//------------------------------//
// Chapter Five: Tuesday, April 29 
// Story: The Mare Who Fell to Earth 
// by HudsonHawk 
//------------------------------//

	"Another nightmare?" Rarity asked.
I nodded. It was 1:30 in the morning. Rarity had woken me up when she heard me screaming again. Twilight was still sound asleep. I don't know if it was sheer exhaustion or if she was just a heavy sleeper, but I believe that woman could sleep through the noise generated by a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant.
"Jen again?"
"No... this time, it was you..."
I really didn't want to tell her the rest, but...
"...and I shot you. And until I heard your voice and saw you, it felt like I truly did."
Rarity was initially shocked, but the expression of horror slowly gave way to giggling.
"What's so funny?" I asked, very confused. "Next to Jen, I haven't felt that horrified in my life."
"You wouldn't do that." Rarity said. "I know I haven't known you long, but I know you enough to know that you don't want to hurt anybody."
"But... it felt so real..."
"Some dreams have a tendency to be like that."
"I don't think it was just a dream. I don't think it really happened but I think it's more than a dream..."
Rarity just gave me a strange look.
"...it's hard to explain."
Rarity patted the spot next to her, motioning for me to come over and sit down. I did so.
"Is there something else that's going on?" She asked.
I didn't know how I could put it, but I figured I haven't got anything to lose if I said it.
"I know I haven't known you that long, but... I think I... lo... lo...l..."
"You what?"
I couldn't control it anymore. "I think I love you, Rarity!" I put a hand to my mouth. I was so ashamed of myself.
"You... love me?" She asked.
I started to tear up. "Yes. But, it feels so wrong."
"Why? It goes without saying that friends should love each other."
"I don't love you in that way..." I started, but then she put a finger to my lips as she realized.
"Shh. Let me guess. You still love Jen, too."
I nodded. "It feels like I've betrayed her."
Rarity put a comforting arm around me.
"I truly love two women. It manages to sound even worse than it feels."
Rarity looked away. "What's wrong?"
She paused a bit. "You know, my mother was right. Sometimes, you find a prince in the unlikliest of places, in the unlikliest of ponies..."
I had a feeling I knew what was going on.
"...or in this case, people." She finished. "I wanted to say this to you last night, before we went to sleep... but... I love you, too."
"You were afraid to say it, too?"
"Actually, it was because of Jen, and how much you still grieve. I didn't want to hurt you further, but then you had the courage to tell me..."
I returned the gesture she made to me earlier: I put a finger on her lips. "Shh..." I said.
Rarity and I leaned in close to each other and kissed. We went a minute before we pulled away.
"How was it for you?" Rarity asked.
"It felt so right, and yet so wrong..."
"With what happened to you, it's only natural." She paused for a moment. "You know..." She said. "You don't have to sleep on the couch..."
I balked. "I don't think I'm ready to go to THAT stage yet..."
"Oh, heavens no!" She said in reply. "I just meant it can't be that comfortable. You can sleep up here with me."
I nodded my approval and climbed in.
"How comfortable are you with what just happened?" Rarity asked.
"I say we stay on the kissing level for now." I said.
"That's fine by me." We kissed again, passionately.



"New Edition with their 1987 hit "Helplessly in Love" here on KRNY, the jukebox of Carney. It's 11 AM, and we'll have commercial-free play for the lunch rush in just a few moments, but not before Movie Mom comes on to review "Transcendence." Arnie Pye should be giving us his traffic report in just a few minutes..."

The radio on the night table blared generic DJ junk, as I woke up to a lovely spring day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Rarity was asleep next to me. Once again, no nightmares. Weird. Rarity woke up and saw me. "Good morning, darling."
"Good morning, gorgeous." I replied.
"Sleep well?"
"Yeah. No nightmares. Just like last time. I think you might be the reason why."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I don't know how, but you might be. Let's see if we can get Twilight up."
We went over to the next bed and tried to shake Twilight awake.She wasn't stirring. I still heard faint snoring.
