It had been two weeks since Daniel and Crystal had talked to the Princesses, and things after that had been uneventful during those few weeks. Jubilee would go to her job as a florist with the Flower Sisters, while Night Hunter worked as a delivery-Pony. Usually, Daniel and Crystal would either go to Twilight's Castle library, or somewhere else in Ponyville to try and find something to do. One early Saturday morning, Jubilee and Hunter were in the kitchen enjoying a simple breakfast and reading the local newspaper. Soon enough, Daniel and Crystal had walked out of their room.

"Morning guys," Jubilee said happily. "How did you two sleep?"

"Like a log", Daniel replied yawning.

"Same here", Added Crystal as she rubbed her eyes.

"Okay, that's great! So any ideas for what you two want to do today?" Questioned Jubilee, putting down her newspaper.

"Yeah, I think we got some ideas." Daniel answered as he let out another yawn. "But before we tell you, we have something to ask, if that's alright."

The brown mare nodded. "Sure, what's on your mind?"

"That room on the second floor, the one at the very end of the hallway, what's in there? It's been on my mind for a bit, so may I ask what's in there?"

"Oh, that? It's just a bit of an extra storage room. See, it's where we keep some things, but it also doubles as an extra room in case we get more visitors. And who knows; it might even be another room for when we start a family of our own."

Crystal nodded. "Oh well, that sounds nice. I know that you'll make an excellent mom, and Night here will be a great dad."

"Aw, thanks, Crystal." Jubilee blushed. "That so sweet of you to say that. Now, what was that idea that you two had for what you were going to do today?"

"Oh yeah, hehe..." Crystal laughed a bit sheepishly. "Well, Daniel and I wanted to try to go see Ash and Spitfire in Cloudsdale."

Jubilee looked at the two, caught off guard. "What the..... Crystal, they live up in the sky! How would you be able to get up there? I thought you told us that you can't walk on clouds."

Daniel nodded. "I thought of that, and I figured that maybe Twilight can cast a Cloud Walking spell on us. She said it herself that it's one of the easiest spells that a Unicorn can cast. Plus, didn't you tell us that you and Night used that spell when you were younger?"

Jubilee blinked for a second. "Oh yeah... sorry, I forgot all about that. It's been a while since either of us have been to Cloudsdale."

"Well, sounds like you two have everything figured out?" Asked Night Hunter as he looked up from his paper.

"Yeah," replied Daniel. "However, right now it's time for breakfast! Got anything to eat Night?"

Night smiled. "Of course. Come on, I'll show you what I've made for today's breakfast." He then got up to show Daniel the food that was in the kitchen.

"Thanks Night", Daniel said as he followed him into the kitchen.

As Daniel did that, Crystal decided to take a morning shower. Over the past two weeks, Rarity had made some more clothes for both of them; so after having a nice shower, she put on a simple blue t-shirt and tan shorts. It wasn't much, but she didn't mind given the current circumstances. After pulling her hair into a ponytail, she made her way back towards the kitchen. When Crystal arrived back in the kitchen, she could see Jubilee starting to clean up the table, while both Daniel and Night were reading the local paper.

"So anything good in there Guys?" She asked as she tried to look over Daniel's newspaper.

"Thankfully yes." He then turned to the front page. Crystal then looked at what made the front page.

The front of the page was headlined "Victory in First Battle of the War!", printed in bold lettering. Crystal then began to read the newspaper quickly. "So the battle was at someplace called Vigron." She then turned towards the two Earth Ponies. "Where's that located at?"

"It's a medium-sized town that's in the Deam Territory. It's roughly about.......eh, 400 miles from the southernmost point in Equestria, I think." Night answered. "And Mort is about 300-350 miles outside of the town."

"Okay," Crystal said as she continued to read. "So the paper says that the Equestrian side has won, but..." There was a long pause before she said, "And has lost over 300 soldiers, while Mort lost about 900 with the death count said to still be rising. And this is only the first battle." She sighed.

"Unfortunately, you're right, Crystal." Night Hunter replied grimly, but quickly added with a smile, "However, remember what Luna said? Equestria is a strong place, and we're not about to just roll over and die. We're going to fight this enemy and win!" He said with a lot of passion before adding gently, "So don't worry about it. You guys are still gonna be safe. The two of you have nothing to worry about."

Crystal then smiled a bit. "Thanks Night. And at least you and all the other Ponies have the spirit of confidence, which is nice to have in a war like this." She then turned towards Daniel. "So anyway, Daniel are you about ready to go and see our Equestrian friends?"

"Sure Crystal, just give me a minute to shower." He explained as he raced towards their room to get some fresh clothes.

About five or so minutes later, Daniel appeared out of the bathroom wearing a Southern-style red flannel shirt and blue jeans. It wasn't anything fancy, however, he didn't mind that. Once they had both said goodbye to Jubilee and Hunter, they left the house to start their day.

The walk across town was nice. Most of the Ponies had stopped giving them stares of mistrust and murmuring. A few still did of course, but the two just ignored it, as most just acted like they were part of the scene. As they walked, Daniel and Crystal could see the Ponies that they saw regularly going along their days. The CMC's were dashing off to do who-knows-what, Lyra (who at this point Daniel had forgiven) and Meadow Song were off to do something as a couple, and Rarity too was coming back from the market with different colors of fabric. They were about halfway to Twilight's Castle when Daniel saw three Ponies; two of them were adults, and one was a colt. While they already knew who the adults were, neither Human recognized who the foal was.

"Hey Crystal, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked.

"What? Going over to say hi? Yep." Replied Crystal. With that, they made their way towards the family.

