Sparkle

Chapters

3. Isolation
4.Calling
5.Meeting
6.Clarity
7.Sleepover
8.Shipping
9.Affection
10.Date
11.Promise
12.Present
13.Hurt
14.Tears
15.Answers
16.Regret
18. Reflections
1.Beginning
2. Introduction
17.Change

3. Isolation

One Month Later.

“*sigh* Reality is such a bummer...”

You said to yourself on a Monday afternoon, after coming back from school. Once again, it’s been a pretty long day. Once again because you’re bullied and all that. It’s pretty sad when you get thrown around with jokes and harassed for everything you say every day.

Homework is done, already six in the evening. You check your phone, and you get a text from Twilight. Very usual.

“Ash, can I ask something?

You shrugged and sat on your bed at home.

“Yeah?” You reply.

“I’m just wondering about something, seeing as I’ve been surrounded by friends for a long time. Wh-What’s it like, being bullied by others? Being harassed like you do?”

You texted her to hang on one moment, considering how much you thought about the question.

“*sigh* It’s depressing.”

“I can see that. Is it... Okay for us to talk about it? I know it makes you sad that I’m bringing this up, I just wanted to know about you more. It’s been a month and all.”

You hesitate at first, but still put on a warm smile as you continued talking with her.

“No worries, Twi,” You say.

“Good. I don’t want to hurt your feelings. How bad exactly is it?”

“For starters, I get teased for every action by my classmates, of course. I was pretty unlucky to get placed in this one class for 3 years. Like seriously, what kind of system is that. I get laughed at about mostly my singing, sometimes my drawing or when I say insults to them. I’ve gotten used to it at this point but it still bugs me.”

“Trust me, I’ve been through that too at some point. Anything more?”

You thought about what happened earlier today.

“W-Well... I tried to resist their laughter and yell at them... And then they roundhouse kicked my face... Still hurts a lot...”

Twilight gasped.

“They did not! You poor thing, Ash!”

“Oh, they did... I fell on the ground hard after that. And that’s not the only time I was abused at school, either. Every single time we play dodgeball for class, even though I was already out of the game, every single person just targets me and makes a never-ending loop. Seriously, what the hay? Oops, sorry for my language.”

“It’s Fine,” Twilight responded. “But... How can they do that to you and just... Get away from it?”

“I’ve complained several times. No success at all. I mean, yeah, they call me loser and a piece of trash and I stink at doing things, whatever. Bullies do that. But harming another person physically, that’s a line no one should cross.”

She proceeded to send crying emojis.

“Oh... I’m so sorry, Ash... I didn’t know they treated you like that...😢”

“I think at some point they’re even gonna start abusing me in that awkward way, who knows what they’ll do to me. You know, like-“

Before you could finish what you were typing, Twilight already stopped you.

“No, forget it. I don’t want to hear anything more about it.”

“Oh? Sorry.”

“No, no, Ash,” Twilight said. “What I mean is, stop reminding yourself of how terrible your school life is. I know, you’re isolated, misunderstood and miserable. But there’s always a better side in life. Look at things that way. Don’t you possibly have any great experiences at school?”

“Mostly minor.”

“Even if they’re minor, they’re still the good things that happen in our lives, Ash. It might not be great and all the bullies overshadow it, but happy things happen around us every day, no matter minor or major. You don’t have to be perfect to live a great life. You don’t need to be rich or famous like me. In my opinion, having what you want and being who you wish to be is enough. For me, as long my friends are with me, I’ll be happy. And you feel the same too, don’t you?”

You smile.

“I guess so. I just... really want a friend. You are that friend I always hoped for.”

Twilight smiled back, in emoji of course. “That’s the spirit. See... You always wished to talk with me, one of your most admired characters. And it’s happening- Right now. We’re even friends. Isn’t that what you hoped for, as you told me once? I kinda sound like I’m boasting how great I am, but I can assure I’m not. I just want you to be happy.”

You chuckled to that. “Thanks. It means a lot.”

“You know... I really do love chatting with you, Ash. I am a busy pony and all, but I still try to make time so I can connect with you. It’s unique to have a friendship between two people from different worlds. You’re so interesting, or maybe it’s just I haven’t been to the human world in a long time. *sigh* I wish we could meet someday. I want to see you. I really do.”

Your spirits were lifted the moment you read that sentence.

“Seriously? You... You want to see me? Haha, but... I’m a civilian. Very normal guy. How could I just meet a full-on princess that I’ve only been friends with for a month?”

Twilight blushed, but giggled.

“How about this: Let’s not treat each other as a delegate and a princess. You can treat me as a friend.”

“But... I get awkward when talking to others!”

“Relax, Ash. I’ll treat you as a friend too. Pinkie promise.”

Your smile can be seen from ear to ear when you saw how welcoming and friendly she was to you. This was your chance to be the spotlight- To prove that Equestria was reality. Who’s stopping you from doing it? You’re getting a chance to meet one of your closest friends since the beginning of secondary school in real life. Not to mention she’s a princess as well. Meeting royalty would be nervous, yet amazing.

“Hmmm,” You reply, “How about you talk with Princess Celestia about it? Does she know about me?”

“Yes, she does.”

“Well, then tell her about the plan first. Maybe she would have some thoughts or opinions to give. For now, let’s save that for another day. As much as I wish to see you, Twi, our friendship can wait.”

At this point, you are already lying on your bed, wiggling and blushing about meeting your waifu. Funny enough, Twilight was doing the exact same thing in her room. Both of you played the silent game, making you more bashful- The word that derived your name.

“*chuckles* I feel the same way. However, I do wish we won’t have to wait for us to meet,” Twilight sighed.

“Hey, I have an idea,” You said, “Has your friend ever told you about this social networking-video call thing called Skype? Should we... Should we reveal ourselves on the camera and talk to each other?”

Twilight gasped in amazement.

“That’s a thing?”

“Yup!”

“Why didn’t you tell me!?” She laughed. “Of course! I want to hear what you sound like and what you look like! Ah ah ah, I know what you’re thinking- Don’t worry, I won’t judge you. Promise.”

“Haha, you sure know me well. Ah, got to go for dinner. I’ll see you soon?”

“Awww, well, do come back to text me soon!” Twilight sighed, “Oh, and... Ash?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

You could tell by her silence that she’s blushing.

“Before we met and became friends... Since I was a character... D-Did... Did you love me?”

You blush hideously. You sighed in relief the camera wasn’t on- That would’ve been bad. But, you still reply to her with honesty in your heart.

“Yes, I do.”

“*giggles* Awww, Thanks! I like you as a friend too.”

Wait What? You thought. Did she just-

“Talk to you later! Goodbye!”

“O-Oh! Okay, goodbye, Twi!”

4.Calling

Ring ring ring ring ring~

click

“H-Hello?”

It’s been a few months since you first met Twilight. Now, your best friend finally managed to cope a time with you to spend time together for a casual chat through the power of the internet. Once again, no reason behind Skype working in their world was given, but you just rolled with it.

Twilight calls you and tries to contact you.

“Hello...?” She asked in a warmer voice. “Is anypony there?”

You sigh silently with bliss.

“Twilight~ Hey there~!”

Her ears perk up the moment you said something. She turned on her camera, and so did you. Both of you gasp at the sight of each other through the screens in front of you.

“*gasp* Ash!” Twilight exclaimed, waving. “Hi there! You look great today! Oh, by the way, is my camera working? My microphone doing well? Sorry, first time using this.”

You nodded with a smile.

“Everything’s fine. Hi Twilight!! I’m so happy to see you!”

“Me too!”

You both laugh alongside each other.

“Wow...” You say, smiling as you use a hand to support your head on the desk. “Twi... Can I just say how beautiful you are? I’m not even joking!”

“Why, thank you!” She giggles. “Rarity May or May not have helped me put on makeup for this. Just a bit. Yeah, yeah, this won’t be the only time for us to talk but...”

You give a laugh.

“So.... Yeah. This is my face,” You say. “I know, it’s weird.”

“Haha, no it isn’t!” Twilight replies. “I think you look just fine. No worries at all. And your voice is... Pretty interesting. It’s glad to talk to you directly like this, bringing us closer to meeting each other in real life.”

You sigh blissfully at that. “Yes. I’m still hoping for that day to come sooner. Exam weeks just ended. You talked to Celestia and planned a day yet?”

Twilight smiles.

“Actually, I did! I just sent you 2 choices. One for just meeting with me and possibly some others, or two, you get to meet Celestia herself! Isn’t that wonderful!?”

You freeze in place.

“Wait, What!?” You say. “No, Twi, you can’t be-“

You get a notification from your phone. It was a video showing Celestia.

Ash, If you're listening to this,

My student Twilight Sparkle has been communicating with you very nicely through the past few months. She recently talked to me about possibly meeting you and opening our empire’s borders fully to the human world. The latter will happen on a later day, but she persuaded me so hard and I, too, became interested in you.

Because of this, I would love to meet you in Equestria. You may choose to only meet Twilight, though. As a princess, I understand how nervous it will be when you talk to someone like me. I await your decision, fellow human. And it’ll be wonderful for us to cross paths.

“Does that answer your question?” Twilight asks, giving a smirk and a wink.

You laugh. “Yep. Definitely. Of course I’ll meet Celestia as well! She’s the princess of Equestria! Why wouldn’t I want to meet her when I have the chance? Thanks for telling me, Twi! I expected her to be a bit more regal, though. Like, she could’ve been a bit more serious, you know?”

Twilight shrugs. “I don’t know either. But hey, we’re meeting each other, and it’s all that matters!”

You nod and grin at that.

“Oh, right!” You say, clapping your hands. “One moment, I got something awesome to show you!”

A minute later you came back with a beautiful and noticeably big plush toy of Twilight. Your friend gasps in response and giggles.

“Awwww it’s me!” Twilight squeaks. “You bought that? It looks amazing!”

“I bought and kinda specially made it at this workshop I found when I was traveling. Boy was this worth the cost. I always nuzzle this plushie before I go to bed. I wouldn’t cuddle, though- I don’t want to mess up her mane.”

“Haha, you really love it, don’t you?”

“Oh, of course. But, obviously you are much more worth my time now. Remember that time it was like 10 at night and we were texting like crazy?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why I did that either. Had to use a spell to keep myself awake the next day. I’m glad we weren’t going crazy till midnight, or else... Well, to be honest, I would’ve thought you’re drunk.”

You spat out laughing. “Drunk!? I’m 15! I can’t do that!”

Twilight joins in. As you both start to calm down, you start to go silent and play the silent game. You begin to blush and look around your rooms and not each other and feel shy. Twilight begin giving flirty winks to you. You nervously smile back at the camera. It wasn’t a minute later when you were both supporting your heads with your arm and hoof, looking at each other with tenderness and a hint of affection, beaming.

You knew- Twilight was excited to see you. You feel the same way.

Your endless staring at each other was stopped by someone entering Twilight’s room. When you first saw her, you couldn’t believe your eyes- It’s another human! And not just any human, either. You recognize who she is on first sight. The Gold skin and long hair, the blue shirt with magenta stripes and of course from her voice.

“Wait, is that...”

The human walks over as Twilight turns her head.

“Hey, Twilly,” The human says, “Is everything doing good? No problems?”

“Yep! Having a fun time!” Twilight giggles. “Oh, let me introduce you to him. I don’t think you two have met before. Ash, you probably know her, though.”

“I-I do! It’s none other than the fricken ruler of Britannica, Frisk Dreemur herself!”

Your eyes widen as Twilight gives her the seat to talk. You have heard a lot of great stories about Frisk’s quest that crowned her empress of a country in Europe. You admire her lots, too.

“So Frisk, this is Ash, my new friend,” Twilight says.

You don’t know what to talk about- The ruler of an entire country is right in front of your eyes. To be fair, though, Twilight is one too, so you tell yourself to remain calm.

“Hey there, fellow member of the humans,” Frisk giggles. “You know me well?”

“Of course I do! Dang, you are a force to be reckoned with! But... How did you end up with Twilight? I’ve never heard anything about you and Twilight teaming up...”

“Really? But it did happen!”

“What!?”

Twilight chuckles. “Yeah! We were a team back then, when we first overthrew the king. Good times back then. And we have a very strong bond, right Frisk?”

“Certainly. Anyway, I just want to check up on you, Ash,” Frisk explains. “So when exactly are you coming over? I’ll have to meet up with you so I can take you to Equestria.”

“Exactly 2 weeks later. When my summer break begins.”

“Got it. Twilight explained this once to you: You have to fly over here the day before, and the next day, meet up with me on the designated spot that Twi has sent you on the map. It’s pretty much just near the palace. You need an explanation on the way to get to Equestria? But you mustn’t tell. If you do, you’re not gonna like what you’re gonna get.”

“Okay, okay, I pinkie promise.”

“Good! So, in my palace, I have a secret switch that can toggle the portal to Equestria whenever I wish. It can only be controlled by me. All we have to do is to go through it! Don’t worry, we won’t turn into ponies and all that. This portal doesn’t do that.”

“Oh, Good,” You say. “It would be weird for me to start walking on four hooves, no offense.”

Frisk nods in approval. Twilight starts nudging her.

“Frisk, can I have the seat back now? I don’t want to keep him waiting.”

“Fine, you know how to turn it off when you need to.”

Frisk slowly leaves the room, leaving just you and your friend to play the hidden love game. At this point, just hearing her moan blissfully totally gives you signs that she likes you. But, you rebut that point by believing in the fact that she hasn’t even seen you in real life yet. Things can change when that happens.

“Twi?”

“Mhmm?”

“Now that we’re actually go to meet each other... Can I tell you something? It’s not love or anything bad, just a sudden thought.”

“Sure.”

You nervously take a moment to breathe before speaking.

“Are we... Sorry, let me rephrase that. Do... Do you think I’m your friend?”

Twilight tilts her head.

“W-What do you mean? Of course we are!”

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you do care. I once did a project at school about the effects of Social Media, take for example the very programs we use to contact each other. You ponies don’t know this because it’s not being fully used, but from our lessons, I can tell you that scams are a pretty big hit on the internet.”

“Scams? You mean... Like someone who betrays your friendship? Why would they do that?”

“I don’t know, I’m not a snitch at all, I don’t really know what it feels like. For money? Power? Or just... Plain fun? It doesn’t matter. This could be dangerous. I just wanted to make sure that... That we are really friends. I don’t want to make you scared, but when we first met, I had a tiny suspicion you were just a random person with your name. Matter of fact, I might not even be talking to the real Twilight Sparkle.”

“Wh- But I am Twilight! It’s me!” She cries.

You smile. “Don’t worry. That isn’t the point. I’m saying that you could’ve so easily ran into a scam, and you giving away your name like that... You’re so lucky that the person on the other side was me. So... I really wanted to be sure we care about each other as a companion and we actually want to meet each other. I trust you, Twilight. And... It’s only been a few months, but I can assure you, I really do love being your friend.

Hearing that, Twilight smiles in the cutest way ever.

“Ash, don’t worry. I care about you too. I could understand why you would think that way. But I would never betray somepony’s friendship for my own greed. Friendship is something you couldn’t buy. I treasure it the most out of the majority of my everything. I’ve loved chatting and getting to know more about you and your culture since day one. And I trust you with my heart too.”

You nod and hug your Twilight plushie.

“*sigh* I wish this was you,” You say as you squeezed your toy tighter to your heart and nuzzling it.

“Awwww,” Twilight giggles. “If you were here right now, I would’ve totally given you a hug.”

You roll your eyes. “Ha, feels depressing, huh? There’s always that one moment you would want to hug your friend, but you can’t because you’re chatting through a microphone and a screen.”

Both of you share a hearty laugh.

“Can you wait two weeks?” You ask.

“For?”

“For me to come over? I just wanted to make it better by making us miss each other, haha.”

Twilight smirks. “Hmph, you jerk. Okay, Fine, if that’s how you want our meeting to play out. Gonna miss you a little. Two weeks is pretty long, especially since I’m a headmare and princess and all.”

“Yeah, I’ll miss you too. Time for 2 weeks of boredom since I have nothing to do except freak out over my exam results or play video games!”

Twilight shrugs with a grin. “Well, I hope you have fun. See you around?”

“Alright. Love you, Twi!”

She gasps a little as you make a heart with your hands. She chuckles and draws one with magic.

“Love you too, Ash. Bye!”

5.Meeting

“Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh,” You chant to yourself. “Ughhhh how do I do this!?”

You are pacing back and forth. In where? In the throne room of Frisk Dreemur’s Palace In Britannica. You are as nervous as an ant on a frying pan. Your mind could not think of anything else but this very meetup with Twilight Sparkle, the very friend you’ve been talking to for the past few months. You try to find some kind of formula of dialogue to speak to Twilight, like actors do on a play. But you couldn’t- Because you think it’s awkward.

You look back and forth at the floor beneath you and the very portal to Equestria. You are literally only a few short steps away from seeing the land you’ve dreamed of. But you couldn’t without feeling shy and weird- What if the ponies think you are some kind of spy? What if they’re scared of you for being a human that’s not Frisk?

On her throne, Frisk moans.

“What’s the matter?” She asks.

You try to convey your nervousness towards her, even though it’s only been 10 minutes since you’ve entered and met her, which made you even more nervous.

“Ash, don’t be worried. Ponies are nice people. They won’t bully you like your peers do. They are charming and are all amazing in their own way. I’ve know Twilight for a long time. Judging by how you both felt while chatting the other day, I’m sure she’ll be excited. Either that, or she’s just as nervous as you. So there’s no need to feel nervous.”

You stop pacing. Then you look at her and nod.

“You’re right. But... That’s just the first part. Why did I agree to seeing Celestia, too!? How could you not be nervous!? She’s the ruler of Equestria! The whole freaking pony nation!”

“I’m sure Celestia will be delighted to know you, Ash,” Frisk says, opening the portal. “Now, you come, or you stay. What do you say, then?”

She reaches out a hand. You hesitate to grab it, since you’re male and don’t want her to get the wrong idea, but you gently and gratefully accept her request anyway. So, she takes your hand, and you run straight into the portal with her.

********

After finally getting to Equestria and a while of train travelling to get to Ponyville, you and Frisk finally reach Twilight’s Castle. Your heart was either pounding, or it’s completely dead. You were so close to meeting her, and you’ve been blushing the moment you stepped off the train.

Frisk looks at you as she knocks on the door, and rolls her eyes. A minute later, Spike comes to open the door.

“Hi Frisk, looks like you brought someone new,” He says. “Is that the Ash guy Twilight’s been talking about lately? She sure is into you.”

You freeze.

“Is th-that so?” You coughed out, your face turning red.

You follow Frisk and Spike to Twilight’s room after he closes the main doors.

“Oh, Yeah. She said you haven’t spoken to her for two weeks, and she’s pretty lonely and sad. But, she woke up like, waaaaaaay too early today. Like that time where she woke up early for winter wrap up!”

“Geezus! She must be really excited!” Frisk exclaims, nudging you. “You’re in for a treat today.”

You chuckle nervously. Then, finally, you arrive at Twilight’s bedroom. Frisk left early since she had things to do. You are almost dead inside for being so nervous.

“Uhhh, Spike?”

“Hm? What can I do for you?”

You gulp once before speaking. “I’m... I’m a little worried she would be too surprised when she sees me barging in like that. Would you mind giving her a heads up?”

“Not a problem.”

So he goes in, and you stay out. You hear their voices inside.

“Twilight, your friend is here.”

She looks away from her book that she was reading and gets up fast. She must’ve whispered to him about something, because you couldn’t hear what she was saying, and then, he came back out.

“Okie! Have fun, you two~” He chuckles as he runs off.

You were confused to why they were being so secretive, but you knocked on the door anyway. No response, so you just took the fact that Twilight let you open the door instead. You step inside. Twi’s bed was on the right side of the room, and there was this cool yellow couch on the other side. All these shelves and a mirror were decor. However, the weird part was that you couldn’t see Twilight anywhere. That is, until you spotted a pair of purple hooves from the other side of the couch.

You sigh and smile coldly.

“Hide and seek?” You ask, creeping over. “Hello~? Twilight...?”

