1/18
A while has passed since I’ve had both the time and the urge to write one of these. I’ve become a familiar and welcome sight in Ponyville. Hands are downright wonderful if the problem is mechanical in nature and I like solving problems. I’ve started a number of volumes on Human history and philosophy but fleshing them out is going to take years. Not only have I sketched out some pretty big outlines, I have a very full life in Ponyville.

Big Mac and I are best buds after I spent most of the harvest on the farm with him. He can work harder but I can work longer and after our little competitions both the farm and my physique are in tip top shape. I made some new memories too. Sitting in a tractor looking out across kilometers of tall green corn and thinking ‘I did that’ is nice but so is standing in the middle of a field feeling the sun on my face and the life all around me reaching up for it. The latter is smaller but it’s more personal and I think I like it better.

But after harvest blended into holiday I became a little depressed and mostly kept to myself. Next year I want to embrace the Pony traditions but right now the too close parallels bring up feelings of loss and loved ones left behind. My friends have been kind and understanding but this is something that only time will heal.

Meanwhile, the new year has begun and familiar routines are re-asserting themselves. Twilight has been gone for two days. All she told me was that Celestia needed help with something and she would be back when it was done. Spike and I were to keep the library open and not to make any big messes. So I decided that it was time to make some progress on my number one project, finding my magic.

I knew I had it because I could feel it and the doctor could measure it. But until I could see it and manipulate it, it’s useless to me. Most of the books start with techniques to use magic because young Unicorns just grow up with it. The very few that mentioned adults having to find and learn their magic are directed at Ponies recovering from serious injury and having to relearn everything from scratch. That’s pretty close to me but I’m not exactly a Pony.

Those damned books did agree that deep meditation is required but every one of them had a different way to get there. I didn’t know which was right so I chose them all. Meaning that I sat down in the morning and swore that I wasn’t getting up until I had tried every single meditation technique or found my magic, whichever came first. By mid afternoon my eyes were crossed and my head was throbbing but had this feeling that I was getting close.

A break was in order so I settled back with eyes closed to practice one of my relaxation techniques, visualizing a calm outdoor scene. A beautiful lake appeared, shining silver in the setting sun. I was trying to remember where I had seen that lake when I realized that there were no shadows. The sun should have cast shadows but not only was there nothing to be shadowed, there was no sun. Yet it felt like I was there and I could move around the lake. I experimented, dipping my hand in the water. It wasn’t water, it was thick and viscous like mercury but had no weight at all. Most interesting, it wouldn’t flow out of my hand, instead it just laid there like a solid.

Then it was decision time, was this the wildest hallucination I’ve ever had or have I found my magic? Playing with it, I gained some skill at manipulation. I could call droplets to me or massive globs with equal ease. Threads and geysers were also possible. While I was balancing a small glob in front of my eyes, studying it, my headache hit me full force. Maybe I was working ‘muscles’ that have never been worked before.

But I had an idea. Twilight said she could heal or recover strength with her magic. This was the test. I looked at the small glob and concentrated on making my head stop hurting. Damned if it didn’t work! I’d found my magic. In the interest of ‘don’t make a big mess’, I needed to go outdoors to try some spells. But, ouch! When I stood up everything hurt. I guess I should have expected to be a little stiff after literally sitting cross legged on a beanbag all day. Never fear, I had the solution. I took another glob of magic and made my muscles feel good. Of course I was still tired and hungry so what the hell, let’s fix it all. I took a bigger gob and decided that I wanted everything perfect and functioning at peak efficiency. I wanted to feel as good as I possibly could.

Wow! This could replace sex. I felt good and my mind was suddenly clear on several things that had puzzled me. After some minutes of introspection my euphoria was interrupted by the opening of the front door.

“Hey, everypony! I’m home,” Twilight shouted.

Wonderful. This is exactly what I wanted, “Hello, Twilight. I’m so happy I can’t stand myself.”

Twilight walked over and examined me curiously, “You certainly look happy. What’s the occasion?”

I grabbed Twilight in a hug and explained, “I found it! I found it and I used it and now the mare I love is here to help me celebrate. Things couldn’t be more perfect!”

Lifting Twilight a little higher, I leaned in and kissed her square on the lips. She wiggled for a few seconds then grabbed on to me and pulled herself in for a deeper kiss. After a while I had to breathe so I set her back down.

