Fluttershy finds herself on Earth. A human has to take care of her.
Well, I sure didn't expect some girl to just show up out of nowhere. Poor girl. She's got to have amnesia, or something, (although she insists she doesn't) because even though she looks to be about my age, she's claiming that she isn't human. Or wasn't. Great, she's delusional, too. But you know what? That's okay. She's a nice girl. She just seems to be confused. I suppose I can let her stay a while until she sorts things out.
The last thing I expected to see was a naked girl lying on my back porch. In fact, the sight caught me so off guard that I just stood there a whole minute, staring, not sure what to do. When I finally realized what I was doing, I set my groceries on the ground and unlocked the door to the house. Half-dazed, I found my bathrobe and ran back outside. She was still lying there, naked as can be. Blushing profusely, I draped the bathrobe over her body, covering her up. Now that she was decent, I could do what I, in retrospect, logically should have done first, as it makes more sense.
"Shit, 're you okay?" I asked the girl, concerned. I got on my knees and gave her shoulder a firm nudge with my hand. She stirred a bit, and I sighed in relief. Now that I knew for sure that she wasn't dead, I slipped my hand under her head, lifting it slightly to give her some support.
I shook her shoulder a bit more forcefully this time. "Hey. Hey, come on. C'mon. You okay?"
Her sky-blue eyes fluttered open, and she let out a small gasp when she saw me. In an instant, her eyes transformed from bright and beautiful to panicked and fearful. Judging from the way she scrambled backward, trying to get away from me, she looked desperate. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little hurt by that.
"I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please don't hurt me." She was already beginning to tear up.
"Hurt you? Why the hell would-? And...and what're you sorry for? I-" I took a deep breath. Whatever had happened to this girl had clearly affected her. I needed to set aside my confusion and calm her down. "It's fine. It's okay. Ah'm not gonna hurt you. 're you all right? Can I help you?"
The girl continued to stare at me, eyes wide with fear. "Wh-what," she managed to squeak out. "What are you?"
I thought this situation couldn't get any more confusing. I was wrong. "The hell're you talkin' about?"
"You!" she cried. "Wh-what kind of creature are you?"
I just stared at this girl, dumbfounded. "I...are...I...I just...I...uh...............WHAT?! The fuck are...'re you fuckin' serious?!"
She began to cry. "P-please, don't swear at m-me," she said, hiding behind her hair. Actually, this was the first time I noticed her hair. Surprising, really, because it came down to nearly the middle of her back and was a bright, light pink. It didn't look like any kind of hair dye I'd seen girls at my school use. How did she make it look so...natural?
"I just...I..." I sighed. "I'm sorry, 'kay? It's jus', I think you might've...forgotten some things."
She stopped crying, but continued to look at me inquisitively. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Well," I said. "Ya don' seem to know what I am, that was kind of a giveaway."
"B-but," she stuttered. "I've never seen anything like you before."
I sucked in breath through my teeth. "Yeah, amnesia, I guess." Poor girl. She doesn't seem to know a thing. I'd better be easier on her. "Here, jus', just come in, you can get dressed, and we'll sort things out, akay?"
My offer fell on deaf ears. As I was speaking, the girl was looking at her hands as though she'd never seen them before in her life. Her eyes went wide with terror. A soft, but high-pitched scream escaped her lips, then she passed out on the spot.
I stood there, trying to comprehend what had just happened. A full minute passed before I said anything.
"Fuckin', Christ," I said under my breath. I had the feeling it was going to be a long day.
I was sitting on the couch in my living room, staring at the piano, not doing anything. After what happened, how could I? All I could do was think about everything that had happened in the last half-hour. I was driving home from grocery shopping for the week. When I got home, I was carrying two bags as I made my way from my car, a piece-of-shit '93 Toyota Celica, to the back door of the house. I stepped onto the back porch when I saw the naked girl lying off to the side. I went inside and grabbed my bathrobe to cover her up, went back to her, covered her up, and woke her. Neither of us had any idea what was going on. She saw her hand and passed out. I picked her up and carried her into my parents' bedroom, where I put her under the covers and drew the curtains. Then I remembered my groceries, got them out of the car, and put them in the refrigerator. Now, here I am, sitting on the couch, not doing a thing. I thought about pulling out my laptop and playing a game to take my mind off things, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't care about setting a new fastest speed run. All I wanted was to wait for the mysterious girl to wake up.
