Second Wind

"Holy shit, my head..." You muttered, rising from your slumber. You sit up in bed, resting your head in your hands. You rub your palms against your temples, and groan. You had the headache of all headaches. Was it all of the soda that you had drunk the previous night with Bon Bon? Was it the fact that you tried to go back to sleep when you felt wide awake? Whatever you had done, your body wasn't very happy about it. At all.

You open your eyes. You were still in the living room of the house, and you had fallen asleep on the couch. You sit up, still wiping your eyes, and look down at the table. You had started a graveyard of empty soda bottles on the far end of the table, and right next to where you note should have been, was another bottle of soda and an apple. A big apple, at that.

Breakfast?

You look around the room, making sure no one was there.

Breakfast.

You pop open the bottle of soda, and tip it back. You pick up the apple, and take a bite.

Wait a second. Where's my note?

You look down at the table, and notice that the note was indeed, gone. You peeked under the table, and then around the room, not seeing it anywhere. Lyra or Bon Bon must have taken it. You breath a sigh of relief, remembering that ponies can't read English. Even if they did try to take it to Aaden to get it translated, he was moving to Vinyl and Octavia's house today, so they might have trouble finding him. Unless they used magic.

Shit. Can they use magic to translate that?

You get up from the couch, apple and soda in hand, and search the house for either Lyra or Bon Bon. Both were gone. You slide on the jacket Aaden gave you, and leave the house, locking the door behind you. With another swig of soda, and another bite of apple, you set off through town. Your gut told you that they more than likely went to Twilight Sparkle's Library to translate the note.

You weren't sure why the idea of Lyra and Bon Bon translating the note bothered you so much, but it did. It was like someone was reading your diary.

Diary? Shiiit, what's the manly version of a diary? A Journal? A Log?

Either way, you didn't want Lyra and Bon Bon reading your ultra-manly diary.

At the same time, you were curios to why the apple you were eating made the soda taste funny. Or was it vice versa? It was almost like the taste of taking a big gulp of orange juice after brushing your teeth, but less powerful. You were hungry, so you powered through it.

You approached Twilight's Library, which was inside of a giant, hollowed out tree. It was the most bad ass tree house you had ever seen. In fact, this was an actual house, inside of a tree. You approach the door, which was as red as the apple you were eating, and knocked.

You heard the lock disengage, and the door opened. A small purple dragon stood in the doorway, his large eyes looking up at you. He was chewing on what looked like an emerald, making a horrible sound that made you cringe. It was like he was chewing glass.

"Hey, I know you!" He said, shards of the emerald flying out of his mouth. "You're Aaden's friend! Hey, any friend of Aaden's, is a friend of mine! C'mon in!" He signalled you in. You walked into the tree-library-house hybrid, and watched as the small dragon closed the door. "Something you need, pal?" He asked.

"Actually, I'm looking for Lyra and Bon Bo-"

"Alan." You heard Lyra's voice interrupt. You turned around, and saw Lyra approaching you, walking like a human would. The note was in her hoof. "Alan." She said again, tearing up. She hugged you, "Twilight translated the note. Do you really mean this?" She asked. You took the note from her hoof, albeit gently.

"Yep. I didn't quite intend for you to ever read it, but hey, it is what I feel. Except for the crude Batman sketch, that was just me being me." Lyra sniffles, and giggles.

"That's what that was? Twilight couldn't translate it with her magic, said something about it being the strangest letter she had ever seen."

"Yeah, I'm not exactly an artist." Lyra hugged you tighter.

"You make me sooooo happy." She said, talking under her breath. She was hugging you so tight, that even she was having trouble breathing. After a few silent moments, she released you. She signaled you to follow her, and you did so. "Twilight wants to talk to you."

You walked into what looked like a laboratory. Your note was on a nearby table, and Twilight was in the corner of the room, reading something. She looked up, and saw you.

"Alan! Hey, I know we haven't really met before, but I want to ask you a few questions. Aaden was, well." She looks down at the floor, but back up to you. "Incapacitated. I never really got a chance to learn anything. Since I kinda translated for Lyra, do you think you could answer a few questions for me?" She asks.

You nod your head, and she smiles widely.

"Awesome! This will only take a few minutes!"

