Sunday, May 3rd, 909 AB (The next morning)
Thirty minutes before sunrise

Sleeping peacefully, Cure becomes conscious of a warm snout gently prodding at his side. Rolling over, he grabs the offending muzzle and pulls it into a hug, giving it a quick kiss on the chin before nuzzling against it with his cheek. “Mmm love you dam.” The light giggle in response, larger size, and different scent cause both mind and body to freeze. “Boss?”

Whispering softly so as to not disturb the other foals, Celestia nods against his chest. “Good morning, Cure Wave. Or perhaps I should say, ‘Time to rise and shine, your majesty.’”

“Blurg…”

“A sentiment I shared the other day.”

He gives her one last nuzzle before releasing her. Opening his eyes, he finds the princess smiling radiantly down at him and his friends. Apparently he’d just rolled off of Rising, so she is lightly pawing around for a warm cover to replace him. He nudges her onto her right side whereupon she latches onto Coast, spooning the cyan filly and snuggling into her pink mane.

Cure casts a sound bubble over the bed and blearily climbs down, leaning against the princess’s foreleg, resting his cheek against the warmth of her lower thigh. “I’m pretty sure the title doesn’t apply just yet, princess,” he says while failing to fight back a yawn.

Displaying the maturity that can only be achieved after centuries of life, Celestia sticks her tongue out before declaring, “I am the boss! It applies when I say it does!”

“Ugh… too cheerful for this early. Did you at least bring me pancakes?”

The mare huffs out in annoyance at her forgetfulness. “I apologize, Cure. I suppose I should have at least returned the courtesy.”

“I’m just teasing you, princess. You did copy my line after all, but isn’t ‘your majesty’ only for mares?”

Sighing, she nods in affirmation. “Ruin all my fun. Yes; for a prince ‘Your Highness’ is the most appropriate address. Regardless, I came to ask that you join me for something that I would like to share with you. Something I have shared with precious few others over my long life.”

Cure nods against her leg, running his cheek up and down the outside of her lower left thigh. Given the time and the occasion, he can make a fairly good guess as to what she wants to show him. “Sounds neat, boss. Lead the way.”

Turning, she walks back out the door, making her way towards the balcony doors. He lets the Sound Bubble dispel as they pull the bedroom door shut behind them. She looks out the window explaining, “I could teleport us, but the view is magnificent just before dawn.” Glancing over her withers she inquires, “Assuming you are awake enough to fly, that is…?”

“Sure thing, lemme just leave a note. I don’t want the girls gettin worried if they wake up and I’m gone, ya know.”

“Certainly. Go ahead,” she says, motioning towards the small dining room table.

He writes out a quick “With boss lady, be back after sunrise - CW” and leaves it on the table before joining the princess on the balcony. At his “Ready” she hops off, spreading her enormous wings, and takes to the air. Cure is quick to follow; Despite the sun being down the palace and surrounding area is fairly well lit, presumably for security purposes.

Cure takes in the sights as the princess leads him on a slow, circuitous route around the palace. Groups of patrolling earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi can be seen milling about on the castle walls and grounds as squadrons of bats do the same, both on the ground and in the air. There’s enough light that even pegasi should be pretty safe flying, so long as they stay within the castle walls at least.

The city of Canterlot truly is a wonder to behold. Cure had originally compared it to the city depicted in Shrek and, while it isn’t inaccurate, the beauty of the stone buildings as they’re bathed in the moonlight and soft glow of lanterns could only exist in a fantasy world. There are no slums or ghettos visible; only clean, well lit, beautifully sculpted buildings stretching across the flat plateau of the Canterhorn.

Cloudsdale is still hovering to the northwest, reflecting the ethereal glow of the setting moon on the horizon. With his improved eyes, squadrons of patrolling guards are visible in the distance, as are some early rising civilians making their way to the mountain city.

Celestia finishes the loop around the castle and makes her way to a tower with two south-facing adjoined balconies; one decorated in golden cladding and a sun motif, the other plain stone. She lands on her balcony and sits on her haunches, tilting her head to the side to indicate a spot for Cure to touch down. Setting down gently beside her, he looks up to the princess in curiosity, even though he’s all but certain why he is here.

“As I’m sure you’ve surmised, this is where I conduct the ritual to move the celestial bodies. At least, when I am feeling nostalgic, I do.”

“Right… I’m assuming the other balcony is for your sister… Or will be, when she returns.”

“It is,” she says in a soft sigh. “Just how much do you know?”

“Ehh, lots in some areas, very little in others. I’m missing a lot of details but I know the general gist of things,” he admits. “Two alicorn sisters maintained the cycle of night and day. Ponies, being a superstitious lot; As in, morons unfortunately, came to favor one over the other.

“I don’t know how bad it really was, or how long the anger simmered, but eventually the resentment became unbearable and Nightmare Moon was born. You fought. The Elements of Harmony banished her nine hundred and nine years ago, and she will return in another ninety-one. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t eat foals, though.”

Celestia takes it all in for a moment before responding. “You have seen the future?”

“Close, but not exactly. The best way to describe what I saw is a version of this world as if you would describe it to a foal. One where I did not exist. At least, I think. I was never visible or mentioned, at least, nor were there any signs of my existence.” He raises a wing and studies it for a moment. “I think an alicorn stallion would have stood out.”

She nods in understanding. “That would explain why you know many things you should not, and why you are are far more comfortable around me than most. I had initially assumed something along the lines of what Captain Shield suggested.”

“No. I’ve never lied to you. And I never would. Or, at least, I can’t imagine a set of circumstances that would prompt me to.” Finishing with a shrug he admits, “I suppose anything is possible. I really am only eight, but…”

“Right,” she nods in understanding. “Eight is only your physical age, whereas mentally you have experienced a great deal more. I think I understand.” She pauses in thought, eyes widening for a moment. “You knew ponies could ascend, didn’t you?”

“I did,” he confirms. “I thought it may happen eventually, but I definitely didn’t expect that. Nothing I’ve ever done was in pursuit of that specifically. I’m just trying to make ponies’ lives better, honest.”

“And that’s very likely why you were able to achieve it. I had worried after my slip, concerned I may have inadvertently prevented the possibility by revealing it.”

“Well, at least now ya know that simply knowing doesn’t prevent it. I suspect specifically chasing it may, though. Ponies that have a strong desire for power are not usually the ones you wanna give it to.”

“A very true statement,” she agrees. “In regards to what you know, I would advise caution. Many times acting to cause a specific event seems to create the circumstances that end up preventing it. Prophecy is a dangerous and unpredictable thing.”

“Oh no doubt. There are also a lot of differences, aside from my existence, that I’ve already found in my vision. Even if things were otherwise identical I could never possibly make things end up the same. Prediction paradox is the term I’ve heard; are you familiar with it?”

“Very much so. Despite that, I hope you would tell me if there is something urgent that I should prepare for. I may not act as you would expect, but…”

“At least you’ll have an idea, right. No, the next ninety years are almost a complete blank to me. There’s a couple events that are supposed to happen, but I don’t know exactly when. Is it safe to discuss the future? I don’t really know what forces, entities, or whatever are out there.”

Celestia pauses a moment in thought before beginning to channel magic into her horn. A sphere of darkness erupts from her, expanding to contain the two. Her horn glows in gold, illuminating the pair and the ground under their hooves. “If any being can pierce this to eavesdrop without me knowing then they are powerful enough they would likely not care enough of mortal affairs to interfere regardless.”

Nodding in acceptance, Cure begins, “I suppose the most immediate concern I have is the changelings. They have a queen who, when gorged on love, can… well, I don’t think she could actually defeat you, but she attacks in a crowded venue.”

She tilts her head up in thought. “And I am unable to bring my full might to bear,” she guesses.

“Right. I don’t know if she’s unaging, but she is probably about your age if their origin story is what I understand it to be, so long lived. Assuming she is the progenitor of their species. There was something about an evil, corrupted plant or seed or something involving Starswirl. I don’t have the details, but changelings are the result, which makes no sense because they’re more bug-like than plant-like as far as I know. Haven’t scanned one,” he confesses with a shrug.

“If they are preying upon my ponies I cannot ignore the threat. Is this an event that is to happen soon?”

“No. It doesn’t happen…” he pauses, giving her an evaluating look. “Brace yourself, okay?” She raises an eyebrow in question. “I’m about to tell you something and I know it’s a sore subject, so I want you to mentally prepare. Okay?”

She takes a deep breath and steels herself, nodding in confirmation that she is ready.

“The vast majority of what I saw starts with the return of Nightmare Moon in ninety-one years.”

Celestia lays on her barrel, only a half meter away, facing the colt. She nearly freezes in place, listening intently to every word.

“A unicorn you dispatch to a town called Ponyville is tasked with preparing the town for your arrival at the Sun Celebration. You don’t show up. She does. She taunts and mocks the townsponies before leaving. The unicorn gathers five other young mares and ventures out to find the key to stopping her.”

“The Elements…”

He nods. “They use them to cleanse her of the Nightmare. Your sister is freed, and you are reunited, ruling together as diarchs again.” Cure doesn’t even have a chance to blink before she snatches him off his hooves, hugging him tight to her chest between her forelegs, smashed under her head and neck as she lets out a wailing cry.

Normally he would be thrilled to get a snug hug from the mare, but with his right side pinned to her chest, her forelegs wrapped tightly around his body, and her heavy neck draped across his withers, the colt is a tad uncomfortable.

