The next morning ended up being like any other morning. Wake up, shower, get dressed, eat, greet the gang, road trip, come home, bed.

Anyway once I showered and got dressed, I dragged myself into the living room to see that all the ponies were not only awake, but were standing in the middle of the living room, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash holding a large parchment banner that read "Thank You, Mathew!" in crayons and ink. It was adorned with hearts and hoofprints, each with their owner's name scribbled next to them. I cocked my head to the side, pleasantly surprised yet completely lost.

"What's all this?" I asked. Applejack stepped forward.

"We just wanted to do somethin' special for ya, sugarcube." She replied. "Ya know, for takin' care of us while we were here in your home."

"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie added. "We've all had so much fun! And look!" She pulled a baking sheet from behind her and laid it down on the coffee table. "I made cupcakes!" More chatter erupted from the group, each one excitedly gushing their gratitude. I rubbed my shoulder and looked downward, blushing.

"You guys didn't have to do this, you know." I said.

Rarity stepped forward, joining Applejack.

"Oh, but darling, you deserve it." She said. "We want today to be all about you."

"Exactly." Joined Rainbow Dash, dropping her part of the banner. "Whatever you wanna do, we're game for it. Right, everypony?" The others confirmed Rainbow Dash's claim.

I noticed that Twilight Sparkle had been quiet and reserved since I had arrived in the living room. I sighed and hoped that things between us could be patched up before we all return to Equestria.

"Sooo..." Pinkie Pie began, "Whatcha wanna do?" The others watched me as I furrowed my brow in thought.

"Well." I started, "How about after breakfast, we all go out and we'll just plan it from there."

"All of us?" The girls repeated.

I nodded.

"Alright." Twilight yawned. She proceeded towards the kitchen. "I'm going to need some coffee first, though." Everyone else followed Twilight into the kitchen, where a quick breakfast was served and, between Twilight and I, much coffee was drunk.

The Equestrians then retrieved their newly washed human clothes and stepped inside them. They gathered in the middle of the living room and Twilight cast a cloud of magenta magic all around them. I slipped my shoes on and grabbed my keys while the transformation finished.

As the others were making last minute preparations, a thought came across Fluttershy's mind.

"U-um, Mat?" She said softly, "I-is there enough room for all of us in your car?" My face drew a blank, not having thought of this earlier. I scratched my head, thinking of a way I could get seven people to the city.

"What about the bus?" I asked. "There's one that runs right through here." I checked my phone again for the time. "Which is any minute now. We should get outside by the bus stop."

The others quickly followed me outside, where the bus was already stopping to allow other passengers to board. We all joined the line that was formed at the bus door. I fished out the necessary fare for the eight of us and tossed it into the box. The bus driver stared incredulously as the colorful group boarded and took seats near the back.

The Equestrians immediately engaged in excited chatter. Twilight kept to herself and simply sat staring out of the window, watching the passing scenery. It was all she could do to keep from thinking of me. She let out a small sigh, which was picked up on by Applejack.

"You okay, Twi?" She asked. Twilight glanced over at her, then returned her attention to the world outside the bus window.

"I'm fine." She lied.

"I don't know." She said. "You just aren't acting like yourself."

"I'm fine, Applejack." She replied harshly. The girl just shook her head. She was about to press further, but she felt a tap on the shoulder from behind. She peeked over the seat at me, who then was shaking my head. Applejack wore an expression of confusion, but heeded my warning and decided that she should just leave the conversation be. She faced forwards and sighed. Pinkie Pie, however, shakily occupied a seat with me. Her jitters raised concern with him.

"You didn't get into the coffee, did you?" I asked, already sure of the answer.

Pinkie furiously nodded, her pink hair bouncing every which way. I exhaled deeply and ran my fingers through my hair. The other passengers had already started staring.

"This'll be a long ride."

One by one, we stepped off of the bus and into the bright sunlight that was cast over the city. The bus driver rolled his eyes as he shut the door and put the bus in drive. I shielded the blinding rays with my hand and surveyed his surroundings while the others stood behind him.

