I could remember the last time I was home. The last thing I was doing was hanging out with my fraternity brothers. I had finally crossed the burning sands of my induction and became a true member of Delta Phi. Fast-forward six weeks and I was sitting in the fraternity house with my new 'family'. While I was still the quiet one, the others seemed to flourish in whatever subject they talked on. Whether it was girls, porn stars, the teachers we had for certain classes, the most recent episode of Game of Thrones, who would beat who in a game of 2K, sports, or parties our fraternity could plan, they seemed to go on for ages.

But whenever I had attempted to start up a conversation about something of my personal interest, they seemed to look at me oddly. Even my fellow crabs, or crossing mates if you will, shook their head and moved the conversation from awkward silence to jubilant laughter. And to think that I had sacrificed the one friend that I had in order to get here. If I could, I would take it all back and give my time to the one person that I knew would talk with me, regardless of the subject.

If I could go back in time and tell Melanie how sorry I was, if I didn't let the guys convince me that she was hanging around me to be nice, I'd still have a friend to talk to. But instead, I had shoved her away, thinking that she was just around me to express her sympathy for my not having friends.

I was a complete idiot. I was a total dumbass and more than a full-blown jerk. She needed me as much as I needed her, and our friendship was enough to carry us through whatever. And now, I don't have any of that.

But that doesn't mean that I couldn't go back a changed man. I could easily run back and make amends. It's what I want to do, what I know I can do.

My eyes opened up to see a bright, blurry light blinding me. Instinctively, I raised my hand to cover the light source in front of my face. But as I placed my hand in front of my face, I could see a tube running down the length of my arm. I had questioned what had happened to land me in a hospital, but I then remembered that Princess Celestia sent me to slumberville. Placing my hand down, I could see a familiar face standing in front of me.

"Applejack?"

She seemed to have been a little worried, seeing that she didn't wear the hat she would normally wear on a daily basis. But that's just it. Why was she here in Canterlot?

"He's awake, y'all." The farm pony sounded as she turned back to a group of more familiar faces.

"Geez, you really need to learn how to chill, dude." Rainbow Dash said as she flew over to my side.

"Any more visits to the hospital and you'd have a pretty big bill to pay." Fluttershy stated as she looked at the heart-rate monitor.

"Thank goodness." Rarity said as she stood to my left beside Fluttershy. "I had to cut the trip short to make sure that you were okay. What have I been telling you about stressing yourself out?"

It all started to fall together as I saw more and more of the girls. I had mentally wandered back to my dream prior to my waking up. I remembered that in the dream, Luna had spoke briefly about my having something called a false aneurysm. Though that wasn't what actually happened, the spell that was cast against me was made to simulate the fact. I had also questioned her about why it had to be that way, but before I had gotten an answer, I had woken up in this hospital. And if I'm correct, aneurysms are caused by a number of issues, primarily stress.

I guess they wanted to give a legitimate excuse to send me back to Ponyville on such short notice.

"Sorry girls, I let myself get a little out of hand." I stated, yawning and stretching.

"You should be a lot more careful. We can't send you home if you're..." Pinkie trailed off as she started to hold her emotions at bay. When I had looked to the others, I had noticed the similar expressions of sadness that Pinkie wore.

"Heh, so you all know about it?"

"Yeah, now we do. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had informed us of what had happened and that, well..." Rainbow Dash grew silent as the mere thought of the portal's completion had brought sadness to her. But despite her evident melancholy, she tried to play it off. "So what can we do to make your day awesome?"

"I'll be fine girls."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, placing a hoof on my arm.

"Really. I am. Now let's go get the nurse so I can get out of this bed."

The girls looked amongst each other as they remained silent.

"What's wrong?" I started to see that they were reluctant in grabbing a nurse so that I could check out.

"We'll be sure to help you pack up all of your belongings. Sweetie Belle will be more than willing to assist you, as am I." Rarity said with a forlorn smile.

I saw that all of the mares present had shown their concern for not wanting me to leave so soon. I understood what they were going through. The portal wasn't scheduled to be ready until six weeks from now. Instead, it's already done a month ahead of schedule. I suppose it is a painful experience to say goodbye to someone so soon.

Especially knowing that you may never get a chance to see them again.

After a quick evaluation, it was noted that the condition I was registered under turned out to be nothing more than a false alarm. Even the medics shared the same sigh of relief as the girls. Though I already knew that I was not suffering from an aneurysm, everyone else did not. So when the news came that I was perfectly healthy with the occasional rise in blood pressure, those who were assigned to me were relieved.

I know that it sounds as if they shouldn't be too concerned over my health, but considering my species and how little knowledge that this medical center had on me, I was a major concern. Even with Twilight's insight, there would be little they could do if I was to become seriously injured.

But hey, what does that matter? It's not like Twilight was even here to begin with. She never even bothered to show up as soon as I was reported in. But I don't think it matters anymore since I'm going to be back in my world by sunset. I just wish that she had actually cared enough to come.

However, if she doesn't want to see me and write me out of her life, then I could understand her reason for doing so. I'm a temporary thing. She has that right and I've accepted that she's trying to move on.

After my release, I had spent most of my day wandering around parts of Ponyville. With each memorable spot I passed, I could see the ghostly image of the event that occurred.

The first place was the town park. As I passed by the fountain, I had saw the image of me trying my hardest to cover myself up as my clothes fell apart on me. Twilight, who was busy blushing, was trying her best to assure me that it was all going to be okay. And despite her efforts to comfort me, I was still trying to hide behind random trees and bushes.

