Today was the first day since she had left that I woke up with a smile. I was happy again, because she was coming back. I could be with her again.

As I walked up my basement stairs, I saw Princess Luna wandering the front room as if she were lost.

"Good morning." I said to her as I walked past her, heading towards the kitchen.

"Good morning." she replied, following me, "What do I eat?"

I looked to her, then gestured to the kitchen. "You got your choice of toast or cereal, unless you want to make something else. If you ask, I'll make you pancakes."

"I'm not... used to this. I'm sorry."

"Relax, Luna." I said to her, smiling kindly.

I got out the cereal and poured it into a bowl for myself. After pouring the milk, I looked to Luna. She still seemed lost.

I pushed my bowl towards her and started making myself another. She looked at it, conflicted on whether to eat it or not.

"I've... never had something so... boorish."

"You'll like it. It's sweet, like candy. Give it a try."

She grabbed the spoon and took a bite. She seemed shocked. "My... And you eat this every day?"

"You like it?"

She took another bite. "Human food is better than I assumed it to be."

"It's just food. I have to go to work today, Luna. What are you going to do while I'm away?"

"Nothing, I suppose."

"Sounds fun."

"Fun?"

"You could spend the day relaxing."

"Relaxing? For what purpose?"

"For what purpose? That's the point of relaxing. There is no purpose, Princess. You deserve a break every now and again."

"Why should I relax here instead of doing something productive?"

"Productive? Luna."

"Is there something wrong with being productive?"

"Course not. But what could you do? You know, I'd rather not bring you to my workplace. It'd be uncomfortable to just sit there for like... eight hours. You'll still be here when I get back, won't you? We can talk then. Until then, take a bit of a break, huh?"

"I suppose I am long overdue for a break." she said.

"That's the spirit. You can take a nap or look at funny pictures of cats on the computer. I gotta head out soon, so I can't decide for you."

I retrieved my hoodie and loaded it with my usual items. My now-dry umbrella and my phone were among the things I put into it. Speaking of phone...

"Oh, Luna."

"Hmm?"

I retrieved my laptop from the coffee table in the front room and returned to her at the kitchen table. "If you need to talk to me while I'm away..." I opened it and showed her what to do to get ahold of me on my phone.

"Thank you. I suppose now, I won't feel completely alone." she said.

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?" I playfully asked.

She smiled at me. "It's fine. Thank you."

"I'm sorry to say that I can't just stay here, but I happen to enjoy keeping my job. I do need to go to work."

"I understand."

"Yeah. Oh, and if something happens, go downstairs and lock the door. Or just bolt out the backdoor, whichever you prefer. I mean, nothing's gonna happen, but the last time I had one of you ponies here, your guards showed up without warning, so anything could happen."

"If you say so. Phil."

"What's up?"

She suddenly became serious. "I want you to think about something while you're away. My sister will return home after a month, same as last time."

"So, does that mean that she'll be here for a month at a time?" I asked her.

"No." she said, a strange solemnness in her voice, "That's what I want you to think about. She cannot spend that much time in this world. I'm sorry, but as much as you may love each other, our nation comes first."

I nodded and let out a quiet, "I understand. Damn... Alright... I'll be back around six. Make sure to clean up if you make a mess."

"Of course."

"See ya later, Luna."

I turned and headed through the door, locking it behind me as I left. Nothing was gonna happen, but it would probably make her feel safer. It made me feel better, though.

What Luna said was stuck in my head. I knew that I couldn't keep Celestia forever, but I'd certainly like it if I were able to see her more often. It felt strange thinking into the future like this. Thinking of a future with Celestia... it was a very strange feeling. Luna wanted me to think about it, but I don't think I understood what she meant by it. It wasn't something that I could change, so it almost escaped my mind as I got to work.

I could talk to Sarah again, now. If I could help her, I'd like to, but since Celestia was coming back, I couldn't promise anything.

I had a smile on my face as I walked through the door. Like normal, I was the first of my shift to arrive. It's a good habit that I've worked on for a long time.

I greeted the night workers, who returned with their own tired greetings. My arrival usually signaled the end of their shift.

As soon as I got to work, I felt the day start to drag along. It was to be expected. I was excited. Days always go slowly when you're excited for something.

Everybody else showed up around the same time near the start of our shift. The only one of them I cared about at the moment was Sarah. Who cares about people at work when there are new things happening?

She was on time, which was good. If she weren't on time for her second day, we'd have some issues to discuss.

I noticed that she didn't talk to anyone if she didn't have to and went out of her way to avoid me.

"You seem happy today." said Timmy as I passed by him.

"Things have gotten better." I said, "Things... have gotten better."

"That have anything to do with your little date last night?"

"Nope. In fact, that actually turned out to be a problem for me. Do us both a favor and save it for after work, alright? I can't have the higher-ups catching wind about stuff that isn't true."