"Where to?" Applejack asked. After another moment of thought, I turned back to the group and smiled.

"We're going bowling!" I beamed.

"Bowling?!" the Equestrians asked in unison.

"Yes, bowling." I confirmed. "I think you guys will love it."

Pinkie Pie giggled. "Silly filly! We have that back in Equestria!"

I cocked my head. "You do?" I asked, dumbfounded. "But how do you grip the ball?"

Applejack smiled. "Oh, we normally just push it with our heads." She replied, giving it a couple light taps. I shook my head and returned his focus back to the street.

"Okay..." I mumbled, mentally mapping out the route to the bowling alley. I looked left and right before pointing down the sidewalk. "That way."

Pinkie Pie let out a squeal of delight as the group began the four block trek to the bowling alley. The temperature that day was the highest the city had seen the whole year, and everyone was beginning to feel it. Sweat dripped from what felt like every pore on my face as I panted from the heat.

After several long minutes of walking, we all finally reached the bowling alley, a short building placed right between two much higher ones. The cool air from the building's air conditioning hit us with relief, vocalized by a collective sigh. I stepped up to the counter and bought three games and rented eight pairs of shoes. The man behind the counter stared the group down before accepting my payment and moving over to the counter where the bowling shoes were kept.

Pinkie Pie bounced up to the counter to get first pick. The man eyeballed the eccentric, pink-haired woman before finally asking her shoe size.

"I dunno." She said cheerfully. I hurried up next to her and removed her pink flats and reading the number on the insole.

"Six and a half." I answered quickly. I handed Pinkie Pie back her shoe while awkwardly smiling at the man. The man rolled his eyes and pulled a pair of red and blue shoes from behind the counter. Everyone else pulled off their shoes to read off their numbers as the man pulled pair after pair of crusty bowling shoes from under the counter. I was the last to retrieve my shoes.

"Twelve, please." I said. The man fished around behind the counter and tossed a pair of green and cream colored shoes to him.

"I'm surprised you didn't have to check your shoe." The man replied harshly. I rolled my eyes and moved back to the register to serve another customer.

I shook off the man's distasteful attitude and joined the others at lane nine. Everyone had already changed shoes and picked out their bowling balls. I divided everyone into two teams. The first consisted of myself, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity composed the opposition and after all of our names were entered into the computer, the games began.

After a while, the tenth frame of the third game came and was drawing to a close with only two bowlers left: Me and Pinkie Pie. I picked up my ball and proceeded towards the beginning of the lane. I held the ball up to my face as I stared intensely down the polished wood. My team had won the first game, but took a loss in the second. My team was down by just a bit, so a win was possible. After a few moments of mental preparation, I shuffled forward, brought my arm back, and threw the ball forward with all my might.

The ball blazed down the alley with tremendous speed, only a short couple of seconds separating its departure and its collision with the pins. The ball smashed through the front pin and continued its course of destruction all the way through the back of the set. The pins were sent flying. Strike.

I threw a fist into the air as his teammates cheered, even Twilight Sparkle, who was beginning to come out of her depression. I strutted back to the seats with the rest of his teammates.

"You rock!" Fluttershy softly cheered. "Woo-hoo!"

I laughed a little, looking back towards the alley, Pinkie Pie had grabbed her ball and was standing next to the foul line, tossing the ball in her hands. I smirked.

She has been doing terrible this whole game. I thought to myself, This game is ours!

Pinkie Pie twirled around, took a step back, skipped, and launched the ball with a speed that rivaled mine. The ball veered right in the direction of the gutter.

Yes! I thought again.

The ball was on the edge of the wood before it made a sharp turn at the last second, it zipped back across the alley and straight into the first pin. The others exploded around it, sending some pins into the adjacent lanes. A red "X" appeared on the overhead screen. My jaw dropped, as did all of Pinkie Pie's teammates. After a moment of speechlessness, Rainbow Dash jumped into the air.

"YES!" She screamed. There was an eruption of cheering from her team as Twilight and I simply glared their direction.

