The crowd around you roars, the sound of thousands of excited ponies echoing throughout the streets of Canterlot. You stand off to the side, almost squished against a nearby building. Everyone in the crowd, including you, look up at Canterlot Castle. There, on the grand balcony, stands the newly coronated Twilight Sparkle, alongside the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the princesses. You're pretty sure Spike is somewhere up there, too. But you? You're down here, with the rest of the commonfolk. Twilight just finished her speech and is now waving at the crowd. Despite the cacophony of noise and the jubilation all around you, you may as well be in your own world. You feel your senses dull as everything but Twilight seems to slip into nothingness. You can no longer hear the thousands of cheering ponies. You can no longer see your friends standing alongside the new princess. The only thing in your mind is the sight of Twilight, with her fancy dress, beautiful crown, and new wings that symbolize her prestigious position. The only sound you can hear is your heartbeat. The only thing you can feel is a single tear making its way down your cheek.
You're happy for her. Really, you are. And yet, these are not tears of joy. The tightness in your chest makes that abundantly clear. You turn around, slip into a nearby alley, and begin making your way to... anywhere, you suppose. Anywhere but here.
"This is what's best for her," you remind yourself. "She's happy. That's what matters."
Even though they're your own thoughts, you aren't all that convinced by them. You never were confident in your own thoughts or actions.
And you were just a day too late.
Your sudden appearance in Equestria didn't exactly go well. You had gone to bed, just as you always do, ready to get up at 7 AM sharp to start getting ready for your soul-sucking 9-5. Then, you were rudely awakened by the brief feeling that you were falling, then the pain of your back slamming against the ground. Only, it wasn't your bedroom. It was a dirt path. And surrounding you were strange-looking houses and architecture you had never seen. Most shocking of all was, of course, the people around you. Most notable about them was the fact that they weren't people at all. They were a bunch of quadrupedal equine-like creatures in all shapes and colors. Some had wings, some had horns sticking out of their heads, and some had neither.
And they were terrified of you.
After getting your bearings, you did the best you could to figure out what was going on. Where were you? How did you get there? What were these strange creatures? You were getting no answers, as all of these weird pony things were running in fear from you, going into nearby houses, locking the doors, etc. You were pretty scared yourself, too. So, you wandered around the strange town for the better part of an hour, until eventually a group of four intimidating looking stallions in golden armor approached you, spears at the ready. They stated their intentions to arrest you for "disrupting the peace," and you had no idea what to do. You're... just a guy, after all, and those things had SPEARS. You raised your arms in the air, which only seemed to freak them out more. One of them looked as though he was about to impale you out of sheer panic, but that was when a voice rang out.
"Hey, leave him alone!"
From behind you, another of these creatures emerged. You were in front of a large tree, which looked to have been turned into a building of some kind, and in the doorway stood a purple unicorn, glaring angrily at what were almost your assailants.
"Ms. Sparkle, this creature has-"
"Has done what, exactly? Look at you funny?"
"W-well, we received reports that a strange creature was terrifying the good folks of Ponyville, so we came to-"
"This is just the Zecora argument all over again! I don't know what he is either, but I haven't seen him do anything wrong! Have you?"
"N-no, Ms. Sparkle."
"Then maybe you should be focused on actual problems. I'll get this guy sorted out." The stallions hesitated for a moment and glanced at each other before excusing themselves. Your rescuer sighed, and you turned to get a better look at her. Once doing so, you finally realized how cute she is. Her small stature and her adorkable bangs certainly make her nice to look at, at least. "I'm sorry about all that. What's your name, stranger?"
At least this confrontation confirmed that you speak the same language.
"H-hi there. I'm Anon."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Anon! My name is Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia and head of the Golden Oak Library. Er, would you like to come inside? I have... a lot of questions for you, if you don't mind."
"Well, since you're the first one of your kind to actually speak to me, I think I'd like that."
"Great! Come on in, I'll have Spike put a kettle on!"
