Christmas Company

by LightDoinStuff

Chapter 3

Mark breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he approached the familiar sight of his house. The base of the home was painted white, with the roof adorned with black tiles, separated into two parts by the sudden rise of the building where the second story was. Off to the side was a two car garage used to store both Mark’s car and his parents’.

With both himself and Fluttershy covered in the gravel and emanating the lovely scent of recently thrown out foods, Mark decided it best to go through the garage so as not to dirty the main entrance. The garage was also the best place to find tools to untie her. Once her bindings were off, both could clean off in the house.

He approached the keypad on the side of the garage and punched in the code. Immediately the garage began making loud creaking noises as the door slowly raised. Fluttershy was initially startled by this, but calmed down fairly quickly. Once inside, Mark clicked the garage door button, watching the metal barrier slowly lower.

He didn’t see any cars silently pulling up, so it wasn’t likely they were followed. At least, he hoped not.

After gently laying the pegasus down on her side, he started looking through the drawers and cabinets. Amidst the loud clanging of metal as he searched, Mark felt a pang of guilt for what Fluttershy must be thinking right now. She surely wouldn't know what he was doing or searching for, and her imagination was likely concocting all kinds of horrible scenarios.

He eventually found the tools he needed: A pair of bolt cutters and a sheathed knife. Glancing back at Fluttershy, he could see pure terror in her eyes as she stared at the objects, a faint quivering beginning. Mark walked over to the pegasus slowly, trying his best not to seem intimidating. He gently knelt down beside her, placing the tools on the floor, and stretched an arm out to her.

“Shh, it’s alright.” Mark whispered, laying a hand on her back, “I’m not going to hurt you, but I need you to remain absolutely still. I don’t want to accidentally injure you.”

Her pupils slowly returned from their shrunken state, and her shaking softened. She gave a gentle nod, providing the encouragement Mark needed to continue. He unsheathed the knife, trying to decide how best to start, and eventually settling on the gag around her mouth.

Mark pulled on the fabric slightly, trying to make space in which to insert the knife. He managed a small gap, and carefully sawed back and forth with the knife against the material. The cloth split apart with ease. He pulled the gag out of Fluttershy’s mouth and laid it on the floor.

“Feeling a bit better?” he asked with a smile.

She didn’t respond, but seemed to have the faintest of smiles on her own face as well.

Mark reached for the bolt cutters and inspected the bindings. She was tied up with a standard rope, somewhat frayed from previous use. The more worn parts had threads sticking out and prodding into Fluttershy’s hooves. Mark cringed slightly at the observation.

“Hold still, okay?” Mark comforted the pegasus. She nodded in response, something he was getting used to. He hoped she was still capable of speech, and that he’d understand her. At some point, he needed to ask her about why she was there. He needed to understand the situation, and most of all, he needed to find a way to get her back to Equestria.

He took the bolt cutters with both hands and placed the cutting ends around the ropes binding her forehooves, taking care to leave space so he wouldn’t hurt her. She was doing good at keeping still, but she was also noticeably less tense. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the cutters together. The ropes snapped apart with ease and Mark pulled them off and threw them aside. He did the same with the ropes on her back hooves. All that was left was the rope tied around her waist, holding down her wings.

He kept the cutters along the top of her back, safely away from the wings. Placing the blades once more around the bindings, he pulled the handles together. The rope snapped and the frayed ends fell away from each other.

“Alright,” Mark said with a smile, “that should do it.”

He sat back up and set the branch cutters aside on the floor. Fluttershy carefully climbed back onto her hooves and inspected them, seemingly surprised she was really free. She suddenly stretched out her wings, which caused Mark to jump back in surprise. The pegasus quickly retracted her wings and turned away her face slightly.

“Sorry.” she whispered.

“What are you sorry for?” Mark asked, trying to contain his excitement at meeting the real Fluttershy. He extended a hand. “Also, my name’s Mark.”

Fluttershy tentatively reached a hoof toward his hand, allowing him to take it. “Nice to meet you, I’m Fluttershy.” Her voice was so quiet, if he didn’t already know her name, he wouldn’t have understood her.

