Second Wind

And so, here you were. Alone.

Alone. All on your own in this new world.

No money. No knowledge. No memories. No friends.

You just existed.

You let the rain hit your shoulders. You had yet to stop and examine yourself, so you took advantage of a nearby puddle. You leaned over it, and looked at your reflection. Although it danced and wavered when the rain hit it, you could see yourself.

You had on dirty black boots which were laced tightly. You were wearing black pants which were dirtied and wet with what looked like knee pads over your knees, and padding on other spots of your legs. You were wearing a thick long sleeved black jacket with orange streaks going down the length of the sleeves. Over the jacket, you wore a long black duster, it's tails stopping just past the back of your knees. On your hands were black gloves, with an orange symbol on the right glove.

Lastly, you saw your face. You were young, that much was for sure. Your eyes were an extremely light blue. So light, in fact, that they could pass for being white. Your light eyes complimented your pale skin, and made your jet black hair look even better. You had no facial hair, but your face did have splotches of dirt on it.

You step in the puddle, breaking your reflection. You look up, seeing Ponies watching you.

You stopped caring at this point.

You continue your walk out of the city, looking at your feet. The entire way. You could feel eyes on you, but something still felt odd. You weren't sure what it was, but you felt the urge to turn around.

You stop in your tracks, and turn around. Among all of the ponies, one stood out. It was yellow, with a pink mane. It stood out among the others, who seemingly glistened and seemed to be made of Crystal, themselves. It noticed you turn around, and seemingly attempted to hide behind it's mane. You turn back around, and keep walking.

"You. Max." You hear a voice say. You turn around, expecting it to be the yellow pony with the pink mane. It wasn't. A gray and black Guard approached you, an intricate bow on his back. It shone, revealing the bow to be a magnificent light blue that turned a deep purple on the ends of the bow. "Shining Armor said to give this to you. He knows your leaving the city. It's dangerous in the cold crystal mountains, so, here." He takes the bow off his back, and hands it to you. "Take this."

You take the bow from him, examining it. The string was clear, almost like fishing wire. You couldn't help but notice that there were no arrows.

"So, what, do I make my own arrows?" You ask. The Guard shakes his head.

"No. Pull back on the string." You look down at the bow, holding it as if an arrow was already knocked. You pull the string back, and to your amazement, an arrow literally burst into existence. It looked as if it was made of light, and the end of the arrowhead sparked and glistened. You fire the arrow into the sky, and watch as it dissolves. "Now, you have thousands of different options with the arrows. Exploding arrows? Arrows that electrocute? Regular old arrows? All you have to do is think it when you pull back on the string, and there it is."

You look back at the bow. This Shining Armor pony may have been an asshole to you at first, but at least he was showing some compassion. You understood why he did what he did, but it didn't make it suck any less. You can understand why your dog was dying, or why you had a headache, but that didn't make them any more pleasant. At least now you had a fighting chance. You could hunt and defend yourself. It's all you needed.

"Tell Shining Armor I said 'thank you'. And thank you, too." The Guard nodded his head.

"You're welcome. Please. PLEASE. Don't make me regret giving you this, human." The Guard stares into your eyes, before turning around and walking away. He stopped halfway down the road, looking back at you one last time.

You continue the rest of your walk to the city gates unhindered. You still doubted that you would be able to survive out in the wilderness. The way it was described to you, it sounded like mountains and snow. No warmth, no animals of reasonable size, just a giant, frozen mountain range. It sounded like an icy version of Hell.

Standing just outside the city, looking at the green plains around you. It was almost like you were in a valley. You look down at your bow, and decide to give it a try. You hold it up, assuming the stance to fire it, and clear your mind. You'd rather not have arrows made of being pissed off. You couldn't imagine what a pissed off arrow was. You weren't going to find out.

You take a deep breath, and begin searching your thoughts. You want to fire a broad arrow. You pull the string back, and watch as the broad arrow manifested itself immediately in shining light and crystal. You take aim, and release it. The arrow whistles through the air, rocketing at high speed, before slamming into a tree. A loud crack roared through the valley, the tree vibrating in place from impact.

You smile, watching the arrow dissolve into flakes of light. It was oddly satisfying to witness such a spectacle. Shining Armor had just completely went from being an ass to a saint in your eyes. You look down at the bow again, closely examining the fine etchings and carvings that were glowing along the bow. The glowing seemed to pulse, fading in and out, and the odd characters you would call runes seemed to permanently glow, not pulsing with the etchings.

While you stared in awe at this new tool you were given, you didn't notice the yellow pony behind you.