And with that, you followed the chipper mare into the library. You didn't know it at the time, but this library would soon become your new home. The two of you talked for hours. After explaining to Twilight what a "human" is and she explained to you what a "pony" is (not that you didn't know already, but their definition of pony was a bit different from yours), you got to chatting about how you ended up in this "Ponyville" place and why. You wouldn't learn either of those things for a few weeks after some intensive research and assistance from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Long story short, it was simply a case of you being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A complete magical fluke. An anomaly, if you will. And it was something that cannot be replicated. In other words, you were stuck in Equestria, most likely forever. Perhaps some people would be overjoyed by this news, as it's a chance to have a fresh start without any reservations about whether or not you should go home.
You are not one of those people.
You fell into a deep depression for the better part of a month. Sure, your old life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but you still left a lot behind. You had friends that cared for you, a mother who would wonder where you went. You had plans, you had goals, you had dreams. All of that was gone.
Twilight was kind enough to make a room for you in the basement. Your room used to be a closet so it's not all that big, but you're certainly not in a position to complain. You got really used to that room over the course of that month. Many tears were shed. You lost yourself to a torrent of horrible thoughts. Your only respite was a knocking that would come from the door every few hours or so, as Twilight checked in on you again and again, encouraging you to come outside with her. There was a whole new world out there to explore, and you would never see it sobbing into your pillow all day. After a lot of pestering, she got you to agree, and she began the process of getting you integrated into Equestria. You learned about the town. You made friends with Twilight's friends. You learned about magic, and Canterlot, and the adventures that Twilight got roped into all of the time. You started assisting Spike with his... assisting of Twilight, and you also helped her directly with some of her research (even if you were just doing menial tasks for her, it's not like you can help her with magic). Slowly but surely, she got you to come out of your shell, and a few weeks later, you caught yourself smiling again. It was around this time that you realized how special Twilight is. Sure, you had friends at home. You cared for them, and they cared for you. And yet, something about Twilight was different. You had never received such genuine, unabashed enthusiasm and excitement from someone at the prospect of just... getting to talk to you. And you realized that you were getting excited at the prospect of getting go talk to her as well.
In spite of how different you are, you formed a real connection with her. A connection unlike anything you'd ever experienced.
So, the months passed. You had clothes tailor-made by Rarity, you learned about Equestrian flora and fauna from Applejack and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash taught you about the weather and excitedly brought you to some of her favorite places, and Pinkie Pie stuffed your face with sweets and threw parties for you every other day. They're a rowdy bunch, but you appreciate them all the same. Of course, in your mind, none of them compare to Twilight. As time went on, you practically became joined at the hip. Not in a clingy way, though, that'd be weird. More along the lines of "I can't believe anyone would want to be around me this much and I don't want to ruin it." She found your perspective on things fascinating, and you took great interest in her research and her devotion to her friends and community. Was it just because your first friend in a new world is a novelty, or was there something more going on between you? At first, you weren't quite sure. But, as you examined your feelings, you realized just how badly you wanted to be around Twilight. She's just... wonderful.
And isn't that was love is?
With this realization came a flood of anxieties and hangups. You have never been a confident individual. Your self-esteem was never all that high thanks to your old life. There's nothing wrong with you per se, it's just that among humans, you were... painfully average. You didn't have any major talent to show off, you weren't born into a prestigious family, you lived in the middle of nowhere, your job was unfulfilling... you just didn't have much to make you feel special. So, with that in mind, why would you ever think that Twilight would be interested in you? You aren't even a pony! For all you know, you could be horrendously ugly to her. Sure, she's cute to you, but what are you to her? Would she laugh at the very idea?
And what if she simply isn't interested in that kind of thing? Would opening up to her damage the friendship you've forged together? You don't want to ruin the best thing that's happened to you since starting your new life. How would things change if she said no? Scratch that, could she even say yes if she wanted to? Can Princess Celestia's student even have a relationship in the first place? If she can, does she even have time? How would you thrusting yourself into her life change what she's already doing? She seems so happy, you don't want to ruin that!
"...I'll ask her out tomorrow," you thought to yourself.
But you didn't. You had the perfect opportunity as the two of you were alone in the library, silently reading books on the same sofa. You opened your mouth to say something, but after seeing how engrossed in the book she was, you chickened out.