As soon you got close, there was a loud bang and she was gone! Then, there was this huge bulge formed by the blankets of Twilight’s Navy blue bed. So, you went over to investigate. But when you flipped the blankets, she was gone again! You were confused.

You felt two hooves land swiftly on your shoulder and you get pulled backwards.

“Hey!”

“Waaa!” You scream as you turned.

It was then- You realise who did it. Standing in front of you, an alicorn was beaming. She was lavender coloured, with a three-colour mane, complete with wings and horns, and her cutie mark- A six-pointed-star.

It was her.

“*giggles* Hi, Ash,” Twilight says.

You step back for just one second. You decided that you needed a couple of seconds or even a minute to process what was happening in front of you. For heavn’s sake, you thought to yourself. This is THE princess of friendship. The nervousness spread through your whole body, and you couldn’t help but just stare at her beauty.

She is very confused to the whole situation, but just smiles back at you.

“I... I’ve been waiting all week for us to meet. It’s nice to see you.”

You feel a sense of shyness when she said that. You realize- She was no different from you, and she is just as nervous. Her hooves were shaking a little and her wing was stiff. You then recognize her as a princess, so naturally, you bent down on one knee to bow to her as a greeting.

“Your highness,” You say, “I am most delighted to meet you and visit Equestria today.”

Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof and softly chuckled.

“Oh, come on, none of that, Ash! Come here and give me a hug!”

Since she was shorter than you, you keep yourself crouched down before hugging her so she doesn’t have to balance on two hooves. Your arms gently wrapped around the pony’s neck, as she wraps her big purple wing around your back. You started to nuzzle a little on Twilight’s cheek, and she giggles at your action.

You both finally let go a minute later.

“I’m so glad to see you too, Twilight.”

“I know. This was like two friends seeing each other for the first time in so long... Only difference was that this was the first time we met ever.”

You motion her to come to the couch to talk.

“Right, So...” Twilight chuckles nervously, “I originally planned stuff for us to do, but I would rather just let us do whatever we feel like doing. It’s around eleven in the morning right now, and your meeting with Celestia is in the afternoon. Other than that, we can spend the day together. Just the two of us, so we can know each other better.”

You nod, but without looking at your friend. You are too shy to do so. Because of this, Twilight smiles and brings a hoof under your chin and turns your vision towards her.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“I’m nervous too, Ash. I haven’t met another human as a friend in... A long time. When you’re from different racial and cultural backgrounds... Getting along is a little more tricky. So you don’t have to worry that you’ll be awkward today. Just be yourself.”

You smile.

“Thanks for understanding. So... What’s it like, being a princess?”

“It’s wonderful. Sure, my title doesn’t get too much recognition compared to Celestia and Luna, but I get my own castle to live in. All taxes exempted, Lots of money, the whole shebang. But all of that doesn’t necessarily make me happy. Friendship is what makes my life so great.”

You shrug and let out a chuckle. “You ponies are so different from humans. We just care about money- And nothing more.”

“Really? That’s boring. By the way, Celestia’s thinking about opening our borders to you, the human world. I’m not here to talk politics, but I’m just wondering- How do you think we will come into play in your modern society?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know this about us, Ash. Our technology is way far behind than yours. How are we going to come into play, then? How do we benefit you guys?”

You think for a moment.

“Hmmm, I have a feeling agriculture could possibly be heavily dependent on you ponies, since your land is much better than ours. Trade could work too- You might have materials that we don’t have. Entertainment definitely works in my opinion. Your kind is so talented, because their adapted to their destiny or hobby.”

Twilight hums in agreement.

“Good ideas. Anyway, we’re not here to talk diplomatic things, haha. Oh yeah! A little question, Ash.”

“What’s up?”

“You once told me you could sing. Would you... Would you mind singing a song right now?”

Your cheeks burn with embarrassment. This is only the first time Twilight has ever talked to you in person, and she’s already feeling interested in your singing. You recall being laughed at for this specific thing- And this is the first time anyone really asked you to sing.

But of course, you don’t want to disappoint her and reject her request. So you decided to sing one of the songs she sang with her friends: Flawless. She joins in during the middle of the song, and both of you gave each other a high-five when you are done.

“See?” Twilight giggles. “You weren’t that bad.”

“Oh, did you ask me that because I told you once I was horrible at singing?”

She tilts her head with a grin. “Mhmm. I think your biggest fear isn’t being bullied. You are afraid of criticism. I don’t want to hurt your feelings in any way, but I think it’s true. I waited until today to meet you in person because I wanted to know more about your personality and see where your problem lies. When we were texting, I could tell you were very shy and you were very harsh on yourself and your abilities. The truth is... There’s no need to listen to people who judge you.”

“Really?”

“Believe me, Ash. I’ve seen these cases. Bullies aren’t trying to hurt you. They are trying to find something to laugh about. Does that ring a bell?”

You shake your head.

“The reason why you feel so negative, is because you look at their criticism in a negative way,” Twilight explains. “Everyone has their own strength and weaknesses inside them. You just have to experiment to find and improve it. If you’re really unsure, consider asking someone you know that actually has experience on the subject. Other than that, you know those bullies are laughing just for fun. Then there’s no need to listen to what they think. You’re the only one who can change what you do, not them.”

You nod.

“It’s sad, actually. I hear it every day.”

Twilight sighs and puts a hoof around your neck. You turn to her with a blush.

“Ash, you know I love you as a friend. I would protect you, but I can’t. All I could do is to cheer you up when you’re feeling blue. You’re an outsider, I know. And that’s fine. You could be what you want to be. But... I want you to know how important friendship is to our lives. You can’t be alone forever, and I don’t want you to be lonely. That’s why I want to be your friend, to let you experience how great it is to have a good friend like me.”

You look at her charming face. You couldn’t help but give a grin from ear to ear, and put your arm around her.

“Yeah. I agree,” You reply, “I don’t want to be alone. That’s why I’m so glad to have you chat with me every day, even though we weren’t next to each other. *blissful sigh* Friendship across worlds is such a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

“It sure is.”

You and Twilight share a bittersweet hug and shuffled a bit. You play with Twilight’s mane- And she gives out chuckles as you tug it.

“Why was I the one who met you, we will never know. But... Thanks, Twilight.” You say.

She lets go and holds your hand. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s chat some more and we’ll go to Canterlot to see Celestia after lunch. How long can you stay for the afternoon?”

You pull her back into a tight hug. She just smiles and sighs as she rests her body onto yours.

“Dont worry about it.”

6.Clarity

On the same afternoon.

You follow Twilight along the hallways of the Canterlot Castle to meet up with Princess Celestia. The royal princess of the sun has expressed her interest in you as a human, and invites you to have some quality chit-chat. Along the way to the castle, however, you can’t help but notice the dozens of ponies who look to you in surprise and a hint of fear. Even the Royal Guard got suspicious. But, with Twilight, you enter the castle with no problem.

Of course, Celestia’s in her throne room at the moment. Twilight knows the way, so she took you there.

“Are you nervous?” She asks you, winking.

You blush. “Don’t tease me like that, Twi. You know I am.”

“*giggles* Because we’re getting close. Hopefully you won’t faint, haha.”

She turns the corner, leading to the door to the throne room. With every step, you feel your heart beating faster. Your princess friend doesn’t seem to have a problem, though, and put a wing around you as you knocked on the giant door with its gold handle.

“Just be yourself,” Twilight tells you. “She’s really nice, don’t worry.”

You nod and she opens the doors for you. Inside, your eyes dart around at the beauty of the interior’s design. You’ve Seen it on the show, but animation and real life definitely have their own differences. Sitting on her golden throne, was the one adored by many- Princess Celestia.

Twilight steps in front of you.

“Your highness,” She bows to her. “This is Ash. My new human friend.”

She steps back and you naturally went down on one knee, bowing to the regal ruler. You look up at her with glee and a hint of shyness. She notices this and giggles, stepping down the steps to her rightful place. Now she is standing right in front you. Literally.

“*giggles* Greetings, Ash. I’ve heard a lot about you from princess Twilight.” She says. She motions you to stand up. “It really is a pleasure to meet another member of Frisk’s kind.”

She offers a hoof. You shake it with absolute care with your hand.

“The honor was mine, your highness,” You reply.

“Please, fellow one. I’m not that kind of princess or queen that you told Twilight about. I tend to get more... casual, while keeping my royal personality. I can see you’re tense, don’t worry. You may treat me as a friend.”

You nod with a grin. She treats you like an ally already!

“So... May I call you just Celestia?”

“Of course. Now, Ash, I was thinking we could take a stroll around the Canterlot Castle as we talk. Is that alright with you? Or do you prefer to chat in one place?”

You tilt your head as you think. “A tour around the palace will be nice. You coming, Twilight?”

“Sure! I finished my work for today early so we can spend time together. I’ll follow along.”

You end up getting yourself into a tour (More of a chat) for about an hour as you share your unique cultures with the princesses. You did stop mid-way at the Canterlot Gardens to rest, but other than those 15 minutes, most of the time you spend was wandering around the castle. You begin to notice little details about Equestria compared to your world- The weather was noticeably nicer and cooler than you thought. It seemed much more peaceful and less crowded. It just seemed really interesting that they’re living in such a pleasant place.

“So... Where’s your sister?” You ask.

“Luna?” Celestia turns at you. “Oh, I did tell her about you, but she said that she was a bit busy. Though, she did say she is interested and would love to meet you another time.”

“I see. Sorry if that was personal. I get awkward when talking with others.”

“It’s okay.”

Twilight nudges Celestia with her wing as they roam around the hallways of the east wing. Celestia bends down to hear her pupil whispering. She gives a nod.

“May I ask something, Ash?” Celestia enquires.

“Yes?”

“Do you keep secrets well?”

“Hmm, not really. It slips out a little easily sometimes.”

Twilight sighs.

“There is something we want to tell you, Ash, but I’m afraid you might spoil it. It’s... It’s something you’ve asked me before and something that must’ve left you wondering for a while.

The answer to that comes to your head in just 3 seconds.

“Okay, If it’s that,” You reply, “I will Pinkie Promise with my own soul and everything I own that I will not spoil it before you say it’s okay to talk about it. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. ’Kay?”

Twilight and Celestia look at each other.

“*breathes* Alright. We trust you.” Twilight nudges Celestia with her wing again as the latter turns into another hallway that you’ve never seen on the show before. You follow behind closely. In the hallway were stained glass paintings that are never-before-seen by you. They seemed to show... A human? With Twilight Sparkle alongside her. Your memory rolls back to when your friend said Frisk was her best friend and partner in the past.

“Do you know about Frisk’s backstory with princess Twilight?” Celestia asks.

“I do. Is that what these paintings are telling us?”

She nods, then points to a specific one on the wall. It seems like the world of Equestria and planet Earth were combined into one planet through a portal. Under it, on their respective sides, is Frisk and Twilight.

“A while ago, Starlight Glimmer found a way using portals to connect Equestria with your world. Not too long after, they decided to allow some parts of human technology in to benefit the lives of the ponies. We haven’t fully opened our borders yet, but we are looking to benefit from the help of Frisk’s country.”

Twilight carries on. “One part of the technology we received was the internet. Through it, and with the recent feature on our texting application, I managed to contact other people. And that’s how I met you.”

And then, suddenly, all your confusions were made clear.

“So you do have our technology?” You question.

“Some, not all,” Celestia answers. “We want to take this idea one step at a time.”

You nod as they continued walking and you followed.

“By the way, Twilight, sorry if I sound a bit racist, but how exactly are you typing everything when you have four big hooves instead of fingers?”

She looks at you, giggling.

“I have this weird pen-thing that I use to push the keys.”

“Stylus.”

“Yeah, that.”

After you’re done with meeting Celestia and bid farewell, you and Twilight boarded the train back to Ponyville. It was still the afternoon at this point of time, and you still had some things to do in Equestria, including meeting the rest of the mane six and having fun with them, but majorly, you felt like spending time with just your best friend.

When you sat next to Twilight, You immediateky start blushing again. She seemed bored and starts staring at the view outside the train. Because of this, you want to catch her attention. You’re bored anyway.

“Twilight?”

She flips her hair and looks at you.

“Mhmm?”

You blush before you say something.

“Thanks for spending time with me today. I don’t go out much, let alone with friends.”

“Really? Haha, you’re missing out. I know about many things only because I explore Equestria. It’s hard to learn new things when you stay in the same place for so long.”

“True, True,” You reply. “*sigh* I don’t want to return home, to be honest. I love this place already. And I love hanging out with you, too. Being at home feels... So lonely. I always wished for a friend like you to hang out with in real life all the time. Yet... I’m gonna have to leave soon.”

You look down. Twilight just smiles and wraps a wing around you.

“*chuckles* Why do you think I wouldn’t try and find a way for us to be together in real life all the time?”

You turn to her, surprised.

“What do you mean?”

She chuckles. “You told me where you live this morning. I remembered it, and Starlight helped me find the exact coordinates of your house in the human world. Using the same method, she should’ve helped me place down a portal right in your apartment right about now.”

“Say what!?”

She gives out a friendly laugh and squeaks as you hug her. Soon, you felt embarrassed- For doing that so suddenly. To your lovely surprise, Twilight opens her hooves and wings wide as she brings you in for a tight hug. You both share a laugh, shuffling in your embrace.

“You wanted to be friends with me, and I don’t think I can do that to it’s fullest if we keep only chatting online. So, I tried my best to let us talk face-to-face. Besides, you love to chat with me.”

You sniff and rubbed her head kindly. She blushes and grins at the action.

“Thanks, Twi. This is... Just amazing. It means a lot, too.”

“*giggles* Awww, you’re welcome. I wanted to hang out with you too, that’s why I made it.”

Once you let go, you realize the train has just arrived at Ponyville. You step off alongside your friend, and went off to meet the mane six, before ending the day and returning to the human world.

7.Sleepover

It’s Hearts and Hooves Day.

You and Twilight have met for almost a year at this point of time and are already super open to each other. Prior to this day of celebrating love, even though you refer to yourselves as only ‘Best Friends’, both you and Twilight already made the guess that the other has a crush on you because you wrote handwritten letters to each other asking to hang out. However, you’ve been asked about this several times both by your other pony friends in real life or your fans on YouTube due to rumors, and even then, both of you deny the fact you were in a relationship. And it’s true- You remain as best friends that may or may not hang out one-on-one from time to time just for fun.

That night, after getting your parents’ permission, of course (Since you’re only 15 and turning 16 soon), you sneak through the portal to Equestria and got teleported straight into Twilight’s room. Sadly, she was nowhere to be seen. You were confused at first, but you realize it’s literally nine at night so you made the guess she’s preparing for bed. After all, she usually sleeps early.

You sit down on her bed and starts reading a book you’ve brought over to read to Twilight as a bedtime story. It’s more of a fan fiction that you’ve written.

About ten minutes after you came over, your buddy opens the door and her look catches your attention. You’ve gotten used to the fact clothes aren’t that practical for ponies, but you still get the sense of, Oh god, why is everypony missing something... kind of thought in your head. Twilight came in with her mane just dried and she was wearing some adorable pink socks with purple stripes.

“Hey, Ash,” Twilight winks at you. “Do... Do I look okay?”

“Y-Yeah, you’re fine, Twi,” You reply.

She comes over onto the bed and tucks herself in. She looks at you and tilts her head as she gets up.

“What’s the matter?”

You blush as she tries to slide over, and sit next to you. She puts a wing around your body.

“Nothing,” You say. “Are you... Are you sure you want to do this, Twilight?”

“Why not?”

“Because... Well...” You stutter shyly, “I-I just have this... Assumption, that cuddling and sleeping together and all that is for lovers. But we aren’t. I know we’re best friends and we’re open but...”

She smiles and leans on your right shoulder.

“Ash, come on,” Twilight says, “I’m hoping to experience doing this with a human. And I couldn’t find anypony else to do this with because they all feel weird about snuggling with me, so... *squee* Please?”

Twilight flashes you an adorable smile, begging for your affection (as a friend, of course). You don’t know what to do- You are so embarrassed. This is the first time you’re hugging someone in your sleep since you’re a kid. You have written fan fictions about cuddling, but never have you done cuddling with anyone.

“I’m not familiar with hugs at all, actually...”

“Oh, please?” Twilight begs, “I can tell you’re holding back just because people tease you for it.”

After a few nudges and giggling and little slap-fights, you finally give in.

“Okay, okay. You invited me for a reason anyway.”

Twilight claps her hooves and rolls over to let you sleep next to her. You both sleep on your side as you look at each other deep in the eyes. She nuzzles your cheek for a second before speaking.

“You need any help?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Twilight grins and wraps your neck with a hoof. “It’s simple. Do whatever you think it’s natural. As long you don’t insult me too much, I will be okay with you snuggling with me.”

“O-Okay... Where do I start?”

“Hug me like you always do.”

You hesitate before bringing an arm over to hug your friend. She starts to pat your shoulder and run her hoof down your arm to soothe the tension and nervousness you’re having. It does work, too- Because you start to feel more comfortable. You try to squeeze her tighter in your embrace like a plushie.

“Better?”

“Mhmm. You... sure you don’t want to back out of hugging me?”

“Haha, what? No!”

She gives you a little tug.

“Okay, then,” You reply, before giving her head a gentle nuzzle. She enjoys your petting very much, especially because she’s feeling the fingers on her head. She lowers herself a bit to give your heads a bit of room to work with. A minute later, you tried to give a few belly rubs. She found it ticklish and wiggled a bit in the hug, but she soon gets used to the rhythm and allows herself to relax.

“You’re not bad for someone who’s never cuddled with anyone besides their parents,” Twilight comments, giving a giggle.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Okay, my turn.”

The princess slowly purrs and snuggles against your chest. You feel it was a bit awkward, but since she’s a pony, you won’t question it. She allows herself to lie down even closer to you. A hoof from her shoots shots of tenderness into your heart. She gently rubs your cheeks as you give a playful tug back. You both let out a blissful sigh.

“So, Ash...”

“Yeah?”

She squeezes you just a tiny bit. “You promised me you’ll read me one of your stories tonight.”

“Mmm, Indeed I did. I found a shorter one from my collection of fan fiction I’ve written. It’s about a student and his favourite princess.”

“Is it us, by any chance?”

“Something like that. The princess is you but the student is different.”

“I see,” She gladly helps you levitate your book over. “Oh, actually, can we flip over so the book lays on the pillows? That way I think we can read it more easily.”

You nod. Both of you Unwillingly break the embrace and flip yourselves over to read the book, resting on some kind of stand from the pillows. The princess lays her head softly against yours, giving a nuzzle. You smile and start reading.

****10 minutes later****

“Twi?”

You finish reading, but not before you find out Twilight is already in sleep mode. She hums in a cute way as you put your book away and flip her over to proper sleeping position. You pull the blankets up, and allow your forehead to touch hers. You pull her into a hug, and though you were shy on doing so, but you started to wiggle around and nuzzle her very affectionately.

That jostled her awake.

“Hmm?” She moans blissfully. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. But... Were you cuddling me?”

“O-Oh... Uhh...”

“*chuckles* Awww, Don’t be shy, come here!”

She reels you in and cuddles you. She crosses her hooves with your legs, then forcefully nuzzles your nose as you nuzzle back. This turns into a very awkward and playful fight of you and her pushing your noses together. You eventually break apart and begin to laugh. Something tells you that... Your friend really enjoys your company. But you aren’t sure.

“Twi... Do you enjoy this?”

“Me? Of course I do. I love spending time with my friends. I know, I’m a princess and I still can’t fit into the modern human world and all, but... It doesn’t matter. What matters was that we go through some experiences together, you know what I mean? The real reward of friendship is memories you spend with your buddies.”

You agree. “Yeah...”

“What’s on your mind, Ash?”

“*sigh* Well... Sometimes I feel like... Whenever I’m not really spending a lot of time and connecting with others as much as I used to, I start to feel like... *sniff* We’re becoming less of friends. And, truthfully... Ever since this school year started, I’ve been feeling that way.”

“Why?”

“Why?” You replied, “Because the public exams are in just 2 years and I am feeling the pressure already. That’s why I wrote that story I read to you. I... I feel bad, for not talking to you and spending time with you girls, especially you, more. *sigh* I even... Yelled at you, this one time.”

