I woke up screaming. That had never happened before.
I managed to calm down just as Rarity entered my room, with a serious case of bedhead and a genuine expression of concern.
"What's wrong, darling?" She asked.
"Just a really crazy dream. Nothing to worry about"
"I'm not buying it this time. I've never heard anyone scream themselves awake before. You are going to tell me what's going on, and you will tell me NOW."
"It's really-"
"NOW."
I had no choice. I had to finally tell someone.
"It has to do with Jennifer..."
"You're still hung up on her? She left you. According to you, it's been two years. It's time to move on-"
"She didn't leave me, and I didn't leave her."
"Then what happened?"
I swallowed hard and began the story...
"I can't believe you forgot to get cash." Jen said, as we walked up to the ATM. "You really would lose your head..."
"...if it wasn't securely fastened to my neck." I finished. "I know, but I also know you wouldn't have it any other way."
"You're right." She kissed me as I turned to the ATM. "Well, just get some cash so we can go to dinner. I don't like to be here after dark."
"Just a few seconds." The machine deposited a couple of twenties. I had just stuffed them and my wallet back into my pocket when a man, smartly dressed in a suit and overcoat, approached us, hands in pockets.
"I'm very sorry to bother you two," He started, "But I've left my watch at home. Can you tell me the time?"
"Sure." I said as went to get my phone out and look. All of a sudden I heard Jen gasp. The man had pulled a .45 from his pocket and had it trained on Jen and I.
"Now... would you two be so kind as to hand over your purse, wallet, and valuables?"
We saw no choice. Jen and I complied. The man had nearly cleaned us out. He then noticed something.
"That ring on your finger." He said to Jen. "Give it to me."
"I can't." Jen said. "That's my grandmother's ring."
"Jen." I said. "Just give it to him."
The man pulled back the hammer on the .45. "You have til the count of five to give me the ring or your boyfriend dies. One..."
Jen started tugging at the ring. "It's stuck!"
"Two..."
I started to tug at the ring as well. "Come on..."
"Three..."
"Please... Just let us go. The ring won't come off."
"Four..."
"PLEASE!!"
"Five." He fired at me, but Jen pushed me out of the way and caught the bullet in the stomach.
"NOOOOOO!!!!!!"
The man then turned the gun to me. He pulled the trigger. The gun jammed.
"Shit!" He exclaimed as he ran off, stuffing the loot into his pockets.
I knelt down by Jen and cradled her in my arms. She had lost a lot of blood. I tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
"Please, God. No... no no nonono..."
A man stepped out of his house. "What happened?"
"Call an ambulance, please! My girlfriend's been shot!"
"Jimmy..."
"No, Jen. Don't say anything. The ambulance is on its way... you'll be fine..." I said through pouring tears.
"...I love you, Jimmy..." She closed her eyes and was still. As still as death.
"Jen?" No reply. "Jen?! JEN!!!"
No reply.
"Please don't go. Don't leave me... JEEEENNNNN!!!!"
I knelt in the street, sobbing over Jen's corpse.
"They caught the guy a week later." I finished. "He's not going to do it again. I just can't shake the feeling that I didn't do all I could to save her. I should have fought the guy... I should have tried to get his gun... I should have remembered to get cash earlier so I WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN HER INTO THAT SITUATION... it's my own fault."
Rarity was looking at me with an expression of pure compassion on her face. "That nightmare was me living through it all over again, and I knew what was going to happen. I couldn't do anything. My mind was screaming at me not to go to that ATM, but my body still did it."
I stopped to catch my breath.
"The ring you were wearing yesterday... that was hers, wasn't it?" Rarity asked.
"Yes." I replied. "Her parents gave me her grandmother's ring at the funeral. They said I should have it. I wear it every day to make sure I never forget her, or my inaction. The doctor said that I've got survivor's guilt, but I look at the list of what-ifs... and I think that I didn't do enough. I was supposed to protect her... I always told her I'd die before someone would hurt her..."
The emotional dam burst, and I started sobbing uncontrollably.
"... and look at what that did. I couldn't save her... I couldn't protect her... I'm good for shit... I'm a worthless excuse for a man!"
Rarity was tearing up.
"I've never visited her grave since the funeral."
"Why?" Rarity asked.
"Because I'm afraid that afterwards... I'll do something rash."
"Like what?"
"Like jump in front of the next bus I see, or swallow the barrel of my dad's rifle."
Rarity looked genuinely shocked. She grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. I started crying into her shoulder.
"Oh, darling." She said, as she rocked me back and forth. "It wasn't your fault."
"Oh, really?"
"You didn't know what would happen."
"Oh, yeah. That makes me feel so much better. That bullet was meant for me..."
"And she took it for you. If that isn't love, I don't know what is."
She put a hand under my chin and pushed my head up so I could look in her eyes.
"Maybe she took that bullet for you and that gun jammed because you were meant for something more."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, but what I do know is that if you had died instead of her, she would be in your position. She'd wonder what she could have done differently. She'd have wondered why you died instead of her. She'd wonder why she couldn't have saved you. Nothing would change."
I buried my head in her shoulder again and cried. She held me until the sobbing subsided.
