Second Wind

Lyra had asked you to follow her to pay her back. She had a basket in her mouth, and a blanket folded up and draped over her back.

It felt kind of weird to admit, but she was actually very attractive. The way she would swing her head to the side, her mane flowing with the swing, the single white streak in her mane, her amber eyes, it was all very intoxicating. It gave you a lump in your throat, one that you couldn't swallow. Then again, the only female you had been in contact with since your arrival in Equestria WAS Chrysalis.

On your walk through town, you see Aaden and Rainbow Dash sitting outside of some restaurant, eating lunch in the fresh spring weather. Is that a phone he has? He managed to keep it? How?

"Hang on one second, Lyra. I have an idea." She stops in her tracks, and nods her head at you. You walk over to their table.

"Aaden, what's going on man? Getting some lunch" You look over at Rainbow Dash's plate. "That's entirely too much ketchup." She smiles with pride, and keeps eating.

"Yep. Food here is pretty damn good. How was Lyra's house?" You remember getting up in the middle of the night and comforting her.

"It was pretty good, actually. But hey, right now, she's taking me somewhere so I can make up staying the night to her. Your phone work?" Aaden looks down at his phone, and presses the single button on the button, illuminating it.

"Oh yeah. Pretty amazing that it still works. It's still got all of my music and photos and everything."

"Mind if I borrow it? I think Lyra would really like to see some pictures, maybe hear a song or two." Aaden hands the phone to you with one hand, while using the other to grab a french fry.

"Sure bro. Just get it back to me when you can." You take the phone, thank him, and resume your position next to Lyra. You both continue your walk, which leads you to the far end of town. Eventually, you reach a farm. Lyra motions for you to continue following her. You do so.

You begin a walk through an apple orchard, and soon find yourself at it's end.

The sight is beautiful.

The orchard gives way to a meadow, which was completely green and flat, filled with flowers and wildlife. It had been so long since you had seen anything so breath-taking. The Badlands and Dead Marshes were just that. Bad and dead. This view was completely different. This view filled you with happiness. With hope. With love. All of the scars the Queen had left on you were melting away, one by one. You sat down on the blanket Lyra laid out, completely awestruck. She giggles.

"I thought you'd like it here." You look at her, your eyes a little wider than they should be.

"I mean, wow. Just wow." You managed to say.

"Thanks for following me, Alan. I usually come down here by myself on the weekends. Bon Bon never wants to come. It means a lot to me that you're willing to do this. Willing to be my friend." You feel sympathy for the amber-eyed pony. You take a hand, and put it on her hoof. She looks away, and blushes.

"Lyra, you were a friend to me when no one else was. Hell, people still look at me funny. Not you, though." Lyra looks back up at you, albeit bashfully.

"S-so, we're really friends? Y-you aren't m-mad at me 'cause of last night?" You give her hoof a very light squeeze.

"Of course we're really friends, Lyra. And I'm not mad at all." She loses her bashfulness, but is still dull red in her cheeks.

"A-Alan?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you t-think that maybe, you could p-put your arm around me?" You knew what she was asking. She scooted over next to you, and you fulfilled her wish. She sat like a human would, and had her head leaning on your shoulder. She sighed. "Would you tell me about your world? Please?" You smile, and take out Aaden's phone.

"Let's start with music. Is that okay?" You ask.

"Sure! I like music!" She exclaims. You smile. You slide to unlock Aaden's phone, and enter his passcode. 6672. You click the music icon, and scroll through.

"Humans have a wide variety of music available to them. Some songs are meant as expressions of their artists, some as pure entertainment, some as both. There also happens to be all kinds of different genres of music, as well. Here, I'll play a song I like for you."

Youtube Video

We are lost, consumed by selfish desire.

Abandon the gift bestowed us.

The gift alone.

But there is beauty,

There is life.

Hold fast for this could be,

The end of eternity.

We are blind (we are blind), our future's crushed and forgotten.

Destroyed by guilt (destroyed by guilt).

But there is beauty, (there is beauty)

There is life. (there is life)

Hold fast for this could be,

The end of eternity.

You quickly shut the song off when you remember how it changes from the soft riffs and vocals to a more demented sound and shouting, the vocalist singing: "I will slaughter your soul". Probably don't want her hearing that. She lifts her head up off of your shoulder.

"That was beautiful, Alan." She said. "I haven't heard many songs with emotion like that. Are there any others you can show me?"

