There is always a Sparkle in the blackest hole

Ponyville Train Station
8:55AM
Shared Perspectives

Derek was carrying two suitcases onto the train. He approached one of the booths on the right and slid the suitcases under the seats. He sits down next to the window as Twilight follows him on board after waving to her friends who wanted to wish them safe travels and sits next to him.

"You know I could have helped you with the luggage." Twilight said as she quickly leaned up against him.

"I know, but I needed to get it all in one go. Momma didn't raise a two-trip-bitch." Derek chuckled to himself as he wrapped an arm around her. Twilight nudges him in the side with her magic while giggling to herself.

"Language you." She chuckled. As they get settled, Spike gets on board, with his own luggage. He approaches the booth where they are at and sits in the seat opposite of them, facing them.

"Thanks for inviting me along Twilight, it's been forever since I have been back at Canterlot." Spike was smiling wide.

"Of course Spike. We are going to see family, and you're family too." Twilight responded with a smile of her own.

"That's very kind of you Twi." Derek said as he pulled her closer to him with his arm. Spike raises an eyebrow at them.

"Promise me you two won't get icky with each other during the train ride." Spike said with an unimpressed expression.

"We won't Spike, we haven't even announced ourselves publicly yet." Twilight quickly shushes him.

"Look, I don't mind if you two are dating, just no gross stuff please." Spike said quickly.

"I know pal, just trust us." Derek spoke up. Spike seems to relax a bit.

"Thank you. But that has me thinking, have you two told anyone else?" Spike looks at both of them.

"Just my parents, my brother, and the princesses." Twilight responded.

"You haven't told your friends yet Twilight?" Spike asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope, not yet. Because we want to make it special." She said with a smile.

"Special? Special How?" Spike asked leaning in closer.

"Remember how Shining Armor and Cadence surprised us about them having a baby?" Twilight smiled.

"Yeah. I do." He responded.

"It will be similar to that, we want to surprise them." Twilight said.

"Really? You are going to send them all over town solving riddles?" Spike asked.

"Of course not. We are just going to invite them over for a party, and then share the big news to them all at once. It's going to be fun." Derek said, pulling Twilight closer to him, causing her to lay her head on his shoulder. "There will be punch, cake, and other fun stuff."

"Well, that does sound like fun." Spike smiled. "When do you plan to do all this?"

"Sometime after we get back from Canterlot." Twilight said as She looked out the window, the train began to move. "Just promise you will keep it a secret from the other girls until then, ok?"

"I promise." Said Spike. Just then, the conductor started to yell, signaling to everyone that the train was now leaving. Within a few seconds, the train began to pull forward. Spike pretty much glued himself to the window as Twilight pulled out a book from their luggage with her magic and began to read it. Derek turned his attention towards the window, As the train left, he got a beautiful look of Equestria's countryside. It was... gorgeous. The fields were greener here than back home, sun brighter, sky bluer... and... peaceful. The scenes were so calming to him, that with the steady beat of the railroad tracks, he felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep.

2 hours later

The train pulls into the station with a slight jolt. Twilight levitates her book away as Spike quickly gets up from his seat. Derek was still out, snoring as he slept, unaware that the train stopped. Twilight stands up, putting her book away and pulling out the luggage. She hears Derek snoring. She gives him an unamused look, using her magic to tug at his shirt. He quickly snorts and lifts his head up. He looks out the window and then back at Twilight who giggles at him.

"We're here Derek, sleep good?" Twilight said between her giggles.

"Yeah, the ride was really smooth." Derek stood up and then stretched, his back popping a bit. He approaches Twilight and quickly snatches up both suitcases before Twilight could grab them with her magic.

"Derek, I can help!" Twilight called to him, a twinge of annoyance in her voice.

"No can do Princess!" Derek chuckled to her as he stepped off the train. Derek was giving her a shit eating grin as he stepped off the train. His attention quickly shifts as he hears gasps coming from in front of him. Derek looks in front of him to see a bunch of startled ponies who are looking up at him bug-eyed. This was their first time seeing anything like Derek, and many were backing away. Derek looks down at them, and says the first thing that came to his mind.
"Uh... I come in peace..." He said with a wan smile. The ponies quickly look at each other before looking back to Derek. Eventually however, Twilight approaches him and walks around him, seeing the uneasy ponies in front of Derek. However, as soon as they see Princess Twilight, a bunch of them seem to relax a little. Seeing the high tensions Twilight quickly addresses the crowd.

