The only sound for several minutes was the quick scribbling of marker on dry-erase board. That faded out very shortly after as Applejack realized that she was the only one writing anything down. My eyes were still locked down onto the card. The eyes of every other pony were locked on me. I didn't want to believe that the card said what I had just announced. It couldn't be. Why would they use such a personal question in a trivia game? But there it was, listed clearly on the bottom in upside-down print: Tongue fetish. How many ponies had already played this game and knew the answer? What other dark secrets of mine were just common knowledge in this world? I didn't have any privacy. Everything about me was available to the public. And it wasn't even like they had to buy a book or anything to get the information...this was just a fucking trivia game.
I could feel myself start to get dizzy again. Very quickly, I pulled myself together and took a deep breath. I held it in for a few moments before letting the air out. Okay, I had to stop letting myself get destabilized so easily. The other events today were much more dire than a few invasive facts on a playing card. This should have been nothing. Super easy. Yeah...
...nothing at all.
Sigh
My attention was drawn to Sarah's magic aura as it wrapped itself around Applejack's board and flew it quickly over to her. She took one look at it before adopting an irritated expression and erasing what was written. The other ponies were quick to voice their objections. I was just surprised they were so quick to react after something so...horrifying. For me, anyway.
"HEY! That was mah answer!"
"We didn't even get to see it!"
"HEY!"
"Why, I never..."
"Isn't that...cheating...?"
"Why would you do that?"
I wasn't looking at the ponies, so I didn't catch who said what. The voices all sounded at once, so I couldn't pick out the sound of each pony. All I know is that the first voice was Applejack's. I was still staring at the card, the new implications running through my head. What if they knew the other stuff Sarah and I were into? Had they watched some of our time together? Our most private moments...viewed by hundred of thousands of ponies...maybe millions? I don't even know...
And it hadn't just been when I was with Sarah. What about that time that Dad almost died? His cancer kept coming back...man, that shit had our family stressed out for the better part of an entire year. The show had been going for...four years, I think. Dad's emergency was...three years ago.
They had watched us. Watched our family break down over and over.We kept getting our hopes up, just to have them beaten down again and again as new cancer spots appeared. All of that...was just the plot of a story. My entire life, every single hardship and moment of suffering, it was all the fault of...Lyra.
I looked over at the mint unicorn. She didn't see me looking at her at first, but her eyes locked onto mine after a few seconds. I didn't mean to look scary, but my face could have been expressing any emotion at that moment. I wasn't in control of it. Whatever I was doing, it scared the shit out of her. She quickly recoiled and tried to move behind Prime and Bon Bon. The sight of the cowering pony brought me back to my senses.
What was I doing? She looked guilty enough already. She probably thought I was going to kill her in the face or something. I had to control my emotions...and I didn't truly want to blame her. Sure, I had some hard times. That last one was quite the doozy. But honestly? My life had been fucking amazing. I had a close family, a loving girlfriend, a good home...I had been happy. I'm sure that my life had been better than others that had been real the whole time. Pfft, that was obvious. This unicorn...she was basically my mother. Why would I hate my mother? Sure, I wanted to find out what the fuck was up with killing me and all, but I wouldn't hurt her. I wanted to thank her. For all of the good times I had. For all of the people I knew and loved. For everything. Except for aborting me.
"-is not any of your business!" I heard Sarah shout, finally breaking through to me. Whoa, I had been zoned out. Ugh, that was a bad one. I usually didn't tune everything out that much. Usually, voices were enough to catch my attention. Was I to the point of needing to be screamed at? Perfect.
"But it's part of the game!" I heard Rainbow Dash complain. Whoa, she was actually fighting with Sarah. Wasn't she, like...one of their princesses? I would have been flattering that she was arguing over me, but...she was pretty much fighting for the right to learn what my secret fetish was. Damn, why did they care so much?
"It's personal information that nopony needs to know!" retorted Sarah. Sorry, guys, you're fighting against the most stubborn being in existence over the right to learn about my intimacy. Wait, what the-
What the hell? Something was tugging on the card I was holding. Something bright blue and magical...
Oh, dammit Rarity! Yeah, she was trying to act all nonchalant about it, too. Did she not know that I could see her horn glowing the same color as the cloud? She was gently trying to tug the playing card from my grip. In her attempt to remain unnoticed, she was staring at the others, obviously pretending to be unaware. Why did these crazy ponies want to see the answer so badly? I needed to get rid of this card. Just needed some fire or something...oh, wait.