"N-nice sh-shot..." The feminine voice nearly whispered. You turn, placing the bow around you like a backpack. "Th-that was r-really gr-great..." She continued.

"Thanks." You reply. You weren't as pissed as you were before. You were still wary, but not pissed. You hold your hand out, to shake her hooves.

"EEP!" She yelped, and jumped backwards. You hold your hands up, to signal that you mean no harm.

"No no! I'm not going to hurt you, I just wanted to introduce myself!" You explain. You hold your hands in the air still. The pony comes back out from behind her mane, and approaches you. "My name is Max. Who are you? I noticed you following me earlier." She goes back behind her mane,

"I...er...thought..." She stammers. You keep your hands raised.

"It's okay, I'm not mad." You were lying, but you couldn't afford to make anyone scared of you. You would get your new toy taken away in a heartbeat. She comes back out, albeit slowly.

"My name is F-Fl-Fluttershy...you l-looked like a fr-friend I have b-back home...I th-thought you w-were him...You b-both look s-similar from behind..." She stammered.

Thought I was him? There are other humans?

"Nice to meet you Fluttershy. But did you say there were others? Humans?" You asked. She nodded her head slowly. You lit up with hope and joy instantly. Maybe you weren't alone, afterall.

"I believe th-that's what Aaden s-said he is..." She continued to stammer.

Your bow begins to hum slightly as you hold it. You feel like you have to sneeze, but it wont come out. The temples on the sides of your forehead also begin to feel warm as your forehead itself begins to feel cold.

Aaden. Sounds familiar.

You take a deep, shaky breath.

"Fluttershy. Can you take me to this Aaden?" Fluttershy seemingly retreats again.

"P-please don;t b-be mad at m-me..." She looks up at you from behind her mane. "I-I originally c-came here to g-get some m-medicine...I h-have to g-get it before I go b-back. My A-angel bunny is v-very sick..." She nearly whispers. You nod your head.

"I'll help you. Do we just go to a doctors office, or?" She seemingly perks up a bit.

"No. We have to find the h-herbs ourselves, out in the mountains." She explained.

"You stay here, in the city. The wilderness is no place for a pony like you. You could get hurt." You reply. She shook her head quickly. She sounded more concerned now than scared.

"Nuh uh! I have to come!" She said. She then seemed embarrassed by the way she raised her voice, and immediately quieted down. "It's j-just...Angel is my bunny. A-and, besides, you d-don't know w-what kind of plants we need..."

You run a quick scenario check in your head. You could either deny her requests all together, and find this Aaden on your own.

You could just get her to tell you what herbs she needs, and go and find them yourself, and possibly die on the way back from getting lost or killed.

Or lastly, you could let her come with you, and still both possibly die from exposure or by some feral creatures hands/paws.

The desire within you to see another human is enormous, and you need to do something to gain these ponies trust, anyways.

"Do you know where to find these plants?" You ask. The pony shakes her head.

"Y-yes." She replied.

You decide to let her come with you. If she knows the way, and knows what exactly she needs, then you see no reason other than the danger in the mountains to deny her company.

"Can you defend yourself?" You ask again. She nods her head.

"I don't l-like to, but y-yes." She responds. You smile. This was the first genuine smile you've had since landing in this city. You couldn't imagine this pony fighting. "W-would it make you m-more comfortable i-if I showed y-you?" She asked.

This should be good.

She looks up at you from under her mane, still looking timid. Her pupils were right in line with yours.

Her facial expression then jumps from one of nervousness to anger. Her eyes seemingly stare down into your soul. It was as if she was seeing every single sin and intricate detail of your life. It almost burns. You feel guilty. You feel ashamed. You feel alone.

"Put down your weapon." She demanded. You couldn't break your gaze off of her eyes. Your hands were now moving against your will. You slid the bow off of yourself, and gently placed it at her feet, looking into her eyes the entire time.

You knew what was happening, but there was nothing you could do to stop it. You couldn't fight it. You just couldn't.

Finally, she relents with a weak smile. Your eyes can finally leave hers. You take a breath, and pick up your bow again. Fluttershy was blushing.

"Told you so..." She said, smiling.

"Alright. You're in." You said. "So. When do we go?"

"Well." Fluttershy started. "It's going to take h-half a day to get out there. Another h-half to g-get back. W-we're going to have to camp o-overnight...if that's o-okay..." You pat her on the back, very slowly and gently. She still yelps lightly, but didn't freak out.

"We'll be okay. Do I follow you?" She nods.

You followed the yellow pony down the cobblestone path which quickly turns to dirt, which then just turns to just grass, and then tall grass. It was also beginning to get colder.