Mark thought for a moment on whether to tell her he already knew who she was. He decided that now probably wasn’t the best time, what with her still recovering from the shock of being filly-napped.

“Nice to meet you in-person, Fluttershy.” he said with a smile.

Her sudden change in expression clued him in as to what had just happened. “Did I really just do that?” he thought, facepalming mentally. She seemed suddenly uncomfortable, and for good reason.

“Yeah, I kind of already know who you are,” he admitted, “but I’ll explain that later. Right now, we both need to get cleaned up.”

Fluttershy warily followed Mark into the house, and to a nearby closet. He reached inside, and pulled out a fresh towel, offering it to the pegasus.

“Here, use this after your shower. I’ll be upstairs doing the same. Call if you need anything, okay?"

She nodded and the two parted ways. Mark went to his room to get his pajamas before heading for the staircase. With his parents out of town, he didn’t think they’d mind him using their bathroom. That was good, because he really needed a shower; sweat and garbage didn’t make for a good combination. Taking off his running clothes, he entered the shower.

As the water cleaned off his body, he was troubled in thought. “Yeah, that was real smooth there, Mark. ‘So I totally knew you already and I know it’s probably terrifying to think about especially after you literally just finished getting abducted, but you can totally trust me, even though I’m a human too.’”

He shook his head. He definitely could have handled that better. To make matters worse, this was Fluttershy; her personality was literally in her name! If she wasn’t nervous before, she was bound to be now. Mark just hoped he could earn her trust, and perhaps even her friendship. He had doubts about both.

After putting on his pajamas, Mark descended the staircase. He could still hear the downstairs shower running, so he decided to get some food for his guest. Unsure exactly what she’d want, he decided to go with the standard carrots and apples. He grabbed a knife from the drawer, split the apple in quarters, and set them on a plate alongside some carrots. He then waited, letting his mind play out different scenarios for what could happen next.

As he was lost in thought, the sound of the downstairs shower stopped, followed soon after by hoofsteps as Fluttershy walked to the only lit room in the house: The kitchen. Inside she saw a wooden dinner table with a chair set behind a plate of food. There were three other chairs, one of them was set closer to the one with the plate. She presumed the food was for her, but was troubled at the distant look on her host’s face.

“Um...Mark?” Fluttershy whispered.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry about that.” He replied sheepishly. He shook his head and tried to regain his composure. “I got some food for you. I wasn’t quite sure what to get, but I figured you wouldn’t mind apples and carrots.”

“It looks nice,” she reassured, “thank you.”

The pegasus sat down in the provided chair and quietly started eating. Mark tried to read her body language to see how best to proceed. He had many questions for her, but was this really the best time? She’d only just been rescued, and the whole situation had left both of them tired. Then again, she was going to be staying the night there, so it was probably best he try to make some sort of conversation; She’d hopefully be more comfortable if she knew a bit about him.

“Um, mind if I sit here?” he indicated the chair set close to hers.

“Okay.” she replied, pausing her eating.

“Thank you.” Mark said, sitting down and giving a reassuring smile. He was nervous to talk to her, just knowing who she was, but he couldn’t let that show.

“So…” he began, “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of questions. Frankly, I do too, but I want to let you ask first. So what’s on your mind?”

The pegasus didn't respond immediately. Her eyes showed careful thought being put into what to say next. A few times she looked as though was going to say something, but each time she stopped herself, going back to that same pondering look.

“You don’t have to answer immediately if you don’t want to.” Mark replied, trying to comfort her. She gave him a look he couldn’t read. Was it offense? Was it apologetic? Was it hurt? “Sorry if that sounded rude.” he quickly added.

“No, it’s fine.” Fluttershy replied quietly. “Um...I was wondering…” she thought carefully once more before responding, “you said earlier ‘nice to meet you in-person'. What did you mean? Do you know me?”

Now it was Mark’s turn to think. “So, first of all, I do know you, or rather, I know of you. Around here, you’re just a fictional character, and a fairly well-known one at that. Same with your friends; you guys are part of a series we watch called ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’. It’s a really cool show, and it’s all about your adventures.”

He quickly realized that was a lot to take in. She seemed troubled by what he'd said, unable to say anything herself in response. She didn’t look worried or sad, just surprised.

