My Little Pony: Equestrian Life In another Worldby Postwarmonkey50ChaptersChapter 2: An unexpected meeting The Crystalling/the gift of Maud Pie part 2Chapter 3: Getting to know one another and a love stronger than friendshipChapter 4: Meet the SparklesChapter 5: The second arrival/Wedding preperationsChapter 6: The Flames of Family DisputesChapter 7: Growing families and confrontationsChapter 8: Sparkle's Wedding BellsChapter 9: Of honeymoons and country loveChapter 10: Apple's Barnyard LoveChapter 11: Gauntlet of FireChapter 12: Silver LiningChapter 13: To love a DiamondChapter 14: Apple Family WeddingChapter 15: New Residence and Bedazzled weddingChapter 16: No Second Prances, and Welcome to the WorldChapter 17: Proposing to an AngelChapter 18: New Dash New HumanChapter 19: Wonderbolt RescueChapter 20: A lover's loyaltyChapter 21: A Hearth's Warming TailChapter 22: The saddle-row reviewChapter 23: Spice up your lifeChapter 25: Perchance to dream to smile againChapter 1: An unexpected meeting The Crystalling/the gift of Maud PieChapter 24: A kind wedding, double the surpriseChapter 2: An unexpected meeting The Crystalling/the gift of Maud Pie part 2Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3: Getting to know one another and a love stronger than friendshipOn a late night, Thomas was still fast asleep in his bed, but then he began to toss and turn. For he was having a deep dream. He dreamt that he was back…at his old home? But something wasn’t right. He saw that there was a police officer standing in front of his mother, who told him of what had happened. He couldn’t make it out, for he was standing right behind her, but she looked still, something he’d expect from her. After the police officer left, he saw his dad coming. “Who the hell was that?” said Thomas’ dad. But his mom still remained silent. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” She was silent for a moment, then said “Thomas is dead. The police found his body at the lake house.” “Pff, seriously?” Said his dad without a care in the world. “Knew that kid was useless since birth.” Suddenly, Thomas’ mother gave him a hard punch, which knocked his dad against the wall, which surprised Thomas, but not as surprised as the father was. “How…dare you.” Said Thomas’ mother when the tears began to run down. “Our son is dead and you call him useless. But so far I see, the only one who is useless is you.” “Excuse me?” said Thomas’ father, feeling insulted. “You recklessly go around, gambling our money, whilst I do the hard work around here.” Said Thomas’ mother, “You may have married me, but I was also the only daughter of the Rohan family, my birthright, that you just squander for no reason at all. You never did care about the family, only the money that you squander.” “I own it too since the day I married you.” Said Thomas’ husband. However, … “Not anymore.” Said Thomas’ mother. “Two things. One…” She held up a paper and said “I already filed for a divorce.” Thomas’ father was shocked, with his mother saying “And two…” When all of a sudden, four guys appeared, to which shocked Thomas’ father. “I believe you owe money to the loan sharks.” Said Thomas’ mother, “I can’t believe you tried to borrow money from them, and had the gall to use mine to hide after all these years. When I dug a little deeper, I found out about you, which is why I froze your account.” “Wha…but…you can’t do this!!” said Thomas’ father before the loan sharks took him. “I already did.” Said Thomas’ mother sternly. She watched as the loan sharks took him away as he tried to break free, but their grip on him was really tight before the doors were finally closed. After they were gone, Thomas’ mother instantly broke down in tears as she sat on a couch whilst sobbing. “Oh, Thomas.” Said Thomas’ mother, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I should’ve been there for you. Please…forgive me. Forgive me.” She continued to cry with her face in her hands. Thomas on the other hand had shed a few tears himself as he too was partially overwhelmed by what he had seen. “Did it come to a surprise to you?” Thomas turned around and was surprised to see…an Alicorn? But she looked a little darker, though she had the same aura as Celestia. “Wha…who are you?” asked Thomas. “Oh, forgive the intrusion.” Said the Alicorn, “My name is Princess Luna, Princess of the Night, as well as Celestia’s younger sister.” “Really?” said Thomas as he got a good look at her. “Huh, I can see that. The stars really do bring out the blue of your eyes.” Princess Luna giggled at that and said “Thank you.” Thomas then took another look and said “What is all this?” “This happens to be what is currently happening in your world.” Said Princess Luna. “When my sister told me what Twilight told her, I was rather surprised to hear what you have been through. So, I used my magic to pierce the veil to see what had transpired after you were gone. And as you can see, this is happening about a few hours before you slumbered.” Thomas took another look at this. He was feeling his stomach being twisted just from seeing this. “Why are you showing me this?” said Thomas. “To show that even though you had a rough childhood,” said Princess Luna, “At least one parent still loved you for who you are and not what they expect you to. She had wished every day that she could spend time with you, and she regretted on not knowing sooner of how you felt. Only did your passing show her how much she regretted on not doing anything.” “I know they hid things.” Said Thomas, “But I wish they were more straight forward with me. And…I wish I got to spend some time with her.” He felt a hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention, revealing Luna as she held onto it: “Could…” began Thomas, “Could I say goodbye to her, at least?” “You can,” said Princess Luna, “But I’m afraid it would only be temporary, as my magic is not strong enough to keep the veil pierced. And if I keep it open for too long, it would end up having a disastrous consequence, so I can only grant you ten minutes if need be.” Thomas nodded and said “I understand.” Luna used her magic to open a portal of sorts. Thomas swallowed his fear and stepped through it. The moment he did, he was right in front of his mother, who was still crying with her face buried in her hands. Thomas then stood on his one knee and foot and held onto her hands. “Mom,” said Thomas, “Mom, please don’t cry.” Thomas’ mom briefly stopped and looked ahead, and was shocked to see who was before her. “T-Thomas?” muttered his mother. Within a split second, Thomas and his mother hugged one another, with the both of them standing up. “Mom, I’m so sorry.” Said Thomas. “Don’t, Thomas, please.” Said his mother, with the two of them breaking the hug. “I’m the one who should be asking for forgiveness. I costed you what you really wanted. All we did was make you study and train, but we never gave you a reason why, and I’m so ashamed that I couldn’t have spent more time with you.” “And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.” Said Thomas, “I should’ve tried harder. And I wish I could’ve stayed a bit longer, but I’m afraid I came to say goodbye.” His mother was shocked to say the least, and looked at him and asked “But why?” “I’m actually on a time limit.” Said Thomas, “I gained a friend who said that she could help me talk to you one last time, but I can’t remain long, for they needed to keep the balance and to keep our worlds secret from one another. And I can’t go back because I literally drowned, and that once I died…” “You can never go back.” Said his mother, to which surprised Thomas. His mother couldn’t help but smile and said “I always wondered when it will happen.” “What?” said Thomas, “Mom, what are you saying?” “Remember when I mentioned about our family?” asked his mother, to which he nodded, then she said “Remember when I mentioned that our family was not from around?” Thomas thought about it, but for a split second, he realized in shock and said “Our family…came from Equestria?” “That’s right.” Said Thomas’ mother, “Our family was of great importance long ago. But something happened that made us leave. We arrived before the days of World War I. We continued to try to find a way to uphold our family legacy because we knew that one day when the time came, we would one day return there.” She sighed in sadness and said “I just didn’t think it would come this way, though.” “But why didn’t you tell me?” said Thomas. “I really wanted to,” said Thomas’ mother, “Believe me, I wanted to, you were the first person I wanted to tell. But because of the work I do, it keeps robbing me the one thing I should’ve been there for the most. For you. And if your father hadn’t gotten in the way…I would’ve been there for you when you needed me the most. I have no excuse for it either. I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry, too mom.” Said Thomas. “I wish I could’ve done better.” He then looked at her and said “And about our family, I have so many questions. A man also came by and gave a journal that belonged to Achilles Rohan. I thought it was only a story.” “It isn’t sweetie.” Said Thomas’ mother, “I once thought that way too, but I had seen it when I was a child. Though temporary, I know now who we are and where we came from. And I’m sure that in time, you’ll be able to find those answers to your questions.” Thomas couldn’t help but smile, but then he noticed his left hand was about to fade. “Aw crud, my time’s almost up.” Said Thomas, then he looked at his mom and said “And promise me one thing mom.” “Anything.” “Live your life to the fullest and live it well.” Said Thomas, “And when the time comes if either of us wound up in the afterlife, we would meet each other there again, and we can share our stories of what we’ve been through. And when we do, there will be no doubts and no regrets.” “I promise, Thomas.” Said his mother. “And promise me you’ll do our family proud, no matter where you are.” “I promise too, mom.” Said Thomas with a teary smile. Thomas and his mother shared one last hug with one another. The moment they broke it, Thomas had already begun to fade. “Goodbye mom.” Said Thomas, “We’ll meet again someday. And now that I’ll always love you.” Thomas’ mother also smiled and said “I love you too, Thomas. I look forward till we meet again.” And thus, Thomas had vanished from his old home and had returned to the dream realm with Luna. Thomas stood there with tears in his eyes, then hugged Luna, much to the Princess of the Night’s surprise, but accepted it nonetheless. “Thank you, Luna.” Said Thomas before they broke it. “I really needed that.” “You are welcome, Thomas.” Said Princess Luna with a smile of her own. “And…” said Thomas before he looked at Princess Luna, “If you want, we can always talk more whilst in the dream realm. That way you could know more of my kind. And honestly, I find it relaxing talking to you. You’re quite the conversationalist.” Luna giggled again and said “I would love to have a friend to talk to in the dream realm. And also in the waking world, if you wish.” “Oh, most definitely.” Said Thomas. “I must be off,” said Princess Luna, “But we shall speak again soon once time permits me.” “I look forward to it.” Soon enough, Thomas woke up for a brief moment and looked around. He couldn’t help but smile as he felt like he somewhat made a new friend in Equestria. He soon fell back asleep, wondering what the next day might bring. ************************************************************************************************ “Are you sure about this?” asked Thomas as he felt really nervous. “Trust me Thomas,” said Twilight, “I know that they’ll like you, you just have to give them a chance.” “If they give me one.” Said Thomas, “I remembered what Spike told me that one time when Zacora came over and they were instantly afraid of her without even talking to her, because they judged her for her appearance.” He then mumbled, “Something that’s also been a big issue in my world.” “I see.” Said Twilight as she was concerned over what he had just said, but shook it off, “But don’t worry, they’ve learned their lesson and I know you’ll get along great with them.” “Though I thought Spike and Starlight were going to join us too.” Said Thomas. “Oh, I sent both Spike and Starlight on a few errands today, so it should only be the two of us and my friends.” Soon enough, the two of them arrived at the picnic area, where he spotted the rest of Twilight’s friends. He saw Rarity among them, but he didn’t recognize the other four. One who had a rainbow mane, but also had an athlete build. Then there’s another with a country hat, which Thomas could guess would be a farmer, then there was another with pink hair, and he could tell she was very shy, whilst the other also had a pink mane and appeared to be very poofy, and from what he could tell, she was the most active one of the groups. Thankfully, Twilight showed you via pictures. One with the Rainbow hair is Rainbow Dash, one with the hat is Applejack, the shy one is Fluttershy, and the other one is Pinkie Pie. “Well, howdy Twi,” said Applejack, “Mighty glad y’all could join us.” “Though uh…what’s that thing next to you?” asked a curious Rainbow Dash. Pinkie gasped and instantly hugged him whilst saying “Is this a new friend?!” “Uh, you could say that.” Said Thomas nervously. “Um…hello.” Said Fluttershy nervously. “Hi.” Said Thomas once Pinkie released him, then he looked at Rarity and said “Oh, Rarity, I never got the chance to thank you for the new wardrobe. You really are a lifesaver.” “Oh, my pleasure, Thomas darling.” Said Rarity. “Wait, you know him?” asked a confused Rainbow. “Of course,” said Rarity, “Thomas requested on a wardrobe that he desperately needed. What with his, ahem, current attire only being swim trunks.” “Swim trunks?” said a confused Applejack. “How come y’all have only one pair of clothing?” “Trying to go all natural?” teased Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash!!” scolded Rarity. “Well, I didn’t exactly have any other clothing on me when I died.” Said Thomas. The others, minus Twilight, were all startled by this when they looked at him. “Pardon,” said Rarity as she tried to make sense of it. “Did you say, died?” Pinkie pinched Thomas, making him yelp, with Pinkie saying “You look alive to me.” “I am right now, yes.” Said Thomas, “But in case you wonder, I’m actually known as a human. Or otherwise known as Homo Sapiens. We come from a planet called Earth, where over billions of humans live. Young and old, big, or small, every human looks more different than the other. We live our lives one day at a time.” The girls were surprised to hear the world where he comes from. “Incredible.” Said Rarity, “What else do humans have over there?” “Like, what kind of magic and Cutie Mark do you use and have?” said Pinkie Pie. “Oh, we don’t have magic in our world.” Said Thomas. “What?!” exclaimed the Mane 5. “Yeah, in our world, magic is considered folklore and myth, thinking it’s nothing but superstition. Heck, I didn’t even think dimensional travel was possible. As for Cutie Marks…what’s that?” “Oh, it’s this!!” said Pinkie Pie as she pulled down part of her skirt, showing the side of her posterior, as well as her Cutie Mark. Thomas blushed madly at this. For a random girl was showing part of her ass at him. “Pinkie Pie!!” shouted the others before they quickly covered it up. “Pinkie, we do not show our flanks to a random stallion!!” shouted Rarity. “Sorry.” Said Pinkie with a squee. “So…what’s so special about them?” said Thomas, desperately wanting to change the subject. “They help us show our talents.” Said Twilight. “Mine is Magic, Rainbow is fast flying, Applejack is good at farming, Rarity is a well-known fashion designer, Pinkie specializes at parties, and Fluttershy specialized in animal caretaking.” “Huh, that’s really interesting.” Said Thomas. “And what about you?” asked Applejack, “How do y’all know what your special talent is.” “We don’t, we just do.” Said Thomas. “Sometimes we experiment with what we’re good at, then afterwards, we work hard to perfect them, and in time, we also use what we’ve learned. Not through magic, but from the sweat of our brows and the strengths of our backs, as well as hard educational work.” He then looked at Rainbow with a quirked eye and said “Seeing that one of you lacked any.” Rainbow was suddenly in his face and said “What’s that supposed to mean?! I had my education!!” Thomas suddenly smirked and said “Was that before, or after you put laxatives in the teacher’s drinks, which got you expelled before you had your degree?” Rainbow gawked in shock as her jaw dropped, which surprised the rest of her friends. “Wha…how did you…?!” said Rainbow in shock. “Fluttershy, who told Twilight, who told Spike, who told me.” Said Thomas. Twilight groaned loudly and slapped her forehead whilst saying “I can’t believe he blabbed. He promised not to say anything.” “Did you make him promise not to say anything?” asked Thomas. Twilight blushed and slapped her head in embarrassment, for she can’t believe she didn’t think of that. “Anyway,” said Thomas, “As for how I got here. After I graduated from College…” “College?” asked Rarity. “Uh, picture this.” Said Thomas, “It's... let's just say it's a type of school. Preschool is a beginning school for toddlers. Then they move on to Elementary Schools, there it's kindergarten to eighth grade. Then they move on to high school. Ninth to twelfth grade. And it's their choice if they want to go to college after they graduate high school.” “Wait, school after school after school?” said Rainbow in disbelief, “What kind of insane world do you live in?!” “Hey, education is very important to all of us here.” Said Thomas, “Otherwise you wouldn’t have had the grade to pass for your Wonderbolts Reserves test.” Rainbow groaned loudly and held her head, with her saying “I’ve really gotta stop telling ponies my stories.” “Be thankful it’s not an autobiography.” Said Thomas. “Anyway, after I graduated, I moved to a Lake House far away from my family.” “Now why would y’all leave yer family?” asked Applejack. Thomas had a saddened look and told them what he told Princess Celestia and Twilight, which shocked the rest of the Mane 5. “Why in tarnation would anypony neglect their own child, like that?!” said Applejack. “People who would rather be ignorant of their own kids rather than spend some time with them.” Said Thomas. “But…that’s so mean.” Said Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie suddenly bawled whilst she was crying and held onto Thomas tightly, and shouted “I can’t imagine my entire life growing up without friends.” “Pinkie…too…tight.” Said Thomas. “Whoops.” Said Pinkie before she let him go and he ended up landing on his posterior. “Is she always like this?” whispered Thomas to Twilight. “You get used to it.” Said Twilight. “Anyway,” said Thomas, “After I went to the lake, I decided to go for a swim for a bit, until I was suddenly dragged by a whirlpool that appeared from out of nowhere and sucked me in. I somehow drowned when I was under water. Before I knew it, I washed up at a lake not far from here, that’s when Twilight found me. Although she kinda threatened me when I called her a horse, and in my defense, I did freak out whilst I was here, I mean like no one else in my position would freak out if they met another species in a different world.” “Ah’d probably freak out too if ah met a different species.” Said Applejack. “Not me.” Boasted Rainbow, “I’d face the dangers, head on.” Thomas gave a deadpanned stare, but then he had a Grinch like smirk on him. He whispered something to Twilight. She blinked in surprise, and looked at him confusingly, which he nodded. But nonetheless, she complied and casted a spell. “Even this?” said Thomas. Rainbow took a good look at him and suddenly blinked in shock. For Thomas was having sunflower petals on him and he was trying to look as cute as possible, which confused the others greatly, with Thomas suddenly singing in a cute tone. We are such happy flowers We will now sing for hours Aren't we unbearably cute? Watch me solo on jazz flute Thomas then played the flute whilst acting innocent, with Rainbow suddenly screaming in fear as she hid behind Applejack whilst shaking. Everyone stared at Rainbow dumbfounded and surprise, causing them to snicker and barely being able to keep their laughter in. “So,” said Applejack in a teasing tone, “Y’all can take danger, but y’all can’t take cuteness?” Rainbow blinked in shock and looked at the others, realizing that her secret has been exposed and had a look of embarrassment on it. “Honestly,” said Thomas as he tossed the flower and flute away, “What the heck do you have against cuteness?” “Cuteness isn’t exactly Rainbow’s thing.” Said Fluttershy. “Right,” said Thomas, “Cause the only one who works the cuteness well is Twilight, and she’s Adorkable when she does that.” Thomas instantly slapped his mouth shut with both his hands, for he didn’t realize that he had just called Twilight adorkable. Everyone else stared at him surprised, whilst Twilight blushed heavily whilst also being surprised at the same time too. “So, uh…moving on.” Said Twilight. The two of them tried to change the subject, with Pinkie whispering to the others, “Is it obvious that Thomas likes Twilight and Twilight likes Thomas?” “Oh, yeah.” Said the rest of the Mane 5. ****************************************************************************************** “So, this is the portal?” From within the library, both Thomas and Twilight were standing in front of the mirror, which Twilight said would lead straight to Canterlot High, where one of her reformed friends, Sunset Shimmer. “That’s right.” Said Twilight, “A unicorn named Starswirl the Bearded created these portals to other worlds. Though nothing he tried worked, so he decided to use these mirrors as a gateway to travel to different worlds. However, he theorized that it would open once every thirty moons.” “No, it wouldn’t.” said Thomas quickly. “Huh?” said Twilight. “See those runes by the mirror?” said Thomas as he pointed them out. “Those Runes say that the mirror is charged up at full power when the moon is full. And given that he had already found another mirror on the other side, he also must’ve found a way to cast a spell there. Now instead of the portal being open for every two years, it opens up once a month.” Twilight slowly looked at him, then to the portal, the repeated the process, and her jaw dropped as she kept doing it, but now at a fast pace. “Wha…how…?” muttered Twilight. “Duh, I read an old history about how unicorns used to use Runes to do their magic before they perfected the spell using their horns. Starswirl must’ve used the same spell to open a portal.” Said Thomas, “Seriously, even a dead brained monkey could see that. And I’m surprised Starswirl didn’t see that it was a permanent spell when he casted it.” Twilight’s eye rapidly twitched, and within a split second, she screeched so loud, the entire country heard her screech as the ground was shaking at the same time. And from three different scenes, after the scream and ground shaking ceased, Luna, Cadance and Starlight asked “Twilight freaking out over something obvious again?” “Yup.” Said Celestia, Shining Armor and Spike at the same time. ****************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the two of them entered the portal. But soon enough, they landed on the other side, with Thomas feeling very dizzy. “Oh, major wipeout.” Said Thomas as he slowly got up. “You okay?” The moment Thomas took a good look at Twilight, to saying that he was surprised was exaggerated. For he saw a girl about his height with a familiar skin tone and a familiar hairstyle. She was also wearing a blouse with a bowtie, a purple skirt and what appeared to be, what did they call them, heel boots? Meh, fashion wasn’t his strong suit. He was surprised to see Twilight as a human. “T-Twilight.” Said Thomas as Twilight also looked at him. “I…never realized.” “You’re younger.” Said Twilight surprised. “Wait, what?” said Thomas. He looked at the statue and noticed the mirror. When he went over, he was surprised by what he was seeing. He appeared younger, possibly a senior. His skin had gotten a little brighter and smoother. His hair was also combed back and covered in gel, so much so that he there was sunlight bouncing off of it. He was wearing the same clothes as before, a pair of jeans, a white shirt, and a brown jacket. “Huh, didn't see that coming,” said Thomas to himself. To his surprise, he sounded younger too. “Well, from what Sunset and I realized,” said Twilight as she explained, “The portal does kind of make those who go through it older or younger. For example, when I came here, I ended up being my friend Sunset’s age, but in Equestria, she’s a few years older than me.” “Huh,” muttered Thomas as he looked between the portal and the school, “It’s like the portal somehow knows where it is and adjusts its users accordingly.” Twilight nodded and said “That’s what I also thought too. But then again it’s because of Equestrian Magic, that it continues to grow and evolve. It’s always unpredictable.” “After what I’ve seen in the past few weeks, I can believe it.” Said Thomas, “So, where do we go next?” “Well, from what Sunset told me before I got here,” said Twilight, “She and her friends are currently at the Sweet Shoppe, Equestria’s version of Sugarcube Corner.” “Anything I should know about them?” asked Thomas. “It’s a bit of a long story.” Said Twilight, “Why don’t we walk and I’ll explain everything.” “Sounds like a plan.” Said Thomas, until they suddenly heard a grunt. When they turned around, they saw it was none other than Spike that was with them. “Spike?” said Twilight surprised, “What are you doing here?” “Wanted to visit too.” Said Spike, “I mean, I always wanted to talk to my counterpart more often.” Thomas took a look, and to his surprise, Spike really did become a dog. Within a split second, Thomas laughed again whilst holding his gut. Spike suddenly remembered what they talked about since they first met, causing him to blush in embarrassment and grumble. Twilight rolled her eyes, but realized that Spike had it coming, considering that he just jumped through the portal without permission. ************************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the two of them, ahem, three of them, walked down the street with Twilight explaining everything. “So let me see if I have this right,” said Thomas, “Sunset Shimmer was once the student of Princess Celestia and wanted to be a Princess too, but she got impatient and ended up rebelling against her teacher, then ran away to this world and went to that school we passed, and she drove everyone apart just so that she could be in power. But when you came along, you united five girls, who look like your friends back home, revealed the truth to them, and when Sunset took your crown, she turned into a monster and you lot stopped her. And after the magic purged the darkness from her, she ended up being a normal person and regretted of what she did, and she chose to stay behind to make up for her mistakes?” “That’s right.” Said Spike, “And after that, the Dazzlings shortly came along and tried to take over the school, but Twilight and I came back and with the girls, even with Sunset’s help, we were able to beat them, with Sunset finally being able to redeem herself.” “And last we heard from what Sunset told us,” said Twilight, “She helped my counterpart when she was corrupted with Equestrian Magic. Afterwards they went to Camp Everfree. They helped saved a friend and that place from being sold, and have gained new abilities too.” “And they encountered a ton of things,” said Thomas, “And from what you told me, Sunset kept getting herself in trouble because of her temper and impatience.” “That’s pretty much it.” Said Spike. Thomas however, pondered over why Sunset acted like this. However, after hearing all that from Twilight and Spike, he was able to make out why she really acted this way. “Oh, we’re here.” Said Twilight, making Thomas notice the shop. The moment they walked in, Thomas noticed the group and immediately recognized them. Twilight was right, despite them looking human, their likeness is truly uncanny. “Whoa,” said Thomas as he couldn’t believe his eyes, “The resemblance is quite uncanny. The facial features are somewhat different, and minus the pony ears, tails, and wings and horns to some, they almost look completely identical.” “I know what you mean,” said Twilight before she giggled, “I felt the same way when I first met them. Though I didn’t spend enough time with my counterpart, I could tell she’s really smart. As well as one thing.” “Oh?” said Twilight whilst looking at him curiously. “You both don’t know when not to poke your nose into other people’s business.” Said Thomas with a mischievous smirk. “Hey!!” said Twilight, as if she was feeling offended. “No, he’s got you there, Twilight.” Said Spike. “Nightmare Moon, Pinkie Pie, the Friendship problem, so on and so forth.” “Let’s just say hi to the others.” Said Twilight as she wanted to change the subject. They went over to the girls, with the human version of Pinkie Pie noticing Twilight. She gasped and said “Hey look, it’s Princess Twilight, and she brought a new friend!!” The girls looked at the door’s direction and saw Twilight coming in, with Thomas in tow. “Twilight.” Said Sunset as she walked over and hugged her, “It’s so good to see you again.” “Good to see you too.” Said Twilight. “So, who’s yer new friend here?” said the human version of Applejack. “Oh, this is Thomas Rohan.” Said Twilight, which confused some of them. “That’s an odd name.” said the human version of Rarity. “Well, that was my name from where I’m from.” Said Thomas. “Besides, like you’re ones to talk.” He pointed at Pinkie and said “For example, like Pinkie Pie. What, she’s pink that’s baked in a pie?” Everyone else was surprised, however, Pinkie laughed at that and said “Now that would be very funny.” “Or Shining Armor.” Said Thomas, “He’s not shiny, he’s not even wearing any armor.” Both Spikes stifled their laughter through snorting, for the way he says it was very funny, with Spike saying “You know, he does have a point.” “Or like Spitfire,” said Thomas, which surprises Rainbow, “What, she spits out fire every time whenever she talks?” Everyone else was baffled by what he said, with Thomas saying “Trust me, if you were where I’m from, they’d say the same thing.” “Where you’re from?” said a confused Rainbow. “Thomas is from another human realm.” Said Twilight, which caused the girls to gasp. “You’re from another world?!” exclaimed the human version of Twilight, or as her friends would sometimes call her, Sci-Twi, as she zipped over and was nearly right in front of his face. “Uh, yeah?” said Thomas as he tried to regain his composure, ‘I’m surprised Twilight wasn’t like this when I first met her.’ Said Thomas from within his own thoughts. “This, is, amazing!!” said Twilight in excitement, “What’s the difference between our world?! How did you get to this one?! Are there similarities between our worlds?! Are there…?!” “Whoa, calm down, Twilight.” Said Sci-Twi’s dog, which was none other than this world’s version of Spike. “You’re doing it again.” Sci-Twi stopped and blushed before giggling nervously, “Oh, right, my bad.” “Eh, it’s cool.” Said Thomas, “You were just excited is all.” “Did you arrive in this world?” asked Sunset. “Not really,” said Twilight, “He arrived in Equestria about half a month ago.” “He did?” said Sunset surprised, “How did he get here?” “I drowned in a whirlpool.” Said Thomas, much to the others’ shock. After he took his seat, Thomas told them his full version of how he got to Equestria, how Twilight took him in, and how he slowly became Twilight’s friends. “And that’s how I got here.” “Oh, you poor dear.” Said Rarity in concern. “Ah can’t believe yer parents were like that.” Said Applejack. “I…know how that feels.” Said Sci-Twi, thinking about her time with Abacus Cinch. “But still,” said Rainbow, “Look at the bright side, at least you have a new home and friends that care about you. Heck, from what I’m seeing, Princess Twilight’s already accepted you without a second thought.” “Even though when she nearly wanted to beat me to a pulp when I blurted out that horses can’t talk?” The girls were silent by this and looked at Twilight, who blushed and smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Uh, yeah, that too.” Said Rainbow. “You know,” said Thomas, “You girls remind me a lot of your counterparts.” “We do?” said Fluttershy. “Oh yeah, in fact, I brought pictures.” Said Thomas, which surprised Twilight. “You brought pictures?” “Yeah,” said Thomas, “When I heard that you were going to another world, and you mentioned them, I asked your friends if I could take pictures. To show the Rainbooms what they looked like as Ponies, whilst I show your friends what they’d look like as humans. You didn’t think about that?” Twilight was baffled and didn’t know how to respond to it, with Spike also being dumbfounded by it. Thomas took out a few pictures he was able to get, thanks to Pinkie Pie from Ponyville. “We’ll start with you.” Said Thomas as he handed Fluttershy a picture. She took a good look and to her surprise, she saw what she looks like as an anthro pony, especially her wings. “Oh my,” muttered Fluttershy, “I’m a Pegasus in that world?” “That you are.” Said Thomas, “Though the difference between the two of you, she lives near the edge of the forest in her cottage outside of Ponyville. From there she looks after all sorts of animals. Heck, she even tamed a Manticore by being nice and stood up to a dragon.” The girls’ jaws dropped from hearing that, even Fluttershy was surprised by this. “And then there’s her.” Said Thomas as he presented Pinkie with her photo. They took a good look at her counterpart, and saw that she was an Earth Pony… “Is it just me, or does her boobs look a little bigger?” asked Rainbow. “Rainbow!!” exclaimed Rarity. “What, I’m just asking!!” defended Rainbow. “Pinkie’s counterpart is also like her.” Said Thomas, “She lives with the Cake family and works at their bakery. She’s also a number one-party planner in the town, knows everybody there too. Well, besides Cheese Sandwich that is.” “Who?” said the Rainbooms confusingly. “The male version of Pinkie Pie.” Said Thomas. They were suddenly silent, with Thomas saying in a deadpanned tone, “Okay, that sounds so wrong to say that out loud.” After everyone nodded in agreement, Thomas moved on to the next one, one of Applejack. She looked at the photo and was surprised to see what she looked like. “Like Pinkie, your counterpart is an Earth Pony.” Said Thomas, “But her family history is different. Back when her grandmother was a teenager, she and her family helped found Ponyville. Afterwards, the town grew and many family members founded more farms along the way. Your counterpart helps farm the apple orchid. Heck, she’s so strong, I once saw her knock down a forty-foot tree with her own hooves, as well as a three-ton rock.” Applejack whistled impressed, for her counterpart sure must be something. Thomas then brought out a photo of Rarity. Although, she was surprised to see that she has a horn on her forehead. “In this world, your counterpart is a Unicorn,” said Thomas to Rarity, “She uses magic like Princess Twilight, but she also has her own boutique, as well as a place to live above it in Ponyville. Then a while later, she opened her shop in Canterlot, which is Equestria’s capitol and also city for the high class. Though she had hit a few snags every now and then, she was able to open it with success. Though last we heard, she’ll soon be planning to go to Manehattan to see if there is a potential shop to open there.” “So, I….er, she will own three shops?!” exclaimed Rarity when she became excited, then said in a singsong tone, “a-mazing!!” Thomas couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ‘Definitely Rarity’s counterpart.’ “So, where do I fit in?” said Rainbow in excitement as she was excited. Suddenly, Thomas couldn’t help but smirk and showed Rainbow a picture, but to her shock, she saw herself wearing a dress. “Wait,” said Rainbow, “I’m a Nambi, pamby, Princess?!!” “Why yes,” said Beau, “The fairest of them all.” Twilight looked at him confused, but then saw a smirk he was hiding from underneath his lips, causing her to stifle hear laughter. “And the surprising part.” Said Thomas, before he leaned in and whispered “You’re also married to Zephyr Breeze.” Rainbow widened her eyes in shock, then rapidly twitched, and ended up raising her fists in the air. “Nooooooooo!!!!!” exclaimed Rainbow as she didn’t want to believe that. She suddenly heard a snicker, which then blew off into full blown laughter. When she looked, she saw that it came from Thomas and Twilight, who were laughing their butts off over her reaction. Even the rest of the Rainbooms were confused by this. “Oh man, you should’ve seen the look on your face.” Said Thomas as he kept on laughing, soon the others caught on and laughed along too. Rainbow on the other hand. “Oh, ha, ha.” Muttered Rainbow whilst crossing her arms, “Very funny.” “Oh, come on, lighten up Rainbow,” said Spike, “After all the pranks you pulled on your friends, you know it was bound to bounce back at you like that sooner or later, right?” Rainbow them grumbled and mumbled, “Yeah, I guess.” “Anyway,” said Thomas, “This is the real photo.” He showed her a photo of herself flying, which was no doubt taken by Rainbow herself, showing how fast she was flying. “Like Fluttershy, you’re a Pegasus.” Said Thomas, “Your counterpart is one of the fastest flyers in all of Equestria, faster than any Pegasus alive in fact. She’s also the Captain of Ponyville’s weather, managing the weather like rain, snow, wind, and so on. She also dreams of being a member of the Wonderbolts, home to Equestria’s greatest flyers. She first joined as a cadet, and thanks to her friends helping her, she was able to help study for a test, now she’s a reserved member, meaning she’s one step closer to becoming a full-time member.” Rainbow sighs in relief, saying “That’s a relief, I thought my counterpart was going to be lame.” “Well, there’s something you do have in common,” said Thomas, “You both have egos the size of a city.” “Hey!!” exclaimed Rainbow. “No, it’s true.” Said Twilight, “Whenever things happen, she tend to go overboard, take things too far and sometimes she bragged about being the best constantly. Not to mention there was a time she didn’t want to read Daring Do because she thought books were for eggheads.” “Really?!” exclaimed Rainbow in shock, with the others just as surprised. “And I assume you lot had the same experience?” said Thomas with a smirk. Suddenly, the Rainbooms thought out loud one by one. “Well, there was the battle of the bands.” Thought Applejack. “Then in the movie studio.” Thought Rarity. “Then with Juniper.” Thought Applejack. “Then at Spring Break.” Said Pinkie Pie, who then glared at her and said “And ended up getting me banned from the buffet too.” “Okay, I get it, I have a big ego!!” exclaimed Rainbow, who then groaned and mumbled, “Why can’t I ever let things go or down?” “Eh, pride tends to do that.” Said Beau, “Trust me, saw it plenty of times growing up on my world over the years. The only thing we can do is swallow that pride and do what’s right for the good of others.” Beau leaned back and said “And to quote a character from my world, ‘It gets tolerable’, meaning you’d get used to it overtime.” “You think so?” asked Rainbow. “Got used to you, didn’t we?” said Beau with a teasing smirk. This caused Rainbow and the others to laugh a bit. He looked at Sci-Twi and said “Plus I don’t think there’s any need to explain for you, considering I know how much you and Princess Twilight have in common. You both study hard, you work hard, you’re a genius…” Both of them smiled with pride… “And you both don’t know when to stop poking your nose into other people’s business.” Both of them blinked in shock about that, causing both Spikes to laugh out loud hysterically. “Oh, he’s so got you there, Twilight!!” exclaimed Dog Spike between laughs. “That’s so true!!” exclaimed Dragon Spike before the two of them stopped. “Excuse me?!” said Princess Twilight. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” said Sci-Twi. Both Spikes then deadpanned as they couldn’t believe that they had forgotten so easily. “Nightmare Moon? Pinkie’s Pinkie senses? The Friendship Report? The Crystal Empire? Moondancer?” said Dragon Spike. “The stuff that happened at CHS before the Friendship Games?” said Dog Spike. Both of them blinked, then giggled sheepishly. “Okay, good point.” “Ditto.” “But the rest of you also have similarities, but also differences too.” Said Thomas. The girls looked at one another, then to him as they said “We do?” “That’s right.” Said Thomas. “For starters…” “Pinkie Pie and her pony counterpart love to arrange and plan parties, making cakes and can do the impossible. Only difference is, Pinkie works at a local diner temporarily whilst her pony counterpart works at Sugarcube Corner, a shop that makes cakes. And she’s really good at her job too. In fact, from what Twilight told me, she also has a secret party planning cave for everyone in town and likes to throw parties, whether birthdays, anniversaries and so on.” “Oooh, she sounds fun.” Said Pinkie and said “I wonder if she and I will exchange notes for a party planning cave?” “Then there’s Applejack and her counterpart. Both of them are honest and work at the farms and are strong. Differences, Applejack’s pony counterpart works at a farm with nearly over 200 trees and has raw strength, whilst she on the other hand works at a farm with only about more than fifty trees and she uses her geode for that kind of power.” “That’s true.” Said Applejack, until… “And twice as stubborn when you didn’t want to help Sunset to redeem herself, or that you automatically thought she was Anon a miss without realizing that she was also being framed or being a victim.” Everyone was startled by what he said, but none was more startled than Applejack. “Wha…how did ya…?” “Observation, detail, as well as from what Twilight told me.” Said Thomas. The girls felt uncomfortable, wondering what else he knew about. But before they could ponder any further… “For both Rainbow and her counterpart, both of them are loyal, and have a habit of being overboard, and are fast with a large amount of stamina,” said Thomas, “The differences between them. Pony Rainbow manages the weather and can fly and aims for the Wonderbolts.” “Wait, Wonderbolts?” said Rainbow surprised, “As in the greatest fly team in history?” “They got it in this one too?” “They sure do.” Said Rainbow. “Though I don’t know if I should do that, or become a professional soccer player.” “Huh,” muttered Thomas as he could see that, but then continued afterwards. “Anyway, you on the other hand are Captain of every sports team in CHS, works at a sports store and you use your geode to go fast. Another different factor, she has pure speed, whereas you use your geode to make you go fast. Though temporary if I had to guess, considering you would probably use too much energy.” “He does have a point.” Said Sci-Twi, with Twilight nodding in agreement. “Rarity and her pony counterpart have the same similarities,” said Thomas, “Both of them are generous, and have great taste in fashion and notices everything in detail. Differences from them. Pony Rarity owns two, and soon three different boutiques and is her own business woman. Whilst this Rarity on the other hand works part time at the boutique and can be a way bigger drama queen and also a bit selfish and obsessive.” “I beg your pardon?!” exclaimed Rarity, feeling insulted at the same time. “Need we remind of you of that incident at the Battle of the Bands and Equestria land?” said Applejack. Rarity winced at that, not wanting to remember those two events. “Fluttershy and her pony counterpart’s similarities are that they love and take care of animals. And wants to help them and are uncommonly kind to many around them and have a pet rabbit.” Said Thomas, “The difference between them, is that Fluttershy’s pony counterpart understands animals and lives in a cottage outside of Ponyville and near the forest because she’s not comfortable being around others, and not to mention has a ton of freaky sowing knowledge. Whilst this Fluttershy works part time at an animal shelter and uses her geode to understand the animals and is a whizz at math.” Fluttershy giggled and said “That’s true, and it was really amusing when Trixie asked one of my bird friends to be her tutor when she thought I was cheating.” Rainbow snickered at that, for she did have a point. “So, you see, you lot do have so much in common, you just haven’t realized it yet.” Said Thomas, then he looked at Sunset. “Then there’s you.” “Uh, yes?” said a confused Sunset. “Miss getting angry and losing her cool.” Said Thomas. “Meaning?” said Sunset as if she felt she was being insulted. “I know the source of your anger.” Said Thomas, which surprised everyone in the room. “I’m sorry, the source of her anger?” asked Rarity. “That’s right.” Said Thomas, “It’s like this…” He began to explain everything. “Sunset’s anger stems from desires of her not being able to become a Princess and that it would never come true, and whenever she tries something, she always takes shortcuts, and because of that she became so unfocused, she always gets angry.” Some of them, even Princess Twilight and Spike were a little surprised to hear that. “Until her friends came into the picture.” Said Thomas, which surprised the others. “She went to take advise from councilors and other adults, wanting, to be the best and supportive friend she could ever be. So, she sometimes channel that anger and puts it into protective instincts. Every outburst whenever something happens, is her wanting to protect her friends.” Thomas then concluded, “In fact, she loves them so much that the thought of anything bad happening to them, no matter who’s responsible, infuriates her.” Everyone was shocked and surprised to hear this, but not as shocked and surprised Sunset were at the same time. “Wow,” said Pinkie, “You’re really good.” Sunset cleared her throat, for she was deep down surprised that someone had revealed why she was like this, even she herself was surprised. “Guess that’s why you and Twilight seem to have much in common too.” Said Sunset. “Oh, there’s a big difference between me and her.” Said Thomas. “What’s that?” asked Spike. “She’s twice as adorkable whenever she studies.” Said Thomas before he instantly slapped his mouth shut again in shock. Everyone stares at Thomas surprised, with Twilight blushing madly at this again and looked away. Thomas then groaned and slammed his head onto the table, for he couldn’t believe he said it again. It’s twice that he made that mistake again. Twice. The Rainbooms noticed something, with Sunset whispering, “It’s clear those two like each other, don’t they?” “Oh yeah.” Said the Rainbooms, even the two Spikes. ********************************************************************************************* Two weeks later, after their visit with Sunset and the Rainbooms, things have gone pretty smoothly for Thomas as he was enjoying his stay in Equestria. And during that time, his relationship with Twilight had nothing been but the greatest. The two of them were pretty much inseparable due to all the time they spent together in the library and going over the many books as well as the trip over the town. And during that time, Ponyville warmed up to him as they could see he really wasn’t that bad after all. Since it was a nice day, Twilight decided to take Thomas on a picnic out near the lake. The same lake where the two of them first met a month ago. During that time, the two of them were talking, laughing, and admiring the scenery. So much, that Twilight decided to lean against him. Thomas on the other hand, found himself growing attached to Twilight. Not just because she’s cute, but because she’s also smart and values her friends. If that’s not a true Princess, he doesn’t know what is. Thomas then had something on his mind and said “Hey, Twilight.” “Hmm?” muttered Twilight as she looked at him with her purple eyes, one that he enjoyed to look at, “What is it?” “Call me crazy, but didn’t you say there was a time you told me that you developed a crush on that other Stallion back at the Crystal Empire,” said Thomas, “Uh, Flash Sentry, was it?” This of course made her blush, but shook it off as she spoke. “Well…yes, that’s true,” began Twilight, “But…I didn’t really know him that well. He was a bit nice to look at, but we just didn’t’…click, if you know what I mean. Why do you ask?” “Just curious,” shrugged Thomas, “I mean, I didn’t want to sound rude or anything, but I’m surprised that a beautiful lady such as yourself had found her prince charming, yet.” Though Twilight was a little embarrassed, she couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. “That’s true,” she responded, “But the truth is, it doesn’t matter if I find a prince charming. If I ever find somepony, I want it to be with somepony who’s honest, sweet, likes to read and is able to accept me for who I am and not just because I’m the Princess of Friendship.” “Does it still sometimes bother you?” asked Thomas. “A little bit.” Said Twilight whilst she looked down in thought. “I’ve got an eternity to find somepony. I’m sure you already know this by now, but Alicorns given the abilities of immortality, as well as keep our youth.” Thomas thought about it, but then he asked something out of the ordinary. “Did you ask for it?” “What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “You were made a Princess and you became immortal.” Said Thomas, “But that would mean that you’d end up outliving your family and friends, even watching loved ones come and go. And ask yourself the biggest questions. Will you end up giving up the immortal part so that you could live a normal life just so that you could stay with your friends?” Twilight was surprised by this, for she didn’t give much thought to it. She looked away and looked at the lake ahead. “I’m not going to lie, I will miss my family and friends when I grow older,” said Twilight as she had somewhat a saddened look. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Princess Celestia; anypony that I choose to have as my mate will also obtain the immortality and possibly eternal youth just like me. But only if our feelings for each other are purely out of love.” Thomas looked away for a bit, for it gave him a whole new reason and respect for Twilight. And maybe…even love too. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. Or rather an ironic one, which he couldn’t help but smile. “Hey, Twilight.” Said Thomas, “It’s a perfect day for a swim, don’t you think?” Twilight thought about it for a moment, but Thomas noticed that she was blushing. “What?” asked Thomas. “Sorry. It’s just…” said Twilight in an embarrassed tone, “I usually wear swimwear that don’t involve…well, bikinis. I never thought about going swimming because I sometimes feel insecure about that. And it’s been a while since I last swam.” She looked at him bashfully and said “If I…get my bathing suit. Promise you won’t laugh?” “Why would I laugh at that?” said Thomas with a smile, “And I’m sure that you’ll look alright in it.” Twilight looked at him, and because of his smile, she felt encouraged and regained her confidence and she smiled back. “Alright then,” said Twilight as she stood up, “I’ll even get your swim trunks whilst I’m at it. Wait right here.” Within a split second, she used her magic to teleport back to the castle. As she left, he decided to wait for her. But during that time, he began to think about her, and it made him blush too. Could he be…developing feelings for her? If so, how will he tell her? Then another thought came to him; how hard it’s going to be to have her parents acknowledge that their daughter was going to be dating a human. Then he realized that he didn’t meet her parents yet. Though what he could tell, Twilight’s mother is a successful author, same with Night Light in his own way of things. And he remembered that she told him that her brother was once part of Canterlot’s guard before he moved to the Crystal Empire with his wife Cadance. His thoughts were interrupted when Twilight came back. However, he noticed that she was blushing. And for good reason. He noticed that she was wearing a two-piece bikini with pink stars that matched her Cutie Mark. After Twilight gave him Thomas his Swim Trucks, she politely turned around and waited for him to get changed. Once he was able to get changed, he saw how beautiful Twilight looked in her bikini. But as he stared at her, he suddenly squinted his eyes and smirked. “Are you…?” asked Twilight before she yelped when she felt something, or in this case someone, lifting her up as he held her bridal style. “What are you…?!!” exclaimed Twilight before she and Thomas ended up being in the lake with a big splash. Afterwards, the two of them got up and were shivering slightly. It was cold, but they would soon get used to it. Thomas laughed a bit whilst he shivered. “G-g-gotcha!!” said Thomas whilst he was shivering. Twilight pouted for a bit before she smirked and splashed the water back in his face. “Y-you jerk!!” stuttered Twilight as she tried to adjust to the temperature. Before she knew it, she ended up laughing after finding that humor, which caused Thomas to laugh with her too. Soon enough, the two of them began to have a little fun whilst in the water. After their fun, Thomas suddenly stood a bit closer and held her cheek. “I just can’t get over how adorable you look in that bikini, Twi.” Said Thomas whilst he stroked her cheek. Interesting enough though, she didn’t blush this time. Instead, she smiled and nuzzled into his hand as if she was a cute little kitten. Thomas didn’t know how to respond to that as she continued to rub against the palm of his hand. However, as she did so, the action gave him an urge to do the same. Gently reaching for her hand, Thomas brought it up to her cheek and held it there. He admired the feeling of her soft fur against his skin. When all of a sudden, she ended up dunking his head in the water, causing her to laugh, within mere moments, the two of them had fun throughout the day. After so much fun, Twilight ended up doing something unexpected. “Gotcha!” she said whilst she was hugging him and nuzzling his cheek, which made him blush. “This is what I call payback for all the times you embarrassed me.” Said Twilight as she looked at him in the eyes. She then pecks him on the cheek and said with a smile, “That’s for making my day less stressful and more entertaining.” Twilight wrapped her arms around Thomas, to which he returned it slowly, for he was surprised that she did that. Though it felt good, he wondered why he did that. He decided to wait until they were back at the castle before they could say anything else. ********************************************************************************************* After a long day, the two of them had reached the castle and went inside. From there on out, they went to Twilight’s bedroom and sat close to one another at the edge of the bed. Though the kiss was still on Thomas’ mind, he then asked her. “Twilight,” began Thomas, “I gotta tell you something and I hope that you can be honest with me. Recently about a week ago, my feelings for you have been changing. Every time whenever we’re together, whether it’s to read, hang out with our friends, or have a picnic, it’s like I’m getting to know you a whole lot more.” He placed his hand on top of hers. “You value your friends, hard work, sometimes a little too hard, you’re kind and a giving pony and above all else, you’re one of the most beautiful alicorns I’ve ever met.” Tears began to appear in the corner of her beautiful eyes, although Thomas was worried that he was a bit too hasty. “D-Do…you really mean that?” asked Twilight. Thomas nodded with a relieved smile. “Yes, Twilight.” Said Thomas whilst not taking his eyes off of her, “You seem to understand the world a whole lot more than anyone I met back on my world. You’re very special to me.” Twilight couldn’t help but tear up with happiness in her heart, causing her to throw her arms around him with a sudden hug, with her burying her face into his neck. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t become fond of you this past month. It’s very rare that I found somepony who loves reading just as much as I do. When you told me what you used to think of friendship, I knew there yet another thing we had in common. Though, I have to confess something about our little swim earlier...” Thomas knew exactly what it was she was referring to. “Yeah, I was curious about that too.” He asked, allowing the two of them to broke the hug and look at one another. “Why did you suddenly pull of that cute act and kiss me?” Twilight blushed by the question, which didn’t surprise Thomas, considering that she knew that he was going to ask that. “Well,” started Twilight, “Remember when you explained about how you never had a relationship with anyone back at your world, because of the girls who judged you wrongly?” Thomas nodded, knowing what she meant. “Well, I wanted to show you just how wrong they are. And how charming you really are…in my eyes.” Twilight held Thomas’ hand gently, and never broke eye contact with him. “D-Does that mean…?” asked Thomas. Twilight nodded her head and said “I’ve actually grown attached to you, possibly even…fallen in love with you.” She continued to smile, until she released his hand and placed them on his cheek, moving closer and gently…towards his lips. Even though it didn’t last long, Thomas savored the soft feeling of Twilight’s lips during his first kiss with her. Since she’s already come clean, Thomas believed it was time for him to do the same. “I’m going to be completely honest with you, Twilight.” Said Thomas as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders, “I’ve actually fallen in love with you too. And if you let me, I want to prove to you that I will never betray you.” Twilight smiled and nodded, before the two of them leaned in and connected their lips again. This time, it lasted a little longer. He could feel her wrap her arms around his neck again. Her wings slowly extended outwards and flapped gracefully and happily the longer the two of them held in the kiss. Afterwards, they broke the kiss and stared into each other’s eyes. However, Twilight suddenly began nervous whilst blushing. “Could…” began Twilight whilst being nervous at the same time. “D-do you think you can…help me…take off my bikini, Beau?” “Beau?” replied Thomas in confusion, which caused Twilight to giggle. “That’s my new nickname for you. It does have a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say?” Thomas, now Beau, chuckled after considering it. “I suppose it does sound like a good nickname, now that I think about it.” Said Beau. Beau then slowly reached for her back when he decided to help her out of her bikini like she requested. He reached behind and grabbed the tie and loosened it up enough for it to be able to fall off of her. She blushed softly as her D-Cup breasts were now free. “H-how do I look?” asked Twilight whilst turning and used her right arm to cover her breasts whilst feeling nervous at the same time. “You look…beautiful.” Said Beau. “Well, don’t just stand there, take them off,” said Twilight whilst gesturing to Beau’s swim trunks. By this point, it was obvious where this situation was going, so Beau obeyed Twilight and reached down to the hem of his trunks and pulled them down, showing off your shaft. Twilight blushed and took note of the shape. “Beau... I-is that what... a human’s shaft looks like?” Twilight asked, reaching out to grab it. “Y-Yeah, it is,” replied Beau, whilst feeling embarrassed too at the same time. Which is understandable, considering that it’s his first time being bare in front of a girl. “I’ve... never seen a human phallus before. Th-There’s no ring around the midsection, or flat surface on the tip. It’s so big and...” Twilight paused and felt Beau’s shaft in the palm of her hands. “...hard.” “T-Thanks, Twilight,” replied Beau awkwardly, shuddering to the touch from her soft hands. Without even thinking, Twilight began to stroke your length, admiring it as she did so. “Does it feel good, Beau?” she asked. “Y-Yes... without a doubt,” shivered Beau. Twilight stroked Beau’s shaft a little faster and gave his balls some attention as well. Beau’s body twitched a little from how well she was tendering to his manhood and it made him wonder if she’s done this before. With Beau’s curiosity growing, you finally decided to ask. “H-Hey... have you ever done this before Twi?” asked Beau. “Well, sort of... there’s this book I’ve read just recently. It’s called “How To Please Your Stallion In Bed. I was a little too embarrassed to try it out, so I never really practiced up until now.” “I didn’t even know you had books like that,” admitted Beau. “You’d be surprised with what you can find in my library,” giggled Twilight before returning her attention back to Beau’s erection. What she did next blew Beau’s mind away. She opened up her mouth and took in his length. ********************************************************************************************* Within a short while, both of them were making out passionately, and both of them were naked at the same time. The two of them broke the kiss as Twilight confessed something. “Despite all that I’ve read about…you know…sex. I’ve…never done it before.” “I had a feeling you’d say that,” said Beau as he stroked the top of her mane, “And you’re not the only one who’s a virgin. And if you want, you can take the lead and be on top.” “That…might help.” Replied Twilight bashfully. Getting into position, Twilight moved so that she was standing over Beau with her marehood level with his shaft. She bit her lip as she slowly lowered herself, allowing Beau’s manhood to ease into her walls. This continued ever so slowly, until he came to... her hymen. “R-Remember what I said before, I-if you have sex with an alicorn... you will gain immortality,” she reminded as Beau’s penis poked her barrier. “Are... Are you sure you want to proceed?” “Twilight, I love you more than anything in the world. I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t sure about it. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what,” promised Beau, giving her a nod. In fact, the thought of being able to spend eternity with the love of your life brought Beau joy unlike any other. “I-I... I love you too Beau...” she said as more tears appeared. With no more doubts, she sank all the way down on Beau’s member, allowing it to break her hymen. Twilight shut her eyes from the sharp pain and threw her head back, unable to suppress the moan that followed. “S-Sweet Celestia... w-we got it in...” she muttered, managing to crack a small smile despite the pain. Watching blood come out of her marehood, Beau held both of her hands to show her she has his full support. Twilight took the time to get used to this new feeling. Once the pain had subsided, Twilight began moving her hips up and down while keep her hands on Beau’s bare chest. She moaned blissfully, her breathing was steady and Beau was groaning from her tight entrance. While her insides did feel soft and warm, they kept quite a grip on his shaft. “Oh jeez, you’re so tight!” groaned Beau. “I... I can’t help it... this is my first time... and it feels so good!” she screamed. She then gave a rather rough slam on Beau’s member in a desperate attempt to loosen her marehood for him. “Mm mph! Easy Twilight, you’re not the only one who’s just lost his virginity!” grunted Beau. She giggled and started grinding her hips on his. Twilight’s moaning grew more erotic and her wings flapped beautifully. Her horn also began to glow slightly. “Mmm, I’m sorry, Beau... but, you’re just so... big and... hard,” Twilight said in a sultry growl. “I feel like I could ride you for centuries.” At the same time, right outside, Spike and Starlight were walking down the hall whilst having a conversation. “And that…” concluded Spike, “Is why you should never have chocolate, before going to sleep.” “Uh, that doesn’t make sense.” Said Starlight in confusion. “Makes sense to…” They then suddenly heart moaning and grunting, which confused the two. They looked around, not knowing what else to expect. The two of them wondering what was going on. “What was that?” said Starlight. “It sounds like it’s coming from Twilight’s room.” Said Spike. The two of them moved towards the room as they leaned against the door and heard them. “Wonder what…?” said Spike, until they heard their answer. “Oh, Sweet Celestia this feels good!!” moaned Beau loudly. “Relax and let your princess give you some sugar.” Said Twilight. The two of them were shocked by what they were hearing. “Wait…” said Spike as he looked at Starlight in shock, “You don’t think…” “Uh, yeah they are.” Said Starlight. The two of them immediately blushed hard and moved away from the door. Soon the two of them were far enough to not hear the noise as they kept the blush on their faces. “We must never speak of this again.” Said Starlight. “Agreed.” Said Spike, causing the two of them to quickly move as far away as they could. ********************************************************************************************* After a long intercourse, both Beau and Twilight were completely exhausted from their fun time. The two of them were under the blanket as they held onto one another. “Sweet…Celestia…that was intense.” Said Beau between breaths. “It’s been a while since…I felt so good.” Said Twilight as she was just as exhausted. Whilst she calmed down, Twilight nuzzled Beau’s chest, cuddling him as if you were a stuffed animal. “I can’t…believe that I…mated and…fell in love…with the most beautiful Alicorn Princess.” Said Beau between pants. “And this Alicorn Princess is very happy.” Said Twilight softly as she kissed Beau’s cheek. The two of them laid there in silence, until a thought popped in Beau’s head. “Hey, Twilight?” asked Beau? “Hmm?” asked Twilight. “Is it possible that you might end up pregnant from someone of a different species?” asked Beau. Twilight looked at her hand as she considered the question. After some thought, she said “Well, you’re the first human to set foot in this world, so only time will tell.” Twilight slowly placed her hand on her belly. “You released quite a bit of sperm into my womb. Frankly I have no doubt that you would make a wonderful father, after all…” said Twilight before she started to coo whilst saying “You’re already proven to me that you’re a wonderful lover.” Beau couldn’t help but blush and said “Thanks Twilight. I love you, so much.” “I love you too, Beau.” Replied Twilight before she rested her head against his chest. Feeling him softly brush her hair and ears only encouraged her to go to sleep. Beau soon felt his body feeling tired too and soon fell asleep, whilst snuggling with the Princess that he held dearly. And who knows, if she does end up pregnant, then Beau will devote all his time and energy into caring for their child. Chapter 4: Meet the SparklesLater, the next morning, the sun began to rise as the light begins to shine on Ponyville. From a room of a certain Princess, the sun shined through it, revealing both Beau and Twilight, both of them asleep in the same bed…without any clothes on. Ever since Twilight confessed to Beau, he felt the same way about her. Afterwards, the two of them had a very crazy experience, something that neither of them had ever done before. Before long, Beau stirred awake when the sun was shining on his face. He then looked down and saw a certain Princess resting her head on his chest. He couldn’t help but smile and ended up scratching behind her ear, making her hum like a kitten, which caused him to chuckle a bit as he realized that she sounded very cute. He couldn’t help but kiss her forehead, making her smile and slowly open her eyes. She looked up and saw Beau, looking down on her whilst smiling. “Morning Beau.” Said Twilight. Beau kept his smile and said “Morning to you too, Twilight.” The scootched over until the two of them were face to face, rubbing the side of her face against his, whilst at the same time, Beau couldn’t help but slowly grasp onto her right breast, making her moan in delight. “You tease.” Said Twilight as she looked at him. “Can I help it when you’re adorkable?” asked Beau, which made Twilight blush whilst she kept her smile. “So…our first night just happened.” “That’s right.” Said Twilight before she giggled. “Now there’s another thing that needs to be addressed.” Said Beau. “Like what?” asked Twilight. “Like how are we going to tell our friends about us?” said Beau, “Especially your parents.” Twilight suddenly shot up and held her face and shouted “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about that!! I may have told my parents about me meeting somepony, but I wasn’t specific on who it was!!” Beau suddenly grabbed Twilight’s cheeks and made him look at her. “Twilight, calm down.” Said Beau. “I’m sure we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, let’s take it one step at a time. Besides, I’m not going anywhere. Okay?” Beau planted a quick kiss to Twilight, making her slightly moan from his touch. He slowly departed from the kiss before she smiled. “You’re right,” said Twilight, “We’ll take it one step at a time.” “Good,” said Beau, “Now then first thing’s first, let’s arrange Spike and Starlight to make breakfast, so that way, we can invite our friends over and we can tell them the truth.” Twilight was a little puzzled at first, with Beau saying “You told me they always come every week for breakfast in the castle, correct?” “That’s right.” Said Twilight, “And Pinkie’s the one who always makes the pancakes.” “Really?” said Beau, then wondered, “So that’s why the breakfast I had a week ago tasted fluffier than usual.” Twilight giggled at that, with her soon standing out of bed and walked over to her closet and was able to pick out her clothes. “Well, I might as well get to my room.” Said Beau, until he blinked and said “But wait…what if…” When all of a sudden, his clothes suddenly appeared, surprising Beau and realized this was the exact clothing he was going to wear on that specific day. He looked at Twilight surprised, with the latter smiling. “I noticed you arranged how you would place your clothes and laundry.” Said Twilight, “Glad I’m not the only one who organizes my own clothing. And Spike says that it was a waste of time.” “I know, right.” Said Beau as he put his clothes on too, “People would think we were crazy, but the reason I do this, is because I didn’t want to wear the same thing, otherwise it would make me…” “A total slob.” Said both of them at the same time, causing the two of them to smile. Once they got fully dressed, the two of them stood close to one another and hugged one another. “Now then, we’d better get going.” Said Twilight once they broke the hug. “We don’t wanna be late for our breakfast.” “My thoughts exactly.” Said Beau, before the two of them exited the room. ************************************************************************************************ Later today, breakfast was being served, thanks to a certain pink friend of theirs, and everyone was enjoying the breakfast that Pinkie made. “Thanks again for the breakfast Pinkie Pie.” Said Twilight before she ate one. Beau ate his pancake, but then noticed something was very off. He looked around and could see the looks on their faces. Rarity had somewhat an uncomfortable look on her face whilst sipping her tea, Fluttershy was hiding behind her hair as she looked embarrassed, Spike and Starlight had the same reactions, Pinkie giggled uncontrollably, whilst Rainbow looked like she wanted to laugh and Applejack had smirks on their faces whilst looking at…him and Twilight? “Uh, Twilight.” Whispered Beau, “I don’t know why, but our friends are staring at us for some reason.” Twilight stopped eating her breakfast and saw the reactions on their faces, with the latter looking very confused and asked, “What?” Rainbow struggled to keep it in, with Applejack asking, “So…how was yer night last night?” Twilight suddenly spat out her food in shock, with Beau choking a bit before spitting a bit of pancake out. The two of them looked at the others in shock, with Rainbow finally losing it as she laughed. “Wha…how did you know that?!” exclaimed Twilight as she blushed in embarrassment, with Beau doing the same. “Uh…” said Spike as he and Starlight raised their hands, and looking sheepish. “Whoops.” “Spike!!” said Twilight as she was now greatly embarrassed. “We’re sorry!!” said Starlight, “It’s just, it was early, Spike and I were busy talking and we heard the both of you going on in there!!” Now both of them groaned in embarrassment, with Beau burying his face, whilst Twilight buried her face in pancakes. Suddenly Beau looked at Spike sternly and said “Be glad you’re still not a dog now.” “Oh, great, what,” said Spike, “You’d have to take me for a walk.” “No,” said Beau with a glare, “I’d take you to a vet and get you neutered.” Spike yelped and covered his privates with his hands in shock. But then Beau sighed and leaned backwards. “But, seeing that you lot know…yeah, we did.” Suddenly, Fluttershy asked out of the blue, “So…how was it?” Everyone looked at her shocked by what she said, that Fluttershy, the shyest pony in the group, had asked out in the open, of how it was. Suddenly, Twilight slowly giggled uncontrollably and said “It was amazing. Once he took charge, there was no stopping.” “This, coming from a Princess who pounced on me like a cougar and said she’d give me some sugar?” said Beau with a smirk. The girls were once again flabbergasted by this. “Although…there is one question though.” Asked Rarity. “How are we gonna explain it to Twilight’s family and Celestia?” Asked Beau. “Y-yes, exactly.” Said Rarity as she agreed. “That’s what we’re also worried about,” said Twilight as she leaned backwards, “I mentioned that I was seeing somepony, but I didn’t tell them exactly who it was. Plus, I’m not sure they would accept Beau, considering he’s…” “A human from another world who died back on his world and was brought here?” said Applejack. “Exactly.” Said Twilight. She then groaned and said “I just don’t know if they’ll ever accept him.” “Although…” said Rainbow, “I’d be more concerned about your brother than your parents.” Twilight looked at Rainbow with a flexed eyebrow and asked “Why?” “The uh…” said Rainbow as she tried to explain a certain topic. But then made wedding noises, causing Twilight and the others to blink in surprise, with Twilight dreading something. “Uh, what’s going on?” said Beau. “Long story.” Said everyone in the room. Twilight sighed and said “I guess I’ll have to……Introduce Beau to my parents. I just hope that they like him.” “Ah’m sure they will Twilight.” Said Applejack. Pinkie gasped and said “Oh no, I completely forgot!!” “What?!” said the others in the room. “Don’t you know Rarity!!” said Pinkie as she grabbed Rarity’s face, “We gotta take the train to Manehattan tomorrow!!” Suddenly Rarity gasped and said “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot!!” “Uh, what now?” said Rainbow. “Oh,” said Fluttershy as she reminded Rainbow, “Don’t you remember, Rainbow? Rarity and Pinkie have to take the train to Manehattan because Rarity wanted to explore a new location for her next boutique.” “Exactly, we mustn’t be late.” Said Rarity before she stood up, “Come Pinkie Pie, we must get ready.” Rarity soon left the room, with Pinkie whispering “I’m excited to go because my sister Maud will meet us there for something special.” Pinkie darted out of the room like a speeding rocket as if she was now on a mission of her life. “Thanks again for the breakfast.” Said Rainbow before she wiped her mouth and said “I gotta check up on the weather teams.” “And ah gotta get back to the farm to harvest this month’s crops.” Said Applejack. “I’ll head back to my home to check up on the animals.” Said Fluttershy before the three of them left. Soon it was just Spike, Starlight, Twilight, and Beau left. Twilight moaned whilst holding her head. “What am I going to do?” she said in worry. “Don’t worry Twilight.” Said Spike, “If you really like Thomas…” “Beau.” Said Beau, which Spike and Starlight looked at him, “Twilight gave me a nickname. I’d like it to stick.” “Huh, I like it.” Said Starlight as she also liked the nickname. “Anyway,” said Spike, “If you really like, er, Beau, then I’m sure they’ll like him. I mean he’s been here for a month and he seems okay. And if Princess Celestia approves him, then I’m sure the others too.” “Yeah, but it’s not like they haven’t seen a human before.” Said Beau, “I mean how often do you see a 5’11 human with Caucasian skin, thin build with black hair and light brown eyes walking around Equestria with a bunch of ponies around them?” “True,” said Starlight, “Not to mention Twilight, Spike and I are the only ones who knows what a human look like. The others were a little skeptical too, same with Ponyville. I’m not sure how Canterlot would feel about him though.” “It’s not like Twilight can just use a cloaking spell whilst we move through Canterlot and remove them once we get to Twilight’s place.” Said Beau. Twilight clicked, then looked at Beau and said “That’s a great idea, Beau.” “It is?” said a confused Beau. “Yes, we’ll use a cloaking spell to mask your presence once we arrive in Canterlot.” Said Princess Twilight, “We’ll also teleport there whilst we’re at it.” “But let’s finish first before we go.” Said Beau, which Twilight nodded in agreement. However, as they continued to eat their breakfast, Beau then thought ‘I just hope that they’ll accept me.’ ********************************************************************************************* After they were done, Twilight was able to cast a concealment spell on Beau, allowing the two of them to travel to Canterlot. The two of them were teleported near the city entrance and began to walk through its large streets. “Now remember Beau,” whispered Twilight just to make sure no one was listening, “We sneak towards my parents’ house so that we can introduce you to them. Thankfully my brother’s not here yet, so I don’t want to further complicate things.” “What do you mean?” whispered Beau. “Well, he can be a bit…too overprotective.” Said Twilight. “Don’t you mean a big jerk after the way he yelled at you back at the wedding?” said Beau, making Twilight widen her eyes in shock, with Beau adding “Again, Spike.” Twilight then growled and was angry, “I am so going to get him for that.” “Let’s just focus on the task at hand.” Said Beau, then ended up flirting by saying “And maybe I’ll give you some happy ending time.” “Happy ending?” said Twilight, until she gasped lightly and blushed red, for Beau was holding and massaging the side of her flank. “B-Beau…not in public.” Whispered Twilight again. “But you see where I’m going with this.” Said Beau. Twilight couldn’t help but moan, but smiled whilst rolling his eyes at the same time, for she couldn’t argue with that logic. And strangely she’s looking forward to it. Beau continued to look around the city. To say this place is beautiful is an understatement. However, when he looked at the citizens, he could see how stuck up they really are. He didn’t know how he could tell, but he could most definitely tell that they have the makings of a complete spoilt people. Soon enough, they arrived at a large house, with Beau looking up. He whistled as he was impressed by what he saw at the same time. “Wow, I have to admit, this is a very nice house.” Said Beau, “What kind of job did you say they did again?” “Both of them were young writers.” Said Twilight, “They at first wrote a few novels, but in time, they also wrote about a few things about the world that they explored.” “Nice.” Said Beau. He then looked down and said “Heh, funny, I always wanted to be a writer too.” “Really?” said Twilight surprised when she looked at him. “Yeah,” said Beau, “But my folks told me that it was never going to happen. I ended up believing it and stopped having that dream. Maybe one day I’ll find that passion again.” Twilight held his hand, gaining Beau’s attention and smiled at him, trying to encourage him to stay positive, which in turn he couldn’t help but smile too, even if Beau was still invisible. Twilight moved towards the door and knocked on it. Within moments, a unicorn opened the door, which was a female. “Twilight!!” said the woman as she hugged her. “It’s so good to see you!!” “Good to see you too, mom.” Said Twilight, before they broke their hug. “Come on in, your father was just about to have some tea ready.” Said the woman as she walked in, with Twilight following suit and Beau snuck in, allowing Twilight to close the door. “So…how are you Twilight?” said the mare, “What was so important that you’d want to come over.” “Well…” said Twilight nervously whilst she was blushing, “It may come as a surprise to you but…I met someone.” The mare gasped and held onto Twilight and said “Really, that’s amazing!! Who’s the lucky stallion?” “Well…” said Twilight as she used her magic to make Beau visible, which shocked the mare, along with a stallion who was peaking his head through the door. “Mom, dad. This is Thomas Rohan, or as folks would call him, Beau. Beau, these are my parents, Night Light, and Twilight Velvet.” “Uh,” said Beau as he nervously waved to them, “Hello there.” *************************************************************************************************** At the living room, everyone was at the living room. Though…one wouldn’t say it was comfortable. For it was awkward for them. For when Twilight said she met someone, they didn’t know it was…not a pony. Beau was also nervous, for he didn’t know how they would respond to it. “So uh, we’re all having fun here?” said Twilight. However, when there was no response, which made her more nervous. “Okay then.” Said Twilight before she continued. “Um, Twilight.” Said Twilight Velvet. “When you said you met somepony, we didn’t think it would be, uh…” “A hairless ape who happens to be as bald as a baboon’s butt without the funny colors?” said Beau, which caused the two parents to look at him surprised by that comment. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” “So, um…” said Night Light, wanting to break the conversation. “How did you two exactly meet?” “Oh, whilst I was strolling down the lake to get some exercise because of Spike,” said Twilight, before she growled and said “That Spike said I needed exercise because he made a comment on how I’m chubby.” Night Light chuckled, for that was something Spike would say, causing Velvet to elbow him. “I met him at the lake out there.” Said Twilight, “Though…he wasn’t there by choice.” “By choice?” asked Twilight Velvet, “What do you mean?” “I uh…” said Beau as he didn’t know how to respond. “Died.” The two parents were surprised by this, with Beau explaining to them. “See, I wasn’t exactly born in a loving family like your daughter here.” Said Beau, “Growing up, all I did was study. Neither of my parents wanted to spend time with me. My father was a reckless and irresponsible gambler, whilst my mother was always working. They never had any time for me. Nor was I a popular guy at school. I was…treated like an outcast. Shunned by society you might say. So, after I graduated, I went to my grandparents’ Lake House. When they died, they left the will of the place to me. I loved them a lot, and they did to me to. So, I chose to live there, thinking what else I could do with my life. But one day whilst I was swimming, a whirlpool appeared in the middle of nowhere, and I ended up being pulled into it. I slowly blacked out, which indicated that I was drowning. Before I knew it, I wounded up at a lake in Equestria. That’s when Twilight found me.” “Oh, you poor dear.” Said Twilight Velvet, with awkward feelings pushed aside. “At first I was freaked out of my mind.” Said Beau, but then couldn’t help but chuckle and said “Then I accidentally blurted out that horses couldn’t talk. Twilight felt offended by that and threatened me with her magic. I panicked at first, but grumbled that she didn’t freak out when she was in a different world.” Both Twilight Velvet and Night Light chuckled at that too. “Oh, we can assure you, she did freak out the first time she was in another world.” Beau looked at Twilight surprised. Twilight giggled nervously and said “I might’ve told them of my adventure through the other side of the mirror.” “Anyway,” said Beau, “She took me in when I had nowhere else to go. Then during that time, we found out we have a few things in common. Twilight even wrote a letter to Princess Celestia, which turned out, she knew the existence of my kind the whole time.” Both of them had their jaws dropped, that Celestia would know something like this. “I wanted to go back,” said Beau, “But then I felt like I belonged here. At first, Ponyville seemed nervous around me, until they later warmed up to me. Same with her friends.” “How long have you been in this world?” asked Night Light. “About a month.” Said Beau, “I was thinking of applying for a job at Ponyville, maybe as Twilight’s librarian archivist. I’ve got a knack for these things.” “So, we can tell.” Said Twilight Velvet. “Oh, that reminds me.” Said Twilight as she stood up, with Twilight saying “Could you two keep him company, I need to do something really quick.” Twilight teleported away, with Beau smiling. He then thought of something and looked at both Velvet and Night Light. “Can I ask you two something.” “Oh, of course.” Said Twilight Velvet. “Are you two always worried about her?” It caught them off-guard at first, with Night Light saying “Of course we do. Why do you ask?” “I mean, how did you know she’d be okay.” Asked Beau, “Facing dangers every day of her life. Thinking that…” “It might be too much for her?” asked Night Light, to which Beau nodded. Twilight Velvet sighed, and said “Truth be told, we always worry about her. When she was growing up, she didn’t want to make friends. But ever since she went to Ponyville, she seems to socialize more and made more wonderful friends there. Makes me wish that we moved to Ponyville before she was born. But as a mother, I always worry about her safety every day. When she wanted to be Celestia’s pupil, I had to give her my permission.” “Permission?” “Of course,” said Night Light, “She may be a fully grown mare, but she’ll always be our baby girl.” “And when Celestia told us what Twilight was doing, even during her adventures, we didn’t make a peep. And we worry about her safety every day, cause it’s our job. But’s also our job to believe in our daughter, to follow her dreams, for her to really fly.” Beau couldn’t help but snicker at that last part, which confused the parents, but then remembered what Velvet just said, causing the two of them to snicker too, for she just made an unintended pun. Beau sighed and said “She’s really lucky. I wish I had something like that. But being here, I finally have my second chance. I really love your daughter. She was the only one who opened up to me and believed in me when no one else did. That’s why I wanted to do the same for her. To support her like you two did. And I know, I may be different. But…I’d really like to have this chance to date her. If…you’ll let me that is.” The two of them couldn’t help but smile, with Velvet saying “Of course you can date our daughter. You seem like a very nice young man.” “And you’re too honest and good to break anyone’s heart.” Said Night Light. Beau couldn’t help but smile, with him saying “So other than being writers…what else can you two do?” “Well,” said Night Light, “I do have a great knack for bingo.” “Really?” said Beau surprised. “Oh of course,” said Night Light, “It’s like a game of chance. I really like a challenge.” “And I also have a knack for extreme sports.” Said Twilight Velvet, causing Beau’s jaw to drop. She laughed and said “My daughter and son had that same reaction when I told them.” “What kind of sports?” asked Beau. “Oh, we could go on for hours.” Said Velvet. ************************************************************************************************* “Excuse me?” said Princess Celestia. Twilight had gone to see Princess Celestia, with Princess Luna by her side. Twilight arrived and wanted to talk to them about something important, and it couldn’t be something open, like in front of her parents. “That’s right, Princess Celestia.” Said Twilight as she was now being open about it. “I’m…in love with Beau.” Needless to say, the two of them didn’t expect this from Twilight. “I see.” Said Princess Celestia. “Look, I know he’s a different creature from another world, and I know it might seem strange for one creature to fall head over heels with another.” Said Twilight. “But Beau’s different. He’s not like anything or anyone I’ve ever met. He’s one of the few people who really understands me. We also have a lot in common when it comes to books, studying and managing items and libraries. We enjoy each other’s company; he even became good friends with mine. And…well…” “You’re worried how your family is going to react.” Concluded Princess Luna. “Y-yes.” Said Twilight. “I’m really nervous if Beau and my parents will get along. Though I’m more worried about my brother.” “Understandable,” said Princess Luna, “Considering what Chrysalis had done to Shining Armor, as well as Princess Cadance.” “Er, yes.” Said Princess Celestia uneasily as she walked to the window. “Look, I know it might seem strange to you, but I really like Beau.” Said Twilight. “And I know it’s been crazy, considering we’ve known each other for a month. But…I can’t explain it. I felt like…that he really is the one for me.” Princess Celestia walked back to Princess Luna, the two of them looking at one another, before the two of them smirked and looked at Twilight. “We know Twilight.” Said Princess Celestia. “Huh?” wondered Princess Twilight out loud. “We know of your, ahem, relationship with Thomas Rohan.” Said Princess Luna, “Or er, Beau, in this case.” Twilight was surprised by this, with her exclaiming “How?!” “Well, you two had an interesting dream of, ahem,” said Princess Luna with a smirk and Celestia tried her best to keep her giggles quiet. “Wild night with him.” Twilight’s jaw dropped and blushed heavily in embarrassment, causing her to cover her face with both her hands and both her wings, with her groaning loudly, for she couldn’t believe they found out…this way. “Twilight,” said Princess Celestia as she went over and held onto Twilight’s shoulder, gaining her attention. “For as long as I can remember during your time as my student, you didn’t want to make friends because you thought they weren’t interesting. And during that time, you never considered romance too. We remembered how you thought you had feelings for another when you were with Sunset Shimmer, but you passed his feelings and left. And yet, there he is, a young man from another world, who suddenly won your heart in just over a month. And if you wish, we too would like to know him.” “I’m just worried how my brother would react.” Said Twilight in worry. “What if he thinks that Beau is a Changeling like I did?” “We will try our best to explain things to him.” Said Princess Celestia. “Though when the time comes when you two want to truly be together, and when he wishes to arrange a marriage, then we would like to meet him. And we will ensure that nothing goes wrong.” “I hope so.” Said Princess Twilight as she rubbed her shoulder, “I really want to spend the rest of my like with him. And…” She then blushed madly and said “Want to raise our first child together.” The two of them flexed their eyebrows, but couldn’t help but smirk at that, knowing full well what it meant. “Well then,” said Princess Celestia, “If somehow you two did the deed…” Twilight groaned again in embarrassment as she really didn’t like the idea of them bringing that up, causing the sisters to giggle again before Celestia continued. “Then we would recommend that you go to the hospital first. If it is possible, then it would be the first in pony history that the Princess of Friendship would gain a child from a non-pony.” “Um…” said Twilight as she was now suddenly afraid, “I’ll do that after I get back to Ponyville.” “We understand Twilight.” Said Princess Celestia, “If you truly wish to bond with Beau through Matrimony, then we will fully support of your decision and your newlywed husband.” Twilight hugged Princess Celestia whilst saying “Thank you. I really…” Suddenly, her eyes went wide open, as if a realization had hit her like a two-ton bricks. “Wait a second,” said Twilight as she broke the hug and looked around, “I know this feeling.” “Twilight?” asked Princess Celestia in concern. “I haven’t felt this before.” Said Twilight, “Not since…” She suddenly gasped out loudly and realized something horrifying, then she turned to Celestia and said “I gotta go!! Thanks for the advice!! Gotta go!!” She teleported away with the speed of light, then Princess Luna asked, “What was the matter with her?” Suddenly Celestia smirked, and said “Probably her parents showing Twilight’s…” *********************************************************************************************** Twilight suddenly teleported back to her parents’ place, and was shocked to see what was going on. Beau and Twilight Velvet, even Night Light were laughing, whilst they were looking through… “My photo album!!” exclaimed Twilight. You guessed it, the family is showing Beau Twilight’s baby pictures. “Oh, Twilight, you are so freaking adorable!!” said Beau when they saw her baby pictures. Twilight suddenly screeched in shock, grabbed the photo album, and held it close to her. “Mom!! What did we talk about showing my baby pictures to other strangers!!” said Twilight. “Oh, Beau is no stranger.” Said Night Light. “In fact,” said Twilight Velvet, “He’s your special somepony. You really claimed a winner there, Twilight.” “Wait,” said Twilight as she was surprised by this, “You two are okay with him?” “Of course, Twilight.” Said Night Light. “Though we’ve spent a short amount of time with him, we could tell that he’s a very nice young man, who would love nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with you. And I think you truly found a special soulmate.” Twilight looked at Beau for a moment, and noticed the blush he had on his face whilst he was partially looking away, but also noticed his smile too. She couldn’t help but smile back and had the same blush on her face too. She used her magic to place her book away and walked over to him. Beau looked up and saw Twilight looking at him and extended her hands to him. Beau slowly held them and stood up. The two of them looking at each other lovingly in their eyes and smiled, before slowly hugging one another. Twilight Velvet sniffed and wiped her eyes, “So beautiful.” Said Velvet whilst Night Light comforted his wife. However, Twilight broke the hug and had a sad frown whilst looking down. “What’s wrong Twilight?” asked Beau, which Twilight’s parents also noticed. “I’m just worried…about how my brother’s going to react.” Said Twilight. “What do you mean, honey?” asked Velvet. “Chrysalis.” Said Twilight. Both her parents widened their eyes in shock and looked at one another. For that’s right, Chrysalis posed as Cadance and nearly had her way with Shining Armor. “Who’s Chrysalis?” asked Beau. “Er…you might want to sit down for this.” Said Velvet. Beau and Twilight sat down together, but Twilight held him close as she rested her head on his shoulder, with Beau holding her close. “See, years ago,” said Twilight Velvet, “Before Twilight was a Princess and was still Princess Celestia’s student, her brother was going to get married to Cadance, who is also a Princess. So, she and her friends were going to help prepare for the wedding. However, Twilight noticed that there was something really off about her. She tried to tell them, but her friends, not even Princess Celestia didn’t believe her. And when Twilight confronted her, she didn’t have any proof or evidence or didn’t do a proper job of making the case stick. So Shining Armor ended up banning her from coming to the wedding and her friends turned their backs on her, even Princess Celestia.” Beau was appalled by this with shock, whilst also noticing how Twilight was tightly holding his hand, to which he kept holding her close. “Twilight was then captured and it turned out the Cadance she encountered was a fake, whilst the real one was imprisoned underground. It turned out the fake was a Changeling Queen named Chrysalis.” “Changelings?” said Beau in confusion, which allowed Night Light to use his magic to show them a magical hologram of them, which surprised Beau. “A race of creatures with the ability to shapeshift into any other creature, who have the ability to feed on love.” Said Night Light, “Chrysalis had fooled everyone, but her friends were so blinded by the wedding, they didn’t care about her feelings at all. And Celestia, her own student. Cause this was exactly the reason why Sunset ran away years ago.” “Thankfully they did stop her,” said Velvet, “But she still felt disheartened over it. Hence…” They noticed how she bit her lip, and said “Why she didn’t trust her friends from there.” Beau was surprised by this. That even though they’re friends, she didn’t trust them. “But didn’t they try to earn her trust, again?” asked Beau. “They did.” Said Night Light, “We told them to try and earn her trust.” “But our daughter can be quite stubborn,” said Velvet, which caused Twilight to grumble and blush in embarrassment, “Before she moved to Ponyville, we tried to convince her to make friends or try to befriend her classmates, but she refused and was one tough nut to crack. And after the wedding, we convinced them to try and apologize and to earn Twilight’s trust back.” Twilight grumbled a bit, with Velvet saying “Honey, I know they left you when they didn’t believe you about what happened with Chrysalis when…” “I made a poor case, I know,” said Twilight, “But I knew Cadance for years, and I knew something was off, and they still didn’t believe me.” Beau looked at her with a flexed eyebrow and said “Didn’t you think of needing proof or evidence for something like that?” Twilight looked at him and wanted to say something, but Beau beat her to it and said “Yes, you may have known her a lot longer than anyone else, but that’s just it. Everyone else only saw her as a title. But you needed proof to show them that she wasn’t who she said she was. I mean, seriously, you pointing out that she was evil and acted like a crazy person at the same time made it harder for everyone to trust you.” Twilight glared at him, until she heard a throat clearing. She looked and saw her parents looking at her with flexed eyebrows, with Night Light saying “He does have a point, Twilight.” “Or did you forget the incident with the quesadillas?” said Twilight Velvet. Twilight blinked in shock and suddenly felt afraid, which Beau noticed and asked “Wait…you’re afraid of a measly sandwich?” “It’s a long story, honey.” Said Twilight Velvet. “Anyway,” said Beau, wanting to continue with the story, “I knew how much a few things in life meant to you, same with wanting to protect your family. But you also have to know when to keep a straight face and talk in a calm manner, otherwise you might crack a lot faster than a nut. Otherwise, you might make a mistake that you’d regret for the rest of your life.” Twilight thought about it, and lowered her eyes whilst her ears drooped, for he was right. She could’ve handled the situation better on some occasions, but because of her obsessions is what caused the whole thing to fall apart in the first place. “And you talking about the Changelings, kind of reminds me of the lore I head back home.” Said Beau. “There’s a lore about Changelings?” asked Velvet with she and her husband, even Twilight being surprised. “Yeah, but they’re nothing like that.” Said Beau as he began to explain more about the Changelings from his world. “According to the lore in my world, they're Irish fairies that wanted beautiful human children for their own by swapping one of their own with theirs. Beauty in human children and young women, particularly blond hair, was said to attract the fairies who kidnap human children and occasionally young adults to marry them instead and newly mothers were often taken to nurse fairy babies. The child that was taken by Changelings have three reasons: to act as a servant, for the fairies to receive the love of a human child, or for malice/revenge.” The three of them were shocked to hear this kind of lore, with Beau saying “Like I said, it’s a lot different than the ones you know.” *************************************************************************************************** Later that day, Twilight, and Beau bid Twilight’s parents goodbye, before she teleported them at the train station and were able to board without anyone seeing them. When they were in a private cart, Beau continued to hold onto Twilight, as the latter was still worried. “Now I see why you were reluctant into telling them.” Said Beau, “You were afraid the same situation would happen again, but only worse.” “Y-yeah.” Said Twilight as she partially looked away. Until she felt Beau’s hand, which gained her attention as she looked at him. “Twilight, I know you’re worried.” Said Beau, “But we’ll find a way. I know we will.” “I hope so.” Said Twilight, “The last thing I need is my brother giving us grief. I know I did the same way, but…” “I know.” Said Beau. “And about your friends. The wedding thing was some time ago, why didn’t you trust them since then?” Twilight sighed and said “I really wanted to Beau, but how can I trust someone who didn’t believe me?” “I think that goes the same as, how they can trust you, if you didn’t trust them.” Said Beau. He sighed and said “Twilight, I may not know anything about friendship, but I do know about individuals. Sometimes when we work together for the good of others, you have to remember that you also need to learn to trust one another. And given how you tend to act, it’s hard for them to believe you. Especially Pinkie Pie, and she’s the crazy one.” Twilight couldn’t help but snort at that. “Look, Twilight, I know how much certain things mean to you,” said Beau, “But you have to learn to push those doubts aside. All you really need is each other. And from what I’ve seen, friendships can be hard, and it takes work to maintain them. And without friends, it would make life a lot harder.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile and look at him whilst saying “Since when did you become my teacher?” “Well, as your new lover,” said Beau, “It’s my job to help make sure that you’re happy. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at that statement. They soon arrived at Ponyville, however, Twilight suddenly felt like she was going to throw up, with Beau quickly grabbing her and took her at the edge of the station near a trash can. He helped her bend over and held her hair back, causing her to throw up in the trash can. “Are you okay?” said Beau worried. “Wow…that was weird.” Said Twilight after she stood up straight and wiped her mouth, "That’s never happened to me before." Beau then remembered something, something that he read from a medical journal. He then widened his eyes in shock. No…it couldn’t be. *********************************************************************************************** Soon enough, though Twilight protested, Beau took her to the hospital to get her checked up. She said it was unnecessary, but Beau insisted, considering that he wanted to make sure. Beau sat on a chair and reading his magazine, with Twilight sitting on a checkup bed, reading a book that she had thankfully brought with her for just in case. Within moments, Ponyville’s doctor, whose name is Doctor Horse (Beau nearly wanted to laugh, but he kept quiet as best as he can), walked in with a clipboard. “So how is she doing, doctor?” asked Beau. “Well, I have some good news and bad news.” Said the Doctor, “Well, more like good news, bad news, shocking news and really crazy news at the same time.” Beau looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, but chose not to comment on that. “You sure you want to hear this, Princess Twilight?” Asked Doctor Horse. “Of course, I do, doctor.” Said Twilight. “Well, from what I’ve seen, what you have isn’t a sickness or disease,” said Doctor Horse before looking at the two of them. “What you’re actually feeling is the early stages of pregnancy.” Twilight felt like her brain shattered as she dropped the book, with Beau dropping his jaw and dropped his magazine too. “Say what now?” said Beau. “And it’s surprising,” said the doctor, “Because usually a mare has the early stages of pregnancy after two weeks. Yours happened about early this morning. Though then again, given that you are an alicorn, your metabolisms and other structures tend to be different than most normal ponies.” Twilight was extremely speechless, for she had no idea how to process any of this, until she shed tears uncontrollably and muttered “I’m going to be a mom.” She then grabbed Beau in a tightening embrace as his head was between her breasts whilst she shouted “I’m going to be a mom!!” “G-good for you, honey.” Muttered Beau whilst muffling between her breasts. Doctor Horse looked at Twilight, then to Beau. Then it clicked as he instantly put it together. “Wait…are you two…?” said Doctor Horse surprised. “You’re having a baby?!” They were startled by the voice as Twilight released Beau. Then, right at the door, a unicorn appeared. This was one of Twilight’s old friends, Lyra Heartstrings. And from the looks of it, she had an excited look. “Lyra?!” said Twilight, “What are you doing here?!” “I came as quick as I could when I heard there was a human here!!” said Lyra. “Wait,” said Twilight as she realized something, “Beau was here for over a month, how did you find out about it just now?” “Wait, who is this?” said Beau in confusion. Lyra instantly darted towards him with a squee and a smile whilst saying “Hey there, I’m Lyra Heartstrings. I live in Ponyville with my special pony friend Bonbon, but I also used to study in Canterlot and was one of Twilight’s classmates. I even studied in anthropology.” “Wait, as in the study of humans?” said Beau in confusion. “That’s right!!” said Lyra, “But everypony always dismisses this, thinking that I’m crazy and that humans aren’t real.” She then grabbed him and exclaimed “But here you are!! Living proof that humans are real!!” “And I assume the way you’re acting, you’re a huge fan of sorts?” asked Beau. “That I am!!” said Lyra, then released him and squealed whilst saying “And to top it off, you’re going to have a baby!! With my former classmate!!” She then grabbed Twilight and said “This is going to be amazing!! And when the time is right, I can finally start my hypothesis of how a child of two different species came along!!” Hearing that, Twilight instantly grabbed her with her magic, whilst saying through gritted teeth, “You are not going to use my baby as a science experiment!! Nor are you going to do that to my hubby either!!” Beau then looked at the doctor and said “In case you wonder, doctor? Yeah, she and I are the parents.” Doctor Horse was surprised by this, and asked “How long did you two known each other?” “A month.” That surprised him again, with the Doctor clearing his throat and blushed from embarrassment, whilst saying “Okay then. But this is truly remarkable.” “How so?” asked Beau. “Well, it’s like this,” said Doctor Hooves, “When ponies gain children, sometimes they’re specific species. And on rare occasions…” “An Earth pony family gaining a Unicorn and Pegasus baby?” guess Beau, “Like the Cake family?” “Exactly.” Said Doctor Hooves, “But if a pony and a human would create a child, then we don’t know if the child would gain human features or pony features. It would most likely gain both those attributes.” “Wow, that would be interesting.’ Said Beau. However, he also had a deep thought. If Twilight was truly going to gain a child, then… He slightly looked at her whilst she was talking to Lyra as she was begging over and over to ask Beau questions, as well as the baby should it arrive. The more he thought about it…the more he couldn’t live without her. And seeing that the baby needs both its parents…. He knew what he had to do. “Uh, Twilight?” asked Beau. “Yes?” asked Twilight. “How are we going to tell our friends when we meet up with them?” asked Beau. Twilight blinked at that, for that was a good question. She thought about it, with Beau beating her to the punch. “How about you go back to the castle and ask Spike to gather them?” asked Beau. “Alright,” asked Twilight, “But what are you going to do?” “I…need to take care of something.” Said Beau as he knew where he was going to go whilst he left. However, … “Can I come with you?!” He was startled as he saw Lyra, staring at him with stars in her eyes and a creepy grin. Clearly she wanted to ask him some questions. Beau knew what this was going to mean. Then again, he could use the distraction when not thinking of a certain topic. “Uh, sure.” Said Beau, which made her squee as the two of them walked. “So, take a breather, and ask one question at a time, okay?” Lyra nodded eagerly. “Now then, what do you want to know, first?” asked Beau. “We’ll start with where you came from?” asked Lyra. “Hmm,” thought Beau as the two of them exited the hospital, “I was born on a planet called Earth. E-A-R-T-H, Earth. The birthplace of humanity, you might say.” *********************************************************************************************** After a long trip, Beau had gotten what he was looking for and walked back to the castle, whilst at the same time, asking whatever question Lyra wanted to know from him. “And what about their way of travel?” asked Lyra whilst approaching the castle. “On the ground, we have metallic machines called cars, busses, and trucks. We use them to travel from one location to the next. The Trucks on the other hand are used to carry heavy loads of supplies to their stores to sell their goods and to make sure they don’t get spoilt too quickly. As for overseas trips, sometimes we take cruise ships, but most times we take airplanes. Machines that can fly like a bird from one location to the next. But sometimes they’re really boring to travel.” “They are?” asked Lyra. “Oh, sure,” said Beau, “I mean flying for fifteen hours with nothing to do? Then again, thankfully, we were able to place entertainment inside like reading and hearing stories. At the same time, they also have food onboard to feed them. And thankfully, the people are provided with things to help them sleep. Though with those who have insomnia and back problems, they have medication to help them sleep better during the time zone travels.” “Oh, that makes sense.” Said Lyra, until the two of them have stopped at the castle doors. “Alright then,” said Beau, “This is our stop. I’ll answer more of your questions once I have some free time.” “Aw, but I wanted to know…” said Lyra in disappointment, until… “Lyra!!” Lyra yelped and saw Bonbon walking toward her, and she was not happy. “Where have you been?!” exclaimed Bonbon as she stood in front of her, “You were supposed to come help me at my store, hours ago!!” “But Bonbon…!!” said Lyra, “I’m talking to a human, an actual human!! The one I’ve been telling you had existed for years!!” “I know who he is!!” said Bonbon. “You already know him?!” exclaimed Lyra. “Sure do.” Said Beau, “I sometimes pop over at her store to fetch a few things. She really makes good candy.” “And you didn’t tell me?!” said Lyra. “I’ve been trying to tell you for almost a month!!” said Bonbon, “But you’ve been frantically going around making a fool of yourself, that you barely noticed anything at all!!” “What…but…but?!” “Now, come on!!” Bonbon instantly grabbed Lyra’s ear and began to pull her away, making the Unicorn yelp as she was being pulled away. “Uh, is that necessary Bonbon?” asked Beau in concern. “Trust me, she gets like this all the time.” Said Bonbon. “I’ll see you later, human!!” said Lyra as she was still being pulled away. Beau shook his head as he said to himself, “I don’t know what’s true or not, that Ponyville is the friendliest place in Equestria, or that Ponyville is the village filled with nuts.” He then walked in the castle, thinking about how he and Twilight was going to tell the others. As well as something he wants to tell her. Beau soon arrived at the cutie map room, where Twilight, the rest of the Mane 6, Starlight and Spike were waiting for him. The others, minus Twilight, wondered what was going on. “So, Twilight,” said Rainbow, “What was so important that we had to come back?” “Indeed,” said Rarity, “I was in the middle of an ensemble.” “I don’t know everypony,” said Pinkie Pie, “My entire body was shaking, and it turns out, a real doozy is going to happen.” Twilight and Beau then stood together, with both of them feeling very nervous. “There’s…something we have to tell you.” “Well, whatever it is,” said Rainbow, “It can’t be more important than the sport drink delivery I was waiting on.” Rainbow drank some from a selection of cans she brought with her just in case. Some were puzzled by where she got it, but they decided not to question it, with everyone looking at Twilight. “Well, spit it out Twi, what is it?” asked Applejack. “Well…” said Beau as Twilight held his hand and placed it against her belly as Twilight spoke at the same time. “I’m pregnant.” Rainbow instantly chocked on her drink and fell over, with everyone else’s jaws dropped as they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. “Yer, what now?!” exclaimed Applejack. “Oh my gosh.” Responded Fluttershy. “Yay!!” shouted Pinkie as she instantly wrapped her arms around Twilight. “How is it possible?!” said Spike. “Weren’t babies supposed to form in a few weeks after the whole intercourse thing?!” said Starlight. “Apparently the doctor says that because of her Alicorn metabolism and body structures, her body tends to be more different than anyone else.” Said Beau. “That would make sense,” said Starlight, “Considering how Alicorns are much different than us ponies in general.” “But other than that,” said Rarity as she walked over to Twilight, “Congratulations, Twilight. We are so proud of you. You’re going to be a mother. That is the most. Precious. Thing!! That could ever happen to you!!” “Well done there Sugarcube.” Said Applejack as she, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy hugged Twilight, even Starlight and Spike hugged her. Except for Rainbow Dash, who suddenly walks over to Beau. And given the look she was giving, made Beau very uncomfortable. “Uh, Rainbow, what are you…?” said Beau before Rainbow cut him off. “I just wanna talk to you.” Said Rainbow before she walked over him. “Why are you…?” said Beau, until Rainbow suddenly tackled him and strangled him. “I JUST WANNA STRANGLE YOU!!” shouted Rainbow as she was strangling Beau, which in turn shocked the girls. “Twilight!!” shouted Beau whilst he was being strangled, “She’s…choking, me!!” “Rainbow!!” Everyone then pulled Rainbow away as Applejack tied her up, with Rarity and Starlight trying to contain her with their magic. “What in tarnation is wrong with ya?!” said Applejack. “He got her pregnant!!” said Rainbow. “That’s no excuse, darling!!” said Rarity. “And besides, what I do in bed is none of your business!!” said Twilight, causing her to clasp her mouth shut. “But…but I…” responded Rainbow as she tried to think of an excuse. “You sure you’re not jealous because one of your friends got laid before you did?” said Beau out of the blue, which surprised him too. The girls gave him deadpanned looks with slight glares at the same time. “Beau, not the time.” Responded Twilight. “Right, sorry.” Said Beau. Rainbow sighed and said “I’m sorry, Twilight. I don’t know what came over me.” “It’s alright, Rainbow.” Said Applejack, “Just…don’t do that again.” “Got it.” Said Rainbow. “Also…” Beau began to slowly take something from his back pocket and pulled something out. It was a small little box, which confused Twilight when she looked at it. “Seeing that I’m on my knees anyway, and seeing that I’m not good with words.” Beau handed Twilight the small box, with Twilight using her magic to bring it to her. She was curious of what was inside. She opened it with her own hands, and was shocked to see what was inside. For inside, was none other than a ring with a diamond shaped like her Cutie Mark. However, none were more shocked than her friends. She slowly looked at a smiling Beau. “I can’t live without you, Twilight. Literally.” Said Beau, “Because you’re the only one whoever gave me purpose after a month of getting to know you.” Twilight didn’t have the words to respond as she looked at the ring. Her mouth whimpered whilst she slowly shed tears. Within a split second, she tackled Beau over and gave him a strong kiss, surprising him as the two of them fell over, with Twilight being on top of him whilst she hugged him tightly. The two of them slowly broke the kiss as Beau had that goofy smile on him. “You know, your actions said yes, but I didn’t hear any words.” Said Beau. Twilight giggled and said “Yes. Of course, I will.” Twilight used her magic to put the ring on her, whilst the two of them kissed again, with her friends cheering for her as they helped them up and hugged them. The others slowly looked at Rainbow, who had her arms crossed, but eventually smiled and hugged them too. Today was a good day despite the circumstances. But the future, a new beginning. Chapter 5: The second arrival/Wedding preperationsIt had been a week since the proposal between Beau and Twilight. They were greatly excited for the big day to arrive. The only thing they needed to do was to find the date to set it up, as well as the wedding invitations. Though they were also worried for Twilight and Beau, for they knew Shining Armor was not going to make things easy for them, considering what he said to her before his wedding, even if he was mind controlled. Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was busy bucking the next apple tree whilst Big Mac was taking care of the other side of the field. The last of the apples landed in her basket, allowing her to lift it up and moved straight towards her other baskets of apples and placed them next to them. Then she stood up and wiped her brow. “Boy, that felt good bringing in the next haul.” Said Applejack as she looked around, then she thought back to Beau proposing. “Plus, if things are going smoothly, we should be looking at a weddin’ that might happen in the near future. Ah just hope things will work out, not after what happened last time back at Canterlot.” Then she thought of something and said “Or maybe in Ponyville. If they might do it.” She then shook her head and said “Eh, thoughts for another time. Right now, the next few trees are gonna need a…” Suddenly, she saw a flash of light happening far from where she was standing. “What in tarnation?!” exclaimed Applejack, “What the hay is goin’ on?!!” She quickly ran down, wondering what that was about. Was it a magic event? Only one way to find out. She ran down the fields, wondering what was going on. She soon arrived at where the light was. She was busy looking around, seeing if there was any sign of anypony around. “Now where in tarnation could…?” said Applejack. However, she instantly spotted something and hid behind the tree just in case whilst taking a peek. She was surprised to see what she was seeing. The stranger was indeed a male of sorts. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, brown shoes, a white shirt with a brown jacket of sorts. However, his features were a messy brown hair, lightly tanned skin, dark brown eyes, and had somewhat of an athletic build with a bit of muscle and was six feet tall. However, he didn’t have any pony features. That’s right…he’s a human. “Another human?” muttered Applejack in shock, “How in tarnation is that possible?” However, she noticed that he had an apple in his hand, then suddenly looked miffed. “Why that little, he’s tryin’ to take mah apples.” Said Applejack as she slowly crept up and slowly took her lasso out whilst saying “Not on mah watch.” Though the human may have put the apple back and moved around whilst looking at his surroundings at the same time, Applejack still made his way towards him, for she thought he was a thief trying to steal her apples. She got her lasso ready and twirled it a bit. “Hey, you there!!” shouted Applejack as she threw her lasso towards him. The human jumped as he was startled, but before he could react, he was wrapped in her lasso around his body. “W-What the?!” exclaimed the human as he turned around. He was stunned to see Applejack, whilst she was sternly staring down at him, not letting him out of her sights. “Jus’ what in the hay are y’all doin’ stealin’ our apples like that?! Said Applejack as she kept her gaze sternly on him. “I…I wasn’t trying to steal anything!! I’m sorry!!” grunted the human. Meanwhile, at the same time, walking down the orchard, a certain young pony, aka, Apple Bloom, was walking by, thinking about what she and her friends were going to do now that they have their own Cutie Marks. She was alone in her thoughts until… “Likely story!!” said Applejack as she tightened her rope around him. “I swear, I’m not trying to steal your apples, I’m telling you the truth miss!!” “Huh?” said Apple Bloom as she was taken out of her thoughts. “What in tarnation was that?” She went over to investigate and to her surprise, she saw Applejack, holding someone in her lasso. But it wasn’t a pony. “Another human?” said Apple Bloom surprised, “Ah thought the human they met was the only one. Still, better help him before Applejack takes things too far again.” She walked over, wanting to know what was going on, whilst Applejack still kept her glare onto the human, for she thought he was lying. Before she could say another word about him eating her apples, that’s when Apple Bloom showed up. “Applejack!” said Apple Bloom, gaining Applejack’s attention, even the other human, who looked at the direction and saw Apple Bloom standing there. “What in tarnation are y’all doin’?” “Jus’ caught this feller here pickin’ some o’ our apples without askin’, Apple Bloom.” Said Applejack. Apple Bloom took a look at the human and couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. She then looked at Applejack and said “Did he apologize, AJ?” asked in humor. “Well, uh…yeah, he did.” Said Applejack with a flexed eyebrow, whilst not getting what Apple Bloom was implying. “In that case,” said Apple Bloom, “Why don’ we let em go before ya puncture a lung there, huh?” Apple Bloom looked at the human and flashed him a smile. However, by seeing her smile, the human couldn’t help but remember something from long ago. Which caused him to return the warm expression as he smiled too. Applejack sighed and loosened the grip on her rope and allowed the human to move freely. The human immediately collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting heavily and coughed a little bit. The human never realized how strong she was when she held the rope. The human then grumbled, “First I deal with a former boss at my old work who doesn’t know when to chill out, now I’m getting assaulted by some random…uh…” His anger was suddenly replaced by curiosity as he looked at her and said “What exactly are you, anyway?” “Oh, right,” replied Applejack whilst she adjusted her Stetson hat. “Sorry fer not introducin’ mahself an’ fer not listenin’ to ya. Name’s Applejack, Sugarcube. Ah’m one o’ the proud owners o’ Sweet Apple Acres. An’ this here is mah little sister, Apple Bloom.” The human looked at Apple Bloom, who was still smiling at him whilst waving. The human felt a familiar sensation when he saw her eyes and smile, as it greatly reminded him of someone that he once knew. Realizing he didn’t want to hold them up, he decided to introduce himself. “Well then,” said the human after he cleared his throat, “My name is Buck Armstrong. As you can guess, I’m not exactly from around here.” “Ah can tell,” said Applejack, “Hard to believe that another human would end up bein’ pulled into Equestria.” He saw that she sighed and took her hat off. Was she pitying you? “Wait,” said Buck as he wanted to make sure that he heard her right, “Another human? Are you telling me that there are more humans around here?” “This is partner.” Said Applejack, “Only one other human exists in our town.” Buck looked away from Applejack to give into his habit of staring at the sky. On one hand, there’s a chance that your boring life was about to become much more interesting. On the other hand, there’s still the chance that the locals of this town might not take a liking to him since he was still a stranger to their land. “Hey, what’s that thing around yer neck?” asked Apple Bloom. Buck looked down and saw that she was gesturing the locket around his neck. He held onto it and was hesitant into talking. “It was a birthday gift…a very special birthday gift from someone I loved very much.” Replied Buck whilst looking at her with a smile. “Awww, that’s so nice.” Said Apple Bloom, then got curious and asked, “Where are they now? Uh, back at yer home, ah mean.” The moment she asked that, Buck had a hurtful look on his face when Apple Bloom asked him that particular question, one that he just couldn’t find in his heart to tell her who gave him the locket, so instead, Buck just closed his eyes and then shook his head slowly. Applejack could see the look on his face. Clearly it was something from long ago that he wasn’t very comfortable to talk about. “Ah don’t think you should ask him such questions Apple Bloom.” Said Applejack, “Probably best to leave the fella alone until he’s comfortable in telling us, okay Sugarcube?” “Oh, alright,” said Apple Bloom. But then she realized that if he’s here, then he’d have a hard time finding a place to live. So, she turned to Applejack and asked “But can we at least let im’ stay with us?” Applejack was a little surprised by this, but then she realized what Apple Bloom realized, that Buck wouldn’t have a place to live if he went off on his own. She looked at him, then to Apple Bloom. Buck ended up looking up in the sky after he got tired of staring at the darkness through his closed eyes. Applejack thought about it long and hard about it, but then she stopped being quiet and let her clear conscience do the talking. “Now listen here Sugarcube,” said Applejack, “It’s clear dat y’all got nowhere to stay, so…” But then Apple Bloom interrupted and said “How would ya like to spend a night back at our barn?” Even though Buck had kept his eyes on the clear blue sky, he had heard them perfectly and gave it some thought. It was true he had nowhere else to go and he doubt that if he’d turn down the offer, he would get invited by someone else. But then again…he always wanted to try some farmwork for a change instead of being in a city. “I don’t see much of a reason to protest.” Said Buck as he crossed his arms and looked at them. “You’re a lot much easier to be around with than my own blasted parents.” Applejack smiled and held her hand out, allowing Buck to accept it whilst she helped him up. Buck was about an inch higher than her, but from the looks of it, she’s really strong. “Y’all hungry there, partner?” asked Applejack. Suddenly, Buck’s stomach growled, making Buck blush and Applejack and Apple Bloom giggling at that. “Ah’ll take that as a yes.” “A little, yeah.” Said Buck. “I’m so hungry, I could probably eat a bear.” Both Applejack and Apple Bloom gasped, thinking he meant literally. Making Buck roll his eyes and said “It’s a figure of speech.” “Still, don’t say stuff like that!!” said Apple Bloom with a glare. “Ponies are herbivores!!” Buck took a good look at her, and again it reminded him of someone. He couldn’t help but smile and did the unexpected. He gently placed his hand on her forehead and rubbed it a bit, taking her by surprise. “You’re just so adorable, you know that?” said Buck. Apple Bloom suddenly blushed and giggled a bit, forgetting about the figure of speech he made. Applejack couldn’t help but smile at that too. “Anyway,” said Applejack, “It’s obvious that one Apple wasn’t enough ta’ fill ya up, Sugarcube. Lucky fer y’all, Granny Smith should be jus’ about done with dinner.” Buck nodded in agreement as he walked with them. However, during the walk, he couldn’t help but stare at Applejack. He had to admit…she looked kinda cute. However, what she said about humans earlier… “So…” said Buck, “About this human? Where is he now?” “Oh, right.” Said Applejack, “He’s up in the capital city o’ Canterlot, discussin’ the arrangements fer his and mah friend, Twilight’s weddin’.” “Wait, Wedding?!! Exclaimed Buck. ***************************************************************************************** “Excuse me?” said Princess Celestia surprised as she and Princess Luna stared at Beau in shock when he asked them a certain question that he wanted to ask them in person. “I’d…” said Beau as he was completely nervous at the same time. “I’d like to have a wedding because…I want to marry, Twilight.” The two sisters were still trying to process what he was saying. Princess Celestia cleared her throat and asked. “If I might ask…why do you wish to wed her?” Beau sighed whilst closing his eyes, and said “I have to admit, that it sounds strange, I know, that I only began to knew her for more than a month, and normally it would be strange that a different creature would marry a pony.” He looked away and said “But with Twilight, it’s different. I mean when I’m with her, we found out we both have a lot in common. We both didn’t have friends growing up over the years. But then I found out that she fell head over heels for me. And…something inside me just…felt the same way for her. I felt like…we were meant to be.” Beau then blushed and said “And since after our wild night, she was fine until she got sick. But when we went to the doctor…we found out that…” Luna immediately picked it up and in shock, slowly said, ‘She’s…pregnant?” Beau nodded, which shockened Celestia and Luna more. “But how is it possible?” said Princess Celestia, “A pony would take about two weeks before they became pregnant. How did she become Pregnant overnight?” “Apparently from what the doctor said,” said Beau, “Because of her being an Alicorn, her metabolisms and other structures would change, considering that she’s different than from most ponies.” Beau cleared his throat and said “Anyway…when I found out…it made me realize…I really want to be with her. I want to help raise a child and…be a better father than mine was. Teach her what’s right and what’s wrong.” He raised his hands and said “And I know that it sounds crazy and everything. But…for the first time in my life…I actually have something to look forward to in my life. Something…that would really give me purpose. Something…that I’m looking forward to.” Both Princesses could hear the honesty in his voice. And if what he said was true, then this should be an interesting wedding. For the nobles of Canterlot were a bit skeptical of him when he walked through the streets a week ago. Though when he and Fancy Pants met, he found him quite amusing, and Beau warmed up to him. Even Jet Set and Uppecrust were impressed by his mannerism and understanding of proper etiquette. Though given what Rarity told Beau about the two of them, he was a bit skeptical around them, and he can’t blame Rarity for thinking of them that way. He was able to gain some respect when he visited and helped at a few stores that had problems. Then again, that’s what happens when he was raised by a family who taught him the importance of societies, their manners, their rules, and their proper attires. Princess Celestia smiled, stood up and walked over to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, which caused Beau to look at her. “Normally, the idea would be frowned upon others,” said Princess Celestia, who then smiled, “But we can see how much you truly care for Twilight. And through her letters, she has truly taken a shine on you.” Beau couldn’t help but smile to that, as he realized that this would be another big step for him, even for Twilight. “Though it depends when we’re going to plan the wedding, as well as the date?” asked Beau. “Well,” said Princess Celestia, “We could always start next month with the planning. Then about 2 months after that, we’ll have the wedding date at the end of the month. That way it’ll give you time to have a honeymoon.” “That could work,” said Beau, “But should we send it to Twilight?” She gave it a thought for a bit, then summoned both a parchment and quill and write down with her magic of what she had spoken to Beau. Then she sent the letter with her magic. Beau was a bit confused. Until moments later, the parchment appeared, allowing it to open in front of her and she read it. She then showed it to Beau, who also read it through. “Wow, that could work.” Said Beau, “And wow, I had no idea she could say yes so many times.” Princess Celestia and Princess Luna giggled at that. “She has a habit of doing that.” Said Princess Luna. “We’ll have to get ready in Canter…” said Princess Celestia, however, Beau knew she was going to suggest that they would marry in Canterlot, so he quickly had to cut her off. “Actually,” said Beau, “Would it be alright if we held our wedding at Ponyville?” Both the Princesses were surprised by this. “Oh?” asked Princess Celestia, “How come?” “Well for one,” started Beau, “We’re not sure if Canterlot would accept the wedding thing, considering that some of them don’t like outsiders that aren’t ponies. I mean, given your experience with the Griffons, Dragons, Yaks and so on.” The two of them grimaced and looked at one another, for they did have a point. The high society tends to be…hostile to outsiders. “And the second?” asked Princess Luna. “I don’t think we want to remind Twilight of what happened between, well…” said Beau, “A certain Changeling and a certain Sibling?” The two of them widened their eyes in shock, as they had nearly forgotten about that day. “Not to mention when a certain one she looked up to said, quote, you have a lot to think about, end quote.” Said Beau nervously. Princess Celestia widened her eyes in shock, as she remembered. Causing her to look down in shame. “I er, ahem. I see what you mean.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dig up the past,” said Beau, “It’s just…I don’t want her to go through that again, you know? Especially if Shining Armor gets involved in this. And knowing him he’d stop the two of us from getting married.” “I’m sure we can talk to him,” said Princess Celestia, “He’ll listen.” Beau then flexed an eyebrow and said “Like Princess Twilight listened to you when you told her to make friends?” Both the sisters blinked in surprise from that, with Princess Luna saying, “I’m afraid he does have a point there, sister.” “But I already told her parents as well.” Said Beau, “They have every right to know, after all.” “And how did they take it?” asked Luna. “Well…” *************************************************************************************************** Beau had told both Night Light and Twilight Velvet. Both of them were shocked and dropped everything. Not only were they shocked about Beau wanting to marry Twilight, but the fact that she was now pregnant and is going to have a baby… Within a split second, Twilight Velvet hugged Beau tightly and spun him around in excitement. At first, Night Light looked really threatening, but then he suddenly also laughed and hugged Beau. Both parents were hugging him so tightly, his face was going blue and he couldn’t breathe. ************************************************************************************************* “They took it pretty well actually.” Beau. “Though I think Twilight’s mother is twice as excited to have a grandchild to look forward to. Though I have to admit, for a mare her age, she looks amazing.” The two of the Princesses flexed their eyebrows at that, with Beau saying “What? Can’t a future son-in-law compliment his future mother-in-law?” The two couldn’t help but giggle at that. “And I was hoping…” said Beau as he felt nervous again. “That when our child arrives. That…you two would be their godmothers?” The two princesses couldn’t help but smile and walk over to him. “We would be honored.” Said Princess Celestia. “I am looking forward to when the day of both your wedding and the birth of your child arrives.” Said Princess Luna. “Thank you, Princesses.” Said Beau before the two of them hugged Beau. ************************************************************************************************* Meanwhile, back at Sweet Apple Acres, Buck continued to follow the Apple Siblings to their home. When they were in reach, he was surprised to see how amazing it looked. For in a way, in a very strange way, when he was little, long before someone he knew was born, he always wanted to live on a farm, for in a place like that, really knows the true meaning of hard work, not like the places he worked during his summer vacations, as well as after he graduated. Maybe this could be a nice change of pace. The three of them soon walked into the kitchen. Buck couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the display of food that was being cooked by an elderly pony. No doubt this was Granny Smith, who lived up to her name because of her light green coat. Buck had no idea, but she somehow knew Applejack and Apple Bloom had walked into the house. “We’re home granny,” said Applejack. “Well, ain’t that convenient, dinner is just about…” said Granny Smith, but stopped when she saw Buck. She was a little surprised, but she walked over and looked at him closely, and asked, “And just who is this, dear?” “I…” He then heard a door opened, revealing another that just walked in. This time, it was a stallion, with red fur and messy orange mane. He also had green eyes, and wore blue jean overalls that looked like it covered up most of his built-up muscular body, a white shirt and red jacket. When he spotted Buck, his expression displayed just as much curiosity as his did the moment they met their eyes. “No worries, Granny.” Said Applejack as she reassured them, “We’ll explain everythin’ once dinner is ready.” “I’ll admit though,” said Granny, “Ah never thought ah’d see another human, not since that Beau feller came here.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he agreed. “Oh, how was Beau?” asked Buck. “He’s a nice feller,” said Granny, “Always wanted to help me out. Ah told him ah could take care of mahself, but he keeps insisting. And ah thought Applejack was the stubborn one.” Apple Bloom and Big Mac couldn’t help but laugh at that, for Granny did have a point, with Applejack grumbling in embarrassment. Soon enough, the food was on the table and the apples and Buck had taken their seats, with Buck saying, “Well, as I wanted to say, my name’s Buck Armstrong. As you can guess, I came from the same world as Beau.” “Nice to meet ya youngin,” said Granny Smith, “As ya probably figured out, ah’m Granny Smith. And that there stallion there is mah eldest grand colt, Big Macintosh.” “Eeyup.” Responded Big Mac. Buck realized that Big Mac doesn’t talk much, so clearly he must be the strong and silent type, which he didn’t mind, as long as everyone got along, everything should be fine. “It’s uh…nice to meet all of you.” Said Buck, before he felt his stomach growling again, making him chuckle sheepishly whilst Granny and Big Mac also chuckles. “I guess going without food for six and a half hours finally caught up with me.” Buck felt something patting on his back, and then he noticed Applejack patting his back with sympathy in her eyes, “Well, y’all got yerself a spread her to fuel up.” Buck couldn’t help but smile and said “And I greatly appreciate that.” “However,” pointed Applejack out… ‘Of course.’ Thought Buck to himself. “If y’all want to stay here, ya will need to earn yer keep. So tomorrow, yer gonna help us harvestin’ the apples to sell to the Ponyville Farmer’s Market.” Buck was surprised on the inside, for it was quite so sudden that he would suddenly been offered a job without him asking. He should’ve known that there would be a catch. Though on one hand, if he accepted it, he’d have a home to stay, some food on the table, a roof over his head, and…maybe some folks to talk to. Though on the other hand, if he didn’t, he’d be homeless and he doubt that Ponyville would hire someone like him, considering that he’s not from around here. “Well, what do ya say there?” said Applejack as she brought him out of his thinking bubble, “Sounds fair, right Sugarcube?” It does actually. For the old saying goes, if you’re gonna eat big, you gotta work hard. After some thought, Buck nodded in agreement. “Yeah, okay.” Said Buck, “I’ll make sure that I won’t slow you down. And I’ll try to work as hard as I can. I mean it’s the least I can do for accepting me and letting me stay here.” “That’s the spirit there, Sugarcube!” said Applejack as she patted him a little harder on his back, making Buck wince a bit. “Ah’m feeling mighty hungry right now.” “Wow,” muttered Buck, “For a beautiful Amazon, she really is strong.” “Uh, what was that?” Buck blinked and looked at Applejack, and noticed she was slightly blushing. Oh shoot, she must’ve overheard him!! “Uh, I mean, uh, let’s eat.” Said Buck as he quickly moved over to the table. Applejack on the other hand blushed a bit, for Nopony’s ever said that to her. She quickly shook her blush and went over to the table. Once they sat and ate, Buck couldn’t help but take a big bite out of one of the Apple Fritters before he moved on to the salad. Granny saw and couldn’t help but give a short laugh. “Take yer time there, Sugarcube.” Said Granny, “Ah made plenty.” Buck couldn’t help but blush and swallow, whilst also remembering his manners and tried his best to control himself. “Sorry about that,” said Buck, “It’s just…it’s been a long time since I had a meal this good.” “Well, that’s mighty sweet of ya, deary.” Said Granny, “Ah’ve gotta make sure mah youngins here have had their dog gone bellies filled before an’ after work.” Suddenly, when desert came along, Buck widened at the sight of the apple pie. He licked his lips as he scent of the pie nearly made him crazy. Taking in the smell of the warm piece on his plate, it was probably the last thing he’d be able to eat for the night. “Can I ask a question, if it’s alright with you?” asked Buck. “Something on yer mind?” asked Granny Smith. “When I looked around,” said Buck, “I noticed you’ve got a successful business, but I just wanted to know…are you guys understaffed?” “Eeyup.” Replied Big Mac with a nod. “We’ve always been understaffed partner,” said Applejack, “We’ve got other families, but they’ve got their own farms to work on. On top o’ that, we’re on a very tight budget ‘Cause o’ all the repairs on the house an’ the bills. Why, just earlier last month, mah family an’ ah barely managed to make enough bits thanks to the cider season.” Buck thought more about what she said during that information. Then he decided to make an offer. He didn’t know why he was going to do it, but for some reason he did. “Tell you what,” said Buck, gaining their attention, “If I have some free time after harvesting some apples, would it be alright if I checked around to see what does need repairing, as well as handle that just to help ease every, er, pony’s worries.” They were impressed by his offer. “Well, that’d be mighty helpful.” Said Applejack. “Eeyup,” said Apple Bloom, “We could always use more help to help paint the barn, as well as tryin’ to fix some o’ the buckets.” Applejack looked at her with a flexed eyebrow. She wanted to ask, but given Apple Bloom’s sheepish smile, caused her to roll her eyes. Yep, she did something alright. “We’d be glad to take up on that offer.” Said Granny, “Big Mac’s been lookin’ for somepony to help him out with those tasks.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac with a nod. Buck smiled, knowing that even if he would have trouble with the apple harvests, he’d at least have something to do whilst trying to help out around the farm. ************************************************************************************************* After dinner, Applejack decided to lead Buck to the barn, where he would be staying until they can find a way to make him a proper room. Thankfully, the Apple family had already provided him with some spare but fresh clothes as well as a spare toothbrush. “Sorry about this Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she opened the barn doors and showed him in, “This is all we’ve got fer ya to sleep in until we can work something out.” “It’s alright,” said Buck, “I think I can manage with the barn.” He looked inside and noticed how homey and cozy it looked at the same time. “This isn’t so bad.” Said Buck with honesty and looked at Applejack, “The barn feels nice and warm, plus it’s got lots of hay bales and a nice view of the night sky.” Buck couldn’t help but joke and pretended to be a soldier and said “And I shall take first watch for any intruders, Captain.” Applejack couldn’t help but laugh at that silly antic. “Alright then Sugarcube,” said Applejack after the laughter died down. “Y’all might as well get plenty o’ sleep. We start bright an’ early tomorrow at 5AM. Y’all understand?” “Loud and clear.” Said Buck. “Then ah’ll see ya in the mornin’.” Said Applejack as she held the side of the door. “Good night, Sugarcube.” “Night Applejack.” Said Buck whilst she closed the door. As Applejack walked, she suddenly remembered what Buck called her, causing her to blush again, but she shook it off and continued on. Buck, at the same time, walked over to the bales of hay and climbed onto it. He took off his shirt to avoid sweating, whilst grabbing the warm blanket and covered himself before he laid his head down at a pillow. Buck looked at the night sky from the opening at the side of the barn, where he somehow felt a sense of peace as well as a bit of sadness. He then began to think of someone, and pulled out his locket and looked at a picture of a little girl on it. He couldn’t help but shed a tear, thinking about her. Her smile was enough to make anyone feel better. Although, he remembered her last smile, as it suddenly flashed to the day she died. It was clear that she meant a lot to him. “Daisy.” Muttered Buck. He closed his eyes and said “Damn Leukemia. Why did it have to kill my sister? Daisy…you have no idea how much I miss you.” All what Buck did was sigh and thought about trying to move on, for her sake. He then turned to his side and slowly tried to fall asleep. For tomorrow’s another day. Now that he somehow gained a new life he’d been given another chance. He wasn’t going to let it be for nothing, especially for the Apple family that took him in. He’ll try to earn his keep for them. Chapter 6: The Flames of Family DisputesFrom within the barn, Buck was still fast asleep, with one hand gripping on his blanket, whilst his other hand instinctively held onto the locket over his neck. From outside, the sun was slowly rising. And from outside at one of the perches, a rooster saw the sun rising and began to cry aloud. Buck yelped in shock from the rooster and fell off of the hay bail. He groaned whilst he was on the ground and rubbed his head. He slowly got up and dusted his clothes, whilst at the same time, he said “Good thing nobody was around to see me make a fool of myself after waking up.” He stretched a bit and said “Well, better get inside and see if anyone else is awake.” Buck made his makeshift bed and got dressed. He got out of the barn and walked towards the house. The moment he was inside, he saw Apple Bloom walking downstairs, stretching her arms out and yawning adorably, which he admitted, looked really adorable. She almost looked like someone he knew once long ago. “Morning Apple Bloom,” said Buck, gaining the young Apple’s attention, “Did you sleep well?” Apple Bloom nodded, and said “Ah slept well. And ah can tell ya slept pretty well, too. Ya woke up at the right time, breakfast will be ready, soon.” The way Apple Bloom smiled…it was almost too cute for him to handle. And seeing her…reminded him of the girl he knew a while back. One that he knew all too well. He then looked at the trees from the farm, and judging from the number of trees, the Apple family must really be hard workers. He knew that if he was going to work on the farm, then a good breakfast would definitely be in order. And as tough as it was to do hard labor, Buck was willing to work to repay the family for giving him a place to stay. The moment when Buck entered the kitchen, he was suddenly struck with a delicious aroma of French toast with slices of apple pie and some milk to wash it all down. Of course, you saw that Granny Smith was the one who was preparing it all. He had to admit, for an elderly pony, she really is the toughest mare he ever met. “Mornin’ deary.” Said Granny Smith, “Did ya wash yer hands?” “Just about Granny.” Said Buck as he went up the stairs and headed to the nearest bathroom to wash his hands. By the time he was done, he went back to the kitchen and saw Applejack coming down as well. “Howdy Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she sweetly greeted him and took a seat next to one another. “Y’all better get yer fill, cause the work we’re gonna do is gonna keep us busy for a while.” “So, what should we start off first?” asked Buck whilst they were eating and talked on what tasks to do. “Well for starters, Big Mac and Apple Bloom are gonna be busy, tryin’ to water the newly planted trees at the southern fields, we’ll be tryin’ to get as many apples as we can get for the baskets and place them at the cellar and barn, as well as takin’ them to the market. Afterwards, we’ll inspect the farm to see if there’s anythin’ that needs fixin’.” “I’m all for it.” Said Buck as he began to focus on his breakfast. “Take yer time there, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack with a chuckle, “We still got about an hour before getting’ to work. Jus’ a fair warnin’, don’ eat so fast or you’ll make yer stomach burst.” Suddenly, Buck couldn’t help himself but ask with a smirk and said “Speaking from experience?” Applejack suddenly froze and blush in embarrassment, which made her chuckle sheepishly, but the rest of her family laughed. For it is true, she was speaking from experience. After he finished his breakfast and helped Granny wash the dishes, he left the house with the Apple siblings. He turned to Granny and said “Thanks for the meal, Granny.” “No problem, Sugarcube.” Said Granny Smith, “Now y’all take it easy whilst on the job, ya hear?” “Will do my best, Granny.” Said Buck as he walked with Applejack. ***************************************************************************************** As Big Mac and Apple Bloom had left for the Southern fields, Applejack took Buck to the other trees and showed him around. “Whoa,” said Buck as he looked around, “I still can’t get enough of looking at them. I can see the love and care these trees are given.” Applejack chuckled and said “Thanks Sugarcube. We do our best to manage the farm.” “Just the four of you?” asked Buck. “Sometimes mah friends help me out.” Said Applejack, then she rubbed the back of her head and said “Although…there was a time that ah tried to harvest them mahself. It…didn’t work out so well.” “Of course, it wouldn’t.” said Buck. “Excuse me?” said Applejack as she looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. “Sorry, didn’t mean as an insult,” said Buck, “What I’m trying to say, even if you are strong, even if you are hardworking, even the most dependent and independent of farmers need help when it comes to harvesting the fields. Not to mention they have their limits. They can’t go beyond the physical attributes that they already do. You need to work to the best of your abilities, and sometimes that’s all that matters. And from what I can tell, you work your hardest to help others.” He then held onto her shoulder as the two of them stood there for a moment, “You’ve got nothing to prove, Applejack. You’re already the strongest and hardest working pony in town. And everypony is lucky to have you here. I can tell.” Applejack couldn’t help but be surprised by his words, with Buck smiling and said “Now then, let’s get to work.” As he left to the closest tree, Applejack kept staring at him, and she couldn’t help but smile by his words, and she could tell that he was really honest. She walked on further and walked alongside him. ***************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the two of them arrived at their first tree. “Alright now, Sugarcube, watch and learn.” Said Applejack. She then delivered a strong kick to the tree, causing the apples to fall off and fall right into their respective baskets. “Whoa, that’s amazing.” Said Buck, but then he showed concern and asked “But…aren’t you worried that you might damage the trees? Or bruise the apples and have their qualities ruined?” Applejack suddenly looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, which he sheepishly smiled. Applejack couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at the same time. “The way y’all are talkin’ about it, sounds like you respect the trees and the fruits that they bear.” “Well, it’s just…” said Buck, “I always loved nature, especially the beauty of the trees. Not to mention the idea of a fruit being bruised would ruin a lot of hard work that all of you had put in.” Applejack chuckled and walked over to him with her hand on his shoulder and said “And ah greatly appreciate y’all sayin’ that. But answer yer question, nah, the trees don’t get hurt none, they’re plenty strong to handle our kicks. And we make twice as sure that the apples are alright and aren’t bruised or damaged or any other way.” “Oh, that’s good.” Said Buck. Then he looked at the tree and was concerned, ‘I just hope I don’t let them down.’ Thought Buck. ***************************************************************************************** Buck tried many attempts to harvest them. He tried to kick the tree like Applejack, but it only made his leg hurt in the process, and only caused one apple to fall on his head. Although it didn’t hurt, he had a deadpanned expression on his face. Next up, he tried to tackle the trees, but it only hurt his shoulder. Though the apple was able to fall in the basket, it still wasn’t enough. Buck had a deadpanned expression, and said “This is going to be harder than I thought.” He then had a determined look on his face and said “But there’s no way in, whatever underworld that they have here, that I’m gonna give up.” He then looked at the trees and had an idea. “I wonder.” Said Buck as he thought about it. He walked over to the trees and climbed onto them. He handpicked the apples whilst he was on the branches, whilst trying to shake them at the same time. After about two hours or so, he was able to fill twelve baskets, which he was proud of. At the same time, Applejack walked by and noticed what he was doing. “Well ah’ll be.” Said Applejack whilst she was holding a basket, “Ah see that y’all were able to find a way to pick them apples.” “Yeah, I had a little trouble at first,” said Buck, “But I think I’m getting the hang of…” However, he failed to notice that the branch he was standing on began to break, causing him to fall down the moment he did. There was a loud grunt afterwards, but also groaned from the partial pain at the same time, which startled Applejack as she immediately went over to see if he was alright. “Are y’all alright?” asked Applejack when she stood on her one knee and helped him up. “Yeah, just fell down is all.” Said Buck as he rubbed his back a bit, “Though I think it’d probably be safer if I picked apples from a thicker branch.” “Hold on now, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack whilst she stopped Buck at the same time. “How about we grab y’all a ladder or a stool to help ya pick the apples by hand. If ya ain’t careful, y’all could fall on yer head.” “Uh, good point.” Said Buck, “Better to be safe than sorry.” Applejack soon took Buck to the barn and showed him where the ladder was. “Well, here it is.” Said Applejack as she brough out the ladder. “Just be glad that mah sister and her friends didn’t break it.” “Oh, come on, it was one time!!” They looked behind and saw Apple Bloom peeking through, who then had a surprised look on her face whilst she was blushing, then instantly retreated to where she was. Buck looked at Applejack with a flexed eyebrow whilst they were walking out of the barn. Before he could say anything. “Whoa, hold up.” Said Buck as he went to one direction, gaining her attention. To her surprise, she saw him bringing a smaller wagon, “Never might know.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at his creativity, before the two of them started walking. “So, what did she do?” asked Buck. “Well,” said an embarrassed Applejack whilst she said “Mah sister and her friends tried to get their cutie marks in ladder climbing, only for it to backfire on them completely many times, especially broke it on one occasion.” “Yikes.” Said Buck, “But uh, two things. One, what’s a Cutie Mark? And two, why is it so important?” “Well for one,” said Applejack, “A Cutie Mark is when a pony discovers a unique characteristic that sets themselves apart from others as well as tell them their unique special talent, it’s also a part of our identity.” “Are all ponies born with one?” asked Buck. “Not really,” said Applejack, “They’re born without them. Only when they reach about near Apple Bloom’s age can they gain it. Ah was the youngest in mah class to get one.” “But how are they able to get their names if they don’t get their marks?” asked Buck. This caused her to blush bright red, to which he noticed. “Something wrong?” “Er…well…” said Applejack, “It’s a…personal private mare matter. But…if y’all must know…when a mare is expecting, they have a series of dreams that inspires the name for the foal as it tends to have some tie to their special talent.” “Really? Huh.” said a surprised Buck. “Where was that when expecting mothers needed to name their child.” “What do y’all mean?” asked Applejack. “It’s like this,” said Buck, “Before a human mother’s child is born, they try to pick over thousands of names like Tony, Malissa, Myron, Thalia and so on. Sometimes they might even have the same name as the other. And sometimes they’re named after their parent or grandparent.” “Really?” said Applejack, with Buck nodding. “That sure sounds weird.” “Trust me, we’d say the same thing.” Said Buck with a slight chuckle, with Applejack following suit. After bringing the ladder to a nearby tree, he was able to get up and pick the apples carefully, with a smaller basket that he tied around his belt, which he learned from watching a documentary, which surprised Applejack. “Well ah’ll be.” Said a surprised Applejack when she saw him, “How did y’all come up with that?” “I used to tour at an apple farm when I was little.” Said Buck, “I watched a ton of farmers work hard on their trees and pick them in order for them to sell them. And in a strange way, I always wanted to work at one. Cause in a place like this, nothing shows more hard work than an apple farmer.” Applejack felt really moved by his words, which caused her to feel touched by how he describes apple farmers. She even had a slight blush but shook it off and headed down to the next group of trees. ***************************************************************************************** Buck spent most of the day harvesting as much of the trees as he could, and once he filled the wagon, he pulled them straight to the barn, and unpacked them. Then he tried the same routine again. By the time he was able to deliver his haul, he saw Applejack walking up to him. “Alright hun,” said Applejack as she stood near him with her hands on her hips, “Y’all can take a break now, it’s time for lunch.” “Wow, never realized how fast time was flying.” Said Buck. “It happens,” said Applejack, “At least y’all don’t have to worry about going on, on an empty stomach.” The two of them walked back to the house. By the time you got there, Big Macintosh was already waiting at the house, with Apple Bloom running along before she was late. “Come n get it youngins!!” said Granny Smith as she came out, “Lunch is served!!” Everyone walked inside and Buck was surprised to see that on the table, were plates of apples, apple fritters and a salad to boost up energy. “The food looks great, Granny. Thank you.” Said Buck when he and the others went to the table. “Mah pleasure, deary.” Said Granny, “Now go on up an’ git yerselves cleaned up. Y’all can eat after ya wash up.” “Thanks Granny.” Said Buck as he left to get washed up. After washing his hands and his face and to dry himself up. Once he was done, he left in order for the rest of the Apple family to do so. After all the dirt and sweat, Buck made his way towards the dining table and sat down. But remembering his manners, Buck chose to wait for the others, who eventually turned up after they were done with washing their hands too. “Well, it seems we’re all ready to eat.” Said Applejack as she rubbed her stomach, “Ah’ve got a hankerin’ fer a nice big meal!!” Everyone soon sat down, and once they were given permission, they all grabbed a plate each and served themselves some lunch. Though Buck was surprised to see how fast Big Mac and Applejack finished theirs. “Mighty thanks fer the lunch, Granny.” Said Applejack whilst she patted her stomach, which Buck nearly chuckled because of how cute she looked whilst she did that. “So, now that we harvested more apples,” said Buck, “Is there any more work around the farm I could do?” Applejack chuckled and playfully nudged him whilst she said “Somepony is eager, ain’t he?” “Well, you got me there,” said Buck when he was also drawn into the laughter, “Plus, to be honest, all of you treated me a whole lot better than how I was treated at the last place I worked at. Nor have I ever experienced how great a homemade meal felt in such a long time.” He looked at the others and said with honesty, “To me, that’s more rewarding than all the money in the world.” Applejack couldn’t help but smile and patted on his shoulder. “That’s mighty kind of ya to tell us, Sugarcube. They say anypony who pours their heart ‘n soul into their hard work, they’re rewarded with somethin’ more valuable than all the bits in the world. It does me an’ mah family good to know yer enjoin’ yer first stay workin’ at Sweet Apple Acres.” “Or a place to call home.” Said Buck from out of nowhere, which surprised the Apples a little, but they couldn’t help but smile too. “An we may not be the richest ponies in all o Ponyville,” said Granny Smith, “But we’re all still proud o’ how we can provide apples to all o’ the hungry ponies.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac, whilst they continued with the last of their meal. ***************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, from within the castle of Friendship, both Beau and Twilight were working on the wedding invitations for her family and friends, even for the royalties so that they wouldn’t miss anything out. Twilight used her magic to write down the possible ways of how to write down an invite. She then groaned and crumbled the parchment and tossed it away with her magic, which landed in a parge pile of crumbled papers. Beau was busy writing his, and looked at the pile, then looked at Twilight with a flexed eyebrow. “Still couldn’t find anything?” asked Beau as he sat next to her. “I’ve gone over a hundred of possible invitations and none of them seem to…” said Twilight before she was cut off. “Meet up to your standards in a bookworm level?” teased Beau, which caused Twilight to glare at him. “Don’t you go there.” Said Twilight, before she yelped the moment Beau grabbed her, making her sit on his lap. “Oh?” said Beau playfully as he held her close, “How are you planning to stop me?” Twilight couldn’t help but smirk as she pecked on his lips whilst she held him close. “I may have worked on something.” Said Beau before he showed her, “Check it out.” Twilight looked it over and was surprised to see how well it looked. For the invitation looked like a six-pointed star origami. “Oh Beau, this is perfect.” Said Twilight. “You can thank Pinkie Pie.” Said Beau, “If there’s one thing she knows, it’s how to make an invitation look great.” “I can agree to that.” Said Twilight before she giggled. “Although…” said Beau, “How are we going to copy these invitations?” “Oh, we could…” said Twilight before being cut off. “No, we’re not going to Derpy.” Said Beau. “Huh?” said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow. “Remember what happened during Cranky Doodle’s wedding?” said Beau, “He went to Derpy when he heard she could do it, but then she ended up botching it and ended up getting the wedding date wrong. Their wedding was supposed to be in over a month, but she ended up printing it on the current date.” “Really?” said Twilight in surprise, “When was that?” “I believe it was the same day you and the girls fought that Bugbear.” Said Beau. “Oh, right.” Said Twilight as she slapped her forehead, “Now I remember.” “Hmm,” pondered Beau, “You know, we can maybe ask Pinkie Pie to help make more of these. I mean she has a habit of making new birthday cards every time on someone’s birthday, so maybe she can do the same for our wedding invitations.” “Great idea.” Said Twilight. “Pinkie Pie always knows how to send invitations.” “Someone call my name?” The two of them yelped when they saw Pinkie Pie next to them. “You know what, I’m not gonna even ask.” Said Beau. “Smart choice.” Said Twilight, before turning to Pinkie. “Pinkie, we sort of have a favor to ask.” “Oooh, what is it?” said Pinkie Pie eagerly. “Well, we know how good you are at making invitations when it comes to parties and anniversaries and celebrations, correct?” asked Twilight. “Yup a Rooney!!” said Pinkie Pie whilst she was nodding eagerly. “Well…” began Twilight, “Seeing that this is mine and Beau’s wedding, we were hoping that you’d…” Pinkie let out a gasp and said in excitement, “You want me to make more wedding invitations for you two?!” “That’s right.” Said Beau as he gave her two things, “Here’s the card what I made, and on the other is a list of those who we’d like to invite to the wedding. Think you can do it?” Pinkie then saluted and shouted “Your wish is my command!!” She then squealed in excitement, grabbed the invitations, and darted straight out of the castle. Beau blinked at this and slowly look at Twilight. “I’ve been here for a month and a few weeks and I still haven’t gotten used to that.” Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at this and walked over to him and held him close. “Trust me, it was overwhelming for me too.” Beau was then worried and said “From what you told, I know Cadance would be ecstatic into meeting us, but…what about your brother?” Twilight was also worried and hugged Beau tighter, with her head against his chest. “I really hope things will go well. I don’t want to do the same thing he did at…” “I know Twilight.” Said Beau, “I know.” The two of them continued to hold one another, for now that the wedding invites would soon be sent, they were worried about another who they fear won’t accept the two of them being together… Twilight’s brother. ***************************************************************************************** After Buck helped Granny wash the dishes after they were done with lunch, Applejack had asked him to follow her. Maybe she has more work for him that she needed help with. And to be fair, he did ask him if he could do more around the farm. “So, whilst we were workin’, we thought about what y’all said when ya made an offer to help out more often around the farm.” Said Applejack. “Glad you took my offer.” Said Buck. “So, what’s first on the list?” She brought him over to the Pig Pen as the two were standing bear the pen. “Alright then, this here will be the first odd job fer the day.” Said Applejack. Buck couldn’t help but chuckle and said “Odd job? That’s pretty clever, actually.” Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle too, then said “Think ya got what it takes to feed them there Piggies?” “That I can do.” Said Buck. “Good,” said Applejack as she grabbed a nearby bucket and gave it to him, “Take this here bucket o’ scraps and pour it in that there bin. After that, y’all can help Big Mac plant some seeds an’ plow the fields. We gotta be ready fer the next cider season. Ah promised mah friend Rainbow Dash she’d get a special pass to be first in line to have some of our apple cider.” “Who’s Rainbow Dash?” asked Buck, “And Apple Cider?” Applejack looked at him oddly, blinked, and then chuckled. “Oh, right, ah didn’t get the chance to tell ya.” Said Applejack. “Rainbow’s a friend o’ mine. She’s actually a Pegasus, in other words a pony with wings. She’s training to be one day be part of the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s best flyers. Right now, she’s in the reserves, so she ain’t a full member, yet. She also loves her apple cider. Plus, if yer ever in a tight jam, she’s there fer her friends through thick an’ thin. It ain’t no surprise since she’s the Element o’ Loyalty. She’s one of mah ver’ closest friends…an’ best rival.” “Really?” said Buck whilst flexing an eyebrow and resting on the fence, “How long have you two been friends and rivals?” “Let’s just say…” said Applejack whilst she was rubbing the back of her head, “We’ve competed against each other fer a long time now. Ah’ll tell ya more later after work. But fer now, them, pigs aren’t gonna feed themselves.” “You got it.” Said Buck as he began to do his work. Buck went over to the pigs and fed them the bucket of scraps Applejack was talking about, whilst she went back to work at the orchard. The pigs snorted and sniffed at the bucket in Buck’s hands, taking in the scent of their grub. Buck poured the scraps in the food, then watched them eat to their snort in excitement. “You know, sometimes it’s adorable watching them like this.” Said Buck, but then he wondered something. “But what the heck do they use the pigs for? The cows and chickens I understand, but the pigs…uh, you know what, maybe I don’t wanna know.” Buck soon left the pig pen and closed the gate behind him whilst walking around, trying to find Big Mac, seeing that you also want to help him out. As he looked around, he finally saw Big Mac, and saw he had a couple of bags of seed in his arms. Even though he’s strong, Buck couldn’t help but feel concerned and ran on over to give him a hand. “Yo, Big Mac!!” Hearing Buck’s voice, Big Mac turned around and saw Buck running towards him. He stopped near him and panted a bit from the running. “Sorry I’m late,” said Buck as he tried to collect his breath, “I was busy helping out by feeding the pigs in the pig pen. Need any help?” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he handed a bag to Buck, allowing him to accept it. Big Mac motioned him to follow him, allowing the two of them to walk together. Buck walked with Big Mac up and down the fields where there were empty spots, allowing them to plant the seeds in a straight vertical line. Big Mac plowed parts of the field, which Buck is quite impressed with his strength. ‘Wish I had the strength to do the things he does.’ Thought Buck to himself whilst he watched Big Mac worked. After the seeds were planted, they used their watering cans to water every seed that had been planted in order for the tree to grow to full strength and bear its fruit overtime. Thankfully, the planting of the seeds and watering them wasn’t all that hard. Though Buck wasn’t use to farming yet, he’d still be willing to work hard to repay the Apple family for the hospitality they gave him. It took a few hours, but the work had been done and the day was nearly over. Big Mac motioned that it was now time to regroup with the others and head back inside for some… However, Buck noticed Applejack had a really worried look. He nudged Big Mac, gaining his attention and pointed at his sister, which caused him to notice the worried look he had on her face. Feeling concerned and worried, they quickly went over to figure out what was going on. “Applejack, what’s wrong?” said Buck concerned whilst Applejack was focused on something else entirely. “Look!!” shouted Applejack in panic. When Buck and Big Mac looked, they were shocked to see what was going on. For what happened, was smoke and fire coming from out of the doors and windows. Buck’s heart felt like it was going to stop from what he saw. “What the hell…how did this happen?!” exclaimed Buck. “Ah have no idea!!” said Applejack in panic. “What about Granny?!” said Big Mac. “Ah was able to get her out!!” said Applejack, “We gotta find a way to put out the fire!!” However, Buck then noticed someone else wasn’t with them. Causing him to look in concern and said “Hey, where’s Apple Bloom?!” The two siblings were shocked to hear this, until… “Somepony!! Anypony!! Help!!!” They all looked up and realized in shock of who else was in there. “Apple Bloom!!!” exclaimed Applejack in shock. However, Buck suddenly saw someone else in Apple Bloom’s stead, a human girl, who looked like the girl in his locket. He slowly shook his head and gripped his fists. ‘No…not again.’ Thought Buck, then he clenched his teeth, and shouted “Not again!!” Not waiting for anyone, with swift motion, Buck instantly ran towards the house, which shocked Applejack and Big Mac. “Buck, wait!!” shouted Applejack, but it fell in deaf ears, for he ran straight in, desperately trying to find Apple Bloom. He went past some parts of the fire, and was able to make it to the stairs. Once he was there, he instantly ran up, but slightly coughed as the smoke from the fire was affecting his lungs. He went from door to door, trying to figure out where Apple Bloom was. He spotted her room and was about to open it, but because of the fire, the door handle was hot, making him grunt in pain. Having an idea, he pulled his shirt off and held it ready. “Like the old saying goes…no pain no gain.” Said Buck as he got ready. He used his shirt to grab the handle, but bit his lip as he still felt some of the pain. Buck was able to get the door opened and saw Apple Bloom on the floor, coughing and on her knees, not being able to see anything because of the smoke. However, he looked to his right and saw a picture frame. He saw a happy family on it and instantly grabbed it whilst putting his shirt back on at the same time. “Apple Bloom!!” shouted Buck, gaining the young pony’s attention. She instantly got up and ran over to him whilst hugging him tightly. “Get me outta here, please!!” cried Apple Bloom as she was greatly frightened, which caused him to hug her and patted her head for comfort, whilst looking around, realizing that they won’t be able to make it out if they stayed longer. Buck suddenly heard a lough crash, making him look outside of Apple Bloom’s room, and saw that their exit had been blocked, making the young Apple family member scared out of her mind. He looked around and saw the window. There was that one, but realized how high they were. It was going to be painful, but he knew what he had to do…for her. “I have an idea!!” said Buck loudly to gain her attention, “On the count of three, I’m gonna break through the window and you’ll use my body as a cushion!! It’s risky, but you’ll be safe, okay?!” “O-okay…” said Apple Bloom, which frightened Buck as he could tell she was having trouble breathing. “But please hurry. Ah can’t breathe!!” “Alright then, here we go!!” said Buck as he held her in position, and prepared for a painful drop. “One…two…THREE!!!” Buck ran towards the window whilst holding onto Apple Bloom at the same time as they made their way to the window. At the last minute, Buck used his shoulder blade to break through the window before turning around and wrapped Apple Bloom in his arms tightly whilst she left a muffled scream in his chest. At the same time, Applejack and Big Mac heard the window shattering, causing them to look at the other direction and were shocked to see Buck jumping out of the window…with Apple Bloom in tow. The two of them watched as Buck landed on the ground back first, hard, whilst letting out a pained grunt. Applejack and Big Mac immediately went over to see if they were okay. Buck slightly lifted his head and saw Apple Bloom, with a surprised and scared expression, looking right back at him. “Are you…are you alright, Apple Bloom?” asked Buck. Still in shock, she could manage a slow nod. Buck was relieved to see she was alright. However, she instantly wrapped her arms around him, thanking whoever was watching from the heavens was watching over them. Buck slowly hugged her back, to make sure that she was okay. “Apple Bloom!!” Buck slowly looked and saw Applejack and Big Mac running towards them. He was able to let Apple Bloom go whilst she struggled to stand up. Applejack instantly kneeled down and gave her little sister a big hug. “Ah thought Ah lost ya, Apple Bloom.” Muttered Applejack as she held onto him tightly. Apple Bloom was able to speak through her shocked voice, “He…he saved me sis…He saved mah life.” Applejack looked at Apple Bloom with a surprised expression, then to Buck. However, the moment she did, she saw Buck had begun to cough, and not in a good way. The smoke must’ve done a little bit more damage than he thought. “Hey, are ya alright?!” said Applejack as she kneeled down close to him and held the side of his shoulder, with him still coughing. Looking really worried, Applejack called out, “Big Mac!! Get him to the hospital!! An’ hurry!!” “E-Eeyup!!” said Big Mac frantically. Big Mac not only began to carry Buck, but Apple Bloom as well, causing him to quickly make his way towards the hospital. However, just as they ran, something dropped from Buck, catching Applejack’s attention. She walked over and picked it up. But when she looked, she widened her eyes in shock, and slowly looked up where Buck was taken. She looked at the picture and shed a few tears, clearly this meant a lot to them, causing her to hug it. “Applejack!!” Applejack widened her eyes in shock and looked up, causing her to look back and saw Twilight and the rest of her friends running or flying towards her, along with Ponyville’s fire department as they quickly worked to stop the fire, with Rainbow helping as she brought in a few rain clouds. “We saw smoke coming from Ponyville and we got here as fast as we could!!” said Twilight as she was worried for her friend’s safety. “Darling, what happened?!” said Rarity in worry. Applejack looked at the picture, then looked at the direction where Big Mac took Apple Bloom and Buck. “Applejack?” said Twilight in worry when they showed more concern for Applejack. ************************************************************************************************* From within what appeared to be a dark void, Buck was suddenly floating what appeared to be a great void. He slowly looks up and looks around, wondering where he was. It didn’t make any sense for him, as he didn’t know what was going on. That was, until he saw what appeared to be a light of sorts. He slowly moved over towards it until he was engulfed to it. When the light faded, he found himself back in what appeared to be a graveyard. “Wait, I know this place.” Said Buck as he was suddenly dreading. He saw many people had gathered at a different location, all of them wearing darker clothing, making him realizing that there was a funeral going on. Soon enough, they were all walking away, all but two people, people he thought he’d never see. His parents. He walked closer to them, wondering what was going through their heads. But when he arrived, he saw them staring at two graveyards. One belonging to his sister. And the other…belonging to him. He was taken aback by what he was seeing. He then looked at them, wondering what they were thinking. But then he got his wish. “Oh Buck.” Said his mother, “This is all my fault. I should’ve been there to help you. I should’ve been there for you when you were alone. I should’ve been there…when you needed me the most.” “Don’t blame yourself,” said Buck’s father, “I’m just as responsible for what happened. I ended up turning to alcohol when I should’ve focused on Buck. After Daisy…I felt so lost…broken. We promised to look after each other and be happy. And…we both broke that promise. He was my only boy and…I wasn’t there for him when he needed me the most. Just like…we were never there for each other.” Buck’s father went over to his mother, and said “I’m so sorry Daisy. I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep that promise. That we…could never keep that promise.” Both of Buck’s parents hugged one another. Buck couldn’t help but shed a tear at this scene. “Oh…mom…dad.” Said Buck as he walked towards them, speaking to them as if they were still standing in front of him. “I wish things have been different between us. I wished that stupid cancer hadn’t taken Daisy away. I miss her just as much. I tried my best to keep her promise…I’m just as sorry for not being able to keep it. But fate…has a way of taking everything from us. Maybe it was her time but…it just wasn’t fair. She was just a little girl…she was…everything to us…everything to…me too. I know that we can’t do anything to change what happened, wishing that we could’ve had a second chance. I just don’t know why I was given another chance…in another world for that matter. But…I felt like it should’ve been me instead of her. But I just wanted to let you know that…even though things were different between us. I never did try to stop loving you. But from what happened…I guess we all were bitter from her passing.” He went over and hugged the both of them. He could still feel their touch, and said with tears falling. “I love you two. I just hope that one day you’ll find forgiveness in each other. I just wish I could tell you in person that I forgive you for everything that happened.” He didn’t see it, but the moment when he said those words, the two of them smiled, as if they felt their son had been talking to them. He was soon able to let them go, before everything slowly faded into darkness, as if he was in a realm filled with stars. “Huh?” said Buck as he looked around. “Where am I?” “You are in a realm between realms.” Buck turned around and was surprised to see another pony, but she looked different, for she has both a horn and a pair of wings. “Whoa…” said Buck as he somewhat felt nervous. “Who…are you?” “Apologies.” Said the pony, “I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and ruler of the dream realms.” “Whoa, ruler of dreams?” said Buck whilst feeling impressed. “That must be a huge responsibility.” “Oh, it is.” Said Princess Luna. “Though…why am I here?” asked Buck in confusion. “I have felt another presence in Equestria.” Said Princess Luna. “Though I was surprised to see another human here. I did not think such a thing was possible. Whilst you were in Ponyville, I had looked in your dreams and your heart, of how you suffered from your realm.” Luna held his hands and said “I am truly sorry of what happened to your sister, and the hardships that you have. Whilst I was exploring, I took it upon myself to see of how your parents would react to the news. I brought you here so that you could finally be at peace.” She released his hands and said “And it may come as a surprise to you, but the first human, Beau, had too gone through hardships of his own. Though he did not have any siblings, he felt like an outsider, and did not feel the love he needed from his parents. So, I was able have him temporarily speak to his mother, to be at rest.” “At least we were both lucky enough to say goodbye.” Said Buck. He then looks to her and said “So what happens now?” Luna giggled and said “Now that all is said and done, it is time for you to wake up.” ************************************************************************************************* Buck slowly opened his eyes, but felt something bright shine on them at the same time too. When he was able to focus, he saw the bright light shining on the ceiling. Buck slowly looked to his left and saw a beeping monitor. Then to his right and saw he was strapped to an I.V. Buck then groaned and held onto his head. “Ugh, what happened?” said Buck as he was able to sit up straight. “You lost conscious before you reached the hospital.” Buck looked to his right and saw a pure white mare with baby blue eyes and a pink mane that was made into a bun. “Oh, hello there.” Groaned Buck whilst trying to be polite, considering how uncomfortable he is. “Who might you be?” “Oh, my name is Nurse Redheart.” Said the said pony mare, “I’m the one who has been assigned to take care of you for the time being until you are discharged. I heard about how you rescued a little filly from the farmhouse. That was really brave of you. Most Ponies wouldn’t have done what you just did.” “I…I did what I could to help.” Said Buck weakly. But then he was frantic and said “W-Where’s Apple Bloom? Is she alright?” He then heard a chuckle, causing both Buck and Nurse Redheart to look at the door, revealing to be Applejack as she stood at the doorway. “Ya don’t have to worry ‘bout it Sugarcube. The lil filly’s in the other room next to yours, restin’ up. Earlier, she couldn’t stop askin’ if you were alright. She’s mighty grateful bout’ how ya saved her from the fire.” Buck sighed in relief as he relaxed. “Oh, thank goodness. I was worried she might have inhaled too much smoke. I wouldn’t be able to live or forgive myself is she didn’t make it.” “Nice to see you again, Applejack.” Said Nurse Redheart, before turning back to Buck, “I’ll give you two some privacy.” After she left, Applejack walked over and sat on the bed near his legs. “If anythin’, Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she looked at Buck with a grateful smile, “Mah family and Ah are in yer debt. Ah’m very grateful fer what ya did to save Apple Bloom.” “Still,” said Buck as he wondered something, “How did the fire start in the first place? Everything was fine this morning, but until recently.” “Oh, Ah can explain that.” Said Applejack, “Turns out that Granny Smith left her cookin’ apron on the stove whilst she left to go freshen up. It must’ve gotten burnt by the stove flames and spreaded all over the house. It’s all burnt to a crisp, so it’s gonna take a while to before we get it repaired. Thankfully, we were able to save most of our things and stuff before things got out of hand.” “I’m…sorry to hear that.” Said Buck, looking down as if he felt he failed her. Applejack couldn’t help but smile and placed her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it, even stroked his hair. “Hey, no worries there, Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she kept her hand on his head, “At least we all made it out alive an’ that’s all that matters.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Said Buck. However, Buck reached for the inside of his shirt and pulled out his locket and opened it, revealing a picture of a little girl inside. Buck then sighed, knowing that there was something he needed to get off of his chest. “Applejack,” said Buck. Though hesitant, felt she needed to know the truth, considering she’s always honest. “I think maybe it’s high time that I told you about who this girl is in my locket.” He showed her the picture, allowing her to take a good look at it. “Aw, she’s cute.” Said Applejack, but then felt somewhat worried. “Are y’all sure yer comfortable with this, Sugarcube?” “Eeyup.” Said Buck whilst nodding, mimicking Big Mac, causing her to laugh a bit. He sighed and said “The picture you see here…she’s my little sister, Daisy.” Applejack shared sympathy with Buck’s love for his sister, which she couldn’t help but smile warmly at that. “She was a walking ray of sunshine that I couldn’t stop loving.” Said Buck after he placed his locket away. “We both stuck together through thick and thin, even my parents couldn’t help but spoil her. But…tragedy couldn’t keep its filthy hands off of my sister. She…ended up being diagnosed with cancer when she was six years old.” Applejack gasped slightly as she put a hand over her mouth. “Ya mean she’s…?” asked Applejack, unable to finish her question. Buck nodded, answering her question as he continued. “She died at the ripe young age of eight. But even after she left us, she still had that angelic smile on her adorable face. But…after she died, my parents changed and blamed me for everything I did wrong, whether minor or an accident. But no matter how much good I tried to do; it was never enough for them.” Buck sighed whilst looking at the ceiling. “I felt like I didn’t know my own parents anymore. I couldn’t stand being near them, so I left after I graduated.” He felt Applejack’s hand on his right shoulder, making him look at her and noticed she shed a tear. "Ah’m…mighty sorry to hear that, Sugarcube." Buck couldn’t help but smile and wiped it away. “It’s true…I still miss her every day.” Said Buck, “But I know she wanted me to be happy and keep going, not just for her sake, but my own as well. So, I did.” He looked at her whilst smiling and said “But I had a lot of help from you and your family after you took me in, gave me a chance when nobody else did. For that I can never repay you, except thank you…for everything.” Applejack couldn’t help but blush and hid her face whilst lowering her Stetson hat a bit. Buck was worried that he might’ve said something wrong if he made her blush like that. But then Applejack did something that caught him completely off guard… She pressed her lips against his. Buck couldn’t help but blush too, for Applejack locked her hand with his and continued to kiss him. Buck ended up closing his eyes and decided to savor the kiss. Despite being a hard worker on the farm, Applejack’s lips were quite soft. He was so getting used to it, he wanted to last a while, until she needed up breaking it for air. The two of them stared at one another, with Applejack blushing and vice versa. “A-Applejack…what…?” said Buck as he tried to ask, but Applejack stopped him. “Ah felt Ah needed to thank ya properly fer savin’ mah sister. Ya probably already know this, but yer like a hero to her. And she feels like yer the second big brother she’s always wanted.” Buck was a little surprised, but also happy at the same time. To think, that after all this time, Buck has been given a second chance at having another little sister. Even though she’s a pony, Apple Bloom reminds him a lot of Daisy. As for Applejack, well, maybe one of these days he might actually bond with her in ways he never even considered at first…like as a couple. Besides, after that tender kiss she shared with him, how could he not like her. ************************************************************************************************* Later that day, Pinkie Pie had made the invitations and stuffed them all in a party cannon, then walked into position. “Sending out invitations in three…two…one!!!” With one big pull, she fired the invitations into the sky, causing every single invitation to go to their destination, with Pinkie Pie humming and skipping away, knowing that her work is done, whilst the invitations went to the guests. ************************************************************************************************* At the same time, at what appeared to be the Crystal Empire, two ponies, aka, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance, were watching over the kingdom whilst Cadance held onto Flurry Heart. “I have to admit, things have been really quiet lately.” Said Shining Armor. “I agree,” said Cadance, “I mean after everything that happened at the Crystalling for Flurry, things haven’t been that exciting lately. Though I have a feeling excitement is due to come right around the corner.” Suddenly, an invitation was slowly being lowered, gaining their attention. “Wait, what’s that?” asked Shining Armor. “It must be from Pinkie Pie.” Said Cadance as she used her magic to bring it to her. “How can you tell?” asked Shining Armor, making Cadance look at him with a flexed eyebrow, with him blushing and said “Oh, right. It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.” “Good boy.” Said Cadance with a smile. She then opened it and looked through it. The moment she was done, she had an extremely surprised reaction to this, causing her to slowly smile widely and squealed like a schoolgirl, making Shining Armor look at her with a flexed eyebrow. “What?” Cadance handed him the invitation and presented it to Shining Armor. He looked through it and skimmed through it. When he was done, his jaw dropped and saw something that caught him greatly off guard. “Twilight is getting married?!!” Chapter 7: Growing families and confrontationsAuthor's Note Sorry it took so long. One complicated thing after another. Chapter 7: Growing families and confrontations A few hours later, Buck was admitted out of the hospital, and was embraced by Apple Bloom before he had the chance to go outside. “Thank ya so much fer savin’ me, Buck.” Said Apple Bloom. “Ah don’t know what would’ve happened if y’all hadn’t showed up.” “Hey,” said Buck as he was on knee level and looked at Apple Bloom right in the eyes. “There’s no way I’d let anything happen to you. Besides, you’re just too cute to be hurt.” Buck rustled her head whilst rubbing it, making her giggle at that. He soon stood up and held onto her shoulder. “Now come on, we don’t want to keep your sister waiting.” The two of them soon left the hospital, where three members of the Apple family were standing and waiting for the two of them to come out. The two of them made it over to the rest of the Apples, where Applejack, Big Mac and Granny hugged Apple Bloom, and were greatly thankful that she was safe. “Thank heaven yer alright there, Apple Bloom.” Said Granny Smith whilst she was hugging her youngest granddaughter. “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he agreed. “Thanks Granny.” Said Apple Bloom. Buck couldn’t help but smile at this, for he was really happy to see them reunited. He then thought about Daisy once more, thinking that she was still looking out for him from the heavens, no matter how far apart they are. He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when he felt someone hugging him, which was none other than Granny Smith and Big Mac. “And thank ya so much for savin’ her.” Said Granny, “Y’all are a real hero.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he felt his head being rubbed. “Aw, come on, it’s the least I can do.” Said Buck, “I care about too. And I wasn’t going to let my surrogate sister get hurt.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but smile. Applejack on the other hand handed Apple Bloom something, gaining her attention. “Buck was able to save this.” Apple Bloom took the picture and looked at it, and was surprised to see what he saved. She slowly looked at him and said “Y’all…saved this?” She showed the picture. It was of herself as a foal, along with her siblings when they were younger, as well as a younger Granny Smith. However, among them were two ponies with them, a stallion that nearly resembled to Big Mac, and a mare holding baby Apple Bloom. Both Big Mac and Granny were surprised by this. “Yeah…” said Buck, “I could tell how important this was to you, considering you kept it in a special shrine. I figured they were important to you, so I saved it. I mean, from what I’ve seen…family must be really important to all of you. So, I saved it for all of you. And…” However, Buck was cut off when he felt a right hug around his waist, and saw Apple Bloom hugging him tightly. He could feel her tears against his shirt, but he didn’t intervene as he let her hug him. “Thank you.” Muttered Apple Bloom. Buck couldn’t help but smile and hug Apple Bloom back. The others were touched by this and joined in the group hug. But during the hug, Buck then wondered, “But seeing that the house was destroyed…where are all of us going to live?” The others also thought about it, with Applejack saying, “Ah know just the pony to ask.” ************************************************************************************************* Later at the castle, Twilight, Beau, and the rest of the Mane 4, along with Starlight and Spike were resting in the castle for a bit. That was, until Applejack knocked and came in, gaining their attention as they walked over to her the moment she got inside. “Oh, Applejack, darling, thank goodness you’re okay.” Said Rarity. “Don’t worry Rarity, ah’m fine.” Said Applejack whilst reassuring her. “How’s Apple Bloom doing?” asked Fluttershy. “Oh, she’s doin’ mighty fine,” said Applejack, “Ah’m just thankful that she’s alive and all.” “Shame about your house though.” Said Rainbow, “But I think you’d be glad to know, that whilst we were putting out the fire, I was able to use my speed to help get most of your stuff out, so it’s a good thing you didn’t lose anything.” “So that’s why y’all smelled like soot.” Said Applejack, who smiled and hugged Rainbow. “Thank ya kindly, Rainbow.” “Heh, no problem.” Said Rainbow. “Though…we’re gonna have to find a place to live until our home is bein’ repaired.” Said Applejack. “Say no more, Applejack.” Said Twilight, “We’ll get a couple of guest rooms ready for the four of you.” “Er…make that five.” Said Applejack, which confused the others. They saw Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom walk in. But to their surprise, the fifth was a human. Buck wanted to say something, but was surprised to see Beau with them. Beau walked over to Buck and looked at him for a bit, before smiling and extended his hand. “I never thought in my entire life I’d meet another human.” Said Beau. “Name’s Thomas Rohan, but I go by the name of Beau for a short while now.” “I’m Buck Armstrong.” Said Buck as he shook Beau’s hand. “So…how’d you get here?” “Drowned in a whirlpool whilst swimming in a lake, you?” asked Beau. “Got hit by a truck, saving a child.” Said Buck. “So,” said Beau, before he couldn’t help but smirk and said “I assume you ended up in hot water with one of the ponies with threats?” Buck was surprised by that, with him saying, “How did you know that?” “Let’s just say…I got threatened by an adorkable princess.” Said Beau before looking at Twilight, whom the latter blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah,” said Buck whilst rubbing the back of his head, “I was lassoed when they thought I was stealing their apples.” “Yeah, I kinda figured.” Said Beau whilst he let out a bit of a chuckle. “Still, sorry you had to die that way.” “Eh, wasn’t any glamorous, but, Whatcha gonna do.” Said Buck. He then looked at the rest of the ponies and said “And all of you must be the rest of her friends. Princess Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.” “The awesomest flyer in all of Equestria.” Said Rainbow with a boastful smile and crossing her arms and closing her eyes with a smirk. Buck ended up smirking back and said “And also the biggest sore loser when it comes to contest and a gluttonous downer when it comes to Apple Cider.” Rainbow blinked at that with widened eyes and a blush, then ended up being in his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” said Rainbow. “Hey, I just call what I hear from Applejack.” Said Buck. Rainbow looked at Applejack with a stink eye, with the latter rolling her eyes and said “Y’all know it’s the truth Rainbow. And ah am the honest one of the groups here. And Ah’ve got witnesses to prove it.” “It’s true.” Said Granny Smith. “That’s right.” Said Apple Bloom. “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac. Rainbow grumbled and crossed whilst the others laughed about it. “Rainbow’s teasing aside,” said Beau, “I think it’s a good idea on preparing the guest rooms.” He then walked to Applejack and asked “And where would you like your rooms? Sun shining in your face, or non-sun shining in your face.” Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle and said “One with. That way, it’ll help us get up early.” “Or we could have an alarm clock set up.” Said Spike. “No thanks, Spike.” Said Buck, “Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea that Granny would have an alarm clock, otherwise she might fall off of the bed and break her hip. Why else did you think she had an operation on her hip.” The Apple family stared at him surprised, with Buck saying “Big Mac told me.” Granny looked at Big Mac sternly, with the latter sweating nervously with a sheepish smile. “Welp,” said Beau, “Now that we got their sleeping arrangements settled, what next?” “We’ll still be able to work around the farm.” Said Applejack. “And get ready for Cider Season.” Said Buck, gaining the Apple Sibling’s attention. “What now?” said Applejack surprised. “Seriously?” said Granny, gaining their attention, “Apple Cider Season, which happens to be next week?!!” Pinkie popped up from out of nowhere and showed them the calendar, marking the date of their business. The rest of the Apple family had their jaws dropped by what they were seeing. “Oh, mah stars!!” exclaimed Applejack, “Ah was so distracted by the fire, I plum forgot about it!!” “We’d better get things ready, pronto!!” said Apple Bloom. “Eeyup!!” said Big Mac, which caused the three to rush out. “We’ll be back later, Twi!!” shouted Applejack as the others left. “Should we go with them?” asked Buck. “Boy howdy,” said Granny Smith, “Just to make sure that they don’t do anything foolish.” “Agreed.” Said Buck as he and Granny Smith laughed a bit. “Want me to accompany you back to the barn?” “Ya darn tootin!” said Granny, allowing the two of them to walk out of the room to join the Apple siblings. “Looks like things are going to be a bit livelier around here.” Said Pinkie, “And I need to throw a welcome party for Buck!!” She then darted out of the room, wanting to get the next party ready as quick as possible. “Sometimes I don’t think we’ll ever understand her.” Said Beau. “Agreed.” Said Twilight. As Spike chuckled, he suddenly felt his face bloated, making him hold onto his stomach as he tried to keep something in. Suddenly, he burped out a bit of flame, that took form into a scroll. “Oh, haven’t had one of those in a while.” Said Spike. He then opened the letter and read through it, causing him to widen his eyes in shock. “Uh, oh.” Said Spike in worry. “Oh, what’s wrong, Spike?” asked Rarity. “Uh, Twilight.” Said Spike in worry as he looked at her. “Remember when you said you were afraid that Shining Armor wouldn’t accept Beau when he finds out he is a human?” “Uh, yeah? Why?” asked Twilight. “A letter came from Cadence.” Said Spike, “She said she received the invitation and she wants to meet Beau in person. And uh…” “Oh, no.” said Twilight whilst she facepalmed herself, “That means Shining Armor will also be there. I really don’t want him to cause any trouble.” “If only we could make him not do anything drastic.” Said Spike. Beau then thought about it. He snapped his fingers and had an idea. “Hey Twilight, could you lend me a piece of parchment and a quill, please?” Twilight was confused by this, but obliged nonetheless. Beau began to write down to somepony. After he was done, he rolled it up and gave it to Spike, whilst whispering to him to whom he should send it. He was surprised, but obliged nonetheless via his magic flames. “Who did you send it to?” asked Twilight. “You’ll see.” Said Beau. A while later, back at Canterlot Castle, both Princesses Celestia and Luna were busy looking over the latest documents, until a message appeared before them, surprising them. Celestia looked through it and was surprised by what she was reading. “What is it, sister?” asked Princess Luna. “Beau had sent us a letter,” said Princess Celestia, “It appears Shining Armor is coming to see for himself. Something that Twilight had feared.” “What did Beau ask?” asked Princess Luna. “He wants us to keep an eye on him.” Said Princess Celestia, “If Shining Armor tries to talk her out of it, he wishes for us to intervene.” “Are you sure it is wise?” asked Princess Luna. “I…made a mistake not supporting Twilight when she tried to protect her brother.” Said Princess Celestia, “I am not going to make that same mistake again.” “And how are we going to spy on them?” asked Princess Luna. The two of them teleported to Celestia’s room and walked over to a mirror, one that Princess Luna recognized. “The mirror of revelation?” said Princess Luna, “Are you sure this is wise? We have not used that mirror since we took the thrones.” “I know Luna,” said Princess Celestia, “But in situations as this, we have no other choice.” Celestia used her magic to activate the mirror. Within mere moments, the mirror showed them a train moving towards Ponyville’s Train Station. The mirror zoomed in and revealed three certain ponies onboard. “It would appear that the latter is approaching,” said Princess Luna, “And I see Princess Cadence and Flurry Heart is accompanying him. No doubt Cadence is there to calm Shining Armor down if he does something drastic.” “Still,” said Princess Celestia whilst she pondered at the same time, “We would need to send our spies over to keep an eye on him. If he does, the mirror will alert us and we will arrive with haste. I will need to inform Undercover Shadow about this.” “I shall call for him, sister.” Said Princess Luna before she left. Celestia continued to look at the mirror and hoped Shining Armor won’t do anything drastic, for Twilight’s sake. ************************************************************************************************* At the same time, on the train, Shining Armor was on the train, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Cadence on the other hand was holding Flurry Heart as she babbled innocently and waved her little arms around. “Shining, would you just calm down already?” said Cadence. “Cadence,” said Shining Armor, “My sister, my sister, is getting married to somepony we don’t even know, and you want me to calm down?” “I’m sure Twilight has her reasons of not telling us.” Said Cadence. “Plus, she’s getting married. She’s actually getting married, to somepony she likes!! Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this?! How much I wanted her to find her special somepony!! This is wonderful!!” “Sure, wonderful, that I just found out from a wedding invitation. Not from my sister, but from a piece of paper. Thanks a lot, Twily.” said Shining Armor. He took a sandwich and imitated Twilight whilst moving the bread, “Hey, Shiny. Just thought you should know I’m making a really big decision that changes everything. Oh, never mind. You’ll hear about it when you get the invitation.” He placed the sandwich away and said “She couldn’t have told me personally?” Cadence looked at him with a deadpanned expression and a raised eyebrow, for she couldn’t tell what was annoying, the part where her husband was being immature by using his sandwich as a puppet imitating Twilight, or that he was being a hypocrite of open communication when it comes to his side of the family. “This coming from a pony who didn’t tell Twilight directly that we were getting married?” said Cadence, “Or telling her that we’ve been dating since the day I first foal sat her?” Shining blinked in surprise, and said “I was busy!!” “Suuure, you were.” Said Cadence. “Shining, I’ve told you plenty of times I wanted to tell her, but you wouldn’t let me. And clearly, I can’t trust you when it comes to communicating. This is the thing with the ladybugs and the quesadilla all over again.” “I was not responsible for her having phobias about them!!” exclaimed Shining Armor. “You were the one teasing her about it till she was traumatized out of fear!!” retorted Cadence. Flurry Heart began top whimper, as she didn’t like the fighting, gaining their attention. “Oh, sorry Flurry Heart.” Said Cadance, “Your dad is just being an unnecessary grump again.” Shining then huffed as he looked away, until he noticed the carts were selling sandwiches, which confused him. “Excuse me,” he asked the pony pushing the carts, “I notice you guys are only selling sandwiches.” “No other choice,” said the pony pushing the cart, “We were losing a lot of money on confectionary foods and cakes, so the RTA had voted to make sandwiches instead to save what was left of our budget.” “Seriously?” said Shining, which gained Cadance’s attention too. “Why?” “Oh, something about a certain pink pony with poofy hair who constantly buys them without giving it to anyone else.” Said the pony, then mumbled whilst walking away “Why they haven’t banned her from riding the trains, I’ll never know.” Shining and Cadance looked at one another with flexed eyebrows and said “Pinkie Pie.” ************************************************************************************************* Back at the Castle of Friendship, Beau had just begun to set up the tea set in order to get things ready for the others’ visit. Once he was done, he noticed Twilight started to hyperventilate, causing him to give her a paper bag, which she started to breathe through it. When all of a sudden, it popped, taking him by surprise. “Wow, I thought that would work.” Said Beau. He then suddenly had another idea. He knows couples tend to do that from time to time but…he never did that to Twilight before. “Well, as they say back at my world, when in France.” He then gave a her a smack by her behind, making her yelp loudly and made her stand stiffly and made her blush madly at the same time. She slowly looked at Beau as she still kept her blush, but Beau also did the same thing as he couldn’t believe he did that. However strangely, Twilight also enjoyed that. “Uh, sorry about that.” Said Beau sheepishly. However, Twilight pushed him, making him land on his back on the couch, with Twilight being on top of him with a flirty smile. Beau couldn’t help but smile back, causing the two of them to lock lips for a bit. That was, until a knock was heard from the castle doors. Twilight got up and gasped and said “They’re here!!” Beau and Twilight got up, with Beau saying “Why don’t you go greet them? I’ll get the tea once it’s finished boiling.” He kissed her on her forehead before leaving, with Twilight teleporting to the front doors. She felt really nervous and took a breather. She opened the door with her magic, and within moments, Shining Armor and Cadance were standing at the door, with Flurry Heart in Cadence’s arms. “Shining, Cadance!!” said Twilight as she hugged the two of them. Then broke the hug as she saw Flurry Heart. “And how’s my favorite niece?” Flurry giggled as she held onto Twilight’s face. “It’s good to see you, Twilight.” Said Cadence as she hugged Twilight. She hugged Shining Armor too, although the look on his face said otherwise. “I have to admit,” said Twilight as she broke the hug, “I was surprised that you were planning to visit. If I knew, I would’ve had everything ready. I mean I already sent Spike out to do some grocery shopping, and Starlight’s busy setting up guest beds for Applejack and her family.” “Guest beds?” said Shining Armor in confusion. “Oh,” said Twilight, “Granny Smith left the stove on and her apron was near it, causing it to lit on fire, resulting the house being burnt down as a result. Apple Bloom was inside, but they were able to rescue her.” “That’s terrible.” Said Cadence, with Shining Armor also being worried for a moment. “I hope she’s okay.” “She is,” said Twilight as they walked to the living room, where a tea set had been readied. “Thankfully no one was hurt and most of their belongings were saved as well. They mentioned about wanting to raise bits during Cider season so that they can pay the construction ponies to do the job.” “I hope they’ll be okay.” Said Cadence. “But there’s also a reason why we’re here.” Said Shining Armor as they sat down. “About what?” asked Twilight. “Oh, you know.” Said Cadence as she made wedding noises, which caused Twilight to blush. “Oh, right.” Said Twilight. “Twily, why didn’t you tell me?” said Shining Armor, “I found out my sister is getting married through a piece of paper and you didn’t tell me.” “Well,” began Twilight, “I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure how you’d handle it. Mom and dad handled it and they grew to like him, same with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” “Mom and dad knew and they didn’t tell me?!” said Shining Armor. “Whoever this pony is, you must have a really good reason.” Said Cadence. “Well…” “Twilight, tea’s ready!!” They turned to the door as Beau walked in. “Sorry it took longer than expected, I was trying to make the tea just the way you like it.” Said Beau, who then noticed Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, even Flurry Heart. The three newcomers looked at Beau surprised. Beau then thought ‘Oh boy, here we go’, then walked over and placed the tea down on the table and said “Uh, hi there.” Flurry Heart saw Beau and was naturally curious whilst she cooed, causing her to teleport and landed on top of his head, which caused Beau to giggle. “Well, hi there, you must be Flurry Heart. My name’s Beau, nice to meet you.” Both Shining Armor and Cadence were surprised, for the person standing before them was Beau, from what the wedding invitation had said. Though Cadence was surprised, Shining Armor on the other hand. “Twilight,” muttered Shining Armor, “We need to talk.” ************************************************************************************************* “I don’t see what the big deal is, Shining?!!” shouted Twilight. Not long after the two of them were out, they had immediately started to argue. “You’re dating a hairless ape, Twilight!! That’s the big deal!!” said Shining. “So what?! You’re married to an Alicorn, and Cadence is an entirely different pony!!” shouted Twilight back. Whilst back in the living room, both Cadence and Beau were in the living room, hearing the commotion outside, whilst thankfully Cadence placed earmuffs on Flurry Heart so that she wouldn’t hear the argument. This were silent at first, with Beau sighing and said “I knew this would happen.” Cadence looked at him surprised and said “Wait, knew this would happen?” “See,” said Beau, “When Twilight and I fell in love, we were worried that how everyone else would react. But thankfully, Twilight’s friends warmed up to us on that idea, same with Twilight’s parents. “You’ve met them?” said Cadence as she was surprised. “I did,” said Beau, “Even Princesses Celestia and Luna.” They continue to hear arguing, with Beau saying “But I supposed I should introduce myself.” “Right, we’ve been so distracted, we haven’t gotten the chance.” Said Cadence. “Alright, my name is Thomas Rohan, but after Twilight and I got together, she decided to call me Beau. It sort of stuck that way.” “Nice to meet you Beau,” said Cadence. “I’m sure Twilight’s told you about us.” “She did.” Said Beau, “But in case you wonder, I’m a human. Remember the mirror that Twilight traveled to?” “I do.” Said Cadence. “Turns out there’s a reason why Princess Celestia told Twilight she needed to do this alone, even with Spike in tow.” Said Beau as he took out a picture. He showed it to Cadence and she took a good look at it. When she looked, she was greatly surprised, for one look on their hair and eyes and she immediately recognized them. “Are they…Twilight’s friends?” asked Cadence surprised. “Yes and no.” said Beau, “Turns out that on the other side of the mirror is a parallel world, a world where all of you are humans. Twilight and her friends there are teenagers, people who still go to school, whilst adults, like yourself and Shining Armor, has day jobs. And whilst your aunts are the ruling Princesses, as well as you, in the other world, you three are Principles of two different schools.” “Well, we do know how to teach others, so it would make sense.” Said Cadence. Then she spotted two identical girls that look like Twilight. One with glasses and one without. “The one with the glasses is Twilight, but Pinkie calls her Sci-Twi for some reason.” Said Beau, “And that over there is Twilight. The one without the glasses.” “Amazing, the resemblance is so uncanny.” Said Cadence. She then looked at him and said “Are you from that world?” “No, I’m from a different Earth.” Said Beau, “One where the likes of Dragons, Griffons and so on are considered myth, same with Unicorns and Pegasi. And Earth ponies there don’t speak the language we do. They’re at a time when…ponies were primitive and haven’t developed the ability for speech, is the right words.” “Really?” said Cadence as she was intrigued. “But how did you get here?” “I uh…died actually.” Said Beau, which shocked Princess Cadence. “Died?!” she yelped. “But…how did you get here then?” “It’s a bit of a story.” Said Beau. “Ever since I was a boy, my parents weren’t exactly to be the best around with. My father was an irresponsible Gambler and my mother was a workaholic and never even considered or tried to spend time with me. They gave me so many unnecessary lessons and made me waste countless hours working hard at certain schools. But even after every time whenever I would get a good grade, it was never enough for them. And the people around there didn’t exactly treat me fairly either. By the time I graduated College, I went to the lake to get away from my problems and my family. You could say my life was…very lonely.” Cadence was taken aback by this, and couldn’t help but feel pity for him. “The one day, whilst I was swimming in the lake, I was suddenly pulled into what looked like a whirlpool.” Continued Beau, “I think I ended up drowning in it. Next thing I knew, I was in Equestria, right outside of Ponyville. At first I thought it was weird, being out in the lake. But then I encountered Twilight.” “What was she doing there?” asked Cadence. “I think she said something about Spike telling her she needed to get some exercise every once and a while or he thinks she’ll end up becoming fat.” Said Beau, which got Cadence to laugh at that. “When we encountered one another it was…a little awkward.” “Awkward how?” asked Cadence. “Well, whilst I freaked out, I accidentally blabbed how horses can’t talk.” Said Beau, “Next thing I knew, she lifted me up using her magic and slammed me onto the ground, saying that she’s a pony and if I get it wrong I’d be sorry.” Cadence couldn’t help but chuckle at that, with Beau joining in. “Anyway,” said Beau, “Twilight took me back to Ponyville and she asked Rarity to make some new clothes for me. The next day, she contacted Princess Celestia and told her about me. Turned out she knew about my species.” “She did?” said Cadence in surprise, then realized “Oh, right. Because of the world that nearly resembles Equestria.” “That’s right.” Said Princess Beau, “We had a nice conversation and afterwards, she was able to make me a citizen of Equestria.” “Wow, that’s nice of her.” Said Cadence. “That’s right.” Said Beau, “After that, I was able to make myself a home here, working at Twilight’s library. I have a knack for organizing books and stuff. That way, I’m able to help Twilight in any way I can. After that, she introduced me to her friends, both in Ponyville and near Canterlot High. I learned a few things about them. Shortly after a month, the two of us became a couple. We continued to stay together in the same castle. That’s when I decided to ask her to marry me.” Cadence couldn’t help but shed a tear about this and wiped her eye. “That was an amazing story. And I could feel the chemistry between the two of you the moment I walked in here.” “You mean before your meat headed husband?” said Beau before he trailed off as the two of them could still hear Shining and Twilight argue. “I still don’t get his issue.” “Um, I think I have an idea.” Said Cadence, “When he heard she was getting married, he threw a hissy fit, now he’s thinking that you might be a Changeling in disguise.” “Least I’m not going around kidnapping babies because of jealousy of babies’ beauties.” Said Beau, which surprised Cadence, “We also have myths and folklores about Changelings. Though…they tend to be a little different.” “I see.” Said Cadence, then she wanted to change the subject so that things don’t become awkward. “So…when are you getting married in Canterlot?” “We’re not.” Said Beau, which surprised Cadence, “I plan to hold it here in Ponyville.” “Ponyville? How come?” asked Cadence. “Well for one, we’re not sure if the folks in Canterlot would accept us,” said Beau, “I mean you saw how the nobility there treated other creatures without a second thought.” Cadence grimaced, remembering how Nobles tend to look the other way from other creatures when she was still in school. “And the second?” “I don’t want Twilight to experience trauma or Déjà vu or remind her of what happened between Shining Armor and Chrysalis.” Cadence was surprised by this. She remembered that day when she scolded Shining Armor for doing that, though he claimed that Chrysalis brainwashed him, she only casted a spell to make him believe that Chrysalis was Cadence, and that she scolded Celestia for not taking Twilight’s side. “So…you want to hold a wedding here, because you didn’t want her to relive the pain and trauma back in Canterlot?” asked Cadence, which Beau nodded, she then smiled and said “That is so thoughtful of you.” “Yeah.” Said Beau as he couldn’t help but smile. Then frowned and said “I just wish there weren’t any drama along the way.” Cadence walked over and placed her hand on her shoulder, making Beau look at her, “I’ll try to talk to him.” The two of them walked to the door, and they hear Shining Armor. “I forbid you from going out with him!!” shouted Shining. “I’m not a child, Shining Armor!!” shouted Twilight, “And last time I checked, I’m also a Princess, meaning I make my own decisions!!” “One that you ended up making a fool out of yourself!!” shouted Shining, “And the last thing I needed is some freak to look after you!!” Suddenly, something inside of Beau snapped, the way he used that word, the exact same word he heard since his high school days, now suddenly came here. Normally he would brush it aside, but hearing someone say that, in front of his future wife, that…he was not going to let it stand. His eyes flashed, as if a thousand soldiers had combined with his newly fighting spirit. Beau then slammed the door opened, startling both Shining and Twilight, whilst Beau had a very angry look in his eyes. “Who…” began Beau as he took a few steps forward, “Who…in the hell…do you think you are?! Telling your own sister, who she can’t be with?!” “You stay out of this!!” said Shining. “Or what?!” said Beau, “You’re going to ban me from coming to Ponyville like you banned your own sister from your own wedding?!” Shining, Twilight, and Cadence were surprised to hear him say that. “And besides, isn’t who Twilight hangs around with her choice?!” asked Beau rhetorically, “Last time I checked, she’s not a child. She seems like someone who is capable of making her own decisions without someone holding her hoof. And at least I’m not the one who left her crying in the first place, whilst her mentor did squat into helping her!! Cause meanwhile, she was also secretly sent to an underground sanctum whilst an ugly bug of a queen wanted to use you as her own personal sex toy!!” “I’m her older brother!!” said Shining, “I’m the one responsible for her safety!!” The next thing before anyone knew, Beau did the unexpected… “Then who would you recommend then?” retorted Beau, “Who would you want around your sister, who can love, cherish and guarantee that she’ll be safe and that nothing will happen to her?” Shining was taken aback by what he said as he took a step back, even Twilight and Cadence were surprised by what he said. “Well, I, uh…” stuttered Shining Armor. “See?” pointed out Beau, “You can’t recommend anyone, Shining Armor. I know what you’ve been through from what your parents told me, but if you’re starting to rely on past assumptions, those won’t help you in real life. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect Twilight and I to warm up to one another and fall in love so quickly, but all things considered, we both trust each other enough to help us get through in life. Now I’m not going to claim I know her better than you, your parents, Cadence, or even Celestia, but it seems I know her well enough that she’s willing to put her faith in me and I do the same for her when nobody else did.” He took a few steps forward, making Shining Armor take the same amount of steps backwards. “Cause let me tell you something about your sister since she moved to Ponyville.” Said Beau. “She and her friends braved against Nightmare Moon when she came back. She and her friends convinced a freaking dragon to move away when he was close into polluting the skies between Ponyville and Canterlot. She and her friends, with the help of Apple Bloom helped accept Zecora into Ponyville when everyone else treated her like an outsider. She saved her friend Rarity from the Diamond Dogs when they kidnapped her. She helped her friends stop a war between the Buffalo Tribes and the ponies in Appaloosa. She and her friends helped stop Discord from taking over Equestria. She helped the ponies welcome Princess Luna when everyone else treated her like an outcast. She and her friends stopped Spike when he got turned into a rampaging beast monster. She helped her friends save Sweet Apple Acres from the Flim Flam Brothers. She helped save Spike’s life when three dragons tried to hurt him. She even tried to stop Chrysalis from taking over Canterlot, which by the way, she saved your sorry ass from a bug faced maniac when you banned her from the wedding, even disowned her if I can remember, heck, you didn’t even apologize to her when you yelled at her.” “It wasn’t my fault!! I was brainwashed!!” said Shining Armor. “That’s a load of bull!!” said Beau, “If I were to recall, she casted a spell to make you believe she was Cadence, everything else you said on your own. Cause you had the best reason in the world to side with your so-called wolf in sheep’s clothing; your braincells were located in your genitals!!” Shining Armor leaned his head backwards in shock from what he said, but not as shocked as Twilight and Cadence were when they clasped their mouths shut. “As I was saying.” Said Beau, “She saved the Crystal Empire from Sombra!! She stopped Trixie when she took over and enslaved Ponyville with an Alicorn amulet. She finished a spell that made her a Princess. She traveled to another world and stopped Sunset from wreaking havoc. She saved Princess Celestia and Princess Luna when they were captured by plunder vines. She fought alongside Daring Do and stopped Ahuizotl. She helped stop the vampire fruit bats from eating all the apples in Ponyville, which she was able to help dodge a major food crisis. She saved your wife from Discord’s onboard shenanigans. She helped save the Breezies by returning them to their homes. She and her friends stopped Tirek from destroying all of Equestria. She helped Sunset and her Rainboom friends stop the Sirens from taking over their world. She and her friends stopped Starlight and helped her free a local village. She and her friends stopped a Bugbear attack. She and her friends helped Luna stopped a powerful Tantabus from entering the real world. She stopped two families from feuding and made things worse. She helped expose a corrupt manager from manipulating Countess Coloratura, and she saved Equestria’s future when she convinced Starlight to listen.” Beau then took another few steps forward, which Shining Armor backed off and was surprised to see such merit from a human. “But you barely noticed that because whilst you were being a complete moron, she did all the hard work and proved her worth when no one else believed in her. She pulled through every single danger and aspect and helped everypony in Equestria in any way she can. So, for you, her own brother, to stand here and have the gall to tell her that she can’t take care of herself or whom she wants to spend her life with and you can’t trust anyone she’s with to help her when she’s in over her head, or even Spike.” He then leaned in his face and said “Cause when it comes between wanting to protect your loved ones, and taking care of them when they need help? Well, that’s just a no brainer, and it won’t look good for you, either.” Both Twilight and Cadence were stunned by what they had seen as a human who stood up to Shining Armor. However, peaking from around the door, were the rest of the Mane 6, Starlight, and Spike, whilst they too were surprised at the same time. “So, if I were you,” said Beau, “I would give her an apology, otherwise things might not be good for you.” “Or what?” said Shining Armor, showing some merit. Beau then had some thoughts going through his head, something he learned from one of his old detective books. First, distract target. Block blind jab. Counter to cross left cheek. Discombobulate. Dazed. Employ elbow block. Body shot. Block left. Weaken right jaw with left elbow. Fracture right jaw. Two punches to gut. Dislocate jaw. Heel kick to diagram. In the end, sustained injuries for three weeks, whilst will recover in three months psychology. “You really wanna do this?” asked Beau as he suddenly took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. “Have it your way.” The two of them were silent, until Beau tossed the handkerchief to Shining Armor’s face. “Hey!!” he exclaimed as he tossed it away, only for Beau to make a move. He delivered a strong left hook against Shining’s face, delivered a strong discombobulation with both his hands on both sides of Shining Armor’s face. He tried to punch back, only for Beau to block using his left elbow and delivered a strong jab to Shining’s side rib. Then blocked with his right and delivered a strong left elbow to the side of his face. Then Beau delivered an uppercut, two jabs at Shining’s gut, then backhanded Shining’s front face using his backfist, then finally, delivered a strong kick to the gut, causing Shining to fall backwards against a door and collapsed on his front. Needless to say, Twilight and Cadence were shocked to see what happened, though the others who watched had their jaws dropped when they saw how fast Beau moved. Beau then moved to Shining’s back, grabbed his arm, and held it in a near dislocated maneuver, making him grunt. “Say it. Say it!!” said Beau aggressively. “Say it!!” “Okay, okay!!” exclaimed Shining, “I’m sorry Twilight!! I’m sorry I didn’t apologize for not listening to you!! I’m sorry for yelling at you!! I’m sorry for banning you from the wedding!! I’m sorry I tried to get in your future husband’s way!! And I’m sorry I didn’t say I’m sorry!!” Beau then whispered something to Shining’s ear, making him gasp and shudder, causing Beau to let go of Shining, with the latter standing up, clearly surprised by what he did, but not as surprised as the others. “What…huh…” said Shining, then exclaimed “How did you do that?!!” “Little something I read from one of my old detective books.” Said Beau, “You’d be surprised what you can learn from a book.” Suddenly, he turned and said “Like a certain farmer and sports athlete teased that books can’t teach you how to do sports?!” Suddenly, the rest of Twilight’s friends arrived and waved sheepishly, which surprised the princess of friendship. He then looked at Twilight with a flexed eyebrow and said “Although there’s also a saying that there are a ton of things that books can’t do. Build character and experience.” Twilight smiled sheepishly at that too, with Beau then looking at Shining Armor whilst squinting his eyes and said “Now then? Are we going to have another problem?” Shining quickly shook his head, now getting the message. Twilight on the other hand blushed and fanned herself, for what she saw was pretty hot. “Now then?” said Beau as he pointed at the tea room, “Mind waiting in there whilst I go to the kitchen to get an ice pack and the first aid kit for you?” Shining Armor nodded and went over to his wife, allowing the both of them to sit down, with Beau walking over to Twilight. “Sorry it had to resort to this.” Said Beau before kissing her on the lips, before breaking it, smiling, and said “And nobody hurts my adorable bookworm.” Beau walked whilst Twilight watched him whilst stunned. She couldn’t help but blush and smile whilst he was walking at the same time. Beau walked out whilst the rest of the Mane 6, Starlight and Spike stared at Beau with their jaws being dropped. Until he stopped. “Applejack?” asked Beau, which startled the country pony. “Uh, yeah?” asked Applejack. “Why are you still here?” asked Beau before looking at her whilst he said “Aren’t you supposed to help get ready for Cider season?” Applejack yelped and said “Oh, right.” She quickly went out to help at the farm, whilst Beau walked away to get the first aid kit. “I’ll…help him find it.” Said Spike as he rushed off to help him out. At the same time, from the Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched from the mirror. Though they were surprised to see Beau’s reaction, they were relieved that they were able to solve this peacefully. ************************************************************************************************** Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Buck and the rest of the Apple Family were getting ready for Cider Season. With it only five days away, they had to get everything ready as quickly as possible. When they got to the machines, Buck was surprised by what he was seeing. “Whoa,” said Buck, “So you use this contraption to create apple cider?” “That’s right.” Said Applejack whilst she adjusted her hat. “It may not look like much, but this ol’ gal helped us out in plenty of situations when makin’ cider.” “If it’s anything I’ve seen you made from the hard work and hooves of yours, I believe it.” Said Buck, “And you know what…now I’m also curious to see how one makes it.” “Ya are?” asked Applejack, though there was a hint of excitement behind it. “Sure, I’d love to learn how to use it.” Said Buck. “Well now then partner, let’s get goin’.” Said Applejack with eagerness. “Wait, where are the others?” asked Buck. “Big Mac is helpin’ Granny out with somethin’ so he’ll be here soon. And Apple Bloom said that she had to arrange a CMC meeting with her friends, discussin’ what they can do now that they earned their marks.” “Hopefully she doesn’t take too long.” Said Buck. “Don’t worry, they’ll have things sorted out soon.” Said Applejack. During the whole day, they were constantly getting things ready. However, during that time, Applejack wondered something that had been stuck in her head for some time. “By the way partner.” Asked Applejack. “Yeah?” asked Buck. “What the hay is an amazon?” asked Applejack. Buck partially grunted, for he remembered he accidentally called her that, but seeing that she doesn’t know what it is, he decides to do his best to describe them. “In my old home,” said Buck as he stopped to take a breather, “The amazons are a myth in my world, but they explained a lot. They were once slaves to a deity known as Ares, who happens to be the god of war. Then one day, Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, rose up and led her fellow amazons against his armies and defeated them. Thanks to the goddess Hera, she brought her people to an island where they could live in peace without any fear.” He looked at Applejack and said “They are also known for being fierce, strong, and independent, as well as them being the most beautiful women. That’s basically what an Amazon is.” “Oh, ah see.” Said Applejack. “Welp, better get to it then.” Said Buck as he went to work. Applejack however, stood there and processed what he said. She placed her hands on her chest, thinking about him calling her an Amazon, making her blush really hard. She is strong and independent. As well as…beautiful. She never felt her heart beat so fast in all her life. “He thinks ah’m…” muttered Applejack as she felt really hot for some reason whilst watching Buck from afar as he helped Big Mac putting the apple cider machine together. A smile suddenly formed on her lips as she walked towards the two to help them out. *********************************************************************************************** During tea time at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight and Beau continued to talk to Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart. “So, wait, you died over at your world and somehow ended up here?” said Shining Armor. “That’s right.” Said Beau after he took a sip, “Though I sometimes miss home. Then again, I never thought I’d enter a world where every fantasy loving person would ever dream to come here, they’d enjoy the heck of this place.” “Still, sorry what you had to go through.” Said Shining Armor, who then blushed and said “And I’m sorry for wanting to nearly pummeling you when I heard Twily is getting married.” “She wanted to tell you, but we were worried that you’d overreact, considering what happened back at your wedding.” Said Beau, which made Shining Armor wince in guilt. “And about that, didn’t you even tell Twilight that you and Cadence had dated since she foal sat her, or before you moved to Ponyville?” Twilight blinked at that and said “Yeah, why didn’t you?” “I tried to tell him.” Said Cadence whilst rolling her eyes, “But he wouldn’t let me.” Beau flexed his left eyebrow and said “I think I know what you two have in common. And I think Cadence will agree with me.” “What’s that?” asked Shining Armor. Both Beau and Cadence looked at one another, nodded in agreement and said in agreement. “You both stink at communication.” Said Beau and Cadence, which surprised the siblings. “We do not!!” “Ahem.” Everyone looked at Spike, who looked at both Shining and Twilight, with a quirked eyebrow of his own, causing the two of them to sigh in defeat. “Plus, I wanted to move the wedding to Ponyville, because I didn’t want her to go through those memories again.” Said Beau. Twilight was surprised by this, with her saying “You did that…for me?” “Of course, I would,” said Beau, “Why wouldn’t I?” Twilight couldn’t help but smile with partial tears and hugged Beau, to which the latter returned. Shining saw how well those two were together and sighed, and couldn’t help but smile. “Clearly I misjudged you Beau.” Said Shining. “And if Twily’s happy, then I’m happy. I’m glad to see that she found her special somepony. Or somebody. So…welcome to the family.” Beau shook Shining Armor’s hand and said “Thanks Shining.” Suddenly, Flurry Heart teleported on top of Beau’s head, to which the latter was surprised and couldn’t help but laugh. “You really are a spirit baby, aren’t you.” Said Beau, with him holding Flurry Heart and tickled her tummy, to which she giggled and laughed. Though things may have started out rocky, Beau was just happy that things were resolved. Though not peacefully, but still resolved. Though in his entire lifetime…he never thought he had to beat up a Captain of the Guard. Though he promised Shining to keep it a secret, because if anyone were to discover a human had beaten the snot out of Canterlot’s Captain, he’d be the laughing stock of Canterlot. But in the end, Beau couldn’t wait for a few things… For the Wedding Day. And the day when the baby arrives. Chapter 8: Sparkle's Wedding BellsTwo weeks after Shining Armor and Cadence’s visit, the Apple family were able to make their sales selling their ciders. Thanks to the bits, they have more than enough to pay the construction workers to help rebuild it. And thanks to Granny Smith’s memory (er, working memory), she was able to tell which room was going to be where. However, for some reason she wanted to make Applejack’s room a little bigger, as well as add another room to sleep in. Why she did that, they will never know. Buck, Applejack, and Big Mac were helping out with the construction to make things go faster. After working halfway through the house, Big Mac went over the plans one more time whilst Applejack and Buck sat down to take a break from the work. “It’s nice to see everything coming together.” Said Buck whilst he looked at the house. “Ya darn tootin’,” said Applejack after she took a sip of water. “Ah’m glad to see that our house is goin’ to be a little bigger, and more space.” “And the best part, that within a few weeks, Twilight and Beau are getting married.” Said Buck, “I hope she doesn’t get cold feet. Or uh, hooves, in this case.” “Knowin’ her, she wants things to be perfect.” Said Applejack whilst rolling her eyes, making the two of them laugh. Buck then thought of something, and asked “Since their wedding’s coming up, you think we should cater their food for them?” Applejack looked at him with a flexed eyebrow and said “Why would y’all say that?” “Well, from what I’ve heard from Granny,” said Buck, “Whenever there’s an event or wedding, the Apple Family always provided for that. But you couldn’t do it because of that Bugbear incident a while back.” “Ooh, right.” Mumbled Applejack, “After that whole ordeal, I plumb forgot about that.” “It happens.” Said Buck, “Though knowing Pinkie, she’s got the whole cake thing covered. Think we can come up with something?” “Ah’m sure we can.” Said Applejack, then asked “What kind of weddin’s do humans arrange?” “Sometimes different venues, different styles, different locations, especially the food.” Said Buck, “But most of them always had meat on the menu, so that’s out of the question. And honestly, I’m just as stumped as you are.” “We can probably ask Granny if she has any ideas.” Said Applejack. “Good call,” said Buck, “And would it be alright if I helped? I’d love to learn it from more practiced hands.” However, the two of them suddenly realized that their hands were on top of one another, making them blush and pull away whilst they were blushing at the same time. Though for some reason, they secretly smiled. “So, uh…” said Buck, “Once we finish rebuilding the house, should we get started on the catering?” “Sure thing…” said Applejack, “I’ll…send her a list soon.” They heard Big Mac coming along, causing them to look at the stallion’s direction. He motioned to them that their break time is over, allowing him to move towards the house. “Few stallions of words, isn’t he?” said Buck as he and Applejack walked back to the farm. “Sure is.” Said Applejack as the two of them continued from where they left off. ************************************************************************************************* 1 week later After the Apple family house was rebuilt, Applejack had sent a list to Twilight to see if there was anything that should be brought to the wedding. Beau decided to look it through at the same time, considering he decided to be Twilight’s temp assistant whilst Spike was going over the list of those who she should bring to the wedding. “Okay,” mumbled Beau whilst he was going over the list. “We’ll need these types of decorations. Then we’ll need a few of these, a few of that. Applejack pretty much has the catering thing down, given the Apple family’s rep for making food for the weddings that happen in Ponyville from time to time. And I don’t know if I should ask Mayor Mare, Princess Celestia or Shining Armor to help officiate the wedding.” Beau heard the doors opening and saw Spike walking in. “Hey Beau,” said Spike as he walked in with a long list. “What are you looking over?” “Going over the list,” said Beau, “Twilight wanted to, but I told her I got this, whilst she on the other hand needs to go over her wedding dress.” “But wait,” said a confused Spike, “Weren’t you supposed to go over your tux?” “Already did those two days before the wedding plans had begun.” Said Beau, which surprised Spike. “What? I like to be prepared.” “Good grief, you really are like Twilight.” Said Spike. “Yeah well you also have something in common with Twilight, you suck at communication.” Retorted Beau. “Hey, I don’t stink at…” Spike tried to retort, but the look on Beau’s face said otherwise, with him groaning and said “Good point.” “Anyone on the list?” said Beau. “Uh, yeah.” Said Spike as he looked, “Some of Twilight’s friends from Canterlot are coming. Cadence and Shining Armor will be there too. We’ll also invite some friends we’ve made too. The Cutie Mark Crusaders will also be there…” “Weren’t those the same three that had an identity crisis when they tried to figure out what they should do now that they have their own Cutie Marks?” asked Beau. “That’s right.” Said Spike, “But now that they know what to do, it’ll make their work much easier.” “And half of Ponyville is going to be here too.” Said Beau. He then suddenly had a sad look, which Spike noticed. “Uh, you okay there?” asked Spike, to which Beau sighed. “Wish my mother was here to see me.” Said Beau, “When I was dreaming, Princess Luna helped me communicate with her. I was able to say my goodbyes and we were able to make peace. But…I wish she could see me right now.” “But wouldn’t she proud of you finally finding someone special?” asked Spike. Beau smiled and said “She is. But it’s the principle of the matter, you know?” “Yeah, I get it.” Said Spike. “I’ll be going to Rarity; see how she’s doing?” “You mean Twilight, right?” said Beau with a flexed eyebrow. “Oh, right, her, yeah.” Said Spike sheepishly before rushing out. Beau groaned whilst rolling his eyes, “That dragon really needs to sort out his priorities. Is it any wonder why he’s never noticeable?” He then continued to go over the list one more time before taking a break. ************************************************************************************************* Back at Rarity’s boutique, Rarity was going over Twilight’s wedding dress fitting one more time. After going over it a couple of times, Rarity was able to finish the dress. “There you go, Twilight.” Said Rarity as she looked at her with her glasses. “You look truly marvelous.” Twilight looked at herself in the mirror and saw the dress she was wearing. Twilight couldn’t help but smile and look at herself in the mirror. “This is amazing, Rarity.” Said Twilight. “Indeed, it is.” Said Rarity before she said whilst removing her glasses, “Rarity, darling, you’ve outdone yourself.” “Rarity.” Said Twilight before she levitated a jar over, which surprised the latter as she realized something. “Oh, I said darling, didn’t I?” said Rarity before she reluctantly put a bit of hers in the jar. “Honestly, I still don’t see why I have to pay a bit for this constantly?” “We’ve been over this Rarity,” said Twilight, “You’ve been saying ‘darling’ way too much lately, we’re just trying to help improve your vocabulary.” Rarity looked at her with a deadpanned and dry expression and said “You mean you, are trying to help me improve my vocabulary.” “You know what I mean.” Said Twilight. “And as if you were one to talk, miss ‘I have to be perfect for Princess Celestia’?” retorted Rarity. “Don’t you start.” Said Twilight. The two of them heard the sound of a bell ringing by the door, making them look and saw Spike coming in. “Hey Twilight, Rarity,” said Spike, “How are things going on your side?” “We’re almost done Spikey-Wikey,” said Rarity, “We just need the veil and everything is all set.” “Nice,” said Spike, who then looked at Twilight. “Anyway, I’ve already sent the information to the names of the ones who are invited to the wedding on what they should expect. Beau on the other hand is going over the list of what’s needed.” “What?” said Twilight, “But…but organizing is my job.” Spike then teased “I think your hubby wants to take over your duties for a bit so that you don’t overwork yourself.” Rarity couldn’t help but giggle and said “Spike does have a point, Twilight. Ever since you’ve met him he has been constantly nothing but be good to you. We could see it clearly whenever he spent more time with you.” Twilight then leered at Spike, “And it would’ve been better if a certain dragon didn’t spill the beans to my friends about what I did in the bedroom.” “I’m sorry, okay!!” exclaimed Spike, “How the heck was Starlight and I supposed to know what you and Beau were doing?!! Besides, you didn’t make us Pinkie promise not to say anything.” “He’s got a point, Twilight.” Said Pinkie Pie, making the others yelp as they turned to Pinkie, who was hanging upside down with a grin on her face. Pinkie then landed softly onto a chair next to Rarity. “Pinkie, darling,” said Rarity as she removed her glasses, “Not that I have a problem, but what are you doing here?” “I came by to ask Twilight what kind of cakes she would want!!” said Pinkie. “Wait, what?” said Twilight surprised. “I thought Beau was going to go through it.” “He is, and I asked him earlier.” Said Pinkie, “He said that I should go ask you, considering you know what kind of cakes certain guests would want. Naturally, I decided to add a couple of Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cakes, but I felt like wanted to ask what of cakes do your guests wants, especially Celestia, who we knows loves cakes and would eat at least two or three of them.” “However, do you know that, Pinkie Pie?” asked Rarity out of curiosity. “She came by last month to by three different types of chocolate cakes.” Said Pinkie Pie. “It’s true.” Said Spike, “Every now and then whenever I help Twilight with her tasks, Princess Celestia would take occasional trips to Ponyville to get a few cakes.” “Yup,” said Pinkie Pie with a glee of a smile, “The towns and cities in Equestria may make cakes, but there’s no cake that’s twice as better as the ones that’s made in Ponyville.” “Hmmm,” pondered Twilight as she instantly made a quill and scroll appear in front of her, “I do have a few in mind.” Twilight wrote them down and carefully listed them, whilst also making sure that Pinkie does what the instructions says. Why, because it’s Pinkie Pie they’re talking about. “There we go.” Said Twilight once she was done and handed it to Pinkie. “That should do it Pinkie.” “Thanks Twilight!!” said Pinkie as she grabbed the list with excitement. “Gotta bounce!!” She instantly darted out of the house, with Rarity shaking her head and said “Sometimes I wonder how is it she keeps doing what she’s doing.” “I think we’ve all gotten used to her crazy antics.” Said Spike, with the three mares nodding in agreement. “So, what’s everyone else doing?” asked Twilight. “Fluttershy is getting the animals ready to perform,” said Spike, “Rainbow is currently making sure that the weather in that day will be cleared without any problems, Applejack is preparing the menu with the rest of her family. And we all know what Pinkie is doing.” “I hope things turn out well,” said Twilight, who suddenly felt worried, “I’d really hate for things to go wrong.” “Why else do you think we’re going to hold our wedding in Ponyville?” said Spike, “Besides, with all of us being here, we’ll be able to get things ready in a split second. Or in this case a Pinkie second.” The two mares couldn’t help but giggle on that remark. “Welp, I’d better get going. There’s still more to do.” Said Spike. As he left, he said to Twilight, “Don’t worry Twilight, you two got this.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile and look at herself in the mirror, and realized that Spike was right. ‘I do, don’t I?’ thought Twilight to herself. ************************************************************************************************* 2 week later 2 weeks had passed and the big day had finally arrived. Everyone who was invited slowly made their way towards Ponyville as everyone was helping getting the wedding ceremony ready. One by one the guests were finding their seats or would sometimes mingle with each other. Beau was already dressed, but for some reason he had to go to Sweet Apple Acres. He was looking at himself in the mirror, whilst Big Mac, Spike, Shining Armor, and Night Light were with him. “Remind me again why I’m about halfway from town?” asked Beau. “It’s tradition that both the bride and groom be in separate locations whilst they prepare.” Said Shining Armor. “Plus, us guys need to stick together to make you look good.” Said Spike. “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac with a nod. “But won’t Rarity throw a hissy fit about it?” asked Beau, who then pretended to be Rarity “Oh, how dreadful, how could you drag your ensemble through all the dirty muck. You’ll ruin your suit. Why, it’s the worst…possible…thing, that could’ve happened.” All four guys blinked and were surprised. With Shining Armor saying “Okay, your Rarity voice was completely off.” “But that was kind of spot on.” Said Night Light. “Eeyup.” Replied Big Mac. Spike couldn’t help but chuckle and said “That’s exactly how Rarity would act.” “Still,” said Beau, before looking at himself in the mirror whilst worrying at the same time. “I just hope things don’t go wrong.” He felt an arm around him, and looked at Night Light. “It’ll be fine.” Said Night Light, “When I was getting married, I was just as stressed over how things were going to be. But I tried to hide that feeling, because I thought about wanting to make Velvet happy. And I’m glad I still kept it with me till this very day. And trust me when I say, I know you’ll make her happy too in the end.” “You really think so?” asked Beau. “Absolutely.” Said Night Light, “And I can tell that you’ll take good care of her, because you’re a decent and honest po, er, man.” “He’s right.” Said Spike, “And this dragon can teach you on how to be calm for a lady before getting married.” Beau looked at Spike with a flexed eyebrow. “Really? And who have you dated, hotshot?” Spike grunted at that, with Beau rolling his eyes and said “This is why some folks think you’re a bonehead.” “Totally.” Said Shining Armor. “Eeyup.” Agreed Big Mac, which caused the guys to laugh whilst Spike grumbled at the same time. *********************************************************************************************** Back at the castle of friendship, Twilight’s dress was at the ready, whilst Twilight herself was, you guessed it, was reading a book. And from the looks of it, it seems to be a location that caught her eye. “Oooh, this is perfect.” Said Twilight. At the same time, her friends were chattering as all of them were excited for the big day. “Oooh,” cooed Rarity as she got really excited, “I simply cannot wait for the ensemble I have made for us.” “Only you would get excited over a dress, Rarity.” Said Rainbow whilst rolling her eyes. “Why wouldn’t she Rainbow?” asked Starlight, “It’s not every day one of your best friends gets married. And to a human no less.” “Which makes it twice as exciting!!” exclaimed Pinkie whilst she bounced at the same time. “A lot of folks in Ponyville and some of our friends are comin’ over, ah’m actually curious about one thing.” Said Applejack. “And what’s that?” asked Starlight. “On what the baby might look like.” Said Applejack, to which the others voiced in agreement. Fluttershy however noticed something, and said “But, um, I think we’re going to have to convince her to get her out of it first.” Everyone looked and to their surprise, they saw Twilight reading a book whilst a large board was behind her, revealing tons of pictures, plans and ideas that she had somehow written down. “Twilight!!” said Rarity loudly, making Twilight yelp as she jumped from her seat and looked at her friends. Some had flexed eyebrows and disbelief looks. “What are you doing?” “Oh, I’m simply going over the certain plans and attractions and locations that Beau and I wanted to go on hour honeymoon.” Said Twilight. “Uh, isn’t that usually until after the wedding?” asked Starlight. “And Twi, y’all were supposed to be sleepin’!” said Applejack, “Ya need to be fresh and ready for yer big day.” “Applejack’s right, Twilight.” Said Rainbow Dash, “We don’t want you to overdo yourself again. Remember what happened last time when you went to the summit with Cadence in tow?” “Rainbow’s right, Twilight.” Said Fluttershy, “Spike ended up nearly running things during that time, remember?” Twilight groaned and said “How could I forget?” “And besides,” said Pinkie, “Even if either you or Beau messes things up, the both of you will end up making things work great and work better, cause that’s what families and loved ones do.” Twilight smiled and said “I just…wanted to be perfect.” “Don’t be like that, Twilight.” Said Starlight, “It’s clear as day how much you love Beau, and that the both of you are going to be parents soon. So, what way to just try something new rather than out of the norm.” Twilight thought about it, then was able to smile again. “Thanks girls, I needed to hear that.” Said Twilight. “You’re welcome, Twilight.” Said Fluttershy. “Now go and get cleaned up Sugarcube.” said. Applejack. “She's right darling, you're going to get married, and you simply look horrid.” said Rarity. “Yeah, Beau doesn't want to meet a slob at your wedding day.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Absolutely.” responded Twilight casually. Suddenly, it dawned to Twilight, as she greatly began to realize something. Something that she never thought would happen, nor thought would be possible. “Um, Twilight?” said Fluttershy, “Are you okay?” Twilight looked at her friends and then let a chuckle, then said “I'm getting married.” Then...it really dawned onto her, that she had a panicked look on her face, and then fainted. “Oh, boy!!” exclaimed Starlight as she and Rainbow quickly caught her. “Oh, she’s getting the wedding jitters.” said Rarity. “Pinkie, start a bath for her so we can clean her,” said Applejack, “This is going to take a while.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie before she darted off to the bathroom, whilst Starlight and Rainbow carried her to the bathroom, dragging Twilight as she suddenly didn't have the strength to walk. “I'm...getting...married.” said Twilight as she still couldn't believe it. “I heard of getting cold hooves, but this is ridiculous.” said Rainbow. “Just wait till yer weddin’ day will come, Rainbow.” said Applejack. “Pff, yeah right,” said Rainbow, “If that does happen, I'll take it like a pony.” Applejack rolled her eyes over Rainbow saying that. However, as she walked, she suddenly thought about…huh? Why is she thinking about Buck?!! She blushed madly at this and proceeds in a fastened pace towards the bathroom to help Twilight out. *********************************************************************************************** There was only an hour left before the wedding starts and everyone had begun to gather to their seats. To half the town’s surprise, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were also there. Princess Celestia wanted to officiate the wedding for both Twilight and Beau and that it would also be the first time that a pony would marry a different creature. Beau stood near the podium and was dressed in his white tuxedo whilst also wearing a purple tie. He saw Celestia and Shining Armor coming forth. “Shining Armor. Princess Celestia.” Said Beau, “Glad to see you two could make it.” “We would not miss it.” Said Princess Celestia, “Seeing that she is my student, I felt that it should be an honor to officiate the wedding personally.” “As long as Shining Armor doesn’t cry like a little girl before the wedding starts.” Teased Beau, which caused Shining Armor to look at him with a flexed eyebrow. Within Beau saying “Cadence, Spike and Twilight told everybody.” Shining shot a glare at Cadence and Spike, as neither of them noticed the stare he was giving them. “Still,” said Princess Celestia, “I can imagine my student must be over the moon being nervous.” “Isn’t she always?” said Shining Armor, then looked at Beau and said “And I’m surprised you haven’t freaked out yet.” “That’s because I don’t freak out.” Said Beau, “I take it like a man.” When all of a sudden, Beau slightly opened his eyes and… “A man, who happens to be getting married to a beautiful woman.” Muttered Beau, “A woman who also happens to be a pony mare, and who also happens to be a Princess, where others tend to hound her and make her work to help others extremely harder than it already is.” Beau had a slight panic on his face. “And after all the work I did here, what if something goes wrong, what if she doesn’t like it, what if she thinks everything is imperfect, she’ll end up panicking whilst freaking out about not being perfect, then maybe she won’t like me, and she’ll think I’m boring…And not worthy of being a husband!!” Shining Armor, Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence were surprised, that this was actually the first time they see him panicking. “And who would want to come by and ruin everything,” said Beau, “Who wouldn’t want us to get married. Who would want to separate us. Is there a conspiracy out there?!” “Whoa,” muttered Shining Armor, “This is the first time I’ve seen him panic.” “Same with us.” Said Cadence. “He really is a match for her.” Said Luna, then deadpanned and said “And you should know Celestia, you took her in as your student.” Celestia looked at Luna with a flexed eyebrow, but then Roland grabbed Princess Celestia and said “Oh boy, I feel sick. I feel nauseous. I CAN’T BREATHE!!!” Beau held the side of his shirt as he began to sweat like crazy. When all of a sudden, Cadence teleported Pinkie to them. “Huh, what am I doing…?” said Pinkie, then saw Beau panicking, which she then had a deadpanned look. “Oh boy, I’ve seen this before.” Pinkie then dug into her hair and within a split second, pulled out a large mallet, which surprised Shining and the three Princesses. And on the side of the hammer, was written ‘in case of panicking’. She lifted the mallet and said “This will only hurt for a second.” And with one massive swing, she struck Beau on the top of his head, making him widen his eyes and he collapsed on his butt onto the ground, whilst at the same time, his eyes were rolling as he was actually seeing stars. Beau then shook his head, then looked at Pinkie and muttered with squinted eyes. “Thank you. I…needed that.” “Anytime.” Said Pinkie as she placed her mallet away. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we got a princess to get ready.” She instantly darted back to the castle, whilst Beau was slowly trying to stand up as his head was shaking. Shining Armor wanted to say something, but Cadence stopped him, for she knew what he was going to say, and shook her head, knowing that it won’t help. Princess Celestia however, couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at his predicament, which surprised Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadence. “Wait, you’re laughing at me?” said Beau. “Oh, Beau, I’m not.” Said Princess Celestia after she calmed down and lifted his chin so that he could look at her. “I’m laughing because I had the exact same fears you’re having.” “Really?!” said Beau, Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadence surprised. “It’s true.” Said Princess Celestia, “Long ago, whilst I was teaching at the school, I noticed how well she was progressing, and I was proud of her achievements. But I noticed that her achievements were keeping her from the most important things.” “Like making friends?” said Beau. “Twilight has bit of an…obsessive side.” Said Shining Armor. “Trust me, we both tried for years, but she didn’t budge.” Said Cadence. “I ended up having to make a difficult decision, by sending her away so that she could learn.” Said Princess Celestia, “Whilst visiting Ponyville, I noticed five ponies here, who I could sense was very special, so I planned to send her here. But, like anypony, I came up with different reasons of why I didn’t want her to go. And it turned out all of the anxiety I felt, was because I didn’t want her to go.” Beau, Shining Armor, and Cadence were surprised by this. “Really?” replied the three, with Princess Luna nodding in confirmation. “I loved, having her as a student.” Said Princess Celestia, “She challenged and taught me, just as I taught her. And I was embarrassed to admit it, but I was scared that the moment she made friends, she wouldn’t need me anymore.” Beau, Princess Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor were surprised to hear this. Beau however, could see that by being around Twilight for so long…she felt like a daughter to her. Beau then did the unexpected…he hugged Celestia, much to the ruler’s surprise. “Princess Celestia,” said Beau before breaking it and looking at her, “That will never be true. She would always need you, just as you need her. And something I should’ve learned long ago, is that just because you let someone spread their wings, doesn’t mean you no longer have a place in their lives. She may have her own life, she may not be a child, and I could tell from the start that you just wanted to be a part of it. And that no matter what happens, she’ll always be the filly you taught. And that you’ll always be a mother figure to her. In fact, she looks up to you a lot.” He rolled his eyes and said “And she’s always so obsessive a while back to please you, but one thing I learned, is that you can’t please everyone. Not to mention she and everyone else fails to see what I see. You may be a ruler, you may be a leader, and you may have the power of the sun behind you. But they don’t see that you’re just a pony like them, who laughs, who cries, who gets angry. At the end of the day, we try to prepare for the next day, that’s why we spend every moment from the time we still have. That’s what I figured at least. So, in a way…she’s proud to be your student, she even became an Alicorn and tried to teach others like you taught her, you continued to pass on what you’ve learned. And that lesson will always be remembered. And the one thing that she’ll always remember…the love she has for you, her teacher, her role model, her parental figure, and the pony she’ll always be thankful for.” The four ponies were taken aback by what he said, and could sense the wisdom from his voice. Princess Celestia couldn’t help but smile and shed tears from this. She gently hugged Beau, to which the latter returned. “Truly wise words Beau.” Said Princess Celestia. She broke the hug and said “It seems you truly were fated to be here after all. And I have a feeling that she’ll learn more from you than from anypony else.” “I have a feeling she will.” Said Beau, “And don’t worry. You’re secret is safe with me. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my…” The moment he tried to say eye, he accidentally poked himself in the eye, making him yelp and held it, “Dang it.” The four ponies couldn’t help but laugh at his predicament. 1 hour later Soon enough, everyone had taken their seats and had waited anxiously for the big day. Though to Princess Celestia, she knew the only one who was more nervous was Beau. Beau looked at her, and she gave him a reassuring smile, indicating that everything will be okay. He couldn’t help but smile and took a breath to calm down. Then it happened…the wedding music began to play, and many began to stand up and look at the other direction. Beau took a breath and slowly turned around. When he looked, he was surprised what he was seeing. Twilight was wearing a pristine white dress with pink frills which narrowed along the legs, accenting her figure beautifully. She wore light violet gloves which went up to her elbows and her hair was done in a bun which supported her wedding veil which partially concealed her face. Beau couldn’t help but be in awe of what he was seeing, for Twilight really looks beautiful. Though Beau decided to keep a straight face when he tried his best not to make a fool of himself. Twilight could see Beau staring back, which she couldn’t help but blush right back and tried her best to keep her composure. The two of them then stood next to one another whilst facing to Celestia at the same time. “You look amazing by the way.” Whispered Beau to Twilight, to which she couldn’t help but blush. “You’re not so bad yourself.” Whispered Twilight back. Princess Celestia then began to address the crowd. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to join Beau and Twilight Sparkle in holy matrimony,” said Celestia, “Now I'm going to just go straight to saying that the two made their vows and not say what they are since both wrote lists long enough to go all the way back to Canterlot.”. Beau and Twilight blushed sheepishly as the others laughed. “But they did prepare something,” Celestia continued as she looked at the couple. Twilight then began to speak, “I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’m going to say. But the truth is, as my sister-in-law suggested, the way that I feel right now, looking at you… It’s beyond words. When I first met you, I wasn’t sure what to think. But I stand by what I said back then. You were an interest to me. And you proved that, over and over again, with the sincerity you’ve shown me, the depth of your feelings, and the lengths you’re willing to go to for someone important to you, even at a great personal cost. Most of all, you became such a big part of my everyday life that the thought of not having you in it is simply unbearable. And I’m thrilled to take the next big step together with you and see what the rest of our lives have to offer.” Beau couldn’t help but smile at this and began to speak his mind. Beau then began to speak, “The way that I feel about you… I’ve said it before, a lot. I love you. More than anybody I’ve ever known. I owe you and our friends everything, but you, most of all. The friendship that I forged with you is pure magic, and even through all of the hard times, it’s only gotten better since. There aren’t enough words in all the books in the world to express how I feel about you. You took me in and accepted me without a second thought. We began to know one another, learned to laugh at a few things, especially finding someone who has the same taste in learning as I do. And I hope we continue to learn of life ahead of us, even when it’s unknown. And I’m more than happy to learn more by your side.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile and feel the same. “The rings please?” asked Princess Celestia. Spike casually walked up with the rings, until he suddenly tripped and dropped onto the ground, causing the rings to fly in the air, which surprised some, then Beau quickly jumped up and grabbed them. They then looked at Spike, whom they noticed tripped on a muffin. “What the…?” muttered Spike, “Who the heck drops a muffin in the middle of nowhere?!” “My bad.” They looked up and saw Derpy wearing a dress whilst flying and eating a few muffins. Some were confused by this. “How the heck did she become a mail pony?” whispered Beau to Twilight. “I have no idea.” Whispered Twilight back. Both Twilight and Beau placed their wedding bands on one another’s ring fingers. Once that was done, both of them looked at Princess Celestia. “Do you Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, take Beau to be your lawfully wedded husband. Will you love, honor and comfort him, for as long as you both shall live?” “I do.” Said Twilight. “And do you Thomas Rohan, also known as Beau from Earth, take Twilight Sparkle to be your lawfully wedded wife. Will you love, honor and comfort her, for as long as you both shall live?” “I do.” Replied Beau. “Then, by the power vested in me, as co-ruler of Equestria,” said Princess Celestia, “I now pronounce you, mare and husband.” Beau then decided to do something bold. He scooped up Twilight, much to her surprise as she yelped whilst being twirled. He then kissed her full on the lips, which surprises her, but succumbs to it as she kissed him back, with everyone cheering whilst standing up. The two of them broke the kiss and had smiles on their faces. Until Beau rolled his eyes and said “Okay Shining, you can start crying now.” Shining then cried out loud, which surprised everyone, but laughed all the same as they expected this to happen. From the audience, Buck enjoyed the wedding, and saw how well Twilight and Beau were together. Then a sudden thought came to him. He slowly looked at Applejack, whom he had sit beside the whole time. And wondered…maybe he could try too. If time permits that is. *************************************************************************************************** Soon the entire party is on full swing, with everyone celebrating the wedding. Everyone was dancing, feasting, and laughter being filled all around as everyone began to celebrate everything happening. Twilight and Beau were over at the cake as the two of them had a cake slice, until Twilight smashed a piece of cake to Beau’s face, causing the both of them to laugh about it, even the others found it funny, and hope that Pinkie doesn’t throw a hissy fit when it comes to cakes. Then came the dance between Beau and Twilight, the two of them dancing on the dance floor with everyone following suit. As half the folks were watching the dance, Buck saw Applejack sitting at the opposite side, and felt nervous for some reason. He walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder, gaining her attention as she looked at him. “Um, AJ.” Said Buck nervously, “Would it be okay if…we danced together?” Applejack was a little surprised by this, whilst also blushing at the same time. She couldn’t help but sport a smile and said “Of course Sugarcube. Why not?” The two of them stood up and walked over to where Twilight and Beau were dancing. Soon enough, the two of them danced along whilst the music was playing at the same time. For some reason, Buck loved dancing with her. And in a way…it felt…right. Really right. After a few hours of dancing, Beau, Twilight, and the rest of her friends were sitting together, talking, and laughing as everyone else enjoyed the party. “You seriously freaked out before the wedding even started?!” laughed Rainbow when Beau told them of how he freaked out in front of Shining and the rest of the three Princesses. “You were more stressed out than Twilight!!” laughed Spike. “Still,” said Beau, “I’m glad the wedding went along great without any problems.” “Same here.” Said Twilight as she was able to hold her newlywedded husband’s hand, to which the two smiled at one another. “Plus, a day before the wedding started, I went back to the doctor and asked him about the baby. Thankfully they were able to identify it.” “Really?” said Beau eagerly, “What did they say?” The rest were also eager about this, with Twilight making a squee sound and said “It’s a girl.” The girls got excited, with Beau hugging Twilight at the same time. “So, now that the wedding will be over soon,” said Rainbow, “Where are you guys going to spend your honeymoon?” “I have something in mind.” Said Beau, “But it involves traveling through the mirror.” “Huh?” went the others. “Near CHS?” said Twilight surprised. “I was able to arrange a few things on the other side and we’ll be able to travel all over there. Plus, I know you never had the chance to explore much there, so we figured why not give that a chance. Plus…” He smirked and leaned over whilst saying “It’ll give you a chance to explore the other world’s libraries.” Twilight squealed in excitement whilst her wings were flapping in excitement. “You know me so well.” “But won’t that be a financial problem?” asked Buck, “From what you told me, Equestria and the world where Sunset and her friends live are very different. Though it is similar, it’s also very different.” “We’re both humans, remember?” said Beau, “I’ve been there for a while and I was able to learn that it’s similar to our old home. Plus, I was able to make a few investments and cashed in a few things. And we’ll end up having a tidy sum to support us. Plus, I was able to arrange a few things to help guide us. And Sunset and her friends were more than glad to help plan a lot of things for us.” “Amazing,” said Rarity, “Twilight, you are most fortunate to have such a wonderful husband.” Twilight squeezed Beau’s hand for comfort, to which Beau looked whilst the Princess smiled at her. “Though there’s another problem.” Said Spike, “If I remember, when you and Twilight go through the mirror, the two of you turn into Teenagers. And from what Beau told me, the laws said that no one can marry unless they turn over twenty.” “I got that covered.” Said Beau, “I was able to find an aging spell that would allow us to be in our mid-twenties on the other side. All we need is the right alterations.” “Okay, now you’re scaring us.” Said Starlight as Beau suddenly thought ahead of time, to which the others couldn’t help but chuckle at that, for this is what they would’ve expected from Beau. Though no one can complain, for the way things are now, having Beau, as well as Buck around, would make things really exciting. What the future will hold, no one knows. But one thing’s for sure, having humans around Equestria, will make their lives very exciting. Chapter 9: Of honeymoons and country loveThe next day, at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight and Beau were standing in front of the mirror, with a few luggage ready for just in case, with the rest of her friends, Spike and Buck standing near them. “Now y’all be careful over there Sugarcube.” Said Applejack. “She’s right, Twilight.” Said Spike, “We’ve spent a few days at a time whenever we visit, you’ve never been there for two weeks or a month before.” “He does have a point, Twilight.” Said Starlight, “Are you sure this will be safe?” “Not to worry,” said Twilight, “Beau showed me the spell to alter the mirror. When we came out of the other side, we appeared as teenagers. But thankfully, he was able to help me determine our age, so we’ll be able to look about our current age the moment we’re on the other side.” “Plus, the other side is also a lot like my old home.” Said Beau, “So I’ll be able to help adapt in this world. And thankfully I was also able to get a license for driving.” “Driving what?” asked a confused Rainbow. Beau showed them a picture of a car and said “With these. Someone invented these types of transportation a hundred years ago. Overtime, they continued to improve the design and people use them on a daily basis. It also make traveling easy. Where it takes a week traveling from one town to another, this one allows you to travel there in a matter of hours.” “Oooooohhh.” Went the ponies in the room. “Now, before we go.” Said Beau, then turned to Twilight. “Honey, I just need to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything else. Did we forget anything?” Twilight thought about, then realized. “Oh, right. I forgot to bring an empty journal with me. I want to use it to document on what’s on the other side. I think I left it in the Library. Could you get it for us?” “You got it.” Said Beau, then looked at Starlight and said “Starlight? You happen to know where it is, considering the two of you are always in the same library when carrying out lessons.” “Oh, sure thing. I can show you.” Said Starlight as she was the first to leave, whilst Beau followed her. As the friends discussed on what they’re going to do, both Beau and Starlight arrived at the library. Starlight looked around and said “Now where did we put that journal.” “Before we do.” Said Beau, gaining Starlight’s attention. “I know my wife gave you a very overcomplicated list.” “Um, that’s right.” Said Starlight nervously. “But I convinced her otherwise and instead I asked her if I could give you an important task instead.” Said Beau, “I’m not going to go overboard, it’s just something simple.” “Um…what?” asked a confused Starlight. “I want you…” said Beau as he suddenly got serious, to which frightened Starlight a bit, until he smiled and said “To housesit for us.” Starlight blinked and said “Excuse me?” “Whilst we’re away, we need someone to look after the Castle whilst we’re away.” Said Beau, “Your job is to make sure everything stays clean, neat, making sure no one abuses this place for their own needs like forming a party, like that time Twilight had to kick Pinkie out a while back because of what she did.” “Twilight did what?” said Starlight surprised. “I found out from Spike.” Said Beau, “Anyway, we need somepony to look after the place. Consider this a lesson.” “Lesson?” said a confused Starlight, “What kind of lesson?” “By being responsible.” Said Beau. Again, Starlight was confused by this, with Beau deciding to fill in. “See, every now and then, whenever we’ve been given a task, we’ve also been given a responsibility. And if they see that you’re responsible, then they trust you enough to do things on your own. Princesses Celestia and Luna learned them, same with Cadence and Shining Armor. And Twilight still struggles with it all the time. Now you get to do the same by proving your worth. And seeing that you’ve got some parts of being responsible hands down, I figured that this could also prove as a place of responsibility. Back in my world, what I’ve read in a comic book, there’s a saying, that with great power comes great responsibility. Meaning now that you’re in charge of the castle, it’s your responsibility.” “Wait, me?” asked Starlight, “But what about Spike?” “No offense, I wouldn’t even trust him enough to look after a cardboard box than a castle.” Said Beau. Starlight was surprised by this, with her asking “Why would you say that?” “Look, I like Spike, I really do,” said Beau, “But that guy can sometimes make boneheaded decisions when it comes to certain things. Remember that incident at Canterlot a while back when Twilight needed rest after her so called all nightery and Spike made a mess by taking over, claiming that Twilight asked for a few things?” “Oh yeah,” muttered Starlight as she remembered Twilight telling her that. “I forgot about that.” “Not to mention a few other things,” said Beau, “Like the Winter Wrap Up when he acted innocent when Twilight wanted to help plough the field with Applejack, when it was his idea to tell her to use magic to plough the field. Then there was that time he thought he could take on the Diamond Dogs when he wanted to save Rarity, but made a fool of himself. Then there was the time he got jealous over an owl. Then there was that time he ended up upsetting Pinkie Pie that made her think her friends didn’t love her anymore…” “Wait, what?” said a confused Starlight, “Why would she think that?” “Long story short, it was her birthday, she didn’t know about it, her friends tried to keep it a surprise, but you know how persistent she can get, for she can’t keep a secret unless you Pinkie Promise, and she can’t read a person or stop poking her nose into other people’s business.” “That sounds like her.” Muttered Starlight. “Then there was the time he didn’t try to stop her from using that Want it, Need it Spell, or try to convince her that she shouldn’t overstress over a dumb report. When he let his greed turn him into a literal monster. And that time he made a fool of himself in front of the dragons by acting like a pony, when he failed to realize that everyone grows up differently and don’t have the same upbringing the other does. Or that he didn’t even stay and defend Twilight when she tried to save Shining when she felt something off about Cadence when it was Chrysalis in disguise.” “But…didn’t they turn their back on her when they thought she was crazy when she didn’t have any proof or evidence and made a poor case?” Beau wanted to say something, but then realized it too and said “Oh yeah, good point.” Beau continued “Then there was the time he was supposed to take care of their pets whilst they were away, only for him to botch it up completely. Where he got them trapped into an enchanted comic book, when he didn’t pay attention to the enchanted part. Or that time he botched up the Breezie Migration. Or gave that spell book to Rarity that caused her to over beautify the entire town, where he made a fool of himself twice at the Equestrian Games.” Starlight was surprised by the mistakes Spike made. “He made that many mistakes?!” “That’s right. More importantly.” Said Beau, before whispering to her, “I know he still has that fantasy where Rarity would finally fall in love with him, but it’s never going to happen.” Starlight was surprised by that last part, with Beau saying normally, “Which is why I’m putting you in charge of the castle, because you’re the only pony in this castle that’s responsible.” “Um, I wouldn’t exactly call enslaving a town and trying to destroy Equestria’s history being responsible.” Said Starlight nervously. “Eh, that’s all in the past.” Said Beau, “Besides, you were just lost, confused, didn’t know how to move on…” Then Beau looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, “Or even grow up.” She winced at that, with Beau reassuring her, “But the point is, you’re better than you once were. Which is why we take the path of redemption one step at a time. There’s an old saying in my world. You take it one step at a time. You live life as best you can, and then you pick up right where you left off. And some things may come to an end, which we know can be sad. That’s why we continue to live in the moment with the time we still have.” Starlight blinked a couple of times, as if…she was strangely moved by his words. “How is it you’ve never been my teacher?” said Starlight in disbelief. “Eh, I have my moments.” Said Beau. Then he found the journal and picked it up. He then said “Whenever you struggle, Starlight. You can always talk to me. You can count on it.” As Beau left, Starlight stared at Beau surprised, and couldn’t help but smile and follow Beau where Twilight and the others were waiting. “Got it, Twilight.” Said Starlight. “You really need to keep that library of yours clean.” Said Beau. “I do clean it!!” protested Twilight. This however, was a mistake as Beau suddenly smirked. “Oh really, lady Sparkle.” Said Beau, “You know how I feel about lying. I’m gonna have to…” Beau then whispered to her whilst he slowly ruffled her feathers, making her blush and slightly moaned, “I’m going to have to punish you during our…happy ending sessions.” Twilight widened her eyes in shock, whilst blushing madly at the same time. “Shut up.” Muttered Twilight as she shoved him a bit before giggling. “We’d better get going, or we’ll be late.” Said Beau, “We don’t want to miss out on anything.” “Right,” said Twilight as she picked up her bags, with Beau picking up his. She turned to her friends and said “We’ll see you guys in about a month.” Twilight stepped through the portal, with Beau saying “See you guys.” “See you later, Beau!!” said Pinkie. “Enjoy your honeymoon.” Said Spike. “You got it bonehead, er, I mean, Spike.” Said Beau before walking through. Spike blinked by the first part her called him. “Hey, what did he mean by bonehead?” Said Spike, then turned to the others and said “I’m not a bonehead!!” The looks from the girls faces said otherwise, which Spike didn’t get. ‘Wow,’ said Starlight from within her thoughts, ‘Beau was right, he really is a bonehead.’ *********************************************************************************************** Back at CHS, the Rainbooms were hanging out near the statue, with Sunset holding Princess Twilight’s journal. “Are you sure they’re popping by here?” asked Rainbow. “They are, Rainbow.” Said Sunset Shimmer, “Plus from what Princess Twilight says, both she and Beau have a surprise for us.” “Oooh, what kind of surprise?” said an exciting Pinkie Pie. “Ah’m sure they’ll tell us once they get here.” Said Applejack. They heard the sounds of a portal shimmering, “Oh, that must be them now.” Said Rarity. Two figures soon emerged from the portal, with Twilight standing tall and said “Whoa, that feels a bit different.” “I know what you mean.” Said Beau. He then noticed the Rainbooms and said “Oh hey girls.” The Rainbooms however, all looked at both Beau and Twilight shocked, as they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. “What?” said a confused Twilight. “Twilight? Beau?” said a confused Sunset. “Is…is that you two?” said Sci-Twi surprised. Spike went over and sniffed them, then said “Yep, that’s them alright?” “Why are you two staring at us like that?” asked Beau. “Well…” said Rarity as she used her diamond geode to create a large mirror. When Twilight looked at it, she widened her eyes in surprise, whilst she inspected her body at the same time. For the spell that Beau had founded worked. For now, they look somewhere in their mid-20’s. But what was different, was instead of her usual attire, it nearly resembled that to Principal Celestia’s, only in her previous’ clothing’s color scheme. “Wow,” said Twilight after she was done looking herself over. “So, this is what I look like if I was an adult in this world.” Beau looked at himself over, and said “Never figured this is what I look like at age 26.” “What did you two do?” asked Sunset. “Oh, see it’s like this.” Said Twilight before she was cut off. “Honey, mind if I explain things?” said Beau. Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes and gestured for him to do so. “It’s like this,” said Beau, “A while back when we last visited you guys, we appeared as teenagers. But back in Equestria, we’re already adults. I’m about 21 and Twilight’s a year younger than me. But we realized that if we wanted to move around the world a bit, or even drive, then we’d end up having a problem that we appeared as teens. So, I looked through a few spells and was able to find an artifact that could help change our ages. I experimented with the portal so that it could help turn us into adults the moment we crossed. Thankfully it’s a onetime thing.” “Oh? Why would that be a problem?” asked Fluttershy. “Well for one we wanted to go somewhere on our honeymoon.” Said Beau. The Rainbooms were greatly surprised by what he had said. “I’m sorry,” said Rarity, “Did you say, honeymoon?” “Er…yeah.” Said Twilight as she and Beau showed their wedding rings to them. Needless to say, the Rainbooms were speechless at first, until the girls, minus Rainbow squealed in excitement and hugged the couple tightly. “Normally, I wouldn’t condone to acting like they do, but…” said Rainbow, before she did the same and hugged them too. “Congratulations!!” said Sunset after they broke the hug. “You two must be so happy!!” said Fluttershy. “This is the most amazingness thing, ever!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she got just as excited. “Y’all must be the luckiest ever.” Said Applejack. “As well as something else.” Said Beau. The Rainbooms were again confused at first. Until Beau placed his hand against her belly, causing them to instantly realize what he meant, making them squeal even louder and hugged Twilight again. “So, you’re going to be parents, too?!!” said Sci-Twi in excitement. “We sure are.” Said Twilight, “The doctor also said that it’s going to be a girl.” “Aw yeah, this is awesome!!” said Rainbow Dash. “Although, now it would explain why you made yourself older, because you didn’t want to be in trouble with the authorities.” Said Rarity when she realized something. “That’s the gist of it, yeah.” Said Beau. “But how did you guys make yourself older?” asked Sunset. “We used this artifact.” Said Twilight as she pulled it out and showed it to them. “We were able to use this on the mirror to change our ages when we crossed over.” “Yeah, cause for one, Twilight’s a year younger than me.” Said Beau. “How old are you?” asked Fluttershy. “I’m twenty-one whilst Twilight is a year younger than me.” Said Beau, whilst unknown to them the artifact was reacting slowly to something. “Huh?” said the Rainbooms. “See, it’s like this.” Said Twilight, “I’m already a legal adult in Equestria, but when I crossed the portal the first time, I was turned into a teenager, different worlds different times. I was turned into a teenager in order to avoid suspicion, considering as you guessed, my counterpart was still in her teens.” “So that explains why you were the same age as me.” Said Sci-Twi, “Our counterparts are already adults, but if you cross to the portal where you’re counterpart is still a teenager, you’ll end up the same age as we do in order to keep the balance of the world.” “Good guess.” Said Beau. “Good guess, it’s a great theory!!” said Twilight in excitement. “I know, I’m just…” said Beau, until he noticed something about the artifact, which made him widen his eyes a bit. “Uh, Twilight? Is it supposed to do that?” They saw the artifact reacting a bit as it glowed, which surprised them. “Uh, I don’t know.” Said a surprised Twilight, “It’s never done that before.” As the artifact glowed, Pinkie noticed something. “Hey look, Sunset’s glowing too.” They saw Sunset glowing a bit, making her look at herself for a moment. “Uh, what’s happening?” said a nervous Sunset. Suddenly, Beau noticed that Sunset was slightly growing, which made his eyes widen in shock. “Uh, Twilight?” “Yes?” said both Twilight and Sci-Twi. Seeing that Beau wanted both their opinions, he asked the two of them, “Seeing that you’re from Equestria and the mirror reduced your age to a teenager, but we found a way to make ourselves older thanks to the artifact, right?” “That’s right.” Said Twilight. Sci-Twi widened her eyes in shock as she realized, “And er…Sunset also happens to be from Equestria, and you did mention that she was older than you, so…” Suddenly, it dawned to everyone, with Fluttershy going “Oh my.” They heard a large rip, causing them to look. For Sunset was now the same height as Twilight, but two years older, her breasts were now an E-Cup. She was now a fully grown woman, which made her gasp in shock. She screamed in shock as she covered herself whilst crouching, which shocked the others. “Okay, we did not, do that!!” exclaimed Beau. “We need to get her inside!!” shouted Twilight. Everyone quickly took her away whilst trying to avoid the crowds at the same time. *********************************************************************************************** Soon enough, they were safely in the music room. And though by some miracle, they were able to turn Sunset back to normal, and Rarity having her wardrobe ready for just in case. “We are so, sorry Sunset.” Said Twilight. “No, no, it’s alright.” Said Sunset, though still feeling embarrassed, “You didn’t know this would happen.” “Why the heck did the artifact affect Sunset, too?” asked Rainbow Dash. “As I theorized, and what my counterpart also guessed,” said Sci-Twi, “When Princess Twilight crosses over, she turns into a teenager. And from what all of you mentioned, Sunset was older than Twilight before she became Princess Celestia’s pupil.” “And when she traveled through the portal,” said Twilight, “She was turned into your freshman year. But when I first saw her, she was about the same age I was. Though it felt like it was ten years since she was in Equestria, the artifact must’ve reacted to her, causing her to grow older too.” “Thank goodness it was temporary though.” Said Sunset as she took a breather, “I didn’t know how I was going to explain this to Principle Celestia if she saw me older.” “Though from what you’ve told me, I thought she was used to it by now.” Said Beau. “Sometimes she is.” Said Sunset. Beau sighed and said “This is not how I wanted our honeymoon to start.” “It’s alright, Beau.” Said Twilight, “Neither of us knew this was going to happen.” “Still,” said Applejack, “Where are y’all gonna go now that y’all are here?” “Well, seeing that I know how humanity works and everything, I figured I’d show her the ropes.” Said Beau, “As for locations…I’m not sure, we haven’t thought that far yet.” “Maybe we can help.” Said Pinkie as she pulled out a map and presented it to them. “This is the map where you wanna go. Famous locations and everything. Perfect place for Princess Twilight to go if she wants to go to a place she hasn’t gone to yet.” “Oooh, this is perfect.” Said Princess Twilight as she accepted the map. “Thanks Pinkie Pie.” “No problem, Twilight.” Said Pinkie Pie when she smiled with a squeak sound. “Though how are y’all gonna get around?” asked Applejack. “It’s like this.” Said Beau. (One complicated recap later) “And that’s how I was able to plan everything out.” Said Beau, which caused their jaws to be dropped. “Okay, wow.” Said Sunset. “You’ve certainly gained a keeper, Princess Twilight.” Said Rarity playfully, with Twilight blushing and leaning against Beau. “So, now that we’ve cleared that out, when are you guys heading out?” asked Rainbow. “Well, we figured we’d stop at Sugarcube Corner first, and then we hit the road.” Said Twilight. “Good idea,” said Fluttershy, “We can show you the attractions and locations you’ll want to go.” “We’ll go after your class is over,” said Beau, which confused the Rainbooms, “You still got an algebra quiz coming up.” The Rainbooms gasped, causing them to run out and didn’t want to be late for it. Twilight looked at him surprised. “What, I read their schedules for today of this week.” Said Beau, which caused Twilight to giggle as a result. *************************************************************************************************** Later, near Sugarcube Corner, after everyone got together and discussed where to go on their road trip, the Rainbooms were saying goodbye to both Beau and Twilight before they would leave on their road trip whilst standing near their RV. “Sure, wish y’all could stay a bit longer.” Said Applejack. “Indeed,” said Rarity, “We wanted to catch up for old time’s sake.” “I’m sorry, girls.” Said Twilight. “Oh, it’s okay Twilight,” said Fluttershy, “You and your husband comes first when it comes to a honeymoon.” “Plus, from what the others said, you never had a chance to explore the rest of Equestria.” Said Sci-Twi. “Yeah, so go have some fun whilst you’re at it.” Said Rainbow Dash. “And have a fun party whilst you’re at it!!” said Pinkie Pie. “Maybe on your last week, you can visit us?” asked Sunset, “I mean it would be great if we could spend time with one another before you go back home.” “I think that’s a good idea.” Said Beau, “I’d like to know you girls more too. Even if I already know your counterparts.” “Just…promise me that the part of me getting older doesn’t happen again.” Said Sunset nervously. Both Beau and Twilight chuckled at this, with Twilight saying “We’ll keep that in mind.” “Time for us to get going, we don’t want to be late.” Said Beau. Twilight was the first to climb aboard, with Beau stopping for a moment and looked at Sunset. “And Sunset?” said Beau, gaining the former bad pony’s attention, “Even though you didn’t find love in this world, that doesn’t mean one should give up on it. Everybody’s meant to be loved. Even you. And I can tell that someday…you and your special someone will be very happy.” Sunset was surprised by the wisdom her gave her whilst she slightly looked down. For the way he spoke to her, felt a bit like Princess Celestia. Beau walked down and gave her a final hug, and said “It will happen someday Sunset. You just gotta believe in it.” Sunset ended up hugging him back, before they broke it and smiled at one another, before he left and boarded the RV, with him behind the wheel. “What’d you say to Sunset?” asked Twilight as she was curious. Beau chuckled and said “Something to help her see forward for the future.” Beau and Twilight soon drove away, with the Rainbooms waving goodbye to them, with Sunset smiling to the fullest, as if she was looking forward to the future. ************************************************************************************************ Meanwhile, back at Equestria, everyone continued with their daily lives, with Starlight doing her best to look after the castle. It had been a few days since Twilight and Beau left for the other world, and sometimes her friends ask Starlight for a status update, considering they sometimes communicate over the journals. Back at Sweet Apple Acres, both Buck and Applejack were busy tending the farm, looking after, and harvesting the trees at the same time. Whilst picking up one of the baskets, Buck asked “How do you think Twilight and Beau are doing?” “Ah’m sure that they’re fine.” Said Applejack as she brought two baskets of her own. “Starlight’s keepin’ an eye on the journal, so she’ll let us know if Twilight had said anything.” “I sure hope so.” Said Buck as he placed the basket in a wagon, “From what all of you told me, Twilight only explored the entire city when she last visited there. But she never explored the entire world there.” “First time for everything.” Said Applejack when she placed her basket in the wagon. After Applejack walked to the next tree, Buck stared at her for a bit. And for some reason, he blushed madly. I mean…what are the chances…the two of them…in a relationship? He didn’t think it would be possible. But if Beau and Twilight were able to make it work so far. Then maybe… He shook his head and quickly went back to work. After gathering the last baskets and taking the wagon to store them, they closed up for the day with Applejack whipping the sweat from her brow, same with Buck. “Boy, now that’s what I call a hard day’s work.” Said Buck. “Ah agree, it was a good day.” Said Applejack. Buck thought about it again, for he liked Applejack he really did. And…he has to admit… Buck looked at her as the sun shone on her. He was captivated by her beauty. The way her hair was shining, her deep green eyes that can stare deep into anyone’s soul, her cute freckles, her amazing strength, which he had to admit, he has a thing for strong women. Not to mention her sweet countryisms accent that he liked about her. …she’s perfect. Just as she turned around… “Uh, Applejack?” said Buck as he caught up with her. “Yes?” asked Applejack as she looked at him. Once again, Buck blushed again. But after what he wanted to do, he took a deep breath, then let it out. He looked at her and tried to muster his courage. “Applejack,” began Buck nervously, “I was wondering that if…neither of us were busy…if you want to, well…go out with me sometime?” Applejack widened her eyes a bit and could’ve sworn that she was slightly blushing a bit. Did he just ask her out? “Are y’all…sure about that?” “I am,” said Buck, “That is…if you want?” Applejack shook her head and thought about it whilst placing her left hand on her hip whilst using her right hand to tap her index finger against her bottom lip whilst thinking. “Tell you what,” said Applejack, “Give me a few days and ah’ll consider it.” “Oh, alright then.” Said Buck. Though he sounded disappointed, at least he’s hopeful that she might say yes one day. “I’ll head to the south field and see if there’s anything we missed. Why don’t you go wash up.” “Okay, ah’ll see ya later.” Said Applejack. As Buck left, Applejack walked back home. However, she kept quiet for some time. She eventually made her way to her home and walked to the kitchen’s entrance, where Granny Smith, Apple Bloom and Big Mac were. Granny was sitting in her chair; Big Mac was drinking some water and Apple Bloom was getting a few plates. The three of them noticed Applejack walking in. “Oh, hey Applejack,” said Apple Bloom, “We’ll get dinner ready soon.” However, they noticed that she was very quiet and she didn’t say anything. “Uh, Applejack?” said Granny Smith. Suddenly, Applejack exclaimed whilst grabbing her head and sat on her knees whilst her face was red at the same time, which surprised the others. “Whoa, y’all okay Applejack?” said Apple Bloom. “Yeah, y’all are actin’ crazier than cow stampede.” Said Granny Smith. “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac. Applejack was rapidly breathing a bit, until she was dowsed by water, which snapped her out of it. Which revealed Granny Smith holding a jug of sorts. “Now then, from the top youngin,” said Granny, “What happened?” “Well, see…” said Applejack, “Me and Buck were busy gathering the last apples for the harvest. Then after we were done, he, well…” “What? What?” said Apple Bloom eagerly. “He, well…” said Applejack, then gulped and said “he asked me out.” The three of them were stunned, when Apple Bloom said in excitement, “Like a date?!” Applejack grasped Apple Bloom’s mouth shut whilst she was blushing madly at the same time. “D-don’t say that!!” said Applejack. “What’s wrong with ya, y’all act like y’all have never been on a date before.” Said Apple Bloom after she removed Applejack’s mouth from him. “Well…” “She never had a date.” Said Big Mac, “Most times cause folks are intimidated by her strength. Though ah can’t blame em’. We apples are the strongest because of our hard labor work.” “Yer not wrong there.” Muttered Applejack. However, Granny Smith could tell something about Applejack. She couldn’t help but smile and said “Ah think it’s clear as a shining apple on a good day that y’all have feelings for him.” Applejack looked at Granny Smith in shock. “What, I can tell.” Said Granny Smith with a smile. Granny brought a chair with her and sat across her, staring at Applejack at the same time. She took a breath and spoke her side. “Just as ah can tell,” said Granny before slowly pointing at Applejack, “That you have feelings for him.” Applejack wanted to deny it, thinking that it wasn’t true, but the look on Granny says otherwise, with Applejack also slowly being surprised by this. And said “Is it that obvious?” “Although…” said Granny, “From what ah’m seein’, it’s the first time that y’all fell in love with anypony. And y’all have been spendin more time with him. Especially the way y’all have been looking at him.” “Though…” said Applejack, then looked to Granny and said “What do ah do? Ah’ve never done any of this before.” Apple Bloom gasped and said “Ah got it!!” She dashed over to the other room, and came back with a letter. “This’ll be perfect!!” “Apple Bloom?” said a confused Granny whilst Apple Bloom showed them the letter. “Cousin Braeburn is having a Rodeo party at Appaloosa!!” said Apple Bloom, “Some of our Apple families are goin’ there, and Braeburn asked Pinkie Pie if she could help arrange the party. Y’all can accept his offer over there and start yer first date there.” Applejack then suddenly started to worry. “But…what if they don’t like him? Or they don’t approve of us?” “Ah’m sure they will,” said Granny, “Especially since he saved Apple Bloom’s life.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he nodded in agreement. Applejack thought about it, and sighed. “Alright…Ah’ll accept his offer.” “That’s what ah’d like to hear.” Said Granny. “Now then, y’all better pack yer things. We leave tomorrow. We’re also gonna have to bring Pinkie Pie with us.” “Really?” said a surprised Applejack, “How come?” “Cause when he heard that Pinkie is also a party planner,” said Apple Bloom, “He wanted her help to planning a party. Plus, it’ll be her first time at the rodeo too.” “Huh, good point.” Said Applejack. She then stood up and said “Ah’m gonna start packing’, that way we’ll be ready just in case.” Applejack soon left to pack, with the rest of the Apple family smirking, for something tells me it was going to be a night that nobody would be forgetting anytime soon. ************************************************************************************************ Later the next day, the train from Ponyville was making their way towards Appaloosa, with the Apple family in the train, waiting eagerly until all of them had gotten there. Though no one was more eager than Pinkie Pie as she hopped onto the seat like a hyperactive puppy. Though she was a little disappointed that they didn’t have confectionary treats onboard. Buck was watching from the window as he never had the chance to explore much of the world, and was amazed to see how the world looked like. “Mighty impressive, isn’t it?” Buck turned around and saw Applejack standing near him. “It’s amazing.” Said Buck. “I’ve only seen Ponyville for a while, seen Canterlot from the distance, but never seen much of the countryside before.” Applejack chuckled and sat next to him. “Yeah, I kinda had the same feelin’ since the day I first left Ponyville.” “You mean when you were trying to find your place before you went back there?” asked Buck. “Y’all guessed right there.” Said Applejack whilst looking out of the view. “When ah was young, I was tryin’ to find mah place, so I left Sweet Apple Acres and moved to Manehattan to be with mah relatives. Though I had a hard time fitting in, because ah couldn’t connect with them well. Then one day, ah saw a rainbow, leading me straight to home. That’s when ah realized ah knew where ah was supposed to be. That’s also how ah got mah cutie mark in the first place. Cause mah place was…” “With your family.” Said Buck. He chuckled and said “You really are lucky. To have a place to call home, and be surrounded by folks who love you. But…wasn’t your parents worried about you leaving everything behind?” “Oh, they were.” Said Applejack, “But they figured ah’d come back home eventually.” “Still,” wondered Buck, “It’s a shame what happened to them.” “Huh?” wondered Applejack. “Granny told me what happened to them.” Said Buck, which at first startled her. “She visited me in the hospital and told me. It’s…a shame what happened to them. I wish I could’ve met them.” Applejack chuckled and said “Yeah, they would’ve liked ya. Even more after the way you saved Apple Bloom.” “She’s too precious and innocent in this world.” Said Buck, “Were there more like her and her friends, the world would be a better place. And if there had been ponies on my world and taught everyone the meaning of family, things would’ve been different for me, Daisy, as well the rest of my family. Someone…” He looked at Applejack and smiled, “Someone like you.” Applejack was surprised by this and looked away, but she blushed bright red and smiled, as she felt touched as well as taken aback by what he had said. “So, whilst we’re on our way there, what’s Appaloosa like?” asked Buck. “Oh, it’s almost like Ponyville…” said Applejack. “But in the Wild West.” Said Buck, which caused her to chuckle at that. “Got that right.” Said Applejack. “And it’s also a town filled with ponies who are twice as thickheaded and stubborn as mules.” Said Buck. Applejack was shocked by what he said, until… “Your friends told me,” said Buck, “Same with your grandmother and siblings.” “He ain’t wrong there!!” Applejack looked back and saw Granny Smith look at her, whilst also being a little miffed at the same time. “Why, ah was never this ashamed in all mah life.” Said Granny Smith, “When ah heard from yer friends about what happened between them and the buffalo, and from what Apple Bloom told me about that there horse feller, ah gathered my cousins and we gave them a ton of scolding for what they did on both accounts. Why, even Big Mac gave cousin Braeburn a good scoldin’ for what he did.” “Eeyup.” Replied Big Mac in a serious tone. “Still,” said Granny Smith, “Ah still can’t believe y’all were goin along with Braeburn and the others to fight against the Buffalos. And ah told them not to build on the Buffalo’s stomping’ grounds years ago. But it fell unto deaf ears. When y’all told us, ah personally went over and told them off mahself.” “So that would explain why y’all have been gone for a week.” Said Apple Bloom. “Though in their defense, sheriff Silverstar was the one who started the fight in the first place.” Said Applejack. “Ah know, which is why Ah’ve been given him such a whooping, he’d never forget to never do something like that again.” “That would explain why he couldn’t sit for a while.” Pondered Applejack. They then heard the sound of a whistle, which caused Applejack to stand up in order to look out of the window. But as she walked, the train shook, making her lose her balance and landed on Buck’s lap, making him quickly catch her at the same time. The two of them were surprised as they looked at one another at the same time. The two of them kept staring at one another as they felt themselves lost in some sort of void. Blushes had appeared on their faces as Buck couldn’t help but gently held her cheek with his left hand and Applejack wrapping her arms around his neck, staring at one another non-stop. This however, didn’t go unnoticed by Granny, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom, who couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. Applejack and Buck continued to stare at one another whilst they blushed at the same time. The two of them slowly moved towards one another, until they heard the train stop. The two of them looked at one another again, with the two of them blushing redder now. “Would…would it be alright if we hold hands whilst we’re walkin’?” asked Applejack. “Yeah…I’d…I’d like that.” Said Buck nervously. The two of them stood up and walked out together, whilst at the same time, the two of them held hands. They didn’t look at one another, but both of them couldn’t help but smile at the handholding at the same time. The Apples noticed this and though they were disappointed, they still smiled. “At least that’s somethin.” Said Apple Bloom. “Eeyup.” Responded Big Mac at the same time. *********************************************************************************************** A few hours after they arrived and already Pinkie Pie was darting over back and forth setting everything up. How she has so much energy, no one will ever now. But as they continued to set everything up, Granny had to make sure that the Sheriff would not get in the way, considering she’s still miffed at him for what happened, and folks know twice as much of not to tick off Granny Smith, especially since they know what that mare is capable of. As Buck was watching Pinkie Pie decorating, he also watched the Sheriff really wanted to intervene, but was scared when Granny Smith was standing next to him. That’s when he noticed Apple Bloom standing next to him. “What y’all doing?” asked Apple Bloom. “Does she really have to stand next to that sheriff guy?” asked Buck. “Oh, trust me, she knows how he thinks.” Said Apple Bloom as she somewhat gave him a stink eye too. “How so?” “Who do you think helped made him sheriff?” “Really?” said Buck in surprise, “I didn’t know she has influence all the way out here.” “Well, ever since the Apple Family got involved.” Said Apple Bloom. “Mah granny told me that after the ponies founded and built Appaloosa, they couldn’t manage a town without goin’ bankrupt, so the apple family, aka, mah granny, and from what I heard mah pa back before Applejack was born, had to be involved here to straighten up the town. Then before ah was born, she made Silverstar the sheriff, but made him promise that if anythin were to happen, they’d tell her right away.” “I guess even he forgot after all this time, huh?” said Buck with a smirk. “I would’ve thought that someone like Burnt Oak would be in charge.” “Wait, y’all know Burnt Oak?” asked Apple Bloom surprised. “Sure do.” Said Buck, “Shortly after Beau and Twilight left for their honeymoon, Granny asked me to deliver some wood to the guy cause some of the Apple Trees didn’t make it. And seeing that he was shorthanded, he asked me to help him cut some wood. And on a break we had a great conversation about your dad. And the more I hear him talk, the more I could’ve sworn I was talking to Sam Elliott.” “Who now?” “Famous actor on my world,” said Buck, “Plus he’s also a westerner. But the moment when you hear him talk, you can just hear the amount of wisdom coming from the guy. It’s amazing no matter where you go, inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. Heck, he’d even make a great sheriff, maybe even be friends with the Buffalo chief.” “Oh, speaking of the Buffalo, there they are now.” Said Apple Bloom as she pointed at the town’s entrance. Buck saw them come in and was surprised by how tall they were. “Wow…they sure look strong.” Said Buck, “They’d bring half of the strongmen in my world to shame.” “They sure are.” Said Apple Bloom. “Ah remember Applejack onetime tried to challenge them in who the strongest is. She won by a landslide.” Buck then noticed another…horse? How’s that possible? “Who the heck is that?” Apple Bloom noticed a bigger horse, “Oh, that there’s Trouble shoes. He’s a resident here. Although…some of the ponies, namely the sheriff, thought he was a troublemaker. But it turned out, he was just a cluts. He didn’t mean any harm, he just wanted to watch the Rodeo.” “So how is he invited.” Asked Buck. “Mah friends and ah thought he was a bandit, so we tried to catch him.” Said Apple Bloom, but then noticed Buck’s expression. “Ah know, we didn’t think it through. But then we found out the truth and we wanted to help him. And we helped him get a part time job as a rodeo clown. And he made a lot of folks laugh. Though we were able to help him find his place, it didn’t help that we got punished for goin’ off like that.” “Still, glad you girls didn’t get hurt.” Said Buck. Who then held Apple Bloom close, which surprised the mare before she looked at him. “Ponies like you are too precious to get hurt. You’ve got a ton of things to live for. Though some things didn’t work the way you expected it, you were able to accomplish more in the long run. That is something you should be proud of. And in a way, a lot of folks would be lost without you and your friends.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but blush and said “Aw, y’all are just sayin that.” “I’m serious…” said Buck. And from afar, Applejack could see and hear both Buck and Apple Bloom’s conversation. She couldn’t help but smile and see how well those two are getting along. She then thought of what to wear for the rodeo. “Good thing Rarity isn’t here,” said Applejack, “Otherwise Rarity would start fussing over what to wear in places like this.” *********************************************************************************************** Night time had approached and soon, the entire town was on full swing on the rodeo party. Everyone, both Pony and Buffalo, came together and began to celebrate together, especially the pies Pinkie Pie came to provide thanks to the Buffalo’s request to have them added in the menu. The music was already starting to play and everyone began to dance. Applejack was already with Pinkie Pie to make sure everything was okay. Granny, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom were busy getting ready, until they heard knocking on the door. After they got dressed, Big Mac opened the door and saw Buck standing there, wearing his blue shirt, black jean jacket, brown pants, an orange ascot, and a black Stetson hat. “Well, howdy there, Buck.” Said Granny as she approached the human. “What can ah do for you.” “Well, uh…is Applejack here?” asked Buck. “Nah, she went with Pinkie Pie to make sure everything will be alright.” Said Apple Bloom. Who then did a smirk and said “Why…are y’all wantin to take her out on a date?” Buck blushed a bit and said “Well…yeah. I’ve been…wanting to ask her out for a while but…I never found the right time to ask her. I always chicken out at the last minute. So, I figured…” “Y’all wanted to ask her out during the rodeo party, right?” asked Granny Smith. Buck nodded shyly as he never felt his face going red before. Granny then smiled and said “Well, ah say go for it.” “Wait, what?” said Buck as he was surprised by this. “Truth be told, we’ve been waitin’ for ya to ask her out.” Said Granny Smith. “Ah see how well y’all were gettin along too. And ah had a feeling that she felt the same way too.” “Wait, she did?!” said Buck in surprise, but then he felt his face heating up from the mere thought. “I…I thought you guys would say no.” “Why would we do that?” said Apple Bloom, “It’s clear to us how Applejack is happy around y’all.” “Plus, it’s fun to see her a bit flustered.” Said Big Mac. “Wow, you do finally speak.” Teased Buck. Big Mac suddenly hugged him with a bear hug, which made Buck grunt as he said “Wow, I don’t know who’s the strongest, you or Applejack!!” “Ah get that a lot.” Said Big Mac before letting Buck down, “Y’all wouldn’t believe how many times we kept on competin’ on whose the strongest.” “Especially when not to overload the wagon when it comes traveling.” Said Buck with a smirk, which surprised Big Mac as he partially glared. “Granny Smith told me.” “He’s not wrong.” Said Granny as she gave Big Mac a stern look, to which the latter was giving a sheepish grin. “Now then, let’s get to this shindig before Pinkie Pie gets the best ones.” “Y’all ain’t wrong there.” Said Apple Bloom as she got out first, with Big Mac and Granny Smith following. Just as Buck was about to walk out, he heard a loud groan. “Oh, no.” He looked to his left and wondered what that was all about. So, he went to the noise and looked around the corner. To his surprise, they were… “Country musicians?” muttered Buck. “What in tarnation are we goin’ to do?!” said the one musician. “We can’t cancel now, not for a party this big.” Said the mare musician. “Um, excuse me,” said Buck, gaining their attention and was surprised to see a non-pony, but he looked more concerned as he said “Is something wrong?” “Y’all bet it is!!” said the youngest pony mare, ignoring the fact that Buck is not a pony and said “Our lead singer, County Song’s had an accident.” They showed Buck an injured Stallion, much to his surprise. “Whoa,” said Buck, “What happened to him?” “When we arrived, he wanted to have pickles for a snack,” said the stallion country musician, “But he took a gherkin instead and he ended up losing his voice. And what’s worse, he was so much in a panic, he ended up hurting himself and injured his hands. The doctor said that the effects of the gherkin should wear off in a month, same with his hands.” “And we can’t cancel now, we were already hired and we’re supposed to be performin in an hour!!” exclaimed the mare musician. “What’s the song called?” asked Buck. “And that’s also another thing!!” exclaimed the youngest mare, “We got the melody of the song, but not the lyrics!!” “Can I take a look?” asked Buck. One of them handed the music sheets whilst Buck looked through it. To his surprise, he recognized the Melody. Buck then smiled and said “You know what, I think I can help you out with this.” The others were surprised by this, wondering what he had in mind. ************************************************************************************************* Later down at the rodeo, everything was in full swing, everyone was having fun, as well as feasting, drinking, and dancing at the same time. However, from among the crowd, a certain bearer to the Element of Honesty, who was wearing a green, plaided, button-up shirt, red ascot, and brown shorts, was looking around, looking for a certain human among the crowd. But for some reason, she couldn’t see him anywhere. “Somethin’ wrong, Applejack?” asked Apple Bloom when she arrived. “Ah can’t seem to find Buck anywhere.” Said Applejack. “That’s strange.” Said Apple Bloom in confusion, “He was really lookin’ forward to this dance.” “Ladies and gentleman!!” said Braeburn as he talked on the stage. “Thanks ever so much for comin along, we really appreciate y’all bein’ here. So, before we go on further with the shindig, let me introduce tonight’s entertainment!!” Everypony cheered as they wondered who was going to be on stage. As the ponies were on stage, they didn’t know who was the singer that sat in the chair, which was a mystery. And then, they began to play their song. But as the song was about to start, the moment the singer lifted his head, it was revealed to be non-other than… “Buck?!!” exclaimed Applejack and Apple Bloom. Everypony saw him singing and continued to wow everyone the way he was singing, even getting the crowd excited as all of them were getting into it. Applejack on the other hand was staring wide eye in surprise as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Wow!!” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “Who’d thunk that Buck was that good of a singer!!” Applejack didn’t pay attention and walked towards the stage and watched Buck sing, for she had no idea he could sing so well. She couldn’t help but let out a content smile as she watched him sing. Sure enough, the song was over and everyone cheered at the human for singing. The three country performers hugged Buck and thanked him for a great performance. After they left, Buck climbed down the stage, where Applejack was waiting for him. “Since when did y’all sing so good?” asked Applejack. “I may have done some singing for my little sister when she was feeling down.” Said Buck, “Plus I find country music very calming and relaxing.” “Do you, now?” said Applejack with a smug look. “So that’s why y’all have been eyeing my guitar lately.” “Yeah, just needed a banjo and we could make some good music together.” Said Buck, “As long as you don’t get competitive on the strings, that is.” Applejack couldn’t help but laugh out loud and slapped Buck’s back playfully. Though he winced a bit and nearly fell down, he was able to laugh with her. The two of them saw another group of ponies began to perform and began to play another song. Everyone began to dance to the song, and having a fun time. Both Applejack and Buck enjoyed the song and dance at the same time, and also have fun doing it at the same time. However, as the song had ended, the two of them had held one another close, looking deep into one another’s eyes. Both of their cheeks blushed and their hearts felt like it could be pounding at great speed. Both of them slowly moved towards one another, not breaking eye contact from one another. And then…it happened. Both Buck and Applejack placed their lips onto one another’s. Savoring the kiss for real this time as the two of them never let one another go. For this feeling…it was truly a magnificent one. The two of them slowly broke the kiss and looked at one another whilst they still smiled and kept the blush on their cheeks. “Wow,” said Applejack in a partial daze, “Better than the first time.” “Those lips of yours will always be better.” Teased Buck, which got her flustered. She gently punched his shoulder as the two of them laughed a bit, then walked towards one of the tables where Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom was waiting for them. And they weren’t alone, for their cousin Braeburn was with them. “Applejack, over here!!” said Apple Bloom as she waved to both her and Buck to come over. However, as they got closer, Braeburn got up and was close to him. “So…you’re the human that Granny Smith talked about?” asked Braeburn. “Yeah, I am, so what?” said Buck as he took a step forward and placed his hand on Applejack’s, which surprised the latter as if he was prepared to defend her honor. “You wanna make something out of it…partner?” The two of them stared one another down for a moment, before Braeburn left out a loud laughter and patted Buck’s back hard a couple of times. “Granny wasn’t kidding when she said you were spirited!!” said Braeburn. “Wait, you told him about me?” asked Buck. “Sure did.” Said Granny, “When we got here, I told Braeburn and some of the apples here about you, especially of how y’all saved Apple Bloom’s life.” “Darn tootin!!” said Braeburn, “That was quite the brave thing ya did there, mister. Goin in the flames of inferno, not caring if everything was on fire, just to save one of our own. That there is a great mark of respect for the Apples. Anypony who goes far and beyond to save one of our own from the goodness of their heart is a friend to the Apples.” He chuckled and said “And from the looks of it, a special somepony for Applejack.” Applejack couldn’t help but blush on the matter, until… “That’s true. But out of all the apples of a single tree,” said Buck before looking at Applejack and said “There will always be one whose beauty shines bright in the sun.” Applejack couldn’t help but blush madly at what he said, even Apple Bloom couldn’t help but giggle out of giddiness out of it. “Wow…” said a surprised Braeburn, “That’s deep.” “But true.” Said Buck as he lifted her up bridal style and kissed her, making her yelp. “B-Buck!!” said Applejack. “Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy it, cowgirl.” Teased Buck as he rubbed his nose against hers, making her blush even more. She giggled and said held her arms around him. “But hey…thanks for agreeing to this.” “Ah should be the one to thank ya.” Said Applejack, “That and for deliverin’ a great performance.” “I’ll say.” Said Braeburn, “I had no idea you could sing too.” “I loved to sing for my little sister when I was little.” Said Buck. He sighed and said “I’m sure wherever she is in heaven, she’ll be happy.” “Granny told me.” Said Braeburn, who took of his hat and said “Sorry y’all had to go through that.” “It’s alright.” Said Buck, “But she’s in a better place now.” “Still,” said Braeburn as he put his hat back on, “Ah still wish fer the best of the both of ya.” “Thank you.” Said Buck, with Applejack holding him close. One thing’s for sure, though there were some twists and turns, tonight had been a great night for everyone. But not as much it was for both Applejack and Buck. One thing’s for sure, like a flower, it blossomed into something great. Chapter 10: Apple's Barnyard LoveSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 11: Gauntlet of FireAuthor's Note Hey Everyone. First of all, Happy New Year to all of you, hope that today's a great day for all of you. Second, sorry it took so long, but I was able to finish this, so I hope all of you enjoy this. Chapter 11: Gauntlet of Fire The morning sun had begun to rise upon Ponyville, and for a certain couple near Sweet Apple Acres, they had officially tied the knot. Though it would’ve been better if a certain stallion didn’t overheard them during their, ahem, intimate time. Both Applejack and Bucky were still fast asleep in bed, cuddling with one another. Both Applejack and Bucky would soon feel the warmth of the sun. However, Bucky woke up moments before her. He couldn’t help but stare at that beautiful face of hers and ended up smiling. He kissed on her forehead, which she couldn’t help but smile. But feeling lucky, he saw an opportunity to grope her at her chest, which he did, making her moan in the process. “Oh, AJ, time to wake up.” Muttered Bucky playfully, but Applejack mumbled as she got too comfortable. He smirked and had an idea. He was able to pull her gently and get her on top of him, which he was thankful that he didn’t wake her up. The moment she was in position, he said “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to wake you up.” Bucky then gave her a hard smack on her hind quarters whilst groping it, making her yelp as she sat right back up whilst also startled at the same time. She felt something hold her posterior and looked, making her blush, then looked down when she saw she was on top of Bucky. “I was wondering if my cute country gal was wide awake.” Said Bucky with a smirk. Applejack couldn’t help but smirk whilst keeping her blush and said “Did y’all have something to do with me being on top?” “I thought I’d get a little creative.” Said Bucky, which made Applejack chuckle. “And creative it was indeed.” Said Applejack before kissing Bucky. “Now, ah suggest we get downstairs and have some breakfast before we start our work for the day.” “And maybe check on the doctor,” said Bucky, which confused Applejack as she was flexing an eyebrow, until Bucky placed his hand against her belly, “You know what I’m talking about.” Applejack couldn’t help but blush again, and giggle. “Maybe after two weeks. Hopefully it doesn’t happen early like it did with Twilight.” “Wait, what?” said Bucky as he was confused whilst he was able to sit up and was face to face with Applejack. “Yeah, that’s right.” Said Applejack, “Shortly after Beau and Twilight did their thing, a day later she felt a bit sick. When they went to the doctor, it turned out she was pregnant.” “Really?” said Bucky surprised, “I thought it was supposed to happen after two weeks.” “Ah thought so too.” Said Applejack, “But it turns out Alicorn physiology was a lot different than any other pony. At least that’s what the doctors said.” “Well then, I hope their baby is healthy.” Said Bucky, “Just as I know ours will be when the time is right.” “Now that, we can agree.” Said Applejack before she got up. “I’m gonna take a shower before we start our day.” “Alright then,” said Bucky, “I’ll wait for…” Suddenly he was wrapped in a lasso, taking him by surprise as he was being pulled, and was face to face with her smirking face. “And y’all are comin’ with me.” “Whoa, even better.” Said Bucky before Applejack kissed him. The two of them walked out, with Bucky still in tow of her lasso. Hopefully Applejack will let him go…eventually. *************************************************************************************************** A month later, at the Castle of Friendship, Beau was busy helping Twilight organizing her library, with Spike helping out. Twilight was at the moment sitting at her couch whilst resting. She was having some,…peanut butter and banana sandwiches?! She was also reading a book at the same time. She then sighed out of boredom. “You know, I’d feel a lot better if I was helping you guys.” Said Twilight. “Ah, ah, ah.” Said Beau as he turned to Twilight and looked at her. “The doctor said you shouldn’t strain yourself any further, that goes the same for flying and using your magic.” “He’s right, Twilight.” Said Spike as he walked past her whilst carrying a ton of books, “Besides, you’re six months pregnant, and the doctor says that you need to take it easy, otherwise you might hurt the baby.” Twilight groaned, but realized they were right. She looked down at her swollen belly. She slowly held onto it and couldn’t help but smile. “Hey there, little one.” Said Twilight, “I hope you’ll be ready to see the world around you when you’re ready.” “Have you guys figured a name for the baby, yet?” asked Spike. “We’re still going over it.” Said Beau, “Twilight mentioned that the dream name hasn’t arrived in her sleep yet. And Princess Luna said that it’ll arrive the moment she’s about eight months pregnant.” “And to have Twilight’s eating habits back under control.” Said Spike. “Hey, can I help it when I have cravings?!” said Twilight, “It’s not my fault I have strange cravings and mood swings. I’m pregnant after all!!” “I’m actually surprised you didn’t do a personal science experiment about it,” said Beau, “I mean this is the first time you’re pregnant and you’ve never experienced anything like this before. Or being a mother. Then again, you did try to take care of Spike, and he was a handful.” “Hey!!” exclaimed Spike. Beau looked at him and said “Remind me again, how many times did you set Twilight’s mane and room on fire?” Spike winced at that and said, “Alright, good HRK!!!…” Suddenly Spike belched up a scroll, allowing it to land near Twilight. She accepted the letter and read through it. “Oh,” she said with interest, “It seems Princesses Celestia and Luna wants to visit us today. They said they were able to find an open schedule and said that they’re free for today.” “That’s great.” Said Beau. That’s when Spike gasped and said “Oh my gosh, I forgot!! I was supposed to go help Rarity with her gem hunting!! Gotta go!!” Spike quickly ran out in order to catch up with Rarity. Beau groaned at that, and said “Honestly, that guy can be such a bonehead. Leaving you when you have a baby on the way. Not something to be laughed at.” “I’m sure Spike didn’t mean it.” Said Twilight. “Clearly, you don’t keep track of his blunders.” Said Beau as he neatly placed the books down on the table. “Now then, you stay here and finish your sandwich, whilst I prepare the tea.” “I can decorate the room too!!” said Twilight in annoyance. “Too late, I already had Starlight do it.” Said Beau. Twilight groaned a bit and muttered, “And he thinks Spike’s a bonehead.” However, she looked at her belly and slowly held onto it, whilst feeling concerned at the same time. “Maybe he’s right. It’s the first time I’m having a baby. And…I’m going to be a mother. I need to make sure she’s safe.” She slowly stood up and walked out. “And Beau’s doing so much. After this is over…I have to find a way to thank him.” *************************************************************************************************** Later at noon, a certain pair of Alicorns were standing in front of the doors and knocked on it. Beau was the first to answer it. “Hey, Princesses Celestia and Luna.” Said Beau as he went over to hug them. “Great to see you two.” “Hello there, Beau.” Said Princess Celestia. “It certainly has been a while.” Said Princess Luna. “The tea’s almost finished, but we’ve set up some pastries in the dining room.” Said Beau, “Although I had to be careful with Twilight ever since her cravings surfaced.” The two sisters knew what he meant by it as the two of them walked inside and closed the door behind them. “How is Twilight doing?” asked Princess Celestia. “Doing good.” Said Beau, “Although she constantly complains about wanting to do more, but we keep reminding her to not strain herself in order to take care of the baby.” “And if I remember, she only has three more months, correct?” asked Princess Luna. “That she does.” Said Beau as they arrived at the room. “Ah, we’re here.” They entered the room and saw Twilight had already brought the tea in. “Twilight!!” said Beau, reminding his wife. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t take it.” Said Twilight. “I was bored out of my mind.” Princesses Celestia and Luna couldn’t help but giggle at Twilight being her usual self. “Twilight, Beau was just looking out for your well-being.” Said Princess Celestia. “Plus, you have a baby on the way.” “Indeed.” Said Princess Luna, “And a breed between a pony and a human in Equestrian history, no less.” The lot of them sat down whilst Beau began to pour the tea for them. “I’m so glad you two could come.” Said Twilight after Beau sat down. “Of course,” said Princess Luna after she took a sip of her tea, “We so rarely get a chance to relax and just visit.” “There’s usually some crisis we have to deal with.” Said Princess Celestia, “Somepony always needs our help. But today…” “Things are quiet up in Canterlot,” said Beau, “Honestly, I don’t know why they can’t let you two take one day off in a month, it’s not like it’s going to run away from you.” “Unfortunately, most nobles don’t even know the meaning of the word.” Said Princess Luna with a sigh. They noticed Beau snickered as he suddenly thought about something. “What?” said Princess Celestia. “No, just thinking.” Said Beau, “Which is sort of funny and ironic at the same time.” “What?” said Twilight, now wanting to know too. “That no matter how much you put things in order with nobility, or no matter how many times you save lives, it always falls into chaos and jeopardy. I mean, sometimes you just wish it would stay that way.” Said Beau between chuckles, “I swear, they end up making you feel like a maid. We just cleaned up this mess, and can you keep it clean, for ten minutes.” The sisters and Twilight also began to laugh with Beau. “Oh my, I can truly see what you mean.” Said Princess Celestia as she wiped a tear away. They then heard the cry for help from the other side of the door, which startled everyone in the room as they looked at the door. “Either that was the sound of a banshee screaming, or Rarity is panicking again.” Said Beau. The others looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, with Beau saying “Well, she does scream like one.” “Strangely, I agree with him.” Said Luna. Within a split second, Rarity burst into the room, carrying Spike with her magic. Though to their surprise, he was glowing. And…looking itchy? “Twilight!!” exclaimed Rarity, “There’s something wrong with Spike!!” She carried him in whilst clearing the table as she placed him on top of it whilst he scratches like crazy. “What’s wrong?” said Twilight in concern. “I don’t know!!” grunted Spike as he scratched, “All of a sudden, my scales just started glowing and burning.” “And from what I’m seeing, very itchy.” Said Beau. “Little is known, about Dragon Culture.” Said Princess Luna, “But this, is a phenomenon we’ve seen before. It is the call, of the Dragon Lord.” “Dragon Lord?” said Beau, “I didn’t know there were a leader of all dragons. Aren’t all of them in clans?” “They are not, for they are truly govern by one ruler.” Said Princess Celestia, “Dragons glow whenever the Dragon Lord has need of them in the dragon lands.” “Wow, that’s a creative way of calling them.” Said Beau as he was now interesting in learning about more dragons. “Great,” groaned Spike whilst he was scratching himself. “How do I make it stop?” “The only way to end the summons, is to answer it.” Said Princess Luna. “You must journey to the Dragon Lands and see what is expected of you.” “If they did that, then that means it must be for something very important.” Said Beau. “But, but the dragon lands are full of…dragons!!” said Rarity, which made Beau look at Rarity with a flexed eyebrow. “Really, Rarity.” Said Beau, “You just figured it out?” “Oh, hush you.” Said Rarity as she was slightly miffed by Beau’s witty comment, which got both Celestia and Luna snickering. “And they’re ghastly creatures.” Spike looked at Rarity, feeling slightly offended by that remark. “Oh, oh not you of course, Spikey-Wikey.” Said Rarity, which Spike was sort of like a lovesick puppy, which got Beau to roll his eyes. “But remember that rotten Garble?” This caused Spike to widen his eyes as he remembered. “How could I forget. He would’ve burnt us to a crisp if you weren’t there.” “Who?” asked Beau. “Garble was a dragon Spike tried to befriend.” Said Twilight, “But then they tried to get him to smash a few defenseless phoenix eggs, he had to make a stand.” “Oh yeah, I remember.” said Beau as he looked at Spike. “And seriously, Spike? You seriously tried hung out with a bunch of delinquents instead of ones younger than you? Seriously, that’s like the biggest boneheaded move a dead brained monkey would make.” As the ponies stared at Beau surprised, Spike glared at him whilst he was scratching. “Beau.” Said Twilight in a partial scolding part. “What, I won’t apologize for speaking the truth.” Said Beau. Spike grunted and looked at Twilight and said “If I go to the dragon lands, will you two come with me?” Suddenly, Twilight got excited and said “Oooh, oh my goodness. I’d love to!! We are sadly lacking any information on dragon culture and customs. I could research them. Maybe even write an article. This could be my chance to make a great contribution to the Knowledge of Equestria!!” Everyone gave her a deadpanned look. For it figures she’d act like this. Twilight saw this and was embarrassed at the same time. “Oh, and be there for Spike, of course.” said Twilight sheepishly. “Absolutely not.” Said Beau, surprising the others. “What?! Why not?!” said Twilight. “Did you forget that you have a baby on the way?” said Beau rhetorically, “And being in a dangerous environment is also a very bad idea.” Twilight looked down and held onto her belly, and got very worried. “I’m afraid we have to agree on Beau on this one.” Said Princess Luna. “Indeed,” said Princess Celestia, “A Princess being there might not be a problem if they could defend themselves. But when it comes to royalty who are about to give birth to a child soon, then it would be far too dangerous for the infant. As you know as well as anyone how precious they are, Twilight.” “But…Spike…research…” said Twilight in a pleading tone. “I’ll do it.” Said Beau. “What?!” “Well for one, I can’t stand to see my adorkable Princess be sad about it,” said Beau, which caused Twilight to blush and smile with a squee. “And I also wanted to see what the dragons look like in this world. And maybe have a few words with Garble if and when I bump into him.” “What?!” said Spike in protest, “No way!! You’d be burnt to a crisp!! And you don’t have any experience with any dragons!!” “This coming from a dragon who made a fool of himself when he didn’t have any experience either?” retorted Beau, “And I dealt with you, didn’t I?” Spike was taken aback by the snappy comeback. “Plus, when I first got here, I thought I’d never have any luck with ponykind either.” Said Beau, “Yet, I had lived here for six months and already this place welcomed me with open arms, Twilight and the others also accepted me without a second thought. And now I’m happily married and have a child on the way.” “But…” said Spike, trying to protest, but Beau cut him off. “And I’m going, whether you like it, or not.” Said Beau sternly. Then raised his voice and said “Besides, I’m not the idiot bonehead who joined with a bunch of delinquents trying to smash a few defenseless phoenix eggs, rare majestic birds mind you, for fun!!” Spike was surprised by what he said, with the others being the same. Spike then pouted and crossed his arms. “Figures,” said Spike, “You don’t care about me, and you’re not my friends.” “Of course, we care Spike,” said Twilight as she tried to come up with an excuse, “It’s just that…” “We don’t trust you enough for you to make your own decisions and do things on your own.” Everyone was surprised that the person who said that was Beau, but none were more shocked than Spike. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” said Spike in anger. “No offense, Spike, but I wouldn’t trust you to look after a cardboard box, let alone a castle. Also, need I remind you of that incident with the delegates at Canterlot a while back when Twilight was trying to catch some sleep?” reminded Beau. Spike cringed at that, as did Twilight, though Celestia and Luna were still surprised by what happened from what Twilight and Cadance had told them. “That was one time!!” shouted Spike. Beau shook his head and said “Not to mention you can also be the biggest slacker and bonehead in Ponyville.” Everyone was surprised by what he said, especially Spike. “Cause let’s recap on your so called, life story, shall we?” said Beau as he began. “When Winter Wrap up began, Twilight was trying to fit in to help, and yet you didn’t do anything to help her. And when she used her magic to pull the plough, you ended up putting the blame on her by pretending not being involved, when you!!” said Beau as he poked Spike’s nose hard, making him flinch, “Were the one who suggested that she used her magic to do it!! You even made her feel worse about it. Not to mention, you made an even bigger fool of yourself when you failed to rescue Rarity from the Diamond Dogs.” Spike winced at that and blushed in embarrassment. “Did that really happen?” whispered Princess Celestia. “It did.” Whispered Twilight back. “And if I remember correctly, you couldn’t even face a couple of Diamond Dogs to rescue Rarity, and you still ended up getting your butt kicked and had to call on your friends for help.” Said Beau, “Not to mention where you got jealous over an owl. An owl, of all creatures. Oh, let’s not forget where everyone was arranging Pinkie’s birthday, and you ended up saying stuff that made her turn her into her depressed state in the first place.” “Wait,” said Rarity in shock, “Spike was the reason Pinkie was like that?” “Spike!!” said Twilight. “Well how was I supposed to know?!” said Spike, “She cornered me and babbled a lot of nonsense, and told me to tell her what she said to me and I did what she asked!!” “And yet you ended up making her upset.” Retorted Beau, “Oh, and when you went to find other dragons and you ended being picked on and be a laughing stock, talking about being a pony. Not everyone was raised the same way as you were!!” Spike winced, but was also surprised when Beau yelled at him over that last past. “And perhaps one of the biggest audacities, when Twilight tried to warn the others about the fake bride, you ended up walking out on her too with her friends instead of staying with her and helped.” Everyone cringed at that, clearly still sore about the wedding. “Then there was the time you were supposed to take care of their pets whilst they were away, only for you to botch it up completely. Where you got them trapped into an enchanted comic book, when you didn’t pay attention to the enchanted part. Or that time you botched up the Breezie Migration. Or gave that spell book to Rarity that caused her to over beautify the entire town, where he made a fool of yourself at the Equestrian Games, twice.” Spike growled as he clenched his fists, which got the others worried. “Oh yeah, and one more thing. And I think you need to hear more clearly as I do this in case you didn’t get your ears waxed.” Beau took a few steps forward as Spike tried to put on a brave face. Then Beau whispered to him. “I know, I repeat,” whispered Beau, “I know, you still have that little fantasy and acting macho so Rarity would finally fall in love with you. Well, I got some news for you pal; it’s never going to happen.” Spike was shocked by what he said. Spike looked down as if someone had just taken his gem. Beau placed his fingers against Spike’s chest. “You, are going to the dragon lands, and we, will make sure things work out.” Said Beau sternly, “Cause as long as you live under Twilight’s roof, you live by her rules. Got it?” Spike reluctantly nodded. With Beau pointing at the door, “Now march and pack up, mister. We got a long walk ahead of us.” Spike turned around with his head lowered and walked to get his supplies. Beau groaned at this and rubbed the templates on his forehead. “I swear, that dragon…” Beau then turned to Twilight and the others and were surprised by the display. “What?” asked Beau in confusion. Rarity blinked twice and asked “Goodness darling, was that really necessary?” “Someone had to.” Said Beau, then looked at Twilight and said “I know you raised Spike, but you made one fatal flaw from him.” “Flaw?” said Twilight in confusion, “What’s that?” “You were too soft on him.” Said Beau, which surprised the others. “I know you wanted the best for him, but you should’ve taught him discipline and being more responsible instead of being a slacker. And yes, he’s your assistant, but he did a poor job at assisting you to do what Celestia told you to do when it came to making friends. And Princess Celestia, I know you have a policy of not enforcing something like that, but you also have to see a point to this.” Princess Celestia sighed and said “Normally I would not condone to this, but you are correct in this. Though Spike has accomplished a few things like Twilight, there were a few times where his actions had sometimes led him to a few blunders from what we’ve read in your reports.” “Indeed.” Said Princess Luna, “For even though he is grown, his maturity is still in question.” “Which is why I’m going with him.” Said Beau. “I’ll make sure things work out and if possible, ask the Dragon Lord for information about their culture so that I could learn more about. I’m sure he’ll be more reasonable.” “Fingers crossed to that.” Said Rarity. “I’m off packing and going to head out soon.” Said Beau before gently hugging Twilight, “Now you stay here and make sure that you’re safe. Our child’s protection takes priority. And my priority is to make sure I do the work whilst you rest. Okay?” Twilight sighed and said “Okay Beau. I’ll try.” “I’ll hold you up to it.” Said Beau before he kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you soon.” Beau soon left the room, leaving the Unicorn and Alicorns alone in the room. “I certainly hope he will be alright.” Said Rarity. Twilight was in equal worry, with Princess Celestia saying “I think we can trust him. He always keeps his word, after all.” *************************************************************************************************** A day later, after riding by train, Spike and Beau walked towards the Dragon Lands with their backpacks on their backs. Spike was busy grumbling whilst crossing his arms. “Will you stop acting like a baby?” said Beau in annoyance. “You know, that was very mean back there.” Said Spike. “Well, I wouldn’t have given you that kind of pep talk if you did your job as an assistant right.” Said Beau. “And you would know that, how?” said Spike. “I know what I’m talking about, because I did assisting jobs during my summer breaks when I was still in school.” Said Beau. “And unlike you, I actually take my job seriously.” “I take it seriously!!” said Spike. However, the look from Beau’s face said otherwise. “And I’m also powerful and useful.” “Like you were, ‘powerful and useful’ at the Equestria Games when you let your fame go straight to your head? Same with the delegates?” Spike winced whilst Beau shook his head. “I mean, what did you think was going to happen? Not to mention, Twilight and the others had to constantly save your sorry ass because of you constantly getting yourself into trouble, and Twilight’s still mad at you for that book you gave Rarity a while back.” “I said I was sorry.” Said Spike. “No, you weren’t,” said Beau, “You just bluntly told her that she looked awful and was being honest about it. She, along with Cadance and Princess Luna had to waste their time cleaning up the mess Rarity made. And in this case, yours too.” “I was trying to support her!!” shouted Spike as he stood in front of him. “More like wanting to find an excuse for her to fall in love with you.” Said Beau, “And I said it before, I’ll say it again, it’s not going to happen.” “Yeah, how do you know?” asked Spike whilst crossing his arms. “Well for one, you’re too young for her.” Said Beau. “Second, what you have is a childhood crush/fantasy. Third, you’re too much of a lazy slacker and an uncivilized buffoon. And finally, and also more importantly, she only dates guys who are mature enough. And clearly, you don’t have any of those traits.” “Yeah well,” said Spike, trying to find an excuse, but made a weak one as he said “Like you’re one to talk.” Beau gave him the ‘are you serious?’ look and showed him his wedding band on his ring finger on his left hand, whilst also showing the bracelet to remind him of his and Twilight’s baby. “Weak sauce dude. Weak sauce.” “Yeah well, Twilight obviously has horrible taste in stallions because she never got a single date growing up, but had to marry a hairless ape like you.” Said Spike, “And I’m sure the baby will be ugly too if it looks like you.” Beau was shocked and really angry whilst Spike walked off at the same time. “If I wasn’t such a nice guy, I’d bust your balls off right here and right now.” Muttered Beau as he walked ahead, unaware of who was behind him from the rocks…as well as the fiery heat coming from there. *************************************************************************************************** A while later, they soon arrived at the edge of the dragon lands, with Spike saying “Alright, we’re here. The summoning is just over the hill.” Beau suddenly kicked Spike by the behind, causing him to fall face first onto the ground. Clearly Beau was still angry at Spike for what he said earlier. “Just get going. I’ll wait for you at the train station.” Said Beau, which made Spike growl at Beau with a scowl before moving off. Beau groaned and said “I really don’t know why Twilight had to take someone like him in.” When all of a sudden, Beau felt…a pull? He looked at the direction where the pull was coming from, so he walked towards the direction, hoping to find what he was looking for. As he moved, he went over from rock to rock, and climbed a bit whilst observing his environment at the same time. As he continued to walk, he looked around, wondering where he would go. That was, until he felt a shadowy figure going over his head. He looked up and to his shock, it was a very, very big dragon. But then he felt the pull from that dragon. “Wait,” wondered Beau, “Could he be the one?” Beau ran towards the dragon, wanting to know what was going on, and if there is a connection with what he was feeling towards the dragon. When Beau got there, he was surprised to see so many dragons all around, then he saw the larger dragon. Beau could hear him talk, literally. His name was Torch, and he had reached his end of being Dragon Lord, and would wish to pass it down to another who would be worthy of the title. “Huh, I guess that’s why Spike was called there.” Said Beau to himself. “Hmm, maybe I can try to spot Spike from here.” Beau pulled out a telescope he placed in his backpack. Thankfully, Twilight’s telescope was greatly handy for situations like this. He used it to zoom in and looked around. “Wow, there sure are a ton of varieties of dragons. Boy, the human world would get a kick out of this.” Said Beau as he continued to look around. Then he spotted a red dragon, trying to pick a fight with Spike. “Huh, so that’s Garble. Sheesh, he has the word delinquent written all over his face.” He then saw what Spike was sitting on. It looked like a large rock with…eye holes? “What the…?” said Beau as he took another quick look. The moment he looked deeply at the eye holes; he saw a familiar eye color. A color he knows all too well. “Are you kidding me?!!!” Beau quickly winced and ducked in cover, with Torch hearing something and looked behind him. He noticed nothing, but shrugged his shoulders and turned back. However, he began to smell a scent he hadn’t smelled before, which made him curious, but focused on the task at hand. Beau began to curse and flail and go on and on, for he couldn’t believe Twilight was doing this, especially since she’s pregnant and with a baby on the way. Then again, this is Twilight he’s talking about. And from what her friends said, she has a habit of acting this way before thinking of anything else. Then he saw a blue dragon. A female to be exact. He overheard that she wanted to compete, but her father forbade the dragon, considering that it takes a big and strong dragon to lead the dragons. “Pff, typical stereotypes.” Said Beau, “Even in this world it still exists.” Beau continued to watch. When the dragoness grunted in a huff and ran flew away, Torch continued to speak to the other dragons. Beau noticed the blue dragon flying in his direction, and noticed the look on her face. He felt really bad for her. Maybe…welp, it was nice knowing everyone. He waited for a moment before she landed close by. Soon enough, she landed close by and landed with a huff. “The nerve of him.” Muttered the blue dragoness, “I’m just as capable of becoming one. Why can’t he see me for being a dragon instead of being his daughter?” “Most dads tend to do that.” The dragoness yelped and sharply looked around, then spotted Beau as he casually waved to her whilst he was sitting on a rock. “Who the heck are you?!” shouted the dragoness with aggression, but then changed to a confused look and said “What are you?” “Oh, my name is Thomas Rohan, but folks call me Beau.” Said Beau, “And as you can see, I’m no pony or any other creature you’ve met. I’m a human.” “Human?” said the dragoness in confusion, “You look more like an ape. Well, a hairless one.” “I get that a lot.” Said Beau, “Especially from my wife when I first met her.” “Wait, you’re married?” said the surprised dragoness. “And we’re having a baby soon.” Said Beau, which shocked the blue dragon. “Though sometimes she may get way over her head from time to time, even when we remind her she’s pregnant and wanted to make sure the baby is okay. But knowing my wife, once she does that, there’s no changing her mind.” “Sounds like she’s a handful.” Commented the dragoness. “Well, she is a Princess of Friendship, can’t exactly blame her.” Said Beau. “Wait, Princess?” said the dragoness, before realizing in shock. “You’re married to a pony?!” “Yeah, so?” said Beau with a flexed eyebrow. The dragoness wanted to retort, but seeing the look in his eyes, he wasn’t in the mood for debate, but instead she got curious and asked “How did you get to this world?” “I died actually.” Said Beau, which confused her. “It’s like this. I was busy swimming at a lake in my world, next thing I knew, I was pulled into a whirlpool and was instantly drowned. Next thing I knew, I ended up in Equestria. That’s how I met Twilight.” “Whoa,” she said surprised, “How is that possible?” “First thing’s first.” Said Beau as he pulled out a large flask and a cup, then poured some contents out of it, then he presented it to her, which confused her. “What, no one ever offered you Cider before?” The dragoness was cautious as she moved over and accepted the cup, with Beau pulling out another and pouring some for himself. The dragoness took a sip and was surprised by the taste. “Wow, this is pretty good.” “Thought you might like it. My friend Applejack made it for me before the trip here.” Said Beau. “Wait, trip?” said the dragoness in confusion. “Why don’t you take a seat, and we’ll talk.” Said Beau. Though reluctant, the dragoness agreed and sit next to him whilst they talked. “It’s like this.” Said Beau, “I was having tea with my wife and the two ruling Princesses when they wanted to make sure the baby was okay.” “Wait, they’d do that?” asked the dragoness surprised. “Well, both a human and a pony mate, which got them all curious.” Said Beau, which the dragoness nodded, for it made sense. “Whilst we were having tea, one of our friends brought Spike, the small dragon you might have seen, in when he was glowing. Which was the call of the dragon lord.” “I see.” Said the dragoness. “Although, I asked to accompany Spike for my wife.” Said Beau, “She really wanted to come along to learn about dragon culture, but I told her she was pregnant and she couldn’t go, so I offered. Spike was against it, and I told him that we don’t trust him enough to make his own decisions, considering how much of a bonehead he can be.” “Bonehead?” said the dragoness in confusion. “Trust me, he made a lot of bad decisions since he came to Ponyville.” Said Beau as he brought out a list, “I got a list to prove it.” The dragoness took the list and read it over, which shocked her as she said “He made that many mistakes?!” “Trust me, he does.” Said Beau, “And I’m so kicking his ass for what he said about my child is going to be ugly.” “Oooh, bad move on that one.” Said the dragoness as she took a sip. She presented her cup, which Beau poured another for her. She took a sip and said “So why do you want to know so much about dragons?” “Well for one, Ponies are a bit…cowardly when it comes to wanting to know about other races. Which kind of makes them xenophobic.” Said Beau. “Pff, typical.” Said the dragoness, “Oh sure, we cause trouble a thousand years ago, and when we tried to show them we’re not, they’re still judging us because of our reputation.” “Yeah, that’s always what stinks.” Said Beau. The dragoness then got curious and said “What do you think about dragons?” “Back in my world, dragons are known for being majestic, wise and powerful creatures.” Said Beau, “They are well respected in my world. And in another land called China, they respect the dragons greatly. In fact, according to the Chinese Zodiac, to those who are born in the year of the dragon, their personality traits of people born in the year of the dragon are: charismatic, intelligent, confident, powerful and they are naturally lucky and gifted. In everything that they do, they tend to do it to the best of their ability with high standards.” Beau looked at the dragoness and said “In fact, in my eyes, I don’t see dragons as dangerous brutes or monsters. I see them as powerful and majestic creatures, who are the bravest, strongest, and wisest of their kind. Most folks don’t see that, but in my eyes, we have more in common with them then they realize.” The dragoness was greatly surprised, as she didn’t know how to respond, but if a human respected her kind…she couldn’t help but smile and presented her hand. “I’m Ember.” “Pleasure.” Said Beau as he shook her hand. The two of them continued to look over to where Torch is, with Beau saying “Sorry your dad wouldn’t let you participate in this.” “It’s not your fault,” said Ember, which she groaned and said “I wanted to compete to prove to him I can be twice a better leader than those boulder heads combined. But he wouldn’t see me as a dragon instead of a dragon. Or that I’m not big and strong.” “Pff, he fails to realize it’s not the size of the warrior in the fight, but the size of the fight in the warrior.” Said Beau. “Exactly!!” exclaimed Ember whilst raising her fists in the air. She placed her cup down and took a few steps ahead. “Why can’t he even see that?!!” Beau then pondered something, as if this was really familiar to him. That’s when it clicked, and knew what she could do. “You know…” said Beau, “I know someone from an old story in my world who had been in the same situation you’re in.” “You do?” said Ember. “That’s right.” Said Beau, “There was a woman who’s country was at war with another. She wanted to join, but women weren’t allowed to, for it was sort of a heresy to them, and any women dressed like a man and joining the army would be executed. But she joined to preserve her family honor. And in the end, she became one of the country’s greatest heroes.” “And that helps…how?” asked a confused Ember. “Duh, you disguise yourself.” Said Beau, which cause Ember to raise her left brow. “You disguise yourself; others will think you’re a male dragon. And if you do that…” That’s when it clicked to Ember, “Then I’d be able to compete in the gauntlet and my father wouldn’t know I participated anyway. Ha!! That’s genius.!!” “But you do have armor, right?” asked Beau. “Pff, of course I do.” Said Ember, “My dad forged all of us armor a thousand years ago. Even if it looks outdated, the armor has been part of dragon culture for centuries.” “Then I believe now is a good opportunity.” Said Beau. Ember thought about it, then said with determination. “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot. And I’ll prove it to my dad.” “Then good luck out there, Ember.” Said Beau, “When you do, I’m sure you’ll make a great leader. And if you have some free time, maybe we can talk. As well as tell each other what our cultures are like.” “I’d like that.” Said Ember, who then smiled and said “And thanks. And I hope you have a healthy baby.” Ember flew away to get her armor, with Beau deciding to stick around and wait for the dragons to move before he moved over to Torch at the same time. *************************************************************************************************** After a while of waiting, all the dragons had left, allowing Beau to go over to Dragon Lord Torch. After much struggling, Beau had finally arrived at the…wait, is he sleeping? Torch was indeed fast asleep, whilst he was waiting for the gauntlet to be finished. Though he knew that he wanted answers straight from the dragon’s mouth, no pun intended. He slowly walked over and thought about trying to get his attention. “Excuse me, sir?” said Beau, but nothing was happening. “Hello?!” The dragon did nothing as he was still fast asleep. Beau then remembered what Spike told him of how to wake him up that one time, so maybe he can do the same. He walked over to Torch’s tail and found the position he was looking for. And with it, he gave it the hardest pinch. The dragon shot his eyes opened and yelped whilst fire was going out of his mouth. He then looked around angrily and shouted “Alright, who did that?!” “Down here!!” Torch looked down and saw Beau waving at him. Torch growled and lowered himself whilst glaring at him. “You dare pinch the Dragon Lord?!!” shouted Torch. “Sorry about that,” said Beau, “It was the only way to get your attention.” “Well now you do?!” shouted Torch as he got a closer look. But to his surprise, he sees Beau up closely and said in confusion, “A monkey?” “Human, actually.” “Human?!” exclaimed Torch. “That’s impossible!!” “Well, as you can see, I’m standing right in front of you.” Dragon Lord Torch leaned in and squinted his eyes at Beau. He felt something familiar, but he couldn’t put his clawed finger on it. “Who are you, human?” asked Torch in a demanding tone. “My friends call me Beau,” said Beau, “But if you want to know my name, it’s Thomas Rohan.” Dragon Lord Torch widened his eyes and said “Rohan, as in Achilles Rohan?” “You knew my ancestor?” asked Beau in confusion. Torch widened his eyes in shock and instantly bowed to him. “Forgive me, I meant no disrespect.” “Uh, it’s fine.” Said Beau in confusion. “How is it you know my ancestor?” Torch looked at him surprised and said “You don’t know?” “Not really.” Said Beau, “My family never told me about our family heritage. They thought it was only fairy tales and that they didn’t exist.” Torch growled and said “So the Rohan family had forgotten. As Achilles Rohan had feared.” “Wait, you met him in person?” asked Beau in shock. “Of course, I do.” Said Dragon Lord Torch. “Long ago, he traveled beyond another kingdom, exploring possible locations for every creature, dragon kind included, to have a new home when we wanted to start out our new kingdom.” Beau couldn’t help but look around for a bit, then back to Torch and asked “Though I’m going to assume that my ancestor didn’t work things right, did he?” Torch suddenly sighed and said “No, that was our kind’s fault. Your ancestor taught us everything for the future. But other dragons who were in charge of their clans before the Dragon Lord ended up squandering and twisted his teachings and gifts, and we ended up betraying everything we once stood for. When I became Dragon Lord, I tried to carry on his teachings. But some don’t listen that well. That was why I had to instill harsh punishments and be more assertive.” “Wow, that must be a pain in the ass, huh?” asked Beau whilst crossing his arms. “You have no idea.” Muttered Dragon Lord Torch, then said “But why are you here?” “I was busy accompanying another dragon from Ponyville.” Said Beau, “I believe you’ve met him? Purple, green spines, tends to act like a whimp.” “Oh, right,” said Dragon Lord Torch, “The one who didn’t want to join but changed his mind. But why are you here?” “Well, seeing that we lacked any knowledge of dragon culture, Princess Twilight wanted to come to the Dragon Lands to learn more about the dragon race.” Said Beau. “But there were two problems. One, he’s afraid that the dragons would fry her to a crisp the moment she set a hoof here.” “Understandable.” Said Torch. “And the other?” “She’s pregnant.” “She’s having a baby?!” said Torch, but then clicked and realized something. “And you’re…?!” Beau nodded, which left Torch baffled. “So, I volunteered to come along to see if I could gain an audience with you without any of the dragons.” Said Beau, “And seeing that the dragons are gone for the gauntlet, I figured now would be a good time.” “Hmmm, I see.” Said Torch as he thought about it. He nodded and said “Very well then, follow me.” Torch was the first to walk whilst Beau followed suit. *************************************************************************************************** They soon arrived at a cave of sorts, where Torch was guiding him inside. After walking a few places down, he had finally arrived at a spot where Torch took him. He placed his hand against the wall and within mere moments, it slowly opened, revealing two sets of journals and tomes. “What you see right here,” said Torch as he showed them, “These were during the time from our first Dragon Lord named Scintilla. She was among the bravest of all the dragons. And would not have united most dragons to follow her, had it not been for Achilles Rohan. Our people are in great debt to him. But overtime, many dragons had forgotten about him. Myself and many other dragon Lords before me have not.” “And you didn’t tell that to Ember?” asked Beau. “She wouldn’t understand. And neither would the other dragons.” Said Dragon Lord Torch. “Back then before I became Dragon Lord, most of our dragon clans had split apart and chose to wage war on other kingdoms. When I took over, the previous Dragon Lord told me of our origins. And of the Rohan family. I asked him why he didn’t tell all of us, but it fell onto deaf ears, thinking that it was some kind of trick.” “Yeesh,” said Beau whilst shaking his head, “Even in this world, ignorance has a habit of twisting and corrupting everything around you.” “Agreed.” Said Torch as he took a few tomes and books. Then turned to Beau and said “Long ago Achilles Rohan gifted Scintilla these books before he left long ago. And now that a true Rohan has returned, it now falls back to you.” He gave Beau the journal and tome, allowing the latter to accept them and look at Torch, who gave another journal. “Wait, you also kept a journal?” said Beau surprised. “What? We might be proud, but not all of us are barbarians.” Said Torch with a grunt. Then gave it to Beau and said “This is also everything about dragon culture. I’m sure your wife will greatly love it.” Beau chuckled whilst accepting it and said “I think she’ll be tickled pink when she does see this. Thank you, Dragon Lord Torch.” “Former Lord, once someone wins the gauntlet.” Said Torch. “Now then, off you go, before someone notices.” “You got it. And thanks.” Said Beau before shaking Torch’s hand. **************************************************************************************************** Later that day, Beau was going to the train station, but he decided to wait as he knew a certain pair of individuals were waiting for them. He hid behind the corner and waited for them whilst having his arms crossed. “And I gained, tons of ideas for a new line of camouflage clothing.” He heard, which he guessed was Rarity. “I think I’ll call it, camo-mod.” They laughed together whilst they walked. However, … “Ahem!!!” Twilight, Rarity, and Spike turned and the two ponies were shocked to see Beau, waiting for them whilst crossing his arms. “Beau?!” exclaimed Twilight, “I thought you were going to wait at the train station.” “I was,” said Beau sternly, “Until I spotted you two hiding in that ridiculous rock disguise among the dragons!!” Twilight and Rarity were shocked to say the least. “How did you…?!” said Twilight. “I watched from afar.” Said Beau, which surprised the three. “Twilight, what the heck were you thinking?! I told you I had this under control, but you went behind my back? Do you have any idea how dangerous it was, especially with the baby on the way?” Twilight looked down in shame and said “I know, and I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I really wanted to know more about dragon culture.” “Which I was able to get a book, thanks to Torch.” Said Beau, which surprised the latter. “You’ve met the former Dragon Lord Torch?!” exclaimed Rarity. “I did,” said Beau as he pulled out a book that Torch gave him, but kept the other two books a secret. “He was more than happy to provide information so that Twilight can make copies of it in order for ponykind to learn more about them.” Twilight squealed and got excited whilst grabbing the book at the same time. “But seriously, Twilight.” Said Beau, “What the heck possessed you into going there?” “I think it’s the pregnancy.” Said Rarity whilst Beau looked at her. “I tried to tell her to stop, to change her mind. But once her mind was set, she immediately went on without a second thought. She even went a bit crazy with tears.” Twilight blushed in embarrassment with Beau saying “Twilight, you know I’d never leave you hanging. And you know I always keep my word.” Twilight sighed and said “I know. And I’m really sorry. And it didn’t even help that Garble tried to get his hands on me either.” Beau was shocked, then sternly looked at Spike, with the latter saying “Look, how was I supposed to know that the girls would follow me?! But it worked out well and she didn’t get hurt.” Beau sighed and said “I guess so. I’m just glad the baby isn’t hurt.” “True.” Said Twilight. However, she was suddenly stern and said “Although…” Spike was suddenly flung against the wall and was pressed against it, which surprised Beau and Rarity. Spike looked and saw Twilight standing near him whilst she kept a stern face whilst crossing her arms. “I have horrible taste in stallions, do I?” said Twilight sternly, “I never had a single date growing up, did I? My baby will be as ugly as my husband, will she?” Spike and Beau were shocked that Twilight knew about it. “How did you…?!” said a shockened Spike. “I heard what you said!!” said Twilight. **************************************************************************************************** Flashback After Spike insulted Beau, the latter followed behind whilst groveling. However, at the same time, what they didn’t know, was that there were two individuals watching, which was none other than Twilight and Rarity. Rarity was shocked at what Spike had said. “I cannot believe Spikey Wikey would say such a thing.” Said Rarity. Twilight on the other hand, growled as she was really angry and crushed a rock she was holding at the same time. **************************************************************************************************** Spike was shocked that Twilight revealed that she knew what he had said about Beau and their unborn child. “T-Twilight, I can explain.” Said Spike, trying to defend himself. “Oh, explain what?” said Twilight, “That you would deliberately insult my husband like that? Even our own unborn daughter that we cannot wait to bring into the world? You know Spike, I may have overlooked your previous blunders, but this…this time I’m drawing the line. I may have been trying for a gentler touch, but now I see that I was too gentle with you. After we get back, you’re grounded for two weeks in the castle. No comic books, no D&D sessions, no gemstones, no desserts, no…” Spike was taken aback, with Spike saying “Fair!!”, as if he was trying to say, ‘no fair’. Twilight was then nose to nose at Spike, saying “Neither was not helping me or not defending me during Winter Wrap up and the Wedding, or even insulting my husband like that.” She then pulled out a list and said “And whilst we’re at it, you’re also doing chores around the castle, and you won’t step foot out of it, until you finished everything on the list!!” “What?!” exclaimed Spike. “For how long?!” “Until you’ve earned my trust and promise that you’ll never do anything like this ever again!!” said Twilight before releasing him from her magical grip. Spike stood up, but also glared at Beau, with the latter saying, “Don’t look at me, you had this coming for a long time.” “Um…” said Rarity as it was starting to feel awkward. “Shall we go home now?” “Yeah, we should.” Said Twilight sternly whilst she grabbed Spike’s ear and pulled it at the same time, making the latter wince as he was being pulled away. Rarity and Beau followed suit to make sure that things didn’t escalate. “I’m so sorry for what Spike said to you.” Said Rarity in an apologetic tone. “You don’t have to apologize for him.” Said Beau, “Karma would’ve hit him sooner or later.” **************************************************************************************************** A while later, after they got back. Spike would have to prepare to do the chores tomorrow, whilst Beau would make doubly sure that Twilight won’t do something like this ever again by taking care of her, with Starlight beside him as this would also be lessons in trying to take care of a friend who’s expecting a child. After going back, Rarity was walking back to her home, for after that whole ordeal, she needed to wash up. “Oh, I simply cannot believe that Spikey Wikey would say such things.” Said Rarity, but sighed and said “Nevertheless. It was already stressful enough as it is. I think a nice warm bath would…” She was suddenly cut off when she saw a handful of fillies and colts standing around something near a tree, as if they were investigating something. “Hello? Whatever is going on over there?” asked Rarity to herself. She walked closely to hear what they were doing. She heard them say ‘Another monkey?’, and, ‘Is it still alive?’, and, ‘What happened to his clothes?’. She didn’t know what the fuss was about, but if there was a way to find out. She was then close enough. “Darlings,” said Rarity the moment she got close enough. “What is all the fuss about-UAAHHAHAAA!!!!” For what she saw, was indeed another human. As he had dark brown, well-groomed hair, but slightly messy. His skin was pale white, his eyes were crystal blue and he was about 5’10 tall. What also was wrong was that his clothes looked half burnt and ruined. And from the looks of it, he looked sick, and looked like he was having a fever. She quickly rushed passed the children and stood on her knees, trying to get a good look at him. “Good heavens, are you alright?” asked Rarity as she tried to sooth him. The man looked at Rarity, and could’ve sworn she looked like an angel. The only thing he could do was nod, to show he was still alive. Rarity then felt his forehead and was surprised how warm she is. “My word, your body is a wee bit on the warm side? Do you happen to be ill?” “No.” replied the man whilst groaning, trying to focus at the same time, “The only thing I fell right now is a minor headache.” He rubbed his head a bit, trying to focus, then looked at Rarity and asked “Forgive me for asking, but who are you?” “Oh,” said Rarity in realization. She had been so distracted to make sure the human was okay, she forgot to introduce herself. “How rude of a lady not to introduce herself. My name is Rarity, darling. And, who might you be?” “Oh, my name is Jim Silver.” Said the human. “Introductions aside, I also have a question.” “Oh, of course, darling.” Said Rarity. “What is it you want to ask of me?” “Where am I exactly?” asked Jim. “And how did I get here? I remember blacking out after I got toasted. And the next thing I knew, I somehow ended up here. Surrounded by…uh…” Rarity could tell he was trying to find the right words, but didn’t want to insult them. “Ponies, darling.” Confirmed Rarity, “And right now, you’re in Ponyville, a small little town that’s part of the beautiful land of Equestria.” Rarity placed her hand on his shoulder, “Now, I know it might sound hard to believe, but I can assure you, it’s the truth. Now, is there anything else you’d like to know?” “Just one,” asked Jim, “How exactly did I end up here in the middle of town?” Rarity stroked her chin, but shook her head. “I’m not exactly sure, darling.” Said Rarity, “But I do know that you probably don’t have a place to stay after whatever happened to you in your homeland. Perhaps maybe you can follow me to my home and I can cool you down. That dreadful fever of yours had probably gone through the roof.” Jim was a little surprised, but for some reason it didn’t feel right. “I…I don’t know.” Hesitated Jim, “I don’t want to be a burden or anything.” Rarity merely giggled and said “Darling, no need to be so hesitant. After all, what kind of pony would I be to leave you out here in the streets? Ponyville tends to get a wee bit chilly when night falls.” Rarity then held onto Jim’s hands and was able to help him on his feet. Though he might be heavy, Rarity was able to use her magic to help lift him. She guides him to a two-story building, with a sign that says ‘Carousal Boutique.’ Jim was able to look at her and said “Thank you. But…are you sure this is your house and not where you work?” “Actually darling, it’s a little bit of both.” Said Rarity as she was close to her place. “I’m one of those, how to call it, work at home mares. I make the most dazzling and beautifully custom-made designs of clothes for ponies in Ponyville, and even in Canterlot. As a matter of fact, I have a shop set up in that very place.” “Oh?” said Jim whilst looking at her, “If you have a shop at this…Canterlot? Who’s managing that shop there?” “Oh, it’s my manager, Sassy Saddles.” Said Rarity as she took him inside, “I wanted to set up a shop there so that I could expand my business. However, I prefer to still work here in Ponyville as my home base.” “I see.” Said Jim as Rarity was able to place him gently onto the couch. “But enough about me, darling, we’ve got to do something about this nasty fever of yours.” Said Rarity before placing a hand on his forehead. “Your body is still burning. Just rest here, I’ll get you a nice cup of water and maybe a bag of ice.” Rarity went to the kitchen to fetch what she needed, whilst Jim rested on the couch. He felt hot and wanted to pass out, but he was afraid he’d never wake up. For what he went through…it was really a nightmare. Thankfully, Rarity came back as soon as possible. She brought a huge cup of water with ice cubes inside. Jim was surprised that Rarity levitated it. Though given the fact that she has a horn, makes complete sense. She helped Jim sit up and placed an icebag over his head whilst she helped him drink the water before he could pass out at any given time. “Here, drink this sweetie, it’ll help.” Said Rarity as she helped Jim drink his water and placed the ice in his head to cool down. Jim sighed in relief and said “Thank you for the ice and water, Rarity. I thought I was gonna pass out.” “Just relax now, darling.” Said Rarity whilst reassuring him, “You’re still well enough to stand. Wait right here, I’ll be back with a towel to dry off the sweat.” Jim on the other hand, looked away for a bit in thought, and wondered, ‘I don’t understand. Why is she being so nice to me? No one’s ever shown me that much kindness before in my life, other than my…mom and dad.’ Jim then looked a bit up and thought, ‘Whatever the case, I’ve got to find a way to pay her back for everything she’s doing for me. Isn’t that right…mom and dad?’ After Jim was done with his mental questions, Rarity returned with a little towel and sits back down. She dabbed the towel over his head, getting off any kind of sweat that’s running down your forehead. Jim ended up looking at Rarity whilst the latter gave her a warm smile. “Heavens to Celestia darling,” said Rarity, “What exactly happened to you that heated up your body that much in the first place?” Jim suddenly felt sad and looked away, and muttered “It doesn’t matter.” “Maybe not to you, but it matters to me.” Said Rarity whilst she was busy cleaning off the sweat, “I can tell there’s something you need to get off your chest. Now’s a good chance to do so. Friends look after each other, after all, darling.” Jim perked at what she called him. Friend. Jim thought about it, and suddenly had a longing for some reason, and nearly making him shed tears. He took a breather, and said “Alright, I’ll tell you.” Jim tried to remember what his life was like. “The reason I was burning up before was because of the plane crash I…supposedly died in. I guess I got swallowed up by the flames from the moment of impact.” “You, WHAT?!!” shrieked Rarity, making Jim jump and fall off the couch in another direction and had a surprised look on his face. He didn’t know she had a set of pipes like that. “Oh dear, are you alright, darling?” said Rarity as she quickly went over to see if he was okay. “Oh, do forgive me, I tend to become a little…over-dramatic at times.” ‘So, I noticed.’ Thought Silver, then sat back on the couch and said “Anyway, I was involved in a plane crash and got toasted by the fire when the plane made impact with the ground.” “Um,” said a confused Rarity, “What exactly…is a plane, if you don’t mind me asking, darling?” “I presume this world doesn’t have planes?” asked Jim, to which Rarity shook her head. “You got a sketch pad?” Rarity was confused, but was able to bring in a larger one for him and a pencil. “I’ll explain whilst I draw.” Jim began to draw whilst he explained at the same time. “Picture a giant metal bird, only the wings don’t flap and it can travel from country to country in a matter of either a few hours or even a day. It doesn’t eat or drink anything except for this liquid that only it can handle and not humans. Inside the plane, there are two people who help steer it while a certain number of people sit and relax as they travel abroad. That’s my description of what a plane really is.” Jim then showed her a picture of a plane. Rarity seemed speechless after the description whilst her eyes had shrunk to her shock and surprise, especially when he showed her the picture. She had to admit, he has talent, especially attention to detail. Almost as if… “Tell me darling,” said Rarity as she was about to ask something, “Have you ever considered taking a career in designing?” “Well, I did think about it and studied it a lot in school. And I always wanted to, but…” said Jim, until he stopped in mid-sentence when he realized what she just asked of him. He looked at her and asked “Are…are you trying to hire me or something?” “But of course, darling.” Said Rarity, “Surely if you’re going to be living in Ponyville, the least I can do is offer you a job. In fact, I’ll even set up the guest room I have here in the boutique.” Jim was surprised by the amount of generosity Rarity gave him. The only ones who ever gave him that much were his…and…no, he shook it off from within his head as he didn’t want to think about it. But to meet someone like Rarity…he had thought during his darkest time, his life was over. That was…until she came into the picture. “You…” he began, as he felt like he couldn’t find the right words. “You’d really do that…for me?” “Well of course, darling.” Said Rarity, “We are friends, after all. And I won’t turn my back on a dear friend in need. Now, how about we see how good you are with drawing up creative ideas.” Rarity got up and gestured Jim to do the same, which he did. “Now come along, we have much to do.” Rarity held his hand and guided him to the next room. Jim had to admit…holding her hand felt…nice. She then brought him into the designing room, with him being surprised at what he was seeing. What really surprised him, was the designing table. Something he thought he’d never see again. She then brought him over to a chalkboard that was in the middle of the room. “So…” said Jim as he was nervous, “What do you want me to do?” “Simple,” said Rarity as she instructed and encouraged him, “Whatever clothes design comes up in your mind, just draw it on the chalkboard. You never know, it might actually turn out great.” Rarity then handed him some chalk, allowing him to accept it. He looked at the chalkboard and thought what to draw on it as his first design, whilst Rarity left him alone so that he could have some space to think. When all of a sudden, something popped inside his head, as he had suddenly an idea. He soon began to draw on the chalkboard as his ideas continued to spill from his head whilst he felt the image was right in front of him the whole time. **************************************************************************************************** After many hours, Rarity came back and wondered how Jim was doing. When she popped over, she was surprised to see what he has drawn, which she couldn’t help but marvel from the background. She then saw Jim had placed the chalk back with the others before wiping his brow from the sweat. “Phew, finished.” Said Jim, until he heard his own stomach growled. He felt embarrassed that his stomach felt empty for some reason. Rarity giggled quietly as she found it very amusing. “I was wondering when you would get hungry.” Jim turned to Rarity and he sees her smiling and wearing what appeared the be wearing glasses, which he guessed she wears whilst she’s in the middle of designing. He had to admit, she looked even prettier whenever she wears glasses. “Yeah, a little bit.” Said Jim whilst he rubbed the back of his head. Rarity walked over to see it more closely, and she’s still amazed. “Oh, darling, these new designs look simply divine!” said Rarity as she looked at them, “Wherever, did you pick these ideas up from, I must know.” Rarity didn’t see it, but Jim had a hurtful look on his face, as if he did have a reason, but he was too ashamed for some reason. However, he swallowed it and tried to cover it up. “Well, I guess they just sort of…popped into my head.” Said Jim. “Well, I think these designs are simply lovely and gorgeous, darling.” Said Rarity. “The detail you put into what color each piece of clothing is absolutely amazing. I dare say, that we might actually have to start designing right away. But first…” Rarity placed her hand on her stomach and said “A little quick snack is in order before we move on with your designs. Come along, deary. I’ll make us a delectable treat.” “Okay then,” said Jim, then said “Would you…like me to help you?” “Oh, of course darling.” Said Rarity, “I would like that very much.” As they were busy making the food, Rarity then decided to add some to the conversation. “Darling,” said Rarity as she began, “Pardon me, but something struck me. But why were you on a er, plane in the first place? Were you leaving to visit some far-off place or something.” Rarity was focused on making the food, whilst Jim however had a hurtful look on his face again, but swallowed it and told the reason. “Not…exactly.” Said Jim. “I was planning on leaving my home with a one-way flight to the mountains of a different country to escape the demons of my past. I…lost my parents in an accident when I was eight. They were hit by a drunken driver. I was so devastated, I didn’t want to have anything to do with my hometown anymore, so I packed up my bags and left a few weeks later after I took the guy who was responsible to court. And after I won the case, I had to bury them so that they could be at peace.” He heard the sound of a utensil drop, making him quickly turn around and saw it. He went over to pick it up. But as he stood next to Rarity, he saw that she had a shocked look on her face, and shed a few tears that ruined her makeup at the same time. “Oh darling…I’m so sorry.” Said Rarity. Seeing her like this made him feel guilty, which made his own heart feel like breaking. Jim couldn’t handle it and hugged her, which surprised her for a moment, allowing the two of them to look into one another’s eyes. Seeing her eyes. Sapphire. Which was his favorite gemstone. “No Rarity, I’m sorry.” Said Jim, “Ever since my mom and dad died, I didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone. I was too upset to acknowledge that reality sunk in, so I spat at it in the face when it took everything I held dear in my heart. But when you found me and allowed me, a complete stranger, to come to you house, it took me awhile to realize how much of my hope you’ve restored.” He hugged her again and said “Thank you, Rarity.” Rarity sniffled a bit and held him in a warm embrace. “You’re... You’re very welcome. I’m ever so sorry your mother and father are gone. And even though I might not know who they were, I have a hunch that they wouldn’t want their darling son to give up all hope. After all, no parent wants to watch their children live an unhappy life.” Jim held her for a few moments. Once that was done, the two of them continued cooking and sat down. Once they were eating, Jim then thought of something. “Um, Rarity, quick question.” Said Jim, gaining her attention, “Am I the only human here, or are there other humans? I realize that just now since I saw many anthro ponies in this town when I first got here.” “Oh, yes, there are humans here in Equestria, specifically here in Ponyville.” Said Rarity, “In fact, you’re actually the third human to arrive. And on top of that, one of them is married to one of my friends whilst the other is engaged to one of my other friends and they’re both going to have children soon.” “Really?” said Jim surprised, “How is that possible?” “Um,” said Rarity as she suddenly felt embarrassed by this, “Perhaps it’d be best if I told you some other time. For now, let’s just finish eating.” Jim realized his mistake and breathed through his teeth. “Oooh, right. My bad.” **************************************************************************************************** After the two of you were done, and after Jim did the dishes for Rarity, which she greatly appreciated, the said pony guided him to the second floor. She leads him to a door and opens it up. “Alright darling,” said Rarity as she guided him into the room whilst he looked around, “Here’s where you’ll be sleeping in. It’s got plenty of room and it should be able to keep you warm throughout the night. If you ever need anything from me, feel free to let me know and I’ll do whatever I can to help.” “Alright, thanks for everything Rarity.” Said Jim. However, he then slowly walked over to her, which at first puzzled her. Until he surprised her with a gentle hug. “Thank you Rarity. You have a good night now.” Rarity couldn’t help but blush and hugged him back. After she broke the hug, she went off whilst Jim couldn’t help but smile and gently closed the door. He soon went over to bed. But before he climbed in, he stared at the window and watched the night sky lit up. So peaceful and beautiful, with the help of the moon, which seemed to be in a crescent shape. He suddenly saw two images of humans in the sky, which he couldn’t help but tear up. It soon fell down, but he was able to smile. He felt like he was being hugged by an invisible force, which felt comforting as he placed his hand against his chest. “Goodnight mom and dad.” Muttered Jim. “I love you.” He shed a tear and wiped it, before going to bed. He was able to close his eyes and allowed his body to relax as he soon drifted to sleep. Chapter 12: Silver LiningSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 13: To love a DiamondIt had been almost a month since Rarity confessed her love to Jim, and he couldn’t be any happy about it. For now, he found his soulmate, and someone special to share that life with. However, during that month, he and Rarity had begun to date. And every now and then, Jim would find a place on Ponyville that would be ideal. However, sometimes he’d take her to Canterlot, which she would worry others wouldn’t be so accepting. But he reassured her that all he ever cares about is making her happy, to which she is very grateful. However, one day, she wanted to take him somewhere else. The one thing that suddenly makes him nervous… She wants him to meet her parents. Her mother Cookie Crumble, and her father Hondo Flanks, or Magnum to some. The two of them were in front of their doorstep, whilst Jim had never felt so nervous. “Uh, Rarity?” asked Jim, “Are you sure about this? What if they don’t accept me?” “Then it will be their loss.” Said Rarity, then looked at him and said “Jim, you are one of the sweetest stallion,… er, men, I’ve ever met. You have such a creative mind, you helped me manage my business, and you even stood up for me when Suri wanted to cause trouble, even identified the problem of why she was like this.” “I just did the right thing.” Said Jim, then teased “That and I couldn’t stand such a beautiful face to frown.” Rarity couldn’t help but giggle at that statement whilst blushing at the same time. She then gently knocked at the door. She waited for a few moments, but for some reason, they weren’t answering. “Odd,” said Rarity, “I thought they were home. They did say that they wouldn’t go anywhere until next week.” Jim then thought about something. Then it clicked as he had an idea. “Let me try something.” Said Jim, “But…promise me you won’t get mad.” “Get mad?” said Rarity in confusion. Within a split second, Jim banged against the door very loudly, which shocked Rarity. But as shocked as she was when he yelled “This is the Police and Canterlot Royal Guard!! We have the entire place surrounded!! You come out of there with your hands up!!!” “Jim!!” exclaimed Rarity. Until… They heard loud banging and panicking, then the door immediately opened, causing two ponies, aka, Rarity’s parents, to quickly come out and raise their hands. “Don’t arrest us, we surrender!!” said Cookie Crumble. Until they noticed that there wasn’t any guards around, they looked sternly as Magnus said “Hey, what’s the big idea?!” Then they saw Rarity, who had a surprised look, causing them to change their minds and hugged her. “Rarity, good to see you.” Said Cookie Crumble as they broke the hug. “What are you doing here?” said Magnus. “Well for one I wanted to come visit.” Said Rarity. “And um…to introduce you to somepony I met.” “Oooh, Rarity, why didn’t you tell us?” said Cookie Crumble. “Where is he?” “You’re uh…looking at him.” Said Jim nervously. The two of them looked at him surprised, but then they felt a bit uneasy. “Um, honey?” said Cookie Crumble, “He’s not a stallion. He’s…” “A hairless ape?” said Jim, “I get that a lot. Not to mention I’m the third human here, considering two others are here as well.” “Oh yeah, Beau and Bucky.” Said Magnus, “Nice people.” “Why didn’t you answer?” asked Rarity, “You always answer whenever I knock on the door.” Suddenly, the two of them blushed a bit, with one of them trying to change the subject. “Well, you see dear.” Said Cookie Crumble nervously. “We were, well…” said Magnus. “You two were having sex earlier.” Said Jim. The three ponies looked in shock. Before Rarity could protest of how uncouth Jim sounded. “It’s obvious really.” Said Jim, “Magnus’ belt wasn’t tightened properly, indicating that he had his pants down. Cookie Crumble’s shirt is buttoned up wrong in the wrong places, indicating that her shirt was open. Magnus smells like perfume, which is from his wife as he had his head in her breasts, and Cookie Crumble’s hair is a slight mess. That, and there happens to be a condom hanging from the left side of his belt.” Magnus looked in shock and quickly tossed it away whilst Cookie quickly fixed her hair. “Mother!! Father!!” said Rarity in disgust and embarrassment as she realized that they did just that. “Why would you do something so uncouth?!! What if Sweetie Belle heard you?!!” “Well, we also like a little fun, don’t you know.” Said Magnus. “And Sweetie Belle is visiting her friends today, so no harm done.” Said Cookie Crumble. “Oh, my Celestia, this is so embarrassing.” Muttered Rarity. “So uh, why don’t you come inside.” Said Magnus whilst a bit embarrassed, desperately wanting to change the subject. “And you can tell us more about him.” Said Cookie Crumble with the same feeling, causing them to go inside. Just before they got inside, Rarity stopped him and asked “However, did you know that it would work?” “I saw this in a movie once.” Said Jim, “Works every time.” “And their uh…private time?” asked Rarity whilst a bit disgusted. “Simple really.” Said Jim, “I used a few deduction skills whilst I was reading and studying a lot of Sherlock Holmes stories.” “Sherlock Holmes?” said Rarity in confusion. “A famous detective who solves crime using proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning.” Said Jim, “And he also focuses on attention to detail like Shadow Spade.” “You’ve read Shadow Spade?” said Rarity surprised. “I read a bit last night before I went to bed shortly after I met you.” Said Rarity, “The two of you have a lot in common. No wonder you love those stories so much.” Jim entered the room whilst Rarity was surprised. She couldn’t help but smile and entered last. ************************************************************************************************ Fifteen minutes later, tea had been served by Cookie Crumble and Magnus whilst Jim had told them his backstory. “Oh, you poor dear.” Said Cookie Crumble after she served tea and sat down, “I couldn’t imagine what it would’ve been like if I had lost my parents like that.” “Or died.” Said Magnus as he was also surprised, “I would’ve been traumatized if I had gone through an experience like that.” “Still,” said Cookie, “We are just happy that you are alive.” “Yeah, I’m actually really lucky.” Said Jim. “Though I don’t know what I’m the luckiest the most; that I’m alive, or that a beautiful gem found me and took me in when I had nowhere else to go.” The parents were surprised by what he said, though he looked at Rarity and said “And by the way, the color of your eyes, sapphire, that’s my favorite gemstone.” Rarity couldn’t help but blush and smile at the same time, whilst slowly held onto his hand. “So,” said Magnus, “After you died, what happened next?” “She took me in and tried to cool me down,” said Jim, “I was still feeling burnt after that whole crashing ordeal. Afterwards, she asked me to how I died, and was curious to know what a plane was.” “A what?” said Cookie Crumbles as she and her husband were confused. “Picture like a Zeppelin, but different.” Said Rarity as she took out a sketch pad, “This is what it looks like. He drew it, and such in great detail.” They took a good look at the picture and were surprised to see what it looks like. “Wow, now that’s a real work of art.” Said Magnus. “You must’ve taken a lot of lessons in your youth.” Said Cookie Crumble. “I did.” Said Jim, “I wasn’t really interested at first, but the more I did it, the better I got at it. Afterwards, Rarity hired me to work for her and I ended up drawing up a few designs that she was able to make. I even worked at the front of the store to help with the sales.” “Well, that’s a first.” Said Magnus as he and Cookie were surprised. “Really?” asked Jim in confusion. “It’s just…Rarity never hires anyone to help work for her, not even when she overdoes it.” Said Cookie Crumble. “Why is that always so surprising?” asked Rarity rhetorically. “You’re always stubborn to accept any help.” Said Magnus, “That you didn’t want anyone to interrupt your, ‘creative genius’.” “Really?” said Jim surprised.. “Oh, it’s true dear.” Said Cookie Crumble, “You wouldn’t believe how dedicated she is to her work. She always gets so frazzled, especially whenever she stresses she eats so many ice cream.” Rarity blushed from embarrassment as she covered her eyes. However, she felt a hand on her leg, gaining her attention and saw it was you, reassuring her that everything is alright and that he’s not judging her, to which the latter couldn’t help but smile. “Anyway,” said Jim, “Right as we continued with the boutique’s business, an old rival barged into her shop. I believe her name was Suri.” “Oh no,” said Cookie in worry, “Don’t tell me she was there to cause trouble.” “She was actually.” Said Rarity, “She still had the nerve to blame me for her losing the contest in Manehattan. But Silver stepped in and was able to resolve the difference between us.” Jim looked at her slightly surprised. For she didn’t call him by his given name, but by his surname instead. “Really?” said Magnus, “Wow that’s fortunate.” “And that’s when the two of you confessed.” Asked Cookie. “Indeed.” Said Rarity, “I gained a crush on him, and he truly is a gentle stallion. Er…gentleman.” “Oh, that’s mighty sweet.” Said Cookie, “I hope you take good care of her, Silver.” “After the way she saved me, how could I not?” said Jim. “I owe her for what she did for me. And I’ll always be grateful.” “Mom, dad, I’m home!!” They turned to the door and saw Sweetie Belle walking in. “Sorry I’m late,” said Sweetie Belle, “The girls and I were…” She then noticed Jim in the room and was surprised to see him. “Oh, hi Jim.” Said Sweetie Belle. “What are you doing here?” “Rarity brought me over to introduce me to her parents.” Said Jim. “Turns out they’re a fun bunch. Though they were sort of uncomfortable upon meeting me. But I managed to make them uncomfortable in return.” “Really?” said Sweetie Belle surprised. “That’s a first. What did you do?” Jim looked at the two with a sly smirk, making them nervous at the same time, with him saying “Our little secret.” “Eh, okay.” Said Sweetie Belle after she shrugged her shoulders. But then she noticed how close Rarity and Jim were sitting, and asked surprised, “Wait, are you two…?” “Er, yes. For a month now.” Said Rarity nervously. Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but smirk and exclaimed “I knew it!! I knew you liked him!!” Rarity blushed in embarrassment, whilst the parents were confused, with Jim whispering to them, “Long story.” “Plus,” said Sweetie Belle as she held her arms behind her back with a smile, “I don’t mind Rarity going out with Jim, he’s actually really nice.” She then had a very sly smile, which caused them to notice. “What?” asked Rarity. “I’m just curious of how Spike is going to feel if he finds out his crush is going out with someone else.” Said Sweetie Belle teasingly. “I’d imagine he’d be very devastated.” Jim was confused by this, whilst Rarity also realized this. “Oh dear.” Muttered Rarity. Even though she didn’t like Sweetie Belle’s teasing jab, she realized that she was right. “Who’s Spike?” asked Jim. “Oh, Spike happens to be a dragon and assistant to Princess Twilight.” Said Magnus. “Although…since the day he came to Ponyville, he had a crush on her.” Said Cookie Crumble. “Crush as in childhood crush, or crush as in romantically?” asked Jim. “The second one.” Said Rarity, which surprised Jim, “I could tell since the day he came to Ponyville. I may be a hardworking lady, but I am not oblivious to everything around me. Although…” “What?” asked Jim. “A while back before Spikey Wikey went to the dragon lands,” said Rarity, which baffled Jim that she would have a nickname for him, “Twilight’s husband told him of his flaws and that he shouldn’t look himself as a perfectionist. I even overheard him saying that he knows that Spike has a fantasy that I would fall in love with him.” Everyone was surprised by this, even Sweetie Belle, for this was the first time she heard it. She got curious and asked “What did Beau actually say?” “He said, quote, I know you have this fantasy where Rarity would finally fall in love with you, well I got news for you pal, it’s never going to happen, end quote.” Said Rarity. “Ouch.” Said Sweetie Belle, knowing that would strike a nerve. Jim thought about it and said “It could be worse. I mean if it came from you, it would’ve hurt twice as much. Though if it were thrice…” “What?” said Rarity. “You could say, quote, whilst I haven’t showed any adoration for Spike. Let’s be serious for a moment. He is a baby dragon. I for one, a fully grown mare, would never date him, end quote.” Said Jim. The others were surprised by this, with Sweetie Belle saying “Wow, that would’ve really hurt.” “But thankfully you’re not that kind of lady.” Said Jim, “If you were, you wouldn’t be the most generous mare I know. Or the mare I fell in love with.” Rarity cooed and held Jim close, which touched the parents and Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. But she couldn’t help but smile. For in a way, she liked Jim. For when he wasn’t busy during the month he was with Rarity, he would sometimes spend time with her and also treat her for some cake and milkshakes, which she greatly appreciated. Soon afterwards, the two walked out, with Jim asking, “Why did you decide to call me Silver?” “Well, I figured that since you’re staying here, and most wouldn’t get used to your name, I figured it would be lovely to call you Silver. For it fits your personality.” “Huh, it kinda does, doesn’t it.” Said Jim, now Silver, who smiled and said “I accept. Silver it is.” The two of them held one another close as they headed back home. ************************************************************************************************ A week had passed and Rarity decided to introduce Silver to the others. “Will everyone else be there?” asked Silver. “Of course,” said Rarity, “We do make arrangements for a get together every two weeks or a month, depending if none of us are busy.” “Good to know.” Said Silver. “Although…I’m more concerned of how Spike is going to react about us being…you know.” “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Said Rarity. Although she noticed the look on his face whilst he was flexing his left eyebrow. “Okay, maybe he won’t be. But I’m sure he’ll find someone else.” “Somehow I doubt that.” Said Silver. Rarity knocked on the door, and then entered with Silver following suit. “Twilight, hello?!” said Rarity. Suddenly, popping from out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie appeared and shouted “Hi Rarity!!” Rarity yelped a bit, with Silver holding her close to protect her just in case. “Oooh,” said Pinkie Pie as she noticed Silver, “Looks like we have another human in the mix!! I knew my Pinkie Sense wasn’t playing tricks on me when we had a newcomer in town!!” “Er, yes Pinkie.” Said Rarity as she cleared her throat, “Is Twilight around?” “She and the others are waiting for you at the dining room.” Said Pinkie Pie. “Spike’s running a bit late, but he’ll get there soon. Now come on!!” She darted off like a speeding bullet, which baffled Silver before slowly looking at Rarity. “That would be Pinkie Pie.” Said Rarity, knowing what Silver was going to ask. “She happens to be this town’s party planner. She helps organizes parties and helps them celebrate their birthdays.” “That must be a lot of work.” Said Silver as he and Rarity walked in. “Oh, it is.” Said Rarity, “Makes me happy that I didn’t have a cutie mark in party planning, otherwise I’d stress myself to the bone.” “I’d believe it.” Said Silver, “I mean you always work hard when it comes to your craft.” “Indeed.” Said Rarity as she sighed a bit whilst trying to think of something else. The two of them continued to walk down the hall and eventually made it to the dining room, where the rest of the Mane 6 were waiting and also dining down, with Starlight joining them. Though they weren’t the only ones, for both Beau and Bucky were also attending, seeing that Granny allowed Bucky and Applejack to go visit their friends. “Rarity, you made it.” Said Twilight. “Sorry I’m late Twilight.” Said Rarity, “We took a break from working at the shop. And…” Rarity bit her lip whilst keeping her smile. “Rarity?” asked Fluttershy. “Okay, I cannot take it anymore.” Said Rarity excited, “I want all of you to meet Silver.” Rarity pulled Silver and showed them, whilst at the same time, he nervously waved to them and said “Hi.” When all of a sudden, he was pounced on by none other than Pinkie Pie. “Hi new friend!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Uh, hi.” Said Silver whilst Pinkie got off of him whilst he moved. “You must be Silver.” Said Twilight as she walked over to the third human, but with Beau by her side to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. This is my husband, Beau.” “Never thought another human would arrive in Equestria.” Said Beau as he shook Silver’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” “Likewise.” Said Silver after he shook Beau’s hand. “And these are the rest of my friends,” said Rarity, “Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight Glimmer.” Everyone greeted Silver their own way, with Bucky walking up and said “My name’s Bucky. I’m Applejack’s boyfriend. Or in this case, special somepony.” “Nice to meet you.” Said Silver. “Rarity told us that she took you in after she found you.” Said Rainbow Dash. “She did.” Said Silver, “And I’m really grateful for it. I wanted to meet you, but one, I was still getting used to my environment, and two, someone had to help look after the shop whilst Rarity is out.” “Understandable.” Said Applejack, “Bucky felt the same way when he first got here, same with Beau.” “And just know, you were really lucky.” Said Bucky. “What do you mean?” asked a confused Jim. “When I first met Twilight, I accidentally blurted out how horses can’t talk, and she ended up threatening me, considering I never met a pony species before.” Said Beau, which Twilight giggled nervously. “And when I met Applejack, she thought I was a thief coming to take her apples, despite me putting it back and I apologized before she nearly punctured my lung with her lasso.” Said Bucky, which Applejack tilted her hat and blushed in embarrassment. “I see.” Muttered Silver, as he was lucky he wasn’t through in those situations. “Not to worry,” said Rarity, “He was quite gentle when we met. He even defended me when Suri came to the shop.” “Suri?!” said the others surprised. “Why in tarnation would she come all the way out here?” said a confused Applejack. “Apparently she’s was still sour at her for losing in Manehattan,” said Silver, “That and that Coco spilled the beans on her.” “And all of you should’ve seen it,” said Rarity, “Silver stood up to her and during their conversation, made her spill the beans on why she was like this.” “Turns out she tried to be on top, just so that she could come out of her mother’s shadow.” Said Silver. “Afterwards, I called upon some of my connections and asked Sassy Saddles at Canterlot to help Suri out.” Said Rarity. She blushed and said “And I developed a crush on him for standing up for me.” Spike, at the same time, walked down the hall as he continued to do his chores, and he only had about a few days, so that was at least something. When all of a sudden, he heard… “Rarity, are you saying that he’s your new special somepony?” Applejack said. Spike stopped in his tracks and was shocked by what he heard. He instantly peaked through the door, and saw Silver standing next to Rarity and holding her hand, with the two of them being together. “Yes, he is.” Said Rarity as she and Silver looked at one another, “And I couldn’t be any happier.” Spike saw Rarity kiss him by the cheek, making him widen his eyes in horror. He quickly darted off and straight to the roof. He dropped on his knees and raised his hands and shouted. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” Meanwhile, right below, the Mane 6 and the three humans, along with Starlight, were suddenly silent with widen eyes. “What was that?” said a confused Starlight. “Either that’s the screaming sound of somepony losing something, or somepony who’s screaming because he watched his crush now having someone else.” Said Pinkie Pie. Beau then whispered “You know what, something tells me Spike overheard it and is now in compete denial that Rarity found someone else.” “How’d you know that?” asked Twilight. “Trust me, I know the wail anywhere.” Said Beau, “It’s the exact same one he had when he realized he ate his secret diamond stash until it was empty again.” “Of course.” Said Twilight before she face palmed herself. Spike eventually came down and tried to be as calm as possible. “Heeey everyone.” Said Spike, trying to be as calm as possible as he did a fake smile whilst his left eye was twitching. “How’s it going?” Everyone else, minus Bucky and Silver, had deadpanned stares at Spike, for they’ve seen that before. “You’re jealous because Rarity actually found somepony she fell in love with, aren’t you.” Said Rainbow. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING!!!” shouted Spike. Though Fluttershy was startled and hid behind Pinkie Pie, some were surprised and some thought he was rude. “Told you so.” Said Beau. “Okay, you’ve made your point.” Said Twilight. Who then turned to Spike and said “Spike, don’t you still have your chores and grounding sentence to do.” “I have…!!” said Spike before he was lifted up with magic and brought over to Twilight. “Don’t make get the unhappy stick!!” threatened Twilight with a glare from her eyes. Spike growled and said “Fine”, before leaving to continue with his chores. The others were a bit concerned with this. “Oh dear,” said Rarity, “I hope he doesn’t do something drastic.” “Something tells me he will.” Said Bucky. “What do y’all mean, Bucky?” asked Applejack. “I’ve seen it before.” Said Bucky, “He’ll go into five different stages when one’s crush goes out with another.” “Five stages?” said a confused Twilight. “First stage, denial.” Said Beau. “Second stage, anger.” Said Bucky. “Stage 3, bargaining.” Said Silver. “Stage 4, depression.” Said Beau. “And stage 5, acceptance.” Said Bucky. “And you know about this…how?” asked Starlight. “Cause for one, we’re guys, duh.” Said Beau. “Yeah, we’re not exactly that hard to read and aren’t that good at talking about our feelings.” Said Bucky. “Plus, we would rather chew through glass, rather than admit we did anything stupid.” Said Silver. The Mane 6 and Starlight were surprised by how the guys described themselves. Pinkie broke the ice and said “You know, surprisingly, he does have a good point.” However, in Spike’s room, he was walking around and ranting. “It’s gotta be a fluke, that’s right, it’s gotta be a fluke, there’s no way Rarity would accept something like him.” Said Spike, “I mean he’s a monkey, who’s probably too brainless and doesn’t care about anyone else’s feelings. Maybe after when no one’s looking, I’ll still have a chance with Rarity. That’s right.” Spike continued to rant about Silver. This is going to be awkward. ************************************************************************************************** Stage 1: Denial The next day, Rarity was busy with her work back at the shop, until she was seeing that she was out of supplies. Then she looked up and saw that she still has some time. At the same time, she walked past the drawing room, she took a peak and saw Silver working on the next few designs. “I’ll be out for a bit, darling.” Said Rarity, “I’ll see you soon.” “See you Rarity.” Said Silver as he looked at her. Who then smiled and said “And be safe out there.” “I will.” Said Rarity as she returned the gesture. Rarity soon left the house as she went to fetch a few supplies for her next line of fashion. She looked over a few items and selected her choice. “Now then, onto the next.” Said Rarity. When all of a sudden, Spike appeared from out of nowhere, with his arms behind his back. “Hey there, Rarity.” Said Spike as he stood there. “Mind if I carried your things.” “Why of course, Spikey-Wikey.” Said Rarity. Within a short while, Rarity came back whilst Spike was carrying everything in his arms after an hour of shopping with Rarity. “You can leave those over there, darling.” Said Rarity. “Alright then,” said Spike as he placed them on the work table. “So, what are we…” “Nice of you to come back.” Said Silver as he came out with a few glasses of lemonade. “I thought you might be thirsty so I took the liberty of making some.” “Oh, Silver, you’re such an absolute darling.” Said Rarity before accepting her glass as she took a sip. Spike saw Silver and growled a little. He walked away before slamming the door behind him. Silver noticed this and saw the whole ordeal. He shook his head, wondering if Spike will ever get over Rarity. ************************************************************************************************** Stage 2: Anger Two days later, Spike was munching on his cereal whilst blowing smoke out of his nose, showing that he wants to breathe fire on something. At the same time, Beau helped Twilight sit down on her chair and continued to sit next to her. He looked at Spike and saw he was now in the second stage, which is anger. He had a deadpanned look and signaled Twilight to look at Spike, to which she did and was surprised to see the look on his face. Twilight leaned to Beau and whispered “Stage two?” “Stage two.” Whispered Beau. He then demonstrated it by saying “Hey Spike could you pass me the…silver?” Spike growled and banged the table hard, smashing the spoon next to him before walking out, which shocked Twilight when she saw what Spike did. She looked at him with a flexed eyebrow and asked “Was that really necessary?” “How else did you want me to show that he was at the second stage.” Said Beau. “Touché.” Said Twilight as Beau helped feed her at the same time. ************************************************************************************************** Stage 3: Bargaining Silver, after he was done designing, decided to run errands for Rarity whilst getting a few materials for her by going gem hunting for her. He entered the cave and looked around and made an impressed whistle. “Rarity wasn’t kidding about this place. If something like this existed in my world, most economies would skyrocket.” Said Silver, until he noticed the bats above him, which made him grimace and said “Minus the bats, that is.” Silver looked around as he was looking for a few specific gems. He was able to pick them and placed a few of them in the baskets. Silver suddenly spots something down at the cave, which catches his attention. He walked over and saw a specific gem…that was shaped like a heart. “A heart shaped sapphire?” said Silver surprised. “Now that’s very rare. And the same-colored eyes as Rarity.” He took a closer look and said “Wait…this is an Alpha sapphire. I heard Rarity telling me about it, how it’s so rare, that even a dragon would want to get their hands on it. And how it’s the most beautiful gem than any sapphires.” You then thought about something. You’ve been going out with Rarity for some time. And suddenly you’re thinking about taking the next step. You then smiled…and made up your mind. “I think it’s time I took the next step.” Said Silver, “And Rarity will love this.” Silver secretly placed it away in his jacket so that no one would notice. Later that day, he was finished placing the gems in the basket. “Now these are perfect.” Said Silver, “No doubt the next fashion like will look amazing with these.” You were about to turn around, until you bumped into the last person you’d expect. Or in this case…a certain dragon. “Spike?” said Silver whilst feeling a little surprised at the same time. “Hey, Silver.” Said Spike, trying to act calm. “What brings you here?” “I’m currently doing some gem hunting for Rarity, considering she’s preoccupied with a few clients today.” “Really?” said Spike whilst his eye was secretly twitching. “That’s interesting, considering she always asks me.” “Cut to the chase Spike, what do you want?” said Silver whilst he crossed his arms and knows what Spike was going to ask of him. “Break up with Rarity.” “What?” you asked, but also sounded a little mad. Spike suddenly stood on his knees and begged. “Please, break up with Rarity!!” said Spike, “I saw her first the day she came to Ponyville, and suddenly you came along and you somehow charmed her into liking you!! It’s not fair!!” Silver’s left eye twitched at that, for did Spike actually ask him that. “No.” Spike looked at him shocked. “I don’t know what you’re deal is, Spike.” Said Silver, “But I’ve known you for a while and from what Beau told me…it’s pathetic.” “What?” said Spike as he looked ticked. “Rarity made her choice on who she wants to date or be a relationship with.” Said Silver, “And last time I checked, she’s not your property, she’s her own pony, who’s old enough to make her own decisions. Besides, I would never, I repeat, never, break up with Rarity. Plus, there’s a very, huge difference between you and me, and no, it’s not because of our species.” He leaned over and said his piece. “I’m a fully grown adult, who’s also mature enough to be a gentleman, to treat a lady with respect, not take advantage of things, and I treat her like an actual mare. You on the other hand, are nothing but a spoilt manchild who did a lot more stalking, than follow her, as well as you having a childhood crush on her. And yes, she may have been generous to you, but she’s like that with everyone else in Ponyville. And plus, I owed her for taking me in when no one else did. We even worked together, and last time I checked, I actually have an extended education and actually chose to do something instead of being lazy.” “Lazy?” said Spike as if he was insulted as he stood up, “Now see here…” “Yeah, you saved the Crystal Empire, good for you.” Said Silver, “But if I remember correctly, you made a fool of yourself over there, as well as causing chaos in Canterlot. Rarity has already made up her mind, so get with the program.” He picked up his basket backpack and walked out of the cave whilst saying. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my girlfriend is waiting for me at home, where we have an important order to fulfill, because we both, unlike you, have a real job where we can love and support one another.” Silver walked away whilst Spike growled. But before Spike could say anything, Silver suddenly began to make a squeal sound, causing every bat to wake up and have their eyes on Spike, making them glare at him whilst flapping their wings. Thankfully, Silver was already out whilst Spike was running away like a madman and screaming in fear. Silver rolled his eyes as he couldn’t believe Spike tried to convince him to break up with Rarity. *************************************************************************************************** A few days later, Silver walked out of the house and took the garbage out and into an empty can outside. But just before he was about to enter. “Hello there, handsome.” Silver turned and saw a very light aquamarine unicorn mare. You realized this was Lyra. Rarity had told you about her a while ago, as she and another mare named Bonbon are very close. And from what Beau told you, she was also an old classmate of Twilight, the one who Twilight ignored when she went to study. Silver was suddenly brought out of his thoughts as she approached him. “What’s a handsome stud like yourself, doing in a place like this?” said Lyra as she was trying to seduce him. Silver suddenly felt like he was backed into a corner as she was against him, with her muzzle close to his nose. “What are you doing?” said Silver confusingly. “Oh, can’t a pretty unicorn mare like myself fall in love with the most beautiful human in Ponyville?” Silver then noticed something peek around the corner of the house, which was none other than a dragon tail. Silver then gave a deadpanned look and realized what was going on. “Spike bribed and forced you to try to date me, isn’t he?” “Oh, thank goodness.” Said Lyra in relief as someone finally caught on, “I was hoping someone would notice.” “Oh, come on!!” shouted Spike as he was standing where everyone could see him. “There you are, Lyra!!” They turned and saw Bonbon walking over to her, and she didn’t look happy. “What’s the big idea of going off like that?” asked Bonbon, “And trying to seduce a human, no less?” “I’m sorry miss,” said Silver, gaining her attention, “But what’s your name?” “My name is Bonbon,” said the latter, “I’m a friend of Lyra’s.” “Pleasure.” Said Silver as he shook her hand. “Well, if you must know, Spike tried to bribe and force Lyra to seduce me so that I could be in a relationship with her, whilst at the same time, trying to convince me to break up with Rarity, despite me being in a relationship with her for almost two months now.” “Spike tried to make you do what?!” exclaimed Lyra. “He tried to make Lyra do what?!” said Bonbon as she was angry. “Uuuuugh…” said Spike as he was in hot water. Bonbon went over and within a split second, slapped Spike, then grabbed him, and threw him so hard, he flew halfway across town, making him yell in fear land into the lake. He slowly emerged from the water with a deadpanned expression and spat out a bit of water. Both Lyra and Silver were surprised by this, with Bonbon dusting her hands. “Wow.” Said Silver, “Nice throw.” “Bonbon happens to be the reigning champion in Hoof Ball.” Said Lyra, “She has the best throwing arm in the team.” “So, I noticed.” Said Silver. “Anyway, sorry for the trouble.” “Not your fault,” said Bonbon, “Besides, Rarity talks about you a lot the last time I popped by for a dress order. You’re a good human.” ************************************************************************************************** Later that day, Twilight and Beau had stopped by at Rarity’s house. “I wonder what this is about?” asked Twilight as Beau made sure she was okay whilst escorting her. “I don’t know, but whatever it’s about, it sounds serious.” Said Beau after he closed the door. The two of them suddenly saw Silver, and he had a bit of a stern look. “Whoa, what’s the matter with you?” said Beau. “Twilight,” said Silver, “Could you please be so kind enough to put up a forcefield around the house, please.” “Um…okay.” Said Twilight in confusion, but did what he asked. After the force field was up, she looked at Silver. “What’s this about?” “Twilight?” They turned and saw Rarity standing there, but also confused. “What are you doing here?” “I called them here.” Said Silver. “Could you three wait in the living room, please.” The three of them went to the living room, whilst Silver quickly looked out of the window, and saw Spike trying to get in, which made him shake his head, knowing that he would attempt to spy on them at the same time. Soon he went to the living room, where the others were seated. “Silver, what is this about?” asked Rarity. “It’s about Spike.” Said Silver as he walked over and sat at the arm of the couch. “Oh boy, what did he do this time?” said Beau. “Whilst Rarity was busy, I went to the Gem Cave to help gather the specific gems for the latest lines.” Said Silver. “Which I’m thankful.” Said Rarity. “Spike followed me and asked, no, he begged that I would break up with Rarity so that he could date her.” “Spike tried to what?!” exclaimed Twilight as she and Beau was shocked. “Spike wanted you to…why would he do such a thing?” said Rarity in concern. “Because of his obsession with you,” said Silver, “Not to mention I keep telling him, you’re a pony that makes your own decisions, and he just doesn’t know when to take a hint either. And what makes matters worse, he even bribed and tried to force Lyra to seduce me so that I could break up with Rarity.” “What?!!” exclaimed Beau. “Okay, I’m sorry, but this has gone too far!!” “Indeed,” said Rarity, “I cannot believe Spike would try to make Silver do such a thing.” Silver then remembered something. He remembered the heart shaped sapphire he found in the cave, and he wanted to make it official with Rarity when the time came. He couldn’t help but smile as he knew she would love it. And he was ready to take the next step. But then he knew Spike would do whatever it takes to ruin the proposal. “We’ll need to corner Spike about this.” Said Twilight. “Won’t work.” Said Beau, “Knowing him he’ll try to deny that he was responsible for it.” Rarity then gasped and said “Then we’ll have to catch him in the act.” “But the question is…how?” asked Twilight. Silver then blinked, for he had an idea. Two ideas in fact. “I think I have an idea.” The three of them looked at Silver, wondering what he has in mind. Suddenly, Pinkie popped from out of nowhere. “Guys!!” shouted Pinkie, startling them. “How did Pinkie Pie get in here?!” exclaimed Beau. “It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.” Said Twilight and Rarity. “My Pinkie senses is going haywire, meaning a doozy is about to happen!!” said Pinkie. “What kind of Doozie?” asked Twilight. “Come on!!” shouted Pinkie as she grabbed them, “The others are already waiting!!” Once again, they disappeared, whilst Spike was struggling to get inside, until the forcefield actually got turned off, Spike fell through the door. He noticed Rarity wasn’t around, then shouted “Dang it!!” Within mere moments, Pinkie arrived at a nearby bush, with Rainbow, Fluttershy and Starlight in tow. “Okay, Pinkie we’re here.” Said Rainbow impatiently, “Now what’s going on?” Pinkie took a peak and squealed in excitement. “See for yourself!!” They took a peak and they saw nearby one of the larger apple trees. And to their surprise, they saw both Bucky and Applejack on the hill. Applejack was sitting on what looked like a stump of sorts whilst Bucky was holding her hands and talking to her. Before they knew it, he ended up standing on his knees whilst he kept on talking to her. Before they knew it… “YEE-HAW!!!” exclaimed Applejack in excitement and tackled Bucky over whilst the two of them laughed at the same time. “Uh, what’s going on?” asked a confused Rainbow. Then they heard it. “Of course, ah’ll marry y’all!!” said Applejack as the rest of the Apple Family also arrived to give their congrats to them. This surprised them at the same time, causing all of them to go over to Applejack and Bucky to congratulate them as they were really happy for her. Silver on the other hand stood there for a few moments and thought about his own proposal. Then he looked at Rarity. Yes…Yes, he can do it. He just needs the right moment. And he knows where to go first thing in the morning. But first thing’s first. *********************************************************************************************** The next day in the afternoon, Silver then began to set everything up for the engagement as he had everything set up, with flowers, decorations and a ring that is in place. “Perfect…” said Silver as he placed everything in order. “Now all I have to do is to get Rarity, and everything will be ready.” Silver then walked out of the room to fetch Rarity, for he was ready to take the next step. However, coming through the window, was none other than Spike and he had an angry look. Until what appeared to be a little devil of himself appeared. “Come on Spike, sabotage the entire place.” Said his devil side, “Show them what happens when someone steals Rarity away from you. Frame him for something you didn’t do.” Suddenly, an angel side of him appeared and said “Yes, he is right. You did everything for Rarity. Who gave Silver the right to interfere. So don’t stand there, just do it!!” Both of them disappeared, with Spike looking back at the setup in his anger. “I’ll show him.” Said Spike, “No one takes Rarity away from me.” He then began to make a mess of things and began to make it look like Silver did it by placing one of his items. Then he saw a ring that was in place. He then smirked and walked on over and said “Now for the grand finale.” He then took a bite out of the ring and enjoyed chewing onto it. He placed the destroyed ring back and then crawled out of the window. Then he began to sneak away. “Heh, mission a…” said Spike before he was cut off as he bumped into someone. Then he saw Rarity, as she seems to be surprised. “Spike?” asked Rarity, “What are you doing here?” Spike then decided to pretend to act innocent. “Rarity, you’re not gonna believe this!!” said Spike, “Silver is trying to cheat on you with another mare, and he just sabotaged everything inside and your engagement!!” “Is that right?” asked Rarity. “That’s right.” Said Spike. “Because from what it looks like,” said Rarity as she crossed her arms and was suddenly crossed, “You tried to convince Silver to break up with me, then tried to force Lyra of all ponies to try to seduce him so that he could break up with me, and then you sabotaged everything inside and ate the engagement ring he made for me.” Spike widened his eyes in shock and pretended not to notice anything. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Said Spike frantically. “Oh, but we do.” Spike turned around and to his shock, Twilight, Beau, and Silver were standing there, with Twilight revealing a spell that exposed Spike a handful of times. Spike was now panicking. “I am very disappointed in you, Spike.” Said Twilight after she made the spell go away. “Not only did you attempt to try to convince him to break up with Rarity, but also tried to convince Lyra of all ponies to seduce him just so that he could break up with her on his own.” “And now you have the gall to try and sabotage his wedding proposal, even when he already proposed to her this morning.” Said Beau. “What?!” exclaimed Spike as Silver stood next to Rarity. “That’s right.” Said Silver whilst Rarity showed him the engagement ring, which was none other than heart shaped Aqua Sapphire, the opposite of the fire ruby. “See, after I got the ring from Rarity.” *********************************************************************************************** Silver was at the jewel shop, making the ring that he found at the cave that is suitable for Rarity. Then he suddenly made a new ring, one that was just plain, whilst the other one, the one he made specifically for Rarity, he carefully hid so that no one would find it. “I was busy making the ring for Rarity at the jeweler’s shop, because the guy owed me a while back. But I knew you’d go behind our backs to do something like this. So, I secretly made a phony ring, whilst the actual ring I made for Rarity, I hid from the likes of you, so that you wouldn’t try anything stupid.” *********************************************************************************************** “And I set the whole thing up in there, just to catch you in the act.” Said Silver. “You, little!!” said Spike, “Rarity deserves someone who can actually care for her!! Someone who actually loves her!!” “Which I do and I am!!” shouted Silver. “Besides, you could date anyone, and yet you have the gall to try to make her think I cheated on her, when I love her more than anyone else!!” “And how do I know it’s not a fake?!!” shouted Spike. “Enough!!” Spike winced, for Twilight yelled at him. He looked at Twilight, and she was really disappointed like a mother is to their son. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you Spike, but this has gone on long enough.” Said Twilight. “I don’t know what upsets me more; that you deliberately try to set up Silver, or that you actually thought this pathetic attempt would work. You’ve let your jealousy get the best of you Spike, and I am truly disappointed. I raised you better than this ever since I hatched you from the egg, and this is the thanks I get? Going behind my back, not helping me when things counted. And more importantly, as my husband would say; everypony knows that you have a fantasy where Rarity would fall in love with you, well it’s never going to happen, for what you have is not real love, it’s a simple childhood crush.” “It is!!” said Spike. “Is it really?” asked Beau, “Cause the way I see it, you deliberately insulted both me, as well as both mine and Twilight’s unborn child, and we’ve been in love after spending a month together, not to mention we’re also happily married with our child on the way. And if I remember correctly, a real man should know when not to act like a child when things don’t go his way.” “Yeah, well…” said Spike before he was cut off. “Spike!!” Spike winced and slowly turned, for the voice came from none other than Rarity, who had her arms crossed and looked at him sternly. She walked over to him and then looked directly at him face to face. “I knew you had a crush on me ever since you came to Ponyville, for even though I’m focused on my work, I am not that oblivious.” Said Rarity, which made Spike wince at that. “But let us be serious for a moment. You are younger than me, and you are the one who doesn’t know what true love is. I may have helped Silver, but I fell in love with him the moment I met him, but I just didn’t know how to say it. And when he defended me from Suri, what he did for me made me realize he is the one for me. And I am nopony else’s property, not even yours. I like him because he’s mature, he knows how to treat a lady with respect, and he accepts me for who I am. And it’s also clear you don’t know anything about the female types.” Rarity stood back up whilst crossing her arms and said “And more importantly, I see you more as a little brother and not as someone…well…I would want to spend the rest of my life with. So, I’m sorry Spike, but my decision is final.” Spike couldn’t help but tear up as his crush rejected him, causing him to run away in tears back to the castle. The others at the same time, were greatly concerned, though then again, he really needed to hear this. “I hope we weren’t too hard on Spike.” Said Rarity in concern. “He needed to hear this.” Said Beau, “I know Twilight wanted to be gentle with him, but sometimes one needs to have a little tough love before doing anything else.” He then held Twilight close and said “And you should also take it easy. The last thing I want is for you to strain yourself before the baby comes.” Twilight placed her hand on top of Beau’s as she said “I know.” “And I’m glad I was able to propose to you in secret.” Said Silver as he held onto Rarity’s hand with the ring on top. “I’d hate to think that the very gem I worked on would get destroyed or damaged if I did.” “And I am truly grateful that you did.” Said Rarity as she held him close before planting her lips onto his. “I’ll be in the shop to make sure nothing is damaged.” Rarity left to check on the shop, however, Silver chose to follow her to make sure that she doesn’t do anything herself. However, a flyer suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, which caused him to see that it was a vacation resort to a place called Las Pegasus. You then realized that it would be a perfect place for the both of you to go, to get away from the recent madness that had just occurred. ************************************************************************************************ Stage 4: Depression From within the castle, Spike was sitting alone in his room, crying, for he had no lost his chance with Rarity completely, and that Rarity and Twilight are made at him. He kept thinking he didn’t do anything wrong, but because of his boneheaded decisions, he refused to see it. Which is what Beau had been trying to tell him all along, but it was like talking to a brick wall whenever it comes to things like that. Beau and Twilight were worried about Spike, as he had been in there for three hours now. “Now I’m really worried.” Said Twilight whilst she and Beau were in the library, “Spike’s never been in there for so long.” “Well, sometimes folks like him can’t get with reality when it comes to stuff like this.” Said Beau. “Not to mention it can hopefully get out of his weird habits.” “Weird habits?” asked Twilight confusingly. “Don’t tell him that I said this,” said Beau, “But a while back whilst I asked Starlight to make sure everything is clean, she spotted Spike hugging a blow-up doll of Rarity.” “What?!” said Twilight as she reeled back in disgust, shock, and complete weirdness. “I know, right. Even I was shocked to hear that.” Said Beau. Twilight let out an exasperated groan whilst leaning against the chair and placed her hand over her forehead. “Good job, Twilight, good job.” Muttered Twilight whilst Beau overheard her, “You could’ve taught Spike a little discipline, you could’ve taught him manners. And you could’ve taught him restraint. But no, you had to focus on your studies just to constantly trying to please your mentor and your friends.” Beau couldn’t help but chuckle, whilst Twilight glared at him. “Sorry, it’s just sort of ironic if anyone would hear you say that.” Said Beau. “What do you mean?” asked a confused Twilight. “Well, your friends, even your parents, Shining Armor and Cadence knows your social skills weren’t any good and that you barely taught Spike anything whilst you were focusing on your studies.” Said Beau, who also ended up having a worried look. “So naturally they’re worried that if you couldn’t raise Spike properly, how do they expect you to raise our daughter once she arrives?” Now it was Twilight’s turn to be concerned as she slowly placed her hands onto her belly whilst also thinking about the baby at the same time. “Will I be a good enough mother for Moonlight?” asked Twilight. “Moonlight?” asked Beau confusingly. “I had a dream last night.” Said Twilight, “And I was able to find a proper name for our daughter. But with everything happening in my life, as well as our friends. How can I expect to raise a child if something does happen?” “Hey, I feel the same way.” Said Beau as he walked over to her and sat next to her, “I’m scared every day that I won’t be a good enough father for her either. She hasn’t arrived yet and already there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. And sometimes we need to do this the right way. Even if it looks like we can’t handle it. Also…I don’t think it’ll be a good idea for Pinkie to babysit.” “Huh?” said a confused Twilight. “She thought that babysitting would be easy, and it nearly turned into a disaster with the Cake Twins.” Said Beau, “And she claims she knows how to talk and work with kids, but they say the only way one experiences it, is to have one of your own. Or at least that’s what the old human saying was.” “That’s weird.” Said Twilight. “Not as weird as Spike having a blowup doll of Rarity.” Said Beau. “Okay, you got me there.” Said Twilight. “But back to the point,” said Beau, “I’m sure we’ll be able to figure this out together. As long as we don’t keep secrets from one another, or does what the other doesn’t know, then we’ll be fine.” “Are you sure?” asked Twilight. “Positive.” Said Beau before kissing Twilight by the forehead, making the Alicorn smile. “Also, Moonlight Sparkle? That’s a good name.” “Thanks.” Said Twilight. “And who’d thunk that it would be something where expecting mothers have a series of dreams that inspires the name for the foal as it tends to have some tie their special talent.” Twilight looked at him in shock and said “That’s a personal private mare matter. How did you know that?” “It doesn’t help for the fact that the so called personal and private information happens to be on a book that you have in the library.” Said Beau as he showed her the book. Twilight widened her eyes in surprise and ended up giggling sheepishly. “Seriously, you’ve got to learn to ask these things on your own and not through other people. Er, ponies.” Said Beau, “To quote a soldier from what I saw in a movie, experience outranks everything.” Twilight groans at this and said to herself, “Why is it that everypony tends to say that?” “Because it’s the truth?” said Beau, “As well as the term, honesty is the best policy. Huh, and also the first rule of friendship, no lies.” She looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, “Did you make that up?” “Maybe.” Said Beau playfully. “Now come on, stand up.” “Huh?” “Just do it.” Twilight complied and stood up, allowing Beau to sit down, then gestured Twilight to sit on his lap, to which she complied, which in the end made her realized why he asked that. Causing her to smirk and wrapped her arms around him. “Thanks Beau, I needed that talk.” Said Twilight, but then flicked him on the nose and made him yelp, “But also, it’s sort of your fault for adding that thought to my head about raising our daughter, so it’s a fifty/fifty kind of thing.” “Eh, fair enough.” Said Beau as he wrapped his arms around her, but then he groped her breast, making her moan a bit. Then looked at him with a smirk and said “If I wasn’t pregnant right now, I’d say let’s have some fun in the bedroom.” “So, we’ll just have to wait until then.” Said Beau playfully, “But then again, I can still do this.” Beau kissed Twilight on the lips, to which the latter returned and enjoyed it. ************************************************************************************************ A week later, everyone was at the train station, with Silver and Rarity ready to depart. “Are y’all sure ya have everything?” asked Applejack. “Pff, of course Applejack, you know I never forget the essentials.” Said Rarity with a slight scoff. “Be glad you didn’t pack in the kitchen sink.” Teased Silver, causing him to laugh and Rarity gasping at that remark. “Silver!!” said Rarity as she slapped his shoulder, which caused the others to laugh as well, which Rarity couldn’t help but laugh as well. However, after it died down, she was suddenly concerned. “And I know I shouldn’t ask this but…how is Spike doing?” asked Rarity, “I haven’t heard from him in almost a week now.” “Oh, he’s still sulking and being depressed in his room.” Said Beau. “Why are you even concerned for him, after what he tried to do?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow,” scolded Twilight, “Spike had a crush on Rarity since the two of us came to Ponyville.” “And I did try to talk to him, but he’s just too stubborn and depressed to even listen to reason.” Said Silver. “But it wasn’t even an actual love crush, it was a childhood crush.” Said Rainbow Dash. “You mean the same way you had a crush on Daring Do?” asked Beau, which caused everyone to look at him confusingly. Beau then looked at Pinkie and said “Pinkie, mind putting that same pith helmet of Daring Do on Twilight’s head please?” “Okie dokie.” Said Pinkie Pie as she put the helmet on Twilight, which confuses her. “Oh, Daring Do,” said Beau as he was pretending to be Rainbow, “I love you. How I wish I could go on your adventures; I wish I could share the same passion as you. But I am not worthy of you. And I would love to be with you, but it’s a forbidden love.” He then wrapped his arms around Twilight, “I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you.” He then kissed Twilight a couple of times on the cheek, though she enjoyed it, she was still confused. The others were also confused, until Silver saw Rainbow blushing madly at this as if she was busted, which made him gasp. “Oh my gosh,” said Silver, before exclaiming “You really did, didn’t you?!!” Everyone saw the look on Rainbow’s face, causing them to laugh out loud at that. “It’s not funny!!” shouted Rainbow. “Next time, don’t try to sneak into the library after Twilight got the latest Daring Do book with an autographed poster on it.” Teased Beau. “I thought I wondered why she was sneaking in there!!” exclaimed Starlight. “All aboard!!” shouted the conductor, gaining their attention. “Oh, we’d better get going.” Said Rarity, “We’ll see you soon!!” “And we’ll be in time for the wedding too!!” said Silver as they boarded the train before the doors closed. The trains then took off as all of them, everyone waved to them goodbye. Then they left whilst Rainbow grumbled. “You know I’m gonna get back at you for this.” Grumbled Rainbow. “Yeah you could,” said Beau, “But then again I don’t think my wife would like that you would put our daughter in danger.” “Believe me, I wouldn’t.” said Twilight with a glare at Rainbow. “Ugh, fine.” Said Rainbow as all of them left. “In the meantime, Applejack and I still need to plan our wedding.” Said Bucky. “That we do.” Said Applejack, “My great aunt Golden delicious and the rest of Granny’s family members is comin’ over to help things out.” “Oh, I hope they like Bucky.” Said Fluttershy in concern. “Oh, they sure do.” Said Applejack, “Ever since they heard Bucky savin Apple Bloom’s life, they were all over him. Even Big Mac and Granny Smith couldn’t stop fawning over him.” “Yeah, which was weird.” Said Bucky, “Especially since Applejack’s grand aunty Applesauce kept eyeing me for some reason. Like I don’t know, like she wants to flirt with me or something.” Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “She’s like that with every young stallion. Though when they first met you, they didn’t know what to think.” “True,” said Bucky, “But I also love Goldy Delicious. She really has a knack for telling stories. I didn’t even know she knew that many family members. Come to think of it, I didn’t even know they had any more family members since Granny Smith’s Dad helped build the farm whilst Granny was responsible for helping the founding of Ponyville.” “Oh, trust me, most of em were far and beyond tryin’ to find a home to establish.” Said Applejack. “Although it would’ve helped a lot better if both sides didn’t constantly fight over who founded Ponyville instead of working together,” said Beau, “But as usual, Applejack and Rarity were too fat with pride to even realize that.” Applejack was suddenly nose to nose with Beau and said “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Need I remind you of that certain incident about who should get the award for Ponyville’s founding and building, considering Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom were the ones that started the fight?” said Beau. Applejack and the others were surprised by that, with Beau saying “Again, Spike blabbed the whole thing about it.” Applejack groaned and said “That varmint really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.” “But then again, I won’t apologize for speaking the truth, considering all of you fought for something meaningless.” “It wasn’t meaningless!!” said Applejack. “No, he’s got a point.” Said Bucky, “It’s just a stupid award.” “Just a stupid award?!” exclaimed Applejack. “Listen here, you…!!” “Ah, before you say anything, let me finish.” Said Bucky. “Granny Smith told me that ever since she and her family moved here, they helped build their farm, and because of Stinking Rich, he was able to buy your produce and sell them, and was responsible for bringing more ponies in. And because of it, both sides were able to help build Ponyville to make it what it is today. And though yes, Stinking Rich’s building was where Rarity’s boutique was built, but before that, there were other buildings that stood in their place between them.” He then held Applejack by the shoulders and looked directly at her in the eyes. “The point, I’m making, Applejack,” said Bucky, “Is that buildings and ponies come and go, but the legacy they built and everything that they stood for will always remain. And no award can ever tell you that. Because it’s not the awards that make others remember you, it’s the deeds and the hard work they did by the sweat of their brows and the strengths of their backs alone, and their willingness to work together, that helped build their foundations. So, one day when Granny Smith may be gone, an award won’t help them remember her, it’s her deeds and hard work that help built it up and would ensure that their legacy and memory, even their stories would never be forgotten.” Applejack was stunned by the speech Bucky gave, especially the others. “And it’s because of pride, arrogance and ignorance that can make us forget that.” Said Bucky. “In other words, think before you act.” Bucky then walked back to the farm, with the others looking at him. Everyone followed suit, with Twilight and Beau following behind. “Wow, I never knew Bucky could talk to them about something like that.” Said Twilight. “We humans have our moments.” Said Beau, “When Bucky and I last talked, he told me he takes Independence Day very seriously before his sister was born.” “Independence day?” asked Twilight confusingly. “Oh, you’re in for a treat for that bit of history.” Said Beau as he and Twilight walked whilst he also said, “Let me tell you a story about the founding of the United States of America.” ************************************************************************************************ Meanwhile, far away from Ponyville, at the train station of Las Pegasus, the train had finally reached its destination, allowing the passengers to disembark. And from among the crowd, both Rarity and Silver exited the train, whilst also carrying their luggage with them. Well, mostly the ones who volunteer to carry the luggage. Rarity held Silver close whilst she said “After all the hard work we’ve done, a nice trip is just what we needed.” Silver tried to control himself as he felt Rarity’s breast against his arm, and he swallowed and tried not to think about it. “Yeah…me too.” Said Silver. The two of them made their way towards the destination thanks to the map Rarity had. After a thirty-minute walk, with a few ponies carrying their luggage. “Oh, we’re in luck.” Said Rarity, “The beach house isn’t too far away from here. All we have to do is take a left before we reach the city.” “Before we get close enough to almost see it,” said Silver, “Would you be so kind enough to close your eyes? I want it to be surprise.” Rarity nodded whilst the both of you strolled towards where you needed to go. You noticed how the wind was blowing past Rarity’s beautiful mane, which you couldn’t help but sigh at his lover. “The breeze feels lovely, don’t you think, Silver?” asked Rarity before she winked at him. “Simply divine…darling.” Teased Silver before he kissed her as a bonus. Rarity giggled and pinched his cheek. “You’re so precious, darling.” Said Rarity whilst the two of them continued with their path. The two of them continued to walk down the pathway, until Silver got behind Rarity and covered her eyes. “We’re almost there. So no using your pretty eyes to peek.” Said Silver, which Rarity couldn’t help but giggle at this. “Oh, I cannot wait to see what it looks like. It’s making me feel so giddy!!” Silver couldn’t help but chuckle in her excitement. The two of you continued down the path and up ahead, you could see the beach house. Silver couldn’t help but smile, for it truly was the beach house that was on the ads, and that he’s thankful that they weren’t fakes. “Alright Rares, we’re here.” Said Silver as he removed his hands from her eyes. Rarity gasped at the sight of the beach house. For it was a beautiful two-story wooden beach house with a pool in the backyard. “And the best part is, we’ve got the whole place to ourselves, no one disturbing us or anything.” Said Silver. “How were you able to afford this?” asked Rarity. “When I first started working with you, I was busy saving up, and the extras we got from the orders we had really helped.” Said Silver, “And after Spike’s, ahem, episode, I spotted a flyer that hinted about this place. Naturally, I was a bit skeptical, so I asked Princess Celestia if it was legit. Thankfully, she responded and told me that a few of her fellow governors went there for some private time, and they recommended it. Plus, she bought the property and had a few beach houses built in separate locations. And no one can touch it, considering that she has an army of lawyers to back it up.” “This is amazing!!” said Rarity in excitement and in awe. “Wait till you see the inside of the house.” Said Silver as the two of them made their way to the beach house. After they got inside, the ponies who carried the bags placed them where Silver asked them, and after he tipped them, Silver and Rarity decided to explore the house. “Oh, my darling,” said Rarity as she looked around, “This house is simply divine.” “Thought you might like it.” Said Silver, he looked around and said “And strangely…this is what I wanted my isolated house looks like.” Rarity then remembered the conversation they had months ago of why he wanted to die. She then saw him staring out of the window, deep in though. Feeling bad for him, she walked over and gently hugged him, gaining his attention. “I know it was hard for you,” said Rarity as she held him close, “But you don’t have to be afraid anymore, Silver. I’m here with you. As are my friends and two of my friends’ husbands.” You couldn’t help but chuckle and said “True that. At least I don’t have to worry about being the only human in Equestria anymore. Although…” “What?” said Rarity as she looked at him. “I was wondering how lucky our friends are.” Said Silver. “Beau and Twilight are a thing, same with Applejack and Bucky, and now there’s you and me. Now I’m wondering if the others will be just as lucky as we are.” Silver then pretended to be dramatic by going, “Fate will one day cast it’s hand on both worlds, and before we know it, more humans will arrive as they are destined to be…” Rarity couldn’t help but laugh at that jester, “Goodness, darling, I have no idea where that came from.” “Honestly, me neither, I was just making stuff up.” Said Silver, causing the two of them to laugh even further. “Alright then,” said Rarity as she clasped her hands together, “Now all we need to do is to unpack before we do anything else in our list of activities.” “Right, let’s go to our room and unpack.” Said Silver. “Indeed,” said Rarity as Silver helped her with her luggage, “As long we don’t do anything too exciting.” “Something tells me it will happen somehow.” Said Silver. ************************************************************************************************ Suddenly, from the beach near the beach house, two individuals went into the water with a big splash. Within mere moments, Silver got out and shivered a bit. He figured if he and Rarity were in the water, both of them would eventually get used to it. However, Rarity got up to the surface first and was now chillier, especially since she didn’t like her mane getting wet. Guess that explains why she would wear a shower cap. Then again, thankfully when he told her about the dangers of having dandruff, she changed her mind of washing her mane. But right now, he was just focused on her whilst he was laughing and her pouting with a glare so bad, she could shatter glass with it. “How…HOW DARE YOU!!” exclaimed Rarity whilst she was holding herself, “And I just had my beautiful mane done!!” Silver couldn’t help but laugh, especially whilst she pouts and splashes him with water. “Sorry, hun.” Said Silver as he couldn’t wipe the smile from his own face, “I just couldn’t resist. And look at the bright side, at least it’ll be easier to get used to the cold water.” Rarity ended up smiling and shake her head a bit. “I don’t know why, but I can never stay mad at you for long, Silver.” Rarity wrapped her arms around Silver’s neck before locking lips with him. Silver returned the gesture whilst he stroked her beautiful white fur coat. And before he knew it, he was groping onto one of her breasts through her bikini. This startled Rarity before she broke the kiss. “D-Darling,” said Rarity as she covered herself and felt embarrassed at the same time, “What are you doing?” “Giving you some…special attention.” Flirted Silver as he gently rubbed her chin, making her blush, “It’s one of my many ways of showing you how much I love you, Rarity. And I bet you’ve never been given some, “special treatment,” huh?” “N-not like this…” answered Rarity as she felt a bit embarrassed at the same time. “It just feels so…uncouth, for even a proper lady like me.” Silver then realized that this is Rarity’s first time. And she never felt this way before. So, he decided to take things slow. “Aww, there’s no need to feel embarrassed about it, hun.” Said Silver as he tried to reassure her. “There comes a time that even a proper lady needs some special attention. Whether it’s from herself or her, how you say it, special somepony. But if you feel like it’s too soon, we can always stick to just kissing.” However, when Rarity thought about the moment Silver groped her, she couldn’t help but realize that it felt…nice. Her blush began to deepen. For she would like to experience that kind of feeling. “Actually…it does feel quite nice.” Admitted Rarity. “Just…promise to be gentle with them, please?” “You have my word.” Said Silver whilst keeping his promise to Rarity. After making that promise, Rarity slowly turns around and pressed her back against Silver’s chest. Silver slowly stroked both sides of her body and eventually made it to her E-Cup breasts and gently groped them. Once he did, he moved them in a slow circular motion, which caused Rarity to slightly moan whilst she lifted her head at the same time. “That feels so…lovely.” Moaned Rarity. Silver soon ended up massaging and caressing her body and her legs, making Rarity cooed from his touch. But as he gently stroked her horn, she yelped a little bit. “C-careful, darling.” Said Rarity, “My horn is most sensitive.” Silver didn’t know that, which caused him to try another tactic. Silver rubbed her cheek, which she hummed and snuggled against him. Silver then moved his right hand at her bottom bikini and played with her marehood, which she moaned and slightly gasped at the same time. She squirmed a bit and tried to resist it, but as they say, alas, her body betrayed her. “Ah…” moaned Rarity, “So uncouth. And yet…I want more.” As Rarity was getting all hot and bothered, Silver continued to kiss her by the neck, which she continued to enjoy, especially since he was still groping her. However, Rarity suddenly grabbed Silver’s wrists, signaling him to stop. “What do you say, we go back to shore first, Silver?” asked Rarity whilst she batted her eyes at him. “With pleasure, my beloved Rarity.” Said Silver as he picked her up bridal style. ************************************************************************************************ Back at their beach house, later that night, Rarity landed back on the bed, with Silver close to her face as the two of them were looking at one another in the eyes. Silver then placed his lips against hers, to which she enjoyed the feeling of it. Once that was done, Silver got up and slowly moved his manhood into her wet flower, making her moan as he enjoyed the feeling. “I-I love you, Silver... so very much,” Rarity said, choked up with a smile. “I love you too, Rarity,” replied Silver. She pulls him in for a hug and whispers in his ear. “You can go ahead and move, darling. I’m ready...” she whispered. And so, he did. Silver started a slow and steady rhythm of pounding Rarity. She holds him in a warm embrace and emits cute moans of pleasure. The pain she had felt earlier had been replaced with utter bliss and pleasure whilst she wrapped her legs around his waist. Soon Silver was able to put in more speed and power into his thrusts. Her insides became more wet and slippery. Easy enough for him to slide in and out of her pussy. Rarity kept her eyes closed, moaning like crazy. “T-That’s it darling...! You d-don’t have to b-be afraid... AH! Oh yes, master! Ravage me!” Rarity shrieked. Suddenly, his eyes gaze up at her horn. Silver knew how sensitive she is up there, but he couldn’t resist the urge to give it some love. So, he leaned forwards and stroked her horn and gave it a few good long licks. Rarity squirmed and shrieked in utter pleasure, but managed to flash a small smile. Evidently, she didn’t mind the way Silver handled her. He thrusted deeper and harder inside of her wet passage and eventually grazed the tip of her womb with the tip of his manhood. Her juices leaked out of her delicate flower and wet slaps emitted throughout the room. The two of them were having the time of their lives right now. Before Silver’s climax could be released, he stopped and switched positions with Rarity and placed her on top of him. Once again, Silver became entranced as he looked into her eyes, which shined like sapphires. “Such beauty...” whispered Silver, causing Rarity to giggle seductively and stare down at him with her bedroom eyes. “Such a handsome gentleman. You remembered about our bet from earlier. You must have been pretty close to cumming, weren’t you my darling Silver?” Rarity asked changing her tone to a sultry one. “Now, you just relax and let your mistress finish what we started.” Silver nodded and felt Rarity start bouncing on top of you. Her soft hand rested on Silver’s chest while her other arm pressed against her bosoms just to tease him. She panted heavily with a deep shade of red coating her cheeks. Silver moaned from how deep he could feel his manhood reach inside parts of Rarity’s love tunnel that he never knew was there. “H-Heavens to Celestia, Rarity! This feels so good!” groaned Silver whilst closing his eyes at the same time. “Ah-ah... y-you s-shall refer to me a-as “Mistress Rarity,” she corrected through her panting. “R-Right, my bad... “Mistress Rarity,” replied Silver. “Good boy... good boy...” whispered Rarity before batting her eyes. Raising her hips, she then slams back down hard. Rarity makes it even kinkier when she grinds her hips back and forth while she massages her large breasts. Watching her cadres her own breasts, Silver couldn’t resist anymore and moved her hands away so Silver could grope her yourself. Rarity bit her lower lip while keeping that seductive grin, suppressing her moans. Silver continued to grope and knead her breasts, admiring how soft and firm they were. Silver felt like he could actually grope her for days. However, he ended up becoming bolder and massaged her butt cheeks. Despite her rough bouncing, Silver managed to kept his grip. Sadly, the more she bounced violently on him, the closer both their climaxes was getting. “S-Silver my p-precious s-stud... Y-Your mistress h-here is going t-to...!” exclaimed Rarity when she could feel it coming. “M-Me too, Mistress Rarity!!” Before the two of them climaxed, both Silver and Rarity pressed their lips against one another whilst they were synced. The moment they did that, both Silver and Rarity climaxed within one another. Once that was done, both of them were dizzy whilst Rarity collapsed on top of Silver, whilst the two of them were panting heavily at the same time. Both of them were completely worn out from their wild time. “Rarity,” began Silver, “You do realize that we just…” “Yes, I am well aware of that, Silver.” Said Rarity before she looked at him with a smile on her face. “And to be honest I really do not mind. If I am going to be a mother, I’ll gladly do so as long as I have you with me. I wouldn’t have done this if I wasn’t ready. But the question is, are you?” Silver couldn’t help but smile and held her closely. “I am.” Said Silver, “If you’re ready to be a mother, then I’m ready to step up as a father. I’ll be there for you and your baby through thick and thin. And frankly, I have no doubt being the generous one as you are, you’ll make a great mother.” “And you’ll make a handsome father,” said Rarity before she paused to let out a yawn. “But for now, I believe it’s time for me to have my beauty sleep. Have a good night, Silver.” Rarity nuzzled against his face and said, “I love you, my darling.” “I love you too, Rarity.” Said Silver before yawning himself. He was able to use what strength he had to cover the blanket on both of them. Once that was done, the two of them were fast asleep, as nothing could be heard, but the sound of crashing waves. In time, a new chapter of their lives will begin. Chapter 14: Apple Family WeddingAuthor's Note Alright, here it is. Enjoy. Chapter 14: Apple Family Wedding After two weeks on vacation, both Rarity and Silver came back from Las Pegasus. The train had stopped at the station, allowing Silver and Rarity to climb out with their luggage in tow. “Oh, now that was lovely.” Said Rarity with bliss on her face. “Maybe next time when we have free time, we can go back there.” Said Silver, “I’d love to save up for our trip.” “Oh, darling, I couldn’t let you possibly…” said Rarity as she tried to protest. “Oh, but I insist.” Said Silver, “You were so generous to me for taking me in that day. So, it’s only fair that I do the same for you.” Rarity couldn’t help but coo and held him close. Suddenly, they felt a pair of arms wrapping them. They blinked and to their surprise, it was none other than Pinkie Pie. “Hey guys!!” said Pinkie Pie in excitement. “Hello, Pinkie.” Said Rarity whilst she rolled her eyes. “Hey, Pinkie.” Said Silver. “Glad you two made it back!!” said Pinkie, “We were just setting things up, and Applejack needs help with the dress.” “Oh right, the wedding.” Said Silver, “Thankfully we still have about four days to get things ready.” “Indeed.” Said Rarity as she flexed her arms, “Alright then, time to work on the designing charm.” Suddenly, Silver grabbed her by the hips and pulled her close, surprising her as the two of them looked at one another face to face. “Not without me you’re not, ‘darling’.” Teased Silver. Rarity couldn’t help but giggle and said, “But of course not. After all, I need you to help me make a Tuxedo for the groom whilst I work on the bride.” “But first, we’ll need to take measurements.” Said Silver, “And by measurements I mean I’ll take Bucky and you’ll take Applejack. Why you ask? Because I know how sensitive the females get over there, ahem, extra padding, if you know what I mean.” Rarity couldn’t help but giggle at him trying to not sounding mean or to insult a lady. “How considerate of you, Silver.” “Though I hope those two will be able to come over to the Boutique.” Said Silver. “Leave that to me!!” said Pinkie Pie, who was somehow still there. “Gathering ponies and other creatures is my, specialty!!” Pinkie suddenly dashed off like a speeding bullet towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Sometimes I wonder how that girl has a habit of being this filled with energy?” asked Silver. “Trust me when I say, darling,” said Rarity as she told him about Pinkie, “Sometimes it’s best not to figure out these things. We all tried, and it backfired horribly.” “Speaking from experience?” asked Silver. “That, and what poor Twilight went through.” Said Rarity as the two of them walked back to the boutique. “What happened?” asked Silver as he was curious. “When Twilight first moved her, she didn’t believe about certain events Pinkie would predict.” said Rarity. “Like seeing the future?” asked Silver. “Not really, more like certain accidents would happen, like rain or falling from the sky and such.” Said Rarity. “Really?” said Silver, “Huh, one of my servants back at my world had the same feeling, except she feels it in her bones. Like a bad feeling and such.” “Really?” said Rarity as she would be asking this in the future. “Sure is.” Said Silver, “Anyway, continue.” “Twilight thought it was ridiculous, so she tried to spy on her three times.” Said Rarity, “The first time she tried to spy on Pinkie, she was suddenly attacked by bees.” “Bees?!” “That’s right,” said Rarity, “As it turned out a nearby beehive was damaged and Pinkie predicted it when her nose itches.” “And the second time?” asked Silver as he was baffled by what happened. “During the second attempt, Pinkie felt that a door was going to open. Naturally, Twilight didn’t think so, but she fell down the cellar when its doors opened.” Said Rarity, before cringing and said “And she also fell down the stairs.” “Ouch.” Cringed Silver. “Not as bad as the third time.” Said Rarity whilst rolling her eyes. “The third time, Pinkie predicted a few things would fall on the sky. Before she knew it, a potted plan, an anvil, a hay cart, and a piano fell on her head.” Silver’s jaw dropped by what she said. “How?!” “Turns out a group of Pegasi were moving a few things when two of them dropped a handful of things.” Said Rarity. “That’s a big coincidence.” Said Silver. “Indeed.” Said Rarity, “And as it turns out, Derpy used to work there before she worked at the post office and she accidentally let it fell from her hooves with another Pegasus.” “That would explain a lot.” Said Silver whilst rolling his eyes and remembering how destructive Derpy can get, even if she didn’t mean any of it. “Now then, that’s enough chat for now, darling.” Said Rarity as she spotted her shop, “We are here.” “And I see Pinkie kept her word.” Said Silver as he saw both Applejack and Bucky in front of the store. “Hey, Rares.” Said Applejack as she hugged her Unicorn friend. “Glad to see y’all made it back. How was it?” “Oh, it was certainly very exciting.” Said Rarity before giggling and blushed, as did Silver. “But now that we’re here, we can get started.” Said Silver. “Do we have to, though?” asked Applejack, which was clear that she didn’t want to go through this. “Come on, AJ.” Said Bucky as he held her close, “You know very well that our big day is coming up, so we gotta look our best. That and Granny insisted that you get going.” “Yeah, I remember.” Said Applejack whilst rolling her eyes, remembering how Granny told her to go for the fitting. “Not to worry, darling.” Said Rarity, “I know the outfit I made for you at the Grand Galloping Gala was nice, but I’m sure I can make something equally breathtaking for your special day.” “Rarity, y’all don’t…” said Applejack before she was cut off before feeling a hand on her flank, which made her blush. “AJ…” said Bucky before whispering in her ear, making her blush deepen, but then groaned. “Oh, alright, ah’ll do it.” Said Applejack, “On one condition, though.” “Such as?” asked Rarity, until Applejack pulled her close and whispered in her ear, causing Rarity to be surprised by this. “Really?” Applejack nodded whilst blushing a bit. “Well then,” said Rarity with a smirk, “I’ll grant your request after when we’re done with the fitting. Now come along now.” The four of them soon entered the shop and about to begin the work/fitting. ************************************************************************************************** Whilst in one of the fitting rooms, Applejack was spreading her arms and trying her best to hold still, whilst at the same time, Rarity was trying to measure Applejack. Though it was somewhat difficult considering her, ahem, assets. Rarity was busy measuring Applejack,, with the said pony being impatient. “Rares, how much longer do ah have to be like this?” asked Applejack. “Oh, be patient Applejack.” Said Rarity whilst she was measuring and writing down at the same time. “One simply cannot rush any measurements. Besides, we do not want you to look indecent do you.” However, Rarity suddenly smirked and said, “Though I’m sure Bucky won’t mind. Especially with the lingerie I have planned to make for you in case you two want to have some fun again?” “R-Rarity?!” exclaimed Applejack as she blushed madly at this, as she couldn’t believe Rarity had said something like that. “Oh, come now, Applejack.” Said Rarity, “Don’t deny it. Why, the last time I saw you, you were practically glowing. The same glow that Twilight had after she and Beau had spent their wild night. And…” Rarity blushed and said, “Same with me and Silver. I have so many ideas the next time we wish to relieve stress. I might as well try out a few things.” “Uh, Rarity,” said Applejack whilst feeling both embarrassed and creeped out, “Too much…” She suddenly squeaked as Applejack felt Rarity’s measuring band wrapped around her breasts and her posterior. “Why in tarnation are y’all measurin’ my apples?!” exclaimed Applejack. “Well, I don’t want it to be too tight or too lose,” said Rarity, “It has to be snug and perfect.” Rarity couldn’t help but smirk and said, “And maybe design something revealing for Bucky?” Once again, Applejack couldn’t help but blush again at that. Until, “Well…ah was sort of in heat when that happened. And seein that ah haven’t gone to the doctors yet to find out if ah’m…” “Oh, not to worry, darling.” Said Rarity, “After the wedding, we’ll go there before you go to your honeymoon.” Applejack sighed and said, “Ah hope Bucky ain’t as embarrassed as ah am.” ************************************************************************************************** “So, you and Rarity finally did it, huh?” said Bucky in a cheeky tone. “You know I can prick a needle in your posterior, right?” said Silver as he looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. “Hey, I figured it would happen sooner or later,” said Bucky. “But then again, at least you’re lucky that your special Somepony’s heat cycle didn’t kick in.” Silver looked at him shocked. “Wait,” said Silver, “You mean to tell me, that even though the ponies in this world look human, that would mean that…” “Even they get heat cycles.” Said Bucky. “Man, am I glad Rarity didn’t have that.” Said Silver. “Also, I know it’s gonna be a stupid question to ask, how’s Spike?” “Still depressed.” Said Bucky, “Honestly, he needs to realize that Rarity is out of his league, not to mention the thing between him and her is never going to happen.” “Hey now, none of that,” said Silver after he was finished measuring and wrote them down. “Your wedding is in four days, and I’m sure that Applejack is just as worried and excited at the same time.” “Or in this case, complain about what outfits to wear, since she’s not in the mood for anything fancy.” Said Bucky. Then he blushed again and said, “Then again, I’d probably play this out in a fantasy of sorts.” Silver snickered at that, and said, “Oh I’m sure she would. But still, you and Applejack make a great couple.” “Thanks,” said Bucky, “I think you and Rarity are too.” After finishing writing them down, Silver placed his written measurements down and said, “Alright, Rarity and I will get started, and they’ll be ready by tomorrow.” “Thanks, Silver.” Said Bucky as he stepped off where he was standing in order to be measured. “Though now I’m very curious what the dress would look like once it’s time.” “I think she’ll be great, but you’ll have to wait until your big day.” Said Silver, until he smirked and said, “And who knows, maybe Rarity will also have some lingerie designed for her for your special night.” Bucky blushed madly and exclaimed, “Why the heck would you say that?!” “Trust me when I say,” said Silver, “Rarity has a habit of wanting to design something special in order for them to enjoy their special fun night. She did it for Twilight and Beau.” “But isn’t she currently pregnant now?” asked Bucky. “She is,” said Silver, “But I’m talking about after the baby is born. And then they can have some fun whilst trying to relieve some stress.” “But wouldn’t they…?” asked Bucky before being cut off. “Oh, Twilight knows a spell that can keep one from being pregnant whilst they have some fun at the same time.” Said Silver. “Huh, good to know.” Said Bucky before shaking Silver’s hand. “Well, we’d better get going.” “Thanks,” said Silver, “And I hope the baby will be too.” Bucky stopped and looked at Silver shocked. “Three months if I’m not mistaken.” Said Silver, which shocked Bucky even more. With Silver winking and said, “I can tell.” ************************************************************************************************** A few days had went by and the big day had finally arrived. Every Apple family member arrived, whilst Twilight and her friends sat up front at the chairs, with Pinkie being the obvious pony that’s really excited. Back inside Applejack’s room, the country girl was looking at herself in the mirror, wearing her white wedding dress that have red trims and green frills. She was greatly nervous as this was now the next big step for her. “Y’all alright there?” Applejack turned around and was surprised to see Granny Smith standing at the door whilst smiling at her. “Er, well…” began Applejack. Only for the latter to sigh and come clean. “Ah’m just greatly nervous, is all.” “Ah understand.” Said Granny, “Ah was nervous too on mah weddin’ day.” Granny then sighed and muttered, “Wish yer parents had a proper one.” “What?” said a confused Applejack. “Nothin’ dearie.” Said Applejack. “Ah was nervous too, but we were able to make it work. Though it was a shame he weren’t around anymore when yer dad was born.” “Ah just wish mah and pa were here too.” Said Applejack. “Ah don’t like the idea of goin’ out there without them, well, bein’ there.” “Oh, Applejack,” said Granny Smith as she walked over and placed her hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder, “Ah’m sure that they’d want you to be happy. They don’t want y’all to mope, be sad, be afraid, or skip out on yer own weddin’ day. Yer pa proposed to yer mother long ago because he didn’t want to lose her. Love is one of the most precious things in life. And it’s clear as day Bucky fell fer ya.” “Though…ah fell for him since he saved Apple Bloom.” Said Applejack whilst blushing. “And he fell fer ya the same way.” Said Granny Smith. “And y’all have kept yer relationship strong after that. Although…” “What?” said Applejack. Granny Smith couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “Y’all sealed the deal with yer relationship when yer heat kicked in.” Applejack blushed madly at this, and said, “Ah…ah was a bit embarrassed about it. But…ah’m glad he, well…” “And now y’all will gain a little one soon.” Said Granny Smith. “And one day, ah might be lucky enough to meet my Great-grand foal. Why, mah ma would’ve been tickled pink if she was able to meet ya. But then again, we lived a long time and ah waited too late until ah brought Bright Mac into this world.” Granny looked at Applejack and said, “And one day, yer gonna have a little one of yer own. And though y’all are responsible around the farm and helpin’ folks whilst protecting Equestria at the same time, y’all will have an even greater challenge ahead of ya…the responsibility of parenthood.” “And ah’m greatly nervous raisin’ our little one,” said Applejack, “Ah’m just worried that myself and Bucky won’t be around to raise them.” “Now don’t go all thinkin about that,” said Granny Smith sternly, then smiled and said, “Y’all have a weddin’ to go to. And after that, we’ll figure things out together. And it might come as a surprise to ya, but Bucky feels the same way.” Applejack looked at Granny Smith surprised. “We talked earlier.” Said Granny Smith. Granny Smith walked towards the window, with Applejack following suit as she wondered what Granny was thinking. She looked outside of the window and saw Bucky waiting there. But at the same time, she could see just how crazy nervous he really is. “When we got up this mornin’ and everypony was gettin’ ready,” said Applejack, “He talked to me earlier and said he was greatly worried. He said that he was worried that he might mess up both yer relationships. Even he was worried if both you and Bucky weren’t around to be there for yer child…” “Apple Slice.” Responded Applejack, which caused Granny to look at her. “The baby’s name is Apple Slice, and it’s a colt.” Granny Smith chuckled and said, “Had the name dream, did ya?” “Ah did.” Said Applejack. “Anyway,” said Granny Smith, “Bucky was also mighty worried for the future. And he was afraid he was gonna end up like both his parents, the way they treated him. Cause it might shock ya now…but he’s forgotten what his parents looked like, even his own sister.” Applejack looked at Granny Smith in shock and surprise. “He ain’t remember them yelling, he ain’t remember them smiling, he ain’t even remembered what they looked like.” Said Granny Smith in sympathy. “He’s even forgotten his sister, and the picture don’t help much, either. Now he’s afraid that if one day the two of you enter parenthood, he might end up like his pappy and Apple Slice would end up like he did. He’s afraid to fail us. Fail him. And fail you.” Applejack then looked at Bucky in shock, for she had no idea he felt that way ever since the day they found out she was pregnant and that they were getting married. “Ah…ah had no idea.” Said Applejack. “Maybe y’all aren’t alone in that department then ya think.” Said Granny Smith. “Now come on then, we got a weddin’ to prepare.” After Granny Smith left, Applejack looked at herself in the mirror one more time, then at Bucky, who was waiting outside. She didn’t realize that he felt that way too. But then she placed her hands against her chest. No…they won’t end up the same fate as both their parents. They’ll make sure that Apple Slice grows up to have a normal life, just like anyone else. Then she ended up smiling as she was about to take the next step in her life. Both their lives. ************************************************************************************************** Right outside, Bucky was all nervous, then muttered, “I wonder if Applejack’s parents also felt this way.” “Oh, quite the opposite.” Bucky looked to his right and saw a mare with a bowtie and glasses and grey hair, but also had an authority look. “Hey, uh, Mayor Mare, correct? Ponyville’s mayor?” asked Bucky. “That’s right.” Said Mayor Mare, then playfully said, “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about me already, considering we met before when you asked me to help officiate the wedding, especially delivering most of the apple products to us.” “Er, sorry.” Said Bucky, “I’m…still trying to get a feel for most of the population, considering I haven’t had a chance to tour around Ponyville ever since I got here.” “Understandable.” Said Mayor Mare, “And I understand how hard it was for you to stay here.” “I know.” Said Bucky, before holding his shoulder, gaining his attention. “But then you went above and beyond to save Apple Bloom,” said the Mayor, “And because of that, the Apple Family was very grateful for what you did for her. And how Applejack fell head over heels for you, especially since you asked her out. And now here you are, getting married and with the two of you expecting a child. And given from what she told me about you, you’re going to me a great parent, as well as a citizen of Ponyville and a member of the Apple Family.” Bucky couldn’t help but smile and said, “Thanks Mayor Mare.” Suddenly, the music began to play. Bucky knew exactly what that meant. He turned around and there he saw Applejack, walking down towards Bucky where he was standing. Soon enough, the two of them were standing side by side as Mayor Mare was now officiating their wedding altogether. Mayor Mare was talking about Bucky and Applejack’s union, with Applejack nervously looking at the Apple Family. Though from the looks on their faces, all of them have no problem with it. She looked back at Bucky, who then looked at her. He couldn’t help but smile, to which Applejack returned. The two of them slowly began to hold hands as the Mayor continued. Soon enough, the wedding bands were given to one another as they were now one step closer to their marriage. After it was done, both Bucky and Applejack had exchanged their vows. “I know pronounce you, husband and wife.” Said Mayor Mare. Applejack ended up pouncing on Bucky as she wrapped her arms around him, with her lips placed on his, with Bucky returning it, to which everyone began to cheer at their happy union, whilst also clapping their hands at the same time. ********************************************************************************************* The celebrations went underway as everyone began to dance and enjoy the food all around them, with Pinkie Pie going back and forth, to make sure that everything is going great. They also had to try to keep Rainbow away from the Apple Cider, cause Bucky knew that she would go stir crazy around them, given what Applejack had told him. Twilight was talking with Granny Smith in order to know how the rest of the Apple Family were doing, whilst Apples like Braeburn and a few others were talking to Beau, considering that he was the first human to arrive in Ponyville and is married to Twilight, the Princess of Friendship. Silver was staying close to Rarity when he wanted to make sure that she would be in good company, considering he knows that sometimes she’s not comfortable with this. Fluttershy was, as usual, being shy and not comfortable with such a large crowd around her. At the same time, Applejack looked at the stage and had an idea. She smirked and held onto Bucky’s hand, surprising him as he looked at her. “Come on, partner.” Said Applejack, “Why don’t we do something very different?” The two of them ended up going up to the stage, where the musicians were already getting things together, which surprised them as Applejack walked up to the stage with her newly wedded husband. The two of them were on stage as the band began to play. Both Applejack and Bucky began to sing. After the song, everyone cheered for the newly wedded couple whilst everyone cheered. Afterwards they climbed down, with Granny Smith hugging the two of them. “Yer ma and pa would be so proud of you.” Said Granny Smith. The two of them hugged Granny Smith with smiles on their faces. One thing’s for sure; a new chapter begins in their lives. Chapter 15: New Residence and Bedazzled weddingSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 16: No Second Prances, and Welcome to the WorldAuthor's Note Wow, two days in a row, who saw that one coming? Chapter 16: No Second Prances, and Welcome to the World It has already been a while since Rarity’s wedding, and so far, things couldn’t have gone better. However, something else, is there to worry about… Twilight’s due to give birth any day now. Beau was very worried, for he and Twilight would be parents very soon, and right now, he wants her to relax, but Twilight wanted to continue Starlight’s friendship lessons so that she could learn more about friendship. Beau wanted to take over, but Twilight was insistent. And the mood swings didn’t help much, either. But he had to stay strong…for their daughter’s sake. Beau was looking for Twilight and soon enough, he found her in the dining room with the silverware. He was standing at the door and not making a peep. He saw her placing the plate on the table, and tried to do it correctly, which confuses him. “First lesson of the day,” began Twilight, “We very carefully set the table, without, using magic. So that…” Twilight yelped as the plates and silverware began to decorate the table with Starlight’s magic. She then grinned after she set the last piece of Silverware. Beau couldn’t help but smirk, for at least she remembers how to set the table. Twilight stammered a bit by what she was seeing. “What?” asked Starlight in confusion. “I said, no magic.” said Twilight, “You were supposed to do it by hoof so I could work in a friendship lesson.” “Uh, Twilight, honey,” said Beau, gaining their attention, which surprised Twilight as she didn’t know Beau was standing there. “No offense, but I fail to see how setting up a table counts as a friendship lesson. If it’s a friendship lesson, it should be how two ponies bond, not set up a fancy party. Besides, she already knows how to set up a table, I mean who do you think taught her that whilst you were busy taking a nap.” “He does have a point, Twilight.” Said Starlight, “I heard “set the table” and just kinda went for it and did what he taught me.” “Well,” said Twilight as she tried to come up with an excuse, “This plate represents your head, this spoon is your heart, and the knives... are sharp! Always be careful with knives.” “Yes,” said Beau in sarcasm, “And if they’re too sharp, they’d be aware of their purpose and not partake in it.” Starlight couldn’t help but stifle her giggle at that, whilst Twilight groaned and smacked her own forehead. “I swear…” “Ah, no swearing, think of the baby.” Said Beau. Twilight then looked down and noticed the baby, which made her groan a bit, and said, “The metaphors make more sense when you're actually setting the table.” “Should I…change it, back?” asked Starlight. “I just wanted to make sure that you’d be ready for this dinner.” Said Twilight. “She knows how to behave, Twilight, I taught her etiquette, remember?” said Beau, then smirked and said, “Or do you want her to be a slob like you were two months ago when you ate over thirty Hay burgers?” “Thirty?!” exclaimed Starlight as she was shocked to hear that. “I had cravings, okay?” said Twilight in annoyance, “Can I help it when I’m pregnant here?!” Twilight cleared her throat, clearly getting off topic with this. “A-anyway.” Said Twilight, “Princess Celestia will be joining us tomorrow night to see how the Friendship Lessons are going.” “But isn’t this going a bit overboard?” asked Beau, “I mean you know very well Celestia is very busy, and I have been sending her letters of her progress to make sure she’s okay.” “Wait, you have?” said Twilight in confusion. “I mean, I did tell her of Starlight being a former baddie, which Celestia thought is admirable that you wanted to help her, considering she closed herself off and refused to move on. Which is always been a problem. Or in this case, some idiots refusing to let mistakes like that go.” Said Beau, which baffled Twilight and Starlight, “What, you know very well that it’s not her job to know what goes on in that head of yours, you need to learn to get out of it and communicate. That and you have a tendency of going overboard.” “I do…!!” said Twilight when she wanted to deny it before Beau cut her off. “The Friendship report and ‘want it, need it’, spell?” reminded Beau. Twilight winced at that and still feels ashamed over it. “So, uh…” said Starlight, wanting to change the subject, “If it’s just the three of us, why are there five seats?” “I’ll be joining her,” said Beau, “Someone needs to keep an eye on her.” “For when you bring a new friend,” said Twilight, “That way, the princess will see for herself just how far you’ve come. And how good of a teacher you have.” “So basically, it means you’re trying to please your teacher.” Said Beau, then looked at Twilight with a flexed eyebrow, “Yet it’s been how long since you don’t go to school anymore and how long you’ve been a Princess before I came here?” Twilight looked at him with a glare, with Starlight saying, “Well I can’t choose, I like all your friends.” “That’s the best part, you have to make a new friend.” Said Twilight. “New friends?” said Starlight nervously. Then she said out of impulse, “Hey, maybe I'll just force friendships by magically enslaving the entire population of Ponyville!” She then gave off a big, toothy grin.” “Uh, not what she meant,” said Beau, thankfully speaking before Twilight would. He walked over to her. “What she means is, you need to go out in Ponyville, try to open up to them, socialize to them, and also find out what you have in common with them. You may have the same hobbies, the same tastes, the same problems, and some you could relate to.” “Like what?” asked Starlight. “Well, for one, you like to fly kites.” Said Beau, which surprised Starlight that he knew about that, “And that you might have the same flavored ice cream, cake and so on.” “But…how will I know how?” asked Starlight. “You never know unless you try.” Said Beau, then whispered, “Which is why I’ll be shadowing you, to make sure nothing goes wrong. Think of me as a chaperone.” Starlight smiled at that, for she remembered how Beau trusted her with a few things, so maybe she can do the same. “Alright, I’ll meet you outside.” Said Starlight as she left. Beau then turned to Twilight, whom said, “Beau, aren’t you worried about what she said?” “It was an act of impulse,” said Beau, “Besides, she’s just greatly nervous. From what all of you said, she’s been a total shut in for years, and she didn’t know how things operated. And she refused to move on, which you can imagine can affect someone’s psyche. And besides, if anyone’s to blame, it’s Sunburst. If he had just been a bit more open and wrote to Starlight more often, none of this would’ve happened.” “I suppose.” Said Twilight. “And aren’t you going overboard with this?” asked Beau. “What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “You’re also a Princess, you’re how many years old, it’s been how long since you graduated from school, and you still put her on a podium and worship her.” Said Beau, “I know you look up to her, but come on.” “But, but, but I…” said Twilight, which caused Beau to look at her with a flexed eyebrow, with Twilight sighing in defeat. “Twilight, you’re not Princess Celestia, and you never will be.” Said Beau. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re Twilight Sparkle.” Said Beau, “The one who’s concerns were for everypony she worries about, the one who eventually realized how important friendship is, who became a Princess and accomplished what Celestia couldn’t. You freed her sister from her own darkness, you and your friends stopped Discord, you were able to save your sibling and their wedding despite setbacks, you helped them save the Crystal Empire, you traveled to another world and reunited friends and helped Sunset twice. You defeated Tirek, you helped stop the Equality village and stopped Starlight from doing something rash.” Beau then gently placed his hands on her belly. “And who is going to be a mother soon.” Said Beau. “You and your friends did a lot of things together. Cause like any leader, even though they learn, they don’t have the answers to everything, even I don’t have all the answers. All we can do is help the best we can. For how can they grow and evolve, if we always get in the way of their progress?” Twilight thought about it for a moment, and realize he does have a point. “I suppose.” Said Twilight, but bore a smile all the same. “Just…promise me you’ll keep an eye on her whilst I try to prepare things.” “But what about you?” said Beau, “And Spike’s too depressed to go out of his room.” “I’ll be fine, as long as I don’t put too much stress.” Said Twilight before Beau kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back soon.” Said Beau as he left the Castle. ************************************************************************************************* Beau was walking through the streets looking for Starlight, but he had trouble finding her. “Now where could she…” said Beau, until his stomach growled. He was a little embarrassed and said, “Maybe I should get something to eat first. I hope they’ve got croissants.” Beau then walked towards Sugarcube Corner and walked in. “Morning cake family.” Said Beau as he walked in, “Do you have any…?” Beau was taken aback by the cake mess that Mrs. Cake had on her. “Whoa, what happened to you?” said Beau. “She was trying to ruin my business!!” said Mrs. Cake sternly, which confused Beau. “Starlight was using her magic to make a cake, but she did it because of impulse, which she got the wrong idea.” Said Pinkie Pie as she popped up from out of nowhere. “What?” said Beau as he was confused. “She’d never do that. I’m sure she only did it to help you, I mean given what I’ve seen, you have to go through like, twenty orders a day and spending time with the kids at the same time. And you know very well managing a business and managing a family are very extremely hard things.” Mrs. Cake was surprised by that statement and looked at the orders. “True. But…” “You don’t like to cheat or take shortcuts when it comes to baking, otherwise it might ruin the hard work and amount of love you put in, otherwise the cake may look good, it may taste sweet, but it doesn’t have the baker’s love in it.” Once again, Mrs. Cake was surprised by this, same with Pinkie Pie as she popped in. “Oh my, that’s exactly right.” Said Mrs. Cake, “I never thought anypony could understand it.” “Oh, trust me, I do.” Said Beau, “I also worked part time at a bakery in one of my summer jobs back on my world. I’ve seen many bakers work hard to put in that much love and thought to their creations.” “Oooh, got any good baking tips?” said Pinkie Pie. “Unfortunately, no.” said Beau, “The bakery I worked at didn’t allow any recipes being shared. The manager I worked with was a bit stiffy.” “Aw, bummer.” Said Pinkie Pie. “Anyway, Mrs. Cake,” said Beau, “In case you wonder why she was here, Princess Twilight asked her to make a friend, and she has a habit of acting on Impulse. Plus, she’s been a total recluse for a long time, and she’s still trying to bond with others and make conversations. She didn’t make a single friend since her last friend left when she was just a filly. So, you can imagine how hard it can be for others to make any friends” “Oh dear,” said Mrs. Cake, realizing her mistake, “I didn’t know. Now I feel bad for scolding her.” “I’ll tell her.” Said Beau, “Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to have any croissants and some cappuccino, would you?” “Of course, deary.” Said Mrs. Cake as she went to fetch them. ******************************************************************************************* Beau was later at the park bench whilst enjoying his croissants. “I wonder how Starlight is doing?” asked Beau to himself. At the same time, he saw both Bucky and Silver walking with wholewheat doughnuts and bagels. Guess they must’ve thought of the same thing. “Hey, what are you guys doing here?” asked Beau. “Taking a break.” Said Bucky. “Same here.” Said Silver. “I was around keeping an eye on Starlight,” said Beau, “Twilight wanted her to make a new friend, but it was a total bust with Mrs. Cake.” “Oh, don’t get me started.” Said Bucky, “Starlight used a spell on Big Mac to make him talk constantly. Which didn’t sit well with Applejack. Cause Big Mac doesn’t talk much, and he’s sometimes the strong and silent type.” “That’s nothing,” said Silver, “I overheard that Rainbow tried to help. Although…Starlight made a mistake of asking Rainbow what the Wonderbolts are.” “Ouch.” Said Beau, “Then again, Starlight was a total shut in and didn’t know much of the outside world.” “True.” Said Silver, “Rarity tried to help, though I don’t think she caught on what Starlight was trying to say or ask.” “Not to mention it went bust with Fluttershy.” Said Bucky, “And I think I saw Angel falling in love with Starlight.” They couldn’t help but snicker at that. “She’s not making any luck, is she?” asked Silver. “Not really.” Said Bucky. “I hope Starlight has luck.” Said Beau, before finishing his croissant. “Well, I’d better get going. Hopefully she’ll gain a friend by the time I get back. See you around.” After they greeted, Beau left for the Castle of Friendship, wondering what to do next. ******************************************************************************************* Beau then walked into the castle and looked around, wondering where Twilight was. Knowing her, she had to be in the… “The Great and Powerful, Trixie.” Beau was surprised and hid behind the door, overhearing the conversation. “Has come to perform a new stage show of grand illusion! I am calling it 'The Humble and Penitent Trixie's Equestrian Apology Tour!!” “That's...a bit of a mouthful,” Starlight commented on the overly long title. “It's a working title.” Trixie reasoned. Which Beau shrugged his shoulders. “Uh, Starlight, a word with you for a moment?” Twilight asked, not giving her pupil a response as she dragged Starlight away from Trixie. “I know I said to make friends with anypony, but...well, with Trixie's past, and your past, I'm not sure she's the best...first friend.” Beau flexed his eyebrow at that, for it couldn’t have been that bad. “But whatever she did, you’ve forgiven her, right?” Said Starlight in suspicion. “Of course,” said Twilight, “It’s just…she wasn’t the nicest pony.” Beau rolled his eyes and shook his head, for did she really think that this Trixie wasn’t nice when she wasn’t any different. From what her mentor and friends told him. “Well,” began Starlight, “You did say, anypony, and I just assumed that you’d trust me enough to make my own friends, the way Princess Celestia trusted you.” Beau was a little surprised by that. For it seems Twilight is twisting her story a bit when it comes to backstories. Then again, they didn’t want others to think of them differently, which he could relate all the same. Afterwards, Trixie said, “Good luck losing weight.” Beau grunted, for Trixie really couldn’t tell between someone being fat or someone being pregnant? Then again, he couldn’t tell the difference either. After she and Starlight left, Beau walked in and noticed Twilight trying to fix the utensils that somehow looked like someone used it to make a small statue. Beau cleared his throat, gaining Twilight’s attention. “You know you can always try a reversal spell.” Said Beau, “You know, reverse the damage of said items.” Twilight blinked and smiled whilst remembering. She uses it and instantly fix the utensil statue Trixie made and place it back onto the table. “Thanks, Beau.” Said Twilight. “And it seems Starlight finally made a friend.” Said Beau, “But I overheard that you said that she’s not the ideal friend. But then again, Starlight isn’t either. So, what’s the big deal?” Twilight sighed and said, “A while ago, shortly after I moved to Ponyville, Trixie came and showed her magic tricks. But my friends kept on going on of her boasting and thinking she was a big shot. She then challenged me to do magic. When she boasted that she defeated an Ursa Major, Snips and Snails ended up bringing the Ursa Minor to town, causing it to go on a rampage. Then she blamed us for making her a laughing stock, so she bought an Alicorn Amulet to increase her magic, but what she didn’t know, was it corrupts the user, making her corrupted, kicked me out of Ponyville and took over the town. We were able to remove it, and she apologized. But…” “You didn’t accept it?” said Beau. “She…wasn’t the nicest pony.” Said Twilight. She heard Beau snort in laughter, with her asking, “What’s so funny?” “Neither were you when you first met your friends.” Said Beau. “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Twilight whilst squinting her eyes. “I seem to remember a certain former Unicorn turned Princess, who had a few issues of her own, especially when she brushed aside anyone who tried to be friendly with her when she first arrived in Ponyville and thought friendship was a waste of time.” Said Beau. “Besides, from what Celestia told me, Sunset wasn’t exactly a nice pony either, and you don’t hear her whining about it.” Twilight was about to retort, but then realized Beau was right. For ever since Twilight first came to Ponyville, she didn’t want to make friends and thought it was a waste of time, and because of her actions, Moondancer ended up being a hermit when Twilight abandoned her at her own party. And Sunset wasn’t any different either as she also wasn’t very nice. But if it weren’t for her, Sunset wouldn’t have been saved from her own darkness and redeemed herself. “Besides, if it’s anyone who’s to blame for Trixie doing what she did, it’s Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity.” “Excuse me?” “Bucky, Silver, and Spike told me.” Said Beau. “From what I heard, they constantly heckled and boasted that what she could do, they could do better than her. Besides, she’s a performer performing harmless magic, you can’t fault someone for just doing their job. They’re supposed to exaggerate about their skills. And I know what I’m talking about, cause I witnessed a ton of magicians who boast, it’s all part of the act, which Trixie was doing, so you girls didn’t have to take things personally.” Beau then walked over to Twilight and stood next to her whilst he sat on the table. “So, you see, from what I’m seeing, she’s partially to blame for her upbringing that she did on her own. But if anyone’s also to blame for what started the whole mess, it would be those three.” Beau then rolled his eyes and said, “Their counterparts weren’t any different either.” “Wait, what?” said Twilight in confusion. “Sunset told me, but she didn’t want to tell you, because she didn’t want the girls to be scolded.” Said Beau, which confused Twilight even more. Beau then decided to tell the truth, “After Sunset was defeated at the Fall Formal, you asked those five girls to look after Sunset just so that she could redeem herself and make things right. Pinkie and Fluttershy were willing to give her a chance, but Rarity wasn’t fully committed to it, and Rainbow and Applejack refused to.” “WHAT?!!” exclaimed Twilight as she was shocked to hear this. “You made a mistake of asking them to look after her, because, and I mean no offense, they were idiots to refuse to let it go.” Said Beau. “But…but they promised…” said Twilight. “Yeah, I’m gonna stop you right there for a moment.” Said Beau as he cut her off. “See, if it were anyone I asked to look after Sunset, I would believe them. But Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity?” Beau then listed it off as he told her. “They made a promise, in front of you and next to Pinkie and Fluttershy, that they would look after her. But the moment you left, they ended up immediately broke your promise and trust. Then, even after everything she tried to do to make it up to them, they acted like complete jerks to her, whenever she tried to apologize to them. But, my most distasteful favorite, was that they were constantly giving her the cold shoulder and refused to help her whenever she wanted to prove herself. So much for being honest, generous, and loyal. And that was during the past six months before you came back to help them during the Battle of the Bands.” Twilight was in total disbelief of what she was hearing. For Sunset never told her any of this, which in turn made her mad, causing her to shoot a nearby chair and sent it flying with her horn. “After when I give birth, I am so going to have a word with those three.” Said Twilight in anger. Twilight then grunted and felt the pain whilst holding onto her stomach, causing Beau to quickly to go over and held her close. “Easy there, Twilight.” Said Beau, “The doctor said not to strain yourself, otherwise there’s a chance the baby will get hurt.” “I know.” Said Twilight. But then she grumbled and said, “Though I’m mad Trixie called me fat.” “Well obviously she can’t tell if you’re pregnant or not.” Said Beau, “And to be fair, from my point of view back then, I can’t tell the difference either.” Beau began to escort her out. “Now, why don’t you go to the library and read some of your favorite novels and relax for a bit, whilst I make sure everything is set. And at the same time, once I have time, I’ll keep an eye on those two just in case.” “But…” said Twilight before she yelped as she felt her flank being groped on. She blushed and slightly shoved Beau, “B-Beau!!!” “Hey, it was the only way to calm you down.” Said Beau. “Hmph, fine.” Grumbled Twilight whilst crossing her arms. Beau rolled his eyes and wondered in thought, ‘Sometimes I wish there was a book on how to manage one’s wedding relationships. Then again, I don’t think Twilight ever did. Probably because nobody thought she’d ever get married. Truth be told neither did I, and yet here we are.’ *************************************************************************************************** After Beau was done setting the table and getting things ready, he decided to check up on Starlight and Trixie. Then he saw how many were grumbling and whispering about her, clearly they haven’t forgotten about what she did. Beau decided to listen to them over. “Can you keep a secret?” he heard Trixie asking. “What are friends for?” Starlight answered, vowing to keep Trixie's secret between them. “All those things I did? I did them because I was jealous of Twilight,” Trixie admitted, which surprised Beau. She's the best at everything, and I wanted to beat her in something!!” “Your secret is safe with me.” Said Starlight. “And mine.” The two of them were startled whilst Beau came out. Though Starlight was relieved that it was only Beau, Trixie was greatly confused by what she was seeing. “Wait, are…?” said Trixie as she was confused. “I know, I’m some hairless ape, I get that a lot.” Said Beau. “But to answer your question, I’m actually a human.” “Really?” said an intrigued Trixie. “Well, at least a certain Unicorn we knew from Magic School would be ecstatic to know that. But who are you?” “My name is Thomas Rohan, but everyone calls me Beau.” Said Beau, “I’m also Princess Twilight’s husband.” “Husband?!” exclaimed Trixie, then it dawned to her of Twilight’s belly. Then blushed in embarrassment and said, “Now Trixie feels sheepish for calling her fat.” “It’s okay, I can’t tell the difference either when it comes to pregnancies.” Said Beau. “Anyway, why would you be jealous of Twilight, other than saying she’s the best at what she does?” “Trixie sees…” said Trixie. “Uh, less third person speaking.” Said Beau, “Part of being a good friend is to know when to properly communicate with others, otherwise it might catch them a bit off guard.” Trixie blushed at that again, then cleared her throat. “The thing is…ever since Twilight enlisted at school, she’s been constantly studying everything and always excels at everything. Don’t get me wrong, every unicorn who attends that school passes, but Twilight always passes every grade with points higher than others. And it felt like…” “She was rubbing it in your face?” asked Beau. “Well, in a way…yes.” Said Trixie. “Trixie, you’ve got nothing to be jealous over.” Said Beau, “Yes, it’s true, Twilight studied at everything. But there’s something that both of you didn’t know.” Both Trixie, and Starlight were confused by it, with Beau sitting near the stage as the others joined him. “See, when Twilight was little,” said Beau, “She constantly admired Princess Celestia when she first saw her, so she tried to study as hard as she could. But when she tried to pass her exams, she was startled, allowing her to unlock her magic, which gained Celestia’s attention and made her, her student. At one point, Celestia was glad to take in another student, but she was afraid she’d be led astray.” “What do you mean?” asked Trixie. “I’m sure you remember Sunset Shimmer?” asked Beau. “Oh, her I remember.” Groaned Trixie, which confused Starlight a bit, to which Beau noticed. “Before Twilight, Sunset also attended the same school as Twilight and was Celestia’s student.” Said Beau, “But when Celestia told her to make friends, she tried, but she was afraid and ran away.” “Ran away?” said Starlight in confusion. “That’s right.” Said Beau, “Then she lied to Princess Celestia that she tried to make friends, but she didn’t interact with them. Celestia tried to tell her, and teach her humility.” “But it backfired.” Said Trixie, which confused Starlight. “My teachers told me. Like Twilight, Sunset also excelled in magic like she did, but she was impatient and wanted to get what she deserved. But even Trixie knows that some things take time, they don’t just give it to you, you have to earn it.” “But then Celestia made a mistake of showing Sunset an artifact.” Said Beau, “Sunset ended up being delusional and thinks that she deserves to be a Princess, but Celestia tried to tell her that she couldn’t, because she didn’t have the same potential as Twilight when it comes to magic. So, when Celestia denied her that, she yelled in Celestia’s face that she was a hypocrite, for she didn’t have any friends.” Starlight gasped at that as she was shocked to hear that. “So, Sunset ended up running away from home.” Said Beau, “When Twilight became Celestia’s student, Twilight ended up developing a fear of letting her teacher down, and ended up being obsessed with perfection, as well as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. And during her studies, Celestia tried to tell her to make friends, but like Sunset, Twilight wasn’t interested. She thought that Friendship was a waste of time and that she didn’t need friends to make discoveries or learn them. Everyone tried to get her to make friends; her parents, her brother Shining Armor, Spike, even Celestia tried, but she wouldn’t budge. So, when Celestia sent her away, Twilight ended up leaving without saying goodbye, and she even ditched her own friend Moondancer, on her own party. Which in turn made her turn herself into an anti-social hermit.” “Wow,” said Trixie surprised, “And Trixie thought she screwed up a few times.” “And don’t get me started on the ‘Want it, Need it’, spell.” Said Beau, “Twilight was very obsessed into pleasing Celestia, and thought she should deliver a report every week, but even a dead brained monkey would know that she can send a letter, ‘when she learns a lesson’, but clearly, she didn’t get that. And that time she tried to expose Chrysalis when she was pretending to be Cadence, but she didn’t exactly have proof or evidence that she did. And she made a poor case. And in fairness, they would’ve taken her seriously if she didn’t sound like a, well, psychopath.” “How bad are we talking?” asked Starlight. “You still remember that time traveling spell?” asked Beau, which she winced and nodded. But before she could say anything, Beau handed her a page. “Use this. This is called a time window, a way to view the past. That way, you can see things in the past, without causing a disturbance.” “Wow, that’s pretty handy.” Commented Trixie. Starlight looked at it for a moment, and after seeing it, Starlight used the spell and opened the window. The two of them were greatly shocked when they saw Twilight freaking out over every little detail. After it ended, the two Unicorns were still in shock from what they were seeing. “Yeah, trust me, it’s a lot worse than you think.” Said Beau. “Oh, come on.” Said Trixie, “Even I know there’s no such thing as being perfect.” “That’s what I tried to tell her, constantly, same with her friends.” Said Beau, “But Twilight should really stop being afraid of failing, for its part of growing up. I mean seriously, I fail a grade from time to time, but you don’t hear me complaining about it.” “Agreed.” Said Trixie as she looked at Starlight. “But all that aside, wanna help me unpack my wagon?” “You do that, I’ll go check up on Twilight to make sure she doesn’t do anything reckless.” Said Beau as he greeted the girls goodbye. *************************************************************************************************** He soon arrived at the castle and went to look for Twilight. “Twilight, you around?” said Beau. He then checked every room to find her, but couldn’t find her anywhere. “Now where could she be?” Beau then suddenly clicked and realized something. “You don’t think…?!” Beau instantly ran out of the castle, looking around frantically for Twilight. For if he knows Twilight… He then spots her ahead, hiding in the bushes, talking to Starlight. He then suddenly deadpanned and realized what she’s doing. As he got closer, he overheard her talking. “But do you really think Trixie is the one to help you with that?” asked Twilight. This shocked Beau, whilst Starlight looked appalled. “Wow, Trixie was right.” Said Starlight as she looked at Twilight sternly. “You’re not really giving her a second chance. I wonder what that says how you feel about me?” Starlight moved away in tears, until Twilight spots Cranky Doodle. “Now he’d be perfect.” Said Twilight. “Ahem!!” Twilight winced and looked at Beau, who was staring at her sternly and crossing his arms. “I should’ve known.” Said Beau. “Beau, I can…” said Twilight. “So basically, when you said you’d relax,” began Beau, “You decided to go behind my back and do this anyway?” “But, I…” said Twilight before Beau cut her off again. “Also, you’re not helping matters by trying to force her to pick someone else.” Said Twilight, “Celestia and Shining Armor didn’t force you to make friends, you did that on your own after you were done being stubborn.” “But it’s Trixie!!” said Twilight, causing Beau to groan. “Do we really need to go over this again.” Said Beau sternly, “About your friends’ constant heckling?” Twilight winced at that whilst she remembered. “Not to mention, the Ursa Minor coming to town, that was Snips and Snails’ fault, aka, dumb and dumber. Cause both of them were stupid enough to believe anything that comes out of anyone’s mouth.” “That wasn’t very nice.” Said Twilight as she didn’t like what he said. “Well, it’s true.” Said Beau. He then looked left and right and whispered to her. “And you didn’t hear this from me. But onetime, somepony once told them that pony babies come from poop, and every now and then they would look into it for a baby brother.” “EWE!!” exclaimed Twilight as she was completely disgusted by what Beau said. “I know, right?” said Beau whilst rolling his eyes. “And also, Trixie may have caused trouble, but that was because of the corrupted powers of the amulet, which I’m surprised nobody destroyed that. And you lot tricked her into taking it off, and made hear realize how idiotic she acted. And she does want to show that she’s not arrogant, but less. And you think she’s not trustworthy? If I remember correctly, you didn’t exactly trust Starlight after everything she did, but you gave her a chance.” “But…I just don’t want her to choose the wrong friends.” Said Twilight. “You know, there’s an old saying in my world,” said Beau, “You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friends’ nose.” Twilight was a little disgusted by that phrase, but Beau translated it to her. “It means, whoever she hangs out is none of your business. You can’t always intervene and who she wants to be friends with. You can’t just pick friends for someone and think they’ll hit it off immediately. Cause if I remember correctly, you didn’t want to make friends with any of them, because you said they were crazy and were a waste of time. Besides, if I also remember correctly, you barely had any friends when you were in magic school, and Moondancer ended up becoming a hermit because of your selfishness and neglect.” Twilight wanted to retort, but realized that there was also truth to it, but Beau continued. “Plus, where the heck was your common sense?” asked Beau. “Come again?” said Twilight in confusion. “Celestia knew, and she didn’t want you to get involved.” Said Beau, “Nightmare Moon, aka, Luna, is her sister. You may be talented in magic before you moved to Ponyville, but you couldn’t compete with an Alicorn. They have centuries of experience and no single unicorn could beat her and Celestia in a fight. And I know your loyalty to Celestia and wanted to help, but nobody asked you to do that, or forcing you to do any of it. You need to learn to live by example.” Beau then placed his hand against Twilight’s belly. “And what kind of example are we going to live for our daughter, if you keep acting out this way?” asked Beau. Twilight blinked and looked down, thinking about Moonlight Sparkle coming to this world. And Twilight realized Beau was right. What kind of example would she make for their daughter if she continues to act this way. “And I’m sorry to do this Twilight,” said Beau, “But for the sake of our baby.” Beau then took a deep breath and shouted loudly. “RELEASE THE PINKIE PIE!!” Suddenly, Pinkie Pie zipped over and said, “You called?” “Pinkie,” said Beau, “Could you please be so kind enough to take Twilight back to the castle and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid to help with Starlight’s progress of making friends.” “Of course!!” said Pinkie as she suddenly grabbed a big baby jail, and placed Twilight inside. “Hey!!” said Twilight. Just as she wanted to teleport out, she saw her magic wasn’t working. Then she panicked and said, “What is this?!” “Magic proof baby jail.” Said Pinkie Pie, “After my tussle with the Cake Twins, Somepony’s gotta make sure that nopony escapes. Now I’ll prepare for the dinner whilst you take a time out.” “Sorry honey, it’s for your own good.” Said Beau. Pinkie then grabbed the cage and pulled Twilight away. Beau shakes his head in amusement, “She may hate me for this, but this is for her own good.” Beau walked away, wanting to make sure things were going okay. ************************************************************************************************* Later that night, Beau began to watch how things were hitting off with Starlight, and Trixie asked her to be her assistant. So far things were working, and he was glad it was working. Until… He saw Twilight walking in and she wasn’t happy, as she said Celestia was there. “Oh, shoot. I forgot to send her a letter to reschedule.” Muttered Beau. Although… “Aha! You still don't trust me!” Trixie exclaimed. “But guess what, 'princess'? It doesn't matter if you want to give me a second chance or not. Starlight had to choose between you and me, and she chose me! Your pupil chose me, so HA! I win!” Beau was startled by that. Which caused him to slap his forehead, for he figured that Trixie would unknowingly say things like that. “Really Trixie?” muttered Beau, “You’re choosing to be boastful, now?!” That’s when Starlight felt hurt by the accusation that Trixie just made and ran away. And now Beau sees that Twilight wasn’t the only one with a grudge, but so did Trixie. It wasn’t just jealousy; it was also a grudge. So now he could see that both of them messed up, but given how many times Twilight messed up, she wasn’t exactly a good character witness. But now he realized what he had to do. He had to not only put Trixie in her place, but also, and he really hate to do it, his own wife too. “Really, Trixie?” Both Trixie and Twilight turned around, both of them were surprised to see Beau there. “You see what both your ego and your mouth just did?” said Beau. “B-but Beau, I didn’t mean…” said Trixie before Beau cut her off. “Of what, hurting Starlight, by acting this was some sort of contest.” Said Beau, “From the looks of it, the only reason you wanted to beat her, because you irrationally blamed Twilight for upstaging you, when she didn’t even do that!! All she did was stop the Ursa Minor from wrecking the town because of Snips and Snails, which they did it because Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack constantly heckled you!! You acted like a complete jerk to her after she saved you. Then you ended up having the gall to blame Twilight for ruining your career when it was your own fault for making up stories that you defeated and Ursa Major. Cause yeah, I know, you’re a magician and you’re supposed to exaggerate, but not go overboard.” He walked over to her and poked his finger at her chest whilst also pointing things out. “Then you ended up taking an Alicorn amulet, a cursed artifact, mind you, just to cheat and humiliated Twilight. Sure, the amulet made you do all those things, but you still chose to come back to Ponyville with the intention of starting trouble and made the very calculated decision to wear it. Cause you’re lucky you didn’t get arrested in the first place. And given what I’ve seen, you haven’t changed one bit, because you have a reputation of being a showboat and a troublemaker, and you didn’t learn anything since you last came to Ponyville. And now because of you, you ended up costing Starlight her trust in you.” Trixie then looked down in shame, as she realized that what she said was completely out of line, and she should’ve let it go, but she didn’t. That’s when Twilight stood next to Beau, thinking she has the right to speak. “Well, you won. I hope you’re happy.” Said an unhappy Twilight. That’s when Beau knew he had to do it. He might be in the doghouse, but he had to. “Oh, don’t act like you’re in the right here now, Twilight.” Said Beau as he stood on front of her, “You’re just as much to blame here.” “What?!” said Twilight as she was shocked what Beau said. “Did you not pay attention what I talked about Trixie?! Or did her arrogance and boasting actually rubbed off on you, and she just admitted what she did!!” “Well,” began Beau, as he knew she needed to hear this, “If it weren’t for you, she never would’ve done so!! You don’t trust anyone who steered you wrong, Twilight, not even your own husband!! I tried to explain and tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t hear me out. And when you met your friends, you didn’t exactly trust them, either!! All you had to do was to let go of a freaking grudge, and you couldn’t even do that!! Choosing Trixie to be her friend was Starlight’s decision, but you intervened instead. This whole thing could’ve been avoided, had you only listened to me.” Twilight slightly widened her eyes, but didn’t let up as Beau continued. “Starlight worked hard, Twilight.” Said Beau, “She worked harder than any pony that you give her credit for, because not a single pony would understand what she has done or why she did it!! I mean how often do you meet a pony who enslaved a village and nearly destroyed Equestria via time traveling. Answer; you don’t. And the thought would scare any pony in Equestria. She needs the chance to move on and do things on her own, and because of your constant meddling, she’ll never get that chance.” “What’s that supposed to mean?!” said Twilight, “She’s also my pupil, Beau. I’m supposed to be looking out for her. And why didn’t you tell me, Starlight volunteered to be Trixie’s magic assistant in her show.” “Because, that’s NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!” Shouted Beau, which startled Twilight as she nearly fell over, for she had never seen him angry like that. She slightly raised her hands in defense. “B-Beau. Calm down.” “How the heck, am I supposed to calm down when you constantly go overboard and can’t stop poking her nose into other people’s business.” Retorted Beau. “I was only trying to help.” Said Twilight. “NOBODY ASKED YOU TO HELP!!” shouted Beau, which caused Twilight to slightly cowered. Beau hated it, he really hated it to yell at her, especially when she’s expecting. But he had to get through to her, for clearly this has gone on long enough. “Because of you, you ruined a friendship what Starlight was trying to keep when she did that on her own.” Said Beau, “And yes, you wanted her to be friends with someone she can trust, but by your standards? You can’t recommend anyone, because you’ve never lived and grew up in Ponyville, you spent most of your life behind books in Canterlot. And yes, I did the same thing, but I at least had a reason why I did. And what kind of Princess can you be without having faith in those you can trust.” Twilight looked down in shame, and realized that he was right. That’s when Beau spoke to both her and Trixie. “And given what I’ve seen from both of you,” said Beau, “There’s literally nopony else here than I can support because neither of you wanted to drop this stupid and idiotic rivalry, between a Narcissistic unicorn who can’t stop flapping her gums, and a nosy princess, who thinks friendships should go by the book instead of personal experience. And now thanks to both of you, Starlight ended up becoming heartbroken as a result of your childish acts.” Beau then walked away and said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a student to comfort, and whilst I’m at it, you two think long and hard, before you’ll end up hurting someone else.” Beau walked away until he was out of sight. Twilight was now saddened that she ended up meddling with what Starlight was trying to have, whilst Trixie was just as sad. “Looks like Trixie is back to being a solo show.” Said Trixie as she tried hard not to break down, but the tears betrayed her. She then turned to Twilight and said, “Which is exactly the way she likes it. Thank you, Twilight, for getting rid of the only pony who became Trixie’s first friend and a human who understands what I’ve been through. I’m not sad at all. I definitely don’t feel like as if my heart breaking into a million pieces!!” Just as Trixie walks in and wanted to close the door, Twilight walks in and stops her whilst placing her hand on Trixie’s shoulder, but the mare didn’t want to look at her, not after what both of them caused. “Trixie, I…” began Twilight as she thought about what Beau said. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I believed that handling Starlight’s options for friends would help gain a better reputation around Ponyville. Aside from my friends and I, she had no one. And truth be told, I’ve been trying to push my biases directly at you” Trixie’s eyes widen from this as she turns to Twilight, who still had a guilty look. “I’m not gonna lie, Trixie.” Said Twilight, “Ever since you got here, I still didn’t trust you. But then Beau pointed out that I wasn’t any different either. I may not have been arrogant and have an ego, but I wasn’t exactly nice to my friends either when I first met them. I kept brushing them off and pushing them aside because I thought it was a waste of time. I was more focused on trying to stop Nightmare Moon than doing what Princess Celestia said.” “Wait,” said Trixie in shock as she realized what Twilight had said. “You mean to say, that you actually disobeyed Princess Celestia when she told you to make friends?” “No!!” protested Twilight, “I…” That’s when she realized; Celestia did tell her to make friends, but she kept ignoring the others and didn’t make friends. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!!” said Twilight as she panicked. “I really did disobey…!!!” Suddenly she was slapped by Trixie, which shocked her. “Sorry, looked like you needed it.” Said Trixie, “Trust me, Trixie had her share of freakouts.” “Right, of course,” said Twilight as she continued, “And you’re not completely to blame. Only partially. I mean, if anyone, it’s Snips and Snails’ fault for bringing the Ursa Minor into town. Or in this case what my husband would call them, dumb and dumber.” Trixie snorted at that, until Twilight whispered in her ear of what Beau told her, which shocked Trixie, causing her to go, “EEEEWWWWWE!!” “I know, I had that reaction too.” Said Twilight. “But…Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack are also somewhat to blame. They kept constantly heckling you when you were doing your job, and as a magician, you’re supposed to do that, it’s part of the act.” “Finally!!” exclaimed Trixie as she was happy, “Trixie thought nopony would get why she was actually doing that!!” “Beau helped me realize that,” said Twilight, “Plus, when you made friends with Starlight, I was really worried.” “Because of our mistakes?” asked Trixie, which caused Twilight to nod. “But it’s exactly the reason why we became friends. And with Beau too.” This surprised Twilight. “He was the only pony, er, human, whoever understood Trixie.” Said Trixie, “He knows what it feels like, and he understood why Trixie did it. I just wished…I realized it sooner.” “I know,” said Twilight, “The only reason I acted like that because of how you act, boasted and somewhat arrogant. Which is why I was worried when you and Starlight became friends. It didn’t sit well with me. But…I guess Nopony’s perfect when it comes to making friends.” “At least we agree on that much at least.” Said Trixie. Twilight sighed and said, “I’m sorry for not trusting you or giving you and Starlight a chance, Trixie.” “And Trixie’s, er…” began, but then began to speak normally, “I’m also sorry for being boastful and arrogant. I should’ve tried harder. And…I’m also sorry for calling you fat. I didn’t know you were expecting a baby, or married to Beau, a human no less.” “Believe me, my husband can’t tell the difference either.” Said Twilight, “And I was also surprised of how the two of us came together.” “Though,” said Trixie as she was curious about something. “Did you two…” Twilight blushed at that, but she just asked, “What?” “How long did you two date before doing the deed?” asked Trixie whilst she was being curious. “Er,” began Twilight as she blushed, “We never dated actually. We just knew each other for a month and we confessed our love for one another, then we ended up doing the deed.” “Wait, a month?!!” said Trixie in shock, “But…anypony knows that one should do the deed until their how many dates and after they’re married.” “We were…both clueless on how it works.” Said Twilight with a blush, “And it didn’t help for a fact that I got pregnant the next day instead of being two weeks.” “Seriously?!” exclaimed Trixie. “Apparently it’s because of my Alicorn physiology is responsible for that.” Said Twilight. “And…what type of baby is it?” asked Trixie. “Well, the doctors said that it’s a girl,” said Twilight, “And I had the dream name some time ago, Moonlight Sparkle.” “Trixie admits, it’s a lovely name.” said Trixie. However, Trixie looked back and was ashamed and said, “Starlight was supposed to help me so that we could do magic together. But…because of Trixie…” “I’m sure she’ll understand once you apologize.” Said Twilight. “After the show,” said Trixie, who then felt nervous and said, “If Trixie lives through this.” This caused Twilight to get confused, but decides not to question it. ********************************************************************************************* Starlight and Beau were watching the show from above, whilst Twilight came over and apologized to Starlight for interfering, and admitted that Beau was right. For she shouldn’t have meddled and trusted Starlight enough to make her own decisions like Princess Celestia did for her. Starlight was worried that Trixie might use her, but Beau pointed out that he already talked to them, and Twilight admitted that she and Trixie apologized, and should try to be friendly towards one another for her. After the performance was over, Starlight, Trixie, and Twilight was backstage with Beau. “Now that was an interesting show.” Said Beau. “Nice job on the performances, Trixie. Sorry that things were a little rocky at first.” “I know.” Said Trixie, who then turned to Starlight. “Starlight, Trixie’s sorry for what she said. I guess when Twilight barged in, it ended up bringing old feelings back of our last encounter. And I’m sorry I was acting boastful.” “I know you were.” Said Starlight, “And I’m sorry for running off and not helping you with the Manticor fiasco.” “It’s still an amazing feat.” Said Twilight, “I don’t think I could ever pull off a trick like that.” “Thank you, Twilight.” Said Trixie. The two of them began to set off the fireworks, causing everyone to cheer. “And Trixie will admit,” said Trixie, “Ponyville really is a great place to live. I think Trixie will be spending more time here. And at the same time, trying to make up for Trixie’s mistakes.” “And I’m sure they will, in time.” Said Beau, “As long as you put enough effort in them whilst you’re at it.” “And maybe if you’re not doing anything,” said Starlight, “I don’t suppose that you’ll be free tomorrow?” “Only if you promise to teach me those amazing spells.” Said Trixie. “It’s a deal.” Said Starlight as she and Trixie hugged one another, causing them to chuckle. Suddenly they heard a loud cry, which they turned to Twilight, clutching on her own stomach and could barely stand. “Twilight?!” said Beau as he instantly ran over to her and held her close, with Starlight and Trixie in tow. “What’s wrong?!” “It…it’s the baby.” Said Twilight weakly, “I think it’s on its way!!” Needless to say, Beau, Starlight and Trixie were shocked to hear this. “We gotta get her to the hospital now!!” said Beau, then looked at the two unicorns and said, “Starlight, quick, teleport us to the hospital!! Trixie, tell Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy down there that the baby is on the way!!” “Trixie’s on it!!” said Trixie as she rushed off, whilst Starlight teleported both Beau and Twilight to the hospital. Trixie ran down to the crowd and spotted Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. “Girls!! Girls!!” shouted Trixie. This gained the three girls’ attention. They were confused by why Trixie was rushing towards them. “What in tarnation is she in a rush?” asked Applejack. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie began to shudder, “I don’t know, but whatever it is, must be a very big of a doozy.” Trixie stopped near them and panted for breath, with Starlight walking over and held onto her. “Trixie, what’s wrong?” asked Fluttershy. “It’s…it’s Twilight!!” said Trixie, “Beau sent me to get you girls!!” “Us?” said Applejack confusingly. “Why would…?” “Twilight’s baby is coming!!” shouted Trixie. “What?!” exclaimed Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, with the crowd near them gasping from the news. “Where are they?!” said Applejack. “Starlight’s taking them to the hospital!!” said Trixie, “But you girls need to get everypony else here, stat!!” “We’re on it!!” said Applejack as she looked at Pinkie and Fluttershy, “Come on, girls!! We gotta get the others!!” The said ponies rushed in different directions whilst Starlight ran to the hospital. ********************************************************************************************* At the same time, as the nurses were working, and Nurse Redheart walked around the counter, she was startled by Beau, Twilight, and Starlight’s entrance, with the latter clutching her stomach. “Princess Twilight?” said Nurse Redheart surprised. “What are…?” Beau cut her off and said, “Get everypony together!! The baby’s coming!!” “Oh dear!!” exclaimed Nurse Redheart as she and the rest of the Nurses were shocked to hear somepony is about to have a baby, and a royal one no doubt. She turned to the others and shouted, “Quick, get everypony together and somepony call Doctor Greymare, and tell him the Princess of Friendship is about to give birth!!” “Will do!!” said one of the Nurses as all of them quickly rushed around, with Nurse Redheart bringing a wheelchair, allowing Beau to gently place her in it. “Right this way, Princess!!” “Starlight, wait for the others whilst I stay with Twilight!!” shouted Beau as they immediately ran back in. “Will do!!” said Starlight as she rushed outside. ********************************************************************************************* Back at the Castle of Friendship, the ice sculpture had melted, with Princess Celestia sitting boredly at the table, whilst Derpy, Cranky Doodle, and Vinyl Scratch also sitting there. “So uh,” began Cranky, “How do you get your main to flow like that?” Princess Celestia groaned at this, until the doors suddenly burst opened. Though she was relieved a distraction was coming, she turned around and saw Pinkie Pie bouncing towards her. “Princess Celestia!! Princess Celestia!! Princess Celestia!! Princess Celestia!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. Before Celestia could react, Pinkie Pie tackled her over and was flat on the floor, which surprised the ones sitting at the table. “Princess Celestia, you need to go to the Ponyville Hospital now!!” said Pinkie Pie in a panic. “Hospital?” asked Princess Celestia confusingly, “Why…?” “Twilight’s baby is coming!!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “What?!” exclaimed Princess Celestia as she got up. “Beau took Twilight to the hospital!! They’re there right now!!” “I’ll go get her family!!” said Princess Celestia, “In the meantime, Pinkie, you take the guests in this room home!!” “Okie, dokie, lokie!!” said Pinkie Pie whilst saluting. Then grabbed Vinyl, Cranky, and Derpy and darting them off, whilst Princess Celestia quickly teleported to Canterlot. ********************************************************************************************* Fluttershy flew with great speed, well, her speed, towards Rainbow Dash’s house, no doubt the speedy mare was fast asleep. Rainbow was fast asleep in her bed, until… “Rainbow Dash!!” shouted Fluttershy as she flew through the window and crashed into her, startling the said pony as she wailed and flailed at the same time. “Fluttershy, what the hay?!!” shouted Rainbow as she instantly darted up. “Quick!! Twilight!! Hospital!! Now!!” shouted Fluttershy. “Huh?” said a confused Rainbow. “Twilight’s baby is coming!!” shouted Fluttershy. “What?!” exclaimed Rainbow as she got up. “She’s at the hospital now!!” said Fluttershy as she pointed out. “Why didn’t you say so, let’s go!!” shouted Rainbow as she grabbed Fluttershy and instantly flew out of the window. ********************************************************************************************* At the Carousel Boutique, both Silver and Rarity decided to have some tea before turning in for the night, as well as doing some reading. “I have to admit,” said Silver, “Her attention to detail when it comes to solving crimes is quite fascinating. Reminds me of a detective in my world named Sherlock Holmes.” “Oh?” said Rarity. “He uses the art of deduction to solve crimes.” Said Silver. “For example. Your eyes look refreshed, as you recently had a cucumber mud mask treatment at the spa. You’re resting your fingers, as you’ve tirelessly used them to measure the next fabric for your clients. You rub your head for you used your magic all day to find an idea for your latest creation. And from the smell of your breath, you recently had a cucumber on wholewheat sandwich.” “Amazing.” Said Rarity as she was surprised by this. “I can see why you compare to Shadow.” “Although the difference,” said Silver, “He dresses in the same getup for years, whilst Shadow Spade knows how to be original in her outfits. I can see why you always try to create your next fashion based on them. And why the author requested that you make them.” “Glad you like them darling.” Said Rarity. “However, I noticed you’re glowing.” Said Silver, which surprised Rarity, “For you recently came from the doctor and…” That’s when it hit him like a two-ton anvil. “Rarity…are you…?” Rarity blushes and pulls out a pregnancy test device, which shows positive. Silver got up and hugged Rarity in excitement, with Rarity doing the same. “How long?” asked Silver. “Two months.” Said Rarity. “I simply cannot wait for…” Suddenly, they heard a loud crash, surprising the two as they turned to the door, with Applejack standing there panting. “Applejack!!” scolded Rarity, seeing that a certain pony had just ruined the moment, “How dare you break down my door!! And with you being four months pregnant no less!!” “No time for scolding Rarity!!” shouted Applejack in panic, “Twilight’s baby is on the way!!” “What?!” exclaimed Rarity, then grabbed Silver. “Silver, we need to get to the hospital, now!!” shouted Rarity. “Ah’ll go get Bucky!! Wait for us there!!” said Applejack as she rushed out, with Silver and Rarity running towards the hospital. ********************************************************************************************* Celestia teleported to the same room Luna was in as she was about to perform her royal duties. “Luna!! Luna!!” shouted Celestia in panic. “Sister, what is the matter?!” exclaimed Luna when she saw her sister walking in. “Twilight’s baby is about to arrive!!” said Princess Celestia, which shocked Luna. “Sister, quick, go get her parents, I will go get Shining Armor!!” said Luna, causing the two of them to teleport at the same time. ********************************************************************************************* At the same time, Luna was able to teleport to Shining Armor, Cadence, Flurry Heart, and Sunburst, and told them, which shocked the latter before they immediately rushed to the hospital with her. At the same time, Twilight’s parents were still awake and was shocked to see Celestia in their room, but were even more shocked that Twilight’s baby was on the way. ********************************************************************************************* Starlight was waiting outside of the Hospital entrance, pacing back and forth, waiting anxiously. “Starlight!!” Starlight looked and saw the rest of the Mane 6, Spike (who temporarily got out of his funk and went to be there for Twilight), Trixie, Celestia, Luna, Bucky, Silver, George Newton, along with Twilight’s family, instantly came over when they heard the news. “Thank goodness you’re here!!” said Starlight. “Where’s Twilight!!” said Shining Armor in panic. “They’re in the next room. They’re trying to deliver the baby as we speak!!” said Starlight. “Quickly, let us get inside!!” said Princess Celestia as all of them went inside. ******************************************************************************************* Throughout the entire night, everyone waited in anticipation, hoping that both Twilight and the baby would be okay. At the same time, Starlight began to tell the girls and a few others of why Trixie did what she did when she first met them. “Wait, you mean to say, Trixie only did that because Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack constantly heckled her?” said Shining Armor. “Pretty much, yeah.” Said Starlight. The few looked at the latter, whilst some of them glared at them, with the said three ponies lowering their heads in shame. “Aw, shucks, ah’m sorry, Trixie.” Said Applejack. “Ah didn’t meant ta heckle ya. Y’all were just doin’ yer job.” “Me too, darling.” Said Rarity, “Plenty of folks judged me for what I do.” “Same here.” Said Rainbow, “I also tend to go overboard with a lot of things.” Trixie looked at them and sighs. “Trixie will admit, Trixie could’ve been nicer too. And Trixie wished she could’ve been different during our performances. So…can we please start over? Especially since Trixie also needs to make up to Pinkie Pie for taking her mouth. But er, in Trixie’s defense, you really do talk a lot.” “Hey!!” said Pinkie Pie. “No, for once I agree with Trixie, Pinkie, you do.” Said Rainbow, with the others nodding at it. They suddenly heard the sound of the door opening, with them looking. There they saw Beau peaking through the door, with the biggest smile on his face. Everyone stood up at the same time. “Beau, how is my baby?” asked Velvet. Beau still couldn’t keep the smile off of his face and said, “Why don’t you ask her?” He pulled his head back, and then there he was, pushing Twilight whilst she was recovering on a wheelchair and a tired look on her face, but also really proud at the same time whilst she was wearing hospital attire and a blanket on her lap. And in her arms were what everyone was expecting, causing all of them to move over to see. “Everypony,” said Twilight as she slowly removed the blanket covering the baby’s face. “Say hello to our daughter, Moonlight Sparkle.” And there she was, a little bundle of joy, as she looked a lot like her mother, whilst also having a horn on hear head, whilst also fast asleep at the same time. “Aaawwww.” Said the ponies as they saw the baby. “She looks just like Twilight.” Said Fluttershy. That’s when the baby opened her eyes and they saw she had the same eye color as their father. “This is amazing,” said Princess Celestia, “This is proof that different creatures can become parents or couples.” “And everypony could see that they can resemble to their parents.” Said Princess Luna. “And there’s also something else.” Said Beau. “What’s that?” asked Princess Cadence. Suddenly the entire blanket went down, and something came out, and many of them were surprised by what they were seeing. For little Moonlight Sparkle, not only has a horn, but wings as well. Yes, you guessed it, she was a baby Alicorn, just like Flurry Heart. “This is incredible.” Said Princess Celestia in surprise, never in our entire lifetimes has there been another Alicorn pony that could be born. “Yay, now Flurry Heart will have a flying buddy!!” said Pinkie Pie. Flurry noticed Moonlight and flew over to them as she was curious. As she took a closer look, Moonlight suddenly hugged Flurry, which surprised her, but then she couldn’t help but giggle as she hugged her back. “Aw.” Said everyone as they saw them bonding. “Although,” said Sunburst, “Now that the baby is born, we’ll need to cast a spell to make sure that her magic doesn’t go out of control.” “Allow us.” Said Princess Celestia as she, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence, used their magic on Moonlight to make sure her magic is under control. But Moonlight was too busy giggling as she reached out. Her father picked her up whilst he was standing on his knees. “Hey there, Moonlight.” Said Beau, “Welcome to the world.” Moonlight looked at her father in curiosity. And wondered who he was. But by looking in his eyes, she knew who it was. She then reached her hand and placed it on his nose. “Pappa.” Said Moonlight, which shocked everyone in the room. “Amazing, her first words already.” Said Shining Armor. Beau couldn’t help but shed a few tears and hugged her, with Twilight doing the same. Everyone came together in a group hug, now supporting the new parents of their friendship group. Welcome to the world, Moonlight Sparkle. Welcome to the world. Chapter 17: Proposing to an AngelThe next day, after Twilight gave birth to Moonlight, George and Fluttershy continued to tend to the animals, with George saying, “Who’d thunk that it was possible.” “About what?” asked Fluttershy. “About what Twilight and Beau’s child looks like, despite being from different species.” Fluttershy giggled, and said, “I know. But Moonlight is such a precious angel.” “And I never thought she’d be able to speak yet, let alone know that by looking in Beau’s eyes, she knew he was her dad.” “She is Twilight’s daughter,” said Fluttershy, “No doubt genius being in the family tree.” “No argument about that.” Said George. “Though I hope panic attacks aren’t one of them. From what you’ve told me.” Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle again, “True. Then again, Beau is there to help her, and to make sure she doesn’t do anything reckless.” “True that.” Said George. Then he thought about something. Though he blushed at the thought, but he cleared his throat and said, “Er, Fluttershy?” “Yes?” asked Fluttershy whilst she looked at him. “Well,” said George as he suddenly felt very nervous. “If you’re not, well, busy or anything…would it be okay if…the two of us went on a date?” Fluttershy squeaked and blushed bright red whilst her wings opened at the same time. George realized what he did might’ve startled her. He also forgot that she’s not very comfortable being around others, especially when it comes to romance. “I’m sorry.” Said George, “I shouldn’t have said anything.” Just as George was about to turn around. “Wait!!” George stopped, whilst also feeling a hand at the same time. He looked back and saw Fluttershy holding his hand. Then looked at her, whilst she was slightly blushing at the same time. “I…” said Fluttershy whilst she was being timid, but looked at him and said, “I’ll…give it a chance.” George was shocked by this, for he never thought Fluttershy would be bold enough to say yes. “Would a…picnic be alright with you?” asked George. “Um, yes. That would be fine.” Said Fluttershy. “I’ll…get things ready.” Said George. George went inside the house whilst Fluttershy was blushing madly as she couldn’t believe what just happened. **************************************************************************************************** Later that day, George had made sure things were ready for the picnic. He placed a few sandwiches inside that he knew ponies could eat, but himself as well, considering that he doesn’t eat sandwiches with flowers inside of them. He was about to pick a sandwich with carrot spread, until a small head popped out, which caused George to look at the sandwich with a flexed eyebrow. “Oh, hey Discord.” Said George. “Wow,” said Discord before appearing in his full form, “You weren’t startled or surprised of my visit. Truly you are very different from anypony else.” “Well for one, I’m not a pony.” Said George. “True.” Said Discord. “And second, I’ve gotten used to you.” Said George, “You have a habit of popping up from out of nowhere, and it’s also very creative too.” “Oh uh, thank you.” Said Discord as he was taken aback by this. “You’re welcome.” Said George. “So, what’s all this for?” teased Discord, “Asking Fluttershy on a date?” “I already did, and she said yes.” Said George. “Oh, that’s go…wait, what?!!” exclaimed Discord as he instantly popped over to George, “You asked out Fluttershy?! And she said yes?!” “That’s right.” Said George. “Even I’m surprised.” Discord then leered at him and asked, “And why, may I ask, did you ask her out?” “In all honesty?” George then walked over to the window and looked outside, and saw Fluttershy still helping the animals. “Back in my world, I was always alone.” Said George, “I wasn’t well liked at school, and any girl would sometimes think I’m weird. Not to mention half of them I went out either didn’t like them or were allergic to them. I worked at an animal shelter in order to help fill the void. I know animals can’t be the family you have in mind, but they can be lovable companions and be there for you whenever you needed a friend.” He leaned against the table as he saw Trusty jumping onto Fluttershy and licked him, whilst she giggled. “But ever since I got there, I thought that Fluttershy was an angel from above.” Said George, “She was really nice to me, even when I faced a few scorns from a handful of people that I didn’t do anything to. She even took me in when I didn’t have anywhere else to turn. She introduced me to the animals and they were really friendly. Well, except for a certain rabbit.” He looked at Discord and asked, “Which reminds me, what the heck is his problem?” “Oh, he sometimes tends to act like a spoilt brat and a short-tempered personality.” Said Discord, until the two of them heard a loud squabble from Angel Bunny as he blabbed and cursed in his bunny language. “Well, you do. Remind us who was constantly complaining about you not wanting to eat a salad that Fluttershy made for you?” Angel puffed his cheeks in anger, until George had an idea and smirked whilst looking at Angel at the same time. “You know, you’re very ungrateful, you know that?” This gained Angel’s attention as he looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, whilst Discord also wondered what George was getting at. “I mean, she did take you in, fed you, sheltered you, gave you all the love and attention, because she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body, and she really doesn’t like using the stare on you, from what I’ve been told.” Said George whilst he waved his hand and closed his eyes. “But then here you are, constantly demanding more than she could give, and where you constantly want to hog her for yourself when she also has to take care of the other animals. You may have her best interests, but what you don’t have is who she gets to spend time with and what she has to say.” George then looked at Angel and said, “If it weren’t for her…you’d be food for the Timberwolves.” Angel was surprised by that and growled. Then he hopped over and tried to kick George a few times, until he got lifted up, with George looking at Angel face to face. “She does her best, but she’s only one pony.” Said George, “I mean think about it, I also help her out so that she could either spend time with you, or whenever she has some free time. She may be the element of Kindness because she’s the kindest pony there is, and also brave whenever standing up to creatures that’s tougher. But what you’re doing? You don’t care about anyone else but yourself, as long as it gets you what you want, right?” George then squinted his eyes and said, “So tell me, who’s the selfish one here?” Angel looked at George, and George said, “And at least I can try, to give Fluttershy what she wants. What makes her happy. Where does that leave you?” Angel Bunny looked at George for a minute, but then sighed. He motioned to Discord, allowing the said Draconequus to snap his fingers, which confused George. “I’m scared of losing her, okay?” George looked at Angel, and was surprised he could talk. He realized Discord gave Angel the power of speech. “She took me in when I was alone.” Said Angel, “And what she did for me? No creature ever did that for me, not even the ponies. I’m just trying to protect her; I just want to keep her safe. Is that so wrong?” “You’re scared she’ll replace, you, aren’t you?” asked George. Angel was reluctant, but nodded all the same. “Angel, you know that nobody can replace you, right?” said George. “Back on my world, I had another dog before I met Trusty. A Pitbull named Butcher. When he died, I was a wreck, I lost my best friend. But when I got Trusty, I was glad I got a friend. But I knew that nothing could replace Butcher. Cause it was the love I had for my dog, as well as he for me, in here, that helped me love another dog again. And I knew he wouldn’t have wanted me to live out in misery. And Trusty had always been there for me whenever I was down. Just like I know you were there for Fluttershy when she was down, especially over the so-called embarrassed secret. Of which of course, I don’t think having tail extension is embarrassing, cause for one, I think it’s cute.” “Oh, she did.” Said Discord in agreement. “Pff, I tried to tell her that, but she still bawled like a big baby.” Muttered Angel. “The point is, Angel.” Said George, “I’m not going to steal her from you. You’re her friend, but I also love her. I owe her so much, hence why I want to spend the rest of my life with her.” “And who knows,” said Discord in a teasing manner, “If they do have kids, you’ll have a new friend to play with.” “Uh, let’s not rush it.” Said George, knowing it was a bit too soon to and too early for that kind of relationship. Angel thought about it, but sighed and said, “Alright. If you think it’ll make Fluttershy happy, then I will gladly oblige. But if you break her heart…” “It won’t come to that.” Said George. “Besides, Discord’s already planning for stuff like that.” “Indeed, I am,” said Discord before hovering over and placed his arm around his shoulder, “You know me so well.” After the talk, he placed Angel back onto the ground and walked over to get the last of the things. Once he was done, he headed out towards the door. “I promise I’ll bring her back. And make sure the animals and you are fed.” Said George. Before smirking, “And if you’re good, then I’ll sneak you two extra carrots for a midnight snack.” Angel perked up on that and tried to speak, but realized he lost it, then glared at Discord. “Well don’t look at me, it was only temporary after all.” Said Discord. “Well, I’m off.” Said George as he walked out. **************************************************************************************************** As he was outside, he looked around and tried to spot Fluttershy, but couldn’t see her. He noticed the sun was about to set, until he heard barking. He looked to his left and saw Trusty running towards him, then stopped before George petted him. He then saw Fluttershy standing there, looking very nervous at the same time. He then looked back at Trusty. “Now Trusty,” said George, “You stay here and make sure that everything is in place. Also, make sure that you don’t do anything reckless, otherwise, no treats, got it?” Trusty whined a bit, for he didn’t want to go without treats, with George saying, “Like I said, if you behave, then you’ll have them, got it?” Trusty looked as if he was in thought, until he looked at him and barked, with George petting him as he had his answer. He stood up and walked over to Fluttershy, who still stood there. She looked really nervous as she didn’t know what to do. George gently presented his hand to her, whilst Fluttershy was still very nervous. “Shall we?” Fluttershy nodded and slowly took his. Then the two of them walked towards the large hill that overlooked Ponyville, for it would be an ideal place. He then placed the blanket onto the ground, with him gesturing Fluttershy to sit down, to which he did, whilst George would start packing out their food for their date night. He began to gently make the spread all over, whilst the two of them sat down. “So, um,” said Fluttershy whilst she felt nervous, “Now what?” “Honestly, it’s my first time dating a girl,” said George, “Or in this case, a pony.” “It’s…my first time too.” Said Fluttershy. **************************************************************************************************** It had been two hours and already the two of them were having a few laughters and enjoying the food at the same time. The two of them talked about certain experiences in their lives and a few things they weren’t comfortable to talk about during those troubled times, but they were able to pull on through. ‘I don’t know how it can get more perfect than this.’ Thought George. Unknown to them, a certain Draconequus peeped from the corner and smiled with a flexed eyebrow. He snapped his fingers, causing thousands of fireflies to appear and fly all around the couple, gaining their attention as they were surprised at the same time. Fluttershy was in awe as she was amazed by this, even George found it excitable. He then felt a hand touch his. When he looked, he saw Fluttershy was holding his hand whilst staring at them with a smile on her face. He couldn’t help but smile back. He then slowly moved forward, wanting to kiss her by the cheek, but then… “Ge…” said Fluttershy before she was cut of whilst looking at him. That’s when George planted his lips…onto hers, taking her by surprise whilst her eyes widened at the same time. She felt the softness on his lips, whilst her wings were spreading and her heart was beating really fast at the same time. When he broke the kiss, he realized what he did and was instantly shocked, especially when he could tell Fluttershy blushing madly at this. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!!” exclaimed George as he was shocked by what he just did. However, Fluttershy looked down a bit as she realized…it felt very nice, for nopony had ever done that before. She never imagined that in her entire lifetime, someone would actually do that. “I didn’t mean to do that, I…!!” said George as he panicked a bit. Until he felt something pounce on him, hard, and to his surprise, it was Fluttershy, kissing him back whilst she held onto his face at the same time. Fluttershy slowly broke the kiss and had that half-lidded look in her eyes whilst smiling at the same time. “Genus,” said Fluttershy, calling by a different nickname, “Stop talking.” The two of them ended up engaging their lips with one another once more, this time, with both their eyes closed. The two of them enjoyed the feeling of their lips on both their faces whilst his arms were wrapped around her waists, with her not letting go at the same time. After that beautiful spark, the two of them walked back whilst George carried their things. “Um, Flutters?” asked George. “Yes?” asked Fluttershy as she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. “Why did you call me Genus?” asked George. “Well,” said Fluttershy after a giggle, “Ever since you called me by my nickname, I figured you’d also need one. That, and Beau told me in his world, Genus means Gentle.” “Gentle?” asked George. Then again, she did have a point. Though he sometimes gets mad, he’d never be mean to any animal, no matter how dangerous they sometimes can get. He then smiled and said, “I like it, Genus it is.” The two of them finally made it back to the house. And before they turned in, both George, now Genus, and Fluttershy, were busy doing their rounds whilst also making sure that the animals are safely turned in for the night. He then saw Trusty, sitting like a good boy and wants a treat, which Genus chuckled and gave him one, before his trusted companion went back to his basket that he and Fluttershy were able to get a month ago. Genus moved over to the couch and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Flu…” That’s when Fluttershy held his hand, gaining his attention, whilst Fluttershy felt very nervous at the same time. “Could you…stay with me?” asked Fluttershy. Once again, Genus blushed at this, and asked, “Are you sure?” Fluttershy nodded timidly. Slowly, but surely, Fluttershy guided Genus upstairs and timidly looked at him from time to time. The two of them eventually made it to her room. Thankfully, both of them went to separate rooms to get dressed in their pajamas. They then walked over to the bed, whilst Fluttershy was very nervous at the same time. Soon enough, the two of them were close enough on the bed, with the two of them greatly nervous at the same time. Until Genus made the first move and slowly placed his hand around Fluttershy’s waist, making her squeak. The two of them looked at one another in the eyes as they could not look away from one another. Before they could say anything, both of them slowly engaged their lips to one another, signifying their relationship to one another, whilst the moon was still shining outside. **************************************************************************************************** Two months had passed since Genus and Fluttershy became a couple, and both of them couldn’t have been any happier. The two of them were able to support one another whilst Genus got really comfortable living in Ponyville. During Genus’ stay, he had a few issues as Trusty sometimes chases around some animals like squirrels and cats. Though you can’t blame him, cause it’s in a dog’s nature. So, with Fluttershy’s help, he had to train him to understand that such kind of behavior would get him any treats. Naturally it worked, because if there’s one thing that Genus knows, is that Trusty loves his treats, so he was able to calm down eventually. However, he would every now and then try to keep some disobedient animals in line and help Harry the Bear at the same time. Genus was happy how the animals interacted with him because of his gentle nature and how nice he was to them. But not as happy as he is to be with Fluttershy. The two of them would always help one another, they would sometimes have picnics either alone or with animals. Mostly with animals because Fluttershy couldn’t leave them alone, especially Angel Bunny. Though he did promise the little guy that he would also spend some time with Fluttershy in order for the two of them to try and get along. One day, they went to visit Twilight to see how they were doing with Moonlight. However, the girls also came over to see how they were doing. At the same time, Applejack was showing signs of her pregnancy, same with Rarity as she was now two months pregnant. “Does anypony know how Twilight is doing?” asked Fluttershy, “We haven’t heard from them since Twilight gave birth to Moonlight.” “Well, knowing them, they have a lot of responsibility looking after a kid,” said Bucky, “I mean you can’t always expect them to do the things they like to do anymore. And sometimes it’s hard to find a babysitter for that criteria.” “Ooh, I can always babysit!!” said Pinkie. “Uh,” said Silver whilst looking at the party pony with a flexed eyebrow, “Didn’t you botch up two babysitting jobs, even when one was sort of successful whilst the other that got the Crystal Heart destroyed?” “Though to be fair,” said Rarity, “We didn’t know Flurry was going to do that.” Suddenly all of them were worried, causing all of them to quickly move over to move towards the castle. They knocked on the door hard, hoping someone would answer. The doors finally opened, and, to their surprise, it was Twilight. But what was more surprising, was the fact that her eyes were all droopy. And it was clear she didn’t sleep well for the past week. “Hey girls.” Said Twilight. “Whoa, what happened to you?!” said Rainbow, “Well, besides the obvious.” “Well,” said Twilight, until they heard a loud crash, making her sigh and said, “You’d better come see for yourself.” When they all got inside, they saw what none of them had ever expected. Everything around them was a mess, with messy foods, messy clothing, messy everything. Whilst at the same time, Beau was trying to catch Moonlight whilst she was flying around at the same time. “Moonlight, come back here, calm down!!” said Beau loudly whilst chasing after her. “But, but, I don’t understand.” Said Rarity whilst she was watching in shock, “I thought the magic you casted on her would help calm her magic down.” “Turns out her magic is a lot stronger than we thought.” Said Twilight before yawning. “Starlight’s going through another spell.” “Well given how you’re strong with your magic, I think the genetics have passed to your daughter.” Said Bucky. “Ah’m gonna hafta agree with Bucky on this one, Twi.” Said Applejack whilst rubbing the back of her head. “Yeah, and isn’t Spike supposed to help out?” Said Fluttershy. “He sometimes helps around,” said Twilight, “But he’s still sad about Rarity.” Everyone else began to groan at that. “Oh brother,” said Rainbow Dash, “That guy seriously needs to move on.” “Gotcha!!” They saw Beau had finally caught Moonlight before landing on the ground. “Now honey, please calm down.” Said Beau, “I know you’re excited, but come on.” Suddenly Moonlight had the bad case of the sniffles. When all of a sudden, she sneezed so loud, a powerful magic was shot out of her horn straight through the roof, shocking everyone. From the hole, Starlight popped up and was surprised at the same time. “Uh, I found it!!” shouted Starlight. The rest however, stared at Moonlight in shock. “Whoa, déjà vu.” Said Pinkie. “No kidding.” Muttered Applejack. “Whoa,” muttered Beau before looking at Twilight, “Is this what Flurry did back at the Crystal Empire?” “More or less.” Said Twilight whilst moving over to Beau. Moonlight giggled when Twilight decided to hold her. “Twilight, whenever was the last time you had a good night sleep?” asked Rarity in concern. “Yeah, I get watching over Moonlight is important, but you also need some balance in your own life.” Said Silver. “Oh, I am.” Said Twilight. However, the looks on their faces said otherwise. She sighed and said, “Okay, so I may have some trouble.” “My in-laws said that they’d be more than happy to have Moonlight spend some time with them, same with Flurry.” Said Beau, “But can’t do that cause we’re worried the babies might trash their house.” Starlight teleported in and said, “That’s why I was helping them look for a spell to help contain it.” “Whoa,” said everyone as they also saw the tired state she was in, with Genus saying, “You too?” “Oh, you have no idea.” Said Starlight whilst groaning, “I’m also doing this so that I could get some sleep.” “I thought you couldn’t hear the baby crying with your snoring.” Said Beau, which caused Starlight to glare at him. “Well, it’s true, I heard you snore whilst you were taking a nap. It scared Moonlight when it thought a wild boar had broken into the house.” This caused Starlight to gawk whilst everyone else in the room laughed. At first she was as red as a tomato, but then Twilight cleared her throat, gaining Starlight’s attention. Twilight looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, confirming what Beau said. “It’s really that bad?” asked Starlight, with the others nodding. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. I’ve been having that problem since I was a filly.” “Didn’t you go see a doctor about that?” asked Beau, “I’m sure that the doctors could help.” “They can?” wondered Starlight. “They sure can.” Said Beau, “I was able to show them thanks to my medical knowledge. You wouldn’t believe how many lives it saved because of that said method.” “Now, about the spell.” Said Twilight. Starlight gave them the spell, allowing Starlight and Twilight to cast it again, allowing Moonlight to be finally in control of her magic again, even if she’s a laughing bundle of joy. Beau, Twilight, and Starlight sighed in relief over it. “So, should we send a message to your parents?” asked Starlight. “Of course,” said Twilight, “But Spike…” “I got something.” Said Beau as he took out what appeared to be a candle. “This is a special flame candle. It has a dragon flame onto it whenever you light it. So, you can send a message to others to whom you write to.” “Where did you get that?” said Twilight surprised. “I had Celestia help me procure this candle,” said Beau, “Then I used the dragon flame to make a candle that can send it to other ponies.” “Wait,” said Bucky surprised, “You made a new communications candle?” “I did.” Said Beau, which surprised the others. “And you didn’t tell me this…why?” asked Twilight with her eye partially twitching. “You didn’t ask.” Said Beau. “He does have a point there, Twilight.” Said Starlight, which Twilight groaned whilst Moonlight giggled at her mother’s reaction. “Beau, send a letter.” Groaned Twilight. “Anything for you my little sparkle butt.” Teased Beau before kissing her on the nose. This caused her to leer at him and blush in embarrassment whilst the others laughed at this. **************************************************************************************************** The next day, Genus got up early and began to make breakfast for both him and Fluttershy. But during that time, he began to think how happy both Beau and Twilight are, and in time, the two of them gained a child of their own. The more he thought about it, the more his face went a bit red thinking about it at the same time. For could it be really possible? That’s when he heard a dog whine, making him see that Trusty was standing next to him. “Shh, keep it down boy, I don’t wanna ruin the breakfast surprise for Fluttershy.” Said Genus, “I promise that once I’m done, I’ll start feed you and the other animals, okay?” Trusty gave a yip whilst nodding. It still felt strange. For back on Earth, Trusty was never this obedient. Guess the more Trusty spent in Equestria, the more special and at home he felt at the same time. Whilst he was fixing breakfast, he began to think of the goods things that had happened. He lived a hard life on his world, only for him to brought to this one, and met a kind Pegasus who took him in, a stranger, and then whom he fell in love with in such a short time. He was even glad his relationship with the animals had improved. Although, with Angel it was a bit hard, especially with his jabbering and everything. But the two of them were able to find some mutual respect with one another, which he hopes is the case for them. Soon enough, the pancakes were ready and Genus gently placed them on the table, along with some delicious dice-cut potatoes. Whilst the kettle was busy boiling, he decided to bring Fluttershy down for breakfast. He knew she would smell the food, and the animals might make things noisy. So, he had to be silent, but also be fast at the same time. He was able to make to the room. And there she was, still fast asleep. He slowly walked over to her and stood on his knees. She was giving some small snores, which Genus thought it was very cute. Genus couldn’t help but smile and slowly brushed her silky-smooth mane softly, making Fluttershy sigh happily. “Good morning, Flutters.” Whispered Genus. “Good morning to you too, Genus.” Replied Fluttershy before yawning. She then took a whiff and realized a certain scent in the air. “Did you make, bre-” Genus suddenly removed the blankets and scooped her up, making her give a cute squeak at the same time. Genus could only smile whilst he watched Fluttershy blushing bright red as a tomato. “Breakfast for you, my dear. Any day.” Said Genus before giving a kiss, making her squeak again, then broke it whilst carrying her down the stairs, not seeing that she was smiling and hiding her face in his chest at the same time. She may feel embarrassed, but she really did enjoy it. The two of them soon entered the living room whilst Genus gently placed Fluttershy on the chair. Then he moved over to her and still smiled whilst rubbed her cheek whilst it was covered by her long, pink mane. “You’re always doing nice things for me and Trusty since the day you brought us inside of your home,” said Genus, “So it’s high time I returned the favor.” Genus kissed her forehead, making Fluttershy blush, but enjoyed it all the same. “Oh, Genus, thank you.” “Now then,” said Genus as he brought her breakfast and said, “You enjoy yourself whilst I quickly feed the animals. It won’t take long.” As Genus left to feed the animals for her, Fluttershy was surprised as Genus was spoiling her, which she couldn’t help but smile with a squee. She began to slowly eat her breakfast whilst Genus began to feed the animals outside. Thankfully he had help from Trusty, and surprisingly Harry, who helped them feed the animals. Once he was done, he then fed Harry with the largest jar of honey, which surprised Harry. “Don’t tell Fluttershy that I snuck in an extra-large jar for you.” Whispered Genus, which got Harry excited and hugged Genus at the same time. He gave a big bowl to Trusty, whilst he also gave one to Angel Bunny, which the latter looked at him with a stink eye. Genus then smirked at this. “Don’t tell me the famous Angel Bunny is afraid of a few measly carrots.” Teased Genus. This caused Angel to again look at Genus with a stink eye, then grabbed the carrots whilst putting it in his mouth. But as he ate, he then placed a glass with a straw and a couple of ice blocks in it. Gaining Angels’ attention. To the rabbit’s surprise, Genus put carrot juice inside of it. “Normally this is the part where everyone would either have coffee, tea, or apple juice served for breakfast, but then I figured since you’re a rabbit, you’d enjoy some nice carrot juice instead.” Said Genus. Before whispering, “And don’t worry, I won’t tell Fluttershy if you won’t.” Angel smirked at this before presenting his front paw, indicating a fist bump, to which Genus gave a gentle fist bump back. Then he heard a whistling sound. “Oh, that must be the kettle.” Said Genus as he walked in whilst Angel enjoyed a nice sip of Carrot Juice. At the same time, whilst Fluttershy was enjoying her breakfast slowly, Genus poured the two of them some coffee, to which she smiled. Once he was done, he sat down and enjoyed his breakfast with Fluttershy. He’d admit, he really enjoys her company, and… Then he slightly blushed whilst he also thought of Beau and Twilight’s wedding, and them having a child. He has to admit…it sounds very nice. **************************************************************************************************** After breakfast, and after Genus was done washing the dishes, he then thought about it again. But this time, he figured that he’d ask for advice first. And he knows just the person to ask. Or in this case, a certain pony. “Hey, Flutters,” said Genus, which caused Angel to glare at him again because he was calling his owner by her nickname, “I’m gonna step outside for a bit, I won’t be long.” “Oh?” said Fluttershy whilst looking at him, “Is everything alright?” “Uh, yeah, sure, peachy.” Said Genus, “Not gonna be long, promise.” Fluttershy kept a suspicious gaze on him, but shrugged as she figured there was nothing wrong. Genus began to walk towards Ponyville and sees the leaves falling, and figured that Autumn was around the corner. But he then focused on who to ask. He then walks towards the big crystal building, which was none other than Twilight’s Castle. He soon stood there and knocked on the door. Everything was silent at first, but then you heard a magic sound inside. Which you’d have to figure that someone was teleporting. The moment the door opened; it was none other than Starlight Glimmer. “Oh, morning Genus,” said Starlight as she opened the door, “What brings you here?” “I…need something to get off of my chest. So, I came to talk to Twilight?” said Genus whilst he wiped his feet. “Any chance she might be available?” “She’s just finishing changing Moonlight upstairs,” said Starlight, “Beau’s currently out of town to run some errands for Twilight in Canterlot, so he’ll be back later. I’ll let Twilight know you’re here whilst you wait in the living room.” Genus left for the living room and sat down whilst waiting for Twilight. Whilst he was waiting, he continued to think about Fluttershy. The more he thought, the more flustered he felt at the same time. After waiting for a bit, Genus heard the door opening. When he looked behind, he saw Twilight walking in, with Moonlight in her arms. “Oh, hello Genus.” Said Twilight whilst she walked in, “Starlight told me you were coming. Is there something you wanted to talk about?” Twilight then sat down on the couch whilst making sure not to wake up Moonlight. “I…need your advice actually.” Said Genus, “Something only you can answer. See it’s about…me and Fluttershy.” “Oh no, is something the matter with her?” asked Twilight in concern. “No, no, it’s not that. It’s just…” said Genus, before sighing and gave his reason. “I’ve been thinking about it for some time, Twilight. And…I want to take the next step with her, but I’m a little nervous. My mind is a complete mess that’s also filled with so many questions. Like what if she says ‘no’, or what if I’m not ready but she is, or what if I’m not good enough to be a decent husband?” Twilight could see how much he loves Fluttershy. So, she couldn’t help but give a soft expression whilst smiling at the same time. “Do you love Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “Of course I do.” Said Genus as he was being honest, “With all my heart. She’s like, the sweetest thing ever and I couldn’t imagine where I’d be in this world if I hadn’t met her.” Twilight chuckled for a bit and told her side. “I know what you mean.” Said Twilight, “Beau had been living in the castle with us for a month after he first got here. And when he confessed his love for me, I was completely surprised. Even though we’ve known each other for a short time, neither of us could deny the feelings we’ve developed for one another.” Twilight slightly adjusted her daughter to make sure she was comfortable. “And look at the result.” Said Twilight whilst tears of happiness welled up in her eyes whilst she kissed Moonlight’s forehead, making the said baby smile in her sleep. Genus couldn’t help but smile seeing that. For he sometimes has a soft spot for kids. “I have no doubt that Fluttershy has become very fond of you, just as you have for her.” Said Twilight. “After all, the two of you have so much in common. There’s no way she’d reject you. You just have to listen to your heart and let it guide you.” Genus thought about it, and ended up smiling about it at the same time. “Thanks Twilight, I needed to hear that.” Said Genus, “You’re quite the poet, you know that?” Twilight couldn’t help but blush and said, “I guess it’s just a benefit of being a Princess of Friendship.” “Modest now, are we?” teased a voice. Genus and Twilight saw Beau walking in with a smirk whilst walking over towards Twilight and sat next to her. “This is one of the things I live about you, Mrs. Adorkable bookworm.” Teased Beau before hugging her. Genus couldn’t help but smile at this. For if Beau and Twilight were able to make their relationship work…maybe he and Fluttershy can do it too. **************************************************************************************************** Genus walked out of the Castle after he was done talking with Beau and Twilight. He smiled, knowing what he was going to do. Until he suddenly tripped into a puddle. Then he looked up with a deadpanned glare, and noticed some pond plants that had somehow ensnared his leg. Then the plant revealed to have a head of none other than Discord. “Pff, how rude.” Said Discord. “Somehow I should’ve expected this,” said Genus, “And yet I didn’t.” “Well, that’s the point of being out of plain sight, isn’t it?” said Discord before turning himself back to normal. “So, what’s got you smiling all of a sudden, and from Twilight’s castle, no less.” “Well, I wanted to ask her for advice.” Said Genus. “What kind of advice?” asked Discord, “I can also give great advice too.” “When it comes to marriage, I don’t think so.” Said Genus. This caught Discord’s attention, then made him gasp and said right in Genus’ face, “Are you planning what I think you’re doing?!” “I am.” Said Genus, “I’ve been thinking about it for some time, and I really want to spend the rest of my life with her.” Discord suddenly wrapped himself around Genus, which surprised him, but looked at Discord with a flexed eyebrow. “Are you sure?” said Discord, who then hardened his glare and said, “And you’re not planning on doing anything mean, are you?” “Of course not.” Said Genus, “I’m speaking with honesty here.” “Honesty is Applejack’s job.” Said Discord. “You know what I mean, Discord.” Said Genus. Then frowned and said, “But…I’m also scared that I might mess things up. I mean…this is my first time falling for a girl, er, mare, after all.” Discord looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, but then kept a normal face and smiled. “Well, it may come as a surprise to you,” said Discord, “But you’re also the first pony, er, man, that she fell in love with.” Genus looked at Discord, knowing that’s true. “She’s also afraid of messing things up, believe it or not.” Said Discord, “For she does not want to lose one close to her, besides me that is. And I can tell you’re a good egg. You even tolerate me more than anypony else in Equestria, besides Fluttershy.” Genus thought about and said, “That’s true.” “And if the time does come,” said Discord, “You’d make an excellent parent. And Fluttershy would also walk her path in motherhood as well.” Genus ended up blushing at that, which caused Discord to laugh. “Oh, don’t be so bashful.” Said Discord, “You’re about to take the next step in life. And…I wouldn’t mind being a godfather to the baby.” “As long as you don’t do any shenanigans, then I’m good.” Said Genus. “Deal.” Said Discord as he unloosened himself from Genus and casually floated above him. “No go on and make her the happiest mare.” “I will.” Said Genus. However, before he could move, Discord suddenly stopped him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” asked Discord. “Like what?” said Genus, which caused Discord to scoff. “Well, I never,” said Discord before floating over to Genus and was face to face with him. “The ring, you silly hairless simian, you can’t possibly ask the element of kindness’ hand in marriage without a ruby on her finger.” That’s when it clicked in Genus’ mind, and realized that Discord was right. He couldn’t possibly propose to Fluttershy without a ring. “Do’h!!” shouted Genus before slapping his forehead, “I knew I forgot something!!” “Good thing you have a Lord of Chaos to help you out.” Said Discord before snapping his fingers. Then a butterfly shaped Ruby appeared and flew down towards the two. It then stopped, allowing Genus to hold out his hand, allowing the butterfly shaped ruby to land on it, allowing it to turn into a ring with the butterfly shaped ruby on it. “No go get her.” Said Discord as he shoved him, allowing Genus to move. Until… “And don’t forget to wear protection or have her take birth control!!” shouted Discord. “Discord!!” shouted a flustered and embarrassed Discord, causing the Lord of Chaos to laugh, with Genus marching back with a huff and a red face. **************************************************************************************************** Soon enough, Genus returned to the cottage and checked on Fluttershy. When he got there, he saw she was busy feeding the chickens. Genus then had the idea of proposing her inside of the house, which would be the only private setting. He took a breather and called out to Fluttershy. “Flutters!! I’m back!!” said Genus, gaining her attention, “Can you please come over, please? There’s something I want to tell you.” Hearing his voice, Fluttershy went back into the cottage and saw Genus waiting for her. She smiled and walked over to him whilst giving him a hug. “Hello, Genus.” Said Fluttershy quietly, “Did…did you enjoy your little outing?” “Uh, yeah, it’s just what I needed.” Said Genus as he was nervous. “Anyways, I want to tell you something very important.” Fluttershy was looking at him with curiosity with a hint of worry. “I’m listening.” Said Fluttershy. Genus then took a breath, signaling her to sit on the couch with him, which she did as the two of them were sitting together. “Ever since we started dating,” began Genus, “I felt like my life had changed for the better. First you took me and my pup in out of the kindness of your heart, then you helped me make new friends, both ponies and the wonderful animals you take care of. What I have to ask you is something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now.” Suddenly, it clicked to Fluttershy of what Genus was trying to ask her. “G-Genus,” began Fluttershy, “are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Fluttershy got her answer as Genus kneeled down whilst he pulled out the ring Discord gave him to give to Fluttershy, which was the butterfly shaped ruby. Fluttershy gasped and clasped her mouth with her fingers. “Flutters,” said Genus, “I want to have you for the rest of my life. So…will you…marry me?” When all of a sudden, the moment Genus asked that, he found himself wrapped in a hug by Fluttershy. Before he knew it, he found his shoulder wet from her hug. “Oh, Genus.” Said Fluttershy in excitement, “Of course I’ll marry you!! How can I say no to the one I love so much?” She separated the hug whilst looking at him with tears of joy in her eyes. “Nothing would make me happier to be your wife.” Said Fluttershy. Once again, she hugged him tightly, with Genus hugging her back whilst smiling in relief that she finally accepted his hand before kissing her cheek. Genus felt like he could just blast off to the moon. He soon places the ring on her finger, allowing her to accept it. “A perfect fit.” Said Genus. But then he noticed that her smile went away. “Don’t…don’t you like it?” asked Genus nervously. “No, I love it.” Said Fluttershy, “It’s just uh…I…” Fluttershy began to trail off as her face began to flush. What’s more, her ears folded back and she hid her face behind her mane, whilst feeling nervous and embarrassed at the same time. “I…I…I want to do it…” muttered Fluttershy. “It? Wha…” That’s when it clicked to Genus, causing him to blush at this too. And asked, “A-are you sure?” Fluttershy nodded, but still blushed fiercely. She darted her eyes to the stairs. Seeing that it didn’t feel so easy to talk about such, er, intimate things, even though it was just Genus and Fluttershy. Genus slowly took her hand and slowly rose from the couch, allowing the two of them to walk up the stairs whilst both of them were stull blushing madly at the same time. Soon enough, the two of them reached the bedroom door. Genus was having conflicted thoughts, considering it’s his first time. And seeing that he’s also gentle and caring, he wanted to make sure that Fluttershy didn’t get hurt too much, especially since both their virginities are about to be taken. Genus sighed and slowly began to undress until he was only in his boxers. Then he sat down on the bed, and gestured that he won’t rush her, and that she can do it at her own pace, which made her smile in relief as she continued to undress on her own. Once she was completely undressed, she was now in her underwear as her top contained her G-Cup breasts. “Wow,” commented Genus as he got up and slowly stroked her cheek, “You look beautiful Flutters.” Fluttershy then undid her bra, causing it to fall as it bounced, making her blush deepen, with Genus having something in his mind. “M-may I?” asked Genus carefully. Fluttershy knew what he was asking and nodded with a blushing smile. Genus gently placed his lips against hers, allowing him to feel her soft breast and gave it a playful squeeze, causing the shy Pegasus to make an adorable squeak. Genus did his best to be gentle with her and rubbed her breasts in circles, whilst his other hand moved to touch Fluttershy’s hips, to which made her shiver. Then he began to move his hand towards the wings of her feathers, making her giggle as it tickled her, whilst he used the back of his hand to brush against them. Pulling from the kiss in order for them to breathe, the two of them looked at one another whilst he stroked her mane. Then they repeated the cycle again. ****************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, back in what appeared to be a chaotic living room, Discord was reading a magazine, and suddenly felt a shiver of sorts. He looked around, and suddenly knew what it was and smirked. “Well, well, well.” Said Discord whilst continuing to read a magazine, “It seems Genus has finally become a man and Fluttershy a fully grown mare after all.” ****************************************************************************************** Back in her room, Fluttershy and Genus were both completely in the nude as the two of them were on the bed. Genus’ body began to act on it’s own as he lift himself up and hugged her whilst Fluttershy rode him on his lap. She noticed the move he pulled and hugged him back whilst moaning in his ear at the same time. But during that motion, Genus realized Fluttershy was doing all the work, so to make things easier, he reached down and gently grabbed her flank and began to massage it. In addition to that, he thrust his shaft deeper inside her marehood, which at this point, had loosened up and leaked out her juices. Fluttershy had never felt something so good that made her want more. She takes this moment to look at him whilst she showed her signature adorable smile. “I love you, G-Genus!!” shouted Fluttershy as she reached up to gently caressed his cheeks. “I love you too, Fluttershy!!” shouted Genus whilst he smiled back at her. Fluttershy then mashed her lips with his and thrusts her tongue inside of his mouth. Genus ended up doing the same for her whilst playing with hear big melons at the same time. Genus then groaned as he could feel the pressure coming. “Flutters!!” said Genus, “I’m g-going to…!!!” “M-Me too!!” screamed Fluttershy, “Finish it up…inside of me…Please Genus!!” The two of them then held onto one another whilst Genus continued to thrust. The pressure began to build up faster and faster until finally…the load had been released. Both Fluttershy and Genus screamed as they climaxed. So much hover, that the two of them made a mess on the bed sheets. Once the climaxes had calmed down, Genus fell down on the pillow, with Fluttershy on top of him. The two of them were panting heavily from their passionate love-making. “That was…amazing.” Breathed Fluttershy, which made Genus chuckle. He gave her cute flank a playful squeeze, making her squeak, but giggled nonetheless before nuzzling him. “You were…by far…the best…” panted Genus. “And just wait until our friends hear about this. They’ll be so excited.” “Not as excited as we’ll be when we get married. And…have our baby.” Panted Fluttershy as more tears fell from her eyes. “Whether it’s a he or a she, I just know they’ll be a gentle and kind soul like the man I fell in love with.” Hearing that, made Genus cry tears of joy. He ended up hugging Fluttershy and whispered in her ear. “I’m glad I chose you. There’s no one else I would’ve chosen to be with and raise a family. I love you so much, Fluttershy. My beloved angel.” “And I love you too, Genus.” Said Fluttershy, “My handsome knight in shining armor.” With those final words, the two of them let the fatigue take over as the two of them drifted into sleep. Chapter 18: New Dash New HumanSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 19: Wonderbolt RescueTwo weeks had passed since Cole arrived in Equestria. So far he had been trying his best to adjust to this new world. Though it seems strange, being around ponies and everything, but he was able to make it work for a bit. He was even thankful for having work at a job. Not a paying job, but as long as he’s able to get food on the table, he’s not complaining. One day, he was busy picking the apples and placed them in a basket. After he wiped the sweat from his brow, he heard a noise that sounded like a jet engine. He looked up and saw Rainbow Dash flying down to the farm. What the heck could she be doing there? “Oh, hey Rainbow,” said Cole when he saw her flying in, “What’s up?” “Nothing much,” said Rainbow, “Just swinging by and seeing how you were doing?” “Because of the fact that you wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything whacky?” said Cole rhetorically. Rainbow snickered at that a bit. “Maybe a little. But that’s not the case.” Rainbow then landed near him and brought out a ticket. “I wanted to give you a ticket to the Wonderbolt’s stunt show up at Canterlot.” Said Rainbow Dash in excitement. “Oh, okay.” Said Cole as he was surprised by the ticket. For this was the first time he was invited to go to watch a type of arial show. It may not be jets and planes, but he has to admit, the Pegasi are really good at what they do. “Thanks.” He accepted the ticket and asked, “Are the others going?” “Pff, obviously.” Said Rainbow whilst rolling her eyes. “I even gave one for Twilight and Beau, as soon as they can find a babysitter that is.” “Wait, they’re back already?” said Cole. “When did they get back?” It turned out a week ago, Cole heard that Twilight and Beau went to Canterlot High for a visit, and to introduce their child to them, which would leave them excited. “Just now.” Said Rainbow, who then rubbed the back of her head and nervously said, “And uh…” “She said her piece to your counterpart and her friends, didn’t she?” asked Cole. “Well…” said Rainbow. ********************************************************************************************* In the flashback, Twilight and Beau went over to visit Canterlot High, where they wish to introduce their child, Moonlight Sparkle. At first they fawned over her, until Twilight asked Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity to come speak to her in private. When they were, Twilight instantly slapped them, taking them by surprise. She immediately ranted out of how the three of them were supposed to look after Sunset after the Fall Formal, like they promised, and they lied to her, and that they treated her like garbage without even giving her a chance. Whilst she was ranting, the others were surprised, with Beau telling them that he told Twilight, which shocked them, with Beau saying that he didn’t Pinkie Promise her, and that the first rule of marriage, no lies, which Pinkie surprisingly understood. After that ordeal, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity apologized to Twilight for lying to her, and that they should’ve tried to help her, with Twilight warning them not to let it happen again, otherwise she’ll be even stricter. ********************************************************************************************* “Ouch.” Cringed Cole. “Yeah, it wasn’t pretty.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Though we’re both loyal, she tends to be…” “More stubborn and egotistical as you are?” teased Cole, which caused Rainbow to look at him with a glare. “Applejack and Bucky told me when we had lunch.” “I’m so gonna get her for that.” Grumbled Rainbow. But then shook it off. “Anyway, I so can’t wait to show my moves when I’m there.” “Ahem,” said Bucky when he stood next to the tree with his arms crossed, surprising Cole that he was standing there, with Rainbow also surprised. “Rainbow, what did we talk about the whole showboating thing a while back?” Rainbow groaned and said, “It’s not gonna be like that again!!” “Uh-huh.” Muttered Bucky, knowing fully well how Rainbow’s mind tends to be from time to time. “I’m not!!” said Rainbow as she once again denied it. “Anyway,” said Bucky as he changed the subject, “What can I do for you?” “Oh, I came here to get my friends and you guys tickets to see the show.” Said Rainbow Dash. “When is it?” asked Bucky. “Just about next week.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Well,” thought Bucky, “We are off next weekend, and we’re ahead of schedule for our deliveries and supplies. I’m sure we can watch it.” “Seriously?” said Rainbow with a flexed eyebrow when he said that. “Hey, I’m just saying,” said Bucky, “Last time we invited you and the others to come with us to watch that Rodeo contest, you had to call in sick because of the feather flu.” “Feather flu?” said Cole surprised. “That’s really a thing?” “Ugh, you don’t wanna know.” Grumbled Rainbow as she didn’t want to think about it. “I still can’t believe I got the case of the Feather Flu. Me, the mare who makes sure she’s healthy.” “And having a habit of going overboard.” Said Bucky with a smirk “Hey!!” said Rainbow whilst she was ticked off by that comment. “Because of my training, I ended up doing things by ten seconds flat!!” “And makes you ten seconds dummier whenever you crash.” Teased Bucky in a goofy accent. “What?!” shouted Rainbow before she growled with a red face. Cole couldn’t help but snicker at that, until Rainbow was dangerously close to his face as she said with a glare, “Is something funny?” Cole couldn’t explain it, but the more he looks at her, the more he realized how pretty her eyes were. “Wow,” said Cole, “Those pretty eyes…” Once again, it made Rainbow blush madly at that, causing her to groan out loudly and said, “Will you stop doing that?!” “Hey, you want us to see your show, or not?” said Cole whilst he did a mock glare at her. Rainbow groaned at that and pulled away and said, “Yeah, I do.” “Then don’t you have somewhere else to be?” asked Cole rhetorically, “Or do you like me to tease you further about you…” “Okay, I’m outta here!!” exclaimed Rainbow as she didn’t want to be reminded of her embarrassing secret again. Cole shook his head and said, “Sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever understand her.” “Trust me,” said Bucky when he walked over to her, “Applejack and the others couldn’t figure her out either. But we made it work, nonetheless. Though I sometimes catch her napping on one of the trees every now and then.” “Is she lazy?” asked Cole in confusion. “Not really,” said Bucky, “There’s a reason why she’s the top athlete, and she tries to see what her friends are doing. If only we could convince her to stop complaining about everything.” “Complaining?” said a confused Cole. “Put it this way,” said Bucky, “Rainbow wanted to bring Fluttershy to watch the Dragon Migration a while back and…” “Wait, Dragons? Like Spike?” asked Cole. “That’s the one.” Said Bucky, “Anyway, she didn’t want to watch the dragons cause they’re scared of her. They told her they’d be safe, but she still refused. Then Rainbow reminded her that Rainbow had to watch the Butterfly migration with her and that she owed him, but she still refused. Rainbow didn’t like watching the Butterfly migration either, and you don’t see her complaining about it.” “Wait, if Rainbow didn’t like or wanted to watch the butterfly migration, why didn’t she just say no?” asked Cole. “That’s…I don’t know, we didn’t get an answer out of that either.” Said Bucky. “So, are we going to the show?” asked Cole. “Sure are.” Said Bucky, “But I’m gonna make doubled sure that nothing goes wrong. The last thing I want is anything to hurt the babies.” “Babies?” asked Cole in confusion. “Rarity’s also pregnant.” Said Bucky, “So we gotta make doubly sure.” “Ah, gotcha.” Said Cole, then looked at himself, “And whilst I’m here, thanks to the bits I earned I’ll ask them if they could make me some attire, maybe some shoes as well.” “I’m sure they would,” said Bucky, “Silver already knows how to make proper footwear. Though he only makes it on occasions, considering all the ponies in town have, er, hooves.” “Right, forgot about that.” Said Cole. “But would it be okay if I go find some proper attire?” “Sure thing, you’re already done for the day.” Said Bucky, “So you go on ahead, I’ll go get these to the barn so you don’t have to worry about it.” “Thanks, will do.” Said Cole as he went ahead to the boutique whilst Bucky took the wagon filled with apples to the barn. ********************************************************************************************* A few days later, it was time for the big show. Cole walked over to the train station and took out a pocket watch that he recently bought. He noticed that it was nearly 3PM. “Aw, yeah!!” He looked to his right and saw a younger Pegasus girl arriving with her scooter. This would be Scootaloo, he remembered Bucky telling him about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the shenanigans they caused just to try and find them. And sometimes she’d have an even bigger ego than Rainbow, especially when she tends to act all cool. “Nailed it!!” said Scootaloo after she landed. “Heh, still doing your moves on the scooter, huh?” said Cole. Though Scootaloo was a little startled, she saw Cole standing there and waving to her. “Oh hey.” Said Scootaloo whilst recognizing him. “Cole, right?” “That’s right.” Said Cole, “I assume Rainbow gave you a ticket as well?” “Sure did!!” said Scootaloo in excitement and held her ticket. “I am so looking forward to seeing her in action!!” He couldn’t help but find Scootaloo’s admiration for Rainbow adorable whilst he rolled his eyes at the same time. Scootaloo then noticed him holding something. “Hey, since when did you get a pocket watch?” said Scootaloo in confusion. “Bought it yesterday.” Said Cole, “Figured that I’d be able to tell the time as well as being on time. Sometimes I make a habit of being a little early. And from what I noticed, you as well.” “What can I say, I’d never miss anything that’s important.” Said Scootaloo, “Whether its Rainbow Dash, or with my friends.” “Speaking of which,” said Cole, “Bucky told me you lot were having trouble what to do after you got your Cutie Marks. Gotta admit, that’s kind of ironic.” “It is?” said Scootaloo in confusion. “Yeah,” said Cole, “You spent so long trying to find your Cutie Marks, you didn’t think what would happen once you do get them.” Scootaloo also laughed at that and said, “You know what, this is ironic.” The two of them laughed a bit at that, with Cole saying, “But did you figure out what you were going to do?” “We did a while back.” Said Scootaloo, “And so far we’ve been helping others realize their destinies, as well as helping them find their Cutie Marks.” “That’s good.” Said Cole, “I hope you and your friends continue to be successful in the future.” “Thanks.” Said Scootaloo whilst smiling. Cole then noticed something from behind her, and said, “Oh look, here come the others right now.” The Mane 6, Beau, Bucky, Silver, and Genus arrived, along with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “Wow, you’re early.” Said Bucky when he noticed Cole. “What can I say,” said Cole, “During my high school days, I was always punctual and on time. Plus, it pays to be prepared when it comes to wanting to be a step ahead.” “I hear that.” Said Beau. “Come on everyone, we’ve got a train to catch.” Everyone soon boarded the train, with Apple Bloom asking, “Mr. Beau, are y’all sure that Moonlight will be alright goin to a noisy show?” “Don’t worry, we’ll drop her off at Twilight’s parents’ place.” Said Beau, “They’ve been wanting to spend more time with Moonlight.” “They were a little busy visiting Ponyville when they were staying in Canterlot, but thankfully they’ve cleared their schedule to look after her.” “That’s good to hear.” Said Sweetie Belle, “But what about Applejack and Rarity? Will they be okay?” “Now don’t you worry there, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack. “We’ll be extra careful over there.” Said Rarity once she took her seat. ********************************************************************************************* It had been ten minutes after all of them left Ponyville via train. And things were pretty quiet. “What do you mean you don’t have any!!” Or maybe not. Right now, Rarity was fuming as she shouted at the clerk. “I want a confectionary treat!!” shouted Rarity, “I don’t want any stinking sandwiches!!” “I’m sorry ma’am, but we simply don’t have anything else to serve!!” said the clerk in a panic. “But I simply crave for something sweet!!” Cried Rarity dramatically, “Because the cravings I have are simply terrible!! I just want to eat something without the need to throw up!!” She then placed her head against a seat and muttered, “Stupid pregnancy.” This confused the clerk, with Silver saying, “Sorry about that, she’s currently expecting. And it’s nearly three months.” This surprised the clerk, but then whispered, “I’m sorry that we don’t have any sir, but if you want to blame somepony, blame the pink one with the poofy hair.” “Pinkie Pie?” whispered Silver, which caused Rarity and Applejack to overhear him, as well as the others. “That’s right.” Said the clerk, “Because of her constantly buying them on every train ride she’s on and not letting everypony else buy them, we keep losing money just to purchase more of them, so the RTA had voted to make sandwiches just to save what was left of our budget, and until we get more funds, we won’t be able to buy any more of them.” After explaining things, the clerk walked away whilst surprising everyone. This caused Rarity to fume and look at Pinkie Pie. “This is all your fault!!” shouted Rarity as she pointed at Pinkie Pie, which confused the latter. “What did I do?” said a confused Pinkie Pie. “Because of your constant sweet tooth cravings, there isn’t any to buy!!” said Rarity. “Hey, that’s not true!!” said Pinkie Pie. “Uh, Pinkie.” Said Rainbow Dash, gaining her attention, “I’m gonna have to side with Rarity on this one. If I remember correctly, last time the both of us were riding the train together when we were on a friendship mission to Griffonstone, you ended up using all the bits to buy them. Bits that Twilight gave us that we were supposed to give the Griffons and ended up using all of them.” “What?!” said Twilight shocked, then looked at the latter and said, “Pinkie!!” “You know I can’t control myself when it comes to sweets!!” said Pinkie Pie. “What would you know about self-control?!!” shouted Rarity, “All you ever think about is making a big fat pig out of yourself!!” “Hey, I don’t make a big fat pig out of myself!!” said Pinkie Pie with a loud voice. “Y’all cake and food bill says otherwise!!” said Applejack loudly. “And besides Pinkie,” said Rainbow Dash, “If you hadn’t spent all those bits, I wouldn’t have been stuck and nearly fall off the ledge when I was trying to get that stupid model in the first place.” “Alright, calm down!!” shouted Beau, causing everyone to be silent. “Look, there were a handful of faults here, but let me say this. Rarity and Applejack, calm down, your pregnancy talks are getting out of hand. Rainbow, if anyone was a fool as well it was you, because you entrusted her into looking after the bits instead of you. Twilight, you shouldn’t have asked them to take so much bits with you, because if you weren’t so ignorant and caught up on lost times, you would’ve known that Griffonstone had faced a financial crisis and poverty for the past one hundred years.” This caused everyone to pause and think about what had happened. “Oh dear, you’re right.” Said Rarity as she realized her pregnancy had made her say the wrong things. “I’m sorry Pinkie Pie.” “Ah’m sorry too.” Said Applejack. Pinkie Pie sighed and looked out of the window, “I know.” “How the heck is it that you’re able to calm them down so quickly?” asked Cole. “Trust me, I learned a thing or two from my wife whilst watching her do what she does.” Said Beau, “That and most times she kept wanting to ask a ton of questions of the difference between the species here and on our world.” Twilight giggled sheepishly at that. But then she remembered something. “You know, I forgot to ask.” Said Twilight, “When you explained about Changelings, Dragons and so on from your world? What about ponies in general?” “Well for starters, Unicorns, Alicorns, and Pegasi are considered a myth in our world, but they are told plenty of times through folklore and legends.” Said Beau. “Folklore and legends?” said Rarity in confusion. “That’s right,” said Beau, “In our world, Unicorns and Alicorns were known for their purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin and their horns have the power to purify and cure people of all diseases like measles and rubella, ailments such as fever and body aches. They even have the power to cleanse water of toxins and poisons in order for it to be safe for consumption. Creating healing powder, detecting, and nullifying poisons and so on, something that a wizard would do.” The Mane 6 was silent at first, then they all suddenly laughed at that notion. “I’m sorry darling, but that’s just ridiculous.” Said Rarity whilst wiping her tears. “Yeah, no Unicorn can do that, and Princesses Celestia, Luna, or even Cadence couldn’t even do that.” Said Twilight before she giggled. “Tell that to the Unicorns of myth in my world.” Said Beau. However, he suddenly noticed Twilight was intrigued and thought about it. He smirked and said, “You’re planning to do research to see if it’s possible, aren’t you?” Twilight blushed at this and denied it by going, “Pff, no.”, then went, “Okay, maybe a little.” Rainbow was then curious about something, and asked, “What about Pegasi? Can they control the weather in your world?” “Oh, the weather on our world happens naturally like the Everfree forest, no manipulation whatsoever.” Said Beau, which surprised the ponies, “However, they are well known in mythology from the country of Greece. It’s said that Pegasi often assist great heroes to fight against dangerous creatures like the Kraken and the Chimera.” “Sweet!!” said Rainbow in excitement, “Glad to see we’re known for helping heroes.” Applejack was now also curious, “And what about Earth Ponies?” “They do a lot of things with humans whenever it comes to help building up a land.” Said Beau, “They help a lot in farming when ploughing the fields and help deliver the harvests, did many races either singular or chariot. Helped lead an attack against a foreign enemy. Heck, I still remember a horse that was dear to me. Winafred. He was quite the friend, and we raised it well back at my family’s old ranch.” This surprised the ponies, even Twilight was surprised by this, and asked, “All of you raise horses?” “Sure do,” said Beau, “My family was known as the horse lords, and our family crest does have the symbol of the horse. They’re known as the most majestic and beautiful creatures, as well as reside their desire to be strong and independent. As well as the amazing willpower, determination, and among the cleverest of them all.” The ponies in the cart were greatly surprised by what the horses represent in their world, which some couldn’t help but find a newfound respect for Beau. “So,” said Cole as he felt like he needed to change the subject, “What’s Canterlot like?” “Well,” said Rainbow when she decided to change the subject, “Aside from all the snobs who live there, it’s like one of those high-class, fancy cities. Way too glittery for my taste, no offense, Rarity.” “Ignoring that,” said Rarity as she didn’t want to feel insulted, “It’s also where the Princesses of Equestria live. Unlike the Nobles of Canterlot, the Princesses are very kind and caring about their subjects.” “It also happens to be the capitol of Equestria.” Said Beau, “Every diplomat goes there from time to time to discuss civil matters. However, last time I was there, some of the nobles don’t take too kindly to different creatures of different kingdoms.” “Why not?” said a confused Cole. “Because of the businesses and wealth that their families had built, they let the riches go straight to their heads, thinking that they can do whatever they want and that they think they call the shots.” Said Beau, “When I last time talked to Princess Celestia, she told me some of the nobles wanted to kick them out so that it would only be a Unicorn ruling state, despite forgetting what the founders of Equestria stood for.” “Really?” said Twilight surprised, for this is the fire time she heard of it, even her friends. “That’s right,” said Beau as he explained, “When Equestria was founded, many ponies chose to help the kingdom prosper. Many of them helped many lands, towns, villages, and cities to grow overtime and soon gain the title of Lord and Lady over the land and the places they govern, helping it turn into the kingdoms they are, even after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took over.” Beau then looked at the landscape of Equestria. “But as time went by, as many didn’t realize until it was too late, many took over companies that their ancestors built, as well as being in charge of managing finances, militaries and so on, they let the wealth and power go straight to their heads. They immediately think that they should be in charge and most times they would do whatever it took to take over Equestria with an iron hoof, without thinking of the consequences that would follow. In the end, they only cared about themselves and let other creatures from other kingdoms see ponykind as a xenophobic race who wouldn’t lift a hoof to help others who are struggling, like helping Griffonstone with their financial problems, because the ponies in charge think that they own everything.” Everypony was once again surprised by Beau’s honesty. “Though Rarity is right,” said Beau, “Some rich ones like Fancy Pants and Fleur are alright, but when it comes to others, that’s when, pardon my expression, shit hits the fan.” “Ewe!!” said everypony at the same time in disgust. “He’s not wrong.” Said Bucky. “Some are like that,” said Silver, “I should know, I attended a few before my parents’…er…demise.” “Right,” said Genus, “You were part of the whole high society schtick.” “I was.” Said Silver, not wanting to think about it whilst staring at the window, with Rarity holding his hand, not wanting him to think of those thoughts. ********************************************************************************************* Soon enough, everyone arrived at Canterlot and departed from the train. They looked around and some of the humans were amazed by the city, considering it’s their first time, especially Cole. When they looked around, some of the nobles gave them skeptical looks, but some were distracted by Moonlight Sparkle, causing some to be surprised, especially since the Princess of Friendship is carrying her. “Looks like every pony in Canterlot knows you have a child.” Whispered Beau. “But they don’t know who the father is.” “They will in time.” Said Twilight, “Though I just hope that they’re accepting of her.” “I hope so too.” Said Beau. “Though the way some of them act, kind of reminds me of some of the folks back at my hometown.” “I never asked,” said Twilight, “What was the name of your hometown?” “Can’t remember,” said Beau, “I know that my family said that we came from a country known as France, but they then fled to the United Kingdom to get away from conflict and war. After that, they moved to the United States. We were even involved during the Great War.” “Great War?” said Twilight surprised. But then she and the others noticed grim looks on the humans’ faces. “It’s not something we want to talk about.” Said Bucky. “All of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought in that war.” Said Silver. “They were hailed as heroes, but they were just lucky to get out of it alive.” Said Genus. “Because of that war, over sixty million lives were lost.” Said Cole, “There’s a reason that it was called the darkest moment in human history.” This surprised the ponies, as some of them felt like they didn’t want to know or ask that question at the same time. Soon enough, everyone arrived at the Canterlot Stadium, which surprised the humans, since it’s their first time there. And during that time, Cole noticed how Rainbow was getting all giddy and excited to perform ever since she became a full member of the Wonderbolts, whilst also giggling and having a toothy grin whilst pumping her fists. “Heh, I can’t help getting so excited, knowing I’m about to crash a competition!!” said Rainbow Dash in excitement. “Ha!” said Cole as he teased her whilst giving her a slight nudge with his elbow, “I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before. But when you get hyped up like that, you make yourself look and sound cute.” Rainbow Dash’s excitement was replaced with a combination of embarrassment and annoyance. Deciding to take it out on Cole, she tried to stomp on his foot…only to get a nasty surprise as she made a face. Before they knew it, Rainbow ended up yelping in pain and hopped around in one hoof whilst holding her other one. She ended up hopping around whilst making cute noises whilst biting her lower lip. She then looked at him with a cute pouty face whilst Cole laughed. “Sorry about that Dash, steel toe boots.” Said Cole as he pointed at his shoes. He even tapped on it just to show it. He turned to Silver and said, “Thanks again for hooking me up with these, Silver.” “You’re welcome,” said Silver, “Normally making them would be hard, considering ponykind doesn’t have feet, but I’m glad I remember the skills to do it.” “Ooooh,” said Rainbow after she stopped hopping and pointed at him, “You’re gonna pay for that, but not right now.” “Ain’t that the truth.” Everyone saw Spitfire and her fellow Wonderbolts standing there with their jumpsuits as they were about to get ready for their show. The moment Rainbow saw her, she got serious and went over to her whilst salting to the two of them. “Good afternoon, Captain Spitfire, you too Fleetfoot.” Said Rainbow. “At ease, Crash.” Said Spitfire and temporarily saluted back. “The show doesn’t start for another 30 minutes. Nice to see you’re punctual as usual, though.” She then noticed Cole standing with the others, “By the way, who’s this? Friend of yours?” “He’s a newbie in Ponyville.” Said Rainbow Dash, “We’ve already become best buds in just two short weeks. I wanted to show him one of our shows and possibly wow him with my awesomeness.” “And there’s the cuteness.” Teased Cole, which caused Rainbow to blush and slightly glare at him before he went over to greet her. “The name’s Cole Bolton, nice to meet you.” “Same here.” Said Spitfire. Then she noticed Silver. “Hey, you’re the human from the boutique in Ponyville.” “Hey there, Spitfire, been a while.” Said Silver. “Wait, you know her?” said a surprised and confused Rainbow Dash at the same time. “He does,” said Spitfire, gaining Rainbow’s attention, “I went over to the boutique the other day and bought a dress over there.” “Speaking of which, how did it go?” asked Silver. However, upon looking at her face, that’s when he knew. “That bad, huh?” “Yeah…I don’t wanna talk about it.” Said Spitfire. “Anyway, the Pegasus here next to me is Fleetfoot.” “Nice to meet you.” Said the Pegasus next to her. “Good to meet you.” Said Cole. Before anyone else could say anything, two more members of the Wonderbolts showed up. Both of them were none other than Soarin and Misty Fly. “Captain, it’s almost time!!” said Soarin, “We gotta get dressed and ready for the show!!!” “Ugh, it’s always something.” Said Spitfire to herself. Seems like she hates it when someone, er, somepony, has to cut their conversation short. “Sorry to bail, but we gotta get going.” “Let’s go Dash.” Said Fleetfoot. “Right.” Said Rainbow as she got up. “Oh, and by the way, Princess Twilight?” said Spitfire. “Yes? What is it, Spitfire?” asked Princess Twilight. “We got the VIP seats ready for you and your friends.” Said Spitfire, “So don’t worry about when you have to teleport, the guards will know that it’s you.” After Spitfire and her group left with Rainbow, Cole then wondered something. “Wait, how did you know that they’ll teleport.” Asked Cole. “Well for one, we need to drop off Moonlight at Twilight’s parents’ place.” Said Beau, “She’s not ready for the noisy environment yet.” “I just hope the two of them are at home.” Said Twilight. “The others can go ahead whilst we go to Night Light and Twilight Velvet.” Said Beau. “But why not teleport us there too?” asked Cole. “For one, we don’t want to hurt the babies,” said Beau, “If we do, it could leave a horrible side effect.” “He does have a point, Cole.” Said Rarity as she held onto her belly, same with Applejack, “I simply don’t want anything to happen to my child before her big day.” “Same here.” Said Applejack. “Hopefully not like that other woman back on the human world.” Said Cole. “What to you mean?” asked Scootaloo in confusion. “There was this one guy who was a bit of a trouble maker, and a bit of a womanizer.” Said Cole, “The women of the neighborhood didn’t like him, and then one of them said that she didn’t want to bring a new baby to the world with that guy running around.” The other guys realized this and all laughed at the same time. “What?” asked Apple Bloom in confusion. “We know who he’s talking about.” Said Beau. “He’s talking about a guy named Quagmire from a show we once watched.” Said Bucky. “And then Bonnie, the wife of a cop who was also Quagmire’s friend, said that she didn’t t want to bring a new baby into the world.” Said Silver. “But then Quagmire’s friend, Peter, said something that made us all laugh and made us realize that he had a point.” Said Genus. “What’s that?” asked Sweetie Belle. Then all the guys said at the same time. “Okay, first of all, Bonnie, you’ve been pregnant for like six years, alright? Either have the baby or don’t.” This caused the mares of the group to gawk in shock and shouted, “Six years?!” “Whyever would they take so long?!” said Rarity in shock. “Even I know that’s medically impossible!!” said Twilight. “Eh, I don’t know, the writers were the ones who made that up.” Said Cole. “Yeah, even we’re still baffled by why they made something like that.” Said Bucky. “Anyway, awkward birthing info aside,” said Applejack, “Let’s just get a move on.” “Agreed.” Said everyone before going their separate ways. ********************************************************************************************* Soon enough, everypony arrived at their seats at the stadium, with the Mane 6 and the humans arriving at their VIP seats as well. Cole noticed some of the ponies still giving them looks, which made him groan at that. “And I thought everyone back on Earth was jerks.” Muttered Cole. “You get used to it.” Said Genus, as he was speaking from experience. As they waited for the show to start, Cole was then curious about something. “Hey girls? If you don’t mind me asking, when did Rainbow Dash first get into the Wonderbolts?” asked Cole. “Well, it’s a long story.” Said Twilight, “But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you, since we’ve got plenty of time to spare.” Cole began to listen as Twilight explained. “Okay,” began Twilight, “A couple of years ago, Rainbow Dash had turned in her application to join the Wonderbolts Academy in order to live out her lifelong dream. She’d been wanting to get in for a long time and she finally got her wish.” “But uh, things didn’t go so well durin’ her first week.” Said Applejack whilst rubbing the back of her head, “This other Pegasus who went by the name o’ Lightning Dust gave Rainbow Dash an’ Cap’s Spitfire a run fer their bits. She was both fearless an’ possibly the most reckless Pegasus in the entire Academy.” “She almost got us killed when we went to deliver a package to Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, “Otherwise we’d have to watch Pinkie Pie wait for the mail. Anyway, after Spitfire dismissed Lighting Dust from the academy, Dash continued her training in the academy as a leader instead of a wing pony.” Cole was surprised by this and looked down whilst seeing Rainbow Dash. He can’t imagine how hard she must’ve worked to get her spot on the team. Then again if it’s anything like back home, not everyone is lucky to get in the flying team. Like the air force, navy SEALS, and so on, if you don’t have what it takes, you don’t deserve to be on the team. He had thoughts like that, but it went sideways and was thrown out of the window. “Fillies and Gentlecolts!!” Cole was brought out of his thoughts and saw the announcer, who was, ahem, announcing the crowd. “For tonight’s show, we are proud to introduce you to the best flying team known to ponykind…the WONDERBOLTS!!!!” And right on cue, the Wonderbolts arrived at the center whilst the crowd was roaring with cheer and applause, even Scootaloo, which Cole couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable she is at cheering for her idol. **************************************************************************************************** The announcer spoke to the entire crowd whilst Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Rainbow Dash were behind her. “Now, for the first part of the show, be prepared for the race of the century! As many of you all know, the three leaders, Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Rainbow Dash have had a total of 35 wins each under their belts! This race will determine who take home the platinum trophy for world’s greatest flyer! After that, stay tuned for the best Wonderbolts stunt performance! Now if everyone is ready, LET’S... GO... RACING!” the mare announces before sounding the air horn. During the flying, everyone was getting into it. Cole couldn’t help but admire how fast Rainbow was flying, and how she was able to ace it. No longer being able to contain himself, Cole stood up. “GO FOR IT, DASH! SHOW ‘EM WHO’S BOSS!!!” yelled Cole. What he didn’t know, whilst flying, Rainbow saw him and heard him shout like that. Which for some reason, gave her the confidence boost, allowing her to try to fly even faster. The suspense was almost too much to take, but alas you finally got your answer from the announcer. “Alright mares and Gentlecolts, I think I kept you all waiting long enough. The winner of the great Canterlot derby is... RAINBOW DASH!” Immediately the stadium was filled with applause especially from the row you were sitting in. The girls all cheered and screamed with joy after witnessing their friend clench victory. Rainbow Dash pumped her fist and starts doing a loop-de-loop. However, upon flying, Fleetfoot noticed something and tried to warn her. “Now Crash let’s take it easy...” Fleetfoot said as she tried to calm her down. “Ah, yeah! Rainbow’s the best! Rainbow’s the best! WAHOO!!!” Dash shouted, praising herself. “Crash, didn’t you hear me?!” said Fleetfoot, trying to get her attention when she realized what was going on. “I said…!!” However, the moment Rainbow bumped into Fleetfoot, it happened. Rainbow’s wing suddenly bent as if it had the bad case of the cramps, making her grunt in pain. Before she knew it, she began to plummet and fall down to the stage, causing everyone to scream and gasp in panic when she was falling. She tried to fly, but because of her injured wing, she couldn’t. As she fell, something happened inside of Cole. Suddenly, every bit of his muscle felt like he wants to react, how the adrenaline was pumping through his body. And out of instinct…he went for it. “Dash!!!” shouted Cole in panic. Within a split second, before anyone else could react, he ran. Cole rushed passed and pushed passed any pony who would’ve blocked him, but he didn’t care as he kept on going with great speed. He even pushed past security before they could even stop him as they saw how fast he was going. Cole continued to run towards the stage whilst Rainbow continued to fall down as she struggled to maintain her position after her wing was cramped. “Why do I always keep doing this?” muttered Rainbow in pain as she can’t believe she did that again. Before she realized, as well as everyone else, Cole was standing below her as he was in the perfect position to catch her. As she was close, Cole jumped as high as he could whilst extending his arms. The moment she was close, Cole grabbed her and held onto her tight whilst he would use his back to cushion her fall with a loud thud. Cole groaned from the impact, for it hurt. Rainbow slowly opened her eyes and realized that she was unhurt. But then she felt someone hold her. ‘Did…somepony save me?’ wondered Rainbow. ‘Who…?’ She felt someone move as he groaned a bit, realizing the one who caught her was in pain. But he grunted through it as he sat up right and gently held her by the shoulders and making her look at him. And to her surprise…it was Cole. “D-Dash!! Hey, Dash!! You alright?!” said Cole in panic and concern. Rainbow on the other hand looked at Cole in both shock and surprise. Did he…really save her? She couldn’t explain it, but her heart was beating fast whilst she had a difficulty of breathing. And thank goodness she was wearing her suit, otherwise he would’ve seen her blush. Despite all that, she managed to nod her head slowly. Cole then gave a sigh of relief. “Thank heaven.” Muttered Cole in relief. Cole helped the surprised Rainbow Dash back onto her hooves. However, due to the impact his back had, he groaned a bit whilst still being in pain. “Yo, Crash!!” The two of them saw Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soaring flying in, wanting to make sure Rainbow as okay. But when Cole felt like he was going to fall over, Soarin instantly went over and helped him up. “You took a really nasty fall there,” asked Spitfire in concern, “Got any broken bones?” “Other than this busted wing, I’ll be okay.” Said Rainbow Dash whilst she cringed as she felt her wing still stung a bit. “Doesn’t look like you’ll be performing for the rest of the show,” said Fleetfoot as she landed next to Rainbow. “Then again Crash, I did tell you to chill. If this young man hadn’t swooped in and caught you, you’d be having more than just a busted wing.” “Speaking of which,” said Spitfire as she moved over to Cole and looked at him, “You okay there?” “I’m good.” Said Cole, “Good thing I’m not an old man, otherwise my spine would’ve been torn in two.” “Still, that was pretty fast.” Said Soarin, “Why’d you run down here to fast?” “Honestly, I don’t know.” Said Cole, “I guess I just…acted on instinct.” “Either way, that was true bravery you showed,” said Spitfire, “If you were a Pegasus, I’d make you a member of the Wonderbolts in a heartbeat.” “Always a pleasure, ma’am.” Said Cole as he did the best he could to stand up straight and delivered a salute to Spitfire. The latter couldn’t help but chuckle and return that gesture. Cole then put his hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, “Come on Dash, we need to get that wing of yours taken care of.” Rainbow pouted a bit as she was bummed that she was out of today’s performance, whilst they left the stage. Back at the crowd, the rest of the Mane 6 and humans were surprised to see what happened. “Did anyone see Cole move that fast?” said a surprised Bucky. “Surprised me too.” Said Applejack. ********************************************************************************************* Back at the Canterlot Athlete’s hospital, Rainbow was on the bed whilst her wing was in a cast as Cole sat beside her at the bed. Rainbow groaned a bit whilst she raised her arms in the air. “It’s so unfair.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Oh, stop whining.” Said Cole playfully, “Besides, like Fleetfoot said, it could’ve been much worse. But on the bright side, you did finish first in the race, and I gotta tell you, that was one of the coolest races I’ve ever seen. Almost as cool as you.” That got a chuckle out of Rainbow as the praise seems to have helped. “Well, I don’t wanna toot my own horn, but I can make any race and stunt performance 20% Cooler. I even had a special finale that I had been saving just for you. But…considering the fact that I maybe went a little overboard, it’ll have to wait a while, sorry bud.” Cole could see how she felt embarrassed because of the stunt she pulled, especially with her ears drooping. “Ah, it’s okay, Dash.” Reassured Cole, “I’m just glad you’re okay.” However, Rainbow thought about earlier, of how he just run towards the stage and saved her despite her fellow Wonderbolts that could’ve saved her earlier. Rainbow felt embarrassed to wanting to say it, but she wanted to get it off her chest. “You know…” began Rainbow, “That was pretty awesome. The way you…ya know, swooped in, and saved me. And I uh…well…there’s something that I want you to promise me you’ll keep a secret.” Cole raised a brow at that, but nodded nonetheless as he leaned forward. “Well…you see…” began Rainbow. However, the moment before she could say anything, the door to her room opened and within moments, her friends and their human companions arrived with worried looks on their faces. ‘Every time!’ thought Cole as he didn’t like folks interrupting, but he chose not to show it. “Ya gave us quite a scare out there, Rainbow Dash!!” scolded Applejack. “Would it kill ya to hold off on the showin’ off ever’ once in a while.” “Pff, like you’re one to talk.” Said Bucky after a playful scoff. However, he immediately began to shut up when Applejack glared at him, but then softened when Fluttershy placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “Is the injury serious?” asked Fluttershy. “The doctor said the bone is still intact…” said Rainbow. “Which I’m surprised that there are actual bones inside of the wings.” Said Cole, but then realized something and blurted, “Oooh, so that would explain the wing bo…” Beau instantly clasped his mouth shut and scolded, “Dude, not in front of the future kids!!” “Oh, sorry.” Said Cole. “Anyway,” said Rainbow, “He said that it’ll just need about 3 to 4 weeks to fully recover. And, Hehe, sorry for getting carried away…” “Again.” Said the guys, which caused Rainbow to glare, but then chuckled with the others. “Eh, water under the bridge, Dashie.” Said Pinkie Pie as she got a few cupcakes and goodies from out of nowhere whilst saying, “Here, have this!! I made a big batch of rainbow-frosted cupcakes!! As well as a ‘get well’ present!! And that’s only just the icing on the cake. Just wait until I throw you the, ‘congratulations on making a full recovery’ party!!” Cole couldn’t help but smiled as Rainbow’s friends and their husbands, and er, future, husband, had shown concern for her. With all this attention, Cole decided to take some time before he had the privacy to talk to Rainbow Dash, as well as the so-called secret she wanted to tell him. But he had learned form his cousins that patience is a virtue. And whilst he wait, he just sat there and watched as everyone showed how relieved Rainbow was going to be okay. “You know that was very brave of you.” Cole turned to his left and saw Beau standing next to him. “You running out on instinct just to save her despite the others going to do that.” Said Beau. “Honestly I don’t know what came over me.” Said Cole, “My feet just acted on their own.” “Which is understandable.” Said Beau. “But I think it’s clear as day that you like her, otherwise you wouldn’t have done that.” This caused Cole to blush madly and said, “No, I…” “Then why did you compliment her tush?” teased Beau. This caused Cole to blush madly and groan at this. “Just saying.” Said Beau before joining Twilight. Cole sighed and figured that someone must’ve spilled the beans. “They’re not gonna let me live this down, are they?” Chapter 20: A lover's loyaltyAuthor's Note Sorry this took so long. Life kept me very busy. Chapter 20: A lover's loyalty It had been two weeks since Cole had last seen Rainbow at the hospital at Canterlot. And seeing that everyone was too busy and all of them needed to sort out their own problems. Especially since something called Hearth’s Warming Eve was three months away. At first, Cole didn’t get what that was, but thanks to Beau, he explained it’s sort of like Christmas. And it’ll be the others’ first ones, especially Moonlight’s. One day, Cole had walked towards the hospital, where he would be waiting for Rainbow Dash, seeing that the rest of her friends are busy. Twilight and Beau took Moonlight to the doctor to make sure she’s okay, cause it’s her first flu. Bucky and Applejack, along with Silver and Rarity, went to the hospital to make sure the newborn young ones are going to be healthy, and it seems both of them know what to name their kids, but they won’t say anything just yet. Genus and Fluttershy also went to the doctor to make sure that she was okay after the first signs of pregnancy kicked in. And Pinkie needed to watch the cake shop since the cakes are out of town. Cole soon arrives at the front of the hospital and waits for her. But as he was waiting, he heard the hospital doors opening. But the moment he turned around, he felt a great gust of wind blowing, as well as the rainbow trail that was left behind. He looked up and sees Rainbow back in the skies again. “Aw, yeah!!” said Rainbow whilst flying in the air and pumping her fists. “Couldn’t help yourself, could you?” She blinked and looked down, and saw Cole. She smiled with stars in her eyes and darted back down before gently landing in front of him. “Hey there,” said Rainbow Dash, “Didn’t expect to see you here.” “Well seeing that the rest of your friends are busy, I figured you’d like an escort back home.” Said Cole, “And yes, I know, you don’t like a babysitter, but I just figured you’d like some company.” “Oh,” said Rainbow as she blushed a little, “Er, thanks. Didn’t think you would.” “Same with you were still supposed to be resting that wing?” asked Cole. “What, it’s fully healed.” Said Rainbow as she showed it, and thankfully it is fine. “Second, I hate being cooped up in a hospital, it’s the worse!!” “And which made you like the Daring Do book series.” Said Cole, which surprised Rainbow as Cole concluded, “Pinkie Pie and Spike told everybody.” Rainbow growled at that and placed both her hands on her face out of frustration, “I’m gonna get those two for that!!” “Hey, relax, there’s nothing wrong with liking something.” Said Cole, then teased her by placing his finger on her forehead a few times, “And besides, even athletes need to have some information.” “I got plenty of those!!” said Rainbow. “I meant, useful, information.” Said Cole as he did it again, which made her playfully shove his arm away. “Seriously, you need to learn to relax. Oh, I mean yeah, sure, whenever someone tells you to relax whilst you recover, it’s all silent stairs, but when you want to relax during an off or do-nothing day, you’re suddenly a couch potato.” “Okay, you got me there.” Said Rainbow Dash. “So then, shall we?” asked Cole as he pointed to the train station. “Want to take the train back to Ponyville?” “Actually,” said Rainbow with a smirk, “I’ve got a better idea.” Rainbow instantly wrapped her arms around Cole and darted off with him in the air. “Rainbow!!!” exclaimed Cole in shock and panic, “What are you doing?!” “Thought you’d like the excitement!!” said Rainbow before laughing. Though Cole couldn’t see, he could feel how fast they were going. Is this what her speed is always like? If so, she’d almost make the Flash look like a turtle. Then again, he doesn’t know whom to compare her speed to. It took a while, but the two of them soon arrived at Ponyville a short while later. “Whoa,” said Cole as he was breathing heavily after Rainbow landed next to him, “That was quite the rush.” “Not bad Bolt, you handled it well.” Said Rainbow. “Bolt?” said a confused Cole. “Well, I figured you deserved a nickname,” said Rainbow, “Plus everyone said you ran fast like a bolt of lightning trying to save me. So, I figured that it fits. Well, that, and it almost sounded like your er, last name I think.” “Hmm,” pondered Cole, then smiled and said, “You know what, I think I like it. Bolt it is.” “Sweet.” Said Rainbow whilst crossing her arms. “So, now that you’re back,” said Cole, now named Bolt, “Should we go to Sugarcube Corner?” “Huh?” responded Rainbow. “Knowing Pinkie Pie,” said Bolt whilst rolling his eyes, “She’ll have an excuse to throw your party. I mean she did promise it back at the hospital.” “Oh, right.” Said Rainbow as she had nearly forgotten about that. “So, shall we?” asked Bolt. Rainbow thought about it and nodded, allowing the two of them to move to the said place. However, as they got closer, she looked at Bolt, and she couldn’t help but blush. Then she looked at his hand and hers tried to reach it. But the more she wanted to, the more she blushed and felt embarrassed, causing her to retract it and felt nervous whilst pouting at the same time. ‘Someday.’ Thought Rainbow. ******************************************************************************************************** “I can’t believe you have something similar to a sport in my world.” Said Bolt. “What, Hoof ball?” said Rainbow. A few days after they got back to Ponyville, whilst Bolt was doing some farmwork, Rainbow came by and invited him to play a sport with her, which was called Hoof ball, which at first confused him, but the moment he saw the size and shape of the ball, then he immediately recognized it. “Yeah, we have something similar in our world, called football.” Said Bolt. “Wait, Football?” said Rainbow in confusion, “That’s a weird name.” “Well, we play with our feet and hands most of the times,” said Bolt, “And I assume that you lot only use your hooves as well.” “We sure do.” Said Rainbow, “So by the sound of it, you played before?” “Sure do,” said Bolt, “I played a lot of it since I was in high school. Sometimes the quarterback, sometimes the runner. Back in my world I was also a fan of the Miami Sharks.” Bolt then grumbled and said, “Although it would’ve been better if my cousins didn’t constantly remind me considering all of them are Kraken fans, and I’ve been sore about it ever since.” “Really?” said a confused Rainbow. “All father’s trophy, blind referee, that’s all I’m saying.” Said Bolt. Rainbow couldn’t help snicker about it, especially with Bolt ranting about it. “Speaking of said sport,” said Bolt, “If it’s well known around here, how come there isn’t a proper tournament for sports like this?” “Everypony’s already busy with their own things,” said Rainbow Dash, “Plus we only have Hoof ball at the end of the summer, where they warm up for the harvests before winter arrives.” “Wow, that sucks.” Said Bolt, which confused Rainbow. “What do you mean by that?” asked Rainbow. “Put it this way,” said Bolt, “Back in my world in the USA, everyone loves football. It’s part of schools, colleges, even as a sporting career. If someone were to announce that they would only do it once a year instead of events in schools and sports…boy you’d better hope you don’t get beat up by an angry mob.” “Yikes.” Said Rainbow, not wanting to think that. “Yeah, tell me about it.” Said Bolt, not wanting to think about it. “Anyway, any reason why you want me to play?” “It’s like this,” said Rainbow, “Every year before the end of the summer, half of Ponyville signs up for hoof ball in order to get in shape for the harvests. It’s a tradition.” “And you want me to partake in it?” asked Bolt. “Sure do,” said Rainbow, “And from what you told me, you’ll fit right in.” “Well…” said Bolt, not sure about wanting to do this. “Please!!” said Rainbow, “Besides, Bucky is also competing.” “He is?” said a confused Bolt. “Yeah, he took Applejack’s place,” said Rainbow, “She can’t because of the baby, and Rarity and Silver were too busy handling orders, and Twilight and Beau are busy organizing the event. And both Genus and Fluttershy aren’t interested.” “And you don’t wanna get kicked in the ribs again, do you?” said Bolt with a smirk, remembering about that story. “Shut up.” Muttered Rainbow, “But thankfully Pinkie is going to be participating as well.” “Hmm,” pondered Bolt, and said, “Alright then, I’m sold. I’ll meet you there.” “Yes!!” exclaimed Rainbow in excitement. “See you then!!” Rainbow darted off in the speed of light, whilst Bolt looked at her with a flexed eyebrow. “What the heck was that about?” ******************************************************************************************************** The next day, true to Bolt’s word, he arrived. Though he was surprised to have received a football uniform. Or in this case, a hoof ball uniform. He’s still confused by that one. He soon arrives at the field, and to his surprise, he sees Rainbow in the same uniform, and…a ponytail? Huh, she kind of looks good in it. “I see you’re all dressed up.” Said Bolt as he approached Rainbow. This gained Rainbow’s attention and said, “What, and let them have all the fun. Besides, I want to prepare for the harvests too.” “So, I noticed.” Said Bolt. The two of them walked down the path where they said the path would take them to the Hoof ball field. When they got there, they were surprised how many ponies were there. “Whoa, you weren’t kidding.” Said Bolt in a surprising tone, “No wonder you guys do this every year.” “Told ya.” Said Rainbow before the two of them joined the others. Rainbow spotted Twilight and said, “Hey, there’s Twi and Beau.” Bolt saw both Twilight and Beau ahead as both of them were busy organizing the whole event, assigning which pony should go to which team. However, from behind the married couple was… “Hey, is that Applejack?” asked Bolt. Rainbow saw Applejack sitting behind both Twilight and Beau, grumbling with a pout on her face. “Oh boy, here we go again.” Said Rainbow whilst rolling her eyes. “Again?” said a confused Bolt. “She does this every time she had to sit out a competition.” Said Rainbow, “Last time it was from a serious injury.” “But now it’s due to her being pregnant.” Said Bolt. “It was the same with Twilight when they went to the dragon lands.” Said Rainbow. As the two of them got close, they heard Bucky said, “Applejack, we’ve been over this already!!” They soon arrived as Rainbow greeted, “Hey Twilight, sorry we’re late.” “You’re right on time Rainbow, so no worries.” Said Twilight. “Let me guess, Applejack is throwing a hissy fit again?” said Bolt. “You have no idea.” Groaned Beau, “We had to call in Granny Smith just to calm her down. She’s too stubborn to listen to anyone. Which makes me wonder why er…” “Most country folks don’t listen, even if it’s the truth?” guessed Bolt. “More or less.” Said Beau. “Wait,” said Bolt in realization, “If you two are here, then who’s looking after Moonlight?” “Spike is looking after her.” Said Beau, which caused both Bolt and Rainbow to look at him oddly, considering they remembered the funk he was in. “Yeah, we know, it was a bit sudden, but we were able to get him out of his funk.” “As best we could,” said Twilight sheepishly, “He says he’s over his crush with Rarity, but the tone in his voice and depressed state says otherwise.” “Yeesh, when is that dragon ever going to get it?” said Bolt. “Why else did you think I had to break the ice with him?” said Beau, “It had to take Rarity to say it, even if it was er…heartbreaking to watch.” “I’ll take your word for it,” said Rainbow Dash, then she looked at Twilight and asked, “So Twilight, which team are Bolt and I on?” “Let’s see?” said Twilight as she looked at the clipboard, “Rainbow’ you’re on the Apple’s team. And Bolt, you’re on the Orange’s team.” “What?!” said Rainbow in shock before hovering close to Twilight, “But that’s no fair!! You gotta put the two of us on the same team.” “No, Rainbow.” Said Twilight, “I’ve already made the teams ahead of time.” “She’s right,” said Beau, “A lot of them came by three days ago and signed up. After that, Twilight and I were busy arranging which should go where.” “But can’t you shuffle a few ponies?” asked Rainbow. “Dash, I’ve already considered taking into consideration height, weight, strength, average speed, knowledge of the game, endurance and stubbornness…” “And she really means, a lot stubborn.” Said Beau. “Right,” said Twilight, “In order to get the most balanced teams possible, it would take me days to recalculate my distributions.” “She’s exaggerating again.” Teased Beau, “She could come up with calculations of anything within 24 hours and she’d still complain it wasn’t enough.” “Can I help it if I wanted to make sure things were perfect?!” said an annoyed Twilight with her loud voice. “Yes!!” To Twilight’s surprise, everyone in Ponyville said that whilst looking at her before continuing from where they left off, making her grumble at the same time. “Come on, Twi.” Said Rainbow whilst pleading, “Just this once? Fellow Element of Harmony here?” “This coming from a certain pony who tends to be disloyal by charging on their own from time to time?” teased Beau, which caused Rainbow to glare at him. “I’m sorry, Dash.” Said Twilight, whilst not wanting to change her mind, “But it would be unfair to the other ponies if I let only you change things around.” Twilight declared herself whilst saying, “I am committed to being impartial in the pursuit of fun.” “Book reading doesn’t count, Twilight.” Teased Beau, which caused Twilight to glare at her husband. Pinkie giggled from nearby and said, “You know he’s kinda gotcha there, Twi!!” “Ignoring that,” muttered Twilight before speaking to Rainbow, “Besides Rainbow Dash, I’m not sure putting the two of you on the same team would be the…best idea.” “How the heck would you know, you’ve never seen us play.” Said Bolt. “He kinda does have a good point.” Said Beau. “What?” said Rainbow whilst pleading, “Are you kidding me? Bolt and I would be the perfect team. We’d be unstoppable together.” She then realized it was useless and sat down in defeat. “Come on, Twi, you can see how much she wants this.” Said Bolt, “Besides, she just wants me to show the ropes, considering she’s done sports for a long time whilst you…don’t have any sporting talents.” “Excuse me?” said Twilight feeling insulted. “He does have a point, Twi.” Said Applejack from nearby, “Y’all never did anythin’ sporty in yer life. And no, the runnin of the leaves don’t count.” “And Spike did tell you to lose weight, from what he told me.” Said Beau, “Especially now since…you know, you gave birth to Moonlight.” Twilight growled a bit, but sighed and said, “Okay, good point.” “Just…keep it in mind for next year Twi.” Said Bolt before looking at Rainbow and playfully nudging her, “Cheer up Rainbow, there’s always next time. Besides…” Bolt then suddenly smirked and squinted his eyes and said, “I bet you can’t do more touchdowns than me.” Rainbow nearly chocked by what he said, especially whilst widening her eyes. Rainbow chuckled as she smirked at Bolt’s direction, “Did I just seriously heard you make that bet?” Applejack and the others didn’t like that look in Rainbow’s eyes. “Oh boy, this won’t end well.” Said Applejack. “We’ll just have to wait and see, hun.” Said Bucky. ******************************************************************************************************** Soon enough, everypony who had been assigned to two different teams were ready for the big playoff. Both Rainbow and Bolt were on both sides, both smirking as they were ready for the big play. “Remember Rainbow, no using your wings!!” said Beau, “And that goes doubled for the Pegasi on both sides, as well as the Unicorns!!” “Yeah, yeah, we got it!!” said Rainbow whilst feeling annoyed. “Get ready!!” shouted Beau as he and Twilight and a few of their friends were watching, “Three!! Two!!!” The moment when Beau blew the whistle, both sides began to show their all. Rainbow began to run ahead with the ball in her arms whilst Bolt ran after her with full speed. Bolt then tried to play defense with his teammates in order to get past, with Rainbow watching and couldn’t help but admire him showing his loyalty to his team whilst they were playing. During the game, Bolt was now being tackled over by a few ponies who tried to block him during the play. And when it came for the field goal, Rainbow as able to kick it, with a few other ponies trying in vain to stop them. When it came to the offensive, Bolt did his best trying to push past the many ponies, with some attempting to stop them. It was a good game, with the score being tied 12-12. If any of the teams had the ball, they’d win. It was now the last minute of the game, and Bolt was able to grab the ball. This time, the team has to win. Rainbow saw this and stopped with a skid. “Oh, no you don’t!!” said Rainbow before she darted towards him. Both Rainbow Dash and Bolt ran with great pace. Bolt was focused on the goal, whilst Rainbow was focused on him in order to keep him from making a score. This however, didn’t go unnoticed for Beau, Twilight, and their friends when they saw what was going on. Especially Starlight, who came to see the game. And Trixie, who decided to visit Starlight whilst thinking of more magic tricks. “Oh boy.” Said Applejack in worry. “Oh no, oh no.” said Twilight in worry. “Stop you two!!” shouted Rarity with Silver next to her, “You two are going to…!!!” Too late. With great speed, both Bolt and Rainbow Dash ran into one another in a great big bash. Causing the both of them to collapse hard into the ground, with the two of them groaning at the same time. “Oooooohhh.” Muttered their friends when they saw them on the ground. “So much for not rough housing during a game.” Said Pinkie Pie when she decided to stand next to them. “Are…they going to be okay?” asked Trixie in worry. Starlight used a spell and somehow could see their skeletal structures. “Using an X-Ray spell?” said Beau, “Clever.” “Thanks.” Said Starlight in embarrassment. She then stopped her spell and looked at them whilst saying, “Well, good news and bad news.” “You know how I like my desserts first.” Said Beau, which confused the ponies. “Me too.” Said Pinkie Pie with a grin. Starlight immediately caught on what he was saying, causing her to laugh at that, which confused them. “I’ll tell you later.” Whispered Beau. “I did the spell,” said Starlight, “And from the looks of things, no one seems to have any broken bones, so their wings, ribcages, horns, and legs, even arms are going to be alright.” “Give me the veggies.” Said Beau. “They’re gonna have some very bad bruises.” Said Starlight, “Nevertheless, the doctors are going to have to look them over.” “Good thing the Ponyville hospital is on standby.” Said Silver. “You’d think they’d charge more for things like this.” Said Genus. “Oh, they did.” Said Rarity, “But they had to stop due to ponies nearly going on strike for not having enough bits to go through with it.” **************************************************************************************************** After that whole embarrassing ordeal, the games came to an end, and everyone would be ready for the harvests during the fall season. Though from what Bucky told Bolt, Applejack was really ticked off that she couldn’t participate, but then again that’s what happens when you’re pregnant. Both Rainbow and Bolt walked out of the hospital. Thankfully, there weren’t any broken bones or fractures, just mild bruising. Thankfully, with the ointment or other health cares, that was quickly resolved. “Well, that was interesting.” Said Bolt with a smile on his face once the two of them were outside, “Really glad I played the game. That sure brings back memories.” However, he noticed that Rainbow looked down for a bit with her ears drooping. “Uh, you okay there?” asked Bolt. “No,” sighed Rainbow Dash, “I can’t believe I did that.” “Yeah, I know the hospital food was bad and all when we were temporarily inside,” said Bolt, “But I thought that they were going to have to strap you down on the bed to keep you from assaulting the other nurses, considering how you were stuck in there last time.” “W-what?” said Rainbow completely baffled when Bolt didn’t get what she was saying. “I was talking about nearly hurting you!!” “Oh right, that.” Said Bolt. The two of them continued to walk down the path that would lead to a nearby bench for them to sit down. “Why did I have to act like that?” said a downtrodden Rainbow. “I should have just let you scored instead of just running into you like that.” “Hey, come on, you can’t expect every sport to be safe,” said Bolt, “Sometimes it gets dangerous whilst they play this kind of sport, but that’s how it goes. It’s what an athlete does.” “Athletes don’t break the rules to satisfy their egos.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Actually, I think that’s Lightning Dust’s job, given what the others told me.” Said Bolt, “Or in this case Pinkie Pie. Seriously, does that mare ever know to be quiet?” Rainbow couldn’t help but snort at that and said, “Good point.” “Plus, I was the one who made that stupid bet in the first place, remember?” said Bolt. The two of them soon made their way near a bench and sat down. “You know in a strange way, I always got use to my world’s natural order of fall season,” said Bolt, “But seeing all this done by Ponykind. I can’t help but wonder why humans don’t have that kind of power. Could save a lot of time and trouble.” Rainbow chuckled at that and said, “Yeah, that would be interesting to see.” However, Rainbow felt a bit down, and said, “I just don’t wanna mess this up.” “Mess what up?” asked Bolt in confusion. “You know, us.” Said Rainbow Dash, which Bolt was still confused, “Like, I’m friends with a lot of ponies, the awesome mare that I am.” Bolt couldn’t help but roll his eyes in amusement. “But I really can’t think of anyone else who I really feel I get.” Said Rainbow Dash, “Like, you’re the chilliest dude I know, and I don’t ever want that to go away, just because I pulled some dumb stunt like that.” Bolt couldn’t help but smirk and said, “You like me, don’t you?” Rainbow’s face went bright red, and instantly looked away. “Pff, no.” said Rainbow as she tried to deny it with her eyes closed and turned her head. “No offense, but I’m not into any of that romance trash.” Bolt couldn’t help but chuckle at that. And seeing that nothing was going to make her convince her, he’ll have to make a move on his own. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, causing Rainbow to widen her eyes surprised whilst keeping her blush and looked at Bolt. “Don’t worry,” said Bolt, “The feeling’s mutual.” Rainbow was speechless whilst her eyes were still widened and her blush still on her face whilst her wings were flaring at the same time. She slightly pouted and kept her arms crossed whilst slightly moaning from the embarrassment at the same time. She then slowly went over to him. The moment she was close enough, Bolt wrapped his arm around her hip and pulled her closer, even Rainbow wrapped her wing around him. She felt a hand on her chin, causing her to look at Bolt. He then gently placed his lips against hers. Though she was still blushing, she closed her eyes. Not being able to control herself, she lunged onto him, making him collapse onto the ground. Their lips were still connected, until the two of them broke it and the two of them looked at one another. “Wow,” said Bolt, “Usually it’s the guy who likes to be on top of the girl. Or in this case, the mare.” “Shut it, dork.” Mumbled Rainbow, but still kept her smile at the same time. However, their moment was interrupted by none other than the rest of the Mane 6, along with the husband 3 and boyfriend, who somehow found it amusing whilst the girls blushed, that Rainbow would act somewhat girlish for once. As well as found her human. “Um, should we come back later?” asked Fluttershy timidly. “Enjoying ourselves are we?” teased Bucky. Both Rainbow and Bolt stared back in shock and embarrassment, though mostly Rainbow. Suddenly, Rainbow bolted away in a state of panic and embarrassment and accidentally kicked Bolt in the gut, causing him to fall flat on his back, whilst Rainbow flew off so fast, that she created a sonic Rainboom in the process. Bolt on the other hand was groaning on the ground from the kick. The rest came over and bent over whilst watching in amusement. “Oh, we’re really sorry about that.” Said Fluttershy. “Yeah, we forgot Rainbow’s not comfortable with things like that yet.” Said Genus. “Though some forewarning would have been much appreciated however.” Said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow whilst holding Moonlight. “I don’t think those two would pay attention to anything that we’d say, Twilight.” Said Beau. “My, my, Bolt.” Said Rarity in amusement, “I never pictured you as the lady killing type.” “Then again, Rainbow’s not one to just accept the romancing thing right of the bat either.” Said Silver. “Though, what was that all…?” asked Applejack before being cut off. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Groaned Bolt. “I thought you two were supposed to be resting after you got out of the hospital?” asked Bucky. “We are,” said Bolt, “We were lucky that we didn’t get any broken bones, just bruises.” They helped Bolt up whilst dusting himself off. Bolt watched the area where Rainbow had flown off to, though a bit disappointed that she flew off like that, he couldn’t help but stare at the sky. Then he remembered what the others told him about Cloudsdale. That was enough for him to wanting to go and explore the place. Though he remembered that he can’t walk on clouds, considering only Pegasi, as well as Alicorns, are the only ones who can be up there. Come to think of it, same with those who can fly, like Dragons, Griffons and so on. He had always wondered what it looked like. “Hey Twilight,” said Bolt, “I was wondering if I could ask you for help with something.” “Oh?” said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow, “What is it?” Before Bolt could say anything, that’s when they heard a woosh sound. That’s when they saw Rainbow, who was still a blushing mess, and also wondered what this was all about. “Er, Bolt?” asked Rainbow. “Yes?” asked Bolt. Rainbow still blushed a bit, but then she whispered to his ear. After a few moments, Bolt was a little surprised, but nonetheless… “Sure Rainbow, just let me know when.” Asked Bolt. “Sweet!!” said Rainbow in excitement, then blushed again and said, “Er…mind if you accompany me?” “Sure thing.” Said Bolt, then he turned to Twilight and said, “I’ll ask tomorrow Twilight.” Rainbow grabbed Bolt, causing the two of them to be elsewhere, with the rest of the ponies and humans still surprised. Bucky chuckled a bit and said, “About time Bolt found himself a special somepony.” “Didn’t think Rainbow would finally drop her anti-romance fit.” Said Applejack. “Still, I wonder what he wanted to ask me?” said Twilight. “I’m sure we’ll get an answer out of that soon.” Said Beau. ************************************************************************************************** “I’m sorry what?” said a confused Twilight. It had been a day since the embarrassing ordeal for Rainbow and Bolt, but true to his word, he came by and asked Twilight for a favor. “You heard me,” said Bolt, “You wouldn’t happen to know a spell that would help me stand on clouds on Cloudsdale, do you? I always wanted to know what the place looked like.” Twilight hummed a bit whilst she was in thought. “I suppose I can help,” said Twilight, “But I don’t think the cloud walking spell would do you any good, same with the wings.” “What do you mean?” asked Bolt. “What she means is,” said Beau whilst walking towards them and held a book whilst going through it, “The cloud walking spell’s only temporary. Even if you do, you’d need to constantly recast it, especially stock up on potions, which in my opinion is not possible. And from what Twilight told me, Rarity tried the wing spell, but they burnt up the moment she flew too close to the sun. Huh, kind of reminds me of that old mythology about Icarus.” “Why did it do that?” asked Bolt, “And why the heck did Rarity do that?” “Well for one, they were butterfly wings and they’re very sensitive.” Said Beau, which shocked Bolt. “No way I’m going to have butterfly wings on my back!!” exclaimed Bolt in shock. “Figured as much.” Said Beau whilst he couldn’t help but chuckle at that reaction, even Twilight found it amusing. “And also, Rarity wanted to show off and make Rainbow twice as nervous.” “Seriously?” said Bolt. “And in case you wonder,” said Beau whilst showing a picture, “This is what she looked like.” Bolt took a look at it, and sees Rarity in those wings, which ended up making him laugh extremely hard, especially with all that makeup. “No offense,” said Bolt, “But seeing all that makeup, makes Rarity look like a peacock who worked at a makeup factory. More importantly the butterfly wings make her look fat.” This surprised the two of them as they looked at the picture again. “You know, now that I’m seeing that, he does have a point.” Said Beau, “The wings don’t go that well for her anyway.” “And the makeup is a bit much.” Said Twilight. Beau took another look at the spell book. After going through a few pages, he had found what he was looking for. “Ah, here we go.” Said Beau, before giving the book to Twilight. “This will do nicely.” Twilight looked at it, and flexed her eyebrow. “Strange, I don’t remember learning about this spell.” Beau did a mock gasp and said, “Does that mean my brainy wife actually skipped a spell when she said she’d learn every single spell. You are slipping, Twilight Sparkle.” This caused Twilight to glare at him whilst Moonlight giggled at her mother’s reaction. “Ah, none of that.” Said Beau when he felt the glare from his wife, then he whispered to her, “Or no more destressing snuggles and happy time.” This caused Twilight to blush madly at what he said, which in turn made her groan at that. “Fine.” Groaned Twilight. Then she turned to Bolt and said, “Alright then Bolt, here we go.” Twilight used her magic to cast her spell, allowing a simple cloud to appear. But after some hard work and embusing her magic in it, the cloud began to look from normal to blue looking. This confused Bolt when he looked at the cloud, then back to Twilight and Beau. “So, give it a whirl.” Said Beau. Bolt took a breath and took his first step on the cloud. Once that was done, he was able to stand on it. Surprisingly, he can be perfectly balanced on it. Then he rode on it like a skateboard all around the room. “Hey, this is fun!!” said Bolt before he fell backwards whilst in the air, then the cloud easily caught him before he hit it hard on the ground. He looked below and noticed the cloud caught him. “That’s a new one.” “The spell on the cloud allows it to help you float,” said Twilight, “That way you won’t have to worry about falling, you’ll be able to be among the clouds, and you’ll be able to see what’s going on above.” “Not to mention the cloud will automatically catch you when you start falling.” Said Beau. “But what would happen if someone were to somehow to use a magic draining spell, which would cause everything magic related to be sucked away and everything would fall and go splat?” asked Bolt. This baffled both Twilight and Beau as they looked at one another, then to Bolt. “That was oddly specific.” Said Twilight. “Good, glad I wasn’t the only one.” Said Beau. “Thanks again, Twilight and Beau!!” said Bolt, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta certain Pegasus to surprise!!” Bolt immediately flew out of the window and straight towards the sky. Both Beau and Twilight looked outside as Bolt was flying. “He seems happy.” Said Beau. “Looks that way.” Said Twilight. She then looked at Beau, and ended up smirking. “Now then, about that snuggle.” “I’m sorry what?” said Beau before he felt Twilight’s magic dragging him off from the window. ************************************************************************************************** Bolt flew up towards Cloudsdale, and when he got there, he was greatly surprised. For the place up in the clouds looks amazing. “Whoa,” muttered Bolt, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” That’s when he decided to look around the place to find Rainbow Dash. That was, until he bumped into a certain mail pony with the cross eyes. Her name was Derpy. “Excuse me, do you happen to know where Rainbow Dash is?” asked Bolt. “Right down there,” said Derpy whilst pointing at her house, “You can’t miss it.” “Thanks.” Said Bolt before darting off. Derpy flew for a bit until she blinked and looked back. “Did the human just fly?” asked Derpy to herself. Then she snorted and went, “Nah, it couldn’t be.” She then flew off to continue her deliveries. Bolt continued to fly towards Rainbow’s house, and was surprised how big it was the moment he stopped near it. “Wow, compensating much?” said Bolt in amusement. He used the cloud to fly towards the window. But then he stopped to make sure she wasn’t taking a shower. When he didn’t hear anything, he took a peak at the window. And there she was, taking a nap and snoring. “Daw, she’s so cute when she’s snoring.” Said Bolt. Then suddenly something clicked in his mind. Then he smirked as he just had an idea. “Oh, I always wanted to do this.” Bolt then used the cloud to silently sneak inside and tested if the bed was solid. He placed his hand on it and was thankful that it was. He silently went to bed and opened the cover, allowing him to enter. Then he took some face paint out that he was saving for such an occasion and painted his face to look like a badger’s. Once it was dry, he then rested his head on a pillow and looked at the back of her head. Rainbow turned around with a smile on her face whilst she was resting. Bolt then began to do some heavy breathing with his teeth. Causing Rainbow to stir. She slowly opened her eyes, but then sharpy opened them as she was in shock, whilst Bolt was staring at her with wide eyes and bearing teeth. “Hiya buddy.” Said Bolt in a different accent. Rainbow yelped loudly and screamed in panic before falling off of the bed, causing Bolt to laugh hard and collapsed onto the cloud whilst he was kicking. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!!” shouted Bolt. However, Rainbow got up and glared angrily, gaining Bolt’s attention, “Uh oh.” Bolt used the cloud to instantly fly out of the room. “Get back here!!” shouted Rainbow as she flew after Bolt. Bolt flew near the weather factory and saw a ton of ponies there. “Huh, so that’s what they’re…” said Bolt before Rainbow tackled him over, causing them to land into the water. “Alright, talk!!” shouted Rainbow the moment they got out and she was shaking him, “What’s the big idea of…!!” Rainbow blinked in shock and said Bolt once the paint was washed off. “Bolt?!” “Hi Rainbow.” Said Bolt with a weary smile. “How did you get up here?!” said Rainbow. “I asked Twilight to cast a spell so that I can be up in Cloudsdale.” Said Bolt, “I even have my own personal cloud.” Rainbow sees the cloud floating next to him, which surprises her. “Huh,” said Rainbow with a flexed eyebrow, “I didn’t know there was a spell for that.” “You and me both.” Said Bolt. Rainbow then shook her head and looked at Bolt. “But what are you doing up here?” Suddenly Bolt smirks and said, “Does this answer your question?” He suddenly grabs Rainbow’s face and pulls her to his lips, taking her completely by surprise with wide eyes. She ended up closing her eyes and held him close with a slight moan. The two of them broke their kiss and couldn’t help but smile at one another whilst Rainbow was blushing. “Yo, Rainbow!!” Rainbow turned her head and saw Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soaring flying. “What’s going on?” said Soarin, “We saw you flying in a rush and didn’t respond when we called you.” That’s when they noticed Bolt whilst he waved to them. “Oh hey, you’re that human who saved Rainbow.” Said Fleetfoot before flying down, “What are you doing here?” “He came to visit me.” Said Rainbow. “Oh,” said Spitfire whilst teasing, “Is he your special somepony?” Rainbow blushed a bit before using her wing to pull Bolt close, and muttered, “Yes.” ************************************************************************************************** After that whole ordeal, Bolt was riding on his cloud, with Rainbow flying by his side. But at the same time, many of the Pegasi were surprised to see a human, and one that can fly on a cloud of all things. “So, what brings you up here?” asked Rainbow. “Well for one I wanted to visit you.” Said Bolt, “Ever since I saw you fly up to your home, I was wondering what this place looked like. And I’m surprised to see it with my own eyes. Heck, you’d mistake this place for Olympus if need be.” “Olympus?” said Rainbow in confusion. “Beau told me that in his world of Greek mythology, Olympus is sort of the heaves of the gods.” Said Bolt. “Wow, now that’s my kind of myth.” Said Rainbow. Bolt then looked around and noticed the Pegasi were staring at him. “Uh, why are they looking at me like that?” asked Bolt. “You’re a human for one,” said Rainbow, “Some of the Pegasi had seen you and the others back in Ponyville, but no one had ever visited Cloudsdale, especially without wings and on a cloud.” “Understandable.” Said Bolt whilst looking around, “You know, I wouldn’t mind living in a place like this.” This caused Rainbow to perk up and look at him surprised, “Really?” “Well, yeah, it’s very peaceful up here.” Said Bolt, “Only problem is, where do I live and where do I find a job up here. Weather factory is way out of my league, as I have no idea how they work.” “So, what other skills do you have?” asked Rainbow. “Well, I do have some coaching skills.” Said Bolt. “You coach?” asked Rainbow surprised. “Yeah, back on my world, my cousins used to coach at college,” said Bolt, “They trained at least over fifty players.” Rainbow thought about it for a moment, then it clicked as she had an idea. “You know,” said Rainbow, “You could always coach on Cloudsdale.” “Wait, what?” said Bolt, looking at Rainbow. “Yeah, there’s a place near Flight School where they teach young Pegasi on how to be athletic, it helps inspire the next generation of Pegasi to working the weathers, wanting to become Wonderbolts, joining the Military, and so on.” “Hmmm,” pondered Bolt for a moment, “I guess that can work. But…” Bolt groaned and said, “But then I’d have to resign working at the farm back at Sweet Apple Acres.” “Don’t you like it?” asked Rainbow. “Don’t get me wrong, working on a place like that is good for the body,” said Bolt, “But farm life just isn’t for me.” “I hear ya.” Said Rainbow, “Don’t get me wrong, the Apple family always does a good job at working the farms, but I’d get bored really fast for doing something so slow.” “Prefer the fast and furious version?” asked Bolt. Rainbow wanted to say something but looked at Bolt surprised. “Huh, fast and furious,” said Rainbow, “That kinda has a nice ring to it.” “It’s what the movie’s called.” Said Bolt, “They first show how they drive fast and furious, but in the end, they show how the bond of family is strong. If there was a way, I’d bring the movie over to Equestria so that you could see it yourself.” Rainbow chuckled at that, and said, “I think me and my friends would like that.” Bolt then asked, “And the other, where am I going to live, I doubt there’ll be a place for me to live here.” Rainbow thought about it, but then had a deep blush on her face for a bit. Then said, “You could…always move in with me.” This caused Bolt to stop his cloud in shock, which caused Rainbow to stop and look at him with a flexed eyebrow. “I’m sorry, what?” asked Bolt. “What, I’ve got a spare room.” Said Rainbow, “Plus you’d be at a place close to your workspace.” Bolt looked at her for a few moments, but then he smirked and said, “You wanted us to try the dating thing without anyone else seeing us, don’t you?” This caused Rainbow to blush madly at this, with her responding with, “S-shut up!!” Bolt couldn’t help but laugh at that reaction. Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh with Bolt as well. ************************************************************************************************* The next day, Rainbow was busy making lunch and munched on a carrot. Then she heard knocking on the door, gaining her attention and looked to where the noise was coming from. “Huh? Who could that be?” asked Rainbow to herself before she flew off. She landed near the front door and opened it. To her surprise, it was Bolt, holding some of his clothing and belongings. “Bolt?” said Rainbow surprised, “What are you doing here?” “Well, I decided to take you up on your offer.” Said Bolt, “I’ll try to apply a coaching job to train young Pegasi. I think my coaching skills can come in handy.” “That’s great.” Said Rainbow as she gestured him to come inside, to which he did. “But what about Bucky and AJ, what did they say?” “Bucky and Applejack understood,” said Bolt, “Especially Bucky, cause he could tell the job wasn’t for me.” “That’s nice of him.” Said Rainbow, “Anyway, I thought about what you said and went over to the Pegasi school. I was able to get you an appointment to that school to coach the Pegasi.” “Really? Thanks.” Said Bolt as he placed his box, “I really owe you one.” “Eh, no big.” Said Rainbow whilst waving it off. But then she noticed Bolt was giving her a smirk look, which left her confused. “What?” Before Rainbow could react, Bolt rushed over and grabbed her, lifting her up and pinning her against the wall before placing his lips against hers, taking her completely off guard and complete surprise. She responded by wrapping her arms and legs around him before moaning into the kiss as well. The two of them broke the kiss and looked at one another whilst Rainbow was blushing and smiling at the same time. “Bout time.” Muttered Rainbow. “I really missed that.” “Thanks again for letting me stay here.” Said Bolt whilst smiling too. He then took a whiff and said, “Coffee, I presume?” “You’ve got a good nose.” Said Rainbow. The two of them went to the kitchen to have some lunch and some coffee at the same time. ************************************************************************************************* Two months had passed since Bolt moved in with Rainbow, and so far things had been okay, especially with the two of them dating, despite Rainbow wanted to keep it a secret, and wasn’t interested in the whole “mushy” stuff. The two of them got along greatly and the Pegasi quickly got used to Bolt, even the teachers near the Pegasi school appreciated him and his coaching skills. One day, below the castle of Friendship, both Twilight and Beau were busy looking after Moonlight and chose to stay behind at the Castle for the day. Spike on the other hand decided to go out of town to visit Ember, though then again, I think he was trying to find a way to cheer himself up. “I still can’t believe Spike hasn’t gotten over Rarity.” Said Beau whilst checking on the baby bottle to make sure the temperature was just right for Moonlight, “You’d think he’d get the picture and move on already.” “Spike’s always been on the stubborn side.” Said Twilight. Beau couldn’t help but smirk and look at her with a flexed eyebrow. “Now where did he learn that from?” teased Beau. Twilight pouted and glared at him for that, but Moonlight laughed, agreeing with her dad, which Twilight sighed in defeat. The two of them heard a knock at the castle doors, confusing them at the same time. “Now who the heck could that be?” asked Beau. “I’ll go see who it is.” Said Twilight, “Could you watch after Moonlight whilst I go check?” “Sure, gotta feed her formula anyway.” Said Beau whilst accepting Moonlight at the same time. “Alright Moonlight, you’re a very clever girl, can you tell me if the bottle is the right temperature?” Moonlight babbled a bit in baby talk, but at the same time, used her magic to take the formula out and inspect it with her eyes. She stuck her tongue out and let a drop fall on it. She smacked her lips a few times to see if it was right. She nodded and took the bottle in her little hands and drank it. Beau was baffled by what he saw. But then he laughed and said, “I can’t believe someone with my high education just got schooled by a baby.” At the same time, Twilight walked to the front door and answered it. When she looked, she saw Bolt. At first she was glad to see him, but then she noticed that he had a troubled look on his face. “Bolt?” asked Twilight, “Is something wrong?” “I need some advice.” said Bolt, but then he groaned and held his head, indicating that he had a headache. “May I come in.” “Of course, come on in.” said Twilight whilst she guided Bolt inside. The two of them soon made their way towards the living room for what Bolt was asking for. However, at the same time, Beau walked in with Moonlight in his arms. He was surprised to see Bolt there. “Bolt?” said Beau surprised, “What are you doing here?” “He came here looking for advice,” said Twilight before Beau sat down next to her, with Moonlight in his arms. Twilight looked at Bolt and asked, “Which I’m guessing has something to do with Rainbow Dash?” “Before we get to that,” said Beau, then looked at Bolt and asked, “How was your stay at Cloudsdale? I know it’s been two months, but just curious.” “Oh, it’s going great.” Said Bolt, “The Pegasi are nice up there, and it took them a while to get used to a human living with them. The job I have to train Pegasi on how to stay in shape is also going well. And Rainbow and me going out is going well so far.” Bolt looked sideways and said, “That was until her parents found out about us.” “Oh no,” said Twilight in concern, “They didn’t do anything rash, did they?” “Oh no, they were completely supportive of me and Rainbow,” said Bolt, “Though they were a little overbearing, praising her for everything she does. Although…after they left, uh…” “What?” said Twilight in confusion. “It’s like this,” said Bolt, “One moment she goes from the energetic awesome flyer to a raging bird trying to kick me out of the nest. All we did was mess around, talking about how cute she was when she blushes. It was supposed to be harmless, but then she flew up to her room and almost got buried alive underneath her trophies. I went upstairs and helped her out of the mess, then helped her clean her room. After that, she started screaming and glaring at me. I don’t know what it was that I did that might have ticked her off that badly.” “Oh, boy.” Said Beau, “Somehow I knew she’d do that.” Twilight pondered for a bit, then gave her two cents. Er, two bits in this case. “Well, I suppose I should let you know that… Rainbow Dash, despite how outgoing and energetic she is, she’s also pretty insecure about how others judge her the wrong way. She’s just afraid to try and come out of her tough shell. Give her some time to cool down and then try to apologize to her later.” “Trust me, she’s not one to hold onto grudges.” Said Beau, “Well, except that onetime with Lightning Dust and those Pegasi bullies, but that’s another story.” “That sounds about right.” Said Bolt, causing the three of them to chuckle. “You know I love Dash like no other. The fact that she’s so strong and independent, coupled with the fact that she’s no doubt more loyal than anyone I’ve ever met, just drives me crazy. She’s a really special mare.” “Then you know what you have to do to make things right.” Said Twilight. She then noticed something and pointed, “Also, why are you rubbing your head like that? Do you have a headache?” “Yeah, I don’t know how, but something tells me that scream of hers might have been the cause for this headache,” replied Bolt, rubbing your head. Twilight giggled, but noticed Beau was staring at something. “Something wrong, Beau?” asked Twilight. Beau gently placed Moonlight in Twilight’s lap and went over to inspect his head. Then he looked at the scar behind, which then Beau realized something. “I know the cause, and it’s partially Rainbow’s yelling.” Said Beau. “What now?” said a confused Bolt. Beau sat back down next to Twilight, with the latter looking confused. “You’re feeling the after effects from when you fell down the ladder.” Said Beau, which surprised the two. “Come again?” said a confused Bolt. “Put it this way.” Said Beau, “When the others and I died, we still felt the after effects. Both Genus and I had difficult time of breathing, because I drowned and Genus inhaled gas. Bucky felt a pain in his chest because that’s where he got hit. And sometimes Silver feels like he’s on fire because he died in an explosion. You’re still feeling the effects from your fall.” “But it’s been a long time, how the heck can that happen?” said Bolt. “Trust me, the human body has a habit of not letting your forget and the slight pain.” Said Beau. “How did you know about that?” asked Twilight surprised. “I also studied to be a doctor.” Said Beau, “Gotta be prepared.” Twilight giggled at that and stood up. “Just hang on for a moment Bolt, I’ll be right back with the medicine.” Reassured Twilight, “Maybe I’ll even bring an extra bottle for just in case.” As Twilight left, Beau noticed Bolt staring at Moonlight as he was in thought. “Something wrong?” asked Beau. “How did you feel?” asked Bolt, “The day Moonlight was born?” Beau was a little surprised by his question, then looked at Moonlight. When he thought about it, Beau gave his answer. “Truth be told, when I first got here, I thought I’d never belong.” Said Beau, “Twilight accepted me for who I was and, heh, she instead asked me to do the deed and we never even went on our first date.” Beau looked at Moonlight still in his arms. “And when Moonlight came into our lives, we both found out things the hard way.” Said Beau, “How challenging a parent can be. Though Twilight panics about her time as a Princess, and a parent. So, it’s important to try and balance out those things. And to constantly keep Twilight from panicking. Or in this case, Twiley-nanas and Twilighting.” This caused Bolt to have an extremely weird look on his face as he flexed his eyebrow. Beau caught on and said, “Long story, and don’t tell anyone I said that. Point is, when the time comes, just be prepared for that next step. Trust me, it’ll be worth it in the end.” Twilight came back with a few bottles of aspirin to give him for his headaches. “Alright, here you go.” Said Twilight whilst she gave him some of the aspirin and glass of water. ************************************************************************************************* After taking the pills, Bolt decided to head back to Rainbow’s house, wondering if she had cooled down yet. Though given what others said, her temper has a habit to match her ego from time to time. Bolt took a lump down his throat and carefully opened the door whilst going inside. But as he got in, he heard a loud noise up the stairs. When Bolt arrived and took a peak inside, he saw Rainbow was grunting and hitting the wall at the same time, leaving some dents on the inside. ‘Oh boy, she’s still mad.’ Thought Bolt. But then he remembered what Beau had said. So, Bolt took a breath and carefully knocked against the door frame. “Uh, Dash? Mind if we have a chat?” asked Bolt nervously. Within a split second, Rainbow glared at Bolt within a split second, making him yelp and wanted to hide from the glare. However, moments later, her expression softened and let out a sigh. She gestured Bolt to sit down next to her on the bed, which he eventually did. Things were quiet between the two of them and didn’t say anything. Until Rainbow was the one to finally break the ice. “So,” said Rainbow whilst looking at Bolt and crossing her arms, “You gonna tease me some more?” Rainbow didn’t break any eye contact with Bolt, given how her attitude had been. However, instead of saying anything, Bolt sighed and gently pulled her into a nice hug whilst laying her head against his chest. He even stroked her head, which she had to admit, felt very nice. “No, not if it’s gonna make you feel this way,” said Bolt, “And I wanna say I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were so insecure about yourself. And it was only intended to be harmless fun. Guess I really screwed up when I pissed you off and embarrassed you like that. Can you ever forgive me, Dash?” Things were pretty quiet between the two of them for a moment, until Rainbow giggled, which confused Bolt. “You…you dummy.” Said Rainbow before breaking the hug and looking at him with a smile. “I can’t stay mad at you for something so stupid and minor, especially after that apology.” Before Bolt could react, Rainbow pounced on him for a passionate kiss, allowing her to be on top of him whilst they were on the bed. At first Bolt was surprised by this, but couldn’t help himself as he embraced her whilst savoring every moment. But this time, something was different about her behavior. For during the passionate kiss, Rainbow’s moves became more erotic, her moans were more lude and her tongue wanted to go in his mouth whilst they were making out at the same time. The two of them broke the kiss whilst Bolt was partially stunned by what she did. “Rainbow…what’s…?” “Come on, you should know by now, stud.” Said Rainbow in a teasing tone. “I’m in the mood for a good bucking, and I ain’t gonna miss out any longer.” Bolt squinted at this, as he could tell that she has a hint of fear, whilst trying to mask it with her so-called confidence. “Have you…done it before?” asked Bolt carefully. Rainbow blushed at that and was nervous at the same time. “N-nope…you’re gonna be my first time.” Said Rainbow whilst quickly trying to cover it with a sassy comeback. She then ended up booping him on the nose as she asked, “The question is…have you done this before?” “Nope,” said Bolt, “Never went on a date before I met you. And no…. I’m…still a virgin.” Once again, Rainbow made out with him whilst Bolt shuddered when she kissed him on the lips, and then on the neck. Bolt ended up massaging her thighs during the make out, which Rainbow responds with a moan of her own. Soon enough, the both of them took their shirts off, whilst Rainbow revealed her D-cup bust. ‘This is gonna be a fun night.’ Thought Bolt. ************************************************************************************************* For the next past hour, the two of them have engaged their intimate relationship. Both Bolt and Rainbow’s clothes were all over the place whilst the two of them had gotten to the main event. Rainbow was on the bed on all fours whilst her flank was sticking out, and Bolt ploughed her hard, as wet slaps could be heard during their constant love-making. Bolt continued to pound her away whilst Rainbow’s moans of pain slowly escalated into moans. Her moans of pain turned into moans of pleasure as Bolt clenched his teeth whilst feeling her inner walls tighten at the same time. Her breasts jiggled up and down from the furious pounding. There was still pain of course, but the both of them were enjoying the sweet love making. “Oh, y-yes!! YES! YES! THAT’S IT! BUCK ME GOOD! I’VE BEEN SUCH A BAD MARE!” shouted Rainbow in ecstasy. “OH YES, BUCK ME INTO OBLIVION!!” Bolt continued with the amount of force for the tough love between the two of them. Rainbow’s eyes rolled to the back of her head like a sex-hungry lunatic and it was really getting to her. No more words were exchanged as all they could hear, was the sound of love making in…er…you know what I mean. “D-Dash.. I-It’s coming! It’s coming!” shouted Bolt. Bolt took his hands off of her breasts so he could instead dig his fingers into her sides and feeling her sweaty fur. “DO IT, BOLT! FILL ME UP! LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I WANT YOU TO BLOW YOU HUGE LOAD DEEP INSIDE ME! DON’T HOLD BACK!!!” she shouts in ecstasy. Both Rainbow and Bolt shouted from the top of their lungs as the both of them orgasmed with all they had. Once that died down, Bolt pulled out and sat on his knees in exhaustion, with Rainbow collapsing on her front whilst moaning softly on the bed at the same time. With what strength Bolt had, he went to bed and laid on his front as well, scooting next to Rainbow until the two of them faced one another. As they smiled, Rainbow unfurled one of her wings and covered his back like a warm blanket. Adoring the feathery embrace, Bolt pressed his lips against hers gently and danced his tongue within hers. The two of them held that kiss for a minute before pulling away. Bolt grabbed the blanket and covered the both of them and said, “You do realize what’s going to happen later in a few months, since you made me blow my load inside you, right Dashie?” Rainbow couldn’t help but snort at that and said, “So what? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the Element of Loyalty. Sure, I’ll have to take a few months off the Wonderbolts whilst I’m going into labor, but I’m more loyal to you than the team.” Rainbow nuzzled against Bolt’s face, to which he enjoyed. “Prepare yourself Bolt, cause we’re about to become and start a family.” Said Rainbow. Bolt returned the nuzzle and said, “I can’t wait to see what our kid’s gonna be like. Best part is, they’re gonna have the most awesome mother and pretty hardcore father. Right…huh?” “Push, you’re such a dork, you know that?” Rainbow asked before playfully jabbing him on the arm. “But I still love you, Bolt.” “I love you too, Rainbow Dash.” Soon enough, they used the blanket to cover themselves before the fatigue kicked in whilst they slowly closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep. With the hot-headed speedster by Bolt’s side, and a brand-new life being created, things were really turning out for the better. For if there’s one thing Bolt wouldn’t change, it’s the fact that his life was only just the beginning and Rainbow Dash sticking by his side no matter what. Chapter 21: A Hearth's Warming TailIt had been a month since Rainbow and Bolt did the deed and right now, from what Bolt and the human residents have heard, is close to Hearth’s Warming Eve, which is another word for Christmas, and is about a month away. As Beau took out the box of decorations, he thought about the holiday and asked Twilight for information. “Twi, can I ask you something?” asked Beau. However, he didn’t get any response from her. “Twi?” He took a peak and noticed Twilight was reading a book whilst bending over, causing Beau to face fault from what we was seeing. But seeing that she was in the perfect position, he couldn’t help but smirk. He gently placed the box down and snuck up behind her. Once he was close enough, he quietly bent over and gave her tushy a light pinch, causing her to instantly yelp and stand up straight and blushed at the same time. “B-Beau!!” said Twilight whilst looking at him all flustered. “Sorry, it was the only way to get your attention.” Said Beau. Twilight huffed a bit, but sighed, knowing the reason why he did that. “What is it?” “What can you tell about Hearth’s Warming Eve?” asked Beau. “Didn’t you read it?” asked Twilight. “Didn’t get the chance to.” Said Beau, then smirked and said, “I’d rather hear it from your angelic voice.” Twilight blushed, but playfully groaned at that and kissed him by the cheek, “Alright, you hairless ape.” Suddenly Beau acted like an ape and tickled Twilight, causing the latter to laugh uncontrollably before they collapsed onto the couch with Twilight being on top, with the two of them laughing at the same time. “So, about that information?” asked Beau. “Well…” said Twilight whilst she thought about it and rested on her arms whilst staring at him. “Long ago, before Equestria, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi once lived in separate kingdoms. The Pegasi controlled the weather and because of them, helped water the plants and crops so that they could grow their food and receive water, whilst the Unicorns brought day and night.” “So, this was before Celestia and Luna?” Asked Beau. “That’s right,” said Twilight, “Only problem was, each of the tribes didn’t care about one another, and there was also mistrust.” “Oi.” Muttered Beau with rolling eyes, gaining Twilight’s attention. “What?” asked Twilight out of curiosity. “Back on my world, it’s the same thing,” said Beau, “But there was a difference between them. For you ponies, some have horns, some have wings, and some had none. Whilst in my world, it’s because of the color of our skins and what they look like.” “Really?” asked a surprised Twilight whilst lifting her head. “Trust me,” said Beau, “It’s a lot worse than it sounds. Ahem, continue.” “Whilst the Pegasi did the weather and the Unicorns did the sun and moon,” said Twilight, “They asked for food in exchange for them, which of course didn’t sit well for some. Overtime, their disagreements had festered, and in time, the Windigos arrived.” “Windigos?” asked Beau, “You mean Wendigos?” “Nope, Windigos,” said Twilight, “Evil spirits that create eternal winter and only appear when there is great conflict between races or kingdoms.” “And let me guess,” said Beau whilst deadpanning, “Both tribes blamed one another when they thought the Unicorns and Pegasi were causing them?” “That’s right, especially since Chancellor Puddinghead, the leader of the Earth Ponies, ate the food because she was…” “A gluttonous pig?” guessed Beau. “That’s right.” Said Twilight. “Soon enough, Chancellor Pudding Head, the leader of the Earth Ponies, along with Commander Hurricane, leader of the Pegasi, and Princess Platinum, leader of the Unicorns, traveled to a different land to find a new home. However, they soon stumbled upon one another, and the three leaders argued once more. But then the Windigos came and froze the three of them. Only their subordinates; a unicorn named Clover the Clever, a Pegasi named Private Pansy, and an earth pony named Secretary Smart Cookie, were the first ones to overcome their differences and realized what they truly needed. In the end, thanks to them, they created new magic that banished the Windigos. And ever since, they were able to convince the leaders to stop being cold to one another, and how in time the fires of Friendship were made, and how every year, creatures of all Equestria celebrate that holiday together, sharing traditions and spending time with one another.” “And in time, both Princesses Celestia and Luna took the reins.” Guessed Beau. “That’s right.” Said Twilight. But then she noticed Beau was in thought. “What?” “You know, Hearth’s Warming reminds me of a holiday similar back home. But we call it Christmas.” “Really?” said Twilight. “It was founded by a Roman emperor named Constantine, during the year 336 AD, about fifteen hundred years ago, I think.” Said Beau, “It also celebrated the birth of a very special person. Overtime, it soon spread all over the world as the holidays celebrate it. It also helps bring families and friends together. They even created a story about a guy named Santa Clause, who makes sure if you’re naughty or nice. If you’re nice, you get presents, but if you’re naughty, you get a lump of coal. They even made Christmas related stories. One of my favorites is a Christmas Carol, where a guy named Scrooge hated Christmas, until the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future came and showed him things that would make him second guess his decisions, and in time, had a change of heart.” “Oh!!” said Twilight, “It almost sounds like a Hearth’s Warming Tale!! That’s one of mine and Spike’s favorites.” “Wow, add another thing we have in common on the list.” Joked Beau, which caused the two of them to laugh at that. Suddenly, they heard a loud thud and looked within the box of decorations. There sat Moonlight, being decorated with ornaments, and laughed, causing the two of them to coo at that. Twilight picked Moonlight up and placed her on her lap. Beau also had a look on his face, something that Twilight noticed. “Beau?” asked Twilight in concern. “It’ll be Moonlight’s first Hearth’s Warming Eve.” Said Beau, then he looked sad and said, “And it’ll be my first too and…away from home.” Twilight placed her hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention. “It’s alright, Beau.” Said Twilight, “You at least reassured your mother that you would be alright, and now you’re not the only human in Equestria anymore.” “I know.” Said Beau, “But it’s still hard, you know?” “Tell you what,” said Twilight, “After the party, we’ll visit the girls at Canterlot City. You’ll be able to experience a bit over there.” “And I’m sure Moonlight will like it too.” Said Beau, “I just hope she doesn’t freak out over there.” “She instantly recognized the girls there because they look so similar.” Said Twilight. “And some differences,” said Beau before he teased and scratched behind her ear, “You don’t have these cute little ears whenever they twitch.” Twilight pouted for a moment before using her entire body to nudge him at the same time, which caused the two of them to laugh. “Now then,” said Beau as he clapped his hands together and stood up, “I’ll start getting the decorations together so that I can set it up for us.” “That we can set it up.” Said Twilight as she teased, “Don’t think you’re gonna leave me out on celebrating the holiday. And our friends will be coming over too.” The two of them soon left to start with the decorating. ************************************************************************************************* Within an hour, after they were done decorating and left Spike in charge to decorate the castle in order to keep his mind off of things, Beau and Twilight decided to visit Mayor Mare to make the arrangements whilst carrying Moonlight in Twilight’s arms. “Excuse me, we’d like to see Mayor Mare?” said Princess Twilight. “Oh, but of course, Princess, she’s be more than happy to see you.” Said the pony secretary. “Thank you,” said Beau, “Oh, and how’s little Nightwind? I heard he had an accident last week.” “Oh, he’s doing fine.” Said the Secretary, “His wing will take about another week to recover.” “That’s a relief.” Said Beau, “I hope he makes a full recovery.” “Thank you, Prince Beau.” Said the Secretary. Beau and Twilight walked towards Mayor Mare’s office, with Beau saying, “That’s the first time anyone’s ever called me that.” “Well, the two of us are married, so it would make sense that you’d be a prince too.” Said Twilight. “Eh, fair enough.” Said Beau, “Though I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.” When the two of them had entered the office, they saw Mayor Mare was busy with paperwork. When she heard the door open, she looked up and was surprised to see who was coming inside. “Well, this is a surprise.” Said Mayor Mare before placing one of her papers back onto the table, “To what do I owe this visit, Princess Twilight?” “Well, as you know, Hearth’s Warming Eve is around the corner, so we figured we’d do something different.” Said Twilight. “Something different?” asked Mayor Mare. “It was mostly Beau’s idea.” Said Twilight. “See, back on my world, before the start of the holidays, we’d have a party before we celebrate the big day.” Said Beau, “So we figured that we’d like to invite everyone in Ponyville to attend at Twilight’s castle. We just need some of the ponies to set things up inside before the rest arrive.” “Oh, a Hearth’s Warming party,” said Mayor Mare with interest, “Now that’s something to look forward to.” “We’ll send word for those who wish to volunteer so that we’ll be able to get ready by the time all of you arrive.” Said Twilight. “We’ll see you then.” Said Beau as he and Twilight left the building. *************************************************************************************************** The next day right outside, everybody started to sing and prepare for Hearth’s Warming. Beau took a good look outside and smiled when he saw everyone preparing for the festivities. Then he heard a loud knock at the door. “I’ll get it!!” said Spike. Though he sounds excited that Hearth’s Warming Eve is here, some could still hear the depression in his voice. From the sound of his voice, he hasn’t completely overcome what Rarity had said. “Twilight!!” called out Beau, “The girls and guys are here!!” Twilight instantly teleported and appeared next to Beau, “Then let’s going, we have no time to lose.” Twilight grabbed Beau and teleported with him along. The two of them arrived at the front door, and saw Spike had just brought in the rest of the Mane 6, along with the two husbands, one fiancé, and one boyfriend. “Glad you guys could make it.” Said Beau. “Oh, darlings, we would never miss it.” Said Rarity. “Yeah, that idea about us having a Hearth’s Warmin Eve party before the holiday starts was a mighty fine idea.” Said Applejack. “And it’s about time we use the castle for a big party!!” said Pinkie with a bounce when she said, ‘party’. “Well then, let’s get to it.” Said Beau. “Before we do, we got some last-minute things to do first.” Said Rainbow as she and Fluttershy flew out. But as they did, they heard…music? “Wait, is that music?” said Beau. “Yeah, we hear it too.” Said Bucky, with the rest of the humans in the room agreeing. (watch from the beginning to 01:36) “Whoa, is this a thing?” said a confused Silver. “Well of course, darling.” Said Rarity, “After all, sometimes a song can bring up wonders for a pony.” “What the heck is this, Disney?” said a confused Bucky. “What, you guys rehearse this or something?” said a confused Bolt. “Yeah, every Thursday.” Said Pinkie before pulling out a flyer and showed them, “Didn’t you guys see the flyer?” This caused the humans in the room to look confused by this. But merely shrugged and carried on. Soon, everypony in town was busy helping decorating, setting up food, and giving out presents to the fillies and colts and townsfolks as a means of giving, with the humans doing their best to help out, especially since both Bucky and Silver were trying their best to help their wives in order to make sure that they don’t strain themselves because they’re pregnant. So far, everything is setting up great, and as Beau walked up the stairs with Moonlight, he overheard them talking. “Hey, Starlight.” Said Twilight when Beau overheard them, “Ready to celebrate your first Hearth’s Warming Eve in Ponyville?” “I was thinking I might just skip it.” Said Starlight. Beau was shocked to hear this, even Twilight and Spike. Then he overheard her saying that Hearth’s Warming Eve was just about presents and candy. “Why would she think that?” said Beau to himself, “It’s not about the presents, or about the thing that happened since Equestria’s founding. Okay, I’m getting to the bottom of this.” Beau followed closely, and would later find the opportunity to speak to her. ************************************************************************************************* Whilst Twilight and Spike went to fetch the book, Beau on the other hand looked curious. He walked over with Moonlight in his arms. “Why do you want to skip the holidays?” asked Beau. Starlight turned to him in and could see him being concerned whilst holding Moonlight. “Well, it sounds like to me the holiday is about presents and candy, and how they formed the fires of friendship to keep the mythical Windigos away.” “Oh, they’re not a myth, they’re very much real.” Said Beau, causing Starlight to stop in a complete halt with widened eyes. “I’m sorry, what?” said Starlight as she had a confused and worried look at the same time. “I’m surprised Twilight didn’t tell you.” Said Beau, “My ancestor, Achilles Rohan was originally from Equestria, and he stumbled upon the Windigos. Even spoke to them.” This surprised Starlight, and then had an anxious look. “Okay then,” said Starlight whilst giggling nervously, “Now I’m really worried.” “Don’t think too much about it.” Said Beau, “Besides, the holidays are more than just presents and candy, it’s also about spending time with family and friends and making memories that would last for generations. Besides, it’s a tradition.” “I still find it silly.” Said Starlight before she walked. But before she could take another step. “You don’t want to celebrate it because of your mother’s passing, don’t you?” Starlight instantly stopped in shock, then looked at him. “Sunburst told me the last time I saw him.” Said Beau. Starlight sighed and looked down. “Y-yeah.” Said Starlight, “It didn’t feel the same celebrating without my mom. And…after Sunburst left, I didn’t see the point anymore. Hence why I left and never looked back.” Beau walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, “Do you think she’d want you to be like this and not celebrate the holiday with those who want to be your friend?” Starlight looked down and was partially in tears. Suddenly, the two of them heard babbling sounds. They looked at it looked like Moonlight wanted to hug Starlight, so she flew out and gently hugged her, with Starlight smiling slightly and hugged her. “Thanks Moonlight.” Said Starlight. “See, even Moonlight wants you to celebrate.” Said Beau, “Now then, why don’t you go meet Twilight at the library and see what she has in mind to teach you.” “Alright,” said Starlight, then asked, “But what are you going to do?” “Whilst the others distract the guests in the castle, I’ll be baking holiday cookies, no holiday is complete without some cookies.” Starlight looked at him with confusion. “What, it’s also a tradition.” Said Beau, before whispering, “That and Pinkie Pie has a habit of downing every cookie she sees.” Starlight couldn’t help but giggle at that. “And don’t worry, I’ll even save you some cookies and some hot chocolate to go with it.” Said Beau. “Appreciate it.” Said Starlight before going to the library and find Twilight. Beau held onto Moonlight and looked at her. “Now then, Moonlight,” said Beau, “What do you say we go to the kitchen and make some cookies. That’s right, num-num, cookies.” Moonlight giggled at that before Beau walked off to the kitchen with her. *********************************************************************************************** Beau was in the kitchen, singing in Italian of one of his favorite cooking songs of all time. He put the next batch of cookies inside of the oven, and the already baked ones he put in the public bowl for everyone to eat, whilst also filling up cookie jars filled with cookies being addressed to the Mane 6, Spike, Starlight, the CMC, and the humans. However, Beau didn’t noticed that Moonlight was cooing in excitement as she watched the cookies being brought together. Then she looked at the cookie dough and licked her lips, for she really wanted to taste those cookies. She then had a mischievous smile and hovered over the cookie batter. She reached her little hand into the batter, but when she wanted to taste it, her hand was stuck in it the dough. She struggled to pull it out, as she tried to get free before her dad noticed. “There,” said Beau whilst he wiped the sweat from his brow, “Only two more batches to go, and the cookies for the friends, wive, baby, and the guests will be complete.” When all of a sudden, he heard a loud crash, causing him to quickly turn around and saw a hole, as well as the missing cookie batter. “What the…?” muttered Beau. He ran out of the door and followed the hole, until he eventually reached to where Moonlight’s room was. For it revealed she had tried to take the cookie dough to taste it, whilst be bowl was on her head as some of the dough was decorated on her. At the same time, she also had funny clothing on, for she had crashed through the closet. “Uh-oh.” Said Moonlight, for she was in big trouble. “Moonlight!!” said Beau. Though he was disappointed when he saw his daughter was a mess, but fearing for her wellbeing also took over as he quickly picked her up. “You shouldn’t play around like that; you could’ve gotten hurt.” Suddenly, Moonlight teleported out of her father’s hands and played with her toys whilst still being a mess. “Oh, Geez.” Muttered Beau, realizing just how hard it is. Then he shrugged and said, “Oh well, seeing that you’re being adorable like that, might as well take some pictures.” He walked away and said, “But after this, we’re giving you a bath so you best behave.” He then smirked and said, “Otherwise…no more cookies.” This gained her attention as she froze up, then quickly waved her little arms, and shook her head. “Uh-uh, uh-uh.” Pleased Moonlight, not wanting her favorite snack to be taken. Beau smirked and said, “Good girl.” Beau walked away to get the camera, so that he could take the pictures. *********************************************************************************************** After taking pictures of Moonlight, as well as giving her a bath, Moonlight was busy playing with her toys whilst wearing some fresh new clothes. She then felt a presence and looked at her dad, who had a slight frown. “Normally, I’d ground you for causing a mess and would refuse to give you a cookie.” Said Beau, which startled Moonlight, and was teary eyes. “But given how it’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, I’ll let that slide, and give you some free cookies.” The moment when Moonlight sees a jar of cookies, she squealed in delight and grabbed it like a koala, causing Beau to giggle at that. He picked up Moonlight and went over to a cart that he thankfully had put aside to put the others’ cookies in. He walked down the hall and went straight to the main lobby, where everyone were still busy decorating the tree and the Castle. Beau placed the large plate of cookies on the table, until… “Cookies!!!!” Beau placed his hand in the air and stopped something. When he slowly looked to his right, he saw Pinkie Pie in his hand, the one that she stopped. “Pinkie,” scolded Beau, “What did we talk about self-control when it comes to food?” Pinkie fell down onto her flank, then pouted and crossed her arms. “No eating them like a…pig.” “Good girl.” Said Beau, then pulled out different cookie jars with names on them. “Besides, I already made cookies for you guys. And you get a jar each.” “Sweet!!” said Rainbow in excitement as she accepted her jar, even the others. As they took their jars, he noticed Twilight walking down the stairs. “Hey there, glad you could make it.” Said Beau, “I hope it didn’t take too long.” “Thankfully, no.” said Twilight before using her magic to pick up the cider whilst also holding Moonlight Sparkle. “But she’ll be down here in a moment.” Said Spike. That’s when Beau heard a door opening and looked up top, making him smirk. “Which is right now.” They looked up and saw Starlight standing there. “Welcome to the party,” said Twilight with a smile on her face, “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Starlight.” “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Twilight.” Said Starlight with a smile on her own. (watch from 00:10) Everyone began to sing together as all of them got excited. At the end, Beau was silent for a moment. Then looked at Twilight. “Honey, seeing that all of you like to sing, mind if the guys and I also sing something from our world?” asked Beau. Twilight wondered what it was, with Beau motioning the guys to come together. As Bucky played the guitar, Beau began to sing. As they sang, everypony couldn’t help but watch and have smiles of their own, with Moonlight focusing on her father as she couldn’t help but giggle. One thing’s for certain, for many it had been the best Hearth’s Warming Eve ever, and for the humans, their very first Christmas, in another world. Chapter 22: The saddle-row reviewIt had been about a month since Hearth’s Warming Eve had passed, and already everyone is at work with the new year and new opportunities. However, all focus was now going to be on Manehattan. And right of as this moment, the Mane 6 were walking down the street called… “Welcome, to Saddle Row.” Said Rarity. Rarity wanted to take this opportunity to check on the building she rented to run her business, Rarity 4 U, which is catchy. But the girls didn’t like the idea of her going off on her own, especially since she’s carrying a baby, as well as Applejack. And Fluttershy, which she happens to be a month pregnant. Thankfully, the three husbands, the fiancé and boyfriend, aka, the human 5, accompanied them to make sure that the pregnant ones were okay and the other arrived for extra help just in case. “An entire street lined with the most fashionable boutiques in all of Equestria.” Said Rarity. “Next to the ones in Ponyville, and in Canterlot.” Said Silver whilst holding onto Rarity’s arm. “If it’s supposed to be the most fashionable block of shops,” said Applejack in confusion, “Where’s Stinky Bottom’s Discount Hat Emporium?” “Wait, they actually have a store for that?” asked Bucky. “I suppose it didn’t, make the cut.” Said Rarity whilst straining herself, surprising Applejack a little. “Or maybe it had something to do with the name of the store.” Said Silver. “Meaning?” said Applejack whilst raising a brow. “He mean’s the pony’s name.” said Bolt, “I mean come on, a pony with that kind of name, other folks would think he literally has a stinky bottom.” This caused Rainbow to chuckle at that, and Applejack glaring at them. “You know, he may have a point.” Said Beau, “I remember this onetime when there was a show that talked about historical figures, but in a cartoony way.” “Which historical figure?” asked Twilight. “About a guy that was famous for inventing a sandwich.” Said Beau, “But when they helped him invent it, he gave the stupidest name ever.” “Oh yeah, I remember that.” Said Bucky as the rest of the humans also know what he was talking about. “What did he call it?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Stinky pile of poo.” Said the humans. This caused the Mane 6 to look at their husbands in shock and disgust. “Why in Equestria would he give it such a disgusting name?!” exclaimed Rarity. “Apparently he named it after his mother because it was her maiden name.” said Genus whilst rolling his eyes. This again, shocked the ponies. “Er, okay.” Said a slowly disturbed Applejack, “Ah can see what y’all mean.” Rarity then gasped as she saw the building. “Here it is!! Rarity 4 U!!” exclaimed Rarity as all of them stood next to the building. However, as they entered the building, though it looked nice, it was very dusty on the inside. “That can’t be right.” Said Silver. “Whatever do you mean, darling?” asked Rarity. “I hired a cleaning service to clean up the place before we got here.” Said Silver, “They didn’t show up at all.” This surprised Rarity as well. “Hmm, that is strange.” “Rarity, it’s lovely.” Said Twilight, “But are you sure you’ll be ready to open tonight?” “Yeah, I mean shouldn’t you have cleaned the place, organize it, have all your latest trends ready, and have them all ready for opening day before we got here?” said Beau. Pinkie then suddenly sniffed a pile of dust, causing it to go into her nose. She then let out a large sneeze, causing the dust to fly around and covering everyone around them. “Least she didn’t spray it.” Said Bolt in a deadpanned tone. “No need to fret over a mere moderate amount of preparation.” Reassured Rarity before she handed cleaning supplies to them. “My clothes arrive soon, my sale associate after that, and with a little…dusting, we’ll be ready for the grand opening tonight. Don’t you think, Silver.” However, she noticed that her husband was silent and didn’t say anything. “Silver?” asked Rarity. Everyone turned to the entrance and they see Silver sitting near the window, as in deep in though. He imagined himself wearing a detective outfit, everything black and white, as well as rain from outside. “The city, known as Manehattan, one of the largest most successful cities in Equestria, besides Canterlot.” Said Silver, “The citizens walk by trying to live their daily lives like they are the drones of the city, controlled by the higher seats of power, running the numbers and running the rackets to keep a city this big afloat, slowly bleeding dry the citizens of their hard-working earnings.” “In this city, my wife and her friends arrived in this large city, where she would do the one thing like many others before her strive to do…to make dreams come true. Though in a city like this, there is always a slim chance. Though in a place like this…nothing, is slim.” “Uh, what are you doing?” Silver snapped out of it and turned to the others. The humans and Mane 5 looked at Silver with extremely confused looks, whilst Rarity, for some reason, had stars in her eyes when she heard him talk like that. “Oh, sorry.” Chuckled Silver sheepishly, “Kinda got lost in the moment.” “More than a moment.” said Beau. “Darling, that was amazing.” Said Rarity with stars in her eyes. “Where ever did you read something like that?” “Er…well…” Silver looked a bit uncomfortable. But He was able to take a breath and tell the truth. “Being out in the big city reminds me of my old home and my old family…before they passed.” Some couldn’t help but sympathize whilst he looked outside, “We even watched a lot of old detective stories together, and I wanted to be a writer. I did write a few things. But…I gave up on it. Didn’t feel like writing anything…without them by my side.” “Huh, surprisingly I wanted to write too,” said Beau, “But things didn’t work out for me.” Rarity approached her husband and held him close. “I am terribly sorry, Silver.” Said Rarity, “But I’m sure they wouldn’t want you to give up on what you would want to do.” “Yeah, I know.” Said Silver whilst looking out the window. But another thought had run through his mind, something that he didn’t want to talk or think about. But… That’s when they were interrupted when the doors were opened. From the door, revealed to be two Earth Ponies. One of them being a young girl with braces. She looked a bit weird, but none of them were going to complain. “Rarity!!” said the older pony, “So good to see you!! Your store, it’s going to be a very good place, I think.” Some of them humans were confused of this pony. “Who the heck is that guy?” whispered Beau. “That’s Mr. Plaid.” Whispered Twilight, “He’s the landlord of this building. From what Rarity told me, he may be nice, but he’s also very pushy.” The said pony and the younger one walked over to Rarity. “You’ve met my daughter, the apple of my ear, the hay in my hoof?” said Mr. Plaid, “You will let her work with you.” Rarity and Silver flexed an eyebrow on that, which was a little surprising, which caused Rarity to giggled nervously at that. “It’s just…I’m dreadfully busy preparing for tonight’s grand opening, as you can see.” “She’s right,” said Silver as he looked over the list he and Rarity put together, “The cleaners need to clean the place, which I don’t know where they are, the materials needs to be placed, the displays need to be prepared, and we have to get them ready because the advertisements got it wrong with the date.” “There are only two things I love more than being pushy…” said Mr. Plaid… “Aside from dressing up in a track suit that’s been out of style for thirty years?” Silver blabbed with a flexed eyebrow. This caused Rarity to tense up, Mr. Plaid glared at him, whilst his daughter stifled her laughter when she heard him say that remark. “Stay out of this, monkey boy.” Remarked Mr. Plaid. “Whatever.” Said Silver whilst rolling his eyes. “Ahem,” said Mr. Plaid as he continued, “One is my daughter. The other is miniature doll furniture. And I would sell my entire mini-furniture collection to make my daughter happy. You understand?” This caused the said girl to bounce her eyebrows, eager to show her part in working here. Rarity removed Mr. Stripe’s arm and said, “I’m sorry, I just don’t think it’s going to be possible.” “She’s right,” said Silver, “Besides, she’s too young and from the looks of it, doesn’t have any experiences.” “Let me say another way,” said Mr. Plaid, before he whispered, “Hire her, or I raise rent until you no can afford!” This surprised Silver, causing him to shove Mr. Plaid away. “Excuse me, are you threatening her?” said Silver. “Eh, what you want, monkey boy?” said Mr. Plaid. Silver rolled his eyes at that comment, and said, “You’re threatening to raise rent on one of the biggest fashion designers in Equestria, especially since she has a baby on the way?” This surprised Plaid Stripes as she had no idea. Her dad on the other hand… “Pff, who cares,” said Mr. Plaid, “Baby probably a hideous abomination anyway.” This caused Rarity to gasp at that. Silver on the other hand, silently gripped his hand and crushed his pen behind his back in anger. “First idea!” said Plaid Stripes, “Instead of clothes, we sell glow in the dark teeth!!” “Um,” whispered Silver, “You do realize that glowing teeth aren’t fashionable, right? And this a store to sell clothes, not funny dentures?” This caused her to blush at that, “Whoops.” Silver on the other hand looked at Mr. Plaid leaving, and began to be suspicious about him. He watched him leave the store. Silver walked to the door and watched him leave. Suddenly, he once again imagined himself wearing a detective outfit, with everything turning black and white, as well as rain from outside. “Mr. Plaid seemed very eager to have his daughter work here, despite having no experience working in a place like this.” Said Silver to himself, “Plus Rarity claims through paper that Mr. Stripes is the owner, yet from what I’ve heard, nopony in Manehattan knew a Mr. Stripes. He is hiding something. From what Rarity told me, the advertisement wanted us to open it here today, despite the cleaners haven’t cleaned it yet, and the fashion is running late for some reason.” “He is hiding something. And by Jove, I was going to find out.” “Wow.” Silver got out of his thought and looked back. Once more everyone was looking at him oddly, with Rarity being entranced again. However, Plaid Stripes was also enamored the way he was telling it. “That’s amazing.” Said Plaid Stripes. Silver deadpanned and said, “I did it again, didn’t I?” “Yes.” Said all the humans in the room at the same time. Silver shook his head and opened the door. “Darling, where are you going?” asked Rarity. “I’m going out to see why the cleaners didn’t show up.” Said Silver, “They should have the answer.” “Oh, alright then,” said Rarity, “But don’t take too long, darling.” “Don’t worry Rarity,” said Bucky, “We’re keeping you company whilst trying to fix this place up at the same time, so you’ve got nothing to be worried about.” “And we’ll try our best to clean the place up whilst we’re here.” Said Applejack. “See you guys in a bit.” Said Silver as he walked out of the store. But as he walked, he said, “Note to self, keep my detective mode in my thoughts.” ************************************************************************************************ Silver, who decided to wear a disguise like an actual detective, walked down the streets, trying to blend in with the crowd. Thankfully no one noticed him. ‘The streets of Manehattan were always busy. Civilians walking by from one destination to another, trying to live life as best they can. Me on the other hand, I try to find the location of the cleaners. Finding clues on why they did not do what they were paid.’ Silver stopped near a place called, ‘Manehattan cleaners’, the place where he was looking for. ‘Manehattan cleaners,’ thought Silver, “The one and only place that involves everything. From cleaning homes, empty business buildings, and buildings that have been recently bought. And they’re also wizards at doing laundry.” Squinting his eyes in determination, Silver walked inside. Once he does, he sees the cleaners doing their work and organizing the equipment. That was, until one of the ponies, Shine Polish, noticed Silver walking in, then walked over to him. “Can I help you?” asked the Pony. “I was hoping to speak with the manager,” said Silver, “Related to my wife’s business, Rarity 4 U.” “Oh, you must be Silver.” Said Shine Polish, “Right this way.” Shine Polish led Silver inside to the manager’s office, known as Ace Packaging, the pony in charge of the cleaning supplies. He looked up and sees Silver walk in. He flexed his left brow, but the moment he removed his hat… “Oh, you must be the human I’ve heard so much about.” Said Ace Packaging surprised. “What can I do for you?” Silver sat down on his chair and asked, “I came by personally because I was curious of a few things.” “And what might that be?” inquired Ace Packaging. “A month ago, I had sent payments to this very establishment to help clean the residence of a new business that would be open for business soon. Rarity 4 U, if the name has made its way to the advertisements.” “Ah yes, we have heard of that.” Said Ace Packaging. “Yes, we did receive the payments you have sent, according to our records. However, from a week ago, a pony came by and claimed that Mrs. Rarity told him that she canceled the order, but told us too keep the payments. Naturally, we didn’t want to stop without any proof, until he claimed you sent a document.” “May I see it?” asked Silver. Ace Packaging pulled out a document and showed Silver the document. He looked it over, and noticed that the writing was not of Silver, but of Rarity’s. And she never sent out any document. He pondered for a moment. “Can I also see the document I sent you for the cleaning job?” asked Silver. Ace Packaging gave Silver the document. That’s when Silver noticed. ‘That’s when I saw it,’ thought Silver, ‘The writing itself matched Rarity’s. I remembered she told me and I saw her write a letter to the owner of the building, wishing to purchase it after going through certain buildings. That’s when she received a letter back. When I made a request for the cleaners, this pony must’ve tried to stop them, thinking that Rarity had hired the cleaners. Except neither this pony, or Rarity knew I hired them. Whoever sent the letter, thought he’d stop Rarity. But who would do such a thing?’ “May I ask who was the pony who told you this?” asked Silver. “It was an Earth Pony, with a purple mane and beard. And appeared to have a track suit of sorts.” Recalled Ace Packaging. That’s when it clicked to Silver, and said, “That looked like it was out of style for thirty years?” “Yes, that is correct.” Said Ace Packaging. ‘It was then I realized who the true culprit was. Mr. Plaid.’ Thought Silver with steely eyed determination, ‘But why would he deny the cleaners cleaning up the place? He seemed eager for Rarity to hire his daughter, and threatened to raise the rent. So, there must be more than there must be going on.’ Silver stood up and said, “I think the said pony forged this document.” “What makes you say that?” asked Ace Packaging. “Well for one,” said Silver, “As you know, I hired you to clean the place in order for the business to get ready. However, Rarity doesn’t know that I hired you. I only recently told her when we arrived. And this pony claimed that she said that I cancelled it by letter, despite I never told her anything.” This surprised Ace Packaging and wondered, “Come to think of it, I did find it strange.” “Well, seeing that it was still paid, mind if you cleaned the place anyway?” asked Silver. “Of course,” said Ace Packaging, “Sorry for the inconvenience, we’ll do it right away.” Silver walked out of the store whilst Ace Packaging and his crew quickly went over to clean the place. “So, Mr. Plaid was the one who stopped the cleaning,” thought Silver, “But why would he do that? More questions that need answering. There’s only one place to get that kind of information.” Silver looked up and squinted his eyes, knowing where to go to. “City hall.” ************************************************************************************************ Silver made his way towards city hall, hoping to speak to the mayor, if he has any answers. ‘City hall,” thought Silver, “The heart and soul of Manehattan itself, where leadership among this place questions and answers everything in this city, whether for good, for business, or foul intent. One thing’s for sure, if anyone is to have any records of the building we plan to open Rarity’s store…then the mayor, should have all the answers.’ Silver walked towards the building and through the doors of City Hall. When he looked around, he saw there were many ponies moving to and fro, trying to do their jobs left and right. He saw a Unicorn secretary up ahead and walked towards her. Once he was close enough, the secretary noticed Silver. “Oh, hello there.” Said the secretary, “Welcome to Manehattan city hall. My name is Mystic Featherwind, what’s yours?” “Greetings,” said Silver, “My name is Silver, I’m Rarity’s husband from Ponyville.” “Oh, the designer from Ponyville who recently opened her business in Equestria’s capitol?” asked the secretary. “That’s right,” said Silver, “We’re planning to open a business here in Manehattan, and we’ve eyed on the building at fashion row for some time, but we’ve hit a bit of a snag, so I was hoping with your help, we’d be able to purchase it.” “Really?!” said the secretary in excitement. Clearly she was a fan of Rarity’s work. Then she calmed down, cleared her throat, and said, “Unfortunately if you wish to meet with the mayor, I’m afraid he is out attending a meeting.” “Aw, nuts.” Said Silver. “However,” said Featherwing, “Seeing that I have some free time, I can help.” “And what do you wish in return?” asked Silver. “That I would like to gain access to Rarity’s line,” said Featherwind, “I simply adore her work.” “Well in that case.” Said Silver as he handed her a pass, “We already handed out a few, but I kept some close to me for just in case.” “Thank you so much.” Said Mystic Featherwing before accepting it. “Now then, follow me, I’ll take you to the records room. I know which street that building resides.” The two of them went to the records room and went to the one where the specific street has many buildings. Just what they’re looking for. “The records room, home to records dating back to when the city itself had been in a system. If there’s any hope of obtaining Rarity 4 U, it would be here.” “Here it is.” Said Mystic Featherwind as she took out a document. “This is the very deed to the building you’ve been looking for. Owned by the former owner of the now abandoned formal wear building, Kingsman Formal.” This perked Silver. “Wait, what?” said Silver, “Isn’t the current owner Mr. Plaid?” “Not really.” Said Featherwind, “That building had been owned by him until it closed down last year, then he put it in auction for most of that time. We received word it had already been acquired, but the payment hasn’t arrived yet.” “And it was from that moment I knew…I struck gold.” “But isn’t the owner Mr. Stripes?” asked Silver. “No, that’s not the stallion’s name.” said Featherwind, then looked at him in curiosity. “Why do you ask?” Silver explained everything to what he discovered. Mystic Featherwind was speechless over what he revealed. “A con pony?” said Featherwind. “That’s my first guess.” Said Silver. “Maybe there’s a connection, a reason why he wants to keep other ponies from buying the building.” Said Mystic Featherwind. “But for what purpose?” Pondered Silver. He looked at the pony and asked, “Do you happen to have the address of this said pony, or if he’s still living in the city?” “That I do.” Said Featherwind, “Follow me, I’ll bring you straight to the next room.” The two of them walked together towards the next room, hoping to find the pony he’s looking for. **************************************************************************************************** On a random door from out of nowhere, Silver stood near the door and knocked on it. The door opened, revealing a pony in his late forties, which was the pony in question. “Excuse me, are you Kingsman Formal?” asked Silver. “That’s right.” Said the said pony. “I am here on business of a building of yours down at Saddle Row.” Said Silver. “Oh, that building.” Said the pony whilst rolling his eyes. “Why is it you want it?” “My wife is planning to open a business there,” said Silver, “But a pony named Mr. Stripes, wants to take it away from…” “Stripes?!!” exclaimed the said pony. Making him growl. He looked left and right and invited him in, allowing them to go inside. “I know who you’re talking about.” “You do?” asked a confused Silver. “That I do.” Said the pony, “Long ago, Plaid and I were once business partners. But he wanted to turn the building that I bought into a gambling club, which had been illegal for a hundred years. Naturally I closed it down a year ago, and he’s been trying to buy it for a long time. But without the deed and the approval of city hall, he can’t buy it. And he’s been turning away anyone who wishes to buy the building, and make up a fake story that he’s the owner. He even used his own daughter to interfere when she has no education in business at all.” “Of, course.” Said Silver. “And what about you?” asked Kingsman Formal. “My wife always wanted to open a business in Manehattan.” Said Silver. “And her name would be?” “Rarity.” “Wait,” said Kingsman Formal shocked, “You’re Rarity’s husband?” “Yes, I know, I’m an ape, I get that a lot.” Said Silver. “Anyway, how do you know her?” “She entered a fashion show a while back, until Suri Polomare stole her designs and tricked Rarity into thinking that she didn’t win the contest.” Said the pony. “And then she guilt her friends into working for her like slaves and ruined their trip to Manehattan.” Said Silver. “She did that?!” said Formal in shock. “She did,” said Silver, “Trust me, they weren’t exactly happy about it either. Though thankfully, her former assistant, Coco Pommel, was brave enough to stand up to her and told the Judges the truth. In the end, Rarity had won the prize. However, shortly after I met her and worked with her, Suri came by and as usual, threw a hissy fit. Thankfully I was able to put a stop to the whole thing before things got out of hand.” “Good for you.” “Shortly after that, we got married and we’re expecting a child.” “Really?” said Kingsman Formal in surprise, “Congratulations to the both of you.” “Heh, thanks.” Said Silver, “Anyway, seeing that I noticed how Plaid was going to be trouble, I plan to buy the building, but I knew he would somewhat get in the way, so I’d go through city hall, considering they make the deals and everything. But when the secretary told me of you, I realized Plaid must’ve lied of being the owner, so I asked her where you live so that…” “Say no more.” Said Kingsman Formal as he stood up from his couch, “I’d be more than happy to help. As a matter of fact, I have the deed with me. Right this way.” The two of them made their way to another room to discuss the rights to own the business. *********************************************************************************************** Silver walked down the street in his disguise whilst looking at the newly formed deed, thanks to Formal and Featherwing’s help. ‘And so far, I have done it.’ thought Silver, ‘With the deed in my hands, and the payments been made, City Hall has now ensured that Rarity 4 U is protected under the law, and the likes of Plaid will not take his greedy hands on it.’ That’s when he looked up and was surprised to see the guys outside of the shop. Curious, he wondered what was going on. “Guys?” said Silver, gaining their attention. “What are you guys doing out here?” Then he saw the uneasy looks on their faces. “Oh no,” dreaded Silver when he realized something, “Did something happen?” “You could say that,” said Beau, “The cleaners came and they were able to clean up the place, thank goodness. But then we got one problem after the other.” “Alright, start from the beginning.” Said Silver. Beau started first. “After they cleaned up the place, they heard music from upstairs, which was from DJ-PON3.” “Wait, Vinyl Scratch?” said Silver surprised, remembering the mare through one of Rarity’s clients, Octavia Melody. “Why the heck was she there?” “Turns out she hired the room to play her music for a party to practice for one of her gigs tonight.” Said Beau. Then came Bucky. “Plaid Strips constantly keeps coming up with one idiotic thing after another, no matter how many times Rarity tries to tell her no, and her father’s still persistent.” Then began Genus. “Rarity also found a family or Racoons resting inside the shop, and wants Fluttershy to have them removed from the building. But as you can imagine, Fluttershy said no. And I agree with her, I mean the city isn’t exactly a good place for them to live in.” Then Bolt. “Then a pony named Coco Pommel said that she couldn’t help Rarity managed the shop because she’s fallen ill. Rainbow and I are having a hard time trying to figure out who would have enough experience to help her out.” “Oh, no.” groaned Silver, “I knew I should’ve stayed around.” “There’s nothing you could’ve done,” said Beau, “But we’ll need to think things through.” They walked inside, until Silver saw Plaid Stripes walk outside and stood outside, sighing. “Plaid Stripes, right?” This perked the pony in question, making her look, and sees Silver. “Oh, hello Mr. Silver.” Said a depressed Plaid. “Something wrong?” said Silver. “I thought you were going to help in the shop.” “I did, but my ideas are terrible.” Said Plaid. “But if I might ask, why would you suggest something like that in the first place?” asked Silver. “It’s just that….” Said Plaid, before groaning and said aloud, “I only did it so that my father can see I don’t like working there!!” This perked Silver’s attention, then he stood on one knee and looked at her directly, “Go on.” “Going to a business like this, it’s my father’s idea.” Said Plaid, “I never wanted to work in a place like this. I, I don’t even know anything about running a business!! I thought if I showed him, he’d stop this silly idea.” “Like running a gambling club?” asked Silver. “Gambling?” said a confused Plaid. ‘And that’s when it caught my attention. Mr. Plaid was using his own daughter just to drive Rarity away and so that he could buy this place cheap. Well maybe it’s time to tell her the full detail.’ “Well, I hate to tell you this, but your dad doesn’t own this building.” Said Silver. “He doesn’t?” said a confused Plaid Stripes. “No, his partner, Kingsman Formal does.” Said Silver, “He owns the building and has the deed to prove it. His partner wanted to turn it into a gambling club, but he told your dad that it’s illegal, and didn’t want to get in trouble. But your dad’s not listening. So, he closed down the business, and your dad’s been driving every pony away to keep them from buying the building.” This shocked Plaid Stripes, and said, “No wonder my dad’s been constantly chasing ponies away!! I thought he chased them because he didn’t like them!!” Silver thought about this, then came up with a solution, then smirked and said, “I’ve got an idea, but I’m gonna need your help.” “My help?” asked Plaid Stripes. “Yeah, if you do, I’ll see if I can help you out in achieving what you’ve been wanting in your life.” Promised Silver. This got Plaid Stripes excited and said, “Alright, you got yourself a deal.” Silver shook her hand, allowing the two of them walk inside. There, Silver bumps into Beau. “What’s going on?” asked Silver. “We helped out wives come up with a perfect solution to set up this place,” said Beau, “But we’re also gonna need your help on this one.” “I’ll do what I can, until then…” said Silver, “I’ve got a mystery to solve.” ***************************************************************************************************** It took a lot of effort, but everything was in place. Though Silver didn’t approve of them locking Rarity inside the room just to adjust something so minor, he was thankful of them sorting things out. Pinkie Pie was able to convince Vinyl Scratch to play at Rarity’s opening, Rainbow convinced three ponies, especially Blue Bobbin, he should consider hiring her in the future, and a few other ponies to help everypony pick the right dress. Fluttershy convinced Smokey Jr. and his family to dress up and help deliver fresh water. He had to admit, they looked kind of adorable in formal wear. And Plaid Stripes brought spoon clothing. Huh, three different spoons, that was actually pretty good. Opening night had arrived and everyone was hard at work. One of the ponies declared this the perfect business, that’s when Silver noticed Mr. Stripes walk in. ‘Showtime.’ Thought Silver as he smirked. “What is going on here?!” Everyone turned to the door, and was surprised to see Mr. Plaid. “Why, Mr. Plaid, so glad you could join us.” Said Rarity, “As you can see, Rarity 4 U is a complete success.” “I do not care,” said Mr. Plaid, “You deny my daughter a job, therefore, you’re not welcome here. So clear everything out and never come back!!” “I don’t think so.” Everyone turned and saw Silver coming in. “What do you want?” said Mr. Plaid. “All of you are trespassing my building!!” “Technically, it’s not your building anymore.” Said Silver. “And what makes you say that?” said Mr. Plaid. “Because I bought it.” Said Silver smugly. “What?!” exclaimed Mr. Plaid, whilst the others were just as surprised by this. But none were more surprised than Rarity. “It’s like this,” said Silver, “A month before Hearth’s Warming Eve arrived and Rarity was busy with an order, Princess Celestia herself reached out to me and asked that I designed and prepared gala outfits for not just her, but also for Princess Luna and half the nobles of Canterlot, who were preparing their famous Hearth’s Warming Gala for the delegates visiting from other towns and cities. And thanks to the large payments, which not only I was able to set aside for our daughter…” Silver then went over to Mr. Stripes’ face with a smirk. “But I also had enough to buy this very building, therefore I own it.” This caused many to be surprised. “What?!” said Mr. Stripes, “That’s impossible, I wouldn’t allow it!!” “Figured you’d say that,” said Silver, “I went over to the Mayor of Manehattan and with his secretary’s help, along with the city council, and they approved the building, considering it is their city after all.” Silver took a few steps back and crossed his arms. “And I also found out something…very interesting.” Said Silver, “For one thing, you were never the owner of this building, or a businessman at all. You’re just a random pony, pretending to be the owner. Which kind of makes sense, because I remember distinctly that I hired cleaners to clean up the place because it was a pigsty, but somehow they couldn’t because you chased them away.” This caused everyone to gasp at the revelation. “With their help, I was able to track down the real owner.” Said Silver, “And thanks to his help, he was more than happy to sell it to me, as well as signing it over.” Silver then showed them the deed, “And I have the deed to prove it. And before you plan anything, I already had copies made and be given to the mayor, the council, as well as the lawyers and Equestrian Government, so that they’d make sure that this isn’t fraud.” As Mr. Stripes was nervous, Silver placed the document away and smirked. “However, the original owner has heard of you.” Said Silver, “You were nothing more than a con pony, who had been trying to buy the building, illegally in fact, and try to turn it into a secret gambling club, which I need to remind you, that gambling has been illegal in Manehattan for a hundred years.” This caused half of the occupants to gasp at the revelation, but not as shocked as the Mane 6 were. “And by the way, you opening a gambling club, doesn’t make any sense.” Said Silver. “Why is that?” asked Stripes. “Well for one thing, this building can’t house something like this.” Said Silver, “Gambling houses not only need gambling tables, they also need bathrooms, they also need bars, they also need kitchens, they also need to serve food and beverages, and having all of that housing in this store, would all collapse upon opening day. And also, thanks to your daughter…” Stripes was shocked as he looked at Plaid Stripes, who smirked from the sides. “I delivered everything to the Manehattan police, revealing all of your illegal scamming that you have been doing since Plaid here was about ten years old.” Said Silver, “You no longer have a leg to stand on.” He walked over to him and glared deep into the pony’s eyes. “And I haven’t forgotten what you said about my daughter.” Said Silver. “Normally, if it were directed to me, I would’ve let that slide. But going after my wife and daughter.” Silver then moved a bit back, and suddenly, with great strength, Silver punched Mr. Stripes so hard, he was literally flown out of the building and landed on the other side of the street. The said latter was unconscious on the ground with his eyes spinning. At the same time, the Manehattan police arrested Mr. Stripes and took him away. Everyone watched in shock, then turned to Silver as he dusted his hands. “What?” said Silver, “I don’t like it when people insult or threaten my wife or unborn child.” Silver held Rarity close, to which the latter couldn’t help but blush. “Excuse me,” said a pony known as Waxton coming over, “But did you say that you are Rarity’s husband, correct?” “Yes?” said Silver before raising a brow. He looked at him for a few minutes, before chuckling casually. “Rarity, why didn’t you tell us you’ve gotten quite a catch here?” This surprised Rarity, but confused Silver and the rest. “Your husband here stood his ground against a con artist, revealed his illegal scams, bought the building from the real owner, protected your unborn foal, and solved an unsolved mystery. You must be so proud to have somepony like him by your side.” Rarity ended up looking at Silver with Bedroom eyes. “Yes,” said Rarity before delivering a kiss to her husband, “Yes I have.” Silver couldn’t help but smile and look at Plaid Stripes. “As for you,” said Silver before walking over to said girl, “I heard you also want to work at business, just not under your father’s shadow.” Plaid Stripes nodded to that. “Well, as it turns out, thanks to a few connections, I was able to get in contact with a school that teaches everything about business. They’d be more than happy to accept a fresh young mind into the business.” Silver looked at her face to face. “Now I won’t lie, it will be difficult,” said Silver, “But if you give it your all at a hundred percent, no doubt you’ll be knowing your ways inside and out in no time. Think you can handle it?” “I sure do.” Said Plaid Stripes before shaking Silver’s hand. “Excuse me there.” Silver, the humans and the Mane 6 turned to the door and saw a reporter walking in. “My name is Buried Lede.” Said the stallion. “Ah, of the Manehattan Press.” Said Silver before shaking his hand. “You know me?” asked the reporter with a flex eyebrow. “Read about your works from time to time.” Said Silver, “You’re really spot on. So, what can we do for you?” “I’ve come here to report on this amazing place and how it came to be,” said Buried Lede, “As well as the human who solved the mystery of a con pony who attempted to scam you into giving up the place.” “We’d be more than happy to.” Said Rarity. “We’ll be honest in any way we can.” Said Silver. “Very well, follow me.” Said the reporter as everyone followed. Silver stopped and said, “Why don’t you girls go on ahead, I’ll keep an eye on things for a while. In case any of you girls are done, just call me.” “Will do darling,” said Rarity before kissing Silver, “And thank you.” Silver watched as she and the girls left to get interviewed. The guys stayed behind to help out a bit, with Beau walking over to Silver. “You should be proud of what you did today.” Said Beau. “I am.” Said Silver, “I’m just glad I was able to help Rarity in any way I can.” “And any help you give, is a sign of a job well done.” ***************************************************************************************************** Two weeks later, Silver had just finished making breakfast for Rarity. As she chewed onto her pancakes, Silver heard the sound of a doorbell. He walked over and opened the door. To his surprise, it was none other than Featherweight. “Paper delivery straight from Manehattan.” Said Featherweight. “Oh, hey Featherweight.” said Silver before paying him and received the paper, until he blinked and realized something. “Wait, didn’t you get fired because of a mishap with Cranky Doodle’s wedding invitation?” “They demoted me actually,” said Featherweight, “But I’m glad to be delivering papers instead. I mean it’s a great way to go from door to door, and I get some exercise and bits out of it.” “Yeah, that’s a better option.” Said Silver. “Thanks again, Featherweight.” “You’re welcome, Silver.” Said Featherweight before walking way. “Who was that darling?” asked Rarity. “Oh, that was Featherweight.” Said Silver, “He just brought us a newspaper that was delivered from Manehattan. I think it’s about your shop.” “It’s here?!” said Rarity in excitement before grabbing the paper and looking it through. Just as Rarity was about to read the paper, the doors burst opened, gaining Silver’s attention. To his surprise, the rest of her friends were also there too, with the human entourage in tow. “What the heck happened to you lot?” asked Silver. “Long story short,” said Bolt, “When they heard about the paper being brought to Rarity, they rushed on over. Turns out they said a bunch of stuff that they would think would cause a ton of problems.” “It can’t be that bad.” Said Silver. “How about all of you wait whilst I make some tea.” Silver walked off to the kitchen to prepare them some tea. One hour later, everyone gathered in a room where Rarity was reading them the paper whilst all of them were having tea. “In the end,” Rarity read, “Rarity's grand opening was a smashing success! True, it got off to a rocky start, but somehow this rag-tag group of ne'er-do-wells.” “And he meant all of you.” Said Silver. “Came together and created the perfect boutique. A vision of Rarity combined with the expertise of her friends! This reporter, for one, is a believer.” Read Rarity. Before looking at the others in worry, “Why didn’t you tell me there were so many problems?” “We all figured you had enough on your mind.” said Twilight. “And we didn't want you to think that the opening wasn't perfect.” said Applejack. Rarity giggled at that before hugging her friends. “Ne'er-do-wells" or not, I know I can always count on all of you. And nothing could be more perfect than that.” Pinkie then looked at the paper and spotted something. “Oooh, look.” Said Pinkie Pie, “Silver also made it to the cover of this page and paper.” “What?” said Rarity surprised before looking at the paper, seeing her husband Silver was at the bottom. Silver was also surprised by this, but Rarity decided to read it to them. “But what this reporter also discovered, is that Rarity is married to a human from another dimension, who had done what no pony had ever done. He helped stop one of the biggest con ponies in history. The pony, known as Mr. Plaid, was arrested, and found guilty for fraud and conning other businesses for years, and with the aid of the city, the human, known as Silver, put a stop to his crimes and is now serving twenty years behind bars. This reporter believes that though this pony truly has an eye for fashion, her husband’s keen mind helped uncover one of the city’s biggest mysteries, and will one day solve the biggest one of all; how to be a good father to his child.” The girls and humans were surprised to hear this, even Silver was speechless by this. “Whoa,” muttered Silver before sitting down onto the chair. “Who would’ve guessed?” Rarity cooed whilst hugging Silver. “Oh, Silver I’m so proud of you.” Said Rarity, “Not only did my friends help me open my new shop at Manehattan, you also saved my shop by exposing Mr. Plaid.” “When it comes to folks insulting me, I can let that slide.” Said Silver, before grabbing Rarity, making her yelp as she sat on his lap. “But when it comes to ponies who insult my wife and my unborn child…well they’d best hope they can eat through a straw.” “Or ten, given how you literally knocked the guy out of the shop.” Said Rainbow before laughing. “But what about his daughter, Plaid Stripes?” asked Bolt. “I was able to find her mother,” said Silver, “She divorced him when she found out what he did and unknowingly dragged their daughter into this. She’s got an honest job and agreed to send her to a place where she would get the proper education she needs.” “And thanks to my newly connections, we were able to help with her.” Said Rarity. “But the best part,” said Genus, “You now own the building. That’s gotta be a great bonus.” “Oh, most definitely.” Said Silver. “And the racoons were of great help. Although…” Everyone looked at Silver, wondering what was on his mind. Silver then chuckled and revealed something. “You gotta admit, the racoons look adorable in tuxes.” Said Silver, causing many of them to laugh. Chapter 23: Spice up your lifeSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 25: Perchance to dream to smile againSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 1: An unexpected meeting The Crystalling/the gift of Maud PieAuthor's Note Hey everyone, this will be my first time writing about how the husbands would be involved from the beginning of season 6 of My Little Pony. Hope all of you enjoy this. Chapter 1: An unexpected meeting The Crystalling/the gift of Maud Pie From far away, near what appeared to be a forest, a young man was reading a book whilst overseeing the lake. His name was Thomas Rohan. Who had just gone through some rough times, whether disgruntled parents, or from girls that did not like him, he felt like he was stuck in a rut. He remembered a few things before he came there. ****************************************************************************************** Over the years when he grew up, his parents always made him study, learning a lot of things, especially taught him how to fight, which was a waste of time, since all he really wanted was to spend some time with his family. But it was not meant to be. For his father was an irresponsible gambler, and his mother constantly worked and didn’t have time to spend with any of them. And even when they do, they can’t even have a normal conversation without someone in the group berating the other, mostly at Thomas when they think his grades weren’t good enough, even when he gave his all. Though High School and College wasn’t exactly all fun and games for him either. He never had any friends at either of those places, and none of the girls were ever interested in him, because all what they cared about was one’s build and not the person itself. Plus, they mentioned that they didn’t want to spend any time with a nerd, even if he gets praised by the teachers for his hard work. However, one day, after his college graduation, he decided to pack up his stuff and leave for his parents’ summer cabin, far away from civilization. But just as he was about to pack up the last of his things, he heard a knock on the door. He went over there and opened it, revealing a man in his mid-sixties and a beard. “Hello there, young man.” Thomas flexed his eyebrow at the old man and said “And who are you?” “Who I am is not of importance, young man.” Said the old man, “I am merely here, to offer a proposition.” Thomas flexed his eyebrow and said “And that would be?” “A chance to be something better.” Thomas wasn’t buying it, with him saying “Did my parents set you up. Because let me tell you this right here and now.” Thomas leaned forward and said “I don’t want anything to do with my parents. Both didn’t give a damn about me whilst I was growing up. My father was…” “Your father was a gambler, and your mother constantly worked and didn’t want to spend time with either of you,” said the old man, “Thus you were denied of the one thing you really wanted the most…a family.” Thomas was taken by surprise from this, as the old man said “The reason why both your parents are like this, is because both of them had lost their way.” “Lost their way?” “Indeed.” Said the old man, “You never figured out how your family became of importance? Or to find out where you truly came from? Especially when you felt like an outsider in a place that you feel you don’t belong, but somewhere else?” Thomas was startled by what the old man had said and slowly looked at him. The old man looked at the horizon from Thomas’ college dorm room and said “Your ancestor, Achilles Rohan, was among the best of the family, made a name that would be carried on for centuries. Until certain events had happened that forced him to leave with his newborn son whilst also leaving the love of his life behind. And during his stay in another country, he ensured that the tales would be passed on, to ensure that they will never forget their legacy.” The old man looked down in disgust and said “But as time went by, one generation after another had forgotten their family legacy or the importance that came along with it. They tell the tales but they forget the meaning of this and they merely think it’s nothing but folklore and fairy tales. Your father chose to ignore what your grandfather tried to tell him and would rather waste his riches traveling, rather than provide for the family.” The old man then looked at him and said “But you on the other hand. I see something different from you.” “How?” asked Thomas, not knowing where this old man was going. “I see a young man who not only wanted a family of his own to love,” said the old man, “But to be something better. Something that could help make a difference in the world. Something that could help him truly make a mark in his life and to others around him. Who’s destined for more than just what the family has to offer.” Something began to stir inside of Thomas, not sure what he was feeling right now. But didn’t feel like anger. More like…longing. He then saw the old man presenting a journal of sorts to him, gaining Thomas’ attention. But he also noticed it had his family crest on it. “Something for the road.” Said the old man, “In time you will see.” Thomas accepted the journal and looked at it. But the moment he looked up, the old man was gone, much to Thomas’ surprise. He went outside and looked around, but saw no sign of the strange man. “Okay, that was weird.” Said Thomas. He looked at the journal and saw the family crest. It looked like a horse, but what was strange, was that it also had wings on the side, as well as a horn. “Strange that we have a crest like that.” Then later that day, Thomas had just finished packing up the last of his things, as well as enough food to last for three months, and drove off, but unknown to him, the same old man he was talking to, was standing next to a tree and saw him leaving. But the moment he walked past the tree, he disappeared once more without a trace. Shortly after a long drive, he had finally arrived at the lake house, right after he passed the gates and the large wall surrounding it. It was still as big as he remembered. He still remembered this place, because his grandparents used to take them there before they died, and they said in the Will that the moment he turns eighteen, the lake house would be his, and he happily accepted it, and thankfully it was under the protection of the law, so no one would tear it down or take it for themselves. After he had finished unpacking, he began to look at the view of the lake, but then he sighed in sadness, for it feels lonely out here. Both his parents are distant from each other and him, not a single girl liked him, it’s as if he was destined to be alone. But he didn’t have time to think about that. What he needs to do now, is to go stay at the Lake House for a while, and think of where he would go to next. But then on his desk, he saw his ancestor’s journal, lying there on the table. Thinking about what the old man said, he decided to go over to the lake and read. ************************************************************************************* During the day he sat down and read the journal, and so far, it had been very interesting. He sighed and said “Sometimes I felt like I was born at the wrong place and at the wrong time.” He then noticed the sun was setting. “It’s nearly dark.” Said Thomas, “Better go get something to eat.” But just as he walked, he spotted something shiny and walked over to it. To his surprise, it appeared to be an amulet of sort. The amulet is made of gold with a colored circle decorating it. In the center of the larger circle was a smaller violet circle and had the image of an Alicorn on it. The outer circle was cut into six sections with each section colored red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo. These were the seven colors of the rainbow. “Huh,” muttered Thomas, “That’s an unusual one. Never seen an amulet like this before.” He couldn’t explain it, but he felt compelled to keep it, as if it were a family heirloom. “Why does it feel so familiar?” said Thomas to himself. He placed the amulet around his neck and looked at it. He couldn’t help but smile at it, as if he had found something that was lost to him. Once he was done thinking, he walked back to his cabin. After he made himself some dinner and did the dishes, he was on his bed and continued to read through the journal, and was amazed by his ancestor. He then sighed and said “Sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve been like if I had been in your shoes.” He sighed again and placed the journal on his desk. “I guess we’ll never know.” He turned the light on his lamp off and fell asleep on his side, whilst saying “Sometimes I wish I was at the same place my ancestor came from.” He soon fell asleep. However, unknown to him, his amulet began to glow, but not as brightly as the lake outside of his house. That shined brightly under the moonlight. Until finally, it faded away, without anyone ever realizing it. ****************************************************************************************** The next day he woke up and was reading from the journal again whilst he was at the lake. However, he was wearing his swim trunks, for he felt like he needed to refresh his mind before thinking more of what to do next with his life. He was about halfway into the journal, then sighed as he closed it and looked at the sky. “I need to clear my head.” Said Thomas. He stood up and went to the lake. When he was deep enough, he jumped in the water, but then he shivered a bit and said “B-B-Blast it all! I s-s-should’ve tested the water out first!” He began to swim around the lake, then dove underwater and saw the underwater life, to which he couldn’t help but smile. But then he frowned and thought about what his ancestor went through. ‘I wish I was in the same land as my ancestors were.’ Thought Thomas to himself before he swam back to the surface. But unknown to him, an unknown force had suddenly appeared, slowly in the form of a whirlpool. He was nearly at the shore, until he felt a strong pull. “Huh, what the?” said Thomas as he looked back, and felt a strong pull, pulling him in the lake, as he shouted “Somebody help!!” Thomas was then pulled in the water, never to be seen again. Whilst at the same time, the same old man stood by the tree and watched the whole thing happen. He then said to himself “And so…it begins.” *********************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, from a very faraway place, a place that no one had ever expected. It’s a very lush and beautiful kingdom, where technology hadn’t been fully developed yet as of late, and right near a small town, with a sign out of town that said “Ponyville.” For in that town, it sure lives up the name, for the town’s inhabitants, were none other than ponies. Anthro ponies to be exact. All of them continuing with their daily lives like any citizen would do. When suddenly, a train arrived at the train station. When the train carts opened, a few Anthro ponies came out, but then eight different individuals. One was purple pony, with horns and wings. The second was an orange pony with a cowboy hat, the third was a light blue pony, with rainbow hair, as well as wings. The fourth was a pony with a horn with purple hair, styled with beauty that made you think she was a princess. The fifth was another pony with wings, but her hair was pink and she looked like one of the shy types. The sixth was a pink pony with a poofy pink mane, bouncing slightly and had a smile on her face. The seventh was another pony with a horn, with her hair in a curled style. And finally, the eight, appeared to be a reptile of sorts, which would also look like a dragon. They were none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike the Dragon. “Boy, that sure was exhaustin.” Said Applejack as she adjusted her hat. “You can say that again.” Said Rainbow Dash, “Who’d thunk an Alicorn baby could cause so much trouble.” “Oh, I’m sure Flurry didn’t mean to shatter the Crystal Heart Rainbow Dash.” Said Fluttershy. “I’m just glad that Sunburst was able to help the poor dear control her magic.” Rarity, “The Crystal Empire is lucky to have him there, Starlight.” “You can say that again Rarity.” Said Starlight with a smile. “Plus, now that I spoke with him, we’ll still communicate through letters.” “And maybe a welcome to Ponyville party!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Uh, dial it back there, Pinkie,” said Rainbow Dash, “Besides, he’s gonna have his hands full there.” “Rainbow does have a point.” Said Twilight, “Being a royal crystaller is a big responsibility.” “Still, I hope he has time to visit.” Said Starlight, “We just reunited.” “I’m sure he will.” Said Twilight before she walked off. “Where are you goin, Twi?” asked Applejack. “To take a walk,” said Twilight as she looked at her friends, “It’s been a long day.” They saw her walk off to who knows where, with Spike saying “I know where she’s going.” “Where?” said Rarity. “Oooh, I know what direction she’s going.” Said Pinkie Pie. “It’s the lake where Dashie and I hung out ever since the clone incident.” “Oh yeah.” Said Rainbow. “I didn’t know Twilight would go there. Usually, she just keeps her nose in the books a lot.” “Well, I was able to convince her.” Said Spike, “And by me, I mean I had to ask Princess Celestia to tell her to take a break.” “So, she always studies and never takes a break?” asked Starlight. “Pretty much.” Said Spike and the rest of the girls, with Spike saying “Why else did you think she never had any friends over the years?” “That’s just…sad.” Said Starlight. “This, coming from a pony who wanted to get rid of cutie marks, all because a friend moved away?” asked Rainbow. “Er…good point.” Said Starlight before she blushed and giggled nervously. *********************************************************************************************** At the same time, Twilight decided to walk normally to the lake. For even though she could teleport and fly, she needed the exercise. “It’s nice to just take a stroll without flying or teleporting.” Said Twilight, then she scowled and said “Even if I didn’t like the idea of Spike telling me that I’d get fat if I didn’t work out every once and a while. I mean come on, how can I be getting fat, I don’t constantly consume that much junk food like Pinkie Pie on a daily basis!!” She then suddenly sees a flash far from where she is, much to her surprise. “What was that?!” Out of instinct, she instantly teleported to the flash’s location. When she arrived, at first, she saw nothing whilst she looked around. But then she saw something up ahead, and to her surprise, she saw something she thought she’d never see in Equestria… A human. ‘That’s impossible’ thought Twilight as she took a closer look. This human somehow looked different. He didn’t have the same skin colors as their pony counterparts. It looked more…peach colored if she’s not mistaken. Come to think of it, she remembered Applejack’s coat was orange, but her human counterpart was peach, same with Big Mac, which was weird. What was even more weird was that he was wearing what appeared to be swim shorts. Why was he here, and…why is he relaxing. However, her old freakout instincts began to kick in, causing her to scream and exclaimed “What in Celestia’s name?!!” The said human, which was none other than Thomas Rohan, now startled, instantly sat up and frantically looked around and said “What the?!” He turned around and saw Twilight. He was surprised to see a pony, and an Anthro one no less. “W-What are you?!” the two of them said in unison. “What am I? I should be asking you that! Who are you and what do you want from me?” Thomas asked, slightly panicking, and trying to back away from her, continuing to back away from her, until he bumped into a tree. “Ow! Damn it!” exclaimed Thomas, rubbing your head. “A-Are you alright?” asked Twilight in concern, though a million questions began to play in hear head over how a human came to Equestria. Thomas stood back up on his feet, still rubbing his head. “Yeah, I’m fine,” you answered and took a moment to calm down. “Okay, what exactly is going on here? Why am I in some strange place I don’t even know about? And plus, last time I checked, horses aren’t humanoid and they can’t talk.” She apparently felt offended and suddenly lights up her horn, lifting you off the ground as Thomas responded with a “Yipe!!” She glared at him and said “First of all, I’m not a horse, I’m a pony!!” “What’s the difference?” asked Thomas in a normal tone, causing Twilight to slam him down onto the ground, making him grunt and lifted him back up. “Okay, ow.” “Second,” said Twilight, whilst gritting her teeth whilst warning him, “Second, you’re in the land of Equestria. And if you ever call me a “humanoid horse” ever again, you will be sorry!” “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Said Thomas as he signaled his hands, showing he meant no harm. Despite how beautiful she is, she can be very scary with that look. “It won’t happen again.” But then he crossed his arms and said “But like you’ve never been to another world where you’re encountering an entirely different species.” Twilight then blushed at that and giggled nervously whilst she looked around nervously, ‘If only he knew.’ She thought. She gently placed him back down on the ground on both his feet. “So uh, what’s your name?” asked Twilight. “Oh, right.” Said Thomas. “My name is Thomas Rohan.” “Well, my name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.” Said Twilight as she placed her hand on her chest with pride. “Wait, that’s a thing?” said Thomas in confusion. “Huh, that’s strange. We have Princesses and all, but never one with titles.” “Really?” said Twilight as she was now interested what the world he’s from is like. “That’s right.” Said Thomas. When all of a sudden, he felt a slight chill, causing him to shiver and hold his arms. “Doh, right, I forgot, I don’t have any warm clothes with me. Cause I didn’t expect to get sucked into a whirlpool and drown whilst I was over there!!” “Wait, drowned?!!” exclaimed Twilight, “What happened?!” “Uh, can we talk about this, until after, I get dressed here?” said Thomas. “Oh, right.” Said Twilight with a blush, causing her to conjure up a blanket and hovered it towards Thomas, allowing him to accept it and wrapped himself up with it, making him sigh in relief as he felt the warmth. “Come on, I’ll take you back to my castle.” Said Princess Twilight, “I can at least find you a decent change of clothes. I can even ask my friend Rarity to make you something on short notice.” Twilight offered Thomas a hand, which made him look at it for a moment. ‘Well,’ thought Thomas, ‘What do I have to lose? I’m probably stuck in this world for the rest of my life, might as well accept the hand that’s been offered to me.’ “Alright then, I accept.” Said Thomas as he accepted Twilight’s hand, making her smile. “Perfect, let’s go.” Said Twilight as they walked away from the lake. *********************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the two of them arrived at a nearby town. “Whoa, what is this place?” asked Thomas. “Oh, this here happens to be Ponyville.” Said Twilight, “It’s a small town, but they do get by with their everyday activities.” The two of them walked through Ponyville and Thomas saw so many different ponies all around. Some with wings, some with horns, and some that have none. But at the same time, everyone soon saw him and pointed at him whilst some gasped, for they had never seen the likes of him before. “Uh, why are they staring?” asked Thomas through nervousness. “Oh, don’t worry.” Said Princess Twilight, “Most folks have never seen different creatures before, let alone a human.” Suddenly, they heard a loud shriek, causing them to look at the other direction, and there was a light green unicorn, exclaiming whilst pointing at Thomas. “See!! See!! That’s a human!! A real life human!! I told you they were real!!” Then another pony grabbed her and tried to calm her down. “Calm down Lyra, you’ve made your point!! You’re causing a scene!!” “Uh…..” said Thomas, not knowing what was going on. “Oh, those are old friends of mine, Lyra Heartstrings.” Said Twilight, “Back when I was at Celestia’s Magic School, she minored in anthropology. Basically, she talked non-stop about humans. Sometimes it gets a little annoying when she wanted to prove they exist.” “Huh, that’s weird.” Said Thomas, “Back in my world, we have tons of folks that specializes in mythology. Like Dragons, Griffons, Hippogriffs and so on.” “Wait,” said Twilight as she looked at him surprised whilst they were traveling, “Your world considers them as myth?” “Yeah, same can be said for Pegasi and Unicorns.” Said Thomas, “There were a few songs and myths about them, and they also have a tendency to create different versions of them too.” “Huh,” said Twilight as she pondered for a bit. “That sounds interesting.” She then heard the sound of Thomas grunting, with her looking at him as he said “Sorry, I don’t have anything to wear for my feet. It’s not used to the hot ground yet.” “Oh, don’t worry, my Castle is just ahead.” Said Twilight as she pointed at the Castle, much to his surprise and Twilight giggling at his response, “And my friend Rarity will be able to help you with your current clothing situation. She owns a boutique.” “But…I don’t have any money.” Said Thomas. “When it comes down to it, I’ll gladly pay for it,” said Twilight whilst reassuring him, “So it’s no trouble.” As soon as they reached the doors, Twilight used her magic to open the castle doors. Once they got inside, Thomas felt his feet being cooled down, which he sighed in relief. “Much better.” He replied. “Why don’t I make you some tea before we go to Rarity’s?” asked Twilight. “Uh…yeah, sure. That would be good.” Said Thomas. After Twilight took him to the living room, Thomas waited for her whilst she made her tea. Within fifteen minutes, Twilight arrived with the tea. After she poured the cups, she handed one of them to Thomas, to which he gratefully accepted. He took a sip at it and sighed in relief. “That’s better.” Muttered Thomas. He looked at her and said “I assume you have questions?” “That’s right.” Said Twilight as she leaned forward. “Where do you come from? Canterlot City?” “Huh?” wondered Thomas. “What’s that?” “Uh, never mind.” Said Twilight, before she thought ‘So he’s not from the same world Sunset was. This raises so many questions.’ She clears her throat and said “Where are you originally from?” “I’m from a planet called Earth.” Said Thomas, “I grew up in a small town in a country called the United States of America. Or USA for short.” “United States?” said a confused Twilight, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that place before. Is it your only kingdom?” “Sort of,” said Thomas after he takes a sip of his tea, “Ours doesn’t exactly have a monarchy. Oh, sure, there are some countries that do, but ours is a bit different. It has over fifty states, and each of them receive their laws and leadership from the President. It’s almost like a ruler, but they only run for office every four years, and when their term is up, they hold an election to see who would be the next President. If the current one wins, he continues to run for office. But when he’s outvoted, the new one will take his place.” “Wow,” said Twilight in amazement, “It’s very different compared to Equestria.” “It is.” Said Thomas, “Though our world may be different, we also have our own problems too. Some live normal, some live difficult, just to try to make it to another day. I wanted to get away from my hometown because of my family. After I graduated, I headed to a Lakehouse my grandparents left me in their will just to clear my head and think where I could go to next. Then whilst I was thinking, I was swimming out in the lake after I was doing some reading. But…” Twilight noticed that Thomas had trailed off a bit, whilst she carefully asked, “But what?” “I don’t know what happened,” said Thomas, “One minute I was busy swimming out in the lake to take my mind off of things, next thing I knew, I ended up being sucked into a weird whirlpool that appeared out of nowhere and sucked me in. I don’t know what happened, but I blacked out for a bit, which I can assume I died drowning over there. Next thing I knew, I was out at the lake where you found me.” Twilight had her hand over her mouth, horrified and sympathetic over what happened to him. “Oh, Celestia,” said Twilight as she put her hand back on her lap. “I’m so sorry to hear that. How do you think…?” Before she could ask her question, the sound of footsteps came, as well as a male voice, which caused both Twilight and Thomas’ conversation to stop. “So anyway, I went to Sugarcube Corner yesterday and I asked…” The two individuals who came in were Starlight and Spike, and Thomas noticed that he has wings. Although, both of them were completely surprised to see a human in Equestria of all places. “Uh, Twilight,” said a nervous Starlight, “Who is this? And how did it get here?” “How the heck is there a human in Equestria?!” exclaimed Spike, “Shouldn’t he be turned into a pony?” “Oh, right.” Said Twilight, “Everypony, this is Thomas Rohan. He’s from a different Earth. Thomas, meet my assistant, Spike. And my student, Starlight Glimmer.” Thomas looked at her confused by that statement, with both Spike and Starlight surprised when they took a good look at him. “But…his skin doesn’t look like yours did when you went to the other world.” Said Spike when he remembered the last time he was there, which confused Thomas even more. “Uh, Applejack wasn’t the same skin color as her counterpart’s, remember?” reminded Starlight. “Oh yeah.” Said Spike, remembering that day. “Uh…” said Thomas, a bit confused. “Oh, right.” Said Twilight when she noticed the confused looks on his face. “I’ve been to a human world before, but…not the same one you’re from.” Thomas was surprised by this and said “Wait, what?” “You see…” said Twilight. One Complicated Recap Later “And that’s the whole story.” Needless to say, Thomas was greatly surprised by this. Then said “So…you traveled to another world and you looked human, only instead of a skin color like mine, yours was the color of your fur.” “That’s right.” Said Twilight. “Hmm, Multiverse theory.” Said Thomas. “What?” “See, back in my world, it was mostly on theories.” Said Thomas, “They theorized that if there were other worlds, then there would be worlds where we made different choices, became different people, or in this case became different creatures. So, if I had to guess, I’d say that you traveled to a parallel world where you’re a human teenager, going over her different routines and go to school there.” Twilight was a little surprised by this, even Starlight, with Twilight pondering and said “Hmm, that does sound plausible.” “And what about Spike,” asked Thomas, “Did he turn into a human too?” “No, he turned into a dog.” Said Twilight. Thomas was silent for a moment, and said “As in, a canine, pooch, puppy kind of dog?” “That’s right.” Thomas was silent for a moment, then within a split second, he burst in laughing as he held his gut and leaned against the couch, which surprised the latter in the room, with Thomas teasing “Do you want me to get you a squeaky toy?! Hey, maybe I can take you for a walk so you can do your business!!” Spike immediately blushed at that whilst Thomas was laughing. At first Twilight wanted to give him a stern look, but the way he was laughing began to make her laugh too, now that she thought about it, even Starlight began to laugh at that. ***************************************************************************************** After an hour, both Thomas and Twilight headed straight to where they needed to go, whilst he found it a little easier ignoring the ponies who were watching him. “Hey, sorry about the dog jokes.” Said Thomas, “It’s just when you mentioned about him turning into a dog…” “I know,” said Twilight as she couldn’t help but giggle, “It’s still funny whenever one thinks about it every once a while.” She then noticed that Thomas wasn’t being comfortable on being on the hot pavement again, with him saying “Sorry, I’m not used to the pavement.” “Not to worry,” said Twilight, “We’re nearly there.” Thomas still somewhat felt uncomfortable wanting to open to others, for it would be like a big step for him. And given what he’d been through in the human world, he had a reason to. Twilight suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. “Oh, we’re here.” Said Twilight. He looked up and saw a sign that says “Carousel Boutique.” “Huh. Fancy.” Said Thomas as he was impressed by the building. “Is this a place of business or a house?” “Both actually.” Said Twilight, “Rarity had this house made for her, both as a place to work here and a place where she can keep an eye on her business at the same time.” “Pff, she’s lucky.” Said Thomas. “Huh?” said Twilight as she looked at him confused, “What do you mean?” “I know some businesses in my world that also tried to do what Rarity did.” Said Silverbolt, “Unfortunately the Health Inspectors said that they should be for office use only because they think it’s a health hazard.” “Really?!” said Twilight surprised. “Yeah, trust me, she’s lucky.” Said Thomas. Twilight cleared her throat and knocked on the door. “Who is it?” said a female voice but in a melodic tone. Soon enough, a unicorn with a white coat and a curled purple mane and sapphire eyes appeared. This one, happened to be Rarity. She noticed Thomas and said “Oh my. Who is this?” “Oh, hello Rarity. This here is Thomas.” Said Twilight. “He’s from another world and I was hoping that you’d take some measurements for him.” “Oh, but of course, darling.” Said Rarity, “Please, come in.” Rarity guided the both of them in, with Thomas really impressed when he saw what the place looks like on the inside. Thomas looked around and is impressed. “Impressive.” Said Thomas, “Every fashion world would envy to have a design like this.” “Oh, why thank you, darling.” Said Rarity. “Though I do sometimes tend to make a mess of this…” “Which Fashionista wouldn’t?” said Thomas, “It just shows the amount of time and hard work they’d go through to make.” “Oh my,” said Rarity impressed, “Somepony who actually cares about the amount of hard work I put in.” Rarity used her magic to pick up her measuring tape. “Now please hold still darling.” Thomas did as she asked and stretched out his arms whilst she put on a pair of glasses at the same time. As she measured, she asked “Now darling, tell me more about yourself.” “Well, as I told Twilight…” said Thomas, as he began to explain everything to her of how he got here and where he came from, with Rarity surprised whilst she was working on the measurements at the same time. After a brief conversation, Rarity placed her things away. “Alright now, darling.” Said Rarity, “I think I’ve gotten the measurements I needed for your brand-new wardrobe. It will be absolutely breathtaking. Although…I didn’t expect to be creating one for a…” “A what?” said Thomas in a stern tone, as if he knew what Rarity was going to say. “Oh,” said Rarity as she realized he knew what she was going to say, “I do apologize darling. I didn’t mean any offensiveness.” Thomas sighed and said “It’s alright. It’s just…been a long day for me, is all. Also, sorry if I sounded like an idiot.” “Oh, it’s quite alright darling.” Said Rarity before she pulled out a few sketch pages with her magic and said “Now, is there any kind of style and color you would want for your new wardrobe and clothing?” Thomas began to explain the best he can about what kind of clothes he’d like. Rarity paid close attention to what he needed whilst she drew them down. After three minutes, Rarity said “It would take about 3 hours for me to make them. Would it be alright you await for your wardrobe at Twilight’s castle?” “I can do that.” Said Thomas, “Thanks Rarity. I wonder what…” Suddenly, Thomas’ stomach growled, which caused Twilight laugh whilst he was embarrassed at the same time. “Why don’t we go back to the Castle and have some lunch, and Spike can whip up something for you too.” Said Twilight. “So, what do humans eat?” ‘Geez, if she finds out what my kind also eat meat, this is going to be awkward.’ Said Thomas from within his thoughts when he realized that if you eat also meat, she’d be afraid of him and that’s the last thing he wanted to do, then said “Well, we humans are omnivores, so we can eat a variety of things.” Twilight nodded at this information and took you back to the castle. She teleported the both of them back to the castle, with Thomas suddenly feeling dizzy. “Whoa,” said Thomas whilst he was holding the side of his head, “That was unexpected.” “Oh, sorry.” Said Twilight as she held onto him, “I forgot, you’ve never experienced teleporting.” “Ugh, it’s fine.” Said Thomas as he was able to recollect himself. “So uh, what do you have in mind?” “Well,” said Twilight, “Spike was planning to make some carrot dogs.” “Carrot dogs?” said a perplexed Thomas, for this was a new one, “Huh, never had one of those before.” “You’ve never had something like that before?” asked Twilight surprised. “Nope, can’t say I have.” Said Thomas, “But as the old saying goes back in my home dimension, ‘When in Rome, do what the Romans do’. Or in this case, when in Equestria, do what the Equestrians do.” “Ooh, nice analogy.” Said Twilight. “Heh, thanks.” Said Thomas as the two of them walked down the Castle Halls. ********************************************************************************************* After a day like today, Thomas decided to settle down for the day as he laid in one of the guest rooms in Twilight’s castle. With a castle as big as the one he’s staying in; Thomas could only guess how many rooms were in there. Thankfully Thomas and Twilight were able to fetch his clothes at Rarity’s once she sent a message that she was finished. And despite everything that happened today, Thomas didn’t feel like reading, despite the huge collection of books in Twilight’s Castle. After what he went through, all he wanted to do now was to get some rest. Perhaps tomorrow after he had enough rest, can he have the energy to read the books in her library. Since he was in another world, he could learn more about their history, their culture and so on. But just before he could turn in, he heard a knock on the door, which snapped Thomas out of his thoughts and looked at the door. He saw Twilight come in with a soft smile. She sat next to Thomas on the bed and asked “Is everything okay?” “Yeah, I’m good. Just a little tired after a long day.” Said Thomas. “I mean, one day, you left town to be away from your family, the next thing you know, you drowned and ended up in another world.” “Get away from your family?” said Twilight surprised. Thomas winced at that, and had that look of uncomfortableness in his face before he looked away and said “It’s complicated.” Twilight held his shoulder and said “I know it must be hard for you to be here, and I’m sorry you felt uncomfortable during your time here. I guess the reason everypony felt so uneasy around you was because they’ve never seen humans before.” “But you have?” asked Thomas. “I have,” said Twilight, “But that was a long time ago.” “What happened?” asked Thomas. “Well, a while back, a former student from my old school, Sunset Shimmer, stole a magical artifact and took it to another world.” Said Twilight. “She was like me, a student who excelled at her studies. But she was also arrogant and hotheaded and she tried to take shortcuts. And when she didn’t get what she wanted, she became cruel and dishonest.” Thomas sighed and said “I know the type. Back on my world there were plenty of students who were also arrogant, they also bullied others to do their homework or to help them cheat for their tests just so that they could get a good scholarship.” “Scholarship?” said Twilight. “Back in my world, we have a different educational system.” Said Thomas, “From down below there’s Preschool, a beginning school for toddlers. Then they move on to Elementary Schools, there it's kindergarten to eighth grade. Then they move on to high school. Ninth to twelfth grade. And it's their choice if they want to go to college after they graduate high school.” “Wow, I never knew there was a different variety of an educational system.” Said Twilight as she secretly began to take notes. “There are,” said Thomas, “But there are also some schools that help those with disabilities. Then there’s also some adults that have to retake their grade in order to get a diploma.” “They’d have to take a grade over?” asked Twilight. “Whether they flunk out or when they had to leave school.” Said Thomas, “In case you wonder, on one side its family drama, on another that when the man of the house dies, one drops out of school to provide and work for their family.” “Wow.” Said Twilight surprised. “I had no idea.” “If you think that’s bad,” said Thomas, “Wait till you learnt of what children went through for the past thousand years.” Before Twilight could ask anymore, Thomas suddenly yawned, barely being able to stay awake. “I see that you’re getting tired.” Said Twilight. “Well, it’s been a long day.” Said Thomas, “It’s not every day that you die in one world and then appear in the next one.” “It’s alright though.” Said Twilight as she placed her hand on his shoulder, “If there’s anything you need, let me know and I’ll see what I can do, okay?” Thomas smiled and said “Yeah, sure, thanks Twilight.” Twilight stood up from the bed and left. Thomas sighed as he looked out of the window. He began to wonder out loud “I wonder how my life would turn out, now that I’m here. I always wanted to get away from my problems, but I never thought I’d end up in another world to do it.” He then suddenly felt something and looked at something next to his bed. He saw a familiar looking symbol on it, as well as something else next to it. It was the journal from back at his lake house, as well as the amulet that was next to it. He instantly grabbed them and looked at them. “That’s impossible.” Said Thomas in disbelief, then looked up and said “How did it get here?” *********************************************************************************************** Half an hour later, Twilight came to check up on him, and saw that he was fast asleep. She walked over and saw how fast asleep he was. She couldn’t help but smile and said “Aw, he’s fast asleep.” She then felt sorry for him and said “Still, to be in another world, being away from your own. I know how that feels.” She then looked back at him and said “Still, I’ll make sure he feels right at home.” However, thanks to the moonlight, something shined that caught Twilight’s eye. When she looked at the table, she was surprised to see an amulet that looked like an Alicorn Amulet, but this one looked different. It didn’t look like it contained any magical properties, but the way it looked really impressed her. But right next to it, was a journal of sorts, that had, to her surprise, the crest of an Alicorn of sorts, a family crest if need be. She used her magic and levitated the journal towards her. When she took a look, she was surprised to see a crest on the journal was that of a horse, but at the same time, also had a horn on top of its head and wings on the sides. The journal suddenly glowed a bit, as if it was talking to her. “Journal of Achilles Rohan.” Muttered Twilight, as if she understood it, causing the book to stop glowing and land into her hands. She then looked at Thomas. “He said his surname is Rohan.” Said Twilight. “Could it be…his family name? And if so, is this his family crest of sorts?” She then looked through the journal a bit and wondered what was so special about it. She instantly teleported to her library and placed it onto her desk whilst turning on her candle and opened the first page. She noticed how ancient the writing was, but she could somehow tell how it nearly resembled to old Ponish. She used her magic to help translate it. Sure enough, she was able to read it. “It felt such a lifetime ago, that my journey started this way.” Read Twilight out loud, but not too loud in order to make sure nobody, or in this case, nopony heard her. She continued on the journal as she had read… “I once thought I had told everyone everything there is to know of my adventures. And whilst I can honestly say that I have told them the truth. I may not have told them all of it. I am an old man now, for I am not the same man as I once was. I think it is time, that if one day, if anyone would find this, or any member of the family. They would hold onto this and discover their true origins. The story of how our family began. And how we once lived…with ponykind…” Twilight was shocked by what she was reading, whilst reading “Along with many other creatures like Dragons, Griffons, Hippogriffs, Changelings, Griffons…and many more.” Twilight was surprised by this. If it was a book, she thought it would be make-belief, but reading through the journal, she realized it was written by another individual. “That’s impossible.” Muttered Twilight. If it truly was a journal, she would need more answer. “It began, long ago,” continued Twilight, “In a land, unlike anything, any world has ever seen. A land, that you will not be able to find today.” Twilight continued to read as she was fascinated by what the journal was implying. Chapter 24: A kind wedding, double the surpriseAuthor's Note And here's the next chapter for humans numbers six and seven Also, I know what you're thinking, why skip some... I forgot that certain mares are pregnant, so I can't let them do the extreme stuff Chapter 24: A kind wedding, double the surprise It had been a while since the business in Canterlot, now that Zesty is no longer the critic and cannot force anyone to do what she wants them to do. And during those two times, things were a little crazy. Rainbow prepared for her trip to the Daring Do convention in Manehattan. And unfortunately, Twilight couldn’t come along, because she had an important meeting at Griffonstone. And Beau couldn’t come along, because he had to look after Moonlight. Bolt promised Twilight that he’ll get her an autographed books for her, and the reason Bolt chose to go, because after Rarity and Pinkie left for their mission, Rainbow was now two months pregnant, so she had to take a break from the Wonderbolts, much to her dismay. When they got there, they met someone named Quibble Pants. At first he liked Daring Do, but he criticized that it wasn’t realistic enough. But when he saw Rainbow’s belly, he thought she was fat, and just when he wanted to touch her belly, Bolt instantly grabbed him and punched Quibble so hard, his nose broke. Bolt threatened that if he ever got near her, he wouldn’t be breathing, much to Quibble’s fear. Rainbow said that she could defend herself, but Bolt made a promise that he would protect her, and be a better father than his was. Rainbow understood why, especially what Bolt went through. When they met AK Yearling, surprising Bolt that he’s meeting the author of the book, but when she revealed herself to be the actual Daring Do, Bolt was baffled, and wondered why she was pretending to be the author, which she replied that adventuring doesn’t pay much, hence why she took to writing. When she asked Rainbow why her belly was a little big, she revealed she was pregnant, which left her worried and wanted Rainbow to stay out of it. But when Bolt had his back turned, he discovered that Rainbow ran off to stop somepony named Caballeron. Quibble stupidly followed and thinks it’s all just cosplay. When he found Daring, he told her of their situation, so with her help, they went to their rescue. During a handful of problems, they were able to save the treasure and kept it from Caballeron and saved Rainbow and Quibble. However, when he heard that Caballeron nearly hurt the baby, he found them and went ballistic. When he left, all four of their faces were bruised, bloodied, and left traumatized. For they knew the next time they see Bolt, they’d better pray that he’ll be merciful next time. After a while, Rainbow then started pranking all over town, which would eventually go too far. Beau decided to give Rainbow a taste of her own medicine, because thanks to Bolt, who also wanted to put a stop to this due to her pregnancy, told them of what she was up to. And during the entire day, everyone pretended to be zombies just to scare Rainbow. When they realized she learnt her lesson, she took it well. However, Rainbow said that it was also Discord’s idea, much to their shock. He popped by and said he’d help with the prank, with Genus demanding why she would do that, which revealed that he was setting things up for the Bachelor and Bachelorette party for Genus and Fluttershy when they got married. However, he also secretly told Genus of it, because after he heard how Rainbow scared Fluttershy and nearly hurt his future godchild, he also wanted to teach her a lesson. He said that seeing that they were already in one room, he snapped his fingers, causing all the party stuff to arrive. Seeing that they don’t want it to go to waste, they decided to use it to their advantage and party a bit, whilst Rainbow and Fluttershy took it easy, same with Applejack and Rarity. A week had passed and today was the day; the day Fluttershy and Genus were about to get married. Angel looked a little jealous, but then it heard a grunt, revealing to be Trusty, who was panting and ready to lick him. Angel just bickered in rabbit language, until Trusty picked him up and walked him out, much to the rabbit’s dismay. Fluttershy sat near her mirror, and looked at herself in the mirror. She was dressed on her wedding dress and smiled by looking at herself in the mirror. However,…she looked extremely nervous. “Oh boy…hoo boy, relax Fluttershy.” Said Fluttershy to herself, “It’s not every day that you’re getting married…taking the next step in your life…actually having a husband…going to have a child soon…” Fluttershy began to panic, not being able to take the stress. She then heard a growl. When she looked behind, to her surprise, it was none other than Harry, who looked really worried about her. “Oh, hello Harry.” Said Fluttershy. Harry spoke in its bear language to Fluttershy, wondering if she was okay. “Oh, I’m just really nervous is all.” Said Fluttershy. Harry spoke to Fluttershy again in its bear language. “Because it’s not every day that one’s getting married.” Said Fluttershy, “Oh, I’ve watched Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding, but to have a wedding on my own…what if I mess things up?” Harry spoke to Fluttershy again. “What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy. Harry spoke in its language about Genus. Since he came to Equestria, he’s always helping her, and seeing as they see Fluttershy as the mother of the animals, they see him as the father too. He took good care of them, and that one time when he hurt his paw, he went above and beyond to help him, even after all the times he nearly hurt him. Harry said that now Fluttershy has found someone who loves animals like she does, and that she picked the right soulmate. And Harry took a liking to him as well. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile whilst shedding a tear. She walked over to Harry and hugged him, with the bear hugging her back. “Thanks for the talk, Harry. I really needed it.” Said Fluttershy. The bear grunted, which was its way of saying, ‘you’re welcome’. ***************************************************************************************** From within Twilight’s castle, Genus was getting ready for his wedding as he was busy setting up his tie, with the guys being there for him. “How is it that you’re not nervous?” asked Bucky. “Yeah, when Beau, Bucky, and I were getting married, we were a complete mess.” Said Silver. “What can I say, I’m more of the calm and collective types.” Said Genus. “Pff, it’s like you’re the complete opposite of Fluttershy,” said Bolt, “In a good way I mean. She’s timid, you’re more open, she’s shy, you’re not, she panics, you don’t, the list goes on.” “Oh, I would panic,” said Genus, “But only when I have an excuse.” “It’s true.” From out of nowhere, Discord popped up and floated around everyone, “And also a lover of animals, given how much a bear likes you.” “Hey, Discord.” Said the guys in a dull tone. “Oh, come now, don’t be like that.” Said Discord, “Today’s a big day. It’s a wedding for Chaos’ sake. After all, it’s not every day that the shyest pony in all of Equestria, who happens to be the one of the bearers to the Elements of Harmony, is get married to a human from another world. The 4th human, to be precise.” “He does have a point,” said Beau, “I mean who’d thunk that during our horrible lives, we’d die and end up in Equestria instead?” “Exactly,” said Discord, “And I am so proud that Fluttershy is taking the next step.” Discord took out a sheep and wiped his eyes, “So proud.” Then he tossed the sheep away, whilst the others were baffled by what was going on. But then he got serious. “However,” said Discord before he was face to face with him, “You know how much I care about Fluttershy, correct?” “Obviously, considering she’s the only one willing to put up with you when everyone else refused.” Retorted Genus. Discord made a Scrooge face, then cleared his throat. “Anyway, if you are getting married to her, I have three conditions.” Said Discord. “And that being?” asked Genus as he flexed a brow. “One, always love her faithfully.” Said Discord. “Of course I do.” Said Genus. “Two, help her look after your kids the moment they’re born, and make me the godfather.” Said Discord. Some of the guys were concerned about this, but Genus wasn’t fazed. “And the third?” Suddenly, Discord picked him up and was face to face with him. “If you so much hurt a hair on Fluttershy, or break her heart.” Threatened Discord, “Then I will see to it that I sent you to a different dimension, and make you go to a ballet school, where decades of punishing workouts, and mold you into an international dance icon, but at the cost of your body, pride, privacy, soul, and your manhood.” Whilst the guys were shocked by what Discord said, Genus was a little surprised with widen eyes, but then tilted his head in confusion whilst raising a brow. “That sounded very strangely specific.” Said Genus. “I like being thorough, what can I say.” Said Discord. “So, I notice.” Said Genus. Discord then looked at him curiously. “And I must say, unlike dear Fluttershy, you are not very shy and panicking about certain situations.” Said Discord. “Eh, not like I haven’t seen anything crazier before.” Said Genus, “Besides, I’ve gotten used to your antics.” “You do?” asked Discord. “Well of course,” said Genus, “Besides, someone’s gotta be there to calm Fluttershy down whenever she panics. Worked well for Beau and Twilight.” This caused Beau to blush and said, “Excuse me?” “Well, you do constantly grope onto your lady’s posterior whenever she panics.” Said Bolt. The guys laughed at that, with Beau blushing and grumbling. Silver was then concerned for something. “Is…there any news about Spike?” asked Silver. The guys looked at one another in concern. Discord was the first to speak. “What’s all this about?” the lord of chaos asked. “When Silver came to this world,” said Beau, “He and Rarity got along well. Then the past few months the two of them dated, but Spike refused to believe that.” “And he went through the first three stages of when their crush goes out with another,” said Bucky, “He went through denial, anger, and bargaining.” “Right now, he’s still in depression.” Said Genus, “He still hasn’t gotten over her yet.” “Seriously?” said Discord in surprise, “But that was like a year ago. And since then, Princess Twiggles is married and has a filly. Bucky and Applejack are married, and so is Silver and Rarity. Both couples who are about to be parents soon.” Discord then had an impish smile. “Although…” “What?” said Beau in an annoyed tone. “I’m just curious on how Rainbow Dash is going to react when she gets married.” Said Discord, “I mean all three couples stressed out of their minds and nearly fainted for them being married, now I’m curious on how their wedding is going to be like.” “What was Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity’s reactions?” asked Bolt. “Twilight nearly fainted and couldn’t walk.” Said Beau. “Applejack was nervous.” Said Bucky. “And Rarity was a crying mess.” Said Silver. “And knowing Fluttershy, she might panic,” said Silver, “But knowing Harry, he’s going to try and calm her down.” “Wait, the bear?” said Bucky in surprise. “How do you know that?” asked Silver. “Oh, trust me, after the first few months of living with him, I learned a thing or two about him.” Said Genus. Before he deadpanned and said, “Although Angel is a bit of a tough case.” “But who knows,” said Bucky, “I’m sure Spike would have someone special.” “Not if he doesn’t stop acting like a child, he won’t.” said Beau. “He does have a point there.” Said Discord. ****************************************************************************************** Shortly after the guys were ready, everyone was waiting at the reception. Genus was standing near where Mayor Mare would officiate the wedding. “You nervous.” Asked Mayor Mare. “I think the one you should be asking is Fluttershy, Mayor Mare.” Said Genus. “We all know how shy she is.” “Oh, indeed I do.” Said Mayor Mare before she giggled. The mane 5 and the three husbands, and one boyfriend, all of them watched as Genus was being calm about it. “Wow, I’ve never seen Genus so calm about it.” Said Silver. “Least he reacted better than I did.” Said Beau. “What did you do?” asked Twilight. “Oh, he was actually panicking and felt like he couldn’t breathe,” said Pinkie Pie, “Then I hit him with my mallet just to calm him down.” This surprised everyone, though Twilight leered at Pinkie when she heard her friend clobbered her hubby. Before anything could be said, the birds were singing the wedding tune, gaining most of the ponies and animals’ attention. There they could see the bunnies being the flower, er, bunnies, causing many to think that would be adorable. There they saw the mare walking down the aisle, with her face covered. Everyone watched as they couldn’t help but be so proud of Fluttershy for taking the next step. Soon she stopped near Genus. But wanting to see his bride, he removed the vail, and then… He yelped in shock, revealing a certain Draconequus’ face as he smirked. “I have always loved you.” Said Discord with a puppy face. “What the…?!” said Genus before he grabbed the dress and ripped it off. Revealing none other than… “Discord!!!” shouted everyone in outrage. “What in tarnation is the big idea?!” shouted Applejack. “Oh what, I’m just here to make it exciting.” Said Discord. “Not on our dear Fluttershy’s special day!!” said Rarity, “It was bad enough we had to go through Rainbow Dash’s pranking spree…” “Hey!!” said Rainbow, before everyone glared at her, making her wince. “Okay, good point.” “But on her wedding day?!” said Rarity. “Oh, don’t worry, it was all good fun!!” said Discord. “Besides, she’s already on her way, and I’m sure it would be good fun.” But as he laughed, he felt a slap behind his head, making him wince. When he looked back, he saw Fluttershy looking at him with a stink eye whilst her arms were crossed as she tapped her fingers on her left arm at the same time. He sheepishly smiled at her. “Discord,” scolded Fluttershy lightly, “Sit down over there.” “Okay, fine!!” said Discord before popping his seat next to a depressed Spike, who was sitting at the back, “Killjoy.” Soon enough, after that whole embarrassing ordeal, Fluttershy stood next to Genus. It was clear as day that Fluttershy was greatly nervous. But she felt Genus’ hand holding hers, reassuring that everything will be okay. She couldn’t help but smile as she was now focused in front of her instead of what would happen. After going through the vows, that’s when Mayor Mare spoke. “If there’s anypony who do not believe they should be wed,” said Mayor Mare, “Speak now, or forever hold your peace.” Right as she said that, something slowly glowed, gaining everyone’s attention. Everyone looked at Discord. “Don’t look at me.” Said Discord in defense. The magical orb continued to grow and grow and grow, which caused many to worry by what they were seeing. Before anyone could react, a great big flash happened. After a few seconds, the light began to die down, allowing everyone to see what was going on. However, what caught them completely off guard, was another human, wait…two humans?! One is male and the other is female. “Wait, two humans?!” exclaimed Rainbow. “That’s impossible.” Said Princess Twilight. Beau walked over and took a good look at them. The first one, the male, has dirty blonde hair, and is about a shoulder’s length long, has Caucasian skin. He was about average height, about 5’9, if he’s not mistaken, whilst wearing a Brown t-shirt, green pants, black and white shoes.. He open his eye a bit, and could see that the color of his eyes were amber. The second one, the female, is a brunette, her hair is in a pony tail. She also has Caucasian skin and seems to be…wearing glasses, as well as a White, long-sleeved blouse shirt and long blue skirt with black stride shoes. Her figure was curved, and about 5’6. He looked at her eyes and could see they were crystal blue. “Well, the good news is they’re alive.” Said Beau. “And they smell a bit like…soot if I’m not mistaken?” “Oh dear, what happened to them?” asked Fluttershy as they looked in concern. Suddenly, the two humans stirred, causing everyone to pause and look at them. “Hey, they’re waking up!!” said Pinkie Pie. Soon enough, the two humans slowly sat up and groaned at the same time. “Man,” said the male, “I never thought getting crushed would give you such a cramp.” “Tell me about it.” Muttered the female. The woman then blinked and was surprised by what she was seeing. “Uh, Barry?” said the woman in concern. “Yeah, Emily?” muttered the male, known as Barry. “I don’t think we’re home anymore.” Said Emily. “What are you…?” said Barry as he focused before blinking. They noticed they were surrounded by ponies, who looked dressed fancy. As well as Fluttershy wearing her wedding gown. “Um…hi?” asked Barry awkwardly. “Erm…where am I?” “Excuse me.” Said Beau, gaining their attention, “You happen to be in Ponyville. And as you can see…we’re sort of in the middle of a wedding.” The two noticed the balloons and well-dressed ponies. “That would explain the fancy attire.” Said Emily before looking at Beau, “Who’s wedding is it?” “Uh, that would be ours.” Said Genus as he and Fluttershy awkwardly waved to them. “Oh, I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to crash the wedding.” Said Emily. “Oh, that’s okay.” Said Fluttershy, “It was an honest mistake.” “Um, still.” Said Emily nervously as she helped Barry up, “We’ll wait over there until everything’s over.” Just as they moved however, they were suddenly engulfed in a hug, which was from none other than Pinkie Pie. Barry looked away when he noticed Pinkie’s bust size. “Wait, where are you going?” asked Pinkie as she looked at them with her innocent smile, “The wedding’s not over yet, don’t you want to see it through to the end?” “That’s very nice of you to ask,” said Emily, “But we’re not on the list. We sort of just arrived and we don’t have any invitations.” “Eh, we’ll worry about that another time.” Said Pinkie, “Today, you’re guests and no guests is gonna be left behind out of Fluttershy and Genus’ big wedding day!!” Pinkie dragged the two of them to the back, in order for them to be comfortable and to make sure that nobody would look at them. “Now then, where was I?” asked Mayor Mare. “You asked if there are those who think we shouldn’t marry,” said Genus, “And by the time no one answers, we exchange vows.” “Oh, right, yes, of course.” Said Mayor Mare before chuckling. As the wedding proceeded, both Barry and Emily felt very awkward being around so many ponies they don’t even know. But, they didn’t want to make a scene, so it’s for them. “And by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Said Mayor Mare. Both Genus and Fluttershy kissed one another, allowing everypony and the few humans to cheer for them. Both Barry and Emily chose to clap their hands, even though they barely know what’s going on. ****************************************************************************************** As the party after the wedding proceeded, the ponies were enjoying themselves, along with the handful of humans among the populace. Whilst Angel was showing his grumpy face, Trusty licked him to calm him down, much to the bunny’s reluctance. Both Barry and Emily watched as everyone enjoyed themselves. Pinkie suddenly appeared from out of nowhere between the two siblings. “Come on, you two!! Don’t stand around!! It’s a party!!” said Pinkie, “So party till you drop!!” Pinkie squealed whilst she bounced around. Emily couldn’t help but giggle at Pinkie’s energy. Barry on the other hand…he wasn’t in the mood to smile. However, Barry’s thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Beau and Twilight approaching them. “Trouble in paradise?” joked Beau before he chuckled when he noticed how confused Barry look. Twilight glared at her husband and lightly elbowed him in the side for his remark. “Ignore my husband,” said Twilight whilst rolling her eyes. She looked at the two and said, “I can imagine this is a lot for you two to take in. Honestly, I didn’t expect to see new humans today, at least of all appearing during Fluttershy’s wedding.” “One thing at a time please,” said Barry, before he asked and was about to be confused further, “First of all, who are you?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” Said Twilight, “I’m the Princess of Friendship. You’ve met my husband, Beau. He’s a bit of a jokester, but he’s a real sweetheart.” “And my beloved can sometimes be adorkable at the same time.” Said Beau with a smirk. This caused Twilight to smirk and kiss him by the side of his cheek. “Good to meet you,” said Emily, “My name is Emily Frost, and this is my little brother, Barry Frost.” “How little are we talking?” asked Beau. “Three years.” Said Emily, “Anyway, I’d like to apologize for dropping in on your friend’s wedding ceremony. I hope we didn’t ruin anything.” “Next question,” said Barry, interrupting Emily’s apology, “What is this place, you said?” “There’s no need to worry, accidents happen.” Reassured Twilight, “Now, as for where you are, you’re in the land of Equestria, in a little town called Ponyville. I know it might be a lot for you two to take in, but this new land is going to be your new home.” “New home?” asked Barry. “Yeah, turns out humans who die in our original home gets sent here for a second chance in life,” said Beau, “And we get reborn in this world. I should know, happen to me and a handful of others, too.” “Though, I gotta say,” said Twilight whilst looking at Emily, “You’re actually the first female human to arrive in Equestria.” “For that matter, this is the first time two humans entered into Equestria at once.” Barry was confused by this, “What’s that supposed to?” Before Barry could finish, Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out of nowhere from behind and got between him and Twilight. “Hiya!!” said Pinkie Pie, making Emily and Twilight jump, except for Barry, “Whaddya guys talking about?” “You certainly came from out of nowhere,” said Barry blankly. “Oh, I guess you’ve probably met our good friend, Pinkie Pie.” Said Twilight, “She’s the #1 party planner and she can be a bit unpredictable. But, as we always tell everypony, that’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.” Beau whispered to them, “In other words, she has a habit of breaking the 4th wall like a cartoon character.” This surprised the two humans before Pinkie popped up. “Yup-a-roonie!!” added Pinkie Pie. She wrapped her arms around Barry without warning. She was just as strong of a strong grip as before when she stopped him from leaving. Thankfully, just as it felt like his spine was going to give in, she released him. “Nice to meet you, Pinkie.” Said Barry. His smile wasn’t very convincing, something Pinkie Pie detected and was very suspicious about it. “Aww, what’s the matter?” said Pinkie Pie before staring into Barry’s eyes, “I’ve seen many smiles like this one before, so don’t think you can fool me with it.” Barry shook his head and refused to answer her. He got up from the hug before he walked. “Hey, where are you going?! Wait up!! I asked you a question!!” shrieked Pinkie Pie before zipping off after him. “Is…something wrong with him?” asked Twilight in concern. “Barry’s…been like that since we were little.” Said Emily. “What happened?” asked Beau. “Our parents were killed in a bank robbery.” Said Emily, shocking the two. “We didn’t have any family members and we wounded up in an orphanage. He got into a few fights and ever since then…he lost his ability to smile. And he hasn’t been the same since.” Beau and Twilight couldn’t help but feel sorry for the two of them. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Said Beau. “Is there anything we can do?” asked Twilight. “I don’t know,” said Emily in an unsure tone. “I tried everything, but nothing I tried worked. I’m at my wits end and…I don’t know what to do.” Barry on the other hand continued to walk around town, whilst Pinkie was still following him. Or in this case, hopping after him. Which for Barry is strange, because he can hear her bounce, like a, boing noise? “Come on, Lokie!! Whaddya doin?!” Pinkie asked in her exciting tone. ‘Loki?’ Barry thought to himself, ‘Why would she call me that?’ Ignoring it, Barry sighed, for seeing she wasn’t going to leave him alone without an answer, he decided to give her one. “Oh, alright, you win.” Said Barry in defeat. “I figured since I’m pretty much trapped in Equestria, I might as well start looking for a job.” Pinkie suddenly popped up from out of nowhere right in front of him whilst her eyes were sparkling. “Oh, wow!!” exclaimed Pinkie, “I know, why don’t you come with me to Sugarcube Corner? You can tell me all about it there and maybe I can teach you how to make some tasty sweets and treats!! Huh? How does that sound to you?!” Pinkie leaned over Barry’s head with a huge smile on her face. He felt a bit uncomfortable with her being that close to him. “I’ll consider it!!” said Barry quickly, whilst also trying to be polite at the same time. “But I want to see what else this town has to offer first.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!!” she said. Thankfully not appearing to be hurt in the least. Barry walked around town, wanting to see what this town has to offer. ****************************************************************************************** ‘Six times?’ thought Barry to himself, ‘I was rejected six times?’ Barry went all over town, and no one seemed to hire him. Though then again, because of his gloomy expression, it made sense for the ponies to turn him down. Before he could say anything however… There stood Pinkie Pie right behind him. She looked at him sympathetically, having witnessed him being turned down multiple times. He remembered her offer to work where she worked. He sighed and walked over to her, causing her frown to quickly change. “Guess I have no other choice,” said Barry whilst rolling his eyes. Pinkie on the other hand, began to shake in excitement. He was almost afraid to ask as his question, but he took a breath and asked, “What will I have to do?” As if she were a fangirl, who just met her favorite idol, Pinkie squealed in joy. Though instantly she calmed down a little in order to answer. “Well,” said Pinkie Pie in her excitement, “All you have to do is help me out around the kitchen, pass me the ingredients, and covering for me while I help the customers. If you’re lucky, I can even teach you how to be a reeeeeaaaally good baker, so that you can make some reeeeeaaaally yummy treats!!” “So, what do you say?” asked Pinkie Pie with a grin as she leans over in excitement. “Well,” said Barry whilst rubbing the back of his head, “I never really tried baking before, but it does seem interesting. So…I suppose that I’ll give it a shot.” Hearing this, Pinkie grabs him by the hand and moved to Sugarcube Corner. The whole way over there, she continued to move by bouncing instead of running. Barry stared at her bouncing whilst keeping that smile at the same time. ‘Huh,’ thought Barry, ‘Even though she’s strange…she can actually be adorable and cute.’ Soon enough, the two of them arrived at a bizarre looking building, that practically looked good to eat. “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!!” said Pinkie Pie, “Home of the best baked treats in Ponyville!!” “So, I see,” said Barry, before joked and said, “I guess someone tried to eat it on different occasions.” “Yep, like me.” Said Pinkie, which baffled Barry, which a bashful Pinkie said, “I kind of thought it was a giant baked treat when I first got here.” “I…see.” Said Barry. “Come on, let’s go inside!!” said Pinkie before dragging him inside. Barry thought about how crazy his day has been. Being killed by an Earthquake, waking up in a different world, unintentionally interrupted a wedding, and now he suddenly found himself being dragged to work as Pinkie Pie’s assistant. If all this could’ve happened to him…he had very little doubt that things could continue to get more bizarre. Although…he could be wrong.
