I awoke early once again as I noticed the sun had only just begun to rise as the darkness in my room was only slightly less prominent. As I yawned and tried bringing myself to a seated position, I noticed Twilight was still soundly asleep on top of me. So as not to disturb her, I very carefully slid her off of my chest and onto the bed. She looked so peaceful in her resting position that I couldn’t help but rub a hand on her back and kiss her on the forehead (of course, making sure to avoid that horn of hers in case she was dreaming again). Once I was out of bed, I grabbed a new set of clothes (for the first time in days) and went to clean myself up. Throughout the entire process, I considered my late-night questions about Princess Celestia that arose before I’d gone to sleep. I also thought about ways to begin a conversation with the unicorn about her mentor and where I'd go with it. I wasn’t sure exactly how she’d react or respond to it, but I did know that I wanted— no, NEEDED to talk to her. When I came back, I found Twilight stirring from her slumber with a stretch and a yawn.

“Mmm, good morning, Ty…” she sleepily, yet happily greeted.

“Good morning, Twi…”

“What’s the gameplan for our last day together?” That question made me want to start the discussion right there, but I felt that I’d have to be patient.

“About that…” I began. “Get washed up first. Then I’ll fill you in, okay?”

“Sure,” she complied as she leapt off of the bed and trotted into the bathroom. In that time, I thought I’d surprise her with a batch of pancakes. So I hurried downstairs as swiftly as I could, gathered the ingredients I needed, and got started cooking. Eventually, I’d finished, making six large, hot, fluffy pancakes for each of us. I placed some maple syrup, butter, and orange juice on the round dining room table. Remembering that Twi was a vegetarian, I sliced a green apple into sections and lined them up around her plate in lieu of any meat product. Afterwards, I hurried and set up some appropriate silverware and glasses neatly next to both of our plates.

“Ty? Are you down there?” I heard the mare call.

“Yea. Come down an’ eat!” I called back. She trotted down the stairs and into the kitchen looking like new. Her face lit up as she took in the strong, fresh aroma of the meal she was soon to eat. She saw me sitting down in the kitchen waiting for her and smiled with glee.

“Pancakes? For me?”

“Of course! This might not count as bakin’, but I figured I’d make somethin’ special for a special friend,” I brightly stated as I winked at her.

“Aw thanks, Ty! You really are sweet. Ooh, apples too?” she asked as she took her seat near me. “You went all out for this, huh?”

“Ah, this ain’t take too long. But that don’t mean I ain’t put a good deal of effort into it t’ make it good for ya. Le’ss dig in!” the unicorn nodded in agreement as we began to eat our breakfast. It was quite a sight to see watching her telekinetically lift the orange juice and pour some into the glass while at the same time manipulating the butter knife to cut a slice of butter onto her pancakes as she simultaneously poured some syrup on them. Nonetheless, there was an important matter to discuss and I would not allow any distractions to steer me away from it. “So Twi… how ya feelin’ about this bein’ our last day together?”

“I… I don’t know how to feel about it, frankly. I mean, I’m glad we’re able to do this, but at the same time, I still feel… like I’m disobeying Princess Celestia in a way… But I don’t want to say goodbye to you forever…” she solemnly replied as she magically sliced the pancake into cubes and levitated the fork into one of the pieces, then into her mouth. “Mmm, theshe are derichus!” she commended with a mouthful of pancake.

“Thank you. But like I said before, she never told you t’ go back as soon as you brought me back. Technically, you ain’t disobey anything. And I HATE the idea of saying goodbye t’ you, too… but while we’re on the topic of Princess Celestia… what do you think of her choices?”

“Honestly, I don’t think they’re very fair. I don’t understand why she would do something like permanently disable you from coming back to Equestria when you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Same here… I been thinkin’, though… what exactly do you think that scenario had t' do with us?”

“I’m not sure… I was too upset to figure out a reason myself. You talked to her. What reason did she give you?”

“Jus’ that she was afraid o’ what might happen if she allowed knowledge o’ your spell t’ be released… but I got t’ thinkin’ last night after you went t’ sleep an’ wondered what she was so afraid of… I feel like such an idiot right now because I didn’t call her out on it when I had the chance…”

“Well why didn’t you ask her to explain it further?” Twilight asked with concern.

