As we approached the art center, Atmospheric felt a growing sense of childhood innocence. It invaded every facet of her being right down to her core. With her free hand, she gripped the outer layer of my jacket.

The exterior of the building was fairly unexceptional. It was mostly made up of brick and glass with some metal plating. On the far left side, there were two garage doors. I found myself wondering what the place was used for before the art community bought it out. Fluttershy was immediately enamored.

"Guess we should go inside." I muttered.

"Before we do, I have to ask you something." Atmospheric spoke.

"Anything."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do: with all I am."

"I can feel familiar life forces. If they recognize you, it's almost guaranteed they'll ask who I am. I want you to let me respond."

I thought it a strange request, but I didn't question it. I simply nodded. The nine of us entered in unison.

Just as Atmospheric predicted, it didn't take long to stumble across someone who knew me. She was an elderly woman who had paid me for work a few times in the past. She had always been kind to me when we saw each other.

"Kyle!? Oh, my gosh! It's so good to see you!"

"Hey, Ms. Nancy." I replied.

"How are your mom and sister doin'?"

"Pretty good."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear it."

Nancy noticed Atmospheric clinging to my arm.

"And who is this lovely young lady?"

What followed changed my world. Atmospheric held up her hand. On her finger rested a ring made of gold.

"I'm his fiancé."

"Oh, my goodness! I had no idea you were engaged! Congratulations!"

"Neither did I." I thought to myself.

Atmospheric smiled at me. I felt her gaze sear through my soul. Was she searching for hesitation? Displeasure? If so...There was none to be found.

"Um...Thank you." I finally managed to vocalize.

"How long have y'all been together?"

"Eight years." Atmospheric answered.

"I never knew he had a girlfriend."

"Our relationship was complicated for a while because I kept having to move around, but things are more stable now."

"Well, God bless y'all."

"He has in many ways already."

"Your costume is absolutely gorgeous by the way."

Atmospheric smiled one more time. Nancy strolled away to mingle with the rest of the crowd.

"What just happened?" I questioned in confusion.

"You brought me here because you envisioned a future with me, did you not?"

"I mean, yeah...I just wasn't expecting it to be so seamless."

"I remember him...The child you comforted when his parents were divorcing..."

"...I never realized how isolating it was...Not until he told me..."

"That was the moment I knew you would be a good father. That's what you want, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Your heart is vast. You have so much love to give, yet no one to give it to..."

"That's not true...Not anymore."

"Say the word, and I'll become your fallen angel..."

"Soon. I just need a little more time to think..."

"We have all the time in the world."

We embraced each other. For the first time in my twenty-three years on this earth, I shed tears not of sorrow, but of joy. For the next hour, we did nothing. We simply stood there, holding each other tightly...

When we returned home, Atmospheric revealed the ring to the others. She also revealed it wasn't an engagement ring, but a genuine marriage band. None of them could find the words to say, and ultimately decided they didn't need to. There was no reason they could think of to protest, so they accepted it and moved on. Sunset did bring up an interesting point, however.

"Aren't both partners supposed to have them? What about Kyle's?"

"I'm giving him mine," Atmospheric told her, "He's going to forge one for me."

"What is this? Lord of the Rings?" Rainbow joked.

"I think it's a sweet gesture," Rarity countered, "It's much more personal that way."

"I agree." Applejack said.

"True." Rainbow conceded.

"Hey, you should play her that song you've been writing!" Pinkie suggested.

"You've been writing something for me?" Atmospheric inquired.

"It's nothing fancy. Just an instrumental piece I wrote in standard tuning." I replied.

"I want to hear it."

"Come on. Let's head upstairs."

I took her hand and led her into the house. The others followed behind.

The song consisted of melodic arpeggios and chords. It went on for four minutes: the average length for most styles of music. When it was over, we marathoned the Shining series. We started with Kubric's adaptation before moving on to King's remake. We finished off with the sequel film, Doctor Sleep. The sun was already rising by the time the credits rolled. The girls said their goodbyes and left for the morning. It wouldn't be too long before Atmospheric saw them again.

Author's Note