Unable to do anything but wiggle one pastern, he pats her right thigh consolingly. “There there,” he chokes out as she shakes in a sob, nearly crushing him while drenching his back and left side. “Didn’t think I’d get to test the whole dying thing so soon.”

The jest causes her to loosen her hold, barely, and within a couple minutes she has regained her control. With a quiet apology she releases him to summon a handkerchief again, wiping her face and filling the poor thing with a hearty blow. He tactfully hits himself with a Cleaning, polite enough not to make an issue of being her snuggle plushie snot rag for a moment there.

He continues, moving on from the emotional subject to explain, “So that’s kinda where everything I saw started from. The changelings attack a while later, after Luna has had time to regain her strength. I imagine that’ll take a year or two; at first she’ll be about as big as I am now, I think.”

The idea brightens the mare up considerably. Giggling mischievously she comments, “Oh, now that will be truly delightful! And I have so much time to plan!”

“Right, but the thing is the changelings may be out there right now. They’re literally starving to death. I suspect you saw some rough times. I don’t like to make assumptions, princess. Have you ever truly gone hungry? Tried to fall asleep with your stomach twisting and knotted, hoping to find food the next day?”

Celestia frowns deeply, considering everything she’s heard from the colt in their conversations. “I have. As far as I know, you have not. I hope this is not some portent of things to come.”

“No. And if it were, I would never allow it.”

The declaration is made with such absolute confidence that the princess has no doubt the colt would find a way to make it so. “I’m relieved to hear that. The changelings… do they always experience hunger?”

“I don’t know exactly. My understanding is that they do, but I don’t know how intense it is. It may be a minor annoyance or it may be a constant nagging presence.” He offers a shrug and admits, “It could be anywhere in-between.

“There’s a silver lining, though. They’re all under a curse that, when broken, could free them from their need to eat love. They could be, essentially, a fifth tribe, I suspect. Or sixth if you count crystal ponies as a separate tribe,” he adds with a shrug.

“And you know how to break this curse?”

“In theory.” He pauses to sigh. “Okay, so… it’s stupid,” he warns. “You have a creature that eats love. It’s their very sustenance. And they’re hungry all the time. What’s the one thing they’ll never, ever, ever do?”

She furrows her brow in thought for a moment before asking, “Fall in love?”

“Good answer, and I see how I led you to that, but the answer is to give love instead. In my vision, which again may be completely or partially incorrect, a single one of them seeks out friendship from ponies.

“He confronts their queen who, by then, has been starving for so long she’s literally insane, and gives her love. It transforms all of them but a few into… I dunno, something else. Still changelings, but they can eat normal food. They don’t need to eat love anymore. Just keep in mind, she may be nuts now. She will definitely be a megalomaniac nutbar later.”

“That would be fantastic, Cure! If it is only due to their parasitic nature that they cannot join society then this represents a huge opportunity for both ponies and changelings!”

“Right, but then I’ll be messing with an important part of the future. It’s just like… what if I’ve screwed everything up? What if the unicorn that leads those mares isn’t born? What if that unicorn’s parents end up with two sons instead of a colt and a filly?

“What if they decide to wait a decade to have foals since, ya know, I’ve cured aging by then? Or their parents, grandparents, etcetera. I think I may have bumped into her great, great grandma when I came to town to see my lawyers. She’s my age, roughly, assuming it’s her.”

“Well…” she pauses in thought, staring off into the void for a moment. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, slowly raises a hoof, and, just as slowly, lowers it back down, pressing into the ground while groaning in frustration. “Well…” she repeats , looking around as if searching for something to say.

She takes a deep breath as she stops looking around. Slowly exhaling through her teeth, she hisses as if letting off steam before finally blurting out, “SHIT!”

Cure’s eyes almost pop out of his sockets at the princess’s profane exclamation. “Woooowww… I made Princess Celestia cuss! Oh my stars, my friends would be so jealous! I swear if you lean over and crack one off right now I might just keel over right here on the spot!”

“Damnit, Cure! What am I supposed to do with this?!”

“Welcome to my life, boss,” he says with an irreverent shrug. “You’re damned if ya do and damned if ya don’t. What sucks is I only know the names of the mares and some of their parents. Even if I wanted to try to set it all up I wouldn’t know where to start.

“I mean, just cause that girl had a plum coat and was a unicorn doesn’t mean she’s even related. I think two are from Cloudsdale, one is from here, one is an Apple from Ponyville, the other is from a rock farm, and the other unicorn… no idea where her family is from. Manehattan maybe?”

“So two from each tribe?”

“Initially…” he says, ruffling his wings.

The move draws her eyes for a second before realization sets in. “The unicorn?”

He nods.

“I see. Ponyville is an unincorporated rural area. My farm is on a small subdivision of land near it. I own most of the area myself.”

“Have you gotten a request to incorporate it from a resident mare?”

“I have not. I’m guessing I will?”

“Maybe,” he shrugs. “She’s probably a filly right now, if she’s even alive.”

Celestia inhales and blows out a quick sigh, pausing to eye the colt for a moment before she asks, “You realize this is not how prophecy works, right?”

“I don’t see a crystal ball on your flanks,” he responds in a scowl.

“Or yours,” she argues. “Cure, be honest with me, please.”

“I… am? I always have been,” he answers, unsure what she means exactly.

“No, not that. I want to ask you something, and I ask that you answer me truthfully.”

“Oh… kay?”

“Are you some sort of… godling? A spirit of some sort?”

He’s frozen for a moment in shock, staring wide-eyed at the question. “What?!” he yelps in a shout.

“You… aren’t?” she asks in seemingly genuine surprise.

He sits, then closes his eyes and rubs at his temples with both hooves, taking a deep breath and blowing it out before looking back to her. “No. I’m a pony. Nothing more. I don’t have any powers or divinity or whatever may have led you to asking that,” he says, waving at her.

“Okay,” she accepts with a shrug. “It just seems like you know way, way more than any vision I’ve ever heard of would provide. Between that, your frankly absurdly versatile talent, and your ascension, one has to wonder.”

“I can’t even believe it. Princess Celestia, Deus Sol Invictus, asked, unironically, if I was some kind of god. You, who commands the very heavens?!” he asks, waving at the still obscured sky. Chuckling, he says, “Normally if somepony asks if you’re a god you’re supposed to tell them yes.”

“I cannot say I recommend that. There are tales and fables in which beings of great power take mortal form. Often, in the stories, they conveniently end up rich, powerful, and the object of everypony’s affection. Fate seems to bend to their will and the scales of chance somehow always tilt in their favor.”

He stares at the princess with wide eyes. “But… I… what?!” Taking a half step away, he shouts, “No! You’re messing with me, right?!”

She lightly shrugs in response, still staring with an evaluating look.

He jabs a hoof in her direction, shouting, “That’s an unfair accusation! I have no way of proving it false!” Throwing his forelegs wide he asks, “How could I, even?!”

“I suppose the only way would be if something were to actually happen that you did not somehow, mysteriously, inexplicably prepare for in advance.”

“That’s crap! I prepare for everything! Do you know how much stuff I prepare for that never even happens?”

“No, but you seem to be well prepared for everything I’ve witnessed thus far.”

Wings spread wide, he shouts, “Like exploding?!”

“Which only served to increase your power, both magical and otherwise.”

“And losing ten grand worth of supplies?”

“An overall inconsequential expense, all of which have all been replaced. Before even a dozen hours passed.”

“But I would’a just sat them aside if I’d known!”

“And then you probably wouldn’t have had the push to ascend. At least not yet.”

Cure lets out a frustrated growl that turns into a groan, throwing his head back before finally sighing. He meets the princess’s eyes and flatly responds, “I am not any kind of godling or whatever. At least, not beyond whatever an alicorn is, now. Nor have I ever been before. I got memories which include a possible future of this world just before I got my cutie mark. It wasn’t the same, though. In that vision hippogriffs had their own nation and turned into some kinda merpony to live under the sea and dragons were sometimes bipedal and an alicorn in the future has a foal with a unicorn!”

“Okay. I had to ask. Just out of curiosity, how many of us will there be?”

“Not counting me there would have been you, your sister, and two others until the one gets knocked up by the other’s brother.”

“Not a fifth?”

“I… don’t think so? At least, I don’t think she actually became an alicorn. She supposedly had the potential, but she was one of those ‘chasing power’ types. I think she eventually got all pissy about being denied it and hopped through Starswirl’s mirror.”

“The trap?!” she asks in alarm.

“The one that shows ponies what they wanna see?”

“Yes… it’s basically a prison. I am unsure what lies on the other side of it.”

“That’s the one,” he confirms. “It’s like another version of this world, but populated by a species of intelligent, bipedal creatures. Going through the mirror transforms you into one of them. There’s no magic there until an Element is stolen and carried over; Magic, specifically. I don’t know the details on that, but it causes problems, is my understanding.”

“I shall have to address that somehow,” she comments.

“Yeah, there’s a whole mess of things that we could address, but the problem is if we do it all then the eventual Bearers will still need trials if they are to grow. They’re not terribly involved in the changeling thing, but they do face a number of threats that pop up, starting with Nightmare Moon. A few of those actually concern me. There’s her, of course, Sombra’s return, Tirek’s escape, the changelings, and then a pegasus… I dunno, either a filly or an adult that’s unusually short. I think she gets a hold of some power-stealing bell. And, of course, there’s the big, chaotic, nuisance.”

“You don’t mean…”

“He isn’t completely frozen. Supposedly.”

“That… is unsettling. And it means that any changes made could have devastating results.”