A few minutes turned into a few hours. It didn't bother you. Lyra was seemingly just as interested to learn about Humans and Earth as Twilight was. Plus, it wasn't like you had anything in particular to take care of today. The questions started out on anatomy. The evolution, followed by early human history to modern human history. Then the questions just became random, ranging from astrology to everyday life. That's when she popped the question you knew was coming. Twilight looked up from her notepad, completely enthralled by your brief cover on everything you knew.

"This is all so fascinating...What did you do for a living?" She asked. You looked down, your hands subconsciously squeezing your kneecaps. Lyra put a hoof over your hand. You looked up at her, her amber eyes reassuring you that it was okay to talk about it. "Is something wrong?" Twilight asked again. You shook your head.

"No, No. I was a mercenary back home. It still takes a little getting used to, being able to talk about in the open and all." Twilight, still scribbling, smiles.

"Why? That's a very brave thing to be!" She asked, legitimately confused, but content at the same time.

"It's not as respected back home as it is here. We didn't fight for honor or for the greater good. At least, not the majority of us. Aaden and I tried to, but we both did things we regret." You explain.

"Aaden? He was with you?" Twilight asked, her smile now faded.

"Yep. Hearing stories about him turned me around. Getting to know him and fighting alongside him pulled me up. Aaden's a hero back home. At least, to those who know him, he is."

"Interesting..." Twilight began to scribble faster. The magic aura around the pen she was using was glowing slightly brighter. "You both know each other, and you both show up here..." Her scribbling continued. "Hmm...do you know what brought you here?"

"Bare with me on this, but Aaden thinks he and I are dead. I remember Aaden holding me after I had been shot multiple times, and he remembers watching me die. Only problem with that theory, is the fact that Aaden doesn't remember if he died or not, and if this is the afterlife, there should BILLIONS of humans walking around here. So far, I count 2." You explained. Your explanation caused the glow around the pen to grow even brighter. It scribbled so fast, the the pen was now a mere blur.

"That is quite the theory. I'll have to write Celestia regarding this!" Twilight exclaimed. She seemed very proud of herself, having learned all of this information.

"No need." You start. "Aaden and I are catching the first train out to Canterlot tomorrow morning. Celestia wants to meet me, and has something important to show Aaden." Twilight looks up from the notepad, and smiles warmly.

"I know you must be nervous. Celestia is really kind, but blunt. If you were in trouble, you'd know already."

_________________________________________________________________________________

The rotary cannon you operated was absolutely devastating. Every other round fired was a tracer round, but the rotary cannon fired so quickly, that it appeared as if you were firing a stream of light. You swiveled the cannon around, and pulled briefly on the triggers, releasing streams of bullets to coat the targets below. The radio chatter was oddly calm and nonchalant.

"Tracking..." The Fire Control Officer spoke. "Uh, we have runners. You gonna get em'?" You looked over at Michael for a moment, who was firing his rotary cannon. You went back to firing yours, as well. Michael's stream hit a group of soldiers heading for a nearby building, tearing them apart. "Good kill. I see lots of a little pieces down there." The FCO said.

The radio chatter really bothered you. Here you were, operating a multi-million dollar gunship, raising utter Hell on those below you, and the IMO just acted like this was no big deal, like this was a casual flight, just for fun. Your discomfort was cut off when the Sensor Operator's voice came over the radio.

"Armored transport vehicles are coming down the road. Uhh...about 4 of them." He said.

"Navigation, do you see any more coming down the same road?" The FCO asked. A deeper voice then both the FCO and Sensor Operator answered.

"No. Just these 4." He answered.

"Alright, we have 'good guys' at the end of this road, we can't let them get hit too hard, The Ambassador would have our asses. Fire control, you are cleared for using the 40 mm cannon. Get the vehicles out of the way." The Pilot spoke. The FCO laughed almost maniacally, giving you goosebumps.

"Light em' up." He growled while laughing.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"While Trixie finds your sleeping figure cute, she does not want to risk being late again. Wake up." You felt a hoof touch your shoulder, and shake you. You crack your eyes, and see Trixie, wearing her hat and cape. Today was the day you were to meet Celestia. You closed your eyes again from the stupor of sleepiness. "Aw, Adam. C'mon." She nudged you again.

