//------------------------------//
// The Park [1] 
// Story: And Along Came Fluttershy... 
// by pyre_panda 
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		I sat across from a sniffling girl, Fluttershy, who was sitting next to my mother on the couch. Her damp, snot-filled tissues littered the floor in a careless pattern. The table where our cooling drinks sat was covered with half empty tissue boxes. Angel, her bunny, sat in a cage next to her feet.
Fluttershy tried to speak but every time she opened her mouth a shrill screech came out instead of words. She mopped the snot and tears from her face and looked up. My mother smoothed her hand over Fluttershy’s hair and out of her snot covered face. She cooed honeyed words towards her to calm her down.
“Dashie, honey. We are taking in Fluttershy here because her mother was... in an accident.” My mother’s voice was at a soft almost whisper. Fluttershy’s already bloodshot eyes burst into two waterfalls of tears. By this point she could have filled a mug or two with the salty brine. Instead she let the tears drip onto her legs and the floor.
“I’m sorry.” She cried, “I di-didn’t mean t-to do it, I sw-swear! I just f-forgot!” Her muffled words came out in globs of sloppy slurs. My mother pushed Fluttershy’s  head into her chest and pat her back softly.
“Shush honey, I know.” My mother tried to comfort the shrieking introvert. “I know it wasn’t your fault. But you have to be more careful when you leave the house.”
“Um, mom?” I ask, I should’ve been surprised by how quiet my voice was, but the sight of the weeping girl kept my thoughts away from stupid things like that. “What exactly happened?” I asked quietly, as I sat there with a questioning look pointed at Fluttershy. My mother looked back up at me and shook her head as if to say, ‘Not right now.’ she then stood up, prompting Fluttershy to do the same. She helped the feeble weeping girl up the stairs, I could hear her sniffling echo down back to the living room for a few moments followed by the soft click of a door closing then silence. When she returned she looked at me, her face full of sadness.
“Dashie.” my mom started, her voice laced with sorrow when she explained what had happened,  “Earlier today Fluttershy had to take Angel to the vet. He was coughing and sneezing, it was really bad. When she came home her house was engulfed in flames,” She paused, choking up slightly then gulped and continued, “With her mother still inside.” My mother hugged me tightly and my eyes started to become blurry. “Well, Fluttershy had been cooking. She was turning on her gas stove, then Angel started… coughing.” Her voice was shaking and a few tears dripped down her face. “The flame never caught the gas that was coming out of the stove when Fluttershy had to leave. She gathered up some of the stuff Angel needed and left in a hurry.” My mother bent her head downwards and started to weep. When she looked up I could tell she knew more than just Fluttershy’s story.
“I remember getting a call from her mom. She was driving home, because she heard what had happened to Angel. When she got into the house I remember her telling me about how bad the air smelled and how much she wanted to get rid of it. So she… lit… a scented candle.” More tears rolled down her raw face as she tried her hardest not to cry. “I feel like I can still hear all of the sounds that came from my speaker. She was screaming, crying, and choking and I could do was stand there. I tried to call 911 but every time I said I would get her help she would cry out ‘NO! WHERE”S FLUTTERSHY?!’ instead. It took me a minute or two to call the fire department and get her to talk to me again.” Her face became puffier and redder with each tear that fell. “‘She is fine.’ I said. ‘She is out with Angel and she is ok.’ She calmed down and stopped struggling out from under the rubble. I still regret that. If I would have said Fluttershy was in trouble, maybe then she would still be alive. She intrusted Fluttershy into my care, and so far I am doing a pretty shoddy job at it.”
My heart started to hurt. I could never imagine going through any of that. If I even tried to I think I would vomit. I shook free of my mother’s grasp and bounded up the stairs. I stopped just short of my door. I heard the muffled cries of the timid girl wailing into my pillow. The ache in my chest then turned into a sudden weight crushing my heart as I listened to her crying behind the door. I stood stock still for Celestia knows how long before I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned around and ran back down the stairs. 
“Is something wrong honey?” My mom looked puzzledly at me while wiping her face with a cool, damp cloth.
“Nope, nothings wrong. Nothing whatsoever. Nope. I’m Good.” I stammered on and on. I slowly turned and walked back upstairs. Fluttershy’s cries echoed through my barren room, so I just slumped down against the wall. And I cried. Like really cried.
