FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter one: The Beginning of Something Right.

Crouched down low in a veritable sea of dark green bushes, she wasn't quite sure of why she was hiding, as it was already impossible for anyone but him to see her. It was thanks to a charm that she had cast upon herself a long time ago. The very first that all unicorns were taught as children for their own safety. Only those she gave permission may look upon her. Despite the fact that the warm afternoon sun shone brightly down upon her, her shadow was completely invisible to all but herself, which was fortunate considering she was waiting right outside a house. A modest red-brick building with the entire construction giving the impression of a well-to-do country home. In truth she found it hard to distinguish most human dwelling from one another. In the same way that most people perceive anything with scales, fins and gills as simply 'fish', unable to make any further distinctions between them. Only one person could actually see her however, that same person having been the only one she trusted not to abuse that gift, and although it took thirteen years to find him again she was finally going thank him for the kindness she had been shown.

Perhaps it was her nerves that kept her hiding. There was one slight weakness to a charm of chosen visibility though; it was incredibly powerful as it worked on the beings looking upon her rather than the unicorn herself, but once its effects had been lifted from an individual by the caster, then there was a risk of them becoming immune to it. This was one of the reasons why unicorns very rarely showed themselves outside their species, preventing them from being hunted down by those who would harm them. As for the person in question that she had revealed herself to, thirteen long years had passed since they last met, and all of it had been nothing but a 'dream' to him, having concealed her tracks so well that nothing could have been said to happen at all. She wasn't entirely sure she would be received with open arms, considering the circumstances. In her deepest fears, he could run and scream, rejecting her and consider her either a deformed abhorrent monster or some self-imposed hallucination to be ignored.

After all, in the eyes of mankind, she was only a creature of pure fantasy. She was nothing more than the character of a fairy-tale, something playfully recounted to children yet to learn to walk while never once being said to exist. Unicorns just were not real in the blinded world of humanity. Maybe many years ago, back in the waning years of the closer relationship that man had with nature, she wouldn't have to feel like some great misfit amongst this human world, but sadly those years passed over a thousand years ago, leaving mankind a flat hollow silhouette of what it once was.

Not this human though. He wasn't like that. He was different from all of the others. Her memory proved that in so many ways. It was the one memory she had never been able to shake, no matter how often the others in her herd had told her to forget, to move on and never look back at it again. It was impossible--as if they were telling her to forget her own magic existed.

That day, back when she was merely a foal still learning what the world around her was like, she had become separated from her herd by accident when she'd been sidetracked by some of the smaller animals that dwelled in the meadows they had been grazing in, and in her search to find them again she had hurt one of her legs on a rock. Being young and inexperienced, she was not as agile on her feet at some of the older mares, and had yet to learn how to properly treat herself in that condition, only really knowing how to stop the bleeding from her cut but not being able to do anything for the pain. With the pain becoming unbearable when she attempted to stand, she was forced to lay on her stomach beside a tree until her herd eventually came to get her, but she had no idea how long that would be. The fear of being lost and lonely was starting to get to her.

That's when he found her. He looked pretty much the perfect picture of a healthy young boy who's just entered school; clean shorts and shirt, new trainers, backpack, short black hair and green eyes that took in everything around him with a keen sense of interest.

She had been alone, scared, and hurt with nobody around for miles. She'd felt completely defenseless just lying there as he looked at her. If he had been anyone else then perhaps he would have ignored her- or worse taken advantage of the situation; fantasy creature or not, she knew that there was still a surprisingly large demand for ivory in the world, as some of the elders had found bodies of animals with their teeth removed. However, this boy had instead demonstrated a kind, gentle nature, immediately setting about helping her as much as he could. She wasn't sure where he had learned to treat her leg as well as he did, but he had learned well. It was such a strange feeling, that he was so considerate of something that was, by most people's knowledge, not supposed to exist. He hadn't seemed frightened of her either, concerned only with treating her wound and ensuring that she was okay, the thought never seemingly occurring to him that she was this rare mythical being.

For half an hour, he sat against the tree with her head on his lap and stroked her silver mane gently, rewarding her for baring the pain she had to endure while he dressed he wound with some bandages he'd been carrying in his backpack, and for tolerating his own curiosity. She had to admit that she was justly proud of her hair; it was soft like velvet but smooth like silk, never requiring any magic to retain its glorious shine, unlike other mares her age. All the fur upon her body was a pure white that shamed the brightest of clouds, with not scratches or bruises or dirt marks, giving her the air of a being devoid of any malcontent, simply at peace with all around her.

