Twilight awoke to the sound of Spike snoring. While normally sleep apnea was a rather annoying condition to have, she had become accustomed to hearing his growl-like snore throughout the years. She found it surprisingly comforting, letting her know that he was still there, and still sleeping peacefully.

Pulling herself out from the warm, comfortable embrace of her bed, she yawned loudly, stretching both her legs and wings until they popped gently. Ruffling her feathers gently to try and get them back into their proper place, she silently made her way towards the dresser, trying hard to not wake Spike. It was still fairly early in the morning, and she didn’t want to wake him too early; he needed his sleep. He was still a baby dragon, after all.

Reaching the dresser, she pushed a small amount of magic through her horn. Grasping her manebrush, she lifted it into the air and began to brush her mane into a more presentable state. Using the mirror on top of the dresser to see what she was doing, she got her mane as straight as possible.

Once that task was done, she returned the brush to the dresser, cutting off the magic flowing through her horn. The brush clattered softly against the hardwood surface. Twilight leaned in closer to the mirror, admiring her handiwork. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed her bangs.

It appears that some of my mane is getting rather long, she thought to herself, eyeing the offending hairs with distaste. Why, that one particular patch is nearly two millimeters longer than the rest!

Despite her displeasure, it would have to be for now. She’d have to look through her schedule to see if there was any free time coming up soon where she could possibly schedule a haircut.

Her unfortunate case of bedhead taken care of, Twilight snuck quietly by Spike, still asleep in his little basket. Trotting softly to the bedroom door, she cracked it open and slipped out into the hall, closing the door silently behind her. She walked quickly to the stairs, her hoofs clicking against the wooden floor, the only sound in the early morning silence.

Maneuvering the stairs as quietly as possible, she soon arrived in the living room.

The entire room had a cozy feel to it. The curtains were drawn, keeping the morning sun out. The only source of light in the room came from the fireplace, where red embers—evidence of a recent fire—provided warmth as well as a dim light to see by. Summer was slowly coming to an end, and the mornings were becoming chillier and chillier. Twilight had started making sure that there was a fire burning each night, just so that the library remained comfortable when temperatures dropped below the acceptable levels. If it got too hot, they could just open a few windows.

As Twilight made her way across the room, a loud snore broke the silence. Her eyes quickly snapped to the couch, and it was there that she spied the other inhabitant of the library.

Sleeping on the couch, half covered by a wool blanket, was Max. Lying on his back, he had his feet up on the hoofrest on one end of the couch, his head resting on the other. His mouth was open slightly, his breathing even and calm. Every few breaths, a soft snore would issue forth. He looked peaceful, which was good considering recent events.

Almost a week ago he had come dashing up to Twilight’s room and dived under her covers in a state of near panic. She had managed to get enough hoof-language out of him to understand that something weird was going on down in his room. She had investigated immediately, while Max stayed secure under her sheets. However, she found nothing out of the ordinary. She had even looked in his closet at his insisting, but it looked like an empty closet to her.

Just to be sure, she scanned the closet, as well as the entire room, with her magic. It came back clean: nothing was amiss, magical or otherwise. She was pretty sure that Max was just suffering from a bad dream, but he insisted he had been awake at the time. Nevertheless, Max had refused to go back down to the basement, instead electing to sleep on the couch. And there he had slept for the past several days.

Twilight didn’t really care where her human slept, as long as he was comfortable. And judging by the way he looked right now, she’d hazard a guess that he was pretty comfortable on her couch.

As she watched, Max’s foot twitched slightly, evidence of him dreaming. She smiled to herself as she watched him; as she watched her human.

She felt a slight tingle when she thought that. My human.

Twilight didn’t have a human growing up. Her parents didn’t think that one was a necessary addition to her family, and she never pushed the matter. As she grew, even though she never truly understood the fascination with them, her curiosity about them had grown. She had always wondered what it would be like to have a human, but never had a chance to actually pursue the thought.

Even after she moved to Ponyville, she had never actually considered buying a human. Then Princess Celestia had sent her a human of her own. Not just any human, though. She had sent Twilight Max, and her life had changed. All thanks to her human.

Her human was special. Her human was handsome. Her human was intelligent. Her human was caring and kind and understanding.

Her human was from a different world.

Twilight squee’d internally as she felt her heart flutter at that very thought: a different world!

It had been nearly impossible for her to believe that Max was intelligent at first, let alone from a different world entirely. However, after everything he had told her about his world, Twilight had had no choice but to believe him. Nopony could have made anything like that up off the top of their head, and his details were consistent.

And what details they were! To think that humans could have come up with such technological advances! It shouldn’t be possible, but neither should Max. An intelligent human: simply marvelous!

Another snore from the sleeping human snapped Twilight back to reality. Chuckling softly to herself, she made her way over to the curtained windows. Pushing a small amount of magic through her horn, she grasped the curtains in her magic and yanked them open quickly. Immediately, the light from Princess Celestia's glorious sun burst through the window, brightening the room.

The sudden attack of light caused Max to wake with a startled yelp. His eyes snapped open, only to shut almost immediately afterwards as his sensitive eyes were assaulted. Hissing, he grasped at the woolen blanket and dragged it up, over his head. Twilight giggled at his antics. Approaching the couch, she poked at his hidden form with a hoof.

“Good morning, Max,” she chirped cheerfully. “It’s time to get up and seize the day!” Max squirmed under the blanket as she continued to prod him, causing her to giggle again. A muffled growl came from the blanket, followed by his response.

~I hate mornings~

“Come on you,” she chastised, prodding him one last time. “Early to bed and early to rise makes a mare healthy, wealthy and wise!” There was some movement from under the blanket, and then Max’s hand emerged. His fist closed, he raised his middle digit in Twilight’s direction. Leaving it there for several seconds, the hand then withdrew back into the hidden depths of the blanket, the raised digit still standing proud.

This wasn’t the first time that Twilight had seen him use that strange gesture, but she still didn’t fully understand what it meant. Taking into account the different situations that he used it in, however, she could surmise that it probably wasn’t anything good.

“Fine then,” she huffed, a small smile touching her lips. “I’ll be downstairs making breakfast when you decide to be civilized.” Spinning around, she trotted off to the stairs and headed down to the ground floor, leaving behind a grumbling pile of blanket.

Making her way to the kitchen, Twilight lit up her horn and began pulling pots and pans out of the cupboards. Despite the popular belief amongst her friends, she was a decent cook. Not as good as Spike, though. When it came down to Spike and her, he would always be the better chef, but she could handle herself fairly well in the kitchen.

Seriously, one little incident and everypony thinks that I’m a disaster in the kitchen. Placing a pan on the stove, Twilight turned the range on. She opened the fridge and grabbed several eggs in her magic. Cracking them on the edge of the counter, she dropped the yolks into a mixing bowl, tossed the shells into the trash, and began stirring the eggs with a whisk. She added milk and seasoning to the mix as the pan on the stove slowly heated up, stirring the contents of the bowl until they were mixed evenly.