"Alright, alright, I'm up." You sit up, and wipe your eyes.

"Good! Now, Trixie will fetch breakfast! You clean up!"

You dangle your legs off the side of the bed, and sit there for a moment, taking in the fact that you were awake.

"C'mooooon!" Trixie whined, nudging you with her hooves. It really was quite adorable. She was trying her hardest to push you, and it obviously was working.

"One hug, and then I'll get up." You turn around, and Trixie nodded. You wrap your arms around her, feeling her warm coat. You pull away from the hug, and stand up. Trixie hops off of the bed, and walks over to the door. She stops just before opening it.

"Do you like eggs? What about toast?" She asks. You wave your hand at her, your other hand stifling a yawn.

"You name it, I'll eat. Just, you know, no hay or grass or anything. I don't think I can digest it. Literally." Trixie smiles and leaves the room, off to bring you some breakfast. Trixie really was quite the mare, and if you didn't know any better, you'd say you were starting to become quite fond of her. Seems like it was just yesterday you found her dying in the desert. Perhaps SHE FOUND YOU, dying in the desert.

Eh. Enough philosophy.

You flick on the lights as you walk into the bathroom, and pull open the shower curtain. You undress yourself, and fold your clothes, placing them on the counter, near the sink. You close the door to the bathroom, and finally step into the shower, turning the warm water dials. The water comes blasting out of the shower head, instantly drowning you in warmth and water. It felt good to take a shower, especially since you had wandered the desert forever without one. Sure, there were baths which consisted of rubbing yourself with a wet cloth, but it all crumbled before the comforting might of the shower.

You let your mind drift while you lather yourself, thinking of the dreams you had the previous night. Gabriel. Michael. Ambassador. Chairman. Administrator. All of these names sounded extremely familiar, giving you a very odd sensation. It's almost like when you go to say something, but you forgot what you were going to say, so you stop and immediately ponder all of the possible things you could have wanted to say. It was like reaching to grab the remote for the television, but it being literally just out of reach. You could touch it with the tips of your fingers, but you couldn't grasp it. The sensation in all was incredibly aggravating, to say the least.

You liked being in Canterlot. It was a really interesting city. The whole presence of magic thing also fascinated you. While you were sure there were extremely advanced studies of it, it was so much easier to say that the reason the sun rises is because of a magic sun goddess named Celestia makes it rise, rather than explain the complexities of astronomy  and physics. It still made you smile when you would ask questions, and the answer would be "because it's magic!".

You go back to thinking about your dreams. You had no memories of doing anything with gunships back in your universe. You didn't recall being apart of any organization, either. You remember that the soldiers were calling NATO "good guys". Why? If you weren't in NATO, what organization were you apart of? It must have been one that was extremely powerful. It's not every day you operate an AC-130 gunship. Maybe you were apart of the Illuminati or something.

Bad ass. Adam the Illuminati member.

You laugh to yourself, and turn the dials to the shower off, having completed your shower. You reach for the towel rack, expecting to feel the fuzziness of a towel in your hand. Instead, you merely feel the cold metal bar.

"God damn it, Adam." You mutter. In your excitement to actually take a shower, you forgot to snag a towel on your way in. At least Trixie was gone. You get out of the shower, and open the door to the bathroom, and, as your luck would have it, there is Trixie, staring at you, wide-eyed. She was sitting more still than a Life-Alert subscriber waiting for an ambulance. You immediately cover yourself, and scoot back into the bathroom. "Trixie?" You call. "Could you please bring me a towel?"

"Yeah, I gotcha!" Trixie called back. She walks near the bathroom, handing her hoof containing a towel into it. You take the towel, and wrap yourself up in it, then attempt to leave the bathroom again, this time with no wardrobe malfunction. She was still blushing.

"Sorry about that. I forgot a towel, and I didn't think you were back yet." You explain. She looks away, and clears her throat.

"Well, Tr-Trixie thinks you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are certainly..." Her voice drops a little bit, almost squeaking. "Well endowed..."

"Christ Trixie." You blurt out. She blushes, and goes over to the table in your hotel room to begin setting up breakfast. You go back into the bathroom to get dressed. "So," You call out to her while drying your hair. "What all did you get?"