"That was a great game," Fluttershy interrupted. "Good job!" She beamed a wide smile at them.

"Eeyup." Applejack added. "That there was a close one." Rainbow Dash began to walk their way, followed by the others from her team.

"Winners get to pick lunch!" Rainbow Dash called. Her claim was met by Rarity's bemused expression.

"Now, Rainbow, this is Mat's day." She reminded. "Shouldn't he get to pick where to eat lunch?" I rubbed the back of my head and smiled sheepishly.

"It doesn't matter to me," I corrected. "Today should be just as much about you guys as it is me." I looked over to Rainbow Dash. "What did you have in mind?"

"Pizza!" She quickly answered.

"Pizza?" I repeated.

"Pizza!" The others cheered.

I chuckled as I removed my shoes and replaced them with my high-tops. Everyone else switched their shoes and they bolted to the counter to drop them off. The man behind the counter stared at the group as they exit the bowling alley and entered the sunlight once again. The temperature outside had dropped down a bit. It was still warm, but not scorching as before I led the group a block further down the street then across to Papa Domino's Pizzeria.

Once inside, we were immediately seated and our drink order was taken. The waiter left and everyone skimmed the menu, excitedly discussing their topping options. I sat back against my seat and sighed, watching the others laugh and talk. My mood sank, catching the eye of one of his fellow diners.

"Is everything okay?" Twilight Sparkle asked. She had tried to avoid talking to me for most of the day in fear of making her already complicated situation even more so, but she couldn't stand seeing me this way. Applejack gave a concerned glance, but resumed in conversation with the others.

"Yeah, its okay." I lied. "Just doing some thinking." Twilight nodded silently. I looked towards her.

"Can I talk to you later?" I asked. "You know, just us?" Twilight's heart began racing.

"U-um, yeah, sure." She shakily replied. The waiter had come back just in time to take her mind off of my request. After finally agreeing on toppings, I ordered a large pizza with extra cheese, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, and peppers. The waiter nodded and hurried the away, yelling something in Italian to the man in the kitchen.

After a pleasant, and filling, lunch, the group and I emerged from the pizzeria, smiles of content stretching across each of our faces. It had only been a few hours since we left, but since it was Twilight's first time transforming everyone, we weren't sure of how much time the other ponies had left before they all changed back to their pony selves. I sighed as he checked my phone for the time, then I gathered everyone's attention.

"I think I want to spend the rest of the day at home." I said. "Not that I'm not having fun with you guys out here. I just want to hang out with you guys for a while before we all head back to your world."

"Ah understand, sugarcube." Applejack interjected. The farmhand smiled warmly at me, as did everyone else. Together, we made the walk back across the street and then headed south, passing the bowling alley once again and reaching the bus stop. Thankfully for me, there was a change in drivers. I paid the fare and the group claimed the seats we all had earlier.

It took much less time for us all to return home, seeing as how we were the only passengers this time. The bus stopped near my house and the driver, with a friendly smile, waved us all goodbye as we exited. We walked down the sidewalk and up the driveway, where I tossed Rainbow Dash the house key.

"I'm going to take some of the others to pick up a few groceries." I stated. "We'll be back after a bit." I glanced over at a select few. "Pinkie? AJ? Twilight? You guys wanna come with me?" I asked.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie nodded. Twilight simply shrugged, not wanting to offend me. Rainbow Dash looked at the key for a second, then nodded to me. Fluttershy waved to everyone as she followed Rainbow Dash into the house, followed by Rarity. Twilight sighed,

The ride to the retail store was a quick one, as the structure was only a few minutes outside of the city. Inside, I pushed the shopping cart while the others hastily tossed cake mix, vegetables, soda, and a few other things into the cart's basket. I tried ignoring the unfriendly looks of the other shoppers that came as a result to my five overly eager companions. Pinkie Pie had been prancing about the whole time, shouting things about having a party while adding balloons and streamers to the items in the cart.

The process of checking out was painstaking for me, as the cashier also gave odd looks to my brightly colored entourage. She brought up the total and I handed over the necessary payment. While getting change, the cashier gives another look to the group.