Satisfied with her egg mixture, she brought the bowl over to the stove and poured it into the designated pan. As the eggs began to cook, Twilight began gathering the other ingredients she needed. She flipped the eggs over and began to mix another batch of eggs, humming softly as she worked.

As the eggs continued to cook, she began adding the fillings for the omelet, knives flashing across the cutting boards as she worked.

She placed some fire-roasted peppers and onions across the middle of the omelet, making sure to spread them out evenly. Some diced tomatoes and a few mushrooms followed. As the omelet continued to cook, the entire kitchen was soon filled will a pleasant aroma and the sizzle of cooking food. Sprinkling some shredded cheese across the omelet, Twilight folded the edges together, scooped it up, and placed it upon a plate. She hovered the omelet-laden plate over to the table as she started on another omelet.

Twilight had just started on a third omelet when the sound of shuffling footsteps behind her indicated that Max had finally made his way downstairs. She turned and watched as he shuffled across the kitchen and collapsed into one of the chairs by the table. A giggle escaped her lips at his appearance, his hair sticking out in all directions in a severely obvious case of bedhead.

His head was hung low and he had his eyes closed tight, a small frown upon his face. He looked reluctant to wake, but the smell of food seemed to be working against him.

“Come on. Eat up before it gets cold,” Twilight said as she levitated a glass of orange juice over to him. “We have a big day ahead of us.” Raising his head slightly, Max cocked an eyebrow, his eyes still closed.

Twilight deadpanned, “You forgot what we had planned today, didn’t you...”

Grunting, Max lowered his head and reached for his fork. Twilight shook her head as he began to eat.

“We’re heading to Canterlot for dinner with my family,” she said, causing Max to begin choking on his food. As he pounded on his chest with his fist, Twilight began to eat her own omelet.

~Why am I going with you?~ He finally asked, getting his coughing fit under control. Twilight smirked slightly as she took another bite of omelet. At least that got him to open his eyes.

“Because my parents are interested in you,” she replied, sipping at her own glass of orange juice. “That, and my brother and Cadance will be there as well, and Cadance wants to meet with you personally. Something about seeing what you are really like.” That seemed to alarm Max. His eyes widened and he swallowed thickly.

~You didn’t tell her about me, did you?~ There was a hint of fear in his eyes as he looked at her.

“No, no I didn’t,” Twilight replied, trying to calm him down. “She’s just curious and thought this would be an opportune moment to finally meet you.” Max grunted, then returned his attention to his breakfast. Twilight watched him for several seconds as he played with his food.

“Are you still against ponies knowing you’re intelligent?” she finally asked, placing another bite of omelet in her mouth. Chewing, she watched Max fidget slightly as he continued to stare at his food. Silence filled the kitchen while she waited for his answer.

Finally, he looked up at her with uncertain eyes.

~Are you?~ For a split second, for the briefest of moments, Twilight thought of pushing the idea for him to reveal himself. She didn’t know why he was so scared. Princess Celestia wasn’t going to treat a sapient creature in any negative way, even if it was a human.

But as she opened her mouth to voice her opinion, something stopped her. It was almost like a whisper in her ear. It’s his decision, not yours. Thinking quickly, Twilight chose her next words carefully.

“I think we should proceed with caution,” she said slowly. “There are certain ponies out there we want to avoid, but I believe that others might handle the information well, if we handle it carefully. I leave the decision up to you, though.” Max was silent for several more seconds before shaking his head.

~I’m not ready for ponies to know about me yet. I know it’s a little paranoid, but I just don’t feel ready. Sorry~ He smiled sadly at Twilight, his apologetic expression pulling at her heart. Reaching across the table, she patted his hand gently with her hoof.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. We can wait as long as needed.” she smiled at him before returning to her food.

The rest of breakfast passed in a comfortable silence. When they both had finished with their food, Twilight cleared the table with a quick burst of her magic.

“Why don’t you go and get cleaned up?” she asked Max, trotting to the sink to take care of the dirty dishes. “We’ll be leaving for Canterlot around noon.”

Nodding, he stood up and stretched, his back cracking several times in the process. With a yawn, he shuffled silently from the room and headed up the stairs. Twilight turned her attention to the sink full of dishes.

It didn’t take long for her to clean the kitchen. Her magic made short work of the pile of dirty dishes, pots, pans, silverware and cups. The various platters and cooking utensils danced around her as she worked; some flew into the sink to be scrubbed clean of all offending material, while others disappeared into their proper cabinets and cupboards. She hummed a little tune to herself as she worked.

With the dishes done and put away, she placed Spike’s omelet in the fridge for later. He would be able to heat it back up with his dragonfire, so she wasn’t too concerned about it.

Exiting the kitchen, she made her way up the stairs and down the hall. As she passed the bathroom door, it swung open and a cloud of steam drifted out. Max emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist while he dried his hair with another. Other than that, he did not have his clothes that Rarity had made him on. His body was on display for all the world to see. And what a display it was.

Those wrestling matches with Rainbow are definitely doing wonders for his body, Twilight thought before she could stop herself. One of her wings twitched involuntarily at her side. Luckily for her, Max didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.

~Bathroom is all yours~ He signed as he slipped past her. As he walked by, Twilight noticed that he had shaved off the fur that grew on his face, leaving his cheeks bare. Personally, she liked it better the way it had been. It made him look very attractive.

Wait...what am I thinking? Blushing, she quickly slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. A quick glance around showed her that Max had closed the drapes of the window, as to avoid any pegasi that flew by possibly glancing in and seeing him. Flinging open the drapes, she cracked the window open slightly to air out the room.

Turning on the water in the shower, she waited for the water to warm up before hopping in. A happy sigh escaped her lips as the warm water washed over her body. Closing her eyes, Twilight stuck her head under the stream of water coming from the shower head, warmth spreading across her face as the water flowed over her fur.

She remained under the stream for several minutes, basking in the wonderful feeling coming from the flowing water. Slowly, she began to wash herself as she became lost in her thoughts. Using her magic, she gently began to massage the scented shampoo into her coat, working it into a lather. It was quickly washed away as she stepped back under the shower head.

Why am I getting so flustered by him? I just view him like a brother. She thought back to the end of the first hellish week he had put her through. How apologetic he had been about what he had done to her; even more so than Rainbow Dash was when she destroyed several books during a failed stunt.

How happily he had subjected himself to her endless stream of questions about his world and concerns with him living in Equestria; convincing her that everything would be fine as long as they took it slow and careful.

How attentively he listened whenever she tried to explain the concept of something to him; paying more attention to her than her own friends do whenever they ask her a question on something they didn’t understand.

How caring he had been after their run-in with Golden Ingot; how he had risked revealing himself in order to help her, and how he had held her—and comforted her—as he tried to get her to feel better.

How gentle he had been with the Cakes' children, despite everypony's fears; how he had gently held Pumpkin and made her laugh.