"Really heavy sleeper?" I asked.
"No." Rarity said. "This is different."
"Look, keep trying. I'll get us checked out."
I put my shoes and trenchcoat on and went to the front desk. Finding it empty I rang the bell.
"Service!" I shouted. "Oi! Anyone here?"
"AAAH!!! AAAH!!! NO, GET AWAY!!!" Someone shouted from behind the office door. I leaped over the counter and looked inside.
There was a minotaur inside- MINOTAUR? Oh, shit.
I closed my eyes and counted to five. I looked back. Still there. Definitely this Lord Maliss guy.
The minotaur was watching as three men were speaking to the owner.
"We have to close you down." One said.
"Roaches in the rooms, poor upkeep. It's not habitable." Another said.
"You can stop this," Maliss said in a booming, English-accented, gravelly voice, "...if you tell me where they are."
"Who?" The clerk asked.
"The gentleman and two ladies who checked in last night. Where are they?"
I vaulted the counter and ran back to the room. Rarity was still trying to awaken Twilight.
"Get your jacket and shoes. I'll get Twilight's things." I said.
"Why?" Rarity asked.
"Lord Maliss is here interrogating the clerk. He's going to crack."
Rarity immediately got her jacket and shoes. I put Twilight's things in a plastic bag as Rarity scooped her up. We hurried out of the hotel just as we heard booming footsteps come out of the office.
"YOU!" He shouted. "GIVE ME THE TALISMAN!"
Rarity quickly placed Twilight in the back seat and jumped in the passenger seat. 
"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE! GIVE ME THE TALISMAN AND I'LL LET YOU LIVE!"
"Trust him as far as you could throw him?" I asked Rarity.
"Oh, yes." She replied. We gunned it out of the parking lot as Lord Maliss came charging out, pursuing the Malibu.
"IF THAT'S THE WAY YOU WANT TO DO IT..." Maliss boomed.



We turned a corner onto a country road, Maliss still charging behind us. Twilight chose that moment to wake up.
"Hi guys. What's going o- OH, CELESTIA!"
"Oh, we're just out for a nice, leisurely drive." I said "Just ignore the charging minotaur."
Maliss suddenly appeared to grow larger, and larger.
"He's feeding on our fear." Twilight said. "He's getting more powerful."
It finally hit me. "I had a nightmare the day the flytrap attacked. I had another yesterday, when that bird tried to get us. And I had one this morning."
"So?" Rarity asked.
"This time, Lord Maliss was here. I think that every time I had that doozy of a nightmare, he was near. That's why all of that happened."
"Then why didn't he just take us down right away?" Rarity asked.
"I can guess why. The last two times when I had those really bad dreams, you comforted me. You showed an incredible amount of love."
"So?"
Twilight finished. "Love weakens fear. He was trying to feed off of Jimmy's dreams. Someone who had that tragic and traumatic of a loss must have incredible nightmares."
"So, why didn't he just come after us right away?" Rarity asked. "You never really answered that."
"Your love weakened him enough." I started, finishing putting the pieces together. "In the beginning, he tried to just feed on me until you comforted me that night. When he realized just how loving you are, we wouldn't be so easy to take down. He had to find other sources to feed on and become stronger. He must have found other people, must have freaked a lot of people out with that bird yesterday... just enough to try interrogating the motel clerk."
"Then why the nightmare last night?" Rarity asked.
"He's just toying with me, now." I theorized.
"LOOK OUT!" Twilight said, as Lord Maliss vaulted the car and landed right in front of us. I threw the car into reverse and gunned it. Maliss started to charge again.
"If you showed up here," I asked, "Where's the rest of you?"
"I don't know." Twilight said. "We all went into the portal together. I wound up in some place called 'Kenosha.'"
"Well, it's in the same state." I said. "Maybe they're not that far away."
"That's why I was out for so long." She said. "Not only did I have to recharge from the mind control spell, I was sending out a message to our friends, to tell them where we are."
