That...was a weird-ass dream. I mean, yeah, I had been hoping for dreams about my loved ones and home...but not like that. Instead of hanging out with my family inside my head, seemingly the only place they actually existed anymore, I was just floating around aimlessly. I couldn't even think for myself. All I could do was feel...and I wish I couldn't.
I could feel my mom, my dad, and Emily. I don't know how; I couldn't see or hear them. All I knew is that they were sad...aimlessly sad, like they didn't even know what to be sad about. I could feel a strong sense of confused hopelessness emanating from each of them like a dense, dark fog. It was the worst feeling I had ever experienced in my life. It was even worse than the pain I went through back in the hospital; at least with that, the pain I was experiencing was mine and mine alone. I didn't have to feel the combined sadness of my family as they reacted to losing me. I could see how sad they were, true, but I didn't actually feel what they were feeling.
I was once again stuck in my head, powerless to stop what was happening.
I only felt that sadness for a minute or two before it got even worse. The feeling of confusion faded away suddenly. It felt like they went from not knowing what was wrong to being painfully aware in an instant. It was, frankly, overwhelming. They were crying at that point, the emotional weight of whatever was happening joining together and washing over me. I think I remember wanting to cry along with them, but I hadn't been self-aware at the time. It was possible that it was just their thoughts, being mistaken for my own.
Looking back, I should have been pissed beyond all reason. I get a dream that isn't being controlled by Sarah, and I was stuck floating in the sky like an emotion-filled cloud. Dreaming had been my only chance at seeing my family again...short of returning to the head of my storyteller. As much as I didn't want to be mad at Lyra for what had happened...I still didn't really trust her with owning the thoughts that made me who I am. If I went 'back' to her, then how would I be able to defend myself? If she was pressured to do something to me again, how would I stop her?
I wouldn't be able to. She, and by extension her bosses, would have complete control over me.
The feeling of unity floated into my cloud-self at that point. I was...I'm not sure how to put it, but I was something close to 'conforming.' I still felt the sadness and the misery. So, why did I start feeling okay with that? I should have been trying to tear myself apart to escape the sadness...but instead, I was content.
The whole idea just disturbed the hell out of me...as soon as I woke up, anyway.
And let me just say right now?- Waking up after that kind of dream was not made any better by having a sobbing Sarah hopping onto me. I would have normally loved her glomps, but...her back hoof...
...it landed on my balls.
My reaction was to be expected, given that a hoof with a metal shoe-thingy had planted itself squarely on my nuts, with a good chunk of Sarah's weight resting on it.
"Holy shit! What the fuck are you-?!" I yelped, my voice noticeably higher than it was supposed to be. In my frantic scrambling to find a way to save my nads, I didn't even get to finish asking why she was trying to remove any possibility of children. I just started pushing and shoving, desperate to find a way to get her off of me. The sudden look of shock and fear that flashed across her pretty blue face almost made me stop struggling to get away.
Almost.
It took another second or two for me to squirm out from underneath her armored cock stomper. I slid a few feet away, tending to my aching loins while they tried their damnedest to crawl up my esophagus. If you've never had your nuts pinched between two hard surfaces, then you're lucky. That shit fucking hurts. Being a guy, it pretty much consumed the whole of my attention.
I wanted to puke. I almost did puke. I'm pretty sure I would have puked if I had a normal organic body. As I was, only a little bit of purple glitter came out when I started coughing. It tasted like purple. I clenched my eyes tightly, trying to focus on getting over the pain that was coursing through my entire lower half. My stomach hurt. Why did my stomach hurt? Ugh, this sucks.
When I managed to swallow my balls back down my throat, I glanced up to where I had seen Sarah. To my surprise, she wasn't alone. Twilight and the rest of my friends were all standing behind her, with Prime Warner and Bon Bon bringing up the rear. All the ponies except for Twi and Sarah looked extremely winded, especially Prime and Bonnie. Had they just been running around? Lyra was on the floor right next to where I had been laying when Sarah pounced. She was in the process of standing up, but kept her eyes on me the entire time.. What had happened to our awesome cuddle pile?
The looks they gave me were what worried me, however. Twilight and her group were all pale-faced as they stared. Lyra looked like she had just seen a ghost; she was barely even mint-green anymore. She honestly looked afraid for her life. And Sarah...
...Sarah looked like her whole world had just crumbled to pieces in front of her. She had tears streaming down her face, snot leaking out of her muzzle, and her mane had lost much of its waviness. She was visibly trembling as she slowly lifted one of her hooves to her mouth in apparent horror.
"N-no..." she whispered in shock. What? Had I done something wrong? All I could think of was that she realized that she might have just killed any grandchildren she might have had. Could I even have kids with her? Would I? And-
What the hell is with all this purple smoke?
"His m-memories...they're...he's..." Sarah stuttered. The rest of ponies were starting to leak from their faces as well. Really? Again with the crying? Did they think something happened to me? Had something happened to me?
Hmm...nope, I felt fine. If I was fine, and they thought I wasn't, then that just meant that it was time for some good ol' damage control, Burbank style. Take it away, contextually inappropriate humor!
"What's with the purple haze? Were you guys getting Hendrixed or something?" I tried to laugh with my higher-pitched voice, but it ended up just coughing some more. Dang, that shit still hurt. The coughing startled all of them, but the words I had said prior to the coughing were what really caught their attention. Sarah stopped her crying for a moment, sniffing some snot back into her nose before giving me a hopeful glance. The rest of the ponies were looking just as hopeful as she was. Was...was my joke working? I couldn't tell yet.
