The stars shine brightly.
Even after so much time, the sight is still breathtaking as ever.
That big, round moon, high up in the sky. The stars that twinkle-- you didn't dare to even imagine how many there were.
You shift, feeling the cool grass through the back of your shirt.
How long has it been? It felt like an eternity had passed since... you pushed that thought out of your mind. That was a different lifetime. A different existence.
Distant lights twinkle from faraway cities. Canterlot, perhaps, or maybe even Manehattan. It didn't matter. All that matters is the here and now.
You hear hoofsteps approach from behind.
"Stargazing?"
"Stargazing," you nod, watching her sit beside you. "You joining?"
A flick of the ear. A cock of the head. "Yeah, I guess. Why are you always watching the stars?"
You close your eyes and take a breath. Loneliness, you suppose. It'd been quite some time since you arrived here in Equestria.
"Lonely," your words repeat your thoughts. "Remember what I was like when I first showed up?"
She chuckles at the thought. You'd come a long way from where you'd been in the past, that's for sure.
"But you're not lonely--" she places a hoof on your hand. "--I'm here for you. Whatever it was like before, you don't need to worry anymore."
"I know, but... still..." you open your eyes again. "It just isn't the same. I... I just don't belong here. Never had."
She fell silent.
"The stars are pretty tonight."
You nod.
"How many do you think there are? Millions? Billions? Luna couldn't have possibly made that many, right?"
"Billions, I think," you sigh. There was still so much you didn't know about this world. You never quite managed to wrap your head around how Luna could possibly orient the moon and stars.
You feel her curl up beside you, resting her head on your arm. "Mm. What if, somewhere out there, there's another one of you? Or another one of me?"
"Maybe."
"What was it like?"
You turn your head. "Hm?"
"Come on, you know what I'm asking. You never talk about the time before you arrived here, yet... you always seem to miss it so much. Tell me--" she lifts her head, staring into your eyes. "--What happened?"
You turn back to the stars. "Well," you begin, "I... honestly, I don't know. It just happened so quickly. I don't know why I was sent here instead, really. My time wasn't supposed to be up yet, I guess."
"Oh?"
"One minute I'd been minding my business, and the next... well, you know the rest. Man. And to think that I had so much life ahead of me still."
You hear a light snort come from her. "You talk like you're dead."
"In that world, I am."
"Isekai boy."
She got a noogie for that. Serves you right for teaching her your vocabulary.
"Do you think I'll ever be able to go back?"
"Maybe."
You felt your heart skip a beat. She really thought there was a chance?
"...Why?"
"Well," she fidgets with a strand of her mane. "I mean, Celestia's definitely got the power to do something like that, wouldn't she? And there's the mirror portal that Twilight's used before, too. I'm sure we can find a way for you to find your way home."
You hum in agreement. She did have a point. This is Equestria you're living in. Magic is quite literally friendship, and vice-versa. Short to say, you've seen your fair share of baddies being blasted by rainbow doom lasers during your time here. Deep down, you're just glad you were never the target of any of them.
The grass beside you rustles. You feel her weight come off your arm.
"It's getting late now. Wanna go back yet?"
"Not yet."
"Alright," she sighs, laying down again. "Just five more minutes. Then we'll go."
"Okay."
"The stars are pretty tonight."
You raise a brow. "You already said that."
"I know. Doesn't hurt to say it again. You... you're okay with this, right? Like... all of this. Equestria and all."
"Yeah, I guess. It's a nice place."
"You aren't happy, are you?"
"Kind of."
"Well," she points a hoof to the stars. "Nothing we can do for now except hunker down and see what happens. Y'know?"
"Yeah."
She pauses. "So, you never really told me about what happened."
"You're still going with that question?"
"Mm-hmm."
You blink, watching the stars twinkle for a moment. "Uneventful," you begin. "Never had to worry about monster attacks, for one... fresh out of college, working internships, thinking about marriage..."
"Hm. Must've been nice."
"It was."
You feel her nuzzle your chest. You run a hand through her mane.
"Do you miss them?"
Every day.
"Yeah. Not so much that one driver at the intersection, though."
"Huh? I--"
"Nothing, nothing. Nobody here knows what a car is, do they?"
"Oh, like a train car, or--"
You shake your head. "No, not that kind. It's... just a thing from my world."
"Okay," she shifts, turning to again stare into your eyes. You can see a faint reflection of your own in the moonlight. "One more question."
"Yeah?"
"What were you thinking when you were... well, dying?"
So, so much. All the missed opportunities, all the regrets... You'd never been able to travel the world like you hoped. You never got to propose with that ring in your backpack. You never even managed to finish that book you'd been writing.
"Not too much. Just... all the things that I'd missed, that's all."
A streak shoots across the sky. She lifts her head off your chest, looking up at the sky.
"The stars are pretty tonight."
She nods.
"In all honestly, I really am glad. It could've all been over right then and there, and what then? No-- instead, I wake up here in Equestria. I got another chance, even if it's a little weird of a chance."
You take a deep breath before propping yourself up on an arm.
"It's getting dark. Let's go home."