Twilight felt her cheeks begin to heat up, and she didn’t know if it was because of the shower, or something else. He’s not even a pony. He’s a completely different species! Besides, I only love him like I love Spike, right? Like a brother?

...right?

Despite it being midday on Saturday, Ponyville’s train station was relatively empty. Only a few ponies were present, waiting to board the train or waiting for somepony to disembark.

Max and Twilight made their way through the station, the leash to Max’s collar grasped firmly in Twilight’s magic.

“The train departs in fifteen minutes,” she muttered under her breath to the human. “We just need to purchase tickets and then get aboard.” She glanced back at Max and received the faintest of nods. His expression was blank and emotionless. His eyes seemed glazed over, almost out of focus, but she knew that he was secretly observing the world around him.

As they approached the ticket booth, Twilight cleared her throat, catching the attention of the pony behind the counter. As he turned to look at her, she smiled brightly at him.

“I’d like two tickets to Canterlot please,” she said, pushing magic through her horn and placing the bits on the counter with a soft ‘clink’. The stallion behind the counter glanced down at the bits, then looked back up at her. His eyes then flicked over to Max for a brief second before he shook his head, his bored expression never changing.

“Sorry, Miss, but we don’t allow humans to ride in any of the train cars unless it’s first class,” he sighed, sounding like she was wasting his time. Nodding towards Max, he continued in the same bored manner. “Your human will have to travel with the baggage, with all the other garbage, just like all the other humans. No exceptions.”

“What if I-”

“No exceptions.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she managed to keep the smile on her face. Behind her, Max tensed up slightly.

“Then I’ll take two first class tickets, please.” Forcing more magic into her horn, she lifted a few more bits onto the counter.

“Sorry, but there are no more first class coaches available. Looks like your fleshy friend will have to ride in a crate today,” the stallion snorted, staring at her like she was stupid.

That didn’t seem right to Twilight. There was barely anypony in the station at the moment, so how could there be no more first class seats available?! As she gazed confusedly at the stallion, he smirked slightly. Her eye twitched and something within her snapped.

That does it. Twilight was used to dealing with stubborn ponies. She was friends with Rainbow Dash and Applejack, after all. She knew how to deal with stubborn ponies. The stallion behind the counter was intentionally being difficult, and she did not appreciate it. And she was NOT putting up with it today.

“Do you know who I am?” she whispered, the smile no longer present on her face. The stallion opened his mouth, but she didn’t give him a chance to answer. “I am Twilight Sparkle, one of the Elements of Harmony and the Princess of Magic.” One of the stallion’s ears twitched and a bead of sweat began to roll down his face. Dimly, in the back of her mind, Twilight realized that he probably wasn’t expecting this response. He was just expecting her to shut up and put up with his Celestia-damned bullshit, but not today!

“I realize that I was only recently crowned as Princess, but that does not give you a reason to treat me like this. I have done nothing to deserve this, and I do not appreciate it.” Twilight leaned towards the window, glaring at the stallion with all the hatred she could muster. She could see the fear growing in his eyes. “I am trying to get to Canterlot for a very important meeting concerning my human here, and you, good sir, are preventing that. That means that you are impeding royal business and I could have you arrested for that simple fact alone.” Twilight was bluffing, but she didn’t care and he didn’t know. “A simple letter and I could have Princess Celestia or Luna down here, and you wouldn’t know what hit you.”

The stallion’s ears were splayed back and his eyes went wide, sweat dripping down his face. Twilight smirked, still glaring at the poor pony. “That being said, I’m feeling generous today, and I am in a hurry so why don’t we try this again?” The stallion nodded fearfully, before quickly pulling out two first class tickets and sliding them across the counter.

When he went to take the bits, Twilight’s horn flared and she pulled them out of his reach.

“I don’t think so,” she scoff, smiling at his confused expression. “I believe that I shall be riding in the private Royal Coach today, and I do believe that it’s free for me, as I am a princess. And I believe that my human will be allowed to join me.” She grabbed the bits and tickets in her magic and began to trot away, leaving the stallion looking like he had just survived a round with a Ursa Minor.

Approaching the train, Twilight glanced back at Max and smirked. “Looks like being a princess has it’s benefits after all!” He simply stared back at her with a slight frown on his face. He looked… disappointed? Twilight paused, confused.

“What?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. Glancing around quickly, Max made sure nopony was nearby before replying.

~I’ve never seen you pull rank like that before~

“He was asking for it!” Twilight huffed, rolling her eyes. Max shook his head, still frowning. She opened her mouth to point out that she had every right to do what she just did, but the warning whistle sounded, causing both of them to jump.

“We better get on before we’re left behind,” Twilight grumbled, still annoyed that Max was upset with her. Reaching the train, they quickly hopped aboard one of the cars just as the train began to pull out of the station.

The train car they had entered was almost completely empty. Only two compartments were occupied. Twilight snorted, still disgusted by the ticket-pony’s behavior. 'No more first class seats available' indeed!

They made their way towards the Royal Coach at the front of the train, walking past compartments as they moved from car to car. As they entered the car that was attached to the Royal Coach, the pair came face-to-face with another pony and a human. The unicorn mare’s face lit up and a wide smile spread across her face as she saw them.

“Well well well, what have we here?” she chirped, trotting forward. “It’s nice to see that somepony else had the idea to take their human with them as they travel.” The mare had a light gray coat with a blue mane that curled around her horn. Her human followed behind her, staring intently at Max the entire time. Twilight just stared at the strange mare, raising her eyebrow slightly. The mare bowed as she approached, still smiling.

“A pleasure to meet you, Princess Sparkle,” she said, her eyes never leaving Twilight. It’s rather creepy, actually, Twilight surmised. Unsure of what to say, she simply said the first thing that came into her head.

“And you are...?” Nice one, Sparkle. Real professional.

“Oh, forgive me,” the mare said, chuckling slightly. “My name is Winter Cold, and I’m one of the chairponies of the Canterlot branch of the Weather Factory. And before you ask—” she said, cutting Twilight off as she opened her mouth “—I had nothing to do with the horrid heat wave we had several weeks ago. As my name indicates, I’m part of the winter team.”

“But you’re a unicorn,” Twilight said, her eyes darting up to the mare’s horn. “How can you be part of the weather team?”

“Being able to perform magic has it’s benefits, darling,” Winter Cold said, smirking slightly. “It also helps to have a large pile of bits to back me up.” Great, Twilight thought, I’m dealing with a noble. No wonder she’s trying to butter me up. This was one of the reasons why she rarely went to Canterlot anymore.

A growl next to the mares cause them to both look over at their humans. Winter’s human was staring at Max, his lips pulled back in a slight snarl as he glared at the human. Max just stared back, his eyes narrowed. Winter’s human growled again and inched closer to Max. Max’s eyes hardened and he bared his teeth, fists clenching by his side. They seemed to be trying to make the other back down.