"...Okay, I'll just ask her out tomorrow."
And once again, you didn't. You never got any time alone with her, what with Spike being right there, and it felt awkward trying to ask something like that with him around.
"I'll just have to try again tomorrow."
And thus, this process repeated for months, as you found excuse after excuse to never actually be open with your feelings. The constant promise of "tomorrow" being the right time and the constant failures to make it happen started to weigh on you. You realized just how unhealthy this was becoming for you, both emotionally and, at this point, somewhat physically. So, you made an ultimatum for yourself.
"Tomorrow, I WILL ask her out. No more excuses. If I can't bring myself to do it after all this time, I don't deserve to date her at all!"
So, the day finally came. You groomed yourself to the best of your ability, practiced for every eventuality, and went upstairs to confront her. No matter what, you WERE going to tell her how you feel.
...Only, there was some sort of emergency happening. Princess Celestia tasked her with finishing some old spell from Star Swirl the Bearded, and the result was Twilight messing up your friends' cutie marks. Despite your promise, you set out with her to try to fix the problem she accidentally caused. You still had every intention of telling her at the end of the day when everything was settled, but you understood that the emergency had to be taken care of first.
Then, the unthinkable happened. In a flash of light, Twilight disappeared. Then, not long after, she reappeared just as suddenly, right outside the library. But she was different. A pair of glorious wings sprouted from her back, confusing everyone, including herself. It wasn't until Princess Celestia arrived to explain the situation that you all realized what had occurred. Twilight had essentially graduated from being Celestia's student, and now she was no longer your friend Twilight, but instead Princess Twilight Sparkle. As her friends excitedly celebrated her ascension to princesshood, you had to do everything in your power to force a smile. To say you had mixed feelings would be a bit of an understatement.
You were ecstatic that Twilight's efforts bore fruit. In that moment, she had quite possibly the brightest future in front of her you've ever seen. With that came with the realization that you are not a part of that future.
Look at her. She's practically glowing. She's beautiful, she's strong, and now she's one of the most important figures in the entire world. But you?
You're just some fur-less alien that stumbled onto her doorstep.
You hung around until everyone started settling down and occupying themselves with conversations about what the day's events really meant for Twilight. At that point, you simply hung your head, turned around, and went back inside the library without a word. Your best friend just became a princess, and you had to accept the facts. You would never tell her how you really feel about her.
You were a day too late.
Twilight and friends make their way through the streets of Canterlot, happily singing as they parade around in celebration of Twilight's coronation. You stand around a nearby building, far enough away that you don't attract the attention of the parade or the crowd gathering around it. You're used to making yourself scarce. Outside of Ponyville, most ponies are still frightened by you. It's only thanks to the fact that you're around Twilight so much that you can really get much done in any other town in Equestria. Plus, right now, you don't want to take any attention away from Twilight's big day. No matter how you feel about it, you know how much this means to her. Today is a day that she will never forget. Perhaps literally, seeing as how she might be immortal now or something. Alicorns are weird.
And yet, as you get lost in your own thoughts, you are suddenly brought back to reality by the parade coming to a sudden stop. You worry that something might have happened, before you notice the entire crowd staring not at the parade, but at you. You look around nervously. Darn it, this is exactly what you didn't want to happen! You almost make a break for it before you notice the crowd beginning to split in front of you, forming a direct path between yourself and the very front of the parade. There, looking at you expectantly and with an outstretched hoof, is Twilight, surrounded by Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Spike.
"Come on, you're one of the friends I was talking about! You need to be in this parade too, Anon!"
You feel a blush creep to your face. You were never great with attention, but you definitely can't say no. Plus... you're awfully flattered, even if your heart doesn't quite know how to react to that. After a moment's hesitation, you make your way into the parade. After a while, you find yourself happily singing and dancing along with the rest of them. If only Twilight knew how conflicted you feel right now.
