I locked the building's front door behind me and followed Fluttershy down the steps to the path. A car drove past on the other side of the road, but she still jumped back towards me, frightened.

"Are there a lot of them?" Fluttershy asked, pointing to the car as it turned around the corner.

"Yeah. Don't worry, they're safe. As long as you don't step into the road."

"Isn't this the road?" she questioned as I started walking down the road. She followed me, and I made she was walking to my right so I was between her and the road.

"Sort of. The road is the part for the cars," I pointed at the grey tarmac "And the path is for people." I finished, indicating the part of the road separated by the curb.

"This world is so different from Equestria." Fluttershy noted as she looked at the four storey brick buildings around us.

"Yeah." I agreed. From what I had seen of the show, our worlds weren't all THAT different, but there were still enough new things to be confusing and frightening. Different buildings, travel, culture.

And food.

I'd been thinking about food since I'd offered her a meal from the chip shop. Specifically a way to tell Fluttershy that humans eat meat. She probably wouldn't take it very well, being such an animal lover.

"Fluttershy?" I began hesitantly. There was no-one around so I decided it was safe to use her real name. I didn't want to alienate her.

She turned to me.

"There's something I need to explain." Alright, good so far.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, you know about animal diets don't you?"

She nodded, so I continued.

"And how some of them are carnivorous?"

A margin of a frown creased her forehead, but she nodded again "What is it?" she repeated.

"Well," I said "Humans are… how do I put this? Omnivorous." I said simply.

She frowned properly now, thoughtful. I wanted to say something else, but I let her think about it. We reached the end of the road and I led her to the right. Another car drove past.

"Are you alright Fluttershy?" I asked.

"So, humans eat… meat?" she clarified quietly.

I nodded, feeling a little guilty.

"Animals?" she asked again, and turned to look at me. I nodded and tried to read her face. She seemed a little hurt, and possibly even a little angry.

"Some people don't though. They choose not to eat meat." I explained by way of apology.

"Do you?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I only eat white meat though."

"White meat?" she questioned.

I nodded. "Poultry, like chicken or turkey. Fish as well." I added.

She looked away from me and down the path.

"Are you alright Fluttershy?" I asked. "You're not angry, are you?"

She didn't respond, but after a second she shook her head. "No. If that's what you eat, then that's what you eat."

I nodded, glad she was so understanding. "But you won't have to eat meat. You can be vegetarian."

She nodded.

"I'm telling you this because the place we're going to, the chip shop, sells fish and chicken on top of everything else. I didn't want you to be freaked out." I explained as we stopped at a T-junction. The chip shop was just down the road, but we needed to cross. At least traffic was light this far from the town centre.

"Thank you." she replied. I looked left and right and, confirming there were no incoming cars, I led Fluttershy over the road. She looked left and right fearfully, clearly watching out for cars and the like.

The last couple of minutes to the chip shop were spent in silence. Fluttershy didn't seem to want to talk about the meatier side of English cuisine.

I glanced up to see we had reached the impromptu restaurant.

"Fillets Takeaway." Fluttershy read out the name from the board above the glass window.

"Yep. The chips here are amazing." I pushed open the door. "After you Florence." I said to her, reminding her of her public name. She smiled back at me and walked in, and I followed. There was only one other person there. He was wearing a plain suit and was sitting on a plastic chair reading a magazine, probably waiting for his order. Fluttershy stopped by the door and read the menu over the counter while I stepped up to it and looked back into the kitchen where I presumed the owner was. While I was waiting Fluttershy walked up to my side.

"Is there anything, uh, vegetaren?" she asked.

"Vegetarian." I corrected kindly then nodded. "I could get you some vegetarian nuggets if you want." I offered. "What do you think about fish? Do you want to try some?"

She shook her head, looking into the glass counter that was showing off a variety of cooked fish and food. "No thank you."

"Okay. The veggie nuggets, then? They taste like chicken, but they're... not." I concluded, lost for the right word.

She looked thoughtful for a second, then nodded slowly. "I suppose I could try them." she agreed.

"Okay then. The cook should be out soon."

Sure enough, a minute later, he came through holding a paper bag.

