Second Wind

You break free of your group hug, and after teaching Equestria the intricacies of using a chip to scoop queso, you notice Celestia staring at you from across the room, her ethereal mane flowing.

Shiiiit. Am I in trouble? I thought she said I wasn't?

You smile at her, and she smiles back. You decide to walk over to her.

"Heya, Princess. Something wrong?" You ask. She shifts her hooves.

"My loyal guardsman. When I projected your memories, I happened to see ALL of the memories you've recovered, but also one more. I find it quite touching, and would like for you to see it." You nod your head.

"Okay. How do we do this?" Celestia motions with her head for you to follow her. You do as your told. She leads you through the crowd, up onto the stage, and through the curtains.

"Kneel, guardsman." You get down on your knees. She walks around behind her, and puts her horn on the back of your head. You feel your eyes start to tingle. The memory must be projecting onto the wall again. At least this one is in private. You watch your memory unfold.

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"Dad? What're you cooking?" A young boy, no older than 6, walks into the kitchen, dragging a blanket with one hand, and wiping his eyes with the other.

"Good morning, Aaden. Just some pancakes." The man that you now recognize to be your biological father picks the boy up, and sets him down on the counter. He walks over to the cabinets, and pulls out three glasses. "You want milk or orange juice?"

"Juice please." Dad walks over to the fridge, pours two glasses of juice and one glass of milk. You look up at him. "Is Mom still asleep?" Dad chuckles.

"Yep. It is kinda early, son. Even for you." You cross your arms.

"But Dad. I wanna get up early, like you." He rustles your hair, and goes back to cooking.

"Give yourself a couple of years, that'll change." He laughs again. It wasn't too much later that Mom walked into the room, in her pink house pants and one of Dad's dress shirts. She looked really silly, it was too big on her.

"Hey Elanor." Dad walked over to her, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Good morning to you too, Mason. Whatcha cooking?" He looks back over at the stove top.

"Pancakes. Figured I'd make breakfast this morning." She smiles, and kisses him. Her face then grows a concerned look.

"Mason, I...uh...I trust you. But you aren't seriously considering their offer, are you?" He smiles at her from underneath of his reading glasses.

"Of course not, dear. I've no intention of serving a company. Serving my country was enough."

"Mason. We both know of your accomplishments. You know they'll keep trying." He walked over to her, and hugged her.

"Elanor, listen to me. You already had to watch me get on a plane once. I'm not going to make you do it again." Mom gave him a big hug, and released him. Dad laughed.

"The IMO...bunch of damn fools, if you ask me." Mom punched his shoulder, and pointed at you.

"Darn fools. Darn is what I meant."

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You can see the memory fading away from the wall where it was being projected. Celestia removed her horn from the back of your head, and walked back in front of you.

"Remember. I saw all of your memories. That appeared to be the only one of your biological father. You bear quite a likeness to him. May I ask a few questions of you?" You get up off of your knees.

"Absolutely."

"Your father said he had served his country. What does that mean?"

"He was a combat medic assigned to an Army unit. He fought in a war that I can't remember." You rub your head.

"Your mother said he had 'accomplishments'?"

"He was a hero, I remember that much. My Dad was tending to a wounded solider when they were forced to retreat. My Dad wouldn't leave the man behind. See, where I come from, there were rules for war, as silly as that may sound. Anyone that willingly shot a medic would be tried for war crimes. So, my Dad was safe. However, the wounded soldier was not. He knew that, if he left the man behind, he would be killed." You motion your hand at your side.

"However, Medics carry a handgun, usually for personal defense. If a medic fires this handgun, their protection is completely voided. My Dad knew that, but he drew it anyways, and started firing at the advancing enemy. Apparently, this made them stop in their tracks, and allowed friendly forces to pour back in. My Dad essentially risked his life and well-being to save the life of a man he didn't know." Celestia smiled.

"I find it very coincidental that this heroic trait runs in you, as well. Aaden?" You look at her. Right into her eyes.

"Yes, Princess?"

"I may not be from your universe, but I understand what happened. Your father was invited to join the IMO when his service was up. He stayed because of you and your mother. The IMO then paid close attention to you. They knew that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. They took advantage of your father and stepfathers deaths by inviting you to join them. You did so." She smiles.

"You then found out, as I said earlier, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. You disagreed with your actions, and modified your operations to your liking, to one of just purpose. You then ultimately left. Am I correct?" You stare at her, wide eyed.