The second place I passed by was the bench where Discord and I finished out long string of pranks. I had felt myself become nostalgic for the times we spent together. It was just after we both had gotten in trouble with our respective interests. It was also the first time that Discord and I saw eye-to-eye.

The third place I visited was the Hayburger. I was more relaxed to see that some of the chefs had not forgotten about my special orders. So as I ate a plateful of french fries, my eyes had wandered back towards the bathrooms. Chuckling to myself, I noted that I would never subjugate myself to such a humiliating experience... EVER AGAIN.

The fourth place I stopped by was the alleyway where I had gotten beat up. Thought it wasn't exactly a pleasant memory, I still saw myself standing up for what was right, despite my stupidity for not trying to run. I knew that I was a horrible fighter, yet I still recalled the one punch to the face I gave him. It was an epic ass-beating, but it was still a fight that I had won in the long-run.

Of course, the fifth location wasn't so kind to let me leave so soon after my arrival.

"Heya, Nondis! And how are you doing on this fine day?" Carrot asked as he came from the upstairs rooms, holding a few baby toys to take with him.

Walking into the room, I greeted him half-way with a hoof-fist bump. "I'm doing pretty well, thanks. And you?"

"Actually, I'm just here visiting. Pinkie's been taking care of the place for us today."

"I heard that you guys were closed today." I said as I pointed to the sign at the door.

"Yes, actually. We kinda had plans for later this evening. We've got a royal engagement."

And it just so happened that I'm leaving this afternoon. The princesses will be in attendance to wish me well as I set off. Coincidence, I don't think so. "Oh. Well I wish you the best."

"Non-non!" I heard a scream coming from the direction of the kitchen. Turning around, I could see Pinkie Pie covered in multiple colors of frosting. She smiled just as brightly as ever.

"Sup Pinks?"

After giggling and snorting, she tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow. "Wow! I never heard you call me that."

"You don't like it or something?"

"I didn't say that. But I do need a hand in the kitchen."

Well at least she didn't say hoof. "For?"

Shaking herself off like a dog, she splattered the frosting all over the room, causing me to duck for cover and Carrot Cake to sigh in sympathy of the now-dirty room. Silver lining, she wasn't covered in frosting anymore. "I'm cleaning up a large mess we made in preparation for the big engagement this afternoon. And as you can tell, I'm a complete mess myself." As I pointed to the walls around the room, she chuckled nervously. "Or should I say that I'm in a complete mess."

"You need some help?" I asked with a deadpan expression.

"Well, I was gonna ask Mr. Cake to do it, and Cheese is already at the place helping Mrs. Cake set up." The pink pony said as she timidly clopped her hooves together.

"And I was on my way there after I had gotten these toys to the twins and Princess Cadance. If you could help Pinkie, then I would greatly appreciate it."

Carrot seemed a bit bummed out that he had to ask me to do some work around the bakery on my last day. But in actuality, I didn't really care. The majority of my bags are still packed from my moving in with Rarity. As to why, well I wanted to make sure that I was well-prepared for if Sweetie Belle was to burn more than just the breakfast and the stove in the morning. That and the recent trip to Canterlot.

"Sure, no problem." I answered, going for the supply closet.

Carrot picked up the toys and made his way towards the front door. "Alrighty then! Pinkie, I'll see you later on."

"Okay!" Pinkie hollered out as Carrot closed the door behind him, leaving me and Pinkie to clean up.

"So what do I need to do?" I asked.

Pinkie took away the mop I grabbed out of the closet and started working on the mess she made. "Just clean off the counters and do the dishes. I'll take care of the stocking and the mopping."

I laughed at the idea of me having all of the easy work. Walking into the kitchen, I had soon found my laughter crammed back down in my throat as I saw a mess of pots and pans stacking up all over the kitchen. The counters were a mess of sugary frosting and batter and the cooking ware was riddled with flour, egg, milk and batter. I knew that this wasn't going to take me a short while.

After about twenty minutes of pot scrubbing, pan wiping, sink cleaning and counter-top sanitizing, Pinkie had entered into the kitchen to finish off the floor. Shortly after, we stood next to each other, slightly winded from the chores we completed. We took pride in our work and it's sparkling results.

"It feels like it's been ages since I've had to clean back here." I said while I leaned against the counter. "And if this is bad, then I can assume that the larger parties that you cater to are a lot worse."

Pinkie giggled as she nudged me a bit. "I know! Cheese has been a real help with all of the orders. And with his added business, we stay busy with parties."

"I could only imagine."

While I stood quietly, I took in the sight of the kitchen I once worked in. Pinkie's mind seemed to have gone wandering as well. It seems that both of our thoughts wandered on the changes to come. I wasn't gonna be around to help as often as she'd like, and she wasn't to happy about it. For a majority of the time, she stared at me as I looked elsewhere. Finally, she broke the long silence. "So... what are you going to do now that your time here is over?"

"Don't know. I've been through a lot of life-changing experiences. Learn a lot, taught a lot, stuff like that. I guess I'm gonna go back to college, finish for my degree, work until my back's broken." I joked as I laughed out loud. But it seemed that Pinkie didn't share my sense of humor.

"That's wasn't very funny." She said in a very serious tone.

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly, unaware of why the joke was in bad taste. "It's fine to me."

She jumped up on her hind legs, wrapping her hooves around me, hugging me tightly as she whispered in my ear. "You've been hurt a lot since you were here. Are you gonna be okay when you go back?"

"Well, yeah." I answered uneasily. "Of course I'm gonna be okay."

She still held me close to her as her eyes locked on to mine. I could see the seriousness on her face as easily as I could see how pink she was. "Don't you get hurt, under any circumstances. Do you understand me?"

