Elliot sat at the table just staring at his food. Occasionally he would pick up a French fry and nibble on it. He didn’t feel hungry and only ate because he knew he should. Food just didn’t appetizing to him anymore. After that one fateful night he was never the same. No longer wanting to pay attention to the food he looked around the cafeteria of his elementary school. He saw so many happy children, yet he didn’t understand it. He always thought to himself that happiness was fake and nothing was worth striving for. Friends seemed pointless when Elliot knew that everything faded away at some point. Eventually Elliot was brought from his thoughts when two older children sat down on both his left and right. Sighing deeply Elliot kept picking at his food trying to ignore the two.
Eventually the two newcomers got tired of being ignored and started the conversation themselves. “That my food?” the larger of the two asked. Elliot continued to ignore them hoping that they would eventually go away on their own.
Suddenly Elliot was thrust to his side as the other guy shoved him roughly. “Answer him when he asks you a question!” he nearly shouted.
Elliot decided to keep ignoring them and stood up. He began to walk away hoping as much as he could that the two would just leave him alone and not follow him. Before he got very far, however, the larger kid grabbed Elliot by the shoulder and yanked him back down into his seat. He then grabbed Elliot by the chin and turned his face to him.
“Now listen here you little shit, I deserve some respect. You try and ignore me and my friend here one more time we’ll take pleasure in kicking your puny ass. Got it?” he finished his short rant with the simple question.
Elliot froze. He hated confrontations and was too scared of the bully to even say anything at all. The two bullies began to get even angrier due to not receiving and answer and they started to get ready to beat Elliot up.
However before the fight began a hand gently placed itself on the larger boys shoulder. “Leave him alone. Now,” a gentle but stern voice told them. The three boys turned to see who had spoken up and they saw a cute little redheaded girl with bright emerald green eyes. Elliot stared at his savior and allowed his first smile in a long time to spread across his face. The girl however was giving the bullies an extremely menacing glare. Even though she was only half their size she had the presence of someone who could easily beat the both of them in a fight.
Feeling slightly nervous the two boys stood up and give little chuckles. “Looks like puny little Elliot needs a girl to
fight his battles for him. Whatever, we’ve got bigger fish to fry,” the smaller one said as the two scurried off trying to seem like they had only grown bored of the situation.
The girl sat down beside Elliot. She looked at him with her soft emerald eyes and offered a friendly smile. “Sorry about those two. I’m Evelyn, what’s your name?” she asked politely.
Elliot looked down at his lunch tray. “Elliot,” he said softly under his breath. He couldn’t believe that he was sitting next to such a beautiful girl. After such a long time of him not having a single ray of hope appear in what he felt was a meaningless existence, he felt that Evelyn could finally bring him some happiness. He knew instantly that this girl would have a lasting impression on his life. This didn’t last long, however, as he suddenly blacked out.
Elliot sat in the chair nervously twiddling his thumbs. Through the closed door he heard Dr. Stevenson talking to his foster parents. “Don’t worry. He may not show signs of improvement, but with more therapy I’m positive that we can help him to live out a healthy childhood. Sadly after what he went through it could easily take many sessions before there is any progress.”
Hearing the doctor’s words began to force memories back into the forefront of his consciousness. Elliot began to tune everything else out as an extremely vivid recollection of that night began to take shape.
Hush now, quiet now
Elliot remembered waking up to screaming. The memory was so intense that he could completely feel the very same emotions he felt that night. He felt the fear as he slowly descended the steps. The fear only grew in intensity as he made it to the bottom step and rounded the corner into his living room.
It’s time to lay your sleepy head
Elliot began to shiver as his recollection brought about the worst part of his memory. He felt himself slip back into that exact moment in time losing track of everything else in the world. The first thing he noticed was the fresh coat of crimson lining the once white living room walls. Elliot felt the fear reach its peak as he saw the barely recognizable corpse of his mother on the ground. He looked up to see his father standing over the body a meat cleaver in his hand. His dad’s shoulders were heaving up and down from the amount of energy he had exerted in butchering his wife.