On a weekend morning, you were studying for the test of one of your weakest subjects. You already did tell your friends about you less frequent visits to Equestria, but that doesn’t stop them from coming to you.

You were studying when Twilight came.

“Hey, Ash? You look... Stressed about the whole test thing...”

You sigh.

“You want to take a break, or something? And come hang out?”

“No...”

“I-I was only trying to help... I feel bad for you spending so much time on just studying and nothing else.”

“I said no!”

BANG

Startled by your table slam, Twilight gasps and looks down.

“What’s the problem with that?” Twilight asked kindly.

“Now that I’m getting more busy... And we don’t spend as much time together anymore... I-I couldn’t help but feel... We’re getting drifted apart.”

“What? Why?”

You touch her cheek warmly as you hug her tight.

“I always have this... worry, in my heart, that... *sigh* When I don’t spend enough quality time with my friends, we start to act normal. Basically, we still have this thought we’re friends but we don’t actually get along too much. I’m just scared that would happen to us. Sometimes I feel bad for not responding to you when you send me interesting things over on the phone. I don’t want our friendship to stay at that state. I want it to progress and get even better.”

Twilight hums softly and nuzzles you.

“I wouldn’t ever stop being your friend.”

“I acknowledge that, Twi. I just... Don’t want us to fight all of a sudden because, well... We don’t know each other enough. I guess we both need some time apart, just to appreciate each other being there when we need it, right?”

“Mhmm.”

She lets go and presses her cheek onto yours. You do the same.

“There are ups and downs in friendship,” Twilight explains, “But they won’t change. Your true friends are always going to be around to help you, care about you, and they always love each other. You and I have a few playful fights from time to time too, don’t we?”

You chuckle. “Yeah, Yeah. But I still love you all the same.”

She blushes with a laugh and holds your hand. You gasp at the contact, but you just smiled anyway.

“I’m glad I met you. You give me something I wouldn’t trade anything for.” You tell her.

“I’m glad to give that to you too.”

You and Twilight share a nuzzle on the nose and a blissful hug. She wraps you in her wings as your foreheads pressed together. You take a moment to suck up her beautiful scent- And sigh as she puts a hoof on your head. You slide your hand on Twilight’s back- Absolutely soft and soothing.

Then, without thinking, you kissed her cheek. She gasps.

“Ash?”

You smile as she blushed harder and harder.

“Happy Hearts And Hooves Day, Twi.”

She touches her cheek with her hoof. The more she tried to recall it, the more she grinned and the more she seemed interested in you. You try to turn away and turn off the lights, but you couldn’t- Twilight forcefully pulls you back and locks in a kiss on the lips. You wanted to gasp and bail off, but you don’t want to hurt her feelings. You leaned into the contact while tugging her body. Both of you closed your eyes, holding each other, and adorable sounds were heard as you hum while still in the kiss.

Both of you felt frisky, and started rolling around the bed with each other. A minute later and you both were wrapped in a large blanket together, before you finally release the kiss. Both of you blush and look away before saying anything.

“Yeah,” Twilight giggles, “Happy Hearts And Hooves Day.”

As you drift off to sleep, she kisses your forehead once more.

8.Shipping

Your time with Twilight were always blissful memories and both of you really loved being friends with each other. Through the passage of time, the two of you know more and more about each other. From your own personalities, to little things like your funniest secrets, and everything in between. You frequently found yourself talking with her a lot more casually nowadays. The first year you met, you were mostly talking about human history and how your world works. The second year was when you both finally met. Because of this, Twilight was able to interact with you face-to-face.

Rarely do you have any fights with each other. You were always really, really close.

The third year was when things got... A little bit more complicated. Now that you’re 18 and wrapping up your Secondary School Education, it’s time to face the awful truth of reality- The Public Exams. Due to this, and as you’ve pointed out to her countless times, you both have been spending less time together.

Neither of you were happy about that- But it had to be. So every time you meet again, both of you tend to get... A little too personal, sometimes. Especially after Twilight’s friends found out you were sometimes cuddling with her now and then, Everypony had this gossip that Twilight was dating you.

You rejected to the idea. Twilight did too. However, the proof was strikingly undeniable.

When you were 17, you asked Twilight whether she would want to accompany you on stage to sing. She accepts it rather excitedly. So during the Friendship Festival performance, you both sang a duet together- But the song was intended to be about friendship, to match the theme of the festival.

It was a massive hit and the applause was loud. But as you were bowing, you very clearly heard the mane six cheer out excitedly the following phrase:

“Twilight and Ash are sitting on a tree, K-i-s-s-i-n-g!”

On the stage, you and Twilight stared at each other and innocently smiled as you wave back to the audience. As soon you both got off, an awkward situation came up as you approached your friends again.

“What the hay, girls!” You yelled.

“What?” Rainbow asked. “You two are sooooo good together!”

Twilight bashfully blushed. “Hmph! Don’t make me blush on stage!”

Everypony had a laugh except the two of you, who were too nervous to say anything.

When the ship continued to spread around the internet, mostly on your YouTube Channel since you were pretty famous at the time, this became probably the most interesting gossip in pony history. And due to it, you and Twilight didn’t really want to be seen in public together. But, you both would always complain alongside each other at how everyone is shipping you two, and having a laugh.

Why wouldn’t they ship you, though?

You acknowledge the fact this isn’t the first time a Princess of Equestria got into a relationship. However, Everypony who’s shipping you isn’t wrong. Most of them ship you due to disbelief.

“Never has a princess had a cross-race relationship before...” They would say.

In the midst of all the pressure, it’s not all bad. Frankly, you found yourself only getting more drawn to her. But even though you’re seeing the signs that she likes you in plain sight, you’re uncertain whether you should confess to her about how you feel. Relationships are difficult- It’s more than just you and her loving each other. And that’s the step where you didn’t have the courage to take.

You went around for some help.

You went to ask Twilight’s close friend, Starlight Glimmer. She is the student counselor of Twilight’s School of Friendship. You thought she could possibly help you.

You knock on the door of her office.

“Come in,” She replies.

As soon as you step in and give her a greeting, her tone changed to a more light-hearted one instantly.

“Oh, Ash,” She says. “I don’t see you here often, what could possibly be the problem that brings you here? Don’t worry, I may only be the student counselor for the school but I’ll help you since you’re Twilight’s friend.”

“Thanks,” You reply to her kindness. “W-Well... I just have this... Weird problem, that I’m feeling. Recently... I’ve been thinking a lot about my friend.”

Starlight’s eyebrows perk up.

“Oh?” She asks, sipping her coffee. “Something happened between you both?”

“N-No, Nothing, But... *sigh* Can you promise not to tell anypony about this?”

She shows a sign that her lips were sealed. You whisper to her about your little feelings to Twilight, and Starlight immediately starts getting really excited. But she kept her composure.

“Really, now?” She giggles, “Why don’t you just confess to her, then? You two have great chemistry and a great bond, I’m sure you’ll pair up nicely.”

“The problem isn’t the confession, Starlight. The problem is what comes after.”

“Tell me more.”

You blush and wiggle around in your seat shyly before speaking.

“I’m not experienced in relationships or socializing, you know that. I... I don’t know how I can face the challenges of being in a relationship with Twilight. It just seems... Complicated. I don’t want to let her down about how much I love her as a friend and a companion.”

Starlight smiles.

“Ash, let me ask you: Among all the people you know besides your family, who do you care about the most?”

You smile. “Twilight, of course.”

“To be very honest, Ash, I’m not experienced with relationships either. But, what I do know, is that friendship and love are... Very similar. Love is a bigger form of friendship. You’re willing to trust each other so much that you’re making a promise to always stick together in life. It brings you and your interest even closer together.”

You nod at that.

“I couldn’t give you much assistance, sorry. Maybe you could ask Princess Cadance? You’re good friends with her too.”

“Maybe, as long I could get a time where we are both feeling fine. It will be a while, though. Still prepping for public exams at the moment.”

It isn't until after you’re done with the exams that you finally manage to find a time to chat with the Princess of Love. She is a pretty busy princess, but you know that when it came to love, she must be very experienced with the subject.

You were friends with her, so she was more than willing to talk to you in her room directly.

“So, what’s going on, Ash? I heard from Starlight that you’re having difficulties confessing your feelings to Twilight?”

You nod.

“Why so? I think you both are great for each other!”

“You sure?”

“Yeah! You both are always so close and I remember that time when we first met, you and Twilight were always giving each other hints of love. I could tell.”

You chuckle a little.

“Well, as I’ve said to her, the confession isn’t what I’m worried about. I’m talking about what comes after.”

She nods in agreement, signalling you to move on.

“You see, Cadance... I’ve always been the isolated, ignored, timid guy in my class. I didn’t have many people to talk to about my feelings. Until... You all came along, and Twilight became best friends with me. She’s... Someone who lifted my spirits up. She really does mean so much to me. But... I’m just afraid of taking the chance. I don’t know how to deal with love. I know it can’t be simple as liking each other.”

Cadance brings a hoof around your neck.

“You’re right. Love is complicated. It may sound like just friendship, but it’s much more than that. Love, is a game of trust. You make the decision that you and your partner trust each other so much to be in a relationship together. It’s also a symbol of how much you’re willing to give for the other and expresses how much they mean to you. It’s a challenge in life, and I can tell you from my own experiences, it’s never easy.”

You let out a sigh.

“But, when you two stick together through everything, i’m sure the tests of your bond will never break you two apart. If you really, really care about her, it would be best to tell her how you feel. You don’t want to make her worried. I can tell you are madly in love with Twilight Sparkle, and as a part of her family, I have no objection towards that.”

“That just gave me a new thought,” You say, “What if... What if the others are shocked? You know no princess has gotten into cross-race relationships before...”

“There’s no need to pay so much attention to it, Ash.”

“Really?”

“This is your choice. And... Love is love. You can’t deny it’s powerful. You think you made the right choice, so go for it! There’s no definite perfect pair. It depends on what you’re seeking for in your partner. And, sometimes... Love comes from the most absurd ways. You and another girl might have hated each other in the past due to your differences. Yet, you opposites may attract each other even better. That doesn’t mean you and Twilight aren’t a good match. I’m saying that... Love can come from anyone. You just need to feel it.”

“What do you mean, princess?”

“Take a moment to think, Ash. Think about how much she means to you. All the things she has done for you specifically- Why did she do it for you, and not anypony else? She cares about you, Ash. She tells me how worried she was about you when she knew you’re stressed about the exams that ended recently.”

“Haha, yeah. This is the first day I came back and geez did she hug me tight.”

“*chuckles* That’s nice to hear. Moving on... You two sacrifice a lot of time just to be with each other. You both care about each other very much and it seems nothing can tear you both apart. Love, comes with a huge price. It all boils down to one question at the end of the day.”

You turn to Cadance when she said that.

“Do you love her?”

You smile and say the following words.

“Of course. I love Twilight Sparkle. She will forever be my friend, no matter what.”

Now, you just need to tell that to her directly.

9.Affection

One lovely evening.

You sit on a relatively large cloud, watching the sunset. You sat down and crossed your legs as you think deeply about your life. Now that you’re done with School, since you’ve decided to work on YouTube full time, your next major step in life wasn’t really clear. You’ve been in Equestria for 3 years and you’ve gotten used to the lifestyle of the ponies- Peace and quiet, with no conflicts. You like that.

But... You couldn’t help but feel like something is missing.

As you keep on thinking about what exactly that something is, Twilight Sparkle slowly lands on the cloud behind you, giving a warm smile like she always does.

“You’ve picked a pretty nice time to talk,” She says.

You turn around, and grinned at her.

“I convey my thoughts better when I’m relaxed. This is perfect.”

She comes and sits next to you closely. She gives out a notable blush.

“Twi?”

“Yes?”

“I... I wanna ask you something.”

She looks intrigued.

“Wh-What do you think about me? I never asked this and I was curious.”

She tilts her head to the side, feeling a bit confused about your little question.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I just want to know how you think about me, being my best friend and all.”

“Well, Ash,” Twilight replies, “I think... After all this time, you’ve always been such a kind, helpful and loving friend. It’s wonderful to have a friend like you around. I can see you have all the different elements of harmony in you personality and that’s a great thing to have. We all can trust you. My people wouldn’t hate you, I can be sure of that.”

You nod.

“Though shy, you were willing to show me who you truly are. And over time, you opened up to others, too. I’m really proud of you as a friend. I... *chuckles* I’m pretty shy when I’m hanging out with you too, being a princess with a human, after all. But to be honest, being with my friends, who I love so much, is what makes my life happy and great. I feel so... Joyful, after meeting so many great friends.”

She leans into your shoulder.

“Especially you.”

You turn to her with a blush.

“Huh?”

“Ash, you”re one of the sweetest people I know. I know you belong on Earth, but I wish you would stay and keep us company. You know our friendship’s unbreakable. And I realise that, too. You mean... A lot, to me personally, Ash. All this time, I’ve been trying to search for... A unique friend, And...”

You smile. She has broken your cover. You took her hoof and sighed.

“Then I came along.”

“Someone more willing to seek for friendship than I do,” She commented. “That was what I first thought of you. Now, three years are history. But I loved every second we’re spending time together. Why it was you, I don’t know. But I’m glad we met. If we didn’t, *chuckles* I won’t be here tonight, asking you the exact question you have on your mind.”

You gasp. She giggles and hugs you tightly.

“So?”

“Are you kidding, Twi?”

“Nope!”

“You... You really want to be my girlfriend? I-I... I don’t know what to say...”

She rubs your cheek with a hoof.

“I always knew you’re a big softie when it came to me. So many clues are indicating you have a crush on me. I was a princess so I rejected the idea at first, no offense. But lately... I couldn’t help falling into the love river.”

She holds your hand affectionately and give your cheek a light kiss.

“I love you, Ash.”

You grin widely at the contact. This is the first time anyone outside your family has ever kissed you. Yet here you are- Above the clouds, receiving a loving kiss from none other than your best friend.

“*blissful sigh* How do you read my mind so well, Twi?”

“*chuckles* Pinkie could tell. And she secretly told me you were always muttering about confessing your feelings to me.”

“What!?”

You both have a big laugh.

“Well,” You say, “I would never say no to being your sweetheart.”

“Really?”

You touch her shoulder.

“I know you’re not experienced with love, but I’m sure we’ll crack the puzzle with each other. Love, will be a fruitful adventure for us. Bonded together.”

Twilight lets out a tear from her eye. You let one out too.

“You’ll be with me always, won’t- Mmm!”

You silenced her with a big kiss on the lips. She sighs blissfully, in complete surprise. She leans into the kiss and wraps her hooves around your neck. You embrace each other, rocking side-to-side. Once you let go, you were crying tears of joy. You never even dreamed of seeing her in the past. But now... You’re Twilight’s sweetheart.

“You said something?” You stutter out.

“Will you always be with me, Ash?”

“Of course,” You reply. “How could I even live without being with the pony I love the most?”

“Oh, stop it, please. *chuckles* I’m not too keen on being romantic, you know that.”

You snicker and pressed the side of your shoulder upon Twilight’s, and wrapping her neck with your arm. You start to playfully tickle her face with your fingers slowly moving up.

“If we’re gonna be a couple, you gotta know how to be cheesy,” You say, slowly starting to break into half-sing and half-speech mode. “Be flirty and tease me affectionately. Learn how to catch the feeling of being personal with somepony else. It’s hard to take in, but you’ll get used to it.”

Twilight giggles and blushes as she nuzzles against your arm. As she turns to face you, she did a hair flip.

“Show me what you got,” You ask her.

She smiles as she looks at the stars, now that it’s nighttime. “These stars are pretty, but never as handsome as you. Oh, and how sweet and kind you are- No other stallion matches you, Ash. You should be glad I’m a princess and I accepted your lovely request- Dating royalty can only be described as a dream come true.”

“Better.”

“Mmm, you know what would make this much more special?” She chuckles, “Is if under the stars, I get to kiss you. Come on, you know you want it~”

She proceeded to lean over to try and kiss you. You tease her back by tilting your body.

“Yeaaaaaaah. That would do. You could’ve been more natural.”

Twilight blushes and turns away from you. “I’ll try to improve it. We can act like normal friends if we want to, though. I think I’ll be more comfortable with that.”

“Sure.”

You shuffle along the clouds to hug Twilight from the back. You were taller than her, so you thought it would be funny for you to nuzzle against her head. As your head slide across and back upon her, Twilight continues to titter and hum at the soothing action.

But that came to a halt when she tried to stand up, and you lost balance. You both fall onto the clouds.

“Ahhhhh~” You sigh happily. “You’re so so so soft. I can cuddle with you like this all night.”

She turns over to give a kiss, which you gladly accept and lean into. The contact lasted for quite a while, and you both tingled each other’s hearts with frequent giggles and hums. Especially when you tried to pick her up and roll over.

“I’ve always loved you, Twilight. I just never found the courage to say it.”

She looks at you and puts a hoof under your chin.

“Why? I’m your best friend, remember?”

“I’m just... So worried about the fact you thought I’d be annoying at times. I try to stick around with you so much that I started feeling like I spend way too much time with you, more than what I think you would want.”

“Annoying?” She gasps. “How could you say that?”

“Well, I’ve been through some friendships online. Over time, they didn’t really reply to what I say. I thought they were thinking I was starting to get a little annoying. So that’s why I wanted to make sure you really did love me back first before I confessed. You know I don’t like being awkward.”

Twilight snuggles close to you.

“Of course I love you back. Under one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You’ll let me annoy you back with knowledge since you hate school.”

You make a face decisively proving that you’re not satisfied.

“I’ll take some weekly cuddles with you for it~” You winked at her.

“*laughs* It’s a deal.”

The two of you nuzzle your noses on each other’s, and wrap yourselves in a hug. Her wings around your body gave you a sense of warmth and love. As you stroke her mane and fur, she feels a sense of playfulness and tenderness from you.

She’s a friend to you no more. She’s your partner.

“When are you free?” You ask.

“Hmmm, next Friday night. Date already, I suppose?”

You give her a kiss, and rolled your eyes.

“Ugh, I hate how good your telepathy is.”

10.Date

Every romantic relationship starts with a fabulous date. Yours was no exception.

Not long after you confess your feelings for each other, you decide to plan on going on a date with your best friend Twilight to make the relationship status official. You thought that after so long and always hanging out with her alone as friends would mean you wouldn’t have any problem whatsoever. It’s literally the same thing.

However... A single request sends you the chills.

You suggest that you could possibly go have some fun with her at Las Pegasus, since there’s a theme park and the hotels are fancy to have a leisurely getaway for the weekend. You both had the time anyway. But, to your surprise, Twilight asks if you could take her to the human world to hang out.

The moment you hear this, you stood in absolute silence. Alarms are already going off like crazy in your head. ”Nonononononono. Big nay,” You say to yourself. Who wouldn’t be standing in shock to find you, a human, dating a princess? Who wouldn’t be laughing at this silly idea? What if they fear your unique set of interests in love?

But, you just couldn’t possibly say no when Twilight flashes you adorable faces every 2 seconds. So you give in, as much as you’re sensitive about it. You chose not to admit your shyness towards having the date in this way. Besides, if Twilight’s happy, then everything is fine. At least that’s what you think.

*********

“H-How do I look?”

Twilight asks you as you come into her room. You told her beforehand that she didn’t have to be too formal for the occasion, and she could help herself to prep however she wanted to look as she wishes. In fact, she didn’t do much. Just simply doing her mane a little differently than usual and put on a little bit of makeup. She was wearing those simple lemon yellow garments that you recall from seeing her at her birthday party in one episode of the show. And she accompanied that with a hat of the same colour.

“Hey, love isn’t about the looks, Twilight,” You remind her.

She nods and gives your cheek a little kiss.

“So, I left you with the planning this time,” Twilight says. “What’s on your to-do list, hmm?”

“I’ll tell you on the way. Though, I am a bit nervous.”

“Why?”

“Well, because... I know humans should have gotten used to ponies walking around at this point since we’ve opened our borders and all, but... What would they think if they see me with you?”