As the humans tried to intimidate each other, Twilight noticed some differences in the general appearance of the two. Up until then, she didn’t have a chance to compare Max with an average Equestrian human. It was something that she had been wanting to do ever since Max told first told her that he was from a different world, but she had never gotten around to asking Applejack if she could borrow one of her humans.

There was something about Max that just seemed to be different from the Equestrian humans (besides him being intelligent), but Twilight couldn’t ever put her hoof on it. But now that he was face-to-face with one, the differences were surprisingly startling in Twilight’s eyes.

Max loomed over the other human by a good six inches. The height of the train car was designed so that humans could travel comfortably with their ponies, yet the top of Max’s head almost brushed the ceiling.

Max’s face was another difference she saw. His forehead was less prominent than Winter’s human, the Equestrian human’s forehead more square in nature. Max’s nose and ears were also smaller, not nearly as blocky as that of the other human’s.

It was the teeth, however, that really stood out.

While the Equestrian human’s teeth looked like they were designed for eating meat, they appeared as though they were better suited for eating fruits, vegetables and grains. They were more flat than they were sharp, great for grinding food. Max’s teeth looked as if meat was something he was supposed to eat on a daily basis. They were serrated, perfect for cutting through—and tearing—meat, and his canines were longer than that of the other human.

Between the two, Max had the more intimidating teeth; the teeth of a predator. Luckily, Winter didn’t notice any of this.

“Brutus, behave!” Winter Cold said, scolding her human, before turning her attention towards Max. “And who do we have here?”

“This is my human, Max,” Twilight said, still keeping an eye on the two humans. She didn’t want a fight to break out on the train. She knew that she could trust Max to behave himself, but she wasn’t too sure about this ‘Brutus’. If it came down to it, she could just use her magic to subdue him.

“He is a very fine looking human,” Winter said, her eyes drifting over Max’s body. He just ignored her, continuing the staring contest with Brutus.

“So I have been told,” Twilight growled, her voice tense. She wasn’t entirely sure what Winter was after, but she was pretty sure it was some kind of stupid favor. She really didn’t want to deal with this right now, wanting to just get to the private coach and relax.

“How old is he?” Winter asked suddenly, her head tilting to the side. Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but froze.

I don’t know his age. She stood there, mouth agape, a blank look on her face. Even after living with Max for several months, she had never asked how old he was. Closing her mouth with a click, she glanced nervously at Max. He didn’t look that old to her, but he didn’t look young either. How much time do I have left?

“I have no idea,” Twilight finally said, turning back to Winter. “He was a gift from… a close friend. The ponies she bought him from found him out in the desert, so they didn’t know his age either.”

“Shame,” Winter tsked, still studying Max closely. “I could never live not knowing how much time I had left with my human. Brutus here is only three years old, so I know that I still have a decent amount of time with him.” She glanced at Brutus and smiled lovingly, almost lustily.

Twilight shifted uncomfortably from hoof to hoof, clearly not liking where the conversation was going. Another growl came from Brutus and she decided to end it before it got even worse.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Ms. Winter, but I’m afraid that I find myself rather tired,” Twilight said, smiling awkwardly. “So, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll be heading to my coach.”

“Oh, of course, darling,” Winter said, her horn flashing as she levitated a small card over to me. “If you ever find yourself in Canterlot again, feel free to pop in and say ‘hello’. My door is always open, especially for ponies such as yourself.” She smiled slyly at Twilight as she took the card in her own magic.

“I’ll be sure to do just that,” Twilight said, chuckling nervously before hurriedly making her way around Winter and her human, Max following close behind. As the pair made their way towards the Royal Coach, Max kept glancing back over his shoulders, keeping his eyes constantly trained on Brutus.

Opening the door, they slipped into the roomy private coach and Twilight quickly shut and locked the door behind her. Sighing heavily, she collapsed upon one of the cushioned seats, unfurling her wings and closing her eyes.

Hopefully this day gets better, she thought to herself as Max shuffled over and sat down on the seat opposite of her. Twilight just laid there, feeling the gentle rumble of the train beneath her as she tried to relax.

Opening her eyes, she glanced over at her human. Max was currently leaning against the wall, watching the countryside flash by with a blank look on his face. As she watched him, the conversation she had with Winter played through Twilight’s mind again. When she came to the part about Max’s age, her stomach tightened slightly.

Exhaling loudly, Twilight sat up and turned around to face Max. She cleared her throat, catching Max’s attention, and he turned his head, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her.

“That entire disturbing conversation aside, Winter brought up a good point," she said, her voice trembling slightly. It was everything she could do to stop her voice from cracking. “H-how… how old are you, exactly?”

Max stared her her, chewing the inside of his cheek absentmindedly for several seconds before answering. ~I’m currently twenty years old~

“WHAT?!” Twilight shrieked, her wings snapping open wide as she stared at him in horror. Max jerked backwards, his eyes widening in shock at her response. “B-but,” Twilight stuttered out, the whites of her eyes showing, “that’s impossible!”

~Why do you say that?~ Max asked, looking confused, and slightly terrified.

“The average human only lives for fifteen or so years. In fact, the oldest human on record was only seventeen years, three months, and sixteen days old!” Tears began to well up in the corner of Twilight’s eyes, and she sniffed pitifully. “If… if it’s true that you’re twenty years old… that means… that means you’re going to… to…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. The very thought of what was coming was too much for her.

She dropped her gaze to the floor, tears starting to flow freely down her face. How many days does he have left? she thought to herself. Is he simply living on borrowed time? Am I going to wake up tomorrow and find his cold, dead body on my couch. As these thoughts raced through her head, tears continued to fall.

She didn’t look up, even when Max shifted in his seat. She just couldn’t, couldn’t look at him at the moment. She did jump when Max’s hand suddenly entered her vision, however. Grasping her chin, he gently lifted her head up. Twilight resisted weakly before giving in and looking up. She blinked in surprise when she was he was smiling at her.

~I’m not going anywhere, anytime soon~ he signed, releasing her face. More tears fell as Twilight stared up at him sadly.

“B-but, the average h-h-human only lives for—” she began to blubber out, only to be interrupted as Max placed his finger against her lips.

~Humans in your world might die early~ he signed, ~but where I come from, twenty years is quite young for a human~

Twilight blinked up at him, his smiling face blurred slightly due to her tears. “W-what do you mean?” she asked, trying to fight off a fresh wave of sorrow. “How old do humans get in your world?”

~Where I come from, humans can live anywhere from eighty to one-hundred years, depending on their lifestyle~

Twilight inhaled sharply, staring up at Max in shock. “E-e-eighty to one-hundred?” she wheezed, stunned by the revelation. Hope slowly began to rise up in her chest, but she quickly pushed it down. Eyes narrowing, she studied Max’s face closely. He’s joking, she thought darkly. He has to be. She wanted desperately to believe him, but it seemed too good to be true.

“You aren’t lying to me, are you?” she asked. Still smiling, Max just shook his head. “You’re going to live for another sixty years, maybe more?” He nodded, the smile still present. Twilight studied his face for a few more seconds, but she couldn’t see any signs of deception. Still, she had to be sure.

