The Confession

Rain poured from the cloudy somber sky, changing the dirt beneath the human’s feet into a thick muddy mess. The muck only made running increasingly difficult for Chris as he tried to escape his pursuers. He pushed through a field of knee high grass that only made running even more of a challenge. But if he knew anything about his pursuers, this grass would be even more troublesome for them to deal with, thus giving him a slight advantage.

He kicked his legs up as high as he could, bounding over the tall grass, trying desperately to get away, but in the back of his mind he knew he couldn’t lose his stalker that easily. No matter how hard he ran, the hunter always caught it’s prey, and he was always the prey.

The heavy rain blurred his vision, but he could see the markings of a large tree in the distance. If he could just get to it in time and climb it then maybe he could escape, or at least stay up there until his pursuer gave up. It was his only hope. He just needed to run a little farther. But it was too late.

A familiar golden flash of light burst into view in front of him, causing him to cease running completely. He tried to turn around and flee the other way, but was quickly knocked back by a large body that had wrapped its legs around his chest, sending him falling back onto the soggy ground. He landed hard on his back, but much to his relief, the grass cushioned his fall. He laid there panting heavily, keeping his eyes shut. This was it. He was caught. It was all over now.

The large body mass that was now on top of him started to shift. It pushed itself up, placing both of it's front legs on his chest, pining him down.

Chris laid there catching his breath before finally speaking to his detainer. “You… You caught me…” He wheezed between breaths.

His captor giggled in an adorable, playful tone. Chris slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the pony that was now on top of him. His eyes where greeted by a beautiful minty green unicorn he knew as Lyra Heartstrings. She was now staring back at him intently with her own golden eyes. The mare's glossy, wet, cyan mane clung to her as she peered down at him. A smile grew on her lips as she giggled some more.“Hehe, looks like I win.” She sang, happily, in that sensual voice of hers.

Chris couldn't help but admire the cute mare on top of him. He stayed like that, taking in her beauty, thinking to himself how alluring she looked when her mane was wet like this.

The mare laid down on top of him, pressing her chest against his, sliding her hooves around his neck. Her muzzle was now only inches away from his lips. The thought of pressing his lips with her’s was so tempting, but he held back. They were just friends after all. He couldn’t over step his boundary.

Lyra tilted her head slightly as she spoke. “Now that I've captured my prey. Perhaps its time I… feast…” She said in one of the most seductive tones he had ever heard. She leaned in closer to his lips, closing the gap between them as her lips parted slightly.

Chris’s heart pounded in his chest. He couldn’t believe what was happening, but he welcomed it. He wanted it. He wanted to kiss Lyra, to make love to her. Claim her for his own. It all seemed too good to be true.

He started to lean into the kiss, but before they could make contact, he froze. Something was different about Lyra. Her face was... changing. It was growing longer. Her eyes started to shrink and blacken. Her beautiful cyan mane started to shed away. She was morphing into something horrible. Her once beautiful appearance was slowly contorting into a horrendously disturbing horse head. Something from his old world. Something he thought he would never see again.

Chris gasped and tried to scramble away, but the mare's body was growing larger, becoming heavier. He was pinned under her now bulky body. “No! NOO!” Chris cried out, trying desperately to get away.

Lyra’s face continued to change and distort. Her flesh seemed to slowly melt away, exposing some of her facial muscles underneath where skin once was. “What's the matter Chris? Don’t you love me?” The now demonic looking horse called to him, in a scratchy and satanic whine that sent shivers down his spine.

“No, no, no, no, no! It’s not right! You’re a horse! YOU’RE A REAL HORSE!” Chris screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Come on big guy… Give us a kiss.” The demonic Lyra said in a ghoulish voice that seemed to come from all around him. She leaned her awful horse mouth closer to him as he struggled to get free. He turned his head trying desperately to avoid her, but she was closing in. He looked down at the muzzle which was now splitting apart revealing rows of vicious jagged teeth. Before he could scream in protest the demon lunged at him, opening its jaws wide, casting him into a world of darkness.

