Waking up in Equestria

About two days later, I had finally woken up from my slumber. I never realized how tired I truly was until my body began waking, sending reports of soreness and aching to my brain. I groaned loudly and pulled the bedsheets to cover my eyes, blocking out the sunlight that was pouring through the windows. I knew that the damned reflection from the Hospital was back for revenge.

Revenge for what; I have no idea.

Sitting up, the sheets fell off me and I brushed aside the hair dangling in front of my view. The first thing to greet me was a bright smile, a set of purple eyes above it.

"Morning~!" Twilight chirped. I yelped in surprise and jumped back a bit, blinking.

"Jesus, Twilight! Don't do that! I just woke up!" I complained, rubbing some sleep from my eye. Twilight giggled a bit and gave me a small nuzzle.

"Did my little run-away enjoy his sleep?" Twilight asked. Blushing furiously, I adjusted myself and scooted away from the mare a bit.

"Yeah, but I'm sore beyond all hell." I respond, standing fully. Chill air suddenly slammed into me, causing my fur to bristle all over as I shuddered. "I'm not naked again, am I?" I ask, facepalming gently. Twilight laughed.

"No, but I did strip you of your shirt and pants. Kind of unclean to sleep in filthy clothing, isn't it?" she asked. Nodding in agreement, a sudden though came to mind.

"Uh, those were my only clothes, actually..." I say, scratching the back of my neck. "Can't exactly walk about town in my boxers, now can I?" I added. Twilight waved a hoof with an eye roll.

"Don't worry about clothing. I had Rarity make you a new wardrobe while you slept. She uh, kinda of took your measurements while you were asleep. You're quite the heavy sleeper, apparently." Twilight said, trotting out of the room. She stopped and poked to the small set of shelves. "Oh, your new clothes are in the drawers. Go ahead and try them on." she said stepping out. Casting a look to the drawers in question, I pulled them open.

What was inside, made my jaw drop in amazement.

There were at least four over-shirts, all long sleeved, each varying in patterns. Instead of plastic buttons, small gems were in place, their color matching that of the over-shirt. The under-shirts, were just plain white tee-shirts, with exquisite stitching, and made of the softest fabric my fingers ever felt.

Moving to the pants, I had four pairs of khaki pants, each cargo styled. Rarity obviously duplicated the khakis I was wearing previously, but they were more elegant somehow than my other pair. The socks were stitched to fit my hooves fully, and I had some new boxers, each with small, diamond stud accents on the elastic band.

Getting dressed, I shuddered in comfort as the fine fabrics grazed against me, sending shivers up my back. I departed the bedroom and entered the kitchen, watching as Twilight cooked breakfast. I stood there in the doorway for a bit, watching the mare as she held a small, cute smile on her lips. A happy tune hummed from her throat as she flipped some wheat pancakes with a small, magical flip. My eyes lingered on her, slowly taking each and every detail in.

I felt bad about running off on her like that, hurting her deeply.

How could I have been such an idiot, and hurt this cute little mare?

I suddenly realize my eyes had stopped on her flanks, watching as they moved, showing signs that the mare was truly a shut-in, jiggled a bit with her movements.

"Dem flanks." my mind said, mentally biting a lip and looking over a pair of figurative sunglasses.

Wat.

Clearing my mind of any thoughts, I coughed a bit, startling Twilight. She turned to me and smiled widely, looking me over now.

"Well, well, well! Somepony can sure look good!" Twilight teased as she floated a plate of wheat pancakes onto the table, adding a small dollop of strawberry syrup on top.

"FOOOOOOD!" roared my stomach, the loud growl echoing through the kitchen. I blushed a bit, my ears folding back in embarrassment.

"Heh, guess I'm hungry." I say with a sheepish smile. Twilight shook her head a bit and gestured for me to sit. Following the order, I sat at the table and began eating the pancakes, savoring the flavor of the wheat and strawberry syrup as they fused together.

"Go ahead and eat up. I'm running into town for a few errands, and I'd like you to accompany me." Twilight said as she put the pan into the sink. I stopped at a half-chew.

"Was she asking me...? Nah, just some errands. Most likely some groceries." I thought, shaking my head a bit as I continued to chew. "Yeah, I can tag along. I'm pretty sure I've been fired by now from the cafe. Truth be told, I'd much rather work with Applejack, or Dash, seeing as how I have these." I say, flaring my metallic wings a bit, filling the room with the sounds of servos and gears. Twilight nodded in agreement.

