A Scroll In The Mail

The sunlight broke through the blinds in Tristan's bedroom window, almost instantly illuminating his otherwise dark room. Being a light sleeper, the light alone was enough to awake the twenty-two year-old. He cracked one eye open to check the time on his alarm clock. It was only 6:45, fifteen minutes before the alarm was supposed to sound. Tristan let out a sigh of defeat and reluctantly sat up in his bed, knocking off the bag of potato chips that was on his legs.

The chips scattered along the floor, which was also occupied by soda cans, dirty laundry, and dishes that never exactly made it back to the sink. Studying the wasteland that was his bedroom, he made a mental note to take care of the mess whenever he found the free time to.

Tristan swung his legs off the bed and onto the floor, an audible crunch indicating that his feet had found last night's snack. Groaning, he stands and tip-toes his way across the floor, hoping to not make more of a mess. Tristan scraped off the chip crumbs from his feet before crossing the hall and entering the bathroom for his morning shower.

Showers always seemed to put Tristan in a decent mood. Maybe it was the symbolization of washing off all of yesterday's stress and, of course, getting a fresh and clean feeling. His shaggy, black hair no longer greasy and his body refreshed, Tristan stepped out of the shower and donned a semi-clean towel. He then proceeded to go through his typical morning routine: brushing teeth, combing hair, shaving, re-combing hair, then picking the outfit for the day. He had the day off today, which, being a Monday, was extremely rare, so he pulled out his absolute best pair of jeans and a black v-neck shirt. After confirming his appearance in the mirror, he trudged down the hallway into the kitchen for some coffee and cereal.

Once breakfast was over with, and the dishes mindfully rinsed off and left in the sink, Tristan stood and made his way to the door. He opened the door to his dismal neighborhood. Potholes plagued the street and the convenience store across the street was sporting a "Foreclosed" sign. After he had gotten his fresh air for the day, Tristan checked the small mailbox that hung next to his door.

"What do we got here..." he mumbled to himself. He then proceeded to, one by one, remove the mailbox's contents. "Coupons, junk, electric bill..." he sighed. But then he felt something in the very bottom of the box that instantly caught his attention. It felt like it was rolled up, with a wax splotch directly in the center. He carefully extracted it to find that it was a scroll of some sort, and the wax splotch bore some sort of royal insignia.

Tristan was completely taken aback by this scroll. The parchment was slightly worn and it had a texture to it that he had never himself felt before. It had captured his undivided attention as well as his curiosity, taking all the importance away from the rest of his mail. He glanced around his slummy neighborhood to try and find it's deliverer, but the streets were quiet as they normally were. Tristan took a step back inside his home, shutting the door quickly, and threw the rest of the mail on his couch. He spent a good few minutes just staring at the scroll. He carefully removed the wax seal and began to unroll it.

As he opened the scroll, he began to notice the fine calligraphy of the words. It looked like it was done with an actual quill and ink, as opposed to just a normal pen or pencil. Once the entirety of the scroll was revealed, he checked the very top of the parchment for a possible sender's address. It read, "From the Desk of Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia".

"Princess Celestia?" he asked aloud, as if waiting for the scroll to answer him. He began to read.

Dear Tristan Shay of Earth,

My name Princess Celestia, high ruler of Equestria. I believe I must ask of you a favor of the utmost importance. I am sending my most faithful student, along with her assistant and her five most trusted companions to your world as a learning experience. I ask that you take care of my subjects for the thirty days that they will be spending there. I have all the confidence in the universe that you will accomplish this task. I would like to thank you in advance for your help in this matter.

With many thanks,
Princess Celestia

Tristan stood, confused, trying to process what he just read. Is this for real? he thought. What was she talking about when she said his world? Who is this Princess Celestia, anyway? Who are these people that are coming to his house? Should he start cleaning?

His mind finally broke away from the countless questions that ran through his mind and took a look at his situation: He was reading a scroll, supposedly written by some princess, saying that there were going to be seven people that would cross the dimensional barrier to stay in his home for an entire month.

Someone had to be messing with him. He cursed at his gullibility and just stared at the scroll, re-reading it to see if it was as ridiculous as he previously thought. And, of course, it did. Tristan immediately returned to reality and gave the paper the once over before deciding to get rid of it.

Tristan went to crumple up the paper when there was a flashing light just outside his house, followed by a window-rattling shock wave. Tristan was floored immediately and couldn't get up. Not from injuries, but from the mere shock of it all. He sat up the best he could and watched his door in horror, waiting to see what was behind it.

Suddenly, after about a minute, a few soft knocks were made from the other side of the door.

Introductions

Tristan's heart seemed to have leaped from his chest. The disorienting flash, combined with the forceful shock wave, had him feeling less than great. The soft knocking continued from the other side of the door. Tristan stood, his legs shaking violently, but he still managed to make his way to the door. There seemed to be idle chatter coming from the other side, He pressed his ear to the door to gain a better listen.

Who could possibly stand to live in such a run-down area? It's simply uncouth!

Ah don't believe the Princess ever said it'd be a palace, there Rarity.

I hope he likes cupcakes! I baked a whole lot of cupcakes just for this occasion! Oh, my goodness, I'm just so excited! A brand new world, who would have thought it existed? And...

It looks pretty boring, to me. I just hope he's cool and not a total rule nut.

I just hope he's nice...

Ugh! Will he just open up already? He must have gotten the letter by now!

Calm down, Spike. I'm sure he's just taking his time. Maybe I should knock again.

Tristan's eyes widened as the talked, and then felt another small knock at the door.His heart racing, he undid the locks and slowly opened up the door. What he saw shocked him to the core. They weren't little girls, which his hearing had led him to believe. They were... ponies. Not just regular ponies, but multicolored ponies. He noticed that two of them had wings and two of them had horns, like they were pegasi and unicorns, while the other two just looked like normal ponies. Accompanying them was a small lizard looking thing with purple and green scales that seemed to walk on his back two legs, like a human. It almost looked like a baby dragon.

Ponies? Pegasi? Unicorns? Dragons?

This couldn't be real.

Tristan just stood there, dumbstruck and practically paralyzed from what stood before him. There's no way he's imagining this. He went to speak, but it appeared that the purple unicorn, who was at the front of the group, started to talk before he could even exhale.

"Hello, Mr. Tristan. My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student to Princess Celestia, and I would just like to--"

Tristan couldn't catch the rest. His hearing faded, his legs completely gave up on him, and he fainted. As his unconscious body began to fall, Twilight quickly stepped forward. Her horn and Tristan's body began to glow a magenta color, and Tristan began to levitate. Twilight let out a sigh of relief, then called back to the others.

"Come on, everypony. Let's get him back inside." she said, slightly out of breath from holding Tristan up. The other ponies and the baby dragon quickly hurried inside, shutting the door behind them and redoing all the locks.

As Tristan came to, the first sense that returned was his hearing. There was more chatter from the voices that he heard earlier. He was only able to catch bits and pieces, but he quickly started regaining his other senses. He could feel his couch beneath his body, and he could feel the warmth of a blanket that had been draped over top of him. His nose caught whiffs of light dirt, perfume, apples, and... cupcakes? Finally, he regained full consciousness to see seven faces staring down at him in curiosity. Tristan then did what he believed to be the only sensible thing a man in his position could do: scream.

He immediately sat up, scooting backwards as far as his couch would let him. "W-who... better y-yet... WHAT are you?"

Twilight, who was slightly scared herself, took a step forward and swallowed. "M-My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student to Princess Celestia and sole librarian of Ponyville. It is my great pleasure to meet you." She tried to smile the best she can, hoping to appeal to Tristan's better nature.

Tristan, shakily extended a hand. "L-Likewise." Twilight extended her hoof, happy that the human had finally calmed down.

Tristan was slightly shocked again when his hand touched Twilight's hoof, causing him to flinch. Twilight flinched also, withdrawing her hoof.

"Sorry," Tristan said softly. "I wasn't actually expecting physical contact." Twilight chuckled at this, almost as if he was joking.

"How do you think you got in here once you fainted?" She replied, a bit of a smirk on her face. She motioned towards her horn that parted her primarily purple hair. Tristan slowly cocked his head sideways. He began to put two and two together.

"You used..." For some reason, the next word wasn't coming out easily, despite all that he had just seen. "...magic?" he stammered. As ridiculous as he thought it seemed, the purple unicorn nodded.

"Precisely." Twilight beamed, giving a look of pride. Then, as if she forgot something, she started laughing nervously. "Oh, where are my manners? I didn't introduce you to everyone else." She motioned towards the baby dragon. This here is Spike, my number one assistant."

Tristan looked over at Spike, who was slowly making his way over. "Sup." the dragon said excitedly. Spike thrust out his claw for a handshake, and Tristan returned, feeling Spike's cold scales as opposed to warm fur and flesh like he was accustomed to.

Twilight nodded over to the orange pony. She went to make another introduction, but was immediately cut off.

"No need, Twi. Ah can introduce mahself." the mare said, using a thick southern accent that Tristan had only heard in movies. She trotted over, smiling, and tipped her Stetson. "Mah name's Applejack." she announced. "Ah help run things at my home farm of Sweet Apple Acres. Pleased ta meetcha!" She grabbed Tristan's hand by both hooves and shook rigorously, her hat nearly falling off and revealing her golden mane. Tristan swore for a second he was going to get whiplash. The pony finally let go and backed away.

The blue pegasus took this opportunity to fly up to Tristan, hovering so that their eyes were level with each other's. "I'm Rainbow Dash!" she proudly shouted. "The fastest flyer in all Equestria!" She gave a salute-like gesture and a wink, then landed on the floor just below where she was flying. Tristan caught himself staring at Rainbow's mane, which he assumed was her namesake. A white unicorn with a well-styled purple mane shoved her out of the way.

"Rainbow, the way you handle delicate matters as these is simply unprofessional." she declared. The spoke with a faux-English accent, hinting at a more high-end lifestyle. Rainbow Dash blew a raspberry at the unicorn and stomped away. The unicorn then turned her attention to Tristan.

"Oh, darling, do forgive her. She can be quite reckless." she said. "My name is Rarity. I am the owner of the Carousel Boutique, the pinnacle of fashion in our small town of Ponyville. It's a pleasure to meet you at last." She smiled, giving her mane a movie star flip. He noticed the baby dragon had been captivated by Rarity's mane flip, and gave out a small chuckle.

"Something funny?" Rarity asked, confused.

"Oh, no. It's nothing" Tristan lied, wearing a sheepish smile.

"I'm really glad you laughed! I thought for a second you were going to end up being a Meenie McGrumperPants!"

Tristan looked to the spot on the couch next to him where the high-pitched voice came from. Sure enough, a pink pony stood beside him, smiling from ear to ear. Her mane was poofy and smelled oddly of cotton candy.

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! But my friends call me Pinkie. But everyone's my friend, so since you're part of everyone and everyone's my friend, that means you're my friend! YAY!" Pinkie began bouncing up and down on the couch cushion adjacent to the one Tristan occupied. He started to get a mild headache, but his attention was turned away from it with the smell of cupcakes that he discovered a little bit ago.

Pinkie Pie set down a tray of eight cupcakes next to him on the couch, then beamed back up at him. "I made these for you as thanks for letting us stay with you!" she cheered. Tristan looked carefully at the tray, then back at Pinkie, who seemed to be waiting for a taste test. Tristan picked one up and inspected it. How bad could it be? Slowly, he took a bite. The euphoria that filled his taste buds easily was the greatest pleasure he had ever experienced while eating something.

"This is the best cupcake I've ever had!" Tristan said, stricken with awe. He seemingly inhaled the rest of the cupcake, grinning as he did. Pinkie Pie bounced with approval.

"Wait." Twilight interrupted. "Where's Fluttershy?"

Tristan looked around the living room where they had all been sitting. Twilight was right. One of the ponies was missing. He glanced towards then end of the couch and noticed a small tuft of pink emerging from the other side of the arm rest. He pointed Twilight in her direction.

"Fluttershy," Twilight began. "You can come out. Everything is okay."

The pink bit of mane moved, revealing a much larger, heart-shaped mane with a yellow pegasus attached to it. She quietly made her way over, making very little eye contact. Tristan tried to appear as friendly as possible, hoping to not scare her away again. "Hello" he said softly, trying to smile. She warmed up a little and finally spoke.

"Hello. I-I'm Fluttershy. Nice to meet you." she said, almost in a whisper. She let a small smile spread across her face.

Now that the formal introductions were out of the way, Twilight took this opportunity to ask some questions of her own. "What do you do for a living, Mr. Shay?" she inquired.

Tristan smiled. "You can call me Tristan, if you'd like." he corrected. "To answer your question, I work at a factory that builds cabinets and other furniture."

Rainbow Dash made herself part of the conversation. "So your cutie mark has something to do with building stuff, right?" she asked.

Tristan looked slightly confused. "Cutie mark?" he echoed.

Rainbow Dash showed him her flank, which bore a thundercloud sporting a multicolored lightning bolt. "That's a cutie mark. You get them when you realize your unique talent. I got mine for being so awesomely fast" she boasted, doing a quick, mid-air lap around the room.

Tristan looked at all the other ponies cutie marks. "I'm going to guess: Twilight's talent is... magic?" He looked at Twilight, who gave a nod of approval.

"Very observant!" the unicorn praised.

"Applejack, your's is... apple harvesting?" The farmhand smiled and nodded. Tristan got a lot of enjoyment from this little guessing game. "Pinkie, yours is balloons. I'm going to say you throw great parties. Rarity's is diamonds.... maybe for your career in fashion?" he questioned.

Rarity blushed a tad, which slightly annoyed Spike. "Well, yes, but I can also use my horn for detecting where hidden gems are located. I must say, my business wouldn't flourish like it does without it." she said, looking up at her horn, which she made glow a faint blue.

Tristan looked over at Fluttershy, seeing a trio of pink butterflies. Bug catcher? No, that couldn't be it. He shrugged in defeat. "I'm stumped."

Fluttershy giggled quietly, then spoke again, only this time she was a little louder and more confident. "I take care of animals. Big and small. I just love knowing that I'm able to do good for them."

Tristan's heart seemed to swell a little. "That's very admirable." he replied, smiling. Fluttershy smiled in return.

Twilight hopped up on the other side of Tristan. "I just have so many more questions for you. The economy, your government system, the human anatomy..." Tristan blushed as she mentioned the last one.

Applejack cut her off. "Woah-ho, there. We don't need to be doing any anatomy explorin'."

Twilight tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean?"

It was around this time that rumbling of many stomachs were made, Spike's seeming to be the loudest. Applejack smiled nervously. "Heh, seems like we're all a mite hungry after our trip."

Tristan nodded in agreement. "I'll see what we've got." he said. He went to get up, but was pushed back down by Twilight's magic.

"Don't worry about it! We are all extremely greatful for this once in a lifetime learning experience you've been able to give us! Please allow us to cook for you!" She offered, smiling. Can ponies cook? He thought to himself. They probably could, but he didn't want to take chances. He stood to object, but was nearly knocked over by the stampede of ponies. There was mixed, excited chatter as the others planned their dinner.

Tristan felt a slight tug on the bottom of his shirt. He looked down to see Fluttershy, still standing in the living room with him. "Um. Could I possibly, uh, you know, set the table?" she asked carefully.

Tristan fell back down to the couch in defeat. "Sure" he said, feeling slightly uneasy. Fluttershy grinned and skipped into the kitchen with her friends.

Getting To Know Each Other Over Dinner

Tristan looked at himself in his bathroom mirror. He was still having trouble accepting the fact that there were mythical creatures running rampant in his kitchen preparing a dinner. The only problem was that he couldn't convince himself he was dreaming or hallucinating. He felt the ponies' hair and the baby dragon's cold, sleek scales. But he had to be sure. He tugged at the skin on his face, checked for bloodshot eyes, and even jerked a hair off his head as a pain test.

As expected, it hurt. He stared back at his reflection, rubbing his scalp where the small strand of hair once was. "It's just a few weeks. It's just a few weeks." he repeated. "Then everything will go back to normal."

His little pep talk was derailed by the sound of light giggling. His head turned immediately to the direction of the bathroom door, where a very amused Pinkie Pie stood. "You look silly when you talk to the mirror! It won't talk back, you know! It just copies you!" she joked, her curly mane swaying in time with her laughter. "Oh! Dinner's ready, by the way!" Pinkie stood on her hind two legs and assumed the pose of a fancy waiter, holding an imaginary towel with one hoof and showing Tristan the way to his own kitchen with the other. "Right zis way, monsieur" she directed, using her best French accent. She managed to keep a giggle to herself as she bounced back down the hallway, Tristan sluggishly in tow.

He reached the kitchen and was amazed yet again for what seemed to be the millionth time today. The table that Fluttershy had set was impeccable. Eight clean plates lined the outside of the table, each with it's own set if glistening silverware, a couple napkins, and a glass of ice water. At the center of the table was a massive salad bowl filled with vegetables he completely forgot he had, and what seemed to be the grass and flowers that could have once grew around them. A modest half-loaf of bread completed the kitchen scene. Tristan took his lone chair, the ponies stood and rested their front hooves on the table, while Spike found a footstool and used it so he could reach the table as well.

Fluttershy flew around the table, giving generous amounts of the earthy salad to her friends and Tristan. Tristan jabbed at his serving with the fork a few times, sifting through the carrots, apples, tomatoes, and of course, grass. "How did you guys make this?" he inquired.

Applejack removed her hat, as to not be rude, and took a bite from her plate, not once considering the silverware that lay before her. She chewed for a bit, swallowed, and then turned her attention to Tristan. "Well, yer food supply was running a mite scarce, so while you were in the lil' boys room, Rainbow and ah went outside and collected some grass as substitute fer--"

Tristan immediately cut her off. "You went outside?!" he panicked. Everyone else stopped eating as a result of his outburst. "You can't go outside! It's too dangerous!"

Applejack wore an expression of insult. "How's that? I can handle mahself quite well, thank ya very much."

Tristan shook his head and collected himself. He tried to speak as calmly as possible, to avoid further confrontation with the feisty farmer. "It's different here. Most of my kind are afraid of what they don't understand."

"You mean like you were earlier?" Rainbow Dash interrupted, reminding Tristan of his slight episode with fainting. She gave a sly smirk, which Tristan met with a not-so-nice stare.

"Yeah... Anyway, the point is, you can't go outside where everyone else can see you." Tristan finished. Everyone had already continued eating, most of them half done. Tristan twirled his fork around in the green heap and pulled a large fork load within biting range. The scent of the grass made him a little uneasy, but he didn't want to turn down a meal that they worked so hard on. He mustered up all the courage his stomach had and ate. He cringed at the bitter taste of the grass, but found that the rest of the ensemble cancelled it out. He put a thumbs up sign, accompanied with a semi-forced smile. Rainbow Dash and Applejack hoof-bumped in celebration. There was much chatter at the table as the meal continued. Tristan was filled in on everything he needed to know about Equestria, Princesses Celestia and Luna, and about how they have used the Elements of Harmony, which each of the ponies seemed to represent a certain element, to vanquish evil on more than one occasion.

It wasn't long before the topic of family was brought up. Applejack told of her strong, older brother, Big Macintosh, her younger sister, Applebloom, her grandmother, Granny Smith, and her never ending list of relatives that lived all over Equestria. Rarity spoke of her younger sister, Sweetie Belle, and Twilight Sparkle of her parents and older brother who just recently married another Princess from Canterlot.

Then the topic shifted his direction. "What about you?" asked Twilight Sparkle, finishing the last of her meal. "What about your family?"

Tristan looked down at his nearly clean plate. He was silent for a second, but eventually began to answer Twilight's question.

"My mother passed away a few years ago. My father took my younger siblings and left the state a few nights later while I was asleep. He figured I was old enough to take care of myself, seeing as how I was the only one with a job at the time. I woke up the next morning to find a note on the table and enough money to rent out this house for the first month. I haven't seen any of them since."

His voice was quiet, like Fluttershy's, but with a tinge of pain as opposed to Fluttershy's natural shyness. The ponies instantly sobered up. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie hung their heads in empathy. Applejack sniffled, and Fluttershy almost broke out into tears. There was a silence about the kitchen as everyone searched for the words to say to console him. Twilight finally broke the silence.

"I... I'm so sorry... I had no idea." she said softly, a tear beginning to form in her eye.

Tristan stood, pushing his empty plate towards the center. "It's fine," he lied. "You didn't know. You were just asking a question." He picked up his plate and utensils and carried them to the sink. He let them drop with a loud crash and slowly walked out onto his back porch. Taking a seat on the top steps, he lit a cigarette and stared at the ground, trying to put all the images of his mother out of his head.

It seemed like this entire day has passed rather quickly for him. As he started his first cigarette, he noticed how clear the night sky was. The half moon shone just enough for him to see the treeline that stood a few hundred feet away behind his home. The stars were dimly lit and if he concentrated, he could hear the sounds of insects and the scurrying of woodland creatures across the forest floor.

A few minutes passed like this until he heard the door open. It was Twilight Sparkle. She slowly walked over to where he was sitting, still feeling guilty about what she asked earlier. "Is it okay if I join you?" she asked carefully. She had already invaded his personal privacy, she didn't plan on invading his physical privacy as well. Much to her surprise, he scooted over enough for him and her to share the top step.

Twilight smiled faintly and proceeded to lay next to where he sat. The sat in silence for a brief moment, Tristan taking long drags from his cigarette. He felt it was his turn to break the silence this time.

"Look... I'm sorry about how I reacted. It's still kind of painful to talk about sometimes." he explained. "But don't feel bad for asking. You didn't know any better, so don't worry about it, okay?" He forced a smile in hopes of cheering up the purple unicorn. Seeing that it had worked, changing Twilight's previously gloomy expression into a half-smile, he took another drag from his cigarette. Twilight squinted at the burning stick. Her curiosity got the better of her yet again.

"What is that?" she asked, motioning towards his cancer stick. Tristan looked at it, then back to Twilight.

"It's a cigarette. It's a thin piece of paper that's rolled around tobacco and other things." he answered.

"Does it do anything special?" Twilight pressed.

"Not really. If anything, it just hurts my health." he returned. He let out a small chuckle of irony. Here he was, taking pleasure in the same thing that killed his mother just a few short years ago.

"It hurts your health?! Why do you do it then?!" Twilight barked. Tristan just shrugged his shoulders. Twilight wasn't very pleased with that answer. Just as Tristan was about to take another drag, Twilight used her magic to remove the cigarette from his grasp, and incinerated the entire thing just a few feet away from him.

Tristan shot a look of anger at Twilight. "What'd you do that for?!" he interrogated.

Twilight snorted. "Because it's senseless to hurt yourself! You shouldn't partake in something that isn't good for you! Especially for no good reason!" she shot back.

