As the next few weeks went by, the quality of my new life in Equestria increased immensely. Determined to make me feel more comfortable at home, Twilight spent an entire day clearing out the basement of all her old junk and lab equipment. Once the basement was emptied and cleaned, Twilight bought a decent sized bed and stuck it down there. A desk, writing utensils and my own bookshelf soon followed, and by the end of the day I had my own room in the library.

There were some bumps along the way, though. Still fighting off a lifetime of beliefs, there were instances where Twilight would slip back into the old habit of treating me like an animal, but a gentle nudge and a small smile, and she would immediately correct herself and apologize. Multiple times.

I spent most of my free time around home either ‘talking’ with Twilight, or reading the many books around the library. During open hours, when ponies would come and go at random, I would take my books and head down into the basement where I could read without fear of being discovered. Twilight installed a lock on the basement door, however, just in case.

It was an interesting experience the first time we used it, as she had accidentally put it on the outside of the basement door. That meant that when locked, I was unable to remove myself from the basement. It took Twilight several hours to discover her mistake, even with me pounding on the door. She had tears in her eyes as she explained over and over again that it was an accident, and that she didn’t do it on purpose. I was quick to forgive her, but she apparently wanted me to know how sorry she was, so before she switched the lock around she locked herself in the basement and told me to let her out after the same amount of time had passed. After her ‘sentence’ was up, she came out and apologized once more before finally moving on. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I had unlocked the door hours ago.

When the library closed and the last guest had left, I would reemerge from the basement and hang with Twilight and Spike. Spike had taken the news that I was intelligent with mixed results. He was terrified of me when I had first arrived, but with the knowledge that I was as intelligent as a pony, his fear seemed to grow. In fact, he locked himself in Twilight’s room for several days and refused to come out. After the fourth day, I decided that I should go in after him. Well, Twilight decided that, and apparently I agreed with her without actually remembering doing it. Twilight magically unlocked the door, and I slipped in to see him.

I found him hidden within his basket, trying to hide beneath his blanket. I thought his poor little heart was going to stop when he saw me in the room with him. He sat perfectly still, frozen in fear, until I pulled a large emerald out from behind my back and offered it to him (a small tip from Twilight. Apparently the little dragon consumes my college education's worth in gems as a snack). His face had lit up and instead of fear, it had held confusion.

I had left him with his several thousand-dollar snack and had retreated downstairs. Several minutes later Spike had ventured hesitantly downstairs, with some encouragement from Twilight. He was still wary, but it seemed that he no longer was scared witless of me. Eventually we had gotten Spike to warm up to me, and he promised not to tell anyone about me being intelligent. A large ruby and some ice cream sealed the deal.

As the days came and went, Twilight and I continued to bond and our friendship continued to grow. She would ask me questions about my old world, and I would answer to the best of my ability. I, in turn, would ask her about her world. It was weird to discover all the things that were similar to what I used to know, but so different at the same time.

I wasn’t willing to believe everything Twilight told me, however. I found it hard to believe (and still do to this day) that Celestia did, in fact, have control over Equestria's sun, and that her sister controlled their moon. I was very skeptical of that, but Twilight kept insisting it was true. I tried to inform her that there was no way that anything could have the power to move a star, but she was adamantly stuck to her belief. Realizing that we would never see eye-to-eye on the subject, we eventually decided to just let the other believe what they wanted to and we moved on to happier topics.

We would spend hours just communicating with one another (when no one was looking, of course). We'd be sitting down comfortably in the library; Twilight chatting while sipping on tea or coffee, me with my papers, quills and an ice water (I disliked coffee, hated tea, and Twilight didn’t have any sugary beverages in the library). The only downside to our conversations was the fact that my hand would cramp up after several hours from all the writing I had to do.

Luckily, Twilight found a way around this. It was something called “hoof-language” and it was very similar to sign language back home, except instead of using your hands and fingers, you used your back and front hooves in various combinations to tap and sign out your message. Since not many ponies knew of hoof-language, there was no major risk with me using it in public as most ponies would believe that I was just ‘acting like a human’. Twilight, of course, would be able to understand me, for she knew hoof-language by heart because ‘why not’!