Twilight took two deep breaths then looked me squarely in the eyes, “Don’t ever do that in public. Ever!”

Feeling hurt, I asked, “Are you ashamed of me?”

Twilight smiled and replied, “Not at all but the guards will freak and you might get hurt.”

Okay! Back to full happiness. She didn’t say I couldn’t kiss her in private.

Twilight looked at me intently. Her horn lit and she studied me closely. She nodded her head and grimaced at me, “You just had to do it, didn’t you. Well, what we’re going to do right now is put your foolish butt to bed. In the morning you and I are going to have a long serious talk.”

Feeling worried, I asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

Twilight grinned at me and replied, “No, not yet, but you did do something dangerous and in the morning, when you are sober, we are going to make sure you don’t repeat that mistake. Now come on, up the stairs.”

Well, Twilight seemed genuinely concerned and she is the expert so I trotted obediently up the stairs and into my room. Twilight supervised while I pulled off shoes and shirt and crawled into my bed. “Now what?” I asked. Twilight’s horn lit . . .

1/19
And suddenly it was morning. There was a delicious smell in the air so I grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the shower. When I made it to the kitchen, Twilight was sitting at the table reading a newspaper but my attention went to the plate of pancakes sitting across the table from her. I looked around then asked, “Where’s Spike?”

From behind her paper, Twilight replied, “He’s gone to spend the day helping Rarity with her inventory. There’s rain scheduled for midday so we should have plenty of privacy to get some things settled. Just eat your pancakes and when I can have your undivided attention, we’ll begin.”

I tried to make my pancakes last a while because the authoritarian Twilight was a little scary but they were just too good and my stomach was just too empty.

Twilight carefully folded her paper and spoke to me, “Jack, remind me tomorrow that Quills and Sofas has a sale going on and we need to stock up.”

Putting on my best goofy smile, I asked, “We’re running out of sofas?”

And that earned me a disgusted glare. “Jack, you’re not getting out of any of this. It’s too important, so please help me out here.”

I bowed my head, “I’m sorry, Twilight. I just get nervous when you put on your Princess business hat because there are so many things I haven’t learned yet and I worry about what I’ve done to offend you.”

Shaking her head, Twilight spoke softly, “I’m not offended at all, I’m proud. You’re taking your first steps into a very large and dangerous world. You just need to understand some things before somepony gets hurt.” Speaking up, she continued, “Let’s start with the basics. Can you find your magic again? What does it look like?”

I had an easy answer but I’m not sure it made sense, “I don’t have to find it, it’s always right there just at the edge of sight. Now, I wonder how I haven’t been seeing it all along. When I concentrate on it, it looks like a big silver lake.”

That brought Twilight to full attention, “Jack, just how big is this ‘lake’?”

Extra thought was required there so I took a minute, then, “It’s hard to put a size on something that doesn’t seem to have a material existence but comparing it to myself, I’d say it’s more than a hundred meters across and I get the feeling it’s that deep too.”

Twilight sharpened her focus, “How about when you manipulate your magic, does it come whenever called or do you have to visualize it and wait?”

That was an easy one, “I just want it and it’s there. It feels like it’s always been there and I’ve always been able to use it but I forgot to turn it on.”

“That’s very interesting, Jack. A Unicorn has to visualize his magic and wait for it to come to him. We call it ‘charging the horn’. He can get practiced enough to do it very quickly but he never gets to skip a step. He also has anywhere from a puddle to a small pond. You are therefore officially not a Unicorn,” Twilight pronounced.

I simply couldn’t resist, “Well shucks, we knew that. Now, what am I?”

Regarding me calmly, Twilight explained, “By your own statement, Humans can’t have magic. You have magic. Maybe you’re a new kind of Human, or something Equestrian who thinks he is a Human. The fun is going to be finding out.

“Meanwhile, you need to pay close attention and learn some basic safety. You are coming into magic with full adult strength and that makes you dangerous. Equestrian magic users learn these rules as foals before they have enough strength to do more than break dishes. You could destroy buildings or friends.”

She had my attention then and proceeded to detail the importance of clear target selection and goal definition. I got a lot of advice and suggestions and then I got the riot act. It seems that what I did yesterday was called ‘magic intoxication’ and I was never to do it again.

