Chasing Stars

Chapters

Chasing Stars: Prologue
Chapter 1: Departure
Chapter 2: Arrival
Chapter 3: Sweet Treats
Chapter 4: Stealing Kisses
Chapter 5: Cherry on Top
Chapter 6: Fall Festival
Chapter 7: Making Plans
Chapter 8: Hearth's Warming
Chapter 9: Return to Canterlot

Chasing Stars: Prologue

Stardust and Seyfert were sitting in their living room talking with their now grown children; Saturn, Elara, Apollo, and Comet. They sat around gossiping and catching up as they waited for the family to arrive. It was the first reunion they had all had in years.

“Yea those two are a hoof full,” Saturn says scratching his head, “Prometheus is always getting into things and Rhea is usually the instigator.”

Seyfert just laughed, “Sounds like a certain group of foals we used to are for.” He smirked, looking to Stardust and smiling, “Wasn’t all that long ago you and your brothers and sisters were getting into things and causing trouble of your own.” He looked back to see Saturn blushing and smiling.

“Heh isn’t that the truth.” He heard Apollo say, “Oh the trouble we got into.”

Elara burst into laughter, “As I recall, you were the biggest troublemaker of all!” Apollo grinned sheepishly, not once denying his rambunctiousness as a child.

“Yea I guess you’re-” He started to say before he was interrupted by a loud crash from upstairs.

Saturn’s ears set back and he rolled his eyes, “Those foals are getting into things again… Sorry mom and dad I’ll go take care of it.” As he started to get up and investigate the noise, Seyfert stood up and raised his hoof.

“No you sit, I’ll go get them,” He smiled, “You could use a break for a change eh?” He chuckled before heading off to see what the foals had knocked over.

As he got to the top of the stairs he noticed a vase lying on the floor broken, water dripping out of it and flowers scattered about. He shook his head as he looked around for the guilty foals but didn’t see them anywhere. He began picking up the larger pieces of the vase and the flowers when he heard a scuffling noise coming from the attic, looking up to see the door was opened slightly. He smiled as he quietly walked to the door and opened it the rest of the way. There was a loud creaking sound as Seyfert looked up the stairs that led to the attic, and he heard the scuffling noises again. As quiet as he could he slowly made his way up. As he looked around he didn’t spot anything right away, but upon taking a closer look he noticed two little tails sticking out from under an old tarp. Seyfert couldn’t help but smile as he slowly made his way to the hiding foals.

“Gotcha!” He said as he pulled the tarp off the foals, causing them to jump back and knock a few books off some boxes.

“Grandpa…it was an accident…we didn’t mean to…” Prometheus started to say, “We were just playing and bumped the table please don’t be mad.” He said tears welling up in his eyes.

Seyfert turned to Rhea who was on the verge of tears, “You’re not mad at us are you grandpa?” She whimpered. The look on her face would have made the toughest stallion cry.

Seyfert just smiled as he sat down and picked her up, grasping her in a hug, “Accidents happen, you just gotta let us grown-ups know about them though, we don’t want you two getting hurt or anything.” He smiled as he kissed her forehead.

Sniffling and wiping her eyes Rhea looked up to her grandpa and hugged him, “Thanks papa.” Seyfert had to fight the tear that was begging to be released.

“Hey grandpa, who are these ponies?” Prometheus asked. “This one looks like daddy but he’s little.”

Seyfert turned to see that the little colt had found a long lost album that Stardust had put together years ago. Seyfert set Rhea down and walked over to Prometheus, not taking his eyes off the album. “Here let me see this for a moment.” He said sitting down next to the child, soon after Rhea joined them and sat on the other side of Seyfert. As he flipped through the album, his mind was sent reeling from seeing pictures of friends and family he hadn’t seen in ages; his crazy cousin Blitz, and his good friend from college, Beak, and so many others.

“So who are all these ponies then grandpa?” Prometheus asked.

“And who’s that weird looking griffon?” Rhea chimed in.

“Why don;t you two follow me down stairs and we can share these pictures with the others eh?” He said with a smile.

“OK!” the foals said in unison, both smiling and happy, they had completely forgotten about the vase. Seyfert took the album in his mouth and motioned for the foals to follow him down stairs to where all the other ponies were waiting.

As they entered the living room Saturn was the first to speak, “So what did my little trouble makers do this time?” He chuckled.

Setting the album down on the coffee table, “Oh it was nothing, just a simple vase, it was just an accident anyways.” Seyfert replied.” And look what we found, or should I say these two found in the attic.” He says pointing to the photo album and winking at the foals.

“Is that what I think it is?” Saturn asks his eyes wide. “I haven’t seen that album since I was a little colt.”

“No way, I remember watching mom work on that over the years, I wondered whatever happened to it.” Apollo added.

The the room got quiet, “That can’t be,” Stardust said surprised as she brought a hoof to her wrinkled muzzle. “Well I’ll be..” She murmured, “I lost that darn thing ages ago, how did you two manage to find it?” Dusty, quite laboriously, stood from her seat on the couch and hobbled over on her bad hip to the table where the book lay.. She blew off some dust off the cover, noticing there was a picture inset in the center. She smiled as a tear caught in the corner of her eye. It was a picture of her and Seyfert nearly 35 years ago. “Sey dear…this is a photo of us during that week we spent in Canterlot when we first met.”

Elara, who had been sitting on the couch next to her mother, leaned forward. “Let me see that mom.” She grinned, reaching forward as the two kids, Rhea and Prometheus also rush to the table side.

“Yea I couldn’t believe it either, I thought it had been lost for good when we moved, but it turns out we just forgot to unpack it.” As the others gathered around his dearest, Seyfert made his way over and looked down at the album. “Hard to believe it’s been that long.” He smiled, “Seems like it was just yesterday.” He zoned out as the memories of that week came flooding back. “That was probably one of the best times of my life.” He said as he and Stardust took a seat on the couch opposite from Elara, and soon after lifting the two foals onto his lap so they could get a view.

“Grama you were pretty back then.” Prometheus said looking down at the picture.

“Heh,” Seyfert laughed lightly, “And she still is.” He gently nuzzled Stardust and got ready to open the album. “Oh geez,” He stopped, “Let’s wait for Blossom, I think she would like to see these as well.”

Stardust smiled, leaning into Sey as he nuzzled her. “why thank you Prometheus, you’re so sweet.”

They continued in idle chit chat until Blossom returned from the kitchen with a glass of water. “Oh, what did I miss?” She asked, as she carefully seated herself next to Saturn. He turned to her, nuzzling her abdomen before returning his gaze back to their two children. Saturn and Blossom were expecting their third child very soon.

Stardust gave a warm grin to her daughter in law before opening the photo album, holding it upright for everypony in the room to see. She pointed to one picture in particular of three ponies sitting on a train. “This is me, your grandfather, and your great aunt Aurora on our way to Canterlot. This is the day I met your pappy, and one of the best days of my life.” She smiled broadly as memories came flooding back with each part of the story she told…

Chapter 1: Departure

It was a bright and sunny afternoon, and Seyfert had just finished tidying things around his observatory. He decided he’d pay his friend Aurora a visit, and quickly cleaned himself up before heading to her home. It was a bit of a walk, but the scenery was nice and the air was crisp and clean. Upon arriving the straightened his mane and knocked on the door.

Aurora had just put away her paints when she heard someone knocking. She trotted briskly over, she opened the door with her magic. She smiled wide seeing her friend was the one on the other side. “Hey Seyfert, how have you been?”

“Great,” he replied, “And you?”

“Oh, pretty good actually. Just finished up an art project I’d been putting off.” She opened the door further, motioning for him to step inside. “What do I owe the honor of your visit? You’re a pretty busy stallion these days I hear.”

He smiled as he stepped inside, “I was busy there for awhile,” He said, “But as of late things have been pretty slow around the observatory.” Then he noticed the painting on the other side of the room, “Is this the piece you’ve been working on?” He asked looking at it with amazement.

Aurora nodded, “Yes, it’s a commission for one of my clients. He requested a stylized portrait under the moon. It’s probably one of my best pieces to date.” She walked over to the kitchen which had a large opening in the wall so that you could see into the living room. She quietly poured herself and her guest glass of water, and carefully made her way over to where Sey stood.

“I must say, you have quite a way with a paintbrush.” Seyfert says still amazed by the painting, it took him a moment before he noticed Aurora standing next to him with a glass of water. “Oh thank you.” He said with a smile, taking the glass from her.

“Thank you for the compliment.” She felt her face get warmer as it turned a light shade of pink. She was still very shy when it came to praise for her work. “In any case, what has you on this side of town.?”

“Eh, well I hadn’t been out in a while so I figured I’d pay somepony a visit. I love my job, but it’s not always fun being cooped up in the lab after hours.” He chuckled.

Aurora laughed in reply. “My sister says that all the time. She is constantly begging me to go dancing with her when she’s not working. She;s just a ball of energy! Speaking of sisters, how is Europa doing?”

“Last I heard she was doing great.” He said with a smile, “I’ve been meaning to go visit her at the university but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.” He chuckles. “That and I haven’t been back to Canterlot since I move away.”

“what I wouldn’t give to visit it again.” Aurora mused. “I have only been once, with my sister to a convention. It only lasted two days, so we didn’t really have much time for sightseeing outside the convention center.”

“Oh?” Seyfert said, raising an eyebrow, “If you’d like you could accompany me when I go to visit Europa, your sister is more then welcome to come along too. Traveling alone is never any fun.”

Aurora’s eyes lit up as she perked her ears, nearly dropping her water from her magic grasp. “Really? You mean it?”

“Absolutely, it would be great to have others to travel with and I would love to show you two around Canterlot.” He took a sip of his own water before continuing. “A friend of mine owns an inn, so lodging shouldn’t be a problem.”

“EEEEEEEEE!!!” She squealed, pumping her hooves up and down trotting in place. Some of her water splashing onto the wood floor. “I can’t WAIT to tell my sister! She’ll be so excited! Thank you, Sey!”

“Not a problem at all,” He grinned, “Just let me know when you and your sister are available and I’ll set everything up. It will be nice to take a trip that isn’t related to work.” He chuckled.

“Oh gosh, I’m on summer break from University right now, and Stardust can pretty much take off whenever she wants, seeing as she runs the observatory. She’ll just leave her assistant in charge while she’s away I’m sure.” She put a hoof to her muzzle as she thought for a moment. “So anytime in the next three weeks or so should work for us.” She smiled, and then immediately lost focus as she stepped in some of the water she spilled earlier. “Opps” She levitated a towel over from the kitchen counter to dab is up off the floor.

“I’ll send wor dot Europa and my innkeeper friend, Benton, about our upcoming visit.” He sated scratching his chin.

———————————————————————————————————————-

Stardust rubbed her front hooves together excitedly as Aurora brought out her bags and locked her front door. Seyfert was on his was to pick them up, and in a few moments they’d be off to Canterlot. Aurora wore a cream colored sundress and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her sister wore a similar dress, white in color. Her hair was done in her usual messy bun at the back of her head. “I’m so excited Aurora! I can;t wait until we get there!”

Seyfert was making his way to Aurora’s to meet up with her and her sister for their trip. Fighting with a button on his jacket, he made his way up to her door and knocked. He continued to fight with the troublesome button while he waited, not noticing the mares standing to his left and laughing at him.

“Oh I didn’t see you two there, was too busy fighting with this darn thing.: He blushed, laughing nervously as he finally got the button in place. “Shall we be off?”

Stardust was quite smitten, this friend of her sister’s was cute when he was oblivious. “Indeed, you must be Seyfert! Love the name.”

“And you must be Stardust! I’ve heard a lot about you, and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Seyfert replied. Dusty smiled, it was barely visible that her cheeks were flushed, thanks to her dark and dusty coat. Aurora just rolled her eyes with a wry grin, picking up a few bags with her magic.

“Lets get going, we don’t want to miss the train.”

The walk from Aurora’s house to the train station was long, she lived on the very outskirts of the neighboring town. Poor Aurora was left with carrying all Stardust’s luggage, as the dusty blue mare lagged behind, exchanging pleasantries with her fellow astronomer. Thankfully it was still early spring and the sun hadn’t made it over the horizon yet. There was a slight chill in the air as beads of dew splashed against her hooves. After trekking three miles, the trio had finally arrived a their destination.

As they made their way to the platform, the conductor was making a last minute call for tickets. Aurora somehow managed to use her magic to fish them out of her dress pocket while balancing both hers and her sister’s bags precariously above her. The conductor smiled, taking the tickets as she started to board, Stardust lagging a bit with Sey.