Tristan was about to deliver the final argument when a sleepy Spike opened the door. Yawning, he approached the two. "Where are we all gonna sleep?" he asked, groggy and in a daze. The thought never crossed Tristan's mind. He immediately sprang up and headed back inside. Spike looked at Twilight, who was flustered from a mix of anger and sadness. "You okay, Twi?"

Twilight snapped out of it and returned Spike's question with a smile. "Of course. Everything is just fine. Let's get you inside and into bed, shall we?" She stood and nudged Spike back inside with everyone else, using her horn to shut and lock the back door behind her.

Tristan, remembering that his couch doubled as a pull-out bed, had fixed the bed and retrieved enough pillows and blankets for them all to share. He was surprised at how well five little ponies could fit onto a tiny bed like that, but he wasn't going to argue. Twilight had opted for the recliner so she could do some late night studying, and Spike, who's original plan was to sneak in next to Rarity, was forced by Twilight to use the dog bed Tristan still kept around from when he had a dog. Spike used a bathroom towel as his blanket and almost immediately was asleep after his head touched the cushion of the dog bed.

"Is everyone okay?" Tristan asked, making sure his guests weren't too cramped or uncomfortable. They all nodded and fixed themselves to where they were comfortable. Tristan looked at the clock that hung above his television and rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, well, I have to be at work early tomorrow morning, so keep the chatter down if you insist on staying up."

Pinkie Pie let out a cheerful "Oki-Doki-Loki!", which was harshly met by hushes from the others. Pinkie grinned sheepishly.

"Okay, well, good night." Tristan called as he walked back to his room and changed for bed. Swapping his jeans for gym shorts and his black v-neck for a tank top, he climbed into bed and reached to turn off the light. As darkness flooded his room, so his thoughts went blank and he drifted off to sleep, both physically and mentally exhausted.

Twilight's New Spell

When it was confirmed that Tristan had fallen asleep, the ponies excitedly hopped off the pull-out couch and formed a tight circle on the floor next to it. They were careful to not let their talking and giggles wake the human, or the sleepy dragon that also lay sleeping just halfway across the room. The midnight moon cast just enough light for the ponies to be able tell each other apart.

Pinkie Pie was the first to speak, which didn't surprise anyone. "Isn't this great, you guys?! I'm so excited! Are you guys excited? I know I am! I can't wait to see all the bakeries and throw a bunch of parties and--" Twilight put a hoof over her mouth, cutting her off.

"Pinkie! You gotta be more quiet!" Twilight whispered. "You're gonna wake up Tristan!" She slowly withdrew her hoof, revealing an embarrassed grin from Pinkie.

"Heh... sorry..." she giggled.

"No harm done, sugarcube." Applejack whispered. "Ah'd say we're all mighty excited."

"I simply couldn't agree more!" Rarity chimed in. "I'd say the fashion here is simply to die for! Oh, this could be great for business, you know!" Rarity kicked her hooves in the air.

"I want to see all the animals. Do you think there are even more creatures here than there were back home?" said Fluttershy. "I want to see them all. I mean, you know, if that's okay with you guys..." she trailed off, letting her mane cover half of her face.

Rainbow Dash folded her front legs, bemused. "We won't get to do any of that as long as we're cooped up in here!" she hissed. "He'll never let us go outside. This is going to be the most boring month of my life."

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the pegasus. "He's only trying to protect us. We need to trust him." she defended. "If he says that we need to stay inside to avoid a multi-dimensional incident, then we should probably believe him. There's just no telling what could happen."

Pinkie Pie, using a much quieter voice, returned to the conversation. "Maybe we could go in disguise!" she beamed. "You know make ourselves look like humans!"

Rainbow Dash sighed and placed a hoof to her forehead. "Seriously, Pinkie? That's probably your worst idea ever."

Twilight's eyes grew and a smile creeped across her face. "No, Dash, that's probably her most brilliant idea ever!" she announced, her joy almost breaking her own "low-volume" rule.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "An' how do ya figure that, Twi?" he asked suspiciously. Twilight simply rubbed her hooves together, smiling.

"I'll have to do some reading, but I'm almost certain I can figure something out. For now, though, lets get some sleep." Twilight insisted. The ponies all retired back to the pull-out couch, exchanging more excited chatter. They said their good nights as one by one, they fell asleep.

The alarm clock screamed as read out "7:00" in flashing red lights. Tristan groaned and slapped around the nightstand where the annoyance sat, missing multiple times before finally hitting his target. He rolled over onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. He really didn't want to go to work that day, especially if it meant leaving 6 ponies and a dragon alone in his house for the eight hours he was gone. Sadly, he needed the money, so he had no choice. He swung his legs off the bed, only to once again for his feet to come in contact with the potato chips he spilled yesterday. I really have to clean that up, he thought to himself.

After showering and getting dressed, Tristan paced down the hallway to find that the ponies were already awake and had returned their bed to normal couch form. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were arguing over who could beat who in certain athletic trials while Pinkie Pie was telling jokes to Spike and Fluttershy. Rarity was using her magic to tend to her unruly mane and Twilight was in the recliner, speeding through a book and taking notes with her magic. Tristan cocked his head to the side to attempt reading the title, but could only read the word "Transfiguration", which made him shudder with paranoia. What is she planning? he wondered.

Tristan pushed the disturbing thoughts from his mind and cleared his throat. "Okay, you guys. I'm off to work. Please don't wreck the house while I'm out, okay?" he pleaded.

Rarity tilted the mirror she was levitating to where she could see him. "Please, darling, if we wrecked this house anymore, it would be in ruins!" she said, still running a brush through her hair. Twilight stopped studying for a second to glare at Rarity, then resumed working.

Tristan scratched his head and smiled weakly. "She's right. I guess it could use a little TLC," he said nervously. He grabbed his car keys off the coffee table and started to head out when a yellow pegasus stopped him. He turned to see her hovering in the air, nervously fiddling her hooves together.

"Um, y-you're not going to have breakfast, M-Mr. Shay?" she asked nervously. "It's t-the most important meal of the day, you know." She hid behind her mane yet again. "Well, I-I mean, if you don't want to, I guess that's okay."

Tristan checked his cell phone for the time, then looked back at Fluttershy. He did have some time to kill, and he was feeling a little malnourished. "I guess I can have a bowl of cereal or something." he admitted. Fluttershy smiled and followed Tristan into the kitchen, followed by everyone else. Toast was made, the last of the orange juice was drank, and Tristan had his bowl of cereal, eating in a timely manner so he could still arrive to work on time. After breakfast, Tristan waved to them as he walked out, announcing that he'll be home around six.

"I'm going to do some grocery shopping on my way back. Anyone need anything?" he offered.

"Apples!" cried Applejack.

"Cake mix!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Would you mind picking up a little hay if you happen to find some?" Twilight asked, taking a break from her studies. Tristan remembered a place that wasn't too far from here that sold hay, so he nodded. He turned to Fluttershy to take her order.

"Oh, I'm not picky. Just whatever you decide," smiled Fluttershy.

"As am I," added Rarity.

"Ditto," Rainbow Dash chimed.

"DIAMONDS!" Spike boomed. His request was met with incredulous looks. Spike blushed from embarrassment.

Tristan typed the list on his phone and pocketed it. "Well, I best be off, then. I'll see you all later this evening." he called. The Equestrians waved after him, wishing him a good day at work. Tristan smiled as he got into his car. It had been a very long time since someone said things like that. He backed out of the driveway and sped down the street in the direction of the factory.

Twilight used her magic to shut the door and locked all the locks. "Okay girls," she said with a determined smile. "I think I've got it figured out." The others looked at each other, clueless, then back to her.

"Figured what out, exactly?" Rainbow asked, nervously.

Twilight smirked. "I figured out how to change us into humans. I found a spell in my 'Tricks and Transfigurations' book". The ponies cheered, jumping for joy. Spike did a little victory dance.

"But first," she said, her eyes narrowed and her smirk gone from accomplished to mischievous, "I'm going to need a test subject."

"Not me!" Spike spat. "I'm always your test subject back home. I won't do it this time." He crossed his arms and turned away. The others exchanged nervous laughter, making up excuses for why they can't participate.

Twilight shrugged, using her magic to tear a piece of paper into six shreds of similar shape. "I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way." she warned. She wrote the names of the remaining 5 ponies and Spike's onto the shreds with quill and ink. As the names were placed face down on the floor and shuffled around, the "contestants" in Twilight's game of chance began to silently panic.

Twilight finally placed the names in a line, closed her eyes, and surrounded the name that was 3rd from the left with her magical aura. Twilight read the name of her lab rat, and smirked at her.

All she could do was hide behind her mane.

Many hours later, Tristan pulled in the driveway. His car sported a roof ornament in the form of a tied-down square bale of hay. He climbed out of the car and opened the back door, removing the groceries from the seat they occupied. He shut the door with his foot and walked up to the front door, fishing around his lanyard for his house key. He then realized that the ponies would probably open the door for him, so once he arrived to the door, he just merely knocked.

He heard nervous talking coming from inside. He immediately expected the worst. Next came the sound of locks being unlocked, and finally, a beaming Twilight Sparkle flew the door open.

"I did it! I finally did it!" She screamed, bouncing when she spoke. "I turned Fluttershy into a human!"

Tristan wanted to ask questions, mainly "How?", but he decided he would rather see it to believe it. As he crossed the threshold into the house, a single thought crossed his mind: Wait. Ponies don't normally wear clothes... Tristan looked up from thought to see that Twilight's claims were true. Fluttershy had been turned from pony, into a human. Medium height and rather curvy, with a fair skin tone and a head of long, flowing pink hair. Her wings managed to stay attached and still carried the same color as her original coat, making her appear angelic. But not only was Twilight's claims true, so was Tristan's fear.

Fluttershy just stood there, red-faced and naked, awaiting Tristan's reaction. Sadly, Tristan could give no reaction. He was frozen solid from shock. The groceries dropped from his arm and a small drop of blood fell from his nose. Fluttershy, being overwhelmed by her caring nature, sprinted towards him, bouncing all the way. Not being used to her new legs just yet, she stumbled a bit while running, but still managed to catch him from falling too far. She pulled Tristan into a sobbing embrace, her two new friends pressed firmly against Tristan.

"Oh, my! You're bleeding! Are you okay? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" she cried, panicking and practically in tears. Tristan flopped around in her arms, rag doll style. Rainbow Dash and Applejack burst into laughter, Rarity covered Spike's eyes, and Twilight trotted over to check on Tristan.

"You didn't kill him, did you, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash joked. Applejack stomped the ground laughing while Fluttershy was brought closer to tears from Dash's remark.

Twilight observed Tristan and giggled. "He's fine, Fluttershy. Just in shock," she said, hoping to calm the new human.

Rarity trotted back towards Tristan's room. "I'll go get you some clothes, deary," she called. After some searching, She found a pair of black gym shorts and a green hoodie and levitated them back into the living room. "Here. Try these on. Maybe he'll regain some sense of class once you've put everything away," she said, glaring at Fluttershy's chest. Fluttershy quickly pulled on the shorts and hoodie, hoping the quicker she did, the quicker Tristan would come back to his senses.

Once she was clothed, Tristan indeed began to show signs of regaining consciousness. He was given a tissue by Twilight Sparkle the plug the still bleeding nostril. He looked up at Fluttershy, who was still shaking. "I'm so sorry about that," he apologized, "I'm just not used to seeing that everyday." He was expecting a verbal assault, but was instead given a hug.

"Oh, I'm just glad you're okay. I was so worried," she whispered.

Twilight interrupted the hug, using her magic to re-balance Fluttershy. Twilight turned back to Tristan. "It seems that I can only do this to one person for once a day." she began. "After I changed Fluttershy, I started feeling extremely woozy. I think it'll take some practice before I can change us all."

Tristan rubbed his head, trying to take in all this information. "Well, how long does it last? I mean, when does the effect wear off?"

Twilight furrowed her brow. "Well, I transformed her around ten, and it's a little bit after six, so..."

At that time, there was a soft glow. It caught everyone's attention, and they were staring at Fluttershy. She looked down at herself, watching the glow turn brighter and brighter. Fluttershy's glowing outline slowly morphed from her human form back down to her original pony state, the clothes seeming to drape over her. The glowing faded, and she moved the hoodie to where she could see out of the neck giggling. "Oh, that was fun!" she chimed.

Twilight, with wide eyes, looks back at Tristan to finish answering his question. "Eight hours."

The Internet and A Day With Applejack Pt. 1

After the fiasco with Fluttershy, Tristan decided to cook dinner this time around. He had bought all the necessary provisions to make a homemade pizza from his trip to the grocery store earlier. He almost bought a small bag of pepperoni, but remembered that, as far as he knew, the Equestrians were all herbivores. He wasn't quite sure about Spike, but he decided to save himself some awkwardness and kept strictly non-meat ingredients, just in case.

He was bringing in the last of the groceries when he noticed Twilight Sparkle was sitting in a swivel chair, staring at a certain piece of machinery that sat in the farther corner of the room. Why she or any of the others haven't discovered it earlier was a surprise to him. Tristan approached her carefully. Twilight spun around in the chair and looked up at Tristan.

"What is this device?" she asked in awe. Tristan saw the pure wonder in her eyes as she stared back, waiting for an answer.

"It's my computer," he replied, "I can play games on it, keep in touch with friends, look up information--"

"INFORMATION?!" Twilight screamed. She was now bouncing up and down in the chair, causing all the other ponies to rush over.

Tristan smiled. "Oh, yeah. Loads of information. Anything you want to look up, you just type it here," -- he motioned to the keyboard -- "and it pops up."

Twilight's smile only grew larger the more he went on, explaining all the wonders of the internet like Google, Facebook, YouTube, and e-mail. Twilight was giddily taking notes on everything while the others simply stared in wonder. Twilight put her notes away and started slightly bouncing again. "C-Can I try it?!" she could hardly contain her excitement.

Tristan smiled a bit. "Absolutely. Just let me check my messages first." he replied. Twilight hopped off from his chair, allowing him to sit down. He pulled up his e-mail inbox and went sped through the messages. Most of them were spam, but one was from a co-worker that he frequently talks to. The message said something about how urgent it is that he visit the attached website and give Tristan's support. Twilight looked up at him, anxious.

"What do you think that means, Tristan?" she asked nervously.

Tristan chuckled a bit. "It's probably just a prank e-mail to get me to go to lemon-party-dot-org," he laughed, "He's always trying to get me to go there. Kinda twisted, if you ask me."

Pinkie Pie shot up to the front of the group. "A LEMON PARTY! That sounds sweet! Well, actually, it would be pretty sour, but it still sounds like a lot of fun! I wanna go to a lemon party! Let's click it, LET'S CLICK IT!" she pleaded, trying to take control of the mouse.

"Pinkie, no!" he shouted, seizing control of the computer and closing his inbox. "Absolutely not." he warned. "That website is pure evil. It just sounds nice to lure people in." Pinkie Pie frowned a little bit. "I'm sorry," Tristan continued, "but you're just going to have to take my word on this one."

Pinkie frowned a little more. "Oki doki Loki" she said, defeated.

Pinkie Pie climbed back down from the computer's desk and Tristan finished explaining to his small audience how everything on the computer works. He returned the internet browser to Google and moved up out of the seat. Twilight instantly resumed to her spot and started clacking away at the keyboard. She looked at the screen, only to have her excitement replaced by frustration. She huffed loudly. Tristan checked the computer screen, seeing that Twilight's hooves were going to make it very hard to type. He couldn't help but let a small laugh escape past his lips.

Twilight flared up her horn and used her magic to start pressing the keys individually. She was slow at first, but her speed began to pick up almost immediately. She started her research by keying in "History of Earth". Millions of search results popped up, and Twilight began at the top of the list. Tristan walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Dinner finished and the table set, Tristan called everyone in to eat. They all hurried to the table for a decent spot, Twilight still glued to the computer.

"I'll be there in a second." she called, not moving her eyes from the screen.

Tristan placed the big cheese and veggie pizza in the middle of the table and went over it with a pizza cutter, creating small, square pieces. He placed four pieces on each plate and poured water in everyone's glass. Once Tristan seated himself, Twilight hopped off the computer and took a spot at the table. The ponies waited for the pizza to cool, while Spike gladly ingested all four of his pieces, fresh from the oven.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Tristan began cleaning up the kitchen. Fluttershy and Applejack offered help, which Tristan gladly accepted, and the rest of the ponies went right back to the computer. Rainbow Dash managed to beat everyone else to the chair and, remembering a certain video sharing website, looked up videos of "Amazingly Awesome Stunts", with Spike at the keyboard.

Applejack dropped the last of the dishes in the sink as Tristan washed them. Fluttershy had just returned to the living room, laying down on the couch and observing the computer screen from a distance. Tristan washed the last of the dishes and was on his way to the living room when the orange mare stopped him.

"What's up, AJ?" he asked. The pony glanced down, nervously, her blonde mane and Stetson covering her eyes. "Well... ah... ya see... y-ya know how Twilight said she can turn all us pony folk into your kind?" she asked, a blush starting to form.

Oh, God, no, Tristan thought, I'm about to be asked out by a horse. "Y-Yeah..." he replied. Where was this heading?

"Well, Ah was... ya know, just wonderin'... if Ah can get Twilight to change me... d-do you think you could take me outside?" Applejack finished. Tristan let out a sigh of relief, which Applejack mistook for disappointment. "A-Ah mean, your house is nice and all, but Twilight found that spell, and, well, Ah reckon we'd all like that chance to go out with ya." She realized her slip and panicked. "Ah meant outside! Go outSIDE w-with ya." she corrected. An awkward smile spread across her face.

Tristan laughed a little. "Why didn't you just say so? Of course! I mean, I think we can work something out where you can all take turns going outside." he smiled. "Like a schedule." Applejack smiled and bucked the air in glee. Tristan walked into the living room with a bouncing Applejack and called a meeting with the others. They discussed plans for daily "field trips". After a few minutes of discussion, the schedule boiled down to this:

Tristan, once again, unfolded the couch, making the bed for the ponies. Twilight resumed her studies, clicking off the monster truck videos that Rainbow Dash left up. Twilight pulled up Google once more and began typing away, something about "Historic Wars" showed in the search box. Tristan wished everyone good night, which they all returned, including an ecstatic Applejack. He walked to his room and re-set his alarm. He had another day off tomorrow, so he could focus on showing Applejack a good time. He fell asleep almost instantly,

The alarm sounded, and Tristan slammed it almost instantly. He sat up, groaning and yawning, before showering, dressing himself, and making his way into the living room for breakfast. He was greeted by six groggy, yet friendly, ponies and a newly awake baby dragon. They all had toast and apple juice for breakfast, which everyone seemed to enjoy very well.

After breakfast, everyone returned to the living room. Tristan stood in the corner and most of the others retired back to the pull-out couch. The odd one out was Applejack, who stood in the middle of the floor, beaming, with a blanket covering everything but her face. "Well, ah gotta protect mah modesty, ya know?" Applejack explained. Tristan's eyes widened, remembering the first time this happened.

"Oh, right." he said, turning away. Twilight jumped off the bed and positioned herself in front of Applejack, fixing her stance so that she may be able to cast the amount of magic that was needed.

Her horn glowed brightly, then, so did Applejack's figure. The rest of the tired ponies found themselves wide awake, still new to the transformation process. The light dimmed, and a face popped out from the covers. She wobbled a bit to keep her balance, but found it easily. Her golden hair kept the ponytail style, and her freckles remained, too. She stood about Tristan's height, had a more muscular tone about her, and her skin was tanned. She looked down on her new figure, hardly able to see much past her well-proportioned chest. She squealed in excitement, almost losing her balance again.

During the transformation, Tristan had raided his closet for the gym shorts and hoodie that Fluttershy had previously worn. If he was going to agree to these daily one-on-ones, he was going to have to get them some clothes. He decided that the first order of business was clothes shopping. He paced back into the living room with Applejack's clothing at the ready.

"Here ya g-" he began, but couldn't finish.

Applejack danced around in the thin blanket, which she clutched tightly around her figure. "How do ah look, sugarcube?" she asked, placing her Stetson back on her head, which to Tristan's surprise, still fit.

"Well... y-you...." he stammered, but remembered the temporary clothes he brought. "J-Just put these on."

Applejack giggled and stumbled to the bathroom to change. Rarity, who had taken the computer for fashion research, rolled her eyes.

"Men." she sighed, clicking on pictures of French couture. The other girls giggled at a red-faced Tristan.

"Good news!" Rainbow Dash teased, "your nose didn't bleed!" she burst out in laughter. Tristan narrowed his eyes at the rainbow-colored pegasus.

Applejack returned from bathroom. The hoodie was almost fitting on her torso and the shorts stopped a little bit above her knees. "These gall-durn things are so uncomfortable." she complained, adjusting the hoodie.

Tristan, trying to fight another blush, put on his shoes. "Yeah, we're gonna go fix that now. Our first stop is a clothing store." he handed a pair of flip-flops to Applejack, who gladly slipped them on.

"Alright, partner! Let's go!" she cheered, pulling Tristan to the door.

Once out, Fluttershy flew to the doorframe. "Have a good day, you two! See you this evening!" she called, pulling the door shut and locking it.

Applejack wiggled in the passenger seat from the excitement, whipping her head around every so often to catch a glance of something that they passed. If Tristan didn't find it so funny (and a tad cute), it would almost be annoying.

They pulled into the clothing store's parking lot and got out of the car. Applejack struggled with the seat belt, but eventually managed to get it. She fell slightly, trying to get out of the car, but luckily, Tristan had predicted this and caught her. Once she was righted, they made their way into the clothing store. Applejack immediately took the the racks and racks of clothes, trying on almost anything that appealed to her.

"Uh, sugarcube?" she asked Tristan, who himself was looking at some clothes. "What do ya reckon ah do about these?" she questioned, pointing to her chest. He looked around and led her to the undergarments section. She nodded and scoured the racks, looking for something to support hers. She grabbed a couple that seemed her size and ran to try them on as well.

When they emerged from the store a couple hours later, Applejack was wearing an orange t-shirt, straight-legged jeans, a pair of boots, some modest underwear, and her signature Stetson. She giggled loudly as she inspected herself. "Oh, thank ya so much! Ah really do like it!" she said, embracing Tristan tightly.

Tristan's face turned a little red again. "Um, it's fine. No problem at all, really," he reassured. As Applejack released him from her iron embrace, Tristan leaned against his car. "So, what do you wanna do?" he asked.

A Day With Applejack Pt. 2

Tristan and Applejack continued down the highway towards the city, Applejack still taking in all the sights. She would occasionally look down and check her new duds, sometimes even peeking down her shirt, which distracted Tristan from driving a few times. When they finally made it into the city, Applejack resumed the excited seat wiggling. The city was packed to the gills with stores, restaurants, bars, and business offices. The only time she had seen anything close to this was back in Manehattan, but that was when she was a filly.

Tristan managed to find a really cheap parking garage and parked there. He figured he could show Applejack around a bit, since she had a pretty good window of time until she returned to pony form. They spent the next few hours walking the nearby streets, Applejack struck with amazement from everything she saw.