"Right, right. Wait, so what happened?"

"What the fuck did I just tell you?"

He grumbled.

I hadn't thought about what would happen if someone thought I was dating a co-worker. That wouldn't be good at all. I think. I didn't exactly study that part of the job considering that it didn't pertain to me.

I still needed to talk to her, though. Lunch break would a good time. Until then, I just worked. It was a few hours until lunch, as most jobs go.

During lunch, Sarah was sitting alone. She seemed nervous. I sat across from her and silently grabbed my lunch from my bag.

"You're not... mad... are you?" she asked, not looking up from her own food.

"Nope." I said through a full mouth, "Not really. What exactly did your parents want? I was pretty tired last night, I can't remember if you said anything." I pointed my sandwich at her.

"They just wanted to invite you to dinner... T-to get to know you. That's all."

"To get to know me, huh?"

"I... heard you like free food." she said with a small laugh.

"Man..." I glanced behind me. "I wasn't planning on telling anybody this, but I just heard that my girlfriend was coming back."

"Oh... I... S-sorry."

"It's fine."

"So... If she wasn't coming back, would you want to come?"

I think she just asked the question.

"Uh... Yeah, I guess." I said, nervously rubbing my neck, "If nothing else, I wouldn't turn down free food. Look... If you still want me to make an appearance, I can ask her, but if she says no, I'm not gonna show, alright?"

"I'd really appreciate that. I panicked when they asked me why I was out so late, s-so now they think I have a boyfriend."

If Celestia wasn't coming back, you would have a boyfriend. "Yeah, I get it. Look, we have to either explain this to them or at least make sure they never see me again. And that isn't a suggestion."

"I... y-yes... I understand."

"Good."

"Right... U-um... You don't happen to be allergic to anything, do you?"

"That's a negative. I'll eat anything as long as it's not a brat."

"Brat? As in bratwurst?"

"Yeah, that. Everybody here loves them. It's ridiculous."

"So, no... brats?"

"Oh god, no. I can't stand them. Just the smell is nauseating."

"I like brat."

"I think I'm the only person I know who hates brats."

"What do you have against brats?"

"Last time I had brats I threw up, alright? Let's just leave it at that."

"Oh, wow. No brats, then."

"And sausage, too."

"Sausage is delicious!"

"I can handle it on pizza but anywhere else is just... bleh."

"Bleh?"

"Bleh."

"Bleehh."

"Bleeeeh."

"Bleh."

"Mm-bleh."

"Bleh?"

I nodded. "Bleh."

She giggled. "Alright, no sausage, either."

"Sarah, look... I can't make any promises about this. I'll let ya know if I can come, but... don't expect it, alright?"

She nodded. "If they... found out I was lying... Well, I don't really know what they'd do. I'd just rather have them not knowing."

"Yeah, I get ya. Huh... Not a lot of time left."

"It wasn't that long, was it?" She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that break time was almost over. "Oh, gosh. Wow."

The two of us finished the meals we have been neglecting before going back to work.

I think my life is turning into a TV sitcom. Except less funny. Who am I kidding, I'm hilarious.

The rest of the day was full of work. I made sure everyone did their job and did whatever needed to be done in terms of managerial duties.

I thought of a few more questions to ask Luna while I was away. She probably has more to ask of me, as well.

I checked my phone before heading home to see if I missed anything she may have sent me, but I saw no notifications, which was nice.

I unlocked my door and entered my house, kicking off my shoes. She wasn't in the front room, but there weren't many places she could be.

"Luna!" I called out, "I'm back."

Moments later, I got a notification on my phone. It was a message from her. -I'm in your room.-

-Laziness is unbecoming of a Princess.- I messaged back.

-I followed your advice. I'm relaxing. It's nice.-

-That's nice to hear. I'm coming in.-

-Do as you wish.-

I opened the door to my room and walked in. She was lying in my bed, head on my pillow, with my laptop lying on its side.

"Have fun?" I asked her.

"You were right. There's a certain level of comfort that's difficult to attain surrounded by guards."

"You didn't like them either, huh?"

"I certainly hold them in high regard, and I mean no offense by this, but I would prefer being unprotected. I'm far more powerful than any of them."

"Yeah... She was never too fond of their involvement. I liked them, though. They were nice."

She sat up in the bed. The blanket fell to her lap. "Did you have a pleasant conversation with your fellow worker?"

"You mean Sarah? Yeah, I had a talk with her. She needs some help with something, but I told her it's up to Celestia if I could help out or not."

"What did she need?"

"Her parents want me to show for dinner. I'm all for free food, but I'm not gonna do anything with a woman without Celestia's say-so."

"A meal is your only objective? That's dishonest." she said, strikingly serious.

