The Other Dimension: Part Four

by twilight_lover

SweetheartZeeZee brought in the cream puffs. She set the small plate in front of the sad Gelert that had done little but stare into the warm fire that burned merrily. The only person he talked to was, surprisingly, Geren the Kacheek and the two of them spoke in quiet whispers, conferring about something no one else knew about.

She made her rounds again. Most of the changelings needed spare parts rather than medicine, but she did like to go around and make sure they were all all right. Fully a quarter of the changelings that had gone for the attack had survived, and half of those not even sure they would survive. They took their incipient death calmly, with grace.

SweetheartZeeZee felt absolutely terrible for causing them their pain, their loses. If she had never come, never made Zeb lead this attack…

"There's no point really, tryin' to reason this all out," Zeb said quietly from behind her. "We've ain't had much to live for, anyway, besides the next day. They're gonna die happy, and that's the greatest thing you could do for them."

SweetheartZeeZee paused, looking down at the pancakes she was going to serve. She turned to the blue Zafara. "Oh, Zeb," she wailed. "I feel like I destroyed them!"

"No, Sweetheart," he corrected gently. "You gave us back our lives. Lots o' us jist sit around here doing nothing. Doing this, even for a stranger, heck, it gives us something to do, something to live for."

SweetheartZeeZee sniffled.

"We've git a lot t'thank you for. If it weren't for you, d'you think we would have been happier living our long lives out in fear and danger of Madame Sloth?"

"Zeb!" Arrick called from across the camp. "Zeb, come here!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Zeb muttered. "Who the heck does your brudder think we are, anyway?" He turned to SweetheartZeeZee. "I'll see you later, Sweetheart." Then he smiled and went off.

"This is the frontal plate of the explosive, made of the flimsiest material you can find, since we want it to be destroyed easily, and here is where the energy expander is to be placed. Now, what we're going to do is…" Arrick explained to Zeb, pointing out plans.

"Geren, I'm going to need your help with the spark plugs, I don't think they can generate enough energy. One of the ways I thought about is to connect certain wires to Madame Sloth's mutation factory and then we could always blow it up. Grand style for the dear lady, of course. Is there an occasion we can fabricate?" Arrick asked the Kacheek calmly.

Geren grinned, playing along. "I think her birthday's coming soon."

"What's this?" SweetheartZeeZee asked, coming into the tent.

"Plans, Sweetheart, for destroying the dimension door," Zeb answered.

"The dimension door?" SweetheartZeeZee asked, startled.

"You don't want Madame Sloth getting into our dimension, do you, ZeeZee?" Arrick asked. "And even if you didn't we still have to destroy it and bombing it up is one safe way of doing it - I think."

"You think?"

"Do you know how to get rid of a dimension door and close it for good?"

"But…"

She didn't finish her sentence, staring at Zeb, who'd already gone back into discussion with Geren and Arrick.

"Point being is, I do know how to make a bomb that will send enough energy across all of Neopia to destroy all mutants and Grundoes, but I'm not sure how you'll be affected," Arrick said in a low voice.

"We don't care," Geren said grimly. "The point is to get all the evil VirtuPets destroyed along with Madame Sloth. Zeb?"

"I don't think the owners will care very much for mutated pets, and we have an extended life-span. I know suffering ain't top on my list," Zeb murmured. "What do you think, Geren?"

Geren shrugged. "Zeb's right. Most of the changelings don't care if they live or die. We're mostly all too tired to carry on, and dying this way seems best."

"I wonder how Charlotte is," Arrick said quietly. Then he went right back to work. "OK, then, here's what we're going to need…"

"We're going to close the dimension door?" SweetheartZeeZee asked Arrick later in their tent.

"Yes, yes, and yes," Arrick said tiredly, flopping on the bed beside SweetheartZeeZee. It had been a long day. "We have to destroy it anyhow, otherwise the passing between dimensions might confuse some people or may bring harm."

"But Arrick…" SweetheartZeeZee tried to say.

Arrick gave her a long steady look. Then he nodded. "It's Zeb, isn't it?"

She blushed.

"He's a mutant, ZeeZee. He as much knows it and you know that it'll only get you heartache."

"Look who's talking. You were in love with Charlotte, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was in love with Charlotte. And the thing is, you're not in love with Zeb yet." Arrick sighed heavily. "I don't want you going through what I did, OK? Zeb's not from our world. Once we leave, you'll never see him again."

