Second Wind

With a little convincing, Sweetie Belle took her seat in class without fuss. As you walked down the steps of the schoolhouse, you noticed that Rarity had the biggest grin you'd ever seen her have.

"Darling, I had no idea you were so good with kids!" She exclaimed. You put your hands on your hips, and assume a mock heroic pose, your tie flapping in the wind.

Eh. You thought.

I'm feeling good enough to be goofy.

"One of my finer qualities, Ms. Rarity." She contains a laugh behind her hoof.

"Well, Mr. Locke, if you're done with saving the children for the day, I believe we're needed at the Sugarcube Corner."

Suagrcube Corner?

Rarity notices your look of confusion on your face.

"A good friend of mine owns and operates the place. It's a bakery, but with more of a focus on pastries and the like."

"Like a pâtisserie?" Rarity blushes again.

"My my, polite, good with kids, AND cultured?" She giggles.

"And I thought you were lucky to find me." Those eyes really get to you. In fact, they give you goosebumps sometimes. Like right now. Rarity continues to talk as you both stroll through town.

"Anyways, darling. Pinkie Pie, a friend of mine, she actually came with me a few times to check up on you. I thought we could start our day there." She cranes here neck to the side, giving you a quick smile.

"Sounds amazing" you reply. You never really got to stop and admire the town. It's amazing how little attention you pay to detail when you are being decapitated.

The town itself is breath taking. Very bright colored, very calm. Even though you are well aware the other ponies are staring at you, confused to what you are, they still smile and wish you a good morning. You pass several more pastel colored buildings, and decide to really examine your surroundings. The roads and paths inside the town are made of a light gray cobblestone, the kind that makes the satisfying clopping noise when you walk on it. Street lamps wrought of a dark blue metal spot the streets, adding to the aesthetic of the town. The houses themselves were obviously constructed of wood, and the architecture was magnificent. For creatures with no opposable digits, they could really build. The sky was completely clear, with only the sun present, its warmth complementing the occasional cool breeze which would rattle the leaves of nearby trees. Speaking of the trees, the town seemed to have no limit of wildlife, which you enjoyed. Birds sung their songs in harmony, the occasional adventurous squirrel would dash up a tree and jump onto the roof of a building. You like this town. A lot. If this town has any true problems, it does a damn good job of hiding them.

"Darling?" Rarity calls.

"Darling, we're here." You were so busy admiring your environment, you completely missed the building that looked like it was covered in fudge and icing. The building right in front of you. Rarity takes one of her forelegs, and grabs your hand, walking you inside. The bell on the door tinkles as you walk in. The pink pony behind the counter looks up from counting some kind of coins and sees you. Her eyes seemingly burst from her skull.

Oh God.

She leaps up onto the counter, and immediately leaps off. Onto you. You hit the ground, and she presses her face against yours. She takes a deep breath in.

"OHMYGOSHYOU'REOKAYRARITYTOLDMESHETHOUGHTYOU'DBEOKAYBUTIDIDN'TKNOWANDITOLDHERTOPINKIEPROMISETHATWHENYOUGOTBETTERSHE'DBRINGYOUHEREANDNOWYOU'REHERESOTHATMUSTMEAN-"

She takes another deep gasp of air.

"YOU'RE BETTER!" She then uses what air was left in her lungs to emit 20,000 hertz squeal. She hops off of you, and Rarity helps you back up.

"Pinkie, this is Aaden Locke. He's still recovering, but the hospital saw him fit to leave. While I'm sure he is just as happy to see you as you are to see him, please be just a little more careful, darling." Pinkie frowns.

"Oh goodness, I didn't hurt you, did I? I didn't mean to!" You shake your head.

"No Pinkie, I'm okay. It is nice to meet you, though." You smile to reassure her.

"Anyways, hi Aaden! I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie, but you can call me Pinkie Pie! This is the Sugarcube Corner, and we sell sweets!" She beams with happiness. Not only is the smiling contagious, but you also believe this to be the happiest pony you have ever met.

"Can I get you anything? I'd be happy to let you have some stuff on the house, but under one condition!" Rarity looks at you. She knows very well whats coming.