“I… I let my fear for your safety and the fact that she’s the Goddess of the Sun get in the way o’ my judgment..." I admitted, feeling ashamed of myself.

"I see..." she pensively murmured as she fixated her eyes on me.

"Y-yea... I allowed her status t’ overpower my thought process… I doubted that I was gonna win an argument against a goddess/princess, so I choked and allowed myself to lose… I’m sorry.”

“Understandable… But like I told you, I can handle myself just fine. You don’t have to worry about me so much. If anything, I should worry about you. You’re more prone to accident than I am!” she remarked, to my comfort and amusement.

"Hm... when ya think about it, tha'ss prolly at least PARTIALLY true..."

“Maybe..." she smilingly concurred. "Ty, I’m going to tell you something that I don’t even want you BREATHING to anypony else…” that statement intrigued me.

“What is it?”

“Pinkie Promise me that you won’t tell anyone…”

“Aw come on, Tw—!” I froze as I looked at her. She wore a look of absolute seriousness. “Fine…” I agreed, rolling my eyes. “Cross my heart and hope t’ fly, stick a cupcake in my eye— OW! Dammit!” I accidentally wound up poking myself in the eye.

“Hm… close enough.” She giggled. “I remember the first time I made a Pinkie Promise… I did the same thing… Anyway, Princess Celestia may be the Princess of Equestria, AND she may have lived MUCH longer than anypony in our entire world, but… she doesn’t know everything.”

“Really??” I asked in shock, still rubbing my now-irritated eye. “I thought she was supposed t’ know everything since she’s a deity… Like how she knew my real name an’ called me by it as I left t’ go find you…”

“Did she now? That's interesting…" Twilight pondered, my last statement seeming to have fed her thoughts.

"Any idea on how she'd know my real name without me tellin' her?"

"Hmm... I'd say it was most likely a mind-reading spell. She probably cast it while she was using the magic-scan spell to figure out that you weren’t actually a pony..."

"Mind-readin'?? She can do that? And why WOULD she do that?" I asked, feeling a little violated by the possibility that Princess Celestia invaded my thoughts.

"Just to mess with you, I suppose...”

“Uh-huh...?" I skeptically stated, as I didn't take Celestia to be the joking type.

"I'm not saying it's the correct assumption to make, but... it is very likely. How else could she know your real name?"

"True dat..."

"Still, this should be proof enough to you that she doesn't know everything. And though I neglected to correct you on it until now... believe it or not, Celestia is NOT a goddess," the unicorn informed, much to my shock.

"Really?? I'd have never guessed..." I muttered, scratching my head.

“Yes… she’s the most powerful pony in our world by far and she’s one of only three alicorns currently in existence there. Despite that, she’s also mortal just like us. It’s just that she ages much more slowly than a normal pony would. Long story short, her position of power was decided when she was born. She never told me very much about her past, but she did at least allow me to learn that much about her. She’s lived for well over one thousand years and has overseen generation after generation of pony-kind, which allowed her knowledge and wisdom to expand exponentially over the years… much more than anypony, myself included, could ever hope to gain in a lifetime. However, she’s still learning new things just like everypony else. Seeing as she’s co-ruler of Equestria alongside her sister Luna AND she’s responsible for raising the sun every day, which ties up her schedule to no conceivable end, why do you think she has me studying the magic of friendship instead of doing it herself?” Twilight’s brief overview of the Princess opened my eyes wide.

"...So... is it safe t' say she’s more of a demigoddess than an actual deity, all things considered?”

"Correct," Twilight confirmed.

“I… I see… now I feel more idiotic than ever…”

“Don’t. You respected her views and her status over yours.”

“Yes, but… she seemed real shaken up by that situation she dealt with in those eastern countries… I still don’t get why she felt that it related so strongly t' us…”

“I’m… not quite so sure myself, either…” the unicorn concurred as she finished the last of her pancakes.

