Months later

As the sun reached its highest point in the sky, Liam sat in the castle laboratory, his eyes slowly scanning over the equations and calculations written on the chalkboard directly across from him. He scratched his chin in thought while doing mental calculations to ensure his writing was correct, before letting out a satisfied hum and turning to his desk. He quickly scribbled several notes in the notebook sitting in front of him.

"Hey Midnight, could you pass me those lab reports?" Liam asked, looking over his shoulder to the charcoal coated mare sitting at the desk across from him.

"Sure thing." Midnight cheerily responded, her horn igniting in a sapphire hue and levitating the paperwork over to Liam.

Liam grabbed the papers out of Midnight's magic and gave a thankful nod, "Thanks." He smiled.

Midnight returned the smile, "No problem." She said, before returning to her own paperwork.

A few minutes passed in silence, before Midnight spoke once more, "Did you see the wonderbolts show last weekend? I heard it was their best one yet." She asked.

"The wonderbolts? Nah, I didn't see it. What about you? Too busy?" Liam replied, as he looked over the lab reports.

"I didn't. Sky and I were out with Jason and Tempest that night. Why didn't you go see it?" Midnight questioned, looking up from her work.

Liam kicked his feet up onto his desk as he paused his reading on the first page of the reports, "I was finishing up those quantum theories and equations."

"I thought that you said that those were impossible to figure out?" Midnight pressed.

"I did, and they are. I confirmed that, myself." Liam replied, a resigned tone in his voice.

"Liam," Midnight deadpanned, "Why do you keep doing that? Are you allergic to free time?" She asked, a hint of disapproval in her voice.

Liam rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I know, I know. I just needed to figure out for sure. Next time I won't spend so much of my free time on it, but it was just bugging me that we didn't finish it last week."

Midnight sighed, "Liam, as your boss, I am asking you to please, for the love of all that is good in this world, just loosen up a bit. You've been wound up tight as Tartarus ever since I met you. You put in twelve hour days pretty much seven days a week. That's not good for your health." She pleaded.

Liam rolled his tongue in his mouth for a few moments, before eventually nodding his head and letting out a quiet huff, "Alright, alright. I will try to work less. Excuse me for trying to make progress." He held his hands up in surrender.

"We've made unparalleled progress since you arrived. I'm not asking you to stop, just to slow down a touch. You're working yourself to death." Midnight replied.

"Alright, you've made your point. I will try to dial it back a bit." Liam replied.

"That's all I'm asking." Midnight smiled, prompting a half smile to form on Liam's face as well.

With the conversation concluded, both man and pony resumed their work, allowing time to pass in a pleasant silence. As Liam looked over the lab reports, a knock sounded out from the door, directing both his and Midnight's attention to the tall lavender alicorn standing in the doorway, a pleasant smile on her face. Just behind her, and standing guard outside the room, were two royal guards, each clad in their golden armor as they stoically stood guard in the hallway.

"Mind if I come in?" Twilight inquired, a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Not at all, Twilight. Come on in." Midnight smiled.

"I was actually about to make my way over to you to show you these reports after I looked them over." Liam added, turning around in his seat to face her fully.

Twilight smiled, "Well I am always eager to see any new discoveries, and the amount of information you've been able to share with us has been astounding. I've already learned so much from you and it's only been a few months." She beamed.

A tiny blush tinted Liam's face as he bashfully looked away, "Oh, it's nothing special, Twilight. I'm not the brightest person in the universe when it comes to physics, but I have shared just about everything I know."

"Oh don't be so humble!" Midnight jumped in, "You've shown us equations and theories that could have ponies launching rockets off world in a matter of a couple years. We were decades away from that just a few months ago. You've been a massive help and your knowledge has been invaluable." She added.

Liam sheepishly scratched the back of his neck while the two mares in the room looked at him approvingly.

