"Please, Princess Celestia-" Twilight begins. Spike is at her side, looking at you. You give him a wary glance back.

"There is nothing you can say to excuse this. You broke the Crystal Mirror to make an amulet that brought a human to this world, disguised as a pony. Why would you need to do this?" Celestia asks Twilight with a scowl.

"I-.." she takes a deep breath, "I, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, wanted to test the very thing I rule over. This world is magical, we know that. We harness that magic for everything.. but when I went through the Crystal Mirror, they had none of that. It was just hands, a-and feet.. I wanted to see if beings that knew nothing of the magic of friendship could learn it from our world. Whether it worked or not, that's up to (Y/N)."

Celestia looks to you, "Well?" She asks. You gulp, but before you can answer, Fluttershy runs up. "Wait!"

"Please, please don't make (Y/N) leave!" She begs the princess. You feel your cheeks grow hot at her plea. "I was the first one to meet her- a-and I got to see her come here and meet all my wonderful friends. She's such a good friend, you can't make her leave!" She exclaims, and then clears her throat, "Please.." Spike walks to the soft yellow pony and touches her shoulder, then touches your side, frowning more.

"That's up to-"

"She's learned so much here, though!" Applejack and Rainbow Dash came running up behind you. "Yeah! When I first met her she didn't even know how to talk to me!" Rainbow Dash concurs, then chuckles, "No offense," and you shake your head with a quiet chuckle. "She stayed the night at the barn, 'cus we all wanted t' get tah know her, an' when we did, we found out she's a true friend, even though we'd met just a few days ago!" Applejack adds.

Rarity is at your side almost immediately, "Agreed," she said. You look at her, shocked at her sudden appearance, but even more shocked at the tears welling in her eyes. "I think she's touched our hearts more than I'd ever imagined." She says, touching your shoulder. You touch her hoof to console her.

"(Y/N) IS WHAT!?" You hear behind you, and are tackled suddenly by a pink flash. You're on the ground, with Pinkie hugging you and crying, "You can't go yet! I have so many more parties planned!"

You feel your face heating up even more, as you slowly lift up again, and suddenly hug her. She chokes up and hugs you in response, sobbing against your shoulder, "It's not faaaiiiirrr!"

"She doesn't want to leave, Princess." Twilight murmurs to the white princess watching the display in front of her. "I don't think she's ever had friends like these.."

"I was never going to suggest forcing her to go." Princess Celestia says, and Twilight notices her soft smile. "You just didn't let me finish."

"Huh..?" You look up. Celestia is smiling more.

"I can see you've come a long way, (Y/N). You've definitely impacted the lives of Princess Twilight and her friends, as well as Ponyville itself. You're an exceptional pony- and you're not a pony at all." She chuckles quietly.

"So, she d-doesn't have to leave?" Pinkie sniffles.

Celestia sighs, "Unfortunately, time moves slower in her world, but it is still moving. You need to go home, and let your family know you're okay, (Y/N)." She says. Your heart drops again. This is just too many ups and downs.

You sigh shakily and nod, forcing a soft smile. "I'm glad I got to know you, all of you. You're the best friends I've ever known, and I-" your voice breaks, but you swallow and continue your sentence, "I want to go back home to show what I've learned," you smile.

The five ponies looking at you are all full of tears now, and behind you, you can hear Twilight sniffling quietly. Your own eyes are flushed out, but you want to be strong- it's the least you can do, for all they've done for you.

Celestia touches your back, "But you can always come back. I'm letting you keep the amulet, for as long as you like," she says, and you nod happily. "Now say goodbye."

You nod again, and slowly walk to Rainbow Dash, who is covering her eyes with a hoof and trying to seem cool. Applejack roughly nudges her, then smiles at you, "Good luck back home, partner. An' come back soon," she smiles. Rainbow Dash sniffles and wipes her eyes, then smiles and holds out her hoof, "Real soon," she adds, and you both hoofbump in agreement. Then you go to Pinkie Pie, who is sobbing and pretty much throws herself into your hooves. "You're so cool (Y/N)! You'll make lots of friends in no time, but please don't forget about us!" She wails. You giggle softly, brushing her mane, "Of course not. You're my best friends," you assure her, and slowly part the hug. She's grinning from ear to ear, ignoring her tear stained cheeks.

Rarity is next, wiping the makeup from under her eyes. "You're beautiful, (Y/N). Just try to- to find better jewelry in your own home, okay?" She jokes, and you stretch out your hooves for a hug. She accepts immediately, hugging you close.

Fluttershy is quivering as she tries to stop tears. This one hurts the most to face. You slowly brush her pink hair back, then hug her tightly, and she begins to start crying. You feel a few tears slip out from the slits of your eyes as well, so you close them even tighter.

"You made such a good pony, (Y/N). I knew you would," she whispers.

"Thank you for helping me," you respond back. The hug slowly departs.

You approach Twilight and give her the final hug, then ruffle Spike's scales with your hoof. You've gotten so used to using hooves in the short amount of time you've been here. Wonder how it will feel when you have hands again?

"I hope all my students will learn like you," Twilight purrs, and you grin, "You're a great teacher. I know they will," you assure her.

There is Celestia, waiting on you quietly. You approach her, then take one last look back. The group of friends you've spent so long with are all huddled together in a hug, watching you go with bittersweet smiles. You return the smile, then tell the Princess that you're ready to go.

Princess Celestia slowly lowers her head, pressing her forehead to yours as her horn begins to glow. You feel yourself slipping away as you did when you first arrived here, but behind you you hear echoes of, "Goodbye (Y/N)!" and "Come back soon!" As you slowly fade off.

Your eyes burn as you come back into consciousness. Your head is resting on your desk, and as you slowly lift up, you feel your body has shifted greatly. Your hands are folded neatly in your lap, and as you raise them, you feel something in your palms.

You don't even have to look to know, but open your hands anyways to see your crystal amulet resting in your hands- a portal to the friends that you've made in Equestria.

The End.