Second Wind

"Stop! Come no closer, creature!" They lowered their spears at you, and were obviously well entrenched. You didn't have many options. You could try and overpower the group of white horses that stood in front of you, or you could give in. Maybe you could run.

You had no idea where you were. You had no idea who you were. You had no recollection of anything. You literally just popped up in the center of what looked like a city, right in front of a group of guards that must have been patrolling.

The city itself made no sense. Absolutely none. Sentient horses walked about and talked, as humans would.

You fought the urge to panic, and stood your ground.

This wasn't Home.

This wasn't Earth.

You just stared at the guards, keeping your face disturbingly neutral. You can't remember any fights you may have been in, but you were confident you could take on these horses. You weren't sure if you could outrun them. Horses tend to run pretty fast.

Hmm...

You looked as if you were in a marketplace.

Perfect.

These guards were small horses. Ponies. They probably didn't have much of what you would call a vertical leap. You briefly looked over the ponies, seeing a hat vendor. His stall was perfect for you to jump on, and then jump to the roofs of this marketplace.

"Sir, what is that thing?" One of the Guard Ponies spoke up.

"I don't know. I don't know if it can even understand us." Another responded.

"If you can understand us, no funny stuff!" Another called out.

"Someone go get Shining Armor. He needs to hear of this." The last one called out.

You feel a burst of adrenaline rip through your body, making your fingers tingle on their ends. You take a deep breath, and you start your sprint at the guards. You had to get over them.

"GUARDS! STAND READY!" You heard one of them yell. They lowered their spears even further, holding them at your legs, essentially. They made the mistake that would allow you to escape. Right before your legs were going to be impaled, you jumped. You jumped with as much force as you could.

You vaulted right over their spears and over the ponies, tumbling on the other side of them. You stand up quickly, looking over your shoulder. You flash them a cocky smile.

"What!? Get him! Go!" Another Guard shouted. You start running again, towards the hat stall. You notice the Ponies on the inside of it cower in fear as you approach. You sprint up the side of the wall to the stall, pull yourself up, then climb up onto the roof. You look down at the Guard Ponies, who stood in shock. You watched as one of them pointed with their hoof, and the others begin to disperse. You couldn't hear what they were saying. You flashed another cocky smile, and continued your run.

You had to be extremely careful in your steps. Everything that wasn't already made of crystal seemed to have at least ONE kind of sharp crystal decoration on it.

You look down, noticing more guards showing up, attempting to follow you on foot. Just as you were about to flash another cocky smile to them, you fall to your back.

Something tackled you.

Your eyes open wide, and you see a pony with wings on top of you, wearing the same armor the guards wore. It smiled, and raised a hoof.

"You're mine now!" It growled. It went to slam it's hoof down where your head was, but you quickly jerked your head to the side. When it missed, you raised your legs up, and bucked it off of you. You watched it fall off of the roof, landing on the tarp of some other stall, bounce off, and finally come to rest on a group of guard ponies that were pursuing you.

You don't stop to gloat.

If there was one of them, there had to be more of them.

You continue your run, still leaping from building to building. You see a large castle nearby. You could probably hide in there. You notice the next leap is a large one, but you're confident you can make it. You start sprinting as fast as you can, preparing for this jump. You leap into the air, just about to touch the roof of the other building, and...

You stop. You stop in mid-air, floating above the roof of the next building. You were dangling, now that you noticed it. A purple haze was around your left forearm, acting like an invisible hand, holding you in the air.

"Gotcha. Now, come on down, monster." You heard a voice say. You begin to drift down, albeit extremely slowly. You look down, and notice a pony with a horn, a unicorn looking pony, with a purple haze around it's horn. You immediately look around you in desperation for something, anything that you could use to escape. You see a chunk of crystal, a rock the size of your palm, and you grab it with your free right hand. You sling it at the unicorn, hitting it in its horn.

The crystal chunk hits it so hard, that the chunk shatters all over it's horn. The unicorn immediately toppled over with a yelp of pain, and seemingly fell unconscious. The haze on your forearm releases itself, and luckily, you were still over top of the roof to the next building. You fall back to it, and begin your escape again.

