I grunted as I awoke the following day. My neck felt stiff and it pained me to move it much. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair, inhaling deeply as I started to focus on getting the rest of my body fully functioning. Rubbing my eyes, I saw that everyone else was already awake. Rainbow Dash trotted over to me, checking my shoulder where the knife once was.

"How ya feeling?" She asked, more perky than concerned. I groaned and cracked my neck. The initial tinge of pain was quickly replaced by a wave of relief.

"Much better now." I replied sarcastically. My voice reflected my groggy state and I moved to place my feet on the floor. Flinging the blanket off of me, I noticed that the shirt that I was wearing the night before lay just beside the couch. I leaned over and picked it up, bringing it close to my face to examine the back of it. The mass of blood had oxidized around the knife hole, thus ruining the shirt. I lowered the shirt and sighed a little. Rainbow Dash, who was also inspecting the shirt, winced at the blood stain.

"Yikes." She slipped. She forced a smile to counteract her reaction. "Glad you're okay, champ." She said, turning to walk back to the recliner. It seemed to me like that was her favorite spot in the house. Twilight Sparkle was next to check on me. She took an extensive look at my shoulder, then beamed at me.

"Good afternoon!" She said cheerfully.

I tilted my head to the side. "Afternoon?" I asked, confused. I checked my phone. It was indeed a little past noon. I figured that I must have slept like a brick after I had fallen back asleep. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

Twilight gave a smirk. "After yesterday, you needed the rest." She reminded. "Besides, I've built our itinerary around a later time frame." She levitated a piece of paper towards me and I grabbed it. The handwriting was nothing short of spectacular, much better than my own. I skimmed the list, and was quite surprised that somehow, she had almost had the trip planned out by the minute.

"You really put some thought into this, haven't you?" I asked, half teasing. Twilight, however was oblivious to the remark and instead, took it as a compliment and smiled at him.

"Oh, absolutely." She replied. "I want today to go off without a hitch."

"One can only hope." I thought. I rubbed my eyes again. "Well, then." I returned. I stretched and stood up. "I guess I better get myself cleaned off. Be back in a few." I began walking through the living room and down the hallway towards the bathroom for a much needed shower.

After getting dressed and somewhat groomed, I returned to the living room, finding that Twilight had already transformed herself into a fair-skinned human and was already dressed. She stood to about my shoulders and her purple hair was styled much similar to her pony form's mane. Her body was slender, with an average bust and a few curves otherwise. Twilight's deep, purple eyes used Rarity's mirror to view her new form, causing a grin to spread from ear to ear.

I slipped on my shoes and retrieved my car keys from the end table next to the couch. "Are you ready to go?" I asked Twilight. She handed Rarity back her mirror, which she accepted with her magic.

"Yes." She confirmed, putting on a spare pair of my shoes. Her giddiness showed as she awkwardly walked to the door, pulling it open. The two waved goodbye to the others and walked down to the car. "So this is how humans get around?" She asked, touching the cool metal surface of the door before opening it and climbing in. "How does it get the energy needed for propulsion?" She asked, fascinated. "What do all these buttons do?" I put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. I did the best I could to answer her questions as we drove off to the discount store.

I took a drink of gas station coffee while Twilight Sparkle sat in the passenger seat admiring her new clothes. She was wearing a lavender polo shirt with a purple skirt and a pair of black flats. She had been spewing questions to me the entire ride to and from the store. Although I was more than willing to answer her questions, I started to feel a minor headache coming on again.

The two of us entered the city and arrived at our first stop of the day: the science museum. Twilight tapped her feet in excitement as I pulled into the parking lot and parked in a spot near the back. I turned back the key and they exited the car. I drained the rest of my coffee while trying to keep up with Twilight, who was walking briskly towards the entrance doors. Once inside, Twilight marveled at the fine marble floors and ornate walls of the museum's lobby. Given, it was no Canterlot Castle to her, but it was still a magnificent sight. Groups of people wandered around us as they made their way towards the prehistoric section of the museum.

Twilight had brought along with her a small notepad for note taking, and already the pages had begun to fill. Information in regards to trilobites, dinosaurs, and other early life started decorating the pages as she flipped feverishly from one to the next. We continued on in the exhibit until finally coming to a display of human evolution. Twilight observed the different life-sized models that represented each stage of development all the way up to now. She took notes and leaned in closer to the last mannequin, who was unclothed like its predecessors.

"So that's what you look like underneath." She said quizzically. More notes were taken.

I raised an eyebrow to her comment and felt my face getting hot. "Couldn't you have just looked it up on the computer?" I said. I was getting weird looks from passersby. Their eyes all seemed to question the purple-haired girl's reason for staring at the naked mannequin. I shrugged at them, not knowing what to say.

"I did." She replied. She turned back towards me. "But I wanted to observe the human anatomy first hand. So that's why we're here." I simply sighed and continued to lead Twilight through the rest of the prehistoric exhibit.

Next stop in our museum visit was the Space Center. It was far darker than the rest of the museum with only black lights and a few stray spotlights to illuminate our path. Twilight gasped as she saw the constellations, planets, and other astronomical bodies unfurl before her. The notes flew faster than ever as she quickly moved from one display to the next. It was then when she made an important discovery.