She giggles.

“Come on. Their opinions don’t matter. Now, are you going to lead the way or not?”

“*chuckles* Stop teasing me.”

**********

It was early in the afternoon as you enter back into the human world. It isn’t too hot outside, perfect for you to show Twilight around the area you live in, since you have lived in the pony world for quite a while and never really bothered to show her around where you live. Besides, you were shy back then.

She isn’t too keen on shopping (Though you did stroll around bookstores, because Twilight) but you taking her to see a movie is something she was anticipating even before the date. You thought Twilight won’t really enjoy the films in the human world since most of them get a little bit gross or scary but when you asked her before what movie genre she liked, she tells you horror.

Though, there is an awkward moment here.

When you were getting tickets for the movie, you can’t help but notice people around you secretly gossiping and eyeballing Twilight in the lobby. She noticed this first, but you reassured her there’s nothing to worry. She helps you to carry the drinks with her magic.

10 minutes later you enter the cinema. But right at the door to the specific showing, the staff gives a pretty intrigued look at you, then at your friend.

“What’s the matter, sir?” You ask.

He puts a finger to his chin.

“Is this a joke? You do realise this is a PG rated film, you know,” He responds.

“Well, I’m at the required age.”

“No, I’m talking about your... Uh, friend, here.”

He looks to your left, where Twilight’s standing.

“Please, sir. I’m sure she will have no problem. I’m with her, right?”

She nods with a blush.

“I may be a pony and we aren’t too keen on these films, but you might wanna take a mental note that... I’m a princess. Whatever happens, is my problem.”

He still gives a worried look, but let’s you in anyway.

“My apologies, your highness. If it is what you wish, go ahead.”

**Quite a while later**

*Screeeeeetch*

The movie hits the audience with a jump scare.

You aren’t too into horror movies and you did not see that coming, so you jumped quite a bit and start to hyperventilate. Just a tiny bit.

Twilight notices this and leans onto you.

“You okay?” She whispers.

You nod at her.

“Aren’t you scared, Twi?”

“Nope! You may not know this, but when these films became a thing in Equestria, I was completely hooked!”

“Huh, didn’t expect you to say that.”

As the scene continues to drag on in a cold mood, it seems as if that doesn’t affect the mood for you and Twilight specifically. She continues to lean aside you, giving you a bit of comfort. You gently brought her head closer with an arm. You soon come to the thought of possibly kissing her right then and there, because why not.

You turn your head as she wasn’t noticing, completely intent on enjoying the movie. Your eye were fixed upon her- Like a vampire creeping up to it’s prey. You gently lift her head away from your shoulder, with her cheek exposed to you.

**Bang**

The sound of a gun went off on the big screen, making you jump once more and lose your focus. You shift back to your seat with a blush. Twilight sees your action from the corner of her eye, then made the assumption you tried to kiss her.

“Haha, nice try, I guess,” Twilight giggles.

You and her share a silent giggle.

It was a bit of a long movie, so by the time you are done, it was already in the evening. So of course, she asks you to accompany her for dinner, which you gladly accept. Along the way, though, you can definitely notice this time that many people have their eyes fixed on you and your friend, with surprised faces. You get a bit of discomfort for this, and you even caught some people being paparazzis on you.

You think to yourself, ”What’s the big deal? I’m just dating my friend, is that really a problem? Just because she’s a pony princess?”

As you have dinner with her at a pretty fancy restaurant, you and Twilight share a little bit of love talk.

“Ash... I’m really happy that you love spending time with me.”

You put your glass of wine down on the table as you downed the whole glass.

“Me too, Twilight. But... Why me, not somepony else?”

She smiles at you.

“Because I wanted a challenge,” Twilight responds. “At first, I just wanted to be friends with you to see if I can manage making friends from other worlds, since you are a first. But as time goes on... I start to realize you’re more than just a regular human. You are filled with passion and kindness, especially towards me. It didn’t click for me that you care so much about me before. At the time... I was only thankful for what you do for me.”

“I see... Did you really have a crush on me?”

“Of course I did,” She says, blushing. “You thought I pitied you about falling in love with me and said yes to please you? No! I wouldn’t ever do that, Ash! When I first heard you had a crush on me, I was very surprised, and a little bit shy. You know I’ve never fallen in love with anyone. I don’t know what to do. But... The more I think about your crush on me, the more I started to think, ‘Why?’”

She takes your hand with a hoof.

“When I recalled the possible reasons... I also recalled how much of a friend you’ve been to me. You’re a part of our family of friends too. You’re so sweet, kind, and charming. All this time, I thought someone as nice as you would already have someone to be with. To my surprise, you didn’t. I felt bad for you. But it’s because I recall your crush that I started to have a crush on you, too. I suddenly realize you really do love me. And... I really like that. *giggles* I want it to last. I feel happy with you, talking cheesy things about me.”

You and her chuckle.

“I’m glad that you think that way, Twi.”

You dig into your plate of food as it arrives on the table. You wanted to respect Twilight as a pony so you ordered something vegetarian, just tomato spaghetti with no meat will do. Twilight wasn’t all that hungry so she orders a salad. She doesn’t mind anyway.

You wink at her as you fork up the spaghetti.

“Hm?” She tilts her head in curiosity.

“*sigh* Too much? Mmm, Fine. Just wanted to see if you get the joke.”

“Ohhhhh, I think I know what you’re doing~” Twilight giggles with a blush. “You want to do that scene? Haha, really? Ugh, what is that movie called again? I can’t remember what this is...”

“Lady and the Tramp?”

“Ah, right. W-Well... I don’t mind, but... *giggles* It’s so silly, don’t you think?”

“Hehe, Fine. My mouth is kinda coated with sauce anyway.”

You both share a hearty laugh, which catches the attention of the ones around you. Some of them are giving some very intrigued, yet uncomfortable looks upon you. You overhear people whispering.

“What in the world?” A man asks his co-worker, sitting at another table. “What is he trying to do with her?”

“No idea,” The other replies. “And she’s royalty, too.”

“Such a dreamy fool,” An old guy mutters from another side of the room. “Dating a princess, that’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all day.”

A bunch of teenagers walk into the restaurant.

“What the- Holy (censored), is that Princess Twilight? What is that human doing with her in a place like this?” One of the guys ask to his friends.

“I know, totally,” his friend responds. “Shouldn’t she be back where she belongs?”

“Agreed. It’s weird to see these creatures on the street.”

As muttering sounds continue to ring around you, you can’t help but start getting frustrated. What’s the big deal about you dating Twilight, anyway? You don’t see any problem, and people should respect her decision to be with you.

You catch a group of girls sitting in one of the corners taking screenshots of you two.

“Look at this guy,” One of them whisper. “That’s her boyfriend? The princess of Friendship? Am I drunk from all this alcohol? A human, that’s not even a well-known political figure, is dating royalty?”

“Oh, this is going on Instagram,” another says in a snazzy voice. “Everyone is gonna flip about it. Oh, Pfft, the lighting is terrible, not this photo.”

“I got it,” a third says.

She uses flash on you and Twilight, which catches the princess’ attention. She turns to them after uncovering her face.

“Hey! Would you stop that?” She asks. “I’m royalty, you know?”

The teenage boys turn into the action too, even though they should’ve had nothing to do with it.

“Uhh, excuuuuuse me,” one says, “This is planet Earth. Not your dreamy world of ponies. We humans do whatever we want, whenever we want.”

“Oh, yah, totally,” the girl who took the photo just said. She looks about sixteen. “You should be more careful if you are so sensitive about what you do.”

Twilight starts to get annoyed.

“Wow, is that how humans are like? They view us as a joke?” She jokingly asks. “I’m so lucky I have him as my boyfriend over you guys.”

Everyone in the place gasps. There’s the official statement. You start to feel mad, and call for the waiter to wrap up the bill as the others start to tease her.

“You? Dating a mortal?” The old man asks. “Are you kidding me? There is no such thing in this world as magic. I think it would be best for you to return home, you’re getting lost with this guy.”

The man in the other side of the room complies. “Indeed. Humans cannot mix with your kind. It would be best for you to stay away. I worry for your safety, your highness. For a princess, it’s not a wise decision to put your trust on a mere human that’s far from being royalty like you.

“What?” Twilight resists, “What’s the big deal about me being with him? All my friends agree to this, even the other rulers of Equestria do, too!”

The teenagers, being the naive ones in the area, don’t seem to agree.

“You sounds like a girl whining about not getting what she wants,” One criticizes.

His friend agrees. “I know, right? Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean we humans have to listen. You don’t have a say here. It’s not your world.”

The discrimination continues. Everyone was chattering at how you and her being together is a big mistake. Twilight continues to fight back in words. You don’t want to see her like that. She deserves none of this. She doesn’t deserve to be laughed upon, critisized, and being surrounded by paparazzis. It makes her uncomfortable, and it does the same to you too.

After five minutes since this began, you finally slam the table as you stand to your full height.

“WOULD YOU ALL SHUT UP!?”

Silence fills the room.

“A-Ash...”

“Save it, Twi. I paid for it, let’s go.”

You storm off in despair.

A while later, you sit on a bench at the nearby park, hoping to calm down. But you can’t. The way they laughed at her, the way they discriminate her, you wanted to do something in her defense as a friend. You don’t want her to feel bad for choosing you.

But then you thought, It was my fault, wasn’t it?

If you never met her, this wouldn’t have happened. If you hadn’t planned the date this way, this wouldn’t have happened. If you just stayed friends, she wouldn’t be in this controversy that some random guy is trying to be her boyfriend.

The more you think about it, the more heavy your heart becomes.

Suddenly, the sound of familiar hoofsteps ring from your left. You slightly turn your head to the left while it’s still down, to see Twilight Sparkle walking to you, with a noticeable frown on her face. She comes over, sits down next to you, and looks down. She doesn’t feel happy either. You feel a few drops of tears leaking out your eyes. This is the first time you legitimately cried in front of her for letting her down.

To your surprise, she puts a wing on your body, and leans against you.

“I’m sorry,” She says.

You turn in confusion. “No, it’s not your fault.”

“It is,” Twilight tells you. “I shouldn’t have forced you to have this first date in the human world. I just wanted a taste of how your society works. I didn’t think I would get into this mess.”

You sigh.

“I didn’t want to do this in the human world. But... You wanted to, so...”

She holds your head, forcing you to look at her.

“Can we talk? I... I have some words to tell you.”

You look to your sides, trying to avoid her gaze and the harsh words coming your way about how easily triggered you are. But, you’re not the one to ignore your best friend.

So you nod and agree to talk.

“Ash, Sometimes... People are like that. We ponies don’t treat each other that way, but I know that some people can never change. Some people are just... hurtful. I can’t believe they would say things like that to someone like me. But I know, their goal is try and get into our heads. They think we can’t be a pair. It’s a test.”

You sigh again.

“I’m still working on coming to this realization, that not everyone is born to be good. Changing from being mischievous, to someone good, is difficult. I learnt that the hard way from my experiences with villains in the past. However, you have to understand it’s inevitable. Some people will always judge us, tease us, and try to tear us apart in disbelief. You hate some of your kind, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. It’s all because people were so cruel to me in the past.”

“That’s the problem, Ash. These thoughts of hatred are sweeping into your mind. Nothing can stop them from saying what they said just now. No matter what, it’s still there. However, the more you hate them for what they do, the more you’re hurting yourself. And I don’t want to see you like that. I want you to be who you are, and love what you really love. Don’t let a few jokes on us make you change what you want to do. If you love something, and you’re passionate about it, you wouldn’t stop just because someone hurt you. You can’t let people like them be the reason why you hate yourself, and feel that you can’t be yourself by doing what you love.”

You nod. She is right.

“Don’t let the people who laugh at us be the reason why you don’t want to love me. Never let people control what you feel, that’s the worst thing a person can suffer. As I said... I want you to be yourself, Ash. I don’t want to see the furious side of yours, brimming with hatred and heartache. I want you to be happy. I want you to be the sweet, charming guy I know. I love you because of your kindness, your care for me, and of course, I love you, because you’re my friend. But just now... It seems like you weren't my friend anymore. I was so worried.”

“T-Twilight...”

She helps you to dry a single tear, as you give her a smile.

“*giggles* You’re so naive, Ash. In a good way. But please, don’t be so sensitive to the point you want to change everything just because a single joke made against you. The Ash I just saw back there, wasn’t my friend. He’s a guy that doesn’t know what he’s doing, only shouting out words of fury when things don’t go his way. *sniff* Are you here, my friend?”

You smile as you cry.

“Twi... *cries* I...”

She smiles back at you.

“Never let people take away your chance of being happy with us. You’re never alone, Ash. You have my friends, the ponies’ trust, your fans on YouTube, and of course... You’re with me. I wouldn’t want it to come down to a fight. But, if it does... Just know, you won’t lose against your haters.”

Finally, your heart is molten to the core. She notices your big smile, and opens her hooves and wings wide for a hug. You cheerfully nudge yourself closer to her, and hug her tightly. You both put your heads beside each other’s, nuzzling in complete content. Tears leak out from your eyes. The more you rested into the hug, the more comfort you feel from her. She plants little kisses on your cheek, which makes you chuckle and it tingles your soul.

“Stop it, Twi.”

“*chuckles* How about no~?”

“Please, we’re in public, darling.”

You gasp and cover your mouth. Twilight spat out laughing and gives you a big, yet very forceful kiss on the lips. You blush like a juicy red apple as love hearts fly around your head.

“You are such a playful guy with your words, Ash.”

“Well, I didn’t mean to, but if you like me calling you in this cheesy way... *chuckles* You can call me whatever you want as well, sweetie.”

“Does that mean I can call you a scaredy-cat the next time we watch a horror film again?”

You narrow your eyes at her.

“Ugh, you dork.”

“*chuckles* That’s what you get for moaning at the bookstore earlier today!”

You both let go with a giggle.

“Thanks, Twilight. You’re... You’re that type of friend I just never want to lose. I want you to be with me, to protect me, to cheer me up when I’m down. I wouldn’t betray you for anything. You have my word.”

You hold her hoof gently and make a promise in your heart.

Twilight Sparkle... Be my guardian angel, okay?

“Thanks for spending time with me today, Twi. It’s been fun, even though it was pretty messy, haha.”

“No worries. I had a lot of fun, mostly just from hanging out with you today.”

Both of you grin, and feel that something was missing. Just one, small, little thing, to complete the day, and return for the night. So, under the light of the moon, in complete peaceful silence with no one to tease you this time, you take a deep breath and tell the other something, very true to your heart.

*Both kisses*

”I love you, my best friend.”

Author's Note

Yay! Finally doooooooooone!

Yes, this is the last chapter I wrote for the whole story. Thank god writers block finally set me free!!!

11.Promise

For three years, you’ve been a couple. And for six years, you’ve been best friends.

Now at 21, you’re fully grown and classified as an adult. You couldn’t ask for anything more in your life anymore. You had a great career on YouTube, you have amazing friends all around you, and the attention you desperately wanted since you were young.

But nothing meant more to you than Twilight’s affection.

Both of you agree- You both are really awkward together as a couple. The first few dates were very weird and you both didn’t talk much with each other. Through time and more practice, your emotions for each other start to come out more naturally. There wasn’t even a single second where you didn’t love her. Love drew your bond even closer together. Nothing stood between you and her. You both were inseparable.

You take her to the human world a lot- To experience what it’s like. Although ponykind is widely accepted on Earth, you still had your hangouts together in a peaceful, quiet countryside, rather than in the city. Stargazing and telling stories became your biggest pastime. The comfort of the grass on the hills you lie on- As you sleep under the stars with your best friend, or even playfully rolling down the hill with her.

There was no denying that she became so much more interested in you. She seemed to enjoy the moments you spend together more than she ever had.

All of this... Raises a question in your mind. But you decided to just confirm one more time with her.

You are at the annual Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot. You just had a wonderful dance with your sweetheart on the dance floor, and Everypony stood in awe and jealousy. You were dancing with the princess of Friendship, after all.

Now strolling around the peaceful Canterlot Gardens, something pops up in your mind.

“Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“How does it feel, dating a human like me?”

She stops to look at you.

“It’s a new experience, for sure,” She replies. “I have done quite a lot of remarkable things in the past. But the discovery of love is one thing I never did learn. And to my surprise, it’s you who led me to understand it.”

You roll your eyes.

“Pfft, Stop,” You giggle. “When I first met you, I loved you in the sense of.... Well, waifu kind of thing. Now... I really do love you. Truthfully.”

She gives your side a little nuzzle.

“I love you too, you know that,” Twilight says. “What’s bothering you?”

You explain as you continue the walk.

“I seem to treat you... More like a friend, than a romantic partner. That’s not what love is,” You confess. “I’m not saying I don’t like being your boyfriend, but I just... Don’t really know if we love each other enough.”

She hums. “I see. I do know the differences between love and friendship. But why do you think that way?”

“This magical thing... I never seem to know what it truly means. Is it power? Is it happiness? What does it take to get this? It’s interesting. However, I never seem to recall the two of us really doing anything unique together. Stargazing? Did that when I was eighteen. Hangouts? Doing it since day one. And not to mention, we cuddle and have sleepovers on a daily- At least weekly basis. There’s no way love is that simple- Something complicated is deep down inside.”

Twilight wraps you with a wing.

“I’m looking for the answer too, Ash. I knew this would be a big adventure for me. I didn’t want to spend it with anypony else but you, because I know that you know me well. I’m just curious... If I wasn’t going to pick you... Then why did you pick me instead of others?”

You think for a while before answering her question.

“You mean more than just a friend to me.”

“Really?”

You sit down in an open area of grass, surrounded by the bushes of flowers of the gardens, and the glow of the moon.

“You helped me get through whatever challenge I had. At first, you cheered me up when I needed encouragement. Then, you offered me somepony I can share my feelings with. You were never annoyed by how cheesy I get when I talk about our friendship and how I always want to find you to chat with me. When I’m down in the basement, you find me and comfort my broken heart. When I’m looking down from the top, you’re the first to congratulate and compliment me. All of these little things piece together the amount of love you have given me.”

She smiles with a blush.

“In a way, I’m really embarrassed. I don’t have much to give you, Twilight. But... The pieces of love you’ve given me through these years have given me an undeniable fact- You care about me. That’s why I picked you. I always loved you, and the day I confessed to you was when I realized you share the same feeling for me.”

The princess’ eyes were sparkling and the light reflects beautifully off her tears leaking out her eyes.

“You’ve given me something too.”

“Huh?”

She leans on your shoulder.

“Just like I did for you, you’ve given me your kindness and bittersweet love. However... I know we’ve been dating for three years, yet there’s something I still can’t understand.”

“What?”

Twilight looks at you, and you look back at her.

“What... What exactly, is true love?”

You were a bit stunned by the question- You do understand that love is not a simple game. All this time, you’ve treated her more like a friend than a love interest. Something tells you, that something was still missing.

“I’m... I’m not certain,” You say. “But... I wanted to ask you something. Just a bit curious.”

She continues to nuzzle you.

“Mhmm?”

“Twilight, will you always stand alongside me?”

She gives you a cheery look.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

She winks at you and gives you a little kiss. An arm around her neck, you bring her close to you.

“In that case... I have prepared a special present for you. Would you mind meeting me at the park at sunset tomorrow? I... *chuckle* i forgot to bring it tonight.”

“Sure, no problem.”

“Thanks. Now... A little love duet, Spark?”

“*chuckles* You’re up, then.”

12.Present

You sit casually on a bench at a nearby park from where you once lived. Before you met Twilight, you would come here to take a few strolls when you feel bored. But ever since you were introduced to the pony world, you’ve begun to explore Equestria instead. You’ve gotten used to the ways of living as a pony, as well as keeping your own human style of living as well.

As you patiently wait for your love partner, you held a relatively small present in your hand. For a gift, it was rather tiny. You planned to give this to her yesterday, but as you’ve told her, you forgot to bring it. Humming little love tunes became your antidote for nervousness at this point, and you really needed it on this lovely evening.

You’re about to tell her something magical.

The footsteps draw near. It was the friend you know and love, in her human form. You gladly invite her to take a seat right next to you, as you put away the present secretly in your bag.