"Sarah!" I shouted, grabbing the attention of my girlfriend. She looked over, her face still contorted in frustration.
"FIRE!" I yelled once more, tossing the card into the air in front of her. Luckily, she understood what I wanted and charged her horn, sending up a bolt of pure magic directly into the card.
Fwoosh
Woo, that was a nice shot. That must have been some really hot fire, seeing as nothing floated down afterwards. Not even ashes. And that fire was a lot more purple than I was used to...
Wait a minute. Twilight.
I looked over at her just in time to see her pushing something under the table, her eyes straining to view it. Oh, hell no! She must have teleported the card to her at the last second!
"Shit shit shit shit shit shit..." I whispered to myself. Sarah must have been looking to me for some sort of approval of her shot, because she quickly noticed my panicked staring. She turned her head over to Twilight, who was still reading something while trying to hide the fact that she had it. A look of angered realization flashed across Sarah's face. Before she could vocalize her fury, however, Twilight made an exclamation of her own.
"It's in English!" she grunted loudly. The occupants of the room all turned to her. She looked up, seemingly very much aware of how much she had just fucked up. Spike just buried his face into his hands and sighed. Despite the tension in the room, I let out a relieved breath. I forgot that she couldn't read English. But...why would they make the games in a writing style that was quite new to this world? Not only that, but how did she read the cover of the games to begin with? I pulled over the box for 'So You Think You Know Otherworld?' and looked at it.
It's just a box. English was written all over it! How did Twilight read the instructions befo-...huh? 'Special Edition: English' was plastered in small golden letters at the bottom of the box. But that wasn't what got my attention the most. The words on the cover that were in English...they were shimmering. Almost like a very subtle heat line that would cause a mirage. There was something barely visible underneath the English words.
Was that...another language?
No way, that must be whatever written language it is that the ponies use. It was...really weird to see. I could see how I hadn't noticed it before, though. The shimmering of the letters was very subtle. And the effect was absent on the cards. So that must mean...
"Magical translator..." I whispered to myself. The sounds of movement around faded into my consciousness. I hadn't even noticed that something had been going on. The box had snagged my attention and sent me stumbling into another daze. The scene that I saw when I looked up almost sent me into hysterics. It was something straight out of The Benny Hill Show. Twilight was being chased around the room by Sarah, with a crowd of ponies chasing those two around. Fluttershy, Spike, Applejack, Prime, Lyra and Bon Bon were still sitting down. With the exception of the smug-looking Applejack, they all looked extremely confused about what was going on. I felt the same way.
"Give that card to me!" Sarah yelled at the purple alicorn she was pursuing. Twilight had the card in her mouth, so she could only make adorable 'Uh-uh!' sounds. Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were running after Sarah and Twilight. Well, Pinkie was just sorta bouncing quickly, a gleeful expression on her face. It looked like she just wanted in on the fun game that the others were playing. Aww. Anyway, I had seen enough.
"Guys!" I shouted loud enough to get all of their attention. Twilight jumped in surprise and stumbled. Sarah couldn't slow down in time and plowed into her, sending them both to the ground, rolling. The pile was quickly joined by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie looked like she was going to stop in time, but I realized too late that she was merely preparing to dive. With a quick spring of her back legs, she shot into the air and descending directly into the ponypile.
"OOF!" I heard multiple female voices say at the same time. Pinkie's legs were wiggling around, the only only part of here visible from outside the mound. I could faintly hear her joyfully giggling.
"Guys, seriously. Quit it. How many of you can even read English?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger.
"I can!" Sarah's muffled voice responded. Besides for her, none of the other ponies said a thing. Just as I thought. Of course Sarah would know how to read it; she had spent years in my world. Funny, I never saw her struggling with it. Maybe she had learned before she even met me? How long had she been around before she even met me? How-
...no, can't start dazing again. I had a mound of grabby ponies that needed a talking to.
"I know that, Bear. I was talking to the others," I calmly stated. I didn't hear her say anything else, so I assumed she understood. The rest of the ponies in the pile were trying to untangle themselves, sheepish looks on each of their faces. Well, Pinkie was just smiling happily. Can't say I was expecting anything else. I doubted she even wanted to look at the card. With the random bouts of reality-warping Pinkie seemed capable of, the feeling that she wasn't out to learn about me that way was pretty calming.
Twilight, Dash and Rarity on the other hand...they were making me uncomfortable as hell.
