“Goodnight, you big doofus—”

knock knock knock

My heart jumped in my chest as someone knocked on the door. Reaching up, I removed the pillow that Twilight had flung at me from my face. Tossing it aside, I pushed myself up slightly with my arms and stared at the door. Silence had fallen across the library.

knock knock knock

I held my breath as I slowly rose to my feet. Glancing over at Twilight out of the corner of my eye, I saw her staring at me, a look of confusion on her face.

~Were you expecting someone?~ I asked. She shook her head, eyes darting to the door.

“No,” she hissed quietly, “Nopony was supposed to come over tonight!” As she said that, she glanced at the clock on the wall. I just continued staring at the door.

knock knock knock

Both Twilight and I jumped as the pony pounded on the door again, this time with more force.

~Well, someone’s here~ Sighing, I started inching away from the direction of the door. I didn’t think anything bad was going to happen, but I didn’t want to be near the door either. It was better to be safe than sorry. ~And I don’t think they’re going to be leaving anytime soon~ We both remained in place, staring at the door with bated breath.

“Oh come on,” I heard Twilight mutter to herself after several seconds. Snorting once, she shook head and walked over to the door. “Here we are, acting like scared little fillies after a ghost story.” As she reached the door, the pony on the other side began to pound on the door for all they were worth.

knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock

As the knocking continued in rapid succession, Twilight’s horn flashed brightly. The door handle was immediately encased in her magical aura and she turned it quickly, flinging the door open wide. There was a brief silence as she studied whoever was on the other side of the door. Due to my position in the room, I was unable to get a good look at our guest. Twilight and the door blocked my view.

“Hi, my name is Sunny Breeze. Can I come in?” My whole body froze as a familiar voice drifted into the library from the open door. Sunny Breeze, one of the original ponies who had found me...had found me again.

How the hell did she know where I was? Twilight didn't fare any better: a confused look on her face and her mouth opening and closing as she stared out the door at Sunny.

“I-I’m sorry...but...w-wha…?” She stuttered, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Still hidden from view by the door, I waved my arms in the air, trying to get Twilight’s attention.

~She’s the pony who found me in the desert when I first arrived!~ I signed quickly and quietly when she finally glanced over to me. Her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk. Barely nodding her head, she faced the open door again and moved aside, motioning for Sunny to enter. I moved quickly to the large cushion in the corner and collapsed upon it.

“I-I’m sorry, please come in,” Twilight said, composing herself quickly. As Sunny slipped past Twilight and entered the library, I felt my breath catch in my throat. She looked horrible!

Her mane was disheveled and unkempt, tangled up in knots with strands sticking out at odd angles. Her blue coat was matted and filthy. She looked like she hadn’t had anything decent to eat in weeks. Her ribs were clearly visible through her coat, and her spine stood out along her back. The feathers on her wings were a chaotic mess, sticking out in all directions in a way that looked quite painful. Her fetlocks were long and dirty, nearly covering her hooves completely.

She looked like she had been to Hell and back.

As she made her way into the library, I noticed that she was limping heavily, favoring her back right hoof. Limping to the center of the room, her violet eyes took in every detail, scanning the room quickly. She caught sight of me and a look of recognition dawned on her face, her eyes widening. I only had a split second to ready myself before she was upon me.

“Oh sweet Celestia, yes!” she cried, nuzzling into my chest as she squeezed the life out of me. “I finally found you again!” I grunted, struggling for air, as her legs wrapped tighter around me, almost as if she was afraid I’d slip away if she wasn’t careful. I could feel my ribs begin to creak and groan under the pressure. I looked over at Twilight, silently pleading for help.

“Um...can I help you?” she asked, clearing her throat. Sunny jumped, obviously forgetting Twilight was still there. Smiling sheepishly, she jumped down off me, wincing as she placed weight on her injured hoof. I breathed a sigh of relief as sweet oxygen filled my lungs again.

