A Whole New World

30th Autumn's Dawn

After finishing my shift at the farm, the first thing I did was to return to my apartment. Normally I would sit down and relax after my work, but at the moment, I was a man with a mission. I walked over to my wardrobe and reached inside, pulling out a five foot long, black bag, I finally get to use this thing.

I unzipped the bag and made sure my snowboard was still inside, before closing it again and slinging it over my back. I walked back out and headed towards the library, making a mental note to avoid Lyra if I caught a glimpse of her. Fortunately, it was a quiet afternoon, and I reached my destination without any incidents.

I pushed the door open to see Twilight in a deep discussion with Eclipse. I didn't hear what they said, but it wouldn't have been magical theory, as the spirit would have known everything the pony did.

"Hey Twilight, afternoon Eclipse." I said to announce my presence.

"Good afternoon Dutch," Eclipse said with a warm smile, "It is good to see you again."

"Likewise."

"What can we do for you today?" Twilight asked as she closed a book on the table.

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, I need another favour." I said as I laid the bag on the floor, "I understand if you decline, as I already owe you."

"Don't worry about it," Twilight said, "I was actually thinking of something you could do for me that would wipe the slate clean, so yes, I can help you."

“Really?” I said, “And what would that involve?”

“Oh, that’s for another time,” Twilight answered with a wave of her hoof, “Now, what was this favour you were asking me?”

I unzipped the bag and pulled out my snowboard, laying it down in front of Twilight. She gave the board a closer inspection, “That looks like a snowboard, only longer, and with different straps.”

“It is a snowboard,” I said, before a thought occurred to me, “Wait, ponies have snowboards?”

“Of course, though they're quite uncommon, as it takes a lot of practice to stand on two legs. You didn’t know?” Twilight asked, to which I shook my head, “Nevermind. Is this what you needed help with?”

“Yes,” I said, “I was here a few days ago, and saw a few books on magic involving duplication and morphing. I was wondering if you could create a copy of this board, then adapt it to fit a pony.”

“May I ask why?” Twilight said.

I looked around as if others could be listening, before leaning in close and whispering, “I’m planning on taking Lyra snowboarding on one of the mountains surrounding Canterlot as part of a belated birthday present.”

Twilight smiled, “I can do that. I’m sure she’ll love it, and if anypony can use a snowboard, it's her.”

I smiled as Twilight aimed her horn at the board, and it began to glow. An aura surrounded the board, and it lifted into the air, glowing with Twilight’s magic. After a few seconds, a cloud of dust began to seep out of the board, before slowly gathering beside it. The dust started to form a shape, coming together and solidifying, taking on colour and texture. When the final particles had left the board, they joined the collection and created a small flash of light. When it dimmed, there was another board next to the original, identical in every way.

"Wow," I said as I stared at the board's twin, "Is there anything magic can't do?"

Twilight, despite being so full of common sense, decided to answer, "We can't do advanced healing. Cuts and bruises are alright, but bone fractures and--"

"Twilight, I was being rhetorical."

"Oh," she blushed, then said, "Anyway, let's finish the other spell." She aimed her horn at the duplicate, and it turned completely white. It's length began to shorten, and the straps for the feet became taller and thinner. When the colours returned, the board was slightly smaller, and the straps were shaped for hooves instead of feet.

"Nice one," I remarked, "And this'll fit Lyra?"

"Most likely," Twilight said, "Apart from the bigger ponies like Big Macintosh, most of us have roughly the same hoof size."

"Good to know," I picked up the new board and managed to fit it into the bag, along with the original, "Thanks again for helping me. Just let me know when you want me to pay off the debt."

I picked up the bag and went to leave, but Eclipse stopped me, "Twilight, I believe there was something you wanted to do."

"Oh yeah," Twilight trotted up to me and said, "Hold still." Before I could say anything, her horn glowed, and I felt my body tingling, as if something inside me was responding to her horn. After a few seconds, the glow on her horn dissipated, and I shook my head to clear it.

"You going to tell me what that was?" I asked.

"Just a quick examination," Twilight said mysteriously, "But right now I should really get back to my studies. I'll see you later."

