Act IV: Better

The promised day was upon us! After an entire month of restless waiting… well, give or take; the stellar, breathtaking, literally out-of-this-world event of the annual Mareseid Meteor Shower would grace our skies once again that very same night!

Well, it was more like a week-long event, but today marked the beginning of it and would be the day that the density of meteors flying head-first into a swift end against our upper atmosphere would be at its peak, meaning that the chances of catching waaaay more than a few shooting stars were more than assured for any curious ponies coming out during the twilight for the occasion.

That night, however, held different meanings for my pony friends and I. For starters, it was an annual ritual I used to partake in, both in its equivalent back on Earth and with my old pony family here in ponyland. Luna always went out of her way to give her subjects an unforgettable show every year since her return from her banishment, her magical influence over the heavens painting the eyes of ponies, and other creatures alike, in awe and wonder with uncountable streaks of sparkling light that drowned out the very stars that were the embodiment of her love for her kin.

Also, on an entirely different set of news, that night would be the night I would finally confess my feelings to Sunny after weeks of mulling, and planning, and then mulling some more on whether to act upon them or not. I’d had a previous talk with our self-proclaimed matchmaker, Pipp, and she’d assured me that Sunny was more than itching for me to pop out the question and finally say ‘Yes’, assuming she didn't end up taking matters into her own hooves. So, a potential refusal that night wasn’t my main concern, as I’m sure it tended to be for the rough majority of my male compatriots when the promised hour was nigh. I’m sure you can sympathize.

No, my concerns resided on other… more complicated matters. Faust, was that an understatement. They concerned myself and the mare of the night; matters that had plagued me ever since the butterflies had first started fluttering in my tummy for the first time and had chewed on my resolve these past months. There was important stuff that I wanted to address with her so we both could come clean and, whatever we ended up becoming after that night, we would both be one hundred percent sure and ready. I figured that it would save me a lot of pain and trouble, more so in my particular position within this new group of heroes.

It would be very complicated, and I’d try my hardest to explain myself to Sunny, even if by doing so I ended up pushing her away. She deserved to know, even if it was at the cost of my happiness… it’s not like we’d stop being friends… I hoped.

For my pony friends, however, that night was another first-time-with-actual-friends activity to partake in and add to their growing list. Out of the ponies’ muzzles themselves, watching the meteor shower was more of a Maretime Bay thing since the pegasi, while considerably higher over sea level, couldn't really get a nice view of the night sky with all the light pollution from their digital screens and all, which is not so different from your average human city or even modest town. This also meant that the countryside still was the best place to get the best view, including what little countryside they had up there in the highest of the peaks of the Zephyr Mountains. For the unicorns… well, living under a perpetual-leafed canopy doesn't really work in your favor if your goal is admiring the stars, so they’d had to leave for the meadows surrounding their forest if they wanted a chance to see such things for themselves.

It also meant they could skip the Falling of the Leaves since their forest was apparently perennial… for some reason.

I had to visit that forest. I’d rile up Izzy for a guided tour one day.

But for one pony amongst our little crowd, this day was truly special, for it was the anniversary of the day she got her cutie mark. A celebrated day for everypony, like a second birthday of sorts. For her, it was a special day for both her and her dad, with an incredible story behind it, a sweet story she promised would share with us that night under the stars. It involved her dad and a little filly’s dreams, so healthy doses of emotions were sure to be shared.

The mare in question was scurrying back and forth around the ground floor of our shared residence, making absolutely sure everything was well and truly ready for our late afternoon picnic before the light show. The scrumptious meal she had whipped up for us, with the help of one hoovsey Hitch, was ready to go and safely stored away for later. Her brand-new telescope was also prepared, tucked in safely in its protective casing, pending some calibrations I would tackle while we munched on some delicious treats. A couple of scarves and earmuffs had been provided for everypony, since twilight temperatures before the sea tended to drop quickly and drastically, even during the summer months, now more so as we approached the second half of the year, and nopony wanted to catch a cold to welcome the new season.

“Are you sure those will be enough?” A motherly Sunny asked for the umpteenth time, referring to my choice of clothing for the occasion. My new winter-themed wardrobe had arrived from Zephyr Heights to the displeasure of a certain unicorn mare who, at the sight of my new garments, had spent the entire day I’d collected them making sure I understood in no uncertain terms how she would’ve done a better job than those rags that stuck-up pegasus had tailored. After a healthy amount of senseless debate, we reached an agreement in which she’d agree to knit the woolen gloves I would wear for the first time that night, and for the rest of the winter in case I was thinking otherwise. They were specially designed to fit over my gauntlets, trinkets which might as well have become a second skin for me now.

But they were just so practical to allow me to wield magic, which… you know, was the whole point of them existing.

“I’ll be fine, Tangerine,” I answered with a reassuring scratch under her chin to ease her never-ending worries. While her eyes narrowing betrayed how she’d rather have me wear yet another layer above the three I was sporting, she relented and scampered off to check with the rest.

“You ready for tonight, Izz?” Twirling on my heels, I switched my attention to the unicorn resting beside me, working with her levitation on her new lavender-and-blue-patterned scarf to make sure it fit snugly against her neck. She strained her neck in my direction from where she was sitting on her haunches, and her eyes narrowed threateningly at the sight of my new coat and cargo pants.

Ears falling against her scalp, rump wiggling in anticipation, falcon eyes targeting the left flap of the coat hanging loose under my arm.

The signs were clear, but I wasn't fast enough.

Lunging forward like a hungry timberwolf, she nipped the loose flap and made for a swift escape before I could bat her away.

“Tsk, you little…”

But she was already well away from my reach by then, giggling wickedly while scampering off in search of a safe haven, which came in the form of our resident pegasus popstar, who was busy checking herself on the front camera of her phone when Izzy bolted behind her.

“Auch! Izzy! You're gonna ruin my mane!” Pipp protested after being slightly shoved forward by the fleeing unicorn, who peered over the pegasus’ wings with narrowed eyes, an unspoken dare sent in my direction.

“Oh, I'll get you…” With a predatory leer of my own, I accepted her challenge. I’d get that mare, sooner or later…

“You comfy, Sparky?” Hitch, himself busy with tending to his baby dragon, had dressed the little reptile with his own set of winter clothing, summing up to an adorable beanie hat wide enough to cover his little ears and horns, and a pair of baby-dragon-sized mittens for his claws. Sparky, after testing his new garments, gave an adorable gurgle of approval to his dragon dad. With a fatherly smile, Hitch gently took him in his grasp and placed him in his preferred place on his back, ready for an exciting night out in the countryside. Well, as much as you can call the cliff’s edge in front of our home ‘countryside’.

We were only missing one pony, our alabaster pegasus with her short, spiky mane underneath her own winter hat, wearing a pair of earmuffs as well as a red-and-white patterned scarf. She idly stood on the sidelines while the rest of us finished our preparations. Every now and then, our eyes would meet, only for hers to quickly retreat into another part of the room.

This last week had been… weird between us. On the good side, in an unexpected move… for those blind enough to not having seen her and Hitch making goo-goo eyes at each other for a while now, she’d pony-ed up and asked Hitch on a date to the deep surprise of the stallion. Of course, being a smart guy and all, he’d taken the mare’s advances in earnest.

Those two having the hots for each other had been painfully obvious since the Discord incident, especially after their little two-pony adventure chasing Cloudpuff through the inhabited territories between Maretime Bay and the pegasus city while I was away checking Ponyville’s ruins.

And it had been that very same location, that secluded paradise where they had found the mischievous dog, that had been chosen as the place for an impromptu date slash private picnic between them. It had gone splendidly, by the sheriff's own words he’d shared with me during our ‘post-game evaluation’ over some beers. I can only guess what happened there, but they were officially a couple now. A funny coincidence, since hopefully, the number of couples would be doubled by the end of today if Sunny accepted my advances, Faust be with me.

However, for as exhilarated as the pegasus had been in light of finding her new soulmate, things between us had gone… a bit stale for lack of a better term.

You see, I had been very angry with her after her unfortunate behavior with Misty, and especially after all the numbers she’d pulled in search of Sunny's missing lantern. I’d warned her once, and then twice. And still, she acted as reckless and impulsive as the last time when she’d put both her life and her sister’s life in danger, this time costing us a new friend for a stupid misunderstanding between her and the other princess.

This time, however, I remained mostly silent on the sidelines as the affected ponies took the reins of the scolding, and the repentant pegasus practically begged for forgiveness. Both of them, actually. Of course, ponies being ponies, everything turned to a healthy session of apologies and hugs and reassuring words, but my disappointment in her had cut the white pegasus deeply, and for the better part of the week had kept her distance from me without sharing more than a few words at most.

Things had cooled between us, and that was far from what I wanted. But, she was a grown mare, old enough to make her own choices and deal with the consequences of those choices. If she wanted to cool the waters between us, I was more than willing to cooperate, but it wasn't my call to make. Also, she had been busy enough fawning over her new coltfriend to much care for anything else. While her royalty-induced social shyness had kept her from showing much physical affection in public, the moment they were between friends or alone she was head over hooves for him. And him over her, who am I trying to fool? Very adorable. They were good for each other, and for keeping each other out of trouble.

I had other things to keep me preoccupied on my side of things. Whatever short interactions we’d had over the last week remained mostly professional where both our research on the Unity Crystals and the Prisbeam energy was concerned. She had taken on her hooves the task of finding out why Sunny's lantern held only a fraction of the power emanating from the main crystals.

On my front, I had practically exhausted any possible approaches in my efforts to discern the true nature behind their initial purpose regarding the pony tribes. Something more complex lay hidden underneath, mirroring the complexity of the Megaspell that I was ninety percent convinced powered them. Charged with stolen alicorn magic, chaos magic, and whatever else that made them work, they had remained steady and quiet for the better part of the tail end of the summer. Good news without a doubt, but their identity continued to elude me. Nothing on Argyle's notes had shone any light on my search, nor would Twilight's message be of further use if we couldn't manage to re-summon it with the missing parts intact.

But don't believe for a second that the absence of progress on that front meant that I’d spent the days with my hands tucked into my pockets. No, my list of pending things to investigate was already painfully long enough for me to be lazing around like a thestral in the early hours of the morning. Sunny's alicorn training, supervising Sparky’s upbringing, digging for any clues about the other creatures’ fates during the time after I’d entered into stasis, keeping an eye out for the incoming darkness Harmony had warned me about...