The boy had stopped mid stroke at one point and grabbed his bagged lunch from his backpack, opening it up and pulling out some baby carrots his mother had packed him. He guessed that since he'd seen horses eat them before that she might like them as well.

He had moved to put some other substance on the carrots, a very light colored almost sand-like stuff that clung to the carrots as he sprinkled it on them. She'd never seen it before, so naturally she was wary of eating it just in case it was a trick. It was only later that she found out it was just salt.

The unicorn had sniffed hesitantly at his hand before glancing at the boy curiously, it didn't smell bad and there was no trace of magic on it, otherwise she would have been able to sense it easily at this distance. Noticing her reluctance to eat the strange new food, the boy had picked up one of the baby carrots with his free hand and taken a bite out of it, swallowing it promptly with a cute smile.

"Go ahead." He'd whispered. "It's not poison."

Satisfied that it was safe for her to eat if he was willing to do the same, she leaned down to take one of the small orange colored vegetables between her teeth, being careful to avoid his fingers. Her first bite was small and gentle. The front of her nose and lips brushed across his hand, making him giggle as the small hairs tickled his palms. After the first munch her eyes made a quick glance to his before shyly darting back down, finishing off the rest of the carrots in record time.

As she finished the carrots the boy seemed to remember something, an expression of realization coming over his face as he reached behind him, the young foal noticing this action and jutting backwards afraid of what he might be reaching for.

"No! No! It's all right!" The boy said frantically, quickly pulling forth his water bottle. "It's water, just water!"

To show he was telling the truth, he poured some into his hand and offering it to her. Yet again he was doing everything he could to prove that he meant no harm, despite the fact that he had no idea who or even what she was. The foal examined it and recognized the substance instantly, giving it a few quick licks, lapping up every bit he had poured. He re-filled his hand a few times in order to give her enough to drink, but soon she had enough, nodding her head in thanks once she was done.

As they finished she rested her head upon his lap again, nuzzling slightly closer to show him that she was comfortable with him being there now. The elders had always warned her against being seen by or making contact with humans, but this boy had been as kind to her as her own parents, so maybe he was an exception. Something in the way that he never attempted anything as she lay there told her that her trust was well place, the young human was happy to remain with her for as long as he was needed.

All too soon, however, the moment came to a close.

Her herd had doubled back on their tracks and finally found their missing young and at the sight of her parents she darted up from the boy, galloping towards them with a whinny. She quickly laced herself into their legs, overjoyed to be back with her parents, who in turned nuzzled her dearly, very happy to have their daughter back. Just then she had quickly gone to show them the boy who had been so kind to her, but noticed that one of the elders had already knelt beside the boy crouching down and touching the tip of his shining horn to the boy's forehead, a sound not unlike a small bell whistling in the air as a small white light ignited where the two met. She wasn't sure what he was doing, not having seen the elders use magic like this before, but seconds later the boy fell softly to the ground like a marionette with his strings cut, every muscle completely limp under the influence of the powerful spell. With a neigh of disapproval the young unicorn had trotted closer to the elder, curious to know what had happened, and what he had done to the human boy.

What did you do? She questioned.

The elder turned to look at her, his face showing equal parts tolerance and relief at seeing her again.

I put him to sleep, do not worry, he is completely unharmed and will wake up naturally once we have left here, but not a minute sooner. That way there is no chance of him seeing us leave.

_Why?_the tiny unicorn didn't want the boy to sleep, she had wanted to play with him some more.

_Because little one, it is for the protection of the herd. The boy will wake and when he does he will think it was nothing but a very vivid dream. It is a blessing that he was not one of the more aggressive humans, and I agree that he does not seem to be a threat to us, but we cannot run the risk of him telling others about us. No matter how pure his intentions are, all it takes is for one slipped word to reach the right ears, and all of us, you included, could be placed in mortal danger._the elder explained, ushering her back towards the herd while doing so.

With a last fleeting glance the unicorn turned and starting walking slowly in the direction of the others, head bowing in submission as she listened to her elder.