"Boneless cod and chips for Mr Baker." he said, reading from a small piece of paper.

The man in the suit closed the newspaper, stood up and walked over to my side. The cook handed him the bag and suit-man nodded his thanks before walking out. The cook turned to me.

"So, what can I get you?" he asked.

"Can I have two medium bags of chips, an vegetarian chicken nugget meal and…" I trailed off as I looked down into the display to decide what I wanted to eat. I saw Fluttershy was looking disdainfully at some of the fish and in particular the chicken nuggets. "Uh, could I have two vegetarian chicken nugget meals actually?" I revised. The cook nodded as he wrote down the order on a piece of paper.

"So two medium bags of chips and two vegetarian chicken nugget meals?" he repeated. I nodded. "Want any drinks with that?"

I thought for a couple of seconds. "Two medium Cokes please."

He scribbled the last part down and nodded. "That'll be eight pounds fifty-four."

I nodded, pulled the tenner out of my pocket then handed it over to him. He took it and walked over to the cash register to get my change. A second later he came back and handed me the coins. "Is it take-away?" he asked.

I looked at Fluttershy questioningly, but she just gave me a deadpanned look. I turned back to the cook.

"I guess we'll have it here then." I decided.

"Right. If you want you can take a seat while you wait. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes." He turned and walked into the kitchen, out of sight.

I led Fluttershy over to a table next to where the other patron had been sitting. I sat down and she followed suit, sitting across from me.

"Jamie?" she asked.

"Yes Florence?" I answered.

"What do we do now?" she asked quietly, keeping in mind the cook was only a few metres away in the kitchen.

"About what?" I asked, unsure what she meant.

"How I'm going to get back to Equestria." she whispered.

I was prepared for this. "First we have to contact this professor. And like I said, if you got here, then we can get you back. We just need to find out how, and I bet the professor can tell us. Maybe even help us do it." I explained, reassuring both her and myself.

"Will Steven help?" Fluttershy asked.

"Probably. He seemed excited enough. Besides, I don't see why he wouldn't."

Fluttershy nodded. "When are we going to find the professor?"

I shrugged in response. "First things first, I'm skint. If I'm lucky, the gallery will want my drawing and I'll have a little more money. Maybe enough to hunt down this professor."

Fluttershy smiled at me. "Thank you for your help. Again."

I chuckled. "You have to stop thanking me Fluttershy."

"Sorry." she apologized.

"It's alright."

The dinging of a bell brought my attention to the counter. The cook was holding two plastic bowls lined with newspaper, each filled with chips.

"The veggie nuggets will take a bit longer, but you can have these now. Want your drink as well?"

"Please." I nodded. I walked back to the table and put the bowls down as he grabbed a couple of plastic cups, poured the coke and clipped a lid onto each. I grabbed a couple of straws and disposable forks, thanked him for the drinks and sat back down across from Fluttershy. I handed a fork to her and used mine to spear and eat a couple of chips. As I'd promised her, they were delicious. She tried to copy me, but only managed to fork one. She ate it and chewed carefully.

"It's… really nice." she concluded with a smile. She forked another two and ate them.

"Just nice?" I grinned. Before she could answer I picked up the salt shaker and vinegar bottle. "Try putting a bit of salt or vinegar on." I offered. I saw the cook come back with two more, smaller, plates. He walked around the counter and set them down on the table.

"Enjoy your meal." he said.

"Thanks." I nodded to him. I turned back to Fluttershy to see her stare curiously at the veggie nugget. As I watched she forked one and took a petite bite out of it. She smiled as she chewed it.

"This is nice."

I ate one and had to agree. They were alright, for the veggie option.

The bike puttered to an almost stop in the car park in front of the two storey art gallery and I guided it to a complete stop in an empty space near the front of the glass and steel fronted building. It was too far for me and Fluttershy to walk in the time we had, so I'd decided to risk taking the bike without my license. The art gallery was a rather small building as I remembered from my first visit, with a small gallery behind the reception with the better works. A couple of small rooms off each side led to more exhibits and the first floor held the offices and even a studio if I remember correctly.

