Heart-a-Flutter

by Shadowmane PX-41

Lakeside

Keychain and Fluttershy finally broke through the forest, arriving by the lake. A tranquil, titanic spot of water rippling gently as the wind brushed the surface. The way that the ground seemingly blended in with the water, coupled with the rolling fog in the distance made Key think that the place was something out of a fairytale; partially believing that out of nowhere, some woman was going to rise up from the lake and walk on it.

On the edge of the lake to their right, a small fishing site had been set up with a campfire, multiple lounging chairs, a trio of fishing poles, a couple of coolers, and Keychain's friends. Lemon Zest, Cyber Shock, and Bench Press were all there talking to each other or using the poles to fish. As soon as Lemon Zest noticed them, she waved from the distance, prompting Key to come over with Fluttershy still on his shoulders.

"Well. There they are. Ya excited for this, Fluttershy?" Keychain asked as he made his way. He didn't get any words out of Fluttershy's mouth, but instead, he felt his head get hugged by the tiny, timid toddler with small, high-pitched coos accompanying it. "Cat got your tongue? You can say it to me if you want."

Fluttershy leaned over, pointed to Bench Press and Cyber Shock. As she pointed, she whispered into Key's ears, "Not special. Her, special," she said as she pointed over to Lemon Zest afterwards. "Only talk to special."

"They're not special? Well, that's harsh..." Keychain picked Fluttershy off of his head and let her feet touch the ground. "Well, don't tell them that. I mean, not that you'd want to tell them, since you don't think they're special. But just... let's just move on, okay? Okay." Keychain pushed his arms out, trying to stumble his way out of the already awkward chat he had been having with her. "Hey, guys! How are ya?" He asked, forcing a smile that looked crooked by his cheeks.

"Key! Ya made it!" Lemon Zest bounded over from her spot at the lake's edge, slid up to Keychain and Fluttershy, then knelt down and tousled Fluttershy's hair. "How ya doing, you two? Have a good night's sleep?"

Fluttershy giggled as Lemon's fingers brushed her pink, well-styled hair. She reached up and clapped both of her hands against Lemon's head, smiling as she rubbed her nose against Lemon's. "Special!"

"Aww, thanks, kid." Lemon chuckled as she spoke, giving Fluttershy another pat on the head. "You're pretty special yourself, ya know that?"

"That storm last night really was something, huh?" Cyber Shock strolled up to Keychain as Fluttershy played with Lemon Zest. "I heard that the wind speed was enough to have severely damaged these trees. It's a sheer miracle that they're still standing, otherwise this place would've been a mess of bark and leaves."

"Yeah, I'm not really one to talk about the connotations of a storm and how powerful it is, Cyber. Didn't help that it really scared the living daylights out of Fluttershy last night..." He rubbed the back of his head and watched as Fluttershy climbed up Lemon's back, sat on her shoulders and pointed forward for an adventure, prompting Lemon to jog slowly off with her riding her. "Poor girl. She tried to be brave. And for the most part, she was with all of her special things as she called them, but even the storm got to her. She came running out of the room with tears in her eyes, wanting me to save her from the monster that she thought was stalking her."

"Well, I do have to admit that she's brave for all of this, but... that's something that's not gonna last." Cyber Shock scratched his chin. "Remember the issue of how she's not got her parents with her?"

"Oh... right. That." Keychain looked down to the ground, feeling his hands begin to stiffen up a little and grow cold. The wind blew across them as he stooped himself in his own little thoughts. "I've got my mom and dad working on finding out who and where Fluttershy's parents are. Then as soon as we establish some kind of contact, we'll be able to send her home happy and free."

"Yeah. But at the same time, I think she's really going to miss you once she goes home. Along with Lemon, looks like it." Cyber Shock watched as Fluttershy giggled the whole while as Lemon came back around, then picked her off of her head. "See, the thing about little kids, they don't ever want to forget good things and friends that they make along the way. She's gonna feel really upset that she's leaving you, but it's for the best in the end. Her mother and father are the most important part of her life."

"I know, I know. Still... is it wrong of me to think that, I dunno, maybe in some other universe or something, that I was actually Fluttershy's dad?" Keychain let out a heavy sigh as he laid his hand down on Cyber's shoulder. "I mean, it's a crazy and bizarre concept to even comprehend, but... I feel that I've actually started to connect with her since we first met each other. I dunno, I can't help but feel a tad guilty that I'm giving her up so soon without her getting to know me as a friend."