Speak of the devil. At that moment, I heard soft weeping coming from my parents' room. I stood up and opened the door. The girl was sitting up in bed, tears streaming down her face. As she turned toward me, I averted my gaze. I wasn't trying to be rude, but, well, the way she was sitting, the blanket didn't cover her chest.
"Um," I mumbled. "Could you, uh, cover yourself?" My face was flushed. After a moment of no response, I snuck a peek, just to see if she did what I asked. To my surprise, she did her job a little too well. The girl had hidden herself completely under the covers. I stifled a chuckle and made my way to the side of the bed. "You don' hafta cover yer head."
The girl slowly poked her head out from under the covers. The slight grin that was on my face fell when I saw her puffy, bloodshot eyes and was replaced with genuine concern. I got on the bed and sat Indian-style, facing her. "What's wrong? Please, tell me."
"What...what am I?" she whispered, pointing to the other side of the room. I turned in the direction she was pointing and saw the massive, nearly wall-size mirror positioned above my parents' dresser. "What are we?"
So it's true. She really had no idea. I let out a small sigh as I prepared for what would surely be a long discussion. "Were called humans," I began. "We, um...uh...I...hmm..." I glanced around the room. "Y'know...I don' actually know how ta describe us." But as I looked around the room, an answer came to me. One that could summarize the entire history of the human race in a single sentence.
"We're pretty smart, I guess..."
The girl stared at me inquisitively. Not that I blame her. As far as explanations go, that wasn't exactly top-notch. "A-are you...dangerous?" she asked.
I sucked in a breath. This question caught me off guard. I knew what the "right" answer was, but I found myself having a difficult time saying it. What was wrong with me? This girl woke up with amnesia and needs to relearn what humans are, and I'm considering telling her that we're dangerous? God, I'm stupid sometimes.
"N-no. Humans aren' dangerous. Sure, we may not always be that friendly all th' time, but we wouldn' hurt you."
The girl seemed to relax a little, although she still looked distressed. "So, then, c-could you please not...swear like that?" she pleaded. Then, in a much softer voice, "please?"
I smiled gently. "Yeah, ah'm sorry 'bout that. I shouldn've lost it like that. 't's actually a bad habit'a mine, I really needa stop."
I leaned in closer. "Look, I dunno what's goin' on with you, 'n' you don' seemda know yerself, but ah'm sorry we got off to a bad start. So, let's start over. My name's Dante. What's yers?"
The girl smiled for the first time that day. "Fluttershy. I'm Fluttershy."
I feel bad saying that, but it's true. Her story doesn't make a lick of damn sense. It'd be one thing if she simply couldn't remember anything from the past few days, but this 'Fluttershy' was totally convinced of some pretty stupid fucking things.
"Uh, Fluttershy? That's uh... mmm... 's an... interesting name," I said, biting my lip.
The girl apparently named Fluttershy looked hurt. "What's wrong with my name?"
"Oh! Uh, nothing, I guess. 's jus', that's kinda... strange name. Never met anyone like that."
"W-well, I've never heard of a namelike Dante before." she mumbled.
"No? Dante's Inferno? Never heard of it?" She shook her head. I shrugged. "Well, it is an uncommon name. 'specially 'round here." Something clicked in my head. "Actually, that reminds me. I dunno where yer from."
Fluttershy seemed much more relaxed now. She looked like she was settling into the bed and starting to get comfortable. "I'm from Ponyville," she said.
I squinted my eyes in confusion. "Um... where's that?" I asked skeptically.
"It's in Equestria, just a little outside Canterlot."