"Ryan...? Do you...do you know who I am...?" she managed to ask me. I just lifted an eyebrow at her. What the shit was that question about? Of course I knew who she was. Before I could stop myself, my sarcastic side decided to respond.
"Nooooo, who are you, again?" I deadpanned. In hindsight, I'm still a fucking idiot sometimes. Sarah's reaction was instantaneous.
"BWAAAAAAAAA-" she started to bawl at me in her super-voice. Holy shit! I yelped in pain and, without a second thought, I rushed forward and clamped my hands around her muzzle, snapping her mouth shut and effectively silencing her. Even with the improvised gag, she still attempted to scream herself hoarse. The sound just reverberated around inside her snout, causing a weird humming feeling to transfer into me.
"Sarah! What the hell?!" I shouted to her, my ears ringing powerfully. That damn shout of hers was going to permanently deafen me one of these days. "...mawp..."
"...Mm-mmf...?" I heard her try to say. I couldn't tell for sure, but it sounded like she was trying to say 'Ryan.' I watched her for another moment, making sure that she wouldn't shout me into a coma. Once I was sure enough that it was safe, I released my hand from around her mouth and moved back a little to allow her to speak. I had to stealthily wipe her mucus from my hand, as to not embarrass her further.
"You said my name! You know my name!" she said breathlessly, through trembling lips. I didn't know what to make of all that.
"Yeah? Why wouldn't I?" I inquired, sitting up a little more. Lyra was looking between us, seeming just as confused. Twilight's friends were all ears, but Twilight herself just looked frightened.
"Ryan...when Twilight broke the link...I thought...your memories of me...I..." Sarah tried to explain, but her recollection of what she had seen seemed to drag her back down into her panic. I moved forward again and wrapped my arms around her blue, furry body as a way to let her know that I was okay and she could relax. Her trembling quickly muted as my body heat leaked into her.
"I wouldn't normally say this, but just spit it out, Sarah," I teased. Sarah nodded at me once. I wondered when she would get it.
Uno...
Dos...
Tres!
"RYAN! THAT'S GROSS!" she scolded. There it was. I just giggled to her, pressing her body tighter against mine. The affection I showed her quickly calmed the Princess down. Oh, I could tell she wanted to be mad at the random dirty joke, but the ...hugs? were too much for her. The power of hugs compels her! Instead of arguing back, she just gave a pouty little 'Hmpf' before snuggling into my chest and gathering her words.
The other ponies had...interesting reactions to my sexual humor. Bon Bon just smacked her face with her hoof in exasperation, while Prime grinned like a child. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie pretended not to hear what I had said and maintained an air of innocence. On second thought, with Fluttershy, it might not be an air. She really might not have gotten my joke. Applejack scrunched her face up again, a strong blush building across her face. That seemed familiar. Rainbow Dash had opened her wings for some reason, but she still had the same kind of blush that AJ had. Can't hide your fluster from me, Dashie! Rarity was blushing cutely, her hoof fanning her face like she had overheated. Twilight...
...Twilight was fucking drooling.
...
Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to talk to her about that. That's just weird. Oh, Sarah was going to try speaking again. Good luck, Bear! Rooting for you.
"We're not sure how, but you started to drift back into your storyteller. When Twilight and I found you, you...you were almost gone..." she started. The ponies in the room except for Twilight gasped. I noticed a nervous look appearing on Lyra's face as she tried scooting away from the rest of us.
...Well, okay then.
Almost died again. No problem. Add it to the fucking list.
"W-what happened this time...?" I asked weakly. Sure, I was almost getting used to the constant shit happening, but it still scared the hell out of me. Not just for my sake; I was right in the castle with the rest of my friends when it almost happened. Again, I had accidentally endangered my friends. Twilight picked that moment to speak up.
"I think you got caught up in Lyra's leaksleeping, since you were so close. The link must have pulled you along..." the purple alicorn added. At the mention of my mom's name, the rest of the ponies turned to look at her.
"Her what?" they all, except for Bon Bon, said at the same time. Bonnie looked nervously aware of what was being talked about.
"My what?" Lyra responded, though quietly and in a raspy voice. Twilight seemed to notice that she probably shouldn't have said anything around the ponies that still weren't aware of the precise nature of Lyra’s relationship to me. Lyra tried to back away farther, but Applejack stepped forward to her and closed the distance.
"Twi said that Ry got caught in his 'teller's dream. Then she said that his link was to you. Just who in tarnation are ya, Lyra?" the orange mare demanded. Mom visibly shivered and tried backing away from the pony interrogating her. Applejack just marched forward when she lost any ground. My family-protection instinct triggered and I broke away from Sarah, much to her surprise. I rushed over to where the nascent confrontation was happening and stood in front of Lyra. Applejack just blinked in surprise and looked up at me.
"Applejack. Stop. She's fine," I told her, trying to get her to back off. Something about the way I said that must have sent a mixed signal to AJ, since she suddenly grew a very suspicious look and tilted her head.
"You know something we don't, don't ya, sugarcube?" she prodded. Ugh, the honesty-thing again. Well, I think I knew a way to counter that, even if countering wasn't the proper answer. Should I tell them?
