The pressure inside Greg's head was immense, and his face burned hot. His whole body was in flames, and the gentle early morning breeze did little to stop the sensation from getting more intense. He focused on keeping his body as still as possible, but his muscles twitched every time he tried to precisely adjust his balance. His arms, shoulders, and chest burned due to the weight over them, and the lengthy physical strain from handstanding was making the blazing sensation hard to ignore. He looked up, his stare stuck on the ground over his head, with several drops of sweat traveling up his neck and dropping from his chin and nose. He forced his attention on his body so he wouldn't lost his balance and fall.

He breathed in and out sharply a few times before managing to gather the will to move himself once more. He locked his thoughts on his arms, trying to keep them under control as they ached and trembled, slowly lowering his whole body, his head getting just a few inches away from the hard concrete ground, before putting all his might to push himself upwards again.

thirty-two... thirty-three... thirty-four... thirty-five... thirty-six... thirty-seven, he mentally counted, stopping to catch his breath each time. His lungs seemed unwilling to cooperate, but he forced them to work, feeling his chest and abdomen ache as he drew air in. His wrists hurt for sustaining the whole weight of his body, but being close to a round number made him push the pain away and keep going.

As the thoughts of doing the next reps flooded his mind, so did the anticipation of the pain it would cause. He could feel a slightly numb sensation slowly traveling down his arms, and a cold pit form inside his chest, as he felt that the pain was closing in, and he'd have to endure it.

thirty-eight... thirty-nine..., he counted, squinting his eyes, his arms threatening to fail him.

"Forty!" he growled, giving a powerful push against the ground. He let out a loud sigh, and allowed his legs to fall back, landing his feet loudly on the concrete floor, quickly standing straight up and rubbing his palms together. He brought his left hand onto his right shoulder, massaging it while moving his right arm in circles, trying to lessen the burning sensation that persisted.

"Aw, fuck," he said, panting heavily, squinting his eyes shut and raising his chin to the sky, feeling his chest and back start to burn from the physical stress. He looked down to the ground and stretched his arms back the most he could, interlacing his fingers at his back, feeling his back and chest silently cursing at him. He then allowed his arms to fall limpy before bringing his right hand to his forehead, wiping away the sweat that managed to fall in his eyes.

"I guess... y-yeah... it's good... for today..." he said, resting his hands over his waist and looking down to the ground, gasping for air. His head felt light, and his hands were shaking. The lack of oxygen made a pit form again inside his guts, the thought of asphyxiating and passing out quickly wandering in and out his mind. He began to slow down his breathing, to calm down his body. After a few minutes, he let out a deep sigh.

He turned to the back door, slowly stepping towards it. He pulled it open and stepped inside, eyeing his kitchen as he traversed it, looking at the cabinets he would be opening very soon and mentally planning the things he'd be cooking when the time for preparing breakfast came.

Walking into the living room, he eyed the things as they came into view. The center table, which now had no old and boring magazines laying over them, the new flat screen that hanged on the wall, the white walls with the same ugly paintings, the two light-brown couches with a few cushions, and a purple alicorn sitting over the couch next to the window, with her head rested over the couch's backrest as she looked outside.

He halted, locking his stare at Twilight.

"Hey," he said. Twilight raised her head from the backrest and looked at him.

"Hey," she said.

"Up already?"

"Mhm," she replied, resting her chin back over the backrest, her ears flattening out. Greg stared at her for a while before walking closer and sitting down over the couch armrest.

"So, uh..." he trailed, trying to make her say something. She just looked at him.

"How long have you been here?"

"A few minutes."

"Hmm. And... what are you doing?"

"I was doing... uh... I was taking a look at the spell."

"This early? Wow."

Twilight sighed.

Greg kept staring at her for a while before looking down to the couch. "Did you get something to eat?" he asked, looking back at her.

"Not yet."

"Why didn't you eat something before working?"

"I thought that maybe if I went over it right after getting up, I'd have the insight I need."

"Hmm."

"But it didn't happen," she said, letting out a sigh. "I think I'm a bit tired from trying to fix that teleportation spell and not making much progress," she said, looking outside.

"Maybe it'll get better after you eat something. I'll just take a quick shower and then I'll get breakfast going, okay? I'm thinking about waffles. What do you say?"

"I guess I'll just get some oats."

He stared at her for a while, before looking down at the couch's seat and giving a short nod. "Uh, well... alright, then. I guess I'll just get some cereal to myself in that case," he said, standing up and walking away from the couch.

"Why are you dressed like that?" asked Twilight, looking at him. Greg halted, turning around to face her.

"I was... working out."

"Working out?"

"Yeah."

"Since when did you work out?"

"I always did."

"Oh..."

Greg kept staring at her for a while. "You're still asleep by the time I'm done, so..."

"I guess that explains why you're larger than the other humans," she said with a small smile, which soon vanished from her muzzle.

"Yeah, I guess," he said, shrugging. Twilight looked back outside.

"Why did you really wake up so early today?" he said, stepping closer to the couch.

"Bad dream," she said, without looking away from the window.

"Bad dream?"

"Yeah," she said, looking at him. "I have it sometimes."

"The same dream?"

"Mhm."

"Hmm."

"It's the second time this week."

"Oh. And... what happens in this dream?"

"It's nothing important. It's just a pesky nightmare."

Greg kept looking at her for a little while before his stare trailed downwards. He gave a short nod.

Twilight rested her chin over the backrest, looking through the window.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?" he said, looking back at her.

"Hmm?" she said, looking at him.

"Could you set the table?"

"Sure," she said, standing up from the couch and trotting towards the kitchen. Greg stared for few seconds at the window Twilight was looking through before turning around and heading to the staircase.

"Alright," he said, walking into the dining room carrying a bowl of cereal, setting it over the table and sitting on his seat. He took his spoon and brought some cereal to his mouth.

"Hmm," he said, chewing. She looked at him.

"Hmm mhm."

"Hmm?", she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm," he replied, raising his hand to signal for her to wait him swallow. "How are the oats?" he said, mouthing more cereal.

"They're fine," she said, slowly nodding, looking back at her bowl of oats and slowly shuffling them around with her spoon.

"Yeah?"

"Mhm."

He kept staring at her for a little while before eyeing around him, looking for what to say.

"So, uh... not hungry?" he said, gesturing towards her bowl.

"Not much," she replied, almost whispering, letting her spoon out of her magic grasp.

"Hmm…” he said, staring at her. “You know… I've noticed you've been eating less each day. You never finish your whole meal."