Seyfert and Stardust had gotten into a discussion about their observatories and how they both shared the same line of work when Sey realized he and his new friend were about to be left behind, “We’d better hurry.” He suggested as the both made a quick dash for the train, boarding just as it was pulling off. Stardust was laughing by the time they made it safely on board. Aurora just raised an eyebrow at her younger sibling before turning to find a seat and put down the luggage. Those two certainly hit it off. She laughed to herself, as she got situated. Stardust gave a playful nudge to Sey before heading down the narrow passageway to seat herself.

Chapter 2: Arrival

The train began to slow and finally pulled into the station at Canterlot. Seyfert looked out the window to see the city hadn’t changed much since he moved away quite some time ago.

“Welcome to Canterlot ladies.” He smiled as he turned back to Aurora and Stardust. “First things first. lets go drop our luggage off at the inn, we don’t want to have to lug it all around the city do we?”

Aurora and Stardust both looked wide eyed at the grand city beyond them/ They took a moment before Aurora looked back, nodding in agreement. “Indeed, I’d be exhausted if I had to lug all this stuff around all afternoon.” She laughed. Stardust piped up, standing next to Sey, “Lead the way!”

“Right this way,” He said, “It’s not far.” Seyfert set his bags on his back and trotted off towards the Inn. “I think you will like Benton, he’s quite friendly.” Aurora levitated the luggage belonging to her and Dusty and followed behind Seyfert. The trio walked along the sidewalk for about a mile, past quite a few upscale boutiques and cafes. Finally, at the end of the block on the right, was a decent sized inn called Benton’s. Seyfert stepped ahead to open the door for Rory and Dusty, motioning for them to enter first.

Stardust smiled at Sey. “Why aren’t you the Gentlecolt.?” She tilted head to the side, trotting inside.

Aurora had wondered if this place was considered a “budget” Inn… because if it was, it was at least ten times nicer than even the most upscale Inns near Hoofington. Seyfert let himself in after the ladies, smiling as he threw a quick wink at Stardust before walking up to the counter.

“Hey Benton you around?” He called looking around before hearing some shuffling coming from the back room.

“How can I help you…Oh Seyfert!” The older pony exclaimed, “It’s been too long old friend, how have you been?” Seyfert smiled, I’ve been good, looks like business has been good for you.” He shook hooves with the stallion on the other side of the counter. “Oh where are my manors? Bentonm I’d like you to meet Aurora and Stardust, they are good friends of mine from Maretta.”

Aurora and Dusty both gave a slight nod and a curtsy…if you could call it a curtsy.

“Pleasure to meet you, sir.” Aurora spoke, and Stardust chimed in:

“Oh yeam this is such a beautiful place!”

Benton smiled and bowed, “It;s a pleasure to meet you ladies. Please make yourselves at home, and inform me if there is anything you might need.”

Seyfert turned around to face his companions, “Told you I had everything handled.” He laughed and turned back to Benton, “Thanks again, I owe ya one.”

Aurora wasted no time in getting up the steps, thankful a bellhop was handling the bags for her from here on out. Stardust followed close behind, turning back to talk to Seyfert.

“So, what do you have planned next, oh esteemed tour guide.” She giggled.

“Well Europa doesn’t get out of class for awhile, what would you two say to some lunch, then I could show you the university?” Seyfert asked, “We can meet up with Europa when her classes let out later on.”

Aurora’s stomach growled… loudly. “I think lunch is a brilliant idea! I forgot to eat breakfast this morning.” Stardust just rolled her eyes, still laughing. Aurora shit her a half-hearted death stare before her mouth was curled up in a smile.

“Heh same here.” Seyfert laughed, rubbing his stomach. They’d reached the top of the stairwell and he stopped to determine which rooms they were assigned. “We each have our own rooms, you two can choose the ones you want and I’ll take the remaining one.. Ours are… ah here we go! These two on the left, and that one over on the right.”

Aurora took the room closest to her left, and Stardust directly across from the remaining room Sey would be staying in. Aurora left her door open as the bellhop placed her bags inside, then doing the same for Stardust’s room.

“What did you have in mind for lunch?” Dusty finally asked.

“I know this Diner just outside the campus,” Seyfert replied, “I used to eat there all the time back when I was in school and even when I was working at the university.” He smile, “It’s not far from here either.”

Aurora closed her door stepping into the hallway.

“Sounds good to me.” She began to make her was down the steps, catching a glimpse of Stardust waiting sheepishly for Seyfert. Star was quite smitten. He was both charming AND a stallion of science. Stardust kept close to Sey as they both descended the stairwell, Aurora already having made her way to the bottom. She left the bellhop a tip at the counter and waited by the door for the two love birds. “Let’s be off then you two.” She smiled, it was nice seeing they were enjoying each others company.

Chapter 3: Sweet Treats

“Ladies first,” Seyfert opened the door for the mares before turning and waving goodbye to Benton. “I can’t wait to show you two the university, it really is a sight.” He said, as they made their way down the bustling sidewalk.

The weather was absolutely perfect. Not too hot, and there was a nice breeze. The sun was high and there were only a few clouds lingering in the pale blue sky. Aurora took in a deep breath, taking in all the sights around her. This was a beautiful city. She decided to hang back and trot behind Star and Sey while the two talked about astronomy. She was quite content to pick up the atmosphere this place and store it away in her memory for later paintings.

As the conversation dragged on, Sey looked around to see what he had left behind. Part of him missed living here but part of him didn’t. He eventually shut all the memories out and turned his focus back to Stardust. Seyfert was quite taken back by her; he had never met a fellow astronomer outside his colleagues at the university, let alone a pretty mare such as herself. Stardust closed her eyes a moment as the breeze caught the natural wave in her hair. Catching a glimpse of her raw beauty stopped Seyfert in his tracks for a moment, untill Dusty began to speak.

“So how long has it been since your last visit here?” she asked, “I myself haven’t been in at least four years.”

Sey had to come back to his senses, “Hmm,” Seyfert scratched his head trying to remember his last trip, though he kept finding himself distracted. “Last time I was here was when I moved away. That was about two years ago.”

Stardust smiled. “That’s not so bad I guess. Do you ever miss it?”

“Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t,” Seyfert replies, “It got pretty hectic living here after awhile.” He trailed off as he was reminded of the stress and hardship that ultimately forced him to leave this city. He shook his head and took hold of his surroundings to see that they were getting close to their destination. “The diner is right up ahead.” He said with a smile, lunch was beginning to sound more fantastic than when they left the inn.

Aurora caught the scent of something savory in the air, suddenly aware of just how hungry she was. “Oh my, I can’t wait to eat!”

Stardust smiled, one of her pinned back curls falling loose in front of her face. “Me neither, it smells delicious!”

“I used to love coming to this place.” Seyfert mused as he opened the door. Aurora and Stardust walked quickly inside, the plethora of smells and scents of baked goods and soups greeting them. They both waited for Sey to take the lead as they weren’t sure if they should take a seat first or order at the counter.

“Where you you two like to sit?” Seyfert asked. “It’s open seating.” He spots a table next to a far window that would give them a view of the outside, “What do you think of that one?” He asks pointing to the table. Aurora and Dusty both nodded, heading towards the corner booth.

“This will do just fine, Seyfert.” Aurora smiled taking a seat.

“And thank you for offering to bring us out here. We haven’t been here long, but it’s already been a blast.” Stardust sat across from her sister closest to the window. She looked up at Seyfert as he took a seat next to the dusty blue mare.

“oh trust me you two are doing me the favor, I have always hated traveling alone.” He gave a toothy grin. “And the best is yet to come.” A waiter walked up to their table and greeted the three friends, pulling a note pad and pen from his apron with his magic.

“Can I start you all off with some drinks?” He asked with a smile.

Aurora nodded then took a look through the menu sitting on the table in front of her. Stardust acknowledged the server and then gave Seyfert a quick wink before glancing through her own menu.

“So Seyfert, was there anything here in particular this place is famous for?” What do you suggest we get?”

“Well, all I ever got was their coffee. I know that’s very good.” He replied scratching his chin, “I hear they’ve got some great teas too.”

Aurora’s ears perked at the mention of tea. “Really now? I’ll have to see the selection.”

Stardust giggled, “Aurora is a tea fiend. She can never get enough of the stuff.”

Seyfert let out a hearty chuckle. “I’m the same way when it comes to coffee.” He said, “Though I do enjoy a cup of tea once in a while.” He turned to his right to face Stardust, “So what do you like to drink?”

“I’m impartial. I always like to keep an open mind, but preferably something with loads of caffeine and loads of sugar. Keep same sharp in the lab.” She lightly tapped a hoof to her temple and laughed. “I’ll probably order one of those fru-fru caramel coffee drinks with whipped cream. Those things are delicious.”

“That they are.” Seyfert agreed. Realizing the waiter was still standing there, he addressed the poor stallion. “May we see the specialty drink menu please?” The waiter smiled and nodded, before trotting off to retrieve the menus.

“Oooh, I see the tea!” Aurora snatched a menu up with her magic almost as quickly as the waiter and placed them down. Stardust reached for one herself, accidentally brushing against Seyfert. She flushed and her heart raced, but she didn’t make mention of it in hopes that Sey wouldn’t care or notice. Seyfert did notice, but he too kept too himself as he reached for his own menu.

“I think I will stick to my normal black coffee.” He said looking to Stardust and Aurora, “How bout you guys?”

Aurora’s eyes narrowed on what she wanted, “I think I’ll stick with the classic Earl Grey, though the chai tea looks good too. I might have to come back for that tomorrow.” Stardust scanned for a moment and decided what she wanted. “I think I’ll get a Caramel Frappuccino, extra caramel drizzle!” After the three gave their drink orders, the waiter trotted off to prepare them.

“So I was thinking…I talked to my sister last week and she informed me that there are tours of the palace; would the two of you be interested in that?” Seyfert asked, “I’ve only ever been to the archives and never had a chance to see the rest of it.”

Both mares’ jaws dropped and they both very nearly smashed their hooves down on the table. Aurora started, “Tour THE Palace?” Stardust chimed in, “Where the PRINCESSES live???”

“Yep,” Sey plainly stated. “I almost didn’t believe it myself.” Then he spotted the waiter returning with their drinks. “So what do you say?”

Aurora nodded excitedly Yes, of course!” Dusty agreed as well, hopping up and down in her seat. Sometimes it was easy to forget she was an intelligent scientist, she was so high-energy.

Once they were done being excited about the tour, they took another moment to look over the menu. Aurora’s eye caught a salad with Bibb lettuce and other mixed greens, tossed with strawberries, oranges, grapes, toasted walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette. Stardust had a hard time narrowing down between a stuffed croissant and a bowl of soup. After while they had decided what they’d like to eat. When the waiter came back with their drinks, they were ready to order. Aurora started off, “I would like your Fruit and Walnut Bibb salad please, Raspberry vinaigrette on the side.:

Stardust was next to order. “I think I’ll go with the Swiss and herb stuffed croissant.”

“Ill have a bowl of vegetable soup with a side of bread on the side please.” Seyfert says, he was finding it hard to contain his own excitement about touring the palace, but being the gentlecolt that he was he managed to keep it in check.

Aurora smiled, sipping her tea. “I’m not much for coffee, but I do love the way it smells. It’s relaxing Sometimes I’ll brew a cup for myself when Stormbringer isn’t home, just for the smell.” Before long their food was brought out to the table. Aurora’s mouth watered, she was absolutely famished. Stardust realized how hungry she actually was as well, once the plate was set in front of her.

As they began to eat stopped and raised his glass. “I’d like to propose a toast.” He says raising his cup of coffee. “To friends…and possibly more.” He said, winking at Stardust. Stardust blushed, again thankful for her dark colored coat. She smiled, perhaps the biggest of all three present, her heart skipping a beat. “Now then, lets dig in.” Sey suggested, taking a bite of his soup. “Mmm that’s good.”

Aurora’s face nearly melted when she took her first bite. “Oh…My…Luna…This…this is fantastic. How is yours, Dusty?” Stardust just grinned, mouth full. She was eating too quickly to bother with conversation.

Seyfert went to town on his soup, occasionally taking a bite of bread. “I have to agree, this soup is delicious. This place never disappoints; you two should save room for desert, they have some of THE best deserts around.”

Aurora had to keep from laughing to avoid choking. “Huh, way ahead of you. We ALWAYS save room for desert. Why do you think we ordered such petite meals?” Stardust laughed a little, nearly finished with her entree.

“We are something akin to foodies. And sweets? Right up my alley!” She grinned, taking the last sip of her drink.

Seyfert laughed as he gulped down the rest of his soup. “I’m the same way, I always save room for dessert even if it isn’t a big one.” He gobbled up the rest of the bread he had and waved for the waiter. “Excuse me but could we get a few dessert menus please?” Seyfert asked with a smile, the waiter quickly obliged, trotting off to fetch the menus.