"Pinkie." I droned, rolling my eyes.

"Promise me!" She shouted in my face, causing my ears to ring a bit.

"If I promise you, then will you calm down?" I shot back, still a little annoyed from her yelling at me.

"Well I'm waiting."

I couldn't believe she was going to make me do this. But she wasn't going to let me get walk out of here without promising her this one thing. I decided to go along with it so that I could carry on with my day. After all, I still had others to say goodbye to. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-" Lips?

My pledge was silenced by a pair of lips, sealing shut my own. My eyes expanded as I watched Pinkie press herself into me with closed, watery eyes. Her peck lasted for a few seconds before she slowly drew away, leaving me petrified in place. After her kiss, she looked shyly towards another direction. By the time I had snapped myself out of my statuesque state, thirty seconds had already ticked away. In silence, I broke away from the pink mare and started to walk out of the kitchen. But before I could even breach the doorway, I felt a strong tug against my shirt.

"Please don't." Pinkie muttered sadly as her hoof clenched the fabric of my shirt.

Pulling her hoof off of me gently, I backed away. "I think I should go."

"Wait!" She shouted as I walked out of the kitchen and into the lobby.

I opened the door, just a crack. "I'll see you later Pinkie."

Instantly, she ran forward and slammed the door back shut. Standing in front of me was a mare who had a look of bitter desperation in her eyes. I knew she wanted me to stay, and now she was willing to do whatever to keep me from leaving this place. "Please don't leave! You'll be much happier here. Just think of all of the friends you've made, the ponies who want you here. Nopony wants you to go so there wouldn't be any point of you leaving. We could have all the parties you want."

"I have to go." I answered softly.

A distraught smile formed on her face as she clenched onto my shirt with both forelegs. "Why are you leaving!? Is it because you don't like it here? Is it because of what Caramel did to you? Is it because of Twilight? Look, you don't have to keep stressing yourself over her when you could have m-"

I've had enough of this. "I just want to go home!" I answered harshly, seeing that there was no other way to get her attention. Obviously, her smile had wilted away. Even her mane had deflated and grew completely straight as she loosened her grip on my shirt.

"Nonnie... I thought you said that this was your home."

As she started to let the tears run down her face, I placed a hand to her cheek, wiping one off with my thumb. "I'm sorry."

Suddenly, her sadness gave way to bitterness. She pushed my hand away from her, walking far away from me. She stood on the other side of the room, staring at the floor as she trembled. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out." She quietly spat at me.

"Goodbye, Pinkamena."

After walking out of the front door, I took about four steps forward before I could hear destructive noises coming from inside of the bakery. It was a bad idea to walk in on her as she was throwing chairs across the room. I shook my head as I heard the mare break down through the front door.

"FINE! LEAVE EQUESTRIA! LEAVE US HERE! GO TO YOUR HOME AND BE HAPPY! I CAN... have my...parties... without..."

In mere seconds, I could hear a body collapse to the floor. When I decided that it was safe enough, I peaked through the front window to see Pinkie on the floor, crying as she called me out, begging me to not leave. Sadly enough, the only thing I could do was ignore her.

"I'm so sorry, Pinkie."

After my brief run-in with the party mare, I had taken myself to Sweet Apple Acres upon request of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. By the time I had left, I was wearing one of the capes that had their special crest sewn onto it. But rather than it looking like it was a simple patch-job, this one clearly had Rarity's touch. After a brief farewell ceremony, the four of us shared a hug before Sweetie and I started to make our way back to the boutique. When we had arrived back, Rarity had already started to set my bags besides the door.

"Sweetie Belle, do you mind going back over to Sweet Apple Acres? I need you to go pick up something from Applejack."

"Sure thing." She said, galloping out the door and down the street without question.

"Nondis, dear, I am so honored that you have felt it necessary to come and spend the past two weeks with us. Now I know that our time together hasn't been all of the best, but I will say that it was much more than... okay."

"You sure you didn't need me to go with Sweetie Belle?" I asked, concerned that she might need some help.

"Oh, no. You're quite alright. Besides, what she's grabbing wouldn't be heavy at all." Rarity said as she brought down another suitcase full of clothes.

"Oh really?" I questioned, cocking an eyebrow. "So what is she grabbing?"

Rarity snickered in response. "I'm sorry, but if I had told you, then it would ruin the surprise."

Groaning, I waived her off. "Boo! You suck!"

"Well, leave it to one who doesn't show appreciation for the art of being surprised." She answered back, playfully poking me with a hoof.

I looked at the bags that was brought to the front door. "I don't remember having this many clothes."

"Well, I had planned to showcase some of my designs to some of the Canterlot Elite. And I did plan for a certain somepony to model them, but due to current circumstances, I had to cut that short."

I had an idea on why she had to leave early. Of course, it had something to do with me. "Sorry about that."

"I really wanted to show you, and my latest designs for you off to the world. But I suppose you'll be doing just that when you get to your own world." Rarity said sadly, letting her ears fold a bit.

"Cheer up. I'm more than certain that you'll find more models who will wear your designs."

"But I really did want you to wear them."

"Yeah, I know. Bummer." I sighed, walking up to one of the suitcases, trying to see what all she had for me to wear.

"If you had the option to stay, would you?" She asked, causing me to stop and think for a while. I didn't think on if it was an option for me to stay. I had assumed that Celestia and Luna were tolerant of my being here until the portal was ready. And they seemed to be rushing me to leave with that stunt they pulled in Canterlot. But I had already made up my mind before that.

"I don't know." I said, being honest with myself. I would like to, but I know that it would be far too much to do when one has to start all over. In the near-seven months I've been here, I've just started to get the hang of Equestrian society, and even then, I wasn't completely aware of how this world worked. At least, when I get home, I could start back where I had left off.