Once the sun starts going down and the parade reaches its conclusion, you find an opportunity to slip away once more. Those are your closest friends, make no mistake about that. Yet, you can't shake the feeling that you don't belong. Making your way through the castle towards the living quarters you and your friends are staying in for the night, that feeling only grows stronger. Just look at those massive marble halls, or the beautiful stained glass windows depicting the past victories of the princesses as well as those of the Elements of Harmony. So many incredible depictions of glory, none of which contain a human. Even though you're taller than even Princess Celestia, this castle dwarfs you. It's grand, but it's also imposing. You don't belong here. You don't belong at the side of a princess.
With another heavy sigh, you make your way into your extremely fancy room. You don't even bother to take off your suit. It's been a long, exhausting day, and you plop down onto the foot of your bed as consciousness begins to leave you.
"At least Twilight is happy."
You are awoken by the sound of knocking at your door. You sit up, realizing that you fell asleep on top of your covers while still in your suit. Fixing your slight bedhead as best you can, you make your way to the door. Glancing outside the window, you can tell that it's still the middle of the night. After briefly rubbing your eyes, you finally open the door.
"Good evening, Anon."
It's Twilight. She looks up at you with her cute, violet eyes. She is no longer wearing her fancy coronation dress, and her mane is more or less back to its regular style (though sticking up in a few places, likely due to the way it was styled earlier today). She gives you a weak-looking smile. She looks exhausted.
"Uh, hi, Twilight. What are you doing up?"
"Oh, I never went to bed. I've had... a lot to take care of today."
"I can only imagine. You were the star of the show, after all."
"Hehe, yeah..." She briefly trails off before making a focused effort to concentrate once more. "Um, can I come in? I have something I need to discuss with you."
"Uh, sure, I guess."
Confused, you step to the side, holding the door open for her as she slowly walks inside. Once you shut the door behind her, she trots over to the foot of your bed, taking a seat on it and motioning for you to do the same. Not having any reason to refuse, you do. You can feel your heart beating in your chest. She has no idea she's doing this to you. How could she? You never told her how you feel. Yet, something is definitely going on right now. Why else would she have you here like this? Her ears droop to the sides of her head as she speaks up again. She turns to look at you, but you find it difficult to maintain eye contact.
"Anon... what's going on?"
"Hm? Whatever do you mean?"
You do your best to sound nonchalant, but you have no idea how convincing you are.
"I mean, what happened to you? It... it feels like you've been avoiding me since I got these wings."
"What? Pfft, nah, I think you're just imagining things, Twi. Why would I be avoiding you?"
"I have no idea. That's why I came to talk to you. ...Maybe I am just being paranoid, but I noticed that you snuck away the night I got these wings. And today, even though I reserved a spot for you in the castle, you chose to stand below the balcony with everypony else. I mean, that's your choice, I get it if you don't want to be the center of attention, but I figured you would at least stay for the after party."
"S-sorry Twi, I've just... I've just been tired today, that's all."
"...Are you sure?" You close your eyes. You can't bring yourself to look at her while you lie to her face like this. "...Okay. I... I trust you. I mean, you're my best friend, after all. I was just afraid I had done something to upset you." You both sit in awkward silence for a moment. There are so many things you want to say to her. You want to open your heart to her, to tell her the truth, to tell her how you feel, to tell her why you've been dodgy. But the words just won't leave your mouth. "...Alright. That's... all I wanted to say. Sleep well, Anon."
She finally looks away from you as she begins to lift herself off of the bed. Man, you're pathetic. Even after everything she's been through, you can't manage to have a simple conversation with her. Today was probably the most hectic day of her entire life, she barely has the strength to walk, and she still came in here to check on you, only for you to lie to her face. You're an awful friend. You're a terrible person. If only you hadn't been a day too late, maybe you would have...
...No.
No more excuses.
Before she can make it off of the bed, you grab her by the hoof. She turns to look at you, surprise obvious on her tired face. You feel the blood begin to rush to your cheeks, but you aren't going to let her go. Not again.
"Actually, Twilight, I haven't been entirely honest with you."
She looks at you, concern appearing on her face as she sits back down. You force yourself to look her in the eyes no matter how much it hurts for you to do so.
"Twilight, I... I'm happy for you. Really. I think it's incredible that you've made it this far. I mean, a princess? Who could have imagined Ponyville's local librarian would accomplish something like that!"
