I slowly wake up to the sound of hooves clopping on the floor nearby. At first, my natural instincts are to roll over, try ignoring the sounds, and get back to sleep. Then, as the clopping continues to play through the house, I quickly regain control over my eyelids and mentally order them to open up.

The first thing I notice right away is most of the miscellaneous junk that was lying around on the floor. They're floating in the air, surrounded by that familiar pink aura.

Now, even though I'm familiar with unicorns and magic, now, my half-asleep mind still has yet to completely boot itself up... so even the slightest kinds of oddities would naturally make me react like a caveman discovering fire for the first time.

My eyes shoot open, I let out a loud gasp, and I jump up, only to roll onto the floor and bump my bandaged head on the carpet. The floating ceases, and everything falls onto the floor while I hear a feminine voice gasp. Then the hooves clop closer to me, and Twilight begins speaking in a concerned yet speedy tone.

"Oh my gosh! Justin, are you alright?!" she asks.

I lift myself onto my knees and tenderly rub the area around my wound before opening my eyes again. When I see Twilight standing there with a worried look on her face, my brain finally boots back up. I lightly chuckle and pet her mane before nodding my head and slowly standing back up. "Yeah, I'm fine... just still getting used to that, is all." I reply as I sit back down on the couch.

Twilight shifts her right hind leg behind her left one while her ears droop down and her eyes focus on the ground. "Sorry... I... kinda-sorta got carried away. I hope I didn't wake you up."

I shake my head and smile warmly at her before gently scratching the back of her ears. "Nah, it's fine. I needed to wake up at this time, anyways." Then I look at the stuff all over my floor and ask, "So, um... what exactly were you doing up, if you don't mind me asking?"

She looks up at me in slight confusion. "Hm?" Then her eyes open widely as the realization dawns at her. "Oh! Um... I hope you don't mind, but," she motions towards the stuff on the ground, "I couldn't help but notice that your floor is cluttered, and thought I could make myself useful and... maybe help tidy up the place?" She smiles again, and once more that heart-cripplingly adorable "squeak" fills my ears, and forces me to smile back at her even more and shake my head.

"No, please. Go right on ahead... as long as it makes you comfortable." I stand back up and begin walking towards the kitchen. "But please, don't overwork yourself. You don't have to do that, so I won't hold you to it." Then I grab another pair of cups, fill them both with water, and carry the cups towards the other side of the counter, where I've placed a couple wooden hand-me-down bar stools that nobody needed. (Due to the limited space in my home, along with the lack of motivation, I never really needed any chairs, so I improvised and dedicated the corner of the counter as the official "table-substitute".)

I place the cups on the counter and turn to Twilight, who's just now placing the last of the laundry in a black plastic basket. Then she turns to me and smiles, while the sweat on her forehead makes it evident to me that her "magic" must be tiring her out. I wave a hand dismissively and say, "Whoa, you're sweating!"

She lightly chuckles before shaking her head. "It's fine. Magic just has a way of draining one's energy... especially me, since I can barely remember much about it, aside from the fact that it can help me levitate stuff."

I hum, sit down, and rub my chin in thought while she, in turn, takes the seat next to me and levitates her cup of water. "So you're saying magic is like a physical exercise to you?" She nods her head and takes another sip. I sigh and place my elbows on the counter. "Now see, if I'd have known that, I wouldn't have let you clean up the living room like that. I don't want you to strain yourself, Twilight."

She giggles before nodding her head. "I know... and Mr. Anon was always complaining when I helped him with his cleanup duties... which is why I didn't ask you about it first." Then she rubs her right foreleg nervously and looks up at me with a sheepish smile. "Sorry if I worried you about that... trust me, though. If anything, the effects of my magic only tends to make me tired... but I haven't felt anything that could potentially be harmful to my body."

I shake my head and point at the sweat on her forehead. "As much as I want to believe that, your body sweating is proof that it feels strained, and is burning up." I shrug my shoulders. "Sometimes that could lead to you catching a fever... and if you get sick, I don't know if the medicine that I would take can help you, or if it would only make things worse. I'm too concerned for your safety to take that sort of risk."