"It's ok everypony, He is with me, and he is no monster. He is as sweet and kind as any pony else." Twilight said with a genuine smile. Once again the other ponies look at each other before looking back to their princess. They eventually build up the courage to walk past Derek to get on the train, many still giving him the side eye. Twilight begins to walk away from the train station with Spike quickly behind her. Derek shrugs and then follows Twilight. She looks behind her to give him a huge smirk.
"Terrorizing the public again ain't ya Derek." She joked.

"Hey, the first time I had no idea where I was at, and this time it wasn't on purpose." He quickly retorted, causing Twilight to giggle and look back ahead of her. It didn't take that long for Twilight to lead Derek to her parent's house. It was decently sized, causing him to look up at it.
"Wow, your parents seem to be doing quite well for themselves." He commented.

"My family is among the nobility of Canterlot, though, it's a minor nobility. They have worked hard to get a place like this." She replied before walking up to the door. They stood there for a few seconds before the door opened and a white unicorn with violet streaks in her hair was there to greet them.

"Twiley! You're here!" She says excitedly before quickly hugging Twilight tightly. Twilight hugs her back with a large smile on her face.

"Hi mom! Sorry if we are a bit late." Twilight said as they both pull away.

"Oh nonsense! You're right on time!" Twilight Mom smiled at her before shifting her eyes to Spike. They both quickly hug as well before she then looks at the tall figure behind both of them. "And may this be Derek you told me so much about?" She eyes him up and down. "I must say, he is pretty tall." Derek sets down the luggage, and kneels down.

"Hello Mrs. Sparkle. I am Derek, Derek Moore." Derek smiles at her and offers his hand to her. She surrounds his hand in her magic aura and pulls him forward. He falls to both his knees as he is pulled forward, and is a bit surprised how Twilight's mom quickly wraps her legs around his upper body and hugs him.

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" Twilight's mom said loudly as she slowly pulled away. "Just call me Velvet!" Derek slowly gets back to his feet, a small, unsure smile on his face.

"It's great to meet you Mrs... I mean Velvet." Derek said getting to his full height.
"Well, I can see where Twilight get's her enthusiasm." He thought to himself.

"Come in, come in! Your father is dying to see you again Twiley!" Velvet exclaimed, stepping back into the house as the others followed. Derek picked the luggage back up and followed, ducking his head past the doorway. The top of his hat was rubbing against the ceiling as he stepped inside. They follow Twilight's mom into what looks like a very well managed office. Sitting in a chair by a fireplace, surrounded by many large and organized books was a blue unicorn, smoking a pipe and reading the newspaper.

"And now I see where she gets her tidy and organized side from." Derek smiled to himself. The blue unicorn's eyes dart from his paper to the group as they walk in, his eyes immediately light up upon seeing them and he sets his paper down and stands up.

"Twilight! My sparkling little angel!" He approached Twilight and gave her a close hug to which Twilight hugs him back with a large smile on her face. "And Spike, my brave little dragon!" He ruffles the top of Spike's scales before giving him a hug as well. His eyes then immediately dart towards Derek. He quickly puts on a very serious, but polite expression and approaches him. Derek sets down the luggage and kneels down.
"You must be the human Twilight spoke about in her letter."

"Yes sir, My name is Derek William Moore." Derek offers his hand a second time. The unicorn raises his hoof and gives Derek a hoof/handshake. Even for a hoof, it was stern and professional.

"Pleasure to meet you Derek, My name is Night Light. I have quite a bit I would like to discuss with you. Of course, if you'd indulge me?" Night Light asked.

"Of course." Derek gave him a smile, though he was a bit intimidated, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

"We'll give you two some space. Come with me Twiley, I still need to prepare for Shiny and Cadence when they come by later." Said Velvet waving both Twilight and Spike along.

"Ok mom." Said Twilight with a smile before looking back at Night Light. "Please don't bite his head off dad." She joked before leaving.

"I don't bite that hard." He joked back before returning to his chair by the fire place. There was an empty chair one just across from him. "Please, have a seat." Derek stood up to full height and sat down in the chair across from Night Light. He picks his pipe back up and fills it with more tobacco. He lights a match and takes a few puffs from the pipe.
"You smoke son?"

"No, I do not." Derek replied as he got comfy in his chair. He looks all around the office, seeing a desk with a globe on it, and many more books.
"This is an impressive study you have here sir."

"Thank you, I'm very proud of my work." He took a few more drags from his pipe.

"What is it that you do, if I may ask?" Derek was trying his best to sound professional.