“I’m curious...” Twilight opens the conversation. “Why, today, in particular, did you ask me to turn into my human form using that spell?”

“I just felt like seeing your human self for once.”

“Oh, okay...?” She asks you in complete confusion. “That doesn't really answer my question. Come on, Ash. I know you well. I can tell you’re trying to hide something. What is it this time?”

She begs for your little secret with a hug.

“No, Twi. I just wanted us to talk, nothing more.”

She nuzzles against your cheek. “Stop teasing me! You’re hiding something! You’re already blushing like crazy!”

“*chuckles* Please. I blush whenever we’re together, it’s not a surprise...”

You and her start nudging each other back and forth in shyness, begging each other to tell or not tell what you’d invite her here for. That came to an end when she straight up kissed you.

“Pretty please?”

“*sigh* Fine... I’m too easily persuaded by you sometimes.”

“Teehee~ It’s not my fault~”

You reach into your bag and pull out a note. You pass it to her so she could read it.

To my beloved sweetheart,

Twilight Sparkle, when I first met you, I bet you didn’t expect we would be sitting right here tonight, waiting for something special to happen. I didn’t either.

For the past six years, you have always reminded me how important friendship was. Both of us used to say, we will always be friends till the very end. All our moments together had developed into a bond that we can never break. That friendship would gradually grow into affection.

Love drew the two of us more than we could’ve imagined.

Our hearts are tied together, Twi. We could never be broken apart. I’m glad we’ve made it so far and I absolutely couldn’t help but smile every time you tell me how much I mean to you. You’ve always been there for me when I was young, I’ll treat you with the same way you did. I wouldn’t trade anything for our relationship. Not ever. And I wish to be with you, my best friend, for as long as I’m here.

Will you do the same?

Twilight turns to you, to see you holding the very gift you held before the conversation started. You nervously pass it to her, as she gladly accepts it.

“Don’t open it yet,” You tell her.

“Why? What’s inside?”

You grin and held Twilight’s hand as you pet her. A little rub on the head gave her a shot of tenderness into her heart.

“I don’t want to startle you,” You explain. “Sweetie, this present to you is... Let’s just say it’s special. Again, I really don’t want to surprise you too much. So, I’ll leave the decision up to you, whether you want to accept this. I have made my decision. I understand you may not be ready for what comes next for us, but I couldn’t help but give this to you. Because of this, I’ll wait for your answer. When you think you’re ready, open the present.”

She gasps loudly. She knew what you put inside, and there was no explanation needed. Twilight looks away from you, sheepishly giggling. You can hear her sniffing a bit too, from a bit of crying. You patiently wait for her to calm down, before she makes her decision to open the gift, or not.

A minute later, all she did was nod at you. She didn’t open the gift.

“This...” Twilight cries, “This is truly wonderful, Ash... But... *sniff* I’ll love if we can wait a tiny bit longer. I need some time to think about this. For now, though...”

She hugs you tightly.

“*cries* Thank you...”

You smile and chuckle as you gently squeeze her.

“I... I hope you’re not too disappointed...”

“*chuckles* Why would I?” You tell her. “I know you’re nervous about this. You’ve been nervous about falling in love with me for a while. I could understand your feeling. If you don’t think we’re prepared, then that’s fine. Just take it for now, and you may tell me your answer when you’ve made up your mind.”

Twilight kisses your cheek forcefully.

“Deal,” She giggles.

After your little hangout, Twilight offered to just straight up teleport you to the portal station set up nearby so you can return to Equestria. You had special privileges and got to skip the security, since you are with a princess and all. The station was a new technology that was used for communication and visits between the two worlds. It’s been here for quite some time and there wernt a lot of problems in it’s system.

Or so you thought.

Being the kind human you are, you let Twilight take off first, you following a second after. However, as soon as you got into the portal, which should transport you to the portal station in Ponyville, you were travelling along the tunnel linkage between Earth and Equestria, something... Weird, happened. It seemed as if you were feeling dizzy and the linkage started acting weird. The surroundings were getting fuzzy, and before you can react, everything blacked out. You wake up a few seconds later, to find everything became white.

The system just seemingly crashed- And you have no idea why.

13.Hurt

You finally got out of the limbo in the portal tunnel. Now, it’s been a few days. You still have no idea why you got stuck, but at least you’re back home in Equestria now. Good news: You still got to Ponyville, even though you thought the crash might’ve sent you to somewhere else.

Bad news: Someone wasn’t acting right.

*Creak*

“Oh, you’re back.”

Twilight was at her desk, speaking to you in a flat tone. You put down your bag with the gift on the couch and the desk respectively and lean next to her on the table.

“What happened?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

She sounds a little not as friendly.

“I... I don’t know. I walked through the portal, and... Everything went white?”

She turns over to roll your eyes at you.

“What?” Twilight asks. “The system is flawless. There’s no way someone could have just hacked their way in. I’m pretty sure you were imagining things.”

Your eyebrow perks up in a hint of confusion. You invite her to the couch to talk.

“Are you okay?”

“What do you mean, I’m okay?” Twilight asks back. “Of course I am. Nothing’s wrong.”

She looks down with a hint of disappointment.

“Are you sure? You seem... Pretty dull today. Come on, tell me what’s wrong.”

You sit closer to try and hug her, but she pushes your hands away. Now you’re even more confused. You just sit there and decide not to bother her.

“Tell me, honestly.”

You look at her, puzzled.

“Did you become friends with me just so you can get attention?”

You tilt your head.

“N-No,” You say. “No way. Well, maybe in the past, but... Things change. I’m not seeking for it now. I legitimately care about you, and I treat you as more than just somepony in my life.”

“Really?”

She looks at you.

“You said it yourself. You want attention. From me.”

“What? No! I said-“

“Without the past, there won’t be today, Ash. Someone helped me realise this.”

“Who?”

She shakes her head.

“That isn’t the point. Ash... Why would you be friends with me just so you can get attention by someone? Friendship is more than just... Talking to someone randomly. If you want attention, go up on any social media website like you’ve been doing now to be an online celebrity. Why waste my time?”

You are taken back by this statement.

“You’re not Twilight. She wouldn’t be like this.”

She hums, a little coldly. “Have you not seen me in a serious state of mind? You know as the princess of Friendship, I despise when someone tries to use friendship as some kind of power for themselves, some excuse to satisfy their own greed. It’s... It’s like betrayal, don’t you think?”

You don’t want to take it a step further. But you could not control yourself.

“When have I ever done that?”

“You’re always trying to find time for us to spend together. You want to use my reputation and popularity for your channel. Have you thought about how I would feel if you were trying to use me to grab more attention from others? I know you’re once isolated and alone, but that doesn’t automatically mean having to do things like this to make yourself well-known. Of course, plain friendship was fine. But I now see beyond that. You have exactly this plan in mind.”

You sit a little bit distant from Twilight.

“Okay,” You say. “I must be tripping. Are you sure you’re not being brainwashed or something like those in my stories?”

“No. At least I have no memory of it.”

At this point, quite a lot of things don’t really make sense to you. First off, why is Twilight acting so unfriendly? Second, why would she think this way? You have no proof to back up your view on the matter- And all you could, and should be doing, is to accept that.

But you couldn’t.

“Twilight, if there’s something about me that you have a grudge on, just say it. I won’t judge you, as a best friend should do.”

You put an arm around Twilight. But, to your shock, she levitates it and pushes it away.

“Will you stop that?”

She snaps back at a little more loudly this time. You gasp.

“I am very intrigued and very intimidated by your actions, your highness,” You express. “Is this due to work stress or has something bad happened to you recently that changed your mood?”

Twilight goes into deep thought, as noticeable by the silence.

“You’re getting annoying, Ash.”

You gasp as your heart tears in two. Finally, you blew up.

“Annoying!” You blurt out. “Twilight! Something is wrong with you! I’m serious!”

She stands up to her full height.

“And I’m being serious too, Ash. Again, nothing. Is. Wrong. Stop being so worried about me. I can take care of myself and I know when someone’s trying to do something to me.”

“I beg your pardon? How can you know if someone tries to do that when you’re mind-controlled, huh?”

You stand up and walk in front of her, crossing your arms.

“Do I not have the right to refuse answering what you ask me, Ash?” Twilight asks. “Must I be so open to you, to the point we have to tell each other everything in our minds for you to be satisfied? We may be best friends and even a couple, but that doesn’t mean we must know everything about the other!”

She steps toward you. You step back in shock.

“I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay, princess!” You shout. “Is that not an exception?”

And then, came an answer that you won’t ever forget.

“Yeah, because you don’t deserve me!”

You gasp loudly. “Wh-What? *sniff* But... But... Wh-Why?”

She sighs and turns to the window, looking outside.

“You’re so different from me, Ash. You’re a human. You belong on Earth, not Equestria. Why are you making all of this so... Complicated? Why must you stay so badly? It’s not like you won’t find another person to be with back home. With all the gossips going on around us being so close with each other... Have you realised what I’ve been through, going through all that? As a princess, it’s so... Common, to be criticised for doing something that we don’t usually follow. I know, Cadance got married, but Celestia and Luna didn’t. And to make matters worse, this is a cross-race relationship. No creature in Equestrian history has done so besides me. Don’t you realise how much pressure I’m feeling because of this?”

You still have no idea in her logic.

“If you love me, Twilight,” You ask her. “Then why would you be stressed about us being together?”

“I don’t want others to criticise me every time I go outside. Also... I can’t do this. I cannot learn the ways of being what you guys are. You all are so different and more cruel than us. I don’t like that. You may be unique in this standard, Ash, but it’s so frustrating humans are looking at me so awkwardly and feel like I shouldn’t be with you. I’m so scared my people would think of me differently if...”

She stops.

“I just... Don’t think we are going to work.”

“Why?”

“I’m now getting suspicious of you, Ash. I don’t like that. Are you a spy this whole time, gathering information about me?”

“Uh, no. Where’d you get that impression? Are you the spy?”

You both narrow your eyes, feeling that the other must be hiding something. But neither of you will agree to say it, no matter how many times you persuade the other. Of course, your answers are sent from the heart, but is Twilight doing the same?

“Twilight, come on. This is not going to solve anything,” You say after going around for 5 minutes.

“You’re the one that’s not solving anything.”

“I’m being serious. Please, tell me what’s on your mind. I’m really concerned.”

Under complete surprise, Twilight slaps you in the face, like a bat smashing your heart into a thousand pieces.

“If this is what you think pulls two ponies together, then I think you’ve a misconception. Look, I don’t want to keep this long. So how about we stay out of each other’s way, and how about you reconsider before giving that present to me?”

It was as if she already packed to leave. The moment she grabbed her bags and what she needed, you couldn’t help but fight back in your defense.

“So that’s it?”

She turns.

“You’re just gonna straight up walk out, and break up with me?”

She walks to you with no regret whatsoever.

“You deny it, but I know something’s up. If you’re going to surrender to whoever did this to you so easily, then I think you have a confession to make. And I’m going to force you to say it, no matter if you like it, or not.”

You put your hand under her head. She tries to push it away with a hoof, but you hit it back hard.

“Tell me. Are you really in love with me, or not?”

She goes quiet. You asked this question so seriously, that if she tried answering it with a lie, you would know immediately. You have known Twilight long and well enough to know that she must’ve loved you so badly to be able to sustain such a strong bond with you all this time.

But, as if your heart isn’t already broken...

“No.”

You drop to the floor with a gasp. With a loud cry, you yell out something you would never want to say to her.

“You’re such a cheater, Twilight Sparkle!!”

She gasps and stomps the ground. She pushes her muzzle toward your nose, feeling absolutely furious.

“Did you just call me what now!?”

You push her back. Both of you are very unamused by what each other had said.

“I am not liking your attitude, Twi. Not one bit. Is this really how you want to take this?”

“I don’t care, I’m just doing it to get away from your influence of trying to use others for you own greed!”

“Oh, really now? You want me gone that bad now, huh? Huh!?”

You never wanted to push it to this extent, but now there was no way to turn it back.

“*sniff* I’m disappointed in you, Twi. I always thought you were a nice girl.”

“And I’m disappointed in you, Ash! Thanks for wasting my time for your aspirations, you traitor.”

“Oh, hahaha, so I’m the one that’s bad here? Can you not see the flaw in your logic?”

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake, man the hay up, Ash! Accept the truth!”

“Uh-uh. No. You’re living in this... Illusion that someone’s bringing upon you, and you can’t even defend yourself. Shame. On. You.”

“Well, I wish I never met you so that we won’t be like this right now!”

And so, silence fills the air around you. No more words are required to explain the anger and frustration you’re having towards each other. You look down with absolute regret.

“I don’t want to see you anymore, Ash. Not until you accept that everyone has the right to go against even their closest friends.”

As she slowly starts to leave, and almost closes the door behind her, you run up to her. Though you just had a big quarrel, though she doesn’t like you anymore, you still thought you could do something to change her mind.

Just one, little kiss.

“I hope you regret this decision when you look back at how I still loved you, when I did that. Now go. We’re done.”

**Bang**

”*crying* What have I done...?”

14.Tears

Author's Note

Warning: This chapter is Teen-Rated for Violence.

If you’re uncomfortable with it, I highly recommend you don’t read this chapter.

14.Tears

A week passes with absolutely no sign of her returning.

That day, when you did return to Equestria, might just be the worst day of your life. You lost one of your closest friends since you were a teenager. You still couldn’t make up your mind why she said those things to you, or why you fought and argued with Twilight.

All you wanted to say was... I’m Sorry.

But it’s too late.

The rumor spread extremely quickly of the “Facts” about you betraying Twilight and what you truly loved her for. Everypony despised you. You have no idea why this was happening- You loved her with all of your heart. But hardly anypony believed your story, overshadowed by what you would call a made-up story.

The rest of the mane six were still here. Twilight ran off to stay with her brother, Shining Armor, in the Crystal Empire, as well as with Princess Cadance.

Every day, you wish you can just go up and apologize to her. But since the news was leaked, even the royal guard would not allow it. So most of the time, you would cry yourself to bed, missing your best friend. The feeling of petting her, the comfort of her wings, the joy of every kiss you share...

All that, gone.

You were again, taking a walk down the street after hitting the pub. After she ran away, you didn’t really have anything to do in the evening. On the way back to the portal, you run into Twilight’s friend, Starlight, in her human form.

“Starlight?”

“Oh, uh hey!” She chuckles. “So that’s why I couldn’t find you back home! You were out and about?”

“*sigh* Yes, Yes, going to hit the pub, again.”

You walk alongside her.

“Why are you in human form? Don’t you usually just use your pony form?”

She hesitates a bit before answering.

“Well... I just wanted to mix things up, nothing special.” Starlight replies. “So... Loosing her, it was... Painful, huh? I haven’t talked to you in a while so I don’t really know the full picture.”

You turn to her.

“*sigh* I don’t want to talk about it.”

You hear a relieving sigh. This makes you feel suspicious that something wasn’t right. But you move on anyway.

“If you do want to know,” You say, “The gist was that I got stuck in the portal tunnel for seemingly... I don’t know, days? It’s still confusing. And the next thing, was that I was arguing with my best friend. Then she left me without a word and she didn’t decide to take my gift at all.”

“Oh, that’s sad,” Starlight says with her head down. “I understand your feeling.”

“*sigh* I don’t even know why she suddenly changed. It was like... She’s different. She would never say words like, You’re so annoying! or You’re such a cheater! And surely, *sniff* she would never say she wouldn’t ever want to see me again...”

You bury your head in your hands and start crying.

“I would love to help you,” Starlight comforts you, “But I’m not sure Twilight would like it. Though, if she really loves you... She wouldn’t just run away and break up with you, right?”

“Well, apparently it’s the case now.”

You turn the corner of the street. Now, on your left, on the opposite side of the road, was the park where you confessed your feelings to Twilight. You give a sigh, but soon gasped with surprise as you see somepony familiar, down across the street with her familiar brother. You want to go up to her and apologize for everything you’ve said to her.

But then... Adversity strikes.

As Twilight crosses the road with no idea what’s happening around her, probably because she was wandering off about you, a speeding car was charging right at her and had no intent on stopping nor honking whatsoever. Without even thinking of the consequences, you immediately Dash over ASAP to alert her.

“Twilight!”

She turns to you, then finally realizes what was going on. Before she knew it, you pushed her out of the way immediately, and in turn, you were severely hurt in the car accident. It didn’t completely hit you, only the right side did, but it was going so fast that it still dealt a crazy amount of knockback. You fell onto the road with a loud grunt and a yell of pain. Blood is leaking out and everyone around the area screamed in horror. Some are running away, even.

Twilight sees you, and gasps. Suddenly, two men from the car that crashed into you exited the vehicle.

“We’ll take it from here,” One says. “Go.”

“Wh-What?” She says. “You... You didn’t tell me this was going to be the plan!”

He gives Twilight a punch in the face, sending her collapsing on the car. You did not like that one bit.

“*gasp* Twi!”

Though bleeding terribly from your head and arm, you get up with all your strength and punched one of the men. They retaliate and pin you to the ground. You felt another slap right across the face, and you were picked up and thrown into a bush in the park.

The men quickly dashed in and threw you out, before stomping on your chest. You can’t bear to see Twilight get potentially harmed by them afterwards, so you clench the terrorist’s neck. But that wasn’t long until Starlight just kicked you in the head again.

“Ow! What the- *gasp* You!”

She takes off her mask. She wasn’t Starlight. Apparently, you do recognize these people. They were seemingly bullies from your teenage years. You had no idea why they came, but they did. The man disguised as a friend of yours takes out a dagger once he takes off his disguise.

He puts it near your throat as two of his comrades pull your arms so you can’t fight back.

“Say it.”

“Wh-What!?”

“Give. Her. Up.” He says. “You don’t deserve her.”

“*grunt* Why? Tell me one reason, Richard. Why would I cheat on her?”

Richard gives you a punch right in the stomach before threatening you once more.

“I don’t have all day, Ash. You realize that.” He tells you. “If you resist, for every ten seconds, my comrades Link and Jack will pull your arms even more. It’s best if you let her go.”

“I won’t.”

“Hmph, this is bittersweet indeed. Why so? She already told you she doesn’t love you anymore. She left you crying like a baby every night. I don’t understand why you are still so devoted to retrieving the one you once called friend.”

You struggle a bit.

“You’re wrong. I know something happened to her. You did it. You want me to give her up just because she’s a princess? Just because you think I don’t deserve her? I love her with all my heart. We have been through so many things together. I am willing to sacrifice myself for her safety. Is that not what love is about? To sacrifice your personal goals for each other?”

Twilight watches from aside. You realize- She’s still on their side. She didn’t change. However, once you say that, you notice her expression changing.

“I understand she loves me back dearly. We may not be from the same race. She’s royalty and I’m not. You think an isolated person like me doesn’t deserve to be the love of anyone’s life, let alone her. If you think that way, you can go kill yourself. Love comes from the most unbelievable ways. No one should tell someone they can’t love another because the two of them are different. So who’s the pathetic and heartless one, that doesn’t care about others?”

He gasps a little, and his friends are slowly backing off.

“Tell me, You idiot.”

Richard seemed to have no excuses to give. He backed off, and you sighed in relief.

But then he gave a smile.

“It’s you.”

He takes out his gun and points it toward Twilight.

“*screams* NO YOU DON’T!”

You quickly got lose and repositioned the target of the pistol. You proceeded to kick his private parts, punch him, kick him, pin him to the ground, all while you unleash your fury on the others as well. Twilight gasps, and steps back from the action. Once more, her expression changes.

“You heartless beasts,” You say, strangling Link’s neck. “You think that bullying me for being her friend wasn’t enough. You want to hurt her, and I will do everything I can to bring the real Twilight back!”

You give Jack a slash on the arm and punched him fiercely several times. When he surrenders, Richard kicks you from the back, as you land on the ground with a thud. You can feel the scars getting bigger and bigger, it’s numbers increasing. You do know if this continues, you won’t be alive any longer.

He passes the gun to Twilight.

“Shoot him.”

She gasps, and a look of uncertainty spreads across her face.