"Yep," I responded simply. The surrounding ponies all watched me expectantly, waiting for me to continue. When it became obvious to them that I was done talking, they all let out a collective sigh...except for Pinkie. She squeaked like a deflating balloon for some reason.
The hell?
"What?" I asked, looking around at my friends. They just looked down at the ground, avoiding my gaze. Even Pinkie...
Why, Pinkie? I had trusted her to stay happy, even through the stuff that happened...why was she doing this? Applejack looked back up at me, her stare piercing into my own.
"Ry, this is serious. We need ta know if somethin' might set ya off. Please, sugarcube...what happened?" she pleaded with me. Oh, dang. I could deflect Pushy-AJ, but I was much weaker against Beggy-AJ...
"Do you not trust us?" Applejack added. Hell no, not letting her think that. That did it. I know she was using it as a way to pump me for info, but I couldn't let a statement like that stand. She knew as well as I did that I trusted the hell out of all of them.
"...Of course I do, AJ..." I said softly. Her gaze softened and a small smile starting to form on her face. Fuck it. I couldn't say no to that face. "Okay, fine, fine. But...you have to promise not to be mad. I mean it."
Applejack nodded, along with the rest of her friends. Sarah, Twilight, Prime and Bonnie looked around nervously, afraid of what might happen. Lyra appeared horrified that I was about to tell them. Sorry, Mom, but this has to happen. It was better that they learn from me than find out on their own, anyway. Applejack flicked her hoof, prompting me to go on. I took a deep breath before speaking.
"Lyra...she's the creator of OtherWorld," I said clearly, not wanting them to misunderstand me. It took a moment for what I said to sink in, but the gasps that rang out let me know that they got it. I think Lyra was about to attempt to book it out of the castle, so I moved over to her and wrapped my arms around her minty little body. She tried squirming a little until she realized that it was just me and that she was safer in my arms than anywhere else at the moment. Sarah didn't like this one bit, but she didn't say anything. Proud of you, Bear.
"Buh...buwwat...that..." I heard Rarity stutter from behind AJ, who was frozen solid. Applejack.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close; we are sorry for the inconvenience. Would you like to send an error report? No. Those error reports don't do shit.
"Yeah. So, she's my creator and stuff. And also kind of my mom," I said, squeezing Lyra's body a little to prompt her to make a noise. Her plush little body squished softly under my fingertips as I found a place to tickle her.
Squeak
"Hey!" she whined at me, seemingly forgetting that she was supposed to be keeping quiet. Her voice traveled through the ears of every other pony in the room, triggering memories of the last episode of OtherWorld they had seen. It was my mom's voice...so sweet and kind.
Twilight had something to be surprised about again. Sarah, Bonnie and I were the only ones who knew about the source of my mom's voice. The other ponies, however, were standing there and questioning their sanity. A pony they had been living right next to for all those years...she had been the source of their joy, their excitement...their misery. She had been the birth of me, but also the death of me. From the looks slowly appearing on their faces, I got the feeling that they were only focusing on the 'death of me' thing.
"You...you killed him..." I heard Rainbow growl. She had moved forward quickly, joining Applejack in her spot in front of me. They were both giving Lyra hostile glares, which prompted me to stand up all the way, my mom in my arms. I would not let them hurt her. No matter what she did to me, she was still my mother. Lyra gave a scared squeak and buried her face in my chest, trying to block out everything that was happening. Bon Bon was the next to move; she hopped between the two potential aggressors and I, cutting us off from each other.
"No, she didn't! It was Time Warner that made her do it!" Bon Bon shouted towards Dash and AJ, also causing Prime to flinch guiltily. They blinked and took a few steps back, but quickly regained their ground. This was getting way too tense...the urge to cover my ears and hide was starting to make itself known again. I could cheer up sad friends...but mad friends were a different story. If my jokes couldn't do anything to deflect their rage, then I was pretty much useless.
"Hey, what was th-" I tried to make a joke, but more shouting cut me off.
"She didn't have to! She could have just refused!"
"Then they would have killed him and his family!"
"They can't control her head! She coulda refused both!"
"Guys, hey, I-"
"We would have lost the show!"
"We?! So you were in on it, too?!"
I felt Lyra squeeze herself even tighter to me, her weak whimpers sending vibrations into my chest. I held her even tighter, this time to comfort myself. Around us, the ponies who weren't arguing were looking on in silence, their faces grim masks. Pinkie Pie was looking...a lot more gray than she was supposed to. That was the most forlorn look I've ever seen on her.
It didn't suit her. Not at all.
This...
This was too much. I didn't want to be here. I just wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere that didn’t have people yelling at someone else over something I wasn't even mad about. Why did they keep pushing it? I clung to my mom, her spearmint scent filling my senses. Her familiar smell did a good deal to calm me down...but I still wanted to leave. I thought back to the moments I had so far that were calm.
There weren't many.
Hm...well, that walk to Rarity's shop was pretty nice. It wasn't peaceful, since I had a crowd of fans following after me and asking me to sign their merchandise, but it still made me happy. All of those ponies were so happy to see me and talk to me...I just wanted more of that. I wanted to be back on that dirt trail, talking to ponies and making them happy.
I didn't notice the purple tingling that was covering me and Lyra. I just closed my eyes tightly, images of the walk to Rarity's place filling my head. Lyra was starting to squirm around for some reason, but I held on tightly to her wiggly, warm body.
The trail.
The road to Rarity's.
Calm.
Nice.