During their walk, they spotted a Western-themed bar and grill. It had been a little while since breakfast and the farm hand was already getting hungry for lunch. Tristan got out of the car first, rushing around to assist Applejack, who had found it much easier to get out on her own this time. They exited the parking garage and stepped right under the summer sun that was beating down on the city. They continued on towards the bar, Applejack occasionally fanning herself with her hat.

They finally made their way into the bar, the air conditioning feeling amazing after walking in the blistering heat. The waitress sat them at a booth and took their drink orders. As the waitress walked away, Tristan noticed that Applejack had relaxed a little. She was still looking around, but her smile had formed into a half-frown.

"Are you okay, AJ?" Tristan asked, concerned. Applejack tried to force a smile, but Tristan narrowed his eyes, seeing straight through her facade.

"Ah guess ah'm just missin' home a bit, ya know?" she confessed. "This here place reminds me a bit of Sweet Apple Acres. I wonder how Big Mac and Applebloom and Granny Smith are doin'..." Applejack trailed off, her voice carrying some sadness. She looked down to the table in thought. Tristan moved from his spot in the booth and scooted in next to her.

"I'm really sorry," he began. "We can go eat somewhere else if you'd like." He placed an arm on Applejack's shoulder, which made her look up at him. She smiled warmly.

"Ah, ya don't gotta do that, sugarcube," she replied. The waitress came by with their drinks and asked to take their food order. They didn't even get a chance to look at the menu. Applejack, not trying to stray away from the ordinary, ordered the fresh apple salad. Tristan, not wanting to offend AJ by ordering his usual burger, got the same. He was gonna have to get his daily dose of protein back, somehow.

Meanwhile, back at the house....

Twilight stared intensely at the computer screen, checking out websites for museums and libraries that were close to the city, and taking notes. Rainbow Dash flew up beside her, watching her work before figuring out that she was bored and returned to the mirror. She had been watching taped wrestling on Tristan's television and re-enacting catch phrases and entrances that some of the wrestlers used. She flexed her front legs in a power pose and slowly lifted herself towards the ceiling.

"CAN YOU SMELL WHAT RAINBOW DASH IS COOKIN'?!" she yelled proudly, letting loose a flurry of punches against the air.

Pinkie Pie looked up at her, giggling. "You're not cooking anything, Dashie," she explained. Rainbow Dash ignored her and continued with her new routine. Pinkie walked towards the kitchen, looking to grab something to drink. She pulled open the newly stocked fridge to find a big green box. It had depictions of abstract trees and big, red and green lettering. Curious, she looked inside. She found shiny, cylindrical containers inside, all the same size, and each with the same artwork as the box. "Oooh, shiny!" she whispered. She pulled a shiny container from the box and shut the door to the refrigerator.

Carrying the can in her mouth, Pinkie trotted over to Rarity, who was busy sketching her new designs. Pinkie sat the can down next to her. "Rarity, can you open this for me, pretty please?" she asked. The white unicorn, not paying attention, pulled the tab on the can, the carbonation letting out a loud snap, then an appealing fizz. Pinkie cheered and stuck a straw in the can. Making sure none of the others was looking, she took a small sip of the green liquid. Her eyes widened.

"Hey, guys! You gotta try this stuff!"

Tristan and Applejack, finishing their light lunch, stepped outside. The heat had dialed down quite a bit, making the weather enjoyable. He looked around the busy street. It seemed drastically more full of life than the street he lives on just twenty minutes away. He checked his cell phone for the time.

"Well, we still have a couple hours until we have to head back home," he said, "What do you wanna do until then?"

Applejack pondered for a second then smiled. "Ah'd be alright just walkin' around s'more, if'n that's okay with you," she answered, "Ah hadn't been to the city since Ah was just a little filly."

Filly. For some reason, that word snapped Tristan back to reality. She wasn't really a human. She was a pony that happened to look like a human for right now. He was having a great time with AJ so far, but for some reason, that word put a small dent in it. The question was, though, why?

He shook the matter and perked up a smile. "Of course," he said, and they walked down the street, window shopping and taking in the city's lights and sounds.

After about an hour and a half, Tristan and Applejack arrived back at their vehicle. He paid for the ticket to the parking garage and they hit the main street in the direction of home. The car ride was a little more silent than usual. Actually, it was completely silent. Tristan looked over at Applejack, who smiled warmly back at him. He wished that there would have been something extravagant that they could have done together, but surprisingly, there wasn't that much to do for her in the big city. The thought kinda depressed him.

They arrived at home, just a few minutes left to spare before Applejack returned to her pony form. They exited the car and walked up the front steps. Tristan stopped Applejack before they could enter the house. Applejack saw that Tristan wasn't quite himself. "Ya okay there, sugarcube?" she asked, concerned.

Tristan let out a sigh. "I'm sorry that we didn't exactly get to do much," he confessed, "I wish I could have shown you a better time."

Applejack gave a sympathetic smile and put her hand on his shoulder. "Aw, shucks. Ah had a great time with ya today." she comforted. "Ah was just glad to get out of the house for a spell." Tristan smiled, knowing that he did some good today. He knocked on the door, expecting Twilight Sparkle to answer the door. Instead it was a panicky Rarity.

"What the hay is going on in here?" Applejack demanded.

"Both of you! Get in here! QUICK!" Rarity screamed, pulling them in and slamming the door.

The scene inside the house was scary. Actually, it was downright disturbing. Twilight was rapidly clicking on the computer's mouse. Her hair was a few strands out of place and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. The computer screen flashed rapidly before her.

"Studystudystudystudystudy GOTTA STUDY!" she screamed, letting out a maniacal cackle afterwards.

What the hell? Tristan thought to himself. He was about to confront her when he was knocked back by rainbow blur. Out of breath and in slight pain, he looked up to see the source.

It was Rainbow Dash, carrying an extremely hyped up Pinkie Pie on her back. They were screaming and laughing ecstatically.

"How fast was that, Pinkie?!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Pinkie looked at her stopwatch. "Point eight seconds!" she replied, screaming louder than Rainbow Dash. They cheered and did another lap.

Tristan could do nothing but watch in horror. He looked over at Applejack to find that amid the chaos, she had transformed back to her original pony state. Tristan looked at Rarity for an explanation. The unicorn just shook her head.

"I don't know how this escalated so quickly," she cried, "All I know is that Pinkie Pie asked me to open a small canister of something. Figuring it wasn't too much trouble, I opened it for her. Then she started acting all crazy and convinced Dash and Twilight to partake in it as well. They've all gone insane, I tell you! INSANE!!" Rarity started bawling. Applejack looked around the room, finding that there were two people unaccounted for.

"Wait. Where's Spike and Fluttershy?" she asked.

Rarity shrugged. "I didn't see them drink any of it. In fact, I think they both went and hid somewhere. Which honestly sounds like a brilliant idea right now."

Hold on a second. Tristan thought. He bent down and picked up one of the cans that occupied the floor. Sure enough, Pinkie had found Tristan's stash of Alpine Blitz, a citrus soda that had been found to be packed full of caffeine. He had no clue how he was going to stop this. Suddenly, an idea formed.

"What goes up must come down," he muttered to himself.

Applejack looked at him. "What was that, sugarcube?" she asked, "Ah didn't quite catch that."

"Quickly! To my room!" Tristan ordered. He and the two mares ran full speed to Tristan's bedroom. The slammed the door behind them and locked it. As Tristan wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, he heard voices coming from the closet. Tristan sneaked over and flung the closet door open.

"Oh, no! They found us!" Fluttershy screamed, covering her head with her front legs and whimpering.

"Don't worry!" Spike comforted, "It's just Tristan."

The yellow pegasus looked up and ran over to him, burying her face in his chest. "It was horrible!" she wailed. Tristan patted her head and she pulled away slightly. "What are we going to do?"

Tristan looked at the door. "The effects of the caffeine will wear off eventually," he began, "And when they do, everything will go right back to normal. So for now we're just going to wait."

About half an hour later, Tristan peeked outside the door. Everything had gone quiet, almost too quiet. He motioned for the others to come, and they followed him into the living room. The others were scattered about, holding their stomachs and groaning.

Tristan walked over to Pinkie Pie, narrowing his eyes slightly. Pinkie Pie tried to let out a nervous laugh, but found that it hurt her stomach too much.

Tristan cleaned up the soda cans with Spike and Rarity while Applejack and Fluttershy prepared dinner. Needless to say, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle didn't have as much of an appetite as the others.

Dinner eaten and the dishes washed, the ponies retired to the pull-out couch. Twilight had decided to take the night off for studying, so Spike hopped on the computer, looking for things he wanted to do tomorrow for his big day out. Tristan wished them all good night, and the ones who weren't sick from the massive soda intake cheerfully returned it.

After Tristan's light went out in his room, all the ponies turned their attention to Applejack. She was bombarded by questions, many of which she couldn't understand. She waved her hoof around in the air to try and silence them.

"Please, everypony!" she begged, "One at a time!" The chatter died down a little and Twilight Sparkle took the first question.

"What was the outside world like?" she asked.

Applejack chuckled. "It was great! We went clothes shoppin', we walked around the city for a while, and we had lunch at a place that was almost like Sweet Apple Acres! After that, we-"

"You two had lunch together?" Rarity asked, "Like a lunch date?"

Applejack tried to hide her blush. "Aw, shucks, Rarity. Wasn't like that at all," she said, "We were just hungry and we stopped for a quick bite. Ah imagine it'll be the same for each of ya when it's y'all's turn to go."

The girls giggled at the thought of having one-on-one lunch with Tristan. Spike, who was asleep in his little dog bed, rolled over.

"Can you guys keep it down? I have to get my rest for MY day with Tristan tomorrow," he groggily scolded. Spike rolled back over and fell back asleep instantly. The ponies decided that Spike was right, and that they could all use their sleep. After a couple more minutes of quiet chit-chat, the ponies finally settled down and fell asleep.

Spike and Tristan's "Boy Day"

Tristan woke up the next morning to the same screeching of the alarm clock. He slapped the alarm clock, groaning and rolled over, hoping he could get maybe a few more minutes of shut eye. Unfortunately for him, something purple and green wasn't about to let that happen. His eyes shot open to the sight of an overly-excited Spike bouncing next to him on the bed.

"Oh, boy! You're up!" he cheered. "I'm so psyched for our day out!"

Tristan sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. He watched the baby dragon bounce about a few more seconds before he had the energy to move his mouth. "We can't go right now, Spike. I have to g-"

"Oh! I almost forgot. Here!" Spike interrupted, handing Tristan a small piece of parchment. "Someone called a few hours ago. I was up getting something to drink when I heard your phone ringing in the living room. I took a message for you."

Tristan rubbed his head, not sure if he was more confused about why someone was calling him so early in the morning, or why Spike took it upon himself to talk to someone from the outside. He decided he would get on him about that later. He instead took the parchment from Spike's hands and read it. Tristan was shocked awake by what he read.

Tristan rubbed his head, letting the paper fall. Spike stopped bouncing to gauge a reaction. When he saw that the reaction wasn't good, he walked over and sat down next to him.

"Tristan," Spike asked solemnly, "what does 'laid off' mean?"

Tristan sighed deeply, not lifting his head to answer Spike. "It means that as of right now, I don't have a job."

The two of them just sat on the bed, Tristan staring off into space and Spike staring at the note he took. Spike looked up at Tristan apologetically. "I'm really sorry." he said.

Tristan looked at him and faked the best half-smile he could. "Don't worry about it." he said, "I'll figure something out. After all, this isn't the worst situation I've been in." Spike thought back to his first night in the house and Tristan's short, yet painful backstory. Tristan got out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom for his morning shower, trying not to let Spike see the nervous panic in his eyes. What am I gonna do? he thought.

Wrapped up in a towel, Tristan emerged from the steamy bathroom and walked quickly through the hallway and back into his room. If Spike was already up, then that means some of the ponies were, and this was the absolute last way he needed them to see him.

As he shut the door to his room, he turned to find that his room had been cleaned spotlessly. The dirty clothes were no longer scattered among the floor and even the dormant bag of chips that laid next to his bed were no more. Tristan looked around for a culprit. Instead, he found Spike, who had just popped his head out from underneath the bed. Tristan jumped a little. "What are you doing under there?" he asked.

Spike climbed out and brushed himself off. "Do you know how dusty it is under there?" he asked. "I had to do something."

Tristan kept a hold of his towel and walked across his perfectly clean hardwood floor to his perfectly clean dresser and opened the top drawer. All his socks and boxers that were currently clean had been organized and folded quite nicely. He looked back at the baby dragon, who stood rocking on his heels. "You didn't have to do all this, you know." Tristan explained.

Spike let out a chuckle. "Well, I had to thank you somehow for the awesome day we're about to have!" he said. "Plus, I clean up after Twilight all the time. This was nothing compared to her normal messes."

They shared a laugh before Tristan escorted Spike out the door and changed into his clothes for the day, which involved a red t-shirt, black denim shorts, and black sneakers. Tousled his hair around and stepped out of his newly clean room, wondering just how long it was going to stay clean. He also wondered about what he was going to do for a job.

Tristan made his way into the living room, seeing that all the other were indeed awake. They all appeared to be down in the dumps about something. Tristan tried to give a cheery "good morning" to them, but instead of it being returned, Pinkie Pie burst out in tears. She ran up to Tristan and put him in an embrace that could break bone.

"I'M SO SORRY!!" she whined, sobbing into the bottom of Tristan's shirt. Tristan managed to push her away a little and Pinkie sniffed and wiped her snout. "S-Spike told us about how you lost your job! It wasn't any of us, was it?!"

Tristan immediately knelt down next to the pink mare, holding her head up by her chin. "Don't worry, it wasn't any of you. It was forces beyond anyone's control," he assured her, "I'm sure everything will work out in due time." His fake optimism must have worked, because Pinkie by that time had quit crying and perked up a small smile. The others had seemed to cheer up a bit, too.

"But, darling," Rarity intervened, "How will you be able to live with no income?"

"Well, I guess I'll have to file for unemployment," Tristan sighed, "At least until I can get another job. But let's not worry about all that right now. Who's hungry?"

Six hooves and a claw shot into the air, causing a small giggle in some. They all went into the kitchen and enjoyed pancakes for their breakfast. Twilight Sparkle figured out how to use the coffee maker and brewed a pot, making sure it was out of reach of a certain pink pony. She poured cups for herself, Tristan, and Applejack, and the rest opted for Fluttershy-made tea.

Spike ate as quickly as he could and dropped his dishes in the sink. He ran into the living room and, copying Applejack, stood underneath one of the sheets from the fold-out bed, showing only his face. "C'mon, Twi!" he shouted, "Let's get this show on the road!"

The ponies finished up and Rarity used her magic to move the remaining dishes into the sink. Tristan walked back to his closet, pulling a box from the top shelf. From it, he removed a small, purple t-shirt and a dark pair of jeans, clothes that his younger brother forgot in Tristan's laundry the day that they left. The shirt brought a bittersweet smile to his face as he closed the box and placed it back in its spot on the shelf.

While he was walking back, he saw a flash of light come from the living room. As he stepped in, he saw that Spike had been transformed from a two-foot tall dragon to a five-foot-one boy with green hair in a faux-hawk. Spike, careful not to drop the blanket that was wrapped around him, looked at his brand new skin and ran his fingers through his hair. He never felt so cuddly in all his life. Rarity will just have to have him now!

Spike opened the blanket to himself and looked down, finding something else that was different about him. He instantly blushed and cowered in the blanket. The girls giggled at him and his face only grew redder. He looked over at Tristan. "Mind helping a guy out?" he asked, part annoyed and part embarrassed. Tristan chuckled to himself and handed him his little brother's clothes. Already having experience walking on two legs, Spike ran nimbly through the living room and into the bathroom to change.

After a few minutes, Spike came back into the living room. The clothes fit perfectly on him. The girls "oohed" at the newly clothed Spike, especially Rarity, who couldn't help herself but stare. Twilight saw this and managed to contain a giggle.

Spike walked over to Tristan, looking up at him, but not as much as before. "Well?" he asked, "What are we waiting for?" Tristan nodded and waved goodbye to the others. He let Spike borrow a pair of his shoes until they got to the discount clothing store he was at the day before with Applejack.

"Go have a great 'Boy Day', you two!" Twilight called after them.

After leaving the store with some boxers and a slightly used pair of sneakers, Spike felt ready to take on the world. "What are we gonna do first?" he beamed, practically throwing himself in the passenger seat of Tristan's car.

"I don't know," Tristan replied, "you didn't find anything interesting on the web last night?"

Spike thought for a second. "I heard the mall is a cool place to hang out," he said finally.

Tristan threw the car in reverse and looked back. "Okay, then," he said. "To the mall."

Spike did the same wiggly dance that AJ did the entire way to Valleyside Mall. It was closer to them than the city, but might as well be its own city. The parking lot could have its own zip code if it wanted it. Spike couldn't help but to press his hands and face to the glass as they pulled in and searched for a place to park. It wasn't hard to nab a spot close to the door, seeing how most of its occupants were either in school or at work. The thought of being at a mall at nine in the morning kinda made Tristan feel bad for not being a contributing member of society at the moment.

Spike's jaw dropped when they entered the mall. It was everything he could imagine and probably more. He started getting giddy all over again from the sight of so many shops, eateries, and attractions. Tristan looked down at Spike, smiling slightly at how excited he was. It didn't take long before Spike grabbed Tristan's arm and started dragging him up and down the mall, through the many stores the mall had to offer. He stopped and took extra time at the jewelry stores, eyeballing the encased diamonds and gemstones. At one of the stores, a saleswoman walked up to the two and tried to lay on some saleswoman charm.

"Is there a certain young lady you're shopping for, darling?" she asked Spike. He looked up incredulously at her.

"Are you kidding? I want these for myself!" he said, his tongue hanging out. Tristan apologized to the woman and pulled him away.

They were about halfway through the mall when they decided it was about time for lunch. Tristan took Spike to the food court, where they decided on soft pretzels and ice cream. As they took a seat next to the fountain that sat in the middle of the food court, Spike started to blush a bit. Tristan noticed and figured he would ask about it.

"Something up?" Tristan questioned the green-haired boy. Spike looked at him, shaking his head in silence. Tristan smirked a bit. "Ya know," he started, "If there's something you wanna talk about, like I don't know, girl issues..."

Spike's head snapped up immediately. "You know?!" he asked, panicky.

Tristan laughed a little. "Of course I do. Anyone with eyes can see you have the hots for Rarity," he said with a grin, prideful of his keen observational skills.

Spike lowered his head and took a bite of his pretzel. "Yeah, everyone but her," he groaned.

Tristan pulled his chair around next to his. "Well, the only advice I can honestly give you is to tell her, man," he said, placing an arm on Spike's shoulder. "She won't know unless you say something. Given, she's probably a tad old for you..."

Spike glared at him a bit.

Tristan chuckled and continued. "But as far as I'm concerned, age is just a number if two people truly love each other. You just gotta find out if she feels the same way. You can do it. I have all the confidence in the world in you."

Spike let a small smile form on his face before he wrapped his arms around Tristan. "Thanks, Tris," he said into Tristan's side, "That means a lot."

Tristan returned the embrace and closed his eyes. For a second, Spike was gone and his little brother was in his place. A small tear started to form in his eye when he was broke from it by Spike's voice.

"Are you okay, Tristan?" Spike asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

Tristan wiped the tear away quickly. "No, no," he lied. "I'm fine, really."

"It's your brother, isn't it?" Spike said, seeing through the lie. Tristan gave a nod.

Spike smiled a bit. "Well, I grew up without any siblings. Twilight is the closest thing I have to family. She's taken care of me ever since she hatched me."

Tristan looked confused. "She hatched you?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, long story. Anyways, I never had a brother myself, but I feel like after the awesome day we've had so far, that I kind of look up to you like one."

"Thanks, kid," he said, hugging Spike again. Tristan pulled away and gave him a smile. "Let's get that ice cream and finish up our mall day, huh?" Spike cheered and pulled Tristan towards the ice cream vendor.

Tristan and Spike arrived home from the mall with about half an hour to spare before the spell wore off. Hoping Pinkie Pie hadn't gotten into any more caffeine, Tristan carefully opened the front door to find that everything was actually quite normal. Twilight was doing more research, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were talking about the next Running of the Leaves, and Rarity was brushing a very relaxed Fluttershy's hair.

"Should I be concerned about where Pinkie is?" Tristan asked.

"Oh, no, deary," Rarity answered, "She's just in the bathroom, I'm sure she'll be right out."

Tristan sighed in relief and walked to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Spike hung out in the living room with everyone else until dinner was ready. He decided that tonight was a good night for spaghetti. He broke out the pasta, listening to the conversation that went on in the next room. The ponies were asking Spike for details about his day out, which Spike was more than excited to give long-winded answers to. Twilight Sparkle looked over at Tristan and gave him a warm smile, watching him work for a bit before turning her attention back to her number one assistant.

The ponies seemed to rather enjoy dinner that night. Spike, who had returned back to his dragon form, kept talking about their trip to the mall between bites. They all ate their dinner rather quickly and Tristan collected the dishes. The ponies returned to the living room to prepare for bed, while Tristan stepped back out onto the back porch, sitting on the top step and lighting another cigarette.

Tristan managed to only take a few drags before it flew from his mouth and disappeared. He looked back to find Twilight standing in the door frame with a stern look on her face. "What did I tell you about those things?" she said, not breaking her gaze.

Tristan shrugged. "It's an addiction. I'm trying, ya know?" he replied. Twilight shook her head and sat next to him. After a little bit, she looked over at Tristan and smiled. "Thank you for being so nice to Spike." she said, using a much softer tone, "He's really had it rough."

Tristan looked over at Twilight. "It's no big deal," he said. "He deserves it. He's a good kid."

Twilight observed Tristan's face. It appeared like he was in deep thought, mixed with sadness. She scooted over and nuzzled him. "I know." she said. She got up and proceeded back into the house. "Don't be out too late."

Tristan looked back at her and smiled. "Don't worry, I won't."

Just a Dash More Than He Bargained For

Tristan rolled out of bed for the first time in a while without an alarm clock. He yawned and stretched, feeling fully rested. The sun peeked in through his blinds and gave his room a warm and cozy look to it. He wondered if he had even woke up in the same room that he fell asleep in the night before.

Sadly, his pleasant awakening was interrupted by a rainbow-maned pegasus busting through his door. The shock scared Tristan off his bed and onto the floor. He rubbed his head and sat up, looking at the pegasus who had taken his spot on his bed.

"Oh, good! You're up!" Rainbow Dash said, trotting in place. She squealed and done a mid-air lap around the room. "I'm so excited to go outside! I really needed to stretch these babies out!" she said, referring to her wings.