You were really high up. The castle was higher. The castle you were approaching had three legs which gave way to the castle itself, almost like having a castle on a big, crystal stool. You were approaching one of the said crystal legs. You notice a large window on the leg you were approaching. You knew what you had to do.

Tuck and Roll.

You sprint as fast as you can once more, and threw yourself off of the roof of the building you were on. This time, however, you threw yourself face first, covering your head and closing your eyes. The moment you felt yourself impact through the glass, you uncovered your head, and put yourself in position to tumble. You hit the ground, and roll, stopping yourself on one hand.

That's when you open your eyes.

An entire of horde of Guard Ponies stand in front of you, spears lowered. At their center stands a white Unicorn, slightly larger than all of the others. He wore a red officers coat, and had a mane of different shades of blue.

"Stop." He said calmly. "It's over." You look back over your shoulder. Even if you were going to try to jump out, you see Guard Ponies all around the base of the leg, waiting for you to do so, You turn back around. Several other unicorns emerged from the crowd, their horns glowing. You feel your arms being suspended once more, lifting you off of the ground,  and several feet into the air.

"Now..." He continued. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

_________________________________________________________________________________

The train groaned and creaked to a stop. You heard one of the conductors slide open the doors.

"NOW ARRIVING AT CANTERLOT!" He shouted. Your party got up from their seats, collected anything that belonged to them, and parted ways with the train that had carried you so far. The train station here was far more elaborate than the Junction at Dodge City. The ceiling was high, and there was even a large clock built on the outside of it. It was pretty neat to you. You step off the station, using your hand to block the sun from your eyes, and observe the city of Canterlot.

It was certainly fancy. It looked like a medieval town, except brightly colored, mainly in bright purples, pinks, whites and shining golds. Bakir and Mala told you almost all of the way to Canterlot how magnificent the city was, but words did it no justice. Even you couldn't find the words to describe the place, and you may have been a poet or something before you went amnesiac.

Maybe.

As you take in the sights and watch ponies stroll through the streets, you completely forget about your party. You walk underneath of a purple stall, browsing the wares that some pony had for sell. You weren't really interested, but it was nice to get the sun out of your eyes.

The pony was selling little trinkets and sundries, like a gift shop would. You see a teddy bear with a wizard hat and button eyes, and immediately think of Trixie.

She'd LOVE this.

"How much for the bear?" You ask. You life up the bear, to show the pony what you were talking about.

"Eeeeh..." The pony nods his head side to side, obviously thinking of a reasonable price. "8 bits?" He asks.

"I'll go 3." You respond. You then smile.

Of all of the skills I remember, haggling is the first one.

God damn it.

"What? No. I'm not selling it for 3. How about 6?" He rebuts.

"5." You respond again. The pony sighs.

"I don't have time for this. Give me the 5 bits." You hand him the 5 bits you had already counted out in your pocket the moment you saw the bear, and take the bear. The pony motions for you wait, and hands you a wand.

Apparently, the bear also had a wand.

With Mr. Fuzzykins new best friend in tow, and a smile accompanying you, you go to find Trixie, when you hear yelling. You look down the junction, and see a crowd of ponies, seemingly surrounding something, shouting and jumping. You hear a voice, a male one, as you approach.

"GET OUT OF HERE! NO ONE HERE WANTS YOU!"

Damn. Feel bad for whoever that is.

"I said I was sorry!" You heard a feminine voice call out. It sounded a lot like Trixie.

Wait.

Shit.

You pick up your pace, and start splitting the crowd. Sure enough, you can see Trixie being approached by a orange stallion.

You were coming up from behind him. You watched as he reared his hoof back, what looked like a tomato in it. He looked like he was going to try to smear it on Trixie, or throw it at point-blank range, at Trixie, who was now cowering, covering her face in fear. Something about seeing her this way pissed you off.

The crowd went silent and stopped jumping as they watched you emerge behind the orange stallion. He didn't notice the crowd stop, seemingly too enveloped in the task at hand.