"Sarah, could you take the others out of the room or something? I need to talk to Prime about some stuff," I requested suddenly. I was getting really annoyed at the constant insanity. The patience I had that I was using to wait for a good moment to talk to Lyra was gone, now. I just needed to make my own opportunity. At the same time, though, I still didn't want to incriminate Lyra by drawing too much attention to her. The others didn't know who I thought she was...well, except for maybe Sarah. I had noticed her giving the poor mint mare hostile glances for no reason every so often. So now, all I needed was an excuse. The first thing that popped into my head had been Prime Warner. The most recent event involved both of us, so it should have come to no surprise to the others that I would want to talk to him. Alone.
Sarah blinked at me and threw a suspicious glance at Lyra. The others, especially Twilight, gave me hurt looks. I got a feeling that they thought I was mad at them and didn't want to hang out with them anymore. It wasn't that I was mad...just tired of waiting. I pinched my nose again and responded to their looks of sadness, trying to nip their line of thinking in the bud.
"No, I'm not upset with you, I just have some things I need to go over with him," I explained, pointing over to Prime, Lyra and Bon Bon. They had stayed together for pretty much the entirety of the time so far. Lyra and Bon Bon were probably only here because Prime was here. And Prime was here because...I don't know, he probably didn't know what to do with himself. Even if it didn't make a lot of sense, it did give me a good excuse to talk to the three.
Prime had spent the conversation staring up at me in confusion and what looked to be a little bit of wonder. Maybe he was still a bit star-struck about meeting me? I know tons of other ponies were. But I had a feeling that it was mostly confusion. He probably had no idea that I actually wanted to talk to Lyra. Or maybe he did? I don't know. The three ponies were quite a mystery to me.
"But...this is my room!" I heard Twilight object. I looked over to the Princess of Friendship. She had puffed her cheeks up at me again, determined to stay here with me. The lapse of focus gave Sarah the chance to remove the playing card from Twilight's mouth, which she took. The card was very quickly torn to shreds, much to the disappointment of the surrounding ponies.
"H-hey!" Rainbow Dash complained. Rarity just pouted down at the pieces of ripped up card that floated gently to the floor. What, did she think that her powers of pouting would convince the pieces to reassemble? That's silly and adorable. I just wish that my kinks hadn't been the end prize in their little scuffle.
Sarah adopted a smug little grin as she pranced towards the door to the room.
"You all heard Ryan. He wishes to have some time to discuss things with Prime Warner. It would be rude of us to intrude. We will continue with a different game after he's done," she stated. It wasn't what she said, but the way she said it that let everybody else know that it was more of a demand than a request. The others apparently didn't want to push their luck against the ancient princess any more than they already had. Twilight, Rainbow and Rarity trudged out of the room behind Sarah with Pinkie following merrily along. I could hear soft grumbling coming from the first three. Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike followed after them as well, although they were much more reserved and quiet about it. Before Sarah left all the way, she popped back into the doorway and gave me a look. She made the 'I'm watching you' sign with her hoof, but it didn't really work without fingers. She just looked like she was pointing to her face before pointing to mine. I just gave her a deadpan look. She groaned silently and turned back around to watch over my friends. Hopefully, with her out there with them, I wouldn't have to worry about any eavesdropping.
"Oh, and Applejack?" I called out to the peach-colored mare. She turned around, blushing as she met my gaze. Geez, was she that flustered from knowing my fetish? I gave her a serious look. "Don't tell them." She flinched at my demand, but nodded anyway. I guess she had been planning to blab. Now she would have to withhold information from her best friends, which is something I knew she hated. But she knew that it really wasn't her information to spread. It was my business, and nobody else's. Except maybe Sarah's. Applejack turned back around after her silent agreement and followed her friends.
Finally, it was just the three newer ponies and me. Lyra took quick notice of this and started panicking. She hid herself behind Bon Bon in a mess of scrambling hooves. Prime blinked and looked between us, trying to connect the pieces together.
"Did...you want me to leave, too? And...Sarah?" he asked quietly, still looking at Lyra with worry in his eyes. Wow, he was smarter than I thought. Even through his current emotional turmoil, he still managed to figure out that I didn't really need to talk to him and even had enough observation skills left to pick up on what I had been calling his princess. He figured it out just from context clues. I sighed and sat down next to them on the floor. The couch looked comfy, but it couldn't fit all of us. So it went unclaimed.