“Presumably, if the need arises, champions will as well, but I don’t really wanna test that theory.”

“No. I noticed the concepts of the Elements were used in your ritual. I am unsure if the connection is strong enough, and I would very much prefer not to find out through those means.”

“No doubt. Is there such a thing as Order magic?”

“Of course. It’s what we all use. Formulae, runes, ritual diagrams, etcetera are how we affect the world. They are predictable and repeatable; the very definition of order. The alternatives have their advantages and disadvantages, but generally more of the latter than the former. Chaos yields unpredictable results and… well, there is another.”

“Dark magic? Yeah that seems like it would be useful to study just to know how to effectively counter it.”

“It is too dangerous.”

“If it’s that dangerous then we’re screwed if someone comes along that’s good at it. Sombra was a unicorn and gave the two of you trouble, right?”

“Not really,” she answers with a shrug. “We thoroughly overpowered him, but we were unaware he had put contingencies in place should he fail. The loss of the Crystal Empire is one of my greatest failures.”

“Oh. Sorry, boss. I will admit, I’m relieved he isn’t a bigger threat at least. Still, the whole stoning thing is a concern. I know that’s a card he likes to play.”

“That is useful intel. There are ways to shield against such an attack if one knows in advance.”

“I would assume there’s ways to shield against most things if you know in advance. Knowing is half the battle, after all.”

“Wise words,” she readily agrees.

“Oh right, mind control too. He’s all about that. Him and that changeling queen. Total pricks.”

“From what I have seen, by the time he returns he will be but an insect to you. The others concern me more, though.”

“Gotchya. Well, we got about ninety one, maybe two years to sort that out, hopefully.”

“Indeed. In the meantime, I believe I shall be reinforcing some wards, just in case.”

“Good call, boss. If I knew how to help I would be right there with you. Hay, if I wasn’t worried you woulda thought me some kind of… I dunno, agent? I woulda sent a note months ago. I didn’t wanna do exactly what we talked about; cause somethin by tryin to cause the opposite.”

“As in, me doing something resulting in his early release while trying to ensure longer captivity?” He nods in answer. “A valid concern. And again, the question is what to do.” She takes a deep breath and lets out an equally deep sigh, pondering on the situation for a moment. Finally, she looks to the colt and says, “You have given me much to consider, Cure.”

Scoffing, he chuckles lightly while shaking his head. “I can’t believe you thought I was some kinda spirit or something.”

“Unconquerable Sun God?” she asks with a raised brow, smirking at the title.

Shrugging, he lightly nods. “If the shoe fits, boss.”

In a teasing tone with a slight smile she says, “I didn’t know you thought so highly of me, Cure. I’m flattered.”

Cure turns to face her fully, and with the utmost honesty tells her, “I think the world of you, Celestia. You’re amazing. Nopony else could have created all this, or kept it going for so long.”

Momentarily taken back by the genuine praise, she blinks in surprise before smiling softly. “Aww… you always know just what to say to a mare, don’t you?”

He rolls his eyes at the ancient being before letting out an exasperated sigh. “I ain’t playin yer mind games, lady. It has to be about time. Are we doin this thing or not?”

She has the temerity to pout at his refusal to play along. At his continued stare she says, “We will talk more of this in the future, if you are willing. I do not know if the astral is a safe place to have such discussions, though.” He nods in response as she dispels the privacy bubble and looks over the night sky, casting a longing gaze towards her sister’s moon. “Come.” She moves to sit in the middle of the ritual circle and motions for him to sit between her forelegs.

Cure quickly expels his bit pouches full of crystals she had given him yesterday and, smirking at her eye-roll, trots over to take his place and lean up against her belly. “Anything I need to do, boss?”

“Nothing specific. I am going to hold you if that is okay.”

“I’m a pony,” he reiterates, as if it could possibly not be okay to get hugged.

She gives him a small smile and scoops him up under his forelegs and holds his back to her chest, the other foreleg wrapped under his tail and rear. “You recall I mentioned a second pool of magic?”

“Yep. Gonna feel it?”

“Yes. It will not harm you, but you will feel it flowing through me. Relax, and allow it to pass over and through you as well. Be calm, and know that someday soon a similar power will be yours.” He nods against her chest as she spreads her wings wide and tilts her head back, pointing her horn straight up at the sky overhead.

Cure closes his eyes, opening his magical senses to the world. He feels the flow of magic coursing through the princess increase as her horn, and her whole body, ignites in a golden glow. The sensation is… euphoric; divine. Far more potent and powerful than the meager stream of magic he possesses. For just a moment, Cure feels like he has touched something greater; his senses expand through the heavens, giving him a view of the world like the princess had described the previous day.

A gentle pushing draws his attention to the west as he casts his mind’s eye towards the setting moon. He feels a coolness there; a lingering bitterness mingled with hate and regret. As the moon lowers below the horizon the sadness and anger fade away. His senses turn east as the first beams of sunlight stream through the sky, climb down the mountain’s summit, and paint the world in joyous orange and yellow.

The flow of power decreases, finally coming to a halt. He takes a breath, holds it for a second, and slowly exhales through his nose. “Wow.”

Celestia raises him up in her forelegs and nuzzles against his right cheek. “When you begin to feel that sensation in yourself you must let me know. That is the power of an alicorn, and without proper control it could be immensely dangerous. You no doubt felt the raw potential in it.”

Cure leans into the nuzzle and returns the affection. “You bet boss. Are we still on for Sundays after sunset? I’m not a hundred percent sure I’ll be home in time tonight.”

“When you get a moment to step into the astral I will join you. I would appreciate knowing your return journey went unimpeded.”

“Alright. Sounds good.” He gives her one last nuzzle. “Thanks for sharing this with me, princess. It was… amazing.”

Shaking her head, she gives him another gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Cure. Sharing this is nothing to the hope you have shared with me.”

The mood at breakfast is slightly somber. Knowing that their stay at the palace is coming to an end, the foals are a little down, but the thought of getting back to their families keeps their spirits up. A few days of being away isn’t much, but it is still more than most of them have gone without their parents nearby.

With the princess spending almost all of Saturday with Cure she wouldn’t have much time for them this morning. Conversation is light as everypony eats their breakfast until a guard enters the room pushing a cart covered in newspapers before excusing herself. Dawn and Cure are quick to float over a set for the foals while Solar and Starlight each grab copies for the adults to look over.

“I guess nopony had a camera ready,” Cure notes. The front page has a few poor quality, hastily taken photographs, but the main image taking up the majority of the page is a drawing of the tree and serpent in the sky, though it looks sensationalized compared to his mark. The accompanying story gives little detail, thankfully, and is mostly speculation about what the princess was doing that caused the event.

“Did it really look like that?”

“Pretty much, dude,” Heavy confirms.

“Yeah, it let out a hiss that shook the windows,” Glacial adds.

Drift nods, agreeing with the filly. “Yep. It wasn’t as bad as the princess’s squeal, but I think everypony in Cloudsdale and Canterlot heard it.”

“Way ta go, champ. That’s three cities you’ve made a ruckus in.”

“Always tryin ta make ya proud, pa. Three down and a few dozen to go.”

“You didn’t… like, have control of it or anything?” Solar asks.

“Nope. Not consciously at least. If I had any control over that then I wasn’t aware of it.”

“Look at these interviews!” Rising calls in a giggle. “You’re apparently some kind of new, powerful weapon that the Guard was testing, Cure.”

He buffs a hoof on his chest and inspects it. “Well, I don’t like to brag…”

“And that’s a good thing, squirt,” Wind interrupts.

“Kicked yer rear,” he argues, sticking his tongue out at the girl.

“Got lucky,” she mutters, holding the paper up to block his smug face.

“Looks like somepony blabbed,” Coast notes, reading aloud. “The rumor among the nobility is that we may have a new prince or princess now. The Royal Press Corps have declined comment at this time, explaining that an official announcement will be made Monday. Castle Guards have been tight-lipped, declining comment per direct orders from Her Majesty.”

“Eh, there’s nothing too surprising there. Prince Blueblood ended up coming to the castle while the princess and I were at the range testing my magic. He saw me in my disguise. The princess didn’t tell him to keep quiet; at least, not to my knowledge.”

She looks up from the paper and asks, “He’s not an alicorn, is he?”

“Unicorn. Tall as frick for one though. Like, average earth pony height. He had his whole family with ‘em including his two daughters. I’m marrying the older one next summer. She was hot; I can’t wait.”

Complete silence fills the room and only his parents and sisters, who are holding back giggles, are not staring in shock as he continues eating like nothing is happening.

Starlight is the one to finally break the silence. “Do… you need help planning the reception?”

“Nah, the princess has somepony lined up. I’ll make sure you’re all invited.” He turns to Heavy and asks, “Do you wanna be my Best Stallion or would you prefer I ask Solar? I have very high expectations for my bachelor’s party, just to warn you.”

“He’s full of it,” Solar casually accuses, going back to eating without a second thought.

Heavy punches him in the shoulder, scowling at the snickering colt. “Dude, not cool!”

“Really?” he asks the table, looking around at everypony. “Y’all thought I’d agree to marry some filly I’ve met once? And that I’d just mention it offhoof like it’s nothing?”

“Jerk,” Dawn growls, huffing and going back to her food.

“Well if it makes you feel better I did something that absolutely horrified everypony just to make sure they won’t bug me.” Proudly beaming at the group he adds, “Even the boss lady was disturbed. She threatened to throw a Fireball at me!”