The weight in my chest just got heavier and heavier. I felt so bad for her. Her house, her life. Hell, even her mom! She has lost so much in such a short time, but that ends now. I picked up Angel and took him from his cage. I opened the door a crack and poked his head through.
‘Fluttershy.’ I whispered in a lower voice. ‘Fluttershy, you up?’ I shook Angel a bit to make him look like he was talking. ‘Can I come in Fluttershy?’ I saw through the gap that she nodded her head, so I crept in and bounced Angel so he could ‘walk’.
“Angel, I am so happy you’re all right!” Fluttershy wiped her eyes. “Are you feeling any better?”
‘I am doing great, thank you Fluttershy!’ Angel yawned ‘But I am a bit tired. Can I come sleep with you?’ I bounced the white rabbit over to the edge of the bed. He hopped out of my hands and onto her chest. He bopped her chin with his forehead and laid down.
The weepy girl had long since stopped crying. She sat up on my bed and pet her sleepy, furry friend. I got up to leave but she clasped her tiny hand around one of my wrists. I turned around to see her looking back up at me through the hair that covered her face, those turquoise eyes, red and puffy from crying for so long, seemed to stare into my soul with a pleading look. “Please, don’t go.” she whispered, her voice cracked softly. I sat back down on a low chair near my bed and held her hand.
Eventually she started to fall asleep. Her bright eyes glazed over as she closed them slowly. Her breath getting deeper and more even than her half-frantic breaths from earlier. Her hand was warm, and she never let go.

~

I ended up sitting there the whole night. My back was sore, my butt was sore, and I think I had a foot cramp. Angel had scampered under my bed the night before and burrowed into my clothes hamper.
Fluttershy was a crumpled pile on the loosely made bed. She had curled up into a ball around my hand. Her face pinked softly when she started to cry in her sleep. I watched in the pale moonlight as her tears flowed down her cheeks before being soaked up by the bedsheets. The weight in my chest returned then I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, hoping to stop the tears from flowing, she squeezed back and they did.
I barely moved that night and by the time dawn came I was starving and my stomach gave a quiet growl. I needed to get back downstairs to grab some food, but Fluttershy was still holding on to my hand. To release her death grip, I pushed Tank between her harms to wrench them open. 
I quietly snuck downstairs and into the kitchen. The smell of milk and plant water never smelled better! Except maybe that one time I got sick at the Young Flyers competition and upchucked my corn dogs on the windshield. That was bad. Like really bad.
I got a few pints of jam and dished a spoonful of each on the plate. Next to the sweets was plain toast, a little burnt, but I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t mind. A couple of bunny apples decorated the plate in a girly fashion. I walked back up the stairs and opened the door to my room. I set the plate down next to her on my night stand. I gathered some clothes up and slipped through the bathroom door. 
The water was warm against my suit, but hot against my face. I tried to wash my hair but every time I moved the soap around it globed white foam all over the place. I gave up and stood under the water for a good fifteen minutes until all of the white had washed away.
A click sounded at the door, then followed by some slight rustling. Then Fluttershy flung open the thin curtain. I let out a small gasp and hid my already covered body and turned my head to avoid looking at her. She simply sleepily climbed in the shower with me and slumped against the wall, under the water. I stood there, staring at her bare back for about thirty seconds. Then I turn and carefully got out of the shower. I wrapped up in a towel and quickly got down the stairs.
“Not useful, you said. No one will walk in on you, you said!” I said towards my mother, who was on the couch. “Well I’ll have you know, this suit was the only thing between my naked body and Fluttershy’s eyes!” 
“Right, like she would like to look at a washboard like you, Rainbow Dash.” My mother snickered. She sipped on her coffee and looked smugly. It isn’t my fault I haven ’t grown in yet. Yeah sure, I might be sixteen, but we all take time to grow. Right?
‘But it still isn’t fair. Fluttershy is my age isn’t she? Why is she so full? Gosh... WHY AM I THINK ABOUT THIS? GAH’ I thought. I shook my head and buried it in my hands. I looked at my flat stomach and frowned.
Fluttershy came in, dressed up in some of her old clothes. A ratted tee shirt, some shorts and pink flats. My mother hopped up from her slumped posture and tugged at Fluttershy’s shoulders.
