Second Wind

You never stopped to question why everyone was automatically so friendly to you. Why you are treated as a pony among them, rather than a strange creature that just kind of hobbled out of the forest. Because that's what you were. You know, for a fact, had one of these ponies appeared on Earth, they wouldn't be treated as humans. In fact, you half expected being put in a zoo when you finally came to the realization that these sentient ponies were, in fact, real. But you aren't going to argue.

You also begin to think about Rarity. It's only been one week since that incident in the middle of the night, and yet, it seems to repeat itself, every night. And you've only known her for one week, two if you count the week she cared for you while you were unconscious. She's seemingly in love with you. And you seemingly are in love with her. Neither of you have said it out loud, and neither of you have really acknowledged a relationship between one another. Probably because you both realize that it's a little insane. Although, the current situation surrounding yourself is a little insane, as well. Ever since you awoke from the hospital, you've come to the realization that you aren't at home. You may not ever be going home. So it's best to get used to your environment, and just enjoy your situation here as best you can.  Maybe that's why you are so capable of handling all of these things, the talking ponies, sleeping with a talking pony, being romantically interested in a talking pony.

Your train was coming very early this morning. You had gotten up about and hour and a half before the train was to come, showered, and were now getting dressed. Rarity made you some new clothes, but you thought it would be best to wear what you had come here in. You got yourself completely dressed, and looked at the clock. The train to Canterlot comes at 6 AM on the dot. It's only 5 AM. You then divert your gaze over to Rarity. Fast asleep. She knew you were leaving today to meet Celestia, and had even asked you to wake her, but you wouldn't dare. To disturb someone sleeping so soundly should be a crime.

You walk downstairs, and grab your smartphone and your briefcase. You decide to leave the backpack just in case Sweetie Belle wants any candy while you're gone. You stretch. You know that magic was an integral part of this world, but it still amazes you that you're healing so well. The pain is very faint. Present, but faint. You decide to begin your walk to the train station early. It was still dark outside when you began your walk, which was rather uneventful. You didn't see any ponies this time, and all of the local wildlife seemed to also be absent. It WAS the weekend, however.

You walk up to the train station, and unfold the summons from Celestia you were keeping in your back pocket. You walked up to a ticket vendor, and slid the summons through the slit in the window for "Bits" as Rarity said they were called. The vendor was asleep. You knock gently on the wood.

"Excuse me." You said. The vendor jumped up in surprise, nearly falling from her stool.

"One round trip to Canterlot, please." The vendor looked over the summons, then ripped off a ticket from the roll sitting beside her. She slides it through the slit, along with your letter from Celestia, and wishes you a good trip. You decide to sit on a bench while you await the train. You were the only one in the station, so there really was no way to pass time other than to sit and wait. Eventually, the train came. You couldn't help but notice that no passengers disembarked, and you looked to be the only one actually getting on. You walk over to the conductor, and hand him your ticket. He punches it once.

"Have a seat where ever you'd like." You hop on board, and walk up a few cars, before stopping in one that was completely empty. You picked out a random seat, and felt the train grumble as it started to move once more. You decided to pass time by looking out of the window. The sun was starting to rise over the horizon, its gentle light flooding your cabin with orange light. The doors to the back of car open slowly, then close. You pay no attention to who it may be, as the environment around you is beautiful.

"Are you the creature I've heard so much about?" You look up, and see a Gryphon in gold armor. It takes the seat across from you, awaiting your response.

"Yeah. That'd be me." You respond.

"Interesting. I had best explain myself. My name is Oliver. I am an honor guard from our kingdoms in the east. I spread the good will of our kingdom, but meeting you is definitely going in my report." Oliver kicks his leg up, and crosses it over his knee.

"Yeah, I guess it's not every day you meet the only member of a species in existence, huh?" You try to open up a bit. Your situation was not a happy one by default, but you could fix that.

"If you don't mind me asking," Oliver starts.

"What's bringing you to Canterlot?" You reach into your back pocket, and hand him the folded up letter. As he reads it, you try to explain your situation.

"The princess has requested me there to discuss my citizenship. I can't exactly remember the entire letter, because I can't read it, but Rarity read it to me, and that was the only major thing I can remember." The gryphon folded up the summons, and hands it back to you.

"It said you were amnesiac. I can't imagine that makes your time here any easier."

"Well, everyone is so nice in Ponyville, and my host is extremely patient with me. One would think I was just another pony. The conflict with my memory is more of an internal one rather than an external one."

"The internal ones are the hardest ones, brother." You smile.

"My name is Aaden Locke, It's nice to meet you, Oliver." You hold out your hand, which he shakes with a claw.

"The pleasure is all mine, Aaden."