Hush now, quiet now
Elliot froze in fear. No matter how much he told his body to run it didn’t respond. The only action that his mind allowed him to take was to begin screaming. His father gave a quick glance at his young son but just as quickly turned away. He grabbed a red container and poured a liquid on his wife’s corpse then he began to pour it on himself. Next he took out a zippo lighter, lit it, and dropped it on the body.
Elliot stared in shock as he watched the flames quickly engulf his mother and then his father. Elliot’s body finally reacted as his survival instincts began to kick in. As the flames began to spread around the room he began to run for the front door. He quickly opened it and ran outside. Once he felt that he was safe from burning alive he allowed himself to look back at his home. With the gasoline being used as an accelerant the flames quickly overtook the building. It didn’t take long for neighbors to call the fire department and to come outside and see Elliot on his knees watching the house burn down. Elliot began to cry and scream again. The fear and despair became too overwhelming and he eventually passed out from his young minds efforts to comprehend why this had just happened.
It’s time to go to bed
Elliot jerked awake as the screaming of his dream caused him to scream when he returned to the waking world. His heart was pounding harder than he thought possible and he felt a fine layer of sweat that covered his body and had seeped into the couch he was on. Feeling a hoof be place gently on his shoulder he slowly turned to look at Fluttershy. She was giving him an extremely worried look. Elliot tried to give her a reassuring smile but all that came up was a grimace.
“Are you okay? I saw you jerking in your sleep and I knew you were having a nightmare. I tried to wake you up but that didn’t work, so I tried singing one of my lullabies to you,” she said, her voice filled with concern.
Elliot gave a short nod. This had been his most realistic dream that he had had so far in Equestria. He felt tears forming in his eyes as he began to understand that these dreams were actually memories returning to him. Even though he tried to reassure Fluttershy he couldn’t show it no matter how hard he tried. The memory of his mother’s murder and father’s suicide were still too close to his main concerns be hidden behind an emotionless mask.
Before the tears started to flow too much, Elliot felt a pair of hooves wrap around his neck. He turned his entire body and leaned his face down into the crook of Fluttershy’s neck. Having someone there while he vented his sadness helped him immensely. This helped especially since Fluttershy was acting as a cushion instead of trying to talk about it.
After a while Elliot began to regain his composure and he was finally able to pull his head from her neck. “Thank you,” he managed to say softly. He pulled Fluttershy into a soft hug to express his true gratitude. As he did this he saw his hand as they were wrapped around her back. However they weren’t his usual hands as they were now sporting long claws instead of his fingers. Elliot quickly let out a shout and jumped back, his breathing and heart rate quickening.
Once he was free from Fluttershy he looked back at his hands only to find that they looked perfectly normal. Elliot slumped down on the couch and sighed. “Sorry about that, thought I saw something,” he said as he noticed the renewed look of worry on Fluttershy’s face. Elliot gave her a reassuring smile as he stood up and stretched some. “Trust me, I’ll be fine, I promise,” he said as he was getting his limbs to reawaken.
Elliot then started to get an odd feeling. He looked at himself and noticed just how dirty and ragged a state that he was in. “Hey Fluttershy, Do you have somewhere that I can get cleaned up? I haven’t had a shower in a few days now so I must reek,” Elliot asked hopefully.
“There’s a bathroom up the stairs and to the right,” Fluttershy muttered softly as a slight red flush crept into the
mare’s face.
“Thanks,” Elliot responded as he began to walk over to the stairs. As he climbed them he thought it weird that animals would even have these bathrooms to begin with. Once he made it to the top he saw the bathroom on his right, and he quickly made his way into the room. When he got inside he noted the simple layout and immediately shut the door. Elliot looked at himself in the mirror and saw just how dirty he had become. His clothes wear torn, tattered, and bloodied. He was caked with dirt and blood. Elliot soon became to self conscious of his current state to continue looking. He quickly undressed and got into the shower.