I was muted to any senses outside of the vision in my head. Lyra was freaking out about something, but I held tightly. I needed her warmth; she was the only thing keeping me from running out of the room. She also needed me; I was the only thing protecting her, besides for Bonnie. Bon Bon...she was a good friend. As good a friend as Emily was a sister.
Emily...I missed her.
I-
"RYAN!" I heard Sarah's muffled voice call to me, before-
FLASH
****
FLASH
The ponies in the crystal room were temporarily blinded by a bright purple flash that lit the room like a little mini-sun. Fluttershy shrieked in surprise and could be heard fluttered around like a blind, scared little bird. Pinkie Pie started bouncing around the room, as if suddenly supercharged with more energy than she knew what to do with. Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity were left rubbing their eyes, trying to get over the large purple splotch that filled their vision. Bon Bon and Prime had been facing the other way at the time, so they were left confused at the suddenly vacancy of the spot behind them.
Twilight and Princess Luna, on the other hand, didn't need to recover from the flash. They were used to that kind of light. They knew exactly what kind of magical activity caused it. It was that knowledge that had floored them and reduced them to statues very similar to the kind that a certain pesky draconequus had been. They both couldn't believe it.
Ryan had just teleported.
But how?
Teleportation took years to learn, even by very skilled unicorns. How did a human made of Twilight's magic...
"Oh..." mumbled Twilight under her breath. So, it almost made sense. Ryan was literally made of Twilight's magic, so it should have come as no surprise that teleportation would have been familiar to him.
So, the only problem now was his habit of almost exploding, especially when he used magic. Teleportation was not a light spell, either. It required a great deal of effort and mental preparation to achieve, and usually knocked out unicorns attempting it for the first time. Ryan had been knocked around while attempting basic levitation magic. Such an advanced spell, the focus required...surely, Ryan had destabilized.
Twilight took a deep breath and waited. She was waiting; waiting to die, waiting for the great light to envelope her and end her life and the lives of her friends. She almost wanted to cry. As an alicorn, she had been assuming that she would live for way too long, but this was too soon. She did her best not to think about her pending immortality, but she also pushed the thoughts of dying out of her mind as well. Now that it was staring right at her, she didn't know what to think; didn't know what to expect.
Would it hurt? Would she know it was happening? All of her senses firing at once, then cutting to sudden black...
But it never came. She blinked awake just as her friends regained their visions.
"RYAN! NOOOOO!" Fluttershy squealed as she galloped over to the large scorch mark on the crystal floor. She searched around frantically through the lingering purple smoke, desperate to find any sign of her loving human friend. To her profound dismay, she could find nothing. Tears were already starting to spill over as she assumed the worst. "He's...he's...HE'S GONE!"
Rarity joined the search next to her panicking friend, her large blue eyes darting around. The search results were the same, not surprising the two Princesses watching the commotion. When the white fashionista couldn't find any trace of Ryan's continued existence, she joined Fluttershy in her bawling.
That was it.
Ryan was dead. He had exploded. The arguing had set him off and he exploded, taking poor Lyra along with him. The only trace left behind was a black mark, which they assumed was composed of the poor souls' burnt leftovers. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were looking at the remains in horror.
"W-we...we did...that was us..." Dash said through trembling lips. She couldn't believe it. She had killed Ryan. Her and Applejack...their arguing...it had set him off. The only thing she wanted to do was get Ryan away from the mare who had killed him to begin with, and now...
She was no better than Lyra. She killed her friend. He never even got to see her wear panties...
The thought of their future plans, no matter how unpleasant they would have been for her, brought tears to Dash's eyes. On trembling legs, she walked over and joined Fluttershy and Rarity in their sob session. Rainbow was normally not the mare you would see crying, but she had her moments when it was necessary. Applejack cried even less.
But even now, the orange cowpony was tempted. In her search of the honest answer, she had stressed Ryan to the point of destabilizing and blowing up. She couldn't even find peace in knowing that he would just return to his storyteller when he went; Lyra was reduced to magical ash along with him. He had nowhere to return to. He was gone. Dead and gone. Another loved one in her life, never to be seen again.
And this time, it was her fault.
She couldn't handle it. She scuffed her hooves as she slunk over to the pile of bawling mares and joined right in. Twilight only then became aware of Pinkie's legs sticking out of the pile and Prime Warner wrapping himself around his crying friends; they were sobbing right along. The purple alicorn's patience was quickly running low. What about Bon Bon? Would she complete the huddle?
Nope, Bon Bon was looking at the pile with a look that fit how Twilight felt very well. At the same time, Twilight, Luna and Bon Bon facehoofed. This was just getting stupid, now.
"Girls," she stated sternly, trying to get their attention.
"BAAAAAWWWW~" was the unanimous response she received. Another day, another facehoof.
"Girls, seriously, he's-"
"BAAAAAWWWWWWWWW~" cut her off again. Now, she was getting mad.
"HE'S F-"
"BBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW~"
"PIE IS EXACTLY THREE!" Twilight shouted in her newly-developing Royal Canterlot voice. The ponies all stopped their crying and gasped loudly. How could Twilight say such a thing to them?
"Am not!" Pinkie's muffled voice came from inside the pile. Twilight took a second to catch her breathe and accept the appreciative look that Princess Luna was giving her. She was learning from the best, after all.
"Girls-" Twilight started.
"Hey!" Twilight heard Prime call out, his voice equally muffled. She sighed and continued.