_________________________________________________________________________________

You awoke around 9 AM. You feel around the bed, and notice Aaden is gone.

How did i know he was going to do that?

You walk downstairs, half asleep. You see that Aaden left his backpack. Probably for when Sweetie Belle comes home later tonight from her sleepover. You walk over to your kitchen counter, and your heart warms immediately. Aaden couldn't write in Equestrian, and you couldn't write in his language, but he took advantage of what he knew you could understand. There was a sticky note on the counter with an arrow and a smiley face pointing towards your stove top. You look over, and see that he took the initiative to lay out all of your tea making supplies. The back of the note has a crudely drawn, lopsided heart on it, but it still means a lot to you. You turn the dial on the stove, and start boiling water in the kettle. While you wait, you decide to throw on a pair of silk pajamas. As you come back downstairs, you notice the backpack again.

Sweetie Belle seemed to REALLY like what was in there...

"Hmm..." You walk over to the backpack, and undo the straps, revealing an astounding amount of prepackaged sweets and junk food, all in different shapes, colors, and sizes. You laugh. One of the first things you plan on asking him when he gets his memory back is why he has a backpack filled with candy. You dig through the backpack, looking for something that looks like it might be good.

It IS the weekend. And you have been working rather hard, lately...

You pull out a slim bar, with a blue wrapper with red letters on it. You bring it over to the counter, and set it down. You tend to your tea, and continue to wait. Your gaze goes back over to the backpack. You left it open. You walk back over, and strap it back up. You decide to also open up all of the curtains in the store, and open the windows, as well. A day as beautiful as this should not be wasted. You finish your tea, pour yourself a cup, and sit back in your recliner. You decide to open the wrapper to the bar you picked out. Holding it between your hooves, and carefully using your teeth to peel the wrapper back, you reveal a chocolate bar. To your delight, it is actually very good. You hear the mail slot on the door creak open, and several letters drop through. You collect the letters, and go back to sitting, sipping your tea, and eating your chocolate. You have quite a few letters for Aaden. He gave you permission to open any mail he may get, being as he couldn't read your language. You open the letter from the shipping warehouse, regarding Aaden applying for employment. You gasp out of excitement, and smile.

Aaden will be so excited to hear this!

_________________________________________________________________________________

The train rumbles again, and it's brakes squeak. Talking with Oliver really made time pass by very quickly. You both rise, and step off the train. Oliver turns to you.

"Well, I have business to take care of. I'm sure I'll see you again soon, brother." You give him a pat on his back.

"Safe travels, Oliver." He nods his head, and darts off through the massive crowds of Canterlot. You had no idea where to start, or where to find Celestia. It seemed as though you were attracting the attention of the Royal Guard, which was better than you thought. One guard, a mint green pegasus, approached you.

"Are you the 'human' here to see Celestia?" It asks.

"Yes." You hand him the summons. He looks it over, and jerks his head to the side, signaling you to follow him.

"Right this way, Mr. Locke." You do as your told, not wanting to cause any problems. Your walk through Canterlot is a little different than your walk through Ponyville. Not as many ponies seem to smile at you. A lot of them, in fact, just seem to stare at you. After a long walk of stares and whispers, you make it inside the castle. You walk into the foyer with the Royal Guardsman that brought you in. He turns around, and asks you to remain here in the foyer, while he decides the "best course of action to take from here". You have a seat by the door, and decide to pass time by examining your new surroundings. Various portraits litter the foyer. You assumed they were all of of Celestia. Large cloth banners, with a pinkish trim, white background, and with a sun as the icon in the center, hung around the foyer. You hear footsteps coming from the staircase. You turn to see who's coming, hoping it isn't the princess. You laugh.

"Oliver, I knew there was more to you!" Oliver walks down the staircase, smiling.

"Why didn't you just escort me?" He makes it to the bottom of the staircase, and pats you on the back.

"I had to let the princess know you were coming."

"So, all of that stuff about being an honor guard?" He smiles. He leads you up the staircase he came down.

"No, that's all true. I also just happen to be an emissary for the princess."

"So you were spying on me?" You laugh.

"From your first day in the hospital, brother." You were both on the second floor now. Oliver led the way down an elegant corridor.

"You see, we heard of the manticore attack, and I was sent by the Princess to see if the rumors were true. If an unknown creature was in Ponyville. Sure enough, there you were. Dying. I don't know if you are very well aware of this, but your injuries were incredibly fatal. You WERE going to die. Luckily for you, however, Celestia took great interest in you. She came immediately after I reported to her, and she healed you herself. Why do you think you healed so quickly?" You run your hand across the areas where the bandages were wrapped on your stomach.