“NOOOOO!” Chris screamed, jerking up from his couch sweating profusely and gasping for air. He quickly looked around, taking in his surroundings, realizing that he was not being eaten by a demonic Lyra horse. He was safe and sound in his newly constructed home.

His home was made special to accommodate him more comfortably. It was no different than any other home in Ponyville, except his ceiling and doors were made slightly taller. Since ponies only came up just a little below his chest, Chris was the tallest living thing in Ponyville. He was constantly ducking his head in and out of doorways, so adjustments had to be made for his own home.

It took him a while to save enough bits for his own place, but he managed by working lots of odd jobs. Most of those jobs were given to him by the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony. They were some of the only ponies willing to talk to him. Not only did they help him find work around town, but they would also go out of their way to help him get better acquainted with the towns folk.

Over time most of the ponies had grown used to seeing him around, but there were still others that didn’t trust him completely. He couldn’t really blame them either. He wasn’t sure how the hell he got dropped into this world filled with adorable pastel colored ponies, but he was now the only human they had ever seen, so the fear was justified. Still, he didn’t let that stop him from trying to make new friends and helping others.

‘Trying’ being the key word here. Most of the ponies didn’t seem to want anything to do with him. Even the element bearers were kinda hesitant at first, but there was always one pony that seemed to accept him. The only mare that gave him a chance from the very start when others would slink away in fear. That mare's name was Lyra Heartstrings, his only one true friend in this strange new world. If it wasn’t for her, he might have gone insane.

But that horrible nightmare about her…

Chris rubbed his brow with his hand, wiping some of the sweat away before falling back on his couch. He must have passed out there after working in the Apple family orchard with Applejack. That must be why he was still wearing his work duds too. He was exhausted, but there was no way he could get back to sleep after that nightmare. Plus it looked like it was mid afternoon. Thank god today was his day off.

He laid there thinking about everything that happened in the nightmare, trying to piece it all together. First he was running from Lyra. That wasn’t unusual. She loved to play cat and mouse with him. She would chase him all over Ponyville, much to the chagrin of the locals. He would run as fast as he could, outmaneuvering and dodging the unicorn at every turn, but she would always win in the end. She would always catch him with that damn magic of hers. She would levitate objects in front of him, causing him to trip, or just teleport in front of him like she did in his dream. But he would be lying to himself if he said he didn't enjoy it.

That’s when he remembered how the chase ended. She was about to kiss him! Now that was something that would never happen when she caught him. Sometimes their game would end in a playful wrestling match, or Lyra would refuse to get off of him for some reason or another. Then they would just lay there. Sometimes he would pet her mane, or scratch behind her ears while she laid on top of him. She seemed to really enjoy it when he did, but it would never escalate past friendly pets, or the brushing of skin. So why the kiss?

Chris frowned as his thoughts drifted to more depressing matters.

Was he starting to develop feelings for Lyra? No he couldn’t be. She was an animal. There could never be anything more than friendship between them. He could never act on his emotions even if he was having these feelings.

Plus what if the situation was reversed? What if a weird looking alien thing, that he has never seen before, started to come on to him? Something that was completely different and foreign from him in every single way. He might be disgusted. Lyra must be in the same position. She obviously liked him as a friend, but anything more must make her sick. She can get rather touchy feely with him at times, but it seems to be nothing more than just part of the pony culture. All these ponies seem to have little to no respect for others personal space. Especially that bubbly pink mare...

Chris sighed to himself.

This must be why Lyra turned into a demonic horse that ate his face off. It was most likely his brain telling him that he shouldn’t be thinking of such taboo things. Plus he just had to face facts. To the ponies he was just a bizarre creature, there was no way anypony would ever find him attractive. Or at least from what he could tell, they didn’t find him attractive. Honestly it was really hard trying to decipher the quadrupeds actions and culture.

From what little he knew of the ponies, it seemed like the females were the ones that courted the males, which was completely opposite to what he was used to back on his home world. There was also something about the equines being a polygamist culture. He guessed that was to be expected though, when the females in this world outnumber the males four to one.

