Time Makes Foals of Us All

Chapters

2 - Timeline 0
3 - Hearth's Warming Day
4 - The Equestrian Dragon
5 - The Royal Family
6 - Father, Brother, Son
7 - Mother
8 - Weakness
9 - Strife
1 - Hearth's Warming Eve

2 - Timeline 0

“Yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream.” – Kahlil Gibran

~~~

Timeline 0, Hearth's Warming Day, just after the machine is activated

"Sister! Sister!"

Luna approached the balcony of the highest tower of Canterlot Castle in haste. Normally when the younger Princess was this excited she would simply teleport directly to her sisters chambers. Her meteor shower had ended, but the aurora would continue for a few more hours. The dark alicorn was mentally drained from her magical exertions, yet physically she felt invigorated, her wings were as strong as ever.

Luna had extended the flight from the observatory tower through the sky surrounding Canterlot. She had flown like the wind, snowflakes passing her fast enough to blur together through her flight goggles. Her sister may have been much more magically adept but she was always the better flier. She felt a thousand years younger.

She alighted on the snow powdered balcony and opened the doors into her sisters chambers. The enchantments to block intrusion were keyed to allow Luna in without resistance. The spell was crafted by the eldest practical spellscribe ever, Princess Celestia herself.

"Sister, did you see them? Our little ponies were dancing in the streets, just a few moments ago! Singing songs of joy and—"

Luna was looking into an empty room. The bed was empty, the covers still pristine. The fireplace held the same ever-burning logs, casting shadows along the numerous artifacts of Equestria's past, as it always did. Celestia was never far from fire, a security blanket and night light for the goddess of the dawn.

Luna closed the balcony doors to keep out the bite of winter, she walked into the center of the room and peered into the powder room where her sister would prepare for bed.

"Sister? Are you in here?"

The door swung open to reveal the warm glow of the vanity mirror that covered the wall opposing the doorway. The unique set of golden horseshoes were resting on their polishing rag for the morning maids. The heavy golden tiara and peytral adorned with their star amethysts rested on the alabaster bust of her sister. Their beauty seemed diminished on the immaculate white marble recreation of her sisters visage and slender neck. Without the magenta eyes to match them they seemed like any other beautiful thing on display, lacking life.

The indigo alicorns gaze was drawn to the sink and the darkly smudged cotton swatches resting next to the vanity chest. Celestia may be immortal and the paragon of mature beauty, but a little eye liner never hurt a mare. Celestia must have just finished removing her makeup and royal adornments. She should have been in bed, preparing to catch what few hours of rest a goddess could before rising to make the dawn.

Luna returned to the main chamber and magically thrust the 5 meter tall, intricately hand carved, gold inlaid and exceptionally old doors aside with enough force to knock over a barn. The two guards standing outside – stewing in their misfortune of having to guard a door on Hearth's Warming Eve – had their drowsiness ended by the sharp punctuation of steel hinges being ripped from a stone doorframe.

"GUARDS!"

"Yes, Princess Luna!" The two grey unicorn stallions immediately straightened to attention and held their spears high. Happy thoughts of sledding with their foals tomorrow were immediately replaced with the knee jerk reaction to clench their buttocks lest they make a mess.

"Where is my sister? What is become of Celestia! Hath she snuck off to the royal pantry again to pilfer sweets? Answer me!"

"We, we don't know, your highness!" exclaimed the first guard.

"Verily your highness we hath not knowledge of her whereabouts!" the second guard followed.

The first guard broke posture to glance in fear at his associate. Why did he have to get stuck with the foal who broke into formal speak when he was nervous? Luna joined him in glancing at the one who spoke second.

"Darest thou to... ahem... Are you mocking your princess, guard?" Luna lowered her muzzle to his level as she walked over the fallen doors and stood before him.

"Nay... N-no! Your highness I apologize! I am unaware of her location! she entered only moments ago wishing us good night and a Happy Hearth’s Warming and did not leave!" He barely held his composure as he continued to practically shout into her face nervously. The imposing goddess in front of him continued to scan his face for signs of treachery.

After a brief pause Luna raised her muzzle and shifted her glance to the second unicorn. "Fetch the maintenance crew to repair this portal, tell them they will receive additional pay for the holiday hours. Rouse what guard are still here and have them search the castle for my sister. She will be without her regalia."

The first guard nodded his understanding and Luna turned and galloped down the spiral stairs. There were few places her sister would teleport to seeking solitude but one stood out foremost in her mind. After all it was Hearth's Warming Day, and she knew that brought out the memories of him almost as badly as Hearts and Hooves Day.

~~~

"Whew... Never guessed that drawing the short straws would lead to such excitement eh rookie? I don't think my wife is going to believe me, heh." The first stallion guard chuckled to himself and began walking forward. "I'll fetch the colts, you want to handle the maintenance crew?" Silence answered him. Turning to face his fellow guard he spoke, "Ugh... rook?"

The addressed unicorn guard slumped over to the side in a heap of barding. His helm rolled off and the enchantment maintaining his anonymity as a royal guard in Princess Celestia's service fell. The spear followed the stallion and clattered to a halt. The sound in the tallest spire of Canterlot Castle was reduced once again to the muted sounds of the high altitude winter breeze caressing the ancient masonry. The unmistakable stench of urine filled the air.