She sighed. "I'm just haven't been feeling too hungry lately..."

"You've been losing weight, you know?"

"Uh..." she said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"And that's not a compliment."

"Oh..."

"Really, it's starting to worry me, Twilight."

"Look, I'm okay."

"If you're okay, why aren't you eating?"

She let out a frustrated sigh.

"If there's something wrong with you, you need to tell me. If it's something lacking in your diet, you have to tell me so I can go after whatever it is. If I'm messing things up when I cook, you have to--"

"It's not the food!"

Greg stood silent, staring at her for a while. "So what is it?"

"I don't know!" she said, snapping at his direction and hitting her forehooves on the table. "I'm not-- I'm just not hungry! It's simple as that! Why is that so hard to understand?"

Greg raised an eyebrow, and kept staring at her.

"I'm just-- I..." she trailed, her sight drifting towards the table's top.

Greg looked down at his cereal, mouthing some. Twilight looked at him, slowly realising that she had lost control.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that to you."

Greg slowly nodded, without looking away from his meal.

"Greg, I'm sorry. Please, don't be mad at me."

Greg kept staring downwards at the table top, bouncing that situation around inside his head.

"Look, I'm, uh..." she began, looking down at her bowl. He looked at her. "I haven't been feeling well lately..."

"Hmm," he said, looking at her.

"I'm stuck."

"Stuck?"

"Mhm," she replied quietly.

"Stuck on what?"

"On the teleportation spell," she said, letting out a long sigh and rubbing her eyes.

"What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know," she said, resting her forehooves over the table.

"Hmm..."

"I mean, there seems to be NOTHING wrong with it. I've checked and rechecked it several times. It's all I’ve done for the last three days. The runes are all correct. I guess. I think I managed to work out the modifications I did, but..."

"Hmm... so... what's the problem?"

"The problem is that, for some reason, it's not working."

"Hmm... did you try to teleport yourself back home already?"

"No. I tried just the destination prediction part of it, just to see if I didn't mess it up, as it's the most important part of the spell. I tried it, but it didn't find a destination. Which means it's not working."

"Hmm... destination prediction?"

"Yeah."

"Uh... what does that mean?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"It means... predicting where your destination is."

"Oh... I didn't know that was a thing."

"To teleport you have to know where you're going. And for that, you need to know where your destination is. And the spell helps you to predict the position of your destination. It deals with pesky details like moving targets and obstructions. But for some reason, it's not working," she said, pushing her bowl aside and resting her chin over the table.

"Hmm," he said, rubbing his chin, his stare at infinity. "Oh, so you don't do it blindly."

"Of course not," she said, raising her head. "Teleporting without knowing where you're going is downright suicidal."

"Hmm, makes sense. Uh... and... what would've happened if it was working? I mean, uh--"

"If it was working, I'd have seen the destination I've chosen, my world."

"Oh... uh, so...?"

"So... I don't know. I'm really stuck on this.”

"Hmm."

"And it's really..." she trailed, letting out a sigh, "it makes me feel awful."

"And why's that?"

"Because I can't seem to solve this. It's a teleportation spell, for crying out loud. They're not THAT complicated. It shouldn't be so hard. And still, I'm not managing to find the problem with this one. And that makes me feel stupid."

He kept looking at her.

"I mean, maybe I'm actually stupid. I messed up a simple teleportation spell--"

"Okay, c'mon now, don't do this. I imagine it's not an easy problem to solve."

She sighed.

"You shouldn't toss all the value of your hard work away just because you're stuck on a small part of it."

"But it's the most important part of--"

"Yeah, but it's just ONE part of it. The bulk of the work is done, right?"

She sighed. "Right."

"So, there you have it. You've made a lot of progress. And you got stuck before, so--"

"But not this badly."

"If this is the hardest part of the problem, I guess it's acceptable to get stuck on it for a while longer. You shouldn't beat yourself up this much because of this. It's a hard problem."

"Yeah, I know. I know."

He kept staring at her.

"But I expected to make much more progress than what I'm making right now. I've been trying my best to get enough sleep so I can work better and..." she trailed.

"And?"

"I mean, I've been sleeping... sort of well. Those nightmares haven't been helping me much, waking me up in the middle of the night. And I've also been trying to distract myself, so I won't get burnt out, but..."

"And how's that going?"

"Uh... bad."

"Bad? Why?"

"It's just that... for some reason I can't tune off from the spell. I feel bad for not working on it. I try to do some reading on the internet, learn some random things, distract myself. But there's always that feeling... that I'm wasting time. And it's getting hard to ignore it, because it makes me wonder, more and more, if I'm ever going to make it back home," she said, looking down at the table top. "And when I give up and try to work on the spell... ugh, I almost can't bare to stare at those papers anymore. It's really frustrating."

"Hmm... and... ALL you've been doing to distract yourself is... read?"

"Mhm."

"Hmm..." he said, looking down at the table's top, slowly rubbing his chin. Twilight looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I think... I might have an idea of what's going on here..."

"You do?"

"Yeah," he said, looking at her.

"What is it?"

"Learning is a mentally demanding task, yes?"

"Uh... yeah?"

"Just like working on the spell."

"Hmm..."

"So... I guess you're not actually cooling down after working on the spell. You're just keeping yourself hot with something else."

"But that doesn't make much sense. I always read to relax. It has always worked."

"Okay, but what's the last time the only thing you did for months straight was read?"

"Oh, uh... I guess... when you put it that way..."

"Mhm..." he said, giving her a short nod.

"What should I do, then?"

"Yeah, bout' that..." he trailed, leaning against his chair and looking down at the table, rubbing his chin.

"Hmm?"

"What else did you do back on your world?" he said, looking at her.

"My routine?"

"Yeah. What were the things-- uh, what did you used to do?"

"Well... I read."

"Besides that."

"I had some small royal business paperwork I had to deal with, nothing complicated. It's actually pretty silly."

"Mhm," he said, looking at the table's top and rubbing his chin.

"I would, quite often actually, go on a picnic with my friends."

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"Nothing," he said, without looking at her, shaking his head and waving a hand at her. "Carry on."

"Uh..." she said, eyeing around the room, trying to recover her train of thoughts. "Sometimes I'd play Dragon Pit with Starlight and Sunburst."

"Play what?"

"Dragon Pit. It's a board game."

"Hmm..." he said, staring back at the table.

"And, on rare occasions, I'd go to the local spa."

"Hmm."

"Hmm?"

"That's all?" he said, looking at her.

"Mhm. I mean, sometimes I'd go and visit my parents. Or my brother. Or they'd come over. Or one of my friends."