"-and stallion...Ryan's fine. I think...well, he didn't just blow up, at least," she tried to explain to the shivering group of sad ponies. Her response was the waving of a bunch of trembling, multi-colored forelegs as they pointed towards the burned area of the crystal floor.
"B-but...the mark!" Dash's voice lamented from somewhere Twilight couldn't see.
"That’s just the residue left behind after a high-energy teleport. Come on, gir-uh...guys, you've seen me teleport how many times, now? You should know what magical residue looks like when you see it," she explained to the mound of baww. The looks of realization spread across the faces of the ponies in the pile. Twilight sighed in relief when she saw this.
Finally.
"But...if he's not gone...then where...?" Rarity's voice peeped up. She sounded much clearer, but that was mostly because the only part of her visible was her head; the rest of her was tucked securely inside the pile. This confounded Twilight for a moment. What comfort would shoving her backside into a pile of cuddling ponies provide? She decided not to think about it.
"I don't know. But...with how much magic he used to teleport...I'm worried..." Twilight said grimly. Her friends quickly understood where she was coming from, and realized what they needed to be doing. Twilight looked up at the larger alicorn next to her. Princess Luna had been awfully...quiet during the whole ordeal. She had yelled Ryan's name right before he had teleported, but didn't freak out once he was gone. Did she know something that Twilight didn't? "Princess Luna...do you think Ryan's okay?"
"Yes, he should be okay...for now. I haven't sensed any major disturbances in the magical field, so he hasn't exploded. That doesn't mean we don't have to find him, though...his link may be gone, but an extreme event like this could still destabilize him," Luna explained, her voice giving hint to some concern. She was being outwardly strong, but Twilight could still sense the worry flowing from her.
They needed to find Ryan. He was still potentially explosive, even if the link had been removed.
The pile of baww broke down as quickly as it could, the individual ponies having to work together to unwind their bodies. Applejack was the first to become completely free. She marched her orange booty up to the only three ponies to not participate in the pile and scuffed her hoof nervously in front of them.
"Uhm...Ahm right sorry 'bout that, sugarcube...Ah didn't mean ta blow things so outta the water, Ah jus' got...well, ya know..." she said to Bon Bon. The cream mare blinked in surprise, the annoyed expression she had been wearing sliding away. She was still mad, but at least Applejack realized that she had done wrong. Bonnie sighed and fought against the urge to fight some more.
"It's okay, AJ...I was just protecting Lyra. I think you were doing the same thing that I was, just for Ryan," she said calmly. Applejack forced a weak smile and nodded in appreciation. It wasn't every day she got into a fight, and it was even less often that the pony she fought with forgave her so easily. She was already trying to decide on what apple-based goodies to give to Bonnie. Just then, a small, scaled arm wrapped around her leg.
"Oh my Celestia, Applejack...you're crazy, dude," Spike said before sniggering to himself. Twilight, Applejack and Luna stared at the chuckling young dragon. His eyes were half lidded and bloodshot. Twilight's maternal instinct to punish him flushed over her, while Applejack got the sudden urge to buck him into the nearest tree.
"Spike...what are you doing?" Twilight asked, her tone carrying the promise of certain doom if he answer that question incorrectly. The drake blinked lazily up at her, sighing and expelling some of the remaining purple smoke that he had been holding in his lungs. The ponies around him stared at his display in surprised horror.
"I didn't know you guys were into Hendrix, too~" he half-sang. Twilight's eye twitched at the same time as one corner of her mouth twitched up involuntarily, a giggle barely kept chained. Spike didn't know it, yet, but he was dead. Twilight was going to end his face. He looked around stupidly, expressing a question that all the ponies in the room had already been wondering.
"Hey, where's that Ryan dude?"
****
FLASH
In an instant, I was pulled from my trance by a strong force sucking me into a world of colors and movement. I didn't know what was happening. All I could see were shapes and streams. I thought I was being pulled through a tunnel of some kind, but that might have just been the rapid movement playing tricks on my eyes. My throat made raspy noises as I attempted to scream.
No sound came out. Or, if it did, the sound of the colors moving around me drowned it out. In my arms, Lyra was no longer trying to escape. She had firmly latched herself to my body. I was thankful she had done so, because I was sure I would have accidentally dropped her if she hadn't held onto me first. We were moving that fast.
Then, as suddenly as I was pulled in, I was rudely spat out again. My ass hit the hard ground, sending both Lyra and me tumbling to the side. I held onto her, making sure not to roll on top of her as the momentum spent itself. After five or so rolls, I had slowed enough to stop on my back, looking up into the evening sky.
The stars were already visible at this time. They twinkled warmly at me, immediately filling me with a sense of familiarity. This scene felt so oddly close to my heart...
This is the same way my first date with Sarah had went. Looking up at the stars, all night long, just talking about whatever came to our minds. She had asked me a shit-load of questions about stuff she should have known already, but I guess that made sense now that I knew who she really was. She really didn't know anything about that stuff. I had been her link to that world, as well as her translator.
A groan under my chin brought me back to the real world.
Real world...I guess this really was it.
"You okay...?" I coughed, noticing that the air was much drier than it had been only moments before. Around us, particles of dirt and dust floated down and settled. So, we were outside now.
How in the fuck? What the hell happened?