The shower itself was a great refresher for Elliot. It felt as if not only was the grime being washed away but so were his worries. However, after a short while he needed to get out and stop wasting so much water. As soon as he stepped out of the shower he hated that he had to put his dirty clothes back on. Once he was finally dressed he decided to look at himself in the mirror again. The glass provided a much steadier reflection than the creek he had originally looked at himself in. Elliot began to get a clearer picture of how he looked. One thing that he saw was that he had started to grow too much facial hair for his taste.
Suddenly an abnormality that Elliot knew shouldn’t be there caught his attention. When he looked himself in the eyes they remained their usual hazel color, however, his pupils were no longer the usual round ones that he was accustomed too. Elliot moved his face closer to the mirror so that he could get a better look at them. His pupils had changed to sharp slits like that of a snake or lizard. Elliot was too stunned to react. He wanted to shout out or scream, but his body refused to act. After Elliot got over his initial shock he began to wonder when and why his eyes had change. Elliot could think of no particular reason why, but he figured he could ask Twilight or even Zecora if his eyes were like this when they met him.
Once he had calmed down enough he walked out of the bathroom and went back down the stairs. As he reached the bottom step he began to smell some simple fruity smells coming from beyond the living room. Elliot followed his nose and found himself in a kitchen with Fluttershy flitting about the room setting various fruits on a pair of plates. Leaning against the doorframe, Elliot smiled as he watched her putting the finishing touched on the presentation for the meals. Once she was done he marveled at the beauty of what she had put together. The way the colors were delicately arranged enhanced the delicious look of the fruits to the point that Elliot actually found himself beginning to salivate.
Fluttershy then saw him standing there watching her and gave a sheepish smile. “I, uh, made us some food, if that’s okay with you,” she told him her voice remaining at its usual quiet level.
“Wow, Fluttershy you didn’t have to go to this much trouble. I wouldn’t have minded if you just handed me a piece of fruit that I could munch on,” Elliot said as he continued to gawk at the wonderful display.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy mumbled even more quietly than usual. She began to tear up a little and she started to hide behind her mane as she felt rejected.
Quickly realizing that he had been insensitive Elliot moved over to his plate of fruit. “This just looks so beautiful; you did a wonderful job Fluttershy. Thank you so much, I’m sure these fruits will be delicious,” he told her truthfully.
Fluttershy quickly perked up at his words. She smiled and took her own place at the table. Elliot gave her a quick glance before looking back at his food. His hunger now feeling too overwhelming, he began to eat the tastiest looking fruits first. The sheer number of different ones was almost enough to amaze Elliot. He enjoyed the tastes of apples, oranges, pineapples, pears, watermelon, peaches, bananas, grapes, and blueberries.
The silence however soon began to get to Elliot. He again looked at Fluttershy as she happily munched on small amount of the different fruits, often pairing some of it together to increase flavor. Wanting to break the silence Elliot tried thinking of something he could use to start a conversation or something. Thinking over his days in this world he tried his best to think what these ponies would find as suitable conversation material.
Remembering that he need new clothing Elliot finally came up with an idea of what he should ask about. “Is there anywhere that I could possible get new clothes? I know it will most likely be very difficult to get me some, but the ones I have right now aren’t really suitable for wearing anymore,” Elliot asked.
“I’m sure that my friend Rarity could make you some. She’s the fashion designer in town,” she said after making sure to swallow whatever fruit was still in her mouth. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you sound like you have to wear clothes?” she asked “If you don’t mind me asking that is,” she quickly added on.
“Well as a human I don’t have as much hair or fur as other animals, so clothes help to keep me warm for one thing. Also I have no natural covering for my more private areas so the clothes do that for me,” Elliot quickly responded without thinking too much. As soon as he noticed the blush setting in on her face he started to blush himself. “Sorry, I think that was a bit more information than you wanted to hear,” he said as he started pushing a blueberry around on his plate trying to seem invisible.
Doing the same as Elliot, Fluttershy kept her gaze focused on the fruit that inhabited her plate. “It’s alright,” she mumbled still uncomfortable. “I can take you to her boutique later if you would like,” she said trying to change the subject.
“I’d like that, but if I were to go into town that might cause a panic with the other ponies since I am an unknown creature,” Elliot replied with a sigh. “Do you know if she would be able to come here?” he asked hopefully.