"That is, indeed, something that's lacking here," he said, rubbing his chin and looking back at the table's top.

"Uh...?"

"You've spent that last couple months inside this house."

"That's not true. I go outside."

"In the backyard," he said, looking at her. "That barely counts."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms over the table. "Well, it seems you used to interact with more people back in your world. And, although you like to read a lot, you also went out. And from all those things, the only one you've been doing is read."

"Well, I have you to talk to."

"Yeah, but you have JUST me to talk to."

"Hmm..." she trailed.

"And I don't have much more to do in here. I don't play games. I mostly just work. So... uh... I guess… given that you’ve spent so much time in here… the only thing there's left to do is going outside."

"Go outside? But last time--"

"Yeah, I know. I know," he said, raising his hands defensively, making Twilight's inbound train of words halt. "Last time was sucky, I know. That's why I was a bit reluctant to suggest this again. But… it has been a couple of months already and... we... we'd just go, literally, outside," he said, pointing towards the living room's window. "We'd be walking right outside. We could just walk down a few blocks, and then come back. Just so you can stretch your legs. And... that'd be it. For today, that is."

Twilight looked away from him, nervously tapping her forehooves on the table while she cogitated Greg's idea. "But... wouldn't be more humans outside?" she said, looking back at him.

"Maybe. But I was thinking we could go late in the night, when there's almost no one outside."

"Hmm," she said, looking away from him and biting her lower lip.

"So, what you say? Should we try that?"

She looked back at him, and kept staring at him for a while before sighing. "Yeah. I think we can try."

He stared back at her, giving a small smile and a short nod. She looked down to her front hooves, rubbing them against each other nervously.

"I hope nothing goes wrong this time." she said quietly.

"It won't. I promise."

"But how do you know--"

"I won't let it. Okay?"

She stared at him, trying to force herself to not remember what happened a few months ago. She looked away from him and pushed out a small smile, but didn't manage to keep it on her muzzle for long.

"In the meantime, try to take it easy."

"I'll try."

"I think I need to find some cool stuff we can do in here if you're going to spend most of your time inside this house. I thought that a fast and unlimited internet connection would do, but... well, I guess I overlooked the monotony."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing concrete. Yet. It's been a long time since I had any guests. Like I said, I mostly just work, so... yeah. I'll think about this. But I'm confident going out is gonna make you feel better."

"I hope so," she whispered, looking towards the living room.

"Well, time to work," he said, standing up from his seat. "Are you done with your breakfast?"

"Mhm," she said, looking at him.

"Okay, let me take all this stuff to the kitchen," he said, grabbing his bowl and going for Twilight's.

"Let me do the dishes. You said you have to go to work."

"Yeah, but--"

"No buts. Let me do them."

Greg chuckled. "Well, alright," he said, setting his bowl back over the table. "Thanks," he said, smiling and walking towards the staircase. She smiled back, taking the dishes in her magic grasp.

The car rocked sideways when a front wheel hit the sidewalk. Greg pulled the handbrake and tapped his pants and jacket pockets, cursing in frustration when failing to find the garage door remote. He sighed, allowing his hands to fall limply over his lap, and looked around the car. He grunted, pulled the glove compartment open, and shoved his right hand inside, pushing aside several papers and a couple of cd cases that were forgotten in there.

Shit, he cursed in his mind, sighing.

He unfastened his seatbelt, throwing it to the side, and shoved his door open. His gaze snapped at the garage door upon stepping out of the car, seeing it slowly raising. He rested his hand over his door, staring at the garage door as it unveiled a purple alicorn.

"Forget the remote again?" she asked, smiling.

He nodded, smiling back and getting back in the car. He pulled his door closed, looking at Twilight as he fastened his seatbelt. He stared at her for a while before she noticed and stared back, giving him a smile. A small smile found its way to his face, but soon vanished as he realized she was outside during the day, where anyone around could see her. He quickly looked through his window, scanning the street, looking for anyone that might end up seeing her. The street was deserted as usual, with all the neighbor's cars properly parked on their driveways. All but a white sedan, parked a block up the street.

Hmm... , he thought, frowning.

He kept looking at the car, searching inside his mind if there was any neighbor with a white sedan. He raised an eyebrow when he didn't find one.

Someone's inside it..., he pondered, his eyes capturing signs of movement inside the vehicle. He strained his eyes to make out the details of what that person was doing, as it seemed that they didn't have their hands over the driving wheel, nor lying over their lap.

Their hands are raised to their face... their elbows are high..., he noted to himself as he slowly accumulated more details of what he was looking at.

Hands near the eyes and elbows high... are they holding something to their face?, he asked himself as he could barely make out the shape of an object in front of the person's face through the windshield.

Could it be... wait... binoculars?, he asked, frowning heavily and narrowing his eyes.

"Greg?" asked Twilight, standing still at the garage door. She stepped closer to the car, halting near his window.

"Heeey, wake up," she said, waving a forehoof in front of his face. He flinched back, looking at her.

"Everything alright?"

"Uh... yeah," he said, looking at the white car in the distance.

"What... what are you looking at?" she said, turning her head in the same direction Greg was looking, eyeing the street, trying to find what caught his attention.

"Uh, nothing. Hey, uh..." he started, making her look at him. "C'mon, hop in. Let's park," he said, looking at her, waving his left hand towards his car.

"Oh, sure," said Twilight, trotting around the front of the car, using her magic to pull the passenger door open. He grabbed his backpack and threw it to the backseat, making room for her to sit.

He looked outside once again, and stared at the white car for a little while before looking forward, shifting into first gear and moving on. In a few seconds, the car was fully inside the garage.

"Phew, finally," he said, cutting the engine, pulling the handbrake and letting his head rest against the headrest of his seat.

"Tough day?" she asked, looking at him as she pushed her door open.

"Nah," he replied, letting his seatbelt go and shoving his door open.

He stepped out of the car and went directly to the door control near the garage door, pressing the button. As the door rolled down, he leaned his head, trying to get a last glimpse of the car. He didn't manage to look at it for long, for the garage door quickly blocked his view.

"Anything in the trunk?" she asked, standing still next to the car's trunk, smiling.

"Uh, yeah..." he said, turning around to look at her. "Yeah," he continued, stepping closer to the car and opening the trunk. She walked towards it, humming a song and bobbing her head slightly.

"Hey, you look a lot better since this morning," he said, looking at her while pulling the trunk open. "Did something happen while I was out?"

"I was thinking about what you said earlier and... I don't know why, but I'm feeling quite excited for tonight," she said.