"Hey, hey. Key. You're not in the wrong about any of this." Cyber Shock just ended up patting Key's back. "Fluttershy found you and you're raising her until her parents come back. In my eyes, you're morally correct on a lot of aspects. Don't try to put yourself down about all of this. I'm sure that you'll be able to bond with her a bit more before her parents do eventually come along and take her back with them." He grinned at the sight of Lemon Zest letting Fluttershy down and watching her scurry off to the lake. "Besides, it looks like she's having fun with the situation."

"As long as she keeps that smile up, she doesn't even feel like she needs her parents to be happy. She just thinks that her 'special things' are all that she needs. It's cute but... at the same time it's a little bit worrying, all things considered." Keychain rubbed the back of her neck as Fluttershy leaned over at the water's edge, watching something skittering across it, just underneath the surface. Both he and she could see the little trails that the creature inside left as it darted along. "She's three, maybe even four years old, yet she thinks that anything she dubs special can make her happy, without her parents even being there. That can be a dangerous lifestyle for someone so young."

"Then you just need to rein her in. Let her know that family is just as important as special things. If Fluttershy can learn the importance of family, then she'll be much more complacent with going home with her mom and dad instead of wanting to stay with you forever instead."

"True. But how do I even do that when I'm not even part of her family? How can I tell her to love something else when she sees me as someone special to her?" Keychain cocked a brow. "She's just gonna think that I'm the only family she'll ever want!"

"Key, Key. You're overthinking things here. Fluttershy isn't stupid. She's going to figure out that her mom and dad are just as important to her. And if you can't teach her, then she'll see with her own eyes when they come and collect her in the end." Cyber Shock took Keychain by both shoulders and pushed down with minimal force. "Just remember to breathe, be patient, and make sure that you teach her right."

Keychain took a deep sigh, looked down to his hands, felt the sweat begin to mount on his forehead, then walked a few steps forward. "You know, I'm gonna be totally honest with you, Cyber. I've never had children before. Never once had an interest in having one either. And not just because of the idea that my love life is a mess. But you see... the thing with Fluttershy... she's actually not bad for a kid. She knows what's right or wrong, she's curious but not too much of a troublemaker, and she's not overly dependent on others pushing and pulling her in the right directions. She's shy by name, but not by nature."

"And your point is?" Cyber Shock tilted his hand outward.

"I think... I think if I ever did want to have kids, I'd want them like her. I'd want my kids to be like Fluttershy." Keychain watched as Fluttershy dropped to her tummy and poked the water, trying to see if she could attract the attention of the fish within. With one last poke, she saw a fish leap out of the water, causing Fluttershy to laugh and clap her hands in delight.

"Ah, such is the burden of good children. It pains you to let them go off into the world when there's so much that they do for you and your life." Cyber Shock pushed his glasses closer to his face. "Well, whatever path you wish to take involving Fluttershy, I'll always be there to support you. Me, Bench, and Lemon."

"Thanks, Cyber. Really. I mean it." Keychain gave him a partial grin as he walked over towards Fluttershy. He reached down, scooped her up, then felt a full grin come back. "Hey, kiddo. How've you been? Enjoying your time with Lemon?"

Fluttershy nodded with a coo and brushed her hands all over Keychain's face, trying to reach over him and grab onto his back. As soon as her body language translated in Keychain's mind, her request was granted, and she beamed even more when she once more mounted him. "Key! Special!"

The words rang again in Key's mind as he carried Fluttershy back over to the site where everyone else's equipment laid on the natural earth. For as little time as he had known her, she had already made her bond to him very clear. An oath unspoken by words, put upon by a girl with a mind not yet fully developed. A fragile bond that could sever at any minute if it were to see strain or difficulty. He couldn't treat her wrong or try to lead her off of loving him with what she had done with him, but at the same time, he thought that she made her stance perfectly clear that she wanted to be with him forever. He found himself stuck between a toddler's love and the morals he and Cyber had been discussing.

---

With everyone all set up and properly introduced, Bench Press gathered everyone with the fishing rods by the water's edge. One by one, he and the others swung their rods back and forth, trying to build up momentum on their lines. The speed that the hooks danced through the air at concealed them from view, completely invisible if not for the rod that they were attached to. With one final swing, the four grown-ups cast their lines into the water, striking out as far as they could, with their hooks and bait pummeling the water one after another.