“And...your kind…” she finally uttered, “they watch us as...entertainment?”

“I mean, your stories are enjoyable ones.” he confirmed, “They each teach a lesson we can appreciate. Also, you guys are just a lot of fun. You’re all unique, but you complement each other, and you make for a really good cast.”

She didn’t seem sure how to respond to his compliments.

“Sorry if that sounded weird.” he added once again.

“It didn’t.” Fluttershy replied, “It’s just...I don’t know what to say.”

Mark paused for a moment. “Maybe it’s best not to think about it for now. You’re right, it’s definitely strange, but…” he struggled for how to phrase it, “it’ll pass. The weirdness will pass eventually.”

The pegasus didn’t seem too convinced by his remarks. Nonetheless, he had something he needed to ask.

“If it’s alright though,” he began, “I kind of need to ask something: why are you here?”

He quietly hoped this wouldn’t be too probing of a question. His fears turned out to be reasonable, judging by the look on her face. She seemed to be thinking the matter over, likely judging whether she could trust him.

She sighed, lowering her head. “I’m not supposed to be here.” she eventually whispered.

Mark’s eyes widened slightly at the comment.

“My friend Twilight Sparkle was asked by her mentor, Princess Celestia, to study other worlds.” the pegasus began, “She was told to take me along so I could observe the wildlife. My speciality is caring for animals, after all.

“We were about to travel somewhere when…something happened. The next thing I knew, I was somewhere I didn't recognize and Twilight was nowhere to be seen.”

The pegasus looked shaken as she continued speaking. “I saw some nearby animals that looked familiar, and I thought maybe they could help me. While I was walking under the trees....I was lifted in the air...suddenly I couldn’t move. There was a net holding me in place. These…"

She was stuck in thought as she glanced back at Mark. "Humans?" He offered, "That's what I am."

She nodded. "These humans walked out...they were saying something about a high price for me. They grabbed me and...tied me up.” She sniffled, “I just don’t understand why somepony would do that.”

She seemed almost on the verge of tears as she recounted the traumatic experience. “Hey,” Mark whispered as calmly as he could, “it’s okay. You’re safe here. They’re not going to hurt you anymore.”

Fluttershy sniffled again. She tried to compose herself before speaking again. “Mark,” she began, “why did you save me? What do you want with me?”

Mark gave a faint smile. “I don’t want anything.” he answered, “When I saw them put someone in the truck, I started thinking what to do. There weren’t a whole lot of options, and I realized I was the only one who could help right then. Once I saw you in there...I couldn’t leave you behind.” He sighed, thinking on what to say next. “I don’t know why people do things like what those people did to you, Fluttershy. I really don’t, but I do know that I’m not them. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”

The pony was silent as she processed everything he’d said.

“If there's one thing I do want, it's to get you back home safely,” he continued, “that’s all.”

“That’s really all you want?” she asked after a pause.

“That’s really it.” Mark confirmed.

“Okay.” she weakly replied. He could only hope she believed him.

He allowed her to finish her food as he tried to think how best to get her home. She’d mentioned Twilight, so surely she had to be working away on a solution, right? And she had magic, so she’d be much more able to defend herself against his kind than Fluttershy if worse came to worse. Not to mention she wasn’t as timid or afraid of harming others. But then, if she were trapped somehow…

Mark shook his head of the thought. Twilight was fine. She had to be. She needed to be.

There would be no way for Fluttershy to return home if she wasn't.

Once Fluttershy was done, he took her plate over to the sink and rinsed it off before putting it in the dishwasher. The pegasus trotted over.

“Are most humans like those men?” she asked as Mark dried his hands on a cloth. “I mean, obviously you aren’t.”

“You ever heard the phrase ‘one bad apple spoils the bushel’?” he asked, to which Fluttershy nodded, “Well, that’s the deal with people. There’s plenty of good people out there, but there’s some seriously nasty ones too.”

Mark found this was a good segue into something he needed to tell her. “On that note, I’m not really sure how to say this, but I kind of don’t think it’s safe for you to leave.”

As expected, Fluttershy had on a look of confusion mixed with a dose of fear. “Why not?”

