Many Meetings:
Lyra and Festus
Written by: Midnightlight
“I feel the darkness crawling into my soul
Every time I break and loose control
Sex is my currency
And that’s what’s wrong with me
You couldn’t see it in my eyes
But that’s my disguise..”
Festus stopped his soft singing as as he trotted past a group of mares down Mane street. All of
the mares giggled as they caught sight of him, a few even gave him seductive winks and made
suggestive gestures in his direction. He sighed, smiled a tired smile, and kept trotting. “Why do
they all seem to know? I didn’t put on some big show. I did everything in secret and only those
whom I did it with would know about it,” he muttered quietly. “But spending all of my time in
the bed’s of others isn’t fine and I...I need to get my act together.”
He stopped again as he passed a fruit cart where the patron and a customer were chatting. Both
were stallions and both gave him glares of pure hatred as they caught sight of him. Festus tried to
ignore them but one of them spat something at him as he passed. “Whore.”
His ears lowered flat against his skull and his head drooped as they turned away, back to their
conversation. He squeezed his eyes shut and continued trotting, earning a few odd looks from
passerby. “Darnit! Darnit darnit darnit DAMMIT!” he raged silently. “I hate this thing that I’ve
become. My reputation has spread and I need to change it! Find that special somepony! Not
many special someponys!”
He was so lost in his thoughts that when he suddenly crashed into something he fell onto his
rump with a startled neigh. Blinking, he looked around and realized that he had crashed into a
vegetable stand. The owners wares were scattered all over the ground and he was yelling
obscenities at Festus. He hurried to pick up all of the vegetables as ponies gathered around
laughing at his expense. As he scurried around the oppressive weight of their mocking stares
pressed down on him. His chest felt like it was being crushed in a vice and he started to sweat.
He couldn’t take it anymore and dropped what he was holding. He galloped away from the stand,
the angry shouts and mocking laughs following him. He didn’t know where he was going, his
eyes filled with tears, he just knew that he had to get away. Get away from it all. He raced
through the streets, dodging carts and ponies until his tired body couldn’t carry him any farther
and he collapsed.
He lay still, his cheek pressed against the cool cobblestones and panted with a mixture of
exhaustion and relief. He waited quietly until his breathing had returned to normal and then he
roughly dried his watery eyes. Looking around, he found that he had somehow made it into an
alley, away from the main thoroughfare. Exhaling gratefully he pushed himself to his hooves and
stumbled over to one of the alley walls. He turned on a hoof and slumped against the wall,
sliding down it into a sitting position. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Exhaling
loudly, he reached back into his saddlebags and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Choosing one of
the small white cylinders, he struck a match against the cobblestones and lit it. He inhaled deeply
as he tucked the pack back into his bags, the familiar haze of pipeweed filling his mind. Sighing
happily, he leaned back against the cool stone and closed his eyes. Slowly he felt the weight of
the world and its problems begin to fade with each breath. He blew out a cloud of smoke. Peace
of mind. That was the only word for it. His pipeweed gave him peace. A way to get away from
the world, if only for a little bit. Time to reflect and think. Time to rest... Clip clop. He opened
his eyes a fraction and glanced about. A mint green mare stood before him, her white and green
mane covering her eyes. A small smile split his face, “Lyra.” he murmured.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” she said, plopping down beside him.
He closed his eyes again and crossed his forelegs over his chest. “What’s new with you?” he
asked.
With a deft movement she snatched the cigarette from his mouth in a web of magic and took a
pull. “Oh, you know. The usual. Work. Sleep. Food. Drink. The usual stuff.”
The words were cheerful words but her voice betrayed her. She sounded tired. So Festus opened
one eye and looked through his mane at her. He observed her carefully, noticing that her mane
was brushed so that it purposely covered her eyes. Reaching out a hoof, he gently brushed her
mane aside. There were bags under her eyes, which were a sleep deprived bloodshot. Concern
showed on his face and he leaned over and gently nuzzled her ear. “You look tired, Lyra. What’s
going on?” he asked softly.