Fluttershy watched from the side, eyeing up Keychain and the rod that he was using. The rod was nothing special; a bland black strip of painted wood, garnished with small rings that straightened up the line, which seemed non-existent to her with how thin it was. Waddling up, she tugged at Keychain's legs, then pointed towards the line stretching out into the aquatic mass beyond.

"Hm?" Keychain pulled himself away from the fishing to notice Fluttershy looking up at him. "What is it, Fluttershy?" He asked with a lifted brow.

She pointed at the rod, then out towards the lake.

"What am I doing? Well, I'm fishing, of course." He said, patting her on the head. "Fishing's a grown-up thing that we do where we take these lines and throw them in the lake. We use them to catch fish, bring them back to the surface, then leave them in the cooler right there." His finger jabbed towards it.

"Fish can be used for a bunch of different things, Fluttershy. You can have 'em as pets, eat them, put them on the wall, the list goes on." Lemon put her hand to her mouth when she saw Fluttershy curl up. Perhaps the thought of fish brutality had been struck on her. "Oh... Oh, that's right. You're an animal lover. Forgot about that. Well... just forget I said anything."

"Too late for that now, Lemon." Bench Press rolled his eyes. "Now, Fluttershy's gonna think that we're heartless fish murderers. The poor girl's gonna look at the fish, feel sorry for them, then try and put them back in the water."

"Fluttershy. I wanna make something perfectly clear about what Lemon said..." Keychain quickly pulled Fluttershy in close, seeing some tears beginning to form in her eyes. He cuddled her sideways as his grip on the rod loosened. "There, there, girl. Don't cry. Please... for me." But it was too late. A few small sniffles came from Fluttershy as muffled sobs could be heard. With Fluttershy wallowing, Keychain shot a small glare into Lemon's eyes. "Thanks a lot, Lemon. Insensitive, much?"

"It was a slip of the tongue! I didn't mean it like that!" Lemon threw her arm downward.

"Well, howewer you did mean it, Fluttershy's crying because of what you said..." Keychain completely ignored the rod, sticking it down into the ground as he pulled Fluttershy in even closer. "Come on, girl. Your special is here. You feel better, right?"

Fluttershy pulled herself out of the hug for a second, still sniffing with some slight tears left in her eyes. The initial shock had finally dissipated, but the scar remained fresh in her mind. The fact that fish; an animal in the world that she had come to know and love purely for its' many animals would be so easily eaten by Keychain and his friends was enough to have broken her. Throughout her little scare, she still reached up for Keychain, getting her lift instantly. "Special... eat fishie?"

"No. No, no, no, no, no. You've got it all wrong, Fluttershy. I don't usually eat fish like that to scare little ones like you. In fact, I won't eat fish in general if it puts you off of this whole thing. It was just something STUPID that Lemon just happened to say in the heat of the moment." Keychain put a hand on Fluttershy's chest as he sat her down on his laps. "And even if I wanted to eat the fish, I can't because eating it straight out of the lake could be bad for my health."

"Special... not eat?" Fluttershy tilted her head slightly, the sadness starting to fade. "Then... why fish?" She asked.

"We fish for fun. Not sport." Bench Press took a hold of the situation as he started to pull back the reel, retracting his line with something splashing on the other end. "Every month, we always come fishing as a little game, catching the biggest fish that we can, taking a picture of it, then comparing to the other fish that we've caught. We always dub the best one out of us the Kingfisher each time."

"So far, Keychain has won this event five different times, with Bench Press closely behind him at four. Lemon has won it twice and I... have yet to do so." Cyber Shock noticed that his rod was wiggling, so he too decided to reel in the fish at the end of it. "But to be fair, this hasn't even lasted for a year, so there's plenty of time for me to land a big catch and win the little game each time."

Keychain and Lemon's rods started to wiggle with activity as well, so both of them went for the rods. Fluttershy clambered off and looked at the rods with a raised eyebrow and her hand by her mouth. Moments later, fish adorned the rods and Lemon whipped out the camera. She snapped a quick photo of each of the rods and the fish on them before the group all dropped the fish into the cooler, letting them swim around as normal. After which, Fluttershy waddled over towards the cooler and looked inside.

As Keychain and the others took some time to load their rods up with new bait, Keychain stalled and looked over at Fluttershy, who had been seemingly hypnotised by the fish inside the cooler. Once his rod was baited up, he came over to her side and snapped the girl out of her trance.