At first I thought I would have difficulty using hoof-language, as I obviously had no hooves, but I soon found out that my hands worked just fine, if not better. It took me almost a week to learn most of the basic rhythms and beats, but I was soon able to communicate almost flawlessly with Twilight, without the use of paper. There were some times that I had to spend a couple of minutes getting a message across if I didn’t know the proper word, but for the most part it was almost like talking again.

It sure made life a lot easier for me.

It was a beautiful summer morning. The sun was shining brightly down upon Ponyville. The sky was bright blue and was clear except for a few clouds. The temperature was a warm 76 degrees and everyone was outside enjoying the wonderful day. Everyone, except me.

I had my ass planted on the couch inside the cool library, my feet up on the coffee table, an ice-cold water in my hands and a book on ancient Griffon culture open in my lap. It was a Saturday, so there was no fear of somepony barging in on me, but just to be sure I had closed most of the shades. Didn’t want a pony to pass by the window, glance in and see me reading.

Sipping on my water, I turned the page and continued to read about the old wars of the Griffons. Their clans were always bickering over territory, and they even drew other races into some of their conflicts. They were known for their mercenaries, as well as their brutal fighting styles. They actually reminded me a lot about humans from my world, always fighting with each other over something as trivial as land, wealth or power. The only difference was that the griffons didn’t have access to fully automatic weapons and weapons of mass destruction.

I had just taken another mouthful of water when the front door’s handle began to jiggle. I inhaled sharply, and began to choke as some water went down the wrong pipe. Sputtering and coughing, I quickly closed the book and shoved it in between the cushions of the couch. Jumping up, I dumped my water into a nearby plant and dove upon my cushion that we still kept in the library (it was more for show, but I still used it sometimes). I threw my glass across the room and it shattered against the wall right as the front door swung open.

Twilight stood in the doorway, blinking slowly. She looked between the shattered remains of the glass on the wall and me splayed out on my cushion, an innocent expression on my face.

“You thought I was somepony else, didn’t you?” she asked, amused. I just laid there, staring up at her, trying to hold in another cough. Twilight sighed and shook her head, a small smile playing across her lips. She trotted in and shut the door behind her, laughing softly to herself.

“You never cease to amaze me,” she said, bopping me in the leg with her hoof as she passed. I coughed once and sat up. She walked over to the remains of the glass, and with a quick flash of magic, the glass was whole once more. Placing the new glass on the coffee table, she turned to me, an angry expression on her face.

“You’re lucky I can fix those things so easily, otherwise we’d have a problem.” I responded with poise and dignity; I blew a loud raspberry at her. Unable to keep her angry face any longer, Twilight giggled at my response.

Standing up, I brushed myself off and turned to my lavender friend.

~Where were you this morning?~ I asked, stomping my feet and clapping in a quick combination.

“I was out getting certain plans ready for today,” she said, walking around me and heading towards the kitchen.

~What plans?~ The great thing about hoof-language is that even though it helps for you to be looking at the individual using it, it is not necessary. While being mostly signs, it’s also used a mixture of rhythmic vibrations to relay the message.

“Plans with my friends,” Twilight called back to me, a small smirk on her face. I narrowed my eyes at her.

What are you up to, Twilight? Entering the kitchen, she pulled a wicker basket out of one of the lower cupboards. Putting it on kitchen table, she went over to the refrigerator and started to pull out pre-made sandwiches and drinks. She placed them into the basket along with a checkered blanket.

~What plans?~ I asked again, approaching the table and looking into the basket. Each of the sandwiches were made with hay, grass or flowers. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. While they ate some of the same food as humans, ponies diets also consisted of food that I could not possibly enjoy or digest, mainly plants.

“What were your plans for today?” Twilight asked as she double-checked if she had everything. Grabbing the basket in her teeth, she exited the kitchen. Placing the loaded basket near the front door, she placed one of the larger umbrellas from the coat closet next to it.

~Why?~ I asked as Twilight started to head up the stairs. She stopped midway up and looked back at me, smirking again.

“How would you like to come to the beach with me and my friends?”

~YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES~ I danced around the room, my hands clapping out my answer as my feet did a little jig. Twilight laughed as she continued up the stairs.

“Okay, okay,” she called down as she rooted around the bathroom closet. “Just let me grab a towel for both of us and we’ll be off!” As she fished around for the towels, I pulled the book I had hidden in the couch out of its hiding place and placed it back on the shelf. Rule 13 of living with Twilight: ALWAYS put the book back where it goes. No exceptions.