“Y’know, the more I thought about my li’l talk with Celestia last night… the more I kept feelin’ like she coulda been hidin’ somethin’… It annoys me greatly that I didn’t dig into her when I had the chance… now I’ll never be able to… an’ worse… I won’t be able t’ see you anymore because o’ my cowardice…”

“Ty… don’t feel so bad about it. You didn’t know what to expect of Princess Celestia then… and you were more concerned about my safety and the potential dangers to Equestria the princess mentioned than about… your feelings…”

“…and that’s why I feel like such a friggin’ fool. I didn’t take into account how you woulda felt if you’d-a stayed in the room t’ give your opinion. The Princess an’ I played a game o’ Poker an’ I MIGHT'VE had the winnin’ hand… but I folded under pressure like a foolish coward...” Twilight only managed to sigh at my guilt as we went silent for a little bit.

“…Tell ya what; What if we go back to Princess Celestia and see if we can find a reason for her decision?" Hearing that suggestion surprised me.

"W-what?? Really?"

"Of course! We might be able to get her to change her mind about it. Although she wouldn’t be too happy about me disobeying an order of hers, I personally feel we have a legitimate case to argue. That sound good?”

“That sounds amazing!" I almost readily agreed before coming to a sudden realization. "But… I think I’m gonna hafta stay here…”

“What?? Why??” the unicorn asked in utter disbelief.

“Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean I don’t wanna go back. I jus’ gotta deal with some issues I’m sure have arisen because o’ my two days o’ goin’ AWOL. As much as I HATE to say it… you’ll have to go talk t’ her without me. Even though I REALLY wanna go back an’ correct my own mistake of agreein’ with her actions… at this time, I can’t. I’m sure I got LOTSA ‘splainin’ t’ do t’ some people here… That an’ I’m pretty sure if I went with you, that would only screw up our chances of persuadin’ her, seein’ as, like you said, she’d likely be angry about you bringin’ me back after she specifically told you not to.”

“Hmm... You’re absolutely right… I understand. Don’t worry, Ty! I won’t let you down!” the mare assured, a new resolve seemingly implementing itself within her.

“Thanks, Twi… But are you sure you can change her mind or get any more info outta her than I did?”

“I’m her most faithful student, Tyshawn. I KNOW I can. She knows she can trust me. And besides… I’d hate to have to study that new butterfly feeling without my only suitable test subject…” she cleverly added as she batted her eyes at me. I smirked in amusement.

“My my, aren’t we cheeky?” I sarcastically asked. “But… ain’t you weirded out at all that I’m a different species than you?”

“At first, yes... but to be honest, I had a lot of time to think about that… Ever since I started to… um... like you… after we got away from those other humans.”

“Wow… you had those feelin’s for that long?” I asked in astonishment.

“Y-yes… When you told me you cared too much about me to let anything bad happen to me while I was here, even though we’d only known each other for a day. That made me feel so… so…”

“Special?” I guessed for her.

“Yeah. I don't know what it was, but... it made me want to stick around for a bit longer... to get to know you better as you taught me more about this world. I initially thought the feeling would just blow over as soon the next day came along, but spending more time with you made it increasingly hard to fight it... especially when you kissed me goodnight the day we traveled around Ponyville..."

"Oh... right... I wasn't sure what came over me. I... jus' figured it'd be a nice thing t' do after I told you I wasn't catchin' feelin's for ya... but then, that kiss kinda was a way t' let you know..."

"I figured. Thank you, by the way. Other than that, you grew on me. You've proven to be sweet, compassionate, and really charming in a way... You also seem to be pretty intelligent, given how much you've taught me..."

"Wow... I-I don't know what t' say..." I nervously stammered as my body increased in heat.

"In addition, I feel like you'd be able to understand me, given our juxtaposing backgrounds... I also admired your unique way of standing up for me when Rainbow Dash got mad at you, but took some of her frustration out on me… As dangerous a tactic as it may have been to allow her to hit you for stress relief, there's definitely a sign of nobility in it... Then there's how you were able to get along with all of my best friends, as well as my brother and my sister-in-law so easily."

"Heh, I guess that jus' proves our worlds ain't too different in terms o' how t' interact with others..."

"Very true... And as silly as it may sound... regarding that rumor about us being together, I actually DID allow myself a bit of time to think about what it would be like to... to... date somepony... I just wasn't sure as to why it was you who'd been coming up as a potential partner every time I mentally conjured up a scenario..." she blushingly admitted.