“Heheh...sorry,” ruffling her unkempt feathers, she took a deep breath, trying to retain what little dignity she still had. “My name is Sunny Breeze, and I represent a group of human breeders and sellers. I was just stopping by to make sure that our humans are being treated with the care and respect they deserve.” She gave Twilight a large smile as she shifted nervously on her hooves.

“Oh...you mean the same group that is currently wanted for human abuse?” Twilight said impassively, slamming and locking the door behind her. Sunny’s smile vanished instantly and she swallowed.

“H-how do you know that?” She squeaked, ears splaying back.

“I’m a princess of Equestria.” As Twilight slowly approached, Sunny scrambled backwards in a panic. “It's my job to know.”

“W-w-wait! It’s not what you think!” she cried out, waving her hooves in front of her. “I can explain!”

“Your caravan is wanted for several counts of abuse, as well as selling humans without a license,” Twilight snorted, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the helpless pegasus. “You yourself are on the run from the Royal Guard, which is a crime in-and-of itself. Yet you come to the home of an Element of Harmony, known princess, and daughter AND sister of members of the Royal Guard... just to 'check-up' on a human?” As Twilight talked, she had backed Sunny up into a corner. Closing the gap between them, Twilight leaned in until their faces were barely inches apart.

“You best have a very good explanation!” she growled.

“I-I wasn’t technically part of their organization,” Sunny said, sweat dripping down her brow. It left streaks in her fur as it mixed with the grime present there. “I was hired on as a scout: I looked for humans that were out wandering around!”

“That doesn’t excuse what you did!” Twilight snarled. “Those humans were in poor condition and suffering from malnutrition! That doesn't just happen overnight!”

“But t-that wasn’t my fault!” Sunny cried, trying to inch around Twilight. Unfortunately for her, the alicorn stood her ground, blocking her route. “I was in charge of locating and retrieving humans. I wasn’t responsible for feeding them! That was Rose and Pearl’s job!”

“So that makes it okay?”

“W-well...no, b-but…”

“That’s it! I’m calling the guard.” Twilight huffed, backing up. Sunny’s eyes widened and she threw herself upon the ground, grasping at Twilight’s hooves.

“No! You can’t!” she pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.

“Why not?” Twilight asked, her voice cold and uncaring. I shivered just hearing it. Glad it’s not directed at me. I just sat there, watching the scene, hoping that I wouldn't need to intervene.

“Because I’m not part of the organization anymore!” Sunny cried, holding on tighter to Twilight’s hooves. “I left voluntarily!”

“So you’re just a rat jumping ship-”

“NO!” Sunny screamed, causing Twilight and I to flinch slightly. Upstairs, I heard Spike shifting around in his sleep. Oh please don’t let him wake up. The last thing we need is Princess Celestia to come down here herself. “I left before the guards started to hunt us down. I couldn’t stand what we were doing anymore, and decided to make a break for it before things went south. I left shortly after we sold Max here to Princess Celestia,” she said, waving a hoof at me, still clinging to Twilight with the other. “Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.”

“That was nearly 4 months ago!” Twilight said, staring down at the pitiful pegasus attached to her hooves. “If you did leave then, what have you been doing since then?”

“Trying to find him!” Sunny jabbed a hoof in my direction. Twilight looked over at me with a confused expression. I just shrugged slightly, returning the look. Why would she be hunting for me?

“W-Why him?” asked Twilight, voicing my confusion.

“Because he’s special,” Sunny gasped, staring up at Twilight with teary eyes. Twilight’s eyes widened and she glanced back at me again. I could see the question on her mind, and I shook my head back and forth. Sunny doesn’t know that I can talk. Twilight understood, and nodded once before returning her attention to Sunny.

“How so?” she asked, finally prying her hooves from Sunny’s grasp. Rubbing her ankles, she backed away from the pegasus. Just enough to give her some room, but not enough to give her an opening to escape.