"Hey Derpy, hey Dr. Whooves." Daniel began. "How are the both of ya been doing?"

"Oh, we have been doing grandly today, Daniel." Dr. Whooves smiled. He was an Earth-Pony stallion that had a light brown coat with light brown fetlocks, a dark brown mane and tail, and a Cutie-Mark of an hourglass.

"We're just taking our son out to the diner. He's earned it after all, for getting a hundred on his big spelling test!" Said Derpy; a gray Pegasus mare with thin gray fetlocks. She also had a blonde mane and tail, and had seven bubbles as her Cutie-Mark.

Crystal tilted her head a little bit, "Your son? But I thought that you and Whooves only had a daughter, Dinky? Speaking of which, where is she anyway?"

"She's helping her friend, Shady Daze with his photography. However, we also have a son." Replied Dr. Whooves as he raised a hoof to the colt. "Since the two of you are here, Daniel, Crystal, I would like to introduce you to our son, Frankie Hooves." He then wrapped a hoof around him, and pulled his son into a hug.

Daniel then looked closer at Frankie. He was a colt, about twelve by his guess. But the thing that interested him was how different he was compared to both of his parents. For one, his coat was a dark maroon color, and he had a sky-blue mane that draped from his head, as well as a tail from behind. They also took notice of an open book for a Cutie-Mark. However, what made Frankie so different was the fact that instead of having fluffy wings like his mom; his wings were dark in color, and bat-like. Frankie also had additional fur at the top of his ears, as well as small fangs, and also had cat-like blue eyes instead of a normal pony's round pupils.

Daniel then looked back at Dr. Whooves. "Um... Whooves, might I ask... what is Frankie exactly? Sorry if that comes off as rude, it's just that I've never seen a Pony like him before."

"It's okay, Mr. Daniel," replied Frankie. "I've asked my Dad about you two earlier."

"Ah, yes," Dr. Whooves cleared his throat. "Frankie is what is commonly known as a Bat-Pony." Seeing that Daniel and Crystal were confused, he added, "Bat-Ponies are one of the four races of what is known as a Night-Pony. You know about the four races of us Ponies, right?"

"Yes." Replied Daniel, listing the names off on his fingers. "Earth-Pony, Unicorn, Pegasus, and Alicorn."

"Yes, and the same goes for the four races of Night-Ponies, you see. There are Dusk-Ponies, Dawn-Ponies, Bat-Ponies, and Thestrals. You can think of them as counterparts to us if you want."

"Okay, and uh... might I ask something personal?" Daniel asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Certainly".

"How is he a Bat-Pony if you're an Earth-Pony, and Derpy is a Pegasus?"

"Oh that's simple. I adopted this little guy when he was just a year old." Dr. Whooves explained. "And before you ask, yes, Frankie does know. See, one Winter night back when I was nineteen, I was walking home when I heard whimpering. When I followed the source, I found Frankie in a back alley, shivering and crying from the coldness. He couldn't have been more than just a year old at least. So being extremely concerned, I immediately brought Frankie to the town's hospital. Once the doctors had informed me that Frankie was being nursed back to health, I was so very happy. Then when they told me that he needed a place to be taken care of, as none of us know who the parents were, I decided to adopt him. He's been living with me for the past twelve years."

"I'm so glad that I have such an amazing Dad." Chirped Frankie as he hugged his dad.

Crystal looked at Dr. Whooves, and was feeling surprised, shocked, and in awe of the compassion from what he had said. "W-wow, that's incredible. I'm glad that you found him. But wait, if you're technically his adopted dad, then does that that mean-"

"That I'm his adopted stepmom?" Derpy asked as she raised her right front hoof. "Well yeah, I am. Also yes, Dr. Whooves is Dinky's stepdad too. I was married to another stallion named Vivid Dreamer, however.....he.....well....he passed away in a fire, just before Dinky was born." Derpy sniffled a bit as she said that.

"Oh my", Crystal said softly, her hands covering her mouth. "God, I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Oh it's ok," Derpy said softly. "I have Whooves now, and I do have Frankie too. Besides, I know Vivid is in a better place now."

"That's good to hear Derpy." Daniel said. "It sounds that you're doing great." Turning back towards Dr. Whooves, he asked, "So can you tell me about these Night-Pony races you talked about, please?" He asked.

Whooves smiled brightly. "I would be more than honored to." Clearing his throat, he went into his Lecture-Mode. "So first the thing to know is what all Night-Ponies have in common. All Night Ponies have fangs and cat-like irises, regardless of what type they are. Eye colors for a Night Pony tend to range from yellow, to blue, violet, lavender, sapphire, dark green or emerald, red, and smokey gray. They can see in the dark, and also have additional fur on the tips of their ears."

"Interesting. And the difference?"

"Well, first there are the Bat-Ponies. This one is the easiest to explain because they have bat-like wings as you see on Frankie." He rubbed his colt's mane. "Bat-Pony wings are mostly the same color as their coats, however, there is a rare chance that their wings can be darker or lighter than their coat color, although it comes down to genetics. Bat-Ponies have the advantage of being a bit more aerodynamic due to their wings, making them quite fast when it comes to diving. However, they have the disadvantage of their wings not being as resistant to the elements as their normal Pony counterparts."

"Okay, so what about Dawn-Ponies?" asked Crystal.

"Dawn-Ponies are similar to Earth-Ponies. Both have a connection to the earth that the other races don't have. One thing that Dawn-Ponies are great at is sight; that being that they have the best eyesight out of any other the four Night-Pony races. To them, every night is as clear to them as being out here in the sun is for us. They also are very good at running."

