“Ah wonder what’s gonna happen when we finally git ta Canterlot,” Applejack said.
The seven ponies had been traveling on the train for over an hour, and surprisingly talk of Blake had been kept sparse the entire ride. Lyra distanced herself from the six friends, not knowing any of them too well save their names. She kept her head looking out the window, admiring the scene outside as the train passed by. Lyra wished that train would move faster. Fast enough that it would perform a Sonic Rainboom on its own, but chances of that were impossible as Rainbow Dash has been the only thing in recent history to be able to pull one off.
“Well, duh! We’re going to have a party, of course!” Pinkie Pie nudged merrily, bouncing up and down on a seat as if it were a trampoline.
“Girls, this is the first time Equestria has ever seen an alien from another planet!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Yeah! So Equestria will also have the first ‘Welcome to Equestria, Mr. Alien’ party!” Pinkie asserted.
“Pinkie, you don’t understand—”
“Are you trying to tell me that the alien doesn’t love to party?” Pinkie interrupted.
“We’re not sure of that but—”
“Then there’s only one way to find out! We’ll throw a big, super-duper party and surprise it!”
“He! It’s a him, not an it!” Lyra called out, correcting the crazy, hyperactive pony.
“Yes, what Lyra said,” Twilight agreed. “But surprising Blake is the last thing we need. He has a troubling past and will fall into a state of something similar to depression every time the word ‘family’ or something similar is brought up.”
“Blake? Who’s Blake?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“The alien’s name is Blake,” Twilight answered.
“Maybe if we tried to be nice to him, he’ll feel better,” Fluttershy guessed.
Twilight shook her head. “He’s almost impossible to get answers out of. It took us an hour to just get his name, but I think he only gave to us because he was annoyed. He sort of yelled it out loud in an angry tone.”
“Well I say we beat it outta him!” Rainbow Dash said.
“No! We need to get him to trust us, or else we’ll never get any information out of him. If he feels likes he’s being attacked, he’ll quickly retaliate. He’s already tried to kill Princess Luna,” Twilight said, followed by the sounds of Fluttershy and Rarity gasping, as they were the only ponies who weren’t helping with the search party, so they didn’t know of Blake’s attempt to kill the princess.
“What kind of monster would do such a thing?” Rarity wondered aloud.
“He’s scared, Rarity,” Twilight said, defending Blake. “He’s just as afraid of us as we are of him. I don’t think you could stay calm and not panic if you found yourself on another planet. It’s only natural for him to do so.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Rarity said. “I also heard that he wore clothing. I wonder what he wears. Maybe a fashionable suit? Or maybe something light? It’s still summertime and—”
“Hello? Equestria to Rarity!” Rainbow Dash said, waving a hoof in front of her face. “Is this really the time to be thinking about that kinda stuff?” Rarity simply eyeballed at the rainbow-maned pegasus with a slight frown.
“Weee! This is so fun! You guys should totally try this with me!” Pinkie interjected, continuing to bounce on the seat. Lyra chuckled, wondering if the pink pony ever ran out of energy. She began to feel tired. Sleep was difficult for her the previous night, as Blake’s memory had woken her up in the middle of it. Her eyelids began to close, and she drifted off into sleep.
She found herself in Blake’s head again, just as she was in the previous dream. He had survived the flying machine crash and was staring over another human’s dead body, which Lyra recognized to be his dad. Both his sister and his mother were crying over their recent loss. The next series of events happened so quickly, Lyra could hardly contain them all. Blake knocking out a soldier, the execution of the remaining members of his family, and those three round balls. At first she didn’t get what they were, but when she heard the noises of three separate explosions going off one right after the other, she then realized that the balls were explosive devices. The dream ended, but Lyra still found herself in Blake’s body.