"Oh, that's really good to hear," he said, smiling back at her.

He leaned forward and grabbed one of the bags, making sure the groceries were inside it properly, so they wouldn't fall out. When he extended his hand to get the next one a purple aura engulfed all of them, including the one he held, and the bags floated closer to Twilight. He chuckled when he saw the bags floating around her.

"I'll never get used to that." he said, closing the trunk.

She chuckled, and made her way out of the garage. He followed right after.

His mind shifted back to that white sedan parked up the street, making him stop dead on his tracks, his sight locking on the concrete floor right in front of him. His mind stuck on that car, and the memories of the person inside it, holding something resembling a binocular flooded his mind.

"Forgot something?" she asked, shattering his barely formed train of thoughts.

"Hmm?" he said, looking at her.

"You just froze in there. Did you forget something?"

"Uh... no. I, uh..." he trailed, going silent once more. Twilight stared at him for a few moments before stepping closer and looking up at him.

"Greg?"

He stood mute.

"Greg."

"Uhh?" he replied, confused, looking at her.

"Did something happen?"

"No. No, uh..." he said, resuming his way to the backdoor.

"Huh," she said, walking alongside him.

"Hey, I'm thinking about baking a cake. Chocolate cake. What do you think?"

"I think cake is always a good idea," she said, smiling.

"I'll take a quick shower and then I'll get that going."

"Okay. You want me to go fetching the things you'll need?"

"Sure."

The street was empty, save from a car or another that eventually passed by. The crickets sang their melodies, and the chilly night breeze shuffled through the leaves of the trees around, making them sizzle. Twilight's hooves hit the concrete below her with a dull thud, eventually masking Greg's footsteps as he walked alongside her. The silence and peace on that place resembled the quietude of Ponyville during night time.

Twilight looked around cautiously at each step she took. Her ears laid flat against her head and her eyes quickly shifted around, locking briefly on the lit windows of the houses she passed by. She looked ahead of her, searching for signs of anything suspicious that she might need to avoid, but found nothing worth worrying about. She looked to the other side of the street, scanning the opposite sidewalk, her mind entering and leaving full panic mode every time she confused a shadow or bush with a threat. She could feel a pit inside her guts, making her feel like her insides were being sucked away to another dimension. Her instincts were telling her that there was something wrong with that place, and that it was wise to find shelter.

The pit grew deeper, and her mouth became drier than a desert as she moved on. She used all her mental might to keep control, but she could feel she was reaching her threshold, and wouldn't manage to keep it together for much longer. Millions of thoughts flooded her mind, none of them making much sense, but all of them carrying the very same confusing message.

What's wrong with me? The question echoed inside her head, as she couldn't make sense of why she was feeling that way.

The tingling sensation on her legs becoming stronger as the time passed by, making them feel heavy and a slightly disconnected, that they'd give up on her at any moment. The mere thought of not being able to move inspired great fear in her, her mind getting stuck on the scenario where something would attack her and she would be unable to flee.

What's wrong? I-I can't-- I don't-- Why? What's wrong with me? What's wrong--, she thought, her thoughts colliding against each other.

No, no. I can't do-- I can't do this anymore. I need to-- I--, she said to herself, logic slowly fading away, giving room for pure panic.

Controlling that turmoil inside her head seemed to be a lost battle. Regardless of how much she forced herself, she couldn't pin down what was causing it. She couldn't understand herself anymore. Her mind slowly shifted to how she was feeling, bouncing between how what she was thinking wasn't making sense and how she couldn't understand what was wrong with her body. The concern of being attacked become irrelevant as the time passed by.

I-I can't breathe. No, I-- I can't-- I can't breathe!, she thought frantically, feeling her throat getting constrained, and her head strangely light. She slowed down her pace to a halt, breathing quickly and loudly, seeing small dark spots surfing through her sight, her head becoming unbearably light, and the world slowly beginning to spin around her.

What's happening!?

"Twilight!" called Greg, making her snap out of her chaotic introspective state. The thick cloud of thoughts quickly dissipated, and she frantically eyed around her, trying to find where Greg was.

"Hey," he said, stepping closer to her. She turned around to look at him, noticing he had stopped several feet behind her. She stared at him, her vision getting slightly clouded by the tears that were welling on her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he said, kneeling down in front of her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I can't-- I can't do this anymore," she said, sobbing and panting heavily.

"What can’t you do anymore, Twilight? What's wrong?"

"I-I-- I don't-- what's wrong on with me? Why am I--" she said, feeling a lump on her throat.

Greg kept staring at her, eyeing her up and down, trying to find the cause of her distress. He then wrapped her with his arms, bringing her closer. She sat down and rested her chin over his shoulder, sobbing loudly.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. It's alright," he whispered to her, resting his hand over the back of her neck and slowly scratching it.

"Greg, what's-- what's wrong with me!?"

"There's nothing wrong with you. But you need to calm down, okay?"

"But--"

"Try to breathe more slowly."

"B-but I can't-- I can barely breathe!"

"No, you can breathe. There's nothing wrong with you. Just try to breathe more slowly."

Her mind screamed from all directions she was about to pass out, but she forced herself to listen to him. Going against her body's will for more oxygen, she forced herself to ignore the suffocating sensation she felt in her chest, and began to draw air in a increasingly slower pace. Her mind entered panic mode, but slowly settled down. As the minutes passed by, the pit inside her, alongside the tingling in her legs, wore away. She could feel her control over herself returning.

"That's better," he said, holding her a bit more tightly.

"What's happening with me, Greg?"

"I'm not sure," he said, letting her go of his embrace. "But it almost seemed like a panic attack."

"What?"

"Yeah. A panic attack."

She stood in silence, the eventual sobs making her inhale sharply.

"I'm sorry I ruined this," she said, letting out a sigh.

"Ruined what?"

"This. Going out. It was supposed to be relaxing, but I managed to make it stressful for you."

"You didn't ruin anything, c'mon."

She sighed, using a forehoof to wipe a tear away.

"You didn't ruin anything. Why would you even say that?"

She kept staring at the sidewalk.

"If you weren't feeling okay, why didn't you tell me?"

"I was feeling okay earlier. I was feeling really good about this, but... when we stepped out, I... I don't know... I started to feel weird."

"Weird how?"

"I just couldn't... stop thinking something really bad was about to happen."

"Well, nothing bad happened," he said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, I know. I... I know."

Greg eyed around them.

"That's why I ruined this. I was worrying about nothing, and caused you unnecessary stress."