"S-so. W-why are you all the way out h-here in the C-Crystal Empire?" Fluttershy asked. You were happy that she finally broke the ice. You certainly didn't want to do it.

"I don't know. According to the guards, I just popped up here." You responded.

"That's s-strange." She started. "Aaden said the same thing, th-that he just popped up, t-too."

Aaden. That name sounded so incredibly familiar. The sensation you were experiencing was one that was very hard to explain. It was like when you're waiting for your turn to speak in a conversation, and then you forget what you want to say. It was very aggravating. In fact, if you weren't in the company of this yellow pony, you may have shouted in frustration. You decide to try and take your own mind off of the subject.

"You really seem to know your way to these plants. Do you come out here often?" You ask. Fluttershy seems to lose her timidity, and speak to you normally.

"Well, Angel gets sick sometimes from eating bad things. It's usually garbage he finds. I come out here maybe 3 times a year. I like the walk and the camping, so it's never a bad thing. Though, it'll be nice to have a friend with me this time." Fluttershy's timidity regrows itself. "If we are friends...I m-mean, if you want to be. It's okay, if you don't..."

"Of course we're friends." You respond. "You're the only friend I have in this new world. What's this place called again?" You ask.

"Equestira." Flutterhsy responded.

Equestria. Land of talking ponies, flying pegasi, and unicorns. Of magic and wonder. If you weren't so confused about your own situation, you might be able to enjoy yourself more. Yet, here you were. Alone. Twisting in the wind. For every question that was answered, two more took it's place. Your confusion multiplied by the minute.

This wasn't the worst part, however. The worst part was the feeling in the back of your head.

At the back of your head, you could feel something.

Sadness.

A deep sadness.

You could also feel a yearning for answers, and a feeling of being unsatisfactory.

At the back of your head, even through the cloud of war that amnesia casts over your mind, you know something for certain:

No matter when or if you get your memories back, even if this Aaden turns out to have all of your answers, something happened to you.

Something bad.

Something had broken you.

You were a broken man.

_________________________________________________________________________________

You get up in the middle of the night, sneaking out from underneath Lyra. You still felt extremely good, but at the same time, you felt restless. It was the feeling of trying to sleep when you had neglected too many chores.

Lyra's, although asleep, obviously disagreed with your new position of not being under her. She sighed heavily, and hugged the pillow you slipped beneath her.

You were to go to Canterlot in three more days. And something about it really made you nervous. You couldn't explain it, the feeling of dread and excitement that began growing inside of you, but it made you feel jumpy. It made you feel restless.

You creep down the staircase of the house, walk into the living room, and have a seat on one of the many sofas Lyra and Bon Bon had. You kick your feet up on the table of the one closest to you, and you lean your head back against the sofa, letting your thoughts run their course.

You look up at the clock, and see that it was only 3 AM.

"Gah..." You groaned. You were wide awake in the middle of the night, and you were incredibly bored. You wished Aaden was here, or that you guys had set up the basketball goal earlier. You sit up from slouching, and peer around the living room, searching for something, anything to bring you entertainment. You see a pen and some paper on the table, near where you resting your feet.

Eh. But nobody can read English here.

Wait.

Maybe that's a good thing.

You get up and walk into the kitchen, grab and open a soda, and you then sit down at the same sofa. You were going to write everything on your mind, let it all out on the parchment before you.

We all feel so small in the grand scheme of things. We all feel as if, we don't matter. And truth be told, to this Universe, we mean nothing. We live and die and leave no mark on it. We don't mean anything to this universe, this world, or even our countries. I may not know where I am right now, but what I do know, is that there is something here that loves me.

Lyra. And to this one mare, I seemingly mean more than all of those things combined.

Why does this matter? Why does Lyra's love make me feel so good when I'm so neglected in my existence? What's the difference between Lyra and the other things I have described?

Lyra is alive. All of these other things don't care, because they are infinite. They have no reason to care because of this. But Lyra, Lyra is finite. One would think a finite thing would be as selfish and greedy as possible, intending to milk it's short existence for as much fun and privilege as possible, and that the infinite would love and care. It's quite the opposite.

Although Lyra is finite, she stands beside me. She loves me and cares about me when nothing else does. She offers her finite heart and her finite time to me. I know of no love more true than that.

As you finish writing, you begin trying to draw Batman at the bottom of the page. After all, you can't be serious ALL of the time.

As you were drawing the iconic pointy ears on his mask, you reach for your soda, only to lift it and find that it was empty. You get up off of the couch, throw the bottle away, and grab another from the cooler. Just as you were going to sit back down and continue your drawing of Batman, you hear someone clear their throat on the stairwell.