Tristan pulled himself together and stood up, glaring. "There is no way you're flying." Tristan said sternly. Rainbow Dash stopped flying and landed back on the bed. "Why the hay not?" she protested. "I'll look like a human, so what's the harm?"

Tristan facepalmed and sighed. "Because there are no such things as flying humans, Dash." he answered. "The only thing close to that are humans that control machines that fly. So you're gonna have to keep your wings to yourself."

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. "Fine" she huffed. She let her wings carry her out of the room and back down the hall. Tristan then proceeded to shower and get dressed, choosing a black polo shirt and jeans. He pulled on a fresh pair of socks and walked into the living room, where the ponies had already but the bed up and started making breakfast. Fluttershy was making her tea, Twilight started brewing coffee, and Spike was helping Applejack make something on the stove. Pinkie Pie and Rarity sat on the couch chatting with Rainbow Dash, asking her about her plans for the day.

"Did I sleep in that late?" he asked aloud. He proceeded to walk into the kitchen and sat down at the table which was already set.

Twilight laughed a little. "Yeah, just a little." she replied, levitating a mug of coffee his way. "But you've been working really hard, so you deserve a little extra shut-eye." Tristan accepted the floating coffee and took a sip. Applejack and Spike finished making what looked like oatmeal. At least, that's what Tristan hoped it was.

After breakfast, everyone gathered in the living room for Rainbow Dash's transformation. Tristan had the hoodie and shorts ready and Rainbow Dash got under the "Transformation Blanket" as it had became to be known as. Twilight fired her magic. The blinding light came upon the room and Rainbow Dash's figure morphed underneath the blanket.

The transformation had been completed. Rainbow peeked out from the blanket, revealing a slim-face with the same style and color hair that her mane had been. She stood about Tristan's height and was athletically toned, more so than Tristan, which annoyed him a tad. She squealed again and looked down, finding that her new friends weren't exactly as noticeable as Applejack's or Fluttershy's.

"H-Hey! What gives!?" she shouted. Her wings unfurled with her horrific realization. Her wings, like Fluttershy's, they bore the same color as her original coat. Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, her wings threw the blanket off of her, leaving her standing naked in front of everyone. Rainbow's face immediately turned a blood red, using her wings to try and cover herself up the best she could.

Tristan stood dumbfounded, still holding the clothes. Rainbow Dash glared at him.

"Dude! Do you mind!?" she yelled at him. Tristan snapped out of his funk and blankly threw the clothes over to her. She snatched them out of the air and stomped towards the bathroom, muttering under her breath, still using her wings to cover what they could.

She came out of the bathroom a few seconds later, looking rather perky. She actually seemed to forget about the entire incident. She walked beside the bar that separated the kitchen and the living room and swiped a pair of sporty sunglasses that belonged to Tristan. "You ready to go?" she said to him, sliding the sunglasses on.

"Yeah." Tristan answered. He slipped his shoes on, grabbed his keys and waved goodbye to the others.

Tristan and Rainbow Dash emerged from the discount clothing store in a hurry. Rainbow Dash held the hoodie and shorts in her arms, wearing the navy tank top, light blue over shirt and denim shorts that Tristan had bought for her to wear. She still wore the sunglasses that she took from Tristan's counter.

Once they were in the car and headed towards the city, Tristan turned down the radio and looked over at Rainbow Dash. "Remind me why we're in a hurry, again?" he asked.

Rainbow Dash looked over at him with a smile and tilted down her sunglasses. "So we don't waste any time, obviously!" she said. Tristan could tell that she was trying to be as cool as possible, but her bounciness wasn't doing her any favors. He noticed that she kept looking up at the sky as they drove.

They made it into the inner city when the weather went from sweltering sun to torrential downpour in a freak instant. Rainbow Dash's smile was flipped. She slouched in the passenger seat and folded her arms. "Not cool" she muttered.

Tristan could hardly see past his windshield. The rain was coming down hard, which eliminated any kind of outdoor activity. He glanced over at Rainbow Dash, who still retained her pose and was muttering something about "flying up and kicking the clouds away". He smiled at her ambition, but that didn't solve the issue at hand.

"We'll find something to do." Tristan finally said, trying to calm his testy companion. "Just sit tight." He smiled her direction and was relieved when she sat back up straight and unfolded her arms.

The rain persisted as Tristan drove to the parking garage. He and Rainbow Dash stepped out of the car and walked a short distance to the edge of the ground floor. It would have been great if he had an umbrella with him. Rainbow Dash stepped closer to the downpour and looked around for a place to take temporary shelter. Almost directly across the street stood an arcade. She smirked at Tristan and pointed in the arcade's direction.

"We need something to do to wait out the rain." Rainbow Dash said. "Are ya up for some friendly competition?"

Tristan returned the smirk. "But of course." he answered.

They quickly sprinted from the shelter of the parking garage and into the rain. They laughed as they dodged the few cars that occupied the streets. Once they were across, they flung the busy arcade's doors open and bolted inside, their laughter making it difficult to collect their breath.

A few hours later, the two left the prize counter at the arcade. Rainbow Dash wore a giant, ninja-styled teddy bear on her shoulders while Tristan wore a frown of defeat.

"Well, that was satisfying!" Rainbow Dash giggled. Tristan couldn't remember the last time he got destroyed at video games like that. They had made a bet that whoever won the most tickets got to keep the other's tickets as well. In retrospect, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Rainbow Dash opened the door and stared up to the sky in awe.

"Look!" she shouted excitedly, "The rain stopped! Woo-hoo!" Tristan also looked up to confirm Rainbow Dash's observation. The streets were still soaked and the smell of the rain lingered. Rainbow Dash jumped from one puddle into the next. A rumbling came from her stomach.

"Heh-heh. Guess I'm a little hungry after all that dominating!" she boasted. Tristan narrowed his eyes, but felt his stomach rumble as well. Just down the street was a small diner that Tristan had been going to since he was young. Ginetta, the owner, treated him like her own son, even more so than her own children. Tristan suggested that they eat there and Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.

The two entered the diner and sat themselves at the bar, which was Tristan's normal spot. After a couple minutes of waiting, Ginetta stepped out from the kitchen to greet her favorite customer. She ran around the bar and hugged Tristan, who sitting, was still noticeably taller than her. She withdrew from the hug and looked at Rainbow Dash, who gave a friendly smile and wave. Ginetta smiled at Tristan.

"Oh, you brought yourself a girlfriend, eh?" she asked in a slight fit of giddiness. "It's about time! I didn't think you had it in you, honestly."

Tristan's face turned red. He looked over at Rainbow Dash, whose face looked the same shade of red for a second. He looked back to Ginetta and put his hands up.

"Oh, no! You see, she's not really m--"

Rainbow Dash put a hand on Tristan's mouth. "Oh, don't pay attention to him. He's really shy about it." she said, winking in his direction. "It's almost adorable."

Tristan's eyes shot open, watching in horror as Rainbow Dash and Ginetta made conversation about him. His stomach grumbled again and the girls' conversation was cut short.

"Oh! I almost forgot, dear!" Ginetta apologized. "Do you want your regular Ham and Cheese?" she asked.

"No, no. Just a salad for me." he answered quickly, hoping Rainbow Dash didn't catch on. She instead nodded, ordering the same, and they both were served bottomless iced tea, specially made by Ginetta herself.

When Ginetta disappeared into the kitchen, Tristan quickly turned to Rainbow Dash. "What are you doing?!" he whispered. "Why did you tell her we were together!?"

Rainbow Dash laughed and leaned his way. "Because it's fun!" she whispered back. Tristan groaned and face-palmed. "Seriously?" he replied.

Before he could get another word in, Ginetta brought out their salads and two small cups of ranch dressing. "Funny," Ginetta began, "I never took Tristan for a salad-eater." Tristan smiled awkwardly. Rainbow Dash giggled and dug into her salad, almost finishing it in just a matter of minutes.

"Wow!" said the diner owner, surprised. "You must have been hungry as a horse!" Tristan narrowed his eyes and kept working on his own salad. If only you knew he thought.

Ginetta was bringing out refills for the tea when she sighed, catching Tristan and Rainbow Dash's attention. "Are you okay?" Tristan asked. Ginetta just smiled and nodded.

"It does me good to see you happy like this, Tristan." she answered, "Especially all that you've been through. I'm glad you found someone." There was a small tear forming in her eye as she spoke. Tristan wanted to tell her how they weren't dating, how she was actually a pegasus pony from another dimension and how, if anything, they were hardly friends, but he couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to break Ginetta's heart like that. So he figured he would just play along.

"Yeah." he said, grabbing Rainbow Dash's hand. "I guess I'm pretty lucky."

Rainbow Dash's face went as red as the red in her hair. She smiled warmly and squeezed Tristan's hand back. They said their goodbyes to Ginetta and exited the store with just an hour until Rainbow Dash transformed back into her pony state. They walked back to the parking garage and climbed in. Once they were out of the city, Tristan turned to Rainbow Dash.

"It was good seeing her." he said. "I thought it was funny how she instantly assumed we were a thing." he chuckled a bit to himself. "I think I sold it back there with the hand grab, don't you?"

Rainbow Dash blushed a little and looked out the window. "Yeah... sold it..." she said, trying to sound as happy as possible.

The ride back to the house was almost silent. They pulled in the driveway, seeing silhouettes of ponies through the living room window. Tristan started up the stairs when Rainbow Dash grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Let's go out back." she suggested. "I want to show you something."

Tristan looked around nervously and followed her to the back yard. She started to remove her over shirt, revealing her cyan wings and stretching them out. Tristan was racking his brain for a decent reason as to why she brought him back here. She walked behind him and put her arms around him and across his chest. Tristan's heart raced and his breathing picked up.

"Ready for a ride?" she said, smirking. Tristan's eyes shot open.

"Wait, what are you do-AAAAHHHHHHH!"

Rainbow Dash had picked Tristan up into the air and was flying upward with him in tow. Tristan's legs thrashed in the air.

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!" he screamed. Rainbow Dash grunted and fixed her grip on the panicky human. "Cool it or I'll drop you!" she shouted back, straining a little. She flew upward until they could see the outer buildings of the city. Tristan got lost in the scenery of the clear sky and, for a second, forgot about being up a few thousand feet in the air.

After a little more flying, Rainbow Dash flew back down, just low enough for Tristan to fall from her grip safely. Tristan looked back up and saw her give a thumbs up. "Check this out!" she yelled, and sped back up to her original altitude. Tristan used his hand as a visor to shield his eyes, not losing sight of her. Rainbow Dash stopped ascending, then bolted downward, a visible cone of some sort forming around her.

What is she...

BOOM

Tristan's jaw dropped as a rainbow-colored shock wave expanded in the sky above him. He'd never seen anything like it in his entire life. Rainbow Dash, who had transformed back into a pegasus sometime during her flight, landed next to him.

"Aww, yeah!" she shouted. "Now, that's a Sonic Rainboom, baby!" She looked up at Tristan, whose gaze was still fixed on the sky. She nudged him with her head, which snapped him out of his trance.

"H-How did you do that?!" he stammered. Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest. "Years of practice." she replied. "I am the fastest flyer in all of Equestria!" She trotted up the stairs and knocked on the door. Fluttershy let her in and Tristan followed the two pegasi into the living room, where everyone else was waiting for Rainbow Dash to tell them about her day.

Once dinner was over with, Tristan took another step outside to his usual seat on the top step. He decided to not have his usual cigarette in fear that Twilight would just take it from him before he could finish it. A couple minutes passed before the back door opened.

"I don't have any cigarettes this time." he said, not bothering to look behind him.

"What's a cigarette?" Rainbow Dash asked. She walked over next to Tristan and laid down. Tristan was honestly surprised that it wasn't Twilight. Rainbow Dash looked up at the sky, then to Tristan.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about making you feel weird around that lady." she said. "I just thought it would be funny, is all. I didn't expect it to get all sappy."

Tristan looked down to Rainbow Dash. "It's okay." he assured her. "It wasn't too bad, I guess." He smiled at her, which caused her to smile. She stood and began walking back into the house. Tristan got himself up and also walked back in, preparing himself and the others for bed. Rarity was going on and on about exactly where she was going to go tomorrow and what she wanted to do when Tristan walked back to his room and passed out almost instantly on his bed from exhaustion.

Rarity's Night on the Town Pt. 1

Tristan woke up later than usual the next morning. He started to enjoy the ability to sleep in more, creating a silver lining to being laid off. Plus, it meant more time to show the Equestrians around, so maybe a temporary job-loss wasn't too bad after all. He sat up and went through his morning routine, finally getting dressed and joining the others in the living room.

The ponies seemed to already have started eating breakfast, which Tristan just shrugged off and walked into the kitchen for a quick alternative of toaster pastries and some Alpine Blitz, making sure Pinkie Pie didn't see where he hid the remaining cans. He ate quickly and proceeded to the living room, where Twilight was getting ready to transform Rarity. The white unicorn waved her off.

"Oh, not yet!" she said, interrupting Twilight's concentration. "I want to go out a little later, if that's okay with Tristan." Tristan thought for a second, remembering a few errands he had to run. "Sure," he said to Rarity, "Sounds great! I just have to go take care of a few things."

Tristan grabbed his car keys and waved goodbye to everyone. As he walked out the door, Rarity jumped on the computer to do some last minute research towards her upcoming night on the town.

Tristan returned home around noon and unloaded the small amount of groceries that needed to be picked up. As he walked into the room, he noticed that the living room was empty. The computer was unoccupied, the bed had been made, and worst of all, there were no snacks on the end tables or the floor. The room was practically spotless.

They're... gone?

Immediately, a wave of panic swept over him. He ran to the kitchen, only to find it as empty and clean as the living room. He ran to the back porch and saw no sign of them either. He bolted down the hallway towards his bedroom, screaming for them.

They can't be gone... he thought, tears starting to form. Not now...

He got to the doorway of the bathroom when tripped over something large. He fell and tumbled down the hallway a good distance, slamming into the wall at the end. Disoriented and in pain, he looked back to see a yellow pegasus running towards him.

"Oh, my goodness!" Fluttershy said, stopping right next to his head. "I'm so so sorry! It's completely my fault! Are you okay? Please say you're okay..." Tears of her own started to form as she knelt down next to him to inspect him for injuries.

Tristan sat up and winced, noticing that his head had made quite a hole in the wall. He was bleeding a little from his forehead, making the nervous wreck of a pony put her head in his chest, sobbing. He embraced her and laid his head on top of her flower-scented mane.

"It's okay." he said, trying to calm Fluttershy. "I'm just fine. I'm just glad you're here." he felt more tears start to build up, but keeping his manly composure, forced them back.

"What's going on out here?" a curious Twilight Sparkle called, poking her head out of the bathroom door. "We were getting makeovers and we heard a large crash and AHH!" She saw Tristan's still bleeding head wound and the hole in the wall. Putting two and two together, she dashed towards him. "Are you two okay?!" she said panicky. She was also pulled into the slowly growing group hug.

"I'm fine." he said softly, stroking Twilight's mane. She quickly healed his wound with a new medical spell she learned and also pushed her head into his chest.

"Hey! I wanna hug, too! I love hugs!"

Pinkie Pie bounced from the bathroom and joined the group hug. Rainbow Dash was next, then Applejack and Rarity. Spike waddled over, rubbing off the makeup that Rarity had applied to him for "testing purposes".

"Any room in there for a dragon?" he asked. The ponies made a gap for him and he became included. They sat and held the group hug for a minute until Rarity pulled away.

"Well then," she said, clearing her throat before she continued. "I believe it's time for us to go." Tristan nodded and they all stood and followed the white unicorn back into the living room. They all decided that until they had their own clothes, the infamous hoodie and shorts were to stay in the living room on the end table closest to the computer. Rarity had donned the also infamous "Transformation Blanket" and announced that she was ready. Tristan took a seat in the recliner, Spike hopping up on his lap while the others crammed onto the couch.

Twilight's horn began to glow and the familiar light shone from beneath the blanket. Rarity's shape changed right before everyone's eyes and the light died out. Rarity draped the blanket loosely around her, twirling in it like a new ball gown. Twilight looked and noticed something of Rarity's was missing. She gasped and pointed with her hoof.

"R-Rarity!" she stammered. "Y-your horn! It's gone!"

Rarity's eyes shot open and she felt around her forehead for her horn, only to find that Twilight was correct. She immediately dropped to her knees and began sobbing.

"It's not fair!" she screamed. She in Rainbow Dash's direction. "She got to keep her wings! Why can't I keep my lovely horn?! It's not fair!"

She threw her hands in the air, causing a sudden flash of blue magic and the coffee table to be vaulted a few feet into the air. It came crashing back down on its side, causing Rarity and the others to jump. She brought her hands back down and observed them. They were glowing with the same faint blue that her horn did. Rarity pushed a hand towards the table, and it levitated long enough for it to right itself. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief knowing that her and Twilight could use magic in their human form. She stood and levitated the clothes towards her and proceeded towards the bathroom to change. Spike went to hop off Tristan's lap to take a peek, but he was well restrained. Spike crossed his arms and huffed.

Rarity emerged from the bathroom moments later, the hoodie seeming to droop over her modelesque figure. Tristan finally set the baby dragon back onto the floor and got out of the recliner. He slipped on his shoes and waved goodbye to everyone before grabbing his keys and walking out of the door.

After a few minutes of driving, they arrived at the clothing store. Rarity ran into the store almost immediately after Tristan threw the car into park. She went directly to the racks that had cute little summer dresses, holding them up against one of the mirrors to see which complemented her better. Tristan stood off to the side, uninterested and bored. Rarity stopped looking at the dresses for a second to glance over at him.

"Darling, you really should pick out something nice for yourself." she said, moving over to the men's section. She held up a white polo shirt, giving it a thorough inspection. "What size do you wear?"

Tristan sighed a little and joined Rarity at the rack where she currently was. He browsed over the other selections and pulled out a khaki, short-sleeved button up. He showed it to Rarity, who glanced at it, then back at him. She shook her head in disapproval. She handed the white polo to him instead. Tristan checked the size and held it up to him, causing Rarity's eyes lit up something fierce.

"Perfect!" she squealed. She picked up one of the dresses that she was previously holding. It was also white, but with a few light splashes of lavender. "And this would simply make an excellent match!" She walked over and grabbed a white sun hat and a pair of sunglasses that were on sale for next-to-nothing. Afterwards, Tristan introduced Rarity to the underwear section, where she picked out the most lavish bra and underwear set she could find. They then proceeded to the checkout, where they laid their rather large purchase.

"Are you sure this is no trouble at all?" Rarity asked, watching the cashier scan the items.

"It's no trouble." Tristan replied. He handed the money over to the lady and started to walk out of the store. Rarity went to the store's restroom to change and quickly got back to the car. She sat down and saw that Tristan still wore the purple t-shirt he had on and not the white polo.

"You're not going to wear your new shirt?" Rarity asked.

Tristan looked at the shirt in the rear view mirror. After a moment of thought, he reached back and brought it up to the front of the car. He pulled his purple shirt off, his slightly toned torso catching Rarity's eye. She watched, or more accurately, stared, at Tristan's torso until the white polo covered it. Her trance was broken and she blushed a bright red. Tristan put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot. The sky started to turn a light orange as they sped off towards the city.

Rarity's Night on the Town Pt. 2

The sun was beginning to set as Tristan and Rarity arrived in the city. Rarity had been talking about wanting to see the many fashion stores of the city, so Tristan decided to pull into the parking garage that was beginning to seem all too familiar to him. They found a spot on the second level and parked. Tristan led Rarity to the north exit of the parking garage, which in turn, led to the more high-end part of the city. It wasn’t too long of a walk before the two had reached their destination.

Rarity seemed to be floored by the amount of designer clothing stores that had appeared before her. The mass of people walking the area looked as if they themselves had just simply stepped down from the stores’ displays. Rarity grabbed Tristan’s arm, gasping from the sight of it all. She finally let out a squeal of delight as she took off running into the closest store, a helpless Tristan in tow.

Once in the store, Rarity flew from rack to rack, inspecting every dress, blouse, skirt, and accessory. She checked the sewing, the patterns, the fabric, and made mental notes on what she could do to bring the fashion of this world back to Equestria with her. She smiled as she was time and time again struck with inspiration.

Tristan, however, took a seat on a bench that was placed on the further end of the store. He never was one to really appreciate high fashion. His phone could only give him so much entertainment until it, too, became boring. He looked up at the clock that was placed tauntingly above the door to the shop, sighing as it seemed like it moved slower the more he watched it.

After a short while, Rarity approached Tristan and informed him that she was ready to leave. Tristan nearly shot up from his seat at the bench and pocketed his phone. On their way out, the saleswoman wished them a good evening, to which Tristan simply waved. They stepped back outside and proceeded down the sidewalk. Before he could think, Tristan felt himself being pulled into the neighboring store.

Night had fallen a little earlier than usual as Tristan and Rarity exited the last store on the block. Rarity skipped out, filled with more ideas and possible designs than she feared she could hold. Tristan shuffled behind her, his hands in his pockets. The two continued a little further before he felt slight pain in his stomach. He figured that around this time, the others had probably already eaten dinner and cleaned up.

After walking another block, Rarity discovered a small, café-like structure. The closer they got, the more it began to look like a line was forming right at the door, occupied by hipsters and blue-bloods alike. Tristan looked around the area for an eatery with a slightly less wait. Unfortunately for him and Rarity, no such haven could be found. Tristan groaned, but his apathy was cut short by Rarity grabbing his hand and pulling him closer to the front of the line.

The host saw the two approaching and put a hand up, stopping them. He stood behind a dark oak podium and, in Tristan’s opinion, dressed a little too seriously for his job.

“Do you have a reservation?” The host asked, his faux-French accent had Tristan questioning just what kind of place this really is. He was beginning to get a sad, dark feeling in the pocket where his wallet sat. Rarity stepped in front of him and studied the host for a second, then gave him her most seductive smile.

“Oh, of course, darling!” she said, batting her eyelashes. Tristan stood behind and felt his face get warm. Rarity continued. “It’s under Boulevaire.”

The host raised an eyebrow to Rarity and began skimming the list. Sure enough, the name was on the list, causing quite a surprise for both the host and Tristan. The host quickly gathered two menus from the box on the side of the podium.

“R-Right this way, Lady Boulevaire!” he stuttered. He quickly took off through the restaurant. Rarity began to follow, but noticed that Tristan was still standing in front of the podium, jaw-dropped from disbelief. Rarity leaned backwards and pushed his jaw shut with her index finger.

“Come, darling, you’ll catch flies that way.” She said, still wearing her smirk. She grabbed Tristan’s hand again and pulled him through the crowded café. Tristan marveled at how much larger the inside appeared to be in comparison to the outside. It looked as if someone crammed a five-star restaurant into a donut shop.

Tristan and Rarity were seated at the further end of the room and were asked for their drink selections. As the host hurried away, Tristan caught Rarity’s attention.