"And what would that be, Pinkie?" Her eyes blow back up, and she waves her forelegs in the air.

"I GET TO THROW YOU A PAAAAARTAAAAAAY!" She exclaims. The smile on your face just keeps getting bigger. It would be impossible to be sad around this pony.

"Absolutely, Pinkie. That sounds great." She lets out another ear rupturing squeal. She finally takes a breath in, and seemingly calms down a bit.

"Alrighty Aaden, so what can I get you?" She asks. You just got a good idea.

"Get Rarity whatever she would like. That's what I would like, please." Pinkie's pupils grow large.

"AAAAAWWWW!" She cries out. Rarity is obviously swayed by this form of affection. Her blush is coming on very hard, and she looks away from the counter, a hoof on her cheek.

"W-well...I suppose a tea and cherry tart would be nice..." She almost whispered those words. Pinkie giggled.

"Aaden, that's cheating. You gotta get you something too!"

"You sure you can afford letting two eat for free?"

"Absolutely!" You lower your head to the counter, and look behind the glass, seeing if anything really catches your eye. Then, that's when you spot it.

A doughnut. But not just any doughnut, no. It's a doughnut with a fresh white chocolate frosting, covered with sprinkles. You point at it, and Pinkie hands you two cups of tea, one cherry tart, and the Doughnut of Gods. You pick out a table, and sit down across from Rarity, but not before pulling her chair out for her. She is STILL blushing.

"You're quite the gentleman, darling. You don't have to do all of this."

"And you didn't have to save my life, Rarity. Think of me as your new escort." Her blush is as red as the the cherry filling dripping out of her tart. The door bell rings again, and you turn around out of curiosity to see who was entering. A pony with a cerulean coat and very unique rainbow mane walked in. She saw you, and immediately changed her walk to brisk pace, coming over to your table.

"Dude, it's you! I heard you totally showed that manticore what was what!" She runs back over to the door, and calls out for her friends.

"Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, get in here!"

Boy oh boy. Sounds like you've made a name for yourself.

_________________________________________________________________________________

You feel so bad for Aaden. You don't think he really wants to go through all of these introductions. the girls all come in, and stand around the table.

"Alright, girls, this is Aaden Locke. He's the one that fought off the manticore, the one I checked up on so often at the hospital. He is called a Human, and is an amnesiac. He can remember a little of his peoples history, but not much else." You can see all of the girls looking at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Hi, everyone." he says.

"Yeah, I'm the one that chased off the manticore. I feel really bad about it, actually. I don't like fighting." The girls, Aaden and yourself spend a good amount of time introducing yourselves to one another, causing time to rocket by. To your relief, not many questions are asked, and everyone seems to approve of him. By the time you look at the clock, you notice that it's time to pick up Sweetie Belle.

"It was nice seeing all of you. Check with Pinkie for the day the party is, I'm sure Aaden would love to talk more then." Aaden gets out of his chair, and pulls yours out for you. You love the manners he has. You issue final goodbyes for the day, and begin the walk back to the school. It was a quiet one, but a pleasant one. Sweetie runs out of the schoolhouse, and motions for Aaden to come closer. He lowers his head, and it becomes obvious that she's whispering something in his ear. He smiles, and nods his head. He bends down, and hoists her up. She's riding on his shoulders. And it's quite possibly the most attractive thing you've seen him do. The sun illuminates his hair, makes his white smile sparkle and his eye glisten, while Sweetie Belle giggles wildly, with one hoof accidently covering his eye while she holds on, and the other pointing out local landmarks and buildings. You had all finally gotten home. Sweetie Belle refused to leap off his shoulders.

"What if I give you a very special present?" She immediately hopped off of his shoulders with a loud clop, and was over taken with excitement.

"What is it? Can I have it now? Can I?" Aaden got down on one knee, and laughed.

"It's candy. Candy from where I come from. I can't remember why, but i have a backpack full of the stuff! If Ms. Rarity would allow you to have some, I would more than happy to share it!" They both look at you, seemingly pleading.