"Mat!" She beamed, eyes wide. "You won't believe this!" She ran back to me, holding up a piece of paper. "The stars and constellations are exactly the same in my world as they are in yours! They're in the same position and everything!"

I scratched my head, trying to think of how this is a big deal. Instead, I smiled and tried to match Twilight's level of enthusiasm.

"It's almost like we're in the same exact spot on a completely different plane of existence!" Twilight continued, writing more notes down. She continued walking through the space exhibit with me barely able to keep up behind her. "Oh, Celestia will be pleased with all these findings!"

"No offense Twi, but I thought you already new that we're from different worlds since you brought me to your own." I told her.

"Oh...right. My bad." Twilight blushed in embarrassment.

After Twilight and I had walked through the Space Center and watched a chemistry demonstration, Twilight finally ran out of notebook paper. I led her to the museum's gift shop, where I bought her a new one that featured multiple planets on its cover. Twilight squealed with delight as she clutched the notebook to her chest and started walking towards the entrance of the museum.

"Wait!" I asked, dumbfounded. "You're done? There's still a whole lot of museum left to explore, like the physics department and the biology exhibit."

Twilight smirked at me. "Since you told me and my friends that our worlds are scientifically the same, with the exception of technological advancements and some life forms, I'd actually like to know more about your history." She replied.

She produced the itinerary from her pocket and showed me that the history museum was on the list right after lunch. "Shall we get going?" She asked me. Her stomach grumbled a little bit and Twilight blushed a little.

"Whoops. Seems like I'm ready for lunch." She said, looking down at her torso. "How about you? I noticed a small cafe near here when we arrived. Sound good?"

I agreed with the plan for lunch, considering I slept straight through breakfast. We walked back through the front doors and into the beaming sunlight.

We then exited the parking lot and crossed the street to where the aforementioned cafe was conveniently located. It resembled a coffee shop in many aspects, but had a full lunch menu as well. Twilight quickly ordered a veggie-burger meal. The cashier punched it in her machine and looked over at me, who was having trouble deciding.

"I'll have the same." I said sheepishly. The cashier nodded again and typed in the rest of their order. I paid her and within a few minutes, we received our food and sat down at a small table in the middle of the dining area.

Twilight let out a soft moan of pleasure as she took her first bite of the veggie-burger, letting the new experience savor before swallowing with a loud gulp. I tried ignoring the noises and began eating as well. After taking my first bite, I found out for myself the reason for Twilight's reaction.

"This is actually pretty good." I said, continuing to devour my discovery. Twilight nodded in agreement as we quickly finished our meals. I threw away the trash and with our hunger more than satisfied, we then walked back across the street and over to the history museum that stood just next door to the science museum.

Upon entering the history museum, Twilight noticed that its interior was much akin to that of the science museum. The lobby had been adorned with portraits and busts of historic figures from every era of American history. Twilight had her new notebook ready and eagerly followed me through the lobby and into the first exhibit.

Twilight took much more time going through the exhibit this time around. She carefully read, reread, noted, and read again every paragraph on every plaque on every display. Though I found this redundant and boring, the purple-haired girl found it exhilarating. Every word that flew gracefully from her pen was pure ecstasy to her. She quickly scribbled down some key points from one George Washington display and skipped gleefully over to the next. My heart swelled a little seeing her so happy and full of life.

After a short while, we left the area of the museum that covered colonial America and continued our journey through history in the Industrial Revolution exhibit. Twilight took a seat at the bench near the exhibit's opening for a small break.

"This walking on two legs ordeal is tiring! How can these humans stand to do it all day?" She thought to herself.

I took a seat next to my companion and leaned back onto the bench's backrest. Twilight took this opportunity to review some of the data she had collected so far. I raised an eyebrow to the studious female that accompanied me.

"You really dig this learning stuff, huh?" I asked. Twilight beamed back at me, giving me my answer before making it verbal.

"Oh, yes!" She quickly replied. "It's my favorite thing to do! Well, other than reading, experimenting, theory writing..."

"I think I got it." I chuckled. Twilight bounced a little in her seat, but her facial expression quickly changed as a question came into mind.

"So." She began, "Why did you leave your university?"

I was taken aback by her question that seemed to fly in out of nowhere. I leaned forward and sighed, keeping my eyes locked on the floor.

"Well." I hesitated, "I wasn't exactly fond of the whole idea of going to college, really. Why should I spend years and years in an institution learning something, and then have to spend the rest of my life paying it back?"

Twilight wore a look of confusion, but decided to keep silent, hoping there was more to my explanation than a silly financial problem.

"But then I fell in such a funk that my grades in the classes I actually was passing started to slip. I eventually just quit caring about my education and was soon expelled for lack of academic progress. That's why I've been slaving in that factory until lately."

Twilight nodded in understanding, but my head continued to hang from my shoulders and my gaze on the floor remained. Twilight watched me for a second, then closed her notebook, scooting close enough to lay an arm over my shoulders.

"I understand that it can be hard at times." She said, hoping to comfort her guide. "But I know that you can push on and be the absolute best you can be." I lifted my head to meet her eyes and she smiled warmly at me. "Which will be pretty tough, considering you're already such a great person for this world. And ours as well."