Fluttershy's grip around my waist lessened and she stepped off the bike as I kicked the stand down. I followed her and took off my bike helmet and leather jacket to reveal a semi-formal suit without a tie. Fluttershy did the same, except she was wearing the same clothes she had yesterday, the ones I'd drawn her in. The drawing in question was in an A3 art folder Fluttershy had been carrying underarm for me. I put the helmets and jackets into my backpack and took it from her before straightening her wig and leading the way in.

The automatic doors slid open in front of us but Fluttershy, surprisingly, didn't seem fazed. I guessed she'd gotten used to them since the doctors clinic. I walked up to the secretary behind the desk and she turned and looked up at me with a smile.

"Can I help you?" she asked with what was probably forced cheer.

"I have a meeting with Mr Thompson." I told her, returning the smile.

"One moment." she tapped away at her computer. "Name?" she asked.

"Jamie Goodwin." I told her.

She typed a little more. "Alright, Mr Thompson is expecting you. Is she with you?" the receptionist gestured to Fluttershy.

"Yes, Mr Thompson is expecting her as well." I assured her.

The receptionist frowned but let us through. "Alright. He'll be in his office. Do you know where that is?"

"Yeah, don't worry." I nodded. Fluttershy followed me up the stairs.

"I didn't know he was expecting me as well." Fluttershy commented curiously.

I turned and put a finger to my lips. "He doesn't. At least not yet."

I turned down the hallway. Even up here, away from the general public's eyes, there were works of indie art. One particular piece that seemed to catch Fluttershy's eyes depicted two monkeys fighting one another with swords while several more in suits watched. I did sometimes wonder about the sanity of some of these artists. I continued down towards Mr Thompson's office, Fluttershy close behind. I stopped outside his door and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Alright, no pressure." I reassured myself.

Fluttershy saw me stalling outside the door, so she stepped up and knocked on the door for me.

"Come in." Mr Thompsons voice rang out from inside.

I grudgingly nodded in thanks to her and opened the door, making my way in.

The office was decked out with some fancy furniture; a four-seat sofa, laminate wood flooring, a floor to ceiling window with a view of the park over the road and an entirely glass table with half a dozen chairs, most likely for meetings. Other than those were the desk with two chairs in front of it, packed with papers, a computer, stationary of all kinds. Sitting behind said desk was the man we were here to see, Mr Thompson himself.

"Ah, Mr Goodwin, good to see you on time. A little early, in fact." he commented, putting down an ink pen and tidying up a couple of papers.

I looked at the clock on the wall. Fluttershy and I were indeed a couple of minutes early for my one o'clock appointment.

"Not that that's bad." Mr Thompson said, seeing me eyeing the clock. "Now, please, do take a seat." He gestured at the two cushioned seats in front of his desk.

"Thank you sir." I said. Best if I kept a formal attitude.

"Please, call me Peter." he amended as he reached across the desk and shook my hand.

Well, it had been a good idea. At least being informal like this seemed like a good sign. But Peter didn't seem like the name of an art gallery owner. I'd thought he'd have a name like Jackson or something. He looked behind me at Fluttershy, who was standing in the doorway.

"I presume she is with you?" he asked.

I nodded. "I hope that's alright, but-" He held up a hand to cut me off.

"No need to explain, I'm sure there's a valid reason. Please, dear, do sit down." Fluttershy accepted his offer and sat down in the chair next to mine. Peter continued, turning to me. "Now, I presume you've realised why I invited you here?"

I nodded. "Your e-mail said you were interested in my artwork."

"Yes. Your first piece showed real promise." he reached under the desk and brought out an A3 sheet. He put it on the desk in front of him, moving some of the papers he had been working on to the side. It was one of my better pieces, obviously, and depicted the Lincolnshire countryside on a snowy day. It was one of the few pieces I'd decided to colour.

"You have good stroke and size awareness; it's a wonderful piece of work. But there's a rather unknown phrase that goes 'Luck is doing something good once, skill is doing something good twice, and talent is doing something good as many times as you want'."

I nodded, keeping up with the conversation. Fluttershy stayed quiet by my side.

"Which is why I asked you to draw another. That," he raised a finger and pointed at me. "will at least prove you have skill. Do you have a piece with you?"