"Even if somepony said that they'd share their home with you."

"I've been a burden as it is. I don't think I would want to put anyone through this hectic chaos that I've been going through."

As I opened the suitcase, I could see the vast majority of the clothes packed were items that I had never seen before, much less worn. I had pulled them out one-by-one. As I awed at my newest additions to my wardrobe, I couldn't help but to smile.

"I've started to become more interested in him... as the days went by. The way he speaks to others as if he didn't have a care in the world, his sense of humor, his laugh, his smile, his touch... Our every union seems to grow us even closer. I know that he sees me as something different from what I am, but we both know that our hearts, though different in their designs, is that we want to explore what it means to break the barriers of being of a different species. I know what I feel. And I pray to Celestia that he feels the same way."

I stopped everything that I was doing, looking back to Rarity. She had a bittersweet smile on her face as she saw the enjoyment I had when I took out all of her clothes. I just stood there, mouth agape as Rarity's confession, the journal entry from months prior, spilled forth from her mouth.

"Though I know he doesn't..."

I walked over to her, dropping everything I held in exchange of holding her. Her hooves wrapped around my neck and shoulders as she quietly sobbed.

"Oh, why do I always get emotional when it comes to these things?" She said in a laugh, trying her best to hold back her sadness.

"So it was you, huh?" I asked, still hugging her.

"Everything I did for you, I did it out of the goodness and charity of my heart. But every time you wear or look at my clothes, you smile. You genuinely appreciate what I give to you and you try your best to repay me. But when I turn you down, you always seem to find some other way of making it up. Never have I ever shared such a generous spirit with one so humble."

We separated from each other. I seemed to become a little worked up over her words, trying to suppress the waters that threatened to rim my eyelids. Fuck, I really didn't want to cry, but she's making it really hard not to. What am I to do here?

The bell over the door rang, signaling that we had a visitor coming in. We turned around to see Sweetie Belle standing in the doorway, wearing a black stetson and holding what appeared to be two more articles of clothing. I had walked over to inspect what she had brought, and much to my surprise, I didn't believe what I was looking at.

"These are my old clothes, the ones I had when I came here."

Rarity smiled as she stood beside me. "I thought that they needed a bit of a little more flare. That orange was an unpleasant thing to see, so I redid the shirt in black and silver. A bit simplistic, but it shines through."

She even got the school mascot right, down to the very last stitch. I could feel the texture of the cotton. It felt crisp and fresh, despite the barnyard smell. But really, I didn't mind because it fitted with the theme. Next up was the old jeans I had. Though they should be a size larger than what I am now, I could still wear them with comfort. Even the back pockets had the same emblem done on it. The black jeans was now rich in color rather than faded to a dark gray. As I flipped the pants over, I could feel something drop on my head.

"Applejack said that you would've liked the small addition. So we worked together to make you a hat that would go along with your outfit."

When I had turned back around to find a mirror across the room, I could see the black stetson on my head. I gave my reflection a nod and a tilt of my new hat. "Hook-em."

"Sweetie Belle, is there anything you want to say before we let him finish packing?" Rarity asked to her little sister.

The young filly stepped in front of me and opened her forelegs, inviting me for a hug. The redness in her eyes was an obvious sign of her sadness. I fell on my knees, meeting her halfway as we sank into each other. Though she sniffled, she whispered in my ears.

By the time I had recognized what she was whispering, I knew that my own tears would surely start flowing. I could feel the ache in my chest as Sweetie Belle attempted to sing to me. Her voice cracked and broke as she stammered through the words, trying her best not to break as she sang.

At last, she broke down and clenched her hooves around me, wailing into my chest. I couldn't stand it anymore. In a sweeping motion, I had grabbed Rarity and held both her and Sweetie as I clenched as hard as I could, letting out all of myself as they continued to cry in my arms. I hiccuped and stammered quietly as the three of us shared this moment in silence. I gave both sisters a light kiss on the forehead as we continued our silent embrace.

I know that my time was near an end, but I really didn't want this moment to stop for anything.

After our thirty minutes, Rarity and Sweetie Belle left me alone to take care of unfinished business. Meanwhile, I had already taken inventory of what all I was taking with me. So far, I had three suitcases of clothes, one of which and half of another included clothes I had never worn. Nodding my head, I checked off all the items off of my mental check list.

"Okay. I think that's just about everything. Time to get ready to head... What the-"

I don't know how or when this happened, but as I was counting off the things in my head, I suddenly found myself in a familiar location. I was in my room. But I wasn't in the room I stayed in when I was with Pinkie. I wasn't even in the guest room in the Carousel Boutique.

I was in the bedroom I used to stay in when I first got here.

"You didn't."

I could feel myself jump out of my skin as soon as I heard a voice from behind speak to me. I turned around slowly to see who was addressing me. And as soon as I saw the pony standing before me, I had realized just how long I haven't heard that voice in so long.

"Please tell me you didn't."

"Oh, so now you wanna speak?" I barked at her.

"Nondis, I need you to answer me. Did you or did you not speak with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" Twilight asked as she seemed worried of my doing so.

"Well-"

"Now listen." She interrupted me before I could say anything else. "What I'm going to say will not make any sense to you, but I want you to bear with it. Tell me, did you speak to them? And please, don't tell me the truth."

"No." I answered quickly.

"You didn't then?" She asked, seeming relieved that I had lied to her upfront.

I rubbed my eyes as I felt a small headache coming along. "Why does it matter Twilight?"

"You just don't get it, do you!?" She yelled at me harshly.