“How did you do that?” Tristan asked, his voice hushed

Rarity looked at him, puzzled. “Do what?” she asked. Tristan nodded towards the podium where the host stood. “Oh!” she said, “You mean how I got the reservation?”

Tristan nodded furiously. “What did you do?” he interrogated, “Did you brainwash him? Did you read his mind or something?”

Rarity scanned her surroundings for any nearby eavesdroppers and motioned for Tristan to lean towards her. Tristan swallowed nervously and did so. Rarity also leaned over the table, their faces meeting inches away from each other. She raised a hand to Tristan’s ear and whispered.

“I looked at the book”

Rarity burst with laughter and fell backwards into her seat, leaving Tristan still hovering above the table in disappointment. He sighed and sat back down, kicking himself for overthinking it. The waiter approached with their drinks, causing Rarity to force back her laughter.

He sat down two glasses of water and pulled out a small pad of paper and a pencil. Rarity ordered the spaghetti, and Tristan, thankful that he could eat something other than salad for a change, ordered the same. The waiter nodded and, just as quickly as he had appeared, vanished into the kitchen.

Rarity sat her menu aside and focused on the boy across the table. Tristan was too busy looking around the restaurant to notice her gaze. Seeing him dressed so decently and in such a lavish place, Tristan almost seemed like a completely different person, and a handsome person at that. She giggled softly to herself and began to walk her fingers around the table.

Once Tristan had given the room a satisfying overlook, he turned his attention back to Rarity, who was staring deeply into his eyes. Her fingers were like legs, seductively walking around her side of the table. Tristan felt his face get hot and started laughing nervously.

“A-Are you okay, Rarity?” he asked, cautiously.

Rarity let out a relaxed sigh and giggled more, making Tristan slightly uneasy. “I’m perfectly fine, darling.” she said dreamily. She straightened herself up in her seat and smiled at him. “You know,” she began, but was cut off by the return of the waiter. Steam rose from the plates of pasta as he laid them before the two diners. He refilled Tristan’s water glass and took off again, without so much as a single word to either of them.

“This looks delicious!” Tristan said, immediately diving into the spaghetti. Rarity nodded in agreement and began eating as well. After a few minutes of enjoying the food, Tristan wiped his mouth with the dining cloth and spoke again to Rarity. “Was there something you wanted to tell me?” he asked, half curious and half nervous.

Rarity’s eyes widened, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Still, she tried to playing it off the best she could. “Oh, it was nothing!” she said, feeling that her fake smile and enthusiasm may be failing her. Tristan decided to not press further into the matter, but instead, concentrate on the warm, Italian goodness that lay in front of him.

The waiter returned just as Rarity and Tristan finished their pasta, bringing along with him a big bottle of… wine? Tristan began preparing his “thanks, but no thanks” response in his head. But before the wine could be rejected, the waiter had poured them both a glass and placed the rest of the bottle on the table.

“Compliments of the owner.” He said to Rarity, almost with the same faux-French accent as the host. “He is a big fan of you and your husband’s charity work.”

Tristan nearly choked on the forkful of spaghetti that he was chewing. Rarity shot a look at Tristan, half delighted and half panicky that her “husband” may not make it through the rest of the conversation. Tristan recollected his composure and wiped his mouth again. The waiter never took his eye off of Tristan as he laid down the check and left. Tristan picked up the bill and disdainfully shelled out enough to cover the bill and tip. He began to stand up when Rarity grabbed his arm.

“What’s the rush?” she asked playfully. “We have plenty of time! Let’s sit and enjoy a drink.”

Tristan looked at his phone. They had roughly two hours before the transformation wore off. He sat back down and took his wine glass in hand and raised it.

“Okay.” he said, “One drink.”

Tristan, being the responsible adult he was, abided by his own “One drink rule”. Given that he was driving them both home, anyway, he had to remain sober. However, someone else enjoyed the wine just a tad too much.

Rarity stumbled down the sidewalk, using Tristan as a living crutch and cackling to herself rather loudly. Passersby looked at them, bewildered by the purple-haired woman’s drunken ranting. Tristan gave apologetic looks to anyone within earshot and fixed his grip on Rarity. I know the wine was good, he thought to himself, but did she really have to drink the whole bottle?

After what seemed like forever, the two had finally made their way back to Tristan's car. He helped Rarity into her side of the car and fastened her seat belt for her. During this, Rarity flung her arms around Tristan's neck and pulled his face into her chest.

"I'm so glad I have such a great friend like you!" she said, her words occasionally slurring. Tristan tried fighting against Rarity's surprisingly tight embrace, but somehow could not break away from the inebriated iron grip long enough to gasp for air. She finally let go, giggling loudly as she fell in defeat against the seat's backrest. Tristan ran around to the other side of the car and quickly climbed in. Checking his phone, he realized he only had half an hour to get Rarity home before she took on pony form.

He quickly threw the car in gear and peeled out of the parking garage as quickly as possible. Rarity threw her hands up and cheered as the car weaved through traffic and out onto the main highway. Tristan checked his phone again and found that he may or may not barely make it back in time. He stepped on the gas and Rarity cheered again. She talked and giggled the entire ride back to Tristan's house.

He couldn't have timed it any better. As soon as his car pulled into the driveway, a light shone from next to Tristan, signifying Rarity's return to her unicorn state. He noticed that sometime during the transformation, Rarity had passed out from a combination of alcohol and exhaustion from transforming.

Great, he thought to himself. How the hell am I gonna pull this off?

He decided that the best thing to do was to remove the summer dress she was wearing. Although she was no longer a human, Tristan still felt extremely uncomfortable doing so. His intentions were good, but his conscious still carried a haunting sense of perversion. He attempted to shake his self-brought guilt by quickly completing the task and opened the passenger door. Rarity mumbled in her sleep as Tristan walked around to her side and lifted her from the seat. He struggled against the weight of the unicorn, but managed to get a good hold on her and kicked the car door shut.

Tristan waddled up the the front door of his house, noticing that all the lights were out and there were no noises coming from inside. He fished his keys out of his pocket and quietly unlocked the door to the house. He shifted Rarity around and proceeded through the door frame, pulling the door shut behind him with his foot and locking the door with his most free hand.

As predicted, the lights were all out and the ponies had went to bed early. Tristan quietly kicked his shoes off and tip-toed past a sleeping dragon and over to the bed where most of the other ponies lay sleeping. The only excepting was Rainbow Dash, who lay kicked back in the recliner. It took all his strength to lower Rarity gently and without disturbing the others onto the bed. He took one of the blankets that lay unused on the floor and covered the white unicorn with it. He smiled to himself and leaned over Rarity.

"Good night." he whispered.

Rarity unconsciously stirred. "Good night, my prince." she whispered, and planted a long kiss on Tristan's right cheek before he could think to act. Then, as if nothing happened, Rarity passed back out on the bed, snoozing quietly while a dumbstruck Tristan just froze.

D-Did she just....

Tristan rubbed his face and drug himself back towards his room, still in an intense state of shock. As he stripped down to his boxers and flopped onto his bed, he let out a sigh of confusion. Was Rarity dreaming of him? Or someone else?

Hopefully it was just the alcohol talking he reassured himself. Besides, nobody saw it happen but me. Just let it go.

He nestled down between the sheets of his bed, slightly more calm about the situation knowing that there was no conscious audience. He looked forward to tomorrow, where he would spend the day with Pinkie Pie, and maybe he could completely forget the events of tonight. He let the thoughts drift away as he himself drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the living room, a set of uneasy eyes lay wide awake, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed....

Tickled Pink (or, I'm Pretty Sure I Think I Know What You Did Last Night)

Rarity woke up the next morning a short while after everyone else the next morning. The scent of pancakes wafted from the kitchen and through her nostrils. She lifted her head from the pillow and was greeted with something that, surprisingly, wasn't a stranger to her: a hangover. As she sat on her hind legs and held her head in her hooves, she started to question what had happened the night before. The only thing that she could remember was the wine from the restaurant.

Wine? she thought. Well, if it was merely wine, then it had to be much more potent than Berry Punch's...

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Rainbow Dash teased. "Looks like you had a rough night."

Rarity took this offensively and immediately summoned her bedside mirror and brush. Rainbow Dash looked incredulously at the white unicorn, who was frantically grooming her unruly mane. Rarity took a quick glance at the pegasus, who was staring at her incredulously.

"What?" she said, attempting to multitask. "Is it wrong for someone to want to look their best as early as possible?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and continued to switch the television on to the motor sports channel. Rarity shrugged off her lack of understanding and finished styling her mane and tail. Afterwards, she used her magic to fold the bed back into the couch and fold the blankets, laying them on top of the couch's backrest. She sluggishly made her way into the kitchen where she poured herself a cup of coffee.

When she arrived in the kitchen, she noticed that Tristan was already dressed and showered, enjoying his pancakes like they were going out of style. Applejack was helping Pinkie Pie crank out pancakes at the stove, who was ranting on and on about her plans for today. Spike sat next to Tristan and beside him was Fluttershy, both of them also enjoying an equally sizable stack of pancakes.

"Where's Twilight?" Rarity asked, noticing the absence of her fellow unicorn.

"She's on the computer, researching as usual." Spike replied between bites of pancake.

Rarity glanced over into the living room, where Twilight sat in the computer chair and was clacking away quickly on the computer's keyboard. "Is she not going to join us for breakfast?" Rarity continued. "She of all ponies should know it's the most important meal of the day." Even more so if you're in my predicament she thought to herself.

"She said she had already eaten before we were awake," Fluttershy said quietly, "But I haven't seen a dirty dish all morning. I'm honestly a little worried about her."

"She gets like this with her studies sometimes." Spike groaned. "Twilight would probably forget to breathe if she didn't have me around."

The four laughed, causing Rarity's headache to swell a little larger. She glanced over to Twilight, who locked eyes with her for a split second before returning her attention to the computer screen.

After breakfast was eaten and cleaned up after, everyone prepared for Pinkie Pie's transformation. Pinkie slid herself under the blanket and started bouncing from excitement. Tristan had the hoodie and shorts at the ready, and Twilight positioned herself in front of the hyperactive earth pony.

"Stand still!" Twilight barked. "I can't get a clear shot!"

Pinkie stopped bouncing momentarily, but her mind was still racing. Twilight seized this rare opportunity and fired the spell at Pinkie, who began to glow beneath the blanket. Rarity had to look away from the light, as it only increased the pain of her hangover.

Pinkie's shape morphed and the glow faded until a shorter girl with pink, poofy hair emerged from the blanket. She giggled wildly and danced around the living room, completely oblivious that she had lost her blanket in the process. Tristan, hoping to not get another scolding, shielded his eyes and blindly held out the clothes.

"Woo! Look at me!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "I'm a human! I'm a human! And look at THESE things! They feel like huge bags of jiggly gelatin! JIGGLE JIGGLE JIGGLE! Hee hee!"

Tristan didn't have to look for his face to instantly become blood red. The other's were either shocked by the naked Pinkie Pie running about the room, or laughing hysterically at her fascination with her chest. He waved the clothes about, still protecting his dignity. Pinkie snatched them from his hands and pulled them on.

Tristan peeked just as Pinkie pulled the zipper up on the hoodie. He sighed in relief as he stood to pull his shoes on. Pinkie squealed with delight as he walked to the counter to collect his car keys. She bounced towards the door, giggling all the way.

"We should be back by dinner." Tristan announced, making his way out the door with an ecstatic Pinkie Pie. Everyone waved goodbye to the two, even Rarity, who was slowly overcoming her hangover. Everyone but Twilight, who seemed more involved in her studies than ever.

Pinkie and Tristan got in the car and backed out of the driveway. As they started for the discount clothing store, Pinkie began wiggling in her seat in excitement, similar to the others before her. Tristan took small sips of coffee from his to-go mug while Pinkie Pie went on and on about how today was the last day of a street carnival in the city and how much she really wanted to go.

A street carnival, huh? Tristan thought to himself. It's definitely been a while...

They arrived in the innermost part of the city a while later, Tristan scanning the surrounding area for a decent place to park. Pinkie Pie just sat, still wiggling and talking as she had been since they left the house. The only difference was her outfit. She now wore a tight, pink v-neck, pink frilly skirt, and pink flats. To Tristan, she looked like a ballerina dancer straight off the stage. Her style was just about as eccentric as she was.

A wave of relief washed over Tristan as they found an empty parking meter just around the corner from the carnival. Pinkie nearly exploded from the excitement when they parked the car and began climbing out of the seats. The smell of carnival food wafted through the air and got stronger as the two approached the event area: five blocks of Benson Avenue that had been blocked off to traffic. It ran alongside the city park, where games, rides, and a musical stage were all set up and already being enjoyed by the public.

Pinkie cheered and pulled Tristan into the heart of the carnival. It didn't take much before Tristan himself caught the joyous feeling that Pinkie Pie had emanated. It was almost contagious. He no longer required the tugging of his shirt to catch up with the pink-haired woman, and, for the first time in a while, Tristan completely let all his inhibitions and worries dissolve into nothingness.

Pinkie Pie danced over to the booth that sold wristbands for rides. Tristan purchased them each one and then followed Pinkie over to the line for the Merry-Go-Round. She seemed more excited than even the smaller children who also occupied the line. The current cycle didn't last long, and after the current riders had exited, it was time to send in a new crowd.

The operator counted in his head as the children passed. Pinkie had just slipped through before the operator held out a hand, halting Tristan from entering. Pinkie froze and looked back at Tristan, making a small frown.

"It's okay." Tristan called after her. "I'll be waiting at the exit."

Pinkie smiled again and skipped to the closest horse. The bell rang, signifying that the ride was beginning, and Pinkie cheered. The other children around her cheered also, causing Tristan to crack a smile. The ride went around and around with Pinkie Pie cheering and giggling all the while.

If she could only see the irony the way I do Tristan thought, chuckling.

The ride ended a few minutes later and Pinkie bounced off of her horse and skipped over to Tristan, who, as promised, was waiting for her at the exit gate. They rode all the other rides together, one of which Tristan got sick from almost immediately following. Pinkie Pie drug the disoriented Tristan over to the closest food stand and sat him down at one of the picnic tables.

She ordered them both a soda and a funnel cake and Tristan groggily handed her the money. Pinkie Pie returned to the table with the food, licking her lips in both hunger and excitement. The smell of warm dough and sugar made him forget about his sickness and he graciously accepted. The two ate the funnel cakes with much content, and, in Pinkie Pie's case, quickly.

They followed up their small lunch with more games and a second round of rides, taking occasional sitting breaks to just sit and absorb the atmosphere. The sky began to turn a dark orange, causing Tristan to look at his phone in panic. It had been a eight hours exactly, but Pinkie hadn't changed yet.

"Maybe Twilight's spell lasts longer the more she uses it!" said Pinkie Pie, seeming to read Tristan's mind.

"That could be the case," he replied, "But I don't wanna take a risk. We should go home now."

Pinkie Pie frowned at this and her hair went from poofy to flat as fast as her emotions changed. Tristan was slightly startled by the new hairstyle, but kept his stern face.

"Can't we ride just one more ride?" Pinkie begged, her bottom lip quivering.

Tristan sighed and gave in. For some reason, he couldn't find it in his soul to say no. Pinkie's hair changed back into it's cotton candy-like form as she grabbed Tristan's arm and once again hauled him towards the Ferris wheel.

The two were on their way home from the carnival after the ride. Tristan had bought some more snacks for the trip home, seeing as how they missed their dinner deadline before they could make it back to their car. The sun had set a few minutes ago and Pinkie had already transformed, the light causing Tristan to swerve a little.

Pinkie sat contently in the seat on her hind legs, putting down a couple more of the funnel cakes and grinning from ear to ear. She laid herself down in the seat and closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath and sighing in satisfaction.

"I had a super-duper fun time with you today, Tristan!" she beamed. "You're fun to hang out with and super nice and I'm so glad I can call you my friend!" she wrapped her front legs around Tristan's torso, causing him to swerve a bit again. Tristan smiled and petted the pink pony's mane.

"I had fun, too." he said softly. "And I'm also glad to call you my friend."

Friend... he thought to himself. It's been a while for that, too. He thought back to the first few months after his mother had passed away and the rest of his family left him. He was so depressed that he had practically cut himself off from the few friends he had and the rest of the world. He smiled again as Pinkie pulled back from the embrace and sat back into her seat.

"You're the best all-around person in this whole wide world! Not that I've really met anyone else from this world, but I would say that if I did, I would still say you're the best!" she continued, giggling. "It's no wonder why she likes you."

Tristan swerved yet again, this time almost sending the car off the road. He slowly turned his head to Pinkie, who was wide-eyed and covering her mouth, realizing that she had slipped some top secret information.

"What... did you say?" Tristan stammered.

Pinkie Buried her head in her hooves. "No, no, no." she said in a panic. "I can't say anything else! I Pinkie Promised her that I wouldn't say anything about the crush she has on you!" Pinkie's eyes widened again and she started sobbing loudly. "Why can't I stop talking about it?!"

Tristan returned his attention to the road ahead, completely numbed by this news. One of the ponies liked him? This didn't make any sense. He shook his head and attempted to calm himself, then looked back at Pinkie, who needed to do some serious calming of her own.

"Look, Pinkie," he began, trying not to flip out, "You guys are only going to be here for another few weeks. It's kind of pointless to try to date someone from a world that you would never get to see again, correct?"

Pinkie wiped an eye and nodded in understanding. Luckily for the both of them, they arrived at the house before the conversation got any more awkward. Pinkie bounced out of the car and up the steps of the front porch and up to the door. Tristan followed behind her, still in a slight case from shock. He unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door, expecting to see the happy faces of the others. Instead, his shins were greeted by fists of a a highly upset baby dragon.

"How could you do that?!" Spike cried, taking swings at Tristan's legs through his teary eyes. "You know how I felt! How could you?!"

Tristan hopped around the enraged dragon, dodging any more of his surprisingly painful punches. He looked to the others for help, only to see that the other ponies, even Fluttershy, was giving him mean looks.

"What did I do?!" Tristan shouted, still dodging Spike. "What's going on here?!"

Rainbow Dash flew up to him and poked him in the chest. "You kissed Rarity last night while she slept!" she accused. "What kind of creep does stuff like that?!"

Tristan's jaw dropped and Spike began swinging harder, his fury growing the more they talked about it. The other ponies started yelling too, taking their own verbal shots at the defenseless human. Rarity looked a Tristan in a mix of horror and anger, and soon joined in on the shouting. Feeling a migraine coming on, Tristan jumped onto the couch, hoping to end all this once and for all.

"STOOOOP!!!" he shouted. Everyone fell silent. Even Spike stopped throwing punches at him and just stared upwards. Tristan was still met by a few bad looks, but none the less, he got the attention he needed. "Let me explain everything."

He told everyone, detail for detail, the events of everything that had happened the night before, from the dinner, to the drunken ride home, to Rarity's sleeping kiss. The other's faces all softened as Tristan finished the story. Rarity's mind finished filling in the blanks of last night and she ran to the human, weeping.

"I'm so sorry..." she said, burying her face into his shoulder. "I hope you don't think less of me..."

"I'm sorry, too..." Spike added, jumping up to Tristan's side and hugging him. Tristan flinched a little, still expecting a punch.

The other's followed suit, apologizing to Tristan and adding to the heap of ponies that occupied Tristan's lap and sides. A few minutes of sobbing and apologizing, they all readied the living room for sleep. Fluttershy excitedly jumped into the newly formed bed, eager to be the first one awake for her first day out. As the ponies all settled, Tristan waved them goodnight. They happily returned the gesture, making Tristan happy that things were back to normal. Whatever that was.

He quietly exited out the back door and sat on the top step. He breathed a sigh of relief and took out a cigarette. He went to light it, but stopped for a second in thought. Aside from the paranoia of Twilight possibly coming out of nowhere to snuff it out, he felt like he really didn't need it. He smiled to himself and put the cigarette back in the box, laying it and the lighter next to him.

"Good call." a voice said from behind him. Tristan smiled again, not needing to turn around to recognize the voice.

"I thought so, too, Miss Sparkle." Tristan replied. He moved a few inches over to allow the purple unicorn enough room to sit down next to him. He was beginning to enjoy their little nighttime talks. They chatted a while about his day with Pinkie Pie, laughing all the while. Soon after, Twilight's voice descended from cheerful to somber.

"Is everything okay?" Tristan asked, taking notice of Twilight's mood drop.

"I'm sorry I brought all this on to you." she replied. "I mean the whole Rarity thing."

"How so?" Tristan asked, curious.

"Well, you see," she began, nervously. "I was the one who saw her kiss you."

Tristan's eyes widened a little. Twilight saw it?! he thought, trying his best not to show a reaction.

"It was too dark to tell, but all I could see was you leaning over Rarity and then I heard a kiss." Twilight went on to explain. "I was feeling a little restless last night, but I didn't want to disturb anypony else, so I just waited, hoping that eventually I could fall asleep." Her volume lowered. "Then I saw the kiss, and..."

Tristan cut her off. "Let's just forget about this whole silly incident." Tristan said, hoping to cheer up his late night companion.

"I feel really bad for telling the others." she pressed. "I was just stressed out by it all and it slipped. I'm really, really sorry. I know I should have came to you first."

Tristan smiled and ran his fingers through Twilight's mane. "It's okay." he comforted. "I forgive you. Everyone slips every now and then."

Twilight smiled warmly at him through teared-up eyes and rested his head on his arm. The two sat like this for a while, looking up at the moon and stars. Twilight let out a yawn and stood back up, wiping her eyes.

"I should probably get to bed." she said. "You need your rest as well if you plan on taking Fluttershy to the city tomorrow morning."

Tristan himself yawned and stood. He nodded in agreement and followed Twilight back into the house, completely forgetting the cigarettes on the porch. Twilight turned to go back towards the living room and Tristan walked a little further down the hall to his room. He stripped himself of his day clothes and pulled on a tank top and gym shorts and crawled under the covers.

He was almost asleep when he felt his bed move. Panicky, he turned his head to see that it was only Spike, who had crawled up next to him.

"Hey Tris," he said, groggy, as if he was just asleep himself. "I can't sleep, and Twilight won't let me lay with her." Tristan started thinking of how his brother would come get in bed with him when he couldn't sleep. He let out a breath and scooted over, patting a spot for him. Spike crawled onto the pillow and pulled the blanket over him, tossing and turning a little to get comfortable. He blinked slowly a few times before finally shutting his eyes and falling asleep. Tristan sighed with relief and was also overcome with drowsiness. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, the last image he saw being that of his little brother laying beside him.

A Good Day to Shy Pt. 1

Tristan's eyes shot open the following morning, only to find that he couldn't see anything. He was positive he had his eyes open, but all he could see was blackness. Did he somehow go blind overnight? He started to panic, but could feel something heavy laying across his face. He tried to remove it, but it was cool and smooth to the touch. Then he felt it breathe.