Twilight came down with the towels and placed them on top of the basket. Grabbing the leash, she attached it to my collar, grabbed the basket, towels and umbrella in her magic and headed to the front door. She grabbed the doorknob in her hoof, but hesitated. Turning back towards me, she grimaced slightly.

“I almost forgot, but Rarity will be joining us.” I winced at this. Our first meeting hadn’t been the best, and I had learned that her and Twilight had fought about Twilight keeping me. Luckily, Twilight had managed to smooth everything over with Rarity and the pair were still friends. However, ever since the first time I had met her, Rarity had been going out of her way to avoid me. Both Twilight and I didn’t know why she didn’t want anything to do with me, but we both agreed that it would probably be best to limit the time I was near her.

~I’ll be on my best behavior~ Twilight nodded once, doubt still on her face, but nonetheless she opened the door and we walked outside. I stretched in the sunlight as Twilight made sure the door was locked. Satisfied, we headed off.

“We’ll be meeting up with everypony at the beach,” Twilight said softly to me as we walked. I nodded, barely moving my head. Keeping slightly behind Twilight, I kept my face blank and expressionless.

“Oh, this is so exciting!” Twilight squealed, a smile on her face. “Another possible chapter: Having Fun with Your Human!” I groaned and rolled my eyes. Ever since Twilight had gotten rid of Your Human and You, she had been treating everything we had done as part of a learning experience. She even had taken to naming each event. Luckily, she hadn’t started to actually write anything down...yet.

Fortunately Twilight calmed down before we reached downtown. We headed through the marketplace, ponies stopping to say ‘hi’ to Twilight, or ask her how her day was going. She answered each with a smile as we made our way steadily through the crowd.

~Is Spike already at the beach?~ I asked when there was a lull.

“No, he is foal-sitting the Cutie Mark Crusaders for Applejack and Rarity,” Twilight replied, glancing around to make sure that nobody was looking at her. “It’ll just be us and the girls.”

We had almost reached the edge of town when we were flagged down by a mare with a fuchsia coat and a rosy mane.

“Twilight! Hey, Twilight!” Twilight stopped in her tracks and turned to the mare.

“Hey Cheerilee, what’s up?” The mare, Cheerilee, smiled at Twilight.

“I just wanted to say thank you for your help the other day with my class. I wasn’t sure how I was going to teach any of the unicorns about magic theory until you showed up!” Twilight blushed at this comment. Refusing to meet Cheerilee’s eye, she waved a hoof at the mare.

“It was no trouble at all. I was just happy to be able to teach eager young minds.”

“Nonetheless, I still appreciate what you did for me,” Cheerilee said before she noticed what Twilight was carrying.

“O-oh, I’m sorry! Am I interrupting something?” she asked, her ears splayed backwards.

“Oh no, of course not,” Twilight reassured her, smiling. “I was just heading to the beach with some of my friends, and my human.” Cheerilee looked up at me with wide eyes.

“This fine specimen is yours?” she asked, her eyes slowly drifting over my frame. “How long have you had him?”

“Several weeks now, actually,” Twilight said, tilting her head slightly to the side. “Why?”

“No reason,” Cheerilee said offhandedly, her eyes drifting lower. A weird light seemed to appear in her eyes as she “studied” me. “You’ll have to let me...ah... borrow him sometime.” Even though I was wearing my sack-pants, I could still feel her gaze burning into my groin.

“I... What...?” Twilight asked, her face lighting up red and her mouth agape. Cheerilee giggled and, swaying her hips, walked off, leaving Twilight and I flustered and confused. As we stared after her, I slowly turned to Twilight.

~Let us never speak of this~

“I concur,” Twilight said, turning around abruptly and heading back down the path. I cast one last glance after Cheerilee before following behind Twilight.

The remainder of our trip was (thankfully) uneventful. Once we were out of Ponyville, we were able to talk more freely. We walked for a good while, but since it was such a nice day neither of us really cared.

As we neared the end of our journey, the grassy hills slowly became sandy dunes and the path we had been walking on disappeared. Heading over the last dune, we reached our destination: the beach! There were ponies scattered up and down the beach, some relaxing on towels while others played in the cool water. A group of pegasi had gathered a patch of clouds together and were currently diving off of them and into the lake below. There were a few humans there as well, but they were few and far between and none of them were anywhere near the water.