"Ugh... I guess I'll get them both, and the janitor as well."

~~~

Celestia stared at the hourglass. The sands contained within were in the process of falling upwards from the bottom half to fill the top half. The enchanted grains always knew the exact time of day. They would begin falling from the upper half as the sun breached the horizon, just like every other hourglass. But as the sun fell below the horizon and the moon rose to bring the night they would finish their downward journey and defy gravity to fall up. It didn't matter what the date, longest summer morning or shortest winter evening. The grains would follow their plotted course, forever bound to the sun and moon. And they had been every night for over a thousand years. All except for one very specific night.

The alabaster alicorn sat down on her haunches and sighed. She was reminded again of that fateful night. She came here as she always did when she felt his magic or thought of him.He reminded her of the night she banished her sister for a thousand years. She would never forget watching those grains as they clung to the roof of the hourglass like some piece of abstract art. The reality was that back then, the moon hung high in the sky and refused to make way for the sun. The enchanted grains knew that the morning was long due but the morning didn't come.

It wasn't until Celestia made the toughest decision of her life that the grains would begin their descent again. And they have been following the same unbroken pattern ever since. He was there for her then when she needed him most, but he wasn't here now. The undying enchantment placed on sand by him withstood the trial of time like it was designed to do. Like he always did.

"Sister?"

Celestia wiped the tear from her cheek as she turned to face the princess of the night, her younger sister, her best friend, her biggest regret manifested.

"Luna. It is good to see you. I did enjoy your night so m—"

"Stop it Tia. Why do you insist on putting up a false front even now?"

Celestia lowered her gaze in shame.

"It's been six years, Tia. How many more years must pass before you let go of your sorrow? How many more times must that hourglass complete its cycle before you can look at it without crying? I have already forgiven you, you just need to forgive yourself."

Celestia made to rise from her hindquarters and address her sister but a warmth presented itself to her side and halted her progress.

"Oh, Luna... I have forgiven myself. I just can't help remembering at times like this." Celestia sighed and watched the sand defy gravity once again as a midnight blue wing extended to embrace her.

"It's not just me tonight, is it?" Luna rested her head against her sisters longer neck.

"I wish I could describe these feelings I get Luna. I know it doesn't make sense but sometimes it's like he's here again, right now. With me. It's times like these I look at these shelves full of scrolls and tomes and I remember all the hours we spent here discovering magic, and discovering each other." Celestia let her gaze wander around the book shelves. The countless scraps of ancient parchment older than Canterlot itself.

"I remember when we first built this place. The mountain fortress that was our last bastion of defense when we battled Discord all those years ago. I remember the first brick we laid and the last pony we lost defending it."

Luna tightened her hold on her elder sister. "I remember too Tia. I remember how strong you were. Even then I looked to you for strength, we all looked to you for strength. It was only natural that you be elected as the leader."

Celestia brought a wing to encompass Luna in return. Her touch was gentle, her large wings so soft in comparison to the smaller and muscular wings of her sister. "We are so much like the heavenly bodies we guide, you and I. I am bound to offer hope and strength, nurturing the mind as the sun nurtures the soil we till. And you offer comfort and safety, your bright moon watching over the ponies when they are at their most vulnerable, inspiring romance and closeness when we feel most alone."

Luna remained silent and let her sister continue. She knew when the great teacher had more to say.

"The Sun gives strength to all that would simply embrace it. But what does the Sun draw its strength from? Where could I turn when I felt tired, or weak. Millennia of giving, serving and offering my knowledge and time to any who would accept it. I chased every secret and learned everything I could about magic. I had your friendship, the magic powerful enough to imprison a god of chaos in stone. But the strongest magic eluded me, the magic of love." Celestia watched the grains as they still rose.

"The moment when I first met him was one of the greatest moments of my life."

~~~

The Royal Herald of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters stood and delivered.

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, on this, the 14th day of February of the 152nd Anno Ordo will now turn her ears to hear the voices of her loyal subjects and pass judgment as she sees fit. Before this day court of her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Eq—"

"Oh, for the love of ORDER can we PLEASE skip the formalities?"

The Captain of the Guard bristled.

"Silence, THAUMATURGE! You should feel fortunate we did not send you straight to the dungeons for attempting to poison our beloved princesses with your most heinous herbs!"

The guards bore their dark chain mail well. The coifs and padded caparisons over their rippling muscles shook with barely contained fury. The multiple spears were poised to impale the purple unicorn stallion before them. The tips were pointing towards all parts of the rogue mage not covered by his silly cloak and hat, covered as they were, in bells.

The purple pony laughed out load and bobbed his head in jubilation, the bells jingled with every chuckle.

"Heinous Herbs?! Haha... hahaha oh wow... what... hahahahaha!"

"SILENCE FOUL ENCHANTER! YOUR MANIACAL LAUGHTER ONLY REVEALS YOUR DARK HEART OF CHAOS!"

"ENOUGH!"

Princess Celestia herself rose from her throne. With the power of the royal voice she quieted all of the guards.

"Thou shalt, STAND DOWN, Captain." All of the guards immediately lowered their spears and stood to attention.

There was a brief pause as the stalwart Captain considered lowering his guard around the clearly crazed caster. But his unshakable trust in a Princess of Equestria was stronger. He didn't become commander of the Royal Guard by ignoring orders.

"You heard her highness, stallions. Stand down, let this lunatic wizard through." He spit at the hooves of said unicorn.

"Yes! That's right you muscleheads, go march around or eat some boring and unflavored oats, eh? Don't you have some doors to stand in front of? Haha." The purple unicorn pressed his luck and continued to verbally cut down the guards at the knees.

The Captain growled.

"THAT'S THE LAST STRAW SCREWHEAD! I'M GONNA BUCK YOU RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW INTO THE GORGE!" Captain Steel ripped off his coif and shed his mail caparisons. His steel grey fur almost shone in the torchlight of the Castle throne room as he charged the eccentric equine enchanter.

*FLASH*

"WHO DARES TO INTERRUPT OUR SLUMBER!" The only living creature powerful enough to make a full momentum Captain Steel come to a stop appeared directly in his path. Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna of Equestria.

Captain Steel's eyes shot open his hooves dug into the stones below him. His body struggled to come to a halt as he slid towards the deep blue alicorn in front of him. His muzzle halting merely centimeters in front of hers.

Princess Luna scowled at him and leaned forward to the side of his face. Her breath tickled his ears as he stood wide eyed in shock. Captain Steel feared he would get another dose of the Royal Voice at point blank range but instead received the most sensual whisper he had ever heard.

"My, my, my Captain. My Captain, my captain. Are you not playing nice again? Hmm?" Luna breathed into his ear that was still recovering from her initial blast. He began to sweat from his brow and feel a pressure building between his hind legs.

"N-no... P-pri—" Captain Steel stuttered.

"SHHHhhhhh did I give you permission to speak?" Luna switched to whispering in his other ear as the courtroom watched in stunned silence. "You know, normally it's me interrupting your sleep, keeping you up at night." She began to slowly nuzzle him, almost imperceptibly slow and delicately. "But it's day time now, and I have been awoken by your excited shouts, and that upsets me. It makes me envious. Because the only thing in this universe that should make you shout that excitedly..."

Princess Luna paused in her sensual whispering to deliver a long gentle lick along the edges of Captain Steels ear, trailing from bottom to tip. He didn't blink, he didn't fidget. His Luna was in control now and he would not challenge her.

"... Is me."

Captain Steel was immovable, firm, rock hard, and erect. The guards that weren't stunned into total silence were fighting to contain their amusement.

Princess Luna immediately turned to face her sister. "Princess Celestia, dearest sister, We regret to inform you that due to Captain Steel's current egregious behavior and his pattern of repeated tardiness to morning roll call We must decree that he be stripped from his rank of Captain and removed from the Royal Guard." The guards in the throne room were all completely dumbstruck. The Captain? Fired? Whispers and mutterings began to circle the court as the royal herald looked to Celestia for guidance. Most of the feminine mutters concerned a now fully displayed marvel.