"It's kinda late, hun." You look up, and see Bon Bon coming down. "What're you up to, anyways?" She asks.

"Nothing much, just a little late night writing. And Batman." You respond.

"Well. Okay. At least you're being quiet down here. I gotta tell you, you scared me half to Tartarus a moment ago. I'm still getting used to having a guest as unique as you here." She walks over to you, wearing a pink and purple set of pajamas. "How's Lyra? You had better be taking good care of her." You nod your head.

"We went to breakfast with Aaden and Rainbow Dash today, and then hung out for the rest of the day. You really should come with us one of these days, she talks about you quite a bit. You two seem to go way back." Bon Bon sits down next to you, taking a sip of your soda. You didn't care.

"Oh yeah, we've known each other for a very long time. Went to school together, graduated, went to the same university, graduated, and now we live together. We're pretty much inseparable." She explains.

"Well, I'd love to hear more of that story. Lyra makes me smile, I'm sure you could too." Bon Bon chuckles, and takes another sip of your soda.

"It's quite a long story. Maybe some other time. And what's in this soda? I've never tasted anything like it. It's really good."

"Aaden, for whatever reason, had a backpack filled with junk food from our universe when he arrived here. In an attempt to make his supplies infinite, he gave Pinkie Pie a sample of everything he had. She's able to replicate it with ease. That soda you're drinking is the recipe for cola back home." You said. She stops sipping, and takes a swig.

"Alan, speaking of home...Do you miss your home?" She asks. You stop your drawing of Batman, and look up at her.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it at all, but for the most part, I'm very happy here. See, back home, all I wanted was to do good. After my little revelation while working as a mercenary, I came to the conclusion that all I needed to be happy was a nice, quiet and peaceful life. I can't quite have that back home. At least not anymore. But here, I can. Plus, here I can watch Lyra try to walk like a human." Bon Bon laughs.

"Goodness, she certainly is something else, isn't she?" She asks, and laughs again. She places a hoof on your hand. "In all seriousness, Alan. Lyra and I are both here for you. I must admit, after you first showed up in Ponyville trying to kill Aaden, I was suspicious. But you're quite the charming little stallion. Or human, rather. If you need anything, just let either of us know. You're apart of our clique now." She said.

"Clique? There's only two of you." You joke. She pushes her hoof down on your hand gently.

"Now there's three."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Careful." Fluttershy warned. You held your right hand out to balance yourself as you walked along the rocky crevice. As you worked your way across said crevice, Fluttershy froze in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" You asked, catching up beside her at the end of the crevice. She points her hoof out in the distance. You squint your eyes, and sure enough, you see what she's pointing at.

In the distance, near a small group of trees, was a bear sniffing about. Probably searching for food. You take the bow off your back. Fluttershy immediately speaks.

"What are you doing?" She asks.

"Taking care of another problem." You respond.

"What? You can't hurt him!" She objects. You had yet to hear her object like this. You look down at her, her eyes pleading with you.

"I'm not." You replied. While you were originally planning on killing the bear, you decide to lie to her, make yourself seem more creative than you really are. You draw your bow, and begin to think of another broad arrow. It bursts into existence in brilliant light, and you take aim. You can feel Fluttershy watching your every movement.

You take a deep breath, and release the arrow, sending it whistling through the mountains. It strikes the tree nearest to the bear, and with another insanely loud crack, the arrow strikes its target. The bear leaps into the air, and immediately darts back off into the forest as fast as it's stubby arms and legs can take it. As you go to put your bow back on, Fluttershy hugs your waist briefly.

"Thank you." She said. You hug back out of contempt.

"Lets keep moving." You said, breaking the hug. She nodded, and took the lead once more, guiding you through the mountains.

"Max, how did you become such a good shot? If you don't mind me asking." Fluttershy inquired.

"I can't remember. It just kind of comes to me like an instinct right now. I'm sure there is a story behind it, but the amnesia clouds it." You respond

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry. I hope you get better soon."

"Me too."

_________________________________________________________________________________

You still couldn't believe that you were up this early. But you couldn't sleep. It was 6 AM, and today was the day that you were going to have Aaden over for two weeks. You ran about the house, double checking everything.

Food? Check.

Alcohol? Check.

Contraception? Check.

After you finish, you go back through, and triple check everything. Then quadruple check everything. You were so excited, you wanted to leap out of your skin.

Funny thing was, is that you wanted to tell Aaden how much you missed him. You wanted him to hold you, and tell you that you that he missed you too. You wanted to tell him that you loved him. You were terrified of it, though. You were known for being so brash and laid back. You didn't want to ruin your own image in Aaden's eyes.