She catches her cup of water with her hooves and stops the levitation spell. Then she eyes the water blankly. "I... didn't really think about sickness, to be honest... and yes, you're right. Overexerting myself with my magic did make me have a small low-grade fever about two weeks ago..." she smiles at me sheepishly again. "Sorry, Justin."

I smirk and gently pat her on the back. "It's fine, Twilight. Just try to take better care of yourself, okay?" I take another sip of my water before placing the cup on the counter and pointing at my chest with a confident smile adorning my facial features. "And besides that, didn't we agree I'd be treating you like a princess, and not the other way around?"

She giggles before looking away. "I know... it's just... something bothers me about the whole 'princess' thing. It's... different from what I normally feel."

I tilt my head and smile. "Wait... what you normally feel? Can you, um... explain to me how you normally feel?"

She rubs the lower end of her snout in thought before humming. "Hmm... well... I... I think I was... never really treated like a princess, before." Then she closes her eyes and rubs her head in slight pain. "Ugh... it hurts to think about it, to be honest."

I shake my head and gently rub her back again. "Don't strain yourself about it, Twilight... I'm sure your memory will come back eventually." I then smile and add, "Plus, at least we made progress!"

Her ears perk up at that statement. She turns to me with a wondering expression and asks, "Progress? What do you mean by that?"

I point at the sky in a declarative manner before replying, "We know you don't like being treated like a princess... now, we've just gotta figure out the whys and the how-comes." I shake my head and chuckle while she stares off into space. I finish off my drink and carry my cup towards the trash can, but turn around and find her still staring off like she's been frozen or something. "Um... Twilight? You okay?" Curiously, I turn towards the blinds over my window and pull the string down, illuminating the room with the sun's rays.

Her jaw begins to open and close on its own, which makes me feel nervous. I rush up to her and try getting her attention by rubbing her back again. "Twilight? Are you okay? What's going on?!"

She mutters, "P... princess..." She looks at me blankly before muttering, "I... I was the student... of a princess!"

My eyes widen, and a smile begins to slowly creep onto my lips. "You... you're sure about that?"

She nods her head and looks out the window. "N-no... I... I know I was!" Her eyes start to water and a weak smile forms on her lips. "I... I think I'm... s-starting to remember a little more!"

I lightly chuckle and rub her mane. "That's amazing news, Twilight!" I clap my hands together and rub my palms in a circular motion. "Wow... day one, and you're already starting to remember stuff! Maybe you were a fast learner, too?"

She doesn't respond. She's just staring off outside the window. I look from her to the window, and notice that she's staring off into the sun... which I know is dangerous. So I quickly rush up to the blinds and close them again, which quickly snaps her out of her trance, and makes her shake her head and look up at me. "H-huh?!"

I weakly smile and shake my head. "Sorry, Twilight... but you were staring at the sun a little too much... you could hurt your eyes doing that, y'know?"

She scratches the back of her mane nervously before giggling. "Sorry... when I zone out, the world around me tends to disappear."

I wave my hand dismissively at her. "Don't worry too much about it. Happens to all of us." I then hear a loud gurgling noise coming from her general area. She looks down and stares at her stomach confusedly, while I smirk. "Looks like you're hungry. What would you like to eat?"

She rubs her lips in thought before replying, "Um... do you have any flowers?"

I rub my chin in thought before sighing in disappointment. "Um... sorry, I don't think I do... but I can go get some soon, though!"

She shakes her head and looks up at me with another smile. "No, it's okay... but maybe just a lettuce sandwich?"

I check my refrigerator and smirk. "A lettuce sandwich, I can definitely make!" I pull the ball of lettuce out of the fridge and carry it over to the "preparations" corner of the counter. Then I gently peel the lettuce from the ball and evenly spread it across one of the slices of bread for her. "Hey, um... do you want any sauce added to it?"

Twilight nods her head and replies, "Um... do you have any Tomato Ketchup?"

I nod my head and pull the ketchup bottle from the door of the fridge. Then I add it to the sandwich, place it on a plate, and carry it up to her.

Twilight thanks me and starts eating, but looks my way and notices me pull a slice of bologna from the fridge. Then she sticks her tongue out in disgust before muttering, "Ugh... how you and Anon can even eat that stuff, I'll never know!"

I shrug my shoulders and smile at her. "Well, can't blame me for being an omnivore..." I playfully inch my sandwich closer to her. "Want some?"