I shrugged and bid them both goodbye, leaving the library. I paused outside to pull a pencil and a piece of paper out of my pocket and wrote down a small message as I walked.

Lyra
Everything is ready for your birthday present. I'll meet you by the bench in the park at three o'clock on Sunday afternoon.
Dutch

P.S. If you've got warm clothes, I'd suggest you bring them. You'll need them where we're going.

I started to approach Lyra's house, and checked to see if she was around. I saw a brief movement in one of the window's of her house, and pushed the note through the letterbox and knocking on the door. I quickly turned around and made my way back to my apartment, hearing a door open as I rounded the corner.

When Sunday came around, I was sat on the bench in the park waiting for Lyra. The sun was out, and there were a few clouds, but where we were going would be quite different.

The boards had been easy enough to prepare, it just became tedious when I had to wax two boards instead of one. At least there were sockets in the wall, as well as the fact that I could find an adaptor that magically changed shape depending on the plug, otherwise I wouldn't have known how I was going to use the iron.

I did another check to make sure I had what I needed. In the bag were both boards, two pairs of goggles - one human set and a pair I had bought from a nearby store - and a set of gloves. I wasn't planning on doing anything extreme, so helmets weren't essential.

At one o'clock, I saw Lyra trotting down the path towards me. She had apparently listened to my suggestion of clothes, and was wearing a dark grey hoodie which covered her forelegs and half her torso. She was also wearing a pair of saddlebags, and she had a big smile on her face as she reached the bench.

"Glad you could make it," I said, "Happy belated birthday."

"Thanks." Lyra sat on the bench next to me. "So, finally going to tell me what you have planned or what's in the bag?"

"Even better, I'll show you," I got off the bench and crouched down, gesturing at my back, "Think you can ride me?"

Lyra gasped, and her eyes widened, "W-What?"

I mentally slapped myself upon realising what I said, "Sorry, poor choice of words. I meant to say 'climb on my back'. We're going to have to fly to where we're going. You don't mind riding me do you?"

Lyra thought for a second, "I guess not, but I have to say, it is a bit wierd."

She walked round behind me and placed her forelegs on my shoulders, wrapping her hind legs around my back. I stood up, taking her weight, and heard her gasp as I rose, "You alright Lyra?"

"Yeah, I'm just not used to being up this high, even when I'm standing like a human."

"Well hold on tight, we're about to go even higher." I picked up the bag and spread my wings. Taking off with the bag and a pony on my back would be difficult, but my wings were strong, and after a running start, I jumped into the air and flapped my wings as hard as I could. I held the bag underneath me as we steadily rose, and Lyra was holding on tight to my shoulders.

I flapped my wings again to gain more altitude, and Lyra wrapped her hooves tight around my neck. I was almost chocking from her grip, so I leveled out when I was high enough and and glided through the sky. Lyra didn't move, and her grip tightened.

I looked over her, and saw that she had her face buried in my back, "Hey Lyra, you're going to want to see this."

Reluctantly, she raised her head, whilst still trying to keep it as low as possible. Upon realising that my wings were no longer swinging right next to her, she slowly pushed herself up and looked around. I heard her gasp as she saw Ponyville, a mere speck below us, and her grip around my neck loosened, allowing me to breathe a little easier.

I passed a group of clouds on the way to Canterlot, and I saw Lyra's hoof out of the corner of my eye as it reached out to brush the cloud. Her breathing slowed, and she whispered, "It's beautiful."

I smiled as she admired the view. We eventually got close to the end of the flight, and Lyra looked over my shoulder as we passed over Canterlot.

"They all look like ants," she said, "Now I'm wishing I could fly."

"You're flying now aren't you?" I asked, and she punched my shoulder.

"Not what I meant."

I caught a thermal over the city, and used it to climb up to the mountains. Within another ten minutes, the summit was in sight, and we glided over. Lyra held tighter as I flapped my wings to decelerate and landed in the snow. I gave her a nudge as I knelt down, and she slowly let go and dropped onto solid ground, letting out a sigh of relief.

"That was... fun," she said, "In its own, special kind of way."

"And by fun, you mean almost throttling your source of transportation?" I asked.