"You should be proud of your accomplishments, Liam. You've done more here in just a few months than some ponies have accomplished in a lifetime." Twilight offered, taking a step into the room and looking over the chalkboard covered in equations and math.

"Thank you, both of you. I really do appreciate that." Liam relented, allowing a small smile to grace his features.

"You deserve it, bro." A familiar voice spoke up, directing all three pairs of eyes to him.

Sky trotted into the lab with a bag held under one of his wings and a smile on his face. He quickly made his way over to Midnight and placed the bag in front of her on her desk. The dark unicorn mare turned to her stallion and smiled wide as her bright blue eyes fell upon him.

"Thanks, big guy." Midnight said, planting a kiss on Sky's muzzle.

"Anytime." Sky replied, returning the kiss.

"Aw, get a room, you two." Liam joked, prompting a chuckle from every pony in the room.

"I can't help it, he's just too cute." Midnight shrugged, before kissing Sky again.

"Now if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black." Sky teased.

Liam fake gagged before looking over at Twilight and finding her giggling behind her wing.

"These two have always been quite an item. I can't recall a time when they weren't inseparable." Twilight laughed.

"You know, that actually reminds me. Have you met anypony you'd be interested in dating yet, Liam?" Midnight inquired, as she opened her lunch bag.

Liam blanched as all eyes quickly darted back over to him.

"You know, I was also wondering that. Only if you're comfortable discussing it, of course, but at this point I'm just starting to assume you humans are destined to fall in love with a pony within a year if you're actually interested in our species at all." Twilight shrugged.

"Yeah, me Jason and Rebecca all ended up with a pony within a year, didn't we?" Sky chuckled, as Midnight gave him a playful nuzzle.

Liam looked away as he awkwardly cleared his throat, "W-well, I haven't really, uh.. been looking all that much. You know how it's been, Midnight. Work and all that has been really busy, so... uh, well I haven't really had time to look." He responded.

Twilight gave an understanding nod, while Midnight rubbed her chin in thought.

"We have been pretty busy, but we just went over this too. You can't keep working yourself to the bone like you have been. You need to start relaxing on the weekends. Maybe even take a week off or something. You've certainly logged more than enough hours to do so already." She suggested.

Liam nervously chuckled, "Uh... I'm fine, really. I don't need time off. If anything, I'll take the weekends off, but I like the work. It keeps me busy."

Even Twilight gave him a look of concern.

"Liam, you can't work yourself to death like that. I know first-hoof how the quest for knowledge can become a detriment to your health if you don't stop every once in a while to take time for yourself." Twilight admonished, her tone laced with genuine concern.

Liam sighed, "I just... I dunno, I haven't really felt up to it. After what life was like on Earth... these last few months of peace and quiet have just been amazing. Sure it gets a little boring here and there, but I've got good friends here, and I'm not trying to rush into anything." He replied, twiddling his thumbs.

Sky, Midnight, and Twilight all gave understanding nods.

"Well that's certainly reasonable. Still though, I think you should consider giving it a shot. Ponies are generally super kind and understanding about those kinds of feelings. They're like, natural empaths, or something." Sky offered, prompting Midnight to kiss his cheek once more.

Liam rolled his eyes at the public display of affection before letting out a sigh, "It's not that I don't want that in my life. That sounds amazing... it's just that my last relationship ended... well, it ended pretty badly."

"How badly are we talking, here?" Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Let's just say that she made it clear I wasn't welcome back to the apartment any time soon." Liam replied.

"Yeah, that's guy code for 'she tried to kill me' or something." Sky added, prompting a chuckle from Liam.

"It wasn't that bad, but it was pretty close." Liam responded.

Midnight tilted her head to the side, "Still though, you shouldn't give up on a relationship completely just because of that bad experience." She offered.

Liam shook his head, "It's not like I'm against it. I'm just... not sure. I guess I haven't really met a pony that's made me want to jump into a relationship again, yet. The last girl I was with was... crazy, to say the least. I just want to be sure I'm not going to be rushing into crazy again." He explained.

