> The Pink Haired Woman
>  by Seran
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Just Another Day?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sun peeked over the mountains on the quiet Colorado town of Dewford, a quiet secluded mountain town, starting the morning for the citizens. John awoke with a rough headache, a reminder that he worked too hard yesterday. He took the pain medication he kept in his drawer. Looking at the clock, he noticed his day had started late. He rushed to his kitchen to make a quick breakfast out of last night’s steak, eggs and salsa. Just another meat-filled meal. He remembered that ever since he was small, his family would eat some sort of meat for breakfast. A memory of his father from his youth sparked . He didn’t have much to say about him.

“Bastard,” he muttered to himself.

The house was silent. All he had with him was the morning paper and his meal. Then a familiar sound played, one which had become annoying. That sound of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture Finale was normally soothing to him. It now meant that he was late for something. 

John grumbled to himself stating that, “just because something was in a movie you like, it doesn’t mean you should have it as a ringtone.” He rushed around his house to shut off the alarm.

As he scoured the rooms looking for the infernal object, John found a framed photo of a woman just a few years younger than he. He lost himself in the photograph. He reminisced about that scene, the smell of the cut grass, the sounds of children playing in the distance, the good times they had. Through the bliss he could recall a name. 

“Lucia…” he whispered in a mellow tone. The sound of the cymbals woke him up. He found his phone and realized he had his appointment today.

Rushing out of his two bedroom house, he jumped into his car. A sedan, once clean and silver color, was covered in dirt from the farm he worked on. He was headed off to the clinic, a six-block trip, for a long overdue checkup. 

Waiting wasn’t as bad as he thought. They had finally fixed the television, which was now playing a children movie. It was the Disney version of Tarzan. He watched from the scene in which the gorillas took hold of the camp, the most annoying part of the film. John didn’t care that Phil Collins himself wrote that, John just can’t stand it.

“Juan Alvarez,” called the receptionist.

The closest elderly woman whispered to him. “You’re up, Sonny.” Being the only Mexican-born Spaniard, or Mestizo, in town had some disadvantages. 

“It’s John.” He quietly tried to get them to change it for the fiftieth time. 

“I’m sorry, but your social security says Juan, so we can’t change it,” said the clueless receptionist. John had tried to blend in to this ‘white bread’ town, but things like this made it hard for him. He was only five foot nine, while the average man was six foot.

John sat on the bench shirtless and waited for the doctor to finish his inspection, which was faster now that they installed computers. He had a healthy figure, but still had a bit of fat on his belly. Even so, the office was as cold as a butcher’s fridge.

“John, your constipation is caused by a lack of vitamins in your intestines.” The doctor summarized. “Probably from eating too much meat.”

“So what are you saying? I have to skip out on the meat?” John responded with irritation.

“Oh, no,” he retorted, “you can still eat meat, though limited amounts. Try to eat more fruits and vegetables, probably a salad or two a day.” 

John didn’t like the doctor’s idea. He was raised to eat meat in every meal, and vegetables were his worst enemy. He couldn’t stand the taste of a salad. 

“Perhaps you can try some of the peaches from the farm.” 

John was annoyed by the offer to embezzle the produce of the farm he worked on. The doctor continued to chuckle at the joke.

“I’ll give you some supplements to raise your vitamin levels, but you have to be responsible and eat your vegetables.” The doctor handed him a prescription. John grabbed it out of his hand, showing some disappointment. 

Upon leaving the clinic, he looked to the skies, hoping to get the weather report in a town with little internet. Several rain clouds were rolling in. John groaned and walked over to his car. He was called over by a young boy’s voice with quite a bit to say. 

“Hey, killer,” he called. “Find any good women lately? I mean you need a new car, don’t you?” The boy laughed at John’s expense, trying to get him riled up.

John didn’t look. He lifted his shirt and revealed his handgun, pretending to scratch an itch. The boy took one look and rushed of. Though their comments were hurtful, John had grown accustomed to them.

“John?” Asked the voice of an elderly woman. John turned to the woman. It was Mrs. Evans, his boss’s wife and the co-owner of the farm. 

“How are you doing, Mrs. Evans?” John replied kindly, hiding his pistol again. “I didn’t expect to see you out here.”

“Well, Joe has been feeling down, and I needed to pick up his medicine.” She said with a smile. Then she jumped as if she remembered something important. “I just remembered that Andrea is coming back from college. She wanted to let you know,” she said before she headed into the pharmacy. John didn’t understand why Andrea, her daughter, was so interested in him. She took one look at him when he was hired and immediately took a liking to him. It was beyond his understanding.