I returned the smile and embraced Twilight Sparkle. Blushing from the sudden act, she wrapped her arms around me as well.

"Thanks, Twi." I whispered. Twilight tightened the embrace momentarily and then pulled back, trying her best to hide the redness of her face.

I stood and stretched my arms out. Twilight stood also and reopened the notebook back to the page where she had left off.

"Ready to go on?" I asked, my spirits much higher after our little conversation. Twilight nodded with excitement as we began through the next exhibit.

As we walked, we saw the rise of industrialism from the meager factories to the formation of labor unions and the marvelous inventions that eventually came. Twilight took extra detailed notes, hoping to bring some of these ideas back to Equestria with her. I was carefully speculating a massive steam-driven machine.

Twilight stopped taking notes and watched me as I followed the brass tubes around and around. She smiled while I tapped the gauges and fiddled with the knobs and levers. A small chuckle escaped past her lips, causing me to stand upright. I put a hand behind my head and looked around nervously.

"Yup, yup." I said, trying to seem preoccupied. "Very, uh, interesting." Twilight's chuckle had evolved into full blown laughter. "What's so funny?" I asked. Twilight shook her head and approached me.

"Nothing, nothing at all." She lied. "I'm just glad to see you taking interest in something, that's all"

I looked back at the machine and smiled. "I just thought it looked cool, that's all."

Twilight Sparkle admired the machine as well, then turned to me, realizing that our faces were but a few inches apart. She blushed and took a step back with nervous laughter.

"Well." She said, clearing her throat, "Your secret's safe with me." She smiled sheepishly, and found relief in my laughter.

Unfortunately, our moment was crushed when a voice all too familiar rang out from behind them.

"Well, well, well." She said. "If it isn't the idiot monkey and the goody four-hooves Twilight Snarkle."

Our faces froze in horror, realizing that we both knew the voice. Our hearts both stopped and our minds raced, trying to somehow put this possibility together.

What the heck is she doing here? I thought.

How the hay did she even get here? Twilight thought too.

The two of us both turned our heads slowly, hoping to not see what terror stood behind us. Much to our despair, the figure stood, dressed in a single periwinkle dress with icy blue hair that hung down over her shoulders and piercing purple eyes. As if on the same brainwave, we said the name together.

"Trixie?!"

Trixie Lulamoon stood laughing as Twilight and I exchanged looks of severe confusion. Trixie sauntered over to the two of us, fixing her cold stare on me. She let out another dastardly chuckle and turned to Twilight.

"What are you doing here, Snarkle?" She interrogated. "Run out of people to humiliate back in Ponyville?"

Twilight scowled. "If anyone was doing the humiliating, Trixie, it was you." She spat.

"Indeed." I agreed in anger.

Trixie faced me and narrowed her eyes. "Don't you ever listen, Reed?" She snarled. "I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, always wins."

"As if." I stated.

"Don't you mock Trixie." Trixie shot back.

"I'll do whatever I-"

My sentence was cut short from Twilight placing a hand over my mouth. "None of this explains how you're even here!" She snapped. Her voice became shaky from anger, and the shaking began to spread through her body. I slowly lowered Twilight's hand from my mouth.

"I'd like to hear this, myself, actually." I said, staring incredulously at the blue haired girl.

Trixie turned away from us. "After Sparkle had defeated that Ursa Major,"

"Ursa Minor!" Twilight corrected angrily.

"No interruptions!" Trixie shot back. She took a breath and continued. "After that night, I had nowhere else to go. I had been run out of every town and city in Equestria. I was passing by the front gates of Canterlot when I overheard the guards talking about a rumor they heard about how Celestia had been taking vacations in other worlds. It was then that I decided to infiltrate the archives in hopes of learning such a spell."

Twilight's eyes widened. "But it's nearly impossible to get into the Canterlot Archives!" She protested. "How did you get past all the guards?!"

Trixie turned back again to face the dumbstruck couple. "The Great and Powerful Trixie needs not to explain!" She barked. "I searched all through the Starswirl the Bearded section. I was near the point of failure when I found it: the Trans-Dimensional Teleportation Spell. Nearly captured, I used every last ounce of my energy to escape."

"I awoke to find myself in a field near this city. After days of hiding and recollecting my energy, I was able to figure out how to use my magic again and make myself into one of the disgusting bipeds that walked this world. Just like him." She said pointing at me.

Trixie approached me slowly. Her face came within inches of mine as she raised her hand to my face. She brushed her fingernails gently against my cheek and let out a chuckle.

Twilight Sparkle couldn't hold back anymore. Something triggered in her head that unleashed a feeling that she wasn't sure she had felt before. Maybe it was the way she touched me, or maybe it was something else. All she knew was that the floodgates had been opened somewhere inside her, and there was no stopping the force that followed.

"Get away from him!" She screamed. She threw her hand out in front of her and from it a powerful blast of magenta magic flew into Trixie, knocking her into a wall. My heart immediately skipped a beat from such a close encounter with Twilight's magic.