"Wow that's incredible," Daniel was amazed. "How do you know all of this?"

"Well, when you have a foal that isn't like most children, it's helpful to understand their wants and needs, as well as what they will grow up into. I've done plenty of research on the subject and beyond for my Frankie. Now, where was I?"

"Dusk-Ponies, Dad," Frankie said.

"Ah! That's right," He patted his son's head. "Dusk Ponies have horns just like Unicorns. Their Magic isn't as powerful as Unicorn Magic, but on the flip side, they can cast Magic from more than just their horns. They are one of the very few creatures in the world who can use Magic with their front hooves! Which hoof they can use Magic with though is based entirely on genetics as well."

"Okay, that right there is very interesting." Daniel thought out loud. "So the last one is... Thestral, right?"

"Yes, Thestrals." The Doctor nodded. "They're the Night Pony counterparts of our Alicorns. They have the wings of a Bat-Pony, the strength of a Dawn-Pony, and the magic of a Dusk-Pony. Their wings and horns are almost always bigger than both Bat and Dusk-Ponies, and they're also the only ones that can have smokey-gray eyes, though that hasn't been seen in over 650 years.....unfortunately." Dr. Whooves added, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Okay, thanks for the explanation, Doc. So where do Night-Ponies come from? I mean, Frankie here is the first time that we've seen one."

"Mostly from Shadona." Frankie suddenly spoke up. "Night-Ponies have their very own country called Shadona. It's about a half-day's travel by rail from the East Lunar Station to the Capital City. It is one of the oldest of all the Eques countries, and like Equestria, Shadona has their own King and Queen; named Moonlight Blade and Raven Mist."

"Now those are names that command respect," Crystal remarked.

Frankie nodded. "Oh yes. In fact, one of their sons is Princess Luna's coltfriend!" Saying that bit of info with enough pride to spare.

Both Humans's eyes widened immensely as they heard that. "LUNA HAS A COLTFRIEND?!?!" They both exclaimed in unison.

Derpy tilted her head a bit, "Um, yes, she does. Everypony in Equestria knows that. How do you both not know Prince Cosmo?"

"Well, we did go and meet both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna the other day." Replied Crystal, "However, we didn't ever see this Prince Cosmo dude, or anybody mentioning him no less."

"Oh, well I'm guessing he might have been away seeing his family again at the time", Answered Derpy. "Though he's probably back with Luna now."

"Oh okay. Anyway, thanks for the explanation you Guys," said Daniel.

"Yeah. It was nice seeing you two again, and it was nice meeting you too Frankie." Smiled Crystal.

"Thanks Ms. Crystal! Thanks Mr. Daniel!" Frankie said, waving a hoof. "I hope that you two Humans have a good day!"

"We will, thank you." With that, Daniel and Crystal then parted ways with them, and headed towards Twilight's Castle once again.

The rest of the walk went without any problems. In no time at all, the two Humans had arrived at the castle. Both of them could recall the very first time that they saw the crystalized structure. It was when they had gone with Jubilee to the other side of town to get a book on flowers. Both Humans remembered being memorized at seeing this magnificent castle at the time, and Twilight was even kind enough to give them a tour. At one point, both Humans wondered why Twilight and Spike were the only ones who lived inside a castle so massive. Twilight had informed them that there was originally a Unicorn mare named Starlight Glimmer that lived at the castle for a while. However, she said that Starlight had moved out to the Crystal Empire to be with her fiance, Sunburst.

After they had recalled that memory, Daniel knocked on the castle's large front doors. A moment or so later, the doors opened to reveal Twilight.

"Oh, good morning Daniel, Crystal. What brings you over to my castle?" Inquired Twilight.

"Hey Twilight, could we please come in?" Asked Daniel.

She nodded. "Of course. Rainbow Dash is also here too, plus Spike has just brewed a fresh batch of oolong tea."

"Thanks Twilight. We did need to talk with RD too, so it looks like we're getting two birds with one stone."

With that, Twilight led Daniel and Crystal into the dining room. Like they had expected, no one else was there except for Spike and Rainbow Dash. Spike was reading a comic book from a favorite series of his, while Rainbow was tasting a large glass of the oolong tea.

"Morning Spike, Rainbow Dash", Said Crystal.

"Morning Guys. How are you both?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, how have you guys been?" Inquired Spike, looking up from his comic book.

"Nice to see you again. And Daniel and I have been fine" Smiled Crystal. "We just have something ask Twilight."

Twilight titled her head a bit, "Oh? And what's that?"

The two explained to Twilight about how they wanted to go to visit Ash and Spitfire up in Cloudsdale, and they both knew that Humans couldn't walk on clouds. However, they also knew about the Cloud-Walking Spell that would allow them to walk on clouds. They thought that if there was anypony who could help them with this, that it would be her, due to her being an Alicorn after all.

"Well, I can try", Replied Twilight, although a bit doubtful. "I'm worried that something might go wrong. I mean, as far as I know, this is the first time this Magic has ever been used on one Human, let alone two of them who are asking to walk on clouds so high up. Sorry if I sound a bit worried."

"Relax Twilight. Even if on the slim chance something does go wrong, I'm sure you of all Ponies can fix it." Assured Daniel.

"Yes, well there's only one thing left to do then." With that, an amethyst-colored aura began emanating from her horn, and only a few seconds later, the whole room was enveloped in a similar light.

When both Daniel and Crystal opened their eyes again, they quickly searched themselves to see if everything was there, and that nothing major was changed. To their great relief, they found that nothing was altered in any way.

"Phew. See Twilight, nothing went wrong at all." Proclaimed Daniel.