“You promise?” she asked, her voice cracking slightly. Max nodded again. Then he did something that cause Twilight’s breath to catch in her throat, and her heart to forget to beat for several seconds.

Reaching up, he made a crossing motion over his heart with his hand before reaching up and placing his palm over his eye: a Pinkie Promise. Twilight knew that he knew what it meant. He had seen Pinkie do it once before, and had asked what the significance behind it was. When Twilight had explained it to him, Max had simply scoffed. When asked what was funny, he had replied that trying to hold someone to their promise was ridiculous. What if something happened that was out of their control?

Yet, here he was, using the promise to show her that he would still be with her for many more years.

Twilight’s heart soared in her chest, and a large, dopey grin spread across her face. I still have sixty more years with him! The very thought sent shivers down her spine. We still have sixty years together!

Leaping from her cushion, she wrapped her legs around Max, hugging him tightly as she snuggled into his chest. Max couldn’t help but chuckle as he returned the hug.

The pair stayed like that for several minutes, enjoying each other’s company. With Max’s arms wrapped firmly around her, Twilight snuggled deeper into his lap, cooing happily as she enjoyed the feeling. His body was surprisingly warm; she could feel the heat coming off of him even through the ‘clothing’ Rarity had made for him. She could hear his heart beating in his chest over the sound of the train, pushing life-giving blood through his veins.

Twilight sighed happily, knowing that that heart was going to continue working for many years to come.

“I want to apologize.”

Max perked up, looking over at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. The train rumbled along, continuing its journey up the mountain path. It had been nearly an hour since it had left the station. The journey from Ponyville to Canterlot usually took around two hours, which meant that they were only about halfway to their destination.

After getting over the initial relief of finding out that her human wasn’t going to die anytime soon, the pair had slipped into a comfortable silence as they both rested upon the cushioned seats. The silence had allowed Twilight’s mind to wander, and something was starting to bother her.

~Apologize for what?~ he asked, still in his prone position. After Twilight had vacated his lap, the human had stretched out across the bench, resting his head against on of the cushioned hoofrests. His feet were propped up against the window, out of which he had been watching the scenery zip by.

“For earlier at the train station,” Twilight continued, staring dejectedly at the floor. “You… you were right. I shouldn’t have gone off on the stallion like that.”

~So, why did you?~ Max asked. He didn’t appear to be upset, just curious. Twilight sighed as she tried to gather her thoughts.

“I was… angry,” she replied after several minutes, still staring at the ground.

~Angry with how he was treating you?~ Max asked, his feet tapping a gentle pattern against the glass, causing it to shake slightly.

“No,” Twilight whispered, ears splaying backwards slowly. “With how he was treating you.” At that Max sat up. Turning around, he leaned towards her, the confusion clear on his face.

~What do you mean?~ he asked. ~He didn’t do anything to me~

“Yes, he did,” Twilight murmured, head still hung low. “He said that you would have to travel with ‘all the rest of the garbage', and he called you a very crude name for a human.” Max moved to sign something, but stopped as she continued to speak. “I know it’s probably not that big of a deal to you, but to me… to me it felt like he was insulting one of my friends. No—” she shook her head, her gaze hardening “—he was insulting one of my friends.” She finally looked up, glancing over at Max. He was looking back at her, listening intently. Twilight tried to smile, but it didn’t feel right.

“I don’t know how you feel about the way other ponies treat you, but to me, it’s frustrating to watch everypony treat you like dirt. I realize that it’s normal to treat humans like that, but you aren’t like other humans. You’re smart, caring, funny, and you have more compassion than most ponies I know. It just tears me up inside to see ponies walk all over you like that, just because they can.

“That’s why I pulled the whole ‘I’m-a-princess’ thing back there,” she said, tears spring up in her eyes. “I wanted you to be comfortable on the ride to Canterlot. I wanted you to ride with me, like a normal pony, like the intelligent creature that you are. So, when that stallion was preventing that from happening, I… I just snapped… and that wasn’t right of me, and I’m sorry.”

Hanging her head, Twilight blinked back tears. She had wanted this to be a happy trip to visit her parents, yet here she was, getting ready to cry for a second time that day.

There was the sound of movement, and Twilight blinked as Max was suddenly sitting next to her. She opened her mouth to talk, but fell silent as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. She sniffled slightly as her gaze slowly raised.

Max smiled down at her, wiping the tears from her cheeks gently with one of his fingers.

~Twilight, you don’t have to worry about me~ he signed as he pulled his hands back.

“B-but—”

~I will admit that it can be frustrating sometimes, but there is something that makes it all worthwhile~ Max signed, stumbling a bit as he tried to remember the proper words.

“W-what’s that?” Twilight asked, gazing up into his dark brown eyes. They seemed to shine with amusement.

~You and Spike~

Twilight froze, her eyes widening and ears splaying backwards.

“Just the two of us?” she asked. “I’m sorry, but that’s… how could Spike and I help you in this circumstance?” Max just chuckled, shaking his head as he continued to smile.

~Despite how awfully other ponies treat me, I know that once we are back home, you and Spike will treat me with... kindness and respect. It might not seem like much to you, but it is to me. Because of you and Spike, the library has become a sort of safe herald—~ Max winced at Twilight’s confused look before correcting himself ~—haven for me. A place where I can stop pretending to be stupid and actually be myself. And that’s made even better because you and Spike are there as well. After all, having two friends is better than no friends. It really doesn’t matter to me how others treat me, because you treat me better than I could have hoped for~

It took a while for Max to sign all of that, and he had to pause in order to collect his thoughts. As he slid his fingers through Twilight’s mane, massaging the skin beneath, she couldn’t help but coo contently. He really is getting better at hoof-language, she thought. I can remember back when he could barely sign a sentence without help.

~I’m a human from a different world~ Max continued. ~I made your life a living nightmare for over a week. And yet, despite that fact, you welcomed me with open hooves when I finally came to my senses. You cared for me and my well-being, you try and make sure that I am happy, healthy and have everything I need, and ask for nothing in return. With all that in mind, I don’t care how other ponies treat me, because as long as I have you by my side, I know everything will work out for the best~

Warmth spread across Twilight’s face as her heart fluttered in her chest. Oh, there’s that feeling from earlier! she realized, remembering back to when he had emerged from the bathroom after his shower. What does it mean, though? Maybe… maybe I’m coming down with something? Oh, I hope it isn’t contagious! I don’t want to get others sick.

Her musings were cut short as the inside of the coach suddenly darkened. The pair exchanged a confused look before turning their attention towards the window.

The Lonely Mountain loomed above the train, blocking out the light of the sun. The city of Canterlot, in all its glory, clung to the side of the mountain, growing steadily larger as the train hurdled down the tracks.

“I didn’t realize we were almost there,” Twilight breathed, staring up at the colossal, white city. The towers, the buildings, the waterfalls. The place was still as beautiful as it was the day she had left for Ponyville. Twilight loved her friends dearly, and she loved the little town of Ponyville, but there was no denying that Canterlot was still more breathtakingly beautiful.

