Chapter Ten
“I’m sorry, but there is nothing more that I can do,” the doctor says to the Princesses, both Luna and Celestia, and the six girls around his bed, “It’s not the injuries that is keeping him asleep. There is brain activity though if that helps any.”
“So, is he dreaming then doctor?” Princess Luna speaks up.
The doctor nods, “I believe so, but if his memory is indeed gone then what is he dreaming about?”
“I want to go into his dreams and find out,” Fluttershy looks to Luna her eyes still filled with flowing tears, “I need to do this. Whatever state he is in I need to see him.”
“Alright Fluttershy pull the other bed beside his and lay down, I will then put you to sleep and link you two so you can enter his dreams,” Luna says watching them pull up the bed and Fluttershy laying down. “Now remember this Fluttershy, only he will be able to see, hear, and even touch you. Nothing can hurt you while in his dreams, they are dreams after all.”
^_^
Amos John woke up to the morning alarm on his phone. After turning off the phone he quickly goes through his morning routine of preparing his lunch, getting dressed, then heading off to work. It only takes about fifteen minutes to get there luckily as one of his coworkers comes from thirty miles away to get there. Just thinking about that makes him glad he lives so close to it.
Soon just about fifteen minutes after leaving the house he parks in the parking lot of the construction company and heads on inside for the daily morning meeting. Walking into the meeting room he puts down his lunch box, jug of water, and clip board with storage compartment on the table and sits down. “I had a good night’s sleep, so why do I feel so tired?” he stretches then relaxes in the chair and waits for the meeting to start.
Luna and Fluttershy appeared in Wrench Heart’s dream and they take a look around.
“This must be the human world,” Luna says. They stand on a dirt road facing a long one story building with one small tall door in front and four big doors on the side of the building.
“He’s in there Luna,” Fluttershy says looking to the building.
“Be prepared Fluttershy,” Luna cautions, “more than likely he won’t know you at all and he might even be afraid of you.”
Fluttershy steadies herself trotting up to the building with Luna behind her.
“Alright people quiet down,” A tall big man says at the front of the meeting room, “topic today is three point contact. Always have three points of contact between you and the equipment when getting in and out. Either two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand. Nothing is worth getting hurt or dying over.”
The tall man looks to Amos John, “John, after servicing this morning I need you to haul three pieces for me. I need the skid loader and the broom at the school, then I need you to take the 936 front loader and take it to the bank. I need the loader moved first.”
“Why the bank Jim?” John asks the tall man.
“We’ve just started on the parking lot and we got a lot of dirt to move. Speaking of that,” Jim turns to the two other drivers, “you two grab the belly dumps and head for the bank. Adam will be there to tell you where to take the dirt at and I need all that dirt moved today Adam can you do it?”
John hears Adam speak of the amount of dirt being moved and thinks he can do it all today, then Jim turns to the other dirt crew for the school talking about laying the oil down today and the asphalt the following day. Out of the corner of his eye he thinks he spots something, so instinctively turning to look and jumps slightly in his chair. He can’t believe it and blinks a few times then looks again. Is that two ponies he sees? He shakes his head, no can’t be but looks again and the yellowish looking one is staring at him. He can tell they are both female due to his time of two years at an animal shelter, he has learned a few things.
“Hey John,” Jim calls out, “You ok?”
“I…um…” looking to Jim then back to the ponies then to Jim again, “not sure, but do you see anything over there at the door?”
Jim looks, “Nothing but the door why?”
“I see two ponies over there.”
They all burst out in laughter and Jack, one of the drivers grabs him on the shoulder, “Dang John, I think you have breathed in too much of that fuel and oil from the service truck of yours.”
“Well, let’s thank John for giving us a good laugh this morning,” Jim says now dismissing the group, “and let’s all have a safe day out there. Dismissed.”
They all begin to leave but John lingers behind and waits until everyone leaves and slowly walks up to the door. He’s instantly curious and stops about a couple of feet from the two ponies. The light yellow one slowly starts to walk up to him. She is a small one just above three feet tall, so he sits in the chair by the door and lets her walk up to him.
Immediately he feels something is different and can’t put his finger on it. He reaches out to her slowly like one would to a stray dog. She begins to nuzzle his hand slowly and closes her eyes. “Well, you are a friendly one aren’t you? I can feel you and touch you, but why couldn’t they?” He feels his hand starting to get a little wet and looks to see that tears are falling from her eyes, “Why are you sad? Have you lost someone?” Instinctively he gently tries to wipe her tears away this time bringing up his other hand to the other side of her head.