As he drove home, he wondered what he was doing in this town. John was originally from a big city, states away from this Dewford, Colorado. This town was completely different from that city he refused to name. The streets were somewhat empty, everyone knew each other, and the guns were more tolerated than what he was used to. Though he came here years ago, he still felt out of place. 

~~~~

John rushed over to The Hopping Deer, his favorite restaurant, as dinner time came around. Unfortunately, as he recalled, the doctor ordered less meat and more salads. 

“One garden salad to go,” he ordered at the counter. The chef and waitress looked at him curiously.

“Just a salad?” said a man standing behind him. The voice was familiar, a scratchy voice with a hint of European. 

“How you doing, Sheriff?” Replied John to his good friend, Sheriff Leiber.  

“Well, I just got another complaint about you,” the Sheriff answered. “Apparently you pulled your gun on the Waverly’s kid.”

John knew what he was talking about. “I just scratched an itch, and he saw my gun and ran,” John explained, knowing the sheriff would take his word. “Besides, he was trying to start trouble. You know how kids are now.”

“People are still getting used to you. I remember it took them some getting used to me when I was appointed sheriff. I still have trouble with my accent getting in the way.” The sheriff rubbed his head. John knew he was in the clear, as always.

The bell rang, signaling his order was done. “John,” The waitress called out. In her hand was a foam clamshell with ‘Salad’ written in black marker on the lid.

John hurried home, seeing as his favorite cartoon was about to start. As soon as he entered the house, he rushed to the living room and turned on the television. The show was about to start. Only a few minutes left until some little girl’s show about spies ended so Angry Jack could start. He took a bite of his salad, and then stopped in his tracks. The taste was lacking from the food.

As he walked out of the kitchen with a piece last night’s steak, he received a call. It’s seven in the afternoon, who is going to call? he thought to himself. He took his phone and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hi, John,” said a familiar voice. “It’s Joe. We have a problem.”

John didn’t want to do this work late at night, but it would look bad if he refused. “What’s the problem?”

“We got a call that someone, or something, is getting close to the ranch, hiding in the orchard. I need you to investigate.”

“And I was your first option?” John knew his question was inappropriate, but felt it needed to be said. 

“Well, the missus said if it was a person you wouldn’t kill them, especially with those rubber bullets and all. The others carry live ammo and would kill them.” John felt like a pansy. 

“Alright, I’ll get on it.” He hung up, taking a bite out of his steak before heading off. 
	


> What Are You?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The motor of the 1999 Honda Civic was all John could hear ever since the radio was stolen and ruined by some local kids. The soft sound turned into a crunching sound of gravel from the path to the farm. He reached the gate of The Firefly Farms, his place of work for the past few picking seasons. John was also considered a freelancer in the town, doing work for whoever needed it.
He stepped out of the car and headed to the house. The sun was setting, so he didn’t have much time. He knocked on the door. “Mr. Evans?” he called. The door swung open and out came a tall man. He was nearly six and a half feet, had aged skin, and wore a hide jacket.
“You made it!” he said with a joking surprise.

“You didn’t explain on the phone where the intruder was seen.” John’s grumpiness got ahold of him. Missing dinner made him irritable.

“Oh, well Jacob saw her enter through the north-western hole. You know, where the tree fell from the outside.”

“Okay, thanks.” He headed off the porch as Joe headed in and shut the door. John stopped as he let one word sink in. “Her?”

He spent around half an hour passing through the orchard looking for the intruder.	The light had receded behind the mountains. He had to use the flashlight from his keys to find his way through the orchard. He had his pistol at the ready in case something else stalked its way to him. He followed the training he took back at home. “Keep hand in an easy-to-reach position, call your intent, don’t fire unless attacked,” he repeated over and over again, keeping calm. 

He was two minutes into the search when he heard a rustling. He took his pistol out and rushed to the sound. The rustling continued along with several cries of pain. The pitch sounded as if it came from a woman or a young boy. The grunts sped away from him. Once he got to an aisle, he caught a glimpse of the person. What he could mostly see was a dress and bare feet. Now he understood why she was grunting.

“Stop right there!” he shouted, sprinting to the rustling sound. It headed towards the center of the orchard, one place John knew very well. She had nowhere to go other than a locked tool shed. John turned off his light.

The pained grunting came to a stop behind the shed, but the sound of panicked panting took its place. John snuck around the other side, guiding his boots along the foundation of the shed as to not make noise. Once he saw her calm down with steady breathing, he turned on his light and grabbed a hold of her arm. The woman let out a scream.

“Calm down,” John said to the woman. He was amazed that she wasn’t struggling. She stood there accepting her fate. With her head down, she whimpered and shook from fear of what might happen. Her eyes closed, with tears glistening at the corners of her eye. His heart was softened from the sigh and he felt sorry for her. She was probably assaulted and left behind in a place she did not know. “Ma’am, are you alright?”

She looked to him, letting some tears go. She was in a moment of shock. She tried to whisper but it was too quiet, it was more like a squeak. It was saddening.

John felt horrible. She was so fearful of him, a man she had never met. Her fear brought a fire to the bottom of his heart.

“Listen, I’m not going to hurt you.” John tried to get her to come out of her shell. “I just want to talk to you.” The woman began to listen. “I need you to come to the farmhouse. We need to get something straightened out.” 

“Um, okay,” she responded quietly.

John loosened his grip on her wrist. She stood up straight and offered her hand. Trust had begun to show. “My name is John,” he said to her. “What’s yours?”

“I’m Flutter…” her voice trailed off.

“I’m sorry?”

“Fluttersh…”

“Come again?”

She let out a soft squeak.

Her voice kept trailing off. The sound of the rain came to drown out her voice. The pitter-patter made it impossible to hear her soft voice.

“Never mind that, we need to get going!” shouted John as he grabbed her again and pulled her to the house.

As they ran to the farmhouse, the rain poured down on them. They were soaked to the bone when they arrived at the porch. The light made clear the dark puddles on the wooden steps of the porch and a mark on the woman’s shoulder. It looked like three pink butterflies with green antennae. The image mesmerized John. He gazed upon the marking as the woman shook in the cold. She looked back at him and blushed in embarrassment. 

It took a few seconds for John to notice the woman was blushing.

John came out of his standing slumber with a shake. “Sorry, it’s just your tattoo…” He chuckled. The woman came to look at him with a small timid smile. 

The door opened, and Mrs. Evans stepped out. “Oh my, you’re soaked.” she said with worry. The elder woman looked at the strange haired woman. Her fear was all that was visible. Mrs. Evans believed she needed to be careful so as to not scare her further. “Who might you be, deary?” she asked.

The strange woman looked away with a slight frown.

“Well, I am Mrs. Evans,” she said with a smile, trying the get her to come of out her shell. The woman continued to stay silent. “Well, come in. This cold will be the death of you.” She offered her house as shelter to the two.

They headed in, leaving a trail of water on the wooden floor. Mrs. Evans led them into the dining room. She let the woman sit as she grabbed some towels from the hall. She returned and placed the towels on the table. While looking at the woman, she got a brilliant idea of how to make her more at home. 

“I’ll make you some tea to warm up.” She kindly offered as she headed to the kitchen. 

John was left alone with her again, so he examined her. The woman took a look at her hands. She moved each finger one at a time, trying to get a feel of things. She looked at her leg. Though dirty, she gawked at them in fear and confusion. Through his time taking mental notes, John could tell one thing: she was probably under the influence.

The woman looked at him back, feeling awkward as he stared at her face. She blushed, turning her eyes away from him. Again, he woke up, apologizing for drifting into thought. She didn’t mind. They were alone for quite some time. The missus took her time on the tea. ‘This could be a good time to ask some questions,’ John thought quickly, ‘what could I ask her before  Joe comes? He was obviously resting upstairs.’

“The rain caught us by surprise, huh?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Oh, well, yes,” she answered. It was a start.

“It’s quite scary out there in the dark, especially this close to the woods”

“Well… I live close to the Everfree forest. I often walk into it… but it’s okay, I come out fine.” 

‘Everfree forest?’ he thought to himself. ‘Where the hell is that?’ 

By this time, some loud steps sounded from upstairs. They headed from directly above to the direction of the den and down the stairs. The loud steps seemed angrier and harder the closer they got. 

It took a few seconds from the echoing steps end to hear the grumbling of an elderly man coming into the dining room. “I heard John’s voice,” he said in surprise. “He didn’t kill them did he? The last thing I need is the police coming here…” He stepped into the room and saw a new face in it. With a grumpy face, he walked over to the woman. “So, you were the trespasser.” The woman began to cower. “Have you been eating my peaches?”

“Joe, that’s enough,” scolded a voice of reason coming from the kitchen. Mrs Evans headed over to the man with a look on her face that showed disapproval. “This young lady is soaked to the bone and hurt from being out in the orchard, and you still want to interrogate her?”

Her husband was drenched in shame. She always knew how to make him feel bad about any situation. It comes in the training from mother to daughter. “Well, how else would we know what she was doing?” he defended.

“Well, yelling is not going to help. Remember Joshua? He only yelled back after a few years.”

John knew the answer, but he would rather wait it out. He knew better than to enter a couple’s quarrel. 

“Then what? Do we just give her what she wants until she answers us?” Joe continued.

“Well, it works better than force.”

“How about we just ask her nicely?” John couldn’t went beyond what his mind told him and spoke out in an inappropriate time.

The two looked at him. “At least he agreed with me,” said Mrs. Evans. Joe kept his cowl of grumpiness and crossed his arms in defeat.

John came first to ask the questions. He reached into his inside pocket and brought out a small notebook and a pen. It was a force of habit from his time working in the city as an officer. He had the basic questions he could ask. “What is your name?” he asked while preparing his hand on the notebook.

“I, umm.” She was shaking like a leaf. The fight seemed to have unsettled her nerves.

John placed his hand onto her shoulder and looked at her with a smile. “Don’t worry. We’re not here to hurt you. We just want to help.”

The woman looked at him, analyzing his face. She saw something trustworthy in it. As John’s hand receded, she straightened her pose and took a few deep breaths. “I’m… Fluttershy.”

They were all amused by what she called herself. John wrote the name and continued. “Is that your real name or are you just giving me an alias?” he asked, watching her face.

“That’s my real name,” she said with a sad face, believing she was angering people.

“That sounds like some hippie I met back in the sixties when I had to break up a nude love-in on town square,” said Joe Evans, interrupting the line of thought. His wife shushed him. 

“Moving on,” John continued, “Where are you from?”

“You see I’m originally from Cloudsdale, but I currently live in Ponyville”

John stopped writing. He rubbed his eyes from corner to corner. “Are you messing with us?” he nearly shouted at her.

“No, I’m not,” she lowered her head, wincing in case of a strike. “I’m telling you what I know. Am I that unbelievable?” she was shocked by an oncoming realization. It seemed to hit her like a truck. 

“Well, do you know anyone around here, anyone that could take you in?” John concluded. 

“I… don’t know of any… I don’t know anyone here. Even you ponies look different.” She stated while quivering.

Joe threw his hands in the air. “I knew it,” he said. “I need to talk with you, John,” he said loudly as he left the dining room area. John followed him as Mrs. Evans stayed with the woman. 

Upon entering the living room, John came to ask a simple question. “What’s wrong, sir?”

“My problem is that I will not get my money back for any produce she stole!” Joe shouted.

“What do you mean?”

“I saw the signs, she’s one of them forest commune hippies.”

“What?”

“She came from the forest, she uses weird animal or plant lingo, the hippie name,” he kept on going. “It all leads back to something my friend in Nebraska had to deal with. His crops were stolen and eaten by these hippies. Their leader, Bear Hug, led the group and were left free for a few years. Of course that was before the government found them harvesting illegal crops and they were all arrested.” 

‘He had some story to tell…’ John thought.

“Anyway,” Joe continued, “if she was sent here, that meant either she was sent to look for food, or she was exiled.”

John started to think on what was said. Joe came up with a valid point. She probably came from a village somewhere not too far from here. 

“What do you suggest we do?” he asked hoping to get a safe and moral answer from him.

“We should send her back with a message telling them not to come back, probably a picture of me with my gun.”

“First of all,” John reasoned, “we need to know if she comes from a commune. Second, if we were to go with her she would probably be exiled. Then we would have to keep her with us being that it would be our fault she was exiled.” 

“You’re right…” he grumbled. Considering what was said, he smiled in a way that scared John. “You should take her in,” he said, pointing his index finger like a gun of shame.

“Why me?” John was surprised and annoyed.

“You were the one who said it would be impossible to return her, and you were the first to find her. She’s probably grown on you…” he winked. 

“Look, I get what you’re saying, but why me?”

“I saw your house. Nice two bedroom house, both with beds and drawers. It will be perfect for her.”

“But what do you think the neighbors would say? ‘He’s got some fresh meat’. Do you know what my reputation is in this town? People will think worse than they do already.” 

“Would you rather her stay on the street?”

“Why don’t you just let her stay in Andrea’s room for a while?”

“Do you know how possessive ‘Drea can get? We had to pull her off another girl in school because she touched ‘Drea’s toy.” 

John looked at his feet, rubbing the back of his head. He continued to ponder if he could take her in. One question came to mind. ‘Will she agree?’ 

They arrived back in the dining room where the woman who called herself Fluttershy was sipping on her tea. John stopped at the doorway and looked at Fluttershy. With one look, he stopped in his tracks and gazed at her with eyes enlarged. Joe tapped him on the shoulder. 

“What, did you see a rat?” he asked with worry.

“No,” John replied, “just a bad memory.” He snapped back into reality, watching as the memory faded away.

They stepped over to Fluttershy and got her attention. She turned in curiosity.

“Listen, Miss,” Joe started. “We see you are in a situation you can’t deal with right now. You obviously can’t return home and need a place to stay. So my friend here has offered his hospitality at Casa ‘ale-vares.’” John stiffened at the statement, not knowing if he was joking or if he had never learned how to pronounce ‘Alvarez’. “Tell her.” Joe nudged John.

“Well, it’s not much. You will have your own room…” he stammered, trying not to offend. “The kitchen can be messy but I can clean it if it will make you more comfortable.” John then realized the stupidity behind what he just said. He smiled awkwardly, not looking at the people around him just in case they heard. 

“That’d be nice,” said the woman with a cute grin that would have made Mona Lisa jealous. 

Trying to recover from the slip, he looked at her dress. The green dress was covered in stains from the chase. He had to say something about it. “First we need get you some new clothes.” The three looked at him with curiosity. The woman blushed in a shy manner in ignorance of normal etiquette.

“But I don’t normally wear clothes.” She stated.

“We don’t care what your hippie-dippy commune believes about clothes,” Joe growled. “In civilized public, we wear clothes wherever we go.”

The woman flinched, expecting to be hit by the older man. John quickly moved in to comfort her with  a gentle touch. She looked at him, eyes quaking. She felt calmed by his presence. 

“She’s spooked enough as it is. Let’s not make it worse,” said John, hoping to calm Joe down. “What is with you and hippies?” he mumbled to himself. 

“We got some old clothes that Andrea wanted to throw away,” Mrs Evans interjected. “Perhaps she could take them.” 

“You sure she won’t miss them?” John asked.

“She’s been getting new clothes since she went off to college. I’m sure she won’t miss them.” 

“With what money?” interjected Joe, starting this argument again.

John let out an awkward chuckle as the couple argued about their daughter’s money. He took a look at the woman, watching as she giggled at the couple’s playful spat. He began to think of the woman he had in his past, and the good times they had. 

‘Maybe this could work,’ he said to himself, expecting the hippie girl will be a clean addition in his home. “I’ll bring up the car,” he said to try distract the couple.

“What’s a car?” asked the ever confused pink haired woman.
	

> You eat this?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“This is the place,” John said as he opened the door with his right hand, with a bag of clothes in his left. He turned to her as she stood in the rain. Her new rain hat and her yellow sweater were getting soaked. “What are you waiting for?”

“Cars are scary.” She replied while she stared at the Civic. Realizing she was getting cold, she rushed to the porch, fumbling her feet on the steps. Before striking the wooden floor, she was stopped in mid air by a tight grasp. Her eyes opened wider as she looked up to see the man holding her arm keeping her suspended off the ground. She didn’t move from the surprise. 

‘What would he say?’ She wondered to herself.

“Can you stand now? My arm is getting tired.” He said with a blush. The awkward position placed some strain on his shoulder. The woman also blushed as she stood holding herself in embarrassment. “Running up steps can be dangerous when raining.” He assured her.

“Sorry, I’m not used to walking on my hind legs.” She replied with a quiver and a look to her left.

He smiled at her, believing the facts that Joe told him about her. ‘They must have weird ways of walking.’ He thought to himself.

He led her into the house, turning on the light. The sudden amount of filth startled the woman. There were mountains of take-out boxes and noodle cups. The television was surrounded by boxes of DVDs and games. Near the door was a pile of coats that he was too lazy to wash after a day’s work. 

“Oh yeah,” was all John could say, “I guess even after you leave college, the college life is hard to get rid of.” He awkwardly chuckled at the statement.

“I’ve… seen worse?” 

“I’ll clean it up in the morning. We get the day off. You can’t pick fields the day after it rains.”

“How can you live like this?”

“You get used to it.” John said, shrugging his shoulders. Having realized he still hasn’t eaten his dinner he grabbed his stomach to calm the pain, “Are you hungry?”

Her face sparked with a smile. “Well I didn’t want to impose, but…”

“It’s nothing; I need to eat as well. The kitchen is this way.” He led her into the next room. The kitchen was moderately sized and a bit messy. Dirty dishes that needed to be cleaned and the trash had been left unattended for a day or more. 

“Might as well get started.” He muttered to himself as he rolled up his sleeves.
Something caught her attention. A scrap of foil with a label standing over it marked ‘BBQ leftovers’ poked at her curiosity. She reached over to check it. Inside was something she had never seen before. This thing seemed to be grilled mushroom caps covered in sauce, cut without the gills. She poked at it. The squish of the strange object made more juices come out.

“What is this?” she asks.

“That’s tri-tip,” he responded while still washing the dishes.

“What’s that?” Her head turned to him quizzically, her finger still pressed on the meat.

“I would say it’s the bottom sirloin of the cow, near the hind legs. Tastes good with the right sauce or spice.”

The room suddenly went silent. John continued to wash some dishes, drawing all his attention to the running water and the spotted plate. He did not expect the cold hands of the woman rip him from his concentration and shake him out of his mind.

“How could you?!” She shouted at him, “How could you take a cow from her family just to kill her and eat her?!”

“But, but, but…” John tried to defend himself.

“But nothing! You took a cow from her life! She probably even had a name, something like Mooriella and had hopes and dreams! But you took her, a harmless animal, and ATE her!” Her screams became louder. “How would you like it if some creature took you out of your house and home and cut you apart just to feed you to its friends? Huh?”

“We’re human, we are omnivores in nature.” He finally got to speak while she was huffing, “Humans eat meat, just like how cats eat fish or owls eat mice. It’s all in nature. Why do you think our teeth are designed like this?” His hand hidden he gripped the pistol on his belt fearing for his life, hoping he doesn’t have to use it but staying prepared.

The woman calmed her breath. “But why does it have to be like this?” She cried. “Why must you humans eat other animals?”

“We need the protein to keep our skin and muscles healthy.” John cited what his father told him, “Fish helps keep the mind sharp and beef has protein to help muscles grow and stay strong.”

“I wish it didn’t.” She finally let go, leaving him with time to breathe. Her eyes were still tearing up.  John noticed she was passionate about animals.

“Listen, the animals get to live full lives before they are eaten.” John lied, “Some even become mothers and fathers, some even are heads of the herds before they know it’s their time to go, then at a certain age they are calmly put to sleep and used to feed the towns they live in to, but we take good care of their children after they’re gone, that way the cycle can continue.”

She looked at him, cleaning her eyes of any hanging tear. Her eyes pierced through what he said. “It’s still wrong to eat them.” she said with a stern face.

“Plants are living things too, you know.” John just didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.  The woman was shocked by his statement; she opened her mouth and closed it again in defeat . The only thing she could do now, was cry. He kept a straight face as long as he could. He didn’t last long.

‘Nice job, dick.’ John scolded himself. With all of his energy he stepped forward and held the strange crying woman.

“Why…” she sniffed, “why do you have to be so mean?” the woman said, crying into his shoulder. This only made John feel worse.

“Sorry, but it is insulting when someone comes to your house and tells you that you’re wrong, and you insulted me in a way.”

“I didn’t mean to. I just think eating meat is wrong.”

“Listen,” he assured, “Some people like meat and others don’t. It’s just part of nature. Just like how some people like red but others blue or green.”

“I… I like green.”

“See, and I like maroon. People have different tastes and we have to respect them.” He looked at her and smiled, “I had some vegetarian friends back in California and they accepted with my love for meat, so I can accept your distaste for it.”

She looked at him, her mind fixed on the words he said. The words that flew out of his mouth helped her understand. “Do I have to eat meat?” she asked, worry building up in her heart.

“Not if you don’t want to.” He smiled, trying to calm her.

A knock came at the door, along with a muffled voice. John slowly released his grip, and headed to the entryway. He turned on the porch light to see who it was. He opened the door to find his neighbor holding a shotgun.

“Are you okay?” he asked frantically, “I heard some shouting. Did your crazy ex find you?”

“No Earl, I’m fine,” John replied, suddenly annoyed, “What do you mean ‘crazy ex’? You know I only have one ex, and you know how she turned up.”

“Right, sorry for your loss.” He looked in to see the pink haired lady. He slapped on a coy smile. John rolled his eyes.

“Oh, this is my guest…” John gestured at her, not wanting to say her name, “she got upset when she saw the meat from Sunday’s barbeque.”

“Well I know I can’t cook the best meat…”

“Not in that kind of way.”

Earl was puzzled by his comment. “Are you saying she’s one of them Vega-tarians?”

Earl enunciated awkwardly the word. It wasn’t his fault though, he never needed to use the word before.

“I would say, yes.”

“Well,” he shouldered his gun, “I’m not here to judge what tastes a man has, so goodnight.”

“Good night, Earl,” he somehow knew what he was implying. He closed the door, rubbing his eyes afterwards.

He turned to the woman, getting ready to talk to her. One thing came to mind as a major issue.

“We gotta do something about that name…”

“What’s wrong with my name?” she protested.

“It’s not something a normal person would have.”

“I thought all things have a name?”

“No… I mean yes… I mean…” He fumbled. “I mean your name is not something realistic. It’s not something a normal person would have.”

She was confused.

“Look,” John attempted to explain, “here we don’t normally have animal names, or at least not so explicitly. People have two names, their last name, which they inherit from their family, and their first name, something to give them a unique feeling in the family. And not to offend, but Buttershy doesn’t sound realistic.” John’s head grew tired of explaining things

“Well my friend has two names, like you said,”

“Really, what’s her name?”

“Twilight Sparkle”

Suddenly he couldn’t stop thinking about twinkling flamboyant vampires.

“She took the name Sparkle from her father, and her mother’s name was Twilight. Is it something like that?” Fluttershy attempted to understand.

“Yeah,” he slowly came out of the vampire trance. “But it needs more of a human touch, like Mary, Mary Posa.” He chuckled at the name.

“What’s a Mary?”

“Mary was an ancient name, given to women. It means love or something.”

“Oh, well I seem to like that, and Posa?”

“It’s Hungarian,”

“Why do hungry ponies make names for others?”

John was speechless. His puzzled yet angry face scared the woman.

“Listen, this is all nice,” she calmly explained, “But I prefer my real name. I mean it was what I was given by my father, and I liked it ever since.”

“What I’m trying to tell you is that your name will raise alarms around town.” John pinched the bridge of his nose. “We need something normal for you.”

She looked over to the left, displeased by the fact she had to use a new name.

“I’m not telling you to get rid of your name, just go by another name while you stay here. You can keep your name while you are near me, just not in public.”

She still didn’t know what to say. She was not used to this.

“Look, if you want I could call you by your given name.” he tried to please her .

“I… I would like that.” she smiled at him.

“Okay, Buttershy…”

“It’s Fluttershy.” She corrected him with a smile.

“Right, Fluttershy.” He felt a little warm inside after saying it. “Well anyway, I believe I have a salad.” He remembered. “maybe you can have it.”

He headed into the kitchen and searched through the counters for that takeout box he bought earlier today. He found it, but noticed something missing. He looked in the trash can and found the tri-tip. He walked out with the box and a cowl of annoyance. “You’re not going to make this easy are you?”

She looked away in embarrassment. Her cheeks were blushing and her blue eyes panning to the side. Her innocent look didn’t fool John.

He handed her the salad and watched her sit by the table. She struggled in her chair, not knowing where to lie. She suddenly gave up, and lay on the couch holding the tray near her chest. The next issue was holding her fork. She tried to hold her fork in a fist to keep and turning her wrist towards her. She had the fork aimed out the bottom of her fist.

The stabs of the fork were soft at first but she only pushed the salad around. The strong jabs made holes in the bottom of the Styrofoam. It took her five minutes before she finally gave up and stuffed her face in the salad like a horse on oats. 

Looking the other way, John continued eating his hopefully clean food. Picking off the bits of leftover scraps off the freshly rescued tri-tip, he grumbled to himself. ‘’what am I going to do if i can’t eat meat around her?’ the thought of someone telling him what he can’t eat upset him more. ‘Then again, I have to eat less,’ he remembered the doctors orders. He hadn’t been able to ‘go’ in a few days and it was worrying him. Watching her go at it on her salad he remembered he needed to eat more vegetables.

He headed into the kitchen hoping to find some tasty plant to eat. He took a carrot from the fridge and began taking bites out of it. He like the flavor a bit, but not the crunchiness. Looking back at Fluttershy, he could see how someone could like this.

He waited until she finished her salad and then called to her. “Ready for bed?” he asked.

She blushed at the question. John took notice and reacted the same way. It’s not everyday you ask a strange woman to go to bed.

He led her to the first door to in the hall. The room was nearly empty, except for a dresser with a small television on top. He then explained, “This room doesn’t have much. It’s usually a guest room for my visitors. But only my brother ever comes.” She looked at him in confusion. “Don’t worry, you won’t be bothering me. I hardly ever use this room. You can stay as long as you want.”

He watched her as she headed in. He smiled as she turned to see him off. She then proceeded to disrobe without telling him to leave. Johns face turned red as he darted out shut the door behind him.

He rushed to his bed with his now even more uncomfortable pants on and dropped in. “This is going to be the hardest time thing I will have to do.” He said realizing he will have to teach a girl acceptable etiquette on when it is necessary to keep your clothes on. 
	
> A Clothing Dilema
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The morning was calm as usual; bright skies and not a cloud in the sky. John lifted his head, rubbing his eyes from the strange dream he had last night. It was  something about a hippie girl in a dress. The dream seemed to be realistic enough to fool John into thinking he lived in Colorado.

He came to and saw that the blanket next to him was altered. This could only mean one thing: Lucia awoke early to bring him breakfast. This gave him the tingles as he lifted his blanket to find himself in only his boxer shorts; cotton and stretchy, just the way he liked it. Upon leaving his bed, he reached over to a seat and pulled on his pajama pants and shirt and went the kitchen.

The kitchen of this apartment was small, but he found it to be all they needed. Sitting at the dining room table, was a brunette woman drinking her coffee. She looked towards him, smiling. The woman was around John’s age, and had a smile that rivaled the Mona Lisa’s. 

“You sleep okay?” She asked with her playful smile. Her voice was sweet, with a hint of East German.

John’s smiling silence said it all. He just walked on over and kissed her on the forehead. He was happy to see her. He didn’t want to spoil the day by telling her he had dreamt of another woman. He remembered he had to get ready to start his patrol. Being a police officer in a Los Angeles wasn’t easy.

He walked over to the bathroom to see Lucia again, this time with a scrap of paper in her hand. It was a lottery ticket. She looked to him and said, “I’ll be home around five. That’s when the numbers are announced. Who knows, maybe I’m a winner with this one!”

“Lucia, stop buying those! They’re nothing but a scam!” John scolded her. She did not move, yet she continued to smile at him. He grew scared; he could sense something was wrong.

A knock came at the door and John suddenly stood before it. He opened the door to find two familiar officers standing with their hands gripping their holstered guns. 

“Juan Alvarez,” they said, “you are under arrest for the murder of Lucia Grimmer.” They reached for him as they read him his rights, over and over again. Lucia smiled and waved at him from the dining room table, as the dark hands of his co-workers covered his eyes.

________________

“AAAAAAHHHHHH! I didn’t kill her!” John’s face was covered in sweat. He checked his surroundings. Same king size bed, same oak dresser, same figurines from the Batman series, same computer, all the things he had for the past three years were the same, except for the girl. He cupped his hands over his eyes, weeping to himself. “Why can’t I wake up from this dream?” he grumbled to himself.

He heard some light or careful footsteps coming by the door. He did not uncover his eyes,but continued to weep. The steps were soft and slow, as if someone was trying to come in without disturbing him. 

“Um, Mister John, are you alright?” asked the soft worried voice. “I heard you scream and thought maybe you hurt your hoof or something.”

The word ‘hoof’ woke him up from his trance of self-pity. “It’s a hand,” he said as he took his hand and showed it off, “and don’t worry, it was just a bad…” 

He stopped at the sight of the pink haired woman standing before him. He had just realized her etiquette was not the same as a normal American’s. One thing was for sure though: she was well trimmed for a hippie.

“Is something wrong? Your face is red.”

John grabbed a small blanket from his feet and threw it at her. “Put some clothes on!” he shouted. She covered herself with the blanket and rushed back to her room. He raced after her, apologizing and hoping she didn’t get the wrong message. She bolted into her room and hid behind the bed. John paused at the door. 

“Look, I’m sorry if I scared you.” This was the only thing he could think of saying.

She shivered as she squatted behind the bed. “Why did you throw the blanket at me?”

“Well, uh,” he stood there stammering from the shock. “Well… you were naked... you see in polite society, a woman can’t be standing... naked when she’s with company.”

“But… I never wore clothes before and it didn’t get me in trouble…” She shook.

“Well that was different. Here we wear clothes to cover ourselves to appear appropriate, keep warm, and cover our genitals.” He was getting a bit technical.

“Genitals?” She asked as she stood up.

“The… the thing between your thighs and those…” he gestured, making bowls over his chest, still looking away.

She took one look at them and saw his red face. She dropped back onto the floor.

“Listen, you just need to keep them covered and you will be fine,” he said, looking at the ceiling.

The woman peeked over the bed, her face as red as an apple, and thought over what he said.

“Come on, let’s pick some clothes for you” he said as he walked to the closet and reached into the bag of clothing they received from the Evans. He pulled out some pants, a shirt and a sweater. But he noticed something was missing. 

‘She doesn’t have any lingerie’ he thought to himself, ‘She can’t go around commando, it’s just not right. All she had was a cloth wrapped around her under her dress, or that’s what Mrs. Evans told us.’ He continued to think to himself, looking away from the woman as she was getting dressed.

“Umm… John?” asked the woman. “Is this okay?”

John turned to her. She wore the shirt with the tag on the sticking out of her chest. She stood there with a look of discomfort and embarrassment. John ran his hand through his hair, sighing in disbelief. 

“The tag has to be on the back, inside the shirt.” He told her as calmly as he could. He tried not to think he was dealing with an overgrown toddler.

She turned around, taking off her shirt and turning it over. Her hand continued to slip constantly as if she didn’t know how to use them.

When she finished struggling with an everyday battle everyone over the age of eight had mastered, John noticed she was still uncomfortable, as she pinched at her pants. His mind went back to a time in kindergarten when he wore pants but had refused to put on underwear. He could feel her pain. Not wanting to have her suffer, he came up with an idea.

“Come on,” he said as he lifted himself, “let’s eat some breakfast, and then afterwards we’ll go get you some undergarments.”

She tilted her head.

“Unless you want to stay uncomfortable in those clothes?”

Her faced turned an adorable shade of pink. Her eyes turned away from him, looking at the night stand. Finally, he turned back with a curious face as she came with one question. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Well either cereal or eggs…” He paused, having realized the word. He stood with a guilty smile awaiting the barrage of angry words. Something about women  makes him awkward around in his speech.

“Can I have scrambled eggs?”

The shock slapped him in the face like an angry woman. ‘She had just screamed at me last night for eating meat, but she is willing to eat eggs?’ John pondered. ‘Well, best to not look a gift horse in the mouth’ he told himself, not wanting to bring up the question.

The woman looked at him, noticed something was wrong. She saw his face, churning with confusion. She didn’t understand why.

“I’ll go get started on those eggs.” He said with a sheepish smile. The smile slid from his face as he turned around. The woman was left alone believing that she did something wrong. She followed him into the kitchen and watched as he gathered the ingredients. John didn’t notice, He had his mind busy with the fact that most vegetarians he’d met didn’t even use butter.

The eggs came out moderately good considering fact John wasn’t the best at keeping his mind clear when cooking. Usually he made his eggs with bacon grease and thus wasn’t accustomed to using vegetable oil. He also fried some green onions, thinking she would want a vegetable as a side.

He came to the table and saw her still struggling to sit with the two plates of egg and green onions. The table was set, except for one thing. He grabbed some tortillas and heated them over the stove fire. From the flame he tossed them onto a thin tablecloth to keep them warm,  just like his mother did. If only he had them on a container so he didn’t burn his hands.

“What are those?” she asked, pointing at the cloth.

“Tortillas,” he replied with a smile, “technically flat bread”

She lifted one up, analyzing the bread.

“You eat like this.” he said as he demonstrated by taking a piece and grabbing a scoop of egg. As he took a bite out of it, he looked at the woman. She slowly tried to do the same, failing at her first attempt. He giggled. “You have to wrap it around the egg.” John clarified. She gave an embarrassed look as she followed his instructions.

The next few minutes went normally. The woman then paused from eating and looked at him with wonder.

“Um, Mister John?”

John looked at her, the onion hanging out of his mouth.

“Can I ask you something? I mean, if it’s alright with you…’

“Sure, ask away.”

“Umm…” she hesitated on asking, “Why were you screaming in your sleep?”

In his surprise the onion slid into his throat. He silently gagged on his breakfast as she looked around.

“Was it a bad dream?” She continued asking, completely unaware of the near-death of her caregiver.

John took the stem out of his mouth, breathing heavily. He took his time to recover before he gave his answer. “Just a dream. You shouldn’t worry about it.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry into something personal, I was just…” she gave the cutest squeak he had ever heard. It made John giggle, even after she almost made him choke.

“Well, it’s not that uncommon for a person to talk in their sleep while under stress.”

“Oh, am I too much of a bother?” She asked shying away from looking at him. “I could go back to the forest if you want.”

“No, no, no.” John protested. “It’s not you so much as it is my own problems. I don’t want you to go.” He thought through what he said, as to not offend her. “I just went to the doctor and he gave me some bad news. Not like cancer bad, but still it shocked me.”

“Oh, well…” Fluttershy took a look at his guilty smile, “Doctors can be scary, can’t they?”

John’s smile turned true as the subject changed. “Well, yeah. But they are here to help.”   

‘Which reminds me,’ John thought to himself, ‘I need to make an appointment for her, just to make sure she didn’t catch something in the forest.’ He hoped she didn’t have an infection.

Breakfast was finished and the dishes washed, so John got busy washing. John took the time to reevaluate the situation as he washed the pan.

“Okay, let’s get this straight,” he thought aloud to himself. “I now have a woman in my house who detests meat, but she enjoys eating egg. Not that it bothers me but it gets confusing. She also doesn’t have any shame, which I guess comes from living away from civilization. But that means she didn’t have clothes to begin with. That will cost me about two hundred to get her clothes now that I believe she’ll be staying with me.’ He rubbed his temples as he thought of the main problem. ‘What will the neighbors think?’ He was barraged by thoughts of how the neighbors would react. ‘Earl already saw her and he thought unclean things about her,’ John recalled the look on his face when he saw her. ‘Mrs. Blain, my other neighbor, is a known gossip. How will she see it?” His head was spinning from all the assumptions.

“Mr. John?” called Fluttershy, “what are these?”

John took a second to dry his hands before marching out of the kitchen. The scene was something he hasn’t seen for months. The living room was clean, well almost. Fluttershy stood over piled up garbage and organized jackets. In her hand were DVD boxes, the thing she was questionable about.

“Those are my discs” John called out.

Fluttershy stood questioning their use. “What are they for?”

“Some of them are games and others are movies.” He just realized she probably hadn’t.

“Games?” she asked slowly, making a tossing motion while looking at him quizzically.

“No.” John rubbed his eyes, calming himself down. “Have you ever seen a DVD player or an Xbox?”

Fluttershy shook her head and continued to analyze them.

“Oh right…” he remembered she lived in the forest before coming to town.

“The ones in the black containers are movies, and the others are video games.”

She looked at him in surprise. “I thought movies only came in reels.”

“Well, not anymore…” John didn’t want to get into a discussion on the wonders of technology. He looked at the piles of trash. They were organized by material and food waste. The pizza boxes were at one corner and the foam containers were next to the couch. John was surprised about the organization, to say the least. “You organized the trash…”

‘Yes, umm… don’t you?”

John was more surprised by the fact that she knew what to organize beforehand. He expected her to not even know what plastic was or that it was recyclable. “Well, let’s we clean this up before we get going.” He remembered promising to clean in the morning.

“Go where?” she asked tilting her head.

“Well, to get you some proper clothes and… undergarments.” He said the last word almost under his breath. John still was embarrassed by the fact he hadn’t bought underwear for a woman before, not even for his ex-girlfriend.

Fluttershy blushed, getting slowly placing the plastic boxes down. “Where will we get them?”

“The store,” John said slowly, “it’s where you can by anything.” His mouth was faster than his foot.

“I know what a store is.” She replied in an annoyed tone.  She apologized as fast as she retorted, “sorry for snapping at you…” a squeak followed as she closed her eyes expecting to be struck.

John hadn’t felt like such an ass in months.

> The Store Clerk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The vision of a strange world comes into light. In the eerie scene of a dark forest, the trees dark and partially broken. A dark temple stands in the eerie mist with it’s stone bricks cemented together covered with moss and vines. The gate, which was once standing, had rusted. The bolts had snapped and the door lay on the cold stone floor. The surrounding area creeped of crickets and a low growl every now and again, was broken by shouting.

“Come on, girls,” said the leader of the group, “Angel says it’s this way.”

The language resembled English, but the creatures were strange. The bodies looked equine in origin, but they were rounder and thicker. The heads had large eyes with large pupils. The leader was a lavender color and had a horn sticking out of the top of its forehead. It was following a white rabbit.

More came out from the fog. Another horned one came along, this one was white with a purple mane. Two were more like the Earth’s equines, though one was pink and the other orange. Then above them came a winged one, gliding above the rest. This one had a multicolored mane, like a rainbow.

“What is this place?” Asked the orange one.

“I don’t know,” replied the lavender one, while it stared at the ruins.

The rabbit scurried to the temple, leading the way through the fallen gate. The five equine creatures stopped at the steps of the structure, fearing its dark essence. The group stepped forward, trying to understand where the rabbit was leading them. 

“What can this place be?” Asked the white one.

“Who built it?” the orange one asked.

“Not one more step, Twilight Sparkle!” Shouted a voice from the heavens. Just then, a black chariot emerged from the skies and, behold, a sixth equine creature. This one was as dark as the night sky, with a flowing mane made of darkness and stars. It was larger than the rest. The creature had both wings and a horn and wore an amulet and a tiara, both as black as the void. The chariot was of a dark purple color and was pulled through the air by two more equines. These equines with bat like wings rather than the feathered wings of the rainbow maned one.

The larger one leaped from her chariot while still in mid-air and glided down into the sight of the others. “What is your purpose here?”

“Princess Luna!” Shouted the orange one as the group lowered their heads to the ground in respect. “Fluttershy’s gone missing!” She spoke in a southern United States drawl.

“Angel lead us to this temple, but we don’t know what he wants,” interrupted the rainbow one, “but we were sure it had to do with Fluttershy.”

“Does thou not know what this temple is?”

The group looked at each other. None had the slightest clue.

“This is a most dangerous temple,” the Princess walked slowly towards them. “This is the temple of the Moonstone.” The group shook in their hooves.

“Moonstone?” Asked the lavender one, “I studied many books on ancient temples, but I never heard of the Moonstone Temple.”

“That is because it predates us and our sister.” The princess explained, “In the creation of our planet, by our father and the other titans, came an anomaly which created  portals to other worlds.”

“Other worlds?” remarked the lavender one. “What are they like?”

“This stone here sends the pony into a world run by hairless apes bent on dominating one another. We felt a large being pass through. It was larger than the rodents which usually pass through. We came here to investigate.”

“You mean…” The white one asked frantically, “our dear Fluttershy is trapped in that strange world?”

“We are afraid so.”

With a gasp, the white equine took her hoof to her head and fell back. The others were in as much surprise as her, yet didn’t react the same way.

“We have to go get her back!” Yelled the rainbow equine.

“Unfortunately the Moonstone activates only on a full moon in both worlds,” Explained the princess.

“A full moon? That’s in a month from now.” The lavender one was saddened by the words of their princess.

“Can’t you make it come by faster?” Asked the rainbow one.

“We apologize, but it cannot be done. The moons of the worlds must align for the full effect of the Moonstone.” The princess responded.

The group looked into the temple. The rabbit held its paw to the stone, it’s face a mask of guilt.

“Fortunately, we can peer through to find the ones who passed through,” she said with a calming smile.

“It’s been two days,” the orange one asked in a low voice, “do you think she’s alright?”

“We’re sure of it. The apes were calm and receptive on the last trek into the other world.”

“So, do they care if we look different?” Asked the lavender one.

“The stone transforms the pony to one of the apes. It transforms foreign objects into their equivalent in the other world. We would say Fluttershy appeared to be look similar one of them.

The six equines entered the temple, wondering of what had become of their friend.

_______________________________________________________________________________


“Welcome to Marian’s Clothing. How may we help you?” The sales representative called out at the door, feigning a smile as most do.. Fluttershy, or Mary Posa in public as Fluttershy and John agreed to, was frightened by the woman’s sudden call.

The store was average-sized for a department store. The store was divided in half by gender and then again by age groups.  It was a simple setup for a simple town.

John looked at the sales rep and back again at Fluttershy, who was now gripping his arm in a defensive manner. “Yeah, we need to get some…” He paused for a moment, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. He muttered the next word under his breath.

“I’m sorry,” said the sales rep. “I didn’t catch that.”

“Women’s Underwear.” He whispered.

Nobody knows what possessed the sales representative to shout into the air ‘lingerie is in the back to the left of the store!’ The other shoppers turned to see the Hispanic man standing ahead of the sales representative at the door. They couldn’t see the pink haired woman crouching behind him. 

‘If she had said it any louder the people across the street would hear her.’ John thought to himself. 

“If you need anything, Martha would assist you.”

“Thanks... We’ll need it.” John rolled his eyes as he walked past her. He headed towards the back, walking slowly to keep Fluttershy close to him as she observed her surroundings. The people around her were glaring, probably because of her unfamiliar hair color. Pink catches the eye very easily.

“Um… Mr. John, are you sure about this?” Fluttershy’s nerves were getting to her. “There are so many of, um, your kind here, looking at me.”

“Calm down Flutter… I mean, Mary,” he corrected himself, not wanting to say the name in public. “Most people here are kind and understanding.” He looked at her smiling to keep her calm. “It’s the asshole children that you have to watch out for,” he said in a grumpy tone.

“I’ve had some experience with children. They can’t be that bad.” Fluttershy retorted with curiosity.
“Trust me, the kids here are like rabid badgers.” John made claws with his hands, showing how aggressive they can get. Fluttershy was at  a loss for words at the comparison.

Upon arrival at the back of the store they found one worker who was a woman roughly the same age as John. She took one look at him and frowned.

“Let me guess,” She growled, “you are a cock lover.” She was very forward with her accusations.

With a heavy sigh, John felt he needed to answer. “We went out on one bad date.” he lifted his index finger counting the single date. “Why do you feel the need to pester me every moment we meet, Martha?”

“You waited to ‘till dinner to tell me you weren’t interested, and left me with the bill, Mister ‘I won the lottery’.”

“Who can pass up an offer for a meal? Also, I paid for my part…” He rubbed his forehead trying to let it go. “Anyway, that’s not why I’m here.” He pointed to the woman behind him. “She needs some new, um, underwear.” John couldn’t keep himself from pausing every time he said the word.

Martha stopped and gawked at Fluttershy, analyzing every detail of her in five seconds. “I didn’t know you liked anime characters.” Her sarcastic smirk burned John’s pride.

“No, she’s a friend…” John came to a realization. ‘Crap, I forgot to come up with an explanation.’ The two were staring at him, hoping to hear a story. He came up with the most plausible lie he could think of. “She’s an old friend from California… from high school.” His quivering smile was close to breaking from the pressure.

“I see.” Martha seemed doubtful, she quickly  glanced between the newcomer and the man she disliked. “Why does she need underwear?”

He tried to stay calm, hoping he wouldn’t sound like an idiot. “She… lost her luggage on the ride here. She’s wearing loaner clothing, and well she’s not…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He kept a straight face. ‘No need to draw unnecessary attention’ told himself.

“Oh, you poor dear.” Martha accepted the lie. Rushing towards Fluttershy, she tried to console her. “We should get you some proper clothing.” She then glared at John. “Just as long as he pays for it all.”

John rolled his eyes. “Well, yes.”

“Good, we’ll be back in an hour,” Martha pulled Fluttershy away. The helpless woman reached her arm out to John, beckoning for help.

John didn’t want to believe the lies he had to come up with. Rubbing his head in shame, he pondered how he could make this work. In the meantime, he headed to the men’s section to find some shirts.

In the women's section, the sales representative and Fluttershy made their way through the lingerie section. Martha  agreed to help the poor woman, hoping to get some information out on John out of her. Martha asked which underwear Mary preferred, making sure only the most expensive items were what she was interested in. With work Martha got Fluttershy to come out of her defensive shell. They were $15 each as picked by the sales representative.

It wasn’t long until the curiosity of the sales representative came out as she began to wonder about this pink haired woman. 

“So… Mary,” she asked, “what’s with the pink hair?”

The woman gave a shy look and quietly answered. “Is it not normal?” Fluttershy tugged on her hair, looking questionably through it. “I’ve had it since I can remember.”

“Well, it’s not something you see every day.”

“Well, where I’m from the colors are very diverse…”

Martha began to wonder why she was so strange. “Oh right, California.” She remembered. Something then ticked in her head. “You say you came from the same High School,” she turned to her. “What was he like?”

Fluttershy was caught in the lie. Her eyes dilated as Sweat began to form her brow as she contemplated what to answer. “Well, um, uh…” her mind was blank.

“I just want to know if he was always an asshole or if there was some good in him at some point of his life.” Martha scoured through the racks for more expensive material.

Fluttershy was confused. She hadn’t known John for more than a day but she had to pretend that she knew him for years. She had to resort to whatever knowledge she had. “He… was nice...”

“Did he ever hit on you?”

“No! Never…” Fluttershy was surprised by the question. Her face turned a bright shade of rose.

Martha felt the awkwardness in the air and chose the next questions carefully. “So was he a…” She made a gesture, resembling two phalluses touching at the tip. Fluttershy did not know what she meant. “Into other males?” Martha elaborated.

Fluttershy’s face turned a darker red. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as a shiver came up. The silence was eerie.

“Was he?”

At that moment, she realized she had an answer to it. “He… he had a girlfriend before. Her name was Lucia, but I think something bad happened to her.” They were words which woke her up this morning, the Lucia which she believed to be someone of importance.

“Lucia?” Martha stopped what she was doing. “Is that her name? You know, I hear my little brother and his friends talk about some woman he killed. I’m not sure what happened. Do you?”

“No, um… he wouldn’t say.” Fluttershy lied.

“Well, he probably has too much to deal with. I mean he’s the only Mexican here that owns a house. That brings some confusion for the townsfolk. Then there are the kids that yell at him when they see him.” She began to mumble to herself, going on with why it must be hard for him. Martha felt a sort of pity for John. “You know Mary; I think I now know how you can stand John. He’s like a three legged puppy who messes up the carpet because he doesn’t know where to go.” Her thoughts went away as she then came to a conclusion. “That doesn’t excuse you for going on a date just for the food.”

Martha looked at the woman. She was strange to her eyes, although that was something to expect from a Californian. Her tense posture was a sign that she was uncomfortable here.

“So, what about you?” Martha asked. “What do you do back home?”

“Well, I tend to the animals.” She spoke softly.

“I love animals.” The glee in Martha’s voice was evident. “What kind of animals?”

The subject calmed Fluttershy. She poked out of her shell. “I tend to any animal that comes to me for help.” This was one subject she had no problem with. “Squirrels, birds, bunnies, ferrets-”

“Do you care for cats?” Martha interrupted.

“Well, a few. My house is not so big, but I get to care for many animals.”

“Your house?” questioned Martha. Her mind went busy as she recalled never hearing of an animal care provider running from their house. 

“Well, I live in the outskirts of Ponyville and I have freedom over what business I run in my home.”

Martha thought in confusion, ‘Ponyville?’ She thought heavily for a moment. ‘Oh, that must be what they call the town, crazy Californians.’ She smiled, trying not to seem judgmental over this new face. “So you are a home veterinarian? That must be nice.”

“Oh, it is. I mean, the animals already have a liking to me and are easy to care for when you had experience reading the animal’s feelings. Angel gets grumpy, but it takes a kind heart to teach him what he needs.”

“That’s fascinating.” Martha started to take a liking to this girl. She was different from the other boring town girls there in Dewford. A ping sounded in her head. “Mary, how long will you be staying in town?”

Fluttershy’s face turned to a worried frown. Tapping her index fingers together she gave her most honest answer. “Well, I am actually stuck here; I don’t know when I’ll be going back. I don’t know how long it would take for me to see my animals again.” Her eyes began to water. “I don’t even know when my friends would realize I am gone. Or if they are as worried as I am.” She fell to her knees and covered her face, sobbing.

‘Her friends don’t even know that she’s gone?’ thought Martha. She pieced the fragments together and only one conclusion came. ‘She must be in Witness Protection.’ She had to do something. A crying customer would be bad for business. “Calm down,” Martha hoped a pat on her shoulder would help. “I’m sure your friends are worried, but it’s your safety that matters.”

The crying woman glanced upwards.

“Besides, you have John. He is here to help.” Something about saying that made her feel a cheeks tingle.

Fluttershy smiled as her crying slowly ceased. “Thank you. John did take me in when no one else did.”

“He is a nice guy when he needs to be, I guess.”

John was selecting a new shirt, when he felt a chill run down his spine. “That felt like something drastically changed for the worst,” he muttered to himself in surprise.
	 
> The bully
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John was just about ready to make his purchases, having forgotten about his cares with a new button down shirt and work shirts. Unfortunately that bliss disappeared as he remembered why he was here in here first place. ‘Fluttershy,’ he quickly remembered. 

Heading to the lingerie, he wondered what could come of this situation. He couldn’t keep her in his house forever. People would think badly of him, especially with her pink hair. He remembered how angry she got if he ate meat. He hoped he can eat some meat soon, fearing he would go into a protein deficiency state. ‘This is some deep shit I got myself into,’ he thought to himself.

As soon as he lifted his head, he found them. The pink hair was as obvious as a cold sore.

Martha walked over with the basket in hand. John, remembering every other instance they meet, braced himself for a remark about his sexuality or perversions.

“Here are her undergarments. I’ll ring you up.”

‘What, no comebacks? No claims about my personality?’ John didn’t say this aloud. He was mostly relieved that she had a calm conversation after five months.

At the register, the clothes were being brought through the scanner, and the damage was showing. $28.95, $40.52, $57.42, the number just went higher and higher. John expected something like this, but the after seeing the pile, he only hoped Fluttershy wasn’t going to bleed him dry.

As Martha rang up the clothing she continued to gaze over at the pink haired woman. Coming to a sudden pause, she expressed a concern. “Hey, Mary.”

Fluttershy didn’t respond immediately so John poked her in the arm to get her attention. Confused, she turned to Martha.

“Since you just moved in, you probably don’t have many friends.” Martha continued scanning the clothing. “How’s about we hang out some more sometime? You know, I could show you around town and stuff, just so you don’t get lonely with mister one date here.”

‘And here come the insults again,’ John thought.

Fluttershy took some time to think. With a shy smile, she responded. “That would be nice.” Martha smiled and rang up the final price.

“A hundred and fifty seven dollars on clothing?” John muttered to himself, in disbelief of how much he had to spend on an uninvited guest. Martha smiled at him. It was a dark burning expression, as if she was telling him, ‘you better take good care of her or I will find you and do horrible things to you’.

Whilst exiting the store, John couldn’t help but look at the receipt. The sheer number items weren’t the only problem, but also the cost of them. It was nice of them the let her walk out wearing a pair, something only done in big emergencies.Yet John couldn’t help but think that Martha was the one selecting the items.

Walking to the Civic, John heard a voice that always made him want to leave the vicinity. This voice only meant one thing.

“Juanito!” Sounded the voice of a rather large brown-haired white man. “What are you doing out of your hut?” The man stood behind him, grinning at his conquest of being an annoyance to John.

“Joshua, please leave me alone. Your father already told you to stay away from me.” John slowly turned to make sure he kept his distance. He was not.

“C’mon Juanito, you know that’s only at work,” he gripped John by the shoulders. Shivers ran down John’s spine like a troop of fire ants. “Speaking of which, you do well for only being a translator.”

“I am a freelance human resource manager.” John corrected.

“Yeah, but still, you’re only a wetback like the rest of them.” Joshua whispered malice in his ear.

“Get off me!” John took offence to that. Shaking him off, he looked Joshua in the eye, which were now directed at the pink haired woman. The woman hid behind John expecting something bad to happen.

“Well hello there…” with a semi-seductive voice he called. “What’s your name, precious?”

Fluttershy receded back further behind John. Joshua noticed the tone and frowned in displeasure.

“What’s this bitch’s name?” He bluntly asked John

“Her name is Mary,” John tried to settle the issue, “and she’s not a bitch, she’s just new to the place, you ass.”

“What is she doing with you?” Joshua pressed.

“What does it matter to you?”

“Well, I would think it is my civic duty to protect any civilian from murderers.” The smug look on his face brought anger to the man he was insulting.

“You don’t know anything, so just piss off.” John shouted.

“Yeah, well, what are you going to do ‘bout it if I don’t?” Joshua’s face was now inches away from John’s.

John took this as a clear sign of aggression. ‘I mustn’t react.’ he continued to tell himself, ‘Remember the law.’

“Huh, chicken.” The tall man backed away, a smug look ran across his face from another win. But something felt unfinished. He felt the need to win a few more on the score. Seeing the angry look on his face, Joshua felt like he needed to scare him a little. He took his fist from his side and swung it at John’s face.

John did not hesitate as his police training caught up with him. He grabbed the arm, twisting it slowly, followed punch in the gut from the right hook. Watching him collapse in pain, John could only think of one thing, ‘Maybe I went a bit too far with this?’

John took a look around. A few townsfolk were looking at him, though one was searing into his heart more than the others. Her soft blue eyes, now filled with fear and confusion, cut through him.

“W-w-w…why did you hurt him?” Fluttershy asked.

“He was trying to assault me.” John pointed out, “what should I do, let him strike me?”

“Then it would have been assault for him,” Interrupted an eastern European voice. The voice was one John was familiar with, but in this situation he was hoping not to hear. “Sorry, but I have to bring you in.”

“Why am I not surprised?” John asked sarcastically. “Now do I still have to get in the car, Sven? Or should we walk the half block to the police station?”

“Do you have your gun with you?” Sven was taking this seriously. John didn’t like it.

“No, I do not,” John raised his arms above his head. “Now let’s head over to the station.”

Sheriff Sven reached over to the two men, but stopped when he noticed the strange woman standing behind John. She held the bag defensively. She was gazing at the three men ahead of her in tears. She understood clearly what was happening.

“Miss, are you with either of them?” Sven asked as he cuffed John.

The pink haired woman pointed at John, her hand shaking like an elderly woman with arthritis.

“Then come with me,” he said, “we’ll need your statement.” Fluttershy complied with his order. Joshua, still writhing on the ground, obviously exaggerating, was told to pick himself up and get to the station. Complying, Joshua rolled himself up, feigning his pains and headed towards the officer, lightly holding his stomach.

They soon arrived at the police station. Though it was smaller than other cities’, they were quite busy with their work. The inside view was a small fence separating receptionist’s desk and the officers’ desks which filled the inner areas.

The three sat down in separate desks. Each had to give their statements, as was the custom in law. They couldn’t contact each other. Each told their stories as they remembered it.

Fluttershy was placed in the far right desk. She could feel the eyes burning into the back of her head. The tacking and rustling of the workers doing paperwork brought an uneasy feeling to her stomach. She sat down, twirling her fingers on her lap. As a burly man gawked at her, her mind only went to one thought, ‘run, get out of here’. But she couldn’t, not if it meant leaving John in danger.

“Name?” Asked the officer behind the desk. The officer was young. His head was full of distaste for the world. Focused on the paperwork he had not noticed who sat down. He wielded his pen preparing to make his start. “Name?” he repeated. His flat tone expressed a longing he had, something was missing and he had lost all hope of gaining it.

Fluttershy was about to respond with her true name but remembering what John said, she acted otherwise. “I’m Mary.”

“Mary what?” asked the man.

Fluttershy could not remember the second name she was given. The man was getting edgy. His pencil tapping showed his impatience. Fluttershy thought back to last night. ‘pisso? Posse? Po…’ She remembered. “Posa,” she said in her soft voice.

“Can you spell that?”

She tried to enunciate the word. “Pah, O~, Sih…”

“In English please.” The man was getting irritated. “This is America, not Kachinkistan.” Looking up, he saw the woman trembling in her seat. His loud voice startled her to the point where she almost fell off. Seeing the errors of his ways,  he dropped the pen and took some deep breaths to calm down. “I’m sorry for snapping at you.” Taking a glance at the neon pink hair, he was baffled. ‘So beautiful,’ he told himself.

Shaking his way out of the trance, he looked back down at his desk. Fluttershy was able to catch a breath and recede from her state of shock.

“I’ll just spell it out the best I can.” He told her in a sighing tone as he scribbled down the name. “So,” he continued, “in your best words I need you describe the incident.” The officer tried to keep it professional. The attractive woman sitting across the desk was a distraction to him.

“Well… um…” Fluttershy had difficulty getting started.

“Please be calm. There are no right or wrong answers here.” He assured her. “Just tell it like you saw it.”

“Okay.” She took a deep breath, “John and I were coming out of the boutique, when… the stallion over there,” she pointed at Joshua, “called him a murderer and other words I didn’t understand.” She gave a pause to catch her breath. “John stood there until the stallion threw a punch. John defended himself by stopping the hit and striking him.”

The officer paused as he heard the word ‘stallion’. In confusion, he didn’t know whether she meant Joshua or a horse. Seeing as horses are not allowed in the shopping areas, he replaced the word ‘stallion’ with ‘man’, fixing her strange speech pattern, though he still remained confused.

There was a new issue in which he had to deal with. “What is your relation to John?”

“Relation?” She asked herself, her face turning a light shade of pink. “Well… I live with him.”

The officer shattered like a glass ball.

“He took me in when I had nowhere else to go.” She was silent for a moment, contemplating the next phrase. “I would say he is a friend.” she said softly with a smile.

The officer had hope. His eyes glimmered in the ambient lighting, signaling his hope for romance. He had the urge to make his move. “Come on Mickey,” he whispered to himself. “Make your move. She may be out of your life before you know it.”

“Mike,” interrupted the voice of his superior, who had been standing behind him for quite some time. “Hurry up with this one. We need her statement to clarify what had occurred.”

“Sure thing, Officer Leiber.” He said coming out of his trance, “we just need to clarify some things.”