Ever since that day she had never forgiven that elder for what he did, nor herself for allowing him to do that. She had found out later from her beloved great-grandfather--whom was away on urgent business at the time of her disappearance but soon learned the tale from her--that the elder had also repressed the human child's memories, meaning that the whole thing would never feel truly 'real' in his eyes even if he did somehow overcome the spell on his own and remembered it, after all he couldn't see the elder in the first place, he'd simply felt a gentle pressure on his forehead where his horn had touched him. The unicorn mare cried on her great-grandfather's chest after learning the sad truth. The boy had been so kind to her and she had let his memories be tampered with as if they were nothing. Not only that, but a friend had been robbed from her, when it was already hard for her to make friends amongst her herd.

Not long after that, she made a vow to find the human boy and set things right. After the kindness he had given her, he deserves to know the truth of his good deed. She had also always wondered what everyone else was missing by cutting themselves off from an entire species based on the acts of a small number of them.

She's had enough of following their traditions blindly.

The next moment, the large oak door to his dwelling opened and out stepped the fully grown man that had once been that young boy that helped her so many years ago.

The years had been very kind to him. He now stood at a strapping 6 feet tall with ink-black hair, cut short and well-kept as it was when he was a child, although allowing for a minute bit of growth so that it shaped his head nicely. A fact that instantly caught her eyes was that he was shirtless, showing off his well sculpted body and toned abs. Rolling his shoulders back, he made a slight yawn before reaching behind himself grabbing a leg stretching out his right calf before moving on to the next, proceeding to stretch all the muscles he could think of before he exerted himself. As for his clothes, he wore tight black tracksuit trousers and a pair of white trainers with black laces, both done up properly with the excess of the laces tucked into the hem of the shoes.

To the hidden unicorn, he had become a magnificent example of his species in the time that she had been away. Although in the past thirteen years he had grown a lot and changed in many ways, baring little physical resemblance to the small child she remembered, there was something about him that just let her know it was him. Thinking on it for a moment, she decided that it must have been his eyes. Soft green irises that never once took in a sight harshly as he looked around the front of his house while he stretched; it was exactly the same way that the little boy had looked at her inquisitively back when she was hurt. It was impossible for it to be anyone else.

Finally deeming that he had stretched enough, the young man now started to lightly jog down the driveway of his house, turning to follow the pavement as he made his way out of the front gates, the Unicorn following behind, albeit keeping out of his sight. It always felt weird to her, the way she could walk calmly out in full view without a single soul noticing her, but it was convenient if nothing else.

She followed the young man as he jogged for block after block, easily keeping pace with him due to her species and the years spent running across the plains, waiting for him to jog somewhere a little more secluded so he wouldn't draw attention to himself once she made her presence known. As the mare followed him, she other humans walking the sidewalks cellphones close to their ears while talking into them. It confused her greatly that humans considered it normal to walk around talking while holding small plastic objects to their ears but considered it abnormal to do so without holding anything up. Still, she hadn't really been paying much attention to them. Her eyes were focused on the prize of getting the kind human to be her friend.

A few minutes later, the young man finally jogged out on to a secluded dirt path leading through a park, which looked too empty at the moment. He then began slowing his pace until he made a complete stop and then leaned forward against a tree to catch his breath. Judging by how far he had come without needing to stop, the unicorn mare guessed that this sort of routine must not be new to him. Tiny beads of sweat rolled down his pale skin as he gradually caught his breath, following the natural ridges and bumps formed by his taught muscles.

Now was her chance.

Slowly the mare took a step out from the bushes she had hidden behind upon making it to the park, the sound of rustling leaves and her hooves on the dirt drawing the boy's attention. She moved very carefully into his field of view so as not to startle him too much, wary that he might not believe she was actually there.

At first he froze in place, thinking that it was a fox or a badger looking in the shrubbery for its prey, but as he saw her regal white figure emerge from the green bushes, his eyes widened in awe of the creature they witnessed. The first thought to come into his head was that this was a horse that belonged to a riding enthusiast nearby, but upon seeing the large white horn protruding from her forehead, those calm rational thoughts ground to halt to be overtaken by a surge of disbelief. It was like being presented with a real-life ghost, equal parts fascinating and terrifying. Nobody knew about them as far as he knew, meaning there was no way to tell whether she would hurt him or not, and from the way she was looking directly at him, it was unlikely that he could just walk away. Running was also a stupid idea; no man was arrogant enough to think that he could outrun a horse.