She leans away from the sandwich and shakes her head. "Um... no, thanks." She smiles, though, making it clear she knows I'm just joking around. Then we both carry on with our breakfast.

After finishing up our sandwiches, I carry our plates and plastic cups over to the garbage and toss them out, while Twilight eyes the trash can curiously. "Why did you throw those away?"

I look at her and smile. "They're disposable plates and cups... they can't be washed, or they'll just get broken, anyways... well, except for the cups, maybe. But it makes washing dishes no longer a problem, so long as you don't run out of them."

She rubs her chin in thought. "That's actually quite a fascinating idea... I mean, it would clear up more time of the day for anypony, and could make them accomplish more things easier!"

I smirk at her anypony pun, but manage to keep the reaction from being noticed. Then I shrug my shoulders and ask, "Who knows, though? Maybe your world already has it, but just in another area?"

She rubs her head in thought before shrugging. "I... guess we'll just have to figure that one out later, huh?"

I nod and pat her on the back. "Yeah." I then rub my chin in thought before snapping my fingers together, as an idea pops into my head. "Hey! I have an idea!"

Twilight turns to me and raises an eyebrow. "You do?"

I nod again and ask, "How about we go see what Mr. Anon's doing? Maybe we should let him know that we're making progress on getting you back your memory!"

She gasps while a wide smile forms on her lips. "Oh my gosh! That's a great idea!" Then she rubs her chin in thought. "Um... but how can we get there without me being spotted, though?"

I rub my chin in thought before noticing a decent-condition clothes basket in the living room, and a bag of apples on the counter. "I think I have an idea."

I'm walking down the sidewalk of the large city area with the basket in my hands. I have Twilight hidden in a blanket and pillow from the bed, with the bag of apples inside. If anyone asks, I would simply tell them that I'm headed out for a picnic, and thought I'd bring some apples with me.

While nobody's looking, however, I let Twilight poke her head out to get a good view of the surrounding areas. She smiles widely at the size of the city, and even asks about some of the different places... which I answer quickly, yet effectively. Some places like bars and stuff, however, I just simply pretend I don't hear her from, which makes her grunt in frustration.

Finally, after about two hours of walking, we make it to the area that Twilight's familiar with... Anon's home. Now that the sun is out, I can actually get a good view of the place... and needless to say, tranquil would be an understatement!

It's a wide, two-story house with dark tan-painted wooden walls and a roof with black shingles. The front corner of the roof is triangular in shape, and unlike the tan lower walls, this one is actually painted white, with an orange hanging garden conveniently placed out of the roof's window. From the looks of it, some of the flowers' petals up there have a few barely visible bite marks on them.

I turn to Twilight, who smiles innocently while avoiding eye contact... which makes me smirk and gently pet her mane. She leans her head towards my fingers, clearly comforted by the motion.

"That feels strange... but good, nonetheless." she coos. I nod my head and continue carrying her towards the front entrance.

The front door is dark blue, and has a somewhat regal-looking pattern to it, with a flat, brass turning handle shaped similar to an eagle's wing on the middle-right side of it. In the top-center of the door, however, a brass lion's head sticks out, with a brass ring handing from its mouth... a knocker.

I gently lift the metal ring and tap it onto the metal pin on the door that rests behind it. Then I wait for a moment while Anon calls from the other side, "On my way! Just give me one moment, please!"

When he opens the door, he smiles widely at Twilight and I before stretching his arms out in a welcoming manner and saying, "Justin! Twilight! Welcome! Please, come in! Come in! I have some tea on the boil, just make yourselves at home!" As he says that, he steps to the side to allow us room to enter.

Twilight immediately hops out of the basket and trots inside while giving Anon a hug, which he returns. I, of course, step inside after wiping my shoes off at the welcome mat to avoid tracking dirt inside his house. Then I look to my right and see the two of them going through the dining area, which is directly at the right side of the entrance, separated by the yellow interior wall, with a light blue wall inside it. The walls are opened by a large white double-door frame, one at the entrance, and one that leads to the kitchen area.

I gently place my basket on the ground near the dark oak wooden square table and sit on the matching wooden chair with a red cushion. There are six of these chairs around the table altogether. Twilight takes a seat at my left, while Anon pours hot tea into a pair of coffee mugs with ice already inside them.