"Furthermore!" Luna continued, "We decree that the former Captain Steel must be punished for interrupting our royal slumber. We will carry out this punishment ourselves. And since it is only convenient to us during the hours of night – when We hold court – We are conscripting Captain Steel into the newly created Night Guard!" Confused looks darted all about the throne room as the nobles present and nearly every guard looked for an explanation.

"Well! We really should be off to bed again, fare thee well!" Luna smiled deviously and looked her sister in the eye before disappearing.

*FLASH*

With Captain Steel.

~~~

Captain Steel found himself in a large bed in a dark room. The black curtains drawn shut tight, the only source of light was from the glowing mosaic of stars covering the high domed ceiling. He was in his Luna's bedroom.

"Oh Steel why did you have to be so disobedient? You know how hard we worked to whip some obedience into you."

He merely nodded his understanding as the cosmic scene above him was filled with the glowing turquoise irises of his hearts desire as they opened to regard him. He felt four depressions on the soft pegasus feather mattress moving closer and closer to his barrel. A weight slowly descended onto his chest and his ears tingled as whispers met them. A star filled tail brushed back and forth across his better half, teasing him with its softness.

"Yes former Captain Steel, your punishment must be severe. If you wish to have your rank and station back you must earn it. I am going to use you today, you are going to be bruised from the intensity. When I get done with you, your coat is going to be fifty shades of grey."

~~~

Princess Celestia struggled to remain composed after her sisters performance. If she could balance on two hooves she would have two held to her forehead instead of just one.

"Leave us."

The nobles and court aides looked at Celestia in bewilderment. The remaining guards were looking to each other, trying to figure out who was next in the chain of command.

"Do not make us ask again, I want all present to leave this throne room immediately. We desire time with our thoughts."

The nobles, court aides, guards and common folk all left the court room in hushed worry. No pony noticed the most marvelously made up magician who remained. Or his crate of 'heinous herbs'.

Celestia heard the throne room doors close and lowered her hoof and let her gaze fall upon the now empty throne room and its single occupant and his box.

"What do you want strange unicorn, I have no time for your assassination attempts today. Sorry to spoil your no doubt well planned scheme but I am immortal, in case you had not heard." Celestia couldn't be bothered with formality. Just imagining the debauchery taking place in her sisters, inner sanctum – no, poor choice of words – chambers. Ugh, even worse. This was giving her a migraine. That mare is getting worse and worse every day.

"Celestia! I come to you not bearing malicious intent but concern for the safety of Equestria! How could you think such a thing of me. For I am your most faithful student!" The Purple Unicorn levitated his crate and approached Celestias throne. Jingling all the way.

"I would (jingle) love to entertain your ravings (jingle) but I have (jingle) never seen you (jingle) before in my (jingle) extremely (jingle) long (jingle) life and I have a (jingle) fantastic memory. And WHY are you wearing that ridiculous outfit. (jingle)" Celestia was almost at her breaking point. She was ready to start teleporting things great distances.

"Your Highness. I am not sure what sort of madness has befallen the once proud Capitol of Equestria down here in the Everfree forest but if what has happened only moments before now is any indication, then my theory is correct. Celestia, you are in dire need of Love!"

Celestia felt her mind pause. Her eyebrows rose up into her mane and she looked down at this smug purple unicorn with a half-lidded gaze of intense disapproval.

"I don't know who you are. I don't know where you came from. But if you take one step closer to me I am going to send you so far away that when I raise the sun you will be watching the moon rise." The goddess of the sun walked down from her throne and stood in front of the purple wizard and his ridiculous pointy hat as it threatened to poke her muzzle with its single dangling bell.

"Forgive my rudeness Celestia but this act of affection must be performed with due haste. All your questions will be answered in time!" With that, the stallion levitated the crate and tossed the lid aside that the guards had so rudely pried off upon inspection. He raised it above the princesses and gently jostled it with his magic, loosing a few of its contents with every shake.

Celestia stared at the unicorn in awe.

She was being showered with rose petals.

They swirled around her gently as he created a soft breeze to twirl them evenly and spread them as they fell across her pristine coat. The petals brushed against her white fur like thousands of gentle kisses. They fluttered and danced with her mane as it waved in the ethereal breeze. Her modest and simple golden tiara caught a few as they fell and held onto them. For those brief moments she was in harmony, she was at peace, she was loved. It ended all too soon.

The purple unicorn shook the crate a few more times to get the stragglers out. He noticed the few that got caught in her tiara and levitated them out of the way until she was once again unblemished, but standing amidst a small pile of rose petals.

"Ah, my apologies Celestia I had planned on that lasting a bit longer. I hoped to read poetry to you while it was happening but it seems I will have to do that now. Ahem..."

"Bright is the light that shines 'cross this land.

A paragon of perfection, strong and pure.

Immortal is she, immune to time's sand.

Her brilliance and beauty, forever endure.

Celestia began to blush. "I really appreciate the gesture but—"

The unicorn was not dissuaded by the alicorn and he continued unabated.

"Ah, perhaps not literal enough. Well..."

"As the sun rises each morning

so too does my member—"

"YES! that will be enough. You were doing quite well I must admit until that last part there *cough*"

"Hmm. Very well, Celestia. It seems that you are further gone than I had predicted. My attempts to woo you have fallen upon deaf ears I am afraid. This can only mean that your sister will continue to grow in power until she usurps your rule and casts this world into eternal night."

Celestia was again floored by this stallions behavior. He goes from insane ramblings and erotic poetry one moment to libel and slander the next. She couldn't even be bothered to tell him that she should be addressed appropriately.

"And in answer to your prior inquiries I am known to my friends as Star Swirl."

~~~

Star Swirl. A unicorn who had taken up residence in the abandoned fortress atop a mountain nearby. The future location of Canterlot. He was an incredibly gifted unicorn and a prodigy of understanding magical flows. His cutie mark was a spiral galaxy. Appropriate since his residence was chosen for its advantageous location for his favorite hobby, stargazing. But his favorite star to watch was not visible at night. It was known as the sun.

But contrary to stereotypes. Unicorns that live in abandoned fortresses on mountain sides are not all hermits. Star Swirl was a wonderfully happy character. He embraced something he referred to as, The Magic of Friendship. He postulated that by surrounding oneself with like minded and happy individuals to share activities, food, drink and conversation with that one actually enriched the overall quality of their lives! And most importantly the potency of their magic. And all unicorns are attracted to the promises of improving one's horn.

But Star Swirl also knew that the magic of friendship could only be overpowered by the magic of love. And so while the unicorns in the university and observatory were bookish and introverted by day. They were quite active at night, in the bedroom, with each other. Star Swirl was no stranger to love.

Star Swirl's observatory had eventually expanded into a library and from there into a small university, a school for giften unicorns, as unicorns all around Equestria were drawn to the lights in the mountain, to observe the lights in the sky. Of course mining for gems was what funded his little project and research but his real passion was science. Digging simply kept the earth ponies delivering food and the pegasi clearing the sky. Yes he was quite accomplished for an 18 year old. And that sort of young prodigy is not without its... personality side effects.