"Sure, lemme have a look." She puts her head back on your shoulder. You take your right hand, the one that's around her, and use it to stroke her mane, while you root through Aaden's phone with your left hand. You find one song you remember well. "Lyra, this next song is kinda sad. I've always kind of viewed it as a prayer to a God that may not be there, like someone is praying, seeking help, but is losing faith quickly. I find it appropriate for my unique situation." Lyra adjusts her head, getting comfortable on your shoulder.

Youtube Video

This bitter earth

Well, what fruit it bears

Ooooh, This bitter earth

And if my life is like the dust

oooh that hides the glow of a rose

What good am I

Heaven only knows

Lord, this bitter earth

Yes, can be so cold

Today you're young

Too soon, you're old

But while a voice within me cries

I'm sure someone may answer my call

And this bitter earth

Ooooh may not

Oh be so bitter after all

This bitter earth

Lord, This bitter earth

What good is love

Mmmm that no one shares

And if my life is like the dust

Oooh that hides the glow of a rose

What good am I

Heaven only knows

She wraps both of her forelegs around you, like a human female would with arms, and hugs you.

"That was absolutely amazing. It was so sad, but so good..." You look over to her, and see that she has taken her head off of your shoulder, her eyes welling up, the amber iris in both eyes glistening with tears. You quickly take out the phone, and decide to look for a song that would change her mood. Rapidly swiping through the list of music, you become desperate to find something fit to make her smile.

Thrift Store by Macklemore? Way too goofy, and it'll confuse me more than it will confuse her.

Bloodlines by Dethklok? I may as well scream at her myself.

Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground? Nope, not doing that one.

God damn it all Aaden, why don't you have some Mumford and Sons or something...

Oh wait.

You do.

Awesome.

Youtube Video

Well I came home like a stone

And I fell heavy into your arms

These days of dust, which we've known

Will blow away with this new sun

And I'll kneel down, wait for now

And I'll kneel down know my ground

And I will wait, I will wait for you

And I will wait, I will wait for you

So break my step, and relent

Well you forgave, and I won't forget

Know what we've seen and him with less

Now in some way shake the excess

But I will wait, I will wait for you

And I will wait, I will wait for you

And I will wait, I will wait for you

And I will wait, I will wait for you

Now I'll be bold as well as strong

And use my head alongside my heart

So tame my flesh and fix my eyes

A tethered mind freed from the lies

But I'll kneel down, wait for now

I'll kneel down know my ground

Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold

Bow my head, keep my heart slow

'Cause I will wait, I will wait for you

And I will wait, I will wait for you

And I will wait, I will wait for you

And I will wait, I will wait for you

The song plays all the way through. You notice Lyra has her head back down on your shoulder. You can't see her face. You put the phone down, and put your left hand on her chin, and begin turning her head towards yours. You wouldn't be able to live with yourself if she was crying.

Please be smiling...

Sure enough, she had a smile on her face.

"Whew..." You sigh. She leans in, and kisses your cheek. You smile, and rub your cheek where she had kissed it.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. You're the best human ever. Is there anything else you can show me?" You feel the old Alan coming back. The one from before all of the war with the IMO, before Chrysalis. It felt odd. It felt good.

"Sure! Here, let me dig through his photos..." You exit the music application, and click on the camera. you then slide down, and press the album button in the bottom right hand corner. You scroll around, until you find a picture that makes your head hurt, but it's important.

It's of a group of soldiers, walking through a rural desert, the sun behind them.

"Lyra, a friend of mine named Max took this picture. This was my first day with The Pathfinders. With Aaden. I know you can't see the faces of anyone, but I'm the one on the far left. Aaden's the one furthest away from the camera, near the center." You explain. "We were in a rural desert nation at the time. My old commander, Major Adam Howard, he hated the desert." You chuckle, and pull Lyra slightly closer. "He always told us that he would never go back to the desert as long as he had control over it. Poor guy. I wonder what he's up to right now."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"We're almost out of this dreaded desert." Mala looked behind her as she said that sentence. You paid no attention. Mala smiled, and repeated herself. "I SAID, we're almost out of this dreaded desert." You look up at her, a confused expression on your face.

"What?" You then realized what she said, and relaxed. "Oh, yeah. Good. Fuck this desert."

"Are you okay, Adam? All we have to do is make it to this final Oasis, and then we can head to Dodge City. Easy enough."

"I feel kinda funny. I mean, I'm not dehydrated and I'm well fed. Something just kinda seems...off. Ya know? Like something in the back of my head is calling out to me." Bakir walked slightly closer to you.

"Do you need to stop?" You shake your head.