I nodded nervously and reached down to the folder at my feet. I undid the aged Velcro strap and carefully pulled out the sheet of paper, as though it would crumple at the slightest touch. Which, knowing my luck, it would. I put it down on the desk, facing him.

He peered down at it and moved it closer; examining it in the same way a doctor would a patient, looking for any signs something was wrong.

The finished drawing was a rather simple affair, though I'd put more effort into it than with the other he had seen. In the scene Fluttershy was sitting in the armchair, relaxed, stroking Mits while the little bundle of fur was curled up in her lap.

Mr Thompson, or Peter, looked up at Fluttershy. "Ah, I see now. I must say, this is very lifelike. And taking the initiative to bring her here today, that's very good."

I smiled, and saw Fluttershy do the same. This was looking promising.

"You said you got an A* grade in Art, didn't you?" he asked, picking up the sheet.

"Yes." I confirmed.

"Hmm." Peter laid my art down after a few seconds of closer exanimation. "Well, this is certainly a fine piece." he concluded.

I grinned at his praise. It meant a fair bit coming from him. "So… what now?" I asked.

He thought for a second. "I did say I was offering to buy this artwork, didn't I? If I didn't, I am now. Both this piece and your last."

I cheered inwardly; that was what I was hoping for. I turned to Fluttershy to see her grinning at me.

"Good to see you're both pleased by that. Jamie, I must ask, have you considered a job in art?"

I turned back to him and nodded. "I did ask, but I was told you weren't hiring."

"We're not." he explained and steepled his fingers. "…but, there can always be an exception. You clearly know your stuff."

"So, are you offering me a job?" I asked disbelievingly.

"On a trial basis, yes. I'd like to hire you as an art consultant. I haven't prepared a proper job description, because I had no idea I'd be needing one, but I can have one of my secretaries write one up for you. Then you can come back here at a later date and get all the official paperwork out the way."

"Thank you Mr Thompson." I grinned ecstatically. And stole a glance at Fluttershy, the one who had gotten me this far, made this all possible. She seemed to share my joy if the look on her face was anything to go by.

"It's only a trial basis mind you." he warned, then stood up and held out his hand. I followed his lead, grasped his hand with both of mine and shook it heartily.

"Thank you si- uh, Peter." I corrected myself.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again Jamie. Someone should contact you by the end of next week. If not, ring up and I'll sort it out." He let go of my hand and turned to Fluttershy. "I'm sorry dear, I never caught your name."

She smiled and shook his hand gently. "Florence."

The big boss nodded. "It was nice meeting you. You have a very talented boyfriend."

Both Fluttershy and I blushed simultaneously. "We're not, together." I explained.

Peter nodded. "My apologies, I just assumed."

"It's okay."

"Alright then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork I need to do. Oh, I almost forgot!" he sat back down and reached under the desk. There was a quiet metallic clicking, presumably from a safe. He pulled out a small wad of notes and started counting them off. He eventually handed over a number of them.

"That's £750. That's an unofficial employment bonus as well as payment for both of your art pieces. Don't spend it all at once." He grinned. "Now, I'll let you be on your way. Thank you Jamie."

"Thank you ever so much Mr Thompson." I grinned, picked up my art folder and walked out, followed by Fluttershy. Once the door was closed I silently cheered.

"YES!" I whispered. "Yes yes yes!" I punched the air.

Fluttershy giggled at my overreaction. I stopped, stood up straight and pecked her on the cheek, making her cheeks flush red.

"Thank you Fluttershy. You've just gotten me a job and £750 to boot." I exclaimed ecstatically.

"Oh, I didn't do anything, really…" she tried to wave it off, looking away.

"Nonsense. Now, we have a party to get ready for, don't we?" I grinned.

A/N: Thanks to ChancellorPuddinghead for editing this chapter.

Translations:

Skint:Broke, out of money, open-the-wallet-little-moth-thing-flies-out

Steepling: My editor didn't know what this meant: [...okay, this is too funny. Even says "steeple" is only a noun! Ha! I assume that's British for "putting your fingertips together like Mr. Burns," right?] This probably isn't a word then, but me and pretty much everyone I know says it like this. And my editor summed it up better than I ever could, so thank you ChancellorPuddinghead