"C'mon, you didn't ruin anything. Don't beat yourself up."

Twilight looked down to the ground under her, letting out a sigh, noticing the cracks on the concrete.

"Well," he said, standing up. Twilight looked at him. "I think it's good for today. We went quite far. What you think about going home?"

"I think that's a good idea."

Twilight slowly walked in the backyard, looking around the barely lit place, listening to the noise of the soft grass being crushed under her hooves. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, inhaling the cool night air and feeling slightly light headed before slowly letting it go. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times before turning her attention up at the sky.

She sat down on the grass, appreciating the vastness of the dark veil that covered the sky, it's monotony broken only by the several shimmering bright dots that rested still over it. She moved a forehoof to her shoulder, rubbing it in circles, taking in how it ached slightly, just like the rest of her body. She held back a chuckle, thinking about how long it was since the last time she had any sort of physical exercise.

She laid down on her back, staring fixedly at the dark sky, feeling the grass under her body tickle her slightly as she slowly breathed in and out. Her eyelids felt a bit heavy, and she yawned every so often, with some tears appearing on her eyes every time she did so. The day was taking its toll over her body, and she couldn't fight back the crescent will to go to bed. Her mind wandered around the universe as her gaze switched between the infinite glistening points on the night sky. Her vision got in and out of focus, making her rub her eyes everytime it happened. Her yawns got more and more frequent, and she slowly gave up to the weight that was forcing her eyelids to close, slowly breathing, feeling her legs go numb, and her thoughts become clouded.

"Hey," Greg said, approaching her. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Sleeping already?"

"Nah," she said through a yawn, looking back up at the sky. "I was just..." she continued. Greg stared at her face for a little while before looking up. His eyes lingered around the dark sky, locking briefly on the small dots that shifted color slightly.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Not at all."

Greg stepped near her, laying down to her right, letting out a content sigh and interlacing his fingers over his belly. He shifted his sight around the sky for a little while before looking at Twilight.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Mhm," she said, looking at him. "A little thrashed, but..." she said, getting interrupted by an yawn. "...I'm okay."

"That's good. It's, uh..." he trailed.

"Hmm?"

"Uh... I'm glad you're okay," he said, staring at her. She smiled back at him.

"I only wish it didn't happen," she said, looking back at the sky. "I still think it ruined the whole going out thing."

"Nah. Don't fret about that."

"I promise I'll try to keep it together tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? So... you want to go again?" he said, a smile growing on his face.

"Mhm," she said, looking at him.

"Cool," he said, smiling. "That's good to hear."

Twilight let out a long yawn.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to bed?"

"Mhm," she said, clearing the tears that appeared on her eyes.

"It's already pretty late."

"I know. I just want to enjoy this sky a little bit more," she said, looking up to the sky.

"Hmm..." he trailed. He looked back at the sky, staring at it for a while, letting out a snort.

"Hmm?" she said, looking at him.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "It's just... I... it's funny. I don't get to spend much time stargazing. Not because I'm busy, but because I'm lazy. But when I do get to do it, well... I mean, each one of those small bright dots in the sky, that quickly shifts from red to blue back to red... each one is a full fledged star, just like the one we orbit around. Or at least most of them. Some are planets, but whatever. They are stars, just like our sun. You see them as those infinitesimal dots against a dark background, but in reality... they're thousands of times larger than this planet. Some are several thousand times the size of our sun. And I think that's really amazing, because it gets you to think how small you actually are. From space, you can't see a person. At least not with a naked eye. We're already small compared to our planet. And then there's our sun. And then there's those stars thousand of times the size of our sun. And then there's the galaxy, which are clusters of billions of those start. And then there's intergalactic space, where all this stuff... several light years apart from each other... moving at several thousand meters per second fits in. They all fit in. I mean, space is so freaking huge your mind collapses onto itself if you try to take in the REAL magnitude of its size. I think that's really crazy. I mean, you can easily read the numeric value which represents the size, but when you compare your own size to it... wow."

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"And those stars... the light we're seeing from them... they travel really damn fast, but not infinitely fast. So, they take time to reach us. And most of this light was emitted thousands of years ago. And since those stars are so far away from us, and their light is so strong, they reach us, but take quite a lot of time. And when it gets here... we're actually looking at how a star used to be. For all we know, each one of those stars could be exploding right now, but we wouldn't be around to see it happen. Heh, we're actually looking at the past. The past is all around us. Even when looking at you, Twilight," he said, turning his head to look at her. "I'm not seeing you in the present, but slightly in the past. The light coming from around us that is illuminating your face takes time to travel to your face from whatever emitted it, and it takes more time to bounce off of your face and reach my eyes. We can't see the difference, but it's measurable," he said, looking back at the sky. "Yeah, we sort of live in the past."

"Wow, that sure was... enlightening," she said, smiling at him.

"Profund, right?"

"Yeah," she said, chuckling before getting interrupted by a yawn. "I was already tired before having that attack, but... it sure drained me," she said, rubbing both her eyes before letting her forehooves fall over the grass besides her. "I wish I knew why this has been happening with me," she said, quietly.

"Been happening?" he said, looking at her. "Did that happen before?"

"Well... yeah. Just not so intensely."

Greg stood in silence, staring at her.

"I generally just feel a bit strange. This time it began just like always, but then it ramped up to... that. But I'm okay now."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's... it's not a big deal," she said, shrugging. "You don't need to worry."

"How am I not to worry? It was a panic attack. You can't just ignore something like that."

"Well, I just feel weird for a few minutes when it happens, so... once it stops, I'm fine."

Greg kept staring at her, slightly shaking his head.

"I just don't think it's worth telling. I don't want to bother you more than what I already have been with every little thing that happens with me."

"That wasn't a little thing. Not by a longshot."

Twilight looked back at the sky, remaining silent.

"And... bother me more? What you mean by that?"

Twilight stood in silence. He kept staring at her.

"Twilight," he insisted.

"You already do too much for me."

"What you mean?"

She let out a sigh. "You make me breakfast, lunch, coffee breaks, dinner. You stay up so I have company when I decide to work late," she said, looking at him. "You changed your whole routine. Just because of me."

"So what?"

"You're waking up two hours earlier than you used to, just to make sure breakfast is ready when I wake up."

"I'll ask again. So what?"

"You come back home to cook lunch, which puts you in a really tight schedule, when having lunch out would be much more practical for you."

"Okay, but--"

"You're spending a lot on... things for me. Things you didn't need to buy before I came along."

Greg let out a frustrated sigh.