"Uhhhh, eggs, scrambled of course, some toast, beans, and Trixie asked for waffles, but she isn't seeing them...Ah! Never mind, she found them! Do you want butter or syrup? Maybe both?" She called back to you.

"Hell yeah, give me both!" You call back. You slide on a pair of pants you had picked up the previous night, and walk back into the room. Trixie was already dressed in her silly hat and cape, and was pouring a glass of what looked like apple juice.

"Thanks Trixie. You really are a good friend to me. Once I figure out what exactly is going on here, I'd like to get to know you slightly better."

"I'd like that too, Adam."

_________________________________________________________________________________

You were not about to let Fluttershy carry that big ass satchel on her own. You watched her try to slide it on, the strap pressing against the bandages that covered her burn, making her wince and whimper in pain.

"Nonono," You said quickly. "I'll take care of this." You walk over to her, and slide the satchel off of her. You swing it over your duster, the satchel itself resting just under your bow. "So, where is the herb we need for your bunny?" You ask. Fluttershy rubbed at her bandages, smiling now that her pain was gone.

"I already got them when I went to go get the apples for breakfast. I hope that's okay." She murmured. You laugh, and allow yourself to smile broadly, to show that you are surprised in a pleasant way. Fluttershy had the kind of personality where you had to be blunt with your emotion, mainly because of her own modesty.

"Hope that's okay? That's amazing! Does this mean we can head back now? I can meet this other human?" You asked. you weren't faking your excitement here, not in the least. Maybe you could finally get some answers. Some memories. Fluttershy smiled weakly.

"Y-yeah. I guess that'd be okay." You clench your fist, and pump it. Finally, some answers. You both leave the cabin, locking it behind you. You still had no idea who that cabin belonged to. Maybe Fluttershy. Your walk was pretty relaxing. Once you left the artificial cave the snow-caked forest had created, you found the sun to be shining. Snow still caked the ground and just about everywhere else in this tundra, but the sun still provided warmth. You glanced over at Fluttershy, who was walking slightly ahead of her. She wore a pale green scarf, which blew occasionally with the wind. She was also wearing adorable little ear muffs to match. Pale green looked good on her, it went well with her coat.

You'd hate to admit it, but Fluttershy was very nice to you. She was the first pony you had met who hadn't tried to shove a spear through your carotid arteries. She was the first pony you had met who had shown you any form of kindness. Hell, you've only known her for one day, and she's already cooked for you, kept you warm by giving up HER OWN blankets and HER OWN pillows, and now she's leading you to your own salvation. You still didn't quite understand the whole sentient-pony thing, but Fluttershy was okay by you.

Then the guilt sets in. This entire time you've been with her, you never really talked about yourself, or herself, for that matter. She had been nothing but kind to you, and you had kind of been a jerk to her. You were short with her, and talked very little. You were sure she was normally this quite because of her timidity, but she only spoke when you spoke to her. While that does show respect, it also shows fear. You didn't want her to be scared of you. You wanted her to consider you her friend. Because God knows you consider her your friend. She's your only friend here.

"Hey, Fluttershy?" You ask. You were going to attempt to talk to her, maybe apologize.

"Uh huh?" She responded.

"Hey, look. I know I've seemed kinda angry and distant this entire trip, but I didn't mean it. I'm just confused and scared, is all. I mean, I have no idea where I am right now." You start.

"W-well, right now, we're in the Crystal Tundra, if that helps you any." She responded again, cutting you off. You smile, and ignore it. She meant no harm.

"Well, listen. You're the first pony here that I consider my friend. By default, I believe that makes you my best friend. What I'm trying to say, is I like you. I think you're a great pony, and even though I still have no idea what's going on, I think having friends will help me. Especially in a hard time like this." You finished. Fluttershy let out a large sigh.

"Oh, thank goodness you think so, I was getting worried there for a se-" Fluttershy immediately froze in her tracks, the snow no longer crunching beneath her hooves. She held a hoof out, stopping your advance. "Be careful. Do not move." She whispered. It was kind of funny, how she changed whenever there was some beast or animal around. All signs of being shy left her.

