//------------------------------// // Road Trip // Story: Dan & Pinkie VS. // by Morex25 //------------------------------// Dan & Pinkie VS. Chapter 8 – Fluttershy’s along for the ride. It didn’t take long for the beach to be cleared with the combine efforts of the EPA and the thousands of volunteers. It also helped that Dan didn’t sabotage the cleaning efforts; Pinkie had to convince him that by doing so he would make Fluttershy’s eco-friends stay longer than necessary. Dan complied and chose to let the beach recover in favor of not having to deal with hippies for more than necessary. The lesser of two evils, you know. During the cleaning effort, Pinkie let Fluttershy stay at her home and show her around town and introduced her to Elise and Chris. Elise took an instant liking to the petite girl, finding her to be very nice and soft-spoken; a big contrast between Dan who was mean and loud most of the time. Chris also found Fluttershy to be very pleasant and knowledgeable, finally he had someone to talk and exchange tips about his gardening hobby; although he was a little put-out by the fact the girl seemed to be kinda afraid of him. Every time he caught her staring at him she would instantly turn away, maybe it was his stature that intimidated her. Now it was the day after the beach was deemed clean enough to be opened again for the public, and both Pink haired girls were celebrating with a small get-together with Elise. They were all sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying some of the cake Pinkie baked for the occasion. “So now that it’s over, what are you gonna do next, Fluttershy?” Elise asked to the small hippie girl. Elise too referred to her as ‘Fluttershy’ since the girl keep insisting on all her friends to use that name. “Well…I’m planning on returning home this next Monday.” Fluttershy informed while holding up her cup of hot coffee. They very drinking decaffeinated and letting Pinkie thought it was normal. Both Elise and Fluttershy knew how their energetic friend got after much sugar and caffeine. “Awww….but Fluttershy!” Whined Pinkie Pie. ”You can’t leave so soon! You haven’t gone with us on one of Dan’s crazy adventures, yet.” Elise smiled at that. She remembered how a week ago, while both pink heads were busy with the clean-up; she went along with Dan and Chris across the country to Mount Vernon to get back at the ghost of George Washington for chopping down a palm tree that ended up destroying Dan’s car. The trip, though insufferable, was enlightening to say the least. It gave her so much insight into Dan psyche; like his savant side that make him remember facts at random every given time, or that deep inside he was just a kid in a grown man’s body who only wanted attention. Off course Pinkie was disappointed she couldn’t come with them, but she quickly got over it after she made Elise promise to do something for her during the trip. Elise expected something like: ‘Please take care of Dan’ or ‘Bring me a souvenir if you can’; but what Pinkie really wanted was for them to stop on their way back at Butchertown on Louisville, Kentucky and deface Thomas Edison’s house. When Elise asked her why she disliked Edison so much, Pinkie only replied: “He KNOWS what he did. And this will show him what REAL American humor is!” and refrained from saying anything else. In the end Elise kept her promise and stopped at Edison’s House but instead of trying to destroying another historic place in the span of a week, she just stink bombed the house so it would have to close down for months. Thankfully that was enough for Pinkie. Returning back to the present, Elise chimed in about the possibility of another revenge scheme, “Well, earlier today Chris and I took Dan to the electronics store and bought him a computer so he could entertain himself and not bother us when we want to be alone. So the probability of him finding someone or something to get revenge on in the next few days is very low.” Unfortunately for Elise, the universe was going to prove her wrong, because in a few hours Dan’s new computer would have a ‘slight’ malfunction. _ “So let me get this straight, we are going to drive all the way to Silicon Valley to get back at billionaire Barry Ditmer, because Dan’s computer malfunctioned and it was deemed obsolete despite the fact you bought it yesterday?” summarized Pinkie, while sitting in the back of Chris’ car. “Pretty much!” confirmed Chris; he was the going to be the driver the whole way. “Does this kind of things happen often?” asked Fluttershy who was sitting next to Pinkie on the back of the car. She too was dragged in this strange adventure when Dan and Chris stopped at Pinkie’s house for supplies for the trip. “Almost every week, sometimes I keep a track of how long does it take from target to target. Longest time is still a month!” confessed Chris a little tired from all the driving. He should be accustomed to Dan’s revenge schemes by now, but for some reason Dan kept upping the bar. “Hey! I resent that!” complained Dan who was riding shotgun, “how would you feel if I kept track of every time you screw-up or every time you eat