“That would be such an honor!” Sapphire says, voice full of awe. “How many ponies can say they’ve been threatened with violence by her highness herself?!”

“What exactly did you do?” Dawn asks.

“Spit a flesh sack full of wasps at a target, then did another one with a chemical explosive inside.”

A beat of silence passes.

“Do what now?” she asks as her brain reboots.

“We were talking about my crystals. She asked why I had so many. I gave her my escape, evade, eviscerate plan in summary, then mentioned ‘hordes of venomous insects.’ A demonstration was provided. Wanna see?”

A round of “NO!”s is shouted by almost everypony. Dawn at least seems curious but he’s pretty sure Sapphire is only nodding to annoy everypony else.

“Buncha chickens,” he mumbles. “Well either way, they got a demonstration so I don’t think I’ll hafta worry about being betrothed to anypony or whatever. He wasn’t super keen with the fact I was an earth pony anyhow. They all fled the area like I’d lit their tails on fire. Besides, even if they pressed the issue, stallions can always just say no.”

Dawn looks relieved, nodding her head in approval. “Good.”

Sapphire draws his attention while holding the paper in one hoof and pointing at the article. “This one says you’re an extraequustrial being, come to take over the world! I didn’t know you’re an alien!”

Cure freezes for a split second while the statement processes, then looks at the paper to find what she’s talking about. “Huh, I’ll be damned. Somepony figured it out! I’m not really a pony at all, just some kinda creature from another planet! Gotta admit, though, the whole taking over thing? No thanks.”

“There’s one nutjob in any group,” Wind laments. He can’t help but notice she casts an exasperated look towards the aqua filly at the same time.

“You never said what happened,” Dawn reminds him. “What was it really like? And don’t just say ‘Exploding sucked’ or whatever.”

“I didn’t actually feel that part,” he explains. “The little ritual thing happened and I started feelin warm. The pies all hitting me helped a little, but then it got really hot really fast. At first I was wonderin if there was something in ‘em, but I saw ma lappin hers up like a friggin dog.”

“Shattap, brat. I ain’t wastin good whipped cream!”

Rolling his eyes, he continues, “So then, BAM! Everything goes white, then the sky fades to night with stars and whatnot with a kind of fog floating about. Next thing I know I’m watching… I dunno, like… moving pictures of all the stuff I’ve done. I saw some of the ponies whose horns and wings I healed. All the bats who I’d given membranes; I got flashes of ‘em going out in the day with their fellow ponies.

“I saw them testing my virus trees in a lab, me laying on my back and singin with Lotus while we worked on her speech. Me, pa, ‘n Solar dealin with the morons on the train. Us all in our garden,” he says, looking towards his parents.

“There was also lots of ‘em with you all. The Running of the Leaves, the sleepover, us all at the spa, you teaching me to fly, goin to the range with Solar and Dawn, all the Hearth’s Warming deliveries.

“I even saw RP practicing with her sax in her room,” he adds, nodding towards the blushing filly, “Ferric hunched over her bench, working on my staff, and you enchanting crystals to help the hospital and Guard. I saw Solar ‘n Star dancing at the Lady Baltimare on New Year’s, Heavy takin his sisters for sundaes, and all of us playin in the snow.

“I looked around for a few minutes and was like, ‘eh this is neat and all, but everypony’s probably freakin out,’ so I just… pictured myself comin back. I felt kind of a tug and, for lack of a better word, stepped in that direction, sort of. It wasn’t completely unlike the sensation of teleporting. Next thing I know I’m standin there in front of the princess and all my damn crystals are gone.”

Heavy rubs at his forehead muttering, “Again with the crystals, jeez…”

“Dude! That was ten grand! The boss lady hooked me back up, which was nice of ‘er, but still… that sucks!”

Rising asks, “Do you feel different at all? I mean… you’re a real alicorn now.”

“I’ve felt more or less the same since I got my talent. I imagine if I had any injuries or whatnot I’d probably be all fixed up, but I haven’t felt pain since last August,” he looks at Heavy, “when I took that tumble, remember?” The colt nods at the reminder, so Cure continues, “The princess said it’ll be a while before anything ‘alicorn-y’ will start happening. Probably not until I’m almost an adult.”

“Alicorny?” Drift echoes with snort. A few of the girls giggle at the silly phrase, but Cure just shrugs in response.

“Seems approps. I dunno how it works, but I felt some of it when she raised the sun. It’s like… another well of magic. Just thicker. Heavier. I don’t know how to describe it. If normal magic is water then this was like honey or maybe oil?” He idly scratches at his chin in thought. “I just don’t know how to put it into words. She says it’ll probably be at least five years before my mane and tail start doin whatever the hay hers does.”

“What about when you have foals?” Heavy asks. “Are they going to be alicorns too?”

“No. They’ll be just normal foals like anypony else has. They’ll probably be the same tribe as their dam like normal. There may be some metaphysical effects I can’t imagine, but biologically they won’t be unusual, I don’t think.”

“Really?” he asks, surprise coloring his face. “I figured bein an alicorn and all… wait, what if you and the prin-”

Cure latches his hooves over Heavy’s muzzle, cutting the colt off mid-sentence. It’s far too late, though, as every other foal is staring at him wide-eyed. Dawn is doubled over, choking on a piece of toast she was taking a bite of. “Dude! Seriously?!”

He releases his friend and looks at the now silent table as almost everypony is staring at him. All of his parents except for his dam are obviously laughing, barely pretending to be trying to hold it back. Vines is smiling broadly, wiggling in her seat at the suggestion of her son and the princess having a foal together.

“I am absolutely not going to sit here and talk about having foals with the princess!” he hisses, looking around the room to ensure no guards or serving staff are listening in.

“I was just askin,” Heavy dejectedly mumbles, poking at his plate.

“Yeah, dude, I know, but don’t you think maybe that’s a little…” he trails off, rolling his hoof leadingly.

“He’s way, way too young to even bring that up,” Coast quietly tells the gray colt. “It would probably make her really uncomfortable hearing that anypony’s discussing it. Besides, she’s the princess. That’s… so weird to even think about.”

“Has she ever been married before?” Glacial asks.

“Probably,” he answers. “I’m not going to ask her private questions like that. If she brings it up that’s fine, but I’m not gonna make her talk about ponies she’s loved that she’s had to watch get old and die. I doubt that’ll ever not hurt.”

“Oh… I hadn’t thought about that,” she softly admits. “That sounds very lonely.”

“It… does,” he admits with a cringe. “Nopony thinks about the downsides of being unaging. They exist.”

“What about prince stuff,” Ferric asks, blatantly attempting to change the subject. “Will we be able to come for that? When you get crowned?”

“Of course. If you want to. I mean, it’s not like it’s going to be fun or whatever. I’ll be in disguise, which is something she’s going to straight up tell everypony. She’s not even gonna use my real name, of course. I dunno if I’m gonna roll with her suggestion, but it sounds pretty neat.”

“Serpentus?” Wind asks, snorting out a laugh. “Seems a tad… I dunno, like a big hardflank, not,” she waves in his direction, getting a scowl in return, “you.”

“Says the filly that’ll grow another hoof at most,” he grumbles back. “Chances are I’ll eventually be about as tall as the boss lady, if not taller.”

“How’s that work?” Glacial asks. “Will you just… keep growing?”

“I guess? I dunno. I plan on just letting whatever happens happen in that department regardless. Unless I end up taller than even her and am still growing. That would friggin suck. Apparently that’s what happened ta her; she just kept growing. I dunno, I didn’t get into specifics with her.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to safely use my talent to shrink myself… I’ll hafta do it with magic instead, which is what she does when she’s going in somewhere that’s too small. She did that when she visited us in January.”

“That sounds like a pain,” Glacial comments. “Are you going to have to do that like… all the time?”

“I dunno. We’re talking like five years from now at a minimum. I hope. It’s not a complicated spell; by the time it’s an issue I’ll probably be able to just cast it on myself for a whole day at a time.”

Dawn’s eyes widen in shock at the statement. “That would take a lot of magic! I can only do it about half an hour at a time.”

“Solar could probably do it for most of the day right now. I’m sure I can do something as far as an enchantment, eventually. Also, the princess said my magic capacity will grow a lot, remember? I’m going to have to go to the range or, maybe, the ocean just to burn enough off to ‘exercise’ that.”

“You’re still going to keep doing that?” Drift asks. “Why? It doesn’t sound like you’ll need to.”

“If you were the fastest pegasus on the planet but felt like you could go even faster would you shrug and say, ‘Good enough’ and quit or would you keep pushing yourself?”

Drift frowns in thought for a moment before slowly nodding. Wind and Glacial do as well, the former far quicker to agree than the latter.

“Honestly I’m not sure if I’ll still hide at that point. I do what I do to keep hidden now so I can live a normal life. The first few years after I come out of hiding might be a little crazy, but once ponies realize I’m just like anypony else I figure that’ll get better.”

“You’re doing a bang up job at the whole normal life thing, Cure,” Solar comments, waving a hoof at the room. “Victory is yours, bro.”

“Yeah but come Tuesday I’ll go to school, see my clients afterwards, go home, and do whatever I want. Nopony but you all and the town guard will know anything is different at all.”

Solar can’t help but concede the point, though a thought does occur to him. “Are you going to tell my dam?”

“Oh… oh that’s perfect. Should I wait until after I get a crown and just like… walk in your place wearing it like nothing’s changed?”

“Daddy will have to know,” Dawn reminds him. “I don’t think you should mess with my dam anymore. Remember what I said last time? She doesn’t think that stuff is funny.”

