't bring herself to hate her would-be captor… "You're stronger than I am, ‘Shy." He gently whispered, “I don't know if I can forgive him for what he did to you, even if you can.” He shook his head again. "I just can't imagine ever doing something like that, even if I were in that kind of situation." "Neither can I." Admitted Fluttershy, "I don't understand what made him think that was the best option." Mark glanced over at Fluttershy once more, his eyes making contact with hers. "Well I do know this much:" He stated firmly, "I'm going to do what it takes to protect you. What we just discussed doesn't change a thing. If I see him out there, I'll treat him as a threat and do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I promised I'd help you get home 'Shy, and I have every intention of doing that." Fluttershy's eyes began to water once more. "I don't know everything," he continued, "and I certainly don't know about magic, or teleportation, or dimensional travel, but I do know there's a way somehow to get you home. I know there's a way, and I'm going to find it, and you're going to be able to go back to Equestria and live a happy life." He hadn't realized until his voice began breaking, but a tear was also forming in his eye. "And I'm going to miss you a lot," He whispered, "but you deserve to be happy and free." As the two began to sob, Mark acted on impulse and did what he felt the two needed, pulling her into a tight embrace. It was a bittersweet hug, just with the knowledge that neither knew how long they'd be able to see each other before Fluttershy returned home…or something else happened. But in that moment, both were confident that somehow things would work out.