"And that’s without even taking into consideration the things I broke in all those months I've been living here. The food I burned. The many times I woke you up in the middle of the night. Just because I can't step lighter."

"Listen--"

"You used to barely stay home. You used to spend most of your time out."

"I used to stay out a lot, but not anymore. Now I stay home, because you're here."

"Exactly. Because I'm here."

"Look, I... still don't get your point."

"My point is that I'm being inconvenient enough already. I already cause enough problems. I don't want to compound it further by exposing irrelevant things happening with me."

"Wait, problems? What problems?"

"Me. Getting in your way, making you change your routine, breaking things."

"But you're not-- okay. Okay, that's... that's bullshit, alright?"

Twilight gaped slightly.

"You say this like I'm doing you some sort of... of... favor."

"But you are."

"No, I'm not. I'm doing only my obligation. Nothing more than that."

"What?"

"You didn't choose to be here, okay? You didn't choose to mess up the spell. Or to get stranded here. Neither did you choose to crash on my house. Nor did I. But it happened.
What did you expect me to do? Turn my back on you? No. I couldn't do that, and just pretend you're not here. It wouldn't be right to let someone NOT from this world be on their own. I mean, how would things go for you? I'm not saying that you're incapable of taking care of yourself, but let's be realistic here. You're the only one of your species on this planet. Who else would be able to see things from your perspective?"

She looked away from him, sighing.

"It is my obligation to help."

"But that doesn't change the fact that you had to change your life because of me."

"It was an accident, Twilight."

"But it happened anyway! And, regardless of how many times you or I say it was accidental, it doesn't change the fact that I involved you in something you didn't ask to be in!"

"God damnit, Twilight! It was an accident! You said it yourself! What do I need to say so you can understand you did nothing wrong!?"

She stood in silence, staring at him.

"I have to wake up earlier, now. Big deal! It's not like I'm going to die because of it. Yeah, I have less time to enjoy lunch break because I'm coming back home to cook. Wow, that's so terrible. Now I have company while I have lunch, something I enjoy more than having more time."

Twilight's eyes widened slightly. Greg kept staring at her for a little while before letting out a sigh.

"I'm just trying to make your life here as comfortable as possible. I never experienced what you're going through right now, being stranded on another world. I mean, just saying those words sound like... wow. It's insane, but it has happened to you. And I try to empathize. I wish I could help you with the spell as well, but my hands are tied by my own ignorance. The least I can do is give you the conditions you need to fix that spell."

"I--"

"And saying that I'm spending a lot in things you need? First of all, money is not a problem. And second, those things are a necessity. They have to be bought. Simple as that."

"But--"

"No buts. I don't know where all of this is coming from, but it isn't from a place of reason. At all."

"But I..."

"You what?"

"I'm not even repaying you."

"Repay me, Twilight? For what? I already told you I'm not doing you any favors."

"I... I don't want to be a burden. I don't contribute with anything in this house."

"That's not true. You help to keep things in order here. You help me with the groceries. Help me to cook. You keep me company. You do a whole lot around here."

She sighed.

"And... a burden? Why do you think you're being a burden?"

"Because I've been working for months on that spell and I don't seem to make any significant progress. This thing is just dragging itself on and on. And I can't tell how much longer it will take. What if... what if it takes years? What if I never manage to fix it?"

"You'll manage. And you may take as long as you need to get it working, okay?"

She looked back at the sky, taking a deep breath.

"Look, I..." he trailed, letting out a sigh. "I really like having you here. I like your company."

Twilight gaped slightly. "You do?" she said, looking at him.

"Yeah."

She stood in silence, staring at him for a while. He looked back at the sky.

"I really don't get why you think you're being a burden. Or a problem. You really aren't."

Twilight kept staring at him.

"Before you came along, all I did was work. I didn't go out to relax. I didn't talk much to others. Things around here were pretty... dull."

She kept staring at him.

"And I don't want to sound, uh... selfish... but I'm... I'm glad you messed up that spell."

"Greg..."

"And this spell of yours. You think you're taking too much time to get it done. I can barely assess the complexity of it, but... the way you work on it... you're one of the most committed per-- uh, well... you're the first pony I... well, not the first first pony I have ever seen. You're the first talking pony I ever met. And... uh... okay," he said, closing his eyes and waving his hands. "Let me reformulate this. You're one of the most hard working... non-human... persons... uh... I have ever met. I mean, you wake up early, eat, spend your whole morning working. Then you have lunch. Then you spend your whole afternoon working. Then you eat something. Then back to the spell. Then you take your break. Then you go to bed. And repeat. And repeat."

"I have to get it done. I just try to spend most of my time at it."

"I know. That's how I know you're really dedicated to it."

Twilight blushed slightly.

"And I know that you want to go home. I understand that's your priority. I want you to get home too. I just don't want your motivation to be the feeling of not being welcome here. Okay?"

Twilight stood in silence, staring at him, with a smile slowly finding its way to Twilight's muzzle. "Thanks. I... I think really needed to hear that." she said, smiling at him.

"Com'ere," he said, opening his arms and smiling warmly at her. Twilight approached him and laid down closer to him, resting her head over his chest and letting out a sigh. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his right hand over the back of her neck, slowly stroking it.

Greg kept staring at the sky, feeling a light sensation inside his chest. The sensation pushed its way towards his head and his face, making a smile slowly creep its way to his face. He let out a chuckle, making Twilight look at him.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing. This just reminded of someone."

"What?"

"This discussion," he said, looking down at her.

"Hmm..."

"Yeah."

"And who did it remind you of?"

"My daughter," he said, looking back at the sky.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You have a daughter?"

"Yes. Her name is Clarice."

Twilight stood in silence, letting that information bounce inside her head, trying to decide what to say.

"Wow. I had no idea."

"Welp..." he trailed. "When she was a teenager, we used to argue quite a lot."

"Hmm..."

"Yeah. I mean, for the most silly things, generally. But we always ended like this after making amends."

"Like... how we are now?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'd ask her for a hug, and she'd cross her arms, pout, turn her face away, walk away, denying it adamantly. And I'd ask her again. And again. Until she cracked a smile and hugged me. It was pretty amusing. Like, she tried to remain serious, but she didn't manage to hold up for long."

"That'd be funny to see," said Twilight, smiling.

"It was pretty funny. Well, sometimes it wouldn't work. Sometimes she'd need a bit more time to calm down. But it generally ended like this."

"Where is she now?"

"She's living far from here. In another state. She already has her own life. Her own house. A good husband."

"She's already married? Wow."