She inhaled another mouthful of smoke and exhaled slowly. Suddenly her hoof flashed out and
she punched his crotch. “Gaahh!” he choked out and slumped against her, clutching at his
damaged stallionhood.
“Sometime you’re just too damn observant, Fes.” she sighed, lightly kissing his neck. “Fine. I’ve
been fighting with Bon Bon.” she admitted.
“That’s, hnnnngnnnh, terrible!” Festus gasped out, still swamped in waves of pain.
Lyra nodded mutely. “I barely get any sleep at all. She won’t let me sleep with her anymore, and
now she’s kicked me out of the house.” her voice broke at the last word and she started to sob
quietly.
Festus pushed away the debilitating pain and put a comforting foreleg about her shoulders. He
tried, but couldn’t think of anything to say. So he just held her as she sobbed out days worth of
sorrow into his shoulder. She’d been crying for about a minute when a horrible thought struck
him. “Is all of this because of me?!” he exclaimed. “Because of what we did?!”
Lyra looked up at him with watery eyes. “No, Not because of you. I never told anypony what we
did that night. That was something special to me...and I didn’t want to have to listen to what
everypony would say.” she smiled slightly all of a sudden. “Thanks for that by the way.”
“Don’t mention it.” Festus murmured, a blush creeping into his cheeks. “It was my pleasure.”
Lyra roughly rubbed a hoof across her eyes and let out another long sigh. “I wish...” she began
but trailed of into silence.
He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. But she didn’t and the silence hung
between them. He reached for the cigarette that she’d dropped on the ground but her tears had
put it out. He considered lighting another but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble and sighed
instead. “Sorry.” she mumbled as he flicked the stub away.
“Don’t worry about it.” he replied, resting his head against the wall behind him.
The throbbing pain in between his legs was finally staring to fade, slowly returning his free
movement. Taking advantage of this he crossed his hindlegs and closed his eye with a sigh.
“Long day?” Lyra asked.
He nodded. “It seems that everypony knows about my sex life now, and they hate me for it.
Everywhere I go I either meet ponies who want to get off with me or who hate my guts.” he
rested his head on her shoulder. “I wish things were different.”
Lyra rested her head, on top of his. “Me too. Ponies hate me because I’m a ‘lesbian’ and a
‘fillyfooler’.” she sighed. “Who are they to judge me?”
“Yeah.” Festus agreed. “But that doesn’t even make sense.”
She gave him a curious look. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” he said, blushing slightly. “We had sex, and I’m a stallion. So that technically doesn’t
make you a fillyfooler.”
Lyra looked away from him and frowned. “Mmmh. Yeah, but I have sex with mares practically
every other day. So that theory is shot out of the sky.”
He frowned. “So what does that make me? A charity case?”
“No!” she exclaimed, turning and taking his face in her hooves. “You...you’re special.” she
grasped for the words to describe her emotions. “You’re...” she leaned in and kissed him gently.
“You’re the only exception.”
Festus smiled affectionately at her. “Thanks.” he nuzzled her cheek. “That means a lot to me .”
The mint green mare studied the stallion in front of her. He too had bags under his eyes and she
guessed that they were also bloodshot from lack of sleep. His coat, tail and mane were
disheveled, the colors blending together instead of standing separate. His hooves were covered in
dirt and what looked like dried blood. A cut on his right foreleg confirmed the latter. Ash stains
on his chest told her that he was also an avid smoker. Suddenly he let out a massive yawn and
she couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh, Fes you’re adorable!” she whispered and nuzzled him.
He let out a quiet “yay” and snuggled closer to her. They remained like that for a while, resting in
each others embrace. Sound from the main streets trickled in and formed a pleasing background
noise that blended with the sound of their breathing. Time passed and Festus slowly slipped from
consciousness as he fell asleep. Lyra noticed this a minute later and smiled widely. He had a cute
way of breathing when he was asleep. A little inhale through the nose and another out the mouth.