His mind processed the only possibility and shoved Spike off of him. The baby dragon landed on the pillow that he originally fell asleep on. To Tristan's surprise, he barely stirred. Tristan sighed and sat up in bed. It was definitely a crazy way to wake up, but that doesn't mean the rest of the day had to be crazy, right? After all, it was Fluttershy's first day out. How much of a handful can she be?

Not a second later, the door flung itself open, revealing the aforementioned yellow pegasus. She was hovering above the ground and carrying a tray with as much breakfast food as it could hold. She floated ever so carefully to Tristan's side of the bed and sat the tray onto his lap. Toast, oatmeal, pancakes, a tall glass of orange juice, and a cup of coffee lay atop it. Tristan could do nothing more than sit and stare.

"Fluttershy," he said, yawning, but still in shock, "You know you didn't have to do this, right?"

Fluttershy grinned and spun around in the air. "Well, um, y-you didn't have to let me go outside with you today either." she replied. "S-So maybe we're even now? I'm just so excited, I-I could explode!" She drew in the biggest breath she could and curled up into a ball, causing Tristan to turn away and cover his ears.

"...Pshhh..." Fluttershy whispered, mimicking the sound of what Tristan thought to be a drop of water hitting a hot frying pan. She extended her hooves in an exploding fashion, trying to add emphasis on her excitement. Tristan tried with every fiber of his being not to laugh at how adorable she was acting. It was almost heart-attack inducing.

Fluttershy landed softly at the foot of Tristan's bed and nudged at his tray. "Now eat up, Mister." she instructed. "Breakfast is the absolute most important meal of the day, you know!"

She stood and watched patiently as Tristan ate the food that was made especially for him, taking glances upwards to find that Fluttershy still stood her post. Tristan hurried through his meal as fast as he could, hoping to avoid more awkward silence. He finished the last pancake and guzzled the last drop of orange juice and slammed his glass back on the tray. Fluttershy clapped her hooves together in delight.

"Oh, my!" she said, "Somepony was hungry! Do I need to get you more?"

Tristan waved his hands in the air. He was almost too weak from eating so much in one setting. "No, no," he answered. "I'm stuffed. Thank you." He put on a big smile and moved the tray onto his nightstand. "I'm going to go take a shower now, so I'll be in the living room soon."

Fluttershy nodded and flew upward. She hovered over to the now empty breakfast tray and picked it up with her hooves. "Do you need any help getting cleaned up?" she asked, flying over to the door.

Tristan's face grew red from Fluttershy's innocent question. He shook it off and cleared his throat. "N-No, I'm fine, thanks." he stammered. "I'll see you in a sec, okay?"

Fluttershy nodded again and took off down the hallway and into the living room. Tristan shuffled out of bed and across the floor towards the bathroom, leaving a newly awake Spike rubbing his eyes. He climbed off the bed and waddled across the floor and down the hallway.

Tristan took his shower and changed into his clothes for the day, which were a purple v-neck and dark gray jeans. From his bedroom, he walked into the living room, seeing that everyone was already on about their own business. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Applejack all sat around the television, roaring with laughter at the men on the screen. He looked closer at the screen to find that they were watching an episode of a prank show that Tristan had recorded a while back.

"Look at all that flour!" Rainbow Dash squealed.

"Guys! It's not good when flour and water mix!" Pinkie Pie defended. "Trust me, I know!"

Applejack giggled "Ah guess y'all would call that a sticky situation!"

The four roared with laughter again, Spike falling over on top of Applejack.

Tristan chuckled to himself and looked for the rest of the ponies. Twilight was busy on the computer, as per usual. Tristan sighed loudly, wondering how Twilight was going to cope without a computer once she got back to Equestria. He turned his attention to Rarity, who was in a much chipper mood as she read through a fashion brochure she received from one of the shops she visited. But there was no Fluttershy to be found.

She walked out of the bathroom, already wearing the hoodie and shorts. Tristan gave her a puzzled look.

"W-Well, I don't want you to hurt your nose like last time I got changed." Fluttershy explained, a small blush forming.

Tristan's eyes widened, remembering the event all too well. He nodded quickly and allowed Fluttershy to walk over to Twilight. She took a seat right next to the chair, beaming up at Twilight. Twilight noticed her company and spun the chair around to cast the spell.

Twilight deployed her magic on the yellow pegasus and Fluttershy started morphing for the second time since she'd been here. When the light faded away, Tristan, like the others, was relieved to see that she had grown into her clothes correctly and, in Tristan's mind, had filled them out quite nicely. Fluttershy's pink hair fell over her busty torso and the shorts hugged her hips tightly.

Fluttershy twirled around, excited to once again be in human form. She skipped to the door as Tristan, trying to keep his mind away from Fluttershy's voluptuous figure, slipped on his shoes and waved goodbye to the ponies. They all waved back, then turned their attention back to the television just in time to catch the demise of yet another prank victim.

"Ooooh!" Rainbow Dash laughed. "That's gotta hurt!"

"That has got to be the biggest green ball I have ever seen in my whole entire life." added Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy and Tristan were fast on their way into the city after their stop at the clothing store. After extensive consideration, Fluttershy picked out a yellow sweater, an off-white skirt, and some modest underwear. She sat quietly in the passenger's seat, letting out a fidget of excitement every now and again.

"So," Tristan began, hoping to break the silence. "What do you wanna do today?"

Fluttershy simply smiled at Tristan. "Oh, um, whatever you want to do is fine." she replied. "Really. I'll be happy with just about anything."

Tristan sighed. "But it's your first day out." he reminded. "You should get to do anything you want. You know, within reason."

Fluttershy looked up in thought, lightly tapping her chin. She gasped as she remembered something Twilight had told her about. "I want to go to the zoo!"

Her request had captured Tristan's attention. "The... zoo?" he asked.

Fluttershy nodded quickly. "Twilight said they had animals from all over the world there!" the pegasus exclaimed. "Wouldn't that be great? Every animal your world has to offer in one place! Can we go?" She bit at her nails in excitement, awaiting Tristan's answer.

In all the years he had lived in the city, Tristan never once had been to the zoo. His parents either didn't have the money to take him or he was too busy balancing a full time job and, at the time, college. He searched for the zoo on his phone and set his GPS app to get them there. Fluttershy gasped when the voice on the phone gave him his first bit of direction.

"I-It talks to you?" Fluttershy asked in awe.

Tristan chuckled. "Yeah, it'll do that from time to time" he replied. As they continued driving, Fluttershy would giggle every time it spoke. Tristan found Fluttershy's amazement entertaining. She spent the entire trip staring at the phone, waiting for their navigator to give its words of wisdom. She even tried to talk back to it a few times, but every time, she was met with disappointing silence.

After a good twenty minutes, they finally reached their destination. The phone even declared so, and Fluttershy gave a small squeal as they turned into the massive parking lot. They parked in the third row and began walking to the entrance. The sign above the gate was adorned with the likeness of several different animals, which only added to Fluttershy's giddiness. Tristan had only just got done paying the woman at the gate for admission when Fluttershy took him by the arm and started pulling him around the zoo.

Their first stop was to the reptile house. Tristan watched in half-amazement as Fluttershy skipped towards the different habitats, tapping the glass of each and managing to get the attention of any animal she wanted. She would speak to them, giving them compliments on their scales or breaking up a fight that occurred between two iguanas.

Fluttershy waved goodbye to each of the reptiles before skipping away to the next habitat.Tristan made an unsettling discovery as they were walking out of the reptile house: the reptiles had been smiling after Fluttershy visited them. He tried to shake it off as a hallucination and exited the building.

After that, they made their way to the bird sanctuary, which seemed to peak Fluttershy's interest. She hurried into the netted area and began instantly pointing out every type of bird she saw.

"How do you know about all these different kinds of birds, Fluttershy?" Tristan asked, surprised.

Fluttershy held out a finger as one of her new feathered friends landed gently on it. "Oh, we have a lot of the same animals in Equestria that you do here in your world." she explained. She sang a few notes to the bird and the bird sang it back, matching Fluttershy perfectly. Tristan's eyes widened as they continued to sing more, with the addition of a few more birds. Soon it became a full fledged choir, and passersby were beginning to stop and stare in awe.

Tristan took notice of the growing crowd and quickly stepped up to Fluttershy, interrupting her conducting. She looked around at the large group of people who began applauding her. The birds flew away and Fluttershy became flustered over the abundance of attention. Her whimpering gave Tristan all the reason he needed to pull her away from the bird sanctuary and into the Arctic Area, where they would spend the next hour marveling at the penguins and polar bears while avoiding the masses.

Back at Tristan's house, Pinkie Pie had been pulled into the seclusion and privacy of a certain bedroom closet by one of the other ponies. Nervous sweat flowed from her as she was met with a scrutinizing stare.

"Tristan was acting kinda weird when he came back home with you." her closet-mate informed. "You didn't say anything, did you?"

Pinkie's eyes shot open. "N-No!" she stammered. The other pony's eyes narrowed. "W-Well, I slipped and told him that one of us liked him, but I didn't say any names! Pinkie Promise!" She said, repeating the motions of the Pinkie Promise that they had made earlier.

The other pony put a hoof to her head. "You can't say anything to him." she reminded. "I didn't expect anything like this to happen when we got here, but after spending nearly a week with him, I've discovered feelings for him that I've never had for anypony else." She sighed deeply. "Please keep this secret and hope that its just something I can get over before we leave."

Pinkie Pie nodded furiously in agreement as she quickly escaped their makeshift meeting room, leaving the other pony to collect her thoughts.

What am I gonna do?

It had been a few hours since the two arrived at the zoo, so Tristan and Fluttershy decided to have lunch. Set up just between the Arctic Zone and the aquariums was a jungle-themed concession stand. Fluttershy ordered a simple to-go salad and Tristan, who was still full from his massive breakfast, settled for a simple ice pop. They took a seat at a nearby bench to enjoy their lunches.

"So," Tristan said, trying to jump start a conversation, "What do you think so far?"

Fluttershy swallowed the bite of salad she had in her mouth and beamed at Tristan. "It's great! I-It's more than great!" she blurted. "I'm having the time of my life, Tristan!" She threw her arms around him, wrapping him in an iron embrace.

"That's... great..." Tristan whispered, "But... can I... have some air?"

Fluttershy released her hold on a breathless Tristan, who sat gasping for air. "O-Oh..." Fluttershy said in a much more sober tone. "I-I'm sorry..."

"You're... fine..." Tristan said, catching his breath.

When Tristan found his normal breathing pattern again, they finished their quick lunch and proceeded over into the aquariums. The inside was dark, with only the lights from the massive tanks surrounding them and a few overhead lights illuminating the way. Fluttershy stared admiringly at all the sea life that swam around them. A group of children had glued themselves to a glass wall, watching as a Great White shark maneuvered through the water on the other side. Tristan saw the massive predator and began shaking out of fear.

"It's okay, Tristan" Fluttershy coaxed, hoping to calm his companion. "He's behind a very thick layer of glass. He couldn't hurt you if he wanted to."

Tristan gulped and, with Fluttershy gently pushing him, approached the edge of the tank. The children made way for him next to the glass so she she could have a front row seat to the shark's activity. The shark took notice of his new observer and swam close to the tank, revealing just how big he really was. Tristan shakily watched as it came eye to eye with him. If it wasn't for Fluttershy being there, he probably would have ran. But instead, he stood his ground, waiting until the shark left. Tristan exhaled, relieved that the beast had gone.

Some of the children giggled at Tristan's reaction to the shark, but was soon silenced by Fluttershy's piercing stare. She pulled Tristan away from the glass wall and they continued through the rest of the aquarium. His mood eventually picked back up as they left the aquarium and made their way to the Safari Park.

The first animal they saw was the lion. Fluttershy stood next to the railing where they were kept, waving to get its attention. The lion approached and purred loudly as it gained a lot of attention from the pink-haired woman. Tristan approached Fluttershy, bewildered at her bravery.

"How are you not the least bit afraid of that beast?" Tristan asked.

Fluttershy giggled. "It's just like a Manticore," she replied, "Just not nearly as big."

Tristan cocked his head to the side. "Manticore?" he echoed.

She nodded.

"What's that?" Tristan followed up, not sure if he was ready for an answer.

"A Manticore," Fluttershy informed, "Has the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and large wings. They're about twice the size of that lion there."

Tristan's mind had been partially blown that something so terrifying existed in their previously assumed cute world. His mouth hung slightly open from trying to even picture such a thing. It was no wonder Fluttershy was treating the lion like an overgrown house cat.

The two finally left the lion's habitat and explored the rest of the Safari Park area of the zoo. Once they had been through the rest of the zoo (and the gift shop, where Tristan bought Fluttershy a stuffed panda bear), they proceeded back through the entrance gate and back to Tristan's car. The upholstered seats felt amazing to the pair, who were feeling slightly weary after their day.

Tristan checked his phone for the time. It had been four and a half hours since Fluttershy's transformation, giving them plenty of time for another activity and, very possibly, dinner. He looked over at Fluttershy, who was snuggling her panda bear. He smiled to himself as he backed out of his parking space and started driving towards the city.

A Good Day to Shy Pt. 2

Fluttershy and Tristan had arrived in the city about a half hour later. It was about mid-afternoon when they got there, which meant that they had until roughly eight to do a few more things and have dinner before Fluttershy returned to her pegasus form. The trip was almost nothing but Fluttershy going on and on about their zoo visit. It was probably the most talkative that Tristan had ever heard her be. It did his heart some good to see Fluttershy so happy.

However, a ding from his car quickly ended that as the light on the dashboard warned him of his low fuel level. Fluttershy seemed to not have even noticed the sound as she continued on about the animals. Tristan sighed a little and glanced over to his pink-haired passenger.

"I'm going to need to stop and gas up the tank before we can do anything else." he informed her.

"Oh." Fluttershy said, ending her giddy chatter. "That's fine." She smiled at Tristan and snuggled her plush panda bear some more.

They found a gas station a few moments later and pulled in next to the closest pump. Tristan killed the engine and got out, keeping the door open. He put in his bank card and punched his PIN number in. Fluttershy, who remained perfectly seated, watched as people walked the sidewalks next to her. She tried to wave at a passerby, but was met with a look of skepticism. The stranger shook his head and ignored her, continuing on his way. Fluttershy slumped in her seat and sighed.

The nozzle thunked a few minutes later, signifying that the tank was full. Tristan replaced the nozzle and received his receipt from the pump. As he climbed back in the car and pulled the driver's door shut, he noticed Fluttershy's drastic mood change.

"Everything okay, Shy?" he asked.

Fluttershy looked at him with sorrowful eyes. "I tried to wave at somepony just now, but they looked at me funny." she confessed. "Is everypony here like that?"

Tristan smiled weakly and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Not everyone is exactly friendly to people they don't know." he explained. "Some people just aren't interested in making new friends. It doesn't exactly excuse them from giving weird looks or being unkind to you, but that's just how a lot of humans are."

Fluttershy sniffled a bit. "Kind of like Cranky Doodle Donkey." Fluttershy replied, finding common ground with Pinkie's experience. Tristan's eyes narrowed in confusion, but decided to go along with it.

"Uh... sure..." he answered. He pulled away from the subject, hoping to cheer her up. "What do you wanna do next?" he asked. Fluttershy thought to herself, but could come up with nothing. She had already had one of the best days ever. What more could she ask of him?

"I honestly don't know." Fluttershy admitted. "I-I've already had such a great day so far..."

Tristan also thought for a second, then was struck with an idea. He put the car in gear and made the quick drive to the city park, where he and Pinkie Pie had been the day before for the carnival. Today, it was a much different scene, as all the rides and booths had been taken down and removed. Fluttershy quickly perked up when they took a parking spot on the side of the street opposite of the park.

Tristan got out of the car and fed the parking meter some quarters. The screen displayed that they had about an hour and a half until expiration. Fluttershy got out of the car next, and the two crossed the street onto the lush, green grass of the park.

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle had taken a rare break from the computer to do some theory writing with Spike in the kitchen. Rainbow Dash, who was seated in the recliner watching a motocross race, seized this opportunity and bolted to the computer seat. She looked around nervously as she picked up an unsharpened pencil with her mouth and typed out "how to deal with a crush" into Google's search bar. She hit the enter key and a split second later, thousands upon thousands of search options appeared before her. Not wanting to waste any time, she unthinkingly clicked the first result.

The page that appeared next was a post on an advice board. The user, "apples2apples", was apparently having the same problem. Huh, Rainbow Dash thought, Weird name. She ignored the thought and began reading the comments, hoping that someone would have just the information she needed.

Rainbow Dash ignored the following comments, as they were all attacking "BlackenedSunrise". She sighed, dropping the pencil she held in her mouth. As she went to close the window, a certain white unicorn popped up beside her.

"What's this?!" Rarity said in a playful manner. "Our little Dashie has a crush?! How exciting!"

Rainbow Dash panicked and tried to cover the computer screen the best she could. "W-What?! N-No!" she cried, but Rarity could see right through her defenses, smirking all the while. Rainbow Dash gave a sigh of defeat.

"Fine." she huffed. "I... I have a crush on somepony."

Rarity squealed in delight. "Oh, this is just fabulous!" she gushed. She pulled another chair up next to her rainbow-maned companion. "Tell me all about it!"

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I can't." she replied. "I'm not gonna say anything about it."

Rarity was displeased by this and put on her best pouting face. "Can you at least tell me their name?"

The pegasus stayed resilient. "Absolutely not." she contested. "Its not exactly something everypony would approve of, if you catch my meaning."

Rarity dramatically threw a hoof over her forehead. "Oh, a forbidden love!" she swooned. "How romantic!" She paused her act to place a hoof on the back of an annoyed Rainbow Dash. "I do hope things work in your favor, dear." Rarity comforted.

Rainbow Dash simply sighed and left the computer desk, returning to the recliner and focusing her attention back on the race. Rarity climbed up on the chair for her turn at the computer as she smiled and closed the advice board's window.

It had been half an hour since Fluttershy and Tristan had arrived at the park. They had walked the area of the park and were now sitting on a bench next to the small lake that lay in the park's center. Fluttershy tossed some duck food on the ground at her feet. A couple ducks waddled over and quacked gratefully, causing her to giggle.

Tristan checked his cell phone, noticing that he was finally able to feel hunger again after his massive breakfast. He mentioned an Italian restaurant that was only a few blocks away from here and Fluttershy nodded in agreement. She stood and threw the rest of the food on the ground for the ducks, who were quickly amassing around the food. They walked off of the grass and back onto pavement, crossing the street back towards Tristan's car.

Tristan stopped by the parking meter and fed it a few more quarters, adding an hour to the display. That gave them two hours to eat and maybe stop at a few places before having to hit another part of the city. They continued walking to the next intersection and made a left, continuing the short walk to the restaurant.

Once inside, they noticed that business was surprisingly stagnant. There was very few customers in the entire restaurant, which bewildered Tristan. Any other time, it was packed with some more customers loitering about outside, waiting to get in. He began to have second thoughts when one of the waiters hastily walked towards him.

"Just two?" she asked, beaming. Tristan simply nodded, slightly freaked out by this girl's enthusiasm. She giggled a little as she grabbed two laminated menus from behind the host's desk and motioned them to follow her. They did, and she seated them at a small booth next to the door. The waitress quickly rambled off the specials before taking their drink orders. Tristan and Fluttershy both ordered iced teas and the waitress disappeared.

Fluttershy looked the menu over a few times, unsure of what she wanted. She read each item's description carefully and had finally decided when the waitress sprang back into view. Tristan ordered the lasagna and Fluttershy ordered the spaghetti with three cheese sauce. The waitress scribbled down the order, swiped back the menus, and disappeared again, leaving Tristan and Fluttershy sitting in a semi-awkward silence.

After a few minutes, Tristan finally spoke. "So," he began, "Is Equestria much like my world?"

Fluttershy thought for a second, then shook her head. "No," she replied, "Your world is actually more advanced than ours." She looked down a little bit, then back up at him. "I-I mean, we don't have TV or cars or computers."

Tristan tried to picture that for a second. No television, no internet, no phones. He shuddered a little bit, realizing just how attached to his gadgets he really was. And here was a person, er, pony, who had never even heard of anything like that before she came to his world, and she seemed perfectly content about that.

"What do you guys do with yourselves?" he asked, hoping to find clarity.

Fluttershy looked back and forth nervously. "W-What do you mean?"

"You don't have almost any of the technology that I do." Tristan said. "What do you guys do to keep from being bored all the time?"

Fluttershy perked up. "We have all sorts of festivals, holidays, and events." she happily answered. She then began explaining everything from the Running of the Leaves to Nightmare Night and Hearth's Warming Eve, which she found were oddly similar to a lot of his world's festivals, activities, and events. She was in the middle of describing Winter Wrap-Up when the zippy waitress dropped off their food. The smell of it was enough for Tristan to dive in immediately, followed by his pink-haired counterpart.

Tristan had finished his lasagna in record time and Fluttershy was about halfway done with her spaghetti when the waitress came by and dropped off the bill. Tristan took a quick look, then slipped his bank card on top. He laid back in the booth, giving himself some time to rest while Fluttershy finished her spaghetti. After the waitress came to take payment, the two started talking again about the celebration similarities between Earth and Equestria.

After a while, Tristan checked his cell phone. They had an hour until the parking meter expired, and roughly two until Fluttershy's transformation. After the waitress had returned Tristan's bank card, the two got up and left the restaurant. The sky outside had begun to soften, with very few clouds in the sky. Fluttershy asked Tristan about a small store they passed on the way to the restaurant. Tristan smiled and nodded, and began to make their way there. They didn't make it halfway before trouble somehow sniffed the two out.

Fluttershy was walking alongside Tristan when she heard something coming from the alleyway they had just passed. She stopped mid-step and tried looking into the alley. Tristan stopped a few feet further ahead and turned back to see what had piqued Fluttershy's interest.

A minute or so passed until the two put the thought into the back of their mind. They turned to leave when a shadowy figure jumped from the ally and grabbed Fluttershy, pulling her back into the darkness. Fluttershy tried to fight the best she could, but her strength couldn't best her captor's.

"Tristan!" she screamed. "Help!"

The captor put his hand over her mouth, still fighting to pull her deeper and deeper into the alley. "Shuddup!" he hissed. "If ya know what's good for ya, you'll keep quiet!"

Tristan instantly bolted down the alley after them. He had a gut feeling that something wasn't right about the alley, and now Fluttershy was getting kidnapped. "Stop!" he yelled. "Let her go!"

The chase went on for several more feet until the alley dead-ended into the back door of another building. The criminal tried to open the door, but thankfully for Tristan, it was locked. Tristan finally caught up with them, slightly out of breath, but still ready to do whatever it took to get Fluttershy home safely.

"Let her go." he said. Fluttershy mumbled against the criminal's hand, which showed no sign of a lessening grip. The criminal spat at the ground and glared at Tristan.

"Go find your own broad, buddy." the attacker growled. "This one's mine."