His was only momentary however, for a moment later he felt a soft feminine voice speak to him inside his own head.

Please do not be afraid. She pleaded him, hoping that her telepathic magic was relaying her message clearly into his language. I just want to thank you.

"What-? How the-?" He asked in confusion, still not quite believing what was happening. Heck, a morning jog in the park interrupted by a white unicorn that suddenly starts sending messages straight into your brain that coincidentally happen to be in his first language? That sounded like a typical 4kids edited anime to him.

The unicorn took a few experimental steps forward, taking advantage of the young man's momentary stupor and placed her tip of her horn to his forehead. He flexed in surprise but before he could pull away, she located the spell of repression that the elder had placed on his memories. Now an adult mare, her magic was more than a match for a relatively weak elder. Unleashing a burst of magic from the tip of her horn she erased the lingering spell, instantly restoring his memories as visions of the long repressed experiences flashed before the human's eyes like movie in fast-forward. In a matter of seconds everything would be restored to him.

It all came rushing back to human as if he never forgot - the images of her as that small foal he found wounded in a field, the feeling of her soft fur beneath his fingers as he stroked her, the faint outlines of what he presumed to be her family as she ran to greet them, everything. It was like finally waking up after years of merely sleepwalking forwards.

_For a long time I've wanted to speak with you - to thank you for that day thirteen years ago, but I'm afraid that I was not allowed. Today is the first time that I've even attempted communicating with your species, so I apologize if some of my words aren't coming out right. I needed the correct training in my magic to speak with you at all, as I don't share the vocal chords your kind does, and now that I can speak, I just wanted to say - Thank you. What you did for me was more than I could ever expect._The unicorn explained stepping forward and bowing her head to him in gratitude.

The young man was still unsure as to whether he'd finally snapped, but with these images of his child so clear in his head, and the whole event feeling so real to him, he decided to just go along with it. There wasn't much he could do if it wasn't real anyway.

"It's ok; I just did what I felt anyone should have done, that's all." He muttered, doing his best to keep a level head given the circumstances.

_No. Not just anyone. I've read the thoughts of other people besides you, even if I haven't spoken to them._The unicorn replied.

The man smiled, understanding her meaning. There was a tendency amongst many people in the current state of the world to see animals as nothing more than a needless expense. It was a sad fact that people were starting to forget that there were things other than themselves that are alive.

"Anyone decent." the human corrected himself.

He felt a strange urge course through him as he looked at her again. Her long white mane, he remembered just how soft it felt, but was unsure whether that memory was truly real or not. He yearned to touch it again and find out for himself.

"May I?" he politely requested, reaching his arm out towards her but making sure to not make contact with her until he had her permission to do so.

The human stayed glued to the spot, hardly daring to breathe until a soft blow of air escaped the unicorn's muzzle almost as her equivalent of a chuckle.

_Of course._she replied inside his head, tilting her own head to the side to allow him better access to her.

His hand slowly came down onto the back her neck, stroking her silky locks with tender care. The soothing softness of her mane was precisely as he remembered it, not a single fraction of it feeling dry or neglected. With this confirmation, he finally accepted that he wasn't dreaming, and that she was actually there in front of him.

I don't wish to interrupt, but what should I call you? the unicorn replied, leaning her head even closer to young human's hands. His touch was just as gentle now as it was all those years ago.

"My name is Jason." he whispered, still too preoccupied with stroking her mane to.

Jason?_the mare questioned, _What does it mean to be a 'Jason'?

"Hmm? It doesn't really mean anything I suppose. It's just a name I was given by my parents so they would always be able to identify me as their son. Most people have different names from others." he replied, slightly perplexed by her question.

_Ah, I see. So it isn't like being called male or female, or old or young, it's a title that belongs to you only._The unicorn mused, passing the thought around in her head for a while as she tried to understand why humans did such a thing.

"Don't you have names?" Jason inquired.

_No, there is no need among our herd. We can recognize one another using our magic, it's very hard to describe as humans don't have this sense anymore. Well, think of it this way, just as you can see colors instead of just black and white, we can sense the 'color' of the magic surrounding a creature. It's impossible for two to be the same, even amongst identical twins, so it really makes names redundant for us. I honestly can't see the point in humans using them as there are so many of you around now. It was a little hard for me to tell if it was you at first because the magic field around humans is very faint now._the unicorn explained in kind.