"Looks like you guys are throwing a party." She said sarcastically. Pinkie Pie bounded up in front of me and flashed a humungous grin.

"Oh, yeah!" She exclaimed. "We're having a big party! It's because we're leaving tomorrow to go back to E-"

"Europe!" I interjected. I slapped a hand over Pinkie's mouth, which was still mumbling at full speed. "We're going back to Europe tomorrow! Gotta have a big party!" I smiled weakly as I used my free hand to place the rest of the items in the cart. The cashier just stared.

"Yeah, whatever." She sighed. I, once assured that Pinkie Pie had finished her rant, pushed the cart out of the front doors. The group hurriedly made their way back to the car, where I loaded the groceries into the trunk while the others got seated and buckled.

I slammed the trunk shut and slid into the driver's seat. As we began the trip home, Twilight Sparkle looked over at me, watching me as I drove. She sighed to herself. Twilight could no longer deny that over the past few days, despite Applejack's advice, she had fallen more in love with me, and she wasn't quite sure how much longer she could go without telling me. Twilight was then reminded of my request at lunch.

"Can I talk to you later? You know, just us?"

That was it. Twilight's opportunity had made itself known. She took her attention off of me and focused on the road ahead. Thoughts raced through her head as the blood in her veins raced through her body from her heart's relentless beating. The house came into view and Twilight made up her mind.

At home. She thought. "I'll tell him tonight when we go home."

"What was that?"  Pinkie Pie asked. Twilight's face grew red.

"Nothing, forget it." She innocently said.

Pinkie Pie hung the final streamer from the ceiling. In less than an hour, she had transformed the living room and kitchen from their dull, normal existence into an energetic atmosphere. A large punch bowl was surrounded with brightly colored cupcakes on the kitchen table and various other baked goods, courtesy of Applejack, lined the counters.

I pulled up my music player on the computer screen and double-clicked a playlist I had made. As the first song thumped its way through the computer's large speakers, the Equestrians cheered and began to dance in the middle of the living room. I quickly moved the coffee table and recliner off to the far sides of the room, creating a larger space for the makeshift dance floor. The music progressed through the playlist and the celebration was now in full swing.

Pinkie Pie then stood by the refrigerator, drinking a plastic cup of her specialty punch.

The party had rode into the early hours of the night, which at this time, the Equestrians had reverted back into their original forms. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew about the house, collecting the balloons and streamers from the ceilings. Everyone else assisted with clean-up on the ground, which consisted of moving back furniture, setting up the bed, and, in Pinkie Pie and Spike's case, disposing of the leftover snacks.

"How are we gonna get rid of all this?" Applejack asked. Pinkie pie simply winked at the confused farm pony before sticking out a wildly oversized tongue that scooped up the remaining treats and tossed them into the mouth of the pink party pony. A.J. simply shrugged, not the least bit surprised.

Twilight Sparkle had finished her cleaning task and was preparing us all to go back to Equestria when I realized that I have a chance to tell Twilight how I feel about her.

"Ok girls, before we go back, let's make sure we did everything. I started to say. "Ok, so we cleaned up the party supplies...check. Did you all go to the bathroom?" They all nodded. "Ok, we're all set." I finished.

"Ok everypony, and Mat." Twilight said. "Let's go." She powered up her horn, and with her usual *POOF*, we were back at the library tree.

Spike must've heard us, because he came running in a speed that rivaled Rainbow Dash's.

"Mat, girls, I've missed you." He cried.

"Hey, it's ok. We've only been gone a week." I assured him. "Ok. Now that we're back, let's go tell Princess Celestia about our road trip." I said to the girls.

"Uh-huh." They nodded.

And with that, we waited outside for our ride. And once it did, we got ourselves in and ready to head to Canterlot to see Her Highness, Princess Celestia.

We were all silent until Twilight spoke.

"Mat, I have something I want to tell you." She carefully informed.

“What’s up?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

“Well...I...I think I...” She was hesitating, losing her words.