~~~

"Well Star Swirl you have answered my questions about your background, but unfortunately your accusations towards my sister are unfounded and insulting. Therefore I will simply have to teleport you back to your university lest you fall victim to my sister's unique brand of punishment."

Celestia shuddered at the thought.

It seemed that Luna was in the thick of her stallion phase – for lack of a better term – and was likely to break non-earth ponies with her intensity. It was strange how her sexual preferences shifted every hundred years like the waxing and waning of the moon itself. Celestia had always preferred stallions herself but they just seemed so... plain after so many years. Maybe that was why Luna chose to... experiment.

But this stallion seemed to be the most unique one she had come across. Hooves down.

"But surely you have noticed Celestia! The sun is losing its share of the sky! According to my observations, beginning on September 22nd this past year of order we have been losing minutes of daylight! The moon is taking up more and more of the 24 hour cycle and it won't be long until your sun fails to rise at all. We simply must give you a boost of magical energy to combat the energy that your sister is receiving with her rampant love making!"

Celestia was once again tightly strung between two divergent emotions. The first being glee. Joy that a unicorn so far removed from the kingdom managed to notice her grand design to facilitate the change of seasons for the Pegasi. The Autumnal Equinox marked the beginning of the cold season and the reduced hours of sunlight would make the creation of snow much simpler. But the accusations of her sister being a whore were clearly pulling her once again towards the second emotion. The intense desire to send this jingling buffoon as far away as possible.

"Star Swirl. While I am offended by your comments about my sister beyond what you can fathom. I am at the same time glad that you have noticed the care I have taken to bring a new type of order to the sky."

~~~

Celestia then explained the significance of daylight hours and her plan to improve the transition of season for the pegasi. She said it would create more harmony amongst the three pony races and would improve the quality of the farmed products, giving the land more time to lie fallow in the winter and restore nutrients to the soil.

Celestia then explained that on the 20th of March the cycle would revert and the long nights would make way to longer days. They conversed on the benefits and withdrawals of such a system and Star Swirl jokingly suggested that she move the hour of waking to be later in the cold months so that the farmers would not have to change their alarms and get confused. Attempting to rise and milk the cows before they had awoken themselves!

Celestia thought that was silly indeed.

But as the sun continued its journey across the sky, Celestia stopped caring that this unicorn called her by her first name. Something only her sister did. She enjoyed his intellect, his candor, his incorrigible personality and all of its eccentricities. Celestia let her mask drop. She wasn't a royal princess and leader to this unicorn, she wasn't his goddess. She was a pony. Star Swirl made her feel like a mare.

As Celestia lowered the sun and Luna somehow found time to raise the moon between her carnal activities, Celestia became hungry. Star Swirl suggested they share a quiet meal, just the two of them, and a few candles.

And while they dined together, they talked. They taught each other so much. Creator and observer sharing a passion for the heavens. A passion for teaching and learning. Student and mentor, together at long last. Their magic so strong on their own but drawn together by an intangible force. Some might call it fate. They were going to be the best of friends, but Celestia had the feeling it was going to be something more.

She stopped caring that he was wearing a silly robe and hat with bells on them. Well almost.

~~~

"Hahaha, oh Star Swirl I simply must meet little Clover, she sounds like a real hoofful!"

"Oh yes, young fillies so obsessed with their special talents. I have never seen a foal so concerned with earning her cutie mark, and at such a young age! Taking that brilliant little filly under my care continues to be my greatest challenge." Star Swirl laughed along with her as they shared another glass of wine.

"But I have to ask, it has been on my mind ever since I laid eyes on you..."

"Ask away Celestia. My mind is an open book to you."

"What is with the bells?"

"Why I thought it would be obvious, Celestia! They are not simple bells, they are bear bells!"

"Bear bells?"

"Yes, how else would I ward away the Ursa Major as I traversed through the Everfree to get to the castle. Why without these bells to rouse them and warn them of my presence I may accidentally stumble into one of the Ursa Minor and startle it. I might have to defend myself from it, and that would surely upset the mothers."

"You. Against an Ursa Minor?"

"Indeed, it has happened before."

Celestia looked disbelieving but somehow she knew that no matter how strange this stallion seemed he would not lie to her. He was too pure, too wrapped up in the pursuit of knowledge to bother with fabricating lies. She gazed into his light blue irises as they met her own magenta ones. She felt attraction to this strange stallion.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I have given you roses, poetry, and dinner by candlelight but I have forgotten the most important ingredient in my quest to win your heart." Star Swirl trotted to his saddlebags and removed a delicately wrapped box.

Celestia saw the box and almost went into shock. He couldn't possibly think to propose to her after just meeting her? He might actually be truly insane. But as he approached it could be seen that it was not a horn ring box, but a larger box. A more squat and less perfectly square box. A box that he held delicately from below.

"The most important ingredient of course. Sugar!"

Star Swirl opened the box and placed it on the dining table he shared with Celestia. The Goddess of the Dawn. The Princess of the Day. The primary ruler of Equestria.

It was a cake.

Celestia levitated a piece and took a bite. Then another. She devoured the whole morsel moments later. She was in paradise. She searched for another but found it levitating in front of her, wrapped in a purple glow. She smiled and took a large slow bite. She continued to eat the cake as Star Swirl fed her like a foal. The perfect moment.

"Star Swirl, where will you be staying this evening?" Celestia asked between bites as she chewed thoughtfully. The last piece danced along her taste buds.

Star Swirl calmly answered, "Wherever you want me to my love."

Celestia stopped thinking and felt true unbridled emotions for the first time since her dire battle with Discord.

She took inspiration from Luna and immediately teleported herself and Star Swirl to her chambers.

"Celestia, my love, my shining star. Tell me what to do."

She had only one thought that came to mind.