"Another thing: you are not worthless. I've met a lot of people- er, ponies, in my life, and I've never known one who's not important. If you were truly worthless, you'd have left me in the woods. You wouldn't have given me shelter. You wouldn't be the kind and loving man who I've grown to like. If there's one thing you take away from the time we've spent together, Jimmy, please make it this: you are not worthless."
"I's just... I felt guilty as well. Everything we did yesterday just dredged up memories of Jen. I lied to you about not being able to dance. Jen and I did that a lot, and I didn't want to feel like I was disrespecting her memory, but at the same time I didn't want to let you down or hurt you by not doing it."
"Listen, darling, just because you and I did something that you used to do with Jen, and you enjoyed it, doesn't mean that you're disrespecting her memory. It means that you're starting to let go, to move on. I'm sure if you could talk to her one last time, that's what she'd say."
"If I'm moving on, then why do I feel so bad about it?"
"It takes time, darling. You're just starting to move on, so of course there will be some reluctance. If I may ask, was she your first love?"
"Yes."
"That's why. You never forget your first love. That's why the process is much more painful. Believe me when I say this, Jimmy: even though you'll move on and find happiness with someone else, she'll still always be a part of you because she was your first."
I finally smiled. "I actually feel a bit better already."
"And the process begins anew." Rarity said.
She paused.
"I have a bit of a confession to make, as well."
"Yes?"
"As much as I like you, and this world... I really want to go home. I really miss my friends, my family, my shop..."
"I wouldn't feel bad about that at all. It's your home, of course you're missing it. Mark my words, Rarity: you will go home. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon."
I paused. "Will you still hold me?" I asked.
"As long as you need me to." She replied
"All night?"
"All night, if need be."
She started to rock me again, and within a few minutes, we were both asleep.
Once again, for now, the nightmares had stopped. I woke up to the sound of the radio, and realized that I must have activated the alarm setting somehow. As I managed to shake the cobwebs out of my head, I realized that Rarity and I were still holding each other. "She kept her promise." I thought, and it warmed my heart, as I managed to catch the end of a pleasant little tune...
"And that was Dusty Springfield with her 1982 hit "But It's a Nice Dream" here on KRNY, the jukebox of Carney. It's 10:15 and by now all you working stiffs out there should be shaking off that case of the Mondays and easing into the work week..."
I managed to free myself, got up, and stretched. As I switched off the radio, Rarity started to come around as well.
"Good morning, darling." She said as she yawned.
"Good morning." I replied. "How'd you sleep?"
"Great. How about you."
"No nightmares, at least for now."
"That's great!"
"Still a weird one, though. I was having a chat with a purple pony, and it felt so real..."
Rarity shot up. "Purple mane... pink stripe in it? Same on the tail?"
"Yeah..."
"That's Twilight! What did she say?"
"We mainly made small talk, until the end."
"Well... what did she say?"
"She said, and I quote, 'Help is on the way.'"
Rarity hugged me out of pure joy. "I knew they'd come!"
"Outside of the nightmares, I've never had a dream that felt that real. Maybe they're here already."
Rarity shot out of the room like a rocket. "I'VE GOT TO GET READY! I'M A MESS!!"
As the dust cleared, I said to myself "It was a pretty big 'maybe' though."
After a quick trip to the bathroom and a shower, I got changed for the day. I slipped into a black T-shirt with the poster art for "Exterminator 2" on it, consisting of a burly man in a welder's mask laying siege to the scenery with a huge flamethrower. I followed that up with another pair of jeans, my belt with a belt buckle made out of an old NES controller, and my black hi-tops. I slipped the medallion into my pants pocket; after yesterday's incident with the flytrap, I knew someone was after Rarity, myself, and, presumably, whatever this was. I figured keeping it with me would not only make it harder for whoever wanted i to find, but also a way to make sure the house didn't get damaged further. I walked into the living room at 11:00, just as Rarity emerged from my parents room, with another outfit from the Goodwill box: a gray Castleton College t-shirt, jeans, and her tennies and jacket from the previous day.
"Breakfast at Phil's?" I asked.
"Sure." She replied.
"We'll see what happens from there."
"Okay."
I grabbed my keys and opened the front door. "Ladies first."
"Why, thank you." Rarity replied.
We got into the Malibu and headed off to Phil's. As we waited at a red light on Cutting Boulevard, we soon noticed someone on a motorcycle was following us.
"Maybe they're going the same way." I said.
"Or maybe it's whoever planted the flytrap in the living room coming to finish us off." Rarity replied.
The more I thought about it the more she was right. According to her, the plant could only come from Equestria. Someone had followed her here.
The light turned green and we drove on. Whenever we made a turn, the biker made a turn. Whenever we stopped, the biker stopped.
"You're right. We are being followed." I said. Unfortunately, right after I said that, that no longer became our most pressing issue.
"SCREEEEEEEEHEHEHEHHHEEEEHH!"
We both turned around. There was a small, birdlike shape on the horizon. That birdlike shape, as it came closer, turned out to be a giant, black pteranodon. It was heading straight for us.
"Hold on." I said to Rarity as I gunned the engine.