"I am an advisor to Princess Celestia. I attend meetings involving her and her other advisors when making decisions. I am one of her foreign affairs advisors. I help with diplomacy with the other nations." He replied, fully sitting back in his chair.

"Wow, that's really impressive!" Derek was genuinely impressed, no wonder his home was lavished.

"Thank you, but enough about me, I want to know about you, Derek Moore. twilight spoke very highly of you, and I just want to know the kind of stallion who has my daughter so smitten." He said, using his magic to pull away his pipe to breathe out a bit of smoke before returning it to his lips.

"Of course sir, anything specific you would like to know?" Derek, despite being taller than the colorful unicorn, was very intimidated by how he spoke and portrayed himself.

"Indeed, she said you were from a whole different world. Where exactly are you from and what did you do there?" Night Light asked with genuine interest.

"Well... I'm from a world called Earth. There, humans are the only sentient creatures, and there were a lot of us. I lived in a decent sized town where I worked at an Astro-Science lab." Night Light leaned forward, his eyes beginning to shine.

"An Astro-Science lab? Intriguing!" He stated loudly. Derek had to hold up his hands.

"Hold on there a minute, don't start assuming the best, because I wasn't a scientist... I... I was a janitor." Derek quickly added. This causes Night Light to slowly lean back.

"Oh... I see." His eyes go back to normal, his interest slowly fading. "Well then, how did you end up here in Equestria?"

"That's a long story. The lab was showing off an experiment, they were able to make man-made black holes. They were showing a large crowd this new feat in science when it started to grow bigger and bigger. I got too close and... the next thing I knew I was here." Derek began to explain. Night Light was nodding his head appropriately.

"Fascinating. Truly most fascinating." He replied. "What about now Mr. Moore? What have you been doing once arriving in Equestria?"

"Well... At first I was confused. I was not used to ponies at all, and I had to adapt. Of course, Twilight was there every step of the way. She made me feel at home, even though home is very very far away. She has been very accommodating and generous. Anything I had a problem with, she was there to help me. She has been very helpful and comforting, I don't know how things would have played out without her. I care a lot about her." Derek smiled. Whether or not Night Light was satisfied with that answer, he didn't show it.

"That's very pleasing to hear Mr. Moore." Night Light responded, he let out another puff of smoke. "Two questions left for you Mr. Moore, how have you been handling yourself as of recently?"

"Better than I have been. I have a job at sweet apple acres, and it's been fulfilling. Good honest hard work, far better than being a janitor. Doing the hard work has helped relieve a bunch of stress." Derek replied, once again, Night Light began to nod.

"Manual Labor that helps supply hungry ponies with delicious food. A very respectful profession I must admit." Night Light said, taking a huge breath in.
"Last question, and it's the most important one." He leaned in closer, breathing out more smoke. "How have you been treating Twilight?" His eyes were the most serious Derek had seen yet, however, he didn't hesitate.

"Like a princess sir. I know I'm a completely different species from her, but me and her just clicked. She makes me feel comfortable and loved, and she means the world to me." Night Light looks at him for a minute, soaking in his words. After a bit he nods and swiftly dumps out the ashes in his pipe into a small garbage can next to him.

"That's what I like to hear. I think we are done here for now Mr. Moore, allow me to be the first to welcome you into the Sparkle family." He stood up and offered his hoof once more to Derek. Derek smiles and shakes it.

"Thank you sir. I am honored." Derek replied, keeping his hand firm.

"You have my respects for now Mr. Moore, but do be mindful. I'm not a hard stallion to keep pleased, all I ask is for you to follow the rules of my house." Night Light spoke as Derek began to stand.

"Of course, what are they?" Derek asked, standing straight up.

"Rule number one, just simply mind your manners. Rule number two, I am a very traditional stallion, I do not mind you and Twiley spending time together, but while under my roof, you two WILL sleep in separate beds. You may share one here when you two are married. Rule number three, that also includes close contact, hugs, kisses, and hoofholding is fine, but no tongue, and no feeling each other up." Derek began to blush. "Rule number four, all lights are off after 11:00, that doesn't mean you have to fall asleep at that time, but you must remain quiet. Rule number five, if you are out late, and you come back to the house past 11:00, be as quiet as you can and enter your room. We like to wake up early and do not like to be disturbed. Are all of these clear?"

"Y-yes sir. Crystal." Derek fought back against the redness in his cheeks.

"Very good, you will be sleeping in Shining Armor's old room, I hope you find it comfortable." Night Light said as he turned towards the door.