"Nah. The sooner we get out of here, the better." You reply.

"Wait. Aren't you an amnesiac?" You nod your head this time. "Do you think that maybe your memories are coming back to you?" You take the canteen off of your hip, unscrew the cap, and take a drink.

"I sure hope so." You said, lowering the canteen. "It's almost as annoying as having a sneeze that refuses to come out." Bakir looks ahead to Mala.

"Mala, what helps amnesiacs recover?" He asked.

"I believe visual stimulation helps the process, but for the most part, if an amnesiac is going to get better, it happens over time, and on it's own." He looks back at you.

"Got anything on you that might light the spark that's hopping about your brain?" Bakir asked. You turn your pockets inside out to express how little you have.

"Sorry. What little I do have was left at home."

"It is quite alright, Adam. Do not stress yourself in seeking answers. Let the answers come to you. Not the other way around." Mala had a good point. You were really happy to be travelling with Mala and Bakir. They were becoming very close friends of yours. You would never forget their kindness, no matter what happens on your way to Canterlot.

You all made it to the next Oasis just in time for sunset, quickly building a fire and preparing yourselves for the night. Mala was making dinner while Bakir told stories. It was very interesting, the end of this desert. But the closer you got to this Dodge City, the more weird you were starting to feel. You really couldn't explain it. Bakir and Mala both curled up next to the fire, and soon fell asleep. But sleep didn't come so easy to you. What really bothered you, is that you could swear you heard sobbing. Anytime the wind would blow, it was as if it carried someones cries to your ears.

In fact, anytime you would near sleep, the wind would pick up, and the sobbing would be there.

I'm losing my fucking mind...

You climb back up to your feet, making sure not to disturb Bakir and Mala. At least SOME PEOPLE were getting sleep. The sobbing sounds as if it's coming with the wind, so you decide to walk towards the wind. The wind itself had only recently begun to blow in the desert. It was cool, or refreshing for that matter. It was actually rather harsh, picking up sand, and pelting you with it. The wind continues to blow, the sobs getting louder and louder.

You climb over a sand dune, and sure enough, in the distance, was what looked like an overturned wagon. You could see a figure lying out way in front of it. You couldn't make out what it was doing, but you could tell it was moving. You could now hear the sobbing without the assistance of the wind. You slowly begin to approach the wreckage, and as you move closer, you can better identify what it was, exactly.

A wagon, one that appeared incredibly similar to the ones that pioneers used, was overturned and ripped open, chests filled with belongings spilled out. A rather ornate mirror was shattered in front of the wagon, as well. The figure was now completely visible, as well. It was a dark blue pony. Bakir and Mala had told you about ponies. This one was covered in sand, and it kept attempting to reach out in front of itself, in a failed attempt to crawl. It's sobbing really wasn't that loud, now. It was getting weaker. It was losing hope. That's when your head begins to feel incredibly funny. You hear a voice, one that sounds familiar scream in your ear.

"HE'S GOING TO DIE! HE NEEDS HELP!" Your eyes widen, but you blink them quickly, rushing over to the pony.

It was wearing what looked like a cape with stars on it, and also had on a wizard hat, the same color with the same stars. It's attempts to crawl were growing weaker, and weaker. As you approached it, it's words between sobs and cries of desperation became audible.

"I-I...I-I'm still...gr-grea...Tr-Trix..."

It sounded like a female. As you approached her, she noticed you, managing to turn her head and look at you.

"H-he...help..." She reached a hoof out to you, and before it could fall to the sand, you threw yourself on to your knees, grabbing her, and turning her over on her back. Her eyelids twitched and shook, her coat under and around her eyes wet with tears.

"Relax. I'm here. Nothing is going to happen. You're gonna be okay, just breathe, and relax. Here," You took your canteen off of your waist, unscrewed it, and held it up to her mouth. "Drink slowly. Okay?" She nodded very weakly. You gently turned the canteen up, allowing water to trickle into her mouth. You could tell it was dry just by seeing her open it to receive water. You allow her to drink about half of the canteen, before pulling it back.

"Do you need a little more?" You ask. "You can have the entire canteen, if you want it. There is an Oasis nearby, I'll take you there." She nods her head again, still shaking. You hold the canteen up again, holding her like an infant, and feeding her like one, too.

Your head didn't hurt anymore. Right now, your mind was completely clear of thought. Of worry. You didn't care about Dodge City right now. Nor Canterlot. This pony was the only thing on your mind, and you would make damn sure she got better.