Tristan's rage got the better of him. He knew that he wasn't nearly as big as the other guy, but it didn't stop him from sprinting at full speed towards them. He drew back a fist. "Fluttershy!" he screamed. "Duck!"

Fluttershy managed to break free of the attacker's hand and did as ordered, just in time to see a fist fly beside her head. Tristan's punch landed between the eyes of the criminal, knocking him backwards a few feet. Fluttershy saw her opportunity to escape and took it. She wiggled free and stood behind Tristan, trembling and sobbing. The attacker regained his balance and glared at Tristan.

"You're gonna pay for that one, punk!" he threatened. He charged at Tristan, who simply stood his ground, waiting for the right moment. The criminal got just more than an arm's length away from him when he was greeted with yet another punch, this one finding his gut. Tristan's punch coupled with the kidnapper's running speed knocked the wind out of his foe, dropping him a second time. Tristan began walking towards the battered enemy when Fluttershy caught him by the arm.

"Please," she begged him. "No more fighting." Tears started to form in her eyes as she looked back and forth between her potential kidnapper and her rescuer. Tristan looked Fluttershy over for any possible wounds, but thankfully found none.

Tristan turned her around and they began a slow walk to the alley's exit. They got a few feet away from the main sidewalk when Tristan felt a sharp, cold pain in his left shoulder blade. He fell to his knees, screaming. Fluttershy gasped as she saw the source of his agony: a small knife that had been their attacker's last shot. She turned to find him, but he had somehow disappeared from the scene.

Tristan's breathing increased rapidly as he felt around for the blade. He touched it, sending a shock of pain through his system. It had to be at least half an inch in his flesh. Fluttershy winced as Tristan let out another agonizing grunt. Tristan took a deep breath as he quickly removed the knife and dropped it at his side. He screamed again, falling forward on his right hand. He took some quick breaths and attempted to stand. He wobbled from dizziness and had to use Fluttershy as a support stand.

"We have to get you home!" Fluttershy urged, tears welling in her eyes. Tristan nodded and the two made the pain-riddled walk back to his car. Once there, he quickly fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the car.

"A-Are you sure you're okay to drive?" Fluttershy asked, getting in and shutting her door. "Maybe we should get you to a hospital..."

Tristan turned the key over once he was seated and slammed the car in drive. "Can't." he breathed. "If we do, you'll be at risk of transforming before we can get home." He peeled out of his parking spot and sped down the street to the nearest intersection. "Maybe Twilight can help."

Fluttershy quickly nodded and removed her sweater, placing it behind Tristan's still bleeding shoulder. Tristan tried not to stare at the half-naked passenger and focused on getting home as soon as possible. He hung a left at the intersection and sped down the main road that would lead him home.

Aside from Tristan's occasional grunts of pain, the ride back to his house was otherwise silent. Fluttershy kept nervously checking the wound in Tristan's shoulder. The bleeding had gone down some, but he wasn't out of the clear. Every time she leaned over, her breasts would enter his peripheral vision, and he would have to keep looking away. Between his growing dizziness from blood loss, the task of driving, and Fluttershy's chest being in his face every so often, Tristan wondered if it could crazier than it already was.

At least she's wearing a bra he thought to himself.

They indeed made it home, Tristan making a sloppy entrance into his small driveway. Fluttershy flung the car door open as soon as the engine was killed and scrambled towards the house. Tristan pushed open his door with his good hand and stumbled up the remainder of the driveway and up the steps to his front door, where Fluttershy had already busted the door open.

Inside, the other Equestrians were derailed from all their personal tasks by the half naked Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash, who before hadn't moved one bit from her recliner, was floored by Fluttershy's sudden entrance.

"What's going on?!" she asked, annoyed. She then took notice of Fluttershy, who stood in front of a pale-looking, severely beaten Tristan. Twilight Sparkle, who ran into the living room from the kitchen, was completely unaware of the situation.

"Is everypony okay?!" she asked. She looked at Tristan, who stumbled in past Fluttershy and fell face first on the couch, letting out a loud grunt as he made contact with its cushions. Twilight trotted up to him and gasped at his bleeding wound. She immediately turned to Fluttershy, determined for answers.

"What happened to him?!" she demanded. Fluttershy recoiled at Twilight's harsh tone, but proceeded to quickly tell them about how she was attacked and how Tristan saved her. She then told them all about the knife and how he was still bleeding. Fluttershy would have continued, but Twilight cut her off and started looking through some books for a medical spell.

After minutes of frantic searching, she finally found one. She sped back over to Tristan and removed Fluttershy's bloody sweater and Tristan's shirt, shuddering at the severity of the wound. The others gathered around to watch as Twilight began magicking the wound back together. It took about five minutes for the wound to be healed, and no one spoke the entire time, fearing the worst of their host.

The spell finished, Twilight levitated Tristan, flipped him face up, and gently placed him back on the couch.

"Tristan!" she said, shaking him. "Are you okay?!"

Sadly, she received no answer. Tristan had fallen unconscious during the procedure and lay perfectly still on the couch. Twilight sighed deeply, then looked at the others.

"I need blankets." she said, trying not to yell. Her voice was broken and somber. Spike shot up and ran to Tristan's bedroom to retrieve a couple blankets and pillows. He ran back into the living room, where Twilight levitated the blankets over him, then Tristan's head for the pillows. She moved the computer chair over beside his head and sat, watching Tristan as he slept.

Tristan was jolted awake in the middle of the night. He sat up in a panic, his vision not yet accustomed to the darkness. His vision eventually came, and he saw that he was on the couch in the living room, and the other's lay sleeping at various places in the room. He looked next to where his head lay to see a wide awake Twilight staring back at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey, Twi." he said groggily. "What happened?"

Twilight threw her front hooves around Tristan's neck and fell onto him, sobbing gently into his chest. He was knocked back down onto the pillows by this, but somehow felt no pain. He felt the shoulder that was injured to find that the wound was completely healed. He smiled and returned the embrace to Twilight.

"Thank Celestia you're okay." Twilight said, still sobbing. She tried to keep her voice down as to not disturb the others. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you." Her eyes shot open and she sat up a little on his torso, wiping her tears away with a hoof. "I-I mean, we would all be in trouble if something had happened to you."

Tristan chuckled a little and stroked her mane. "It was just a scratch." he joked, hoping to raise her spirits. "But thank you." he continued soberly. "I would have been in pretty bad shape if it weren't for your magic."

Twilight smiled and carefully climbed down from the couch. "Please get your rest." she urged. "You need it." She nuzzled Tristan and walked across the room to lay down next to Spike. A faint glow emitted from her horn to light the way. She curled up next to the sleeping dragon and quickly fell asleep. Tristan too shut his eyes and, as quickly as Twilight, faded back into his painless slumber.

T.S. Squared Pt. 1

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

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

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

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

"Good afternoon!" she said cheerfully.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"I did," she replied. She turned back towards Tristan. "But I wanted to observe the human anatomy first hand. Spike was too embarrassed to cooperate and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have assisted me, either. So that's why we're here." Tristan simply sighed and continued to lead Twilight through the rest of the prehistoric exhibit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Twilight smirked at him. "As far as I can tell, our worlds are scientifically the same, with the exception of technological advancements and some life forms." she replied. "I'd actually like to know more about your history." She produced the itinerary from her pocket and showed Tristan that the history museum was on the list right after lunch. "Shall we get going?" she asked him. Her stomach grumbled a little bit and Twilight blushed a little.

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

Tristan agreed with the plan for lunch, considering he slept straight through breakfast. They walked back through the front doors and into the beaming sunlight. They then exited the parking lot and crossed the street to where the aforementioned cafe was conveniently located. It resembled a coffee shop in many aspects, but had a full lunch menu as well. Twilight quickly ordered a veggie-burger meal. The cashier punched it in her machine and looked over at Tristan, who was having trouble deciding.

"I'll have the same." he said sheepishly. The cashier nodded again and typed in the rest of their order. Tristan paid her and within a few minutes, they received their food and sat down at a small table in the middle of the dining area. Twilight let out a soft moan of pleasure as she took her first bite of the veggie-burger, letting the new experience savor before swallowing with a loud gulp. Tristan tried ignoring the noises and began eating as well. After taking his first bite, he found out for himself the reason for Twilight's reaction.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You really dig this learning stuff, huh?" he asked. Twilight beamed back at him, giving him his answer before making it verbal.

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

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

"So," she began, "Why did you leave your university?"

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

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

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

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

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

"I understand that losing a loved one can be a devastating, and even traumatic, event." she said, hoping to comfort her guide. "But I know that wherever she is now, she would want you to push on and be the absolute best you can be." Tristan lifted his head to meet her eyes and she smiled warmly at him. "Which will be pretty tough, considering you're already such a great person. When you rescued Fluttershy from being harmed, I knew that Celestia had made a wise choice in electing our host for this world."

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

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

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

"Ready to go on?" he asked, his spirits much higher after their little conversation. Twilight nodded with excitement as they began through the next exhibit.

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

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

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

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

Tristan looked back at the machine and smiled. "For some reason, I've always been drawn to things like this. It's a secret passion of mine, I suppose."

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

"Well," she said, clearing her throat, "Your secret's safe with me." She smiled sheepishly, and found relief in Tristan's laughter. Unfortunately, their moment was crushed when a voice all too familiar rang out from behind them.

"Well, well, well." she said. "If it isn't the idiot Tristan Shay and the goody four-hooves Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight's and Tristan's face froze in horror, realizing that they both knew the voice. Their hearts both stopped and their minds raced, trying to somehow put this possibility together.

What the hell is she doing here?

How the hay did she even get here?

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

"Trixie?!"

T.S. Squared Pt. 2 (or, Twilight and Tristan's Trixie Troubles)

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

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

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

Tristan pulled the enemies apart. "I'm sorry, but I'm confused." he said. "How the hell do you two know each other?!"

Trixie faced Tristan and narrowed her eyes. "Don't you ever listen, Shay?" she snarled. "I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, am from the same world as your little friend here."

Tristan thought for sure that his brain would explode. He placed a hand on his forehead in hopes of suppressing the oncoming headache. "But that doesn't make any sense!" he cried. "Why didn't you tell me that before!?"

Twilight turned her attention to Tristan, her eyes widened. "Wait," she said, her voice hinting at suspicion. "How do you know her, Tristan?"

Tristan moved his hand from his forehead to the back of his neck. He smiled weakly at Twilight while nervously glancing at Trixie. "Heh-heh. Funny story." he replied, feeling like he was hardly able to breathe. "You see... uh... I...."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Out with it, Shay!" she demanded. "Tell her how you courted Trixie for no more than a month before you were bucked to the curb!"

Twilight's jaw dropped as she looked over to Tristan in disbelief. This discovery had rocked her to her very core. Tristan looked down to the museum floor in shame, but then snapped back up to face Trixie, who was standing cross-armed with a smirk.

"If I recall correctly," he began, "It was me who broke up with you. Being someone's constant verbal, and sometimes physical, punching bag gets tiresome after a while, you know?"

The blue-haired woman simply shook her head. "You're still just as whiny as ever, aren't you, Tristan Shay?"

"And you're just as much of a bi-"

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

"I'd like to hear this, myself, actually." he said, staring incredulously at his ex.

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

"Ursa Minor." Twilight corrected angrily.

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

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

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

"I awoke to find myself in a field near this city. After days of hiding and recollecting my energy, I was able to figure out how to use my magic again and make myself into one of the disgusting bipeds that walked this world. I also discovered that these pathetic humans are easily fascinated by even the smallest feats of magic, so I used this to earn money and eventually, a place to live." She smirked in Tristan's direction. "In fact, it was at one of my little shows that I met you, wasn't it, Tristan?"

Trixie approached him slowly, taking seductive steps towards her former companion. Her face came within inches of Tristan's as she raised her hand to his face. She brushed her fingernails gently against his cheek and let out a chuckle. "Too bad you had to end our little relationship." she said softly. "I was getting used to having my own pet human."

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

"Get away from him!" she screamed. She threw her hand out in front of her and from it a powerful blast of magenta magic flew into Trixie, knocking her into a wall. Tristan's heart immediately skipped a beat from such a close encounter with Twilight's magic. Nearby museum patrons screamed and a frenzy broke out around them as they all ran for the exits. He quickly backed behind Twilight, trying to pull her away from Trixie, but the purple-haired woman wouldn't budge. Smoke rose from her attacking hand as Trixie picked herself up from the museum floor.

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

"What's so funny?!" she demanded. Trixie brushed herself off and began walking towards them again.

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

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

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

"Tristan... I-"

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

"Twilight!" Tristan called. He immediately ran to her aid, lifting her head and shoulders from the floor. "A-Are you alright?"

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

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

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

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

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

"Don't ever touch him like that again."

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

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

"Twilight!" Tristan said, panicky. "We have to get out of here now!"

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

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

Tristan quickly ran around to his side of the car and hopped in, turning the key over and slamming the car into drive. He looked over to his passenger, who lay limp in her seat.

"Come on," he said, breathless. "Let's get you home."

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

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

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

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

Twilight gave Tristan an icy stare, causing him to laugh nervously. "Just kidding!" he said fearfully. "Just kidding."

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

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

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

Tristan held the door open for Twilight as they walked into the restaurant. The smell that hung in the air was enticing to both of their stomachs, almost like lunch didn't even happen. The waitress came over with menus and directed them to a table right next to the multiple buffet counters. The waitress took their drink orders and walked back towards the kitchen as Tristan and Twilight quickly attacked the buffet.

Twilight piled her plate up with as much fried vegetables, rice, and noodles as it would hold. Tristan returned to the table with some as well, but also sneaked a few things in with it, hoping it couldn't catch the attention of the ever observant Twilight. The two sat down and began eating. Twilight had brought in her notebook and was scribbling something down on one of the pages.

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

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

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

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

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

"What's that?" asked Twilight. Tristan finished chewing and swallowed.

"General Tso's chicken. It's so go-" Tristan slapped a hand over his mouth, but he already let the identity of his secret delectable be known.

Twilight stared blankly at him for a second and an awkward silence took place. Twilight looked back down at her food and scooped up another forkful.

"Don't let Fluttershy know." she said. The two burst with laughter and they both finished their plates. They went back up for seconds and devoured them just as quickly as the first.

"What did you see in her, anyway?" Twilight inquired. The waitress brought out their bill and some fortune cookies while Tristan fished around for an answer.

"I'm honestly not even sure anymore." he replied. "I think I was just desperate at the time."

Twilight nodded. She didn't completely understand the attraction he found in Trixie, but she didn't want to know any of the details, either. Twilight looked over at the fortune cookie and picked it up, observing it at every angle.

"What's this?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trixie. Tristan’s mind still wasn't able to fully grasp what had happened at the history museum. It all seemed too unreal, especially the fact that ex-girlfriend ended up being a unicorn from Twilight’s realm. Tristan’s thoughts then went to a specific moment of the confrontation. He looked over at Twilight and Trixie’s words echoed in his head.

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

Tristan stared blankly at Twilight. He wanted to ask her about it. He wanted to know for sure, but he stopped himself. Not right now, he thought.

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

"Where are we going?" she asked.

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

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

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

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

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

"She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

"One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

Or softly lightens o'er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express

How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

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

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart, whose love is innocent."

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

"Are you okay?" he asked.

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

"Tristan..." she said softly, "T-That was beautiful!"

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

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

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

"Are there any more like those in here?" she asked excitedly. Tristan laughed more.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"For what?" Tristan said, giving a confused look.

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

T.S. Squared Pt. 3

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

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

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

Tristan pulled out his cell phone and unlocked the screen. "Seven-thirty." he answered. Twilight's bouncing continued.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Everything okay?" she asked, her former giddiness disappearing. Tristan scratched his head, unsure of just what to say in response.

"W-Well..." he stammered. "Remember at the museum whe-"

A streak of light bolted across the sky before he could finish his sentence, ripping Twilight's attention away from him.

Dammit! he thought to himself. Do I ever get a freakin' break? Twilight bounced on the bench as she pointed up to the sky, which was soon being populated by more zipping white lines.

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

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

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

"Well?" she said, facing him, "What did you think of that?" Tristan smiled, not moving his eyes from the sky.

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

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

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

Twilight smiled and looked up at the sky again. "I was a total shut-in when I studied in Canterlot. When Princess Celestia sent Spike and I to Ponyville for the first time to overlook the Summer Sun Festival, she told me to make friends, which is something that I, at the time, wasn't very knowledgeable of. To say the least, I wasn't intending on making friends. I ended up meeting the others that day, who were bent on becoming friends with me. It was almost annoying, really. I just wanted to do my job and go back to Canterlot. I didn't have the time to make friends with all these crazy ponies. Pinkie Pie even threw a surprise party for me that night.

"But, as we've told you before, everything didn't exactly go as planned. After searching for the Elements of Harmony and defeating Nightmare Moon, I realized i couldn't be more wrong about the importance and necessity of making friends. I thank Celestia each and every day for that."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tristan fumbled with his keys as he searched for the one that would unlock the door. Fortunately for them both, an orange pony opened the door for them.

"Well, howdy! Y'all sure are home earl-"

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

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack demanded. The other ponies in the room jumped from their sudden entrance. They watched nervously as Twilight ripped the page out of her notebook containing the letter to Celestia and rolled it up.

"Spike!" she called. The baby dragon zipped from the kitchen, wide-eyed with panic.

"W-What?!" he asked shakily. "What's wrong, Twilight?" Twilight levitated the letter to Spike, who extended a claw to receive it.

"I need this sent to the Princess." she said sternly. "It's top priority." Spike scratched his head and looked at the paper.

"I-I don't know, Twi." he doubted, "I'm not sure if I can-"

"Just do it!" she cried. Spike flinched and drew a large breath of air. As he exhaled, a green flame engulfed the letter and it disappeared. Twilight let out a sigh and sat down on the floor. "Let's just hope it worked."

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

Twilight let out another sigh and explained their unfortunate confrontation with Trixie. The group gasped at the mere mention of her name, followed by questions of her existence in this world and Rainbow Dash's opinion of what she would have done if she was in Twilight's place. After explaining how Trixie arrived in this world, she let it slip about how Trixie and Tristan were, at one point, a couple. More appalled reactions ensued.

"My goodness!" Rarity exclaimed. "You and Trixie? Together?! Darling, what were you thinking?"

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

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

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

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

A few more minutes of discussion had passed when Spike belched out a scroll, much akin to the one Tristan had received over a week ago. Twilight instantly hovered the parchment in her direction, removed the seal, and unrolled. Everyone else watched with suspense as she read. Once finished, Twilight levitated the scroll towards the trash can and disposed of it.

"Well?" Tristan asked, "What did it say?" Twilight smirked back at him, giving Tristan his answer before she vocalized it.

"The Princess has assured me that everything will be taken care of," she announced, "Including Trixie." There was mixed chatter amongst the group. Rainbow Dash begged Tristan for more details about the fight while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy took seats on the couch and discussed their plans for their next time they would be human. Rarity took to the computer and Spike raided Tristan's refrigerator for a quick snack.

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

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

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

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

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

"I guess it was a few days after we got here." she admitted. "I mean, I don't know how this emotion developed so quickly. I just feel something inside for him that I've never felt for anypony else. I-I can't explain it." Applejack gently hopped down from the bed and approached her friend, who now sat on the floor in despair. Applejack sat down next to her and placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

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

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

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

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

"Did ya catch all that?" she said, narrowing her eyes. Chills went up Tristan's spine as he scrambled for the right words to say.

"W-What are you talking about?" Tristan replied, his voice shaky. "I-I was just going to the bathroom! Haha..." He tried to weasel a smile, but Applejack saw straight through the facade.

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

Tristan rubbed his head and trudged into his room. He closed the door behind him and shuffled over to the bed, where he removed his clothes and donned his gym shorts. As he crawled between the blankets, his mind began racing with thoughts of the purple unicorn. He had finally gotten his answer: Twilight Sparkle was the secret admirer. Her words echoed through his head, almost haunting him as he struggled to fall asleep. Of all the people he could have ever imagined, a talking unicorn from another world was the one who had fallen in love with him. After hours of sleeplessness, exhaustion had finally acquired the upper hand over his mind, sending Tristan straight to sleep.

Fast Forward to the Last Day on Earth

The next few weeks seemed to have went by in a blur. As the Equestrians were given more and more opportunities to explore the human world, the effects of Twilight's spell grew stronger. After a while, she was able to transform multiple ponies, and the occasional baby dragon, all at the same time. This opened the door to many new activities.

Tristan found that the task he had been given by Princess Celestia didn't feel at all like a task anymore. If anything, having talking ponies walk around his house started feeling like a new normal to him. His bond with the others strengthened, as well. Spike had became Tristan's new little brother, and all the others became the close friends he never had. All of them but one.

Since the night of Twilight's first day out, Tristan had sensed that the two had almost grew apart. She became more reserved, hardly talking to him at all outside of necessary conversation. She had stopped joining Tristan when he would sit out on his back porch at nights, which caused Tristan to pick up smoking again since no one was destroying his cigarettes.

Tristan awoke one morning and groggily checked his phone. It was eight thirty in the morning. As his focus enhanced, he noticed the date in smaller print just beneath the time. A knot grew in his stomach as he made a mental discovery: it had been twenty nine days since the Equestrians' arrival. Today was their last day on Earth, and tomorrow they would be sent back to their dimension, leaving Tristan all alone once again.

Tristan felt his heart sink in his chest. He almost didn't want to leave his bed, hoping time could stand still as long as he stayed underneath the covers. After several minutes of staring at his cell phone's screen, Tristan let out a sigh and threw the covers off of him. He climbed out of bed and shuffled off into the bathroom to begin his morning routine.

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

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

"We just wanted to do somethin' special for ya, sugarcube." she replied. "Ya know, for takin' care of us these past few weeks."

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

"You guys didn't have to do this, you know." Tristan said. Rarity stepped forward, joining Applejack.

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

"Exactly." joined Rainbow Dash, dropping her part of the banner. "Whatever you wanna do, we're game for it. Right, everypony?" The others confirmed Rainbow Dash's claim. Tristan noticed that Twilight Sparkle had been quiet and reserved since he had arrived in the living room. He sighed and hoped that things between the two could be patched up before they left.

"Sooo..." Pinkie Pie began, "Whatcha wanna do?" The others watched Tristan as he furrowed his brow in thought.

"Well," he started, "How about after breakfast, we all go out and we'll just plan it from there." Spike's eyes widened.

"All of us?" he repeated. Tristan nodded.

"Alright." Twilight yawned. She proceeded towards the kitchen. "I'm going to need some coffee first, though." Everyone else followed Twilight into the kitchen, where a quick breakfast was served and, between Tristan and Twilight, much coffee was drunk. The Equestrians then retrieved their newly washed human clothes and stepped inside them. They gathered in the middle of the living room and Twilight cast a cloud of magenta magic all around them. Tristan slipped his shoes on and grabbed his keys while the transformation finished.