"Oh, fine." you nod and smile. Aaden runs upstairs, while Sweetie Belle paces around anxiously. He comes downstairs and over to the counter, and places the thing he called his "smartphone" on top of the mail. He walks over to Sweetie Belle, and opens up the backpack.

"Take whatever you'd like!" Sweetie Belle grabbed several brightly wrapped packages of different shapes and sizes, and quickly dashed off to the guest room. The "smartphone" started to vibrate, making an odd noise as it shook the mail.

"Darling? Your "smartphone" is shaking." you say. His eyes slowly grow wide, the blood draining from his face. He looks as if he's seen a ghost. He runs over to the counter, and snatches the phone off the top of the mail.

"Darling?" you ask. His gaze doesn't break the phone.

"Darling, is everything okay?"

_________________________________________________________________________________

Your phone just received a text. You can read it, as it popped up on the locked screen. It's from your Mom.

"Honey, we miss you. We hope to see you again some day."

What does that mean?

You feel a hoof shake you. It's Rarity.

"Darling, please. You're scaring me." You walk over to the couch, and sit down, staring intently at your phone. The message was now hidden by the locked screen. Rarity came over, and sat next to you.

"Aaden. What was that?" You can feel your voice shaking.

"Rarity, that was a...a message. From my Mom." Rarity scoots closer.

"A message?! Goodness, Aaden, that's great news! What'd it say?" You stare off into blank space.

"It said, 'We miss you. We hope to see you again some day.'" Rarity frowns.

"Darling, I know it's hard being here. I know you've been suppressing sadness since you've gotten here. I can't imagine what I would do if i were in your situation. What I do know, is that you are being very brave. I'm here for you. We all are. I know it doesn't ease the pain to hear that, but you aren't alone here." You feel a solemn smile coming over you.

"Thank you Rarity. It means the world to hear you say that. It just kinda hurts to see my family trying to contact me, and because my phone is locked, I can't respond." You breathe deeply.

"Darling, we're going to see Celestia soon. You'll get all the answers you want then. For now, try and relax"

The rest day passes without further incident, and as does the night. You end up on the exact same couch again with Rarity after Sweetie Belle is put to bed.

"So, Rarity, where do I sleep? She seems kind of hesitant to respond.

"Well, this couch is barely quite fit for sitting. If you would like, you can share my bed. If that's okay, of course!" There's the blush again.

"That's fine, Rarity. As long as you're sure i won't be a bother." you reply.

"Nonsense!" She says through her blush.

You both ascend the staircase. She opens the door to her bedroom, climbs onto the bed, lays down her head, and pulls the comforter up over herself. You remove your blazer and put it on the coat hanger in the room. You remove your tie, and drape it over the blazer. You sit down on the bed, remove both of your shoes and socks, and put them underneath the bed. You unbutton your dress shirt, and fold it neatly, placing it next to your shoes. You slide the white undershirt off, fold it as well, and place it on top of the dress shirt. You climb in on your side, and slide under the same comforter. The lamps in the room flick off. Rarity rustles around, and, with sleep in her voice, wishes you off.

"Goodnight, darling."

"Goodnight, Rarity." you both quickly fall asleep. But you do not stay that way for long. You get up in the middle of the night, and carefully get out of Rarity's bed. The long velvet drapes by the balcony flutter about in the gentle night breeze. You can see the light from the sky crawling across the room. You carefully remove your comforter, hoping not to wake Rarity, and gently slide out of bed as quietly and carefully as you can. You decide to stand out on the balcony. You walk past the drapes, and are immediately greeted by the breeze.

This is home now.

The stars twinkle, accompanying the beauty of the moon. You feel the cool night air gently touch your bare chest. The bandages are still over your shoulder and abdomen. They aren't bloody or anything, but they serve as a reminder of what happened. You lean on the metal railing, and watch the night go by.

You really should be happier. I mean, here's a girl whom you've deemed perfect for yourself, and is sharing her bed with you. This town accepts you for who you are. The ponies like you. You couldn't feel anymore welcome.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Aaden got up in the middle of the night. You felt him lurch out of bed, and heard him walk out onto the balcony. Your head was already facing the balcony, so you just barely opened your eyes, to see what he was doing. He was leaning on the edge of the balcony, looking up to the sky. The light from the sky made him appear a ghostly white. You could just barely make out the bandages on his back.