Chris laughed a little to himself, thinking about how absurd it would be to date two ponies. One was bad enough.

Mulling over all this stuff he knew so little about made him think it would be beneficial for him to learn more about the pony culture norms. Seeing as how he was stuck here for the rest of his life. Next time he ran into Twilight he would ask her for a book about it or something.

Chris sighed, rolling off the couch, falling face first onto the hard wooden floor. He just stayed like that for a while, grumbling, trying to get his body to move. He took this time to think about more uplifting things. Like Lyra, and how much he wished she was here to cheer him up. If there was something Lyra was good at, it was making him feel better about everything. Even if he was having taboo thoughts about her, he still wanted to hang out with the unicorn. Maybe she would be up for mushroom picking on the edge of the Everfree Forest again, or they could go see that traveling circus that was in town. He was genuinely curious what a pony circus would be like. Plus if it was crap, then he could laugh about it with Lyra. She always had a good sense of humor. Something that a lot of ponies seemed to lack, like that roommate of hers… Maybe later today he would go out and find her.

Eventually Chris grew uncomfortable laying face down on the hard wooden floor, and made a move to get up. Now that he was up, he might as well start the day. First off, he needed to shower and a change into some more comfortable clothing. Having made his plan of action he made his way to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, he changed into a simple pair of black pajama pants, and white muscle shirt that Rarity had so generously made for him. An outfit he would never be caught dead in if he had been in his old world. Mostly because he was slightly over weight back then, but now that he was working more physically demanding jobs, and eating a mostly vegetarian diet, he slimmed down considerably. Even showing a little muscle. Nothing too extreme, but he did look pretty fit. At least he thought so.

Deciding he would read a little before seeing Lyra, Chris walked back to his living room and plopped down on the couch. He reached over to the adjacent book shelf that was filled with books he still needed to read. He grabbed the new Daring Do book that Rainbow Dash loaned him, or rather, shoved in his face and demanded he read it. He didn’t really care for Daring Do that much, but it was something for him and Rainbow to bond over. Plus she would be pretty upset if he didn’t read it.

Picking the book up, he opened it to where he last left off, but before he could start reading, he heard the familiar sound of hoof steps outside his front door. One flaw about Chris’s door is that it was made out of extremely thin wood. He could hear anypony walking up to his home before they even got close to it. The door was only a temporary one though, until the local woodworker could finish his real one. It had to be custom made to fit his taller than normal frame.

Knowing that somepony was approaching, Chris set his book down and waited for the inevitable knock. He listen intently to the hoof steps. They sounded slow and steady. Whoever was out there, they sure were taking their sweet time. The sound of the hoof steps finally subsided at the front door. The knock was sure to follow.

From the sound of the hoof steps, it could be Fluttershy outside his door. She always had a soft step and slow stride. She might be coming over again to try and get him to adopt one of her animal friends. She always assumed he needed a little furry friend to keep him company in his new home. It was a kind thought, and he wouldn’t mind a new little buddy to keep him company. Maybe an animal companion would be nice, but at current time Chris wasn’t ready to adopt any pets yet. He would certainly have to decline her, which he always hated doing.

Chris was jerked out of his thoughts when he noticed that the knocking never came. The pony was still just standing out there. He turned his head to the door and waited some more.

Finally the sound of hoof steps could be heard rushing away.

‘Okay, that was weird.’ He thought to himself, grabbing his book again. But before he could start reading, the hoof steps came back. Then they left again. Then they came back, until it started to sound like somepony was outside his door just pacing around.

‘What are they doing?’ he thought, confused. He got up off the couch, putting the book away. After that he walked over to the door. placing his ear against the thin wood, trying to hear the pony outside.

Suddenly the pacing stopped, and the sound of soft mumbling could be heard. Like the pony was talking to itself. The mumbled voice sounded strangely familiar too. Chris decided he wasn’t going wait for this pony any longer, and opened the door.

