Allen ran toward Tempered Blade as he crossed swords with him. Their practice blades struck a few times. Then, stepping back, Allen lunged forward. “Haaa!!”

“Guess again.” Blade countered Allen’s attack and stepped aside, leaving him to stumble and fall flat onto the grass, again and unarmed.

Regalas placed a hoof over his face and shook his head. “No, no, Allen. You’re too aggressive.”

“Grrr.” Allen snarled under his breath as he picked up his sword and returned to his feet. “I don’t get it. I thought the point was to be forceful and show no fear.”

Blade smiled and nodded, lightly brandishing his wooden sword. “Now, I get it. Uh, commander, this is your area of expertise.”

Regalas nodded as he walked over to Allen. “Yes. It is indeed. “Come, Allen.”

“Huh? Still not there?” The human asked the stallion.

He shook his head. “No, but considering how you were six days ago. You’ve come a long way in a short time. Now, let me explain.”

All let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay.”

Regalas looked to the sunny sky and took a focusing breath. He turned his sapphire eyes to Allen. “Now. There are times when taking an aggressive stance is wise. But in battle, more often than not, victory comes from within.” He pointed to his head. “From within the mind and also…” The white stallion pointed to his chest. “From within your heart. The best thing to do in battle is to anticipate. Know your opponent. Like we mentioned over the past few days. And from knowing your opponent, you can also consider the outcome of a fight. Victory is always what one strives for. However, you can’t achieve victory without also considering its opposite.”

Allen looked at Regalas and couldn’t miss the serious and sober look in his eyes. “Oh, right, you mean defeat…or failure.”

“Exactly. And this next part may sound foolish. But, it’s actually beneficial to think about defeat, because it distracts your mind so you can do what you need to in order to win. Does that makes sense?” Regalas gave Allen a long focused look.

Allen deadpanned for a moment. Then his face lit up. “Wait, maybe this will sound dumb, but are you basically telling me not to expect anything when beginning a fight?”

“Well, would you look at that?” Blade gave a satisfied nod.

“Now you’re catching on. It seems crazy, but the best warriors go into battle aware of this fact. They don’t expect anything, they don’t expect to win or to lose. There’s no shame in fighting to a stalemate. It’s at that moment when you can see a chance for compromise and then.”

“Ah, a chance to win…ugh or a chance to lose.” Allen groused at the thought of defeat.

“Don’t worry. As often as you’ve fallen to the ground, you already know what it feels like to lose. And just because you fall in a battle, doesn’t mean you’ve lost. As long as you can stand and fight…you’ve got a chance.”

Allen nodded. “Right.” The human placed a ponderous hand to his chin. “Hmm, I understand now. Okay.” He secured his grip on his weapon. “Now…let’s try this again.”

Blade held his wooden sword at the ready. “All right. Go!”

Allen and Blade struck their swords together. The air filled with the sounds of wood cracking and striking against wood and the smell of freshly disturbed dirt and grass.

Then, just as Allen contemplated launching an attack, he heard a familiar voice shout, “Allen, Allen! I’ve done it! I’ve figured out a way to charge your phone!”

Glancing over to the forge, he saw Twilight Sparkle running toward him. Her face was brimming with excitement.

Tempered Blade chuckled as he lowered his weapon. “Well, I guess we can call it a day, Allen.”

Allen blinked as he held his weapon at the ready. He turned to see Twilight trotting their way. A smile curled up on his face as he waved his free hand at her. “Hey, Twilight!”

Just then, Blade cried out as he charged Allen. The toned Earth pony held his practice blade out as he zeroed in on the human. Allen turned in time to see Blade, his sword still at the ready. Allen studied Blade’s face carefully and knew he had only seconds to make a decision. The smile remained on Allen’s face as he took a quick sidestep and held out his left foot. Blade’s momentum didn’t leave him any time to react as both his fore and hind left hooves collided with Allen’s foot and sent him careening to the ground with a heavy thud. His blade flew from his hoof and struck the side of a nearby shed, narrowly missing Twilight.

Twilight drew back a hoof and looked at Allen with wide eyes. “What just happened?”

“Ha! I finally got you, Blade!” Allen clenched his fist and shook it triumphantly.

Regalas chuckled as he trotted over to the fallen Blade. “He really got you that time.”

Blade brushed back a lock of his orange mane as he looked up and blinked his silver gray eyes. He stared at Allen for a moment, then broke out into a fit of laughter. “He sure did.”

