Edited by JimboTex

The two unicorns and the pegasus watched the human shoot off along the street on the motorcycle, the little filly laughing and chasing along in his wake. Sweetie Belle had challenged Kye to a race and he’d reared the bike up on its back wheel and set off rather quickly, but was now slowing down to let her catch up.

As soon as he’d drifted out of earshot, the white unicorn turned to Lyra.

“So, does he know?” Rarity asked as Lyra let out a sigh. She’d been expecting this, but it didn't make the situation any less difficult.

“I dunno. There was a moment earlier on, but I can't be sure.” Lyra informed the suddenly serious unicorn.

“You gonna tell him?”

“No,” Lyra simply said.

“Why not?”

“How would you feel if an alien suddenly announced it had a crush on you?” She didn't want to imagine the awkward consequences if it all went horribly wrong.

“Oh, come now, darling. I've seen the way he looks at you: just take a leap of faith.”

Lyra rolled her eyes at Rarity as Kye shot back along the street and lazily drifted the bike in a wide arc behind them, spraying dirt everywhere. Sweetie Belle was sitting on the motorcycle between his outstretched arms and laughing as it gave a loud hiss and settled to roll steadily along beside them.

“Where’s this spa, then? Does it have a steam room?” he casually asked, flicking the red switch to kill the engine.

“Oh yes, it’s very well equipped, I assure you,” Rarity answered him. “Aloe and Lotus have the best spa facility this side of Canterlot.”

“Sweetie Belle?” gasped a little voice with a strong Southern accent.

A little yellow Earth pony filly with a red mane and tail, a large pink bow on her head, and blank flanks was trotting alongside the bike, gazing up on the little unicorn riding on top of it.

“Oh, hey, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle greeted the new arrival.

The two fillies began chattering away to each other as Lyra noticed Apple Bloom’s older sister, Applejack, approaching. The orange Earth pony was wearing her brown stetson cowboy hat as always, her blonde mane and tail swishing as she trotted.

“Apple Bloom, Ah thought Ah told ya to finish yer chores before ya wandered off to find yer friends,” Applejack said to her little sister in an even stronger Southern accent.

“Aww, but Sis, Ah did them already!”

“No, ya ain’t. Ya still gotta give li’l Pigginton a bath.”

“But why, Sis? He’s only gonna go rollin’ in the mud again!”

The siblings continued to argue as they reached the spa. Rarity came to the little Earth pony’s aid.

“Applejack, Darling, she does have a point. I've never understood your futile attempts to keep a pig clean anyway.” She turned to her sister. “Sweetie Belle, why don’t you and Apple Bloom go find Scootaloo? I’m sure she’ll want to hear all about Kye’s marvellous machine.”

Lyra saw Kye grin like a village idiot, she smiled and gave him a wink. Applejack seemed to have given up trying to persuade her sister.

“Fine, go play with yer friends, but y’all better be back afore nightfall, ya hear?” the orange pony told her sister as Sweetie Belle jumped down from the bike and the two fillies ran away laughing.

Applejack looked up at Kye. “So, y’all must be the new stallion in town, right? Yer a might lucky Pinkie ain't here, ‘cause she’d be drivin’ ya insane with streamers an’ balloons by now. You jus’ be ready fer when she gets back.” She chuckled at the human, holding up a hoof.

Lyra wasn't surprised by Applejack’s friendly approach—the farm pony was the most genuine mare she’d ever met and always gave anypony a chance to make a good impression.

“I’ll keep that in mind. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kye,” he said, shaking her hoof with a hand.

She gave him a nod. “Well, Ah’d love to stay and chat but Ah gots lots’a work to do, and them trees ain't gonna buck themselves. See y’all folks later.”

She galloped off down the street. Typical Applejack, Lyra thought, Always working, even on a weekend.

“Shall we?” Rarity said as she opened the door with her magic.

They entered the spa, and ten minutes later they were sitting in a small private steam room. It was usually closed on a Saturday, but Rarity and Fluttershy were such regular customers that the owners, Aloe and Lotus, had made an exception for them. The spa ponies had been fascinated by the human, especially his hands.