Something about doing this made you feel better. That voice you heard, the one in your head, the one that cried out. It made you feel so guilty. Doing this really made that guilt go away. You don't want anyone to be hurting if you can do anything about it. The last of the water trickles out into the ponies mouth, who swallows it very weakly.

"I'm going to pick you up now, carry you back to the camp. We will salvage everything we can from the wreckage when the morning comes." The pony tries to move while you hold her.

"Trixie...c-can...w-w...walk..." You smile gently.

"Well, Trixie isn't going to." You pick her up, holding her like a sleeping child. "Now, do you need anything from here to last you for the night?"

The pony pointed towards the wreckage.

"M-Mr...Fuzzykins..." You walk towards the wreckage, still holding her. You see a purple stuffed bunny rabbit with a beige tummy and dark purple button eyes. You also see a blanket beside it.

"Would you like the blanket, as well?" The pony nods. You kneel down, grab the bunny identified as Mr. Fuzzykins, and the blanket beside him. You give the pony the bunny rabbit, and watch her weakly snuggle him close to her. You wrap her up in the blanket, to keep her safe from the harsh desert wind. She stopped moving, which scared you at first. You stopped walking for a moment, and examined her. She was still breathing, just asleep. And she was smiling, too. You held the pony you decided was named Trixie close to you.

The walk back to the camp was more difficult than the walk to the wreckage. You were trying as hard as you could to not wake the sleeping Trixie, all while walking and attempting to keep her safe. Eventually, you made it back to the camp, Trixie in your arms. You walk her over to your makeshift bed you made earlier in the night our of palm tree leaves, and place her in it, still wrapped in the blanket. You refill your canteen, and sit it next to her. You also set some fruit down next to the water, as well. Just in case. She had a lot of explaining to do once she wakes, but that wasn't what was on your mind right now.

You hoped she was comfortable. That she was warm. You sat underneath of another palm tree, away from Mala, Bakir and Trixie, attempting to go back to sleep. This time, when the wind came, there was no sobbing.

God damn, do I hate deserts.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Oh, come on! Those two are kinda cute together, dontcha think?" Rainbow Dash asks you. You laugh, and sip at your soda.

"All I'm saying, is that Alan isn't exactly a romantic." Rainbow Dash swallows a mouthful of food comprised of 80% ketchup, 20% french fry.

"Neither am I!" She exclaims, shoving another hoof of fries into her mouth.

"What? Then how do you explain the ladder to your bedroom window? Remember that?" You ask. She blushes, and smiles.

"Th-that doesn't count." You take one of the fries not slathered in ketchup off of her plate, and eat it.

"Well, if he really does decide he likes Lyra, good for him. God knows it'll be good for him to connect with somepony, right?" Rainbow Dash nods her head.

"Aaden! Hey, Aaden!" You hear somepony call. You look over your shoulder, and see Spike and Twilight Sparkle approaching you. "Aaden, we've got an urgent letter for you from Celestia herself!" Twilight exclaims.

Uh oh.

You hand Spike a french fry, who eats it eagerly.

"Thanks." He said. "But yeah, we've got an important letter for you!"

"Would you mind reading it to me? I'm still learning your language." Spike smiles, and opens the letter. He unfolds it, and gives it a quick read for reference before he reads it to you.

"Huh..." He looked it over again. "My Dearest Student, please alert Honor Guard Aaden and the guest of Ponyville, Alan, that I request their presence in Canterlot in approximately one week. Be sure to express to them that this is not for punishment. While violence is an incredibly rare and severe offence against Equestria, I believe Alan and I can come to a far better alternative to time in the dungeon." Spike finishes, and smiles again, obviously proud that he just read the letter by himself. You hand him another french fry.

"We got it last night, but it was late, so we decided to run it by you today." Twilight added. "While Alan is still kind of suspicious to me, it's good to see that Celestia won't have him punished. Where is Alan, by the way?"

"He and Lyra took off somewhere. She looked like she had a picnic basket and a blanket with her. I'd say they're eating lunch right now."

"Well, hopefully they're having a good time, too." Twilight looks back over her shoulder. "I guess Spike and I should be heading back to the Library now. Relay the message to Alan, would you?"

"Of course. I guess I'll see you guys when Pinkie Pie inevitably throws Alan a party, huh?" You wave goodbye to the both of them, and notice that your half-empty soda glass had already been replaced with a fresh one. It's amazing how you tip really well one time, and all of the sudden, you are the prodigal son of customers to a restaurant.

