Taking the opportunity to leave behind the disaster nexus that Ponyville seemed to be, you and Twilight were snuggled together on one of the seats in the train, Applejack sat opposite you with a smirk stamped on her muzzle. You knew it was for Twilight, but the soft snores coming from the lavender alicorn and her head resting on your shoulder told you she wasn’t going to notice anytime soon. “I said I was sorry! You don’t have to do this, you know?”

“Shut up. We’ll let Celestia decide what to do with you.” You raised an eyebrow, turning to the other side of the carriage at the same time as AJ to see the two pegasus stallions. Sky Runner was staring out of the window, and you knew it was because he had to leave his wife behind, whilst this Cage was prodding at his new cuff with a hoof. A wonderful invention from your marefriend: if he got further than a hundred metres away from the linked pony, Applejack in this case, things got quite literally shocking. “You could have left this all behind in Baltimare, but you instead chose to steal something from my family. I’m not going to help you.”

Cage’s muzzle dropped towards the floor as he realised that there was nothing he could say to any of you, and you couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for him. The poor colt only looked around fifteen, possibly younger, and you knew there was still time for his ways to be changed. Once you got to Canterlot, you’d talk to Twilight, see if she’d take it up with Celestia. Perhaps… he needs some sort of a test.

The train jolted, waking Twilight with surprise. She mumbled something rather unpleasant as she stretched, then nuzzled under your chin. You wrapped your forehooves around her and held her to your barrel, then heard a giggling from the carriage door. You gave your mother a unamused glare, but she just shrugged and sat down next to Sky Runner. As teasing as she was, you were glad she was there. You wanted her to see your plans, after all.

Soon the Canterlot Express began to slow down, and you all got up to gather your things; for yourself, your mother, and Twilight, this was quite easy. Applejack took her and Sky’s luggage with no problems, impressing you with her strength. Upon stepping onto the platform, you found several guards waiting for you; one stepped forward. Bending down to the band that was on Cage, the stallion’s horn lit up, before motioning the others to move in. Soon the young pegasus was in shackles and being led through the streets with nary a word being said. “Maybe… Ah should go with him. As much as Ah wanna see justice, Ah don’t wanna see him hurt. Ah’ll see you guys later, okay?”

Without waiting for an answer, Applejack trotted after the slowly receding group, Sky giving a sigh as he took wing and followed. You started trotting in a different direction, ignoring the frown from Twilight as you passed her, but heard her and your mother’s hoofsteps follow. It didn’t take long for your marefriend to realise where you were going, darting forward as soon as the gate came into view. Your mother trotted ahead and looked in, then turned around and sat down, giving you a small smile. “So, this is why you wanted me to come. She’s a princess, you know. She’s likely got somepony picked for this already. You could just be a fling for her.”

“I know, mom, but still… I want to try.” She gave you a nod and waved you closer, wrapping her forehooves around your neck as you did so, giving your cheek a small nuzzle. Once she broke away, she lifted her forehooves to one another, and slipped off the gold band, inlaid with a series of amethyst gems, then passed it to you. “Mom…”

“Please, take it. I know the tradition is to give it to my daughter, but you’re my only child, and I’m too old to even meet anypony, let alone have another foal. Take this, and give me a daughter another way.” You pulled her close and embraced her for a few moments, trying not to let tears fall as you returned her nuzzle, making her give a happy sigh. “My little colt, all grown up.”

“Ah, come on, mom.”

“Mister Dawn!” You pulled away, turning around to see Skyla stood with another group of fillies. She waved at them and then galloped over, wrapping her forehooves around one of yours, before hiding behind it as she saw you mother. “Wow… you’re pretty, but you can’t have him. He belongs to my auntie Twilight!”

You and your mother glanced at each other, then promptly broke out laughing, causing the alicorn filly to pout up at the pair of you and tap your foreleg. You crouched down so that you were at eye level with her, giving a small chuckle as you pointed to the mare. “Skyla, that is my mother, Misty Glow.” Her eyes went wide and she gave an adorable little squeal as her cheeks turned red from what she just implied, pressing against your side in fear of retribution.”Now, where are your parents?”