"No, I get it. What I don't get is how you can just shun me for months. And when I try to speak to you, you go wandering off, avoiding me." I shot back, starting to become a bit angry.

"I don't mean to-"

"That's fucking bullshit and you know it!" I lashed out, letting my anger get the best of me.

"Nondis, please listen to what I have-"

"Oh fuck no. I've been wanting to say what was on my heart to you for two damn months and you just now wanna talk?"

"Just give me a second to explain-"

"How you didn't wanna be associated with me anymore? How you don't think I'm worth it? It's too late now. Portal's done and I'm shipping my ass out!"

"That portal was done three weeks ago!" Twilight finally shouted, causing me to back off of her.

After my angry rant and Twilight's revelation, I decided to slow things down a bit. "Wait wait wait wait wait, hang on a sec... Shit was done... three weeks ago?" I slowly asked, trying to piece it together in my head.

Twilight walked over to the bed and sat down. "And Princess Celestia had given me instruction to notify you."

"So you do realize that this was information that would've been useful about two weeks ago... when we ran into each other at the train station." I said, placing a hand on my forehead.

"I could't risk it." She quietly mumbled.

"Risk what?"

"Losing you." She answered, elevating her tone.

"I'm so out of fucks to what."

"Listen to me. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had given me strict instructions to notify you of the portal's completion the next time we met. But they weren't made aware that I had sent you elsewhere. So when they came around unannounced just four days ago, I finally had to tell them that you weren't living here at the palace anymore."

Well that explains the part Princess Celestia and Princess Luna was going on about when they had said that she failed to notify me of. "So you banned me from castle grounds to prevent me from knowing that the portal was done?"

"Yes."

"And you blatantly ignored me in hopes of me not finding out?"

"Yes."

"So Shining didn't have a hand in on this?" I curiously questioned.

"No. But he's still angry. Even now, he's a bit worked up from his most recent patrol."

I can attest to that, being that he stormed out of Luna's office just yesterday after speaking with her. "So I've heard."

Twilight rose from the bed, pacing back and forth. "I can't believe this. I can't believe they told you. You weren't supposed to know."

I looked up to the ceiling, hoping that some fragment of sense would fall on me from that statement. "I wasn't supposed to know that I could go back home? That doesn't sound right to me."

"I didn't want you to leave now. I wanted you to stay until the portal was done."

"Then why didn't you want to tell me this three weeks ago?"

"Because it was too soon. The portal wasn't supposed to be completed until late next month. Not two months in advance."

I started to scratch out an annoying itch on my scalp as I spoke. "And don't you think that-"

"That's it! I've thought of everything to keep you here! You didn't even sign the citizenship papers that I had arranged for you!"

I do remember those being a thing. Unfortunately, that was the same day where I was nearly choked out by her older brother. "Why would that even matter?"

Summoning the scroll. she unfurled the document and showed it to me once more. "You're a protected species for the sake of your return. If you were to become a citizen, you could lift that status and become one of us instead."

Okay, so I'd be trading my protection for the sake of being legally beaten to shit at a whim. But the upside is that I could stick around for the remainder of my days. But that wasn't the primary issue that plagued my mind. "Okay, this still makes no sense."

"What doesn't make sense?"

"You want me to stay, yet you can't even say hello."

"I already told you this, I couldn't speak to you."

"Then write me a damn letter."

"I-"

"And before you even try to justify that two-word-apology-on-a-piece-of-paper as an excuse, let me tell you how it could work: IT DOESN'T!"

Twilight stopped pacing to face me head on, snatching the certificate from me. "Then what would you do? What would you do if you were in my position? I'm a princess who was assigned to build a portal to let go of something that she eventually couldn't find herself living without. For the past month and a half, every moment I've spent building that thing has brought me closer to saying goodbye to you. Every moment I've thought about you leaving me was agony. I can't even count the times I fell to the ground just screaming for you to not leave. I can't function if you're not there to pick me up when I'm down... I realize that now"

Finally, it was my turn to sit on top of the bed. Walking over and plopping myself down, I rested my head in the palms of my hands. "Don't you think it's a bit late to tell me all of this?"

"Don't you think it's a bit too early to leave?" Twilight rebutted, sounding frustrated.

"Where are my bags?" I asked, wanting to be dismissed from this conversation.

"You can't leave!"

I shouted back, walking towards the door. "I can leave when I want to!"

"You could still-"

I promptly turned around and eyed the document in her magical possession. "Oh right, give me that certificate."

"For what?"

Walking towards her with an extended arm, she yanked it back. "I'm just gonna look at it."

"No."

"Why not?"

"You're going to destroy it, aren't you?" She questioned, shifting the scroll behind her.

"What? No. I just want to read it."

"I won't let you." She stated in defiance.

"Why not?"

"Because you won't sign it."

"Why should I sign something that I don't even know the terms that it pertains to?" I asked, walking towards her as she stammered to come up with another excuse to stop me.

"I... I... Please..."

I tapped her horn, cutting off the magical circulation that permitted her to levitate the scroll. As it hit the ground, she turned back around to grab it, but stopped shy as my hand found it first. "Just let me see the damn paper."

As I looked at the terms, I could see that they were rather similar to that of my world. As long as I was a citizen, I was permitted the right to a public vote. I could enlist in the military, despite my desire not to. I was allowed to purchase property and own my own business. I had the right to pursue my happiness as long as it didn't infringe upon the happiness of others. Despite these seemingly fair terms, I knew that there had to be some fine print that I wasn't aware of in such a brief viewing.

"There, you saw it. Now give it back." Twilight demanded, as I started to fold the document.