“It’s you or him,” He warns. “Your majesty, you have to trust me. Leave him to die. He only knows to use violence to solve everything. He doesn’t use his head. I’ve told you this before. I’m doing this for your own good- Do you want him to ruin your life? He will only be a burden to you. You really want that?”

Twilight remains silent.

“*sigh* Why are you resisting?” He asks, annoyed. “Here, I’ll help you.”

He gives a tap on her horn. It flickers and Twilight becomes forced to grab the weapon, since Richard has it pointed at her. If she resists, she dies. If she doesn’t, you die. You see her trembling with her magic in fear- Does she choose you, or does she fall to the wrong hands? You can even see her, with the weapon, walking towards you.

She points it at you.

“*cries* Twilight...” You beg, “Don’t do this... I love you...”

She breathes in heavily, then exhales.

“Honestly,” Twilight says, “Why must you make me like this? You never did. You’re a person that wants attention. You are jealous of others trying to be friends with me. *cold chuckle* Humans really are a curse for Ponykind. Hungry to do whatever to be noticed. And now, you pay the price, for hurting me and my heart.”

You start to cry. As the tears roll down to your uncovered bruises, you yell in pain. It’s like nothing in this world likes you anymore- And no one cares about you. It’s the old days of your life all over again- When Richard and his gang beats you up and everyone isolates you. You’re a nobody then- And now.

“*crying* If you kill me... You’ll regret it, I’m warning you... *sniff* Don’t make my death be a guilt you have to carry when you realize your mistake!”

But then, to everyone’s surprise...

“*smiles* I wasn’t talking to you, Ash.”

She turns around, drops the gun, and starts shooting magic at everyone. Richard stands in horror- He just got backfired!

He calls for his friends to take action. The princess steps back, and even tries to escape, but the two tackle her and start to beat her up instead. You pull their shirts from the back before they could hurt her. You knew- They weren’t here for her. They were here for you.

So you gave it to them- In exchange for Twilight’s safety.

You try to fight back- But now you are no match for all three of them ganging up on you with absolute brutal force. You can’t even do much. All you can feel, is them punching your stomach, slapping your face, and even trying to break your bones. The excruciating pain is hard to describe- And you haven’t shouted in pain like this in your life.

Even though you are on the brink of passing out, the more you try to defend Twilight, the worse you are hurting yourself. You have completely lost hope, but something in your heart tells you to keep standing strong.

You won’t give up. Even if your body is already in ruins.

“*screaming* No!!! NO!!! STOP IT!!!”

Twilight cries in horror and wants to help, but Shining Armor comes behind her.

“Don’t do it, Twilly!” He drags his sister away from the crime scene. “You’ll hurt yourself too!”

“*crying* No... Ash... Don’t die! Please!!”

As she gets dragged by her brother, Twilight continues to cry at the sight of you getting hurt. You are already feeling extremely dizzy and are about to pass out. The good news is that someone called the cops and they finally show up just in time. The three finally got arrested, but Richard did struggle a lot before being captured. With hardly any strength left in you, you wish you could at least stand on your feet.

You try with everything you have to get up. You don’t want to die. With hardly anything left, you attempt several times to support yourself and get up with your bruised hands and scarred legs. Blood trickled down your legs and dripped onto the ground as you do so. Your eyesight starts to become a blur, and you faintly see the struggling trio by the hands of the cops. You give a tiny smile, knowing that even if you do seize to exist, Twilight will be safe.

You try to stand up- But with major difficulty without anyone’s help since the forces were focussed on the others. You tremble and feel light-headed. You can’t even walk properly. Tears in your eyes, you fully regret what you said to Twilight merely a week ago. Your blood-stained hands wiped the constant tears from your eyes.

You put your hand to your weakened heart- Thinking about her. You sigh, and close your eyes, oblivious to what’s happening.

**Bang**

A second later, a bullet pierces you from the back by Richard in the struggle.

All of a sudden, it felt as if everything around you was going downhill. Your breakup with Twilight made you lose pretty much your everything. Now, you even lose your life. The moment you were shot, a pale, shocked look can be seen on your face. You immediately lose your balance, and start to trail off from all process of thinking. Your eyes shut down, and you could feel nothing.

Though only a brief moment, you give yourself one last positive statement. At the very least, you protected someone dear to you. Though costly, and heartbreaking, you took the hit for her- And you sacrificed yourself for her safety. You did not care if you’re badly hurt like this. You don’t care if you’re dying like now. All you wanted, was her to be happy and move on.

You know- We always have to move on. Even love has to move on. You know Twilight can’t lament about you forever, no matter how much she loves you. Sad, but true. You hope this will remind her never to make the same mistake again.

At the end of the day, you lay dormant on the grass. Stagnant, unconscious, hurt. Scars filled every corner of your arm. Bruises were visible everywhere. But, it never meant anything to you, how much you were hurt. Because it will never compare to the hurt brought by a fallout with your best friend.

**thud**

”I love you, Twilight Sparkle...”

15.Answers

*Beep*

*Slightly louder Beep*

The constant beeping wouldn’t stop. Though, it was then you realize something- Why are you alive? Why can you hear those sounds? What is going on?

You touch your eye and scratched it. It started opening on its own, and vision was as blurry as it possibly could have been. It took a minute for your eyesight to return to normal, and your eye finally decides to open fully. Now, you have another set of questions. Where are you? Heaven?

But no, you soon realize. You aren’t.

You can feel the frame of the bed rattling. In fact, you’re in somewhere special- You were just sleeping, alone, in a private room, not in a normal hospital, but inside... The Canterlot Castle? Everything does not make sense to you in any way. You thought you were toasted back at the park. But for some reason, you’re here, once again awake.

You look at yourself. Your scars were perfectly healed, with no traces of stitches either. Your body was completely cleaned from all the blood you lost during the fight. You feel... Practically normal. It was as if nothing had happened at all. Then you looked around you. Normally you’ll be in a room filled with other patients. But no. For some reason, you were alone, and everything around you only resembled what any other guest room would’ve looked like in there. A package was sitting on a small shelf next to the bed, one where you would put a lamp on.

You open it with curiosity. Inside, is something you can’t imagine. There were cards. Many cards. Actually, they are all cards wishing you to be back soon- To get back on your feet feeling well. Tears roll down your face as you read through every single one of them. Even royalty gave you the warmest support.

I wish you the very best and send you my blessings. -Fluttershy

Hang in there, Ash! We know you’ll be okay! -Rainbow Dash

We’re always here for you!! -Pinkie Pie

You have always been a part of us, Darling. -Rarity

You’ve done her proud, Sugarcube. -Applejack

What you did that day, we will never forget. You’re her hero. -Starlight Glimmer

Your actions of true love and sacrifice, is the most inspiring act I’ve seen. -Princess Cadance

I pray to the stars that I control, that you will return to us. -Princess Luna

However... To your biggest surprise, Twilight didn’t write to you.

But you didn’t take that seriously- You understand she has been going through hard times before you even risked your life. One by one, you put them back in the box they came from. You stretched yourself before feeling just a tiny bit of pain from where the car crashed into you. You press your hand against your waist and chuckle.

What... What is this magic? You think to yourself.

*Creak*

“*gasp* Ash?”

You immediately turn to the door- Thinking it was Twilight. Sadly, it isn’t, but you get the next best visitor.

“*chuckle* Your Highness. I’m not dreaming, am I?”

She shakes her head.

“Have you forgotten how powerful magic can be?” Celestia enquires, softly giggling. She walks over to you. “I’m very overjoyed to see you opening your eyes again.”

Once she got close enough, you didn’t want to think about it. You went for a big hug.

“Thank you,” You say. “Thank you all.”

She chuckles again before you release your grip.

“H-How long has it been?”

Even someone like Celestia needed some time to digest the answer to that question. “Hmm... Even I’m not sure... A couple of months?”

“Months!?” You yell in shock before Celestia reassures you back onto the bed.

“Shhhhh,” She tells you, like a caring mother. “Yes indeed. It really has been a few months. Even I was surprised that you were alive. I’m still feeling the surprise shaking my fur right now, not joking.”

You give a hearty chuckle to that.

“I understand your endless amounts of questions right now, Ash. Since you’re awake, I’m here to clear all of that up, for I have pretty much all the information to clear your biggest concerns.” She pulls up a chair and sits down. “Ask away.”

“You don’t have anything to do?”

“I do, but you’re lucky. I’m not too busy. I’m only doing some simple paperwork.”

You nod. “I see... Firstly... H-How’s Twilight? Is she-”

“No.”

You gasp and look down.

“But this time, it’s not the same like before,”

“Huh?”

“When Princess Twilight returned, she started to cry. Really hard. Shining Armor and Cadance told me. I was in the middle of something important, so I rejected the idea of seeing her. I very much regret that decision. *sigh* It pains my heart too, to see my protégé feeling so heartbroken and gloomy. What’s more, you were a great friend and ally to us. It was such tragedy when we heard about you go through such awful treatments by your fellow humans.”

“Well, some humans just don’t change. No matter what.”

“Your kind originally wanted to take care of this case alone. However, I stepped in to insist that we can work together. I’m so relieved when they agreed, though I can tell by their voices that they were a little bit unsatisfied about us underestimating them.”

“But you know what?”

“What?” You ask.

She smiles as she puts a hoof under your chin.

“You did something unexpected.”

“Huh?”

“You somehow acted like... A bridge, for both us and humans. We worked day and night side-by-side, all just to find a way to wake you up. The humans tried everything they could- but they deemed there was no way to save you. We begged them to give us a chance, and together, miraculously, we found one of the most powerful spells to heal you with. So powerful, it took Alicorn magic to perform!”

“Oh, god,” You bury your face in your hands. “Did I cause that big of a commotion?”

“*sigh* Unfortunately, yes,” Celestia replies. “But no worries. Pay is on me for the whole operation. And also, you waking up is our only concern. You meant so much to my student and to us all. It is only fair that I, represent all the ponies who once despised you in that short period of confusion, deeply apologize to you.”

Unexpectedly, she bows to you.

“Th-Thank you, your Highness,” You nod. “Come to think of it... Why did twilight become so... Hostile?”

“That?” Celestia asks sarcastically. “Oh, it’s a long story. The gist was that someone from the human world-”

“Richard.”

“Thank you,” She clears her throat. “Yes, from what I understand, Richard was someone who had been bullying you since you first came into contact with us. Be calm, he has been arrested and sentenced to death for the potential murdering of Princess Twilight. Nothing diplomatic took place either, for it had nothing to do with us. It was he who spilled the beans when he was being interrogated.”

“So what was his reason?”

“Turns out, it was indeed an intended murder due to jealousy. From what Shining Armor reported, he said that you didn't deserve her, so he wanted to protect Twilight from you. Even I was confused at his explanation, to be very honest. So, he hacked into the portal network to trap you in limbo for a few days. Meanwhile, his comrades Jack and Link, who are also sentenced to death afterward, kidnapped princess twilight one night and Richard used a brainwashing device so she would be controlled.”

Now, all was made clear.

“So it wasn’t she who argued with me!” You conclude. “It was a fake!”

“Correct,” Celestia replies. “It is also this that made her so upset and sorrowful. I’m not trying to offend you, but you did say a lot of hurtful words to her.”

“*sigh* Yes. That is true.”

There was a moment of silence as you frequently wipe off tears from your eye.

“May I ask you something, Ash? I promise I won’t tell.”

“Sure, now that Twilight thinks I’m gone forever.”

Celestia sighs. She did think that way. But, she thought that you should listen to what she wanted to ask you anyway since she won’t spit it out to anyone else. She leans over to whisper.

“About that present,” She enquires, “Was it-”

You hold up your hand to silence her.

“Yes. I proposed to her.”

Celestia gasps but gives a charming smile.

“Is this true? Would you mind explaining it in detail?”

“Not at all,” You reply. “But, may I put my legs down the side of the bed and I’ll let you sit?”

She nods as you get out of the blankets, and allow her to sit next to you. You looked nervous, and you guessed that might be why Celestia puts a wing around you for comfort.

“W-Well...” You chuckle nervously and cover your face.

“*laughs* Ash, I really promise I won’t tell Twilight that you’re alive just yet. Is that enough?”

You moan sarcastically before finally moving your hands off.

“So... I was originally planning to propose to her at the Grand Galloping Gala. But I forgot to bring the present because I am a freaking idiot, haha. I... I just have this strong feeling that... *sniff* I just really, really, really love Twilight. I can’t help it. I don’t understand why I’m so attracted to her so suddenly, and why she sometimes gets attracted to me, but I couldn’t deny the love I have for her. I could already see the signs too- She’s been talking a lot about marriage. It was probably a race to see who’s going to bring up the question first. I bet she wanted to marry me right then and there. But she must have been scared and tapped out.”

Celestia squees. “Aw, that is adorable. I’m really happy for you both.”

“Thank you, but... What now? I don’t want her to get mad at me for what I did... The fact she didn’t send me a letter was proof. What if... What if she’s still a tiny bit mad and depressed for what I said to her? You know girls take criticism seriously. I don’t want her to yell at me.”

“I’m sure she won’t, Ash.”

You turn to her. She pets you kindly.

“If she loves you, of course, she would try to hide her feelings for you. It’s what lovers do, even though I’m not experienced at all,” Celestia explains. “When two people spent a long time together, sometimes, they take each other for granted. It takes time, dedication, and sacrifice to really convey what you truly feel for each other. Don’t stop loving her just because of that one conflict that tore your beautiful story apart.”

You look down.

“Ash, being in love is hard. Just like any other adversity, you’ll face challenges and you’ll always feel bad when you fail. The hardest part of it, as Cadance told me, is sacrificing what you strive for, in exchange for each other to be with you. Many can’t make up their mind about the decision. But truthfully, when I heard about what you did for Twilight, I too, knew you were willing to pay the cost.”

“Are... Are you sure?”

She hums and hugs you. “Though painful, you sacrificed yourself to protect her. I know you didn’t do it because of revenge. It’s because you love Twilight. So much, you’re willing to do anything- For her to be happy. Is that right?”

You nodded with a big grin.

“In that case, I’ll be more than honored to officiate your marriage when it finally comes. All you need to do is to ask her. After we confirm you’ve fully recovered without any potential dangers, of course.”

You giggle and hug her tightly. Celestia joins in the laugh and nuzzles you, feeling very glad for you. Now, you realize that this is truly, the end of the journey. Nothing else would stand between you and your love any longer. You decide to hatch a plan once she leaves so that no one other than you would know about it before you’ve finalized it.

Soon, you’ve secretly told everypony the plan. It really was time. You are finally going to make the decision. All she needs to do is to respond to one question.

”Will you marry me?”

16.Regret

Author's Note

We have a song!! Yaaaaaaaas! This is my parody take on MagPiePony’s My Dear Luna from Princess Trixie Sparkle!

16.Regret

You make a full recovery a week later.

It was mostly only waiting, though. That was the most boring part. You have been doing that for a few months, while you laid dormant on the bed, but waiting while awake was even worse. You were advised not to do anything too crazy, even though at that point you’re already 90% recovered.

You guessed it probably something to do with the spell.

But, in any case, you’re free now. You board the Friendship Express once more back to Ponyville just before sunset. Another hour of traveling now feels like an eternity to you. You could not possibly wait any longer before reaching Ponyville. As the sun slowly goes down beyond the horizon, your brain was only filled with thoughts of affection. Twilight must have been worried sick. Or worse, maybe she thought you died.

After nearly going through a heart attack on the way, you finally reach your destination. This was it.

You sit near the edge of a grassy hill. The weather was fairly nice- As the leaves of the nearby trees shake upon the breezing wind. You silently look towards the town you’ve been connecting with for the past few years. Ponies were returning to their homes, after maybe a day of work, or after they went out for a walk.

Whatever the case, you can’t deny how bittersweet it was when you spied on different ponies greeted by their family wonderfully when they returned home, while you were along the way to get to where you are now.

You suck in a good amount of fresh air. Then you slowly let it out. You felt the need to do absolutely nothing at all- To process. To think. To reflect on what you’ve been through. Everything you’ve said, every act of yours, and of course, your continued love for your friend.

The sun seems to slowly sink beneath the horizon once more. The sky turns into a shade of bright orange and red. It was the perfect time of day for a round of confessions.

Specifically, love.

You think deeply on the friendship that you and Twilight share. You never wanted it to end. It surprises you, and maybe her, too- That one single misunderstanding can tear such big rifts between even the closest of friends. A fight that can break any embrace between you. An arrow straight into your fragile heart. But all of that doesn’t compare to all the happy, fun times that you both gave each other. True love is an unbreakable force. Though you don’t try to show too much affection in fear of overwhelming her, Twilight still likes you all the same. All of the fun and love, would slowly, but surely, recover all that was lost. Your hearts- mended back together. Both of you, once more in each other’s arms.

You realize her as more than a friend to you. And you were willing to protect her, no matter what the cost was. It’s hard- Choosing someone over something you desire so much. But, you think to yourself, ”What makes me happy?” If Twilight is what makes every day of your life so fun, so enjoyable and so relaxing, you’ll choose to cherish her most- And support her always. Just like what friends do for each other.

With your hands on the soft, pale green grass, you sigh blissfully and look to the sky.

“Twilight Sparkle,” You begin speaking, to no one in particular.

You take a deep breath.

“I understand if you can’t forgive me for what happened. I understand if you have a different perspective on me. I’ve shown you a side of me I wouldn’t ever want you to witness. Indeed, I can get foolish when I need to deal with situations like that. It... *sniff* It really hurt. So much, it still hurts today. I’m not talking about the physical scars, bruises, bloodshed... I’m talking about betraying you.”

A tear rolls down your cheek.

“I’ve said hurtful words to you, sweetheart. But that’s because I didn’t get a grip on the situation well enough. I knew something was up with you. I was... So caught up in arguing, and I really hoped you would have answered the suspicion in a calm state of mind. *sob* And then... Adversity struck me. It hurts me even more- To feel you didn’t have me by your side. I would’ve done anything to see you again before I return today.”

“Now that you’ve seen who I am when things don’t go my way... I’m sure you’ll think differently of me. I just know. I’m not the kind of person you knew me as- They are right in a way. I’m just This... *chuckles* shy, careless, immature guy that just knows how to gush over somepony I admire. But do I really care about you, Twilight? I can’t tell if I am really in love with you or whether I’m just trying to steal attention, now that I take the time to think about it. Maybe my decision was wrong. I’ll find someone else if that’s what you want me to do.”

You sigh.

“I just want to say Sorry. Will you... Will you forgive me?”

As the wind continues to blow against you, you imagined as if music was in the air- The feeling of watching a sunset was the atmosphere of the song. You’ve spent the past week listening to this song, over and over, and thinking about it Day and Night. Finally, this was your chance to prove to Twilight, you still love her and cherish your moments, as you’ve always been doing.

You start to sing.

Years ago,
I’ve always been so alone...
Weak and afraid,
I wished for just a loving friend...

Then, you...
Opened your hooves to me,
You were the one,
Somepony who granted my wildest dreams...
Growing up by my side...

Forever friends,
That’s what I’d called you before,
My dear Twilight...”

You start to cry, but you tried your best to hold back all the sniffing and sobbing and carried on, all while also remembering some little moments between the two of you.

”We cherished,
Every day,
We spent together...
And I knew, no matter what,
You’ll always be there.
When I’m falling down,
You’ll be the first to pull me up...”

”How come you don’t have any friends at school when you’re so nice?”

”I don’t know... I just... Feel so different, to them all.”

”That’s what makes us unique, Ash. Even though I’m nothing much like you... Who’s to tell me I can’t be your friend?”

”I guess you’re right. And, to be very honest... I really like you, Twilight.”

”*chuckles* Same to you.”

Remembering,
All of the time we spent,
It brings me such joy,
All of our jokes and silly fights,
And when,
We’ll give a kiss ‘neath the moon...

You were my world,
You’re the only one I’ll love...
My dear Twilight...

I cherished,
Every day,
You were beside me.
And I knew,
You felt the same,
Our bond can stay strong,
For a thousand moons...
It’s one bond that will never fade...”

”I’m so glad I met you, Twi.”

”Me too. Hey, are you crying?”