The Malibu shot off down the street, the winged beast in hot pursuit.
The beast lunged at the car, and I swerved to the left to avoid it. The bird collided with a newsstand instead, causing it to crash into a clothing store display window. However, that didn't deter it for long. Before we had cleared the next block, the beast had freed itself and was back on the chase. I swerved back into the right lane to avoid colliding with a taxi as the bird caught up with us.
I made a left turn down 13th Street, the bird on our heels, along with the biker. The bird made another dive for the car, and I slammed the brakes. The sudden stop caused it to overshoot its mark and miss, faceplanting in a tree while the bike managed to stop itself before rear-ending the Malibu. We shot off again, but the beast had freed itself in no time. At this time, I noticed the biker finally take a corner and leave the party.
As we sped off, I felt an idea form.
"Watch out!" Rarity shouted, as I swerved the Malibu around a Buick.
"Sorry." I said. "This is new for me."
Behind us, the huge, winged monstrosity let out a piercing roar.
I made a sharp turn onto Norris Road and gunned the engine, heading for the large tunnel up ahead.
"What are you doing?" Rarity asked.
"Trust me." I replied. I slowed down a bit, just enough for the bird to catch up without allowing it to tear the car to bits. When it slowed, I suddenly gunned the engine and shot into the tunnel. The enraged bird sped up, only to crash into the tunnel. It tried to pull itself out, but was stuck in the tunnel entrance.
Rarity and I whooped and hollered at having outwitted the bird. As we exited the tunnel, we noticed the mysterious biker rejoin the party, having taken a side road to beat us out of the tunnel. It was then that a purple glow enveloped the car, and the engine died.
"Oh, crap." I said.
"What's wrong?" Rarity asked. "Why are we stopping?"
"The engine's dead."
"Lovely."
I frantically turned the ignition, but nothing was happening.
"Please, baby, please. Come on... start... please... please.. come on... GOD!"
No matter what I did,the engine simply refused to turn over.
It was at this point that the biker dismounted and started to walk over to the car. We then heard an all too familiar screech.
The bird had managed to free itself from the tunnel, taking out a chunk of it in the process, and was flying straight toward us. With the engine dead, we were truly and utterly boned.
The biker raised their hand. A purple burst of... something... emerged from it and hit the bird. The bird roared and headed for the biker. The biker was undeterred. They held out both arms this time, both hands extended, one pointing up and one pointing down, as if getting ready to shoot a Hadouken. A giant purple ball shot out their hand. When it hit the bird, it disintegrated. Rarity and I were slack-jawed.
"What just happened?" I asked.
"We're going to find out." Rarity responded, motioning toward the biker.
As we looked, the biker removed their helmet. It revealed the face of a woman, possibly in her mid-twenties. She had purple hair with a pink stripe in the middle, in a Beatle-like cut. She was plain, yet attractive. The leather jacket, t-shirt, jeans and boots showed off a rather nice figure.
"No way.." Rarity said. "NO WAY!!!!"
She left the car and ran toward the stranger. As I got out of the car, the stranger and Rarity were in a bear hug. I ran over.
"Rarity, who is this?" I asked.
"Where are my manners?" She replied. "Jimmy Quinn, allow me to introduce to you Miss Twilight Sparkle."
Oh, dear. Another pony. I didn't know when I was well off.
Unfortunately, the police showed up right at that time. Out of the nearby squad car came the strutting, gloating figure of Officer Jason Burdick.
"Well, well, well..." He started. "Speeding, reckless driving, reckless endangerment of human life, willful disregard of private property... congratulations, Quinn. You're now a felon."
He went for his cuffs. He motioned for his partner to cuff Rarity and Twilight. Rarity looked ready to deck him again.
"No, Rarity. It's not worth it." I told her.
"Told you I was gonna bust you one day. When I'm through with you..."
He trailed off. He and his partner were entranced. I followed their gaze and saw that they were fixated on Twilight.
"You will let Mr. Quinn go." She said.
"We will let Mr. Quinn go." They repeated, as Jason put his cuffs away and stepped aside.
"Mr. Quinn is innocent of these charges."
"Mr. Quinn is innocent of these charges." They repeated.
"These are not the droids you are looking for." I added.
To my amusement, they repeated it.
"You will get in your vehicle and go." Twilight said.
"We will get in our vehicle and go." They repeated as they did. After they left, she fell to her knees.
"What's wrong?" Rarity asked.
"There's a reason I've never done that spell at all." She replied. "From what I've read about it, it takes a lot of magic and energy to maintain a hold. They were right. I've never felt so weak in my life."
"You've never done that?" I asked.
"No." Twilight replied. "I only know about it because it was in a book of mine. It was an emergency..."
"Well, Phil's should still be open." I said. "Let's get her something to eat, and get her home to rest."
"No..." Twilight started. "If he sent that bird after you..."
"Save your energy, darling." Rarity said to Twilight. "We'll get you something to eat first, then you can tell us what's happening."
Twilight reluctantly agreed. I attached the bike to the bumper of the Malibu with a tow bar and bumper hitch, and we headed to Phil's Diner for a quick meal and, hopefully, some answers.