"Y-yeah..." I heard Lyra respond softly. She attempted to move, but my arms were still locking her in place. I quickly loosened my grip on her so that she could reclaim her freedom. Lyra quickly slid off, standing up onto her shaky hooves. I watched her as she dusted herself off. She was still very, very shaken from the previous situation. Her minty cheeks had dried tear trails running down them, and her eyes were still bloodshot. It was a tragic sight, seeing Mom like this.
"What...what just...?" I attempted to ask. Lyra blinked and looked down at me, a look a contemplation reaching her. She must have been just as confused about the whole thing as I was. Maybe not, though, because she spoke a few moments later.
"I think you teleported," she explained simply. I blinked.
Uh...
Did I hear that right?
I think I did...
Holy. Shit. Balls.
"I...I did...?" I choked. Lyra shivered for some reason and nodded, no longer looking at me. Following her lead, I looked around. We were now on the exact same dirt road that I had been imagining in my head when the tunnel had pulled me in. This was the place...where I wanted to escape to. I thought it so hard, and now here we were. I guess I had accidentally pulled Lyra along for the ride, but it was probably for the best. She wouldn't have been safe in that room without me.
So...I could teleport. That was a thing. I had been wondering if that was going to be a thing, but I guess my answer was clear, now.
"That's...so...awesome..." I groaned as I pushed myself up onto my elbows. Looking around further, I noticed that there were no other ponies on the road with us. Judging from the position of the sun, I was guessing that it was getting pretty close to sundown. What, did these ponies not have any kind of night life?
Hmm...no, they did. Vinyl was proof of that.
Pony weed. I would have to talk to her about getting hooked up with some of that.
"Why did you send us here?" I heard my mom's voice ask me, breaking me out of my leaf-lust. I responded with a shrug and a bored tone of voice.
"I was walking around here this morning. This was probably the calmest memory I have so far of this place...so when they started arguing, I don't know...I just imagined being here, instead," I explained to her. Lyra took a few moments to process my words, nodding her head the whole time. "Sorry for taking you along."
"No, no...I, um...thank you..." she said, so softly that it was barely audible. I wanted to respond, but I was cut off by a sharp gasp from behind me. Turning my head, I could see a young mare, staring at me with stars in her eyes. Oh, good, a fan.
"Ryan!" she exclaimed. Okay, yeah, time to go. Lyra and I were talking; we didn't need my...our fans swarming us. The lights from the surrounding houses started to flick on, giving me a sense of panicked dread. I stood up to my full height, noticing for the first time that I wasn't even dizzy. Speaking of which...
"I didn't destabilize..." I whispered to myself. A feeling of euphoria flooded through me, sending tingles from my toes to my fingertips. Lyra was giving me a strange look, but I didn't care.
I didn't almost blow up!
I didn't even feel dizzy!
I could teleport!
I...
I-
"I love you," I told Lyra suddenly. The minty mare just shivered at my sudden forwardness and backed up a little bit. Around us, ponies were beginning to gather around, their bits of unsigned merchandise secured adorably in their mouths. Oops, we were taking too much time standing here.
"Oh...mkay..." she mumbled, scuffing her hoof on the ground. Her flustered look was adorable, even with her being my mom and all. I just rolled my eyes. With a swift motion, I swung down and scooped her up into my arms, eliciting another surprised squeak from the squeaky pony.
"Eep!"
"Do you know somewhere we can go? It's getting a bit...uh...'crowdy' around here," I asked the unicorn shaking against my chest. Her fearful front disappeared quickly as my body heated her. Lyra, despite her reservations, quickly chose to snuggle up against me just as she had done in the castle.
"Uhm...Bon Bon and I share a house, but Time Warner blew a hole...hmm, actually, the repairs should be done by now," she rambled more to herself than to me. I tried to listen, but the ever-growing crowd had begun chanting my name.
"Ryan!"
"We love you, Ryan!"
"...Hugs?"
"What's your secret fetish? I'm playing a game with my friend and neither of us know!"
That last one made me choke a little. Oh, yeah, there was more than one copy of that card game. Ponies everywhere had that kind of access to my personal shit...
Fuck.
"Burn that card!" I shouted as I suddenly took off running, jumping as lightly as I could over the crowd in front of me. The last time I jumped like I normally would, I went a mile into the air. Maybe a mile, I don't remember. But I didn't want to go that high with a scared pony-mom in my arms.
I did the right thing for once.
The mini-jump did indeed send me much higher than I could ever jump back on Earth. I cleared the tallest pony's head by a good five feet or so, and landed safely on the other side of the crowd. Before they could realize what happened, I took off running at a good speed. I wasn't going as fast as I could, but it more than enough to lose the pile of fans.
"Where to?" I asked down to the trembling mare clinging to me. She looked scared for her life again, but I was there for her to hug. The way she calmed down felt so familiar...
Lyra was just as huggy as I was. My whole family was super-affectionate, and I now knew why. Lyra made us in her image, so of course she would glorify her favored form of love.
That...was kind of cute, honestly. As creepy as it was that Lyra pretty much did a self-insert of herself into my mom's role, and made me like the same things she did, I was still happy about it. I loved hugs. Hugs are the best. If a pony made me love hugs, then I should reward her with just that:
More hugs.
And so I did. As I ran like a bat outta hell, my arms secured her into place against me. She returned the affection, though I feel she was using me more as a seat-belt. That was okay with me; as long as she was safe.