As you scampered about your house, you must have woke up Octavia at some point, because she came downstairs wearing her deep purple robe, and went into the kitchen.

"Vinyl, are you quite alright?" She asked while getting her morning coffee prepared.

"Honestly? No. I am FREAKING out." You replied, opening the series of cabinets in your kitchen. Again. For the fifth time.

"Scratchie, relax. I've never seen you pay so much attention to detail before, unless it has to do with your music." You run back to the bathroom of your house, fling open the shower curtain, and make sure you have plenty of shampoo and toothpaste. Octavia follows you. "Vinyl, it's alright. Look, you really like Aaden, right?" She asks.

"Yeah." You answer, absent minded.

"Why?" She asked again.

"You know why. He's smart, he's funny, he's cool, he's attractive, and he's one of the nicest creatures I've ever met, pony or not." You respond, almost offended. Octavia smiled, and sipped her coffee.

"Vinyl, I've always trusted your judgement. If he's as nice as you say he is, do you think he'll really mind all of these intricate things?" You stop digging through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, and let yourself think.

"Well, no, but-"

"But nothing. If Aaden acts like you describe him, then I believe he'll be more than happy here." Octavia interrupted. You share her smile, and cool down a little.

"Thanks Tavi. I don't mean to get to excited." You said. She walks over, and hugs you, her coffee mug still in her hand.

"It's alright. I'm excited, too. I believe these next two weeks will be quite enlightening for us."

_________________________________________________________________________________

You never stopped to question how the IMO had come across so much money, or how they obtained the equipment they had, but the AC-130U you rode in fascinated you. Of course, you were only a private at the time, and most things still fascinated you, like the odd universal ranking system used in the IMO.

It was almost weird to remember your days as a gunner.

The AC-130U you rode in was affectionately nicknamed "Ghostie", after the USAF's "Spooky", but with a few adjustments. Rather than the single GAU-12 Equalizer Rotary Cannon, this one had two. It also carried one 40 mm  cannon, and an enormous 105 mm cannon. Lastly, Ghostie had wing-mounted AGM-114 Hellfire Missiles, ready to unleash their namesake.

As Ghostie buzzed through the air, you leaned on the rotary cannon you were in charge of controlling.

"Hey, Adam!" Michael shouted over the sound of Ghostie's engines.

"Yeah?" You shouted back.

"When do you think we'll get there?"

"Dunno! Hopefully soon though, right?"

"Yeah, I hear that!" Micheal rubbed a hand on his exposed cheek. "Just wanna get this over with, ya know?"

"I know all too well!"

"The killing bothers me! It just doesn't feel right!" He kept shouting.

"We aren't paid to think! But I know, it bugs me too!" The radio inside of your helmets buzzed.

"Alrighty gentleman." It was Colonel Gabriel. "ETA 10 minutes. Battle stations." You looked over at Michael, who looked at you. He nodded his head quickly, and you both began fumbling with the rotary cannon, preparing it to fire. While you fumbled with a large bolt on the side of the cannon, you listened to the Colonel keep talking.

"This will be a joint operation between the IMO, Aerox, and NATO forces. I repeat, Aerox mercs and 'good guys' will be ON THE BATTLEFIELD. DO, NOT, KILL THEM." You popped the bolt off, freeing the weapon to swivel about. Micheal was still preparing the cannon to fire.

"Those of you on the ground, your job is to aid the push into the city. Those of you with Ghostie, your job is blow the shit out of any reinforcements or heavy armor that may show up." You hear the 105 mm Cannon make a loud clicking sound. Gunner Titus must have been readying it, as well.

"The Administrator, The Ambassador and The Chairman will be watching. Do not disappoint them. They sign your checks. Speaking of money, time to clock in."

_________________________________________________________________________________

You gently lift yourself up from the warmth and comfort of your bed, and let your mind process what you had dreamed. You were beginning to think that maybe you really were some kind of soldier before arriving here in Equestria. Trixie was fast asleep next to you. Snoring, even.

Earlier in the evening, Trixie woke from her nap, and you both went to a restaurant called "Genesis". Despite the deep and thought provoking name, the food was good, and the drinks were better. The hotel you were in wasn't half bad, either. The concierge service was friendly, the room was clean, and the beds were comfy. That was all that mattered to you. Trixie was happy, as well.

Earlier, you had meant to ask Trixie why she had the mannerisms of a narcoleptic goat, always falling asleep when stressed or scared, but you decided against it.

