//------------------------------//
// A Discussion of Home 
// Story: Split Conscience 
// by TheMajorTechie 
//------------------------------//

	"So, what you're saying is," Craig began after Twilight's explanation, "you're basically taking the energy of the lightning, and diverting it into my apartment complex's electrical grid?"

The projection of Twilight shrugged. "I guess you could put it that way..." she replied, "But it's far more complicated than simply that. I mean, sure, I could probably work my way into the system through brute force, but that would probably cause harm to you, and since I've pretty much been reduced to a mental projection, I kinda need to keep my host body intact if I want to return home anytime soon."

Craig snorted as he pulled a cup off a shelf for water. "Well, with the way you just said that last part there, I would've thought for a moment that you were some sort of parasite!"

A brief silence endured between the two as the man turned on the tap. Setting the cup down with a quenched sigh, he turned back towards Twilight. "So... uh, Twilight, how did you get here, anyways?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what did you do that resulted in you ending up... well,"-- he gestured towards himself --"here?"

Twilight shook her translucent head slowly. "I don't remember much," she replied sadly, "I vaguely remember the spell I cast before I blacked out, but everything between the moment I began preparing for the spell, and when I woke up inside your mind, is blank."

Craig nodded. "So, what's your home like?"

"Home?" Twilight replied, "Oh, there's plenty to talk about. There's always something to do there, even if it's occasionally a monster attack spelling potential doom."

"Bu--"

"Though, unless you're living in Ponyville, attacks are generally pretty rare. They're usually once or twice a season, so I believe that it may have something to do with the shifting temperatures during those times of the year."

"But what about family? Friends?"

The mare scrunched her face. "What, did you think I had no social life? Of course I have family and friends! Though...
to be fair, I didn't exactly have any social life up until a certain princess dropped me off in a random town."

"What was that last part?" Craig asked in reply, leaning closer to Twilight's projection. "I know that you're actually inside my head and all, but it's easier to listen to something out loud."

"Nothing!" Twilight nervously chuckled, "Now, let's hear about you!"

"Well..." Craig began, "For starters, I've been set pretty firmly in a medium-income family for my entire childhood, so life was fine back then, I guess. The college years were when things hit real hard. Not that I flunked anything, though. I've got a decent bachelor's somewhere in my file cabinet. It's just that the loan payment... ugh, my mother warned me about them, and I didn't listen."

Twilight raised a brow. "Wait, so you don't get free education through college or university levels?"

Craig made a face. "As if the government didn't have enough debt. Did you have free education?"

"Yeah."

"Lucky."

Twilight folded her forelegs in a triumphant pose. "Yes, I was indeed quite lucky. If it weren't for a rainboom, I'd probably still be working in a coffee shop or something trying to pay my loan--oh." She turned an eye towards Craig. "That's pretty much what you're doing, isn't it?"

"Yup."