The door swung open inward, revealing a mint green, unicorn mare, who's backside was facing him. It was Lyra, and she didn’t seem to notice he had opened the door. She was mumbling while looking down at something that was being held in her magical golden aura. What it was he couldn’t really see from this angle. That and his attention was being absorbed by a very curvy and lush rump that was now in front of him. Her tail flicked back and forth slightly almost exposing herself to him.

Chris felt his cheeks redden a little at the sight. He knew staring like this was wrong. It was his friend’s butt he was ogling after all. A pony butt no less, but he couldn’t look away…

The human was snapped out of his gawking by the sound of soft mutterings from the unicorn. “You can do this Lyra… You can do this… Oh Celestia you can’t do this.” Lyra said, barely above a whisper.

“You can’t do what?” Chris asked.

“GAAH!” Lyra jumped a foot in the air, whipping around to face the source of the unexpected voice. “CHRIS!” The terrified unicorn shouted, scrambling a few steps back.

Chris tried desperately to hold back a laugh. The look on Lyra’s face when she jumped around was priceless. “W-Whoa there Lyra. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you so bad.” He said smiling, still trying to hold back a fit of laughter at his friends expense.

“D-d-don’t do that!” Lyra said in a shaky tone. Obviously still jumpy from the scare.

Chris let a little chuckle go, before opening his mouth to say more, but stopped when he noticed something about the mare. She was different somehow… She was… Was she?

He looked the mare up and down slowly. She definitely looked different today. For one her mint green coat looked extra shiny and smooth. Almost as if she had just got out of the shower and brushed her whole coat for an hour.

Looking up a little more, Chris’s gaze stopped at her facial features. Lyra was wearing make-up! Or just a little of the stuff. It looked… stunning on her to be completely honest.

Her eyes were well highlighted by the light eyeliner she wore, making her lashes look more full than they normally did. Above her lashes he could see a faint light green eye shadow that helped her eyes pop out from her green coat more. Not so much that it was obnoxious, but just enough to be noticed and appreciated. Looking a little higher, he noticed her short cut mane was just as shiny and glossy as her coat. Not only that, but it was brushed out. It flowed freely in the light breeze, almost creating the illusion of silk. Looking back at her rump, he could see that her tail reflected the same treatment that her mane did. She was extremely beautiful today, but the sight only confused Chris. This wasn’t really like her to get all dolled up. It really wasn’t her scene, and he knew it. What was she doing here at his house like this, and he still couldn’t see what was being held in her magic. Whatever it was, she was keeping it hidden behind her back this whole time.

Lyra only stood there looking up at Chris as he stared down at her. His eyes were wide and looking all over her. He was obviously noticing how well groomed she was. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but he seems to be… Shocked? Not sure if in a good way or not. Bon Bon must have over did it. ‘Great this whole thing is off to rocky start.’ Lyra thought.

Lyra took a deep breath, calming down from her shock and composing herself the best she could. “S-So, big guy… Sup?” She said with a slightly nervous tone, trying to forge a cool, calm, smile.

Hearing his nick name being called, Chris snapped back to reality. She must have finally composed herself if she was calling him ‘big guy’ now. She always gave him crap for how tall he was, so the nickname was inevitable.

Chris blinked a few times then looked back into the mare's eyes, raising an eyebrow. “Sup? You come to my home, looking amazing as ever and all you say is ‘sup’?”

“O-oh sorry I, umm… was just walking around and… Wait you think I look-” Lyra half babbled, but sighed, trying to re-establish her calm demeanor. “I mean, I just wanted to come by and see my most favorite human ever!” She said, slightly more confident, ending with a forced laugh.

Chris paused and stared at her for a few seconds. “But... I’m the only human you know. Wait! You didn’t find another human to pester did you? You know you're not allowed to talk to any other humans without my permission. It’s human law.” He joked with a cocky grin.

“Oh you…” Lyra responded, mustering a weak smile, with a limp hoof gesture.