"Yeah, now let's see if it worked." Thought Twilight out loud. She then turned towards Rainbow Dash. "Hey Dash, can you please go and get a small piece of cloud to see if the spell worked?"

"Sure thing Twi. Be back in a quick sec!" With that Rainbow flew quickly out of the room in a dash, leaving only a streak of rainbow color in her wake. Less then ten seconds later, Rainbow flew back in with a large piece of fluffy white cloud. She then looked at Twilight. "Does this work for you Twilight?"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yes, this is a perfectly good sized cloud. Please place it in front of us." She did so, and Twilight turned towards Daniel and Crystal. "Can you both please come over here?"

"Sure Twilight." They said as they walked over to her.

"Okay, so what I need you two to do is to try and step on this cloud. If the spell works, then you should be able to walk on it without falling through." She explained with hope in her voice.

Daniel decided to go first. He stepped onto the cloud, almost expecting to fall through, but had no problem standing on it at all. Like walking on a feathery mattress, it was soft and bouncy, yet firm. He even tried jumping up and down on the cloud just to be sure. Crystal then quickly got the cloud, jumping up and down as well.

Twilight clapped her front hooves in delight, "Excellent! The spell worked perfectly. How do you two feel?"

"I'm feeling great." Replied Daniel. "I would be lying if I said that I wasn't excited to be walking on a cloud. This is fantastic; we're gonna get to see Cloudsdale."

"Yeah, same. I'm ready to see what's up there," added Crystal.

"Perfect." Inputted Rainbow Dash. "Getting up to Cloudsdale is one of the easiest things ever! All you'll guys need is a way to get up there. Lucky for you two, Ponyville has hot air balloons that are used for that. All you have to do is walk up, get in, and that is it!"

"Cool. So where are these hot air balloons?"

"I'll show you, and don't worry Crystal, I'll fly slower for you guys, just to show you where it is." Said Rainbow before taking off in a flash. It was very clear that if they would have any chance of following Rainbow Dash, Daniel and Crystal would need to start running right now!

"Thanks Twilight! Now if you don't mind, we need to be catching up to Rainbow!" Daniel yelled as both of them ran off after Rainbow Dash.

"Have fun you two!" She called as the two Humans ran off out of sight, leaving only her and Spike left in the large room.

It soon became clear to them that trying to catch up to Rainbow Dash was going to be hard. However, after about a mile of running, they had finally caught up to the cyan mare. She was waiting, flapping her wings to keep herself in mid-air. Right behind her were two hot air balloons, tethered down by rope. Both were a dark purple, with a black ornate design.

"There you two are. Sorry that I sorta left you in the dust back there. I might have underestimated my fight strength!" She then rubbed her neck.

"It's fine Rainbow, but are all Pegasi as fast as you?" Asked Crystal, a little out of breath.

Rainbow gave a happy smirk "Well there's a reason why I was chosen to take Blaze's spot after she stepped down to teach full time! But hey, if there's anypony that might beat me in a race, it's probably Spitfire and Soarin, but that’s unlikely. At the same time though, they didn't make it to Captain and Co-Captain by fluffing around."

"Okay, I guess. So do we just get in now or what?"

"Oh, ha, sorry, I went on a little ramble there." Rainbow said as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Anyways, all you two need to do is get in, and I will guide you to Cloudsdale."

"Ok."

With that, Daniel and Crystal hopped into one of the hot air balloons. After Rainbow untied the ropes, making the balloon rise into the air, she then flew into the balloon basket to get it to where they needed to go. Both Humans were surprised that she was able to operate a hot air balloon, however, she informed them that she had flown a hot air balloon multiple times to get her friends up to Cloudsdale, as well as to more distant parts of Equestria.

As Rainbow Dash flew the balloon high enough, Daniel and Crystal decided to take the moment to look out and enjoy the view. They could see that they were up in the clear skies, and that Ponyville (along with everything else), was looking smaller by the second. They could also see the Everfree Forest, Canterlot, and even beyond. To both Humans, it did feel nice to be smoothly going upward in the sky, even if it was their very first time.

Soon after a half-hour in the air, the three of them saw something in the distance. It appeared to be a super-sized cloud of some kind, with what at a distance looked like vaguely-shaped buildings that Pegasi were flying in and out of. From the sheer size, it was clear to the Humans that they were reaching their destination.

"Well, we're almost there you two. Hope that you're ready for Cloudsdale!" Rainbow exclaimed as she navigated the balloon towards the cloud city.

Soon, the three of them has arrived at Cloudsdale. Once Rainbow Dash had landed the hot air balloon and tied it down, the two Humans got out. Crystal was the first to get off, though with a bit of hesitation. She sighed a breath of relief when the cloud bounced underneath her feet as she got off. Daniel on the other hand said nothing as he got off the hot air balloon. Once they landed, the two of them then looked at the cloud city.

The city was indeed made of fluffy white clouds that were combined into countless huge clouds, and the clouds were also shaped into various kinds of houses, buildings, and walking spaces. All the ponies were, of course, a variety of multicolored Pegasi, with all of them either flying or walking.

"So, first thoughts of Cloudsdale? I hope they're positive." Inquired Rainbow Dash as she finished up with tying down the balloon.

"It looks amazing. It looks like it came out of fantasy book." Said Crystal. "Reminds me of those drawings of Ancient Greece or Rome in a way."

Rainbow tilted her head. "Greece? Rome?"

"Oh. They used to be places in our world from a long time ago."

"Huh". Rainbow turned to the other Human. "So, is this awesome enough for you or what?"

"Yeah." Daniel agreed. "That, and we're the first Humans in history to be able to walk on clouds."