The boy nodded in understanding, it would be pretty pointless to have names if you already knew who everyone was.

"Kay" was his simple reply.

I have something to show you, Jason. She said quickly changing the subject. It's a hidden place that I like to go to, most humans can't find it anymore, let alone go there - and I won't have to use my magic to conceal myself there. I would like to take you there- if it's alright.

"Wait a minute, conceal yourself?" Jason replied, not understanding how a stark white unicorn could hide herself in broad daylight.

Only you can see me right now, it's a magic trick that all unicorns know. Here, watch this!

Walking away from him for a moment, the unicorn mare moved up to the entrance to the park just a few short meters away from them. Jason watched in amazed as not three seconds later a couple walked by laughing and joking together, with the unicorn mare not three inches away from them, and neither of them even glanced in her direction before they were once again lost from sight.

"Well, I'm impressed." Jason admitted, "Sure, I'd love to see this hidden place if you'll take me there."

With his approval she began trotting off in another direction through the park, with the young human following closely behind. There was a reason why no humans could find this place anymore which didn't involve any long distances, but she would reveal that once they got there.

"So, do you go to this place often, or is it a special occasion thing?" He asked keeping in step with the unicorn.

_I try to go there when I get the chance. It's a great place for grazing. My herd went there often back when I was a foal, but we've moved to different lands now, so I don't see it as much anymore._She answered as they head deeper into the park.

As they walked, Jason started to get the distinct impression that the scenery was different to what he'd seen in the park before, just little things like trees being in different positions and the like, but he'd been running through the park for years now. He shrugged it off as his imagination for now; he'd already had enough new information to take in for one day.

"Alright." he replied, not wanting to sound rude by ignoring her to comment on the unusual trail they were on, "Do you mind if I give you a name? It's a part of human culture that we're supposed to address people by their names when we speak to them."

You can call me by my species. She suggested.

"Unicorn?"

Yes.

He chuckled. "That seems a bit impersonal, no offense"

The Unicorn turned her head to look at him for a second before turning it forward. None taken. I do not know what else you would call me though, we unicorns have never really done it before, at all.

"Maybe Buttercup, or Snowflake?" Jason suggested.

Are those names common for humans? She asked.

"Well no- they're horse names, actually."

She nodded her head, understanding that he meant well by it. I would prefer a human name if that's okay.

"Alright- hmm wait stop." he told her getting in front of her to get a good look at her face, making the unicorn blush lightly.

What are you doing?

"Most people decide on names based on how a person looks or how they feel about them, so I thought it might be a good idea to do the same. Maybe- Melissa? Or Elizabeth? Victoria possibly? They're all old English names for women." He frowned in consternation, none of them seeming to fit the unicorn's character properly. "No, they don't suit you well. Carolina? Sophia? Bella? Rose? Amy? Clarissa? Maybe-," He paused searching for the perfect name. "Annie?"

The white mare shook her head after hearing each one in turn. I don't think I particularly like any of those too much. If it's too hard to decide that you don't have to-

"Alyssa!" he suddenly exclaimed with a smile, quite pleased that he'd found a fitting name for her, "Alyssa fits you perfectly."

She felt something warm stir inside her as he said the name, and even upon calling herself by it she found it to be very comfortable to use it despite never having had one before. She agreed to her new name wholeheartedly, loving the sound of it.

Turning back to look at the path ahead, Jason once again found himself doubting his own eyes; just a few moments ago they had been walking along a path that was leading deeper into the trees, and after turning around for a few seconds, they had now arrived at what looked to be an ornate archway covered in floral vines with pink petals. This time he was certain that something had been changed without him noticing. Looking back the way they came, he saw the same familiar path that he'd jogged down day after day for years, but yet it had never led him here before.

Confused?_Alyssa said, amused by his oblivious nature. _It's an ability that many animals still retain, but it's been deliberately taken away from most humans. If enough of us band together, we can create what is known as breathing echo - essentially a real life replica of a land that we remember or that we can picture clearly in our minds. The more complex and in-depth the land you want to create, the more minds and more viewpoints of it you need. Only us unicorns and a select few other races can create these breathing echoes, but many more have the ability to walk into them.