Chapter 2: An unexpected meeting The Crystalling/the gift of Maud Pie part 2Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 3: Getting to know one another and a love stronger than friendshipOn a late night, Thomas was still fast asleep in his bed, but then he began to toss and turn. For he was having a deep dream. He dreamt that he was back…at his old home? But something wasn’t right. He saw that there was a police officer standing in front of his mother, who told him of what had happened. He couldn’t make it out, for he was standing right behind her, but she looked still, something he’d expect from her. After the police officer left, he saw his dad coming. “Who the hell was that?” said Thomas’ dad. But his mom still remained silent. “Hey, I’m talking to you.” She was silent for a moment, then said “Thomas is dead. The police found his body at the lake house.” “Pff, seriously?” Said his dad without a care in the world. “Knew that kid was useless since birth.” Suddenly, Thomas’ mother gave him a hard punch, which knocked his dad against the wall, which surprised Thomas, but not as surprised as the father was. “How…dare you.” Said Thomas’ mother when the tears began to run down. “Our son is dead and you call him useless. But so far I see, the only one who is useless is you.” “Excuse me?” said Thomas’ father, feeling insulted. “You recklessly go around, gambling our money, whilst I do the hard work around here.” Said Thomas’ mother, “You may have married me, but I was also the only daughter of the Rohan family, my birthright, that you just squander for no reason at all. You never did care about the family, only the money that you squander.” “I own it too since the day I married you.” Said Thomas’ husband. However, … “Not anymore.” Said Thomas’ mother. “Two things. One…” She held up a paper and said “I already filed for a divorce.” Thomas’ father was shocked, with his mother saying “And two…” When all of a sudden, four guys appeared, to which shocked Thomas’ father. “I believe you owe money to the loan sharks.” Said Thomas’ mother, “I can’t believe you tried to borrow money from them, and had the gall to use mine to hide after all these years. When I dug a little deeper, I found out about you, which is why I froze your account.” “Wha…but…you can’t do this!!” said Thomas’ father before the loan sharks took him. “I already did.” Said Thomas’ mother sternly. She watched as the loan sharks took him away as he tried to break free, but their grip on him was really tight before the doors were finally closed. After they were gone, Thomas’ mother instantly broke down in tears as she sat on a couch whilst sobbing. “Oh, Thomas.” Said Thomas’ mother, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I should’ve been there for you. Please…forgive me. Forgive me.” She continued to cry with her face in her hands. Thomas on the other hand had shed a few tears himself as he too was partially overwhelmed by what he had seen. “Did it come to a surprise to you?” Thomas turned around and was surprised to see…an Alicorn? But she looked a little darker, though she had the same aura as Celestia. “Wha…who are you?” asked Thomas. “Oh, forgive the intrusion.” Said the Alicorn, “My name is Princess Luna, Princess of the Night, as well as Celestia’s younger sister.” “Really?” said Thomas as he got a good look at her. “Huh, I can see that. The stars really do bring out the blue of your eyes.” Princess Luna giggled at that and said “Thank you.” Thomas then took another look and said “What is all this?” “This happens to be what is currently happening in your world.” Said Princess Luna. “When my sister told me what Twilight told her, I was rather surprised to hear what you have been through. So, I used my magic to pierce the veil to see what had transpired after you were gone. And as you can see, this is happening about a few hours before you slumbered.” Thomas took another look at this. He was feeling his stomach being twisted just from seeing this. “Why are you showing me this?” said Thomas. “To show that even though you had a rough childhood,” said Princess Luna, “At least one parent still loved you for who you are and not what they expect you to. She had wished every day that she could spend time with you, and she regretted on not knowing sooner of how you felt. Only did your passing show her how much she regretted on not doing anything.” “I know they hid things.” Said Thomas, “But I wish they were more straight forward with me. And…I wish I got to spend some time with her.” He felt a hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention, revealing Luna as she held onto it: “Could…” began Thomas, “Could I say goodbye to her, at least?” “You can,” said Princess Luna, “But I’m afraid it would only be temporary, as my magic is not strong enough to keep the veil pierced. And if I keep it open for too long, it would end up having a disastrous consequence, so I can only grant you ten minutes if need be.” Thomas nodded and said “I understand.” Luna used her magic to open a portal of sorts. Thomas swallowed his fear and stepped through it. The moment he did, he was right in front of his mother, who was still crying with her face buried in her hands. Thomas then stood on his one knee and foot and held onto her hands. “Mom,” said Thomas, “Mom, please don’t cry.” Thomas’ mom briefly stopped and looked ahead, and was shocked to see who was before her. “T-Thomas?” muttered his mother. Within a split second, Thomas and his mother hugged one another, with the both of them standing up. “Mom, I’m so sorry.” Said Thomas. “Don’t, Thomas, please.” Said his mother, with the two of them breaking the hug. “I’m the one who should be asking for forgiveness. I costed you what you really wanted. All we did was make you study and train, but we never gave you a reason why, and I’m so ashamed that I couldn’t have spent more time with you.” “And I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.” Said Thomas, “I should’ve tried harder. And I wish I could’ve stayed a bit longer, but I’m afraid I came to say goodbye.” His mother was shocked to say the least, and looked at him and asked “But why?” “I’m actually on a time limit.” Said Thomas, “I gained a friend who said that she could help me talk to you one last time, but I can’t remain long, for they needed to keep the balance and to keep our worlds secret from one another. And I can’t go back because I literally drowned, and that once I died…” “You can never go back.” Said his mother, to which surprised Thomas. His mother couldn’t help but smile and said “I always wondered when it will happen.” “What?” said Thomas, “Mom, what are you saying?” “Remember when I mentioned about our family?” asked his mother, to which he nodded, then she said “Remember when I mentioned that our family was not from around?” Thomas thought about it, but for a split second, he realized in shock and said “Our family…came from Equestria?” “That’s right.” Said Thomas’ mother, “Our family was of great importance long ago. But something happened that made us leave. We arrived before the days of World War I. We continued to try to find a way to uphold our family legacy because we knew that one day when the time came, we would one day return there.” She sighed in sadness and said “I just didn’t think it would come this way, though.” “But why didn’t you tell me?” said Thomas. “I really wanted to,” said Thomas’ mother, “Believe me, I wanted to, you were the first person I wanted to tell. But because of the work I do, it keeps robbing me the one thing I should’ve been there for the most. For you. And if your father hadn’t gotten in the way…I would’ve been there for you when you needed me the most. I have no excuse for it either. I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry, too mom.” Said Thomas. “I wish I could’ve done better.” He then looked at her and said “And about our family, I have so many questions. A man also came by and gave a journal that belonged to Achilles Rohan. I thought it was only a story.” “It isn’t sweetie.” Said Thomas’ mother, “I once thought that way too, but I had seen it when I was a child. Though temporary, I know now who we are and where we came from. And I’m sure that in time, you’ll be able to find those answers to your questions.” Thomas couldn’t help but smile, but then he noticed his left hand was about to fade. “Aw crud, my time’s almost up.” Said Thomas, then he looked at his mom and said “And promise me one thing mom.” “Anything.” “Live your life to the fullest and live it well.” Said Thomas, “And when the time comes if either of us wound up in the afterlife, we would meet each other there again, and we can share our stories of what we’ve been through. And when we do, there will be no doubts and no regrets.” “I promise, Thomas.” Said his mother. “And promise me you’ll do our family proud, no matter where you are.” “I promise too, mom.” Said Thomas with a teary smile. Thomas and his mother shared one last hug with one another. The moment they broke it, Thomas had already begun to fade. “Goodbye mom.” Said Thomas, “We’ll meet again someday. And now that I’ll always love you.” Thomas’ mother also smiled and said “I love you too, Thomas. I look forward till we meet again.” And thus, Thomas had vanished from his old home and had returned to the dream realm with Luna. Thomas stood there with tears in his eyes, then hugged Luna, much to the Princess of the Night’s surprise, but accepted it nonetheless. “Thank you, Luna.” Said Thomas before they broke it. “I really needed that.” “You are welcome, Thomas.” Said Princess Luna with a smile of her own. “And…” said Thomas before he looked at Princess Luna, “If you want, we can always talk more whilst in the dream realm. That way you could know more of my kind. And honestly, I find it relaxing talking to you. You’re quite the conversationalist.” Luna giggled again and said “I would love to have a friend to talk to in the dream realm. And also in the waking world, if you wish.” “Oh, most definitely.” Said Thomas. “I must be off,” said Princess Luna, “But we shall speak again soon once time permits me.” “I look forward to it.” Soon enough, Thomas woke up for a brief moment and looked around. He couldn’t help but smile as he felt like he somewhat made a new friend in Equestria. He soon fell back asleep, wondering what the next day might bring. ************************************************************************************************ “Are you sure about this?” asked Thomas as he felt really nervous. “Trust me Thomas,” said Twilight, “I know that they’ll like you, you just have to give them a chance.” “If they give me one.” Said Thomas, “I remembered what Spike told me that one time when Zacora came over and they were instantly afraid of her without even talking to her, because they judged her for her appearance.” He then mumbled, “Something that’s also been a big issue in my world.” “I see.” Said Twilight as she was concerned over what he had just said, but shook it off, “But don’t worry, they’ve learned their lesson and I know you’ll get along great with them.” “Though I thought Spike and Starlight were going to join us too.” Said Thomas. “Oh, I sent both Spike and Starlight on a few errands today, so it should only be the two of us and my friends.” Soon enough, the two of them arrived at the picnic area, where he spotted the rest of Twilight’s friends. He saw Rarity among them, but he didn’t recognize the other four. One who had a rainbow mane, but also had an athlete build. Then there’s another with a country hat, which Thomas could guess would be a farmer, then there was another with pink hair, and he could tell she was very shy, whilst the other also had a pink mane and appeared to be very poofy, and from what he could tell, she was the most active one of the groups. Thankfully, Twilight showed you via pictures. One with the Rainbow hair is Rainbow Dash, one with the hat is Applejack, the shy one is Fluttershy, and the other one is Pinkie Pie. “Well, howdy Twi,” said Applejack, “Mighty glad y’all could join us.” “Though uh…what’s that thing next to you?” asked a curious Rainbow Dash. Pinkie gasped and instantly hugged him whilst saying “Is this a new friend?!” “Uh, you could say that.” Said Thomas nervously. “Um…hello.” Said Fluttershy nervously. “Hi.” Said Thomas once Pinkie released him, then he looked at Rarity and said “Oh, Rarity, I never got the chance to thank you for the new wardrobe. You really are a lifesaver.” “Oh, my pleasure, Thomas darling.” Said Rarity. “Wait, you know him?” asked a confused Rainbow. “Of course,” said Rarity, “Thomas requested on a wardrobe that he desperately needed. What with his, ahem, current attire only being swim trunks.” “Swim trunks?” said a confused Applejack. “How come y’all have only one pair of clothing?” “Trying to go all natural?” teased Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash!!” scolded Rarity. “Well, I didn’t exactly have any other clothing on me when I died.” Said Thomas. The others, minus Twilight, were all startled by this when they looked at him. “Pardon,” said Rarity as she tried to make sense of it. “Did you say, died?” Pinkie pinched Thomas, making him yelp, with Pinkie saying “You look alive to me.” “I am right now, yes.” Said Thomas, “But in case you wonder, I’m actually known as a human. Or otherwise known as Homo Sapiens. We come from a planet called Earth, where over billions of humans live. Young and old, big, or small, every human looks more different than the other. We live our lives one day at a time.” The girls were surprised to hear the world where he comes from. “Incredible.” Said Rarity, “What else do humans have over there?” “Like, what kind of magic and Cutie Mark do you use and have?” said Pinkie Pie. “Oh, we don’t have magic in our world.” Said Thomas. “What?!” exclaimed the Mane 5. “Yeah, in our world, magic is considered folklore and myth, thinking it’s nothing but superstition. Heck, I didn’t even think dimensional travel was possible. As for Cutie Marks…what’s that?” “Oh, it’s this!!” said Pinkie Pie as she pulled down part of her skirt, showing the side of her posterior, as well as her Cutie Mark. Thomas blushed madly at this. For a random girl was showing part of her ass at him. “Pinkie Pie!!” shouted the others before they quickly covered it up. “Pinkie, we do not show our flanks to a random stallion!!” shouted Rarity. “Sorry.” Said Pinkie with a squee. “So…what’s so special about them?” said Thomas, desperately wanting to change the subject. “They help us show our talents.” Said Twilight. “Mine is Magic, Rainbow is fast flying, Applejack is good at farming, Rarity is a well-known fashion designer, Pinkie specializes at parties, and Fluttershy specialized in animal caretaking.” “Huh, that’s really interesting.” Said Thomas. “And what about you?” asked Applejack, “How do y’all know what your special talent is.” “We don’t, we just do.” Said Thomas. “Sometimes we experiment with what we’re good at, then afterwards, we work hard to perfect them, and in time, we also use what we’ve learned. Not through magic, but from the sweat of our brows and the strengths of our backs, as well as hard educational work.” He then looked at Rainbow with a quirked eye and said “Seeing that one of you lacked any.” Rainbow was suddenly in his face and said “What’s that supposed to mean?! I had my education!!” Thomas suddenly smirked and said “Was that before, or after you put laxatives in the teacher’s drinks, which got you expelled before you had your degree?” Rainbow gawked in shock as her jaw dropped, which surprised the rest of her friends. “Wha…how did you…?!” said Rainbow in shock. “Fluttershy, who told Twilight, who told Spike, who told me.” Said Thomas. Twilight groaned loudly and slapped her forehead whilst saying “I can’t believe he blabbed. He promised not to say anything.” “Did you make him promise not to say anything?” asked Thomas. Twilight blushed and slapped her head in embarrassment, for she can’t believe she didn’t think of that. “Anyway,” said Thomas, “As for how I got here. After I graduated from College…” “College?” asked Rarity. “Uh, picture this.” Said Thomas, “It's... let's just say it's a type of school. Preschool is a beginning school for toddlers. Then they move on to Elementary Schools, there it's kindergarten to eighth grade. Then they move on to high school. Ninth to twelfth grade. And it's their choice if they want to go to college after they graduate high school.” “Wait, school after school after school?” said Rainbow in disbelief, “What kind of insane world do you live in?!” “Hey, education is very important to all of us here.” Said Thomas, “Otherwise you wouldn’t have had the grade to pass for your Wonderbolts Reserves test.” Rainbow groaned loudly and held her head, with her saying “I’ve really gotta stop telling ponies my stories.” “Be thankful it’s not an autobiography.” Said Thomas. “Anyway, after I graduated, I moved to a Lake House far away from my family.” “Now why would y’all leave yer family?” asked Applejack. Thomas had a saddened look and told them what he told Princess Celestia and Twilight, which shocked the rest of the Mane 5. “Why in tarnation would anypony neglect their own child, like that?!” said Applejack. “People who would rather be ignorant of their own kids rather than spend some time with them.” Said Thomas. “But…that’s so mean.” Said Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie suddenly bawled whilst she was crying and held onto Thomas tightly, and shouted “I can’t imagine my entire life growing up without friends.” “Pinkie…too…tight.” Said Thomas. “Whoops.” Said Pinkie before she let him go and he ended up landing on his posterior. “Is she always like this?” whispered Thomas to Twilight. “You get used to it.” Said Twilight. “Anyway,” said Thomas, “After I went to the lake, I decided to go for a swim for a bit, until I was suddenly dragged by a whirlpool that appeared from out of nowhere and sucked me in. I somehow drowned when I was under water. Before I knew it, I washed up at a lake not far from here, that’s when Twilight found me. Although she kinda threatened me when I called her a horse, and in my defense, I did freak out whilst I was here, I mean like no one else in my position would freak out if they met another species in a different world.” “Ah’d probably freak out too if ah met a different species.” Said Applejack. “Not me.” Boasted Rainbow, “I’d face the dangers, head on.” Thomas gave a deadpanned stare, but then he had a Grinch like smirk on him. He whispered something to Twilight. She blinked in surprise, and looked at him confusingly, which he nodded. But nonetheless, she complied and casted a spell. “Even this?” said Thomas. Rainbow took a good look at him and suddenly blinked in shock. For Thomas was having sunflower petals on him and he was trying to look as cute as possible, which confused the others greatly, with Thomas suddenly singing in a cute tone. We are such happy flowers We will now sing for hours Aren't we unbearably cute? Watch me solo on jazz flute Thomas then played the flute whilst acting innocent, with Rainbow suddenly screaming in fear as she hid behind Applejack whilst shaking. Everyone stared at Rainbow dumbfounded and surprise, causing them to snicker and barely being able to keep their laughter in. “So,” said Applejack in a teasing tone, “Y’all can take danger, but y’all can’t take cuteness?” Rainbow blinked in shock and looked at the others, realizing that her secret has been exposed and had a look of embarrassment on it. “Honestly,” said Thomas as he tossed the flower and flute away, “What the heck do you have against cuteness?” “Cuteness isn’t exactly Rainbow’s thing.” Said Fluttershy. “Right,” said Thomas, “Cause the only one who works the cuteness well is Twilight, and she’s Adorkable when she does that.” Thomas instantly slapped his mouth shut with both his hands, for he didn’t realize that he had just called Twilight adorkable. Everyone else stared at him surprised, whilst Twilight blushed heavily whilst also being surprised at the same time too. “So, uh…moving on.” Said Twilight. The two of them tried to change the subject, with Pinkie whispering to the others, “Is it obvious that Thomas likes Twilight and Twilight likes Thomas?” “Oh, yeah.” Said the rest of the Mane 5. ****************************************************************************************** “So, this is the portal?” From within the library, both Thomas and Twilight were standing in front of the mirror, which Twilight said would lead straight to Canterlot High, where one of her reformed friends, Sunset Shimmer. “That’s right.” Said Twilight, “A unicorn named Starswirl the Bearded created these portals to other worlds. Though nothing he tried worked, so he decided to use these mirrors as a gateway to travel to different worlds. However, he theorized that it would open once every thirty moons.” “No, it wouldn’t.” said Thomas quickly. “Huh?” said Twilight. “See those runes by the mirror?” said Thomas as he pointed them out. “Those Runes say that the mirror is charged up at full power when the moon is full. And given that he had already found another mirror on the other side, he also must’ve found a way to cast a spell there. Now instead of the portal being open for every two years, it opens up once a month.” Twilight slowly looked at him, then to the portal, the repeated the process, and her jaw dropped as she kept doing it, but now at a fast pace. “Wha…how…?” muttered Twilight. “Duh, I read an old history about how unicorns used to use Runes to do their magic before they perfected the spell using their horns. Starswirl must’ve used the same spell to open a portal.” Said Thomas, “Seriously, even a dead brained monkey could see that. And I’m surprised Starswirl didn’t see that it was a permanent spell when he casted it.” Twilight’s eye rapidly twitched, and within a split second, she screeched so loud, the entire country heard her screech as the ground was shaking at the same time. And from three different scenes, after the scream and ground shaking ceased, Luna, Cadance and Starlight asked “Twilight freaking out over something obvious again?” “Yup.” Said Celestia, Shining Armor and Spike at the same time. ****************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the two of them entered the portal. But soon enough, they landed on the other side, with Thomas feeling very dizzy. “Oh, major wipeout.” Said Thomas as he slowly got up. “You okay?” The moment Thomas took a good look at Twilight, to saying that he was surprised was exaggerated. For he saw a girl about his height with a familiar skin tone and a familiar hairstyle. She was also wearing a blouse with a bowtie, a purple skirt and what appeared to be, what did they call them, heel boots? Meh, fashion wasn’t his strong suit. He was surprised to see Twilight as a human. “T-Twilight.” Said Thomas as Twilight also looked at him. “I…never realized.” “You’re younger.” Said Twilight surprised. “Wait, what?” said Thomas. He looked at the statue and noticed the mirror. When he went over, he was surprised by what he was seeing. He appeared younger, possibly a senior. His skin had gotten a little brighter and smoother. His hair was also combed back and covered in gel, so much so that he there was sunlight bouncing off of it. He was wearing the same clothes as before, a pair of jeans, a white shirt, and a brown jacket. “Huh, didn't see that coming,” said Thomas to himself. To his surprise, he sounded younger too. “Well, from what Sunset and I realized,” said Twilight as she explained, “The portal does kind of make those who go through it older or younger. For example, when I came here, I ended up being my friend Sunset’s age, but in Equestria, she’s a few years older than me.” “Huh,” muttered Thomas as he looked between the portal and the school, “It’s like the portal somehow knows where it is and adjusts its users accordingly.” Twilight nodded and said “That’s what I also thought too. But then again it’s because of Equestrian Magic, that it continues to grow and evolve. It’s always unpredictable.” “After what I’ve seen in the past few weeks, I can believe it.” Said Thomas, “So, where do we go next?” “Well, from what Sunset told me before I got here,” said Twilight, “She and her friends are currently at the Sweet Shoppe, Equestria’s version of Sugarcube Corner.” “Anything I should know about them?” asked Thomas. “It’s a bit of a long story.” Said Twilight, “Why don’t we walk and I’ll explain everything.” “Sounds like a plan.” Said Thomas, until they suddenly heard a grunt. When they turned around, they saw it was none other than Spike that was with them. “Spike?” said Twilight surprised, “What are you doing here?” “Wanted to visit too.” Said Spike, “I mean, I always wanted to talk to my counterpart more often.” Thomas took a look, and to his surprise, Spike really did become a dog. Within a split second, Thomas laughed again whilst holding his gut. Spike suddenly remembered what they talked about since they first met, causing him to blush in embarrassment and grumble. Twilight rolled her eyes, but realized that Spike had it coming, considering that he just jumped through the portal without permission. ************************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the two of them, ahem, three of them, walked down the street with Twilight explaining everything. “So let me see if I have this right,” said Thomas, “Sunset Shimmer was once the student of Princess Celestia and wanted to be a Princess too, but she got impatient and ended up rebelling against her teacher, then ran away to this world and went to that school we passed, and she drove everyone apart just so that she could be in power. But when you came along, you united five girls, who look like your friends back home, revealed the truth to them, and when Sunset took your crown, she turned into a monster and you lot stopped her. And after the magic purged the darkness from her, she ended up being a normal person and regretted of what she did, and she chose to stay behind to make up for her mistakes?” “That’s right.” Said Spike, “And after that, the Dazzlings shortly came along and tried to take over the school, but Twilight and I came back and with the girls, even with Sunset’s help, we were able to beat them, with Sunset finally being able to redeem herself.” “And last we heard from what Sunset told us,” said Twilight, “She helped my counterpart when she was corrupted with Equestrian Magic. Afterwards they went to Camp Everfree. They helped saved a friend and that place from being sold, and have gained new abilities too.” “And they encountered a ton of things,” said Thomas, “And from what you told me, Sunset kept getting herself in trouble because of her temper and impatience.” “That’s pretty much it.” Said Spike. Thomas however, pondered over why Sunset acted like this. However, after hearing all that from Twilight and Spike, he was able to make out why she really acted this way. “Oh, we’re here.” Said Twilight, making Thomas notice the shop. The moment they walked in, Thomas noticed the group and immediately recognized them. Twilight was right, despite them looking human, their likeness is truly uncanny. “Whoa,” said Thomas as he couldn’t believe his eyes, “The resemblance is quite uncanny. The facial features are somewhat different, and minus the pony ears, tails, and wings and horns to some, they almost look completely identical.” “I know what you mean,” said Twilight before she giggled, “I felt the same way when I first met them. Though I didn’t spend enough time with my counterpart, I could tell she’s really smart. As well as one thing.” “Oh?” said Twilight whilst looking at him curiously. “You both don’t know when not to poke your nose into other people’s business.” Said Thomas with a mischievous smirk. “Hey!!” said Twilight, as if she was feeling offended. “No, he’s got you there, Twilight.” Said Spike. “Nightmare Moon, Pinkie Pie, the Friendship problem, so on and so forth.” “Let’s just say hi to the others.” Said Twilight as she wanted to change the subject. They went over to the girls, with the human version of Pinkie Pie noticing Twilight. She gasped and said “Hey look, it’s Princess Twilight, and she brought a new friend!!” The girls looked at the door’s direction and saw Twilight coming in, with Thomas in tow. “Twilight.” Said Sunset as she walked over and hugged her, “It’s so good to see you again.” “Good to see you too.” Said Twilight. “So, who’s yer new friend here?” said the human version of Applejack. “Oh, this is Thomas Rohan.” Said Twilight, which confused some of them. “That’s an odd name.” said the human version of Rarity. “Well, that was my name from where I’m from.” Said Thomas. “Besides, like you’re ones to talk.” He pointed at Pinkie and said “For example, like Pinkie Pie. What, she’s pink that’s baked in a pie?” Everyone else was surprised, however, Pinkie laughed at that and said “Now that would be very funny.” “Or Shining Armor.” Said Thomas, “He’s not shiny, he’s not even wearing any armor.” Both Spikes stifled their laughter through snorting, for the way he says it was very funny, with Spike saying “You know, he does have a point.” “Or like Spitfire,” said Thomas, which surprises Rainbow, “What, she spits out fire every time whenever she talks?” Everyone else was baffled by what he said, with Thomas saying “Trust me, if you were where I’m from, they’d say the same thing.” “Where you’re from?” said a confused Rainbow. “Thomas is from another human realm.” Said Twilight, which caused the girls to gasp. “You’re from another world?!” exclaimed the human version of Twilight, or as her friends would sometimes call her, Sci-Twi, as she zipped over and was nearly right in front of his face. “Uh, yeah?” said Thomas as he tried to regain his composure, ‘I’m surprised Twilight wasn’t like this when I first met her.’ Said Thomas from within his own thoughts. “This, is, amazing!!” said Twilight in excitement, “What’s the difference between our world?! How did you get to this one?! Are there similarities between our worlds?! Are there…?!” “Whoa, calm down, Twilight.” Said Sci-Twi’s dog, which was none other than this world’s version of Spike. “You’re doing it again.” Sci-Twi stopped and blushed before giggling nervously, “Oh, right, my bad.” “Eh, it’s cool.” Said Thomas, “You were just excited is all.” “Did you arrive in this world?” asked Sunset. “Not really,” said Twilight, “He arrived in Equestria about half a month ago.” “He did?” said Sunset surprised, “How did he get here?” “I drowned in a whirlpool.” Said Thomas, much to the others’ shock. After he took his seat, Thomas told them his full version of how he got to Equestria, how Twilight took him in, and how he slowly became Twilight’s friends. “And that’s how I got here.” “Oh, you poor dear.” Said Rarity in concern. “Ah can’t believe yer parents were like that.” Said Applejack. “I…know how that feels.” Said Sci-Twi, thinking about her time with Abacus Cinch. “But still,” said Rainbow, “Look at the bright side, at least you have a new home and friends that care about you. Heck, from what I’m seeing, Princess Twilight’s already accepted you without a second thought.” “Even though when she nearly wanted to beat me to a pulp when I blurted out that horses can’t talk?” The girls were silent by this and looked at Twilight, who blushed and smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Uh, yeah, that too.” Said Rainbow. “You know,” said Thomas, “You girls remind me a lot of your counterparts.” “We do?” said Fluttershy. “Oh yeah, in fact, I brought pictures.” Said Thomas, which surprised Twilight. “You brought pictures?” “Yeah,” said Thomas, “When I heard that you were going to another world, and you mentioned them, I asked your friends if I could take pictures. To show the Rainbooms what they looked like as Ponies, whilst I show your friends what they’d look like as humans. You didn’t think about that?” Twilight was baffled and didn’t know how to respond to it, with Spike also being dumbfounded by it. Thomas took out a few pictures he was able to get, thanks to Pinkie Pie from Ponyville. “We’ll start with you.” Said Thomas as he handed Fluttershy a picture. She took a good look and to her surprise, she saw what she looks like as an anthro pony, especially her wings. “Oh my,” muttered Fluttershy, “I’m a Pegasus in that world?” “That you are.” Said Thomas, “Though the difference between the two of you, she lives near the edge of the forest in her cottage outside of Ponyville. From there she looks after all sorts of animals. Heck, she even tamed a Manticore by being nice and stood up to a dragon.” The girls’ jaws dropped from hearing that, even Fluttershy was surprised by this. “And then there’s her.” Said Thomas as he presented Pinkie with her photo. They took a good look at her counterpart, and saw that she was an Earth Pony… “Is it just me, or does her boobs look a little bigger?” asked Rainbow. “Rainbow!!” exclaimed Rarity. “What, I’m just asking!!” defended Rainbow. “Pinkie’s counterpart is also like her.” Said Thomas, “She lives with the Cake family and works at their bakery. She’s also a number one-party planner in the town, knows everybody there too. Well, besides Cheese Sandwich that is.” “Who?” said the Rainbooms confusingly. “The male version of Pinkie Pie.” Said Thomas. They were suddenly silent, with Thomas saying in a deadpanned tone, “Okay, that sounds so wrong to say that out loud.” After everyone nodded in agreement, Thomas moved on to the next one, one of Applejack. She looked at the photo and was surprised to see what she looked like. “Like Pinkie, your counterpart is an Earth Pony.” Said Thomas, “But her family history is different. Back when her grandmother was a teenager, she and her family helped found Ponyville. Afterwards, the town grew and many family members founded more farms along the way. Your counterpart helps farm the apple orchid. Heck, she’s so strong, I once saw her knock down a forty-foot tree with her own hooves, as well as a three-ton rock.” Applejack whistled impressed, for her counterpart sure must be something. Thomas then brought out a photo of Rarity. Although, she was surprised to see that she has a horn on her forehead. “In this world, your counterpart is a Unicorn,” said Thomas to Rarity, “She uses magic like Princess Twilight, but she also has her own boutique, as well as a place to live above it in Ponyville. Then a while later, she opened her shop in Canterlot, which is Equestria’s capitol and also city for the high class. Though she had hit a few snags every now and then, she was able to open it with success. Though last we heard, she’ll soon be planning to go to Manehattan to see if there is a potential shop to open there.” “So, I….er, she will own three shops?!” exclaimed Rarity when she became excited, then said in a singsong tone, “a-mazing!!” Thomas couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ‘Definitely Rarity’s counterpart.’ “So, where do I fit in?” said Rainbow in excitement as she was excited. Suddenly, Thomas couldn’t help but smirk and showed Rainbow a picture, but to her shock, she saw herself wearing a dress. “Wait,” said Rainbow, “I’m a Nambi, pamby, Princess?!!” “Why yes,” said Beau, “The fairest of them all.” Twilight looked at him confused, but then saw a smirk he was hiding from underneath his lips, causing her to stifle hear laughter. “And the surprising part.” Said Thomas, before he leaned in and whispered “You’re also married to Zephyr Breeze.” Rainbow widened her eyes in shock, then rapidly twitched, and ended up raising her fists in the air. “Nooooooooo!!!!!” exclaimed Rainbow as she didn’t want to believe that. She suddenly heard a snicker, which then blew off into full blown laughter. When she looked, she saw that it came from Thomas and Twilight, who were laughing their butts off over her reaction. Even the rest of the Rainbooms were confused by this. “Oh man, you should’ve seen the look on your face.” Said Thomas as he kept on laughing, soon the others caught on and laughed along too. Rainbow on the other hand. “Oh, ha, ha.” Muttered Rainbow whilst crossing her arms, “Very funny.” “Oh, come on, lighten up Rainbow,” said Spike, “After all the pranks you pulled on your friends, you know it was bound to bounce back at you like that sooner or later, right?” Rainbow them grumbled and mumbled, “Yeah, I guess.” “Anyway,” said Thomas, “This is the real photo.” He showed her a photo of herself flying, which was no doubt taken by Rainbow herself, showing how fast she was flying. “Like Fluttershy, you’re a Pegasus.” Said Thomas, “Your counterpart is one of the fastest flyers in all of Equestria, faster than any Pegasus alive in fact. She’s also the Captain of Ponyville’s weather, managing the weather like rain, snow, wind, and so on. She also dreams of being a member of the Wonderbolts, home to Equestria’s greatest flyers. She first joined as a cadet, and thanks to her friends helping her, she was able to help study for a test, now she’s a reserved member, meaning she’s one step closer to becoming a full-time member.” Rainbow sighs in relief, saying “That’s a relief, I thought my counterpart was going to be lame.” “Well, there’s something you do have in common,” said Thomas, “You both have egos the size of a city.” “Hey!!” exclaimed Rainbow. “No, it’s true.” Said Twilight, “Whenever things happen, she tend to go overboard, take things too far and sometimes she bragged about being the best constantly. Not to mention there was a time she didn’t want to read Daring Do because she thought books were for eggheads.” “Really?!” exclaimed Rainbow in shock, with the others just as surprised. “And I assume you lot had the same experience?” said Thomas with a smirk. Suddenly, the Rainbooms thought out loud one by one. “Well, there was the battle of the bands.” Thought Applejack. “Then in the movie studio.” Thought Rarity. “Then with Juniper.” Thought Applejack. “Then at Spring Break.” Said Pinkie Pie, who then glared at her and said “And ended up getting me banned from the buffet too.” “Okay, I get it, I have a big ego!!” exclaimed Rainbow, who then groaned and mumbled, “Why can’t I ever let things go or down?” “Eh, pride tends to do that.” Said Beau, “Trust me, saw it plenty of times growing up on my world over the years. The only thing we can do is swallow that pride and do what’s right for the good of others.” Beau leaned back and said “And to quote a character from my world, ‘It gets tolerable’, meaning you’d get used to it overtime.” “You think so?” asked Rainbow. “Got used to you, didn’t we?” said Beau with a teasing smirk. This caused Rainbow and the others to laugh a bit. He looked at Sci-Twi and said “Plus I don’t think there’s any need to explain for you, considering I know how much you and Princess Twilight have in common. You both study hard, you work hard, you’re a genius…” Both of them smiled with pride… “And you both don’t know when to stop poking your nose into other people’s business.” Both of them blinked in shock about that, causing both Spikes to laugh out loud hysterically. “Oh, he’s so got you there, Twilight!!” exclaimed Dog Spike between laughs. “That’s so true!!” exclaimed Dragon Spike before the two of them stopped. “Excuse me?!” said Princess Twilight. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” said Sci-Twi. Both Spikes then deadpanned as they couldn’t believe that they had forgotten so easily. “Nightmare Moon? Pinkie’s Pinkie senses? The Friendship Report? The Crystal Empire? Moondancer?” said Dragon Spike. “The stuff that happened at CHS before the Friendship Games?” said Dog Spike. Both of them blinked, then giggled sheepishly. “Okay, good point.” “Ditto.” “But the rest of you also have similarities, but also differences too.” Said Thomas. The girls looked at one another, then to him as they said “We do?” “That’s right.” Said Thomas. “For starters…” “Pinkie Pie and her pony counterpart love to arrange and plan parties, making cakes and can do the impossible. Only difference is, Pinkie works at a local diner temporarily whilst her pony counterpart works at Sugarcube Corner, a shop that makes cakes. And she’s really good at her job too. In fact, from what Twilight told me, she also has a secret party planning cave for everyone in town and likes to throw parties, whether birthdays, anniversaries and so on.” “Oooh, she sounds fun.” Said Pinkie and said “I wonder if she and I will exchange notes for a party planning cave?” “Then there’s Applejack and her counterpart. Both of them are honest and work at the farms and are strong. Differences, Applejack’s pony counterpart works at a farm with nearly over 200 trees and has raw strength, whilst she on the other hand works at a farm with only about more than fifty trees and she uses her geode for that kind of power.” “That’s true.” Said Applejack, until… “And twice as stubborn when you didn’t want to help Sunset to redeem herself, or that you automatically thought she was Anon a miss without realizing that she was also being framed or being a victim.” Everyone was startled by what he said, but none was more startled than Applejack. “Wha…how did ya…?” “Observation, detail, as well as from what Twilight told me.” Said Thomas. The girls felt uncomfortable, wondering what else he knew about. But before they could ponder any further… “For both Rainbow and her counterpart, both of them are loyal, and have a habit of being overboard, and are fast with a large amount of stamina,” said Thomas, “The differences between them. Pony Rainbow manages the weather and can fly and aims for the Wonderbolts.” “Wait, Wonderbolts?” said Rainbow surprised, “As in the greatest fly team in history?” “They got it in this one too?” “They sure do.” Said Rainbow. “Though I don’t know if I should do that, or become a professional soccer player.” “Huh,” muttered Thomas as he could see that, but then continued afterwards. “Anyway, you on the other hand are Captain of every sports team in CHS, works at a sports store and you use your geode to go fast. Another different factor, she has pure speed, whereas you use your geode to make you go fast. Though temporary if I had to guess, considering you would probably use too much energy.” “He does have a point.” Said Sci-Twi, with Twilight nodding in agreement. “Rarity and her pony counterpart have the same similarities,” said Thomas, “Both of them are generous, and have great taste in fashion and notices everything in detail. Differences from them. Pony Rarity owns two, and soon three different boutiques and is her own business woman. Whilst this Rarity on the other hand works part time at the boutique and can be a way bigger drama queen and also a bit selfish and obsessive.” “I beg your pardon?!” exclaimed Rarity, feeling insulted at the same time. “Need we remind of you of that incident at the Battle of the Bands and Equestria land?” said Applejack. Rarity winced at that, not wanting to remember those two events. “Fluttershy and her pony counterpart’s similarities are that they love and take care of animals. And wants to help them and are uncommonly kind to many around them and have a pet rabbit.” Said Thomas, “The difference between them, is that Fluttershy’s pony counterpart understands animals and lives in a cottage outside of Ponyville and near the forest because she’s not comfortable being around others, and not to mention has a ton of freaky sowing knowledge. Whilst this Fluttershy works part time at an animal shelter and uses her geode to understand the animals and is a whizz at math.” Fluttershy giggled and said “That’s true, and it was really amusing when Trixie asked one of my bird friends to be her tutor when she thought I was cheating.” Rainbow snickered at that, for she did have a point. “So, you see, you lot do have so much in common, you just haven’t realized it yet.” Said Thomas, then he looked at Sunset. “Then there’s you.” “Uh, yes?” said a confused Sunset. “Miss getting angry and losing her cool.” Said Thomas. “Meaning?” said Sunset as if she felt she was being insulted. “I know the source of your anger.” Said Thomas, which surprised everyone in the room. “I’m sorry, the source of her anger?” asked Rarity. “That’s right.” Said Thomas, “It’s like this…” He began to explain everything. “Sunset’s anger stems from desires of her not being able to become a Princess and that it would never come true, and whenever she tries something, she always takes shortcuts, and because of that she became so unfocused, she always gets angry.” Some of them, even Princess Twilight and Spike were a little surprised to hear that. “Until her friends came into the picture.” Said Thomas, which surprised the others. “She went to take advise from councilors and other adults, wanting, to be the best and supportive friend she could ever be. So, she sometimes channel that anger and puts it into protective instincts. Every outburst whenever something happens, is her wanting to protect her friends.” Thomas then concluded, “In fact, she loves them so much that the thought of anything bad happening to them, no matter who’s responsible, infuriates her.” Everyone was shocked and surprised to hear this, but not as shocked and surprised Sunset were at the same time. “Wow,” said Pinkie, “You’re really good.” Sunset cleared her throat, for she was deep down surprised that someone had revealed why she was like this, even she herself was surprised. “Guess that’s why you and Twilight seem to have much in common too.” Said Sunset. “Oh, there’s a big difference between me and her.” Said Thomas. “What’s that?” asked Spike. “She’s twice as adorkable whenever she studies.” Said Thomas before he instantly slapped his mouth shut again in shock. Everyone stares at Thomas surprised, with Twilight blushing madly at this again and looked away. Thomas then groaned and slammed his head onto the table, for he couldn’t believe he said it again. It’s twice that he made that mistake again. Twice. The Rainbooms noticed something, with Sunset whispering, “It’s clear those two like each other, don’t they?” “Oh yeah.” Said the Rainbooms, even the two Spikes. ********************************************************************************************* Two weeks later, after their visit with Sunset and the Rainbooms, things have gone pretty smoothly for Thomas as he was enjoying his stay in Equestria. And during that time, his relationship with Twilight had nothing been but the greatest. The two of them were pretty much inseparable due to all the time they spent together in the library and going over the many books as well as the trip over the town. And during that time, Ponyville warmed up to him as they could see he really wasn’t that bad after all. Since it was a nice day, Twilight decided to take Thomas on a picnic out near the lake. The same lake where the two of them first met a month ago. During that time, the two of them were talking, laughing, and admiring the scenery. So much, that Twilight decided to lean against him. Thomas on the other hand, found himself growing attached to Twilight. Not just because she’s cute, but because she’s also smart and values her friends. If that’s not a true Princess, he doesn’t know what is. Thomas then had something on his mind and said “Hey, Twilight.” “Hmm?” muttered Twilight as she looked at him with her purple eyes, one that he enjoyed to look at, “What is it?” “Call me crazy, but didn’t you say there was a time you told me that you developed a crush on that other Stallion back at the Crystal Empire,” said Thomas, “Uh, Flash Sentry, was it?” This of course made her blush, but shook it off as she spoke. “Well…yes, that’s true,” began Twilight, “But…I didn’t really know him that well. He was a bit nice to look at, but we just didn’t’…click, if you know what I mean. Why do you ask?” “Just curious,” shrugged Thomas, “I mean, I didn’t want to sound rude or anything, but I’m surprised that a beautiful lady such as yourself had found her prince charming, yet.” Though Twilight was a little embarrassed, she couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. “That’s true,” she responded, “But the truth is, it doesn’t matter if I find a prince charming. If I ever find somepony, I want it to be with somepony who’s honest, sweet, likes to read and is able to accept me for who I am and not just because I’m the Princess of Friendship.” “Does it still sometimes bother you?” asked Thomas. “A little bit.” Said Twilight whilst she looked down in thought. “I’ve got an eternity to find somepony. I’m sure you already know this by now, but Alicorns given the abilities of immortality, as well as keep our youth.” Thomas thought about it, but then he asked something out of the ordinary. “Did you ask for it?” “What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “You were made a Princess and you became immortal.” Said Thomas, “But that would mean that you’d end up outliving your family and friends, even watching loved ones come and go. And ask yourself the biggest questions. Will you end up giving up the immortal part so that you could live a normal life just so that you could stay with your friends?” Twilight was surprised by this, for she didn’t give much thought to it. She looked away and looked at the lake ahead. “I’m not going to lie, I will miss my family and friends when I grow older,” said Twilight as she had somewhat a saddened look. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Princess Celestia; anypony that I choose to have as my mate will also obtain the immortality and possibly eternal youth just like me. But only if our feelings for each other are purely out of love.” Thomas looked away for a bit, for it gave him a whole new reason and respect for Twilight. And maybe…even love too. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. Or rather an ironic one, which he couldn’t help but smile. “Hey, Twilight.” Said Thomas, “It’s a perfect day for a swim, don’t you think?” Twilight thought about it for a moment, but Thomas noticed that she was blushing. “What?” asked Thomas. “Sorry. It’s just…” said Twilight in an embarrassed tone, “I usually wear swimwear that don’t involve…well, bikinis. I never thought about going swimming because I sometimes feel insecure about that. And it’s been a while since I last swam.” She looked at him bashfully and said “If I…get my bathing suit. Promise you won’t laugh?” “Why would I laugh at that?” said Thomas with a smile, “And I’m sure that you’ll look alright in it.” Twilight looked at him, and because of his smile, she felt encouraged and regained her confidence and she smiled back. “Alright then,” said Twilight as she stood up, “I’ll even get your swim trunks whilst I’m at it. Wait right here.” Within a split second, she used her magic to teleport back to the castle. As she left, he decided to wait for her. But during that time, he began to think about her, and it made him blush too. Could he be…developing feelings for her? If so, how will he tell her? Then another thought came to him; how hard it’s going to be to have her parents acknowledge that their daughter was going to be dating a human. Then he realized that he didn’t meet her parents yet. Though what he could tell, Twilight’s mother is a successful author, same with Night Light in his own way of things. And he remembered that she told him that her brother was once part of Canterlot’s guard before he moved to the Crystal Empire with his wife Cadance. His thoughts were interrupted when Twilight came back. However, he noticed that she was blushing. And for good reason. He noticed that she was wearing a two-piece bikini with pink stars that matched her Cutie Mark. After Twilight gave him Thomas his Swim Trucks, she politely turned around and waited for him to get changed. Once he was able to get changed, he saw how beautiful Twilight looked in her bikini. But as he stared at her, he suddenly squinted his eyes and smirked. “Are you…?” asked Twilight before she yelped when she felt something, or in this case someone, lifting her up as he held her bridal style. “What are you…?!!” exclaimed Twilight before she and Thomas ended up being in the lake with a big splash. Afterwards, the two of them got up and were shivering slightly. It was cold, but they would soon get used to it. Thomas laughed a bit whilst he shivered. “G-g-gotcha!!” said Thomas whilst he was shivering. Twilight pouted for a bit before she smirked and splashed the water back in his face. “Y-you jerk!!” stuttered Twilight as she tried to adjust to the temperature. Before she knew it, she ended up laughing after finding that humor, which caused Thomas to laugh with her too. Soon enough, the two of them began to have a little fun whilst in the water. After their fun, Thomas suddenly stood a bit closer and held her cheek. “I just can’t get over how adorable you look in that bikini, Twi.” Said Thomas whilst he stroked her cheek. Interesting enough though, she didn’t blush this time. Instead, she smiled and nuzzled into his hand as if she was a cute little kitten. Thomas didn’t know how to respond to that as she continued to rub against the palm of his hand. However, as she did so, the action gave him an urge to do the same. Gently reaching for her hand, Thomas brought it up to her cheek and held it there. He admired the feeling of her soft fur against his skin. When all of a sudden, she ended up dunking his head in the water, causing her to laugh, within mere moments, the two of them had fun throughout the day. After so much fun, Twilight ended up doing something unexpected. “Gotcha!” she said whilst she was hugging him and nuzzling his cheek, which made him blush. “This is what I call payback for all the times you embarrassed me.” Said Twilight as she looked at him in the eyes. She then pecks him on the cheek and said with a smile, “That’s for making my day less stressful and more entertaining.” Twilight wrapped her arms around Thomas, to which he returned it slowly, for he was surprised that she did that. Though it felt good, he wondered why he did that. He decided to wait until they were back at the castle before they could say anything else. ********************************************************************************************* After a long day, the two of them had reached the castle and went inside. From there on out, they went to Twilight’s bedroom and sat close to one another at the edge of the bed. Though the kiss was still on Thomas’ mind, he then asked her. “Twilight,” began Thomas, “I gotta tell you something and I hope that you can be honest with me. Recently about a week ago, my feelings for you have been changing. Every time whenever we’re together, whether it’s to read, hang out with our friends, or have a picnic, it’s like I’m getting to know you a whole lot more.” He placed his hand on top of hers. “You value your friends, hard work, sometimes a little too hard, you’re kind and a giving pony and above all else, you’re one of the most beautiful alicorns I’ve ever met.” Tears began to appear in the corner of her beautiful eyes, although Thomas was worried that he was a bit too hasty. “D-Do…you really mean that?” asked Twilight. Thomas nodded with a relieved smile. “Yes, Twilight.” Said Thomas whilst not taking his eyes off of her, “You seem to understand the world a whole lot more than anyone I met back on my world. You’re very special to me.” Twilight couldn’t help but tear up with happiness in her heart, causing her to throw her arms around him with a sudden hug, with her burying her face into his neck. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t become fond of you this past month. It’s very rare that I found somepony who loves reading just as much as I do. When you told me what you used to think of friendship, I knew there yet another thing we had in common. Though, I have to confess something about our little swim earlier...” Thomas knew exactly what it was she was referring to. “Yeah, I was curious about that too.” He asked, allowing the two of them to broke the hug and look at one another. “Why did you suddenly pull of that cute act and kiss me?” Twilight blushed by the question, which didn’t surprise Thomas, considering that she knew that he was going to ask that. “Well,” started Twilight, “Remember when you explained about how you never had a relationship with anyone back at your world, because of the girls who judged you wrongly?” Thomas nodded, knowing what she meant. “Well, I wanted to show you just how wrong they are. And how charming you really are…in my eyes.” Twilight held Thomas’ hand gently, and never broke eye contact with him. “D-Does that mean…?” asked Thomas. Twilight nodded her head and said “I’ve actually grown attached to you, possibly even…fallen in love with you.” She continued to smile, until she released his hand and placed them on his cheek, moving closer and gently…towards his lips. Even though it didn’t last long, Thomas savored the soft feeling of Twilight’s lips during his first kiss with her. Since she’s already come clean, Thomas believed it was time for him to do the same. “I’m going to be completely honest with you, Twilight.” Said Thomas as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders, “I’ve actually fallen in love with you too. And if you let me, I want to prove to you that I will never betray you.” Twilight smiled and nodded, before the two of them leaned in and connected their lips again. This time, it lasted a little longer. He could feel her wrap her arms around his neck again. Her wings slowly extended outwards and flapped gracefully and happily the longer the two of them held in the kiss. Afterwards, they broke the kiss and stared into each other’s eyes. However, Twilight suddenly began nervous whilst blushing. “Could…” began Twilight whilst being nervous at the same time. “D-do you think you can…help me…take off my bikini, Beau?” “Beau?” replied Thomas in confusion, which caused Twilight to giggle. “That’s my new nickname for you. It does have a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say?” Thomas, now Beau, chuckled after considering it. “I suppose it does sound like a good nickname, now that I think about it.” Said Beau. Beau then slowly reached for her back when he decided to help her out of her bikini like she requested. He reached behind and grabbed the tie and loosened it up enough for it to be able to fall off of her. She blushed softly as her D-Cup breasts were now free. “H-how do I look?” asked Twilight whilst turning and used her right arm to cover her breasts whilst feeling nervous at the same time. “You look…beautiful.” Said Beau. “Well, don’t just stand there, take them off,” said Twilight whilst gesturing to Beau’s swim trunks. By this point, it was obvious where this situation was going, so Beau obeyed Twilight and reached down to the hem of his trunks and pulled them down, showing off your shaft. Twilight blushed and took note of the shape. “Beau... I-is that what... a human’s shaft looks like?” Twilight asked, reaching out to grab it. “Y-Yeah, it is,” replied Beau, whilst feeling embarrassed too at the same time. Which is understandable, considering that it’s his first time being bare in front of a girl. “I’ve... never seen a human phallus before. Th-There’s no ring around the midsection, or flat surface on the tip. It’s so big and...” Twilight paused and felt Beau’s shaft in the palm of her hands. “...hard.” “T-Thanks, Twilight,” replied Beau awkwardly, shuddering to the touch from her soft hands. Without even thinking, Twilight began to stroke your length, admiring it as she did so. “Does it feel good, Beau?” she asked. “Y-Yes... without a doubt,” shivered Beau. Twilight stroked Beau’s shaft a little faster and gave his balls some attention as well. Beau’s body twitched a little from how well she was tendering to his manhood and it made him wonder if she’s done this before. With Beau’s curiosity growing, you finally decided to ask. “H-Hey... have you ever done this before Twi?” asked Beau. “Well, sort of... there’s this book I’ve read just recently. It’s called “How To Please Your Stallion In Bed. I was a little too embarrassed to try it out, so I never really practiced up until now.” “I didn’t even know you had books like that,” admitted Beau. “You’d be surprised with what you can find in my library,” giggled Twilight before returning her attention back to Beau’s erection. What she did next blew Beau’s mind away. She opened up her mouth and took in his length. ********************************************************************************************* Within a short while, both of them were making out passionately, and both of them were naked at the same time. The two of them broke the kiss as Twilight confessed something. “Despite all that I’ve read about…you know…sex. I’ve…never done it before.” “I had a feeling you’d say that,” said Beau as he stroked the top of her mane, “And you’re not the only one who’s a virgin. And if you want, you can take the lead and be on top.” “That…might help.” Replied Twilight bashfully. Getting into position, Twilight moved so that she was standing over Beau with her marehood level with his shaft. She bit her lip as she slowly lowered herself, allowing Beau’s manhood to ease into her walls. This continued ever so slowly, until he came to... her hymen. “R-Remember what I said before, I-if you have sex with an alicorn... you will gain immortality,” she reminded as Beau’s penis poked her barrier. “Are... Are you sure you want to proceed?” “Twilight, I love you more than anything in the world. I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t sure about it. I’ll always be here for you, no matter what,” promised Beau, giving her a nod. In fact, the thought of being able to spend eternity with the love of your life brought Beau joy unlike any other. “I-I... I love you too Beau...” she said as more tears appeared. With no more doubts, she sank all the way down on Beau’s member, allowing it to break her hymen. Twilight shut her eyes from the sharp pain and threw her head back, unable to suppress the moan that followed. “S-Sweet Celestia... w-we got it in...” she muttered, managing to crack a small smile despite the pain. Watching blood come out of her marehood, Beau held both of her hands to show her she has his full support. Twilight took the time to get used to this new feeling. Once the pain had subsided, Twilight began moving her hips up and down while keep her hands on Beau’s bare chest. She moaned blissfully, her breathing was steady and Beau was groaning from her tight entrance. While her insides did feel soft and warm, they kept quite a grip on his shaft. “Oh jeez, you’re so tight!” groaned Beau. “I... I can’t help it... this is my first time... and it feels so good!” she screamed. She then gave a rather rough slam on Beau’s member in a desperate attempt to loosen her marehood for him. “Mm mph! Easy Twilight, you’re not the only one who’s just lost his virginity!” grunted Beau. She giggled and started grinding her hips on his. Twilight’s moaning grew more erotic and her wings flapped beautifully. Her horn also began to glow slightly. “Mmm, I’m sorry, Beau... but, you’re just so... big and... hard,” Twilight said in a sultry growl. “I feel like I could ride you for centuries.” At the same time, right outside, Spike and Starlight were walking down the hall whilst having a conversation. “And that…” concluded Spike, “Is why you should never have chocolate, before going to sleep.” “Uh, that doesn’t make sense.” Said Starlight in confusion. “Makes sense to…” They then suddenly heart moaning and grunting, which confused the two. They looked around, not knowing what else to expect. The two of them wondering what was going on. “What was that?” said Starlight. “It sounds like it’s coming from Twilight’s room.” Said Spike. The two of them moved towards the room as they leaned against the door and heard them. “Wonder what…?” said Spike, until they heard their answer. “Oh, Sweet Celestia this feels good!!” moaned Beau loudly. “Relax and let your princess give you some sugar.” Said Twilight. The two of them were shocked by what they were hearing. “Wait…” said Spike as he looked at Starlight in shock, “You don’t think…” “Uh, yeah they are.” Said Starlight. The two of them immediately blushed hard and moved away from the door. Soon the two of them were far enough to not hear the noise as they kept the blush on their faces. “We must never speak of this again.” Said Starlight. “Agreed.” Said Spike, causing the two of them to quickly move as far away as they could. ********************************************************************************************* After a long intercourse, both Beau and Twilight were completely exhausted from their fun time. The two of them were under the blanket as they held onto one another. “Sweet…Celestia…that was intense.” Said Beau between breaths. “It’s been a while since…I felt so good.” Said Twilight as she was just as exhausted. Whilst she calmed down, Twilight nuzzled Beau’s chest, cuddling him as if you were a stuffed animal. “I can’t…believe that I…mated and…fell in love…with the most beautiful Alicorn Princess.” Said Beau between pants. “And this Alicorn Princess is very happy.” Said Twilight softly as she kissed Beau’s cheek. The two of them laid there in silence, until a thought popped in Beau’s head. “Hey, Twilight?” asked Beau? “Hmm?” asked Twilight. “Is it possible that you might end up pregnant from someone of a different species?” asked Beau. Twilight looked at her hand as she considered the question. After some thought, she said “Well, you’re the first human to set foot in this world, so only time will tell.” Twilight slowly placed her hand on her belly. “You released quite a bit of sperm into my womb. Frankly I have no doubt that you would make a wonderful father, after all…” said Twilight before she started to coo whilst saying “You’re already proven to me that you’re a wonderful lover.” Beau couldn’t help but blush and said “Thanks Twilight. I love you, so much.” “I love you too, Beau.” Replied Twilight before she rested her head against his chest. Feeling him softly brush her hair and ears only encouraged her to go to sleep. Beau soon felt his body feeling tired too and soon fell asleep, whilst snuggling with the Princess that he held dearly. And who knows, if she does end up pregnant, then Beau will devote all his time and energy into caring for their child.
Chapter 4: Meet the SparklesLater, the next morning, the sun began to rise as the light begins to shine on Ponyville. From a room of a certain Princess, the sun shined through it, revealing both Beau and Twilight, both of them asleep in the same bed…without any clothes on. Ever since Twilight confessed to Beau, he felt the same way about her. Afterwards, the two of them had a very crazy experience, something that neither of them had ever done before. Before long, Beau stirred awake when the sun was shining on his face. He then looked down and saw a certain Princess resting her head on his chest. He couldn’t help but smile and ended up scratching behind her ear, making her hum like a kitten, which caused him to chuckle a bit as he realized that she sounded very cute. He couldn’t help but kiss her forehead, making her smile and slowly open her eyes. She looked up and saw Beau, looking down on her whilst smiling. “Morning Beau.” Said Twilight. Beau kept his smile and said “Morning to you too, Twilight.” The scootched over until the two of them were face to face, rubbing the side of her face against his, whilst at the same time, Beau couldn’t help but slowly grasp onto her right breast, making her moan in delight. “You tease.” Said Twilight as she looked at him. “Can I help it when you’re adorkable?” asked Beau, which made Twilight blush whilst she kept her smile. “So…our first night just happened.” “That’s right.” Said Twilight before she giggled. “Now there’s another thing that needs to be addressed.” Said Beau. “Like what?” asked Twilight. “Like how are we going to tell our friends about us?” said Beau, “Especially your parents.” Twilight suddenly shot up and held her face and shouted “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about that!! I may have told my parents about me meeting somepony, but I wasn’t specific on who it was!!” Beau suddenly grabbed Twilight’s cheeks and made him look at her. “Twilight, calm down.” Said Beau. “I’m sure we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, let’s take it one step at a time. Besides, I’m not going anywhere. Okay?” Beau planted a quick kiss to Twilight, making her slightly moan from his touch. He slowly departed from the kiss before she smiled. “You’re right,” said Twilight, “We’ll take it one step at a time.” “Good,” said Beau, “Now then first thing’s first, let’s arrange Spike and Starlight to make breakfast, so that way, we can invite our friends over and we can tell them the truth.” Twilight was a little puzzled at first, with Beau saying “You told me they always come every week for breakfast in the castle, correct?” “That’s right.” Said Twilight, “And Pinkie’s the one who always makes the pancakes.” “Really?” said Beau, then wondered, “So that’s why the breakfast I had a week ago tasted fluffier than usual.” Twilight giggled at that, with her soon standing out of bed and walked over to her closet and was able to pick out her clothes. “Well, I might as well get to my room.” Said Beau, until he blinked and said “But wait…what if…” When all of a sudden, his clothes suddenly appeared, surprising Beau and realized this was the exact clothing he was going to wear on that specific day. He looked at Twilight surprised, with the latter smiling. “I noticed you arranged how you would place your clothes and laundry.” Said Twilight, “Glad I’m not the only one who organizes my own clothing. And Spike says that it was a waste of time.” “I know, right.” Said Beau as he put his clothes on too, “People would think we were crazy, but the reason I do this, is because I didn’t want to wear the same thing, otherwise it would make me…” “A total slob.” Said both of them at the same time, causing the two of them to smile. Once they got fully dressed, the two of them stood close to one another and hugged one another. “Now then, we’d better get going.” Said Twilight once they broke the hug. “We don’t wanna be late for our breakfast.” “My thoughts exactly.” Said Beau, before the two of them exited the room. ************************************************************************************************ Later today, breakfast was being served, thanks to a certain pink friend of theirs, and everyone was enjoying the breakfast that Pinkie made. “Thanks again for the breakfast Pinkie Pie.” Said Twilight before she ate one. Beau ate his pancake, but then noticed something was very off. He looked around and could see the looks on their faces. Rarity had somewhat an uncomfortable look on her face whilst sipping her tea, Fluttershy was hiding behind her hair as she looked embarrassed, Spike and Starlight had the same reactions, Pinkie giggled uncontrollably, whilst Rainbow looked like she wanted to laugh and Applejack had smirks on their faces whilst looking at…him and Twilight? “Uh, Twilight.” Whispered Beau, “I don’t know why, but our friends are staring at us for some reason.” Twilight stopped eating her breakfast and saw the reactions on their faces, with the latter looking very confused and asked, “What?” Rainbow struggled to keep it in, with Applejack asking, “So…how was yer night last night?” Twilight suddenly spat out her food in shock, with Beau choking a bit before spitting a bit of pancake out. The two of them looked at the others in shock, with Rainbow finally losing it as she laughed. “Wha…how did you know that?!” exclaimed Twilight as she blushed in embarrassment, with Beau doing the same. “Uh…” said Spike as he and Starlight raised their hands, and looking sheepish. “Whoops.” “Spike!!” said Twilight as she was now greatly embarrassed. “We’re sorry!!” said Starlight, “It’s just, it was early, Spike and I were busy talking and we heard the both of you going on in there!!” Now both of them groaned in embarrassment, with Beau burying his face, whilst Twilight buried her face in pancakes. Suddenly Beau looked at Spike sternly and said “Be glad you’re still not a dog now.” “Oh, great, what,” said Spike, “You’d have to take me for a walk.” “No,” said Beau with a glare, “I’d take you to a vet and get you neutered.” Spike yelped and covered his privates with his hands in shock. But then Beau sighed and leaned backwards. “But, seeing that you lot know…yeah, we did.” Suddenly, Fluttershy asked out of the blue, “So…how was it?” Everyone looked at her shocked by what she said, that Fluttershy, the shyest pony in the group, had asked out in the open, of how it was. Suddenly, Twilight slowly giggled uncontrollably and said “It was amazing. Once he took charge, there was no stopping.” “This, coming from a Princess who pounced on me like a cougar and said she’d give me some sugar?” said Beau with a smirk. The girls were once again flabbergasted by this. “Although…there is one question though.” Asked Rarity. “How are we gonna explain it to Twilight’s family and Celestia?” Asked Beau. “Y-yes, exactly.” Said Rarity as she agreed. “That’s what we’re also worried about,” said Twilight as she leaned backwards, “I mentioned that I was seeing somepony, but I didn’t tell them exactly who it was. Plus, I’m not sure they would accept Beau, considering he’s…” “A human from another world who died back on his world and was brought here?” said Applejack. “Exactly.” Said Twilight. She then groaned and said “I just don’t know if they’ll ever accept him.” “Although…” said Rainbow, “I’d be more concerned about your brother than your parents.” Twilight looked at Rainbow with a flexed eyebrow and asked “Why?” “The uh…” said Rainbow as she tried to explain a certain topic. But then made wedding noises, causing Twilight and the others to blink in surprise, with Twilight dreading something. “Uh, what’s going on?” said Beau. “Long story.” Said everyone in the room. Twilight sighed and said “I guess I’ll have to……Introduce Beau to my parents. I just hope that they like him.” “Ah’m sure they will Twilight.” Said Applejack. Pinkie gasped and said “Oh no, I completely forgot!!” “What?!” said the others in the room. “Don’t you know Rarity!!” said Pinkie as she grabbed Rarity’s face, “We gotta take the train to Manehattan tomorrow!!” Suddenly Rarity gasped and said “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot!!” “Uh, what now?” said Rainbow. “Oh,” said Fluttershy as she reminded Rainbow, “Don’t you remember, Rainbow? Rarity and Pinkie have to take the train to Manehattan because Rarity wanted to explore a new location for her next boutique.” “Exactly, we mustn’t be late.” Said Rarity before she stood up, “Come Pinkie Pie, we must get ready.” Rarity soon left the room, with Pinkie whispering “I’m excited to go because my sister Maud will meet us there for something special.” Pinkie darted out of the room like a speeding rocket as if she was now on a mission of her life. “Thanks again for the breakfast.” Said Rainbow before she wiped her mouth and said “I gotta check up on the weather teams.” “And ah gotta get back to the farm to harvest this month’s crops.” Said Applejack. “I’ll head back to my home to check up on the animals.” Said Fluttershy before the three of them left. Soon it was just Spike, Starlight, Twilight, and Beau left. Twilight moaned whilst holding her head. “What am I going to do?” she said in worry. “Don’t worry Twilight.” Said Spike, “If you really like Thomas…” “Beau.” Said Beau, which Spike and Starlight looked at him, “Twilight gave me a nickname. I’d like it to stick.” “Huh, I like it.” Said Starlight as she also liked the nickname. “Anyway,” said Spike, “If you really like, er, Beau, then I’m sure they’ll like him. I mean he’s been here for a month and he seems okay. And if Princess Celestia approves him, then I’m sure the others too.” “Yeah, but it’s not like they haven’t seen a human before.” Said Beau, “I mean how often do you see a 5’11 human with Caucasian skin, thin build with black hair and light brown eyes walking around Equestria with a bunch of ponies around them?” “True,” said Starlight, “Not to mention Twilight, Spike and I are the only ones who knows what a human look like. The others were a little skeptical too, same with Ponyville. I’m not sure how Canterlot would feel about him though.” “It’s not like Twilight can just use a cloaking spell whilst we move through Canterlot and remove them once we get to Twilight’s place.” Said Beau. Twilight clicked, then looked at Beau and said “That’s a great idea, Beau.” “It is?” said a confused Beau. “Yes, we’ll use a cloaking spell to mask your presence once we arrive in Canterlot.” Said Princess Twilight, “We’ll also teleport there whilst we’re at it.” “But let’s finish first before we go.” Said Beau, which Twilight nodded in agreement. However, as they continued to eat their breakfast, Beau then thought ‘I just hope that they’ll accept me.’ ********************************************************************************************* After they were done, Twilight was able to cast a concealment spell on Beau, allowing the two of them to travel to Canterlot. The two of them were teleported near the city entrance and began to walk through its large streets. “Now remember Beau,” whispered Twilight just to make sure no one was listening, “We sneak towards my parents’ house so that we can introduce you to them. Thankfully my brother’s not here yet, so I don’t want to further complicate things.” “What do you mean?” whispered Beau. “Well, he can be a bit…too overprotective.” Said Twilight. “Don’t you mean a big jerk after the way he yelled at you back at the wedding?” said Beau, making Twilight widen her eyes in shock, with Beau adding “Again, Spike.” Twilight then growled and was angry, “I am so going to get him for that.” “Let’s just focus on the task at hand.” Said Beau, then ended up flirting by saying “And maybe I’ll give you some happy ending time.” “Happy ending?” said Twilight, until she gasped lightly and blushed red, for Beau was holding and massaging the side of her flank. “B-Beau…not in public.” Whispered Twilight again. “But you see where I’m going with this.” Said Beau. Twilight couldn’t help but moan, but smiled whilst rolling his eyes at the same time, for she couldn’t argue with that logic. And strangely she’s looking forward to it. Beau continued to look around the city. To say this place is beautiful is an understatement. However, when he looked at the citizens, he could see how stuck up they really are. He didn’t know how he could tell, but he could most definitely tell that they have the makings of a complete spoilt people. Soon enough, they arrived at a large house, with Beau looking up. He whistled as he was impressed by what he saw at the same time. “Wow, I have to admit, this is a very nice house.” Said Beau, “What kind of job did you say they did again?” “Both of them were young writers.” Said Twilight, “They at first wrote a few novels, but in time, they also wrote about a few things about the world that they explored.” “Nice.” Said Beau. He then looked down and said “Heh, funny, I always wanted to be a writer too.” “Really?” said Twilight surprised when she looked at him. “Yeah,” said Beau, “But my folks told me that it was never going to happen. I ended up believing it and stopped having that dream. Maybe one day I’ll find that passion again.” Twilight held his hand, gaining Beau’s attention and smiled at him, trying to encourage him to stay positive, which in turn he couldn’t help but smile too, even if Beau was still invisible. Twilight moved towards the door and knocked on it. Within moments, a unicorn opened the door, which was a female. “Twilight!!” said the woman as she hugged her. “It’s so good to see you!!” “Good to see you too, mom.” Said Twilight, before they broke their hug. “Come on in, your father was just about to have some tea ready.” Said the woman as she walked in, with Twilight following suit and Beau snuck in, allowing Twilight to close the door. “So…how are you Twilight?” said the mare, “What was so important that you’d want to come over.” “Well…” said Twilight nervously whilst she was blushing, “It may come as a surprise to you but…I met someone.” The mare gasped and held onto Twilight and said “Really, that’s amazing!! Who’s the lucky stallion?” “Well…” said Twilight as she used her magic to make Beau visible, which shocked the mare, along with a stallion who was peaking his head through the door. “Mom, dad. This is Thomas Rohan, or as folks would call him, Beau. Beau, these are my parents, Night Light, and Twilight Velvet.” “Uh,” said Beau as he nervously waved to them, “Hello there.” *************************************************************************************************** At the living room, everyone was at the living room. Though…one wouldn’t say it was comfortable. For it was awkward for them. For when Twilight said she met someone, they didn’t know it was…not a pony. Beau was also nervous, for he didn’t know how they would respond to it. “So uh, we’re all having fun here?” said Twilight. However, when there was no response, which made her more nervous. “Okay then.” Said Twilight before she continued. “Um, Twilight.” Said Twilight Velvet. “When you said you met somepony, we didn’t think it would be, uh…” “A hairless ape who happens to be as bald as a baboon’s butt without the funny colors?” said Beau, which caused the two parents to look at him surprised by that comment. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” “So, um…” said Night Light, wanting to break the conversation. “How did you two exactly meet?” “Oh, whilst I was strolling down the lake to get some exercise because of Spike,” said Twilight, before she growled and said “That Spike said I needed exercise because he made a comment on how I’m chubby.” Night Light chuckled, for that was something Spike would say, causing Velvet to elbow him. “I met him at the lake out there.” Said Twilight, “Though…he wasn’t there by choice.” “By choice?” asked Twilight Velvet, “What do you mean?” “I uh…” said Beau as he didn’t know how to respond. “Died.” The two parents were surprised by this, with Beau explaining to them. “See, I wasn’t exactly born in a loving family like your daughter here.” Said Beau, “Growing up, all I did was study. Neither of my parents wanted to spend time with me. My father was a reckless and irresponsible gambler, whilst my mother was always working. They never had any time for me. Nor was I a popular guy at school. I was…treated like an outcast. Shunned by society you might say. So, after I graduated, I went to my grandparents’ Lake House. When they died, they left the will of the place to me. I loved them a lot, and they did to me to. So, I chose to live there, thinking what else I could do with my life. But one day whilst I was swimming, a whirlpool appeared in the middle of nowhere, and I ended up being pulled into it. I slowly blacked out, which indicated that I was drowning. Before I knew it, I wounded up at a lake in Equestria. That’s when Twilight found me.” “Oh, you poor dear.” Said Twilight Velvet, with awkward feelings pushed aside. “At first I was freaked out of my mind.” Said Beau, but then couldn’t help but chuckle and said “Then I accidentally blurted out that horses couldn’t talk. Twilight felt offended by that and threatened me with her magic. I panicked at first, but grumbled that she didn’t freak out when she was in a different world.” Both Twilight Velvet and Night Light chuckled at that too. “Oh, we can assure you, she did freak out the first time she was in another world.” Beau looked at Twilight surprised. Twilight giggled nervously and said “I might’ve told them of my adventure through the other side of the mirror.” “Anyway,” said Beau, “She took me in when I had nowhere else to go. Then during that time, we found out we have a few things in common. Twilight even wrote a letter to Princess Celestia, which turned out, she knew the existence of my kind the whole time.” Both of them had their jaws dropped, that Celestia would know something like this. “I wanted to go back,” said Beau, “But then I felt like I belonged here. At first, Ponyville seemed nervous around me, until they later warmed up to me. Same with her friends.” “How long have you been in this world?” asked Night Light. “About a month.” Said Beau, “I was thinking of applying for a job at Ponyville, maybe as Twilight’s librarian archivist. I’ve got a knack for these things.” “So, we can tell.” Said Twilight Velvet. “Oh, that reminds me.” Said Twilight as she stood up, with Twilight saying “Could you two keep him company, I need to do something really quick.” Twilight teleported away, with Beau smiling. He then thought of something and looked at both Velvet and Night Light. “Can I ask you two something.” “Oh, of course.” Said Twilight Velvet. “Are you two always worried about her?” It caught them off-guard at first, with Night Light saying “Of course we do. Why do you ask?” “I mean, how did you know she’d be okay.” Asked Beau, “Facing dangers every day of her life. Thinking that…” “It might be too much for her?” asked Night Light, to which Beau nodded. Twilight Velvet sighed, and said “Truth be told, we always worry about her. When she was growing up, she didn’t want to make friends. But ever since she went to Ponyville, she seems to socialize more and made more wonderful friends there. Makes me wish that we moved to Ponyville before she was born. But as a mother, I always worry about her safety every day. When she wanted to be Celestia’s pupil, I had to give her my permission.” “Permission?” “Of course,” said Night Light, “She may be a fully grown mare, but she’ll always be our baby girl.” “And when Celestia told us what Twilight was doing, even during her adventures, we didn’t make a peep. And we worry about her safety every day, cause it’s our job. But’s also our job to believe in our daughter, to follow her dreams, for her to really fly.” Beau couldn’t help but snicker at that last part, which confused the parents, but then remembered what Velvet just said, causing the two of them to snicker too, for she just made an unintended pun. Beau sighed and said “She’s really lucky. I wish I had something like that. But being here, I finally have my second chance. I really love your daughter. She was the only one who opened up to me and believed in me when no one else did. That’s why I wanted to do the same for her. To support her like you two did. And I know, I may be different. But…I’d really like to have this chance to date her. If…you’ll let me that is.” The two of them couldn’t help but smile, with Velvet saying “Of course you can date our daughter. You seem like a very nice young man.” “And you’re too honest and good to break anyone’s heart.” Said Night Light. Beau couldn’t help but smile, with him saying “So other than being writers…what else can you two do?” “Well,” said Night Light, “I do have a great knack for bingo.” “Really?” said Beau surprised. “Oh of course,” said Night Light, “It’s like a game of chance. I really like a challenge.” “And I also have a knack for extreme sports.” Said Twilight Velvet, causing Beau’s jaw to drop. She laughed and said “My daughter and son had that same reaction when I told them.” “What kind of sports?” asked Beau. “Oh, we could go on for hours.” Said Velvet. ************************************************************************************************* “Excuse me?” said Princess Celestia. Twilight had gone to see Princess Celestia, with Princess Luna by her side. Twilight arrived and wanted to talk to them about something important, and it couldn’t be something open, like in front of her parents. “That’s right, Princess Celestia.” Said Twilight as she was now being open about it. “I’m…in love with Beau.” Needless to say, the two of them didn’t expect this from Twilight. “I see.” Said Princess Celestia. “Look, I know he’s a different creature from another world, and I know it might seem strange for one creature to fall head over heels with another.” Said Twilight. “But Beau’s different. He’s not like anything or anyone I’ve ever met. He’s one of the few people who really understands me. We also have a lot in common when it comes to books, studying and managing items and libraries. We enjoy each other’s company; he even became good friends with mine. And…well…” “You’re worried how your family is going to react.” Concluded Princess Luna. “Y-yes.” Said Twilight. “I’m really nervous if Beau and my parents will get along. Though I’m more worried about my brother.” “Understandable,” said Princess Luna, “Considering what Chrysalis had done to Shining Armor, as well as Princess Cadance.” “Er, yes.” Said Princess Celestia uneasily as she walked to the window. “Look, I know it might seem strange to you, but I really like Beau.” Said Twilight. “And I know it’s been crazy, considering we’ve known each other for a month. But…I can’t explain it. I felt like…that he really is the one for me.” Princess Celestia walked back to Princess Luna, the two of them looking at one another, before the two of them smirked and looked at Twilight. “We know Twilight.” Said Princess Celestia. “Huh?” wondered Princess Twilight out loud. “We know of your, ahem, relationship with Thomas Rohan.” Said Princess Luna, “Or er, Beau, in this case.” Twilight was surprised by this, with her exclaiming “How?!” “Well, you two had an interesting dream of, ahem,” said Princess Luna with a smirk and Celestia tried her best to keep her giggles quiet. “Wild night with him.” Twilight’s jaw dropped and blushed heavily in embarrassment, causing her to cover her face with both her hands and both her wings, with her groaning loudly, for she couldn’t believe they found out…this way. “Twilight,” said Princess Celestia as she went over and held onto Twilight’s shoulder, gaining her attention. “For as long as I can remember during your time as my student, you didn’t want to make friends because you thought they weren’t interesting. And during that time, you never considered romance too. We remembered how you thought you had feelings for another when you were with Sunset Shimmer, but you passed his feelings and left. And yet, there he is, a young man from another world, who suddenly won your heart in just over a month. And if you wish, we too would like to know him.” “I’m just worried how my brother would react.” Said Twilight in worry. “What if he thinks that Beau is a Changeling like I did?” “We will try our best to explain things to him.” Said Princess Celestia. “Though when the time comes when you two want to truly be together, and when he wishes to arrange a marriage, then we would like to meet him. And we will ensure that nothing goes wrong.” “I hope so.” Said Princess Twilight as she rubbed her shoulder, “I really want to spend the rest of my like with him. And…” She then blushed madly and said “Want to raise our first child together.” The two of them flexed their eyebrows, but couldn’t help but smirk at that, knowing full well what it meant. “Well then,” said Princess Celestia, “If somehow you two did the deed…” Twilight groaned again in embarrassment as she really didn’t like the idea of them bringing that up, causing the sisters to giggle again before Celestia continued. “Then we would recommend that you go to the hospital first. If it is possible, then it would be the first in pony history that the Princess of Friendship would gain a child from a non-pony.” “Um…” said Twilight as she was now suddenly afraid, “I’ll do that after I get back to Ponyville.” “We understand Twilight.” Said Princess Celestia, “If you truly wish to bond with Beau through Matrimony, then we will fully support of your decision and your newlywed husband.” Twilight hugged Princess Celestia whilst saying “Thank you. I really…” Suddenly, her eyes went wide open, as if a realization had hit her like a two-ton bricks. “Wait a second,” said Twilight as she broke the hug and looked around, “I know this feeling.” “Twilight?” asked Princess Celestia in concern. “I haven’t felt this before.” Said Twilight, “Not since…” She suddenly gasped out loudly and realized something horrifying, then she turned to Celestia and said “I gotta go!! Thanks for the advice!! Gotta go!!” She teleported away with the speed of light, then Princess Luna asked, “What was the matter with her?” Suddenly Celestia smirked, and said “Probably her parents showing Twilight’s…” *********************************************************************************************** Twilight suddenly teleported back to her parents’ place, and was shocked to see what was going on. Beau and Twilight Velvet, even Night Light were laughing, whilst they were looking through… “My photo album!!” exclaimed Twilight. You guessed it, the family is showing Beau Twilight’s baby pictures. “Oh, Twilight, you are so freaking adorable!!” said Beau when they saw her baby pictures. Twilight suddenly screeched in shock, grabbed the photo album, and held it close to her. “Mom!! What did we talk about showing my baby pictures to other strangers!!” said Twilight. “Oh, Beau is no stranger.” Said Night Light. “In fact,” said Twilight Velvet, “He’s your special somepony. You really claimed a winner there, Twilight.” “Wait,” said Twilight as she was surprised by this, “You two are okay with him?” “Of course, Twilight.” Said Night Light. “Though we’ve spent a short amount of time with him, we could tell that he’s a very nice young man, who would love nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with you. And I think you truly found a special soulmate.” Twilight looked at Beau for a moment, and noticed the blush he had on his face whilst he was partially looking away, but also noticed his smile too. She couldn’t help but smile back and had the same blush on her face too. She used her magic to place her book away and walked over to him. Beau looked up and saw Twilight looking at him and extended her hands to him. Beau slowly held them and stood up. The two of them looking at each other lovingly in their eyes and smiled, before slowly hugging one another. Twilight Velvet sniffed and wiped her eyes, “So beautiful.” Said Velvet whilst Night Light comforted his wife. However, Twilight broke the hug and had a sad frown whilst looking down. “What’s wrong Twilight?” asked Beau, which Twilight’s parents also noticed. “I’m just worried…about how my brother’s going to react.” Said Twilight. “What do you mean, honey?” asked Velvet. “Chrysalis.” Said Twilight. Both her parents widened their eyes in shock and looked at one another. For that’s right, Chrysalis posed as Cadance and nearly had her way with Shining Armor. “Who’s Chrysalis?” asked Beau. “Er…you might want to sit down for this.” Said Velvet. Beau and Twilight sat down together, but Twilight held him close as she rested her head on his shoulder, with Beau holding her close. “See, years ago,” said Twilight Velvet, “Before Twilight was a Princess and was still Princess Celestia’s student, her brother was going to get married to Cadance, who is also a Princess. So, she and her friends were going to help prepare for the wedding. However, Twilight noticed that there was something really off about her. She tried to tell them, but her friends, not even Princess Celestia didn’t believe her. And when Twilight confronted her, she didn’t have any proof or evidence or didn’t do a proper job of making the case stick. So Shining Armor ended up banning her from coming to the wedding and her friends turned their backs on her, even Princess Celestia.” Beau was appalled by this with shock, whilst also noticing how Twilight was tightly holding his hand, to which he kept holding her close. “Twilight was then captured and it turned out the Cadance she encountered was a fake, whilst the real one was imprisoned underground. It turned out the fake was a Changeling Queen named Chrysalis.” “Changelings?” said Beau in confusion, which allowed Night Light to use his magic to show them a magical hologram of them, which surprised Beau. “A race of creatures with the ability to shapeshift into any other creature, who have the ability to feed on love.” Said Night Light, “Chrysalis had fooled everyone, but her friends were so blinded by the wedding, they didn’t care about her feelings at all. And Celestia, her own student. Cause this was exactly the reason why Sunset ran away years ago.” “Thankfully they did stop her,” said Velvet, “But she still felt disheartened over it. Hence…” They noticed how she bit her lip, and said “Why she didn’t trust her friends from there.” Beau was surprised by this. That even though they’re friends, she didn’t trust them. “But didn’t they try to earn her trust, again?” asked Beau. “They did.” Said Night Light, “We told them to try and earn her trust.” “But our daughter can be quite stubborn,” said Velvet, which caused Twilight to grumble and blush in embarrassment, “Before she moved to Ponyville, we tried to convince her to make friends or try to befriend her classmates, but she refused and was one tough nut to crack. And after the wedding, we convinced them to try and apologize and to earn Twilight’s trust back.” Twilight grumbled a bit, with Velvet saying “Honey, I know they left you when they didn’t believe you about what happened with Chrysalis when…” “I made a poor case, I know,” said Twilight, “But I knew Cadance for years, and I knew something was off, and they still didn’t believe me.” Beau looked at her with a flexed eyebrow and said “Didn’t you think of needing proof or evidence for something like that?” Twilight looked at him and wanted to say something, but Beau beat her to it and said “Yes, you may have known her a lot longer than anyone else, but that’s just it. Everyone else only saw her as a title. But you needed proof to show them that she wasn’t who she said she was. I mean, seriously, you pointing out that she was evil and acted like a crazy person at the same time made it harder for everyone to trust you.” Twilight glared at him, until she heard a throat clearing. She looked and saw her parents looking at her with flexed eyebrows, with Night Light saying “He does have a point, Twilight.” “Or did you forget the incident with the quesadillas?” said Twilight Velvet. Twilight blinked in shock and suddenly felt afraid, which Beau noticed and asked “Wait…you’re afraid of a measly sandwich?” “It’s a long story, honey.” Said Twilight Velvet. “Anyway,” said Beau, wanting to continue with the story, “I knew how much a few things in life meant to you, same with wanting to protect your family. But you also have to know when to keep a straight face and talk in a calm manner, otherwise you might crack a lot faster than a nut. Otherwise, you might make a mistake that you’d regret for the rest of your life.” Twilight thought about it, and lowered her eyes whilst her ears drooped, for he was right. She could’ve handled the situation better on some occasions, but because of her obsessions is what caused the whole thing to fall apart in the first place. “And you talking about the Changelings, kind of reminds me of the lore I head back home.” Said Beau. “There’s a lore about Changelings?” asked Velvet with she and her husband, even Twilight being surprised. “Yeah, but they’re nothing like that.” Said Beau as he began to explain more about the Changelings from his world. “According to the lore in my world, they're Irish fairies that wanted beautiful human children for their own by swapping one of their own with theirs. Beauty in human children and young women, particularly blond hair, was said to attract the fairies who kidnap human children and occasionally young adults to marry them instead and newly mothers were often taken to nurse fairy babies. The child that was taken by Changelings have three reasons: to act as a servant, for the fairies to receive the love of a human child, or for malice/revenge.” The three of them were shocked to hear this kind of lore, with Beau saying “Like I said, it’s a lot different than the ones you know.” *************************************************************************************************** Later that day, Twilight, and Beau bid Twilight’s parents goodbye, before she teleported them at the train station and were able to board without anyone seeing them. When they were in a private cart, Beau continued to hold onto Twilight, as the latter was still worried. “Now I see why you were reluctant into telling them.” Said Beau, “You were afraid the same situation would happen again, but only worse.” “Y-yeah.” Said Twilight as she partially looked away. Until she felt Beau’s hand, which gained her attention as she looked at him. “Twilight, I know you’re worried.” Said Beau, “But we’ll find a way. I know we will.” “I hope so.” Said Twilight, “The last thing I need is my brother giving us grief. I know I did the same way, but…” “I know.” Said Beau. “And about your friends. The wedding thing was some time ago, why didn’t you trust them since then?” Twilight sighed and said “I really wanted to Beau, but how can I trust someone who didn’t believe me?” “I think that goes the same as, how they can trust you, if you didn’t trust them.” Said Beau. He sighed and said “Twilight, I may not know anything about friendship, but I do know about individuals. Sometimes when we work together for the good of others, you have to remember that you also need to learn to trust one another. And given how you tend to act, it’s hard for them to believe you. Especially Pinkie Pie, and she’s the crazy one.” Twilight couldn’t help but snort at that. “Look, Twilight, I know how much certain things mean to you,” said Beau, “But you have to learn to push those doubts aside. All you really need is each other. And from what I’ve seen, friendships can be hard, and it takes work to maintain them. And without friends, it would make life a lot harder.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile and look at him whilst saying “Since when did you become my teacher?” “Well, as your new lover,” said Beau, “It’s my job to help make sure that you’re happy. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.” Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at that statement. They soon arrived at Ponyville, however, Twilight suddenly felt like she was going to throw up, with Beau quickly grabbing her and took her at the edge of the station near a trash can. He helped her bend over and held her hair back, causing her to throw up in the trash can. “Are you okay?” said Beau worried. “Wow…that was weird.” Said Twilight after she stood up straight and wiped her mouth, "That’s never happened to me before." Beau then remembered something, something that he read from a medical journal. He then widened his eyes in shock. No…it couldn’t be. *********************************************************************************************** Soon enough, though Twilight protested, Beau took her to the hospital to get her checked up. She said it was unnecessary, but Beau insisted, considering that he wanted to make sure. Beau sat on a chair and reading his magazine, with Twilight sitting on a checkup bed, reading a book that she had thankfully brought with her for just in case. Within moments, Ponyville’s doctor, whose name is Doctor Horse (Beau nearly wanted to laugh, but he kept quiet as best as he can), walked in with a clipboard. “So how is she doing, doctor?” asked Beau. “Well, I have some good news and bad news.” Said the Doctor, “Well, more like good news, bad news, shocking news and really crazy news at the same time.” Beau looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, but chose not to comment on that. “You sure you want to hear this, Princess Twilight?” Asked Doctor Horse. “Of course, I do, doctor.” Said Twilight. “Well, from what I’ve seen, what you have isn’t a sickness or disease,” said Doctor Horse before looking at the two of them. “What you’re actually feeling is the early stages of pregnancy.” Twilight felt like her brain shattered as she dropped the book, with Beau dropping his jaw and dropped his magazine too. “Say what now?” said Beau. “And it’s surprising,” said the doctor, “Because usually a mare has the early stages of pregnancy after two weeks. Yours happened about early this morning. Though then again, given that you are an alicorn, your metabolisms and other structures tend to be different than most normal ponies.” Twilight was extremely speechless, for she had no idea how to process any of this, until she shed tears uncontrollably and muttered “I’m going to be a mom.” She then grabbed Beau in a tightening embrace as his head was between her breasts whilst she shouted “I’m going to be a mom!!” “G-good for you, honey.” Muttered Beau whilst muffling between her breasts. Doctor Horse looked at Twilight, then to Beau. Then it clicked as he instantly put it together. “Wait…are you two…?” said Doctor Horse surprised. “You’re having a baby?!” They were startled by the voice as Twilight released Beau. Then, right at the door, a unicorn appeared. This was one of Twilight’s old friends, Lyra Heartstrings. And from the looks of it, she had an excited look. “Lyra?!” said Twilight, “What are you doing here?!” “I came as quick as I could when I heard there was a human here!!” said Lyra. “Wait,” said Twilight as she realized something, “Beau was here for over a month, how did you find out about it just now?” “Wait, who is this?” said Beau in confusion. Lyra instantly darted towards him with a squee and a smile whilst saying “Hey there, I’m Lyra Heartstrings. I live in Ponyville with my special pony friend Bonbon, but I also used to study in Canterlot and was one of Twilight’s classmates. I even studied in anthropology.” “Wait, as in the study of humans?” said Beau in confusion. “That’s right!!” said Lyra, “But everypony always dismisses this, thinking that I’m crazy and that humans aren’t real.” She then grabbed him and exclaimed “But here you are!! Living proof that humans are real!!” “And I assume the way you’re acting, you’re a huge fan of sorts?” asked Beau. “That I am!!” said Lyra, then released him and squealed whilst saying “And to top it off, you’re going to have a baby!! With my former classmate!!” She then grabbed Twilight and said “This is going to be amazing!! And when the time is right, I can finally start my hypothesis of how a child of two different species came along!!” Hearing that, Twilight instantly grabbed her with her magic, whilst saying through gritted teeth, “You are not going to use my baby as a science experiment!! Nor are you going to do that to my hubby either!!” Beau then looked at the doctor and said “In case you wonder, doctor? Yeah, she and I are the parents.” Doctor Horse was surprised by this, and asked “How long did you two known each other?” “A month.” That surprised him again, with the Doctor clearing his throat and blushed from embarrassment, whilst saying “Okay then. But this is truly remarkable.” “How so?” asked Beau. “Well, it’s like this,” said Doctor Hooves, “When ponies gain children, sometimes they’re specific species. And on rare occasions…” “An Earth pony family gaining a Unicorn and Pegasus baby?” guess Beau, “Like the Cake family?” “Exactly.” Said Doctor Hooves, “But if a pony and a human would create a child, then we don’t know if the child would gain human features or pony features. It would most likely gain both those attributes.” “Wow, that would be interesting.’ Said Beau. However, he also had a deep thought. If Twilight was truly going to gain a child, then… He slightly looked at her whilst she was talking to Lyra as she was begging over and over to ask Beau questions, as well as the baby should it arrive. The more he thought about it…the more he couldn’t live without her. And seeing that the baby needs both its parents…. He knew what he had to do. “Uh, Twilight?” asked Beau. “Yes?” asked Twilight. “How are we going to tell our friends when we meet up with them?” asked Beau. Twilight blinked at that, for that was a good question. She thought about it, with Beau beating her to the punch. “How about you go back to the castle and ask Spike to gather them?” asked Beau. “Alright,” asked Twilight, “But what are you going to do?” “I…need to take care of something.” Said Beau as he knew where he was going to go whilst he left. However, … “Can I come with you?!” He was startled as he saw Lyra, staring at him with stars in her eyes and a creepy grin. Clearly she wanted to ask him some questions. Beau knew what this was going to mean. Then again, he could use the distraction when not thinking of a certain topic. “Uh, sure.” Said Beau, which made her squee as the two of them walked. “So, take a breather, and ask one question at a time, okay?” Lyra nodded eagerly. “Now then, what do you want to know, first?” asked Beau. “We’ll start with where you came from?” asked Lyra. “Hmm,” thought Beau as the two of them exited the hospital, “I was born on a planet called Earth. E-A-R-T-H, Earth. The birthplace of humanity, you might say.” *********************************************************************************************** After a long trip, Beau had gotten what he was looking for and walked back to the castle, whilst at the same time, asking whatever question Lyra wanted to know from him. “And what about their way of travel?” asked Lyra whilst approaching the castle. “On the ground, we have metallic machines called cars, busses, and trucks. We use them to travel from one location to the next. The Trucks on the other hand are used to carry heavy loads of supplies to their stores to sell their goods and to make sure they don’t get spoilt too quickly. As for overseas trips, sometimes we take cruise ships, but most times we take airplanes. Machines that can fly like a bird from one location to the next. But sometimes they’re really boring to travel.” “They are?” asked Lyra. “Oh, sure,” said Beau, “I mean flying for fifteen hours with nothing to do? Then again, thankfully, we were able to place entertainment inside like reading and hearing stories. At the same time, they also have food onboard to feed them. And thankfully, the people are provided with things to help them sleep. Though with those who have insomnia and back problems, they have medication to help them sleep better during the time zone travels.” “Oh, that makes sense.” Said Lyra, until the two of them have stopped at the castle doors. “Alright then,” said Beau, “This is our stop. I’ll answer more of your questions once I have some free time.” “Aw, but I wanted to know…” said Lyra in disappointment, until… “Lyra!!” Lyra yelped and saw Bonbon walking toward her, and she was not happy. “Where have you been?!” exclaimed Bonbon as she stood in front of her, “You were supposed to come help me at my store, hours ago!!” “But Bonbon…!!” said Lyra, “I’m talking to a human, an actual human!! The one I’ve been telling you had existed for years!!” “I know who he is!!” said Bonbon. “You already know him?!” exclaimed Lyra. “Sure do.” Said Beau, “I sometimes pop over at her store to fetch a few things. She really makes good candy.” “And you didn’t tell me?!” said Lyra. “I’ve been trying to tell you for almost a month!!” said Bonbon, “But you’ve been frantically going around making a fool of yourself, that you barely noticed anything at all!!” “What…but…but?!” “Now, come on!!” Bonbon instantly grabbed Lyra’s ear and began to pull her away, making the Unicorn yelp as she was being pulled away. “Uh, is that necessary Bonbon?” asked Beau in concern. “Trust me, she gets like this all the time.” Said Bonbon. “I’ll see you later, human!!” said Lyra as she was still being pulled away. Beau shook his head as he said to himself, “I don’t know what’s true or not, that Ponyville is the friendliest place in Equestria, or that Ponyville is the village filled with nuts.” He then walked in the castle, thinking about how he and Twilight was going to tell the others. As well as something he wants to tell her. Beau soon arrived at the cutie map room, where Twilight, the rest of the Mane 6, Starlight and Spike were waiting for him. The others, minus Twilight, wondered what was going on. “So, Twilight,” said Rainbow, “What was so important that we had to come back?” “Indeed,” said Rarity, “I was in the middle of an ensemble.” “I don’t know everypony,” said Pinkie Pie, “My entire body was shaking, and it turns out, a real doozy is going to happen.” Twilight and Beau then stood together, with both of them feeling very nervous. “There’s…something we have to tell you.” “Well, whatever it is,” said Rainbow, “It can’t be more important than the sport drink delivery I was waiting on.” Rainbow drank some from a selection of cans she brought with her just in case. Some were puzzled by where she got it, but they decided not to question it, with everyone looking at Twilight. “Well, spit it out Twi, what is it?” asked Applejack. “Well…” said Beau as Twilight held his hand and placed it against her belly as Twilight spoke at the same time. “I’m pregnant.” Rainbow instantly chocked on her drink and fell over, with everyone else’s jaws dropped as they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. “Yer, what now?!” exclaimed Applejack. “Oh my gosh.” Responded Fluttershy. “Yay!!” shouted Pinkie as she instantly wrapped her arms around Twilight. “How is it possible?!” said Spike. “Weren’t babies supposed to form in a few weeks after the whole intercourse thing?!” said Starlight. “Apparently the doctor says that because of her Alicorn metabolism and body structures, her body tends to be more different than anyone else.” Said Beau. “That would make sense,” said Starlight, “Considering how Alicorns are much different than us ponies in general.” “But other than that,” said Rarity as she walked over to Twilight, “Congratulations, Twilight. We are so proud of you. You’re going to be a mother. That is the most. Precious. Thing!! That could ever happen to you!!” “Well done there Sugarcube.” Said Applejack as she, Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy hugged Twilight, even Starlight and Spike hugged her. Except for Rainbow Dash, who suddenly walks over to Beau. And given the look she was giving, made Beau very uncomfortable. “Uh, Rainbow, what are you…?” said Beau before Rainbow cut him off. “I just wanna talk to you.” Said Rainbow before she walked over him. “Why are you…?” said Beau, until Rainbow suddenly tackled him and strangled him. “I JUST WANNA STRANGLE YOU!!” shouted Rainbow as she was strangling Beau, which in turn shocked the girls. “Twilight!!” shouted Beau whilst he was being strangled, “She’s…choking, me!!” “Rainbow!!” Everyone then pulled Rainbow away as Applejack tied her up, with Rarity and Starlight trying to contain her with their magic. “What in tarnation is wrong with ya?!” said Applejack. “He got her pregnant!!” said Rainbow. “That’s no excuse, darling!!” said Rarity. “And besides, what I do in bed is none of your business!!” said Twilight, causing her to clasp her mouth shut. “But…but I…” responded Rainbow as she tried to think of an excuse. “You sure you’re not jealous because one of your friends got laid before you did?” said Beau out of the blue, which surprised him too. The girls gave him deadpanned looks with slight glares at the same time. “Beau, not the time.” Responded Twilight. “Right, sorry.” Said Beau. Rainbow sighed and said “I’m sorry, Twilight. I don’t know what came over me.” “It’s alright, Rainbow.” Said Applejack, “Just…don’t do that again.” “Got it.” Said Rainbow. “Also…” Beau began to slowly take something from his back pocket and pulled something out. It was a small little box, which confused Twilight when she looked at it. “Seeing that I’m on my knees anyway, and seeing that I’m not good with words.” Beau handed Twilight the small box, with Twilight using her magic to bring it to her. She was curious of what was inside. She opened it with her own hands, and was shocked to see what was inside. For inside, was none other than a ring with a diamond shaped like her Cutie Mark. However, none were more shocked than her friends. She slowly looked at a smiling Beau. “I can’t live without you, Twilight. Literally.” Said Beau, “Because you’re the only one whoever gave me purpose after a month of getting to know you.” Twilight didn’t have the words to respond as she looked at the ring. Her mouth whimpered whilst she slowly shed tears. Within a split second, she tackled Beau over and gave him a strong kiss, surprising him as the two of them fell over, with Twilight being on top of him whilst she hugged him tightly. The two of them slowly broke the kiss as Beau had that goofy smile on him. “You know, your actions said yes, but I didn’t hear any words.” Said Beau. Twilight giggled and said “Yes. Of course, I will.” Twilight used her magic to put the ring on her, whilst the two of them kissed again, with her friends cheering for her as they helped them up and hugged them. The others slowly looked at Rainbow, who had her arms crossed, but eventually smiled and hugged them too. Today was a good day despite the circumstances. But the future, a new beginning.
Chapter 5: The second arrival/Wedding preperationsIt had been a week since the proposal between Beau and Twilight. They were greatly excited for the big day to arrive. The only thing they needed to do was to find the date to set it up, as well as the wedding invitations. Though they were also worried for Twilight and Beau, for they knew Shining Armor was not going to make things easy for them, considering what he said to her before his wedding, even if he was mind controlled. Meanwhile, at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was busy bucking the next apple tree whilst Big Mac was taking care of the other side of the field. The last of the apples landed in her basket, allowing her to lift it up and moved straight towards her other baskets of apples and placed them next to them. Then she stood up and wiped her brow. “Boy, that felt good bringing in the next haul.” Said Applejack as she looked around, then she thought back to Beau proposing. “Plus, if things are going smoothly, we should be looking at a weddin’ that might happen in the near future. Ah just hope things will work out, not after what happened last time back at Canterlot.” Then she thought of something and said “Or maybe in Ponyville. If they might do it.” She then shook her head and said “Eh, thoughts for another time. Right now, the next few trees are gonna need a…” Suddenly, she saw a flash of light happening far from where she was standing. “What in tarnation?!” exclaimed Applejack, “What the hay is goin’ on?!!” She quickly ran down, wondering what that was about. Was it a magic event? Only one way to find out. She ran down the fields, wondering what was going on. She soon arrived at where the light was. She was busy looking around, seeing if there was any sign of anypony around. “Now where in tarnation could…?” said Applejack. However, she instantly spotted something and hid behind the tree just in case whilst taking a peek. She was surprised to see what she was seeing. The stranger was indeed a male of sorts. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, brown shoes, a white shirt with a brown jacket of sorts. However, his features were a messy brown hair, lightly tanned skin, dark brown eyes, and had somewhat of an athletic build with a bit of muscle and was six feet tall. However, he didn’t have any pony features. That’s right…he’s a human. “Another human?” muttered Applejack in shock, “How in tarnation is that possible?” However, she noticed that he had an apple in his hand, then suddenly looked miffed. “Why that little, he’s tryin’ to take mah apples.” Said Applejack as she slowly crept up and slowly took her lasso out whilst saying “Not on mah watch.” Though the human may have put the apple back and moved around whilst looking at his surroundings at the same time, Applejack still made his way towards him, for she thought he was a thief trying to steal her apples. She got her lasso ready and twirled it a bit. “Hey, you there!!” shouted Applejack as she threw her lasso towards him. The human jumped as he was startled, but before he could react, he was wrapped in her lasso around his body. “W-What the?!” exclaimed the human as he turned around. He was stunned to see Applejack, whilst she was sternly staring down at him, not letting him out of her sights. “Jus’ what in the hay are y’all doin’ stealin’ our apples like that?! Said Applejack as she kept her gaze sternly on him. “I…I wasn’t trying to steal anything!! I’m sorry!!” grunted the human. Meanwhile, at the same time, walking down the orchard, a certain young pony, aka, Apple Bloom, was walking by, thinking about what she and her friends were going to do now that they have their own Cutie Marks. She was alone in her thoughts until… “Likely story!!” said Applejack as she tightened her rope around him. “I swear, I’m not trying to steal your apples, I’m telling you the truth miss!!” “Huh?” said Apple Bloom as she was taken out of her thoughts. “What in tarnation was that?” She went over to investigate and to her surprise, she saw Applejack, holding someone in her lasso. But it wasn’t a pony. “Another human?” said Apple Bloom surprised, “Ah thought the human they met was the only one. Still, better help him before Applejack takes things too far again.” She walked over, wanting to know what was going on, whilst Applejack still kept her glare onto the human, for she thought he was lying. Before she could say another word about him eating her apples, that’s when Apple Bloom showed up. “Applejack!” said Apple Bloom, gaining Applejack’s attention, even the other human, who looked at the direction and saw Apple Bloom standing there. “What in tarnation are y’all doin’?” “Jus’ caught this feller here pickin’ some o’ our apples without askin’, Apple Bloom.” Said Applejack. Apple Bloom took a look at the human and couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. She then looked at Applejack and said “Did he apologize, AJ?” asked in humor. “Well, uh…yeah, he did.” Said Applejack with a flexed eyebrow, whilst not getting what Apple Bloom was implying. “In that case,” said Apple Bloom, “Why don’ we let em go before ya puncture a lung there, huh?” Apple Bloom looked at the human and flashed him a smile. However, by seeing her smile, the human couldn’t help but remember something from long ago. Which caused him to return the warm expression as he smiled too. Applejack sighed and loosened the grip on her rope and allowed the human to move freely. The human immediately collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting heavily and coughed a little bit. The human never realized how strong she was when she held the rope. The human then grumbled, “First I deal with a former boss at my old work who doesn’t know when to chill out, now I’m getting assaulted by some random…uh…” His anger was suddenly replaced by curiosity as he looked at her and said “What exactly are you, anyway?” “Oh, right,” replied Applejack whilst she adjusted her Stetson hat. “Sorry fer not introducin’ mahself an’ fer not listenin’ to ya. Name’s Applejack, Sugarcube. Ah’m one o’ the proud owners o’ Sweet Apple Acres. An’ this here is mah little sister, Apple Bloom.” The human looked at Apple Bloom, who was still smiling at him whilst waving. The human felt a familiar sensation when he saw her eyes and smile, as it greatly reminded him of someone that he once knew. Realizing he didn’t want to hold them up, he decided to introduce himself. “Well then,” said the human after he cleared his throat, “My name is Buck Armstrong. As you can guess, I’m not exactly from around here.” “Ah can tell,” said Applejack, “Hard to believe that another human would end up bein’ pulled into Equestria.” He saw that she sighed and took her hat off. Was she pitying you? “Wait,” said Buck as he wanted to make sure that he heard her right, “Another human? Are you telling me that there are more humans around here?” “This is partner.” Said Applejack, “Only one other human exists in our town.” Buck looked away from Applejack to give into his habit of staring at the sky. On one hand, there’s a chance that your boring life was about to become much more interesting. On the other hand, there’s still the chance that the locals of this town might not take a liking to him since he was still a stranger to their land. “Hey, what’s that thing around yer neck?” asked Apple Bloom. Buck looked down and saw that she was gesturing the locket around his neck. He held onto it and was hesitant into talking. “It was a birthday gift…a very special birthday gift from someone I loved very much.” Replied Buck whilst looking at her with a smile. “Awww, that’s so nice.” Said Apple Bloom, then got curious and asked, “Where are they now? Uh, back at yer home, ah mean.” The moment she asked that, Buck had a hurtful look on his face when Apple Bloom asked him that particular question, one that he just couldn’t find in his heart to tell her who gave him the locket, so instead, Buck just closed his eyes and then shook his head slowly. Applejack could see the look on his face. Clearly it was something from long ago that he wasn’t very comfortable to talk about. “Ah don’t think you should ask him such questions Apple Bloom.” Said Applejack, “Probably best to leave the fella alone until he’s comfortable in telling us, okay Sugarcube?” “Oh, alright,” said Apple Bloom. But then she realized that if he’s here, then he’d have a hard time finding a place to live. So, she turned to Applejack and asked “But can we at least let im’ stay with us?” Applejack was a little surprised by this, but then she realized what Apple Bloom realized, that Buck wouldn’t have a place to live if he went off on his own. She looked at him, then to Apple Bloom. Buck ended up looking up in the sky after he got tired of staring at the darkness through his closed eyes. Applejack thought about it long and hard about it, but then she stopped being quiet and let her clear conscience do the talking. “Now listen here Sugarcube,” said Applejack, “It’s clear dat y’all got nowhere to stay, so…” But then Apple Bloom interrupted and said “How would ya like to spend a night back at our barn?” Even though Buck had kept his eyes on the clear blue sky, he had heard them perfectly and gave it some thought. It was true he had nowhere else to go and he doubt that if he’d turn down the offer, he would get invited by someone else. But then again…he always wanted to try some farmwork for a change instead of being in a city. “I don’t see much of a reason to protest.” Said Buck as he crossed his arms and looked at them. “You’re a lot much easier to be around with than my own blasted parents.” Applejack smiled and held her hand out, allowing Buck to accept it whilst she helped him up. Buck was about an inch higher than her, but from the looks of it, she’s really strong. “Y’all hungry there, partner?” asked Applejack. Suddenly, Buck’s stomach growled, making Buck blush and Applejack and Apple Bloom giggling at that. “Ah’ll take that as a yes.” “A little, yeah.” Said Buck. “I’m so hungry, I could probably eat a bear.” Both Applejack and Apple Bloom gasped, thinking he meant literally. Making Buck roll his eyes and said “It’s a figure of speech.” “Still, don’t say stuff like that!!” said Apple Bloom with a glare. “Ponies are herbivores!!” Buck took a good look at her, and again it reminded him of someone. He couldn’t help but smile and did the unexpected. He gently placed his hand on her forehead and rubbed it a bit, taking her by surprise. “You’re just so adorable, you know that?” said Buck. Apple Bloom suddenly blushed and giggled a bit, forgetting about the figure of speech he made. Applejack couldn’t help but smile at that too. “Anyway,” said Applejack, “It’s obvious that one Apple wasn’t enough ta’ fill ya up, Sugarcube. Lucky fer y’all, Granny Smith should be jus’ about done with dinner.” Buck nodded in agreement as he walked with them. However, during the walk, he couldn’t help but stare at Applejack. He had to admit…she looked kinda cute. However, what she said about humans earlier… “So…” said Buck, “About this human? Where is he now?” “Oh, right.” Said Applejack, “He’s up in the capital city o’ Canterlot, discussin’ the arrangements fer his and mah friend, Twilight’s weddin’.” “Wait, Wedding?!! Exclaimed Buck. ***************************************************************************************** “Excuse me?” said Princess Celestia surprised as she and Princess Luna stared at Beau in shock when he asked them a certain question that he wanted to ask them in person. “I’d…” said Beau as he was completely nervous at the same time. “I’d like to have a wedding because…I want to marry, Twilight.” The two sisters were still trying to process what he was saying. Princess Celestia cleared her throat and asked. “If I might ask…why do you wish to wed her?” Beau sighed whilst closing his eyes, and said “I have to admit, that it sounds strange, I know, that I only began to knew her for more than a month, and normally it would be strange that a different creature would marry a pony.” He looked away and said “But with Twilight, it’s different. I mean when I’m with her, we found out we both have a lot in common. We both didn’t have friends growing up over the years. But then I found out that she fell head over heels for me. And…something inside me just…felt the same way for her. I felt like…we were meant to be.” Beau then blushed and said “And since after our wild night, she was fine until she got sick. But when we went to the doctor…we found out that…” Luna immediately picked it up and in shock, slowly said, ‘She’s…pregnant?” Beau nodded, which shockened Celestia and Luna more. “But how is it possible?” said Princess Celestia, “A pony would take about two weeks before they became pregnant. How did she become Pregnant overnight?” “Apparently from what the doctor said,” said Beau, “Because of her being an Alicorn, her metabolisms and other structures would change, considering that she’s different than from most ponies.” Beau cleared his throat and said “Anyway…when I found out…it made me realize…I really want to be with her. I want to help raise a child and…be a better father than mine was. Teach her what’s right and what’s wrong.” He raised his hands and said “And I know that it sounds crazy and everything. But…for the first time in my life…I actually have something to look forward to in my life. Something…that would really give me purpose. Something…that I’m looking forward to.” Both Princesses could hear the honesty in his voice. And if what he said was true, then this should be an interesting wedding. For the nobles of Canterlot were a bit skeptical of him when he walked through the streets a week ago. Though when he and Fancy Pants met, he found him quite amusing, and Beau warmed up to him. Even Jet Set and Uppecrust were impressed by his mannerism and understanding of proper etiquette. Though given what Rarity told Beau about the two of them, he was a bit skeptical around them, and he can’t blame Rarity for thinking of them that way. He was able to gain some respect when he visited and helped at a few stores that had problems. Then again, that’s what happens when he was raised by a family who taught him the importance of societies, their manners, their rules, and their proper attires. Princess Celestia smiled, stood up and walked over to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, which caused Beau to look at her. “Normally, the idea would be frowned upon others,” said Princess Celestia, who then smiled, “But we can see how much you truly care for Twilight. And through her letters, she has truly taken a shine on you.” Beau couldn’t help but smile to that, as he realized that this would be another big step for him, even for Twilight. “Though it depends when we’re going to plan the wedding, as well as the date?” asked Beau. “Well,” said Princess Celestia, “We could always start next month with the planning. Then about 2 months after that, we’ll have the wedding date at the end of the month. That way it’ll give you time to have a honeymoon.” “That could work,” said Beau, “But should we send it to Twilight?” She gave it a thought for a bit, then summoned both a parchment and quill and write down with her magic of what she had spoken to Beau. Then she sent the letter with her magic. Beau was a bit confused. Until moments later, the parchment appeared, allowing it to open in front of her and she read it. She then showed it to Beau, who also read it through. “Wow, that could work.” Said Beau, “And wow, I had no idea she could say yes so many times.” Princess Celestia and Princess Luna giggled at that. “She has a habit of doing that.” Said Princess Luna. “We’ll have to get ready in Canter…” said Princess Celestia, however, Beau knew she was going to suggest that they would marry in Canterlot, so he quickly had to cut her off. “Actually,” said Beau, “Would it be alright if we held our wedding at Ponyville?” Both the Princesses were surprised by this. “Oh?” asked Princess Celestia, “How come?” “Well for one,” started Beau, “We’re not sure if Canterlot would accept the wedding thing, considering that some of them don’t like outsiders that aren’t ponies. I mean, given your experience with the Griffons, Dragons, Yaks and so on.” The two of them grimaced and looked at one another, for they did have a point. The high society tends to be…hostile to outsiders. “And the second?” asked Princess Luna. “I don’t think we want to remind Twilight of what happened between, well…” said Beau, “A certain Changeling and a certain Sibling?” The two of them widened their eyes in shock, as they had nearly forgotten about that day. “Not to mention when a certain one she looked up to said, quote, you have a lot to think about, end quote.” Said Beau nervously. Princess Celestia widened her eyes in shock, as she remembered. Causing her to look down in shame. “I er, ahem. I see what you mean.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dig up the past,” said Beau, “It’s just…I don’t want her to go through that again, you know? Especially if Shining Armor gets involved in this. And knowing him he’d stop the two of us from getting married.” “I’m sure we can talk to him,” said Princess Celestia, “He’ll listen.” Beau then flexed an eyebrow and said “Like Princess Twilight listened to you when you told her to make friends?” Both the sisters blinked in surprise from that, with Princess Luna saying, “I’m afraid he does have a point there, sister.” “But I already told her parents as well.” Said Beau, “They have every right to know, after all.” “And how did they take it?” asked Luna. “Well…” *************************************************************************************************** Beau had told both Night Light and Twilight Velvet. Both of them were shocked and dropped everything. Not only were they shocked about Beau wanting to marry Twilight, but the fact that she was now pregnant and is going to have a baby… Within a split second, Twilight Velvet hugged Beau tightly and spun him around in excitement. At first, Night Light looked really threatening, but then he suddenly also laughed and hugged Beau. Both parents were hugging him so tightly, his face was going blue and he couldn’t breathe. ************************************************************************************************* “They took it pretty well actually.” Beau. “Though I think Twilight’s mother is twice as excited to have a grandchild to look forward to. Though I have to admit, for a mare her age, she looks amazing.” The two of the Princesses flexed their eyebrows at that, with Beau saying “What? Can’t a future son-in-law compliment his future mother-in-law?” The two couldn’t help but giggle at that. “And I was hoping…” said Beau as he felt nervous again. “That when our child arrives. That…you two would be their godmothers?” The two princesses couldn’t help but smile and walk over to him. “We would be honored.” Said Princess Celestia. “I am looking forward to when the day of both your wedding and the birth of your child arrives.” Said Princess Luna. “Thank you, Princesses.” Said Beau before the two of them hugged Beau. ************************************************************************************************* Meanwhile, back at Sweet Apple Acres, Buck continued to follow the Apple Siblings to their home. When they were in reach, he was surprised to see how amazing it looked. For in a way, in a very strange way, when he was little, long before someone he knew was born, he always wanted to live on a farm, for in a place like that, really knows the true meaning of hard work, not like the places he worked during his summer vacations, as well as after he graduated. Maybe this could be a nice change of pace. The three of them soon walked into the kitchen. Buck couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the display of food that was being cooked by an elderly pony. No doubt this was Granny Smith, who lived up to her name because of her light green coat. Buck had no idea, but she somehow knew Applejack and Apple Bloom had walked into the house. “We’re home granny,” said Applejack. “Well, ain’t that convenient, dinner is just about…” said Granny Smith, but stopped when she saw Buck. She was a little surprised, but she walked over and looked at him closely, and asked, “And just who is this, dear?” “I…” He then heard a door opened, revealing another that just walked in. This time, it was a stallion, with red fur and messy orange mane. He also had green eyes, and wore blue jean overalls that looked like it covered up most of his built-up muscular body, a white shirt and red jacket. When he spotted Buck, his expression displayed just as much curiosity as his did the moment they met their eyes. “No worries, Granny.” Said Applejack as she reassured them, “We’ll explain everythin’ once dinner is ready.” “I’ll admit though,” said Granny, “Ah never thought ah’d see another human, not since that Beau feller came here.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he agreed. “Oh, how was Beau?” asked Buck. “He’s a nice feller,” said Granny, “Always wanted to help me out. Ah told him ah could take care of mahself, but he keeps insisting. And ah thought Applejack was the stubborn one.” Apple Bloom and Big Mac couldn’t help but laugh at that, for Granny did have a point, with Applejack grumbling in embarrassment. Soon enough, the food was on the table and the apples and Buck had taken their seats, with Buck saying, “Well, as I wanted to say, my name’s Buck Armstrong. As you can guess, I came from the same world as Beau.” “Nice to meet ya youngin,” said Granny Smith, “As ya probably figured out, ah’m Granny Smith. And that there stallion there is mah eldest grand colt, Big Macintosh.” “Eeyup.” Responded Big Mac. Buck realized that Big Mac doesn’t talk much, so clearly he must be the strong and silent type, which he didn’t mind, as long as everyone got along, everything should be fine. “It’s uh…nice to meet all of you.” Said Buck, before he felt his stomach growling again, making him chuckle sheepishly whilst Granny and Big Mac also chuckles. “I guess going without food for six and a half hours finally caught up with me.” Buck felt something patting on his back, and then he noticed Applejack patting his back with sympathy in her eyes, “Well, y’all got yerself a spread her to fuel up.” Buck couldn’t help but smile and said “And I greatly appreciate that.” “However,” pointed Applejack out… ‘Of course.’ Thought Buck to himself. “If y’all want to stay here, ya will need to earn yer keep. So tomorrow, yer gonna help us harvestin’ the apples to sell to the Ponyville Farmer’s Market.” Buck was surprised on the inside, for it was quite so sudden that he would suddenly been offered a job without him asking. He should’ve known that there would be a catch. Though on one hand, if he accepted it, he’d have a home to stay, some food on the table, a roof over his head, and…maybe some folks to talk to. Though on the other hand, if he didn’t, he’d be homeless and he doubt that Ponyville would hire someone like him, considering that he’s not from around here. “Well, what do ya say there?” said Applejack as she brought him out of his thinking bubble, “Sounds fair, right Sugarcube?” It does actually. For the old saying goes, if you’re gonna eat big, you gotta work hard. After some thought, Buck nodded in agreement. “Yeah, okay.” Said Buck, “I’ll make sure that I won’t slow you down. And I’ll try to work as hard as I can. I mean it’s the least I can do for accepting me and letting me stay here.” “That’s the spirit there, Sugarcube!” said Applejack as she patted him a little harder on his back, making Buck wince a bit. “Ah’m feeling mighty hungry right now.” “Wow,” muttered Buck, “For a beautiful Amazon, she really is strong.” “Uh, what was that?” Buck blinked and looked at Applejack, and noticed she was slightly blushing. Oh shoot, she must’ve overheard him!! “Uh, I mean, uh, let’s eat.” Said Buck as he quickly moved over to the table. Applejack on the other hand blushed a bit, for Nopony’s ever said that to her. She quickly shook her blush and went over to the table. Once they sat and ate, Buck couldn’t help but take a big bite out of one of the Apple Fritters before he moved on to the salad. Granny saw and couldn’t help but give a short laugh. “Take yer time there, Sugarcube.” Said Granny, “Ah made plenty.” Buck couldn’t help but blush and swallow, whilst also remembering his manners and tried his best to control himself. “Sorry about that,” said Buck, “It’s just…it’s been a long time since I had a meal this good.” “Well, that’s mighty sweet of ya, deary.” Said Granny, “Ah’ve gotta make sure mah youngins here have had their dog gone bellies filled before an’ after work.” Suddenly, when desert came along, Buck widened at the sight of the apple pie. He licked his lips as he scent of the pie nearly made him crazy. Taking in the smell of the warm piece on his plate, it was probably the last thing he’d be able to eat for the night. “Can I ask a question, if it’s alright with you?” asked Buck. “Something on yer mind?” asked Granny Smith. “When I looked around,” said Buck, “I noticed you’ve got a successful business, but I just wanted to know…are you guys understaffed?” “Eeyup.” Replied Big Mac with a nod. “We’ve always been understaffed partner,” said Applejack, “We’ve got other families, but they’ve got their own farms to work on. On top o’ that, we’re on a very tight budget ‘Cause o’ all the repairs on the house an’ the bills. Why, just earlier last month, mah family an’ ah barely managed to make enough bits thanks to the cider season.” Buck thought more about what she said during that information. Then he decided to make an offer. He didn’t know why he was going to do it, but for some reason he did. “Tell you what,” said Buck, gaining their attention, “If I have some free time after harvesting some apples, would it be alright if I checked around to see what does need repairing, as well as handle that just to help ease every, er, pony’s worries.” They were impressed by his offer. “Well, that’d be mighty helpful.” Said Applejack. “Eeyup,” said Apple Bloom, “We could always use more help to help paint the barn, as well as tryin’ to fix some o’ the buckets.” Applejack looked at her with a flexed eyebrow. She wanted to ask, but given Apple Bloom’s sheepish smile, caused her to roll her eyes. Yep, she did something alright. “We’d be glad to take up on that offer.” Said Granny, “Big Mac’s been lookin’ for somepony to help him out with those tasks.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac with a nod. Buck smiled, knowing that even if he would have trouble with the apple harvests, he’d at least have something to do whilst trying to help out around the farm. ************************************************************************************************* After dinner, Applejack decided to lead Buck to the barn, where he would be staying until they can find a way to make him a proper room. Thankfully, the Apple family had already provided him with some spare but fresh clothes as well as a spare toothbrush. “Sorry about this Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she opened the barn doors and showed him in, “This is all we’ve got fer ya to sleep in until we can work something out.” “It’s alright,” said Buck, “I think I can manage with the barn.” He looked inside and noticed how homey and cozy it looked at the same time. “This isn’t so bad.” Said Buck with honesty and looked at Applejack, “The barn feels nice and warm, plus it’s got lots of hay bales and a nice view of the night sky.” Buck couldn’t help but joke and pretended to be a soldier and said “And I shall take first watch for any intruders, Captain.” Applejack couldn’t help but laugh at that silly antic. “Alright then Sugarcube,” said Applejack after the laughter died down. “Y’all might as well get plenty o’ sleep. We start bright an’ early tomorrow at 5AM. Y’all understand?” “Loud and clear.” Said Buck. “Then ah’ll see ya in the mornin’.” Said Applejack as she held the side of the door. “Good night, Sugarcube.” “Night Applejack.” Said Buck whilst she closed the door. As Applejack walked, she suddenly remembered what Buck called her, causing her to blush again, but she shook it off and continued on. Buck, at the same time, walked over to the bales of hay and climbed onto it. He took off his shirt to avoid sweating, whilst grabbing the warm blanket and covered himself before he laid his head down at a pillow. Buck looked at the night sky from the opening at the side of the barn, where he somehow felt a sense of peace as well as a bit of sadness. He then began to think of someone, and pulled out his locket and looked at a picture of a little girl on it. He couldn’t help but shed a tear, thinking about her. Her smile was enough to make anyone feel better. Although, he remembered her last smile, as it suddenly flashed to the day she died. It was clear that she meant a lot to him. “Daisy.” Muttered Buck. He closed his eyes and said “Damn Leukemia. Why did it have to kill my sister? Daisy…you have no idea how much I miss you.” All what Buck did was sigh and thought about trying to move on, for her sake. He then turned to his side and slowly tried to fall asleep. For tomorrow’s another day. Now that he somehow gained a new life he’d been given another chance. He wasn’t going to let it be for nothing, especially for the Apple family that took him in. He’ll try to earn his keep for them.
Chapter 6: The Flames of Family DisputesFrom within the barn, Buck was still fast asleep, with one hand gripping on his blanket, whilst his other hand instinctively held onto the locket over his neck. From outside, the sun was slowly rising. And from outside at one of the perches, a rooster saw the sun rising and began to cry aloud. Buck yelped in shock from the rooster and fell off of the hay bail. He groaned whilst he was on the ground and rubbed his head. He slowly got up and dusted his clothes, whilst at the same time, he said “Good thing nobody was around to see me make a fool of myself after waking up.” He stretched a bit and said “Well, better get inside and see if anyone else is awake.” Buck made his makeshift bed and got dressed. He got out of the barn and walked towards the house. The moment he was inside, he saw Apple Bloom walking downstairs, stretching her arms out and yawning adorably, which he admitted, looked really adorable. She almost looked like someone he knew once long ago. “Morning Apple Bloom,” said Buck, gaining the young Apple’s attention, “Did you sleep well?” Apple Bloom nodded, and said “Ah slept well. And ah can tell ya slept pretty well, too. Ya woke up at the right time, breakfast will be ready, soon.” The way Apple Bloom smiled…it was almost too cute for him to handle. And seeing her…reminded him of the girl he knew a while back. One that he knew all too well. He then looked at the trees from the farm, and judging from the number of trees, the Apple family must really be hard workers. He knew that if he was going to work on the farm, then a good breakfast would definitely be in order. And as tough as it was to do hard labor, Buck was willing to work to repay the family for giving him a place to stay. The moment when Buck entered the kitchen, he was suddenly struck with a delicious aroma of French toast with slices of apple pie and some milk to wash it all down. Of course, you saw that Granny Smith was the one who was preparing it all. He had to admit, for an elderly pony, she really is the toughest mare he ever met. “Mornin’ deary.” Said Granny Smith, “Did ya wash yer hands?” “Just about Granny.” Said Buck as he went up the stairs and headed to the nearest bathroom to wash his hands. By the time he was done, he went back to the kitchen and saw Applejack coming down as well. “Howdy Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she sweetly greeted him and took a seat next to one another. “Y’all better get yer fill, cause the work we’re gonna do is gonna keep us busy for a while.” “So, what should we start off first?” asked Buck whilst they were eating and talked on what tasks to do. “Well for starters, Big Mac and Apple Bloom are gonna be busy, tryin’ to water the newly planted trees at the southern fields, we’ll be tryin’ to get as many apples as we can get for the baskets and place them at the cellar and barn, as well as takin’ them to the market. Afterwards, we’ll inspect the farm to see if there’s anythin’ that needs fixin’.” “I’m all for it.” Said Buck as he began to focus on his breakfast. “Take yer time there, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack with a chuckle, “We still got about an hour before getting’ to work. Jus’ a fair warnin’, don’ eat so fast or you’ll make yer stomach burst.” Suddenly, Buck couldn’t help himself but ask with a smirk and said “Speaking from experience?” Applejack suddenly froze and blush in embarrassment, which made her chuckle sheepishly, but the rest of her family laughed. For it is true, she was speaking from experience. After he finished his breakfast and helped Granny wash the dishes, he left the house with the Apple siblings. He turned to Granny and said “Thanks for the meal, Granny.” “No problem, Sugarcube.” Said Granny Smith, “Now y’all take it easy whilst on the job, ya hear?” “Will do my best, Granny.” Said Buck as he walked with Applejack. ***************************************************************************************** As Big Mac and Apple Bloom had left for the Southern fields, Applejack took Buck to the other trees and showed him around. “Whoa,” said Buck as he looked around, “I still can’t get enough of looking at them. I can see the love and care these trees are given.” Applejack chuckled and said “Thanks Sugarcube. We do our best to manage the farm.” “Just the four of you?” asked Buck. “Sometimes mah friends help me out.” Said Applejack, then she rubbed the back of her head and said “Although…there was a time that ah tried to harvest them mahself. It…didn’t work out so well.” “Of course, it wouldn’t.” said Buck. “Excuse me?” said Applejack as she looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. “Sorry, didn’t mean as an insult,” said Buck, “What I’m trying to say, even if you are strong, even if you are hardworking, even the most dependent and independent of farmers need help when it comes to harvesting the fields. Not to mention they have their limits. They can’t go beyond the physical attributes that they already do. You need to work to the best of your abilities, and sometimes that’s all that matters. And from what I can tell, you work your hardest to help others.” He then held onto her shoulder as the two of them stood there for a moment, “You’ve got nothing to prove, Applejack. You’re already the strongest and hardest working pony in town. And everypony is lucky to have you here. I can tell.” Applejack couldn’t help but be surprised by his words, with Buck smiling and said “Now then, let’s get to work.” As he left to the closest tree, Applejack kept staring at him, and she couldn’t help but smile by his words, and she could tell that he was really honest. She walked on further and walked alongside him. ***************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the two of them arrived at their first tree. “Alright now, Sugarcube, watch and learn.” Said Applejack. She then delivered a strong kick to the tree, causing the apples to fall off and fall right into their respective baskets. “Whoa, that’s amazing.” Said Buck, but then he showed concern and asked “But…aren’t you worried that you might damage the trees? Or bruise the apples and have their qualities ruined?” Applejack suddenly looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, which he sheepishly smiled. Applejack couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at the same time. “The way y’all are talkin’ about it, sounds like you respect the trees and the fruits that they bear.” “Well, it’s just…” said Buck, “I always loved nature, especially the beauty of the trees. Not to mention the idea of a fruit being bruised would ruin a lot of hard work that all of you had put in.” Applejack chuckled and walked over to him with her hand on his shoulder and said “And ah greatly appreciate y’all sayin’ that. But answer yer question, nah, the trees don’t get hurt none, they’re plenty strong to handle our kicks. And we make twice as sure that the apples are alright and aren’t bruised or damaged or any other way.” “Oh, that’s good.” Said Buck. Then he looked at the tree and was concerned, ‘I just hope I don’t let them down.’ Thought Buck. ***************************************************************************************** Buck tried many attempts to harvest them. He tried to kick the tree like Applejack, but it only made his leg hurt in the process, and only caused one apple to fall on his head. Although it didn’t hurt, he had a deadpanned expression on his face. Next up, he tried to tackle the trees, but it only hurt his shoulder. Though the apple was able to fall in the basket, it still wasn’t enough. Buck had a deadpanned expression, and said “This is going to be harder than I thought.” He then had a determined look on his face and said “But there’s no way in, whatever underworld that they have here, that I’m gonna give up.” He then looked at the trees and had an idea. “I wonder.” Said Buck as he thought about it. He walked over to the trees and climbed onto them. He handpicked the apples whilst he was on the branches, whilst trying to shake them at the same time. After about two hours or so, he was able to fill twelve baskets, which he was proud of. At the same time, Applejack walked by and noticed what he was doing. “Well ah’ll be.” Said Applejack whilst she was holding a basket, “Ah see that y’all were able to find a way to pick them apples.” “Yeah, I had a little trouble at first,” said Buck, “But I think I’m getting the hang of…” However, he failed to notice that the branch he was standing on began to break, causing him to fall down the moment he did. There was a loud grunt afterwards, but also groaned from the partial pain at the same time, which startled Applejack as she immediately went over to see if he was alright. “Are y’all alright?” asked Applejack when she stood on her one knee and helped him up. “Yeah, just fell down is all.” Said Buck as he rubbed his back a bit, “Though I think it’d probably be safer if I picked apples from a thicker branch.” “Hold on now, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack whilst she stopped Buck at the same time. “How about we grab y’all a ladder or a stool to help ya pick the apples by hand. If ya ain’t careful, y’all could fall on yer head.” “Uh, good point.” Said Buck, “Better to be safe than sorry.” Applejack soon took Buck to the barn and showed him where the ladder was. “Well, here it is.” Said Applejack as she brough out the ladder. “Just be glad that mah sister and her friends didn’t break it.” “Oh, come on, it was one time!!” They looked behind and saw Apple Bloom peeking through, who then had a surprised look on her face whilst she was blushing, then instantly retreated to where she was. Buck looked at Applejack with a flexed eyebrow whilst they were walking out of the barn. Before he could say anything. “Whoa, hold up.” Said Buck as he went to one direction, gaining her attention. To her surprise, she saw him bringing a smaller wagon, “Never might know.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at his creativity, before the two of them started walking. “So, what did she do?” asked Buck. “Well,” said an embarrassed Applejack whilst she said “Mah sister and her friends tried to get their cutie marks in ladder climbing, only for it to backfire on them completely many times, especially broke it on one occasion.” “Yikes.” Said Buck, “But uh, two things. One, what’s a Cutie Mark? And two, why is it so important?” “Well for one,” said Applejack, “A Cutie Mark is when a pony discovers a unique characteristic that sets themselves apart from others as well as tell them their unique special talent, it’s also a part of our identity.” “Are all ponies born with one?” asked Buck. “Not really,” said Applejack, “They’re born without them. Only when they reach about near Apple Bloom’s age can they gain it. Ah was the youngest in mah class to get one.” “But how are they able to get their names if they don’t get their marks?” asked Buck. This caused her to blush bright red, to which he noticed. “Something wrong?” “Er…well…” said Applejack, “It’s a…personal private mare matter. But…if y’all must know…when a mare is expecting, they have a series of dreams that inspires the name for the foal as it tends to have some tie to their special talent.” “Really? Huh.” said a surprised Buck. “Where was that when expecting mothers needed to name their child.” “What do y’all mean?” asked Applejack. “It’s like this,” said Buck, “Before a human mother’s child is born, they try to pick over thousands of names like Tony, Malissa, Myron, Thalia and so on. Sometimes they might even have the same name as the other. And sometimes they’re named after their parent or grandparent.” “Really?” said Applejack, with Buck nodding. “That sure sounds weird.” “Trust me, we’d say the same thing.” Said Buck with a slight chuckle, with Applejack following suit. After bringing the ladder to a nearby tree, he was able to get up and pick the apples carefully, with a smaller basket that he tied around his belt, which he learned from watching a documentary, which surprised Applejack. “Well ah’ll be.” Said a surprised Applejack when she saw him, “How did y’all come up with that?” “I used to tour at an apple farm when I was little.” Said Buck, “I watched a ton of farmers work hard on their trees and pick them in order for them to sell them. And in a strange way, I always wanted to work at one. Cause in a place like this, nothing shows more hard work than an apple farmer.” Applejack felt really moved by his words, which caused her to feel touched by how he describes apple farmers. She even had a slight blush but shook it off and headed down to the next group of trees. ***************************************************************************************** Buck spent most of the day harvesting as much of the trees as he could, and once he filled the wagon, he pulled them straight to the barn, and unpacked them. Then he tried the same routine again. By the time he was able to deliver his haul, he saw Applejack walking up to him. “Alright hun,” said Applejack as she stood near him with her hands on her hips, “Y’all can take a break now, it’s time for lunch.” “Wow, never realized how fast time was flying.” Said Buck. “It happens,” said Applejack, “At least y’all don’t have to worry about going on, on an empty stomach.” The two of them walked back to the house. By the time you got there, Big Macintosh was already waiting at the house, with Apple Bloom running along before she was late. “Come n get it youngins!!” said Granny Smith as she came out, “Lunch is served!!” Everyone walked inside and Buck was surprised to see that on the table, were plates of apples, apple fritters and a salad to boost up energy. “The food looks great, Granny. Thank you.” Said Buck when he and the others went to the table. “Mah pleasure, deary.” Said Granny, “Now go on up an’ git yerselves cleaned up. Y’all can eat after ya wash up.” “Thanks Granny.” Said Buck as he left to get washed up. After washing his hands and his face and to dry himself up. Once he was done, he left in order for the rest of the Apple family to do so. After all the dirt and sweat, Buck made his way towards the dining table and sat down. But remembering his manners, Buck chose to wait for the others, who eventually turned up after they were done with washing their hands too. “Well, it seems we’re all ready to eat.” Said Applejack as she rubbed her stomach, “Ah’ve got a hankerin’ fer a nice big meal!!” Everyone soon sat down, and once they were given permission, they all grabbed a plate each and served themselves some lunch. Though Buck was surprised to see how fast Big Mac and Applejack finished theirs. “Mighty thanks fer the lunch, Granny.” Said Applejack whilst she patted her stomach, which Buck nearly chuckled because of how cute she looked whilst she did that. “So, now that we harvested more apples,” said Buck, “Is there any more work around the farm I could do?” Applejack chuckled and playfully nudged him whilst she said “Somepony is eager, ain’t he?” “Well, you got me there,” said Buck when he was also drawn into the laughter, “Plus, to be honest, all of you treated me a whole lot better than how I was treated at the last place I worked at. Nor have I ever experienced how great a homemade meal felt in such a long time.” He looked at the others and said with honesty, “To me, that’s more rewarding than all the money in the world.” Applejack couldn’t help but smile and patted on his shoulder. “That’s mighty kind of ya to tell us, Sugarcube. They say anypony who pours their heart ‘n soul into their hard work, they’re rewarded with somethin’ more valuable than all the bits in the world. It does me an’ mah family good to know yer enjoin’ yer first stay workin’ at Sweet Apple Acres.” “Or a place to call home.” Said Buck from out of nowhere, which surprised the Apples a little, but they couldn’t help but smile too. “An we may not be the richest ponies in all o Ponyville,” said Granny Smith, “But we’re all still proud o’ how we can provide apples to all o’ the hungry ponies.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac, whilst they continued with the last of their meal. ***************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, from within the castle of Friendship, both Beau and Twilight were working on the wedding invitations for her family and friends, even for the royalties so that they wouldn’t miss anything out. Twilight used her magic to write down the possible ways of how to write down an invite. She then groaned and crumbled the parchment and tossed it away with her magic, which landed in a parge pile of crumbled papers. Beau was busy writing his, and looked at the pile, then looked at Twilight with a flexed eyebrow. “Still couldn’t find anything?” asked Beau as he sat next to her. “I’ve gone over a hundred of possible invitations and none of them seem to…” said Twilight before she was cut off. “Meet up to your standards in a bookworm level?” teased Beau, which caused Twilight to glare at him. “Don’t you go there.” Said Twilight, before she yelped the moment Beau grabbed her, making her sit on his lap. “Oh?” said Beau playfully as he held her close, “How are you planning to stop me?” Twilight couldn’t help but smirk as she pecked on his lips whilst she held him close. “I may have worked on something.” Said Beau before he showed her, “Check it out.” Twilight looked it over and was surprised to see how well it looked. For the invitation looked like a six-pointed star origami. “Oh Beau, this is perfect.” Said Twilight. “You can thank Pinkie Pie.” Said Beau, “If there’s one thing she knows, it’s how to make an invitation look great.” “I can agree to that.” Said Twilight before she giggled. “Although…” said Beau, “How are we going to copy these invitations?” “Oh, we could…” said Twilight before being cut off. “No, we’re not going to Derpy.” Said Beau. “Huh?” said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow. “Remember what happened during Cranky Doodle’s wedding?” said Beau, “He went to Derpy when he heard she could do it, but then she ended up botching it and ended up getting the wedding date wrong. Their wedding was supposed to be in over a month, but she ended up printing it on the current date.” “Really?” said Twilight in surprise, “When was that?” “I believe it was the same day you and the girls fought that Bugbear.” Said Beau. “Oh, right.” Said Twilight as she slapped her forehead, “Now I remember.” “Hmm,” pondered Beau, “You know, we can maybe ask Pinkie Pie to help make more of these. I mean she has a habit of making new birthday cards every time on someone’s birthday, so maybe she can do the same for our wedding invitations.” “Great idea.” Said Twilight. “Pinkie Pie always knows how to send invitations.” “Someone call my name?” The two of them yelped when they saw Pinkie Pie next to them. “You know what, I’m not gonna even ask.” Said Beau. “Smart choice.” Said Twilight, before turning to Pinkie. “Pinkie, we sort of have a favor to ask.” “Oooh, what is it?” said Pinkie Pie eagerly. “Well, we know how good you are at making invitations when it comes to parties and anniversaries and celebrations, correct?” asked Twilight. “Yup a Rooney!!” said Pinkie Pie whilst she was nodding eagerly. “Well…” began Twilight, “Seeing that this is mine and Beau’s wedding, we were hoping that you’d…” Pinkie let out a gasp and said in excitement, “You want me to make more wedding invitations for you two?!” “That’s right.” Said Beau as he gave her two things, “Here’s the card what I made, and on the other is a list of those who we’d like to invite to the wedding. Think you can do it?” Pinkie then saluted and shouted “Your wish is my command!!” She then squealed in excitement, grabbed the invitations, and darted straight out of the castle. Beau blinked at this and slowly look at Twilight. “I’ve been here for a month and a few weeks and I still haven’t gotten used to that.” Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at this and walked over to him and held him close. “Trust me, it was overwhelming for me too.” Beau was then worried and said “From what you told, I know Cadance would be ecstatic into meeting us, but…what about your brother?” Twilight was also worried and hugged Beau tighter, with her head against his chest. “I really hope things will go well. I don’t want to do the same thing he did at…” “I know Twilight.” Said Beau, “I know.” The two of them continued to hold one another, for now that the wedding invites would soon be sent, they were worried about another who they fear won’t accept the two of them being together… Twilight’s brother. ***************************************************************************************** After Buck helped Granny wash the dishes after they were done with lunch, Applejack had asked him to follow her. Maybe she has more work for him that she needed help with. And to be fair, he did ask him if he could do more around the farm. “So, whilst we were workin’, we thought about what y’all said when ya made an offer to help out more often around the farm.” Said Applejack. “Glad you took my offer.” Said Buck. “So, what’s first on the list?” She brought him over to the Pig Pen as the two were standing bear the pen. “Alright then, this here will be the first odd job fer the day.” Said Applejack. Buck couldn’t help but chuckle and said “Odd job? That’s pretty clever, actually.” Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle too, then said “Think ya got what it takes to feed them there Piggies?” “That I can do.” Said Buck. “Good,” said Applejack as she grabbed a nearby bucket and gave it to him, “Take this here bucket o’ scraps and pour it in that there bin. After that, y’all can help Big Mac plant some seeds an’ plow the fields. We gotta be ready fer the next cider season. Ah promised mah friend Rainbow Dash she’d get a special pass to be first in line to have some of our apple cider.” “Who’s Rainbow Dash?” asked Buck, “And Apple Cider?” Applejack looked at him oddly, blinked, and then chuckled. “Oh, right, ah didn’t get the chance to tell ya.” Said Applejack. “Rainbow’s a friend o’ mine. She’s actually a Pegasus, in other words a pony with wings. She’s training to be one day be part of the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s best flyers. Right now, she’s in the reserves, so she ain’t a full member, yet. She also loves her apple cider. Plus, if yer ever in a tight jam, she’s there fer her friends through thick an’ thin. It ain’t no surprise since she’s the Element o’ Loyalty. She’s one of mah ver’ closest friends…an’ best rival.” “Really?” said Buck whilst flexing an eyebrow and resting on the fence, “How long have you two been friends and rivals?” “Let’s just say…” said Applejack whilst she was rubbing the back of her head, “We’ve competed against each other fer a long time now. Ah’ll tell ya more later after work. But fer now, them, pigs aren’t gonna feed themselves.” “You got it.” Said Buck as he began to do his work. Buck went over to the pigs and fed them the bucket of scraps Applejack was talking about, whilst she went back to work at the orchard. The pigs snorted and sniffed at the bucket in Buck’s hands, taking in the scent of their grub. Buck poured the scraps in the food, then watched them eat to their snort in excitement. “You know, sometimes it’s adorable watching them like this.” Said Buck, but then he wondered something. “But what the heck do they use the pigs for? The cows and chickens I understand, but the pigs…uh, you know what, maybe I don’t wanna know.” Buck soon left the pig pen and closed the gate behind him whilst walking around, trying to find Big Mac, seeing that you also want to help him out. As he looked around, he finally saw Big Mac, and saw he had a couple of bags of seed in his arms. Even though he’s strong, Buck couldn’t help but feel concerned and ran on over to give him a hand. “Yo, Big Mac!!” Hearing Buck’s voice, Big Mac turned around and saw Buck running towards him. He stopped near him and panted a bit from the running. “Sorry I’m late,” said Buck as he tried to collect his breath, “I was busy helping out by feeding the pigs in the pig pen. Need any help?” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he handed a bag to Buck, allowing him to accept it. Big Mac motioned him to follow him, allowing the two of them to walk together. Buck walked with Big Mac up and down the fields where there were empty spots, allowing them to plant the seeds in a straight vertical line. Big Mac plowed parts of the field, which Buck is quite impressed with his strength. ‘Wish I had the strength to do the things he does.’ Thought Buck to himself whilst he watched Big Mac worked. After the seeds were planted, they used their watering cans to water every seed that had been planted in order for the tree to grow to full strength and bear its fruit overtime. Thankfully, the planting of the seeds and watering them wasn’t all that hard. Though Buck wasn’t use to farming yet, he’d still be willing to work hard to repay the Apple family for the hospitality they gave him. It took a few hours, but the work had been done and the day was nearly over. Big Mac motioned that it was now time to regroup with the others and head back inside for some… However, Buck noticed Applejack had a really worried look. He nudged Big Mac, gaining his attention and pointed at his sister, which caused him to notice the worried look he had on her face. Feeling concerned and worried, they quickly went over to figure out what was going on. “Applejack, what’s wrong?” said Buck concerned whilst Applejack was focused on something else entirely. “Look!!” shouted Applejack in panic. When Buck and Big Mac looked, they were shocked to see what was going on. For what happened, was smoke and fire coming from out of the doors and windows. Buck’s heart felt like it was going to stop from what he saw. “What the hell…how did this happen?!” exclaimed Buck. “Ah have no idea!!” said Applejack in panic. “What about Granny?!” said Big Mac. “Ah was able to get her out!!” said Applejack, “We gotta find a way to put out the fire!!” However, Buck then noticed someone else wasn’t with them. Causing him to look in concern and said “Hey, where’s Apple Bloom?!” The two siblings were shocked to hear this, until… “Somepony!! Anypony!! Help!!!” They all looked up and realized in shock of who else was in there. “Apple Bloom!!!” exclaimed Applejack in shock. However, Buck suddenly saw someone else in Apple Bloom’s stead, a human girl, who looked like the girl in his locket. He slowly shook his head and gripped his fists. ‘No…not again.’ Thought Buck, then he clenched his teeth, and shouted “Not again!!” Not waiting for anyone, with swift motion, Buck instantly ran towards the house, which shocked Applejack and Big Mac. “Buck, wait!!” shouted Applejack, but it fell in deaf ears, for he ran straight in, desperately trying to find Apple Bloom. He went past some parts of the fire, and was able to make it to the stairs. Once he was there, he instantly ran up, but slightly coughed as the smoke from the fire was affecting his lungs. He went from door to door, trying to figure out where Apple Bloom was. He spotted her room and was about to open it, but because of the fire, the door handle was hot, making him grunt in pain. Having an idea, he pulled his shirt off and held it ready. “Like the old saying goes…no pain no gain.” Said Buck as he got ready. He used his shirt to grab the handle, but bit his lip as he still felt some of the pain. Buck was able to get the door opened and saw Apple Bloom on the floor, coughing and on her knees, not being able to see anything because of the smoke. However, he looked to his right and saw a picture frame. He saw a happy family on it and instantly grabbed it whilst putting his shirt back on at the same time. “Apple Bloom!!” shouted Buck, gaining the young pony’s attention. She instantly got up and ran over to him whilst hugging him tightly. “Get me outta here, please!!” cried Apple Bloom as she was greatly frightened, which caused him to hug her and patted her head for comfort, whilst looking around, realizing that they won’t be able to make it out if they stayed longer. Buck suddenly heard a lough crash, making him look outside of Apple Bloom’s room, and saw that their exit had been blocked, making the young Apple family member scared out of her mind. He looked around and saw the window. There was that one, but realized how high they were. It was going to be painful, but he knew what he had to do…for her. “I have an idea!!” said Buck loudly to gain her attention, “On the count of three, I’m gonna break through the window and you’ll use my body as a cushion!! It’s risky, but you’ll be safe, okay?!” “O-okay…” said Apple Bloom, which frightened Buck as he could tell she was having trouble breathing. “But please hurry. Ah can’t breathe!!” “Alright then, here we go!!” said Buck as he held her in position, and prepared for a painful drop. “One…two…THREE!!!” Buck ran towards the window whilst holding onto Apple Bloom at the same time as they made their way to the window. At the last minute, Buck used his shoulder blade to break through the window before turning around and wrapped Apple Bloom in his arms tightly whilst she left a muffled scream in his chest. At the same time, Applejack and Big Mac heard the window shattering, causing them to look at the other direction and were shocked to see Buck jumping out of the window…with Apple Bloom in tow. The two of them watched as Buck landed on the ground back first, hard, whilst letting out a pained grunt. Applejack and Big Mac immediately went over to see if they were okay. Buck slightly lifted his head and saw Apple Bloom, with a surprised and scared expression, looking right back at him. “Are you…are you alright, Apple Bloom?” asked Buck. Still in shock, she could manage a slow nod. Buck was relieved to see she was alright. However, she instantly wrapped her arms around him, thanking whoever was watching from the heavens was watching over them. Buck slowly hugged her back, to make sure that she was okay. “Apple Bloom!!” Buck slowly looked and saw Applejack and Big Mac running towards them. He was able to let Apple Bloom go whilst she struggled to stand up. Applejack instantly kneeled down and gave her little sister a big hug. “Ah thought Ah lost ya, Apple Bloom.” Muttered Applejack as she held onto him tightly. Apple Bloom was able to speak through her shocked voice, “He…he saved me sis…He saved mah life.” Applejack looked at Apple Bloom with a surprised expression, then to Buck. However, the moment she did, she saw Buck had begun to cough, and not in a good way. The smoke must’ve done a little bit more damage than he thought. “Hey, are ya alright?!” said Applejack as she kneeled down close to him and held the side of his shoulder, with him still coughing. Looking really worried, Applejack called out, “Big Mac!! Get him to the hospital!! An’ hurry!!” “E-Eeyup!!” said Big Mac frantically. Big Mac not only began to carry Buck, but Apple Bloom as well, causing him to quickly make his way towards the hospital. However, just as they ran, something dropped from Buck, catching Applejack’s attention. She walked over and picked it up. But when she looked, she widened her eyes in shock, and slowly looked up where Buck was taken. She looked at the picture and shed a few tears, clearly this meant a lot to them, causing her to hug it. “Applejack!!” Applejack widened her eyes in shock and looked up, causing her to look back and saw Twilight and the rest of her friends running or flying towards her, along with Ponyville’s fire department as they quickly worked to stop the fire, with Rainbow helping as she brought in a few rain clouds. “We saw smoke coming from Ponyville and we got here as fast as we could!!” said Twilight as she was worried for her friend’s safety. “Darling, what happened?!” said Rarity in worry. Applejack looked at the picture, then looked at the direction where Big Mac took Apple Bloom and Buck. “Applejack?” said Twilight in worry when they showed more concern for Applejack. ************************************************************************************************* From within what appeared to be a dark void, Buck was suddenly floating what appeared to be a great void. He slowly looks up and looks around, wondering where he was. It didn’t make any sense for him, as he didn’t know what was going on. That was, until he saw what appeared to be a light of sorts. He slowly moved over towards it until he was engulfed to it. When the light faded, he found himself back in what appeared to be a graveyard. “Wait, I know this place.” Said Buck as he was suddenly dreading. He saw many people had gathered at a different location, all of them wearing darker clothing, making him realizing that there was a funeral going on. Soon enough, they were all walking away, all but two people, people he thought he’d never see. His parents. He walked closer to them, wondering what was going through their heads. But when he arrived, he saw them staring at two graveyards. One belonging to his sister. And the other…belonging to him. He was taken aback by what he was seeing. He then looked at them, wondering what they were thinking. But then he got his wish. “Oh Buck.” Said his mother, “This is all my fault. I should’ve been there to help you. I should’ve been there for you when you were alone. I should’ve been there…when you needed me the most.” “Don’t blame yourself,” said Buck’s father, “I’m just as responsible for what happened. I ended up turning to alcohol when I should’ve focused on Buck. After Daisy…I felt so lost…broken. We promised to look after each other and be happy. And…we both broke that promise. He was my only boy and…I wasn’t there for him when he needed me the most. Just like…we were never there for each other.” Buck’s father went over to his mother, and said “I’m so sorry Daisy. I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep that promise. That we…could never keep that promise.” Both of Buck’s parents hugged one another. Buck couldn’t help but shed a tear at this scene. “Oh…mom…dad.” Said Buck as he walked towards them, speaking to them as if they were still standing in front of him. “I wish things have been different between us. I wished that stupid cancer hadn’t taken Daisy away. I miss her just as much. I tried my best to keep her promise…I’m just as sorry for not being able to keep it. But fate…has a way of taking everything from us. Maybe it was her time but…it just wasn’t fair. She was just a little girl…she was…everything to us…everything to…me too. I know that we can’t do anything to change what happened, wishing that we could’ve had a second chance. I just don’t know why I was given another chance…in another world for that matter. But…I felt like it should’ve been me instead of her. But I just wanted to let you know that…even though things were different between us. I never did try to stop loving you. But from what happened…I guess we all were bitter from her passing.” He went over and hugged the both of them. He could still feel their touch, and said with tears falling. “I love you two. I just hope that one day you’ll find forgiveness in each other. I just wish I could tell you in person that I forgive you for everything that happened.” He didn’t see it, but the moment when he said those words, the two of them smiled, as if they felt their son had been talking to them. He was soon able to let them go, before everything slowly faded into darkness, as if he was in a realm filled with stars. “Huh?” said Buck as he looked around. “Where am I?” “You are in a realm between realms.” Buck turned around and was surprised to see another pony, but she looked different, for she has both a horn and a pair of wings. “Whoa…” said Buck as he somewhat felt nervous. “Who…are you?” “Apologies.” Said the pony, “I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria and ruler of the dream realms.” “Whoa, ruler of dreams?” said Buck whilst feeling impressed. “That must be a huge responsibility.” “Oh, it is.” Said Princess Luna. “Though…why am I here?” asked Buck in confusion. “I have felt another presence in Equestria.” Said Princess Luna. “Though I was surprised to see another human here. I did not think such a thing was possible. Whilst you were in Ponyville, I had looked in your dreams and your heart, of how you suffered from your realm.” Luna held his hands and said “I am truly sorry of what happened to your sister, and the hardships that you have. Whilst I was exploring, I took it upon myself to see of how your parents would react to the news. I brought you here so that you could finally be at peace.” She released his hands and said “And it may come as a surprise to you, but the first human, Beau, had too gone through hardships of his own. Though he did not have any siblings, he felt like an outsider, and did not feel the love he needed from his parents. So, I was able have him temporarily speak to his mother, to be at rest.” “At least we were both lucky enough to say goodbye.” Said Buck. He then looks to her and said “So what happens now?” Luna giggled and said “Now that all is said and done, it is time for you to wake up.” ************************************************************************************************* Buck slowly opened his eyes, but felt something bright shine on them at the same time too. When he was able to focus, he saw the bright light shining on the ceiling. Buck slowly looked to his left and saw a beeping monitor. Then to his right and saw he was strapped to an I.V. Buck then groaned and held onto his head. “Ugh, what happened?” said Buck as he was able to sit up straight. “You lost conscious before you reached the hospital.” Buck looked to his right and saw a pure white mare with baby blue eyes and a pink mane that was made into a bun. “Oh, hello there.” Groaned Buck whilst trying to be polite, considering how uncomfortable he is. “Who might you be?” “Oh, my name is Nurse Redheart.” Said the said pony mare, “I’m the one who has been assigned to take care of you for the time being until you are discharged. I heard about how you rescued a little filly from the farmhouse. That was really brave of you. Most Ponies wouldn’t have done what you just did.” “I…I did what I could to help.” Said Buck weakly. But then he was frantic and said “W-Where’s Apple Bloom? Is she alright?” He then heard a chuckle, causing both Buck and Nurse Redheart to look at the door, revealing to be Applejack as she stood at the doorway. “Ya don’t have to worry ‘bout it Sugarcube. The lil filly’s in the other room next to yours, restin’ up. Earlier, she couldn’t stop askin’ if you were alright. She’s mighty grateful bout’ how ya saved her from the fire.” Buck sighed in relief as he relaxed. “Oh, thank goodness. I was worried she might have inhaled too much smoke. I wouldn’t be able to live or forgive myself is she didn’t make it.” “Nice to see you again, Applejack.” Said Nurse Redheart, before turning back to Buck, “I’ll give you two some privacy.” After she left, Applejack walked over and sat on the bed near his legs. “If anythin’, Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she looked at Buck with a grateful smile, “Mah family and Ah are in yer debt. Ah’m very grateful fer what ya did to save Apple Bloom.” “Still,” said Buck as he wondered something, “How did the fire start in the first place? Everything was fine this morning, but until recently.” “Oh, Ah can explain that.” Said Applejack, “Turns out that Granny Smith left her cookin’ apron on the stove whilst she left to go freshen up. It must’ve gotten burnt by the stove flames and spreaded all over the house. It’s all burnt to a crisp, so it’s gonna take a while to before we get it repaired. Thankfully, we were able to save most of our things and stuff before things got out of hand.” “I’m…sorry to hear that.” Said Buck, looking down as if he felt he failed her. Applejack couldn’t help but smile and placed her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it, even stroked his hair. “Hey, no worries there, Sugarcube,” said Applejack as she kept her hand on his head, “At least we all made it out alive an’ that’s all that matters.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Said Buck. However, Buck reached for the inside of his shirt and pulled out his locket and opened it, revealing a picture of a little girl inside. Buck then sighed, knowing that there was something he needed to get off of his chest. “Applejack,” said Buck. Though hesitant, felt she needed to know the truth, considering she’s always honest. “I think maybe it’s high time that I told you about who this girl is in my locket.” He showed her the picture, allowing her to take a good look at it. “Aw, she’s cute.” Said Applejack, but then felt somewhat worried. “Are y’all sure yer comfortable with this, Sugarcube?” “Eeyup.” Said Buck whilst nodding, mimicking Big Mac, causing her to laugh a bit. He sighed and said “The picture you see here…she’s my little sister, Daisy.” Applejack shared sympathy with Buck’s love for his sister, which she couldn’t help but smile warmly at that. “She was a walking ray of sunshine that I couldn’t stop loving.” Said Buck after he placed his locket away. “We both stuck together through thick and thin, even my parents couldn’t help but spoil her. But…tragedy couldn’t keep its filthy hands off of my sister. She…ended up being diagnosed with cancer when she was six years old.” Applejack gasped slightly as she put a hand over her mouth. “Ya mean she’s…?” asked Applejack, unable to finish her question. Buck nodded, answering her question as he continued. “She died at the ripe young age of eight. But even after she left us, she still had that angelic smile on her adorable face. But…after she died, my parents changed and blamed me for everything I did wrong, whether minor or an accident. But no matter how much good I tried to do; it was never enough for them.” Buck sighed whilst looking at the ceiling. “I felt like I didn’t know my own parents anymore. I couldn’t stand being near them, so I left after I graduated.” He felt Applejack’s hand on his right shoulder, making him look at her and noticed she shed a tear. "Ah’m…mighty sorry to hear that, Sugarcube." Buck couldn’t help but smile and wiped it away. “It’s true…I still miss her every day.” Said Buck, “But I know she wanted me to be happy and keep going, not just for her sake, but my own as well. So, I did.” He looked at her whilst smiling and said “But I had a lot of help from you and your family after you took me in, gave me a chance when nobody else did. For that I can never repay you, except thank you…for everything.” Applejack couldn’t help but blush and hid her face whilst lowering her Stetson hat a bit. Buck was worried that he might’ve said something wrong if he made her blush like that. But then Applejack did something that caught him completely off guard… She pressed her lips against his. Buck couldn’t help but blush too, for Applejack locked her hand with his and continued to kiss him. Buck ended up closing his eyes and decided to savor the kiss. Despite being a hard worker on the farm, Applejack’s lips were quite soft. He was so getting used to it, he wanted to last a while, until she needed up breaking it for air. The two of them stared at one another, with Applejack blushing and vice versa. “A-Applejack…what…?” said Buck as he tried to ask, but Applejack stopped him. “Ah felt Ah needed to thank ya properly fer savin’ mah sister. Ya probably already know this, but yer like a hero to her. And she feels like yer the second big brother she’s always wanted.” Buck was a little surprised, but also happy at the same time. To think, that after all this time, Buck has been given a second chance at having another little sister. Even though she’s a pony, Apple Bloom reminds him a lot of Daisy. As for Applejack, well, maybe one of these days he might actually bond with her in ways he never even considered at first…like as a couple. Besides, after that tender kiss she shared with him, how could he not like her. ************************************************************************************************* Later that day, Pinkie Pie had made the invitations and stuffed them all in a party cannon, then walked into position. “Sending out invitations in three…two…one!!!” With one big pull, she fired the invitations into the sky, causing every single invitation to go to their destination, with Pinkie Pie humming and skipping away, knowing that her work is done, whilst the invitations went to the guests. ************************************************************************************************* At the same time, at what appeared to be the Crystal Empire, two ponies, aka, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance, were watching over the kingdom whilst Cadance held onto Flurry Heart. “I have to admit, things have been really quiet lately.” Said Shining Armor. “I agree,” said Cadance, “I mean after everything that happened at the Crystalling for Flurry, things haven’t been that exciting lately. Though I have a feeling excitement is due to come right around the corner.” Suddenly, an invitation was slowly being lowered, gaining their attention. “Wait, what’s that?” asked Shining Armor. “It must be from Pinkie Pie.” Said Cadance as she used her magic to bring it to her. “How can you tell?” asked Shining Armor, making Cadance look at him with a flexed eyebrow, with him blushing and said “Oh, right. It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.” “Good boy.” Said Cadance with a smile. She then opened it and looked through it. The moment she was done, she had an extremely surprised reaction to this, causing her to slowly smile widely and squealed like a schoolgirl, making Shining Armor look at her with a flexed eyebrow. “What?” Cadance handed him the invitation and presented it to Shining Armor. He looked through it and skimmed through it. When he was done, his jaw dropped and saw something that caught him greatly off guard. “Twilight is getting married?!!”