“You look so cute when you sleep you know that?” she whispered not wanting to wake him.
He snuffled softly in his sleep as she gently stroked his side. Suddenly he awoke with a start and
sat up straight. “Wha?! Huh?!” he mumbled, blinking sleep from his mind.
Lyra giggled. “Hello sleepy-head.’
Festus smiled and nuzzled her cheek. “Good morning...or evening...or whatever.” he laughed,
letting his nose linger against her cheek for a long moment.
He pulled away and got to his hooves, turning to offer her one. She took it and he pulled her up.
“It’s getting a bit late and we probably shouldn’t spend the night in an alley.”
She snuggled up to his flank and gave him a seductive look. “It wouldn’t be any different than
that night we spent on that hay bale at Sweet Apple Acres.”
A blush crept into his cheeks but he leaned his muzzle down to press it against hers. Lyra pushed
herself upward into the kiss. Her tongue pressing against his lips, begging for entrance. He let
her in gladly and their tongues began a slithering dance, in and out of each others mouths,
fighting for supremacy. They broke apart, panting, eyes wide. Threads of saliva dripped from
both their mouths but neither made a move to wipe them away. “Wow...” Festus breathed gazing
lustfully at her, much the same way he had that night almost a month ago.
Lyra nuzzled his neck, her hot breath causing shivers to run up and down his body. “I-I don’t
suppose you’d want to spend the night at my place.” he asked, blushing fiercely. “Considering
you don’t have any place to go.”
Lyra inwardly flinched, his words bringing back memories of her fight with Bon Bon the other
day. But she pushed then away and lifted one of her forelegs, draping it across his shoulders, the
movement bringing them face to face. She stuck out her tongue and trailed it down his cheek and
from there to his neck. “I’d love to, Fes.” she practically purred, resting her head in the curve of
his shoulder.
He was nearly shivering now but his eyes were alight with lustful fires. “Oh THANK
CELESTIA you agreed.”
She raised a hoof to his mouth and began to wipe away the saliva. Her hoof slowly moved away
from his lips and caressed his neck. Her eyes lingered on his lips but she pulled away, dancing
down the alley. “Common! Lead the way, Fessssssstusssss.” she sang over her shoulder, a wide
grin replacing her seductive smile.
*****
“Wow! Nice place you’ve got here!” Lyra exclaimed as she danced into Festus’ living room.
The walls and ceiling were a soft beige color and the floor was made of sanded, finished oaken
boards. Two couches and a crystalvision slab took up most of the floorspace and beyond them a
door led to what she guessed was the kitchen. On the other side of the room a hallway led to the
rest of the house, but to the left of the hallway was a wrought iron spiral staircase leading up to a
trapdoor in the roof. Lyra trotted over to it, reaching out a hoof to gently touch the worn metal.
“Where does this lead?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.
Festus closed the door and looked over. “Oh, that? That leads to my skydeck. I like to go up there
and stargaze sometimes.” he replied.
She practically fell over as she gaped at him. “Y-you have a SKYDECK?! You MUST be rich!
Those things are SOOOOO expensive!”
Festus smiled nostalgically as he trotted over to her. “It was a gift actually. This whole house
was. From Pinks. She built this house after I came to Equestria. I used to live at Sugarcube
Corner with her but now I live here. “
Lyra snapped her mouth shut. “Pinkie Pie built you a house?!” she asked incredulously.
Festus nodded. “We were great friends...best friends. ‘The bestest best friends of all
bestfriendyness!’ she used to say.”
He suddenly looked down at his hooves with a sigh. “Something wrong?” Lyra asked.
“Isn’t being best friends with Pinkie a good thing?”
Festus nodded. “Yeah. Of course! But...we used to be so close. Now...I haven’t seen or talked to
her in a while and I don’t know why. It’s not like I’m avoiding her or anything.”
“Well it is kind of impossible to avoid that mare.” Lyra chuckled.