“It’s not so much that you do immediate harm to yourself though it does affect both judgment and inhibitions, it’s most dangerous when you become dependent on it. Luckily, very few Ponies have enough magic to become addicted but you might, so be careful,” Twilight elucidated.

We poured information into my brain until lunch time. A pizza was the consensus but guess what, it was raining. Spaghetti came in second and it was good until it was time to buckle back down.

I had a request, “Hey, can we move this to the couch? All my intense verticality is needing release. I want to stretch out a little.”

Twilight nodded so I parked myself on the end of the couch and stretched my legs out across the floor. Twilight surprised me and sat down beside me.

“What’s this,” I grinned and asked, “hands on magic lessons?”

She grinned back and replied, “No more magic today. Now we’re going to talk about the other thing you did yesterday.”

Confusion abounded, “What else did I do besides magic?” and Twilight just smiled at me. Oh yeah, “You mean . . . while I was acting silly? You can’t blame me for that. I was intoxicated, you said so.”

Then I turned and looked directly into those big violet eyes and saw the background of pleading in them. Life was suddenly very real. I considered my soul carefully for several minutes before coming to a decision.

Turning to face Twilight squarely, I said, “You want to know exactly what I meant and how serious I am.”

I was rewarded by a slow nod.

I took a deep breath and began, “The best I can describe it is ‘in vino veritas’ though probably not the way you think. When I used my magic to feel good, that’s not all I did. I specified ‘best possible function’ in my goal and it worked. Things that had confused me suddenly made sense. Seemingly unrelated memories linked together into coherent patterns. And then a big revelation hit me. Twilight, I think of you as ‘the one I want to be with’.

“I have memory tags for every Pony I’ve met to help me remember important things about them like AJ the farmer or Rainbow the flier. Yours is ‘the one I want to be with’. I didn’t plan that so I was looking back trying to figure out where it came from. Thinking over things we have talked about, I realized that we have a lot in common, from being ahead of our classes in school to becoming recognized problem solvers. I like talking to you because you ask intelligent questions and give intelligent answers. We follow very similar logical paths when solving problems. And we both read for knowledge.

“So I drew up a mental list and checked the first box, yes we are intellectually compatible.

“Next I considered how much I enjoy being with you. Everything brightens a little when you walk in the room. I look for reasons to be with you like carrying the groceries or helping with research. And that’s when the second big revelation hit me, you have all the same tells. There’s this little smile when I walk into the room. You find me to invite me to go shopping with you or to ask me to help with research. And I know that Ponies fall in love, get married, and make families just like I’m used to.

“Check box two, yes we’re emotionally compatible.

“That’s when I hit a brick wall. The third box is social compatibility. I need to meet your family and friends outside of Ponyville. Humans have customs that guide them in things like that. I not only don’t know the Pony custom but you’re Royal too. And that’s when you walked in the door so I decided to just bare my soul and see what happened. You didn’t disappoint me.

“And you confirmed it for me just now. That’s why I got serious, I can see it in your eyes. You want this as much as I do, so tell me, what do I do to become the stallion that you want and need? What’s my next step?”

But Twilight wasn’t answering, she was crying. Pulling her against my chest, I let her rest her chin on my shoulder and tried to comfort her as she cried quietly. It must have taken thirty minutes or more but she finally calmed down.

In a quiet voice, “You can let me go now, Jack.”

Softly, I replied, “What if I don’t want to?”

The quiet voice returned, “I’ll turn you into a toad.”

Chuckling, I answered, “No you won’t. You’re too nice for that.”

Just to be on the safe side, I loosened my hold enough to let her pull back and face me.

Rubbing her withers and speaking softly, I tried to soothe Twilight, “I’m sorry I upset you, Darling. It was never my intent. Just tell me what I did wrong and I’ll never do it again.”

Dammit, she’s crying again. This time she crawled up in my lap and clung to me so I slouched a little to give her more room and just rubbed her withers and neck until she’d cried herself out. Her breathing became slow and regular and I realized that she’d fallen asleep. After what she’d just been through I was most certainly not going to wake her.

I dozed and drifted until I heard the front door. Spike was back so I waved at him and motioned for silence.