"...I... can't say you're alone there," I admitted back, eliciting a chuckle out of her.

"Going to Canterlot made me realize that I like you. That chat we had about special someponies, I'd like to think sealed it for me. I still didn’t know what to do about it, so I asked Cadence for advice. If it wasn't for the issue with Princess Celestia, I likely would've tried keeping it secret until I felt I was ready. Long story short, I feel… comfortable around you, to put it bluntly. I also like your sense of humor. You're quite a character..."

"Thanks."

"Mm-hmm. Even though you’re human, I still find myself attracted to you for some reason. I guess it’s kind of like Spike with Rarity, now that I think of it…” she blushed. “How embarrassing… All the times I’ve told him that he should get over his crush on Rarity and find a special dragon for himself… now look where I am…” I laughed.

“Ha! How ironic. But hey, he didn't seem t' mind when you kissed me the first time... well, not that much anyway. Heh, then again, you didn't exactly get to chat with him about it. Other than that, maybe there’s a chance for him.”

“Maybe, depending on how Rarity feels about interspecies relationships. I mean, for all she or anyone in my world other than Spike or Celestia knows, you’re a pony.”

“Yea, true… As for me, well… nobody even knows about you bein’ here, except those three weirdos... Good thing they don't know where I live... but still, I guarantee that we’d be looked down upon unless you transformed yourself into a human like how you made me a pony.”

“That’s true, too… Our worlds aren’t so different in that aspect. Mind if I ask you when you started to like me…?” she innocently suggested.

“Well, I’d hafta say when we was talkin’ t’ Fluttershy an’ you shared your story. I couldn’t believe a girl as cute an’ smart as you are coulda been so lonely… Even with all the love an’ affection you got from Armor, Cadence, an’ even Celestia an’ Spike when you was little… you still wound up puttin’ your studies on magic as the top priority…"

"I wasn't necessarily 'lonely...'" she countered. "I just preferred to be alone. It's virtually no different from what you told me about your preference for being alone."

"I know, but still... even with the friends you made since you got sent t’ Ponyville, you still seemed… like you wanted someone to be more than a friend, but not quite a family member of any sort… Someone especially close."

"Oh? And how, pray tell, did you figure that?"

"Hmph. Between how readily you allowed me t' sleep with you, the way you react when I rub you down, an' all the little telltale signs you'd sent me throughout our time together..."

"...No way, I couldn't have been giving off THAT strong a vibe..."

"Well to be fair, I wouldn't have noticed it myself were it not for Spike. He said you'd been actin' a bit funny around me when I talked to him..."

"Of course..." she blushed. "Leave it to Spike to give away my feelings before I do..."

"Don't sweat it. He only knew because I admitted t' him that I liked you, too... Or more, he tricked me int' admittin' it..."

"Tricked you? Heh, it goes to show you that Spike can prove to be smarter than he looks."

"Yea, I know... But other than that, I admire your resolve... Your undyin' determination to please your teacher, as well as your strive t' better yourself for the sake of everyone. But I also felt bad that you were lettin’ it get in the way o’ your social life."

"Can't argue with that... Sometimes, I feel like I STILL allow my studies to cloud my aptitude for free time..."

"It's alright, really. You do what you love, an' you enjoy doin' it. No reason t' be ashamed of it. It actually makes me admire you more for it. But generally, I really enjoyed your company, Twilight... You're quite the entertainer. You know how t' keep things interestin'. Oh, and admittedly, I thought you were really pretty the day we met... I really did mean it when I said you were beautiful the other day..."

"You... you really WEREN'T joking?" she asked in surprise. "You... honestly think I'm... b-beautiful?"

"Indeed. What interests me most about you is your personality... You're incredibly intelligent, you're open-minded, you're modest... Not t' mention you've taught me quite a bit about both you AND myself, considerin' the conversations we had..."

"I... I've learned quite a bit myself..." she concurred. "I have you to thank for teaching me as well..."