You really did feel bad for him. He had a lot on his mind, and seeing him happy, albeit temporarily, made you feel amazing. In fact, if you didn't know any better, you would say you were falling for him. This falling felt so much different than all of your other crushes. You had only spent one full day with him, and you already are sleeping in the same bed as him. You can't decide if that was the best decision you've ever made in your life or if you just made the stupidest.

You do hope that he is okay. You hope you haven't went too far by inviting him into your bed. You would never be bale to forgive yourself if you lost this wonderful human because you couldn't wait a few days to offer sharing a bed. But the couch really was uncomfortable. And you DO want him to be comfortable. So maybe you really were justified in offering you share the bed. He didn't have to accept it if he didn't want to, and the fact that he did must mean he wanted to, right?

Pull yourself together Rarity.

You let out a sigh. You watch as Aaden turns around, and walks back into the bedroom, the light of the sky losing its grip on him. He goes over to his side of the bed, and climbs back in his spot, on his back. He links his hands together, and lays his head back on them, his elbows sticking up. You heard him wince in pain from moving his arm up that high, but he didn't move back. He must be comfortable that way.

Alright Rarity. Now or never, i suppose.

You turn around, facing back towards him, and scoot over to him. You lay your head on his chest, and nuzzle up as close as you can get to him. He moves his arm down around you, and pulls you closer to him. Your heart melts and you can feel your blushing coming back, full force. You hope he still thinks your asleep, otherwise, you may not be allowed to do this. He begins to run his other hand gently through your mane. His touch is so gentle. The sound of his breathing so constant. His scent is intoxicating.

Goddess, look at yourself Rarity. You're an adolescent again.

_________________________________________________________________________________

For whatever reason, Rarity is now using you as a pillow. You don't mind it in the least, but you would hate for her to wake up and not be okay with it. You stare up at the ceiling, examining the gold and purple trim on the roof. You looked back down at Rarity. This pony really liked purple.

This is home now

Rarity lets out a quiet whimper, and her fore leg moves across your torso. Her head shifts just slightly below your neck. She lifts up a leg, sliding it across your knee. You look down at the pony you were sleeping with. Her long purple mane drooped over her eyes. You kept stroking it, anyways. You wonder what Sweetie Belle would think if she came upstairs and saw her sister like this. It's not very "ladylike". Better yet, you wonder what everyone back home would think. Sentient horses. You smile. You're starting to slowly, but surely, comfort yourself.

Now that you really think about it, you are extremely lucky. You're still alive. The only pony that seemed to really care was lying in bed with you right now, and not only is she lying in bed with you, but she's using you as a pillow. You hate to say it, because the whole sentient horse thing still bothered you, but you were falling for her. Maybe it was the fact that she saved your life. Maybe it was her prim and proper attitude. Maybe it was her looks. You start thinking about those eyes again, and goosebumps burst from your skin.

This is home now.

You decide you want to try something. You know you'll only be able to do it when she's asleep, otherwise, she may not let you. You lean down, and ever so gently, you kiss her forehead. You put your head back in it's place, and watch her stir. Her eyes slowly start to open.

Shit. You woke her up.

Her eyes, only half open, look absolutely amazing, as they always do.

"mmm...you okay...darling?" She asks.

"Yeah. Never better, Rarity." you respond.

She pushes herself up towards you, and kisses you on the cheek, then on the forehead.

"You owe me one, now.." she said.

She totally knew you did it.

You give her one more, on her cheek this time. Her cheeks glow red, and she continues to burrow herself in your chest.  Luckily, her horn lies across it, rather than through it.In a matter of moments, she is asleep again. Were you now in a relationship with this mare? What would you call her? Your marefriend? Is that what they call each other? You didn't know. For now, you didn't care. You tried to embrace this moment. You begin to feel your eye lids getting heavy. Your blinks grow longer, and more drawn out. Before you know it, you are fast asleep, holding the girl of your dreams.

This is home now.