Nearby museum patrons screamed and a frenzy broke out around us as they all ran for the exits. I quickly backed behind Twilight, trying to pull her away from Trixie, but the purple-haired woman wouldn't budge. Smoke rose from her attacking hand as Trixie picked herself up from the museum floor.

Trixie stared wildly at her attacker, infuriated. She drew back to attack, but made a realization and instead, burst into laughter. Twilight clenched her fists.

"What's so funny?!" She demanded.

Trixie brushed herself off and began walking towards us again.

"Isn't it obvious?" Trixie called. "You have feelings for the human! You're in love with him, aren't you?!"

Twilight's eyes had sprung open in surprise. She turned to me, who could do nothing but look back at her. Thoughts raced through my head faster than I could keep track of. I thought back to when Pinkie Pie and I were returning from the carnival and Pinkie had accidentally let it known that I had an admirer. Was it Twilight Sparkle all along?

"Is this true?" I asked, nearly breathless. Twilight's face began to turn red causing her to look away from me. She sighed and faced me once again.

"Mat...I-"

At that moment, Trixie had fired back a light-blue magic blast of her own, sending Twilight flying back several feet and landing on her back.

"Twilight!" I called. I immediately ran to her aid, lifting her head and shoulders from the floor. "A-are you alright?" I nervously asked.

Twilight slowly stood back up. Her body shook as she tried to fix her stance. I grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away once again, but despite her short-lived loss of equilibrium, she still wouldn't move from her spot.

"Twilight, we have to leave!" I begged. "If we stay any longer, the police will-"

Twilight put a finger to my lips and stared into my eyes for a moment. She silently lowered her hand and returned her attention back to her foe, who stood ready to attack again.

"I didn't want to do this, Trixie." She said, beginning to walk in her direction, "But you leave me no choice. You need to be taught a lesson about bullying others."

Trixie's rage let loose as she fired multiple blasts of magic at her quickly approaching enemy. Twilight, without thinking, put up a magenta force field around her body, absorbing each shot Trixie made. The more the shield absorbed, the brighter it glowed. Trixie's facial expression quickly changed from enraged to frightened as Twilight closed the remaining gap. Trixie stood frozen with fear as Twilight leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Don't ever touch him like that again!" She spat at Trixie.

A split second later, the shield burst in all directions, leveling the surrounding displays and throwing Trixie into the furthest wall, knocking her unconscious. I was lucky enough to be standing far enough back to only experience a shock wave that made me lose my balance. I quickly regained my footing and dashed over to Twilight, who was wobbling from weakness. Outside, the speaker from a police car sounded.

"Come out now with your hands up! We have the building surrounded! This is your only warning!"

"Twilight!" I said, panicking. "We have to get out of here now!"

Twilight nodded and pulled me close to her as she used her last bit of magic to teleport us both out of the museum just in time for the SWAT team to bust down the doors. Trixie, who had regained some of her consciousness, looked up to find multiple SWAT team members surrounding her and a police officer brandishing a shiny new pair of handcuffs.

Twilight and I reappeared next to my car. I checked around to see if anyone had noticed, but was relieved to find that everyone's attention was completely fixed on the scene outside the museum's entrance. I sighed and fished my keys out of my pocket. Twilight was swaying from the weak state she found herself in. I opened her door for her and helped her in the car. Twilight would have thought this gesture was chivalrous if she wasn't at the brink of fainting.

I quickly ran around to my passenger, who lay limp in her seat.

"Come on, let's get you home." I said, breathless.

Twilight shook her head slowly. "N-no..." She exhaled. Her voice was weak, but in good enough condition to carry sound. "F-food..."

I shook my head furiously. "We need to get home, Twilight. You aren't well."

Twilight shook her head also and slowly fixed her sitting posture. "I need to eat if I'm going to get any better." She replied. "I know it sounds weird, but somehow that works for me." I gave her a doubtful look.

"But it's not even time for dinner yet." I told her.

Twilight gave me an icy stare, causing me to laugh nervously. " Ok, ok." I said fearfully.

Several minutes passed since we escaped the chaos of the history museum and possible incarceration. I had been doing my best to get to a certain restaurant that would do more than relieve Twilight's ailment. At least, that's what I hoped would happen.

We pulled into the parking lot of a Chinese buffet and parked at the closest available spot. I got out of the car and hurried around to Twilight's side to assist her. Much to my surprise, Twilight had begun looking and feeling better. She exited the car on her own and, with the exception of a misstep, had begun to walk normally.

"I think you were just faking sick so you could get an early dinner." I joked. Twilight glared back at me and huffed. "What? I'm kidding!" I said. I figured I was going to have to make a mental note on saving the jokes for Pinkie Pie.

I held the door open for Twilight as we walked into the restaurant. The smell that hung in the air was enticing to both of our stomachs, almost like lunch didn't even happen.

The waitress came over with menus and directed us to a table right next to the multiple buffet counters. The waitress took our drink orders and walked back towards the kitchen as Twilight and I quickly attacked the buffet.

Twilight piled her plate up with as much fried vegetables, rice, and noodles as it would hold. I returned to the table with some as well, but also sneaked a few things in with it, hoping it couldn't catch the attention of the ever observant Twilight.