"J-just keeping going forward until you see an-AH! You passed it!" she squeaked, squirming a bit in my arms as she attempting to point her leg in the right direction. I skidded to a halt and went back the way I came. This time, I chose to walk. I was waaay out of danger of being caught by that fan swarm again, so there was really no reason to run. Plus, I know that if I did start sprinting, I would just keep passing the house over and over in a comedic fashion. No comedy for old Ryan, nope...
...Okay, I was tempted to do it just to be silly. But I didn't. Yay, me?
"Right there, the one with the leftover caution tape," Lyra told me with a blush reaching her cheeks. Maybe she was embarrassed about having her house fixed? I didn't think there was anything to be embarrassed about, you can't predict or avoid having crazy stallions wrecking your house.
"So...you said Time did this. What happened?" I asked as I approached the pretty little cottage that Lyra and Bon Bon apparently lived in together. Were they roommates? Family?
...Lovers? Huh. Fluffy midget horse lesbians. Cute.
"Oh, uh...yeah, Time Warner happened. Flew through one wall and out the other." My breath caught in my throat at her words.
Time Warner.
Flying.
Crashing through her house.
"Oooh...th-that was me...heh...sorry 'bout that..." I admitted, rubbing my arm sheepishly. I hope she wouldn't hate me for forcing an early renovation. How much did she spend on repairs? Shit, that makes two houses I fucked up with that belch...
What surprised me what the lack of Ryan-hating going on. In its place, Lyra responded by giving a weak giggle. I looked down at her in confusion, my expression asking her what my words failed to.
"I know, Ryan. I heard what happened when Bon Bon was telling Princess Celestia what happened at the castle," she explained to me. I let out a lungful of air that I hadn't realized I had been holding.
Whew. Mom doesn't hate me. Yay.
"Here we are. Um...Ta-dah?" she chuckled as we approached the little cottage door. It only reached up to about my chest, so I would definitely need to crouch to enter. I was just glad that the ceiling looked high enough for me. It was strange that the door was so low, but the ceiling so high.
"It's adorable," I told her. She smiled a little wider and used her minty magic to open the door. Once the wooden door had swung open enough, she gestured for me to enter. I grinned and stood my ground, using my arm to point her to the open entrance.
"Ladies first, ma'am," I said softly, a warm smile on my face. Lyra blinked in surprise, staring up at me with a strange look on her face. With a lifted eyebrow and a mirthful smirk, she followed my lead and entered her home. I was proud of myself for showing my mom some sort of respect.
I just hope she didn't think I was hitting on her or some shit...for some stupid reason, my mind starting playing some of the dirty things Sarah had said to me during our time together, but in Lyra's familiar voice.
Shiver
I stepped inside after her and closed the door slowly. I had to be much more careful with my magic...I didn't feel the throbbing after I teleported, but I still couldn't trust myself. If I shut the door as hard as I was used to, who knows what might happen. Maybe the door would fly off and kill Lyra in the face. Maybe the house would implode and send us both to another dimension. Of course, I could just spontaneously combust and kill us both. Like I said, who knows?
"So...ignore the wood shavings and the stain, if you don't mind. It's been a bit of a day..." Lyra sighed as she collapsed onto a cushion. I looked around at the state of the room. It was mostly clean now, but I could tell some serious shit had gone down earlier. A table was off to the side with a giant crack in it, and there were only three chairs to its four-chair capacity. Did she have another chair? The fragments of wood that littered the ground and matched the color of the chairs told me that she had another chair.
Had something happened before Time crashed through the walls? I wanted to ask her, but I felt it might have been best to give her some time to cool off. She had been through enough for one day. Still, a lot of progress was made in only a few hours. She was no longer afraid of me, we understood our problem a bit more, and we could work towards a solution. The main problem now was getting my friends and Sarah not to hate her.
As a way to help cool her down, I walked over to where she had collapsed and sat down next to her. She blinked an eye open sleepily, watching my every move. Instead of the fear and panic I had seen in her large golden eyes from before, now the sight of me seemed to relax her. She even smiled a little bit. The sight of her happiness caused a sense of relief and joy to surge down my spine.
"Hey, Ryan..." she said softly up to me. I let the heavenly voice of my mother float through my head, taking me back to a time not too long ago when I thought it belonged to a human like me.
Aww, I made myself sad...
Lyra noticed my sudden change in mood and picked her head up, watching me with her golden plates. A look of concern touched her facial features, but barely noticed it. I had been looking down at my hands, think about just how strange everything had turned out to be.
I was the only real human. Or...was I?
"Are there more?" I asked suddenly. Lyra flinched, but kept her eyes locked on me.
"More...what?"
"Humans. Am I the only one? Sarah said something about you seeing other worlds and basing your dreams off of them. Have you...seen more humans like me? Do you know if they're real?" I didn't notice that a steady stream of questions was flowing from my lips at a rate that would have been impossible for her to answer, had she tried. Instead, she sat there patiently until my rambling ran itself out. Finally, after another few minutes of one-sided interrogation, I halted and took a breath.
"...I don't know," was all she said. I looked at her, a pang of disappointment hitting me.
"You don't...?" I asked, but it was just to give me time to let it sink in. Lyra just shook her head, her green and white mane flopping from side to side.