You looked out into the snowy plains, to attempt to see what she spotted. In the distance was an odd creature, While it was far away, you could still make it out. It looked like a white lion with a blue scorpion tail, and gray wings. It's eyes were also yellow, and they were pretty low to the ground. It looked like it was sniffing around for food.

"That's a Frost Manticore. They're cousins to the Everfree Manticore, the breed that almost killed Aaden. And Aaden is now an Honor Guard, if that says anything." Fluttershy explained while whispering.

"Honor Guard?" You asked.

"No time to explain. It means he's good at fighting." Fluttershy quickly rebutted. You notice the manticore look in your direction. It was now prowling towards you. "Oh no...it can smell the herbs..."

You slide your bow off of your back, and now stand up from your crouch.

"I've got this." You said.

"Don't hurt him!" Fluttershy objected, her scarf flapping in her face.

"I won't." You replied. You draw the string back on the bow, and take aim. A bright orange arrow of your imagination bursts into existence, ready to be fired. The tip of the arrow sparked and hissed, just as you imagined it to. You hoped this arrow was going to do what you intended it to do.

You hope you didn't just lie to your only friend.

_________________________________________________________________________________

It wasn't too much later in the day that Octavia suggested going to lunch. Vinyl Scratch was still asleep. She was worse than you were your sophomore year of high school. Your record was sleeping 16 hours straight, without the aid of any drug or form of alcohol.

You both finished a quiet meal at some diner you had never heard of in Ponyville, before you both go for a walk around town. It would certainly be nice to get out and get some fresh air.

"So, do tell me, what's it like in your home world?" Octavia asked.

"A popular, but good question. Imagine Equestria, but with nothing but humans, and no magic. Also, as awful as this sounds, evil triumphs over good more often than not. Friendship also isn't as treasured as much as it is here, at least not by everyone back home. I blame all of that on moral decay, which, in turn, I blame on the falling intelligence levels of the world. Maybe I'm just pessimistic, but I like it better here." You explain.

"That's convenient for you, being as you're trapped here." Octavia laughed. "Do you want to go back?" She asked.

"Yet another question that everypony asks me, but another important question, nonetheless. I don't know, is the best answer I can muster. I remember my friends, my dog, my unique occupational choice, and while I do miss it, I feel as if I'm completely adjusted to life here. I've got friends here, another unique job, and it seems far more peaceful here. I know I was almost gored on my way in here, but Hell, people get gored twice as bad back at home, and they're just walking around Detroit." You laugh. It was good that you could still make yourself laugh.

"Detroit? We have a Detrot here, if that means anything to you."

"Nah, Detroit is just a city people like to make fun back home. It tends to be violent."

"Wow. Detrot isn't exactly friendly, either." Octavia laughs again.

"Enough about me, though, If I'm going to be living with you for several weeks, I should probably get to know you better, huh?"

"Oh, come now. I'm not that interesting. But, if you insist..."

"I do."

"Well. I suppose I can give you a quick little Octavia 101. But under one condition."

"And what's that?"

"You have to kiss me. Right here, right now."

"Huh?" You were legitimately surprised. You didn't think she liked you like that. "What would Vinyl think? I'm not trying to start any fights."

"Oh, use that pretty little head of yours, soldier boy. Vinyl and I are close friends. Obviously we're similar in certain ways. We both just so happen to like to move fast in relationships. And trust me..." Octavia leans in close, and whispers in your ear. "I think Vinyl would really like to hear about this, later." You sigh. Looks like you were going to be a sex toy for a couple of weeks. Why not?

You put your hand behind Octavia's head, and pull her forward, kissing her briefly. It was weird to just hop into this.

"That was satisfactory. Now, don't get the wrong ideas here, I'm a little more soft-spoken than Vinyl, and I haven't had many coltfriends, either. The only similarity is that when I'm interested in somepony, I make sure they know. Do not view me as one would a slut." You laugh. Her vocabulary was very high and mighty, similar to Rarity's, and to hear her say "slut" was pretty funny.

"That's fine, I totally understand." You said.

"You're lying."

"Yeah, but I'm trying to understand. Now, please, talk about yourself."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"SHIT!" The Pilot yelled over the radio. You looked over at Michael, who looked back to you. Something was happening.