I whispered, “She’s had a really rough day so I don’t want to wake her. Just throw a blanket over us and we’ll see you in the morning.”

Spike nodded and whispered back, “Yeah, she didn’t sleep at all last night so she’s bound to be exhausted.”

Spike brought the blanket then turned out the lights and headed for his own bed. I closed my eyes but didn’t sleep right away, I had a new list of worries to sort.

1/20
When I opened my eyes, there was sun coming in through the window so it was morning. Both noise and movement had roused me. Spike was announcing breakfast by rattling pans and Twilight had been awakened too.

As she stared at me from about an inch in front of my nose, Twilight asked, “Jack, why are you in my bed?”

Smiling up, I replied, “I’m not in your bed, Twilight, I am your bed.”

She shook her head and looked around, “Oh. I must have fallen asleep.”

Softly, I said, “Yes you did and you looked so peaceful that I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.”

That earned me a long sensual cheekrub, “Thank you, Jack, thank you very much. I haven’t slept through the night like that in months.”

Noting the increased volume coming from the kitchen, I suggested, “Right now I think we had better get breakfast while there are some usable pans left.”

The blanket quickly lifted, folded, and flew itself up the stairs while Twilight and I scrambled for the kitchen. Waffles were waiting and we dove right in.

Pausing between plates, I reminded Twilight, “You know that we have a serious conversation to finish. Is there anything scheduled for today that would interfere?”

Spike jumped up, “Oh No. If you two are starting that again, I’m going back to Rarity’s,” and finished with a look of disgust.

I put on my best ‘mortally wounded’ face and asked, “Spike, whatever are you upset about?”

Spike continued, “Don’t give me that innocent garbage. I’ve caught both of you sneaking looks. I know what you’re up to.”

Looking shocked, Twilight asked, “What are you talking about, Spike?”

Spike swung on her and, “Just a few days ago Jack was studying a spell book at your desk. You walked in the door behind him and stood there for fifteen minutes just smiling and watching.” Swinging back to me, “And a few hours later Twilight was writing a report and you did exactly the same thing.”

Twilight had turned flaming red but not me, “And please tell me, Spike, what is wrong with admiring a beautiful mare?”

“AAAARRRRGGGG.” Spike growled at me, “Nothing if that was all you did but you want more.”

Smiling, I responded, “Of course I do, Spike. Just watch this.” Taking a deep breath, I launched, “Twilight Sparkle, I am and will always be your friend. Other circumstances may come and may go but that is forever.”

“Thank you, Jack. Do you consider me a close friend?” Twilight asked.

I had to think about that for a minute, “Yes. After living here with you, I can say that you are completely trustworthy so yes, you are welcome to whatever I can offer you.”

Twilight got up and walked around the table to hug and cheekrub me saying, “I’ve felt that, Jack, but it means a lot to me to hear you say it so unequivocally.”

And that was enough for Spike, “Have a nice day, I’m out of here. I’ll finish the dishes tonight.”

As Spike disappeared out the door, Twilight commented, “I am afraid that if we go through with this Spike will have a number of adjustments to make. Right now, we both need a shower so why don’t you go up and get started while I finish the dishes.”

After stopping by my room for clean clothes, I warmed the shower up and got in it. I was just getting fully soaped up when I heard the door and a few seconds later felt something soft against my leg.

With much confusion, “Twilight?”

And she answered, “Yes, Jack. This is your first advanced lesson in Pony social behavior, why Ponies are so social. It’s not just our herd instincts from ancient history, there are practical reasons and you’re about to help me with one of them.”

Twilight extended one of her wings out in front of me and I suddenly realized why Pony bathing facilities are so big. Wings take up a lot of room.

Twilight continued her lecture, “Wings have to be cared for with great diligence and it is very difficult for a Pony to do it by herself. You must always move from leading to trailing edges and from base to tip. That follows the natural ‘grain’ of the feathers, working against it will damage feathers and the only way to heal a feather is to replace it.

“My wings have a natural oil that repels water. Without it, flying into clouds would be a disaster. So use only soap that says ‘safe for wings’ and apply the soap first. Add a little water, lather, then rinse. I’ll take care of drying them myself.”