”What? No! I just... Feel really happy you’re my girlfriend...”

”*chuckles* Yes you are!”

”*chuckles* Oh, Twilight. Stop it, you’re making me blush.”

*crying*

”What’s wrong, Ash?”

”Nothing. Just... The death curse is on me.”

”You mean... Some people you once loved left you? Something like that?”

”Mhmm... Twi... You won’t leave me, right?”

”Of course not. I promise we’ll be friends forever. Okay?”

”I wish that we would just recall...
All those moments...
Where there’s no hate, where all we did...
Was love each other...
I want nothing else,
I just want my dear sweetheart back...”

Your tears continue to flow out, and all of a sudden, you were breaking down. The more you recalled the moments you share with her, the more tears you shed. For the first time, you felt what it was like to lose someone that trusts you. You felt what it’s like when it’s too late to apologize. You hoped she would forgive you, but would she? Would she really have forgotten what you’ve yelled at her? In fact... Does she remember you? At all?

You look down and bury your face in your hands as you stand up. You start to cry, louder and louder. Even though it wasn’t her who made you fight, what you said to her came from your heart. But Twilight’s words were fake. Has she moved on from what you have said?

“*crying* Twilight... *sob* You said you wouldn’t leave me alone...” You cry. “I can’t continue without you by my side... I’m sorry for everything, the lies I’ve told you, making you so angry about me... I’d never treat you that way. *sniff* I always loved you. I really do. *sob* I saved you in that crash- Even if you still hated me, I’m certain you can tell, I do care for you. I’ll do anything to protect my friend- Even if I die. But if you can’t move on from our fight... I understand...”

Down on your knees, slowly sitting down, you cry so hard that you can’t speak anything without stuttering.

“*crying* I know you said you never want to see me ever again and I did too... However, I can’t imagine ever doing that... Just come back to me, if you don’t want to be with me, it’s fine... *sob* I just want to say sorry...”

There was silence as you continue to cry. You don’t even realize the hoofsteps behind you.

*Squeeze*

“*sniff* I’m sorry too, Ash.”

You look behind yourself. Twilight was tightly hugging you, crying streams of tears with a smile.

“*gasp* Twilight...?”

“Mhmm, you’re not dreaming.”

Your face breaks from a frown to a big smile.

“Ohmygosh Twilight I missed you!!!”

You turn back and give her the sweetest hug you’ve ever given her. Both of you rest into the embrace, crying. While she nuzzles you happily, you are much more happy than that- Evident from how much you’re squeezing her.

“Owww... *chuckles* Ash...”

“*crying* Twilight... I’m so sorry...”

“As I said, me too. You’re not alone.”

You both unwillingly let go of each other.

“*sob* I... I missed you,” Twilight cries. “Those past few months... I’ve been thinking about a lot. I don’t blame you for anything. It’s not your fault and it’s a long story to what happened. Ash... Why would I ever say I hate you and don’t want to be with you anymore? Why?”

You blush and cry as she shakes your body, demanding an answer to her question. Your heart tears in two as she gets mad at you for what you thought was still reality.

“*sob* Because... I-I... *cry* I thought you... You still...”

“Oh, you poor thing...”

Twilight kisses you sweetly. Continuing to cry, you lean into the contact with utter joy. Not only has your best friend returned- She still liked you all the same.

“I would never judge you, Ash. That fight we had, we were not being ourselves. If we were... Why would we be furious at each other? So please, it’s not our fault. I know, someday we are going to fight and fall apart. But I could’ve never imagined it’ll go like this.”

She lets go to look at you and places a hoof on your cheek.

“*sigh* Ash, I... I’m really sorry. I would’ve told you about the whole situation if I could just come back before I stepped on that train. I couldn’t. The guards forbid me to do so- They fear you would continue to hurt me, harass me, and make me feel even worse than I already was. When you saved me in that car crash, and I saw you getting yourself so badly injured... *crying* I-I...”

Twilight pulls herself towards you and squeezes you like a little filly with her wings.

“*crying* I was so... *Sob* I’m so scared... *sniff* I didn’t want to see you like that, being attacked and humiliated... But you wouldn’t stop! Why would you hurt me like that!? *Shouting* Do you realize how much I care for you, Ash!? Don’t you know how worried I was!?”

The more she shouted, the sadder she became. You do nothing but sit motionlessly. She starts to hit you like a filly, begging for an answer. She is furious, but you remain calm, and only hug her tight in your arms, hoping to comfort her worry and flame. Soon, she starts crying instead of yelling.

“It’s none of our business now. All you need to know is that I have fully recovered. I’m back, Spark.”

She looks at you with big eyes and crystal-like tears forming in them.

“Do you know why I wanted to defend you?”

Twilight shakes her head.

“It’s because I love you.”

“Huh?”

You give her head a little rub and a playful tug on her ear.

“Though we broke up... Even if I was sorrowful, angry, and heartbroken... Deep down, I still love you as a friend. That won’t ever change, Twilight. In fact, that gave me time to realize how important you were to me. That’s why when that day came, I cared for you so much, I was willing to sacrifice myself. This is what separates normal friends to love: The devotion and dedication you make to earning each other’s trust.”

You put a hand under her head and give her a kiss.

“When I was shot... It really hurt. But that pain doesn’t compare to how hurt you must be in those few months. Scars and bruises like the ones I got can be healed relatively quickly. But scars of love, forever remain. No matter how hard you try to deny it. Yet, we must move on. There is nothing we can do to change our every actions. Once they’ve happened, it’s history.”

She gives a chuckle as you softly give her a tickle.

“Very true,” Twilight replies. “So... Do you still love me?”

“Always. You?”

“Of course.”

You and Twilight nuzzle each other with a giggle. You both are just glad to be back together. It was then, Twilight teleports in something special. You recognize it at first sight. A black, tiny box. You thought she would do something like this before, but you didn’t expect her to actually do it. Besides, it was you who came up with the idea first.

She winks at you as she levitates in it mid-air.

“You asked me once, to open this box when I think we’re ready.”

You nod.

“At the time, I didn’t open it because we never ran into a major conflict with each other. From what I know, love, always comes with a price. And it always comes with arguing, fighting, and a lot of heartbreaking moments between us. Of course, I’m not saying I planned the whole 'arguing with you' thing, you know that. Basically... What happened taught me a valuable lesson of friendship and affection. No matter what trials hit us, if we stick together, we’ll get past it. No grudge can divide a pair falling in true love. And, through this experience... I think it’s safe to say that, not only are we both sorry, we also have a strong feeling for each other.”

You smile at her. She smiles back.

“This experience of us being driven apart... Really marks a special place in my heart as a reminder. A reminder of how confusion can divide people. But when we sit down and talk to one another about our differences and hardships, there’s no doubt we’ll help each other up. This is why we have succeeded in being a couple for so long. You’ve always been open with me about your problems. We’ve always been alongside each other through every challenge, every moment. I want that to last forever, and I want to return the favor to you, too. So... After all that has happened, I only have one thing to confess to you, Ash...”

Taking a deep breath, she finally opens the box- And inside it, was a beautiful diamond ring.

“I, as the Princess of Friendship, will be honored to marry you.”

You gasp- You are ecstatic, surprised, and moved all at the same time. You start to cry.

“*Crying* Oh my gosh... *sobs* Really?”

“*chuckles* I understand we love each other so much. You mean so much to me, and I mean the world to you. After everything, I promise you, I will not tolerate any big fight between us anymore. I promise we will forever be together, and never split apart. Please... Will you promise me the same?”

You needed no further explanation at all. Since the day you met her, this moment before your very eyes was only something that can be described as a dream. Your tears are leaking out of your eyes as you struggle to respond. Your heart begins to beat faster and faster, as she more than patiently awaits your answer, crying.

You put both hands to your pounding heart.

“*blissful sigh* I do, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight immediately puts on the happiest and cutest smile ever. She slips the ring onto your ring finger, then turns to look at you. She starts crying, and you shed some tears too. You hold her hoof warmly, as your heads contact lightly, before she speaks another word.

“I’m sorry. Will you accept my apology, my friend?”

“If you forgive me, of course I will.”

“*sniff* Oh, Ash...”

“Twilight...”

You both hug tight and give the most tender kiss you’ve ever had. Swaying in the hug, you both cry in utter joy for being engaged. Smiles show up for both of you. Eventually, you push her to the ground. In return, she rolls over, and both of you, still in the hug, playfully roll down the hill together, giving the most bittersweet chuckles in your eternal kiss. Letting go, you couldn’t help but send your lovely fiancé a literal storm of kisses, which makes her giggle to no end. Her wings tightly keep you within her range, and she nuzzles so adorably you just want to stay in the moment forever.

Eventually, you both stop being so cheesy, and just casually chat in a warm hug.

“*giggles* This... This was the same ring I bought for you,” You tell her.

She laughs and gives you another kiss.

“When I left for the Crystal Empire, I took it with me,” Twilight replies. “At first, I kept it as a sign of you almost succeeding on faking me into loving you. But when time dragged on, especially when you were hurt, I actually started to see it as a symbol of your love to me, a symbol of how much you cared about me, and it reminds me how much I miss you.”

You booped her muzzle as she forces you into another kiss. Her crossing her hooves with your legs gave you a pretty good sign that she wanted you to hold her tighter. When you both tighten the hug and kiss, you start to chuckle at how naive you’re being, with all the cheesy actions you’re doing.

You brush away her mane to reveal her pretty face. She smiles.

“Hey, Ash?”

“Y-Yeah?”

She winks at you once more.

I cherished,
Every day,
We were together,
And I knew, that you and I,
Will always stay friends,
Even when you’re gone,
My love for you kept going strong...

I wish that I could take it back,
And didn’t leave you,
Those months apart was killing me,
I’ve always loved you...
I will never trade,
Our treasured love for anything...

“*sniff* You meant the world to me too, Ash,” Twilight says. “Stay with me, Okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

You let her hug and lie upon you.

“So you’ve been listening to me singing, huh?”

“Haha, yeah. It was... Very heartwarming. Thank you. This... This makes me feel so...”

“Happy?”

She nods as you set her down beside you.

“Say,” Twilight asks. “What if I said no back then, when you asked me?”

You smirk.

“Heh, I’ll reenact myself getting hurt by a car, and almost dying to a bunch of men.”

She gives you a nudge. “Don’t do that, pleaseeee~”

“Then marry me, Princess.”

“Of course I will, silly! Now get over here and give me my cuddles!”

“Ahhh! Hahaha, oh, Twilight...”

“Hehe, Ash... I missed you so much. Please don’t leave me again, my best friend.”

“I wouldn’t. Never again.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Good... *blissful sigh* Let’s stay like this for a while. I’m enjoying being with you.”

“So do I, sweetie. *chuckles* Want me to carry you back home?”

“*laughs* If you won’t let go of the hug, then I’m down.”

You pick up Twilight as she dies from laughter.

“Waaaa! Hold onto me tight!”

“Haha, forgot how big you were, sorry. Now, come on. Let us go home.”

“Yeah. I’ll love that very much.”

18. Reflections

A few years later...

**Cheering**

You hear the sound of extreme cheering and applause from your audience, who have been waiting and waiting for you to come up on stage for the Friendship Festival performance. It only gets louder when you actually step up there. Since your surprise transformation at the wedding a few years back, you’ve found a way to change yourself back, and that was a great relief.

You wanted to do something special this year. You and Twilight have married for a few years now, and your friendship has never stopped growing since then, despite all your worries about the future then- Which is the world you’re living in now. You both continued to stay just as loving as each other, both as friends and a couple. Things have been well for you two together.

Twilight Sparkle has acted as your closest friend for life. You want to do something with her, to show her how much she means to you.

**tap tap**

“Hello, my little ponies~” You wink as you say your catchphrase on your YouTube Channel after tapping the microphone.

Everypony cheers.

“*clears throat* Tonight, my performance will be for somepony very special. Specifically, to me. She may not seem as well-known as her colleagues alongside her, and you may think she does not play an important role in the ruling of Equestria, but to those she helped, she’s actually an amazing pony.”

“When I first met her over a decade ago, I was merely this teenage boy that adored her just because of this show I used to watch,” You chuckle, followed by laughs from the crowd. “But when I came to discover her existence, and met her in real life, our bond never stopped getting stronger. She has given me the best of support through all of our challenges. She is my everything. I loved her more than any pony else.”

“However...”

The crowd becomes puzzled.

“*sigh* One day, a human vowed to break our friendship, claiming we weren’t for each other,” You sigh. Boos ring everywhere in the audience. “We fought. Our hearts were shattered. And for me, I almost died in an accident. But, it could’ve been her taking the hit. I can’t stand around to see her- Whom I loved so much once, just get hurt. Nevertheless, I made a full recovery, and it is all thanks to all of your support for me. I am very grateful to be able to stand here tonight.”

“So, this song I’m singing, is kind of a song that I once thought of singing to her after our fight. It didn’t end up being the one, but this acts like a continuation- Because I never forgot the pain that fight gave the two of us. We may have forgiven each other, married, even- The hole we’ve made in each other’s hearts forever remain. And, I can never be truly sorry about what I’ve done. But what I can do, is do the best I can to move on. And I want her to move on, too. So I want to invite her up on stage, and I wish to sing not just simply to all of you here- But to her as well.”

You reach out your hand.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, where are you?”

Immediately the spotlight turns to a specific spot in the crowd. There, with her friends, was Twilight Sparkle herself. Everypony in the crowd cheers in excitement, and starts chanting, "Get up there!" to her, hoping she'll come on stage. You can see her, among the crowd, blushing with a big smile and a few tears, surprised and moved by your sudden request. She nods and flies over to join you, gladly accepting the high-hoofs the others are giving as she flew past.

She lands beside you, and before anything, gives you a big hug. You chuckle and return the embrace, before calming everypony down.

"Twilight, this is for you. But please, don't feel sad of me hurting myself, alright?"

She nods and winks at you, as the music begins.

From the sky, drops the rain,
Do you think it can subdue the pain?
From beneath our red umbrella,
Will the sound of the droplets tell you...
That I'm here?
Just right here...?

It cannot be, what have I done?
After it all, this game wasn't very fun...
It's my mistake, and I'm really sorry...
But it's okay,
You don't have to worry...
About me...
It's okay...

If we ever meet again...
We will not be the same,
Are you there, my dear best friend?
The one who doomed our fall?

Please, Twilight, don't be afraid,
Forget what ever was,
Be with me, the one you loved,
Just stop thinking of...

All the pain, all the wounds I’ve caused you...
Keep the small, happy memories with you...
It’s not fair to be alone,
After what we’ve been through,
Just let me be your best friend,
In every time and end...”

**After the performance.**

**knocking**

“Coming!”

You open the door, and you’re greeted by your best friend and loving wife. She throws her hooves around you in a hug, climbing onto you. You chuckle as you struggle to close the door behind you, and carry her into your guest room in the Canterlot Castle after finishing the show.

“*chuckles* Hi, sweetie. Came to find me to say thank you?”

Twilight lets go and laughs.

“Yep. You read my mind so well.”

“We have been together for a long time, you know.”

You both share a laugh. It was then you notice Twilight’s face was starting to turn red. You can hear her hooves scratching the floor repeatedly, as she dips her head down. You can tell she’s shy and had something to say. You flash her a look. It seems Twilight knew what you’re going to ask already- She covered her face with her wing.

“You can’t hide your feelings, come on,” You chuckle as you lower her wing to see her face. “Come. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

You sit on the edge of the bed and pat the area next to you, signaling Twilight to come over for a chat. She kicks her back hooves in cheer as she twiddles her front hooves. You gently rub her head to allow her to feel more comfortable- You know she expresses feelings well when she’s in a calmer state of mind.

“Thank you.”

“Hm?”

“Thanks for that performance,” Twilight says. “I... I didn’t expect it at all.”

“Was it good?”

“Yeah, it was. Heartwarming, happy, yet... Yet a little painful, too.”

“*shrugs* I did warn you, Twi.”

Twilight rolls her eyes at you.

“I thought we promised to never talk about our fight ever again, Ash.”

“But, had we not fought, Twi... You won’t actually understand why I wanted to marry you, would you?”

She nods with a blush.

“Right. Ash... If you want me to be honest, I have the same feeling too. I still had this thought we never truly forgave each other for that fight. It left such a big hole in our hearts.”

“Is it that big of a surprise to you?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“I mean, you fight with your friends too from time to time. Why us specifically?”

Twilight turns to you with a smile.

“Because we’re not just friends, Ash. You mean more than just that.”

“Yes, I know. But I want to know why.”

“Don’t you see? If someone you know has such a close connection with you... If you did something bad to them, won’t you feel guilty? Wouldn’t you feel bad for making them mad? For our case, specifically... You almost died. And it was because of me, arguing with you while being controlled... I always couldn’t forgive myself, and if so, how could you forgive me for what I’ve done? Is the word ‘Sorry’ always enough?”

You lay a hand in her shoulder.

“It really depends on who you’re apologizing to. But... For me, it was.”

“Really?”

“Hey, if I loved you, of course I’ll forgive you. You’re my friend, no matter what. I know we screamed hateful words at each other then. I understand we had a fight once. But we have to move on. Those emotional scars still hurt, but not as much. Why? It’s because I was willing to move on with my life. And if you’re willing to forget about it, you can forget the pain it caused you, too.”

Twilight puts a wing behind you, and leans against your side.

“I really don’t want us to fight. It felt so... Scary, for me to argue with you.”

“It was hard to imagine the first time,” You reply, putting a hoof under her chin. “But this is what love is about.”

“Oh?”

You chuckle as she sits back up.

“Let me tell you a story.” You wink. “Once, two ponies got together in friendship. As time went by, they started to have a crush on each other, and started dating. They’ve stood together through everything. It was their perfect little world- Just the two of them together. However, one day, a fight broke out from misunderstanding. The couple shouted hurtful words at one another. And it didn’t stop, either. They start to bicker a lot, and of course argue whenever things don’t go their way, and they blame each other a lot. Because of all the quarreling, the two decided they aren’t meant for each other, and broke up.”

“A good while after, the stallion gets into a serious accident while trying to protect his former friend from said accident. Shocked, the mare helped him, though she didn’t like him anymore. She did not want to see him just die in front of her, after he sacrificed himself, now will she? She started to fear he wouldn’t get up well. She regretted what she said to him. When he finally woke up, she was crying tears of joy. They got back together after that.”

“Do you realize what is love, Twilight?”

“Hmmmm...”

“*chuckles* Love means a lot of things. Love, is the willingness to be there and sacrifice for each other. Remember how I saved you in that accident? I did that out of my love for you. Honestly. Love, is also an adventure- Like a strawberry, unsure if it’s a sour journey or a sweet experience. Ups and downs are common in relationships. We just don’t know how they will go down. Love, is also a game. The game of trust.”

“*chuckles* Interesting.”

“There are many reasons why I love you, Twi. Mostly it’s because I wanted to do something in return for your kindness. It just... Made me feel you genuinely care for me, and I want to keep that feeling. The more I wanted to keep it, the more I wanted you to be with me. I started to fall for you, Twilight. It didn’t take me long to realize I had a big crush on you.”

“I see... When I first heard you loved me, I was shocked. I have no experience in love. But... I don’t know why, when I heard about it, I started to fall for you, too. You’re also kind to me, you know. We may just be really close friends over the fact we’re a couple, but... *chuckles* I’m not lying every time I say I love you.”

“Awwww, shucks. Well, love can take the form of different types. There’s friendly love, where best friends that are super close with each other have. Rivalry love, where two people have a love-hate relationship. Sibling love, *laughs* Like Tia and Luna, who enjoy being with their sibling. And of course, true love- The only one I’ve never been able to figure out. But I finally got it.”

“What?”

You tightly hug Twilight.

“True love, is our passion and devotion for our partner. To care, to help and to make each other happy.”

“*smiles* Indeed.”

You and Twilight start nuzzling and you pulled each other down on to the bed with a titter. You touch her cheek warmly, as she forcefully nuzzles under your head. You playfully squeeze against her nose several times.

“Ash...”

“Yes?”

“What does love give us at the end of the day, anyway?”