“I could go and see, if that’s okay with you,” she told him. Elliot gave her a slight nod and smiled at her. He enjoyed the amount of kindness that this mare he just met was showing him. “I need to go shopping some anyway so I can go ahead and leave. Is there anything you might need?” she asked. Elliot quickly shook his head not wanting to ask too much of her. Fluttershy stood up and walked to the front door. “If you need help with anything you can feel free to ask Angel. I hope that he will behave himself while I’m gone though,” she said as she walked outside.
Before Elliot could ask he Angel was the door shut and Fluttershy was gone. Elliot sighed and looked back at his food. He had eaten his fill but wasn’t sure what to do with the rest of the fruits. Deciding that he should probably find Angel Elliot stood up from his chair. He began to walk around the house searching for signs of another pony that might live with her. After a short while Elliot gave up on finding him in the house.
Just before he could walk out the door, Elliot felt a slight tugging on his pants leg. He looked down to see a small white rabbit looking back up at him. “Aww aren’t you adorable,” he said as he knelt down and reached a hand out to pet the rabbits head. Before his hand made contact the bunny swatted it away. Elliot retracted his hand in surprise at the little bunny’s aggression. The bunny then pointed to the table that still held the food from earlier. Elliot followed the bunny’s outstretched paw and saw that it was directed at his plate. He then returned his gaze to the rabbit and saw he was now doing a sweeping motion with his paws.
“You want me to clean that?” Elliot asked looking right in the bunny’s small black eyes. It gave a curt nod and then crossed his arms and started tapping his foot. “But I need to find Angel first. Fluttershy said that if I needed something I should talk to him,” he replied starting to feel silly for talking to a bunny that wasn’t verbally responding. Elliot didn’t get a chance to think about that for long as the bunny pointed at himself proudly.
Elliot gave him an incredulous look. “You’re Angel?” he asked. Angel gave another nod and pointed at the food on the table again. Elliot looked over again and decided that he should at least clean up the mess for Fluttershy. He made his way over to the table and picked up the two plates that were still sitting there. Angel hopped on the table and began pointing at various fruits and then pointing somewhere else. “Is that where I should put them?” he asked the bunny again. Angel rolled his eyes and nodded his head again.
After Elliot had finished cleaning up the kitchen he walked back into the living room. He moved over to the couch and laid himself down. Getting into a comfortable position he decided that he could take a nap until Fluttershy got back.
Elliot woke up as soon as he heard the door open and a pair of voices coming inside. He sat up to try and find out who it was that had just come inside. Elliot saw Fluttershy and a white unicorn with a styled purple mane walking inside. Quickly standing up to look polite, Elliot tried to straighten his clothes some and make himself presentable.
Fluttershy was the first to notice him. She gave him a smile and began to introduce him. “Rarity, this is Elliot, Elliot this is Rarity,” she said as she gestured with her hoof between the white unicorn and Elliot.
Elliot gave the friendliest smile he could muster and said “It’s very nice to meet you Rarity, I hear you design clothes?”
“Why yes I do darling. Fluttershy here was telling me that you need some,” she replied before turning to look at
Elliot. “Oh my!” she managed to say before she fainted in front of the other two.
Elliot became extremely confused and looked at Fluttershy. She looked to be just as confused as he was, however she still quickly knelt down next to Rarity to make sure that she was okay. “I’m not that scary am I?” Elliot asked Fluttershy. She quickly shook her head back and forth as she stood up. Elliot walked over to the two and decided that he should move Rarity to the couch instead of leaving her on the floor. Before Fluttershy could say anything he picked Rarity up and set her on the couch.
“I guess that we’ll have to wait until she comes to before I can ask about those clothes,” Elliot said as he sat down on the ground. He leaned against the couch and sighed. He silently wished that he could have a somewhat normal day soon.
AN: Sadly I got a thumb down and I'm not sure why. If anyone doesn't like something in the story or the way I wrote something I wouldn't mind the critiquing. It could actually help the overall quality of the story. So don't feel afraid to point out what you think that I could improve upon.