With a little persuasion, Kye had taken off all of his clothes behind a screen a little less extravagant than Rarity’s and now had nothing more than a towel wrapped around his waist. His skin was hairless apart from a little trail that lead down to what Lyra guessed was a very interesting place beneath the towel.

She laid down next to him on the bench, the steam infiltrating her coat and mane. They were alone for now—Rarity and Fluttershy had opted to go get a massage before joining them in the sauna.

“This helping your hangover?” she asked him.

“Yeah—ain't helping the nicotine craving, though.” He sighed.

Lyra frowned. “What’s nicotine?”

“The addictive drug in cigarettes.”

Lyra didn't have a clue what he was going on about. She’d certainly never heard of a cigarette before, but they didn't sound very nice. When he went on to explain what they were, she was horrified.

“You used to set little sticks on fire then put them in your mouth!?” Lyra gasped.

“Oh, it wasn't the fire that was the problem—it was the smoke. Extremely bad for your health. At least now that I’m stuck here, I've got a pretty solid reason to quit. I might be a bit of an asshole because of the cravings, though. Just promise not to turn me into a cactus or something, yeah?” He chuckled.

“I’d never hurt you. You know that, Kye.” She put a hoof on his leg. He hesitated slightly before putting a hand on her back.

“So, what do you think of Rarity?” she asked him, pouring a little water over the hot coals in the corner with her magic, the steam washing over the small room.

“She’s nice,” Kye replied.

Lyra could tell he’d meant to sound insouciant, but he’d failed to hide the slightest tremor in his voice. She decided to have a little fun with him.

“You mean she’s hot.”

“I never said that,” he quickly retorted, his voice jumping an octave.

“You were thinking it.”

“What, you can read minds now?”

“How screwed would you be if I could?” she said with a devious smile.

He smiled, then looked away saying nothing.

“So, Rarity?” she prompted him.

“She’s nice, like I said.”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Come on, Kye. You couldn't take your eyes off her in Carousel Boutique. Heck, even I wouldn't kick her out of bed.”

Lyra had expected a reaction to her words and was not disappointed. Kye snapped his gaze to her, his eyebrows disappearing up under his hairline.

“You’re into mares then?” he asked her.

“Well, no... Not in general. But I wouldn't say no to Rarity, or Flutters, if there was a stallion involved, like I said.” She looked away. If he didn't get it now, then he was an idiot.

“A stallion.”

He repeated her words in an odd tone, making Lyra realise that she should have chosen them more wisely. Fuck. She decided to try a more brazen approach.

She grabbed the ladle with her magic and poured more water over the hot coals in the corner. A large plume of steam filled the small room as she latched her hooves around him, nuzzling into his chest. He flinched slightly but ran his fingers through her slightly damp mane, making her shiver in delight.

Neither of them said anything as they sat cuddling on the bench. She didn't have the nerve to do anything more than hold onto him, but in that moment, it was enough.

Kye tried not to panic as the pretty unicorn cuddled into his near-enough naked body. Shit had just gotten very real very fast. He knew she wasn't really a horse—yeah, she was still an ungulate quadruped, but aside from that there was barely any resemblance at all. Her muzzle was a lot shorter, her vision was stereoscopic and she was genuinely attractive, not to mention the horn and the magical ability. She was more intelligent than most females on Earth, and had a better sense of humour and general personality than any girl he’d ever dated.

He’d already admitted to himself that he had a little crush on her, but up until now he’d thought she was just being friendly, perhaps trying not to hurt his feelings or something. He looked down at her. She had her eyes closed, turned up along with that cute little smile. Her horn was inches from his face, he could see the engraved spiral tapering up to the sharp point in perfect detail. He didn't care she wasn't human—he hadn't cared since the first time he’d seen those big amber eyes.

The feel of her silky mane against his chest and her soft, warm body against his side was quickly making a certain hidden appendage of his take notice. He was suddenly glad he’d wrapped the towel so tight around himself.