Chapter 7: Growing families and confrontationsAuthor's Note Sorry it took so long. One complicated thing after another. Chapter 7: Growing families and confrontations A few hours later, Buck was admitted out of the hospital, and was embraced by Apple Bloom before he had the chance to go outside. “Thank ya so much fer savin’ me, Buck.” Said Apple Bloom. “Ah don’t know what would’ve happened if y’all hadn’t showed up.” “Hey,” said Buck as he was on knee level and looked at Apple Bloom right in the eyes. “There’s no way I’d let anything happen to you. Besides, you’re just too cute to be hurt.” Buck rustled her head whilst rubbing it, making her giggle at that. He soon stood up and held onto her shoulder. “Now come on, we don’t want to keep your sister waiting.” The two of them soon left the hospital, where three members of the Apple family were standing and waiting for the two of them to come out. The two of them made it over to the rest of the Apples, where Applejack, Big Mac and Granny hugged Apple Bloom, and were greatly thankful that she was safe. “Thank heaven yer alright there, Apple Bloom.” Said Granny Smith whilst she was hugging her youngest granddaughter. “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he agreed. “Thanks Granny.” Said Apple Bloom. Buck couldn’t help but smile at this, for he was really happy to see them reunited. He then thought about Daisy once more, thinking that she was still looking out for him from the heavens, no matter how far apart they are. He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when he felt someone hugging him, which was none other than Granny Smith and Big Mac. “And thank ya so much for savin’ her.” Said Granny, “Y’all are a real hero.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he felt his head being rubbed. “Aw, come on, it’s the least I can do.” Said Buck, “I care about too. And I wasn’t going to let my surrogate sister get hurt.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but smile. Applejack on the other hand handed Apple Bloom something, gaining her attention. “Buck was able to save this.” Apple Bloom took the picture and looked at it, and was surprised to see what he saved. She slowly looked at him and said “Y’all…saved this?” She showed the picture. It was of herself as a foal, along with her siblings when they were younger, as well as a younger Granny Smith. However, among them were two ponies with them, a stallion that nearly resembled to Big Mac, and a mare holding baby Apple Bloom. Both Big Mac and Granny were surprised by this. “Yeah…” said Buck, “I could tell how important this was to you, considering you kept it in a special shrine. I figured they were important to you, so I saved it. I mean, from what I’ve seen…family must be really important to all of you. So, I saved it for all of you. And…” However, Buck was cut off when he felt a right hug around his waist, and saw Apple Bloom hugging him tightly. He could feel her tears against his shirt, but he didn’t intervene as he let her hug him. “Thank you.” Muttered Apple Bloom. Buck couldn’t help but smile and hug Apple Bloom back. The others were touched by this and joined in the group hug. But during the hug, Buck then wondered, “But seeing that the house was destroyed…where are all of us going to live?” The others also thought about it, with Applejack saying, “Ah know just the pony to ask.” ************************************************************************************************* Later at the castle, Twilight, Beau, and the rest of the Mane 4, along with Starlight and Spike were resting in the castle for a bit. That was, until Applejack knocked and came in, gaining their attention as they walked over to her the moment she got inside. “Oh, Applejack, darling, thank goodness you’re okay.” Said Rarity. “Don’t worry Rarity, ah’m fine.” Said Applejack whilst reassuring her. “How’s Apple Bloom doing?” asked Fluttershy. “Oh, she’s doin’ mighty fine,” said Applejack, “Ah’m just thankful that she’s alive and all.” “Shame about your house though.” Said Rainbow, “But I think you’d be glad to know, that whilst we were putting out the fire, I was able to use my speed to help get most of your stuff out, so it’s a good thing you didn’t lose anything.” “So that’s why y’all smelled like soot.” Said Applejack, who smiled and hugged Rainbow. “Thank ya kindly, Rainbow.” “Heh, no problem.” Said Rainbow. “Though…we’re gonna have to find a place to live until our home is bein’ repaired.” Said Applejack. “Say no more, Applejack.” Said Twilight, “We’ll get a couple of guest rooms ready for the four of you.” “Er…make that five.” Said Applejack, which confused the others. They saw Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom walk in. But to their surprise, the fifth was a human. Buck wanted to say something, but was surprised to see Beau with them. Beau walked over to Buck and looked at him for a bit, before smiling and extended his hand. “I never thought in my entire life I’d meet another human.” Said Beau. “Name’s Thomas Rohan, but I go by the name of Beau for a short while now.” “I’m Buck Armstrong.” Said Buck as he shook Beau’s hand. “So…how’d you get here?” “Drowned in a whirlpool whilst swimming in a lake, you?” asked Beau. “Got hit by a truck, saving a child.” Said Buck. “So,” said Beau, before he couldn’t help but smirk and said “I assume you ended up in hot water with one of the ponies with threats?” Buck was surprised by that, with him saying, “How did you know that?” “Let’s just say…I got threatened by an adorkable princess.” Said Beau before looking at Twilight, whom the latter blushed and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah,” said Buck whilst rubbing the back of his head, “I was lassoed when they thought I was stealing their apples.” “Yeah, I kinda figured.” Said Beau whilst he let out a bit of a chuckle. “Still, sorry you had to die that way.” “Eh, wasn’t any glamorous, but, Whatcha gonna do.” Said Buck. He then looked at the rest of the ponies and said “And all of you must be the rest of her friends. Princess Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.” “The awesomest flyer in all of Equestria.” Said Rainbow with a boastful smile and crossing her arms and closing her eyes with a smirk. Buck ended up smirking back and said “And also the biggest sore loser when it comes to contest and a gluttonous downer when it comes to Apple Cider.” Rainbow blinked at that with widened eyes and a blush, then ended up being in his face. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” said Rainbow. “Hey, I just call what I hear from Applejack.” Said Buck. Rainbow looked at Applejack with a stink eye, with the latter rolling her eyes and said “Y’all know it’s the truth Rainbow. And ah am the honest one of the groups here. And Ah’ve got witnesses to prove it.” “It’s true.” Said Granny Smith. “That’s right.” Said Apple Bloom. “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac. Rainbow grumbled and crossed whilst the others laughed about it. “Rainbow’s teasing aside,” said Beau, “I think it’s a good idea on preparing the guest rooms.” He then walked to Applejack and asked “And where would you like your rooms? Sun shining in your face, or non-sun shining in your face.” Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle and said “One with. That way, it’ll help us get up early.” “Or we could have an alarm clock set up.” Said Spike. “No thanks, Spike.” Said Buck, “Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea that Granny would have an alarm clock, otherwise she might fall off of the bed and break her hip. Why else did you think she had an operation on her hip.” The Apple family stared at him surprised, with Buck saying “Big Mac told me.” Granny looked at Big Mac sternly, with the latter sweating nervously with a sheepish smile. “Welp,” said Beau, “Now that we got their sleeping arrangements settled, what next?” “We’ll still be able to work around the farm.” Said Applejack. “And get ready for Cider Season.” Said Buck, gaining the Apple Sibling’s attention. “What now?” said Applejack surprised. “Seriously?” said Granny, gaining their attention, “Apple Cider Season, which happens to be next week?!!” Pinkie popped up from out of nowhere and showed them the calendar, marking the date of their business. The rest of the Apple family had their jaws dropped by what they were seeing. “Oh, mah stars!!” exclaimed Applejack, “Ah was so distracted by the fire, I plum forgot about it!!” “We’d better get things ready, pronto!!” said Apple Bloom. “Eeyup!!” said Big Mac, which caused the three to rush out. “We’ll be back later, Twi!!” shouted Applejack as the others left. “Should we go with them?” asked Buck. “Boy howdy,” said Granny Smith, “Just to make sure that they don’t do anything foolish.” “Agreed.” Said Buck as he and Granny Smith laughed a bit. “Want me to accompany you back to the barn?” “Ya darn tootin!” said Granny, allowing the two of them to walk out of the room to join the Apple siblings. “Looks like things are going to be a bit livelier around here.” Said Pinkie, “And I need to throw a welcome party for Buck!!” She then darted out of the room, wanting to get the next party ready as quick as possible. “Sometimes I don’t think we’ll ever understand her.” Said Beau. “Agreed.” Said Twilight. As Spike chuckled, he suddenly felt his face bloated, making him hold onto his stomach as he tried to keep something in. Suddenly, he burped out a bit of flame, that took form into a scroll. “Oh, haven’t had one of those in a while.” Said Spike. He then opened the letter and read through it, causing him to widen his eyes in shock. “Uh, oh.” Said Spike in worry. “Oh, what’s wrong, Spike?” asked Rarity. “Uh, Twilight.” Said Spike in worry as he looked at her. “Remember when you said you were afraid that Shining Armor wouldn’t accept Beau when he finds out he is a human?” “Uh, yeah? Why?” asked Twilight. “A letter came from Cadence.” Said Spike, “She said she received the invitation and she wants to meet Beau in person. And uh…” “Oh, no.” said Twilight whilst she facepalmed herself, “That means Shining Armor will also be there. I really don’t want him to cause any trouble.” “If only we could make him not do anything drastic.” Said Spike. Beau then thought about it. He snapped his fingers and had an idea. “Hey Twilight, could you lend me a piece of parchment and a quill, please?” Twilight was confused by this, but obliged nonetheless. Beau began to write down to somepony. After he was done, he rolled it up and gave it to Spike, whilst whispering to him to whom he should send it. He was surprised, but obliged nonetheless via his magic flames. “Who did you send it to?” asked Twilight. “You’ll see.” Said Beau. A while later, back at Canterlot Castle, both Princesses Celestia and Luna were busy looking over the latest documents, until a message appeared before them, surprising them. Celestia looked through it and was surprised by what she was reading. “What is it, sister?” asked Princess Luna. “Beau had sent us a letter,” said Princess Celestia, “It appears Shining Armor is coming to see for himself. Something that Twilight had feared.” “What did Beau ask?” asked Princess Luna. “He wants us to keep an eye on him.” Said Princess Celestia, “If Shining Armor tries to talk her out of it, he wishes for us to intervene.” “Are you sure it is wise?” asked Princess Luna. “I…made a mistake not supporting Twilight when she tried to protect her brother.” Said Princess Celestia, “I am not going to make that same mistake again.” “And how are we going to spy on them?” asked Princess Luna. The two of them teleported to Celestia’s room and walked over to a mirror, one that Princess Luna recognized. “The mirror of revelation?” said Princess Luna, “Are you sure this is wise? We have not used that mirror since we took the thrones.” “I know Luna,” said Princess Celestia, “But in situations as this, we have no other choice.” Celestia used her magic to activate the mirror. Within mere moments, the mirror showed them a train moving towards Ponyville’s Train Station. The mirror zoomed in and revealed three certain ponies onboard. “It would appear that the latter is approaching,” said Princess Luna, “And I see Princess Cadence and Flurry Heart is accompanying him. No doubt Cadence is there to calm Shining Armor down if he does something drastic.” “Still,” said Princess Celestia whilst she pondered at the same time, “We would need to send our spies over to keep an eye on him. If he does, the mirror will alert us and we will arrive with haste. I will need to inform Undercover Shadow about this.” “I shall call for him, sister.” Said Princess Luna before she left. Celestia continued to look at the mirror and hoped Shining Armor won’t do anything drastic, for Twilight’s sake. ************************************************************************************************* At the same time, on the train, Shining Armor was on the train, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Cadence on the other hand was holding Flurry Heart as she babbled innocently and waved her little arms around. “Shining, would you just calm down already?” said Cadence. “Cadence,” said Shining Armor, “My sister, my sister, is getting married to somepony we don’t even know, and you want me to calm down?” “I’m sure Twilight has her reasons of not telling us.” Said Cadence. “Plus, she’s getting married. She’s actually getting married, to somepony she likes!! Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this?! How much I wanted her to find her special somepony!! This is wonderful!!” “Sure, wonderful, that I just found out from a wedding invitation. Not from my sister, but from a piece of paper. Thanks a lot, Twily.” said Shining Armor. He took a sandwich and imitated Twilight whilst moving the bread, “Hey, Shiny. Just thought you should know I’m making a really big decision that changes everything. Oh, never mind. You’ll hear about it when you get the invitation.” He placed the sandwich away and said “She couldn’t have told me personally?” Cadence looked at him with a deadpanned expression and a raised eyebrow, for she couldn’t tell what was annoying, the part where her husband was being immature by using his sandwich as a puppet imitating Twilight, or that he was being a hypocrite of open communication when it comes to his side of the family. “This coming from a pony who didn’t tell Twilight directly that we were getting married?” said Cadence, “Or telling her that we’ve been dating since the day I first foal sat her?” Shining blinked in surprise, and said “I was busy!!” “Suuure, you were.” Said Cadence. “Shining, I’ve told you plenty of times I wanted to tell her, but you wouldn’t let me. And clearly, I can’t trust you when it comes to communicating. This is the thing with the ladybugs and the quesadilla all over again.” “I was not responsible for her having phobias about them!!” exclaimed Shining Armor. “You were the one teasing her about it till she was traumatized out of fear!!” retorted Cadence. Flurry Heart began top whimper, as she didn’t like the fighting, gaining their attention. “Oh, sorry Flurry Heart.” Said Cadance, “Your dad is just being an unnecessary grump again.” Shining then huffed as he looked away, until he noticed the carts were selling sandwiches, which confused him. “Excuse me,” he asked the pony pushing the carts, “I notice you guys are only selling sandwiches.” “No other choice,” said the pony pushing the cart, “We were losing a lot of money on confectionary foods and cakes, so the RTA had voted to make sandwiches instead to save what was left of our budget.” “Seriously?” said Shining, which gained Cadance’s attention too. “Why?” “Oh, something about a certain pink pony with poofy hair who constantly buys them without giving it to anyone else.” Said the pony, then mumbled whilst walking away “Why they haven’t banned her from riding the trains, I’ll never know.” Shining and Cadance looked at one another with flexed eyebrows and said “Pinkie Pie.” ************************************************************************************************* Back at the Castle of Friendship, Beau had just begun to set up the tea set in order to get things ready for the others’ visit. Once he was done, he noticed Twilight started to hyperventilate, causing him to give her a paper bag, which she started to breathe through it. When all of a sudden, it popped, taking him by surprise. “Wow, I thought that would work.” Said Beau. He then suddenly had another idea. He knows couples tend to do that from time to time but…he never did that to Twilight before. “Well, as they say back at my world, when in France.” He then gave a her a smack by her behind, making her yelp loudly and made her stand stiffly and made her blush madly at the same time. She slowly looked at Beau as she still kept her blush, but Beau also did the same thing as he couldn’t believe he did that. However strangely, Twilight also enjoyed that. “Uh, sorry about that.” Said Beau sheepishly. However, Twilight pushed him, making him land on his back on the couch, with Twilight being on top of him with a flirty smile. Beau couldn’t help but smile back, causing the two of them to lock lips for a bit. That was, until a knock was heard from the castle doors. Twilight got up and gasped and said “They’re here!!” Beau and Twilight got up, with Beau saying “Why don’t you go greet them? I’ll get the tea once it’s finished boiling.” He kissed her on her forehead before leaving, with Twilight teleporting to the front doors. She felt really nervous and took a breather. She opened the door with her magic, and within moments, Shining Armor and Cadance were standing at the door, with Flurry Heart in Cadence’s arms. “Shining, Cadance!!” said Twilight as she hugged the two of them. Then broke the hug as she saw Flurry Heart. “And how’s my favorite niece?” Flurry giggled as she held onto Twilight’s face. “It’s good to see you, Twilight.” Said Cadence as she hugged Twilight. She hugged Shining Armor too, although the look on his face said otherwise. “I have to admit,” said Twilight as she broke the hug, “I was surprised that you were planning to visit. If I knew, I would’ve had everything ready. I mean I already sent Spike out to do some grocery shopping, and Starlight’s busy setting up guest beds for Applejack and her family.” “Guest beds?” said Shining Armor in confusion. “Oh,” said Twilight, “Granny Smith left the stove on and her apron was near it, causing it to lit on fire, resulting the house being burnt down as a result. Apple Bloom was inside, but they were able to rescue her.” “That’s terrible.” Said Cadence, with Shining Armor also being worried for a moment. “I hope she’s okay.” “She is,” said Twilight as they walked to the living room, where a tea set had been readied. “Thankfully no one was hurt and most of their belongings were saved as well. They mentioned about wanting to raise bits during Cider season so that they can pay the construction ponies to do the job.” “I hope they’ll be okay.” Said Cadence. “But there’s also a reason why we’re here.” Said Shining Armor as they sat down. “About what?” asked Twilight. “Oh, you know.” Said Cadence as she made wedding noises, which caused Twilight to blush. “Oh, right.” Said Twilight. “Twily, why didn’t you tell me?” said Shining Armor, “I found out my sister is getting married through a piece of paper and you didn’t tell me.” “Well,” began Twilight, “I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure how you’d handle it. Mom and dad handled it and they grew to like him, same with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” “Mom and dad knew and they didn’t tell me?!” said Shining Armor. “Whoever this pony is, you must have a really good reason.” Said Cadence. “Well…” “Twilight, tea’s ready!!” They turned to the door as Beau walked in. “Sorry it took longer than expected, I was trying to make the tea just the way you like it.” Said Beau, who then noticed Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, even Flurry Heart. The three newcomers looked at Beau surprised. Beau then thought ‘Oh boy, here we go’, then walked over and placed the tea down on the table and said “Uh, hi there.” Flurry Heart saw Beau and was naturally curious whilst she cooed, causing her to teleport and landed on top of his head, which caused Beau to giggle. “Well, hi there, you must be Flurry Heart. My name’s Beau, nice to meet you.” Both Shining Armor and Cadence were surprised, for the person standing before them was Beau, from what the wedding invitation had said. Though Cadence was surprised, Shining Armor on the other hand. “Twilight,” muttered Shining Armor, “We need to talk.” ************************************************************************************************* “I don’t see what the big deal is, Shining?!!” shouted Twilight. Not long after the two of them were out, they had immediately started to argue. “You’re dating a hairless ape, Twilight!! That’s the big deal!!” said Shining. “So what?! You’re married to an Alicorn, and Cadence is an entirely different pony!!” shouted Twilight back. Whilst back in the living room, both Cadence and Beau were in the living room, hearing the commotion outside, whilst thankfully Cadence placed earmuffs on Flurry Heart so that she wouldn’t hear the argument. This were silent at first, with Beau sighing and said “I knew this would happen.” Cadence looked at him surprised and said “Wait, knew this would happen?” “See,” said Beau, “When Twilight and I fell in love, we were worried that how everyone else would react. But thankfully, Twilight’s friends warmed up to us on that idea, same with Twilight’s parents. “You’ve met them?” said Cadence as she was surprised. “I did,” said Beau, “Even Princesses Celestia and Luna.” They continue to hear arguing, with Beau saying “But I supposed I should introduce myself.” “Right, we’ve been so distracted, we haven’t gotten the chance.” Said Cadence. “Alright, my name is Thomas Rohan, but after Twilight and I got together, she decided to call me Beau. It sort of stuck that way.” “Nice to meet you Beau,” said Cadence. “I’m sure Twilight’s told you about us.” “She did.” Said Beau, “But in case you wonder, I’m a human. Remember the mirror that Twilight traveled to?” “I do.” Said Cadence. “Turns out there’s a reason why Princess Celestia told Twilight she needed to do this alone, even with Spike in tow.” Said Beau as he took out a picture. He showed it to Cadence and she took a good look at it. When she looked, she was greatly surprised, for one look on their hair and eyes and she immediately recognized them. “Are they…Twilight’s friends?” asked Cadence surprised. “Yes and no.” said Beau, “Turns out that on the other side of the mirror is a parallel world, a world where all of you are humans. Twilight and her friends there are teenagers, people who still go to school, whilst adults, like yourself and Shining Armor, has day jobs. And whilst your aunts are the ruling Princesses, as well as you, in the other world, you three are Principles of two different schools.” “Well, we do know how to teach others, so it would make sense.” Said Cadence. Then she spotted two identical girls that look like Twilight. One with glasses and one without. “The one with the glasses is Twilight, but Pinkie calls her Sci-Twi for some reason.” Said Beau, “And that over there is Twilight. The one without the glasses.” “Amazing, the resemblance is so uncanny.” Said Cadence. She then looked at him and said “Are you from that world?” “No, I’m from a different Earth.” Said Beau, “One where the likes of Dragons, Griffons and so on are considered myth, same with Unicorns and Pegasi. And Earth ponies there don’t speak the language we do. They’re at a time when…ponies were primitive and haven’t developed the ability for speech, is the right words.” “Really?” said Cadence as she was intrigued. “But how did you get here?” “I uh…died actually.” Said Beau, which shocked Princess Cadence. “Died?!” she yelped. “But…how did you get here then?” “It’s a bit of a story.” Said Beau. “Ever since I was a boy, my parents weren’t exactly to be the best around with. My father was an irresponsible Gambler and my mother was a workaholic and never even considered or tried to spend time with me. They gave me so many unnecessary lessons and made me waste countless hours working hard at certain schools. But even after every time whenever I would get a good grade, it was never enough for them. And the people around there didn’t exactly treat me fairly either. By the time I graduated College, I went to the lake to get away from my problems and my family. You could say my life was…very lonely.” Cadence was taken aback by this, and couldn’t help but feel pity for him. “The one day, whilst I was swimming in the lake, I was suddenly pulled into what looked like a whirlpool.” Continued Beau, “I think I ended up drowning in it. Next thing I knew, I was in Equestria, right outside of Ponyville. At first I thought it was weird, being out in the lake. But then I encountered Twilight.” “What was she doing there?” asked Cadence. “I think she said something about Spike telling her she needed to get some exercise every once and a while or he thinks she’ll end up becoming fat.” Said Beau, which got Cadence to laugh at that. “When we encountered one another it was…a little awkward.” “Awkward how?” asked Cadence. “Well, whilst I freaked out, I accidentally blabbed how horses can’t talk.” Said Beau, “Next thing I knew, she lifted me up using her magic and slammed me onto the ground, saying that she’s a pony and if I get it wrong I’d be sorry.” Cadence couldn’t help but chuckle at that, with Beau joining in. “Anyway,” said Beau, “Twilight took me back to Ponyville and she asked Rarity to make some new clothes for me. The next day, she contacted Princess Celestia and told her about me. Turned out she knew about my species.” “She did?” said Cadence in surprise, then realized “Oh, right. Because of the world that nearly resembles Equestria.” “That’s right.” Said Princess Beau, “We had a nice conversation and afterwards, she was able to make me a citizen of Equestria.” “Wow, that’s nice of her.” Said Cadence. “That’s right.” Said Beau, “After that, I was able to make myself a home here, working at Twilight’s library. I have a knack for organizing books and stuff. That way, I’m able to help Twilight in any way I can. After that, she introduced me to her friends, both in Ponyville and near Canterlot High. I learned a few things about them. Shortly after a month, the two of us became a couple. We continued to stay together in the same castle. That’s when I decided to ask her to marry me.” Cadence couldn’t help but shed a tear about this and wiped her eye. “That was an amazing story. And I could feel the chemistry between the two of you the moment I walked in here.” “You mean before your meat headed husband?” said Beau before he trailed off as the two of them could still hear Shining and Twilight argue. “I still don’t get his issue.” “Um, I think I have an idea.” Said Cadence, “When he heard she was getting married, he threw a hissy fit, now he’s thinking that you might be a Changeling in disguise.” “Least I’m not going around kidnapping babies because of jealousy of babies’ beauties.” Said Beau, which surprised Cadence, “We also have myths and folklores about Changelings. Though…they tend to be a little different.” “I see.” Said Cadence, then she wanted to change the subject so that things don’t become awkward. “So…when are you getting married in Canterlot?” “We’re not.” Said Beau, which surprised Cadence, “I plan to hold it here in Ponyville.” “Ponyville? How come?” asked Cadence. “Well for one, we’re not sure if the folks in Canterlot would accept us,” said Beau, “I mean you saw how the nobility there treated other creatures without a second thought.” Cadence grimaced, remembering how Nobles tend to look the other way from other creatures when she was still in school. “And the second?” “I don’t want Twilight to experience trauma or Déjà vu or remind her of what happened between Shining Armor and Chrysalis.” Cadence was surprised by this. She remembered that day when she scolded Shining Armor for doing that, though he claimed that Chrysalis brainwashed him, she only casted a spell to make him believe that Chrysalis was Cadence, and that she scolded Celestia for not taking Twilight’s side. “So…you want to hold a wedding here, because you didn’t want her to relive the pain and trauma back in Canterlot?” asked Cadence, which Beau nodded, she then smiled and said “That is so thoughtful of you.” “Yeah.” Said Beau as he couldn’t help but smile. Then frowned and said “I just wish there weren’t any drama along the way.” Cadence walked over and placed her hand on her shoulder, making Beau look at her, “I’ll try to talk to him.” The two of them walked to the door, and they hear Shining Armor. “I forbid you from going out with him!!” shouted Shining. “I’m not a child, Shining Armor!!” shouted Twilight, “And last time I checked, I’m also a Princess, meaning I make my own decisions!!” “One that you ended up making a fool out of yourself!!” shouted Shining, “And the last thing I needed is some freak to look after you!!” Suddenly, something inside of Beau snapped, the way he used that word, the exact same word he heard since his high school days, now suddenly came here. Normally he would brush it aside, but hearing someone say that, in front of his future wife, that…he was not going to let it stand. His eyes flashed, as if a thousand soldiers had combined with his newly fighting spirit. Beau then slammed the door opened, startling both Shining and Twilight, whilst Beau had a very angry look in his eyes. “Who…” began Beau as he took a few steps forward, “Who…in the hell…do you think you are?! Telling your own sister, who she can’t be with?!” “You stay out of this!!” said Shining. “Or what?!” said Beau, “You’re going to ban me from coming to Ponyville like you banned your own sister from your own wedding?!” Shining, Twilight, and Cadence were surprised to hear him say that. “And besides, isn’t who Twilight hangs around with her choice?!” asked Beau rhetorically, “Last time I checked, she’s not a child. She seems like someone who is capable of making her own decisions without someone holding her hoof. And at least I’m not the one who left her crying in the first place, whilst her mentor did squat into helping her!! Cause meanwhile, she was also secretly sent to an underground sanctum whilst an ugly bug of a queen wanted to use you as her own personal sex toy!!” “I’m her older brother!!” said Shining, “I’m the one responsible for her safety!!” The next thing before anyone knew, Beau did the unexpected… “Then who would you recommend then?” retorted Beau, “Who would you want around your sister, who can love, cherish and guarantee that she’ll be safe and that nothing will happen to her?” Shining was taken aback by what he said as he took a step back, even Twilight and Cadence were surprised by what he said. “Well, I, uh…” stuttered Shining Armor. “See?” pointed out Beau, “You can’t recommend anyone, Shining Armor. I know what you’ve been through from what your parents told me, but if you’re starting to rely on past assumptions, those won’t help you in real life. I’ll admit, I didn’t expect Twilight and I to warm up to one another and fall in love so quickly, but all things considered, we both trust each other enough to help us get through in life. Now I’m not going to claim I know her better than you, your parents, Cadence, or even Celestia, but it seems I know her well enough that she’s willing to put her faith in me and I do the same for her when nobody else did.” He took a few steps forward, making Shining Armor take the same amount of steps backwards. “Cause let me tell you something about your sister since she moved to Ponyville.” Said Beau. “She and her friends braved against Nightmare Moon when she came back. She and her friends convinced a freaking dragon to move away when he was close into polluting the skies between Ponyville and Canterlot. She and her friends, with the help of Apple Bloom helped accept Zecora into Ponyville when everyone else treated her like an outsider. She saved her friend Rarity from the Diamond Dogs when they kidnapped her. She helped her friends stop a war between the Buffalo Tribes and the ponies in Appaloosa. She and her friends helped stop Discord from taking over Equestria. She helped the ponies welcome Princess Luna when everyone else treated her like an outcast. She and her friends stopped Spike when he got turned into a rampaging beast monster. She helped her friends save Sweet Apple Acres from the Flim Flam Brothers. She helped save Spike’s life when three dragons tried to hurt him. She even tried to stop Chrysalis from taking over Canterlot, which by the way, she saved your sorry ass from a bug faced maniac when you banned her from the wedding, even disowned her if I can remember, heck, you didn’t even apologize to her when you yelled at her.” “It wasn’t my fault!! I was brainwashed!!” said Shining Armor. “That’s a load of bull!!” said Beau, “If I were to recall, she casted a spell to make you believe she was Cadence, everything else you said on your own. Cause you had the best reason in the world to side with your so-called wolf in sheep’s clothing; your braincells were located in your genitals!!” Shining Armor leaned his head backwards in shock from what he said, but not as shocked as Twilight and Cadence were when they clasped their mouths shut. “As I was saying.” Said Beau, “She saved the Crystal Empire from Sombra!! She stopped Trixie when she took over and enslaved Ponyville with an Alicorn amulet. She finished a spell that made her a Princess. She traveled to another world and stopped Sunset from wreaking havoc. She saved Princess Celestia and Princess Luna when they were captured by plunder vines. She fought alongside Daring Do and stopped Ahuizotl. She helped stop the vampire fruit bats from eating all the apples in Ponyville, which she was able to help dodge a major food crisis. She saved your wife from Discord’s onboard shenanigans. She helped save the Breezies by returning them to their homes. She and her friends stopped Tirek from destroying all of Equestria. She helped Sunset and her Rainboom friends stop the Sirens from taking over their world. She and her friends stopped Starlight and helped her free a local village. She and her friends stopped a Bugbear attack. She and her friends helped Luna stopped a powerful Tantabus from entering the real world. She stopped two families from feuding and made things worse. She helped expose a corrupt manager from manipulating Countess Coloratura, and she saved Equestria’s future when she convinced Starlight to listen.” Beau then took another few steps forward, which Shining Armor backed off and was surprised to see such merit from a human. “But you barely noticed that because whilst you were being a complete moron, she did all the hard work and proved her worth when no one else believed in her. She pulled through every single danger and aspect and helped everypony in Equestria in any way she can. So, for you, her own brother, to stand here and have the gall to tell her that she can’t take care of herself or whom she wants to spend her life with and you can’t trust anyone she’s with to help her when she’s in over her head, or even Spike.” He then leaned in his face and said “Cause when it comes between wanting to protect your loved ones, and taking care of them when they need help? Well, that’s just a no brainer, and it won’t look good for you, either.” Both Twilight and Cadence were stunned by what they had seen as a human who stood up to Shining Armor. However, peaking from around the door, were the rest of the Mane 6, Starlight, and Spike, whilst they too were surprised at the same time. “So, if I were you,” said Beau, “I would give her an apology, otherwise things might not be good for you.” “Or what?” said Shining Armor, showing some merit. Beau then had some thoughts going through his head, something he learned from one of his old detective books. First, distract target. Block blind jab. Counter to cross left cheek. Discombobulate. Dazed. Employ elbow block. Body shot. Block left. Weaken right jaw with left elbow. Fracture right jaw. Two punches to gut. Dislocate jaw. Heel kick to diagram. In the end, sustained injuries for three weeks, whilst will recover in three months psychology. “You really wanna do this?” asked Beau as he suddenly took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. “Have it your way.” The two of them were silent, until Beau tossed the handkerchief to Shining Armor’s face. “Hey!!” he exclaimed as he tossed it away, only for Beau to make a move. He delivered a strong left hook against Shining’s face, delivered a strong discombobulation with both his hands on both sides of Shining Armor’s face. He tried to punch back, only for Beau to block using his left elbow and delivered a strong jab to Shining’s side rib. Then blocked with his right and delivered a strong left elbow to the side of his face. Then Beau delivered an uppercut, two jabs at Shining’s gut, then backhanded Shining’s front face using his backfist, then finally, delivered a strong kick to the gut, causing Shining to fall backwards against a door and collapsed on his front. Needless to say, Twilight and Cadence were shocked to see what happened, though the others who watched had their jaws dropped when they saw how fast Beau moved. Beau then moved to Shining’s back, grabbed his arm, and held it in a near dislocated maneuver, making him grunt. “Say it. Say it!!” said Beau aggressively. “Say it!!” “Okay, okay!!” exclaimed Shining, “I’m sorry Twilight!! I’m sorry I didn’t apologize for not listening to you!! I’m sorry for yelling at you!! I’m sorry for banning you from the wedding!! I’m sorry I tried to get in your future husband’s way!! And I’m sorry I didn’t say I’m sorry!!” Beau then whispered something to Shining’s ear, making him gasp and shudder, causing Beau to let go of Shining, with the latter standing up, clearly surprised by what he did, but not as surprised as the others. “What…huh…” said Shining, then exclaimed “How did you do that?!!” “Little something I read from one of my old detective books.” Said Beau, “You’d be surprised what you can learn from a book.” Suddenly, he turned and said “Like a certain farmer and sports athlete teased that books can’t teach you how to do sports?!” Suddenly, the rest of Twilight’s friends arrived and waved sheepishly, which surprised the princess of friendship. He then looked at Twilight with a flexed eyebrow and said “Although there’s also a saying that there are a ton of things that books can’t do. Build character and experience.” Twilight smiled sheepishly at that too, with Beau then looking at Shining Armor whilst squinting his eyes and said “Now then? Are we going to have another problem?” Shining quickly shook his head, now getting the message. Twilight on the other hand blushed and fanned herself, for what she saw was pretty hot. “Now then?” said Beau as he pointed at the tea room, “Mind waiting in there whilst I go to the kitchen to get an ice pack and the first aid kit for you?” Shining Armor nodded and went over to his wife, allowing the both of them to sit down, with Beau walking over to Twilight. “Sorry it had to resort to this.” Said Beau before kissing her on the lips, before breaking it, smiling, and said “And nobody hurts my adorable bookworm.” Beau walked whilst Twilight watched him whilst stunned. She couldn’t help but blush and smile whilst he was walking at the same time. Beau walked out whilst the rest of the Mane 6, Starlight and Spike stared at Beau with their jaws being dropped. Until he stopped. “Applejack?” asked Beau, which startled the country pony. “Uh, yeah?” asked Applejack. “Why are you still here?” asked Beau before looking at her whilst he said “Aren’t you supposed to help get ready for Cider season?” Applejack yelped and said “Oh, right.” She quickly went out to help at the farm, whilst Beau walked away to get the first aid kit. “I’ll…help him find it.” Said Spike as he rushed off to help him out. At the same time, from the Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched from the mirror. Though they were surprised to see Beau’s reaction, they were relieved that they were able to solve this peacefully. ************************************************************************************************** Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Buck and the rest of the Apple Family were getting ready for Cider Season. With it only five days away, they had to get everything ready as quickly as possible. When they got to the machines, Buck was surprised by what he was seeing. “Whoa,” said Buck, “So you use this contraption to create apple cider?” “That’s right.” Said Applejack whilst she adjusted her hat. “It may not look like much, but this ol’ gal helped us out in plenty of situations when makin’ cider.” “If it’s anything I’ve seen you made from the hard work and hooves of yours, I believe it.” Said Buck, “And you know what…now I’m also curious to see how one makes it.” “Ya are?” asked Applejack, though there was a hint of excitement behind it. “Sure, I’d love to learn how to use it.” Said Buck. “Well now then partner, let’s get goin’.” Said Applejack with eagerness. “Wait, where are the others?” asked Buck. “Big Mac is helpin’ Granny out with somethin’ so he’ll be here soon. And Apple Bloom said that she had to arrange a CMC meeting with her friends, discussin’ what they can do now that they earned their marks.” “Hopefully she doesn’t take too long.” Said Buck. “Don’t worry, they’ll have things sorted out soon.” Said Applejack. During the whole day, they were constantly getting things ready. However, during that time, Applejack wondered something that had been stuck in her head for some time. “By the way partner.” Asked Applejack. “Yeah?” asked Buck. “What the hay is an amazon?” asked Applejack. Buck partially grunted, for he remembered he accidentally called her that, but seeing that she doesn’t know what it is, he decides to do his best to describe them. “In my old home,” said Buck as he stopped to take a breather, “The amazons are a myth in my world, but they explained a lot. They were once slaves to a deity known as Ares, who happens to be the god of war. Then one day, Hippolyta, the queen of the Amazons, rose up and led her fellow amazons against his armies and defeated them. Thanks to the goddess Hera, she brought her people to an island where they could live in peace without any fear.” He looked at Applejack and said “They are also known for being fierce, strong, and independent, as well as them being the most beautiful women. That’s basically what an Amazon is.” “Oh, ah see.” Said Applejack. “Welp, better get to it then.” Said Buck as he went to work. Applejack however, stood there and processed what he said. She placed her hands on her chest, thinking about him calling her an Amazon, making her blush really hard. She is strong and independent. As well as…beautiful. She never felt her heart beat so fast in all her life. “He thinks ah’m…” muttered Applejack as she felt really hot for some reason whilst watching Buck from afar as he helped Big Mac putting the apple cider machine together. A smile suddenly formed on her lips as she walked towards the two to help them out. *********************************************************************************************** During tea time at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight and Beau continued to talk to Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart. “So, wait, you died over at your world and somehow ended up here?” said Shining Armor. “That’s right.” Said Beau after he took a sip, “Though I sometimes miss home. Then again, I never thought I’d enter a world where every fantasy loving person would ever dream to come here, they’d enjoy the heck of this place.” “Still, sorry what you had to go through.” Said Shining Armor, who then blushed and said “And I’m sorry for wanting to nearly pummeling you when I heard Twily is getting married.” “She wanted to tell you, but we were worried that you’d overreact, considering what happened back at your wedding.” Said Beau, which made Shining Armor wince in guilt. “And about that, didn’t you even tell Twilight that you and Cadence had dated since she foal sat her, or before you moved to Ponyville?” Twilight blinked at that and said “Yeah, why didn’t you?” “I tried to tell him.” Said Cadence whilst rolling her eyes, “But he wouldn’t let me.” Beau flexed his left eyebrow and said “I think I know what you two have in common. And I think Cadence will agree with me.” “What’s that?” asked Shining Armor. Both Beau and Cadence looked at one another, nodded in agreement and said in agreement. “You both stink at communication.” Said Beau and Cadence, which surprised the siblings. “We do not!!” “Ahem.” Everyone looked at Spike, who looked at both Shining and Twilight, with a quirked eyebrow of his own, causing the two of them to sigh in defeat. “Plus, I wanted to move the wedding to Ponyville, because I didn’t want her to go through those memories again.” Said Beau. Twilight was surprised by this, with her saying “You did that…for me?” “Of course, I would,” said Beau, “Why wouldn’t I?” Twilight couldn’t help but smile with partial tears and hugged Beau, to which the latter returned. Shining saw how well those two were together and sighed, and couldn’t help but smile. “Clearly I misjudged you Beau.” Said Shining. “And if Twily’s happy, then I’m happy. I’m glad to see that she found her special somepony. Or somebody. So…welcome to the family.” Beau shook Shining Armor’s hand and said “Thanks Shining.” Suddenly, Flurry Heart teleported on top of Beau’s head, to which the latter was surprised and couldn’t help but laugh. “You really are a spirit baby, aren’t you.” Said Beau, with him holding Flurry Heart and tickled her tummy, to which she giggled and laughed. Though things may have started out rocky, Beau was just happy that things were resolved. Though not peacefully, but still resolved. Though in his entire lifetime…he never thought he had to beat up a Captain of the Guard. Though he promised Shining to keep it a secret, because if anyone were to discover a human had beaten the snot out of Canterlot’s Captain, he’d be the laughing stock of Canterlot. But in the end, Beau couldn’t wait for a few things… For the Wedding Day. And the day when the baby arrives.
Chapter 8: Sparkle's Wedding BellsTwo weeks after Shining Armor and Cadence’s visit, the Apple family were able to make their sales selling their ciders. Thanks to the bits, they have more than enough to pay the construction workers to help rebuild it. And thanks to Granny Smith’s memory (er, working memory), she was able to tell which room was going to be where. However, for some reason she wanted to make Applejack’s room a little bigger, as well as add another room to sleep in. Why she did that, they will never know. Buck, Applejack, and Big Mac were helping out with the construction to make things go faster. After working halfway through the house, Big Mac went over the plans one more time whilst Applejack and Buck sat down to take a break from the work. “It’s nice to see everything coming together.” Said Buck whilst he looked at the house. “Ya darn tootin’,” said Applejack after she took a sip of water. “Ah’m glad to see that our house is goin’ to be a little bigger, and more space.” “And the best part, that within a few weeks, Twilight and Beau are getting married.” Said Buck, “I hope she doesn’t get cold feet. Or uh, hooves, in this case.” “Knowin’ her, she wants things to be perfect.” Said Applejack whilst rolling her eyes, making the two of them laugh. Buck then thought of something, and asked “Since their wedding’s coming up, you think we should cater their food for them?” Applejack looked at him with a flexed eyebrow and said “Why would y’all say that?” “Well, from what I’ve heard from Granny,” said Buck, “Whenever there’s an event or wedding, the Apple Family always provided for that. But you couldn’t do it because of that Bugbear incident a while back.” “Ooh, right.” Mumbled Applejack, “After that whole ordeal, I plumb forgot about that.” “It happens.” Said Buck, “Though knowing Pinkie, she’s got the whole cake thing covered. Think we can come up with something?” “Ah’m sure we can.” Said Applejack, then asked “What kind of weddin’s do humans arrange?” “Sometimes different venues, different styles, different locations, especially the food.” Said Buck, “But most of them always had meat on the menu, so that’s out of the question. And honestly, I’m just as stumped as you are.” “We can probably ask Granny if she has any ideas.” Said Applejack. “Good call,” said Buck, “And would it be alright if I helped? I’d love to learn it from more practiced hands.” However, the two of them suddenly realized that their hands were on top of one another, making them blush and pull away whilst they were blushing at the same time. Though for some reason, they secretly smiled. “So, uh…” said Buck, “Once we finish rebuilding the house, should we get started on the catering?” “Sure thing…” said Applejack, “I’ll…send her a list soon.” They heard Big Mac coming along, causing them to look at the stallion’s direction. He motioned to them that their break time is over, allowing him to move towards the house. “Few stallions of words, isn’t he?” said Buck as he and Applejack walked back to the farm. “Sure is.” Said Applejack as the two of them continued from where they left off. ************************************************************************************************* 1 week later After the Apple family house was rebuilt, Applejack had sent a list to Twilight to see if there was anything that should be brought to the wedding. Beau decided to look it through at the same time, considering he decided to be Twilight’s temp assistant whilst Spike was going over the list of those who she should bring to the wedding. “Okay,” mumbled Beau whilst he was going over the list. “We’ll need these types of decorations. Then we’ll need a few of these, a few of that. Applejack pretty much has the catering thing down, given the Apple family’s rep for making food for the weddings that happen in Ponyville from time to time. And I don’t know if I should ask Mayor Mare, Princess Celestia or Shining Armor to help officiate the wedding.” Beau heard the doors opening and saw Spike walking in. “Hey Beau,” said Spike as he walked in with a long list. “What are you looking over?” “Going over the list,” said Beau, “Twilight wanted to, but I told her I got this, whilst she on the other hand needs to go over her wedding dress.” “But wait,” said a confused Spike, “Weren’t you supposed to go over your tux?” “Already did those two days before the wedding plans had begun.” Said Beau, which surprised Spike. “What? I like to be prepared.” “Good grief, you really are like Twilight.” Said Spike. “Yeah well you also have something in common with Twilight, you suck at communication.” Retorted Beau. “Hey, I don’t stink at…” Spike tried to retort, but the look on Beau’s face said otherwise, with him groaning and said “Good point.” “Anyone on the list?” said Beau. “Uh, yeah.” Said Spike as he looked, “Some of Twilight’s friends from Canterlot are coming. Cadence and Shining Armor will be there too. We’ll also invite some friends we’ve made too. The Cutie Mark Crusaders will also be there…” “Weren’t those the same three that had an identity crisis when they tried to figure out what they should do now that they have their own Cutie Marks?” asked Beau. “That’s right.” Said Spike, “But now that they know what to do, it’ll make their work much easier.” “And half of Ponyville is going to be here too.” Said Beau. He then suddenly had a sad look, which Spike noticed. “Uh, you okay there?” asked Spike, to which Beau sighed. “Wish my mother was here to see me.” Said Beau, “When I was dreaming, Princess Luna helped me communicate with her. I was able to say my goodbyes and we were able to make peace. But…I wish she could see me right now.” “But wouldn’t she proud of you finally finding someone special?” asked Spike. Beau smiled and said “She is. But it’s the principle of the matter, you know?” “Yeah, I get it.” Said Spike. “I’ll be going to Rarity; see how she’s doing?” “You mean Twilight, right?” said Beau with a flexed eyebrow. “Oh, right, her, yeah.” Said Spike sheepishly before rushing out. Beau groaned whilst rolling his eyes, “That dragon really needs to sort out his priorities. Is it any wonder why he’s never noticeable?” He then continued to go over the list one more time before taking a break. ************************************************************************************************* Back at Rarity’s boutique, Rarity was going over Twilight’s wedding dress fitting one more time. After going over it a couple of times, Rarity was able to finish the dress. “There you go, Twilight.” Said Rarity as she looked at her with her glasses. “You look truly marvelous.” Twilight looked at herself in the mirror and saw the dress she was wearing. Twilight couldn’t help but smile and look at herself in the mirror. “This is amazing, Rarity.” Said Twilight. “Indeed, it is.” Said Rarity before she said whilst removing her glasses, “Rarity, darling, you’ve outdone yourself.” “Rarity.” Said Twilight before she levitated a jar over, which surprised the latter as she realized something. “Oh, I said darling, didn’t I?” said Rarity before she reluctantly put a bit of hers in the jar. “Honestly, I still don’t see why I have to pay a bit for this constantly?” “We’ve been over this Rarity,” said Twilight, “You’ve been saying ‘darling’ way too much lately, we’re just trying to help improve your vocabulary.” Rarity looked at her with a deadpanned and dry expression and said “You mean you, are trying to help me improve my vocabulary.” “You know what I mean.” Said Twilight. “And as if you were one to talk, miss ‘I have to be perfect for Princess Celestia’?” retorted Rarity. “Don’t you start.” Said Twilight. The two of them heard the sound of a bell ringing by the door, making them look and saw Spike coming in. “Hey Twilight, Rarity,” said Spike, “How are things going on your side?” “We’re almost done Spikey-Wikey,” said Rarity, “We just need the veil and everything is all set.” “Nice,” said Spike, who then looked at Twilight. “Anyway, I’ve already sent the information to the names of the ones who are invited to the wedding on what they should expect. Beau on the other hand is going over the list of what’s needed.” “What?” said Twilight, “But…but organizing is my job.” Spike then teased “I think your hubby wants to take over your duties for a bit so that you don’t overwork yourself.” Rarity couldn’t help but giggle and said “Spike does have a point, Twilight. Ever since you’ve met him he has been constantly nothing but be good to you. We could see it clearly whenever he spent more time with you.” Twilight then leered at Spike, “And it would’ve been better if a certain dragon didn’t spill the beans to my friends about what I did in the bedroom.” “I’m sorry, okay!!” exclaimed Spike, “How the heck was Starlight and I supposed to know what you and Beau were doing?!! Besides, you didn’t make us Pinkie promise not to say anything.” “He’s got a point, Twilight.” Said Pinkie Pie, making the others yelp as they turned to Pinkie, who was hanging upside down with a grin on her face. Pinkie then landed softly onto a chair next to Rarity. “Pinkie, darling,” said Rarity as she removed her glasses, “Not that I have a problem, but what are you doing here?” “I came by to ask Twilight what kind of cakes she would want!!” said Pinkie. “Wait, what?” said Twilight surprised. “I thought Beau was going to go through it.” “He is, and I asked him earlier.” Said Pinkie, “He said that I should go ask you, considering you know what kind of cakes certain guests would want. Naturally, I decided to add a couple of Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness cakes, but I felt like wanted to ask what of cakes do your guests wants, especially Celestia, who we knows loves cakes and would eat at least two or three of them.” “However, do you know that, Pinkie Pie?” asked Rarity out of curiosity. “She came by last month to by three different types of chocolate cakes.” Said Pinkie Pie. “It’s true.” Said Spike, “Every now and then whenever I help Twilight with her tasks, Princess Celestia would take occasional trips to Ponyville to get a few cakes.” “Yup,” said Pinkie Pie with a glee of a smile, “The towns and cities in Equestria may make cakes, but there’s no cake that’s twice as better as the ones that’s made in Ponyville.” “Hmmm,” pondered Twilight as she instantly made a quill and scroll appear in front of her, “I do have a few in mind.” Twilight wrote them down and carefully listed them, whilst also making sure that Pinkie does what the instructions says. Why, because it’s Pinkie Pie they’re talking about. “There we go.” Said Twilight once she was done and handed it to Pinkie. “That should do it Pinkie.” “Thanks Twilight!!” said Pinkie as she grabbed the list with excitement. “Gotta bounce!!” She instantly darted out of the house, with Rarity shaking her head and said “Sometimes I wonder how is it she keeps doing what she’s doing.” “I think we’ve all gotten used to her crazy antics.” Said Spike, with the three mares nodding in agreement. “So, what’s everyone else doing?” asked Twilight. “Fluttershy is getting the animals ready to perform,” said Spike, “Rainbow is currently making sure that the weather in that day will be cleared without any problems, Applejack is preparing the menu with the rest of her family. And we all know what Pinkie is doing.” “I hope things turn out well,” said Twilight, who suddenly felt worried, “I’d really hate for things to go wrong.” “Why else do you think we’re going to hold our wedding in Ponyville?” said Spike, “Besides, with all of us being here, we’ll be able to get things ready in a split second. Or in this case a Pinkie second.” The two mares couldn’t help but giggle on that remark. “Welp, I’d better get going. There’s still more to do.” Said Spike. As he left, he said to Twilight, “Don’t worry Twilight, you two got this.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile and look at herself in the mirror, and realized that Spike was right. ‘I do, don’t I?’ thought Twilight to herself. ************************************************************************************************* 2 week later 2 weeks had passed and the big day had finally arrived. Everyone who was invited slowly made their way towards Ponyville as everyone was helping getting the wedding ceremony ready. One by one the guests were finding their seats or would sometimes mingle with each other. Beau was already dressed, but for some reason he had to go to Sweet Apple Acres. He was looking at himself in the mirror, whilst Big Mac, Spike, Shining Armor, and Night Light were with him. “Remind me again why I’m about halfway from town?” asked Beau. “It’s tradition that both the bride and groom be in separate locations whilst they prepare.” Said Shining Armor. “Plus, us guys need to stick together to make you look good.” Said Spike. “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac with a nod. “But won’t Rarity throw a hissy fit about it?” asked Beau, who then pretended to be Rarity “Oh, how dreadful, how could you drag your ensemble through all the dirty muck. You’ll ruin your suit. Why, it’s the worst…possible…thing, that could’ve happened.” All four guys blinked and were surprised. With Shining Armor saying “Okay, your Rarity voice was completely off.” “But that was kind of spot on.” Said Night Light. “Eeyup.” Replied Big Mac. Spike couldn’t help but chuckle and said “That’s exactly how Rarity would act.” “Still,” said Beau, before looking at himself in the mirror whilst worrying at the same time. “I just hope things don’t go wrong.” He felt an arm around him, and looked at Night Light. “It’ll be fine.” Said Night Light, “When I was getting married, I was just as stressed over how things were going to be. But I tried to hide that feeling, because I thought about wanting to make Velvet happy. And I’m glad I still kept it with me till this very day. And trust me when I say, I know you’ll make her happy too in the end.” “You really think so?” asked Beau. “Absolutely.” Said Night Light, “And I can tell that you’ll take good care of her, because you’re a decent and honest po, er, man.” “He’s right.” Said Spike, “And this dragon can teach you on how to be calm for a lady before getting married.” Beau looked at Spike with a flexed eyebrow. “Really? And who have you dated, hotshot?” Spike grunted at that, with Beau rolling his eyes and said “This is why some folks think you’re a bonehead.” “Totally.” Said Shining Armor. “Eeyup.” Agreed Big Mac, which caused the guys to laugh whilst Spike grumbled at the same time. *********************************************************************************************** Back at the castle of friendship, Twilight’s dress was at the ready, whilst Twilight herself was, you guessed it, was reading a book. And from the looks of it, it seems to be a location that caught her eye. “Oooh, this is perfect.” Said Twilight. At the same time, her friends were chattering as all of them were excited for the big day. “Oooh,” cooed Rarity as she got really excited, “I simply cannot wait for the ensemble I have made for us.” “Only you would get excited over a dress, Rarity.” Said Rainbow whilst rolling her eyes. “Why wouldn’t she Rainbow?” asked Starlight, “It’s not every day one of your best friends gets married. And to a human no less.” “Which makes it twice as exciting!!” exclaimed Pinkie whilst she bounced at the same time. “A lot of folks in Ponyville and some of our friends are comin’ over, ah’m actually curious about one thing.” Said Applejack. “And what’s that?” asked Starlight. “On what the baby might look like.” Said Applejack, to which the others voiced in agreement. Fluttershy however noticed something, and said “But, um, I think we’re going to have to convince her to get her out of it first.” Everyone looked and to their surprise, they saw Twilight reading a book whilst a large board was behind her, revealing tons of pictures, plans and ideas that she had somehow written down. “Twilight!!” said Rarity loudly, making Twilight yelp as she jumped from her seat and looked at her friends. Some had flexed eyebrows and disbelief looks. “What are you doing?” “Oh, I’m simply going over the certain plans and attractions and locations that Beau and I wanted to go on hour honeymoon.” Said Twilight. “Uh, isn’t that usually until after the wedding?” asked Starlight. “And Twi, y’all were supposed to be sleepin’!” said Applejack, “Ya need to be fresh and ready for yer big day.” “Applejack’s right, Twilight.” Said Rainbow Dash, “We don’t want you to overdo yourself again. Remember what happened last time when you went to the summit with Cadence in tow?” “Rainbow’s right, Twilight.” Said Fluttershy, “Spike ended up nearly running things during that time, remember?” Twilight groaned and said “How could I forget?” “And besides,” said Pinkie, “Even if either you or Beau messes things up, the both of you will end up making things work great and work better, cause that’s what families and loved ones do.” Twilight smiled and said “I just…wanted to be perfect.” “Don’t be like that, Twilight.” Said Starlight, “It’s clear as day how much you love Beau, and that the both of you are going to be parents soon. So, what way to just try something new rather than out of the norm.” Twilight thought about it, then was able to smile again. “Thanks girls, I needed to hear that.” Said Twilight. “You’re welcome, Twilight.” Said Fluttershy. “Now go and get cleaned up Sugarcube.” said. Applejack. “She's right darling, you're going to get married, and you simply look horrid.” said Rarity. “Yeah, Beau doesn't want to meet a slob at your wedding day.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Absolutely.” responded Twilight casually. Suddenly, it dawned to Twilight, as she greatly began to realize something. Something that she never thought would happen, nor thought would be possible. “Um, Twilight?” said Fluttershy, “Are you okay?” Twilight looked at her friends and then let a chuckle, then said “I'm getting married.” Then...it really dawned onto her, that she had a panicked look on her face, and then fainted. “Oh, boy!!” exclaimed Starlight as she and Rainbow quickly caught her. “Oh, she’s getting the wedding jitters.” said Rarity. “Pinkie, start a bath for her so we can clean her,” said Applejack, “This is going to take a while.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie before she darted off to the bathroom, whilst Starlight and Rainbow carried her to the bathroom, dragging Twilight as she suddenly didn't have the strength to walk. “I'm...getting...married.” said Twilight as she still couldn't believe it. “I heard of getting cold hooves, but this is ridiculous.” said Rainbow. “Just wait till yer weddin’ day will come, Rainbow.” said Applejack. “Pff, yeah right,” said Rainbow, “If that does happen, I'll take it like a pony.” Applejack rolled her eyes over Rainbow saying that. However, as she walked, she suddenly thought about…huh? Why is she thinking about Buck?!! She blushed madly at this and proceeds in a fastened pace towards the bathroom to help Twilight out. *********************************************************************************************** There was only an hour left before the wedding starts and everyone had begun to gather to their seats. To half the town’s surprise, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were also there. Princess Celestia wanted to officiate the wedding for both Twilight and Beau and that it would also be the first time that a pony would marry a different creature. Beau stood near the podium and was dressed in his white tuxedo whilst also wearing a purple tie. He saw Celestia and Shining Armor coming forth. “Shining Armor. Princess Celestia.” Said Beau, “Glad to see you two could make it.” “We would not miss it.” Said Princess Celestia, “Seeing that she is my student, I felt that it should be an honor to officiate the wedding personally.” “As long as Shining Armor doesn’t cry like a little girl before the wedding starts.” Teased Beau, which caused Shining Armor to look at him with a flexed eyebrow. Within Beau saying “Cadence, Spike and Twilight told everybody.” Shining shot a glare at Cadence and Spike, as neither of them noticed the stare he was giving them. “Still,” said Princess Celestia, “I can imagine my student must be over the moon being nervous.” “Isn’t she always?” said Shining Armor, then looked at Beau and said “And I’m surprised you haven’t freaked out yet.” “That’s because I don’t freak out.” Said Beau, “I take it like a man.” When all of a sudden, Beau slightly opened his eyes and… “A man, who happens to be getting married to a beautiful woman.” Muttered Beau, “A woman who also happens to be a pony mare, and who also happens to be a Princess, where others tend to hound her and make her work to help others extremely harder than it already is.” Beau had a slight panic on his face. “And after all the work I did here, what if something goes wrong, what if she doesn’t like it, what if she thinks everything is imperfect, she’ll end up panicking whilst freaking out about not being perfect, then maybe she won’t like me, and she’ll think I’m boring…And not worthy of being a husband!!” Shining Armor, Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence were surprised, that this was actually the first time they see him panicking. “And who would want to come by and ruin everything,” said Beau, “Who wouldn’t want us to get married. Who would want to separate us. Is there a conspiracy out there?!” “Whoa,” muttered Shining Armor, “This is the first time I’ve seen him panic.” “Same with us.” Said Cadence. “He really is a match for her.” Said Luna, then deadpanned and said “And you should know Celestia, you took her in as your student.” Celestia looked at Luna with a flexed eyebrow, but then Roland grabbed Princess Celestia and said “Oh boy, I feel sick. I feel nauseous. I CAN’T BREATHE!!!” Beau held the side of his shirt as he began to sweat like crazy. When all of a sudden, Cadence teleported Pinkie to them. “Huh, what am I doing…?” said Pinkie, then saw Beau panicking, which she then had a deadpanned look. “Oh boy, I’ve seen this before.” Pinkie then dug into her hair and within a split second, pulled out a large mallet, which surprised Shining and the three Princesses. And on the side of the hammer, was written ‘in case of panicking’. She lifted the mallet and said “This will only hurt for a second.” And with one massive swing, she struck Beau on the top of his head, making him widen his eyes and he collapsed on his butt onto the ground, whilst at the same time, his eyes were rolling as he was actually seeing stars. Beau then shook his head, then looked at Pinkie and muttered with squinted eyes. “Thank you. I…needed that.” “Anytime.” Said Pinkie as she placed her mallet away. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we got a princess to get ready.” She instantly darted back to the castle, whilst Beau was slowly trying to stand up as his head was shaking. Shining Armor wanted to say something, but Cadence stopped him, for she knew what he was going to say, and shook her head, knowing that it won’t help. Princess Celestia however, couldn’t help but laugh hysterically at his predicament, which surprised Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadence. “Wait, you’re laughing at me?” said Beau. “Oh, Beau, I’m not.” Said Princess Celestia after she calmed down and lifted his chin so that he could look at her. “I’m laughing because I had the exact same fears you’re having.” “Really?!” said Beau, Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadence surprised. “It’s true.” Said Princess Celestia, “Long ago, whilst I was teaching at the school, I noticed how well she was progressing, and I was proud of her achievements. But I noticed that her achievements were keeping her from the most important things.” “Like making friends?” said Beau. “Twilight has bit of an…obsessive side.” Said Shining Armor. “Trust me, we both tried for years, but she didn’t budge.” Said Cadence. “I ended up having to make a difficult decision, by sending her away so that she could learn.” Said Princess Celestia, “Whilst visiting Ponyville, I noticed five ponies here, who I could sense was very special, so I planned to send her here. But, like anypony, I came up with different reasons of why I didn’t want her to go. And it turned out all of the anxiety I felt, was because I didn’t want her to go.” Beau, Shining Armor, and Cadence were surprised by this. “Really?” replied the three, with Princess Luna nodding in confirmation. “I loved, having her as a student.” Said Princess Celestia, “She challenged and taught me, just as I taught her. And I was embarrassed to admit it, but I was scared that the moment she made friends, she wouldn’t need me anymore.” Beau, Princess Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor were surprised to hear this. Beau however, could see that by being around Twilight for so long…she felt like a daughter to her. Beau then did the unexpected…he hugged Celestia, much to the ruler’s surprise. “Princess Celestia,” said Beau before breaking it and looking at her, “That will never be true. She would always need you, just as you need her. And something I should’ve learned long ago, is that just because you let someone spread their wings, doesn’t mean you no longer have a place in their lives. She may have her own life, she may not be a child, and I could tell from the start that you just wanted to be a part of it. And that no matter what happens, she’ll always be the filly you taught. And that you’ll always be a mother figure to her. In fact, she looks up to you a lot.” He rolled his eyes and said “And she’s always so obsessive a while back to please you, but one thing I learned, is that you can’t please everyone. Not to mention she and everyone else fails to see what I see. You may be a ruler, you may be a leader, and you may have the power of the sun behind you. But they don’t see that you’re just a pony like them, who laughs, who cries, who gets angry. At the end of the day, we try to prepare for the next day, that’s why we spend every moment from the time we still have. That’s what I figured at least. So, in a way…she’s proud to be your student, she even became an Alicorn and tried to teach others like you taught her, you continued to pass on what you’ve learned. And that lesson will always be remembered. And the one thing that she’ll always remember…the love she has for you, her teacher, her role model, her parental figure, and the pony she’ll always be thankful for.” The four ponies were taken aback by what he said, and could sense the wisdom from his voice. Princess Celestia couldn’t help but smile and shed tears from this. She gently hugged Beau, to which the latter returned. “Truly wise words Beau.” Said Princess Celestia. She broke the hug and said “It seems you truly were fated to be here after all. And I have a feeling that she’ll learn more from you than from anypony else.” “I have a feeling she will.” Said Beau, “And don’t worry. You’re secret is safe with me. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my…” The moment he tried to say eye, he accidentally poked himself in the eye, making him yelp and held it, “Dang it.” The four ponies couldn’t help but laugh at his predicament. 1 hour later Soon enough, everyone had taken their seats and had waited anxiously for the big day. Though to Princess Celestia, she knew the only one who was more nervous was Beau. Beau looked at her, and she gave him a reassuring smile, indicating that everything will be okay. He couldn’t help but smile and took a breath to calm down. Then it happened…the wedding music began to play, and many began to stand up and look at the other direction. Beau took a breath and slowly turned around. When he looked, he was surprised what he was seeing. Twilight was wearing a pristine white dress with pink frills which narrowed along the legs, accenting her figure beautifully. She wore light violet gloves which went up to her elbows and her hair was done in a bun which supported her wedding veil which partially concealed her face. Beau couldn’t help but be in awe of what he was seeing, for Twilight really looks beautiful. Though Beau decided to keep a straight face when he tried his best not to make a fool of himself. Twilight could see Beau staring back, which she couldn’t help but blush right back and tried her best to keep her composure. The two of them then stood next to one another whilst facing to Celestia at the same time. “You look amazing by the way.” Whispered Beau to Twilight, to which she couldn’t help but blush. “You’re not so bad yourself.” Whispered Twilight back. Princess Celestia then began to address the crowd. “Fillies and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to join Beau and Twilight Sparkle in holy matrimony,” said Celestia, “Now I'm going to just go straight to saying that the two made their vows and not say what they are since both wrote lists long enough to go all the way back to Canterlot.”. Beau and Twilight blushed sheepishly as the others laughed. “But they did prepare something,” Celestia continued as she looked at the couple. Twilight then began to speak, “I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’m going to say. But the truth is, as my sister-in-law suggested, the way that I feel right now, looking at you… It’s beyond words. When I first met you, I wasn’t sure what to think. But I stand by what I said back then. You were an interest to me. And you proved that, over and over again, with the sincerity you’ve shown me, the depth of your feelings, and the lengths you’re willing to go to for someone important to you, even at a great personal cost. Most of all, you became such a big part of my everyday life that the thought of not having you in it is simply unbearable. And I’m thrilled to take the next big step together with you and see what the rest of our lives have to offer.” Beau couldn’t help but smile at this and began to speak his mind. Beau then began to speak, “The way that I feel about you… I’ve said it before, a lot. I love you. More than anybody I’ve ever known. I owe you and our friends everything, but you, most of all. The friendship that I forged with you is pure magic, and even through all of the hard times, it’s only gotten better since. There aren’t enough words in all the books in the world to express how I feel about you. You took me in and accepted me without a second thought. We began to know one another, learned to laugh at a few things, especially finding someone who has the same taste in learning as I do. And I hope we continue to learn of life ahead of us, even when it’s unknown. And I’m more than happy to learn more by your side.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile and feel the same. “The rings please?” asked Princess Celestia. Spike casually walked up with the rings, until he suddenly tripped and dropped onto the ground, causing the rings to fly in the air, which surprised some, then Beau quickly jumped up and grabbed them. They then looked at Spike, whom they noticed tripped on a muffin. “What the…?” muttered Spike, “Who the heck drops a muffin in the middle of nowhere?!” “My bad.” They looked up and saw Derpy wearing a dress whilst flying and eating a few muffins. Some were confused by this. “How the heck did she become a mail pony?” whispered Beau to Twilight. “I have no idea.” Whispered Twilight back. Both Twilight and Beau placed their wedding bands on one another’s ring fingers. Once that was done, both of them looked at Princess Celestia. “Do you Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, take Beau to be your lawfully wedded husband. Will you love, honor and comfort him, for as long as you both shall live?” “I do.” Said Twilight. “And do you Thomas Rohan, also known as Beau from Earth, take Twilight Sparkle to be your lawfully wedded wife. Will you love, honor and comfort her, for as long as you both shall live?” “I do.” Replied Beau. “Then, by the power vested in me, as co-ruler of Equestria,” said Princess Celestia, “I now pronounce you, mare and husband.” Beau then decided to do something bold. He scooped up Twilight, much to her surprise as she yelped whilst being twirled. He then kissed her full on the lips, which surprises her, but succumbs to it as she kissed him back, with everyone cheering whilst standing up. The two of them broke the kiss and had smiles on their faces. Until Beau rolled his eyes and said “Okay Shining, you can start crying now.” Shining then cried out loud, which surprised everyone, but laughed all the same as they expected this to happen. From the audience, Buck enjoyed the wedding, and saw how well Twilight and Beau were together. Then a sudden thought came to him. He slowly looked at Applejack, whom he had sit beside the whole time. And wondered…maybe he could try too. If time permits that is. *************************************************************************************************** Soon the entire party is on full swing, with everyone celebrating the wedding. Everyone was dancing, feasting, and laughter being filled all around as everyone began to celebrate everything happening. Twilight and Beau were over at the cake as the two of them had a cake slice, until Twilight smashed a piece of cake to Beau’s face, causing the both of them to laugh about it, even the others found it funny, and hope that Pinkie doesn’t throw a hissy fit when it comes to cakes. Then came the dance between Beau and Twilight, the two of them dancing on the dance floor with everyone following suit. As half the folks were watching the dance, Buck saw Applejack sitting at the opposite side, and felt nervous for some reason. He walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder, gaining her attention as she looked at him. “Um, AJ.” Said Buck nervously, “Would it be okay if…we danced together?” Applejack was a little surprised by this, whilst also blushing at the same time. She couldn’t help but sport a smile and said “Of course Sugarcube. Why not?” The two of them stood up and walked over to where Twilight and Beau were dancing. Soon enough, the two of them danced along whilst the music was playing at the same time. For some reason, Buck loved dancing with her. And in a way…it felt…right. Really right. After a few hours of dancing, Beau, Twilight, and the rest of her friends were sitting together, talking, and laughing as everyone else enjoyed the party. “You seriously freaked out before the wedding even started?!” laughed Rainbow when Beau told them of how he freaked out in front of Shining and the rest of the three Princesses. “You were more stressed out than Twilight!!” laughed Spike. “Still,” said Beau, “I’m glad the wedding went along great without any problems.” “Same here.” Said Twilight as she was able to hold her newlywedded husband’s hand, to which the two smiled at one another. “Plus, a day before the wedding started, I went back to the doctor and asked him about the baby. Thankfully they were able to identify it.” “Really?” said Beau eagerly, “What did they say?” The rest were also eager about this, with Twilight making a squee sound and said “It’s a girl.” The girls got excited, with Beau hugging Twilight at the same time. “So, now that the wedding will be over soon,” said Rainbow, “Where are you guys going to spend your honeymoon?” “I have something in mind.” Said Beau, “But it involves traveling through the mirror.” “Huh?” went the others. “Near CHS?” said Twilight surprised. “I was able to arrange a few things on the other side and we’ll be able to travel all over there. Plus, I know you never had the chance to explore much there, so we figured why not give that a chance. Plus…” He smirked and leaned over whilst saying “It’ll give you a chance to explore the other world’s libraries.” Twilight squealed in excitement whilst her wings were flapping in excitement. “You know me so well.” “But won’t that be a financial problem?” asked Buck, “From what you told me, Equestria and the world where Sunset and her friends live are very different. Though it is similar, it’s also very different.” “We’re both humans, remember?” said Beau, “I’ve been there for a while and I was able to learn that it’s similar to our old home. Plus, I was able to make a few investments and cashed in a few things. And we’ll end up having a tidy sum to support us. Plus, I was able to arrange a few things to help guide us. And Sunset and her friends were more than glad to help plan a lot of things for us.” “Amazing,” said Rarity, “Twilight, you are most fortunate to have such a wonderful husband.” Twilight squeezed Beau’s hand for comfort, to which Beau looked whilst the Princess smiled at her. “Though there’s another problem.” Said Spike, “If I remember, when you and Twilight go through the mirror, the two of you turn into Teenagers. And from what Beau told me, the laws said that no one can marry unless they turn over twenty.” “I got that covered.” Said Beau, “I was able to find an aging spell that would allow us to be in our mid-twenties on the other side. All we need is the right alterations.” “Okay, now you’re scaring us.” Said Starlight as Beau suddenly thought ahead of time, to which the others couldn’t help but chuckle at that, for this is what they would’ve expected from Beau. Though no one can complain, for the way things are now, having Beau, as well as Buck around, would make things really exciting. What the future will hold, no one knows. But one thing’s for sure, having humans around Equestria, will make their lives very exciting.
Chapter 9: Of honeymoons and country loveThe next day, at the Castle of Friendship, Twilight and Beau were standing in front of the mirror, with a few luggage ready for just in case, with the rest of her friends, Spike and Buck standing near them. “Now y’all be careful over there Sugarcube.” Said Applejack. “She’s right, Twilight.” Said Spike, “We’ve spent a few days at a time whenever we visit, you’ve never been there for two weeks or a month before.” “He does have a point, Twilight.” Said Starlight, “Are you sure this will be safe?” “Not to worry,” said Twilight, “Beau showed me the spell to alter the mirror. When we came out of the other side, we appeared as teenagers. But thankfully, he was able to help me determine our age, so we’ll be able to look about our current age the moment we’re on the other side.” “Plus, the other side is also a lot like my old home.” Said Beau, “So I’ll be able to help adapt in this world. And thankfully I was also able to get a license for driving.” “Driving what?” asked a confused Rainbow. Beau showed them a picture of a car and said “With these. Someone invented these types of transportation a hundred years ago. Overtime, they continued to improve the design and people use them on a daily basis. It also make traveling easy. Where it takes a week traveling from one town to another, this one allows you to travel there in a matter of hours.” “Oooooohhh.” Went the ponies in the room. “Now, before we go.” Said Beau, then turned to Twilight. “Honey, I just need to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything else. Did we forget anything?” Twilight thought about, then realized. “Oh, right. I forgot to bring an empty journal with me. I want to use it to document on what’s on the other side. I think I left it in the Library. Could you get it for us?” “You got it.” Said Beau, then looked at Starlight and said “Starlight? You happen to know where it is, considering the two of you are always in the same library when carrying out lessons.” “Oh, sure thing. I can show you.” Said Starlight as she was the first to leave, whilst Beau followed her. As the friends discussed on what they’re going to do, both Beau and Starlight arrived at the library. Starlight looked around and said “Now where did we put that journal.” “Before we do.” Said Beau, gaining Starlight’s attention. “I know my wife gave you a very overcomplicated list.” “Um, that’s right.” Said Starlight nervously. “But I convinced her otherwise and instead I asked her if I could give you an important task instead.” Said Beau, “I’m not going to go overboard, it’s just something simple.” “Um…what?” asked a confused Starlight. “I want you…” said Beau as he suddenly got serious, to which frightened Starlight a bit, until he smiled and said “To housesit for us.” Starlight blinked and said “Excuse me?” “Whilst we’re away, we need someone to look after the Castle whilst we’re away.” Said Beau, “Your job is to make sure everything stays clean, neat, making sure no one abuses this place for their own needs like forming a party, like that time Twilight had to kick Pinkie out a while back because of what she did.” “Twilight did what?” said Starlight surprised. “I found out from Spike.” Said Beau, “Anyway, we need somepony to look after the place. Consider this a lesson.” “Lesson?” said a confused Starlight, “What kind of lesson?” “By being responsible.” Said Beau. Again, Starlight was confused by this, with Beau deciding to fill in. “See, every now and then, whenever we’ve been given a task, we’ve also been given a responsibility. And if they see that you’re responsible, then they trust you enough to do things on your own. Princesses Celestia and Luna learned them, same with Cadence and Shining Armor. And Twilight still struggles with it all the time. Now you get to do the same by proving your worth. And seeing that you’ve got some parts of being responsible hands down, I figured that this could also prove as a place of responsibility. Back in my world, what I’ve read in a comic book, there’s a saying, that with great power comes great responsibility. Meaning now that you’re in charge of the castle, it’s your responsibility.” “Wait, me?” asked Starlight, “But what about Spike?” “No offense, I wouldn’t even trust him enough to look after a cardboard box than a castle.” Said Beau. Starlight was surprised by this, with her asking “Why would you say that?” “Look, I like Spike, I really do,” said Beau, “But that guy can sometimes make boneheaded decisions when it comes to certain things. Remember that incident at Canterlot a while back when Twilight needed rest after her so called all nightery and Spike made a mess by taking over, claiming that Twilight asked for a few things?” “Oh yeah,” muttered Starlight as she remembered Twilight telling her that. “I forgot about that.” “Not to mention a few other things,” said Beau, “Like the Winter Wrap Up when he acted innocent when Twilight wanted to help plough the field with Applejack, when it was his idea to tell her to use magic to plough the field. Then there was that time he thought he could take on the Diamond Dogs when he wanted to save Rarity, but made a fool of himself. Then there was the time he got jealous over an owl. Then there was that time he ended up upsetting Pinkie Pie that made her think her friends didn’t love her anymore…” “Wait, what?” said a confused Starlight, “Why would she think that?” “Long story short, it was her birthday, she didn’t know about it, her friends tried to keep it a surprise, but you know how persistent she can get, for she can’t keep a secret unless you Pinkie Promise, and she can’t read a person or stop poking her nose into other people’s business.” “That sounds like her.” Muttered Starlight. “Then there was the time he didn’t try to stop her from using that Want it, Need it Spell, or try to convince her that she shouldn’t overstress over a dumb report. When he let his greed turn him into a literal monster. And that time he made a fool of himself in front of the dragons by acting like a pony, when he failed to realize that everyone grows up differently and don’t have the same upbringing the other does. Or that he didn’t even stay and defend Twilight when she tried to save Shining when she felt something off about Cadence when it was Chrysalis in disguise.” “But…didn’t they turn their back on her when they thought she was crazy when she didn’t have any proof or evidence and made a poor case?” Beau wanted to say something, but then realized it too and said “Oh yeah, good point.” Beau continued “Then there was the time he was supposed to take care of their pets whilst they were away, only for him to botch it up completely. Where he got them trapped into an enchanted comic book, when he didn’t pay attention to the enchanted part. Or that time he botched up the Breezie Migration. Or gave that spell book to Rarity that caused her to over beautify the entire town, where he made a fool of himself twice at the Equestrian Games.” Starlight was surprised by the mistakes Spike made. “He made that many mistakes?!” “That’s right. More importantly.” Said Beau, before whispering to her, “I know he still has that fantasy where Rarity would finally fall in love with him, but it’s never going to happen.” Starlight was surprised by that last part, with Beau saying normally, “Which is why I’m putting you in charge of the castle, because you’re the only pony in this castle that’s responsible.” “Um, I wouldn’t exactly call enslaving a town and trying to destroy Equestria’s history being responsible.” Said Starlight nervously. “Eh, that’s all in the past.” Said Beau, “Besides, you were just lost, confused, didn’t know how to move on…” Then Beau looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, “Or even grow up.” She winced at that, with Beau reassuring her, “But the point is, you’re better than you once were. Which is why we take the path of redemption one step at a time. There’s an old saying in my world. You take it one step at a time. You live life as best you can, and then you pick up right where you left off. And some things may come to an end, which we know can be sad. That’s why we continue to live in the moment with the time we still have.” Starlight blinked a couple of times, as if…she was strangely moved by his words. “How is it you’ve never been my teacher?” said Starlight in disbelief. “Eh, I have my moments.” Said Beau. Then he found the journal and picked it up. He then said “Whenever you struggle, Starlight. You can always talk to me. You can count on it.” As Beau left, Starlight stared at Beau surprised, and couldn’t help but smile and follow Beau where Twilight and the others were waiting. “Got it, Twilight.” Said Starlight. “You really need to keep that library of yours clean.” Said Beau. “I do clean it!!” protested Twilight. This however, was a mistake as Beau suddenly smirked. “Oh really, lady Sparkle.” Said Beau, “You know how I feel about lying. I’m gonna have to…” Beau then whispered to her whilst he slowly ruffled her feathers, making her blush and slightly moaned, “I’m going to have to punish you during our…happy ending sessions.” Twilight widened her eyes in shock, whilst blushing madly at the same time. “Shut up.” Muttered Twilight as she shoved him a bit before giggling. “We’d better get going, or we’ll be late.” Said Beau, “We don’t want to miss out on anything.” “Right,” said Twilight as she picked up her bags, with Beau picking up his. She turned to her friends and said “We’ll see you guys in about a month.” Twilight stepped through the portal, with Beau saying “See you guys.” “See you later, Beau!!” said Pinkie. “Enjoy your honeymoon.” Said Spike. “You got it bonehead, er, I mean, Spike.” Said Beau before walking through. Spike blinked by the first part her called him. “Hey, what did he mean by bonehead?” Said Spike, then turned to the others and said “I’m not a bonehead!!” The looks from the girls faces said otherwise, which Spike didn’t get. ‘Wow,’ said Starlight from within her thoughts, ‘Beau was right, he really is a bonehead.’ *********************************************************************************************** Back at CHS, the Rainbooms were hanging out near the statue, with Sunset holding Princess Twilight’s journal. “Are you sure they’re popping by here?” asked Rainbow. “They are, Rainbow.” Said Sunset Shimmer, “Plus from what Princess Twilight says, both she and Beau have a surprise for us.” “Oooh, what kind of surprise?” said an exciting Pinkie Pie. “Ah’m sure they’ll tell us once they get here.” Said Applejack. They heard the sounds of a portal shimmering, “Oh, that must be them now.” Said Rarity. Two figures soon emerged from the portal, with Twilight standing tall and said “Whoa, that feels a bit different.” “I know what you mean.” Said Beau. He then noticed the Rainbooms and said “Oh hey girls.” The Rainbooms however, all looked at both Beau and Twilight shocked, as they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. “What?” said a confused Twilight. “Twilight? Beau?” said a confused Sunset. “Is…is that you two?” said Sci-Twi surprised. Spike went over and sniffed them, then said “Yep, that’s them alright?” “Why are you two staring at us like that?” asked Beau. “Well…” said Rarity as she used her diamond geode to create a large mirror. When Twilight looked at it, she widened her eyes in surprise, whilst she inspected her body at the same time. For the spell that Beau had founded worked. For now, they look somewhere in their mid-20’s. But what was different, was instead of her usual attire, it nearly resembled that to Principal Celestia’s, only in her previous’ clothing’s color scheme. “Wow,” said Twilight after she was done looking herself over. “So, this is what I look like if I was an adult in this world.” Beau looked at himself over, and said “Never figured this is what I look like at age 26.” “What did you two do?” asked Sunset. “Oh, see it’s like this.” Said Twilight before she was cut off. “Honey, mind if I explain things?” said Beau. Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes and gestured for him to do so. “It’s like this,” said Beau, “A while back when we last visited you guys, we appeared as teenagers. But back in Equestria, we’re already adults. I’m about 21 and Twilight’s a year younger than me. But we realized that if we wanted to move around the world a bit, or even drive, then we’d end up having a problem that we appeared as teens. So, I looked through a few spells and was able to find an artifact that could help change our ages. I experimented with the portal so that it could help turn us into adults the moment we crossed. Thankfully it’s a onetime thing.” “Oh? Why would that be a problem?” asked Fluttershy. “Well for one we wanted to go somewhere on our honeymoon.” Said Beau. The Rainbooms were greatly surprised by what he had said. “I’m sorry,” said Rarity, “Did you say, honeymoon?” “Er…yeah.” Said Twilight as she and Beau showed their wedding rings to them. Needless to say, the Rainbooms were speechless at first, until the girls, minus Rainbow squealed in excitement and hugged the couple tightly. “Normally, I wouldn’t condone to acting like they do, but…” said Rainbow, before she did the same and hugged them too. “Congratulations!!” said Sunset after they broke the hug. “You two must be so happy!!” said Fluttershy. “This is the most amazingness thing, ever!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she got just as excited. “Y’all must be the luckiest ever.” Said Applejack. “As well as something else.” Said Beau. The Rainbooms were again confused at first. Until Beau placed his hand against her belly, causing them to instantly realize what he meant, making them squeal even louder and hugged Twilight again. “So, you’re going to be parents, too?!!” said Sci-Twi in excitement. “We sure are.” Said Twilight, “The doctor also said that it’s going to be a girl.” “Aw yeah, this is awesome!!” said Rainbow Dash. “Although, now it would explain why you made yourself older, because you didn’t want to be in trouble with the authorities.” Said Rarity when she realized something. “That’s the gist of it, yeah.” Said Beau. “But how did you guys make yourself older?” asked Sunset. “We used this artifact.” Said Twilight as she pulled it out and showed it to them. “We were able to use this on the mirror to change our ages when we crossed over.” “Yeah, cause for one, Twilight’s a year younger than me.” Said Beau. “How old are you?” asked Fluttershy. “I’m twenty-one whilst Twilight is a year younger than me.” Said Beau, whilst unknown to them the artifact was reacting slowly to something. “Huh?” said the Rainbooms. “See, it’s like this.” Said Twilight, “I’m already a legal adult in Equestria, but when I crossed the portal the first time, I was turned into a teenager, different worlds different times. I was turned into a teenager in order to avoid suspicion, considering as you guessed, my counterpart was still in her teens.” “So that explains why you were the same age as me.” Said Sci-Twi, “Our counterparts are already adults, but if you cross to the portal where you’re counterpart is still a teenager, you’ll end up the same age as we do in order to keep the balance of the world.” “Good guess.” Said Beau. “Good guess, it’s a great theory!!” said Twilight in excitement. “I know, I’m just…” said Beau, until he noticed something about the artifact, which made him widen his eyes a bit. “Uh, Twilight? Is it supposed to do that?” They saw the artifact reacting a bit as it glowed, which surprised them. “Uh, I don’t know.” Said a surprised Twilight, “It’s never done that before.” As the artifact glowed, Pinkie noticed something. “Hey look, Sunset’s glowing too.” They saw Sunset glowing a bit, making her look at herself for a moment. “Uh, what’s happening?” said a nervous Sunset. Suddenly, Beau noticed that Sunset was slightly growing, which made his eyes widen in shock. “Uh, Twilight?” “Yes?” said both Twilight and Sci-Twi. Seeing that Beau wanted both their opinions, he asked the two of them, “Seeing that you’re from Equestria and the mirror reduced your age to a teenager, but we found a way to make ourselves older thanks to the artifact, right?” “That’s right.” Said Twilight. Sci-Twi widened her eyes in shock as she realized, “And er…Sunset also happens to be from Equestria, and you did mention that she was older than you, so…” Suddenly, it dawned to everyone, with Fluttershy going “Oh my.” They heard a large rip, causing them to look. For Sunset was now the same height as Twilight, but two years older, her breasts were now an E-Cup. She was now a fully grown woman, which made her gasp in shock. She screamed in shock as she covered herself whilst crouching, which shocked the others. “Okay, we did not, do that!!” exclaimed Beau. “We need to get her inside!!” shouted Twilight. Everyone quickly took her away whilst trying to avoid the crowds at the same time. *********************************************************************************************** Soon enough, they were safely in the music room. And though by some miracle, they were able to turn Sunset back to normal, and Rarity having her wardrobe ready for just in case. “We are so, sorry Sunset.” Said Twilight. “No, no, it’s alright.” Said Sunset, though still feeling embarrassed, “You didn’t know this would happen.” “Why the heck did the artifact affect Sunset, too?” asked Rainbow Dash. “As I theorized, and what my counterpart also guessed,” said Sci-Twi, “When Princess Twilight crosses over, she turns into a teenager. And from what all of you mentioned, Sunset was older than Twilight before she became Princess Celestia’s pupil.” “And when she traveled through the portal,” said Twilight, “She was turned into your freshman year. But when I first saw her, she was about the same age I was. Though it felt like it was ten years since she was in Equestria, the artifact must’ve reacted to her, causing her to grow older too.” “Thank goodness it was temporary though.” Said Sunset as she took a breather, “I didn’t know how I was going to explain this to Principle Celestia if she saw me older.” “Though from what you’ve told me, I thought she was used to it by now.” Said Beau. “Sometimes she is.” Said Sunset. Beau sighed and said “This is not how I wanted our honeymoon to start.” “It’s alright, Beau.” Said Twilight, “Neither of us knew this was going to happen.” “Still,” said Applejack, “Where are y’all gonna go now that y’all are here?” “Well, seeing that I know how humanity works and everything, I figured I’d show her the ropes.” Said Beau, “As for locations…I’m not sure, we haven’t thought that far yet.” “Maybe we can help.” Said Pinkie as she pulled out a map and presented it to them. “This is the map where you wanna go. Famous locations and everything. Perfect place for Princess Twilight to go if she wants to go to a place she hasn’t gone to yet.” “Oooh, this is perfect.” Said Princess Twilight as she accepted the map. “Thanks Pinkie Pie.” “No problem, Twilight.” Said Pinkie Pie when she smiled with a squeak sound. “Though how are y’all gonna get around?” asked Applejack. “It’s like this.” Said Beau. (One complicated recap later) “And that’s how I was able to plan everything out.” Said Beau, which caused their jaws to be dropped. “Okay, wow.” Said Sunset. “You’ve certainly gained a keeper, Princess Twilight.” Said Rarity playfully, with Twilight blushing and leaning against Beau. “So, now that we’ve cleared that out, when are you guys heading out?” asked Rainbow. “Well, we figured we’d stop at Sugarcube Corner first, and then we hit the road.” Said Twilight. “Good idea,” said Fluttershy, “We can show you the attractions and locations you’ll want to go.” “We’ll go after your class is over,” said Beau, which confused the Rainbooms, “You still got an algebra quiz coming up.” The Rainbooms gasped, causing them to run out and didn’t want to be late for it. Twilight looked at him surprised. “What, I read their schedules for today of this week.” Said Beau, which caused Twilight to giggle as a result. *************************************************************************************************** Later, near Sugarcube Corner, after everyone got together and discussed where to go on their road trip, the Rainbooms were saying goodbye to both Beau and Twilight before they would leave on their road trip whilst standing near their RV. “Sure, wish y’all could stay a bit longer.” Said Applejack. “Indeed,” said Rarity, “We wanted to catch up for old time’s sake.” “I’m sorry, girls.” Said Twilight. “Oh, it’s okay Twilight,” said Fluttershy, “You and your husband comes first when it comes to a honeymoon.” “Plus, from what the others said, you never had a chance to explore the rest of Equestria.” Said Sci-Twi. “Yeah, so go have some fun whilst you’re at it.” Said Rainbow Dash. “And have a fun party whilst you’re at it!!” said Pinkie Pie. “Maybe on your last week, you can visit us?” asked Sunset, “I mean it would be great if we could spend time with one another before you go back home.” “I think that’s a good idea.” Said Beau, “I’d like to know you girls more too. Even if I already know your counterparts.” “Just…promise me that the part of me getting older doesn’t happen again.” Said Sunset nervously. Both Beau and Twilight chuckled at this, with Twilight saying “We’ll keep that in mind.” “Time for us to get going, we don’t want to be late.” Said Beau. Twilight was the first to climb aboard, with Beau stopping for a moment and looked at Sunset. “And Sunset?” said Beau, gaining the former bad pony’s attention, “Even though you didn’t find love in this world, that doesn’t mean one should give up on it. Everybody’s meant to be loved. Even you. And I can tell that someday…you and your special someone will be very happy.” Sunset was surprised by the wisdom her gave her whilst she slightly looked down. For the way he spoke to her, felt a bit like Princess Celestia. Beau walked down and gave her a final hug, and said “It will happen someday Sunset. You just gotta believe in it.” Sunset ended up hugging him back, before they broke it and smiled at one another, before he left and boarded the RV, with him behind the wheel. “What’d you say to Sunset?” asked Twilight as she was curious. Beau chuckled and said “Something to help her see forward for the future.” Beau and Twilight soon drove away, with the Rainbooms waving goodbye to them, with Sunset smiling to the fullest, as if she was looking forward to the future. ************************************************************************************************ Meanwhile, back at Equestria, everyone continued with their daily lives, with Starlight doing her best to look after the castle. It had been a few days since Twilight and Beau left for the other world, and sometimes her friends ask Starlight for a status update, considering they sometimes communicate over the journals. Back at Sweet Apple Acres, both Buck and Applejack were busy tending the farm, looking after, and harvesting the trees at the same time. Whilst picking up one of the baskets, Buck asked “How do you think Twilight and Beau are doing?” “Ah’m sure that they’re fine.” Said Applejack as she brought two baskets of her own. “Starlight’s keepin’ an eye on the journal, so she’ll let us know if Twilight had said anything.” “I sure hope so.” Said Buck as he placed the basket in a wagon, “From what all of you told me, Twilight only explored the entire city when she last visited there. But she never explored the entire world there.” “First time for everything.” Said Applejack when she placed her basket in the wagon. After Applejack walked to the next tree, Buck stared at her for a bit. And for some reason, he blushed madly. I mean…what are the chances…the two of them…in a relationship? He didn’t think it would be possible. But if Beau and Twilight were able to make it work so far. Then maybe… He shook his head and quickly went back to work. After gathering the last baskets and taking the wagon to store them, they closed up for the day with Applejack whipping the sweat from her brow, same with Buck. “Boy, now that’s what I call a hard day’s work.” Said Buck. “Ah agree, it was a good day.” Said Applejack. Buck thought about it again, for he liked Applejack he really did. And…he has to admit… Buck looked at her as the sun shone on her. He was captivated by her beauty. The way her hair was shining, her deep green eyes that can stare deep into anyone’s soul, her cute freckles, her amazing strength, which he had to admit, he has a thing for strong women. Not to mention her sweet countryisms accent that he liked about her. …she’s perfect. Just as she turned around… “Uh, Applejack?” said Buck as he caught up with her. “Yes?” asked Applejack as she looked at him. Once again, Buck blushed again. But after what he wanted to do, he took a deep breath, then let it out. He looked at her and tried to muster his courage. “Applejack,” began Buck nervously, “I was wondering that if…neither of us were busy…if you want to, well…go out with me sometime?” Applejack widened her eyes a bit and could’ve sworn that she was slightly blushing a bit. Did he just ask her out? “Are y’all…sure about that?” “I am,” said Buck, “That is…if you want?” Applejack shook her head and thought about it whilst placing her left hand on her hip whilst using her right hand to tap her index finger against her bottom lip whilst thinking. “Tell you what,” said Applejack, “Give me a few days and ah’ll consider it.” “Oh, alright then.” Said Buck. Though he sounded disappointed, at least he’s hopeful that she might say yes one day. “I’ll head to the south field and see if there’s anything we missed. Why don’t you go wash up.” “Okay, ah’ll see ya later.” Said Applejack. As Buck left, Applejack walked back home. However, she kept quiet for some time. She eventually made her way to her home and walked to the kitchen’s entrance, where Granny Smith, Apple Bloom and Big Mac were. Granny was sitting in her chair; Big Mac was drinking some water and Apple Bloom was getting a few plates. The three of them noticed Applejack walking in. “Oh, hey Applejack,” said Apple Bloom, “We’ll get dinner ready soon.” However, they noticed that she was very quiet and she didn’t say anything. “Uh, Applejack?” said Granny Smith. Suddenly, Applejack exclaimed whilst grabbing her head and sat on her knees whilst her face was red at the same time, which surprised the others. “Whoa, y’all okay Applejack?” said Apple Bloom. “Yeah, y’all are actin’ crazier than cow stampede.” Said Granny Smith. “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac. Applejack was rapidly breathing a bit, until she was dowsed by water, which snapped her out of it. Which revealed Granny Smith holding a jug of sorts. “Now then, from the top youngin,” said Granny, “What happened?” “Well, see…” said Applejack, “Me and Buck were busy gathering the last apples for the harvest. Then after we were done, he, well…” “What? What?” said Apple Bloom eagerly. “He, well…” said Applejack, then gulped and said “he asked me out.” The three of them were stunned, when Apple Bloom said in excitement, “Like a date?!” Applejack grasped Apple Bloom’s mouth shut whilst she was blushing madly at the same time. “D-don’t say that!!” said Applejack. “What’s wrong with ya, y’all act like y’all have never been on a date before.” Said Apple Bloom after she removed Applejack’s mouth from him. “Well…” “She never had a date.” Said Big Mac, “Most times cause folks are intimidated by her strength. Though ah can’t blame em’. We apples are the strongest because of our hard labor work.” “Yer not wrong there.” Muttered Applejack. However, Granny Smith could tell something about Applejack. She couldn’t help but smile and said “Ah think it’s clear as a shining apple on a good day that y’all have feelings for him.” Applejack looked at Granny Smith in shock. “What, I can tell.” Said Granny Smith with a smile. Granny brought a chair with her and sat across her, staring at Applejack at the same time. She took a breath and spoke her side. “Just as ah can tell,” said Granny before slowly pointing at Applejack, “That you have feelings for him.” Applejack wanted to deny it, thinking that it wasn’t true, but the look on Granny says otherwise, with Applejack also slowly being surprised by this. And said “Is it that obvious?” “Although…” said Granny, “From what ah’m seein’, it’s the first time that y’all fell in love with anypony. And y’all have been spendin more time with him. Especially the way y’all have been looking at him.” “Though…” said Applejack, then looked to Granny and said “What do ah do? Ah’ve never done any of this before.” Apple Bloom gasped and said “Ah got it!!” She dashed over to the other room, and came back with a letter. “This’ll be perfect!!” “Apple Bloom?” said a confused Granny whilst Apple Bloom showed them the letter. “Cousin Braeburn is having a Rodeo party at Appaloosa!!” said Apple Bloom, “Some of our Apple families are goin’ there, and Braeburn asked Pinkie Pie if she could help arrange the party. Y’all can accept his offer over there and start yer first date there.” Applejack then suddenly started to worry. “But…what if they don’t like him? Or they don’t approve of us?” “Ah’m sure they will,” said Granny, “Especially since he saved Apple Bloom’s life.” “Eeyup.” Said Big Mac as he nodded in agreement. Applejack thought about it, and sighed. “Alright…Ah’ll accept his offer.” “That’s what ah’d like to hear.” Said Granny. “Now then, y’all better pack yer things. We leave tomorrow. We’re also gonna have to bring Pinkie Pie with us.” “Really?” said a surprised Applejack, “How come?” “Cause when he heard that Pinkie is also a party planner,” said Apple Bloom, “He wanted her help to planning a party. Plus, it’ll be her first time at the rodeo too.” “Huh, good point.” Said Applejack. She then stood up and said “Ah’m gonna start packing’, that way we’ll be ready just in case.” Applejack soon left to pack, with the rest of the Apple family smirking, for something tells me it was going to be a night that nobody would be forgetting anytime soon. ************************************************************************************************ Later the next day, the train from Ponyville was making their way towards Appaloosa, with the Apple family in the train, waiting eagerly until all of them had gotten there. Though no one was more eager than Pinkie Pie as she hopped onto the seat like a hyperactive puppy. Though she was a little disappointed that they didn’t have confectionary treats onboard. Buck was watching from the window as he never had the chance to explore much of the world, and was amazed to see how the world looked like. “Mighty impressive, isn’t it?” Buck turned around and saw Applejack standing near him. “It’s amazing.” Said Buck. “I’ve only seen Ponyville for a while, seen Canterlot from the distance, but never seen much of the countryside before.” Applejack chuckled and sat next to him. “Yeah, I kinda had the same feelin’ since the day I first left Ponyville.” “You mean when you were trying to find your place before you went back there?” asked Buck. “Y’all guessed right there.” Said Applejack whilst looking out of the view. “When ah was young, I was tryin’ to find mah place, so I left Sweet Apple Acres and moved to Manehattan to be with mah relatives. Though I had a hard time fitting in, because ah couldn’t connect with them well. Then one day, ah saw a rainbow, leading me straight to home. That’s when ah realized ah knew where ah was supposed to be. That’s also how ah got mah cutie mark in the first place. Cause mah place was…” “With your family.” Said Buck. He chuckled and said “You really are lucky. To have a place to call home, and be surrounded by folks who love you. But…wasn’t your parents worried about you leaving everything behind?” “Oh, they were.” Said Applejack, “But they figured ah’d come back home eventually.” “Still,” wondered Buck, “It’s a shame what happened to them.” “Huh?” wondered Applejack. “Granny told me what happened to them.” Said Buck, which at first startled her. “She visited me in the hospital and told me. It’s…a shame what happened to them. I wish I could’ve met them.” Applejack chuckled and said “Yeah, they would’ve liked ya. Even more after the way you saved Apple Bloom.” “She’s too precious and innocent in this world.” Said Buck, “Were there more like her and her friends, the world would be a better place. And if there had been ponies on my world and taught everyone the meaning of family, things would’ve been different for me, Daisy, as well the rest of my family. Someone…” He looked at Applejack and smiled, “Someone like you.” Applejack was surprised by this and looked away, but she blushed bright red and smiled, as she felt touched as well as taken aback by what he had said. “So, whilst we’re on our way there, what’s Appaloosa like?” asked Buck. “Oh, it’s almost like Ponyville…” said Applejack. “But in the Wild West.” Said Buck, which caused her to chuckle at that. “Got that right.” Said Applejack. “And it’s also a town filled with ponies who are twice as thickheaded and stubborn as mules.” Said Buck. Applejack was shocked by what he said, until… “Your friends told me,” said Buck, “Same with your grandmother and siblings.” “He ain’t wrong there!!” Applejack looked back and saw Granny Smith look at her, whilst also being a little miffed at the same time. “Why, ah was never this ashamed in all mah life.” Said Granny Smith, “When ah heard from yer friends about what happened between them and the buffalo, and from what Apple Bloom told me about that there horse feller, ah gathered my cousins and we gave them a ton of scolding for what they did on both accounts. Why, even Big Mac gave cousin Braeburn a good scoldin’ for what he did.” “Eeyup.” Replied Big Mac in a serious tone. “Still,” said Granny Smith, “Ah still can’t believe y’all were goin along with Braeburn and the others to fight against the Buffalos. And ah told them not to build on the Buffalo’s stomping’ grounds years ago. But it fell unto deaf ears. When y’all told us, ah personally went over and told them off mahself.” “So that would explain why y’all have been gone for a week.” Said Apple Bloom. “Though in their defense, sheriff Silverstar was the one who started the fight in the first place.” Said Applejack. “Ah know, which is why Ah’ve been given him such a whooping, he’d never forget to never do something like that again.” “That would explain why he couldn’t sit for a while.” Pondered Applejack. They then heard the sound of a whistle, which caused Applejack to stand up in order to look out of the window. But as she walked, the train shook, making her lose her balance and landed on Buck’s lap, making him quickly catch her at the same time. The two of them were surprised as they looked at one another at the same time. The two of them kept staring at one another as they felt themselves lost in some sort of void. Blushes had appeared on their faces as Buck couldn’t help but gently held her cheek with his left hand and Applejack wrapping her arms around his neck, staring at one another non-stop. This however, didn’t go unnoticed by Granny, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom, who couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. Applejack and Buck continued to stare at one another whilst they blushed at the same time. The two of them slowly moved towards one another, until they heard the train stop. The two of them looked at one another again, with the two of them blushing redder now. “Would…would it be alright if we hold hands whilst we’re walkin’?” asked Applejack. “Yeah…I’d…I’d like that.” Said Buck nervously. The two of them stood up and walked out together, whilst at the same time, the two of them held hands. They didn’t look at one another, but both of them couldn’t help but smile at the handholding at the same time. The Apples noticed this and though they were disappointed, they still smiled. “At least that’s somethin.” Said Apple Bloom. “Eeyup.” Responded Big Mac at the same time. *********************************************************************************************** A few hours after they arrived and already Pinkie Pie was darting over back and forth setting everything up. How she has so much energy, no one will ever now. But as they continued to set everything up, Granny had to make sure that the Sheriff would not get in the way, considering she’s still miffed at him for what happened, and folks know twice as much of not to tick off Granny Smith, especially since they know what that mare is capable of. As Buck was watching Pinkie Pie decorating, he also watched the Sheriff really wanted to intervene, but was scared when Granny Smith was standing next to him. That’s when he noticed Apple Bloom standing next to him. “What y’all doing?” asked Apple Bloom. “Does she really have to stand next to that sheriff guy?” asked Buck. “Oh, trust me, she knows how he thinks.” Said Apple Bloom as she somewhat gave him a stink eye too. “How so?” “Who do you think helped made him sheriff?” “Really?” said Buck in surprise, “I didn’t know she has influence all the way out here.” “Well, ever since the Apple Family got involved.” Said Apple Bloom. “Mah granny told me that after the ponies founded and built Appaloosa, they couldn’t manage a town without goin’ bankrupt, so the apple family, aka, mah granny, and from what I heard mah pa back before Applejack was born, had to be involved here to straighten up the town. Then before ah was born, she made Silverstar the sheriff, but made him promise that if anythin were to happen, they’d tell her right away.” “I guess even he forgot after all this time, huh?” said Buck with a smirk. “I would’ve thought that someone like Burnt Oak would be in charge.” “Wait, y’all know Burnt Oak?” asked Apple Bloom surprised. “Sure do.” Said Buck, “Shortly after Beau and Twilight left for their honeymoon, Granny asked me to deliver some wood to the guy cause some of the Apple Trees didn’t make it. And seeing that he was shorthanded, he asked me to help him cut some wood. And on a break we had a great conversation about your dad. And the more I hear him talk, the more I could’ve sworn I was talking to Sam Elliott.” “Who now?” “Famous actor on my world,” said Buck, “Plus he’s also a westerner. But the moment when you hear him talk, you can just hear the amount of wisdom coming from the guy. It’s amazing no matter where you go, inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. Heck, he’d even make a great sheriff, maybe even be friends with the Buffalo chief.” “Oh, speaking of the Buffalo, there they are now.” Said Apple Bloom as she pointed at the town’s entrance. Buck saw them come in and was surprised by how tall they were. “Wow…they sure look strong.” Said Buck, “They’d bring half of the strongmen in my world to shame.” “They sure are.” Said Apple Bloom. “Ah remember Applejack onetime tried to challenge them in who the strongest is. She won by a landslide.” Buck then noticed another…horse? How’s that possible? “Who the heck is that?” Apple Bloom noticed a bigger horse, “Oh, that there’s Trouble shoes. He’s a resident here. Although…some of the ponies, namely the sheriff, thought he was a troublemaker. But it turned out, he was just a cluts. He didn’t mean any harm, he just wanted to watch the Rodeo.” “So how is he invited.” Asked Buck. “Mah friends and ah thought he was a bandit, so we tried to catch him.” Said Apple Bloom, but then noticed Buck’s expression. “Ah know, we didn’t think it through. But then we found out the truth and we wanted to help him. And we helped him get a part time job as a rodeo clown. And he made a lot of folks laugh. Though we were able to help him find his place, it didn’t help that we got punished for goin’ off like that.” “Still, glad you girls didn’t get hurt.” Said Buck. Who then held Apple Bloom close, which surprised the mare before she looked at him. “Ponies like you are too precious to get hurt. You’ve got a ton of things to live for. Though some things didn’t work the way you expected it, you were able to accomplish more in the long run. That is something you should be proud of. And in a way, a lot of folks would be lost without you and your friends.” Apple Bloom couldn’t help but blush and said “Aw, y’all are just sayin that.” “I’m serious…” said Buck. And from afar, Applejack could see and hear both Buck and Apple Bloom’s conversation. She couldn’t help but smile and see how well those two are getting along. She then thought of what to wear for the rodeo. “Good thing Rarity isn’t here,” said Applejack, “Otherwise Rarity would start fussing over what to wear in places like this.” *********************************************************************************************** Night time had approached and soon, the entire town was on full swing on the rodeo party. Everyone, both Pony and Buffalo, came together and began to celebrate together, especially the pies Pinkie Pie came to provide thanks to the Buffalo’s request to have them added in the menu. The music was already starting to play and everyone began to dance. Applejack was already with Pinkie Pie to make sure everything was okay. Granny, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom were busy getting ready, until they heard knocking on the door. After they got dressed, Big Mac opened the door and saw Buck standing there, wearing his blue shirt, black jean jacket, brown pants, an orange ascot, and a black Stetson hat. “Well, howdy there, Buck.” Said Granny as she approached the human. “What can ah do for you.” “Well, uh…is Applejack here?” asked Buck. “Nah, she went with Pinkie Pie to make sure everything will be alright.” Said Apple Bloom. Who then did a smirk and said “Why…are y’all wantin to take her out on a date?” Buck blushed a bit and said “Well…yeah. I’ve been…wanting to ask her out for a while but…I never found the right time to ask her. I always chicken out at the last minute. So, I figured…” “Y’all wanted to ask her out during the rodeo party, right?” asked Granny Smith. Buck nodded shyly as he never felt his face going red before. Granny then smiled and said “Well, ah say go for it.” “Wait, what?” said Buck as he was surprised by this. “Truth be told, we’ve been waitin’ for ya to ask her out.” Said Granny Smith. “Ah see how well y’all were gettin along too. And ah had a feeling that she felt the same way too.” “Wait, she did?!” said Buck in surprise, but then he felt his face heating up from the mere thought. “I…I thought you guys would say no.” “Why would we do that?” said Apple Bloom, “It’s clear to us how Applejack is happy around y’all.” “Plus, it’s fun to see her a bit flustered.” Said Big Mac. “Wow, you do finally speak.” Teased Buck. Big Mac suddenly hugged him with a bear hug, which made Buck grunt as he said “Wow, I don’t know who’s the strongest, you or Applejack!!” “Ah get that a lot.” Said Big Mac before letting Buck down, “Y’all wouldn’t believe how many times we kept on competin’ on whose the strongest.” “Especially when not to overload the wagon when it comes traveling.” Said Buck with a smirk, which surprised Big Mac as he partially glared. “Granny Smith told me.” “He’s not wrong.” Said Granny as she gave Big Mac a stern look, to which the latter was giving a sheepish grin. “Now then, let’s get to this shindig before Pinkie Pie gets the best ones.” “Y’all ain’t wrong there.” Said Apple Bloom as she got out first, with Big Mac and Granny Smith following. Just as Buck was about to walk out, he heard a loud groan. “Oh, no.” He looked to his left and wondered what that was all about. So, he went to the noise and looked around the corner. To his surprise, they were… “Country musicians?” muttered Buck. “What in tarnation are we goin’ to do?!” said the one musician. “We can’t cancel now, not for a party this big.” Said the mare musician. “Um, excuse me,” said Buck, gaining their attention and was surprised to see a non-pony, but he looked more concerned as he said “Is something wrong?” “Y’all bet it is!!” said the youngest pony mare, ignoring the fact that Buck is not a pony and said “Our lead singer, County Song’s had an accident.” They showed Buck an injured Stallion, much to his surprise. “Whoa,” said Buck, “What happened to him?” “When we arrived, he wanted to have pickles for a snack,” said the stallion country musician, “But he took a gherkin instead and he ended up losing his voice. And what’s worse, he was so much in a panic, he ended up hurting himself and injured his hands. The doctor said that the effects of the gherkin should wear off in a month, same with his hands.” “And we can’t cancel now, we were already hired and we’re supposed to be performin in an hour!!” exclaimed the mare musician. “What’s the song called?” asked Buck. “And that’s also another thing!!” exclaimed the youngest mare, “We got the melody of the song, but not the lyrics!!” “Can I take a look?” asked Buck. One of them handed the music sheets whilst Buck looked through it. To his surprise, he recognized the Melody. Buck then smiled and said “You know what, I think I can help you out with this.” The others were surprised by this, wondering what he had in mind. ************************************************************************************************* Later down at the rodeo, everything was in full swing, everyone was having fun, as well as feasting, drinking, and dancing at the same time. However, from among the crowd, a certain bearer to the Element of Honesty, who was wearing a green, plaided, button-up shirt, red ascot, and brown shorts, was looking around, looking for a certain human among the crowd. But for some reason, she couldn’t see him anywhere. “Somethin’ wrong, Applejack?” asked Apple Bloom when she arrived. “Ah can’t seem to find Buck anywhere.” Said Applejack. “That’s strange.” Said Apple Bloom in confusion, “He was really lookin’ forward to this dance.” “Ladies and gentleman!!” said Braeburn as he talked on the stage. “Thanks ever so much for comin along, we really appreciate y’all bein’ here. So, before we go on further with the shindig, let me introduce tonight’s entertainment!!” Everypony cheered as they wondered who was going to be on stage. As the ponies were on stage, they didn’t know who was the singer that sat in the chair, which was a mystery. And then, they began to play their song. But as the song was about to start, the moment the singer lifted his head, it was revealed to be non-other than… “Buck?!!” exclaimed Applejack and Apple Bloom. Everypony saw him singing and continued to wow everyone the way he was singing, even getting the crowd excited as all of them were getting into it. Applejack on the other hand was staring wide eye in surprise as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Wow!!” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “Who’d thunk that Buck was that good of a singer!!” Applejack didn’t pay attention and walked towards the stage and watched Buck sing, for she had no idea he could sing so well. She couldn’t help but let out a content smile as she watched him sing. Sure enough, the song was over and everyone cheered at the human for singing. The three country performers hugged Buck and thanked him for a great performance. After they left, Buck climbed down the stage, where Applejack was waiting for him. “Since when did y’all sing so good?” asked Applejack. “I may have done some singing for my little sister when she was feeling down.” Said Buck, “Plus I find country music very calming and relaxing.” “Do you, now?” said Applejack with a smug look. “So that’s why y’all have been eyeing my guitar lately.” “Yeah, just needed a banjo and we could make some good music together.” Said Buck, “As long as you don’t get competitive on the strings, that is.” Applejack couldn’t help but laugh out loud and slapped Buck’s back playfully. Though he winced a bit and nearly fell down, he was able to laugh with her. The two of them saw another group of ponies began to perform and began to play another song. Everyone began to dance to the song, and having a fun time. Both Applejack and Buck enjoyed the song and dance at the same time, and also have fun doing it at the same time. However, as the song had ended, the two of them had held one another close, looking deep into one another’s eyes. Both of their cheeks blushed and their hearts felt like it could be pounding at great speed. Both of them slowly moved towards one another, not breaking eye contact from one another. And then…it happened. Both Buck and Applejack placed their lips onto one another’s. Savoring the kiss for real this time as the two of them never let one another go. For this feeling…it was truly a magnificent one. The two of them slowly broke the kiss and looked at one another whilst they still smiled and kept the blush on their cheeks. “Wow,” said Applejack in a partial daze, “Better than the first time.” “Those lips of yours will always be better.” Teased Buck, which got her flustered. She gently punched his shoulder as the two of them laughed a bit, then walked towards one of the tables where Granny Smith, Big Mac and Apple Bloom was waiting for them. And they weren’t alone, for their cousin Braeburn was with them. “Applejack, over here!!” said Apple Bloom as she waved to both her and Buck to come over. However, as they got closer, Braeburn got up and was close to him. “So…you’re the human that Granny Smith talked about?” asked Braeburn. “Yeah, I am, so what?” said Buck as he took a step forward and placed his hand on Applejack’s, which surprised the latter as if he was prepared to defend her honor. “You wanna make something out of it…partner?” The two of them stared one another down for a moment, before Braeburn left out a loud laughter and patted Buck’s back hard a couple of times. “Granny wasn’t kidding when she said you were spirited!!” said Braeburn. “Wait, you told him about me?” asked Buck. “Sure did.” Said Granny, “When we got here, I told Braeburn and some of the apples here about you, especially of how y’all saved Apple Bloom’s life.” “Darn tootin!!” said Braeburn, “That was quite the brave thing ya did there, mister. Goin in the flames of inferno, not caring if everything was on fire, just to save one of our own. That there is a great mark of respect for the Apples. Anypony who goes far and beyond to save one of our own from the goodness of their heart is a friend to the Apples.” He chuckled and said “And from the looks of it, a special somepony for Applejack.” Applejack couldn’t help but blush on the matter, until… “That’s true. But out of all the apples of a single tree,” said Buck before looking at Applejack and said “There will always be one whose beauty shines bright in the sun.” Applejack couldn’t help but blush madly at what he said, even Apple Bloom couldn’t help but giggle out of giddiness out of it. “Wow…” said a surprised Braeburn, “That’s deep.” “But true.” Said Buck as he lifted her up bridal style and kissed her, making her yelp. “B-Buck!!” said Applejack. “Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy it, cowgirl.” Teased Buck as he rubbed his nose against hers, making her blush even more. She giggled and said held her arms around him. “But hey…thanks for agreeing to this.” “Ah should be the one to thank ya.” Said Applejack, “That and for deliverin’ a great performance.” “I’ll say.” Said Braeburn, “I had no idea you could sing too.” “I loved to sing for my little sister when I was little.” Said Buck. He sighed and said “I’m sure wherever she is in heaven, she’ll be happy.” “Granny told me.” Said Braeburn, who took of his hat and said “Sorry y’all had to go through that.” “It’s alright.” Said Buck, “But she’s in a better place now.” “Still,” said Braeburn as he put his hat back on, “Ah still wish fer the best of the both of ya.” “Thank you.” Said Buck, with Applejack holding him close. One thing’s for sure, though there were some twists and turns, tonight had been a great night for everyone. But not as much it was for both Applejack and Buck. One thing’s for sure, like a flower, it blossomed into something great.
Chapter 10: Apple's Barnyard LoveSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 11: Gauntlet of FireAuthor's Note Hey Everyone. First of all, Happy New Year to all of you, hope that today's a great day for all of you. Second, sorry it took so long, but I was able to finish this, so I hope all of you enjoy this. Chapter 11: Gauntlet of Fire The morning sun had begun to rise upon Ponyville, and for a certain couple near Sweet Apple Acres, they had officially tied the knot. Though it would’ve been better if a certain stallion didn’t overheard them during their, ahem, intimate time. Both Applejack and Bucky were still fast asleep in bed, cuddling with one another. Both Applejack and Bucky would soon feel the warmth of the sun. However, Bucky woke up moments before her. He couldn’t help but stare at that beautiful face of hers and ended up smiling. He kissed on her forehead, which she couldn’t help but smile. But feeling lucky, he saw an opportunity to grope her at her chest, which he did, making her moan in the process. “Oh, AJ, time to wake up.” Muttered Bucky playfully, but Applejack mumbled as she got too comfortable. He smirked and had an idea. He was able to pull her gently and get her on top of him, which he was thankful that he didn’t wake her up. The moment she was in position, he said “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to wake you up.” Bucky then gave her a hard smack on her hind quarters whilst groping it, making her yelp as she sat right back up whilst also startled at the same time. She felt something hold her posterior and looked, making her blush, then looked down when she saw she was on top of Bucky. “I was wondering if my cute country gal was wide awake.” Said Bucky with a smirk. Applejack couldn’t help but smirk whilst keeping her blush and said “Did y’all have something to do with me being on top?” “I thought I’d get a little creative.” Said Bucky, which made Applejack chuckle. “And creative it was indeed.” Said Applejack before kissing Bucky. “Now, ah suggest we get downstairs and have some breakfast before we start our work for the day.” “And maybe check on the doctor,” said Bucky, which confused Applejack as she was flexing an eyebrow, until Bucky placed his hand against her belly, “You know what I’m talking about.” Applejack couldn’t help but blush again, and giggle. “Maybe after two weeks. Hopefully it doesn’t happen early like it did with Twilight.” “Wait, what?” said Bucky as he was confused whilst he was able to sit up and was face to face with Applejack. “Yeah, that’s right.” Said Applejack, “Shortly after Beau and Twilight did their thing, a day later she felt a bit sick. When they went to the doctor, it turned out she was pregnant.” “Really?” said Bucky surprised, “I thought it was supposed to happen after two weeks.” “Ah thought so too.” Said Applejack, “But it turns out Alicorn physiology was a lot different than any other pony. At least that’s what the doctors said.” “Well then, I hope their baby is healthy.” Said Bucky, “Just as I know ours will be when the time is right.” “Now that, we can agree.” Said Applejack before she got up. “I’m gonna take a shower before we start our day.” “Alright then,” said Bucky, “I’ll wait for…” Suddenly he was wrapped in a lasso, taking him by surprise as he was being pulled, and was face to face with her smirking face. “And y’all are comin’ with me.” “Whoa, even better.” Said Bucky before Applejack kissed him. The two of them walked out, with Bucky still in tow of her lasso. Hopefully Applejack will let him go…eventually. *************************************************************************************************** A month later, at the Castle of Friendship, Beau was busy helping Twilight organizing her library, with Spike helping out. Twilight was at the moment sitting at her couch whilst resting. She was having some,…peanut butter and banana sandwiches?! She was also reading a book at the same time. She then sighed out of boredom. “You know, I’d feel a lot better if I was helping you guys.” Said Twilight. “Ah, ah, ah.” Said Beau as he turned to Twilight and looked at her. “The doctor said you shouldn’t strain yourself any further, that goes the same for flying and using your magic.” “He’s right, Twilight.” Said Spike as he walked past her whilst carrying a ton of books, “Besides, you’re six months pregnant, and the doctor says that you need to take it easy, otherwise you might hurt the baby.” Twilight groaned, but realized they were right. She looked down at her swollen belly. She slowly held onto it and couldn’t help but smile. “Hey there, little one.” Said Twilight, “I hope you’ll be ready to see the world around you when you’re ready.” “Have you guys figured a name for the baby, yet?” asked Spike. “We’re still going over it.” Said Beau, “Twilight mentioned that the dream name hasn’t arrived in her sleep yet. And Princess Luna said that it’ll arrive the moment she’s about eight months pregnant.” “And to have Twilight’s eating habits back under control.” Said Spike. “Hey, can I help it when I have cravings?!” said Twilight, “It’s not my fault I have strange cravings and mood swings. I’m pregnant after all!!” “I’m actually surprised you didn’t do a personal science experiment about it,” said Beau, “I mean this is the first time you’re pregnant and you’ve never experienced anything like this before. Or being a mother. Then again, you did try to take care of Spike, and he was a handful.” “Hey!!” exclaimed Spike. Beau looked at him and said “Remind me again, how many times did you set Twilight’s mane and room on fire?” Spike winced at that and said, “Alright, good HRK!!!…” Suddenly Spike belched up a scroll, allowing it to land near Twilight. She accepted the letter and read through it. “Oh,” she said with interest, “It seems Princesses Celestia and Luna wants to visit us today. They said they were able to find an open schedule and said that they’re free for today.” “That’s great.” Said Beau. That’s when Spike gasped and said “Oh my gosh, I forgot!! I was supposed to go help Rarity with her gem hunting!! Gotta go!!” Spike quickly ran out in order to catch up with Rarity. Beau groaned at that, and said “Honestly, that guy can be such a bonehead. Leaving you when you have a baby on the way. Not something to be laughed at.” “I’m sure Spike didn’t mean it.” Said Twilight. “Clearly, you don’t keep track of his blunders.” Said Beau as he neatly placed the books down on the table. “Now then, you stay here and finish your sandwich, whilst I prepare the tea.” “I can decorate the room too!!” said Twilight in annoyance. “Too late, I already had Starlight do it.” Said Beau. Twilight groaned a bit and muttered, “And he thinks Spike’s a bonehead.” However, she looked at her belly and slowly held onto it, whilst feeling concerned at the same time. “Maybe he’s right. It’s the first time I’m having a baby. And…I’m going to be a mother. I need to make sure she’s safe.” She slowly stood up and walked out. “And Beau’s doing so much. After this is over…I have to find a way to thank him.” *************************************************************************************************** Later at noon, a certain pair of Alicorns were standing in front of the doors and knocked on it. Beau was the first to answer it. “Hey, Princesses Celestia and Luna.” Said Beau as he went over to hug them. “Great to see you two.” “Hello there, Beau.” Said Princess Celestia. “It certainly has been a while.” Said Princess Luna. “The tea’s almost finished, but we’ve set up some pastries in the dining room.” Said Beau, “Although I had to be careful with Twilight ever since her cravings surfaced.” The two sisters knew what he meant by it as the two of them walked inside and closed the door behind them. “How is Twilight doing?” asked Princess Celestia. “Doing good.” Said Beau, “Although she constantly complains about wanting to do more, but we keep reminding her to not strain herself in order to take care of the baby.” “And if I remember, she only has three more months, correct?” asked Princess Luna. “That she does.” Said Beau as they arrived at the room. “Ah, we’re here.” They entered the room and saw Twilight had already brought the tea in. “Twilight!!” said Beau, reminding his wife. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t take it.” Said Twilight. “I was bored out of my mind.” Princesses Celestia and Luna couldn’t help but giggle at Twilight being her usual self. “Twilight, Beau was just looking out for your well-being.” Said Princess Celestia. “Plus, you have a baby on the way.” “Indeed.” Said Princess Luna, “And a breed between a pony and a human in Equestrian history, no less.” The lot of them sat down whilst Beau began to pour the tea for them. “I’m so glad you two could come.” Said Twilight after Beau sat down. “Of course,” said Princess Luna after she took a sip of her tea, “We so rarely get a chance to relax and just visit.” “There’s usually some crisis we have to deal with.” Said Princess Celestia, “Somepony always needs our help. But today…” “Things are quiet up in Canterlot,” said Beau, “Honestly, I don’t know why they can’t let you two take one day off in a month, it’s not like it’s going to run away from you.” “Unfortunately, most nobles don’t even know the meaning of the word.” Said Princess Luna with a sigh. They noticed Beau snickered as he suddenly thought about something. “What?” said Princess Celestia. “No, just thinking.” Said Beau, “Which is sort of funny and ironic at the same time.” “What?” said Twilight, now wanting to know too. “That no matter how much you put things in order with nobility, or no matter how many times you save lives, it always falls into chaos and jeopardy. I mean, sometimes you just wish it would stay that way.” Said Beau between chuckles, “I swear, they end up making you feel like a maid. We just cleaned up this mess, and can you keep it clean, for ten minutes.” The sisters and Twilight also began to laugh with Beau. “Oh my, I can truly see what you mean.” Said Princess Celestia as she wiped a tear away. They then heard the cry for help from the other side of the door, which startled everyone in the room as they looked at the door. “Either that was the sound of a banshee screaming, or Rarity is panicking again.” Said Beau. The others looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, with Beau saying “Well, she does scream like one.” “Strangely, I agree with him.” Said Luna. Within a split second, Rarity burst into the room, carrying Spike with her magic. Though to their surprise, he was glowing. And…looking itchy? “Twilight!!” exclaimed Rarity, “There’s something wrong with Spike!!” She carried him in whilst clearing the table as she placed him on top of it whilst he scratches like crazy. “What’s wrong?” said Twilight in concern. “I don’t know!!” grunted Spike as he scratched, “All of a sudden, my scales just started glowing and burning.” “And from what I’m seeing, very itchy.” Said Beau. “Little is known, about Dragon Culture.” Said Princess Luna, “But this, is a phenomenon we’ve seen before. It is the call, of the Dragon Lord.” “Dragon Lord?” said Beau, “I didn’t know there were a leader of all dragons. Aren’t all of them in clans?” “They are not, for they are truly govern by one ruler.” Said Princess Celestia, “Dragons glow whenever the Dragon Lord has need of them in the dragon lands.” “Wow, that’s a creative way of calling them.” Said Beau as he was now interesting in learning about more dragons. “Great,” groaned Spike whilst he was scratching himself. “How do I make it stop?” “The only way to end the summons, is to answer it.” Said Princess Luna. “You must journey to the Dragon Lands and see what is expected of you.” “If they did that, then that means it must be for something very important.” Said Beau. “But, but the dragon lands are full of…dragons!!” said Rarity, which made Beau look at Rarity with a flexed eyebrow. “Really, Rarity.” Said Beau, “You just figured it out?” “Oh, hush you.” Said Rarity as she was slightly miffed by Beau’s witty comment, which got both Celestia and Luna snickering. “And they’re ghastly creatures.” Spike looked at Rarity, feeling slightly offended by that remark. “Oh, oh not you of course, Spikey-Wikey.” Said Rarity, which Spike was sort of like a lovesick puppy, which got Beau to roll his eyes. “But remember that rotten Garble?” This caused Spike to widen his eyes as he remembered. “How could I forget. He would’ve burnt us to a crisp if you weren’t there.” “Who?” asked Beau. “Garble was a dragon Spike tried to befriend.” Said Twilight, “But then they tried to get him to smash a few defenseless phoenix eggs, he had to make a stand.” “Oh yeah, I remember.” said Beau as he looked at Spike. “And seriously, Spike? You seriously tried hung out with a bunch of delinquents instead of ones younger than you? Seriously, that’s like the biggest boneheaded move a dead brained monkey would make.” As the ponies stared at Beau surprised, Spike glared at him whilst he was scratching. “Beau.” Said Twilight in a partial scolding part. “What, I won’t apologize for speaking the truth.” Said Beau. Spike grunted and looked at Twilight and said “If I go to the dragon lands, will you two come with me?” Suddenly, Twilight got excited and said “Oooh, oh my goodness. I’d love to!! We are sadly lacking any information on dragon culture and customs. I could research them. Maybe even write an article. This could be my chance to make a great contribution to the Knowledge of Equestria!!” Everyone gave her a deadpanned look. For it figures she’d act like this. Twilight saw this and was embarrassed at the same time. “Oh, and be there for Spike, of course.” said Twilight sheepishly. “Absolutely not.” Said Beau, surprising the others. “What?! Why not?!” said Twilight. “Did you forget that you have a baby on the way?” said Beau rhetorically, “And being in a dangerous environment is also a very bad idea.” Twilight looked down and held onto her belly, and got very worried. “I’m afraid we have to agree on Beau on this one.” Said Princess Luna. “Indeed,” said Princess Celestia, “A Princess being there might not be a problem if they could defend themselves. But when it comes to royalty who are about to give birth to a child soon, then it would be far too dangerous for the infant. As you know as well as anyone how precious they are, Twilight.” “But…Spike…research…” said Twilight in a pleading tone. “I’ll do it.” Said Beau. “What?!” “Well for one, I can’t stand to see my adorkable Princess be sad about it,” said Beau, which caused Twilight to blush and smile with a squee. “And I also wanted to see what the dragons look like in this world. And maybe have a few words with Garble if and when I bump into him.” “What?!” said Spike in protest, “No way!! You’d be burnt to a crisp!! And you don’t have any experience with any dragons!!” “This coming from a dragon who made a fool of himself when he didn’t have any experience either?” retorted Beau, “And I dealt with you, didn’t I?” Spike was taken aback by the snappy comeback. “Plus, when I first got here, I thought I’d never have any luck with ponykind either.” Said Beau, “Yet, I had lived here for six months and already this place welcomed me with open arms, Twilight and the others also accepted me without a second thought. And now I’m happily married and have a child on the way.” “But…” said Spike, trying to protest, but Beau cut him off. “And I’m going, whether you like it, or not.” Said Beau sternly. Then raised his voice and said “Besides, I’m not the idiot bonehead who joined with a bunch of delinquents trying to smash a few defenseless phoenix eggs, rare majestic birds mind you, for fun!!” Spike was surprised by what he said, with the others being the same. Spike then pouted and crossed his arms. “Figures,” said Spike, “You don’t care about me, and you’re not my friends.” “Of course, we care Spike,” said Twilight as she tried to come up with an excuse, “It’s just that…” “We don’t trust you enough for you to make your own decisions and do things on your own.” Everyone was surprised that the person who said that was Beau, but none were more shocked than Spike. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” said Spike in anger. “No offense, Spike, but I wouldn’t trust you to look after a cardboard box, let alone a castle. Also, need I remind you of that incident with the delegates at Canterlot a while back when Twilight was trying to catch some sleep?” reminded Beau. Spike cringed at that, as did Twilight, though Celestia and Luna were still surprised by what happened from what Twilight and Cadance had told them. “That was one time!!” shouted Spike. Beau shook his head and said “Not to mention you can also be the biggest slacker and bonehead in Ponyville.” Everyone was surprised by what he said, especially Spike. “Cause let’s recap on your so called, life story, shall we?” said Beau as he began. “When Winter Wrap up began, Twilight was trying to fit in to help, and yet you didn’t do anything to help her. And when she used her magic to pull the plough, you ended up putting the blame on her by pretending not being involved, when you!!” said Beau as he poked Spike’s nose hard, making him flinch, “Were the one who suggested that she used her magic to do it!! You even made her feel worse about it. Not to mention, you made an even bigger fool of yourself when you failed to rescue Rarity from the Diamond Dogs.” Spike winced at that and blushed in embarrassment. “Did that really happen?” whispered Princess Celestia. “It did.” Whispered Twilight back. “And if I remember correctly, you couldn’t even face a couple of Diamond Dogs to rescue Rarity, and you still ended up getting your butt kicked and had to call on your friends for help.” Said Beau, “Not to mention where you got jealous over an owl. An owl, of all creatures. Oh, let’s not forget where everyone was arranging Pinkie’s birthday, and you ended up saying stuff that made her turn her into her depressed state in the first place.” “Wait,” said Rarity in shock, “Spike was the reason Pinkie was like that?” “Spike!!” said Twilight. “Well how was I supposed to know?!” said Spike, “She cornered me and babbled a lot of nonsense, and told me to tell her what she said to me and I did what she asked!!” “And yet you ended up making her upset.” Retorted Beau, “Oh, and when you went to find other dragons and you ended being picked on and be a laughing stock, talking about being a pony. Not everyone was raised the same way as you were!!” Spike winced, but was also surprised when Beau yelled at him over that last past. “And perhaps one of the biggest audacities, when Twilight tried to warn the others about the fake bride, you ended up walking out on her too with her friends instead of staying with her and helped.” Everyone cringed at that, clearly still sore about the wedding. “Then there was the time you were supposed to take care of their pets whilst they were away, only for you to botch it up completely. Where you got them trapped into an enchanted comic book, when you didn’t pay attention to the enchanted part. Or that time you botched up the Breezie Migration. Or gave that spell book to Rarity that caused her to over beautify the entire town, where he made a fool of yourself at the Equestrian Games, twice.” Spike growled as he clenched his fists, which got the others worried. “Oh yeah, and one more thing. And I think you need to hear more clearly as I do this in case you didn’t get your ears waxed.” Beau took a few steps forward as Spike tried to put on a brave face. Then Beau whispered to him. “I know, I repeat,” whispered Beau, “I know, you still have that little fantasy and acting macho so Rarity would finally fall in love with you. Well, I got some news for you pal; it’s never going to happen.” Spike was shocked by what he said. Spike looked down as if someone had just taken his gem. Beau placed his fingers against Spike’s chest. “You, are going to the dragon lands, and we, will make sure things work out.” Said Beau sternly, “Cause as long as you live under Twilight’s roof, you live by her rules. Got it?” Spike reluctantly nodded. With Beau pointing at the door, “Now march and pack up, mister. We got a long walk ahead of us.” Spike turned around with his head lowered and walked to get his supplies. Beau groaned at this and rubbed the templates on his forehead. “I swear, that dragon…” Beau then turned to Twilight and the others and were surprised by the display. “What?” asked Beau in confusion. Rarity blinked twice and asked “Goodness darling, was that really necessary?” “Someone had to.” Said Beau, then looked at Twilight and said “I know you raised Spike, but you made one fatal flaw from him.” “Flaw?” said Twilight in confusion, “What’s that?” “You were too soft on him.” Said Beau, which surprised the others. “I know you wanted the best for him, but you should’ve taught him discipline and being more responsible instead of being a slacker. And yes, he’s your assistant, but he did a poor job at assisting you to do what Celestia told you to do when it came to making friends. And Princess Celestia, I know you have a policy of not enforcing something like that, but you also have to see a point to this.” Princess Celestia sighed and said “Normally I would not condone to this, but you are correct in this. Though Spike has accomplished a few things like Twilight, there were a few times where his actions had sometimes led him to a few blunders from what we’ve read in your reports.” “Indeed.” Said Princess Luna, “For even though he is grown, his maturity is still in question.” “Which is why I’m going with him.” Said Beau. “I’ll make sure things work out and if possible, ask the Dragon Lord for information about their culture so that I could learn more about. I’m sure he’ll be more reasonable.” “Fingers crossed to that.” Said Rarity. “I’m off packing and going to head out soon.” Said Beau before gently hugging Twilight, “Now you stay here and make sure that you’re safe. Our child’s protection takes priority. And my priority is to make sure I do the work whilst you rest. Okay?” Twilight sighed and said “Okay Beau. I’ll try.” “I’ll hold you up to it.” Said Beau before he kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you soon.” Beau soon left the room, leaving the Unicorn and Alicorns alone in the room. “I certainly hope he will be alright.” Said Rarity. Twilight was in equal worry, with Princess Celestia saying “I think we can trust him. He always keeps his word, after all.” *************************************************************************************************** A day later, after riding by train, Spike and Beau walked towards the Dragon Lands with their backpacks on their backs. Spike was busy grumbling whilst crossing his arms. “Will you stop acting like a baby?” said Beau in annoyance. “You know, that was very mean back there.” Said Spike. “Well, I wouldn’t have given you that kind of pep talk if you did your job as an assistant right.” Said Beau. “And you would know that, how?” said Spike. “I know what I’m talking about, because I did assisting jobs during my summer breaks when I was still in school.” Said Beau. “And unlike you, I actually take my job seriously.” “I take it seriously!!” said Spike. However, the look from Beau’s face said otherwise. “And I’m also powerful and useful.” “Like you were, ‘powerful and useful’ at the Equestria Games when you let your fame go straight to your head? Same with the delegates?” Spike winced whilst Beau shook his head. “I mean, what did you think was going to happen? Not to mention, Twilight and the others had to constantly save your sorry ass because of you constantly getting yourself into trouble, and Twilight’s still mad at you for that book you gave Rarity a while back.” “I said I was sorry.” Said Spike. “No, you weren’t,” said Beau, “You just bluntly told her that she looked awful and was being honest about it. She, along with Cadance and Princess Luna had to waste their time cleaning up the mess Rarity made. And in this case, yours too.” “I was trying to support her!!” shouted Spike as he stood in front of him. “More like wanting to find an excuse for her to fall in love with you.” Said Beau, “And I said it before, I’ll say it again, it’s not going to happen.” “Yeah, how do you know?” asked Spike whilst crossing his arms. “Well for one, you’re too young for her.” Said Beau. “Second, what you have is a childhood crush/fantasy. Third, you’re too much of a lazy slacker and an uncivilized buffoon. And finally, and also more importantly, she only dates guys who are mature enough. And clearly, you don’t have any of those traits.” “Yeah well,” said Spike, trying to find an excuse, but made a weak one as he said “Like you’re one to talk.” Beau gave him the ‘are you serious?’ look and showed him his wedding band on his ring finger on his left hand, whilst also showing the bracelet to remind him of his and Twilight’s baby. “Weak sauce dude. Weak sauce.” “Yeah well, Twilight obviously has horrible taste in stallions because she never got a single date growing up, but had to marry a hairless ape like you.” Said Spike, “And I’m sure the baby will be ugly too if it looks like you.” Beau was shocked and really angry whilst Spike walked off at the same time. “If I wasn’t such a nice guy, I’d bust your balls off right here and right now.” Muttered Beau as he walked ahead, unaware of who was behind him from the rocks…as well as the fiery heat coming from there. *************************************************************************************************** A while later, they soon arrived at the edge of the dragon lands, with Spike saying “Alright, we’re here. The summoning is just over the hill.” Beau suddenly kicked Spike by the behind, causing him to fall face first onto the ground. Clearly Beau was still angry at Spike for what he said earlier. “Just get going. I’ll wait for you at the train station.” Said Beau, which made Spike growl at Beau with a scowl before moving off. Beau groaned and said “I really don’t know why Twilight had to take someone like him in.” When all of a sudden, Beau felt…a pull? He looked at the direction where the pull was coming from, so he walked towards the direction, hoping to find what he was looking for. As he moved, he went over from rock to rock, and climbed a bit whilst observing his environment at the same time. As he continued to walk, he looked around, wondering where he would go. That was, until he felt a shadowy figure going over his head. He looked up and to his shock, it was a very, very big dragon. But then he felt the pull from that dragon. “Wait,” wondered Beau, “Could he be the one?” Beau ran towards the dragon, wanting to know what was going on, and if there is a connection with what he was feeling towards the dragon. When Beau got there, he was surprised to see so many dragons all around, then he saw the larger dragon. Beau could hear him talk, literally. His name was Torch, and he had reached his end of being Dragon Lord, and would wish to pass it down to another who would be worthy of the title. “Huh, I guess that’s why Spike was called there.” Said Beau to himself. “Hmm, maybe I can try to spot Spike from here.” Beau pulled out a telescope he placed in his backpack. Thankfully, Twilight’s telescope was greatly handy for situations like this. He used it to zoom in and looked around. “Wow, there sure are a ton of varieties of dragons. Boy, the human world would get a kick out of this.” Said Beau as he continued to look around. Then he spotted a red dragon, trying to pick a fight with Spike. “Huh, so that’s Garble. Sheesh, he has the word delinquent written all over his face.” He then saw what Spike was sitting on. It looked like a large rock with…eye holes? “What the…?” said Beau as he took another quick look. The moment he looked deeply at the eye holes; he saw a familiar eye color. A color he knows all too well. “Are you kidding me?!!!” Beau quickly winced and ducked in cover, with Torch hearing something and looked behind him. He noticed nothing, but shrugged his shoulders and turned back. However, he began to smell a scent he hadn’t smelled before, which made him curious, but focused on the task at hand. Beau began to curse and flail and go on and on, for he couldn’t believe Twilight was doing this, especially since she’s pregnant and with a baby on the way. Then again, this is Twilight he’s talking about. And from what her friends said, she has a habit of acting this way before thinking of anything else. Then he saw a blue dragon. A female to be exact. He overheard that she wanted to compete, but her father forbade the dragon, considering that it takes a big and strong dragon to lead the dragons. “Pff, typical stereotypes.” Said Beau, “Even in this world it still exists.” Beau continued to watch. When the dragoness grunted in a huff and ran flew away, Torch continued to speak to the other dragons. Beau noticed the blue dragon flying in his direction, and noticed the look on her face. He felt really bad for her. Maybe…welp, it was nice knowing everyone. He waited for a moment before she landed close by. Soon enough, she landed close by and landed with a huff. “The nerve of him.” Muttered the blue dragoness, “I’m just as capable of becoming one. Why can’t he see me for being a dragon instead of being his daughter?” “Most dads tend to do that.” The dragoness yelped and sharply looked around, then spotted Beau as he casually waved to her whilst he was sitting on a rock. “Who the heck are you?!” shouted the dragoness with aggression, but then changed to a confused look and said “What are you?” “Oh, my name is Thomas Rohan, but folks call me Beau.” Said Beau, “And as you can see, I’m no pony or any other creature you’ve met. I’m a human.” “Human?” said the dragoness in confusion, “You look more like an ape. Well, a hairless one.” “I get that a lot.” Said Beau, “Especially from my wife when I first met her.” “Wait, you’re married?” said the surprised dragoness. “And we’re having a baby soon.” Said Beau, which shocked the blue dragon. “Though sometimes she may get way over her head from time to time, even when we remind her she’s pregnant and wanted to make sure the baby is okay. But knowing my wife, once she does that, there’s no changing her mind.” “Sounds like she’s a handful.” Commented the dragoness. “Well, she is a Princess of Friendship, can’t exactly blame her.” Said Beau. “Wait, Princess?” said the dragoness, before realizing in shock. “You’re married to a pony?!” “Yeah, so?” said Beau with a flexed eyebrow. The dragoness wanted to retort, but seeing the look in his eyes, he wasn’t in the mood for debate, but instead she got curious and asked “How did you get to this world?” “I died actually.” Said Beau, which confused her. “It’s like this. I was busy swimming at a lake in my world, next thing I knew, I was pulled into a whirlpool and was instantly drowned. Next thing I knew, I ended up in Equestria. That’s how I met Twilight.” “Whoa,” she said surprised, “How is that possible?” “First thing’s first.” Said Beau as he pulled out a large flask and a cup, then poured some contents out of it, then he presented it to her, which confused her. “What, no one ever offered you Cider before?” The dragoness was cautious as she moved over and accepted the cup, with Beau pulling out another and pouring some for himself. The dragoness took a sip and was surprised by the taste. “Wow, this is pretty good.” “Thought you might like it. My friend Applejack made it for me before the trip here.” Said Beau. “Wait, trip?” said the dragoness in confusion. “Why don’t you take a seat, and we’ll talk.” Said Beau. Though reluctant, the dragoness agreed and sit next to him whilst they talked. “It’s like this.” Said Beau, “I was having tea with my wife and the two ruling Princesses when they wanted to make sure the baby was okay.” “Wait, they’d do that?” asked the dragoness surprised. “Well, both a human and a pony mate, which got them all curious.” Said Beau, which the dragoness nodded, for it made sense. “Whilst we were having tea, one of our friends brought Spike, the small dragon you might have seen, in when he was glowing. Which was the call of the dragon lord.” “I see.” Said the dragoness. “Although, I asked to accompany Spike for my wife.” Said Beau, “She really wanted to come along to learn about dragon culture, but I told her she was pregnant and she couldn’t go, so I offered. Spike was against it, and I told him that we don’t trust him enough to make his own decisions, considering how much of a bonehead he can be.” “Bonehead?” said the dragoness in confusion. “Trust me, he made a lot of bad decisions since he came to Ponyville.” Said Beau as he brought out a list, “I got a list to prove it.” The dragoness took the list and read it over, which shocked her as she said “He made that many mistakes?!” “Trust me, he does.” Said Beau, “And I’m so kicking his ass for what he said about my child is going to be ugly.” “Oooh, bad move on that one.” Said the dragoness as she took a sip. She presented her cup, which Beau poured another for her. She took a sip and said “So why do you want to know so much about dragons?” “Well for one, Ponies are a bit…cowardly when it comes to wanting to know about other races. Which kind of makes them xenophobic.” Said Beau. “Pff, typical.” Said the dragoness, “Oh sure, we cause trouble a thousand years ago, and when we tried to show them we’re not, they’re still judging us because of our reputation.” “Yeah, that’s always what stinks.” Said Beau. The dragoness then got curious and said “What do you think about dragons?” “Back in my world, dragons are known for being majestic, wise and powerful creatures.” Said Beau, “They are well respected in my world. And in another land called China, they respect the dragons greatly. In fact, according to the Chinese Zodiac, to those who are born in the year of the dragon, their personality traits of people born in the year of the dragon are: charismatic, intelligent, confident, powerful and they are naturally lucky and gifted. In everything that they do, they tend to do it to the best of their ability with high standards.” Beau looked at the dragoness and said “In fact, in my eyes, I don’t see dragons as dangerous brutes or monsters. I see them as powerful and majestic creatures, who are the bravest, strongest, and wisest of their kind. Most folks don’t see that, but in my eyes, we have more in common with them then they realize.” The dragoness was greatly surprised, as she didn’t know how to respond, but if a human respected her kind…she couldn’t help but smile and presented her hand. “I’m Ember.” “Pleasure.” Said Beau as he shook her hand. The two of them continued to look over to where Torch is, with Beau saying “Sorry your dad wouldn’t let you participate in this.” “It’s not your fault,” said Ember, which she groaned and said “I wanted to compete to prove to him I can be twice a better leader than those boulder heads combined. But he wouldn’t see me as a dragon instead of a dragon. Or that I’m not big and strong.” “Pff, he fails to realize it’s not the size of the warrior in the fight, but the size of the fight in the warrior.” Said Beau. “Exactly!!” exclaimed Ember whilst raising her fists in the air. She placed her cup down and took a few steps ahead. “Why can’t he even see that?!!” Beau then pondered something, as if this was really familiar to him. That’s when it clicked, and knew what she could do. “You know…” said Beau, “I know someone from an old story in my world who had been in the same situation you’re in.” “You do?” said Ember. “That’s right.” Said Beau, “There was a woman who’s country was at war with another. She wanted to join, but women weren’t allowed to, for it was sort of a heresy to them, and any women dressed like a man and joining the army would be executed. But she joined to preserve her family honor. And in the end, she became one of the country’s greatest heroes.” “And that helps…how?” asked a confused Ember. “Duh, you disguise yourself.” Said Beau, which cause Ember to raise her left brow. “You disguise yourself; others will think you’re a male dragon. And if you do that…” That’s when it clicked to Ember, “Then I’d be able to compete in the gauntlet and my father wouldn’t know I participated anyway. Ha!! That’s genius.!!” “But you do have armor, right?” asked Beau. “Pff, of course I do.” Said Ember, “My dad forged all of us armor a thousand years ago. Even if it looks outdated, the armor has been part of dragon culture for centuries.” “Then I believe now is a good opportunity.” Said Beau. Ember thought about it, then said with determination. “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot. And I’ll prove it to my dad.” “Then good luck out there, Ember.” Said Beau, “When you do, I’m sure you’ll make a great leader. And if you have some free time, maybe we can talk. As well as tell each other what our cultures are like.” “I’d like that.” Said Ember, who then smiled and said “And thanks. And I hope you have a healthy baby.” Ember flew away to get her armor, with Beau deciding to stick around and wait for the dragons to move before he moved over to Torch at the same time. *************************************************************************************************** After a while of waiting, all the dragons had left, allowing Beau to go over to Dragon Lord Torch. After much struggling, Beau had finally arrived at the…wait, is he sleeping? Torch was indeed fast asleep, whilst he was waiting for the gauntlet to be finished. Though he knew that he wanted answers straight from the dragon’s mouth, no pun intended. He slowly walked over and thought about trying to get his attention. “Excuse me, sir?” said Beau, but nothing was happening. “Hello?!” The dragon did nothing as he was still fast asleep. Beau then remembered what Spike told him of how to wake him up that one time, so maybe he can do the same. He walked over to Torch’s tail and found the position he was looking for. And with it, he gave it the hardest pinch. The dragon shot his eyes opened and yelped whilst fire was going out of his mouth. He then looked around angrily and shouted “Alright, who did that?!” “Down here!!” Torch looked down and saw Beau waving at him. Torch growled and lowered himself whilst glaring at him. “You dare pinch the Dragon Lord?!!” shouted Torch. “Sorry about that,” said Beau, “It was the only way to get your attention.” “Well now you do?!” shouted Torch as he got a closer look. But to his surprise, he sees Beau up closely and said in confusion, “A monkey?” “Human, actually.” “Human?!” exclaimed Torch. “That’s impossible!!” “Well, as you can see, I’m standing right in front of you.” Dragon Lord Torch leaned in and squinted his eyes at Beau. He felt something familiar, but he couldn’t put his clawed finger on it. “Who are you, human?” asked Torch in a demanding tone. “My friends call me Beau,” said Beau, “But if you want to know my name, it’s Thomas Rohan.” Dragon Lord Torch widened his eyes and said “Rohan, as in Achilles Rohan?” “You knew my ancestor?” asked Beau in confusion. Torch widened his eyes in shock and instantly bowed to him. “Forgive me, I meant no disrespect.” “Uh, it’s fine.” Said Beau in confusion. “How is it you know my ancestor?” Torch looked at him surprised and said “You don’t know?” “Not really.” Said Beau, “My family never told me about our family heritage. They thought it was only fairy tales and that they didn’t exist.” Torch growled and said “So the Rohan family had forgotten. As Achilles Rohan had feared.” “Wait, you met him in person?” asked Beau in shock. “Of course, I do.” Said Dragon Lord Torch. “Long ago, he traveled beyond another kingdom, exploring possible locations for every creature, dragon kind included, to have a new home when we wanted to start out our new kingdom.” Beau couldn’t help but look around for a bit, then back to Torch and asked “Though I’m going to assume that my ancestor didn’t work things right, did he?” Torch suddenly sighed and said “No, that was our kind’s fault. Your ancestor taught us everything for the future. But other dragons who were in charge of their clans before the Dragon Lord ended up squandering and twisted his teachings and gifts, and we ended up betraying everything we once stood for. When I became Dragon Lord, I tried to carry on his teachings. But some don’t listen that well. That was why I had to instill harsh punishments and be more assertive.” “Wow, that must be a pain in the ass, huh?” asked Beau whilst crossing his arms. “You have no idea.” Muttered Dragon Lord Torch, then said “But why are you here?” “I was busy accompanying another dragon from Ponyville.” Said Beau, “I believe you’ve met him? Purple, green spines, tends to act like a whimp.” “Oh, right,” said Dragon Lord Torch, “The one who didn’t want to join but changed his mind. But why are you here?” “Well, seeing that we lacked any knowledge of dragon culture, Princess Twilight wanted to come to the Dragon Lands to learn more about the dragon race.” Said Beau. “But there were two problems. One, he’s afraid that the dragons would fry her to a crisp the moment she set a hoof here.” “Understandable.” Said Torch. “And the other?” “She’s pregnant.” “She’s having a baby?!” said Torch, but then clicked and realized something. “And you’re…?!” Beau nodded, which left Torch baffled. “So, I volunteered to come along to see if I could gain an audience with you without any of the dragons.” Said Beau, “And seeing that the dragons are gone for the gauntlet, I figured now would be a good time.” “Hmmm, I see.” Said Torch as he thought about it. He nodded and said “Very well then, follow me.” Torch was the first to walk whilst Beau followed suit. *************************************************************************************************** They soon arrived at a cave of sorts, where Torch was guiding him inside. After walking a few places down, he had finally arrived at a spot where Torch took him. He placed his hand against the wall and within mere moments, it slowly opened, revealing two sets of journals and tomes. “What you see right here,” said Torch as he showed them, “These were during the time from our first Dragon Lord named Scintilla. She was among the bravest of all the dragons. And would not have united most dragons to follow her, had it not been for Achilles Rohan. Our people are in great debt to him. But overtime, many dragons had forgotten about him. Myself and many other dragon Lords before me have not.” “And you didn’t tell that to Ember?” asked Beau. “She wouldn’t understand. And neither would the other dragons.” Said Dragon Lord Torch. “Back then before I became Dragon Lord, most of our dragon clans had split apart and chose to wage war on other kingdoms. When I took over, the previous Dragon Lord told me of our origins. And of the Rohan family. I asked him why he didn’t tell all of us, but it fell onto deaf ears, thinking that it was some kind of trick.” “Yeesh,” said Beau whilst shaking his head, “Even in this world, ignorance has a habit of twisting and corrupting everything around you.” “Agreed.” Said Torch as he took a few tomes and books. Then turned to Beau and said “Long ago Achilles Rohan gifted Scintilla these books before he left long ago. And now that a true Rohan has returned, it now falls back to you.” He gave Beau the journal and tome, allowing the latter to accept them and look at Torch, who gave another journal. “Wait, you also kept a journal?” said Beau surprised. “What? We might be proud, but not all of us are barbarians.” Said Torch with a grunt. Then gave it to Beau and said “This is also everything about dragon culture. I’m sure your wife will greatly love it.” Beau chuckled whilst accepting it and said “I think she’ll be tickled pink when she does see this. Thank you, Dragon Lord Torch.” “Former Lord, once someone wins the gauntlet.” Said Torch. “Now then, off you go, before someone notices.” “You got it. And thanks.” Said Beau before shaking Torch’s hand. **************************************************************************************************** Later that day, Beau was going to the train station, but he decided to wait as he knew a certain pair of individuals were waiting for them. He hid behind the corner and waited for them whilst having his arms crossed. “And I gained, tons of ideas for a new line of camouflage clothing.” He heard, which he guessed was Rarity. “I think I’ll call it, camo-mod.” They laughed together whilst they walked. However, … “Ahem!!!” Twilight, Rarity, and Spike turned and the two ponies were shocked to see Beau, waiting for them whilst crossing his arms. “Beau?!” exclaimed Twilight, “I thought you were going to wait at the train station.” “I was,” said Beau sternly, “Until I spotted you two hiding in that ridiculous rock disguise among the dragons!!” Twilight and Rarity were shocked to say the least. “How did you…?!” said Twilight. “I watched from afar.” Said Beau, which surprised the three. “Twilight, what the heck were you thinking?! I told you I had this under control, but you went behind my back? Do you have any idea how dangerous it was, especially with the baby on the way?” Twilight looked down in shame and said “I know, and I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself. I really wanted to know more about dragon culture.” “Which I was able to get a book, thanks to Torch.” Said Beau, which surprised the latter. “You’ve met the former Dragon Lord Torch?!” exclaimed Rarity. “I did,” said Beau as he pulled out a book that Torch gave him, but kept the other two books a secret. “He was more than happy to provide information so that Twilight can make copies of it in order for ponykind to learn more about them.” Twilight squealed and got excited whilst grabbing the book at the same time. “But seriously, Twilight.” Said Beau, “What the heck possessed you into going there?” “I think it’s the pregnancy.” Said Rarity whilst Beau looked at her. “I tried to tell her to stop, to change her mind. But once her mind was set, she immediately went on without a second thought. She even went a bit crazy with tears.” Twilight blushed in embarrassment with Beau saying “Twilight, you know I’d never leave you hanging. And you know I always keep my word.” Twilight sighed and said “I know. And I’m really sorry. And it didn’t even help that Garble tried to get his hands on me either.” Beau was shocked, then sternly looked at Spike, with the latter saying “Look, how was I supposed to know that the girls would follow me?! But it worked out well and she didn’t get hurt.” Beau sighed and said “I guess so. I’m just glad the baby isn’t hurt.” “True.” Said Twilight. However, she was suddenly stern and said “Although…” Spike was suddenly flung against the wall and was pressed against it, which surprised Beau and Rarity. Spike looked and saw Twilight standing near him whilst she kept a stern face whilst crossing her arms. “I have horrible taste in stallions, do I?” said Twilight sternly, “I never had a single date growing up, did I? My baby will be as ugly as my husband, will she?” Spike and Beau were shocked that Twilight knew about it. “How did you…?!” said a shockened Spike. “I heard what you said!!” said Twilight. **************************************************************************************************** Flashback After Spike insulted Beau, the latter followed behind whilst groveling. However, at the same time, what they didn’t know, was that there were two individuals watching, which was none other than Twilight and Rarity. Rarity was shocked at what Spike had said. “I cannot believe Spikey Wikey would say such a thing.” Said Rarity. Twilight on the other hand, growled as she was really angry and crushed a rock she was holding at the same time. **************************************************************************************************** Spike was shocked that Twilight revealed that she knew what he had said about Beau and their unborn child. “T-Twilight, I can explain.” Said Spike, trying to defend himself. “Oh, explain what?” said Twilight, “That you would deliberately insult my husband like that? Even our own unborn daughter that we cannot wait to bring into the world? You know Spike, I may have overlooked your previous blunders, but this…this time I’m drawing the line. I may have been trying for a gentler touch, but now I see that I was too gentle with you. After we get back, you’re grounded for two weeks in the castle. No comic books, no D&D sessions, no gemstones, no desserts, no…” Spike was taken aback, with Spike saying “Fair!!”, as if he was trying to say, ‘no fair’. Twilight was then nose to nose at Spike, saying “Neither was not helping me or not defending me during Winter Wrap up and the Wedding, or even insulting my husband like that.” She then pulled out a list and said “And whilst we’re at it, you’re also doing chores around the castle, and you won’t step foot out of it, until you finished everything on the list!!” “What?!” exclaimed Spike. “For how long?!” “Until you’ve earned my trust and promise that you’ll never do anything like this ever again!!” said Twilight before releasing him from her magical grip. Spike stood up, but also glared at Beau, with the latter saying, “Don’t look at me, you had this coming for a long time.” “Um…” said Rarity as it was starting to feel awkward. “Shall we go home now?” “Yeah, we should.” Said Twilight sternly whilst she grabbed Spike’s ear and pulled it at the same time, making the latter wince as he was being pulled away. Rarity and Beau followed suit to make sure that things didn’t escalate. “I’m so sorry for what Spike said to you.” Said Rarity in an apologetic tone. “You don’t have to apologize for him.” Said Beau, “Karma would’ve hit him sooner or later.” **************************************************************************************************** A while later, after they got back. Spike would have to prepare to do the chores tomorrow, whilst Beau would make doubly sure that Twilight won’t do something like this ever again by taking care of her, with Starlight beside him as this would also be lessons in trying to take care of a friend who’s expecting a child. After going back, Rarity was walking back to her home, for after that whole ordeal, she needed to wash up. “Oh, I simply cannot believe that Spikey Wikey would say such things.” Said Rarity, but sighed and said “Nevertheless. It was already stressful enough as it is. I think a nice warm bath would…” She was suddenly cut off when she saw a handful of fillies and colts standing around something near a tree, as if they were investigating something. “Hello? Whatever is going on over there?” asked Rarity to herself. She walked closely to hear what they were doing. She heard them say ‘Another monkey?’, and, ‘Is it still alive?’, and, ‘What happened to his clothes?’. She didn’t know what the fuss was about, but if there was a way to find out. She was then close enough. “Darlings,” said Rarity the moment she got close enough. “What is all the fuss about-UAAHHAHAAA!!!!” For what she saw, was indeed another human. As he had dark brown, well-groomed hair, but slightly messy. His skin was pale white, his eyes were crystal blue and he was about 5’10 tall. What also was wrong was that his clothes looked half burnt and ruined. And from the looks of it, he looked sick, and looked like he was having a fever. She quickly rushed passed the children and stood on her knees, trying to get a good look at him. “Good heavens, are you alright?” asked Rarity as she tried to sooth him. The man looked at Rarity, and could’ve sworn she looked like an angel. The only thing he could do was nod, to show he was still alive. Rarity then felt his forehead and was surprised how warm she is. “My word, your body is a wee bit on the warm side? Do you happen to be ill?” “No.” replied the man whilst groaning, trying to focus at the same time, “The only thing I fell right now is a minor headache.” He rubbed his head a bit, trying to focus, then looked at Rarity and asked “Forgive me for asking, but who are you?” “Oh,” said Rarity in realization. She had been so distracted to make sure the human was okay, she forgot to introduce herself. “How rude of a lady not to introduce herself. My name is Rarity, darling. And, who might you be?” “Oh, my name is Jim Silver.” Said the human. “Introductions aside, I also have a question.” “Oh, of course, darling.” Said Rarity. “What is it you want to ask of me?” “Where am I exactly?” asked Jim. “And how did I get here? I remember blacking out after I got toasted. And the next thing I knew, I somehow ended up here. Surrounded by…uh…” Rarity could tell he was trying to find the right words, but didn’t want to insult them. “Ponies, darling.” Confirmed Rarity, “And right now, you’re in Ponyville, a small little town that’s part of the beautiful land of Equestria.” Rarity placed her hand on his shoulder, “Now, I know it might sound hard to believe, but I can assure you, it’s the truth. Now, is there anything else you’d like to know?” “Just one,” asked Jim, “How exactly did I end up here in the middle of town?” Rarity stroked her chin, but shook her head. “I’m not exactly sure, darling.” Said Rarity, “But I do know that you probably don’t have a place to stay after whatever happened to you in your homeland. Perhaps maybe you can follow me to my home and I can cool you down. That dreadful fever of yours had probably gone through the roof.” Jim was a little surprised, but for some reason it didn’t feel right. “I…I don’t know.” Hesitated Jim, “I don’t want to be a burden or anything.” Rarity merely giggled and said “Darling, no need to be so hesitant. After all, what kind of pony would I be to leave you out here in the streets? Ponyville tends to get a wee bit chilly when night falls.” Rarity then held onto Jim’s hands and was able to help him on his feet. Though he might be heavy, Rarity was able to use her magic to help lift him. She guides him to a two-story building, with a sign that says ‘Carousal Boutique.’ Jim was able to look at her and said “Thank you. But…are you sure this is your house and not where you work?” “Actually darling, it’s a little bit of both.” Said Rarity as she was close to her place. “I’m one of those, how to call it, work at home mares. I make the most dazzling and beautifully custom-made designs of clothes for ponies in Ponyville, and even in Canterlot. As a matter of fact, I have a shop set up in that very place.” “Oh?” said Jim whilst looking at her, “If you have a shop at this…Canterlot? Who’s managing that shop there?” “Oh, it’s my manager, Sassy Saddles.” Said Rarity as she took him inside, “I wanted to set up a shop there so that I could expand my business. However, I prefer to still work here in Ponyville as my home base.” “I see.” Said Jim as Rarity was able to place him gently onto the couch. “But enough about me, darling, we’ve got to do something about this nasty fever of yours.” Said Rarity before placing a hand on his forehead. “Your body is still burning. Just rest here, I’ll get you a nice cup of water and maybe a bag of ice.” Rarity went to the kitchen to fetch what she needed, whilst Jim rested on the couch. He felt hot and wanted to pass out, but he was afraid he’d never wake up. For what he went through…it was really a nightmare. Thankfully, Rarity came back as soon as possible. She brought a huge cup of water with ice cubes inside. Jim was surprised that Rarity levitated it. Though given the fact that she has a horn, makes complete sense. She helped Jim sit up and placed an icebag over his head whilst she helped him drink the water before he could pass out at any given time. “Here, drink this sweetie, it’ll help.” Said Rarity as she helped Jim drink his water and placed the ice in his head to cool down. Jim sighed in relief and said “Thank you for the ice and water, Rarity. I thought I was gonna pass out.” “Just relax now, darling.” Said Rarity whilst reassuring him, “You’re still well enough to stand. Wait right here, I’ll be back with a towel to dry off the sweat.” Jim on the other hand, looked away for a bit in thought, and wondered, ‘I don’t understand. Why is she being so nice to me? No one’s ever shown me that much kindness before in my life, other than my…mom and dad.’ Jim then looked a bit up and thought, ‘Whatever the case, I’ve got to find a way to pay her back for everything she’s doing for me. Isn’t that right…mom and dad?’ After Jim was done with his mental questions, Rarity returned with a little towel and sits back down. She dabbed the towel over his head, getting off any kind of sweat that’s running down your forehead. Jim ended up looking at Rarity whilst the latter gave her a warm smile. “Heavens to Celestia darling,” said Rarity, “What exactly happened to you that heated up your body that much in the first place?” Jim suddenly felt sad and looked away, and muttered “It doesn’t matter.” “Maybe not to you, but it matters to me.” Said Rarity whilst she was busy cleaning off the sweat, “I can tell there’s something you need to get off your chest. Now’s a good chance to do so. Friends look after each other, after all, darling.” Jim perked at what she called him. Friend. Jim thought about it, and suddenly had a longing for some reason, and nearly making him shed tears. He took a breather, and said “Alright, I’ll tell you.” Jim tried to remember what his life was like. “The reason I was burning up before was because of the plane crash I…supposedly died in. I guess I got swallowed up by the flames from the moment of impact.” “You, WHAT?!!” shrieked Rarity, making Jim jump and fall off the couch in another direction and had a surprised look on his face. He didn’t know she had a set of pipes like that. “Oh dear, are you alright, darling?” said Rarity as she quickly went over to see if he was okay. “Oh, do forgive me, I tend to become a little…over-dramatic at times.” ‘So, I noticed.’ Thought Silver, then sat back on the couch and said “Anyway, I was involved in a plane crash and got toasted by the fire when the plane made impact with the ground.” “Um,” said a confused Rarity, “What exactly…is a plane, if you don’t mind me asking, darling?” “I presume this world doesn’t have planes?” asked Jim, to which Rarity shook her head. “You got a sketch pad?” Rarity was confused, but was able to bring in a larger one for him and a pencil. “I’ll explain whilst I draw.” Jim began to draw whilst he explained at the same time. “Picture a giant metal bird, only the wings don’t flap and it can travel from country to country in a matter of either a few hours or even a day. It doesn’t eat or drink anything except for this liquid that only it can handle and not humans. Inside the plane, there are two people who help steer it while a certain number of people sit and relax as they travel abroad. That’s my description of what a plane really is.” Jim then showed her a picture of a plane. Rarity seemed speechless after the description whilst her eyes had shrunk to her shock and surprise, especially when he showed her the picture. She had to admit, he has talent, especially attention to detail. Almost as if… “Tell me darling,” said Rarity as she was about to ask something, “Have you ever considered taking a career in designing?” “Well, I did think about it and studied it a lot in school. And I always wanted to, but…” said Jim, until he stopped in mid-sentence when he realized what she just asked of him. He looked at her and asked “Are…are you trying to hire me or something?” “But of course, darling.” Said Rarity, “Surely if you’re going to be living in Ponyville, the least I can do is offer you a job. In fact, I’ll even set up the guest room I have here in the boutique.” Jim was surprised by the amount of generosity Rarity gave him. The only ones who ever gave him that much were his…and…no, he shook it off from within his head as he didn’t want to think about it. But to meet someone like Rarity…he had thought during his darkest time, his life was over. That was…until she came into the picture. “You…” he began, as he felt like he couldn’t find the right words. “You’d really do that…for me?” “Well of course, darling.” Said Rarity, “We are friends, after all. And I won’t turn my back on a dear friend in need. Now, how about we see how good you are with drawing up creative ideas.” Rarity got up and gestured Jim to do the same, which he did. “Now come along, we have much to do.” Rarity held his hand and guided him to the next room. Jim had to admit…holding her hand felt…nice. She then brought him into the designing room, with him being surprised at what he was seeing. What really surprised him, was the designing table. Something he thought he’d never see again. She then brought him over to a chalkboard that was in the middle of the room. “So…” said Jim as he was nervous, “What do you want me to do?” “Simple,” said Rarity as she instructed and encouraged him, “Whatever clothes design comes up in your mind, just draw it on the chalkboard. You never know, it might actually turn out great.” Rarity then handed him some chalk, allowing him to accept it. He looked at the chalkboard and thought what to draw on it as his first design, whilst Rarity left him alone so that he could have some space to think. When all of a sudden, something popped inside his head, as he had suddenly an idea. He soon began to draw on the chalkboard as his ideas continued to spill from his head whilst he felt the image was right in front of him the whole time. **************************************************************************************************** After many hours, Rarity came back and wondered how Jim was doing. When she popped over, she was surprised to see what he has drawn, which she couldn’t help but marvel from the background. She then saw Jim had placed the chalk back with the others before wiping his brow from the sweat. “Phew, finished.” Said Jim, until he heard his own stomach growled. He felt embarrassed that his stomach felt empty for some reason. Rarity giggled quietly as she found it very amusing. “I was wondering when you would get hungry.” Jim turned to Rarity and he sees her smiling and wearing what appeared the be wearing glasses, which he guessed she wears whilst she’s in the middle of designing. He had to admit, she looked even prettier whenever she wears glasses. “Yeah, a little bit.” Said Jim whilst he rubbed the back of his head. Rarity walked over to see it more closely, and she’s still amazed. “Oh, darling, these new designs look simply divine!” said Rarity as she looked at them, “Wherever, did you pick these ideas up from, I must know.” Rarity didn’t see it, but Jim had a hurtful look on his face, as if he did have a reason, but he was too ashamed for some reason. However, he swallowed it and tried to cover it up. “Well, I guess they just sort of…popped into my head.” Said Jim. “Well, I think these designs are simply lovely and gorgeous, darling.” Said Rarity. “The detail you put into what color each piece of clothing is absolutely amazing. I dare say, that we might actually have to start designing right away. But first…” Rarity placed her hand on her stomach and said “A little quick snack is in order before we move on with your designs. Come along, deary. I’ll make us a delectable treat.” “Okay then,” said Jim, then said “Would you…like me to help you?” “Oh, of course darling.” Said Rarity, “I would like that very much.” As they were busy making the food, Rarity then decided to add some to the conversation. “Darling,” said Rarity as she began, “Pardon me, but something struck me. But why were you on a er, plane in the first place? Were you leaving to visit some far-off place or something.” Rarity was focused on making the food, whilst Jim however had a hurtful look on his face again, but swallowed it and told the reason. “Not…exactly.” Said Jim. “I was planning on leaving my home with a one-way flight to the mountains of a different country to escape the demons of my past. I…lost my parents in an accident when I was eight. They were hit by a drunken driver. I was so devastated, I didn’t want to have anything to do with my hometown anymore, so I packed up my bags and left a few weeks later after I took the guy who was responsible to court. And after I won the case, I had to bury them so that they could be at peace.” He heard the sound of a utensil drop, making him quickly turn around and saw it. He went over to pick it up. But as he stood next to Rarity, he saw that she had a shocked look on her face, and shed a few tears that ruined her makeup at the same time. “Oh darling…I’m so sorry.” Said Rarity. Seeing her like this made him feel guilty, which made his own heart feel like breaking. Jim couldn’t handle it and hugged her, which surprised her for a moment, allowing the two of them to look into one another’s eyes. Seeing her eyes. Sapphire. Which was his favorite gemstone. “No Rarity, I’m sorry.” Said Jim, “Ever since my mom and dad died, I didn’t want to have anything to do with anyone. I was too upset to acknowledge that reality sunk in, so I spat at it in the face when it took everything I held dear in my heart. But when you found me and allowed me, a complete stranger, to come to you house, it took me awhile to realize how much of my hope you’ve restored.” He hugged her again and said “Thank you, Rarity.” Rarity sniffled a bit and held him in a warm embrace. “You’re... You’re very welcome. I’m ever so sorry your mother and father are gone. And even though I might not know who they were, I have a hunch that they wouldn’t want their darling son to give up all hope. After all, no parent wants to watch their children live an unhappy life.” Jim held her for a few moments. Once that was done, the two of them continued cooking and sat down. Once they were eating, Jim then thought of something. “Um, Rarity, quick question.” Said Jim, gaining her attention, “Am I the only human here, or are there other humans? I realize that just now since I saw many anthro ponies in this town when I first got here.” “Oh, yes, there are humans here in Equestria, specifically here in Ponyville.” Said Rarity, “In fact, you’re actually the third human to arrive. And on top of that, one of them is married to one of my friends whilst the other is engaged to one of my other friends and they’re both going to have children soon.” “Really?” said Jim surprised, “How is that possible?” “Um,” said Rarity as she suddenly felt embarrassed by this, “Perhaps it’d be best if I told you some other time. For now, let’s just finish eating.” Jim realized his mistake and breathed through his teeth. “Oooh, right. My bad.” **************************************************************************************************** After the two of you were done, and after Jim did the dishes for Rarity, which she greatly appreciated, the said pony guided him to the second floor. She leads him to a door and opens it up. “Alright darling,” said Rarity as she guided him into the room whilst he looked around, “Here’s where you’ll be sleeping in. It’s got plenty of room and it should be able to keep you warm throughout the night. If you ever need anything from me, feel free to let me know and I’ll do whatever I can to help.” “Alright, thanks for everything Rarity.” Said Jim. However, he then slowly walked over to her, which at first puzzled her. Until he surprised her with a gentle hug. “Thank you Rarity. You have a good night now.” Rarity couldn’t help but blush and hugged him back. After she broke the hug, she went off whilst Jim couldn’t help but smile and gently closed the door. He soon went over to bed. But before he climbed in, he stared at the window and watched the night sky lit up. So peaceful and beautiful, with the help of the moon, which seemed to be in a crescent shape. He suddenly saw two images of humans in the sky, which he couldn’t help but tear up. It soon fell down, but he was able to smile. He felt like he was being hugged by an invisible force, which felt comforting as he placed his hand against his chest. “Goodnight mom and dad.” Muttered Jim. “I love you.” He shed a tear and wiped it, before going to bed. He was able to close his eyes and allowed his body to relax as he soon drifted to sleep.