"Leave the bells on."

~~~

Meanwhile, in the adjacent room...

"Mmmmmm Steel that was amazing."

(*Jingle*)

"I know Luna, I love you. With all of my heart."

(*Jingle*)

"You know, this means that I will bear a foal now."

(*Jingle*)

"And I will be there for you to raise him my most precious moon."

(*Jingle*)

"Oh, Steel. (*Jingle*)"

Luna felt her sanity slipping.

"TIA! I AM HAVING A MOMENT HERE. COULD YOU PLEASE STOP MAKING THOSE STUPID... NOISES!"

Steel and Luna remained in each others embrace and listened to the quiet murmurings through the walls separating the bedrooms. Normally the equal and opposite sleep schedules between the princesses kept this sort of situation in the realm of impossibility. But Luna was making a child with her lover and Celestia was playing with musical instruments.

(*Jingle*)... a pregnant pause... (*Jingle*)

Luna had enough, she stormed into the hallway and leaned against her sisters door.

"TIA! STOP THAT NOISE AT ONCE. I AM WITH A STALLION. NOT THAT YOU WOULD KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT—"

(*Jingle*)

"Ohh!"

Luna froze. It couldn’t be.

(*Jingle*)

(*Jingle*) "Ohh" (*Jingle*) "Uhh" (*Jingle*) "I'm so close, Star Swirl!"

(*Jingle*)(*Jingle*)(*Jingle*)(*Jingle*)(*Jingle*)(*Jingle*)(*Jingle*)(*Jingle*)

Luna ran into her bedroom and covered her head with a pillow. Steel held her close, but he heard the whole thing.

~~~

Back in present day Canterlot

"Ahahaha, oh Tia I do admit that destroying that old castle when I went through my 'eternal night' phase had its drawbacks but a thousand years on the moon was worth inheriting a castle with bedrooms in opposite spires. I know you made him wear those stupid bells every time you did it just to drive me insane. In fact, it is probably the leading cause in being possessed by evil spirits." Luna laughed as they both recalled the very first Hearts and Hooves day in Equestria. It was no surprise that a mare like Cadance would be born of the line Luna and Steel started that night. The women in the family seemed to have a taste for Captains of the Royal Guard. In fact earning that position was almost a guaranteed ticket to date one of the royal family.

But Celestia never bore children with Star Swirl.

"After our battle in the old Castle it only made sense to move the capitol here. He had his observatory on the mountain, his school for gifted unicorns. And the sizeable quantity of unicorns, the established industry, and its central location were all major factors in why it become the new seat of power. But most of all I wanted his observatory and I wanted him." Celestia's happy nostalgia faded to a dull melancholy as she remembered why she came down here in the middle of the night on Hearth's Warming.

"This wing of the library is all I really have left of him. I never bore foals for him, I was always too afraid. I felt that having children with him was just an admission that his life and our time together was over. That the romance would be replaced by our responsibilities of raising our foals. He knew I could never marry. It wouldn't make sense for an immortal being to swear undying love to a mortal. But I would have if he asked me. I love him so much."

Celestia's heart was older than a nation and hardened to sorrow and pain by way of exposure. Yet when she thought of Star Swirl she felt weak.

"Even when he was old and grey. His bright blue mane became ash gray and he grew the most ridiculous beard I have ever seen. He always said it was to compete with my mane. But he could never make a spell to mimic how it waved in the ethereal breeze." Celestia released a quiet laugh. Luna only held her closer.

"I come here when I get those feelings Luna. It's not just because I regret the time you and I didn't spend together, because I know we have all the time in the world to be together as best friends and sisters. But Star Swirl and I were something special, we stood apart from time. And all those times we looped back through time, playing silly pranks on the palace guards and staff. Playing with and discovering new magic and wondering where the edge of possibility was. We never had any regrets. We were living in the moment and enjoying every second."

Celestia paused to stand and move to the window. She glanced up at the aurora that was slowly fading into the night sky to the north.

"I once asked him if he would ever try to invent a time spell to make himself immortal." The elder said.

Luna rose to join her sister and admire the night. "What did he say Tia?"

"He said that life is like a coin, you can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once. It can be divided into many pieces and split many ways, but never be more than what it began as. He said he was glad that he spent as much of what he could on us."

Celestia looked to Luna again and saw only compassion in her teal eyes.

"And that is why the way he left makes me the most upset. He sent himself into the future, on Hearth's Warming Eve. And left nothing but a note behind for me to find. Some gift. He always talked about travel to the future being a possibility but never managed to prove it. Him and his theories. But he always wanted to, he said that time was his specialty and his responsibility. It just makes me sad that the last three words I said to him was 'I love you' and the last three words he said to me was 'I'll be back'."

Celestia walked to the hourglass and watched the sand rise again. Luna continued to stare out the window.

"But sometimes I get that ineffable feeling that he's here again. It's like his familiar flavor of magic is in the air. The last two times were because Twilight managed to use his time travel spell. That was why I came to the Star Swirl the Bearded section of the archives. That's why I was here when she used magic – his magic – to create a time loop the first time. I thought it was him, I thought he had returned to me. So I hid my disappointment in the only way I could. I raised the sun and wished Twilight a happy Tuesday. I must have sounded ridiculous."

Celestia left the archives through the entrance at a brisk pace. Luna made to follow.

"Sister I can't imagine what you go through in times like these but I can assure you he will return. You just have to keep listening to the flow of magic, maybe you can hear him when he will arrive. Maybe it will be a loud roar of magic when he does, not the quiet murmurings that we feel when Twilight uses his spells." Luna kept pace with her as she ascended the spiral staircase to her chambers.

"The last time I felt like this I found my personal student in a compromising position with a strange stallion in the banquet hall. I am afraid to think what has happened this time but we can narrow down the suspects to two very intelligent unicorns I think." Celestia responded sleepily. "And I am afraid that I am in no state to launch a full investigation of this and Magic Kindergarten and stallion castration can wait until after Hearth's Warming don't you agree?"

Luna simply laughed at her sisters playfulness. She was glad that her melancholy was lifting. "Oh sister you know they are harmless, it was just a little bit of drunken fun. If I'm not mistaken your most romantic encounter involved a little bit of alcohol as well."

Celestia blushed at the memory for the second time that night and approached her now repaired bedroom doors.

"You are right of course Luna. Twilight and her coltfriend could hardly get into any trouble on their own, those two love each other too much to risk doing any serious damage to each other. They both know the consequences of losing each other are far greater than any we could ever impose on them."

The two alicorns and rulers of Equestria entered Celestia's chambers.

"I am glad you see things that way. We will let them continue their experiments then. As a Hearth's Warming gift from us."

"Yes, that sounds fitting. Goodnight, sister. Thank you for caring for me. And thank you for listening."

Celestia slipped under her covers and made ready for bed.

"What kind of sister would I be if I didn't?"

Celestia simply smiled as she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.