Okay something was definitely up. He thought for sure that would get her to laugh a little more. She always loved it when he made weird crap up about being a human. She was acting all kinds of weird. Well more weird then usual. This wasn’t like her. The stuttering, the bright blush on her face, the obvious shakiness in her legs. She was nervous about something. Whatever it is, he was sure she would bring it up when she was ready, but for now he was more curious about what she was hiding behind her back. Also why was she was looking all… made up and stuff?

“So, what's with all the make-up? I mean I’m not complaining or anything, but you don’t seem the type.” Chris asked.

Lyra suppressed an embarrassed squee. "Well I…" she tried to think of an excuse. "Umm... Well… What are you saying? A mare can’t freshen up from time to time?” Lyra said with a nervous laugh, trying to hide her blush, and awkwardly failing to mimic a fashion mare pose.

“Right… Well, whatever the case may be, I’m glad you’re here. I was actually going to see if you are free today. Come on in.” Chris said, stepping aside.

‘Oh Celestia this was it… There’s no going back now.’ Lyra thought to herself. “T-Thanks.” She said, sounding even more nervous than before.

Chris watched her as she trotted inside, trying to take a peak at what she was hiding. Whatever it was she didn’t want him to see. She moved the object underneath her, out of his line of sight, keeping it there until she was past him, then quickly floated it behind her again. Once she was inside he closed the door then turned to face his guest. “So… whatcha got there?”

Lyra’s eyes widened a little, causing her to take a step back. She looked down and away from him, blushing brightly, ears splayed back against her skull. She had a sudden thought of bolting right there and then, and just running back home. Maybe it wasn’t too late, maybe she could just leave now and forget this whole mess. Just try play it off as some weird prank she was trying to pull. Yeah then she could go home to Bon Bon and… Bon Bon.

Thinking of her friend reminded her of the pinkie promise she made. Today had to be the day… She was stuck. This had to continue.

Lyra took a deep breath closing her eyes, then opened them again. She looked right at Chris, taking a strong stance. Her expression changed to one of a determined mare.

“CHRIS!” She shouted, causing him to jump back a little in surprise. Realizing her voice was a slightly louder than she originally intended, she tried to tone it down a notch before continuing.

“IGOTYOUTHESEFLOWERS!” She shouted again, all in one breath before launching the bundle of roses out from behind her with her magic. The dozen or so flowers pressed up against Chris’s chest with a light, but noticeable force. She put more power into her magic then she originally intended. The flowers were only meant to hover in front of him. ‘You're blowing it Lyra!’ She mentally scolded herself.

Chris leaned back in surprise and looked down at the bundle of roses being pushed against him, raising an eyebrow. He looked at Lyra giving her a confused look then looked back down at the flowers. He grabbed the roses in his hand and then held it there, while Lyra’s magic faded away. "Uhh.." was all he could say.

‘What in the world is this mare doing giving me all these roses.’ Chris thought to himself. These flowers were expensive! He knew they were considered a delicacy to ponies, and it came at a very high price. He was actually looking into some recipes for some rose dishes to surprise Lyra with one day, but now she was here with about a dozen of them. Maybe she just wanted him to make her something with these. She was a terrible cook and she loved the meals he would make for her when ever he got the chance. Maybe that’s why she was acting all nervous too. She was afraid to ask him to cook her something. It must be more of the weird pony culture. To her it might be like if he asked a woman from his world to make him a sandwich. Now it all made sense.

“Oh, Lyra… You don’t have to be so nervous about this.” He said, looking up at the mare with a warm smile. “All you had to do was ask. I completely understand, and I’m okay with it.”

Lyra’s eyes widened, her face burned a bright-red. “Y-you mean.” she asked, with a shaky voice. She was in complete shock. It looked like her roses were finally getting the message across to him. Bon Bon was right! All she had to do was copy his own culture to get him to understand. Her mouth started to dry up while butterflies swarmed in her stomach. “Y-you mean you're… O-okay… With this?!”

Tears started to build up in her eyes, as her muzzle turned up into a smile. She was so happy. To think that after all this time, this was all she needed to do.

Chris laughed a little before responding. "Well yeah! I mean if you wanted me to make you a rose petal dinner all you had to do was ask. I wouldn't be offended or anything.”