“There they are,” Twilight said, pointing at one of the smaller groups of ponies. I looked and saw that the other five mares were already here. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were already competing with each other, a volleyball flying back and forth between them. Pinkie Pie was cheering them on, waving small flags as she acted like...well, like Pinkie Pie. She was an unique one, I’ll tell you that. I had learned from Twilight that she really like to party, even going as far as to throw a party for each new pony to Ponyville. Luckily for me, she did not extend this policy to humans.

I spied Rarity lying on her blanket, eyes closed as she soaked up the sun. I wasn’t entirely sure that ponies could tan, but she was definitely trying. And then there was Fluttershy, sitting beside Rarity as she watched Rainbow and Applejack play, a small smile on her face.

We headed down the dunes and made our way towards the group. As we drew nearer, Twilight called out to her friends.

“Hello everypony!” Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie all stopped what they were doing to wave at Twilight, calling out their greetings. Fluttershy looked up, her face hidden behind part of her mane, and her eyes locked onto me. There was a loud squee-like noise and then I was tackled by a yellow blur. I stumbled slightly as Fluttershy latched herself onto my chest, her hooves around my neck in a hug.

I don’t know what I had done to earn her affection, but ever since Twilight had taken me to her for the exam, she had been rather clingy. Whenever she saw me, she would always have to hug me, regardless of what she had been doing at the time. Twilight had figured that it was due to the fact that I had been malnourished and Fluttershy had been concerned for me, and I had accepted that answer with no questions asked. It was actually kind of nice.

As Fluttershy nuzzled my neck happily, Rarity lifted her head and gave me a disgusted glance. Laying her head back down, she groaned irritably.

“Ugh, Twilight dear. Why did you have to bring that thing with you?” she huffed, closing her eyes and turning her head slightly. Rainbow shot her an annoyed glance.

“Now, come on Rares. She can bring her human if she wants tah,” Applejack said, trotting over to the group.

“Yeah, the more the merrier!” Pinkie cheered bouncing around me, a huge smile plastered on her face. I’m pretty sure it’s permanent, as I’ve never seen Pinkie without it. Rarity just sighed and went back to her sunbathing.

That was a better reaction than what I was expecting. Fluttershy continued to cling to me as Twilight placed her baggage down. Twilight opened the umbrella and placed it in the sand, creating a large shaded area. Pulling the checkered blanket out of the basket, she spread it across the shaded sand and began placing the various sandwiches and drinks that she had brought with her upon it. It seemed the others had brought food of their own as well. Soon the blanket was covered not only with Twilight’s sandwiches, but also cupcakes and cookies from Pinkie Pie. Applejack, true to her name and legacy, brought apple pie, apple crisp, and something that looked remarkably like an autumn cheesecake.

Soon there was a veritable smorgasbord laid out upon the cloth. My mouth was watering just looking at it all, but unfortunately for me, I wasn't going to be able to partake in anything, as it wasn’t for me. As the others began to gather around the food, Twilight shot me an apologetic look.

~I’ll save you some so you can have it later~ she quickly tapped out for me as she hooked my leash to the umbrella. I flashed her a quick smile while no one was looking, and then settled down in the sand just outside of the shade of the umbrella to wait.

While the girls ate and chatted with each other, I just basked in the sun and enjoyed the feeling of warmth. The sand was comfortable, and I had no problem just laying around the beach. It sure beats just laying around the library. At least this way I got to go outside and blow the stink off of me.

A soft thump next me alerted me to the presence of a pony nearby. Lazily opening an eye, I glanced beside me and saw Fluttershy sitting there, a kind smile on her face. In her hooves was a plate of apple crisp and a cupcake. Behind her I saw the others watching her with curious expressions.

Fluttershy placed the plate beside me and nudged my hand with her hoof. I looked from her to the food, tilting my head to the side. I knew what she wanted me to do, but I feigned innocence (more to see her reaction than anything else. Fluttershy is SO cute!).

“Go ahead; it’s for you,” she cooed, nudging my hand again. Without waiting for another prompt, I reached down and grabbed the plate. As there was no spoon provided, I was forced to use my hands but I didn’t care. The apple crisp was too delicious to bemoan not having an eating utensil.

As I ate, Fluttershy scooted up beside me and leaned against my side, affectionately stroking my leg and knee with her hoof.