“You...what?” I asked again, wondering what was keeping her from answering me.

“I...kind of...L... *sigh* Ohh, why is this so hard…?” She went silent. I tilted my head slightly to get a look at her face to see her cheeks turning a bright pink. Whatever she wanted to tell me, it must’ve been big.

“Twi...what is it you’re trying to-!” I was cut off as she turned to me and pressed her lips against mine, which froze me in complete surprise. Shortly after, she pulled her head away. I got the message right away, but I was dumbfounded. I looked at her, but she was looking down at the floor of the chariot once again; not out of sadness, but out of embarrassment. “Umm...I-is that your way of telling me that you like me?” I asked, still taken aback by her unexpectedly brash action as I impulsively licked my lips.

“Wh-what if it is?” She sheepishly asked.

“Then...then I don’t think I heard you very well.” I slyly retorted with a smirk. “Mind repeating that?” She giggled. "But, there is something that I have to admit." I said sadly.

"Oh, whats that?" Twilight asked.

I sighed. "When you fought Trixie," I began, "And she made that bold accusation, I overlooked it. I was told myself that it was just an attempt for Trixie to mess with our heads, but as the day went on, I began to question if you really held those feelings for me. So when you went back to talk to Applejack that night..."

"You eavesdropped on us?!" Twilight interrupted. She was furious that I had invaded her privacy like that, but decided that now wouldn't be the best time to start an argument.

"I had to!" I quickly answered. "I tried asking you about it that whole day, but every time I did, something would happen and it would derail the conversation completely. Eavesdropping was my only option."

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

I dropped my head. "I was told not to. Applejack didn't want me to act on it for the sake of you not being hurt. I tried my best to not do that, but the more we were together, the more I realized myself that I harbored the same feelings. I kept flashing back to the days when we first met, you know, when we hung out with your friends in your world, and especially everything you said to Trixie that day. No one has showed so much care for me for a long time now. I just didn't want us to part ways and have to wonder 'what if' for the rest of our lives, ya know?"

Twilight nodded solemnly. A tear rolled down her cheek as she thrusted her head into my shoulder. I turned and fully embraced Twilight, feeling a tear of my own form. The two of us sat silently holding each for a little while, letting our hearts talk amongst themselves.

In the rich orange light of the radiant, clear-skied sunset we were flying in, Twilight looked even more beautiful than ever. Her mane flowing freely in the unreasonably frigid wind as the waning sunlight hit her in just the way that made her large, gorgeous purple eyes glimmer as she smiled warmly at me. In that moment, all my worries about me being human and from a different universe temporarily washed away as I smiled back at her. But I was more focused on the little lavender unicorn I was holding than anything. After we stared into each others eyes for a few seconds as we hugged, we closed our eyes, moved in and locked our lips together once again. She tasted faintly of sweetened lemon, which I guess had something to do with the last thing she ate or drank while I wasn’t around. I lost myself in the euphoria of it...

“*AHEM!*” Spike interrupted, clearly feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“*pop* Oops! Heh, sorry, Spike.” Twilight apologized, flustered and withdrawing from the embrace.

“Yea, my bad…” I added as I scratched my head in embarrassment.

The rest of the ride was awkwardly silent, but I couldn’t help but frequently glance at the object of my affections. I tried to avert my gaze, so as not to be tempted to flirt with Twilight and make Spike feel more unsettled than he already was. Twilight hardly moved from her position of discomfort, but I did catch her staring back at me a couple times, where she would swiftly look back at the floor of the chariot. She was adorable. Spike must’ve noticed our little game, because every time I looked at him, he seemed more and more annoyed as he stared off into space with a furrowed brow, away from Twi and I. Eventually, the Canterlot castle came into view as we approached.

“Finally! I was getting tired of sitting here with you two flirting with each other.” Spike complained. I laughed at the dragon’s agitation.