Chapter 12: Silver LiningSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 13: To love a DiamondIt had been almost a month since Rarity confessed her love to Jim, and he couldn’t be any happy about it. For now, he found his soulmate, and someone special to share that life with. However, during that month, he and Rarity had begun to date. And every now and then, Jim would find a place on Ponyville that would be ideal. However, sometimes he’d take her to Canterlot, which she would worry others wouldn’t be so accepting. But he reassured her that all he ever cares about is making her happy, to which she is very grateful. However, one day, she wanted to take him somewhere else. The one thing that suddenly makes him nervous… She wants him to meet her parents. Her mother Cookie Crumble, and her father Hondo Flanks, or Magnum to some. The two of them were in front of their doorstep, whilst Jim had never felt so nervous. “Uh, Rarity?” asked Jim, “Are you sure about this? What if they don’t accept me?” “Then it will be their loss.” Said Rarity, then looked at him and said “Jim, you are one of the sweetest stallion,… er, men, I’ve ever met. You have such a creative mind, you helped me manage my business, and you even stood up for me when Suri wanted to cause trouble, even identified the problem of why she was like this.” “I just did the right thing.” Said Jim, then teased “That and I couldn’t stand such a beautiful face to frown.” Rarity couldn’t help but giggle at that statement whilst blushing at the same time. She then gently knocked at the door. She waited for a few moments, but for some reason, they weren’t answering. “Odd,” said Rarity, “I thought they were home. They did say that they wouldn’t go anywhere until next week.” Jim then thought about something. Then it clicked as he had an idea. “Let me try something.” Said Jim, “But…promise me you won’t get mad.” “Get mad?” said Rarity in confusion. Within a split second, Jim banged against the door very loudly, which shocked Rarity. But as shocked as she was when he yelled “This is the Police and Canterlot Royal Guard!! We have the entire place surrounded!! You come out of there with your hands up!!!” “Jim!!” exclaimed Rarity. Until… They heard loud banging and panicking, then the door immediately opened, causing two ponies, aka, Rarity’s parents, to quickly come out and raise their hands. “Don’t arrest us, we surrender!!” said Cookie Crumble. Until they noticed that there wasn’t any guards around, they looked sternly as Magnus said “Hey, what’s the big idea?!” Then they saw Rarity, who had a surprised look, causing them to change their minds and hugged her. “Rarity, good to see you.” Said Cookie Crumble as they broke the hug. “What are you doing here?” said Magnus. “Well for one I wanted to come visit.” Said Rarity. “And um…to introduce you to somepony I met.” “Oooh, Rarity, why didn’t you tell us?” said Cookie Crumble. “Where is he?” “You’re uh…looking at him.” Said Jim nervously. The two of them looked at him surprised, but then they felt a bit uneasy. “Um, honey?” said Cookie Crumble, “He’s not a stallion. He’s…” “A hairless ape?” said Jim, “I get that a lot. Not to mention I’m the third human here, considering two others are here as well.” “Oh yeah, Beau and Bucky.” Said Magnus, “Nice people.” “Why didn’t you answer?” asked Rarity, “You always answer whenever I knock on the door.” Suddenly, the two of them blushed a bit, with one of them trying to change the subject. “Well, you see dear.” Said Cookie Crumble nervously. “We were, well…” said Magnus. “You two were having sex earlier.” Said Jim. The three ponies looked in shock. Before Rarity could protest of how uncouth Jim sounded. “It’s obvious really.” Said Jim, “Magnus’ belt wasn’t tightened properly, indicating that he had his pants down. Cookie Crumble’s shirt is buttoned up wrong in the wrong places, indicating that her shirt was open. Magnus smells like perfume, which is from his wife as he had his head in her breasts, and Cookie Crumble’s hair is a slight mess. That, and there happens to be a condom hanging from the left side of his belt.” Magnus looked in shock and quickly tossed it away whilst Cookie quickly fixed her hair. “Mother!! Father!!” said Rarity in disgust and embarrassment as she realized that they did just that. “Why would you do something so uncouth?!! What if Sweetie Belle heard you?!!” “Well, we also like a little fun, don’t you know.” Said Magnus. “And Sweetie Belle is visiting her friends today, so no harm done.” Said Cookie Crumble. “Oh, my Celestia, this is so embarrassing.” Muttered Rarity. “So uh, why don’t you come inside.” Said Magnus whilst a bit embarrassed, desperately wanting to change the subject. “And you can tell us more about him.” Said Cookie Crumble with the same feeling, causing them to go inside. Just before they got inside, Rarity stopped him and asked “However, did you know that it would work?” “I saw this in a movie once.” Said Jim, “Works every time.” “And their uh…private time?” asked Rarity whilst a bit disgusted. “Simple really.” Said Jim, “I used a few deduction skills whilst I was reading and studying a lot of Sherlock Holmes stories.” “Sherlock Holmes?” said Rarity in confusion. “A famous detective who solves crime using proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning.” Said Jim, “And he also focuses on attention to detail like Shadow Spade.” “You’ve read Shadow Spade?” said Rarity surprised. “I read a bit last night before I went to bed shortly after I met you.” Said Rarity, “The two of you have a lot in common. No wonder you love those stories so much.” Jim entered the room whilst Rarity was surprised. She couldn’t help but smile and entered last. ************************************************************************************************ Fifteen minutes later, tea had been served by Cookie Crumble and Magnus whilst Jim had told them his backstory. “Oh, you poor dear.” Said Cookie Crumble after she served tea and sat down, “I couldn’t imagine what it would’ve been like if I had lost my parents like that.” “Or died.” Said Magnus as he was also surprised, “I would’ve been traumatized if I had gone through an experience like that.” “Still,” said Cookie, “We are just happy that you are alive.” “Yeah, I’m actually really lucky.” Said Jim. “Though I don’t know what I’m the luckiest the most; that I’m alive, or that a beautiful gem found me and took me in when I had nowhere else to go.” The parents were surprised by what he said, though he looked at Rarity and said “And by the way, the color of your eyes, sapphire, that’s my favorite gemstone.” Rarity couldn’t help but blush and smile at the same time, whilst slowly held onto his hand. “So,” said Magnus, “After you died, what happened next?” “She took me in and tried to cool me down,” said Jim, “I was still feeling burnt after that whole crashing ordeal. Afterwards, she asked me to how I died, and was curious to know what a plane was.” “A what?” said Cookie Crumbles as she and her husband were confused. “Picture like a Zeppelin, but different.” Said Rarity as she took out a sketch pad, “This is what it looks like. He drew it, and such in great detail.” They took a good look at the picture and were surprised to see what it looks like. “Wow, now that’s a real work of art.” Said Magnus. “You must’ve taken a lot of lessons in your youth.” Said Cookie Crumble. “I did.” Said Jim, “I wasn’t really interested at first, but the more I did it, the better I got at it. Afterwards, Rarity hired me to work for her and I ended up drawing up a few designs that she was able to make. I even worked at the front of the store to help with the sales.” “Well, that’s a first.” Said Magnus as he and Cookie were surprised. “Really?” asked Jim in confusion. “It’s just…Rarity never hires anyone to help work for her, not even when she overdoes it.” Said Cookie Crumble. “Why is that always so surprising?” asked Rarity rhetorically. “You’re always stubborn to accept any help.” Said Magnus, “That you didn’t want anyone to interrupt your, ‘creative genius’.” “Really?” said Jim surprised.. “Oh, it’s true dear.” Said Cookie Crumble, “You wouldn’t believe how dedicated she is to her work. She always gets so frazzled, especially whenever she stresses she eats so many ice cream.” Rarity blushed from embarrassment as she covered her eyes. However, she felt a hand on her leg, gaining her attention and saw it was you, reassuring her that everything is alright and that he’s not judging her, to which the latter couldn’t help but smile. “Anyway,” said Jim, “Right as we continued with the boutique’s business, an old rival barged into her shop. I believe her name was Suri.” “Oh no,” said Cookie in worry, “Don’t tell me she was there to cause trouble.” “She was actually.” Said Rarity, “She still had the nerve to blame me for her losing the contest in Manehattan. But Silver stepped in and was able to resolve the difference between us.” Jim looked at her slightly surprised. For she didn’t call him by his given name, but by his surname instead. “Really?” said Magnus, “Wow that’s fortunate.” “And that’s when the two of you confessed.” Asked Cookie. “Indeed.” Said Rarity, “I gained a crush on him, and he truly is a gentle stallion. Er…gentleman.” “Oh, that’s mighty sweet.” Said Cookie, “I hope you take good care of her, Silver.” “After the way she saved me, how could I not?” said Jim. “I owe her for what she did for me. And I’ll always be grateful.” “Mom, dad, I’m home!!” They turned to the door and saw Sweetie Belle walking in. “Sorry I’m late,” said Sweetie Belle, “The girls and I were…” She then noticed Jim in the room and was surprised to see him. “Oh, hi Jim.” Said Sweetie Belle. “What are you doing here?” “Rarity brought me over to introduce me to her parents.” Said Jim. “Turns out they’re a fun bunch. Though they were sort of uncomfortable upon meeting me. But I managed to make them uncomfortable in return.” “Really?” said Sweetie Belle surprised. “That’s a first. What did you do?” Jim looked at the two with a sly smirk, making them nervous at the same time, with him saying “Our little secret.” “Eh, okay.” Said Sweetie Belle after she shrugged her shoulders. But then she noticed how close Rarity and Jim were sitting, and asked surprised, “Wait, are you two…?” “Er, yes. For a month now.” Said Rarity nervously. Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but smirk and exclaimed “I knew it!! I knew you liked him!!” Rarity blushed in embarrassment, whilst the parents were confused, with Jim whispering to them, “Long story.” “Plus,” said Sweetie Belle as she held her arms behind her back with a smile, “I don’t mind Rarity going out with Jim, he’s actually really nice.” She then had a very sly smile, which caused them to notice. “What?” asked Rarity. “I’m just curious of how Spike is going to feel if he finds out his crush is going out with someone else.” Said Sweetie Belle teasingly. “I’d imagine he’d be very devastated.” Jim was confused by this, whilst Rarity also realized this. “Oh dear.” Muttered Rarity. Even though she didn’t like Sweetie Belle’s teasing jab, she realized that she was right. “Who’s Spike?” asked Jim. “Oh, Spike happens to be a dragon and assistant to Princess Twilight.” Said Magnus. “Although…since the day he came to Ponyville, he had a crush on her.” Said Cookie Crumble. “Crush as in childhood crush, or crush as in romantically?” asked Jim. “The second one.” Said Rarity, which surprised Jim, “I could tell since the day he came to Ponyville. I may be a hardworking lady, but I am not oblivious to everything around me. Although…” “What?” asked Jim. “A while back before Spikey Wikey went to the dragon lands,” said Rarity, which baffled Jim that she would have a nickname for him, “Twilight’s husband told him of his flaws and that he shouldn’t look himself as a perfectionist. I even overheard him saying that he knows that Spike has a fantasy that I would fall in love with him.” Everyone was surprised by this, even Sweetie Belle, for this was the first time she heard it. She got curious and asked “What did Beau actually say?” “He said, quote, I know you have this fantasy where Rarity would finally fall in love with you, well I got news for you pal, it’s never going to happen, end quote.” Said Rarity. “Ouch.” Said Sweetie Belle, knowing that would strike a nerve. Jim thought about it and said “It could be worse. I mean if it came from you, it would’ve hurt twice as much. Though if it were thrice…” “What?” said Rarity. “You could say, quote, whilst I haven’t showed any adoration for Spike. Let’s be serious for a moment. He is a baby dragon. I for one, a fully grown mare, would never date him, end quote.” Said Jim. The others were surprised by this, with Sweetie Belle saying “Wow, that would’ve really hurt.” “But thankfully you’re not that kind of lady.” Said Jim, “If you were, you wouldn’t be the most generous mare I know. Or the mare I fell in love with.” Rarity cooed and held Jim close, which touched the parents and Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. But she couldn’t help but smile. For in a way, she liked Jim. For when he wasn’t busy during the month he was with Rarity, he would sometimes spend time with her and also treat her for some cake and milkshakes, which she greatly appreciated. Soon afterwards, the two walked out, with Jim asking, “Why did you decide to call me Silver?” “Well, I figured that since you’re staying here, and most wouldn’t get used to your name, I figured it would be lovely to call you Silver. For it fits your personality.” “Huh, it kinda does, doesn’t it.” Said Jim, now Silver, who smiled and said “I accept. Silver it is.” The two of them held one another close as they headed back home. ************************************************************************************************ A week had passed and Rarity decided to introduce Silver to the others. “Will everyone else be there?” asked Silver. “Of course,” said Rarity, “We do make arrangements for a get together every two weeks or a month, depending if none of us are busy.” “Good to know.” Said Silver. “Although…I’m more concerned of how Spike is going to react about us being…you know.” “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Said Rarity. Although she noticed the look on his face whilst he was flexing his left eyebrow. “Okay, maybe he won’t be. But I’m sure he’ll find someone else.” “Somehow I doubt that.” Said Silver. Rarity knocked on the door, and then entered with Silver following suit. “Twilight, hello?!” said Rarity. Suddenly, popping from out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie appeared and shouted “Hi Rarity!!” Rarity yelped a bit, with Silver holding her close to protect her just in case. “Oooh,” said Pinkie Pie as she noticed Silver, “Looks like we have another human in the mix!! I knew my Pinkie Sense wasn’t playing tricks on me when we had a newcomer in town!!” “Er, yes Pinkie.” Said Rarity as she cleared her throat, “Is Twilight around?” “She and the others are waiting for you at the dining room.” Said Pinkie Pie. “Spike’s running a bit late, but he’ll get there soon. Now come on!!” She darted off like a speeding bullet, which baffled Silver before slowly looking at Rarity. “That would be Pinkie Pie.” Said Rarity, knowing what Silver was going to ask. “She happens to be this town’s party planner. She helps organizes parties and helps them celebrate their birthdays.” “That must be a lot of work.” Said Silver as he and Rarity walked in. “Oh, it is.” Said Rarity, “Makes me happy that I didn’t have a cutie mark in party planning, otherwise I’d stress myself to the bone.” “I’d believe it.” Said Silver, “I mean you always work hard when it comes to your craft.” “Indeed.” Said Rarity as she sighed a bit whilst trying to think of something else. The two of them continued to walk down the hall and eventually made it to the dining room, where the rest of the Mane 6 were waiting and also dining down, with Starlight joining them. Though they weren’t the only ones, for both Beau and Bucky were also attending, seeing that Granny allowed Bucky and Applejack to go visit their friends. “Rarity, you made it.” Said Twilight. “Sorry I’m late Twilight.” Said Rarity, “We took a break from working at the shop. And…” Rarity bit her lip whilst keeping her smile. “Rarity?” asked Fluttershy. “Okay, I cannot take it anymore.” Said Rarity excited, “I want all of you to meet Silver.” Rarity pulled Silver and showed them, whilst at the same time, he nervously waved to them and said “Hi.” When all of a sudden, he was pounced on by none other than Pinkie Pie. “Hi new friend!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Uh, hi.” Said Silver whilst Pinkie got off of him whilst he moved. “You must be Silver.” Said Twilight as she walked over to the third human, but with Beau by her side to make sure she doesn’t hurt herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. This is my husband, Beau.” “Never thought another human would arrive in Equestria.” Said Beau as he shook Silver’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” “Likewise.” Said Silver after he shook Beau’s hand. “And these are the rest of my friends,” said Rarity, “Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight Glimmer.” Everyone greeted Silver their own way, with Bucky walking up and said “My name’s Bucky. I’m Applejack’s boyfriend. Or in this case, special somepony.” “Nice to meet you.” Said Silver. “Rarity told us that she took you in after she found you.” Said Rainbow Dash. “She did.” Said Silver, “And I’m really grateful for it. I wanted to meet you, but one, I was still getting used to my environment, and two, someone had to help look after the shop whilst Rarity is out.” “Understandable.” Said Applejack, “Bucky felt the same way when he first got here, same with Beau.” “And just know, you were really lucky.” Said Bucky. “What do you mean?” asked a confused Jim. “When I first met Twilight, I accidentally blurted out how horses can’t talk, and she ended up threatening me, considering I never met a pony species before.” Said Beau, which Twilight giggled nervously. “And when I met Applejack, she thought I was a thief coming to take her apples, despite me putting it back and I apologized before she nearly punctured my lung with her lasso.” Said Bucky, which Applejack tilted her hat and blushed in embarrassment. “I see.” Muttered Silver, as he was lucky he wasn’t through in those situations. “Not to worry,” said Rarity, “He was quite gentle when we met. He even defended me when Suri came to the shop.” “Suri?!” said the others surprised. “Why in tarnation would she come all the way out here?” said a confused Applejack. “Apparently she’s was still sour at her for losing in Manehattan,” said Silver, “That and that Coco spilled the beans on her.” “And all of you should’ve seen it,” said Rarity, “Silver stood up to her and during their conversation, made her spill the beans on why she was like this.” “Turns out she tried to be on top, just so that she could come out of her mother’s shadow.” Said Silver. “Afterwards, I called upon some of my connections and asked Sassy Saddles at Canterlot to help Suri out.” Said Rarity. She blushed and said “And I developed a crush on him for standing up for me.” Spike, at the same time, walked down the hall as he continued to do his chores, and he only had about a few days, so that was at least something. When all of a sudden, he heard… “Rarity, are you saying that he’s your new special somepony?” Applejack said. Spike stopped in his tracks and was shocked by what he heard. He instantly peaked through the door, and saw Silver standing next to Rarity and holding her hand, with the two of them being together. “Yes, he is.” Said Rarity as she and Silver looked at one another, “And I couldn’t be any happier.” Spike saw Rarity kiss him by the cheek, making him widen his eyes in horror. He quickly darted off and straight to the roof. He dropped on his knees and raised his hands and shouted. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” Meanwhile, right below, the Mane 6 and the three humans, along with Starlight, were suddenly silent with widen eyes. “What was that?” said a confused Starlight. “Either that’s the screaming sound of somepony losing something, or somepony who’s screaming because he watched his crush now having someone else.” Said Pinkie Pie. Beau then whispered “You know what, something tells me Spike overheard it and is now in compete denial that Rarity found someone else.” “How’d you know that?” asked Twilight. “Trust me, I know the wail anywhere.” Said Beau, “It’s the exact same one he had when he realized he ate his secret diamond stash until it was empty again.” “Of course.” Said Twilight before she face palmed herself. Spike eventually came down and tried to be as calm as possible. “Heeey everyone.” Said Spike, trying to be as calm as possible as he did a fake smile whilst his left eye was twitching. “How’s it going?” Everyone else, minus Bucky and Silver, had deadpanned stares at Spike, for they’ve seen that before. “You’re jealous because Rarity actually found somepony she fell in love with, aren’t you.” Said Rainbow. “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING!!!” shouted Spike. Though Fluttershy was startled and hid behind Pinkie Pie, some were surprised and some thought he was rude. “Told you so.” Said Beau. “Okay, you’ve made your point.” Said Twilight. Who then turned to Spike and said “Spike, don’t you still have your chores and grounding sentence to do.” “I have…!!” said Spike before he was lifted up with magic and brought over to Twilight. “Don’t make get the unhappy stick!!” threatened Twilight with a glare from her eyes. Spike growled and said “Fine”, before leaving to continue with his chores. The others were a bit concerned with this. “Oh dear,” said Rarity, “I hope he doesn’t do something drastic.” “Something tells me he will.” Said Bucky. “What do y’all mean, Bucky?” asked Applejack. “I’ve seen it before.” Said Bucky, “He’ll go into five different stages when one’s crush goes out with another.” “Five stages?” said a confused Twilight. “First stage, denial.” Said Beau. “Second stage, anger.” Said Bucky. “Stage 3, bargaining.” Said Silver. “Stage 4, depression.” Said Beau. “And stage 5, acceptance.” Said Bucky. “And you know about this…how?” asked Starlight. “Cause for one, we’re guys, duh.” Said Beau. “Yeah, we’re not exactly that hard to read and aren’t that good at talking about our feelings.” Said Bucky. “Plus, we would rather chew through glass, rather than admit we did anything stupid.” Said Silver. The Mane 6 and Starlight were surprised by how the guys described themselves. Pinkie broke the ice and said “You know, surprisingly, he does have a good point.” However, in Spike’s room, he was walking around and ranting. “It’s gotta be a fluke, that’s right, it’s gotta be a fluke, there’s no way Rarity would accept something like him.” Said Spike, “I mean he’s a monkey, who’s probably too brainless and doesn’t care about anyone else’s feelings. Maybe after when no one’s looking, I’ll still have a chance with Rarity. That’s right.” Spike continued to rant about Silver. This is going to be awkward. ************************************************************************************************** Stage 1: Denial The next day, Rarity was busy with her work back at the shop, until she was seeing that she was out of supplies. Then she looked up and saw that she still has some time. At the same time, she walked past the drawing room, she took a peak and saw Silver working on the next few designs. “I’ll be out for a bit, darling.” Said Rarity, “I’ll see you soon.” “See you Rarity.” Said Silver as he looked at her. Who then smiled and said “And be safe out there.” “I will.” Said Rarity as she returned the gesture. Rarity soon left the house as she went to fetch a few supplies for her next line of fashion. She looked over a few items and selected her choice. “Now then, onto the next.” Said Rarity. When all of a sudden, Spike appeared from out of nowhere, with his arms behind his back. “Hey there, Rarity.” Said Spike as he stood there. “Mind if I carried your things.” “Why of course, Spikey-Wikey.” Said Rarity. Within a short while, Rarity came back whilst Spike was carrying everything in his arms after an hour of shopping with Rarity. “You can leave those over there, darling.” Said Rarity. “Alright then,” said Spike as he placed them on the work table. “So, what are we…” “Nice of you to come back.” Said Silver as he came out with a few glasses of lemonade. “I thought you might be thirsty so I took the liberty of making some.” “Oh, Silver, you’re such an absolute darling.” Said Rarity before accepting her glass as she took a sip. Spike saw Silver and growled a little. He walked away before slamming the door behind him. Silver noticed this and saw the whole ordeal. He shook his head, wondering if Spike will ever get over Rarity. ************************************************************************************************** Stage 2: Anger Two days later, Spike was munching on his cereal whilst blowing smoke out of his nose, showing that he wants to breathe fire on something. At the same time, Beau helped Twilight sit down on her chair and continued to sit next to her. He looked at Spike and saw he was now in the second stage, which is anger. He had a deadpanned look and signaled Twilight to look at Spike, to which she did and was surprised to see the look on his face. Twilight leaned to Beau and whispered “Stage two?” “Stage two.” Whispered Beau. He then demonstrated it by saying “Hey Spike could you pass me the…silver?” Spike growled and banged the table hard, smashing the spoon next to him before walking out, which shocked Twilight when she saw what Spike did. She looked at him with a flexed eyebrow and asked “Was that really necessary?” “How else did you want me to show that he was at the second stage.” Said Beau. “Touché.” Said Twilight as Beau helped feed her at the same time. ************************************************************************************************** Stage 3: Bargaining Silver, after he was done designing, decided to run errands for Rarity whilst getting a few materials for her by going gem hunting for her. He entered the cave and looked around and made an impressed whistle. “Rarity wasn’t kidding about this place. If something like this existed in my world, most economies would skyrocket.” Said Silver, until he noticed the bats above him, which made him grimace and said “Minus the bats, that is.” Silver looked around as he was looking for a few specific gems. He was able to pick them and placed a few of them in the baskets. Silver suddenly spots something down at the cave, which catches his attention. He walked over and saw a specific gem…that was shaped like a heart. “A heart shaped sapphire?” said Silver surprised. “Now that’s very rare. And the same-colored eyes as Rarity.” He took a closer look and said “Wait…this is an Alpha sapphire. I heard Rarity telling me about it, how it’s so rare, that even a dragon would want to get their hands on it. And how it’s the most beautiful gem than any sapphires.” You then thought about something. You’ve been going out with Rarity for some time. And suddenly you’re thinking about taking the next step. You then smiled…and made up your mind. “I think it’s time I took the next step.” Said Silver, “And Rarity will love this.” Silver secretly placed it away in his jacket so that no one would notice. Later that day, he was finished placing the gems in the basket. “Now these are perfect.” Said Silver, “No doubt the next fashion like will look amazing with these.” You were about to turn around, until you bumped into the last person you’d expect. Or in this case…a certain dragon. “Spike?” said Silver whilst feeling a little surprised at the same time. “Hey, Silver.” Said Spike, trying to act calm. “What brings you here?” “I’m currently doing some gem hunting for Rarity, considering she’s preoccupied with a few clients today.” “Really?” said Spike whilst his eye was secretly twitching. “That’s interesting, considering she always asks me.” “Cut to the chase Spike, what do you want?” said Silver whilst he crossed his arms and knows what Spike was going to ask of him. “Break up with Rarity.” “What?” you asked, but also sounded a little mad. Spike suddenly stood on his knees and begged. “Please, break up with Rarity!!” said Spike, “I saw her first the day she came to Ponyville, and suddenly you came along and you somehow charmed her into liking you!! It’s not fair!!” Silver’s left eye twitched at that, for did Spike actually ask him that. “No.” Spike looked at him shocked. “I don’t know what you’re deal is, Spike.” Said Silver, “But I’ve known you for a while and from what Beau told me…it’s pathetic.” “What?” said Spike as he looked ticked. “Rarity made her choice on who she wants to date or be a relationship with.” Said Silver, “And last time I checked, she’s not your property, she’s her own pony, who’s old enough to make her own decisions. Besides, I would never, I repeat, never, break up with Rarity. Plus, there’s a very, huge difference between you and me, and no, it’s not because of our species.” He leaned over and said his piece. “I’m a fully grown adult, who’s also mature enough to be a gentleman, to treat a lady with respect, not take advantage of things, and I treat her like an actual mare. You on the other hand, are nothing but a spoilt manchild who did a lot more stalking, than follow her, as well as you having a childhood crush on her. And yes, she may have been generous to you, but she’s like that with everyone else in Ponyville. And plus, I owed her for taking me in when no one else did. We even worked together, and last time I checked, I actually have an extended education and actually chose to do something instead of being lazy.” “Lazy?” said Spike as if he was insulted as he stood up, “Now see here…” “Yeah, you saved the Crystal Empire, good for you.” Said Silver, “But if I remember correctly, you made a fool of yourself over there, as well as causing chaos in Canterlot. Rarity has already made up her mind, so get with the program.” He picked up his basket backpack and walked out of the cave whilst saying. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my girlfriend is waiting for me at home, where we have an important order to fulfill, because we both, unlike you, have a real job where we can love and support one another.” Silver walked away whilst Spike growled. But before Spike could say anything, Silver suddenly began to make a squeal sound, causing every bat to wake up and have their eyes on Spike, making them glare at him whilst flapping their wings. Thankfully, Silver was already out whilst Spike was running away like a madman and screaming in fear. Silver rolled his eyes as he couldn’t believe Spike tried to convince him to break up with Rarity. *************************************************************************************************** A few days later, Silver walked out of the house and took the garbage out and into an empty can outside. But just before he was about to enter. “Hello there, handsome.” Silver turned and saw a very light aquamarine unicorn mare. You realized this was Lyra. Rarity had told you about her a while ago, as she and another mare named Bonbon are very close. And from what Beau told you, she was also an old classmate of Twilight, the one who Twilight ignored when she went to study. Silver was suddenly brought out of his thoughts as she approached him. “What’s a handsome stud like yourself, doing in a place like this?” said Lyra as she was trying to seduce him. Silver suddenly felt like he was backed into a corner as she was against him, with her muzzle close to his nose. “What are you doing?” said Silver confusingly. “Oh, can’t a pretty unicorn mare like myself fall in love with the most beautiful human in Ponyville?” Silver then noticed something peek around the corner of the house, which was none other than a dragon tail. Silver then gave a deadpanned look and realized what was going on. “Spike bribed and forced you to try to date me, isn’t he?” “Oh, thank goodness.” Said Lyra in relief as someone finally caught on, “I was hoping someone would notice.” “Oh, come on!!” shouted Spike as he was standing where everyone could see him. “There you are, Lyra!!” They turned and saw Bonbon walking over to her, and she didn’t look happy. “What’s the big idea of going off like that?” asked Bonbon, “And trying to seduce a human, no less?” “I’m sorry miss,” said Silver, gaining her attention, “But what’s your name?” “My name is Bonbon,” said the latter, “I’m a friend of Lyra’s.” “Pleasure.” Said Silver as he shook her hand. “Well, if you must know, Spike tried to bribe and force Lyra to seduce me so that I could be in a relationship with her, whilst at the same time, trying to convince me to break up with Rarity, despite me being in a relationship with her for almost two months now.” “Spike tried to make you do what?!” exclaimed Lyra. “He tried to make Lyra do what?!” said Bonbon as she was angry. “Uuuuugh…” said Spike as he was in hot water. Bonbon went over and within a split second, slapped Spike, then grabbed him, and threw him so hard, he flew halfway across town, making him yell in fear land into the lake. He slowly emerged from the water with a deadpanned expression and spat out a bit of water. Both Lyra and Silver were surprised by this, with Bonbon dusting her hands. “Wow.” Said Silver, “Nice throw.” “Bonbon happens to be the reigning champion in Hoof Ball.” Said Lyra, “She has the best throwing arm in the team.” “So, I noticed.” Said Silver. “Anyway, sorry for the trouble.” “Not your fault,” said Bonbon, “Besides, Rarity talks about you a lot the last time I popped by for a dress order. You’re a good human.” ************************************************************************************************** Later that day, Twilight and Beau had stopped by at Rarity’s house. “I wonder what this is about?” asked Twilight as Beau made sure she was okay whilst escorting her. “I don’t know, but whatever it’s about, it sounds serious.” Said Beau after he closed the door. The two of them suddenly saw Silver, and he had a bit of a stern look. “Whoa, what’s the matter with you?” said Beau. “Twilight,” said Silver, “Could you please be so kind enough to put up a forcefield around the house, please.” “Um…okay.” Said Twilight in confusion, but did what he asked. After the force field was up, she looked at Silver. “What’s this about?” “Twilight?” They turned and saw Rarity standing there, but also confused. “What are you doing here?” “I called them here.” Said Silver. “Could you three wait in the living room, please.” The three of them went to the living room, whilst Silver quickly looked out of the window, and saw Spike trying to get in, which made him shake his head, knowing that he would attempt to spy on them at the same time. Soon he went to the living room, where the others were seated. “Silver, what is this about?” asked Rarity. “It’s about Spike.” Said Silver as he walked over and sat at the arm of the couch. “Oh boy, what did he do this time?” said Beau. “Whilst Rarity was busy, I went to the Gem Cave to help gather the specific gems for the latest lines.” Said Silver. “Which I’m thankful.” Said Rarity. “Spike followed me and asked, no, he begged that I would break up with Rarity so that he could date her.” “Spike tried to what?!” exclaimed Twilight as she and Beau was shocked. “Spike wanted you to…why would he do such a thing?” said Rarity in concern. “Because of his obsession with you,” said Silver, “Not to mention I keep telling him, you’re a pony that makes your own decisions, and he just doesn’t know when to take a hint either. And what makes matters worse, he even bribed and tried to force Lyra to seduce me so that I could break up with Rarity.” “What?!!” exclaimed Beau. “Okay, I’m sorry, but this has gone too far!!” “Indeed,” said Rarity, “I cannot believe Spike would try to make Silver do such a thing.” Silver then remembered something. He remembered the heart shaped sapphire he found in the cave, and he wanted to make it official with Rarity when the time came. He couldn’t help but smile as he knew she would love it. And he was ready to take the next step. But then he knew Spike would do whatever it takes to ruin the proposal. “We’ll need to corner Spike about this.” Said Twilight. “Won’t work.” Said Beau, “Knowing him he’ll try to deny that he was responsible for it.” Rarity then gasped and said “Then we’ll have to catch him in the act.” “But the question is…how?” asked Twilight. Silver then blinked, for he had an idea. Two ideas in fact. “I think I have an idea.” The three of them looked at Silver, wondering what he has in mind. Suddenly, Pinkie popped from out of nowhere. “Guys!!” shouted Pinkie, startling them. “How did Pinkie Pie get in here?!” exclaimed Beau. “It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.” Said Twilight and Rarity. “My Pinkie senses is going haywire, meaning a doozy is about to happen!!” said Pinkie. “What kind of Doozie?” asked Twilight. “Come on!!” shouted Pinkie as she grabbed them, “The others are already waiting!!” Once again, they disappeared, whilst Spike was struggling to get inside, until the forcefield actually got turned off, Spike fell through the door. He noticed Rarity wasn’t around, then shouted “Dang it!!” Within mere moments, Pinkie arrived at a nearby bush, with Rainbow, Fluttershy and Starlight in tow. “Okay, Pinkie we’re here.” Said Rainbow impatiently, “Now what’s going on?” Pinkie took a peak and squealed in excitement. “See for yourself!!” They took a peak and they saw nearby one of the larger apple trees. And to their surprise, they saw both Bucky and Applejack on the hill. Applejack was sitting on what looked like a stump of sorts whilst Bucky was holding her hands and talking to her. Before they knew it, he ended up standing on his knees whilst he kept on talking to her. Before they knew it… “YEE-HAW!!!” exclaimed Applejack in excitement and tackled Bucky over whilst the two of them laughed at the same time. “Uh, what’s going on?” asked a confused Rainbow. Then they heard it. “Of course, ah’ll marry y’all!!” said Applejack as the rest of the Apple Family also arrived to give their congrats to them. This surprised them at the same time, causing all of them to go over to Applejack and Bucky to congratulate them as they were really happy for her. Silver on the other hand stood there for a few moments and thought about his own proposal. Then he looked at Rarity. Yes…Yes, he can do it. He just needs the right moment. And he knows where to go first thing in the morning. But first thing’s first. *********************************************************************************************** The next day in the afternoon, Silver then began to set everything up for the engagement as he had everything set up, with flowers, decorations and a ring that is in place. “Perfect…” said Silver as he placed everything in order. “Now all I have to do is to get Rarity, and everything will be ready.” Silver then walked out of the room to fetch Rarity, for he was ready to take the next step. However, coming through the window, was none other than Spike and he had an angry look. Until what appeared to be a little devil of himself appeared. “Come on Spike, sabotage the entire place.” Said his devil side, “Show them what happens when someone steals Rarity away from you. Frame him for something you didn’t do.” Suddenly, an angel side of him appeared and said “Yes, he is right. You did everything for Rarity. Who gave Silver the right to interfere. So don’t stand there, just do it!!” Both of them disappeared, with Spike looking back at the setup in his anger. “I’ll show him.” Said Spike, “No one takes Rarity away from me.” He then began to make a mess of things and began to make it look like Silver did it by placing one of his items. Then he saw a ring that was in place. He then smirked and walked on over and said “Now for the grand finale.” He then took a bite out of the ring and enjoyed chewing onto it. He placed the destroyed ring back and then crawled out of the window. Then he began to sneak away. “Heh, mission a…” said Spike before he was cut off as he bumped into someone. Then he saw Rarity, as she seems to be surprised. “Spike?” asked Rarity, “What are you doing here?” Spike then decided to pretend to act innocent. “Rarity, you’re not gonna believe this!!” said Spike, “Silver is trying to cheat on you with another mare, and he just sabotaged everything inside and your engagement!!” “Is that right?” asked Rarity. “That’s right.” Said Spike. “Because from what it looks like,” said Rarity as she crossed her arms and was suddenly crossed, “You tried to convince Silver to break up with me, then tried to force Lyra of all ponies to try to seduce him so that he could break up with me, and then you sabotaged everything inside and ate the engagement ring he made for me.” Spike widened his eyes in shock and pretended not to notice anything. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Said Spike frantically. “Oh, but we do.” Spike turned around and to his shock, Twilight, Beau, and Silver were standing there, with Twilight revealing a spell that exposed Spike a handful of times. Spike was now panicking. “I am very disappointed in you, Spike.” Said Twilight after she made the spell go away. “Not only did you attempt to try to convince him to break up with Rarity, but also tried to convince Lyra of all ponies to seduce him just so that he could break up with her on his own.” “And now you have the gall to try and sabotage his wedding proposal, even when he already proposed to her this morning.” Said Beau. “What?!” exclaimed Spike as Silver stood next to Rarity. “That’s right.” Said Silver whilst Rarity showed him the engagement ring, which was none other than heart shaped Aqua Sapphire, the opposite of the fire ruby. “See, after I got the ring from Rarity.” *********************************************************************************************** Silver was at the jewel shop, making the ring that he found at the cave that is suitable for Rarity. Then he suddenly made a new ring, one that was just plain, whilst the other one, the one he made specifically for Rarity, he carefully hid so that no one would find it. “I was busy making the ring for Rarity at the jeweler’s shop, because the guy owed me a while back. But I knew you’d go behind our backs to do something like this. So, I secretly made a phony ring, whilst the actual ring I made for Rarity, I hid from the likes of you, so that you wouldn’t try anything stupid.” *********************************************************************************************** “And I set the whole thing up in there, just to catch you in the act.” Said Silver. “You, little!!” said Spike, “Rarity deserves someone who can actually care for her!! Someone who actually loves her!!” “Which I do and I am!!” shouted Silver. “Besides, you could date anyone, and yet you have the gall to try to make her think I cheated on her, when I love her more than anyone else!!” “And how do I know it’s not a fake?!!” shouted Spike. “Enough!!” Spike winced, for Twilight yelled at him. He looked at Twilight, and she was really disappointed like a mother is to their son. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you Spike, but this has gone on long enough.” Said Twilight. “I don’t know what upsets me more; that you deliberately try to set up Silver, or that you actually thought this pathetic attempt would work. You’ve let your jealousy get the best of you Spike, and I am truly disappointed. I raised you better than this ever since I hatched you from the egg, and this is the thanks I get? Going behind my back, not helping me when things counted. And more importantly, as my husband would say; everypony knows that you have a fantasy where Rarity would fall in love with you, well it’s never going to happen, for what you have is not real love, it’s a simple childhood crush.” “It is!!” said Spike. “Is it really?” asked Beau, “Cause the way I see it, you deliberately insulted both me, as well as both mine and Twilight’s unborn child, and we’ve been in love after spending a month together, not to mention we’re also happily married with our child on the way. And if I remember correctly, a real man should know when not to act like a child when things don’t go his way.” “Yeah, well…” said Spike before he was cut off. “Spike!!” Spike winced and slowly turned, for the voice came from none other than Rarity, who had her arms crossed and looked at him sternly. She walked over to him and then looked directly at him face to face. “I knew you had a crush on me ever since you came to Ponyville, for even though I’m focused on my work, I am not that oblivious.” Said Rarity, which made Spike wince at that. “But let us be serious for a moment. You are younger than me, and you are the one who doesn’t know what true love is. I may have helped Silver, but I fell in love with him the moment I met him, but I just didn’t know how to say it. And when he defended me from Suri, what he did for me made me realize he is the one for me. And I am nopony else’s property, not even yours. I like him because he’s mature, he knows how to treat a lady with respect, and he accepts me for who I am. And it’s also clear you don’t know anything about the female types.” Rarity stood back up whilst crossing her arms and said “And more importantly, I see you more as a little brother and not as someone…well…I would want to spend the rest of my life with. So, I’m sorry Spike, but my decision is final.” Spike couldn’t help but tear up as his crush rejected him, causing him to run away in tears back to the castle. The others at the same time, were greatly concerned, though then again, he really needed to hear this. “I hope we weren’t too hard on Spike.” Said Rarity in concern. “He needed to hear this.” Said Beau, “I know Twilight wanted to be gentle with him, but sometimes one needs to have a little tough love before doing anything else.” He then held Twilight close and said “And you should also take it easy. The last thing I want is for you to strain yourself before the baby comes.” Twilight placed her hand on top of Beau’s as she said “I know.” “And I’m glad I was able to propose to you in secret.” Said Silver as he held onto Rarity’s hand with the ring on top. “I’d hate to think that the very gem I worked on would get destroyed or damaged if I did.” “And I am truly grateful that you did.” Said Rarity as she held him close before planting her lips onto his. “I’ll be in the shop to make sure nothing is damaged.” Rarity left to check on the shop, however, Silver chose to follow her to make sure that she doesn’t do anything herself. However, a flyer suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, which caused him to see that it was a vacation resort to a place called Las Pegasus. You then realized that it would be a perfect place for the both of you to go, to get away from the recent madness that had just occurred. ************************************************************************************************ Stage 4: Depression From within the castle, Spike was sitting alone in his room, crying, for he had no lost his chance with Rarity completely, and that Rarity and Twilight are made at him. He kept thinking he didn’t do anything wrong, but because of his boneheaded decisions, he refused to see it. Which is what Beau had been trying to tell him all along, but it was like talking to a brick wall whenever it comes to things like that. Beau and Twilight were worried about Spike, as he had been in there for three hours now. “Now I’m really worried.” Said Twilight whilst she and Beau were in the library, “Spike’s never been in there for so long.” “Well, sometimes folks like him can’t get with reality when it comes to stuff like this.” Said Beau. “Not to mention it can hopefully get out of his weird habits.” “Weird habits?” asked Twilight confusingly. “Don’t tell him that I said this,” said Beau, “But a while back whilst I asked Starlight to make sure everything is clean, she spotted Spike hugging a blow-up doll of Rarity.” “What?!” said Twilight as she reeled back in disgust, shock, and complete weirdness. “I know, right. Even I was shocked to hear that.” Said Beau. Twilight let out an exasperated groan whilst leaning against the chair and placed her hand over her forehead. “Good job, Twilight, good job.” Muttered Twilight whilst Beau overheard her, “You could’ve taught Spike a little discipline, you could’ve taught him manners. And you could’ve taught him restraint. But no, you had to focus on your studies just to constantly trying to please your mentor and your friends.” Beau couldn’t help but chuckle, whilst Twilight glared at him. “Sorry, it’s just sort of ironic if anyone would hear you say that.” Said Beau. “What do you mean?” asked a confused Twilight. “Well, your friends, even your parents, Shining Armor and Cadence knows your social skills weren’t any good and that you barely taught Spike anything whilst you were focusing on your studies.” Said Beau, who also ended up having a worried look. “So naturally they’re worried that if you couldn’t raise Spike properly, how do they expect you to raise our daughter once she arrives?” Now it was Twilight’s turn to be concerned as she slowly placed her hands onto her belly whilst also thinking about the baby at the same time. “Will I be a good enough mother for Moonlight?” asked Twilight. “Moonlight?” asked Beau confusingly. “I had a dream last night.” Said Twilight, “And I was able to find a proper name for our daughter. But with everything happening in my life, as well as our friends. How can I expect to raise a child if something does happen?” “Hey, I feel the same way.” Said Beau as he walked over to her and sat next to her, “I’m scared every day that I won’t be a good enough father for her either. She hasn’t arrived yet and already there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. And sometimes we need to do this the right way. Even if it looks like we can’t handle it. Also…I don’t think it’ll be a good idea for Pinkie to babysit.” “Huh?” said a confused Twilight. “She thought that babysitting would be easy, and it nearly turned into a disaster with the Cake Twins.” Said Beau, “And she claims she knows how to talk and work with kids, but they say the only way one experiences it, is to have one of your own. Or at least that’s what the old human saying was.” “That’s weird.” Said Twilight. “Not as weird as Spike having a blowup doll of Rarity.” Said Beau. “Okay, you got me there.” Said Twilight. “But back to the point,” said Beau, “I’m sure we’ll be able to figure this out together. As long as we don’t keep secrets from one another, or does what the other doesn’t know, then we’ll be fine.” “Are you sure?” asked Twilight. “Positive.” Said Beau before kissing Twilight by the forehead, making the Alicorn smile. “Also, Moonlight Sparkle? That’s a good name.” “Thanks.” Said Twilight. “And who’d thunk that it would be something where expecting mothers have a series of dreams that inspires the name for the foal as it tends to have some tie their special talent.” Twilight looked at him in shock and said “That’s a personal private mare matter. How did you know that?” “It doesn’t help for the fact that the so called personal and private information happens to be on a book that you have in the library.” Said Beau as he showed her the book. Twilight widened her eyes in surprise and ended up giggling sheepishly. “Seriously, you’ve got to learn to ask these things on your own and not through other people. Er, ponies.” Said Beau, “To quote a soldier from what I saw in a movie, experience outranks everything.” Twilight groans at this and said to herself, “Why is it that everypony tends to say that?” “Because it’s the truth?” said Beau, “As well as the term, honesty is the best policy. Huh, and also the first rule of friendship, no lies.” She looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, “Did you make that up?” “Maybe.” Said Beau playfully. “Now come on, stand up.” “Huh?” “Just do it.” Twilight complied and stood up, allowing Beau to sit down, then gestured Twilight to sit on his lap, to which she complied, which in the end made her realized why he asked that. Causing her to smirk and wrapped her arms around him. “Thanks Beau, I needed that talk.” Said Twilight, but then flicked him on the nose and made him yelp, “But also, it’s sort of your fault for adding that thought to my head about raising our daughter, so it’s a fifty/fifty kind of thing.” “Eh, fair enough.” Said Beau as he wrapped his arms around her, but then he groped her breast, making her moan a bit. Then looked at him with a smirk and said “If I wasn’t pregnant right now, I’d say let’s have some fun in the bedroom.” “So, we’ll just have to wait until then.” Said Beau playfully, “But then again, I can still do this.” Beau kissed Twilight on the lips, to which the latter returned and enjoyed it. ************************************************************************************************ A week later, everyone was at the train station, with Silver and Rarity ready to depart. “Are y’all sure ya have everything?” asked Applejack. “Pff, of course Applejack, you know I never forget the essentials.” Said Rarity with a slight scoff. “Be glad you didn’t pack in the kitchen sink.” Teased Silver, causing him to laugh and Rarity gasping at that remark. “Silver!!” said Rarity as she slapped his shoulder, which caused the others to laugh as well, which Rarity couldn’t help but laugh as well. However, after it died down, she was suddenly concerned. “And I know I shouldn’t ask this but…how is Spike doing?” asked Rarity, “I haven’t heard from him in almost a week now.” “Oh, he’s still sulking and being depressed in his room.” Said Beau. “Why are you even concerned for him, after what he tried to do?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow,” scolded Twilight, “Spike had a crush on Rarity since the two of us came to Ponyville.” “And I did try to talk to him, but he’s just too stubborn and depressed to even listen to reason.” Said Silver. “But it wasn’t even an actual love crush, it was a childhood crush.” Said Rainbow Dash. “You mean the same way you had a crush on Daring Do?” asked Beau, which caused everyone to look at him confusingly. Beau then looked at Pinkie and said “Pinkie, mind putting that same pith helmet of Daring Do on Twilight’s head please?” “Okie dokie.” Said Pinkie Pie as she put the helmet on Twilight, which confuses her. “Oh, Daring Do,” said Beau as he was pretending to be Rainbow, “I love you. How I wish I could go on your adventures; I wish I could share the same passion as you. But I am not worthy of you. And I would love to be with you, but it’s a forbidden love.” He then wrapped his arms around Twilight, “I love you; I love you; I love you; I love you.” He then kissed Twilight a couple of times on the cheek, though she enjoyed it, she was still confused. The others were also confused, until Silver saw Rainbow blushing madly at this as if she was busted, which made him gasp. “Oh my gosh,” said Silver, before exclaiming “You really did, didn’t you?!!” Everyone saw the look on Rainbow’s face, causing them to laugh out loud at that. “It’s not funny!!” shouted Rainbow. “Next time, don’t try to sneak into the library after Twilight got the latest Daring Do book with an autographed poster on it.” Teased Beau. “I thought I wondered why she was sneaking in there!!” exclaimed Starlight. “All aboard!!” shouted the conductor, gaining their attention. “Oh, we’d better get going.” Said Rarity, “We’ll see you soon!!” “And we’ll be in time for the wedding too!!” said Silver as they boarded the train before the doors closed. The trains then took off as all of them, everyone waved to them goodbye. Then they left whilst Rainbow grumbled. “You know I’m gonna get back at you for this.” Grumbled Rainbow. “Yeah you could,” said Beau, “But then again I don’t think my wife would like that you would put our daughter in danger.” “Believe me, I wouldn’t.” said Twilight with a glare at Rainbow. “Ugh, fine.” Said Rainbow as all of them left. “In the meantime, Applejack and I still need to plan our wedding.” Said Bucky. “That we do.” Said Applejack, “My great aunt Golden delicious and the rest of Granny’s family members is comin’ over to help things out.” “Oh, I hope they like Bucky.” Said Fluttershy in concern. “Oh, they sure do.” Said Applejack, “Ever since they heard Bucky savin Apple Bloom’s life, they were all over him. Even Big Mac and Granny Smith couldn’t stop fawning over him.” “Yeah, which was weird.” Said Bucky, “Especially since Applejack’s grand aunty Applesauce kept eyeing me for some reason. Like I don’t know, like she wants to flirt with me or something.” Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “She’s like that with every young stallion. Though when they first met you, they didn’t know what to think.” “True,” said Bucky, “But I also love Goldy Delicious. She really has a knack for telling stories. I didn’t even know she knew that many family members. Come to think of it, I didn’t even know they had any more family members since Granny Smith’s Dad helped build the farm whilst Granny was responsible for helping the founding of Ponyville.” “Oh, trust me, most of em were far and beyond tryin’ to find a home to establish.” Said Applejack. “Although it would’ve helped a lot better if both sides didn’t constantly fight over who founded Ponyville instead of working together,” said Beau, “But as usual, Applejack and Rarity were too fat with pride to even realize that.” Applejack was suddenly nose to nose with Beau and said “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Need I remind you of that certain incident about who should get the award for Ponyville’s founding and building, considering Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom were the ones that started the fight?” said Beau. Applejack and the others were surprised by that, with Beau saying “Again, Spike blabbed the whole thing about it.” Applejack groaned and said “That varmint really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.” “But then again, I won’t apologize for speaking the truth, considering all of you fought for something meaningless.” “It wasn’t meaningless!!” said Applejack. “No, he’s got a point.” Said Bucky, “It’s just a stupid award.” “Just a stupid award?!” exclaimed Applejack. “Listen here, you…!!” “Ah, before you say anything, let me finish.” Said Bucky. “Granny Smith told me that ever since she and her family moved here, they helped build their farm, and because of Stinking Rich, he was able to buy your produce and sell them, and was responsible for bringing more ponies in. And because of it, both sides were able to help build Ponyville to make it what it is today. And though yes, Stinking Rich’s building was where Rarity’s boutique was built, but before that, there were other buildings that stood in their place between them.” He then held Applejack by the shoulders and looked directly at her in the eyes. “The point, I’m making, Applejack,” said Bucky, “Is that buildings and ponies come and go, but the legacy they built and everything that they stood for will always remain. And no award can ever tell you that. Because it’s not the awards that make others remember you, it’s the deeds and the hard work they did by the sweat of their brows and the strengths of their backs alone, and their willingness to work together, that helped build their foundations. So, one day when Granny Smith may be gone, an award won’t help them remember her, it’s her deeds and hard work that help built it up and would ensure that their legacy and memory, even their stories would never be forgotten.” Applejack was stunned by the speech Bucky gave, especially the others. “And it’s because of pride, arrogance and ignorance that can make us forget that.” Said Bucky. “In other words, think before you act.” Bucky then walked back to the farm, with the others looking at him. Everyone followed suit, with Twilight and Beau following behind. “Wow, I never knew Bucky could talk to them about something like that.” Said Twilight. “We humans have our moments.” Said Beau, “When Bucky and I last talked, he told me he takes Independence Day very seriously before his sister was born.” “Independence day?” asked Twilight confusingly. “Oh, you’re in for a treat for that bit of history.” Said Beau as he and Twilight walked whilst he also said, “Let me tell you a story about the founding of the United States of America.” ************************************************************************************************ Meanwhile, far away from Ponyville, at the train station of Las Pegasus, the train had finally reached its destination, allowing the passengers to disembark. And from among the crowd, both Rarity and Silver exited the train, whilst also carrying their luggage with them. Well, mostly the ones who volunteer to carry the luggage. Rarity held Silver close whilst she said “After all the hard work we’ve done, a nice trip is just what we needed.” Silver tried to control himself as he felt Rarity’s breast against his arm, and he swallowed and tried not to think about it. “Yeah…me too.” Said Silver. The two of them made their way towards the destination thanks to the map Rarity had. After a thirty-minute walk, with a few ponies carrying their luggage. “Oh, we’re in luck.” Said Rarity, “The beach house isn’t too far away from here. All we have to do is take a left before we reach the city.” “Before we get close enough to almost see it,” said Silver, “Would you be so kind enough to close your eyes? I want it to be surprise.” Rarity nodded whilst the both of you strolled towards where you needed to go. You noticed how the wind was blowing past Rarity’s beautiful mane, which you couldn’t help but sigh at his lover. “The breeze feels lovely, don’t you think, Silver?” asked Rarity before she winked at him. “Simply divine…darling.” Teased Silver before he kissed her as a bonus. Rarity giggled and pinched his cheek. “You’re so precious, darling.” Said Rarity whilst the two of them continued with their path. The two of them continued to walk down the pathway, until Silver got behind Rarity and covered her eyes. “We’re almost there. So no using your pretty eyes to peek.” Said Silver, which Rarity couldn’t help but giggle at this. “Oh, I cannot wait to see what it looks like. It’s making me feel so giddy!!” Silver couldn’t help but chuckle in her excitement. The two of you continued down the path and up ahead, you could see the beach house. Silver couldn’t help but smile, for it truly was the beach house that was on the ads, and that he’s thankful that they weren’t fakes. “Alright Rares, we’re here.” Said Silver as he removed his hands from her eyes. Rarity gasped at the sight of the beach house. For it was a beautiful two-story wooden beach house with a pool in the backyard. “And the best part is, we’ve got the whole place to ourselves, no one disturbing us or anything.” Said Silver. “How were you able to afford this?” asked Rarity. “When I first started working with you, I was busy saving up, and the extras we got from the orders we had really helped.” Said Silver, “And after Spike’s, ahem, episode, I spotted a flyer that hinted about this place. Naturally, I was a bit skeptical, so I asked Princess Celestia if it was legit. Thankfully, she responded and told me that a few of her fellow governors went there for some private time, and they recommended it. Plus, she bought the property and had a few beach houses built in separate locations. And no one can touch it, considering that she has an army of lawyers to back it up.” “This is amazing!!” said Rarity in excitement and in awe. “Wait till you see the inside of the house.” Said Silver as the two of them made their way to the beach house. After they got inside, the ponies who carried the bags placed them where Silver asked them, and after he tipped them, Silver and Rarity decided to explore the house. “Oh, my darling,” said Rarity as she looked around, “This house is simply divine.” “Thought you might like it.” Said Silver, he looked around and said “And strangely…this is what I wanted my isolated house looks like.” Rarity then remembered the conversation they had months ago of why he wanted to die. She then saw him staring out of the window, deep in though. Feeling bad for him, she walked over and gently hugged him, gaining his attention. “I know it was hard for you,” said Rarity as she held him close, “But you don’t have to be afraid anymore, Silver. I’m here with you. As are my friends and two of my friends’ husbands.” You couldn’t help but chuckle and said “True that. At least I don’t have to worry about being the only human in Equestria anymore. Although…” “What?” said Rarity as she looked at him. “I was wondering how lucky our friends are.” Said Silver. “Beau and Twilight are a thing, same with Applejack and Bucky, and now there’s you and me. Now I’m wondering if the others will be just as lucky as we are.” Silver then pretended to be dramatic by going, “Fate will one day cast it’s hand on both worlds, and before we know it, more humans will arrive as they are destined to be…” Rarity couldn’t help but laugh at that jester, “Goodness, darling, I have no idea where that came from.” “Honestly, me neither, I was just making stuff up.” Said Silver, causing the two of them to laugh even further. “Alright then,” said Rarity as she clasped her hands together, “Now all we need to do is to unpack before we do anything else in our list of activities.” “Right, let’s go to our room and unpack.” Said Silver. “Indeed,” said Rarity as Silver helped her with her luggage, “As long we don’t do anything too exciting.” “Something tells me it will happen somehow.” Said Silver. ************************************************************************************************ Suddenly, from the beach near the beach house, two individuals went into the water with a big splash. Within mere moments, Silver got out and shivered a bit. He figured if he and Rarity were in the water, both of them would eventually get used to it. However, Rarity got up to the surface first and was now chillier, especially since she didn’t like her mane getting wet. Guess that explains why she would wear a shower cap. Then again, thankfully when he told her about the dangers of having dandruff, she changed her mind of washing her mane. But right now, he was just focused on her whilst he was laughing and her pouting with a glare so bad, she could shatter glass with it. “How…HOW DARE YOU!!” exclaimed Rarity whilst she was holding herself, “And I just had my beautiful mane done!!” Silver couldn’t help but laugh, especially whilst she pouts and splashes him with water. “Sorry, hun.” Said Silver as he couldn’t wipe the smile from his own face, “I just couldn’t resist. And look at the bright side, at least it’ll be easier to get used to the cold water.” Rarity ended up smiling and shake her head a bit. “I don’t know why, but I can never stay mad at you for long, Silver.” Rarity wrapped her arms around Silver’s neck before locking lips with him. Silver returned the gesture whilst he stroked her beautiful white fur coat. And before he knew it, he was groping onto one of her breasts through her bikini. This startled Rarity before she broke the kiss. “D-Darling,” said Rarity as she covered herself and felt embarrassed at the same time, “What are you doing?” “Giving you some…special attention.” Flirted Silver as he gently rubbed her chin, making her blush, “It’s one of my many ways of showing you how much I love you, Rarity. And I bet you’ve never been given some, “special treatment,” huh?” “N-not like this…” answered Rarity as she felt a bit embarrassed at the same time. “It just feels so…uncouth, for even a proper lady like me.” Silver then realized that this is Rarity’s first time. And she never felt this way before. So, he decided to take things slow. “Aww, there’s no need to feel embarrassed about it, hun.” Said Silver as he tried to reassure her. “There comes a time that even a proper lady needs some special attention. Whether it’s from herself or her, how you say it, special somepony. But if you feel like it’s too soon, we can always stick to just kissing.” However, when Rarity thought about the moment Silver groped her, she couldn’t help but realize that it felt…nice. Her blush began to deepen. For she would like to experience that kind of feeling. “Actually…it does feel quite nice.” Admitted Rarity. “Just…promise to be gentle with them, please?” “You have my word.” Said Silver whilst keeping his promise to Rarity. After making that promise, Rarity slowly turns around and pressed her back against Silver’s chest. Silver slowly stroked both sides of her body and eventually made it to her E-Cup breasts and gently groped them. Once he did, he moved them in a slow circular motion, which caused Rarity to slightly moan whilst she lifted her head at the same time. “That feels so…lovely.” Moaned Rarity. Silver soon ended up massaging and caressing her body and her legs, making Rarity cooed from his touch. But as he gently stroked her horn, she yelped a little bit. “C-careful, darling.” Said Rarity, “My horn is most sensitive.” Silver didn’t know that, which caused him to try another tactic. Silver rubbed her cheek, which she hummed and snuggled against him. Silver then moved his right hand at her bottom bikini and played with her marehood, which she moaned and slightly gasped at the same time. She squirmed a bit and tried to resist it, but as they say, alas, her body betrayed her. “Ah…” moaned Rarity, “So uncouth. And yet…I want more.” As Rarity was getting all hot and bothered, Silver continued to kiss her by the neck, which she continued to enjoy, especially since he was still groping her. However, Rarity suddenly grabbed Silver’s wrists, signaling him to stop. “What do you say, we go back to shore first, Silver?” asked Rarity whilst she batted her eyes at him. “With pleasure, my beloved Rarity.” Said Silver as he picked her up bridal style. ************************************************************************************************ Back at their beach house, later that night, Rarity landed back on the bed, with Silver close to her face as the two of them were looking at one another in the eyes. Silver then placed his lips against hers, to which she enjoyed the feeling of it. Once that was done, Silver got up and slowly moved his manhood into her wet flower, making her moan as he enjoyed the feeling. “I-I love you, Silver... so very much,” Rarity said, choked up with a smile. “I love you too, Rarity,” replied Silver. She pulls him in for a hug and whispers in his ear. “You can go ahead and move, darling. I’m ready...” she whispered. And so, he did. Silver started a slow and steady rhythm of pounding Rarity. She holds him in a warm embrace and emits cute moans of pleasure. The pain she had felt earlier had been replaced with utter bliss and pleasure whilst she wrapped her legs around his waist. Soon Silver was able to put in more speed and power into his thrusts. Her insides became more wet and slippery. Easy enough for him to slide in and out of her pussy. Rarity kept her eyes closed, moaning like crazy. “T-That’s it darling...! You d-don’t have to b-be afraid... AH! Oh yes, master! Ravage me!” Rarity shrieked. Suddenly, his eyes gaze up at her horn. Silver knew how sensitive she is up there, but he couldn’t resist the urge to give it some love. So, he leaned forwards and stroked her horn and gave it a few good long licks. Rarity squirmed and shrieked in utter pleasure, but managed to flash a small smile. Evidently, she didn’t mind the way Silver handled her. He thrusted deeper and harder inside of her wet passage and eventually grazed the tip of her womb with the tip of his manhood. Her juices leaked out of her delicate flower and wet slaps emitted throughout the room. The two of them were having the time of their lives right now. Before Silver’s climax could be released, he stopped and switched positions with Rarity and placed her on top of him. Once again, Silver became entranced as he looked into her eyes, which shined like sapphires. “Such beauty...” whispered Silver, causing Rarity to giggle seductively and stare down at him with her bedroom eyes. “Such a handsome gentleman. You remembered about our bet from earlier. You must have been pretty close to cumming, weren’t you my darling Silver?” Rarity asked changing her tone to a sultry one. “Now, you just relax and let your mistress finish what we started.” Silver nodded and felt Rarity start bouncing on top of you. Her soft hand rested on Silver’s chest while her other arm pressed against her bosoms just to tease him. She panted heavily with a deep shade of red coating her cheeks. Silver moaned from how deep he could feel his manhood reach inside parts of Rarity’s love tunnel that he never knew was there. “H-Heavens to Celestia, Rarity! This feels so good!” groaned Silver whilst closing his eyes at the same time. “Ah-ah... y-you s-shall refer to me a-as “Mistress Rarity,” she corrected through her panting. “R-Right, my bad... “Mistress Rarity,” replied Silver. “Good boy... good boy...” whispered Rarity before batting her eyes. Raising her hips, she then slams back down hard. Rarity makes it even kinkier when she grinds her hips back and forth while she massages her large breasts. Watching her cadres her own breasts, Silver couldn’t resist anymore and moved her hands away so Silver could grope her yourself. Rarity bit her lower lip while keeping that seductive grin, suppressing her moans. Silver continued to grope and knead her breasts, admiring how soft and firm they were. Silver felt like he could actually grope her for days. However, he ended up becoming bolder and massaged her butt cheeks. Despite her rough bouncing, Silver managed to kept his grip. Sadly, the more she bounced violently on him, the closer both their climaxes was getting. “S-Silver my p-precious s-stud... Y-Your mistress h-here is going t-to...!” exclaimed Rarity when she could feel it coming. “M-Me too, Mistress Rarity!!” Before the two of them climaxed, both Silver and Rarity pressed their lips against one another whilst they were synced. The moment they did that, both Silver and Rarity climaxed within one another. Once that was done, both of them were dizzy whilst Rarity collapsed on top of Silver, whilst the two of them were panting heavily at the same time. Both of them were completely worn out from their wild time. “Rarity,” began Silver, “You do realize that we just…” “Yes, I am well aware of that, Silver.” Said Rarity before she looked at him with a smile on her face. “And to be honest I really do not mind. If I am going to be a mother, I’ll gladly do so as long as I have you with me. I wouldn’t have done this if I wasn’t ready. But the question is, are you?” Silver couldn’t help but smile and held her closely. “I am.” Said Silver, “If you’re ready to be a mother, then I’m ready to step up as a father. I’ll be there for you and your baby through thick and thin. And frankly, I have no doubt being the generous one as you are, you’ll make a great mother.” “And you’ll make a handsome father,” said Rarity before she paused to let out a yawn. “But for now, I believe it’s time for me to have my beauty sleep. Have a good night, Silver.” Rarity nuzzled against his face and said, “I love you, my darling.” “I love you too, Rarity.” Said Silver before yawning himself. He was able to use what strength he had to cover the blanket on both of them. Once that was done, the two of them were fast asleep, as nothing could be heard, but the sound of crashing waves. In time, a new chapter of their lives will begin.
Chapter 14: Apple Family WeddingAuthor's Note Alright, here it is. Enjoy. Chapter 14: Apple Family Wedding After two weeks on vacation, both Rarity and Silver came back from Las Pegasus. The train had stopped at the station, allowing Silver and Rarity to climb out with their luggage in tow. “Oh, now that was lovely.” Said Rarity with bliss on her face. “Maybe next time when we have free time, we can go back there.” Said Silver, “I’d love to save up for our trip.” “Oh, darling, I couldn’t let you possibly…” said Rarity as she tried to protest. “Oh, but I insist.” Said Silver, “You were so generous to me for taking me in that day. So, it’s only fair that I do the same for you.” Rarity couldn’t help but coo and held him close. Suddenly, they felt a pair of arms wrapping them. They blinked and to their surprise, it was none other than Pinkie Pie. “Hey guys!!” said Pinkie Pie in excitement. “Hello, Pinkie.” Said Rarity whilst she rolled her eyes. “Hey, Pinkie.” Said Silver. “Glad you two made it back!!” said Pinkie, “We were just setting things up, and Applejack needs help with the dress.” “Oh right, the wedding.” Said Silver, “Thankfully we still have about four days to get things ready.” “Indeed.” Said Rarity as she flexed her arms, “Alright then, time to work on the designing charm.” Suddenly, Silver grabbed her by the hips and pulled her close, surprising her as the two of them looked at one another face to face. “Not without me you’re not, ‘darling’.” Teased Silver. Rarity couldn’t help but giggle and said, “But of course not. After all, I need you to help me make a Tuxedo for the groom whilst I work on the bride.” “But first, we’ll need to take measurements.” Said Silver, “And by measurements I mean I’ll take Bucky and you’ll take Applejack. Why you ask? Because I know how sensitive the females get over there, ahem, extra padding, if you know what I mean.” Rarity couldn’t help but giggle at him trying to not sounding mean or to insult a lady. “How considerate of you, Silver.” “Though I hope those two will be able to come over to the Boutique.” Said Silver. “Leave that to me!!” said Pinkie Pie, who was somehow still there. “Gathering ponies and other creatures is my, specialty!!” Pinkie suddenly dashed off like a speeding bullet towards Sweet Apple Acres. “Sometimes I wonder how that girl has a habit of being this filled with energy?” asked Silver. “Trust me when I say, darling,” said Rarity as she told him about Pinkie, “Sometimes it’s best not to figure out these things. We all tried, and it backfired horribly.” “Speaking from experience?” asked Silver. “That, and what poor Twilight went through.” Said Rarity as the two of them walked back to the boutique. “What happened?” asked Silver as he was curious. “When Twilight first moved her, she didn’t believe about certain events Pinkie would predict.” said Rarity. “Like seeing the future?” asked Silver. “Not really, more like certain accidents would happen, like rain or falling from the sky and such.” Said Rarity. “Really?” said Silver, “Huh, one of my servants back at my world had the same feeling, except she feels it in her bones. Like a bad feeling and such.” “Really?” said Rarity as she would be asking this in the future. “Sure is.” Said Silver, “Anyway, continue.” “Twilight thought it was ridiculous, so she tried to spy on her three times.” Said Rarity, “The first time she tried to spy on Pinkie, she was suddenly attacked by bees.” “Bees?!” “That’s right,” said Rarity, “As it turned out a nearby beehive was damaged and Pinkie predicted it when her nose itches.” “And the second time?” asked Silver as he was baffled by what happened. “During the second attempt, Pinkie felt that a door was going to open. Naturally, Twilight didn’t think so, but she fell down the cellar when its doors opened.” Said Rarity, before cringing and said “And she also fell down the stairs.” “Ouch.” Cringed Silver. “Not as bad as the third time.” Said Rarity whilst rolling her eyes. “The third time, Pinkie predicted a few things would fall on the sky. Before she knew it, a potted plan, an anvil, a hay cart, and a piano fell on her head.” Silver’s jaw dropped by what she said. “How?!” “Turns out a group of Pegasi were moving a few things when two of them dropped a handful of things.” Said Rarity. “That’s a big coincidence.” Said Silver. “Indeed.” Said Rarity, “And as it turns out, Derpy used to work there before she worked at the post office and she accidentally let it fell from her hooves with another Pegasus.” “That would explain a lot.” Said Silver whilst rolling his eyes and remembering how destructive Derpy can get, even if she didn’t mean any of it. “Now then, that’s enough chat for now, darling.” Said Rarity as she spotted her shop, “We are here.” “And I see Pinkie kept her word.” Said Silver as he saw both Applejack and Bucky in front of the store. “Hey, Rares.” Said Applejack as she hugged her Unicorn friend. “Glad to see y’all made it back. How was it?” “Oh, it was certainly very exciting.” Said Rarity before giggling and blushed, as did Silver. “But now that we’re here, we can get started.” Said Silver. “Do we have to, though?” asked Applejack, which was clear that she didn’t want to go through this. “Come on, AJ.” Said Bucky as he held her close, “You know very well that our big day is coming up, so we gotta look our best. That and Granny insisted that you get going.” “Yeah, I remember.” Said Applejack whilst rolling her eyes, remembering how Granny told her to go for the fitting. “Not to worry, darling.” Said Rarity, “I know the outfit I made for you at the Grand Galloping Gala was nice, but I’m sure I can make something equally breathtaking for your special day.” “Rarity, y’all don’t…” said Applejack before she was cut off before feeling a hand on her flank, which made her blush. “AJ…” said Bucky before whispering in her ear, making her blush deepen, but then groaned. “Oh, alright, ah’ll do it.” Said Applejack, “On one condition, though.” “Such as?” asked Rarity, until Applejack pulled her close and whispered in her ear, causing Rarity to be surprised by this. “Really?” Applejack nodded whilst blushing a bit. “Well then,” said Rarity with a smirk, “I’ll grant your request after when we’re done with the fitting. Now come along now.” The four of them soon entered the shop and about to begin the work/fitting. ************************************************************************************************** Whilst in one of the fitting rooms, Applejack was spreading her arms and trying her best to hold still, whilst at the same time, Rarity was trying to measure Applejack. Though it was somewhat difficult considering her, ahem, assets. Rarity was busy measuring Applejack,, with the said pony being impatient. “Rares, how much longer do ah have to be like this?” asked Applejack. “Oh, be patient Applejack.” Said Rarity whilst she was measuring and writing down at the same time. “One simply cannot rush any measurements. Besides, we do not want you to look indecent do you.” However, Rarity suddenly smirked and said, “Though I’m sure Bucky won’t mind. Especially with the lingerie I have planned to make for you in case you two want to have some fun again?” “R-Rarity?!” exclaimed Applejack as she blushed madly at this, as she couldn’t believe Rarity had said something like that. “Oh, come now, Applejack.” Said Rarity, “Don’t deny it. Why, the last time I saw you, you were practically glowing. The same glow that Twilight had after she and Beau had spent their wild night. And…” Rarity blushed and said, “Same with me and Silver. I have so many ideas the next time we wish to relieve stress. I might as well try out a few things.” “Uh, Rarity,” said Applejack whilst feeling both embarrassed and creeped out, “Too much…” She suddenly squeaked as Applejack felt Rarity’s measuring band wrapped around her breasts and her posterior. “Why in tarnation are y’all measurin’ my apples?!” exclaimed Applejack. “Well, I don’t want it to be too tight or too lose,” said Rarity, “It has to be snug and perfect.” Rarity couldn’t help but smirk and said, “And maybe design something revealing for Bucky?” Once again, Applejack couldn’t help but blush again at that. Until, “Well…ah was sort of in heat when that happened. And seein that ah haven’t gone to the doctors yet to find out if ah’m…” “Oh, not to worry, darling.” Said Rarity, “After the wedding, we’ll go there before you go to your honeymoon.” Applejack sighed and said, “Ah hope Bucky ain’t as embarrassed as ah am.” ************************************************************************************************** “So, you and Rarity finally did it, huh?” said Bucky in a cheeky tone. “You know I can prick a needle in your posterior, right?” said Silver as he looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. “Hey, I figured it would happen sooner or later,” said Bucky. “But then again, at least you’re lucky that your special Somepony’s heat cycle didn’t kick in.” Silver looked at him shocked. “Wait,” said Silver, “You mean to tell me, that even though the ponies in this world look human, that would mean that…” “Even they get heat cycles.” Said Bucky. “Man, am I glad Rarity didn’t have that.” Said Silver. “Also, I know it’s gonna be a stupid question to ask, how’s Spike?” “Still depressed.” Said Bucky, “Honestly, he needs to realize that Rarity is out of his league, not to mention the thing between him and her is never going to happen.” “Hey now, none of that,” said Silver after he was finished measuring and wrote them down. “Your wedding is in four days, and I’m sure that Applejack is just as worried and excited at the same time.” “Or in this case, complain about what outfits to wear, since she’s not in the mood for anything fancy.” Said Bucky. Then he blushed again and said, “Then again, I’d probably play this out in a fantasy of sorts.” Silver snickered at that, and said, “Oh I’m sure she would. But still, you and Applejack make a great couple.” “Thanks,” said Bucky, “I think you and Rarity are too.” After finishing writing them down, Silver placed his written measurements down and said, “Alright, Rarity and I will get started, and they’ll be ready by tomorrow.” “Thanks, Silver.” Said Bucky as he stepped off where he was standing in order to be measured. “Though now I’m very curious what the dress would look like once it’s time.” “I think she’ll be great, but you’ll have to wait until your big day.” Said Silver, until he smirked and said, “And who knows, maybe Rarity will also have some lingerie designed for her for your special night.” Bucky blushed madly and exclaimed, “Why the heck would you say that?!” “Trust me when I say,” said Silver, “Rarity has a habit of wanting to design something special in order for them to enjoy their special fun night. She did it for Twilight and Beau.” “But isn’t she currently pregnant now?” asked Bucky. “She is,” said Silver, “But I’m talking about after the baby is born. And then they can have some fun whilst trying to relieve some stress.” “But wouldn’t they…?” asked Bucky before being cut off. “Oh, Twilight knows a spell that can keep one from being pregnant whilst they have some fun at the same time.” Said Silver. “Huh, good to know.” Said Bucky before shaking Silver’s hand. “Well, we’d better get going.” “Thanks,” said Silver, “And I hope the baby will be too.” Bucky stopped and looked at Silver shocked. “Three months if I’m not mistaken.” Said Silver, which shocked Bucky even more. With Silver winking and said, “I can tell.” ************************************************************************************************** A few days had went by and the big day had finally arrived. Every Apple family member arrived, whilst Twilight and her friends sat up front at the chairs, with Pinkie being the obvious pony that’s really excited. Back inside Applejack’s room, the country girl was looking at herself in the mirror, wearing her white wedding dress that have red trims and green frills. She was greatly nervous as this was now the next big step for her. “Y’all alright there?” Applejack turned around and was surprised to see Granny Smith standing at the door whilst smiling at her. “Er, well…” began Applejack. Only for the latter to sigh and come clean. “Ah’m just greatly nervous, is all.” “Ah understand.” Said Granny, “Ah was nervous too on mah weddin’ day.” Granny then sighed and muttered, “Wish yer parents had a proper one.” “What?” said a confused Applejack. “Nothin’ dearie.” Said Applejack. “Ah was nervous too, but we were able to make it work. Though it was a shame he weren’t around anymore when yer dad was born.” “Ah just wish mah and pa were here too.” Said Applejack. “Ah don’t like the idea of goin’ out there without them, well, bein’ there.” “Oh, Applejack,” said Granny Smith as she walked over and placed her hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder, “Ah’m sure that they’d want you to be happy. They don’t want y’all to mope, be sad, be afraid, or skip out on yer own weddin’ day. Yer pa proposed to yer mother long ago because he didn’t want to lose her. Love is one of the most precious things in life. And it’s clear as day Bucky fell fer ya.” “Though…ah fell for him since he saved Apple Bloom.” Said Applejack whilst blushing. “And he fell fer ya the same way.” Said Granny Smith. “And y’all have kept yer relationship strong after that. Although…” “What?” said Applejack. Granny Smith couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “Y’all sealed the deal with yer relationship when yer heat kicked in.” Applejack blushed madly at this, and said, “Ah…ah was a bit embarrassed about it. But…ah’m glad he, well…” “And now y’all will gain a little one soon.” Said Granny Smith. “And one day, ah might be lucky enough to meet my Great-grand foal. Why, mah ma would’ve been tickled pink if she was able to meet ya. But then again, we lived a long time and ah waited too late until ah brought Bright Mac into this world.” Granny looked at Applejack and said, “And one day, yer gonna have a little one of yer own. And though y’all are responsible around the farm and helpin’ folks whilst protecting Equestria at the same time, y’all will have an even greater challenge ahead of ya…the responsibility of parenthood.” “And ah’m greatly nervous raisin’ our little one,” said Applejack, “Ah’m just worried that myself and Bucky won’t be around to raise them.” “Now don’t go all thinkin about that,” said Granny Smith sternly, then smiled and said, “Y’all have a weddin’ to go to. And after that, we’ll figure things out together. And it might come as a surprise to ya, but Bucky feels the same way.” Applejack looked at Granny Smith surprised. “We talked earlier.” Said Granny Smith. Granny Smith walked towards the window, with Applejack following suit as she wondered what Granny was thinking. She looked outside of the window and saw Bucky waiting there. But at the same time, she could see just how crazy nervous he really is. “When we got up this mornin’ and everypony was gettin’ ready,” said Applejack, “He talked to me earlier and said he was greatly worried. He said that he was worried that he might mess up both yer relationships. Even he was worried if both you and Bucky weren’t around to be there for yer child…” “Apple Slice.” Responded Applejack, which caused Granny to look at her. “The baby’s name is Apple Slice, and it’s a colt.” Granny Smith chuckled and said, “Had the name dream, did ya?” “Ah did.” Said Applejack. “Anyway,” said Granny Smith, “Bucky was also mighty worried for the future. And he was afraid he was gonna end up like both his parents, the way they treated him. Cause it might shock ya now…but he’s forgotten what his parents looked like, even his own sister.” Applejack looked at Granny Smith in shock and surprise. “He ain’t remember them yelling, he ain’t remember them smiling, he ain’t even remembered what they looked like.” Said Granny Smith in sympathy. “He’s even forgotten his sister, and the picture don’t help much, either. Now he’s afraid that if one day the two of you enter parenthood, he might end up like his pappy and Apple Slice would end up like he did. He’s afraid to fail us. Fail him. And fail you.” Applejack then looked at Bucky in shock, for she had no idea he felt that way ever since the day they found out she was pregnant and that they were getting married. “Ah…ah had no idea.” Said Applejack. “Maybe y’all aren’t alone in that department then ya think.” Said Granny Smith. “Now come on then, we got a weddin’ to prepare.” After Granny Smith left, Applejack looked at herself in the mirror one more time, then at Bucky, who was waiting outside. She didn’t realize that he felt that way too. But then she placed her hands against her chest. No…they won’t end up the same fate as both their parents. They’ll make sure that Apple Slice grows up to have a normal life, just like anyone else. Then she ended up smiling as she was about to take the next step in her life. Both their lives. ************************************************************************************************** Right outside, Bucky was all nervous, then muttered, “I wonder if Applejack’s parents also felt this way.” “Oh, quite the opposite.” Bucky looked to his right and saw a mare with a bowtie and glasses and grey hair, but also had an authority look. “Hey, uh, Mayor Mare, correct? Ponyville’s mayor?” asked Bucky. “That’s right.” Said Mayor Mare, then playfully said, “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about me already, considering we met before when you asked me to help officiate the wedding, especially delivering most of the apple products to us.” “Er, sorry.” Said Bucky, “I’m…still trying to get a feel for most of the population, considering I haven’t had a chance to tour around Ponyville ever since I got here.” “Understandable.” Said Mayor Mare, “And I understand how hard it was for you to stay here.” “I know.” Said Bucky, before holding his shoulder, gaining his attention. “But then you went above and beyond to save Apple Bloom,” said the Mayor, “And because of that, the Apple Family was very grateful for what you did for her. And how Applejack fell head over heels for you, especially since you asked her out. And now here you are, getting married and with the two of you expecting a child. And given from what she told me about you, you’re going to me a great parent, as well as a citizen of Ponyville and a member of the Apple Family.” Bucky couldn’t help but smile and said, “Thanks Mayor Mare.” Suddenly, the music began to play. Bucky knew exactly what that meant. He turned around and there he saw Applejack, walking down towards Bucky where he was standing. Soon enough, the two of them were standing side by side as Mayor Mare was now officiating their wedding altogether. Mayor Mare was talking about Bucky and Applejack’s union, with Applejack nervously looking at the Apple Family. Though from the looks on their faces, all of them have no problem with it. She looked back at Bucky, who then looked at her. He couldn’t help but smile, to which Applejack returned. The two of them slowly began to hold hands as the Mayor continued. Soon enough, the wedding bands were given to one another as they were now one step closer to their marriage. After it was done, both Bucky and Applejack had exchanged their vows. “I know pronounce you, husband and wife.” Said Mayor Mare. Applejack ended up pouncing on Bucky as she wrapped her arms around him, with her lips placed on his, with Bucky returning it, to which everyone began to cheer at their happy union, whilst also clapping their hands at the same time. ********************************************************************************************* The celebrations went underway as everyone began to dance and enjoy the food all around them, with Pinkie Pie going back and forth, to make sure that everything is going great. They also had to try to keep Rainbow away from the Apple Cider, cause Bucky knew that she would go stir crazy around them, given what Applejack had told him. Twilight was talking with Granny Smith in order to know how the rest of the Apple Family were doing, whilst Apples like Braeburn and a few others were talking to Beau, considering that he was the first human to arrive in Ponyville and is married to Twilight, the Princess of Friendship. Silver was staying close to Rarity when he wanted to make sure that she would be in good company, considering he knows that sometimes she’s not comfortable with this. Fluttershy was, as usual, being shy and not comfortable with such a large crowd around her. At the same time, Applejack looked at the stage and had an idea. She smirked and held onto Bucky’s hand, surprising him as he looked at her. “Come on, partner.” Said Applejack, “Why don’t we do something very different?” The two of them ended up going up to the stage, where the musicians were already getting things together, which surprised them as Applejack walked up to the stage with her newly wedded husband. The two of them were on stage as the band began to play. Both Applejack and Bucky began to sing. After the song, everyone cheered for the newly wedded couple whilst everyone cheered. Afterwards they climbed down, with Granny Smith hugging the two of them. “Yer ma and pa would be so proud of you.” Said Granny Smith. The two of them hugged Granny Smith with smiles on their faces. One thing’s for sure; a new chapter begins in their lives.
Chapter 15: New Residence and Bedazzled weddingSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 16: No Second Prances, and Welcome to the WorldAuthor's Note Wow, two days in a row, who saw that one coming? Chapter 16: No Second Prances, and Welcome to the World It has already been a while since Rarity’s wedding, and so far, things couldn’t have gone better. However, something else, is there to worry about… Twilight’s due to give birth any day now. Beau was very worried, for he and Twilight would be parents very soon, and right now, he wants her to relax, but Twilight wanted to continue Starlight’s friendship lessons so that she could learn more about friendship. Beau wanted to take over, but Twilight was insistent. And the mood swings didn’t help much, either. But he had to stay strong…for their daughter’s sake. Beau was looking for Twilight and soon enough, he found her in the dining room with the silverware. He was standing at the door and not making a peep. He saw her placing the plate on the table, and tried to do it correctly, which confuses him. “First lesson of the day,” began Twilight, “We very carefully set the table, without, using magic. So that…” Twilight yelped as the plates and silverware began to decorate the table with Starlight’s magic. She then grinned after she set the last piece of Silverware. Beau couldn’t help but smirk, for at least she remembers how to set the table. Twilight stammered a bit by what she was seeing. “What?” asked Starlight in confusion. “I said, no magic.” said Twilight, “You were supposed to do it by hoof so I could work in a friendship lesson.” “Uh, Twilight, honey,” said Beau, gaining their attention, which surprised Twilight as she didn’t know Beau was standing there. “No offense, but I fail to see how setting up a table counts as a friendship lesson. If it’s a friendship lesson, it should be how two ponies bond, not set up a fancy party. Besides, she already knows how to set up a table, I mean who do you think taught her that whilst you were busy taking a nap.” “He does have a point, Twilight.” Said Starlight, “I heard “set the table” and just kinda went for it and did what he taught me.” “Well,” said Twilight as she tried to come up with an excuse, “This plate represents your head, this spoon is your heart, and the knives... are sharp! Always be careful with knives.” “Yes,” said Beau in sarcasm, “And if they’re too sharp, they’d be aware of their purpose and not partake in it.” Starlight couldn’t help but stifle her giggle at that, whilst Twilight groaned and smacked her own forehead. “I swear…” “Ah, no swearing, think of the baby.” Said Beau. Twilight then looked down and noticed the baby, which made her groan a bit, and said, “The metaphors make more sense when you're actually setting the table.” “Should I…change it, back?” asked Starlight. “I just wanted to make sure that you’d be ready for this dinner.” Said Twilight. “She knows how to behave, Twilight, I taught her etiquette, remember?” said Beau, then smirked and said, “Or do you want her to be a slob like you were two months ago when you ate over thirty Hay burgers?” “Thirty?!” exclaimed Starlight as she was shocked to hear that. “I had cravings, okay?” said Twilight in annoyance, “Can I help it when I’m pregnant here?!” Twilight cleared her throat, clearly getting off topic with this. “A-anyway.” Said Twilight, “Princess Celestia will be joining us tomorrow night to see how the Friendship Lessons are going.” “But isn’t this going a bit overboard?” asked Beau, “I mean you know very well Celestia is very busy, and I have been sending her letters of her progress to make sure she’s okay.” “Wait, you have?” said Twilight in confusion. “I mean, I did tell her of Starlight being a former baddie, which Celestia thought is admirable that you wanted to help her, considering she closed herself off and refused to move on. Which is always been a problem. Or in this case, some idiots refusing to let mistakes like that go.” Said Beau, which baffled Twilight and Starlight, “What, you know very well that it’s not her job to know what goes on in that head of yours, you need to learn to get out of it and communicate. That and you have a tendency of going overboard.” “I do…!!” said Twilight when she wanted to deny it before Beau cut her off. “The Friendship report and ‘want it, need it’, spell?” reminded Beau. Twilight winced at that and still feels ashamed over it. “So, uh…” said Starlight, wanting to change the subject, “If it’s just the three of us, why are there five seats?” “I’ll be joining her,” said Beau, “Someone needs to keep an eye on her.” “For when you bring a new friend,” said Twilight, “That way, the princess will see for herself just how far you’ve come. And how good of a teacher you have.” “So basically, it means you’re trying to please your teacher.” Said Beau, then looked at Twilight with a flexed eyebrow, “Yet it’s been how long since you don’t go to school anymore and how long you’ve been a Princess before I came here?” Twilight looked at him with a glare, with Starlight saying, “Well I can’t choose, I like all your friends.” “That’s the best part, you have to make a new friend.” Said Twilight. “New friends?” said Starlight nervously. Then she said out of impulse, “Hey, maybe I'll just force friendships by magically enslaving the entire population of Ponyville!” She then gave off a big, toothy grin.” “Uh, not what she meant,” said Beau, thankfully speaking before Twilight would. He walked over to her. “What she means is, you need to go out in Ponyville, try to open up to them, socialize to them, and also find out what you have in common with them. You may have the same hobbies, the same tastes, the same problems, and some you could relate to.” “Like what?” asked Starlight. “Well, for one, you like to fly kites.” Said Beau, which surprised Starlight that he knew about that, “And that you might have the same flavored ice cream, cake and so on.” “But…how will I know how?” asked Starlight. “You never know unless you try.” Said Beau, then whispered, “Which is why I’ll be shadowing you, to make sure nothing goes wrong. Think of me as a chaperone.” Starlight smiled at that, for she remembered how Beau trusted her with a few things, so maybe she can do the same. “Alright, I’ll meet you outside.” Said Starlight as she left. Beau then turned to Twilight, whom said, “Beau, aren’t you worried about what she said?” “It was an act of impulse,” said Beau, “Besides, she’s just greatly nervous. From what all of you said, she’s been a total shut in for years, and she didn’t know how things operated. And she refused to move on, which you can imagine can affect someone’s psyche. And besides, if anyone’s to blame, it’s Sunburst. If he had just been a bit more open and wrote to Starlight more often, none of this would’ve happened.” “I suppose.” Said Twilight. “And aren’t you going overboard with this?” asked Beau. “What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “You’re also a Princess, you’re how many years old, it’s been how long since you graduated from school, and you still put her on a podium and worship her.” Said Beau, “I know you look up to her, but come on.” “But, but, but I…” said Twilight, which caused Beau to look at her with a flexed eyebrow, with Twilight sighing in defeat. “Twilight, you’re not Princess Celestia, and you never will be.” Said Beau. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re Twilight Sparkle.” Said Beau, “The one who’s concerns were for everypony she worries about, the one who eventually realized how important friendship is, who became a Princess and accomplished what Celestia couldn’t. You freed her sister from her own darkness, you and your friends stopped Discord, you were able to save your sibling and their wedding despite setbacks, you helped them save the Crystal Empire, you traveled to another world and reunited friends and helped Sunset twice. You defeated Tirek, you helped stop the Equality village and stopped Starlight from doing something rash.” Beau then gently placed his hands on her belly. “And who is going to be a mother soon.” Said Beau. “You and your friends did a lot of things together. Cause like any leader, even though they learn, they don’t have the answers to everything, even I don’t have all the answers. All we can do is help the best we can. For how can they grow and evolve, if we always get in the way of their progress?” Twilight thought about it for a moment, and realize he does have a point. “I suppose.” Said Twilight, but bore a smile all the same. “Just…promise me you’ll keep an eye on her whilst I try to prepare things.” “But what about you?” said Beau, “And Spike’s too depressed to go out of his room.” “I’ll be fine, as long as I don’t put too much stress.” Said Twilight before Beau kissed her cheek. “I’ll be back soon.” Said Beau as he left the Castle. ************************************************************************************************* Beau was walking through the streets looking for Starlight, but he had trouble finding her. “Now where could she…” said Beau, until his stomach growled. He was a little embarrassed and said, “Maybe I should get something to eat first. I hope they’ve got croissants.” Beau then walked towards Sugarcube Corner and walked in. “Morning cake family.” Said Beau as he walked in, “Do you have any…?” Beau was taken aback by the cake mess that Mrs. Cake had on her. “Whoa, what happened to you?” said Beau. “She was trying to ruin my business!!” said Mrs. Cake sternly, which confused Beau. “Starlight was using her magic to make a cake, but she did it because of impulse, which she got the wrong idea.” Said Pinkie Pie as she popped up from out of nowhere. “What?” said Beau as he was confused. “She’d never do that. I’m sure she only did it to help you, I mean given what I’ve seen, you have to go through like, twenty orders a day and spending time with the kids at the same time. And you know very well managing a business and managing a family are very extremely hard things.” Mrs. Cake was surprised by that statement and looked at the orders. “True. But…” “You don’t like to cheat or take shortcuts when it comes to baking, otherwise it might ruin the hard work and amount of love you put in, otherwise the cake may look good, it may taste sweet, but it doesn’t have the baker’s love in it.” Once again, Mrs. Cake was surprised by this, same with Pinkie Pie as she popped in. “Oh my, that’s exactly right.” Said Mrs. Cake, “I never thought anypony could understand it.” “Oh, trust me, I do.” Said Beau, “I also worked part time at a bakery in one of my summer jobs back on my world. I’ve seen many bakers work hard to put in that much love and thought to their creations.” “Oooh, got any good baking tips?” said Pinkie Pie. “Unfortunately, no.” said Beau, “The bakery I worked at didn’t allow any recipes being shared. The manager I worked with was a bit stiffy.” “Aw, bummer.” Said Pinkie Pie. “Anyway, Mrs. Cake,” said Beau, “In case you wonder why she was here, Princess Twilight asked her to make a friend, and she has a habit of acting on Impulse. Plus, she’s been a total recluse for a long time, and she’s still trying to bond with others and make conversations. She didn’t make a single friend since her last friend left when she was just a filly. So, you can imagine how hard it can be for others to make any friends” “Oh dear,” said Mrs. Cake, realizing her mistake, “I didn’t know. Now I feel bad for scolding her.” “I’ll tell her.” Said Beau, “Anyway, you wouldn’t happen to have any croissants and some cappuccino, would you?” “Of course, deary.” Said Mrs. Cake as she went to fetch them. ******************************************************************************************* Beau was later at the park bench whilst enjoying his croissants. “I wonder how Starlight is doing?” asked Beau to himself. At the same time, he saw both Bucky and Silver walking with wholewheat doughnuts and bagels. Guess they must’ve thought of the same thing. “Hey, what are you guys doing here?” asked Beau. “Taking a break.” Said Bucky. “Same here.” Said Silver. “I was around keeping an eye on Starlight,” said Beau, “Twilight wanted her to make a new friend, but it was a total bust with Mrs. Cake.” “Oh, don’t get me started.” Said Bucky, “Starlight used a spell on Big Mac to make him talk constantly. Which didn’t sit well with Applejack. Cause Big Mac doesn’t talk much, and he’s sometimes the strong and silent type.” “That’s nothing,” said Silver, “I overheard that Rainbow tried to help. Although…Starlight made a mistake of asking Rainbow what the Wonderbolts are.” “Ouch.” Said Beau, “Then again, Starlight was a total shut in and didn’t know much of the outside world.” “True.” Said Silver, “Rarity tried to help, though I don’t think she caught on what Starlight was trying to say or ask.” “Not to mention it went bust with Fluttershy.” Said Bucky, “And I think I saw Angel falling in love with Starlight.” They couldn’t help but snicker at that. “She’s not making any luck, is she?” asked Silver. “Not really.” Said Bucky. “I hope Starlight has luck.” Said Beau, before finishing his croissant. “Well, I’d better get going. Hopefully she’ll gain a friend by the time I get back. See you around.” After they greeted, Beau left for the Castle of Friendship, wondering what to do next. ******************************************************************************************* Beau then walked into the castle and looked around, wondering where Twilight was. Knowing her, she had to be in the… “The Great and Powerful, Trixie.” Beau was surprised and hid behind the door, overhearing the conversation. “Has come to perform a new stage show of grand illusion! I am calling it 'The Humble and Penitent Trixie's Equestrian Apology Tour!!” “That's...a bit of a mouthful,” Starlight commented on the overly long title. “It's a working title.” Trixie reasoned. Which Beau shrugged his shoulders. “Uh, Starlight, a word with you for a moment?” Twilight asked, not giving her pupil a response as she dragged Starlight away from Trixie. “I know I said to make friends with anypony, but...well, with Trixie's past, and your past, I'm not sure she's the best...first friend.” Beau flexed his eyebrow at that, for it couldn’t have been that bad. “But whatever she did, you’ve forgiven her, right?” Said Starlight in suspicion. “Of course,” said Twilight, “It’s just…she wasn’t the nicest pony.” Beau rolled his eyes and shook his head, for did she really think that this Trixie wasn’t nice when she wasn’t any different. From what her mentor and friends told him. “Well,” began Starlight, “You did say, anypony, and I just assumed that you’d trust me enough to make my own friends, the way Princess Celestia trusted you.” Beau was a little surprised by that. For it seems Twilight is twisting her story a bit when it comes to backstories. Then again, they didn’t want others to think of them differently, which he could relate all the same. Afterwards, Trixie said, “Good luck losing weight.” Beau grunted, for Trixie really couldn’t tell between someone being fat or someone being pregnant? Then again, he couldn’t tell the difference either. After she and Starlight left, Beau walked in and noticed Twilight trying to fix the utensils that somehow looked like someone used it to make a small statue. Beau cleared his throat, gaining Twilight’s attention. “You know you can always try a reversal spell.” Said Beau, “You know, reverse the damage of said items.” Twilight blinked and smiled whilst remembering. She uses it and instantly fix the utensil statue Trixie made and place it back onto the table. “Thanks, Beau.” Said Twilight. “And it seems Starlight finally made a friend.” Said Beau, “But I overheard that you said that she’s not the ideal friend. But then again, Starlight isn’t either. So, what’s the big deal?” Twilight sighed and said, “A while ago, shortly after I moved to Ponyville, Trixie came and showed her magic tricks. But my friends kept on going on of her boasting and thinking she was a big shot. She then challenged me to do magic. When she boasted that she defeated an Ursa Major, Snips and Snails ended up bringing the Ursa Minor to town, causing it to go on a rampage. Then she blamed us for making her a laughing stock, so she bought an Alicorn Amulet to increase her magic, but what she didn’t know, was it corrupts the user, making her corrupted, kicked me out of Ponyville and took over the town. We were able to remove it, and she apologized. But…” “You didn’t accept it?” said Beau. “She…wasn’t the nicest pony.” Said Twilight. She heard Beau snort in laughter, with her asking, “What’s so funny?” “Neither were you when you first met your friends.” Said Beau. “What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Twilight whilst squinting her eyes. “I seem to remember a certain former Unicorn turned Princess, who had a few issues of her own, especially when she brushed aside anyone who tried to be friendly with her when she first arrived in Ponyville and thought friendship was a waste of time.” Said Beau. “Besides, from what Celestia told me, Sunset wasn’t exactly a nice pony either, and you don’t hear her whining about it.” Twilight was about to retort, but then realized Beau was right. For ever since Twilight first came to Ponyville, she didn’t want to make friends and thought it was a waste of time, and because of her actions, Moondancer ended up being a hermit when Twilight abandoned her at her own party. And Sunset wasn’t any different either as she also wasn’t very nice. But if it weren’t for her, Sunset wouldn’t have been saved from her own darkness and redeemed herself. “Besides, if it’s anyone who’s to blame for Trixie doing what she did, it’s Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity.” “Excuse me?” “Bucky, Silver, and Spike told me.” Said Beau. “From what I heard, they constantly heckled and boasted that what she could do, they could do better than her. Besides, she’s a performer performing harmless magic, you can’t fault someone for just doing their job. They’re supposed to exaggerate about their skills. And I know what I’m talking about, cause I witnessed a ton of magicians who boast, it’s all part of the act, which Trixie was doing, so you girls didn’t have to take things personally.” Beau then walked over to Twilight and stood next to her whilst he sat on the table. “So, you see, from what I’m seeing, she’s partially to blame for her upbringing that she did on her own. But if anyone’s also to blame for what started the whole mess, it would be those three.” Beau then rolled his eyes and said, “Their counterparts weren’t any different either.” “Wait, what?” said Twilight in confusion. “Sunset told me, but she didn’t want to tell you, because she didn’t want the girls to be scolded.” Said Beau, which confused Twilight even more. Beau then decided to tell the truth, “After Sunset was defeated at the Fall Formal, you asked those five girls to look after Sunset just so that she could redeem herself and make things right. Pinkie and Fluttershy were willing to give her a chance, but Rarity wasn’t fully committed to it, and Rainbow and Applejack refused to.” “WHAT?!!” exclaimed Twilight as she was shocked to hear this. “You made a mistake of asking them to look after her, because, and I mean no offense, they were idiots to refuse to let it go.” Said Beau. “But…but they promised…” said Twilight. “Yeah, I’m gonna stop you right there for a moment.” Said Beau as he cut her off. “See, if it were anyone I asked to look after Sunset, I would believe them. But Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity?” Beau then listed it off as he told her. “They made a promise, in front of you and next to Pinkie and Fluttershy, that they would look after her. But the moment you left, they ended up immediately broke your promise and trust. Then, even after everything she tried to do to make it up to them, they acted like complete jerks to her, whenever she tried to apologize to them. But, my most distasteful favorite, was that they were constantly giving her the cold shoulder and refused to help her whenever she wanted to prove herself. So much for being honest, generous, and loyal. And that was during the past six months before you came back to help them during the Battle of the Bands.” Twilight was in total disbelief of what she was hearing. For Sunset never told her any of this, which in turn made her mad, causing her to shoot a nearby chair and sent it flying with her horn. “After when I give birth, I am so going to have a word with those three.” Said Twilight in anger. Twilight then grunted and felt the pain whilst holding onto her stomach, causing Beau to quickly to go over and held her close. “Easy there, Twilight.” Said Beau, “The doctor said not to strain yourself, otherwise there’s a chance the baby will get hurt.” “I know.” Said Twilight. But then she grumbled and said, “Though I’m mad Trixie called me fat.” “Well obviously she can’t tell if you’re pregnant or not.” Said Beau, “And to be fair, from my point of view back then, I can’t tell the difference either.” Beau began to escort her out. “Now, why don’t you go to the library and read some of your favorite novels and relax for a bit, whilst I make sure everything is set. And at the same time, once I have time, I’ll keep an eye on those two just in case.” “But…” said Twilight before she yelped as she felt her flank being groped on. She blushed and slightly shoved Beau, “B-Beau!!!” “Hey, it was the only way to calm you down.” Said Beau. “Hmph, fine.” Grumbled Twilight whilst crossing her arms. Beau rolled his eyes and wondered in thought, ‘Sometimes I wish there was a book on how to manage one’s wedding relationships. Then again, I don’t think Twilight ever did. Probably because nobody thought she’d ever get married. Truth be told neither did I, and yet here we are.’ *************************************************************************************************** After Beau was done setting the table and getting things ready, he decided to check up on Starlight and Trixie. Then he saw how many were grumbling and whispering about her, clearly they haven’t forgotten about what she did. Beau decided to listen to them over. “Can you keep a secret?” he heard Trixie asking. “What are friends for?” Starlight answered, vowing to keep Trixie's secret between them. “All those things I did? I did them because I was jealous of Twilight,” Trixie admitted, which surprised Beau. She's the best at everything, and I wanted to beat her in something!!” “Your secret is safe with me.” Said Starlight. “And mine.” The two of them were startled whilst Beau came out. Though Starlight was relieved that it was only Beau, Trixie was greatly confused by what she was seeing. “Wait, are…?” said Trixie as she was confused. “I know, I’m some hairless ape, I get that a lot.” Said Beau. “But to answer your question, I’m actually a human.” “Really?” said an intrigued Trixie. “Well, at least a certain Unicorn we knew from Magic School would be ecstatic to know that. But who are you?” “My name is Thomas Rohan, but everyone calls me Beau.” Said Beau, “I’m also Princess Twilight’s husband.” “Husband?!” exclaimed Trixie, then it dawned to her of Twilight’s belly. Then blushed in embarrassment and said, “Now Trixie feels sheepish for calling her fat.” “It’s okay, I can’t tell the difference either when it comes to pregnancies.” Said Beau. “Anyway, why would you be jealous of Twilight, other than saying she’s the best at what she does?” “Trixie sees…” said Trixie. “Uh, less third person speaking.” Said Beau, “Part of being a good friend is to know when to properly communicate with others, otherwise it might catch them a bit off guard.” Trixie blushed at that again, then cleared her throat. “The thing is…ever since Twilight enlisted at school, she’s been constantly studying everything and always excels at everything. Don’t get me wrong, every unicorn who attends that school passes, but Twilight always passes every grade with points higher than others. And it felt like…” “She was rubbing it in your face?” asked Beau. “Well, in a way…yes.” Said Trixie. “Trixie, you’ve got nothing to be jealous over.” Said Beau, “Yes, it’s true, Twilight studied at everything. But there’s something that both of you didn’t know.” Both Trixie, and Starlight were confused by it, with Beau sitting near the stage as the others joined him. “See, when Twilight was little,” said Beau, “She constantly admired Princess Celestia when she first saw her, so she tried to study as hard as she could. But when she tried to pass her exams, she was startled, allowing her to unlock her magic, which gained Celestia’s attention and made her, her student. At one point, Celestia was glad to take in another student, but she was afraid she’d be led astray.” “What do you mean?” asked Trixie. “I’m sure you remember Sunset Shimmer?” asked Beau. “Oh, her I remember.” Groaned Trixie, which confused Starlight a bit, to which Beau noticed. “Before Twilight, Sunset also attended the same school as Twilight and was Celestia’s student.” Said Beau, “But when Celestia told her to make friends, she tried, but she was afraid and ran away.” “Ran away?” said Starlight in confusion. “That’s right.” Said Beau, “Then she lied to Princess Celestia that she tried to make friends, but she didn’t interact with them. Celestia tried to tell her, and teach her humility.” “But it backfired.” Said Trixie, which confused Starlight. “My teachers told me. Like Twilight, Sunset also excelled in magic like she did, but she was impatient and wanted to get what she deserved. But even Trixie knows that some things take time, they don’t just give it to you, you have to earn it.” “But then Celestia made a mistake of showing Sunset an artifact.” Said Beau, “Sunset ended up being delusional and thinks that she deserves to be a Princess, but Celestia tried to tell her that she couldn’t, because she didn’t have the same potential as Twilight when it comes to magic. So, when Celestia denied her that, she yelled in Celestia’s face that she was a hypocrite, for she didn’t have any friends.” Starlight gasped at that as she was shocked to hear that. “So, Sunset ended up running away from home.” Said Beau, “When Twilight became Celestia’s student, Twilight ended up developing a fear of letting her teacher down, and ended up being obsessed with perfection, as well as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. And during her studies, Celestia tried to tell her to make friends, but like Sunset, Twilight wasn’t interested. She thought that Friendship was a waste of time and that she didn’t need friends to make discoveries or learn them. Everyone tried to get her to make friends; her parents, her brother Shining Armor, Spike, even Celestia tried, but she wouldn’t budge. So, when Celestia sent her away, Twilight ended up leaving without saying goodbye, and she even ditched her own friend Moondancer, on her own party. Which in turn made her turn herself into an anti-social hermit.” “Wow,” said Trixie surprised, “And Trixie thought she screwed up a few times.” “And don’t get me started on the ‘Want it, Need it’, spell.” Said Beau, “Twilight was very obsessed into pleasing Celestia, and thought she should deliver a report every week, but even a dead brained monkey would know that she can send a letter, ‘when she learns a lesson’, but clearly, she didn’t get that. And that time she tried to expose Chrysalis when she was pretending to be Cadence, but she didn’t exactly have proof or evidence that she did. And she made a poor case. And in fairness, they would’ve taken her seriously if she didn’t sound like a, well, psychopath.” “How bad are we talking?” asked Starlight. “You still remember that time traveling spell?” asked Beau, which she winced and nodded. But before she could say anything, Beau handed her a page. “Use this. This is called a time window, a way to view the past. That way, you can see things in the past, without causing a disturbance.” “Wow, that’s pretty handy.” Commented Trixie. Starlight looked at it for a moment, and after seeing it, Starlight used the spell and opened the window. The two of them were greatly shocked when they saw Twilight freaking out over every little detail. After it ended, the two Unicorns were still in shock from what they were seeing. “Yeah, trust me, it’s a lot worse than you think.” Said Beau. “Oh, come on.” Said Trixie, “Even I know there’s no such thing as being perfect.” “That’s what I tried to tell her, constantly, same with her friends.” Said Beau, “But Twilight should really stop being afraid of failing, for its part of growing up. I mean seriously, I fail a grade from time to time, but you don’t hear me complaining about it.” “Agreed.” Said Trixie as she looked at Starlight. “But all that aside, wanna help me unpack my wagon?” “You do that, I’ll go check up on Twilight to make sure she doesn’t do anything reckless.” Said Beau as he greeted the girls goodbye. *************************************************************************************************** He soon arrived at the castle and went to look for Twilight. “Twilight, you around?” said Beau. He then checked every room to find her, but couldn’t find her anywhere. “Now where could she be?” Beau then suddenly clicked and realized something. “You don’t think…?!” Beau instantly ran out of the castle, looking around frantically for Twilight. For if he knows Twilight… He then spots her ahead, hiding in the bushes, talking to Starlight. He then suddenly deadpanned and realized what she’s doing. As he got closer, he overheard her talking. “But do you really think Trixie is the one to help you with that?” asked Twilight. This shocked Beau, whilst Starlight looked appalled. “Wow, Trixie was right.” Said Starlight as she looked at Twilight sternly. “You’re not really giving her a second chance. I wonder what that says how you feel about me?” Starlight moved away in tears, until Twilight spots Cranky Doodle. “Now he’d be perfect.” Said Twilight. “Ahem!!” Twilight winced and looked at Beau, who was staring at her sternly and crossing his arms. “I should’ve known.” Said Beau. “Beau, I can…” said Twilight. “So basically, when you said you’d relax,” began Beau, “You decided to go behind my back and do this anyway?” “But, I…” said Twilight before Beau cut her off again. “Also, you’re not helping matters by trying to force her to pick someone else.” Said Twilight, “Celestia and Shining Armor didn’t force you to make friends, you did that on your own after you were done being stubborn.” “But it’s Trixie!!” said Twilight, causing Beau to groan. “Do we really need to go over this again.” Said Beau sternly, “About your friends’ constant heckling?” Twilight winced at that whilst she remembered. “Not to mention, the Ursa Minor coming to town, that was Snips and Snails’ fault, aka, dumb and dumber. Cause both of them were stupid enough to believe anything that comes out of anyone’s mouth.” “That wasn’t very nice.” Said Twilight as she didn’t like what he said. “Well, it’s true.” Said Beau. He then looked left and right and whispered to her. “And you didn’t hear this from me. But onetime, somepony once told them that pony babies come from poop, and every now and then they would look into it for a baby brother.” “EWE!!” exclaimed Twilight as she was completely disgusted by what Beau said. “I know, right?” said Beau whilst rolling his eyes. “And also, Trixie may have caused trouble, but that was because of the corrupted powers of the amulet, which I’m surprised nobody destroyed that. And you lot tricked her into taking it off, and made hear realize how idiotic she acted. And she does want to show that she’s not arrogant, but less. And you think she’s not trustworthy? If I remember correctly, you didn’t exactly trust Starlight after everything she did, but you gave her a chance.” “But…I just don’t want her to choose the wrong friends.” Said Twilight. “You know, there’s an old saying in my world,” said Beau, “You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friends’ nose.” Twilight was a little disgusted by that phrase, but Beau translated it to her. “It means, whoever she hangs out is none of your business. You can’t always intervene and who she wants to be friends with. You can’t just pick friends for someone and think they’ll hit it off immediately. Cause if I remember correctly, you didn’t want to make friends with any of them, because you said they were crazy and were a waste of time. Besides, if I also remember correctly, you barely had any friends when you were in magic school, and Moondancer ended up becoming a hermit because of your selfishness and neglect.” Twilight wanted to retort, but realized that there was also truth to it, but Beau continued. “Plus, where the heck was your common sense?” asked Beau. “Come again?” said Twilight in confusion. “Celestia knew, and she didn’t want you to get involved.” Said Beau, “Nightmare Moon, aka, Luna, is her sister. You may be talented in magic before you moved to Ponyville, but you couldn’t compete with an Alicorn. They have centuries of experience and no single unicorn could beat her and Celestia in a fight. And I know your loyalty to Celestia and wanted to help, but nobody asked you to do that, or forcing you to do any of it. You need to learn to live by example.” Beau then placed his hand against Twilight’s belly. “And what kind of example are we going to live for our daughter, if you keep acting out this way?” asked Beau. Twilight blinked and looked down, thinking about Moonlight Sparkle coming to this world. And Twilight realized Beau was right. What kind of example would she make for their daughter if she continues to act this way. “And I’m sorry to do this Twilight,” said Beau, “But for the sake of our baby.” Beau then took a deep breath and shouted loudly. “RELEASE THE PINKIE PIE!!” Suddenly, Pinkie Pie zipped over and said, “You called?” “Pinkie,” said Beau, “Could you please be so kind enough to take Twilight back to the castle and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid to help with Starlight’s progress of making friends.” “Of course!!” said Pinkie as she suddenly grabbed a big baby jail, and placed Twilight inside. “Hey!!” said Twilight. Just as she wanted to teleport out, she saw her magic wasn’t working. Then she panicked and said, “What is this?!” “Magic proof baby jail.” Said Pinkie Pie, “After my tussle with the Cake Twins, Somepony’s gotta make sure that nopony escapes. Now I’ll prepare for the dinner whilst you take a time out.” “Sorry honey, it’s for your own good.” Said Beau. Pinkie then grabbed the cage and pulled Twilight away. Beau shakes his head in amusement, “She may hate me for this, but this is for her own good.” Beau walked away, wanting to make sure things were going okay. ************************************************************************************************* Later that night, Beau began to watch how things were hitting off with Starlight, and Trixie asked her to be her assistant. So far things were working, and he was glad it was working. Until… He saw Twilight walking in and she wasn’t happy, as she said Celestia was there. “Oh, shoot. I forgot to send her a letter to reschedule.” Muttered Beau. Although… “Aha! You still don't trust me!” Trixie exclaimed. “But guess what, 'princess'? It doesn't matter if you want to give me a second chance or not. Starlight had to choose between you and me, and she chose me! Your pupil chose me, so HA! I win!” Beau was startled by that. Which caused him to slap his forehead, for he figured that Trixie would unknowingly say things like that. “Really Trixie?” muttered Beau, “You’re choosing to be boastful, now?!” That’s when Starlight felt hurt by the accusation that Trixie just made and ran away. And now Beau sees that Twilight wasn’t the only one with a grudge, but so did Trixie. It wasn’t just jealousy; it was also a grudge. So now he could see that both of them messed up, but given how many times Twilight messed up, she wasn’t exactly a good character witness. But now he realized what he had to do. He had to not only put Trixie in her place, but also, and he really hate to do it, his own wife too. “Really, Trixie?” Both Trixie and Twilight turned around, both of them were surprised to see Beau there. “You see what both your ego and your mouth just did?” said Beau. “B-but Beau, I didn’t mean…” said Trixie before Beau cut her off. “Of what, hurting Starlight, by acting this was some sort of contest.” Said Beau, “From the looks of it, the only reason you wanted to beat her, because you irrationally blamed Twilight for upstaging you, when she didn’t even do that!! All she did was stop the Ursa Minor from wrecking the town because of Snips and Snails, which they did it because Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack constantly heckled you!! You acted like a complete jerk to her after she saved you. Then you ended up having the gall to blame Twilight for ruining your career when it was your own fault for making up stories that you defeated and Ursa Major. Cause yeah, I know, you’re a magician and you’re supposed to exaggerate, but not go overboard.” He walked over to her and poked his finger at her chest whilst also pointing things out. “Then you ended up taking an Alicorn amulet, a cursed artifact, mind you, just to cheat and humiliated Twilight. Sure, the amulet made you do all those things, but you still chose to come back to Ponyville with the intention of starting trouble and made the very calculated decision to wear it. Cause you’re lucky you didn’t get arrested in the first place. And given what I’ve seen, you haven’t changed one bit, because you have a reputation of being a showboat and a troublemaker, and you didn’t learn anything since you last came to Ponyville. And now because of you, you ended up costing Starlight her trust in you.” Trixie then looked down in shame, as she realized that what she said was completely out of line, and she should’ve let it go, but she didn’t. That’s when Twilight stood next to Beau, thinking she has the right to speak. “Well, you won. I hope you’re happy.” Said an unhappy Twilight. That’s when Beau knew he had to do it. He might be in the doghouse, but he had to. “Oh, don’t act like you’re in the right here now, Twilight.” Said Beau as he stood on front of her, “You’re just as much to blame here.” “What?!” said Twilight as she was shocked what Beau said. “Did you not pay attention what I talked about Trixie?! Or did her arrogance and boasting actually rubbed off on you, and she just admitted what she did!!” “Well,” began Beau, as he knew she needed to hear this, “If it weren’t for you, she never would’ve done so!! You don’t trust anyone who steered you wrong, Twilight, not even your own husband!! I tried to explain and tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t hear me out. And when you met your friends, you didn’t exactly trust them, either!! All you had to do was to let go of a freaking grudge, and you couldn’t even do that!! Choosing Trixie to be her friend was Starlight’s decision, but you intervened instead. This whole thing could’ve been avoided, had you only listened to me.” Twilight slightly widened her eyes, but didn’t let up as Beau continued. “Starlight worked hard, Twilight.” Said Beau, “She worked harder than any pony that you give her credit for, because not a single pony would understand what she has done or why she did it!! I mean how often do you meet a pony who enslaved a village and nearly destroyed Equestria via time traveling. Answer; you don’t. And the thought would scare any pony in Equestria. She needs the chance to move on and do things on her own, and because of your constant meddling, she’ll never get that chance.” “What’s that supposed to mean?!” said Twilight, “She’s also my pupil, Beau. I’m supposed to be looking out for her. And why didn’t you tell me, Starlight volunteered to be Trixie’s magic assistant in her show.” “Because, that’s NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!” Shouted Beau, which startled Twilight as she nearly fell over, for she had never seen him angry like that. She slightly raised her hands in defense. “B-Beau. Calm down.” “How the heck, am I supposed to calm down when you constantly go overboard and can’t stop poking her nose into other people’s business.” Retorted Beau. “I was only trying to help.” Said Twilight. “NOBODY ASKED YOU TO HELP!!” shouted Beau, which caused Twilight to slightly cowered. Beau hated it, he really hated it to yell at her, especially when she’s expecting. But he had to get through to her, for clearly this has gone on long enough. “Because of you, you ruined a friendship what Starlight was trying to keep when she did that on her own.” Said Beau, “And yes, you wanted her to be friends with someone she can trust, but by your standards? You can’t recommend anyone, because you’ve never lived and grew up in Ponyville, you spent most of your life behind books in Canterlot. And yes, I did the same thing, but I at least had a reason why I did. And what kind of Princess can you be without having faith in those you can trust.” Twilight looked down in shame, and realized that he was right. That’s when Beau spoke to both her and Trixie. “And given what I’ve seen from both of you,” said Beau, “There’s literally nopony else here than I can support because neither of you wanted to drop this stupid and idiotic rivalry, between a Narcissistic unicorn who can’t stop flapping her gums, and a nosy princess, who thinks friendships should go by the book instead of personal experience. And now thanks to both of you, Starlight ended up becoming heartbroken as a result of your childish acts.” Beau then walked away and said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a student to comfort, and whilst I’m at it, you two think long and hard, before you’ll end up hurting someone else.” Beau walked away until he was out of sight. Twilight was now saddened that she ended up meddling with what Starlight was trying to have, whilst Trixie was just as sad. “Looks like Trixie is back to being a solo show.” Said Trixie as she tried hard not to break down, but the tears betrayed her. She then turned to Twilight and said, “Which is exactly the way she likes it. Thank you, Twilight, for getting rid of the only pony who became Trixie’s first friend and a human who understands what I’ve been through. I’m not sad at all. I definitely don’t feel like as if my heart breaking into a million pieces!!” Just as Trixie walks in and wanted to close the door, Twilight walks in and stops her whilst placing her hand on Trixie’s shoulder, but the mare didn’t want to look at her, not after what both of them caused. “Trixie, I…” began Twilight as she thought about what Beau said. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I believed that handling Starlight’s options for friends would help gain a better reputation around Ponyville. Aside from my friends and I, she had no one. And truth be told, I’ve been trying to push my biases directly at you” Trixie’s eyes widen from this as she turns to Twilight, who still had a guilty look. “I’m not gonna lie, Trixie.” Said Twilight, “Ever since you got here, I still didn’t trust you. But then Beau pointed out that I wasn’t any different either. I may not have been arrogant and have an ego, but I wasn’t exactly nice to my friends either when I first met them. I kept brushing them off and pushing them aside because I thought it was a waste of time. I was more focused on trying to stop Nightmare Moon than doing what Princess Celestia said.” “Wait,” said Trixie in shock as she realized what Twilight had said. “You mean to say, that you actually disobeyed Princess Celestia when she told you to make friends?” “No!!” protested Twilight, “I…” That’s when she realized; Celestia did tell her to make friends, but she kept ignoring the others and didn’t make friends. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!!” said Twilight as she panicked. “I really did disobey…!!!” Suddenly she was slapped by Trixie, which shocked her. “Sorry, looked like you needed it.” Said Trixie, “Trust me, Trixie had her share of freakouts.” “Right, of course,” said Twilight as she continued, “And you’re not completely to blame. Only partially. I mean, if anyone, it’s Snips and Snails’ fault for bringing the Ursa Minor into town. Or in this case what my husband would call them, dumb and dumber.” Trixie snorted at that, until Twilight whispered in her ear of what Beau told her, which shocked Trixie, causing her to go, “EEEEWWWWWE!!” “I know, I had that reaction too.” Said Twilight. “But…Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack are also somewhat to blame. They kept constantly heckling you when you were doing your job, and as a magician, you’re supposed to do that, it’s part of the act.” “Finally!!” exclaimed Trixie as she was happy, “Trixie thought nopony would get why she was actually doing that!!” “Beau helped me realize that,” said Twilight, “Plus, when you made friends with Starlight, I was really worried.” “Because of our mistakes?” asked Trixie, which caused Twilight to nod. “But it’s exactly the reason why we became friends. And with Beau too.” This surprised Twilight. “He was the only pony, er, human, whoever understood Trixie.” Said Trixie, “He knows what it feels like, and he understood why Trixie did it. I just wished…I realized it sooner.” “I know,” said Twilight, “The only reason I acted like that because of how you act, boasted and somewhat arrogant. Which is why I was worried when you and Starlight became friends. It didn’t sit well with me. But…I guess Nopony’s perfect when it comes to making friends.” “At least we agree on that much at least.” Said Trixie. Twilight sighed and said, “I’m sorry for not trusting you or giving you and Starlight a chance, Trixie.” “And Trixie’s, er…” began, but then began to speak normally, “I’m also sorry for being boastful and arrogant. I should’ve tried harder. And…I’m also sorry for calling you fat. I didn’t know you were expecting a baby, or married to Beau, a human no less.” “Believe me, my husband can’t tell the difference either.” Said Twilight, “And I was also surprised of how the two of us came together.” “Though,” said Trixie as she was curious about something. “Did you two…” Twilight blushed at that, but she just asked, “What?” “How long did you two date before doing the deed?” asked Trixie whilst she was being curious. “Er,” began Twilight as she blushed, “We never dated actually. We just knew each other for a month and we confessed our love for one another, then we ended up doing the deed.” “Wait, a month?!!” said Trixie in shock, “But…anypony knows that one should do the deed until their how many dates and after they’re married.” “We were…both clueless on how it works.” Said Twilight with a blush, “And it didn’t help for a fact that I got pregnant the next day instead of being two weeks.” “Seriously?!” exclaimed Trixie. “Apparently it’s because of my Alicorn physiology is responsible for that.” Said Twilight. “And…what type of baby is it?” asked Trixie. “Well, the doctors said that it’s a girl,” said Twilight, “And I had the dream name some time ago, Moonlight Sparkle.” “Trixie admits, it’s a lovely name.” said Trixie. However, Trixie looked back and was ashamed and said, “Starlight was supposed to help me so that we could do magic together. But…because of Trixie…” “I’m sure she’ll understand once you apologize.” Said Twilight. “After the show,” said Trixie, who then felt nervous and said, “If Trixie lives through this.” This caused Twilight to get confused, but decides not to question it. ********************************************************************************************* Starlight and Beau were watching the show from above, whilst Twilight came over and apologized to Starlight for interfering, and admitted that Beau was right. For she shouldn’t have meddled and trusted Starlight enough to make her own decisions like Princess Celestia did for her. Starlight was worried that Trixie might use her, but Beau pointed out that he already talked to them, and Twilight admitted that she and Trixie apologized, and should try to be friendly towards one another for her. After the performance was over, Starlight, Trixie, and Twilight was backstage with Beau. “Now that was an interesting show.” Said Beau. “Nice job on the performances, Trixie. Sorry that things were a little rocky at first.” “I know.” Said Trixie, who then turned to Starlight. “Starlight, Trixie’s sorry for what she said. I guess when Twilight barged in, it ended up bringing old feelings back of our last encounter. And I’m sorry I was acting boastful.” “I know you were.” Said Starlight, “And I’m sorry for running off and not helping you with the Manticor fiasco.” “It’s still an amazing feat.” Said Twilight, “I don’t think I could ever pull off a trick like that.” “Thank you, Twilight.” Said Trixie. The two of them began to set off the fireworks, causing everyone to cheer. “And Trixie will admit,” said Trixie, “Ponyville really is a great place to live. I think Trixie will be spending more time here. And at the same time, trying to make up for Trixie’s mistakes.” “And I’m sure they will, in time.” Said Beau, “As long as you put enough effort in them whilst you’re at it.” “And maybe if you’re not doing anything,” said Starlight, “I don’t suppose that you’ll be free tomorrow?” “Only if you promise to teach me those amazing spells.” Said Trixie. “It’s a deal.” Said Starlight as she and Trixie hugged one another, causing them to chuckle. Suddenly they heard a loud cry, which they turned to Twilight, clutching on her own stomach and could barely stand. “Twilight?!” said Beau as he instantly ran over to her and held her close, with Starlight and Trixie in tow. “What’s wrong?!” “It…it’s the baby.” Said Twilight weakly, “I think it’s on its way!!” Needless to say, Beau, Starlight and Trixie were shocked to hear this. “We gotta get her to the hospital now!!” said Beau, then looked at the two unicorns and said, “Starlight, quick, teleport us to the hospital!! Trixie, tell Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy down there that the baby is on the way!!” “Trixie’s on it!!” said Trixie as she rushed off, whilst Starlight teleported both Beau and Twilight to the hospital. Trixie ran down to the crowd and spotted Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. “Girls!! Girls!!” shouted Trixie. This gained the three girls’ attention. They were confused by why Trixie was rushing towards them. “What in tarnation is she in a rush?” asked Applejack. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie began to shudder, “I don’t know, but whatever it is, must be a very big of a doozy.” Trixie stopped near them and panted for breath, with Starlight walking over and held onto her. “Trixie, what’s wrong?” asked Fluttershy. “It’s…it’s Twilight!!” said Trixie, “Beau sent me to get you girls!!” “Us?” said Applejack confusingly. “Why would…?” “Twilight’s baby is coming!!” shouted Trixie. “What?!” exclaimed Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, with the crowd near them gasping from the news. “Where are they?!” said Applejack. “Starlight’s taking them to the hospital!!” said Trixie, “But you girls need to get everypony else here, stat!!” “We’re on it!!” said Applejack as she looked at Pinkie and Fluttershy, “Come on, girls!! We gotta get the others!!” The said ponies rushed in different directions whilst Starlight ran to the hospital. ********************************************************************************************* At the same time, as the nurses were working, and Nurse Redheart walked around the counter, she was startled by Beau, Twilight, and Starlight’s entrance, with the latter clutching her stomach. “Princess Twilight?” said Nurse Redheart surprised. “What are…?” Beau cut her off and said, “Get everypony together!! The baby’s coming!!” “Oh dear!!” exclaimed Nurse Redheart as she and the rest of the Nurses were shocked to hear somepony is about to have a baby, and a royal one no doubt. She turned to the others and shouted, “Quick, get everypony together and somepony call Doctor Greymare, and tell him the Princess of Friendship is about to give birth!!” “Will do!!” said one of the Nurses as all of them quickly rushed around, with Nurse Redheart bringing a wheelchair, allowing Beau to gently place her in it. “Right this way, Princess!!” “Starlight, wait for the others whilst I stay with Twilight!!” shouted Beau as they immediately ran back in. “Will do!!” said Starlight as she rushed outside. ********************************************************************************************* Back at the Castle of Friendship, the ice sculpture had melted, with Princess Celestia sitting boredly at the table, whilst Derpy, Cranky Doodle, and Vinyl Scratch also sitting there. “So uh,” began Cranky, “How do you get your main to flow like that?” Princess Celestia groaned at this, until the doors suddenly burst opened. Though she was relieved a distraction was coming, she turned around and saw Pinkie Pie bouncing towards her. “Princess Celestia!! Princess Celestia!! Princess Celestia!! Princess Celestia!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. Before Celestia could react, Pinkie Pie tackled her over and was flat on the floor, which surprised the ones sitting at the table. “Princess Celestia, you need to go to the Ponyville Hospital now!!” said Pinkie Pie in a panic. “Hospital?” asked Princess Celestia confusingly, “Why…?” “Twilight’s baby is coming!!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “What?!” exclaimed Princess Celestia as she got up. “Beau took Twilight to the hospital!! They’re there right now!!” “I’ll go get her family!!” said Princess Celestia, “In the meantime, Pinkie, you take the guests in this room home!!” “Okie, dokie, lokie!!” said Pinkie Pie whilst saluting. Then grabbed Vinyl, Cranky, and Derpy and darting them off, whilst Princess Celestia quickly teleported to Canterlot. ********************************************************************************************* Fluttershy flew with great speed, well, her speed, towards Rainbow Dash’s house, no doubt the speedy mare was fast asleep. Rainbow was fast asleep in her bed, until… “Rainbow Dash!!” shouted Fluttershy as she flew through the window and crashed into her, startling the said pony as she wailed and flailed at the same time. “Fluttershy, what the hay?!!” shouted Rainbow as she instantly darted up. “Quick!! Twilight!! Hospital!! Now!!” shouted Fluttershy. “Huh?” said a confused Rainbow. “Twilight’s baby is coming!!” shouted Fluttershy. “What?!” exclaimed Rainbow as she got up. “She’s at the hospital now!!” said Fluttershy as she pointed out. “Why didn’t you say so, let’s go!!” shouted Rainbow as she grabbed Fluttershy and instantly flew out of the window. ********************************************************************************************* At the Carousel Boutique, both Silver and Rarity decided to have some tea before turning in for the night, as well as doing some reading. “I have to admit,” said Silver, “Her attention to detail when it comes to solving crimes is quite fascinating. Reminds me of a detective in my world named Sherlock Holmes.” “Oh?” said Rarity. “He uses the art of deduction to solve crimes.” Said Silver. “For example. Your eyes look refreshed, as you recently had a cucumber mud mask treatment at the spa. You’re resting your fingers, as you’ve tirelessly used them to measure the next fabric for your clients. You rub your head for you used your magic all day to find an idea for your latest creation. And from the smell of your breath, you recently had a cucumber on wholewheat sandwich.” “Amazing.” Said Rarity as she was surprised by this. “I can see why you compare to Shadow.” “Although the difference,” said Silver, “He dresses in the same getup for years, whilst Shadow Spade knows how to be original in her outfits. I can see why you always try to create your next fashion based on them. And why the author requested that you make them.” “Glad you like them darling.” Said Rarity. “However, I noticed you’re glowing.” Said Silver, which surprised Rarity, “For you recently came from the doctor and…” That’s when it hit him like a two-ton anvil. “Rarity…are you…?” Rarity blushes and pulls out a pregnancy test device, which shows positive. Silver got up and hugged Rarity in excitement, with Rarity doing the same. “How long?” asked Silver. “Two months.” Said Rarity. “I simply cannot wait for…” Suddenly, they heard a loud crash, surprising the two as they turned to the door, with Applejack standing there panting. “Applejack!!” scolded Rarity, seeing that a certain pony had just ruined the moment, “How dare you break down my door!! And with you being four months pregnant no less!!” “No time for scolding Rarity!!” shouted Applejack in panic, “Twilight’s baby is on the way!!” “What?!” exclaimed Rarity, then grabbed Silver. “Silver, we need to get to the hospital, now!!” shouted Rarity. “Ah’ll go get Bucky!! Wait for us there!!” said Applejack as she rushed out, with Silver and Rarity running towards the hospital. ********************************************************************************************* Celestia teleported to the same room Luna was in as she was about to perform her royal duties. “Luna!! Luna!!” shouted Celestia in panic. “Sister, what is the matter?!” exclaimed Luna when she saw her sister walking in. “Twilight’s baby is about to arrive!!” said Princess Celestia, which shocked Luna. “Sister, quick, go get her parents, I will go get Shining Armor!!” said Luna, causing the two of them to teleport at the same time. ********************************************************************************************* At the same time, Luna was able to teleport to Shining Armor, Cadence, Flurry Heart, and Sunburst, and told them, which shocked the latter before they immediately rushed to the hospital with her. At the same time, Twilight’s parents were still awake and was shocked to see Celestia in their room, but were even more shocked that Twilight’s baby was on the way. ********************************************************************************************* Starlight was waiting outside of the Hospital entrance, pacing back and forth, waiting anxiously. “Starlight!!” Starlight looked and saw the rest of the Mane 6, Spike (who temporarily got out of his funk and went to be there for Twilight), Trixie, Celestia, Luna, Bucky, Silver, George Newton, along with Twilight’s family, instantly came over when they heard the news. “Thank goodness you’re here!!” said Starlight. “Where’s Twilight!!” said Shining Armor in panic. “They’re in the next room. They’re trying to deliver the baby as we speak!!” said Starlight. “Quickly, let us get inside!!” said Princess Celestia as all of them went inside. ******************************************************************************************* Throughout the entire night, everyone waited in anticipation, hoping that both Twilight and the baby would be okay. At the same time, Starlight began to tell the girls and a few others of why Trixie did what she did when she first met them. “Wait, you mean to say, Trixie only did that because Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack constantly heckled her?” said Shining Armor. “Pretty much, yeah.” Said Starlight. The few looked at the latter, whilst some of them glared at them, with the said three ponies lowering their heads in shame. “Aw, shucks, ah’m sorry, Trixie.” Said Applejack. “Ah didn’t meant ta heckle ya. Y’all were just doin’ yer job.” “Me too, darling.” Said Rarity, “Plenty of folks judged me for what I do.” “Same here.” Said Rainbow, “I also tend to go overboard with a lot of things.” Trixie looked at them and sighs. “Trixie will admit, Trixie could’ve been nicer too. And Trixie wished she could’ve been different during our performances. So…can we please start over? Especially since Trixie also needs to make up to Pinkie Pie for taking her mouth. But er, in Trixie’s defense, you really do talk a lot.” “Hey!!” said Pinkie Pie. “No, for once I agree with Trixie, Pinkie, you do.” Said Rainbow, with the others nodding at it. They suddenly heard the sound of the door opening, with them looking. There they saw Beau peaking through the door, with the biggest smile on his face. Everyone stood up at the same time. “Beau, how is my baby?” asked Velvet. Beau still couldn’t keep the smile off of his face and said, “Why don’t you ask her?” He pulled his head back, and then there he was, pushing Twilight whilst she was recovering on a wheelchair and a tired look on her face, but also really proud at the same time whilst she was wearing hospital attire and a blanket on her lap. And in her arms were what everyone was expecting, causing all of them to move over to see. “Everypony,” said Twilight as she slowly removed the blanket covering the baby’s face. “Say hello to our daughter, Moonlight Sparkle.” And there she was, a little bundle of joy, as she looked a lot like her mother, whilst also having a horn on hear head, whilst also fast asleep at the same time. “Aaawwww.” Said the ponies as they saw the baby. “She looks just like Twilight.” Said Fluttershy. That’s when the baby opened her eyes and they saw she had the same eye color as their father. “This is amazing,” said Princess Celestia, “This is proof that different creatures can become parents or couples.” “And everypony could see that they can resemble to their parents.” Said Princess Luna. “And there’s also something else.” Said Beau. “What’s that?” asked Princess Cadence. Suddenly the entire blanket went down, and something came out, and many of them were surprised by what they were seeing. For little Moonlight Sparkle, not only has a horn, but wings as well. Yes, you guessed it, she was a baby Alicorn, just like Flurry Heart. “This is incredible.” Said Princess Celestia in surprise, never in our entire lifetimes has there been another Alicorn pony that could be born. “Yay, now Flurry Heart will have a flying buddy!!” said Pinkie Pie. Flurry noticed Moonlight and flew over to them as she was curious. As she took a closer look, Moonlight suddenly hugged Flurry, which surprised her, but then she couldn’t help but giggle as she hugged her back. “Aw.” Said everyone as they saw them bonding. “Although,” said Sunburst, “Now that the baby is born, we’ll need to cast a spell to make sure that her magic doesn’t go out of control.” “Allow us.” Said Princess Celestia as she, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence, used their magic on Moonlight to make sure her magic is under control. But Moonlight was too busy giggling as she reached out. Her father picked her up whilst he was standing on his knees. “Hey there, Moonlight.” Said Beau, “Welcome to the world.” Moonlight looked at her father in curiosity. And wondered who he was. But by looking in his eyes, she knew who it was. She then reached her hand and placed it on his nose. “Pappa.” Said Moonlight, which shocked everyone in the room. “Amazing, her first words already.” Said Shining Armor. Beau couldn’t help but shed a few tears and hugged her, with Twilight doing the same. Everyone came together in a group hug, now supporting the new parents of their friendship group. Welcome to the world, Moonlight Sparkle. Welcome to the world.
Chapter 17: Proposing to an AngelThe next day, after Twilight gave birth to Moonlight, George and Fluttershy continued to tend to the animals, with George saying, “Who’d thunk that it was possible.” “About what?” asked Fluttershy. “About what Twilight and Beau’s child looks like, despite being from different species.” Fluttershy giggled, and said, “I know. But Moonlight is such a precious angel.” “And I never thought she’d be able to speak yet, let alone know that by looking in Beau’s eyes, she knew he was her dad.” “She is Twilight’s daughter,” said Fluttershy, “No doubt genius being in the family tree.” “No argument about that.” Said George. “Though I hope panic attacks aren’t one of them. From what you’ve told me.” Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle again, “True. Then again, Beau is there to help her, and to make sure she doesn’t do anything reckless.” “True that.” Said George. Then he thought about something. Though he blushed at the thought, but he cleared his throat and said, “Er, Fluttershy?” “Yes?” asked Fluttershy whilst she looked at him. “Well,” said George as he suddenly felt very nervous. “If you’re not, well, busy or anything…would it be okay if…the two of us went on a date?” Fluttershy squeaked and blushed bright red whilst her wings opened at the same time. George realized what he did might’ve startled her. He also forgot that she’s not very comfortable being around others, especially when it comes to romance. “I’m sorry.” Said George, “I shouldn’t have said anything.” Just as George was about to turn around. “Wait!!” George stopped, whilst also feeling a hand at the same time. He looked back and saw Fluttershy holding his hand. Then looked at her, whilst she was slightly blushing at the same time. “I…” said Fluttershy whilst she was being timid, but looked at him and said, “I’ll…give it a chance.” George was shocked by this, for he never thought Fluttershy would be bold enough to say yes. “Would a…picnic be alright with you?” asked George. “Um, yes. That would be fine.” Said Fluttershy. “I’ll…get things ready.” Said George. George went inside the house whilst Fluttershy was blushing madly as she couldn’t believe what just happened. **************************************************************************************************** Later that day, George had made sure things were ready for the picnic. He placed a few sandwiches inside that he knew ponies could eat, but himself as well, considering that he doesn’t eat sandwiches with flowers inside of them. He was about to pick a sandwich with carrot spread, until a small head popped out, which caused George to look at the sandwich with a flexed eyebrow. “Oh, hey Discord.” Said George. “Wow,” said Discord before appearing in his full form, “You weren’t startled or surprised of my visit. Truly you are very different from anypony else.” “Well for one, I’m not a pony.” Said George. “True.” Said Discord. “And second, I’ve gotten used to you.” Said George, “You have a habit of popping up from out of nowhere, and it’s also very creative too.” “Oh uh, thank you.” Said Discord as he was taken aback by this. “You’re welcome.” Said George. “So, what’s all this for?” teased Discord, “Asking Fluttershy on a date?” “I already did, and she said yes.” Said George. “Oh, that’s go…wait, what?!!” exclaimed Discord as he instantly popped over to George, “You asked out Fluttershy?! And she said yes?!” “That’s right.” Said George. “Even I’m surprised.” Discord then leered at him and asked, “And why, may I ask, did you ask her out?” “In all honesty?” George then walked over to the window and looked outside, and saw Fluttershy still helping the animals. “Back in my world, I was always alone.” Said George, “I wasn’t well liked at school, and any girl would sometimes think I’m weird. Not to mention half of them I went out either didn’t like them or were allergic to them. I worked at an animal shelter in order to help fill the void. I know animals can’t be the family you have in mind, but they can be lovable companions and be there for you whenever you needed a friend.” He leaned against the table as he saw Trusty jumping onto Fluttershy and licked him, whilst she giggled. “But ever since I got there, I thought that Fluttershy was an angel from above.” Said George, “She was really nice to me, even when I faced a few scorns from a handful of people that I didn’t do anything to. She even took me in when I didn’t have anywhere else to turn. She introduced me to the animals and they were really friendly. Well, except for a certain rabbit.” He looked at Discord and asked, “Which reminds me, what the heck is his problem?” “Oh, he sometimes tends to act like a spoilt brat and a short-tempered personality.” Said Discord, until the two of them heard a loud squabble from Angel Bunny as he blabbed and cursed in his bunny language. “Well, you do. Remind us who was constantly complaining about you not wanting to eat a salad that Fluttershy made for you?” Angel puffed his cheeks in anger, until George had an idea and smirked whilst looking at Angel at the same time. “You know, you’re very ungrateful, you know that?” This gained Angel’s attention as he looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, whilst Discord also wondered what George was getting at. “I mean, she did take you in, fed you, sheltered you, gave you all the love and attention, because she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body, and she really doesn’t like using the stare on you, from what I’ve been told.” Said George whilst he waved his hand and closed his eyes. “But then here you are, constantly demanding more than she could give, and where you constantly want to hog her for yourself when she also has to take care of the other animals. You may have her best interests, but what you don’t have is who she gets to spend time with and what she has to say.” George then looked at Angel and said, “If it weren’t for her…you’d be food for the Timberwolves.” Angel was surprised by that and growled. Then he hopped over and tried to kick George a few times, until he got lifted up, with George looking at Angel face to face. “She does her best, but she’s only one pony.” Said George, “I mean think about it, I also help her out so that she could either spend time with you, or whenever she has some free time. She may be the element of Kindness because she’s the kindest pony there is, and also brave whenever standing up to creatures that’s tougher. But what you’re doing? You don’t care about anyone else but yourself, as long as it gets you what you want, right?” George then squinted his eyes and said, “So tell me, who’s the selfish one here?” Angel looked at George, and George said, “And at least I can try, to give Fluttershy what she wants. What makes her happy. Where does that leave you?” Angel Bunny looked at George for a minute, but then sighed. He motioned to Discord, allowing the said Draconequus to snap his fingers, which confused George. “I’m scared of losing her, okay?” George looked at Angel, and was surprised he could talk. He realized Discord gave Angel the power of speech. “She took me in when I was alone.” Said Angel, “And what she did for me? No creature ever did that for me, not even the ponies. I’m just trying to protect her; I just want to keep her safe. Is that so wrong?” “You’re scared she’ll replace, you, aren’t you?” asked George. Angel was reluctant, but nodded all the same. “Angel, you know that nobody can replace you, right?” said George. “Back on my world, I had another dog before I met Trusty. A Pitbull named Butcher. When he died, I was a wreck, I lost my best friend. But when I got Trusty, I was glad I got a friend. But I knew that nothing could replace Butcher. Cause it was the love I had for my dog, as well as he for me, in here, that helped me love another dog again. And I knew he wouldn’t have wanted me to live out in misery. And Trusty had always been there for me whenever I was down. Just like I know you were there for Fluttershy when she was down, especially over the so-called embarrassed secret. Of which of course, I don’t think having tail extension is embarrassing, cause for one, I think it’s cute.” “Oh, she did.” Said Discord in agreement. “Pff, I tried to tell her that, but she still bawled like a big baby.” Muttered Angel. “The point is, Angel.” Said George, “I’m not going to steal her from you. You’re her friend, but I also love her. I owe her so much, hence why I want to spend the rest of my life with her.” “And who knows,” said Discord in a teasing manner, “If they do have kids, you’ll have a new friend to play with.” “Uh, let’s not rush it.” Said George, knowing it was a bit too soon to and too early for that kind of relationship. Angel thought about it, but sighed and said, “Alright. If you think it’ll make Fluttershy happy, then I will gladly oblige. But if you break her heart…” “It won’t come to that.” Said George. “Besides, Discord’s already planning for stuff like that.” “Indeed, I am,” said Discord before hovering over and placed his arm around his shoulder, “You know me so well.” After the talk, he placed Angel back onto the ground and walked over to get the last of the things. Once he was done, he headed out towards the door. “I promise I’ll bring her back. And make sure the animals and you are fed.” Said George. Before smirking, “And if you’re good, then I’ll sneak you two extra carrots for a midnight snack.” Angel perked up on that and tried to speak, but realized he lost it, then glared at Discord. “Well don’t look at me, it was only temporary after all.” Said Discord. “Well, I’m off.” Said George as he walked out. **************************************************************************************************** As he was outside, he looked around and tried to spot Fluttershy, but couldn’t see her. He noticed the sun was about to set, until he heard barking. He looked to his left and saw Trusty running towards him, then stopped before George petted him. He then saw Fluttershy standing there, looking very nervous at the same time. He then looked back at Trusty. “Now Trusty,” said George, “You stay here and make sure that everything is in place. Also, make sure that you don’t do anything reckless, otherwise, no treats, got it?” Trusty whined a bit, for he didn’t want to go without treats, with George saying, “Like I said, if you behave, then you’ll have them, got it?” Trusty looked as if he was in thought, until he looked at him and barked, with George petting him as he had his answer. He stood up and walked over to Fluttershy, who still stood there. She looked really nervous as she didn’t know what to do. George gently presented his hand to her, whilst Fluttershy was still very nervous. “Shall we?” Fluttershy nodded and slowly took his. Then the two of them walked towards the large hill that overlooked Ponyville, for it would be an ideal place. He then placed the blanket onto the ground, with him gesturing Fluttershy to sit down, to which he did, whilst George would start packing out their food for their date night. He began to gently make the spread all over, whilst the two of them sat down. “So, um,” said Fluttershy whilst she felt nervous, “Now what?” “Honestly, it’s my first time dating a girl,” said George, “Or in this case, a pony.” “It’s…my first time too.” Said Fluttershy. **************************************************************************************************** It had been two hours and already the two of them were having a few laughters and enjoying the food at the same time. The two of them talked about certain experiences in their lives and a few things they weren’t comfortable to talk about during those troubled times, but they were able to pull on through. ‘I don’t know how it can get more perfect than this.’ Thought George. Unknown to them, a certain Draconequus peeped from the corner and smiled with a flexed eyebrow. He snapped his fingers, causing thousands of fireflies to appear and fly all around the couple, gaining their attention as they were surprised at the same time. Fluttershy was in awe as she was amazed by this, even George found it excitable. He then felt a hand touch his. When he looked, he saw Fluttershy was holding his hand whilst staring at them with a smile on her face. He couldn’t help but smile back. He then slowly moved forward, wanting to kiss her by the cheek, but then… “Ge…” said Fluttershy before she was cut of whilst looking at him. That’s when George planted his lips…onto hers, taking her by surprise whilst her eyes widened at the same time. She felt the softness on his lips, whilst her wings were spreading and her heart was beating really fast at the same time. When he broke the kiss, he realized what he did and was instantly shocked, especially when he could tell Fluttershy blushing madly at this. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!!” exclaimed George as he was shocked by what he just did. However, Fluttershy looked down a bit as she realized…it felt very nice, for nopony had ever done that before. She never imagined that in her entire lifetime, someone would actually do that. “I didn’t mean to do that, I…!!” said George as he panicked a bit. Until he felt something pounce on him, hard, and to his surprise, it was Fluttershy, kissing him back whilst she held onto his face at the same time. Fluttershy slowly broke the kiss and had that half-lidded look in her eyes whilst smiling at the same time. “Genus,” said Fluttershy, calling by a different nickname, “Stop talking.” The two of them ended up engaging their lips with one another once more, this time, with both their eyes closed. The two of them enjoyed the feeling of their lips on both their faces whilst his arms were wrapped around her waists, with her not letting go at the same time. After that beautiful spark, the two of them walked back whilst George carried their things. “Um, Flutters?” asked George. “Yes?” asked Fluttershy as she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. “Why did you call me Genus?” asked George. “Well,” said Fluttershy after a giggle, “Ever since you called me by my nickname, I figured you’d also need one. That, and Beau told me in his world, Genus means Gentle.” “Gentle?” asked George. Then again, she did have a point. Though he sometimes gets mad, he’d never be mean to any animal, no matter how dangerous they sometimes can get. He then smiled and said, “I like it, Genus it is.” The two of them finally made it back to the house. And before they turned in, both George, now Genus, and Fluttershy, were busy doing their rounds whilst also making sure that the animals are safely turned in for the night. He then saw Trusty, sitting like a good boy and wants a treat, which Genus chuckled and gave him one, before his trusted companion went back to his basket that he and Fluttershy were able to get a month ago. Genus moved over to the couch and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Flu…” That’s when Fluttershy held his hand, gaining his attention, whilst Fluttershy felt very nervous at the same time. “Could you…stay with me?” asked Fluttershy. Once again, Genus blushed at this, and asked, “Are you sure?” Fluttershy nodded timidly. Slowly, but surely, Fluttershy guided Genus upstairs and timidly looked at him from time to time. The two of them eventually made it to her room. Thankfully, both of them went to separate rooms to get dressed in their pajamas. They then walked over to the bed, whilst Fluttershy was very nervous at the same time. Soon enough, the two of them were close enough on the bed, with the two of them greatly nervous at the same time. Until Genus made the first move and slowly placed his hand around Fluttershy’s waist, making her squeak. The two of them looked at one another in the eyes as they could not look away from one another. Before they could say anything, both of them slowly engaged their lips to one another, signifying their relationship to one another, whilst the moon was still shining outside. **************************************************************************************************** Two months had passed since Genus and Fluttershy became a couple, and both of them couldn’t have been any happier. The two of them were able to support one another whilst Genus got really comfortable living in Ponyville. During Genus’ stay, he had a few issues as Trusty sometimes chases around some animals like squirrels and cats. Though you can’t blame him, cause it’s in a dog’s nature. So, with Fluttershy’s help, he had to train him to understand that such kind of behavior would get him any treats. Naturally it worked, because if there’s one thing that Genus knows, is that Trusty loves his treats, so he was able to calm down eventually. However, he would every now and then try to keep some disobedient animals in line and help Harry the Bear at the same time. Genus was happy how the animals interacted with him because of his gentle nature and how nice he was to them. But not as happy as he is to be with Fluttershy. The two of them would always help one another, they would sometimes have picnics either alone or with animals. Mostly with animals because Fluttershy couldn’t leave them alone, especially Angel Bunny. Though he did promise the little guy that he would also spend some time with Fluttershy in order for the two of them to try and get along. One day, they went to visit Twilight to see how they were doing with Moonlight. However, the girls also came over to see how they were doing. At the same time, Applejack was showing signs of her pregnancy, same with Rarity as she was now two months pregnant. “Does anypony know how Twilight is doing?” asked Fluttershy, “We haven’t heard from them since Twilight gave birth to Moonlight.” “Well, knowing them, they have a lot of responsibility looking after a kid,” said Bucky, “I mean you can’t always expect them to do the things they like to do anymore. And sometimes it’s hard to find a babysitter for that criteria.” “Ooh, I can always babysit!!” said Pinkie. “Uh,” said Silver whilst looking at the party pony with a flexed eyebrow, “Didn’t you botch up two babysitting jobs, even when one was sort of successful whilst the other that got the Crystal Heart destroyed?” “Though to be fair,” said Rarity, “We didn’t know Flurry was going to do that.” Suddenly all of them were worried, causing all of them to quickly move over to move towards the castle. They knocked on the door hard, hoping someone would answer. The doors finally opened, and, to their surprise, it was Twilight. But what was more surprising, was the fact that her eyes were all droopy. And it was clear she didn’t sleep well for the past week. “Hey girls.” Said Twilight. “Whoa, what happened to you?!” said Rainbow, “Well, besides the obvious.” “Well,” said Twilight, until they heard a loud crash, making her sigh and said, “You’d better come see for yourself.” When they all got inside, they saw what none of them had ever expected. Everything around them was a mess, with messy foods, messy clothing, messy everything. Whilst at the same time, Beau was trying to catch Moonlight whilst she was flying around at the same time. “Moonlight, come back here, calm down!!” said Beau loudly whilst chasing after her. “But, but, I don’t understand.” Said Rarity whilst she was watching in shock, “I thought the magic you casted on her would help calm her magic down.” “Turns out her magic is a lot stronger than we thought.” Said Twilight before yawning. “Starlight’s going through another spell.” “Well given how you’re strong with your magic, I think the genetics have passed to your daughter.” Said Bucky. “Ah’m gonna hafta agree with Bucky on this one, Twi.” Said Applejack whilst rubbing the back of her head. “Yeah, and isn’t Spike supposed to help out?” Said Fluttershy. “He sometimes helps around,” said Twilight, “But he’s still sad about Rarity.” Everyone else began to groan at that. “Oh brother,” said Rainbow Dash, “That guy seriously needs to move on.” “Gotcha!!” They saw Beau had finally caught Moonlight before landing on the ground. “Now honey, please calm down.” Said Beau, “I know you’re excited, but come on.” Suddenly Moonlight had the bad case of the sniffles. When all of a sudden, she sneezed so loud, a powerful magic was shot out of her horn straight through the roof, shocking everyone. From the hole, Starlight popped up and was surprised at the same time. “Uh, I found it!!” shouted Starlight. The rest however, stared at Moonlight in shock. “Whoa, déjà vu.” Said Pinkie. “No kidding.” Muttered Applejack. “Whoa,” muttered Beau before looking at Twilight, “Is this what Flurry did back at the Crystal Empire?” “More or less.” Said Twilight whilst moving over to Beau. Moonlight giggled when Twilight decided to hold her. “Twilight, whenever was the last time you had a good night sleep?” asked Rarity in concern. “Yeah, I get watching over Moonlight is important, but you also need some balance in your own life.” Said Silver. “Oh, I am.” Said Twilight. However, the looks on their faces said otherwise. She sighed and said, “Okay, so I may have some trouble.” “My in-laws said that they’d be more than happy to have Moonlight spend some time with them, same with Flurry.” Said Beau, “But can’t do that cause we’re worried the babies might trash their house.” Starlight teleported in and said, “That’s why I was helping them look for a spell to help contain it.” “Whoa,” said everyone as they also saw the tired state she was in, with Genus saying, “You too?” “Oh, you have no idea.” Said Starlight whilst groaning, “I’m also doing this so that I could get some sleep.” “I thought you couldn’t hear the baby crying with your snoring.” Said Beau, which caused Starlight to glare at him. “Well, it’s true, I heard you snore whilst you were taking a nap. It scared Moonlight when it thought a wild boar had broken into the house.” This caused Starlight to gawk whilst everyone else in the room laughed. At first she was as red as a tomato, but then Twilight cleared her throat, gaining Starlight’s attention. Twilight looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, confirming what Beau said. “It’s really that bad?” asked Starlight, with the others nodding. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. I’ve been having that problem since I was a filly.” “Didn’t you go see a doctor about that?” asked Beau, “I’m sure that the doctors could help.” “They can?” wondered Starlight. “They sure can.” Said Beau, “I was able to show them thanks to my medical knowledge. You wouldn’t believe how many lives it saved because of that said method.” “Now, about the spell.” Said Twilight. Starlight gave them the spell, allowing Starlight and Twilight to cast it again, allowing Moonlight to be finally in control of her magic again, even if she’s a laughing bundle of joy. Beau, Twilight, and Starlight sighed in relief over it. “So, should we send a message to your parents?” asked Starlight. “Of course,” said Twilight, “But Spike…” “I got something.” Said Beau as he took out what appeared to be a candle. “This is a special flame candle. It has a dragon flame onto it whenever you light it. So, you can send a message to others to whom you write to.” “Where did you get that?” said Twilight surprised. “I had Celestia help me procure this candle,” said Beau, “Then I used the dragon flame to make a candle that can send it to other ponies.” “Wait,” said Bucky surprised, “You made a new communications candle?” “I did.” Said Beau, which surprised the others. “And you didn’t tell me this…why?” asked Twilight with her eye partially twitching. “You didn’t ask.” Said Beau. “He does have a point there, Twilight.” Said Starlight, which Twilight groaned whilst Moonlight giggled at her mother’s reaction. “Beau, send a letter.” Groaned Twilight. “Anything for you my little sparkle butt.” Teased Beau before kissing her on the nose. This caused her to leer at him and blush in embarrassment whilst the others laughed at this. **************************************************************************************************** The next day, Genus got up early and began to make breakfast for both him and Fluttershy. But during that time, he began to think how happy both Beau and Twilight are, and in time, the two of them gained a child of their own. The more he thought about it, the more his face went a bit red thinking about it at the same time. For could it be really possible? That’s when he heard a dog whine, making him see that Trusty was standing next to him. “Shh, keep it down boy, I don’t wanna ruin the breakfast surprise for Fluttershy.” Said Genus, “I promise that once I’m done, I’ll start feed you and the other animals, okay?” Trusty gave a yip whilst nodding. It still felt strange. For back on Earth, Trusty was never this obedient. Guess the more Trusty spent in Equestria, the more special and at home he felt at the same time. Whilst he was fixing breakfast, he began to think of the goods things that had happened. He lived a hard life on his world, only for him to brought to this one, and met a kind Pegasus who took him in, a stranger, and then whom he fell in love with in such a short time. He was even glad his relationship with the animals had improved. Although, with Angel it was a bit hard, especially with his jabbering and everything. But the two of them were able to find some mutual respect with one another, which he hopes is the case for them. Soon enough, the pancakes were ready and Genus gently placed them on the table, along with some delicious dice-cut potatoes. Whilst the kettle was busy boiling, he decided to bring Fluttershy down for breakfast. He knew she would smell the food, and the animals might make things noisy. So, he had to be silent, but also be fast at the same time. He was able to make to the room. And there she was, still fast asleep. He slowly walked over to her and stood on his knees. She was giving some small snores, which Genus thought it was very cute. Genus couldn’t help but smile and slowly brushed her silky-smooth mane softly, making Fluttershy sigh happily. “Good morning, Flutters.” Whispered Genus. “Good morning to you too, Genus.” Replied Fluttershy before yawning. She then took a whiff and realized a certain scent in the air. “Did you make, bre-” Genus suddenly removed the blankets and scooped her up, making her give a cute squeak at the same time. Genus could only smile whilst he watched Fluttershy blushing bright red as a tomato. “Breakfast for you, my dear. Any day.” Said Genus before giving a kiss, making her squeak again, then broke it whilst carrying her down the stairs, not seeing that she was smiling and hiding her face in his chest at the same time. She may feel embarrassed, but she really did enjoy it. The two of them soon entered the living room whilst Genus gently placed Fluttershy on the chair. Then he moved over to her and still smiled whilst rubbed her cheek whilst it was covered by her long, pink mane. “You’re always doing nice things for me and Trusty since the day you brought us inside of your home,” said Genus, “So it’s high time I returned the favor.” Genus kissed her forehead, making Fluttershy blush, but enjoyed it all the same. “Oh, Genus, thank you.” “Now then,” said Genus as he brought her breakfast and said, “You enjoy yourself whilst I quickly feed the animals. It won’t take long.” As Genus left to feed the animals for her, Fluttershy was surprised as Genus was spoiling her, which she couldn’t help but smile with a squee. She began to slowly eat her breakfast whilst Genus began to feed the animals outside. Thankfully he had help from Trusty, and surprisingly Harry, who helped them feed the animals. Once he was done, he then fed Harry with the largest jar of honey, which surprised Harry. “Don’t tell Fluttershy that I snuck in an extra-large jar for you.” Whispered Genus, which got Harry excited and hugged Genus at the same time. He gave a big bowl to Trusty, whilst he also gave one to Angel Bunny, which the latter looked at him with a stink eye. Genus then smirked at this. “Don’t tell me the famous Angel Bunny is afraid of a few measly carrots.” Teased Genus. This caused Angel to again look at Genus with a stink eye, then grabbed the carrots whilst putting it in his mouth. But as he ate, he then placed a glass with a straw and a couple of ice blocks in it. Gaining Angels’ attention. To the rabbit’s surprise, Genus put carrot juice inside of it. “Normally this is the part where everyone would either have coffee, tea, or apple juice served for breakfast, but then I figured since you’re a rabbit, you’d enjoy some nice carrot juice instead.” Said Genus. Before whispering, “And don’t worry, I won’t tell Fluttershy if you won’t.” Angel smirked at this before presenting his front paw, indicating a fist bump, to which Genus gave a gentle fist bump back. Then he heard a whistling sound. “Oh, that must be the kettle.” Said Genus as he walked in whilst Angel enjoyed a nice sip of Carrot Juice. At the same time, whilst Fluttershy was enjoying her breakfast slowly, Genus poured the two of them some coffee, to which she smiled. Once he was done, he sat down and enjoyed his breakfast with Fluttershy. He’d admit, he really enjoys her company, and… Then he slightly blushed whilst he also thought of Beau and Twilight’s wedding, and them having a child. He has to admit…it sounds very nice. **************************************************************************************************** After breakfast, and after Genus was done washing the dishes, he then thought about it again. But this time, he figured that he’d ask for advice first. And he knows just the person to ask. Or in this case, a certain pony. “Hey, Flutters,” said Genus, which caused Angel to glare at him again because he was calling his owner by her nickname, “I’m gonna step outside for a bit, I won’t be long.” “Oh?” said Fluttershy whilst looking at him, “Is everything alright?” “Uh, yeah, sure, peachy.” Said Genus, “Not gonna be long, promise.” Fluttershy kept a suspicious gaze on him, but shrugged as she figured there was nothing wrong. Genus began to walk towards Ponyville and sees the leaves falling, and figured that Autumn was around the corner. But he then focused on who to ask. He then walks towards the big crystal building, which was none other than Twilight’s Castle. He soon stood there and knocked on the door. Everything was silent at first, but then you heard a magic sound inside. Which you’d have to figure that someone was teleporting. The moment the door opened; it was none other than Starlight Glimmer. “Oh, morning Genus,” said Starlight as she opened the door, “What brings you here?” “I…need something to get off of my chest. So, I came to talk to Twilight?” said Genus whilst he wiped his feet. “Any chance she might be available?” “She’s just finishing changing Moonlight upstairs,” said Starlight, “Beau’s currently out of town to run some errands for Twilight in Canterlot, so he’ll be back later. I’ll let Twilight know you’re here whilst you wait in the living room.” Genus left for the living room and sat down whilst waiting for Twilight. Whilst he was waiting, he continued to think about Fluttershy. The more he thought, the more flustered he felt at the same time. After waiting for a bit, Genus heard the door opening. When he looked behind, he saw Twilight walking in, with Moonlight in her arms. “Oh, hello Genus.” Said Twilight whilst she walked in, “Starlight told me you were coming. Is there something you wanted to talk about?” Twilight then sat down on the couch whilst making sure not to wake up Moonlight. “I…need your advice actually.” Said Genus, “Something only you can answer. See it’s about…me and Fluttershy.” “Oh no, is something the matter with her?” asked Twilight in concern. “No, no, it’s not that. It’s just…” said Genus, before sighing and gave his reason. “I’ve been thinking about it for some time, Twilight. And…I want to take the next step with her, but I’m a little nervous. My mind is a complete mess that’s also filled with so many questions. Like what if she says ‘no’, or what if I’m not ready but she is, or what if I’m not good enough to be a decent husband?” Twilight could see how much he loves Fluttershy. So, she couldn’t help but give a soft expression whilst smiling at the same time. “Do you love Fluttershy?” asked Twilight. “Of course I do.” Said Genus as he was being honest, “With all my heart. She’s like, the sweetest thing ever and I couldn’t imagine where I’d be in this world if I hadn’t met her.” Twilight chuckled for a bit and told her side. “I know what you mean.” Said Twilight, “Beau had been living in the castle with us for a month after he first got here. And when he confessed his love for me, I was completely surprised. Even though we’ve known each other for a short time, neither of us could deny the feelings we’ve developed for one another.” Twilight slightly adjusted her daughter to make sure she was comfortable. “And look at the result.” Said Twilight whilst tears of happiness welled up in her eyes whilst she kissed Moonlight’s forehead, making the said baby smile in her sleep. Genus couldn’t help but smile seeing that. For he sometimes has a soft spot for kids. “I have no doubt that Fluttershy has become very fond of you, just as you have for her.” Said Twilight. “After all, the two of you have so much in common. There’s no way she’d reject you. You just have to listen to your heart and let it guide you.” Genus thought about it, and ended up smiling about it at the same time. “Thanks Twilight, I needed to hear that.” Said Genus, “You’re quite the poet, you know that?” Twilight couldn’t help but blush and said, “I guess it’s just a benefit of being a Princess of Friendship.” “Modest now, are we?” teased a voice. Genus and Twilight saw Beau walking in with a smirk whilst walking over towards Twilight and sat next to her. “This is one of the things I live about you, Mrs. Adorkable bookworm.” Teased Beau before hugging her. Genus couldn’t help but smile at this. For if Beau and Twilight were able to make their relationship work…maybe he and Fluttershy can do it too. **************************************************************************************************** Genus walked out of the Castle after he was done talking with Beau and Twilight. He smiled, knowing what he was going to do. Until he suddenly tripped into a puddle. Then he looked up with a deadpanned glare, and noticed some pond plants that had somehow ensnared his leg. Then the plant revealed to have a head of none other than Discord. “Pff, how rude.” Said Discord. “Somehow I should’ve expected this,” said Genus, “And yet I didn’t.” “Well, that’s the point of being out of plain sight, isn’t it?” said Discord before turning himself back to normal. “So, what’s got you smiling all of a sudden, and from Twilight’s castle, no less.” “Well, I wanted to ask her for advice.” Said Genus. “What kind of advice?” asked Discord, “I can also give great advice too.” “When it comes to marriage, I don’t think so.” Said Genus. This caught Discord’s attention, then made him gasp and said right in Genus’ face, “Are you planning what I think you’re doing?!” “I am.” Said Genus, “I’ve been thinking about it for some time, and I really want to spend the rest of my life with her.” Discord suddenly wrapped himself around Genus, which surprised him, but looked at Discord with a flexed eyebrow. “Are you sure?” said Discord, who then hardened his glare and said, “And you’re not planning on doing anything mean, are you?” “Of course not.” Said Genus, “I’m speaking with honesty here.” “Honesty is Applejack’s job.” Said Discord. “You know what I mean, Discord.” Said Genus. Then frowned and said, “But…I’m also scared that I might mess things up. I mean…this is my first time falling for a girl, er, mare, after all.” Discord looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, but then kept a normal face and smiled. “Well, it may come as a surprise to you,” said Discord, “But you’re also the first pony, er, man, that she fell in love with.” Genus looked at Discord, knowing that’s true. “She’s also afraid of messing things up, believe it or not.” Said Discord, “For she does not want to lose one close to her, besides me that is. And I can tell you’re a good egg. You even tolerate me more than anypony else in Equestria, besides Fluttershy.” Genus thought about and said, “That’s true.” “And if the time does come,” said Discord, “You’d make an excellent parent. And Fluttershy would also walk her path in motherhood as well.” Genus ended up blushing at that, which caused Discord to laugh. “Oh, don’t be so bashful.” Said Discord, “You’re about to take the next step in life. And…I wouldn’t mind being a godfather to the baby.” “As long as you don’t do any shenanigans, then I’m good.” Said Genus. “Deal.” Said Discord as he unloosened himself from Genus and casually floated above him. “No go on and make her the happiest mare.” “I will.” Said Genus. However, before he could move, Discord suddenly stopped him. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” asked Discord. “Like what?” said Genus, which caused Discord to scoff. “Well, I never,” said Discord before floating over to Genus and was face to face with him. “The ring, you silly hairless simian, you can’t possibly ask the element of kindness’ hand in marriage without a ruby on her finger.” That’s when it clicked in Genus’ mind, and realized that Discord was right. He couldn’t possibly propose to Fluttershy without a ring. “Do’h!!” shouted Genus before slapping his forehead, “I knew I forgot something!!” “Good thing you have a Lord of Chaos to help you out.” Said Discord before snapping his fingers. Then a butterfly shaped Ruby appeared and flew down towards the two. It then stopped, allowing Genus to hold out his hand, allowing the butterfly shaped ruby to land on it, allowing it to turn into a ring with the butterfly shaped ruby on it. “No go get her.” Said Discord as he shoved him, allowing Genus to move. Until… “And don’t forget to wear protection or have her take birth control!!” shouted Discord. “Discord!!” shouted a flustered and embarrassed Discord, causing the Lord of Chaos to laugh, with Genus marching back with a huff and a red face. **************************************************************************************************** Soon enough, Genus returned to the cottage and checked on Fluttershy. When he got there, he saw she was busy feeding the chickens. Genus then had the idea of proposing her inside of the house, which would be the only private setting. He took a breather and called out to Fluttershy. “Flutters!! I’m back!!” said Genus, gaining her attention, “Can you please come over, please? There’s something I want to tell you.” Hearing his voice, Fluttershy went back into the cottage and saw Genus waiting for her. She smiled and walked over to him whilst giving him a hug. “Hello, Genus.” Said Fluttershy quietly, “Did…did you enjoy your little outing?” “Uh, yeah, it’s just what I needed.” Said Genus as he was nervous. “Anyways, I want to tell you something very important.” Fluttershy was looking at him with curiosity with a hint of worry. “I’m listening.” Said Fluttershy. Genus then took a breath, signaling her to sit on the couch with him, which she did as the two of them were sitting together. “Ever since we started dating,” began Genus, “I felt like my life had changed for the better. First you took me and my pup in out of the kindness of your heart, then you helped me make new friends, both ponies and the wonderful animals you take care of. What I have to ask you is something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now.” Suddenly, it clicked to Fluttershy of what Genus was trying to ask her. “G-Genus,” began Fluttershy, “are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Fluttershy got her answer as Genus kneeled down whilst he pulled out the ring Discord gave him to give to Fluttershy, which was the butterfly shaped ruby. Fluttershy gasped and clasped her mouth with her fingers. “Flutters,” said Genus, “I want to have you for the rest of my life. So…will you…marry me?” When all of a sudden, the moment Genus asked that, he found himself wrapped in a hug by Fluttershy. Before he knew it, he found his shoulder wet from her hug. “Oh, Genus.” Said Fluttershy in excitement, “Of course I’ll marry you!! How can I say no to the one I love so much?” She separated the hug whilst looking at him with tears of joy in her eyes. “Nothing would make me happier to be your wife.” Said Fluttershy. Once again, she hugged him tightly, with Genus hugging her back whilst smiling in relief that she finally accepted his hand before kissing her cheek. Genus felt like he could just blast off to the moon. He soon places the ring on her finger, allowing her to accept it. “A perfect fit.” Said Genus. But then he noticed that her smile went away. “Don’t…don’t you like it?” asked Genus nervously. “No, I love it.” Said Fluttershy, “It’s just uh…I…” Fluttershy began to trail off as her face began to flush. What’s more, her ears folded back and she hid her face behind her mane, whilst feeling nervous and embarrassed at the same time. “I…I…I want to do it…” muttered Fluttershy. “It? Wha…” That’s when it clicked to Genus, causing him to blush at this too. And asked, “A-are you sure?” Fluttershy nodded, but still blushed fiercely. She darted her eyes to the stairs. Seeing that it didn’t feel so easy to talk about such, er, intimate things, even though it was just Genus and Fluttershy. Genus slowly took her hand and slowly rose from the couch, allowing the two of them to walk up the stairs whilst both of them were stull blushing madly at the same time. Soon enough, the two of them reached the bedroom door. Genus was having conflicted thoughts, considering it’s his first time. And seeing that he’s also gentle and caring, he wanted to make sure that Fluttershy didn’t get hurt too much, especially since both their virginities are about to be taken. Genus sighed and slowly began to undress until he was only in his boxers. Then he sat down on the bed, and gestured that he won’t rush her, and that she can do it at her own pace, which made her smile in relief as she continued to undress on her own. Once she was completely undressed, she was now in her underwear as her top contained her G-Cup breasts. “Wow,” commented Genus as he got up and slowly stroked her cheek, “You look beautiful Flutters.” Fluttershy then undid her bra, causing it to fall as it bounced, making her blush deepen, with Genus having something in his mind. “M-may I?” asked Genus carefully. Fluttershy knew what he was asking and nodded with a blushing smile. Genus gently placed his lips against hers, allowing him to feel her soft breast and gave it a playful squeeze, causing the shy Pegasus to make an adorable squeak. Genus did his best to be gentle with her and rubbed her breasts in circles, whilst his other hand moved to touch Fluttershy’s hips, to which made her shiver. Then he began to move his hand towards the wings of her feathers, making her giggle as it tickled her, whilst he used the back of his hand to brush against them. Pulling from the kiss in order for them to breathe, the two of them looked at one another whilst he stroked her mane. Then they repeated the cycle again. ****************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, back in what appeared to be a chaotic living room, Discord was reading a magazine, and suddenly felt a shiver of sorts. He looked around, and suddenly knew what it was and smirked. “Well, well, well.” Said Discord whilst continuing to read a magazine, “It seems Genus has finally become a man and Fluttershy a fully grown mare after all.” ****************************************************************************************** Back in her room, Fluttershy and Genus were both completely in the nude as the two of them were on the bed. Genus’ body began to act on it’s own as he lift himself up and hugged her whilst Fluttershy rode him on his lap. She noticed the move he pulled and hugged him back whilst moaning in his ear at the same time. But during that motion, Genus realized Fluttershy was doing all the work, so to make things easier, he reached down and gently grabbed her flank and began to massage it. In addition to that, he thrust his shaft deeper inside her marehood, which at this point, had loosened up and leaked out her juices. Fluttershy had never felt something so good that made her want more. She takes this moment to look at him whilst she showed her signature adorable smile. “I love you, G-Genus!!” shouted Fluttershy as she reached up to gently caressed his cheeks. “I love you too, Fluttershy!!” shouted Genus whilst he smiled back at her. Fluttershy then mashed her lips with his and thrusts her tongue inside of his mouth. Genus ended up doing the same for her whilst playing with hear big melons at the same time. Genus then groaned as he could feel the pressure coming. “Flutters!!” said Genus, “I’m g-going to…!!!” “M-Me too!!” screamed Fluttershy, “Finish it up…inside of me…Please Genus!!” The two of them then held onto one another whilst Genus continued to thrust. The pressure began to build up faster and faster until finally…the load had been released. Both Fluttershy and Genus screamed as they climaxed. So much hover, that the two of them made a mess on the bed sheets. Once the climaxes had calmed down, Genus fell down on the pillow, with Fluttershy on top of him. The two of them were panting heavily from their passionate love-making. “That was…amazing.” Breathed Fluttershy, which made Genus chuckle. He gave her cute flank a playful squeeze, making her squeak, but giggled nonetheless before nuzzling him. “You were…by far…the best…” panted Genus. “And just wait until our friends hear about this. They’ll be so excited.” “Not as excited as we’ll be when we get married. And…have our baby.” Panted Fluttershy as more tears fell from her eyes. “Whether it’s a he or a she, I just know they’ll be a gentle and kind soul like the man I fell in love with.” Hearing that, made Genus cry tears of joy. He ended up hugging Fluttershy and whispered in her ear. “I’m glad I chose you. There’s no one else I would’ve chosen to be with and raise a family. I love you so much, Fluttershy. My beloved angel.” “And I love you too, Genus.” Said Fluttershy, “My handsome knight in shining armor.” With those final words, the two of them let the fatigue take over as the two of them drifted into sleep.
Chapter 18: New Dash New HumanSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 19: Wonderbolt RescueTwo weeks had passed since Cole arrived in Equestria. So far he had been trying his best to adjust to this new world. Though it seems strange, being around ponies and everything, but he was able to make it work for a bit. He was even thankful for having work at a job. Not a paying job, but as long as he’s able to get food on the table, he’s not complaining. One day, he was busy picking the apples and placed them in a basket. After he wiped the sweat from his brow, he heard a noise that sounded like a jet engine. He looked up and saw Rainbow Dash flying down to the farm. What the heck could she be doing there? “Oh, hey Rainbow,” said Cole when he saw her flying in, “What’s up?” “Nothing much,” said Rainbow, “Just swinging by and seeing how you were doing?” “Because of the fact that you wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything whacky?” said Cole rhetorically. Rainbow snickered at that a bit. “Maybe a little. But that’s not the case.” Rainbow then landed near him and brought out a ticket. “I wanted to give you a ticket to the Wonderbolt’s stunt show up at Canterlot.” Said Rainbow Dash in excitement. “Oh, okay.” Said Cole as he was surprised by the ticket. For this was the first time he was invited to go to watch a type of arial show. It may not be jets and planes, but he has to admit, the Pegasi are really good at what they do. “Thanks.” He accepted the ticket and asked, “Are the others going?” “Pff, obviously.” Said Rainbow whilst rolling her eyes. “I even gave one for Twilight and Beau, as soon as they can find a babysitter that is.” “Wait, they’re back already?” said Cole. “When did they get back?” It turned out a week ago, Cole heard that Twilight and Beau went to Canterlot High for a visit, and to introduce their child to them, which would leave them excited. “Just now.” Said Rainbow, who then rubbed the back of her head and nervously said, “And uh…” “She said her piece to your counterpart and her friends, didn’t she?” asked Cole. “Well…” said Rainbow. ********************************************************************************************* In the flashback, Twilight and Beau went over to visit Canterlot High, where they wish to introduce their child, Moonlight Sparkle. At first they fawned over her, until Twilight asked Applejack, Rainbow, and Rarity to come speak to her in private. When they were, Twilight instantly slapped them, taking them by surprise. She immediately ranted out of how the three of them were supposed to look after Sunset after the Fall Formal, like they promised, and they lied to her, and that they treated her like garbage without even giving her a chance. Whilst she was ranting, the others were surprised, with Beau telling them that he told Twilight, which shocked them, with Beau saying that he didn’t Pinkie Promise her, and that the first rule of marriage, no lies, which Pinkie surprisingly understood. After that ordeal, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity apologized to Twilight for lying to her, and that they should’ve tried to help her, with Twilight warning them not to let it happen again, otherwise she’ll be even stricter. ********************************************************************************************* “Ouch.” Cringed Cole. “Yeah, it wasn’t pretty.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Though we’re both loyal, she tends to be…” “More stubborn and egotistical as you are?” teased Cole, which caused Rainbow to look at him with a glare. “Applejack and Bucky told me when we had lunch.” “I’m so gonna get her for that.” Grumbled Rainbow. But then shook it off. “Anyway, I so can’t wait to show my moves when I’m there.” “Ahem,” said Bucky when he stood next to the tree with his arms crossed, surprising Cole that he was standing there, with Rainbow also surprised. “Rainbow, what did we talk about the whole showboating thing a while back?” Rainbow groaned and said, “It’s not gonna be like that again!!” “Uh-huh.” Muttered Bucky, knowing fully well how Rainbow’s mind tends to be from time to time. “I’m not!!” said Rainbow as she once again denied it. “Anyway,” said Bucky as he changed the subject, “What can I do for you?” “Oh, I came here to get my friends and you guys tickets to see the show.” Said Rainbow Dash. “When is it?” asked Bucky. “Just about next week.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Well,” thought Bucky, “We are off next weekend, and we’re ahead of schedule for our deliveries and supplies. I’m sure we can watch it.” “Seriously?” said Rainbow with a flexed eyebrow when he said that. “Hey, I’m just saying,” said Bucky, “Last time we invited you and the others to come with us to watch that Rodeo contest, you had to call in sick because of the feather flu.” “Feather flu?” said Cole surprised. “That’s really a thing?” “Ugh, you don’t wanna know.” Grumbled Rainbow as she didn’t want to think about it. “I still can’t believe I got the case of the Feather Flu. Me, the mare who makes sure she’s healthy.” “And having a habit of going overboard.” Said Bucky with a smirk “Hey!!” said Rainbow whilst she was ticked off by that comment. “Because of my training, I ended up doing things by ten seconds flat!!” “And makes you ten seconds dummier whenever you crash.” Teased Bucky in a goofy accent. “What?!” shouted Rainbow before she growled with a red face. Cole couldn’t help but snicker at that, until Rainbow was dangerously close to his face as she said with a glare, “Is something funny?” Cole couldn’t explain it, but the more he looks at her, the more he realized how pretty her eyes were. “Wow,” said Cole, “Those pretty eyes…” Once again, it made Rainbow blush madly at that, causing her to groan out loudly and said, “Will you stop doing that?!” “Hey, you want us to see your show, or not?” said Cole whilst he did a mock glare at her. Rainbow groaned at that and pulled away and said, “Yeah, I do.” “Then don’t you have somewhere else to be?” asked Cole rhetorically, “Or do you like me to tease you further about you…” “Okay, I’m outta here!!” exclaimed Rainbow as she didn’t want to be reminded of her embarrassing secret again. Cole shook his head and said, “Sometimes I don’t think I’ll ever understand her.” “Trust me,” said Bucky when he walked over to her, “Applejack and the others couldn’t figure her out either. But we made it work, nonetheless. Though I sometimes catch her napping on one of the trees every now and then.” “Is she lazy?” asked Cole in confusion. “Not really,” said Bucky, “There’s a reason why she’s the top athlete, and she tries to see what her friends are doing. If only we could convince her to stop complaining about everything.” “Complaining?” said a confused Cole. “Put it this way,” said Bucky, “Rainbow wanted to bring Fluttershy to watch the Dragon Migration a while back and…” “Wait, Dragons? Like Spike?” asked Cole. “That’s the one.” Said Bucky, “Anyway, she didn’t want to watch the dragons cause they’re scared of her. They told her they’d be safe, but she still refused. Then Rainbow reminded her that Rainbow had to watch the Butterfly migration with her and that she owed him, but she still refused. Rainbow didn’t like watching the Butterfly migration either, and you don’t see her complaining about it.” “Wait, if Rainbow didn’t like or wanted to watch the butterfly migration, why didn’t she just say no?” asked Cole. “That’s…I don’t know, we didn’t get an answer out of that either.” Said Bucky. “So, are we going to the show?” asked Cole. “Sure are.” Said Bucky, “But I’m gonna make doubled sure that nothing goes wrong. The last thing I want is anything to hurt the babies.” “Babies?” asked Cole in confusion. “Rarity’s also pregnant.” Said Bucky, “So we gotta make doubly sure.” “Ah, gotcha.” Said Cole, then looked at himself, “And whilst I’m here, thanks to the bits I earned I’ll ask them if they could make me some attire, maybe some shoes as well.” “I’m sure they would,” said Bucky, “Silver already knows how to make proper footwear. Though he only makes it on occasions, considering all the ponies in town have, er, hooves.” “Right, forgot about that.” Said Cole. “But would it be okay if I go find some proper attire?” “Sure thing, you’re already done for the day.” Said Bucky, “So you go on ahead, I’ll go get these to the barn so you don’t have to worry about it.” “Thanks, will do.” Said Cole as he went ahead to the boutique whilst Bucky took the wagon filled with apples to the barn. ********************************************************************************************* A few days later, it was time for the big show. Cole walked over to the train station and took out a pocket watch that he recently bought. He noticed that it was nearly 3PM. “Aw, yeah!!” He looked to his right and saw a younger Pegasus girl arriving with her scooter. This would be Scootaloo, he remembered Bucky telling him about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the shenanigans they caused just to try and find them. And sometimes she’d have an even bigger ego than Rainbow, especially when she tends to act all cool. “Nailed it!!” said Scootaloo after she landed. “Heh, still doing your moves on the scooter, huh?” said Cole. Though Scootaloo was a little startled, she saw Cole standing there and waving to her. “Oh hey.” Said Scootaloo whilst recognizing him. “Cole, right?” “That’s right.” Said Cole, “I assume Rainbow gave you a ticket as well?” “Sure did!!” said Scootaloo in excitement and held her ticket. “I am so looking forward to seeing her in action!!” He couldn’t help but find Scootaloo’s admiration for Rainbow adorable whilst he rolled his eyes at the same time. Scootaloo then noticed him holding something. “Hey, since when did you get a pocket watch?” said Scootaloo in confusion. “Bought it yesterday.” Said Cole, “Figured that I’d be able to tell the time as well as being on time. Sometimes I make a habit of being a little early. And from what I noticed, you as well.” “What can I say, I’d never miss anything that’s important.” Said Scootaloo, “Whether its Rainbow Dash, or with my friends.” “Speaking of which,” said Cole, “Bucky told me you lot were having trouble what to do after you got your Cutie Marks. Gotta admit, that’s kind of ironic.” “It is?” said Scootaloo in confusion. “Yeah,” said Cole, “You spent so long trying to find your Cutie Marks, you didn’t think what would happen once you do get them.” Scootaloo also laughed at that and said, “You know what, this is ironic.” The two of them laughed a bit at that, with Cole saying, “But did you figure out what you were going to do?” “We did a while back.” Said Scootaloo, “And so far we’ve been helping others realize their destinies, as well as helping them find their Cutie Marks.” “That’s good.” Said Cole, “I hope you and your friends continue to be successful in the future.” “Thanks.” Said Scootaloo whilst smiling. Cole then noticed something from behind her, and said, “Oh look, here come the others right now.” The Mane 6, Beau, Bucky, Silver, and Genus arrived, along with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “Wow, you’re early.” Said Bucky when he noticed Cole. “What can I say,” said Cole, “During my high school days, I was always punctual and on time. Plus, it pays to be prepared when it comes to wanting to be a step ahead.” “I hear that.” Said Beau. “Come on everyone, we’ve got a train to catch.” Everyone soon boarded the train, with Apple Bloom asking, “Mr. Beau, are y’all sure that Moonlight will be alright goin to a noisy show?” “Don’t worry, we’ll drop her off at Twilight’s parents’ place.” Said Beau, “They’ve been wanting to spend more time with Moonlight.” “They were a little busy visiting Ponyville when they were staying in Canterlot, but thankfully they’ve cleared their schedule to look after her.” “That’s good to hear.” Said Sweetie Belle, “But what about Applejack and Rarity? Will they be okay?” “Now don’t you worry there, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack. “We’ll be extra careful over there.” Said Rarity once she took her seat. ********************************************************************************************* It had been ten minutes after all of them left Ponyville via train. And things were pretty quiet. “What do you mean you don’t have any!!” Or maybe not. Right now, Rarity was fuming as she shouted at the clerk. “I want a confectionary treat!!” shouted Rarity, “I don’t want any stinking sandwiches!!” “I’m sorry ma’am, but we simply don’t have anything else to serve!!” said the clerk in a panic. “But I simply crave for something sweet!!” Cried Rarity dramatically, “Because the cravings I have are simply terrible!! I just want to eat something without the need to throw up!!” She then placed her head against a seat and muttered, “Stupid pregnancy.” This confused the clerk, with Silver saying, “Sorry about that, she’s currently expecting. And it’s nearly three months.” This surprised the clerk, but then whispered, “I’m sorry that we don’t have any sir, but if you want to blame somepony, blame the pink one with the poofy hair.” “Pinkie Pie?” whispered Silver, which caused Rarity and Applejack to overhear him, as well as the others. “That’s right.” Said the clerk, “Because of her constantly buying them on every train ride she’s on and not letting everypony else buy them, we keep losing money just to purchase more of them, so the RTA had voted to make sandwiches just to save what was left of our budget, and until we get more funds, we won’t be able to buy any more of them.” After explaining things, the clerk walked away whilst surprising everyone. This caused Rarity to fume and look at Pinkie Pie. “This is all your fault!!” shouted Rarity as she pointed at Pinkie Pie, which confused the latter. “What did I do?” said a confused Pinkie Pie. “Because of your constant sweet tooth cravings, there isn’t any to buy!!” said Rarity. “Hey, that’s not true!!” said Pinkie Pie. “Uh, Pinkie.” Said Rainbow Dash, gaining her attention, “I’m gonna have to side with Rarity on this one. If I remember correctly, last time the both of us were riding the train together when we were on a friendship mission to Griffonstone, you ended up using all the bits to buy them. Bits that Twilight gave us that we were supposed to give the Griffons and ended up using all of them.” “What?!” said Twilight shocked, then looked at the latter and said, “Pinkie!!” “You know I can’t control myself when it comes to sweets!!” said Pinkie Pie. “What would you know about self-control?!!” shouted Rarity, “All you ever think about is making a big fat pig out of yourself!!” “Hey, I don’t make a big fat pig out of myself!!” said Pinkie Pie with a loud voice. “Y’all cake and food bill says otherwise!!” said Applejack loudly. “And besides Pinkie,” said Rainbow Dash, “If you hadn’t spent all those bits, I wouldn’t have been stuck and nearly fall off the ledge when I was trying to get that stupid model in the first place.” “Alright, calm down!!” shouted Beau, causing everyone to be silent. “Look, there were a handful of faults here, but let me say this. Rarity and Applejack, calm down, your pregnancy talks are getting out of hand. Rainbow, if anyone was a fool as well it was you, because you entrusted her into looking after the bits instead of you. Twilight, you shouldn’t have asked them to take so much bits with you, because if you weren’t so ignorant and caught up on lost times, you would’ve known that Griffonstone had faced a financial crisis and poverty for the past one hundred years.” This caused everyone to pause and think about what had happened. “Oh dear, you’re right.” Said Rarity as she realized her pregnancy had made her say the wrong things. “I’m sorry Pinkie Pie.” “Ah’m sorry too.” Said Applejack. Pinkie Pie sighed and looked out of the window, “I know.” “How the heck is it that you’re able to calm them down so quickly?” asked Cole. “Trust me, I learned a thing or two from my wife whilst watching her do what she does.” Said Beau, “That and most times she kept wanting to ask a ton of questions of the difference between the species here and on our world.” Twilight giggled sheepishly at that. But then she remembered something. “You know, I forgot to ask.” Said Twilight, “When you explained about Changelings, Dragons and so on from your world? What about ponies in general?” “Well for starters, Unicorns, Alicorns, and Pegasi are considered a myth in our world, but they are told plenty of times through folklore and legends.” Said Beau. “Folklore and legends?” said Rarity in confusion. “That’s right,” said Beau, “In our world, Unicorns and Alicorns were known for their purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin and their horns have the power to purify and cure people of all diseases like measles and rubella, ailments such as fever and body aches. They even have the power to cleanse water of toxins and poisons in order for it to be safe for consumption. Creating healing powder, detecting, and nullifying poisons and so on, something that a wizard would do.” The Mane 6 was silent at first, then they all suddenly laughed at that notion. “I’m sorry darling, but that’s just ridiculous.” Said Rarity whilst wiping her tears. “Yeah, no Unicorn can do that, and Princesses Celestia, Luna, or even Cadence couldn’t even do that.” Said Twilight before she giggled. “Tell that to the Unicorns of myth in my world.” Said Beau. However, he suddenly noticed Twilight was intrigued and thought about it. He smirked and said, “You’re planning to do research to see if it’s possible, aren’t you?” Twilight blushed at this and denied it by going, “Pff, no.”, then went, “Okay, maybe a little.” Rainbow was then curious about something, and asked, “What about Pegasi? Can they control the weather in your world?” “Oh, the weather on our world happens naturally like the Everfree forest, no manipulation whatsoever.” Said Beau, which surprised the ponies, “However, they are well known in mythology from the country of Greece. It’s said that Pegasi often assist great heroes to fight against dangerous creatures like the Kraken and the Chimera.” “Sweet!!” said Rainbow in excitement, “Glad to see we’re known for helping heroes.” Applejack was now also curious, “And what about Earth Ponies?” “They do a lot of things with humans whenever it comes to help building up a land.” Said Beau, “They help a lot in farming when ploughing the fields and help deliver the harvests, did many races either singular or chariot. Helped lead an attack against a foreign enemy. Heck, I still remember a horse that was dear to me. Winafred. He was quite the friend, and we raised it well back at my family’s old ranch.” This surprised the ponies, even Twilight was surprised by this, and asked, “All of you raise horses?” “Sure do,” said Beau, “My family was known as the horse lords, and our family crest does have the symbol of the horse. They’re known as the most majestic and beautiful creatures, as well as reside their desire to be strong and independent. As well as the amazing willpower, determination, and among the cleverest of them all.” The ponies in the cart were greatly surprised by what the horses represent in their world, which some couldn’t help but find a newfound respect for Beau. “So,” said Cole as he felt like he needed to change the subject, “What’s Canterlot like?” “Well,” said Rainbow when she decided to change the subject, “Aside from all the snobs who live there, it’s like one of those high-class, fancy cities. Way too glittery for my taste, no offense, Rarity.” “Ignoring that,” said Rarity as she didn’t want to feel insulted, “It’s also where the Princesses of Equestria live. Unlike the Nobles of Canterlot, the Princesses are very kind and caring about their subjects.” “It also happens to be the capitol of Equestria.” Said Beau, “Every diplomat goes there from time to time to discuss civil matters. However, last time I was there, some of the nobles don’t take too kindly to different creatures of different kingdoms.” “Why not?” said a confused Cole. “Because of the businesses and wealth that their families had built, they let the riches go straight to their heads, thinking that they can do whatever they want and that they think they call the shots.” Said Beau, “When I last time talked to Princess Celestia, she told me some of the nobles wanted to kick them out so that it would only be a Unicorn ruling state, despite forgetting what the founders of Equestria stood for.” “Really?” said Twilight surprised, for this is the fire time she heard of it, even her friends. “That’s right,” said Beau as he explained, “When Equestria was founded, many ponies chose to help the kingdom prosper. Many of them helped many lands, towns, villages, and cities to grow overtime and soon gain the title of Lord and Lady over the land and the places they govern, helping it turn into the kingdoms they are, even after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took over.” Beau then looked at the landscape of Equestria. “But as time went by, as many didn’t realize until it was too late, many took over companies that their ancestors built, as well as being in charge of managing finances, militaries and so on, they let the wealth and power go straight to their heads. They immediately think that they should be in charge and most times they would do whatever it took to take over Equestria with an iron hoof, without thinking of the consequences that would follow. In the end, they only cared about themselves and let other creatures from other kingdoms see ponykind as a xenophobic race who wouldn’t lift a hoof to help others who are struggling, like helping Griffonstone with their financial problems, because the ponies in charge think that they own everything.” Everypony was once again surprised by Beau’s honesty. “Though Rarity is right,” said Beau, “Some rich ones like Fancy Pants and Fleur are alright, but when it comes to others, that’s when, pardon my expression, shit hits the fan.” “Ewe!!” said everypony at the same time in disgust. “He’s not wrong.” Said Bucky. “Some are like that,” said Silver, “I should know, I attended a few before my parents’…er…demise.” “Right,” said Genus, “You were part of the whole high society schtick.” “I was.” Said Silver, not wanting to think about it whilst staring at the window, with Rarity holding his hand, not wanting him to think of those thoughts. ********************************************************************************************* Soon enough, everyone arrived at Canterlot and departed from the train. They looked around and some of the humans were amazed by the city, considering it’s their first time, especially Cole. When they looked around, some of the nobles gave them skeptical looks, but some were distracted by Moonlight Sparkle, causing some to be surprised, especially since the Princess of Friendship is carrying her. “Looks like every pony in Canterlot knows you have a child.” Whispered Beau. “But they don’t know who the father is.” “They will in time.” Said Twilight, “Though I just hope that they’re accepting of her.” “I hope so too.” Said Beau. “Though the way some of them act, kind of reminds me of some of the folks back at my hometown.” “I never asked,” said Twilight, “What was the name of your hometown?” “Can’t remember,” said Beau, “I know that my family said that we came from a country known as France, but they then fled to the United Kingdom to get away from conflict and war. After that, they moved to the United States. We were even involved during the Great War.” “Great War?” said Twilight surprised. But then she and the others noticed grim looks on the humans’ faces. “It’s not something we want to talk about.” Said Bucky. “All of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought in that war.” Said Silver. “They were hailed as heroes, but they were just lucky to get out of it alive.” Said Genus. “Because of that war, over sixty million lives were lost.” Said Cole, “There’s a reason that it was called the darkest moment in human history.” This surprised the ponies, as some of them felt like they didn’t want to know or ask that question at the same time. Soon enough, everyone arrived at the Canterlot Stadium, which surprised the humans, since it’s their first time there. And during that time, Cole noticed how Rainbow was getting all giddy and excited to perform ever since she became a full member of the Wonderbolts, whilst also giggling and having a toothy grin whilst pumping her fists. “Heh, I can’t help getting so excited, knowing I’m about to crash a competition!!” said Rainbow Dash in excitement. “Ha!” said Cole as he teased her whilst giving her a slight nudge with his elbow, “I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before. But when you get hyped up like that, you make yourself look and sound cute.” Rainbow Dash’s excitement was replaced with a combination of embarrassment and annoyance. Deciding to take it out on Cole, she tried to stomp on his foot…only to get a nasty surprise as she made a face. Before they knew it, Rainbow ended up yelping in pain and hopped around in one hoof whilst holding her other one. She ended up hopping around whilst making cute noises whilst biting her lower lip. She then looked at him with a cute pouty face whilst Cole laughed. “Sorry about that Dash, steel toe boots.” Said Cole as he pointed at his shoes. He even tapped on it just to show it. He turned to Silver and said, “Thanks again for hooking me up with these, Silver.” “You’re welcome,” said Silver, “Normally making them would be hard, considering ponykind doesn’t have feet, but I’m glad I remember the skills to do it.” “Ooooh,” said Rainbow after she stopped hopping and pointed at him, “You’re gonna pay for that, but not right now.” “Ain’t that the truth.” Everyone saw Spitfire and her fellow Wonderbolts standing there with their jumpsuits as they were about to get ready for their show. The moment Rainbow saw her, she got serious and went over to her whilst salting to the two of them. “Good afternoon, Captain Spitfire, you too Fleetfoot.” Said Rainbow. “At ease, Crash.” Said Spitfire and temporarily saluted back. “The show doesn’t start for another 30 minutes. Nice to see you’re punctual as usual, though.” She then noticed Cole standing with the others, “By the way, who’s this? Friend of yours?” “He’s a newbie in Ponyville.” Said Rainbow Dash, “We’ve already become best buds in just two short weeks. I wanted to show him one of our shows and possibly wow him with my awesomeness.” “And there’s the cuteness.” Teased Cole, which caused Rainbow to blush and slightly glare at him before he went over to greet her. “The name’s Cole Bolton, nice to meet you.” “Same here.” Said Spitfire. Then she noticed Silver. “Hey, you’re the human from the boutique in Ponyville.” “Hey there, Spitfire, been a while.” Said Silver. “Wait, you know her?” said a surprised and confused Rainbow Dash at the same time. “He does,” said Spitfire, gaining Rainbow’s attention, “I went over to the boutique the other day and bought a dress over there.” “Speaking of which, how did it go?” asked Silver. However, upon looking at her face, that’s when he knew. “That bad, huh?” “Yeah…I don’t wanna talk about it.” Said Spitfire. “Anyway, the Pegasus here next to me is Fleetfoot.” “Nice to meet you.” Said the Pegasus next to her. “Good to meet you.” Said Cole. Before anyone else could say anything, two more members of the Wonderbolts showed up. Both of them were none other than Soarin and Misty Fly. “Captain, it’s almost time!!” said Soarin, “We gotta get dressed and ready for the show!!!” “Ugh, it’s always something.” Said Spitfire to herself. Seems like she hates it when someone, er, somepony, has to cut their conversation short. “Sorry to bail, but we gotta get going.” “Let’s go Dash.” Said Fleetfoot. “Right.” Said Rainbow as she got up. “Oh, and by the way, Princess Twilight?” said Spitfire. “Yes? What is it, Spitfire?” asked Princess Twilight. “We got the VIP seats ready for you and your friends.” Said Spitfire, “So don’t worry about when you have to teleport, the guards will know that it’s you.” After Spitfire and her group left with Rainbow, Cole then wondered something. “Wait, how did you know that they’ll teleport.” Asked Cole. “Well for one, we need to drop off Moonlight at Twilight’s parents’ place.” Said Beau, “She’s not ready for the noisy environment yet.” “I just hope the two of them are at home.” Said Twilight. “The others can go ahead whilst we go to Night Light and Twilight Velvet.” Said Beau. “But why not teleport us there too?” asked Cole. “For one, we don’t want to hurt the babies,” said Beau, “If we do, it could leave a horrible side effect.” “He does have a point, Cole.” Said Rarity as she held onto her belly, same with Applejack, “I simply don’t want anything to happen to my child before her big day.” “Same here.” Said Applejack. “Hopefully not like that other woman back on the human world.” Said Cole. “What to you mean?” asked Scootaloo in confusion. “There was this one guy who was a bit of a trouble maker, and a bit of a womanizer.” Said Cole, “The women of the neighborhood didn’t like him, and then one of them said that she didn’t want to bring a new baby to the world with that guy running around.” The other guys realized this and all laughed at the same time. “What?” asked Apple Bloom in confusion. “We know who he’s talking about.” Said Beau. “He’s talking about a guy named Quagmire from a show we once watched.” Said Bucky. “And then Bonnie, the wife of a cop who was also Quagmire’s friend, said that she didn’t t want to bring a new baby into the world.” Said Silver. “But then Quagmire’s friend, Peter, said something that made us all laugh and made us realize that he had a point.” Said Genus. “What’s that?” asked Sweetie Belle. Then all the guys said at the same time. “Okay, first of all, Bonnie, you’ve been pregnant for like six years, alright? Either have the baby or don’t.” This caused the mares of the group to gawk in shock and shouted, “Six years?!” “Whyever would they take so long?!” said Rarity in shock. “Even I know that’s medically impossible!!” said Twilight. “Eh, I don’t know, the writers were the ones who made that up.” Said Cole. “Yeah, even we’re still baffled by why they made something like that.” Said Bucky. “Anyway, awkward birthing info aside,” said Applejack, “Let’s just get a move on.” “Agreed.” Said everyone before going their separate ways. ********************************************************************************************* Soon enough, everypony arrived at their seats at the stadium, with the Mane 6 and the humans arriving at their VIP seats as well. Cole noticed some of the ponies still giving them looks, which made him groan at that. “And I thought everyone back on Earth was jerks.” Muttered Cole. “You get used to it.” Said Genus, as he was speaking from experience. As they waited for the show to start, Cole was then curious about something. “Hey girls? If you don’t mind me asking, when did Rainbow Dash first get into the Wonderbolts?” asked Cole. “Well, it’s a long story.” Said Twilight, “But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you, since we’ve got plenty of time to spare.” Cole began to listen as Twilight explained. “Okay,” began Twilight, “A couple of years ago, Rainbow Dash had turned in her application to join the Wonderbolts Academy in order to live out her lifelong dream. She’d been wanting to get in for a long time and she finally got her wish.” “But uh, things didn’t go so well durin’ her first week.” Said Applejack whilst rubbing the back of her head, “This other Pegasus who went by the name o’ Lightning Dust gave Rainbow Dash an’ Cap’s Spitfire a run fer their bits. She was both fearless an’ possibly the most reckless Pegasus in the entire Academy.” “She almost got us killed when we went to deliver a package to Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, “Otherwise we’d have to watch Pinkie Pie wait for the mail. Anyway, after Spitfire dismissed Lighting Dust from the academy, Dash continued her training in the academy as a leader instead of a wing pony.” Cole was surprised by this and looked down whilst seeing Rainbow Dash. He can’t imagine how hard she must’ve worked to get her spot on the team. Then again if it’s anything like back home, not everyone is lucky to get in the flying team. Like the air force, navy SEALS, and so on, if you don’t have what it takes, you don’t deserve to be on the team. He had thoughts like that, but it went sideways and was thrown out of the window. “Fillies and Gentlecolts!!” Cole was brought out of his thoughts and saw the announcer, who was, ahem, announcing the crowd. “For tonight’s show, we are proud to introduce you to the best flying team known to ponykind…the WONDERBOLTS!!!!” And right on cue, the Wonderbolts arrived at the center whilst the crowd was roaring with cheer and applause, even Scootaloo, which Cole couldn’t help but chuckle at how adorable she is at cheering for her idol. **************************************************************************************************** The announcer spoke to the entire crowd whilst Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Rainbow Dash were behind her. “Now, for the first part of the show, be prepared for the race of the century! As many of you all know, the three leaders, Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Rainbow Dash have had a total of 35 wins each under their belts! This race will determine who take home the platinum trophy for world’s greatest flyer! After that, stay tuned for the best Wonderbolts stunt performance! Now if everyone is ready, LET’S... GO... RACING!” the mare announces before sounding the air horn. During the flying, everyone was getting into it. Cole couldn’t help but admire how fast Rainbow was flying, and how she was able to ace it. No longer being able to contain himself, Cole stood up. “GO FOR IT, DASH! SHOW ‘EM WHO’S BOSS!!!” yelled Cole. What he didn’t know, whilst flying, Rainbow saw him and heard him shout like that. Which for some reason, gave her the confidence boost, allowing her to try to fly even faster. The suspense was almost too much to take, but alas you finally got your answer from the announcer. “Alright mares and Gentlecolts, I think I kept you all waiting long enough. The winner of the great Canterlot derby is... RAINBOW DASH!” Immediately the stadium was filled with applause especially from the row you were sitting in. The girls all cheered and screamed with joy after witnessing their friend clench victory. Rainbow Dash pumped her fist and starts doing a loop-de-loop. However, upon flying, Fleetfoot noticed something and tried to warn her. “Now Crash let’s take it easy...” Fleetfoot said as she tried to calm her down. “Ah, yeah! Rainbow’s the best! Rainbow’s the best! WAHOO!!!” Dash shouted, praising herself. “Crash, didn’t you hear me?!” said Fleetfoot, trying to get her attention when she realized what was going on. “I said…!!” However, the moment Rainbow bumped into Fleetfoot, it happened. Rainbow’s wing suddenly bent as if it had the bad case of the cramps, making her grunt in pain. Before she knew it, she began to plummet and fall down to the stage, causing everyone to scream and gasp in panic when she was falling. She tried to fly, but because of her injured wing, she couldn’t. As she fell, something happened inside of Cole. Suddenly, every bit of his muscle felt like he wants to react, how the adrenaline was pumping through his body. And out of instinct…he went for it. “Dash!!!” shouted Cole in panic. Within a split second, before anyone else could react, he ran. Cole rushed passed and pushed passed any pony who would’ve blocked him, but he didn’t care as he kept on going with great speed. He even pushed past security before they could even stop him as they saw how fast he was going. Cole continued to run towards the stage whilst Rainbow continued to fall down as she struggled to maintain her position after her wing was cramped. “Why do I always keep doing this?” muttered Rainbow in pain as she can’t believe she did that again. Before she realized, as well as everyone else, Cole was standing below her as he was in the perfect position to catch her. As she was close, Cole jumped as high as he could whilst extending his arms. The moment she was close, Cole grabbed her and held onto her tight whilst he would use his back to cushion her fall with a loud thud. Cole groaned from the impact, for it hurt. Rainbow slowly opened her eyes and realized that she was unhurt. But then she felt someone hold her. ‘Did…somepony save me?’ wondered Rainbow. ‘Who…?’ She felt someone move as he groaned a bit, realizing the one who caught her was in pain. But he grunted through it as he sat up right and gently held her by the shoulders and making her look at him. And to her surprise…it was Cole. “D-Dash!! Hey, Dash!! You alright?!” said Cole in panic and concern. Rainbow on the other hand looked at Cole in both shock and surprise. Did he…really save her? She couldn’t explain it, but her heart was beating fast whilst she had a difficulty of breathing. And thank goodness she was wearing her suit, otherwise he would’ve seen her blush. Despite all that, she managed to nod her head slowly. Cole then gave a sigh of relief. “Thank heaven.” Muttered Cole in relief. Cole helped the surprised Rainbow Dash back onto her hooves. However, due to the impact his back had, he groaned a bit whilst still being in pain. “Yo, Crash!!” The two of them saw Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soaring flying in, wanting to make sure Rainbow as okay. But when Cole felt like he was going to fall over, Soarin instantly went over and helped him up. “You took a really nasty fall there,” asked Spitfire in concern, “Got any broken bones?” “Other than this busted wing, I’ll be okay.” Said Rainbow Dash whilst she cringed as she felt her wing still stung a bit. “Doesn’t look like you’ll be performing for the rest of the show,” said Fleetfoot as she landed next to Rainbow. “Then again Crash, I did tell you to chill. If this young man hadn’t swooped in and caught you, you’d be having more than just a busted wing.” “Speaking of which,” said Spitfire as she moved over to Cole and looked at him, “You okay there?” “I’m good.” Said Cole, “Good thing I’m not an old man, otherwise my spine would’ve been torn in two.” “Still, that was pretty fast.” Said Soarin, “Why’d you run down here to fast?” “Honestly, I don’t know.” Said Cole, “I guess I just…acted on instinct.” “Either way, that was true bravery you showed,” said Spitfire, “If you were a Pegasus, I’d make you a member of the Wonderbolts in a heartbeat.” “Always a pleasure, ma’am.” Said Cole as he did the best he could to stand up straight and delivered a salute to Spitfire. The latter couldn’t help but chuckle and return that gesture. Cole then put his hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, “Come on Dash, we need to get that wing of yours taken care of.” Rainbow pouted a bit as she was bummed that she was out of today’s performance, whilst they left the stage. Back at the crowd, the rest of the Mane 6 and humans were surprised to see what happened. “Did anyone see Cole move that fast?” said a surprised Bucky. “Surprised me too.” Said Applejack. ********************************************************************************************* Back at the Canterlot Athlete’s hospital, Rainbow was on the bed whilst her wing was in a cast as Cole sat beside her at the bed. Rainbow groaned a bit whilst she raised her arms in the air. “It’s so unfair.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Oh, stop whining.” Said Cole playfully, “Besides, like Fleetfoot said, it could’ve been much worse. But on the bright side, you did finish first in the race, and I gotta tell you, that was one of the coolest races I’ve ever seen. Almost as cool as you.” That got a chuckle out of Rainbow as the praise seems to have helped. “Well, I don’t wanna toot my own horn, but I can make any race and stunt performance 20% Cooler. I even had a special finale that I had been saving just for you. But…considering the fact that I maybe went a little overboard, it’ll have to wait a while, sorry bud.” Cole could see how she felt embarrassed because of the stunt she pulled, especially with her ears drooping. “Ah, it’s okay, Dash.” Reassured Cole, “I’m just glad you’re okay.” However, Rainbow thought about earlier, of how he just run towards the stage and saved her despite her fellow Wonderbolts that could’ve saved her earlier. Rainbow felt embarrassed to wanting to say it, but she wanted to get it off her chest. “You know…” began Rainbow, “That was pretty awesome. The way you…ya know, swooped in, and saved me. And I uh…well…there’s something that I want you to promise me you’ll keep a secret.” Cole raised a brow at that, but nodded nonetheless as he leaned forward. “Well…you see…” began Rainbow. However, the moment before she could say anything, the door to her room opened and within moments, her friends and their human companions arrived with worried looks on their faces. ‘Every time!’ thought Cole as he didn’t like folks interrupting, but he chose not to show it. “Ya gave us quite a scare out there, Rainbow Dash!!” scolded Applejack. “Would it kill ya to hold off on the showin’ off ever’ once in a while.” “Pff, like you’re one to talk.” Said Bucky after a playful scoff. However, he immediately began to shut up when Applejack glared at him, but then softened when Fluttershy placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “Is the injury serious?” asked Fluttershy. “The doctor said the bone is still intact…” said Rainbow. “Which I’m surprised that there are actual bones inside of the wings.” Said Cole, but then realized something and blurted, “Oooh, so that would explain the wing bo…” Beau instantly clasped his mouth shut and scolded, “Dude, not in front of the future kids!!” “Oh, sorry.” Said Cole. “Anyway,” said Rainbow, “He said that it’ll just need about 3 to 4 weeks to fully recover. And, Hehe, sorry for getting carried away…” “Again.” Said the guys, which caused Rainbow to glare, but then chuckled with the others. “Eh, water under the bridge, Dashie.” Said Pinkie Pie as she got a few cupcakes and goodies from out of nowhere whilst saying, “Here, have this!! I made a big batch of rainbow-frosted cupcakes!! As well as a ‘get well’ present!! And that’s only just the icing on the cake. Just wait until I throw you the, ‘congratulations on making a full recovery’ party!!” Cole couldn’t help but smiled as Rainbow’s friends and their husbands, and er, future, husband, had shown concern for her. With all this attention, Cole decided to take some time before he had the privacy to talk to Rainbow Dash, as well as the so-called secret she wanted to tell him. But he had learned form his cousins that patience is a virtue. And whilst he wait, he just sat there and watched as everyone showed how relieved Rainbow was going to be okay. “You know that was very brave of you.” Cole turned to his left and saw Beau standing next to him. “You running out on instinct just to save her despite the others going to do that.” Said Beau. “Honestly I don’t know what came over me.” Said Cole, “My feet just acted on their own.” “Which is understandable.” Said Beau. “But I think it’s clear as day that you like her, otherwise you wouldn’t have done that.” This caused Cole to blush madly and said, “No, I…” “Then why did you compliment her tush?” teased Beau. This caused Cole to blush madly and groan at this. “Just saying.” Said Beau before joining Twilight. Cole sighed and figured that someone must’ve spilled the beans. “They’re not gonna let me live this down, are they?”