"Like Mother Abagail." I muttered.
"Who's Mother Abagail?" Rarity asked.
I knew explaining Stephen King's masterpiece would require a lot of time and a calmer atmosphere. "I'll explain later."
I swung the Malibu into a 180-degree turn, almost losing Twilight's motorcycle in the process, and floored it. The poor car was being treated rather roughly, but hopefully it would hold up. I saw Lord Maliss starting to make a motion.
"Twilight..." I started. "...what's he doing?"
"Can you drive faster?" She asked.
"Why?"
I saw a big bolt of lightning emerge from Maliss's hand. "Oh, that's why."
The bolt struck a tree and I swerved to avoid it. Lord Maliss charged up another one, and I wasn't so lucky. The bolt hit the front of the car, and the car died. The engine was damaged.
"Right, everyone out." I said. "Twilight, take Rarity, get on your bike and get out of here."
"I'm not leaving you." Rarity said.
"Neither am I." Twilight said.
"Look, I don't want all three of us to die. If you two can survive and somehow bring an end to this guy, then it will be worth it."
"But what about you?" Twilight asked.
"I'll try and lead him away. That'll buy you guys some time."
Twilight and Rarity looked pained: they didn't want to leave me behind, but they saw the logic in what I was saying. Twilight hugged me from the back seat. "Thank you." She said.
"It's nothing." I replied. I turned to Rarity, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, but I've gotta do it."
"I know." She said. "I love you."
"I love you, too." I said. She kissed me hard. I caught a look of confusion from Twilight afterward.
I took a few deep breaths. "Okay. As soon as I step out, I'll attract his attention. That'll give you time to unhitch the bike and ride away."
We started to count. "One... two... three!"
We got out of the car to find that Maliss had vanished.
"What just happened?" I asked. "Where'd he go?"
Twilight thought for a moment, then beamed. "It was you two! It was a display of true love!"
"The kiss?" Rarity asked.
"Not just that, it was what preceded it, too! Jimmy was going to sacrifice himself for us. Unconditional love. That, the kiss, everything combined to drive him away."
"For now." Rarity said.
"She's right." I said. "He'll be back."
"But by then," Twilight started. "The rest of us will hopefully be here with the Elements of Harmony. Then, we'll be able to stop him."
"Well..." I started. "I'd suggest trying to get as far away from him as possible, but we have a small problem: no working engine, no wheels."
I looked at my watch. "It's nearly three. You guys take the bike and go up ahead back to town. I'll walk."
"No." Rarity said. "If you're walking, I'm walking."
"I appreciate your loyalty, Rarity, but I want you safe. Go with Twilight."
"I'm not leaving either of you." Twilight said. "If all three of us can't fit on the bike, then we all walk back to town."
We saw a car coming up, a black Dodge Charger. "Rarity," I started, "Flash this guy your best puppy dog eyes."
"Why?" She asked, a bit indignant.
"We can probably get a ride back to town." I said. "Twilight can follow on her bike."
Rarity gave me a glare and turned on the charm. The car stopped.
"Hello, gorgeous." I recognized the voice.
"Matt?" I asked.
"Jimmy!" Matt opened his door, exited the car and gave me a bro hug. "Rarity, Twilight, I want you both to meet Matt Borchers, my best friend."
Matt shook their hands. Matt was a scrawny guy with brown hair and glasses, about as thin as the Tenth Doctor, clad in a brown jacket, red shirt, blue jeans, and Doc Martens boots.. We met in line at a Blockbuster over ten years ago and had been best friends ever since.
"Rarity and Twilight, lovely names." Matt said.
"Never mind the flattery, Matt. We need to get back to town. If it's okay with you, can Rarity and I ride with you, and Twilight follow on her bike?"
"Sure, anything for you, bud." I got in the passenger's seat and Matt opened the door for Rarity.
"So, what are you doing up here?" I asked, as soon as we were on the road.
"Took the new wheels for a drive." He said. "Finally saved enough."
"They're nice." I said. 