She didn't reply.

"ZeeZee, don't give me the silent treatment."

"Arrick, I really don't know."

"Oh no," Arrick suddenly groaned. "I've been relegated to an agony aunt."

"Arrick, stop trying to be funny."

"All right."

"Indulge me this once-"

"When have I not indulged you?"

"Arrick!"

"Ok, ok, ok, OK, I'm listening."

"I love Zeb," SweetheartZeeZee said sincerely, "and I just want to be in love with him, even for a short time. It makes me feel happy to be in love, even if it's only going to last a short time. I know he and I aren't going to be, well, together forever or anything, but for this little while, I just want you to shut up and let me live it, OK?"

There was a long silence. Arrick opened his mouth to say something, but decided helplessly that it wouldn't work.

"Is that all right, Arrick?" Arrick sighed again.

"I know you care, Arrick. But this is one of the few things that Ms. Twilight doesn't indulge me in, and I just want to savour it while I can. I know you think I should stop this little love game because that's what it is; a game, but I have a right to live, too. Whatever you say, it isn't going to stop me."

Arrick decided not to listen anymore. He rolled over to sleep. "Do whatever you like, Zee," he tossed over his shoulder. "But remember, I warned you."

****

Everyone was busy. No one had time to stop. They were doing something or other in what seemed to Arrick unseemly haste. He did not believe in moving too quickly. Yet there was a sense of urgency nagging at his mind, as if there was something dangerous coming up but he could not put a name to this danger.

SweetheartZeeZee was, as usual, with Zeb. Arrick shook his head seeing his little companion with her new 'boyfriend'. Ms. Twilight might not approve, but little had stopped the Zafara in the past. She seemed happy as she did little errands for Zeb while he worked on the engine combuster. Every time their eyes met, they would smile warmly at each other. Arrick felt his hackles rise once or twice when he thought that Zeb was too close to SweetheartZeeZee, a belligerence towards this alien Zafara who was going to take away his little sister from him.

But she seemed very happy. Today, she was smiling and laughing sweetly at something Zeb had said. He was grinning devilishly, then she blushed.

Arrick's protective instincts really shot up when Zeb kissed SweetheartZeeZee's cheek. How dare that mutant touch his little sister! Ms. Twilight would have him fried on the spot with hot cooking oil if she ever saw. Arrick forced himself to calm down. No, he was thinking irrationally, as if he were the owner and SweetheartZeeZee his NeoPet. Ms. Twilight would not do that.

"Ms. Twilight, what am I going to do?" Arrick sighed.

"Arrick!" Geren called from the planning tent. "I need your help in the blueprints for the plans!"

Arrick bounded off to help in something he had real knowledge of.

"Errright! We be done fer the whole o' Neopia!" Zeb announced to the gathering of changelings in front of him. "We have built a giy-ent bomb right beneath Madame Sloth's factory, and we got them lovely bombs here to destroy every other VirtuPet here!"

Everyone cheered. Finally, there seemed to be a happier time ahead for their dimension.

"An' it be all thanks to our Mizz ZeeZee here and her genius companion, Arrick!"

"Hooray! Three cheers for ZeeZee! Three cheers for Arrick!"

"Hip hip, hurray!"

"Hip hip, hurray!"

"Hip hip, hurray!"

"Now we can git ourselves a hoe-down!" Zeb shouted.

Out of nowhere there seemed to be music, a country style dance rhythm that everyone began dancing too. The Korbats hanging in their tree branches swung back and forth, rocking on their claws. The Scorchios and Shoyrus jiggled their metallic wings, creating a clanging sound that made the music more fun to dance to. Everyone laughed, knowing that this was their last day to be alive.

The only person unhappy with this arrangement was SweetheartZeeZee. She had rather seriously underestimated her feelings for Zeb and felt desperately sad that this was her last day to be with him. She tried dancing wildly to get rid of those sad feelings, but it didn't work. Finally, she sought some solitude in the forest away from all the rowdiness.

She sat down quietly next to a little pool of water and stared at her little red reflection. How different she looked, all mussed up, without the hairspray or lipsticks or shampoo or hair brushes her owner groomed her with to make her look pretty and sweet.

She heard someone come up to her. It was Arrick. He too, sat next to the pool and stared into it.

"Are you going to say, I told you so?" she asked.