“Yes, you eat that all up,” she said, smiling as she watched me eat. “We want to make sure that you are getting plenty to eat.” I glanced over at Twilight, who rolled her eyes at me.

~I told you she was still going on about how underfed you were when you first arrived~ she signed, her back to her friends. I resisted the urge to smirk as I finished devouring the apple crisp and turned my attention to the cupcake. The mare might have been crazier than hell, but Pinkie sure did make a mean cupcake.

“Don’t feed him too much, Fluttershy,” Rainbow called over, her mouth full of food. “You might make him fat!”

“Aw, don’t ya worry about that Rainbow,” Applejack said, “A few bites o’ apple crisp never hurt anypony.”

“He has been behaving well the past couple of days,” Twilight quipped, shooting me a quick smirk, “I think he deserves a treat.”

I’ll get you back later for that comment, Sparkle Butt, I growled in good humor, my mouth full of sugary cupcake. I finished eating and Fluttershy took the plate to the blanket. I sat in the sand, licking my hands clean of the aftermath.

“I’m happy to see you’ve been taking such good care of him, Twilight,” I heard her say as she sat back down with the group. “He was in such poor condition when he first arrived.” Blocking out the rest of the conversation, I laid back down, closed my eyes and proceed to take a nap.

I was awoken by the feeling of something tugging at my collar. Opening my eyes, I found Twilight trying to unhook the leash from the collar.

“Sorry,” she whispered apologetically, “I figured I’d take this off for a while, just in case you wanted to wander.” Finally unhooking the leash, she flashed me a smile before heading back over to the blanket.

Yawning, I sat up and stretched. Wiping the sand off my back, I glanced around. While I had been asleep, the girls had finished eating and were now back to playing volleyball. It looked like it was Rainbow and Pinkie against Applejack and Fluttershy. Twilight appeared to be refereeing and Rarity was still sunbathing.

I glanced around, looking for something to do, when I spied the water. There weren’t any ponies nearby, other than Twilight and her friends, and she did say that I was allowed to wander. It was a hot day; I was at the beach, it didn’t take much more convincing than that.

I took off towards the sparkling water at a dead sprint, sand flying behind me. I heard Twilight shout something at me, alarm in her voice, but I didn’t stop my advance. I had left my shirt at the library, but I still had my sack-pants on, though I didn’t really care if they got wet. I could just have Twilight dry them off with magic, and they were already as crappy as they could get. Reaching the water’s edge, I splashed through shallows before diving head first into the waves.

Immediate calm and coolness wash over me. The water was refreshingly cold. Opening my eyes, I found that I could see perfectly underwater; everything was so impossibly clear! Kicking my feet, I propelled myself further out into the lake, my arms pulling me through the clear blue water. I don’t know how, but this lake was cleaner than any pool back home, and had the added bonus of not having any chlorine. It was fresh. It was clear. It was perfect. I could have stayed under for hours, but the sudden need to breathe drew me back to the surface.

I breached the surface, taking in great gulps of air as I wiped the water from my eyes. As I happily treaded water, I glanced back to the shore. I saw that everyone had stopped with the volleyball game and had gathered around the edge of the water. Well, not everyone; Rarity was still asleep on her blanket and oblivious to the world around her.

They seemed antsy, and it was hard to tell from this distance, but they appeared to have worried expressions on their faces. Squinting closer, I noticed that someone was missing.

Where’s Twilight? I glanced around, trying to locate the mare. There was a flash of movement above me and I glanced up. Twilight was airborne, flitting around as she searched the lake.

What’s she doing? I eyed her curiously, watching her fly here and there, eyes scouring the lake’s surface. She eventually spotted me bobbing in the water. Diving out of the sky, she streaked towards me faster than I have ever seen her move, even that one time I had almost spilled my water on a book on the coffee table. Acting on instinct, I ducked back beneath the surface as she zoomed overhead, hooves skimming the water. Coming back up, I watched as she quickly banked and headed back towards me. Stopping above me, she hovered in place, her eyes wide.

“What the buck are you doing?!” she hissed, fear evident in her voice. I blinked, confused. Had I broken a rule that said 'no humans allowed in the lake'?

~What do you mean?~ I asked, trying to sign and keep my head above water at the same time.

“What do you mean ‘what do you mean’?!” she growled, trying to snag me with her hooves, but I bobbed away from her. Whatever was stressing her out, she appeared to have forgotten that she could use magic.