Regalas helped Blade back onto his hooves. “I dare say we’re seeing those results we were expecting.”

“I’ll say.” Blade looked over at Allen, just as Twilight joined him. “Man, Allen, what made you try that maneuver?”

Allen stood there with Twilight and held his blade at rest. “Well, I’ve known that in the past when somepony has come to visit or distract me that you have a tendency to launch sneak attacks like that. That’s why I kept my sword at the ready, and then I heard you yell as you charged.” Allen snickered. “And I thought about what you two just told me. I saw that look in your eyes, Blade. So I took a chance.” He laughed again. “I actually expected to be eating dirt.”

The commander nodded and then clapped his hooves together. “Way to go, Allen. You demonstrated what we told you beautifully. And see, didn’t it help?”

Allen nodded. “It sure did. I’ll have to remember that.” He quickly turned to Twilight. “Oh, sorry, Twilight. Didn’t mean to ignore you, but it’s rare I don’t walk away from one of Blade’s attacks…without eating dirt.”

Twilight shook her head and smiled. “That’s all right. It was a treat to watch.” She looked the human over. “I can see you’re really making some headway.” Twilight looked to Blade and Regalas. “I can’t thank you two enough for helping him.”

Blade waved a hoof. “Ah, it’s no problem.”

“Yeah.” Regalas stood proudly. “As a commander in the Royal Canterlot Guard, it’s my pleasure to help aspiring warriors.”

Allen blinked. “Warriors…but I’m not a…”

“Oh, Allen, great news…I know how to charge your phone.” Glee bubbled in Twilight’s eyes.

“Oh. Hey, I’ll see you guys later.” He waved to them, then started walking with Twilight. “So, you managed to make an adapter?”

She shook her head and scoffed. “Of course not…that was a dead end. But, I realized something, energy is energy, weather it’s made by a power generator or magic.”

Allen tilted his head and gave her a funny look. “Okay, so how does that work without an adapter?”

Twilight patted his shoulder. “It’s simple. We have your charger and it has metal prongs that work as an energy conductor. All I need to do is generate a mild magical current with my horn…I can adjust the intensity as you read the display on the screen, so we should be able to charge your phone that way. And this way it won’t matter what type of current your phone uses. Magical energy creates a universal form of electric.”

Allen had no idea how magic worked, well besides the fictional rules from numerous stories on Earth, but Twilight spoke with such confidence, he saw no reason to doubt her. Besides, she’d been working for the better part of a week to help make this all possible. “Well, I doubt we have anything to lose by trying.”

“Nope. Come on…let’s head to my lab.” Allen just nodded as the two made their way to the Golden Oak Library.

* * * * * *

Allen set his cell phone on the table and attached the charger cord to it. “Okay, ready.” He looked over at Twilight.

“Hmm.” Twilight finished flipping a few pages in the book she had resting at the other end of the table, next to where she was standing. She turned around and gave Allen a confident look. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

“Wait, you found a book to help?”

Twilight nodded. “Of course. I didn’t want to just go in blind, so I found a helpful guide to energy manipulation that was written by a very skilled unicorn. He knew his way around magically generated electric.”

Allen nodded his head and smiled. “Great. Okay…here.” He slid the charge plug her way.

“Okay, here goes.” Twilight’s horn lit up with a raspberry glow as she aimed it at the prongs of the charger. She unleashed a gentle beam of magical energy that struck the prongs. “Let me know if you need me to turn up the intensity.”

“All right.” Allen looked at his phone and his face lit up. “The charging indicator is showing. Hmm…” He checked the charge rate. It was down to 52% after minimal use over the past week. Taking another look he noticed it went up. “Hey, it move to 53%. Can you give it just a little more?”

“Of course.” Twilight’s voice was happy as she channeled more magic into her horn. The beam grew just a little. “There, how’s that?”

Allen checked the display and his eyes widened. “That’s it. Up to 58%.” He very deftly picked up the phone. “Hmm, the phone doesn’t feel hot at all…I think you’ve come up with a real winner here.” He checked the screen again. “Whoa, up to 63%. At this rate it’ll be charged in about a few minutes, but it doesn’t seem to be taxing the phone.” He looked at her funny.

Twilight chuckled. “And to think I thought Starswirl was the best unicorn wizard. Of course Electric Flash was inspired by Starswirl.” She grinned as she kept her horn aimed at the charger.

“Oh, right, that legendary unicorn mage you told me about.” Allen glanced at the screen. “Awesome, Twilight…you’re incredible! It’s almost back to full power! Looks like we’re at 80% now.”