You scoot back down into the comfort of your bed, feeling a wave of warmth coming from Trixie. You smile in your comfort, and slide a little closer to her, attempting to fall back asleep.

Still, something about this soldier business bothered you. It was like looking down a dark hallway, and seeing a pair of bloodshot eyes looking back. You don't know if you're seeing things, and you don't know what you're looking at, but something is definitely looking back at you. Something about that thought made your skin crawl, so you cease thinking of it, and attempt to distract yourself.

At least the morning should be enlightening. Your visit with this ruler of Equestria should be quite interesting. You could get all the answers you please when you wake up.

You close your eyes, and once again, you're looking down the dark hallway of your mind. Before you can object, you already know something is looking back. Something angry and sad. Something tired. And whatever it was, it was coming closer.

The weirdest part about it all, were your hands. They hurt quite a bit. The joints felt as if they had moving quite a bit, like your hands may have been twitching rapidly in your sleep. Your palms also felt incredibly warm, more so than any other part of your body. You doubt that Trixie has been screwing around with your hands while you slept, and chalk this sensation up to the unknown.

Maybe you'll get answers tomorrow.

Maybe.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy stopped dead in her tracks again, this time while you were both in the frozen forests just outside of the valley that held the Crystal Empire.

"You okay?" You ask. She nods slowly.

"Y-yeah. I just don't like the dark." She responds. You nod back, and remove the bow from your back. You imagine light, and with a gentle tug on the string, an arrow resembling a torch burning with light itself appears. You remove the torch-arrow from the bow, and oddly enough, it doesn't disintegrate in your hands. And for just one torch, it really lit up the area. You look back down at Fluttershy, briefly pointing the torch forward.

"Shall we continue?" You ask. She nods, and resumes walking. You look up at the tree tops. Night had fallen, and the tree tops, coated with a mixture of snow and ice, made it appear as if this forest was inside of a giant, white cave. Just ahead of you was a cabin. One that was actually quite small, but a cabin, none-the-less. It now made sense to you why you didn't bring any camping equipment.

As you approached the cabin, Fluttershy dug a key out of the satchel she carried, and unlocked the door, letting you both in. Inside of the cabin was impressive for it's small size. A bed, a sofa, a few paintings, and a fireplace. You walk over to said fireplace, and dip your torch into it, lighting the frigid logs inside of it ablaze.

"Y-you can have the bed. If you want." Fluttershy said as she set her satchel down.

"No. You led me here, did most of the work. You take the bed. I'll sleep on the sofa." You replied.

"Oh. O-okay. Would you at least take a blanket?" You shook your head again.

"I appreciate the offer, but I want you to have it all. The job of a guide is a tough one, in my mind."

"M-Max, you'll freeze."

"I'll take the sofa near the fireplace. I'll move it even closer if I have to." You finished. Fluttershy sighed, and climbed up onto the bed, putting herself underneath the many blankets on it, placing her head on the stack of pillows. You stop poking the logs with the torch-arrow, and let it fall from your hands, watching it disintegrate into fiery-flakes as it falls from your grasp.

You walk over to the sofa, and drag it closer to the fireplace. You take off your duster, and place it on the coat rack. You also untie your boots, and place them near said coat rack. You climb up onto the mattress, and get yourself comfortable, your head resting on the arm rest away from the fireplace, and your sock-covered feet facing toward it.

You allow your eyes to shut, and your mind to begin it's race.

Here you were, in the "magical" land of sentient ponies. One second, your in a dungeon, and the next, in a snow covered cabin with a magic bow that conjures arrows. It was an incredible amount to take in, and thinking about it broke every rule of reality you could think of. Isaac Newton was probably rolling in his grave back home.

Home was interesting to think about, because you didn't remember a damn thing about it. You knew it was filled with humans, and you knew it was called Earth. You could also recall a little of Earth's history, but that was it. The only thing you really knew, was that your name was Max, and even then, what if the proof you had of that was false? Your existence in Equestria was a shaky one, ripe with confusion.

You roll over on the sofa, facing in towards it, and fall asleep. Not just any sleep, either. No, the sleep you were falling in to was an incredibly deep sleep. You felt almost as if you were close to death. Perhaps this deep sleep was your  body's way of responding to so much mental anguish. You had no dreams that night. You didn't even wake up once in the middle of the night.

When you do eventually wake, you feel as if you've slept for 16 hours. You open your eyes with a few blinks, and immediately notice that your make-shift bed on the sofa had been "upgraded" sometime in the middle of the night. You had several pillows under your head, and a warm, fuzzy blanket draped and tucked over you. The warmth was so incredibly comforting, that you didn't continue to get up. You just laid back, your head poking out from this fortress of comfort. Pillow forts be damned.