“Just as long as it’s official; I don’t want any more screw ups.” The sheriff made his exit back to the other desk.

Focused back on the job at hand, the Officer had some last questions to ask. “What would you say the man’s intentions were?”

“Umm… I would say he wanted to anger John.” Pausing for a moment her eyes became heavy in thought. “What does ‘wetback’ mean?”

Officer Mike flinched. He didn’t know how he should respond. Biting his lip, he contemplated the words to come out of his mouth. “It’s a derogatory term for an immigrant from Mexico.” He didn’t feel right explaining it. “Did he call him that?”

She gave a nod. Officer Mike scribbled down some last notes. He grumbled as he wrote down the phrase ‘possibly motivated by racial factor’. This was something he wasn’t expecting to write.

“Is Mr. John going to be okay?” the scared woman asked. “I mean, he’s the only one I know here.”

The officer slowly set his pen on the table, looking for an answer on the paperwork he had filled out. “How can I say this…?” Reading it over, he hoped to find good news for this beautiful woman.

Her reaction to him was something new. She treated him with respect, something the no one else had done. Her shy reactions were calming to him, rather than the hurtful remarks he received on a daily basis. He didn’t want to make her feel worse.

“I’ll do my best,” He answered. “Don’t you worry.” He stood to hand his statement to the Sheriff. Walking over he noticed the Latino man handcuffed to the seat, wallowing in his self pity. ‘This must be John.’ Mike thought to himself. Sheriff Leiber was standing over him with disappointment in his eyes.

The tall eastern European man held the other statements. He had finished a conversation with the accused and was ready to call it in.

“Sir,” Mike called interrupting the sheriff’s train of thought. “I got my papers done.”

The sheriff took the papers. Taking a look at them the corner of his mouth rose in a quizzical sense. “Don’t move, John,” he said as he headed to the back of the station, to a door marked ‘Sheriff Sven Leiber.’

“Believe me Sven: I won’t be going anywhere.” John tried raising his cuffed arm in jest of his order.

Officer Mike glanced over to the lonely woman sitting at her desk. His heart sank as he watched her run her fingers through her hair. He felt compelled to know more about her. He then noticed the man she came in with sitting next to him handcuffed to the seat. He reacted on an unprofessional impulse and asked him about her.

“How long have you two known each other?” He asked.

“I say about three years.” John said confused by his actions. “You shouldn’t be talking to me, I’m a suspect right now.” John clarified the ruling from his past experience.

“Sorry, I just wanted to know about her.” Mike turned towards Fluttershy expressing some guilt from his actions. John saw what he meant now. The woman was attractive, beautiful actually. Yet his cold heart couldn’t break out of its icy shell.

“This can’t be good.”
> Crying Session
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Sorry for the trouble.” Sheriff Leiber unshackled John. “But I am going to give you a warning about the assault. I don’t want that to happen again.” His firm yet welcoming tone calmed John’s irritation.

“Well, I tried to defend my honor.” John jested in his returned freedom.

“Don’t push it, Trottle,” groaned the sheriff.

Laughing off Sven’s reaction, John glanced at the far desk. Fluttershy was sitting uncomfortably with her hands on her lap. The woman’s eyes locked on his smile. She gave a small wave, just a small flick of the wrist, and a soft smile. Slowly, John’s smile faded into a blank gaze of curiosity.

“It was her statement that cleared up the situation.” Sven smiled at him. “You must be lucky to have her.”

John’s heart stopped for a second. “I-It’s not like that,” he retorted. “She’s just a, um… a friend.” John still didn’t know how to explain their situation.

Sven’s eyes were drawn to John’s face inspecting every inch of it. The quivering cheek on the corner of his mouth showed signs of nervousness. His eyes shook from left to right, and the smile itself was off. Sven took all the facts into consideration before he made up his mind.

“You don’t have to lie to me, John.” Sven smiled, “I’m sure she’s a fine girl.”

“She’s not my-” John attempted to clarify but was rudely interrupted.

“-It’s about time you found a new girl, and a cute one too.”

John looked over to the woman, irritated by the remarks. He noticed the rookie officer talking to her with a hand behind his head, like a nervous school boy.

“What’s the rookie’s name?” John asked in curiosity, “I haven’t seen him before.” .

“Oh, that’s Officer Michael Bridges,” Sven clarified. “He was transferred here from Texas. He’s still new to this so we stuck him behind a desk.” He noticed the nervous clatter exiting Michaels mouth. “Are you worried he’s trying to steal your girl?”

“No,” John continued to protest. “I keep telling you, it’s not like that.”

“Then how is it?”

“It’s hard to explain,” John looked around. Several people were already staring at her. ‘I guess the pink hair is noticeable.’ John reminded himself. “I’ll tell you over more private terms.”

“Seems fair. How’s about a beer at your house?” Sven asked. “We can be over tonight.”

“‘We?’” John emphasized the word.

“I’m bringing the rookie.” Sven gave a sly grin as he pointed at the rookie, who was now walking over in defeat.

The rookie took notice of Sven’s smile. He knew nothing good came from that smile. “What’s going on?”

“How would you like to go out for beer tonight?” Sven invited Michael.

“Really?” He was elated. “No one has invited me for anything since I got here.”

“Well now you get a chance. Will you come?”

“Sure, I’ll go.” He glided with joy. He felt he was having the time of his life time.

“Why do you need him?” John asked.

“I may need a designated driver.” Sven explained. The rookie fell back to earth. “We’ll be over around seven.”

“You’ll bring your own beer, right?” John asked.

“Oh no, the wife won’t let me keep alcohol in the house,” he came closer, covering the right side of his mouth, “she’s got a new one coming in.” He whispered loudly.

John knew what he meant, but was still annoyed by the other fact. “I’ll pick up some on the way home,” he sighed. His discontent showed.

“None of that American lager crap. They taste too much like water.” Sven added playfully. His smile was irritating to John.

John had enough of the conversation. He made departed and headed over to Fluttershy, who was now frightened by the bustling noise.

“Flutt… Mary, you ready?” John asked. He refused to look at her. Sven’s idea of the her was still fresh in his mind.

“Oh, okay,” Fluttershy stood up with her hands cupped together like shy nun. She held the bags draping down from her hip, held by her thumb rather than her whole hand. She hid her joy under the timidness that blanketed her. However a smile snuck its way onto her face.

John didn’t smile back. He looked at her and took in the emotion she presented. He also took something more in, the beauty that was expressed by Sven. Noticing a timid blush, he caught himself scaring her. Shaking off the awestruck expression on his face, he shrugged to the right, facing the exit. 

“Right, let’s get going.” He said expecting to get her mind out of that awkward spot.

As they exited the station and set out to the car, John had his mind busy with the conversation fresh in his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about two things, one being what he was going to tell Sven. He had to tell him the truth about Fluttershy, but he didn’t know what the truth was. All he knew about her were the things from the previous night. She was from some commune named ‘Pony-Ville’ in the forest close by. Her name or alias was some animal-like thing, Fluttershy. Most importantly, she hated meat. This brought the most problems with him. His mind halted as a new thought shot into his head like a cannon ball. 

‘What am I going to feed her?’ this was quickly followed by a second thought: ‘When will I get to eat meat again?’ He didn’t want another incident like the one the previous night.

The second thought had been implanted by Sven. ‘You must be lucky to have her.’ Ever since that statement was introduced, he couldn’t get it out of his head. It was rattling in his head like a loose bolt. He had never expected to find another woman to keep company with, let alone live with. The ghost in his closet, his old love, was haunting him constantly. 

‘But why her?’ he asked himself, ‘we have nothing alike, why is she here with me?’ As the thoughts raced through his head, he continued to stare at the blank spot of his car windshield.

“Mr. John?” Fluttershy called out to him. “Are you okay?”

Hearing the voice of the woman startled the entranced man. John jolted, dropping his keys from hand. Turning to see Fluttershy looking at him with worry, he feigned a smile to avoid awkward questions. 

“Oh, it’s nothing.” John explained, “just spaced out, I guess.”  He slowly picked up his keys. His mind went back to his troubles.

John trailed his thoughts back to the beginning, wondering how he came to those thoughts in the first place. It led him to the Sven’s statement, ‘You must be lucky to have her.’

‘Why was I lucky?’ He thought to himself himself. ‘I was almost arrested for an assault charge, but I was released…’ John could have slapped his forehead from his sudden realization. ‘Her statement cleared up the situation.’ Sven’s words had burned a hole into his skull. ‘If it wasn’t for her…’ John thought to himself. Thinking of the possible consequences for an assault charge on his boss’ son made his head hurt. The amount of things that would go wrong was unbearably catastrophic. But he remembered it was all changed by the woman he had just met.

Waking out of his trance, he realized he was in his car sitting in the driver’s seat. The car wasn’t on, but Fluttershy held on tight, remembering the movement. Looking at her, he could sense something had to be done.

“Mary.” He hesitantly called to her.

The woman turned, seeing as she was the only other person in the vehicle.

“Thank you.” He said, putting on false grin.

“Oh,” the woman was confused. “You’re welcome. I-It was nothing.” Her eyes scanned John’s face, which was now going into a slight frown.

Looking away from her, John could only feel self-pity. “Really, thank you. You saved my ass back there.” He went on to explain. “I could have been as easily arrested and put in lock up for the night. I have no family or friends here that could pay my bail if I was in lock up. I would have been placed under house arrest, my gun would be confiscated.” The more he talked, the more agitated he became. “I could have lost the very little crap I had, just because it did something retarded.” Tears came rolling down his cheek. “I’m a twenty six year old Latino ex-cop with no friends who was accused of murdering his girlfriend. I would not do well if I went to fucking prison! I would be fucking stabbed on the first day! I’ve seen it happen way too often! I could have lost the very little I have!” He clenched the steering wheel with all his might, sobbing heavily.

Fluttershy was shocked, not only at the language, but by the fact she had learned something new from her newfound caretaker. He was lost in this world like her, but in a different sense. He had no one he can trust and he feared for his life every time he wakes up. She couldn’t stand to watch him cry to himself, it reminded her too much of herself. She took his hand away from his suffering grasp and began to pet it as she sang a calming tune.


"Celestia will bring a brand new day,

One which the children can go and play,

With all the critters of the land,

And have fun on grass and sand;

No harm will come to the foal,

As they pick up sticks or throw a ball,

And we will rest from our day of play,

‘Cause tomorrow will be a better day.”


The song gave John a puff of strength, which was enough to stop him from crying. As he wiped his tears away, he began to smile. The song reminded him of one his mother sang to him as a child. The soothing tone of her voice warmed his heart. Suddenly the worries came pouring out of him.

“Thank you,” John sniffled. “Again. I needed that.”

Fluttershy gazed upon the brittle man. She gave a small grin of assurance. “Please don’t say you don’t have friends.” She said. “The nice ponies I met today and yesterday seem to care about you. I’m sure they are your friends.”

John knew who she was talking about. “Yeah, but most of them I wronged in some way.” He was speaking about Martha. “And the Evans are only there as a job. Sven works most of the days, so we rarely get time to hang out.”

“What about me?” She held her hand over her mouth.

John turned to see her, her face red with curiosity. “You?,” He hesitantly responded, “I just met you and you only seem to be with me as a necessity. You would just leave me once you found a better place.”

There was a moment of silence after that last statement. Fluttershy felt he had something bad in his life. She sat back facing forward letting out a big sigh. “I… used to feel like you.” She slowly started. “I didn’t really have many friends when I was a filly. In fact, I was picked on the most for being the weakest.”

John started to pay attention.

“I thought I had no one to be by my side. But, that’s when she came. We didn’t know each other well back then, but we became the best of friends. Now I have six good friends and I’m sure they would do anything for me if I were to get into…” She stopped to wipe her tears. Thinking about her friends worrying for her made her eyes pour out a torrent of tears.

John had stopped crying long enough to notice the woman next to him had started herself.  He instinctively felt the need to aid her.

With his hand on her back, John rubbed her in a slow circular motion. “Hey, come now,” he soothed her with a soft voice. “There’s no need to cry.” The fact that they were taking turns crying was awkward for him. John couldn’t stand to see a woman cry, but he felt weird with what he was about to say. “I’m still here for you, I’ll be your friend.” He felt a great burn of hypocrisy from the previous conversations.

The pink haired woman wiped her eyes, bringing forth a smile. “Okay,” she sniffled. “As long as you stop being so moody and be happy for all you have.” Her smile shrank as she gazed out the window towards the mountains.

‘She must be looking towards her home.’ John thought the obvious. He started to think of himself, ‘at least I’ve been here for years. He was different from her. ‘She obviously misses her friends, as if she was ripped from them somehow.’ His mind drew several straws at her situation. She may have much more to her than he thought.

“Mary…” he stopped himself, “I mean, Fluttershy.”

She turned to him. Her curiosity was piqued.

John looked into her blue eyes. He tried to get the right words out, trying not to sound like an idiot or get his words misinterpreted. “Listen. I just want to thank you for… helping me back there, and for calming me down. You have been really helpful today.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” She replied with surprise in her voice. “I’m here for you, I guess.”

“And I’m here for you,” He started sounding sappy. “Whatever you need.”

At that moment, John heard a small growling. Fluttershy’s face turned a light red color as she placed her hand on her abdomen. She gave a light chuckle shying away.

“We’ll be home soon.” John assured her. “We just need to pick up some beer and maybe a bag of some snacks.” John said as he turned on the car and left, heading to the next store.

“Umm… John?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes?”

“You really mean it… I mean, wanting me as a friend?”

“Sure, I could use a few more friends.” John gave her an assuring smile. “What have I got to lose?”
	
> Beer Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John was in the kitchen preparing one of the few non-carnivorous meals he knew: Mexican tomato soup. He was careful not to add any sort of animal based products. He fried the onions in vegetable oil just enough to brown them and later added the diced tomatoes. Then quickly poured the tomato sauce and the star noodles. After letting the tomato paste simmer with water, it was done and their meal could commence. He left out the chicken broth he normally added for flavor. He didn’t want to torture the poor girl. 

John set the two bowls on the table and watched closely for  the expression on her face. She gazed at the soup placed before her, and she smiled at John in thanks. Fluttershy reached for her spoon, grabbing it in a fist. As she held it underhand, she tilted it towards her, spilling the broth.

John sighed. Reaching for her hand, he attempted to position the fingers in the correct manner. Smiling at her, he moved her hand back and forth into the soup and towards her mouth. The first time he spilled on her. The yellow sweater turned a dark shade of orange from the tomato sauce. Panicking, the woman jumped from her seat was shocked that her clothes were dirty. John giggled, instructing her to take off the sweater and throw it in the laundry to clean it tonight.

Fluttershy cried for forgiveness, expecting to be yelled at for punishment. John calmed her down and called her back to the table. She cautiously made her way back, wearing a summer blouse which had a light red spot where the soup spilled, and the meal continued.

After the meal, John took a look at his phone. The clock read ‘5:23’ . John still had an hour and a half until Sven and the rookie arrived. John needed to prepare.

Mumbling to himself, he tried to remember what he is missing. ‘Food? Check. Beer? Check. Fresh clothing?’ He took a sniff at his shirt. His face twitched with disgusted curiosity. ‘Unchecked.’ His thoughts continued, ‘next up, a shower. I haven’t showered in two days.’

Following his train of thought, he came to think, ‘I can’t leave her alone doing nothing. Her curiosity already cleaned his living room and threw away perfectly good meat.’ John did not want to her to rummage through the fridge and get rid of his meat. Thinking about it a bit more, he remembered, ‘she hasn’t bathed the whole time I knew her.’ He worried for her. A normal woman bathed at least once a day. She hasn’t done so once since he met her. The thought of a woman not bathing confused him. From his experience, women always kept themselves clean.

“Fluttershy?” He called to her.

She looked up in question, her mouth filled with the last of the soup.

John’s face went red as he prepared to ask, “When was the last time you bathed?”

Fluttershy’s face mimicked his. Her head turned nervously as she placed her hands flat on her lap. “Well… I-it was before I… I came here.” She responded. “I-is that a problem?”

“Sorry if it’s too personal, but…” John turned his view away from her, avoiding full eye contact. “I think you need to shower.” Expecting a barrage of irritation from her, he stared over at the hallway leading to the bathroom.

“Oh…” Looking down at her body, she took a sniff of her clothing. “I think I am due for one.” Her voice trailed off.

“Okay…” John was surprised by the lack of anger in this woman. “Well, let me show you to the restroom.” His face still colored, he led her to the restroom. Upon arrival, he opened the door and asked what he felt to be a very important question. “You do know how to bathe right?”

“Well, yes.” She responded as she tried to hide her irritation, “I do it almost every day.”

“Right, just remember to stay in the bathroom when you’re naked.” John remembered the incident from that morning. The headache he got from that scare is something he wanted to avoid. With a red face he thought, ‘What am I going to do with her? I can’t be seen looking at her every time she undresses, shaking her rump in my face. and the curves of her body... ’ he stopped himself from thinking further.

“Mister John? Would you like to get out now? If it’s not too much…” Fluttershy calmly asked, seeing as her red-faced friend was staring into space.

“Right, right, I’ll leave you to your duties.” He embarrassingly stumbled out of the restroom and marched his way to the living room to prepare for Sven’s arrival.

He searched for an activity for Fluttershy to keep herself busy with. Not wanting her to look through his private things or possibly toss out the last of his meat, he felt the need to have her entertained.

‘Video games?’ he asked himself. ‘While entertaining, I doubt she would know how to play on the first try.’ He continued his search.

‘Books?’ He scoured his library for a good read. The only books he had were three Stephen King books, the whole series of 20th Century Boys and Monster, and three non-consecutive Wheel of Time novels. ‘Nothing she might like.’ John sighed.

Having just remembered something girly he had in his possession, he shot up across the living room and landed in the neatly stacked DVDs from this morning. Passing through the boxes, he came across the one he was looking for. It was a DVD of a show he watched as a child: one he was sure Fluttershy would have no trouble watching.

The shower was shut off after four minutes. The woman stepped out wearing underwear and a towel. John politely asked her to put on some clothes, adding, “I have a surprise for you.”

Selecting her clothes carefully and returning to the living room, she found it surprising to see the moving pictures on such a small screen. On the screen were the cutest little creatures, furry rodents running about to the beat of a song with the lyrics, ‘when we work together it’s much better. My ham ham.’

The show attracted her to the television like four year old to candy. Her cheeks stretched from the constant joy she was experiencing for the first time since she arrived.

John smiled at her joy, something he hadn’t experienced at her level in years. Seeing her knelt on the floor half a meter from the television, John lifted her and sat her down on one of the available seats.

“There are three episodes in this disk,” he said. “Have fun watching.” he turned away and commented to himself, “I need to shower.” Leaving the woman alone, he remembered one vital piece of information. Peeking around the corner he added, “Don’t touch anything else.”

Fluttershy gasped loudly, curling up from the statement. The sight scared John whilst making him giggle as he headed off to the shower.

As customary to John and other men he has met, the shower was a sanctuary for a man and his thoughts. John readied his place of meditation, setting the elements to the perfect pitch, and set his mind to meditation mode.

‘First things first,’ he thought to himself, ‘what am I going to say to Sven when he gets here?’ his mind raced from this clause as he worried about it. ‘I can’t tell him the truth, I don’t know the truth,’ he added. ‘ But I can’t leave him with a big lie that would make things worse.’

His place of meditation had become a place of agony as the tsunami of bad ideas washed him back and forth through this storm he had sailed his way into.

‘Sister? Nah, they won’t believe it. Refugee? That could work, although not believable. Old friend? Been using that one and it hasn’t backfired. But then again I can’t lie to the only person that I trust. I have to at least tell him what happened last night.’

His meditation was cut short as he heard the faint sound of knocking. It was a quick medley of five knocks followed by the double chime of the doorbell going in and out. It was a familiar chime to anyone who watched the Looney Toons.

John had very little time. He shut off the water and dried himself off in the stall. After half a minute of towel drying he shot back into the clothes he came in with. Rushing out he saw the two guests already in the living room.  All were smiling, except for Fluttershy.

“Guten Abend.” Sven said with his hand in the air and the joker’s smile of his. “Mary let us in.”

Fluttershy sent signals to John that stated the opposite as she shook behind the couch.

“Did you barge in when she opened the door?” ‘Like you did with me?’ he added in thought.

“Well that’s just splitting hairs.” The Sheriff stated. “Besides, we’re here aren’t we?”

“An hour early.” John grimaced, “I was in the middle of my shower.”

“Sorry about that.” Michael rubbed the back of his head. “Officer Leiber insisted on coming early.”

“Stay here.” John lifted his arm in annoyance, “I need to put on some clean clothes.” John left, hearing the giggles of the guests as he walked off.

As they waited for John to return, the two took their seats on the couch staring at the television. Watching part of the show, Sven looked confused. The cuteness of the little rodents brought some odd feelings to his heart and stomach.  Fluttershy was sitting closest to the screen, absorbing the adorableness of the adventures and misadventures of the fluffy characters.

“You like this?” Sven asked.

“Oh, well... Yes,” Fluttershy strayed from talking to him. His unfamiliar face frightened her.

“Why?”

She mumbled in silence avoiding the interrogation. The placed her attention on the rodents as they played around in their clubhouse, the orange one getting the attention of the camera. “Maybe Mousey Jr. would like a jungle gym like tha…” She paused having realized the sad truth. She began to shed tears.

Wiping her eyes, the soft whimpering got the attention of the men on the couch. They worried for her.

“I’m sorry.” Sven responded believing it was his fault. “I didn’t think it through. Miststück.” he scolded himself.

“Don’t cry.” Michael shook in his shoes not knowing what to do. He turned to Sven, eyes panning back and forth between the woman and him. “I’ve never dealt with a crying woman. What do we do?”

Sven looked at her, his eyes were showing some worry. “We can either comfort her, or let her cry it out.” He said in a calm manner, showing his experience with women. “We just have to know why she’s crying.”

Heading his words Michael sprung up and knelt next to the crying woman. “Wha-what’s wrong?” he asked stammering in his speech. “Why are you crying?”

“I -sniff- I don’t think I’ll ever see my friends again.” She cried her hands covering her face.

Their sudden realization left them speechless. The sobbing filled the room. Following the cry was the sound of a harsh voice.

“What happened here?” John had entered the room, wearing new clothing and a face of concern. “Well?”

“She started crying about not being able to see her friends anymore. We didn’t do anything.” Sven responded in a hurry.

John looked at them, his eyes panning back and forth between them. “Well you should have done something.” He coldly commented to them heading around the couch to the sobbing woman.

As he whispered in her ear, she slowly stood back up wiping her eyes. Her whimpers came sighing down to a soft squeaking. Lastly it calmed to some quiet sniffling.

John sat her down on a recliner across from the television, getting her a glass of water and placing the box of drinks in the floor. Having settled her down, he turned the two police officers, “So, what do you want to know about her?”

The two stared at him. His sudden comment alerted them to the point their curiosity was piqued. John braced himself for the questions to follow.

“First of all,” Michael asked, “who is she?”

“Do you want to hear the lie I have been telling people all day, or the facts I got last night?” John passed around the drinks, one being a glass bottled Mexican drink for Michael. Their silence led him to say both. “I’ve been telling people that her name was Mary Posa, an old friend of mine from high school that came to visit me but lost everything on the bus ride out here.” He paused to take a drink, “but her name, or alias, is… Fluttershy” he rolled his eyes. “She came from a hippie commune called ‘Ponyville’. It’s likely she was exiled for some reason and sent to live with us.” John took a break to analyze the faces of his guests.

“Not the name I would have chosen.” Sven scoffed. John looked at him, thinking he didn’t believe him. “I would have named her Rosa Schön. Posa is such an ugly Hungarian name for her. One shouldn’t be called by a man’s name if they are a beautiful lady.”

John was surprised they took it like this. “It was just a name I gave her. I didn’t know what it meant.” John defended. “That’s beside the point.”

“Why the pink hair?” Michael burst out in question. The other three darted their heads towards him. The woman gave a faint blush. “I mean, if it doesn’t offend.”

“You know,” Sven added. “I noticed the pink hair when I saw her. I thought it was a wig.”

John looked at her in suspicion. “I didn’t notice much. Being in a school where everyone dyes their hair and pierced their skin, it passed my mind.”

“It’s not dyed.” The soft voice spoke out. The crowd gazed at her, eyes shifting between her hair and her reddened face. “Umm, this is my natural color.”

Perching forward on his seat John could not believe what he said. He looked over to the guys for confirmation. Sven was sipping his beer nonchalantly.

“You know, my cousin back home had a spot of white hair, in contrast to her brown hair.” Sven explained. “It was a skin mutation on her scalp that caused it. I’m not sure if it could make it pink, but it’s possible.”

They were baffled. Curiously, they looked closely at the base of her hair, just to be sure. Her face darkened in its shade of red. Taking heed, Michael asked the next question trying to divert their attention.

“How did you meet her?” Michael’s face turned red from the sudden gazes he received.

John placed down his bottle to explain his story the best he could. “Last night I received a call from Mr. Evans saying there was something running around his orchard. I took my Colt incase it was another cougar or something.” Fluttershy’s head tilted as she heard the word ‘Colt.’

“Why would you take a ‘colt’ with you?” she interrupted, “I don’t think he could fight a cougar.” Her confusion leaked into the others. Realizing she had stopped John’s monologue, she clapped her hands over her mouth, “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.”

John took his palm to the face as he realized the confusion. “I didn’t mean a horse,” he explained, “I meant my pistol.” He scanned her face for a sign of understanding.  He didn’t receive one.

“What’s a pistol?” She continued with her question.

Remembering the reaction she had over the meat John was afraid what her reaction would be if she learned he had an instrument of death with him. Unfortunately, Sven did not did not see that reaction and his mouth was faster.

“A pistol is a short-barreled one-handed firearm. They are commonly used in close range combat, secondary hunting arm, and self-defense it is also used in crime due to their ability to be hidden.”

Point by point, Fluttershy grew more and more frightened. The thought of something being used for crime made the image in her head even more frightening. Fluttershy's whimpering had broken the silence drawing the boys’ attention to her.

“Do you always have to be such an encyclopedia?” John growled at Sven as Fluttershy’s whimpers grew.

“I didn’t know she would take it like this.” Sven shrugged his shoulders.

“I said she was a Hippie.”

“Your point being?”

“I forgot to mention she went ballistic when I tried to eat meat!”

“She did what?”

“She hates meat!” John’s exclamation made the whimpers halt for a moment just to resume with more force. “Wouldn’t you think she would hate violence as well when I mentioned the word Hippie?”

“I don’t care if she was a hippie or even Mother Teresa; I had the right to answer her question, Ideology aside. Besides why should I care for some longhairs?”

“What is your problem with Hippies?!”

“My great uncle joined them and got himself killed back home. They have no right to pull their Peace and Love crap on if they’re just going to use it to break laws.”

“Even so they-”

“Stop!” The quiet voice uprooted from the argument. “Can’t you see you’re upsetting her even more?” Michael pointed at Fluttershy, who was in the midst of breaking into tears. The two felt the pain of guilt for making a woman cry. Climbing between them, Michael reached forward to touch her shoulder. Her quick flinch made him wary, but he was sure he had to do it. With a soft touch he brushed her shoulder soothing the pains of the woman’s heart. She turned to him her eyes wet as he spoke some soft words. “It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you. The bad men have stopped.”

‘Who are you calling bad?’ John and Sven both thought.

To their amazement Fluttershy cleaned her face and directed a smile at him, while still looking to her right towards John. She sat up straight, her hands on her lap and took some deep breaths, In and out, In and out. She calmed herself down and looked at them.

“Why would you have such a scary weapon with you,” she asked him with all her heart. “Are you trying to hurt someone?”

John felt the need to defend himself. “I‘m not trying to kill anyone, I just need some protection from bad things.” His protest left him in a tight spot. In one chair he had a person who has a possible biased look on firearms. On the couch he had two police officers that could take his gun away if they feel the need to. He had to tread lightly in this situation. “I can’t really kill anyone with my gun anyway.”

The interest of the group perked up like a Meerkat on watch.

“How?” Sven asked with a curious smile.

John was nervous. There was only one person who knew about this, Mr. Evans. He felt forced to answer. “I use only non lethal rounds.” He let out in a sigh.

The group stared at him. The woman was the most confused about it. John didn’t want to leave it at that. He was compelled to explain further.

“Ever since the incident back home, I had people harassing me, calling me a murderer and a liar. Some even trashed my car. I wanted to protect myself if they decided to come at me when I was at alone. But I didn’t want to kill anyone and be a real murderer, so I decided to only use ‘non-lethals’ or ‘rubber bullets’ as it is known to others.”

“So you don’t carry lethal rounds because you were an accused murderer?” Michael asked, “I don’t understand, who did you not kill?”

John went silent. He played with his beer, churning it with a twist of his wrist. His eyes were soulless, staring at the feet of his guests as the emotion fell off his face.

Sven, knowing how much of a touchy subject it was, took a sip and hastily attempted to bring them back on topic. “So what were you saying about how you met?” John didn’t respond. “John?”

John returned to their world. “Oh, what did you say?” He mumbled audibly.

“You didn’t finish explaining how you two met.”

Rubbing the back of his head, he gave a discomfited smile. “Right, forgot about that.” taking a quick sip to clear his throat, he tried to remember where they veered off. “So as I walked through the orchard I followed the sounds. I then heard some moaning and rustling near a tree and chased after it. The chase led me to the center shed where I had time to see her. She had only a dress on and her tattoo was showing on her bare back.” Michael choked on his soda thinking of her bare back. “We headed back to the farmhouse to get things settled. That was where she told us she was from the so-called Ponyville. Joe was the one that suggested she was from a commune.”

His eyes panned to see Fluttershy, who was listening while liking her apple soda. He looked at her clearing his thoughts, thinking about what he just said. Some part of him rejected the idea.

“Then after that, they suggested she stay with me until we can sort something out.” John finished.

“Amazing.” Sven joked. “So she was only wearing the dress. No shoes?”

“I don’t believe hippies wear shoes.” Michael rebutted.

“Anyway, I want one thing.” Sven declared. The crowd looked at him with curious eyes. “I want to hear from her.” He pointed to Fluttershy.

Giving a soft squeak, she gasped. “Me?” She looked at the group whose eyes was locked on her. Her face turned red. Her eyes skewed to the left in defense.

“Well, we want to hear it.” Sven demanded.

John noticed her whimpering. Remembering his experiences with her he sprung up into action. “I don’t think she wants to talk about it.” He said in her defense.

“Really?” Sven asked, “Is it too painful to talk about?” He looked at the woman. She gave him a simple nod. “Well then, how’s about we talk about the weather?” Sven joked.

“Oh, um… it’s raining outside.” Fluttershy blurted out between her whimpers.

John rushed over to the window. Lifting the curtains, he looked outside. “Shit!” He exclaimed. “Another day without work.”

Sven and Michael laughed at John’s exclamation. Soon the quiet feminine giggles joined the conversation as John ranted about how he is running low on his spending money using colorful allegories.

It was a fun night after that, and they all had their share of drinks. Eventually a board game was brought out and more fun was had the drunken cop flipped the table. Even though John said to keep the conversation under wraps, Fluttershy could say she made some new friends.


______


It is near dusk. The light rain overhead cleared the dust from the nearby stony walls of the cliff. Along the base, a small cave cut its way into it, surrounded by a broken chain link fence. The fence had a large post with several encased cameras, two of which were larger than the others. The sight was forlorn and wasted. That is, until a sound broke the serenity of the forest.

Coming along a forgotten trail, a battalion of large SUVs with trail lights ablaze stormed the small cave. Their lights fixed on the cave as several armed men became visible. In the center, was a slightly shorter man wearing a formal suit. They inspected the area of cave for signs of disturbance.

“Sir,” called one of the armed men. “Could it have been another bear?”

The man stayed silent as he inspected the land. His eyes fixed on a glint of light deeper into the cave he ordered his men to investigate. Using prongs they brought back a cloth shoe with a metal rail turning around the ankle. The man looked closely at the footwear, taking in all its grooves and threads.

He lifted them up, and called to all his men. “Gentlemen! We have a code 15.”
> The doctor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was a rainy Thursday morning. The pitter-patter of the rain hitting the roof awoke John, his bladder jumping from the sounds of falling water. As he rose from bed, his head felt as if it was in a vice. The crushing pain was a reminder of the bad decisions he made last night.

‘Last night, Sven and I had a chugging contest,’ he recalled. ‘Bad idea. But there was someone else there.’ That thought raced through his mind. He couldn’t remember anything from last night, just fragments. He knew someone was there, but just not who. ‘They probably went home.’ He concluded.

A visit to the toilet and an aspirin later, John waddled into the kitchen. John half-mindedly opened the fridge and readied his breakfast. He pulled out the egg carton and a rectangular vacuum sealed pack from the cold meats drawer.

Fluttershy was still sound asleep, however a new smell alerted her nose.  Her eyes shot open. This new smell was amazing, the texture was rather smoky, salivating, pinching at her taste buds. Her stomach turned to this new smell and like a bee to the flower it attracted her. She had to get up and see this new flavor.

“What could it be?” she asked herself. “It smells like fried oily bread, but different. Is this some new pasta or perhaps grilled eggplant recipe?” Her mind was boggled. She couldn’t wait to see what this new things were waiting for her in the kitchen.

She peeked into the dining room and found John setting the table for himself. A single plate sat on the table carrying two eggs and what looked like fried corn husks. The smell intrigued her.

John looked up to see the starving pink haired roommate that he had forgotten about. He was shocked that he hadn’t made anything for her. He hoped she wasn’t angry.

As he swallowed the food he had in his mouth, he remembered some key points about her. If he had to do something, he felt he needed to do it now.

“I kinda forgot you were here.” He sheepishly said. “I’ll uhh…” He looked into the kitchen hoping he could find something for her to eat. “I’ll get you some cereal if you want me to.” Having left a tortilla over his plate, he carefully stood up and headed into the kitchen.

Fluttershy, still curious about the food, sneaked over to the table and looked down at the plate. Her eyes glistened as she wondered, ‘what could this be? Is this some new human food I have never heard of before?’ Her mouth watered as she slowly lifted the tortilla and gazed upon the food.

“I made you some raisin bra…” John came out of the kitchen to catch Fluttershy with a strip from his plate in her hand. “DON’T EAT THAT!!” was the only thing he could say as he tried to stop a catastrophe.

The woman dropped the strip on the table, missing the plate by an inch. Drawing her hand onto her chest she gasped defensively. Her gasp sounded like a crying whimper, making John uneasy.

“I… I don’t think you would like it.” John sighed.

“Why not?” Fluttershy asked, looking at the plate again.

“Well, it’s meat.” He stated bluntly. He placed the bowl on the table before a backlash of screams.

Fluttershy stayed silent for a moment as John braced himself for impact. With her thumb on her lips, she asked, “But how can meat smell so good?”

John opened his eyes. He was surprised she was still calm, although confused. “What?” was the only thing he could say.

“I mean, I’ve smelt a… dead… body, and it wasn’t too fresh.” she dug her chin into her chest as she relived the incident. She covered her mouth in disgust of the returning smell of rotting flesh. It was not something she wanted to remember.

“It’s different when it’s, well, fresh.” John tried to explain. “When it also has the right spices and marinade it can smell great and the flavor is exquisite.” It took a while for John’s half damaged brain to comprehend that she may not have wanted to hear this.

Her cheeks clenched as she relived the smells and John knew what that meant. He acted quickly. He rushed into the kitchen to get the trash can. Unfortunately by the time he touched the rim, a groaning splatter sounded on the linoleum dining room floor. John’s appetite suddenly vanished in the heat of the moment.

It took two minutes of cleaning to rid the floor of the mucus and stomach acids; those of which Fluttershy spent crying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t be angry.”

John got a little annoyed with the constant whining. ‘I don’t see the worry, it’s not like it was the first time I’ve seen vomit’ he muttered to himself. As he made the last passage with his mop, he started to think, ‘what if this was brought on by a bacterium or something?’ He remembered that she lived in the forest, without clean water or certified doctors. ‘Something might be wrong with her.’

His worries grew as he thought through the problems he had when he went camping with his family; the flu he caught from the mosquitoes, a worm he caught from drinking from the river, and the dysentery. His stomach turned from the thought. “I have to do this as soon as I can.”

He left the mop in the kitchen and went to his list of emergency phone numbers. Shifting through the list, he came to the medical section. He reached the general doctor, a ‘Doctor Joseph Kline’. John took the house phone and dialed in the number.

The phone rang on the other end as John checked the time. “6:40?” He said to his surprise, “they’re probably not open.”

A click sounded on the other end, along with a voice. “Morning?”

“Doc?” John asked. The voice sounded different on the phone.

“Yes. And may I ask who this is?”

“This is... John Alvarez.” John was always hesitant when it came to answering with his name.

“Oh, John.” He responded loudly as he remembered his name. “For what reason are you calling? Is your medication not working? Have you been having more digestive problems?”

John paused for a moment making sure he had no more embarrassing questions. “It’s not me I’m calling about.” He tried to collect his thoughts for an explanation.

“Is someone hurt?”

“No, no, it’s not like that. Sh- this person hasn’t been to a doctor and I think they may have some illnesses.”

“Illness?” The doctor asked, “what are the symptoms? Is this person vomiting or having irregularities with restroom needs?”

John was embarrassed by the line of questioning. “Well, not exactly.” He tried his best. “This person has been in the woods for most of their life and I, well, want you to run a physical or something, just to make sure she doesn’t have anything wrong.” After trying his hardest to keep her gender out, he noticed a slip.

The doctor was silent in the other end. John was scared he might reject the offer. As the silence progressed, his worries grew more and more. “Hello?” John broke the silence to make sure the call wasn’t cut.

“Yes?” The doc finally responded.

“Did you hear what I said?” John carefully asked.

“Yes, I heard. But I have a question.”

“What?” John worried.

“Are you willing to pay full price for this when she come in?”

“Yes, I’ve paid for worse things.” John jested through the question. “What time should I be there?”

“I always have an hour after opening that is left free. Come in around eight and we’ll see what we can do.”

“Thanks doc.”

“Anytime. Oh, and I will be running a blood test, so make sure she fasts.”

John looked over to see the woman holding her stomach in the corner of the dining room. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

“Okay, then. See you at eight.”

After hanging up, John took his time to practice explaining to that woman what the doctor probably would and wouldn’t do.

“Okay Fluttershy, the doctor is going to stick things into you and take pictures of you from the inside so he can see if you are healthy.” He stared at the sink trying to see the response to his words. The sink did not move, but he could still see what could happen. “That’s not a good idea,” he told himself.

After a minute of thinking it through, he headed out to the dining room to try to not frighten the poor woman.

Fluttershy was curiously taking peeks at the plate and continued to hold her mouth in disgust. John took a seat and folded his hands over his forehead. Before he could speak, he was interrupted by Fluttershy.

“Um, Mister John?” Fluttershy stated softly.

“Y-yes?” He was surprised by the sudden interruption.

“I know it may not be my business, but I wanted to ask you something.”

John looked at her with a curious gaze.

“Umm, this lie you’ve been telling everypony… Where did you come up with it? I mean if it’s not rude for me to ask.”

John was surprised this lie was getting to her head. “Wh-why do you ask?”

“It seems I don’t exactly fit in here and your lie made ponies understand better. I-it has been picking at me since the first time you said it.” Her blush made John more enticed to answer. It called to him, saying ‘I want to know but I’m embarrassed to ask.’

“Well, everyone here expects different things when they hear the word ‘California’, he explained. “Most people think of them as ‘hippie liberal salad eaters’, as stated by a local resident. And you fit the bill, well, perfectly.”

“I’m, um, not talking about that one.” She corrected bashfully.

John was curious to what she meant. As she stood there looking off to the side, John thought about what exactly she meant. He looked at the time, remembering the appointment. Seven forty-two. John realized they were almost late for the appointment.

“Fluttershy, we gotta get going,” John ordered as he turned to her. “We’re gonna be late.”

“Late to what?”

“Your doctor’s appointment.” He darted up and reached around the table. “We gotta get dressed and head to the car.”

“But I haven’t eaten yet.” She said as she was dragged off to the bedroom.

“You don’t need to, he’s going to check your blood. Now get dressed.” John ordered, “We need you to be presentable in the office. They judge you on your entrance.” He continued to lie to her to make her wear clothing. John didn’t expect her to comply, but he hoped things would go well.


________________


John headed in from the rain to see that the clinic was empty, even for a Thursday morning. The clinic was small, with only twenty seats in the waiting room and a hole in the wall for reception. It was not very welcoming, but it had the necessities.

Fluttershy didn’t seem to mind though. She sat down and waited patiently. John didn’t have time to sit down; he had to assure the appointment was set. He headed to the receptionist and rang the bell. The reception room was empty. ‘Probably since it’s so early’ John thought, as he rang the bell a second time.

Finally, a receptionist arrived. She was an older woman, possibly around fifty, with green scrubs and a scowl that said, ‘what do you want.’

She glared at john as she took sips from her coffee. “Can I help you?” She stated coldly. John remembered stories about this woman. The best thing to do was state your business and walk away.

“I’m here for an appointment.”

“Are you the patient, or are you here with someone else?” She asked.

“I brought the patient.” John saw the soulless eyes staring across the room at the girl who was patiently waiting.

“Have we seen her before?” The receptionist asked with a blank tone.

“No.” John answered the best he could.

“Is she coming in as an emergency patient?”

“No.”

“Does she carry any infectious diseases or contaminants?”

“Not that I’m aware.”

“Does she have insurance?”

“No.”

She paused for a bit. “Are you interested in our lower income program for lower medical treatment costs?” Her voice continued to sound un-enthusiastic. She rolled her eyes as she reached for the paper and clipboard set for the situation. As she placed it on the counter, she pointed out the necessary sections. “For lower costs we will need the patients name, date of birth, social security number, and lists of emergency contacts. Please write in blue or black ink.”

John rubbed the back of his head. “Yeeeah, she doesn’t actually have her card with her.” His nervous smile was all he could give her.

With a glare, she took a red pen and marked out the title and section for Social Security with ‘N/A’. “We will still need your contact information. Please use this sheet to write it down.”

As he took the board, he feared for the worst. He headed back to the seat and handed Fluttershy with a worried sigh ‘I hope this goes over well. I don’t want the feds knocking on my door.’

“Umm, Mister John?” Fluttershy called him with her soft voice, and a tug on his shirt. John peered over. “I can’t… read this.”

John slapped his palm to his face and responded with an annoyed grunt, “great, now she’s illiterate.”

With a fearful squeal, she shook from the statement. Shyly, she defended herself from John’s statement. “I-I can read, but not in your language.” She looked at the paper with a frown.

John was confused even more. ‘But what am I to expect from someone who lived in the forest all her life,’ he thought to himself.

He took the paper from her and readied it for each question. He was annoyed, but saw no way out of it.

‘Name? Should I put Fluttershy? Or Mary?’ As he remembered the way the receptionist acted, he thought it best to use the latter. ‘Next question, date of birth.’ As he read the question, he immediately turned to Fluttershy and asked, “What is your date of birth?”

“Umm. The eighth of Noverence 978 era 3.”

John didn’t expect this. He took a slow breath and continued. “What month is that?”

“Oh, it’s the ninth month of the year. Is it a problem here?”

John counted to himself using his fingers as he counted the months away. His left pinkie landed on September. “September… eighth…” He paused as soon as he had to enter the year. His mother, along with every comedian he had ever seen, said it was never a good idea to ask a woman her age. He had to ask carefully if he wanted to know that information.

“What year is it?” he asked slyly.

“Umm,” Fluttershy was hesitant to answer. “It’s 1003, isn’t it?”

John immediately began to do the math in his head. He wasn’t the best at math, but he still got what he needed. ’78-3=75, 100-75=25, 2013-25=1988.’ Finally, he wrote down the date of birth: September eighth 1988, aged 25.

After the paperwork was done, John returned to the receptionist, who was in a better mood now that she had some time to relax and drink her coffee. “Thank you,” she said in a more polite tone than before. “Now if you could please wait in your seat , the doctor will be with you shortly.”

John took his seat with a sigh. The television in the waiting room had not been turned on yet, so the room had an eerie silence. That was the case until the other morning patients came in. One was a moderately obese woman with her arm in a cast but couldn’t keep away from her phone. Then entered a mother with her five and eight year old daughters. The children could not keep their eyes of Fluttershy’s hair. John knew both of these women and they were not pleasant people.

Fluttershy grew scared as the woman sitting across from them gave her the meanest scowl she had ever seen. Like a child, she leaned in to the closest pillar of comfort. It happened to be John. John, feeling the light grasp of a hand on his arm turned to see what was going on. Fluttershy was tensed up, her eyes shook from fear of something that was unknown to him.

Making a guess, he thought of the most rational fear of the moment. “Don’t worry, doctors aren’t that scary. They want to know what is wrong with you so they can fix it.”

“But,” she whimpered, “all these ponies are looking at me.”

‘Again with the P word,’ he thought to himself. John took a look around to see the two women giving the stink eye. The children were giggling at the pink hair, something they had never seen before. He now saw why she was uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry, they won’t bite.” John patted her shoulder with a strained smile. He knew how these people got at times, but all he hoped for was that they didn’t start rumors.

A few minutes of awkward staring passed until the orderly opened the security door. “Mary Posa,” he called. John poked at Fluttershy’s shoulder to remind her. With a bewildered look, they stood up and exited the room.

The pale room frightened Fluttershy. The cleanliness and organization made John uneasy as well. The woman shook as she remembered the cold air and fear of the doctor’s coming actions. It took a while for John to notice the heavy shaking. He didn’t want to seem like a jerk anymore. He already brought her to a doctor, by force, in a way.

The nurse opened the door and looked at the two. One look at the bright pink hair, and she stepped out and closed the door. Fluttershy was surprised, but John wasn’t. It took a few seconds for the nurse to return.

“Sorry about that.” She apologized, “that was very unprofessional.” The nurse gave a smile in response to her actions. “Now then, the doctor ordered a series of tests for your physical.” She looked at the chart, peeking back at Fluttershy’s hair every now and again. “I just have some questions before we get started.”

John worried for her. ‘If she said something that sounded off they may put her under quarantine,’ he thought to himself, ‘who knows how they would react to her forest talk.’

“Have you vomited in the past month?”

“Just this morning.” She looked at John with shame in her eyes. The nurse took notes and went on to the next questions.

“Does your family have any history of cancer?” The nurse asked.

“Cancer?” Fluttershy responded, “no, not that I can remember.”

“Any other diseases like high blood pressure, cholesterol, Alzheimer’s, or diabetes?”

“Umm…” She was quiet as she thought it through. “My father had high blood pressure. I don’t know if it’s hereditary.”

“Have you had your vaccines for Polio, H1N1, Shingles, or any recent vaccinations?”

“I don’t know what these diseases are,” She said with worry. “I did have a vaccine for tetanus and rabies.”

“Have you been taking any medication in the past six months?”

“I was taking some antibiotics for a stomach infection last spring.”

“What type of stomach infection was this?” The nurse asked attentively.

“It was bacteria/, from some bad carrots.” She turned her head in shame.

John was surprised by all this. He did not expect her to know so much about medicine. He expected her to be bewildered by the information.

“Alright, now step on the scales.” The nurse asked, while trying to stay focused. The nurse seemed more and more distracted by Fluttershy. Her eyes seemed to dart back and forth between the nurse’s head and clipboard.

She continued with the test. Fluttershy’s weight and blood pressure indicated that she was in a healthy state, but the tests had to continue and the more invasive tests had yet to begin.

“Okay, we have to check your throat.” The nurse said as she pulled out a swab. Fluttershy took one look at the item and covered her mouth the same way a child would. “It won’t hurt.” The nurse tried to assure her. “We only need to take a swab. Just a little rub of your tonsils to check for bacteria. Just to know if you are healthy.”

Fluttershy slowly took her hands away from her face, her lips still pressed shut, distrusting the nurse’s intentions. With a glance at John for assurance, she opened her mouth for the test.

The following tests were more invasive. John was asked to wait outside the room. This made Fluttershy tremble in her shoes. She didn’t react well to the breast lump examination. 

The tests went fine until the needles were brought in for the blood test. The very sight of them made Fluttershy race for shelter behind John. The sudden shock toppled John of his feet as he fell back into his seat.

The nurse let out a giggle. “Your wife is very fearful, almost like a child.”

“You tell m…” He stopped once he realized the key word in the sentence. “We’re not married.”

“Sorry,” the nurse apologized. “I shouldn’t have assumed. Is she a friend?”

John took a long look at Fluttershy. “You could say that.”

“Well anyway, we need to do this test as per order of the doctor.”

“How much do you need?” John asked, pointing at the basket of vials and tubes. His head raced as he thought of the possibility of Fluttershy passing out.

“Just two.” The nurse replied as she prepared the needle.

Fluttershy slowly followed John’s motions. John held her hand as she was sat down on the chair smiling and repeating, ‘It’s okay’ to calm her down. Fluttershy was still jittery as she was swabbed down with the alcohol. The slight tingle of the alcohol caused her arm to twitch back. After a while it seemed to work well. When the needle came in contact with her skin Fluttershy closed her eyes and faced John. John remembered his compassion training and placed his other hand over her shoulder. Her shaking settled a bit more.

“There we go…” The nurse said as she injected the needle from the vein. “You did very well for your first time.” She gave some words of encouragement for her bravery. She labeled the vials and placed them on a tray, signifying that the test is done. “Now, the doctor will be with you in a bit,” she stated as she gathered the tests on the tray. “He will come with the results of everything but the blood tests.” She left the room, closing the door behind her.

John looked down at Fluttershy, who was sniffling, looking at the newly placed bandage on her arm vein. The soft groaning tugged at John’s heart. He was reminded of his childhood experiences with his flu shots. It was not a very good experience for anyone at that age.

“You reacted well.” John commented, hoping to get her to calm down. “My first time was a bit painful, and the nurse was shaking more than me.” His smile was all he could give remembering the mishap.

Fluttershy took one look at him and turned away, letting her fears get a hold of her. “I… Don’t like doctors.” She whispered timidly.

John took a moment to let it sink in. He could see why some people wouldn’t like doctors, but often found himself confused by their actions. “But you were sitting through it very well…”

“I know they mean well,” she replied, “but I don’t feel comfortable with how invasive they can be.”

“It takes some bravery to let them touch you like that when it makes you uncomfortable.”

She gave a faint smile. Her cheeks forced themselves to widen as her face turned red. “I-I-I…” she stammered, “I’m not as brave as my friends.” Suddenly her own words made the smile go away.

John saw heard her give a depressed sigh. He worried for her. Every time she mentioned her friends she stopped and often cried. He stepped in before she let her tears run.

“Please,” he said to her, “tell me about them.”

Fluttershy turned to him in confusion.

“Tell me about your friends.”

“Oh, you really want to hear it?” Her interest was piqued by his request. John gave her a nod and a smile. “Well,  I have six friends, really good friends, that stand by me at all moments.” She started with a crawl. “My oldest friend, Rainbow Dash, I met in flight camp. I was never the bravest filly, but she came to my rescue when I was being picked on.”

John let out a reminiscing sigh hearing a familiar story. “So, how about your other friends?” He tried to change the subject.

“Well, Rarity is another good friend. She makes formal clothing. It’s her passion.” A smile grew on her face as she continued to talk about her friends. “I often care for her cat, Opalescence. She has a younger sister, Sweetie Belle. They often fight, but they are good with each other. Applejack also has a sister, Applebloom. She’s good friends with Sweetie Belle. Applejack is one pony I could go to for moral support. She has a big family and she’s always honest with them”

‘Those names...’ John was distracted yet again by the names. ‘At least she’s not crying.’

“Then there’s Pinkie Pie. She loves parties and plays many instruments and loves a good joke. She cares a lot for her friends, which is all of Ponyville, and wants to see them smile. Twilight Sparkle is a very good friend. We all got together because of her. She lives in a library with Spike. He’s a real nice.”

“Spike? What type of pet is he?” the name Spike reminded him of dogs. 

“Oh, no, he may be a baby dragon, but he is no pet.”

John was confused. ‘A dragon? I hope she means a small lizard or snake.’ He looked at her to inspect for lies but to his surprise, she was calm. No tears, no pouting, not even a sad look in her eyes. She was at peace.

“You know, talking to you was calming.” She broke the silence.

“I know. You talked about your friends without crying this time.”

“Well, it is relaxing talking about them to a friend.” She turned her head and blushed. “I miss them, but I know I will see them again.” She suddenly turned to worry. “I hope.”

John knew where this was going. He reacted quickly. “You will,” he assured her. “With friends like that, I’m sure they care for you. Who knows, maybe they’ll find you here.” With a reassuring smile, John opened Fluttershy’s heart. She was distracted from her worries and focused on John’s smile.

A thought rushed into her mind, brought on by his expertise in friends. “I know you don’t have friends now, but have you had some good friends?”

John was silent. His face saddened as he thought heavily on the question. Fluttershy felt some regret for asking.

“I thought I did,” he finally answered, “but sometimes people follow the crowd more than their instinct.” His frown was short lived as he forced himself to smile. “But I’ve seen others who had good friends, so I hope to find one soon.”

An awkward silence filled the scene as they looked away from each other, trying to hide their shame.

A knock came at the door followed by it being pushed in by a tough male hand from a man in a white coat.

“How are you doing Miss,” he checked the clipboard, “Posa? Your results came back for the tests, and they came back negative for anything so far.” He ruffled through the pages, checking for anything bad. “However you are underweight by four pounds. It’s not much, but it could mean you are not eating right.”

“But I eat all my foods. Fruits, vegetables, milks, grains, grasses. I drink a liter of water a day.”

“But often it could be a deficiency of irons and lack of consuming more salts. Maybe a steak once a week could help.” He noticed the wording, “ And try to keep off the grasses.”

Once John heard the word ‘steak’ he knew he had to step in. “Doc, she’s a vegetarian. She hates meat.”

“A vegetarian? I haven’t seen one around here before. Where is she from?” The Doctor asked irately.

“She’s from, umm, California.” John lied again.

“Well, I’ve never been there but they have a large population of vegetarians. I guess it’s common.” The doctor scratched his head. “Well, we’ll need the results from the blood tests before we know what she’s missing.” The doctor then turned towards John. “Just a quick question. Have you been regular since I gave you the pills?”

John was embarrassed to have this question asked in front of a woman. “They, helped a bit,” he said with slowed speech. “So are we done here?”

“Yes.” The doctor answered, “Just pay on your way out and make an appointment for next Monday and we’ll give you the results.” John was about to get out of his seat when the doctor stopped him. “One last question.” He pointed to Fluttershy, “Is that her natural color? The nurses wanted to know.”

The silence could be cut by a knife. Fluttershy stepped forward and answered, “Yes it is. Is it a problem here?”

John was stiffened by dialogue taking place. He hoped it didn’t go south.

“I’ve seen Arabic tribesmen with blue hair,” he mumbled to himself, “I guess pink isn’t too far away from blonde or orange.” As he came out of his thoughtful trance, he signaled to them go.

John wiped his forehead signaling the trouble they just evaded, ‘Dodged a bullet there. I just hope it gets better.’
> Miscommunication 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The day had cleared up and the sun glared down on the two as they exited the clinic. John had one thought in his head as he shielded his eyes. The walkways were full of pedestrians. John felt it was weird since it had just stopped raining. He believed that the cool air after a rain was satisfying after the hot week that preceded. John couldn’t help but notice the faces the pedestrians were making as they passed.

John had better things to do than care how other people looked at him. He remembered he hadn’t finished his breakfast since they hurried to the doctor. As he thought back, he remembered seeing his bacon and eggs on the dinner table. ‘I never finished my breakfast, and Fluttershy was fasting’. With that thought, his stomach began to rumble more. John had decided what to do next.

“Wanna go eat?” John abruptly asked Fluttershy. 

“Um… okay.” She answered hesitantly. Her mind was trying to grasp the sudden question.

“What do you want to eat?” John replied, trying to get his mind off the eyes staring at them. They had now begun to bother Fluttershy.

“Um, I don’t know this place very well,” she answered. “As long as it doesn’t have meat.”

John began ruling out restaurants. Most places he frequently ate at were, with his words, ‘meat-lover friendly,’ and she would not approve.

As sudden as John offered luch, a woman tapped him on the shoulder. “Sorry for intruding,” she started, “if you want some good vegetarian food, you can try Zerreli’s.”

John cleared his throat as he looked at the woman with displeasure in his eyes. She took one look at his eyes and began a slow and embarrassed retreat from him. Even though John was annoyed by the sudden intrusion, he had one thought. ‘It might be a good idea. Pasta doesn’t normally have meat’.

“I actually think pasta might be a good choice. Do you want to go there?” John asked Fluttershy.

“Oh, pasta?” she was elated. “That sounds lovely. I haven’t had that in months.” John was surprised that she knew what pasta was.

John felt he didn’t need to be surprised anymore. “Okay, let’s head over.” He took out his keys and swung them on his finger. His smile was wiped from his face as he noticed the vandalism on his car. The word ‘Murderer’ had been painted on his windshield with an arrow pointing at the driver. In his silent rage, he heard some snickering from behind.

He turned around expecting to see the troublesome teens again. All he saw were some children looking at Fluttershy. A woman with three children had just gotten out of her car on their way to the clinic. A young girl was staring at her with curiosity burning from her eyes. The mother took her by her hand and pulled her away, glaring at Fluttershy before turning away.

Fluttershy was unaware of all this since her mind was fixated on the upcoming meal. John didn’t have the heart to tell her.

Upon arriving at Zerreli’s, an Italian family restaurant, John noticed the barrage of eyes in his direction. The eyes from women, men and children looked at them in confusion, scaring John at every moment. The eyes from the older women shot through John.

John wondered why the attention was coming to them. ‘What the hell are they looking at?’ John pondered. One look at Fluttershy and he could see what could be the cause.

As they waited for the waitress John noticed a group of women glancing at them. They stared until John looked at them as they chattered between themselves. The sight irritated John as he thought of what rumors may be burning through town.

“Table for two?” called the waitress to them. John snapped out of his irritated trance. “Sir?” she politely asked.

John turned to her and smiled. “Yes, two please.”

John feigned a smile. Fluttershy saw through his farce. She noticed something was wrong.

They were lead to the back of the restaurant to the only remaining table. John tried to keep his vision ahead but couldn’t keep from noticing the eyes following them through the room. The faces were blurred but the murmuring was getting to him. However, Fluttershy was too excited to notice.

The two reached the back. What seemed like a mile was just under forty feet.  As they sat down, the waitress handed them the menus. She tried to hide her curiosity behind her professional face, but every moment she looked up, she took a glance at the pink-haired woman sitting at the table. John’s patience was wearing thin.

“Ca-can get your drink order?” she stuttered, seemingly amazed by the hair.

“Can I get some apple cider?” Fluttershy said without reading the menu. “What about you, John?”

John glared at the waitress. “I’ll have a Coke.” He replied coldly.

Fluttershy took notice of his tone. She shied away from confronting the situation, hoping to just let it burn out.

The waitress left with her customer service smile, their order written on the notepad. John glared at her as she left, watching her step behind the chest-high door and stopping to chat with the other waitress. The sight angered John.

Fluttershy saw his brows drop. His expression unsettled her, as she was reminded of herself when she got upset. She puffed her chest, taking an assuring breath and prepared herself.

“J-John?” she asked cautiously.

John carried his angry glare towards her.

Fluttershy dug her head into her chest, holding her hands close to her chest.  “I- is something… wrong?”

He tried to cover his anger with a feigned smile. “I’m fine,” he lied, trying to keep a straight face. Unfortunately, his frustration soon came back when a couple passed by staring at them. “What the hell is wrong with them?” he grumbled to himself.

“John?” Fluttershy called out to him. “Y-You… seem… angry.” She stuttered, trying to keep calm from his angry expression.

John noticed the fragile state Fluttershy had entered. It was too much for him to keep lying to her. With a disappointed sigh, he calmed down to tell her.

“I’m sorry to say this, but haven’t you been noticing the people around you?” He tried to keep his voice down as to not draw attention.