Rainbow gave them a smirk. "Yeah, that's how Cloudsdale is for ya. Anyway, time to show you where Ash and Spitfire are at."

After this, she began to walk off with the Humans following her.

Walking on clouds was a much different feel than walking on solid earth. In certain places, it felt loose; like walking on a soft fluffy blanket, and at others, their feet slowly sank in like wet sand; at least to the Humans.

Walking through Cloudsdale proved to be interesting; seeing what the Pegasi citizens could make by themselves, and actually being able to see what life up in the sky was like. Walking by the Humans, the Pegasi displayed a variety of emotions, from curious and friendly, to caution and confusion. All of them displayed an emotion something along these lines as they passed by them.

Soon enough though, Rainbow saw the destination that they needed was in sight. They were at the east end of Cloudsdale, in a district where the houses were standing two to three stories tall. Rainbow then took them to a particular house that was in the center of the street that was labeled "Storm Petrel." The house itself was a large two-story home with a medium-sized deck located on the upper floor. The sky-blue mailbox that was outside read "Ash" on the right side, and "Spitfire" on the left. This was without a doubt the place that they were looking for.

"Okay, you two, here it is". Rainbow Dash told them as she lifted a proud front hoof to the place. "Now I have some business to take care of since we're up here with some of the other Wonderbolts, So can I trust you guys to stay here?"

Daniel and Crystal both nodded. "I'll be about an hour and a half or so, but I'll come back."

"Okay, thanks, I guess". Daniel told her. "For being concerned though."

Rainbow smiled. "Of course. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't? I hope that you and Crystal have a great time hanging out with these guys."

"Thanks Dash." With that said, both Humans approached the front door while Dash flew off elsewhere.

Crystal knocked on the door, and after about a second or so, the door swung open to reveal Ash's face. The gray Pegasus's eyes widened, and he blinked as he saw who was at the front door.

"Daniel? Crystal? What a surprise to see you! What are you two doing up here in Cloudsdale?"

"We were hoping that we could come up here to see you and Spitfire", Chuckled Crystal a bit. "That is if it's okay."

"If that's the case then yeah, come on in. I know that Spitfire will be happy to see both of you again." With that, Ash opened the door fully, allowing both of the Humans to come in.

Walking into Ash's cloud house lead them directly into the living room - and a large one at that. The living room had a large fluffy tan color couch with two smaller couches located on each side. There was a large red carpet in front of the sofas, and nailed to the walls where photos of Ash, Spitfire, their two daughters, and a few others of what looked like their other family members. Also in the living room was a large fireplace, though it was currently unlit.

"So, what do you think of our living room?"

"It's wonderful, Ash." Replied Crystal. She then looked around the area. "But where is Spitfire?"

"I'll call her down. " He then put a hoof up to his mouth. "Hey Spitsy, we have some guests. I think that you'll like to see them."

"Who are they?" came Spitfire's voice from somewhere in the house.

"It's a surprise, and I think you're gonna like it."

"'Kay, coming Hon!"

The sound of hoof steps could be heard as Spitfire walked in from the dining room, carrying two small fillies on her back. Her eyes widened as she saw the two Humans.

"Oh Crystal! Daniel! It's so nice to see you both again. And up in the clouds no less!"

"Yeah, same." Replied Daniel. He then pointed to the two fillies that were on her back. "Who are they?"

"Oh, right. Well, these flying fuzzballs are our daughters, Blazie and Skyler." Said Ash as he went over to them, giving them both a small nuzzle on their foreheads.

Both Humans looked at them. Blazie had a gray coat and blue eyes much like her dad. At the same time, she also had the same yellow-orange mane and tail style like her mom. Skyler on the other hoof had a bright yellow coat color and green eyes like her mom, though she also he had a smooth jet-black mane and tail like her dad. The girls then flew off of their Mom's back as they then looked up at the two Humans with amazement in their eyes.

Spitfire chuckled a bit. "Girls, I would like you to meet two new friends of ours. Blazie, Skyler, this is Daniel and Crystal. They're the ones from far away."

"Wow, you're really Humans!" Exclaimed Skyler.

"Are there more of you?" Asked Blazie.

"Whoa, one at a time!" Ash said as she turned to the Humans. "Sorry, they can get a bit excitable when meeting someone new."

"Oh, that's fine. I don't mind at all." Answered Crystal. "At this point, we're starting to get used to it."

Suddenly Ash thought of something. "Hey, since you guys are here, do you both want to meet my friends Smut and Kits?"

"Sure, I guess that's fine with us", replied Daniel.

"Thanks. I'll be a just minute." With that Ash then flew outside to get his friends.

Once he was gone, Spitfire then turned to Daniel and Crystal. "Okay, while my husband does that, do you want anything to drink?" Daniel asked what she had. "I have milk, water, juice, tea, orange soda, and cherry cola."

"Cola please", They both said in unison.

"Ok, and while I get that, you can take a seat on one of the couches if both of you want."

"Sure." With that, both Humans took their seats on one of the smaller couches.

As they waited for Spitfire to return from the kitchen, she came back with balancing their drinks on her back with Ash alongside her, and four other Pegasi. The first two to enter was a muscular stallion, though not as muscular as Ash. He was tan-coated with a sandy brown mane and tail, and had deep green eyes, with a Cutie-Mark that was a shovel with coal in it. Beside him was another Pony that was a lot younger than others; probably a teenager by the looks of it. He was a thin and sleek colt with a pearl white coat, and a muddy yellow mane and tail. He had soft green colored eyes, with a Cutie-Mark of golden angelic wings.