A few more minutes passed and Allen held up his hand. “Okay, perfect…100%, fully charged.”

Twilight cut off the magic from her horn. She held up her head and stretched it a little. “Ooh, glad that didn’t take too long.” Allen ran over to her and gave her a hug.

“You did it, Twilight! Thank you…you’re incredible, the best!” He gave her a friendly squeeze.

“Oh.” Twilight smiled and couldn’t help but blush a little. “You’re welcome, Allen.”

He nodded and grinned. “Do you know what this means?”

“I do.” Twilight held up a hoof. “We can lead you back to the Smokey Mountains and find the recall rod…” Her hoof dropped and so did her voice. “And help you…get back home.”

“Yeah.” Allen smiled for a moment, then like her his enthusiasm faded. “Huh…home.” He shook his head. “I guess there are some things we’d better take care of to prepare for the trip back into the mountains.”

Twilight closed her eyes for a moment, then looked up at Allen with a renewed smile. “That’s right. I’d better go tell the others. Let me see.” She checked her clock. “Yep, it’s still early afternoon. I don’t see why we can’t plan our trip for tomorrow.”

“All right. Oh, I should go thank Blade and Regalas…and I’d like to see Clang too.” He held up his phone and marveled once again that it was now at a full charge.

Twilight walked up to him. She stood there for a moment, then reached up to pat his shoulder. “All right then, you go take care of that and I’ll meet up with you later.”

“Sounds good.” Allen pocketed his charger and his phone. Then, he and Twilight made their way out of the basement and set off to their respective destinations.

* * * * * *

Allen stood there at the counter of Anvil Clang’s shop. He took a lengthy look around, before he turned to the elder stallion. “Can you believe it, Clang?” There was enthusiasm in the human’s voice.

Clang ran a hoof along his beard. “So, after about a week, you’ve finally got a chance to go find that item you lost and head home.” He nodded. “You must be excited.”

“Yeah, I am.” But suddenly, Allen’s words didn’t seem to match his tone.

“Is something wrong?” Clang spoke with genuine concern, while focusing his pale purple eyes on Allen’s suddenly troubled face. “You don’t sound too excited.”

Allen’s pale green eyes slowly shifted over at Clang, before he sighed. “Well, it’s not that I’m ‘not’ excited about going home, Clang. It’s just that…after spending a week here in Ponyville, I realize I’m going to miss it. I’ll be glad to be back home, but the fact that I’ll never be able to come back here, well it’s more than a little sad.”

Clang chuckled thoughtfully at Allen. “I understand, my boy. This is a very unique place. But, I might advise you not to go getting ahead of yourself.”

Allen raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What do you mean?”

“Don’t forget. You’ll have to venture into the Smokey Mountains and retrieve that item you lost, first. So, until you complete your journey to reclaim it, you might want to save any melancholy until after you’ve returned.” Clang fluffed his beard.

“Hmm, you know you make a good point.” Allen stared out across the collection of finely forged weapons.

“Come now, cheer up. Here, I have something for you.” Clang smiled as he turned and walked to one of the shelves behind him.

“You do, what is it?” Allen perked up as he placed his hands on the edge of the counter.

“Right here.” Clang set an item down in front of them and looked at Allen, offering him a smile.

Allen’s eyes widened. “A sword…for me?” He placed a hand on his chest and gave Clang an excited jaw-dropped expression.

Clang closed his eyes and nodded. “Of course. If you’re going to be venturing into the unknown of the mountains, you’ll need far more than a simple wooden training sword. Give this a look.” The stallion scratched his beard.

Pulling the sword closer, Allen held it up and noticed it had some weight to it. “Wow. The design on this scabbard is beautiful.” Allen checked over the dark brown leather, and silver chape and locket of the sword’s sheath. He placed a hand on the hilt and slowly drew the blade. The polished metal of the blade shined in the ambient daylight that shone through the shop’s windows. “This…is really for me?” Allen turned his head toward Clang.

Clang chuckled at Allen’s enthusiasm. “Yes, it’s all yours, sword, scabbard and belt. Everything you’ll need.”

Allen studied the sword for a little longer, then slid it back into its sheath. “Thank you, Clang.”

“You’re quite welcome, my boy. Think of it as a gift for all the progress you made this week.” Clang smiled and nodded. “Just remember, it’s very sharp and not to be trifled with.”

Allen set the sword down and shook his head. “Certainly not. I know this is no toy and needs to be used responsibly.”