Fluttershy quietly looked across the dining room. Her vision stopped at the various heads jerking towards their partners. Some panned their eyes from behind the menu or make up mirror. Fluttershy’s ignorance was now broken by a sudden realization.

She recoiled into her seat lowering her head and hid behind the menu. Seeing how frightened she had become, John leaned over towards her.

“Listen, I know how you feel.” John tried to comfort her. “When I first arrived here, I got the same looks. Those judging eyes bothered me at first, those horrible judgmental and possibly bigoted eyes...” John took a look at Fluttershy and noticed he was making things worse. “Anyway, what I mean is that they may think you’re different because of your hair or skin color, where you came from, or what you did. But they will come around.”

John sat back and gave a heavy sigh. “Eventually,” he muttered.

Fluttershy came back out from behind the table looking to see if the eyes had turned away. She was frightened by the idea of people judging her. John believed it had something to do with a bad experience with children when she was younger. As she came out further, a voice abruptly spooked her back into her hole.

“Sorry for the wait,” the waitress said. “Here are your drinks.” She smiled as she placed the drinks on the table. First it was John’s Cola, then the apple cider, which came in a brown glass bottle a paper label with the words ‘Glider Cider’.

Her hands slowed as she placed the bottle in front of the cowering woman. Her ability to hide most of her body behind the table amused the waitress enough to make her start giggling.

“Don’t you worry,” the waitress tried to calm her. “You’re safe here. Nobody is going to come hurt you, especially not some murderer.”

The word ‘murderer’ piqued John’s interest enough to get himself involved more.

Just as John was about to confront the waitress, she continued to speak. “Just remember, you have your friend John here to protect you. I heard he’s the quickest shot in town. He has the award to prove it.”

John remembered what she was talking about. “I forgot about that trophy,” he murmured to himself. John shot back into an attentive state after some reminiscing. “Excuse me,” John butted in, “but what are you talking about?”

The waitress turned to him, covering her mouth with the tray she brought the drinks on. “Sorry, it’s just…” she started to mumble. “I just think it’s such a brave thing for you to do.”

“What are you talking about?” John was confused.

The waitress took a step back. “Sorry, I didn’t think you were trying to keep it secret.” Her face turned red as she took another step back, and then another. “It was common knowledge…  I didn’t think it...” She looked behind her, calling someone over. “I’ll let one of the other waitresses serve you.” She turned around and walked back into the kitchen, holding the tray on her forehead.

John looked at Fluttershy with great worry. The two locked eyes, hoping one would say what was on both their minds.

“I… I think we’re in deep.” John whispered to Fluttershy, his eyes now looking at the table. John took a slow scan of the people around him. All were looking at them with eyes of a bystander that had witnessed a car wreck. Once they noticed they were being watched, they looked back to their own tables.

“What are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked in fear of what might happen.

“I... I don’t know,” John thought furiously of what to do. He thought of all the people he had talked to since she came to town. “I’m gonna make some calls.” He stood up, reaching for his phone. “If the waitress comes, ask for something without meat.”

“I know.” Fluttershy replied while looking at the menu.

John took out his cell phone and headed outside. As he pushed open the door, he went to the first number that came to mind.

The phone rang. John grew more impatient with each ring that sounded.

“Sheriff Leiber speaking,” a hoarse voice said on the opposite side of the line.

“Sven? Is that you?” John made sure after not recognizing the voice.

“Yeah,” the hoarse voice grew worse as he took a strong sniff. “Sorry, I got ill after last night.”

“Jeez, I didn’t think the beer was that strong.”

“No, no,” Sven corrected. “I was already getting ill. It’s been coming for a week now.”

“Sorry to hear that.” John tried to get his mind on track. “Anyway, do you remember about what happened last night?”

“Last night?” Sven thought aloud while continuing to cough away from the phone. “Last night we met your girl, Miss Shy. What about it?”

“Well I believe someone had blabbed about her.”

There was a pause. “What do you mean?”

“Apparently the whole town’s talking about her,” John explained. “I’ve been getting some weird looks today, some talk about me protecting her nonetheless.”

The line was at a pause again.

“Hello?” John asked, thinking he lost the call. “Sven, are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m still here,” Sven finally answered. “Listen, when I got home last night I heard my wife talking about something involving you. I can’t remember what though. I’ll call you back once she gets back from the pharmacy.”

“Alright, I’ll catch you later.”  John hung up, letting out a big sigh.

He leaned against the restaurant wall, softly banging his head against the brick. He thought of a new problem. ‘If Lidia heard about her before I told Sven, who could it have been?’ His head was thumping as he thought heavily on who else had contact with her. ‘Only two people I know have seen her with me other than Sven, the rookie, and the Evans’. Joshua and…”

“John?” called out a familiar voice.

John turned to see Martha walking to the restaurant door with a friend.

“You seem upset. Did something happen?” she asked.

John thought to himself how to carefully word his frustration. “There is word going around about me and Fl…” he paused, as he remembered he didn’t say ‘Fluttershy’ in front of her. “That girl you met yesterday.”

“Oh, you mean Mary.” Martha felt confused by sudden pause in the conversation. “What have they been saying?” she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

“So far I have heard the waitress tell her she is safe with me and not to worry about some murderers.” John explained.

Martha gave an awkward smile. “Sorry,” she apologized. “Was I not supposed to tell anyone about her… situation?”

“What situation?” John was more confused now than ever.

Martha told her friend to wait in the restaurant. “Her… safety situation.”

“Mmh?” John grunted in his ever growing confusion.

“The protection she has been placed under for witnessing a… certain event.”

John’s mind sparked at the idea she was getting at. “You mean witness protection?” John was now more confused than ever, ‘why would she think she was under witness protection?’ He thought to himself.

“I think it’s brave of you that you would do something so sweet for a friend in need.” She smiled at him. “I guess I was wrong about you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” John retorted.

“Well, I just thought you were a friendless narcissist that only did things that benefited you alone.”  Martha slapped her hand back and forth, giggling at her discarded thought.

John was embarrassed of the image he gave off.

“Helping someone who had to get rid of all money, clothes, friends, and forms of communication makes you seem more of an honorable person.” She smiled.

“Well, she did have nowhere else to turn.” John gave an awkward smile.

“So what was the problem with me telling people she was in witness protection?”

“Because she…” John stopped and thought about it for a moment.

‘If I tell her she isn’t under witness protection, people would think I was housing a woman under false pretenses and they would either think we were getting married, which will make conversation awkward about her, or I was housing a stranger, which in such a conservative town would look bad and the church people would have a field day.’ He had to make a tough decision.

“Well?” Martha tried to force an answer out of him.

“Because even if she did specifically tell you she was in Witness Protection, you are not allowed to tell anyone for danger of her being found by the criminal. It is a serious crime to tell someone’s protection status. If it gets out that you blabbed about it, you may face serious charges.” John ad libbed the rule as much as he could. He had only studied Witness Protection law for a day and hadn’t felt need for it in training.

“Oh my god, seriously?” Martha’s eyes darted to the street as she realized the mistake she had made. “I feel like a bitch telling talking about someone like an old gossip. I’m sorry for that. I’ll try to make this right.”

“Please do,” John said with a straight face. “We don’t want any more damage.”

Martha stumbled into the restaurant, dizzy from the guilt she was pounded by.

John felt relieved about the way things turned out this day, not just because he laid to rest a worry, but because he now had a new excuse to hold up when introducing Fluttershy to people. ‘Hopefully nothing worse happens.’ John triumphantly thought to himself as he returned to the restaurant. 
	
> Oh Brother
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was a long drive back home. John kept quiet after an awkward lunch. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried of the news he got. As of now, he was annoyed by one thing.

“You need to learn how to read,” John said as he pulled up to the driveway. The cold tone showed Fluttershy he was being serious. “You embarrassed me a bit when you couldn’t read the menu.”

“Oh, well, I can read.” She replied, “Well… just not in your language.”

“That’s going to be a problem.” John shut off the engine and sat back in his seat. He paused while staring at the garage door. One thing puzzled him. “How can you not read? You speak English well enough.”

“I speak Equestrian Prime.” Fluttershy said softly.

John laid his head back on the head rest and sighed. “Equestrian Prime, huh?” John mumbled to himself. His mind rumbled through the possibilities and always came out blank. “You can understand English right?” He turned to her and asked.

“I thought we were speaking Equestrian. I don’t know what English is.” Fluttershy was puzzled.

John felt the same way. He stopped to think of how to explain this. “Do you know what nation we’re in?”

“I… I don’t know, to be honest.” She twiddled with her fingers.

“We’re in the U. S.”

“Yu-es?”

“America. The United States. North of Mexico, south of Canada.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know any of those places.”

“Well, in America some people get mad if you don’t know the language, English.” John tried to keep calm but to no avail. “You need to learn the language you want to survive here.”

Fluttershy grew scared of his questioning. She had turned her cheek towards John and began to whimper. John took a look at her and started regret the force in his voice. He knew he was intruding on something personal, but he wanted her to be independent on him.

He sat in his seat thinking of what he could do. The girl was new here and didn’t know how things worked. He was reminded of his mother’s immigration to the states but, unlike her, she didn’t know how to read.

John suddenly got an idea. He opened the door to his car and lead Fluttershy inside. He went to his kitchen and pulled a grocery notepad and a pen out of a drawer. Walking into the living room, he placed them on the coffee table and grabbed the remote.Flipping through the channels he stopped on a children’s learning channel.

Fluttershy walked to the television, curious of the cartoons he had just put on. “What are you doing?” she curiously asked.

John showed her the notepad, folding back the spent papers. “Come here,” was the only thing he said. When Fluttershy looked over his shoulder, he sat down and wrote down some letters. “Here is the English alphabet,” he explained. “I put on some educational cartoons so you can get a better grip on the language.”

John looked at the woman and noticed some confusion. He thought of his previous conversation and looked back at how aggressive he was on the subject.

“Why do I have to do this?” she asked.
John pursed his lips as he thought of how to explain it. One story came to mind.

“Do you know how hard life is here for a non-English speaker?” He started off. “My mother was not born here. She lived in mexico for most  of her life, and when she met my father he was traveling from California to visit family. They fell in love and my brother and I were born and it took three years for us to be cleared to move here. By the time my mother came here, she was so proud of her heritage that she refused to learn the language. My father begged her to learn English but she was persistent. I could say she paid for it. She couldn’t get a better job than just a cleaning lady. She had studied to be an accountant back home, but without knowledge of the language all she saw was a glass wall she had built herself. Soon, she was confused for an illegal immigrant and sent back home.” John was silent for a second as his expression saddened. “My… my father…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Fluttershy noticed the look. She knelt down to his eye level and hesitantly patted him on the back. “I think I understand.” She took the notepad and looked at the letters. Flopping down on the couch, she noticed the letters were placed in a vertical column. “Um, John? What am I supposed to do?”

John slowly stood up and wiped the depression from his face. “The idea is to get used to the letters while watching these cartoons.” He pointed to the TV. “You will get to know what letters are equal to your language’s letters and be able to read English by association.”

Fluttershy was intrigued by the idea, although wary. “Okay, I’ll try.” She finally agreed.

As she sat there taking notes on the children’s cartoons John thought of something that needed to get done. With a heavy sigh, he headed into the garage.

He pulled out a large bucket a cloth and a vial of polish remover. “Lousy kids,” he mumbled to himself as he prepared to clean the offending words from car.

As he washed the words from his windshield he noticed an odor coming from the windshield wiper. He looked down and saw a buildup of dark brown sludge-like material covering his wiper blade. “I hate chocolate pudding.” He said to himself in disgust. “Just more crap to clean up.”

He headed in to get his hose but heard the screeching of some poorly managed braking coming from behind his car. He turned and saw a black van stopping in front of his house. John knew nothing good was coming his way.

The door opened and shut on the street side as a hispanic man wearing a suit stepped out. John’s heart was racing with every step the man took around the back end of the car.

Soon, the man’s face became visible and a smile had slapped on his face as John came into view.

“How are you doing, Juan?” The man said in surprise and joy. “It’s been a long time.”

John carried on and got to work on his car, ignoring the very presence of the man.

The man stepped forward trying to get John’s attention. “I know it’s been years since we last saw each other but I was in the neighborhood and thought that maybe-”

“How did you find me?” John harshly interrupted.

“What?” The man was confused.

“I gave no forwarding addresses to anyone, I changed my phone number twice and I deleted my Facebook and other social networking sites. How did you find me?” John turned to him with a look of death in his eyes.

“I… I followed your lottery billing address.” He said with the feeling he did something wrong.

“Great.” John started cleaning his windshield with the hose. “Have you told anyone? I know you weren’t good at keeping secrets when we were little.”

“I only told Julia and Emily. Emily wanted to know where her uncle in the picture was.”

“What about dad? Have you told him?”

The man came to a stop. He looked to the floor and spoke, “he died before I could tell him.”

John paused for a moment. “Was it the drinking? Or the smoking?” He wrung the soaked rag as he stood slowly. “Or perhaps the woman chasing finally got to him.”

“He drove his car under a semi.” The man was heartbroken. “He was partying with his friends and his brakes snapped.”

John took a short break and let the words sink in. “I hope he went out happy.” He coldly replied.

“It was three years ago. Most of us have moved on.”

“If you knew where I lived, Andy, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I hadn’t the heart to look for you then. I thought you had died as well.”

“Then why not leave me dead?”

“Juan, I… I had another reason to come here.”

John stopped cleaning his car out of curiosity.

“The agency moved me here for the time being on official business. I wanted to know if you could let me stay with you,” the man pleaded. “I want to catch up with you after all this time we were apart.”

John turned to him and looked him in the eyes with a cold stare. “Where were you four years ago?” John coldly asked.

“I’m sorry?”

“The day of the accident. September fifth, four years ago. Where were you?”

“I was in Texas on call.”

“And the following two weeks?”

“I was still there.”

“So you were nowhere near me when I needed you, is that right?”

“The call was a surprise to me as well, Juan. I couldn’t make any changes.”

“But couldn’t you have forwarded your calls to your cell, Andy?” John’s voice grew rougher. “You could have called one of your friends in the force to let me out while they investigated. Let me get a fair shot at defending myself. Get me a fair, unrigged trial.”

“But I-” Andrew tried to get in but was rudely interrupted.

“Two weeks I spent in that cell not knowing how bad things have gotten, how those fuckers were planting evidence to poison the jury! And knowing that I was going to be imprisoned for a murder I didn’t commit!” John’s voice grew louder with each passing point. “Where the hell were you?!”

“J-Juan…” Andy, the man standing in front of the now enraged John was speechless. He couldn’t understand how his own brother could hold such a deep grudge.

“I’ll tell you where you were! You were cozy working for that government agency being a lap dog while I saw how the good guys get treated.” He stepped even closer waving his finger in Andy’s face. “And now you come here talking as if nothing had happened, as if all was well.”

“I know how hard it was for you! I lost people too! But I think it’s time for you to shut the fuck up and move on!” Andy was furious with all the accusations, but after he erupted he felt he was too harsh.

John stood angrily, his faces just inches away from Andy’s snorting heavily. John gripped at his belt, He relaized he left his gun in his bedroom. As he gripped tighter at his belt he thought of how it would not be worth it. One person that would suffer the most kept telling him to let it go.

‘Not worth it.’ He thought to himself. ‘I can’t hurt her. She’s the reason I’m even standing here right now.’

John turned around and went back to cleaning his car. “I don’t care where you stay. But you can’t stay here.” He said as he made his hands busy with the rag. “I already have a guest.” He turned to the window checking to see if she was spooked by any of this. He noticed a slight tug on the curtains.

“Really?” Andy looked to the window and caught a glimpse of a face peeking through the curtains. As the face suddenly vanished behind the cloth, he smiled. “Well, I’ll best be getting out of your hair, Juan. I’ll find another place. I’ll visit you some other time.” He turned and walked started to walk away. “Maybe I’ll meet this roomie of yours.”

John didn’t flinch. He merely focused on the graffiti on his car.

The van sped off and John let out a sigh of relief. He focused on his car and how close he came to committing a felony. He kept thinking, ‘She was the reason I didn’t carry my pistol today. She saved me again.’ He paused as he finished up the cleaning, his mind heavy with one last thought. ‘Was she given to me for a reason?’
	
> Some more crying
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John finished getting the markings off his windshield, his mind heavy with the encounter with his brother. After placing the tools in his garage his mind grew more wary of one phrase. He held it back as much as he could until he reached the front door. He pushed the door in, hands shaking and breathing heavily. Suddenly he couldn’t hold the phrase back anymore.

‘He died…’ Andy’s voice loudly repeated in his head.

John fell to his knees and let out a scream which lead to loud sobbing. He held his head and he rolled into a ball. His heart ripped apart at the realization that he was an orphan.

“Damn it! Why…” he cried.  He fell to his side and continued to sob. He fell deep into a pit of sorrow and felt he couldn’t get out. All he could think of were all the times he screwed up, all the death that surrounded him. ‘I need my gun.’

One voice sounded in the dark pit, piercing light and led him through the dark. “John?” it sounded. “John! What’s wrong? Were you stung?” He followed the voice out and opened his eyes to Fluttershy, who knelt over him.

‘You again,’ John thought to himself. His mind fell away from the dark thoughts. He brought back his thoughts about her. Her ability to always brighten up the situation came into question.

“What are you?” he whispered.

“I’m sorry?” Fluttershy responded with confusion.

“Are you a guardian angel?” John said much louder.

“What?” Fluttershy grew confused from John’s question.

He sat up wiping away his tears. “Are you some kind of guardian angel?” he said to her. “Were you sent to me to straighten out my life? Do you have wings hidden somewhere on your body?”

“I lost my wings when I got this body.” She said, turning her head to see her back. John looked at her questionably.

He looked ahead and gave a sigh. “I guess you wouldn’t know what it’s like to be an orphan then, or even having come close to killing someone.”

Fluttershy pulled her hands away from him in surprise. She thought of her next words. She saw his depressed look and felt the need to help. She sat down next to him and took a deep breath. 

“I’ve dealt with loss as a caretaker,” she started. “I had this puppy that I found after a Timber Wolf attack. Its parents were… were slaughtered and I just saved her from the Timber Wolves. The puppy was injured but safe after I got there. I took care of that orphaned pup. Day and night I checked up on him and calmed his cries.” Her expression saddened as she continued. “I spent three months taking care of him until I realized he wasn’t eating. The bite from a wolf gave him an infection. He- he was in so much pain.” She started to sob. “I- I had to put him down. I couldn’t save him.” She paused to sniff. “He was another life I couldn’t save.” Her sobbing got much harder.

John could not stand seeing her cry. He slowly tried to give himself the courage to hold her. Soon, he let his fear go and held her tight. As he held on, he could feel himself shake. ‘I haven’t held someone this hard in years.’ He thought to himself. ‘What’s happening to me? Why do I feel so calm around her?’

“I guess I should leave then?” Said a voice at the door.

John turned to see Earl standing on the porch with a baseball bat at hand.

“I came when I heard a scream, thought maybe you were under attack,” Earl explained. “Instead I found you having a pansy fit.”

John immediately let go of Fluttershy and looked at him. “Go home Earl.” John ordered. “We need some time to calm down.”
Earl shrugged his shoulders and headed back home whistling a tune. John rolled his eyes and tapped the door closed with his foot.

He turned to see the woman holding herself, shivering with the thought of losing a puppy. John looked at her and though of how to console her. He saw her as a child who had scuffed her knee. He stood up, dusted himself off and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Soon the mirage broke and he saw Fluttershy’s tear-soaked cheeks. “John,” she said. “I miss my friends.”

John took the statement in. With some thought he held her again. “I sometimes miss my friends too.” He whispered to her. “I’ll try to find them. Maybe they’ll forgive me.”

Fluttershy looked at him confused of his statement. “What do you mean by that?” She asked him. 

John leaned back against the door. He let out a deep sigh and responded. “Nothing, just… nothing.” He felt he didn’t need to tell her about his past. He turned to the television, and noticed the show was almost over. He looked at his cellphone to heck the time.

“Four twenty-three?” he said aloud. “I gotta get dinner ready.” He hurried to the kitchen and gathered ingredients together.

He wiped away any excess tears from his tantrum and headed into the kitchen.

As he cooked, he stopped while cutting some vegetables and took a long look at the knife. The edge was sharp enough to slice a tomato. 

‘No knick in the blade. It’s as smooth as newly forged steel.’ John thought to himself. John looked at it and thought of all the damage he could do to himself. He felt he didn’t need to be around much longer. His heart raced as he cleaned the edge with a rag. His mind pounded back and forth between the thought.

Before he could make the final decision, his mind was interrupted by a voice. “John, are you okay?” Upon hearing the voice, he wrapped the knife in the rag and tossed into the sink. The voice of someone who cared for him was enough to make his decision.

“I’m-I’m…” he looked her in the eye. Something inside told him he shouldn’t lie. “I just fell into some deep shit that I couldn’t handle.” He fell to the ground, the tears returning.

“John, what happened?” She knelt down to his level. “Did that stallion say something bad?”

John was too distraught to care for her choice of words. “That stallion was my brother,” He said between breaths. “He told me… My father died… And then I almost killed him.” His sobbing intensified as he spoke the last words.

Fluttershy was shocked. She drew her hand away from him hesitant to touch him again. “Wh-what?” was all she could think of saying.

John sat himself up, sniveling and wiping the tears from his eyes. “I’m a terrible person.” John paused to take a breath.  

“John,” Fluttershy interrupted. “You’re not a terrible person. You just came into some bad times.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“John, I know you’re not a bad person. You’ve been so kind to me.” Fluttershy stopped and thought of how to calm him down. “Would a bad person take in a stranger?”

“N-no.”

“You are not a bad person. You are just bad-tempered.”

John took one good look at her. She smiled at him to keep him calm. Sun rays peered through the crack of the curtains, illuminating her hair. The sight was as if he was looking at an angel. John took a big lunge and grabbed her.

Fluttershy tensed up from the tight grip.

“I don’t know who you are or where you came from,” he cried. “Thank you for coming to save me from myself!”   

Fluttershy loosened up once she noticed the desperation he felt. She felt strange consoling someone else so broken down, rather than herself.

“Please, promise me you won’t leave me alone,” John begged.

Fluttershy looked at him in shock. She was confused about what he was feeling but she knew one thing. He couldn’t be left alone.

“I- I’ll be with you as long as I can.” Fluttershy said as she patted him on the head contemplating what to do next.
	
> Dream land hustle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The silhouette of a castle filled the night sky. A light was lit in one of the towers with an equine silhouette at the window. Inside, a dark blue alicorn paced back and forth beside the window, worried and frustrated at the news she just received.

She mumbled to herself as she paced the floor. Suddenly, she was alerted by a knock at the door. “Come forth,” she stated.

The guards opened the large palace doors and lead in a group of five small ponies of different races, and a baby dragon.

“Princess Luna,” said Twilight Sparkle, jumping ahead of the crowd. “We came as soon as we got your message. Did something happen?”

“There has been some further development with the situation of your friend Fluttershy.” The Princess said. “But they bring worry to us.”

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Did that ape try to harm her?”

“Not exactly, Rainbow Dash.” The Princess explained. “’Tis not Fluttershy’s safety I am worried about.”

“You mean…” Rarity interjected, “You’re worried for this ‘John’ creature?”

“John is the primary caretaker for Fluttershy in this world,” the Princess continued. “If something were to happen to him, Fluttershy would be left alone with nopony to care for her. Earlier today, John started to go through a self-destructive spiral and broke down to near-suicidal tendencies.”

“What!?” the group shouted in surprise.

“He felt low self-worth after hearing some bad news and… almost killed a visitor.”

“What the hay is wrong with this guy?” Applejack exclaimed. “It’s just not right to harm a visitor.”

“And how dare he put our dear Fluttershy in danger,” Rarity interrupted.

“There is more.” The Princess stated. The crowd stopped their bickering. “In the midst of looking to harm himself, Fluttershy walked in.” The crowd paid closer attention. “He seems to look at her as something called a ‘Guardian Angel’. It appears her presence creates a form of calming spell on him, making him confess his grief and feel better about himself.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight questioned.

“Duh, it means mister sourpuss gets cheered up by Fluttershy’s kind nature and he forgets his troubles when he gets close to her!” Pinkie pie stated with her rapid speech.

“How would you know that?” Rainbow asked suspiciously.

“Well, I do like making ponies smile…” Pinkie replied with a grin. “Just call it my expert opinion.” 

“That’s enough, girls.” Twilight stated. “We have to focus on how to help Fluttershy.”

“Yes.” Declared the Princess. “However, there is an issue. We have no way to communicate with her. The stone’s power will only let us go so far as to peer through and have a minute magical presence. But we haven’t a way to speak to her directly.”

The crowd stopped to ponder how they could communicate to Fluttershy. Pinkie sat on her tail poking her head repeating ‘think, think, think’. Twilight held her chin as she looked up at the ceiling. Rainbow Dash drew circles in the carpet before she answered.

“What about her dreams?” She suggested.

“Dreams?” Rarity asked.

“Scootaloo told me about how the Princess can go into a foal’s dreams to help them overcome their fears.” Rainbow Dash explained. “It can’t be different to try with Fluttershy, can it?”

“Rainbow, are you sure about this?” Applejack retorted.

“Rainbow Dash is right.” The Princess interrupted. “I have the power of the night to enter dreams. But adult dreams are a different matter.”

“How?” Applejack asked.

“Adult minds have a stronger willpower which makes it difficult to control their dreams. I may appear, but in the form they choose.  Lucid dreaming may result in strange outcomes for this reason.”

“Are we able to follow you through, Princess?” Twilight asked. “We need to talk to her ourselves.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I want to have a chat with this ‘John’ character.” She hit her hooves together in a way that scared Pinkie Pie.

Using her magic, Princess Luna pulled a book out of a nearby bookshelf labeled in their own language, ‘Dreams and Nightmares: Book of Advanced Spells.’ She began to flip through the pages.

“When we learned this spell from the Grand Unicorns we learned there was an addition to bring other ponies along.” She stopped on  the page that carried the spell. “There is a chance this may not work through the barrier. Are you willing to go through with this?”

“I’m ready.” Rainbow Dash answered the question. “I want to talk with this ‘John.’”

“Count me in.” Applejack stated.

“For Fluttershy.” Rarity stepped forth.

“Me, me! I want to go into a dream!” Pinkie bounced with glee.

“I want to see this for myself.” Twilight joined the group.

“Well then,” the Princess declared. “We shall do this.”

___________________________________________________________________

John and Fluttershy sat silently on the couch, letting the television run cartoons. The awkward aura filled the air as the show ran into its conclusion. Fluttershy payed heavy attention to the show, but grew more tired as the show pressed on.

Suddenly, Fluttershy broke the silence with a loud, tired yawn. John noticed and looked at the clock on the cable box.

“I guess we should go to bed.” John turned off the TV. “It’s getting late.” John stood up, stretched his back, and began preparing for bed.

John turned to Fluttershy, looking at her half shut eyes. He gestured to her to help her up. Fluttershy looked at him with a confused look, not knowing what the gesture meant.

John let his hand drop in impatience. With his hands at his sides, he looked at her. “Are you coming then?”

Fluttershy slowly lifted herself from the couch with another yawn surfacing. She walked down the hall, stumbling as she walked to the bedroom. John watched her go and lightly smiled, covering his mouth as to not be seen. She quietly made her bed and set herself down to sleep.

Fluttershy slowly thought of what John stated earlier. His deep self-destructive spiral worried her. As her mind ran through these thoughts, she grew more tired and fell asleep.

John headed to bed, dropping into it with a plop. He let out a sigh as he counted the mistakes he made that day. He couldn’t stand how much of an idiot he was. He laid in the dark, thinking of how things could have gone better. He fell asleep slowly, his last thought being his brother’s words, ‘He’s dead.’

___________________________________________________________________

“The preparations are set, Princess.” Twilight said as she set the potion on the table.

“Excellent, Twilight Sparkle.” The Princess replied, “your friend and the human have just fallen asleep. Our window of opportunity has opened.” She set down the book and with the magic of her horn, she enchanted the potion. The dark blue glow stirred the potion until it boiled and changed from a dark orange color into a light tan drink. “The potion is ready,” the Princess called, “you must drink it and quickly get in your bedding. The potion acts fast.”

They each took a sip of the potion, feeling drowsy as they swallowed. Then they quickly they made their way into the prepared bedding. Within seconds, the ponies were asleep.

The Princess stepped close to them, her horn glowing , and connected her subconscious with theirs. Soon her eyes glowed and the spell set into motion.

___________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy was trotting down a field, her hooves clopping on the dirt and stones that lay beneath. She was glad to have her familiar equine body back. She lifted her wings and stretched them out. As she passed by a river she heard some sobbing. Her ears twitched towards the direction of the noise.

She paused to search for the sound and found a ferret cub crying on the river bank. She peeked over the bank and watched the ferret cry over two older ferrets which lay ahead of him. Fluttershy covered her mouth as she saw the motionless ferrets.

She was about to contact the ferret when a voice called over from the treeline.

“Fluttershy!” called a female voice.

Fluttershy couldn’t believe the voice she heard.

“Fluttershy,” a second voice said.

She rejected the voice as just a figment of her imagination..

“Fluttershy. Over here.” The third voice sounded.

She turned to see her friends waiting over the hill.

“Girls!” Fluttershy fluttered lightly and galloped to her friends. “Girls, I’m so glad to see you!”

Rainbow Dash flew up to her half-way through a step and tumbled Fluttershy down with a mighty embrace. “I missed you so much!” Rainbow Dash shouted in glee. “Don’t scare us like that again.”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy replied as she got out from the embrace. “How did I get home?”

The mares fell silent, hoping not to tell. It took Rainbow Dash great strength to tell the truth.

“You’re not home” Rainbow slowly said.

“W– what?” Fluttershy gasped in disbelief.

“We are in your dream.” A much louder voice came from behind. The larger winged unicorn came regally out from behind the tree. “There is much to discuss.”

“Umm... How did you girls get here?” Fluttershy asked.

“The Princess found a way to get us into your dream so we can talk.” Applejack said.

“We’ve been watching you from our world to make sure nothing bad is happening to you.” Rarity explained.

“You’ve been watching me.” Fluttershy blushed.

“We’ve also been watching that John character. He’s a real interesting stallion.” Pinkie Pie giggled.

Fluttershy rubbed her foreleg, saddened at the thought of John’s suffering.

“So you… saw him…?” She asked, suggesting his breakdowns.

“We saw one time.” Twilight answered. “We were absent for tonight’s… fit.”

“He’s such a crybaby.” Rainbow Dash stated with a smile.

Fluttershy paused and looked at her. Walking up to Rainbow, she looked her in the eye. 

“How could you say that about him?” She said angrily. “You only saw him through a looking glass. He has been through a lot. Today he said his father died and he didn’t know about it for a while. He took me in when nopony wanted to and took time out of his own life to keep me happy.” She came closer to Rainbow Dash. “He may be a carnivorous, violent stallion, but he is going through much and you would go through the same in his hooves.”

The group was silent. Rainbow Dash fell on her rump in surprise.

“Fluttershy.” The silence was broken by Twilight. “Where did that come from?”

Fluttershy covered her face with her hooves. “I’m sorry, girls.” She said, tears running down her face. “I just… He’s… in a fragile state. He needs somepony to help him. Sorry I got upset.”

The Princess walked forward and looked down at the saddened pegasus. “You appear to be fond of this ape.” She said, as she put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“He’s really nice once you get to know him.” Fluttershy sniffed back the tears. “He reminds me of an injured animal.”

“Be wary of the friends you make in this world.” The Princess continued. “Over the years, we had made many expeditions into their world. All we learned was the languages from the old land and their ability to destroy each other.” She looked down with a frown. 

“The ponies… I mean people, as they say, are nice and willing to help me. Except for one.” Fluttershy recalled.

The Princess looked at her with displeasure. “Well you must be wary,” she warned. “We may have powerful magic in our world, but it does not work in theirs. The mark that makes humans special is their ability to adapt and destroy anything they see as a threat.”

Fluttershy fell silent, taking in what she said.

“You must find a way to keep safe. You are trapped there until the next full moon. The stone will give you a twenty-four-hour window to get home again.” The Princess explained.

“I’ll stay with John. He’ll keep me safe.”

The Princess raised an eyebrow. She looked at the yellow mare with curiosity. “Are you sure you can trust him?”

“Well, I…” Fluttershy thought of how to explain his situation. “He’s a nice stallion and has given me everything I needed so far.” She took a breath to continue, “He knows he has to care for me and I have to care for him in return.” She looked at the ground, thinking of what mess she was in.

A hoof fell on her shoulder to calm her down. “We know you feel attached to him,” said Twilight. “We’re just worried for your safety.”

“I… I wish you could talk to him.” Fluttershy protested. “Maybe you can see how safe I am with him.”

The Princess looked at her deep in thought. The other equines looked at her as he turned her frown of thought into a smile of pleasure. “We’ll give you ten minutes to do what you wish. Then we move on.” The Princess announced.

“Move on to where?” Pinkie asked.

“We will move on to John.”

The group was surprised by the announcement. Fluttershy in particular was relieved by the fact.

“Come on, Fluttershy!” Shouted Pinkie, “let’s play a game while we still can.”

The group then galloped onto the field and chased one another, playing a game of tag. The Princess walked over to the riverbank to rest. She looked into the creek and saw the ferret making itself comfortable around the two older ferrets on the ground. 

_______________________________________________________________________

John opened his eyes to a large desert landscape. The sun’s glare was dim and red with the pollution in the air. John stood in the wind walking forward towards the silhouette of a town crumbled in its own weight. Entering the town, his eyes came across a street littered in bodies. John saw one familiar face and refused to inspect more.

Deep in the ruins he could hear a soft crying coming from the center of town. As he listened closely he sensed some familirity. He proceeded to follow it. Following the noise, he found its source, a church with a hole in its roof.

He walked inside only to see the figure of a large wings sitting down in the front row. John slowly moved ahead to investigate.

Step by step, the crying grew more familiar. Slowly, he realized who it was.

“Fluttershy?” he called. He received no response.

“Fluttershy!” he called much louder this time. She uncovered her face and looked at John. The face was hers, yet John was more worried of the large white plumage that came out of her back. He grew worried of what may come.

“I’m sorry, John,” she said without turning to see him. “I have to leave now.” Spreading her wings, she headed underneath the hole in the church.

John grew depressed at her decision. “Stop!” He shouted, tears coming down his cheeks. “Don’t leave me!”

Fluttershy didn’t listen. Slowly, she began to ascend through the hole.

“Don’t go!” John kept shouting, “I don’t want to be alone!”

Once she went out of sight, John fell to his knees and began to cry. His heart couldn’t take another loss.

As quickly as Fluttershy left, he saw the shadows of angels coming overhead. New voices fell onto his ears. One seemed to be arguing about not being as big as the others.

John looked up to see six angels hovering over the church. The intense bright light coming from the sky impeded his view. He could only make out the shapes. The one in front had long smoky hair. The other five had medium length hair with varying shapes and styles. Their motions felt like silent bickering amongst the five in the back.

“Mister John.” Said the foremost angel in a booming voice. “Do not be afraid.”

John could not believe what he was seeing. He covered his eyes, blocking the excess light. “Who are you?” He asked with 	much confusion in his head.

“We are friends of Fluttershy’s, the mare you took into your home,” she continued.

“What do you want from me?” John was slightly confused with the equine terminology.

“We want to assure your care is best for her.”

“Under m– my…” John mumbled in confusion “What do you mean?”

“We’ve been watchin’ you taking care of our friend.” One said in a Southern drawl.

“And I gotta say, we’re not impressed.” The short one declared.

“I’m sorry. I’m not used to this. Don’t curse me!” John fell to his knees and pleaded.

The group stopped to mumble amongst themselves. They then followed by looking back at him.

“We are not that kind of being,” the foremost one continued, “we just care for the safety of our Fluttershy.”

John thought for a moment. “Why is she here?” he asked them. “Why did you send her to me?”

“She came here by accident.” the front one continued, “She is trapped with you until the next full moon.”

“Why the next full moon?” John asked.

“That is when the portal will reopen and passage home will open again.”

“Home…” John whispered to himself coming into an understanding for this. “I just have one question. Is Lucia Grimmer with you?” He asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

The group mumbled amongst themselves again. Finally, one responded. “We have so many ponies here that we probably haven’t met them.”

John felt relieved but confused. “So, when we die, we turn into horses?”

The group was now confused.

“Please, just take good care of our friend.” The front one said.

“Or we’ll have to punish you if you don’t,” the short one said, punching her hand.

“Rainbow.” One of them scolded.

Suddenly, the scenery gave out and the group quickly ascended into the sky, disappearing in a flash.

______________________________________________________________________

John awoke, vividly remembering the events of the Dream. He sat up in his bed and looked at the door. He continued to look without knowing what to expect. One thought was  in his head. ‘That was a strange dream.’
	
> Young and Old: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John and Fluttershy sat down at the table with bowls of cereal for breakfast. John, still dumbfounded by the dream, continued to take short glances at Fluttershy. She didn’t notice. Her mind was busy with the cartoons playing in the living room.

John kept thinking about the dream he had last night. The question that buzzed in his mind was if it meant something, or if it was just a figment of his imagination. The angels that visited last night knew more about her than John could make up. The thought made his head spin.

‘There is only one person who knows what this means,’ John thought to himself. ‘But how do I ask her?’ He began to plan how to start the conversation.

Seeing her busy with the television, he waited for a commercial break. Once the break started, John took a leap and let the words spill out.

“So… Does the full moon mean anything to you?” he stuttered, hoping to get a response.

Fluttershy turned to him with a light smile. “Yes… My friends say they’ll come pick me up in just twenty-six days.”

John was surprised by her statement. The fact that his dream was more than a figment of his imagination shocked him.

“Twenty-six days?” he whispered in surprise. “That’s quite some time.”

“Well, I know it’s a long time, but I guess I could wait to see my friends again.” Her smile showed her optimism.

John tried to hide his sadness. He looked at her with a feigned smile. “Well, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the time you have here.”

“Thank you John,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy being here.”

After hearing her words, John smiled. He hoped he could enjoy the time she had with him.

“Also…” Fluttershy interrupted John’s thoughts. “Can you not eat meat while I’m here?” she quietly demanded. “I don’t want to see animals get eaten. I felt so sick last time and I don’t want to experience that again.”

John set down his spoon into the bowl with a frown on his face. With a heavy sigh, John looked her in the eye and said. “Can I still eat it when you are away?”

“Well, I would prefer you not eat it at all.” She quietly replied.

He fell silent as her irate eyes pierced through his head. He felt offended that she tried to keep him from living how he wanted. ‘I know she came from the heavens,’ he thought to himself, ‘but how does she not know what we eat?’

Fluttershy slid down her seat with a soft squeak in fear of what he could do. John suddenly felt like a bully staring her down.

A soft ringing sounded from John’s bedroom. John let out a sigh in relief as he saw an excuse to see this moment to end.

John headed over as fast as he could and found his phone in a pile on his desk. Without looking at the Caller ID, he answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Johnny?” called an elderly woman on the other end.

“Mrs. Alabaster. Good morning.” John replied with anticipation. “What can I do for you?”

“Yes well, I was hoping you could come by to help move some furniture.” Mrs. Alabaster. “My old entertainment center gave way and I need someone to build the new one.”

“You’re not hurt, are you ma’am?” John asked out of curiosity.

“Oh, no, thank the lord. I just was startled. Thank you for asking.” She said in a relieved way which made John know she was smiling on the other end. “But Patrick was so upset, he fell out of his chair when we were told it could not be repaired. By Job, I could hear him grumbling all the way to the store to fetch the new one.”

John chuckled under his breath. “Glad to hear Patrick is still lively.”

“Oh, well he’s trying to open the box as we speak and well...” She paused to listen to the muffled yelling of her husband in the other room. John could faintly make out damnation to all Swedish made furnishings. “He’s not too happy about it.”

“I’ll be over as soon as I can…” John paused to think about Fluttershy. ‘I can’t leave her here alone.’ He thought to himself, ‘and I can’t imagine what would happen when Mr. Alabaster sees her. Old men aren’t quite fond of the youth.’ He thought hard and responded. “Do you mind if I bring someone with me? I’m taking care of a friend.”

“Oh, yes. You can bring your friend Mary,” replied Mrs. Alabaster.

John was surprised that she knew who he was talking about. But after some thought he remembered that most of the town had already heard rumors about ‘Mary Posa’.

“We’ll be over soon. Just give us time to finish our breakfast.” John replied, hoping they had enough time before Mr. Alabaster broke something important.

“Alright now, hurry up.” She answered with a tone that let John know she was smiling.

John hung up and walked back to the dining room, happy that he was going to get some extra money. However, he worried what a conservative couple like them would say about Fluttershy. Her appearance alone was enough to raise questions.

Putting on a smile, John looked at her. “Hurry up with your breakfast,” he said. “We’re going to visit someone.”

“Umm, who?” Fluttershy asked.

“An elderly couple I’ve done some jobs for. They want me to go over as soon as I can.”  John answered.

Fluttershy looked at him with a confused look. She then smiled and replied, “I hope they’re friendly.”

“I’m sure you’ll like her.” John stuttered as he thought of the eminent fight they will have.

They finished up their breakfast and headed out. Fluttershy hesitated to get in the car, fearing the worst. John had to open the door to get her in. Along the way Fluttershy wondered about John. A few blocks down, she finally came to ask him. “Umm, John?”

“Yeah.” John replied.

“What did you mean by doing ‘jobs?’” Fluttershy asked, still bracing herself.

“Well, it’s nothing illegal.” He chuckled, “I just do housework and errands for anyone who needs it. Mostly it’s been the elderly.”

“Why do you do it?” she continued. “You don’t seem like somepony who would do something…” she paused as she saw him become irritated. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I’ll stop now.”

“I started doing this when I moved here.” John answered in a sigh. “Being a millionaire is nothing if you have nothing to do.”

Fluttershy looked away, hoping that she didn’t say something to anger him. She glanced back at him time and time again, hoping to see his expression change for the better.  All she saw was a blank look ahead.

The car came to a stop and John got out of his seat, saying only one thing. “We’re here.”

Fluttershy stepped out to see a house with a beautiful garden leading to a porch with a swing. She watched in awe as the petals glistened from yesterday’s rain. As she walked down the brick path, she slowed down to take a long look at the beauty.

John ignored the flowers and raced to the porch. He fell silent at the door before he spoke, letting out a sigh to start off.

“Listen, Fluttershy.” He started. “I just want to warn you about Patrick Alabaster.” he explained, “He’s very conservative and loud about it. There’s a chance he will be aggressive towards us” He paused for a moment. “If he does anything to you please don’t argue with him, and just let me know. Understood?”

He heard no response. Worried about where she was, he turned around to see her playing with a cat. Confused about where the cat came from, John worried that the cat carried fleas or other pests.

“Let him go!” John ordered. Fluttershy shot up and let out a light yelp. The cat proceeded to retreat under a truck.

“Oh my, you scared me!”

“What’s wrong with you? You can’t play with a stray cat! You could catch some disease!” John declared like some nervous parent.

“I’m sorry,” she shook as she replied. “The cat just came up to me, and…” She hid her face behind her hand. John could hear a soft squeaking coming from her.

John sighed in shame. He walked up to her and tried to calm her down with a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Fluttershy winced once she felt a finger brush up against her. John immediately retreated, letting out another sigh. He worried he had broken her trust.

“Look, I’m sorry I yelled at you,” John apologized, looking away from her, “We’ve been taught not to pick up stray animals and… I guess it stuck with me well after all these years.”

John looked at her from the corner of her eye. He could see her slowly coming out from behind her hand. John reacted quickly and let out a smile as he caught her looking at him.

From the door he could hear the soft voice of an elderly woman. “I thought you were somebody else,” said Mrs. Alabaster. “I didn’t expect you to be yelling at my door.”

John rolled his eyes at Mrs. Alabaster’s statement. “We had a bit of miscommunication.” He explained.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” Mrs. Alabaster continued. “Patrick is at his end with the instructions. You should get in there before he breaks something.”

“Right,” John replied as he headed towards the door. He soon stopped to turn his head and asked, “can you watch her for me?”

“Why certainly,” Mrs. Alabaster replied. “I have been meaning to give Angela her medicine. She was in the garden last I saw her.”

John let out an embarrassed smile and headed in. The first thing John noticed was a pile of wooden planks and a bowl filled with screws and bolts. In one corner of the room, a man paced the floor, cursing and damning the complicated instruction manual.

John rolled his eyes, deliberating over how difficult this was going to be.
_______________________________________

Fluttershy and Mrs. Alabaster had taken a seat on the porch, holding Angela down for her medicine. With the cat on Fluttershy’s lap, Mrs. Alabaster applied the drops on its shoulder. Mrs. Alabaster looked at the young lady in her presence, inspecting her long rose quartz colored hair. She looked down to see Angela calm and submissive in the hands of this woman.

“You have quite a way with animals.” Mrs. Alabaster complimented as she listened to the purring of the cat. “She’s not that calm with most people when they hold her.”

“Oh, well, I care for animals for a living back home.” Fluttershy smiled as the cat laid on her lap. “It’s just something that comes natural to me.”

Mrs. Alabaster smiled and took a deep breath. “Must be nice taking care of animals,” she said while looking at some birds feeding from her bushes. “Where is it that you are from?” She asked politely.

_____________________________

“What?” John asked in surprise as he held the board down and inserted the next piece.

“Your little friend. You know, the one the whole town is talking about.” Mr. Alabaster explained while screwing the pieces together.

John was hoping he didn’t have to explain this again. “She’s from California, like me.”

“Yeah, but what part?” he asked again. “I have some friends from Sacramento and others from Bakersfield,” he explained. “I just don’t see where she would come from that pink hair would be acceptable.”

John was upset he hadn’t thought this all the way through. ‘Where can I say she is from?’ he thought heavily, ‘I can’t say she’s from my town. It’s not a very safe place for someone her… personality.’

“Well?” Mr. Alabaster waited for an answer.

“She’s from Ventura County.” John said in an outburst.

“Ventura County?” he replied. “Like in that Beach Boys song?”

John was surprised he knew it at all. “Yeah, she’s from a small farm community where she takes care of cattle and other animals.” He ad-libbed his way with the little information he got from their first encounter.

“Farm community?” Mr. Alabaster pondered. “Care to say which one?”

At that moment John remembered a trump card Martha had given him. “Unfortunately I’m not at liberty to say. I can not reveal the home of someone under witness protection.”

“Witness-protection,” he replied curiously. “That was a lot of information to give out.”

John regretted not thinking about that in the first place.
________________________________

“I’m from Cale… Cala…” Fluttershy couldn’t remember the story John explained to her.

“California?” Mrs. Alabaster corrected.

“Yes.” She looked away, ashamed that she may have ruined it for herself.

“And what do you do there?” Mrs. Alabaster continued.

Fluttershy finally got to a topic she liked. “Well I take care of animals. From the critters in the forest, to the pets townsponies bring to me.”
A raspy inhalation came from Mrs. Alabaster. Her eyes widened as she slumped forward, holding her arm tightly and shivering.

“Oh my, are you okay?” Fluttershy panicked. “Mrs. Alabaster. Should I get help?”

“No, no, dear.” Mrs. Alabaster shook off her fit. “It was just an old ghost catching up to me.”

“Should I call John?” Fluttershy insisted, “Or maybe your husband?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just,” she looked to the side and took a deep breath, “would you mind telling me something?”

“What’s that?” Fluttershy waited for the question.

Mrs. Alabaster turned to her and with a smile asked, “can you tell me how Equestria is doing?”
	
> Young and Old: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John struggled to find a missing piece of the shelf, running a magnet across the carpet in the living room. Heading back and forth across the areas he thought the nuts could have fallen, he couldn’t help but kick himself over what he had just said.

Mr. Alabaster mumbled to himself in the corner, holding the shelving up with a stack of videos. John knew he had to say something, just to keep the awkward silence from getting longer.

‘What could I say?’ he thought to himself, ‘I could ask to see how much he knows, just to correct some misconceptions.’ John’s rather sly idea seemed good in his head. He thought carefully about how to start it.

“I know Martha can be a loudmouth,” John started to build the conversation.

“That’s no way to talk about a lady.” Mr. Alabaster interrupted John, scorning him for his disrespect.

“I mean, Martha was the one who spread the word about F… Mary.” John caught himself mid-sentence. “What exactly did she say?”

“Well, she said Mary fled from her home in fear for her life.” Mr. Alabaster explained the rumors he had heard. “I also heard she witnessed a murder done by some crime lord in Los Angeles.” John never heard that part of the rumor. “You people have those over there, right? You know, being that close to Mexico and all.”

John felt insulted by that last remark. “We don’t have that much more crime than any other major city, like Denver.” He retorted, trying to hold back his irritation.

“Yeah, yeah. Officer Leiber told me before.” Mr. Alabaster shook off the comment.

“Listen, as an ex-officer, I’ve seen how bad it can get, even on both sides,” John continued. “Being accused of a crime sometimes makes you want to give up on the system.” He stopped with his hands on the ground, staring at the floor. His face blank and a tear forming at his eye.

Mr. Alabaster saw that John fell silent. He couldn’t stand seeing him like this. “Look,” he consoled John, “her death was not your fault. From what you’ve told me she was a girl with a problem that would soon get her in trouble. You now have someone new to care for. This person will help you overcome.”

John sat up with a bolt at hand. He let out a big sigh. “It wasn’t the lottery tickets that upset me. It was the constant lying that we would have a better life.” He whispered to himself.

The elderly man standing nearby could still hear the comment. He nodded his head and went back to fixing the entertainment center.
_______________________________________________

“Equestria?” Fluttershy exclaimed in surprise.

“You are from Equestria, aren’t you?” Mrs. Alabaster asked. “I can pick out a fellow Equestrian, even If I haven’t gone back in decades.”

“You are from…” Fluttershy was dumbfounded by this new revelation. “How did you get here?”

“I’m guessing the same way as you. I ran into the Everfree Forest, found a temple, and decided to come here and never go back.” Mrs. Alabaster explained.

“Why would you do that?” Fluttershy asked. “Don’t you miss your friends?”

Mrs. Alabaster stared at the ground, expressionless. “That’s a story for another time, but all I can say is that I can never go back.”

Fluttershy looked at the elderly woman. Her curiosity pushed her to ask, but the kindness of her heart made her know when to drop the subject.

“How have you dealt with the changes so far?” Mrs. Alabaster asked, trying to keep the conversation alive. “I remember I had to adapt to these legs.”

Fluttershy smiled, thinking of what to say. With an embarrassed look, she got close to Mrs. Alabaster’s ear and whispered her problem.

Mrs. Alabaster smiled. “Oh, that. Well, it’s normal for a woman to go through that periodically. You just need to just clean it up. Also take a pain reliever.”

Fluttershy looked at her with a reddened face. Slowly she let out a small smile as the cat on her lap began to purr. Mrs. Alabaster took a good look at her. Fluttershy’s timid nature, her calmness, and her situation made Mrs. Alabaster notice something was wrong.

“How did you get here?” Mrs. Alabaster asked out of curiosity. “If you don’t mind me asking, how is it that you came to Dewford and met Johnny?”

Fluttershy’s expression dimmed as she began to recollect the mishaps that led her to her current situation. She let out a sigh of disappointment.

“I was at a party a few nights ago,” Fluttershy explained, “I had gotten into a fight with Angel that night and he ran off.”

“Angel?” Mrs. Alabaster asked.

“Angel is my bunny. He’s a smart bunny, always helpful and loving. However…” Fluttershy’s voice grew shaky, “however, we had a disagreement and he ran off into the Everfree Forest. I’ve walked in there often but this time Angel went into a mysterious temple, deeper than I’ve gone before. I saw Angel go into the temple and there I found this strange glowing stone.”

“The Moonstone.” Mrs. Alabaster interrupted.

“I didn’t know what it was but I then jumped and landed on the stone and… I… came here,” her voice trailed off.

“And John?” Mrs. Alabaster was curious about her story, “Where did you meet John?”

“I was confused and scared after I came here. John found me in an orchard outside of town.” She paused for a moment as a smile grew across her face. “He took me to the farm house and… I met very kind ponies and John never left me alone ever since I met him.”

Mrs. Alabaster looked at Fluttershy’s face, taking in the glee radiating from her. “Do you like John?” She asked in a curious tone.

Fluttershy chuckled. “Well, he’s nice to me. He may yell or get upset but I feel he just does it for my own good.” Her expression turned grim as she thought heavily. “He’s the only one that took me in and has put up with my differences faster than anypony I knew. Although, I wish he wasn’t carnivorous.”

With a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder Mrs. Alabaster sympathized with her. “Listen dear, the people of this world are strange at first, but I’m sure Johnny loves you anyway.”

Fluttershy’s smile began to return, however she couldn’t help but notice a certain word she used.

“When I met Patrick, he was not the nicest man, but he took me in and helped me get back on my feet. I knew I could not make it on my own, so I held adapted here, adapted to the lifestyle, tried their food, had some children of my own…”

“But,” Fluttershy protested,  “I don’t want to eat meat.”

Mrs. Alabaster let out a heavy sigh.  “I didn’t either, but did you notice how your body has changed?”

Fluttershy was perplexed.

“Your body is not the only thing that changed,” Mrs. Alabaster continued, “Your appetite and body rhythms have changed. You can’t eat grass and flowers anymore. Your body will start craving protein, and carbs. It’s hard to adapt, but you will end up accepting it the longer you stay.”

“But I’m leaving in twenty-six days.” Fluttershy calmly explained.

Mrs. Alabaster was surprised. It was difficult for her to take in that last statement.

____________________________________________________

John and Patrick had finished adding the last piece. John sat on the couch, resting his arm after the hard work. However, they still needed to load all the movies and the television back onto the entertainment center. That thought made John arms ache even more.

Patrick remembered their previous conversations, trying to end the awkward silence.

“So…” Patrick interrupted the silence, “How does it feel to have a woman in your life again?”

John glared at Patrick. “You don’t know what she’s like,” Jon replied. “She’s a handful to care for, and I’ve care for her for three days. She refuses to eat meat; she won’t even let me eat what I want.” John stopped himself before he gave away much information.

He turned to Patrick to see him smiling. His smile worried John. “I had the same problem when I met Daisy, my wife.” He stepped closer to John placing his hands on his hips. “Have I ever told you the story of how I met Daisy?”

John sat back, expecting an old time-y story of chivalry.

“I found her on a hike in the hills to the northeast of here. I found it strange that she was naked, but following the story she told then, it made sense why.”

“Why?”

“She escaped from a cult hidden in the mountains and said her life was in danger.” Patrick continued. “I took her in and kept her safe, and even though we didn’t agree  about certain customs we managed to make it work.” Patrick sighed. “Yup, we made it work,” he said in a softer voice.

As he stared at the ground, John couldn’t help but notice some similarities between Mrs. Alabaster’s story, and Fluttershy’s. He couldn’t shake the feeling something odd was going on.

“Now, let’s get busy,” Patrick said, cracking his back. “The shelves aren’t gonna refill themselves.”

John sighed, knowing he had more work to do.

________________________________________________________

“You… You’re going back?!” Mrs. Alabaster exclaimed in surprise. “How?”

Fluttershy flinched from the sudden outburst. “The portal opens every month,” she explained. “I plan on going back the next time it opens.”

“What did the Agency tell you about this? How did you get permission to return? When did you speak with…” Her frantic line of questioning stopped as she came across a startling thought. Her mind calmed down as a single thought made its way out. “Does the Agency know you’re here?”

“What agency?” Fluttershy asked in confusion.

Mrs. Alabaster was awed. “The Agency,” she continued. “The border control for the portal. The Agency controls what comes in and out of Equestria. Have you not talked with them?”

“N– no.” she was worried about the line of questioning. “Who are they?”

“They’re called the Trans-Human Protection Agency, or THPA. The governments of this world use them to hide the portal and other items they claim ‘harm the population.’” She explained. “I dealt with them when I came here. They are the ones who I had to go through to be allowed to stay. How have you not met them yet?”

Fluttershy was at a loss of words as she brought together the information. The words tried to form in her mouth but she was unable to get them right.

Mrs. Alabaster became worried for the young lady’s safety. The fact that she didn’t go through the Agency made her worry for her safety.

“Mary… or whatever your real name is,” Mrs. Alabaster continued, “you have to be careful now. If the Agency catches you, who knows what will happen.”

Fluttershy nodded, still confused about what had just happened.

“Stay with Johnny as much as you can, learn about how to live here, and keep out of sight until you can go home.” She advised Fluttershy. “They do not take this lightly. They say no one is allowed to cross.”

Fluttershy’s confusion turned to fear the more Mrs. Alabaster spoke. “I… I…” she still could not speak. “Should I speak with John about this?”

“It is best to not tell him,” Mrs. Alabaster answered, “Word passes through town faster than a parasprite invasion. You will be found faster.”

Fluttershy started to shiver as her mind thought of being captured and held captive by creatures she knew nothing about. It was enough to make her cry.

The elderly woman noticed the tears running down her face. Mrs. Alabaster held Fluttershy in a consoling embrace.

“It’s okay…” Mrs. Alabaster whispered, “I’m sure Johnny won’t let them get you. He’s a good boy. He cares about the people close to him even with all he went through.”

Fluttershy wiped the tears off her face, thinking of John’s generosity. She thought hard as she remembered the kindness John had shown her. One memory held deep.

“Mrs. Ale– .”

“–Please,” Mrs. Alabaster interrupted, “call me Daisy.”

“Daisy,” Fluttershy corrected. “May I ask you a question about John?” She paused as she thought of how to say it. “Umm, why does he never smile?”

“Oh, dear. Don’t say he never smiles.” Mrs. Alabaster replied in jest. “I’m sure he’s smiled at least once when he’s around you.”

“He is usually upset or displeased with everything.” She responded, “I only saw him smile when he was intoxicated.”

“Well, I don’t think that’s unexpected after losing so many loved ones.” Mrs. Alabaster stated. Fluttershy turned in surprise. “He lost his mother at such a young age, and his fiancé not too long ago.”

Fluttershy looked down as she thought hard. ‘I knew about Lucia, sort of, but his mother?’ Fluttershy was surprised at this new revelation. “But do you know what happened to Lucia?”

“Well,” Mrs. Alabaster replied, “Johnny never told us specific details, but you can ask him yourself.” She pointed at the door as John walked out rubbing his muscles.

“Call me if you need more help,” John told Patrick as he stepped out onto the porch. As he turned to Fluttershy he tilted his head towards the car. “Let’s get going. We have things to do.”

Fluttershy turned between John and Mrs. Alabaster. “Umm…” she tried to tell Mrs. Alabaster farewell.

Mrs. Alabaster nodded at Fluttershy with a message. “Be good, and remember what I told you.”

Fluttershy walked off with John thinking about the conversation she had with her new friend. Something made her think John had more to him than just a grouchy host. 
	
> Calls
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Lunch had come in a hurry. John had just finished his rice and left Fluttershy alone to study the alphabet. With his muscles sore after being hunched over for a while, John decided to relax with a quick shower. As he showered he recollected his thoughts, bringing together what had occurred during the day.

‘Nothing went wrong with the Alabasters,’ he thought to himself, ‘they seem to be healthy. Where is their son, I wonder? I haven’t seen him in a while.’ His curiosity turned to frustration as he was reminded of someone he hated. ‘The Evans’ son is someone I hope not to see again. That racist asshole nearly cost me my job a few times.’ He stopped as he remembered something startling.

“Crap, I have work!” he shouted in realization. “I have no one to care for Fluttershy.” Frantically, he reached for his phone past the shower curtain. “What day is it?”

His mind raced as he desperately thought of a solution. ‘Okay, okay, maybe she would do well alone at home. She’s a grown woman. What could possibly go wrong?”