I walked towards the window, still folding the document into distinctive shapes before it's final form had finally surfaced. With a simple flick of my wrist, I flung the piece of paper out of the window and watch the wind take it wherever fate so desired. "And away we go."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She screamed at me.

"Paper airplane. What else does it look like?"

Twilight's jaw fell to the floor. "That was your only means to stay here."

"Yeah. I know." I said calmly, shrugging my shoulders and walking back to the bed to sit down.

"How could you be so flippant?"

I had noticed that she was very on edge because of my most recent stunt. She was beyond upset that I had tossed the only means of my stay to the winds of the world, letting fate do what it would to it. I guess she would be a little tense. "Twilight, if I was destined to stick around, then something would happen to me within the next few hours, either to prevent me from leaving or to convince me into staying. I think that you should just take it easy."

"Take it easy? I can't. I refuse! How can I take it easy when the someone I find myself loving won't..." Twilight stopped herself cold after she had realized what she had unwittingly said to me. She started to turn away from me in embarrassment before I had rose off of the bed and prevented her from doing so.

I had dropped to my knees, holding her in place as I wanted her to say those words again. "Come again?"

"Nevermind. I'll just-"

"No, you said something. Now what did you say?"

She blushed a light shade of pink as we were mere inches away from each other. Initially, she avoided looking at me. "...How could I take it easy when the someone I find myself loving w-"

I knew that my body was going way faster than what my mind could react to. It was like something took over. My entire being was more or less possessed by something powerful. It had to have been something else, my mind was too lost in observing what was going on. My lips parted hers, my tongue sinking into her mouth and brushing against hers. Her eyes remained open from shock, while mine shut to take her in. I stumbled forward, causing her to fall to her haunches. Soon after, her back met with the floor as I dove in after her.

Twilight whimpered lightly as she tried to back away, yet I didn't allow her. As I pulled away from her, I could feel her hoof wrapping my head, roughly frisking me as she pulled me back towards her. A sloppy pillar of saliva remained between us as it fell against her lips. Her eyes seemed to have a brilliant shine in them as she panted. I offered to speak, yet I was only silenced by her quiet moans. Her back arched as she pulled me against her.

Eventually, our excitement had started to get the better of the both of us. I attempted to pull myself up, only to be yanked back into her eager lips again. My more primal instincts took over as I started to adjust myself, holding her body against mine as I slowly worked my hips against hers. In mere seconds, I could feel not only the tightening of my pants grow unbearable, but the moistening of the pants I wore. Finally, we broke apart long enough to speak.

"You know, I've been really wanting to do that to you for a while."

Twilight grew anxious, looking away from me as she brought a hoof to her muzzle. "Please don't do that again." She whined quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because it's too painful."

With a devious smirk, I anchored myself against the ground, placing my hands on either side of her. "Oh, so does this hurt?"

I pushed into her, letting myself slowly press into her. The wet stain on the crotch of my pants only dampened as I took my time to let her suffer the agonizing pain of her arousal. One of her hooves reached out to push against me, holding me back as I pulled off quickly and started the process all over again. Even Twilight had grown confused with herself.

"Yes- I mean no! Oh sweet Celestia, don't let it stop. NO! Stop, get off! "

Acknowledging her request, I rose off of her. Despite her magic trying to usher me back to my previous ministrations, I rose off of my knees and stood on my feet eyeing the purple mare as she tried to cover the soaked entrance with her tail. I chuckled at her, despite the pain of my erection being confined in my pants. "I guess that's payback for what you did to me."

"I hate you." She playfully spat at me.

"I know."

"Get out of my palace." She pouted as she rose back to her hooves, trying her best to keep her tail down.

"I'll be back later anyways."

Twilight finally looked at me with a smile for the first time in months. I felt the familiar warmth from her that I was so used to receiving. "I guess I'll see you then?"

"Maybe, that is if you feel like showing up."

Her ears folded at my words, reminding her of why I was coming back in the first place. "Honestly, I don't." She said as her smile disappeared and grew into a sad frown.

"So, I guess I won't be seeing you."

"No, I said that I don't feel like showing up. But that doesn't mean that I won't see you later."

I scoffed as she corrected me. "You're so annoying at times." I muttered, shaking my head.

"I know." Twilight whispered.

By the time my eyes and closed and opened, I found myself standing in the guestroom of the Carousel Boutique once again. Looking around, I saw the bags of clothes that were packed lined up at the door.

"When did I get back here?" I blinked several more times to see if I was hallucinating, but the obvious stain on my pants as well as my softening erection was a clear indication that I was far from delusional. I took in the comfort that I wasn't going crazy.

"Nondis! Everypony is waiting for you at the castle. You don't want to be late." I heard Rarity call from downstairs.

Realizing that wearing these pants would be a bad idea, I decided to change quickly into something else. "Party doesn't start till I walk in. Give me a minute."

As I pulled one of the suitcases to the side, I opened it and pulled out another pair of jeans. I took off the soiled pair and folded it neatly to replace the pair I took out. As I did, something had caught my eye. I looked to something flickering in the window. As I started to investigate what it was, I had noticed that it was a paper swan sitting outside of my window, stuck to one of the tree limbs brushing against the glass.

Weird. How did that even get here?

After a few minutes of changing clothes and looking back over the events that occurred in my time being here, I marched downstairs, struggling with the bags I carried. Rarity, however, insisted that I didn't carry the bags. Instead, Spike was to bring my bags to the castle while Rarity and Sweetie Belle took me for a last-minute re-tour around the town. When I walked out into the streets, I could see a few ponies waiving back at me. It didn't take any time for Sweetie to start developing tears of sadness. Rarity, on the other hand, was very resilient, that is until we ended our tour in front of the castle.