Stardust piped up, “And a glass of water please?” She then turned to her companions. “Why don’t we each order something different, and then share all three? Kind of like a sampler buffet?” Aurora smiled. “I like the way you think, sis. What do you say Seyfert?”

“Sounds great,” He replied with a huge smile, “Never tried it before but it sound slike a great idea.” Just as he finished saying that the waiter set the menus in front of them then set Stardust’s glass of water in front of her, “Thank you so much, just give us a few minutes to choose?”

“Not a problem.” The waiter replied with a smile as he rushed off to tend to another group of ponies with what seemed like a very unhappy foal. “Poor kid.” Seyfert chuckled before turning his attention to his menu, “so what do you think?” He asked looking to Aurora and Stardust, “This apple cobbler sounds really really good.”

“Is it as good as the stuff we get from Sweet Apple Acres?” Aurora raised an eyebrow, still smiling.

Stardust immediately saw what she wanted. “Oooh Colta-Cola Cake and ice cream??? I am THERE.” Aurora laughed. “Mmm, Creme Brule sounds great too. So we can get that, the Cake, and your Apple Cobbler?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sey replied. After dealing with the group with the unruly foal, the waiter made his way back to the trio, “Ready to order?”

Stardust wasted no time. She promptly ordered all three deserts, must to Aurora’s surprise. Seyfert sat there stunned, “Right then.” He laughed, he always admired a mare that enjoyed sweet as much as he did. “I can almost feel those cavities already.” He joked as he handed the menus back to the waiter.

Stardust laughed, “Cavities Shmavities. We came to enjoy the city, we should darn well enjoy everything about it.”

Aurora was clearly amused. Her sister was always fun to be around. She rubbed her hooves together. “Mmm, I can’t wait to try everything. It’ll be delicious, I know it!” She took one last sip of her tea, whish she had rationed perfectly for the meal. “Sey, do you know what time it is?” She asked.

“Hm,” He replied looking around, “If I had to take a guess I would say it’s around 2ish,” He scratched his head, “It was about 12:30 or so when we left the inn.” He shrugged, “Yea I’ll stick with my guess for now, I will ask the waiter when he returns.”

“Well that clock on the far wall says it’s exactly 2:15 PM.” Dusty smiled smugly. Aurora turned around to see that, sure enough, there was a clock on the wall behind the counter. “Well, then that answers-” She was cut off when the waiter returned with the desserts, fresh forks and extra napkins.

“Huh me and not paying attention, I never noticed the clock.” Seyfert said blushing. “Oh sweet the desserts are here.” He paused for a second realizing his unintentional pun. “Wow those do look good don’t they?”

Stardust had already dug into the cake by the time Sey spoke up. “Mmhmm.” She savored the rich taste of the cola baked within the cake, the vanilla ice cream melting perfectly with its warmth. “There are no words for this kind of deliciousness.”

Aurora laughed, daintily taking a bite of her creme brule. “Oooh, fantastic.” She used her magic to slide the hot crock closer to Sey and Stardust. “Try that. There is no getting better.” Meanwhile taking a nibble of cobbler. Seyfert took a small bite of the brule and was instantly awestruck, “WOW that’s good!” He exclaimed before trying the cobbler. “Mmm it’s good I won;t lie, still though I think the Apple’s recipe takes the win.” He turned to Stardust who looked like she was enjoying her cake a lot. “May I?” He asked with a smile.

Stardust, not realizing she had eaten nearly half of the cake, sheepishly scooted the plate forward. “Haha sure. But only because I deem thee worthy of such glorious cake.” Aurora had to keep from spitting her food out as she laughed. She took a sample of the cake, savoring the flavors and differing temperatures. “Oh wow…I have to say that might be the best thing so far. And I agree, the Apple family’s cobblers will always be top notch.”

They sat in the cafe for another ten minutes or so chatting after they’d enjoyed the deserts, before Aurora mentioned the Palace again. “I wonder when the tours stop? Perhaps we should head over in that direction?”

“Oh yea, I almost forgot.” Seyfert admitted, bonking himself in the forehead. “We should get going.” He waved down the waiter and asked for the check, “I got this by the way.” He said with a smile and a wink, “Let me go take care of this and we can be on our way; Europa will be meeting us there.” Without another word, the dark blue stallion stood and made his way to the front register. Aurora smiled. “I’ll at least chip in a bit, if that’s alright.” She levitated some coins out of her pocket in front of Seyfert.

Seyfert just smiled, “Sure thing.” He took the coins from Aurora and fished the rest out of his coat pocket. “We will definitely have to come back here some time.”

“I’ll step outside for a bit while you finish up. I’d like to stretch my legs before walking up to the castle.” Aurora stated, quickly exiting the cafe before anypony could protest.

Stardust nodded, following Sey up to the register. “I appreciate you offering to hoof the bill. It was kind of you.”

“Oh don’t mention it.” He said blushing. Seyfert finished paying, making sure to leave a tip for the waiter and made his way to the door. Before opening it, he stopped Stardust, “Say if it isn’t too bold to ask, do you maybe want to go for dinner or a drink sometime?” He asked blushing even more.

Stardust felt the familiar warmth come to her cheeks. “O-Oh, sure thing! I’d love to! Maybe you could come by my lab sometime, we could..uh-uhm, do science?” She smiled, hoping she didn’t scare him off. She always flubbed things up when she was nervous.

“Sounds great,” Seyfert replied, still blushing but smiling big. “We’ll talk later eh?” He said holding the door for her, “Don’t wanna keep that tour waiting.” They walked outside to an awaiting Aurora, “Sorry bout the hold up, shall we?” He said motioning towards the palace.

Aurora smiled, “It;s no problem, but you;re right. Let’s be off,” As Sey walked ahead of her, she gave her sister a slight, playful nudge. She cocked an eyebrow, a wry smile on her face. Stardust smiled sheepishly, trotting up ahead next to Seyfert.

Chapter 4: Stealing Kisses

Just as Stardust found herself alongside Seyfert, the stallion smiled and brushed against her playfully before looking ahead to the palace. “We’re almost there, Europa should meet us inside the main entrance.” He said, the excitement in him building. It wasn’t a long walk, it seemed everything in the city was so close together, as if they only built up rather than building out.

They finally were making their way up the steps and through the main doors of the palace. Aurora and Stardust slowed their pace a bit, taking in all the splendor.
As they made their way up the stairs Seyfert was too distracted and didn’t hear his sister yelling at him from the landing above them. Frustrated at her brother’s inability to hear her, she shoved her way through a crowd of ponies as Sey, Rory, and Dusty reached the top.

“SEYFERT HEY!” She came cantering over, giving Seyfert a playful punch on the shoulder. Her brother whirled around, completely caught off guard, and wondering who’d punched him. That’s when his face lit up with a huge smile.

“Oh hey Europa!” he said grasping her in a hug, “It’s been too long.”

Once freed from her brother’s bear hug she straightened her dress out, “So are you going to introduce me to your friends?” she asked looking to Aurora and Stardust.

“Oh right, where are my manners today?” He laughed, “This is Aurora, probably the prettiest and most talented artist I know, and this,” He stopped and stood there for a moment as he looked at Stardust, “This is Stardust, a fellow astronomer… and a very very beautiful one at that.” They both blushed at the compliments from Seyfert, Stardust more so than Aurora.

The white unicorn stepped forward, extending a hoof. “Aurora Heartnote, pleased to finally meet you Europa! Seyfert has had nothing but wonderful things to say about you.” She smiled. Stardust also stepped forward. “You can call me Dusty if you’d like pleasure to meet you. So where should we start? Europa, have you been here before?”

“Only once,” Europa replied, “Unfortunately it was something for school so I didn’t get to really see the place.”

Seyfert’s ears perked up. “You were here to give you dissertation weren’t you?” He smiled, obviously proud of his sister’s hard work.

“Yea.” She replied, seeming as if she didn’t want to discuss the subject. “Well today we are here to see the palace and have fun, no school, no work, right?”

“Indeed, this is all leisure, my friends!” Stardust proclaimed as they made their way farther into the castle. She and Seyfert walked ahead, while Europa and Aurora remained in the rear.

“So you must be close to graduating then, if you’ve already given your dissertation. I still have another year or so to go in college, though… it’s just a small technical school, I won’t be giving any dissertations.” Rory felt sort of silly when she compared her college career to Europa’s achievements, especially knowing the gray unicorn was a much younger pony than herself.

“Yep this is my last year, don’t let the dissertation thing fool you though… I’m only going for a four year degree. Sey was the one that went all out when he was in school. It was not really necessary, but he wanted to impress our parents.” she explained “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do those two have something goin’ on? I’ve never seen Sey act like that around a mare before.” She asked looking at her brother with a puzzled look.

Aurora smirked as they continued, leaning in to whisper. “Yeah, they’ve been ga-ga over each other since he came to pick us up this morning. It’s kind of adorable, actually. Dusty has never really taken a liking to someone like this before. I think they easily relate, being astronomers.” Europa only answered with a nod. -
Seyfert and Stardust were walking side by side as before, almost close enough to bump into each other. “I’ve always wanted to see this place,” He exclaimed, “I mean visiting the archives once or twice is one thing, but a full tour of the palace… pfft, almost nothing compares.” He said with a grin as he looked at Stardust. “I’m sure you must be pretty excited too, huh?” He says giving her a playful nudge. Stardust leaned in. They were touching as they walked now, her face flushed, heart beating faster every second.

“Yes, very excited.” Was all she could think to say.

Seyfert was a little surprised when he noticed that Stardust and himself were leaning on each other as they walked. Normally he would have conducted himself differently, but this time he decided to just go with it. After all, some chances were worth taking.

“There’s so much beauty…” He murmured, looking back to Stardust.

Dusty nodded, “Goodness yes, this place is amazing.”

“Oh yea the palace is beautiful too…” He said looking away and blushing, before returning to his senses. He cleared his throat.

Stardust almost stopped for a moment when she realized he was talking about her. “Oh..” She smiled, face as red as ever. “Yes, it is. I’m a little envious at the ponies who get to live here and see this every day. I hear Princess Luna even has her own private observatory in one of the towers here.” Stardust’s eyes lit up at the thought. “I wonder if they include it in their night tours? Probably not… I’m sure Luna has more important things to do than let common folk into her study.” She looked down for a bit, letting the feel of Seyfert’s movements guide her. “Still, it’d be nice to share an experience like that with you…. I-I mean… as astronomers… it’d be fun.” She winced a little at her awkwardness. What the hay is wrong with you Dusty? she thought to herself. Why are you flubbing this up? You never stutter!

Seyfert creased his brow in thought. “Luna’s private observatory… what I wouldn’t give to just see it once…” He said as his mind wandered. “Astronomers or not I would enjoy the experience too.” On impulse, Seyfert snuck a quick peck on Dusty’s cheek. That made Stardust stop for a moment. “I might be able to work something out, after all I did work for the university for quite some time.” Seyfert said with a slight blush before going back to walking with her along the grand hallways. Dusty cleared her throat before continuing, gently nuzzling under Sey’s chin. “You don’t have to go out of your way for me, you know. But I think it sounds like a great idea.”

Behind the love birds, Aurora and Europa were becoming fast friends. Europa just smiled at the sight of her brother and Stardust, she hadn’t seen him this happy for a very long time. “I must say, it’s kinda of strange seeing him like that; After all those years of being a workaholic I didn’t think he could be that happy.” She remarked, pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts. “Oh! So Seyfert tells me you’re into art, and that your work is amazing, I’d love to see it sometime when I come visit the knucklehead. I’ve aways enjoyed art, I just never was very good at it.”

Aurora laughed. “Oh yes, I’m studying art. I went to a fine arts college in Manehatten for a few years, but money was tight, so I had to come back home. I’m just finishing a two year degree at Maretta Tech now. It’s not much, but at least it’s something. Art has been my passion for as long as I can remember. Music has always fueled it.” Aurora was enjoying her conversation with Europa. She also took note of their friend’s behavior. “It is nice to see them getting on so well. Maybe we should have a girl’s night tonight and let them have their own night on the town?”

Europa gave her new friend a devilish grin, “I think that’s a great idea. Heh, maybe we could find us a couple of decent stallions eh?” She said jokingly. “But seriously though that sounds great. Should we run the idea past them, or let them figure it out?” Her mischievous side was starting to show.

Aurora grinned.”I like the way you think. I’ve been dying to gussy up and go dancing. You game for that?”