We sat down and began eating. Twilight had brought in her notebook and was scribbling something down on one of the pages.

"Doing research on the awesomeness of Asian cuisine?" I asked. Twilight Sparkle let out a soft giggle.

"No." She replied, not lifting her eyes from the page. "I'm preparing a letter to Celestia for assistance on getting Trixie out of trouble." I nearly choked on my food.

"Are you kidding me?!" I asked, shocked. "You and Trixie try tearing each other apart and now you want to help her?!"

Twilight finished writing and shut the notebook. "If Trixie had been practicing the transformation spell for a while now, she knows that at any moment, she'll turn back into a unicorn." She lectured. "We honestly can't have an inter-dimensional incident right now, can we? Besides, Celestia will know just what to do with her."

I sighed and picked up one of the hidden morsels I had on my plate and ate it quickly. The flavors exploded onto my taste buds and I let out another sigh, this one from pure pleasure. I quickly picked up another one and inhaled it.

"What's that?" Asked Twilight. I finished chewing and swallowed.

"General Tso's chicken. It's so go-" I slapped a hand over my mouth.

Twilight stared blankly at me for a second and an awkward silence took place.

"Drat! And I was this close to not getting caught eating meat in front of Twilight. Oh well." I thought nervously.

Twilight looked back down at her food and scooped up another forkful.

"Don't let Fluttershy know that you're eating that or she'll freak." She said.

"I won't, I promise." I promised.

We ended up bursting with laughter and we both finished our plates. We went back up for seconds and devoured them just as quickly as the first.

The waitress then brought out our bill and some fortune cookies.

Twilight nodded. then looked over at the fortune cookie and picked it up, observing it at every angle.

"What's this?" She asked.

I picked mine up as well. "It's a fortune cookie." I explained. "There's a small piece of paper inside that has a fake fortune written on it." I cracked open my cookie and showed her the paper for demonstration. Twilight Sparkle cracked hers open as well, delighted to find that her's, too, contained a fortune. "You gotta eat the cookie after you read it." I continued, "Otherwise the fortune won't come true." I let out a small chuckle. "But they really aren't meant to be taken seriously."

Twilight read her fortune aloud. "You'll find love where you least expected." She blushed a little and placed the paper in her polo's pocket and took a small nibble of the cookie, making a dissatisfied face. "They call this a cookie?" She asked.

I laughed a little and read mine. "A life changing event is headed your way." I scoffed a little and threw the fortune down on the plate. "Kinda late for that, isn't it?" I thought.

With dinner paid and our stomachs full, Twilight Sparkle and I now sat in the car, both relying heavily on our seats' backrests. Twilight groaned, holding her stomach as if she feared it would explode at any given second. I related to Twilight's pain as I rubbed my own stomach.

"Well..." I began, "what do you wanna do now? We still have plenty of time before we have to be home." I checked the time on my phone. It had only been four hours since we left the house, but for me, it felt like an eternity.

Twilight removed the itinerary from her polo pocket and checked off the two museums, lunch, and dinner. She expected to not have gone through most of her list in such a short amount of time, but she also didn't count on having an encounter of the Trixie kind.

Frustrated, she crumpled up the paper and pitched it into the back seat, crossing her arms. "I don't know." She huffed. "Trixie completely derailed the schedule."

Trixie. My mind still wasn't able to fully grasp what had happened at the history museum. It all seemed too unreal. My thoughts then went to a specific moment of the confrontation. I looked over at Twilight and Trixie’s words echoed in my head.

“You're in love with him, aren't you?!”

I stared blankly at Twilight. I wanted to ask her about it. I wanted to know for sure, but I stopped myself. "Not right now." I thought.

I leaned up a bit and tried smiling at my grumpy companion. "The day's not completely ruined." I comforted. I tapped the steering wheel in thought. A few minutes passed until I had an epiphany and started the car. As I shifted into reverse, Twilight fixed her posture and rebuckled her seatbelt, giving me a look of confusion.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see." I replied with a smile. I drove the car out of the parking lot and down a few blocks to Twilight's surprise destination. Her eyes lit up as she saw the city library come into view. It was a three story building that had the external appearance of a courthouse, with white granite columns and a large flight of steps leading up to the library's double doors. Twilight's excitedness had returned, despite the unfortunate turn of events at the history museum.

I, relieved that I had saved the day, pulled over next to the curb near a parking meter. Grabbing her notebook, Twilight quickly got out of the car and stood by while I inserted a generous amount of quarters, buying us a couple hours of time. We traversed the steps and entered the library, Twilight letting out a small gasp upon witnessing the book covered walls. I led her over to the history section, hoping to pick up where we left off at the museum.

Twilight zipped through book after book, keeping notes on the most important dates of American and world history. I was surprised to find that I myself was even learning a thing or two. Twilight finished the books that I had brought her a while later and she dubbed her history lesson complete. I returned the books to their rightful shelves before taking Twilight up the stairs to the section of the library that kept the classical literature, a personal favorite of Tristan's.

I was more than eager to show off some of my favorite authors. Books containing the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and many other literary pioneers lined the table at which Twilight sat. Her eyes widened a little at how much I was throwing at her, but she knew that she could handle it. She saw the same kind of giddy fascination in my eyes as I rapidly explained why each author was critical to the formation of modern literature. Her heart fluttered as she watched.

