The Pink Haired Woman

by Seran

Young and Old: Part 2

John struggled to find a missing piece of the shelf, running a magnet across the carpet in the living room. Heading back and forth across the areas he thought the nuts could have fallen, he couldn’t help but kick himself over what he had just said.

Mr. Alabaster mumbled to himself in the corner, holding the shelving up with a stack of videos. John knew he had to say something, just to keep the awkward silence from getting longer.

‘What could I say?’ he thought to himself, ‘I could ask to see how much he knows, just to correct some misconceptions.’ John’s rather sly idea seemed good in his head. He thought carefully about how to start it.

“I know Martha can be a loudmouth,” John started to build the conversation.

“That’s no way to talk about a lady.” Mr. Alabaster interrupted John, scorning him for his disrespect.

“I mean, Martha was the one who spread the word about F… Mary.” John caught himself mid-sentence. “What exactly did she say?”

“Well, she said Mary fled from her home in fear for her life.” Mr. Alabaster explained the rumors he had heard. “I also heard she witnessed a murder done by some crime lord in Los Angeles.” John never heard that part of the rumor. “You people have those over there, right? You know, being that close to Mexico and all.”

John felt insulted by that last remark. “We don’t have that much more crime than any other major city, like Denver.” He retorted, trying to hold back his irritation.

“Yeah, yeah. Officer Leiber told me before.” Mr. Alabaster shook off the comment.

“Listen, as an ex-officer, I’ve seen how bad it can get, even on both sides,” John continued. “Being accused of a crime sometimes makes you want to give up on the system.” He stopped with his hands on the ground, staring at the floor. His face blank and a tear forming at his eye.

Mr. Alabaster saw that John fell silent. He couldn’t stand seeing him like this. “Look,” he consoled John, “her death was not your fault. From what you’ve told me she was a girl with a problem that would soon get her in trouble. You now have someone new to care for. This person will help you overcome.”

John sat up with a bolt at hand. He let out a big sigh. “It wasn’t the lottery tickets that upset me. It was the constant lying that we would have a better life.” He whispered to himself.

The elderly man standing nearby could still hear the comment. He nodded his head and went back to fixing the entertainment center.

_______________________________________________

“Equestria?” Fluttershy exclaimed in surprise.

“You are from Equestria, aren’t you?” Mrs. Alabaster asked. “I can pick out a fellow Equestrian, even If I haven’t gone back in decades.”

“You are from…” Fluttershy was dumbfounded by this new revelation. “How did you get here?”

“I’m guessing the same way as you. I ran into the Everfree Forest, found a temple, and decided to come here and never go back.” Mrs. Alabaster explained.

“Why would you do that?” Fluttershy asked. “Don’t you miss your friends?”

Mrs. Alabaster stared at the ground, expressionless. “That’s a story for another time, but all I can say is that I can never go back.”

Fluttershy looked at the elderly woman. Her curiosity pushed her to ask, but the kindness of her heart made her know when to drop the subject.

“How have you dealt with the changes so far?” Mrs. Alabaster asked, trying to keep the conversation alive. “I remember I had to adapt to these legs.”

Fluttershy smiled, thinking of what to say. With an embarrassed look, she got close to Mrs. Alabaster’s ear and whispered her problem.

Mrs. Alabaster smiled. “Oh, that. Well, it’s normal for a woman to go through that periodically. You just need to just clean it up. Also take a pain reliever.”

Fluttershy looked at her with a reddened face. Slowly she let out a small smile as the cat on her lap began to purr. Mrs. Alabaster took a good look at her. Fluttershy’s timid nature, her calmness, and her situation made Mrs. Alabaster notice something was wrong.

“How did you get here?” Mrs. Alabaster asked out of curiosity. “If you don’t mind me asking, how is it that you came to Dewford and met Johnny?”

Fluttershy’s expression dimmed as she began to recollect the mishaps that led her to her current situation. She let out a sigh of disappointment.

“I was at a party a few nights ago,” Fluttershy explained, “I had gotten into a fight with Angel that night and he ran off.”