“True,” he concedes. “I’ll probably just tell her with whoever else needs to know. I don’t need to get her all ticked off at me.”

“What about our parents?” Drift asks. “They’ll know too, won’t they?”

“Huh… I guess. Honestly, I’m not going to ask you all to hide this from your parents. It may be best not to tell your younger siblings. You know how easy it is for them to let stuff slip. Especially your sister,” he says, nudging Heavy who immediately nods in agreement. “Just ask them to not spread it around.

“They wouldn’t want you all getting accosted by ponies; I don’t want that either. Just point out that being the friend of an alicorn prince would mean ponies may be approaching you to get you to ask for me to do stuff. I’m hiding to keep you all from having to deal with this as much as I’m hiding for my own good, after all.

“I’ll probably have to keep ‘Prince Serpentus’ almost like a separate identity… you know, like how I do when I’m working?”

“The ‘no joking’ thing?” Dawn asks.

“Basically, yes. If I’m out and about as a prince and I run into one of you or something I’ll probably treat you like a stranger. Don’t let that freak you out; it’s the only way any of us will be able to have a normal life for the next few years.”

“Cure?” Vines calls from down the table. “And everypony else, of course. We need to hurry and finish our breakfast so we can get cleaned up and ready for the photograph. I don’t want any silly faces or misbehaving; the princess is going to be very busy today and we have a train to catch.”

An hour later finds the whole group dolled up to their absolute best. The group had rushed to shower and dry off as quickly as possible so that Cure could spend a few minutes on each one prior to being escorted to the throne room. It very much looked like a procession of super models, aside from the one pregnant mare that, despite the bump, is still physically more powerful than anypony not in their group, save maybe the princess herself.

Cure isn’t sure if Vines may be able to physically overpower even the boss lady if she weren’t seven and a half months pregnant. If Celestia never tried cycling magic actively through her muscles to increase her strength then the only advantage she would have is a couple hundred kilograms more mass and the increased leverage that size grants.

Vines, meanwhile, has muscle fibers that nature could only dream of, a skeletal system that might as well be made of steel, and the ability to nearly triple her output with magic use as needed. Maybe Cure will come up with a convoluted plan to get the pair into a wrestling match someday, but he can’t imagine his dam, even in play, doing anything that could be perceived as aggressive involving the princess.

Chalking up the random thoughts to being sleepy from waking a little early, Cure focuses back on the task at hoof; getting one infant, twelve foals, seven adults, and one eternal in position for the photograph without arguing over who stands where while finding some way to keep anypony from blinking.

Fortunately, there’s a professional on hoof who is also a member of the castle’s Public Relations department. The mare’s name is a tad long for a pony, but apparently that’s why Surprise Development goes by SD instead. The group is introduced to her and her lights pony shortly after they’re escorted in.

The first picture is basically what Cure expected. The princess calls everypony up into the raised platform before her throne. A couple raised platforms are brought in for the photographer and the light pony so the pair aren’t a full body length below the photograph subjects.

She stands behind the group with Vines in front of her and slightly to her right. Amethyst and Lemon take up positions on Vines’ right. Deed and Title are to her left with Solar and Starlight standing to their left to finish out the row.

Wind takes the side opposite the unicorns in front of Amethyst with her sister and Glacial filling in on her left. Ferric stands beside the shorter platinum filly with her sister, then Cure, Dawn, Rising, Coast, and Heavy down the line.

Cherry and Lotus hug Savvy between them right in front of Cure, who spreads his wings wide and adds a little volume on to surround the four fillies and three sisters arranged around him.

He was a little leery of doing the picture in his natural colors, but with everypony else in it anyway it’s not like identifying him would be difficult. Color photography is very, very new and produces pictures that are nowhere near as vivid as what he’s used to.

A call out of “cheese!” And a bright flash leaves everypony blinking for a moment after which Celestia speaks up. “This may be somewhat unorthodox, but I would like to have a picture with just Cure and myself, please.”

“That would be wonderful, princess!” Vines immediately agrees.

“Cure? I worked on something for this occasion, if you would be willing to humor an old mare.”

He rolls his eyes at her blatant manipulation and follows the princess to the side of her throne. She levitates a rich, dark wooden box out from some hidden cubby and sits on her haunches to take it in her hooves. With a seriousness that he hasn’t seen much on this visit, she turns, laying on her barrel to face him with the box between her forelegs.

“First, let me say that this is not official. You are not a prince until after the ceremony. The crown is not the same one you will receive next month, but I had a basic one expedited in the hopes you would wear this for a photograph with me today.”

She opens the lid, revealing a crown sitting in the middle of an ornamental peytral. Four shoes are arranged, two on each side. Everything appears to be solid gold, with a lustrous shine that nearly glows in the light of the room.

The shoes and peytral are a duplicate of her own, though the gem in the middle is a deep emerald that will match his blue coat or, in disguise, the brown he normally dons. The crown is quite a bit different, thankfully. Instead of the big, spiky, jewel-covered design she wears, it is a simple, more masculine band even more plain than the one Prince Blueblood was wearing.

“How in the hay did you have these made just overnight?!”

“Only the crown was and the design is simple, as you can see. Your actual crown will have a matching jewel and a more elaborate design that I would like to surprise you with. I thought you may like something a little less ostentatious than my own.” She gives him a broad, hopeful smile, waiting for his response.

“They look really nice, princess. Sure, I’d be happy to get a picture with ya.” He pauses a moment before hesitantly asking, “Am I supposed to take those with me?”

“Eager, are we?” she teases with a light giggle.

He rolls his eyes explaining, “I was thinking it would be fun to show up at some of the girls’ homes and, when the parents open the door, be like, ‘Can Dawn come out and play?’”

“HAH!” she barks out a laugh before covering her face with a hoof, stifling any more, though still shaking in mirth at the image. “I would normally say no, but I suppose as long as you are not doing anything official.”

“So don’t go out healing with it until afterwards? I was thinkin about moving my internship and, ya know… healing under my ‘Prince’ name.”

“You can make arrangements, but please hold off on going out in public with it until later. You are, again, a prince by right, but you are not a crowned one, officially, until after your coronation. Aside from that, I think it is a stupendous idea, Cure. You do not have to wait if you would like to go before you’re crowned, just no wearing everything publicly until after.”

“Good deal. I’ll talk to the ponies at the Baltimare RHA. As for the gear, I’ll probably only bust ‘em out a couple times, and only in private settings.”

“Very well. I’m just thrilled you’re willing to take them at all. These are enchanted in a way similar to how your bags are. Enchantment isn’t exactly correct as there is no crystal that must be charged.”

“I gotta learn that, boss. I’ve wondered how they work since I got them.”

“I’m sending you with instructions for the envelope spell. In reality, it is more appropriate to call what’s being done a form of ritual. The envelope is temporary and small enough that no circle is needed for me to perform the spell, and you will need to sacrifice a cantrip tier crystal until you can access your alicorn abilities. I enchanted these myself, though.”

“Really? That’s awesome! What’s it do?”

“These are simple, for the most part. Aside from the jewels they will grow with you, and will not be easily removed without your permission. We will replace the emerald with larger gems as you grow.”

“Ah, that’s how your crown and shoes stay on when flying…”

“Exactly. The jewel in the peytral has a powerful locator spell imbued in it. Know that wherever it goes, I will be able to find it.”

“Can I put it inside a spatial bag?”

“Yes. That will not stop the tracking ability.”

“Can anypony else track it?”

“Not easily. I wouldn’t say it is impossible, but somepony would have to analyze the item to determine the imprint before being able to follow it, and they would not have nearly the detection range I do. There are a few dozen mages alive that I believe could potentially do so, nearly all of whom are in my employ in one form or another.”

“Cool. I may keep it on me even if I’m not wearing it. I can’t think of a reason I wouldn’t want you to be able to find me if needed.”

“I appreciate that you trust me so much, Cure. I know that trust is not an easy thing for you normally.”

“I dunno if I would say that, exactly. Trust, to me, is like a big water tank. Once it’s full it takes a lot to empty it, but punch a couple holes in it and it’ll happen a whole lot faster. It ain’t easy to refill once the water’s gone, and those holes ‘ll never completely go away.”

Beaming at the affirmation, she removes the peytral, placing it over his head and on his chest, then places the crown on his head. She pulls him into a brief hug as she assures him, “I shall endeavor to never disappoint you.”

As they separate he sticks his snout way up in the air and adopts a pompous tone. “See that you do not, madame!”

“Do you need assistance with the sh… never mind,” she cuts off as he easily slides the shoes on with his TK field. Just like the crown and peytral “clicked” on his brow and chest, the shoes snap into place on his hoof wall, not actually covering the bottom of his hoof at all. There more leggings than shoes, really. Or perhaps shinguards would be more accurate.

“Well paint me pink and call me piggy, I feel plum regal and whutnawt already, prin-cess,” Cure says in a thick, southern drawl.

“I’m having second thoughts suddenly,” she remarks, not bothering to hide her disapproval. “Come along, Cure, and speak normally, please.”

“You bet, boss.”

“... maybe need some etiquette classes,” she grumbles, climbing on her throne. She lays on her barrel, slightly curving her body so her cutie mark on her left flank is visible from the front, holding her wings fully upright, high in the air. She crosses her forelegs, left over right, and puffs her chest out, neck straight and head held high.

She tilts her head invitingly to her left, so Cure hops up and mimics her pose. He lays so his shoulder is slightly behind hers, so his forelegs only reach a little down her thighs. His wings only just come up above her barrel and her cutie mark is above and behind his rear.