She blushed, and changed the subject, "So, what's in the bag?"

I unzipped the bag and pulled out both the snowboards, sticking mine into the snow and placing the duplicate in front of Lyra. She gasped as she looked at the board, and a smile covered her face.

"Snowboarding?" She said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at me.

"Yep, I hope you like it."

"Are you kidding? I've always wanted to go boarding! I did a little bit when I was a filly, and it became my foalhood dream to ride down a mountain."

Well that's a stroke of luck, I thought to myself.

A gust of wind blew past us, and Lyra shivered. She reached into her saddlebags, pulling out a pair of earmuffs and a set of thick, fabric tubes, which she put on her hooves. I put on my own gloves, and pulled my zip up to my chin.

"So what did you learn when you were a filly?"

"Just a few basics, like starting, turning and stopping," she said, before trotting over to an edge and looking down the mountain.

I followed her and studied the hill. The incline was medium, and the snow looked to be solid enough, "This looks good. Let me try something," I dug my hands into the edge of the hill and pushed off a large lump of snow. It rolled a few metres, before coming to a stop on top of the original layer. This was a simple test snowboarders did to test for potential avalanches.

"The snow's stable here. Come on, let's get the boards on."

Lyra floated her board over and sat down to attach it to her feet. I did the same with mine, sliding my shoes into the straps and pulling the ratchet mechanisms tight with a click. I tossed a pair of goggles over to Lyra, and she looked like the DJ from the club as she pulled the polarised lenses over her eyes.

I pulled my hood over my head, and Lyra did the same. Standing up, I said, "Let's get this show on the road."

With the board attached to my feet, I shuffled to the edge of the hill and pathed out a route, noticing the lack of bumps on the left side and a small cliffside to stop on. I slid my board from side to side, noting the smooth movement across the snow, and turned to Lyra, who was sat on her haunches with the board on her hind legs.

"I'll go first and line out a path. Are you ok with following me down?"

"Sure, just wave to me when you reach the bottom and I'll start." I couldn't see her eyes, but the excited grin on her face told me how she was feeling.

I took one final look down the hill, before twisting the board in front of me and starting my descent. It had been a while since I had been snowboarding, but, like riding a bike, it was something you never truly forgot. I slowly moved in a slalom to control my speed, turning my shoulders to shift my weight and using my wings for balance. When I got close to the flat ground, I decided to chance it and lifted the nose of my board up, pressing my weight onto the tail. The result was a spray of snow as I turned, and I grinned as I brought it back down and came to a stop.

Still got it, I thought to myself.

I turned as waved up at the grey and green dot on the summit. It waved back, and started making its way down the hill. At first, Lyra took it slow, following the line I had made in the snow. When she was a quarter of the way down, she picked up speed, and I could see her looking down at the board. Overall, she seemed like she had it down pretty well. I became worried however, when she got within 100 metres of me, and didn't show any signs of slowing down.

I was about to reach out and catch her as she passed, but hesitated when I heard a whoop come from Lyra's mouth. She got closer, and shouted, "This is so fuuuuuuunnnn!" before riding off the edge of the cliff, falling ten feet, and continuing her descent.

So it’s a race you want? I sighed as I picked up speed and pursued her down the mountain. Up ahead, I saw a cliff off to one side, larger than the one I had stopped at earlier. I rode down around it, more concerned on keeping an eye out for Lyra than pulling off another trick.

My blood ran cold when I saw Lyra, on top of the cliff and heading for the edge. I tried to call out to her, but she was already moving too fast as she jumped off the edge. Time came to a standstill as she flew through the air at what felt like a snail’s pace. As she fell towards the snow, I saw her board become surrounded by a golden aura, and I could only watch as it detached itself from her hooves.

I was momentarily petrified as the distance between Lyra and her board increased, but that fear turned to curiosity as the board began to spin in the air. It hit me that she was using her magic, and I started to feel slightly calmer. I was still terrified, as she was now heading towards the ground, with no board. Lyra seemed to realise this too, and the board connected itself with her feet. There was the tell-tale clicking of the ratchet mechanism, and she landed back onto the snow just as she finished her trick and carried on down the mountain.