When we walked inside, I was greeted by a banner unfurling from midair and a rain of confetti. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash held the banner as the others cheered upon my arrival. Rarity tearfully hugged me as Applejack trotted over and gave me a playful hit to the top of the head. Though she was a bit heavy-hoofed, she meant well. Pinkie Pie wore her usual party smile, singing and prancing around the room. But deep down, I saw how sad she really was. She put up an impressive front, but after her earlier performance, I wasn't sold on her feeling that way.

Across the room, I could see all four princess standing next to each other. And it was obvious that they were standing in front of a large, white tarp. When the four broke from center, Celestia and Luna both used their magic to unveil a tall, square-shaped, unimpressive blue mirror. I looked to Twilight, who was trying her best to smile. When I had walked over to speak with the princesses, she stood in front of the mirror as if I was going to walk into it. As I walked towards her, she broke her smile and ran at me. Before I could react, she had tackled me down to the ground and sobbed as she hugged me.

Have I ever mentioned that those tackle-hugs really don't feel too great upon impact, especially with unicorn horns?

Celestia, Luna and Cadance shared laughs amongst each other as Luna stood in front of the mirror.

"This is not what it may seem. True, it looks to be a mirror if you stand in front of it, but there is much more to it if you so happen to touch it."

Twilight got off of me and magically pulled me back to my feet, ushering me towards the mirror. "Go on. Touch it."

When I waived at it, I could see my reflection move in junction with my body. Of course, that was not the main thing I was asked to do. I could always make silly faces in front of any mirror. Being cautious, I slowly poked my finger at the surface. When the flesh of my finger came into contact with the looking glass, it melted around my finger, rippling and glowing as it started to suck me in. In reaction, I pulled my hand away, startled of what it really was.

"What is that thing?" I asked, still a little spooked from the unusual experience.

"That is your way home." Celestia answered. "This is the portal to your world. And it will remain active so long as you stay here."

I stared back at myself in the now-restored surface of the mirror. "So if I go through it, what happens then?"

"We would deactivate the portal from here, sealing you back into your own world." Cadance stated.

"So no summertime visits, huh?"

"It's not because of you." Luna added. "It is for the safety of not only your world, but ours as well."

I have to admit, I was a little bummed out from knowing that I couldn't see them from time to time. After all, this world had become similar to my escape. Twilight saw that I had started to become uncomfortable and she walked over to see me. "These kinds of portals are best kept open for a short amount of time. At most, they could stay open for a few days before we would start to see catastrophic reactions occurring between the two connected worlds."

"So, I can't come back."

She looked away from me and towards the portal. "Sadly, no."

So if I leave, then I could never come back. I always had a hunch that something like that was going to happen, but at least I was holding some sort of hope for if that wasn't the case. I would plan to come back whenever I had a holiday or something. Thanksgiving and Christmas would be spent with my family. Spring and summer breaks, I would come back here. But now, even that possibility was shot down.

Or maybe not, but very unlikely.

I walked back to grab my bags, getting ready to toss them through. Much to everyone's disbelief, I had rolled the bags up, one by one. I could already feel my heartbeat gradually increasing from the anxiety of what I was going to do. When I had finally rolled all of the bags up, I closed my eyes and let my mind wander back to the first time I came here.

From day one, I was assured a comfort that I was unfamiliar to outside of my family. From the time I ran into a tree, to even now, where I stood before the portal that guaranteed my safe return to Austin, I had taken into account of the world I was leaving. This is far from the world I've come to know and tolerate. I say tolerate instead of love because not much was really interesting in my life across the glass. But since my coming here, it's been anything but uninteresting. I've wandered into a world of magical talking equines who live and breathe just as I do, have emotions as I do, smile, laugh, talk, cry, pout, rage, become scared as I do. Granted, there are some things in this world that are running along some dark parallels of my own. But I guess not all places are perfect.

Back then however, my social life was rather lacking. In truth, I am socially awkward. VERY socially awkward Hell, I'm still awkward as fuck even now. I couldn't hold a conversation for more than five minutes, I was never good at picking up girls and I was far from the most popular guy in college. But instead, I've stepped out of my room, started to learn how to speak with others. Even though I do stumble on a few subjects, I can start a conversation, sustain it and end it as well.

My life was pretty boring at first. Now I've can clearly say, with caution, that these past experiences were a horse of a different color. Some pun intended. But now was the time for me to get out of my comfort zone and face the trials ahead. It was time to go home.

But not before I said a few words first.

"Hey Obama!" I shouted at the mirror, gaining a peculiar response from the others.

"I gotta question for you. Why is it that when I get out of college, I'm gonna be swamped to hell with student loan payments? And then can you explain to me why it would take me up till when I'm fifty to pay them all off? Oh, and lets add the fucking economy into this conversation while we're at it. Unemployment is going down, yet I won't be able to find a job out of college, much less work to pay off my debts. On to the next subject, Delta Phi, fuck you! You promised me a lifetime of brotherhood if I had joined your stupid organization. Why is it that I haven't even gotten sixty seconds of that so-called brotherly love? Humanity, why is it that you can't stop fucking killing each other? Why is it that kids walking down the streets have a better chance of catching a bullet to the skull over finding a dollar on the ground? I mean seriously, fuck you."

I heard Rainbow Dash whisper from behind me. "What's he talking about?"