“With nanna and grandpa.” You gave a sigh, not wanting Twilight’s brother to be present for this, but he’d find out eventually. Standing back up, you nudged Skyla towards the house, and just like her aunt, she shot off when she saw the group standing on the porch, jumping into Twilight’s waiting hooves with a giggle. “Auntie Twily, can I be your flower-filly?”

You swallowed nervously, hoping she wouldn’t deduce your plans, turning to your mother as she spoke. “They look like a traditional unicorn family. I take it that is why I am here?” You gave her a nod as you set your small case down and moved to one end of the garden, the entire Sparkle family now watching you with curiosity. “Good luck, my son.” You gave her another nod, then took a deep breath and locked your eyes with one stallion.

“Nightlight! I challenge you!” He just blinked in surprise, then stepped down to the opposite end of the garden. Twilight was staring at you with her mouth agape, Shining Armour barely holding her back. It was a surprise to you, but it meant she wouldn’t get in the way, so you turned back to her bemused father. Lighting your horn, you floated the band from your back and set it between you, the stallion’s eyes widening when he realised what was going on. “On this night, I challenge you, Nightlight, for the hoof of you daughter in marriage.”

“ARE YOU BUCKING CRAZY?”

“I accept.”

“DAD!”

“Not now, Twilight!” Once more thankful for her brother’s blockade of whatever plans she could come up with. you lit your horn at the same time as your opponent. Battle magic wasn’t your forte, but you had certainly had to learn some of it on your travels. Who knew you could punch ghosts? You gave a few experimental blasts to test his defence, which he parried easily, almost hitting you with his counter attack. This was going to take some effort, you suddenly realised.

Going all out at first seemed like a bad plan, but you didn’t aim for the stallion. No, you aimed at the grass to his left, and explosion of dirt covering the area in flying soil as Nightlight dodged your feint attack by jumping to his right instead. You barely had time to react as a large mound of earth was decimated next to you. This continued for a good ten minutes, until the once wondrous garden was just mounds of earth, of which you were both using for cover. Several cuts and grazes were upon your chest, not very deep, but Nightlight had slowed down, meaning he was running out of magic… or less likely, you had hit him.

With a glance from your cover at Twilight, you could see she was concerned for you both, and you decided to end it now. Lighting your horn, you attempted to form a portal to the spirit world just big enough for you to walk through. It worked, and you just ignored the frowns coming from the spectral forms of you father and grandfather, walking a short distance ahead of you.

Lighting your horn once more, you stepped back into the living world, right behind Nightlight as he peeked around his cover for any sign of movement. Seizing your chance, you leapt forward and tackled him to the floor, rolling around in the dirt. It was not only a surprise to you when you came out on top, but to everypony else as well, a forehoof hovering over Nightlight’s horn, your own alight.

There was a flash of purple light and you were tackled to the ground, Twilight pressing against you in a passionate kiss, her wings spreading wide. You wrapped your forehooves around her neck and held her close, panting for breath as she pulled away and let you stand up. Twilight Velvet was helping a smirking Nightlight to his hooves. The smirk disappeared however when his wife slapped him. “Now you two are done behaving like colts, you can sort my ruined garden out!”

You both looked at the destruction that you had wrought; mounds of dirt, destroyed flowerbeds, and the odd knocked over statue. You glanced around at the sound of happy laughter, seeing Nightlight nuzzle into Velvet. “I’ll sort it in the morning. For now, my future son in law needs to get washed up for dinner. Well, I do, he has round two to come yet.”

“Round two?” He just gave you a grin and pointed behind you, where you heard the thud of a well built stallion hitting the dirt. With a nervous swallow, you turned to meet the deep cerulean gaze of Shining Armour, his horn glowing a light rose. “Oh… buck.”

“So, you think this will work?” Twilight didn’t respond with words, but you caught the reflection of the moonlight in her glare, averting your gaze. Apparently, ‘I have no idea’ was not an acceptable answer to how you entered the spirit world without alicorn blood, but it was the truth. Now here you were stood in the dark corner of Canterlot Tower, with three other ponies inhabiting the others. A red carpet lined the room, leading from the door to where five pedestals circled a sixth, each one with a necklace on top, the one in the centre with a headdress of some sort.