	~~~~~~~


Fluttershy walked into the kitchen and rummaged around to find something to eat. As she opens the freezer she noticed the large bags of steaks, chicken and other meats he has stored. In a fit of rage, she grabbed the bags and chucked them out the door.

	~~~~~~~


‘That won’t work.’ John continued to think, ‘she hates meat. I can’t leave her alone with my fridge.’

He continued his shower as he thought of another idea. ‘Maybe I can leave her with a friend.’ He thought of all the possible choices. Not many were appealing. ‘Sven and his wife work. She just met the Alabasters, and Patrick hasn’t seen her yet. That may not be for the best. Martha has a strange work schedule. None of these people know anything about her!’

After having thought of all the possible people his mind went to one option. ‘I’m going to have to take her with me to work.’ John’s new revelation, though a solution to one problem, brought him greater frustration. “But I can’t have her work without documents... the immigrations office would have a field day with her. Shit, what can we do?” As he played out the situation in his head, he still needed assurance that things won’t go bad. “I’ll call Joe. Maybe we can work something out.’

He had made a decision. Feeling renewed, he jumped out of the shower and picked up his phone. Without hesitation, he searched through the contacts list to find the one titled ‘Joe Evans’. John stared at his phone, contemplating the words he would use. No matter how much he thought it through, he couldn’t get the words right. Most sounded like demands rather than requests. Finally he found an acceptable one and dialed the number.

The phone rang a few times, which left enough time for John to regret the call.

Finally, an answer. “Hello?”

“Joe,” John responded, relieved. “It’s me, John.” He bantered on as he thought of his words again.

“Oh, Johnny, what do you need?”

“Remember the girl we met on Tuesday?”

“Oh yeah, Butterfly? Right?”

“Fluttershy…” John corrected, “Anyway, I have a problem with her.”

“She’s not mankin’ you give up your gun is she?”

“It’s not that, I… I have no one to care for her while I’m at work.”

“Oh, well…” Joe paused, “why not bring her here?”

“The problem is not watching her so much as it’s keeping her entertained.” John explained. “I have to keep her happy while she stays here. Perhaps get her to help around the farm?” John immediately regretted his comment.

“Come on, Johnny!” Evans responded with playful disapproval. “I already got the Department looking at me for having migrant workers. If I make her work with no papers I can get my license pulled.”

“No, I mean like help the missus around, clean, maybe pass water and food to the workers?”

“Oh,” Joe sighed in relief, “well that she can do, as long as I don’t have to put her in the books.”

“Listen, Joe,” John continued, “these past few days have been strange for me.”

“How so?” John could feel interest in Joe’s words.

“Well first this whole thing with Fluttershy, and now my brother came to visit and…” without knowing how to finish that sentence he stopped with a sigh. “I don’t want to push people into doing something they don’t want to do.” He thought hard on this situation. “If you don’t want to take care of her, I could find someone else to…”

“Johnny,” Joe broke John’s train of thought. “I will help you. I brought you in this mess. Remember, I called you last Tuesday to get her. I should take some responsibility in her care.”

John thought hard about Joe’s words. There was truth behind them. If he hadn’t been called, he wouldn’t have met Fluttershy. If it wasn’t for him, she could have been hurt, or worse. They both shared responsibility in this. John was about to speak when he heard the faint jingle of an electronic ring. A light voice spoke behind Joe as he went off to talk off the phone. John could make out some of what was said. Evans had answered the phone in surprise. A name was said aloud in glee, ‘Andrea’.

“I gotta take this,” Joe set him off. “I’ll call you later to see what our plans are. Bye.” The click of the phone was all that followed.

After having heard the sound of his phone hanging up, John let out a sigh of relief. However his relief was not great standing as he thought more about his guest’s well-being. ‘What would we do if she wants to work?’ he toured himself with the question. Not knowing how to respond, he gripped his phone harder as his hand shot up in the air.  Before he threw his phone in frustration, he was stopped by a light vibration and a tropical drums ringtone.

He looked at the phone and saw unknown number come up as the phone continued to ring. John thought to himself it was, ‘new work? I could use it.’ John touched the screen to answer the call anticipating a new voice, perhaps an older female. Instead he receive a voice he was too familiar with.

“Uh, how are you doing?” called the gruff voice of a thirty-year-old man.

John was silent at first. His frustration grew as he remembered the wrongs he had done to him.

“Juan?” the voice asked again.

“How the fuck did you get this number?” John whispered as she gritted his teeth.

There was a silence on the end of the line for a moment. “I asked Ellen for your number, and she agreed.”

“Who told you that you could talk to the Grimmers, Andy? I left my mistakes with them. I don’t want to see them again!” He shouted angrily at the phone.

“I did this years ago, Juan. We still worry about you. We just wanted to make sure you were doing well.” Andrew tried to reason with John, hoping his heart would be open to a voice from the past.

“Why should it matter to…?” John noticed a hushed whimpering coming from the hallway. He turned to see Fluttershy hiding around the corner, shocked at the yelling that was directed at the small plastic slate. The sight grew heavy on John’s heart. “Could you excuse me for a moment?” John said with a sigh.

“Wh– who are you yelling at?” Fluttershy asked in a whimper.

“Sorry you had to hear that,” John apologized. “My brother called and I…” He couldn’t finish that sentence.

“John, you can’t stay mad at someone you love.”  She spoke from her heart. “When my friends made me mad I would always forgive them.” 

“I tried to forgive him but I just can’t forget the pain he caused me.” John replied as he thought deeply on her words. ‘Her help hasn’t failed me yet,’ he thought.

“My friend Applejack tells me that family is first, and that you can never stay mad at family.” Fluttershy held his hand as she looked into his eye. “Sometimes we just have to let things go for the sake of family.”

As he looked deeply into her eyes he couldn’t help but recall a familiar face from hers.. The soft blue eyes and pale skin reminded him of a ghost from his past. Her words brought back memories of this woman. John felt the tears coming from his eyes, all he could do was smile. “Thanks, Lucia,” he whispered.

A light murmuring came from the phone as Andy tried to get John’s attention again. John quickly picked up his phone and ,with a deep breath, continued his conversation.

“Listen, I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting.” John started. “Some things are hard to forgive.” His words were a cross between obligation and sincerity.

“I’m sorry for being a jerk to you before.” Andy said.

“So, what did you want?” John asked.

“I just had some time before a meeting and wanted to know how you were doing.” Andy replied hoping to get a straight answer out of him.

“Well, things have gone better.” John rubbed his head as he looked in Fluttershy’s direction.

“I noticed you have been getting into trouble recently with your car.” Andy continued.


“Yeah, those fucking kids have been bothering me ever since I moved here. Apparently they know of my past.”

“That sucks. Listen, the meeting is about to start. Can we meet up some time later?” Andy tried to stop as he noticed some people pulling him in.

“Well, you can stop by any time after five.” John hesitantly replied, “but I may get calls to do handiwork.” John thought about the consequences of what he had gotten himself into. He hoped he won’t screw things up.

“I’ll be there on Tuesday at six. Try not to make any other plans.” Andy made the arrangements.

“Alright,” John said with a fake smile. “See ya.”

“Bye.” Andy said as he hung up.

John let out a heavy sigh as the phone call ended. Fluttershy stepped closer to John as she noticed frustration pass through his body. Unaware of her presence, John gave a loud shout. His mind went blank as the primal scream flowed out of him.

Fluttershy let out yelp as she covered her head in fear. It was enough to alert John.

“Sorry about that,” John flinched as he noticed the woman covering her head as if an earthquake had passed. “I didn’t mean to scream.”

The frightened woman looked up slowly, checking to see everything was fine. After seeing John’s scared look, she let out a timid smile and sigh of relief. She stood up, grabbing her arm defensively as her eyes strayed away from John. He took notice and it had begun to bother him.

“Listen,” the embarrassed man apologized, “I’m sorry about yelling. I just have all this…” He waved his arms in frustration as the memories of what his brother did to him came back to him. “I haven’t been able to stand my brother for so long now.”

“Well, why?” Fluttershy asked abruptly. John look a quick look at her in surprise. “What could your brother have done that would upset you so much? If I may ask?”

John pouted as he held his frustration in as he had been doing for the longest time. For a moment he started to believe he had some way, someone he could let his frustration out on in a passive way. Normally he went to the gun range to shoot some targets, but even the most gun-crazy redneck in town said he should find something else less destructive. He fell into a sea of voices as he recalled all the upsetting moments he faced against his brother and father.  He had one thing to say to the woman who owed him her life and that he also owed her life to.

“We’ll have to sit down, maybe crack a few drinks. We’re going to have a long chat.” 

> The G-Brother
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“I’ll be there on Tuesday at six. Try not to make any other plans.” Andy made the arrangements.

“Alright,” John said politely. Andy wasn’t too convinced John was enthusiastic about his return. “See ya.”

“Bye,” Andy said as he hung up.

As the dial tone sounded, Andy let out a sigh. As he threw his head back against the wall of the office, he couldn’t help but think of the risks. “Why must I force him…” he whispered to himself.

As soon as Andy put the phone away, a knock came from the door. The door swung open and a well dressed man came in with a smile. “Special Agent Alvarez,” the man greeted him with his full title. “Are you quite done with your call?”

“Yes, I just had to make some arrangements.” Andy replied as he pocketed his phone. “My brother lives in town and I haven’t seen him in years.”

“Why so honest?” The man asked in curiosity.

Andy smiled and pointed at an antenna hanging down from the center of the room. “Standard issue phone tapping antennas. We have those at every office in the district. You just recorded my phone call.”

“Right, I forget we are on the same page when it comes to technology.” The man scratched his head.

“All government agencies use this technology to stop unwanted breaches in security. You should know we have them,” Andrew continued as he put away his phone.

“Then you should know we take our security very seriously here. We often visit the people contacted from this office immediately after contact.”

“Standard procedure,” Andrew continued. “But this was a friendly call between my brother and I. No need to visit him, you have the call recorded.”

“We’ll just have to be sure you didn’t give off our location.” The man stated his stance. 

“You can read the call as much as you want.” Andy stood his ground. “As long as you don’t visit my brother, we’ll be fine.” Andy ordered jokingly. “I’m still trying to make amends with him. A cop bustind down his door won’t do that any good.

“Right, can we set off? I have to introduce you and your partner.” The man gestured with his hands towards the hallway.

Andy walked down the hall towards a large, theater-like room. The room was full of men in suits and military-like uniforms. A large projection screen stood behind and above a podium on a stage with four chairs, two of which were taken by a white man and an African American woman. Andy sat beside the woman and the room quieted down as the man in charge stepped up to the podium. The room darkened as he began to speak.

“Good afternoon,” the man said, “I am Captain Oswald. Today we are here to get up to speed, if I can who would like to introduce themselves.” He stepped back from the podium, signaling to Andy to get up.

With all his thoughts in mind, Andy got close to the microphone and started. “I am Agent Andrew Alvarez, and this is my partner Agent Natalie March of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Affairs Department. I have heard what was declassified to us of your agency, Trans-Human Protection Agency, and have heard of your past uses and expenditures. Let me tell you this,” Andrew tried to be respectful, but with no avail, “you may be a world organization, but your branch lies within the confines and under the laws of the United States. Just like your branches in Russia and Israel, you follow the laws of the countries you live in.”

Andrew took a breath as he looked around in anticipation. He then continued. “Which brings me to the topic of why I’m here. For the past five years the various sources we have state that the civil rights of the people passing through the portal have been broken. Charges include assault, unlawful incarceration, torture, deprivation of necessities, and murder. An example of this is three years ago a young woman by the name of Amethyst Star who our inspector stated was locked in a room with inhospitable living conditions for fifteen days. She arrived on Earth when the ‘portal’ opened and was apprehended on March thirteenth, 2010. However she left your custody in terrible conditions on April twenty-eighth, 2010, as stated by your reports. And those reports stated this was done because, I quote, ‘she was a danger to everyone she touched as she burned them with touch.’” Andrew was appalled by what he was reading.

As he closed the file he looked angrily at the crowd. “The FBI was sickened by the vast difference between the reports and the inspections of each month. These people may not be of this world, according to the Trans-human sub-section of the Civil Rights Act  TH 83500b and Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 Portal clause 7762c.  However, both of these laws were placed by your agency in the Sixties, and state that through these portal they become humans, and they have the same rights as humans. By violating their rights, you are breaking international law and harsh punishments will come against your agency, including complete dissolution and replacement by another government agency. England, China, and Australia have done so and we have plans to do it here as well.”

Andy made his conclusion as powerful as he could. “We are here to make sure their rights are not violated any further, and when we heard of a new investigation we took the opportunity to inspect and make better practices. We will come back with our new ruling and more inspections. Thank you.” Andy stepped down and gave the podium back to the Captain.

“Right, now back to matters at hand,” he said shamelessly. “In this new investigation, this creature that passed into our world without permission. We have a method of monitoring entrance, which was left unattended as the storm approached. As we remember, some hoodlums last week stole some of our cameras and the rest were damaged by the sudden lightning storm later that week. However,” he lifted his hand to declare good news. “We have a piece of evidence. There was one camera that shot a picture. It is quite fuzzy but it will give us a hint of what we’re dealing with.”

He turned back to show on the screen a very blurry and colorless picture of a long-haired woman in a dress. The picture was taken  by an infrared and had no identifying colors. “The creature is said to be about five-eight, and as it walked out of the cave, the portal closed, leaving it no time to get back to where it belonged.” Oswald’s use of ‘creature’ and ‘it’ was really bugging the agents. “Hair color is bright, perhaps a variation of blonde. Pigment is clear so it may look Caucasian.”

He moved to the next slide, “We also have this.” The next slide featured a cloth shoe with golden wires and jeweled butterflies on a white background with a grid. “What can we deduct from this?” he asked rhetorically. “It may be from a rich family, or they have no sense in the value of the precious metals. Either way, by the looks of these creatures, they are nudists by nature and only wear clothes for formal events, as stated by our sources. It may be wanted back unharmed. We have to keep it safe before it hurts itself. It has been four days since the portal closed, which means that the creature couldn’t have gone far.”

The next slide was a map of central Colorado focused on the town of Dewford. A large circle highlighted showing possible range of travel. “If it walked far, it could have gone halfway to Denver, but seeing as these are social creatures would most likely stay in town with a friend they know. Remember, we can’t allow too much alarm. We will have to use our disguises and go a few at a time.

The next slide showed five people, one of which was an elderly woman. “We will question the usual suspects and ask them what they know about it. We will interrogate them first and then move on to public searching. We must find this creature and bring it to safety and document its stay.”

The conference had ended with a riled up crowd and a two dissapointed agents. Andrew noted the mixed signals in the crowd.  Some took more from Oswald’s speech than his own. Others felt to only follow his order out of fear. He could see why he was sent here. As he read through his notes he was interrupted by a swift slap to the back.  Instinctively he closed his notepad and shielded it from being taken. He turned to see his partner wearing a feigned smile.

“Some meeting, huh?” Her voice quivered as she spoke.

“I understand why you’re upset,” Andrew had worked long enough with her to now when she was upset. “Just keep looking professional. And don’t let them faze you.”

With a heavy sigh she looked at him. “Hearing him was a pain. It was speeches like that are the reason I left Tennessee.”

Andrew took the comment in as he recalled the harsh words Oswald said. “Oswald seems to believe these beings are not human. His command has brought damage to the Immigration Department’s reputation.” He looked at his notes and held the bridge of his nose. “We have to investigate how far this has gone. Go back to the hotel and send your report.” He signaled to the antenna in the hall.

March took heed of his signaled warning and walked towards the exit with a pat on Andrew’s shoulder. “I’ll catch you later.” She then stopped and turned her head. “By the way, when are you going to invite me to see your long lost brother?”

Andrew gave a smile as he turned to her, “I have to make sure he won’t kill me first.” March took the joke in and smiled back. She couldn’t help but feel some seriousness in his voice as she turned and walked the short corridor to the exit .

Andrew took a look at his phone and shifted through his pictures. The last few images were of a hispanic man tending to his car. Zooming in, he noticed an unimaginably saddened look in his face. He looked closely on the share icon in the corner of the screen, contemplating sending the image to his family, to let his daughter finally see her uncle. He scrolled through settings and deleted the most recent images.

“Emily shouldn’t see her uncle like this.” Andrew quietly told himself.


> Another talk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy sat quietly on the couch as she watched John take inventory. He placed the gun under lock and key, and placed the metal case under the cushions later to be occupied by Fluttershy, as John ordered. On the table he placed several glasses, a liter of apple juice and a bottle of apple brandy labeled Applejack. John called them ‘the essentials.’ Fluttershy did not ask. He placed one glass in front of the patient woman and poured only the apple juice. In his glass he poured two-thirds apple juice and a third of Applejack.

He took one large gulp and dropped down on the recliner, now positioned in front of the couch. After an alcohol induced hiss, he spoke. “So, where do you want to start?” he asked her. “My deadbeat father, my over-achieving brother, or my mother?”

Intimidated by the sudden look of hatred in his eyes she curled herself up, hiding her face. “Ah… Your f- f- father.” She struggled to say.

John looked at her cowering behind her legs. His head turned to the ground and, with a big sigh, he began the story. “My father met my mother in a border town in Mexico. He  was on a trip with his college buddies. She met him in the bar she worked in. She fell in love with him at first glance.”

After taking a moment to fully recollect the story, he continued with an angry sigh. “He was just looking for thrills. So he seduced her and got her into bed, seeing as he was leaving the next day. He knocked her up and left her to fend for herself. Fortunately for her, he left his ID in the bar before they left. A few days later she tracked him down to a suburb in Beverly Hills. It took her a year to get a passport and finally find him.”

“That… Sounds sweet.” Fluttershy commented.

John looked at the ground with distaste as he took another sip. “It would have sounded like a romantic story, if it wasn’t for her finding out he didn’t want to see her or my new born brother. He rejected them and went on trying to live his womanizing life. So guess what she did. She took him to court. They ruled in favor of my mother. Their fathers heard of this and forced a marriage between them. “ He took another sip of his drink. “Grandpa was the only one with brains in that situation.”

“But what happened afterwards?”

“Hell broke loose,” he said with scorn to himself. “It took a year of the illusion of marriage to bring him to try to be happy with her. A year later I was born. My American grandfather was the only father figure I had. My father focused on Andrew for the next few years, seeing as he was the one who looked the most like him. My brother took his pale skin, brown hair, and height. I looked more like my mother, tan and short– just another Mexican to him. Grandpa died of a stroke when I was five and then my father went back to womanizing and abusing my mother.”

Fluttershy gasped. “Abuse?” Her thoughts about his parents changed in an instant. She couldn’t  think of something that bad happening.

“Not physical, at least not all the time. She fell into a depression as he told her he would go take care of Andrew, and she would take care of the other one.” John scoffed. “‘The other one’, can you believe that? His own son and he calls me the ‘other one.’ My mother couldn’t take it and went to live with her new friends. They took care of her.”

Fluttershy could see John’s hands shaking as he continued to drink glass after glass.

“My brother and I had different addresses.” John continued, “it was awkward going to the same school as we had to explain to our teachers we didn’t live together. I tried my hardest to do the best I could, to show my father I was good enough for him. But I could only get B’s while Andrew got A’s. I could never live up to him. I could only think of Andrew’s smug face as he learned that he was better than me in any and every way. After college, I joined the police force. There, I took pride with my combat abilities and passed with flying colors.”

John sat still as he took another sip. Fluttershy felt as if John had fallen into a void of dark emotion. She tried to think of something to say, but with the stories he was telling she believed it wasn’t the best time for her to speak. She was frightened.

John finally drew from his trance and continued. “I decided to call my brother to show off. He said he was accepted to a government job at the FBI. Always a one-up with him.” He slammed his glass down on the table. “All my life I wanted to be with him and he obviously thought I was too much of an uptight asshole to have my company. Now I know he is just better than me.” John teared up with an angry smile. “Not even surviving several shootouts and taking down the biggest drug den in the city was enough was enough for them, so I thought, ‘Fuck them, If you don’t appreciate me I will do my best with what I know, even If I have to kill people along the way.’”

“K- kill?” Fluttershy stammered at the word. “You didn’t really kill ponies, did you?”

“Ponies, no. Hardened criminals, yes.” He took a long sip this time. As he refilled his glass, he began to talk about his exploits in self-defense. “There was Enrique Ortega, a bank robber in 2005. He was armed to the teeth and shooting at all that came his way. It took a shot to the head to stop him. Received  a promotion afterwards.”

 John took a deep breath and sighed as he continued to tell his story. “Then there was Andrew Craig, a white supremacist holding the immigration office hostage. One shot to the heart and he was stopped before detonating.” His expression dimmed as he went on. He was about to start on his next kill when a loud shriek came from the couch.

“You monster! You monster,” Fluttershy cried in anger as she pounded her fists into the seat, “how could you take the life of another being. How could you…”

Scream after scream, John continued to look unfazed at his drink.

“You took the life of somepony who had dreams and aspirations, somepony who wanted to provide for their families and live long lives. And you boast about it! What kind of sick, depraved monster are you?” Fluttershy continued to berate him only stopping to take a breath. Her eyes were red with anger as she glared at him.

John waited for a moment of silence to get his words in. “I wasn’t boasting.” He said with deep sadness in his heart. “I killed those people because they would have murdered more If they had the chance. I had to stop them. They weren’t in their right mind and were armed, I just wish I could have prevented more without having to kill. But that was impossible.” Tears began to fall from his eyes as he relived yet another kill.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


John ran down an alley to get to cover. As he called to his radio, he could hear gunshots coming closer to him. He crouched down, leaning onto a box when he heard some rustling behind him. He turned, expecting to see a cat but instead saw a mother with her two children cowering behind him. Signaling to them to stay quiet, he turned to see the barrel of a fully automatic rifle peering around the wall.

 John acted quickly. He jumped out out of his cover he screamed at the top of his lungs as he got into a tussle with the criminal. John hoped to not get killed as he grabbed the barrel of the rifle tightly as it went off into the air and ground. As he heard the screams from the family, he took out his pistol and at blank range he fired a shot directly into the criminal’s skull. He fell to the ground and looked over to the family.

One of the children lay on the ground in a pool of blood. The mother screamed to her child, crying for him to get back up. The screams cut deep into his mind as he watched the mother be pulled away from the child by the police. John’s partner took hold of of him and pulled him aside, however he could not hear them as ears rung and mind was occupied by the child in the alley.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“I, I just couldn’t save anyone,” John cried. “It was either him or me, no one else was supposed to get involved.”

Fluttershy didn’t know how to respond. She was angry at him a minute ago, but now she felt great sympathy for him. She now realized he didn’t want to kill any one of them. From how he reacted, it didn’t seem like he had a choice. Her heart told her she had to console this man, to keep him from harming himself. She sat down next to the crying man, hesitantly embraced him, and softly placed his head hear her chest. She started to sing her song again as she rocked him back and forth like a child.

John seemed to calm down a bit as he lifted his head straight. He looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, seeing the same blue eyes he fell in love with years ago. John had a few drinks in his mind as the voice in his head was drowned by thought telling him to move in. He followed through and leaned in with his eyes closed. 

With a successful kiss, he leaned back to see a shocked face. John sobered up quickly and fell into a state of embarrassment. As he tripped on his own words, his face reddened and ran off into his bedroom. He blocked the door with his body, heavily panting in shock. Slowly he slid to the ground with his hands gripped on his forehead

Fluttershy sat in the living room shocked about what had just occurred. She looked at the hallway expecting to see John come back. He did not. She was left alone in the room with bottles of drink and a cloud of silent uneasiness.
	

> Return Of the Prodigal Daughter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Wow. Dewford,” said a clean shaven man driving a top-of-the-line sedan. “It’s been years since I came to visit,” he continued talking to the woman in the passenger seat. “How’s Joshua doing? Is he still the rebel of the house?”

The woman continued to look out the window as they turned off the highway and entered the mountain road with a sign labeled ‘Dewford: 12 miles’. She stared out the window with hope shining in her eyes.

“Andrea,” the man pushed her to get her attention. “Are you listening?”

“Sorry, Will,” Andrea shook from her trance and smiled at him. “I was just thinking of someone,” A childish smile grew on her face. “Someone I’m hoping to see when I get back.”

Will got a large grin on his face. “Oh really? Is it Boogerface Mc’gee or Turnbuckle Stan?” Will said in jest.

Andrea wasn’t too pleased with it. “Will… Ew…” After a chuckle from Will, Andrea got the courage to tell him. “His name is John. He moved in just about three years ago.”

“John, eh?” Will was curious about her choice. “What’s he like?”

“He came from California as a retired police officer. You should meet him. He makes the best Mexican food. But I guess that’s because he is Mexican.”

“Mexican?” He responded, “Joshua wouldn’t like that very much. What does he do?”

“He mostly works in the farm as the supervisor for the field workers. But I heard he helps around town whenever he can. He has a sweetheart and is always willing to help our family.”

“He seems like a nice guy. Are you sure he hasn’t met anyone yet?” Will responded, tormenting her hopes.

Andrea pouted crossing her arms, “I hope he left himself open for me. I told him I would be waiting for him.”

She remained quiet for the following minute, thinking of what to tell him if he had someone else in his life. Suddenly she got an idea.

“Will,” she called to her eldest brother

“Yeah?”

“Mind if we make a detour before going home?”

“Sure, where to?”


_________________________________________



The room was filled with discomfort. John stood in the kitchen preparing the cream of wheat as slowly as he could. He couldn’t stop thinking about last night. As he stirred the pot he couldn’t help but think, ‘How drunk was I? I haven’t kissed anyone since Lucia. And her, why does she attract me so much?’ His hand stopped moving as his eyes slid closed. He let out a sigh, thinking of things that could be. He remembered her smiling face appearing every time he was down. Her consoling words that brought him out of his sorrows always made him smile. He continued to think how Fluttershy was a lot like her.

“I can’t get attached to her. She is leaving next month.” He said aloud.

His nose alerted him to the smell of burning milk. With haste, he turned off the flame and removed the pot from the stove. He cursed himself out loud for his carelessness. Fluttershy heard the commotion in the kitchen, however she did not respond as her mind was drifting, wondering why John had spent the whole morning avoiding her. The bags under his eyes made it seem he had not slept well since the incident from last night. The fact that it was almost noon didn’t help.

Her mind sped as she recalled what had occurred that night. “John had a bad life,” she told herself softly, “he has a lot to deal with his brother coming here. And that kiss…” She stopped as she saw him exit the kitchen holding two large plates, each with cream of wheat and two orange halves.

John set Fluttershy’s food on the table as he continued on into the living room. Fluttershy stared at him as he set his food down and turned on the television. The focused glare on his face was enough to show how bothered by the situation he is.

She sat looking at her plate, not knowing what to expect. She couldn’t look at John the same way after last night. She knew killing was bad in Equestria and the punishment was drastic. However this was a strange new world for her and she was unaware if killing was seen the same here as it is back home. She would need to stay on her toes.

As she ate her breakfast, she smelled the burned wheat. It was good, but she couldn’t help but think John was being clumsy this morning. ‘Perhaps he stopped caring.’

A knock came from the front door. John slowly moved to check who it was as he reached for the bat beside the door.


________________________________


“So this is the place?” Will surveyed the area. He paid extremely close attention to the car. The beat up Honda Civic with paint marks on the door raised his suspicion. “I guess he isn’t very clean.”

“Oh shut up, he just has trouble with the neighborhood kids.” Andrea protested. “But I’m sure he still likes me more than anyone else in town. I’ve always treated him like a person rather than just a neighbor.”

The door opened a crack as the nose of a Hispanic male appeared from behind the door. “Who is it?” he asked.

“It’s Andrea.” Andrea answered with a smile.

“And the other one?” John continued interrogating.

“Uh, I’m William Evans, her brother.” Will was confused from the first impression.

John looked at them for a few seconds before opening the door. “Come on in.” John said as he placed the bat down.

Andrea walked in as a smile was wiped from her face as she saw an image that disgusted her. Across the room she could see a woman with hair as pink as a swollen thumb eating at the dinner table. Andrea could not comprehend why this strange woman was here in pajamas.

“Don’t mind the mess, I don’t get many visitors.” John said out of habit.

Will looked around and the only mess was that of the food on the coffee table. “I don’t… mind.” His confusion continued.

“Have a seat on the couch,” John offered as he continued on to his seat.

Andrea continued to glare at the stranger at the kitchen table as she sat down.

“So,” Will started as he looked over to the kitchen, “Who’s the girl?” He looked over to his sister who had her head twisted towards the dining room.

John eased out of his mood as he felt shame that he was ignoring Fluttershy. "This is Flu..." He stopped himself, "Mary, an old friend from California." John was still not good at telling that lie yet.

Andrea looked back at John, reading the shame on his face. "Why is she here?" She asked abruptly. Will turned sharply with a look of disapproval.

John remained silent as he tried to remember their lie. The pair looked at him with anticipation, slowly growing suspicious of his intent. Suddenly he broke out with the first thing he could think of. 

"She's visiting for a month. She came to me for help with..." His head hurt from the drinking last night and lack of sleep. "With some thugs back home." As he looked at their faces hoping to get a positive reaction from them.

"So," Andrea spoke first, "is she some sort of prostitute?"

"'Drea!" Will was enraged by the comment.

"What? I've never seen anyone with pink hair like that before, so i just thought..." Andrea tried a defend herself.

John was silent as he heard Andrea's words. “If you only knew,” he whispered to himself. He sat filling with rage as that one word buzzed through his head. Will noticed.

"Calm down, she didn't mean it," he said with great worry. "She didn't mean it"

"That is her natural hair color," John protested, “she was born that way and had always been teased for it. She became very defensive about it, enough that she is afraid of rejection." John sat still hoping his tall tale was believable.

Andrea stood up and looked John in the face with her hand rustling through her golden brown hair. "Sorry, Johnny," she apologized with a seemingly mocking tone that only Will noticed, "I should know better than to talk before hearing the whole story." Will rolled his eyes.

John sighed as he looked at Fluttershy. She had been listening to the conversation between tasting the burnt cream of wheat. Worried about her reputation, John felt the need for her to talk.

He silently headed over to the table and stood beside her. She looked back at him weary of what to expect.

John felt an awkward breeze come from her as he tried to talk. "Listen, Flu... Mary, we have some new visitors. Why don't you..." A knock came from the door. "Ah, who could it be now?" John said angrily.


_______


"Okay Mickey," said an off-duty officer Bridges at the door of the Alvarez residence, "you can do this. Just ask her out, you've done in high school, you can do it now."

The door swung open to the sight of an irate Mexican who calmed down as he stood by the door.

"Oh, officer... Mitch?" John said as he tried to remember his name.

"It's Michael." He replied with little confidence.

"What can I do for you?"

"Well... I, um," Mike tried to bring his words together. His mind was filled with unpleasant memories of dealing with fathers.

John tried to guess why he was here, he had a good idea. "You're here for Mary aren't you." John said in a flat tone of displeasure.

Mike twitched at the comment. He didn't expect to be so obvious. Then again, he was cleanly dressed with a button-up shirt and khakis. His hair was well groomed and he stank of cologne. Honestly, John could see the shameful face of a teenage boy desperate for a date.

With a heavy sigh he stepped out and closed the door. "Mike, look." John started softly. "I can tell you have a thing for Mary, everyone can see it. But remember what I said before. She is not from here and unfortunately she is not going to stay. She has a month left here before she is taken back. Why would you want her if she only has a month to be with you?" John's chest hurt as he said this.

"I thought I... I would get a chance of happiness with her here." Mike shook at the thought of never seeing her again. "Why does she have to leave?" he asked out of curiosity. "Maybe i can convince her to stay."

John stared off into the distance, 'if it were that easy.' He thought to himself as he opened the door. "Go home. Forget about asking her out. It will be easier on you."

Mike watched as he closed the door his heart shattered from John's harsh words. As he stepped away from the door, he began to wonder if John was hiding something from them.

 John entered the house with a grim look in his face. As he shut the door, he was surprised to see Andrea having a chat with Fluttershy. They were both smiling and laughing about something. The sight raised his spirits as he asked what was going on.

"Andrea was telling me about her volunteer work at the shelter." Fluttershy said with a smile.

"Volunteer?" He was confused. "How did this come up?”

"I was asking Andrea about her community service in Denver and Mary here shot out of her seat and joined in." Will explained.

After a sigh of relief, John walked back to his seat. "She loves animals."  

John stared at the girls talk about animals, first about puppies and kitties and soon about wolves and birds. He began to believe he was a bit hard on himself. Maybe he should forget what he believed about her. He should just enjoy the time he has with her here.

An hour passed and Will signaled it was time for them to go. Fluttershy believed she made a new friend. Andrea and Will drove off to their parents' home. Along the way Will's smile turned serious as he brought up a worry.

"Andrea, be nice to that girl. I don't want this to turn into another boy fight." He ordered her with great worry.

“Don’t worry about it.” Andrea said with pride, “she’s not a threat to me, you see how he reacted to her. He doesn’t even want her there.”
	

> Talk with the goddess.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John sat on his couch, contemplating what to do next.

“She's only staying a month,” he continued to tell himself, “I can't keep getting too involved with her.” His heart was torn after his talk with the rookie. Something told him he was not the only one with those feelings.

He looked at Fluttershy as she watched television and took notes of various words and their English translation. He was happy to see her taking the time to learn a new language since this was something he wouldn’t do himself. As he watched, he grew tired, mostly because he spent most of the night playing games on his computer. He knew he needed rest, but didn’t want to leave her unattended. He thought, however, that if he took a quick nap he could find some peace. Perhaps for just a few minutes.


_____________________


John opened his eyes to see a garden stretching from horizon to horizon. As far as he could see, the field carried every type of plant he knew. There were no large structures in sight, only a small cabin in the distance. As he looked around he noticed there was a strange peace between the animals. Both predators and prey pranced around without hurting each other. It was like something out of some religious fantasy. John felt relaxed as he walked past the animals and listened the silence of the garden.

Off in the distance, he noticed a familiar figure stroking a horse. He drew closer to investigate. She turned to him and smiled, her shy gaze slipping to the ground. She walked around the tame horse, hiding from John as he playfully followed her. She wrapped her white arms around the horse's neck, her golden brown hair tussling down her neck.

As John slowly reached for her arm, tears ran down his cheek. Unfortunately, as he felt the softness of her hand, she began to vanish. Her beautiful face faded into the background. John cried at the top of his lungs as the woman he tried embrace vanished into the scenery.

From up top a hill, John noticed another familiar face appear. Even though half her face was covered by flowing pink hair, her shy expression was enough to recognize her by. He ran to her in hopes of embracing her, but  he did not even get any closer with each step he took. He tried shouting at her but she did not react. She turned, and took slow steps away from him, disappearing over the hill. When she took the last step out of John's vision, he fell to the ground and cried to himself as the paradise crumbled around him.

In the darkness which surrounded him came a voice he heard only once before. "Break off thy sorrow human, for we are here to help."

John looked up to see a tall woman in a flowing gown and blue hair walking towards him. Her face reminded him of the angel which visited him in a previous dream.

"Your heart is filled with great loss, is it not?" She continued. "You spoke of this to Fluttershy last night, or at least some." She stopped close to him and reached her hand out to him.

"I have nothing to hide." John slapped her hand out of the way.

With a look of disapproval, the woman scolded him. "’Tis a lie." She raised her hand bringing clouds with floating images. One of them was the woman from earlier in the dream, one was of Fluttershy, and the last was of a police badge in his hand. "I can see even the most locked away memory, bringing them back to light." She brought down the image of the woman, as the image began to move with first person perspective of a trip to Santa Monica pier. "This woman is of great interest to me. She was your mate for years. However, her disappearance from your memory was a tragedy." She brought the badge to the spotlight as the image showed an office with John throwing his badge at the desk, moving his head angrily. "After her disappearance, you were no longer happy. You quit your job as a city guard and shut yourself in. It was a shame. You never saw happiness after that."

John was furious with the woman bringing up his buried past. "Why the hell are you showing me this crap?" he asked, trying to get to the point.

"You were unhappy, that is, until you met her." She enlarged the image of Fluttershy as she ate her salad at the restaurant. Her soft smile softened John's heart. "It has been five days into the month and you have made many changes in your life ever since you met her. You even put her well being before yours. Why is that?"

He began to talk about it for a bit. One thing came to mind.

"She reminds me of Lucia so much," he said to himself as he looked between the two moving pictures.

"That is a problem," the woman said with worry in her voice. John was confused. "Mr. Alvarez, we have been watching you. You have lied, fought, and sacrificed for my good friend. You have opened yourself to her and she has helped you with some problems. Truly, the magic of friendship flows between you two."

With a smile, John silently thanked her.

"However," she continued, "we fear you may be getting too close to her."

John remained silent.

"We want her to be happy, John. But she can't be happy if you are not." She brought new matters to attention. “Fluttershy is a good mare. She wants her friends to be happy. It's in her kind nature. But she is shy in unfamiliar situations. We want to be sure you are making her happy in her stay. But you have to be happy first. So what is it you want?"

John dug deep into his heart to and came to a realization. "I want her."

The woman raised an eyebrow as she tried to accept the answer. "What makes you say that?"

John thought of how to explain it. He remembered when they were at the market. Fluttershy was there to calm him down. When he felt depressed she would make him better. It all came to one thing. "She is the only one who made me feel human since Lucia died." he stated "I want to continue feeling good. Like I do when she is around. "

"That is a hard wish to accomplish," the woman replied with worry. "You are from different worlds, and you cannot follow her. We've seen your diet and ours is not compatible with yours."

John felt sorrow as he heard that he couldn't keep her in his life for too long. Tears fell from his cheeks. The woman was distraught to see the grown man cry like a child.

An idea popped into her head. "We believe we have come up with a compromise”

John tried to pay attention as he felt a rubbing on his chest. The world around him grew brighter as he felt himself waking. The woman lifted her hand. With a final word she spoke out, “be careful what you say to her, as she may not feel the same way.”


______________________________


John opened his eyes to see a frantic woman pointing at the television. “John! John, look!” she said as she rubbed his chest in.

Groggy and disoriented, he looked at the television to see a children’s cartoon playing. It was a show about pastel-colored horses in a magical land. “What about it?”

“They mentioned Equestria,” she said frantically.

“What about it?” John was even more confused than ever.

“That’s my home. That’s where I’m from.”

John looked at the television, hoping that this was a dream. However, the more he watched, the more he saw similarities. Her use of the word ‘pony’ began to scratch the back of his head as one as the characters on the show used the terms ‘everypony’ and ‘somepony’, as if it was everyday language.

“How can you be from a cartoon world?” John refused to believe it. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“B­u–” Fluttershy calmly protested, “but it’s not a cartoon, they… I recognize the way they talk. And the world is the same. Some of those unicorns looked familiar.”

“Unic…” John rubbed his brow as he became even more confused. “Unicorns are just a fairy tale. They don’t exist, just like dragons, and honorable lawyers.”

“But, I’ve tamed a dragon, and Twilight has a baby dragon with her.” She started to get irritated.

John gripped his nose in frustration. No matter what he said, it he couldn’t get her to understand that the show wasn’t real. She was so stubborn about it, more than he had seen her about anything before.

She looked at him in defeat, tears running from her eyes. “Why… Why won’t you believe me?” she sniffled.

John was struck with guilt. He knew nothing about this woman, but he was denying what she believed was true about her life. To this point he believed many things about what she was, from a hippie to an angel. He sat back down, not knowing what to believe.

He looked at her with his mind racing with evidence he went on to get an idea of who she was. He thought of what to say as the saddened face looked at him in fear. Only one question came to mind.

“What are you?”
	

> Classified
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Andrew sat at a computer in the Agency’s library as he waited for his partner to return. He looked at the clock as he realized his time was very limited on the database of the THPA. Andrew thought it was because they didn’t want him to find sensitive material. As he skimmed through the introductory files, he noticed a folder named ‘Equestria’. He was intrigued by the title and opened the folder.


____________________________________


1826: First Contact.


Summarized by Sir Jacob Frederickson


Documented by Captain Abraham Riel: 1826


Our agency, following a group of pioneers on their way westward, had to take shelter from a storm in a valley. We entered a settlement of what appeared to be natives, however they did not act like the average savages we had encountered before. This had metal tools and organized structures, they even took to us and helped our group. A strange marking appeared on their shoulders, different from one another. They were of different races and wore very little clothing, most of which was made of plant fibers. We believed they were savages, however they acted civilized and even had written manuscripts. As we inspected their diet we saw it consisted of mostly fruit and grains, none of them ate meat. This was awkward when our men offered them jerky.

To our amazement the visitors seemed to speak our language, or at least a language similar to ours. Their manuscripts were written in a rune styled script which made it difficult for us to learn more about them. The maps they had of our world were unreadable and confusing to our partners as they could not tell which way the map was facing.

Our men often tried to communicate with them, however they felt confused over the use of equine nouns in everyday words. They used the phrase ‘every pony’, rather than ‘everybody’ or ‘every one’. Markus, one of the travelers, felt so irritated by this that he assaulted one of the visitors. I had to explain that they were still learning our language and they probably were told this as a joke, a lie my team had to uphold until the end of their stay.

As soon as the storm passed, the travelers headed west, but I stayed behind along with a handful of members from our agency. We believed to have found a portal to another world. Upon further investigation the visitors explained that they came from a portal known as the Moon Stone. This portal only opened near full moons and, to our understanding, changed them from equine creatures to human upon transportation. Upon further explanations they taught us that unlike this world, their world was one where dragons and other legendary creatures lived. This was a historical find for us.

They appear to have been horses with mystic powers in their world and had come to ours to originally research our world. Unfortunately they took it as a spot for family trips and holiday. Families had began to visit our world for pleasure. We explained the dangers of what had been happening to the natives and told them to carefully retreat. For their safety they retreated, however a few of the guardians stayed to help us create our depot to protect the portal.

We petitioned headquarters to send men to our aid in disguising the Moon Stone as a new settlement. We were sent settlers and to our location in with the guise of fertile soil. A settlement named Dewford was founded in 1863 as a farming community in the valley. The portal itself is in a mountain five miles northeast from the border of ranch. Our base is just five hundred yards from the portal as to not raise suspicion. My final request is we investigate their world before we can claim them friend or foe.


__________________________________


Andrew was intrigued by the history of this location. However, he was confused by the name ‘Equestria’. It sounded similar to something he may had heard on TV. He continued to move on as he felt a childlike curiosity about this world.


__________________________________



1908: Entrance



Told by Markus Wie


After many ventures into the portal in the past, none have been able stay longer than three minutes. The portal has some strange properties as it transforms the traveler into whatever creature they most closely represent, mainly horses and other livestock. The change was too much for our explorers.

Last month’s venture had a bit of success as we made contact. A young mare by the name of Annie Smith promised to have some provisions ready for us, along with some guides. We took some equipment with us, including a camera, test tubes for samples, and cartography tools. Some took weapons with them just in case. I advised against it but they were persistent. Our preparations were made and the portal opened and we passed through. There were six of us: Dr. James Cambridge, Dr. Leroy Michaels, Sergeant First Class Joannes Rogers, Corporal Henry Briggs, Photographer Griffin Deans and myself.

From personal experience, the sensation was strange when we were transformed. It took a while to get the taste of anomaly out of my mouth. When I opened my eyes I could sense something was wrong, I looked around to see my partners had turned into colorful horses with markings on our flanks. Mine was a scroll and a quill. I had a horn on my head which by their understanding made me a unicorn. We were each of different races, it appeared.

We were greeted by a rather small group of guards. The Sergeant tried to draw his weapon, but it was useless with the hooves we were given. However, the guards didn’t have any problem as the held their spears with a glowing essence which they later told us was Unicorn magic. The Sergeant was confused by all this and stood his ground.

Soon the guards parted as their ambassador and princess came to inspect us in full armor. She introduced herself as Princess Celestia and told us not to worry as we were in safe hands. The guards took our camera equipment and proceeded to inspect the lenses. After a quick explanation of what they were, they were intrigued by our technology. The Princess led us into town and we were greeted by a multitude of colorful horses of all shapes and size.

We had a small dinner of oats and fruits. The Sergeant scared the townsfolk when he asked if he could get some meat. They quickly explained that they were herbivores, which was an amazement to the men. I could understand, they are horses. We were then taken to a cottage to rest where I found that one of our cameras and rifles were missing. The Princess explained that they were taken to be studied, as they were fascinated by the technology. I was worried, since our autochrome sates were in the bag was in that camera.

For the first few days we traveled across town inspecting the works of our new neighbors. They were quite humble in their works. However, one thing that upset our men was something I pointed out. We were told that the females were the dominant gender of the culture. While the males were important in industry and the hard work force, the females were dominating with décor, social activities, and political jobs. I met the mayor and I was surprised it as a mare.

The mayor told me that it is common for a mare to be head of the decision making, however the stallions would rather work with their muscles than their brains. It didn’t help that our men spent the day to rile the stallions up only to find out they get paid more for doing hard work than they would if they were party planners or mayor. The Sergeant was detained, as we were told by the guardsmen, and this didn’t come to a surprise for me. He was protesting over the the gender differences. To add insult to injury he was restrained by a female guard. He did not like that.

Their language was also strange. While they spoke English, thanks to the teaching they received from Sir Frederickson, they used pronouns that use the word “Pony” in place of “body”, “people”, or “person”. This was confusing and challenging when we talked about our home lives with them.

After my report on the social structure was done I headed to find a family fitting for  my study. I found one which had some potential. The Apple family, as they called themselves, were a model example of a family unit in this world. I followed them to the outskirts of town into an orchard. There I found how the families worked. The parents took turns raising the children. The father worked hard during the day to return to tell the children stories by dark and hold the family together emotionally.

Weekends were three days long and the families took the time to have fun. According the father the farm hands have set schedules to work during the four day week. Working the weekend was optional in most businesses as stated by Equestrian law. Marriage laws were also strange; it seems they do not differentiate between who gets married as long as the love is real. There were race mixing and even inter species between deer and horse, cow and sheep; the Sergeant was appalled. As a Christian man I found it strange that two males could form a union,. I had a few problems accepting it but the agency clearly states to “expect the unexpected.” I tried to hold it in as much as i could.

The month passed quickly and we managed to survive. Our camera was returned after “magical dissection” and they showed us a prototype for their own. I believe that with magic, things can advance faster. One thing we noticed was that we formed an appetite for hay and oats. When we returned home the doctors told us it was probably a reaction to changing into horses, when we get visitors they tend to get cravings for meat and it shocks their minds. Living our life as a vegetarian is strange when you feel tempted to eat your fellow animals.

This is a summarized report; the full report is in the archives.

__________________________________________________________


Andrew sat back as he saw the guards enter the room.

“Time’s up,”  they said as they turned off his computer. With tactful force, he was escorted out of the room and pushed out as the doors were shut behind him.

Andrew felt confused as he checked his watched and saw he had still half an hour in with of computer use. He believed they were hiding something but chose not to fight it. He headed out to his car. Along the way, he met up with his partner.

“Didn’t got too well, did it?” Natalie asked in jest.

“It’s like they don’t want us digging in here,” Andrew replied.

“They’re at the end of their rope and they know it. I found enough reason to get them dissolved.” Natalie replied with grim pleasure.

“Did you send the report?”

“Got a reply. They’ll be here next week on standby until their investigation goes haywire.” She said with hope, “our job here is almost done; now I just need to wait for the next slip-up and we will take them down.”

“I don’t think he will go down without a fight.” He replied with worry.

“Why”?

“I don’t know. After what he’s pulled in the past ten years, I think he is a ticking time bomb.” He replied with his hand on his forehead.

“Listen, why don’t you just relax? Take a break, after all tomorrow is Sunday. Just take a break, visit your brother, or go out on the town. I’ll be in my hotel finishing the report.”

Andrew let out a sigh. “You're right. I’ve been working too hard for the year, I need a small breather. I’ll call my brother and see if he wants to change our appointment.”

"And Drew." She let out a final word, "You take care of yourself as well. I know he is the only family you have left, but you still treat yourself badly after the accident three years ago. Be careful and don't hurt yourself."
John turned to think of what she said. He spent years being sorry for himself. the anger of his father damaged him and he tried his hardest not to follow it.

________________________________________________


Back in the main office, Oswald looked through his monitor at the outside parking lot footage. Andrew got into his car and left with Natalie following him. A call came in and Oswald answered.

“Yes,” he answered.

“We got a breach,” said the officer on the other end, “half our classified information has been streamed to Washington. They took Sea Breeze along with it.”

“Damn it!” Oswald slammed his fist down in anger. “That file should have been destroyed.”

“What do we do?” The officer asked.

After a deep breath, Oswald made a daring decision. “Follow them, make sure they don’t stray too far from your sight. And tell White to fire up the servers for failsafe Gamma.”

“Sir?” The officer sounded worried.

“That’s an order, lakie!” he shouted. After he hung up the call he contemplated on his plan like a chess game in his head. He seemed ready to flip the board.


> Disbelief
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy sat opposite from John as he tried to wrap his mind around the information he was just given. As he continued to watch the show, he realized it was rather entertaining. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling that these techni-colored horses had something to do with the origin of the woman living in his house.

Without speaking, he reached for the remote and turned off the television. He dropped back down to his chair and looked straight ahead as he planned his next words. Fluttershy sat and stared at him with fear in her eyes.

Finally the silence was broken. “So what you are telling me is, you are a horse,” he investigated as his eyes slowly panned to her.

Fluttershy hid behind her long hair and responded, “umm, technically… a pony.”

“Right, right, a pony.” He continued, “and you had wings as well, am I correct?”

“I… am a pegasus.”

“A pegasus, with a unicorn friend, with a dragon.”

Fluttershy did not respond. John sat silently as he contemplated his next words in a way that would not hurt her feelings.

“Yeah, I don’t believe that bullshit.” He did not find any softer words.

A soft sniffling came from across the coffee table softened his heart. He turned to see the woman crying behind her rose hair. Suddenly, a feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. John stood up and reached to calm her with a touch on the shoulder. She flinched as the feeling of his hand shocked her.

John couldn’t stand seeing her cry. He sat beside her and positioned himself to embrace her. With an awkward motion, he held her softly and tried to shush her to submission. As the woman calmed down, John’s feeling of awkwardness was overshadowed by accomplishment of breaking a barrier.

“Thanks,” was a the only word said, though it was said by the wrong person.

After a pleasing moment of silence, his phone rang. John ended the embrace and headed into his room his phone. The number was one he did not expect today.

“Hello?” John answered.

“Johnny, do you have a moment?” The familiar voice from the other end stopped John in his tracks.

“What do you want?” John asked angrily.

“Listen, I may not have as much time to stay here in town. Mind if I come by tomorrow?”

“Umm,” John was surprised. Normally a sudden change in scheduling was no problem. However this was something he did not plan for. John began to think about how he would tell him off when he was interrupted.

“Listen, John,” Andrew started. “I know how you feel about dad, and to be honest I felt the same way about it too.” John was shocked. “I guess we need to talk more about dad when I come over. I have so much to tell you.”

John was in awe of what he just heard. He felt there was more to this than he thought, and was compelled to hear more about it. After hearing a grown man fall silent on the other end, John felt the need to talk to him. “Andrew…”

“I just want to get to know you.” Andrew sounded worried. “I want to know my brother.”

As uncomfortable as John was with this, he felt old habits come, and felt compelled to comfort him. “Listen, I have nothing to do this afternoon, how’s about you come by today?” Every bone in his body was telling him to stop. “I would like to talk to you.”

“Alright,” Andrew grew hopeful. “I’ll be over in a bit.” John could feel the man calming down on the other end. “And John,” he interrupted before he signed off, “thank you for listening.”

What followed was the silence of a phone no longer in use. John continued to hold his phone up, pondering over what had just occurred.

Conflicted over the conversation he still had one thing on his mind. “Fluttershy,” he whispered to himself as he remembered his lie wouldn’t work on him.

John’s thoughts raced as he tried to come up with a possible story to explain where she came from. As he walked into the living room, he could only think of one thing to say.

“Fluttershy,” he said as he tried to hide his frustration. “We are getting a visitor today, so can you stay quiet while he’s here?”

She was curious to hear those words, “umm, can I ask why? If that’s okay.”