The two princesses were standing side by side. Blake rushed towards an open door, but either Celestia or Luna used their magic to close it, trapping him inside the room. The princesses and the human exchanged in conversation, but Lyra could tell that he was constantly trying to back out of it based on the answers he gave back. Lyra was starting to be annoyed at the thought of him avoiding the princess’s questions. Quickly being fed up with it she said in his mind, <Blake, just tell them.>
Lyra felt him mentally recoil at the sudden statement. For the next few seconds, he silently battled with himself, trying to figure out whether to trust her or not. Blake sighed, giving up. He said, “I come from a planet called Earth. It’s blue, lots of oceans, and it has seven continents. Now fuck off.”
If Lyra had control over her own body, she would be facehoofing herself as hard as she could. She could tell that Blake trusted her, even if it was a small amount, but he still had doubts of giving up (for some reason) his information of himself, his past, and Earth. <What is it going to take to get you to tell the truth?> Lyra asked.
Nothing. There is nothing in this entire universe that will make me say anything. I don’t care if you ponies torture me, chop off my legs, or whip me dozens of times. In fact, I deserve all of those things. I’m Satan in the form of a teenage kid.
<What about friendship?>
What about it?
<Do you think that you would say anything to a friend?>
I have no friends. They’re all gone, billions of light years away, where they’ll never see me again. But after this last week, I’d rather end up in a prison. I don’t think I could show my miserable face to all my buddies after I’ve killed so many.
<You not only did it in self-defense, but you did it in revenge!>
How could you know possibly know about that? You don’t know a single damn thing about me.
<I-I saw everything. From the moment you going to that place called an airport to the moment where you tossed those round explosive thingies at those… soldiers.>
B-but how?
<I believe I’ve been reliving your memories in the form of dreams every time I fall asleep. I don’t understand how I am either, but I understand what you’ve been going through… no matter horrid it is.>
So you know that I’ve taken other people’s lives just to save my own skin. If you were smart, you’d stay away from me.
<This concept of you killing other humans—>
War.
<Yes… war… is very foreign and flabbergasts me in every sort, but I know your thoughts and feelings too! You didn’t want to kill! It was kill or be killed! I think that taking a life is a very terrible and disgusting thing, but I know you didn’t want to. You were only interested in staying alive, no matter what it cost you. You were battling for something you believed in, while also avenging your fallen loved ones!>
…
<Blake?>
…
<Blake, please don’t sever our communication.>
…
<I’m only trying to get it through your thick skull that I trust you, even for what you’ve done. I know that you’re a different pony… err, person on the inside, but I also want you to understand that this is a dream come true for me. I’ve always have been interested in humans since I can remember… I’ve dreamed about your cities, the technology that your race has created, and your society in general, but I’ve never really understood it. I’ve been researching through a countless amount books, asking famous historians and mythologists what they’ve known about your race, but I always came up empty-hooved. I only want to get to know you, your planet, your species… and possibly start a new friendship. Please, none of us ponies wish you any harm.>
T-thank… you.
<What?>
I’m thanking you… I-I trust you, but I still don’t trust them. I’ll talk to you later… hopefully in person, Lyra… Oh shit, I’m crying now…
Lyra woke up surrounded by six ponies of various colors of coats and manes. They all looked at her with faces of worry and confusion. “Um… hi?” she said, scratching the back of her head with her hoof.
“Lyra, what was going on?” Twilight asked. “Your pupils just suddenly turned a ghastly white color, and you were moving your mouth like you were taking to somepony but no words came out.”
Lyra retold the six about everything that had been happening to her, from her dreams to her telepathic conversations with Blake. They stared at her in awe as she was speaking, not interrupting her one bit. Once she was finished, the train whistle blew, signaling that they would be arriving at their destination shortly.
“’Bout time!” Rainbow Dash said impatiently. “It’s been way too boring in here, and my wings could totally use some exercise.”
The train screeched to a halt, and the conductor opened the door to let the passengers out. The seven filed their way through the door, pushing and shoving because of sheer excitement. Two guards stood outside the train. “Ms. Sparkle?” one of them asked, voice sounding rough and raspy.
“Yes, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she replied.