From his time in the animal shelter he knows that all animals can communicate, maybe not verbally but they do communicate none the less and what he sees in this yellow pony’s eyes is nothing but sadness. She moves closer and he pulls her into him and hugs her gently, “I’m sorry you are so sad.” Then suddenly the scent of peaches fills his nose then slowly backs up to look to her. Her head in his hands he can’t help but feel for her, as he did with all the animals that he took care of there at the shelter. “You smell nice anyway,” he says with a smile as if trying to cheer her up, “You smell like peaches. I’ve always liked that smell.”
He sees the light yellow pony look back at the darker one then to him again, “What?” Then suddenly images flash through his mine in vivid detail: “What do you want?” Luna steps forward, “Who are you?”
“What was that?” he leans back in the chair after the images disappear, “It was almost like a vision or parts of a dream.” Looking to the darker pony, “I just saw you in one of those images.” The light yellow pony looks up to him with a look he’s seen in the shelter before, one of happiness like a dog seeing its friend coming home from work. “Well, your attitude changed,” he said looking to the light yellow one now, “Did I say something right or something?”
The yellow one comes up and nuzzles his neck with her head and the scent of peaches assaults his nose again. This time more images flash in his mind this time almost like a movie in front of him but with him seeing through the first person’s eyes: “Fluttershy,” The name comes to his mind as he sees himself as he sees himself in the forest and meeting this yellow pony then following her to her cottage and taking a bath.
“What…was?” He pulls back from her not sure what to get from it, not really understanding it. The light yellow one looks to him with a quizzical look on her face. “I saw…you,” he says to Fluttershy, “I saw you in a forest…and you spoke to me. How can that be?” He moves back some as he tries to understand or at least get a grip on what is flashing through his mind. That name, he thinks to himself, could it be that pony’s name? He takes a breath and takes the chance, “Fluttershy.”
As soon as that name comes out the light yellow pony looks to him with what he can only describe as pure joy in her eyes and what comes from her mouth blows his mind, “Yes.”
“Wait…what?” he backs up some out of pure surprise, “Did you just…speak to me?”
“Yes,” Fluttershy says to him softly and moving very slowly as not to startle him.
“How is this possible?” He sees the darker colored pony walk up to Fluttershy and they look to each other as if communicating. Fluttershy seems to disagree but then slowly turns to follow the darker one. He watches with a little confusion and then Fluttershy turns back with tears in her eyes that is of joy now. He’s glad for her joy but a sudden panic hits him, “No wait,” he takes a few steps forward then seeing them look back. Sitting back in the chair again he can’t help but wonder, “Where did that come from? The sudden panic?”
Fluttershy slowly comes up to him and he looks to her, “For some reason,” his voice a little unsteady, “I don’t want you to leave. I don’t understand, but it’s as if I can’t bear to see you leave.”
To his amazement Fluttershy presses her lips to his softly. In his mind this is the most outrageous thing he has ever done in his life and yet it seems to calm him down. “I’ll return. Don’t worry,” he hears her say in a soft voice that seems to penetrate him in a way he doesn’t understand, “You will?”
“I will,” she says then he hears another voice call from the hallway, “Hey John?” Turning to see Sara the receptionist looking at him from the doorway, “You alright honey?”
He turns to see the two ponies are gone but her touch, scent and voice are still clearly etched in his mind, “I’m…not sure.”
Fluttershy woke up and immediately began crying and moved over to Wrench Heart and rubs her head against his. This time out of joy, “Oh Wrenchy, you are still there.” She looks up to Celestia, “He’s still there,” she says in between crying breathes, “His memories…are still there.”
Luna looks to Celestia, “It’s true sister. I don’t know how but he remembered when he was locked in the room at the castle. Then he remembered Fluttershy and called her by name.”
Celestia looked relieved, “Thank goodness.” She wonders just how the memories were protected from Aurora’s spell. Whether it be the bond between Fluttershy and Wrench Heart, the amulet, or both she is glad either way.
Twilight and the rest of the girls hugged Fluttershy.
Luna looks to Fluttershy and her voice speaks caution, “Fluttershy, I’m glad that he remembered but know this. It will take a little time for his memory to fully return.”
“I don’t care,” Fluttershy says through tears of joy, “I don’t care how long it takes. I knew he was there when he smelled peaches, when I didn’t have any or any scent of peaches on me.”
“I get it.” It was Twilight who spoke up, “His mind put it there so he could start remembering. Smell is one of the most powerful types of memory so naturally it would start there.”
“There will come a time,” Luna continued, “when he will start to remember all of you, so at that time we could start putting all of you together in his dream, but until then let us go slowly with caution.”
Fluttershy wipes away some tears, looks to Luna again with a voice a still tinged with tearful joy, “Can we try again right now?”
Luna looks to Fluttershy and although she thinks otherwise she gives in, “Alright, dreams go rather quickly so it should be enough time for his mind to process our first visit. After that though I will need a break.”