"What's wrong?" The FCO asked.

"The Russians know what's happening, we've got several Tu-95 Bears strategic bombers coming this way. Intel says they're equipped with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. They're not going to actually fight when they arrive, unless we keep up our fight. They're just trying to send a passive-aggressive message to NATO about being in the area, trying to show them that they could strike, if they wish." He explained.

"So, what, we just abandon the operation? Just like that?" The FCO asked again.

"We don't have a choice. NATO forces are already retreating, and Aerox has already picked up their boys."

"What about us?"

"We have to retreat as well. I'm sorry gentlemen, but this is going up as a loss on our records, and none of us will get paid because of that."

You look over at Michael, who punched the side of the rotary cannon in anger.

"Guns down, men. Guns down. We're pulling out."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Adam. ADAM!" You heard Trixie shout. You blink rapidly, and look over to her. "Cut that out! Don't space out on me now, please."

You were sitting in the castle that Celestia ruled from, and were waiting for her to take audience with you. It wrecked your nerves, knowing that the being you were about to speak with could banish you to the moon if she pleased.

"Adam, you're spooking me. You just started to gaze off into the distance, and your pupils got super tiny. Are you okay?" Trixie asked, making sure that you were back in your own mind.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just collecting memories. I think."

"Well, good!" Trixie smiled. A white pony in gold armor stepped forward from his stance, looking over his shoulder.

"Her majesty will see you now. You, human." The Pony said, pointing his hoof at you frowning. He then smiled, which surpirsed you. "Welcome to Canterlot."

You stepped forward, into the throne room, and you were immediately overwhelmed. At the far end of this amazingly large room was a throne, and atop that throne, was a pony like none you had seen before. It was a shiny white, and her mane was a series of pale, cold colors, which complimented her coat. She was smiling, which comforted you slightly. Your hands were feeling funny again, the burning sensation returning to your palms.

"Adam the human, welcome, welcome!" Celestia greeted. "and Trixie, it is good to see you, as well!" Celestia took an inquisitive look at her. "What brings you to Canterlot? And how did you end up with Adam?" Celestia asked. Trixie kicked her hooves around nervously, and explained herself.

"...and I promise I won't do anything like that again! Trixie has learned how valuable friendship is by losing all of her friends! A cruel irony, indeed. And Adam helps her to feel better by being her friend, so, that is why she comes to you this day." Trixie concluded.

"I am very sorry to hear of your troubles, Trixie. It is very alarming that you almost lost your life." Celestia looked over to you. "Adam, you have done good work. I can already see that you are a good human." You get goosebumps, and you feel your palms get warmer. How did she know your name? You know that neither Mala or Bakir had told her your name. How did she know? "So, Adam, I want to ask you a question."

"Yes, your majesty?" You respond, snapping out of your fear.

"How do your palms feel?" She asked, smiling. your goosebumps are now practically ripping your skin from intensity, and you feel your blood go cold in your feet. How did she know all of this? It was as if she had read your mind, seen your memories. She laughed. "Relax, human. When I projected Aaden's memories, I saw every last one of them. Including you. Through magic, I am able to know everything about you, biologically and mentally. Oh, yes, Aaden is here. As is Alan, another friend of yours. You may not remember them at this time, however. Now, please. answer my question."

"They burn." You respond. Celestia smiled even wider.

"Excellent. Come here, human. Touch my horn." She said. You looked over at Trixie, who shrugged. You swallowed, and walked forward, slowly approaching her throne. You outstretched a hand, and quickly tapped it on her horn. Your hands then immediately felt as if they were melting. They felt as if someone had splashed a little molten lava on them. You noticed a very light gold aura surround your hands, holding them still. Celestia was using her magic to hold them still. You look up at her in fear, but she is still smiling.

"Relax, Adam. This is only for your safety. You're the first human that can wield these abilities. I don't know how your fingers will react, and I don't want you to break them." She explains. You swallow, and grit your teeth. And that's when you feel it. It was now like someone had taken your burning hands, and placed them into a cool ocean. Not cold, but comfortably warm. You closed your eyes in relief, and let your jaw drop. When you open your eyes, you see a little ball of light, slightly above each of your palms.