"Alright, you BITCH. Smile!" He shouted. You could see tears coming out from beneath Trixie's hooves which covered her face. As soon as he was about to thrust his hoof out, you grabbed it from behind. He dropped the tomato immediately.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, pal." You twist his hoof over, forcing him to fall to his side. You instinctively put your foot on his neck, and hold his hoof in your hand. Any time he would struggle, you would twist his hoof harder. "I would really stop struggling so much. It'd be a shame if I broke your leg." You twist slightly harder, to emphasize the point that you weren't scared of going that far.

"Who are you? Her marefriend?" He asked.

"Oh yeah. And nobody messes with my mare." You respond. Trixie wasn't really your marefriend, and you weren't entirely sure why you responded in such a way, but what was said, was said. No going back now. You looked over at Trixie, who was still visibly upset. "You okay?" Trixie nods her head, wiping her tears away. You resist the urge to break the stallions leg or stomp his head in.

The crowd around you dispersed as the Royal Guard showed up.

"What happened here?" One of them asked. You nod your head at the orange stallion underfoot.

"This nice stallion thought it would be a good idea to pick a fight with my marefriend, threatening her, attempting to smear a tomato all over her. I also believe he called her a bitch and told her to leave Canterlot. What's interesting, is even though that Trixie may not have the best track record, she came here to apologize and express her regret. Funny way your ponies have of keeping open minds." The Guard looked shocked.

"Yeah, but, I mean, it's her!" The orange stallion said. The guard motioned for you to release him. The orange stallion stood, and was immediately put in custody.

"I do not care if it's Discord himself walking these streets, if somepony has apologized, and are attempting to prove this new-found regret, you have NO right to treat them this way." He turned his head to what was left of the crowd. "As for the rest of you, you should be ASHAMED of yourselves!" The ponies hung their heads in embarrassment. He looked back to you. "You did the right thing, creature. If anypony gives you, or your beautiful marefriend anymore trouble, alert the Guard. We'll see that it's taken care of. And while I'm talking to you, what are you, again?" Trixie speaks up from her cowering, still looking incredibly sad.

"He's a Human. His name is Adam." She nearly whispered.

"Adam the Human, eh? I will alert the others to your presence, so there will be no shock. Welcome to Canterlot!" He shook your hand with your hoof, and set off, with the newest recruit of the stockade beside him.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Look, all I'm saying is, I really miss my Xbox." Alan said. Lyra wrapped her forelegs around his head while riding on his back, resting her chin on the top of his head.

"What's an Xbox?" She asked.

"Heresy!" Alan nearly shouted. "It was a gift straight from Poseidon himself." He waited for a moment, allowing her confusion to set in, before he cleared the air. "Actually, it was a machine that you play video games on. Kind of hard to explain, but I miss it."

You wipe your eyes with your left hand, shifting Rainbow Dash's weight around on your back as you go to stretch.

"Babe, you okay?" She asks.

"Yep." You said while you yawn. "Just kinda sleepy is all."

"Should I get down?" She asks again. You put your hands around her hind legs, which were wrapped around your waist.

"Nah. I usually get sleepy after really big breakfasts like that." She gives you a squeeze, and let you continue your walk.to check out the hardware store. You really had no intention of buying anything today, but it would still would be nice to go out and see what they had in the way of hardware. Rainbow Dash and Alan began to have a friendly argument over something you didn't really care to pay attention to, so you allowed yourself leave to your thoughts.

Does Celestia know more than she lets on?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Your shackles rumble at rattle as you are led, at spear point, down into what is obviously a dungeon. The pace often would become too quick, and your chains would pull on your waist or leg, causing you to stumble or fall. The Guards would simply pick you back up, or drag you to your feet.

You had accepted what was coming to you. You hadn't been in this new world for more than 5 minutes, and you were being executed. Granted, you probably shouldn't have ran like you did, but walking, talking ponies? You may not remember much about yourself, but you remember bits and chunks of what your universe was populated with. Humans. Not ponies.

You're led into a dark cell. The guards remove your chains, only to apply new ones that keep you forced to the wall. The guards that brought you in look over you one last time, making sure everything is in place, before leaving the cell, closing the door, and with it, your own light source.