~I just don’t see what the big deal is~ Diving quickly, Twilight finally grabbed a hold of me and began to try and lift me out of the water.

“Big deal? Big deal?!” she wheezed, her voice panicky. “Of course it’s a big deal! Humans can’t swim!!!” At this, I stare up at her incredulously.

Seriously? She’s getting all worked up because she thought I couldn’t swim? I quickly bopped her on the nose, causing her to yelp and drop me. She looked down at me, surprised and confused.

~Humans can’t swim? Says you!~ Smiling, I inhaled deeply and dived back beneath the waves, leaving Twilight hovering above, a bewildered expression on her face. Kicking my legs, I flew through the water for several seconds before surfacing again. Twilight was instantly next to me, worry on her face. I rolled my eyes and splash some water at her. She easily avoided my 'attack', but still hovered nearby like a mother hen. She had a look on her face like she was worried I might slip beneath the waves and never come back up.

~Stop worrying; I’m fine~ Splashing more water at her, I began to float lazily on my back. I hadn’t had this much fun since I had arrived in Equestria, and I was going to make it last.

~Go get a ball~ I told Twilight, causing her to tilt her head at me, confusion replacing worry. ~I want to have some fun with you~

“But, what do I tell the others?” She asked, glancing back at the shore. “Humans aren't supposed to be able to swim.” I look at the shore as well. A crowd had gathered at the water’s edge, watching us with curiosity. I turn back to Twilight, shrugging my shoulders.

~That you are a very smart alicorn who taught a human to swim?~ She shot me a skeptical look. I shrugged again then went back to floating.

~I don’t really care what you tell them, I was just hoping for a ball~ Twilight sighed and flew back to the shore. I watched as she landed and was immediately swarmed. I chuckled to myself, closing my eyes and drifting lazily through the water.

I had been drifting there for several minutes before something splashed down next to me. Glancing over, I smiled as I saw a volleyball floating there. Twilight hovered nearby, looking at me with an irritated expression.

“There, I got you your ball,” she huffed, glaring down at me. “Happy?” I nodded, smiling. I swam over and grabbed a hold of the ball. The minute it was in my hands, I launched it up towards Twilight. She squawked, swooping to avoid the ball. It splashed down in the water again, and I immediately swam over to retrieve it.

“What the buck was that for?!” Twilight growled, anger clear in her eyes. Grabbing the ball again, I turn towards the enraged mare.

~Play with me~ Twilight blinked, her anger vanishing instantly. A small blush slowly covered her face as she looked down at me, her mouth agape.

“W-what?” she stuttered, causing me to chuckle. I toss the ball up to her again, and this time she caught it.

~Play with me~ I repeated, still smiling. ~I want to play a game with you~ Twilight looked between me and the ball, her face still red. Realization dawns on her face, and she smiles down at me.

“I guess I could spare some time,” she said, tossing the ball into the air. It landed in the water with a splash, and I swam towards it. Grabbing it, I launch it back up to Twilight, who laughed as she caught it in her hooves. Both of us smiled at each other as we tossed the ball back and forth; a pony and her human.

We continued to toss the ball back and forth for the rest of the afternoon. Rainbow Dash joined us shortly after we started, and we soon had an actual game going. Rainbow Dash and I would toss the ball back and forth between us as Twilight tried to intercept it without using her magic.

The crowd of ponies on the beach dispersed slowly as we played, heading back to their original spots on the beach or some just heading home for the day. Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie remained at the edge of the water, however, dipping their hooves in the water as they watched us. Rarity had remained asleep through the whole thing.

The sun had started to sink towards the horizon when the three of us finally decided to head for shore. I was exhausted from swimming so much, but I didn’t care. I had enjoyed myself, and had had some fun bonding time with Twilight and Rainbow Dash. The mares flew above me, Rainbow holding the ball as Twilight kept an eye on me as I swam. Even after spending several hours swimming around the lake, she was still slightly worried that I would sink beneath the waves.

As I stumbled out of the water onto the beach, I was assaulted by a worried Fluttershy who had to check me over to make sure that I wasn’t injured or hurt in any way. Finding nothing wrong with me except exhaustion, she latched on to me, tears in her eyes.

“I thought we had lost you,” she sniffed, looking up at me with big, watering eyes. I wince inwardly.