Midnight tapped her chin in thought for a few moments as Sky and Twilight both gave more nods of agreement with Liam's sentiment.

"Well, have you talked to Morning Star?" Midnight inquired.

"Oh, Morning Star is a very nice mare." Twilight nodded in agreement.

Liam shook his head, "No, I can't say that I've ever met her. Does she work in the castle?" He asked.

"I think you'd like her. She's a very diligent mare and from what I've heard through the grapevine, quite a 'go-getter' as well." Twilight offered.

"Yeah, Morning Star is one of my better friends on the day guard schedule. I think you should meet her. You two might hit it off really quick." Midnight suggested.

Liam opened his mouth to say no, but was cut off by a new voice speaking up from the doorway.

"Well I can already say I'm interested. What do you say we meet up at the 'Vineyard'?" The guardsmare asked, a confident smirk on her face.

Liam tilted his head to the side in confusion as Twilight and Midnight both fixed the mare with a look of surprise. She was a pegasus, but the illusion of her golden guard armor made her coat appear as white as snow, and her mane as a deep cobalt blue. Her eyes were much the same as her hair, and appeared as two deep pools of blue looking into the room with a steady calmness.

"Oh, Star. I didn't even know you were on this shift." Midnight said, a stark amount of surprise on her face.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing here? I thought your post was in the East corridor." Twilight asked, squinting in confusion.

"I was just relieved, Princess. I was passing by to get lunch and overheard the conversation in here. I figured I'd introduce myself to the cute colt Mid was talking me up to and ask him out myself." Star replied, no slight amount of cool confidence in her voice.

All eyes quickly darted back to Liam, as he struggled to comprehend what was even happening. After a moment of silence, he quickly realized that everyone was waiting on him, and he struggled to force any words out of his mouth.

"Uh, I... well-" Liam stuttered, only for Star to cut him off.

"Well I understand if you're a bit tongue-tied, sweetie. Why don't you meet me down at the 'Vineyard' at six tomorrow night?" Star said, with a wink.

Liam felt a hot blush cover his face as he struggled to find his words.

Star giggled at the flustered man before turning to make her leave, "Alright, cutie. See you then." She announced, before departing and heading out the hallway.

As the guardsmare left, all eyes in the room quickly darted back to Liam while he finally managed to control the blush that covered his face.

"Hehe, she got you good." Sky chuckled.

"Wh-what just happened?" Liam questioned.

"It seems as if you've been propositioned on a date." Twilight mused, still slightly impressed by the brazen display of confidence.

"Hehe, I didn't get a chance to say that she's a little too cocky sometimes. She means well, but she can come off a little strong." Midnight sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"You could say that again." Liam shook his head.

"She reminds of of Rainbow way back when I first met her. A little arrogant, but her track record in the guard is nothing short of exemplary. I'm sure she'll mellow out on your date. She was probably just showboating a bit. You know how mares get when they want to woo a stallion." Twilight shrugged.

"When I go on the date? Twilight, I didn't even get a chance to agree to it. Besides, didn't we just finish talking about how I'm not really looking to dive into a relationship again right now?" Liam asked, looking back and forth at the ponies in the room.

"I know we were just talking about that, but I think you should give her a chance," Midnight offered, "Twilight's right, she's a really nice mare. She's probably just trying to assert herself as a strong suiter for you. It's a pretty typical behavior when a mare is interested." She explained.

Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Mid's right, dude. I know you don't want to just dive in, so just explain that to her. I don't know Star as well as Mid does, but from what I do know, she's a really cool mare." Sky added.

"I mean... I'm not sure." Liam quietly responded.

After a few seconds of silence, Twilight walked over to Liam and placed her hoof on his shoulder. At his questioning gaze, she gave him a friendly smile.