I finally pulled out the last book. It's cover was worn heavily and the spine hardly held the pages in place. I gently carried it over and took a seat across from Twilight, who was already skimming through the first volume. I searched through the pages carefully, being ever so gentle as to not rip the already aged and fragile paper. I smiled as i came to my destination and cleared his throat. The sudden sound stopped Twilight's writing and she cocked her head to the side, paying close attention to the words I read.

"She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

"One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

"And on that cheek, and o'er that brow

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart, whose love is innocent."

As I placed the open book on the table, I noticed that Twilight Sparkle was staring at me in amazement. She seemed almost in a trance, her mouth barely hanging open.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Twilight snapped out of her daze that the poem had put her in, blinking a few times before replying.

"Mat." She said softly, "T-that was beautiful!"

I chuckled a bit, then turned the book around for her to read. Twilight leaned over the book, reading back the poem in her head before my voice interrupted her train of thought.

"Lord Byron." I said. "It's my favorite poem."

Twilight rapidly flipped to an empty page in her notebook and copied down the poem word for word. She turned back to the page she was at before, anxious to continue.

"Are there any more like those in here?" She asked excitedly. I laughed a little more.

"Of course!" I replied, excited to find that someone liked the poem as much as I did. "This book of poetry is packed with them. I can check it out for you to read later, if you want."

"Oh, absolutely!" Twilight beamed. She grabbed the book from her table and laid it next to her on the seat. She continued to skim through the remaining books while I played aimlessly on my phone. After a while, I stretched and heard an announcement over the library's intercom, stating that it was closing soon.

"Have we really been here that long?" I asked aloud. I checked my phone to find that it had been six hours since we left the house. I jumped and returned all the books back to their spots and pulled Twilight along to the front desk downstairs.

The librarian at the desk took her time checking out the book and reminded me of an overdue book I still had. After multiple promises of its return, we finally managed to leave just as one of the other librarians locked the door behind us. Outside, the sky was turning a magnificent shade of orange and there was but a few clouds in sight.

"Huh." I said, "It's been getting dark earlier recently." We walked back to our parked car just in time for the meter to expire and climbed in. Twilight retrieved her crumpled itinerary from the back seat and went back over it again.

"It actually has." She confirmed. "We'll have plenty of time."

"For what?" I asked, giving her a confused look.

"You'll see." Twilight replied, with a smile.

The sky had grown darker when Twilight Sparkle and I had arrived at the park. Twilight giggled with glee as we pulled up to a parking meter and switched off the engine. Twilight excitedly scrambled out of the car and stood next to the car's hood, bouncing on her heels. I also exited the vehicle and walked around to meet my giddy companion, her face beaming. Fishing around for quarters in my pocket, I looked over to the distant lake's edge, then up at the sky.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, managing to find some loose change.

"You'll see!" Twilight replied. "What time is it?"

I pulled out my cell phone and unlocked the screen. "Seven-thirty." I answered. Twilight's bouncing continued.

"Great!" She exclaimed. "Just a little while longer!"

I looked doubtfully at Twilight, then bought an hour of time from the parking meter. A faint green light appeared onscreen and the timer began counting.

We quickly crossed the street to the park, avoiding the traffic to the best of our ability. Once our feet landed on the grass, our pace slowed to a nonchalant stroll. There were a few other people in the park, either walking their dogs, jogging, or simply passing through. Twilight pulled out her itinerary and pen, crossing off a few things before disposing of the worn paper in the nearest garbage basket. She placed the pen back into her polo pocket and let out a sigh of contentment.

After a few minutes of walking, we finally reached the lake's edge, where a lone bench sat next to the water. I remembered this bench as the one he and Fluttershy occupied while she fed the ducks. A smile crept across my face and I sat down on the worn wood, Twilight quickly following. I checked my phone again and looked around. The lake's water showed very few signs of movement, and the sound of passersby chatting had changed to the subtle chirping of crickets. A few fireflies flashed around us, the only light other than the barely visible moon and stars.

I glanced over at Twilight, who was watching the sky anxiously. Her head was in constant motion as she searched the sky. Whatever she was looking for, I hadn't the foggiest idea, but I had found pleasure in her smile. I felt accomplished that he had turned a nightmare of a day into a nice, peaceful evening. I hoped that this would be the last instance of craziness for a good while.

My thought's slowly drifted back to the burning question that had plagued me since earlier that day. I wasn't sure if I wanted the answer, but I also knew that if I let it go unreconciled, that it would just keep bugging him until I snapped. I let out a soft sigh that caught Twilight's attention.

"Everything okay?" She asked, her former giddiness disappearing. I scratched my head, unsure of just what to say in response.

"W-well." I stammered. "Remember at the museum whe-"

A streak of light bolted across the sky before I could finish my sentence, ripping Twilight's attention away from me.

"Darn it!" I thought to myself. "Do I ever get a freakin' break?"

Twilight bounced on the bench as she pointed up to the sky, which was soon being populated by more zipping white lines.

"It's happening! It's happening!" Twilight rejoiced. "The meteor shower! Finally!"