Europa jumped in excitement. “I’d love to go dancing!” After a moment, she realized she’d garnered the stare of a few other tourists. “Er I mean that sounds like a lot of fun. We should totally go dancing.” Europa had calmed herself, but she was starting to let her inner filly out. Being in school for so long, she almost forgot how to go out and just have fun.

The group took a few more steps before rounding a corner into the grand hallway with stained glass windows running its entirety. All hues and shades were strewn about like a kaleidoscope. Aurora could only say “So beautiful…”

Seyfert stood there slack-jawed and speechless. “This is…is…”

They had reached the Hall of Legends. All around them heroes from Equestria’s history battled their way to victory in the name of the Celestial Sisters. Aurora was the first to step forward, the colors showering her white coat like a prism. The folds of her dress giving it more of a kaleidoscopic illusion. She let herself twirl around, despite the fact this was the hall leading to the throne room. From across the way, a pale blue stallion was drawn to Aurora’s movements. Moving closer, he tipped his glasses down and gaped at her beauty. Aurora caught the stallion in the corner of her eye, but he’d disappeared once she’d finished her twirl.

Stardust slowly stepped forward, looking at each and every detail on the smaller windows surrounding the grand ones, depicting Luna’s constellations. “My goodness…”

Seyfert was so amazed by the sight he didn’t notice Stardust move from beside him and he stumbled before regaining his composure. “Oh my goodness is right…This is just…amazing.” Then he noticed the windows Stardust was looking at and he couldn’t help but smile, “Oh….wow….” He muttered, “Years of staring into the skies, and the best view is right here on a window…”

———————————————————————————

The tour had gone swimmingly, the group just struck to silence by the splendor of the castle. Aurora had invited Europa to her room to chat for a while, while they both got ready for their night on the town. They had done some shopping earlier for something fun to wear. Aurora was putting her hair up in braids; something other mares were envious she could do because of her magic. She pinned some fancy and sparkly pins in place, and finished it off with some sparkling black, grey, and clear jewelry she’d found on clearance. She had a crimson shirt on with small chain detail and ruching around the neck opening. It gathered at the waist and she wore a thick black belt. She strapped some black boots on her back hooves and wore some bangles at her front. She didn’t fuss too much with makeup, just a bit of eye shadow and mascara. She had a small black clutch at her side, dangling by a tiny silk rope. “Ready to hit the town?” She asked her new friend.

Stardust had gone back to her room earlier, only to find she’d locked herself out. Sey was nice enough to accompany her downstairs for a replacement key. She’d bought a beautiful dress on their shopping trip earlier, but wasn’t sure what Sey was planning when he’d goaded her into getting the nicer dress versus the simpler one. Whatever the case, she didn’t argue. Instead she was up in her room getting ready, waiting for Sey to tell her he was ready for the evening ahead.

Chapter 5: Cherry on Top

After accompanying Stardust downstairs to get her spare key and making sure she was able to get into her room, Seyfert retreated to his own room to get ready. As for all his trips, he had brought his nicest suit with him, though he never thought he would be needing it for something like this. Seyfert dressed himself, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt. He went into the bathroom and straightened his mane up as best he could before finally putting on his tie. The stallion looked in the mirror and chuckled, “Don’t mess this up egghead.” Without another word, he made his way through the door, closing it behind him. He paced in front of Stardust’s room, contemplated knocking on the door for a while before finally finding the resolve to do so. Nervous and a tad shaky, he stood there as he waited for Stardust to open her door, and as she came into view Seyfert was completely and utterly blown away at the mare standing before him. “I…uh…wow…” is all he could say as he stood there slack-jawed and wide-eyed.

Stardust’s gown was made of a smooth black material that was somewhat iridescent, looking almost like a star system when the light caught it. It was relatively simple in that it was long, straight, form fitting, and didn’t drag far behind her. She wore simple black shoes on her back hooves and on her front right hoof was a silver bracelet. Her necklace and earrings were made of shimmering black crystals. Her hair was pulled back, but a little curlier than her usual style, and she had a few decorative pins to tie it back.

Upon coming back to his senses he blushed and laughed lightly, “Sorry, you’re just…beautiful? Stunning? There are a thousand words that come to mind, but they are all understatements.” He stood there not sure of what else to say.

Stardust was also a bit surprised by the handsome stallion coming to call on her. She exited her room, exuding an air of grace that seemed so drastically different from the bubbly mare she was earlier this morning. Making sure her key was tucked into her hand bag, she let the door latch behind her. She felt her cheeks burn as he spoke of her, and soon after found a chance to reply.

“Thank you…you certainly clean up well.” There was the snarky attitude that said this was still definitely Dusty. She finally asked “I just can’t stand the suspense, what do you have planned for this evening that called for such lavish attire? I’m very excited to know.”

Aurora hit the street with Europa, not exactly sure where to go first. “So, do you know of any good places to go? Or if there are any good DJ’s in town?”

“Hmm, I don’t get out much,” Europa replied as she put a hoof to her chin. “I did overhear some other students talking about this club just off campus; we could try there.” She was getting excited, she hadn’t gone out for a very long time and forgot how much fun it was. “So what do you say?” She asked nudging Aurora, “It’s this way.”

Blushing at the compliment Seyfert smiled, “Why thank you, and to answer your question I know this restaurant that will blow your mind. Then I was thinking maybe a show afterwards?” He carefully pulled two tickets out of his coat pocket. “What do you think? It’s rare to get seats like this for Staccato’s concerts.” He asked, blushing again.

Aurora was full of laughter as she caught up to her new friend. Laughing harder as she stumbled. “Sorry, my goodness! This is going to be a blast!” she cried. As she caught her breath, something on the building next to them caught the corner of her eye. It was a very vibrant poster featuring a white unicorn with electric blue hair and dark sunglasses covering her face. Rory’s eyes lit up, as she placed a hoof on Europa’s shoulder, gently shaking. “Hey, take a look at this! She’s headlining here tonight!” Aurora briefly looked around to see that there was already a line, but it wasn’t bad yet. Without thinking or saying a word, she grabbed Europa, dragging her to the end of the line. “We are SO going to get in on this! I have been DYING to see another one of her shows!” Europa was taken a bit by surprise, but it only manifested in excited chatter. “No way we can pass this up, not when the line is this short.” She trotted and bobbed in place next to Aurora. “This is goin’ to be sooo flippin’ crazy!” She said as her excitement reached an all new high.

Stardust’s eyes went wide. “The Staccato Fortissimo?! How did you manage to get tickets this late in the game? And such AWESOME seats?! This is amazing!” She instinctively leapt forward to hug him, forgetting their attire. Seyfert was surprised when Stardust suddenly hugged him, he just smiled and returned the hug. “I just called in a favor or two, nothing major.” he laughed nervously. After a moment, Dusty stepped back adjusting her clothes. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to muss everything.” She laughed. “Well, shall we be off then?”

“Yes let’s be on our way.” Seyfert nodded, extending a hoof as if to gesture ‘ladies first’.

As the line moved them closer to the building, the thumps seemed to reverberate through the walls more and more. They still had some time to kill before DJ Pon-3 took the stage, so Rory and Europa would at least get inside before the real show started. Aurora hopped up and down a moment. “Aahhahah!!!! I’m so friggin’ excited!”

“Ohhhhh I can’t wait,” she squeaked. As they approached the door there was a very large stallion standing there, letting ponies in, upon seeing the two mares he just smiled and stepped aside to let them pass. “Here goes!” Europa exclaims as she trotted inside.
“Thank you!” Aurora heard the distinct cry of somepony saying “AW COME ON!” behind her as she entered the dark club behind the gray Unicorn. She squealed with excitement as they were met with thunderous noise and a massive crowd. “LET’S GET OUT ON THE FLOOR!” She had to shout, and even then could barely hear herself.

Stardust and Seyfert made their way down the well-lit streets. The night was clear, and Luna’s stars were shining brightly, despite the city’s light pollution. “My goodness, it’s a beautiful night out. Thank you so much… for everything. It’s been one of the best days I’ve ever had, and I have you to thank for it.” Dusty huddled close to her companion as they walked, but didn’t touch him.

Seyfert looked up at the night sky and thought to himself ‘You finally found something, well somepony, more beautiful than the night sky… don’t mess this up.’ “I agree, I’ve had more fun today then I’ve had in the past 4 years put together, you are- you and your sister are a blessing for dragging me out here.” He remarked. “This is the restaurant coming up here on the left.”

Stardust didn’t speak, but her face flushed as it had done so often that day. As they entered the restaurant Seyfert addressed host and informed him of their reservation. They were taken to a secluded table overlooking the castle, the window extended from ceiling to floor showing the city in all it’s splendor.

“Thank you sir,” Seyfert thanked the host as he pulled the chair out for Stardust. As he then proceeded to seat himself, he cleared his throat and tried to spark more conversation. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

“Seyfert, this is just… wonderful. All I can think to say is thank you, but I feel as if it isn’t enough.” She found her thoughts getting the best of her and she shook her head a bit to regain focus. She batted her eyelashes a bit, gazing once more out the window. “This place is truly remarkable.”

“Princess Luna really does a fantastic job with the night sky.”

Europa was already making her way out on the floor when she heard Aurora yell, “I’m already ahead of ya!” She giggled as she began to dance to a familiar song. Aurora tightened the strap of her purse as she just let loose on the floor. The lights reflected every which-way off her jewelry, it sparkled and shone wildly like her movements. Thank Luna for hairspray, otherwise, her hair would have fallen all over the place. As Europa kept up with the beat she just let the stress and tension disappear, and she found herself dancing next to Aurora, “This was a great idea! We should do this more often!” Suddenly there is a drastic change is music. Aurora’s heart is racing, her blood pumping. This was it. Suddenly it was like her body was moving on it’s own, limbs flailing, hips swaying, knocking a bit into Europa.

The date was going quite well. Dinner had wrapped up, and the couple enjoyed learning more about each other as the night drew on. The concert was, to say the least, one of the most amazing experiences in Stardust’s life. The music was so beautiful she literally started crying. She did feel a little silly, but it was ultimately worth it. They were walking to nowhere in particular, or at least that’s what it seemed like. She wasn’t paying enough attention to know they were at the palace again.

Seyfert smiled as they walked along, so far everything had gone according to plan. There was just one trick left up his sleeve; the finale to a great night. Once he knew they were just in front of the palace he stopped Stardust and cleared his throat, He coughed lightly and cleared his thought, he was about to ask something he never thought he would be asking, and he was hoping it wouldn’t ruin the rest of the night. “Dusty… is it okay if I call you that?” Stardust nodded before he continued. “I’ve been thinking, and I hope I don’t ruin our night by asking this, but I think I may like you as more than just a friend, and I was wondering if maybe you felt the same?” He almost fainted and he felt short of breath, a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his head. Stardust just smiled, feeling her own cheeks warm as she blushed as Seyfert continued

“Stardust, today has been probably the single greatest day of my life, and well…” He coughed as he grew nervous. “I was wondering, I mean…” He started stuttering but eventually contained himself. “Would you give this old astronomer a chance to make you the happiest mare in Equestria?” He asked letting out a huge sigh, nearly falling over his knees were so wobbly.

Stardust didn’t say a word. Without hesitation, she lept forward, kissing the stallion on the muzzle. She stayed like that for some time, before pulling away, face so red, she was sure it would melt away. “I though I made my feelings for you quite obvious.” She laughed “But to give you a more concrete answer, yes. I reciprocate those feelings, and I’d be delighted to carry on this way. This… tonight has just…” She had to pause, her mind scrambling to collect the right words to form a coherent sentence. Seyfert sat there dumbstruck while Dusty fumbled. “You know what? Yes. I’d love to do this again, any day. Thank you Seyfert Galaxy. For treating me like a lady.” She paused a moment. “So, why are we here?”

Seyfert snapped back from his stupor to answer her. “Oh, I just thought it would add to the mood. I’d love to get us a tour of the observatory, but it just wasn’t in the cards.”

She smiled. “I appreciate it. And indeed, it does add to the mood.” She gazed up at the observatory, catching a glimpse of a flowing nebular mane. “Oh my, it’s Luna…” she gasped.

Seyfert smiled as he too looked up, then glanced back to Stardust. “Quite the cherry on a perfect night, isn’t it?”

She just laughed until her sides hurt. “I’d say that’s worth two cherries. Why don’t we get ourselves back to the hotel? It’s getting late.”

Seyfert laughed, “Yes let’s.” He took her by the arm and lead her down the silent street. “You have no idea how happy I am now. I never could have expected this.”

Dusty thought to herself ‘you think YOU’RE happy…’

Seyfert remained quiet for the trip back, still in shock from how well the night had gone, and the fact he finally found that special somepony, not just a fellow scientist but an astronomer to boot. He had no idea how he got so lucky but he wasn’t about to complain.