You weren’t sure why Celestia had asked you, or the others, to be there instead of the guard, but you accepted the task anyway. After arriving at the castle in the evening, Twilight spent time fuming about your explanation and wouldn’t talk to you, leaving you bored out of your mind. Until a messenger from the dungeons burst in, panting for breath until he could finally speak. With the news that the thief had somehow broken free, Celestia just smiled and nodded her head, then gave you your current task.

Your ears flicked as they caught the sound of wing beats, and the door gently cracked open, admitting a single pony. You couldn’t see who it was, but your part of the plan was about to come into effect as they made it halfway along the carpet, your hoof hitting a switch on the wall. A series of torches seemingly lit themselves along the carpet, revealing the pegasus to indeed be Cage, whose ears were swivelling for the sound of any guards. It wasn’t what he got. “Welcome to Canterlot Tower, the highest structure built by ponykind across Equestria. Here is housed the history of our nation, from the battle with the Chaos-God,” A light snapped on to illuminate a window, showing the alicorn sisters dancing around a strangely shaped creature, “to one of Equestria’s most darkest hours.”

Another window was illuminated, showing Celestia battling Nightmare Moon at the top, and standing victorious at the bottom. Cage slowly crept forward to the jewellery, his ears still alert as the voice of Celestia continued to come from the speakers. “Even the recent one, which saw the return of Nightmare Moon, her defeat, and the return of my beloved sister, thanks to the act of six ponies.” When this window lit up, you recognised the five mares around the outside, and most definitely the one in the middle. “These Bearers of Harmony went on to defeat Discord whence he managed to escape,” the strange creature from before was then depicted again, this time being defeated by Twilight and her friends, Cage now at the pedestal. “What you see before you are The Elements Of Harmony.”

The young pegasus gave a chuckle, grabbing the first one and slipping it into his saddlebags, before taking the time and audacity to decide which one to take next, even as the voice continued. “Someponies believe them to be a weapon, and in some cases that is true, but those who bear them now would never put them to such use. Presently, with no danger to threaten the safety of our nation, they remain here for all to see, and here they must remain, lest Equestria come under attack from powerful foes once more.”

There it was, Cage’s hooves stopped themselves from taking the third necklace. He fell to his haunches in front of the pedestal, looking at the floor in front of him. This is where you had to act, or leave him to it. This was Celestia’s plan; risky, dangerous, and in your opinion downright stupid, but here you were. Slowly, there was some movement from the contemplative pegasus, as well as movement from the doorway.

As Cage put the necklaces back, both Celestia and Luna silently walked along the carpet, coming to a stop a few metres behind him. Reaching to his back, your ears picked the faint sound of metal on metal as he removed his saddlebags and set it down in front of him. “I… suppose I’ll be going back to prison now, huh? Oh, and your spies can come out of hiding, I know they’re here.”

“Only one needs come. She is the one whom you wronged, and your fate is to be left up to her.” Slowly, there was some movement in the corner opposite you, Applejack emerging from the shadows and approaching the stallion. She ignored him, walking right past and stopping in front of the alicorns. “Dame Applejack, what is your judgement.”

“Well… Ah’d first like to know what his punishment would normally be.”

“Hmm… as he has not left the castle grounds any items on him can be considered borrowed, not stolen, so his only crime tonight is that of breaking free from the dungeons. That carries a penalty of three years incarceration. But I think that may be a little long for a sixteen year old, wouldn’t it?” Seeing Twilight emerge from her corner, you weren’t privy to the rest of the conversation as your marefriend led you from the tower.

“Twilight...”

“I’m still not talking to you!” She changed direction, walking through a doorway to the side, and you followed to find yourself on a balcony, Twilight with her forehooves on the railing. Giving a small sigh, you moved up behind her and nuzzled the back of her head, causing her to let out a little giggle, pressing back against your chest. “He was only fourteen when Sky Runner met him. How could a pony so young fall into such a life?”

“Honestly, I don’t know, but I think he has seen the errors of his way now. If anything, I more than anypony can sympathise with him. I just wish I had done it sooner.” You went to kiss the back of Twilight’s neck, but she rolled around in your grip and slipped her forehooves around your neck, your lips meeting hers in a passionate kiss. She pulled away with a small smirk, then brought up her leg with the band on it, her sparkling eyes meeting yours.