They shared a laugh and he seemed to cheer up. “Yeah. She always seems to be everywhere. You
know, she once taught me ‘Pinkie Physics’.”
“WHAT?!” Lyra gasped. “Are you serious?! That is so awesome! You have to teach me! Now!
Common!” she darted forward and grabbed one of his forelegs, pulling enthusiastically.
Festus burst out laughing at her antics and pulled his hoof free. “I would if I could, Lyra. But it’s
like you have to do it with her or it doesn’t work. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Of course it doesn’t!” Lyra yelled, throwing her hooves up in the air. “Darnit! I was so close to
learning the secrets of Pinkie Physics! Gahhhh!!”
He couldn’t help laughing as she did a little dance of frustration. “Calm down silly. Come on,
let’s go to bed. It’s almost past midnight now.” he said, turning towards the hallway leading to
the back of the house.
“Fes?”
He stopped mid-trot and turned back. “Yes, Lyra?”
The mint green unicorn had a thoughtful expression on her face. “I just realized something. I
don’t know your last name!” she said. “What IS your last name?”
A flash of rage mixed with sorrow showed in he eyes for a second but then he narrowed his eyes
and looked away. “I don’t have a last name.”
“But you MUST! Everypony has one!” she exclaimed.
“WELL I DON’T!” he exploded, whirling on her. ‘I’M NOT LIKE EVERYPONY! I’M A
GOOD FOR NOTHING BASTARD WHO IS BETTER OF DEAD!” he screamed at the top of
his lungs.
He panted aggressively as she gaped, wide eyed, at him. Everything was silent for a few
moments. A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye and he realized what he’d done. “Oh
my Celestia, I’m so sorry Lyra! I shouldn’t have yelled at you! I’m sorry!” he said, facehoofing
so hard it was painful. “I”m SO stupid!”
He felt a soft touch on his shoulder and stopped facehoofing. He looked up to meet a pair of
green eyes. “I forgive you, Fes. It’s just...you reminded me so much of Bon Bon for a second...”
she squeezed her eyes shut briefly before looking sympathetically at him. “I don’t know what’s
happened in your past and I won’t ask. Neither can I pretend to understand, but I want you to
know that I’ll always be here for you. If you ever want to talk about anything. Just come find me,
ok?”
He sniffled. “Y...you really mean that?”
She smiled warmly at him and gave his nose a gentle kiss. “Of course I do, Fes.”
He gasped and tears welled at the corners of his eyes. He suddenly threw his forehooves around
her neck and sobbed, “Thank you. Thank you so much!”
She returned the embrace, clutching him tightly. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Festus
sobbing quietly and Lyra stroking him comfortingly. After a few minutes Festus sniffled loudly
and pulled away from her, but only so far that they were snout to snout. His face was still wet
from tears but the smile he wore told her he wasn’t sad anymore. His eyes looked into hers for a
moment then he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Lyra was startled by the sudden contact
but she soon relaxed, returning the kiss. The fire from before was gone, along with the butterflies
in her chest, because ever since his outburst there was a somewhat serious feeling hanging over
everything. She didn’t mind this. It’s not like her first thought was to get Festus into bed and ride
his stallionhood. There was something intriguing about him as a pony, she admitted to herself.
The kiss itself only lasted a few seconds and this train of thought had pulled in and out of her
mind before their lips had separated. “What was that?” she asked with a small smile.
“My way of saying thank you.” he replied, returning her smile.
Lyra gave him a sly look. “So do you say ‘thank you’ often?”
He laughed and gave her a playful shove. “Only to you silly filly!” he giggled.
She shoved him back and they got into a play fight. She danced away from him but he was hot
on her hooves. She suddenly changed direction, juking him out and rolling over his back.
Turning, and almost doing a backflip, he pushed her but she countered with a light slap. “You
would dare shove a lady?” she asked, feigning anger.
“Oh, so you’re a lady now huh?” he asked, smirking.
“Festus you jerk!” she laughed, kicking him gently in between his hindlegs.