Kye wanted to say something. He got it that this was a pretty blatant gesture on her part that she was looking for a little more than friendship, but he couldn't shake the old habit of wanting to be one hundred percent on the subject in case he misjudged and made a complete tit of himself. He formed what he hoped was a witty method of checking in his mind.

“So, Lyra, quick question—since when have you been into tall, freaky aliens?” he asked, making sure to smile in just the right manner.

“Since when did you get a rod-on for a unicorn?” she grinned rather deviously back at him.

Kye burst out laughing. “A what now?”

“You know what I mean.” She brought a hoof down on his towel covered member.

“Jesus.” He laughed again, jumping a little at the sudden sensation. She didn't remove her hoof, but frowned slightly.

“Who’s Jesus?”

“No one important, but I sometimes say Jesus like you would say Celestia...It’s more of a figure of speech in my case, though.” Kye couldn't believe they were having this conversation while she was absentmindedly rubbing his junk.

She snuggled back into his chest and lightly bit his neck, running her tongue along the condensed water droplets on his skin. If Kye didn't have a “rod-on” before, then he certainly had one now.

Gah...Holy shit. She had moved things up a notch, so he decided to make a bold move himself. Keeping his right hand on the back of her neck, he brought his left up to caress one of her ears. Her tail twitched, spraying water droplets across the room and she let out an adorable little squeak. She stopped biting his neck and Kye barely had time to panic, thinking he’d screwed up somehow, before she kissed him.

The action startled him—it was an odd sensation, but by no means unpleasant. Her lips weren't that much different from a woman's, though her tongue was broader and her teeth a lot less sharp. She had a rather sweet taste.

He closed his eyes, focusing on his other senses. Her soft coat was rubbing against his moist, bare skin, causing him to shiver with delight, and her scent was driving him wild—a cocktail of pheromones that enraptured him, making him slightly dizzy. The reality of the situation was far better than any fantasy he’d managed to dream up. He still couldn't believe she was actually into him.

He massaged her ears with one hand whilst keeping the other in her mane, vaguely noticing her horn was glowing. Kye had a feeling it was an involuntary reflex, because she wasn't using her magic to do anything at the time.

It was at that point they heard a number of loud bangs and raised voices from the spa’s lobby. They broke apart and looked towards the door. Nothing happened for a few seconds and Kye began to relax, only to jump and clutch at the towel around his waist as the brown unicorn mare from the Ace Chrome herd wrenched the door open with a murky green aura. She barely had time to sneer at them before a bright projectile of amber energy hit her squarely in the chest.

She was violently blasted through the corridor wall behind her, a large plume of dust forming over a pile of rubble. She didn't get up again.

Fuck me sideways! Kye had known Lyra was strong but he hadn't known she held that kind of power.

“Shit.” She stomped a hoof in annoyance with herself, trotting over to inspect the damage.

Rarity trotted from along the corridor up to the pile of rubble, a towel wrapped around her head.

“Oh, dear. Lyra, you should know better. I hope for your sake you haven’t killed the awful cretin.” She gingerly poked a hoof at the rubble, before quickly retracting it. “Fluttershy, darling, be a dear and check if this pony still lives.”

Fluttershy trotted into view. She looked horrified at the scene of devastation before them, but quickly put a hoof on the still unmoving mare’s neck.

“She needs to go to hospital. Now,” the pegasus said rather assertively.

One of the spa ponies trotted along to investigate and raised her eyebrows at Lyra. The unicorn looked down at the floor—she probably hadn't meant to put so much force behind the attack. Kye quickly went to her side, dropping to his knees and wrapping an arm around her.

“Oh, Aloe dear, don't fret. I’m sure Lyra didn't mean to demolish the wall. I’ll have Twilight stop by and fix it up pronto for you,” Rarity told the Earth pony.

Kye had changed back into his jeans and T-shirt by the time the wooden carriage ambulance turned up, the guard ponies along with them. Ace Chrome was making quite a scene, and it was obvious to anyone with half a brain he was rather enjoying himself.

Coco Drop—Rarity had told him the name of the brown unicorn mare—was carried away on a stretcher and the guard ponies, most of them mares, asked Lyra to come to the station. None of them had spoken very loudly and they were all avoiding eye contact with her. She obviously had quite a reputation in Ponyville, and Kye was beginning to see why.