I, who was cradling my head in my hands, looked up to find that Twilight's claim was true. I sat wide-eyed and jaw-dropped as the astronomical light show blazed above me. We sat motionless, completely fixated on the brilliant display for several minutes. The meteors had became less and less frequent until, finally, the last one shot through the sky and disappeared.

Twilight glanced over at me, whose expression of amazement continued to take residence on my face. She giggled to herself.

"Well?" She said, facing me. "What did you think of that?" I smiled, not moving my eyes from the sky.

"That was amazing." I replied, turning to Twilight. "I've honestly never seen a meteor shower before. I mean, I've heard people-"

"You've never seen a meteor shower?!" Twilight asked incredulously. I shook my head, causing Twilight to sigh a little. "You really don't get out much, do you?" She teased. I chuckled at Twilight's jest before responding.

"You're one to talk." I joked back. "It seems like you're constantly studying. How do you ever make time for your friends?"

Twilight smiled and looked up at the sky again. "I was a total shut-in when I studied in Canterlot. When Princess Celestia sent Spike and I to Ponyville for the first time to overlook the Summer Sun Festival, she told me to make friends, which is something that I, at the time, wasn't very knowledgeable of. To say the least, I wasn't intending on making friends. I ended up meeting the others that day, who were bent on becoming friends with me. It was almost annoying, really. I just wanted to do my job and go back to Canterlot. I didn't have the time to make friends with all these crazy ponies. Pinkie Pie even threw a surprise party for me that night. But, as we've told you before, everything didn't exactly go as planned. After searching for the Elements of Harmony and defeating Nightmare Moon, I realized I couldn't be more wrong about the importance and necessity of making friends. I thank Celestia each and every day for that."

Twilight returned her attention to me, who was staring back at her. "And I'm especially thankful for this opportunity to make another one." She smiled at me, despite her self-conscious decision to use "friend" instead of something that more identified with her true feelings. I smiled, too, our eyes locking for a moment before speaking.

"Yeah, me too." I said. I felt a swelling sensation in my chest as I gazed into Twilight's purple eyes, the moonlight shining just enough to give us a deep, inviting appearance. We sat in silence, simply looking at each other. Feeling my face get hot, I jumped from the bench and quickly faced away from Twilight, rubbing the back of my head while I planned out my next words.

"Twilight."  I began. "I need to ask you something, and I want you to be one hundred percent honest with me."

"Do you think it can wait a little bit?" She replied. "We have a huge problem here."

I threw my arms up in exasperation and turned toward her. I gasped a little too loudly when I saw that human Twilight was no longer with me, and her original pony form sat in her place, her clothes strewn about on the bench before her.

"How did I miss that?!" I cried. Twilight put a hoof to my mouth.

"Keep it down!" She whispered. "We can't draw any attention to us, not now."

I panicked and looked around for other people who could have seen the transformation. Luckily, there was no one, allowing a uniformed sigh of relief escape the both of us. I took the clothes from Twilight and clutched them close to my chest.

"We still had a couple hours until you changed!" I whispered back. "Why now?" Twilight shook her head.

"I don't know." She confessed. "It may be from where I used up too much energy from our little meet-up with Trixie." Twilight gasped, a sudden realization hitting her like a freight train. "Trixie!" She breathed. "We need to get home! Now! I need to send that letter to Celestia!"

I nodded and the two of us began our stealthy journey back to his car. The street lights flickered on, forcing us to take refuge in the small areas of darkness that we were left with to dodge any on-comers. we had bolted between trees and bushes for a few minutes before finally reaching the edge of the park. Twilight went to make the final break for the car when I stopped her in her tracks.

"No. Too Risky" I said between breaths. "I'll get the car and bring it around."

Twilight nodded in agreement and I, as calmly as possible, walked over to the car and got in. I turned the key over and the engine sputtered to life. With no traffic in sight, I quickly made a U-turn in the middle of the street and drove up onto the sidewalk that lined the park. I flung the passenger door open and frantically motioned for Twilight. She responded by running as quickly as she could across the open area and diving into the car. I slammed the accelerator, and with the sudden takeoff, the door slammed closed.

The drive back home was nothing short of quick and reckless. I kept the gas pedal firmly against the floorboard of the car while my Alicorn passenger clung to her seat for dear life. Upon arriving home, I had slowed the car down to lower suspicion of any onlookers. I whipped the vehicle into my driveway and slammed the shifter into park before killing the engine and making a mad scramble for the front door. Twilight followed closely behind me.

I fumbled with my keys as I searched for the one that would unlock the door. Fortunately for us both, an orange pony opened the door for them.

"Well, howdy! Y'all sure are home earl-" Applejack started, but was interrupted.

Twilight and I quickly pushed past the farmhand, knocking off her hat. She kicked the door back shut.

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack demanded. The other ponies in the room jumped from their sudden entrance. They watched nervously as Twilight ripped the page out of her notebook, rolling it up, and casting a spell on it to have it go to Celestia.

Twilight let out a sigh and sat down on the floor. "Let's just hope it worked."

"Ah don't mean to interrupt y'all," Applejack said, "But what in the hay is going on around here?!"