And, you know, my actual job in the clinical lab… Oh, and I’d have to add dealing with my new marefriend if things went accordingly, fingers crossed.

“Okay, ponies!” The target of my thoughts called from the middle of the hall, her own unicycled earmuffs, courtesy of her bestie, ready to keep the biting chill of the night away. I was tasked with carrying the telescope while she carried the bags of treats. The rest of the stuff necessary was spread between the rest, everything meticulously prepared to make this night one to remember. “Everything ready?”

A chorus of nods and cheers filled the spacious room of the brighthouse, eager ponies itching to get a start on our tragically short trek to the grassy clearing at the edge of the cliff. I estimated around twenty or thirty steps was what it would take us to reach our desired destination, so we needed considerably more time to set up everything compared to the time of actually getting there. Well away from the trees bordering our shared residence, the picnic tablecloth was spread over the greenery, plenty of snacks and drinks finding their way over to it for us to munch on. Six mats and a couple of blankets for our comfort during the darkened hours were also provided; that day’s weather forecast had predicted cold breezes from the building autumn storms, yet nature would grant us a clear night to enjoy the celestial show. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony; ponies predicting weather instead of fabricating it. And what do you know? The world kept turning without their intervention…

Actually, no, their world doesn't spin, hence the need for the manual raising and lowering of the celestial bodies, but you know what I mean.

Pipp was flapping around the place, phone in hoof and live streaming for the thousands of Pippsqueaks tuning in for that night’s special broadcast, where she urged her fans to share with us the experience of watching a gorgeous meteor shower from wherever they could find a good spot. Hitch, assisted by his little dragon, joined forces with Zipp and Izzy to ready the food as well as settle the rest of the stuff accordingly.

Sunny and I, for our part, excused ourselves from the group to assemble her new telescope, which hopefully would grant us a better view of the night’s sky as well as record video of the meteor shower and send it to my laptop, high-end technology and all. I could practically see Twilight fuming in celestial jealousy, for the apparatus being assembled in my hands was considerably more advanced than the one she owned in her castle.

Actually, a better description of the situation would be me clumsily assembling the telescope while Sunny clung to me in a never-ending hug for having gifted her such a wonderful (and expensive) gift. Buy the girl you like expensive stuff to get to her heart. That might as well be the oldest, lowest trick in the book, but I can personally attest at its effectiveness considering I’d already lost count of the ‘thank yous’ and nuzzles that had come from her muzzle this evening.

“You’re very welcome, Tangerine,” I repeated what was looking forward to becoming my mantra for that night, rubbing my nose lovingly against her snout once again to demonstrate I appreciated her gratitude.

But she wouldn't let go of me. I guessed I wouldn't actually need the new winter coat to fight off the cold that night after all.

The plan was to eat sparingly so our supplies would last for the rest of the night while the calibrations were underway, and then wait for the sun to disappear behind the Zephyr Range as the moon shyly showed her face above the far-off waves. Once the stars had begun decorating the night sky, we could point the telescope to the desired quadrant of the sky and configure everything using the program it would synchronize with.

“Ooookay, all settled on my side!” Izzy chirped, having finished arranging the mats and blankets around the picnic cloth so as to not wet our behinds with the humid grass. “How about you two lovebirds?” She teased with a knowing smirk and a playful pitch, which soon lit a blush on Zipp’s cheeks and ears while Hitch chuckled embarrassingly.

“Dinner’s served, ponies!” The sheriff called after shaking the shyness away, having concluded spreading the succulent arrange of sandwiches, chips, light salads, and an unhealthy amount of sweets over the square-patterned picnic cloth. The aroma of delicious snacks already filled the area, even against the rolling breeze blowing from the sea that ruffled the ponies’ manes and my slightly long hair. Time for another visit to Mane Melody soon, I mused to myself. Zipp mumbled her own completion of the distribution of drinks and paper cups, remaining close to her coltfriend while sending her sister nasty leers every time she heard the petite pegasus’ camera taking another picture of the new couple.

“Pipp!” She warned her sister after one too many photos were taken. “No! Pictures!”

“But Ziiiiipp…” Pipp moaned, her puffy wings sagging a bit as she landed back on the grassy hill. “Mom said she wanted to see plenty of evidence of you two!”

“I think she has plenty of evidence by now, sis.” Zipp scoffed while crossing her forelegs over her chest. “It’s already a miracle she gave us her blessing so easily.” She mumbled to herself, only to earn a bothered ‘Ahem’ from the stallion cuddling against her, making her ears go flat and the color drain from her face… what little color her white fur possessed, anyway. “N-N-No!” Her right wing spread in anguish, the other one trapped against the stallion's body. “I-I didn't mean it like that!”

But the damage was already done. Sticking his muzzle high in the air, Hitch’s scrunched-up features and dignified demeanor elicited an amused giggle from their adoring public. “No no, I see how it is.” He leaned away from the pegasus while she tried to keep him in place. “Foolish of me to think I could ever hope to fall in love with a princess.” His tone dripped cold resignation and anguish, but the barely disguised smirk betrayed his joking spirits.

“Hiiiiiitch…” Zipp whined after the dejected sigh leaving the stallion’s muzzle, his defeated features slowly crumbling into a crooked grin as the pegasus practically climbed atop him to force his eyes to meet hers.

But, she’d had already fallen into his trap. Taking advantage of their new arrangements, Hitch snuck his forelegs behind the mare and, using their combined weights, dragged both of them into the grassy mattress, a startled yelp coming from Zipp as she felt her balance giving way.

Flopping over Hitch’s belly, it took her a couple of owlish blinks to realize where she had ended up. The stallion himself grinned smugly at the mare atop him, sneaking a kiss on her muzzle which finished waking her up from her short stupor.

“Oh my gosh, you… you…” Zipp, realizing she had been totally played, voiced her frustrations with a deep groan against Hitch’s chest fluff, with him once again surrounding his special somepony and pulling her closer against him, earning a dual ‘aaaaw’ from Pipp and Izzy who were enjoying the show with their heads cutely resting on their forehooves.

Sunny and I, having momentarily lost our focus on the telescope in favor of the ruckus from the newfound couple, also witnessed the tender moment between the pair. I felt her embrace tighten a bit at the image of our two friends-now-lovers sharing a warm moment, no doubt feelings of longing and the slightest tinge of jealousy arising amongst her scrambled thoughts. My heart went out to her. With any luck, it would only be a short while until I would pop the question and grant her her some much-needed rest from the brain-busting session I was sure she was going through if my previous experiences were of any indication.

“Okay, Sunny,” I addressed the clingy mare once all the pieces were in place and the computer had finished synchronizing. “Just a few touches left and it’ll be ready. Go ahead and join the rest while I finish here. I’ll be just a minute.” I asked, lightly pushing downwards on her clenching limbs to ease her down back into four.

With visible reluctance, Sunny conceded with a displeased groan, which I swiftly erased with another set of warm rubs to her scalp. The rising smell of home-cooked treats then drove the nail all the way in and, with a last nuzzle of gratitude, she parted my side to join up with the rest of our group of friends who didn't waste a second to begin digging into their promised meal.

I watched her go, my gaze falling from her gorgeous smile to her generous flanks as she trotted over the picnic cloth, because that's as far as a guy's intelligence goes with a striking mare in front of him. At least now I had a bit more space to maneuver. Biting my lower lip and shaking my head, I sat back and faced the computer resting over the plastic folding table, brought out from the brighthouse’s cellar, lest loose blades of grass or soil jam its fans; once I was comfortable, I set up the bot program that would allow us to control, observe, and record anything the naked eye couldn't catch through the telescope’s sight.

While I lost myself wandering around the foreign interface, I allowed my thoughts to drift into tonight's show, more particularly the alicorn mare in charge of making sure any and all matters concerning the night were dealt with swiftly and satisfactorily, meteor showers included. As the animated chattering from my new pony family was slowly drowned by the memories swirling into my mind, the image of the beautiful Alicorn of the Night made itself present in my inner vision. My relationship with Luna had been special. Well, perhaps ‘special’ was not the best term to describe it. My relationships with all the ponies and other creatures I’d had the pleasure of meeting were all special in their own ways. ‘Particular’ would be a better word for it, since the very first moment she and her sister had visited me in Twilight’s castle in response to the early warning that said alicorn had sent to her mentors, she had shown a keen interest in me.

I never truly learned why, but the amount of interest she and her sister showed in regard to my sudden and accidental presence in their kingdom had been both welcomed and a matter of concern during my early days. That mare and her particular way of dragging herself around struck me as utterly imposing during our first meeting, although that sentiment was quickly replaced when I learned about the mare behind the crown. Oh, how she craved the stories and facts about what humans had unveiled about the universe since that particular topic had been one that I’d taken a personal interest in since I was very little and, true to the title I would one day embrace, I possessed a fair amount of knowledge to share with her during the nights she would visit me, or when I would visit her to hang out and enjoy the stars. Under her strong facade and cold determination, a very, very lonely mare lived in the ever-present shadow of her oldest sister, no matter how much effort Celestia put into avoiding the issue that had brought their separation all those centuries ago with the ponies of this age.

Ponies don’t like change; they thrive in complacency and routine. Right after the Elements had purged her of the Nightmare, Celestia had issued an announcement to both re-introduce her sister to her ponies and outright crowned her co-ruler without accepting any protest from the High Council, or anypony else, for that matter. Not that she would’ve needed it, for they had accepted her return and position as ruler alongside her without complaint anyway. But when it came to things that mattered, their involvement with the new princess wouldn't reach much further than straight business and mandatory deference, making her position as diarch feel cold and irrelevant. Her words, not mine. Celestia had more than once personally thanked me for my openness and willingness to involve her sister in my personal life and share a healthy friendship with her. Luna would’ve never admitted it, but Celestia made sure to let me know how much her sister truly appreciated what I was doing for her. And what can I say? I liked being around her. It's not like I was doing it out of pity; I could only lament the fact of how, aside from the thestrals who, in light of the Mistress of the Night’s return, had finally concluded their self-imposed isolation in Hollow Shades, almost nopony would willingly share a bond with the Princess of the Dusk as they did with the Princess of the Dawn.