“Angel?” Mrs. Alabaster asked.

“Angel is my bunny. He’s a smart bunny, always helpful and loving. However…” Fluttershy’s voice grew shaky, “however, we had a disagreement and he ran off into the Everfree Forest. I’ve walked in there often but this time Angel went into a mysterious temple, deeper than I’ve gone before. I saw Angel go into the temple and there I found this strange glowing stone.”

“The Moonstone.” Mrs. Alabaster interrupted.

“I didn’t know what it was but I then jumped and landed on the stone and… I… came here,” her voice trailed off.

“And John?” Mrs. Alabaster was curious about her story, “Where did you meet John?”

“I was confused and scared after I came here. John found me in an orchard outside of town.” She paused for a moment as a smile grew across her face. “He took me to the farm house and… I met very kind ponies and John never left me alone ever since I met him.”

Mrs. Alabaster looked at Fluttershy’s face, taking in the glee radiating from her. “Do you like John?” She asked in a curious tone.

Fluttershy chuckled. “Well, he’s nice to me. He may yell or get upset but I feel he just does it for my own good.” Her expression turned grim as she thought heavily. “He’s the only one that took me in and has put up with my differences faster than anypony I knew. Although, I wish he wasn’t carnivorous.”

With a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder Mrs. Alabaster sympathized with her. “Listen dear, the people of this world are strange at first, but I’m sure Johnny loves you anyway.”

Fluttershy’s smile began to return, however she couldn’t help but notice a certain word she used.

“When I met Patrick, he was not the nicest man, but he took me in and helped me get back on my feet. I knew I could not make it on my own, so I held adapted here, adapted to the lifestyle, tried their food, had some children of my own…”

“But,” Fluttershy protested, “I don’t want to eat meat.”

Mrs. Alabaster let out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t either, but did you notice how your body has changed?”

Fluttershy was perplexed.

“Your body is not the only thing that changed,” Mrs. Alabaster continued, “Your appetite and body rhythms have changed. You can’t eat grass and flowers anymore. Your body will start craving protein, and carbs. It’s hard to adapt, but you will end up accepting it the longer you stay.”

“But I’m leaving in twenty-six days.” Fluttershy calmly explained.

Mrs. Alabaster was surprised. It was difficult for her to take in that last statement.

____________________________________________________

John and Patrick had finished adding the last piece. John sat on the couch, resting his arm after the hard work. However, they still needed to load all the movies and the television back onto the entertainment center. That thought made John arms ache even more.

Patrick remembered their previous conversations, trying to end the awkward silence.

“So…” Patrick interrupted the silence, “How does it feel to have a woman in your life again?”

John glared at Patrick. “You don’t know what she’s like,” Jon replied. “She’s a handful to care for, and I’ve care for her for three days. She refuses to eat meat; she won’t even let me eat what I want.” John stopped himself before he gave away much information.

He turned to Patrick to see him smiling. His smile worried John. “I had the same problem when I met Daisy, my wife.” He stepped closer to John placing his hands on his hips. “Have I ever told you the story of how I met Daisy?”

John sat back, expecting an old time-y story of chivalry.

“I found her on a hike in the hills to the northeast of here. I found it strange that she was naked, but following the story she told then, it made sense why.”

“Why?”

“She escaped from a cult hidden in the mountains and said her life was in danger.” Patrick continued. “I took her in and kept her safe, and even though we didn’t agree about certain customs we managed to make it work.” Patrick sighed. “Yup, we made it work,” he said in a softer voice.

As he stared at the ground, John couldn’t help but notice some similarities between Mrs. Alabaster’s story, and Fluttershy’s. He couldn’t shake the feeling something odd was going on.

“Now, let’s get busy,” Patrick said, cracking his back. “The shelves aren’t gonna refill themselves.”

John sighed, knowing he had more work to do.

________________________________________________________

“You… You’re going back?!” Mrs. Alabaster exclaimed in surprise. “How?”

Fluttershy flinched from the sudden outburst. “The portal opens every month,” she explained. “I plan on going back the next time it opens.”