“Princess Celestia has sent us to collect you and your friends. If you would follow us, please.” The guards turned and began to march their way through the train station, with the other ponies following closely behind. Lyra hadn’t been in Canterlot since last year’s Hearth’s Warming Eve play, and she felt exited to be in her hometown once again. She had only been living Ponyville for a short while, only one or two years, but she always felt a little homesick from time to time. Being in the capital relieved her of that sickness and she felt grateful, but this was no time to be fiddling around. She could visit her parents later and do other things later because this was the time to meet Blake once again.
They cantered for at least twenty minutes before finally making it to the castle itself. Once there, they moved through the interiors, dodging servants, guests, and other guards along the way. They climbed up several flights of stairs which led them to an outside path. From there, they made their way to one of the castle’s guest rooms, one of the finest in all of Equestria.
“Ooh! I remember staying here not too long ago!” Rarity thought aloud, causing the rest of the ponies to stare at her.
“What?” she asked, shuffling her eyes between her friends. “It was a pleasant stay… well, for the most part it was.”
One of the guards knocked on the door three times. The door magically swung open, and the guards gestured the ponies to go inside. Twilight nodded her head and did so, with Lyra and the rest of the ponies following close behind.
“What is this device, hmm?” Princess Luna asked, holding a small, rectangular item in her right hoof. “Or maybe this?” she also asked, replacing the rectangular item for a red, slender cylinder with something that looked like a switch on its side. Blake remained quiet, not even mumbling a response. Lyra was surprised to see that most of his clothing had been taken off, and the only thing left was a very small pair of pants covering his crotch. As they entered the room, Blake’s gaze immediately shot to Lyra, where he made eye contact with her, and refused to budge. Lyra returned the gaze, smiling because she was happy that he remembered what she looked like. He raised his hand in the air and waved it for a few brief moments, and brought it back down, returning his attention back to the princesses. Lyra wondered what the gesture meant.
“Why won’t you respond to us?” Princess Celestia asked. “You can trust us. We won’t hurt you.”
“Both you and I know that’s a lie,” Blake spat back.
Celestia flinched slightly, finally noticing the new ponies that had recently entered the room. “Hello, my most faithful student,” she greeted, nodding her head.
“Hello, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “I’ve brought the Elements of Harmony and Lyra Heartstrings with me under the request of Princess Luna.” Lyra heard Blake chuckle softly when Twilight said “Element of Harmony”. She guessed that he found it amusing. It was a good thing though, as he needed a break from being his old, grim self.
Lyra then listened in on the conversation between the five other ponies.
“Oh my, he’s so tall,” Fluttershy examined quietly.
“An’ where’s the rest of his clothes? Ah don’t understand why he would take ‘em off,” Applejack said.
“I was wondering about that as well. I’m just interested to see what aliens wear,” Rarity said.
“Maybe he jus’ felt like breathin’ in some fresh air. He probably gets all stuffy wearin’ those clothes all the time,” Applejack chortled.
“But Applejack, darling, he doesn’t have a coat of fur anywhere except the top of his head. I bet he needs the extra clothing on to stay warm,” Rarity guessed.
“But that doesn’t ‘splain why he doesn’t got ‘em on now.”
“Just look at him! He looks like he’s all saddy-waddy right now, and he needs cheering up! You know what this calls for?” Pinkie asked rhetorically before pulling out a cannon out of thin air.
“Pinkie, I don’t think this is a good idea—” Fluttershy started before being cut off by Pinkie.
“A PARTY!” Pinkie shouted gleefully, lighting the fuse on the cannon. It was pointed straight at Blake, and his eyes widened at the sight.
“JESUS CHRIST!” he shouted before chucking a dresser onto the floor in front of him and covering himself behind it. The cannon went off with a deafening BANG! Streamers and balloons flew out of it, covering every square inch of the room.
Lyra sighed, knowing that this would most likely force Blake back into his traumatic state. She trotted over to Blake, while the rest of the ponies stared at Pinkie, baffled. She peered over the dresser, seeing Blake curled up into the fetal position once again. “They got tanks, man. They’ve got fucking tanks. I’m never going to make it out of this damned hellhole alive!”