“Don’t worry, Spike.” I began. “I promise that we won’t do nothing else in front of you.” He looked at me and smiled. “’Cept this.” I quickly added as I kissed Twilight on the cheek, causing her to giggle and blush. I gave him a purposefully goofy smile. He shot daggers at me with his eyes before turning away. I was wondering if he felt...jealous, in a way.

Spoiler alert, the others (Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash) were in another carriage, so they didn't get to see what happened.

A short time later, we all arrived in Canterlot once again, the chariot gracefully landing in front of the palace doors. The two of us gave our appreciation to the guards for the ride before we entered the enormous building and walked/trotted all the way up the stairs to the throne room door.

We wasted no more time in entering the throne room to be greeted with the luminescent presence of the Sun Goddess Princess herself. The second she laid eyes on us, she stood up and smiled. The girls and I walked up to her. I felt the need to take a bow, but I was stopped.

“Formalities, while thoughtful, are not necessary, my faithful subject.” Celestia calmly informed, prompting me to stand back up as I looked at her.

"Oops." I said blushing.

"However, in order to show you my thanks, it would be my honor if you were to stay in Equestria." Celestia offered.

“Thanks! I’m eternally grateful, Princess. But...I likely won’t be staying long. Not that I wouldn’t come back, but-” I started to say but was cut off.

“Yes, I understand. You have no intention of leaving your world permanently.” She informed. “However, I require something from you first.”

“Anything! You name it. A slushy? A sweater from my world? A hug?” I said

“No,” She answered as she let out a small chuckle. “I need you...to prove your feelings towards Twilight.” Twi and I both shot looks of confusion at each other, then at her.

“Um...prove my feelings?” I blankly asked.

“Yes. I’m aware that you two are more than friends.” She said.

“What? How’d you know…?”

“Word spreads quickly around Canterlot; especially amongst the guards.” She informed with a wink. I almost asked her what she was talking about, but then I remembered the first time we came here.

“Oh...”

“Indeed.”

“Okay...I accept your challenge.” I confidently said as I walked over towards the purple unicorn and kissed her on the cheek. “There.” I said.

“A nice try, but not quite.” Celestia said unconvinced.

“No? Okay.” I kissed her again, except this time giving her a small peck on her lips, provoking her to blush vehemently. “That good enough?”

“*sigh* It will take more than you kissing her to convince me.”

“I see...is there something specific you want me to do?”

“Not at all. Simply do what comes to mind that you think would convince me that your feelings are truly genuine.” I wasn’t sure what she was looking for me to do, but if kissing didn’t work, then something had to give. After a moment of pondering, I finally hatched an idea.

“I got it! How about a song?” I suggested.

“A song would be nice. Let’s hear it.” I simply nodded before I began to think about what song I’d serenade the two lovely mares with. A short time later I decided on Roy Orbison-You Got It.

Once the music started, I suddenly lost control of my body as it began to do these ridiculous dance moves on its own. Rather than resist it, I got curious and allowed it to happen.

"Every time I look into your lovely eyes, I see a love that money just can't buy."

"One look, from you, I drift, away."

"I pray, that you, are here, to stay."

"Anything you want, you got it."

"Anything you need, you got it."

"Anything at all, you got it."

"Baby!"

"Every time I hold you I begin to understand."

"Everything about you tells me I'm your man."

"I live, my life, to be, with you."

"No one, can do, the things, you do."

"Anything you want, you got it."

"Anything you need, you got it."

"Anything at all, you got it."

"Baby!"

"Anything you want, Anything you need, Anything at all."

"I'm glad, to give, my love, to you."

"I know, you feel, the way, I do."

"Anything you want, you got it."

"Anything you need, you got it."

"Anything at all, you got it."

"Baby!"

"Anything you want, you got it."

"Anything you need, you got it.'

"Anything at all, you got it."

"Baby."

"Anything at all."

"Baby."

"You got it!"

Once the music stopped and I regained control of my body, I took some deep breaths because I was a bit worn out from dancing like that. Soon after, I looked up at Twilight and Celestia to see that they had different looks on their faces. Celestia wore a look of what seemed like surprise, satisfaction, and approval. Twi, on the other hand, was on the verge of tears, albeit grinning ear to ear.