"Probably for the best. I'm sure Applejack could always use more hooves on the farm. And as for Rainbow Dash, she did have to cut a couple of ponies from the weather team due to laziness, so she could always use some new recruits." Twilight said. Finishing off the plate, I placed the fork on the empty plate and Twilight immediately floated the plate into the sink and trotted out of the kitchen. "Come on! We've got much to do." she called. I followed without a second though, trailing behind her.

*     *     *

The guard casted a gold look to the mint green mare as she sat in her cell, angrily looking at the wall. Her glare looked like she were trying to burn a hole in it. Suddenly, an alarm buzzed and the mares' cell doors slid back.

"Alright Heartstrings. It's time to go and visit Doctor Bypass for your weekly check-in." said the guard in a gruff, Manehattean accent. Silently, Lyra slid off her bed, continuing the glare as she followed behind the guard.

Lyra had been in the Fillydelphia Mental Institute for about a month or so. When she had arrived, the nurses had to sedate her, as she was screaming something about being cheated from happiness. The Doctors had diagnosed her with Severe Obsessive-Compulsion Disorder, after she screamed about being so close to her prize, and how perfect it was. Since then, the staff have been giving her medicine to try and hold back her urges.

But Lyra knew she wasn't insane.

What did the doctors know? They simply slap a label on somepony after a small mental breakdown, and continue on with their lives.

"I mean, come on. If one of these damned doctors was close to solving world hunger, then their research was all deleted, wouldn't they have a freak-out also? OF COURSE!" Lyra thought angrily.

Eventually, the guard and Lyra arrived at the office of Doctor Bypass, and the guard knocked.

"Come in~!" replied the sing-song tone of the doctor.

Lyra shuddered at this tone of the doctors'. Even though doctor was a stallion, Lyra couldn't deny that the unicorn showed feminine qualities also, and quite often, she may add. Entering the office, the guard followed Lyra and stood at the door, in the event that Lyra made a bolt for it. Sitting in the offered chair, Lyra slumped down and continued her angry glare.

"Oh, come now honey! Turn that frown, up side down!" Bypass said happily, giving a warm smile. The stallion was thin, but curvaceous as well, his features accompanying a feminine cheek and jawline. The doctor's eyes were deep pools of green, accenting nicely with his light ginger fur. "So, why is wittle Lywa so pouty today?"

Lyra rolled her eyes and gave a large sigh.

"First off, the way you speak is aggravating. So, please, have a more colt like tone or I'm not going to sit here any longer." Lyra said, venom dripping off her tone. Bypass scoffed and frowned.

"Lyra, that is no way to talk to your doctor. Besides, my partner has no issue with the way I speak. He finds it adorable." Bypass said with a small smirk. Lyra's mouth formed into a small 'o' shape and her eyes went wide a bit.

So that's why he spoke like that.

"Sorry doc. Whatever floats your boat, I'm not one to judge." Lyra said, trying to cover herself. Bypass gave a sarcastic 'Uh huh' and pulled Lyra's file out, grasping a pen with his magic.

"So, how are you today?" Bypass asked.

"Same old, same old." Lyra responded.

"Have you had any urges lately?" Bypass asked.

"Nope." Lyra simply replied.

"Do you feel the medication is working?"

"Actually, I feel like it is. I've been feeling more calm since you guys started me on the pills."

"Well, that's good to hear!" Bypass said with a small smile. Lyra gave one also.

Truth be told, Lyra would use her magic to eliminate the pills' effect when they entered her stomach.

She had been bullshitting the doctor this entire time.

"Well, you seem to be quickly improving Lyra! But, I'd like to keep you under watch a bit longer, in case you have a sudden relapse. Okay?" asked Bypass, putting away her file. Lyra nodded in compliance and Bypass smiled. "Until next time, Lyra." Bypass said, dismissing her. Lyra stood, approached the guard, then departed with him.

"A bit longer? HA! I'm going to be out of here by tonight..."

*     *     *

I growled as Twilight handed me yet another bag. My hands were already nearly filled to capacity, bags of various kinds and types hung in large clusters.

"Are you sure you're not Rarity, using some spell to make you look like Twilight so you can take me on a shopping spree and be your personal bag carrier?" I asked, gritting my teeth a bit. Twilight scoffed and flared her horn, levitating a large tome out from one of the bags and into my view.

"Would Rarity be interested in something related to Starswirl the Bearded?" she asked, placing the book back into the bag.

"She could always be looking into his history to make a new fashion line based on his spells." I implied.