"Nope. I just thought I had been dreaming this whole time...but then Princess Luna mentioned something about...um, I think she called it lurksleeping or something like that. I had no idea what she was talking about, and still don't. Am I seeing another world? I...I'm not sure...I wish I could tell you more, Ryan, but I really just don't know..." she said glumly, her gaze moving down to the floor. Oh, shit. She was feeling guilty. It wasn't her fault, she knew as much as I-...no, scratch that. She didn't even remember me, so I knew more than her about some things. Time to move onto something else.
"So...how are my folks doing? Emily?" I asked, looking up at the ceiling. The memories of what I had felt flashed through my mind, bringing the emotional pain back to the surface. I didn't want them to be sad. And if they were sad without knowing why, then they couldn't have any sort of closure. They would be wondering, forever, what they were so sad about.
"So they're your family..." she mumbled to herself. "They're doing...not so good. In my dreams, they're always so sad...but it's like they don't know what to be sad about."
Huh. That's the same as what I had felt. Did we...
"Did we share the same dream? I mean, back at the castle? I don't really know what happened...one minute, I was floating around and feeling my family being sad, and the next, I was awake with Sarah's hoof on my dick," I told her. She blinked a little at that last part, but quickly got over it and thought to herself.
"Uhm...maybe? They said something about a link. If you came from my mind...then maybe we were still connected, somehow? And they removed it..." Lyra's eyes grew wide as something clicked inside her head. She went deathly quiet, her lips mouthing the same words over and over again. I couldn't hear any sound come out, so I tried getting her attention.
"Sorry, can't hear ya. What's that?" I inquired. Lyra's golden eyes shot up to me, but the tears running out of them shocked me. She was trembling again. Something she had realized had brought her to tears in a matter of moments.
"You can't come back..." she whispered painfully. I thought over what she had meant, but the point quickly became clear.
Oh my god. The thing I had felt the first time I had knowingly drifted away from my body...that link to her that would pull me back if I were to explode...it was gone. If I blew up, that was it. Would my essence just float around aimlessly for eternity? Would I be...aware of it? That thought scared the shit out of me. Being conscious, but unable to move or do anything while I drifted around forever.
"Ugh...gonna be sick..." I groaned, clenching my stomach as it gave a painful lurch. Once again, I felt the need to puke. This time, a little star-shaped purple thing fell out when I started coughing. Great, I was doomed to expel random purple shit whenever I got upset.
A warm body wrapped itself around me, pushing the need to hurl away from me. Lyra had sat up and clung herself to my side, sharing her heat with me once again. The main difference this time was that I was the one being comforted.
She was so warm...and minty...it made me feel so much better.
"Thanks," I said softly to her, even going as far as to give her a warm smile. She smiled right back at me and rubbed my back with her hoof. It was something my mom did all the time, but with hands. Her hoof wasn't bad, though. Just...different.
"Hey, hey, it's not all bad," she assured me. I looked into her eyes, looking for any sign of doubt. I wasn't Applejack, so I couldn't tell for sure, but what she said actually felt sincere. So what was good about this situation?
Let's see...I had friends. Yeah, lot of friends! In only a few days, I had a close group of best friends. They stood up for me, I stood up for them, and we would do anything for each other. What else?
I had some familiar loved ones here. Lyra and Sarah were here with me. My mom and my girlfriend were somehow part of this crazy world of technicolor ponies, but that was good. They could help me in my transition of moving from one world to another. In the same way I had helped Sarah get used to Earth, she could help me get used to being here. And mom was just a loving person, all of the time.
I had fans. I could make ponies happy! That in itself was a gift. I loved making peoples' days, so this was a prime chance to be just what I always wanted to be. They were a bit clingy and liked to follow me around, but they were mostly harmless. Adorable, even.
The link might be broken...but judging from my lack of exploding upon teleporting, that also had its upside. Would I be able to use magic without risking the end of the world now? Oh, I hope so.
"I guess it's not all bad," I said to the loving unicorn on my side. She smiled and snuggled against me a little more. The warmth she radiated just brought a smile back to my own face.
Though, something was still bugging me about the severing of the link. Before, I still had the chance to go back to Lyra's head if something went wrong. I couldn't do that anymore. So...
"What's going to happen to the show?" I asked her suddenly. Lyra froze for a few moments before looking up at me with a look of disbelief written across her features.
"The what?" she asked.
"You know, OtherWorld. The show you made. If I'm out here, and can't get back, what's going to happen to that?" I finished. Lyra just sat there, her left eye twitching.
Then, she bopped me on the head with her marshmallow hoof. It didn't hurt, but it did surprise me to an extent.
"Hey! What was that for?" I demanded, rubbing my head to alleviate the sting. Lyra just made a 'Hmph' sound at me and turned her muzzle to the ceiling in indignation.
"Ryan, last time I worried about the show over you, I lost every memory of you. The show doesn't matter. What matters now is that you're here, and you're safe," she stated firmly. I stared at her, mouth wide-open. Lyra was willing to give up her entire show, just because of what had happened. No worrying, no trying to work around it, she was just done.
This mare.
This fucking mare.
"I love you, mom," I said, this time with a wide smile on my face. Tears threatened to appear, but the sheer amount of pride I was feeling for her outweighed the sappy emotions.
Lyra gave a sheepish grin in return and snuggled even harder against me. I returned her enthusiastic cuddling and then some.
This.
This right here. This was what made all of the craziness worth it.
Without another word, I moved back a little bit so that I could use her cushion as a pillow. She pressed herself against me and snuggled up in the best platonic show of affection I think I'd ever received.
Hugs are awesome.