"Nah, you can stay if you want. And yeah...Sarah," I responded. In my peripheral vision, I could see Lyra still trying to scoot farther away from me. Poor Bon Bon was getting pulled back with her, despite her objections. Boy...I had a lot of talking to do. From what I knew, Prime was the co-owner of the company that ran my show, alongside Time Warner. So, I guess filling him in on some things could possibly help.
"So..." he began. "Why have you been calling Princess Luna Sarah? Was it...you got depressed about the hole in your heart that Sarah left you with at the hospital and latched onto the Princess to fill some of that gap?"
"Um...n-" I tried to correct him, but he continued on with his tangent.
"Or...maybe since she's a fan, she asked you to call her that in order to fulfill some kind of fantasy she's had?" Prime added.
"That's not-" I got cut off. Again.
"But what if her name was actually Sarah all this time? And you're the only one she'll allow to call her-"
"Prime!" I interrupted him. He flinched and looked around, seemingly unaware of where he was. His surroundings caught up to him and he looked up at me, giving me an apologetic grin. Dude, this stallion could brainstorm like a professional. I could relate to that. Every idea he came up with sounded like a weird plot point or something. It was just a shame that the truth was even more extreme than the ideas he had come up with. Got to think even bigger!
"Heh...sorry about that. I like to, uh...tell stories," he explained to me while rubbing the back of his neck with one of his front hooves. A quick glance at his butt mark confirmed his assertions. So that's what had happened. He heard a cool story premise and his special talent made him think up some ways to expand upon it.
"Uh, yeah...I figured," I responded, chuckling gently. The sound of laughter that I let out made him relax visibly. Oh, so some humor would help him out? No problem, I could do funny. It's the way I tackled most of my problems anyway. Why not this one? Prime stopped rubbing and looked back to me, a curious expression on his face.
"So...why are you calling her Sarah?" he asked, a bit more confidence in his voice now. I gave him a disarming grin. If he thought his ideas were extreme, wait until he hears the real reason! Okay, so in order for this to work, I would need to act really inconspicuous about it. I couldn't let him know that what I was going to say was going to blow his mind. With a calm smile and a slouch of my shoulders to show relaxation, I responded.
"Ah, no big reason. She's just really Sarah, that's all," I told him. He was nodding his head until the implications of what I had said clicked. His eyes widened and shot up to meet mine, his body freezing up again. He didn't look as much shocked as confused. Beside him, Lyra and Bon Bon also gave a horrified jump. Now I had three sets of eyes on me, begging me to elaborate. I would have if I wasn't still trying to act like it wasn't that big of a deal. I leaned back a little bit, attempting to look bored. The three ponies continued to look at me for a few moments before Prime spoke up.
"U-um...what do you m-mean...?" he asked shakily. I looked down at him calmly, still masking my mirth.
"Oh, she went into the head of the storyteller or something. She said she made a human form for herself and played the character," I explained blandly, giving a look towards the minty pony I suspected to have been my storyteller. She was looking up at me as if the life had left her and took the first bus to whatever country on the opposite side of the planet from this one.
A pang of guilt hit me when I saw the scared looks the two mares had. I probably shouldn't have done that...if Lyra was my storyteller, then I had just calmly explained to her that she had had her mind manipulated over the years by Sarah. Not only that, but she had also killed the lover of a princess. So many thoughts about her own destruction must have been running through her head. Bon Bon looked scared, too. However, her fear looked to be directed at Lyra. Her friend was possibly going to be in massive trouble over something as basic as telling a story. Prime looked...
...um, should pupils be able to turn into stars like that? I was pretty sure that wasn't healthy...
Prime was giving me an awestruck stare, his lips slowly turning up into a large smile. It was pretty terrifying. Why was he looking so happy all of a sudden? The other two were acting like I had just told them that I had taken their house, their parents and any pets they had and threw them into a blender. But here Prime was, trying his best to imitate someone realizing that they had just won the lottery.
"Uh...you okay, man?" I dared to ask the glowing pony. No, really, he was glowing now. Something was leaking from his horn that reminded me instantly of the money that had dripped from Time Warner's horn. The two were very obviously brothers, now that I thought about it. But instead of the money signs, Prime was leaking little happy faces from his horn. It was leagues more adorable and uplifting than money. He must have been in a state of euphoria or something. At the sound of my voice, he slowly looked up, his eyes still starstruck.
"Princess Luna plays a character on one of my shows..." he whispered, more to himself than to me. It wasn't loud enough for me to hear, though.