In Carousel Boutique, Rarity suddenly looked up from her current designs, scrunching her face up.

"Somepony just came up with a miraculous idea..." she said, tapping her hoof with a chin.

"Knowing Rarity, that's highly unlikely. So, rest assured, I'm one hundred percent, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said, giving me a boop on the snout. I blinked and scrunched my snout up a bit, Twilight giggling.

"Anyway, is this it? Can we head back to the library now?" I ask, feigning anguish. Twilight rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Yes, I have everything I need. You will be relieved when we get home." she replied, exiting the store. I did a mental hoof pump and smiled as I followed her out.

About ten minutes later, we returned to the library, and I helped Twilight put away and sort out the new books she had bought, and helped put away her groceries. Slumping down at the kitchen table, I sighed and cracked my neck.

"You know, you should really make a living room. Get a nice couch and a small fireplace; yeah, I can see it now..." I say, my eyes closing as I imagined sitting by the fireplace in a lush chair, wearing a crimson robe and smoking a pipe, looking like a total gentleman as I held a very interesting novel.

"Yeah, I look buckin' awesome."

"Yeah, well, the library is my living room. It's where my friends and I gather for events and parties, and it's where I do my research. And I don't have the need for a fireplace; the library is comfortable enough as it is. That and a fireplace is an obvious fire hazard." she said, stressing the word 'fire'. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Jeez Twilight, ease up. It was just a suggestion. I mean, I'd like to just lay out on a couch when I get home from work, know what I mean?" I asked. Twilight looked at me with a tilted head.

"Why did you call the library home? I thought you were going to look for your own place after getting a job." Twilight said.

Ah.

Shit.

Shrugging, I folded my arms behind my head, interlocking the fingers. "Guess I've come to accept this place as home." I say simply, shrugging once again. Twilight stepped forward.

"Why?"

"Well, I mean, being here is a lot nicer than back on Earth. I don't really have to worry about school, and trying to keep others happy. I mean, overall, I wish I had come here sooner. That and..." I trailed off.

"And...?" Twilight continued.

"I uh...when I think of home..."

"Yes?"

"...I think of you..."

Silence reigned over us as Twilight stared at me. My mind had started to panic.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!? YOU PRACTICALLY TOLD YOU, THAT YOU LOVE HER! YOU IDIOT!" my mind roared angrily. I gulped a bit as I watched the mare step closer to me.

"You think of me...?" she asked. I nodded slowly, keeping my sight on her. Soon, we were snout to snout, staring deep into each others' eyes. She looked for any lies behind the statement, and I looked for acceptance in hers. My answer came in the form of a kiss on the cheek, and a loving nuzzle to it.

"I'm glad. Because I think of you too when I think of home..." she said, backing away a bit. "When I'm off on errands or something, I've just been thinking of you lately, making me eager to get home and hear about how your day went. I was deathly afraid that you hated me the night you ran off. I was so scared; scared that you'd never come back, or something would happen to you out there." she said. "I...I missed you...so much..." she added, a small choke coming to her voice. Tears gathered at her eyes as she looked at me. "I tried keeping a smile on my face, not wanting you to see this..." she said with a blink, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, Twilight...I could never be angry at you! You know this. I'm glad I'm here, in Equestria, with you. If I were still on Earth, I'd be so stressed! But here, with you and your friends, I feel relaxed and calm, like I don't have a million things on my mind." I say to her, pulling her close into a hug. Twilight hiccuped and I could feel her tears staining my neck.

"Y-You really me-mean that...?" she asked. I pulled back a bit and cupped her cheek, rubbing it with a thumb.

"Of course I do..."

"I love you."

Night had fallen on the Fillydelphia Mental Institute, Luna's moon gracing the horizon with a full moon. The moons' light cascaded down on the land, illuminating everything with a gentle blue light. Suddenly, searchlights flared to life in the guard towers, followed by an alarm.

A patient had escaped.

The patient in question was currently galloping for her life across the light blue field that bordered the southern side of the asylum. Searchlights cut bright swaths of light behind the mare, nearly lighting her up. With a flare of gold, the patient vanished in a puff of a teleportation spell.

Lyra reappeared at the edge of Ponyville, her breathing heavy.

"That...was...close..." she panted. Shaking her head, Lyra scanned the small town before her, some of the lights still shinning from the various buildings in the town. Catching her breath, Lyra quietly trotted into the town, her lips forming into a devious smile.

"Now, where is my pet...?"