The few times I had taken a moment to marvel at the night sky since my awakening had revealed its striking beauty unchallenged, yet the marvelous canvas of countless constellations remained static, for nopony was there to rearrange it to the delight of the few of us who truly appreciated its marvel. The two royal sisters hadn't been on my mind much since my coming out of stasis, far from the amount of time I’d spent thinking about my old pony family. But that didn't mean I didn't miss them as much, for beyond the immense help they’d turned out to be during my initial integration, I considered them family as much as the rest of the Bearers, a sentiment which was only reinforced the moment I was officially adopted into the royal family… so to speak.

‘Perhaps the ponies of this age wouldn't have been judgemental scaredy-cats, Luna. Time has erased all of our pasts, it seems… Or at least the bits that matter most…’

With a silent prayer for her wellbeing wherever her soul rested now, I finished with my last-minute preparations and left the laptop behind in standby mode for later use, hurrying up to join with the rest before their pony-sized stomachs had devoured all the treats. I made a silent promise to share with them as much of her and her night as I could faithfully recall. And what better moment to do it than during one of the most spectacular events of the year, night-sky wise!

“Think fast.” Zipp’s sudden warning almost caught me by surprise, my left hand quickly darting out of the cozy protection of my coat pocket to catch the wrapped vegan burrito the pegasus had thrown into my direction before a certain purple, hungry muzzle could snatch it away.

“Awww…” Izzy, having eyed the burrito beforehand and biding her time, lamented missing her prey as I began unwrapping it to my immense enjoyment.

“Thanks, Zipp.” I thanked the alabaster mare as I plopped my behind beside Sunny, with Izzy soon scooting closer to fill my other free side with a pouty lip. “And what are you whining about? You’ve surely already had five of these, at least.” I playfully nudged away the surprisingly still-hungry unicorn nosing my treat without an ounce of shame.

“Six, actually.” Pipp added from her place at the other side of the picnic display, earning a glare from the aforementioned unicorn which she promptly ignored while checking in once again with her online fans.

“Be sure to hurry up, my darling Pippsqueaks, only a few hours ‘till the show!!” She communicated to the several thousand ponies who, with any luck, would share with us a night to remember.

A couple of minutes went by while we munched on our early dinner, falling into friendly chit-chat. The ponies were eager to leave the summer behind and welcome the autumn season. This was officially Harvest Season for the earth ponies, although with their new magic any season was now a harvest season, but the spirit and traditions still remained. Bridlewood Forest, while possessing evergreen leaves that lasted all year round, would see its colors change from gentle green and purplish hues to rusty reds and browns, according to an experienced Izzy. The pegasi would have to watch out for the coming rains and following snows, and Zipp’s memory recalled some nasty cloud formations rolling in from the sea and getting stuck around the tall peaks of the Zephyr Range. New restrictions and guidelines were inbound according to the pegasus princess, who was the first to be consulted since her flying prowess surpassed that of most pegasi. Depending on how bad the weather rolled out, the sisters would end up spending the holidays in one place or the other.

But those plans were still months away from completion, what concerned us at the moment was the light show we were only scarce hours away from witnessing.

“So,” Zipp, finishing chewing the last of her burrito, swallowing loudly and ruffling her wings a bit against Hitch, whom she was comfortably laying against. “You think that tonight’s gonna be as breathtaking as you guys claim it will be?” She addressed Sunny and I, the only two who’d truly had the pleasure of experiencing it to its fullest.

“Well… I certainly believe it will be.” I answered the pegasus, inwardly relieved at the lack of awkwardness in her voice. The presence of our friends worked wonders to smooth the bad vibes between us, which I welcomed in earnest. “But, Luna was in charge of these things back then. It's been a long while since, and she’s not around anymore to supervise...” I informed her, not masking the sadness that permeated the last few words.

“What do you mean ‘in charge’?”

Hitch’s inquiry caught me a bit off guard. Once again, another thing I had more than internalized during my years in Equestria against these ponies’ lack of knowledge from the past. “Uh, you know who Princess Luna is… was, right?” A chorus of affirmative nods followed, but the connection failed to click in the ponies. “Soooo…” A couple emphasized hand gestures later, and their eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait,” Zipp interjected, giving voice to the ponies’ surprise. “You’re saying she actually controlled the night sky?!”

“Of course,” I answered with a snort. “She was Luna Duskbringer, the Alicorn of the Night. The stars and other nearby celestial bodies were hers to arrange and toy with as she saw fit.”

Five pony muzzles hung loose in deep shock. Their knowledge about the past, while considerably more complete and reliable since I had arrived at their doorstep, still suffered from serious gaps which I would have to fill little by little.

I held their flummoxed visages for a couple more seconds before breaking into cackles, which only worked to confuse them further.

“Nah, it wasn’t like that.” I clarified once I had regained my breath. “She was VERY powerful, don’t get me wrong, but those stars you see up there are many, many light years away, anywhere from a few thousand to maybe millions. She used a few tricks to make it seem like she could control them, but her influence on the heaves reached as far as her moon and anything in between, just like her sister with the sun.”

Sunny, eyes sparkling in curiosity, had to secure herself with her forehooves on my crossed legs to prevent herself from falling flat on her snout. “Woah…” She mumbled in unrestrained wonder.

“A light year?” Pipp’s muzzle scrunched at the foreign term.

“Mhm, another human measuring unit I introduced from my world during the globalization effort.” I reveled with my proudest tone. “You know, like the metric system you guys now use.”

“Metric? But that's how we’ve always measured things!” Zipp exclaimed in disbelief.

“‘Course you have.” I jabbed with my smuggest grin, eliciting yet another tired groan from the princess. “Ponies used to measure distances in hooves, Griffons in tail-lengths, Abbasynians in ‘pounces’, Dragons in wing-flaps, and so on and on and on… You get the idea.”

“You proposed some common ground, I guess?”

“You got it, bud.” I winked at Hitch, who smiled in self-pride. “No species wanted to give in and accept the other races’ system as their own, so I offered my own, which, unsurprisingly, happened to be waaaahehey more practical compared to the rest.” An evil smirk grew on my lips. “And I never understood imperial units, so the Americans can suck it and weep.”

Of course, nopony understood my jab, but I was content with celebrating my small victory with myself.

“The Pippsqueaks are asking how much a… light year is,” Pipp asked after extracting her eyes from the digital screen of her phone.

“Uuuuh… wow, um… give me a second… my British friend could probably tell you in a hoofbeat,” I stalled as the petite pegasus stared at me for an answer while I dug into the dusty memories of my college days, snapping my fingers as the rusty gears slowly came to life. “Mmmm… I thiiiiiink… it’s around nine-and-a-half billion kilometers or so? European billions. The distance a beam of light travels through an absolute vacuum in the span of a year. It’s sort of like a speed limit of the universe; nothing can travel faster than that.”

I chuckled at their renewed, dumbstruck faces. They were so adorable when they were hit with some crazy knowledge. And no one better than your friendly neighborhood Prince of Knowledge to provide.

Yeah, Twilight had that face too when we had a similar talk.

“Or the distance covering Izzy’s flanks, take your pick.” I offered an alternative, teasing the mare lying on her side at my left, mischievously patting her rump twice.

Oh, amused she was NOT. Several protection wards were required to keep her sharp teeth from my tender flesh.

“Come ooooon, Izzy, it was a compliment!” I tried to soothe the fuming mare while dexterously aiming my summoned arm-shield where she would nip next.

“A light year’s where I’m gonna send you with a good buck!” She growled threateningly while the rest of the gang witnessed yet another of our regular scuffles with a crooked grin.

A few failed attempts later, I allowed her to get a nice grip on my coat’s sleeve, biting on it like a rabid dog. Dragging her along with my trapped arm, Izzy lost her hoofing and fell on her back in my lap, anger giving way to confusion in her innocent eyes while her hold on my sleeve didn't lessen in the slightest.

I knew exactly what to say to appease her. “You know? Back in the day, Luna would position her moon at the exact angle needed to summon a HUGE moonbow from the waterfall falling from Canterlot’s side. When it was still on top of the mountain, of course.” I revealed while scratching the chest fluff between her cutely folded forelegs with my free hand.

“She did?!” Izzy blurted out after spitting out my trapped sleeve from her maw.

“Mhm. It stretched high enough for the ponies of Canterlot to get front-row seats. And a keen eye could discern it all the way from Ponyville if you looked close enough.” I added as my hand lowered to rub the silky fur over her belly, earning a pleasured coo that finished ebbing her anger away. “It was one of the little things she did for her ponies, even if most wouldn't appreciate it as they should've…” A tiny smile stretched on my features as my mind filled once again with tender memories of the alicorn.

“You knew her well, right?” Sunny spoke from my other side, lifting my attention from the unicorn on my lap to her inquisitive visage. “I know you had close ties with the royalty…”

She wasn't carrying her trusty notebook this time, but that didn't prevent her from squeezing more information about the lost past. Playfully booping her snout, I was more than happy to talk about one of my closest friends.

“Of course we were!” I proudly proclaimed as Sunny rubbed her itchy nose. “We weirdos make great friends, am I right, or am I right?” I addressed the group, which answered with hesitant approvals. But that’s what we were, a bunch of weirdos going against everything ponies knew and changing the world while we were at it.

“You need to understand she had spent the last thousand years trapped in her own moon. After her return and re-coronation, she was absolutely out of the loop with her ponies and Equestria as a whole. And old tales and beliefs still clung with the ponies even after her return and Celestia's reassurance. They struggled to differentiate the Nightmare from the alicorn.”

Sympathetic frowns curved the ponies' brows. “Poor Luna…” Pipp mumbled in sympathy, remembering the short conversation I had shared with them about that exact same matter during our escape to the nearby woods a month or so ago.

“Yeah, those were a couple of rough years for her.” I agreed with the youngest princess. “Buuuut, I came around, as much out of the loop and a weirdo as she was. We both had a lot to learn from Equestria, and in the shared, half-disguised rejection from the ponyfolk we found a kindred soul in each other.” I explained with fondness.

“Ponies were mean to you?!” The unicorn in my lap voiced in disbelief

“Only in the beginning, Izzy. I looked strange, acted strange… some ponies are more tolerant than others.”

“Colt, do we know that…” Hitch mumbled, recalling the days of fear and mistrust between the three tribes.