I let out a huge sigh of relief and went to catch up with her. Thankfully, she stopped at the next patch of flat ground and lifted her goggles over her horn as I came to a halt alongside her.

"What did you think of that?" She asked proudly.

"Mental," I simply replied, "Christ, you had me worried."

"Oh come on, I'm fine," she said giddily, "You just worry about yourself."

"I don't take my feet out of the board. I'm not worried about myself, just you."

"Oh, you're sweet," she said, and I assumed the adrenaline was affecting her mind, "I wanna go again. Can we?"

I sighed again, "Yes, we can, but no crazy tricks, ok?"

She stuck her bottom lip out and pouted unconvincingly, "Ok."

I detached my board and lifted Lyra onto my back. She was a lot more relaxed this time as took off and flew up to the summit again, landing next my bag and setting her down to strap my board on. When I finished, I looked over at Lyra and gave her nod. She nodded back as she pulled the goggles over her eyes, and we both jumped off the edge together.

Fortunately, Lyra was much calmer this time, and decided to follow me as I took a more relaxed route down the mountain. We passed where Lyra had tried to almost kill herself without too much trouble, and carried on further. After another two minutes of riding, the path became thinner, and cliffs rose on either side of us. I reduced my speed and made sure Lyra was behind me as we cautiously made our way between the rocks.

It was a bit of a bumpy ride, but after a while we emerged into a wide expanse of snow with little to no incline. Seeing this as the end of the mountain, I slowed down and let Lyra ride alongside me. She seemed to be in control now, with her forelegs simply dangling by her side as she balanced herself over the snow. The snow eventually flattened out, and we came to a stop at the bottom of the mountain.

I looked back up and admired our progress, "I think that went well. I hope that last bit helped you calm down Lyra."

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine now. In fact, I could do with some sugar after all of that."

"How about Sugarcube Corner? If that doesn't work I don't know what will." I suggested, and Lyra agreed, climbing onto my back as we returned to the summit. We packed the boards away, and Lyra was happy with putting the goggles around her neck as she took off the earmuffs and socks. After one final check to make sure we hadn't left anything behind, Lyra climbed on my back again and I jumped off the edge of the mountain.

Lyra was much more relaxed on the flight back to Ponyville, and I looked over my shoulder to see her resting her head on my back, a small smile on her face. Seeing her like this made my heart flutter, and I began to wonder how I was going to tell her about my feelings for her. After five minutes of coming up with nothing, I decided to put it to one side for now.

When we landed, it was a quick five minute walk to Sugarcube Corner, and we walked in silence. I looked at Lyra, who was looking straight ahead as she trotted through town. She was still wearing her hoodie, and despite being dark grey against the green of her coat, it looked quite good on her. The bell jingled as we entered Sugarcube Corner, and I saw Mrs. Cake poke her head through the kitchen door.

"Lyra, Dutch, good to see you both. What brings you here today?"

"Celebration cupcakes!" I said, "Part of a birthday present for Lyra."

"Of course. Just a minute." Mrs. Cake smiled sweetly before going back into the kitchen. It wasn't long before she returned, two cupcakes balanced on her mane. One of them had a candle in it, and Lyra giggled as she saw it. I handed over three bits and we took the cakes to a nearby table.

"Don't forget to make a wish," I said, and Lyra rolled her eyes as she blew out the candle.

As she did, a thought occured to me, "Hey Lyra, can you relight the candle for a second? There's something I want to show you."

She cocked her head, and her horn glowed, causing the wick to catch fire again, "What is it?"

"A little human thing that my dad showed me once. It's quite a fun little skill to have as a human." I put my thumb and index finger in my mouth to wet them before pinching the wick. There was a quick fizzle as the saliva evaporated, and I took my fingers away to reveal an extinguished candle, a trail of smoke rising into the air.

"That's pretty cool," Lyra remarked, "But are you sure that's safe? You're still flesh and blood like everypony else."

I chuckled, "How very philosophical of you."

Lyra eyed the smouldering wick, "Great, now I want to try it." She licked her own hooves before lighting the candle again. She held her hooves on either side of the flame cautiously, before clamping them shut. Immediately, she yelped and pulled them away. The wick had been put out, but now she was waving her hooves around frantically.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah," Lyra said as she sucked on a hoof, "But that hurts."