"Daniel, Crystal," Ash said, pointing to the strangers. "I would like to introduce you both to my best friend Smut, and his little brother Shining Wings."

"Hello there you two", Said Smut.

"Hi", Added in Shining. He offered up a hoof to them, and the Humans got out of their seats to give him a friendly hand/hoofshake.

The two Humans then turned to look at the other two stallions that had walked in. The first was a muscular Pegasus, although not as much as Smut. He was a blue coat with a dark midnight-blue mane and tail, and hazel brown eyes, along with an antique oil can for his Cutie-Mark. Next to him was a brown coated Pegasus, who was more toned and muscular than the blue Pony. He had a blonde mane and tail, along with sightly thicker fetlocks, and light blue eyes. His Cutie-Mark was a single barbell.

"And is my other best friend Kits," Ash pointed one of his forelegs over to the blue stallion, and pointed to the other with a wing. "And that's his husband, Dumbbell."

Daniel and Crystal blinked as they heard that last part, not saying anything for about a moment or so.

"Uh... is something the matter?" asked Kits.

"Oh, um... nothing. Just... never met someone who's gay before. " Replied Daniel.

The husbands blinked. Dumbbell raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

"Because we're from a small town in the middle of nowhere", Answered Crystal.

"Huh, well anyway," Dumbell told them, "It's nice to me you Daniel, and you as well Crystal."

Crystal then tilted her head a bit. "How do you know our names?"

Kits chuckled a bit. "Just about every mare and stallion west of the Lunar Beach does. It's kinda hard not to hear what's going on in Ponyville. You're one of the biggest pieces of news in the last couple of weeks, behind the war of course. Plus, word travels fast in Equestria. Heck, I wouldn't even be shocked if other lands haven't heard the news. I'll bet you that even the students of The Academy are talking about you two right now!"

Crystal look at Kits confusingly. "The Academy? What are you talking about?"

"Oh!" Kits slapped his forehead. "I keep forgetting you're not from around here. The Academy is a school in Shadona. It's one of, if not the top school out there. It's kinda like the School for Gifted Unicorns in a way. So if they're talking about you, then you know it's most likely big."

"Oh, okay. So should we sit back down or..."

"Oh sorry." Spitfire spoke up. "Yes, you can sit back down. Oh and here," she walked over to them, handing them two bottles of cherry cola.

Both of them said thanks for the cola, and took their seats. Ash and Spitfire then sat together on the big couch, along with Blazie and Skyler climbing up to join them. Meanwhile, Kits sat with his husband on the other small couch with Smut and Shining Wings.

Even though the ponies immediately engaged in their conversations; catching up with what they've been up to, and cracking jokes, it wasn't lost on Kits on how suddenly quiet the two Humans had become. Not only that, but he and his husband noticed the series of awkward glances from them; almost as if they had something on their minds, but were afraid of asking for the sake of being polite. Eventually, Kits leaned forward. "So what do ya wanna know?"

"Huh?" both Humans responded as if they realized that they were lost in thought.

"Look, I get it that you probably don't know a lot about Ponies like... well... us." He waved a hoof towards his husband. "And don't think that we're too delicate, or overly sensitive either. Trust us, we have tougher skins than ya think. Chances are, whatever is going on inside your heads we've probably heard before at least once. So c'mon, what's on your minds?"

"How exactly does it work?" blurted out Daniel.

"You mean the whole attraction thing or...?" Dumbbell asked.

Both of them nodded. "Tell us. Are either of you driven towards acting like the opposite sex at least once?"

"Yeah", They said in unison.

"Okay, why?"

"Maybe to really oversimplify things," Kits answered, "I guess it works just like any other relationship. That there's an emotional connection and we just... click. We just live out our normal lives as any other normal couple would. And if one of us feels like being the mare that day, then the other just rolls with it."

"What about kids?" Crystal asked. "Do you have one already, or are you both waiting for that?"

"Actually, we already are raising foals." Dumbbell informed them. "Two wonderful colts, in fact. Spring Growth and Tidal Wave are their names. We adopted them about a year ago, and we've never once regretted it. They are such good sons, so the answer is yes. We already do."

"Oh, that's nice. Let's see, when did you first meet each other?"

"We met by chance in a bar one night here in Cloudsdale a few years ago." Kits told them. "At the time, I'd just gotten off work on the 4014, and Dumbbell had just gotten off work too. We became fast friends after that at first, you know? Then after a while, our relationship developed from there into what it is now."

"Okay, well that's nice." Said Daniel before he took a large gulp of his drink. "I do have one more question, but..."

Kits raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Is something wrong Daniel?"

"Nothing is wrong.........just.....there are a few things I'm curious about that's uh..." He then pointed towards Blazie and Skyler. "Not safe for foals." He said whispering that to Kits, making sure the two fillies didn't hear him.

"Oh", Kits blinked. "Well... we can go into the kitchen, and you can ask us out of earshot if you want."

After Daniel thanked them, the three got up from the couch and made their way into the kitchen.

The kitchen itself was a bit bigger than average. The cabinets and covers were a light blue color, and the countertops where dark white in color. The sink was at the moment empty, while the fridge and the dishwasher also silent. The table was wood-brown in color with a bowl of fruit on it, and the chairs were also the same wood brown color. The walls also held some photos, mostly of Ash, Spitfire, their two daughters, and their friends and family members. The blue and brown stallions then turned to the teenager.

"Okay, it's just us now." Kits told him. "We're all alone in here, and I'm sure that nopony can hear us. So what's your question?"

