John awoke the following morning feeling strangely relieved. He sat up to see the woman from his dream standing at the doorway. Her smile brightened up his day more than the sun peeking through his blinds. The two stared at each other with the silence filling the space between them, a silence that these two were happy to have for once.
“You were actually there last night, weren’t you?” John asked with a smile.
Fluttershy nodded.
“You heard all I had to say?”
She nodded again.
“How do you feel?” He asked as he turned himself towards her. Fluttershy walked towards him with her arms outstretched, and embraced John as hard as she could.
“I had some feelings come over me for the past few days, but I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t know how you would react.” She said with a smile.
“How do you think I would react?” John playfully asked.
“It doesn’t matter. All I know is we were both having those feelings.”
“I hope we made the right choice.” John whispered. He then heard the sniffling of the woman on his shoulder.
“I want this to work. I never thought I would be loved by anypony.” She said through tears of joy.
John’s heart warmed to see things have gone right for the first time in years. “Do you want to go out for breakfast before work?” He asked as he pointed with his thumb.
“That sounds nice.” Fluttershy said as she patted him on the back.
“Fluttershy,” John said in slight worry. His soft tone made the woman shiver. “Do you think it will work out?”
“I’m sure we’ll find out soon.” Fluttershy replied. “Things will be fine.”
_______________________________________
Andrea awoke abruptly to the laughter of her older brother. Throwing a pillow aside, she sat up, exposing the product left on her face.
“Will, get out!” she shouted.
“Easy,” Will said as he caught the pillow, “I came for dad’s birthday.” He gazed at the product smeared across her face. “Why are you wearing makeup?”
She looked in her mirror to see the smeared lipstick and blush. “It’s nothing.” She denied.
“Listen ‘Drea,” He tried to get her to come out. “I know something happened last night. Mom said you were only gone for a few minutes and you rushed to your room. What happened?”
Her eyes began to water. “I– I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Come on ‘Drea, I helped you before, why don’t you want to talk? What is this about?” Will pecked deeper into the hole, trying to get her to talk.
“It’s that dumb pink-haired bitch!” she shouted.
The words shocked Will. “You mean John’s friend?” he grew confused over the situation. “What happened?”
“I was going to ask John out last night, but then I overheard him talking to that slut and… and… and confessing to her.” She cried.
Will gave an irritated sigh after hearing what the problem was. “That’s the problem?”
“You don’t understand!” She cried like a child, “I’ve been holding out for him so long and she just took my hopes away! I’ve had offers in school and I told them all no. I feel like an idiot thinking I could trust him to do the same!”
“’Drea, you will find someone new. And he will be better than John.” Will’s words didn’t make her feel that much better. “Listen, there’s a possibility it was just a misunderstanding. John may still be single. Don’t let this end up like middle school. You got suspended over a boy back then. No one wants to see you hurt yourself, or anyone else for that matter. This is just a stupid fight with no winner. It’s better to just leave it alone and move on.”
Andrea sat in silence over the words that were said to her. She slowly stood up and headed out of the room towards the bathroom, bumping into her other brother along the way.
______________________________________
At a diner in town John and Fluttershy sat waiting for their meals. They continued to get looks from the patron, though now it was mostly looks of amazement. The two tried to not pay attention as some took out their cellphones and tried to take hidden pictures of them.
John was too distracted to care, as he was looking at the woman he had now fallen in love with. Suddenly he realized something that made him feel uncomfortable not knowing.
“Fluttershy?” he politely asked, “I told you a lot about myself, right?”
“Well, um yes.” She replied as she tried not to remember it all at once.
“I was wondering if maybe I could learn something about you.”
“Well, I…” she paused as she was suddenly interrupted by a stranger who ran up to the table.
“Oh my god, you’re that visitor.” The moderately obese man called out. He was also surrounded by three people who appeared to be his friends. “We heard so much about you. Can we have your autograph?”
The constant attention from these people gave her an uneasy feeling. She retreated into the ball of her body, trying to escape their eyes. She fell speechless only being able to let out a few squeaks at a time. John felt uncomfortable with this. He stood up and as calmly as he could tried to get them to leave.
“Listen, we’re trying to have breakfast here, can you please just leave us alone?” He said politely, reaching into his belt where a metallic glint scared the men off. John sat back down. He looked at Fluttershy, who was now frightened of him.
“You brought your gun with you?” She asked softly but harshly.
John tucked it under his over shirt, “I’ve kept it just in case for the past few weeks, for your protection.” He tried to justify it. “You’re a high value target and I need to protect you from anyone who wants to harm you.”
“But that doesn’t mean you have to kill them,” she pleaded. “I’ve seen what those things do in the movies. I don’t want that to happen to anybody.”
“Relax,” He tried to change her opinion, “I only carry non-lethal ammunition, remember? It’s only as a deterrent from anyone who tries to because you harm.”
“Who would want to cause me harm?” Fluttershy asked, trying to dig deeper into this theoretical scenario in which she was in mortal danger.
_________________________________________
Piloting a large truck, Joseph turned around the corner, scanning for a red Honda Civic. He looked at John’s house only to see the car missing. Frustrated by his lack of a Mexican rival he reached for his cellphone.
“Yeah, son?” His father answered,
“Is Juan at the orchard?” he asked.
“No, he called and said he was going to be late today, something about getting breakfast in town.”
Joseph hung up in anger as he tried to think of who was close to downtown Dewford. He got his phone and tried again.
“Gary, are you there?” he said as he other person picked up the phone,
“Yeah, what do you need?” he replied.
“You’re downtown, right?”
“Yeah, I have to clean the sidewalks.” Gary answered.
“I want to know if there is a red 2006 Honda Civic at a restaurant in your area.” Joseph said frantically.