“LYRA!” he cried, collapsing onto his snout. “You know that hurts!”
She laughed and helped him up. “That’s why it’s my ace in the hole, Fes!”
He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t suppress a smile. “Whatever. Let’s just go to bed already. It’s
past midnight now!” he said, gesturing at the clock hanging above the crystalvision slab.
“So ‘tis!” she agreed. “Lead on then!” she cried dramatically, striking a silly pose.
They both burst into laughter as Festus led her to his bedroom at the back of the house.
“WOW! Even your room is amazing!” Lyra exclaimed as he opened the door for her.
His room was made up of two levels. The first level contained several bookcases, housing his
massive collection of books, a dresser, a second crystalvision and a video game station, a box full
of games, and a desk strewn with papers and pencils. The bookcases and the desk were situated
to her left and the crystalvision, game station and games were on her right. A clear area was
situated between them where a set of wooden steps led up to the second level. The second level
was slightly farther off the ground that the first and contained his bed. The bed had matching
cerulean sheets with pristine white pillows. Next to the bed was a floor to ceiling window that
offered them a gorgeous view of Ponyville’s skyline backed by Luna’s night sky. The window
stretched all the way from one wall to the other and was so clean it was like one of the walls of
the room was simply missing. She was still busy taking all of this in when Festus called to her.
“Come on Lyra!”
She looked around for him and saw that he had somehow gotten to and lain on his bed without
her noticing. He was smiling warmly at her as he beckoned with a hoof. She returned the smile
and trotted over to the bed, climbing up to lie next to him on the soft sheets. “Your house is
amazing.” she told him, gazing out the window.
He chuckled. “Well when she was building it, Pinkie said it’d be the ‘BESTEST HOUSE
EVER!’ “ he quoted, giving a decent impression of Pinkie Pie.
They shared a laugh at the party pony’s antics. “Well she wasn’t wrong.” Lyra giggled.
She snuggled closer to him their flanks pressing against each others. He put a foreleg about her
waist in response and squeezed affectionately. Turning in his grip, she leaned upwards and softly
kissed his ear. “Thanks again for having me.” she murmured, her eyes looking into his, a small
smile gracing her lips.
“My pleasure.” he replied, smiling back as he stroked her flank.
She tucked her forelegs up between her chest and his, closing her eyes with a peaceful sigh.
“Goodnight Festus.” she murmured sleepily.
“Goodnight, Lyra.” he replied softly, nuzzling her cheek.
She opened her eyes again suddenly. “Hey, Fes.”
“Yeah?” he asked.
“Could I...could I...give you a last name?” she asked tentatively.
His eyes widened in surprise. “Uhhh, sure.”
She smiled widely. “Your name shall be, Festus Lightwing!” she declared dramatically.
Festus nodded appreciatively. “That’s a really good one, but...why ‘LightWING’? I’m not a
pegasus.”
Lyra kissed his cheek before replying. “It’s because I know that you’ll rise above the hatred in
this world and prove yourself.”
Only a few times in his life had Festus been at a loss for words, but this was one of those times.
He stared at her, astonished at how much she cared about him. “Th-thanks.” he finally managed
to stammer.
“You’re welcome,” she said and gave him a kiss. “Oh, and my last name is Heartstrings.” she
added when they had separated.
“Lyra Heartstrings, eh? That’s a beautiful name.” he said, softly nosing her cheek.
“Yep! Now, goodnight, Lightwing.” she said and closed her eyes once more.
He gazed lovingly at her as her breathing slowly deepened and she slipped into the arms of sleep.
She looked so cute in his eyes he couldn’t resist kissing her nose. “Goodnight, Lyra.” he
whispered. “I love you.”
She smiled in her sleep and snuggled closer to him.
Love is in bloom
A beautiful bride, a handsome groom
Two hearts becoming one
A bond that cannot be undone
Because love is in bloom
A beautiful bride, a handsome groom
Love is in bloom
You’re starting a life and making room
For us...
=====================================================================
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