"Do you and Dumbbell get uh..." Daniel asked awkwardly. He hesitated for a moment in trying to figure out how to ask his question. "You know what, I can't think of any other way to not say this bluntly but... as gays, do you guys get hard when you see your own dicks?" Both stallions' eyes went wide. "Sorry! One of my classmates, Milene, told me about that, and I had no idea if that was true or not."

Both stallions dropped to the floor, almost laughing their flanks off.

"Kid!" Dumbbell said between breaths, "That is the funniest damn thing I've ever heard! Give me a minute..." After the laughter had died down, he was able to answer. "In short, not really. I don't get hard just by looking between my legs; just his." He explained as he then nuzzled his blushing husband.

"Okay..."

Kits cleared his throat. "So are there any other raunchy questions that you've got?"

"Not exactly just... It's still weird for me. I mean, if I didn't know either of you were gay, I never would have guessed it."

"What do you mean?"

"Like......well, where I come from, I thought gays were these overly feminine guys that talk annoyingly, were covered in glitter, and were obsessed with blowing anything that has a dick in sight. That they were these girly-weirdos that were obsessed with theater, and artsy stuff. But looking at you guys... in the way that you talk and act, you two seem so... normal. Kinda the opposite of what I think of what gays are."

Dumbbell shrugged. "To be fair, we have run into a few Ponies that are like that. But that's not us. Just because we happened to like stallions doesn't mean that we can't be ourselves, ya know? We're not trying to be that different from what are friends are, nor are we interested in putting up an act. Sure, we don't consider ourselves 'girly' by any means, and why should we? We know who we are and what we're into. Just because we're gay doesn't mean that we have to be over the top flamboyant all the time."

"Oh... okay. Well thanks for answering my questions guys." He said before drinking what was left of his cherry cola.

"Hey, your welcome Daniel," said Kits. "And don't be afraid to ask us about anything else."

He nodded. "Okay, so let me throw this away and I'll meet you guys in the living room."

"Okay, well let's go then," replied Kits.

While Daniel threw away his empty soda bottle, Kits and Dumbbell made there way back to the living room, with Daniel soon following behind them.

Back in the living room, they sat back in where they had originally sat. As they did, Crystal turned to Smut and Shining Wings.

"So Smut, do you have anyone special?" she questioned.

Smut shook his head. "Not really. It's just me and my little brother. It's not a problem, really."

"Oh, so do you two have any family?" She asked.

"A mom and step-dad, however....." When he said that both Crystal and Daniel could see a flash of anger in his voice, and Shining Wings wincing a bit at what he said. "Let's just say......there's a reason why I applied for guardianship at twenty-two. Our parents were anything but nice."

"Oh wow... Well, I'm glad that you both are alright." Crystal responded.

"Yeah, both of us are too. It's been about three years or so since then."

She then turned to Ash and Kits. "So what about you two, do you guys have any family?"

Ash spoke first. "Yes I do. I still got my Dad, Fire Shield, along with mom, Book Heart. I also have an older brother named June Bug, and a younger brother named Gears. Dad is a weather-Pony over in Ponyville, and my mom works as a special needs tutor in Ponyville. As for my brothers, June's a buckball teacher for the elementary school in Ponyville, while Gears works as a repair stallion in Canterlot that works on steam engines."

"Oh wow that's impressive. Is your family all Pegasi like you Ash?" asked Daniel.

He shook his head. "No, not all of them are. My Dad is, however my Mom is an Earth-Pony, along with June Bug. Gears on the other hoof is a Unicorn."

Daniel looked at Ash with a confused look. "So how come Gears is a Unicorn while your parents are a Pegasus and an Earth-Pony?"

"Its because although my Dad has only Pegasi on his side, Mom has both Earth-Pony and Unicorn on her side of the family. That's how I'm a Pegasus like my Dad, while they aren't."

"I see." Crystal pondered. "So what is work like working on 4014 for the three of you?"

"Well let's see here." Ash reclined in his seat. "We all get up at around six in the morning, and get ready for work while getting our kids (or brother in Smut's case) ready for school. Which I'll admit some days are better then others with getting them fed and clean, you know? Once we're all ready to leave, we then say goodbye to our families, and then fly off to Canterlot Roundhouse at around 7:30. Once there, we do our daily stuff; this includes filling our engine up with fresh coal, filling the tender with water, cleaning out the firebox, and lighting a fire in the cleaned firebox. Once that's all out of the way, we then roll 4014 out of the roundhouse. The cars that we take are about 150, to around 170-190 cars, with us being tasked to carry up to 200 cars on some days. After collecting our cars from the Canterlot Staging Yards, we usually get out on the mainline by 8:10 or 8:15, depending on what was going on that day. Our route is from Canterlot to Green Rose and back."

"Green Rose? Where on Earth is that Ash?" asked Daniel confusedly.

"Green Rose is the biggest staging yard within a thousand miles. Our job is to take the long trains up to Green Rose so they can be split up with other trains, and be sent elsewhere. After we give our 4014 some more coal and water, we're ready to take another long train back to the Canterlot Staging Yards, and then once we're back in Canterlot, we drop off whatever we carried over to the Staging Yard. After several back and forth trips, we make our last trip of the day back to Canterlot, and once we've dropped off the last cars, we get 4014 into her shed, and put out her fire. Then, once the engine is finally all shut down, then it's a clear flight back to Cloudsdale, and to our families."

"Wow, that's impressive Ash." Daniel commented. "So what do the three the do for the massive engine? Or rather, what are your positions?"

Smut answered that. "Well, in case you guys forgot, Ash works as the engineer, and I'm the firepony for the 4014, while Kits over here works as the brakepony."