“Is that...proof enough...for y-?” I was about to ask the Sun Princess before completely interrupted by her student to be holding nothing back, holding me tight as she moaned into the embrace. Eventually, she let me go with an audible pop. I simply stared at the unicorn, mind-blown and a little disoriented.

“WOW...I uh...take it you liked that?” I stammered.

“Like it?” She rhetorically asked. “That was the most wonderful thing anypony’s ever done for me!” She tearfully answered.

"Aw, is my little princess crying?" I cooed.

“I...I think it’s okay...these are just tears of joy.” I heard her loud and clear as I stroked her mane with my hand as we continued to hug.

With that, we all enjoyed a relatively short amount of time conversing with one another on various subjects before I let out a large yawn, the events of the day finally catching up to me. “It's getting late...I’m beat.”

“Yeah, it is getting pretty close to quitting time, isn’t it?” Said Applejack.

“Yes, it is time to rest, my little ponies,” Celestia stated.

A chariot carried everyone except Twi and I back to Ponyville. We stayed behind because Celestia had mentioned that she wanted to discuss our situation further.

“Now then.” Celestia began. "With everything I’ve observed from you two since Mat’s arrival here, I believe I’ve more than enough information to suffice for now. I do hope you realize, however, that I’m expecting an extensive letter on what you’ve learned about friendship...from both of you.”

“No problem, Princess Celestia! Consider it written!” Twilight happily replied.

“Wait...what??” I was completely bewildered.

“See it as one of the perks of dating my most faithful student. You have also become a scholar on the subject of friendship under me, which means I expect a letter on a lesson of friendship from you as well.” I had mixed feelings about that, but I supposed nothing comes absolutely free, no matter what universe one was in.

“But...I-!”

“There’s no pressure. You may write one if, and only if you happen to discover a lesson on friendship.”

“Yea, but... *sigh* I suppose that’s fair." I hesitantly said.

"All right. Well, good night you two." Celestia said before we went back to the library to do what we needed to do.

Dear Princess Celestia,

There was QUITE a lot to learn on a wide scale, spanning from friendship to my perception of physical reality, and so much more! But I’ll keep this to the point. Your student Twilight Sparkle has shown me time and time again how limited my knowledge of a variety of topics such as the existence of another world full of sentient beings, the possibility of magic, and the like is. She’s also shown me that making friends is possible no matter what world you live in. Never did I think that I’d be met with a creature as… captivating as Twilight is. I surely never thought I’d make friends with her either, given that she simply (and quite literally) popped into my life spontaneously. After she arrived and gave me some insight on where she came from, I've decided to share some insights on where I came from as well as show her around the house and what was in it.

In return, she introduced me to an entirely new world-no, an entirely new PLANE OF EXISTENCE! I’m not entirely sure what you call this world, so I guess I’ll have to refer to it as ‘Equestria,’ the name of what I understand is your country. As we spent time together, our bond grew and we became closer. Honestly, I think spending time in the form of a pony may have had a hand (or hoof) in the way I saw her. Originally, I saw her as a sort of...pet (no offense intended), given our differing species. However, the longer I’d been around Twilight (in either form), the more I’d strangely found myself...attracted to her. Strange, right? An 'alien' getting a crush on a unicorn. In any case, I was unsure of myself, trying to suppress and ignore my new feelings of affection. Evidently, I failed. But I don’t regret it. If it wasn’t for that, I’m not sure everything would’ve played out as it did over the course of my time in Equestria. I also wouldn’t have come to the conclusion that love truly is blind.

Despite the trials and tribulations Twilight and I had gone through, I’m ecstatic to say that I’ve enjoyed my time in Equestria. I especially cherish my time with Twilight and I’d like to say thank you for understanding me and my background, Your Highness. I can promise that we both will relay as much information about my world to you as you want. I also promise to keep your daughter/niece-in-law/most faithful student as content as possible, while at the same time keeping myself from becoming a distraction from her studies on the magic of friendship.