The photographer and her lights pony set everything up, positioning themselves so that the throne, wings, horn, cutie marks, and Celestia’s tail all fit in the frame, then take a moment to move a hoof or have them angle their wings slightly until both are perfect.

“Smile or serious?” Cure asks.

“Thoughts, SD?” she asks.

“Smiles, yes? Ees ‘appy oh-cazun, yes?”

“Indeed it is. A demure, but happy smile, please, Cure. We’ll do two; one for a keepsake and a second in your Serpentus appearance for public release. No crown for the latter, unfortunately. We will do those pictures next time.”

“No problem, princess.”

With the friends, family, guards, and everypony else watching, Princess Celestia and soon-to-be Prince Cure Wave smile for the camera, and the first ever photograph of two alicorns is snapped in a blinding flash of light.

The train ride home is, blissfully, uneventful. Cure made good on his promise, first giving each of his friends a vigorous hand massage. Solar and Starlight weren’t about to decline his offer, so he sent them both to the sandpony next. His parents opted to wait until the next day, though by the time dinner arrived everypony had gotten a good nap in. Given that they wouldn’t be getting to Golden Hills until almost ten it was almost a necessity, at least for the foals.

Uncle Lucky and Arcane had asked about the huge serpent as soon as they’d met up at the station. Deed had told them the princess had not yet released a public statement and, though they would be let in on the secret soon, the family couldn’t share anything just yet. They had enough experience with Grandpa Brick to understand confidentiality, so both accepted the explanation easily enough.

Celestia was apparently not in the mood to put up with any shenanigans in regards to the herd’s security; she dispatched Lt. Spear, a troop transport railcar, and an entire platoon to provide escort and, while the LT is in Baltimare, brief Cpt. Stance of the situation before returning on Tuesday. The local guard units had all been made aware of the attack, but Celestia did not inform them about Cure’s ascension when she sent the orders to begin pulling financial records and investigating his coworkers.

Cure had finished the lieutenant’s flight suit and upgraded Wind’s at the same time, so the trip home ended up being a boring, but productive one.

An entire platoon of Royal Guards, minus one squad sent to secure lodging, stepping off the train in Golden Hills gathers a lot of attention. They don’t conspicuously stick by the colt specifically, but there is not really a great way for thirty fully kitted Guards to blend in, and there are few other commuters so late on a Sunday. He has his wings formed, but has hidden them under a layer of fur that makes spotting them nearly impossible without good light and an actual inspection.

Just as Cure and his family are stepping off the train he spots Sergeants Bulwark, Song, and Haze making their way to Lt. Spear to greet her. The train back to Baltimare wouldn’t normally depart until the next morning, but with a royal order in hoof there’s very little that can’t get done.

The other parents are already waiting; they had each been made aware that somepony tried to foalnap Cure, but only the members of the Guard knew how many attackers were present. The single mothers are quick to run over and snatch up their fillies, and all the rest are just behind them.

Lt. Spear dispatches a squad to escort Cure’s family, plants, Delta Coast and her dam, Ferric and hers, and Heavy’s family to their homes. Once the other foals and parents are dropped off the entire squad will secure Cure’s home and ensure nopony is waiting at the residence. Lt. Spear herself will escort Cure and Deed there after a quick meeting with the town’s sergeants.

Cure had to pull the lieutenant aside to warn her that his house has a far more aggressive version of the plant that subdued eight royal guards. With her approval he attaches a small patch of fur with a “friendly” scent marker to each guard’s armor that will let them bypass the security for the night.

Another squad accompanies Rising, her dam, Midnight Gem, and Onyx Mark while Thunder, Tailwind, Rain, and three Guard pegasi escort the girls home; Snowstorm apparently stayed behind to watch Swirling Leaf and Frigid Glaze at the Flare/Dance house.

Emerald is quick to tackle hug her daughter, showering the filly in kisses. After Dawn relents and accepts the love she grabs Solar and even Starlight in tight hugs. Cure assumes Haze let it slip how many creatures came after the group, and when the colt pans his gaze from the blue mare’s enthusiastic greeting to the sergeant, he notes an uncomfortable shifting of posture and a poorly concealed guilty look.

While giving the stallion a disapproving stare, Cure’s lack of focus lets the mare get the jump on him, wrapping him in a tight surprise hug and thanking him for keeping her foals safe again. He can only imagine the amount of stress she’s felt since Haze blabbed, so he plays along and comforts the mare, giving her a nuzzle in return.

Once she releases him he calls out to the ponies in charge. “Lieutenant, Staff Sergeant. Would you be okay with Mrs. Aura, Dawn, Corporal Strike, and Miss Shine accompanying us?” Solar’s updated rank gets a double-take from his parents. Emerald whispers with her son, getting confirmation of the promotion that came from Princess Celestia herself. Cure expected his sire to be informed, but apparently the princess thought he may appreciate hearing the good news directly from the young stallion himself.

Whoops.

The lieutenant looks between the group of unicorns and nods, then glances at the confused looking staff sergeant who shrugs and gives his okay. With the box of his royal adornments on his back, Cure trots along, side by side with Dawn and his sire, followed by Emerald, Solar, and Starlight and surrounded by a lieutenant, a staff sergeant, two sergeants, and a squad of privates and corporals.

They arrive at the station only a few minutes later and, after a round of bathroom breaks, the troops relax in the break room while the sergeants, Cure, Deed, Solar, Starlight, Dawn, Emerald, and Lt. Spear use the bigger bullpen room since their normal conference room isn’t large enough for all the occupants.

As soon as the door shuts, Cure trots up to the front of the room. “Alright, so I’m tired and I’m sure everypony wants to get wherever, be it bed, a hotel, or back to their shift, so I’ll make this quick. As much as I’d love to come up with something immensely amusing, I’m just not feeling it right now. Long story short, I’m not an earth pony. I’m an alicorn and Princess Celestia or her press corps will be announcing my coronation tomorrow, probably. It’ll happen at the Sun Celebration in just under seven weeks.”

He reveals his wings and horn, levitates the box off his back, opens it, and slips the peytral and crown over and on top of his head in one quick motion. “Questions?” he asks, looking between the shocked ponies that were not already aware.

“Damn, colt. Way ta ease them inta it.”

Cure rolls his eyes at his sire. “Like I said, it’s late. We’re all tired, I’m sure, and I bet everypony wants nothing more to go home, take a nice, hot shower, and climb in bed.”

Bulwark gives Spear a look seeking confirmation. Once she nods he turns back to the colt and asks, “Have you always been an alicorn?”

“No. Technically I’ve been an alicorn for about four months, but apparently if you do enough crazy crap you explode and, instead of dying, you come back and get the entire alicorn package. I had wings and could fly, but didn’t have pegasus weather magic before. I do now, and I’ll be hiring a tutor to learn how that works, sooner or later.”

“Explode?” Emerald asks, eyes bulging in surprise.

“Yep, he blew up after we hit him with pies,” Dawn explains.

Solar steps in to clarify. “He and his parents demonstrated some plant magic ritual they do in their garden. That’s why their food is so fantastic; Mrs. Vines’ talent is related to growing crops. Well, Cure joined in for the first time ever. Her majesty had arranged a prank and had pies for us to hit him with afterwards.”

“I had pulled a couple pranks on her the previous day. She was getting even.”

Starlight explains his prank to the group, “He used his talent to look like a bunny version of her highness and interrupted her court. Sort of,” she clarifies, “she was just about to call for a recess. It was ridiculously adorable, by the way.”

Cure preens under the praise from the pretty mare.

“She squealed like a little filly when she saw him!” Dawn cackles, clapping her hooves in glee.

“You remember when I yelled and y’all heard it all over?” Everypony nods at the memory. “She did the same thing in a high pitched squeal. Blew out a few hundred windows. Literally. In my defense, her lungs are a lot bigger. One day, maybe…” he wistfully sighs.

“It took a few hours for our unicorns to Mend everything,” Lt. Spear adds, shooting Cure a light glare.

“And she wants you to come back?” Song asks incredulously.

Scoffing, Cure fluffs his feathers, “She can’t get enough of me. I’m irresistible, obviously.”

“Riiight,” she patronizingly agrees. “Wait, should we be addressing you as ‘Your Highness’ now?”

Realization sets in on the others and Emerald gasps in surprise. “Nah, I’m keeping my identity a secret until I’m an adult at least. That’s why this stuff was in a closed box and I hid my extra limbs. When acting as a royal I’ll go by Prince Serpentus and look like this,” he explains, quickly changing his appearance, voice, and revealing his true mark. “My mark changed, by the way, so the snake and tree are the real thing.”

“That… happens?” Haze asks.

“Alicorn stuff, sarge,” he says with a shrug. “My mane and tail will start being all whispy in a few years and I’ll probably end up eighteen hooves tall by the time I’m fully grown. I dunno, it’s not like there’s a lot of examples to work from.”

“You’re immortal now!” Emerald shouts.

“I basically already was. I just don’t share all of my capabilities for a few reasons. One, in case somepony tries what they did on the train. Another is because I can’t save everypony. I can already do a lot though. Want to be twenty two again? Want more foals? Another colt? My talent is biology. Before yesterday I just didn’t have much magic to throw around. I’m almost caught up with Dawn now. Just wait until I’m fifteen.”

