Chapter 13
Wandering through the streets of Canterlot, I focus on the sounds around me.
I close my eyes. But I can still see...things. Colors. Shapes.
"Quinn? Hello, Quinn?"
I snap open my eyes. "Yes, Twilight? Are you going to suggest a restaurant? Or perhaps a hotel?"
"A meal sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure if any of the good restaurants here will let you in, no offense."
"None taken. But I'm not that scary! And besides, you're an Element of Harmony!" I say, gently poking her in the shoulder.
"Yeah, but I don-" She is interrupted by a transparent purple wall suddenly appearing between us.
"Stay back from my sister! I said get back!"
Oh look. It's Shining Armor. How nice.
"And hello to you too, Shining. How's your day?" I sarcastically reply.
"Oh stop it Shining! He's with me! He won't hurt anypony!" Twilight shouts. Wow. I have a friend.
"Oh yeah? Well then WHAT is he? A naked monkey?"
"No! I'm a human! H U M A N! Please don't call me a monkey!" Sheesh!
Shining has reached us, and brings down the magical shield. Twi runs to his embrace.
"What are you doing here, Twi? And why is that...human with you?"
"His name is Quinn, and he is from a different world. He knows, well, a lot. About, all of us."
"Yeah, he knew my name!"
"And I also know how protective you are of your sister." Having snuck up on them, Shining spins around in a defensive stance.
"Don't do that!" he snarls. Twi joins me in laughter.
* * *
"So, are we going to have that lunch soon? I'm starving." I realize I haven't eaten since I died. (Still sounds weird.)
Twilight remembers our conversation from earlier. "Oh, right. Would you prefer a salad or a sandwich? Or a salad-sandwich?."
"I would love a sandwich! A grilled cheese, if possible."
Shining looks up. "I know just the place!" he says. "It's right on this corner."
We go in, getting the strangest looks from the pony customers. Twi goes to ask for a table.
"I'm so sorry ma'am, but we cannot allow you to bring a pet monkey into the establishment. It would be against our regulations. I'm sorry."
I hear this and quickly join them.
"Excuse me? For one thing, I'm NOT a pet. And for the last time, I'm not a monkey!". We got a very nice table.
"So, Quinn. You never told me HOW you got here. I'm very interested."
Well, she asked for it.
"Okay, Twilight. When ponies go to sleep, what happens?"
My question completely catches her off-guard. "Umm, they dream?" she says, looking confused.
"Exactly. Humans do the same thing. But not me. When I go to sleep, I'm up in the sky. Falling. Every time I go to sleep. I never get hurt, it's just a dream! Because of my dream, I have absolutely no fear of heights. I like falling. It calms me. Before I came here, I would climb up high so I could fall down. It scared some people, others just thought I was weird. I landed perfectly every time. I DID have a lot of practice, after all." They chuckle at this. "But I guess I was too comfortable. I was in a large tree, about forty feet above the ground. And, I guess the tree...changed. There were no more branches! I was hanging on to the tree itself. I pushed off to fall. Oh god how I screwed up. I died."
Twilight looks at me with the saddest eyes I have ever seen. "I...I didn't realize. I'm so sorry." She gets up and gives me a hug.
"It's ok. But anyway, the next thing I knew, I was in my dream again. But real. Pinkie built a trampoline under me. She saved my life. If I'm alive."
Now Shining looks at me with sadness. I remember how fragile ponies are. They should be. In a world with no war, crime, or murder. Good things are all they know.
* * *
Later that evening, we make our way back to the castle. We make good time thanks to the mysterious lack of ponies ( I'm not that scary!). We say good bye to Shining at the guard station. I have one last to check with him, just to confirm timelines. I pull him aside for a moment. "Please just answer yes or no. Are you married?"
His facial expressions are almost comical.
"How did you- does Twi know about the wedding? Did she tell you? It's over 2 months away!" Ahhhh...
"I can't tell you how I know. But trust me, she suspects nothing. And good luck."
* * *
We arrive at the main hall. Woah. My footsteps reallllly echo in here. I stop for a moment and just listen. The sounds feel so, big.
"Equestria to Quinn! Wake up!"
"Wha- oh. Yeah." Wait, did she just say...
"Thank you for returning so promptly, Twilight. We have been thinking about what we know, but would like to meet privately with..."
"Quinn" Twi informs her.
"Yes, to meet with Quinn, if that is alright."
"Sounds fine. When would you like to?"
"Now would be ideal."