"It's supposed to. It is fire, it wouldn't be very good if it didn't."

"But it didn't bother you, what's the trick?"

I smiled, "Well, to quote an old actor called Peter O'Toole..." I put on a posh accent, "The trick, Lyra Heartstrings, is not minding that it hurts."

She giggled again, and we dug into our pastries, both eating slowly so as not to offend the other. The cake had a hint of lemon to it, and the sweet white icing complimented it nicely. By the time we finished, the sun was beginning to set, and I could see the moon starting to appear in the sky.

"Dutch, can I ask you a personal question?" Lyra asked.

I wiped the crumbs off the table and put them in a nearby bin, "Sure, go ahead."

"How did you get your nickname?"

I smiled at the memory as I sat back down, "Now that's a fun story. It started back at college. Me and my friends were having a night out like we did on my birthday. Drinking, laughing, generally having a good time."

I paused as I recollected what happened, "One of my friends, Jasper, had had one too many. He tapped me on the shoulder, and tried to say my name. However, the alcohol made it come out as 'Dougsh' instead of 'Doug'. Everyone had a laugh, but he kept going; I think he found it interesting. He started to repeat it, slowly changing it every time. It started as 'Dush', then 'Duch' until he started saying 'Dutch' over and over again. Finally, he laughed and said 'Dutch, that's a good one!' before passing out on the table.

"We called it a night after that and took him home. He didn't remember a thing the next day, but everyone was happy to remind him how much of a joker he was, and, in turn, no one forgot what he called me. I guess it stuck with me."

"So..." Lyra said, "You got the nickname 'Dutch' because of a drunk friend's slurring?"

"In a nutshell, yes."

Lyra then proceeded to burst out laughing, "You're right, that is a fun story."

She yawned, and closed her eyes for a brief moment, "Man, I'm tired after that snowboarding. I think we should call it a night."

"Sounds good." We got up from the table, and went to the door. Just before we left, I called out, "Thanks for the cupcakes Mrs. Cake."

"You're very welcome," came the jolly reply.

It was pretty much night as we left Sugarcube Corner. The moon was just appearing over the horizon, and the stars were coming into view over our heads. As we walked down the street, Lyra began fanning herself with a hoof.

“Phew, being up on that mountain makes down here feel like a sauna,” she said, “And I thought the night was supposed to be cool.”

“It might help if you took off that hoodie,” I said. Lyra glanced at me, before pulling the hoodie over her head using her magic and tossing it over her back.

While she did this, I looked up at the stars that were appearing above us. When I was young, I would find myself getting lost among them, staring up at the thousands of little lights, each of which could hold a species of its own. They were rare occasions, as the British sky was usually covered in clouds, but out here, it was beautiful.

I was snapped out of my trance as Lyra prodded my side, “You ok Dutch? You seemed kind of distant there.”

I looked back up at the sky and smiled, “Just admiring Luna’s handiwork. We didn’t get a sky like this very often back on Earth.”

“If you like it so much, follow me,” Lyra said, “Our beds can wait, and I know a great place to sit and look at the stars.”

I wasn't worried; I had given Scootaloo a copy of my keys so that she could get into the apartment. I did as instructed, and Lyra led me to the outskirts of Ponyville, trotting up a hill and taking a seat when she reached the top. I sat down next to her, and found her to be correct. It was quite a magnificent sight; hundreds of stars, without any buildings or light to distract us. As I examined the stars, something caught my eye.

“You know, some of these constellations look similar to Earth’s.”

Lyra looked over at me in surprise, “I didn't think you were much of an astronomer.”

“I'm not, I didn't study it. But I saw a few drawings and remembered where some of my favourites were.”

I lay on my back with my hands under my head and began to search the sky. After a while, I found what I was looking for, and pointed into the sky, “You see that brighter star there?”

“Which one?” Lyra asked.

“Lie down next to me,” she placed her hoodie on the ground and lay on top of it, and I made her follow where I was pointing, “That one. I remember that one from my old world. We called it ‘Altair’. It means ‘Eagle’.”

