I was sitting on the rock, overlooking the countryside like I normally did on a Saturday. Nothing was out of the ordinary. The birds were chirping and it was peaceful, like normal. I looked at my half blank sketch pad and sighed. Not much to draw anymore, and I didn't feel like drawing what there was. I decided to pack up early and head home, maybe go into town and get some shopping with some of the little money I had left from my last job.

Try as I might, an Art Degree doesn't go very far in a job interview.

I sighed again and picked up my sketch pad and pencils and placed them in my rucksack. I stood up, threw it over my back and walked down the hill and into the trees. As far as I know no-one else knew about this spot just out of the woods. I cross a shallow stream from the beaten path and after a two minute walk uphill from the stream I reach my drawing spot. It's quiet, good for drawing, and away from the noise of the nearby motorway I use to get here.

Anyway, like I said, it was a normal day. Recently I'd lost a lot of inspiration from the hillsides where I drew. I reached the bottom of the hill where my path met the stream. I hopped onto the first stone, intending to hop across them in succession. As I reached the second one I heard rustling in the bushes across the path. I looked up, and it me me lose my balance and fall straight into the flowing water with a splash, face first. I pushed myself up, kneeling in the inch deep water.

'What was that?' I wondered to myself. "Hello?" I called into the foliage.

There was no reply. I stood up and wiped myself clean, getting some stray leaves of me.

*Ribbit*

I felt something on my head. I reached up and touched something slimy. It was a frog.

"Get off!" I shook my head and the frog leapt into the river. I waded out of the river onto the path. Thankfully my rucksack, and its contents, seemed dry, and I was only slightly soaked. As I shook myself off and stepped onto the path I heard the rustling noise again, somewhere from in the trees ahead of me. I decided to check it out.

Stepping over the low bushes at the paths edge, I made my way through the small plant life to where I last heard the rustling. After a few seconds I heard it again, much closer. I stepped forward into a small clearing, and sitting on a boulder was another person. A girl, about the same age as me as far as I could tell, looking into the forest.

She didn't appear to notice me. She had a yellow sweater and a long brown skirt. The most surprising feature was her long, flowing, pink hair. I stepped further forward and broke a twig, making a snapping sound. She turned around then, her eyes wide with fear.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you." I found myself saying, holding out my hands. It did little good, because she shakily jumped to her feet and, hesitantly, ran deeper into the forest.

"Wait!" I shouted. I jogged after her, knowing she would get lost if she went too far. These woods were several miles wide, and it wouldn't be the first time a person went missing. I vaulted a fallen tree, trying not to ruin my clothes and not quite believing how this girl could move so quickly through all the plant stuff. "Please, stop!" this was ridiculous. However much ground I covered she seemed to stay just as far ahead. After a minute I stopped, listening for any kind of sound. Nothing. For all I know I could have been hallucinating.

Or, she was hiding somewhere.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you, I just want to help." I called out, looking around.

I waited a few seconds. Still nothing. I was just about to head deeper into the forest when I saw a flash of pink to my left. I looked properly and saw her hair billowing out from behind a tree. A moment later the girl herself stepped out and I got my first proper look at her. As well as the yellow sweater and brown skirt, she was barefoot and had turquoise eyes. Her expression was lost behind the hair covering her face. I stepped forward, reaching out to her.

"What's your name?" I asked quietly. It somehow seemed necessary. Well, I suppose it was. She was clearly scared.

"Fl…" her voice trailed off, completely inaudible.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"My names Flutt…"

"A bit louder, please. I won't bite." I smiled reassuringly.

"Fluttershy." her voice barely louder than the first two attempts.

"Okay." It seemed a little odd. "What are you doing out here Fluttershy?"

"I, I don't know. F-first I was feeding my animals, t-then I was here, like this." she looked down at herself.

"What do you mean, 'like that'?" I asked, treading forward slowly so she wouldn't run away again.

"I'm not a pony anymore."

I stopped stepping forward. Not a pony anymore? That was... a little more than odd. Maybe she hit her head? It would explain why she was so scared; she was probably dazed and confused, I reasoned with myself. I decided to humour her for the time being.