something you shouldn’t!” “You already do that!” Chris retorted slightly mad, “And you rub it in my face every chance you got!” “Pinkie? Do you really think this was a good idea?” whispered the petite girl to her friend, “I mean, don’t you think were intruding?” “No way!” replied the more exuberant of the two girls, “besides, what better way to form fond memories with friends other than a road trip? This way we shall always remember your first stay in California!” “I never really thought about it like that, Pinkie” Chris said while looking at the rearview mirror, “It really is an unforgettable memory” for better or for worse, “I’m glad that you girls decided to come along, it would make the trip a whole more fun.” “Really?” asked Fluttershy, flattered by Chris’ words. “But aren’t these excursions kind of dangerous” She may have rallied and protested against the mistreat of animals and the pollution of Mother Nature, which sometimes could be dangerous, but if what half the things Pinkie told her were true, then this could potentially be the most dangerous thing she has ever partaking in. “Don’t worry, Fluttershy! We are all here with you!” Pinkie reassured her, “Besides Chris here is a veteran! I’m sure he will keep an eye on us” “Yeah! I’ll keep an eye on you!” He may have just said that with confidence but on the inside he was unsure, still he had to put a more valiant front for the girls. Especially for Fluttershy, poor thing looked very nervous “I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, Fluttershy!” Chris ended with a smile that both girls could see thanks to the rearview mirror. Fluttershy blushed at the attention he gave her and couldn’t help but notice one thing, “He has a nice smile” thought the small girl. “Yuck! Could you please stop girlifying the trip, I feel it losing its masculinity every passing second!” complain once again Dan with his arm crossed in front of his chest. “Dan! Be nice to them, they were nice enough to give us supplies for this UNINTENDED road trip” Chris scolded Dan like he was a small kid. “I’m just expressing my own opinion!” Dan retorted in an as-a-matter-of-fact kind of tone, still with his arms crossed. “Aww…Don’t worry Dan! I know exactly what will cheer you up!”Said Pinkie in a cheery tone, “A SONG!” she exclaimed out-loud. “No!” “Hey, that’s a great idea! which song should we sing, Pinkie?” Agreed Chris. “No, no!” “99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer.” Pinkie began singing. “Take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall...” “No, no, no!” “98 bottles of beer on the wall, 98 bottles of beer.” Chris joined in alongside with Fluttershy who sang less loudly than Pinkie and Chris. “Take one down and pass it around, 97 bottles of beer on the wall…” “NOOOooooooo!” - “One bottle of beer on the wall, one bottle of beer. Take one down and pass it around, no more bottles of beer on the wall.” Sang everybody sans Dan, nearing the end of the song. Dan who, around the 75 bottle of beer, surrendered his complaints and just tried to tuned out the song as much as he could. “No more bottles of beer on the wall, no more bottles of beer.” “FINALLY!” yelled out Dan, relived that the song was finally over. “Go to the store and buy some more, 99 bottles of beer on the wall.” “GAAAAAAAHHH! STOP THE CAR! LET ME OUT FOR THE LOVE OF…JUST LET ME OUT!” Dan screamed losing what was left of his sanity. “Well…there is a stop right there,” Chris pointed out to the gas station in front of them. “Maybe is a good idea to buy some gas and stretch our legs a little!” “Yes, and I need to go to the little ladies room!” added Pinkie, who just now felt the need for a restroom. “Me too” confessed Fluttershy a little embarrassed. “Ok! Since everyone agreed, I’ll stop the car.” Chris then parked the car next the gas pump. The first one to get out off the car was Dan who needed a moment to himself to regain some of his sanity so that he didn’t end up killing everyone else with a hatchet. The second one was Pinkie, who dashed so fast into the bathroom you could almost see after images of her, making it look like a trail of pink light. Lastly, were Chris and Fluttershy who didn’t really were in any hurry. Sure, Fluttershy wanted go to the ladies room, but she didn’t need to go right away like her friend. The hippie girl decided to get something to eat from the store adjacent to the gas station. She would’ve eaten something from the supplies Pinkie brought along, but they were mostly sugary snacks that were not very healthy if you consume them in high quantities. Fluttershy, quickly searched inside her bag for her coin purse. It was a purse she made herself out of cloth and had the form of a bunny. After she found it, she opened it and tried to count how much money it had inside. After she was done counting, the petite girl took a step forward not noticing an empty can of soda lying on the floor. Unaware, Fluttershy stepped on the can and found herself losing her balance. Fluttershy, who wasn’t really that coordinated, couldn’t regain her balance in time and began falling backwards. “Aaaahh!” she cried out in fright. As she