"Couldn't agree more... An' given what I've heard about you from your friends, you're a great pony t' be around... An' I know they're tellin' the truth because the last few days I spent with you have been absolutely wonderful, Twilight. You’re an awesome mare an' spendin’ time with you not only in Equestria as a pony, but here on Earth brought me t' be more attracted t’ you than I realized despite us bein' totally different in body…”

She didn’t say anything back; just simply stared at me with an endearing grin on her face. I cracked a smile back at her, to which she responded by practically leaping off of her chair and onto my lap to plant a huge sloppy, syrupy kiss on me. As messy as it was, I didn’t pull away from it. I actually enjoyed her untidy embrace.

“Hey, you mind warnin’ me before you decide t’ put your syrupy lips on me?” I teased.

“Heh heh, sorry…” she shyly apologized, still sitting on my lap and wiping the syrup off of her mouth with a magically-lifted napkin.

“You’re jus’ lucky I like you that much,” I said as I leaned in to give her a peck on the lips after she cleaned herself. “But before we get distracted, there’s still the issue of how t’ deal with Princess Celestia.”

“Oh, right! Okay, so what do we have in terms of her reasons?”

“She used that one scenario as a reason t’ ban us without givin’ a very good explanation for why other than ‘for the safety of Equestria,’ which was kind of a substitute for ‘I’m afraid of what to expect of the inhabitants of an alternate universe.’ She basically banned me for fear o' me leakin' any secret information out or havin' you get discovered usin' the spell. She banned your use of the intergalactic teleportation spell once you went back because o'f a bunch o' stuff havin' to do with hypothetical instances of people--or ponies-- causin' trouble with the spell. I'm actually surprised she didn't wipe my memory right there... then again, I prolly would've freaked out from my sudden lack of knowledge of where I was or who I'd been captured by... or why I was suddenly a horse. That wouldn't-a been pretty at all...”

“You got that right... Okay…” Twilight simply answered as she went silent in thought. “Alright, I have a few counterarguments right off the bat against your banishment and my discontinued use of the spell. However, I think I’ll have to investigate her motives in relation to this incident and why it plays such a huge factor in her choices. We know the crisis in the East caused her apprehension, but I’m sure that, if there are any, the real reasons for her fears will come out if I dig into the details of the situation. From there, I think I’ll be able to persuade her. Alright, I think I’m ready…” she said with an air of determination as she hopped off of my lap and onto the floor.

“You sure you got everything you need?” I asked as I gathered up the dishes and the breakfast supplies.

“I’m almost certain. But… I’ve never challenged Princess Celestia’s authority like this before… I… I don’t know if I’ll be able to follow through with it by myself. I wish you could come with me.”

“So do I… but I have my obligations here, and I need to get them settled before I take another trip to Equestria… that is, IF I’m able t’ take another trip to Equestria…”

“You WILL be able to come to Equestria again. You can count on me!”

“Thanks, Twi… I actually can’t believe you’re doin' this for me… I hope you succeed where I failed. I know you’ll have a better chance than I did, seein’ as you know her better than I do.”

“I’m doing it for both of us. I’m usually behind Princess Celestia’s decisions 100%, but this is one I feel like I HAVE to contest. It’s unfortunate that you couldn’t do it when you were there, but that’s okay; it’s probably better for us if she heard it from me, anyway. I refuse to disappoint you, Ty,” she replied as her horn lit up.

“Leavin’ now?” I asked in surprise.

“Yeah… I don’t want to, but… I feel like it’d be better to carry this out while the thoughts are still fresh in my mind. I’d love to stay and hang out with you, but—!”

“I understand. Before you go, though... Would you like a kiss for good luck?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Actually… I’d love that right now…” she said, her horn’s glow dying down. I smiled as I set the dishes in the sink nearby and set the supplies on the counter before I knelt down. Twilight stood up on her hind legs, wrapped her fore legs around me, and pressed her lips to mine. Surprisingly, it didn't feel so unusual... After a few seconds, each of us reluctantly pulled away as her horn began to light up once more.

“Good luck, Twilight,” I saw her off with a wave.

“Goodbye… for now, Ty.” With that, she vanished with a *POOF*. Already, I felt a welling emptiness growing in me, as this was the first time in what felt like forever that I was without her. But I knew she wouldn’t be gone for too long… I hoped.

“Godspeed, Twilight Sparkle… Godspeed…”