The thought of being dead comes back into your head. Alan is dead. But he's here. You're here. Why aren't there more humans here? Are there more humans here?

Are you really dead?

_________________________________________________________________________________

You grab hold of the nearby IMO Soldier, and rip a grenade off of your waist. In the blink of an eye, you tore the pin out of it, dropped it into the back of his armor, and kicked him towards the group of IMO Soldiers attempting to regroup themselves. You threw yourself back behind the wall, and waited for the boom. A loud boom then erupted further down the hallway. Blood splattered all the way up to your end of the hallway.

Just as planned.

You take out your revolver, and walk briskly towards the survivors. There were only two. One laid on his back, reaching for the ceiling. The other was on his stomach, attempting to crawl away. You knock back the hammer on your revolver, and execute both of them. You slide the radio off of your waist.

"Vault's clear. Get a hacker down here." A group of Pathfinders came down the staircase. One had a bright PDA attached to his left wrist. He must have been the hacker. He knelt before the massive door in the vault, and immediately began typing and tapping away on his PDA.

The Vault doors led to the bunker beneath of the manor. The Chairman was in there, no doubt about that. You were going to get this door open, and you were going to kill him yourself. This was payback for Aaden. For Alan. For Adam. The young hacker looked up to you, the orange, lifeless eyes of his gas mask looking into yours.

"Sir. The door will be open in about 10 minutes. Get everyone down here." He then took out two wires from his backpack, hooked them into his PDA, and then into the keypad next to the door, and went back to typing. You went back over your radio, and ordered everyone downstairs, into the vault. All of the Pathfinders, no casualties, no injuries, assembled downstairs. The only thing that distinguished them from one another were their haircuts and their weapons.

Everyone took a moment to reload and to take a relaxed breath. It wasn't long after that the Hacker looked up at you.

"Sir. The moment I press this button, the door will open. Get ready. I'll open it on your command." You take your position at the front of the door. You take a deep breath, and look down at the Hacker. You nod your head quickly, and aim your rifle at the door.

The Hacker pressed said button, and door burst open.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Morning in the desert had come. You didn't need an alarm clock in the desert. At least no here. Because you would fall asleep in the frigid night, and awake sweating. You had fallen asleep sitting against a palm tree. You lift your head up, and look back at the camp. You remember you had chosen the tree that was kind of isolated from the others. You notice Bakir and Mala are gone, but the pony you had rescued in the middle of the night was kneeling before the pond, poking it with a hoof, and staring at her reflection. She still had Mr. Fuzzykins in tow.

You rub your forehead, and pick yourself up, coming to your feet once more. You stretch, and approach the pony, who was now just silently watching her reflection. Even though your feet crunch the sand beneath them, she doesn't seem to notice. You sit down next to her, and decide to speak to her.

"Good morning." You said.

"Good morning." She replied. She didn't look up from her reflection. You both sit in silence for awhile. The desert was serene at this moment in time.

"The grateful and beholden Trixie would like to thank you." She said, still looking at her reflection.

"Not a problem, ma'am. However, I've got to ask you. How did that happen? Why are you in the desert?" You ask.

"Trixie could ask the same of you, strange creature." She responds.

"Fair point. Tell me your story first, and I'll tell you mine." Trixie sighs, gaze fixed on her reflection.

"The adventurous and optimistic Trixie traveled across Equestria, attempting to make a name for herself. But everywhere she went, she always would get in over her head. She would always make mistakes that would leave her full of doubt and regret. The sad and lonely Trixie then decided to try to make it to Saddle Arabia, but she quickly became lost in the endless desert. She accidently overturned her wagon, and ran out of water and food. She started to die..." She finally looked up from her reflection, and examined you.

"Which leaves you, creature. I have been all over Equestria. You look like nopony Trixie has ever seen"

"Funny story. I'm actually an amnesiac. I literally only remember this desert. It's been my home for the past year. If it wasn't for Bakir and Mala, I would either be rotting somewhere, or still wandering aimlessly. I'm a human. My name is Adam."

" Human...Adam...thank you. Trixie cannot express the depth of her gratitude. She never meant to hurt anypony. She's sure that nopony would care if she died in the desert, anyway..." She hugs Mr. Fuzzykins.

"Not to sound rude, but what's the story behind that rabbit? You really seem to like him." You ask, hoping to change the subject.

"Mr. Fuzzykins is Trixie's best friend. And her only friend, for that matter." She replied, looking down at the rabbit.

Shit, good going, Adam.

You decide to try to change the subject once more.

"Where did Bakir and Mala go?" You ask.