“Oh, come now. Lyra was merely defending our strapping stallion here from what would have been a blatant misuse of power. After all, Kye has no magic to defend himself,” Rarity protested.

“Even so, Miss Rarity, she still has to come with us. Mostly for appearance's sake,” one of the few stallion guards informed the unicorn.

“Its okay. I’ll go.” Lyra sighed.

“I’m going with you,” Kye immediately said to her.

“Kye, you don't have to come. Just go back to the house. Bon Bon should have dinn-”

Kye dropped to his knees and cut her off with a tight hug. Rarity and Fluttershy beamed at them as Lyra draped a hoof over his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck. The guard ponies watched the action and exchanged odd looks, but Kye ignored them.

“Don't worry, Lyra dear: myself and Fluttershy shall also accompany you. I can't imagine it will take very long.” Rarity said as Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

They arrived at the station a little while later. Kye thought it looked like an Old Western-style jailhouse. He could almost picture a big sign that said “Sheriff” instead of the one saying “Ponyville Guard.”

Lyra had been taken into a room, while Kye, Rarity, and Fluttershy had been told to stay outside in a rather bland-looking hallway with a few benches along the wall. Kye had wanted to go in with her, but the guards had been adamant in their refusal. He’d almost taken a swing at one of the stallions in nicotine craving-induced fury before Fluttershy had wrapped her wings around him and forced him to sit beside her on a bench with a surprising amount of strength.

“She’ll be fine,” Fluttershy said in her soothing voice.

Kye relaxed somewhat—the pegasus still had a wing wrapped around him, and he was grateful for the attempt to calm him down. Rarity was sitting the other side of him with a hoof on his shoulder.

“Don't worry, dear. Coco Drop has a history of being a disgusting excuse for a pony. The guards are more than accustomed to seeing her in this place, often in various states of inebriation—they will acknowledge that Lyra was provoked.”

They sat in silence for a while, Kye thinking about what had happened in the steam room. The kiss had burned his very soul; it was her scent, the feel of her lips against his, and the feel of her coat against his skin that had entranced him. He craved the feeling more than he craved his next hit of nicotine. He knew he’d be able to quit smoking, he didn't think he’d be able to quit Lyra.

The door opened and she walked out, smiling at them.

“Well?” Kye asked her.

Lyra looked at him. “You think this is the first time I've been in trouble? That's cute.” She chuckled, walking towards the exit and gesturing for the three of them to follow.

“So they’re letting you go?”

Kye got up and followed her out into the sunlight, quickly hopping on his bike. Rarity and Fluttershy trotted out after him.

“I just told them the truth: she has it in for you for some reason, and I was protecting you,” Lyra said, flashing him a seductive smile. “Then it was the same old story, ‘Ninth-dan Still Way grandmaster, you should know better,’ blah blah. I've heard it all before.”

“Still Way?” Kye asked, puzzled.

She glanced up at him. “Its a unicorn martial art. I’m pretty good at it.”

Rarity snorted. “I think ‘pretty good’ is a bit of an understatement, Lyra. You’ve never been defeated yet.”

“Well I don't like to brag,” the unicorn said in a small voice.

Kye thought back to their conversation at the kitchen table. He now knew why stallions, and just about everypony else it seemed, were scared of her. She was an expert of destruction. Kye found he didn't mind: just about any unicorn could kick his ass anyway, so he wasn't bothered that Lyra was exceptionally stronger than him. It was kinda kinky, in fact.

“Oh, shoot. I’m late,” Fluttershy suddenly squeaked. “I said I’d meet Applejack at the farm—the beavers have been building dams again. I have to go.”

She smiled at Kye before taking off and gracefully soaring over the top of the buildings in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

“I’d better go, too,” Rarity said. “I have some designs that still need altering, not to mention a dashing suit to create.” She winked at Kye. “Do pop in whenever you feel like it—that goes for the both of you.”