Lyra trotted around the dresser and placed her hooves on his shoulders, shaking him gently. “Blake, snap out of it. For the love of Celestia, you’re not being chased anymore.” Blake stayed the same, mumbling something about wishing that the “Marines” had several “Apaches” to assist him. “Blake, you’re safe. You’re here, in Equestria. Please just snap out of it.”
He turned his head to her, a small tear streaming down his cheek. “I’m here… in Equestria.”
Lyra grinned. Now she was getting to him! “You’re perfectly safe. We’re not going to harm you.”
“I’m safe and you’re not going to harm me,” Blake repeated, panting silently.
“Now please answer the princesses to any questions they ask you truthfully and without hesitation.”
Blake opened his mouth to repeat, but paused. “No,” he said firmly.
Lyra frowned. “Answer any questions the princesses ask you. Pretty please?” she said, trying again, hoping for better results.
The answer remained the same. “No.”
“Pretty please, with a cherry on top?”
“No.”
Lyra pondered for a few moments. “Would you tell me?” she asked.
“Uh… only if the rest of them,” he pointed at all of the other ponies, “aren’t here.”
“Did you hear that?” Lyra asked Celestia.
She confirmed by nodding her head and saying, “I did. We will all leave temporarily. I will send a guard for both you two when it is time for lunch. Until then, ask him anything you like, and hope for the best. We’ve been trying for quite some time, but without any luck.”
And just so you know, I’ll be enchanting a spell on this room so that we’ll be able to hear everything that is said from the outside. But since it seems that magic is ineffective on the human, I would still like you to take notes on him and report them to me. Writing everything down as if he were an experiment, Celestia said inside Lyra’s mind. Any other everyday pony might flinch at the feeling that somepony else was inside their mind, but as Lyra was already experienced with this, she nodded and flicked her hoof to shoo them off.
“Alright my little ponies, it is time to go,” Celestia said.
“Can’t we have a race first?” Rainbow Dash asked, complaining. “I wanna really see how fast he can run on two legs compared to my four!”
“Ah’m not so sure ‘bout that, sugarcube. He might beat ya and ya would resort to usin’ yer wings ‘stead of yer hooves,” Applejack said.
“Okay, that’s it! Me, you, dining hall. First one there gets the other’s dessert!” Rainbow Dash challenged.
“Oh, yer on!” Applejack said, sprinting out the door.
“Hey, that’s not far! I never said go!” Rainbow Dash called out, chasing after the orange cowpony.
“Aww… I really wanted to have a party! Now I’m going to have to buy more party items to reload the cannon…” Pinkie Pie said, drooping her head as she walked outside. The rest of the ponies followed behind. The door then was shut and locked, leaving Lyra alone with Blake. She noticed a small writing pad, along with a quill and a small jar of ink lying on the bed. Using her magic, Lyra levitated the items to her.
“Okay,” Blake said with his tone sounding like he was in disbelief of the sight before him. “So you ponies can teleport, read minds, manipulate objects, and levitate them? Am I sure this isn’t Narnia or some shit, because the story is practically the same.”
“Levitation spells are some of the first a unicorn can learn. In fact, I was able to levitate my first toy when I was only a few months old…”
“Wait, only unicorns? So you’re saying that—”
“Yes, pegasi and earth ponies can’t perform magic. Only unicorns can.”
“Damn, I wish I could do magic. You know how easy it would be to pitch in baseball? You would never have to worry about throwing your arm out!” Lyra quickly jotted down several notes, remembering that she was supposed to be examining him.
“What’s baseball?” Lyra asked.
Blake spent the next twenty minutes explaining to Lyra how baseball worked. The rules, how each team scores, and the positions on the field. He went into a deeper analysis, briefly telling her how different attributes of the game worked, such as fielding, pitching, baserunning, and batting. Lyra was stunned by how a game with such a simple objective could turn out to be so complicated. Once he was finished, Lyra continued to question him. “Are there any other sports on Earth?”
“Are you kidding?” Blake asked. “There’s dozens of them! And even more if you count E-Sports as well!”