"Ok, and how did you get here?"

"I-I don't know, first I w-was in my garden, t-then I was there, on that rock." she shivered and rubbed her arms, before looking worriedly at her hands. She shivered again as she clenched her fingers.

"It's pretty cold out. You should go home." I said.

"I don't know where m-my home is though." she said. She sniffed, like she about to cry.

"Ok, do you want me to take you to town?"

"To t-town?"

"Yeah, Lincoln. Where are you from?"

"P-Ponyville."

She'd definitely hit her head on something. "I don't know where that is. If I go back to my apartment I can look it up, though."

"Well, I don't know." she looked around, unsure of herself.

"Look, I could take you to my apartment, I can look for 'Ponyville' and if I find it, I could take you there. If I don't, you could contact someone to help." I added.

"Oh, well, t-that seems like a g-good idea. I think. If that's alright with you." she added gingerly.

"No problem. Let's go." I waved her towards me and set off. I looked back a second to make sure she was behind me. She stepped forward carefully, following in my footsteps, almost exactly. I led her back through the forest towards the path.

"Are you sure you have no idea how you got here?" I asked, holding back a branch for this 'Fluttershy'.

"No." she said quietly.

"Did you hit your head on something? A rock maybe?" I let the branch fly back, and walked past her.

"I d-don't think so. I was just sitting in my garden, feeding my animals, then there was a, a flash of light. Then, I was on sitting on that rock, with, these." she held up her hands.

"What? Hands?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She looked at them again oddly. "Y-yes." she nodded.

She must have hit her head hard. "Ok. Well, let's just try to find this Ponyville."

"Sure." she nodded.

I stepped into the clearing where I first saw her and continued through towards the path. I stopped and made sure she was still following me again. Once she was next to me I led her to the path.

"Don't you have any shoes?"

"No, ponies don't normally wear them."

"Uh, sure… come on, it's not far to the car-park from here." I added.

"Car-park? What's that?" Fluttershy asked.

I looked back at her oddly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm lost and scared." she sniffed again.

I felt my heart implode. She truly seemed lost, and I felt sorry for her. "It's ok. I'll help you find this, Ponyville, then I can take you home."

She nodded. "Ok."

I smiled back, trying to reassure her. "Okay then. Follow me. I led her towards the car-park. It was deserted except for a family having a picnic on a bench and their people carrier, and of course my dirt bike. I've had that bike for 3 years now, and it's never done me wrong. I walked up to it and waved over Fluttershy. She stepped up nervously, eyeing my bike and the families car. I pulled my leather jacket out of my rucksack and picked up the helmet from the bike. My hoodie would be streamlined enough to ride, so she could have the jacket, and I'd rather she had the helmet, as was proper.

"Here, wear these." I thought of something and delved into one of the pockets in my jacket. I pulled out a hair-band. I always carried some in case my girlfriend forgets to tie her hair up before we go.

"Oh, and don't forget to tie your hair up."

"Tie? My 'hair'? D-don't you mean my mane?"

I looked at her. This was crazy. "Sure…"

She tried hopelessly to tie her hair up. "Want some help?" I asked after a moment. She nodded so I stepped over and put her hair into a pony tail. It would still get blown about, but it would help. I handed her the jacket and helmet, which she managed to hesitantly put on herself.

"Never ridden a dirt bike before?" I asked.

She shook her head, eyes wide with fear.

I put my rucksack on backwards, so it was over my stomach and chest, then sat down and pulled the key out of my pocket. "Just sit down, and hold on tight."

Fluttershy climbed awkwardly over the bike and sat down, shuffling to get comfortable and placing her hands between her legs. "Like this?" she asked through the helmet.

"Almost." I chuckled and took her hands in each of mine, then pulled them round my waist. I started the engine and rolled the bike backwards, before blasting down the dirt road to the main road and the motorway. Fluttershy gripped my waist a lot tighter than before and she was pressed against me, obviously scared somewhat.

"You okay Fluttershy?" I shouted.

I felt the helmet move up and down, signalling a nod. Or, it could have been a shake of her head. My hoodie was too soft to tell.

I turned down the main road towards the motorway.