“He was the first human who didn’t fight back against us,” Sunny said, sitting up on her haunches, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. “He acted almost like he could understand what was going on around him. He was well behaved, he never attempted to attack any of us, and he seemed to just be observing what went on around him. By the sun, he even caught Princess Celestia’s eye! You can’t tell me that that doesn’t make him unique!”

“So you went looking for him...so you could sell him again?” asked Twilight slowly. It was a question, not an accusation. She was trying to find out Sunny's motivation.

“No,” Sunny said, shaking her head quickly. “Never! I tracked him down to make sure that he at least found a good home.”

“You risked capture and imprisonment...just to make sure Max was safe?” Twilight asked, studying Sunny closely. The pegasus hung her head, grinning sheepishly.

“Well, when you put it that way, it makes it sound pretty silly.” The two mares sat there, neither willing to meet the other’s eye. Sunny became fascinated with a speck of dirt on floor, scratching circles around it with her hoof. Twilight just stared at the bookcase behind Sunny, chewing on her lip as she thought. I just kept looking back and forth between the two, waiting for something to happen.

“S-so...what do we do now?” Sunny mumbled, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. Twilight tilted her head to the side, still chewing her bottom lip. She glanced over to me and frowned slightly. Finally, she spoke.

“There’s a bathroom up the stairs, second door on the left,” she said, still not looking directly at Sunny. “Y-you...you should get yourself cleaned up.” Sunny’s ears perked up slightly, but she kept her head lowered. Standing up, she limped over to the stairs and began to work her way up them.

Twilight waited until we heard the bathroom door shut and the sound of running water start before turning to me. She looked tired, stressed, and unhappy.

“What the buck do we do now?”

~Trust her~ I signed, getting up from my spot on the cushion and shuffling across the room. I collapsed upon the couch and rubbed my eyes, groaning softly.

“What? You want to just trust her? After everything she’s done to you?!” Twilight looked at me aghast.

~She was actually telling the truth when she said that she wasn’t responsible for us humans~ I signed, stifling a yawn. ~The only time I ever saw her was for a few hours in between feedings~

“Just because she wasn’t technically responsible for feeding you doesn’t mean that it was right for her to just stand by and watch!” Twilight huffed, rolling her eyes. “I still think I should contact the guards, or at least Princess Celes-”

~She gave me extra food~ Twilight froze, staring at me with her mouth hanging open. She blinked slowly several times before closing her mouth and swallowing.

“W-what?” she stammered.

~She snuck me extra food when the other ponies weren’t looking~ I leaned back, smiling softly.

“S-she did?”

~Yes, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for her~ Twilight turned and began to pace back and forth, brow furrowed as she became lost in thought. As I watched her pace, I fought to keep my eyes open. I was exhausted, and I was fighting to stay awake.

“So, you don’t think I should contact the princess?” Twilight finally asked, glancing over her shoulder at me. I shook my head. “Or the guards?” Again, I shook my head. “What would you do then?”

~I’d let her stay here for awhile~

“What?!” Twilight cried, spinning around quickly to stare at me in shock. “Why would you want to do that?”

~If she stays here, you can observe her and see if she really is sorry, or just trying to save her hide~ I signed, smirking at Twilight’s expression. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking at something that wasn’t there.

“So...basically,” she finally said, speaking slowly as her brain put everything together. “I should have her stay here to watch her, and let her earn her pardon?”

~Exactly~

“You really care for her, don’t you?” she asked, studying my face closely as she scrunched her face up in a cute manner.

~Yes~ A brief flash of emotion shot across Twilight’s face. it was almost...sad? Hurt? I couldn’t quite make it out before it vanished. ~She was my first, if somewhat unofficial, friend here in Equestria~ Twilight’s ears dropped and she lowered her gaze. I could see tears starting to form in her eyes. Reaching forward, I grasped her chin and lifted her head up, staring into her beautiful violet eyes.

