Christmas Company

by LightDoinStuff

Chapter 12

"Okay, so you hold down and press the button- no, like this, then you keep pressing the button- there you go, doing good, okay now release it when I say- okay, let me catch up to you."

After eating lunch, Mark had decided with the time they had before going to see Sheila that he would try playing some games from his world with Fluttershy. Looking through his library, the answer hit him at once and was obvious in hindsight: Sonic The Hedgehog 2.

After reassuring the pegasus that they were freeing trapped animals, Fluttershy became much more enthusiastic about playing the game. While he had relegated her to playing as Tails, she didn't mind taking the sidekick role.

She was also proving to be a surprisingly fast learner.

"Okay, so now we're about to face Dr. Robotnik. Now, you can't die, so go ahead and practice jumping on him."

"I can do that." Fluttershy confirmed with a determined tone.

This was the pattern for a few hours as the two beat their way through the game. With Mark at the head and Fluttery providing good support, the two eventually sat back as the credits rolled.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that was quite a game, huh?"

Fluttershy nodded with a smile. "That was very fun."

Mark checked his watch. "Well, we still have an hour until we need to head out. Anything you want to do before then?"

Fluttershy thought for a moment, then shook her head.

Mark took his turn to think. "I don't think I ever showed you much social media. Would you like to see how my kind connects?"

Fluttershy nodded before running to grab her clipboard and pencil. The next hour passed by quickly, with Mark showing pictures of friends and family on his Facebook, telling humorous stories throughout. The pegasus remarked that she was surprised simply at how many photos could be accessed without needing a wall to hang them on.

"Yeah, that's the digital world for you." Mark commented before checking his watch. "But for now, we should get back to the real world. Sheila will be expecting us."

He turned off the computer and TV and joined Fluttershy in walking to the garage.

---

The setting had become familiar now: Sun behind the mountains, outdoor lights turning on, and the sounds of nature surrounding the vehicle. Both Mark and Fluttershy knew the only step now was to wait for their new friend to join them.

As if on cue, Mark saw the preserve building's doors open. Sure enough, there was Sheila once again, locking up for the night.

She walked over to Mark's car, which was parked right next to hers, stopping by his driver seat window, which he was slowly lowering.

"You ready?" She asked.

"Absolutely." Mark replied with a smile.

With formalities out of the way, the two were shortly on their way out of the preserve parking lot and off to Sheila's house. The drive there was far less tense than the day prior, which allowed Mark to appreciate the sights surrounding them. There were large rocky hills that separated the roads from the preserve - not quite to the level of mountains, but still something worthwhile enough that plenty of people got out of their cars for climbing and taking pictures in the area. Off to the right was a running river separated by that familiar chain-link fence from yesterday.

Despite the beauty of the area, Mark noticed it was considerably less populated than usual. Presumably most preferred to stay indoors and enjoy the warmer temperatures, rather than risk falling through some deceptively solid-looking ice and snow.

He was just glad it meant less eyes on himself and Fluttershy.

With the trio eventually arriving at Sheila's house, Mark quickly moved to the backseat doors to let the pegasus out. Leaping out, Fluttershy took the opportunity to stretch before walking beside Mark into the cabin.

The setting once again felt different than the previous day - much more cozy now that the air of mystery and fear had dissipated. Sheila was in the kitchen preparing a pitcher of water, which she soon brought over into the main room. Placing it upon the coffee table, she took a seat at the couch across from Mark and Fluttershy.

"I'm so glad you could make it again." Sheila began with a smile.

"Glad we could make it, too." Mark replied, glancing briefly at Fluttershy. He returned his attention to Sheila, "How did work go today?"

Her smile faded slightly at the question. "It went pretty well. Can't complain too much, what with the new hires we got; they're plenty hard workers, so that doesn't worry me." She paused, her smile falling further. "I am worried because of the disappearing animals, though."

Both Mark's and Fluttershy's attention was caught immediately. "Disappearing animals?" Mark asked.

Sheila nodded. "At first we thought it was a glitch, our computer not reading the tags we place on the animals. Then we figured it was just some animals escaping, but we couldn't find any signs of that either."

Her expression darkened even more. "That left only one answer: Poachers."

Mark and Fluttershy shared a glance at this last word. From that very moment, both knew the other was thinking the exact same thing.

"We dealt with them, too." Mark commented.

Sheila was shocked. "You did? When was this?"

"A couple of days ago." Mark explained, "They actually tried to kidnap Fluttershy for that exact reason. I managed to save her before they could get away."

Sheila's shock softened into a proud smile. "Well that was a very brave thing you did, young man. That pony owes a lot to you."

Mark tried to hide his blush, especially from his friend sitting beside him. "I was just doing what anyone else would do in that situation."

Sheila shook her head. "Not just anyone would risk their life to save an innocent. I say that deserves to be commended."

"I'd honestly rather not think about it." Mark countered, "It was downright terrifying, and if I think about it for too long, I'll start overthinking things, and that's a path I don't want to go down."

"Very well." Sheila replied before turning to Fluttershy. "Well, would you like to start on that painting process?"

Fluttershy smiled and gave a faint nod. "Sounds perfect."

With that, the trio walked back to the art studio.

---

"You're doing great," Sheila encouraged, "just keep still for another minute. I'll just sketch a bit more on the face, and…perfect!"

The two had been in the studio for what felt like several hours (though looking at his watch, Mark confirmed it had only been two), with Sheila behind a large white canvas with a black graphite pen. She had been providing instruction to Fluttershy throughout the process, with the pegasus simply doing her best to hold still. Finally, the outline of the piece was done and the mare could rest.

"Alright, that covers the outline." Sheila announced. "I'd still like it if you came by tomorrow to make sure I mix the paints just right. I want to get that bright coat and mane color you have there, Fluttershy."