"If you're not comfortable, then don't push yourself, Liam. Remember, she only asked you out on a date. It's not a commitment to anything more than that if you don't want it to be. Hay, you don't even have to go. Morning Star is the kind of mare that isn't going to be completely heartbroken if she gets stood up on a date where she didn't exactly wait around long enough for you to even give her an answer." Twilight chuckled.

Liam let out a quiet sigh, "I-I know, you're right. I mean... I guess it couldn't hurt to try one date. Like you said, it's not like its's a commitment to an entire relationship yet." He nodded.

"There ya go, buddy," Sky smiled, "You're gonna have a great time, don't even worry about it. The 'Vineyard' is awesome. Mid and I went there a few months ago. They have awesome salads and you get to watch a live comedy show every hour. It's a really nice place for a date." He said, flapping over to Liam and patting him on the shoulder.

"You know, I still haven't heard pony comedy. It's not gonna have like... a million horse puns, is it?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sky laughed while Midnight and Twilight pouted.

"For the last time, they aren't puns! We still have no idea why your language and ours is so similar." Twilight defensively rebutted.

"Exactly. We can't help that you humans names everything in your planet off-brand versions of our names for things." Midnight pouted.

"Hey, hey, hey. We came up with the names first. We've been over this, ponies copied humans. The timeline just adds up perfectly that way." Sky replied, shrugging unapologetically.

Twilight and Midnight both crossed their forelegs and pouted, prompting even more laughter from Sky and Liam.

"Well, now that that's settled... should I wear something particular? I don't know how this works, you ponies are naked everywhere you go so are dates exceptions to that or something?" Liam inquired.

"Nah, you shouldn't have to wear anything crazy. I think I just wore a pair of jeans and a t-shirt when Mid and I went on our first date." Sky replied.

Satisfied at the answer, Liam got up out of his seat and walked over to the chalkboard on the opposite side of the room. He squinted as he read over the schedule scribbled on the far right corner of the wall.

"Well... even if everything else lines up, I still have work to do tomorrow and Wednesday, so I'm not sure about this.." Liam started, only to trail off as he turned around to see all three equines giving him the hardest deadpan they possibly could.

"Liam... I'm just going to pretend you didn't just say that." Sky facehoofed.

"You have Wednesday off. Congrats, go enjoy your date." Midnight added.

Liam let out a sheepish chuckle, "Ah, well... had to try it, I guess." He admitted.

"Let's just say that wasn't your best work." Twilight teased.

Liam chuckled, "Alright, alright. I'll go on this date. I'm still not sure about this mare. I still know almost nothing about her, but I guess ponies don't exactly have a reputation for kidnapping and selling organs... do they?" He asked.

Midnight shook her head, "No, that seems to be a human thing. You know if you need extra organs, we do have a lab that specializes in regenerative tissue." She offered.

"I... wait, seriously? You ponies have that. How the..." Liam replied, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Midnight and Twilight shared a look, before both breaking out into giggles.

"Ah, I see that you're just messing with me. Very mature." Liam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, Liam, you need to lighten up a little. You always take yourself so seriously at work. Hay, I think this date might actually be a great idea to help you loosen up a bit." Midnight replied, stifling her giggling.

Liam rolled his eyes, "I take work as seriously as I should, thank you very much." He pouted.

"Suuuuuuuuuure." Midnight teased.

Liam resisted the urge to roll his eyes yet again, "Alright, alright. You've all made your point. I'll go on the date. I can't promise anything though. We'll just have to see how it goes." He relented.

"That's all we're suggesting. If you have no desire to pursue a relationship with Morning Star, then I'm more than confident that she'll understand. No pressure." Twilight smiled.

"Yeah, bro. It'll be fun. Even if you don't want to date her, you'll still have a fun time. That place is awesome." Sky added, offering a supportive smile.

Liam nodded slowly, "I hope you guys are right."

Author's Note

And now we've met Morning Star! I have a feeling that you guys won't like her very much at first, but don't worry. She'll grow on you. Hopefully. At least I think she will. She's a nice mare, I promise lol.