"Don't see much of a point in it."

"Thank you," she said softly. Arrick began grooming SweetheartZeeZee the canine way, comforting her in a sense, since it reminded her of Ms. Twilight's gentle care.

He stopped suddenly, ears pricked up. He drew in a sharp breath. "They're here for us!" he yelled, loud enough for the changelings to hear even over the din of their noise. The entire party crashed with a great clang as everyone scrambled to run to their appointed positions. Zeb had drilled into them all their positions if they should use the bombs before the next day.

"Zeb," SweetheartZeeZee said anxiously.

"We have to go," Arrick told her firmly.

"No! I have to say good-bye to Zeb!"

"Sweetheart!! Arrick!!" Zeb yelled. "Where be you two?? The dimension door's openin'!!"

"Let's go!" Arrick said one last time before catching the little Zafara by the scruff of her neck and carrying her off. SweetheartZeeZee struggled in the strong Gelert's grasp.

"I have to see Zeb! I'm not ready yet!" she wailed.

"Sweetheart!" Zeb shouted in relief when Arrick had entered the camp. "Are you all right?" he asked in concern when Arrick put her down. The shimmering oval had begun to widen.

"Not for long!" she burst out in tears. "Come with us, Zeb!" she sobbed, unable to bear the thought of never seeing him again.

Arrick muttered a low oath beneath his breath.

"Sweetheart…" Zeb said hesitantly.

"Zeb!"

"You gotta go," he urged. "An' I gotta stay here."

"You'll be done cakes!"

"Sweetheart, this body's bin dead fer years. It ain't gonna be no sacrifice to git killed. You gotta go!"

"I'm not leaving you!" SweetheartZeeZee screamed.

"No!" Zeb said harshly. She cried at his brutal reply. "We gotta do what we gotta do. Git into the dimension door!"

"Zeb, I thought you loved me!"

"I do," he said, coldly but sincerely. He bent over and gave her a Zafara's kiss on the cheek. "I belong here, Sweetheart. You belong where you came from. I love you, I love you very very much, but this is the way things gotta be." He turned to Arrick. "Take care of her."

Arrick nodded gravely and picked SweetheartZeeZee by the scruff of her neck again.

"I'll never forget you, Zeb!" she called as they disappeared into the shimmering oval. The light overwhelmed her vision, but she saw the mutated Zafara mouth her name before she couldn't see anything.

Arrick shot up from bed and swore as soon as the bright sunshine filled his room. Then the light was blocked by a large shadow which he recognized as his owner.

"Ms. Twilight!" he exclaimed.

"That's right, it's Ms. Twilight," she replied. "What I want now is a brief description on where you two went to for the past few days, whether you were connected to the loud blast in the woods nearby and just what the heck were you doing in the woods? They found you two unconscious! Where have you been??"

"You wouldn't believe it," Arrick sighed.

"Try me."

He related the entire thing, being careful to leave out the subjects of his affection for Charlotte and SweetheartZeeZee's crush on Zeb. Ms. Twilight nodded every so often and when he finished, she only gave another nod and said no more. He still wasn't sure whether she believed him or not.

SweetheartZeeZee was still unconscious when he made his way to her little cot by the fireplace. He was alarmed when every so often she muttered Zeb's name in her sleep. Ms. Twilight was going to drill her side of the story from her, soon.

She woke up rather slowly, but Ms. Twilight was there, so she too was put through the obligatory interrogation. She wasn't so circumspect, and Arrick's ears burned to hear Charlotte's name mentioned time from time. Ms. Twilight turned questioning eyes on him but he wouldn't reply.

Later, Ms. Twilight filled them in on the details. One of the Light Faeries had been doing a little experimenting and just as she was about to get rid of the shimmering oval she had placed in the woods, it just burst in her face. Ms. Twilight let them go out and play.

Arrick and SweetheartZeeZee walked to the place where the dimension door had been. The grass there had been burned black. Arrick had brought along a few flowers to lay there and he passed some to SweetheartZeeZee.

She gently placed her flowers on the spot where once a shimmering oval had transported two NeoPets to another dimension. "For Charlotte," she said softly.

Arrick placed his paw over hers and laid down his flowers. "And Zeb," he said kindly. She sniffed and smiled bittersweetly. "You really loved him," he told her.

"Yes," she replied sadly. "I believe I did."

The End