Fluttershy had left the cabin, which would have bothered you, but you noticed a small cauldron-like pot dangling over the fire in the fireplace. She was making breakfast from something, and she must have went out in the forest to further collect ingredients.

Whatever was in that cauldron was making your stomach grumble. It smelled really good. The scent of cinnamon wafted through the air, and, for reasons unknown, this scent really woke you up. Maybe you enjoyed cinnamon before you arrived here.

In your state of lethargy, you roll back on your side, facing inwards on the sofa once more. For your first night in a completely different world, you slept pretty well, and although you were nervous about eating any pony-food for the first time, whatever was in that cauldron smelled pretty good. Your grab the edge of the blanket, and pull it up slightly higher, making it reach well over your neck, stopping just below your eyes.

You close your eyes, and allow yourself to relax. One moment, your chained to a wall in a dungeon. The next, you're in what you're sure was one of the most comfy beds you've ever had. And this thing was just a sofa. Mental trauma, ahoy.

You hear the doorknob to the cabin being fumbled with, so you pretend to be asleep, staying as still as you could. You hear the door open, close, and then clopping of hooves inside of the cabin. Fluttershy sat something down, which must have been heavy because it was pretty loud. So loud, that Fluttershy let out a quiet yelp, obviously not wanting to wake you. You then heard her walk over to the cauldron, and begin messing with whatever was in the cauldron. More scents begin to fill the room, which you really enjoy, but hate at the same time. Smelling your food cooking, but having to wait for it, sucked.

You begin to take in consideration how short and rude you had been with Fluttershy. Perhaps you had been a little too temperamental with her. She may be annoyingly shy, awkwardly quiet, and incredibly silly at times, but she obviously has good intentions. There was no way you got up in the middle of the nights, and took the blankets and pillows out from underneath of her. She had to have done this to you. And now she was cooking you breakfast. A good scented one, at that. While the first ponies you met you didn't exactly agree with, maybe this one wouldn't be so bad.

"Ouchie!" You heard Fluttershy yelp. You sit up quickly, looking over to the yellow pony. She had her foreleg in her mouth, and you could see tears welling up in her eyes. She sees you sit up, and she seemingly gets more sad. "O-oh...I'm sorry...I-I'll go outside..." She whispers, inhaling quickly to avoid crying in front of you.

"No no no!" You start. "What happened? Are you okay?" You ask quickly. You take the blankets off, and get up off of the sofa, walking over to her. You get on one knee, and gesture for her to place her foreleg in your hand. She looks at you curiously, but gently removes her foreleg from her mouth and puts it in your hand.

A good patch of her foreleg was pink, even underneath of her yellow coat, and some of the hair had been burned away. She burned herself. Not too badly, but a burn is a burn, and all burns suck ass.

"How did this happen?" You ask. Fluttershy just sniffles, and points at the cauldron with her other foreleg. She must have been doing something for the breakfast, and touched that boiling cauldron on accident. "Do we have medicine? What about in your satchel?" You ask. She nods her head, and goes to reach for it, but you stop her.

You reach over, and unstrap the satchel.

"I think there might be some aloe vera inside of the patch with a red cross on it." She said quietly. You feel the distinct blades of the plant, and break off a blade. You put the blade gently between your teeth, and lift Fluttershy up. She yelps, but quickly relaxes. You sit her on the sofa, underneath of the blankets you had just curled up under.

"Lay here. I'll get this ready." You said. She nodded her head. Using your fingernails, you slowly but surely break the blade open. You then scoop out its contents into your hand, and using your other hand, you begin to mash it into a paste. "Do you have any bandages? Maybe some linen?" You ask.

"Yes, in the satchel." She replies. You walk back over to her, and dig in the satchel once more. You find some linen, and close the satchel back up.

"Alright, now this is going to feel really cold at first, so be warned. Are you ready?" You ask. She nods her head. You gently take her foreleg from her, and begin to rub the paste over the burn. She winces, so you lighten up even more, being as careful as possible. "Is this okay?" You ask while rubbing the paste on her leg.

"Y-Yeah. It's cold, but it already feels a little better." She replied. After you smeared the entirety of the burn with the aloe vera paste, you take the linen bandaging, and gently wrap it around her burn several times. You're careful not to wrap it too tightly, but it was still snug. You get up off of your knees, and examine Fluttershy, to make sure she was okay.

She no longer appeared as if she was going to cry, and in fact, was smiling.

"I didn't know you knew how to use aloe vera like that, Max. You're very good at first aid." She said. You looked past her, and a brief feeling of oddity took your mind. You shook it off.