“Nice,” Lyra said, and I felt her shift closer to me, "Any others you can see?"

“There certainly are,” I said, and moved my arm slightly, “Look just a little bit higher. You see the small clump of stars there in a diamond shape, with the brighter one on top?”

“Yeah?”

“Guess what we called that one.”

“I don’t know, what?”

“Lyra.”

Lyra immediately sat up and looked at me, “You’re joking!”

“Nope,” I gave her a grin as I sat up too, “It came from ancient Greek mythology. The lyre was supposedly an instrument used by the gods. Legend said that when the man who used it was killed, the king of the gods, Zeus, placed it in the sky along with him to remember who he was.”

Lyra continued to stare at me, before looking at the constellation again, “You’re not joking, are you?”

I laughed, “This is the day I give you a birthday present. Do you really think I would tell a joke about something like this?”

She smiled, and looked back at the stars “A constellation with my name. Now that's not something that happens every day.”

We stayed sat together for several minutes in silence, before Lyra leaned into me and said, “Dutch, I can’t thank you enough for today. I can only thank you in the way my heart tells me to.”

I turned to look at her, “And what's your heart sayi--“

I was cut off as Lyra leaned towards me and kissed me. It wasn’t like the one after the club; it was slow, intentional, and filled with love. My heart was pounding, and the only thing I could do was hold the kiss before Lyra broke away, her eyes wide upon realising what she’d done.

“I-I’m sorry,” she said, quickly staring at the floor, “I just couldn’t help myself. You’ve been so kind to me today, and you’ve been such a good friend since we met. I don't know how to describe it.” She closed her eyes, “I… I think I love you, Dutch.”

I was quiet for a few seconds, processing what she had said, Lyra loves me? I realised I had to do something to show her I felt the same way, but what? They always said actions speak louder than words, and it was now or never.

I reached across, my three-and-a-half fingers making contact with Lyra's chin, and turned her face to look at me, staring into her large, golden eyes. Slowly, I leaned forward and placed my lips against hers. She gasped when I did so, but her whole body relaxed after a moment, and she closed her eyes. After holding for as long as she did, I released the kiss and stared back into her eyes, “I love you too, Lyra.”

She stared blankly at me for a few seconds, before tears welled up in her eyes and she threw her arms around me in a hug, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

"You don't need to thank me for anything Lyra."

I gladly returned the hug, letting Lyra nuzzle my cheek as I held her. My heart was pounding, and I felt my wings stiffen slightly as we embraced, but ignored it. I was here, now, with a girl I loved who, for the first time in my life, loved me back. I hadn’t felt happier, and nothing could have ruined this even if it wanted to.

Eventually, Lyra let go, and turned to look at the sky again, a big smile on her face, “I’m glad you’re here Dutch. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

My heart skipped a beat as I remembered the dream, but I still turned to look at her and say, “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world, Lyra.”

We briefly glanced into each other’s eyes, before we both leaned in and kissed. I closed my eyes as I let myself enjoy it. Both of us loved each other, and both of us meant this. Everything around us seemed to disappear as I put my hand on Lyra’s cheek and pulled her closer, as she put her tongue in my mouth and caressed mine. Even the stars seemed insignificant now, as we kissed each other under the moonlight.

After what seemed like an eternity sitting on top of that hill, we silently stood up, and walked back into the town. As we walked, Lyra stood up on her hind legs and wrapped a foreleg around my waist. I smiled as she leaned on me, and put an arm on her shoulder, letting her rest her head on me. Lyra's house was the first we reached, and she dropped back onto all fours as I knelt down next to her.

"Thank you for today," she said, happiness in her eyes, "I really enjoyed it."

I gave her a peck on the cheek, "I'm glad you did. Goodnight Lyra."

She responded with a kiss of her own, "Goodnight Dutch."

I watched her enter her home and shut the door, before turning and heading home. With my back to the house, I heard a noise that sounded not unlike a squeal of joy, and silently laughed to myself. I rounded to corner, and felt that familiar wave of warmth, looking over to see Valiant leaning on a wall, giving me a small smirk.

I smiled and shook my head, "Oh shut up."