“The exact same thing. But I came with a clean slate if you wanna see it like that. Luna had centuries of old mare’s tales and dark legends on her back, not to mention the thestrals who suddenly left their secluded home in Hollow Shades to proclaim themselves in their servitude of the Mistress of the Night, as their ancestors had done in times long past. Those guys also creep out your average pony more often than not, so it didn't exactly work wonders for Luna’s image. Very messy affair, I tell you, but we had a lot of fun hanging around when royal business wasn’t in the way, and I shared as much knowledge from the human night sky as she did of hers.”

I lightly jabbed Sunny’s side with my elbow. “She would've liked you a lot.”

“S-She would’ve?” Sunny, caught unprepared by the sudden comment, slightly blushing while stammering in disbelief.

“Didn't you say you’d spend entire nights watching the stars from the top of the old lighthouse?”

“Actually,” Hitch interceded. “She got her cutie mark during this meteor shower, right Sunny?”

“U-Um,” An unusual shyness fell upon our earth pony friend. “I-I did.”

“Hm, well that’s a story I didn't know.” I surrounded the mare in a reassuring side hug. “Mind sharing it with me?” I requested while running my fingers on her back.

My touch quickly broke through her nervousness and, now visibly calmer, agreed to my request with a bright nod.

“Well, it’s not really that much of a story…”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Sunny girl!” Pipp encouraged our friend. “I, for one, find it very inspiring!”

“Thank you, Pipp.” Sunny returned a thankful smile at the pegasus' cheer. Clearing her throat, she began. “As Hitch said, I got my cutie mark during the Mareseid Meteor Shower. I was only seven years old, and I had gone through really a bad day.” Her ears drooped a little after that. “My dad had recently returned from one of his expeditions, and me being… well, me, I begged him to tell me everything he’d found on his journey. And neither could I wait to tell the rest of my classmates all about my cool dad and his adventures, but…”

As her posture sagged further, her words trailed into nothingness, spurring Hitch to fill in the gaps. “The foals were mean to her, calling her a freak for believing her dad’s stories and discoveries from the past.” He recalled with an ashamed scowl. “And those foals’ parents weren't any better.”

“Hitch was virtually my only true friend back then, but that day I was truly feeling in shambles and I wanted to be alone.” Sunny picked up the thread of the story, sending a thankful nod in Hitch’s direction. “But my dad wasn't gonna let his little filly mope around the place like that. Especially not during such a special occasion.”

Her sight raised from her forehooves to the picnic display before them, and the ponies seated around listened attentively. A tiny chuckle escaped her lips. “Heh, he actually thought of the same idea we have here. He prepared some food, cut the living room’s tablecloth in half, and grabbed the telescope for a late picnic at our favorite clearing in the forest to watch the meteor shower from there, instead of our usual place on the lighthouse’s balcony. Far from the mean ponies and their mean words. Just the two of us, like it tended to be most of the time for us.”

Sunny wetted her lips before continuing, shuffling her forehooves a bit while I felt her tail curl around my lower back. “I… I’m not really sure why I got this cutie mark.” Her eyes fell to her flank where the depiction of a colorful shooting star glowed faintly against the setting sun. That was what Zipp was referring to during Izzy’s struggle with the Tower of Friendship.

Never had I seen a cutie mark glowing in such fashion. The how or why remained a mystery for both of us, but the ponies already treated it as a regular occurrence.

“Huh?” Pipp wondered with a dip of her head.

“I mean, it’s not a smoothie cup, or even a lemonade glass, which was what I started my business with when I was a filly.” She shrugged her shoulders as her eyes found mine. “The only thing I remember is watching the shooting stars over Orion when my dad called for my attention and pointed at my flanks with the proudest smile I’ve ever seen him with.” Another fond chuckle filled my ears and warmed my heart. “I was so transfixed watching the shooting stars and sending out so many wishes to them that I hadn't realized I’d gained my very own cutie mark in… stargazing, I guess? I don’t know what to tell you. It doesn't bother me anymore, but I never truly understood its meaning…”

As she finished her story, the last of the afternoon rays had disappeared behind the mountains, giving way to the moon that slowly but surely began to show her face beyond the purplish horizon. The show would begin any moment now, but we’d had to wait until a bit later in the evening to see it with our own eyes.

But the telescope would surely catch the first shooting stars before the big burst, and I didn't want to miss a chance to test it in all possible conditions; so, tapping Izzy’s belly to ask her to free my lap, I stood up and, with a shake of my limbs, walked over the laptop resting beside the telescope to boot things up and begin recording.

While I was set with the task, I attempted to cast some light on Sunny’s confusion. “Cutie marks are complicated stuff, Sunny. I’m not particularly keen on them if I’m being honest.”

I saw through the corner of my eye Zipp’s posture straighten up while leaning against her coltfriend, no doubt recalling the little chat I’d had with her after the cutie-mark-switch accident of the other week.

My fingers run through the computer keys with practiced ease, booting up the program and firing the link between the laptop and the telescope. Soon, the live image of its lenses pointing to the Orion quadrant filled the screen. A few filters and polarizers needed to be applied, but soon, the image changed to one resembling the night sky, only duller and blurry as the remaining rays of sunlight still hammered on its sensitive lenses.

Clicking on the record button, I let the program catch a short video to test how well it could filter out the sunlight’s interference. Curiosity got the better of me, and I had paid a ridiculous amount of money for that piece of overpriced junk. It better work as flawlessly as they had advertised it.

“You wanna know what I think about your cutie mark?” I offered while returning to my previous place amongst the ponies. But instead of planting my rear between the two mares, I kneeled before Sunny, taking her hooves into my hands while my most reassuring smile fought to chase her doubts away. “I think there’s no better way to represent a filly whose only wish was for things to be better and for ponies to become friends again.” I squeezed her fetlocks between my fingers as a rosy taint spread from her cheeks all the way to her ears. “A filly who didn't stay on her rump waiting for the stars to grant her wish, but instead took the matter in her own hooves and gave her all to help ponies all around, fighting to show them the truth her dad was uncovering, and the wonders that would follow if ponies would only join together once again.”

I released her left hoof and brought the right one over my heart with both hands. “A filly who turned into a star herself, and accomplished what the best of the best Equestria had to offer failed to do... I think that's meaningful enough.” I finished with a proud wink.

Poor Sunny was simply overwhelmed with emotion, her free hoof raising to her muzzle to suppress the half-sobbing-half-laughing that threatened to spill from it as tears spilled from her gorgeous eyes. It stayed there for barely a moment before the mare couldn’t take it any longer and sprung on her rear legs, launching herself at me, enveloping me in the biggest, warmest hug her smaller frame could muster.

I embraced Sunny as she sailed into my arms, pressing her tight as her mixture of choked sobs and blissful laughs warmed my neck where she had buried her muzzle, her body shivering slightly, overwhelmed by my kind words which seemed to have triggered something deep inside her. But it was all I could say about her, nothing but words of encouragement and gratitude, for she was the promoter of change where all of us had failed.

Resting my chin atop her head, I squeezed the trembling mare against me, running my thumbs through the peach fuzz behind her ears. From between them, I caught a glimpse of the new couple of the group, with Zipp having assumed a similar position as she snuggled against Hitch, sending a playful wink and a voiceless ‘Nice work’ while she nuzzled the stallion's chin.

I gave her the finger, which completely flew over their heads, and held Sunny until the wave of emotions had run its course.

“So inspiring…” I heard Pipp mutter as she dried her own set of tears, the passionate mare suffering from the aftereffects of our tender moment. The sound of hooves against grass revealed Izzy having gotten up from her place and trotted behind me, plopping on her rump at our side and hugging both me and her best friend as the proudest smile adorned her muzzle, all for the mare who had brought them all together and changed the minds of thousands of ponies.

Poor Sunny needed a few minutes to recompose herself, rewarding me with another tender peck on my cheek for my kind words which I promptly teased her about to the merriment of our friends. It wouldn’t be long for the show to begin, the moon having already reached its proper place in the firmament, with only the slightest hues of orange and purple painting the darkening silhouette of the Zephyr Range. The highest density of meteors should happen between nine o’clock and midnight, after which only a scarce few stragglers would hurry to reach their sisters as everypony tucked in for the night. At least that’s how it was when Luna was in charge. I assumed their orbit around the ridiculously small solar system of Equus hadn't been altered in these few centuries.

Seeing as how we were literally meters away from the brighthouse, we took the chance to clean up the remains of our meal and bring back the trash and cutlery as well as rearrange the mats in a line to get a stunning few of the horizon and the tranquil sea shimmering with the twinkling of a million stars. Hitch, the faithful dragon dad as always, took the chance to carry a drowsy Sparky on his back who, after having stuffed himself with as much food as his little claws could snatch, was more than ready to hit the hay.

Once we had taken care of the remains of the picnic, and the little dragon had been delivered to the spare cradle in the girl's bedroom, we waited patiently for the first streaks of whitish light to pierce the heavens, positioning ourselves near the telescope, the expensive device ready and recording the night sky after a quick command. Pipp was finishing rallying her fans for the special live stream in which I would share the video the telescope caught as it recorded it on my account. The rest of the gang arranged themselves along the cliff’s line, close to each other to fight against the bite of the freezing sea breeze blowing from the east.

While we waited, I shared a couple more stories about my adventures in Ancient Equestria, like my first visit to Griffonstone, the time when the Elements and the Pillars rescued Stygian, the crazy days at the Friendship School… the ponies drank in my words as a bunch of excited foals listening to a wandering storyteller from lands beyond. I had a lot to share, and in their eyes, I glimpsed a flash of recognition when some of my experiences struck home to the ones this new group of ponies had begun experiencing for themselves. While my fight was against history repeating itself, some things would never change, especially when ponies were involved.

“... so you need to understand, the layout was constantly changing! Even Thorax was struggling to m-” As I was retelling our impromptu rescue operation at the changeling hive, a streak of light sped through the corner of my eye. Casting my gaze upwards, I saw the first shooting stars the naked eye could catch burning in the atmosphere. “My, would you look at that…”

It began slowly. First, a single streak cut through Orion’s belt, then five, then ten. And then, right on time, my pony friends' eyes filled with a thousand streaks of light, swallowing the very glow of the distant stars, raining from the heavens into the far horizon beyond the moon. A spectacle no meteor shower from Earth could compare to, for this one had been meticulously crafted by the Mistress of the Night herself. And even after hundreds of years of being left unchecked, it still was as breathtaking as ever.