It's amazing how you lose track of time when you're left like that. You didn't know if it was day or night. You would drift off to sleep one moment, or begin whistling quietly to yourself the next. You weren't sure if 1 hour had passed, or if 6 days had, but eventually, the door opened.

The same large white unicorn that wore the red officers coat walked in.

"Have you been fed? Or have you had anything to drink?" He asked, looking you over. You smirk.

"No." You reply. He turns around, and leaves the cell, but the door remained open. He came back shortly with a loaf of bread and a bowl of water. He places it on the floor, close enough to where you could reach it off of the wall.

"Alright. Now. I have some questions for you. I suggest you answer them." You nod your head, tearing off a chunk of bread, and putting it in your mouth.

"Who are you?" He asked.

This should be fun.

"I don't know." You respond. His eyes study yours.

"Are you going to cooperate, or not? Do not waste my time." You could tell he was frustrated.

"I'm cooperating. I do not know who I am. All I remember is opening my eyes, and boom. I'm here, your guards shoving their spears down my throat. If you do not believe me, ask the guards. Their testimony will prove my claims." He walks back out into the dungeon hallway, out of your view, but left the door open again. You shrug your shoulders, and go back to eating. The bread wasn't that bad. It wasn't stale or completely bland tasting. The water also wasn't toilet water or filthy, for that matter. At least they were treating you with SOME respect.

The large white unicorn comes into the room with 2 other guards.

"He says he does not remember his offences. He says he doesn't know who he is. Tell me everything that happened." One of the two guards sighed, and walked forward.

"We were on patrol through the streets of the Empire. Easy enough. There were 4 of us, and we were having a pretty good time. It was a really pretty day, and it was a quiet one, too. As we started to walk down main street, there was a flash of white light, and that thing," He pointed at you with a hoof. "That thing was standing in front of us. He looked really spooked." The other guard stepped forward.

"We had never seen anything like him before, and took him to be a monster." He spoke. "His running certainly did not help our fears-"

"And your spears at my throat didn't do much for me, either." You interject, putting more bread in your mouth.

"Like I was SAYING," The pony continued. "He ran through the streets. One thing led to another, and that's when we got you." The large white unicorn sighed, and looked at you.

"So what you say is true then. Release him." The other two guards looked up at him in shock.

"Shining Armor, are you sure?" One asked. The Unicorn identified as Shining Armor nodded his head.

"Think about it. If he was an enemy to the Crystal Empire, he would know the city layout. With his skills and knowledge of the city, he would've escaped, instead of running right to us at the castle." His eyes met yours. "And you're sure that you don't know anything about yourself?" He asked.

"You seem like a reasonable man, or uh...unicorn...Mr. Armor. So I'll make you a promise. The moment I remember anything about myself, I'll tell you. All I know, is that I am a Human. Other than that, you know as much as I do." You feel the guards fumble around with your shackles. "I don't believe we've ever been formally introduced."

"I am Prince Shining Armor. I am the General of the Crystal Empire's Military, and I also rule his kingdom beside my wife, Cadence. I would ask you to return your introduction, but your amnesia probably prevents that." Your shackles release. You rub your wrists and your shins, feeling the air touch your skin in those areas for the first time in awhile.

For the first time since your "Arrival" in this strange kingdom, you pat yourself down, seeing all that you have. And that's when you find the first clue to your world back home. When you found your name. While patting yourself down, you felt something against your chest. You put your hand under your shirt, finding a metal tag on a chain necklace that you were wearing. It read:

MAXWELL. L. OWENS. IMO. PATHFINDERS. X0148220-1314

"Huh. Well, a promise is a promise. Shining Armor, I believe I just found my name." Shining Armor looks at you curiously.

"And? What is it?" He asked.

"Maxwell." You respond.

"Hmm...Maxwell the Human." You cringe at the way he says it.

"Actually, just call me Max. Sounds better to the ear, don't you think?"

_________________________________________________________________________________

You approach Trixie slowly, who was still cowering on the ground. You offer her your hand. She looks up at you, tears still in her eyes, and takes it. You go to lift her up, but she assumes that you were going to hug her. Because she hugs you. Hard.