“Well, out there…” he lost his train of thought as he tried to come up with a way to remain somewhat positive, “out there, people won’t understand you. They’d probably want to capture you again, but instead of a price, they’d probably experiment on you or something.”

That turned out to be the worst thing Mark could have said, as he saw the pony’s pupils quickly shrink to a miniscule size. “But I won’t do that,” he continued, “and I won’t let anyone do that to you either. Like I said, you’re safe here. I know that’s hard to believe after everything, but I promise I won’t hurt you or let anyone else hurt you. You need to trust me on that.”

Fluttershy’s eyes told everything. She was tired. She needed some sense of safety after being captured. She needed a place to stay and someone to trust. A small glint of hope appeared after some time. “Okay Mark, I trust you.”

He smiled warmly. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I’m kind of done after everything. I’m going to get ready for bed. Come on, I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

The two walked down the hall to a room across from Mark’s. The inside was painted light gray with white blinds covering a window. There was a slightly darker gray nightstand beside a bed covered with a long, white blanket.

“Who stays here usually?” the pegasus asked.

“It’s a guest room." Mark explained, "My parents said we should always have one. It should be fine for you, assuming you like it, of course.”

Fluttershy looked up at Mark and gave him a faint smile. “It’ll be perfect.”

“Glad to hear that.” he replied, “If you need anything, I’m down the hall. Don’t be afraid to knock.”

The two prepared for bed, with Mark supplying Fluttershy with a spare toothbrush. They parted ways to their respective rooms. Before heading for bed, he checked the locks one more time to make sure the place was secure. He didn’t want any intruders, especially now.

Finding his home to be safe, Mark went to his room and allowed the warm comfort of his bed to offer him repose. He stared at the ceiling, still amazed by everything that had happened in the course of a few hours. It had all really happened - he’d met the real Fluttershy, avoided being killed mid-rescue, and escaped a gang of poachers. Now, he could only wonder what the next two weeks would hold. How was he going to get her home? Surely Twilight would find her somehow, right?

This thought troubled him once again. Would Twilight find her at his home, much less in this world? How many worlds would she need to search through? How would she know where to look? Was she really safe and sound? What if she’d been captured by another group of poachers, or some group of creatures too horrifying to imagine?

After considering all possibilities, Mark settled on his earlier conclusion: she had to be safe. It just had to be that way. She was resourceful enough that even if she did get in a sticky situation, she’d know what to do.

At least, he hoped so.

Meanwhile in the other bedroom, Fluttershy wasn’t faring much better. She didn’t know if she could really trust her human host. She’d just narrowly escaped some horrible fate and could well have done so in favor of a worse one! What if it was all a ploy - what if he was just biding time until he knew what to do with her?

She slowed her breathing and focused on the facts. She knew he’d taken her away from a group that clearly didn’t have good intentions. He brought her to his home and freed her from being tied up. He let her clean off and gave her food. He was letting her stay in a comfortable guest bedroom. Most of all, she remembered the positive feelings that seemed to emanate from him: he seemed pure in heart, which was a stark contrast to her previous captors.

If he really was going to do something to her, surely he would have done so when he had her defenseless.

Satisfied at least partially in her mind, she still decided it best to be cautious; she’d keep her guard up, but also play along to see what he was really like. Perhaps she could safely learn a thing or two about humans. Mark certainly seemed good at heart, and he’d said there were many good people like him, intermixed with the bad ones. Would she ever meet any more of these “good ones”? Would Twilight?

The pegasus began having similar fears as Mark’s for her friend’s safety. She decided she’d be on the lookout at all times. Whether or not Mark would really help her return home, Twilight certainly would…assuming she found this world. For the meantime, Mark was giving her a place to stay and food to eat, both of which were much needed. Perhaps he could help her search for Twilight?

Also, he seemed younger than the men who'd tried to kidnap her. Was he young enough to still live with his family? If so, where were they? Did he have one?

She eventually decided these were all matters for tomorrow. Fluttershy tried to slow her breathing and let her mind drift away peacefully. Despite everything, she managed to doze off after a few minutes. Mark was already fast asleep in his room, patiently awaiting whatever lie in wait the next day.

While the only thing certain about the future was its uncertainty, this much was clear: He wasn’t alone for the holidays.