She smiled at them before gracefully trotting off, her tail swishing slightly as Kye caught a glimpse of something he probably shouldn't have. His face burned and he quickly averted his gaze. Thankfully, Lyra hadn't noticed.

“Come on—Bon Bon will probably think we’re avoiding her,” Lyra said as she started to gallop.

Kye flicked his wrist and the bike shot forward, easily catching her. She laughed and galloped faster, but she was still no match for the bike as it easily kept pace alongside her. Then she disappeared, reappearing several hundred yards ahead with a flash of amber light.

“That's CHEATING!” Kye shouted in mock anger as he fired up the engine and took off after her, the turbo dumping pressure with a loud hiss as he changed gear. He eventually caught up, only for her to do it again and again. Spurring him on with her frequent teleports, it wasn’t long before they reached the house.

He quickly jumped off the bike and ran through the door after her. She was laying on the couch, giggling at him. He dived on her, expecting her to teleport again—she didn't. Instead, she grabbed him around the neck with her forelegs, drawing him close for a kiss and cradling his lower body between her thighs.

The same rush he’d experienced in the sauna hit him again. He floated on a tidal wave of ecstasy as he lost himself in the unicorn’s embrace, truly addicted to her. A certain area of his new jeans tightened rather uncomfortably as he massaged her ear with one hand whilst running the other down along her coat towards her cutie mark. She let out a barely audible moan, which was drowned out by a stuttering voice from somewhere nearby.

“W-Wow...okay...t-that’s...”

Kye jumped in shock, rolling off of Lyra and falling off the couch altogether, hitting the floor with an undignified thud. He looked for the source of the interruption and saw Bon Bon staring in shock at them from the kitchen doorway. Lyra sat up on the couch.

“Oh...erm...Hi, Bon Bon...” She gave the Earth pony a weak smile and swept her ruffled mane out of her face.

Bon Bon was still staring at them with a look of utter disbelief. After a few moments she turned and trotted back into the kitchen.

“Dinner will be ready in five—if you can keep your hooves off each other long enough to eat it, of course,” she called through to them.

Kye was relieved: he thought Bon Bon was gonna freak out and go back to thinking he was some sort of monster again. He picked himself up and sat on the couch next to Lyra. She immediately cuddled into him. He wrapped his arms around her, only to give her another shock when he kissed the base of her horn. She let out a small “eep” and flinched, quickly looking at him in surprise.

“Sweet Celestia, you can’t do that to me on the couch, Kye—that’s bedroom stuff!” she hastily whispered.

At his worried look, she quickly kissed him again before nuzzling his chest. Even still, Kye thought he’d crossed some invisible line and tried to rectify the situation.

“Sorry, I won’t do it again,” he quietly told her.

“Now hold on: I didn't say you couldn't do it at all, just not with Bonnie so close by. Messing around with a unicorn’s horn like that—well...you might as well be messing with...you know...”

She trailed off, shivering slightly and clutching him tighter. Kye had a pretty good idea what she was referring to and tried not to think about it—his jeans were tight enough already.

“Dinner’s ready,” Bon Bon called to them from the kitchen.

Lyra couldn't quite believe her luck. Not only had she made out with Kye in the sauna without sending him running in fear like any other stallion she’d tried it on with, she’d nearly disintegrated a pony and gotten nothing more than a slap on the hoof.

The kiss had been electric—she’d been overjoyed and more than a little relieved when he’d reciprocated to her bold approach and had been wondering if he’d let her remove the towel, until the Ace Chrome gang had burst into the lobby. She should have known Coco would force her herd to retaliate to Kye’s little stunt.

She’d completely lost control and lashed out. She hadn't meant to cause so much damage, but considering what she was doing with Kye when they were interrupted, it was a wonder Coco Drop was still alive. She supposed it could have been a blessing in disguise, though: sex was frowned upon in the sauna, and if the brown unicorn hadn't barged in, Lyra probably would have taken Kye then and there.

She’d been a lot more worried than she’d let on in the guard station—being so skilled at a martial art was often viewed the same as utilising a deadly weapon in cases of assault. Thankfully, when Lyra had explained that Kye was her stallion and she was willing to go to any lengths to protect him they had been quite lenient. She hadn't lied, either: Lyra considered Kye to be hers, despite only knowing him a short amount of time. She just hoped he felt the same way.