"Sorry, what?" I inquired. He needed to speak up if-
"PRINCESS LUNA PLAYS A CHARACTER ON MY SHOW!" he fucking screamed in my face. I yelped at the sudden vocal assault and jumped backwards, pushing my body into the couch. What the hell is it with ponies and personal space?! God damn! Prime took a second to notice that he had just yelled at his full volume right into my face. A quick blush grew across his face, but his 'starry' gaze wasn't affected.
Wait, what did he say? His show?
"You're my storyteller?!" I demanded. The two mares recoiled at my sudden outburst and tried hiding behind each other. The result was a series of cute shuffling, which ended with Lyra shielding herself with an irritated Bon Bon. Prime flinched as well, but didn't try to hide. He took a moment to work out what he wanted to say.
"M-me? Oh, no, it's not me. That's Ly-" he cut himself off with a hoof to the mouth. Apparently, in his stuttered panic in attempt to explain himself, he forgot that Lyra didn't want to be noticed. I had heard enough though. So it was absolutely true...well at least I had more evidence than a suspicion and a nod.
I looked over to the unicorn mare, who was now slumped over. It looked like her legs had simply gone out from underneath her. Oh, shit...she was having a panic attack. Her eyes were trembling, new tears running down her face. She looked like a cornered lamb sitting before the lion that was about to pounce. I needed to help the poor girl...she didn't deserve this kind of emotional torment.
I tried sliding a bit closer to her, but she only backed off a bit. Bon Bon looked fearful for a moment before that fear became protective anger. She jumped in front of her cowering friend and adopted an aggressive defense stance. Holy shit. Her front hoof stomped at the ground, daring me to try getting past her. A heard a little snort that I suspected was supposed to be intimidating, but it only came off as cute.
"I won't let y-you hurt Lyra!" she shouted. Prime was off to the side, shocked into silence. Behind the cream mare trying to scare me off, Lyra was still staring at me. She looked like she was afraid for her life...didn't she create me? Didn't she know that I wouldn't hurt someone like that? It was like she didn't even know me. Well, anyway, I couldn't just move to her. I needed to stay where I was and send out kindness from a stationary position.
I crossed my legs and scooted back a foot or so. Very slowly, to make sure they knew I wasn't trying to attack them, I opened my arms into my patented 'Hug?' pose. The three ponies grew very confused at this. They looked between each other, trying to see if the others had figured out what was going on. It didn't look like any had. I sighed and opened my arms wider.
"Thank you, Lyra," I said softly. The mint unicorn jumped a bit when I addressed her, but calmed slightly when she processed the words. She didn't look scared or sad anymore...just confused. I couldn't really blame her at this point. The large being that she thought was out for vengeance had just thanked her. Her lip trembling for a few moments before she managed to squeak out a response.
"W-what...?" she managed to ask. It was still...weird, hearing my mom's voice so scared and weak. Even in the hospital, her voice had been warm and comforting. Now it was just shaky and cold. That needed to be changed. I gave her a warm smile and explained further.
"Thanks. For making me. And giving me a really good life," I said simply. Bon Bon stared at me at disbelief. That look slowly changed into relief. That was something I could use a lot more of. If the pony that had stood in front of her friend had been relieved by my actions, then I must have been doing something right. Behind her, Lyra was just staring up at me. She didn't look scared, sad, or even confused anymore. Now it was a look of indecision. She was trying to choose something.
Bon Bon moved out of the way, giving Lyra a straight path to me. I just held my smile and posture. My calm state was thankfully spreading to my creator.
Technically, she was my mom. In voice and in actions.
It took her a few minutes to collect herself, but she very gradually got to her hooves and looked to me. She still looked uncertain, but I think I could tell that she had made up her mind. She looked to Bon Bon and Prime, who just nodded to her. Bonnie even gave her a reassuring smile.
Then Lyra took a step towards me. She halted, trying to gather the resolve to go through with it. Then she took another step.
Clop
Another step, another pause. With each step, her teal-ish hair bounced around her horn.
Clop
She was even closer, now. We were both looking into each other's eyes. Hers were a beautiful shade of gold. What was with ponies and having amazing eyes? I kept my face soft and soothing, and she retained that look of uncertainty. Just a little closer...
Clop
To the side, Bon Bon and Prime were started to grow worried for some reason. Were they still under the impression that I was going to attack her? I wasn't violent...why did they think I was? Had I done anything to warrant such concerns? I had to dispel those worries.