“We… had assumed you could do most of that stuff all along,” Bulwark confesses. Haze and Song both nod, so Cure can only assume they’re referring to some kind of threat assessment they’ve discussed. Emerald and Starlight look stunned by the news of the age reversal, but neither seem to be able to find their voice.

Haze looks between him and Dawn and asks, “Are you going to move to Canterlot?”

“Maybe in a year or so. The princess wants me to go to her school and learn how to properly ‘alicorn’ from her on the side. I planned on getting Dawn in too; call it favoritism if ya want, but I’ll flat out pay for her if need be and she’s interested.” Unsurprisingly, her whole family is nodding eagerly.

“For now, though, very little will change. I’ll go get crowned next month, come back, and maybe occasionally get asked to attend a function here or there. When I turn ten some things will probably change. I’ll apparently have a room by hers in the castle that I can use whenever. I may buy us,” he waves to his sire, “a nice house and we may move. I can fly here from the capital in an hour or two whenever I want, mostly, so you won’t be rid of me too soon, sorry for ya.

“By the way, sarge,” he says to Bulwark, “the princess talked y’all up to Captain Stalwart Shield, so I hope you’re gonna bring your A-game come the fall. I can’t have my home team beaten by a buncha Canterlot snobs, no offense,” he quickly adds, glancing to the lieutenant then back, “now can I?”

Bulwark gives him a smirking grin while nodding in agreement. “Damn right, son. Maybe you can come watch us stomp them flat since you’ll be a prince, officially, by then.”

“I’ll hafta ask. I bet she’d be thrilled if I showed any interest in ‘prince’ stuff at all. Does she attend?”

“She usually does for some of it,” Lt. Spear answers. “It goes for a couple days, so she shows up for the awards ceremony at the very least.”

“Cool, though I may not be able to cheer for you out loud. Hidden identity and all. Of course, one super-muscular squad from a random suburb is gonna stand out pretty badly anyhow.”

Lt. Spear takes a look at the three sergeants in the room and slowly nods. Bulwark, in particular, looks like he’s chiseled from stone, but Haze and Song both have obvious, solid muscle definition. The bat pony, especially. She has pectorals that even an earth pony would be proud of. “Yeah, that may be an issue,” she quietly confirms. “But on the other hoof, everypony there will be guards and their families.”

“You can give ponies twins, can’t you?” Emerald finally asks, seemingly out of nowhere. The errant question gets surprised looks from everypony not in the know.

He nods in confirmation. “I can cause a mare to have two eggs instead of one. Or three. I’m not sure if more would be safe without frequent checkups.”

“Hmm. I believe one of my corporals has been telling everypony she has twin colts on the way.” Cure whistles innocently and turns away. Bulwark sighs and confesses, “I figured as much. She gushed about the massage then danced around excited about twins barely a week later, way too soon after estrus hit to even know.”

“Dunno what you’re talking about, sarge. Patient confidentiality, ya know. Not that I’m confirming she is a patient, of course.”

“Uh huh.” His eyes flick up to the crown. “Should I inform my soldiers?”

“I’ll leave that to you. So long as they can keep quiet, I don’t care. Lt. Spear?”

“Need to know for now, sergeant. There’s no reason to tell everypony. They can find out after the investigation is wrapped up and he’s all official.”

“Understood.”

“Cool. Anything else before we all go our separate ways?” he asks the room.

“Are you still angry with me?” Emerald timidly asks.

Haze’s shoulders slump at the reminder of that event and Solar at least has the decency to look ashamed at worrying his dam. Cure just rolls his eyes. “Mrs. Aura, I think we all moved on. I wasn’t angry ten minutes after and I’m not angry now.”

He pans across the room waiting for anypony else to speak up. When nopony does he nods in acknowledgement and claps his hooves. “Alright, good deal. I don’t have anything else urgent, but I’ll probably need to talk to you when we go lifting on Friday, sarge. Let’s go get some sleep, everypony. Goodnight, Sgt. Song, Sgt. Bulwark.”

He takes off the gear and stows it away as Dawn approaches. She nuzzles into his cheek with hers and gives him a peck on his jaw. “Goodnight, Cure.”

He wraps her in a wing hug, nuzzling down her cheek and neck and pulling her tight against his chest. “Goodnight, Sunrise. Go get a good night’s sleep. I’ll see you at school in the morning.”

Stepping into the astral is as strange of a sensation as it is easy to do. Cure was not being deceptive when he had described it earlier. The closest analog he can come up with is that he mentally parts the curtain between planes, then slides through the gap. Concerned that a sister could somehow find their way to the spot he departed from, he lightened himself and hovered near his ceiling before making the transition.

Princess Celestia arrives seconds after him, materializing a few meters away as if walking out of a cloud. “Evenin’ highness.”

As she approaches she returns the greeting, laying on her barrel once she is within a meter of him. “Good evening, Cure. I assume you did not encounter any difficulties along the way?”

“Nope.” He takes his spot between her forelegs, pressing his dock against her chest and using her right leg as a pillow. “We, Lt. Spear and I, that is, met with Bulwark, Song, and Haze. Emerald Aura was at the station to meet Dawn and Solar, so I asked her to tag along when I gave them the update on the whole alicorn thing.”

She lightly chuckles, shaking her head at the flippancy of the statement. “’The alicorn thing,’ he says. They took it well?”

“Yep. I’m thinking Bulwark musta had a better idea of what I could really do than most. They all just kinda took it in stride. If you’re okay with it I may attend the squad competition come fall. Kinda cheer on my home team and all, ya know? As much as I can while maintaining my anonymity.”

“An excellent idea. I’ll find out when the event is scheduled by our next meeting.”

“Cool. Anything I need to know about happen today?”

“No. Little happens officially on Sundays. I expect this coming week to be busy. I have several meetings with members of the council regarding the zebras, coronation plans, Guard readiness discussions, and, thanks to your departing gift, a meeting with the Department of Agriculture. Thank you for putting them all in labeled bags, by the way. The cleaning staff were very surprised at the quality of the material.”

“Only the finest for Her Majesty!” he insists, nuzzling into her leg.

“Why didn’t you say anything to me? I had assumed you were holding out for the tax rebate.”

“Dunno. Wanted to surprise ya,” he answers, shrugging his wings. “Really, with the trees alone I am ‘donating’ tens of thousands of bits each week. I’m pretty sure that once those are approved and start getting used it won’t matter, and I have no interest in farming or the normal food industry. I felt like I was being kind of a prick by not sharing food. I told you I’d never let ponies go hungry anyhow. Actions speak louder.”

She reaches down and nuzzles into his mane. “That was very kind of you. There’s enough variety that I’m sure it will take many years for them to test everything and begin phasing out the standard crops, assuming all goes well.”

“Yeah, they’ll wanna ease into that. You don’t want warehouses just chalked full of wheat or whatever sitting around doing nothing, after all. That creates problems too.”

“Indeed. I have little desire to deal with a booming vermin population, and nopony wants to see food rot.”

“Yep. Maybe Equestria can eventually start exporting food to starving regions of the world to foster goodwill or something. Just watch out for the local food economy; you don’t wanna bankrupt their farmers by hoofing over tens of thousands kilos of free stuff right before their harvest. It may be best to sell at market rates, or slightly lower, once local supply is exhausted. The money can go towards developing their infrastructure or charities here instead.”

“Excellent points. I’ll make note to mention such during the ensuing conversations.”

Conversation stills for a moment. Cure is happy to lay on her leg and take in her warmth. He considers it odd that even on another plane the physical still seems… physical, for lack of a better term. Then again, he figures that maybe this is just the only frame of reference his mind has to process the environment. He makes note to experiment at some point to see if there’s more to this place than what he’s seeing. Perfect opportunity for a “more than meets the eye” joke and nopony would even get it, he silently laments.

“I probably need to get some sleep. I’m sure her highness could use some rest to prepare for a long week ahead of her as well.”

“Indeed. Little colts do need their rest.” Nosing at his ear she teases, “We don’t want you getting cranky, do we?”

He rolls to his back between her legs and flails, playfully kicking at her chest while writhing his limbs and crying, “I don’t wanna go to school! It’s dumb and boring and everypony there is stooopid!”

Giggling at the silliness she chides the colt, “Now, now. Be a good colt for your teacher. If you behave yourself then maybe I’ll get you a prize when next you visit.”

He stops his wiggles, freezing in place to look up at the mare. “A fancy crown?!” he asks hopefully, eyes widening comically in excitement.

“Only smart colts get crowns, so pay attention and we shall see.”

“Fiiine!” he huffs, visibility calming. “Goodnight, princess.”

“Goodnight, prince,” she replies, sticking her tongue out.

He blows out another huff and gives her a weak glare. Relenting with an eye roll he says, “Fine! Goodnight, Sunny. Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” The colt blows a raspberry before disappearing in a flash of light.

“Bed… bugs?” she repeats, struggling to imagine why there may be bugs in her bed. Her mind flashes to her white pegasus disguise testing her mattress, then discussions of hidden egg sacks erupting in mosquito wasps before her eyes widen in alarm. “He wouldn’t dare!”

A fiery flash fills the astral, vaporizing the whispy clouds nearby as a certain alicorn makes haste to her chambers, intent on thoroughly checking over her bedding.

Cure falls only a hoof before twisting around and catching himself in the air. Nopony is under him anyhow, but he makes a mental note that if he leaves the astral on his back then that’s also how he’ll appear on the material plane as well.

Amethyst is on his bed, brows hiked to her mane at his impromptu gymnastics display. “Way ta stick the landin, colt.” He notes the girls fast asleep against her tummy; the dark mare curled around her daughters like a protective momma cat with a sheet half covering them.