Lyra’s heart sank. Her stomach twisted into knots. She wanted to vomit.

Chris stared at her for a moment, noticing her expression and stance hadn’t changed in a while. She was like a statue. “Umm, Lyra? You okay?”

Lyra wanted to scream. She couldn’t tell if she was angry, or sad. How could he be this dense? And to just get her hopes up like that.

Lyra’s legs gave out from under her, and she fell to the floor. She wrapped her forelegs around the top of her muzzle, covering her eyes. She just wanted to shrink away into nothing. She wanted to curl up somewhere and die.

“Umm… Ly-Ly?” Chris asked concerned for his fallen friend.

Lyra groaned. She kept her hooves over her snout, hiding her shame. How can he not understand? Wasn't it plain as day by now? She'd tried everything she could think of to get him to understand. “Chris… You can’t be this stupid.” She finally responded to him from under her hooves.

"Hey! I resemble that remark!” Chris joked, with a cheeky grin that Lyra couldn’t see.

Normally such a corny joke might have gotten a light chuckle from the mare, but she was in no laughing mood. Her nerves were eating her up inside, and it looked like nothing was getting through to her love. No, she was going to have to do this the hard way. The way she feared the most. She had to use the direct approach.

Lyra took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. She slowly stood up, looking into Chris’s eyes with a doleful expression. She took in one more breath before speaking. “Chris… I don’t want you to cook me anything right now.” She said in an exasperated tone. Chris gave her a puzzled look.

Lyra took a moment to stare into his bright, beautiful, hazel eyes that she loved so much. She let herself get lost in his eyes for a moment, letting his gaze comfort her before she said more. “I came here today because… Well... we need to talk.” She admitted with a heavy sigh.

Chris’s brow furrowed with concern. Something big was up. He had never seen this side of Lyra before. It was a little scary to be honest, and those words. “We need to talk.” He knew those words well. It always meant trouble, but he was at a loss as to why they even needed to ‘talk’. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong, or at least he hadn’t done anything to have hurt Lyra.

Had he? Oh god, what if he did do something to hurt her and he couldn’t remember what it was. The thought scared him even more. “L-Lyra, If I... If I hurt you in some way I--“

“You haven’t done anything to hurt me” Lyra interrupted. “Please, can we just talk?" She begged.

Chris nodded his head. “Of course Lyra.”

Lyra turned and walked to his couch, jumping up on one side. She looked back at Chris expectantly. He understood what she wanted, and joined her, sitting on the opposite half of the couch. Chris sat there looking towards her. He held the bundle of roses tightly, dreading what might come next.

Lyra sat there in silence for a while, looking down at her forelegs. She started to draw little circles into the couch cushion with her hoof, not entirely sure how she wanted to approach this. Maybe she could work up to it. Start out small. Maybe ask him some questions. Perhaps his answers will help her get to the main reason why she was there.

She looked to the side for a moment, but then turned her head back to Chris. He was sitting there, looking at her with deep worry, waiting patiently for her to do something. Lyra took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. “Chris...” She finally spoke up, keeping her eyes closed. "How do you feel… About mares?” Lyra asked, opening one eye to look at him again.

“Wh-what?” he was taken aback a little by the unexpected question. “Well I umm… Wait what do you mean?” He asked, genuinely confused.

Lyra blushed a little at that. “I-I mean… Do you… like mares? Do you find them… attractive?” She asked, now looking at him with both eyes.

Chris couldn’t believe what she was asking him. Why in the world would she care? He started to think about his answer. He thought back to all the mares he had met. He closed his eyes in thought, trying to think. Soon he started to see somepony. She was green, with a short cyan mane that sported a white highlight on the side. She had amazing golden eyes and-

He was thinking of Lyra.

He shook the thought out of his head. There was no doubt about it, he did find her attractive, and she was a mare. But he could never tell her he was having such thoughts about her. Chris looked back at Lyra before responding. “Yeah I could say you mares can be pretty easy on the eyes.” He answered, truthfully. He wouldn’t flat out admit he thought she was drop dead gorgeous. He had to play it cool just in case she was trying to see if he was some kind of weirdo.