Clop
She was right in front of me, now. She looked like she wanted to move back, but something kept her rooted. I didn't like how she broke our shared gaze and looked to the ground, but she was here. Now I could go through with my master plan.
Very slowly, as to not scare her away, I wrapped my arms around her neck. When I first made contact with her soft mint-colored fur, I could feel her trembling. As the warmth from my deepening embrace entered her, the trembling stopped. Her body, which had been so tense up until this point, went lax. I completed the hug, my arms wrapped gently around her neck. My face tingled a bit from being so closely pressed into her minty fur. Huh. She smelled like spearmint. It was oddly relaxing...and familiar. It was the same smell I knew from every Christmas. My mom didn't care much for peppermint, so she went with spearmint.
This pony was my mom. One way or another, she had conceived me. Even if I had been born from her brain, I still felt...safe around her. I wanted to stop the fear she felt towards me. I couldn't stand to be the reason that Mo-...Lyra had been so terrified for so long. I just wanted...wanted to be her son again.
"I love you, Mom..." I whispered, my lips trembling. Even though I wanted to comfort her, I couldn't stop the tears that were forming in my eyes. My vision went blurry, against my wishes. Damn it, stop crying! This is about her, not me! Fuck...I didn't want to cry. Hadn't I already gotten over all of this? I was moving forward! This shouldn't bother me anymore...
...well, it had only been two days or so since I arrived...I don't think I could expect anybody to accept this kind of situation so quickly. Too many things had happened in such a small amount of time. I think the only reason I didn't cry more was because there was constantly something going on to take my mind off of everything. Now that I was in this room, I had time to reflect. A quiet moment to think...shit, this may have been a bad idea. I was finally starting to realize just how much this changed everything. I couldn't just wake up and go back to the way everything was...I couldn't just pass this whole thing off as a funny story. I was a magical anomaly. I hadn't existed before a couple days ago...what was going to happen? Even if I found a way to balance my body out, what then? Would I just try to settle down and find a place for myself? Would that be possible? I could probably use my position as a celebrity to make a living, but damn...this world was new to me. Scary. I had no idea what I was going to do. I didn't have any...
"Shhh..." I heard Mom's familiar voice softly whisper into my ear. I blinked awake from my dazing. Lyra was no longer looking up at me fearfully. Instead, she was cradling my head against her warm body. When did we change positions? I then noticed how wet my face was and how runny my nose had become. Oh...I had been sobbing into her for a good five minutes now. Her soft fur was stained with tears and snot. Shit, sorry about that...I didn't think I had been bottling up so many emotions.
The funny thing was...I didn't get dizzy at all. The entire time I had been hugging Lyra, my mind had stayed completely stable. Sure, I let it wonder off again, but the rift didn't happen. It was almost as if I was in tune with where I was supposed to be. This unicorn...she was my home. I was already where the rift wanted me. When I was with her, I didn't feel like I was going to go off at any moment. This was the single most comfortable I think I'd ever been. Eat your heart out, amazing couch.
A quick glance saw Bon Bon and Prime looking at the two of us. They both appeared to be a lot happier after witnessing my affections. Bon Bon even had some happy tears trickling down her face. What was she so emotional about? Prime looked more relieved than anything. I turned my attention back to the mare who was comforting me.
"Heh...sorry about that..." I tried to chuckle. It came out sounding more like a pained cough. I reached my hand up to wipe away the snot that I had left on her coat, but her hoof intercepted it. A blink in confusion was my only response to her actions. It was then that I noticed that she had also been crying, though a lot lighter than me. Just like Prime, her expression was one of relief. Lyra's was a lot more noticeable, however. She looked like the entire weight of the world had been lifted from her back.
"It's fine, Ryan...and...I'm sorry..." she said through a smile that struggled to stay on her face. I blinked in confusion. The one who was sorry was supposed to be me. What had she done that warranted-
Oh. She killed me. I guess I could accept her apology, then.
"It's okay, Lyra...but...why, though?" I asked vaguely. She knew exactly what I was referring to, judging by the look of pain that spread across her face. I felt like being upset again, but the lifting and falling of her chest drew my attention away from my sadness. She was just so soothing to be around. Lyra looked like she was going to speak, but was cut off by Prime.
"That whole situation was my fault and I claim full responsibility," he stated firmly. Bon Bon and Lyra turned to him with looks of shock on their faces. Wow, that dude was perceptive. He knew what we were talking about, even though we were being intentionally vague about it. So, wait...it was his fault? How did that work? And if it was...he just threw himself directly under the bus in order to protect Lyra.