"You need to be gifted to walk into them?" Jason asked incredulously.

Sort of._the white unicorn mare answered, once again looking like she was trying to explain how it felt to breathe. _Remember how I told you that some creatures have magic surrounding them? Well in the case of a breathing echo, your magic field has to be strong enough to cancel out the concealment spell cast upon it in order for you to see it. A few hundred years ago, mankind began to lose respect for the balance of nature on Earth, simply viewing the entire world as nothing more than available space and resources. Thousands of species became extinct with just a few short decades. Instead of trying to combat humans, representatives of all creatures formed a council, and decided that the best course of action was to exist in another world until humans remembered how to live alongside nature again. Many species you think are either extinct or endangered are actually living in these breathing echoes. They systematically removed the magical abilities from gifted humans, sparing only those who remained in tune with nature, leaving your kind with no hope of ever finding these hidden lands again.

"But if that's the case then why can I see this arch in front of us?"

That's because I am next to you at the moment; if I weren't then you wouldn't anything out of the ordinary, but as it is you are just as hidden as the breathing echo at the moment. I'm afraid that I can't remove the spell that suppresses your own magic as I am now, I'm just not that strong yet.

"That's okay, I can understand why those creatures would be slow to trust humans." Jason answered, glad that she'd trusted him enough to not evade the subject entirely.

Turning back to face the strange white archway, Jason started walking forwards again, with Alyssa following closely behind him. Upon reaching the archway, Jason felt a distinct tingle run all the way up his spine, and for the briefest of moments he saw every possible color flash in front of his eyes replacing all the scenery with a limitless spectrum of light; then, just as quickly as it arrived, the vision left, leaving behind a vision of a vast meadow of light green grass, summer flowers that blossomed in light blue, purple, yellow and red all across the gently raising and lowering landscape. Everywhere you looked there were signs of life, from the health green lichen growing on the rocks and the bright red squirrels, to the sparkling scales of the fish swimming along a nearby river while swifts arched and pirouetted in the skies above them. Even the air here felt fresher than Jason could ever remember it being by where he lived, no heavy scent of burnt petrol, no smell of waste bins yet to be collected, no take-out restaurants selling less-than-legal meats to customers and no sounds of drunken men stumbling home after drinking their own body weight in alcohol.

Seeing no reason to leave as there was plenty of fruit on the trees and fresh water in the river, the pair of them spent the rest of the day there. Mostly they simply sat and talked, gradually getting to know one another better as the time passed, telling each other stories of growing up and laughing at shared jokes. To anyone watching it would have looked like they had been friends their entire lives.

"So you're telling me you've never even heard of TV?" Jason asked in bewilderment, not really able to imagine life without television.

I'm not a human Jason. Do you know what alchemical water juggling is? Alyssa chuckled resting her head on his lap as her new friend stroked her mane once again..

"I know, but still! Never even heard of it... It's pretty much one of the most popular things in human history?"

I don't know what's so special about a talking box anyway. Humans have always seemed to be fascinated with inanimate objects to me. She defended.

"It's entertaining, that's why, besides it's far more than inanimate once you get used to it. But then again I guess the internet is also pretty-," he paused as he saw a look of confusion flutter over her face at the new word. "You don't know about the internet?"

Humans have many funny things to keep themselves occupied, almost as if they're deliberately searching forever more inventive ways to make time pass more quickly. As for myself, I only need nature to keep me happy. She replied with a tone of amusement.

"Tomorrow I can bring my iPad, a device that many humans have nowadays, then I can show you what entertains us 'Silly humans'. Maybe you'll change your mind once you've seen it for yourself." he told her with a grin.

Tomorrow? Alyssa questioned, tilting her head up so that she was looking face-to-face at Jason.

"Well its getting pretty late and I don't actually have it with me, so it would be pretty difficult for me to--,"

No, no, no, I meant - you want to see me again?

Jason paused before replying, not quite sure where that last question had come from. "Of course I do, If you want to see me again as well that is..."

The mare stood up and shook herself to dislodge the pollen that had accumulated in her fur as they had lain there, looking back down at the curious human after she was done.Of course I would.

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow Alyssa. I can be here around noon, if you don't mind helping me to find the front door again."

Alyssa leaned forward craning her neck around him and pulled Jason into a makeshift hug. Not at all Jason; till tomorrow.