My eyes went wide with confusion. "Uh... huh. ...And where the hell-... sorry. Where is that?"
Now Fluttershy looked puzzled. "It's... it's the name of our kingdom. Don't you know of it?"
There was an audible pause as an awkward silence grew between us. Finally, I managed to find my voice. "There's... nowhere... on Earth... called Equestria."
"Earth? Wh-what's that?"
My disbelief was growing exponentially. "It's... it's the name of the planet."
"Th-that can't be right. Our world is... called... Equus..." Fluttershy trailed off as an idea came to her. "Wait, is that why I'm not a pony anymore?"
I stared at her blankly. "...huh?"
"I was a pony back in Equestria," 'Fluttershy' explained. "A pegasus, actually. Since I've never heard of Earth before, does this mean that I turned into the species native here when I arrived?"
Is this girl serious? Does she think I'm stupid? She must, or there's no way she'd expect me to believe any of this. Maybe this is just some elaborate prank? That's got to be it. She'll say the craziest bullshit and try to convince me she's serious. And up to this point, I'd fallen for it! No, wait. That doesn't explain why she was naked. Was it part of the trick? I'm not sure what difference that would make. What is she up to?
"Well," I said, hastily. I needed to change the subject, fast. "Looks like yuv had a long day. Ahh... tell ya what: why don' chya take a bath, jus' relax, an' we'll talk 'bout this s'more later?"
'Fluttershy' seemed surprised by the offer. "I suppose I could use one," she said, glancing down, embarrassed. "Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"
I smirked and shook my head. "Yeah, don' worry 'bout it. You jus' wait here, 'n' ah'll be back in a minute." I stepped off the bed and crossed the hallway into the bathroom.
I tried to go over everything 'Fluttershy' had told me while I ran the water, but I drew a blank the entire time. There was something about her that was bothering me. I just couldn't bring myself to tell her to drop the act. Anyone else, I would have brought this game to an end. There was something different about her, though. She seemed so... innocent. And completely genuine. I'm not sure why, but that's just the feeling I got from her.
That didn't mean her story checked out. Far from it, that was still bullshit. But I can't prove to her that she's wrong, yet. Maybe the best way to find out how she got here would be to get to know her. I mean, what other choice did I have?
When I finished drawing the bath, I grabbed a body towel from the closet and walked back to my parents' room. 'Fluttershy' had gotten out of bed and was looking out the window, having pulled the curtains open. She had a view of the back yard, the porch attached to the house, the weed-infested 'garden' in the corner, and the magnolia tree immediately off to the side. She seemed to be looking directly at the tree, taking it in in its entirety. I could understand: every year, when it was in full bloom, the tree never ceased to amaze me. The pink and slightly-purple flower petals open up, and the whole tree comes to life with color. It's truly a sight to behold.
"Beautiful, isn' it?" I asked, standing next to her. I had made sure to hold the towel in such a way that I couldn't see below her neck.
'Fluttershy' flinched slightly when she heard me, but then her smile returned. "Yes, it is beautiful. I've never seen a tree like that before."
"Really? Well, lucky you. This is the only one in th' whole town." I sighed contently. "Anyway, th' bath's ready," I said, handing her the towel.
"Thank you," she said, taking the towel and making her way to the bathroom. She had a funny way of walking, though. Her movement was unsteady, and she needed to lean against the wall and furniture to stay upright, much like a toddler taking his first steps. I watched her until she entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind herself. I heard splashing as she stepped into the tub.
I sighed, shaking my head. "What've I gotten myself into?"
Amnesia refers to the loss of memories, such as facts, information and experiences. Though having no sense of who you are is a common plot device in movies and television, real-life amnesia generally doesn't cause a loss of self-identity. Instead, people with amnesia — also called amnestic syndrome — are usually lucid and know who they are, but may have trouble learning new information and forming new memories.
-Mayo Clinic
A delusion is a belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary.
-Wikipedia
Delusional disorder is characterized by the presence of non-bizarre delusions. Non-bizarre delusions typically are beliefs of something occurring in a person’s life which is not out of the realm of possibility.