Yep, showering Twilight was a team effort. She lathered her body and mane and I lathered her wings and tail. It was really nice when she scrubbed my back too. Then we did a big dance around the shower to rinse. And she did dry her wings just like she said. After I turned the water off she gave one big shake and water was everywhere except on her wings. We did the rest of the drying with towels and I got dressed then we headed downstairs.

Twilight stretched out across one end of the couch and motioned for me to sit next to her. When I was settled, she stretched her wing out across my lap and instructed, “This is called preening. Remember base to tip and leading to trailing. Inspect every feather. Anything not a feather gets pulled. Loose feathers get pulled. Broken feathers get pulled. Out of place feathers get back in place or ask me.”

It took a little while but we got both wings done then Twilight stood and stretched them. Folding them back to her sides, Twilight sat down next to me and exclaimed, “Yes! That feels so much better. Thank you, Jack.”

Twilight snuggled against me and made me just as happy as she was but I had to ask, “What I don’t understand is why none of your Pony friends have been doing this for you.”

“Rainbow taught me how to preen and has helped me a few times, but,” she explained as a blush spread across her face, “among Pegasi preening is the second most intimate thing that Ponies can do together. I have bigger wings than any Pegasus but I’m not a stallion so it stresses Rainbow and I can’t disturb her just for my convenience.”

“And all of your other friends are mares too,” I nodded, “Now it makes sense to me. And since I’m an exclusive provider, I may have to negotiate for a better deal.”

A suddenly somber Twilight begged, “Please, Jack, don’t even joke about things like that.”

I spoke tenderly, “We’re getting close to the reason for the crying, aren’t we?” Twilight nodded and I continued, “Please talk to me about it, at the least I can share a little of the burden.”

I could see fear in Twilight’s eyes but she began her explanation, “I have to tell you because it concerns you and could even threaten your life. That’s why it scares me so, I could lose you.

“We’ve spoken about our youths and education but what is different for me is that it got worse as I advanced. My father is a civil servant and my mother is a working writer, both commoners, but they live in a house on the edge of the noble district of Canterlot. That meant that all of the Ponies I had to associate with in and out of school were nobles and they made it very clear that I wasn’t one of them. Then I became Princess Celestia’s personal student and suddenly I had a useful purpose, I could get them access to a Princess. Now I was worth lying to and manipulating.”

I heard the pain in her voice so I just pulled her against my chest and hugged her to me.

After a few minutes she resumed, “When Princess Celestia realized how bad it had become, she sent me to Ponyville with instructions to make friends. I did and things got a lot better but I also became an Element Bearer. That left me with a solid circle of friends and most of the rest of Equestria seeing me as a high risk proposition. Jack, I’ve risked my own life to save Equestria from total destruction. But you never know what I might be capable of if somepony makes me angry,” she finished with a sob.

My opinion of Ponies in general was dropping but I couldn’t let it show. Pulling Twilight against my chest again, I spoke softly, “I know what you’re capable of and I’m not worried at all.”

Twilight pushed back and, looking intently at me, asked, “Do you really know, Jack?”

Looking just as intently at her, I answer, “Yes, I do. Because the answer isn’t in your head or your horn, it’s in your heart.”

Twilight grabbed me and held on like her life depended on it while she cried quietly on my shoulder. I just stroked her mane and withers lightly and waited for it to pass.

After a little while Twilight spoke softly in my ear, “Damn you, Jack. You’re not making this any easier. Every time you open your mouth I see that much more that I have to lose.”

With a small chuckle, I replied, “You worry too much. You are going to be amazed how hard it is to lose me.”

Pushing back again, she asked, “You’re serious, aren’t you?” I nodded so she settled in beside me and started back with her narrative, “Alright, let me tell you what you’re up against. After I earned my wings, I became the most desirable mare in all of Equestria. Would you like to guess how many stallions have come calling?”

That seemed a strange question but I was game, “I’ve been worried about that. I don’t want to rush into things and commit some blunder that would cost me my chance with you but a stallion could show up any day and offer things that I can’t.”

Twilight gave a sour chuckle, “Now you’re the one worrying too much. You’re the first, Jack. In fact, you are the very first stallion outside of my immediate family to ever use that word around me.”

Confused, I asked, “What word?”