"Of course Sir, thank you." Derek follows Night Light out of the study and shows him the room where he would be sleeping. He sets his suitcase with his clothes in Shining's room, and Twilight's suitcase in her room. He takes a moment to look around Twilight's room. It was kind of adorable. He approaches her bed. Her cutie mark was blazoned upon her blanket. However, something else caught his eye. He reaches down and grabs a small doll sitting on the bed, it looked like a Raggedy Anne doll, but more horse like and somehow 10 times more ugly. It had blue polka dot pant and buttons for eyes. The buttons weren't even the same color. He gives it a weird look before hearing a voice behind him.

"Whatcha got there Derek?" Twilight's voice could be heard at the doorway. Derek turns around and sees her smiling at him.

"This thing, what is it?" Derek asked, holding up the doll. Twilight's smile got wider seeing what he had.

"That's my Smarty-Pants doll, I've had that since I was just a filly." She stepped forward till she was next to him. Derek offers it back to her to which she takes it back with her magic.
"I'm still shocked my mom still has this, I used to carry this with me everywhere. You can see where she kept patching it up." Twilight points to where the patches were. Derek couldn't help but smile.

"I think that's kinda adorable." Derek admitted, inciting a chuckle from Twilight.

"It is a bit cute." She set the doll back down on her bed before looking back up at Derek. "Had a good talk with my Dad?"

"Oh yeah, it went better than I thought it would. I know the boundaries he set and the rules I gotta follow." Derek admitted turning his whole body around to her.

"Oh, I know that, he sent all of them in a letter to me." Twilight had an unamused expression. "It's a bit annoying, but I respect him too much to go against his wishes."

"So, even a princess bends her knee to her father." Derek chuckles as he crosses his arms. Twilight rolls her eyes at him.

"Whatever, sorry when I was raised I was taught to respect my elders." Twilight began to giggle before raising up on her hind legs, putting her fore hooves on Derek's chest. Derek quickly wraped his arms around her as she then rested the side of her head against Derek's chest. Derek smiles as he holds her close before she raises her head up and kisses him. It was about then when the both of them heard the front door open and Twilight's mom's voice getting high-pitched.
"I think my brother and Cadence are here."

"Your brother, you know you haven't told me too much about him. Should I be intimidated like with your dad?" Derek asked, causing Twilight to giggle again.

"Of course not, he is a big softie." Twilight amused before dropping back down to all fours. Twilight and Derek soon step out of her room and make their way back downstairs. They could see Twilight's mom and dad, as well as Spike finishing up welcoming the new guests. Twilight quickly goes over to a white unicorn and hugs him tightly. Derek quickly assumes that was her brother. Twilight then turns to the pink alicorn next to them, that has to be Cadence. The two then suddenly do a weird dance like ritual Derek had never seen before.

"Sunshine sunshine ladybugs awake!
Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"

Derek slowly raises an eyebrow, confused on what exactly he just saw. But that's when he notices a stroller next to the two, a baby stroller. Derek's eyes widen a bit as Cadence reaches into it and pulls out a small alicorn baby. Twilight quickly embraces the baby in her magic, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He was pulled out of his observations when he noticed that pretty much all eyes were now turned on him.

"Oh Twilight! Is this him!" Said Cadence as she stepped closer to Derek. "Hello there! I'm Princess Cadence, Princess of Love!"

"Princess of Love, Princess of Friendship. No disrespect, but I still think these titles are a bit weird." Derek thought to himself.

"Heya, I'm Derek... The human." He said, trying to match her title, which caused her to let out a giggle. "I'll be honest, you're the tallest pony I have met so far."

"That's funny, I wasn't expecting you to be this tall." Cadence replies. Her head came just below his chest, her horn stretching up to his face. That was when Shining Armor stepped forward.

"I'm Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire, and Twilight's BBBFF." He stated as if it was common knowledge.

"B...B... BBFFF?" Derek tried to repeat but failed, inciting a few giggles from Twilight and Cadence.

"I'm her big brother, and let me just say, I got my eye on you." He narrowed one of his eyes and widened the other at Derek. Derek felt a twinge of intimidation. Hell, he felt a lot. He was a unicorn, if he wanted to blast Derek with magic he could.

"Now now Shiny, I thought you outgrew your overprotectiveness." Velvet chimed in.

"Never, why do you think I became Captain of the Guard." He replied.

"Of course sweetie. You all mind helping me with the rest of dinner? It's almost done." Velvet said in her cheery voice.

"Of course mom!" Twilight piped up.