was falling, everything felt like in slow motion and that made it worse since it made the sensation of falling last longer. The falling girl resigned to her fate and closed her eyes in anticipation to the fall and the pain. Except that it never came. As quick as she felt herself falling, she found herself falling unto something soft and warm instead of the cold hard ground. “Gotcha!” Exclaimed Chris as he caught Fluttershy from her fall. “Are you okay, Fluttershy?” he asked concerned to the girl on his arms. Fluttershy didn’t respond right away, she was still in slight shock of what just happened. Once she regain some composure, the small girl looked up only to see Chris’ face, eyes full of concerned but also relief that he caught her on time. “Uhm…Are you okay?” he asked again, except this time with less worry and with slight confusion. Did she not hear him the first time? Or she was still in silent shock? Realizing the position she was in, Fluttershy quickly stood upright with a small blush on her face. “Y…Yes…I’m okay!” she stuttered. “S..Sorry for falling into you” she ended up apologizing. “Thank goodness you’re fine. That would’ve been a nasty fall.”Chris said, now more relieved that the girl was fine. “But you don’t need to apologize, it was an accident!” he finished by giving her the same smile that Fluttershy found very nice a few hours ago, making her blush some more. “T-Thank you, C-Chris” She stuttered before she turn around and walk away flustered. Chris stood there, confused for a few seconds, “You’re welcome…?” he said to the long retreated back of Fluttershy. “Huh! That was…different” he said to himself confused by the small girl’s behavior. After a short while of thinking, he just shrugged and accepted that Fluttershy was a kinda weird but in a good way, she was a refreshing kind of different and a whole lot nicer than Dan. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was inside trying to sort out what was happening to her instead of looking for what she wanted before coming inside in the first place. Why was she blushing so much, or more than usual, around Chris, why did she find his smile so nice and cute and why she couldn’t get the warm feeling of his arms out of her mind. She was so distracted that she didn’t notice what she was taking from the stands. “Fluttershy!“ called out Pinkie Pie from behind her friend, making her jump in surprise. “P..P…Pinkie! Why did you surprise me like that?” asked nervously, but if you were to pay extreme attention you could almost hear a little bit of anger in her voice. “I been calling you’re name several times now!” explain Pinkie to her friend, “You look very out of it. Are you feeling okay?” One didn’t need a six sense to see that something was going on with her. “I’m fine, what makes you think something is going on?” Fluttershy replied a little too defensively, which was way out of the ordinary for her. “Because, you’re holding beef jerky in your hand!” Pinkie pointed out. At the salty treat on her friend’s hand. “Ghaa!” Fluttershy cried out while dropping the beef jerky onto the ground. Fluttershy never ate meat, ever since she was a kid. It all started when she visited a farm with her mother and played with one of the cutest lamb she have ever seen in her short life. Her name was Lammy. She would regularly visit that farm with her mother just so she could play with the Lammy and the other animals there. She liked to believe they form a special bond with her, and they would be friends forever. But one day, the Lammy wasn’t there anymore. She look around everywhere for her but she couldn’t find her. It was until later when she was told that someone bought Lammy and took her away to made food out of her.She was so sad and disgusted for her friend’s fate, she promised to never eat meat ever again. That’s why she was a vegetarian. Pinkie and her other friends knew about her reason and respected her decision of vegetarianism and in turn she respected their preference for meat. Fluttershy never tried to dissuade them or told them of the ‘evils’ of meat, but they were always considerate of her. Pinkie even stopped eating meat during her stay in her house these past weeks. “I..I’m sorry…” sobbed the small girl with small tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “I…didn’t mean to…” she continued barely containing her tears. Pinkie, being quick as always, hugged Fluttershy and rubbed her back in a comforting manner. “Shh…It’s okay! I’m here for you!” the taller of the two whispered into the small crying girl ear. “Hey, girls what are you…” Chris walked up to both girls only to stop himself after noticing Fluttershy’s state. “What happened? It’s something wrong?” He asked Pinkie since Fluttershy seemed to be unable to answer for the moment. “It’s nothing…” Pinkie replied not exactly sure who to answer his question, “It’s just….a girl thing!” she ended up saying, it wasn’t the truth but it wasn’t a lie either. “Could you excuse us for a moment?” after she received a silent nod of confirmation, Pinkie quickly took her friend and walk her out of the store, leaving a puzzled Chris behind. “I wonder