3 - Hearth's Warming Day

"Time is the longest distance between two places." – Tennessee Williams

~~~

A whisper.

A murmuring to disrupt the dreams of a dreamer.

A fantastic world that only the beholder can know, shattered by the unrelenting wash of reality as it invades the senses. The calm serenity of ones own inner workings, making patterns out of oil spills, making sense of darkness. An unimaginably complex yet purely artificial construct of the mind. A mind that yearns for understanding and purpose, so lost in the abyss, disconnected from its sensory input. It makes its own world to feel real, its fantasies comfort it when it feels most alone, and afraid. The dream ends the same way it always does, as its own existence is replaced by a stronger one.

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Mmmmmrrrnnghh." The stallion groaned and rolled over into his mare, seeking to wrap her in his legs and absorb her warmth. To feel her soft coat against his and drift off into eternity together. But his legs met with air as the comforter and sheets were levitated from him bodily and his internal heat began bleeding into the winter morning atmosphere.

"Come on, wake up. The train leaves in an hour and I know you like taking forever in the shower when its cold out." Twilight was standing by the side of the bed and magically folding the sheets and comforter, placing them in the basket to be washed. She started to nudge Horizon with her muzzle and prod him off the bed they shared. Horizon was doing his best to increase his mass by remaining as immobile as possible, physics be damned. A body at rest should remain at rest.

"Wake uuuuuuup! Wake uuuuuuup! Don't make me get a glass of cold waaaaaater." Twilight began to take on a sing-song tone as she happily trotted down the steps to the bathroom. Knowing full well that the best way to get her coltfriend up, in the morning at least, was with threats of liquid ice.

Horizon immediately felt the chill in the air increase tenfold and resonate through his bones. His fur stood on end and he gave a quick shiver as his eyes shot open and his pupils dilated. After a quick exhale and a flex of his forelegs his horn lit up and he teleported into the shower and flipped on the hot water tap. Slamming the door before his fillyfriend could get near enough to carry out with her threat, as she had done many times before.

"Like clockwork." Twilight giggled to herself and levitated a long scroll before her and checked off a box.

~~~

Horizon loved hot showers.

Before he met Twilight, taking a hot shower was his favorite activity. He would stand under the water as it ran over him, soaking every inch of his deep navy blue coat, plastering his dark brown mane over his closed eyes and ears. His amber eyes would look down and watch the water as it ran down the drain, leaving this world for another, beginning its cycle anew in the endless pipes that it traveled. Its course was predetermined; It would be reclaimed, purified and used again in a fountain, or garden, or beverage. No matter what it was before or what it would be, in those moments that water was used to warm a cold heart.

Horizon hurt when he remembered those years. Those lonely years busing tables at Pony Joe's to pay his way through school. Cleaning the espresso machine and spreading the sprinkles paid what tuition the grants didn't cover, barely. But at least he got free coffee out of it. Staying up studying alone for hours on end with nothing but the Mare in the Moon to keep him company was a nightly tryst. When he didn't have his muzzle in a book, his hoof in a dirty mug or his head on a pillow he had his body under a shower head. The pain of solitude was washed away. The smell of coffee, the crumbs of crullers, the smear of ink, the chill of depression, all of it was washed away by the scalding hot embrace of water. It found every crack in his armor and filled it with comfort, if only temporarily. He would spend hours thinking in the shower, developing theories, organizing the clutter of a mind that moved too fast, and consumed too much for its own good. A time to recharge and let his mind roam when he was too exhausted or strung out on caffeine to dream when he managed to sleep.

The last time he ever felt alone when he took a shower was the day after he met Twilight. Cleaning off dried cider, and other fluids, from his matted fur in the Canterlot Castle barracks open showers – under watch of the royal guard – was not one of his life highlights. While he was not one hundred percent certain that castration was actually in the cards after deflowering the noble pupil of Her Royal Highness Princess Celestia, Horizon was certain about one thing. He would be making a serious attempt to win this mare's heart, not just because of a certain Princess of the Night's threats to break his body if he broke her heart. The turning point in his life would be that following night. The night he asked her on a date and learned about the mare of his dreams.

No shower ever felt lonely after that night, the night he truly fell for her. He knew from the moment he had a real sober and non-argumentative conversation with her that she was something special. He may have explored her body already but nothing excited him more than exploring her mind. The conversations they had may have seemed dry to an outside observer but their minds connected like puzzle pieces. It was only a matter of time, and they both felt it more and more every day.

But this morning, this Hearth's Warming Day, Horizon felt lonely again. He was a liar, he turned on the machine, and broke the first rule of science. Never experiment without a control. He betrayed Twilight's trust and played with fire. The implications were still only now bubbling to the surface. He didn't know what she would say when she found it. He didn't even know how to turn it off without actually using it and expending the charge. He didn't know how he was going to publish his research. He didn't know how he was going to make more to sell to private companies and secure his fortune. He had played this closer to his heart than anything and Twilight didn't even know the magic behind it. It excited him and scared him at the same time.