“Did somepony say, ‘Responsibly?’ ”

Clang and Allen both looked up as they saw a gray crystal pony enter the shop. He looked at both of them with his green eyes and blinked as he took a closer look at Allen. “Hmm…so is this the ‘visitor’ everypony has been talking about?” The Earth pony looked at Clang.

“Why yes, this is Allen. And I’m sure you can tell, he’s not from Equestria.” Clang held up a hoof.

The crystal pony placed a hoof to his chin. “Then, what are you?”

Allen smiled. “I’m a human. I come from a world called ‘Earth’, it’s very far from here.”

He gave Allen a serious stare, then smiled. “Well, if you’re a friend of Clang’s, then you’re a friend of mine. Hi! I’m Meta Blade, a pleasure to meet you.” Mete Blade lightly nodded.

“Oh, yes, it’s a pleasure, Meta Blade. And like Clang said, I’m Allen and it’s nice to meet you as well.” Allen snickered nervously.

Clang chuckled. “Don’t let Meta intimidate you Allen. He’s a fellow blacksmith, like me.”

Allen looked at Clang and then over at Meta Blade. “You’re a blacksmith too?”

Meta Blade ran a hoof through his short but somewhat spiky green and dark green mane. “This mane never does like to cooperate. But yes, like Clang, I’m a blacksmith…and you can find my forge in the glistening Crystal Empire.”

“Crystal Empire? Whoa, I’ll bet that’s a heck of a place to see, just from the name.” Allen paused for a moment. “Yeah, I can only imagine what it might look like.”

“Well, you might be right, but I’d recommend visiting. You have to see the empire to fully appreciate it.” Meta Blade walked over to the counter and placed a hoof on it. “So, Clang, how are you?”

Clang fluffed his beard and laughed. “Oh, not bad, not bad. And you, my boy?”

“Just as good as always. Things have been peaceful up north. So much in fact, I haven’t had to go on patrol for a while. Which has left me more time for the forge.” He grinned.

“Oh, then if you’ve been at the forge, are you here to check on your order?” Clang glanced back at the shelf and then back at Meta Blade.

“Actually, I am.”

Clang walked to the shelf and grabbed an item concealed in a long case. “Here it is, already packed for travel.”

Meta Blade ran a hoof over his chin. “Hmm, now let’s see…” He opened the box and examined the item. “Oh, this sword will be the perfect base.”

Allen peaked over at it and marveled. “Whoa, that is a really neat sword.” He placed a hand on his chin and surveyed the blade. It was rather similar to the one Clang had just given him, and even had a fancy hilt with jeweled embellishments. “Hey, that’s very close to the sword Clang just gave me.” Allen patted his hand over it.

Meta Blade turned Allen’s way and saw the sheathed weapon. “Ah yes. This is one of Clang’s signature swords.”

“Signature swords?” Allen blinked for a moment. “And what do you mean it will be the perfect base?”

Meta Blade chuckled and patted a hoof along the sword, which was still resting in its case. “Well, Clang and I like to make weapons for each other. Then we like to add our own accents or even temper or partially re-forge them. And then we just see what we can create from the inspiration we share.” Meta looked over at Allen and smiled.

“Wow, then I bet you make some really cool creations that way.” Allen looked at the sword Meta Blade had ordered.

“You don’t know the half it.” Clang just chuckled. “Meta likes to add special crystals from the Crystal Empire and see if he can create augmented weapons with special properties.”

Allen’s eyes widened as his face lit up. “Seriously? You can do that? Like bind magical materials to give a sword…uh, I don’t know, elemental powers.”

Meta Blade grinned and nodded. “You’re very sharp, Allen. That’s it exactly. And see my cutie mark?” Meta pointed to his flank. “It’s not a fancy sword with an aqua blue aura that makes it glow psychedelic purple for nothing you know.”

Allen gave the crystal stallion’s cutie mark a careful glance. “Wow, that’s one of the neatest cutie marks I’ve seen yet.” He blinked. I think the only one I’ve seen that I like better is Twilight’s. Of course the spa ponies had nice cutie marks too…and then there’s Fluttershy’s group of butterflies… Allen shook his head. “But wow, so that represents what you do?”

The grin remained on Meta Blade’s face. “Oh yeah. It’s a bit of an involved process. Though, it’s always worth the effort.”

Allen just nodded, then causally glanced at the clock hanging on the wall behind Clang. “Whoa. When did it get to be after five?”

Clang chuckled. “Hard to say with time. I guess you have to go?”