A wave of relief washed over Lyra. It wasn’t a perfect answer, but it was something. That was one fear she didn’t have to worry about now, but she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Her heart rate shot up a little at what she was about to ask him next. She put her hooves up to her chest, holding herself, trying to calm her nerves. She sat up on her hunches, preparing herself to ask the next question.

“Has… Has anypony tried to court you?” Lyra asked looking up into Chris’s eyes this time, with a worried expression she couldn’t hide.

Chris rolled his eyes. “No, Lyra. No pony has EVER tried to ‘court’ me.” He answered dryly, thinking the answer should have been obvious.

Lyra felt even more relief wash over her, but before she could ask her last question Chris spoke up again. “Lyra, I hate to be a jerk here, but whats with the 20 question game? I thought we needed to talk about something.” He asked in a calm, but confused tone.

The mare scowled at him before responding. “I’m getting to that. Just please, be patient.”

She looked down at her forelegs again, which were now rolling over each other against her chest. She was about to ask her last question, the last thing she needed to know before she could come out with the true reason why she was in his home.

Looking down to the floor and shutting her eyes, Lyra asked her question.
“Wouldyoubeinterestedifamareaskedtocourtyou?’ She said in one quick breath. She kind of hoped that he didn’t hear the question, but he did, and he had no idea how to answer it.

Chris sat back a little at that. “Lyra… That’s kind of a big question. I mean… I…” He tried to think of a good answer, but nothing came. It was like he was drawing a blank in his mind. He really didn’t know how to respond. “I really don’t know, I… I just don’t know.” He wanted to just say no, but he couldn’t for some reason.

Lyra turned to look at him, her expression turning dire. Obviously he didn’t give her the answer she wanted. She continued to stare at him, in hopes that he was going to say more, but he said nothing. He just sat there with a concerned expression on his face. He looked like he might have been blushing a little too.

Lyra looked away from him again, biting her lower lip. She planted both her shaky hooves back on the couch cushion, trying desperately to get them to stay still.

That last answer wasn't helping her nervousness at all. She didn’t know how to take what he just said. It was like the first two questions didn’t even matter now. Her stomach was back in a knot, her mouth dry, as her heart continued to pound in her chest.

She wanted to run away. Just run home and embrace Bon Bon in a tight warm hug. But she promised…

Chris sat there a while watching the trembling unicorn next to him, waiting for her to say something else. She still wasn’t looking at him, but he had an idea that might help her. She always liked it when he petted her.

Reaching out, Chris placed his hand on her back, petting her softly. “Eep!” Lyra jumped a little at the sudden contact. Her eyes went wide and she jerked her head around to face the now smiling human.

“It’s okay Lyra, you can tell me anything. Whatever it is I’m sure its not as bad as you think. I’m here for you.” He cooed reassuringly, trying to make her feel better. From all the questions it almost seemed like she was going to ask to court him herself or something, but he knew that was impossible. There must be some other motive.

She wanted to believe his words, but from what she could tell, he was still as ignorant as ever. It did little to comfort her, but not all his efforts failed. She was enjoying the feeling of his surprisingly warm hands, gently rubbing her fur down her back. She closed her eyes briefly while leaning into his hand, letting him pet her. She just wanted to stay like that forever. Sadly she had to finish what she started. She sighed deeply knowing that the only thing left to do was to get it out. She had to be subtle about it though. Act like it wasn’t a big deal. Be smooth, be calm.

“Chris, look I…” She paused looking into his eyes, biting her lip slightly before continuing. “I-I just want to say that... I… I...” She tried to push out the next word, but it would never come.

Her eyes began to water, as she fidgeted with her forelegs, darting her eyes to the floor, then back to her oblivious loved one.

“Lyra whatever it is you can tell me. We're friends, you can tell me anything.” Chris reassured her. He was really starting to worry about what she was going to say. She has been acting weird all day. This wasn’t like her in the least.