It was late, almost seven, when he finally got home after dropping off the equipment at the school. He still had to take the haul truck back to the yard and secure it for the night, make sure the shop was locked up and even still had to make sure all the fence gates were locked before he went home for the day. Thankfully it only takes a few minutes to get back home.
“I need a shower bad.” He heads to the bathroom, turns on the shower water and gets ready for it while waiting for the water to heat up. Once the water is ready he steps in and just lets the water flow over him. Occasionally throughout the day he would get a flash of an image, “Was I really there?” He finishes his shower, puts a towel around his waist and opens the bathroom door.
Then he sees her there standing before him, this time in his house, “It’s you again.” He just drops his hand to his side, “So I didn’t imagine it this morning did I?”
She shakes her head speaking softly and gently, “No, I and my friend was there.” She wanted him to remember everything instantly but she knows that she must take it slow.
“It’s hard for me to believe,” he says and heads for the living room taking a seat on the couch. “I’m here right now talking to a pony, a pegasus pony at that, named Fluttershy in my house.”
Fluttershy follows him stopping in front of him, “It was all real. What you see in your mind is memories that are returning.”
“Returning?” He can’t believe his ears, “Returning,” he says just to hear him say it again. “Why do I smell peaches whenever you are near me? I smell it even now. During the day I had more images…” he looks to her questionably, “Wrench Heart?”
“Yes,” Fluttershy says softly.
“I don’t understand,” he said as his mind tries to process the sudden memories that are beginning to come forward into his mind.
“Look at me,” she says gently.
He does so looking into her eyes.
“Just let it come. You will understand, trust me. Now I want you to do something for me and close your eyes.”
He does so not sure what to expect.
“Now, let whatever comes to mind come.”
He does so, “I see a meadow of flowers. Peaceful. I’m lying there. Then I see you coming up to me. I feel so glad to see you and…whoa.” He starts to lean forward as his mind remembers that first deep kiss.
She instantly knows what he’s remembering and comes forward letting him lean on her with his head on her back. One of her wings opens and lays it on his head rubbing softly.
He hears her voice in his head and he repeats it, “You make my days bright,” he also hears her voice chime in as they say it in unison, “the days worth singing until the light fades.” Pausing as his mind goes through it until he hears his own voice in his head and again saying it, “You have been by my side, you give me a strength…Claim me and take me.” He lifts his head as the feeling of the dream flows through him.
She feels the connection grow once more and her joy flows into him again from her.
What he feels is indescribable, “This feeling,” he says raising up.
She turns to him, “It’s out connection. A connection that just us two share. It was that night that we connected. I can feel what you feel for me and you can feel what I feel for you.”
He takes a deep breath letting it out slowly, “Whoa.” Her love flows over him again and he can feel what he felt for her.
“Close your eyes and concentrate on it, feel it and let it guide you. Do you want to remember more?”
“Yes, I do.” He closes his eyes again and tries to focus on the connection that she told him about. The connection, yes he does feel it now, not strong but there. Then horrible memories come to mind, Aurora flowing quickly through the memories into when she first entered his dream. “Aurora, the evil that tried to take me over. No…not try but…”
“Look at me Wrenchy, look at me,” she commands him knowing where his mind if going, the barn.
He does so as the memories of and up to that night in the barn comes flooding his mind, “She…did…I didn’t want her…”
She can tell he’s starting to lose it again, “Look at me Wrenchy, don’t look away from me and concentrate on me and use my strength to get passed it.”
“She didn’t stop…wouldn’t stop,” tears starting to flow from his eyes as his mind processes the memories of that night at the barn and everything up to that point. “Determined to have me…a slave,” he shutters rubs his arms with his hands as if trying to swat flies away, “I want…wanted her off of me…GET OFF.”
Using her hoof she raises it up and looks into his eyes, “Remember Wrenchy you used my strength to beat her down remember, remember.”
He slowly calms down as the memory continues through him, “Darkness, cold…heard you call to me.” His breathing slowly returns to normal, “The others…safe?”
Fluttershy seems to nod as he looks behind her and sees five other ponies: rainbow colored, pink, white, purple, and orange.
“We’re fine sugar cube,” Applejack says to him, “Remember, you beat her down that night and kicked a whole in the barn wall.”
His mind flashes to the next morning where he tickled him and he laughs in response, “You…tickled me…” he laughs, “the next morning.” They all move in front of him standing beside one another beside Fluttershy, “Oh…she just…wouldn’t stop…” he starts to rock a little in the chair with his arms crossed.
“Let it go darling,” he hears the white one say and looks to her welling up again. “Rar…Rarity.”
“That’s me.”