"Uh...how so?" I managed to ask. He took a gulp and gathered himself for a few moments before continuing.
"I accidentally gave my brother the idea during an argument...I didn't mean for him to take it seriously. It was meant to be an idea that was so out there and stupid that it was insulting to even consider. Well, Time considered it...and decided that that kind of event would draw the kind of attention he wanted." Prime was shaking a bit, his guilt eating away at the energy in his legs. So, according to him, it really wasn't any of their fault. It was Time Warner's. And even then, it wasn't like he was purposely causing somebody physical harm. I had been fictional up until just recently. His decision to kill me off...it was the decision of a TV executive trying to boost viewership. It was basically any episode of any zombie show back on Earth.
Wow...so nobody was truly at fault for the whole situation. Sure, Time fucked up big afterwards, but it was all just a series of events that nobody could have seen coming. They didn't know I felt everything that happened. To them, it was just a story.
"We really didn't want to..." I heard another voice say right next to me. Turning my head in Lyra's grasp, I could see Bon Bon sitting down beside Lyra and me. She was still smiling, but it was a soft, sad smile. It only served to calm me down even further. Bon Bon's actions seemed so familiar...did she represent someone I knew on Earth as well? Her voice didn't sound like anybody I knew, but her protectiveness and strength...it almost seemed like...
...Emily. I couldn't tell for sure, but she felt way too familiar for it to be a coincidence. I only felt more at home with her sitting down next to us. In my head, a memory played of my family and I on our trip to Universal. The long-ass car ride, the awesome hotel room, the pool right outside the resort...the early morning line-free rides. I wanted so badly to be with everybody again. Just living our lives, always looking forward to the next fun thing we planned. Before I left the house, before everything went south...
"I don't even care," I stated, the fond memories still playing in my head. The three other ponies flinched in surprise. I bet they really weren't expecting me to say that. Again, did they know me at all? I was always horrible at holding grudges. Forgiveness for me was passed out like free samples at any chain grocery store. It was even free-er when I didn't feel that the people, or ponies in this case, had done anything worth apologizing for. "You gave me...an awesome life. I really couldn't have been happier..."
"I...I did?" Lyra stuttered. The words I had said to her ran through her head a few times, each pass earning a different facial expression. Um...what? Wasn't she my storyteller? How could she not know what kind of life she had given me? Around us, Bon Bon and Prime both adopted tense postures. What was going on with them?
"...what? Are you...you know, the one who told my story?" I inquired shakily. Something told me I was treading on some fresh wounds. Lyra just closed her eyes and sighed.
"I...I can't remember...pretty much anything about you," she admitted, "When you were made, the memories of you that I had were pulled out, too."
Pulled ou- huh? Whoa, that was possible? That's horrifying! But...now that she said it, I did remember Twilight saying something very similar to that during our first conversation. So I guess, in a weird way, it made a bit of sense. Twilight pulled out Lyra's memories of me and shoved them into a magical body. What was I, a sort of memory-based A.I.?
Man, it would have been cool if she had shoved me into a robot body...eh, no, that probably would have caused a panic attack and set me off. All in all, this was probably the best course of events that could have occurred. Except for Time Warner's bitch-attack. I could have gone the rest of my life without that.
Shit, zoning out again.
"So...what do you remember?" I asked her. She looked up at the crystalline ceiling, pondering her pending answer. The other two ponies looked liked they already knew what she was going to say; they had grim looks that didn't convey any sense of curiosity.
"I only remember..." Lyra began, "...the hospital."
Oh. The only memory she had about me was the single worst thing that had ever happened in my life. And she was the storyteller, so it was her doing. No fucking wonder she was so terrified! Here I was, this big, scary human. She knew that she had hurt me really badly, but didn't know what kind of person I was. For all she knew, I could have been a psychotic killer that wanted to avenge my death. Back when I questioned why it seemed like she didn't know me, I didn't expect her to actually not know me.
"So...you don't know me?" I asked softly. Lyra tensed up again, but it wasn't in fear. I couldn't tell for sure, but I think it was a cross between regret and sadness. From her body language, I could tell that she really wanted to remember who I was. She probably knew that I meant a lot to her, but she didn't remember why. That kind of missing personal information...it must be torture. I couldn't even imagine the kind of feeling that losing a part of you like that would bring...and I had died slowly!