Max inhaled sharply and leaned forward quickly, pushing his face against the window. Tearing her gaze from the majestic sight of Canterlot, Twilight glanced over at her human. He wasn’t looking up at the city; his gaze locked on something down at the base of the mountain, his brow furrowed.

Leaning forward, Twilight touched her muzzle to the window, trying to see what he was gazing at. It took her a few seconds, but she soon spotted what had drawn his attention.

At the base of the mountain, drawing nearer and nearer as the train sped along, was a giant, gaping hole. It looked like somepony had gouged out part of the terrain with a giant hoof. There was a flurry of movement from within the crater, and Twilight narrowed her eyes, trying to make out what was going on. Her eyes widened suddenly as she realized what was moving in the crater.

“They’re humans,” she breathed, her breath fogging up the window. “Those are humans down there.” As the pair continued to watch, Twilight could start to make out more and more details. The humans were working around the edges and sides of the crater. They had mining equipment in their hands: pickaxes, shovels, and carts. As the humans mined inside the crater, the glimmer of golden armor signaled that there were also members of the Royal guard walking amongst them.

Twilight scrunched up her face in confusion. “Now, why are the Royal Guards making humans mine part of the mountain?” she asked nopony in particular. “What purpose could that serve?”

They continued to watch the strange scene in silence as they passed by the massive crater. Humans swung their pickaxes and worked on filling the mining carts with some material. From this distance, it was hard to tell what it was they were mining exactly, but it had to be important if the Guard was involved.

~I thought humans couldn’t be trained~ Max eyed the scene below with interest, resting his forehead against the window.

“It’s not impossible, just time consuming,” Twilight replied, also watching the humans work in the crater. “If it wasn’t possible, Applejack wouldn’t have any humans working on her farm.” They fell silent as they watched the humans work, continuing to watch until the train had pulled away, leaving the strange scene behind.

When the train pulled into Canterlot station twenty minutes later, the pair was still quiet, trying to figure out what they had just seen.

~There is no way I can get out of this, is there?~ Max asked as the pair stood outside the house of Twilight's parents. It was nearing late afternoon and they had managed to make their way through Canterlot to her old home without any incidents.

As they stood there, on the front step, they could hear the murmur of voices on the other side.

“Nope,” came the reply, and with it Max sighed, closing his eyes. He seemed to be steeling himself for what was about to happen. Twilight wasn’t sure why he was getting so worked up; it wasn’t like they were dating or anything. Everypony on the other side of the door thought he was just a stupid human. He had nothing to worry about. Nonetheless, she thought it best to wait for Max to be comfortable before proceeding.

“Are you ready?” she asked, glancing up at the human. He opened his eyes and stared at the door in front of him, brushing his brown hair out of his eyes as he thought. Twilight made a mental note to ask him if he wanted a haircut when they got home. It was getting rather long.

Not that it looked bad, though. It actually suited him rather well.

~No~ he finally signed, still staring at the door. ~But let’s do this before I lose my nerve~ Twilight nodded and turned to the door. Raising her hoof, she paused for a brief second before knocking three times.

The gentle murmur of voices on the other side of the door fell silent and there came the sound of hoofsteps approaching the door. Max swallowed nervously as the sound grew louder; Twilight just rolled her eyes. He’s being overly dramatic.

The door handle turned and the door swung open, revealing…

“Twily!”

“Shining!” Twilight cried, rushing forward and tackling her older brother. Giggling, she clung to him as he returned the hug, slightly winded.

“It’s been too long, big brother!” she said when they finally broke apart. He smiled, ruffling her mane with his hoof.

“It sure has, Princess Sparkle,” he said, smirking slightly. Twilight punched him in the shoulder, blushing.

“Shining,” she whined. “You know I don’t want you to treat me any differently!”

“I know, but your expression always makes it well worth it.” Stepping aside, Shining Armor motioned for the pair to enter. Twilight trotted over the threshold, tugging lightly on the leash when Max hesitated. She gave him an encouraging smile when Shining wasn’t looking, and he seemed to relax slightly.

As Shining closed the door, Twilight dropped her saddlebags in the hallway and steered Max into the living room. It was empty except for a single pink alicorn lying on the couch. She looked up as the pair entered and a smile spread quickly across her face.

“Twilight!” Cadance squealed as she jumped up off the couch, dancing over to Twilight.

"Sunshine, sunshine. Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They both recited, giggling together. It may have been an old greeting of theirs, but it never got old.

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight could see Max biting on his bottom lip, trying to hold back his laughter. This caused her to blush slightly.

“How’s my favorite little filly doing?” Cadance asked, hugging Twilight tightly against her chest.

“Better, now that I’m actually here,” came the reply as Twilight returned the hug. As the pair separated, Cadance turned to look up at Max, her curiosity clear on her face. Max just stared back, his head cocked slightly to the side, a blank expression on his face.

“So, this is the human that Auntie Celestia was going on and on about,” she said, wonder in her voice. “He’s better looking than I pictured.”

“And a lot bigger too. Easily one of the tallest humans I’ve ever seen,” Shining quipped as he trotted over. As he studied Max, he kept his expression blank and emotionless: a professional guardspony at work. “He’s certainly more muscular than most humans I’m used to seeing.”

“That always seems to be the first thing ponies see when they first meet him,” Twilight grumbled under her breath. It was true too. Half the time somepony commented on Max, it was about how good looking and muscular he was. There’s more to him than his looks.

“And how did he get so muscular?” Cadance asked, a smirk crossing her face as she wiggled her eyebrows at Twilight. “Have you been helping him stay fit, hmm?” Twilight’s face lit up instantly as she blushed.

“Cadance! N-no, I haven’t,” she whined, shaking her head quickly. “You can thank Rainbow Dash and her constant wrestling matches for that.” The minute the words left her mouth, Twilight groaned inwardly.

“Wrestling matches?” Cadance’s eyes widened as her smirk grew.

“Not like that!” Twilight huff, giving her a light shove. “I mean actual wrestling matches, like rolling on the ground, getting cuts and bruises. Stuff like that.”

“He’s attacked somepony?” Shining asked sharply, ears standing at attention as his eyes narrowed. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw Max tense up, trying hard to keep his face emotionless as he prepared for trouble. Oops, better head that off quickly.

“Actually, it’s more like she attacks him and he puts up with it.” she quickly replied. Pausing, she glanced at Max, giving him a thoughtful look. “In fact, I think he gets more injuries out of it than Rainbow does. Fluttershy certainly thinks so, and she’s the one who patches them up after each fight.”

Shining was silent for several seconds, continuing to glare at Max, who (to his credit) just stared back at the three of them with as blank an expression as he could muster on his face. Despite the mask, however, Twilight could see the nervousness in his gaze.

Moving carefully, Shining approached Max and, keeping his eyes locked on his face, jabbed him experimentally with a hoof.