After the music had died down and the club closed for the night, Aurora and Europa were finding their way back to the hotel. Aurora’s muscles were already beginning to ache and her ears were still thumping.
“Oh, I am definitely going to feel this in the morning, but it was so worth it.” She grinned, still high from the night’s excitement. “I wonder how our siblings are getting along?” She mused.

Dusty and Sey, meanwhile, had been back at the hotel for a few hours. Stardust had invited her new colt-friend to lounge in her room for a while, promising to stay up until she knew their sisters got back safely. They were enjoying a bottle of wine while they played a game of cards.

“Go fish!” Seyfert chuckled as he took a sip of wine. “So, do you think we should tell our sisters about our relationship? Or should we let ‘em figure it out?” He asked, sounding a little mischevious. Stardust laughed, finishing the last of her third glass of wine. Her face was flushed as a result. “To be honest, my sister already knows.”

Seyfert scratched his head. “Yeah… Europa’s a smart mare, she’s probably figured it out as well. I sure hope she doesn’t end up like me, spending all her time working and ever getting out for any fun.” He started nodding off before he regained his composure. “I wonder where those two are? It’s getting late, and I’m positive the clubs are closed by now.” Stardust lazily pushed the playing cards off the bed and onto the floor. She giggled softly, her eyelids feeling heavy. Dusty moved closer to Seyfert, snuggling into his side and resting her chin on his broad hooves. Seyfert kissed her lightly on the forehead, and before long, they were both fast asleep.

Europa yawned as she reached to open the inn door. “It’s a good thing I don’t have class tomorrow, I’m going to really need to sleep in.” Aurora nodded in agreement as they both made their way up the steps to their rooms. Suddenly, Aurora stopped, causing Europa to run right into her. Stardust’s door was hanging wide open, and the two lovebirds were tangled together, sleeping like rocks. The Unicorns had to physically keep from saying ‘daaaw’ as they covered their muzzles with their hooves, grinning.

“Well this is just too cute to break up.” Europa whispered. “I’ll just crash in Sey’s room for the night.”

Aurora nodded. “Alright, I’ll see you in the morning.” She yawned, walking over and turning off the lights in Stardust’s room before quietly closing the door.

Chapter 6: Fall Festival

A few months had gone by since their trip in Canterlot and things had begun changing. Stardust and Seyfert were spending almost all their free time with each other; inside and outside the observatory. In fact, Seyfert had left his observatory work to live in Saddleworth to take up work in Stardust’s lab. He often spent the night with Stardust instead of actually heading home, leaving his own home open for his sister once her semester was finished.

Late one fall afternoon, Stardust received a letter from her older sister, Aurora.

My dearest Stardust,

I hope this letter finds you well; I hear you’ve been keeping our friend Seyfert from overworking in the lab ;). The last few weeks have been busy for me, as I’ve been traveling and showcasing my art in local markets and fairs. This week is the first I’ve truly had to myself, as Stormbringer has been in Cloudsdale on business. In any case I miss seeing you as often as I once did, and I’d like to get together with you soon. There is a fair in Hoofington this coming weekend and I’m scheduled to sell my work in the Artist’s Alley. I’d love it if you and Seyfert could make it. Storm will be in town with her marefriend… and there is somepony special I’d like you to meet!

Love,

Aurora

Stardust raised an eyebrow as she read that last sentence. “Hey Seyfert, would you be opposed to making a trip to Hoofington this weekend to see my sister?” She called from upstairs. She was sprawled out lazily on her bed with her hair pulled back in that signature messy bun of hers. She awaited Seyfert’s reply, hoping he could hear while he was in the kitchen making tea. He could barely make out what Dusty had said, but he got the general gist. Sey finished preparing the tea and made his way upstairs, trotting slowly as to not spill the hot tea. He made his way into the loft that served as Dusty’s room, setting the tray with the tea down on her night stand and sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her. “Did you say you wanted to visit Aurora in Hoofington?” He asked, to which Dusty replied with a nod. “I would love to pay her a visit. Besides, a weekend away might be fun.”

Stardust pulled her reading glasses down and peered over the top at Seyfert, as she flopped the letter next to her. “It sounds like she’s got herself a special somepony.” She bat her eyelashes playfully. Seyfert raised his brow at her statement. “Oh that’s nice.” He replied. “Will we get to meet the lucky stallion?” He asked curiously.Dusty nodded and he smiled, crawling over to give her a kiss on the muzzle. “I’m glad to hear your sister found a nice stallion, I’m looking forward to meeting him.” he said.

“I’m looking forward to it as well. She’s been awfully quiet in terms of communication for the last few months. I wonder how long she’s been dating him.” She pondered. Whatever the case, she made a mental note to herself to keep this weekend free for a visit with Aurora.

————————————————————————————-

Dusty and Sey had arrived in town early that Saturday morning to avoid getting caught in the middle of all the set up; opting to stop for breakfast before going to see Aurora. By the time they left the cafe, the fair was set up, but it was still early enough that folks hadn’t really started arriving yet. After a while of enjoying the scenery, they finally stumbled upon Aurora’s booth.

The white unicorn stood and waved, a large smile graced her face. “Dusty, Seyfert! I’m so glad you could make it!” She walked around to the other side of her stall to hug her sister and Sey. “It’s been too long! Storm will be in town tonight, we should have a picnic out on the lawn tonight during the Wonderbolts show. I hear there are fireworks afterwards!”

“Good to see you again Aurora.” Seyfert greeted her, “How have you been?” He hadn’t seen the white unicorn since their trip to Canterlot. “A little bee tells me you found a special somepony.” He chuckled, and gave Dusty a playful nudge.

Aurora blushed and gave her sister a disapproving look when she was tapped on the shoulder by a tall earth pony. His coat was an extremely pale gray-blue and his tousled hair was a light brown. He had thick eyebrows and a strong jawline, young, but he looked wise beyond his years. He peered through his glasses at Aurora and spoke. “Hey there, is this your other sister?” He asked, holding a hoof out to shake with Sey. Aurora smiled, “Dusty, Sey, this is my coltfriend, Archimedes. Arc, this is indeed my baby sister Stardust and her coltfriend, Seyfert Galaxy.” Arc nodded as he extended his hoof to both of them. “Nice to finally meet you. Rory has been telling me all about you.”

Dusty nodded, taking hold of his hoof. “She has!? She hasn’t said a word of you to us recently! Then again, I have been extremely busy with all the work my interns are neglecting in favor of final exams.” She grinned.

Arc smiled a little nervously. “We’ve been together for almost 6 months. I’m actually a little surprised she hasn’t said anything.” He cast a confused expression to Aurora who simply shrugged with an embarrassed smile on her face.

Seyfert then took his turn to shake the large pony’s hoof. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” Seyfert said. “And congrats to you two, Dusty and I have been together for just about that time as well.” He added, throwing a wink to his marefriend. Seyfert couldn’t help but notice, despite being quite large Aurora’s colt friend looked brilliant. “Archimedes. If you don’t mind me asking what do you do for a living?” Seyfert asked curiously.

Arc adjusted his glasses and smiled. “I’m an Actuary. I calculate risks and manage finances for private clients. In layman’s terms; fancy accounting.” He joked. Aurora laughed. “Can you believe he actually LIKES math? UGH!” She sneered, earning a playful nudge from Archimedes.

Seyfert just laughed, he didn’t love math, but being a stallion of science he was somewhat good at it. “That’s pretty impressive if I can say.” Seyfert replied. “Unfortunately with my line of work I have to use math, though nothing too advanced.”

Dusty took a moment to pipe up. “Well how did you two meet then? It couldn’t have been long after we came back from Canterlot. Are you from here, Arc?” The large stallion shook his head. “Actually, I first saw her in Canterlot at the palace tour. I was entertaining a client and I caught a glimpse of her twirling her dress in the Hall of Heroes. It was the single most beautiful sight I had ever seen.” He and Rory both blushed, then she took over storytelling.

“He is actually from the next town over, and I ran into him there while I was picking up art supplies; literally. I wasn’t paying attention as I left the shop, and ran right into him! He recognized me, and we struck up a conversation over lunch.” She nuzzled him just as her first customer of the day came trotting over towards the stall. “And that’s my cue to stop chit chat. I’ll meet you two at my house this evening. Storm, Blossom, Arc, and I are going to watch the Wonderbolts show tonight. There are fireworks after if you’d like to join us?”

“Yep. We’ll be there, I’ve never seen a Wonderbolts show so it should be exciting.” Seyfert replied. As Aurora headed back to her table Seyfert turned to Stardust, placing a hoof around her. “So, what do you say we walk around and see what’s going on?” He suggested.

“Oh yes, that sounds like a good idea! Why don’t we check out some of the rides before the lines start to form? It was nice to meet you Archimedes, I’ll see you and Rory later!” She smiled warmly as Arc and Rory waved their goodbyes. “So, handsome, what ride should we start on?”

Seyfert pondered for a moment, and looked around see see what rides there were. His eyes fell on the Ferris wheel and a smile found it’s way to his face. “How about the Ferris wheel?” He suggested

Dusty nodded in excitement. “I LOVE the Ferris wheel! Let’s do it! Then maybe we can try some of the vendor stall games! I always win at horseshoes!” She smiled kissing his cheek before trotting off towards the towering wheel.

Seyfert followed behind her, he felt a tinge of nervousness as they grew closer. He wasn’t the biggest fan of heights, but with Dusty at his side he knew he would be fine. There was a small line already formed but the wait wasn’t very long. When they reached the operator Seyfert allowed Stardust to board first and took a seat next to her. As the ride lurched to life Seyfert unintentionally found himself holding onto Stardust’s hoof. “Heh sorry. Not the biggest fan of heights.” He giggled. As they reached the very top, the ferris wheel stopped, giving them a perfect view of the entire town. It was nice, but Seyfert found himself drawn to a different view; one sitting right next to him. Her smile and energy with the fair in the background, it was stunning.

Dusty resisted the urge to lean forward and rock the car they were in, noting Sey’s disdain for high places. She looked out over the town, noticing every now and then someone she recognized. After a while, she scooted closer to Seyfert, nuzzling against his shoulder. “It’s beautiful from up here. It sometimes makes me wish I was a pegasus.” She mused.

As Dusty nuzzled his shoulder Seyfert wrapped one of his hooves around her. “I am more than happy with staying on the ground.” He joked. “Though this view is beautiful.” He added, “Especially if I’m sharing it with you.”

After what seemed like a long time, the ride came to life again and the couple began their descent towards the ground. Dusty waited for Sey to step down, taking his hoof before doing so herself. “So I heard something about a horseshoe game.” He stated with a grin. “I think that sounds like fun.”

She nodded as she stepped ahead of him slightly. “Indeed, and I think I saw a gem sifting stall. I’ve never done one of those before, but I hear you are guaranteed to find at least one gemstone.” She grinned. “I could give it to Rory for her to make a pendant out of. She loves making jewelry for my sister and I, though Storm hardly ever wears hers.”

The mention of gem stones brought back memories of Seyferts mother, who had been a jeweler. “I think I would like that.” He said. “But I’ll bet I can beat you to the Horseshoe stall!” He shouted playfully before bounding of towards the booth, laughing like a little foal.

She gave him a devilish grin as she set off after him, her small stature allowing her to be quick on her hooves. She ended up beating him to the stall, howling with laughter.

“Well that didn’t go as planned.” He gasped as he reached the stall. Wanting to have a little fun he decided to up the stakes. “5 bits on a game of horseshoes?” He asked, figuring a playful bet would make it that much more fun. Though he planned on paying up fully if he lost, he wouldn’t dare take Dusty’s bits if he won.

She gave him another sly grin “I raise you ten bits, cupcake.” She teased. Seyfert loved her enthusiasm. “You’re on.” He sneered. He walked up to the attendant and dropped the bits on the counter. “One game please.” He asked. The attendant took the bits and set the horseshoes on the counter. Seyfert motioned for Stardust to go first. “Mares first.” He laughed.

“Hah, alright then.” She stepped forward as the attendant moved out of throwing range. She delicately picked up a horseshoe, raising it steadily back in one smooth flowing motion. She focused a moment, then let the metal fly. *DING* it rung as it found it’s way to a metal post. After three more successful attempts, Dusty was out of horseshoes.

“Alright big guy, it’s your turn.”