Once the collection of stunned ‘wows’ and coos of wonder had passed, the ponies left their comfy resting places to stand as close to the cliff’s edge as it was safe to do, Sunny breaking away from the group and scampering on to take the reins of the telescope and get an unparalleled view of the night sky. The rest stood in a line, sides brushing against each other to preserve as much warmth as they could while their muzzles pointed high to the heavens.

I followed them, placing myself behind them so as to not block their view and simply enjoyed the moment, filling my vision with the shimmer of uncountable shooting stars finishing their long journey through space by crashing into our planet's upper layers, their last act providing an unchallenged spectacle for the ones living inside it.

“I gotta admit, I don’t quite remember it being this huge...” I heard Zipp mumble as her eyes remained fixed on the trail of meteors. Her sister, for her part, pointed her phone upwards and tapped the screen for the autofocus to kick in, in a vain attempt to catch anything with her phone.

‘Sorry, Pipp, but if the Pippsqueaks want a show, they'll have to come to MY channel.’

Inwardly giggling maliciously, I quickly checked with the live stream from my account, the images coming neatly from the telescope straight into the web. A striking number of thirty-five thousand ponies were hooked into it, all of them chatting excitedly while many shared their points of view with videos and photos of their own.

“With all those huge screens you’ve got everywhere, I don’t doubt that the light pollution from them would've swallowed everything.” I reasoned, earning a distracted hum of confirmation from the alabaster pegasus, her right wing draped over her coltfriend's back as the two shared a warm moment under the stars.

Happy with the success of my little plan, I stored the phone back in my coat’s pocket and returned my attention to the heavens, smiling at the thought of the very same Princess of the Night watching us from beyond, smiling in return at my attempt to rekindle the ponies’ wonder for the night sky.

“This is amazing!!” A thrilled Sunny exclaimed as she unstuck her eye from the eyepiece. “You’ve gotta see it, guys!!” she invited us, taking a step back and offering the telescope to us for a better view.

Izzy, spurred on by her friend's invitation, quickly snatched the first place in line, almost tripping over the device as she latched onto the eyepiece. Pipp asked to be next, her creative mind already drawing inspiration from the spectacle before us for her next song, a few rough verses leaving her lips in hushed bouts while she didn't skip a beat in recording with her phone, tapping furiously in search for a filter or augment that would improve the darkened image her camera was barely capable of catching. Our two resident lovebirds were too busy making out under the stars to care about us anymore. I was quick to snatch a picture of the two. It’d be a nice gift if properly framed, or an endless source of teasing material otherwise.

I would’ve held grounds to crown myself Prince of the Buzzkills if I were to interrupt them, so I left the couple be and walked to catch up with the rest, Sunny and Izzy sharing excited words about what they could glimpse through the telescope.

Pipp for her part had desisted in her attempts to stream the shooting stars with her phone, having acquired nothing but a dark image with an over-saturated glow from the full moon. I caught her watching my own livestream over her shoulder, muttering jealous curses under her breath.

“Ah, nectar to my fuzz-less ears…” I teased with my smuggest grin, placing a patronizing hand between the pegasus’ wings as her jealous scowl worked to chill the night even further. “How does it feel to be second on the top list for once?” I couldn’t resist the jab.

“Enjoy your momentary victory, human.” She snarled with narrowed eyelids, promising retribution. “I’ll make sure it’s short-lived.”

“Heh, I’m sure you will.” I chuckled, unphased by her mock threats as I rubbed my thumb over her wing joints in a gesture of peace.

Seeing how she had lost the streaming race, momentarily, mind you; Pipp focused on her other traits and continued humming rough verses of the new song she was trying to come up with on the go.

“... mmmhmm, dreams so… bright, like… sssssstars that… blaze… Ugh, no, that’s not it!” She bumped her forehead as she met another dead end.

“Need some help?” I offered, continuing rubbing her wing joint in a calming notion.

Sticking her snout high in the air, she huffed in offense. “The day Pipp Petals requires the help of a smelly human to bring out her magic, is the day she leaves the stage!!”

“Smelly, you say?” I purred, biting my lower lip as I readied my shattering rebuttal. “Then I guess I’ll have to buy my cologne from somepony else…”

“YOU…!!!”

“Ha! He’s got you there, Pipp!” Izzy stoked the flames, her eyes still fixed on the eyepiece with her ears flicking in our direction. Sunny for her part couldn't help but giggle at the sight of the fuming pegasus.

Pipp and I continued with our bantering until her turn came to watch through the telescope. Izzy and Sunny, filled with curiosity, bombarded me with more questions regarding Luna and the Equestrian night sky. From the sheer abundance of interest, it looked like we could add stargazing to our growing list of joint activities.

The show, while as spectacular as ever, lasted considerably shorter than what I remembered, only dragging on for half an hour before the endless sea of shooting stars lessened down to a trickle that would continue bombarding the darkening canvas for the rest of the night and the days to follow. Without Luna here to replenish them, this show now had an expiration date. I hoped that time wouldn't come for a long time, since that night would mark a special occasion for all of us, one that we would be itching to repeat every year.

However, the end of the meteor shower marked the beginning of operation ‘Cardamomo’...

Nah, that’s a terrible name, but the objective was clear. The night sky was almost empty of shooting stars, and the moon was slowly approaching its zenith, meaning that it was time for us to gather our things and return to the brighthouse for a good night’s rest. At least, for the rest of the ponies it was, since I needed some time alone with Sunny to speak what was on my mind.

Thankfully, I had enlisted the help of the perfect mare for the job.

22:34. Pipp, it’s time.

A short chime rang on the pegasus’ phone. Extracting it from her wing holster, her eyes widened a bit with the contents of the message. Searching for me, she returned an affirmative nod when she found me with Sunny near the telescope.

Faking a big yawn, she smacked her lips before addressing our friends. “Okay! That was gorgeous, ponies, but this pegasus needs her beauty sleep if she is to shiiiiine~!!”

Nopony disagreed, and together we began gathering our stuff and heading back to our home. Well, most of us, since Zipp apparently had other plans in mind as she began to drag the sheriff in the direction of the town with a firm hold on his nape, a smug grin, and twinkling eyes full of naughty desire.

“U-Um…” Poor Hitch, his mind quickly flooding with ideas as a burning flush filled his entire being, wasn’t precisely resisting the pegasus’ advances. “Izzy,” He pushed his restrained neck in search of the unicorn. “M-Mind taking care of Sparky tonight. I have… t-things to take care of…” He was practically trembling both from excitement and embarrassment.

“Sure thing, champ!” She agreed with a playful hip-check as she passed by his side and grabbed his load of stuff in her levitation. “You two go have some fun~.” She wished with a wink.

“Hitch,” I called before his marefriend had dragged him out of bailout distance. “Between the wingblades.” I instructed, followed by biting gestures that carried all the meaning he needed.

Now it was his turn to act cocky. A malicious grin painted his features as Zipp faltered in her hold on him.

“Don’t even think about it!” She warned, taking a step back as her wings spread out defensively.

“Oh, I’m so thinking about it...”

With their playful bickering drowning in the distance as the couple hurried on their way to Hitch’s abode, Pipp engaged to eliminate the remaining pony.

“‘Kay, Izzy. I need a hoof with all this stuff while these two finish with the telescope.”

“Sure thing, Pipp.” Izzy was more than happy to help, taking a portion of the pegasus’ load, and adding it to the one secured in her levitating grasp as the two went on their merry way back into the looming structure, Izzy offering to prepare some of her special tea for Pipp in case she was feeling as restless as she was. The pegasus in question flashed me one last encouraging wink as they disappeared behind the doors.

And then, there was just the two of us. Now came the easy part.

‘Come on Alex, we’ve mulled this over and over for the past month. It’s time to stop beating around the bush and man up!’

The more time I’d spent with Sunny, the clearer my feelings for her had become. Yes, I saw much of Twilight in her. Both shared numerous qualities which I found desirable, and that had become my most pressing concern when the familiar butterflies made their presence known in my tummy.

My past would forever chase me, and a part of me would always belong to Twilight and all those I left behind. But I wanted to try. To try for a new beginning, to amend my mistakes in every way I could. I wanted Sunny, I wanted to be with her, spend the rest of my days with her, and fight alongside her when the time undoubtedly came. I loved all my new friends, but with her, I was willing to take the next step...

But my bag was heavy with my own, staggering load which in times past I would be reluctant to share with anypony but myself. Yet, time and my friends had basically drilled into my head that to follow that path would eventually lead to dark places.

However, would Sunny accept me and my past as I was willing to accept her and her past? Was I good enough for her, and the destiny that awaited her?

‘Am I even deserving of it?’

“Sunny.” I softly called out to the mare, who was busy disassembling her telescope.

“Hmm?” I saw her ears flicker to attention behind the optical tube, the rest of her face soon following as she regarded me with curious expectation. “Need something, Alex?”

I wordlessly beckoned her to approach me, lowering my rear into the damp grass with my legs opened before me where I motioned her to take a seat, a pensive look in my eyes.

With a dip of her head, she complied, leaving the device behind for now and quickly crossing the distance between us, sitting on her haunches before me as slight concern matted her features after my sudden change of mood.

“Is everything okay?”

Warmed by her concern, I simply reached forward and, taking a firm hold under her forelegs, gently dragged her towards my sitting form, pressing her back against my chest as she straddled my lap, securing both arms around her barrel as if she had become a lifeline.

“Um…” While not offering resistance, she was beyond puzzled by them, looking over her shoulder in search of meaning.

As is customary to happen in this situation, any prepared speeches of mine promptly evaporated from my mind, leaving me completely blank as to how to approach the issue. It hadn't been my first time dealing with matters of the heart, but no doubt this one won the prize in being the most convoluted.

“So,” I hesitantly began, the mare noticing the jitters that threatened to send me into a loop. “I, um… a little birdie told me something.”

Scrunching her muzzle, she voicelessly ushered me to continue with a dip of her snout.

“Yeah, she told me something about a certain town mare who might or might not have the hots for our resident furless alien…”

Now had she caught on, the blush rushing once again through her cheeks bright enough to light up the twilight that enveloped us. “S-S-She h-has…?” She stuttered while quickly averting her gaze elsewhere but my prying eyes.

“Mhm,” I hugged her a bit closer. “Do you know anything about that?”