Chapter 20: A lover's loyaltyAuthor's Note Sorry this took so long. Life kept me very busy. Chapter 20: A lover's loyalty It had been two weeks since Cole had last seen Rainbow at the hospital at Canterlot. And seeing that everyone was too busy and all of them needed to sort out their own problems. Especially since something called Hearth’s Warming Eve was three months away. At first, Cole didn’t get what that was, but thanks to Beau, he explained it’s sort of like Christmas. And it’ll be the others’ first ones, especially Moonlight’s. One day, Cole had walked towards the hospital, where he would be waiting for Rainbow Dash, seeing that the rest of her friends are busy. Twilight and Beau took Moonlight to the doctor to make sure she’s okay, cause it’s her first flu. Bucky and Applejack, along with Silver and Rarity, went to the hospital to make sure the newborn young ones are going to be healthy, and it seems both of them know what to name their kids, but they won’t say anything just yet. Genus and Fluttershy also went to the doctor to make sure that she was okay after the first signs of pregnancy kicked in. And Pinkie needed to watch the cake shop since the cakes are out of town. Cole soon arrives at the front of the hospital and waits for her. But as he was waiting, he heard the hospital doors opening. But the moment he turned around, he felt a great gust of wind blowing, as well as the rainbow trail that was left behind. He looked up and sees Rainbow back in the skies again. “Aw, yeah!!” said Rainbow whilst flying in the air and pumping her fists. “Couldn’t help yourself, could you?” She blinked and looked down, and saw Cole. She smiled with stars in her eyes and darted back down before gently landing in front of him. “Hey there,” said Rainbow Dash, “Didn’t expect to see you here.” “Well seeing that the rest of your friends are busy, I figured you’d like an escort back home.” Said Cole, “And yes, I know, you don’t like a babysitter, but I just figured you’d like some company.” “Oh,” said Rainbow as she blushed a little, “Er, thanks. Didn’t think you would.” “Same with you were still supposed to be resting that wing?” asked Cole. “What, it’s fully healed.” Said Rainbow as she showed it, and thankfully it is fine. “Second, I hate being cooped up in a hospital, it’s the worse!!” “And which made you like the Daring Do book series.” Said Cole, which surprised Rainbow as Cole concluded, “Pinkie Pie and Spike told everybody.” Rainbow growled at that and placed both her hands on her face out of frustration, “I’m gonna get those two for that!!” “Hey, relax, there’s nothing wrong with liking something.” Said Cole, then teased her by placing his finger on her forehead a few times, “And besides, even athletes need to have some information.” “I got plenty of those!!” said Rainbow. “I meant, useful, information.” Said Cole as he did it again, which made her playfully shove his arm away. “Seriously, you need to learn to relax. Oh, I mean yeah, sure, whenever someone tells you to relax whilst you recover, it’s all silent stairs, but when you want to relax during an off or do-nothing day, you’re suddenly a couch potato.” “Okay, you got me there.” Said Rainbow Dash. “So then, shall we?” asked Cole as he pointed to the train station. “Want to take the train back to Ponyville?” “Actually,” said Rainbow with a smirk, “I’ve got a better idea.” Rainbow instantly wrapped her arms around Cole and darted off with him in the air. “Rainbow!!!” exclaimed Cole in shock and panic, “What are you doing?!” “Thought you’d like the excitement!!” said Rainbow before laughing. Though Cole couldn’t see, he could feel how fast they were going. Is this what her speed is always like? If so, she’d almost make the Flash look like a turtle. Then again, he doesn’t know whom to compare her speed to. It took a while, but the two of them soon arrived at Ponyville a short while later. “Whoa,” said Cole as he was breathing heavily after Rainbow landed next to him, “That was quite the rush.” “Not bad Bolt, you handled it well.” Said Rainbow. “Bolt?” said a confused Cole. “Well, I figured you deserved a nickname,” said Rainbow, “Plus everyone said you ran fast like a bolt of lightning trying to save me. So, I figured that it fits. Well, that, and it almost sounded like your er, last name I think.” “Hmm,” pondered Cole, then smiled and said, “You know what, I think I like it. Bolt it is.” “Sweet.” Said Rainbow whilst crossing her arms. “So, now that you’re back,” said Cole, now named Bolt, “Should we go to Sugarcube Corner?” “Huh?” responded Rainbow. “Knowing Pinkie Pie,” said Bolt whilst rolling his eyes, “She’ll have an excuse to throw your party. I mean she did promise it back at the hospital.” “Oh, right.” Said Rainbow as she had nearly forgotten about that. “So, shall we?” asked Bolt. Rainbow thought about it and nodded, allowing the two of them to move to the said place. However, as they got closer, she looked at Bolt, and she couldn’t help but blush. Then she looked at his hand and hers tried to reach it. But the more she wanted to, the more she blushed and felt embarrassed, causing her to retract it and felt nervous whilst pouting at the same time. ‘Someday.’ Thought Rainbow. ******************************************************************************************************** “I can’t believe you have something similar to a sport in my world.” Said Bolt. “What, Hoof ball?” said Rainbow. A few days after they got back to Ponyville, whilst Bolt was doing some farmwork, Rainbow came by and invited him to play a sport with her, which was called Hoof ball, which at first confused him, but the moment he saw the size and shape of the ball, then he immediately recognized it. “Yeah, we have something similar in our world, called football.” Said Bolt. “Wait, Football?” said Rainbow in confusion, “That’s a weird name.” “Well, we play with our feet and hands most of the times,” said Bolt, “And I assume that you lot only use your hooves as well.” “We sure do.” Said Rainbow, “So by the sound of it, you played before?” “Sure do,” said Bolt, “I played a lot of it since I was in high school. Sometimes the quarterback, sometimes the runner. Back in my world I was also a fan of the Miami Sharks.” Bolt then grumbled and said, “Although it would’ve been better if my cousins didn’t constantly remind me considering all of them are Kraken fans, and I’ve been sore about it ever since.” “Really?” said a confused Rainbow. “All father’s trophy, blind referee, that’s all I’m saying.” Said Bolt. Rainbow couldn’t help snicker about it, especially with Bolt ranting about it. “Speaking of said sport,” said Bolt, “If it’s well known around here, how come there isn’t a proper tournament for sports like this?” “Everypony’s already busy with their own things,” said Rainbow Dash, “Plus we only have Hoof ball at the end of the summer, where they warm up for the harvests before winter arrives.” “Wow, that sucks.” Said Bolt, which confused Rainbow. “What do you mean by that?” asked Rainbow. “Put it this way,” said Bolt, “Back in my world in the USA, everyone loves football. It’s part of schools, colleges, even as a sporting career. If someone were to announce that they would only do it once a year instead of events in schools and sports…boy you’d better hope you don’t get beat up by an angry mob.” “Yikes.” Said Rainbow, not wanting to think that. “Yeah, tell me about it.” Said Bolt, not wanting to think about it. “Anyway, any reason why you want me to play?” “It’s like this,” said Rainbow, “Every year before the end of the summer, half of Ponyville signs up for hoof ball in order to get in shape for the harvests. It’s a tradition.” “And you want me to partake in it?” asked Bolt. “Sure do,” said Rainbow, “And from what you told me, you’ll fit right in.” “Well…” said Bolt, not sure about wanting to do this. “Please!!” said Rainbow, “Besides, Bucky is also competing.” “He is?” said a confused Bolt. “Yeah, he took Applejack’s place,” said Rainbow, “She can’t because of the baby, and Rarity and Silver were too busy handling orders, and Twilight and Beau are busy organizing the event. And both Genus and Fluttershy aren’t interested.” “And you don’t wanna get kicked in the ribs again, do you?” said Bolt with a smirk, remembering about that story. “Shut up.” Muttered Rainbow, “But thankfully Pinkie is going to be participating as well.” “Hmm,” pondered Bolt, and said, “Alright then, I’m sold. I’ll meet you there.” “Yes!!” exclaimed Rainbow in excitement. “See you then!!” Rainbow darted off in the speed of light, whilst Bolt looked at her with a flexed eyebrow. “What the heck was that about?” ******************************************************************************************************** The next day, true to Bolt’s word, he arrived. Though he was surprised to have received a football uniform. Or in this case, a hoof ball uniform. He’s still confused by that one. He soon arrives at the field, and to his surprise, he sees Rainbow in the same uniform, and…a ponytail? Huh, she kind of looks good in it. “I see you’re all dressed up.” Said Bolt as he approached Rainbow. This gained Rainbow’s attention and said, “What, and let them have all the fun. Besides, I want to prepare for the harvests too.” “So, I noticed.” Said Bolt. The two of them walked down the path where they said the path would take them to the Hoof ball field. When they got there, they were surprised how many ponies were there. “Whoa, you weren’t kidding.” Said Bolt in a surprising tone, “No wonder you guys do this every year.” “Told ya.” Said Rainbow before the two of them joined the others. Rainbow spotted Twilight and said, “Hey, there’s Twi and Beau.” Bolt saw both Twilight and Beau ahead as both of them were busy organizing the whole event, assigning which pony should go to which team. However, from behind the married couple was… “Hey, is that Applejack?” asked Bolt. Rainbow saw Applejack sitting behind both Twilight and Beau, grumbling with a pout on her face. “Oh boy, here we go again.” Said Rainbow whilst rolling her eyes. “Again?” said a confused Bolt. “She does this every time she had to sit out a competition.” Said Rainbow, “Last time it was from a serious injury.” “But now it’s due to her being pregnant.” Said Bolt. “It was the same with Twilight when they went to the dragon lands.” Said Rainbow. As the two of them got close, they heard Bucky said, “Applejack, we’ve been over this already!!” They soon arrived as Rainbow greeted, “Hey Twilight, sorry we’re late.” “You’re right on time Rainbow, so no worries.” Said Twilight. “Let me guess, Applejack is throwing a hissy fit again?” said Bolt. “You have no idea.” Groaned Beau, “We had to call in Granny Smith just to calm her down. She’s too stubborn to listen to anyone. Which makes me wonder why er…” “Most country folks don’t listen, even if it’s the truth?” guessed Bolt. “More or less.” Said Beau. “Wait,” said Bolt in realization, “If you two are here, then who’s looking after Moonlight?” “Spike is looking after her.” Said Beau, which caused both Bolt and Rainbow to look at him oddly, considering they remembered the funk he was in. “Yeah, we know, it was a bit sudden, but we were able to get him out of his funk.” “As best we could,” said Twilight sheepishly, “He says he’s over his crush with Rarity, but the tone in his voice and depressed state says otherwise.” “Yeesh, when is that dragon ever going to get it?” said Bolt. “Why else did you think I had to break the ice with him?” said Beau, “It had to take Rarity to say it, even if it was er…heartbreaking to watch.” “I’ll take your word for it,” said Rainbow Dash, then she looked at Twilight and asked, “So Twilight, which team are Bolt and I on?” “Let’s see?” said Twilight as she looked at the clipboard, “Rainbow’ you’re on the Apple’s team. And Bolt, you’re on the Orange’s team.” “What?!” said Rainbow in shock before hovering close to Twilight, “But that’s no fair!! You gotta put the two of us on the same team.” “No, Rainbow.” Said Twilight, “I’ve already made the teams ahead of time.” “She’s right,” said Beau, “A lot of them came by three days ago and signed up. After that, Twilight and I were busy arranging which should go where.” “But can’t you shuffle a few ponies?” asked Rainbow. “Dash, I’ve already considered taking into consideration height, weight, strength, average speed, knowledge of the game, endurance and stubbornness…” “And she really means, a lot stubborn.” Said Beau. “Right,” said Twilight, “In order to get the most balanced teams possible, it would take me days to recalculate my distributions.” “She’s exaggerating again.” Teased Beau, “She could come up with calculations of anything within 24 hours and she’d still complain it wasn’t enough.” “Can I help it if I wanted to make sure things were perfect?!” said an annoyed Twilight with her loud voice. “Yes!!” To Twilight’s surprise, everyone in Ponyville said that whilst looking at her before continuing from where they left off, making her grumble at the same time. “Come on, Twi.” Said Rainbow whilst pleading, “Just this once? Fellow Element of Harmony here?” “This coming from a certain pony who tends to be disloyal by charging on their own from time to time?” teased Beau, which caused Rainbow to glare at him. “I’m sorry, Dash.” Said Twilight, whilst not wanting to change her mind, “But it would be unfair to the other ponies if I let only you change things around.” Twilight declared herself whilst saying, “I am committed to being impartial in the pursuit of fun.” “Book reading doesn’t count, Twilight.” Teased Beau, which caused Twilight to glare at her husband. Pinkie giggled from nearby and said, “You know he’s kinda gotcha there, Twi!!” “Ignoring that,” muttered Twilight before speaking to Rainbow, “Besides Rainbow Dash, I’m not sure putting the two of you on the same team would be the…best idea.” “How the heck would you know, you’ve never seen us play.” Said Bolt. “He kinda does have a good point.” Said Beau. “What?” said Rainbow whilst pleading, “Are you kidding me? Bolt and I would be the perfect team. We’d be unstoppable together.” She then realized it was useless and sat down in defeat. “Come on, Twi, you can see how much she wants this.” Said Bolt, “Besides, she just wants me to show the ropes, considering she’s done sports for a long time whilst you…don’t have any sporting talents.” “Excuse me?” said Twilight feeling insulted. “He does have a point, Twi.” Said Applejack from nearby, “Y’all never did anythin’ sporty in yer life. And no, the runnin of the leaves don’t count.” “And Spike did tell you to lose weight, from what he told me.” Said Beau, “Especially now since…you know, you gave birth to Moonlight.” Twilight growled a bit, but sighed and said, “Okay, good point.” “Just…keep it in mind for next year Twi.” Said Bolt before looking at Rainbow and playfully nudging her, “Cheer up Rainbow, there’s always next time. Besides…” Bolt then suddenly smirked and squinted his eyes and said, “I bet you can’t do more touchdowns than me.” Rainbow nearly chocked by what he said, especially whilst widening her eyes. Rainbow chuckled as she smirked at Bolt’s direction, “Did I just seriously heard you make that bet?” Applejack and the others didn’t like that look in Rainbow’s eyes. “Oh boy, this won’t end well.” Said Applejack. “We’ll just have to wait and see, hun.” Said Bucky. ******************************************************************************************************** Soon enough, everypony who had been assigned to two different teams were ready for the big playoff. Both Rainbow and Bolt were on both sides, both smirking as they were ready for the big play. “Remember Rainbow, no using your wings!!” said Beau, “And that goes doubled for the Pegasi on both sides, as well as the Unicorns!!” “Yeah, yeah, we got it!!” said Rainbow whilst feeling annoyed. “Get ready!!” shouted Beau as he and Twilight and a few of their friends were watching, “Three!! Two!!!” The moment when Beau blew the whistle, both sides began to show their all. Rainbow began to run ahead with the ball in her arms whilst Bolt ran after her with full speed. Bolt then tried to play defense with his teammates in order to get past, with Rainbow watching and couldn’t help but admire him showing his loyalty to his team whilst they were playing. During the game, Bolt was now being tackled over by a few ponies who tried to block him during the play. And when it came for the field goal, Rainbow as able to kick it, with a few other ponies trying in vain to stop them. When it came to the offensive, Bolt did his best trying to push past the many ponies, with some attempting to stop them. It was a good game, with the score being tied 12-12. If any of the teams had the ball, they’d win. It was now the last minute of the game, and Bolt was able to grab the ball. This time, the team has to win. Rainbow saw this and stopped with a skid. “Oh, no you don’t!!” said Rainbow before she darted towards him. Both Rainbow Dash and Bolt ran with great pace. Bolt was focused on the goal, whilst Rainbow was focused on him in order to keep him from making a score. This however, didn’t go unnoticed for Beau, Twilight, and their friends when they saw what was going on. Especially Starlight, who came to see the game. And Trixie, who decided to visit Starlight whilst thinking of more magic tricks. “Oh boy.” Said Applejack in worry. “Oh no, oh no.” said Twilight in worry. “Stop you two!!” shouted Rarity with Silver next to her, “You two are going to…!!!” Too late. With great speed, both Bolt and Rainbow Dash ran into one another in a great big bash. Causing the both of them to collapse hard into the ground, with the two of them groaning at the same time. “Oooooohhh.” Muttered their friends when they saw them on the ground. “So much for not rough housing during a game.” Said Pinkie Pie when she decided to stand next to them. “Are…they going to be okay?” asked Trixie in worry. Starlight used a spell and somehow could see their skeletal structures. “Using an X-Ray spell?” said Beau, “Clever.” “Thanks.” Said Starlight in embarrassment. She then stopped her spell and looked at them whilst saying, “Well, good news and bad news.” “You know how I like my desserts first.” Said Beau, which confused the ponies. “Me too.” Said Pinkie Pie with a grin. Starlight immediately caught on what he was saying, causing her to laugh at that, which confused them. “I’ll tell you later.” Whispered Beau. “I did the spell,” said Starlight, “And from the looks of things, no one seems to have any broken bones, so their wings, ribcages, horns, and legs, even arms are going to be alright.” “Give me the veggies.” Said Beau. “They’re gonna have some very bad bruises.” Said Starlight, “Nevertheless, the doctors are going to have to look them over.” “Good thing the Ponyville hospital is on standby.” Said Silver. “You’d think they’d charge more for things like this.” Said Genus. “Oh, they did.” Said Rarity, “But they had to stop due to ponies nearly going on strike for not having enough bits to go through with it.” **************************************************************************************************** After that whole embarrassing ordeal, the games came to an end, and everyone would be ready for the harvests during the fall season. Though from what Bucky told Bolt, Applejack was really ticked off that she couldn’t participate, but then again that’s what happens when you’re pregnant. Both Rainbow and Bolt walked out of the hospital. Thankfully, there weren’t any broken bones or fractures, just mild bruising. Thankfully, with the ointment or other health cares, that was quickly resolved. “Well, that was interesting.” Said Bolt with a smile on his face once the two of them were outside, “Really glad I played the game. That sure brings back memories.” However, he noticed that Rainbow looked down for a bit with her ears drooping. “Uh, you okay there?” asked Bolt. “No,” sighed Rainbow Dash, “I can’t believe I did that.” “Yeah, I know the hospital food was bad and all when we were temporarily inside,” said Bolt, “But I thought that they were going to have to strap you down on the bed to keep you from assaulting the other nurses, considering how you were stuck in there last time.” “W-what?” said Rainbow completely baffled when Bolt didn’t get what she was saying. “I was talking about nearly hurting you!!” “Oh right, that.” Said Bolt. The two of them continued to walk down the path that would lead to a nearby bench for them to sit down. “Why did I have to act like that?” said a downtrodden Rainbow. “I should have just let you scored instead of just running into you like that.” “Hey, come on, you can’t expect every sport to be safe,” said Bolt, “Sometimes it gets dangerous whilst they play this kind of sport, but that’s how it goes. It’s what an athlete does.” “Athletes don’t break the rules to satisfy their egos.” Said Rainbow Dash. “Actually, I think that’s Lightning Dust’s job, given what the others told me.” Said Bolt, “Or in this case Pinkie Pie. Seriously, does that mare ever know to be quiet?” Rainbow couldn’t help but snort at that and said, “Good point.” “Plus, I was the one who made that stupid bet in the first place, remember?” said Bolt. The two of them soon made their way near a bench and sat down. “You know in a strange way, I always got use to my world’s natural order of fall season,” said Bolt, “But seeing all this done by Ponykind. I can’t help but wonder why humans don’t have that kind of power. Could save a lot of time and trouble.” Rainbow chuckled at that and said, “Yeah, that would be interesting to see.” However, Rainbow felt a bit down, and said, “I just don’t wanna mess this up.” “Mess what up?” asked Bolt in confusion. “You know, us.” Said Rainbow Dash, which Bolt was still confused, “Like, I’m friends with a lot of ponies, the awesome mare that I am.” Bolt couldn’t help but roll his eyes in amusement. “But I really can’t think of anyone else who I really feel I get.” Said Rainbow Dash, “Like, you’re the chilliest dude I know, and I don’t ever want that to go away, just because I pulled some dumb stunt like that.” Bolt couldn’t help but smirk and said, “You like me, don’t you?” Rainbow’s face went bright red, and instantly looked away. “Pff, no.” said Rainbow as she tried to deny it with her eyes closed and turned her head. “No offense, but I’m not into any of that romance trash.” Bolt couldn’t help but chuckle at that. And seeing that nothing was going to make her convince her, he’ll have to make a move on his own. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, causing Rainbow to widen her eyes surprised whilst keeping her blush and looked at Bolt. “Don’t worry,” said Bolt, “The feeling’s mutual.” Rainbow was speechless whilst her eyes were still widened and her blush still on her face whilst her wings were flaring at the same time. She slightly pouted and kept her arms crossed whilst slightly moaning from the embarrassment at the same time. She then slowly went over to him. The moment she was close enough, Bolt wrapped his arm around her hip and pulled her closer, even Rainbow wrapped her wing around him. She felt a hand on her chin, causing her to look at Bolt. He then gently placed his lips against hers. Though she was still blushing, she closed her eyes. Not being able to control herself, she lunged onto him, making him collapse onto the ground. Their lips were still connected, until the two of them broke it and the two of them looked at one another. “Wow,” said Bolt, “Usually it’s the guy who likes to be on top of the girl. Or in this case, the mare.” “Shut it, dork.” Mumbled Rainbow, but still kept her smile at the same time. However, their moment was interrupted by none other than the rest of the Mane 6, along with the husband 3 and boyfriend, who somehow found it amusing whilst the girls blushed, that Rainbow would act somewhat girlish for once. As well as found her human. “Um, should we come back later?” asked Fluttershy timidly. “Enjoying ourselves are we?” teased Bucky. Both Rainbow and Bolt stared back in shock and embarrassment, though mostly Rainbow. Suddenly, Rainbow bolted away in a state of panic and embarrassment and accidentally kicked Bolt in the gut, causing him to fall flat on his back, whilst Rainbow flew off so fast, that she created a sonic Rainboom in the process. Bolt on the other hand was groaning on the ground from the kick. The rest came over and bent over whilst watching in amusement. “Oh, we’re really sorry about that.” Said Fluttershy. “Yeah, we forgot Rainbow’s not comfortable with things like that yet.” Said Genus. “Though some forewarning would have been much appreciated however.” Said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow whilst holding Moonlight. “I don’t think those two would pay attention to anything that we’d say, Twilight.” Said Beau. “My, my, Bolt.” Said Rarity in amusement, “I never pictured you as the lady killing type.” “Then again, Rainbow’s not one to just accept the romancing thing right of the bat either.” Said Silver. “Though, what was that all…?” asked Applejack before being cut off. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Groaned Bolt. “I thought you two were supposed to be resting after you got out of the hospital?” asked Bucky. “We are,” said Bolt, “We were lucky that we didn’t get any broken bones, just bruises.” They helped Bolt up whilst dusting himself off. Bolt watched the area where Rainbow had flown off to, though a bit disappointed that she flew off like that, he couldn’t help but stare at the sky. Then he remembered what the others told him about Cloudsdale. That was enough for him to wanting to go and explore the place. Though he remembered that he can’t walk on clouds, considering only Pegasi, as well as Alicorns, are the only ones who can be up there. Come to think of it, same with those who can fly, like Dragons, Griffons and so on. He had always wondered what it looked like. “Hey Twilight,” said Bolt, “I was wondering if I could ask you for help with something.” “Oh?” said Twilight with a flexed eyebrow, “What is it?” Before Bolt could say anything, that’s when they heard a woosh sound. That’s when they saw Rainbow, who was still a blushing mess, and also wondered what this was all about. “Er, Bolt?” asked Rainbow. “Yes?” asked Bolt. Rainbow still blushed a bit, but then she whispered to his ear. After a few moments, Bolt was a little surprised, but nonetheless… “Sure Rainbow, just let me know when.” Asked Bolt. “Sweet!!” said Rainbow in excitement, then blushed again and said, “Er…mind if you accompany me?” “Sure thing.” Said Bolt, then he turned to Twilight and said, “I’ll ask tomorrow Twilight.” Rainbow grabbed Bolt, causing the two of them to be elsewhere, with the rest of the ponies and humans still surprised. Bucky chuckled a bit and said, “About time Bolt found himself a special somepony.” “Didn’t think Rainbow would finally drop her anti-romance fit.” Said Applejack. “Still, I wonder what he wanted to ask me?” said Twilight. “I’m sure we’ll get an answer out of that soon.” Said Beau. ************************************************************************************************** “I’m sorry what?” said a confused Twilight. It had been a day since the embarrassing ordeal for Rainbow and Bolt, but true to his word, he came by and asked Twilight for a favor. “You heard me,” said Bolt, “You wouldn’t happen to know a spell that would help me stand on clouds on Cloudsdale, do you? I always wanted to know what the place looked like.” Twilight hummed a bit whilst she was in thought. “I suppose I can help,” said Twilight, “But I don’t think the cloud walking spell would do you any good, same with the wings.” “What do you mean?” asked Bolt. “What she means is,” said Beau whilst walking towards them and held a book whilst going through it, “The cloud walking spell’s only temporary. Even if you do, you’d need to constantly recast it, especially stock up on potions, which in my opinion is not possible. And from what Twilight told me, Rarity tried the wing spell, but they burnt up the moment she flew too close to the sun. Huh, kind of reminds me of that old mythology about Icarus.” “Why did it do that?” asked Bolt, “And why the heck did Rarity do that?” “Well for one, they were butterfly wings and they’re very sensitive.” Said Beau, which shocked Bolt. “No way I’m going to have butterfly wings on my back!!” exclaimed Bolt in shock. “Figured as much.” Said Beau whilst he couldn’t help but chuckle at that reaction, even Twilight found it amusing. “And also, Rarity wanted to show off and make Rainbow twice as nervous.” “Seriously?” said Bolt. “And in case you wonder,” said Beau whilst showing a picture, “This is what she looked like.” Bolt took a look at it, and sees Rarity in those wings, which ended up making him laugh extremely hard, especially with all that makeup. “No offense,” said Bolt, “But seeing all that makeup, makes Rarity look like a peacock who worked at a makeup factory. More importantly the butterfly wings make her look fat.” This surprised the two of them as they looked at the picture again. “You know, now that I’m seeing that, he does have a point.” Said Beau, “The wings don’t go that well for her anyway.” “And the makeup is a bit much.” Said Twilight. Beau took another look at the spell book. After going through a few pages, he had found what he was looking for. “Ah, here we go.” Said Beau, before giving the book to Twilight. “This will do nicely.” Twilight looked at it, and flexed her eyebrow. “Strange, I don’t remember learning about this spell.” Beau did a mock gasp and said, “Does that mean my brainy wife actually skipped a spell when she said she’d learn every single spell. You are slipping, Twilight Sparkle.” This caused Twilight to glare at him whilst Moonlight giggled at her mother’s reaction. “Ah, none of that.” Said Beau when he felt the glare from his wife, then he whispered to her, “Or no more destressing snuggles and happy time.” This caused Twilight to blush madly at what he said, which in turn made her groan at that. “Fine.” Groaned Twilight. Then she turned to Bolt and said, “Alright then Bolt, here we go.” Twilight used her magic to cast her spell, allowing a simple cloud to appear. But after some hard work and embusing her magic in it, the cloud began to look from normal to blue looking. This confused Bolt when he looked at the cloud, then back to Twilight and Beau. “So, give it a whirl.” Said Beau. Bolt took a breath and took his first step on the cloud. Once that was done, he was able to stand on it. Surprisingly, he can be perfectly balanced on it. Then he rode on it like a skateboard all around the room. “Hey, this is fun!!” said Bolt before he fell backwards whilst in the air, then the cloud easily caught him before he hit it hard on the ground. He looked below and noticed the cloud caught him. “That’s a new one.” “The spell on the cloud allows it to help you float,” said Twilight, “That way you won’t have to worry about falling, you’ll be able to be among the clouds, and you’ll be able to see what’s going on above.” “Not to mention the cloud will automatically catch you when you start falling.” Said Beau. “But what would happen if someone were to somehow to use a magic draining spell, which would cause everything magic related to be sucked away and everything would fall and go splat?” asked Bolt. This baffled both Twilight and Beau as they looked at one another, then to Bolt. “That was oddly specific.” Said Twilight. “Good, glad I wasn’t the only one.” Said Beau. “Thanks again, Twilight and Beau!!” said Bolt, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta certain Pegasus to surprise!!” Bolt immediately flew out of the window and straight towards the sky. Both Beau and Twilight looked outside as Bolt was flying. “He seems happy.” Said Beau. “Looks that way.” Said Twilight. She then looked at Beau, and ended up smirking. “Now then, about that snuggle.” “I’m sorry what?” said Beau before he felt Twilight’s magic dragging him off from the window. ************************************************************************************************** Bolt flew up towards Cloudsdale, and when he got there, he was greatly surprised. For the place up in the clouds looks amazing. “Whoa,” muttered Bolt, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” That’s when he decided to look around the place to find Rainbow Dash. That was, until he bumped into a certain mail pony with the cross eyes. Her name was Derpy. “Excuse me, do you happen to know where Rainbow Dash is?” asked Bolt. “Right down there,” said Derpy whilst pointing at her house, “You can’t miss it.” “Thanks.” Said Bolt before darting off. Derpy flew for a bit until she blinked and looked back. “Did the human just fly?” asked Derpy to herself. Then she snorted and went, “Nah, it couldn’t be.” She then flew off to continue her deliveries. Bolt continued to fly towards Rainbow’s house, and was surprised how big it was the moment he stopped near it. “Wow, compensating much?” said Bolt in amusement. He used the cloud to fly towards the window. But then he stopped to make sure she wasn’t taking a shower. When he didn’t hear anything, he took a peak at the window. And there she was, taking a nap and snoring. “Daw, she’s so cute when she’s snoring.” Said Bolt. Then suddenly something clicked in his mind. Then he smirked as he just had an idea. “Oh, I always wanted to do this.” Bolt then used the cloud to silently sneak inside and tested if the bed was solid. He placed his hand on it and was thankful that it was. He silently went to bed and opened the cover, allowing him to enter. Then he took some face paint out that he was saving for such an occasion and painted his face to look like a badger’s. Once it was dry, he then rested his head on a pillow and looked at the back of her head. Rainbow turned around with a smile on her face whilst she was resting. Bolt then began to do some heavy breathing with his teeth. Causing Rainbow to stir. She slowly opened her eyes, but then sharpy opened them as she was in shock, whilst Bolt was staring at her with wide eyes and bearing teeth. “Hiya buddy.” Said Bolt in a different accent. Rainbow yelped loudly and screamed in panic before falling off of the bed, causing Bolt to laugh hard and collapsed onto the cloud whilst he was kicking. “You should’ve seen the look on your face!!” shouted Bolt. However, Rainbow got up and glared angrily, gaining Bolt’s attention, “Uh oh.” Bolt used the cloud to instantly fly out of the room. “Get back here!!” shouted Rainbow as she flew after Bolt. Bolt flew near the weather factory and saw a ton of ponies there. “Huh, so that’s what they’re…” said Bolt before Rainbow tackled him over, causing them to land into the water. “Alright, talk!!” shouted Rainbow the moment they got out and she was shaking him, “What’s the big idea of…!!” Rainbow blinked in shock and said Bolt once the paint was washed off. “Bolt?!” “Hi Rainbow.” Said Bolt with a weary smile. “How did you get up here?!” said Rainbow. “I asked Twilight to cast a spell so that I can be up in Cloudsdale.” Said Bolt, “I even have my own personal cloud.” Rainbow sees the cloud floating next to him, which surprises her. “Huh,” said Rainbow with a flexed eyebrow, “I didn’t know there was a spell for that.” “You and me both.” Said Bolt. Rainbow then shook her head and looked at Bolt. “But what are you doing up here?” Suddenly Bolt smirks and said, “Does this answer your question?” He suddenly grabs Rainbow’s face and pulls her to his lips, taking her completely by surprise with wide eyes. She ended up closing her eyes and held him close with a slight moan. The two of them broke their kiss and couldn’t help but smile at one another whilst Rainbow was blushing. “Yo, Rainbow!!” Rainbow turned her head and saw Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Soaring flying. “What’s going on?” said Soarin, “We saw you flying in a rush and didn’t respond when we called you.” That’s when they noticed Bolt whilst he waved to them. “Oh hey, you’re that human who saved Rainbow.” Said Fleetfoot before flying down, “What are you doing here?” “He came to visit me.” Said Rainbow. “Oh,” said Spitfire whilst teasing, “Is he your special somepony?” Rainbow blushed a bit before using her wing to pull Bolt close, and muttered, “Yes.” ************************************************************************************************** After that whole ordeal, Bolt was riding on his cloud, with Rainbow flying by his side. But at the same time, many of the Pegasi were surprised to see a human, and one that can fly on a cloud of all things. “So, what brings you up here?” asked Rainbow. “Well for one I wanted to visit you.” Said Bolt, “Ever since I saw you fly up to your home, I was wondering what this place looked like. And I’m surprised to see it with my own eyes. Heck, you’d mistake this place for Olympus if need be.” “Olympus?” said Rainbow in confusion. “Beau told me that in his world of Greek mythology, Olympus is sort of the heaves of the gods.” Said Bolt. “Wow, now that’s my kind of myth.” Said Rainbow. Bolt then looked around and noticed the Pegasi were staring at him. “Uh, why are they looking at me like that?” asked Bolt. “You’re a human for one,” said Rainbow, “Some of the Pegasi had seen you and the others back in Ponyville, but no one had ever visited Cloudsdale, especially without wings and on a cloud.” “Understandable.” Said Bolt whilst looking around, “You know, I wouldn’t mind living in a place like this.” This caused Rainbow to perk up and look at him surprised, “Really?” “Well, yeah, it’s very peaceful up here.” Said Bolt, “Only problem is, where do I live and where do I find a job up here. Weather factory is way out of my league, as I have no idea how they work.” “So, what other skills do you have?” asked Rainbow. “Well, I do have some coaching skills.” Said Bolt. “You coach?” asked Rainbow surprised. “Yeah, back on my world, my cousins used to coach at college,” said Bolt, “They trained at least over fifty players.” Rainbow thought about it for a moment, then it clicked as she had an idea. “You know,” said Rainbow, “You could always coach on Cloudsdale.” “Wait, what?” said Bolt, looking at Rainbow. “Yeah, there’s a place near Flight School where they teach young Pegasi on how to be athletic, it helps inspire the next generation of Pegasi to working the weathers, wanting to become Wonderbolts, joining the Military, and so on.” “Hmmm,” pondered Bolt for a moment, “I guess that can work. But…” Bolt groaned and said, “But then I’d have to resign working at the farm back at Sweet Apple Acres.” “Don’t you like it?” asked Rainbow. “Don’t get me wrong, working on a place like that is good for the body,” said Bolt, “But farm life just isn’t for me.” “I hear ya.” Said Rainbow, “Don’t get me wrong, the Apple family always does a good job at working the farms, but I’d get bored really fast for doing something so slow.” “Prefer the fast and furious version?” asked Bolt. Rainbow wanted to say something but looked at Bolt surprised. “Huh, fast and furious,” said Rainbow, “That kinda has a nice ring to it.” “It’s what the movie’s called.” Said Bolt, “They first show how they drive fast and furious, but in the end, they show how the bond of family is strong. If there was a way, I’d bring the movie over to Equestria so that you could see it yourself.” Rainbow chuckled at that, and said, “I think me and my friends would like that.” Bolt then asked, “And the other, where am I going to live, I doubt there’ll be a place for me to live here.” Rainbow thought about it, but then had a deep blush on her face for a bit. Then said, “You could…always move in with me.” This caused Bolt to stop his cloud in shock, which caused Rainbow to stop and look at him with a flexed eyebrow. “I’m sorry, what?” asked Bolt. “What, I’ve got a spare room.” Said Rainbow, “Plus you’d be at a place close to your workspace.” Bolt looked at her for a few moments, but then he smirked and said, “You wanted us to try the dating thing without anyone else seeing us, don’t you?” This caused Rainbow to blush madly at this, with her responding with, “S-shut up!!” Bolt couldn’t help but laugh at that reaction. Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh with Bolt as well. ************************************************************************************************* The next day, Rainbow was busy making lunch and munched on a carrot. Then she heard knocking on the door, gaining her attention and looked to where the noise was coming from. “Huh? Who could that be?” asked Rainbow to herself before she flew off. She landed near the front door and opened it. To her surprise, it was Bolt, holding some of his clothing and belongings. “Bolt?” said Rainbow surprised, “What are you doing here?” “Well, I decided to take you up on your offer.” Said Bolt, “I’ll try to apply a coaching job to train young Pegasi. I think my coaching skills can come in handy.” “That’s great.” Said Rainbow as she gestured him to come inside, to which he did. “But what about Bucky and AJ, what did they say?” “Bucky and Applejack understood,” said Bolt, “Especially Bucky, cause he could tell the job wasn’t for me.” “That’s nice of him.” Said Rainbow, “Anyway, I thought about what you said and went over to the Pegasi school. I was able to get you an appointment to that school to coach the Pegasi.” “Really? Thanks.” Said Bolt as he placed his box, “I really owe you one.” “Eh, no big.” Said Rainbow whilst waving it off. But then she noticed Bolt was giving her a smirk look, which left her confused. “What?” Before Rainbow could react, Bolt rushed over and grabbed her, lifting her up and pinning her against the wall before placing his lips against hers, taking her completely off guard and complete surprise. She responded by wrapping her arms and legs around him before moaning into the kiss as well. The two of them broke the kiss and looked at one another whilst Rainbow was blushing and smiling at the same time. “Bout time.” Muttered Rainbow. “I really missed that.” “Thanks again for letting me stay here.” Said Bolt whilst smiling too. He then took a whiff and said, “Coffee, I presume?” “You’ve got a good nose.” Said Rainbow. The two of them went to the kitchen to have some lunch and some coffee at the same time. ************************************************************************************************* Two months had passed since Bolt moved in with Rainbow, and so far things had been okay, especially with the two of them dating, despite Rainbow wanted to keep it a secret, and wasn’t interested in the whole “mushy” stuff. The two of them got along greatly and the Pegasi quickly got used to Bolt, even the teachers near the Pegasi school appreciated him and his coaching skills. One day, below the castle of Friendship, both Twilight and Beau were busy looking after Moonlight and chose to stay behind at the Castle for the day. Spike on the other hand decided to go out of town to visit Ember, though then again, I think he was trying to find a way to cheer himself up. “I still can’t believe Spike hasn’t gotten over Rarity.” Said Beau whilst checking on the baby bottle to make sure the temperature was just right for Moonlight, “You’d think he’d get the picture and move on already.” “Spike’s always been on the stubborn side.” Said Twilight. Beau couldn’t help but smirk and look at her with a flexed eyebrow. “Now where did he learn that from?” teased Beau. Twilight pouted and glared at him for that, but Moonlight laughed, agreeing with her dad, which Twilight sighed in defeat. The two of them heard a knock at the castle doors, confusing them at the same time. “Now who the heck could that be?” asked Beau. “I’ll go see who it is.” Said Twilight, “Could you watch after Moonlight whilst I go check?” “Sure, gotta feed her formula anyway.” Said Beau whilst accepting Moonlight at the same time. “Alright Moonlight, you’re a very clever girl, can you tell me if the bottle is the right temperature?” Moonlight babbled a bit in baby talk, but at the same time, used her magic to take the formula out and inspect it with her eyes. She stuck her tongue out and let a drop fall on it. She smacked her lips a few times to see if it was right. She nodded and took the bottle in her little hands and drank it. Beau was baffled by what he saw. But then he laughed and said, “I can’t believe someone with my high education just got schooled by a baby.” At the same time, Twilight walked to the front door and answered it. When she looked, she saw Bolt. At first she was glad to see him, but then she noticed that he had a troubled look on his face. “Bolt?” asked Twilight, “Is something wrong?” “I need some advice.” said Bolt, but then he groaned and held his head, indicating that he had a headache. “May I come in.” “Of course, come on in.” said Twilight whilst she guided Bolt inside. The two of them soon made their way towards the living room for what Bolt was asking for. However, at the same time, Beau walked in with Moonlight in his arms. He was surprised to see Bolt there. “Bolt?” said Beau surprised, “What are you doing here?” “He came here looking for advice,” said Twilight before Beau sat down next to her, with Moonlight in his arms. Twilight looked at Bolt and asked, “Which I’m guessing has something to do with Rainbow Dash?” “Before we get to that,” said Beau, then looked at Bolt and asked, “How was your stay at Cloudsdale? I know it’s been two months, but just curious.” “Oh, it’s going great.” Said Bolt, “The Pegasi are nice up there, and it took them a while to get used to a human living with them. The job I have to train Pegasi on how to stay in shape is also going well. And Rainbow and me going out is going well so far.” Bolt looked sideways and said, “That was until her parents found out about us.” “Oh no,” said Twilight in concern, “They didn’t do anything rash, did they?” “Oh no, they were completely supportive of me and Rainbow,” said Bolt, “Though they were a little overbearing, praising her for everything she does. Although…after they left, uh…” “What?” said Twilight in confusion. “It’s like this,” said Bolt, “One moment she goes from the energetic awesome flyer to a raging bird trying to kick me out of the nest. All we did was mess around, talking about how cute she was when she blushes. It was supposed to be harmless, but then she flew up to her room and almost got buried alive underneath her trophies. I went upstairs and helped her out of the mess, then helped her clean her room. After that, she started screaming and glaring at me. I don’t know what it was that I did that might have ticked her off that badly.” “Oh, boy.” Said Beau, “Somehow I knew she’d do that.” Twilight pondered for a bit, then gave her two cents. Er, two bits in this case. “Well, I suppose I should let you know that… Rainbow Dash, despite how outgoing and energetic she is, she’s also pretty insecure about how others judge her the wrong way. She’s just afraid to try and come out of her tough shell. Give her some time to cool down and then try to apologize to her later.” “Trust me, she’s not one to hold onto grudges.” Said Beau, “Well, except that onetime with Lightning Dust and those Pegasi bullies, but that’s another story.” “That sounds about right.” Said Bolt, causing the three of them to chuckle. “You know I love Dash like no other. The fact that she’s so strong and independent, coupled with the fact that she’s no doubt more loyal than anyone I’ve ever met, just drives me crazy. She’s a really special mare.” “Then you know what you have to do to make things right.” Said Twilight. She then noticed something and pointed, “Also, why are you rubbing your head like that? Do you have a headache?” “Yeah, I don’t know how, but something tells me that scream of hers might have been the cause for this headache,” replied Bolt, rubbing your head. Twilight giggled, but noticed Beau was staring at something. “Something wrong, Beau?” asked Twilight. Beau gently placed Moonlight in Twilight’s lap and went over to inspect his head. Then he looked at the scar behind, which then Beau realized something. “I know the cause, and it’s partially Rainbow’s yelling.” Said Beau. “What now?” said a confused Bolt. Beau sat back down next to Twilight, with the latter looking confused. “You’re feeling the after effects from when you fell down the ladder.” Said Beau, which surprised the two. “Come again?” said a confused Bolt. “Put it this way.” Said Beau, “When the others and I died, we still felt the after effects. Both Genus and I had difficult time of breathing, because I drowned and Genus inhaled gas. Bucky felt a pain in his chest because that’s where he got hit. And sometimes Silver feels like he’s on fire because he died in an explosion. You’re still feeling the effects from your fall.” “But it’s been a long time, how the heck can that happen?” said Bolt. “Trust me, the human body has a habit of not letting your forget and the slight pain.” Said Beau. “How did you know about that?” asked Twilight surprised. “I also studied to be a doctor.” Said Beau, “Gotta be prepared.” Twilight giggled at that and stood up. “Just hang on for a moment Bolt, I’ll be right back with the medicine.” Reassured Twilight, “Maybe I’ll even bring an extra bottle for just in case.” As Twilight left, Beau noticed Bolt staring at Moonlight as he was in thought. “Something wrong?” asked Beau. “How did you feel?” asked Bolt, “The day Moonlight was born?” Beau was a little surprised by his question, then looked at Moonlight. When he thought about it, Beau gave his answer. “Truth be told, when I first got here, I thought I’d never belong.” Said Beau, “Twilight accepted me for who I was and, heh, she instead asked me to do the deed and we never even went on our first date.” Beau looked at Moonlight still in his arms. “And when Moonlight came into our lives, we both found out things the hard way.” Said Beau, “How challenging a parent can be. Though Twilight panics about her time as a Princess, and a parent. So, it’s important to try and balance out those things. And to constantly keep Twilight from panicking. Or in this case, Twiley-nanas and Twilighting.” This caused Bolt to have an extremely weird look on his face as he flexed his eyebrow. Beau caught on and said, “Long story, and don’t tell anyone I said that. Point is, when the time comes, just be prepared for that next step. Trust me, it’ll be worth it in the end.” Twilight came back with a few bottles of aspirin to give him for his headaches. “Alright, here you go.” Said Twilight whilst she gave him some of the aspirin and glass of water. ************************************************************************************************* After taking the pills, Bolt decided to head back to Rainbow’s house, wondering if she had cooled down yet. Though given what others said, her temper has a habit to match her ego from time to time. Bolt took a lump down his throat and carefully opened the door whilst going inside. But as he got in, he heard a loud noise up the stairs. When Bolt arrived and took a peak inside, he saw Rainbow was grunting and hitting the wall at the same time, leaving some dents on the inside. ‘Oh boy, she’s still mad.’ Thought Bolt. But then he remembered what Beau had said. So, Bolt took a breath and carefully knocked against the door frame. “Uh, Dash? Mind if we have a chat?” asked Bolt nervously. Within a split second, Rainbow glared at Bolt within a split second, making him yelp and wanted to hide from the glare. However, moments later, her expression softened and let out a sigh. She gestured Bolt to sit down next to her on the bed, which he eventually did. Things were quiet between the two of them and didn’t say anything. Until Rainbow was the one to finally break the ice. “So,” said Rainbow whilst looking at Bolt and crossing her arms, “You gonna tease me some more?” Rainbow didn’t break any eye contact with Bolt, given how her attitude had been. However, instead of saying anything, Bolt sighed and gently pulled her into a nice hug whilst laying her head against his chest. He even stroked her head, which she had to admit, felt very nice. “No, not if it’s gonna make you feel this way,” said Bolt, “And I wanna say I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were so insecure about yourself. And it was only intended to be harmless fun. Guess I really screwed up when I pissed you off and embarrassed you like that. Can you ever forgive me, Dash?” Things were pretty quiet between the two of them for a moment, until Rainbow giggled, which confused Bolt. “You…you dummy.” Said Rainbow before breaking the hug and looking at him with a smile. “I can’t stay mad at you for something so stupid and minor, especially after that apology.” Before Bolt could react, Rainbow pounced on him for a passionate kiss, allowing her to be on top of him whilst they were on the bed. At first Bolt was surprised by this, but couldn’t help himself as he embraced her whilst savoring every moment. But this time, something was different about her behavior. For during the passionate kiss, Rainbow’s moves became more erotic, her moans were more lude and her tongue wanted to go in his mouth whilst they were making out at the same time. The two of them broke the kiss whilst Bolt was partially stunned by what she did. “Rainbow…what’s…?” “Come on, you should know by now, stud.” Said Rainbow in a teasing tone. “I’m in the mood for a good bucking, and I ain’t gonna miss out any longer.” Bolt squinted at this, as he could tell that she has a hint of fear, whilst trying to mask it with her so-called confidence. “Have you…done it before?” asked Bolt carefully. Rainbow blushed at that and was nervous at the same time. “N-nope…you’re gonna be my first time.” Said Rainbow whilst quickly trying to cover it with a sassy comeback. She then ended up booping him on the nose as she asked, “The question is…have you done this before?” “Nope,” said Bolt, “Never went on a date before I met you. And no…. I’m…still a virgin.” Once again, Rainbow made out with him whilst Bolt shuddered when she kissed him on the lips, and then on the neck. Bolt ended up massaging her thighs during the make out, which Rainbow responds with a moan of her own. Soon enough, the both of them took their shirts off, whilst Rainbow revealed her D-cup bust. ‘This is gonna be a fun night.’ Thought Bolt. ************************************************************************************************* For the next past hour, the two of them have engaged their intimate relationship. Both Bolt and Rainbow’s clothes were all over the place whilst the two of them had gotten to the main event. Rainbow was on the bed on all fours whilst her flank was sticking out, and Bolt ploughed her hard, as wet slaps could be heard during their constant love-making. Bolt continued to pound her away whilst Rainbow’s moans of pain slowly escalated into moans. Her moans of pain turned into moans of pleasure as Bolt clenched his teeth whilst feeling her inner walls tighten at the same time. Her breasts jiggled up and down from the furious pounding. There was still pain of course, but the both of them were enjoying the sweet love making. “Oh, y-yes!! YES! YES! THAT’S IT! BUCK ME GOOD! I’VE BEEN SUCH A BAD MARE!” shouted Rainbow in ecstasy. “OH YES, BUCK ME INTO OBLIVION!!” Bolt continued with the amount of force for the tough love between the two of them. Rainbow’s eyes rolled to the back of her head like a sex-hungry lunatic and it was really getting to her. No more words were exchanged as all they could hear, was the sound of love making in…er…you know what I mean. “D-Dash.. I-It’s coming! It’s coming!” shouted Bolt. Bolt took his hands off of her breasts so he could instead dig his fingers into her sides and feeling her sweaty fur. “DO IT, BOLT! FILL ME UP! LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I WANT YOU TO BLOW YOU HUGE LOAD DEEP INSIDE ME! DON’T HOLD BACK!!!” she shouts in ecstasy. Both Rainbow and Bolt shouted from the top of their lungs as the both of them orgasmed with all they had. Once that died down, Bolt pulled out and sat on his knees in exhaustion, with Rainbow collapsing on her front whilst moaning softly on the bed at the same time. With what strength Bolt had, he went to bed and laid on his front as well, scooting next to Rainbow until the two of them faced one another. As they smiled, Rainbow unfurled one of her wings and covered his back like a warm blanket. Adoring the feathery embrace, Bolt pressed his lips against hers gently and danced his tongue within hers. The two of them held that kiss for a minute before pulling away. Bolt grabbed the blanket and covered the both of them and said, “You do realize what’s going to happen later in a few months, since you made me blow my load inside you, right Dashie?” Rainbow couldn’t help but snort at that and said, “So what? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the Element of Loyalty. Sure, I’ll have to take a few months off the Wonderbolts whilst I’m going into labor, but I’m more loyal to you than the team.” Rainbow nuzzled against Bolt’s face, to which he enjoyed. “Prepare yourself Bolt, cause we’re about to become and start a family.” Said Rainbow. Bolt returned the nuzzle and said, “I can’t wait to see what our kid’s gonna be like. Best part is, they’re gonna have the most awesome mother and pretty hardcore father. Right…huh?” “Push, you’re such a dork, you know that?” Rainbow asked before playfully jabbing him on the arm. “But I still love you, Bolt.” “I love you too, Rainbow Dash.” Soon enough, they used the blanket to cover themselves before the fatigue kicked in whilst they slowly closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep. With the hot-headed speedster by Bolt’s side, and a brand-new life being created, things were really turning out for the better. For if there’s one thing Bolt wouldn’t change, it’s the fact that his life was only just the beginning and Rainbow Dash sticking by his side no matter what.
Chapter 21: A Hearth's Warming TailIt had been a month since Rainbow and Bolt did the deed and right now, from what Bolt and the human residents have heard, is close to Hearth’s Warming Eve, which is another word for Christmas, and is about a month away. As Beau took out the box of decorations, he thought about the holiday and asked Twilight for information. “Twi, can I ask you something?” asked Beau. However, he didn’t get any response from her. “Twi?” He took a peak and noticed Twilight was reading a book whilst bending over, causing Beau to face fault from what we was seeing. But seeing that she was in the perfect position, he couldn’t help but smirk. He gently placed the box down and snuck up behind her. Once he was close enough, he quietly bent over and gave her tushy a light pinch, causing her to instantly yelp and stand up straight and blushed at the same time. “B-Beau!!” said Twilight whilst looking at him all flustered. “Sorry, it was the only way to get your attention.” Said Beau. Twilight huffed a bit, but sighed, knowing the reason why he did that. “What is it?” “What can you tell about Hearth’s Warming Eve?” asked Beau. “Didn’t you read it?” asked Twilight. “Didn’t get the chance to.” Said Beau, then smirked and said, “I’d rather hear it from your angelic voice.” Twilight blushed, but playfully groaned at that and kissed him by the cheek, “Alright, you hairless ape.” Suddenly Beau acted like an ape and tickled Twilight, causing the latter to laugh uncontrollably before they collapsed onto the couch with Twilight being on top, with the two of them laughing at the same time. “So, about that information?” asked Beau. “Well…” said Twilight whilst she thought about it and rested on her arms whilst staring at him. “Long ago, before Equestria, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi once lived in separate kingdoms. The Pegasi controlled the weather and because of them, helped water the plants and crops so that they could grow their food and receive water, whilst the Unicorns brought day and night.” “So, this was before Celestia and Luna?” Asked Beau. “That’s right,” said Twilight, “Only problem was, each of the tribes didn’t care about one another, and there was also mistrust.” “Oi.” Muttered Beau with rolling eyes, gaining Twilight’s attention. “What?” asked Twilight out of curiosity. “Back on my world, it’s the same thing,” said Beau, “But there was a difference between them. For you ponies, some have horns, some have wings, and some had none. Whilst in my world, it’s because of the color of our skins and what they look like.” “Really?” asked a surprised Twilight whilst lifting her head. “Trust me,” said Beau, “It’s a lot worse than it sounds. Ahem, continue.” “Whilst the Pegasi did the weather and the Unicorns did the sun and moon,” said Twilight, “They asked for food in exchange for them, which of course didn’t sit well for some. Overtime, their disagreements had festered, and in time, the Windigos arrived.” “Windigos?” asked Beau, “You mean Wendigos?” “Nope, Windigos,” said Twilight, “Evil spirits that create eternal winter and only appear when there is great conflict between races or kingdoms.” “And let me guess,” said Beau whilst deadpanning, “Both tribes blamed one another when they thought the Unicorns and Pegasi were causing them?” “That’s right, especially since Chancellor Puddinghead, the leader of the Earth Ponies, ate the food because she was…” “A gluttonous pig?” guessed Beau. “That’s right.” Said Twilight. “Soon enough, Chancellor Pudding Head, the leader of the Earth Ponies, along with Commander Hurricane, leader of the Pegasi, and Princess Platinum, leader of the Unicorns, traveled to a different land to find a new home. However, they soon stumbled upon one another, and the three leaders argued once more. But then the Windigos came and froze the three of them. Only their subordinates; a unicorn named Clover the Clever, a Pegasi named Private Pansy, and an earth pony named Secretary Smart Cookie, were the first ones to overcome their differences and realized what they truly needed. In the end, thanks to them, they created new magic that banished the Windigos. And ever since, they were able to convince the leaders to stop being cold to one another, and how in time the fires of Friendship were made, and how every year, creatures of all Equestria celebrate that holiday together, sharing traditions and spending time with one another.” “And in time, both Princesses Celestia and Luna took the reins.” Guessed Beau. “That’s right.” Said Twilight. But then she noticed Beau was in thought. “What?” “You know, Hearth’s Warming reminds me of a holiday similar back home. But we call it Christmas.” “Really?” said Twilight. “It was founded by a Roman emperor named Constantine, during the year 336 AD, about fifteen hundred years ago, I think.” Said Beau, “It also celebrated the birth of a very special person. Overtime, it soon spread all over the world as the holidays celebrate it. It also helps bring families and friends together. They even created a story about a guy named Santa Clause, who makes sure if you’re naughty or nice. If you’re nice, you get presents, but if you’re naughty, you get a lump of coal. They even made Christmas related stories. One of my favorites is a Christmas Carol, where a guy named Scrooge hated Christmas, until the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future came and showed him things that would make him second guess his decisions, and in time, had a change of heart.” “Oh!!” said Twilight, “It almost sounds like a Hearth’s Warming Tale!! That’s one of mine and Spike’s favorites.” “Wow, add another thing we have in common on the list.” Joked Beau, which caused the two of them to laugh at that. Suddenly, they heard a loud thud and looked within the box of decorations. There sat Moonlight, being decorated with ornaments, and laughed, causing the two of them to coo at that. Twilight picked Moonlight up and placed her on her lap. Beau also had a look on his face, something that Twilight noticed. “Beau?” asked Twilight in concern. “It’ll be Moonlight’s first Hearth’s Warming Eve.” Said Beau, then he looked sad and said, “And it’ll be my first too and…away from home.” Twilight placed her hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention. “It’s alright, Beau.” Said Twilight, “You at least reassured your mother that you would be alright, and now you’re not the only human in Equestria anymore.” “I know.” Said Beau, “But it’s still hard, you know?” “Tell you what,” said Twilight, “After the party, we’ll visit the girls at Canterlot City. You’ll be able to experience a bit over there.” “And I’m sure Moonlight will like it too.” Said Beau, “I just hope she doesn’t freak out over there.” “She instantly recognized the girls there because they look so similar.” Said Twilight. “And some differences,” said Beau before he teased and scratched behind her ear, “You don’t have these cute little ears whenever they twitch.” Twilight pouted for a moment before using her entire body to nudge him at the same time, which caused the two of them to laugh. “Now then,” said Beau as he clapped his hands together and stood up, “I’ll start getting the decorations together so that I can set it up for us.” “That we can set it up.” Said Twilight as she teased, “Don’t think you’re gonna leave me out on celebrating the holiday. And our friends will be coming over too.” The two of them soon left to start with the decorating. ************************************************************************************************* Within an hour, after they were done decorating and left Spike in charge to decorate the castle in order to keep his mind off of things, Beau and Twilight decided to visit Mayor Mare to make the arrangements whilst carrying Moonlight in Twilight’s arms. “Excuse me, we’d like to see Mayor Mare?” said Princess Twilight. “Oh, but of course, Princess, she’s be more than happy to see you.” Said the pony secretary. “Thank you,” said Beau, “Oh, and how’s little Nightwind? I heard he had an accident last week.” “Oh, he’s doing fine.” Said the Secretary, “His wing will take about another week to recover.” “That’s a relief.” Said Beau, “I hope he makes a full recovery.” “Thank you, Prince Beau.” Said the Secretary. Beau and Twilight walked towards Mayor Mare’s office, with Beau saying, “That’s the first time anyone’s ever called me that.” “Well, the two of us are married, so it would make sense that you’d be a prince too.” Said Twilight. “Eh, fair enough.” Said Beau, “Though I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.” When the two of them had entered the office, they saw Mayor Mare was busy with paperwork. When she heard the door open, she looked up and was surprised to see who was coming inside. “Well, this is a surprise.” Said Mayor Mare before placing one of her papers back onto the table, “To what do I owe this visit, Princess Twilight?” “Well, as you know, Hearth’s Warming Eve is around the corner, so we figured we’d do something different.” Said Twilight. “Something different?” asked Mayor Mare. “It was mostly Beau’s idea.” Said Twilight. “See, back on my world, before the start of the holidays, we’d have a party before we celebrate the big day.” Said Beau, “So we figured that we’d like to invite everyone in Ponyville to attend at Twilight’s castle. We just need some of the ponies to set things up inside before the rest arrive.” “Oh, a Hearth’s Warming party,” said Mayor Mare with interest, “Now that’s something to look forward to.” “We’ll send word for those who wish to volunteer so that we’ll be able to get ready by the time all of you arrive.” Said Twilight. “We’ll see you then.” Said Beau as he and Twilight left the building. *************************************************************************************************** The next day right outside, everybody started to sing and prepare for Hearth’s Warming. Beau took a good look outside and smiled when he saw everyone preparing for the festivities. Then he heard a loud knock at the door. “I’ll get it!!” said Spike. Though he sounds excited that Hearth’s Warming Eve is here, some could still hear the depression in his voice. From the sound of his voice, he hasn’t completely overcome what Rarity had said. “Twilight!!” called out Beau, “The girls and guys are here!!” Twilight instantly teleported and appeared next to Beau, “Then let’s going, we have no time to lose.” Twilight grabbed Beau and teleported with him along. The two of them arrived at the front door, and saw Spike had just brought in the rest of the Mane 6, along with the two husbands, one fiancé, and one boyfriend. “Glad you guys could make it.” Said Beau. “Oh, darlings, we would never miss it.” Said Rarity. “Yeah, that idea about us having a Hearth’s Warmin Eve party before the holiday starts was a mighty fine idea.” Said Applejack. “And it’s about time we use the castle for a big party!!” said Pinkie with a bounce when she said, ‘party’. “Well then, let’s get to it.” Said Beau. “Before we do, we got some last-minute things to do first.” Said Rainbow as she and Fluttershy flew out. But as they did, they heard…music? “Wait, is that music?” said Beau. “Yeah, we hear it too.” Said Bucky, with the rest of the humans in the room agreeing. (watch from the beginning to 01:36) “Whoa, is this a thing?” said a confused Silver. “Well of course, darling.” Said Rarity, “After all, sometimes a song can bring up wonders for a pony.” “What the heck is this, Disney?” said a confused Bucky. “What, you guys rehearse this or something?” said a confused Bolt. “Yeah, every Thursday.” Said Pinkie before pulling out a flyer and showed them, “Didn’t you guys see the flyer?” This caused the humans in the room to look confused by this. But merely shrugged and carried on. Soon, everypony in town was busy helping decorating, setting up food, and giving out presents to the fillies and colts and townsfolks as a means of giving, with the humans doing their best to help out, especially since both Bucky and Silver were trying their best to help their wives in order to make sure that they don’t strain themselves because they’re pregnant. So far, everything is setting up great, and as Beau walked up the stairs with Moonlight, he overheard them talking. “Hey, Starlight.” Said Twilight when Beau overheard them, “Ready to celebrate your first Hearth’s Warming Eve in Ponyville?” “I was thinking I might just skip it.” Said Starlight. Beau was shocked to hear this, even Twilight and Spike. Then he overheard her saying that Hearth’s Warming Eve was just about presents and candy. “Why would she think that?” said Beau to himself, “It’s not about the presents, or about the thing that happened since Equestria’s founding. Okay, I’m getting to the bottom of this.” Beau followed closely, and would later find the opportunity to speak to her. ************************************************************************************************* Whilst Twilight and Spike went to fetch the book, Beau on the other hand looked curious. He walked over with Moonlight in his arms. “Why do you want to skip the holidays?” asked Beau. Starlight turned to him in and could see him being concerned whilst holding Moonlight. “Well, it sounds like to me the holiday is about presents and candy, and how they formed the fires of friendship to keep the mythical Windigos away.” “Oh, they’re not a myth, they’re very much real.” Said Beau, causing Starlight to stop in a complete halt with widened eyes. “I’m sorry, what?” said Starlight as she had a confused and worried look at the same time. “I’m surprised Twilight didn’t tell you.” Said Beau, “My ancestor, Achilles Rohan was originally from Equestria, and he stumbled upon the Windigos. Even spoke to them.” This surprised Starlight, and then had an anxious look. “Okay then,” said Starlight whilst giggling nervously, “Now I’m really worried.” “Don’t think too much about it.” Said Beau, “Besides, the holidays are more than just presents and candy, it’s also about spending time with family and friends and making memories that would last for generations. Besides, it’s a tradition.” “I still find it silly.” Said Starlight before she walked. But before she could take another step. “You don’t want to celebrate it because of your mother’s passing, don’t you?” Starlight instantly stopped in shock, then looked at him. “Sunburst told me the last time I saw him.” Said Beau. Starlight sighed and looked down. “Y-yeah.” Said Starlight, “It didn’t feel the same celebrating without my mom. And…after Sunburst left, I didn’t see the point anymore. Hence why I left and never looked back.” Beau walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, “Do you think she’d want you to be like this and not celebrate the holiday with those who want to be your friend?” Starlight looked down and was partially in tears. Suddenly, the two of them heard babbling sounds. They looked at it looked like Moonlight wanted to hug Starlight, so she flew out and gently hugged her, with Starlight smiling slightly and hugged her. “Thanks Moonlight.” Said Starlight. “See, even Moonlight wants you to celebrate.” Said Beau, “Now then, why don’t you go meet Twilight at the library and see what she has in mind to teach you.” “Alright,” said Starlight, then asked, “But what are you going to do?” “Whilst the others distract the guests in the castle, I’ll be baking holiday cookies, no holiday is complete without some cookies.” Starlight looked at him with confusion. “What, it’s also a tradition.” Said Beau, before whispering, “That and Pinkie Pie has a habit of downing every cookie she sees.” Starlight couldn’t help but giggle at that. “And don’t worry, I’ll even save you some cookies and some hot chocolate to go with it.” Said Beau. “Appreciate it.” Said Starlight before going to the library and find Twilight. Beau held onto Moonlight and looked at her. “Now then, Moonlight,” said Beau, “What do you say we go to the kitchen and make some cookies. That’s right, num-num, cookies.” Moonlight giggled at that before Beau walked off to the kitchen with her. *********************************************************************************************** Beau was in the kitchen, singing in Italian of one of his favorite cooking songs of all time. He put the next batch of cookies inside of the oven, and the already baked ones he put in the public bowl for everyone to eat, whilst also filling up cookie jars filled with cookies being addressed to the Mane 6, Spike, Starlight, the CMC, and the humans. However, Beau didn’t noticed that Moonlight was cooing in excitement as she watched the cookies being brought together. Then she looked at the cookie dough and licked her lips, for she really wanted to taste those cookies. She then had a mischievous smile and hovered over the cookie batter. She reached her little hand into the batter, but when she wanted to taste it, her hand was stuck in it the dough. She struggled to pull it out, as she tried to get free before her dad noticed. “There,” said Beau whilst he wiped the sweat from his brow, “Only two more batches to go, and the cookies for the friends, wive, baby, and the guests will be complete.” When all of a sudden, he heard a loud crash, causing him to quickly turn around and saw a hole, as well as the missing cookie batter. “What the…?” muttered Beau. He ran out of the door and followed the hole, until he eventually reached to where Moonlight’s room was. For it revealed she had tried to take the cookie dough to taste it, whilst be bowl was on her head as some of the dough was decorated on her. At the same time, she also had funny clothing on, for she had crashed through the closet. “Uh-oh.” Said Moonlight, for she was in big trouble. “Moonlight!!” said Beau. Though he was disappointed when he saw his daughter was a mess, but fearing for her wellbeing also took over as he quickly picked her up. “You shouldn’t play around like that; you could’ve gotten hurt.” Suddenly, Moonlight teleported out of her father’s hands and played with her toys whilst still being a mess. “Oh, Geez.” Muttered Beau, realizing just how hard it is. Then he shrugged and said, “Oh well, seeing that you’re being adorable like that, might as well take some pictures.” He walked away and said, “But after this, we’re giving you a bath so you best behave.” He then smirked and said, “Otherwise…no more cookies.” This gained her attention as she froze up, then quickly waved her little arms, and shook her head. “Uh-uh, uh-uh.” Pleased Moonlight, not wanting her favorite snack to be taken. Beau smirked and said, “Good girl.” Beau walked away to get the camera, so that he could take the pictures. *********************************************************************************************** After taking pictures of Moonlight, as well as giving her a bath, Moonlight was busy playing with her toys whilst wearing some fresh new clothes. She then felt a presence and looked at her dad, who had a slight frown. “Normally, I’d ground you for causing a mess and would refuse to give you a cookie.” Said Beau, which startled Moonlight, and was teary eyes. “But given how it’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, I’ll let that slide, and give you some free cookies.” The moment when Moonlight sees a jar of cookies, she squealed in delight and grabbed it like a koala, causing Beau to giggle at that. He picked up Moonlight and went over to a cart that he thankfully had put aside to put the others’ cookies in. He walked down the hall and went straight to the main lobby, where everyone were still busy decorating the tree and the Castle. Beau placed the large plate of cookies on the table, until… “Cookies!!!!” Beau placed his hand in the air and stopped something. When he slowly looked to his right, he saw Pinkie Pie in his hand, the one that she stopped. “Pinkie,” scolded Beau, “What did we talk about self-control when it comes to food?” Pinkie fell down onto her flank, then pouted and crossed her arms. “No eating them like a…pig.” “Good girl.” Said Beau, then pulled out different cookie jars with names on them. “Besides, I already made cookies for you guys. And you get a jar each.” “Sweet!!” said Rainbow in excitement as she accepted her jar, even the others. As they took their jars, he noticed Twilight walking down the stairs. “Hey there, glad you could make it.” Said Beau, “I hope it didn’t take too long.” “Thankfully, no.” said Twilight before using her magic to pick up the cider whilst also holding Moonlight Sparkle. “But she’ll be down here in a moment.” Said Spike. That’s when Beau heard a door opening and looked up top, making him smirk. “Which is right now.” They looked up and saw Starlight standing there. “Welcome to the party,” said Twilight with a smile on her face, “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Starlight.” “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Twilight.” Said Starlight with a smile on her own. (watch from 00:10) Everyone began to sing together as all of them got excited. At the end, Beau was silent for a moment. Then looked at Twilight. “Honey, seeing that all of you like to sing, mind if the guys and I also sing something from our world?” asked Beau. Twilight wondered what it was, with Beau motioning the guys to come together. As Bucky played the guitar, Beau began to sing. As they sang, everypony couldn’t help but watch and have smiles of their own, with Moonlight focusing on her father as she couldn’t help but giggle. One thing’s for certain, for many it had been the best Hearth’s Warming Eve ever, and for the humans, their very first Christmas, in another world.
Chapter 22: The saddle-row reviewIt had been about a month since Hearth’s Warming Eve had passed, and already everyone is at work with the new year and new opportunities. However, all focus was now going to be on Manehattan. And right of as this moment, the Mane 6 were walking down the street called… “Welcome, to Saddle Row.” Said Rarity. Rarity wanted to take this opportunity to check on the building she rented to run her business, Rarity 4 U, which is catchy. But the girls didn’t like the idea of her going off on her own, especially since she’s carrying a baby, as well as Applejack. And Fluttershy, which she happens to be a month pregnant. Thankfully, the three husbands, the fiancé and boyfriend, aka, the human 5, accompanied them to make sure that the pregnant ones were okay and the other arrived for extra help just in case. “An entire street lined with the most fashionable boutiques in all of Equestria.” Said Rarity. “Next to the ones in Ponyville, and in Canterlot.” Said Silver whilst holding onto Rarity’s arm. “If it’s supposed to be the most fashionable block of shops,” said Applejack in confusion, “Where’s Stinky Bottom’s Discount Hat Emporium?” “Wait, they actually have a store for that?” asked Bucky. “I suppose it didn’t, make the cut.” Said Rarity whilst straining herself, surprising Applejack a little. “Or maybe it had something to do with the name of the store.” Said Silver. “Meaning?” said Applejack whilst raising a brow. “He mean’s the pony’s name.” said Bolt, “I mean come on, a pony with that kind of name, other folks would think he literally has a stinky bottom.” This caused Rainbow to chuckle at that, and Applejack glaring at them. “You know, he may have a point.” Said Beau, “I remember this onetime when there was a show that talked about historical figures, but in a cartoony way.” “Which historical figure?” asked Twilight. “About a guy that was famous for inventing a sandwich.” Said Beau, “But when they helped him invent it, he gave the stupidest name ever.” “Oh yeah, I remember that.” Said Bucky as the rest of the humans also know what he was talking about. “What did he call it?” asked Pinkie Pie. “Stinky pile of poo.” Said the humans. This caused the Mane 6 to look at their husbands in shock and disgust. “Why in Equestria would he give it such a disgusting name?!” exclaimed Rarity. “Apparently he named it after his mother because it was her maiden name.” said Genus whilst rolling his eyes. This again, shocked the ponies. “Er, okay.” Said a slowly disturbed Applejack, “Ah can see what y’all mean.” Rarity then gasped as she saw the building. “Here it is!! Rarity 4 U!!” exclaimed Rarity as all of them stood next to the building. However, as they entered the building, though it looked nice, it was very dusty on the inside. “That can’t be right.” Said Silver. “Whatever do you mean, darling?” asked Rarity. “I hired a cleaning service to clean up the place before we got here.” Said Silver, “They didn’t show up at all.” This surprised Rarity as well. “Hmm, that is strange.” “Rarity, it’s lovely.” Said Twilight, “But are you sure you’ll be ready to open tonight?” “Yeah, I mean shouldn’t you have cleaned the place, organize it, have all your latest trends ready, and have them all ready for opening day before we got here?” said Beau. Pinkie then suddenly sniffed a pile of dust, causing it to go into her nose. She then let out a large sneeze, causing the dust to fly around and covering everyone around them. “Least she didn’t spray it.” Said Bolt in a deadpanned tone. “No need to fret over a mere moderate amount of preparation.” Reassured Rarity before she handed cleaning supplies to them. “My clothes arrive soon, my sale associate after that, and with a little…dusting, we’ll be ready for the grand opening tonight. Don’t you think, Silver.” However, she noticed that her husband was silent and didn’t say anything. “Silver?” asked Rarity. Everyone turned to the entrance and they see Silver sitting near the window, as in deep in though. He imagined himself wearing a detective outfit, everything black and white, as well as rain from outside. “The city, known as Manehattan, one of the largest most successful cities in Equestria, besides Canterlot.” Said Silver, “The citizens walk by trying to live their daily lives like they are the drones of the city, controlled by the higher seats of power, running the numbers and running the rackets to keep a city this big afloat, slowly bleeding dry the citizens of their hard-working earnings.” “In this city, my wife and her friends arrived in this large city, where she would do the one thing like many others before her strive to do…to make dreams come true. Though in a city like this, there is always a slim chance. Though in a place like this…nothing, is slim.” “Uh, what are you doing?” Silver snapped out of it and turned to the others. The humans and Mane 5 looked at Silver with extremely confused looks, whilst Rarity, for some reason, had stars in her eyes when she heard him talk like that. “Oh, sorry.” Chuckled Silver sheepishly, “Kinda got lost in the moment.” “More than a moment.” said Beau. “Darling, that was amazing.” Said Rarity with stars in her eyes. “Where ever did you read something like that?” “Er…well…” Silver looked a bit uncomfortable. But He was able to take a breath and tell the truth. “Being out in the big city reminds me of my old home and my old family…before they passed.” Some couldn’t help but sympathize whilst he looked outside, “We even watched a lot of old detective stories together, and I wanted to be a writer. I did write a few things. But…I gave up on it. Didn’t feel like writing anything…without them by my side.” “Huh, surprisingly I wanted to write too,” said Beau, “But things didn’t work out for me.” Rarity approached her husband and held him close. “I am terribly sorry, Silver.” Said Rarity, “But I’m sure they wouldn’t want you to give up on what you would want to do.” “Yeah, I know.” Said Silver whilst looking out the window. But another thought had run through his mind, something that he didn’t want to talk or think about. But… That’s when they were interrupted when the doors were opened. From the door, revealed to be two Earth Ponies. One of them being a young girl with braces. She looked a bit weird, but none of them were going to complain. “Rarity!!” said the older pony, “So good to see you!! Your store, it’s going to be a very good place, I think.” Some of them humans were confused of this pony. “Who the heck is that guy?” whispered Beau. “That’s Mr. Plaid.” Whispered Twilight, “He’s the landlord of this building. From what Rarity told me, he may be nice, but he’s also very pushy.” The said pony and the younger one walked over to Rarity. “You’ve met my daughter, the apple of my ear, the hay in my hoof?” said Mr. Plaid, “You will let her work with you.” Rarity and Silver flexed an eyebrow on that, which was a little surprising, which caused Rarity to giggled nervously at that. “It’s just…I’m dreadfully busy preparing for tonight’s grand opening, as you can see.” “She’s right,” said Silver as he looked over the list he and Rarity put together, “The cleaners need to clean the place, which I don’t know where they are, the materials needs to be placed, the displays need to be prepared, and we have to get them ready because the advertisements got it wrong with the date.” “There are only two things I love more than being pushy…” said Mr. Plaid… “Aside from dressing up in a track suit that’s been out of style for thirty years?” Silver blabbed with a flexed eyebrow. This caused Rarity to tense up, Mr. Plaid glared at him, whilst his daughter stifled her laughter when she heard him say that remark. “Stay out of this, monkey boy.” Remarked Mr. Plaid. “Whatever.” Said Silver whilst rolling his eyes. “Ahem,” said Mr. Plaid as he continued, “One is my daughter. The other is miniature doll furniture. And I would sell my entire mini-furniture collection to make my daughter happy. You understand?” This caused the said girl to bounce her eyebrows, eager to show her part in working here. Rarity removed Mr. Stripe’s arm and said, “I’m sorry, I just don’t think it’s going to be possible.” “She’s right,” said Silver, “Besides, she’s too young and from the looks of it, doesn’t have any experiences.” “Let me say another way,” said Mr. Plaid, before he whispered, “Hire her, or I raise rent until you no can afford!” This surprised Silver, causing him to shove Mr. Plaid away. “Excuse me, are you threatening her?” said Silver. “Eh, what you want, monkey boy?” said Mr. Plaid. Silver rolled his eyes at that comment, and said, “You’re threatening to raise rent on one of the biggest fashion designers in Equestria, especially since she has a baby on the way?” This surprised Plaid Stripes as she had no idea. Her dad on the other hand… “Pff, who cares,” said Mr. Plaid, “Baby probably a hideous abomination anyway.” This caused Rarity to gasp at that. Silver on the other hand, silently gripped his hand and crushed his pen behind his back in anger. “First idea!” said Plaid Stripes, “Instead of clothes, we sell glow in the dark teeth!!” “Um,” whispered Silver, “You do realize that glowing teeth aren’t fashionable, right? And this a store to sell clothes, not funny dentures?” This caused her to blush at that, “Whoops.” Silver on the other hand looked at Mr. Plaid leaving, and began to be suspicious about him. He watched him leave the store. Silver walked to the door and watched him leave. Suddenly, he once again imagined himself wearing a detective outfit, with everything turning black and white, as well as rain from outside. “Mr. Plaid seemed very eager to have his daughter work here, despite having no experience working in a place like this.” Said Silver to himself, “Plus Rarity claims through paper that Mr. Stripes is the owner, yet from what I’ve heard, nopony in Manehattan knew a Mr. Stripes. He is hiding something. From what Rarity told me, the advertisement wanted us to open it here today, despite the cleaners haven’t cleaned it yet, and the fashion is running late for some reason.” “He is hiding something. And by Jove, I was going to find out.” “Wow.” Silver got out of his thought and looked back. Once more everyone was looking at him oddly, with Rarity being entranced again. However, Plaid Stripes was also enamored the way he was telling it. “That’s amazing.” Said Plaid Stripes. Silver deadpanned and said, “I did it again, didn’t I?” “Yes.” Said all the humans in the room at the same time. Silver shook his head and opened the door. “Darling, where are you going?” asked Rarity. “I’m going out to see why the cleaners didn’t show up.” Said Silver, “They should have the answer.” “Oh, alright then,” said Rarity, “But don’t take too long, darling.” “Don’t worry Rarity,” said Bucky, “We’re keeping you company whilst trying to fix this place up at the same time, so you’ve got nothing to be worried about.” “And we’ll try our best to clean the place up whilst we’re here.” Said Applejack. “See you guys in a bit.” Said Silver as he walked out of the store. But as he walked, he said, “Note to self, keep my detective mode in my thoughts.” ************************************************************************************************ Silver, who decided to wear a disguise like an actual detective, walked down the streets, trying to blend in with the crowd. Thankfully no one noticed him. ‘The streets of Manehattan were always busy. Civilians walking by from one destination to another, trying to live life as best they can. Me on the other hand, I try to find the location of the cleaners. Finding clues on why they did not do what they were paid.’ Silver stopped near a place called, ‘Manehattan cleaners’, the place where he was looking for. ‘Manehattan cleaners,’ thought Silver, “The one and only place that involves everything. From cleaning homes, empty business buildings, and buildings that have been recently bought. And they’re also wizards at doing laundry.” Squinting his eyes in determination, Silver walked inside. Once he does, he sees the cleaners doing their work and organizing the equipment. That was, until one of the ponies, Shine Polish, noticed Silver walking in, then walked over to him. “Can I help you?” asked the Pony. “I was hoping to speak with the manager,” said Silver, “Related to my wife’s business, Rarity 4 U.” “Oh, you must be Silver.” Said Shine Polish, “Right this way.” Shine Polish led Silver inside to the manager’s office, known as Ace Packaging, the pony in charge of the cleaning supplies. He looked up and sees Silver walk in. He flexed his left brow, but the moment he removed his hat… “Oh, you must be the human I’ve heard so much about.” Said Ace Packaging surprised. “What can I do for you?” Silver sat down on his chair and asked, “I came by personally because I was curious of a few things.” “And what might that be?” inquired Ace Packaging. “A month ago, I had sent payments to this very establishment to help clean the residence of a new business that would be open for business soon. Rarity 4 U, if the name has made its way to the advertisements.” “Ah yes, we have heard of that.” Said Ace Packaging. “Yes, we did receive the payments you have sent, according to our records. However, from a week ago, a pony came by and claimed that Mrs. Rarity told him that she canceled the order, but told us too keep the payments. Naturally, we didn’t want to stop without any proof, until he claimed you sent a document.” “May I see it?” asked Silver. Ace Packaging pulled out a document and showed Silver the document. He looked it over, and noticed that the writing was not of Silver, but of Rarity’s. And she never sent out any document. He pondered for a moment. “Can I also see the document I sent you for the cleaning job?” asked Silver. Ace Packaging gave Silver the document. That’s when Silver noticed. ‘That’s when I saw it,’ thought Silver, ‘The writing itself matched Rarity’s. I remembered she told me and I saw her write a letter to the owner of the building, wishing to purchase it after going through certain buildings. That’s when she received a letter back. When I made a request for the cleaners, this pony must’ve tried to stop them, thinking that Rarity had hired the cleaners. Except neither this pony, or Rarity knew I hired them. Whoever sent the letter, thought he’d stop Rarity. But who would do such a thing?’ “May I ask who was the pony who told you this?” asked Silver. “It was an Earth Pony, with a purple mane and beard. And appeared to have a track suit of sorts.” Recalled Ace Packaging. That’s when it clicked to Silver, and said, “That looked like it was out of style for thirty years?” “Yes, that is correct.” Said Ace Packaging. ‘It was then I realized who the true culprit was. Mr. Plaid.’ Thought Silver with steely eyed determination, ‘But why would he deny the cleaners cleaning up the place? He seemed eager for Rarity to hire his daughter, and threatened to raise the rent. So, there must be more than there must be going on.’ Silver stood up and said, “I think the said pony forged this document.” “What makes you say that?” asked Ace Packaging. “Well for one,” said Silver, “As you know, I hired you to clean the place in order for the business to get ready. However, Rarity doesn’t know that I hired you. I only recently told her when we arrived. And this pony claimed that she said that I cancelled it by letter, despite I never told her anything.” This surprised Ace Packaging and wondered, “Come to think of it, I did find it strange.” “Well, seeing that it was still paid, mind if you cleaned the place anyway?” asked Silver. “Of course,” said Ace Packaging, “Sorry for the inconvenience, we’ll do it right away.” Silver walked out of the store whilst Ace Packaging and his crew quickly went over to clean the place. “So, Mr. Plaid was the one who stopped the cleaning,” thought Silver, “But why would he do that? More questions that need answering. There’s only one place to get that kind of information.” Silver looked up and squinted his eyes, knowing where to go to. “City hall.” ************************************************************************************************ Silver made his way towards city hall, hoping to speak to the mayor, if he has any answers. ‘City hall,” thought Silver, “The heart and soul of Manehattan itself, where leadership among this place questions and answers everything in this city, whether for good, for business, or foul intent. One thing’s for sure, if anyone is to have any records of the building we plan to open Rarity’s store…then the mayor, should have all the answers.’ Silver walked towards the building and through the doors of City Hall. When he looked around, he saw there were many ponies moving to and fro, trying to do their jobs left and right. He saw a Unicorn secretary up ahead and walked towards her. Once he was close enough, the secretary noticed Silver. “Oh, hello there.” Said the secretary, “Welcome to Manehattan city hall. My name is Mystic Featherwind, what’s yours?” “Greetings,” said Silver, “My name is Silver, I’m Rarity’s husband from Ponyville.” “Oh, the designer from Ponyville who recently opened her business in Equestria’s capitol?” asked the secretary. “That’s right,” said Silver, “We’re planning to open a business here in Manehattan, and we’ve eyed on the building at fashion row for some time, but we’ve hit a bit of a snag, so I was hoping with your help, we’d be able to purchase it.” “Really?!” said the secretary in excitement. Clearly she was a fan of Rarity’s work. Then she calmed down, cleared her throat, and said, “Unfortunately if you wish to meet with the mayor, I’m afraid he is out attending a meeting.” “Aw, nuts.” Said Silver. “However,” said Featherwing, “Seeing that I have some free time, I can help.” “And what do you wish in return?” asked Silver. “That I would like to gain access to Rarity’s line,” said Featherwind, “I simply adore her work.” “Well in that case.” Said Silver as he handed her a pass, “We already handed out a few, but I kept some close to me for just in case.” “Thank you so much.” Said Mystic Featherwing before accepting it. “Now then, follow me, I’ll take you to the records room. I know which street that building resides.” The two of them went to the records room and went to the one where the specific street has many buildings. Just what they’re looking for. “The records room, home to records dating back to when the city itself had been in a system. If there’s any hope of obtaining Rarity 4 U, it would be here.” “Here it is.” Said Mystic Featherwind as she took out a document. “This is the very deed to the building you’ve been looking for. Owned by the former owner of the now abandoned formal wear building, Kingsman Formal.” This perked Silver. “Wait, what?” said Silver, “Isn’t the current owner Mr. Plaid?” “Not really.” Said Featherwind, “That building had been owned by him until it closed down last year, then he put it in auction for most of that time. We received word it had already been acquired, but the payment hasn’t arrived yet.” “And it was from that moment I knew…I struck gold.” “But isn’t the owner Mr. Stripes?” asked Silver. “No, that’s not the stallion’s name.” said Featherwind, then looked at him in curiosity. “Why do you ask?” Silver explained everything to what he discovered. Mystic Featherwind was speechless over what he revealed. “A con pony?” said Featherwind. “That’s my first guess.” Said Silver. “Maybe there’s a connection, a reason why he wants to keep other ponies from buying the building.” Said Mystic Featherwind. “But for what purpose?” Pondered Silver. He looked at the pony and asked, “Do you happen to have the address of this said pony, or if he’s still living in the city?” “That I do.” Said Featherwind, “Follow me, I’ll bring you straight to the next room.” The two of them walked together towards the next room, hoping to find the pony he’s looking for. **************************************************************************************************** On a random door from out of nowhere, Silver stood near the door and knocked on it. The door opened, revealing a pony in his late forties, which was the pony in question. “Excuse me, are you Kingsman Formal?” asked Silver. “That’s right.” Said the said pony. “I am here on business of a building of yours down at Saddle Row.” Said Silver. “Oh, that building.” Said the pony whilst rolling his eyes. “Why is it you want it?” “My wife is planning to open a business there,” said Silver, “But a pony named Mr. Stripes, wants to take it away from…” “Stripes?!!” exclaimed the said pony. Making him growl. He looked left and right and invited him in, allowing them to go inside. “I know who you’re talking about.” “You do?” asked a confused Silver. “That I do.” Said the pony, “Long ago, Plaid and I were once business partners. But he wanted to turn the building that I bought into a gambling club, which had been illegal for a hundred years. Naturally I closed it down a year ago, and he’s been trying to buy it for a long time. But without the deed and the approval of city hall, he can’t buy it. And he’s been turning away anyone who wishes to buy the building, and make up a fake story that he’s the owner. He even used his own daughter to interfere when she has no education in business at all.” “Of, course.” Said Silver. “And what about you?” asked Kingsman Formal. “My wife always wanted to open a business in Manehattan.” Said Silver. “And her name would be?” “Rarity.” “Wait,” said Kingsman Formal shocked, “You’re Rarity’s husband?” “Yes, I know, I’m an ape, I get that a lot.” Said Silver. “Anyway, how do you know her?” “She entered a fashion show a while back, until Suri Polomare stole her designs and tricked Rarity into thinking that she didn’t win the contest.” Said the pony. “And then she guilt her friends into working for her like slaves and ruined their trip to Manehattan.” Said Silver. “She did that?!” said Formal in shock. “She did,” said Silver, “Trust me, they weren’t exactly happy about it either. Though thankfully, her former assistant, Coco Pommel, was brave enough to stand up to her and told the Judges the truth. In the end, Rarity had won the prize. However, shortly after I met her and worked with her, Suri came by and as usual, threw a hissy fit. Thankfully I was able to put a stop to the whole thing before things got out of hand.” “Good for you.” “Shortly after that, we got married and we’re expecting a child.” “Really?” said Kingsman Formal in surprise, “Congratulations to the both of you.” “Heh, thanks.” Said Silver, “Anyway, seeing that I noticed how Plaid was going to be trouble, I plan to buy the building, but I knew he would somewhat get in the way, so I’d go through city hall, considering they make the deals and everything. But when the secretary told me of you, I realized Plaid must’ve lied of being the owner, so I asked her where you live so that…” “Say no more.” Said Kingsman Formal as he stood up from his couch, “I’d be more than happy to help. As a matter of fact, I have the deed with me. Right this way.” The two of them made their way to another room to discuss the rights to own the business. *********************************************************************************************** Silver walked down the street in his disguise whilst looking at the newly formed deed, thanks to Formal and Featherwing’s help. ‘And so far, I have done it.’ thought Silver, ‘With the deed in my hands, and the payments been made, City Hall has now ensured that Rarity 4 U is protected under the law, and the likes of Plaid will not take his greedy hands on it.’ That’s when he looked up and was surprised to see the guys outside of the shop. Curious, he wondered what was going on. “Guys?” said Silver, gaining their attention. “What are you guys doing out here?” Then he saw the uneasy looks on their faces. “Oh no,” dreaded Silver when he realized something, “Did something happen?” “You could say that,” said Beau, “The cleaners came and they were able to clean up the place, thank goodness. But then we got one problem after the other.” “Alright, start from the beginning.” Said Silver. Beau started first. “After they cleaned up the place, they heard music from upstairs, which was from DJ-PON3.” “Wait, Vinyl Scratch?” said Silver surprised, remembering the mare through one of Rarity’s clients, Octavia Melody. “Why the heck was she there?” “Turns out she hired the room to play her music for a party to practice for one of her gigs tonight.” Said Beau. Then came Bucky. “Plaid Strips constantly keeps coming up with one idiotic thing after another, no matter how many times Rarity tries to tell her no, and her father’s still persistent.” Then began Genus. “Rarity also found a family or Racoons resting inside the shop, and wants Fluttershy to have them removed from the building. But as you can imagine, Fluttershy said no. And I agree with her, I mean the city isn’t exactly a good place for them to live in.” Then Bolt. “Then a pony named Coco Pommel said that she couldn’t help Rarity managed the shop because she’s fallen ill. Rainbow and I are having a hard time trying to figure out who would have enough experience to help her out.” “Oh, no.” groaned Silver, “I knew I should’ve stayed around.” “There’s nothing you could’ve done,” said Beau, “But we’ll need to think things through.” They walked inside, until Silver saw Plaid Stripes walk outside and stood outside, sighing. “Plaid Stripes, right?” This perked the pony in question, making her look, and sees Silver. “Oh, hello Mr. Silver.” Said a depressed Plaid. “Something wrong?” said Silver. “I thought you were going to help in the shop.” “I did, but my ideas are terrible.” Said Plaid. “But if I might ask, why would you suggest something like that in the first place?” asked Silver. “It’s just that….” Said Plaid, before groaning and said aloud, “I only did it so that my father can see I don’t like working there!!” This perked Silver’s attention, then he stood on one knee and looked at her directly, “Go on.” “Going to a business like this, it’s my father’s idea.” Said Plaid, “I never wanted to work in a place like this. I, I don’t even know anything about running a business!! I thought if I showed him, he’d stop this silly idea.” “Like running a gambling club?” asked Silver. “Gambling?” said a confused Plaid. ‘And that’s when it caught my attention. Mr. Plaid was using his own daughter just to drive Rarity away and so that he could buy this place cheap. Well maybe it’s time to tell her the full detail.’ “Well, I hate to tell you this, but your dad doesn’t own this building.” Said Silver. “He doesn’t?” said a confused Plaid Stripes. “No, his partner, Kingsman Formal does.” Said Silver, “He owns the building and has the deed to prove it. His partner wanted to turn it into a gambling club, but he told your dad that it’s illegal, and didn’t want to get in trouble. But your dad’s not listening. So, he closed down the business, and your dad’s been driving every pony away to keep them from buying the building.” This shocked Plaid Stripes, and said, “No wonder my dad’s been constantly chasing ponies away!! I thought he chased them because he didn’t like them!!” Silver thought about this, then came up with a solution, then smirked and said, “I’ve got an idea, but I’m gonna need your help.” “My help?” asked Plaid Stripes. “Yeah, if you do, I’ll see if I can help you out in achieving what you’ve been wanting in your life.” Promised Silver. This got Plaid Stripes excited and said, “Alright, you got yourself a deal.” Silver shook her hand, allowing the two of them walk inside. There, Silver bumps into Beau. “What’s going on?” asked Silver. “We helped out wives come up with a perfect solution to set up this place,” said Beau, “But we’re also gonna need your help on this one.” “I’ll do what I can, until then…” said Silver, “I’ve got a mystery to solve.” ***************************************************************************************************** It took a lot of effort, but everything was in place. Though Silver didn’t approve of them locking Rarity inside the room just to adjust something so minor, he was thankful of them sorting things out. Pinkie Pie was able to convince Vinyl Scratch to play at Rarity’s opening, Rainbow convinced three ponies, especially Blue Bobbin, he should consider hiring her in the future, and a few other ponies to help everypony pick the right dress. Fluttershy convinced Smokey Jr. and his family to dress up and help deliver fresh water. He had to admit, they looked kind of adorable in formal wear. And Plaid Stripes brought spoon clothing. Huh, three different spoons, that was actually pretty good. Opening night had arrived and everyone was hard at work. One of the ponies declared this the perfect business, that’s when Silver noticed Mr. Stripes walk in. ‘Showtime.’ Thought Silver as he smirked. “What is going on here?!” Everyone turned to the door, and was surprised to see Mr. Plaid. “Why, Mr. Plaid, so glad you could join us.” Said Rarity, “As you can see, Rarity 4 U is a complete success.” “I do not care,” said Mr. Plaid, “You deny my daughter a job, therefore, you’re not welcome here. So clear everything out and never come back!!” “I don’t think so.” Everyone turned and saw Silver coming in. “What do you want?” said Mr. Plaid. “All of you are trespassing my building!!” “Technically, it’s not your building anymore.” Said Silver. “And what makes you say that?” said Mr. Plaid. “Because I bought it.” Said Silver smugly. “What?!” exclaimed Mr. Plaid, whilst the others were just as surprised by this. But none were more surprised than Rarity. “It’s like this,” said Silver, “A month before Hearth’s Warming Eve arrived and Rarity was busy with an order, Princess Celestia herself reached out to me and asked that I designed and prepared gala outfits for not just her, but also for Princess Luna and half the nobles of Canterlot, who were preparing their famous Hearth’s Warming Gala for the delegates visiting from other towns and cities. And thanks to the large payments, which not only I was able to set aside for our daughter…” Silver then went over to Mr. Stripes’ face with a smirk. “But I also had enough to buy this very building, therefore I own it.” This caused many to be surprised. “What?!” said Mr. Stripes, “That’s impossible, I wouldn’t allow it!!” “Figured you’d say that,” said Silver, “I went over to the Mayor of Manehattan and with his secretary’s help, along with the city council, and they approved the building, considering it is their city after all.” Silver took a few steps back and crossed his arms. “And I also found out something…very interesting.” Said Silver, “For one thing, you were never the owner of this building, or a businessman at all. You’re just a random pony, pretending to be the owner. Which kind of makes sense, because I remember distinctly that I hired cleaners to clean up the place because it was a pigsty, but somehow they couldn’t because you chased them away.” This caused everyone to gasp at the revelation. “With their help, I was able to track down the real owner.” Said Silver, “And thanks to his help, he was more than happy to sell it to me, as well as signing it over.” Silver then showed them the deed, “And I have the deed to prove it. And before you plan anything, I already had copies made and be given to the mayor, the council, as well as the lawyers and Equestrian Government, so that they’d make sure that this isn’t fraud.” As Mr. Stripes was nervous, Silver placed the document away and smirked. “However, the original owner has heard of you.” Said Silver, “You were nothing more than a con pony, who had been trying to buy the building, illegally in fact, and try to turn it into a secret gambling club, which I need to remind you, that gambling has been illegal in Manehattan for a hundred years.” This caused half of the occupants to gasp at the revelation, but not as shocked as the Mane 6 were. “And by the way, you opening a gambling club, doesn’t make any sense.” Said Silver. “Why is that?” asked Stripes. “Well for one thing, this building can’t house something like this.” Said Silver, “Gambling houses not only need gambling tables, they also need bathrooms, they also need bars, they also need kitchens, they also need to serve food and beverages, and having all of that housing in this store, would all collapse upon opening day. And also, thanks to your daughter…” Stripes was shocked as he looked at Plaid Stripes, who smirked from the sides. “I delivered everything to the Manehattan police, revealing all of your illegal scamming that you have been doing since Plaid here was about ten years old.” Said Silver, “You no longer have a leg to stand on.” He walked over to him and glared deep into the pony’s eyes. “And I haven’t forgotten what you said about my daughter.” Said Silver. “Normally, if it were directed to me, I would’ve let that slide. But going after my wife and daughter.” Silver then moved a bit back, and suddenly, with great strength, Silver punched Mr. Stripes so hard, he was literally flown out of the building and landed on the other side of the street. The said latter was unconscious on the ground with his eyes spinning. At the same time, the Manehattan police arrested Mr. Stripes and took him away. Everyone watched in shock, then turned to Silver as he dusted his hands. “What?” said Silver, “I don’t like it when people insult or threaten my wife or unborn child.” Silver held Rarity close, to which the latter couldn’t help but blush. “Excuse me,” said a pony known as Waxton coming over, “But did you say that you are Rarity’s husband, correct?” “Yes?” said Silver before raising a brow. He looked at him for a few minutes, before chuckling casually. “Rarity, why didn’t you tell us you’ve gotten quite a catch here?” This surprised Rarity, but confused Silver and the rest. “Your husband here stood his ground against a con artist, revealed his illegal scams, bought the building from the real owner, protected your unborn foal, and solved an unsolved mystery. You must be so proud to have somepony like him by your side.” Rarity ended up looking at Silver with Bedroom eyes. “Yes,” said Rarity before delivering a kiss to her husband, “Yes I have.” Silver couldn’t help but smile and look at Plaid Stripes. “As for you,” said Silver before walking over to said girl, “I heard you also want to work at business, just not under your father’s shadow.” Plaid Stripes nodded to that. “Well, as it turns out, thanks to a few connections, I was able to get in contact with a school that teaches everything about business. They’d be more than happy to accept a fresh young mind into the business.” Silver looked at her face to face. “Now I won’t lie, it will be difficult,” said Silver, “But if you give it your all at a hundred percent, no doubt you’ll be knowing your ways inside and out in no time. Think you can handle it?” “I sure do.” Said Plaid Stripes before shaking Silver’s hand. “Excuse me there.” Silver, the humans and the Mane 6 turned to the door and saw a reporter walking in. “My name is Buried Lede.” Said the stallion. “Ah, of the Manehattan Press.” Said Silver before shaking his hand. “You know me?” asked the reporter with a flex eyebrow. “Read about your works from time to time.” Said Silver, “You’re really spot on. So, what can we do for you?” “I’ve come here to report on this amazing place and how it came to be,” said Buried Lede, “As well as the human who solved the mystery of a con pony who attempted to scam you into giving up the place.” “We’d be more than happy to.” Said Rarity. “We’ll be honest in any way we can.” Said Silver. “Very well, follow me.” Said the reporter as everyone followed. Silver stopped and said, “Why don’t you girls go on ahead, I’ll keep an eye on things for a while. In case any of you girls are done, just call me.” “Will do darling,” said Rarity before kissing Silver, “And thank you.” Silver watched as she and the girls left to get interviewed. The guys stayed behind to help out a bit, with Beau walking over to Silver. “You should be proud of what you did today.” Said Beau. “I am.” Said Silver, “I’m just glad I was able to help Rarity in any way I can.” “And any help you give, is a sign of a job well done.” ***************************************************************************************************** Two weeks later, Silver had just finished making breakfast for Rarity. As she chewed onto her pancakes, Silver heard the sound of a doorbell. He walked over and opened the door. To his surprise, it was none other than Featherweight. “Paper delivery straight from Manehattan.” Said Featherweight. “Oh, hey Featherweight.” said Silver before paying him and received the paper, until he blinked and realized something. “Wait, didn’t you get fired because of a mishap with Cranky Doodle’s wedding invitation?” “They demoted me actually,” said Featherweight, “But I’m glad to be delivering papers instead. I mean it’s a great way to go from door to door, and I get some exercise and bits out of it.” “Yeah, that’s a better option.” Said Silver. “Thanks again, Featherweight.” “You’re welcome, Silver.” Said Featherweight before walking way. “Who was that darling?” asked Rarity. “Oh, that was Featherweight.” Said Silver, “He just brought us a newspaper that was delivered from Manehattan. I think it’s about your shop.” “It’s here?!” said Rarity in excitement before grabbing the paper and looking it through. Just as Rarity was about to read the paper, the doors burst opened, gaining Silver’s attention. To his surprise, the rest of her friends were also there too, with the human entourage in tow. “What the heck happened to you lot?” asked Silver. “Long story short,” said Bolt, “When they heard about the paper being brought to Rarity, they rushed on over. Turns out they said a bunch of stuff that they would think would cause a ton of problems.” “It can’t be that bad.” Said Silver. “How about all of you wait whilst I make some tea.” Silver walked off to the kitchen to prepare them some tea. One hour later, everyone gathered in a room where Rarity was reading them the paper whilst all of them were having tea. “In the end,” Rarity read, “Rarity's grand opening was a smashing success! True, it got off to a rocky start, but somehow this rag-tag group of ne'er-do-wells.” “And he meant all of you.” Said Silver. “Came together and created the perfect boutique. A vision of Rarity combined with the expertise of her friends! This reporter, for one, is a believer.” Read Rarity. Before looking at the others in worry, “Why didn’t you tell me there were so many problems?” “We all figured you had enough on your mind.” said Twilight. “And we didn't want you to think that the opening wasn't perfect.” said Applejack. Rarity giggled at that before hugging her friends. “Ne'er-do-wells" or not, I know I can always count on all of you. And nothing could be more perfect than that.” Pinkie then looked at the paper and spotted something. “Oooh, look.” Said Pinkie Pie, “Silver also made it to the cover of this page and paper.” “What?” said Rarity surprised before looking at the paper, seeing her husband Silver was at the bottom. Silver was also surprised by this, but Rarity decided to read it to them. “But what this reporter also discovered, is that Rarity is married to a human from another dimension, who had done what no pony had ever done. He helped stop one of the biggest con ponies in history. The pony, known as Mr. Plaid, was arrested, and found guilty for fraud and conning other businesses for years, and with the aid of the city, the human, known as Silver, put a stop to his crimes and is now serving twenty years behind bars. This reporter believes that though this pony truly has an eye for fashion, her husband’s keen mind helped uncover one of the city’s biggest mysteries, and will one day solve the biggest one of all; how to be a good father to his child.” The girls and humans were surprised to hear this, even Silver was speechless by this. “Whoa,” muttered Silver before sitting down onto the chair. “Who would’ve guessed?” Rarity cooed whilst hugging Silver. “Oh, Silver I’m so proud of you.” Said Rarity, “Not only did my friends help me open my new shop at Manehattan, you also saved my shop by exposing Mr. Plaid.” “When it comes to folks insulting me, I can let that slide.” Said Silver, before grabbing Rarity, making her yelp as she sat on his lap. “But when it comes to ponies who insult my wife and my unborn child…well they’d best hope they can eat through a straw.” “Or ten, given how you literally knocked the guy out of the shop.” Said Rainbow before laughing. “But what about his daughter, Plaid Stripes?” asked Bolt. “I was able to find her mother,” said Silver, “She divorced him when she found out what he did and unknowingly dragged their daughter into this. She’s got an honest job and agreed to send her to a place where she would get the proper education she needs.” “And thanks to my newly connections, we were able to help with her.” Said Rarity. “But the best part,” said Genus, “You now own the building. That’s gotta be a great bonus.” “Oh, most definitely.” Said Silver. “And the racoons were of great help. Although…” Everyone looked at Silver, wondering what was on his mind. Silver then chuckled and revealed something. “You gotta admit, the racoons look adorable in tuxes.” Said Silver, causing many of them to laugh.
Chapter 23: Spice up your lifeSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 25: Perchance to dream to smile againSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
Chapter 1: An unexpected meeting The Crystalling/the gift of Maud PieAuthor's Note Hey everyone, this will be my first time writing about how the husbands would be involved from the beginning of season 6 of My Little Pony. Hope all of you enjoy this. Chapter 1: An unexpected meeting The Crystalling/the gift of Maud Pie From far away, near what appeared to be a forest, a young man was reading a book whilst overseeing the lake. His name was Thomas Rohan. Who had just gone through some rough times, whether disgruntled parents, or from girls that did not like him, he felt like he was stuck in a rut. He remembered a few things before he came there. ****************************************************************************************** Over the years when he grew up, his parents always made him study, learning a lot of things, especially taught him how to fight, which was a waste of time, since all he really wanted was to spend some time with his family. But it was not meant to be. For his father was an irresponsible gambler, and his mother constantly worked and didn’t have time to spend with any of them. And even when they do, they can’t even have a normal conversation without someone in the group berating the other, mostly at Thomas when they think his grades weren’t good enough, even when he gave his all. Though High School and College wasn’t exactly all fun and games for him either. He never had any friends at either of those places, and none of the girls were ever interested in him, because all what they cared about was one’s build and not the person itself. Plus, they mentioned that they didn’t want to spend any time with a nerd, even if he gets praised by the teachers for his hard work. However, one day, after his college graduation, he decided to pack up his stuff and leave for his parents’ summer cabin, far away from civilization. But just as he was about to pack up the last of his things, he heard a knock on the door. He went over there and opened it, revealing a man in his mid-sixties and a beard. “Hello there, young man.” Thomas flexed his eyebrow at the old man and said “And who are you?” “Who I am is not of importance, young man.” Said the old man, “I am merely here, to offer a proposition.” Thomas flexed his eyebrow and said “And that would be?” “A chance to be something better.” Thomas wasn’t buying it, with him saying “Did my parents set you up. Because let me tell you this right here and now.” Thomas leaned forward and said “I don’t want anything to do with my parents. Both didn’t give a damn about me whilst I was growing up. My father was…” “Your father was a gambler, and your mother constantly worked and didn’t want to spend time with either of you,” said the old man, “Thus you were denied of the one thing you really wanted the most…a family.” Thomas was taken by surprise from this, as the old man said “The reason why both your parents are like this, is because both of them had lost their way.” “Lost their way?” “Indeed.” Said the old man, “You never figured out how your family became of importance? Or to find out where you truly came from? Especially when you felt like an outsider in a place that you feel you don’t belong, but somewhere else?” Thomas was startled by what the old man had said and slowly looked at him. The old man looked at the horizon from Thomas’ college dorm room and said “Your ancestor, Achilles Rohan, was among the best of the family, made a name that would be carried on for centuries. Until certain events had happened that forced him to leave with his newborn son whilst also leaving the love of his life behind. And during his stay in another country, he ensured that the tales would be passed on, to ensure that they will never forget their legacy.” The old man looked down in disgust and said “But as time went by, one generation after another had forgotten their family legacy or the importance that came along with it. They tell the tales but they forget the meaning of this and they merely think it’s nothing but folklore and fairy tales. Your father chose to ignore what your grandfather tried to tell him and would rather waste his riches traveling, rather than provide for the family.” The old man then looked at him and said “But you on the other hand. I see something different from you.” “How?” asked Thomas, not knowing where this old man was going. “I see a young man who not only wanted a family of his own to love,” said the old man, “But to be something better. Something that could help make a difference in the world. Something that could help him truly make a mark in his life and to others around him. Who’s destined for more than just what the family has to offer.” Something began to stir inside of Thomas, not sure what he was feeling right now. But didn’t feel like anger. More like…longing. He then saw the old man presenting a journal of sorts to him, gaining Thomas’ attention. But he also noticed it had his family crest on it. “Something for the road.” Said the old man, “In time you will see.” Thomas accepted the journal and looked at it. But the moment he looked up, the old man was gone, much to Thomas’ surprise. He went outside and looked around, but saw no sign of the strange man. “Okay, that was weird.” Said Thomas. He looked at the journal and saw the family crest. It looked like a horse, but what was strange, was that it also had wings on the side, as well as a horn. “Strange that we have a crest like that.” Then later that day, Thomas had just finished packing up the last of his things, as well as enough food to last for three months, and drove off, but unknown to him, the same old man he was talking to, was standing next to a tree and saw him leaving. But the moment he walked past the tree, he disappeared once more without a trace. Shortly after a long drive, he had finally arrived at the lake house, right after he passed the gates and the large wall surrounding it. It was still as big as he remembered. He still remembered this place, because his grandparents used to take them there before they died, and they said in the Will that the moment he turns eighteen, the lake house would be his, and he happily accepted it, and thankfully it was under the protection of the law, so no one would tear it down or take it for themselves. After he had finished unpacking, he began to look at the view of the lake, but then he sighed in sadness, for it feels lonely out here. Both his parents are distant from each other and him, not a single girl liked him, it’s as if he was destined to be alone. But he didn’t have time to think about that. What he needs to do now, is to go stay at the Lake House for a while, and think of where he would go to next. But then on his desk, he saw his ancestor’s journal, lying there on the table. Thinking about what the old man said, he decided to go over to the lake and read. ************************************************************************************* During the day he sat down and read the journal, and so far, it had been very interesting. He sighed and said “Sometimes I felt like I was born at the wrong place and at the wrong time.” He then noticed the sun was setting. “It’s nearly dark.” Said Thomas, “Better go get something to eat.” But just as he walked, he spotted something shiny and walked over to it. To his surprise, it appeared to be an amulet of sort. The amulet is made of gold with a colored circle decorating it. In the center of the larger circle was a smaller violet circle and had the image of an Alicorn on it. The outer circle was cut into six sections with each section colored red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo. These were the seven colors of the rainbow. “Huh,” muttered Thomas, “That’s an unusual one. Never seen an amulet like this before.” He couldn’t explain it, but he felt compelled to keep it, as if it were a family heirloom. “Why does it feel so familiar?” said Thomas to himself. He placed the amulet around his neck and looked at it. He couldn’t help but smile at it, as if he had found something that was lost to him. Once he was done thinking, he walked back to his cabin. After he made himself some dinner and did the dishes, he was on his bed and continued to read through the journal, and was amazed by his ancestor. He then sighed and said “Sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve been like if I had been in your shoes.” He sighed again and placed the journal on his desk. “I guess we’ll never know.” He turned the light on his lamp off and fell asleep on his side, whilst saying “Sometimes I wish I was at the same place my ancestor came from.” He soon fell asleep. However, unknown to him, his amulet began to glow, but not as brightly as the lake outside of his house. That shined brightly under the moonlight. Until finally, it faded away, without anyone ever realizing it. ****************************************************************************************** The next day he woke up and was reading from the journal again whilst he was at the lake. However, he was wearing his swim trunks, for he felt like he needed to refresh his mind before thinking more of what to do next with his life. He was about halfway into the journal, then sighed as he closed it and looked at the sky. “I need to clear my head.” Said Thomas. He stood up and went to the lake. When he was deep enough, he jumped in the water, but then he shivered a bit and said “B-B-Blast it all! I s-s-should’ve tested the water out first!” He began to swim around the lake, then dove underwater and saw the underwater life, to which he couldn’t help but smile. But then he frowned and thought about what his ancestor went through. ‘I wish I was in the same land as my ancestors were.’ Thought Thomas to himself before he swam back to the surface. But unknown to him, an unknown force had suddenly appeared, slowly in the form of a whirlpool. He was nearly at the shore, until he felt a strong pull. “Huh, what the?” said Thomas as he looked back, and felt a strong pull, pulling him in the lake, as he shouted “Somebody help!!” Thomas was then pulled in the water, never to be seen again. Whilst at the same time, the same old man stood by the tree and watched the whole thing happen. He then said to himself “And so…it begins.” *********************************************************************************************** Meanwhile, from a very faraway place, a place that no one had ever expected. It’s a very lush and beautiful kingdom, where technology hadn’t been fully developed yet as of late, and right near a small town, with a sign out of town that said “Ponyville.” For in that town, it sure lives up the name, for the town’s inhabitants, were none other than ponies. Anthro ponies to be exact. All of them continuing with their daily lives like any citizen would do. When suddenly, a train arrived at the train station. When the train carts opened, a few Anthro ponies came out, but then eight different individuals. One was purple pony, with horns and wings. The second was an orange pony with a cowboy hat, the third was a light blue pony, with rainbow hair, as well as wings. The fourth was a pony with a horn with purple hair, styled with beauty that made you think she was a princess. The fifth was another pony with wings, but her hair was pink and she looked like one of the shy types. The sixth was a pink pony with a poofy pink mane, bouncing slightly and had a smile on her face. The seventh was another pony with a horn, with her hair in a curled style. And finally, the eight, appeared to be a reptile of sorts, which would also look like a dragon. They were none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Starlight Glimmer, and Spike the Dragon. “Boy, that sure was exhaustin.” Said Applejack as she adjusted her hat. “You can say that again.” Said Rainbow Dash, “Who’d thunk an Alicorn baby could cause so much trouble.” “Oh, I’m sure Flurry didn’t mean to shatter the Crystal Heart Rainbow Dash.” Said Fluttershy. “I’m just glad that Sunburst was able to help the poor dear control her magic.” Rarity, “The Crystal Empire is lucky to have him there, Starlight.” “You can say that again Rarity.” Said Starlight with a smile. “Plus, now that I spoke with him, we’ll still communicate through letters.” “And maybe a welcome to Ponyville party!!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “Uh, dial it back there, Pinkie,” said Rainbow Dash, “Besides, he’s gonna have his hands full there.” “Rainbow does have a point.” Said Twilight, “Being a royal crystaller is a big responsibility.” “Still, I hope he has time to visit.” Said Starlight, “We just reunited.” “I’m sure he will.” Said Twilight before she walked off. “Where are you goin, Twi?” asked Applejack. “To take a walk,” said Twilight as she looked at her friends, “It’s been a long day.” They saw her walk off to who knows where, with Spike saying “I know where she’s going.” “Where?” said Rarity. “Oooh, I know what direction she’s going.” Said Pinkie Pie. “It’s the lake where Dashie and I hung out ever since the clone incident.” “Oh yeah.” Said Rainbow. “I didn’t know Twilight would go there. Usually, she just keeps her nose in the books a lot.” “Well, I was able to convince her.” Said Spike, “And by me, I mean I had to ask Princess Celestia to tell her to take a break.” “So, she always studies and never takes a break?” asked Starlight. “Pretty much.” Said Spike and the rest of the girls, with Spike saying “Why else did you think she never had any friends over the years?” “That’s just…sad.” Said Starlight. “This, coming from a pony who wanted to get rid of cutie marks, all because a friend moved away?” asked Rainbow. “Er…good point.” Said Starlight before she blushed and giggled nervously. *********************************************************************************************** At the same time, Twilight decided to walk normally to the lake. For even though she could teleport and fly, she needed the exercise. “It’s nice to just take a stroll without flying or teleporting.” Said Twilight, then she scowled and said “Even if I didn’t like the idea of Spike telling me that I’d get fat if I didn’t work out every once and a while. I mean come on, how can I be getting fat, I don’t constantly consume that much junk food like Pinkie Pie on a daily basis!!” She then suddenly sees a flash far from where she is, much to her surprise. “What was that?!” Out of instinct, she instantly teleported to the flash’s location. When she arrived, at first, she saw nothing whilst she looked around. But then she saw something up ahead, and to her surprise, she saw something she thought she’d never see in Equestria… A human. ‘That’s impossible’ thought Twilight as she took a closer look. This human somehow looked different. He didn’t have the same skin colors as their pony counterparts. It looked more…peach colored if she’s not mistaken. Come to think of it, she remembered Applejack’s coat was orange, but her human counterpart was peach, same with Big Mac, which was weird. What was even more weird was that he was wearing what appeared to be swim shorts. Why was he here, and…why is he relaxing. However, her old freakout instincts began to kick in, causing her to scream and exclaimed “What in Celestia’s name?!!” The said human, which was none other than Thomas Rohan, now startled, instantly sat up and frantically looked around and said “What the?!” He turned around and saw Twilight. He was surprised to see a pony, and an Anthro one no less. “W-What are you?!” the two of them said in unison. “What am I? I should be asking you that! Who are you and what do you want from me?” Thomas asked, slightly panicking, and trying to back away from her, continuing to back away from her, until he bumped into a tree. “Ow! Damn it!” exclaimed Thomas, rubbing your head. “A-Are you alright?” asked Twilight in concern, though a million questions began to play in hear head over how a human came to Equestria. Thomas stood back up on his feet, still rubbing his head. “Yeah, I’m fine,” you answered and took a moment to calm down. “Okay, what exactly is going on here? Why am I in some strange place I don’t even know about? And plus, last time I checked, horses aren’t humanoid and they can’t talk.” She apparently felt offended and suddenly lights up her horn, lifting you off the ground as Thomas responded with a “Yipe!!” She glared at him and said “First of all, I’m not a horse, I’m a pony!!” “What’s the difference?” asked Thomas in a normal tone, causing Twilight to slam him down onto the ground, making him grunt and lifted him back up. “Okay, ow.” “Second,” said Twilight, whilst gritting her teeth whilst warning him, “Second, you’re in the land of Equestria. And if you ever call me a “humanoid horse” ever again, you will be sorry!” “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Said Thomas as he signaled his hands, showing he meant no harm. Despite how beautiful she is, she can be very scary with that look. “It won’t happen again.” But then he crossed his arms and said “But like you’ve never been to another world where you’re encountering an entirely different species.” Twilight then blushed at that and giggled nervously whilst she looked around nervously, ‘If only he knew.’ She thought. She gently placed him back down on the ground on both his feet. “So uh, what’s your name?” asked Twilight. “Oh, right.” Said Thomas. “My name is Thomas Rohan.” “Well, my name is Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.” Said Twilight as she placed her hand on her chest with pride. “Wait, that’s a thing?” said Thomas in confusion. “Huh, that’s strange. We have Princesses and all, but never one with titles.” “Really?” said Twilight as she was now interested what the world he’s from is like. “That’s right.” Said Thomas. When all of a sudden, he felt a slight chill, causing him to shiver and hold his arms. “Doh, right, I forgot, I don’t have any warm clothes with me. Cause I didn’t expect to get sucked into a whirlpool and drown whilst I was over there!!” “Wait, drowned?!!” exclaimed Twilight, “What happened?!” “Uh, can we talk about this, until after, I get dressed here?” said Thomas. “Oh, right.” Said Twilight with a blush, causing her to conjure up a blanket and hovered it towards Thomas, allowing him to accept it and wrapped himself up with it, making him sigh in relief as he felt the warmth. “Come on, I’ll take you back to my castle.” Said Princess Twilight, “I can at least find you a decent change of clothes. I can even ask my friend Rarity to make you something on short notice.” Twilight offered Thomas a hand, which made him look at it for a moment. ‘Well,’ thought Thomas, ‘What do I have to lose? I’m probably stuck in this world for the rest of my life, might as well accept the hand that’s been offered to me.’ “Alright then, I accept.” Said Thomas as he accepted Twilight’s hand, making her smile. “Perfect, let’s go.” Said Twilight as they walked away from the lake. *********************************************************************************************** Soon enough, the two of them arrived at a nearby town. “Whoa, what is this place?” asked Thomas. “Oh, this here happens to be Ponyville.” Said Twilight, “It’s a small town, but they do get by with their everyday activities.” The two of them walked through Ponyville and Thomas saw so many different ponies all around. Some with wings, some with horns, and some that have none. But at the same time, everyone soon saw him and pointed at him whilst some gasped, for they had never seen the likes of him before. “Uh, why are they staring?” asked Thomas through nervousness. “Oh, don’t worry.” Said Princess Twilight, “Most folks have never seen different creatures before, let alone a human.” Suddenly, they heard a loud shriek, causing them to look at the other direction, and there was a light green unicorn, exclaiming whilst pointing at Thomas. “See!! See!! That’s a human!! A real life human!! I told you they were real!!” Then another pony grabbed her and tried to calm her down. “Calm down Lyra, you’ve made your point!! You’re causing a scene!!” “Uh…..” said Thomas, not knowing what was going on. “Oh, those are old friends of mine, Lyra Heartstrings.” Said Twilight, “Back when I was at Celestia’s Magic School, she minored in anthropology. Basically, she talked non-stop about humans. Sometimes it gets a little annoying when she wanted to prove they exist.” “Huh, that’s weird.” Said Thomas, “Back in my world, we have tons of folks that specializes in mythology. Like Dragons, Griffons, Hippogriffs and so on.” “Wait,” said Twilight as she looked at him surprised whilst they were traveling, “Your world considers them as myth?” “Yeah, same can be said for Pegasi and Unicorns.” Said Thomas, “There were a few songs and myths about them, and they also have a tendency to create different versions of them too.” “Huh,” said Twilight as she pondered for a bit. “That sounds interesting.” She then heard the sound of Thomas grunting, with her looking at him as he said “Sorry, I don’t have anything to wear for my feet. It’s not used to the hot ground yet.” “Oh, don’t worry, my Castle is just ahead.” Said Twilight as she pointed at the Castle, much to his surprise and Twilight giggling at his response, “And my friend Rarity will be able to help you with your current clothing situation. She owns a boutique.” “But…I don’t have any money.” Said Thomas. “When it comes down to it, I’ll gladly pay for it,” said Twilight whilst reassuring him, “So it’s no trouble.” As soon as they reached the doors, Twilight used her magic to open the castle doors. Once they got inside, Thomas felt his feet being cooled down, which he sighed in relief. “Much better.” He replied. “Why don’t I make you some tea before we go to Rarity’s?” asked Twilight. “Uh…yeah, sure. That would be good.” Said Thomas. After Twilight took him to the living room, Thomas waited for her whilst she made her tea. Within fifteen minutes, Twilight arrived with the tea. After she poured the cups, she handed one of them to Thomas, to which he gratefully accepted. He took a sip at it and sighed in relief. “That’s better.” Muttered Thomas. He looked at her and said “I assume you have questions?” “That’s right.” Said Twilight as she leaned forward. “Where do you come from? Canterlot City?” “Huh?” wondered Thomas. “What’s that?” “Uh, never mind.” Said Twilight, before she thought ‘So he’s not from the same world Sunset was. This raises so many questions.’ She clears her throat and said “Where are you originally from?” “I’m from a planet called Earth.” Said Thomas, “I grew up in a small town in a country called the United States of America. Or USA for short.” “United States?” said a confused Twilight, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that place before. Is it your only kingdom?” “Sort of,” said Thomas after he takes a sip of his tea, “Ours doesn’t exactly have a monarchy. Oh, sure, there are some countries that do, but ours is a bit different. It has over fifty states, and each of them receive their laws and leadership from the President. It’s almost like a ruler, but they only run for office every four years, and when their term is up, they hold an election to see who would be the next President. If the current one wins, he continues to run for office. But when he’s outvoted, the new one will take his place.” “Wow,” said Twilight in amazement, “It’s very different compared to Equestria.” “It is.” Said Thomas, “Though our world may be different, we also have our own problems too. Some live normal, some live difficult, just to try to make it to another day. I wanted to get away from my hometown because of my family. After I graduated, I headed to a Lakehouse my grandparents left me in their will just to clear my head and think where I could go to next. Then whilst I was thinking, I was swimming out in the lake after I was doing some reading. But…” Twilight noticed that Thomas had trailed off a bit, whilst she carefully asked, “But what?” “I don’t know what happened,” said Thomas, “One minute I was busy swimming out in the lake to take my mind off of things, next thing I knew, I ended up being sucked into a weird whirlpool that appeared out of nowhere and sucked me in. I don’t know what happened, but I blacked out for a bit, which I can assume I died drowning over there. Next thing I knew, I was out at the lake where you found me.” Twilight had her hand over her mouth, horrified and sympathetic over what happened to him. “Oh, Celestia,” said Twilight as she put her hand back on her lap. “I’m so sorry to hear that. How do you think…?” Before she could ask her question, the sound of footsteps came, as well as a male voice, which caused both Twilight and Thomas’ conversation to stop. “So anyway, I went to Sugarcube Corner yesterday and I asked…” The two individuals who came in were Starlight and Spike, and Thomas noticed that he has wings. Although, both of them were completely surprised to see a human in Equestria of all places. “Uh, Twilight,” said a nervous Starlight, “Who is this? And how did it get here?” “How the heck is there a human in Equestria?!” exclaimed Spike, “Shouldn’t he be turned into a pony?” “Oh, right.” Said Twilight, “Everypony, this is Thomas Rohan. He’s from a different Earth. Thomas, meet my assistant, Spike. And my student, Starlight Glimmer.” Thomas looked at her confused by that statement, with both Spike and Starlight surprised when they took a good look at him. “But…his skin doesn’t look like yours did when you went to the other world.” Said Spike when he remembered the last time he was there, which confused Thomas even more. “Uh, Applejack wasn’t the same skin color as her counterpart’s, remember?” reminded Starlight. “Oh yeah.” Said Spike, remembering that day. “Uh…” said Thomas, a bit confused. “Oh, right.” Said Twilight when she noticed the confused looks on his face. “I’ve been to a human world before, but…not the same one you’re from.” Thomas was surprised by this and said “Wait, what?” “You see…” said Twilight. One Complicated Recap Later “And that’s the whole story.” Needless to say, Thomas was greatly surprised by this. Then said “So…you traveled to another world and you looked human, only instead of a skin color like mine, yours was the color of your fur.” “That’s right.” Said Twilight. “Hmm, Multiverse theory.” Said Thomas. “What?” “See, back in my world, it was mostly on theories.” Said Thomas, “They theorized that if there were other worlds, then there would be worlds where we made different choices, became different people, or in this case became different creatures. So, if I had to guess, I’d say that you traveled to a parallel world where you’re a human teenager, going over her different routines and go to school there.” Twilight was a little surprised by this, even Starlight, with Twilight pondering and said “Hmm, that does sound plausible.” “And what about Spike,” asked Thomas, “Did he turn into a human too?” “No, he turned into a dog.” Said Twilight. Thomas was silent for a moment, and said “As in, a canine, pooch, puppy kind of dog?” “That’s right.” Thomas was silent for a moment, then within a split second, he burst in laughing as he held his gut and leaned against the couch, which surprised the latter in the room, with Thomas teasing “Do you want me to get you a squeaky toy?! Hey, maybe I can take you for a walk so you can do your business!!” Spike immediately blushed at that whilst Thomas was laughing. At first Twilight wanted to give him a stern look, but the way he was laughing began to make her laugh too, now that she thought about it, even Starlight began to laugh at that. ***************************************************************************************** After an hour, both Thomas and Twilight headed straight to where they needed to go, whilst he found it a little easier ignoring the ponies who were watching him. “Hey, sorry about the dog jokes.” Said Thomas, “It’s just when you mentioned about him turning into a dog…” “I know,” said Twilight as she couldn’t help but giggle, “It’s still funny whenever one thinks about it every once a while.” She then noticed that Thomas wasn’t being comfortable on being on the hot pavement again, with him saying “Sorry, I’m not used to the pavement.” “Not to worry,” said Twilight, “We’re nearly there.” Thomas still somewhat felt uncomfortable wanting to open to others, for it would be like a big step for him. And given what he’d been through in the human world, he had a reason to. Twilight suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. “Oh, we’re here.” Said Twilight. He looked up and saw a sign that says “Carousel Boutique.” “Huh. Fancy.” Said Thomas as he was impressed by the building. “Is this a place of business or a house?” “Both actually.” Said Twilight, “Rarity had this house made for her, both as a place to work here and a place where she can keep an eye on her business at the same time.” “Pff, she’s lucky.” Said Thomas. “Huh?” said Twilight as she looked at him confused, “What do you mean?” “I know some businesses in my world that also tried to do what Rarity did.” Said Silverbolt, “Unfortunately the Health Inspectors said that they should be for office use only because they think it’s a health hazard.” “Really?!” said Twilight surprised. “Yeah, trust me, she’s lucky.” Said Thomas. Twilight cleared her throat and knocked on the door. “Who is it?” said a female voice but in a melodic tone. Soon enough, a unicorn with a white coat and a curled purple mane and sapphire eyes appeared. This one, happened to be Rarity. She noticed Thomas and said “Oh my. Who is this?” “Oh, hello Rarity. This here is Thomas.” Said Twilight. “He’s from another world and I was hoping that you’d take some measurements for him.” “Oh, but of course, darling.” Said Rarity, “Please, come in.” Rarity guided the both of them in, with Thomas really impressed when he saw what the place looks like on the inside. Thomas looked around and is impressed. “Impressive.” Said Thomas, “Every fashion world would envy to have a design like this.” “Oh, why thank you, darling.” Said Rarity. “Though I do sometimes tend to make a mess of this…” “Which Fashionista wouldn’t?” said Thomas, “It just shows the amount of time and hard work they’d go through to make.” “Oh my,” said Rarity impressed, “Somepony who actually cares about the amount of hard work I put in.” Rarity used her magic to pick up her measuring tape. “Now please hold still darling.” Thomas did as she asked and stretched out his arms whilst she put on a pair of glasses at the same time. As she measured, she asked “Now darling, tell me more about yourself.” “Well, as I told Twilight…” said Thomas, as he began to explain everything to her of how he got here and where he came from, with Rarity surprised whilst she was working on the measurements at the same time. After a brief conversation, Rarity placed her things away. “Alright now, darling.” Said Rarity, “I think I’ve gotten the measurements I needed for your brand-new wardrobe. It will be absolutely breathtaking. Although…I didn’t expect to be creating one for a…” “A what?” said Thomas in a stern tone, as if he knew what Rarity was going to say. “Oh,” said Rarity as she realized he knew what she was going to say, “I do apologize darling. I didn’t mean any offensiveness.” Thomas sighed and said “It’s alright. It’s just…been a long day for me, is all. Also, sorry if I sounded like an idiot.” “Oh, it’s quite alright darling.” Said Rarity before she pulled out a few sketch pages with her magic and said “Now, is there any kind of style and color you would want for your new wardrobe and clothing?” Thomas began to explain the best he can about what kind of clothes he’d like. Rarity paid close attention to what he needed whilst she drew them down. After three minutes, Rarity said “It would take about 3 hours for me to make them. Would it be alright you await for your wardrobe at Twilight’s castle?” “I can do that.” Said Thomas, “Thanks Rarity. I wonder what…” Suddenly, Thomas’ stomach growled, which caused Twilight laugh whilst he was embarrassed at the same time. “Why don’t we go back to the Castle and have some lunch, and Spike can whip up something for you too.” Said Twilight. “So, what do humans eat?” ‘Geez, if she finds out what my kind also eat meat, this is going to be awkward.’ Said Thomas from within his thoughts when he realized that if you eat also meat, she’d be afraid of him and that’s the last thing he wanted to do, then said “Well, we humans are omnivores, so we can eat a variety of things.” Twilight nodded at this information and took you back to the castle. She teleported the both of them back to the castle, with Thomas suddenly feeling dizzy. “Whoa,” said Thomas whilst he was holding the side of his head, “That was unexpected.” “Oh, sorry.” Said Twilight as she held onto him, “I forgot, you’ve never experienced teleporting.” “Ugh, it’s fine.” Said Thomas as he was able to recollect himself. “So uh, what do you have in mind?” “Well,” said Twilight, “Spike was planning to make some carrot dogs.” “Carrot dogs?” said a perplexed Thomas, for this was a new one, “Huh, never had one of those before.” “You’ve never had something like that before?” asked Twilight surprised. “Nope, can’t say I have.” Said Thomas, “But as the old saying goes back in my home dimension, ‘When in Rome, do what the Romans do’. Or in this case, when in Equestria, do what the Equestrians do.” “Ooh, nice analogy.” Said Twilight. “Heh, thanks.” Said Thomas as the two of them walked down the Castle Halls. ********************************************************************************************* After a day like today, Thomas decided to settle down for the day as he laid in one of the guest rooms in Twilight’s castle. With a castle as big as the one he’s staying in; Thomas could only guess how many rooms were in there. Thankfully Thomas and Twilight were able to fetch his clothes at Rarity’s once she sent a message that she was finished. And despite everything that happened today, Thomas didn’t feel like reading, despite the huge collection of books in Twilight’s Castle. After what he went through, all he wanted to do now was to get some rest. Perhaps tomorrow after he had enough rest, can he have the energy to read the books in her library. Since he was in another world, he could learn more about their history, their culture and so on. But just before he could turn in, he heard a knock on the door, which snapped Thomas out of his thoughts and looked at the door. He saw Twilight come in with a soft smile. She sat next to Thomas on the bed and asked “Is everything okay?” “Yeah, I’m good. Just a little tired after a long day.” Said Thomas. “I mean, one day, you left town to be away from your family, the next thing you know, you drowned and ended up in another world.” “Get away from your family?” said Twilight surprised. Thomas winced at that, and had that look of uncomfortableness in his face before he looked away and said “It’s complicated.” Twilight held his shoulder and said “I know it must be hard for you to be here, and I’m sorry you felt uncomfortable during your time here. I guess the reason everypony felt so uneasy around you was because they’ve never seen humans before.” “But you have?” asked Thomas. “I have,” said Twilight, “But that was a long time ago.” “What happened?” asked Thomas. “Well, a while back, a former student from my old school, Sunset Shimmer, stole a magical artifact and took it to another world.” Said Twilight. “She was like me, a student who excelled at her studies. But she was also arrogant and hotheaded and she tried to take shortcuts. And when she didn’t get what she wanted, she became cruel and dishonest.” Thomas sighed and said “I know the type. Back on my world there were plenty of students who were also arrogant, they also bullied others to do their homework or to help them cheat for their tests just so that they could get a good scholarship.” “Scholarship?” said Twilight. “Back in my world, we have a different educational system.” Said Thomas, “From down below there’s Preschool, a beginning school for toddlers. Then they move on to Elementary Schools, there it's kindergarten to eighth grade. Then they move on to high school. Ninth to twelfth grade. And it's their choice if they want to go to college after they graduate high school.” “Wow, I never knew there was a different variety of an educational system.” Said Twilight as she secretly began to take notes. “There are,” said Thomas, “But there are also some schools that help those with disabilities. Then there’s also some adults that have to retake their grade in order to get a diploma.” “They’d have to take a grade over?” asked Twilight. “Whether they flunk out or when they had to leave school.” Said Thomas, “In case you wonder, on one side its family drama, on another that when the man of the house dies, one drops out of school to provide and work for their family.” “Wow.” Said Twilight surprised. “I had no idea.” “If you think that’s bad,” said Thomas, “Wait till you learnt of what children went through for the past thousand years.” Before Twilight could ask anymore, Thomas suddenly yawned, barely being able to stay awake. “I see that you’re getting tired.” Said Twilight. “Well, it’s been a long day.” Said Thomas, “It’s not every day that you die in one world and then appear in the next one.” “It’s alright though.” Said Twilight as she placed her hand on his shoulder, “If there’s anything you need, let me know and I’ll see what I can do, okay?” Thomas smiled and said “Yeah, sure, thanks Twilight.” Twilight stood up from the bed and left. Thomas sighed as he looked out of the window. He began to wonder out loud “I wonder how my life would turn out, now that I’m here. I always wanted to get away from my problems, but I never thought I’d end up in another world to do it.” He then suddenly felt something and looked at something next to his bed. He saw a familiar looking symbol on it, as well as something else next to it. It was the journal from back at his lake house, as well as the amulet that was next to it. He instantly grabbed them and looked at them. “That’s impossible.” Said Thomas in disbelief, then looked up and said “How did it get here?” *********************************************************************************************** Half an hour later, Twilight came to check up on him, and saw that he was fast asleep. She walked over and saw how fast asleep he was. She couldn’t help but smile and said “Aw, he’s fast asleep.” She then felt sorry for him and said “Still, to be in another world, being away from your own. I know how that feels.” She then looked back at him and said “Still, I’ll make sure he feels right at home.” However, thanks to the moonlight, something shined that caught Twilight’s eye. When she looked at the table, she was surprised to see an amulet that looked like an Alicorn Amulet, but this one looked different. It didn’t look like it contained any magical properties, but the way it looked really impressed her. But right next to it, was a journal of sorts, that had, to her surprise, the crest of an Alicorn of sorts, a family crest if need be. She used her magic and levitated the journal towards her. When she took a look, she was surprised to see a crest on the journal was that of a horse, but at the same time, also had a horn on top of its head and wings on the sides. The journal suddenly glowed a bit, as if it was talking to her. “Journal of Achilles Rohan.” Muttered Twilight, as if she understood it, causing the book to stop glowing and land into her hands. She then looked at Thomas. “He said his surname is Rohan.” Said Twilight. “Could it be…his family name? And if so, is this his family crest of sorts?” She then looked through the journal a bit and wondered what was so special about it. She instantly teleported to her library and placed it onto her desk whilst turning on her candle and opened the first page. She noticed how ancient the writing was, but she could somehow tell how it nearly resembled to old Ponish. She used her magic to help translate it. Sure enough, she was able to read it. “It felt such a lifetime ago, that my journey started this way.” Read Twilight out loud, but not too loud in order to make sure nobody, or in this case, nopony heard her. She continued on the journal as she had read… “I once thought I had told everyone everything there is to know of my adventures. And whilst I can honestly say that I have told them the truth. I may not have told them all of it. I am an old man now, for I am not the same man as I once was. I think it is time, that if one day, if anyone would find this, or any member of the family. They would hold onto this and discover their true origins. The story of how our family began. And how we once lived…with ponykind…” Twilight was shocked by what she was reading, whilst reading “Along with many other creatures like Dragons, Griffons, Hippogriffs, Changelings, Griffons…and many more.” Twilight was surprised by this. If it was a book, she thought it would be make-belief, but reading through the journal, she realized it was written by another individual. “That’s impossible.” Muttered Twilight. If it truly was a journal, she would need more answer. “It began, long ago,” continued Twilight, “In a land, unlike anything, any world has ever seen. A land, that you will not be able to find today.” Twilight continued to read as she was fascinated by what the journal was implying.
Chapter 24: A kind wedding, double the surpriseAuthor's Note And here's the next chapter for humans numbers six and seven Also, I know what you're thinking, why skip some... I forgot that certain mares are pregnant, so I can't let them do the extreme stuff Chapter 24: A kind wedding, double the surprise It had been a while since the business in Canterlot, now that Zesty is no longer the critic and cannot force anyone to do what she wants them to do. And during those two times, things were a little crazy. Rainbow prepared for her trip to the Daring Do convention in Manehattan. And unfortunately, Twilight couldn’t come along, because she had an important meeting at Griffonstone. And Beau couldn’t come along, because he had to look after Moonlight. Bolt promised Twilight that he’ll get her an autographed books for her, and the reason Bolt chose to go, because after Rarity and Pinkie left for their mission, Rainbow was now two months pregnant, so she had to take a break from the Wonderbolts, much to her dismay. When they got there, they met someone named Quibble Pants. At first he liked Daring Do, but he criticized that it wasn’t realistic enough. But when he saw Rainbow’s belly, he thought she was fat, and just when he wanted to touch her belly, Bolt instantly grabbed him and punched Quibble so hard, his nose broke. Bolt threatened that if he ever got near her, he wouldn’t be breathing, much to Quibble’s fear. Rainbow said that she could defend herself, but Bolt made a promise that he would protect her, and be a better father than his was. Rainbow understood why, especially what Bolt went through. When they met AK Yearling, surprising Bolt that he’s meeting the author of the book, but when she revealed herself to be the actual Daring Do, Bolt was baffled, and wondered why she was pretending to be the author, which she replied that adventuring doesn’t pay much, hence why she took to writing. When she asked Rainbow why her belly was a little big, she revealed she was pregnant, which left her worried and wanted Rainbow to stay out of it. But when Bolt had his back turned, he discovered that Rainbow ran off to stop somepony named Caballeron. Quibble stupidly followed and thinks it’s all just cosplay. When he found Daring, he told her of their situation, so with her help, they went to their rescue. During a handful of problems, they were able to save the treasure and kept it from Caballeron and saved Rainbow and Quibble. However, when he heard that Caballeron nearly hurt the baby, he found them and went ballistic. When he left, all four of their faces were bruised, bloodied, and left traumatized. For they knew the next time they see Bolt, they’d better pray that he’ll be merciful next time. After a while, Rainbow then started pranking all over town, which would eventually go too far. Beau decided to give Rainbow a taste of her own medicine, because thanks to Bolt, who also wanted to put a stop to this due to her pregnancy, told them of what she was up to. And during the entire day, everyone pretended to be zombies just to scare Rainbow. When they realized she learnt her lesson, she took it well. However, Rainbow said that it was also Discord’s idea, much to their shock. He popped by and said he’d help with the prank, with Genus demanding why she would do that, which revealed that he was setting things up for the Bachelor and Bachelorette party for Genus and Fluttershy when they got married. However, he also secretly told Genus of it, because after he heard how Rainbow scared Fluttershy and nearly hurt his future godchild, he also wanted to teach her a lesson. He said that seeing that they were already in one room, he snapped his fingers, causing all the party stuff to arrive. Seeing that they don’t want it to go to waste, they decided to use it to their advantage and party a bit, whilst Rainbow and Fluttershy took it easy, same with Applejack and Rarity. A week had passed and today was the day; the day Fluttershy and Genus were about to get married. Angel looked a little jealous, but then it heard a grunt, revealing to be Trusty, who was panting and ready to lick him. Angel just bickered in rabbit language, until Trusty picked him up and walked him out, much to the rabbit’s dismay. Fluttershy sat near her mirror, and looked at herself in the mirror. She was dressed on her wedding dress and smiled by looking at herself in the mirror. However,…she looked extremely nervous. “Oh boy…hoo boy, relax Fluttershy.” Said Fluttershy to herself, “It’s not every day that you’re getting married…taking the next step in your life…actually having a husband…going to have a child soon…” Fluttershy began to panic, not being able to take the stress. She then heard a growl. When she looked behind, to her surprise, it was none other than Harry, who looked really worried about her. “Oh, hello Harry.” Said Fluttershy. Harry spoke in its bear language to Fluttershy, wondering if she was okay. “Oh, I’m just really nervous is all.” Said Fluttershy. Harry spoke to Fluttershy again in its bear language. “Because it’s not every day that one’s getting married.” Said Fluttershy, “Oh, I’ve watched Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding, but to have a wedding on my own…what if I mess things up?” Harry spoke to Fluttershy again. “What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy. Harry spoke in its language about Genus. Since he came to Equestria, he’s always helping her, and seeing as they see Fluttershy as the mother of the animals, they see him as the father too. He took good care of them, and that one time when he hurt his paw, he went above and beyond to help him, even after all the times he nearly hurt him. Harry said that now Fluttershy has found someone who loves animals like she does, and that she picked the right soulmate. And Harry took a liking to him as well. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile whilst shedding a tear. She walked over to Harry and hugged him, with the bear hugging her back. “Thanks for the talk, Harry. I really needed it.” Said Fluttershy. The bear grunted, which was its way of saying, ‘you’re welcome’. ***************************************************************************************** From within Twilight’s castle, Genus was getting ready for his wedding as he was busy setting up his tie, with the guys being there for him. “How is it that you’re not nervous?” asked Bucky. “Yeah, when Beau, Bucky, and I were getting married, we were a complete mess.” Said Silver. “What can I say, I’m more of the calm and collective types.” Said Genus. “Pff, it’s like you’re the complete opposite of Fluttershy,” said Bolt, “In a good way I mean. She’s timid, you’re more open, she’s shy, you’re not, she panics, you don’t, the list goes on.” “Oh, I would panic,” said Genus, “But only when I have an excuse.” “It’s true.” From out of nowhere, Discord popped up and floated around everyone, “And also a lover of animals, given how much a bear likes you.” “Hey, Discord.” Said the guys in a dull tone. “Oh, come now, don’t be like that.” Said Discord, “Today’s a big day. It’s a wedding for Chaos’ sake. After all, it’s not every day that the shyest pony in all of Equestria, who happens to be the one of the bearers to the Elements of Harmony, is get married to a human from another world. The 4th human, to be precise.” “He does have a point,” said Beau, “I mean who’d thunk that during our horrible lives, we’d die and end up in Equestria instead?” “Exactly,” said Discord, “And I am so proud that Fluttershy is taking the next step.” Discord took out a sheep and wiped his eyes, “So proud.” Then he tossed the sheep away, whilst the others were baffled by what was going on. But then he got serious. “However,” said Discord before he was face to face with him, “You know how much I care about Fluttershy, correct?” “Obviously, considering she’s the only one willing to put up with you when everyone else refused.” Retorted Genus. Discord made a Scrooge face, then cleared his throat. “Anyway, if you are getting married to her, I have three conditions.” Said Discord. “And that being?” asked Genus as he flexed a brow. “One, always love her faithfully.” Said Discord. “Of course I do.” Said Genus. “Two, help her look after your kids the moment they’re born, and make me the godfather.” Said Discord. Some of the guys were concerned about this, but Genus wasn’t fazed. “And the third?” Suddenly, Discord picked him up and was face to face with him. “If you so much hurt a hair on Fluttershy, or break her heart.” Threatened Discord, “Then I will see to it that I sent you to a different dimension, and make you go to a ballet school, where decades of punishing workouts, and mold you into an international dance icon, but at the cost of your body, pride, privacy, soul, and your manhood.” Whilst the guys were shocked by what Discord said, Genus was a little surprised with widen eyes, but then tilted his head in confusion whilst raising a brow. “That sounded very strangely specific.” Said Genus. “I like being thorough, what can I say.” Said Discord. “So, I notice.” Said Genus. Discord then looked at him curiously. “And I must say, unlike dear Fluttershy, you are not very shy and panicking about certain situations.” Said Discord. “Eh, not like I haven’t seen anything crazier before.” Said Genus, “Besides, I’ve gotten used to your antics.” “You do?” asked Discord. “Well of course,” said Genus, “Besides, someone’s gotta be there to calm Fluttershy down whenever she panics. Worked well for Beau and Twilight.” This caused Beau to blush and said, “Excuse me?” “Well, you do constantly grope onto your lady’s posterior whenever she panics.” Said Bolt. The guys laughed at that, with Beau blushing and grumbling. Silver was then concerned for something. “Is…there any news about Spike?” asked Silver. The guys looked at one another in concern. Discord was the first to speak. “What’s all this about?” the lord of chaos asked. “When Silver came to this world,” said Beau, “He and Rarity got along well. Then the past few months the two of them dated, but Spike refused to believe that.” “And he went through the first three stages of when their crush goes out with another,” said Bucky, “He went through denial, anger, and bargaining.” “Right now, he’s still in depression.” Said Genus, “He still hasn’t gotten over her yet.” “Seriously?” said Discord in surprise, “But that was like a year ago. And since then, Princess Twiggles is married and has a filly. Bucky and Applejack are married, and so is Silver and Rarity. Both couples who are about to be parents soon.” Discord then had an impish smile. “Although…” “What?” said Beau in an annoyed tone. “I’m just curious on how Rainbow Dash is going to react when she gets married.” Said Discord, “I mean all three couples stressed out of their minds and nearly fainted for them being married, now I’m curious on how their wedding is going to be like.” “What was Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity’s reactions?” asked Bolt. “Twilight nearly fainted and couldn’t walk.” Said Beau. “Applejack was nervous.” Said Bucky. “And Rarity was a crying mess.” Said Silver. “And knowing Fluttershy, she might panic,” said Silver, “But knowing Harry, he’s going to try and calm her down.” “Wait, the bear?” said Bucky in surprise. “How do you know that?” asked Silver. “Oh, trust me, after the first few months of living with him, I learned a thing or two about him.” Said Genus. Before he deadpanned and said, “Although Angel is a bit of a tough case.” “But who knows,” said Bucky, “I’m sure Spike would have someone special.” “Not if he doesn’t stop acting like a child, he won’t.” said Beau. “He does have a point there.” Said Discord. ****************************************************************************************** Shortly after the guys were ready, everyone was waiting at the reception. Genus was standing near where Mayor Mare would officiate the wedding. “You nervous.” Asked Mayor Mare. “I think the one you should be asking is Fluttershy, Mayor Mare.” Said Genus. “We all know how shy she is.” “Oh, indeed I do.” Said Mayor Mare before she giggled. The mane 5 and the three husbands, and one boyfriend, all of them watched as Genus was being calm about it. “Wow, I’ve never seen Genus so calm about it.” Said Silver. “Least he reacted better than I did.” Said Beau. “What did you do?” asked Twilight. “Oh, he was actually panicking and felt like he couldn’t breathe,” said Pinkie Pie, “Then I hit him with my mallet just to calm him down.” This surprised everyone, though Twilight leered at Pinkie when she heard her friend clobbered her hubby. Before anything could be said, the birds were singing the wedding tune, gaining most of the ponies and animals’ attention. There they could see the bunnies being the flower, er, bunnies, causing many to think that would be adorable. There they saw the mare walking down the aisle, with her face covered. Everyone watched as they couldn’t help but be so proud of Fluttershy for taking the next step. Soon she stopped near Genus. But wanting to see his bride, he removed the vail, and then… He yelped in shock, revealing a certain Draconequus’ face as he smirked. “I have always loved you.” Said Discord with a puppy face. “What the…?!” said Genus before he grabbed the dress and ripped it off. Revealing none other than… “Discord!!!” shouted everyone in outrage. “What in tarnation is the big idea?!” shouted Applejack. “Oh what, I’m just here to make it exciting.” Said Discord. “Not on our dear Fluttershy’s special day!!” said Rarity, “It was bad enough we had to go through Rainbow Dash’s pranking spree…” “Hey!!” said Rainbow, before everyone glared at her, making her wince. “Okay, good point.” “But on her wedding day?!” said Rarity. “Oh, don’t worry, it was all good fun!!” said Discord. “Besides, she’s already on her way, and I’m sure it would be good fun.” But as he laughed, he felt a slap behind his head, making him wince. When he looked back, he saw Fluttershy looking at him with a stink eye whilst her arms were crossed as she tapped her fingers on her left arm at the same time. He sheepishly smiled at her. “Discord,” scolded Fluttershy lightly, “Sit down over there.” “Okay, fine!!” said Discord before popping his seat next to a depressed Spike, who was sitting at the back, “Killjoy.” Soon enough, after that whole embarrassing ordeal, Fluttershy stood next to Genus. It was clear as day that Fluttershy was greatly nervous. But she felt Genus’ hand holding hers, reassuring that everything will be okay. She couldn’t help but smile as she was now focused in front of her instead of what would happen. After going through the vows, that’s when Mayor Mare spoke. “If there’s anypony who do not believe they should be wed,” said Mayor Mare, “Speak now, or forever hold your peace.” Right as she said that, something slowly glowed, gaining everyone’s attention. Everyone looked at Discord. “Don’t look at me.” Said Discord in defense. The magical orb continued to grow and grow and grow, which caused many to worry by what they were seeing. Before anyone could react, a great big flash happened. After a few seconds, the light began to die down, allowing everyone to see what was going on. However, what caught them completely off guard, was another human, wait…two humans?! One is male and the other is female. “Wait, two humans?!” exclaimed Rainbow. “That’s impossible.” Said Princess Twilight. Beau walked over and took a good look at them. The first one, the male, has dirty blonde hair, and is about a shoulder’s length long, has Caucasian skin. He was about average height, about 5’9, if he’s not mistaken, whilst wearing a Brown t-shirt, green pants, black and white shoes.. He open his eye a bit, and could see that the color of his eyes were amber. The second one, the female, is a brunette, her hair is in a pony tail. She also has Caucasian skin and seems to be…wearing glasses, as well as a White, long-sleeved blouse shirt and long blue skirt with black stride shoes. Her figure was curved, and about 5’6. He looked at her eyes and could see they were crystal blue. “Well, the good news is they’re alive.” Said Beau. “And they smell a bit like…soot if I’m not mistaken?” “Oh dear, what happened to them?” asked Fluttershy as they looked in concern. Suddenly, the two humans stirred, causing everyone to pause and look at them. “Hey, they’re waking up!!” said Pinkie Pie. Soon enough, the two humans slowly sat up and groaned at the same time. “Man,” said the male, “I never thought getting crushed would give you such a cramp.” “Tell me about it.” Muttered the female. The woman then blinked and was surprised by what she was seeing. “Uh, Barry?” said the woman in concern. “Yeah, Emily?” muttered the male, known as Barry. “I don’t think we’re home anymore.” Said Emily. “What are you…?” said Barry as he focused before blinking. They noticed they were surrounded by ponies, who looked dressed fancy. As well as Fluttershy wearing her wedding gown. “Um…hi?” asked Barry awkwardly. “Erm…where am I?” “Excuse me.” Said Beau, gaining their attention, “You happen to be in Ponyville. And as you can see…we’re sort of in the middle of a wedding.” The two noticed the balloons and well-dressed ponies. “That would explain the fancy attire.” Said Emily before looking at Beau, “Who’s wedding is it?” “Uh, that would be ours.” Said Genus as he and Fluttershy awkwardly waved to them. “Oh, I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to crash the wedding.” Said Emily. “Oh, that’s okay.” Said Fluttershy, “It was an honest mistake.” “Um, still.” Said Emily nervously as she helped Barry up, “We’ll wait over there until everything’s over.” Just as they moved however, they were suddenly engulfed in a hug, which was from none other than Pinkie Pie. Barry looked away when he noticed Pinkie’s bust size. “Wait, where are you going?” asked Pinkie as she looked at them with her innocent smile, “The wedding’s not over yet, don’t you want to see it through to the end?” “That’s very nice of you to ask,” said Emily, “But we’re not on the list. We sort of just arrived and we don’t have any invitations.” “Eh, we’ll worry about that another time.” Said Pinkie, “Today, you’re guests and no guests is gonna be left behind out of Fluttershy and Genus’ big wedding day!!” Pinkie dragged the two of them to the back, in order for them to be comfortable and to make sure that nobody would look at them. “Now then, where was I?” asked Mayor Mare. “You asked if there are those who think we shouldn’t marry,” said Genus, “And by the time no one answers, we exchange vows.” “Oh, right, yes, of course.” Said Mayor Mare before chuckling. As the wedding proceeded, both Barry and Emily felt very awkward being around so many ponies they don’t even know. But, they didn’t want to make a scene, so it’s for them. “And by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Said Mayor Mare. Both Genus and Fluttershy kissed one another, allowing everypony and the few humans to cheer for them. Both Barry and Emily chose to clap their hands, even though they barely know what’s going on. ****************************************************************************************** As the party after the wedding proceeded, the ponies were enjoying themselves, along with the handful of humans among the populace. Whilst Angel was showing his grumpy face, Trusty licked him to calm him down, much to the bunny’s reluctance. Both Barry and Emily watched as everyone enjoyed themselves. Pinkie suddenly appeared from out of nowhere between the two siblings. “Come on, you two!! Don’t stand around!! It’s a party!!” said Pinkie, “So party till you drop!!” Pinkie squealed whilst she bounced around. Emily couldn’t help but giggle at Pinkie’s energy. Barry on the other hand…he wasn’t in the mood to smile. However, Barry’s thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Beau and Twilight approaching them. “Trouble in paradise?” joked Beau before he chuckled when he noticed how confused Barry look. Twilight glared at her husband and lightly elbowed him in the side for his remark. “Ignore my husband,” said Twilight whilst rolling her eyes. She looked at the two and said, “I can imagine this is a lot for you two to take in. Honestly, I didn’t expect to see new humans today, at least of all appearing during Fluttershy’s wedding.” “One thing at a time please,” said Barry, before he asked and was about to be confused further, “First of all, who are you?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” Said Twilight, “I’m the Princess of Friendship. You’ve met my husband, Beau. He’s a bit of a jokester, but he’s a real sweetheart.” “And my beloved can sometimes be adorkable at the same time.” Said Beau with a smirk. This caused Twilight to smirk and kiss him by the side of his cheek. “Good to meet you,” said Emily, “My name is Emily Frost, and this is my little brother, Barry Frost.” “How little are we talking?” asked Beau. “Three years.” Said Emily, “Anyway, I’d like to apologize for dropping in on your friend’s wedding ceremony. I hope we didn’t ruin anything.” “Next question,” said Barry, interrupting Emily’s apology, “What is this place, you said?” “There’s no need to worry, accidents happen.” Reassured Twilight, “Now, as for where you are, you’re in the land of Equestria, in a little town called Ponyville. I know it might be a lot for you two to take in, but this new land is going to be your new home.” “New home?” asked Barry. “Yeah, turns out humans who die in our original home gets sent here for a second chance in life,” said Beau, “And we get reborn in this world. I should know, happen to me and a handful of others, too.” “Though, I gotta say,” said Twilight whilst looking at Emily, “You’re actually the first female human to arrive in Equestria.” “For that matter, this is the first time two humans entered into Equestria at once.” Barry was confused by this, “What’s that supposed to?” Before Barry could finish, Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out of nowhere from behind and got between him and Twilight. “Hiya!!” said Pinkie Pie, making Emily and Twilight jump, except for Barry, “Whaddya guys talking about?” “You certainly came from out of nowhere,” said Barry blankly. “Oh, I guess you’ve probably met our good friend, Pinkie Pie.” Said Twilight, “She’s the #1 party planner and she can be a bit unpredictable. But, as we always tell everypony, that’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.” Beau whispered to them, “In other words, she has a habit of breaking the 4th wall like a cartoon character.” This surprised the two humans before Pinkie popped up. “Yup-a-roonie!!” added Pinkie Pie. She wrapped her arms around Barry without warning. She was just as strong of a strong grip as before when she stopped him from leaving. Thankfully, just as it felt like his spine was going to give in, she released him. “Nice to meet you, Pinkie.” Said Barry. His smile wasn’t very convincing, something Pinkie Pie detected and was very suspicious about it. “Aww, what’s the matter?” said Pinkie Pie before staring into Barry’s eyes, “I’ve seen many smiles like this one before, so don’t think you can fool me with it.” Barry shook his head and refused to answer her. He got up from the hug before he walked. “Hey, where are you going?! Wait up!! I asked you a question!!” shrieked Pinkie Pie before zipping off after him. “Is…something wrong with him?” asked Twilight in concern. “Barry’s…been like that since we were little.” Said Emily. “What happened?” asked Beau. “Our parents were killed in a bank robbery.” Said Emily, shocking the two. “We didn’t have any family members and we wounded up in an orphanage. He got into a few fights and ever since then…he lost his ability to smile. And he hasn’t been the same since.” Beau and Twilight couldn’t help but feel sorry for the two of them. “I’m so sorry to hear that.” Said Beau. “Is there anything we can do?” asked Twilight. “I don’t know,” said Emily in an unsure tone. “I tried everything, but nothing I tried worked. I’m at my wits end and…I don’t know what to do.” Barry on the other hand continued to walk around town, whilst Pinkie was still following him. Or in this case, hopping after him. Which for Barry is strange, because he can hear her bounce, like a, boing noise? “Come on, Lokie!! Whaddya doin?!” Pinkie asked in her exciting tone. ‘Loki?’ Barry thought to himself, ‘Why would she call me that?’ Ignoring it, Barry sighed, for seeing she wasn’t going to leave him alone without an answer, he decided to give her one. “Oh, alright, you win.” Said Barry in defeat. “I figured since I’m pretty much trapped in Equestria, I might as well start looking for a job.” Pinkie suddenly popped up from out of nowhere right in front of him whilst her eyes were sparkling. “Oh, wow!!” exclaimed Pinkie, “I know, why don’t you come with me to Sugarcube Corner? You can tell me all about it there and maybe I can teach you how to make some tasty sweets and treats!! Huh? How does that sound to you?!” Pinkie leaned over Barry’s head with a huge smile on her face. He felt a bit uncomfortable with her being that close to him. “I’ll consider it!!” said Barry quickly, whilst also trying to be polite at the same time. “But I want to see what else this town has to offer first.” “Okie-dokie-lokie!!” she said. Thankfully not appearing to be hurt in the least. Barry walked around town, wanting to see what this town has to offer. ****************************************************************************************** ‘Six times?’ thought Barry to himself, ‘I was rejected six times?’ Barry went all over town, and no one seemed to hire him. Though then again, because of his gloomy expression, it made sense for the ponies to turn him down. Before he could say anything however… There stood Pinkie Pie right behind him. She looked at him sympathetically, having witnessed him being turned down multiple times. He remembered her offer to work where she worked. He sighed and walked over to her, causing her frown to quickly change. “Guess I have no other choice,” said Barry whilst rolling his eyes. Pinkie on the other hand, began to shake in excitement. He was almost afraid to ask as his question, but he took a breath and asked, “What will I have to do?” As if she were a fangirl, who just met her favorite idol, Pinkie squealed in joy. Though instantly she calmed down a little in order to answer. “Well,” said Pinkie Pie in her excitement, “All you have to do is help me out around the kitchen, pass me the ingredients, and covering for me while I help the customers. If you’re lucky, I can even teach you how to be a reeeeeaaaally good baker, so that you can make some reeeeeaaaally yummy treats!!” “So, what do you say?” asked Pinkie Pie with a grin as she leans over in excitement. “Well,” said Barry whilst rubbing the back of his head, “I never really tried baking before, but it does seem interesting. So…I suppose that I’ll give it a shot.” Hearing this, Pinkie grabs him by the hand and moved to Sugarcube Corner. The whole way over there, she continued to move by bouncing instead of running. Barry stared at her bouncing whilst keeping that smile at the same time. ‘Huh,’ thought Barry, ‘Even though she’s strange…she can actually be adorable and cute.’ Soon enough, the two of them arrived at a bizarre looking building, that practically looked good to eat. “Welcome to Sugarcube Corner!!” said Pinkie Pie, “Home of the best baked treats in Ponyville!!” “So, I see,” said Barry, before joked and said, “I guess someone tried to eat it on different occasions.” “Yep, like me.” Said Pinkie, which baffled Barry, which a bashful Pinkie said, “I kind of thought it was a giant baked treat when I first got here.” “I…see.” Said Barry. “Come on, let’s go inside!!” said Pinkie before dragging him inside. Barry thought about how crazy his day has been. Being killed by an Earthquake, waking up in a different world, unintentionally interrupted a wedding, and now he suddenly found himself being dragged to work as Pinkie Pie’s assistant. If all this could’ve happened to him…he had very little doubt that things could continue to get more bizarre. Although…he could be wrong.