"But why am I sitting here, screaming like a drunken redneck from backwood Alabama? Right... I'm going home. I'm going back to all of the crazy shit and pre-World-War-Three garbage because it's what I know and love. I love being able to sit on my ass and eat junk food like I'm finding the lost city of Atlantis in the bitch. I love being able to download porn and trojan viruses on my computer. Why, because I can feel free to enjoy a good fap every now and then. I love being able to sit in my room and ignore the world outside while I stay hooked on my Xbox, shooting at twelve-year-old's from dark corners. I love the ignorant lifestyle I know. I love going online and discussing the newest anime on multiple forums. I love being misunderstood. I love that I can sit in my room and no one would even give a flying fuck on what I'm doing in there. I love that life."

Fluttershy whispered back to Rainbow Dash. "I'm assuming it must have something to do with his home."

"And Melanie... I'm sorry. I love how you were my friend and the closest thing to my first major relationship. I love everything about you, your hair, your smile, the way you laugh, the way you nitpick on what I would wear whenever you wanted to hang out, the episodes where you had a bad break-up and I was there to comfort you. And despite my best efforts to turn you towards me, you still chose someone else, and I forgave you for it. I loved every single second that I spent with you."

Applejack whispered behind me. "Who the hay is Melanie?"

"Beats me, dear." Rarity responded. "But it sounded as if he had a strong attraction towards her."

"He did." Pinkie Pie added.

"I love Austin, Texas. I was born there. I fell on my ass there. I had my childhood there, my first crush, followed by my first heartbreak. I had my first bully, and many more after. I had my first friend there. I was raised there and went to my favorite college."

I walked over to Twilight, giving her a hug. As she clutched onto me, I invited the others to join me. All five of the other mares joined up with Twilight, wrapping their hooves around whatever part of me they could reach. I tried my best to hold all of them, but my arms were just too short to accommodate all six mares. Standing back up and removing myself from the bundle of hugs, I clenched my jaw and felt the courage that drove me forward this entire time. I stood before the mirror, just inches away from it.

"I said that I was going home and I stand by that. Austin, Texas was the place I lived in. But that's not what I call home."

Immediately, the entire room became resonant with the sounds of gasps and whispers. Twilight ran up to me, shocked of what I had said.

"Nondis... what are you-"

And before she could even finish, I had pulled out the paper swan that sat outside of my window. As I unfolded it, I could see the ponies faces transform into brilliant smiles. Finally ridding the paper of all of it's creases, I showed it to Princess Twilight.

"And from now on, I'm an Equestrian citizen and desire to be treated as such."

Celestia and Luna stood speechless as Cadance became their voice. "But I though that you-"

"In case you haven't heard me the first time, I guess I could start off from the part about my student loan payments-"

Twilight placed a hoof on my lips, silencing me. "That won't be necessary."

As she took her hoof off of my lips, I started to continue on. "Or maybe I could start from the part about me finding Atlantis in a bag of potato chips?"

"Shut it!" Twilight commanded while I continued to ignore her.

"Or maybe I could go back to the part about my friend Melanie-"

I was silenced once and for all as Twilight planted her lips against mine. My words climbed up my throat and stopped short of the lips she plugged with her own. Our brief exchange left me silent for a short while. Meanwhile, she pulled up the certificate with the signatures of all of the princess, plus the recent addition of my own signature.

"Can we talk about how you've gotten this back?"

As I went on to explain about the piece of paper set between the window pane and the tree branch, Rainbow Dash went on to clarify that she had planted it there to intentionally show me the paper, thinking that I hadn't seen it before. Turns out that she wanted me to stay as well, but mainly for the sole reason of seeing me wear a dress again. Twilight jumped and flied around the room as if she was a young filly, screaming and shouting as Celestia officially registered me as a citizen.

After her royal decree, I had asked her on the reason of why she had to put me to sleep as opposed to simply telling me that the portal was done. Her answer: it was much quicker to get me to Ponyville based on a medical emergency than it was to resign me from Rarity's fashion shows, sending me back on a train, which was still delayed due to inspection from the recent cave-in, and sending me to the palace, which I was previously banned from setting foot in. Not only that, but it was a way where everyone else had the chance to spend some time with me, rather than me showing up and just leaving.

Seems legit, almost as if she had planned it all to fall together so masterfully.

But there was still the question that lingered. Why did I choose to stay? Well, I thought it would be best to start all over. True, I had a life back in my world, a family who still loves me, a home to go to and a college life that was... well... secluded. I still had to apologize to Melanie, but with the portal's completion, I could do that at any time. If I go missing for a while, I'm sure the U.S. Government wouldn't mind it too much, especially one in a population of three-hundred-sixteen million.

And besides, I really didn't want to slave my life away to pay off Sallie Mae.

Here, I could start my entire social experience from square one. Instead of going back to the comfortable life of a social recluse, I decided to brave the outside world and speak outside of internet forums and online gaming. I wanted to live in a world that wasn't so inclined to collapse in on itself. I wanted to have a peaceful existence without hearing about x-terrorist group killing y-citizens, or this-country invades that-country. I was always going to hear about the politicians doing something corrupt, but still, there's the integrity of the media here. And the housing market doesn't seem too shabby.

The pursuit of happiness was a little more difficult being that I was still going to be seen as something completely different from societal norms, but at the very least, I had a head start on knowing how to deal with it. I know where I can find a job, I have friends to talk to and a mare who likes me for who I am.

I guess that it wasn't so complicated after all...

...But I'd be lying if I said that it didn't even get more complex than before.

YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT THE STORY WAS GOING TO END HERE, DID YOU? NOW YOU'LL BE TRAPPED ON THE RIDE, FOREVER! MWAHAHAHA!!!

Ahem... Thanks for reading followers, but your ending is in another chapter. Feel free to stick around if you want to know what the title of this story really pertains to.