~Hey, she might have been my first friend, but you are my best friend~ I stroked her cheek lovingly, smiling softly at her. A blush slowly spread across Twilight’s face as my fingers danced across her fur. ~And I’m glad that it’s you I get to live with~ Twilight let a small smile adorn her face at that. Closing her eyes, she reached up and gently pressed her hoof into my hand, sighing softly. She opened her mouth to say something, probably to thank me, but was interrupted by a strange, gurgling noise coming from the staircase. It sounded like a cross between a gasp and a gag. Breaking away from each other, both Twilight and I glanced up towards the source of the noise.

Standing at the top of the staircase was Sunny. She gazed down at us with a horrified expression plastered on her face, her bottom jaw almost touching the top step. Her wings were unfurled, water dripping off of the feathers. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and Twilight, her pupils the size of pinpricks.

Lifting a trembling hoof, she pointed first at me, then at Twilight, before pointing back at me. She seemed to be having trouble getting her mouth to work.

“Y-y-you...and h-h-him, but t-t-that’s...you are, he is...not p-possible…” she stammered out, her ear flapping madly. “H-he’s a hu-hu-human...but, but...but he c-c-can underst-st-stand you?! That’s…that’s...that’s i-impossible…” Sunny’s eye twitched before both rolled back into her head and she collapsed. Her limp body slowly began to slide down the stairs, hitting each step on the way down.

Twilight and I watched her as her body descended the stairs, wincing with each ‘thump’. She finally reached the bottom, her body laying there in a crumpled heap. We both stared at her for several seconds in silence.

I glanced over at Twilight, raising my eyebrow. She just sighed, shaking her head. Standing up, she headed towards the kitchen.

“I’ll go break out the strong stuff and brew some coffee. This is going to be a long night…”

“Was I this bad when I first found out?” Twilight asked, blowing on her coffee to cool it off.

I was currently suffering from a severe case of déjà vu. It was extremely late at night. Or was it really early in the morning? Either way, it was nearing three, and all three of us were sitting around the kitchen table. Twilight and I were positioned on one side of the table; Twilight was working on her fifth cup of coffee, while I was still forcing down my first.

Sunny—having recently regained consciousness—sat on the other side, her head in her hooves. Her eyes were constantly darting back and forth between me and Twilight, trying to make sense of the situation. Her mane was still damp from her shower, and it cascaded down her shoulders. Her coat was no longer covered in dust and grime, and seemed to gleam in the dim glow of the light over the kitchen sink. She had even taken the time to preen her feathers, although her trip down the stairs had ruffled some of them again. It was amazing the transformation a simple bath could have; you could still see her ribs, but she looked a lot more healthy than when she had first arrived. However, she looked like she was close to having a mental breakdown now.

We had moved her to the kitchen while she was still passed out, using water from the sink to try and revive her. When she had first come to, she had been rather calm and collected. That was, until Twilight made the mistake of asking me what I would like in my coffee. I guess it’s partially my fault as well, as I was dumb enough to actually answer. After that, Sunny started getting real twitchy again. Now it was up to me and Twilight to try and calm her down and salvage the situation.

~No. You were worse~ I snickered slightly as Twilight gaped at me, clearly offended.

“How in Equestria was I worse than this?” she asked, waving a hoof at Sunny, who cringed slightly, as if she was expecting Twilight to hit her.

~You threw stuff at me~ Twilight huffed indignantly but didn’t say anything else. I snickered again before taking a tentative sip of my coffee. I grimaced as the vile liquid went over my tongue and down my throat. Even with sugar and cream, it still tasted horrible.

As Twilight and I bantered back and forth, Sunny groaned. Rubbing her temples with her hooves, she closed her eyes.

“This can’t be happening,” she muttered to herself, “This can’t be happening!”

~Hey! That’s what Twilight said when she found out!~ My remark earned me a bruised shoulder as Twilight glowered at me. It was totally worth it.