“What’s the most popular sport on Earth, then?”
“Soccer, hands down.”
“What’s soccer?”
“This is a bit harder for me to explain, since I’m not into soccer that much, but it’s basically there’s two large goals with nets on opposite ends of a field. The objective is to kick a ball into the goal. You can use any parts of the body except for the hands and arms. Except for the goalies, they can use their hands though.”
“Oh I know this sport! We call it hoofball here.”
“Well, the official name for this sport in our world is football, but the people in my country call it soccer because we already have another sport that’s called football.”
“And what’s that one like?”
“As much as I would love to talk about sports all day, I believe we should push onto another subject. Maybe one that isn’t about physical activity, because that’s the last thing I want to think about,” he said, massaging his muscles.
Lyra finished taking her notes and flipped to a clean sheet, as the previous one was completely dotted with information. She dipped the quill in the black ink, so that it would be ready to write. Out of her peripherals, she noticed that Blake’s devices were lying on the floor. “Maybe I should continue where Princess Luna left off,” she said, levitating the other items with her magic and leaving them hovering over his face to study.
“Okay, so what’s this one?” Lyra asked, pointing her hoof at the red cylinder.
“That’s a flashlight,” Blake replied, snatching it out of the air. “It produces light. It’s normally used for helping us see things in the dark.” He flicked the switch, and a cone of light emanated from it. Lyra was aghast as she had seen nothing like this before. She scribbled more notes and drew a crude drawing of the flashlight.
“How does it work?”
“Frankly, I don’t have a clue. All I know is that batteries power the thing… well, they used too, at least.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know how, but for some reason my electronics aren’t relying on electricity to keep them going. It’s like your land is somehow magically powering them.”
“Huh, weird,” Lyra then pointed her hoof at the other device. “What’s this one?”
“That’s my iPhone. It’s practically a miniature computer. With it, I can talk to other people anywhere in the world, text them, play games, listen to music, and—” Blake stopped speaking when Lyra lost her concentration and all of the items she was levitating fell to the ground.
“Music? Did you say music?” Lyra asked, wide-eyed. Being a musician herself, just the thought of hearing music from the human world excited her.
“Uh… yeah…”
“Can we listen to some?”
“Sure, I guess. The iPhone’s speakers don’t exactly produce the best sound… but if I can just get my headphones I could…” Lyra levitated a large pack that she found in the corner of the room and brought it up to his face.
“My backpack? Where’d you get this?”
“It was just lying on the other side of the room. I figured that your ‘headphones’ might be in here.”
“Gracias.”
“What?” Lyra asked, not understanding the word he just said, hoping that it wasn’t one of those “curse” words Blake had told her about earlier.
“’Gracias’ means ‘thanks’ in Spanish, which is another language on Earth,” he explained, zipping open his backpack, and pulling out what Lyra remembered was a pistol. Why would the princesses leave a weapon like this where he could get it? she wondered. Blake’s knees began buckling, and he fell to the ground. He began shaking crazily while also covering his ears with his hands again. His trauma would end up becoming Lyra’s trauma as well. Not wanting to begin acting like Blake, she did the same thing she did before, and began shaking him softly.
“It’s okay Blake. I’m here, and you’re safe with me.”
He began sobbing, tears streaming down his face and a small amounted of snot protruding out of his nose. She tried shaking him harder, her voice becoming louder and louder with each sentence she said to him. He refused to break, and he once again started mumbling about not being able to make it out a forest alive. Lyra didn’t know what to do, and she almost gave up as she started sobbing along with Blake. The next thing she did surprised her, but she began to sing a lullaby that she had once hear from Fluttershy.
“Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head.
Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed.”
Blake’s sniffles began to slow as Lyra continued to sing like an angel. Once she was finished, Blake stared at her calmly, with a look of innocence in his eye. He then hugged her as tightly as he could. Lyra embraced it, feeling triumphant that she was able to break him from his trauma twice in a row.
“Are we friends now?” she asked.
“Yes… yes we are.”