He takes a look at the others through the tears and his eyes rests on the pink one, “You provided the party…that night…Pinkie…Pinkie Pie.”
“Yep, and she crashed it…that witch.”
He shakes his head remembering, “I don’t want her touching me.” His body shakes as he rubs himself with his hands again, “She wouldn’t…stop touching. It’s not over…she’ll return.” His eyes rests on Twilight, “You…helped…Twilight. Helped me control the level of magic.”
Twilight nods, “Yes. We’re here to help you through this.”
“Our friend,” Rainbow Dash touches a hoof to his shoulder.
He looks to the blue one, “Promise…Rainbow…Rainbow…Dash.”
“That’s right Wrenchy,” Rainbow says with a smile.
He feels a sudden wave of love and warmth flowing into him and he looks to Fluttershy. He calms down again feeling her, “Our connection. The next morning…you fed me a…a peach,” he says the last word softly realizing that is where the smell came from, “that’s where the peach smell came from, that morning.”
“Yes,” she says smiling.
His eyes soften as he remembers how she teased him that morning, “Oh you are good.” He then looks to Applejack with an embarrassed face, “You had to swat me a few times with that hat in order to snap me out of it.”
Applejack nudges Fluttershy playfully, “Yeah she got you good that morning.”
“Then at lunch,” he laughs softly.
“Yeah, got myself and thieving varmint I did.”
He looks to Rarity, “Then the fitting.”
“Oh yes darling and it went so well.”
The memories are coming quicker with the connection between Fluttershy and John/Wrenchy secure again. “It’s all…just…I can’t seem to believe it and take it in and yet…it’s so real.”
Fluttershy looks to them, “Stay here with us.”
“You sure?” Twilight asks.
“Yes, he needs all of us to get through all these memories.” In order to help it along Fluttershy uses her hoof to guide his head to her and she starts humming the tune of that night.
When he hears that tune his mind snaps to her room and the fire that she ignited in him and he closes his eyes. Slowly leaning forward guided by her hoof he rests his head next to hers, “That tune.”
She shushes him quietly, “Just let it flow my love.” She hums as the memory flows through his mind, “I claimed you as mine.” His breathing slows as she feels it against her, slowing, deepening as the passion from that night flows through them again. His head rubs gently against hers and she follows against his, “Your eyes, your lips, and every bit of you I claimed as mine.”
Moving into a hug she lets him embrace her wrapping his arms around her. She hums again and when she feels his grip on her tighten she knows that he is riding the waves of passion of that night. “You are my wild stallion Wrenchy,” she says softly.
Applejack meanwhile takes her hat and fans herself and Rarity moves beside her to catch some of the breeze.
Twilight leans over to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow, “That must be how she protected him from Aurora’s advances. She used that special connection of theirs to cut him off from her.”
Pinkie Pie disappears for one second then comes back with a big fan and turns it on high as their hair is blows sideways.
“That was why they were laughing,” Rainbow says catching on.
He leans back as the memories of that morning flow through his mind and he can’t help but blush.
Rarity just smiles, “I see why you two were late.”
Everyone laughed.
“I’m your Wrench Heart,” he says to her with his mind clearing as the rest of it comes quickly, “I remember that night at Twilight’s castle.” He winces and grabs one arm, “Darn it.”
The scene suddenly changes to that field of flowers and he stands before them as he looked in the suit with his hair styled. He takes a deep breath and letting it out slowly he looks upon the love of his life Fluttershy, “Your stallion is back.”
Fluttershy rushes him in a kiss that beats them all then hugs him crying with joy, “Oh my Wrenchy I love you so much.”
He looks to the other five as they have tears in their eyes and raises a hoof in their direction and they join in the hug, “I love you all my friends.”
Celestia watches as Luna slowly lays down and falls asleep. The doctor comes up and two nurses using their magic moves her onto a bed.
Wrenchy opens his eyes to see Fluttershy laying on a bed up against his with her hoof around him. Not a dry eye in the place, as even Celestia had a few tears flowing. His voice is soft but filled with pure joy, “We have some planning to do.”
The all cheered and hugged but Wrenchy cautioned with a couple of, “gentle, gentle” while they all hugged and cried together. Soon the cheers turned to discussion about the upcoming wedding.
“I have an idea my dear,” he says to Fluttershy, “Why don’t we have it at night in the garden at Twilight’s castle?”
“Oh Wrenchy,” Fluttershy coos in joy, “that would be just perfect.”
“You’ll get to design the garden just so and it gives me a couple of ideas.” He looks to Celestia, “Your highness?”
“Yes?”
“I have an idea, but I would need Philomena is that ok?”
“Of course it is.” Celestia smiles wiping away a tear, “Anything you need my little ponies. I’ll let you plan, just let me know.”