“Oh no, This won’t do. Not at all.” She pulled Fluttershy into her bedroom and shut the door. The sounds that came from under the door seemed... awkward. Fluttershy made a few squealing sounds and kept saying, “No. I don’t want to put that on!” a lot.
A few minutes of torture and my mother released Flutters from her captivity. She had emerged from the darkened room in a bright yellow sweater, a shortened pink skirt, her pink shoes, and a pink butterfly clip. Her naturally pink hair was perfectly brushed and she had some light colored lip gloss.
Fluttershy awkwardly walks from my mother’s overbearing grasp. She looked down at her feet and shyly swaying back and forth.
“Does she look good or what?” my mother said, clearly cocky of her handy work.
“Good. She  look… well…  great. Really, you look really good, Fluttershy.” I replied. Well, that was all I could say. I just looked at her. I grabbed her hand and pulled her out the front door. I carried her to the car and put her in. The I turned over the ignition. She sat in the car staring out the window for about ten minutes before we parked the car.
“We’re here, get out.” I said playfully. She opened up the car door and I pulled her out to a big grassy field. The mostly bare landscape was dotted with trees and dirt patches. To the left was an empty table and to the right was a table with a few people. From the middle it looked a lot bigger than it really was.
“Wait what? Where are we and when did we get here?” She asked, quietly and confused.
I tugged on her hand and pulled her onto the grassy landscape, “We're at the park. I feel bad about what happened to you and your mother yesterday, so I wanted to take you somewhere quiet. Someplace you can feel safe.”
We sat at the empty table and talked for a few hours. I learned a lot about her. She was sweet, quiet, loved animals. She lived with her mom in the small cottage on the edge of town. She dropped out of flight school because she was afraid of heights and she is homeschooled as of two years ago.
I saw from over her shoulder that two guys were approaching us from behind Fluttershy. One of the brutes kicked his leg up and rested it on the table.
“Hey honey, how are you.” The thick headed brute cooed at Fluttershy. “What’s your name? Huh doll?” The second brute played with her hair and Fluttershy let out a sharp gasped.
“Fluttershy.” She said quietly. “My name is Flutter-” Her voice was almost a whisper. The shorter guy grasped a chunk of her hair from behind her and yanked upwards.
“What was that? I can’t hear you.” He yanked her hair up again.
“Let. Go. Of. Fluttershy.” I said calmly with a hint of panic in my voice. 
“Fluttershy is it? I’ll call you Flutters. Can I call you Flutters?” He moved in closer to her, and she cringed. “How about you ditch mister scrawny bones over there and hang out with a couple of real guys? Huh? How does that sound Flutters?”  He ordered the other brute to remove his hand from her hair.
“Rainbow Dash isn’t my boyfriend. SHE is a new friend of mine and my only means finding my way home.” Her voice was quiet. The sound of her heart pumping blood was louder than she was.
One of the brutes grabbed my arm. “So she is?” He looked over my flat frame and scowled. He pushed me towards the stocky one and released his grip. The stubby lug wrapped his greedy eyes and fingers over my stomach. I tried to wrench him of but  ended up elbowing him in the face. 
“Now If you will excuse us. We have to get going..." I was cut off by the remaining brute and was kneed in the stomach. ‘Oh hell no.’ I thought. I swept his legs out from under him and picked up Fluttershy in a badass manner. I kicked one of his hands out of our way and walked down the hill. I collapsed under the weight of her and she neatly landed in my lap. I threw my head back and laid it against the ground. She did the same so that we made a cross pattern from our bodies.
“You need to learn how to stand up for yourself Fluttershy, I won’t always be there to do it for you.” I said clutching my now sore elbow. She sat up and leered over my face. Her eyes met mine for a brief second. I could feel my face getting warm so I looked away. When my face was turned she kissed my cheek. I looked back at her with surprise written on my face.
“I hope I don’t have to deal with a situation like that ever again.” She said quietly and laid back against the ground and we looked into the starry face of the night sky.
We started our treacherous drive back to the gleaming city street where my house was built. Single file, the wood and brick housings droned on for miles. Most of them blurred together as the car slickly drove past. 
Once we got home, I carried Fluttershy up the stairs and put her on the bed. I ended up falling asleep not to long after that, curled up on the bed. As I was falling asleep I felt her pull a cover over my body. When she tried to slip into her pallet, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to me.