When he enters the dining room, he places his in front of his spot first, while holding both mine and Twilight's with the palm of his left hand with unexpected balance. She levitates hers in front of her with her magic, while levitating mine towards me, while I accept it halfway through the path. "Thank you... it smells really good, and the walk here did make me a little thirsty." I say with a smile and a friendly bow.

Anon chuckles before waving his hand dismissively. "No trouble at all, friend!" Then he takes his seat and lifts his cup of tea up to his lips. "So, what brings the two of you here, of all places?" He pauses for a moment and a wide grin forms on his face as he looks between Twilight and I. "And now that I mention it... last I checked, you both were looking a might uneasy! I take it things are going well?"

I nod my head and look at Twilight. "So far, so good! In fact, we've actually made progress on Twilight recovering her memories!"

Anon gasps and turns to Twilight with a shocked expression on his face. "Really, now?! Well, that's wonderful news!"

Twilight rubs her right forearm nervously while looking away. "Well, to be fair, it is just the memory that I'm a princess's student... and I can't even remember who that princess is!"

Anon shrugs his shoulders before replying, "Well, hey! You can't eat a whole meal in one bite, can ya? You've gotta savor every small portion of it to get the best results, after all."

Twilight and I both look at him with expressions that practically say "Whoa... that's deep!" He notices and chuckles.

"My wife used to tell me that when I was making little progress in practically anything." He smirks before turning towards the painting. "By the way, did I ever tell y'all about my wife, Natalie?"

Twilight and I both shake our heads and reply in unison, "No, sir."

He chuckles before motioning towards the painting again. "She was a kind-hearted young lady... always willing to help me whenever I was in a bind. We met in an old town when we were both just kids... but that town ain't around anymore, unfortunately." He turns to us and smiles. "You see, when we were growing older, we were always there for each other... and when other men were giving her trouble, I would always be there to stop them. She always called me her 'Anonymous Knight'... eventually, though, we decided to settle down, and start a family."

I rub my chin in thought. "So you both had kids, and settled down?"

He pauses for a moment then shakes his head. "No."

The cup of tea freezes in place within my hand as I stop lifting it merely inches away from my lips. "Wait... no? But you just said-"

"Our plans were to start a family, that is... but no matter how many times we tried... it turns out, she was... sterile. She wouldn't be able to give birth her entire life."

Twilight gasps and places her hooves over her lips. "W-what?! W-why?!"

Anon shrugs before replying, "Eh... it's just the way how it was. She wasn't able to give birth... but even still, it didn't matter." He smiles and shakes his head. "Might've not been able to have a child, but... to me, she was all the family I needed. And no matter what, we were happily married for fifty years... of course, that ended when she died of Breast Cancer."

I look at my tea and sigh. Instantly, I'm starting to feel like we're stepping into a "bad road down memory lane" at the moment.

Then, he smirks and turns towards us. "Now you see how miraculous Twilight here is, Justin?" I turn towards him, somewhat surprised at his quick change of subject. "You see how I had something wonderful like that, lost it, and mourned over it for twenty years? And how young Twilight here was able to change that me into this one in under a month?"

I smile and turn to Twilight before nodding my head. "Yeah... I can definitely tell she's a miracle worker."

Twilight blushes and giggles at the two of us. "Okay, then... I think we should change the subject, now... if that's okay?"

Anon chuckles before nodding his head. "I couldn't agree more!" He claps his hands together and raises his eyebrows, as an idea forms in his head. "Hey, you both wanna go hiking with me? I planned to go hiking tomorrow down an old jungle path, but haven't gotten prepared just yet! Might be a good way of celebrating y'alls progress with Twilight's memory!"

Twilight looks at me with an expectant smile. I smirk and shrug my shoulders while replying, "Didn't have any other plans for tomorrow, so sure, we'd love to, Mr. Anon!" I turn to Twilight while adding, "That is, if you're okay with it, Twilight?"

Twilight nods her head and smiles at Anon. "Gladly! What all should we bring?"

Anon hums before rubbing his chin in thought. "Well, I'd suggest y'all bring some walking sticks, maybe a few first-aid kits, should someone get hurt, and of course, some food and drinks for on the go... and I can supply y'all with everything else."