“Um…” In a striking imitation of my late friend Fluttershy, she fumbled with her forehooves as she wetted her lips, mulling for an answer that was plain as day. “M-Maybe…”

Perhaps it was a bit mean on my part, but seeing her as nervous as I was actually made me feel a bit more reassured. I didn't want to mess with her either, seeing how this was a delicate matter between the both of us. Encouraged by the reaffirmed knowledge of her own interest in me, I reached and placed a loving kiss atop her head, resting my chin there and softly whispering in her left ear.

“Well, I like her too...”

For a moment, I feared Sunny might’ve hurt herself from the sheer speed her neck turned to address me with as much surprise as if the very nature of the universe had been laid in front of her.

“Y-You do?!”

I let off a chuckle at the sight of her beautiful eyes widening as my words registered in her head. “Why, of course I do!” I merrily answered. “She’s kind, hopeful, and pretty to boot, too.” With every compliment that I spoke, her blush turned up a notch or two. “She has the most beautiful smile in the world, and her cute laugh is always infectious. She has a spirit like no other creature in Equestria and has more guts than any member of the Royal Guard could ever hope to possess.” With my left hand, I gently grabbed her cheek, running my thumb over her rosy-tainted fur in a loving gesture. “She has done the impossible, and changed the world far more than this old fossil could ever hope to.”

“Alex…” Her eyes slowly glossed, completely underwhelmed by my confession.

“And, if she wanted it, I’d very much love to spend the rest of my days with her.” Emotions slowly but surely erased any trace of rational thought from the mare, leaving her completely blank as to how to react to the absolute bomb I had just dropped on her. But, just as she was stopping imitating a fish to croak a few words out, I cut her off, for I still had one thing to say.

“But I’ve hesitated.” I blurted out as I softly silenced her, moving the palm of my hand over her lips. “I’ve known these feelings for a while now, but there was a lot in my mind keeping my lips shut.” My eyelids dropped a little, a familiar warmth spreading through my entire self, yet a chilling sensation clutching my heart. The easier part of the easy part was over. Now came the true reason why I wanted to speak with her alone. “And I think the mare in question has also hesitated.” I made for a wild guess, which turned out to be on target with how her sparkling eyes quickly lost a bit of their shine as her gaze once again fixed on the forehooves she was nervously shuffling over.

“... yes.” Came her hushed reply.

‘Thought as much.’

Not wanting to worsen the tense atmosphere that was building up around us, I secured my hold on her and lightly shoved her against my chest as my fingers searched for her ticklish spots near her armpits. “Soooo, seeing as how I have the mare in question trapped in my claws,” I playfully growled as Sunny squirmed in my grasp, her laughs filling the air and clearing away the uneasiness that threatened to fall upon us. “What better chance than having a little one versus one with her.”

Once my tickle attack had ceased and her giggling had run dry, she agreed to my proposal by lovingly nuzzling her head against mine, wiggling her body in my lap in search of a comfier position. Once she was comfortable, I snuck my arms around her barrel, her forelegs hugging over them while her head remained close to mine, her muzzle almost touching my nose. I felt her breathing slowly relax, synchronizing with my own, our mutual proximity quickly evaporating our initial nerves.

“Mares first.” I invited her, placing another tiny kiss behind her closest ear.

“Weeell,” She began after taking a moment to plan her approach, her ear slightly flickering when coming in contact with my lips. “I guess… I guess what I was most afraid of is what scares most ponies when it comes to this point...” Her concerned eyes shimmered with hesitation.

“That I would say ‘no’ and our friendship would turn into an awkward mess.”

Dead on. With a silent nod, Sunny confirmed my assumptions. That piercing dread, summoning a hundred different scenarios in your dreams, all of them reaching the exact same end. Rejection, and the rancid feeling that haunts you afterward, when you try your best to keep things as they were with the other party, but almost never managing to keep your friendship intact.

An awkward thing that justifies walking on steady hooves before popping the question.

“In that case, I’m happy to announce that’s something you don’t have to worry about,” I claimed while lovingly rubbing my nose against her scalp. “For I very much like the mare in my arms.”

The smile that grew on her muzzle could've outshined a thousand suns, warming my entire self to the point I stopped filling the bite of the seaside breeze blowing from the sea.

Smacking her lips again, her gaze turned pensive again. There was still something on her mind.

“There’s… another thing.”

“Tell me,” I whispered, spurring her onwards with comforting shoulder rubs, feeling her back arch against me as my fingers dragged through her silky fur.

“Um,” She began to anxiously shuffle her forehooves again, my touch not enough to ease her revived jitters. “What really pulled me back from telling you was that… that…”

The words were failing her. Whatever was haunting her sounded like a heavy thing.

“Tell me,” I whispered once again in a more encouraging manner.

“I felt like I was unworthy of you.” She forced the words out of her muzzle, her eyes clenching shut as if expecting a harsh rebuttal from me.

But that was far from what I was feeling. Surprise would be a more apt description, for by the life of me I couldn't understand why she would feel unworthy of calling herself my mare.

“...Unworthy?” I voiced out loud, earning another jerky nod from Sunny, her ears threatening to droop against her head.

I was NOT going to allow that.

“Sunny,” I called the mare snuggled against my chest, gently directing her gaze with my hand to meet mine, pushing on her cheek as my thumb rubbed the peach-fuzz fur rosy in a permanent blush. “Why would you feel that?”

“Why?!” She cried, an undertone of surprise in her query after my failure of catching on with her. Wiggling in my lap, she twisted her body to fully face me, pressing her forehooves over my chest where her back had previously rested. “Because you’re Alexander Kintobor! Prince of Equestria! National hero! A living legend!”

So that's what it was all about…

A deep sigh escaped my nostrils. For each of my titles she named, a cold dagger plunged into my heart. That hadn't been the first time my titles had acted as a gorge that separated me from the ‘common pony’...

‘Common pony.’ What a disgusting taste on my tongue every time I heard the term or had to act on it. When dealing with royal business, I had no choice but to tolerate it. But with my friends and family? Never. Ne-ver.

“Stop.” Both with my words and a hand gently covering her muzzle, I ceased the tirade of titles and accomplishments, which had apparently made her believe I was in an entirely different league from her to even consider courting me. “Please, stop.”

She couldn't have been farther from the truth.

Her eyes widened and her tail twitched nervously behind her, my sudden gesture having caught her by surprise.

“B-But…” She blurted from under my gentle grasp.

“I’m not better.” I cut her off rudely, practically snarling the words out, clenching my teeth hard. “Those titles were empty even back then. Now, they’re nothing.”

A glint of defiance shone in her eyes, denoting how she didn't share my opinion about them. But my own pleadings for understanding behind the anger of my words made her falter. She simply didn't know how heavy those titles weighed on me, the amount of pride I felt for them fell far short of the amount of grief that they had brought upon me. Heavy titles, heavy as chains. Chains I wanted nothing more than to break free of.

“Sunny,” I freed her muzzle, dragging my hands downwards to hold her chin. “If there’s one creature here who doesn’t deserve the other, it’s me not being deserving of you.”

Her muzzle opened to protest, but I silenced her again with my thumb over her lips. “No, Sunny, this isn’t pitiful modesty or cheesy stereotyping. You’re a wonderful mare, so full of life and passion, a drive strong enough to rile the three tribes of ponies into following your example. That alone,” I pressed a finger into her fluffy chest. “Is worth more than all I have ever accomplished as Prince of Equestria or otherwise.”

“How can you say that?!” She half-complained-half-whined, pushing my finger from her chest. “You’re a creature of legend! You’ve helped THOUSANDS of ponies!” In a swift move, she rose up onto her hooves and began pacing in front of me. “A-A-And I’m just a simple town mare who knows how to make smoothies! Yes, I went with Izzy to search for the crystals and bring everypony together, b-but if it hadn't been for her stumbling into town, I would’ve given up then and there! I was ready to give up! H-How can that compare to all of what you and Twilight Sparkle did for the po-”

“Don’t do that.”

Sunny’s tirade was cut short as my warning sealed her muzzle. Ceasing her pacing, she found me standing on my feet behind her, looming over her with narrowed eyes.

“Do what?” She squeaked, swallowing the lump in her throat.

“Compare yourself to Twilight.”

Sunny took a hesitant step back, fearing she might have struck a nerve after blerting out the name of my ex-marefriend. She knew Twilight was a delicate subject with me, but Sunny saying her name wasn't what had bothered me.

“I don’t need you to be like Twilight. I don’t want you to be like Twilight.” Not wishing to unnerve her further, I took a second to calm my breath. Clenching my fists to lose some of the accumulated energy, I sighed deeply, bringing a hand to my mouth and rubbing it over my lips as I considered how to express what my heart was hammering into my head.

Sunny, breathing easier now that I had calmed down, lost her retreating posture and silently trotted back to me, rearing on her hind legs and balancing against my shoulders. We were practically mouth to muzzle, feeling her warm breath against my lips even with my gloved hand covering them.

“Sunny,” I struggled to croak out, freeing my lips as I surrounded the mare, placing both arms above her rump. “The years I spent with Twilight were the best of my life. Beyond the adventures and dangers I lived with her, all the crap of the royal business we had to deal with, and Equestria itself crumbling around us, I will always carry her in my heart, just as I will always carry my old family, and the sins of my past with me.” Lowering my gaze in shame, the trail of words derailed into a barely audible whisper. “... It’s a heavy burden to carry, one I thought would toll on me until it crushed me under its weight.” The tiniest of smiles lightened my features. “But now,” I raised my gaze back to meet the mare’s concerned eyes. “Now I understand I don’t have to. I can start again. With our friends, with you…”

“Alex…” She whispered.

“Sunny. If I had been a random guy who suddenly appeared at your doorstep,” I began to ask. “Without knowing anything about the past, much less belonging to it, would you have fallen for me?”

It was a weird question. I knew it, but that question summarized my most pressing concerns, born after that little talk with Pipp when she revealed how infatuated Sunny was with the human from her dad’s stories, and perhaps not with the man who was there and then. For as much as it pains me so, they are and always will be the same person.

“Yes.”

Her short answer brought me out of my musings, not an ounce of hesitation that my ears could catch. Her fond smile was genuine, as were her gorgeous eyes sending all the warmth and reassurance they could muster.

With a profound sense of relief washing through me, I returned the smile and brought her closer to a full-body hug. “Then that’s all I want to be to you, just as all I need you to be is Sunny Starscout, the most striking mare of this little town…”

Everything had now been said.