"I'm going to release your hands, Adam. I want you to gently bring the two orbs together." She said. You nod your head. The aura fades from her horn and your hands. Your hands began to spasm and twitch. Your right hand kept balling up, almost like it was making a fist, but stopping just before it closed itself completely, while the fingers on your left hand curled up and down in a wave-like motion. You brought your two hands together, and with them, the two orbs. They merged with a humming noise, forming a slightly larger ball of light.

"Now, I want you to slowly remove your left hand." Celestia ordered. You nodded again, and removed your left hand. It stopped twitching, and you were in control of it once more. You looked up at Celestia, smiling in disbelief and relief. The single large ball of light floated above your right hand.

"Throw your hand out, like you would a ball, out of the window." She said. You looked up at her, unsure of yourself. "You can to it, Adam. You're already doing very well." You take a deep breath, and pull your right arm back. You then release it, letting it fly forward, like you were throwing a fast ball. The ball seemingly grows in size the moment it leaves your hand, and it goes rocketing out of the window, exploding in a flash above the castle. You look back to Celestia.

"Adam, the moment I saw you in Aaden's memories, I knew there was something different about you. Something very different. Your father was a magician, correct?" She asked. You nod your head. "Well, while he may not have really been magic in your universe, in this one, it translates over into something entirely different. You carry his genes, therefore,  Adam, you can practice magic. I know it's odd, and doesn't make much sense to you now, but congratulations. This is a big feat for Humanity in Equestria."

You look down at your hands, which were now normal. Neither was twitching or turning, and neither felt hot. You did feel kind of tired, like you had just sprinted a short distance. It wasn't enough to make you sit down, but it was enough to make you breathe slightly rapidly.

"Now, I could give you all of the spells accessible by you right now. But you wouldn't learn anything about it. I do not mean this malicious intent, but I'm afraid I'm not going to tell you how to do that again, either. You must learn these things on your own, so you will learn, and better yet, avoid hurting yourself or others."

"So, me touching your horn, that wasn't me?" You asked.

"It was, but it wasn't. Think of it as me giving you a little push." Celestia responded. "I also find it very fitting that both Trixie and yourself are acquainted. You may both study, and learn, together. It will be very rewarding to both of you, but more importantly, it will be very rewarding for your relationship."

You look over your shoulder at Trixie, who was just as surprised as you were.

"That is all I wanted of you, Adam. I know you have no malicious ideas, so you're free to go." You turn around, and were about to leave with a wide-eyed Trixie when she continued speaking. "However. Aaden and Alan will be coming to

Canterlot tomorrow. They currently live in Ponyville. You may want to go back to Ponyville with them, and I encourage that. You will learn more efficiently around friends."

You both leave the throne room. The moment the doors closed, you look at Trixie, who was looking at you.

"How did she know all of that?" You ask.

"The same way she raises the sun. I don't know." Trixie said, obviously confused.

"So. Magic pals?" You ask, laughing nervously.

"Sure." Trixie said, taking your hand from your side and holding it in her hoof. "Magic pals."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"...and now I play for Her Majesty's Royal Orchestra. Cello, 1st Chair, and proud of it. I travel to Canterlot quite often, but right now is the hiatus season. We practice at our homes and take a much needed break from several months of travelling. It's quite nice, really." Octavia explained. You were beginning to walk home to Octavia and Vinyl's house, your afternoon stroll coming to an end.

"That's actually extremely interesting! And you thought I wouldn't care?" You ask, laughing. Octavia was blushing, and trying to hide it by looking away from you.

"Well, my other Coltfriends told me that I was boring." She murmured,

"My God, that's something I'll never understand." You muttered.

"What's that?" Octavia asked, still looking away.

"I haven't had many girlfriends either, but every single one I have had claims that their previous boyfriends told them they were fat, or uninteresting, or ugly, and this was when their relationship was at their peaks! Am I the only guy in existence that just isn't a jerk? Is it that hard for people or ponies to have some respect, especially for someone they care about?"

"Well, you're the only one I've ever met, so far. Maybe that's why you're so irresistible." Octavia said, her head turned back towards you. Your eyes locked, and you could see a kiss in the near future. And your future predicting skills were correct. She leaned forward and kissed you. "Aaden, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why do you care so much?"