"Anon?"
"But, I... I won't pretend that's all I'm feeling. Not anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"Twilight, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I don't just mean because you helped me when I wound up here. You're the nicest person-er, pony, I've ever met. You've shown me nothing but kindness, and you've accepted me in a way that not even my fellow humans ever did. That's why..."
The exhaustion on Twilight's face all but melts away, leaving behind nothing but a look of concern.
"That's why what, Anon? What did I do?"
"That's why I fell in love with you, Twi."
Well. You did it. You finally said it.
Twilight's ears cling to the sides of her head as her eyes grow wide, her cheeks becoming redder by the second.
"L-love?"
"I know this is sudden, and you probably don't feel the same way. A-and that's fine! But... I had to tell you that. I've been meaning to say that for months now, actually. I kept telling myself, 'I'll do it tomorrow' again and again. But I never did. Heh, and then I promised myself that I would tell you a few days ago after you fixed everypony's cutie marks. Your wings sure threw a wrench into that plan." Now that the truth is out, you find yourself speaking with clarity and confidence, figuring that there is little to lose at this point. "I had thought of every excuse not to tell you, but you suddenly becoming 'Princess Twilight' was the final nail in that coffin. I mean, even if you had the time or desire to hang around with the weird alien, your subjects sure wouldn't be happy about it. There was just no way it would work. Plus, I didn't want to distract you from that momentous occasion. At least, that's what I told myself. So... here we are. I'm sorry. Both for lying to you, and for being dodgy all day. It was just... hard to look you in the eyes."
You both sit in silence for the better part of five minutes, neither of you quite knowing what to do or say. You catch yourself avoiding her gaze once more, only to realize that she is doing the same. So, you just kind of sit there.
Then, you feel her hoof wrap around your hand. You look down at it, then at her. Now she's looking right at you, and you lock eyes once again. You're both beet red in the face, and her voice is soft.
"...You didn't have to be so afraid, you know."
"What?"
"Don't sell yourself so short, Anon. You're the most incredible pon-er, person, I've ever met."
"H-huh?"
"Did you think I was pitying you or something when I invited you to join me all of those times? There's a reason why I wanted you at my side so often. You make me happy, Anon. You possess a strength that you fail to acknowledge. And you make me feel strong. That... that was why I wanted you with me today. I... wasn't entirely honest with you, either. I wanted to check on you, sure, but I was also upset with you. I thought you had abandoned me."
"N-no, Twilight, I didn't mean to do that!"
"I know." She squeezes your hand a bit tighter. "Hehe, I mean, you love me after all, right?"
"...Yeah."
Suddenly, she turns her head and leans on you, putting all of her weight onto your side with her hoof never leaving your hand. She's really, really soft.
"...I love you too, Anon. I don't care if I'm a princess, and I don't care what anypony else has to say about it."
"W-wait, really?"
She nuzzles her head into your chest. It's the cutest thing you've ever seen, and the ever-increasing blush on her face isn't helping matters.
"I was too afraid to tell you, too. It's definitely been a few months of excuses for me, as well."
"That's... wow."
"Haha, I wonder which one of us felt it first?"
The two of you sit like that for a while, simply enjoying the strange, warm embrace you're sharing.
"So, uh, Twilight? What now?"
"I've been thinking that all day. I'm probably going to have a lot of adjustments coming my way thanks to these wings, but at least now I know I'll have you by my side."
"And you really want that?"
"There's nothing I want more."
"...Then I'll be there to support you. No matter what."
"Thank you, Anon. If that's the case, could you do me a favor?"
"Absolutely. What do you need?"
"Can you lay on your back real quick?"
"Uh, sure."
You lay on your back, looking up at the ceiling as you do so, before you feel Twilight climb on top of you, eventually settling on your chest with her front legs wrapped around you.
"I don't feel like going all the way back to my room."
You both lightly chuckle, consciousness slowly drifting away from you.
"Make yourself comfortable, then, because I'm never letting you go."
You both smile exhausted, relieved smiles as you drift off to sleep.
It was never too late, after all.
You just had to take that first step.