“So, what do you do for a living?" Kye asked them as they tucked into a delicious looking meal of various vegetables. Bon Bon was quite a good cook.

“Well, I’m a Still Way instructor and part time lyrist, and Bon Bon’s a confectioner,” Lyra told him.

His question reminded her of a conversation she’d had with the spa twins while he’d been getting dressed. They’d successfully guilt tripped her over the pony-shaped hole in their wall into agreeing to proposition Kye with a job offer, one she suspected he wouldn't be too keen on.

“You thought about what you wanna do?” she asked him.

“A little. I was thinking of maybe being an inventor—there's loads of technology back on Earth that I haven’t seen here.”

“Ponies are slow to change: most of us are set in our ways, so that probably wouldn't be your best option,” Bon Bon informed him.

She had a point—most of the townsponies were terrified of Kye’s motorcycle and probably wouldn't be interested in any ideas he had to share, no matter how useful they might be.

“Well in that case I've no idea.” He shrugged. “By the way, what’s the currency here?”

“Bits,” Bon Bon replied, looking around and spotting one on the windowsill before glancing at Lyra.

“Somepony has already approached me about a job for you,” Lyra told him as she levitated the gold coin over for him to examine.

Kye turned the coin over in his fingers a few times before looking at her with a frown. “Why wouldn't they just ask me?”

It took a few seconds for Lyra to figure out what he meant, before she remembered he was from a world where the males were in charge. She tried to think of a nice way to explain, but Bon Bon answered first.

“You don't get it, do you? Ponies now recognise the two of you as a herd: basically, she owns you now. If anypony has any business with you, then it goes through her, because she’s your alpha,” the Earth pony bluntly stated.

“Bon Bon!” Lyra glared at her roommate.

“Well, somepony had to tell him.”

“So what’s the job?” Kye asked Lyra. He didn't seem bothered by Bon Bon referring to him as a piece of property.

“What?” He’d caught her off-guard a bit. “Oh, erm, well… Aloe and Lotus want you to be a massage therapist…”

“You’re joking, right?” He snorted.

“Well, no. You’d be pretty good at it, considering you’re much better equipped for it than the average pony.”

He raised a hand to the back of his head. She’d noticed he did that when he was nervous. “I dunno, Lyra. I’m not really the touchy-feely type.”

She couldn't help raising her eyebrows a little. “Maybe you could practice with me later. I’ll show you which areas to avoid to save yourself from embarrassing situations, and then we can see how you feel about it after.”

“Well… Okay,” he said without looking at her.

She knew he was only agreeing so he could feel her up some more, but she didn't mind. She’d just have to remember she was actually showing him where not to touch, as opposed to just letting his hands wander wherever they liked.

“The walls are thin and I need to be up early to sort through some new stock, please keep that in mind,” Bon Bon said in a somewhat snide tone as she got up to wash the dishes.

Kye blushed and Lyra rolled her eyes at the Earth pony as they heard a loud knock on the front door. Lyra got up and went to answer it. Opening the door, she found Applejack standing behind it.

“Well howdy, pardner. Y’all fancy havin’ a mosey on over to Sugarcube Corner?”

Lyra was taken aback at the farm pony’s offer. She had planned on giving Kye a private “lesson” in where it was socially acceptable to touch a pony, so she wasn't too keen on going anywhere at that particular moment.

“I dunno Applejack, it’s getting late-”

“It’s a welcomin’ party fer that nice feller, Kye. Pinkie set it all up, and everypony’s waitin’ on y’all to arrive,” the Earth pony whispered.

“Wait, what? Why didn't she tell me?” Lyra asked her.

“Well, he’s been followin’ you ‘round like a li’l lost puppy dog all day, and she didn't’ wanna ruin the surprise.”

If there was anything that could change her mind about her plans for the evening, it was a Pinkie Pie party—they were legendary.

“Okay, give us a moment. We’ll be right out.”