In a monotone, she answered, “Love. That’s not to say that there are no stallions that want me, there are forty odd young stallions and I don’t know how many older stallions among the noble families of Canterlot who are absolutely certain that I must pick one of them for my Prince Consort some day. They know that some spring, maybe not this one coming, but soon, the need will drive me to select one of them. All that stallion will have to do for the rest of his life is rut me once a year and he will enjoy all of the wealth, privilege, and political power of a Prince. All I get out of it, if I’m lucky, is a foal.

“I’ve turned down all who have approached me at the various social events in Canterlot and made my feelings clear so now they wait for the need to force me. Until yesterday I had resigned myself to a loveless political marriage and was just delaying the inevitable for as long as possible. That’s why I cried, Jack, you’ve restored a hope that I had thought long lost.”

Feeling sympathetic, I said, “I’ve always known that the Royal lifestyle wasn’t the bed of roses most believe but that is harsh. You deserve far better and maybe I can give it to you.”

Still somber, Twilight continued, “There’s still more you need to understand before you make any commitments. Those forty odd stallions in Canterlot are not going to just let you snatch their golden ticket right out from under their noses. They will harass, threaten, slander, challenge, and maybe even try to assassinate you. I would rather have you as a friend than not at all.”

Thinking out loud, I said, “Harass and threaten are just noise without value. For slander to work, I would have to care. Assassination is always possible but I won’t make it easy. That leaves a challenge. There must be some kind of rules to the challenge or Unicorns would own everything.”

Twilight bowed her head for a few seconds then looked up and answered, “Unicorns can only use magic against other Unicorns. Pegasi can only fly against other Pegasi. If anypony cheats Celestia will punish them.”

I was still thinking, “What about hands? Do they count as an advantage?”

Looking thoughtful, Twilight answered, “They don’t on Minotaurs and Griffin claws are close and accepted so I would say no.”

One more thought, “Is there any limitation on the kind of contest? Could I make it an intellectual challenge?”

“You can do anything the other stallion agrees to but most are going to insist on a physical skills contest like a duel,” Twilight explained.

“Okay, then I’ll just have to make sure he challenges me so in the worst case, I can force him into a wrestling match. Now, what else can I do for you?” I asked.

Twilight broke into a large smile, “You’re going to do it! Alright, I want you to sleep with me whenever I’m here. Last night was the best I’ve slept since I got these wings. You’re good for me and make me feel secure.”

I scratched my head then decided to just go for it, “Okay, but back to the first question, how do we check that box so we can move forward with this relationship?”

Twilight shifted back to lecture mode, “Now that you have some background, we can discuss that intelligently. We are going to date. We will go as a couple to visit my family and friends in Canterlot, we will be seen shopping and eating together in Ponyville and Canterlot, and we will go to social events as a couple.

“My family won’t be a problem, they trust my judgment. You will, of course, get the traditional warnings from my brother and father. My friends won’t be a problem because if they were the kind of Ponies to make problems they wouldn’t be my friends. Some of them may give you their own version of the traditional warning, though.

“Being seen on the streets of Canterlot will be a little tougher. There is a small but real chance that we will meet one of those forty odd stallions and he will do something stupid. But most of them are smart enough not to challenge a complete unknown on the streets. It’s certain that we will meet some of their relatives, mostly mares. They will be rude and worse because when a Pony gains status, their whole family rises with them. That means that you are interfering in their family ambitions.

“The big risk is at the social events. There will be multiple stallions there with their families and friends, all of whom will be egging them on to challenge you. All of them will be at their dirtiest trying to get you to challenge them first so calm and control are essential. Remember that when you are challenged, I cannot help you. You must prove yourself the better stallion by your own merits.”

I smiled at Twilight, “I have no problem with that. My goal is to be worthy of you and they are already proven not to be so I have to be better than any of them.”

Twilight leaned against me and hummed quietly as she rubbed her head against my chest.

“Take your shirt off,” she ordered.

I did and she rubbed herself on my chest and shoulders.

“Lean forward,” she instructed and when I did she rubbed her head on my back.

After several minutes of rubbing, “Okay, you can put your shirt back on.”

Shirt back in place, I stretched out on the couch and Twilight snuggled up against me with a distinctly feline digesting bird kind of smile.

That look kicked my curiosity into high gear, “Alright, that was fun and entertaining but just what was it?”