what was that all about” he asked himself out loud, before looking down to the floor only to find beef jerky. “Oh, Jerky!” he swiftly pick it up from the floor with a smile on his face. But before he could dig in, he stopped for a second to consider something. Why was Fluttershy crying and why was jerky on the floor near her? Then he remembered that she was a vegetarian. But why cry? He had eaten meat in front of her before, and she never complained or seemed uncomfortable. Why now? Upon his pondering, Chris lowered the jerky and put it back to a stand. He may not know the answer but he was sure he had to do something to cheer Fluttershy up. And if that meant giving up meat for the rest of the trip, well so be it. - Meanwhile, Fluttershy was sitting inside a bathroom stall with the door locked. “Fluttershy? Please tell me what’s wrong.” Pinkie, who was standing in front of the closed stall door, said as soft as possible, she didn’t want to alter her friend more. “I’ll try to help you the best I can, I promise! No, I Pinkie promise! Cross my heart and hope to fly…” “No, Pinkie…” The girl inside interrupted her, “It’s not something you can really help me with.” She said with a calmer voice, she wasn’t crying anymore. “I’m just confused.” “Confused about what?” asked Pinkie. Fluttershy didn’t answered, she remained silent and brought her face. She knew exactly what was confusing her; she wasn’t as naïve as many believed her to be. She knew who the cause of her confusion was but she still refused to admit it. “Pinkie…?” Fluttershy said after a whole minute of silence. “When you are near Dan…how do you feel?” she asked to her friend outside. Pinkie was left confounded, “Wha…?” That question completely came out of left feel. “Please…answer me!” pleaded Fluttershy from the inside of the stall. Pinkie was unsure, of what her friend was thinking, but if answering her question would help her, she would do it. “Well…when I’m near Dan…”Pinkie began, “…I feel…thrilled.” That was the closest emotion she could describe her feelings with, “His life is so exciting and fun! Sure, sometimes it can be scary…” she said remembering when Dan almost drowned in her arms, “but other times it’s exhilarating.” Like swimming with sharks, meeting exotic penguins and travel in a large ship with hippies. “What about his personality?” Fluttershy asked, she had seen Dan’s attitude and temper and she couldn’t see why her friend wasn’t alarmed by it. “Well…” Pinkie drew out for a couple of seconds, trying to find the right way to phrase her response. “I know he has a short temper and he’s kind of a grump but…” she paused again, this time it took less time to find her words, “but I don’t see it as a bad thing, that’s who he is.” “But that doesn’t bother you?” her friend asked perplexed by Pinkie’s answer. “No, where others see anger, I see something else…I see a person who feels alone and it’s afraid of losing the few things he cares about. He is like a child after he was forced to grow fast and now he clings to those few fond memories of his childhood when he was truly happy and before the worries of the world came upon his shoulders.” Pinkie told with her eyes closed and with sadness creeping into her voice. “That’s why he’s angry, he feels like the world is trying to take away those memories from him. If he feels something threatens those memories, he reacts the only way he knows how.” Fluttershy was trying to fight the tears from forming once again on her eyes. It was so sad, but she kept on listening intently. “But not everything is sad!” She quickly changed her tone to a more hopeful one, “When he feels safe, he reveals a side of him, he rarely shows. A happy side unadulterated by the fear of loss or loneliness. I have seen that side of him and I want to see it more, so I’ll try my best to make him feel happy.” After Pinkie finished, she heard the lock from the stall opening and received a very strong hug from Fluttershy, who was crying once more. “Oh no! I made you feel sadder. I’m so sorry Fluttershy!” The crying girls just shook her head. “It’s not that” she managed to say between her small sobs. “I’d … have never…guessed…” though she left the sentence hanging in the air, Pinkie understood what she was trying to say. After a few minutes of only Fluttershy decreasing sobbing, the hippie girl finally calmed. “Fluttershy? If you don’t want to tell me it’s okay, but whatever is wrong I’ll be here for you.” Reassured Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy blushed a little embarrassed. After Pinkie’s confession; her own “problem” seemed silly and childish by comparison. Still, her friend opened her heart for her, so it was only fair she did the same. “Uh…you see…I…kinda…like someone” She stuttered hesitantly. “Really!? That’s great! Who is it?” asked Pinkie excited. She was happy that her friend was becoming more and more confident. “Is it someone from back home? Or, or is someone from your friends online?” The small girl shook her head in negative, “actually… It’s someone I just recently met…” “Who? Who?” asked again Pinkie, she could barely contain her excitement. “It’s Chris”