“How can you even understand me?” Sunny moaned, looking up at me. I moved to respond, but Twilight beat me to it.

“Forget about him understanding you,” Twilight said, “How can you understand him? It’s rare for a pony to know hoof-language.”

“My mother was deaf. I had to learn it growing up.”

“Ponyfeathers,” Twilight swore, causing me to snicker again. While they used swear words that I was used to, ponies also had several of their own that were, in my own opinion, very hilarious. Have you ever seen a grown mare scream ‘horseapples’ after hitting her funny bone?

Well I have, and it’s—by far—one of the more humorous things I have ever witnessed. And I was there when Rainbow Dash tried to eat an entire triple-decker strawberry cake in one bite. Thank you Applejack, for that little dare.

“Well, I guess it was only a matter of time before somepony caught us,” Twilight sighed, glancing at me. I nodded sagely, eying my cup of coffee with distaste. I still had slightly over half a cup left, and it was now cold. Placing it on the tabletop, I slowly slid it away from me.

“This isn’t possible!” Sunny cried, slamming her hooves on the table. “Humans aren’t intelligent! There is no way that something like him should exist in Equestria!” Twilight and I looked at each other. She seemed to be silently asking permission. With a nod, I gave it.

“Well, you see,” Twilight said to Sunny with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her head with a hoof. “Max here isn’t from Equestria.”

“So...what?” Sunny asked, glancing back and forth between me and Twilight. “Is he from the Griffin Empire? Zebrica? The Far Imperial North?”

“No, not like that,” Twilight huffed, annoyance clear in her tone. “He isn’t from anywhere on Equus.” Sunny stared at Twilight, her mouth opened wide in shock. Leaning over to Twilight, I smirked slightly as I watched Sunny’s reaction.

~I think you broke her again~ Twilight just sighed heavily before getting up from the table and trotting over to the counter to refill her coffee mug. I waved a hand in front of Sunny's face, chuckling when she didn't react.

“N-not from Equus?” Sunny whispered faintly, practically mouthing the words instead of saying them aloud. She continued to stare at where Twilight had been, a faint look of awe slowly spreading across her face, replacing the shock that had been there. Twilight returned to the table and—sitting back in her chair—took a tentative sip from her now full cup. Wincing at the heat coming from the steaming liquid, she proceed to softly blow on the coffee, trying to cool it down.

“W-wait,” Sunny said, her look of awe turning to confusion. “If you are from a different world, then how did you get on Equus? And why did I find you alone in the desert?” I smiled slightly at that. Thank god I don’t have to write it all down like with I had to with Twilight.

I quickly filled her in on the circumstances that had led to her finding me in the desert. Twilight helped a little by filling in the parts that I had forgotten. Her memory must be something magnificent, as I had only told her the story once several months ago, and yet she still remembered even the little details. As we wrapped up the tale, Sunny’s look of confusion deepened.

“So there was a blinding flash of light, then you found yourself in our world?” she asked, scratching at her ear. “And something is preventing you from talking?” I nodded once. “Could it possibly that your vocal cords were damaged when you were transported here?”

“That’s what I thought when he first told me his story,” Twilight said. “Although if that were the case, it surely should have healed by now. Nonetheless,” she said, holding up a hoof to stop Sunny from interrupting. “I checked his throat already, and his vocal cords are perfectly fine. They should work perfectly, and they do. He can growl, grunt, cry out in pain, and make noises. The only issue is he can’t talk.”

“Could something magical be preventing him?” Sunny asked, her head tilting sideways as she looked at me. I hate getting into these conversations; I feel like a science project. “I may not be a unicorn, but it sounds like he got here through magical means, so could magic have damaged his vocal cords?”

“I’ve already checked that as well. There is no Harmonious Magic at work. It’s almost like his body has forgotten how to talk, and he can’t relearn.”