“We’re going on our first date in just a little bit and I want anypony we meet to know that’s what it is so I’ve marked you with my scent to tell them that you’re mine. Normally that would have been taken care of last night when we slept together but you were wearing clothes,” Twilight explained.

That made sense so I started rubbing my head up and down Twilight’s neck and shoulders. Twilight promptly broke down in uncontrollable giggles.

“Hey, I want them to know that you’re mine too,” I retorted.

And then my brain finally engaged, “Uh, Twilight, I understand that the whole point of this is to tell everypony about us but I think we need to tell a few specific Ponies first, like Rarity. We’re going to need matching outfits. And should we warn Celestia? She’ll be annoyed if I show up in Her Court for fighting with one of those forty and it’s the first She hears about us.”

Twilight was thoughtful for a minute then, “No, She would be sad. If she picked up Her morning paper and saw us on the front page She would be mad. We do need to tell Her first so we’ll draft a letter then go to Rarity’s to have Spike send it. We can discuss clothes while we wait for a reply.”

Official Notice:

This will be your only notice that Twilight and Jack have decided to pursue a relationship and are Dating.
Pursuant to Custom we will be attending the GGG as a couple. Please prepare for Drama.

Signed, Jack

“Jack! What are you trying to do?” Twilight huffed. “Have you been playing with magic again?”

“Hey, She’s going to have to make a few adjustments too. Besides, my mama told me that if you can’t be anything else, be funny. That way they’re more likely to forgive you,” I explained.

Twilight sealed the letter and we headed out for Rarity’s. Spike sent the letter then we divided our forces. Twilight and Rarity discussed clothes while I took Spike into the kitchen to break the news to him.

“Want some tea? I could put some together in a few minutes,” Spike asked as I got comfortable at the table.

After a brief thought, “No, we’re on Twilight’s schedule and I don’t know how soon she’ll want to leave.

“What I really want to do is tell you what was in that letter. It was to inform Princess Celestia that Twilight and I are dating now.”

Spike sputtered, “I. . . I. . . I knew it!”

“Calmly, Spike. This is just one of those things that adults do. Look at the Cakes,” I suggested.

But Spike became even more excited, gasping, “Twilight is in foal?!?!” and waving his claw at me.

I chuckled, “No, Spike. Foals are years in the future if ever. Right now we are cautiously exploring the possibilities. Now I’m really glad I didn’t take the tea because you don’t have anything hot to throw at me,” I joked.

Spike glared at me and answered dryly, “Jack, I’m a Dragon. I always have something hot to throw at you.”

I was planning to laugh at that but Spike’s chest started swelling and his cheeks began to puff out. When his mouth opened, I dove under the table. There was a bright flash and a small roar then Twilight and Rarity came hurrying into the room. I cautiously peered over the edge of the table and beheld Spike calmly reading a letter.

“Out loud, Spike, out loud,” Twilight exclaimed. “The rest of us want to know too.”

Spike obliged, “One side is signed by Jack and I’m guessing is the letter I sent earlier. The other side says, ‘Thank you very much for the timely warning. Massive quantities of popcorn and facial tissue have been commissioned. Your expectant audience, H.R.M. Celestia’.”

The mares went back to their huddle and I resumed my mission with Spike, “Spike, the part I really came here to talk about is that I am going to be sleeping with Twilight. We’re going to move the big bed into Twilight’s room after lunch. That makes my room available if you want it. I can easily have all my stuff out before you get home then you and I can move your stuff in tonight.”

I very carefully did not mention that if he stayed where he was, in a basket next to Twilight's bed, he was going to be listening to me and Twilight being affectionate for hours some nights. I really didn’t want to sound like I was throwing him out but I think we would all be way more comfortable if he took the opportunity.

Spike was looking a little shocked so I sweetened the deal, “I’d look at it as a step towards adulthood, your very own room.”

That did it. His eyes lit up and a smile stretched his face as he contemplated a whole room of his very own.

Twilight walked in and remarked, “Spike certainly looks happy. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes and yes. Every young male in existence dreams of his own cave/den. And I’m hungry,” I answered

For lunch we went to Mad Pizza (‘We’ll put anything on a pizza.’) and I ordered the Mad Veggie (without peppers). Twilight decided on the Flower Special and we settled on a quiet table in the back. I did notice a couple of double takes and a bro poke when we sat on the same side of the table but nothing too dramatic.