“Yeah.” Allen nodded as he picked up the sword. Giving it a look, he wrapped the belt around his large waist and gave it a try. It pulled and secured perfectly, with room to spare. “Wow, Clang. I didn’t know if this would fit.”

Meta Blade looked at Clang and then over at Allen. “One thing you should know about Clang, Allen. He always makes sure his customers get what they want, even if they don’t know it.”

“Yeah, this is awesome!” Allen turned and was able to easily draw the blade with his left hand. “Clang, you are amazing!”

Meta Blade just laughed, while Clang closed his eyes and smiled. “I’m glad you like your gift. Now, shouldn’t you be going?”

“Going? The time!” Allen bowed to both of them. “Thank you, Clang. And it was great to meet you Meta Blade! Take care you two!”

Allen took off and made his way out of the shop. Clang and Meta just stood there as they watched him dart out into Ponyville.

Meta Blade placed a hoof to his chin. “I like him. He’s unique…for a…human did he say?” He turned to Clang.

“That’s right. But, we may not see him again, once Twilight and the others lead him to the Smokey Mountains.” Clang sighed.

“Oh, how come?” Meta gave Clang a curious look.

Clang cleared his throat and looked at Meta. “Allow me to explain…”

* * * * * * *

Night had fallen over the Golden Oak Library and the hour was growing late. Allen had gone to bed, just before Twilight. He was still sharing the spare bed in her loft. Now that he’d been there for a week, his arrangements were actually becoming rather comfortable. To Allen, it was like having a sleepover with a friend. Of course, he checked with Twilight almost everyday, concerned that he was being a burden to host in her room each night, but she assured him she was happy to give him a place to stay.

There was only a matter of hours till he and Twilight would awaken and join the others at the train station. Allen wanted to go home, but as he slept, memories of his arrival in Equestria, specifically the incident in the Smokey Mountains, plagued his dreams. In them, he recalled the towering dragon and it’s infernal breath. Then, he’d find himself running from the beast and end up falling off the side of the mountain.

Allen’s eyes opened as he glanced around Twilight’s loft. It was blanketed in mostly darkness. He looked over at the window shelf and there he saw the pale phosphorescent glow of Twilight’s alarm clock. After staring at the clock’s face, Allen silently flopped back onto the bed. Great, it hasn’t even been two hours. Allen sighed. And I doubt I can get back to sleep now.

He sat back up and just stayed there in the bed, staring out into the darkness. Then, he gave a listen. Something was missing, but he wasn’t sure what it could be. Then it dawned on him, the sound of Twilight breathing in her sleep, and occasionally snoring very softly. However, he couldn’t tell if she was still in her bed or not.

Regardless, he didn’t want to disturb her, so he very quietly left his bed. He considered grabbing his Kindle Fire. After all, it did have a modest stash of his stress-relieving pictures and videos on it, but for the moment, he just made his way over to the window. Pulling back the curtain, Allen gazed out into the star-filled night. “Maybe it will be simple enough.” He whispered.

“Allen?” He heard the familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle.

Allen turned his head to the right and saw her shadowy figure walk over to him. “Twilight...did I wake you?”

She shook her head. “No. I was just about to ask you the same thing. I woke up before you did. Are you all right?” Even though it was dark, there was just enough ambient star and moonlight filtering in to allow Allen to see the concern in her violet eyes, which looked a deep midnight blue in the darkness.

He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I’m all right…well, if you ignore the fact that I can’t sleep.”

Twilight used her magic to slide back the curtain. Then, she sighed as she joined him in looking out the window. “So, you can’t sleep either?”

Allen looked her way and shook his head. “Nah. I keep having weird dreams.” He hung his head. “I’m almost embarrassed to admit it…but I’m scared.”

Twilight blinked at him. “Scared? Why?”

He walked over to his clothing, which was draped on a lone chair. There, he had the sword Clang gave him hanging on the chair’s back. “Well, my last trip to the Smokey Mountains was horrifying…to say the least. I mean, I have been given some helpful tips from Regalas and Blade, but…even with this sword Clang gave me.” Allen ran his hand along the smooth leather of its scabbard. “How do we know I won’t end up being a burden to all of you? And the dragon was just one thing we ran into last time. What if there’s other creatures living in the mountains?”

Twilight drew back a foreleg, then walked over to Allen. She placed a supportive hoof on his forearm. “Allen…I can’t say everything will be all right. But, my friends and I will do everything we can to help you.” Twilight smiled. “Like we did before.”