"I knew you'd come." She said between sobs. "I knew you'd come. Why do ponies have to be so mean?" You sighed, and ran your fingers through her mane.

"No idea. But you saved my sandwich, and then we shared a lollipop together. That makes us best friends now. And no one messes with any best friend of mine." You remember that wizard bear you had bought for her. "Here." You said, having her end the hug. You hand her the bear. "I saw this little guy at the gift shop place. Thought you might like it." Trixie smiles, tears still in her eyes, but they were no longer coming. She hugs the bear, and then looks back up to you for direction.

"Here, lets go find Mala and Bakir. They've got to be around here somewhere." Trixie goes to stand up, but wobbles about. You knew she was scared, but scared to this point? You kneel down beside her. "On second thought, brace yourself." You pick her up, carrying her like you did when you first found her dying in the desert. She responds the exact same way as well, burying her face in your shoulder, falling asleep while hugging her stuffed animal.

You walk back towards the station. You hear cooing.

"Awww..." It was Mala. You see her and Bakir both watching you from the alleyway next to the train station.

"Shh...she fell asleep. I'll follow you." You walk behind Bakir and Mala, who led you down the alleyway, and out into another street.

How the Hell does Trixie fall asleep so quickly? God damn.

You all stopped at the end of this street, before a large purple building.

"Now, Adam." Mala said, pausing to wipe her muzzle with a hoof. "Our appointment with Celestia isn't until tomorrow. We're all going to go stay at this hotel. Feel free to explore Canterlot tonight. Just make sure you're up early." She looks at you, and winks. "And make sure Trixie can walk straight in the morning. I would hate for her to be embarrassed in front of Celestia. If you're gonna do it, be gentle." Your jaw drops.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Mala, what the Hell was that?" You chuckle in shock. She simply winks again, and goes into the hotel. You follow her, and rent a room for Trixie and yourself. You knew she wasn't going to be staying in her own room, so you just got one for you share. You carry her sleeping body up several flights of stairs, before arriving on the 4th floor, where you room was. Your room number was 422. You walked down the hallway, which had an interesting purple and gold carpeting in it, reading the plaques posted outside of the doors.

"416...418...420...422. Alright. Here we are." You mutter to yourself. You unlock the door, and walk inside the room. The room was actually pretty decent. It had a single large bed, a table and some chairs, a large bathroom, and a balcony that overlooked Canterlot. It was quite the view. You lay Trixie down in the bed and watch as she curls up into a pony-ball, hugging her new wizard bear.

You pull the blanket up over Trixie, and go into the bathroom. Your little tussle with that orange asshole may have got you dirty. You look in the mirror, running your hand along your face. Other than a little dirt here and there, you were clean. You wet a rag near the sink, and wipe your face down. As you examine your face, your stomach grumbles loudly.

"Whew. That was a big one." You laugh to yourself. You decided not to go out and find anything to eat. Chances are, you'd leave Trixie, she'd wake up alone, and panic. Or you'd go out and get your stomach full, only for Trixie to awake when you return, wanting to eat.

You walk back out into the main room, and pull up a chair to the table that was near the balcony. You pick up the pen on the table, and doodle on some of the paper that was near the pen.

Why do Hotels always have this complimentary pen and paper?

While you would rather be watching TV or messing around on the Internet, doodling would have to suffice. You chuckle quietly to yourself, as a minor memory returned to you. People poked fun at you because you were 32 years old and still watched shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Frisky Dingo, or because you played video games and read comics. You smile, remembering your response to these naysayers.

"I'm a 32 year old Mercenary, I can do whatever the Hell I please." You mouth.

Your eyes then ripped open as more memories poured in.

It was like a drop of water hit the top of your head, then 5 seconds later, an entire bathtub was emptied on you.

Mercenary. Major Adam Howard. Pathfinder.

It all comes back to you at once.

_________________________________________________________________________________

You walk down your row of new recruits. Most of them are fresh from military service around the world.

Most of them.

One recruit, Private Locke, was an exception to this.