I stared at the screen of my laptop for several minutes before I tilted my head down and massaged the bridge of my nose in frustration. So this is what I was dealing with: an amnesiac girl plagued by bizarre delusions. Fucking lovely.
"Dante?" 'Fluttershy' called. "I'm done with my bath."
"Okay," I called back. "Jus' stay there. Imma get you some clothes." I entered my little sister's room and opened the second drawer of the dresser, where I was greeted by the sight of a jumbled pile of multi-colored panties and bras. Embarrassed, I grabbed the first bra and panties that I found and shut the drawer. I couldn't believe I just went through my sister's underwear! If she found out...
Pushing that thought aside, I opened the top drawer and grabbed a pair of jean shorts. I hoped that they would fit her, since my mom's would be too baggy. Finally, I walked to the closet and chose a gray striped t-shirt. Satisfied with my selection, I returned to the bathroom and cracked the door open just enough to slip the clothes in.
"Here, put these on," I told her, dropping the clothes on the floor and shutting the door.
"Thank you," she replied, her voice muffled slightly by the door. "Um, I was wondering... Do all humans have to wear clothing? Because ponies rarely do."
I bit my lip, keeping myself from saying the first thing that entered my head. Instead, I decided to humor her for the time being. Now was not the time or place to tell her she was nuttier than a granola bar. "Yeah, we do. We're only allowed ta be naked fer bathing. Anything else, anywhere else, ya gotta be covered."
"Um, what's this thing?" she asked.
"What's what?"
"I don't know what it - or any of these clothes, really - are called. Could you come in and help me?"
"No," I said quickly. "I mean... Ah can't come in while yer getting dressed. But I'll tell ya what ta do if ya need me ta."
"Okay," 'Fluttershy' began. "This thing is kind of small and stretchy."
"Those're panties," I replied. "D'ya know how ta put'em on?"
"I think... they go between my legs?"
"Yeah, tha's right. Jus' slip one leg through each hole an' pull'em all tha way up."
I paused for a moment. "Oh, they feel good!" I heard from behind the door.
"Good fer you," I chuckled. "Next ya do th' bra."
"Which one is-"
"It's th' one with the... uh... the... two cup things on it. It's kinda' flimsy."
"Oh. What's this do?"
"You use 'em ta support yer titti- yer breasts. You got it, right?"
"I... I don't know how to put this on."
I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, ya jus'... um... you..." My face fell. "You jus'... hook it... from behind... I... think? Oh my god," I chuckled from embarrassment. "I-I'm not... I'm not really sure!"
"So, do I have to wear it, then?"
"Well, ya don' have to, but ya really should." I thought for a moment. "All righ', you know wha'? I'm gonna come in 'n' help ya with that. Be a learnin' experience fer me, too," I joked. "Okay, I'm gonna open th' door and I want you ta have yer back toward me, akay?"
"Okay," 'Fluttershy' replied.
I turned the knob and gently pushed the door open, peeking my head in to make sure I was clear to enter. 'Fluttershy' was turned away from me, holding the green bra in her right hand. My eyes found their way to her posterior, tracing the contour of the pink panties along her rump. I felt a stirring in my nether regions.
No, dumbass, I silently scolded myself. No. Bad. Before I let it get any worse, I walked up behind her and took the bra from her hand.
"Okay, bear with me. I'm not entirely sure what ah'm doin'."
"It's fine," 'Fluttershy' whispered.
I held the shoulder straps of the bra in each hand and held it over her head. Then I brought the bra down in front of her. From behind, I pulled the bra against her torso, then slid it up until it stopped against her breasts.
"Okay, now these straps? Ya gotta put your arms through 'em an' get 'em on your shoulders." I let go of the straps as she complied. "'kay, now adjust th' cups so they're... erm... comfortable."
"It feels tight," 'Fluttershy' remarked.