We were leaning on each other and being quietly giddy when everypony’s favorite poly-chromatic Pegasus walked in. She waved at us and turned towards the counter to order. She almost made it too. Two steps short of her destination, she made a sudden right turn and came straight to us.

Stopping across the table, a very disturbed Rainbow Dash asked, “Twilight, what’s going on?”

Twilight smiled shyly at Rainbow and said, “It’s a date.”

Rainbow’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Instead she pointed back and forth between me and Twilight with a wingtip. Twilight just grinned and nodded her head.

I suggested, “Why don’t you go order your pizza. We’ll still be dating when you get back.”

Rainbow took my advice and, as luck would have it, got back to the table about ten seconds after our pizzas. After nearly a minute of her staring at my pizza and licking her lips, I asked, “What kind of pizza did you order?”

Rainbow answered, “My personal special. It’s all beans and grains for protein and carbs.”

“Okay, that’ll work. You can have half of my pizza if I can have half of yours.” And when I looked down, half of my pizza was missing.

With the edge taken off her hunger, Rainbow fell back to her first fascination, “So, uh, Twilight, you and Jack, I mean, really and truly, you’re dating?”

Twilight just smiled broadly and nodded.

Rainbow peered intently across the table at Twilight, “You’re serious?”

Twilight nodded again and continued trying to eat her pizza. I felt sympathy for Twilight and maybe a touch of spite towards Rainbow so, “Rainbow, we’re as serious as it gets.”

Rainbow leaned on the table and brought her full attention to bear on me, “And just how serious is that?”

I worked at looking thoughtful, “Well, you know that there’s never been a Pony/Human coupling before? And one of us is a Princess too. So we’re having to take careful steps and document everything for Princess Celestia.”

Rainbow seemed disappointed, “So this is your first step?”

Hooked! I began reeling her in, “Oh no. We’ve been working at this for a little bit. There have been some long talks and a little fun. We just came from ordering matching clothes.”

Rainbow crept closer and activated sly mode, “You say a little fun, what kind of fun?”

Nonchalantly, I replied, “Oh, we cuddle a lot and have slept together. This morning we preened. I have to admit that I really like wings.”

That seemed to excite Rainbow but she was on a scent, “So, are you thinking about something permanent?”

“Look,” I explained, “It’s one step at a time. We’ve proven that Ponies and Humans can co-exist, co-operate, and are in the final stages of cohabitate.” Twilight had vanished but I had an idea where to by the choking sounds coming from under the table. I continued, “Tonight we are going to put our mattresses together so we have plenty of room when we cop . . . What’s that, Twilight?”

I leaned over and winked at Twilight sitting on the floor with her hooves stuffed in her mouth, “You say to invite Rainbow? Okay.”

Straightening up, I found Rainbow stretched across the table with her wings fluffed and vibrating, “Twilight says you should join us tonight. I think you should too. Your wings are a mess and we could do them for you while we are all stretched out on the mattress.” But I was talking to a chromatic afterimage leading out the door and up into the skies.

Leaning over, “It’s safe to come out now. Rainbow has left the building,” and I pulled Twilight back up to the seat beside me. “I know you said Rainbow was ticklish about her wings but I didn’t think it would be that big a deal if we teamed up on her as a social break from copying and collating our notes.”

For some reason the two Pegasi at the next table over (they’d been the bro-poke when we came in) were suddenly rolling on the floor laughing.

I've negotiated a drawer in Twilight's desk and am writing this up in the bedroom while she writes her report to Celestia downstairs. It's starting to hit me just how many big steps I've taken this week. So much has happened that I’ve had to work to get it all down before I forget something. I found my magic! I can’t do much but look at it but that is a step. And I think I’m in love! With a Pony, of course, but I don’t care. It’s the gentle soul and powerful intellect that attract me. Best of all, I’m pretty sure she loves me too! But I’m still adjusting to Pony ways. We’ve been physically intimate and haven’t even thought of sex. The prospect of spending this night in bed with Twilight fills me with a drive to keep her safe and comfortable though there may some explanation needed in the morning.

Author's Note

This will be the last update for a few weeks. I have multiple high level doctors appointments scattered through the holidays so even when I'm available, I might be less than alert. Don't worry, there are chapters ready for the new year.