"Y-yes, Princess. Very correct." Celestia keeps her smile on her face.

"Aaden Locke, you are forever welcomed in Equestria. You will be a valued addition to our humble ponies."

"Thank you, Princess. Thank you." You look down at your hands. "Princess, I'm going to go get some air. While this was refreshing, it's still a little overwhelming, if that makes sense."

"Of course, my guardsman. Enjoy your evening." You walk out from behind the curtain, and head for the nearest balcony. You were smiling.

I do kinda look like my Dad, huh?

I love you, Dad.

Rest in peace.

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You stood with Applejack.

"Mah goodness. Chips and kay-so, huh?" Applejack would scoop up the liquid cheese with one of the chips that sat in bowls next to the cheese, and indulge. She continues eating. You, on the other hand, grow more anxious. You haven't seen Aaden since your hug with him. You start to hobble around nervously on your legs.

"Rainbow, relax. Ya look silly." You couldn't relax. You try to clear your throat, to avoid sounding nervous.

"Hey, AJ. Have you seen Aaden?" She swallows a mouthful of chips.

"Celestia took him up on stage, behind the curtains. I'm sure he'll be out in a moment." You looked up on the stage just in time to see him go over the side of it, and out of the glass doors leading to a balcony that overlooked Canterlot from the castle. You turn away from Applejack.

"I'll be right back." You hear the chips crunching in her mouth.

"Ya know where to find me." You push your way through the crowd, listening to them laugh and talk amongst  themselves. It was really nice to see the mood switch from one that was so sad to this happy. You make it to the glass door leading out to the balcony, but decide to stop and look around first. Rarity was talking with Twilight Sparkle off in the corner of the room, Vinyl was with her friend Octavia, who was seemingly in a debate with Pinkie Pie, and Oliver was talking with Virgil near Applejack.

Your heart beat cold. It felt ticklish. You imagine this is how a thief feels when he has a chance of being caught in the act. The adrenaline that pumped through your being made you feel elated and aware, but at the same time, it sharpened your fear. If ever you were going to make a move, it was going to be now. You look out of the glass door. A stone walkway leads out at least 20 meters, which then ends in a circular balcony. Aade was by himself, leaning on the railing directly in front of you. You swallow.

Alright Rainbow Dash. Let's do this!

You open the glass door, and shut it behind you, as quietly as you could. You then began your walk down the walkway. It was almost like something out of a dream. The cobblestone walkway gave a soft clop to your hooves which you attempted to silence as much as you could. With each step, your perception of your surroundings became enhanced. The sky was clear this night, with bright light from the moon and stars above illuminating everything. An occasional breeze would blow past you, causing your mane to move with it. You weren't used to it moving so much, but since you've brushed it and straightened it for this evening, you'd have to get used to it. For Aaden.

Aaden was turning you into Fluttershy. You were never scared of anything. Out of all of the adventures you had been on with your friends, very rarely did you feel anything slightly similar to fear. But Aaden made you extremely nervous. Not because you were scared of him, but just because of how much you liked him. He could make you laugh, he could make you cry, he could give you a history lesson, and you'd love it. You didn't want to say or do anything that would make him angry with you, or make him not like you. Never in your life were you this cautious.

You were getting closer. You could smell his cologne. It gives you goosebumps, and sends another burst of adrenaline rocketing throughout your body. You shudder. You look at Aaden's figure. He's still leaning, his polished shoes reflecting the moonlight off of them. His tie is also blowing slightly to the left of him, it becoming a radiant red under the supervision of the moon. His hair was still short, but it was getting longer. You think about how his eyes will look in the moonlight, and give yourself goosebumps again.

His eyes were already deep. When you looked into his eyes, you could see everything he had been through. His eyes had infinite depth. You could see his pain, his happiness, his passion. It was different from that of a pony. Sure, people here had knowledge and had been around Equestria, but Aaden had experienced intense pain. The mystery, the valuable life lessons learned the hard way, the experience, it all resonated from deep within Aaden, and leaked from his eyes.

Oh sweet, sweet Celestia, those eyes.

You were now only a few steps away from Aaden. Your lips were dry, and you shook almost violently. You took a deep breath in, and exhaled it, warming your nostrils on it's way out. You were a perfect example of entropy. Discord himself would be proud. You muster up all of the courage you had left, and used it to root yourself. Your legs may be frozen, but your mouth was not. You lick your lips.

"A-Aaden...?" You squeak. He turns around slowly, his enthralling eyes meeting yours. You could feel your legs becoming jelly.