As the hot water ran out, his doubts ran wild.

~~~

The train pulled out of Ponyville station at 8 AM sharp. The short 100km train ride from Ponyville north up to Canterlot was only made tedious because of its switchbacks around the mountain to make the steep incline. But the view was always astonishing. Taking the counter-clockwise route up the east side of the peak and rounding into the south side of Canterlot station gave the most fantastic view of Cloudsdale to the northwest that a non-pegasi could afford. This west-facing rays of dawn lit up the floating fortress like a wildfire. The sleepy fog rolling off the strong and ancient cloud foundations burning away in the light and revealing the omnipresent rainbow waterfalls that cascaded from every edge of the city.

"I wonder what Rainbow is doing for Hearth's Warming." Twilight mused aloud as she looked out the north facing window of their private cabin as the train began its loop around the west face of Canterlot peak. "I mean she must be doing something, even the Wonderbolts get the day off for Hearth's Warming after all." She turned to look at Horizon who was gazing out the windows with a thousand meter stare.

"Hellooo, Equestria to Horizon, anypony there?" Twilight rolled her shoulders to nudge him from his trance. "What?" Horizon responded thoughtlessly, "Sorry I was just thinking." Twilight frowned.

"Look, I know things got a little dramatic last night but can we please put that in the past. I want today to be perfect, it's not every day I get to see Mom and Dad. And Shining and Cadence will be their with their foal too. Plus I haven't seen Spike since he moved out of the library last month, Princess Celestia tells me he has grown so much already." Twilight put a hopeful grin on and leaned into Horizons neck for a nuzzle. She kept expecting the playful smile and the comforting glances he always sent down to her before kissing her softly and teasing her. She looked into his amber eyes as he continued to stare out the window, his playful nature dampened by what she could only assume was their argument last night.

Twilight brought a hoof to his cheek and stroked it while turning his gaze to meet hers. She wanted her coltfriend back.

Horizon looked down at her with partially raised eyebrows and sighed. "I'm sorry. I know I've been out of it this morning I've just been thinking about... Your mother." Horizon was really thinking about the machine ticking away in the basement but instead turned to a conversation that was inevitable. Twilight nodded her understanding at his words and returned her forehead to his jawline. "I don't think you need to worry about my mom, Dad and Shining have experience controlling her and Cadance is learning to hold the reins as well, so to speak, hehe." Twilight smiled and looked into Horizon’s eyes and saw him smiling back for the first time this morning.

"Well I know that names and neurosis aren't the only two things you two share. You both seem to have great taste in stallions if I do say so myself. Night Light and I have the lady killing combination of amber eyes and blue coat. And if your mother is any evidence I know that your flanks are still going to look good, even after foals." Horizon gave her a lopsided smirk and pinched her cutie mark.

Twilight gasped in mock surprise but was celebrating internally. This was the Horizon she fell in love with.

"Oh and as far as Rainbow Dash, I don't think the question is what she is doing for Hearth's Warming but who" Now Twilight gasped in real surprise at that comment. "WHAT!? Rainbow is the Element of Loyalty I will have you remember. And she does not 'fool around'." Twilight motioned with her forehooves to create the air quotes, as if that expression was anything uncommon.

"Starbutt, I know you are the smartest unicorn in Equestria, but you really don't have a good eye for relationships. I mean, firstly, Applejack and Rarity are clearly head over hooves in love with each other and having more sex than all of Ponyville put together."

Twilight was growing visibly upset at that mental image. "Oh please that's not—"

"Secondly," Horizon continued, "Rainbow Dash doesn't just 'fool around' she 'filly-fools around' with nearly every winged mare from Los Pegasus to Manehatten. I mean, let's be honest here, the only piece of filly flank with feathers that she wouldn't fool around with is Spitfire and that's because she's her boss and off-limits." Twilight did see a bit of merit to those words.

Rainbow Dash had always said that the only thing she loved more than the sky were the mares that filled it. Rarity had always been the most sexually open-minded, the cosmopolitan mare was used to appreciating beauty, in all of its forms. Applejack was an enigma, always working too hard to even look at anypony, which was the only reason Twilight still was skeptical about the rendezvous with Rarity. Fluttershy was, even as a timid mare, definitely the straightest of all her friends. And Pinkie was, well, Pinkie Pie, she wanted to be friends with everypony and that was enough for her. Twilight didn't think she would ever see Pinkie in a romantic relationship, she had too much love for everypony to limit it to just one special somepony.

Twilight decided that if Rainbow wanted to conquer every mare in Equestria then she should, because if it made her anywhere near as happy as she was with Horizon it couldn't be wrong. But Twilight sometimes felt sorrow when hearing Rainbow go on about all the mares she had been with. The bravado was probably covering up the loneliness that the loyal pegasus felt from living such a transient lifestyle.

"You know what, I hope you're right." Twilight concluded. "If Rarity and Applejack find love with each other, then that makes me happy, and I will do my best to support them. Lyra and Bon Bon are happily married and have already adopted two handsome colts who they love like their own." Horizon smiled at Twilight. She was so traditional, just like her mother. Always putting the needs of the family first, caring for her mate, guarding her nest. "But I hope that Rainbow can find somepony to love. It must be so lonely flying from city to city, leaving cheering fans and broken hearts wherever you go." Horizon nodded thoughtfully at Twilight's words.

"She'll find somepony Twilight don't worry. And she has only been in the Wonderbolts for a couple years now, let her enjoy her dream. It's not like she's going anywhere, she's got a long career ahead of her and all the time in the world to find happiness." Horizon began to realize how that thought applied to him. His career never really took off. His dream of making something to change the world was sitting in the basement of a tree library and being shrouded by a canvas drop cloth and a relationship jeopardizing lie. Oh sure he had been learning more and more after meeting Twilight and moving in with her; Being able to teleport out of line of sight was just one of the many new talents he picked up from her. But it hadn't even been a year yet and he was already carrying around an engagement ring.

It wasn't the first time he thought they were moving too fast.

The brief moment of silence and contemplation was interrupted as Twilight softly asked, "Do you remember our first date?"

Horizon knew that he could be cheeky and say something like 'How could I forget?' and waggle his eyebrows in allusion to their first night together but in his seriousness he knew what she was really talking about. Their conversation about the potential futures of their friends had inevitably led them both back to the memory of the beginning of their time together, the real beginning.

"Yeah... How could I forget the best night of my life..."

~~~

Canterlot Castle, the morning after the annual Canterlot Science Convention.

"Princess I am so, so, so, sorry I know you always told me I would know when the right stallion showed up and my mother has always said the same thing. I didn't want this to happen really, and especially not this way, I just had this urge and it felt so right at the time and... I am so sorry please don't make me stop being your student. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME BACK TO MAGIC KINDERGARTEN!"

Twilight was sobbing. The lavender mare was wrapped up like a filly again under Celestia's outstretched wing. Holding her hooves close to herself and gasping for air between body shaking cries of sorrow. Princess Celestia's private study was a mess of tissues and towels, a more sturdy replacement once the tissues ran out. Celestia held twilight close and looked into the flames burning in her hearth for strength. She knew this day would come, she knew that Twilight would find a stallion and share her heart with him but she did not expect it to be this way. And she did not expect to be the first one she spoke to about this.

"Twilight. Twilight I know you are distraught right now but I want you to remember the first lesson we ever had." Celestia returned to her pedagogical tone. The confidence and vocal poise tempered through a millennia of leadership and teaching calming the fillies nerves and quieting her sobs until the involuntary diaphragm spasms and tears were the only thing that remained. Twilight's ears swiveled unconsciously to absorb every bit of knowledge from her mentor’s lips.

"Control, Twilight. The most important lesson is always control, in all things." Twilight nodded and held the towel firmly to her eyes to dry her tears and then look up into her mentors large magenta irises with her violet and bloodshot eyes. "I-I'm... sorry Princess I just forgot... Please..." Twilight started to stammer out words but the Princess stopped her again.

"My most faithful student, I know you would not make a decision without being aware of what you were getting yourself into. You occasionally may not anticipate the consequences of that decision but you are brave and those risks have not only given you the courage to save this land multiple times but also to become a strong and independent mare. A mare capable of making decisions for herself and knowing when the time is right to act on her feelings."

Celestia had thought back over all the years she spent with Twilight. It seemed like only yesterday she was putting a young mare on a chariot to a small village. Setting in motion a chain of events, long foretold to be the destiny of the element of magic. The right unicorn at the right time in the right place. The spark. Her most faithful student.

But what came after that was always a surprise. Sometimes happy and pleasant, other times somewhat unsettling. Her power was unprecedented, beyond what was required to utilize the elements and beyond anything Celestia had ever seen before. It was terrifying to see in action and when Twilight lost control and, well, even an immortal can be afraid at times.

Twilight began her breathing exercises and began to calm down. Celestia smiled at her students diligence.

"You have told me all that happened last night. I know you have a fantastic memory and I am glad to hear that your free will was not completely impaired by drink. But know that you made up your mind to do those things with that stallion. You decided to share that moment with him and you chose to start a relationship with him." Celestia levitated over a new towel and discarded the now damp one from Twilight's forehooves.