"Yeah," added Kits with delight in his voice. "It hard work at times, but I wouldn't want any other type of job!"

Then Daniel turned to Spitfire. She was nuzzling both Blazie and Skyler's foreheads, the girls giggling a bit as their Mom nuzzled them.

"Hey Spitfire, can I ask you something?"

Spitfire raised her head when she heard her name, looking towards him. "Yes, what is it?"

"What's it like being the Captain of the Wonderbolts? Since I asked Ash about his job, it's only fair I ask you the same question. So what is it like?"

Spitfire thought about it for a few moments before answering with, "Well I wouldn't have any other job. I love the Ponies that I work with, and it does also help when I work with them, since being a Wonderbolt means that you need to have the ability to work as a team. I also love the aerial performances, tas o me at least, it gives you a sense of freedom that is like no other. However, I do need to take it easy nowadays, due to this little guy." Spitfire happily murmured the last part as she rubbed her pregnant belly.

"Okay, that's nice." He then thought of something. "Do you have any other family as well? I mean Crystal did tell me that you have a Mom, but what about a dad, or any siblings?"

Spitfire said nothing. The silences grew to the point that even Blazie and Skyler could see that the atmosphere had changed. Soon though, after what had felt like five minutes, the yellow mare sighed. "Well, I did have a Dad, Phoenix Spirit, but unfortunately Daniel..." She then paused. She looked over to Ash before wrapping her hoof together with Ash's, and then continuing about her Dad. "He was quite the Pony, and an even a greater father. I loved him so much, as did my mom, Stormy Flare. However that all changed when I was eleven."

"W-what happened?" Asked Crystal in a worrisome tone.

Spitfire tightened her grip on her husband's hoof as she continued to her story. "It started off as a simple day. I had gotten out of school and had just gotten home. That's when my mom came running up to me, just hugging me and saying 'It's okay Spitfire,' over and over again while I didn't know what she was talking about." She explained, going silent for a moment.

"What happened after that?"

"Well... after she stopped crying, she explained to me that we need to go to the hospital because my Dad was sick. Of course, as a young filly, I was worried, if not scared at the fact that my Dad was in the hospital; who wouldn't be in that situation? We then went to the Cloudsdale Medical Hospital, and once we met up with the staff, they took us up to him. When I did saw him......I won't lie in saying that I wasn't upset. Here was my father, in the hospital for something that I didn't know why. I asked my Mom what was wrong, and she hesitated for a bit before explaining as gently as possible that he had cancer.

Of course, this came as a horrifying surprise. She explained to me that my Dad had an aggressive type of cancer. Apparently, he got it just a bit after I was born, and for a while, he thought that he had beaten it by the time I was eighteen months old, though growing up, I was completely unaware of this. I thought that this was just going to be a simple treatment, and that this cancer thing would go away just like it did years ago, and after that, we would be all be happy again. Looking back, I think he kept it hidden from me just so I wouldn't have to worry. Unfortunately, things soon turned downwards very quickly.

At first, he looked to be winning the battle. He looked just like he did before the cancer resurfaced. And for a while, I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to make out of this okay. Unfortunately for us though, this was not what happened. The cancer suddenly became even more aggressive and more destructive. My dad did put up a great fight; he really did, but it wasn't enough. Pretty soon, the cancer became terminal, and his time left to live was very short."

"Oh my goodness..." Uttered Crystal.

"Yeah......he died not too long after that. It was hard for the longest time. I'm not gonna lie in saying that there were no difficult days. But hey, he's in a much better place now, and will never be sad again." She told Crystal, trying to keep up a believable, happy expression. "And knowing Dad, I don't think that he would want me to be depressed forever. Of course, I still miss him, but at the same time, I'm aware that many Ponies are counting on me. My teammates, Ash, my daughters; they need me still, and I still need them too."

Blazie and Skyler seemed to sense their mom's sadness, and they tried to nuzzle their mom's side. Spitfire had a genuine smile as she returned with a nuzzle, and pull them into a hug. "Mommy loves you too Girls."

"Aww, that's so adorable Spitfire." Exclaimed Crystal. "You have such a great family. I wish that I could have a family like this too, if it ever happens."

Spitfire looked up at her. "I have faith that you'll find someone Crystal."

"Thanks Spitfire. Well, I did kinda have more questions that wanted to ask you and Ash before we have to go back home."

Ash noded. "Of course, what's on the mind?"

"Mmm... Let's see here....... " As time passes on, the two Humans soon asked all the Ponies in the room at least ten questions each. Eventually however, there was a knock on the front door. It was Rainbow Dash, and she was finished with whatever she had to do with the Wonderbolts, and was back to get them.

"Ah, well guess it's time to go." Daniel proclaimed, a bit disappointed that he and Crystal had to go back home. " I did have fun with you all today. I hope we can hang out again. " He said as he got up.

"Yeah, we did too, I hope you guys will have a great rest of the day." Said Spitfire as the Humans left for the hot air balloon with Rainbow Dash.

As they walked back to the hot air balloon, Rainbow decided to ask them how it went with hanging out with them all, along with how it felt getting out of Ponyville again. Both responded that it was nice getting out and getting to see their friends again after so long. They all laughed as they finally arrived back in Ponyville. The Humans started to wonder what might happen in the future, and if they were ready for whatever this world would throw at them.

Author's Note

Well here's Chapter 4 of War and Loved.

I'm sorry that it took so long for this to be finished. I had burn out for the longest time, however my friend helped me get through this burn out. I hope you enjoy this a lot.

And I would like to say thank you to ScarFox9700 for proofreading this whole thing for me, I'm so grateful that he did.

See all in the next chapter folks!