"No, of course it's not my objective."

"You're aware that she fancies you, are you not?"

I shrugged. "I don't like assuming. Things like that, at least.

"Well, you obviously have no issue with modesty."

"Being nice to someone does not mean that you 'fancy' them." I said.

"Yet when somebody is nice to you, you fancy them."

"Luna, we've been over this. I'm desperate, shy, and shallow. I told her I'd ask, so I'm going to. There's no harm in asking."

"So you do fancy her?"

"Luna, she's cute and she's nice to me. I just happen to enjoy her company. She's my friend, nothing more. It is the exact same situation with you." I pointed at her.

She flicked her eyes to my hand, then looked back to my face. "Me?"

"I may be stupid, but I'm not an idiot. I'm not gonna do anything to ruin my relationship with Celestia."

Luna let out a small sigh. "Alright."

"Just alright?"

She nodded. "I spoke to my sister while you were away." she said.

"Oh really? What did she say?" I asked, getting somewhat excited.

She noticed my excitement. "She's still very thrilled to see you. I expect your reunion to be a most wondrous occasion."

"Oh man, that's great... So... was she, uh... listening in on our conversation last time? I still kinda wanna keep what I said a secret from her."

"You've nothing to fear. She agreed not to spy on us while we talked. You can tell me what you wouldn't tell her."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"Did you have something important to say to me?"

"Yeah, I do. You might not want to hear it, and it isn't the most appropriate thing to say, but I'd like to say it anyways."

"I'll endure it." she begrudgingly let out.

"Right... Celestia and I have sex. It's just... We're... both adults. Adults in a relationship. We're..." She seemed somewhat disgusted and a little irritated. "A-anyways, the first time we... made love, Celestia was worried that she might get pregnant." I stared at her somewhat horrified face to see if she was still following along. "And I just... I don't know... anything. About... About... Luna, what would you do if I got Celestia pregnant?"

She stared at me in stunned silence for a considerable amount of time. It had passed awkwardness a while ago. Finally, she started to speak. "I'm not sure I was prepared for that."

"It is a legitimate concern of mine at the moment." I said.

"I have been asked... quite possibly millions of questions in my lifetime, yet this is the first time that I have heard this one."

"Well?"

She took a deep breath. "It certainly wouldn't be something to take lightly." she said, choosing her words carefully, "Your situation leaves numerous questions even I couldn't answer. It complicates this much further than it should be. There are many things I would like to know, myself. If I am to be honest, I'm worried. Both for my sister and for you."

"For me?"

"The way things stand, considering your relationship to my sister, you're almost family."

"That sounds so weird coming from you. Look, forget I asked, but... I have another question. It might be a little easier to answer... Or... it might be worse. What, uh... Celestia and I do spend a lot of time together. Right now, as you know, we're very close to each other, and... we'd likely end up getting even closer. Luna... What if I wanted to marry your sister?"

"You wish to be her fiancé?" she asked, fear subtly showing itself on her face.

"No, I... At this point, a lot can still happen between us. I just... want to know..." I stopped, fumbling for my next words.

"Are you asking for my blessing?" she asked.

"No! Y-yes! I don't know! I'm just... I'm scared! What if? Just... what if? What if it happened? Because the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of it. Like, not right now, but... Fuck, man... Luna, if we keep spending time together, I think I'm gonna end up asking her."

"I'm just as scared as you are!" she replied, letting her demeanor slip into a panicked state, "She's never wed before! I don't know how to deal with that!"

"Luna, I need help." I said to her.

"You're not the only one who needs help! We both need help. Your relationship could deepen further and further and I could have a brother-in-law before I knew what was happening!"

She looked behind her, then quickly grabbed the pillow. She held it over her face and screamed into it, falling backwards onto the bed. Her arms dropped onto the bed. She let out a long sigh.

I took a deep breath and ran my hands through my hair.

"You alright down there? I asked her.

She briefly spoke, but it was muffled by the pillow. She removed it, then said, "I'm fine."

I reached my hand towards her. She took it, allowing me to stand her up next to the bed. Her clothes were wrinkled and her hair was a mess.

"This is something that could happen." she said quietly, "I can't believe this. I can't believe that my sister would find someone so..." She stopped and shook her head. "A human..." she mumbled to herself, almost too quiet for me to hear.

"I hope that's not a bad thing."

"I couldn't... say."

"So... what do you think of me?" I asked a final time.

She looked up to me, then took in a breath. "You are... interesting."

"What, that's it? You already said that."

"It's what I think of you. Other than that, my opinion is not relevant. I am in no position to prevent you from seeing my sister."

"It's relevant to me, Luna. I'd like to be your friend."

She gave me a smile. "Alright, then I will tell you. I think that you are both interesting and kind, and you are someone I would enjoy calling my friend. You look like you expected something else."