"About what?"

"About everything."

"Well, it took a little searching, but I found my answers when I was a mercenary."

"You mean those awful memories we saw at the party?"

"Yeah. Those did it. Life is a precious thing. A very precious thing. It's funny, because people, and maybe some ponies, would argue against me on this point. What's even funnier, is that there is nothing feeble about my morality here. Life is a very valuable thing. That's why I switched my abilities to fight for it, rather than against it. And in my fighting for life, I came to many realizations about just how precious it is. I began to not only mourn the lives of those I lost, but the lives of others lost. Sometimes even my enemies lives. One life or a billion, a friendly life or a hostile life, they're all lives, all the same. While I've always tried to have decent manners, this really brought it all together for me. The things I've seen, the things I've done, the things I know, it all really teaches you lessons about life."

"Quite the philosopher, huh?" Octavia teased. You laugh.

"Hey, you asked, didn't you?" You tease back. What you both didn't notice, was that you were back at the house.

"HEY." You hear a familiar voice shout. "I'M SOOOOO GLAD YOU GUYS HAD FUN." You both look up. Vinyl Scratch is standing inside the door, faking being angry. Perhaps she was really wanting you to belive that she was upset, but you ignored it, and simply walked up the staircase. "AND WHO'S IDEA WAS IT TO TEASE ME BY LEAVING YOUR STUFF BY MY TABLE, IT'S REALLY AG-mmphmm..." Vinyl's voice was muffled by the fact that you had walked up the staircase, grabbed her, and forced your tongue into her mouth.

Hell. I'm going to be a sex toy, anyways. Why not?

You release her head after a moment, and set her back down.

"Better?" You ask.

"I, uh..." Vinyl cleared her throat. "Just don't do it again." Her smile was now showing through.

"Aaden and I simply went for a walk, dearie. He's quite the intellectual." Octavia explained.

"Nah, it's cool. I really don't mind. Is it my turn now?" Vinyl asked. Octavia nodded.

"So long as he is shared later. Plus, I want to go to dinner, so be done before that."

"Aweeesome. You, c'mere." Vinyl said, grabbing your hand and pulling you with her. "We're going to my bed for a little bit."

_________________________________________________________________________________

You were breathing as steadily as you could force yourself to. Any faster, and your arrow would miss it's mark. The manticore was now dashing towards you, kicking up snow as it ran. You could hear Fluttershy whimpering in anxiety and fear beside you. She didn't want to be killed, but at the same time, she didn't want to hurt the creature. You looked at the head of the arrow, to ensure that the desired effect was still present. The head of the arrow was still sparking and hissing.

You turn your steady breathing into a single, deep inhale. When it gets to where you can't inhale anymore, you hold in your exhale, and steady yourself as much as possible. Adrenaline tickled your body all over, making the steady an odd one.

You had come too far to die here. You had already made this journey, you already had collected what you needed, and you were on your way back. You were not going to die. Not before you had any answers, or any memories. You really hopes this arrow had the desired effect. If it didn't it could kill the beast, or worse, it could kill you. The least thing you wanted to see was Fluttershy being torn to shreds by a lion-scorpion, and you would be damned if you died this early.

Not here.

Not now.

You close your left eye, and look down the odd sights affixed to the bow. As the sights went over the manticore, the bow hummed gently, and the sights began to glow. You weren't sure what it meant, and you didn't exactly have time to experiment, so you just assumed that it meant the shot would be on target.

A quick burst of wind blew your duster tails up, making it flap loudly in the brisk gust. There was a serene silence for a moment, and right as you were going to let your mind open up, you hear the blood curdling roar of the manticore, followed by a loud whimper by Fluttershy.

You release your hand, and let it come back to your shoulder while you deeply exhale. The arrow hissed and whistled away from you, flying towards the monster. It saw the arrow, and stood up on it's hind legs. You weren't sure what it was trying to do, perhaps turn a headshot into a body shot, but if the arrow had the desired effect, it wouldn't matter.

You really hope the arrow had the desired effect.

You really hope that you didn't lie to your friend.

Your only friend.

You narrowed your eyes, waiting for the impact of the arrow on the creature.