"I then watched you. I became Celestia's eyes. You didn't appear violent, especially with your recent...attraction...to Rarity. So, you passed that test. I was to then find out for myself just what kind of person you were. I did so on the train. You passed that test." You notice you are nearing two very large doors. Oliver opens the doors, and sitting on a throne, is the largest pony you have seen yet. It radiates light, and has a multicolored mane that seems ethereal in nature.

"Now you must pass her test." Oliver closes the doors behind him, leaving you alone in the room with Celestia. You walk very slowly, making sure you don't do anything that could be considered hostile. You stop at the end of red carpet leading to her throne. You bow.

"Princess Celestia." She laughs.

"You do not need to impress me, Aaden. You've already passed my tests. Oliver is extremely trustworthy, and your affection to Rarity confirms that you are willing to adjust to this new world." A piece of paper bursts into existence next to her. A quill floats over, and signs it. The paper then floats over to you.

"Welcome, citizen of Equestria." You take the paper gently out of the air.

"Thank you, Celestia."

"You are very welcome. However, I'm sure you're curios to why you're still here." She stands up, and walks off of her throne, coming towards you.

"I understand you are suffering from amnesia. I think I can help with that." You can feel excitement building up inside of you.

"Now, I will not be able to fully restore your memory, nor a good portion of it. But I can give you back what I can. It's better than nothing." You nod your head in agreement. Celestia presses her head against yours.

"Look into my eyes." You do as your told. Immediately, you begin to remember things. Your address, your job title, your boss' name. Then, the most valuable memory of this cluster comes forward. You see yourself turning the combination lock on your briefcase. You turn the first up to 6, the next one up to 6, the next one down to 7, and the last one up to 2. The briefcase pops open.

You snap out of the flash back state. Celestia steps back a few paces. You immediately pick up your briefcase, and begin turning the dials. 6. 6. 7. 2. Click. The briefcase opens. You look up to Celestia. You haven't been this happy in a very long while. You root through the contents of the briefcase. An ID from work. You were an architect. A bunch of blueprints, a set of headphones for listening to music, a set of bullet speakers for your phone, some money, and a couple of pencils and pens. You immediately rip your phone out of your pocket. 6.6.7.2. Ding. Your phone unlocks. After exploring the phone a bit, you make a few discoveries. The only text on your phone is the confusing one from your Mom, and you can't text back because the phone says you have no service.

However, you had quite a few photos, and all of your music was still stored on your phone.

HOLY. SHIT.

You jump forward, and give Celestia the biggest hug possible. She laughs.

"I take it that my little trick worked?"

"Celestia, you have no idea how much this means to me!"

"I am happy I could help. Now, your train is leaving here very soon. I would like you to come back in precisely 2 weeks. Oliver and I would like to extend an offer to you. I sincerely hope you enjoy your new life here."

You leave the castle. You feel absolutely on top of the world. Sure, you don't exactly remember much still, but now you have some music, and some photos, and SOME evidence of what was before here. You can't wait to get home and tell Rarity.

_________________________________________________________________________________

You are cooking dinner, waiting for Sweetie Belle and Aaden to come back home. She went to wait for him at the train station. It was about 7 PM. You were munching on another chocolate bar of the same variety you had this morning, while you chopped peppers and carrots, preparing them for the stew you were making. You hoped Aaden likes stew.

About 20 minutes later, the door swung open. There was Sweetie Belle, riding on Aaden's shoulders. He let her down, ran over to you, and gives you a hug that picks you up off of the ground.

"Rarity, you're never gonna believe this! I went to Celestia, and-" He looks at the chocolate bar on the table.

"Is that one of my Crunch bars?" He then smiles wider.

"I remember what a Crunch bar is!" He lets you down, and excitedly begins talking.

"There was this gryphon named Oliver, who was really a spy or something, and then Celestia made me a citizen, and then, she said she could give me a few of memories back, right?" you nod your head.

"This may be better to show you then tell you." He takes out the thing he calls his phone. presses a few times on the screen. He then shows you. You gasp.

He must have figured out how to unlock it!

You give him a squeeze.

"Darling, that's wonderful news!"

"Now, I don't remember much outside of the fact that I was an architect, and what my combination is on my phone and briefcase, but I'm actually really excited to show you the pictures, and let you listen to some of the music. You can have as many Crunch bars as you would like while we do that!" You feel yourself blushing.

"I only had two, darling." You look at the screen of the phone, unable to read what it says.

"What does that picture on the screen say?" He looks at it, and reads it to you.

"It says Requiem. It essentially means a gathering to respect the dead. It was the name of a local band I liked back home."

"Well, I would be happy to accompany you on your journey of reminiscing a little later. For now, would you kindly help me set the table for dinner?"

He gives you a kiss on the forehead.

"Absolutely."