Your Newest Faithful Subject,

Mathew AKA Mat.

“There…” I concluded.

“Alright, my turn…” Twi began.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Friendship… a concept that seems so simple, yet proves itself to be totally complex at every turn. As you know, I was trying to demonstrate a spell that would send me to a different area of Equestria that actually wound up sending me to a whole new world entirely. Of course, this is where I met Mat. I was at first, startled by his appearance when we met. It was something the likes of which I’d never seen before... An entirely foreign species of being never known to have ever set hoof--or FOOT, rather--in our WORLD, much less our country. Despite that, he proved to be relatively approachable. We spent some time getting to know one another and he even allowed me the opportunity to gather quality information about his residential plane of existence, which led to the two of us forming a connection of sorts. As a thank-you gift, I brought him back to Equestria in order for him to acquire some insight on life here.

As I spent time with him, I realized that he, despite being of a race that is entirely alien to our world, exhibited the same qualities of friendship that I’d been studying up on ever since you relocated me to Ponyville. I was growing quite fond of him, and quickly, too. In addition, likely because of the extensive amount of time we spent together gathering information on each other, I began to feel something new for him...I wasn’t sure myself of what it was that was making me feel this way, but the idea of Mat and I being more than friends was put into my head when Rainbow Dash appeared and introduced herself to him. It was initially a recurring, yet passing thought until we’d met with Rarity, who insisted that we would make a cute couple. Me being the dedicated student I am, I merely attempted to shift such allegations off as simple hearsay in the name of focusing my time on honing my magic skills and researching friendship as you had assigned me.

Then again, Mat and I had hardly been out of reach of one another, with us spending a considerable amount of time together this past week. During that time, he and I talked...a LOT...and the more we did, the more I found a wide variety of traits within him that very much resembled those of a pony. Not only that, but I also began to take a special interest in him...for more reasons than just his surprisingly-advanced thought process that proved he was more than some strange animal I'd stumbled upon. Since my first encounter with the human world up until our first meeting with you, my feelings towards him grew to be…peculiar to me, to say the least. However, I knew what I'd begun to feel...affection. Simply put, I'd developed a 'crush' on my extraterrestrial companion.

Not necessarily knowing why, coupled with thoughts of the perceived immorality in being ensnared in feelings of affection toward someone who not only wasn't a pony, but also wasn't even a resident of our world, I tried my best to keep my inexplicable infatuation hidden until I was sure for myself if my feelings were more than a simple illusion. But I went with my feelings and just decided to kiss him. After I had don that,he told me that he loved me back.

Throughout this entire time, I learned two primary lessons: The first is that friendship can be obtained by anyone, anywhere, no matter what existential boundaries may be placed. The second is that love is blind...I mean this in the sense that Mat and I have been able to see past our physical and existential differences. While they are not completely out of the way as obstacles in the name of our recent courtship, we are currently settling into the idea of an interspecies relationship. In addition, while I am aware of the vast assortment of other stipulations of our involvement with one another, I cannot help but feel...calm and relaxed whenever he is around. There are many other lessons I’ve learned along the way, but I will report them to you in separate letters so that you may accurately categorize them. I’d like to thank you, Princess Celestia, for allowing him to visit Equestria and permitting me to travel to his world. As I've previously stated, I understand that there is a plethora of issues Ty and I need to address for a relationship of this caliber to function correctly, but as they say: When there's a will, there's a way.

Your Most Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

“Great!” Spike announced as he swiftly organized the parchments into scrolls and proceeded to engulf them in his telegram-sending flame.

“Thank you, Spike. You will be rewarded accordingly,” Twilight commended the dragon.

“One more thing...” I said.

“What’s up…?” As she asked, I gave her a small kiss on her lips.

“To a long, beautiful friendship…” She responded by returning the gesture before turning around.

“To a magical, loving friendship…” I said before we got comfortably snuggled together and drifted off to a blissful slumber.

The End. Next Chapter: Season 2 Chapter 13 - The Start of a New Beginning Estimated time remaining: 20 Minutes