John felt that he shouldn’t lie to her, as her trust was all she had. With a sigh he told her the truth. “Remember that story we told Martha about… where you’re from?” She gave him a nod, “well, that story won’t work on my brother. He is coming over today. He knows all my friends and family from home, and can investigate on your origins since he works for the government.” He got louder as he went on, “you came to me with no papers, identification, or possible story about your origin. You may be an alien for all I know.”

“But…” Fluttershy tried to get her words together, “but I am a pegasus.”

“And pegasus-es don’t live on our world.” John interrupted. “We have to come up with a believable story about you before they take you away from me!” His voice was raised as he grew more serious.

Fluttershy gave an audible ‘meep’ as she covered her face from John’s view. John felt ashamed as he heard some soft whimpers let out by the frightened woman.

“I...” Fluttershy peeked through her fingers. “but, I thought you didn’t care about me.” She whimpered as she looked at the saddened face of the man standing beside her.

John took those words in as he tried to get his words together. His voice went soft. “Wh-What would make you say that?” 

“You always,” Fluttershy tried to respond past her fear, “you are always yelling at me, and you never really want to be around me.”

With his heart shrinking in his chest John felt as if he was being a terrible host. With a heart-heavy sigh, he looked to the ground and thought about how to respond. Unfortunately, the hard truth had to come out.

“It’s not you, Fluttershy.” He started, “I’ve just lost so many people. I don’t want to attach myself to someone too closely. It will be too painful when they leave.” He wiped his face and muttered to himself, “or betray me.”

“Is that what happened with Lucia?”

John’s eyes widened and he flew into a fit of rage. “Where did you hear about her?” he growled through his teeth.

Fluttershy cowered more behind her shoulder as she noticed the ever-expanding aggression growing from the irritable man. “I– I…” She tried to get it out without hurting anyone, “I hear you screaming it at night.”

John was embarrassed. He never knew he was screaming it across the house at night. He knew he was a talker, from what people who lived with him had told him.

“What happened to her, if I may ask? You are upset over it.”

With another sigh, he thought of one thing to respond. “Lucia was a… Mistake.”

Fluttershy was surprise by his phrasing.

“She had a bad addiction that got her into trouble, both with her boss and with me.” John continued, “I was told to leave her, but I was so blinded by love that I stayed with her, costing me my freedom, my job, and my trust in people.”

Fluttershy sat up looking into the blank face of the man seething in rage.

“But that’s all I have to say about that.” John concluded in a feigned calmness, “I hate talking about that. So let’s talk about something else.”

Fluttershy felt a great worry as John leaned onto the wall and covered his face. She couldn’t even start to think about what had happened. John’s face turned dark as she believed he was reliving the moment. Her guilt grew as he gripped his face and began to breathe heavily.

____________________________________


John entered the Los Angeles Police Department South Bureau headquarters, stampeding through the front doors. As the receptionists let him pass through the security doors, a friendly officer walked around him, nearly spilling his coffee on himself. Before he could respond John had passed him and several doors.

Several officers tried to talk to him, congratulating him on his return to the force. their words bounced off the angry man as he entered the captain’s office.

“John?” The commander stood from his chair as John entered the door surprising him. “What are you doing here? I thought you took a week’s vacation.”

John glared daggers at him. As he looked on, he remained silent, waiting for the captain to make his move.

The commander noticed the crowd gathering around the door. He then walked to the door and closed it while waving for the crowd to return to work. “John, I know it has been rough with what happened last month.” He continued, “but you need time to rest before you are fit to work again.”

“I’m not coming back.” John finally replied.

“What?” Asked the Commander.

“I don’t want to come back to the force.” John replied.

“Why are you saying this?” He was confused with the statement.

John did not respond.

“John, we haven’t found any evidence to link you to it.” The Commander explained. “Mike and James were found guilty of perjury, John. Why would you leave?”

“Because none of you helped.” John growled. “I talked to the office after it happened. Everyone thought I was guilty before they heard me. I spent two fucking weeks in the jail not knowing when I was going to get shivved and breaking skulls to stay safe at lunch. I was finally safe for the last week and a half in solitary. But you know how many people came to visit me?”

The captain stayed quiet as John went on with his rant.

“Two. Both fucking lawyers.” John shouted. “I thought I had friends here, people who would help me with my problems and believe I was innocent. They never gave me the benefit of the doubt. I thought we were innocent until proven guilty.”

“But John–” The Commander tried to get words in.

“This ordeal left me with nothing,” John continued, “I lost my freedom, I lost my fiancé… and I lost the trust of all my friends and neighbors,” John started to tear up. “I don’t need you guys, and you don’t need me.” John proceeded to throw his badge and gun at the desk as he turned and ran off out the way he came. The voices shot out at him as he ran off into the darkness and self-hatred.

_____________________________________


“Umm, John?” A soothing voice took him out of the trance he fell into. “John. I’m sorry if I brought bad thoughts. I just don’t know much about you.”

John wiped the tears out of his eyes with a light smile on his face. He looked back at his last thought and finally compared it to what he saw. What his eyes paid the most attention to was the pink haired girl who genuinely cared for him. Looking into her deep blue eyes he forgot of what he had lost, and remembered instead who he has now. “It’s okay.” He said with his voice breaking. “I just need to be reminded of what I have, not what I had.”

“Well,” she shyly placed her hand over her stomach. “Can we get something to eat? If that’s okay with you.”

“Sure,” John said as he walked over to the kitchen. He then quickly turned his head and replied, “but can I please get some meat? I haven’t had a good meal since I met you.”

“Please don’t do it in front of me,” she responded, “I don’t like the smell of it.”

“Fine,” John said as he thought of how to get a sausage in his food without her looking.

	 _____________________________________


In an office filled with monitors, Oswald looked at one that showed a hotel with an African American woman in a suit entering the room. Oswald paid attention as she talked on her phone to her partner. Oswald’s hand hovered over a phone ready to call in the strike.

He then turned his attention over to a monitor labeled ‘interview room’ where an elderly woman was pleading to the men to go easy on her. Oswald listened in as she cried, testifying that she didn’t know anything. One man in the room grabbed her head and held it back as the other held a rag on her face and poured water on her. Oswald looked between the both monitors waiting for the right moment to come.

> Grim Visit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Will you be fine on your own?” Andrew asked on his phone as he pulled up to the curb.

“I’m fine Drew,” Natalie responded in a playfully annoyed tone. “I’m able to handle myself.”

“It’s just– I still owe you for that time you paid for dinner in Toledo.” Andrew pleaded. “I guess it would be better for you to tag along.”

“Look, I don’t want to be a third wheel. And this is your brother. From what you told me about him you two need some private time to catch up. Besides, I brought a case of shows I have been meaning to catch up on.” She replied with an implied answer, “I’ll be busy with my own things.”

Andrew, as displeased as he was with her response, respected her wishes. “Alright, I’ll send you a message if it goes well, if not, send for my next of kin.” He joked with her.

“Oh relax,” Natalie responded, “the most he could do is hit you. I don’t even think he owns a gun.”

Andrew chuckled as he said his goodbye and hung up on his partner, hoping things went well.

From the door of his SUV to the front door, Andrew thought about how he would begin talking to his estranged brother. ‘How would I start? How will he respond?’ and ‘Should I bring up he could buy a new car instead of driving the same beat up sedan?’

As he hesitantly knocked on the door he couldn’t help but hear a soft female voice inside. Andrew began to wonder who this was. ‘Is John married?’ he asked himself.

The door opened part way as the eye of his brother looked straight at him for two seconds. The door closed slightly as a chain rattled.

“Come on in.” John said to his brother hoping that things would go well.

Andrew entered to see the strangest thing. He saw a woman with hair as pink as a rose and eyes wide and blue as a lake looked straight at him. Her appearance was familiar to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

John noticed he was staring at her with curious eyes. “Andy,” he called to him. “Have a seat.”

Andrew fell out of his trance as he sat in the recliner aimed at sofa. “It feels good talking to family again. I wanted to call you for the funeral, just to get to know you then.” He tried to get a conversation started, however he felt worse as he went on. His mind was filled with the idea that this moment could make or break his relationship with his estranged brother.

John seemingly wasn’t paying attention to the conversation as he went into the kitchen. With an emotionless face, Andrew grew worried with the thought that John was trying to avoid the conversation. Andrew looked at his feet thinking about his dead father, his anger growing as he looked up at John. After some deep breaths, he let the matter go as he focused on the important matter on hand, his brother John.

John walked around the kitchen table with a bucket of ice and beer and plopped down on the couch as he gestured with his hands wide open. “You wanted to talk, let’s talk.”

“Right,” Andrew focused on his brother as he broke the silence with one question. “What happened to you after Lucia died?” He started getting a grim look in his face. “You tried to fall of the face of the Earth.”

John took in a deep breath and sighed as he reached for a bottle of beer. “I grew to hate the people around me after that incident. You remember what happened. I believe the FBI did their own investigation after the evidence was corrupted.” He answered only hoping to get it out of the way.

“How did you cope with it Juan?” Andrew continued to poke at his mind.

“I chose to believe all men were out for their own interest and went along with it,” he stated as he took a sip from his beer. “The money helped, but I couldn’t spend it all. I felt it was the key for a new start away from the assholes that sent me to jail.”

“How much was it?” The question brought on some irate looks from his brother. Andrew looked over to the woman who was awkwardly cleaning the table behind John.

John held his beer and looked straight ahead. “Listen.” He said in an annoyed tone. “I don’t know if it is your FBI training, or just some awkward social deficiency, but you do not interrogate family. You have been asking questions to get information out of me and hoped you would get into my mind. I don’t want you in my mind, and I don’t like the questions you are making. Can you ask something else?”

Andrew felt clumsy in his way of questioning. “Sorry, I just do a lot of interrogations at work. I sometimes forget, even with my family.” He excused himself as he hoped to get on his brother’s good side again.

John took a sip as he tried to accept the apology.

Andrew felt he needed to change the subject. “So, uhh... Julia and I had a kid four years ago.”

“That’s nice,” John said as he drank from the bottle. “What’s her name?”

“Emily.” Andrew replied, “She saw a picture of you and asked why we look alike.”

John looked at him with displeased eyes and replied, “we don’t look anything alike.”

“She could notice the similarities. She’s smart.” Andrew tried to make the conversation brighter.

John wasn’t having it. He continued to look at him and think of thoughts other than his.

“It took me years to realize that woman wasn’t my mom...” Andrew started. “I, uhh... figured out in high school what he did to you guys.” his hands trembled, “He lied so much, about mom, about that woman, and, and about you.”

John looked at him worried. His confession created an uneasy feeling with him.

His voice began to break, “Grandma... told me about everything. The beatings... divorce... infidelity... and I grew to despise him.” he tried to get John’s attention. “I was proud on the day I moved out. I was glad I wouldn't have to see him again.”

John felt sorry for the broken man as he reached for a pillow and handed it to him to clear his tears. “Some family, huh.” 

“So speaking of family...” he started again, “I see you’re married now.”

In a simultaneous jolt, the two housemates winced at the question. Andrew felt like he couldn’t get out of these awkward questions.

“Who said I’m married?” John’s face reddened as he shouted. “I haven’t dated since Lucia.”

“I just figured because…” Andrew gestured at Fluttershy as she hid behind her long pink hair.

John turned to her, his eyes wide as he realized what he was getting at and quickly responded. “I just met her last week.”

Andrew sat up as an alarm raised in his head. The picture from the first meeting came to him in a flash. “You said last week right?” he asked, “was it on Tuesday, perhaps?”

John darted his head at him in curiosity. “How the fuck do you know that?”

Fluttershy looked at him and moved away from the living room.

Andrew looked at her and inspected her movements as she hid behind the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room. “What’s your name?” he called to her.

“Why does it matter?” John tried to defend her.

“Because she is in great danger.” His expression darkened as he looked at her crouch behind the counter.

“What are you talking about?” John was in confusion over the event, “is she some witness or some high value target?”

“She’s an immigrant, from another world.” Andrew turned to John to see his reaction.

John had a quizzical look as he turned between the two. He began to breathe irregularly as a laugh came out of him. “You’re joking right?”

“I’m serious. She comes from another world, where horses are the dominant species, magical horses.” Andrew replied.

John continued to laugh, “how much did you pay her to say that shit?” he tried to talk between laughs. “Just this morning she told me some shit about being a pegasus and a place called Equestia or some crap.” John took deep breaths between his laughs.

Across the room, the two men could hear the stomping of a lightweight woman coming closer. 

“How dare you,” she said with great anger, “you didn’t believe me the first time I told you, but you don’t believe it when it comes from a man who clearly knows more about it than you? And you call my home ‘crap’?” The woman stared angrily at John, who yielded to the dagger-like eyes aimed into his soul.

“Woah, Fluttershy,” John said softly. “Take it easy. I’m just finding this all hard to believe.”

Fluttershy covered her mouth in regret. “I’m sorry.”

“What happened. How did you meet her?” Andrew asked.

“I... I found her walking in the orchards north of here and I was stuck with her since.” John looked at him, still trembling from the loud girl.

“And you said her name was Fluttershy?” Andrew remembered.

The woman nodded her head.

Andrew thought of what would happen next. He worried the Agency would get to her before they are closed for good. He remembered the photos from his briefing of the torture they inflicted on their visitors. The thoughts were too much for him. “I need to make a call.” He said as he walked out the front door into his car.

He sealed himself in as he took out his phone and searched through the contacts to Natalie’s number.

“Hello?” She answered the phone.

“Nat’” Andrew responded in panic. “I found her.”

“Found who?” Natalie was confused.

“The girl. The one the agency is looking for?”

There was a silence on the other end. Andrew could only hope she was as surprised as him.


__________________________________________________


Oswald stood in front of the monitors as he paid close attention to the audio coming from the hotel room.

“Are you on a secure line?” Natalie asked as she stood from the bed and began to search the room with one hand.

“I’m in my car,” Andrew stated through the phone being transmitted via tapping device.

Oswald typed on his computer as he got the location of both ends of the call.

“Is your car tapped?” She asked him. She then got closer to the camera as she noticed a stray wire peeking out of the flower pot. She looked at the device and lifted it into the air.

Oswald reached to a button on the console with a look in his eyes that could kill a child.

“Keep her safe. We can’t let them get to her.” Natalie said as she stared directly into the camera, “they’re coming for you.”

As Oswald pressed the button, the monitor showed a flash come from under the bed before the camera cut out.

Oswald Got on his radio and dialed it to the troops feed. “Get the troops and go to one forty-five Amber Road. We got her.” He then looked at the location. “I’m going to get this one personally.”


__________________________________________


 “Natalie?” Andrew tried to call as the phone went to static. “Natalie!”

As he gripped his phone a message came in from Headquarters. Andrew dreaded knowing what had happened. The message read ‘your partner’s device has been destroyed. We are sending backup to your location’.

Andrew fell into a quick depression as he tried to get himself to grasp what had happened to his partner. As he throttled the steering wheel he got himself together and let himself know he had to keep moving on. He exited his car and stampeded to the front door. He knew time for war had come.

> Battle Stations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Alerted by the loud pounding, John rushed to the door in great worry. With just a peek through the door, Andrew charged in and held the door closed behind him, out of breath.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked, worried.

“They’re coming,” Andrew replied as he closed the blinds.

“Who?” John asked.

“The agency,” He replied worried. “The ones looking for your girlfriend.”

John fell silent for a few seconds as he noticed Andrew taking out his pistol and checking over. Andrew then grabbed his phone, dialed a number,  and began to speak into it.

“Markus,” he said into his phone. “How fast can you get to my location?”

John could hear a faint number just out of reach of his hearing.

“Twenty minutes?” Andrew shouted. “I need you guys here now!”

John could hear a faint ‘why’.

“Why?” Andrew echoed. “Because my partner was just blown to pieces and I think I’m next!”

Fluttershy and John were stopped by the statement. Their hearts hurt as they took in what was said.

“I’m with their target and there’s no doubt they are coming here to execute her.” Andrew continued.

Andrew’s words knocked John back into his seat. His heart pounded as he ran his hands through his hair in shock. He turned to Fluttershy who was panicking in the corner of the couch.

“Five minutes?” Andrew replied. “Hurry up, we need help fast.”

John covered his forehead as his worry bored deep into the back of his head. However, his mind couldn’t concentrate on a single thing as he could hear his housemate crying behind the couch. His mind raced, his teeth grit, and his forehead began sweating as he tried to think of what to do.

Finally, he fell into a familiar spiral as he did the only thing he felt he could do. 

“What the hell is going on?!” he shouted. Andrew turned as he hung up on his phone. “You came here to talk and all you did was bring some government agents to not only take her away, but kill her?”

Andrew sighed as he turned to him, “these aren’t government.”

John’s eyebrow rose. “What?”

“This is a private entity that has been accused of breaking multiple human rights laws under the justification that they aren’t human.” Andrew pointed in the direction of the couch. “They used to be good, until the new captain took command and started to wreak havoc amongst the visitors.”

“There– there are more of them?” John whispered to himself.

“We need a place to keep her out of harm’s way,” Andrew ordered. “Do you have a panic room?”

“No,” John replied as he began to think about how to keep her safe. Andrew’s body language made him uneasy as he remembered the one person who could help them. “I need to make a call.”

He got his cellphone out and looked for a specific number. The speaker rang on the other end as John tapped his foot in anticipation. A click came from the other end, followed by a gruff voice. 

“What do you need John?”

“Earl, I need you to do me a favor.” John replied.

“Sure, what do you need?” Earl repeated.

“We need your safe room and some guns.” John waited for an answer. There was an heavy silence that followed.

“John,” Earl answered awkwardly . “I might have to turn you down. If you are being hunted by the government, I don’t want to get involved.”

Andrew stepped forward and took the phone. “Earl, this is Special Agent Andrew Alvarez of the FBI.  We require assistance in moving a person of interest out of harm’s way and distracting a dissolved private agency until my reinforcements arrive. Are you willing to serve your country to prevent the death of a government agent, a person of interest and a civilian, along with an international incident?”

A longer silence followed the speech as they awaited an answer. Finally an answer came. “Are you a lying to me?”

“You can come over and look at my badge if you need conformation.” Andrew said into the phone.

“I’ll be over to help. Should I go through the back or front?” Earl asked. Andrew repeated the question to John.

“Back?” John answered in confusion.

The call ended suddenly as John looked over to Andrew with a quizzical look. “Civilian?”

“How long until this friend of yours gets here?” Andrew asked, avoiding the question.

“He is my neighbor. I find him useful since he is a preparer. He has me on his emergency contact for the apocalypse. Makes good venison.” John explained.

“Do you always make friends with potentially useful people?” Andrew judged John.

“My only friends are a cop, a second amendment supporter, and my boss.” John explained his relationships. “Things happen.”

Andrew looked behind John to the screen door, and at a bearded man knocking on the glass. By reflex, Andrew aimed his pistol at him.

The man raised his hands and shouted, “It’s me, Earl.”

John opened the door and let the man in. Andrew pulled out his badge and flashed it at him. Earl took his phone and looked through a list of badges. After finding the right badge, he double checked and stood up straight. “Alright, you said you need a person of interest helped?” He replied.

The two men stepped aside and looked at Fluttershy. Earl looked quizzically at the three and pointed in confusion. “Her?” He asked.

The two looked at him with sweat on their brows.

“I can’t explain much,” Andrew told him. “We need to keep her safe for the next five minutes.”

Earl looked him over. “Can’t argue with a man with a gun,” he said as he turned around. “Follow me.”

The three followed the hairy man into the back yard. Andrew continued to keep a close lookout for the agency. John, however, was surprised by the hidden sliding door in the fence between the two houses. He  brushed off this dire invasion of privacy due to the matters at hand.  The three stopped at the cellar entrance as Earl opened the heavy, steel lined doors.

“Alright, come along,” Earl said as he stepped in.

In the cellar, the guests were befuddled by the amount of rifles, tools, and dried foods, something he normally saw from obsessive doomsday preppers on T.V. The sheer numbers of guns he had before him would have concerned John if it weren't for the convenience this brought him. John looked across the gun rack to get a feel for one again.

“Take your pick,” Earl ordered. He then looked over to the fearful woman and pointed at her. “You, get in the room.”

She walked slowly as Earl opened a vault door to get her secured. Andrew picked an assault rifle, and John chose a top loading rifle. They lifted the boxes of munitions and a vest.

Andrew looked at John’s choice. “You know how to use that thing?” He questioned his skill.

John looked at him and smiled. “I get still train at the range.”

Earl passed two radios to the men. “Keep them on,” he ordered again. “I’ll stay here and defend our V.I.P.” He then closed the door and sealed Fluttershy to her safety. “Get back and cover your tracks. Go.”

The men then ran back into the other house and closed all doors behind them. As they entered, they heard brakes squeal from the front of the house. The two men took simultaneous, breaths calming down from their thoughts of eminent demise. John gripped his wooden rifle as he muttered out a prayer. As he plead for forgiveness, he began to think of what Fluttershy had told him. His guilt dropped him back down to depression as he looked back into his occupied hands.

“Andrew,” John said aloud, “do we need to kill them?” He began to worry about his relationship with the merciful woman he grew attached to.

Andrew took a quick look at him to get a look of his face. John gazed at his rifle with woe. “We just need to distract them. As long as you incapacitate them, it will be enough.” He looked at his watched and muttered to himself as they had three minutes left until backup arrived.

Peering through the crack in the curtains, John could see five SUVs surrounded by men in armor and holding rifles.

“These men aren’t here to apprehend.” Andrew commented in disgust.

“Question.” John pointed out a concern. “Do I get compensation for damages to my house?”

“I hope so.” Andrew responded as he thought of a greater concern. “Why do you care for this woman? You never seemed to care about anything before, why her?”

John looked ahead as he thought of what he had said. “I like having the company. She was the first woman I met that treated me like a person and helped me.” His spirits lifted as thought of the smile that kept him from going crazy for the past week. “I felt a connection I haven’t felt in years.”

Andrew took it in silently, believing his brother had finally moved on and fallen in love.

He looked out the window as he noticed the men preparing to break in.

“Are you ready?” Andrew shouted. John pulled the curtain aside as he saw the soldiers line up. “Aim for the legs!” He ordered. The two then stepped back and fired through the windows.

The furthermost three were hit in the leg They crumpled on the lawn as the others dispersed. The men began to fire into the windows, shattering the glass and shredding the curtains with a barrage of bullets. The two defending men dropped to the floor.

“How many did you see?” John frantically shouted as he reloaded.

“There were eight or ten.” Andrew replied, “I think we hit three.”

John noticed Andrew holding his side with his elbow. A grim look burned onto his face as he realized what had happened.

“Andrew, you’re hit.” John said with worry.

“Just grazed my arm.” He hissed the pain away.

Suddenly the bullets stopped. John and Andrew worried they were getting surrounded. The first thing they heard was a buzzing of a speaker.

“Agent Alvarez.” Sounded a voice only familiar to Andrew. “You, nor any of the immigrants in the building have no where to run. Give up now and we might go easy on you.”

Andrew struggled to get up to the door. “We won’t let you get to her, Oswald.” Andrew shouted. “You have nowhere to go,” he looked at his watch. “In less than a minute backup will arrive and apprehend you and all your friends.”

“Bullshit!” Oswald shouted.

“I mean it,” Andrew got his feet up. “You brought a squad, I am bringing an army. You have vans, we have choppers, and tanks. You are screwed. Even if you kill us.”

John looked out the window and saw a well-dressed man stomping around holding his head. He then reached for his pocket, took out his phone and began to dial on his phone. After the final tap on his phone he looked up with a strange smile on his face, one of a rat cornered by the cat ready to pounce one last time. A chuckle followed by a laugh of menace as he dropped to his knees and held his head puzzled over his actions.

John’s phone rang with the notification tone. He noticed a text message that was composed entirely of links. He looked up to see Andrew holding his phone in anger.

“Son of a bitch,” he whispered to himself.

“Oh, Andrew,” Oswald said gleefully. “Since you guys are taking over, try cleaning this mess.”

From a distance, Andrew could hear the chopping sound of helicopters racing towards them. Oswald held his hands in the air as the helicopters stopped above them dropping troops around the now-debunked agency.

Andrew felt relieved as the soldiers took the men into custody. He fell to the floor revealing a dark red stain on his suit.

“Andrew!” John shouted as he dropped his gun and ran to his brother’s aid. He noticed the injury to his ribs.

The radio clicked on and a voice came on. “John, I see choppers out there, are you alright?”

Soldiers then entered the house and pulled John off of Andrew as they applied first aid.

The sight of his brother was to him as if again he was seeing the child in the alley. There was only one thing that came to his mind.

“I’m sorry.”
> Clean up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



	“This is an emergency broadcast from Denver, Colorado.” The television announcer stated, the words ‘Breaking News’ plastered on the screen.

The image cut to that of two reporters sitting behind the news anchor desk labeled ‘Chanel 6’. A name ran across the screen as the camera focused steadily on a female reporter.

“Good evening, Denver. I’m Diane Blaine,” the reporter said. “It has been three hours since an internet attack came to light uploading not spyware, but government documents into servers across the world. The images all have the label THPA in the corner and include items such as locations of, quote, ‘areas of interests’ across the globe, many of which are in our own back yards.”

An embedded screen cut in revealing a map of central Colorado with a large star over Dewford.

“The town of Dewford, Colorado, also the source of this information, is marked to having a sort of portal to another world. A world populated by – who guessed it – mythical creatures.” A video followed showing Equestria and its many citizens. “The credibility of this footage is unknown at the moment but the fact that over seven terabytes have been found uploaded from a remote server in the heart of Colorado makes this too much to be a hoax, and many people have turned into believers.”

“In related news, several THPA vans have been found parked outside a house, which was the site of a shooting the same time the virus spread.” She continued, “A Dewford local captured footage of the shooting, showing armed men defending the house from the agents.” The footage showed cellphone footage of the battle at John’s house from down the street.

“The battle ensued for several minutes, before a man pleaded with the armed men inside the house to surrender. Government helicopters arrived shortly afterwards, apprehending the men and the shooters.”

The embedded screen enlarged as it cut to a man holding a megaphone. “This man, whose identity is unknown, claims to have sent the virus from his phone, though no sources have proven it. The Government agents who responded still have no comments. As of now, the reports came in stating five men were injured, one in critical condition. But as of now, there were no fatalities.
“However in that same town a few minutes earlier, an explosion erupted in the Vagabond Hotel, killing two and wounding three others...”


_________________________________


John sat outside the emergency room, miserably avoiding eye contact with any passer-by. He sat still, unable to move as there were handcuffs on his wrists making noise at every movement he made. Two soldiers stood by, making sure he could not leave. John looked up to see his house on the news on the television facing them. John remained quiet as he worried over his brother, his house, and Fluttershy, whom he hadn’t seen since the incident. He couldn’t begin to think of what was happening to her. “John?” A female voice called.

John looked up in haste, hoping to not see someone familiar. His eyes only saw the Evans family.

“Please, step away.” The uniformed men commanded the intruding family. The group looked at him with eyes of both worry and disgust. John knew how they felt. He saw it before.

The two soldiers returned to their posts and two important-looking men passed by and entered the hospital room. John, distraught over what had happened to him, played the situation over in his head. The shooting ran through his head as he tried to come up with the best scenario. None had a great ending. He began to blame his lack of practice. One thing he tried not to blame was her, Fluttershy.

He began to think that if it wasn’t for her, Andrew may not have gotten hurt. He grew angry over the thoughts in his head, linking Andrew’s injury to Fluttershy. He hoped something bad was happening to her to make up for the damage he was feeling.


________________________________


In the mobile unit stationed just out of Dewford, soldiers stood in line as the SUV convoy approached the improvised camp. The chain-link fences held down by sandbags and tarps kept out the expanding group of curious media. A gate was opened as the vans grew closer. The soldiers saluted the men as they stepped out of the vans and entered the station.

The men entered to see a scared woman with bright pink hair cowering behind the desk she was cuffed to.

“No need to hide,” the man closest to her said with a smile. “No one is going to hurt you.”

The woman hid more with every step he took. He then stopped as the woman disappeared behind the desk altogether.

“Why is she cuffed?” Asked the man.

“One of the guards did it, I guess.” The man outside replied.

“Pass me the key.” He ordered. The key was brought to him with haste. He then carefully reached for the cuff and unfastened the grip.

With a flinch, the woman held her wrist. She quickly glanced at the man, and noticed the name tag. “Your name is Sullivan?” she asked shyly.

“Yes, I am Agent Sullivan,” He tried to talk to her as non-threateningly as possible. “I work for the Government. What’s your name?”

The woman hesitated to answer his request as her voice stuttered. “I am M–Mary”

“Okay Mary,” he continued, as he pulled up a chair. “I am here to help you. We apprehended the bad men who were trying to hurt you. You are safe now.”

As soon as she heard ‘bad men’, one person came to mind, one person who she saw getting taken away. “Where is John?” She quietly asked. “I want to see John.”

“Who is John?” Sullivan asked.

“John, the stallion who was taking care of me.” She replied with a sad glimmer from the corner of her eye. “Your guards took him away along with his brother, Andrew.”

Sullivan turned to ask, “was anyone with Agent Alvarez in that house?”

“An armed man claiming to own the house Alvarez was hiding in.” A man replied.

“Where is he?” Sullivan asked again.

“At the hospital, being questioned.” The man replied.

Sullivan turned to her and continued to ask questions. “What happened between you and John?”

“John was the first stallion who helped me when I came here.” She stated, “He fed me, clothed me, and kept me company while I stayed here.”

“Is he your boyfriend?” Sullivan asked, slightly disturbed by the horse language.

Fluttershy was confused about the phrasing. “Boy-Friend?” She asked, “What is that?”

“A Boyfriend is someone you have a romantic relationship with.” Sullivan explained.

Fluttershy blushed in embarrassment. Her eyes darted to the side as her mind was filled with the thought of John courting her. One memory came back to her, the memory of John’s drunken kiss. Her head sank into her chest as her face grew even more red.

“I… I don’t know if he likes me like that.” She replied with stutters in her voice. “But he is a nice stallion and I don’t have anyone else here but him.” Her eyes teared up as her voice began to crack. “Please, don’t hurt him. He was only trying to save me. Don’t put him in a dungeon, he didn’t do anything wrong.”


________________________


John watched the news every time they brought up his house. Uncertain of what would happen to him, he sat motionless, watching people pass by.

The doors opened and the two men stopped to look at him. John looked up at them with hidden worry about what they would do next.

“Are you Juan Alvarez?” One of the men asked.

“It’s John now.” John replied, wary of what may happen next.

“We are agents Donovan and Michaels. We worked with agent Alvarez and March on this assignment.” They introduced themselves. “You’ll need to come with us.” He reached down to get a grip on the handcuffs. They pulled him into the hospital room as the soldiers blockaded the door.

Jon entered to see Andrew lying in his bed in a gown. The sight both angered and relieved John. The men ordered John to sit down as they began to question him.

“Tell us what you know about the visitor.” Donovan ordered.

John was confused over what they wanted to hear. “This is still confusing to me.” John said. “Can you guys explain what the hell is going on?”

The men turned to each other and back to Andrew who was listening in on the conversation. “Agent Alvarez explained to us what you did for her, we want to know if she meant something to you.” Michaels stated. “Why was she under your care for the past week?”

John looked at his feet as he dug deep to find the answer. “I guess I just wanted to be a good person for once.”

“Well whatever your intentions were,” Donovan stated, “you saved her life, and Agent Alvarez’s as well.”

John looked up at them in confusion.

“Agent Alvarez told us that you fought hard to protect her, even without knowing where she came from.” Agent Donovan continued. “What is it about her that you feel the need to defend her?” John dug into his memory as he thought deeply about their question. All he saw was her smiling face being plastered in his subconscious. Her small mouth curving up as she saw him enter the room, her shyness shadowing a person who wanted to come out and be happy. He then reflected it on himself as she brought him to be happy for the first time in years.

“Sir?” The man asked him again.

“I guess I just saw something in her that I needed to help rather than push her away.” John replied as he looked over to Andrew, who glanced at him slyly.

“Whatever the case may be,” Michaels interrupted, “We need to tell you that whatever you were trying to hide, is out of the water. As we speak, the files debunked by the THPA are being broadcasted across the globe and your precious girlfriend is going to be the target of all of this.”

“What?” John was surprised.

“News reporters are coming from every channel in America, every periodical, tabloid, blog and website. They got a taste of what has happened and they are hungry for more.” Michaels pointed at the television as he made his point. “They have your address and name. You will be placed to protect her at all costs. People from all backgrounds will want to get to you–democrats, and republicans, anti- and pro-immigration. They all want to know more. What are you going to do?”

John sat in shock as he heard the rant of the agent. He had trouble with just a few curious people. Now hundreds were here. “I– I’ve had experience with the media in my day,” he stuttered, “I’ll just need some help.” He thought carefully, as he remembered what he saw on the television, “and a place to live.”

“We’ll fix your home and anything damaged in the gunfight.”

“Guys.” Andrew called to the three. “The president is about to give a statement.”

The three men turned to the screen where the president was sitting in the Oval Office. The nameplate on the desk read ‘President Malachi Graham’.
> Toothpaste dilemma
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“My fellow Americans, as you all may or may not know, our nation has suffered a vicious cyber-attack against our nation's most visited servers. The attack was carried out by an organization who, until now, has remained secret. The files our agencies decrypted came from an intelligence group known as the Trans-Human Protection Agency, a group the United States government has no oversight over.

“To our knowledge, this organization was a group that hid secrets from the American people, secrets they deemed too much for us without limited wisdom in the past, but we are ready to know now. For those of you who have seen the images sent five hours ago, it burdens me to tell you that those images have been sent to our top forensics specialists, and that they are real. What you saw were images from another world, images which the THPA have been hiding from even our most knowledgeable agencies. As of this moment, the group’s leader has been apprehended and is facing serious charges, including high treason, and multiple violations of human rights. We can not emphasize how much we are disgusted by their practices.

“Some of the files found in the virus were images of unimaginable tortures, and an inhumane execution done by this group. I can not emphasize how disgusted I am for what has been done to these visitors to our great nation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964  dictates that no one shall be discriminated against based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Though this  person may be from another faraway place does not make them any less human. Though they are not human in their world, once they come into ours, they are as human as we are. The place you are from does not make you less human, so these people are to be treated with the same rights and privileges as our neighbors. 

“Some of you may say they aren’t human. Some of you may say that they are aliens and need to be experimented upon, or denied entry into our great nation. This nation was founded by immigrants, and is inhabited by children of immigrants. We need to always remember this as we think of those who want to enter our nation. Even if the visitors have been declassified, this does not make them any less American. They have their citizenship as far as we saw, and that makes them citizens of the United States of America. They are not the enemy. 

“This so-called ‘Agency’ lead  us to believe that we were not ready to know about their findings. They believed the American people could not comprehend what they were hiding. The United States government begs to differ. In times of crises, the government has always acted in the best interests of it’s people. Therefore, , ‘If the American created the microchip, if the American found a cure for many diseases, if the American went to the moon successfully, then we are ready to be given the information about these new people.

“We have a new border in our country now. Let us spend time to welcome our new neighbors and let them feel welcome, and let them know that the United States  will not stand for more oppression of its own, or other, citizens.

“Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow I am headed to the epicenter of this incident, to meet with our brave agents who protected this nation from what could have been a war between worlds, an unnecessary war that would have led to the loss of many innocent lives, and prevented the Trans-Human Protection Agency from further besmirching the name of the United states of America.

“Thank you, and God bless America.”


___________________________


The three agents looked at each other as the news anchor began to review the speech. John, who was now more confused than ever, sat his chair, worried over what would happen.

Agent Donovan turned to him with a look of disapproval. The phone rang again and Michaels answered.

“Yeah,” he responded, with the others unable to hear what was being said, “Him too? But he’s injured. The girl too?” The dialogue was fragmented as he answered quickly. “Understood, sir.”

Michaels hung up and walked up to John. He knelt down to his level and looked him in the eye. “Do you have anything against the president of the United States?” he asked bluntly.

“What?” John asked, bewildered. “N–no, I don’t.”

“Good,” Michaels responded. “The President is coming, and I don’t want you to make a mockery of this situation. He will want to meet you and your friends.” He turned to Andrew, and spoke louder. “The director called and said we need to ensure the safety of everyone involved with the incident. Prepare them for the President’s visit.”

Andrew laid his head back and groaned in displeasure. “If he has to come here, the mess can’t be cleaned up. He’s trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.”

“What do you mean?” Donovan asked.

“The President knew about  the agency and he’s trying to push himself away.” Andrew pointed out.

“We know that,” Michaels replied. “It’s best to keep us out of the crosshairs rather than have to take their attacks head on.”

John looked at the men as they talked about the President’s speech, growing more furious about his more important problems. 

“Hey assholes,” he shouted to get their attention. “If you don’t mind me saying, where am I going to sleep before the President’s arrival and, for the most part, afterwards? The front of my house has been shot to shit by the ‘agency’ or whoever they were.”

The men looked at each other in confusion.

“We would pay for your hotel, but the only hotel in town has been damaged by an explosion,” Andrew muttered to himself as he reminded everyone of his partner.

John looked at him with, frustrated. The group was confused over how he was portraying the incident. If it was in jest or passive-aggression, they did not know.

“How would we get a place for them?” Donovan asked. “For now we could get a contractor to fix his house, if the Director agrees.”

“There was the Inn just outside of town,” Michaels interrupted, ”though it is a bit expensive.”

John could see the hesitation in their offer. He stood up with a smile on his face. “Listen, I am about to meet the President over saving a woman from a rogue agency and my house was destroyed in the process.” He jested, “perhaps you can make an exception?”

The group looked at him. With a shrug, Michaels looked at his phone, “I’ll see what I can do.”

John was surprised. ‘Wow, I never thought that would work,’ he thought. 

“We just need to make sure we will have everything ready beforehand.” Michaels signaled to his partner. “I’ll be back,” he said. “Stay here. It will take a minute. I need to pick up some paperwork.” Michaels left the room as he waited for the phone call.

John sat back down, depressed over what he had lost in one minute. He placed his hands on his forehead and fell back into the darkness as he thought of how his house looked.

Andrew looked over and saw his brother torn emotionally. “Don’t worry, John.” He tried to cheer him up. “Your house will be fixed.”

“It’s not that.” John replied, “I just felt all this could have been avoided If I haven’t been such a nice guy.”

Andre frowned at his brother’s grievance. “You know, when I found out you lived here, I was amazed that you were still alive. I didn’t know what to expect. You always seemed to distance yourself from everyone after the accident. That last year you stayed in L.A., you were a shut in. None of your friends knew what you were up to. They all came to me to find out what you were doing. It saddened me to know you were so self-destructive.”

John listened to his words not knowing where he was going. He hoped he would be quick about it.

“Then when I saw you here, I felt it had passed. When I saw her in the curtains the first time we met, I felt relieved you had changed. When I saw you both today, you weren’t hostile towards her. You even offered to help her, keep her safe.” Andrew continued to lighten up the mood. “You did this for a reason you don’t see just yet. Don’t blame yourself, or even her, for what had happened. Just know that you care for her, and your house can be rebuilt, but bonds are heavier when they are broken for dumb reasons.”

John looked up to see his brother smiling,  and the agent trying to stay out of the conversation by focusing on the television. The sight of his brother’s smile made his heart soften as he thought less on his house, but more on the reason he had for helping Fluttershy.

‘Why did I do this?’ He thought hard as he thought of the only women he felt like going to the ends of the Earth for. The faces were similar, the smile that made him smile as well, and those eyes. He thought about it and he fell to startling conclusion.

‘I think she reminds me so much of Lucia, I am falling in love again.’ His eyes opened as he made this discovery.
> Can't be helped
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The convoy moved south, passing the ever-growing sea of reporters and cameras. Focused, the driver headed out of town into a makeshift camp. The group rolled in as soldiers checked each vehicle for unauthorized persons. John remained silent as he was escorted into the large tent in the center of the camp. He had too much on his mind to care for what was happening around him.

The agents sat in their chairs, viewing a set of monitors with news reporters talking about Dewford.

Donovan entered the room first, calling out to his boss. “Director, we’re here.” He called out.

The further-most man turned around with a scowl on his face. The men stood straight in fear of what the director would tell them to do.

He rushed across the room to get in their faces. “You’d better have some good news,” he shouted in their faces. “We are up to our necks in reporters and the National Guard is still uncovering hideouts of the agency with even more crimes against humanity.”

John looked at him straight faced as the Director turned to him in confusion.

“Who is this?” he asked.

Michaels shook as he answered. “This is John Alvarez, Andrew’s younger brother, and the caretaker of our VIP.”

“This is the guy who saved us from an international incident?” He looked at them questionably. As he scanned the physique of the short man who stood before him he couldn’t help but be surprised. “He doesn’t seem like he could hold himself in a bar fight.”

“Sir,” John replied, “I once ranked in the top ten shooters of the L.A.P.D., and was a decorated officer in my time.”

The Director Looked at him with fierce eyes, and the two agents gulped as they noticed the dark cloud between them.

“L.A.P.D.?” The director recollected, “North or South precinct?” he dug for information.

“North.” John replied

“I thought I remembered you.” The director said with a smile, “We spoke of your case in 2010 during a training exercise. You were named Juan back then, right?”

John remained silent.

“Yeah, your case, accused of murder with fabricated evidence and officers trying to pin your girlfriend’s murder on you. It was hard because no one liked you and you were such an easy target–” The director was interrupted by a fist striking him in the left cheek. The agents quickly grabbed hold of John, preventing him from causing further damage.

John looked around to see the agents staring at him in surprise. However there was one person, who sat in a chair and held her long pink hair to cover her face. The anger in John’s heart softened into remorse over what he did.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Donovan shouted at him.

John did not know how to respond. His heart was still racing from the thrill of striking someone for insulting him. The two men pulled him aside and sat him down on the nearest chair.

John took deep breaths to calm down as the room raced around him, cleaning the wound inflicted on the man John mentally labeled ‘asshole’. The room fell quiet in his calming meditation, all for one spot that burned in the back of his head. He began to think of the strange, long, rose-colored hair, her sky-like blue eyes, those cheekbones and that perfect face. It was distracting him as he tried to come up with an excuse.

“What the hell was that for?” The director shouted at John.

“Sorry,” John answered finally.

“Sorry?” The director asked in fury. “That’s all you have to say? For assaulting a government official?”

John stared off into space with his brows angled.

“Director,” Donovan entered with an idea. “Perhaps he didn’t like how you spoke to him.” The director directed his anger towards him. “I mean, I wouldn’t want to be insulted while my past is being brought up.”

“Well if this baby didn’t like it,” the director said sarcastically, “perhaps he should have said something.”

“Assistant Director Bell,” a man said as he entered the tent. The crowd fell silent to the sight of an older man in an elegant dark blue suit with a golden trim. “I see you took my place while I was away again without my authority.”

The younger man sank into his own chest as the older man put him in his place. “Sorry Director Cortez. I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries.”

“The boundaries are placed for a reason. You are Assistant Executive Director, not Executive Director.” He looked at the bruise left on his cheek. “I will let this slide, but one more time and I will see that you are demoted back to the field.”

Bell held his cheek as he left the room calling for the medic.

“I’m very sorry about that.” The real director apologized for Bell, “Bell gets power hungry. It’s a mystery how he got so far up the ranks.”

“And you are...?” John replied, confused over what had occurred.

“Executive Director Cortez, of the Colorado branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

John looked at him carefully, attempting to gain some trust visually.

“You must be Juan Alvarez,” he said with a smile. “I hope things are going well for you.”

“Sir,” John was still annoyed, “today I was shot at, my brother almost died, my house was destroyed and I was arrested for defending this woman, who I just met. Do you think it’s going well?”

“That’ll do,” Cortez continued to smile. “But at least you all made it out alive, and with a great accomplishment.”

John glared at him as he tried to think of what positive outcome this all had. The only one that he thought of was pointed out.

“We’ll be sure to pay for any damages to your house while you were deputized by Agent Alvarez.” He replied resting his hand on John’s shoulder to assure him.

“And where will we be staying until then?” John asked as he swept his shoulder clean.

“I’m sure we can accommodate you in a hotel until your house is fit to live in.” The Director was trying his best to calm the man down. “And I see your reason to fight is sitting behind you.” He tried to change the subject.

John looked behind him to see Fluttershy becoming nervous over the outcome of the conversation. He ignored the Director and walked over to her. John pushed himself to find out what to say to her. His mind was full of conflicting thoughts. He had to pick one to say to her.

Ultimately he bent down and embraced her. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He said to her with a smile on his face.

“Where were you?” Fluttershy asked. “I haven’t seen you since the fight.”

“I was at the hospital with my brother,” John replied, “I’m sorry for anything I said to you. I shouldn’t have made fun of you like that.”

Fluttershy was confused over the words John had just used. She slowly patted him on the back, trying to encourage him to let go.

 After a hearty reunion, the Director patted John on the back as and headed to the podium. He looked as a new man entered the group. Earl was brought in, surrounded by three guards. He was sat down next to Fluttershy and John, keeping the ‘heroes’ together.

“Alright, let us begin.” The director said as he pointed out to the crowd.


_______________________________________


It was ten at night. The meeting was over, concluding with an interesting patriotic speech by Earl. The three were taken back to their neighborhood, with accommodations to stay in Earl’s guest room, which was filled to the roof with supplies for a day he would never see.

Outside the house were three news vans recording as they gave final words before signing off. The group arrived at the house next door and several of them rushed the SUVs trying to get information out of the agents.

When the agents opened the back doors, the news teams swarmed to get an image of who was in the back. The one they noticed the most was Fluttershy, with her almost neon pink hair glowing in the dark.

With question after question, John grew more irritated with how uncomfortable Fluttershy became because of them. However, the agents called out to the crowd and encouraged them to step back. The group was safe to enter the home. John took one look at the house next door as he walked in. The damage was too much for him  before, but now he was calm.

“Alright, I’ll get to setting your beds,” Earl said as he walked into the hall.

Fluttershy sat down on the couch and looked at her hands. She felt uncomfortable with what had happened today. The fighting, the yelling between brothers, and most importantly, how John acted around her after the fight made it extremely awkward.

John took a seat in front of her and relaxed, closing his eyes. His mind was active with the strange things that had occurred to him. He still couldn’t comprehend what had happened today, even though it happened to him. As he sat there looking at her an idea kept coming into his head and he tried to come up with a reason to either follow through, or abandon his feelings.

“John?” A quiet voice called out. John opened his eyes and saw the woman looking at him with worry. 

“What is it now?” he replied annoyed.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.

Shocked by the statement, John opened his mouth but words refused to come out. All he did was look her in the eye with a quizzical look.

“Well, you seem annoyed, and… well, you were worried about your house and your brother earlier…” she tried to get him to talk.

“Fluttershy,” he responded, “there are a lot of things that annoy me. But you,” he tried to get the least hurtful words out. “You remind me of someone I used to care about. I don’t know why, but I feel I need you in my life. I’ve tried to get rid of you, tried to find a way to push you as far away from me as possible. But that would hurt me more.”

Fluttershy was  confused about what he was saying. To her it seemed like one thing was about to be said, but it scared her.

“I know five days is too soon, But I just want to tell you, I…” he stopped as he thought deeply into what he was going to say. Looking at her face, she grew worried over what he was going to say. Her eyes pushed John to change his words. “I- I- I care for you, and I don’t know why. I just don’t want to see you hurt. But I don’t want to be hurt when you leave. I may not know exactly what you are, but you made me happy while you stayed with me.”

Fluttershy smiled, a tear came to her eye as she thought of the heartfelt words he told her. John kicked himself over how close he came to tell her. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he also didn’t want to be hurt.

‘Maybe it’s time I see a therapist,’ he thought to himself. ‘I need a second opinion on this.’
	

> All Hail the Chief
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The morning came as news broke out that the secret service had cleared the area. John, Earl, and Fluttershy were under heavy guard on the way to the hospital. When asked why, the agents explained Andrew was still under critical condition and could not be moved too far. Their answer upset John.

“One hour ‘till arrival,” said the agents over the car radio. The three felt it would be a long hour for them.

The car ride grew more awkward as the men in suits stared at them. Earl looked at the man facing him, often trying to get the courage to ask all the questions he had. Fluttershy held her hair over her face. John, hoping to calm her down, placed his hand on her knee. 

“It’s okay, we aren’t in any danger.” He whispered to her.

Fluttershy smiled at him from behind her hair as the convoy came to a slow halt.

The three were escorted into the hospital, away from the crowds of civilians and reporters. Down the hall was a select camera crew with badges labeling them as official members of the press. They were the only ones allowed to set foot into the hospital. The amount of time the cameras focused on Fluttershy was disturbing for the trio. However, they had to remember their training from last night.


_____________________________________


“The press will be demanding,” the Director said, “they will keep looking at you and recording what you say.”

Fluttershy began to whimper as he went on with the scary parts of the training.

“However, you shouldn’t be afraid,” he continued, “there isn’t anything they can do that will hurt you. They are not allowed to touch you for any reason. Plus, there will be government agents surrounding you to prevent any attempts on your safety.”

John looked over to her and noticed the uneasiness looming over her. As she cowered behind the table, John tapped her on the shoulder and looked at her with a smile. “Don’t worry,” he told her, “I’ve been targeted by the press. The most they can do is ask you questions, but you decide whether or not to answer them.

She looked him in the eye and sat up as the director continued to give his statement.


______________________________________


John went in the hospital room, seeing that his brother and two government agents were the only ones in the room. The other bed had been cleared out and replaced with some seats and folding table. The television was playing recordings of Air Force One landing at Buckley Air Force Base and Marine 1 being deployed westbound.

John looked over to Fluttershy, who was frightened by all of this, and tried to come up with a way to get through this well.


______________________________________


“Okay,” the Director said in conclusion. “Any questions?”

Fluttershy began to speak. “Sir, what is a president? Is it like a queen?”

The group turned to her in surprise of her ignorance. Finally, John turned to her and explained, “the president is a person chosen by the people to rule a country. A queen is just born into it or married into it.” Her ignorance seemed childish, however it was something he was used to after the past week.

“Why are we meeting her, again?” she replied with more questions.

“You just brought down a big threat to our national security.” An agent explained. “He is going to reward you for your valor and also get to know the new ambassador to the new world,”

“Who’s that?” Earl asked ignorant of what had just happened.

The Director pointed at the pink-haired woman. As eyes turned to her, she sank back into her chair, trying to hide from them. “I would not make a great ambassador,” she whimpered. “I’m very shy.”

Chuckles arose from the crowd as they took the statement in jest. John was the only one who could see she was upset by all of this. He sighed as he hoped he would not make a mockery of himself on national television again.


____________________________________


The thought of Fluttershy being an ambassador was unsettling to John. ‘She hardly knows what is going with the television,’ he thought, ‘how can she know how a country works?’

Suddenly, on the other side of the door, John could hear some of what the reporters were saying. Mostly, it was talk of the Fluttershy, though they called her ‘The Visitor’. It was a very appropriate title for her, though he couldn’t help but think it was because she was a sort of alien to them rather than just a person.

The crowd looked at the television as the helicopter came into view over the hospital. The room shook as the helicopters landed on the pad behind them. John swallowed awkwardly as he looked at the people in the room; an injured FBI agent, a crazy doomsday prepper, a woman of unknown origins, and himself, a washed out ex-cop with possible feelings for the woman next to him.  He then thought of the millions of people watching right now. All those people who expected John to be dead or worse were watching him as he was about to meet the President. ‘Nothing could go right in this room,’ John thought.

Suddenly, the door opened and the group was surprised by the men who entered. The camera followed them in and set up in the corner as an important-looking man wearing a navy blue suit with a flag on his lapel and the biggest smile walked in with an entourage of agents cleaning the seat for him. Only one of them was clueless as to who this man was.

“Good morning,” he said with his forced smile. He noticed the woman sitting in the center, with her wildly colored hair. He felt uncomfortable looking at her hair. However, he continued wearing the smile as he reached to shake her hand first. “Good to see you.” He said. Fluttershy made no attempt to reach for his hand.

“Like this,” John took action and shook his hand in her place, coming up with an excuse for her. “She’s never shook hands before, she’s new to this.”

The president gave a light chuckle and watched as she slowly grabbed his hand and shook like she saw John do. She continued to hide behind her hair as he cameras recorded every action they did.

After a small introduction, the men sat down and listened to the president’s words.

“I want to say, personally, that I am proud of what you men did for our country today.” He said as if he were reading from a teleprompter. “Not only did you stop a terrorist organization within our country, but you saved our most hidden border.” He continued on. “From what we learned from the leaked information, this land is far more different than just going to another country, but a new world.”