Seyfert just smiled and stepped up to throw. His first throw left much to be desired, as it landed far from the metal post. “I meant to do that.” He said, making a quick excuse before picking up his second horseshoe and chucking down towards the post. Oddly enough, this one landed even further away. At this point Seyfert was getting a little flustered but kept his composure. As he lifted his third horse shoe he exhaled and released, a satisfying *DING* was heard. “AHA!” He exclaimed, throwing a hoof in the air. He was on his last show, he had already lost but was going to go down fighting. He mimicked his last movements and hurled the horseshoe down the range. He had done something wrong because this horseshoe went sailing past the post and into the woods behind the booth. Clearing his throat he turned to face Stardust, whom he rightly expected to have a big grin on her face. “Looks like you won…this time.” He said with a slight laugh before setting the owed 10 bits on the counter in front of her.

She just smiled and shook her head. “You might want to hang on to those for me, I might misplace them.” She winked. “Come on, let’s go check out the gem sifting area.” She took him by the hoof and led him across the way to a larger opening. There were little troughs littered about and a stack of sifting pans. Behind a stall were stacks of bags, filled with dirt and supposedly the occasional gemstone.

Seyfert was a little surprised, as he had never seen something like this before. As they waited in line he looked over to Stardust and smiled. “I’m gonna win a giant gemstone,” He said, “And I’m going to have something outstanding made for you.” He winked at her and approached the stallion that was running the booth. “How much sir?” He asked politely.

“10 bits for one bag, two for 17.” The operator replied in a very stereotypical carny tone of voice. Seyfert dropped his head and thought for a moment, a large smile creeping across his face.

“Four please.” He said, “Two for each of us.” He stated as he turned to give Dusty a wink, and she replied with a sheepish grin. Sey dropped the owed bits on the operator’s stand and the portly stallion fetched the four bags. “Anything you find you get to keep.” He said as he set the bags down in front of the two ponies. Seyfert looked down at the plain burlap sacks filled with Celestia knows what. “As always mares first.” He chuckled. “Pick out which ones you want and we will see what we got eh?”

Dusty thought for a moment before picking the two bags to her left, leaving the remainder for Seyfert. She reached to pick one up, finding it was surprisingly heavy. With a little effort, she lugged it over to the trough and set a pan over top of it. “Any chance you could pour this in? I don’t want to make a mess.” Seyfert happily obliged and poured the bag for her, it was quite heavy. “I’ll drag the other bags over while you sift through this ok?” He said before going back for the other bags. He brought Dusty’s second bag first then went back for his own.

When he got to his bags he found a young filly just staring at them, wide eyed. When the filly’s mother saw her daughter, she promptly apologized and grabbed her filly. Seyfert just smiled, “Here, why don’t you have this one?” He offered as he pushed one of his bags towards the two ponies. “Find yourself a pretty gemstone.” Upon hearing this the little filly’s eyes lit up. “Thanks mister!” She exclaimed. Her mother just smiled, “Thank you.”

Dusty let the water run through her pan, looking up to catch a glimpse of her coltfriend’s interaction with the little filly. She felt this inexplicable softness wash over her as she looked on with a tender smile on her face, seemingly lost in thought.

Seyfert finally managed to get his bag to where Dusty was waiting. “Sorry, I’m back.” He greeted her. “Did you find anything?” He asked. He watched to see if she had unearthed anything, while at the same time watching the little filly he had just given his second bag to see if she would find anything. As he watched he noticed the filly’s ears drop for a moment before perking up again. She held up a large sapphire, her eyes were glowing and she looked like the happiest little filly at the fair. Her mother didn’t seem displeased either.

The sight made Seyfert smile, though he quickly turned back to Stardust and her prospects. “Any luck?” He asked again, hoping Dusty would get lucky like the little filly and find a really nice gemstone. It would make a very nice souvenir from their day at the fair.

Stardust was letting her imagination run away with her as she watched the child, not paying attention to the several stones revealing themselves in her pan. It took Sey asking her a second time before she snapped out of it. “Oh… OH wow!” She gasped. There were several beautiful gems inside. A handful of amethyst that she knew Aurora would love, a few small emeralds and sapphires. “I’d say this is a nice catch!” She smiled, wiping the stones off and wrapping them in a kerchief she’d stowed in her saddlebags.

Seyfert went next. As he poured his bag into the pan, nothing stood out right away. He let the water run over the pile and turned back to Dusty. “I could get something nice made for you if you like.” He suggested. “That is, if I find anything.”

As the water wore away at the pile it appeared Sey had gotten a bag with nothing in it, but just as he was about to call it quits a gleam of red caught his eye. He dug into the dirt he revealed a massive ruby. Has he held the large stone a glint could be seen in his eye, this stone reminded him instantly of his late mother. “Well…” He simply said.

Dusty stashed her gems into a small zipper compartment in her saddlebag before turning to watch Seyfert. Her eyes widened again in surprise at the sheer size of the stone in his hooves, then realized suddenly the reason he was speechless. “Seyfert, didn’t you tell me your mother’s name was Ruby?” She asked quietly, placing a hoof on his shoulder.

Seyfert remained quiet, at least until Dusty’s question. “It was.” He said softly. His mind raced with ideas of what to do with the ruby, but one idea kept popping into his head. He smiled at the thought, though this idea would take some work on his end, especially if it was going to turn out the way he wanted.

Dusty smiled, turning and opening her saddlebag. “Here, place it in with the rest and we’ll put them in proper storage when we get to Aurora’s house.”

Seyfert agreed and placed the ruby in Dusty’s bag with the rest of the gems. “Probably a good idea, I don’t want to lose it or anything.” He said, both truthfully and planting the seeds for his plan. Dusty closed her bag before looking back to her bag. “Why don’t we share this one?” she suggested, nuzzling under his chin.

Seyfert smiled, “I think I like that idea.” He replied. He placed his hoof on the bag and waited for Dusty to follow, wanting to pour the bag together. She followed suit and placed her petite hooves over his and they slowly emptied the bag together. There seemed to be a lot of weight in this one

They sifted for a long time, and the pile got smaller and smaller. As they reached the bottom Seyfert caught a glimpse of something shiny, though he wanted to wait and see if Dusty would see it to, so he kept quiet for the time being. This didn’t really seem like the most romantic thing ever, but somehow Dusty felt as though this were really special. She finally caught the small shine at the bottom of the pan and squinted at it. “What’s that?”

“I see it too.” Seyfert replied. “Together?” He asked, he was hinting at the idea that they reach for the unknown shine together. Something about the suggestion seemed like a really good idea. Dusty nodded and reached in after her coltfriend, brushing dirt away to find the rock was massive. “Oh my Luna… Seyfert is that…a diamond?”

“It looks like it…” He managed to say, though he could hardly believe it. Seyfert’s eyes grew large and he stood stunned at what he was seeing. “I have never seen anything that big.” He said, though keeping his volume down, not wanting to garner any attention. He brushed the rest of the dirt away and lifted the massive gem, it was pretty heavy. “Here, feel this.” He said as he passed the diamond to Dusty.

She glanced at it, noticing an eye or two on what she was holding. Quickly she stuffed it in her saddlebag. “We should have that inspected, but it certainly feels like it’s a diamond. She whispered. “I can’t believe… just…” She was speechless

Seyfert looked around to see the few ponies looking at them, not wanting to draw anymore attention he took Dusty and led them away from the attraction. “Do you know any jewelers in Hoofington or Saddleworth?” He asked. “The only one I know of is in Canterlot.”

Dusty shook her head. “No I don’t. But that would give us an excuse to visit Canterlot together again.” She smiled. “Though I’ve got a a lot of work on my plate. Perhaps it’d be quicker if you made the trip without me?” They trotted around the fairgrounds for a while, the smell of baked goods and other treats wafting in the air.

“If you’re ok with that I can.” He replied. “I need to visit the Archives anyways so I can stop by Beryl’s while I’m there.” The smell of the fair foods drifted into Sey’s nose and his belly grumbled. “Heh.” He chuckled and rubbed his belly. “How about we discuss it over some lunch?”

“Sounds good, dear.” She smiled.

After a quick lunch and taking time to discuss a few things they agreed that Seyfert would make the trip to Canterlot to get the gems appraised. Little did Dusty know what Seyfert had planned. He felt bad that he would have to lie, but he hoped in the end it would be worth it.

The couple headed for Aurora’s house to meet up with the whole gang for the show that night. Once they arrived, they found everypony ready and set to go. Without wasting any time the group worked their way back to the fair. The crowd seemed like it had tripled since earlier in the day, but it was a Wonderbolts show after all, so this was to be expected. Seyfert had made sure to bring his jacket and a couple extra blankets with him for the show, he wasn’t sure what the weather would be like. As they arrived at the area where the show would be held, Seyfert looked around for a good place to set up.

Somehow, despite the crowd there was a large empty spot on a hill that was in the perfect place to view the show. “Will this work for you all?” Seyfert asked, making sure everypony was ok with his selection.

The group all exchanged approving looks and Aurora used her magic to lay out a few blankets so that everyone had room to sit. Stormbringer and her marefriend, Cherry Blossom unloaded a good portion of the snacks and drinks while the others got situated. It was still daylight out, but the sun would soon be setting behind them.

Rory and Arc took a seat behind all the others, being among the taller ponies in the group. They nestled together, Rory placing her hooves in the front opening of Arc’s jacket. Storm and Blossom dove right into the snacks, having skipped lunch in favor of a nap earlier, while Dusty sat herself on the far edge of the blanket, patting the ground next to her for Sey to join her. “This should be exciting. I haven’t seen the Wonderbolts since I was very little.” She smiled

Seyfert took his place next to Dusty, making sure he sat nice and close. “This will be my first Wonderbolts show ever.” He said. “I’ve heard all about them, I was just always too busy to see a show.” He added.

Seyfert looked over to Storm and Cherry and laughed. “May I?” He asked, as he pointed to an apple. But before he had a chance horns were blown to signal the start of the show. Suddenly there was a loud band and three pegasi in the signature blue uniforms flew past. “Looks like they are starting early tonight.” Sey said, he had completely forgotten about the apple and his attention was on the three stunt fliers.

It was a thunderous sound as all color of smoke and lightning flew overhead as the aerial acrobats wove in and out of loops and intertwining paths with each other. It truly was a sight to be seen, but Aurora’s coltfriend’s attention was elsewhere. Arc had been whispering into her ear for a while, fumbling around in his coat pocket.

After a few minutes, Dusty turned around to see Aurora and Arc locked in an embrace, and Rory was in tears. Slightly alarmed, Dusty turned to get a closer look when she saw Rory take a shimmering silver necklace with a diamond-cut amethyst pendant and place it around her neck. She gave Sey a quick tap on the shoulder as her eyes widened in excitement. “Sey… Sey!!!” she whispered, trying to peel his eyes away from the airshow. Indeed, nearly everyone’s attention was on the Wonderbolts.

When Seyfert finally caught on, he turned to face his marefriend. “Hey, whats wrong?” He asked, completely oblivious to what was happening behind them.

“LOOK!” Her whisper was nearly a shout as she pointed towards Arc and Aurora. “I think he just proposed!!!” She bit her lower lip and squinted her eyes in excitement.

“Wait whaa-?” Seyfert replied as he craned his neck to look behind him. Sure enough, Archimedes had proposed, and with a stunning necklace to boot. And when he saw Dusty’s face he giggled a little.

Hearing Seyfert’s surprised outburst, Aurora and Arc turned to face them, Rory’s face mimicking Dusty’s as she pointed at the necklace around her neck. She and Dusty simultaneously squealed, gaining quite a few looks from irritated folks next to them trying to enjoy the show. Storm was about to say something snide when she did a double take, realizing what was happening. Her jaw dropped.

Seyfert chuckled at the squealing mares. He would have to make sure to congratulate the lucky couple after the show so as not to disturb folks any further. Still smiling he turned back to watch the show.

Soon… He thought to himself

Chapter 7: Making Plans

After fighting through the crowds he found himself standing outside Beryl’s shop. He held his bag close and stepped through the door, a dainty *ding* was heard as he entered. Upon hearing the entry bell, a tall white pony with an elegant green mane stepped forward. “May I help you?” She asked. She was unlike any pony Seyfert had ever seen before. Her coat with thick, horn slightly curved back, and her hooves were cloven.

“Yes I’m looking for a Beryl Evershine?” Seyfert answered. “I’m here about possibly commissioning her to make some jewelry.” He stepped up to counter and set his bag gingerly atop it. “I have the gems, I just need them to be cut and set.”

The white mare came closer and looked at the dark blue stallion. “May I see the gems please?” She asked.

Seyfert, nervous about all the gems pulled his bag away. “I would really prefer to speak with Beryl if that’s ok.” He stated. This elicited a brief titter from the tall white mare, who proceeded to point to a picture on the wall. I was a picture of her and underneath it was a small golden plaque that read “Beryl Evershine, Owner and Proprietor”. Seyfert felt like a foal for making such a stupid mistake. “Sorry, these gems are very valuable to me.” He set his bag back on the counter and slowly opened it, carefully placing the gems out on the counter one by one.