His father, Mason Locke, was a seasoned veteran and recognized War Hero whom IMO sought. When Mason denied their offers, naturally they targeted his son. After all, A child is merely an extension of ones self.

Each of the recruits had their own weapon, provided by the IMO. All they had to do was make a request for what they would like, and they would receive their request, as long as it was reasonable. As a Private, you were allowed one primary weapon and one secondary. You were also allowed to keep any weapons you loot from bodies, whether they be friendly or hostile.

Locke wielded a G36E, the exported variant of the Heckler & Koch G36 line of assault rifles. As you held your hand high to signal the recruits to begin their training on the firing range, you paid close attention to Locke. He seemed to know what he was doing, while the others fumbled and messed around. They may have served in a military somewhere, but they didn't act like it. Locke never served in any military, and he acted with extreme professionalism.

He stepped forward, pressing the butt of the rifle against his shoulder. He looked through the attached scope, took a deep breath, and fired his rifle several times.

Each recruit was given 5 bullets, and was to fire said bullets down the range, and attempt to hit the targets. You were anxious to see how Locke did. As the final recruit fired his final round, you pressed the button at the back of the range, making the targets zip up to their recruits. You heard many excuses and complaining from a good amount of recruits, but Locke remained silent.

You walked over to him.

"Show me your target, Locke." He turned around, and handed you his target. Your eyes widen, and a smile grew on your face.

"GOD. DAMN." 5 holes, all right next to each other, sat in the very center of the target. This recruit was already more accurate than most others you knew, and you had been in the IMO since you were 18 years old.

He could probably out shoot you, which made you proud and terrified at the same time.

You decide that this recruit is Pathfinder material. It was so incredibly rare to find someone who was capable of such accuracy. You had to have him on your squad. You pat him on the shoulder, and hand him back his target. You walk to the back of the range, and get on your phone.

"Yes, Howard?" The Chairman answers.

"Private Adam Locke. I want him on the Pathfinders. No question about it." You respond. The Chairman laughs.

"It is done."

_________________________________________________________________________________

You blink, and slouch in your chair,

It was just your luck that you would regain a good portion of your memories right before you go to meet the leader of this kingdom. It was just your luck that you weren't a poet, or an author, but a killer. you decide to withhold this information from Mala and Bakir. You really didn't want to keep anything from Trixie.

Even the thought of lying to her tore you up on the inside. The sucky thing about lies, was the fact that somewhere along the line, they are always found out. So, you could either tell her the truth and scare the living Hell out of her, or have her find out later, and be pissed about you lying.

You look at her sleeping, curled up and smiling, her hat falling off of her head. You can't help but smile from how cute she looks. You scoot back in your chair, and sit on the bed beside her. You remove her hat completely, and run your fingers through her mane. She stirs slightly, and yawns in her sleep.

You decide at the moment that you were going to lie to her.

_________________________________________________________________________________

You leave the Hardware store with a giant pole, a sheet of plywood, some white paint, and a big metal ring. The day was beginning to end, so you definitely were not setting up any basketball goal soon. Lyra offered to store the materials inside of her shed back home. You bid Aaden and Rainbow Dash goodbye, and walk with Lyra back to her house, toting the supplies.

"That was a bunch of fun, Alan! I'm glad that they came with us! Aaden is really nice!" Lyra exclaimed.

"You don't know the half of it." You laugh.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"So, what am I supposed to do now?" You ask.

"Not my problem." Shining Armor responded.

"Are you kidding me? I just appear out of nowhere in your damn city, I get spears shoved up my ass, I'm thrown in a dungeon, and now I'm on my own?" You object. You were getting pissed.

"Look." He said, turning around to face you. "I don't know who you are. I don't care to know. You want help? Find it elsewhere." With those words, he went back inside of the leg of the crystal castle.

While you understood his reason for being so reluctant to help you, it still made you angry.

You take a deep breath to calm yourself, and you start your walk through the rainy streets of the Crystal Empire, as it was called.

You had no destination.

You had no aim.

You were lost.

You hold an open hand out, and let rain fall into your palm. Lightning zips across the sky, followed by the crack of thunder. You grip your hand into a fist, and let it fall to your side.

End of the line, Max.