//------------------------------// // The taste // Story: The Pink Haired Woman // by Seran //------------------------------// As the two men left the party, Fluttershy grew concerned for her reason of being there. She sat across from Mrs. Evans, who had a child at her feet, and was busy trying to keep her entertained. Fluttershy felt a rumbling coming from under her shirt. She signalled to Mrs. Evans, trying to show her new need. “Refreshments are that way honey,” she said as she pointed to the far end of the floor, too busy to show her to the table. She stood up slowly, her eyes forward, trying to avoid contact with the glances at her back. With her eyes wide, full of uncertainty, she looked across to the groups of friends and families that conversed and laughed together. She felt alone, afraid of all the strange men and women that stood around her. No one she knew was there to keep her company. However, her hunger was  getting the best of her as she blinded herself and walked towards the buffet. She focused on the salad that lay on the corner of the table. However, a strange bowl caught her eye. It was a large bowl of golden shreds of what reminded her of hay. Her mouth watered as she looked at the morsel that she had so many memories eating back home. She noticed  a man come close to her with a foam plate. “What would you like?” he said with a heavy accent. Fluttershy backed away from the table as she pointed at the tray that caught her attention. “Que pasa? You shy?” he asked playfully. “That’s lomo. Fried in manteca. You want some?” She didn’t understand some of the strange words he spoke, probably since it was neither English nor Equestrian. She politely nodded and watched as the man served it in a tortilla. Bewildered by the eating customs of this man, she inspected the item on her plate, first sight, then texture, then smell, and finally taste. The taste was something she never experienced before. The sweet taste captivated her as she went in for the second bite. She never thought to have tasted something so full of flavor. As she finished her plate she went to the server with a smile. “This is so good,” she said, What type of plant is this?” “No, it’s not a plant.” A man interjected from aside, “It’s pork leg fried in animal fat.” She fell silent, her lip quivering, feeling the muscle fibers stuck between her teeth. She grew more and more disgusted by her own actions. A blood-curdling scream came to her as the floor turned to the woman who had was on her hands and knees. Disgusted, she expelled the meat from her stomach as she cried for forgiveness to all her furry friends. As she fell to the floor with her knees and elbows touching she thought of what life the pig she just ate could have had. The people surrounded her as they wondered what happened. Suddenly John came rushing to her aid. Her tear soaked cheeks were enough to show him of her dilemma. “What happened?!” John screamed. The crowd fell silent as he looked around win anger. The man at the buffet raised his hand to explain in Spanish. “Hermano, le di lomo y gritó, no sabemos porque?” “Lomo? No te acuerdas? Ella es vegetariana.” John was confused. He turned to Fluttershy. “You ate meat.” He said in disbelief. With a soft whimper she buried herself into John’s shoulder. John listened as the crowd murmured.   None of them could believe what had happened. With his dignity John lifted her up and turned to the crowd. “I apologized for her behavior. But we are not your spectacle.” He said as he held her close and walked towards the exit. The crowd looked amongst themselves as they tried to comprehend what had occurred. After he closed the car door, John sat in silence as he contemplated where they were headed next. His mind could not even think of anything good happening after this day. He started the engine and headed away from the sunset, back into town with a disappointed look on his face. “John?” the faint voice called from the passenger seat. “Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t mean to ruin the party.” “It’s okay,” he replied. “I didn’t feel like staying anyway.” The car returned to silence. John glared out the windshield with a look that scared the woman in the car. Fluttershy didn’t like the silence. She tried to think of what to do to make the awkward feeling disappear. One thing was on her mind, the feeling that disgusted her. She licked her lips just remembering the flavor, her new instinct made her remember in salivation of the food she had ejected. “John?” she asked, “Why is meat so good?” John immediately turned to the side of the road and stopped the car. Fluttershy was sacred about the sudden action. With a heavy sigh John looked ahead. “Fluttershy, There is no need to try and skirt around the subject.” He said annoyed. “I know you hate meat. I have been hiding my steak from you when you weren’t looking. I just thought you would get upset because you knew what I was eating. I just thought you knew better as to keep yourself away from it so I wouldn’t have to help you.” “I, I…” she tried to explain. “I was attracted to it. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt like I wanted to eat it. I don’t know, it was so appetizing.” John looked at the steering wheel as he thought hard on what to say. “Fluttershy, listen, I know how hard it is for your to get accustomed here. We both had to make sacrifices to make it better for your stay. Now that I see you still struggling over the food here, I wonder what this entails for me.” He turned to her and looked into her eyes. “The agency told us the portal will be active on Monday, and you have to leave on that day. I’ve spent such a long time with you that I can’t see myself without you.” Fluttershy dreaded what the next words were. “Your blue friend may not think much of it, but I do love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Which means I can’t stay here.” John continued. “I told Joe today that I was going to leave Earth and live with you. I don’t have much here anyway, but at least I can know that I am going to be happy with you. Joe protested, he was one of the only people who took me in after the accident. I even felt like he cared about me. But I feel I can let them go if we need to go through.” “John, are you sure you want to go through with this?” Fluttershy asked. “I want to stay with you. I have lost a woman before and I don’t want to go through that again. I even made that promise to you and your friends that I would not want to break. I especially don’t want to break it to you. But I feel it will take a lot of will to get it done after today.” His tone turned sour. Fluttershy fell silent with a blush that couldn’t be noticed through the darkness. Her heart pounded as she remembered what a look in the eye meant from him. “I however still don’t know what this means now that I’ve seen you upchuck what you weren’t used to, even if it didn’t mean you were going against it. It just happened.” John tried to get his words out. “I just want to know I can adapt to your world as I go to live there. You did so well in the three weeks you were here. I wish I could do it as well.” “John, I–” She saw what he was going through. She placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping to ease the situation. “It has been hard getting used to this, especially with all your technology. But I want you to know, it can be done. And I will be glad to have you follow me. I care about you, and it will be tough not being able to see you every day.” She tried to look in his eyes through the dark. “you are the strongest willed person or pony I ever met. I am sure you will do fine.” John looked ahead with a smile making its way off his chin. “Sure, but there is one thing I want to do before Monday.” Fluttershy felt like something strange was about to happen. “How would you like to spend the day alone with Martha and her friends tomorrow?” John proposed to her. “Alone?” she stammered. “I want to go eat barbeque before I leave and maybe say my goodbyes to some people I know. Maybe they can take you to that new movie that came out, or something.” John explained his plan. “But John, what if something happens? What if you aren’t there to protect me?” Fluttershy felt worried. “We have phones to call each other. Plus, Martha carries a knife with her and knows self-defense.” He said as he got back on the road. “It’ll be fine.” “Okay,” Fluttershy didn’t understand this plan. However, if it’s something John wanted to do, she believed it would be okay.