It was selfish of me to strive for a blank slate with her and our friends. I was being honest; I did NOT deserve it, nor in the uncountable years Harmony would hold onto my soul as she saw fit, not in saving Equestria a thousand times to level the scales. I had kept a lot of things with me, horrible things done to and by me, fragments of my past I didn't want to share. Because they were painful, and because I feared what the ponies would think of me if they knew.

It was selfish, and it made me feel like the lowest piece of shit. But I wanted it. I wanted this new chance, one that had begun with my arrival into the future, once that had settled with the meeting of my new pony family. One that would bloom with the mare in my arms.

What would my old family think of me? Would they be happy for me, or would they curse my traitorous name for having left them behind while I rebuilt my life elsewhen? What would Twilight think? Our rupture had been as much her fault as it had been mine. We were stupid, overwhelmed, and angry with everything happening around us.

It shouldn't have ended like it did. I should've been better to her, I should’ve listened, I should’ve buried my stupid pride and helped her!...

But that chance was long past, and a new one had presented itself before me. Perhaps one day, the guilt would disappear. Perhaps it would never leave my side. But I knew what I wanted, and I knew what she wanted. I had closed my heart one too many times in the past.

That night wouldn't be tonight.

Sunny giggled at my cheesy compliment, breaking the hug to put the minimal distance between us so she could face me fully.

We were very, very close, even closer than before. I could practically feel the fuzz of the tip of her snout in my nose, our breath quickening in expectation and excitement for what was bound to happen.

I had beaten around the bush for long enough. I had said everything I wanted to say that night. I would talk to her more at a later time. But at that moment, there was only one thing left to be done.

Crossing the infinitesimal distance between us, I brought my lips for a gentle peck over hers. She didn't try to pull back. Au contraire, her muzzle dipped forward wantonly the moment my lips left hers. I was more than happy to oblige, rearing up for another gentle kiss, and another, and another one as I slowly inched my way to her right cheek.

Lidded eyes full of love followed each other as our lips met again and again. For each kiss, I felt her pressing against me further and further. On the fourth kiss, Sunny decided I had teased her long enough, and the dam broke.

With a hungry lunge, she captured me fully, forcefully pushing with her hooves against my chest as a throaty moan filled the encompassing silence of the night. I was so engrossed with her taste and the feeling of her furry lips tickling mine, that it took me a while to realize I had ended up back on the humid grass. Sunny straddled me as her muzzle pressed hard against me, puffed breaths leaving her nostrils as her exploratory tongue demanded entrance.

I was pleasantly surprised by her boldness. The sheer strength of her passion revealed how much of a restrained desire she had been holding in, one that finally had been released explosively. She must have been holding it for quite a long time too, since I was left without a chance to even grant her permission as her pushing against me raised tenfold, virtually pressing me against the cushioning vegetation while her stronger tongue forced its way into my mouth, searching for mine and sharing a passionate dance the moment it found it.

Sunny snuck her forelegs under my head, virtually holding me in place as if I would make for a swift escape at any moment. Needless to say, that thought was far from my mind. I could feel her heartbeat against my chest while her hips sought to sink into my own from where she was straddling me. My own desire was spurred beyond rational thought when the feeling of her winking against the fabric of my jeans breached my hazy mind.

But I wasn't that kind of guy. There’d be a time and a place for that later. At the moment, I wanted nothing more than for us to enjoy each other for as long as we could hold our breaths, our tongues fighting for dominance in my mouth where the battle was being held, not that I had much of a winning chance against an equine tongue. Just as her forelegs snuck under my head, mine traveled south to her flanks, groping them with desire, eliciting another cacophony of moans from the mare. She wasn't gonna be the only one to act bold!

We both had been itching for these moments, for a good while if the amount of passion being bled into our make-out session was of any clue. Small, full-body shudders ruffled her silky fur each time she ran her strong muscle against my canines, pathetically sharp compared to other carnivores of this world, but enough to trigger the exhilarating fight-or-flight reflex I had learned drove ponies wild.

If it had been up to us, we would’ve spent the rest of the night intertwined with one another. Sadly, there is so much time a pony and a human can hold their breath before being forced to break apart and suck in a good mouthful of the live-living gas. Ragged breathing synchronized with one another, love and lust dripping from our every pore.

I gave her flanks another big squeeze, forcing a muffled gasp from her as she bit her lower lip in barely restrained desire, looming above me as a predator about to devour its prey. Funny, considering where each of us actually stood in the theoretical food chain. I don’t think I need to explain how hard I was by that point, and I saw in her predatory eyes how she had noticed it too. But we were tired, sweaty, and with a hazy mind full of one specific thing.

With the utmost reluctance, I squeezed her cutie marks one last time before bringing my hands away from her generous rear to grip the forehooves pressing against my chest. “Now now, Sunny, there’ll be more than enough time for that later.”

Oh, she was NOT happy with me cutting our heated session short, an angry pout creasing her features as her rump and forelegs pressed harder against me, seeking to keep me rooted.

“Come on, baby,” I took the liberty to call her as such since, you know, I believed it was more than official by then. “We’re gonna catch a cold if we stay out here for much longer.” With how steamy the session turned out to be, my clothes were virtually damp with sweat and moisture from the chilling sea breeze; nothing like the scalding warmth spreading through one’s body to make one aware of the bite of a cold night’s breeze.

With a healthy amount of reluctance of her own, Sunny conceded, but not before a warning. “We’re NOT done here, mister.” After which, she delivered one last heated kiss, and then she released me from her hold to give her body a good shake.

“I sure hope we’re not.” I joked back, drinking in her form while raising myself on trembling legs and giving myself a good shake too. We still had the telescope to disassemble and store in its casing. Fortunately, the recording which I had completely forgotten to stop included no sound whatsoever, else our viewers would’ve been invited to an exhilarating show of heated moans and hungry groans as they witnessed the images the telescope recorded through its potent lenses. I could only imagine the scandal on the socials the following morning!

I had only taken but two steps when I felt Sunny already pressing herself against my side, a gesture she was already accustomed to doing frequently when we were together, but now holding a new, deeper meaning. Also, it helped that she was hip-checking me, wordlessly ushering me to move my rear and finish wasting time we could be spending trading saliva or other things…

Chuckling merrily at her impatience, I complied with her wishes and hurried to gather our stuff, returning everything neatly to its place and accompanying her back to the brighthouse, the feeling of her soft fur against my hip a constant companion now.

Now that we had extracted ourselves from the cloud of passion and hormones, I found something particular about her taste, a taste I had only acquired but the faintest sample of when she had kissed me after revealing the purchased grounds for the community garden to her. It was at that moment that it clicked for me.

“Oh my gosh.” I blurted with a crooked smirk.

Sunny, eyes full of love and admiration, dipped her head to the side. “What?”

“You actually taste like a tangerine,” I answered, fighting a losing battle against the chuckling that threatened to spill.

Sunny did a double take, sending a look that carried equal parts surprise and offense. “I do not!!”

But I was already laughing my ass off. “Yehehehes you dohohoh, ahahahaha!!”

“Alex!!!”

The short way back was spent dodging flying hooves and nips from an offended and madly blushing Sunny. All ponies had this tendency of possessing a fruity flavor of their own, more or less. But the fact hers was that particular one was simply too much for me to hold in.

I had to swallow the rest of my cackling once we’d crossed the foyer into the darkened interior of our home. In the twilight of night, you could faintly make out the rainbow hues of the Prisbeam energy as it painted shadows and shapes in the uppermost reaches of the towering walls.

While my lips were forced shut, the playful mirth in my eyes sparkled every time they met Sunny’s offended ones, unnerving her even more and making her puff her cheeks like an angry filly.

It wouldn’t last long though, for a strategically placed kiss on her lips quickly changed her pout for that stupid grin you’d see any lovestruck mare sporting twenty-six-seven.

No lights welcomed us from the living room or the upper floor, telling us that the ponies inside, minus Hitch and Zipp who were now doubtless in the middle of something nasty, were most likely asleep. Tip-toeing our way up the ramps, I followed the path to my bedroom with unconscious practice, expecting Sunny to do the same towards her shared bedroom. I twirled on my heels to wish her a good night and send her a kiss, and a promise that there’d be more from where all that had come from come tomorrow, when I almost tripped over the mare in question, patiently stuck to my side instead of going her way to her own abode.

“Um…”

With a smug grin of retaliation, Sunny ignored my confused blabbering and strode into my room as if she owned the place, which she technically did.

Not feeling like being left there standing like an idiot, I followed Sunny who hadn’t wasted a second to snuggle into my bed, wiggling playfully under the covers for a moment before coming to a comfortable position on her side, beckoning me with her hoof while her aquamarine eyes sparkled with the intruding moonlight.

“What?” She purred. “Did you think I was gonna miss a chance to cuddle with my new coooltfriend?~”

The way she had dragged that last word was all that it took to evaporate any hesitation that might’ve still been clinging to me, dragging my feet to the other side of the bed before my mind had even registered the notion of movement.

My winter coat was off faster than you could say ‘cupcake’, followed by my shirt, shoes and pants. Sunny, having rolled over so as to not miss a second of the show, undressed me with her eyes while I undressed myself… well, the usual way. Her sultry demeanor, while foreign to the normally cheerful and bright mare, was far from unwelcome. Faust as my witness, we’d have so much fun together.

But not that night. That night I simply wanted to be with her, to hold her in my arms and never let go. Long-lost feelings resurfaced as if they’d appeared for the very first time, that bundle of emotions tickling your heart at the beginning of something wonderful.

The moment I touched the covers, Sunny was already draped around me, hugging me tight as if I was an overgrown teddy bear, nuzzling her snout under my chin while she took an undisguised whiff of my scent. Sighing deeply, her entire self relaxed, limp as a noodle except her limbs which held me tightly.

My heart threatened to leap out of my chest from the sheer amount of love I felt for her at that moment, reciprocating the gesture and encapsulating her in my embrace.

“Sweet dreams, love,” I whispered, nuzzling into her sunflower-scented mane.

A slurred, half-hum-half-yawn was her answer, her breathing deepening as her muzzle snuggled deeper into the crook of my neck. Following her example and relishing in the feeling of her heartbeat against my naked chest, I mimicked her and allowed myself to fall into what would be the best night’s sleep I’d enjoyed in a very long while.