Damn, now I feel like an ass. Rainbow Dash came to my rescue, though.

“Aw, come on Fluttershy! It’s not like he was going to drown,” she said, hovering beside my head.

“But Rainbow Dash,” she whined, gazing up at the rainbow mare. “Humans aren’t supposed to be able to swim! They just...they just sink.” Her grip on me tightened and she buried her head in my chest.

“You heard Twilight, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “She taught him how to swim before coming out here, and when has Twilight Sparkle ever failed at doing something she set her mind to?” Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply, but Rainbow Dash cut her off again.

“Besides, humans may be stupid, but they wouldn’t do anything that could kill them. If he didn’t know how to swim, I doubt he would have gone into the water like that.” What happened next stunned me completely.

Rainbow Dash, the “most awesome pony in all of Ponyville”, swooped down and nuzzled my cheek. Gazing at me with her magenta eyes, she smiled tenderly at me.

“It’s still nice to know you’re okay, big guy,” she said, before blushing and zooming off. I glance down at the others and see that they are all staring after Rainbow Dash, their jaws on the ground. They were as speechless as I was, and that’s saying something.

Applejack was the first to recover.

“I think that I better get goin’ too,” she said, turning to Twilight. “I’ll wake up Rarity and we’ll go save Spike from the Crusaders.” Nodding to the others, Applejack walked over to Rarity and nudged her awake. The white unicorn mare sat up, groaning slightly as she stood. Even through her coat, I could see a bit of red underneath. She winced as she and Applejack began to walk home. Eeyup, she was sunburned alright, and it looked painful.

Serves her right, I snicker to myself as I watch her limp off. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy both said their goodbyes before heading off. Twilight magicked everything into the basket and closed up the umbrella. She reattached the leash to my collar and we started the long journey back to the library.

As we walked, I glanced over to Twilight and saw a smile on her face. Walking closer to her, I bumped into her gently.

~What are you smiling at?~ Twilight looked up at me and her smile grew.

“I was just thinking of how much fun I had today,” she giggled. “I didn’t know you could have that much fun at the beach!”

~You learn something new every day~ I snickered, stifling a yawn. All the swimming and playing had taken a lot out of me, and I couldn’t wait to get home and crawl into bed.

“Yeah,” Twilight said, her ears drooping slightly, along with her head. “Something new.” She was silent for several seconds before turning back to me, her smile no longer present. She looked up at me through her bangs. “You really scared me with the stunt you pulled.” I raised an eyebrow at her, confused. Twilight sighed and rubbed her head against my leg as we continued to walk.

“I thought I had lost you when you dove into the lake,” she whispered, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “Even though we have only known each other for a few weeks, I couldn’t bear the thought of something bad happening to you.” I reached down and scratched behind her ear. She flicked the ear and giggled, the smile reappearing on her face.

~I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t know that humans here couldn't swim; back home most humans can actually swim very well~

“It’s okay,” Twilight said, wiping the tears from her eyes with a hoof. “Just don’t do anything like that again without telling me first.”

~I promise~ The rest of the walk home was silent, both of us quiet. As we walked through the deserted marketplace, Twilight leaned into my leg. I placed a hand on the back of her head, scratching her behind the ears gently. She hummed contentedly as she leaned more into my leg, her head pressing into my hand. We remained like this all the way to the library.

Once inside, Twilight removed the leash before flinging it, the basket and the umbrella into a corner. The sound of snoring upstairs informed us that Spike was already home and out like a light. By some unspoken agreement, we both head towards our respective rooms. Reaching the basement door, Twilight nudged me one more time in the leg.

“Goodnight Max,” she murmured, a tired smile on her face. “Thanks for allowing me to have fun with you today.”

~Goodnight Twilight~ I sign, yawning. ~Thanks for taking me with you~ We flash each other one more smile before I headed down into the basement and Twilight headed up to her room.

Reaching my bed, I flung back the covers and sunk into the bed. Snuggling down into the coolness of the sheets, I close my eyes and sigh happily. It had been a fun day at the beach and I had had a blast with the mares, even if they didn’t know the whole truth, but I was happy to be back at the library.

No, I realized as I felt myself drift slowly off to sleep. Not the library. Home. Sighing again, I let sleep take me and I drifted off into dreamland, a happy smile on my tired face. I was home.