"Um...no, I don't...I'm so sorry, Ryan..." Lyra lamented. This poor mare. She had been forced to kill an entity she saw as her own son, lost her memories of him, and then feared that that son would come back to kill her for what she thought she had done. I couldn't stand her constant torment any longer. It was Ryan-time.
"Well...would you like to?" was my response. The three ponies froze and stared at me. I just looked up at my mom with a look of glad love. I was glad to know that she hadn't killed me on purpose. I was glad that I could still be in contact with Mom in some way, even if she was a mint-green unicorn. Above all else, I was glad that we had managed to work out all of the tension out. I even felt my own weight lifting. This conversation...it was such a good idea.
Lyra couldn't fully process my question for a little while. When she finally ceased her stutters and babbling, she chose instead to let out a happy cry. It was pretty ear-splitting.
"YES! OF COURSE!" she squeaked into my ear. Immediately after, I felt her legs wrap securely around me. We had been hugging the whole time, but this was a super hug; the likes of which would make Sarah jealous. I returned the hug without another thought, again burying my face into her warm fur. The smell of spearmint filled my senses once more, lulling me closer to sleep. For a body that didn't really need to sleep, I was surprised how tired it was becoming.
Then, another set of legs wrapped around me. I was surprised when I looked up to see Bon Bon joined in on our snuggle session. She was looking at me proudly.
"It's good to have you back, Ryan," she told me. Uh, okay. I kept my confusion to myself and returned her smile.
"It's good to meet you for the first time," I responded. Bon Bon's smile grew and she squeezed me harder.
Ah, this was the good stuff. The two mares that had previous been afraid of me, now wrapped around me like two heated pillows. Now that I was closer, I could smell Bon Bon. Her scent was a strong mixture of sweet and rich. The closest thing I could match it to would have been fudge. The thought alone made my mouth water. I didn't need to eat, but fuck if I was going to pass up sweets. I just hope she would be willing to share...that is, if my nose was correct in my assessment.
As awesome as these cuddles were, they still felt...lacking. What were we missing? I had a Lyra, I had a Bon Bon...what could be-
Prime. Where the heck was that silly stallion? Looking around the bouncing mound of blue and pink that was Bonnie's mane, I could see Prime Warner smiling sadly at us. Why did he still look so guilty? Wait, did I ever tell him that I forgave him for the whole 'killing me' thing? I couldn't remember, but I don't think I did. He had been just sitting over there, beating himself up the whole time. He had been through way too much in the past day or so. As much as I missed my family, at least I didn't see them get dragged away to a prison cell that they might spend the rest of their lives in...the poor guy needed exactly what I could dish out in high supply:
Hugs.
"C'mon, Prime. You too," I called to him, waving him over with the one hand that wasn't pinned under a mint unicorn. He seemed surprised at the sudden attention, and that surprise became cautious confusion.
"B-but...what I did..." he stammered. I was quick to cut him off from that line of thinking.
"Pssh, you didn't do crap, man. Just because you accidentally gave your brother a bad idea doesn't mean you deserve to be hated or anything. Get your blue ass over here before I drag it over," I demanded kindly. He blinked a few times, sitting back on his haunches. His gaze settled on the wall behind us. He was obviously in deep thought. It didn't last long, though. He let out a relieved 'Huh' before standing up on shaky legs. After a moment's hesitation, he moved forward.
Clop
...Again with this slow walking bullshit. I could almost feel Lyra's eye-roll as she shared my mentality. Her horn lit up at the same time as a green aura formed behind Prime's rump. Very suddenly, the aura shot forward, taking Prime with it.
Clopclopclopclop!
Our pile was forcefully expanded in the form of Prime being dumped onto us. It might have hurt if not for Lyra's magic cushioning his landing. He fell helplessly into the snuggle pile, completely powerless to stop the love he was going to receive. I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him tightly against the three of us. Lyra and Bon Bon acted in a similar manner. Soon enough, he was stuck between the three of us. I could feel the tenseness he had just melting away.
It only took a minute or so for him to go completely lax. I wanted to ask him how he liked the cuddle pile, but he interrupted me quite rudely.
"Snnnnrrrt..." he snored out loud. Holy crap, he fell asleep. Within a minute. How much sleep had this guy missed over all of this? Damn, I couldn't wake him up now. He probably needed this sleep. The two mares next to me nodded. Without another word, we all agreed to let him sleep for now. This whole situation just reinforced a previous belief of mine:
Hugs are awesome.
Yawn