"Well, I guess, yeah. But, you know what, Luna? It means a lot to me that you think that."

"And... You are not the worst I have seen pining for my sister's affection."

"It feels like that was a compliment as well. I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

"I suppose I could eat."

"Great, great. I'll go get us something."

As a turned to leave, I noticed a cellophane wrapper for a snack crumpled up on my nightstand. She must've raided my snacks like Celestia always did. I bought a lot of snack foods this past month, so there were more than there usually is. Even so, I ate a lot less than I usually did. I'm gonna have to buy more snacks for Celestia. Speaking of snacks, I've gotten chubby over this past year. Maybe I should head back to the gym some time.

I didn't have much in terms of an actual meal for her, but I did have peanut butter and jelly, so I just made some sandwiches. If she didn't want it, I'd definitely eat it.

"There's so much information on this." I heard her say as she entered the kitchen.

I looked to her. She was holding my laptop up. "Learn anything interesting?"

"You humans are decades ahead of us ponies, technologically. I must seem primitive to you."

I shrugged. "Kinda."

"It seems that there were rapid technological advancements during times of war. That may explain our lack of advancements."

"You read up on that?"

"Ponies are very peaceful. Our last war was many centuries ago, if you can even call it a war. Compared to you humans, our war was but a schoolyard scuffle. You've been killing each other for millennia."

"I've been gone for like eight hours, how much did you learn?"

"You've utilized the power of atomic energy to create weapons of war... It's amazing to think that you as a species are even still here." she said, ignoring me.

"Every war has a victor." I said, shrugging.

"Well said."

She looked to the food I had made. Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I grabbed one and took a bite.

She looked to her hand, then hesitantly picked up the second sandwich. She took a bite, shrugged, swallowed, and took another bite.

"It feels strange to eat without silverware. Without a change of clothing, I can't clean myself, either."

"If you wanted to clean yourself, I'd have to wash your clothes and that takes like two hours or something. Can't imagine you'd wanna run around in your birthday suit."

"It's so odd to be a human. I'm walking upright, I have hands, and I wear clothing. As a pony, I was almost nude apart from my tiara. One never notices these things as they live their life. In this world it's considered normal to wear clothing, and if I were nude, I would feel strange."

"Oh, clothes are overrated. If you weren't here, I'd probably be in my underwear right now. Actually, now that I think about it, specifically right now, I'd probably be visiting Sarah and her parents, so I would need, at the minimum, pants. If I'm promised free food, I'm gonna show."

"You do like her." she noticed.

"I like everyone. I'm 25, it's not like I'm not gonna like a woman. I thought we went over this. It doesn't matter, I have a special someone, already."

"I find it difficult to tell if you're joking or not."

"I'm always joking and I'm always serious."

"A joke, I'm sure."

I shrugged. "Something like that. Look, I'm not gonna say that I haven't thought about it, because I have. I've never lost a girlfriend like that, I didn't know exactly how long the grieving process was supposed to last. I thought she was gone forever, I really did. It made me feel better to talk to Sarah, but that doesn't matter anymore. It'll matter to Celestia, and that's something I've accepted, and I'm prepared to make it up to her any way I can. If it hurt her, then I will do what I can to fix what I started. If she doesn't mind, I'm still going to end what I started. I can never tell how she'll react. Celestia's strange like that."

"Oh?"

"She's sensitive. At least it seems that way to me. I mean, it's not like she's had that many companions, right? I don't know. I don't know a lot about her, actually. We didn't really talk much about our lives. I... I don't think I even have any pictures of her."

"Perhaps you can do something about that."

I nodded. "This time is gonna be different. This time, I'm going to make sure that she doesn't just love what I am, but who I am."

"What do you mean?" She almost seemed to know the answer to her own question.

"Right now Luna, what I am to her is someone she spends time with. She knows very little about me and I know even less about her. She never really talked about herself and I never really asked. I want to know more about her. Celestia and I... we... I don't... We love each other, very much. We've lived together for just a month, and in just a short amount of time, I have become so attached to her that I would never want her to leave. And I would be lying if I said I didn't have doubts about why she stayed. There's no reason she should love someone like me, but it happened. And as grateful as I am that she would choose me, I can't help but feel like I'm holding her back. So I have to do everything I can for her, everything that seems right to me, so that I can feel in my heart that I deserve just an ounce of her affection. Because I know that I don't."

Luna smiled at me, then let out a laugh. "Everything you just said was nonsense. Beautiful, heartfelt nonsense. My sister doesn't need or want anything more than you have already provided. What she needed was a best friend, who loves her not for what she is, but who."

"She can be whatever she wants, as long as she's mine to hold."

"You would make a good husband. That's more than enough for today. Congratulations Phil, You've impressed me. Not many can say that."