“You know, you never really asked me properly. Sure, you beat my dad, but don’t I get a say in it?” You returned her grin, backing away slightly and bowing down to the ground, taking Twilight’s hoof with your own.

“Princess Sparkle, if you could find it in the kindness of your heart, to hear this humble stallion’s request, and do me honour when I ask for your hoof in marriage.”

“Hmm…. no.” Your eyes went wide as you stared at her, your mouth opening and closing whilst trying to think of what to say. Something inside of you was telling you to push her from the balcony, but as your brain finally found what words to say, Twilight suddenly cut you off with a deep kiss. With your mind shot to hell, you just went limp, falling to the floor as she pushed into you, her lips breaking from yours with a deep breath as her eyes shined with mischievousness. “I was joking of course, the answer is yes.”

You just glared at her, crossing your forehooves over your chest as you turned away, not finding it funny in the slightest. “Aww, come on. You know I didn’t mean it. I’m really sorry.” You glanced at her briefly, the mare giving you her best puppy dog eyes, but you just tilted your muzzle further away. “Fine, I guess I’ll just have to show you then.” You were just about to ask what she meant when the balcony doors slammed shut and the drapes closed over in a lavender glow, and you noticed your marefriend’s horn glowing as you turned to look at her.

You tried to ignore her, but the way the sparkling stars framed her face made her even more beautiful, Twilight all but ignoring them as she tilted your muzzle up, passionately kissing you as her rear legs slowly spread open. The excitement of being caught in public seemed to flow from her to you, Twilight giving a giggle as she felt something prodding at her thigh. “Now there’s a much better reaction. Polter, I…” You raised a hoof to her cheek, which she nuzzled briefly, then locked her eyes with you. “Polter Dawn, I love you.”

“And I love you, Twilight Sparkle.” In the cool evening air, you and Twilight once more became one on that balcony.

Twilight sighed happily as the train began to slow down, and you helped her from her seat, seeing a group of four mares plus one dragon waiting on the platform. The lavender alicorn was immediately bundled by them, each one chatting rapidly, then giving you a general glance as Twilight lifted a hoof up. There was the sound of a deep breath being taken, before the group was forced away in a blue glow, leaving you and Spike standing there. “Congratulations, dude. You’ve managed to get Rarity to spend the rest of the day at the spa. Come on, I’ll help with the luggage.” Giving Spike a nod, you floated the two large cases over whilst he grabbed the smaller one. At the end of the train you noticed three ponies getting off.

It was the first time you had seen Applejack and Sky Runner all day, Cage stood between them with his gaze on the floor. The elder pegasus spotted you and gave the others a nod, then glided over. “Hey, have you seen the others? We were going to meet them here.”

“Yeah, no idea what happened. They were here, they crowded Twilight, and then they went to the spa. So what’s he doing here?” Sky glanced over his shoulder and waved to AJ, who nodded in return then glared at Cage, before walking off. The young pegasus looked at you then began to follow, walking like a pony that had been condemned.

“I think I’ll let AJ tell you. I just hope she can explain to Mac before he kills him. Anyway, gotta go see the little dude. See ya!” With that you were left with Spike once more, heading towards the library. You gave a content sigh as you walked into Ponyville, the sights and sounds now familiar to you. Instead of the wary stares aimed at a new arrival, the ponies waved happily to you, and you nodded in return.

It finally hit you then; this town, with all of its inhabitants, had accepted you, and one you had once tormented to no end was now due to be your wife. You suddenly stopped as your thoughts turned to the future, the small dragon giving a chuckle as he walked by. “As long as you use a soundproofing spell, I’m fine with it.”

Even though he was a young dragon, his suggestion brought a blush to your cheeks as the images in your mind changed, and you quickly galloped the last little bit to the tree house, darting past the dragon and into the bathroom. Right now, a cold shower would be just what you needed.

Author's Note

On the balcony, at night? Really, Twilight? Such a pervert...

Wait... where's AJ's family necklace? We still never found out!

...yet.