Cadance gasped and cringed, obviously expecting some form of retaliation from the human. It never came. Max remained where he was, wincing as he rubbed the side of his stomach where Shining’s hoof had poked him.

Shining jabbed Max with his hoof again, causing another wince from the human, but still no retaliation. A third jab, and another wince, but nothing else.

It was on the fourth jab that Max finally moved. Reaching over quickly—far quicker than Shining Armor could react to—Max lifted his hand and bopped Shining on the nose. Shining snorted, blinking up at the human in confusion. The tension in the room broke, and Cadance giggled at her husband’s response.

“Well, he’s certainly seems to be very tolerating,” called a voice from the kitchen. Turning around, Twilight smiled as she saw her mother leaning through the doorway, an amused expression on her face. “I would’ve smacked some sense into anypony doing that to me after the second time.”

“Mom!” Twilight cried, galloping over to give the older mare a hug. Behind her, Shining jabbed Max again when he thought nopony was looking, causing Max to wince again.

“There’s my little princess,” her mother—Twilight Velvet—said, wrapping Twilight up in a hug. She nuzzled the top of her head, humming softly. “I’m glad you were able to make it.” While the pair hugged, Max smacked Shining on the back of the head, causing Cadance to snort as she held back her laughter. Twilight’s ear twitched in annoyance, and she tried her best to ignore them.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Twilight said, returning the nuzzle with a happy sigh. Breaking apart, she smiled up at her mother. “I’m just glad you allowed me to bring Max along as well.” Shining shoved Max, causing him to stumble slightly. Cadance’s body shook as she pressed a hoof to her mouth, trying desperately to hold in her laughter.

“Of course, honey. Although, the main reason I agreed to that was to see if he is safe for you to live with—” A crash behind them caused both mares to look around.

Shining and Max’s limbs were locked together as they wrestled, bumping into tables, chairs and the couch as they struggled with each other. Cadance was on the ground as well, rolling around as she laughed her flank off, tears streaming down her face.

“And from what I’ve seen, you have yourself a fine human,” Velvet said, laughing as she watched Shining and Max’s antics. “Okay you two, that’s enough! It’s time for dinner.”

Shining and Max broke apart, both panting heavily as they stared at each other. Twilight could see that Shining was trying to hold back a smile. Max just looked slightly annoyed.

I’ll have to find some way to make this up to him, she thought as Shining got to his hooves.

“Unfortunately, despite the fact that your human is starting to grow on me,” Velvet said as she headed back into the kitchen, “He’ll have to stay in the living room for dinner.” Twilight nodded and headed over to retrieve her bags from the hallway. As she did so, Shining and Cadance headed towards the dining room, both still breathing heavily: Shining from his wrestling match and Cadance from her laughter.

Pushing a small amount of magic through her horn, Twilight grabbed her saddlebags and levitated them over to Max.

“I figured something like this would happen, so I packed you something to eat,” she whispered to him as he took the bags from her magic. He looked down at the bags, then back up at her. “Sorry.”

~It’s fine. Go have fun with your family~ He smiled quickly at her before sitting down on the ground and opening the saddlebags. As he rooted around from the food she had packed for him, Twilight followed after Cadance and Shining into the dining room.

Entering, she saw the pair, along with her mother, sitting around the candlelit table, which was covered in platters of mouth-watering food.

There was a large bowl for the salad, tomatoes and cucumbers mixed together with bits of croutons. A large pot was filled with steaming mushroom soup, bits of mushroom and celery floating in the delicious substance. There was three different flavors of wine to choose from with their meal, the bottles placed at separate ends of the table. Velvet had even made her famous Saltbush Lasagna, melted cheese oozing out onto the plate as steam wafted from it. It all looked delicious, it all smelled delicious, and Twilight just wanted to dive right in, but something stopped her. Something was missing, and she had just now noticed it.

“Where’s dad?” she asked, looking around. His place at the table was empty; it didn’t even have any silverware. Velvet’s ears drooped as she smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, honey, but he had to work late tonight. He won’t be joining us.”

“Why is he working late?” Twilight asked as she took her seat in between Cadance and Velvet. Her father was part of a special branch of the Royal Guard that specialized in covert missions. It wasn’t often that he had to do field work but when he did, he could be gone for several days at a time. The last time that that had happened had been after the Changeling Invasion. His department had spent two weeks tracking down Queen Chrysalis.
The reports had listed her as ‘Dead on Arrival’, but there were rumors that a secret underground facility in Canterlot had a new occupant. Princess Celestia and Luna would send humans down to the facility every week or so to feed the imprisoned queen while they interrogated her.

Of course, they were only rumors.

“When you wrote to Princess Celestia to inform her that the ponies she had bought Max from had been mistreating their humans, she immediately started trying to track the group down. She has always had a soft spot for humans for some reason,” Shining explained as he tucked into his food. “After doing some research, she discovered that the group didn’t have the proper licensing to be able to handle humans, let alone sell them, which means that what they are doing is illegal.

“After figuring out that little bit of information, Princess Celestia, with the help of the S&S unicorns, has been attempting to track the group down, but they seemed to have all mysteriously vanished into thin air. Although, the S&S have a potential lead. A warehouse in Manehattan. As of right now, dad’s team is heading out there right now to try and seize any humans that are being stored there, as well as attempt to catch any of the ponies that are responsible.”

“Is that what Auntie Celestia’s been up to?” Cadance asked as she sipped at her glass of wine. “I wondered why she wasn’t returning any of my letters in a timely manner.”

“It’s also why she took so long fixing the issue with the Weather Factory, and why she was so angry with the featherbrains that work there,” Shining said, his mouth full of mushrooms. “That little stunt they pulled distracted her from her search, and cost her valuable time and resources.”

“Can’t Luna help with the search?” Twilight asked, helping herself to a third helping of lasagna. It was a childhood favorite, afterall. “It seems that with her help, you could cover double the area. That would make finding the ponies easier.” Shining just shrugged, cheeks packed with food and his spoon sticking out of his mouth.

“Auntie Luna isn’t able to help because she has problems of her own,” Cadance replied, shaking her head at her husband.

“What problems?” Velvet asked, placing another bite of food in her mouth. Chewing daintily, she wiped her mouth with a napkin as she waited from Cadance to answer.

“There has been a string of nightmares afflicting Equestria for the past couple of months and Auntie Luna has been trying to track it back to its source, but she’s been having trouble following it.”

“What’s the big deal with a couple of nightmares here and there?” Velvet asked, tilting her head to the side. “I’m not saying that I want to have one, but that doesn’t seem to hold any risk over Equestria.”

“Neither does the group that Princess Celestia is tracking,” Shining Armor added as he poured himself some more wine, his mouth finally cleared of food. “Princess Luna is in charge of the night, and that includes the dreamworld. She feels that it is her job to make sure that her subjects sleep soundly at night. With this outbreak of nightmares, she probably considers it her duty to find out what is causing it and eliminate it.”