‘Helikesmehelikesmehelikesmeohmygoshhelikesmeaaaggmbnfnmshmgmgrfm!!!!’

I believe that’d be a very apt description of what was running through my mind the moment his lips whispered what my heart had been pining for for the last two months or so. Even with Izzy’s reassurance, I truly thought I had no chance whatsoever of him thinking of me like that. Sure, we were as close as two ponies could get, and I simply loved spending time with him as I knew he did with me. But from the bottom of my heart, I swore I thought he'd choose Izzy, or any other mare for that matter, to call his soulmate.

So, you can imagine my surprise when, after more or less forcing out my own half-flanked confession of my feelings for him, he’d actually reciprocated. I hadn't planned on confessing that night, or any other night for that matter, since I was still summoning the guts to drop the question in the first place, much less planning anything meaningful for it.

But, from what I later learned had been a masterfully executed, two-pony plan, he had cornered me well, teasing the answer straight out of me. What followed, I can only describe as one of the best, yet most unusual happenings of my entire life. After practically losing my wits, and hurting my neck a little, he explained how he, just like me, had also mulled over whether to say anything or not, for he had a lot in his mind that he wanted to share before sealing the deal. My own concerns were those that you can already imagine: He not feeling the same way as me and delivering a swift end to our close friendship, the both of us then reduced to awkward smiles and passing comments as our standard interaction.

He had made sure to swiftly root out that worry, for even if his answer had been no, the last thing he wanted was for our friendship to change, much less to end.

The other, heavier issue was what had tormented me during my self-chastising sessions deep into the night when my stupid brain wouldn't shut up about how foalish a dream my hopes for him truly was. For every reason I came up with where I believed I could be good for him, a sharp rebuttal would follow. Do you hear that, you stupid brain?! He's mine now! Mine, do you hear me?!!

Please, don’t think I’m going mad, but it was truly driving me up the walls the more time passed with us spending valuable time together as close friends and not as something more.

For his part, he’d also had several things he wanted to share. And if I believed my worries were heart-wrenching and convoluted, his simply left me without words.

His past, the life he had shared with the Element Bearers, and uncountable other creatures he had shared his life and work with. All his accomplishments, his titles, the legends behind the stories… He didn't shy away from them, but in his chocolate-brown eyes, I saw the staggering weight he carried on his shoulders. Far from believing myself unworthy of all he represented, he had asked, pleaded, and begged me, to not only act as if they weren't a thing but simply to consider him as any other random guy I could stumble upon on a regular day.

If he had been a random guy stumbling onto my doorstep, would have I fallen for him the same way? Now, that thought had caught me unprepared. Every time I thought of him, I saw the human my dad would tell me stories about, an idol on par with the Bearers or the Princesses. Yet, as unprepared as that out-of-a-sudden question had caught me, it didn't take me even a second to realize that, yes, I would’ve fallen for him the same way. For it hadn't been the stories that had captivated me during my fillyhood that made me fall for him. It had been us, living together, adventuring together, learning about each other, spending time with each other, that had made the hidden feelings inside me bloom.

I saw so much pain and guilt behind his confession. How he fought to let go of the past, yet he couldn’t help feeling like a traitor for doing so. Feeling like he’d left behind an unpayable debt for the ones he left behind, and how by wanting to share the feelings he’d once held for a mare, he was spitting on her grave. But, at the same time, he confessed how, by living with us, he saw a chance for a new beginning, A chance he wanted nothing else but to take. How in our friendship and hospitality he had found a new family to call his own, and in me had found a new chapter in his life. The hurtful words of Discord would forever haunt him, calling him a traitor and a runaway. The doubts he held in that regard told me how, deep inside, he believed those words to be true.

A tiny part of me thought, at that moment, how painfully far this was from what Pipp’s cheesy romance novels and cheap movies portrayed. Our first meeting had been an unorthodox one. Our relationship, if it was to be, would be far from normal too.

But I was NOT gonna give up on him nor give up on myself. I understood his feelings. I would harbor them and respect them, for no mare can hope to gain such a stallion’s heart with petty jealousy and a lack of sympathy. He would always carry a piece of his past with him, that he had made abundantly clear, and I was okay with that! I couldn't ask him to forget everything he had lived for, everypony he had known, and the mare he had loved, only to gain ‘exclusive’ rights to him. If other mares wanted to be like that, fine with them! But I loved this human for all he is, and for all he had been.

A lot was left to be said. I knew he still harbored mixed feelings about the step we were about to take, and I made up my mind that it was my task to help him with that, just as Izzy and I had promised we’d do for each other. But whatever words we’d exchanged had been more than enough for one night. What followed… well, I don’t think I can quite put it into words. I remembered things getting hazy, and alarmingly steamy for a moment there. To say that, as our kissing turned deeper and deeper, I felt like I wanted to take him there and then. We’d both been dancing around the issue for far too long and now we wanted nothing but to share everything we had for the other, in the usual way couples partake in such activities if you know what I mean…

I became very turned on, and if the poorly disguised lump in his pants meant anything, he too was itching to go all the way in that field. Thankfully, his head had remained somewhat cooler than mine and, albeit to my straight reluctance, had cut our steamy tirade short before I was driven wild enough to rip his clothes off and ride him all night long. That would happen, but on another night perhaps, and by the stars above, I was gonna pour my combined frustrations from every single frustrating estrus week spent alone into his sorry body until he was nothing but a dried-out husk!!

… I think I should disguise myself as a changeling for Nightmare Night. The old ones, the creepy, love-sucking ones. It seems I had the mentality of one already.

With those musings and a lot of hotter, more visual thoughts, I reluctantly turned it down a notch or two and simply enjoyed the birth of our new relationship, one I would cherish with all my might, and would fight for no matter what other ponies might or might not think. I wasn't expecting anypony to say anything about it, much less now that the levels of tolerance were at all-new heights, but I couldn’t assume anything. One group of ponies I was positive would be all but exhilarated with us being together would be our friends. Zipp and Hitch had beaten us to it, becoming a couple after my lantern had been found. Albeit with much less ceremony and sticky business in between than us, they had become an item in the blink of an eye, with Zipp surprisingly taking the initiative.

Oh, not even with all my human coltfriend’s fingers could I count the number of jealous glares the town’s mares were drilling into a very smug Zipp the moment the news about our local hotshot having been claimed by her broke. Literally and figuratively actually, but that’s mare’s talk, none of your business...

After regaining our bearings, and a very undignifying and uncalled-for comment about how I apparently tasted like tangerine (a lie, I tell you), we had decided to call it a night and pack the rest of the stuff up, trotting side by side back to the brighthouse. I wasn't gonna leave his side, not on our way there nor when I saw him take the left path for his private room. If he thought he was gonna lose me that easily, he had another thing coming! Although, the image of him standing there in the doorway like an idiot had been very amusing.

We had slept together. No funny business that night except an unhealthy amount of cuddling and warmth-sharing, something I was going to be demanding a repeat of every single night that was to follow. And I was NOT gonna take a no for an answer.

The morning rays had been the culprits of dragging me out of simply the best night’s sleep I could ever remember having. Groaning in displeasure, I rubbed my crusty eyes and begrudgingly opened them, pawing first for the human pillow I had been hugging the entire night, yet only meeting empty air.

Scrunching my muzzle, I opened my sleepy eye all the way and confirmed what my hooves had felt. My human was nowhere to be found. Only my phone was, rested neatly over the wrinkled covers where he had laid recently. They were still warm, so it couldn't have been that long. And they smelled of him, so very much…

After the full-body shudder had run its course, I grabbed my phone and lit the screen. He must've been the one placing it there, for in the message box I found one from him.

7:31 Morning, baby (I’m calling you baby now *evil laugh*). Sorry for disappearing on you like that, got an urgent call from the hospital, gotta help with a sudden income of patients :( I’ll get off work asap and meet you at the stand for lunch, my treat.

And, thank you, Sunny. I know I say it a lot, but right now I want to make sure you understand how much YOU and what you’re doing for me means to me.

I’ll see you later. XXX

7: 32 PD: The girls surrounded me and I spilled my guts. Sorry in advance…

With a giddy giggle, I finished running my eyes through the text and hugged the phone against my chest, his message having already made my day before it had even started.

However, I took special notice of that last, short message. It seemed I’d have to deal with the girls sooner rather than later.

‘Oh, well, it was bound to happen soon anyway. I hope they don’t prod too much… Oh, who am I trying to fool...’

Knowing my friends, they’d tear into me until I had told them everything. I loved them so much.

With my morning stretches done, and the mandatory lip-smacking over, I rose to my hooves and, casting one last look at my father’s old room, now my new coltfriend's property, I made my way out and headed downstairs for some breakfast, taking a mental note to buy a different brand of toothpaste.

I did NOT taste like a tangerine…

“Suuuunnyyyyy~” The sweet chanting of a seapony filled the hall as my hooves left the smooth ramp, a sweet melody to drag the unsuspecting sailor into the clutches of its singer. That's what became of me the moment the ‘Council of the double X,’ as Alex had referred to us the other day for some reason, caught the sound of my innocent self all the way from the living room.

Gulping loudly, I made my shaky way to meet my demise, which came in the form of three mares and one baby dragon enjoying a cup of coffee, and tea in the case of Pipp, while munching on whatever biscuits the bottomless pit that was the baby dragon’s stomach had left untouched. The most evil of grins escaped each of their muzzles, lidded eyes filled with playful mirth. Izzy went as far as to lick her lips, already tasting the oh-so-sweet flavor of gossip.

“G-Good morning, girls.” I greeted with a nervous smile and a pitiful wave of my hoof.

“Oh, a very good morning indeed, right, Sunny?” Pipp, fluttering her eyelids innocently, purred wickedly while beckoning me to take a seat between her and her sister. Their predatory gazes made sure to announce how it would be useless to try and make a desperate escape. Trapped within their clutches, I was left with no other choice but to comply. Step after shaky step, I crossed the distance between us and plopped my rump on the couch between the aforementioned ponies, sweating under the intensity of their expectant gazes.

A tense silence fell as the mares granted me a couple of seconds to cook under the pressure when Izzy went for the most pressing of questions.

“Sooooo, how big is he?”

“IZZY!!!”

Author's Note

So I gotta ask. Is my version of Sunny's cutie mark origin story better than the official?