The group was bewildered by the new information about the woman between them. John felt he was being told a fairy tale.

“But, we want to know more about it from someone who has been there.” He continued. “And as a guest to our fine country I want to ask you, can we get to know you?” He gestured at Fluttershy, smiling. Suddenly the cameras pointed towards her.

As she slid behind John’s shoulder the cameramen chuckled. John glared at them as he held her hand trying to boost her confidence. He turned his head to her ear, and tried to calm her down.

She sat up and took a few deep breaths trying to get her mind calmed. Soon she started to talk. “I... am Fluttershy, I come from Ponyville, but was originally from Cloudsdale. I am, I mean, was a Pegasus, but I am a human, now.” She tried to keep talking but fell short on things she wanted to talk about.

“What is your home like?” the president asked, “what is... Ponyville like?” He felt awkward saying the name.

“Umm, It’s a very calm town, except for the dragons that come by often.” The heads of the crew whipped to her at the mention of the word ‘dragon’. “But all the ponies are friendly and very diverse. We have earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, along with cows, sheep, and even donkeys.”

“And what is your government like?” He continued.

“We have two princesses ruling over Equestria, controlling the sun and the moon.” She started to come out of her shell. “But they make the laws and each settlement has a leader to help enforce them.”

“How do they control them?” The president asked.

“With their magic.” She replied calmly.

The group’s eyes widened in disbelief as they could not comprehend the serious use of the  word.

“Magic, you say?” He repeated in confusion.

“Well every creature in Equestria has magic. It’s just how they use it that differs.” She continued to explain. “Unicorns have telepathy, and other physical magics, and Pegasi have flight and speed.”

The group felt strange as they listened to the woman explain about her world. Magic was something that felt out of their reach to understand.

“Fascinating,” The president replied, his face showing no signs of distaste over the seemingly unbelievable words of the strange woman. He then turned to John and changed the subject. “And what about you, what relation do you have to…” he tried to remember the name, “Fluttersky?”

With his eyes focused on the President’s face, he took a deep breath and began to speak. “I met her about a week ago. When I found her, she was scared, so I took her in. I fed her, clothed her, and made sure she was happy. She is vegetarian, which was hard to get used to.” He raised his hand in jest, “I guess now I know it was because she was a horse. I mean, a horse from a magical land. That is still strange to me.” He fell silent as he began to reevaluate his thoughts from earlier.

“And can you tell us what the terrorists were like?” the President tried to keep the conversation going. “What made you want to protect her so much?”

John fell silent as he thought again of his motives. “I just didn’t want her to get hurt.” He finally answered. “She means so much to me right now.”

“And you sir,” He looked at Earl trying to keep the awkward away. “What drove you to fight for her?”

“I owed John a favor and his brother convinced me to go through with it.” Earl explained his minimal part of situation. “I loaned them some rifles and the use of my panic room, however it was over in a matter of minutes. I was just glad no one died.”

“Thank you for that,” he started to chuckle as to lighten the mood. These two unqualified heroes were making him uncomfortable.

After a few minutes of awkward conversation the president awarded the medals to the three men for their valiant efforts. After a heartfelt salute the cameras were shut off and the President wiped his brow. He turned to the group as the reporters were escorted from the room.

“I can’t believe you two are responsible for the exposure of the agency.” The president said in frustration. “Now the whole world is breathing down my neck trying to get me  to expose more or cover up the leaks.” He looked at them and hoped someone would tell him what to do. When he looked at the rose-haired girl he fell into a calmed state as he remembered something important. “At least we aren’t at war with your world now.”

He walked over to his agents who gave him an insulin shot as he muttered about the stress.

Andrew sat up and spoke to the president, trying to get him to calm down. “Sir, if it makes things better, less lives were lost than any military operation would have.”

“You’re right agent,” The president took deep breaths to relax, “I’ll see it that your partner’s family gets her last payment. For now, keep information as secret as you can. The public hasn’t been ready for this, and I don’t think they are handling it well.”
	

> In need of Help
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John sat on a couch in a small office. An elderly Arab man sat behind a desk with a pen and paper, jotting down what was being said. The fan just outside the door blocked any noise from leaving the room as John talked on about his issues.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to this doc,” John apologized. “It takes time to get used to coming here again, spilling my guts out and all. I haven’t done this since… the accident.” He fell silent as he remembered the pain from his previous visits in Los Angeles.

“Don’t worry about the distant past just yet.” The doctor said, “we can worry about that when the time comes. For now I need you to explain more about, Flutterby, is it?”

“It’s Fluttershy,” he corrected. “But things have been different ever since that night two weeks ago.”

“Care to explain?” The doctor scripted the gist of the conversation.

“I never seemed so attached to anyone before she came along. No matter how much I scream at her, I always feel the need to apologize and make her feel happy again. I have always been a ‘for-yourself’ kind of guy, but I always did things for her, even if it made me feel uncomfortable.” John explained. “Ever since the accident, I’ve been trying to come up with a reason to hate her, to get her away from me. All it does was drive me closer to her.”

“And why do you suppose this happens?” the doctor asked, “why do you think she comes closer to you no matter how much you want to dislike her?”

John sat silent as he thought of the question. “I guess,” John’s eyes began to water. “I guess it’s because she reminds me of her so much.” He remembered the smile he fell in love with, however he the face of the one he was trying to remember was covered by the new one that entered his life.

“John,” the doctor looked at the whimpering man with worry. “When I was sent your charts from four years ago, you were grieving over your fiancée. When I saw you last week, your grief was in its final stages. You no longer seemed to fight for your fiancée. You had something new to fight for.”

John fell silent as he thought deeply on the words of his therapist. His mind was at full attention to what he was going to say.

“This new woman has been replacing the your old love, creating the motivation to take you off that final step of grief.” He continued. “However, you said last time that she was leaving on the seventh of October, is that correct?”

“That’s what the agency told me. Just two more weeks, and she’s out of my life.” John was saddened to say that.

“But what I notice is you have a problem accepting loss. You have lost a lot in your life, and you feel uncomfortable losing any more.” The therapist added.

“I know, I know.” John replied with sorrow. “I want to stay with her, but she doesn’t belong here. She’s been having problems adapting. And the cameras haven’t been making things easy for her. I believe she may be afraid to go outside now that there are people following her everywhere she goes.”

“This town became popular ever since we learned about the portal,” he commented.

“I’m glad they gave her a temporary visa, so I don’t have to hide her anymore.” John continued to ramble on. “She can even come with me to work. However, she has trouble getting used to the cuisine of the others. She cries when she sees where the meat comes from, and how we prepare it. And that’s not the worst part. She has a tendency to eat grass and she doesn’t seem to grasp what is appropriate to wear outside. She found some ripped pants in the bag we gave her, and she still tried to walk out with her ass showing.”

“Things are hard to adapt to.” The therapist calmly said. “I had trouble adapting to the climate when I came here. I am from the desert, and storms like the one last month still scare me. But that brings me back to the question I asked you last week.” He took a serious turn. “Why do you do these things for her?”

John looked at the doctor. “Honestly, I’m still unsure. I could say it is because I believe in a better life if I help those around me, but I’ve killed too many people to get that. Or it could be because I want to make a better name for myself than others believe I am.” He paused for a moment as he tried to phrase his words the best way he could. “But one thought keeps coming into my mind. I… I think I love her.”


	______________________________________


Fluttershy sat in the waiting room watching the television. The children’s cartoons was still entertaining with the bright colors and peaceful messages. She refused to look at the door, as she felt anxious someone would burst in and take her photo again. She didn’t have time to relax when she was out in public.

The door next to her opened as John walked out with a fake smile. Fluttershy could tell something was wrong, but after what they went through for the past two weeks, she didn’t feel the need to ask.

“I have to come back next week, again,” he said to her as he lifted his appointment card.

Fluttershy simply just smiled and nodded as she walked towards him. John blushed at the sight and felt himself grow warmer as the woman embraced his arm.

“I think they followed us again. Can we walk out the back?” She replied with a soft tone.

John looked at the door. “The car is up front, you know.” He explained. “We just need to be careful. Okay?”

The pair slowly made their way out the door as a barrage of photographers came into view flash after flash, blinding Fluttershy as they made their way into the car, a newer and less damaged Honda Civic.

John carefully drove around the crowd, waving his arm in anger as he forced his way through.

“I still can’t get used to this,” Fluttershy commented as the group fell behind.

After a soft chuckle John looked bleakly at the road. With his eyes focused on the road, he thought heavily on what his therapist said. He could not think of a sure reason he was with her. He thought of who he had become in the last three weeks. He came from few friends, and a hate for the world. Now he had a woman from another world sitting in his car.

‘She has done nothing but help me,’ he thought to himself. ‘I can’t even think of one thing she did that was bad for me. She even helped with those damn kids.’


	_______________________________________


It was a quiet evening. John fell asleep after a long day at work. Though the house was unfamiliar to him, he still felt comfortable resting on his new bed. Fluttershy and him were alone in the house for that night, since Earl was working the late shift.

Fluttershy was watching television when she heard some talking outside. She peeked out the window to see who it was. As she pulled the curtain she noticed three hooded boys walking up to the civic.

One of the boys crouched underneath the car to with a screwdriver as he jabbed again and again to under the back of the car. Fluttershy felt compelled to investigate.

She opened the door as soon as there was a scrape followed by a splash from liquid pouring out of the car. She ran over to the boys, as she remembered what that liquid was from their trips to a station with hoses.

“Stop!” She shouted at the boys. “What do you think you’re doing?”

One of the boys immediately ran off cursing up a storm with every step. One of the boys fell back in shock as the other stood up and glared menacingly at the woman. “I know you.” The boy said, his face in clear view of the woman. “You’re that slut who lives with the murderer.”

Fluttershy looked angrily at the boy as he spouted on about John.

“Why are you with him?” he continued, “you know, he’s just going to kill you like his last girlfriend.”

“How dare you.” She said. “How dare you say such horrid things about John? He has been through a lot of bad things, why would you hurt his carriage?”

“He doesn’t need them.” The boy replied. “He killed his girlfriend for the winning lottery ticket. It is all blood money. I  just want the whole town to see what I saw on his Facebook page.”

“Joe, don’t you think this is a bit too far?” The other boy tried to reason with him.

“Shut up. I want this murderer out of town and I will stop at nothing to make him leave” he said as he took out his match book and struck a match.

Angered by the words, Fluttershy raised her hand and struck the boy across his face. The boy flinched and dropped the lit match in the liquid, causing it to ignite.  The ground erupted in flames, flushing the boys out from hiding and into the street. Their leader was caught in the flames, his shirt and pants already spattered in fuel.

Inside, the screams awoke John. He bolted out of the bed and ran outside to see Fluttershy rolling the boy in the grass trying to drown the flames, both screaming and crying.  John ran to the phone and dialed for help as he looked outside and saw his car had been engulfed in flames as well.

As he waited for the fire department to arrive, he grabbed a fire extinguisher from underneath the sink and did a quick spray on the boy before attempting to salvage his already ruined car.

As the emergency team came, the boy lay on the ground in shock. His blank stares at John and Fluttershy as they moved around him were enough to show how sorry he felt over the damage he caused.

The boy looked at John just as he was taken in the ambulance with his hand cuffed to the gurney. He repented for all the things he did to the man who saved him that night.

	_______________________________________


‘I could thank her again for getting rid of another problem,’ he thought to himself, ‘but I did let her pick the car from the lot.’

John had arrived at the house, repaired and newly painted, and exited the car to see the aftermath of the fire from last week. Fluttershy carefully walked into the house trying to get around any photographers that may be hiding around the corner.

“Relax, Fluttershy,” John said with a grin. “Most of them are gone. They are focused on the portal now. It’s only a week until it opens.”

Fluttershy smiled at him as she was reminded that she was so close to being reunited with her friends. The feeling made her hop into the house with glee as John opened the door into the remodeled house. John had to still get used to a clean home with new furniture.

“Everything has been new ever since I met her.” He whispered to himself as he walked past the living room and towards the kitchen phone. He noticed a red number twelve flashing on the kitchen. With a grunt, he seeded through the messages.

“Hi, this is Dianne from the Denver Sun, I was wondering if we could get an exclusive interview with Flutt—” John pressed the ‘delete key on the phone.

“Hello, this is Mike from Fox—”

“This is Andrew calling from CN—”

“How are you doing. This is Alice from New York—”

“This is Sam from—”

The calls were getting to John’s nerves. He was about to delete all the messages, however one call from an elderly lady that caught his attention.

“Johnny, it’s me, Gladys. As you remember the party is this Friday and I was wondering if you could bring some of your famous Horchata for Joe’s birthday. Can you make enough for thirty people? I have a jug big enough if you need it. I’ll see you then, bye.”

John slapped his forehead as he remembered the party. He quickly rushed over to the pantry to see if he had enough ingredients to make the drink. He didn’t have enough rice. He cursed to himself silently for forgetting the party.

 He looked over to Fluttershy as he thought of whether to take her along or leave her alone. He saw her practicing her writing on the notebook he bought her. ‘I’ve been dragging her around everywhere I went.’ He thought to himself.

“Fluttershy,” he called to her. “I’m gonna get some things from the store. You don’t mind staying here, do you?”

“Oh, I don’t mind.” She said with a soft smile.

John couldn’t help but smile back. “Don’t answer the phone or door until I get back.” He instructed.

He felt strange leaving her alone in his home. His mind kept going back and forth between what the doctor told him.

	_______________________________________


“John, do you feel you have fallen in love too quickly?” The doctor told the man who was torn between his want and need.

“I-I don’t know,” John stammered. “I guess I may have. I don’t know.”

“John, I fear you are just replacing your ex with her.” The doctor said with worry. “It might not be true love. Just an infatuation for a hole you want to fill.”

John stared at his shoes, holding his hands between his knees. “I-I just don’t know what it could be. All I know is, I don’t want her to leave.”

“You have to make sure she feels the same way first.” The doctor replied, “I know how bad it feels to have those feelings to find out the other person doesn’t have them too. Be careful with her. It’s best to find out how they feel about it before it’s too late.”
	

> The Journal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy watched the door as John walked out and left her alone in the house for the first time. She grew worried over what was still bizarre and unusual to her. She thought of all the terrible things that could occur, from a maniac breaking into a dragon burning down the house. John told her not to worry about dragons though, saying they weren’t as fierce here as in her world.

After she took a deep breath, she focused on the writing in the journal she had been keeping. ‘I think my writing has gotten better since I started,’ she thought to herself as she re-read the entries from previous days.


	_______________________________________


Fourth of Noverance 1003 era 3

John had told me to write in this notebook he gave me a few days ago to keep myself entertained. He said I can write down any thought I have without getting judged. I like that. I have been scared recently with all the people surrounding our house. John was always good at keeping me protected. I didn’t know why they wanted me, until John turned on the television and I  heard that I was an important visitor. And that movie I saw about Equestria made people want to see me even more. I’m scared. But John has always been here to help. He is a good man. I just wish he wasn’t grumpy all the time.

I also learned they say “people” here. I feel strange saying it, But I got used to it.

Fifth of Noverance 1003 era 3

I saw on the television that the show My Little Pony was based on Equestria. The writer went there years back. She said she was one of the last people to leave before the portal was placed under protection. The group that closed down the portal were a bunch of meanies. They even told the princess to guard it and move the stone so nopony would enter. I found it weird that I found it on a walk. I miss my friends.
Sixth of Noverance 1003 era 3

 It is the Twenty fourth of September according to the television. They were talking about the bad man on television. I think they said his name was Oswald. The local government was very mad with him. They labeled him a traitor and a terrorist. I was upset by what he did as well, but I wouldn’t name him those horrid things. John turned off the television as he told me this was not something I should be watching. I asked him what was going to happen to him. He just said he is getting punished for what he did. In Equestria traitors are executed. I would never want that for anyone, no matter how much they hurt me. They also talked about a pony named Sea Breeze. She went missing a few years back in Ponyville. They said she was dead and the bad man killed her. I don’t know what to say. She was a good mare. I feel sad that she is gone now, even though I never met her.

On other news my Birth Anniversary is in two days. I don’t know if I should tell John. He has been working hard to get his money. Plus I don’t think they celebrate Birth Anniversaries here. I saw something called a Birthday but I think that was just for small children. I don’t want to bother him with my customs. He may find it weird.

Seventh Of Noverance 1003 era 3

I accidentally left the journal open last night and John read it. I am so embarrassed. However he has been asking what we do on our Birth Anniversary. He then went on to explain everyone has a birthday. Whether they celebrate it or not is personal. I’m happy that I get to have my Birth Anniversary here, but I am a little disappointed in John for reading my personal journal.

John if you’re reading this, remember to get a flower crown and a cloak, those are very important. Also stop reading my journal. I don’t feel like writing when I am being judged.
Eighth of Noverance 1003 era 3

I was visited by my friends in a dream this morning. They held a Birth Anniversary gathering in my dream. We had fun. But it was hard knowing that I won’t see them at home for a while. I feel sad. I hope things go better for me while I’m here.

It is now night and I was surprised to see how John went through a lot of trouble hosting a birthday party for me. I almost cried in joy seeing how many people cared about me. Martha and Daisy were here. John did his best to keep the ceremony as close as how I told him. Although I couldn’t help but notice John was a bit distracted by something. Every time he looked at me I could see his eyes lock on and stare at me and his smile drop. I tried to ask him after the ceremony, but he said he had something on his mind.

Tenth of Noverance 1003 era 3

John got a call from his boss inviting him to his Birthday. John was tired. He said he was up at night thinking. Yesterday we spent the day with the government talking about what happened next. I can’t believe what they said. I am going home on in nine days. I am excited.  But John wasn’t too pleased. He told his brother something. Neither of them seemed happy about it.

I know John is hiding from me. Before, he wanted to get rid of me but now something made him sad when he heard I was leaving. I can’t understand why he’s doing it, or what he has going in his head, but I want to help him. He is a good friend. I don’t like seeing my friends sad.
Eleventh of Noverance 1003 era 3

I met a young girl today that John’s brother brought. He says she is his daughter. She was very loud and energetic. Her name was Emily and she loved horses. She didn’t believe me when I told her that I was a pegasus. She loved my hair though. She said she wanted pink hair like mine as well. Her mother didn’t appreciate it.

John had a private conversation with Andrew about the portal. I couldn’t hear much, but I felt they were talking about me. I just wish John would talk about it with me. I’m sure he had his reasons.
Twelfth of Noverance 1003 era 3

John went to see his doctor again. I was sad to see that John was doing those faces again. He was smiling but I saw he had some sadness, just like those movies I saw with him. I knew he was faking his happiness. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but I feel he would just brush it off. I want to talk to him, get to know why he is acting this way.

John, if you are reading this please talk to me. You are scaring me. I really care about you. Is it something I did? Are you hurting? John please talk to me.

	_________________________________________


Fluttershy left the book open as she walked over to the couch and turned on the television. As she flipped through the channels, she noticed the news broadcaster talking about several items. They were still talking about the portal in Dewford. Many people were being interviewed over the movement of people to that small town. Many were heading to see if they could pass through. Others went to protest the new border.

All of it was confusing to Fluttershy and scared her. She changed the channels trying to find something calming to watch. Fluttershy started watching cartoons. Her mind went calm as she listened to the childish antics of the characters. She watched for a few more minutes and heard a soft growling come from outside. The growling sounded to get closer and immediately stopped by the garage door. Fluttershy felt scared and hid behind the couch as she heard steps come alongside the wall.

As the steps grew closer to the door, Fluttershy hid behind the couch holding the upholstery tightly. The door swung open and the hand of a familiar man peeked from around a bag of rice.

“Gee, Fluttershy, if you were so scared of being alone I wouldn’t have left you here.” John said as he noticed her cowering behind the couch. Fluttershy was relieved to see him.

John headed into the kitchen and noticed the notebook open on the dining room table. He noticed the words ‘please talk to me’ written in large letters were on the bottom of the page. John turned away, conflicted over her previous conversations.

He looked at her, confused, as she sat back to watch television. As he thought of what to say to her he had one thought in his head. ‘I don’t think she’s ready to know.’

After feeling a rumble in his stomach he began to cut vegetables to keep prepare the stew. His mind was occupied with the food at hand. However, a pin of concern grew into a nail in his head as a conversation arose.

“John?” a soft voice called from the other room.  “Do you want me to stay?” She asked.

“What?” John paused as the question stabbed  into his head.

“Um, I mean, you started acting strange when you came from the doctor,” she timidly continued. “You don’t look at me with a convincing smile. I feel like you don’t feel right with me leaving, or staying here at the same time.”

John stayed silent as he thought of what to say next. Not even a sigh relieved him of this thoughts.

The room remained silent as both people dug deep into their thoughts. The awkward silence grew thicker between them with only the sounds of the stove and television filling the silence.

“I just don’t want you to turn into Lucia.” He told her hoping both that she could and couldn’t hear her.

Fluttershy stayed quiet for as long as she could after hearing that. “I don’t want to be Lucia after the things people said about her.”

Her words stopped him in his tracks as a wave of fury came over him. He rounded on the poor woman, enraged.

“What did you hear about Lucia? Who talked about her?” John said through grit teeth.

Fluttershy grew scared as the man walked closer to her.

“You will never be Lucia!” John yelled, “You can never be her after what happened!”

John huffed, eying  the frightened woman. He grew remorseful over what a monster he had become for that moment of rage. He pulled himself away from the cowering woman. “Fluttershy,” he said, “I... I’m sorry. You just– I just– I mean... I need to think about something.”

“I’m sorry if I brought up something I shouldn’t have.” She replied as she saw him head into the kitchen. John waved his hand at her trying to apologize without words.

 As he remembered what the doctor told him, he felt a need to do something he hadn’t  done in a long time. He needed to clear the air and explain his reaction to her.

After letting the room settle, John peeked out of the kitchen and softly called to her. “Fluttershy, after dinner I  want to explain something.” He said, “Something I feel like I need to explain.”
	

> Lucia
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy was relieved from her hunger as she sat with the empty bowl in front of her. She felt a nervous, uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched John swirl the remaining broth with his spoon. She listened as he took deep breaths and muttered on his way out. She didn’t want to make the first move after what happened earlier. She feared that John may be unstable, especially around her.

“What have you heard about Lucia?” John finally fell out of his trance and began to speak, “You said people talked about her. What do you know?”

Fluttershy stuttered as she tried to recollect the information. “I– I was told that she was your girlfriend and– and…” She didn’t want to say it.

“Look, you can tell me,” John calmly said. “I’m not doing this to punish you. I just want talk to you about it, for a personal reason.”

After a deep breath she finally finished her answer. “She is dead, and many people say it was your fault.”

John looked at her as he took in what she said. With a feigned smile he looked at her and replied. “She is dead, however I can’t say for certain that it wasn’t my fault.”

Fluttershy was astonished by his remark. “What happened to her?”

He sat back and looked at his bowl. “Let me tell you something about her.” He said with a chuckle as he reminisced. “Lucia was a special girl for me.” He started. “We met in high school in art class. My art couldn’t compare to hers but she helped me get by. We just stuck together since. When my mother died she helped me get through it.  After college we always felt like  we would be together.” His smile went away. “However, she had this habit that got her into trouble and she never wanted to get face it.”

Fluttershy sat in suspense as John took a sip of the broth. Her attention was set on the girl from John’s past.

“She was a heavy gambler. She would always sneak out and play poker with her friends and their... friends. She stayed thin in school because she didn’t have any lunch money most days. That got her into trouble a few times during college. She owed people money, bad people. This ended up with hospital visits. She was actually missing some teeth because of her habit.”

Fluttershy was surprised. The idea of brutality towards a person seemed too obscene.

“I… I had a fight with her over it before she left out the door and had the accident.” He paused to keep himself from tearing up. “It was a sad day.”

“What happened?” Fluttershy brought herself into asking.

“You know what the lottery is?” John changed the subject. She shook her head. “It’s another gambling thing where the winner gets millions of dollars. However, it is just a one in a billion chance of winning and yet millions try.”

Fluttershy was confused by his reasoning. She was also trying to get the point of his segue.

“Lucia entered and won that night.” He began to tear up, “she never knew. She would always buy a lottery ticket. Adding more to the pot, more of my money.”

Fluttershy crouched down in fear of John breaking down again.

John took a deep breath before spilling his heart out. “I got home early one day…”


________________________________________


“Lucia…?” John entered the apartment wearing his police uniform. He did not get a response. He heard some talking from the bedroom and he felt curious to investigate. He set his keys down on the table along the hallway. The sound became clearer as he noticed it was Lucia on the phone. As he got closer he could hear the conversation.

“Yeah, I can’t believe it either.” The woman said in glee. “138.6 million dollars right now.” The person on the other side replied something. “No, I haven’t told him yet. I’m waiting until the numbers are out to tell him.”

“Lucia?” John called her as he entered through the doorway.

“I need to go.” She ended the call as she turned to see John in surprise. “John, you’re home early.”

“Who was that on the phone?” John calmly asked trying to hide his frustration.

“Oh, just Ashlee,” she said with a coy smile. “Why are you home? I thought you were on call.”

“Stop changing the subject Lu.” John began to get furious. “Are you gambling again?”

“No, I was just talking about the–” She tried to defend herself being caught in a lie.

“Bullshit!” He shouted at her, “I heard you talking about it, you said the jackpot was four hundred thousand, or some shit.”

“John, calm down.” Lucia pleaded with him. “It’s just a lottery ticket, no big.”

“No big? Would betting on a miniscule chance just for a bit of money be ‘no big?’” John grew more impatient.

“John,” She recoiled, “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” John kept on going, “I can see trying an elementary school raffle but this? This is pointless. No, beyond pointless– this is damn impossible. and you keep throwing money into that fire. It’s crazy to just keep going at it with that addiction you have. Why don’t you see it?”

“What I see is the money that we can use, John. How can you not be attracted to the idea of a better life?”

“You always do this,” John continued his rant. “You always say you will stop, but you keep escalating! How many teeth do you have to lose before you learn, you can’t win?”

“You always bring that up, Juan,” Lucia grew irate with the line of questioning. “Just because you saved me those times it doesn’t mean you are my boss!”

“But I saved you, and paid the hospital bills and your false teeth!” John declared, “You would look like your grandpa if it wasn’t for me. In fact you would probably be dead if it wasn’t for my partner!”

Lucia was appalled by the accusations. She trembled in anger as she tried to come up with a comeback.

“I work hard trying to get the money we need to live!” John continued,  “And you keep throwing it down a pit! And not just that, but you keep going back, again and again, trying to make up what you lost. Why? Why do you keep doing this?”

“I want to make a better life for us!” She shouted angrily. John was surprised by this revelation. “I’m tired of this Juan,” She continued as she cried, “I’m tired of this, every week we just fight over the my bets, and I’m sick and tired of it!”

John tried to get close to her, but she turned away as he got close. “Well maybe you should just stop. I mean, my wallet can’t take any more losses.” 

“Your wallet, that is all you ever think about Juan? Your money and your wallet? What about our future?”

“We can’t have a future without money, Lu!” John retaliated with her questioning. ‘You’ve lost what, three thousand the last time you bet on horses, and two thousand at the blackjack table. My money, and you keep asking for more. I am barely making ends meet with your habit. How do you expect us to have a future with the pay you keep giving the impossible odds.”

“And once I win the jackpot we will have a better future.” She tried to rationalize her  , “we can finally move away from L.A. We can move to a new state and start over.” She took her hand out from behind her as she brought out the ticket. “With this, our futures are set and we can have all the money we need. We can have that future we always wanted.”

“You're too optimistic Lucia,” John shouted. “What if we don’t win? What if we never get those millions?” He then corrected himself. “When we don’t win, what will you do then? You spent what, twelve dollars on this ticket? How many tickets will it take before you even win half of it back? You are just wasting your life away with this shit and you will probably die before you break even on all your bets!”

John was breathing heavily after that final rant. His eyes turned to see his fiancé looking at him with a broken heart. John did not know what to do. Conflicted over his words he remained silent as the teary eyed woman threw the ticket at him and ran out the door, grabbing the keys on the way out.


________________________________________

 

John began to tear up trying to push himself to explain what happened to Lucia. “I, I still feel terrible for the things… I told her. For all the bad words I told her before she left out the door and out of my life.”

“Wha…what happened to her?” Fluttershy asked to keep the conversation going.

“She ran over a piece of metal and it tore the brake lines.” He said between wipes. “She crashed head-on into a truck going fifty.” After a soft sigh he calmed down. “The investigators claimed it as vehicle tampering and tried their hardest to put me in jail. Our argument added to that flame. I almost lost it all.” John began to chuckle with a blank stare in his face. “I cashed in the ticket after the accident and what do you know, she won. It was the jackpot and my words came true. Just another reason to put me in jail.” He fell silent as he reminisced over the money.

Fluttershy had something on his mind. She felt awkward listening to the man talk about his former lover. She felt compelled to ask him. “Why are you telling me all this?”

John looked up as he placed his hands together. “I just needed to let it go, and make room for something new.” He said with a heavy sigh and a strange smile.

She felt confused as he looked her in the eyes. She tried to look away as she made her follow up question. “Let go for what?”

John moved his arm closer to hers, creating an uneasy feeling between the two adults. “It has been fun being with Lucia, but I can’t keep living in the past.” John said with a smile. “Before I met you I was miserable. I shut myself in and broke my relationships with everyone I met eventually. But then you came and your presence itself changed my life. I can’t even think of being this happy without you. You make me happy, and you helped me so much. I don’t want to leave your side, because…” His voice began to quiver as he tried to sound out his words. “I… I love you.”

The room fell silent with the two looking at each other. Without a word, the woman stood up and headed down the hall into her bedroom. The awkward silence fell as John punished himself, trying to create a reason not to throw the dishes out the door.

With a limp, he left the dishes alone and headed to his room to sulk. As he entered he looked at the photo on his night stand. He reached for it and grabbed it and looked deep into the woman’s eyes. With a soft whisper he opened the drawer and hid the portrait inside. He sat back in his bed regretting the moment that had just passed. “What did I just do?” He muttered to himself as he laid onto his bed.
	

> Well...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A white truck made a turn onto Amber Road. The woman driving the truck wore a smile on her face. Her mind was up in the clouds along with her heart as she daydreamed over her one true love.

‘I can’t wait to talk to John,’ she thought to herself. ‘I waited so long for this day. I finally found the right words to tell him. I just hope they work, I’ve been waiting for things to calm down so it wouldn’t be too soon after the truth of “Fluttershy”, or whatever her name is, came out. He must be sickened to have such a freak in her house.’

“Hi John,” she talked to herself. “I was wondering if I could dance with you at my dad’s birthday party?” She smiled as she spoke the imagined reply, “Why yes, Andrea, I would love to. I’m just friends with Fluttershy. Hopefully she will find someone else to dance with.” She giggled as she imagined what would happen.

She finally stopped the truck at John’s house. As she hopped out she thought of how to get her love to be attracted to her. As she walked to the door she could hear some talking inside. Curious to hear what it was she placed her head against the door.

She could hear John raising his voice with the words, “I love you.”

‘Who is he saying that to?’ she thought to herself. She began to think who would be in the house at the time. Her startling realization did not please her. Disappointed by the outcome of her plan, she dragged her feet back to the truck and headed back home with tears in her eyes.

At the Evans ranch, Andrea headed into her room to sulk in her bed.

‘Why would he choose her?’ She tried to rationalize. ‘I mean I have better qualities than that whore. I can’t even understand what he sees in her.’ She felt sad as he compared herself to her new rival. ‘Well she does look more attractive, bigger breast, long hair, and a face to boot.’  After reviewing her body she looked at her personality. ‘But she is so quiet and shy, how could anyone find that attractive?’

As she continued to try to make herself look better, she came to one conclusion. “I will not give up on him, I will get him back and I will crush that whore,” she said to herself as she reached for her mirror. She grabbed a bag from the top drawer of a wardrobe, and opened it to reveal a large collection of unopened and gifted beauty products.

She grabbed her tablet and began to make a search for tutorials for applying makeup. Tutorial after tutorial she practiced without product with just her hands. Her hands grew tired from the repetitive motion, she felt like she wanted to quit. But a look in the mirror made her remember why she was doing this. “I will not lose!” She said aloud, motivating herself to improve herself for the man she loved, and to put down the hippie who took him.

“I know he was meant for me, the world made it so by bringing him here. She will go back to whatever planet she’s from, and I will have him.” She told herself as she finally began to apply makeup. “She will not take him, he is mine.”


______________________________________


At the stone castle, a group gathered in the meeting room in great despair. The Princess paced the floor as the six ponies entered in a hurry.

“Princess,” Twilight said, “did something happen to Fluttershy?” she asked, worried.

“My dear ponies,” she softly spoke, “I fear I have been hiding something of great importance from you.”

“Hiding something?” the group murmured.

“In one of our last visits a few weeks ago I spoke to John alone,” She confessed, “In this meeting I tried to calm the heart of John to better the living conditions of our dear Fluttershy. However his heart confessed some hidden intentions I may have unlocked.”

The group stood in suspense. “What was it?” Pinkie asked.

“It appears John has fallen in love with our dear friend.”

The group was in shock over this new information.

“This is bad, this is bad,” Rainbow Dash repeated in shock.

“Just hold on there, what does this mean?” Applejack asked, “How can this be such a big problem?”

“He confessed his love to her hours ago.” The Princess answered.

“What!?”

“Fluttershy has never been good with romance,” Rainbow Dash commented. “She doesn’t know how to react.”

“Not only that,” Rarity interjected, “but if this human grew attached, what would happen to Fluttershy? She is not one to let somepony’s feeling get hurt. She may be compelled to stay.”

“Or bring him home,” Pinkie commented. “But that means we will have a Welcome to Ponyville Party and a Birth Anniversary, and a wedding…”

“There will be no wedding.” Twilight interrupted, “Don’t you remember who this human is? He is a carnivore and a murderer. Fluttershy told us what he did in his line of work, and she even tells us how he loves to eat meat. What makes you think that he won’t attack us when he get’s here?”

        The ponies began to clamour in protest until Princess Luna spoke up.

“Silence!” Princess Luna demanded. the crowd of ponies hushed over the reigning princess standing tall over the others. “My sister and I are preparing to make contact with the humans when the portal opens. We do not know what will happen, however we heard they want to promote open borders between us. If we refuse John entry, we may risk retaliation. This is a border which has not been opened in over fifteen years. Their entire nation is watching us and we do not know how they will react to our displeasure of cross-world relationship when we allow cross species.”

The group was amazed over what had happened.

“Oh my, Princess?” Twilight commented as the first to speak. “Is everything alright?”

“I once fell in love with an outsider.” The Princess confessed. They gazed in confusion. “This planet is filled with portals. The Moonstone to Earth is just one of ten in Equestria. To the north of here, I found one that lead to a world with magic and humans combined. I met an Elf named Aigle, and we fell in love. However his father, the king of Elran, did not allow marriage with an outsider. They exiled me and disposed of the portal. We pleaded to keep it open, but it was of no use and our border was shut with no light to activate it.”

“Princess…” Twilight whispered

The princess’ face grew red as she tried to change the subject. “When John declared his love, Fluttershy did not react well. From what I saw they fell asleep without talking to each other. Neither seems to be feeling well after that and I fear things will get worse if they are left alone.”

“What do you suggest we do, Princess?” Twilight asked with concern.

“We shall have a talk to them.” She said in a serious tone.


______________________________________


Fluttershy trotted around Ponyville with a smile on her face. However, she noticed the citizens were walking away from her as she passed through the street. She grew frightened at the eyes darting towards her. The angry gazed made her uneasy as they followed her through the streets.

She suddenly felt the presence of something following her. She turned to see a human floating above her. With a mighty scream, she rushed to the nearest building. She knocked on the doors, screaming to be let in. The sounds of murmurings and hissing spooked her as she crawled backwards from the door.

Suddenly a call came from behind the building. “Fluttershy!” a familiar voice called. Fluttershy, still in shock ran around the building. “Fluttershy!” they called again, growing louder. The world around her began to collapse into darkness. She turned the corner to see her friends standing by a glowing portal. “Hurry!” they shouted as they signaled to her. The floor collapsed beneath her, and she took to her wings, rapidly closing the distance between her and her friends.

As she fell to the soft ground, she smiled to see her friends. Two of them were there to see her enter, a white unicorn and a pink earth pony. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She said.

“I bet you had a strange day, huh?” the white unicorn said.

Her eyes widened. “Oh, you heard.” She felt embarrassed of the situation.

“Don’t worry,” Rarity said, “we’re here to sort it out.” Across the plains, a loud indistinct shouting erupted. The group felt uneasy. “That can’t be good.” She said as she lead the gallop to the epicenter of the noise.

“What makes you think you can just say it out like that? What were you thinking?” Rainbow verbally attacked the human as she hovered right in his face.

“I wanted to be happy but it never occurred to me that it would end up being yelled at by a rainbow-haired midget horse.” John retaliated.

“Who are you calling a horse, you hairless ape?” She retaliated.

John attempted to strike the pegasus only to be stopped by the unicorn. The western pony used her rope to pull the pegasus back onto the ground. She grumbled on the ground as the orange one sat on her back to keep her down.

The purple unicorn stepped forward with a sincere expression. “I apologize for Rainbow. She’s just upset over the news she heard.”

“She needs to calm down. I don’t like how she reacted over this.” John said as he rubbed his wrist.

“She’s a childhood friend of Fluttershy. She’s just really protective of her.” Applejack commented.

“I didn’t mean to offend you.” John corrected, “I’m just trying to fix my life on my own. I am grateful for what Fluttershy had done for me. I feel great spending time with her and doing things for her. I… I…” he paused as he turned to see a yellow pegasus with a familiar shade of pink. John felt awkward knowing who that was and what he wanted from her.

“Umm, John?” The yellow pegasus said softly.

“Flu– Fluttershy?” John replied. “Is that you?” He felt strange talking to a horse and having feelings towards it.

“Are you ashamed of Fluttershy?” The blue pegasus commented in anger, just before getting struck by Applejack.

“What she means to say,” Twilight corrected her, “you do realize Fluttershy isn’t human.”

“Yeah, I know that.” John seemed distracted.

“And you know she has to come back with us, right?”

“Yes.” John said in a disappointed sigh.

“As in there is no way for her to stay.” She added.

“What’s your point?” John said, slightly irritated.

“We don’t know if the relationship will work.” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We don’t know if you can come with us and if you will still like her out of that body.”

“Rainbow!” Rarity shot out Rainbow Dash’s blatant wording.

“Her body is not what I fell in love with.” John stated with an open heart. “It was how she treated me, how she behaved around me, and  how I felt when she was around. I thought hard about his the past week. I know some of you may find it weird, but I love her no matter what. My brother told me the portal changes you to whatever your equal of that world is. If she is a horse, than I will know I can still work it out as a horse that I will turn into. Even if I have to feel like Gulliver as a human in a horse-driven world, it will be no different than what she is going through here the other way around.” His heart raced as he looked around to the techni-colored horses that surrounded him.

John gazed upon the conflicted pony in great hope that she would feel the same way towards him as he felt for her.

“Fluttershy, it’s your choice.” Rarity said with a pat on the shoulder.

“I… I…” she tried to look at John, who had a face she had not seen before until today. With a gulp, she closed her eyes and spoke quickly. “I just don’t know how to react. You treated me so kindly and even changed to keep me from thinking bad about you John. I don’t know if it may be the time I spent with you or something else, but I had some of those thoughts ever since you gave me that kiss. I know I feel happy being with you, knowing that you are there to protect me and knowing that you will not guide me wrong. You say you love me, and I know you would do and have done anything for me. I accept your offer. I’m not sure how it will work, but I’m willing to try.”

The crowd leaned in, waiting for her final answer.

As she opened her eyes she answered with a smile. “In short, yes.” A soft squeak came from her as she blushed looking away from them.

He fell silent as he waited for a response. With a tear in her eye, Princess Luna looked at him as she stepped forward.

“I say we give this human a chance. We should allow him to join our herd and be part of our family as a token of peace and a blessing of love between our worlds.”

John opened his arms to embrace Fluttershy as she flew into his arms.

The group looked amongst each other as one by one they gave their response. Pinkie was the first to agree. Then Applejack. Then Rarity. Rainbow held her voice as she thought hard of what would make her happy. With a look at Fluttershy in his arms she raised her arm in agreement with the rest.

“I agree,” Rainbow Dash said, “but I still hold my vote against John.”

The crowd was joyful with the outcome, though with a week to go they felt they still had time to get them ready for each other.
	

> Andrea's fault
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	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.’
	

> Andrea's blunder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John sat in the hospital waiting room, his arms crossed across his thighs and his face filled with regret, along with several bruises and mended scars on his face. He sat still, waiting for news of what had happened. He remembered not seeing much blood as they took her away so it seemed like a good sign. As he sat, he thought hard of This incident. No thought was sound as he belived it was somehow his fault.

‘He said something about Andrea,” he thought to himself. ‘Something crushing her heart. Why would he say something like that? I hardly ever see her. But why would he target her? That doesn’t make sense.’

“Sir.” A nurse called out to him. John looked up at her. “Are you with… Flootershi?” the nurse asked, trying her best to pronounce the strange name.

“Is she okay?” John asked in regret.

“She has a few bruises and some minor bleeding, but no penetration so nothing too severe. She was lucky it was only rubber bullets. However she is still shaken up from the trauma and you will need to be easy on her.”

John looked at himself in shock. He felt as if his luck had just run out, and nothing good could come from all of this. He sat waiting for the right moment to follow the nurse to see her. He grew concerned over what her first reaction would be. Through all the time she had not been so physically harmed. He had protected her all these weeks, but had felt like he failed her.

With a deep breath and worry beating between heartbeats  he went forth, followed the nurse to the room. Along the way the police were barricading a group of what seemed like journalists from getting close to the room. Their batons were at the ready. John felt it was inappropriate for the given situation. He was glad he didn’t have his gun with him anymore.

John entered to see some police officers with their notepads ready, trying to interview the scared pink-haired woman. The officers were trying to calmly take her statement, however her eyes were looking down at their hips.

John took a few steps forward slowly, as he tried to create an excuse for his behavior. He remembered the face she made as he turned to her at the fight. He thought hard about kind of expression it was. Originally he saw it of a face of worry and fear. After seeing what happened John thought something else.

‘It was fear, and disgust.’ He thought to himself feeling disgusted with himself.

John looked at Fluttershy, their eyes locked with a long pause between words.  He hoped things would get better. He didn’t want to fail in a relationship he just started.

Fluttershy finally turned to him and tried to hide her head in her shoulder. With a disappointed sigh, he sat on the bed away from Fluttershy. However, to his surprise, she called him over.

“J… John?” She called in a soft voice as she pointed the belt of the officers from behind the blanket. “Get those things away from me.” The officers looked at him as he realized what was going on.

“Officers,” John tried to reason with them. “I can get help with the statement if you need one.”

“Sorry sir, but we need to get it from her.” One of the officers answered.

“But there may be something on your belt getting in the way of that.” He explained as he pointed at the sidearm. “This girl had just been shot by a pistol for the first time. She’s traumatized. I doubt she ever wants to see another one for a while. She will need an area away from guns to feel safe. Perhaps send someone without a sidearm.”

The officers looked at their hips adding up the points John explained. “We’ll be back,” they said leaving trust in John over his word. “However I feel we have enough to put him away. We may not need her.”

The officers left the room, leaving a glimpse of the crowd outside. John walked around the bed and pulled a chair to the edge of the bed. Without looking at her he gave a sigh. “Do you hate me now?” he suddenly stated.

Her silence terrified him.

“Listen,” John tried to excuse himself, “I know, it’s okay to hate me, I mean, I was the one who brought that gun with me. I feel it’s my fault you got hurt. But I use that gun to defend myself from people like Joshua, people who wanted me dead for one reason or another. But I never wanted to kill any of them. I’ve killed enough and felt horrible for each one. I lost more in each fight than I gained. But that gun has kept me alive for so long. I feel like shit thinking you got hurt because I wanted to feel safe. I…” He was interrupted by the movement from the bed.

“John, please, stop talking.” She said as she sat up in her gown. “I know how guns are scary. I was in the living room when you played those games. Even some of those movies are scary. I had trouble sleeping when you watched that war movie. But when they were healing me I kept thinking of one thing. Your gun is not like those others. It hurt but they didn’t go through, they didn’t explode like in those things you watch. Don’t think of yourself bad for me being hurt, think of it being good as it was your safe gun, instead of the other one Joshua brought.”

John looked up to see her sitting in her gown, her face showed both worry and appreciation. Her face brought John to his feet as he tried to think of reasons to feel bad, instead he moved around the bed and embraced her tightly. “I’m sorry.” he whispered to her ear.

Fluttershy felt confused over his reaction, “John, please it’s not your fault. Don’t be hard on yourself.” Her eyes began to tear up, “I know how you get when you regret. It upsets me a lot.”

John felt the he shoulder getting wet as the woman buried her face in it. Fluttershy gripped his torso trying to feel comfortable through John’s sorrow.

“Don’t feel bad,” she cried, “Just knowing you feel sorry is enough. I know what you did was for your protection. I forgive you.”

The room fell silent as John pulled away from Fluttershy. With his eyes open to see the woman looking back at him. With a spontaneous lean into her face their faces met in a kiss. John felt calm as they kept in touch for several seconds. However an alarming sound broke his concentration as the door shut behind them.

With her face red, Fluttershy turned to the door, but found it shut. She slowly turned, embarrassed over the thought of being caught in an embrace.

“It was probably a nurse,” John replied, “I’ll go check where she went, maybe she wanted to discharge you.” John said as he moved slowly around the bed.  As John walked out the door, Fluttershy sat back against her pillow, glowing in joy over the relationship she was in.


_______________________________________


“Andrea, listen!” Will tried to calm her down to no avail.

“This is all my fault!” Andrea screamed, “If I hadn’t told you, he would have never heard and done this.”

“There is nothing we can do,” Will tried again, “We didn’t know Joseph was standing behind the door. We didn’t know what would happen.”

“And now people are in the hospital,” she cried, “I tried calling John, it went straight to voicemail. What if he was hit too? What if he’s dead?”

“’Drea, Joseph was unstable, even as a child,” he tried to reason with her, “none of us knew he would try murder him. But listen, Joseph wasn’t arrested for murder. I don’t know how, but Dad said the police claim he didn’t kill the woman he shot.”

Andrea was shocked by that startling revelation. “No one died?” She asked.

“No,” Will explained. “I got the call when Joseph was arrested. John was taken to the hospital voluntarily in the same ambulance as the woman he shot. They said it was Fluttershy, the woman we met after your graduation.”

The room fell silent as she realized what had happened.

“Take me to the hospital.” Andrea demanded.

“What?” Will was confused.

“Take me to the hospital now. I have to see her.” She headed to the door only to be stopped by Will, who grabbed her arm.

“That’s enough!” he shouted. “Every time you want something you have to destroy everything else to get it, ‘Drea! I saw how much you talked about John every time I came to visit the past two weeks. You are obsessed with him, just like that doll those years ago. Remember what happened to Martha? You broke her nose because she spilled juice on your doll. Your acting the same over this man. Ask yourself, would he want you if all you see him as is some sort of prize? Would you want someone who only wants you as an object rather than a human being?”

“I do see him as a human being!” she protested.

“Well then what about Mike Hight? What happened to him when you finally got him in high school? What happened when you found out he was a super nerd and not the wrestling champion you saw him as?” Andrea fell silent, whipping her arm out of his grip. “Andrea, you have to let the boy choose you and not obsess over the boy until you crash. John may have chosen someone else, but that doesn’t  mean you have to give up ‘Drea. There are many boys out there for you, probably one who acts the same as John over you.”

Andrea stood still as she let the lesson sink in. “Take me to the hospital.” She said softly. “I want to see them.”

The car ride was silent as Will rushed to the hospital. His attempts to make a conversation were shut off by Andrea’s worrisome silence. Along the way Andrea kept thinking of what to say to John. Her mind had the image of Fluttershy lying in her bed on a ventilator and John crying over her. It was an alien image, since her earlier goal was to crush her.

Once they arrived, they found no parking in the hospital. Most of the spots were taken up by news crews and police. Frustrated with the time it was taking to park, Andrea waited for the car to stop and without missing a beat swung the door open and ran out, leaving Will shouting after her.

She rushed to the front entrance hoping she would get in. Unfortunately, an officer stopped her as she ran down the hall.

“What are you doing?” The officer called out as he stood in her way.

“Sorry.” She looked at his name tag. “Sorry, Officer Bridges. My friend was hurt and I need to find out if they are okay.” She pleaded with him.

“Who are they?” The officer tried to calm her down.

“His name is John Alvarez.” She told him trying to get him to let her through.

The officer looked at her suspiciously. “I’m sorry, we were asked not to allow anyone to disturb them.”

“Why?” She pleaded, “I need to see them, please.”

He inspected her body as he listened to her please. He turned over his shoulder to see the officers holding back a crowd. “You’re not a journalist are you?”

“No,” she responded in confusion.

“Follow me,” he said as he turned around, “and stay close.”

The two walked through the halls heading to the back of the hospital. The officer looked back at the woman, who seemed to be worried about the man. He felt like investigating a little.

“So what’s your relationship with John?” he asked her.

“I’m his friend. Well, I think I’m his friend.” She looked straight ahead, depressed. “I think I may have fucked things up.”

“Well, I thought I messed things with him too. I was in love with his friend for a few days, until the whole THPA incident I understood why he told me to move on. It’s hard having to let go of someone you want.” His tone turned sad as he went on. Andrea stayed quiet, listening to him talk.

“We’re here.” he said as he stopped at a door with police officers at either sides. The other officers stepped back as the two opened the door. Andrea was left in awe as she was the two at face level, their lips connecting in a passionate kiss.

Andrea turned and headed down the hall to the exit. Officer Bridges let the door close and followed, calling, “Ma’am?”

“Are you okay?” he said as she finally stopped to hold her tears back.

“I, I,” she tried to speak, only to turn and lung herself at Officer Bridges’ chest. “I hate this.” She cried into his badge.

Under-experienced to this specific situation, he held her close to keep her calm. “Don’t worry, these things happen.” He tried to think of why she was upset. He realized it was the same reason he felt upset as well. “A lost love is just a map to a new treasure, my father always said. There’s no need to cry ma’am.”

“Thanks,” she said as he lifted her face, “I’m sorry for this, I thought I needed to fix this. Turns out I wasn’t needed at all.”

“We’re always needed, just by other people, Ma’am.”

“Thank you, it seems I needed you. Officer Bridges.” She said to him as she lifted herself more.

“Call me Michael, Ma’am. My name’s Michael Bridges” He said with an excited face.

“Stop calling me ma’am,” she said in a semi-playful beat as she noticed his red face. “Call me Andrea.”

“Right… Andrea.” He noticed he was still holding her. “Sorry these things happened to you.”

“I get used to it.” She said with a tear soaked smile. “Do you want to get a snack?”

“I-I-,” he felt hot under his collar. “I would like that, sometime.”
	

> The choice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	John sat in his room with worry as he listened to his voice mail. A day had passed since the incident and he had refused to go to work or even answer the calls from any Evans in fear of being scorned for the incident. It wasn’t until Fluttershy convinced him to forgive himself that he decided to call them. However he heard his voice mail had several messages and had began to listen to them one at a time.

“Johnny, What happened? I got a call from the police you were shot at by my son. What happened? Are you okay? Answer?” 

“Johnny, answer please, I know you’re at the hospital. I… I talked to the police they say he did try to kill you. I’m sorry for that, but please hear me out; this has nothing to do with us, does it?” 

“Johnny, it’s three in the afternoon. I know you wanted to take a day off after what happened yesterday, but I at least need some clarification on what happened. Don’t blame us. Joseph was a bad kid, but we didn’t make him that way.”

Johnny, We got the horchata from your friend the sheriff, we asked him how you were and he said you were still a bit shaken up. Please talk to me, I care for you, we all do. Don’t hurt us for one person.” 

“John, We missed you again today. I’m just hoping you aren’t mad enough to come to my party tonight. I just need to clear things up. Joseph is going away for a while. You don’t have to see him in a trial. He made his own bed and he was prepared to lay in it. Johnny, don’t hate us because of him, he was just a bad seed. We need to talk.”

With a heavy sigh, John headed to the living room. There he saw Fluttershy watching television. She turned as she caught the figure coming from the corner of her eye. Her smile turned as she saw the expression on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I, uh,” his tongue tripped on his words. “Do you want to go somewhere tonight?”

“Well, I have been stuck in this house for the past two days. It would be nice to go out.” She replied with a smile.

“We need to head to a party at five.” He said without changing expression.