“I haven’t heard of any major nightmares in Ponyville,” Twilight said, scrunching her face up in slight confusion. “Nor anywhere else for that matter.”

“That’s the thing that has Auntie Luna mystified,” Cadance said, leaning forward slightly. “It’s not multiple ponies that are having the nightmares. All the nightmares are coming from the same, single location.”

“You mean that one pony is causing Luna that much trouble?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. “I find that hard to believe.”

“I did too,” said Cadance, nodding her head, “but apparently something is preventing her from tracking the nightmares to their source. Whenever she gets close, the pony in question wakes up.”

“So while Princess Celestia chases after common criminals, her sister has been chasing nightmares?” Velvet asked, staring at Cadance with an incredulous expression. “The entire night and day court must be in chaos!”

“Bet Discord is loving that,” snickered Shining. “By the Sun, I’m glad that we’re up in the Crystal Empire while he’s down here in Canterlot. I don’t think I could put up with his antics for more than a day.”

“Actually,” Cadance said, ears splaying back, “Discord has also been acting weird.” Everypony stared at her with blank expressions, Shining's salad-laden fork halfway to his mouth. She huffed, rolling her eyes as she elaborated. “More so than usual.”

“How so?” Twilight asked, fear rising in her stomach. She silently prayed that he wasn’t relapsing into his old ways again. She really didn’t want to have to imprison him again; she didn’t think Fluttershy could stand to see him turned back to stone.

“That’s just it,” Cadance said, chewing her bottom lip as she stared at her plate. “He’s been acting ‘normal’. Everytime I visit from the Empire, he’s been on his best behavior. He hasn’t pulled any pranks on anypony in months, and whenever Auntie Celestia or Luna talk to him, he’s always polite and respectful. They’ve both noticed his odd behavior, but they haven’t been able to focus on it just yet, what with them being busy most of the time.” Cadance paused, taking a deep breath and running a hoof through her mane before continuing. “It’s almost like there’s something on his mind, something big, and he doesn’t want Auntie Celestia to know about it.”

“Do you think he’s planning something?” Twilight asked, perking her ears. If something was distracting Discord from his usual pranks, it didn’t bode well for anypony.

“I’m not sure,” Cadance admitted, her ear twitching slightly. She was silent for several seconds, clearly lost in thought. Suddenly, she brought her head up, her eyes meeting Twilight’s. “But I happened to hear from one of the guards that have been posted outside his room that he has been muttering to himself a lot behind that locked door. Always the same thing, over and over again.”

“And what is that?” Twilight asked, her throat suddenly dry. Food was completely forgotten as all three ponies stared at Cadance, waiting with bated breath. She put force behind each word as she spoke, her voice emotionless.

“‘He’s not working fast enough.’”

Throwing off his shirt, Max groaned aloud as he collapsed upon the couch in the main room of the library. Princess Celestia had set her sun during the their train ride back home, and Luna had painted the beautiful night sky with its usual scattering of stars.

Closing the front door behind her, Twilight tossed her empty saddlebags into a nearby corner, trying in vain to suppress a yawn. The library was quiet; Spike was already upstairs, in bed and fast asleep.

“All in all,” she said, rubbing her eyes with a hoof, “I’d say that that went pretty well.” Max grunted once, his eyes closed as he lay stretched out upon the couch. Twilight’s eyes fell upon a growing purple bruise on the side of his stomach, a clear indication of where Shining had jabbed him.

“I’m sorry about my brother’s behavior,” she said quietly, her ears splaying backwards. Max’s eyes opened and he turned his head to face her.

~I like him!~ He flashed Twilight a large grin, his canine teeth clearly visible in the dim light. She stared at him, shocked.

“Y-you do?” she asked. “Even after he bruised your side and fought with you?”

~Rainbow fights with me almost every day~ he signed, smirking at her as he did so. ~And as for this injury, I’ve had worse. You remember when Rainbow Dash accidentally gave me a black eye and bloody nose?~

Twilight giggled at the memory in question. “Nopony could believe their eyes when you just sat there, blood dripping down your chin and hand covering your eye. They all expected you to maul Rainbow after that little incident.”

~It wasn’t her fault~ Max shrugged, before adding on, ~Well, mostly not her fault~
Twilight snickered again, before succumbing to a massive yawn; her jaw cracked and her eyes watered. Blinking back tears, she headed towards the stairs.

“Nonetheless,” she said, fighting another yawn, “Thank you for putting up with my family, as well as the lack of a proper dinner tonight. I wanted to make a good impression on them, and apparently that was a success.” She flashed Max a small smile as she passed.

~Glad I could be some help, for the short time they saw me~ He snorted in amusement, rolling his eyes at her. With a quick flick of her magic, Twilight tossed a pillow at him, hitting him in the face with a light ‘thump’. He remained still, the pillow just sitting on his face, hiding it from view. The sound of muffled laughter came from under the pillow. Twilight just rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. She continued her journey to the stairs, ready to go curl up in her bed and sleep.

“Joking aside, thank you again for putting up with meeting my family, and the...issues...on the way there.” Not removing the pillow, he raised his fist in the air, his thumb held up towards the ceiling. Again with the hand gestures I don’t understand.

“Goodnight, you big doofus—”

knock knock knock

Twilight froze, her hoof on the bottom step. Slowly, she turned her head and looked first at the front door, then at Max. He had sat up slightly, removing the pillow from his face. He stared at the front door, a mystified expression on his face.

knock knock knock

Slowly rising to his feet, he looked at Twilight out of the corner of his eyes.

~Were you expecting someone?~ He signed. She shook her head, her eyes drifting back to the door.

“No,” she hissed under her breath, “Nopony was supposed to come over tonight!” She glanced quickly at the clock. It’s 9:30 at night! Who in Equestria could be at my door at this time of night?

knock knock knock

They both jumped slightly as the knocking continued, this time more forcefully. Whoever was on the other side of the door, they were getting impatient.

~Well, someone’s here~ Max signed, backing slowly away from the door, ~And I don’t think they’re going to be leaving anytime soon~

“Oh come on,” Twilight muttered under her breath. Snorting, she trotted to the door. “Here we are, acting like scared little fillies after a ghost story.” Reaching the door, she made to grab the handle.

knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock

As the pony on the other side of the door started assaulting the door, Twilight pushed magic through her horn and grasped the door handle. Twisting, she wrenched the door open quickly.

On the other side of the door, her hoof still waving through thin air, sat a sky blue pegasus mare. Her mane was yellow and extremely unkempt, looking like she had done a great deal of flying recently. Her feathers were a mess, sticking out at odd angles, indicating that she obviously hadn’t had a chance to preen lately. Twilight could also tell that by the way she smelled. Her ribs were clearly visible from beneath her coat. Overall, she looked like she had been through some rough times.

Noticing that the door was open, she stopped waving her hoof in the air and dropped it back down to the ground. She flashed Twilight a large smile, her violet eyes shining in the gloom of the night.

“Hi, my name is Sunny Breeze. Can I come in?”