"Yeah," he said. His sight drifted around the sky as the past flooded his mind. Twilight nuzzled his chest slightly, feeling the weight of the day slowly forcing her eyelids closed.

"It's been a while," he said quietly.

"Hmm?" she said, looking at him.

"Nothing. I'm just..." he trailed, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "Just thinking out loud."

Twilight kept staring at him, looking for what to say.

"It's funny to think that..." he trailed, exhaling loudly. "Having a child is something interesting. Seeing that small person grow up, learn things and..."

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever... have you ever had one of those introspection moments where you stop and see your life from an outside perspective?"

"Uh... I guess?"

"Heh. It's funny. I'm forty-six years old, but I don't feel old. I mean, mentally. I have a pain here and there sometimes, but... they don't happen that often. And... although I don't feel old, I am rather old. I had a child already. She's already an adult, and has her own life."

Twilight kept staring at him.

"And I saw her grow up. Saw her learn how to walk. How to talk. How to do math."

Twilight remained silent.

"And... when she finally graduated in college... I was... I guess I never felt so happy. I mean, all the years I saw her growing up, I asked myself about what could I do to ensure she'd succeed. And the answer was actually pretty straightforward for me. Give her a good education. Make her love to learn new things. But regardless of that, I always worried. I don't know if others worry this much about their children. I don't know if her mother worried as much as I did, but I know I always had that... pit in my stomach appear whenever I thought about her future. But she managed. She succeeded. Which means I succeeded as well. She graduated in law school as one of the best in her class. And she got a job at a really big law office. Like, just a few months after graduating."

"You must be really proud of her," Twilight said while smiling.

"I am, Twilight. I sure am." he said, sighing. "Today... I feel at peace. All my worries are gone. I know she achieved a stable life, a stable relationship, and now all she can do is grow towards success."

Twilight smile slowly vanished as her mind got flooded by the memories of her parents.

“And… what happened to her mother?”

“Uh… nothing. She’s uh… She lives elsewhere. She lives close to Clarice nowadays. Yeah.”

“But why?”

“Well, we... ” he trailed, letting out a sigh. “We are divorced. We’re not married anymore. And she… decided to live close to her daughter.”

“Oh...” said Twilight, her sight trailing downwards, a small pit forming inside of her for feeling she had overstepped her bounds. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”

“C’mon, don’t be silly. You don’t need to apologize for asking a question.”

Twilight let out a deep sigh, shaking her head slightly.

"What's wrong?" asked Greg, looking down at her.

"It's nothing. I just remembered something."

"What is it?"

"Uh, just something I've talked with my mom about before I... well, it was the last thing I talked about with her since I got here."

"Hmm..."

"When you talked about your daughter being married and... you made me remember."

"Hmm. And what is it?"

"Uh, it's... it's just something silly."

"Hmm..."

"It's... my mom asked me when I uh... I'd get married."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"Well, it was a bit... heh, weird. Talking about this with her."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm. It was a bit unexpected."

"Mhm."

"Like, I was visiting my parents that day. My dad was out, he was still at work. I was in the kitchen making myself a sandwich, and my mom walked in and... asked me how things were going."

"Hmm..."

"And somewhere in between of all that, she started to talk about stallions and... asked me when I'd get married. That there was a lot of cute stallions around and..."

"Hmm..."

"It was a bit weird to hear that. From her."

"Well, I can only imagine. I'd also find a bit weird if I was making myself a sandwich and someone stepped in my kitchen and started to talk about stallions," he said, smirking at her.

"Ha, ha, pretty funny," she chuckled, giving him a tap on the chest.

"So, uh... what happened?"

"Well, we..." she trailed, letting out a sigh. "I think the conversation could've ended slightly better."

"Hmm?"

"We had a... bit of an argument."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, it's not what she told me that... uh, she can a bit insistent at times."

"What did she insist on?"

"On me getting married."

"Uh... why?"

"I mean, is not like she WANTS me to get married as soon as possible. It's just she seems to think that the only way to be happy is that if you marry somepony."

"Hmm..."

"And I don't think it works like that."

"And what did you tell her?"

"Exactly that. That it didn't make much sense to me to be happy ONLY if I have a special somepony. And I marry him."

"Hmm... and what did she say?"

"She got a little bit upset, but... she said she understood and... wouldn't bother me with it anymore."

"Oh..."

"I wish I... I wish I had told her I was sorry for saying it the way I did it."

"But... did she get offended by the way you-- I mean, the way you said it sounded pretty okay to me."

"Let's say that the discussion didn't happen exactly the way I told you. It was a bit longer than that."

"Oh."

"And my reply wasn't as calm as I made it sound."

"Hmm."

"I mean, I believe there are other ways of being happy. But..."

"Well, I think she says that with your best interests in mind.”

“I know she does.”

“But there are other ways to be happy. You don't need to be with someone if you don't feel like it."

"But my mom… my parents... They keep saying I need to find and marry a stallion to be happy. Not right now, but... eventually."

"Well, you could've just told her that although you understand that they have your best interests in mind, you don't feel the need to be with someone. That you feel fine on your own."

"The thing is... it's not that I don't want to be with somepony..."

"Oh... so... what's the problem? Just the marriage part?"

She bit her lower lip, looking away from him.

"Just tell them you don't want to go radical just yet and marry someone. Tell you just want a boyfriend for now."

"That's also not the problem..." she said, looking at him.

"No? Uh... so I'm a bit lost here."

"It's... I uh..."

"Yes?"

"It's that they say I need to... marry a stallion..." she said, looking away from him.

"And?"

"I-I... I'm... I'm not really... into... you know... stallions..." she said, almost whispering.

He widened his eyes, his hand halting its scratching on Twilight's neck. He stood in silence for several seconds as the meaning finally sank in.

"Greg?" she asked, looking up at him, a pit forming inside her as she started to think exposing herself like that was a big mistake.

"Oh... well..." he said, a bit lost.

"You... you don't think I'm weird, do you?"

"Uh... no. No, no. Not at all. So, you're not into stallions... and you're afraid to tell them?"

"Mhm..."

"Hmm..."

They stood in silence for a while.

"Do you think that's alright?" she asked, almost whispering.

"About you swinging the other way? Honestly, Twilight... I don't think my opinion matters that much. I don't even think that's my business."

She widened her eyes upon hearing that.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you with this," she said, pushing herself away from him and getting ready to stand up.

"Hey, hey," he said, pulling her back closer to him. "Calm down, what's the problem?"

"I shouldn't have told you this."

"Why not?"

"You just told me you don't care!"