"I think we can do that." Mark replied, a smile on his face as he glanced at Fluttershy, who shared the expression.

"Well on that note, how about we-" Sheila was cut off by the sound of a door closing. "Honey, is that you?"

"Sure is!" A male voice sounded from the living room.

Sheila's face brightened significantly. "That's my husband." She explained before she was quickly hit with a realization, "You two wait in here, I'll talk to him first then introduce you to him. Sound good?"

"That'll work." Mark replied with a nod.

Sheila smiled again as she left the room. Fluttershy and Mark could only glance around the room and at each other as the spouses engaged in typical saccharine chat.

Finally, Sheila called out, "Okay, come on in you two!"

Taking the cue, the human and pegasus departed the studio and walked to the living room.

The look Sheila's husband gave was that of surprise, to say the least. It was an expected response, though his face clearly ran through several thoughts at once, none of them decipherable to the duo.

An awkward silence filled the air.

"Mister Stanford, then?" Mark asked.

This seemed to get the gears turning. "Yes," the man replied, "and you must be Mark?"

Mark nodded, then indicated the pegasus standing beside him. "This is obviously Fluttershy."

Mr. Stanford's eyes caught on the pegasus, his face once again giving a window into a series of thoughts known only to him. He recovered this time, allowing a more cheerful disposition to take its place.

"Good to meet you both." He finally stated.

The cheerful expression seemed to dim slightly afterwards, but only for a moment. Mark wondered if he was the only one who noticed.

"Well, we were just about to head out." Mark continued. "It's getting pretty late."

"Right." Mr. Stanford replied. "Well, drive safe out there."

"We will." Mark said with a smile before he and Fluttershy departed for his car.

Sheila and her husband stood in the doorway, both waving as the car left their driveway.

She turned to her husband, both of their smiles fading slightly. She summarized perfectly what both were thinking: "We have some things to talk about."

---

Street lamps overhead provided a pattern of lights as Mark drove underneath them on the freeway leading home. His mind was preoccupied with this new figure the two of them had met. While Sheila had seemed genuinely friendly, Mark didn't get the same feeling from her husband.

He didn't know how, but he knew that something was off.

"What did you think of him?" Came a whisper of a voice from the back seat.

Mark glanced back at Fluttershy. "Her husband? He definitely gives me some strange vibes. I don't think he was entirely glad to see us."

Fluttershy sighed. "Why would that be? Did we do something wrong?"

Mark shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong, 'Shy - neither of us did. It just felt like he was hiding something, like he was putting up a facade."

"Maybe we shouldn't go back tomorrow." Fluttershy suggested.

Mark thought briefly. "Maybe not. Let's decide on that tomorrow."

He concluded the statement as they pulled into the garage. After getting both himself and his passenger out of the vehicle, both headed inside while his thoughts moved elsewhere.

Christmas wasn't too far off in the future - should he get something for Fluttershy? If so, what? Would she even be around to celebrate?

The thought continued to bother him as the two prepared for bed. Once again, the two had decided to host an impromptu "sleepover" (though at this point, Mark questioned whether it counted as a sleepover if it was a nightly occurrence). Fluttershy had long since fallen asleep, leaving Mark with his thoughts in the darkness.

Finally, he came up with an idea. Opening the Amazon app, he began scrolling for his gift of choice. It wasn't too hard to find exactly what he wanted, and there was even overnight delivery. After hitting purchase, he turned off his phone and settled in for bed.

Mark was determined to make this Christmas one Fluttershy would never forget.

---

"...and she's just trying to find her way home." Sheila concluded.

Her husband sat across from her in shock. While he had no choice but to believe her after what she'd shown and told him, it was still a tale unlike any other.

"So your great-grandfather…he met one of them decades ago?" He asked, continuing when his wife nodded. "And that pony right there, you think she's related to it?"

"I don't know for certain," Sheila admitted, "all I know is what she told me. The rest is me guessing from that journal."

Her husband sat back once more, trying to process the new information.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about the journal entry earlier." Sheila added, "I wasn't entirely sure I believed it until I saw that pegasus with my own eyes."

"It's fine," He replied, "sometimes that's how it is - others won't understand our intentions, so we have to keep quiet."

"I suppose." Sheila admitted uneasily. "Are you okay, honey? I saw how you reacted to the two of them. You looked like you saw a ghost."

Her husband shook his head. "No, I'm okay. Just…" He trailed off.

"Just what?" Sheila asked.

His eyes remained shut tight. "Just…that boy, he reminds me of…her."

Sheila winced slightly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," He stated once more, "eventually I was bound to see someone who reminded me of her. It was just a shock to the system is all."

Sheila crossed to the opposite couch where her husband sat and put an arm around him. "I know it's tough, especially after how you took it, but maybe he can help you heal. Talk to him, meet him, he's a good person."

Her husband raised his eyes to meet hers. The two shared a faint smile before embracing.

"Maybe, turtledove. Maybe." He whispered.

Sheila yawned. "Well, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, honey."

"I won't." He confirmed, smiling as his wife left the room.

He sat back down on the couch, processing his thoughts. In truth, he had seen a ghost from his past, though it wasn't her. It began an internal turmoil with the additional knowledge he'd been cursed with.

It was so easy earlier, before he had all this new information…

Knowing that a decision had to be made, he walked over to the multi-generational family photo hanging on the wall. His eyes were drawn to a certain figure: One of his daughters.

A tear rolled down his cheek as repressed memories began to flow through his mind unrestricted.

He shook his head of these feelings and pulled out his cell phone. Selecting a familiar number from his contact list, a ringing tone soon sounded in his ear.

Finally, a voice sounded on the other end: "Hello?"

He wasted no time in replying. "Jack, I found her."