“Your boss’s birth anniversary?” she said, still smiling.

“Birthday, yes. I need to talk to him., and hopefully I can make things up for sending his son to prison.”

The room fell silent as he thought of what to do. The biggest thing on his mind was not his work relationship, but his new relationship.

He remembered how he made his promise to follow her to the ends of the Earth, and to another world if he had to stay with her. ‘This is going to be hard,’ he thought to himself as he looked at her, ‘I want to stay with her, but she needs to go back to her world. Andrew said her body change and she has new needs, but her morals won’t let her meet those needs. She needs to get back home. But I don’t want to lose another woman.’ John thought heavily and made his decision, a decision he had promised.

“I need to make a call. Start getting ready, it’s almost time.” John said as he headed back into his room.

John picked up his phone and dialed the contact listed as Andy. The phone rang three times before someone answered. “Juan?”

“Andy, I want to ask you a favor.”

_________________________________________


John and Fluttershy arrived at a large metal pavilion with tables lining each side. Large amounts of people were scattered along the wood floor under the sheet metal roofing. Several were at the buffet, while others were sitting at the tables. The rest were mingling around the floor getting to know one another. A disk jockey played oldies music at a low volume to keep the ambiance steady.

John led her to the tables as others stared at them from afar. From the corner of his eye he could see these were not the gossipy looks he expected. John was confused until he looked down and saw himself doing something he hadn’t done for years. With his hand in a romantic embrace around Fluttershy he was surprised he was even doing it, but he didn’t care. He was happy doing it.

A teenage girl walked up to them with a joyous smile, “I’m so happy for you two,” she said in the most sincere way she could. “I knew you two were going to be a great couple.”

“Who are you?” John was mildly irritated.

“Oh, sorry, I’m Jenna, Gladys’ niece. I was told so much about you by my aunt and how happy you made John, Miss.” She looked at Fluttershy who hid behind John.

“Jenna. Can you please not bring this up, we have been trying to keep it quiet. We need to work some things out before we can make it official.”

“Oh, sorry,” she apologized. “We were just glad to hear you two were together.”

John fell silent as he saw her turn. He called out to her. “Wait. Who is we?” He asked with great suspicion.

“Oh,” she said as she pulled out her smartphone, “a few weeks ago when you saved Fluttershy from the THPA a bunch of internet friends and I started a fan group for you two. Some claimed you two as their OTP and they even have stories of what would happen to you when you finally confess your love.” She navigated to a webpage titled, My Little Visitor which showed images of John and Fluttershy from the past three weeks, taken from distances.

John was both surprised and irritated as he found artwork of them kissing and holding each other in ways he was embarrassed about.

“What would make you think we would be okay with this?” He was annoyed by the startling revelation. “Don’t you ever think that we just want to be left alone? That we don’t want all this attention towards our relationship and our lives in general?” he berated the girl. “We have three days left together and we don’t want to know that there are people googling us every time we exit the house.”

The girl held her phone close to her in a defensive position as she grew frightened of the irritated man. She slowly backed away as a woman came to the girls’ aid.

“I’m sorry sir.” She apologized to John. The woman’s presence calmed him down as Fluttershy tugged at his shirt.

“Forget about it, miss. I was just having a bad day.” John settled down the situation.

After the woman left, they sat down at the closest table. John fell into a startling realization he tried to avoid. ‘Everyone is watching us,’ he thought to himself as he tried to come to terms with the situation. The idea that he had become a celebrity shocked him to the point of wanting to leave town. However even if he left the cameras would still be pointed at him. This frightened him even more.

“Johnny, you made it.” Said a voice John had been dreading to hear. “I hope you’re not upset.”

John turned to see Mr. and Mrs. Evans approaching his table. 

“No, I just had some things to clear up.” John replied with a feigned smile at Joe which Mrs. Evans caught.

“Come on, I know you feel bad, but please don’t take it out on us.” Joe pleaded.

“I’m not, I just had to think of how to fulfill a promise.” John looked around as he contemplated on his next move. “Do you mind if we talk alone?”

“Sure,” Joe was shocked by his request what could come after.

“In private.” John demanded. He looked at Fluttershy, “go talk to people, It won’t take long.”

The two men headed towards the nearest building and left Fluttershy to speak with Mrs. Evans, something she felt uncomfortable doing.

________________________________________


At an office a man behind his desk in his office looking over paperwork filed as ‘Equestria.’ He fell silent as he held his head up in his palms. ‘What am I going to do?’ He thought heavily. ‘The president wants a way to show god faith between our worlds and all we have are bodies.’

A soft knock came from the blurred glass door as a man in a suit came in. “Commissioner,” the man called out.

“Yes, Garcia?” The man answered.

“I just got off the phone from headquarters. I think you should hear this.” He replied. “It’s about the portal.”

The man was intrigued. “What about it?”

“Remember agent Alvarez of the FBI?” Garcia answered. “Well, his brother called him, the one who helped him debunk THPA, and he is contemplating on moving into Equestria, along with his new girlfriend, the one who came from there.”

“Why are you telling me this gossip?” the commissioner as confused.

“He asked for permission to go through, possibly get a dual citizenship.”

“Why would he…” The commissioner stopped to think. “This is it!” he exclaimed, “I know what we should do.” He stood up. “We will open the border, and we will send an ambassador to plead that we are no longer seeing them as a threat and show them as an example of our new kinship.” He laughed as he congratulated himself over the new answer. “Call the White House and tell them I got the answer they needed.”

________________________________________


Joe closed the door of the office as John leaned against the desk. “So, what is troubling you boy?”

John sat still as he tried to come up with a way to explain his dilemma. “I– I’m not coming in on Monday.”

“Johnny, I know you feel bad because of what happened with Joseph, but he made his mistakes. This was his third strike and the judge wasn’t going to let him off so easily. There were witnesses…”

“It's not about him.” John interrupted. Joe was surprised. “I’m moving.”

“John,” Joe pleaded, “where are you going?”

“Through the portal.” He replied quickly.

“The portal? But the place is off limits.” Joe was worried, “why are you going through with this?”

“Remember last month when we met her?” He started, “you kept hinting that we would end up together.”

Joe felt he knew where he was going with this.

“I kind of did, and I don’t want to lose her like I did Lucia.” He explained. “I want to be with her, follow her to another world and perhaps finally live in peace.”

“What about your things? Your house?” Joe didn’t want him to go.

“That’s what I want to tell you.” he responded, “My stuff will stay in Dewford, but I want to give the house to you, maybe rent it out or give it to Andrea. My brother is coming to pick up whatever they don’t want and I will give him my winnings. I don’t even think they accept the dollar, maybe they don’t even have money.”

“But Johnny, what about your friends?” Joe was confused with John’s plan.

“Joe, I will live only across the border. I can come and visit every once in awhile.” He sighed. “I just don’t want the pressure of being the man who fell in love with a woman from another dimension. I have been hounded by paparazzi, news crews and bloggers. If I stay and she leaves, it won’t stop. I want peace, I want happiness, I want her. I won’t get that if I stay here.”

“Well,” Joe conceded to his demand. “If that’s what will make you happy, I can’t stop…” he was interrupted by screaming from the dance floor. “What the hell was that!?” he shouted as he looked outside.

“Oh, shit,” John said as he recognized the scream. “Fluttershy!” He said as he ran out the door into the dance floor, dreading something bad had happened.
	

> The taste
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As the two men left the party, Fluttershy grew concerned for her reason of being there. She sat across from Mrs. Evans, who had a child at her feet, and was busy trying to keep her entertained. Fluttershy felt a rumbling coming from under her shirt. She signalled to Mrs. Evans, trying to show her new need. “Refreshments are that way honey,” she said as she pointed to the far end of the floor, too busy to show her to the table.

She stood up slowly, her eyes forward, trying to avoid contact with the glances at her back. With her eyes wide, full of uncertainty, she looked across to the groups of friends and families that conversed and laughed together. She felt alone, afraid of all the strange men and women that stood around her. No one she knew was there to keep her company. However, her hunger was  getting the best of her as she blinded herself and walked towards the buffet.

She focused on the salad that lay on the corner of the table. However, a strange bowl caught her eye. It was a large bowl of golden shreds of what reminded her of hay. Her mouth watered as she looked at the morsel that she had so many memories eating back home. She noticed  a man come close to her with a foam plate.

“What would you like?” he said with a heavy accent.

Fluttershy backed away from the table as she pointed at the tray that caught her attention.

“Que pasa? You shy?” he asked playfully. “That’s lomo. Fried in manteca. You want some?”

She didn’t understand some of the strange words he spoke, probably since it was neither English nor Equestrian. She politely nodded and watched as the man served it in a tortilla. Bewildered by the eating customs of this man, she inspected the item on her plate, first sight, then texture, then smell, and finally taste. The taste was something she never experienced before. The sweet taste captivated her as she went in for the second bite. She never thought to have tasted something so full of flavor.

As she finished her plate she went to the server with a smile. “This is so good,” she said, What type of plant is this?”

“No, it’s not a plant.” A man interjected from aside, “It’s pork leg fried in animal fat.”

She fell silent, her lip quivering, feeling the muscle fibers stuck between her teeth. She grew more and more disgusted by her own actions.

A blood-curdling scream came to her as the floor turned to the woman who had was on her hands and knees. Disgusted, she expelled the meat from her stomach as she cried for forgiveness to all her furry friends.

As she fell to the floor with her knees and elbows touching she thought of what life the pig she just ate could have had. The people surrounded her as they wondered what happened.

Suddenly John came rushing to her aid. Her tear soaked cheeks were enough to show him of her dilemma.

“What happened?!” John screamed. The crowd fell silent as he looked around win anger.

The man at the buffet raised his hand to explain in Spanish. “Hermano, le di lomo y gritó, no sabemos porque?”

“Lomo? No te acuerdas? Ella es vegetariana.” John was confused. He turned to Fluttershy. “You ate meat.” He said in disbelief.

With a soft whimper she buried herself into John’s shoulder. John listened as the crowd murmured.   None of them could believe what had happened. With his dignity John lifted her up and turned to the crowd.

“I apologized for her behavior. But we are not your spectacle.” He said as he held her close and walked towards the exit. The crowd looked amongst themselves as they tried to comprehend what had occurred.

After he closed the car door, John sat in silence as he contemplated where they were headed next. His mind could not even think of anything good happening after this day. He started the engine and headed away from the sunset, back into town with a disappointed look on his face.

“John?” the faint voice called from the passenger seat. “Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t mean to ruin the party.”

“It’s okay,” he replied. “I didn’t feel like staying anyway.”

The car returned to silence. John glared out the windshield with a look that scared the woman in the car. Fluttershy didn’t like the silence. She tried to think of what to do to make the awkward feeling disappear. One thing was on her mind, the feeling that disgusted her. She licked her lips just remembering the flavor, her new instinct made her remember in salivation of the food she had ejected.

“John?” she asked, “Why is meat so good?”

John immediately turned to the side of the road and stopped the car. Fluttershy was sacred about the sudden action.

With a heavy sigh John looked ahead. “Fluttershy, There is no need to try and skirt around the subject.” He said annoyed. “I know you hate meat. I have been hiding my steak from you when you weren’t looking. I just thought you would get upset because you knew what I was eating. I just thought you knew better as to keep yourself away from it so I wouldn’t have to help you.”

“I, I…” she tried to explain. “I was attracted to it. I didn’t know what it was, but I felt like I wanted to eat it. I don’t know, it was so appetizing.”

John looked at the steering wheel as he thought hard on what to say. “Fluttershy, listen, I know how hard it is for your to get accustomed here. We both had to make sacrifices to make it better for your stay. Now that I see you still struggling over the food here, I wonder what this entails for me.” He turned to her and looked into her eyes. “The agency told us the portal will be active on Monday, and you have to leave on that day. I’ve spent such a long time with you that I can’t see myself without you.”

Fluttershy dreaded what the next words were.

“Your blue friend may not think much of it, but I do love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Which means I can’t stay here.” John continued. “I told Joe today that I was going to leave Earth and live with you. I don’t have much here anyway, but at least I can know that I am going to be happy with you. Joe protested, he was one of the only people who took me in after the accident. I even felt like he cared about me. But I feel I can let them go if we need to go through.”

“John, are you sure you want to go through with this?” Fluttershy asked.

“I want to stay with you. I have lost a woman before and I don’t want to go through that again. I even made that promise to you and your friends that I would not want to break. I especially don’t want to break it to you. But I feel it will take a lot of will to get it done after today.” His tone turned sour.

Fluttershy fell silent with a blush that couldn’t be noticed through the darkness. Her heart pounded as she remembered what a look in the eye meant from him.

“I however still don’t know what this means now that I’ve seen you upchuck what you weren’t used to, even if it didn’t mean you were going against it. It just happened.” John tried to get his words out. “I just want to know I can adapt to your world as I go to live there. You did so well in the three weeks you were here. I wish I could do it as well.”

“John, I–” She saw what he was going through. She placed her hand on his shoulder, hoping to ease the situation. “It has been hard getting used to this, especially with all your technology. But I want you to know, it can be done. And I will be glad to have you follow me. I care about you, and it will be tough not being able to see you every day.” She tried to look in his eyes through the dark. “you are the strongest willed person or pony I ever met. I am sure you will do fine.”

John looked ahead with a smile making its way off his chin. “Sure, but there is one thing I want to do before Monday.”

Fluttershy felt like something strange was about to happen.

“How would you like to spend the day alone with Martha and her friends tomorrow?” John proposed to her.

“Alone?” she stammered.

“I want to go eat barbeque before I leave and maybe say my goodbyes to some people I know. Maybe they can take you to that new movie that came out, or something.” John explained his plan.

“But John, what if something happens? What if you aren’t there to protect me?” Fluttershy felt worried.

“We have phones to call each other. Plus, Martha carries a knife with her and knows self-defense.” He said as he got back on the road. “It’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy didn’t understand this plan. However, if it’s something John wanted to do, she believed it would be okay.
	

> Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Good morning, Denver.” A radio morning show host called out as the intro song faded away. “This is Olivia Grey, and Graham Dalton. It is seven in the morning and I am with you on 103.3 morning show with a special episode. As we all know there will be a full moon this Tuesday, but what is more important is the day before, where the quaint little town of Dewford will have its first ever portal welcoming our new neighbors after a twenty-seven year shutdown and a seemingly continuous silence over the hidden portal. But that is the least of our worries.”

“That’s right,” A male voice spoke. “Our big story is that the visitor, Fluttershy, who has been living in peace for the past month will be headed back to her home world, and taking with her stories of what it is like in this world. Hopefully she forgets all the bad movies we had to offer.”

“Right, but in our latest gossip, we are still unsure of one major thing,” Olivia said with a coy tone. “That hunk of a man who lovingly took care of her on her stay. Rumor has it that they have been in love for weeks now and their part will make things sad for the both of them. The portal only opens once every lunar month and the distance is more than the two miles that it seems.”

“Liv, you have to understand, Alvarez is a strong independent man. He loves to do the right thing and probably knows that he can’t fall in love with someone who is not human.”

“Graham,” Olivia sounded annoyed. “We had this discussion before, she looks human and even after her visits with doctors she was seen as human on this side of the portal. To love someone isn’t even about what race they are. It’s 2013, as long as the one you love looks human, you can love them with no judgment.”

“Yeah, but how can they love each other? They are opposites from each other. He is aggressive, old school, and loves meat, according to his online profiles. And from what we hear, Fluttershy is shy, soft-spoken, and has a thing for nature. The fact that they come from two different worlds will make it even harder to attract each other. These two can not possibly like each other.” Graham continued to defend himself.

“But opposites attract.” She ended the conversation with a silence that made Graham silent. “We now open our calls with the question: ‘What will Fluttershy miss the most when she goes home?’ We will wait for your response here.”

A first caller came in as they tried to recollect the conversation. A young girl was placed on the air.

“Hello, Jenna from Dewford.” They greeted her as she was connected. “What do you think Fluttershy will miss the most when she passes through?”

“Well I’ll tell you one thing she’s not going to miss. John Alvarez.” She said bluntly. Groans came from the two hosts as they took the words in. “Because he’s going with her.” She intrigued the two. “I got it from a good source that John and Fluttershy are an item and that he plans to go through the portal to live with her in Equestria. John said this himself and he is planning on going through with this.”

“Are you sure of this, young lady?” Graham asked.

“I’m sure of it. He told his boss he was leaving. I doubt my uncle would lie.” Jenna continued.”

_________________________________________


Martha stood at the door with a confused look. John held Fluttershy’s hand as she looked at the two of them. Martha wanted to ask what was going on between them, but felt it was none of her business.

“John,” She finally ended the silence. “You have always come with her, even on our nights out. Are you finally ready to cut that tether on your hip?” She said jokingly.

“I just need to do some things alone, and not drag her with me.” He explained, “I don’t think she would like watching me.”

“Well, seeing as the nearest gentlemen’s club is a county away I don’t think I would have a moral problem with it.”

“I think it would be fun having some alone time.” Fluttershy interrupted. “I, mean, I know where John is going and I don’t want to watch him.”

Even more curious over what was going on, she felt like she finally needed to ask. “Just to be sure, what is going on between you two?”

“Well, it’s been a while since I went to a barbeque joint and I wanted to go before I left. But Fluttershy doesn’t like meat so I don’t want to take her with me.” He explained.

Suddenly Martha was relieved with the fact she could rule out any perversion. However she didn’t understand his use of ‘I’ when it came to leaving. “What you do is none of my business” she said. “How long will I have to keep her with me?”

“About an hour, maybe two.” John stated. “So maybe you can take her to a salon or something.” He stopped as he realized what he said after he saw Martha’s reaction. “Or the café.” Still not a positive reaction.

“I would like to get my hair cleaned,” Fluttershy saved the moment. “It’s hard to get all of it done on my own.

Alright,” Martha agreed. “But we will go on John’s pocket.”

John’s eyes rolled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out several large denominations. “Have fun.” He said as Martha took Fluttershy’s hand and led her to the jeep.

John locked the door and headed  out to his car as he thought hard about which platter to get first.

_______________________________________


A squad of black helicopters made its way from Denver to the small airport in Dewford. Above the town they noticed a lack of traffic in the town. The pilot considered it strange from the high traffic and low visibility of green that he was used to in Denver.

“Amazing,” The agent said as he looked out the window. “Everything’s so green. It's like people don’t even live here.”

“That’s what farming towns look like. Hank.” The pilot said, “I just hope the town doesn’t grow from too much once they open the border.  We’re losing these quiet towns everywhere we go.”

The men took in the pilot’s words as they look across the town. Hank looked at the men with curiosity, “So this John guy, is he the one everyone has been talking about on tv?”

“Yeah, that’s him.” The man next to him replied.

“And this pink haired girl, Butterfly, she’s with him?”

“They’re the ones going through on Monday. They’re our VIPs and with great importance we get to them.”

“Do we have someone tracking them?”

“We gave them their privacy for the past two weeks. But our agents on the ground made sure to know when they leave town.”

“One more question.” Hank finalized, “do you think this will work? We lost an agent earlier this month and they lost five tourists this past decade. Why would you think things won’t be fuzzy between us and them? It seems uneven.”

“That was two question.” The man smiled. “let’s just say a dream told us that we will be fine.”

The helicopters landed in a in the airport as three vans headed out from a nearby hangar. The agents stepped out of the helicopters and the men met.

“Agent Samson, CIA,” Hank introduced himself to them men in the van.

“Captain Gutierrez, PPA.” A bald man stepped out to greet him. “We got a call you would be here. But not this early.”

“I was sent to debrief our VIPs over what is headed their way.” Hank stated. “Where are they?”

“We went to their home and they weren’t there. Possibly they are at just enjoying themselves before they leave.”

“I was just told John was leaving. How do you know?” Hank fell suspicious.

“We heard it on the radio this morning,” Gutierrez explained. “Apparently word got out to his boss’ niece and she told the whole of their internet fandom.”

“Now I just think you are making things up.”

“You have no idea what interest the world has with them.” The captain said with a laugh.

“So where are they?” Hank turned back around.

“Their last location was a barbeque pit in the center of town.”

“Good,” Hank said, “take me to them.”

The men headed in the van towards the town’s center. Hank, who was new to the location felt curious to see no one making a large fuss over the potential border north of them. Each civilian lived carefree as they  walked through town doing their daily deeds.

“You like the looks of this calm border?” the captain asked.

“At least we know when and where the immigrants are passing through.” Hank said. “You have it easier than most border patrols.”

“We don’t think of it as a border as so much as a checkpoint. They have only one point and time of entry. We are setting up a building to make the visitors more welcome.” The captain explained.

“I heard they pass through without clothes, any way of stopping potential indecent exposure?” Hank asked.

“We have some ideas. However we need to get through the harder parts first.”

The group stopped as they found the parking of the Hopping Deer. The group entered to a startled crowd as they stepped closer to the Mexican surrounded by a debating crowd.

Roars came up as the people debated over his love and citizenship. They seemed wild enough to start an incident. However the man at the table sat with plate upon plate of sauce stained dishes. He did not pay attention to the crowd.

The manager came from his back door with a phone in hand. “All of you, leave my restaurant. I have called the police.” She said as she tried to out-yell the crowd. The crowd did not disperse.

Hank looked at the agents around him with the decision to proceed. The agent took their stun guns and readied them. “You have been asked to vacate the premises.” The agents said. “Leave now or you will be forced out.”

The crowd fell silent as they heeded the words of the men and women in black attire. Slowly they headed out the front door leaving the Mexican alone on the table as he asked for his check.

“I came a long way to find you,” Hank told the Mexican man sitting alone.

“You’re from the government, I guess.” He replied. “Are you here to talk me out of leaving or just to protect me?” He replied

“Actually John, we have different plans for you and your girlfriend.” Hank said as he put away the stun gun.

“What kind of plans?”
	

> Guardians
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Fluttershy?” Martha asked as she looked out the door to a crowd that had gathered. “Do you see the people outside?”

Fluttershy was looking away from the window. She tried to focus on the satisfying feeling of getting her scalp massaged by the hairdresser. Without an answer she continued to keep her eyes focused on the ceiling.

As Martha sat in her chair waiting for Fluttershy to finish, she began to read the signs the people were holding. Some were holding signs of admirations, ‘We love you,’ and ‘Fluttershy rules’. The pair was confused as to how long this had to have been going on to have this level of organization.

The women sat awkwardly, staring as the admiration turned into a protest as a group of men came to argue with the admirers. Though the sound was muffled through the glass Martha could tell these people were fighting against immigrants. Martha felt threatened as the people pointed inside at Fluttershy, who had her eyes closed in hopes of not noticing the bad men outside.

A police officer appeared between the crowd as they tried to settle the near violent attitude of the men. With the crowd dispersing Martha gave a sigh of relief. Her relief was short-lived, however, as she noticed the officer come in with a group of men in black tactical suits. The men looked at the women in the salon and without a word sat down near the exit.

The feeling of intimidation flew across the room as the women noticed the loaded holster which had blended into the vest. Upon further inspection the women noticed several instruments of defense, both lethal and nonlethal.

The Officer stayed as he looked hesitantly at Fluttershy, whose eyes remained closed for the time being. The manager stepped out of the backroom, with an angry look upon his face.

“I thank you for getting rid of those people,” he said with displeased gratitude. “But what are these two soldiers doing in my shop?”

“The men are here to prevent any further incidents with Fluttershy.” The police officer stated. “They were sent by the Portal Preparation Agency. They won’t do any harm, they are just here to observe.”

The manager looked at the men who sat silently with their hands on their laps. “If they are government agents,” He replied, “how do I know they  won’t cause any damage?”

One of the agents stood up from his seat and walked towards the manager with his hands non threateningly on his side. “Sir, you have our guarantee we won’t cause damage to your business. We are just here to secure the safety of visitor Fluttershy and those who surround her.”

“Won’t cause harm?” The manager replied, “how can I be sure of that with your guns showing under your armpits?”

“Our arms are only for last resort. We just need to be prepared.” He replied. “We will only take them out when needed.”

The manager looked him over one last time. “Fine, just don’t scare my customers.” He gave his final word before he turned back to his office, glaring at Fluttershy as he passed her by.

Martha sat still as she took in what she heard. Her mind still was trying to comprehend what had just happened. She looked at Fluttershy who lay on her back with a tear in her eye, and listened to the heavy breathing she was giving.

“Fluttershy?” Martha said with worry, “are you okay?”

“I–” She tried to speak clearly. “I got some liquid in my eye. And it stings.”

Martha felt relieved and a little annoyed at her, as she was just having some trouble with shampoo.

“I’m sorry” the hairdresser apologized as she went for a bottle of clear water and a napkin. “It must have splashed, Here, let me wash it out.” She held the eye open as she let a few drops wash out the detergent.

Martha looked at the estranged woman, as she thought of how much trouble she went through every day. “Listen, Fluttershy, we’ve been going out to for two weeks and I know very little about you.” She felt curious about her. “I know very little about you, and it feels weird that you get so much trouble for just being… you.”

Fluttershy remained silent as she listened to Martha talk.

“I mean, I hear so much about you from the gossip at the store, but none of it makes sense to me.” She continued, “I know you as just a woman who doesn’t belong but has a boyfriend that helps her and give her everything, even if it means sacrificing himself for you. Through you I see you, I can’t seem to see you as the most important person, but here you are with security guards protecting you.” She aimed her arm at the two guards. “I just want to hear from you what you are, and how it is you ended up with John.”

Fluttershy opened her eyes as she thought heavily on Martha’s request. “I, uh,” she couldn’t get the words out. “Can we talk about this when there’s less people around?” She softly spoke.

Martha sat back as she thought heavily on what theories she’d heard.

As her hair was set to be dried Fluttershy began to wonder how her life had changed as she fell through the moonstone.

____________________________________


Ever since the night she came though she could see John’s kindness. Even though he was cold at first he never said ‘no’ to taking care of her. She was scared and alone, however seeing him always calmed her down.

There were times where she felt that she was alone but she met so many great people who though were busy still had time to help her. She grew happy to have learned so much about them, and so much about this world. Though she felt as if it was too much at times, she fell to love some of the technology like the television, and Media players.

All through her time here, what she fell to love most was John, the man who took her in and with a slow smile, helped her with every problem she had. No matter what was going to happen, she knew she was going to be happy with her.

_____________________________________


With the image of John in her head as she was being let out of the hair dryer, she smiled with her heart pumping.

“So,” Martha said as she noticed the guards talking on the radio. “What now? I mean, now that you finished here.”

Fluttershy looked at the guards as one of them stood up and headed in their direction. The guard stood a yard away from the two as they looked at him with worry.

“Ma’am,” the guard called to the two women. “We need to go to headquarters. Urgent matter.”

Martha looked at him, confused about the matter. “Do I need to go?” she asked, “this probably doesn’t have to do with me.”

“You are free to go. It is just Fluttershy who is needed.” He stated.

Martha stood as she looked at Fluttershy who had a worried expression on her face. “Don’t worry.” She said. “We can probably hang out tomorrow,” she said while heading up to the register to pay for the treatment. Looking back at her she did not get an assuring look.

Martha left the building quickly and turned the corner with hopes that the guard didn’t follow her. With a quick hand she took her phone out of her pocket and searched through her contacts for “John A.”. With a quick dial she fell silent to the sound of the ring as she grew impatient the longer it took. She turned to see A van pull up with as the guards stood in line as they escorted her into the van.

“Yeah?” A man answered on the other end.

“John,” Martha frantically responded, “Something happened.”

“Some men went to pick up Fluttershy, right?” John sounded calm over the speaker.

“How did you know?” She was confused.

“I’m with the agency.” He explained, “They just need to talk to us about Monday and the crazy events that would unfold. Nothing you should be worried about.”

“So it’s nothing?”

“Nope, you can ask them. They’re here with me.” A mumbling came from the other line, “I guess you can’t, but be sure, everything will be fine.”

Martha fell silent as she watched Fluttershy be transported away from the salon with people watching. She hung up as the van out past the stoplight and around the corner.

_______________________________________


“John,” The PPA agent said, “this is serious, we have a lot to talk about.”

“Come on, We were preparing for this day for two weeks. What has changed?”

“Several things,” he replied, “mainly the intel coming from the tumblr and facebook pages about you guys. There is a large opposition about opening the portal. It even came out as a hot button topic for office. Those people were just the beginning.”

“I’ve dealt with racists and protests before, what is different?” John protested.

“People are fighting your relationship.”

> Good byes part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	With two guards at her side, Fluttershy was escorted down the path. Her nervousness radiated to the men around her, showing the uneasy feeling she had. The building they were entering was strange to her. It was one she had not seen from the outside. The location was strange, since it was hidden in the mountains near where she came through.

“Um, sir?” She asked the guard. “What are we doing here?”

The guard looked at her from over his shoulder for a second and turned back. Fluttershy felt frightened.

“We just need to debrief you on some new plans.” He said as they walked down the hall. “Don’t be scared.”

Eyes focused on her as she began to notice the numerous people around her. With her shoulders touching her ears, she tried to hide in her own chest from their judgement. As she entered, she grew frightened with the strangers who occupied the room.

“John.” She shouted as she leaped over to his seat. The group looked at them in disbelief as the couple met in an embrace.

“I see those rumors were true.” Hank, the man sitting across from them noted.

Upon hearing the remark, Fluttershy fell silent and took a step back from John.

“So who are you?” John asked the man.

“Agent Hank Samson, CIA.” He replied, “I was sent to make arrangements for the portal’s opening Monday.”

“Oh, right, it’s a big day for you guys as well.” John said sarcastically.

“According to the agency we need to,” he lifted his assignment sheet, “‘create a non-hostile environment for the visitors to feel welcome and secure any unauthorized migration through the portal.’” He glared at the Mexican man across the table from him. “And it seems you have stirred the pot.”

John looked at Fluttershy as Hank pointed between the two of them. Suddenly, he could see what he meant.

“We have been getting reports of groups headed towards Dewford in protest of your relationship, and Fluttershy as well.” He continued. “Republicans and Democrats have been arguing nonstop since the word of the portal got out and it hasn’t been pretty in Washington as this topic had become acid for anyone who touched it.”

“Why are they so angry about this? We did nothing wrong.” Fluttershy felt confused over the situation.

“Immigration is a hot topic for Americans. Aliens, even more. The two together makes it so volatile that anything could set it off. We have to be careful about this.”

“But Equestria is no threat to your world. Why are we seen as one?” Fluttershy continued.

“It’s not your fault,” an agent called out. “It’s the xenophobic public that makes this hard. They are so afraid of what is beyond their borders that they refuse to see them as friendly.”

“Yes,” Hank added “And that is why we have to make this simpler. So can we get started before the news crews catch wind?”  He pulled out a sheet of paper with a copy for John. “Tomorrow you two will be headed to town hall to talk in before the press alongside the President, and talk about your world and your plans after you return. After that we will meet with the ambassador at the portal and wait for past dusk where the portal will open as the full moon appears over the earth. People will watch you leave along with our ambassador.”

“I thought the full moon was Monday?” John was confused over that last detail.

“The full moon is on Monday, but the moon has to be at ninety percent visibility for the stone to activate. Sunday night is ninety-three percent. We had to shift schedule after realizing that last Tuesday. The President will be in town tomorrow.”

He looked John who had been reading the sheet along with Fluttershy. “Yeah,” John said. “Have you seen what happened last time we met the President?”

“It was awkward for him as well.” Hank replied, “but at least you didn’t attack him.”

“Is there more?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes there is.” The captain stated. “We know your Princess is coming to visit us on that night.”

Fluttershy felt shock over his knowledge. “H-how do you know that?”

“Your Princess came to my dream and explained that, one: there are no hard feelings, and, two: we had to explain our future plans now that the portal I open knowledge.” He continued. “She seemed very eager to patch things up between us.”

John looked around the room to see that none of them seemed to be in disbelief. Fluttershy came to the conclusion that Luna was trying to help them before they even realized it.

“Is that all?”

“We need to practice your answers for the press before they get here.” Hank gave his final answer, “so let’s get started.”

_______________________________________


A news crew stood at the gates of the former THPA office awaiting the response from the people inside. Shortly afterwards another news van came, and then another as they all got word of who was inside. As they prepared for the stream, the reporters looked at the teleprompters waiting for the writer to prepare the opener.

They spoke into the camera as they reported on the President’s statement on the matter. The crowd murmured as the famed pink haired woman emerged from the front door and walked to the car. The crowd hounded the entryway as soldiers made their way to open the gate. Captain Gutierrez stood in the center of the curb as the doors swung open. As the crowd barked its questions, Gutierrez attempted to calm the group down.

“People, please, if I may have your attention” He looked down at the people as the group settled. “We are going to give you five minutes to interview the woman, but we will only allow two cameras to interview them behind this van.”

“How are you going to choose?” A reporter asked.

“We are going to ask a question to you and we will pick the one with the best answer.” He replied as he readied his question. “Here it is: what is our nation’s policy on immigration?”

_______________________________________


Fluttershy sat in the car with her head buried into John’s shoulder. John was irritated over the aggressive behavior the press had been going towards with the recent news he gave. His mind though worried over the wellbeing of his girlfriend, and grew irritated by the spectacle his life had become once again, but with a new reason.

He watched as the group outside settled down to a near halt as two groups made their way towards them.

“How long is this going to take?” Fluttershy softly whimpered. “I want to go home.”

“Don’t worry.” John assured her, “this won’t take long.”

As the group got closer the guards opened the door opposite from the gate and led the couple out towards a set of chairs. John held Fluttershy tight as he worried of what was going to happen.

After the cameras were being set up, the reporter sat down to look at the subject of this interview. In her mind she was disappointed by the look of them. One seemed like an ordinary mexican to her and the other like a frightened girl with dyed hair.

“You two are the ones we have been hearing so much about.” The reporter said with a feigned smile. “The people would love to hear about you.”

“We have been deleting all the messages for that reason.” John answered with a sarcastic look.

“Why is that?”

“We want to be left alone.” He said bluntly.

The agents came to the reporter and  whispered in her ear. The reporter didn’t seem too pleased with what he had to say as she prepared herself for the cameras. The cameraman came out with a count of his fingers. First three fingers, then two fingers, then his last finger he waved it towards the reporter.

“Hello,” she said into one of the cameras. “I am Patricia Simms. Today I got an exclusive interview with our famous immigrant from another world, Fluttershy and her newly found lover, John Alvarez.” She turned to the couple as she tried to create a non-threatening atmosphere. “So tell us Fluttershy, you are going back home tomorrow night. How do you feel?”

Fluttershy looked at John, who had been reassuring her that it was safe. As she turned back she responded. “Umm, it feels nice going back home to my friends. I missed them a lot.”

“And in your time here, what was it like for you?” She continued.

“It was fun,” she slowly began to answer. “There were a lot of things I could not find back home, like television, and cartoons, and DVDs. Those things would be wonders on a rainy day. The internet was scary when John explained it to me.”

“I can see why.” The reporter joked. “Now, the people want to know, is there something you will miss after you go back?”

“The cartoons.” She softly aid as she played with her fingers.

Patricia then turned to John, who had both hands to his sides. “And you John, you are going to be the first American to move to another world, is that correct? How does it feel?”

“Listen, Patricia,” John said sternly. “I am moving away, but not for the reasons you believe. I am not doing this for fame or recognition, and I am not doing this for anti-American reasons. I just want to be left alone, and I can’t have that here now that I am known for being with her. I want to be with her. But I don't want to be hounded on the streets by people for any reason. I love her, and I want to be with her. But I want peace and quiet. Your news crews didn’t make that easy as every other news was about me or her.”

The reporter was dumbfounded by the speech John gave her.

“In short, I feel glad that the hounding would stop and I will be with the one I now love.” John finalized.

The group was silent as the reporter tried to come up with a question. She reverted to the standard question. “I- is there something you will miss?”

“I had friends and family here, and the meat was the biggest part of my life. But I have made my farewells and now am ready for tomorrow. I know it will be hard, But technically I won’t be too far from them. Just one border between us.” John thought heavily on the words he said as the reporter continued to ask question.

One question he began to ask himself was, ‘am I ready for this?’
	

> Good byes part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As he sat up in his seat, John looked out to the crowd that had gathered around the portal. This small cave had gathered so much attention in just one month. Large fences surrounded the area, blocking access to the ever growing crowd.

“It’s time,” a guard said as he escorted John through the crowd. Slowly he watched as the sun began to set behind the hills from afar.

The floodlights illuminated the passageway which was occupied by several people. There were three men in suits, another four men and women in scrubs carrying lab equipment, three guards, and John and Fluttershy. As the group watched the sun disappear behind the hills they waited for the moon to rise.

Still worried about his decision, he looked to Fluttershy who was excited for the portal to open. Just looking at her calmed him down as he felt it was the best decision he would ever make.

The people watched as the screen came to show a soft blue glow coming from the large egg-shaped stone with markings. “The portal is open,” shouted several people as the rest cheered the coming of a new border. John looked at the crowd as he waited for orders to walk through. A flash came from the moonstone which blinded the crowd as six figures came through.

__________________________________________


The clock on the wall read 12:38 as the Secret Service escorted the two out of the main hall and into a small waiting room in the back. Satisfied with how the press conference went, John and Fluttershy took a gulp of relief from their bottles.

The small waiting room they were in was quiet with both the secret service and the PPA guards sitting across from one another. Fluttershy felt worried as she listened to the chanting coming from outside. John could feel her trembling as water splashed onto his lap.

“It’s okay,” John said as he covered her hand with his. “This is the last interview we will have to do, and then I can finally take you home.”

She  looked at him and with a smile rested her head over his shoulder. “At least we know what to expect soon.” Her mind went into a blissful glee as she imagined going back to Equestria with her friends.

“Do you think they will like me?” John asked as he tried to get his mind around his decision.

“I think they already do.” Fluttershy responded as she tried to reassure him.

John thought hard as he felt as if he wanted to go back on his promise. He grew worried over the things he would lose across the portal. ‘Only six hours and I will never see this world again.’ He told himself. ‘Only six hours.’

“John.” Fluttershy looked up at him worried. “Are you okay?”

“It’s nothing.”

“But you’re tense.” She poked at his clenched arm.

John looked away as he tried to come up with an excuse. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her feelings.

The men across from them stood up and walked towards them. “We’re ready to go to lunch.” The man said as the other headed for the door.

“John, tell me what’s wrong.” Fluttershy said, receiving no answer to her question.

John continued to walk without looking at her as he tried to focus on these feelings of doubt buzzing through his mind.

“John,” called out one of the guards. “We have a guest coming from the FBI for lunch. He knows you and wants to get a final farewell before the trip.”

John thought this was going to be another problem, however compared to the protesting happening outside, it can’t get any worse for him. “Is he alone?”

“No, he brought his family.”

_______________________________________


It was 1:06 as they arrived to the PPA headquarters luncheon, a luncheon made in the last week to congratulate John and the other crossers for their efforts. They made their way to the table labeled ‘Alvarez party’ where, to their amazement a familiar man sat with his family. John let out a sigh as the man waved back at him along with his daughter.

“I’m amazed you were allowed to come, Andy.” John told the man. “I mean the president is coming to give a speech to us.”

“I just had to bring up that I took a bullet for your girlfriend and I was asked to come.” Andrew replied. “I’m amazed I get to meet the president after the screw up that was last time.”

John groaned in embarrassment as he remembered how much of an idiot he was back then. “I just wish things would have gone better for your partner.”

A sigh of shame came from both of them. “We live on a tightrope our work. Sometimes we fall so others may climb back up.” He looked straight at him with a tear in his eye. “Our captain told us that every time we messed up.”

John felt awkward after hearing the dark speech from his own brother. After looking at the table and seeing Fluttershy playing with the child, her mother staring at them with a smile, John felt compelled to come out. “Andy, can I talk to you, in private?”

Andrew felt worried his brother led him to a corner of the room. “What is it?”

“Do you think I should leave?” John bluntly asked as he reached for a drink from the table. John didn’t turn to see his brother’s reaction, but he knew it was of disappointment.

“John, I think it’s romantic that you are following her.” Andrew spoke softly. “I know deep down it’s what you want,  and how she would want it. You two have been inseparable since I met her. Why are you having second thoughts now?” He asked.

“I, I don’t know. I know I want her, but I don’t know if this is the right thing to do for me.” He continued to drink, “I started thinking about what happened to Mom. She lost contact with all her friends and family, she didn’t speak the language, and she went out of emotion to a situation she didn’t want to live with afterwards.”

“Look John, Mom was in it to protect us,” Andrew tried to reason. “Dad knocked her up and left her there. But you are not Dad, you are following her out of love, not need. You are trying to make the both of you happy, and following her is what you think is best. You have no ulterior motive or a scheme. You are doing this for you and her.” He began to tear up as he spoke. “I know I just got to know you but I know this is the right thing to do. You haven’t stayed this interested in someone since Lucia, and I’m glad to see you like this. Please, even though you are the only brother I have, I still want you to be happy, and perhaps make her happy as well.” He placed his hand on John’s shoulder. “Don’t get cold feet, just go with instinct on this. Besides, you’re only a border away.”

As John felt his brother’s trembling hand, he began to think harder on his dilemma. He had wanted to stay with her as long as possible, however there are many things he wanted to do before on Earth that he did not know if he could do in the new world. He felt like dropping out, but there as one person keeping him going, that person was playing with his niece and talking with his sister-in-law. ‘How much I had sacrificed for her…’ he thought to himself. ‘Why can’t I just give her this?’

“Your attention please,” the announcer said into the microphone. “The dinner is about to begin.”

John headed back to his seat with his mind full of doubt upon doubt. The cycles of doubt confused him as he thought of what to do. ‘I want to stay with her,’ he told himself, ‘but I don’t know if it will be a good idea to leave the people I know just to be with her. Am I being selfish?’

“Welcome, everyone, to the pre-journey dinner. I am Captain Gutierrez of the Portal Protection Agency.” The Captain said. At the podium as the clamor died down. “I am here to welcome all our guests today before the journey into the new world known as Equestria. You have been training for the past week, and some of you for just a few days, but I can assure you that you are as ready as you can be on this journey. We have members of the National Guard, the FBI, NSA, and the Department of Homeland Security here tonight. But our most honored guests are the ones who started this all, the one who came here from the other world and the one who brought her in and showed her American hospitality, John Alvarez and Fluttershy.” He shouted to get a roar of applause started.

Fluttershy tried to hid behind her hair in humility as the crowd looked at them with the highest of honors. John looked to see the people who are proud of him for his generosity and his expected journey into the new world.

The captain continued his speech. “It was because of them that the horror of the THPA was put to rest and the world was able to see this portal not as a threat but as  new border to a new world. For weeks we have been preparing for a way to repair the trust between the border and our nations that the THPA had broken, and it is because of their love that we have a way to get this done.”

The crowd cheered once more as John grew worried over what came next.

“These two have shown us that love is not about where you come from, but it is about who you are when you are together. This young man is now headed to Equestria to live with his love one to show that we can love who we want and nothing, not even magic can separate it.”

John’s heart sank as his thoughts were projected through an elderly Hispanic man. ‘This is why I’m doing this.’ He told himself as he listened to the praise he was being given for his trans-dimensional love.

“Now if I may have John Alvarez come to the podium and give a few words about his journey.” The Captain said with his arm raised towards the Alvarez table. John listened as he was being applauded as they led him to the podium. Hesitant,he made his way up to the stage and thought of what he would say.

As he stood behind the podium he looked at the crowd, many are wearing suits and uniforms, all except for one person, the one who stood out from the crowd with her bright pink hair and her yellow dress. The more he looked at her less nervous he felt over the people who disappeared into darkness. He finally felt ready to talk. However an uneasy feeling came to his stomach as he stood behind the podium

“When I met Fluttershy I didn’t know what to expect. I thought she was a hippie from a commune in the hills. The longer I got to know her the more I learned about where she was from and why she was here.” He spoke with ever decreasing breaks. “I didn’t believe it at first, but I felt like she wouldn't lie to me. After weeks of knowing her I felt she was more that I could handle, but I managed to make her comfortable. However she managed to make me comfortable as well.. This thought of following her home made me feel like a stray dog being let into a young girl's home. It was impulsive and I have no idea why I was doing this. But now I look at her and tell myself, ‘this is the reason’.  I want to stay with her no matter what the consequences, and I will make my way to her home tonight and be welcomed into a new world.”

The room erupted into a roar. The people were in awe as John stood behind the podium with disappearing worry from his speech. He looked at the woman he was so focused on as he spoke and saw her in tears of Joy. With a smile he stepped off the platform and walked along the wall and rushed to the sign marked ‘restroom’.

The crowd grew silent as they noticed him ram the door open and make his way into a stall. “I guess his stomach got the best of him.” The Captain said with a murmur leading off afterwards.

After the following speech, John was nowhere to be seen. The table was getting worried about him.

“Is Uncle John okay?” Emily asked her parents.

“Go check up on him, Andrew,” His wife ordered him.

He headed into the restroom to see a mop poking from the bottom of the stall. “John are you okay?” Andrew called out.

“I didn’t make it to the stall.” Jon spoke softly.

“John, you need to get out there.” Andrew continued, “why are you still here?”

“I had to clean up the mess.” John replied with a cough.

“Come on, you can’t just hide in here all afternoon. It’s almost 3 and dinner will be ready by then. You even worried Fluttershy? She wants to know why you are in here.

There was a silence. “Just one thing.” John said after a pause as he opened the door. “Is my shirt still dirty?”

Andrew was surprised to see John’s shirt covered in water and bits of vomit.

“I missed the bowl the first time.” He said with his eyes still red.

Andrew took off his coat and handed it to John who desperately needed a clean shirt. “This ought to cover it up before we go.”

John thanked him as he stood up. His mind was filled with regret, and his shirt covered in vomit. John walked along the wall and towards the exit.. The group looked at him worried over what may have occurred. John focused his eyes forward as he hoped to get out of here soon.

“I’m sorry,” he instinctively said to Fluttershy as he sat down. “I needed a break.”

Fluttershy sat back as she turned to see him. “It’s okay. We’re just watching an old film of Equestria.”

John looked up to see the images of talking horses making conversation. Some of them looked directly at the camera as they were directed by the documentary to act natural. Cut after cut the ponies felt uneasy with the camera looking at them, however some took stride and began to talk directly into the camera. Soon more came to and played in view of the camera.

John paid more attention into what the world was like. Some had the buildings in view. The homes looked Victorian in structure and of multiple floors at glance. The parks had statues and walkways going over the streams. To his amazement the world was not as different from his. They had restaurants and other businesses, the ponies made their way across town with glee, the children played in the parks, it seemed like a paradise for anthropomorphized horses. He felt more at ease with calling that his new home.

_________________________________


As the dinner ended the people said farewell to their family members as it was announced that their trip to the portal was ready.

John looked at his brother without words. He slowly readied his hand for a shake but as greeted with a hearty hug. “Don’t think of this as goodbye.” Andrew whispered, “Think of it as a new beginning.” John slowly accepted his embrace and began to tear up he held his brother close.

“I signed off the house to Joe Evans,” he said as he moved away. “Tell him to open it for you to take whatever you want from it.”

“I’ll miss you.” Andrew said as he lunged for a final embrace. John, confused over what to do gave him a soft pat on the back as he pushed him away.

“I’ll try to visit every now and then.” John tried to calm him down, unaware if he could come back.

The time came for the travelers to load up on the bus. As rumors passed between the passengers there was a large crowd ready at the portal. Fluttershy heard this and grew concerned. John felt worried that something terrible was about to happen.

“Are you guys nervous?” asked the man sitting behind them. “This is a new opportunity for humankind, I feel thrilled  just being a part of it.”

John glared at him from over his shoulder with displeasure. “This is just going home to some of us.” He said as he turned his head to Fluttershy. She gazed up to him and held him close as they made their way around the mountain.

It was nearly dusk when they made their way to a large clearance around the entrance of a cave. A large fence had been placed around the clearance leaving the multitude of spectators around the gates. As they were let off the bus within the gate, John noticed the podium and several chairs around it. To the left a selection of equipment were being let off of van onto racks.

They were led to their seats as the captain stood on the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said in a camera, “our time has come to turn the page on our book of immigration and foreign affairs. The time comes close where the world will witness a new border, here, in the center of our nation, one that leads not to a nation, but a world. For years, this has been kept hidden from us, with tactics that we as a nation are ashamed have been taking place on our soil. We may not know how the new world will react to hearing the actions taken by the THPA and their reign of terror, but we will do our best not to close the borders between us. Tonight we will bring diplomacy up and open this new border not for ourselves, but for our children and their children. To say we are American and we welcome them with open arms, for our nation is one that brings together those of all nations and gives equal opportunities to all, black, white, Hispanic or Asian, and now Human or Equestrian.”

The crowd cheered as the Captain ended his speech. The crowd then watched as the sun set behind the hills and the blue glow came from behind the cave walls. John felt his heart pulsate in his fingers as he watched the lights turn on eliminating them and hiding the crowd behind them. A calming feeling came to him as he looked at the pink haired woman smile as the lights flashed from the Moon Stone.

An audible gasp was let out as six people came from the cave. One with purple curled hair, another with fluffy pink hair,  another with short rainbow colored hair, one with blonde hair and a hat, and one with long purple hair. The last one had long hair as blue as the night sky. All wore a white robe with a band around the waist and seemed like nothing else.

The crowd gasped as  they made their way to the crowd of men and women sitting across the podium. Soft murmurs came from the strange women s they looked around the area trying to distinguish where they are.

“Girls!” Fluttershy ran up to the strangers with open arms. “I missed you so much.” She said as the group huddled around her. The crowd was pleased with the display of affection.

John made his way towards the group, stopping half way as the crowd behind him told him to sit back down. He stayed in limbo as to whether he would continue or head back.

“I am Princess Luna of Equestria. Who is in charge here?” The blue haired woman asked in a loud voice. From behind the podium Captain Gutierrez stepped out with a proud walk.

“I am Ernesto Gutierrez, Representative of President Graham, and speaking in behalf of America to our new Equestrian border.” He formally replied.

“Now mister,” the blonde one said, “our worlds have met before, there is no need for formalities. We are here to pick up our friend and be on our way.”

“With our sincerest apologies I wish to tell you we have more planned than to just send your friend back.”

“Ah, yes.” Luna remembered, “you wish to establish an open border between our nations. Well then, please send your men, for this time the portal will be open for five days. Perhaps we can establish something. But as for right now, we wish to speak to the one named John.

John returned to moving back towards the strangers with much gusto. “I’m here.” He said aloud.

“John,” Luna continued, “we wish to thank you for all you’ve done. As you know we have been watching your progress with Fluttershy. Your patience with her has kept her calm in such a turbulent time, and you have grown much as well.” She stepped closer and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I thank you for your help and bless your love for her. I hope to see you both back in Ponyville.”

John smiled as he looked around her shoulder to see Fluttershy holding her friends and talking about what had occurred. He turned over his shoulder to see the spectacle his life had become here as the camera aimed at him. He looked up to the woman and gave his final word. “I hope to see her there too.”

“Men, ready.” The captain shouted to the people sitting down. They stood and grabbed the bags of equipment for the new world as they lined up to head into the portal. “Let’s go.” She shouted as  he led them to the portal. He turned to Luna with a smile, “I won’t be going in, but I hope our ambassador will help open your eyes that we are not like the previous holders of the portal.”

“I have seen how bad they can be. I am sure you won’t be as bad as them, though.” Luna replied with a smile.

Fluttershy ran to grab John’s arm and began to pull him towards her friends. “You’re going to love it, John. We have some many things to do and I hear they just opened a new movie theater in town. And a new games arcade is about to open. I know how much you like games.”

John listened to the woman as he was led to her into the cave. The woman stopped as the flashes of light illuminated the cave. With a large smile she looked at him.

“You’re going to love it, I just know it.” She said as she reached her arm out towards the portal. She paused and looked him with worry. “Are you going to love it?”

“Fluttershy,” John held her hands. “as long as I’m with you, I’m going to love it as well.”

With one final embrace they held their hands together and moved them towards the stone. They were together when they left earth and ended up holding each other’s hooves when they entered the new world. John looked up to see this new strange world, and suddenly he felt satisfied with his decision.