You think for a while. But soon, you just sigh.

“I really don’t know. Happiness? Heartache? Support? Or maybe...”

Twilight stuffs a hoof into your mouth.

“We’ll find our answer someday. Won’t we, Ash?”

**Muffled Speaking**

“Oops! Sorry! Come again?”

She removes her hoof from your mouth and dries it with a napkin nearby.

“I said, I guess we will.”

You both smile and nod.

“Okay, time for cute party.” You said coldly.

“Huh? What the-“

*Lots of kissing*

“Ash!!! Stop!! You’re making me blush!”

“Hahaha, why don’t you fight back, huh?”

“Hmph! You jerk!”

*kisses*

“Awww, come on, that’s not too bad.”

You tease her playfully as she continues to try and cuddle you. You and Twilight continue sharing a joyful time together, a session of cuddles and kisses accompanied by uproars of laughter. Cheesy words were said, too. Forceful hugs between you two turn into both a fight and playtime at the same time, same with a lot of nuzzling and squeezing each other.

“Ahhhhh~ I love you so much, Twilight.”

“Teehee, love you, Ash.”

“Oh, I love you more~”

“Haha, and I love you most.”

Twilight sticks her tongue out playfully at you.

“Hmph, no, I love you most, Twi.”

“Noooooo, Ash~”

You both share a tender kiss while you tuck yourselves in. Holding each other as close as possible, you both did not want to let go at all. You wanted to stay in the moment forever. So much, Twilight just turned off the lights with her magic without leaving the impact.

The moon glows gracefully in the night, and shines on you two as you close your eyes, and relax into the kiss. You both locked yourselves in a tight hug, and your hearts beat as one together. The joy you both are having, you can’t even describe- Because you couldn’t even speak without leaving the kiss. This was exactly what you dreamed of- Being able to snuggle with your favorite pony all you want. Tonight, your wish came true- And after all that has happened, you finally feel happy with where you are with your life. When you’re young, you wished this would happen to you, and you were already so in love with her, you nuzzle your plushie of her every so often, maybe a cuddle or two.

But this time, you’re cuddling a plushie, no more.

Author's Note

”The True friends who love you, are the ones that forever stay by your side in the journey of life.”
-Nathan Hon

This story is dedicated to my best friend in real life. (I wouldn’t show her name of course.) To that person (If you’re reading this), I wish to thank you. Thank you for your kindness and your friendship. It means a lot to me, when someone is willing to stand up for me. It is you who gave me so much confidence to show who I am, no matter on or off FimFiction. :twilightsmile:

Hope you enjoyed this, it was pretty fun to write. :twilightblush:

This is the link if you want to know what the song “You” sang was.

1.Beginning

I recall this day so well. It was the start of a turning point in my life. The day I discovered Ponykind.

It’s a fine Friday afternoon, and you just plopped down your bags on the chair near the dining room table after a harsh day of school. Same old, same old, classes, homework and getting bullied. Nothing more. The same boredom, over and over again, every day.

Why couldn’t there be more... Excitement, in life? You think to yourself.

You come from a good family and living standards are nice. Yet, you only really have two common daily routines. Either you spend a day with classes, bullying, stress, the whole shebang, or play video games non-stop. It’s getting boring sometimes. You don’t really feel like going outside much either. And since you’ve been isolating yourself from the rest of your classmates, you didn’t really have a lot of friends.

Long story short: All you wanted was someone you could share your feelings with.

You decide not to do your school assignments on that day and leave them for the weekend. So, you grab your phone and go to your room. Climbing on to the bed, You notice your small collection of pony plush toys. You’re not the type of person who buys things often, but you do treat them like they are the real ponies. You give your Twilight plush a little nuzzle on the cheek before scrolling around social media.

Then you realize something.

Recently, a new feature was added to the texting app that you use. It allows you to communicate with random people around the globe, similar to Omegle. Yet, surprisingly, you haven’t tried it yet. You shrug and log on to the app, waiting for someone to join in.

And thus, marks the beginning and planted the seed of a new flower- In other words, a new and unique friendship.

“Hello? Who’s this?” You ask.

The recipient of that message replied rather quickly.

“Hi! How are you?” She asks. “My name’s Twilight. And you are?”

You freeze. Are you really speaking to the one? That Twilight? You thought, No, that can’t be right. You don’t want to keep her waiting so you text back.

“Hold on,” You say. “May you clarify your name, please? This... Sounds a bit awkward, sorry.”

She chuckles. “Twilight Sparkle. What’s wrong?”

At this point, you’re not even really involved with the actual conversation, but you’re already ecstatic. Come on. You’re talking to THE princess of Friendship. How could you not be happy about that?

“N-Nothing,” You say. “Are you... Are you that princess? The princess of Friendship?”

“Yes, I am,” she giggles. “I’m curious- How did you know that? I’m sure that the knowledge of our land hasn’t been fully released to the human world... You’re a human, right?”

“Mhmm,” You reply. “As for your question... I’ll save it for another day. It’s complicated. For now... Let’s just say that I’m a big fan of you. Really. Save the explanation.”

She smiles.

“I see. I forgot to ask... What’s your name?”

“Ash.”

“Thanks, sorry I forgot about that. It’s nice to meet you, Ash. So... How much do you know about my world? And how much about me, my friends and my life do you know?”

“Hmm... Pretty much everything.”

“Oh? Interesting,” Twilight replies, interested. “How was Equestria formed?”

“The three tribes, Pegasi, Unicorns And Earth Ponies got together in friendship.”

“Mhmm, and who are our rulers?”

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Is this a pop quiz?”

She tilted her head. “Maybe, you can say. Where do I stay in?”

“Ponyville. Your past home was in Canterlot.”

Twilight was surprised.

“Wow. What else do you know, Ash?”

You think for a bit. “Let’s see. In your world, Pegasi Control the weather, the princesses raise the sun and moon, there are five other tribes surrounding your nation, your capital is Canterlot, and you’re a princess that represents friendship and you have a school teaching lessons about it. Oh, and your favorite idol is Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Mmmm,” Twilight hums. “You know us really well, my friend.”

“Oh. Pfft. It’s nothing.” You laugh. “By the way... Sorry if I sound nervous or I’m not responding. I’m just really nervous since you’re royalty, your highness.”

Twilight giggles. “Your Highness? Please, just call me Twilight! It’s okay.”

Both of you can’t hear each other, but you are sharing a good laugh with each other.

“Haha, alright. Is Twi Fine?”

“Sure! Oh, right, in that case... Want to be my friend?”

You gasp.

“Of course I’ll be your friend! You know how to invite me?”

“Oh, Sorry, give me one moment. I’ll ask my friend since I’m new to this smartphone stuff.”

A few minutes later she returned, and you got the friend request, so you gladly accepted it. Now you both can chat whenever you wish.

“You still there?” Twilight asks.

“Mhmm! So... Friends?”

“Friends.”

You both smile upon the message.

“Hey, I have to go, Twi. I gotta go do... Something else,” You say, after coming to the conclusion that ponies won’t know what video games are.

“O-Oh, leaving so soon?” Twilight texted back with a hint of sadness. “Aww... Okay... But I want to get to know you more! Humans are fascinating and I want to learn more about them!”

You chuckled. “Don’t worry. You can talk to me anytime since we’re friends.”

“I see, I’ll catch up with you later, Ash.”

“Ah, one more question, Twi.”

“Hm?”

“Twilight... Do you mind if I get so cheesy around you? I have a tendency to get cheesy and flirty around best friends when they’re girls.”

“Haha, don’t worry! It’s funny and heartwarming to look at those messages anyway.”

“Thanks. Anyway, it’s been very nice talking to you, Twi.”

“Same, Ash. Thanks for spending quality time with me, hope I’ll get in touch sometime soon. When will you be on?”

“I dunno, I usually pop up in and out all the time.”

“Got it. See you then, Ash?”

“*chuckles* Very well. Bye, Twilight.”

2. Introduction

One week later.

“So how did you know about us, Ash?”

“What do you mean?”

“When we first met, I tested your knowledge of my world. You seem to know a lot about us. How so?”

It’s been a week since you’ve met Twilight. You’ve been texting with her a lot a lot, to the point that you’ll be so bored without her online.

“Well, it’s pretty complicated, Twilight,” You say to her. “I don’t know if you’ll understand with all the human technology and all.”

“It’s okay. I know how humans are like. I went to Canterlot High, remember?”

You chuckle at that.

“Oh, right,” You titter. “So... We have this show, this cartoon, named My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. It’s set in Equestria. Since you’re confirmed to be real, I’m willing to bet your world is real too?”

Twilight was confused. “Yes, that’s true. But... In your world... how am I just a character? Isn’t there a human version of Everypony?”

“You see, that’s the fictional human world. Meaning it’s not the real human world.”

“Ohhhhh.”

It was then you have a very interesting question- How in the world did Twilight manage to contact you anyway? You were always confused at the fact they have human technology.

“Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“How did you even contact me in the first place?”

Twilight thought for a bit, then said:

“S-Sorry. I can’t tell you just yet. My friend who helped me do so told me to keep our way of communicating with you a secret. It’s just... *sigh* I don’t know if I can trust you enough just yet.”

You sigh at her answer but smile anyway.

“It’s okay. I know we only became friends a week ago, it’s normal. Tell me another day when you feel comfortable, alright?”

“Mhmm, deal,” Twilight says. “Oh, by the way... I always see these emoji things that I can type. How do I use them exactly? Ha, my friend didn’t tell me.”

“That?” You ask. “You can use them for expressing emotions and all. Just toggle the keyboard to emoticon. Then choose whatever emoji you want to send depending on how you feel.”

Twilight chuckles. “That seems interesting. Like this? 😏”

“Mhmm! 😉”

“Awww some of them are so cute!” Twilight squeaks. Then she starts spamming random emojis. You start laughing.

“Okay, Okay,” You laugh. “Enough, Twi.”

“Alright, fine. Hey, you know me well, but I don’t really know much about you, Ash. 🤔 Tell me a little bit about yourself.”

Upon the question, you went into deep thought. You didn’t really have much to talk about- Either that, or you’ll make Twilight crazy over your opinions on studying or over human knowledge. You’ve known about her for a long time. You know what she’s like. She’s a knowledge frantic. Plus, you weren’t keen on friendship. You’re isolated by your peers.

But on the plus side, she was very friendly and you came to the conclusion you both will hit it off just fine.

“Ash?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” You reply. “Well, I’m a 15-year old student. Unlike you ponies, our curriculum on certain subjects is different. So I’m learning a few things that you might not know. I’m just a normal guy, that’s all.”

“Well, I think having me as a friend makes you different from the crowd.”

“*giggles* I guess. This sounds weird, but I’ll try to make it sound normal- I’ve known about you a long time because of the show. I actually really wanted a friend like you. But I’m pretty isolated at school. I get bullied a lot by my peers. *sigh* That’s just one reason I don’t like school, no offense. It’s just... I don’t know much about friendship before I heard about you and your friends.”

Twilight felt bad.

“Really? I’m sorry to hear that. But... Why give up on friendship so easily?”

“It’s a long story to why this came to be,” You explain. “I just.. Don’t like being bad. We humans have a darker mindset than ponies. We are greedy. Hateful. Even aggressive. Sadly, I was targeted by this kind of people. I get bossed around often. No leadership, no escaping teasing, and no way to express myself."

“*gasp* What?” Twilight asks. “That’s horrible! I’m so sorry!”

“No worries. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“No!” The pony cries. “That’s wrong! I could see how you wouldn’t want to be friends with them- But the way they treat you is just cruel! We ponies will never treat each other like that!”

You let out a frown. But then, you let out a smile.

“Th-Thanks for caring about me,” You say. “It means a lot. I always hope to bring justice and maybe that’s why I’m getting targeted. Maybe... Maybe our friendship will help me forget my fears. You’re kinda the first to reach out to me for some time. Even better, you’re a princess of Friendship.”

“I beg you, teach me the ways.”

“Huh?”

“Friendship! What you do best!”

She thought for a bit. A minute later she decided to respond.

“I could, but we’ll have to wait till we meet. I think doing friendship stuff with each other face-to-face is much better than here. That okay with you, Ash?”

“Of course, Twilight. Besides, it’s so easy to lie about your feelings when you’re online like this. Don’t worry, I’m not lying about being thankful and happy that I’m friends with you. I will never do that.

“*laughs* I know you wouldn’t. Now, the last time we chatted- I asked you for photos around your neighborhood and we’re going to chat about that- You got them?”

“Mhmm! Here you go...”

17.Change

*Ding-Dong*

There go the giant bells, signalling the start of a life-changing ceremony.

Standing in front of all your closest family and friends, you patiently wait for your love to come over to the scene. Of course, for this special occasion, you were dressed fantastically. You stood next to Princess Celestia herself, who will be the one officiating your marriage. On both sides of her, you can see Twilight’s best friends. Most of them already started crying before the ceremony had begun. Very likely because they’re proud of her.

Though your mind was only set on thinking about the one thing you’ll be saying in this ceremony, your heart beats fast. You are marrying a princess of Equestria. To make things even crazier, this event is broadcasted live throughout the entire pony nation, as well as for all the ones waiting right outside the Canterlot Castle, waiting for the couple to come out.

Looking through the crowd at that moment, you see a lot of familiar faces. You can see some of Twilight’s Students from her school have came to witness the moment. Ponies you sometimes hang out with in Ponyville came, too. Twilight’s old friends turned up, even Moon Dancer! And of course, you can’t miss Twilight’s family, including Cadance and her daughter princess Flurry Heart.

Funny enough, she was chosen to be the flower child since she’s a bit older now, but she passed on the chance.

Standing there, wearing a suit and being prepared to wear that wedding ring, is something you’ve wanted all your life. But never for a second before you met her, that you’d thought it’ll be like this. Not only will you marry royalty, which kinda makes you prince, but this event will stay in everyone’s mind. Everyone will know about what happened today. All of this took around seven years. However, to you, the time doesn’t matter. The only thing left to do to complete your little love story with her, is about to happen.

You’re about to marry Princess Twilight.

The wedding music starts.

The doors open, and in comes your most beloved friend. Wearing an amazing, white gown for the event, she smiles extremely happily as she steps close. You nervously smile back at her. All the people in the room were filling with excitement in their hearts- And hopes she would say yes.

But in your heart, you already know her answer.

She steps up to the front, to face you directly in the eye. She cries a single tear, before softly chuckling. You blush like crazy, as her smile gets bigger from what’s about to happen.

At last the music stops. It was time.

“Mares and Gentlecolts,” Celestia says with a relatively loud voice. “We have all gathered here on this bright amazing morning to witness the beautiful marriage of a wonderful couple. This particular love story is one that I’m genuinely amazed about, and this is the very first time a cross-race marriage will be made official.”

Everyone in the room nods.

“The groom, Ash, met his love seven years ago through human technology. Amazingly, they started to get along extremely well, and I too, as a ruler, was impressed by their connection. Though they have been through their ups and downs in life, they always stuck together through it all. Their love for each other was absolutely incredible. Nothing could’ve stood between them- Not quarrels, not injury, and not time. Not only do I congratulate him today, but I am also pleased to also see my talented protégé, Princess Twilight Sparkle, be a part of his wonderful story.”

Looking down, Twilight could already see her parents crying. So are her friends.

“Love is a test of a pair’s bond and connection. Most fall apart early on. But these two would not let any test get in the way of each other. Even if they had to risk themselves for the other as a sacrifice. This, is what true love is about. Though my student has never experienced love in the past, Ash captured her heart perfectly with his. With devotion, passion and determination, he was able to get to today. To all of the ones who were able to join us today, and many more who unfortunately couldn’t, Ash and Twilight’s love story leave us all with a message of the power and magic of love.”

In the midst of the silence, Pinkie Pie breaks down into tears. Twilight just chuckles and goes over to comfort her with a brief hug. When she calmed down, she returns to you, and she signals to Celestia to continue.

“*clears throat* Sorry about that,” She apologizes. “As I was saying, if any of you in this room at this very moment have any objections to the marriage of our happy couple today, please speak now, or forever hold your peace.”

Before the ceremony, you’ll be worried at how they wouldn’t trust you to marry her. But, to your surprise, no one raises their hoof. They all smiled, in fact. You gasp and wipe a tear off your eye.

“Very well,” Celestia says. “Then, to all of our beloved guests today, and all the people of Equestria...”

She turns to you.

“Ash, do you solemnly swear that you will forever love and protect Princess Twilight, and will you take this mare to be your loving wife forever?”

Upon the question, you needed no time to think at all. You’ve wanted to say this since the very beginning.

“*chuckles* I certainly do, your Highness.”

She smiles and nods. Then she turns to Twilight- And this was the moment of truth.

“Princess Twilight, do you swear to love Ash, and take this human to be your loving husband for life?”

She goes into deep thought, closing her eyes. A minute later, she looks around at everyone in the room, looks at the broadcast camera, then turns back to you with the sweetest face.

She cried, and said it.

“*sobs* I do!”

Everypony in the room cheers in absolute excitement and joy. Celestia giggles at this very moment, and she has to officiallize it first. So, she helps to calm Everypony down before moving on.

“May we have the rings?”

Just like he did once, Spike, Twilight’s lovely assistant, brings out the wedding rings for you and Twilight. When Celestia places one ring on Twilight’s horn, she gets a little nervous and blushes a little as she turns to you. You chuckle, and hold out your hand, signalling which finger you want her to put the ring on.

Afterwards, the words you’ve wanted to hear since the day you met, finally gets spoken.

“I’m pleased to pronounce you Husband And Wife.”

As everyone- Including the ones outside the venue, waiting, cheers in absolute excitement and many of them were giving a huge applause. The two of you look at each other, with nothing but pure joy. You step close to give each other a loving hug and a very strong kiss on the lips. You even picked her up with a chuckle.

It was at this moment, something very interesting happened.

The moment you break your kiss, you started... Changing. Everyone in the crowd stops and stares at you with surprise, shock, and some with a tiny bit of worry. Magic flares levitate you in mid-air, and blind your surroundings. Your hands and legs turned into pairs of hooves. You can feel your body going through a major change, and you sprouted a beautiful pair of wings and a magnificent horn.

As soon you open your eyes, everyone gasps with amazement. You look at yourself- Then at Celestia.

“Is this... Supposed to happen?”

Celestia was speechless- Twilight was speechless, and Everypony else were speechless as well.

“*gasp* Ash...” Twilight gasps. “You... How was that possible?”

“I... I don’t know,” You tell her. “Wh-Why am I suddenly an alicorn?”

And all of a sudden, everyone started chattering about something fishy going on. Celestia was worried, so she had to speak up.

“Be calm, Everypony,” She calls. “I’m sure there must be some explanation to this phenomenon. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

Before she moves on, Twilight pounces on the chance to say something, as you continue to admire yourself, looking just like the character you designed yourself as back in the old days.

“If I may,” Twilight interrupts, “I would like to speak a few words upon this situation.”

She instantly becomes the center of attention.

“You see, Ash and I have always been very different in many ways. Most specifically, he’s a human and I’m a pony. It leads to a lot of very unique challenges in our friendship.”

She turns to you.

“But, we were able to work past those differences with time, and help ourselves to adapt to each other’s ways of living and thinking. I know it’s hard to transition from one race to another. I’ve experienced what it’s like too. That’s what friends are for. I’ve always encouraged my friend to try new things, while he encouraged me to do the same. I know some of you may doubt our success as a couple, but truthfully, our differences won’t break us apart.”

Twilight walks closer to you, holding up your head.

“What you said to me once can’t be more correct, Ash,” Twilight says. “Love comes from the most unexpected ways. Even two people from two completely different worlds, personalities and psychological beliefs, can bond together if they give each other a chance. Who knows? You might just run into your future lover.”

She gives you a light kiss on the lips. You smile as your muzzles touch. Everypony starts to applaud once more at what the Princess of Friendship said- And it only gets louder when you deepen the kiss. The moment you let go, Celestia nods at you both, as you gently rub Twilight’s head.

“Now, sweetheart...” You say, taking her hoof, “Everypony’s waiting for us, no?”

“*chuckles* Indeed. Let’s go, buddy.”