"Shiny, Derek, do you mind setting up the table?" Velvet asked the both of them.

"Of course Mrs. Velvet!" Derek said while Shining just nodded. Derek follows Shining to the dining room, where he was met with a decent sized dining table. It actually looked tall enough for him to put his legs under. Shining reaches into the China cabinet with his magic and began to lay out some plates. After a quick look around, Derek spotted the drawer for silverware and began to place them down. Shining began to break the silence.

"How did you and Twiley meet, Derek?" He spoke without even looking at him. Derek however, looked at him before he spoke.

"Well... She approached me after I got here due to a freak accident." Derek replied.

"Really, that's interesting." Shining finally turned to look at him, his face barely showing any emotions. "Look, don't take anything I say or do personally, I love Twiley very much, and she means the world to me."

"You're not the only one who thinks that, so I guess I understand how you feel." Derek replied, standing up straight. Shining raises his eyebrows and gives him an affirming nod.

"Good answer. Very good answer." Shining went back to setting the table without another word. After they set the table, the others began to enter the dining room, sitting down in the chairs. Cadence had a highchair for Flurry and Velvet used her magic to levitate in dishes for dinner. I was a decent spread consisting only of... Veggies. Veggies and fruit. Though Derek expected as much, he still felt a twinge of disappointment. Though he had to admit, it was a decent spread. Derek waited a bit until the others began to fill their plates before getting himself some. He got himself some brussels sprouts, a casserole made with broccoli, and a few dinner rolls.

"I hope everyone enjoys themselves! It's been awhile since I cooked for you kids!" Velvet exclaimed cheerfully, as Shining, Spike and Twilight were already digging in.

"Oh absolutely mom! It's been so long since I ate your cooking! Oh how I miss it!" Twilight said, with a bit of food on her face.

"Ditto!" Said Shining, looking just as messy.

"Mind your manners, you two." Night Light spoke up, causing the two to wipe their faces with their napkins. Derek picked up a fork and took a bite out of his brussels sprouts. They weren't bad as he then took a bite out of a roll. Dinner went by mostly uneventful as hardly anyone spoke. The only time anyone did was to ask Derek a few questions about himself, to which he answered truthfully. After dinner, everyone ate dessert, a slice of chocolate cake. Derek ate that with a lot more enthusiasm, enjoying it a lot. After dinner, is when everyone began to talk more to each other. Derek was a bit shocked when Cadence turned to talk to him.

"I really do hope you have been enjoying Equestria Derek. It's very tragic how you got here, but I really do hope everypony has been treating you alright." Cadence said with genuine interest.

"Of course they have. Though the day I showed up, everyone hid from me thinking I was a monster." He chuckled which caused Cadence to let out a soft giggle.

"That's good to hear." She gave him a warm smile. Derek couldn't help but glance over at Flurry who was blowing raspberries next to Cadence. He couldn't help but smile.

"Your daughter is adorable, you know I never got her name." Derek said, looking back to Cadence.

"Her name is Flurry Heart. Would you like to hold her?" Cadence asked, which caught Derek off guard.

"You would let me?" He asked with a bit of confusion.

"Of course!" Cadence's horn lit up with a blue aura. Flurry was gently lifted out of her highchair and levitated towards Derek. Flurry giggled as she was being levitated. Derek instinctively cradled his arm as Flurry was lowered into his arms. Derek looked down at her as Flurry looked up at him. She began giggling as she reached her hooves up and felt the hairs on his chin. Derek couldn't fight back the ever growing smile on his face.

"She is so cute." He said aloud, using his other hand to gently take ahold of one of her hooves. That's when a sudden thought flooded his mind.

"I am holding a baby demi-goddess that wields an incredible amount of magic and power. One sneeze and who knows what could happen to me!" Derek tried to get rid of the thought, but he was unable to. However, it didn't really ruin the moment for him.

"Thank you, thank you so much for that. That was truly... magical." Derek said with a smile as he offered Flurry back, to which Cadence used her magic to bring Flurry back to her. She smiles and nuzzles her cheek.

"Welp, it's getting late." Night Light looked to the clock before looking at both Shining and Derek." You two mind joining me for a quick evening out?"

"Of course dad." Shining said as he pushed himself away from the table.

"Uh, sure." Derek stood up and pushed in his chair.

"Don't stay out two late boys." Velvet would call out.

"We won't, dear, just gonna spend a few moments together." Night Light would call out.

10:00PM

"So, what made you want to step outside the house for a moment?" Asked Derek as the three of them were walking down the dark empty streets of Canterlot.