“Could it be fixed by him going home?” We both stared at Sunny, who fidgeted under our gazes. “What...can’t he get home?” A look of horror flashed across her face as she realized what she had said. “Oh no! You aren’t trapped here, are you?! You can go home, right?” Twilight blinked several times, staring at Sunny with a strange look on her face.

“Now that you mention it, he hasn’t shown signs of wanting to go home…” she said, trailing off as she looked at me, a look of confusion on her face. “Why haven’t you at least tried to figure out how to go home?” I looked back and forth between the two of them, confused.

~I didn’t think that it was an option!~ I mentally kicked myself for not at least asking Twilight about the subject during my stay. She's one of the smartest ponies in Equestria, and I hadn't even asked her for her help.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

~The Multiverse Theory~ I signed, trying not to roll my eyes. ~There are supposedly an infinite amount of universes out there. How could we possibly be able to find mine?~

“It’s actually a lot easier than you think!” Twilight said, a large smile spreading across her face. “About a year-and-a-half ago, my friends and I got transported into a different universe, where everypony was the opposite gender. As you can see, we managed to get back just fine.”

~How did you manage that?~ I asked, hope rising in my chest. If she managed to get back home, does that mean that I can as well?

“It’s quite simple: each universe has a unique frequency, which it passively imprints onto the creatures that live in that particular universe.”

~Like a...a…~ I paused, frowning slightly. There was no sign for ‘fingerprint’ in hoof-language. Ignoring Twilight and Sunny’s confused expressions, I looked around the room quickly. Spotting the pad of paper and quill that Twilight used for her grocery list, I stood up and retrieved them. Returning to the table, I sat down and quickly scratched out my question.

+Like a fingerprint?+ I slid the pad over to them so they could read it.

“‘Fingerprint?’ What’s a fingerprint?” Sunny asked, staring at the word in question. I looked at both of them incredulously. Seriously? They have humans in this world, and they don’t know what fingerprints are? Grabbing the piece of paper again, I grumbled as I was forced to write out my reply again.

+Human fingers have little ridges across them called ‘fingerprints’. No two humans have the exact same pattern+

“Really?” asked Twilight, her eyes lighting up. I held my hand out for them to see. Both of them leaned in, staring at the tips of my fingers in wonder. This is ridiculous, I thought as I resisted the urge to facepalm.

“That’s amazing,” Twilight breathed as she started moving my fingers with her magic. I coughed slightly, snapping her out of her trance. “S-sorry, I got distracted.” she said sheepishly. “You’ll have to let me get a closer look at that later.” Leaning back, she took a sip of her coffee, trying to play off what had just happened. I just rolled my eyes. “To answer your question, if a fingerprint is indeed unique, then a universe’s frequency is like a fingerprint. Since you are from a different universe than this one, you have a different frequency than we do.

“To get you back home, it’s a simple matter of finding the spell that allows for objects to be transported from one universe to another, then locating the universe that matches your frequency. Once that’s done, we can use the spell on you and you will be relocated back to your own universe.”

~Do you know the spell?~ I asked, leaning forward eagerly. Twilight flinched slightly, her expression falling slightly.

“No, I don’t actually know the spell,” she said, her ear twitching slightly as she refused to meet my eyes.

~But I thought you said that you’ve traveled to a different dimension before!~

“We were teleported there by accident. It was only with the help of the two princes on their side that we were able to get back home,” Twilight said, drawing little circles on the table with her hoof. “I could probably look it up, but it might take some time.”

~Wait, you said the princes helped you~ I signed, my stomach tightening as I realized what she was implying. ~Does that mean that the only ones who could help me would be…?~

“Yes. Princess Celestia and Luna.” Twilight finished for me, nodding her head. “And as of right now, neither of them know the truth about you, and I can’t see them helping you without revealing what you really are. Especially when they learn you are from another universe.” I slumped back in my chair, defeated. My one chance to get home, and it could only be done by the one pony I feared the most. Sunny looked back and forth between me and Twilight, confused at our glum expressions.