"Well, 'magine it would. It's designed to... uh... support... yer... mammaries." I pushed her long, pink hair over her shoulder with my arm and grabbed the clips on the back of the bra. "Akay, now th' last part is ya have ta clip it together in th' back. This looks like it's jus' a hook thing, er whatever it's called. 't's pretty simple. Ya jus' bring 'em together like this..." I pulled the clips together, but about three inches apart from each other, they stuck and wouldn't move any closer. 'Fluttershy' made a soft moaning noise. I stopped, stared at the clips for an moment, then tried again. I pulled much harder this time, but at an inch apart, the bra gave too much resistance, and the clips wouldn't come any closer.
"Aahhh!" 'Fluttershy' cried out. "Dante, it's too tight!"
I tried one last time, but to no avail.
"Dante, please, stop! Please, it's too tight!" 'Fluttershy' begged.
I released my grip on the bra and let my hands fall to my side. "Holy shit," I muttered.
'Fluttershy' turned toward me, her arm pressed against the bra so that she was still covered. A worried look crossed her face. "I'm-I'm sorry," she whispered. She looked to be on the verge of tears.
"N-no, it-it's not yer fault. Sorry, it's jus'..." I didn't know quite how to say it. I took a deep breath and sighed, blushing slightly. "It's too small."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
I shifted uncomfortably. "I mean you're too big... there... and it's not gonna fit you. You'll... have to do without one for now."
'Fluttershy' stared at the floor, dejected. "Oh... okay," she whispered. She let her arm fall, and the bra followed suit. Luckily, I saw what she was doing and turned away just in time.
"So!" I said quickly. "Um... I, ahh... I guess you're gonna have to wear something else. That shirt's my sister's too, so, yeah. You could probably fit in it, but you'd stretch it out, and, yeah, that won' do." I scratched the back of my head, nervous. "I think one ah my shirts might be big enough. You put the pants on, an' I'll see what I can find."
I picked up the shirt and tossed it nonchalantly onto my sister's bed after I left the bathroom, then turned into my bedroom. I made my way to the closet, sliding a pile of papers and junk out of the way with my foot. Jesus Christ, my room was a mess. Papers from high school, a couple of library books, pencils, drawstring bags, my class ring, Mad Libs, unused wallets, Calvin and Hobbes comic books, a Metallica album, a computer mouse, a flashlight, a GameStop gift card, a glass Coca-Cola bottle, dirty laundry, clothes hangers, sunglasses, a deck of cards, my iPod, Winnie the Pooh, and even Pikachu were scattered across my room in an unnavigable mess. I'd better clean this up soon.
I slid the door to my closet open and skimmed the selection I had. Something seemed off. "Hey, where're my hoodies?" I wondered. "I always-... oh, right. They're packed away. Dumbass." I gave myself a mental facepalm. I somehow forgot that it was eighty degrees outside and that you don't wear hooded sweatshirts when it's that warm.
With my first choice gone, I sighed and looked at what remained. It was slim pickings. I had a handful of t-shirts that fit me just fine, but being 5'10" and only 140 lbs., my shirts were pretty skinny. The few that were bigger were just plain ugly. It didn't look like I had anything that would... wait a second... is that...?
'Fluttershy' managed to get her shorts on by herself, which came as a relief to me. I'm not sure why I doubted her, honestly. She already put the panties on by herself, so why would she have any trouble with shorts? Clearly, I underestimated her intelligence. Man, I'm a jerk, sometimes.
"All right, I found a shirt that I think'll fit. Try it on." I tossed the shirt in the bathroom, still refusing to look directly at her and rather opting to look no higher than her hips.
'Fluttershy' fumbled with the shirt a bit. "Oh, it's so light." she remarked. She slid it over her head and pulled it down to her waist.
I glanced up at her and bit back a chuckle. Still, I couldn't suppress the smile that was growing on my face.
"Um, is it all right?" 'Fluttershy asked, leaning on the sink. I nodded.
"Oh, yes, it looks good," I said, laughter finding its way into my voice. "Jus' tell me, how do ya like Bernie Kosar's Cleveland Browns jersey?"