"So, tell me about how you two met."
Rarity and I looked at each other. He wasn't going to believe this.
"Well, Matt." I started, "It all began in the woods three days ago..."



As we entered my home for the first time since yesterday morning, Matt was expressing some disbelief with our story.
"You see that hole next to the recliner?" I told him. "That was where the flytrap was."
"Shit." Matt said.
"Well," Rarity started, "After the night in that hotel I'm glad to be back."
"Me, too." I said.
Twilight was concentrating hard. "Twilight, what are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm putting a love spell on the house." She replied.
"What?" Matt asked in disbelief.
"Two words, Matt: flying Malibu." I replied.
Matt remembered. "Yeah, so you say..."
"A love spell, darling?" Rarity asked. "Don't you remember the fiasco with Miss Smarty Pants?"
Twilight got a sheepish look. "That was a 'want it, need it' spell. Besides, it's a watered down version. Not enough to get people in here in love with each other, but enough to keep Lord Maliss away until we can figure out what to do."
"I can see why you're Celestia's best student." I said in compliment. Twilight grinned.
"You're feeding her delusion?" Matt asked.
"Matt, in the past three days I've been in a flying Malibu, battled a killer flytrap, outrun a giant pteranodon in a Malibu, and had my engine destroyed by a giant minotaur. If it's a delusion, all three of us are sharing it. Besides, have I ever lied to you?"
Matt thought. "Alright. But I'm staying with you guys tonight just to make sure everything's on the level. I'll take the couch."
"Okay." I said. "Rarity, Twilight. You guys don't mind bunking in my parents' room tonight?"
"How big is the bed?" Twilight asked.
"Big enough for both of us, darling." Rarity replied.
"Then it's settled." I said. "I'm hungry, anyone want pizza while we wait for the tow truck to get back with my car?"



Twilight paid for the tow, saying it was her way of thanking me for being willing to sacrifice myself to save them. I told her it was no big deal. We were in my room, and it was close to 11. The door was open, and we could hear Matt snoring on the couch.
"I can't wait to really explore this place." Twilight said. "There's so much to learn... so much to know about humanity, aside from what Lyra's told us."
"We humans are a fascinating breed." I replied. There was a bit of an awkward silence as we tried to think of something to talk about.
"So..." She said. "You and Rarity have... a relationship?"
"Yeah." I said. "We didn't really tell each other our feelings until this morning. You were out cold."
"I know. I can tell you feel guilty about something. Care to tell me?"
I told her the whole sad story, about Jen, what had happened, about my guilt, and how I felt.
"You have survivor's guilt." Twilight said. "Textbook case. I read a lot of books about it back home."
"Oh, yeah?" I asked. "It's one thing to read about it and wonder why people would blame themselves, until it happens to you and you experience it firsthand. I know I should move on, Twilight, but as Rarity said, she was my first love, and you never forget your first love."
Twilight put a friendly arm around me. "I think it's the tragic nature of what happened. That's why you can't let go and move on. You feel you need to atone for your perceived inaction to save her."
"How am I going to atone for that, Twilight?"
"I don't know. But when it happens, when you do that act that, in your mind, atones for it, you'll finally be able to let go." She gave me a friendly hug. I then noticed Rarity in the doorway, and I panicked.
"Uh... Rarity!" I said, my heart going a mile a minute. "It's not what you think!"
"So it's not a friend comforting another friend?" She replied, with a knowing grin.
"Oh. Then it is what you think."
"I heard you from the hall. He told me all of this last night. Jimmy, I know you understand what we're telling you. It'll just take time, and for as long as we're here, we'll be here for you."
I was tearing up. Tears of happiness. "Thank you, ladies."
"It's no big deal." Twilight replied, hugging me. "That's what friends do."
"Good night, Twilight. Good night, Rarity." I said.
"Good night." Twilight said.
Rarity kissed me on the forehead. "Good night, Jimmy."
I was alone in my room, and I fell asleep wondering what act would atone for my inaction.