Twilight and I nod our heads in agreement. "Sounds like a plan, then!" I look at the grandfather clock at the corner near Anon's left shoulder and gasp when I realize it's four in the afternoon. "Whoa... well, it looks like we've got to get going now... it'll get dark by the time we get home at this rate, and we still have to pack."

Anon turns around and looks at the clock before humming. Then he stands back up while Twilight and I follow suit and head towards the door. "Hey wait, you two! Lemme go get my keys, and I can just give y'all a lift!"

I turn to him in disbelief. "You sure about that? I mean, don't you have to pack some things, also?"

He shakes his head and smiles. "Nah... if I've already planned it, I've already packed it!" Then he smirks before heading past the kitchen area, leaving both Twilight and I staring at him with smiles on our faces.

I turn to Twilight and smirk. "Well, looks like we're hitching a ride again... sure hope I can find a way to pay him back, though..."

Twilight shakes her head and giggles before turning to me. "I lived with him for a month, and already I can say, without a doubt, that he's a very generous person."

I nod and scratch the back of my neck. "I see that..."

"Okay, y'all ready, or would y'all like some more tea, perhaps? Maybe a small bite of lunch?" he asks from the living room.

Twilight and I shake our heads before replying, "No thank you, Mr. Anon. We're on our way." With that, the two of us follow the cheerful old man out of his home, and into his old red pickup truck. As I stare at it, though, I can't help but wonder whatever happened to his eighteen wheeler... perhaps it was a rental? I hope it didn't cost him too much to repair.

Regardless, we hop into the truck, with me being extra careful where I put my hands while buckling Twilight in. Then, we're on our way back home, discussing our plans for the hiking trip.

We say our good-byes and head back into the house, ready to start packing. I quickly go through my closet and pull out something I didn't think I'd ever use again... an old, gray, medium-sized backpack that I wore back in high school. I then proceed to fill it up with quick little snacks, while also placing a few bags of daisies that Mr. Anon picked from his own garden for Twilight.

Once that was done, I turned to Twilight, who was eying my computer that rested near my "Old Box" Television. "What's that thing?" she asks before pointing at my computer monitor.

I walk up to the computer and reply, "This? It's called a 'computer'. What it is, is kinda like a... library, only instead of books written on pages, it's all loaded up into a virtual cloud drive that's streamed to millions of people across the world."

She appears to nod off with a confused smile on her face. "You... don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"

She shakes her head and replies, "Sorry, but... no." She smiles again, summoning that random "squeak", and causing me to chuckle lightly.

"Alright, then. Here, lemme grab you a seat." I pull a stool up next to my desk and boot my computer up. She stares in fascinated awe as the screen comes to life.

During the rest of the daytime, I show her sites that could hopefully help her understand about jungles, and hiking in the jungle. Thankfully, Mr. Anon gave us a hint on what jungle we'll be going to while we were on our way back home. Using that as a reference, I print out a few documents that could potentially help us know what to watch out for.

When we reach the articles that describe the dangers of the jungle, I assure her that when I'm there, she won't even have to worry about them. Same with Mr. Anon, also. With that, she calms down rather quickly.

We both let out a yawn before chuckling to each other. Then Twilight turns towards the couch, but I clear my throat and point to the hallway with an amused grin.

She playfully pouts at me before stepping into the hallway and heading towards the room. Before she leaves my field of vision, though, she smiles at me and says, "Thanks for taking me to Mr. Anon's, Justin... I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who finds him to be a nice person."

I return her smile and nod my head. "Maybe a little strange at first sight, but... he's a cool guy. I'm glad to have met him... and you, especially."

She lightly blushes and giggles before turning to leave for the bedroom again. "True... but I guess that's what makes him special... well, good night, Justin... and thank you again for putting up with me!"

I plop onto the couch and wink at her. "Any time, Twilight... and good night to you, as well."

She trots through the hallway and gently rests on the bed. In mere minutes, I can hear her feint snores, though only because of how silent the house became.

I look up at the ceiling and chuckle at a sudden thought that came over me. Just two days ago, I was barely even able to crack a smile for more than a few seconds... and now, it seems like the tables have turned to where I can't even frown for more than a few seconds!

With those comforting thoughts dawning through my mind, I'm able to sleep peacefully once again, eager to start the next day with open arms.