Beryl was somewhat shocked at all the gems. “Where did you get these?’ She inquired as she lifted the ruby up and peered at it through her jewers lens. “This is a pure ruby, and is this…” She stopped, her attention caught by the massive diamond.

“My marefriend and I won these at a fair.” Seyfert responded. “I was hoping to get an engagement necklace and a wedding bracelet made with these gems. Specifically the larger ones.” He explained.

“That won’t be a problem at all.” Beryl replied. “Just tell me what you’d like done.”

Seyfert proceeded to explain what he had in mind, pointing first at two blue topaz stones. “I’d like these two to be cut into stars, set in silver. The ruby I would also like set silver, cut into an oval.” He paused a moment, taking a deep breath. “That diamond should also be cut into an oval shape, set with a sapphire to either side of it for a wedding band.” Beryl simply nodded, retrieving an abbicus, parchment, and quill. She jotted down a few numbers, showing Seyfert his total price.

“All I require today is a down payment equal to ten percent of the final price.” She simply stated.

Seyfert nodded, placing a bag of bits on the counter.“If you can, I would like the first necklace done within a couple of days. I will pay extra if you need.” Seyfert said.

Beryl just smiled, “That won’t be necessary.” She replied. “I can have it done for you later tomorrow.”

“Thank you so much!” Seyfert exclaimed. “I need to run past the Archives tomorrow. I will be back before I leave town to pick up the necklace.”

Beryl smiled at Seyfert’s energy. “It will be waiting for you.” She said, “I will set to work right away.” And with that she levitated the gems with her magic and headed out of sight to the back of her shop to begin.

Seyfert rearranged his bag and exited the shop, a sack full of gems lighter.

The rest if his trip was fairly uneventful, staying once more at Benton’s inn, he was able to catch up with his old friend. After dark though, the excitement of seeing the necklace led to a restless night’s sleep.

The next day Seyfert awoke early and paid the archives a visit, retrieving the information he needed to resume his work in Saddleworth. He spent the better part of the afternoon walking around the market, stopping for lunch and just looking at the assortment of goods that ponies were selling, until it was time to pick up the necklace.

As he walked through the doors to Beryl’s shop, with the signature *ding* announcing his arrival, Beryl walked into the front room, hovering a small black box. She set it on the counter and used her magic to open the box revealing the engagement necklace he had ordered. The gems glistened brilliantly, the entire piece looking even better than Seyfert had imagined. “Wow… you certainly delivered!” He said in excitement.

Beryl just giggled, “Why thank you, I take it you are satisfied?” She asked.

“Oh yes.” Seyfert replied. “This is amazing.” He was so busy looking at the necklace he nearly forgot he had a deadline. “This is absolutely amazing, I can’t wait to see what you do with the other pieces! Unfortunately I have a train to catch, so it will have to wait for a few weeks.” He stated as he placed another bag of bits on the counter, “That should cover this necklace, plus a little extra for your hard work.” He smiled.

“Thank you for your business, and good luck.” She was referring to the purpose of the necklace. “She is one lucky mare.” She winked.

With one last thanks, Seyfert tucked the necklace away and waved goodbye as he left the shop. He couldn’t wait to see Dusty’s face when she saw it. ‘In due time Seyfert, in due time’ He thought to himself as he made his way to the train station, head held high.

Later that night, as he often did, Seyfert spent some quality time with his beautiful marefriend.

“So, did you remember to get those gems appraised, dear?” Dusty asked coyly. Seyfert blushed a little, his ears setting flat against his head before he spoke. “I’m afraid I lost most of them on the trip, I had a hole in my satchel and I didn’t realize it until I arrived at the jeweler.” Dusty frowned. “What about the ruby and the diamond?” to which Seyfert replied with a shake of his head. “Even those were lost on the train ride. Even if I could have gone back to check the train, I’m sure they’d have been long gone…” He hid his face underneath a hoof, hoping like mad his little fib would be worth it in the long run.

Obviously dissapointed, Stardust let out a sigh but after a moment turned to smile at Seyfert. “You know, they were probably duds anyhow.” She moved in to give Sey a kiss on the cheek. “Besides, I can’t be mad; not at you anyway. I find it impossible to keep a straight face when I look at you.”

Seyfert gave her a sheepish grin as he embraced her, showering her with kisses.

(Featuring Beryl Evershine, character belonging to CountReglay-LordPent on Deviantart.)

Chapter 8: Hearth's Warming

Fall had come and gone just as quickly as that summer, and winter was well underway. The streets were alight with festive garlands and lights and there were holly bushes it seemed on every corner. There was a different kind of atmosphere this time of year, not just seasonally, but there was a special kind of aura surrounding everypony.

Dusty had long since forgotten about the 'lost' gems chalking it up to fate and convincing herself they probably weren't real anyway. Bundled in thick coats and scarves, she and Seyfert cantered down the snowy street toward's Aurora's house, a small sleigh of gifts in tow. They talked of the last few months they'd spent together, almost in disbelief that before they knew it, the new year would be upon them.

"So, you said Europa was going to be joining us, right?" She asked.

"Yep," Seyfert answered. "I hope you all don't mind but she is bringing Worm along, his family is away and I hate seeing those two alone." He added. His mind went to the two, they had known each other for so long but never got serious. Seyfert guessed it was probably because Worm was more of a brother to Europa than anything.

Stardust nodded "Are you kidding? All our family get together invites include a plus-one for significant others! Or friends I suppose, in Europa's case. She seems really set on not dating anyone since that last breakup. It was really rough on her, huh?" They were nearing Rory and Storm's shared abode, a big gust of wind blowing past for a moment sent a chill up Dusty's spine. She very much disliked the cold. "Oh I can't wait until we get there. I'm hoping she has a fire going." Dusty grumbled.

"Yea," Seyfert replied his head dropping a little. "That last break up of hers hit her hard." He added. He worried about his sister, she never seemed to have luck when it came to stallions. That's mostly why he hoped Europa and Worm might get serious. He pushed the thought of Europa's bastard ex out of his mind; it was meant to be a night of happiness and fellowship.

Dusty hadn't been informed exactly how bad the situation was, and was surprised by Seyfert's sudden grimace. She tried to change the subject. "Well, we should be there soon, it'll be good to see some friendly faces. I'm sure Rory will have all kinds of things to tell us about the upcoming wedding too." She smiled. "I'm a little sad mom and dad couldn't make it this year, but it's to be expected when a blizzard locks you in."

"Indeed it is." Seyfert replied with a smile. "I'll be glad out of this cold, I think my ears are about to fall off." He joked.

When they finally arrived, Stardust opened the door to let themselves in, giving a shout to let folks know they made it. Seyfert lugged the tiny sleigh in, shutting the door quickly so as not to let out more heat. They were greeted by Aurora, who had left the kitchen briefly to say hello. "Stardust! Seyfert! I'm so glad you could make it!" She embraced them, hovering slightly so as not to get her messy apron on them. "I know the weather has been really bad, I wasn't sure if the trip would be too much for you." She smiled, as Arc walked in behind her holding what appeared to be a thermometer. "Oh hey guys!" He cheerfully greeted. "We were just about to set the table."

Rory sauntered back into the kitchen to check on her acorn squash, while Arc stood there stirring the soup, as instructed. Dusty set to placing various dishes, mugs and glasses on the table when there was a knocking at the door. Just outside stood Europa with her date for the night; her dear friend Book Worm. In their saddlebags were cards for everypony, and a special surprise for two ponies in particular. "Thanks for coming with me tonight." Europa smiled. "It's nice not to have to be alone for things like this."

"Don't mention it. You and your brother have always been there for me, it's the least I could do." He said, though he still secretly worried if he was imposing on Dusty's family.

Stormbringer came downstairs to answer the door this time, a half-hearted smile adorning her lilac face. "Hey Europa, nice to see you again. Who's your friend?" She asked as she stepped aside, allowing the two ponies entry from the frigid weather beyond. Europa and Worm dusted the snow off their coats as they took them off.

"Hey Storm." Europa finally said. "This is Book Worm, he's an old friend of mine, and Sey's former assistant."

Worm stepped forward to shake hooves with the pretty pegasus who'd answered the door. "Pleased to meet you."

Storm nodded with a gesture suggesting she'd take their coats to hang up. "It's nice to meet you, Worm. I'm Dusty and Rory's sister, Stormbringer. Dinner should be just about ready, heh, Rory's been running around like mad! Just make yourselves comfortable." She motioned for them to follow her to the living room where Sey had set up the pile of gifts.

The dark blue stallion turned at the sound of his baby sister's voice, smiling. "Hey, Europa! You made it alright! I was a bit worried the weather might get too bad." Europa replied with a smile, and Sey hugged her tightly before turning to shake hooves with Worm. "Hey Worm, how have you been?"

"Hey Boss, I've been doing good." Worm Replied. "I'm really enjoying my new job at the library." He would have kept talking, except there was a bell being rung in the dining room, signaling dinner was ready. Europa quickly took the cards out of her bag and placed them atop the other gifts by the tree, and joined Sey and Worm as they made their way to the table. Seyfert pulled a chair out for Dusty then sat next to her at the end of the table, as Worm and Europa sat on the other side of him. Archimedes sat at the head of the table, standing when Aurora came back from the kitchen with a carafe of eggnog. The white unicorn poured a generous amount into each mug before placing the carafe on the table in front of Stormbringer.

"This smells fantastic, Aurora." Seyfert commented, to which everyone else nodded.

"You sure you got your cutie mark right? I swear you take after dad more every day!" Dusty snickered, eliciting a chortle from Storm. Aurora gave her a playful look of disapproval, as she removed her apron and slung it over her chair next to Arc.

"Alright, there's Roasted Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing, next to it is the Mushroom and Fennel Bread Pudding and the Onion and Leek Tart. Over there by Seyfert is Dad's Winter soup recipe, Smoked Cheddar Souffle, Broccoli Mushroom and Gouda Quiche, and the Celery Root and Squash Gratin." She finished, sounding quite pleased with herself. "Help yourselves to as much as you want, I've prepared extra and set it aside in the kitchen, and I've got a plethora of pies and cakes for dessert!" She turned her attention to Archimedes, holding his hoof and reaching for Dusty's at the same time. Dusty took note and held hooves with Seyfert, motioning for the rest of those present to join hooves as well. Once the circle was complete with Storm and Arc, Rory cleared her throat to speak.

"I would like to say that I am extremely grateful that you all could be here this evening. This has been such an exciting year for this family, and it feels like everyone here is truly a part of it; blood or not. May the meal be nourishing, and the coming year filled with prosperity." She concluded.

As the various dishes made their way around the table with idle chit chat, Seyfert lost himself in his thoughts. ...and the coming year filled with prosperity. He grinned like an idiot in spite of himself, thinking of all the wonderful things that awaited.

It took a few hours before they all decided they were finished eating, most of them claiming to have eaten too much. Europa helped Rory levitate some of the dirty dishes into the kitchen, where they'd most likely clean them in the morning. Archimedes set to re-kindling the fire in the fireplace, while the others sat in a rudimentary circle in the living room. It was like a scene you'd find on one of those holiday cookie tins; the happy family seated around an open fire, the decorations aglow and the curtains pulled back to reveal a blanket of white outside.

"Alright, let's get to exchanging gifts!" Rory suggested as she and Europa made themselves comfortable. She levitated small gift bags to everyone in the room. "These are from me and Arc. Well, except for yours, hun. That's from just me." She grinned. Everyone opened the beautifully wrapped bags carefully, almost afraid to destroy Rory's work. Inside they found custom made scarves and winter wear for each of them from Aurora, and gift cards to various restaurants from Archimedes.

Dusty and Sey handed out their small pile of boxes next. They were filled with packets of gourmet hot cocoa and other holiday cookies and treats. Storm handed out her cards and gift cards afterwards, leaving Europa and Worm to hand out theirs. Then, after a while, Dusty and Storm both stood and presented Rory and Arc with one final card. "This is from all of us." Dusty smiled.

Raising an eyebrow, Rory lifted the card with her magic and removed it from the bright red envelope. Inside was the ultimate sappy message from her sisters, everyone else's signatures and well wishes on their recent engagement, and...

Rory held up her hoof and gasped. They'd all chipped in to get them a small weekend getaway in Canterlot. Rory and Arc knew they'd never be able to afford a honeymoon with their work schedules, and had simply planned not to take one. The others couldn't allow that to happen. "I don't know what to say..." She smiled, tears coming to the corners of her eyes. Arc placed a hoof around her, kissing her head and then turning to face everyone. "Thank you all so much for your gift." He said.