Before he could continue his thoughts, Lyra jumped up. She turned her whole body to face the clueless human. She inhaled deeply, shutting her eyes tight before shouting.

“I LOVE YOU!!”

An awkward silence spread throughout the room. Lyra gritted her teeth, keeping her eyes shut tight, and her head held down low. She turned her head away from the human, feeling a tear trail down the side of her cheek; her eyes remained shut, not wanting to meet his gaze of possible horror.

Chris sat there in shocked silence trying to reboot his brain.

‘Did she just say... She LOVES me?’ He thought to himself. ‘She really was trying to confess her feelings for me… But she’s a horse… She can't… I can't.’ The demonic Lyra horse from his dream flashed before his eyes. ‘No she’s an animal, I’m a human, I would never… There is no way it would work.’ His thoughts came to him at a mile a minute. ‘How can she love me? I’m just a strange gross alien thing that’s only meant to have sympathetic friends in this crazy world, just like Alf, or E.T. right? Do I feel that way about her? Is she just some weird alien thing to me?’

The silence was killing Lyra. Even though her eyes were shut, she knew he wasn’t taking this new information well at all. The tears flowed freely now. She furrowed her brow, shutting her eyes even tighter. She tried forcing herself to say something. She had to try and explain herself, but only soft whimpers came out.

Eventually she could form words again and spoke. “I-I’ve... a-always had f-feelings... For... For you.” She shuttered, still keeping her eyes shut and head tilted away from him. “E-Ever since... We first met... E-everypony feared you… B-but I could tell you were just... Just as a-afraid... I saw the good in your eyes and I-I knew... I knew you were something special.”

Lyra could feel the tears flowing down her cheeks, but could do nothing to stop them, she didn’t even move to wipe them away. She had to finish her explanation. “Th-then we started to spend more time together, and I got to know you more. W-we just seemed to click.” She said composing herself more. “You could always turn a bad situation into something fun. You always made an effort to help others and make friends, even when no pony else would give you the time of day. You’re so caring and kind, but also know how to be strong when the time calls for it. That’s something I really admire about you… You’re a stronger stallion then most ponies I know.” She sniffled a little, before continuing. Her voice sounding cracked and shaky again. “B-but most of all… Y-you make me feel co-complete… L-like a hole in my chest had been filled. I-I just-” She stopped knowing that her speech was pointless now. Chris has been sitting in silence the whole time.

This was it. She had her answer, and it was ‘No!’ How could she have been so stupid. How could she have thought this was a good idea. She should have just kept her stupid mouth shut. Now things would be too awkward between them, their friendship was destroyed. Plus he must think she’s a weirdo now.

Lyra wanted to scream, she just wanted to bolt out of the house and run back to Bon Bon. To hold her tightly and eat all her freshly made candies. This was all a waste of time. The painful grooming, the expensive flowers, the whole scary confession. All of it! Just a stupid waste of time. She should have known better.

The least he could have done was actually tell her ‘No’ with his own mouth. He couldn’t even do that for her. He just sat there like an idiot, letting her pour her heart and soul out to him without saying anything.

No, that isn't fair... It wasn't entirely his fault she felt this way and he didn't. She couldn't blame him for all of this. She did this to herself.

Lyra let a soft sigh escape her lips. “I-I’m so sorry… This was a bad idea” she whimpered, starting to get up. Suddenly she felt a familiar touch on the side of her cheek. She didn’t dare to open her eyes though. Still she leaned into the hand that was now holding her, taking in its warm comforting feeling one last time before she would never feel it again. “I should go.” She said, in a cracked whisper, making her way to leave.

Before she could move further, the hand on her cheek grasped her tightly, turning her head to the side. Then without warning she felt something new press itself on her lips. It felt so recognizable, but foreign at the same time. It felt… comforting, and-

Realization dawned on Lyra, her eyes shot open immediately. The sight before her caused her fur to stand on end and butterflies to flutter in her stomach. Her legs started trembling uncontrollably as her face burned a bright red.

Chris was kissing her! HE WAS KISSING HER!!