"Oh, hi Dash. I hope you*" He started as he was turning around. He turns all the way around, and examines you thoroughly. "Oh woooow. Rainbow Dash, you look amazing! Is that makeup?" You nod your head.

"Y-yeah. The girls helped me.  Aaden laughed.

"Well they did great. Hey? C'mere." Your eyes widen. What could he want? You walk closer, and he throws his arms around you, lifting you from the ground in a hug.

Ooooooooooooooh Celestia.

He then puts you down.

"It means a lot to me, everything you've done for me. I couldn't ask for a better friend. Even though you've just listened to me, it means the world. Why're you all dressed up, Dash? I thought that wasn't your thing?" You clear your throat.

"A-actually, I'm dressed up f-for..." You swallow. "...for a very special somepony." Aaden smiles.

"That's one amazingly lucky somepony, Dash!" You muster up all of your courage again.

"W-well...A-Aaden...I've been mea-" You get cut off by the sound of another voice.

"DARLING! There you are! You simply must come back inside, they're about to do a couples dance, and I shall NOT miss this!" Aaden looks back down at you.

"Well, I've gotta run Dash. Good luck with that special somepony, I hope the feelings are mutual!" He then walks towards Rarity, closing the door behind him. You sigh, and take his place where he was leaning. You could still smell his cologne in the area.

"I hope so too..." You mutter.

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You were dancing with Rarity. It had been so long since you had such close and long-lasting physical contact with her. You savored every minute of it. She smelled amazing to you. Like flowers and vanilla. And boy did you like vanilla. You held her close to you.

"Darling, I do apologize for being so busy lately, but I have something for you." She magics open her purse, a small box floats over to you. You gently put her down, and take the box.

"I worked very hard on it, constantly having to go to the shop, and watch them make every detail, ensuring it was right to the very molecular structure!" You open the box. Inside is brilliant silver watch. Everything about it screamed expensive.

"Honey. This looks master-crafted." You slide it on your left wrist, and fasten it. It felt great, it looked great, and the best part of it all, was the fact that Rarity's cutie mark was etched into the face of the watch. It was perfect. She hopped up on her hind legs again, and kisses you.

"Only the best for the best, darling. Quite frankly, you warrant a far more expensive watch." You shake your hand dismissively.

"Honey, no. You're gonna run yourself into the ground, buying me such expensive things. I'm just a guy." She laughs.

"Just a guy? Then I'm just a pony, who you don't have to do nice things for." You laugh this time.

"You got me, Rarity"

"A lady is always right in the relationship, darling."

"You remind me of something my Dad told me. Did I tell you I can remember my Dad now? Anyways. He said, 'Son, when you get older, and meet that special someone, you'll soon find that you can be right, or you can be happy. You'll soon come to find that you don't so much mind being right.'" You smile.

"Well darling, he sounds like a very intelligent human. Let's hope you take after him." She giggles, and kisses you. You continue your dance in the ballroom, holding each other close, and letting the music carry you. Everyone in the ballroom was seemingly having a good time. It made you feel good, to feel so accepted.

"Rarity?" You ask.

"Yes Darling?" She responds.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

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Octavia and Pinkie Pie were still arguing over what kind of music should be played at a party when you left the bathroom and came back.

"No, no, no, I'm telling you Pinkie Pie, classical music, enriched with an orchestra, it creates much more of an elegant and enjoyable environment!" Pinkie Pie nodded her head.

"Noooo, silly! Vinyl has the right idea when it comes to parties! It's gotta be loud and catchy!"

You ignore it, and immediately try to single out Aaden. You find him dancing with Rarity.

Damn. Gonna have to wait for my turn.

You had no idea Aaden had been through so much. Although, in your mind, he was 100% more badass, something else clicked inside of you. While you were loud and informal and tomboyish, you were still a mare. And something about Aaden really appealed to the Mare inside of you. You've never felt this strongly about anypony before. Was it his looks? His skills? You didn't know. What you did know, however, is that you wanted Aaden to sweep you off of your feet, and carry you to your bedroom, where you would make love for hours on end. And you've never met a stallion, or mare for that matter, that you wanted to do that with.

Sure, you had one night stands before, you've had a little fun here and there, but you didn't want Aaden for just one night. Nor just temporarily, either. You wanted him to be exclusively yours, and you wanted to be all his. you laughed. You were seemingly the one thing that you swore to yourself that you never would be.

Well, good going Vinyl. You've went and fallen in love.