"I always come out this way every Friday night, it's good to get out and indulge yourself every now and then. And all three of us are full grown stallions, we deserve a few moments to ourselves." Night Light responded. Derek could see the direction they were headed, a very lavish looking bar. He was a bit surprised, but before he knew it, all three of them were walking in. There were only a handful of very sophisticated looking ponies inside. Many of them turn to look at them, mostly to Derek. They gave him a look before turning back to their own conversations. All three of them sat at the bar, Night Light sitting in-between Derek and Shining. Though the bartender looked a bit surprised, he also seemed to recognize Night Light.

"Hello there sir, good seeing you here tonight. Um, that fine fellow there, he your friend is he?" The bartender asked.

"Of course, three of your best please." Night Light asked with a smile.

"Oh uh... none for me thank you." Derek quickly said, gaining a quick look from Night Light.

"You don't drink son?" He asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really, it's... kinda a long story." Derek said as he slowly looked away. Night Light looked at the bartender and ordered just two.

"I don't want to pry about it, but is it a story you feel like sharing?" Night Light asked as the Bartender placed two bottles of high end beers in front of Night Light. Both he, and Shining placed down a bit before lifting one with their magic, popping off the cap and clanking them together before taking a drink.

"Well... I never really spoke about it before but... I guess I don't mind too much." Derek straightened his back as both stallions turned to him to listen.
"You see... I'm an orphan. Both my parents died a long time ago. My mom died first, when I was 8. She had cancer real bad, and she fought as hard as she could, but it was a losing battle. It was me and my dad for the longest time. He never remarried, so me and him did everything together. The one thing he couldn't wait for was to buy me my first drink. He said he was counting the days till my 21st birthday, it was exciting for him and... me as well... but... he never got to do that. He had a massive heart attack when I was 19... he... he never got that chance and... out of respect I never drank a single drop of alcohol because I feel... I feel like I would be hurting my dad if he didn't buy my first one." Derek kept his eyes forward, he was focusing his eyes on a single spot as he tried his best to keep his emotions in check. Though the bar echoed the sounds of nearby ponies, their small group remained silent for a moment. Out of his peripherals, he could see Night Light taking another drink.

"I see." He finally spoke before turning back towards Derek. "You know son, as a father myself, I understand that. I bought Shining, and Twiley's their first. It's a special moment, which is why I'm asking you, would you like me to do the same for you?" Derek slowly turned back towards Night Light. "I know I'm not your father, but if you would allow me, I'd like to do the same for you in honor of his memory." Derek thought about it for a moment. He closed his eyes for a second to soak in that offer, eventually he began to nod. Night Light waved the bartender over, and asked for a third, placing down one of his own bits. The Bartender took it, reached under the bar and placed a bottle down in front of them. Derek opened his eyes and took a firm hold of the bottle. He popped off the cap and looked at the drink, he felt his throat getting tighter. He looked up at the ceiling. He said a silent prayer, hoping to god that even in this strange new world, his father was looking down at him smiling. Derek could feel a single tear run down his cheek as he raised the bottle up above his head.

"For you dad." He said before turning back to Night Light and clanking the bottle against his. He then took a long, and emotional sip from the bottle, eventually pulling it away and licking his lips. Derek couldn't hold back the smile that was growing on his face.
"Thank you Night Light sir, this means more than you can imagine." Night Light just simplies smiles at him, and so does Shining.

"No need to thank me son, I'm glad I could help fulfill that for you." Night responds in the softest voice Derek has heard from him.

12:15AM

Derek and Night Light walk back inside the house past midnight. Shining had split off to make his way back to the castle where he and Cadence were staying. Both were a bit wobbly after their night to themselves, Derek more so. Derek stumbles his way up the stairs after Night Light. Night Light opens the door to his bedroom as he looks back at Derek as he stopped in his tracks to look at Twilight's bedroom door. He turns towards it, grabbing the doorknob and entering it. Night Light furrowed his brow a bit and stepped towards the door and peeked in. Derek was at Twilight's bed, looking down at her as she slept. He slowly and gently got down on one knee, using his hand to gently brush her mane out of her face before leaning down and kissing her cheek. He gently rubs her foreleg with his other hand, and softly speaks to her.

"Just checking on you princess... sleep tight." He kisses her cheek again before slowly standing back up, and trying to regain his footing again. Night Light relaxes and smiles before silently turning back and heading into his bedroom. Derek steps out, closing the door silently behind him, before going into Shining's room for the night.