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

"U-Um, Tristan?" she said softly, "I-Is there enough room for all of us in your car?" Tristan's face drew a blank, not having thought of this earlier. He scratched his head, thinking of a way he could get eight people to the city.

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

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

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

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

"I'm fine." she lied. Spike furrowed his brow.

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

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

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

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

"This'll be a long ride."

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

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

"We're going bowling!" he beamed.

"Bowling?!" the Equestrians asked in unison.

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

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

Tristan cocked his head. "You do?" he asked, dumbfounded. "But how do you grip the ball?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spike threw his hands up in annoyance as the ball finished it's trip down the gutter. The tenth frame of the third game was drawing to a close with only two bowlers left: Tristan and Pinkie Pie. Tristan picked up his ball and proceeded towards the beginning of the lane. He held the ball up to his face as he stared intensely down the polished wood. His team had won the first game, but took a loss in the second. His team was down by just a bit, so a win was possible. After a few moments of mental preparation, he shuffled forward, brought his arm back, and threw the ball forward with all his might.

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

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

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

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

She has been doing terrible this whole game, he thought to himself, This game is ours!

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

Yes! he thought again.

The ball was on the edge of the wood before it made a sharp turn at the last second, it zipped back across the alley and straight into the first pin. The others exploded around it, sending some pins into the adjacent lanes. A red "X" appeared on the overhead screen.

Tristan's jaw dropped, as did all of Pinkie Pie's teammates. After a moment of speechlessness, Rainbow Dash jumped into the air.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Pizza!" she quickly answered.

"Pizza?" Tristan repeated.

"Pizza!" Spike cheered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

After a pleasant, and filling, lunch, the group emerged from the pizzeria, smiles of content stretching across each of their faces. It had only been a few hours since they left, but since it was Twilight's first time transforming everyone, they weren't sure of how much time they had left. Tristan sighed as he checked his phone for the time, then he gathered everyone's attention.

"I think I want to spend the rest of the day at home." he said. "Not that I'm not having fun with you guys out here. I just want to just be with you guys for a while before..."

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

It took much less time for the group to return home, seeing as how they were the only passengers this time. The bus stopped near Tristan's house and the driver, with a friendly smile, waved them goodbye as they exited. They walked down the sidewalk and up the driveway, where Tristan tossed Rainbow Dash the house key.

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

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

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

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

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

"Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed. "We're having a big party! It's kind of like a going away party because my friends and I leaving tomorrow to go back to E-"

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

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

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

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

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

Tonight, she thought. "I'll tell him tonight."

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

"Nothing, forget it."

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

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

It was about the sixth song in when Applejack noticed that some of her friends were missing. She quietly excused herself from the group of dancers and walked into the kitchen. Pinkie Pie stood by the refrigerator, drinking a plastic cup of her specialty punch.

"Pinkie," Applejack said, her voice reflecting her concern, "Have ya seen Spike an' Rarity?"

Pinkie Pie shrugged her shoulders. "Not since they walked outside onto the back porch." she replied. She took another drink.

Applejack rolled her eyes and quickly walked through the living room. Her approach slowed as she reached the back door. She went to grab the doorknob, but was stopped by Rarity's barely audible voice.

"I'm more than flattered that you feel that way, Spike, but I'm looking for someone... oh, how do i put this gently..."

"I think I know where this is going... You don't have to explain it..."

"You'll always be my Spikey-Wikey, no matter what. I hope you remember that. And who knows? Maybe someday you'll have someone swooning over you, too."

"Yeah..."

Applejack jumped when the back door opened. Rarity closed her eyes and breathed out a sigh. After taking a moment to recollect composure, she noticed her friend standing next to the doorway.

"Applejack!" she acknowledged, "Catching some fresh air, I assume?" Applejack looked out of the door frame to see the green-haired boy slouching as he sat on the top step of the porch.

"Uh, yeah, sure." she replied. Rarity quickly rejoined the group, a tinge of guilt still lingering inside. After she had gone, Applejack exhaled and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her. She slowly made her way to Spike, who sat silently and was staring at the steps below him. She stood behind him for a second before making her presence known.

"Hey, there, sugarcube." she said softly. Applejack waited for an answer from him, but the silence continued. She took it upon herself to sit down next to him, hoping she could at least get a glance. Her wish was fulfilled as Spike's green eyes met hers. Applejack smiled.

"Rarity's right, ya know?" she said, catching Spike's attention. He was bewildered by Applejack's sudden knowledge of the heartbreaking event that just took place. He said nothing, but waited intently on her next words.

"Shoot," she began, "You're kind, hardworkin', loyal... Anypony would be plum crazy to not take an interest in ya!" Spike huffed in disbelief and returned to his slouching state. Applejack's smile disappeared for a second, but reappeared as she inched closer to him and placed an arm over his shoulders.

"In fact," she continued, "Ah bet there's somepony back home waiting for ya right now."

Spike lifted his head a little, once again making eye contact. "You really think so?" he asked shakily. Applejack squeezed the boy against her side for an instant, then stood, offering her hand.

"Ah'm positive." she replied. Spike smiled and took Applejack's hand. She pulled him to his feet and the two walked back inside to join the others,

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

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

Twilight Sparkle had finished her cleaning task and was preparing for bed when she remembered that she was supposed to meet with Tristan. She nervously walked out onto the back porch, which seemed to be a popular place to escape earlier that night. Sure enough, Tristan sat on the top step, as he always did on certain nights during the visit. Twilight nervously shut the door behind her, causing Tristan to look back.

"Hey." he said. The simple word rolled off his tongue in a nonchalant manner, almost like this meeting wasn't phasing him at all. It was drastically different for the purple unicorn as she softly returned the greeting and slowly paced over to join him. There was a silence between the two for a few minutes before Twilight finally spoke.

"Tristan, I have something to tell you..." she carefully informed.

Tristan shifted his attention back to Twilight. "Yeah," he responded, "Me too, actually."

Twilight swallowed, knowing she couldn't keep back her words anymore. In her mind, the statement was like a bandage. She just had to rip it off quickly, even though the pain will surely ensue afterwards, no matter the outcome. Twilight took a deep breath. "Tristan.... I-"

"I love you, too."

Twilight's heart stopped. "W-What?"

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

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

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

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you say anything before? Why am I only finding out now, the night before I go home and never see you again?"

Tristan dropped his head. "I was told not to. Applejack didn't want me to act on it for the sake of you not being hurt once you left. I tried my best to not do that, but the more we were together, the more I realized myself that I harbored the same feelings. I kept flashing back to every time you flicked my cigarette away, every time we had our little heart-to-hearts, and especially everything you said to Trixie that day. No one has showed so much care for me for a long time now. I just didn't want us to part ways and have to wonder 'what if' for the rest of our lives, ya know?"

Twilight nodded solemnly. A tear rolled down her cheek as she thrusted her head into Tristan's shoulder. Tristan turned and fully embraced Twilight, feeling a tear of his own form. The two sat silently holding each for a little while, letting their hearts talk amongst themselves. Tristan finally cleared his throat to speak and Twilight leaned back just far enough to see his face.

"I'm sorry it's ending like this." he concluded. Twilight thought she would burst into tears, but managed to keep the waterworks back.

"Yeah, me too." she said softly. She sniffled a bit and stood up. "We better get to bed."

Tristan nodded and stood up. The purple unicorn went inside, but he lingered on the porch for a bit longer. He glanced up at the bright moon and the stars that speckled the black sky. Tomorrow was going to be rough a rough day for him, but there was nothing he could do about it. They have to go back to their world, and he has to stay in this one. A tear fell to the broken wood of the porch as he walked back into the house and shut the door.

The Departure

Tristan woke up the next morning much against his own will. The display on his phone informed him that it was five past eight. He kept the blanket pulled over his head, hoping that somehow the thick polyester cover would slow time, maybe even stop it for all he cared. A sniffle from somewhere in the room had interrupted his wishful thinking and he poked his head out to investigate.

In his bedroom's doorway stood Spike. He stood for a second before breaking into a mad dash towards Tristan. Tears ran down his face as he quickly made his way across the hardwood floor and jumped, flopping on top of the bed. Tristan pulled the rest of the covers off of him in time for Spike to wrap him into an unimaginably tight hug, tears landing on the comforter.

"I don't wanna leave!" he cried. "I can't just leave you here! You're my big brother!"

The baby dragon's sobbing continued as Tristan wrapped his arms around him, fighting back his own growing tide of tears.

"Hey, hey," Tristan soothed. "It's going to be okay. You gotta go back and take care of Twilight, after all." His mind was brought back to the night before. Although he was going to miss all of them, he felt that Twilight's absence was going to take the bigger toll. He cleared his mind of her to catch Spike chuckling quietly under his breath. He gripped Tristan even tighter before letting go.

"Come on," Tristan instructed. "Go ahead back to the others. I'll be in there soon to help you pack."

Spike wiped his eyes on his arm and climbed off the bed, shuffling across the bedroom floor. Tristan let out a sigh and slowly slid off the bed as well. Thoughts clouded his mind as he lethargically made his way into the bathroom for a quick shower. Afterwards, he put on the most presentable clothes he could find: a white polo, a red tie, and the last of his clean jeans. He affixed the tie around his neck and observed himself in the mirror.

He wasn't ready. No, not for this. He could talk himself up for hours and hours and still not be ready for this to happen. Just when he started to feel a deep and sincere connection with them, they were leaving him. After all the hell he had been through to protect them these past thirty days, he wanted nothing more than to keep going through that same hell as long as it meant more time with his friends. His best friends. His family.

His gaze from the mirror was broken by another voice at his doorway, this one yielding a thick Southern accent.

"Sugarcube?" Applejack began. She observed Tristan's clothing choice before continuing. "Well, aren't you all spiffied up for the princess? Anyways, ya want some breakfast?"

Tristan smiled weakly. "Yeah." he replied. "Be there in a sec."

Applejack nodded, then trotted back off to join the other ponies. Tristan let out a shaky sigh and collected his composure to the best of his ability. He slowly made his way out from the naturally lit bedroom and down the hallway to the living room. Everyone's bags were already packed and lined up in the middle of the floor. Their owners sat at the kitchen table, taking small bites at their breakfast of pancakes and toast in a depressing silence. Tristan took a seat at the table, everyone else's eyes following him up until he took his first bite.

Twilight Sparkle's eyes, however, did not leave him for long. Painful thoughts overtook her mind as she glanced back at the man who had watched over her, protected her, whom she herself protected. Her heart sank, knowing that the one person she had ever loved was disappearing from her life. Twilight wanted so badly to break down and start crying right on the spot. She wanted him to go back to Equestria with her, but knew deep down that the chances of Celestia approving such a desperate plea would be slim to none.

Instead, she just sat quietly. The purple unicorn returned her attention back to her meal, mentally removing herself from the kitchen and Tristan.

The Equestrians sat in the living room at various locations after breakfast, silently waiting for their princess to come and accompany them back to their world. The silence was just as mind-numbing as before as the ponies simply looked around the room, then to Tristan, then back around again. Tristan sat on the couch next to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, with Spike taking residence upon his lap. He had wrapped his scaly arms around one of Tristan's, holding to it tightly. The only sounds that could be heard was the soft humming of the computer's tower and, occasionally, the air conditioning kicking on and off.

Tristan checked his phone again for the time. Nine-thirty. As far as he knew, Celestia would show up anytime now. He thought for a second, picking every corner of his brain to find something to break the silence. He was still deep in thought when Pinkie Pie spoke up.

"My favorite part was when Tristan took me to the carnival!" she cheerfully announced. "I had so much fun! I'm sure you did too, Tristan! Even though you threw up after one of the rides!"

Tristan's embarrassment was blocked out by relief of someone finally talking. He smiled and ruffled her pink, poofy mane, which seemed to have no aesthetic effect. Rainbow Dash thought and faced Tristan.

"My favorite was when you took me and Spike-"

"Spike and I." Twilight interrupted, half smiling. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and continued.

"When you took Me and Spike to the drag races!" The pegasus beamed. "Those things were fast!"

Spike nodded in agreement. He gripped Tristan's arm tighter.

"I had the most fun at the zoo." Fluttershy peeped. "So many cutesy-wutsey animals! It was amazing!" She giggled to herself. Tristan began seeing that the mood was lifting in the living room. Everyone had started to crack smiles and their eyes were no longer nervously glancing about.

"That reminds me." Rarity began, "That free fashion show that we went to? Simply spectacular! I have so many fresh ideas for my new line! I think even Applejack enjoyed it!"

Applejack snorted. "Ah'm just glad we saw the rodeo afterwards. All that fashiony stuff was startin' ta bore me."

"Oh, Applejack," Rarity replied, "You simply have no taste for high fashion."

"Got that right!" Applejack giggled. She turned her attention to Twilight Sparkle, who sat on the computer chair. "What about you, sugarcube? What was your favorite part?"

Twilight furrowed her brow, then thought back to her first day as a human. Sure, the battle with Trixie threw things off course for her and Tristan, but somehow, by the end of the night, everything still seemed to turn out amazing.

"The meteor shower." she answered, looking at Tristan. Her face barely showed a bright pink shade as she thought back to that romantic moment, just the two of them underneath the spectacle of lights. The moment made had warmed her heart, but only for a moment as the painful reality set back in. Spike looked up at Tristan, loosening his grip on the human's arm.

"What was your favorite part, Tristan?" the baby dragon asked. Tristan smiled warmly back down at Spike.

"All of it." he answered. His voice was soft, but he turned his attention to the group. "I wasn't sure what to make of all this at first. Actually, I thought that I had gone completely insane. I wasn't sure I could handle it. But since you guys came here, I couldn't have been happier. Sure, things were crazy at times. Maybe even downright disastrous. But I wouldn't change any part of it for the world. I'm glad you all were here, and I'm honored to call you all my best friends."

Tristan couldn't hold back any longer. He closed his eyes as tears began rolling down his cheeks. Spike saw this and flung his arms around Tristan's torso, sobbing silently into his shirt. The others had found themselves in tears, too, even Rainbow Dash. The group instantly charged the couch where Tristan sat and attached themselves to him. Tristan's tears generated more frequently as the ponies embraced him. After a few moments, a new voice broke through the air.

"It seems that even your host has learned a lesson or two." The Equestrians quickly turned their heads in the direction of the familiar voice. Tristan looked as well and found that a tall, white alicorn with a multicolored mane was smiling towards them. The gold crown that sat upon its head shined brightly from the sunlight that came in through the window.

"Princess Celestia!" they cheered. They all jumped from Tristan and bowed before her. Tristan scrambled to the floor to do the same.

"Tristan Shay," she proclaimed, "On behalf of myself and all of Equestria, I would like to thank you for your service. I am eternally grateful for your doing in teaching and protecting my subjects during their time in your world. I feel like my gift of this incredible learning opportunity would have been impossible without your cooperation. I couldn't have placed them in better hooves, er, hands."

Tristan looked up to Celestia once she had finished. He leaned back and sat on the floor. The alicorn seemed to tower over him from this angle. His eyes met hers and, even though he was initially intimidated, he found comfort and warmth in her eyes.

"Thank you, Princess." he replied. "I'm more than honored to have had this experience. Their short time here has, without a shroud of doubt, changed my life for the better. I couldn't be more obliged."

Princess Celestia smiled warmly at the human and gave a single nod. She looked around to her subjects and cleared her throat.

"Let us go." she declared. Twilight turned quickly to Tristan. The others followed suit, their faces wearing expressions of sadness. Twilight placed her front hooves around Tristan's neck and pushed her face into his shoulder. Tristan returned the embrace, holding her tightly against him and resting his chin on her head. A few moments had passed between the two when Tristan finally spoke.

"You have to go." he whispered. The words were as painful for him to say as they were for Twilight to hear. She squeezed him tight for the last time before releasing her embrace, returning to all fours.

"I'll write you." she whispered back. "I promise." Without a second to waste, she closed her eyes and planted a quick kiss on Tristan's right cheek. Tristan simply sat, frozen from shock to do anything else. He watched as the unicorn backed away slowly, arriving at Celestia's side with her friends. The princess's horn began glowing faintly, then brighter and brighter. Her figure, along with the other Equestrians began to disappear. Tristan reached out to them, watching as their bodies faded into thin air, then disappear entirely.

"Goodbye... my friends..."

It had been weeks since Twilight Sparkle and her friends had returned to Equestria. The first several days were more than difficult for the human that they had left behind. He woke up those days, scrambling out of bed, hoping that their departure was nothing more than a dream. He would run down the hallway and into the living room, but to his despair, the house was empty. The only evidence of their existence was the banner from the party. He bent down to pick it up, staring blankly at the hoofprints and the names to which they were associated. He finally decided to fold up the banner and store it under his bed.

He had been doing his best to cope with their absence, but the memories would frequently cause him to completely break down. He could still hear their laughter, taste the sweetness of Pinkie Pie's cupcakes, and feel the tingle of Twilight's kiss on his face. He would check his mail every morning before going to whatever job interview he had that day, hoping the purple unicorn had kept her promise, but no scroll ever came. After a while, he had completely given up hope that he would ever hear from them again.

Tristan woke up the morning of his birthday to the sound of his phone's alarm screaming at him. He sluggishly reached and turned it off, taking a few minutes before removing the comforter and setting his feet down on the floor. His foot had met another pile of stale potato chips. He groaned and made his way groggily into the bathroom to prepare for his first day at his new job.

He walked into the living room, dressed in the white polo, red tie, and jeans that he wore to meet Celestia. Running his fingers through his freshly cut hair, Tristan walked to the front door and aimlessly reached around for the mailbox. Once his hand had found it, he reached in and fished out a handful of envelopes. It was mostly junk mail, so he threw the collection of paper onto the table beside his couch. Tristan reached back down in the mailbox to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. The touch of parchment and wax made it clear that he had.

Eyes wide and heart racing, Tristan ripped the paper out of the mailbox. It was another scroll.

"Twilight!" he slipped. He quickly removed the wax seal and began to open the scroll, ecstatic to finally receive some sort of reassurance that she hadn't forgotten about him. He finished unrolling the parchment and held it within reading distance. His heart had shattered when he saw that the scroll was blank. Tears formed in his eyes.

What kind of cruel joke is this?, he thought. Why would she send me an empty letter?

Tristan had not realized that, in his blind depression, a small spot no bigger than the tip of a needle was glowing in the center of the scroll. As the glow began expanding to the edges of the scroll, Tristan felt a warm sensation emanating from it. A split second later, a loud flash accompanied an ear-shattering blast. The shockwave from the sudden explosion flung Tristan into unconsciousness.

Light.

That's all Tristan could see. He felt suspended in the unusual space that he had found himself in. It was all a bright white with no floor, walls or ceiling. Just an ocean of immaculate, near-blinding light.

Great. Tristan thought. I've been letter bombed. And now I'm dead. Fan-fucking-tastic

Tristan simply floated, waiting for either ascension into Heaven or plunge to Hell. His stomach was uneasy, like he could throw up at nearly any moment. He figured he may just hang there forever. Suddenly a voice called out to him.

Tristan!

The voice was gravelly, almost like an old man's. Tristan looked around frantically, looking for the other possible lost soul. He found no one, but the voice continued to call for him.

Tristan!

"What?!" he screamed back. His voice echoed throughout the empty space. There was no reply.

Tristan instinctively began a swimming motion towards the other person. As he kicked and flopped his way through the space, he began feeling warm. His hearing became more attuned, he could smell incense in the air. He couldn't explain any of it, but continued to maneuver forward. It sounded like whoever was ahead had gasped. There was some commotion before the voice spoke again.

Your Highness! He's waking up!

"Your Highness?" he called back. "What are you talking about?"

There was more commotion. Another voice then sounded through the emptiness, only this one was familiar. This voice was sweet, sincere. Much more pleasant sounding than the previous voice.

Tristan!

He recognized that voice anywhere. Was it really who he thought it was? He thought for sure he would never hear that voice again.

"T-Twilight?!" he called. The possibility of her being close caused his body to involuntarily go into overdrive. The white background started forming colors and shapes. They were blurry at first, but they eventually became more enhanced.

Tristan had regained full consciousness when Twilight Sparkle bent down and kissed him on his forehead. She smiled down on Tristan, her heart in a flutter.

"Welcome home, Tristan."

Final Author's Notes

I'm overjoyed, yet, at the same time, sad, that my first story has come to an end. It's been a crazy ride for me as I was merely testing the waters that is creative writing. Sure, being a musician, I'll often times write poetry and lyrics, but actual stories? The thought never crossed my mind. I mainly started this as a way to entertain my "Try Anything At Least Once" motto. But damn, I'm glad I did.

I'm thrilled that I've had such great reception from "My Little House Guests". 22 Followers, 127+ Upvotes, 198+ Favorites? I'm still dumbstruck by how well this went over with you guys.

Thank you all so freaking much for your support in this. If it hadn't been for all you guys being supportive of this story and believing in its potential, I probably would never have finished it. Hell, I probably wouldn't be making the announcement that I'm about to make, either. But that's in a bit. There's some more thanks that need to go out.

Thanks to my fiance for supporting my work. I would sit on the couch, loudly clacking away at the keyboard and pestering her about possible plot ideas (The whole Trixie thing was partially hers), while she sat next to me trying to drown out my keyboard noise with Project Runway or Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo. So really, I'm partially thanking her for dealing with me having my face in the computer for a good chunk of my free time.

Also, super special thanks to HadronPony for coming to my rescue roughly halfway through the story and agreeing to be my editor. He's saved my plot from taking this story and sending it in all directions quite a few times, and I've gained some extremely helpful advice from him that's actually bettered me as a writer. I enjoyed working with him.

And now...

ANNOUNCEMENTS

I noticed in the comments from the last chapter that a lot of you are expecting a sequel to Tristan's little tale.

Well, do I have some good news for you.

I present to you all, the next installment in the Tristan Shay Saga:

Yeah, that's the exact description I'm gonna use.

That little contest I was telling you guys about? Yeah, that's still going on. If you aren't a Watcher and you don't get my Blog posts, I'll explain.

I'm tossing in the names of all of my Watchers into a hat (again, yes, a real hat) and picking one. Whoever I grab, if they so choose to participate, their OC will play a small part in an upcoming story. They can pick their profession, attributes, personality, the whole shebang. But some of you know this already, so you're wondering what the announcement for this is.

Well, I'm sure you've figured out that "Making Adjustments" is my only foreseeable upcoming fic.

Which means it's kinda obvious that the winner's OC will be featured in "Making Adjustments"

But the announcement is that I'm extending the deadline to Midnight US Eastern Time to gather all the names. I'll announce the winner in a blog post tomorrow. Again, you don't have to participate if I get your name. I'll just draw another, no biggie. I just think this would be a fun idea.

Well, again, thank you all so much for your support. I can't wait to start writing "Making Adjustments", and I'm sure you guys can't wait to read it. Keep being awesome and I'll see you later!

-Michael "SpazzyJamz" Price