Allen shared her smile and placed a hand on her hoof. “You six were a big help last time.” He shook his head. “I’m probably just being paranoid for nothing.”

“No. Your fears are valid.” Twilight looked down and saw his hand. She was glad her room was dark. Allen’s hand was warm and oddly comforting. Her cheeks became flush, but at least he couldn’t see them. “So, you can’t sleep…huh?”

“Yeah.” Allen looked at Twilight and then back out the window.

She turned her head to the side, then looked back at him. “You know, I might have an idea.

He cocked his head at the side. “Oh, what’d you have in mind?”

Twilight withdrew her hoof and moved just a little closer to him. She offered Allen a very warm and almost flirty smile. “This might sound a little odd, but maybe we could try cuddling a little, uh…it might help you calm down and relax.” There was silence. Twilight bit her lower lip, wondering if it was stupid of her to have even suggested it. “Uh, forget I said…”

“Sure.”

“Huh?” Twilight shook her head for a moment. “Wait?”

Allen placed a hand on her shoulder and gently stroked her downy lavender fur. “That might work.”

“Yeah, it just might. Oh…you don’t mind that I’m a pony, do you?” She smiled, while she attempted to give Allen her cutest expression.

“No.” He replied in a calm voice. “I mean, as long as you’re cool with me being a human, right?”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Of course I am.”

Allen smiled. “Twilight.” He spoke her name softly. “Uh, my bed okay?”

“Sure.” She nodded as they walked over to it.

Allen crawled back in and slid back after lying down, giving Twilight plenty of room to join him. Part of him wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or a bad idea. Still, he knew if they were to have any chance of succeeding tomorrow, they’d both need their rest. “Come on in, Twilight.”

“Okay.” She crawled in beside him. Her cheeks were still red, but thankfully it was still too dark for Allen to notice.

“Do you have enough space?”

“Uh-huh.”

“So…” Allen noticed his arms were trembling just a little. “Uh…jump right in, I guess?”

“Yeah. Here.” Twilight moved up against him.

Allen watched her intently as she leaned in and started rubbing her cheek against his. He sighed from the inviting sensation of her soft fur along his shaven skin. “Mmm.” Allen nearly moaned, not expecting cuddling with Twilight to be so alluring. Even though she was a pony, specifically a unicorn, it didn’t seem that way, and certainly not in the dark. No. Twilight was a gentle and caring female, offering her company to help quell Allen’s anxiety.

Despite a slight quiver in his body, Allen moved to place his arms around her. He was hesitant at first, but as Twilight leaned a little harder against him, she said, “Go ahead.”

Two simple words were more than the acknowledgement he needed to proceed. Allen embraced Twilight, and then he nuzzled her, keeping their cheeks rubbing together. Growing more confident, he began running a hand along her furry back, but stopped about mid way. Twilight sighed in his ear, sending chills up his spine; the whole thing was almost sensual. She continued nuzzling his cheek, and as she did, a portion of her silky mane swept along the side of Allen’s face. It only served to absorb him even further into the moment. He reached out a hand and swept it along her silky hair, then paused a moment. Twilight didn’t shoo away his arm, so he just kept caressing her lovely tresses.

Twilight resumed nuzzling his cheek, before slipping her hooves around him. She gave him a rather affectionate squeeze, then paused as they stared at each other in the darkness. Their mouths were only inches apart as they vented warm breath on each other. Still of the moment, Allen leaned front and kissed Twilight. He pulled back and gasped. “Twilight…I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

She placed a hoof over his mouth, very gingerly. “That’s okay. I don’t mind. In fact…” Twilight removed her hoof and gently plowed her lips into his. Her hooves tightened around him and she whimpered softly as he secured his arms around her.

Allen wasn’t sure how much time had passed since their second kiss started. Actually, he didn’t care. Thinking back to each passing day, he was happier and happier to see Twilight. As their lips remained locked, it suddenly dawned on him that he might be developing feelings for her. Twilight’s kiss was gentle, bold and enveloping, which led him to believe she might be feeling something for him as well, even if it was only the smallest ember.

Their lips finally broke, leaving them to pant softly in the shroud of night. “Whoa…Twilight. That was unexpected.”

“Yeah…it was.” She ran her hoof along his cheek. “But, I really liked it.”

Allen smiled as he ran his fingers through her mane. “You know what…so did I.”

“Allen, I didn’t get to tell you, but, I was awake…because once we get the recall rod back…you’ll be gone.” Twilight pulled him closer in her hooves. “And I can’t really explain it, but I know I’ll miss you once you leave.”