"I didn't either." You replied. You looked over to the cauldron. "What's for breakfast?" Fluttershy went to get up, but you stopped her. "Burns remove the moisture from your skin, you gotta sit still for awhile, so as to not pull or move the skin. It'll hurt." She smiled, and laid back down.

"Oatmeal with cinnamon and apple slices." She said. You laugh briefly.

"Oh God. You didn't put the apples in already, did you?" You ask. She shares your laugh.

"Of course not. Warm, mushy apples in Oatmeal? Yucky." You look over at the table, and see 4 apples, all a vibrant blue. "I was going to chop up the frost apples and put them in the oatmeal when I had bowls ready."

"I'll take care of it." You said. You walked over to the cauldron, and gave the oats a stir.

"Max?" You heard Fluttershy say.

"Yeah, Fluttershy?" You return.

"Thank you. I think you're going to be a good friend. If you want to be friends."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash wasn't home to see you off. She had to go to Cloudsdale early in the morning, so you didn't really get to say goodbye. But it wasn't like you wouldn't ever see her again. You didn't have many possessions to pack, which, while incredibly depressing, was also very convenient. You put your backpack on your back, and take out the pair of ear buds you had in it. While you loved music, you weren't sure if everypony else liked the same things you liked. You click on the music application, and find a song.

Youtube Video

With your music playing, you climb up over the window near the bed, and look at Rainbow Dash's bedroom one last time. You hoped that you would find a way to see this room once again. You take hold of the cloud ladder, and slid down it, slower than the time you raced Rainbow Dash, but still pretty fast.

Your feet hit the ground with a clop, and you were now on your way to Vinyl Scratch and Octavia's house. Apparently, their house was pretty big, almost like a penthouse, except for the fact that it wasn't on top of a sky scraper. Two successful musicians living together would probably have a really nice house, with really nice things. You weren't a materialistic person, not in the least. You were more worried about breaking something than anything thing else.

The house itself shouldn't be too hard too miss. Three stories tall, and in the marketplace. It was supposed to look really modern, unlike the dutch styled buildings that tended to fill Ponyville. Your song ended, and you didn't quite feel like listening to music anymore. You decide it would be rude to show up with ear buds in your ears, anyways.

You enter the marketplace, and you already see the house. It was painted an interesting tone of white and black, which conflicted but ultimately worked as one, making the house appear very modern and very beautiful. You walked up the steps to the porch, and knocked on the door. It opened, Octavia standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hello Aaden! It's good to see you! Come in, come in!" She said, ushering you into the house. You walk inside, Octavia closing the door behind you. "Vinyl was up incredibly early preparing the house for your arrival, and fell back asleep recently. She should be up around 1 or 2, as she always is." You chuckle.

"So, where may I set my stuff down?" You ask.

"Oh! Uh...hmm..." Octavia said, her hoof on her chin and her eyes narrowed. They then snap back open. "I've got an idea!" She signals you to follow her, and you do so. She leads you through this modern-mansion styled house, to a door in the middle of the wall. She opens it, revealing a staircase to a basement, and she goes down it. As do you. It doesn't take long to realize that you were in Vinyl Scratch's room.

"Set your stuff down here." She whispered, pointing at the area in front of a small bedside table. On the table were Vinyl's signature goggles. You smile, realizing what Octavia is doing. You set your stuff down carefully, and follow Octavia upstairs, into the kitchen. "We'll now know when she wakes up, for sure." She said, laughing.

"Oh yeah. I'm excited to see her this excited. Excitement, all around." You replied. Octavia walked over to her counter tops, which had two mugs on it.

"Coffee?" She asked.

"Sure." You reply.

"Cream or sugar?" She asked again.

"Neither. I like mine black." You reply again. She gives you a funny look, and laughs.

"To each their own." She hands you your mug, and begins adding her sugar and cream to her mug. "So, Aaden. Any special plans tonight?"

"Hmm...I'm not sure. I've got plenty of bits, though. Maybe take you two out to dinner or something. Come to think of it, I'd like to get to know you a little better, especially if I'm going to be living with you for two weeks." You said. Octavia seemingly blushes, and used a hoof to part her mane back.

"You really are quite the gentleman. Well, I would love to go out tonight. I'm sure Vinyl would, too. However, she has some...special plans, I suppose you could call them, for you tonight."

"I'm all too aware. I have a weird feeling you'll be involved, too." You sit the mug down on the counter. You can feel Octavia examining you.

"And you're okay with it?" She asked.

"Well. When in Rome, right?"