“Yeah, I saw one at Rudy’s.” He answered the question, worried over what may occur, “Is that your sister’s car or something?”
Joseph hung up before answering. With a dastardly smile on his face he muttered to himself over the things he couldn’t wait to do to the man he was searching for.
_________________________________________
“I’m sorry. I just have been used to carrying a sidearm for years.” John pleaded with her, “It’s a habit.”
Fluttershy looked at him with sad eyes as she tried to plead with him, “I don’t like the idea of hurting anyone. I prefer talking to people, solving our problems with words, not pain.”
John fell silent as he tried to come up with the easiest ways to explain it to her. “Fluttershy, I know how it feels wanting another way to solve a problem. Unfortunately there are some who do not listen to reason. They will keep hurting others until they get what they want. They only respond to force. I’m sorry, I wish there was another way, but some people can not be reasoned with.”
Fluttershy looked down with a hopeless glare. “Equestria has a guard force and an army for things like that. I feel bad that they have them, but I have seen them in use and things have gone better.” She said, “I’m okay with that. But I don’t like non-guards and non-soldiers using force on others.”
“But people should be allowed to defend themselves. The guards can’t be everywhere at once.” John reasoned. “I’m not a monster. I don’t pick fights just to win. I was a cop– a guard. I only fight to defend people.”
She remained quiet as she thought about what John had said. Their meals arrived and she continued to think to herself. She seemed confused over the meal John picked.
“You’re eating meat?” she asked.
“I like meat,” he replied. “I felt like treating myself. I haven’t eaten meat in a while.” John looked at his meal as he came to a conclusion. ‘I’m going to have to give this up for her.’ He looked down at his plate, and shrugged as he felt he needed to treat himself. He looked up to see her reaction, expecting to get a scowl. Instead, he saw her salivating over the smell of the sausage.
After a few seconds she caught herself and looked back at her food embarrassed over her temptation. ‘Why am I so hungry?’ she wondered, ‘I never thought flesh would be so appetizing. I’ve been feeling like this for weeks. What is happening to me?’
“Fluttershy,” John called to her as she slowly ate her oatmeal and fruit. “I’ve been reading the information my brother gave me. I found out that the traveler changes chemically and physically as they pass through.” Fluttershy became interested in what John said. “I have seen you becoming more interested in meat as we watch TV and pass through restaurants. Is it possible that you are becoming attracted to meat, instead of being strictly vegetarian, because your body changed through the portal?”
Fluttershy felt amazed. She never heard this, but had been feeling them. She remembered her talk with Daisy when she had just arrived. She felt her body change, her appetite changed. She didn’t feel like eating grass anymore.
John noticed the people looking out the window at a disgruntled man banging on what sounded like the hood of a vehicle.
“Come on out, beaner! I got a bone to pick with you!” the man shouted.
John recognized the voice and with an great irritance ran to see Joshua taking a tire iron to his new car. “Shit, I don’t need this now.”
John ran out of the restaurant leaving Fluttershy alone at the table. He pushed his way past a crowd of patrons to get to his car.
“Hey,” John shouted at the vandal. “What the fuck are you doing!?”
“You!” Joshua turned to see him, “you just had to do it you beaner, you had to be like that and crush her heart?”
Bewildered by the accusation, John paused. “What are you talking about? Why are you breaking my car?”
“I always knew Andrea had a thing for you, I would have even let it happen even though I despise you wetbacks, but at least you were the whitest of the ones here.”
“Andrea had a– a what?” John was confused. “I haven’t even seen her since last week.”
“But she heard you,” He said as he reached for his belt, “You should have been privileged for a white woman to love you. Now I will return the favor and right your wrong.”
As John saw Joseph pull out a pistol, his instincts took over. He un-holstered his pistol as he walked closer to the armed man. Noticing the crowd gathering he decided to make this a closer fight without bullets flying. With a whip from his wrist he grabbed the opponent’s gun and twisted it away from the crowd and out of the opponent’s hand. With his other hand, John aimed the pistol straight at his face.
As soon as the gun landed on the ground, Joseph retaliated with a swift kick to the shin and a headbutt. John fell to his knees as Joseph tried to reach for the pistol. The two men struggled as John placed as much force into not getting the pistol aimed at his skull. With a his knees still bent, he lunged at the man, burying his head underneath Joseph’s rib cage.
The pistol dropped into the ground as John pummeled Joseph's face with a barrage of fists. After the twelfth blow John felt the forceful grip of a man pulling him back.
“John, that’s enough!” shouted a familiar voice.
John turned to see the rookie cop holding him back with a serious look on his face. He then scanned the crowd analyzing the faces of the people watching. One face dug into his mind the most, one pink haired head with a look of shock on her face. He looked down onto his bruised knuckle, with a bit of blood spattered on his fingers. His heart filled with regret.
He stood up and headed towards the woman trying to repent to her for what he did. the silence of the crowd was broken by a bloodcurdling scream. John quickly turned to see Joseph holding a pistol in his left hand as the officers tried to react. Several shots fired as John ducked. With a quick glance he noticed the bullets whiz past him. He followed them to see Fluttershy holding her side. She fell slowly with tears of pain in her eyes.
“Fluttershy!!” He cried to her as he lunged at her. Time slowed as he saw the police apprehending Joseph and Fluttershy cry, holding her ribs.
“Fluttershy, don’t worry, it’ll be alright.” He tried to assure her.
“It hurts,” she cried.
“I know, I know,” he cried as the police pulled him away as they tried to see what was happening. He was in too much shock to pay attention to what the police were telling him. He looked at the feet behind the paramedics and likened them to the boy in the alley years ago. ‘I couldn’t save her.’ He thought to himself as he remembered the boy’s face. ‘I couldn’t save any of them.’