“Yeah. That’s another reason I couldn’t sleep.” Allen hugged her back. “I’m not sure of a lot of things, but I know I’d miss this world, the others and of course you, Twilight.”

“Allen.” She sighed softly and kept her hooves around him.

“This was a good idea.” Allen let out a calm breath. “I feel a lot calmer now.”

“Oh, then maybe we should stop.”

“Or…we could just stay like this for a little longer. No harm in holding each other…is there?” Allen smiled at her, then nuzzled her cheek.

Twilight sighed and nuzzled him back. “No, there isn’t.”

Then, before either of them knew it, they had both drifted off, still embraced and lying in Allen’s bed.

* * * * * *

The rest of the night passed peacefully, allowing the sun to rise on a new day. Twilight began to awaken as her eyes slowly parted. At first, she wasn’t sure where she was. Her mind was still veiled in the fog of slumber. Looking around, she realized she was in her room, but she wasn’t in her bed. Gazing directly across from her, she saw Allen lying beside her, still resting. A smile formed on her face as she recalled cuddling with him last night and that she must have fallen asleep in his bed.

She sighed softly, recalling the two kisses they shared. Twilight noticed the welcoming warmth of Allen’s arms, which were still wrapped around her. Remaining in his embrace gave Twilight a sense of security and was very soothing. She stared at him fondly, then began to wonder. What is this feeling? Am…am I developing feelings for Allen? She paused a moment, then her mouth fell open. But it can’t be. I only met him a week ago. Besides, he’s got to leave soon and what would the others think? After all, he isn’t a pony. But…would that matter? After all, Spike loves Rarity.

Before Twilight could give the matter any more thought, Allen began to stir and opened his eyes. “Oh, hey, Twilight.” He yawned and stretched. “You’re still here.” Allen smiled a little groggily at first, then his eyes widened. “Wait, last night…” He paused for a moment and slowly ran his fingers over his lips. “That’s right, we kissed, didn’t we?”

“Yes, we did, after enjoying all that cuddling and mmm…you also touched my hair.” Twilight smiled and sighed rather dreamily.

At first Allen was a little uneasy, until he saw the fond look in her eyes. It was a lot like the ones she gave him last night. Even though it was pretty dark, he could see enough to tell. A warm smile curled up on his cheeks. “That was really relaxing.”

“It was.” Twilight patted her hoof on his shoulder. “You know, I just had a thought. I know you’re still not really looking forward to the trip into the mountains, right?”

Allen noticed his arms were still around her. He moved his right hand to gently caress her downy back. “Yeah, I can’t say I’m excited about it. But, it will be good to get home, I guess.”

“Oh. But, have you considered just staying here? I mean, it sounds like your life back on Earth isn’t anything that great.” Twilight looked at him, her eyes were full of wonder.

“Hmm.” Allen placed a hand to his chin. “It’s a delightfully crazy idea. But…” Allen hung his head. “Despite my parents. I do have friends and a life I can’t just forget back on Earth. I mean, I can’t just abandon it…can I?” Allen sighed. “Right now, I’m the only human in your world. I can’t even say if I belong here.”

Twilight bit her lower lip. “But, nopony here cares about the fact that you’re the only human.”

“True, but what about places other than Ponyville? Your world has a lot to see. Would other places be so accepting of me?” Allen began considering it, until he remembered his meeting with Princess Luna. “That’s right. What about what the princess said the other night? She mentioned that my kind had to leave once before or everyone would be at risk from that Grim-something guy. So, even if I wanted to stay, I doubt I could.” Allen sighed.

Unfortunately, Twilight wasn’t sure how to answer that. Besides, she still had her doubts as well, which was why she simply gave a resigned nod. “You’re right. I had nearly forgotten about that. It was just a thought.”

Allen placed a hand on her chin and coaxed Twilight to look up. “For what it’s worth, it was a very tempting thought.”

Twilight placed a hoof on his cheek, a wide array of emotions were present on her face. “Yeah, you mean it?”

He nodded. “I do. Remember that.” Allen took a moment to run his hand along her mane, which was just as silky as last night. Twilight closed her eyes and leaned against his hand. “Twilight…I hate to ruin the moment, but we should get up. We’ll soon have to meet up with the others.”

Twilight sighed. “You’re right.” She slowly broke free of his arms and pulled away, hesitantly. “We’d better eat breakfast and then finished getting ready for the trip.”

“Yep.”