Dusty laughed. "We couldn't let you NOT have a honeymoon just because you are both busy! It'd be hypocritical of you not to. Especially with Rory's constant nagging that I'm the workaholic." She winked, looking back to Seyfert. He smiled differently than usual at her, and she cocked her head to the side as if to ask what was wrong. He shook his head, waving her over to sit next to him. He buried his face in her mane as he hugged her, thinking once again of what adventures would await them.

((Special thanks to Celebi-Yoshi for the adorable header.))

Chapter 9: Return to Canterlot

It had been a little more than a year since Seyfert and Europa came to live in Saddleworth and began working at Stardust’s lab. Sey and Dusty’s dates frequent as ever, and each date lasting longer than the one before. With Europa’s graduation from school, she was able to work full time at the lab now, and had been receiving more responsibilities around the place. There had been three new interns hired from her college, and they were all instructed to answer directly to her, much to her chagrin it seemed. All the while, in secrecy, Sey and Dusty had been formulating a plan for the last 3 months to take an extended trip across the world.

Stardust was just packing what things she could at the moment, taking care to keep them stowed away in her closet out of sight. Tonight was a big night. Europa would finally understand why she’d needed to be trained and in charge of all the interns, and Sey promised Stardust a spectacular date. He even had her dress in the same dress she wore on their first date exactly a year ago. She waited upstairs while It was only a half day, so despite it being early in the afternoon, Europa was finishing the last of the paperwork down in the lab below. Sey had gone home earlier to change for the date.

Seyfert found his best suit and placed it on his bed and made his way into the bathroom, he wanted to make sure not a hair was out of place, aside from his crazy mane of course. He put on some of his favorite cologne and made his way back out into his room. He carefully got dressed, making sure every button was secure and everything was in its proper place, after all tonight was a big night and he wanted to look his best. After he was sure he was ready he headed for the door, stopping halfway because he had forgotten a couple things up in his room, he quickly ran up to grab his reading glasses case and made his way back to the door, making sure all the lights were out he shut the door behind him.
Dusty placed a few things in her clutch, draping it across her chest before heading downstairs. Her little shoes made a dainty clacking noise as she descended the staircase, warranting Europa’s attention.

The gray unicorn turned her gaze towards Dusty and gave an approving smile. “I hear Sey has a big night planned for you two.” she said, sitting down in a chair and letting out a tired sigh. “I think I’m just gonna go home and crash, those interns are a pain.”

Seyfert quickly made his way back to the lab, stopping along the way to pick up a nice bouquet of flowers. As he trotted up to her house he decided knocking would be in order here.

Stardust had to admit feeling a little guilty for putting Europa through such rigorous work, but it would definitely be for the better in the long run. “I’m sorry we’ve been wearing you out these past few months. There are just certain things I’ve had to attend to and I needed to be sure you could handle the interns.” She pulled an envelope from atop her desk and trotted over to Europa, handing her the message. “This is a bonus, for all the hard work you do around here. Don’t read it until after Sey and I have left though. But I’ll talk to you about it once we come back.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Have a good rest of the day off, I’ll talk to you soon.” Stardust grinned as she trotted up to the large metal door, unlocking it and swinging it open to see a bouquet of flowers. “Oh wow, these are lovely!”
Seyfert peered through the flowers and planted a kiss on Dusty, “Lovely flowers for a lovely mare.” He said flirting. “I hope you don’t mind but our date is in Canterlot. We’ve got about twenty-five minutes to catch the afternoon train.”
She shook her head as she took the flowers, placing them in a vase by the door, removing some old flowers as she did.

“I don’t mind at all. We’ll be able to start the festivities sooner rather than later, though we better hurry!” She and Sey both waved to Europa and wasted no time getting to the station. They laughed wildly as they rushed onto the platform just before the train pulled off, hopping on at the nick of time. The ride took a few hours, and the sun was setting just as they arrived in Canterlot.

“Right, first things first. Let’s go have dinner, and then I have a little surprise for you afterwards.” He said smiling, “I think you will remember the place we’re going.” He said with a wink. They made their way down the street for a few blocks until Seyfert stopped; pointing to the very same restaurant they went to on that first date.

Stardust smiled wide. “It’s so thoughtful of you to remember what we did on our very first date in Canterlot. I really do appreciate the work you’ve put into this.”
Dinner didn’t take too long, as it was a weeknight and generally not busy. They had a good time of it, laughing and even sharing a bottle of vintage wine. She didn’t dare ask the cost. Eventually it was time to pay the tab and make their way to Seyfert’s surprise destination.

“So are you going to give me any hints?” She asked coyly.
“Remember how we said seeing Luna’s personal observatory would be amazing?” He said, “Well I pulled some strings and called in a favor and we have permission from Luna herself to view it.” He said, puffing his chest with pride. “Figured with this trip we are planning next year, we won’t get another chance.”
Stardust stopped dead in her tracks, they weren’t far from the castle. In fact, you could see it plainly from where they stood.

“Princess Luna HERSELF? How did you manage to talk with HER?” She asked incredulously.

Seyfert laughed, “Remember I used to work at the Canterlot University? Well, with her being the most well-known astronomer in the world, we have met a few times.” He said. “Princess Luna would often make special appearances at the university, and would make it a point to be present for the Astronomy Majors’ graduations every year. ” He smiled and turned to Stardust who still looked like she was in shock. “I suppose you won’t believe me when I say she’ll be the tour guide?”

Dusty was still speechless. She simply hugged the stallion, and they stood there for a long time. She gave him a kiss on the muzzle. “This is… unbelievable…”
Seyfert returned the kiss, “You deserve it, you have no idea how happy you’ve made me in the past year.” He said looking into her eyes, “And I still have another surprise saved up.” He chuckled, “Let’s not keep the Princess waiting.”

Before long they had made their way up the castle steps and into one of the long passageways leading to the observatory up at the highest peak of the castle. Stardust was giddy with excitement. She had her suspicions at what the last surprise might be, but she quickly pushed all thoughts from her mind, trying to just enjoy the moment. As they reached the top of the stairs Seyfert knocked on the door, and stood back waiting for an answer. Immediately, a Noctral guard opened the door, peering down at them with Yellow eyes, pupils like that of a serpent.

“State your business.” He bluntly commanded.

The two astronomers seemed to shrink back until they heard a female voice from behind them. “Stand down. These citizens are in my company this evening.”
Stardust was afraid to look back, but in the corner of her eye she saw a flowing nebular mane. She turned around to see none other than the Princess of the Night, smiling warmly at her. “Welcome Miss Stardust. Your companion has told me much about you. Come, let us start with the grand tour.” Dusty felt her jaw drop.
Luna sauntered past them and the guard, entering her private study. Seyfert also stepped into the room, then stopped and turned to escort his date in. “You coming?” He asked. She snapped out of her daze, realizing she’d probably just made a really poor impression.

Luna turned gracefully, her luxurious mane flowing about her. She gave a small smile at the two ponies before her. “This, as you can see, is my study. I chart new stars and constellations here as I create them. You both are in for something of a treat this evening, as I’ve made plans to reveal a new constellation this very night.”

Stardust just gaped, then embarrassingly realizing it was the second time she’d done so, simply bowed in gratitude. “Your highness, thank you so much for this opportunity. I am honored you have taken time from your busy schedule to accommodate us.”

“Not to fret my subject.” Luna smiled. “It is the least I can do for some of the most accomplished astronomers in our kingdom.”
Seyfert just blushed, “Heh I would go that far your highness, I do my job like anypony else.” He chuckled. Stardust smiled giving a gentle nudge to Sey. Luna paused, turning to face the open lab around them, using her magic to light a few well-placed candles.

“My main instruments are to your left, and my desk to the immediate right. You are more than welcome to explore the facility for yourselves, and I shall have my guard notify you when I prepare the new constellation. In the meantime, I must take leave.”

Stardust bowed, thanking the princess, and then looking around the lab. Her eyes were wide with excitement, hunger, and curiosity. All these ancient relics; in perfect condition. Precise instruments of star charting.

“Amazing isn’t it?” Seyfert mused as he looked around the room, before turning his attention back to Stardust, “C’mon why don’t we take a look around, then we get to see that new constellation.”

“Absolutely.” She couldn’t stop smiling, her eyes alight with wonder.
She took her time wandering around the room, carefully examining each object, being careful not to mess anything up or intrude on any of Luna’s studies. She felt it somehow disrespectful. After some time, she made her way back across the room to where Seyfert was. Within moments, the same Noctral from earlier approached them. In his gruff tone he announced that the Princess was on the balcony ready to start the demonstration.

Seyfert lead Stardust out onto the balcony to accompany the princess, his heart started to race. “This is going to be amazing, watching Luna herself make a new constellation.” He said with excitement as he looked up to the sky.
Luna cast a sidelong glance at her guests, simply nodding. “Shall I begin?” She asked

“Whenever you are ready your highness.” Seyfert said his excitement growing. He pulled Stardust in close as they waiting for the princess to start. “Once in a lifetime opportunity, seeing a constellation being created.”
Luna nodded as her horn began to glow, casting shadows about the courtyard below. Sparks flew about as in the sky, white lights began to appear in a formation. Stardust leaned on Seyfert as she watched, not moving, not blinking, hardly breathing.

It was miraculous, the creation of whole gaseous giants millions of light years away, yet she was seeing it as it was being created. No delay in time. It was, to put it bluntly, magical.

Stardust tore her gaze from the sky, making eye contact with her coltfriend. “Yes Seyfert?” She asked, her heart racing. She desperately tried to push that thought back from her mind, it was becoming nearly impossible to do.

Seyfert cleared his throat, “This year has been the best year of my life, and I’m so amazingly lucky to have met you, Dusty.” He gave her a kiss, and after a while they parted lips, simply staring at each other for a while. A long while, actually. Dusty felt a little pang of disappointment, but smiled nonetheless.

“Come on, it’s getting late. We should head home.” Seyfert nodded in agreement and motioned for her to step back inside first. Luna stood there awaiting them, it seemed, and they both bowed. “Thank you Princess, this has been an evening I won’t soon forget. We are honored that you would let us take part in your work.”

Luna nodded gracefully,”The pleasure is mine, my subjects. I am thrilled to know this visit has been worthwhile for you. I wish you both luck and happiness on the journey that lies ahead of you.” She winked at Stardust. “For me, the night is still young, and I have duties I must attend to. Good night, dear ones.” With that, she walked silently, almost floating it seemed, to her desk, pouring over tomes and charts. Seyfert and Stardust were escorted from the observatory, back down the long corridors to the Hall of Heroes. This was the main walkway that would lead them back to the castle entrance.

As they stood on the front staircase of the palace, a crisp night breeze blew lightly past them. Sey turned to Stardust, who’s thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. “Been one heck of a night eh?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Yes, yes it has, dear.” She smiled warmly. She began to descend the long stairway down to the road, but after a few steps she realized she didn’t hear Seyfert’s hoofsteps behind her. She turned around to see him holding the case he used to carry his reading glasses in, fumbling to open it. “Seyfert? Is everything okay?”

He looked up sharply, then smiled, tucking the case back into his pocket. “Yes, I was just checking to see that I hadn’t left my glasses on the train.” He said, descending the stairs after her.

It wasn’t a long trip back to the train station, so they headed in that general direction in hopes they’d catch the last train back to Saddleworth. By the time they reached the platform, however, they were too late. “Well, I suppose we are stuck here for the night?” Seyfert grinned sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind.” Dusty just laughed, shaking her head in fake disapproval. “What am I going to do with you?” She rolled her eyes and began to trot off.

“Marry me.”

Dusty halted in her tracks, eyes wide and heart pounding. “What?” She turned around, unsure if she’d heard right. She saw her coltfriend standing before her with that wild and silly grin, and he was holding something… the case for his reading glasses had been cast aside, and in his hooves, Seyfert extended a silver necklace with two of the blue topaz gems they found at the Hoofington Fall Festival last year in the shape of two stars. He had a glint in his eye, and Dusty had one to match.

He spoke again, his voice cracking as he fought to hold back tears. “Stardust, will you marry me?”

Dusty’s eyes grew even wider than they were before, raising a hoof to her muzzle she let out a small gasp. She looked at the beautiful gift he presented her, then back to him, more tears welling up in her eyes. She suddenly found it difficult to speak, let alone breathe.

“Sey-Seyfert…” She stammered her voice quiet and quivering.”Y-yes.” Was all she could manage to say before throwing her hooves around him in a passionate kiss, nearly knocking the necklace from his hoof.
Seyfert could have cried right there, in the arms of the mare he loved more than anything, and he nearly did. He enjoyed the moment, locked in a kiss under the stars.