"Till Tomorrow" He whispered back wrapping his arms around her neck pulling himself in closer.

As they hugged he swore that he could actually hear her mumbling something in her own mental language, just a few moments later he was prove right. Like wiping the condensation off a frosted mirror, the meadow in front of him simply vanished, instantly replace with the familiar scenery of the front of his house. Looking around for the white unicorn that had brought him back, he found nothing, guessing that she had decided to remain in the meadows for a while longer. Resigning to the fact that all he could do was wait until tomorrow, he pushed open his aged oak door and stepped inside his house, closing it behind him just as a flash of white disappeared back into the bushes beside his front drive.

The next day they met again in the same place, once more making their way to the meadows and unknowingly starting a long tradition of introducing each other's worlds to one another. They quietly walked around shopping malls together, Alyssa surprising Jason with her ability to walk straight through people as well as solid objects, while the young man had her enraptured by the bizarre arrays of human gadgets that were on offer. Other times, Alyssa would show him some of the true wonders of nature, transporting the pair of them across incredible distances with her magic to places such as air's rock, the grand canyon, the great glaciers in Alaska and even showed him some of the native American tribes that still kept in contact with the old ways, their eyes far more open than he had ever given them credit for. Soon Alyssa even let him ride on her back, and took him for rides even further into the world he would never have seen without her.

Then the time came when a year and a half had past since Jason's memories had been restored, and their relationship had blossomed beyond anything they could have imagined. They were now crucial parts of each other's lives, no longer simply wanted, but physically needed.

The unicorn and the boy had begun falling for each other, but neither could muster the courage to tell the other for fear of losing what they already had.

For Jason it was as if he couldn't help but have his mind slip towards Alyssa, he thoughts tainted by perverted visions of how such a pure and magical creature might go about masturbating. Would she create a fake penis and slide it in and out of herself? Would she lick it clean afterwards? Maybe she'd create a spectral image of her perfect stallion and have him do to her what she wished, plowing her expertly as only an equine could? Or maybe, just maybe, would she create the image of him instead, moaning him name in languid telepathic tongues as she sorely wished for it the ethereal member parting the large white cheeks of her delectable rear to be replaced with one that bore his heartbeat? Her beautiful white as snow mane, the way her feminine voice sounded in his head, her endless patience and curiosity for not only his world, but for him as a person. She was incredible.

Many times would he run over his hard cock with his calloused hand, wishing desperately that he could be lodged inside her warmth instead. It felt wrong, and he knew it was wrong; she wasn't human, and the very idea of it went against nearly all moral codes that he had been taught up to now. Still, he couldn't deny that he wanted to cum inside her, feel her clench around his member as she orgasmed as a direct result of what he'd done to her, the mare withering in pleasure as billions of his sperm attempted fruitless to fertilize his female. To see her face as he worked her, to feel her pleasure as she peaked, to taste her sexual fluids as they leaked out of her just for him - everything was intoxicating. It was becoming a deep-seated need to experience it.

It was the same story for Alyssa, she was becoming so wet from her slit when she thought of him that she could smell her own arousal. She had to confess that she had even created numerous dirty dreams for within her own mind, casting them as spells for her to experience them in her sleep as the ghostly image of Jason ravaged her as if he owned her. It was becoming unbearable.

That's when she finally decided - Jason was her chosen mate.

He was her one true love, and yet in her mind she could never see him loving her sexually the way she was, a creature with absolutely no resemblance to the females of his own kind. She needed to change if she was to have any hope of success.

Becoming human was the only option available to her that would ensure that she had a chance with him.

The very next day, during their routine meeting in the meadows of the breathing echo in the park near his house, she told Jason that she needed to disappear for a few days before she could see him again. When he asked why she didn't give him a direct reason, dismissing her reasoning as spending time with the elders; it was a thin excuse and she knew it, but unable to say any more on it without revealing her true intentions, she was forced to leave the human there trying to clutch at some kind of answer.

Fortunately, Jason took her word as truth, having never found her to lie before, and wished her the very best while she was away. She in turn promised that she would hurry back, and that she would come straight to see him when she returned. Even as she said these words, his heart lurched forward in his chest at the thought of her leaving. As Jason made his way back to his moderate house from the other-worldly meadows that day, he felt that he'd left a part of himself behind.