"Fishie..." Fluttershy pointed into the cooler. "Fishie... sad."

"I know that it's a sad sight, Fluttershy. But it's not going to be there forever." Keychain looked into the cooler and felt a sense of familiarity with the fish inside. They had been separated from their home in the lake, and stuck in a place that was unfamiliar to them, wherein their movements and actions were restricted, and the people watching over them had no real attachment to them. "It's strange... The more I look at these fish, the more they remind me of... myself. And this whole situation with you, Fluttershy. Do you... even remember your mom and dad?"

Those words caused Fluttershy to curl up slightly, hanging her head as some of the hair on top concealed her face again. "Mommy... Daddy... Lost." She muttered. "They... Lost."

"Yes, I know that they lost you. But you'll soon be able to find them again. There's tons of people that are gonna be helping me to find them for you." Keychain reached down to Fluttershy, knelt to her height, then put a hand on her shoulders. "Mommy and daddy are gonna come and find you soon. And when they do, I guarantee you'll be happy."

"No." Fluttershy shook her head. "Me... not lost. Mommy and daddy... They lost. They lost. Not me."

"They're... lost?" Keychain cocked his own brow.

Fluttershy nodded, then toddled up to him. "Mommy and daddy... go somewhere. Leave me."

"Calm down, Fluttershy. Just try and breathe for a second." Keychain brought her in close. "Can you remember anything else that might give me a clue as to where mommy and daddy are?"

Fluttershy tried to say something else, but the memory of her mom and dad leaving her like that didn't do her any favours. Her body started to contort as the tears came back. "Mommy... daddy... special." She sniffled again until she started to wail again, throwing herself into Keychain's body once more so that he could sponge up her tears.

"You poor, poor thing." Keychain gave her another big cuddle, closing the cooler as he did so. Once the lid was shut, he patted Fluttershy on the back and let her cry away even more. The long-shown bravery that she had always exerted was finally gone, showing her true colours. She was a little kid lost in a world she didn't have any clue on and didn't know where her mommy and daddy were. "It's okay. Special is here. And special is going to make you feel happy until we can find them again..."

During the hug, Keychain's pocket started to vibrate. He pulled the phone out as he was cuddling Fluttershy, waited until she started to calm down a tad, then answered the caller on the other side. "Talk to me." He said.

"Keychain? I was looking into Fluttershy's heritage through some kind of online website, and I managed to find something," Whitewater came through on the other end. "I managed to find Fluttershy's parents. And according to some further digging and a bit of looking into the news, they're still alive and worried sick about her."

"That's good. At least we know that they didn't meet some kind of horrible, grizzled end." Keychain breathed with relief as he gave Fluttershy some more pats on the back. "Did you find out anything more? Have they started putting up posters or left the public with something that they could use to contact them if they found her?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid. There's a few complications that I wanna bring up, but they've not got the energy to search the entire continent and the news is only just starting to break out. I don't think it'd be possible that they'd leave their phone numbers out there just yet when the story's just starting to be told," said Whitewater. "But don't worry. I'll keep you updated as soon as I have a line of access that we can use to call them. Then, it shouldn't be long after before she finally gets to go home."

"Yeah. Home..." Keychain grinned. "Thanks for that, mom. You're a lifesaver." He hung up, slid the phone away, then just returned to his hug, hearing Fluttershy's cries melt like butter once again. "Don't worry, Fluttershy. It'll all be over soon. Mommy and daddy are worried about you too and they're gonna find you soon enough. I'll make sure of it..."

Comments

[The Bricklayer]

So, this is interesting... I have a feeling there's more to this then what's being told. The way Fluttershy phrased things, and the fact that only now Fluttershy's parents are starting to come to light -seriously if I lost my kid I'd be searching the ends of the earth for her as soon as I lost her- it raises some very uncomfortable questions...

(Also, is it wrong to ship Lemon/Key?)

[FourShadow]

... those parents have abandoned their child, didn't they?

[Shadowmane PX-41]

9812512
No. Not at all. They’ll find them in the end.

Fluttershy’s parents aren’t that heartless.

[FourShadow]

9812516

*wipes sweat off head* Oh thank goodness.

[The Bricklayer]

9812516
See, this I applaud you for. Anyone can come to write an adoption story, with the cliche child abandonment. It takes guts for the author to actually have loving, flawed parents who just lost their child -no evil involved- and the main is just going to give her back. At the very least, points to the unexpected.