"What? No, I didn't say that. What I said was that this isn't any of my business. It's totally a different thing. I do care, but I don't have the authority to argue about it. Especially because this is something one can't argue about. It's a matter of taste. You know, what you feel attracted to, what makes you happy."

She relaxed a bit, nestling her cheek on his chest and letting out a sigh.

"Honestly I'm okay with it. If you're happy, then... I'm happy."

"The way you say this almost sounds like you're disappointed with me."

"Why would I be?"

"Because... I... I'm a princess and... I like other mares. What kind of princess does that? I see other mares pairing with stallions and... I'm... I just don't like them. I mean, I don't hate them. I have friends that are stallions. I just don't... like them the way I'm supposed to. You're saying you're okay with it, but I know you think this is weird."

"Twilight, listen," he said, gently pushing her chin upwards so she could look him on the eyes, "I'm not judging you, I swear. Who am I to judge you, anyway? This is a subjective matter. It’s what you like. It's what you prefer. And I assure you I don’t think any less of you because you like mares. Okay?”

She just stared back.

"Do you believe in me?"

"Mhm."

"Alright," he said, looking back up at the sky. Twilight nestled her cheek on his chest, closing her eyes and letting out a content sigh.

"Thanks for listening to me," she said quietly.

"Oh, sure. No problem," he said, smiling at her.

"I think you're the first I’ve told this to."

"Uh... really? You didn't tell this to any of your friends?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I... I still feel like I'm doing something wrong, and... I didn't want my friends to think I'm... weird."

"If they're your friends, they shouldn’t care which way you swing."

She sighed. "And I still don't know how I'm going to tell my parents."

"Don't worry. You'll have it figured when the time comes."

"But what if they get mad at me? I don't want to--"

"You'll only know that when you tell them. But I'm pretty sure they'll understand you. They won't get mad."

Twilight let out a sigh, letting her body relax once more, feeling her eyelids slowly closing against her will while she went over all he said. She shot her eyes open when a question popped inside her mind.

"Greg?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What if... your daughter told you something like that?"

"Hmm... well..." he said, eyeing around as he organized his thoughts. "Uh, if it was my daughter... I guess... well, I wouldn't be mad at her. That's for sure. But I would also be a bit... surprised. Not because I think she's wrong but... I came from a rather traditional family. And part of my beliefs were molded by my parents when they raised me. So I do believe she should marry a man. But in the end, it's a matter of what makes her happy. This is one of the things parents can't choose better for their children."

They stood in silence for a while.

"I mean... it's... seeing her grow up surely taught me a lot about what things I could decide for her, and what things I shouldn't even try. When she was a teenager, she sometimes would say some pretty... awful things. Like, I didn't love her. I wanted her to be unhappy, and have no friends. Like, standard things a teenager sometimes says. And it hurt a little deciding things that would end up making her upset, but I did it with her best interests in mind."

"What kind of things?"

"Well, mostly her friends. Uh, she was getting involved with some... uh... awful people. They did drugs and... drank a lot of alcohol. And they'd go out and race inside the city. Yeah, they were quite troublesome."

"Oh..."

"She told me they were cool, but I didn't believe it. I didn't want my daughter drugging herself. So I didn't allow her to go out with those friends of hers. And she got upset, and threw things around and... called names. And didn't speak with me for a week. And... I admit sometimes I wondered if what I was doing was right. If I wasn't being overprotective. Well, turns out I was right. Her friends got arrested because the police found a lot, like, a LOT, of illegal stuff with them. Had my daughter been there with them... oh boy, things would've turned out quite complicated."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Most of the time we, parents, know what's best for our children. That's why, even if our children says harsh stuff to us, we're supposed to guide them through a path we believe is right. But there are also a few things we can't decide on their behalf. And that's who they fall in love with. So, who she chose to marry with... that's something no one else but her could decide."

"If she had chosen to marry a woman instead of a man... well... I would support her, as it's her decision, and not mine. Even though it would deviate slightly from what I was raised believing in, I would support her. And I wouldn't think any less of her because of her decision. All I'd care about is that if she'd be happy, regardless who she decided to be with."

Greg looked down, seeing a big and warm smile on Twilight's muzzle.

"Alright?" he said, booping her nose.

"Mhm," she said, looking down and nuzzling his chest. Although her body felt heavy, she could feel an ever growing lightness inside her chest. Something she didn't feel for quite a long time, which helped her push the constant doubt she had on herself away. She felt the extra energy flowing through her body, making her legs feel lighter and ache less, and her mind uncloud.

Her mind shifted to the beginning of the day, going over everything that happened. From the discussion at breakfast, to the delicious chocolate cake she ate a few hours prior. From the excitedness from going out to her possible panic attack.

Her mind focused on that, recalling the event. The numbness and tingling on her legs, the lightheadedness, the inexplicable dread inside her chest. And the worst of them all... suffocating.

She drilled on that, wondering why that happened. She couldn't recall ever feeling that awful before, and she couldn't find inside her mind anything that could explain that.

Her mind shifted to the moment after of all that confusion she felt. She was hugging him. He helped her. She didn’t know how he knew what to do, but he helped her in that frightful moment. She felt glad she wasn't alone. She was glad he was there for her.

Just like he's here, right now, she thought, letting out a sigh.

She began to go over what they talked about, remembering what he said about stars and the universe. The long monologue made her chuckle, but her mind got stuck in a small part of what he said.

"Uh... Greg?"

"Hmm?" he said, looking at her.

"You said that... this planet orbits a star?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Uh... Oh, yeah. We orbit the sun. What about it?"

"Are you sure the sun doesn't go around the planet instead?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm sure. That wouldn't make much sense. The sun is much larger than the Earth. I mean, the sun isn't still either. Earth's gravity pulls it out of its place a little bit, so it sort of wobbles instead of being still. But then again, there are other planets in our solar system, all making the sun wobble as well, so... yeah. And the sun also orbits the center of the galaxy, which is a supermassive black hole and--"

"Hmm..."

"Why you ask?"

"A simple teleportation wouldn't make sense in this case..." she mumbled.

"Hmm?"

She froze in place, her eyes wide and her jaw slightly open. Her mind ran in overdrive as she put the new pieces of the puzzle on their places.

"That's it!" she said, standing up and trotting away.

"That's what?" he asked, sitting up and looking as she trotted away.

"I know what I'm doing wrong on the spell!"

Greg stared as she trotted in the house, bearing a large smile on his face. He stood up, slapped the grass stuck on his clothes, gave a short nod and walked towards the back door.

Author's Note

Well, I think it's about time a chapter showed up : )