Twilight let out another sigh and explained their unfortunate confrontation with Trixie. The group gasped at the mere mention of her name, followed by questions of her existence in this world and Rainbow Dash's opinion of what she would have done if she was in Twilight's place.

I continued the story from my perspective, detailing the physical part of the event excitedly. Twilight blushed at my retelling, but felt a morbid pride for showing up her boastful rival. Rainbow Dash thrusted a hoof in the air as the pegasus hovered a few feet above where she sat.

"Aww, yeah!" She shouted, "Atta girl, Twilight! I didn't know ya had it in ya!" She landed back on the floor and was met with an expression of disapproval from Applejack.

"Now, Rainbow," She began, "Don't be gettin' all rowdy on us. Twilight only did what she had to do to protect Mat. She didn't gain any personal enjoyment from it, did ya, sugarcube?" Twilight exchanged glances with the earth pony.

"Oh, no, of course not!" Twilight lied. She glanced nervously at me, who gave an unnoticeable wink. Twilight winked back as inconspicuously as possible.

There was mixed chatter amongst the group. Rainbow Dash begged me for more details about the fight.

As I once again declined Rainbow Dash's request, I noticed that Twilight had approached Applejack and was whispering into her ear. As Twilight pulled away, Applejack nodded and the two ponies exited the living room and walked down the hallway to my room. The sound of the door being shut barely reached his ears over the conversations of the others.

"Uhh, excuse me for a sec." I said sheepishly. Rainbow Dash nodded and went to search for snacks in the kitchen. I quietly slipped out of the living room and tiptoed down the hallway. I felt somewhat bad for wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation, but with my track record of trying to ask Twilight myself, this was about as close as I was going to get in regards to having my question answered.

I stood with my back on the wall adjacent to my bedroom door and leaned toward it. I could hear their voices surprisingly well. It sounded like one of them was pacing the hardwood floor inside.

"...And then I just completely lost all self control! The way she spoke to him, the way she touched him. Oh, Celestia, what am I going to do?" Twilight pleaded. Applejack sat on my bed, watching the troubled unicorn pace madly in front of her.

"Ah don't know, sugarcube." Applejack replied. "When did you start feelin' this way about Mat?" Twilight stopped pacing to think for a second.

"I guess it was at the time I had him transformed as a pony and we were getting ready for bed one time." She admitted. "I mean, I don't know how this emotion developed so quickly. I just feel something inside for him that I've never felt for anypony else. I-I can't explain it." Applejack gently hopped down from the bed and approached her friend, who now sat on the floor in despair. Applejack sat down next to her and placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"Ah know this can't be easy for ya," She began, "But if ya tell Mat what ya really think of him, it may not end like ya hope. After all," She sighed, "We're from completely different worlds." Twilight laid her head on Applejack's shoulder, lightly sobbing. Applejack embraced Twilight, gently petting her mane. "Now, now, sugarcube." She said softly. Twilight sniffled and lifted her head to meet the farmhand's emerald eyes.

"Nopony else is to know about this." Twilight whispered. "Pinkie Promise me you won't say a word to any of the others." Applejack nodded and went through the motions of the promise, sans the actual eye-poking. She stood back up and yawned.

"We should be gettin' to bed, Twi." Applejack informed. "Ya need the rest after y'all's day." Twilight nodded in agreement and also stood, wiping the tears that still lay on her face. Twilight began walking out of the room with Applejack following right behind her.

I heard the hoof-steps getting louder and the turning of the doorknob to my bedroom. I quickly jumped away from the wall to the opposite side of the hallway in hopes of not blowing my cover. I pretended like I was entering the bathroom when Twilight exited the door, not even sharing a passing glance. Applejack, who was close behind Twilight, stopped in her tracks. I stopped too, looking back at the orange mare. After Twilight was out of earshot, Applejack glared back in my direction.

"Did ya catch all that?" She said, narrowing her eyes. Chills went up my spine as I scrambled for the right words to say.

"W-what are you talking about?" I replied, my voice shaky. "I-I was just going to the bathroom! Ha-ha." I tried to weasel a smile, but Applejack saw straight through the facade.

"Ah am the Element of Honesty, ya know?" She spat. "Ah think ah can tell when I'm bein' lied to." She stared him down for another moment or two before sighing and lowering her head. "Just don't make this harder on the poor girl." She insisted. "It's gonna bad enough as it is." I nodded somberly as the earth pony walked back into the living room to join the others.

I rubbed my head and trudged into my room. I closed the door behind me and shuffled over to the bed, where I removed my clothes and donned my gym shorts. As I crawled between the blankets, my mind began racing with thoughts of the purple unicorn. I had finally gotten my answer: Twilight Sparkle was the secret admirer. Her words echoed through my head, almost haunting me as I struggled to fall asleep. Of all the people I could have ever imagined, a talking unicorn from another world was the one who had fallen in love with me. After hours of sleeplessness, exhaustion had finally acquired the upper hand over my mind, sending me straight to sleep. Next Chapter: Chapter 12 - Going Bowling/Return To Equestria/The Moment of Truth/Song Time/Friendship Letters and a New Beginning (End of Season 1 Story) Estimated time remaining: 49 Minutes