"They went to Trixie's wreckage. They said they would attempt to salvage anything and everything that could be recovered."

You didn't understand why this pony was speaking in third person. But you felt great sympathy for her. You were sure, at least for the moment being, that this pony was innocent. She may have done wrong, and it may have taken complete vilification, but she seems to legitimately regret her actions. She sighs again.

"Oh...what is Trixie to do now?..." She hugs the rabbit again.

"Well, Trixie certainly isn't travelling to Saddle Arabia anymore. I won't be in the dunes to save her again, when she inevitably gets lost." She looks away from you and your reflection.

"I said thank you..." She actually spoke in first person.

"Trixie, I was kidding. Look, I know you don't know any of us, but we're actually on the way to Canterlot right now. Apparently, humans don't exist here, so were going to see the Princess, see if she can't get me back home. Come with us. Then Bakir and Mala can lead you back to Saddle Arabia. You can have my home when you get back. I won't have any need for it if I can go back to my universe." You explain.

Trixie looked back up at you.

"But Trixie cannot ever go back...everypony hates Trixie..." Trixie sniffles, and once again, hugs her rabbit.

"Trixie, if you travel with us, I'm sure 'everypony' will be paying more attention to me than you. Think about it, scary creature from another dimension versus an apologetic Trixie. They may not even notice you."

"You aren't that scary..." She said, her rabbit muffling her mouth.

"You would be surprised how many citizens of Saddle Arabia thought I was going to kill them and drink their blood." She puts her rabbit down, and looks at you, examining your every feature.

"Huh? But you helped Trixie. You gave her water, and picked her up, and gave her Mr. Fuzzykins. You aren't mean at all." You smile.

"Guess it's just xenophobia. Can't blame em', really. A large, alien creature appears out of nowhere. I'd be scared out of my mind if it happened to me back home."

"Well...for the record...Trixie finds you to be very kind." She said, reaching for her rabbit once more.

"So. Will you be joining us, Trixie?" You ask.

"Hmm...Well. Trixie really has nothing left to lose... " She looks back at her reflection, then back at you.

Yes. Trixie will be joining you."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"No way! That didn't happen!" Lyra yelled, laughing. You pulled her slightly closer, and laughed with her.

"No, I swear it did! Oh my God, did we make a mess!" You laughed even harder. You sigh. Nothing like a really good, legitimate laugh. You actually felt a tear going down your cheek from all of the laughter. You wipe it away. Night had fallen. You had been sitting with Lyra literally all day, reminiscing and talking. "Lyra, your back has got to be killing you, sitting like that? Man. C'mon, lets get you home. Don't want Bon Bon to think I tore your head off or anything." Lyra stands up, and falls back on her four legs, stretching out. You knelt down, and folded the blanket you were sitting on, and you also took the empty picnic basket.

"Alright, let's g-" You felt something tapping on your shoulder. You turn around, still on your knees. Before you turn, you feel something pressing against your mouth. Your eyes shoot open, and you see Lyra. She was kissing you. You relax a little. The suddenness scared the Hell out of you, but you give in to it. She was cute enough to kiss. After a moment of holding the kiss, she lets go of your lips, and looks at her hooves, blushing, doing that adorable thing where she kicks her hooves at the ground.

"Now we can go..." She said, almost whispering. The walk back to Lyra's house was a silent one, but it wasn't an awkward silence. If anything, it was refreshing. It was as if you and Lyra were just enjoying each others very presence. You made it out of the apple orchard, and back through town, eventually arriving at home. Bon Bon wasn't home, so Lyra had to use the key that was kept under the mat.

Lyra went upstairs, and you went to your room. You were putting away the few things you took with you.

"Alan!" You hear Lyra call.

"Yeah?" You call back.

"Can you come upstairs? I need some...uh...help up here!" You put the blanket back in the chest it belongs in, and the basket on top of the blanket.

"Coming, gimme a sec!" You call back again. You stop in the bathroom on the way up, and look in the mirror. You use your fingers as a makeshift comb, and walk upstairs. You open the door to Lyra's room.

She was on her stomach on her bed, stretched out.

"You said you needed some help, Lyra?" You asked.

"Yeah, 'member how you said my back had to be hurting?" She responded.

"Yeah?"

"Well, it kinda of does. Do you think you could fix it for me?"

Oooooooh. I see what you're getting at.

"Sure." You crack your knuckles, and climb up on the bed, positioning yourself over top of her.

You had never given anyone a massage a day in your life.

But by God, were you going to give Lyra one.