“I do try to impress,” he says in response before tilting his head towards the door. “Coming?”

“Sure, lemme…” she mumbles, attempting to untangle herself without disturbing the sleeping fillies. Cure isn’t sure why she’s worried; the pair would sleep through armageddon as long as they have a warm body to snuggle with. She eventually gets free and climbs down, muttering a “shattap, brat” in passing at his amused look.

The pair make their way to the master bedroom and find the other four talking about plans for work around the Celebration. Deed and Title need to plan in advance and Lemon is considering his idea of expanding, tossing around the possibility of hiring somepony for the kitchen but lamenting the small space available.

“If you don’t have enough room for two bodies in the kitchen, consider looking for a place nearby to move the entire kitchen area to, then you can double or triple the storefront space. I could make you a ‘living’ cart with the pegasus aura and you could move hundreds of kilograms of finished product in one trip. Dam, I’ll see about doing the same thing for your wagon after we move. It never occurred to me before.”

“Damn, Cure… that’s a great idea,” the yellow mare compliments. Amethyst hops up on the bed and lays across her wife’s back. Cure snuggles between his dam’s forelegs as usual.

He continues, “You could have multiple locations and one kitchen that way. It may work better in Baltimare; more customers, more location options without them competing with each other. I’m sure there’ll be stalls at the Celebration too, but they’re probably all rented out by now.”

Title suggests an alternative. “Maybe we can see if there’s any available in Canterlot for Nightmare Night; it would be a great way to introduce your brand to the city in case we end up moving. Or if you just want to expand to another city.”

Lemon frowns in thought, nodding while mulling the suggestions over.

Cure takes a deep breath and says, “So…” and slowly exhales.

“Are you alright, sweetie?”

“I guess. I was… not surprised, just… I dunno,” he sighs, laying his chin on her leg. “I’m not really sure what to think, to be honest. I didn’t learn anything new in regards to my memories.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t see anything from before?” Title asks. Cure hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to his parents alone without suspicion of listening ears the entire time they were at the palace, or on the train ride home.

He didn’t trust a Sound Bubble once the princess showed she could pierce his invisibility so easily, and he never knew if some kind of magical listening device could have been in their rooms. It’s unlikely, but at least in their own house he should detect the scent of an intruder and his guard plant didn’t have anypony imprisoned.

“No. To be fair, though, I didn’t see anything until just before I got my mark either. I dunno, I’m freaking done worrying about it, just like I’ve said all along. That doesn’t change the fact that the girls still need to know before any kind of committed relationship starts. The princess and I talked for a while about future events. I got her to cuss, which was hilarious.”

The statement gets curious looks from the group, so he elaborates. “There were twin balconies for the celestial ritual. I commented about the other being for her sister when she returns. She asked how much I know. I expressed concern about discussing the future, so she did some privacy spell and we chatted for a bit. When I pointed out that my existence may fudge up everything she expressed some mild annoyance.”

“Well, how annoyin ya are aside,” Deed teases, continuing despite the glare, “it may set her mind at ease. She don’t gotta wonder why ya know so much stuff ya shouldn’t.”

Vines nods against his back. “She obviously still trusts you, so that’s a good sign.”

“He ain’t given ‘er a reason not ta,” Amethyst points out. “Shit, them seeds alone were millions ‘a bits worth ‘a food in a couple years.”

“Plus he’s got the most valuable seed of all still,” Title comments in a snort.

Vines turns to glare at the pink mare while the other three struggle not to laugh. “There is no need to be crass, Title Search.”

“Ooh, full name!” Lemon blurts out. “Yer in it now, babe!”

“I mean… she’s not wrong,” Cure mumbles. He wrinkles his snout in thought. “Ugh, even the thought is so weird. I know she doesn’t look it, but she’s so old. Like, sooo old. Seriously, can you picture Princess Celestia talking dirty? She still does some of that ‘ye olde talk’ and she puts out that grandma vibe.”

Even Vines has to stifle a laugh at the image; the other four are doing a poor job not laughing. In the princess’s voice he says, “Oh Cure, take me! Come, snuff the inferno of mine solar loins with thine lifegiving essence! Mind the hips!”

Giggling despite herself, Vines jabs his side, prodding him to stop while the others roll in the bed laughing their heads off.

“Anyhow,” he says, rolling his eyes, “I lost all my progress on the griffon mitochondria. I also lost damn near every other physical upgrade that alicorns don’t already have. No subdermal mesh, no venom glands, normal bones again, etcetera. Apparently whatever process I went through set me back to, basically, baseline pony. The only change between what y’all have and what I do is that I can flip a switch and crystalize my coat.”

“I thought you said crystal ponies didn’t have anything special,” Title says.

“Their coats have different pigmentation, but this is apparently an active thing, see?” He flips the mental switch, causing his coat to gain a blue ethereal sparkling shimmer to it.

“Oh, that’s pretty, honey!”

“It looks kinda like her mane,” Deed points out.

He pulls his tail to the side and looks at it more closely. “Huh. It does, doesn’t it? I wonder if she’s doing that consciously. Luna’s mane will have a similar starry thing, ya know, assuming…”

“That aside,” Vines interrupts, “are you okay? You went through a lot of unexpected changes this weekend. I know the whole immortality revelation was a shock for you. I felt you tense.”

“It was. It still is. No matter what I do I’ll still outlast everypony. God, how did she survive being alone for so long?” He inhales to sigh, involuntarily yawning instead. “I’ll be fine, I guess, for a while. Y’all aren’t going anywhere for a long damn time either way. I’m not gonna let something upset me now when it won’t be an issue at all for, possibly, hundreds of years. Especially since you all may, at some point, join the club.”

“Yeesh, no thanks,” Lemon replies in a wretch.

Cure is quick to remind her, “You may not get to say no. I didn’t see that coming.”

“Do ya think she did?” Deed asks. “She said she didn’t, but,” he trails off with a shrug.

“Ehhh… I doubt it. She seemed genuinely offended when I asked. Besides, she even confessed she expected it to happen when the twins show up.”

“The princess wouldn’t lie like that,” Vines insists, scowling at her husband.

“Maybe not that,” Amethyst agrees, “but don’t go thinkin she ain’t ever lied ta nopony. Ya don’t live that long without gettin some dirt in yer frog.”

His dam softens her look and nods in understanding.

“I didn’t mention one thing of note before. When we moved the moon and sun there wasn’t more than a couple seconds of delay between when she started pushing and a reaction was visible.”

Title realizes the significance right away. “You told me it took something like eight minutes for light to travel from Earth’s sun to the planet…”

“Exactly. I don’t know what that means, but the way this solar system works must be fundamentally different from what I know. Whatever the setup is, it works, so… I’ll let future Cure worry about that, I guess.” The sentence is punctuated with another yawn, prompting the colt to lay his head against his dam’s foreleg.

She leans over her son and smushes his cheek in a loud kiss. “You should go to bed and finally get some restful sleep. It’s late and you’ve had several very busy days in a row. I love you, sweetie.”

“Love you, dam,” he replies, sitting up and turning to wrap her neck in a hug. One by one he wishes everypony goodnight and gives them some love.

He makes his way to Savvy’s crib before heading out, hopping up and hovering down to her. He gives her a nuzzle and pets through her mane, cooing at the filly. “Goodnight, sweet pea,” he softly calls. She wiggles slightly before stilling, so he lets the girl sleep and leaves, closing the door behind him.

Hopping back on his bed, he plugs into his plant, revoking the “friendly” designation for the scent marker he gave the guards and arming all defensive systems. Done with the last bit of “business” he snuggles against his sisters, laying his left wing over them, unplugs from his plant, and settles in for a restful night of sleep.

Author's Note

So yeah... this whole chapter was just going to be a few paragraphs at the tail end of 64, originally. I'm not sure if anyone has noticed yet, but on rare occasions I tend to make chapters longer than intended, thus the day gets its own chapter.

A few things. First & foremost, as I've said in the last few A/N's, I'll be taking a few weeks off. A good chunk of that is due to travel, but some of it is so that I have time to build up a buffer again. I have Chapters 66 and 67 basically done and 68 about half way. You can expect 66 on June 5th.

I am sharing all of this because, as a reader of many a fiction, I know how devastating it is when a work just... stops. There was one I liked that started in about 2015 and, with no warning whatsoever, the author just seemingly disappeared a few years later and like 70 chapters in. They occasionally did 1 line responses to comments for a while after, but never bothered saying, "Oh hey, I ran out of ideas, sorry, this would have ended like X" or whatever; just ghosted everyone, more or less.

I get it, really. If I didn't have fun writing then, inevitably, I would find more enjoyable ways to spend my time too. Until that happens, I'll just keep chuggin along as I have been and, if that day does ever come, I'll at least have the decency to come in here and say "hey folks, here's what's up."

I want to reiterate that I have no plans to do so. I have ideas and things I want to happen clear into Cure's adulthood. Getting from here to there will require some skippage, but that's inevitable in any story. That's why basically none of them give dates; the movement of time is vague and arbitrary. That's not really my style, obviously.

Anyhow, far shorter chapters are coming up. 66 should be around 5k, then 8k for 67, and I'm about 5k into 68, estimating it to end up somewhere around 6-7, maybe. Perhaps slightly longer. I plan on continuing the one chapter per week schedule, releasing new ones each Monday so that, hopefully, the day can suck slightly less for everyone.

Thanks for reading and commenting, folks. Enjoy!