“What did the Agency tell you about this? How did you get permission to return? When did you speak with…” Her frantic line of questioning stopped as she came across a startling thought. Her mind calmed down as a single thought made its way out. “Does the Agency know you’re here?”

“What agency?” Fluttershy asked in confusion.

Mrs. Alabaster was awed. “The Agency,” she continued. “The border control for the portal. The Agency controls what comes in and out of Equestria. Have you not talked with them?”

“N– no.” she was worried about the line of questioning. “Who are they?”

“They’re called the Trans-Human Protection Agency, or THPA. The governments of this world use them to hide the portal and other items they claim ‘harm the population.’” She explained. “I dealt with them when I came here. They are the ones who I had to go through to be allowed to stay. How have you not met them yet?”

Fluttershy was at a loss of words as she brought together the information. The words tried to form in her mouth but she was unable to get them right.

Mrs. Alabaster became worried for the young lady’s safety. The fact that she didn’t go through the Agency made her worry for her safety.

“Mary… or whatever your real name is,” Mrs. Alabaster continued, “you have to be careful now. If the Agency catches you, who knows what will happen.”

Fluttershy nodded, still confused about what had just happened.

“Stay with Johnny as much as you can, learn about how to live here, and keep out of sight until you can go home.” She advised Fluttershy. “They do not take this lightly. They say no one is allowed to cross.”

Fluttershy’s confusion turned to fear the more Mrs. Alabaster spoke. “I… I…” she still could not speak. “Should I speak with John about this?”

“It is best to not tell him,” Mrs. Alabaster answered, “Word passes through town faster than a parasprite invasion. You will be found faster.”

Fluttershy started to shiver as her mind thought of being captured and held captive by creatures she knew nothing about. It was enough to make her cry.

The elderly woman noticed the tears running down her face. Mrs. Alabaster held Fluttershy in a consoling embrace.

“It’s okay…” Mrs. Alabaster whispered, “I’m sure Johnny won’t let them get you. He’s a good boy. He cares about the people close to him even with all he went through.”

Fluttershy wiped the tears off her face, thinking of John’s generosity. She thought hard as she remembered the kindness John had shown her. One memory held deep.

“Mrs. Ale– .”

“–Please,” Mrs. Alabaster interrupted, “call me Daisy.”

“Daisy,” Fluttershy corrected. “May I ask you a question about John?” She paused as she thought of how to say it. “Umm, why does he never smile?”

“Oh, dear. Don’t say he never smiles.” Mrs. Alabaster replied in jest. “I’m sure he’s smiled at least once when he’s around you.”

“He is usually upset or displeased with everything.” She responded, “I only saw him smile when he was intoxicated.”

“Well, I don’t think that’s unexpected after losing so many loved ones.” Mrs. Alabaster stated. Fluttershy turned in surprise. “He lost his mother at such a young age, and his fiancé not too long ago.”

Fluttershy looked down as she thought hard. ‘I knew about Lucia, sort of, but his mother?’ Fluttershy was surprised at this new revelation. “But do you know what happened to Lucia?”

“Well,” Mrs. Alabaster replied, “Johnny never told us specific details, but you can ask him yourself.” She pointed at the door as John walked out rubbing his muscles.

“Call me if you need more help,” John told Patrick as he stepped out onto the porch. As he turned to Fluttershy he tilted his head towards the car. “Let’s get going. We have things to do.”

Fluttershy turned between John and Mrs. Alabaster. “Umm…” she tried to tell Mrs. Alabaster farewell.

Mrs. Alabaster nodded at Fluttershy with a message. “Be good, and remember what I told you.”

Fluttershy walked off with John thinking about the conversation she had with her new friend. Something made her think John had more to him than just a grouchy host.

Author's Note:

She is not the Daisy you know, if your wondering.

Any way I have decided to work on other shorter stories along side this one so it may get slower.

That does not mean I am giving up on the story. I just want to finish my backlogged stories a bit more before I forget my good ideas.

Comments

[SrFrog]

I do have complete faith that you can make it work, but I'll be honest, I didn't expect a turn like that in the story.