Allen couldn’t miss the look on Twilight’s face. It was more than a little dejected, which actually made his heart feel tight. Still, while the thought of not being able to stay or return to Equestria saddened him, Allen wasn’t sure this was a world he wanted to stay in forever, besides the way the princess spoke, he couldn’t even be sure he was allowed to stay.

He continued to ponder that as he got dressed. Then, he thought about what Clang had said. He still needed to make the trip into the mountains and retrieve the recall rod. Only then would he truly have to worry about any reluctance he had regarding leaving or staying.

* * * * * *

The train deposited Allen, Twilight and the others at a remote train station along the foot of the Smokey Mountains. The group was silent as Allen removed his cell phone and called up the app that would help them locate the recall rod.

Twilight stood beside Allen and glanced his way. “So, do you have any idea where we should start?”

“Hmm.” He checked the screen as it took a moment to refresh. There was a short series of beeps as the screen showed a very vague map of the area ahead. “Looks like it’s somewhere…up there.” Allen swallowed hard.

Twilight followed his pointing hand. “Ah, up in the mountains.”

“Say, isn’t that about the place we done found you, Allen?” Applejack joined them in looking up the very mountain they were standing next to.

“Yeah.” Allen nodded. “That’s the same one I…fell from.”

“Oh dear.” Fluttershy trotted over to Allen. She looked at him and blinked her teal eyes. “Are you okay, Allen?”

He nodded as he steeled himself, placing his right hand along the hilt of the sword Clang gave him. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’s just a little unnerving coming back here.”

Twilight smiled, while she stayed close to him. “Don’t worry, you’ve got all of us with you. So you don’t have to face this alone.”

“Yeah.” Allen smiled as a look of confidence began to morph onto his face. “All right then. Come on, this way.” He motioned with his arm.

They were off to a slow start, but the seven of them began their ascent up the trail into the Smokey Mountains.

* * * * * *

Allen wasn’t sure how long they’d been searching. While his phone had plenty of charge, the app wasn’t really meant to render any accurate maps with identifiable terrain, thus all they had to go off of was a white grid with a black background and a bright blue pulse that could track the chip on the recall rod.

The group fanned out into two teams. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Applejack went in one direction, while Allen, Twilight, Fluttershy and Rarity went in another. Twilight and Allen broke off from the group when the human thought he might have found something.

“Well?” Twilight asked.

Allen shook his head. “Nah, it’s nothing. Just a rock with some kind of shiny coating, maybe pyrite.”

Twilight sighed. “Oh well, it was worth a look.”

“Yeah. Oh, wow.” Allen walked over a few steps. “Twilight, check out the view!”

The unicorn followed him over to the edge, but they both kept back to a safe distance. “Wow! That really is quite a view.”

“Tell me about it.” It was then that Allen’s phone beeped. “Hey, the app refreshed again. Ooh, it looks like we’re definitely getting close. It says we’ve closed to within 500 feet. The recall rod must be close now.”

“That’s great. Let’s go…” Just as Twilight went to take a step, the ground began to shake and the area they were standing on started to crack and break. “Allen!” Twilight looked over at him. There wasn’t time to react as the ground broke and crumbled under them. “Ahhhhh!!”

Allen stepped back as he heard Twilight scream. “Twilight!” The rocks stopped breaking and the dust quickly settled. “Twilight!” He called again.

“Allen, help! I’m over here!”

He followed Twilight’s distressed voice. She was hanging over the edge of the mountain and had her hoof nabbed onto it. Fear and panic were in her violet eyes as Allen called out, “Rarity, Fluttershy, HELP!!” Allen swallowed hard as he pocketed his phone and walked closer to the cliff’s edge. He dropped to his belly and made his way to Twilight.

“Allen, help me!” Twilight whimpered as she dangled from the edge.

“Take my hand!” He reached for her right hoof and nabbed it securely in his left hand. “I’ve got you.” But as he went to pull her up, he suddenly realized he might not have the strength to pull her up. Allen did his best to fight the panic, but he feared it was a losing battle. He looked down at Twilight, while she looked back at him. “Twilight!”

“Allen!!”

“Whatever you do…DON’T LET GO!” He gripped his hand tighter to her hoof, but as he tried to pull her up again, his arm just tensed, leaving her to hang there. “TWILIGHT!!”

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

I'd like to give a shout out to TheBrokenBrony, the winner of my "Everyone Loves Their OC" contest back in November 2019. His OC Meta Blade was featured in the scene at Clang's Forge. It was fun to work Meta into that scene.