“Wait, so the princesses don’t know about you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. I shook my head, not wanting to look up. “Then why don’t you tell them and have them help out?”

“Because he’s scared that Princess Celestia might have her scientists experiment on him if she finds out he’s intelligent,” Twilight huffed, looking at me with annoyance. “I’ve tried to explain to him that she’s not like that, but he won’t listen.”

“Why would you believe that she would do that?” Sunny asked me, her face scrunched up in confusion. I simply looked at her with an expression that basically screamed ‘are you shitting me’.

~Possibly due to what I suffered my first two weeks here?~ At that Sunny’s ears splayed back and a look of shock crossed her face. Looking down at the floor, I could see tears begin to form in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. The sight caused my heart to break, and I winced as I realized what I did.

~I’m not blaming you~ I signed before reaching over and scratching behind her ear. Her wings twitched slightly, and I could see a small smile playing across her face as she leaned into my hand. Twilight grunted slightly, glancing away from us with a huff. As Sunny wiped the tears from her eyes, Twilight spoke up.

“At this point I’d have to agree with him anyways.” My head whipped around as I looked at Twilight in confusion. She’s agreeing with me about this? She never agrees with me about not telling Celestia! Twilight just sat there, staring off into space with a blank expression on her face, her eyes slightly glazed over. “It’s probably not a good idea to tell her about him when we’ve been hiding it for several months already.” She blinked once, and then her eyes returned to normal.

Yawning, she glanced around the kitchen, looking at the clock that now read a little after five-thirty in the morning.

“What?” she said as she caught sight of my expression. I glanced over at Sunny, but she didn’t seem to have noticed anything unusual. I leaned back, rubbing my chin absentmindedly.

~You said you could possibly look up the spell?~ I asked, deciding to focus on Twilight's weird behavior sometime later, when I wasn't about ready to pass out. Twilight nodded her head, trying to stifle another yawn.

~About how long would that take?~ She cocked her head to the side, mentally adding up the numbers.

“It would probably take a couple of weeks for me to find the spell, and learn how to do it successfully,” she finally said. For some reason, she refused to meet my eye. Getting up from the table suddenly, Twilight placed her cup in the sink before heading out of the kitchen. Reaching the doorway, she looked back at both me and Sunny.

“I'm going to bed,” she said, her voice almost sounding sad as she looked at me. “I'll start research on a way to get you home tomorrow. Until that time, Sunny,” the pegasus perked up upon hearing her name. “Due to the unique circumstances in which you find yourself, you'll be staying here with us for the time being.” Sunny's ears drooped at that. “At least until I determine that you are actually sorry about what you've been a part of.” With that, Twilight turned and left the kitchen, leaving both me and Sunny to stare after her in slight confusion.

After several seconds, Sunny looked back at me, fidgeting nervously. I glanced over at her, cocking an eyebrow.

“I want to apologize again for what you've been through,” she said, her ears drooping slightly. “I know it doesn't make it right, but I feel like I still needed to say it.” I nodded in thanks, smiling at her. She fidgeted again, something else clearly on her mind.

~What's up?~ I asked, watching her carefully.

“I know you're intelligent and all, but...um, could I possibly...” she said, playing with a feather that had fallen off her wing. Leaning over, she put her muzzle to my ear and finished her request in a whisper. Rolling my eyes, I nodded once, causing her to 'squee' loudly.

Jumping up, Sunny latched herself to my head. Resting her hooves on my shoulders, she nuzzled the top of my head with her cheek, humming happily. Trying to suppress a snicker, I slowly rose from my chair, trying not to tip over with Sunny's weight still on my shoulder. Patting her head as she continued to nuzzle me, I followed after Twilight.

Sunny continued to hum happily into my head as we made our way up the stairs, the sky beginning to turn a bright red as the sun started to work its way into the sky.