"But Princess, how can you say that? This isn't how it was supposed to happen. It wasn't a relationship. I was supposed to meet the stallion of my dreams and he would be smart, and funny, and handsome and we would go on picnics, and go star gazing, and read books together and not... not... mate only hours after meeting each other! And especially not like that!" Twilight used the new towel liberally.

"I'm nothing but a... a floosie! I find one nice stallion and can't think of any better way to show my feelings than to throw myself at him like some kind of desperate harlot. He probably thinks I'm some common whore who has been with thousands of other—" Twilight's self-deprecating rant was interrupted by a quiet chuckle from Celestia who was containing laughter behind a hoof. Thinking of Twilight Sparkle as a sexually voracious mare was simply comedy, some things were just too silly to not be laughed at.

"P-Princess this is no laughing matter! He probably doesn't want anything to do with me now, I'm just another notch on his saddlebags I bet! My first romance, my v-virginity, lost to a complete stranger." The smaller mare was rapidly losing her anguish to frustration as the larger mare continued to smile inwardly and gaze into the distance.

"Oh, Twilight. We are so much alike, much more than you could possibly know. And I am certain that this stallion, Horizon I believe his name was, would be a complete fool to reject you. And he most certainly will not think of you as anything less than what you are. You have always been impulsive Twilight, and while this may be a plague for slow-witted ponies it is a great boon to you. You arrive at accurate conclusions and make snap decisions with ease as well. You are so gifted. Just trust that last night happened for a reason and that it is part of a bigger plan. Remember when I sent you to Ponyville? You made five amazing friends in one day and together saved the world. All because you stepped out of your comfort zone and took on a new problem. I know that once you set your mind on something and choose to beat it you are unstoppable. Your determination is what makes you so unstoppable. So simply treat this stallion, and your new relationship – because that's what this is twilight – as a test to be completed on a subject that can't be studied. You can't know whether you will pass or fail but you at least have to try. That's life."

Twilight was composed. She took her mentors words to heart and she levitated the towel into the hamper. She methodically began moving all the stray tissues into a waste basket as well. She rose to her hooves and Celestia lifted her wing to alleviate her student of the comforting warmth and pressure.

"Thank you Princess. For everything. For always being there for me. I feel much better now."

Celestia shared a nuzzle with her most faithful student and enjoyed the moment, committing it to memory.

The large doors to Celestia's chambers opened to reveal two dark blue ponies. One was the Princess of the Night and Twilight Sparkles best friend, Princess Luna. The other was a blushing unicorn stallion with amber eyes that were wide with fear. But his steps were sure and confident as he entered the private study of the ruler of the nation with her student and sister. The three most powerful mares in Equestria, without a doubt.

"Sister, we have returned with the scoundrel. He has been cleansed in the barracks wash facilities and has not left the watchful eye of either myself or the guard since this morning. We believe he has an apology to make."

"Actually Princess, I don't want to apologize." There was a collective gasp from the two alicorns as the distraught mare stood with her mouth agape too surprised to connect thoughts. Horizon continued, he mentally congratulated himself for not collapsing to the floor with the weight of his balls right now.

"I don't want to apologize because I feel there is nothing to apologize for. I do not regret any decisions I made last night because I chose to make them and I know in my heart that Twilight chose to make them as well. So rather than be an immature foal about this and sputter and grovel, I want to be a stallion and take responsibility the correct way. I want to make things right, and that means I will do right by Twilight." Horizon was a pony on fire right now. He had nothing to lose and was throwing himself on the line here to accept whatever decision was made. They could either let him burn or douse the flames and accept his actions.

Horizon walked past Luna and straight up to Twilight who was still close to Celestia, almost sheltered by her presence as the wings rose once again in a defensive gesture.

"Twilight Sparkle." Horizon began, " You are incredibly beautiful. But your physical beauty is far surpassed by that of your mind. To be both stunningly complex and shockingly powerful at the same time is the most alluring combination. Before I met you I had been attracted to your work academically, but since glimpsing your brilliant mind through discourse I know with certainty that I am completely infatuated with you. I want to give whatever it is we began last night a real shot. And if that means pretending it never happened and starting from scratch than I will. My name is Horizon, would you like to go out and get dinner sometime."

Few moments in the long history of the Equestrian nation have left both of its immortal rules speechless. But this was certainly one of them. The first to speak after the astounding silence was the smallest pony in the room. The lavender mare with the star shaped cutie mark. A unicorn mare from Ponyville. The happiest mare in the world.

"Horizon, I don't want to pretend last night didn't happen. Because it was special to me. But I will accept your offer for dinner tonight, if you promise me you will not let what has already transpired influence your expectations on the outcome."

Horizon smiled. Twilight smiled. Celestia smiled.

~~~

Luna frowned.

Of course the one mare in all of Equestria that she had shown interest in after her return from her banishment is straight. Luna had known Twilight was burdened with the curse of being exceptionally brilliant but completely oblivious when it came to romance. It never ceased to amaze Luna that her sister’s pupil did not think even once that having the Princess of the Night land on her balcony and interrupt a late night study session almost weekly to go star gazing or to offer a surprise night flight was anything more than what best friends would do. Luna just wished Twilight would have taken the initiative. She had given all the right signs. Visited her tiny village every Nightmare Night and given thoughtful gifts of romantic literature at every minor occasion. They had corresponded on magic and the magic of friendship and Luna always playfully suggested that they become something more than friends. Twilight always said she was happy to call Luna her best friend. She was so adorkable, and it made her irresistible.

Luna had so desperately wanted Twilight to confess her feelings and ravish her and love her under the stars. She needed someone strong and confident like Twilight in her life. A leader, a real self-sufficient and strong mare. Not some namby pamby filly who would wait forever for the stallion to make the move. A filly like how Luna felt.

She detested this part of herself. Her heart swinging too and fro like a pendulum every century or so. Desiring big hulking stallions with soft hearts to dominate in the bedroom one generation and then lusting after strong and confident mares to share tender moments and romance with the next. Luna was forever doomed to seek something nigh impossible to obtain with the gender roles set forth by nature. A stallion who derives pleasure from submission and a mare who derives pleasure from dominance. Luna was held between these equal and opposite sides of a coin, changing like the phases of the moon that was her charge.

And it wasn't made any easier by having this blackguard of a stallion come along and ruin everything.

Not only was Twilight straight, but she was her best friend. Which meant she would have to hear every detail and every woe of their courtship. Like a blow by blow of their most intimate moments that could have been. And now it looked like she was going to stay as 'just best friends' forever.

Luna would ensure that this miscreant of a stallion her Twilight had managed to hook up with either fought tooth and hoof for her heart or she would destroy him. Luna may have been in the more submissive and less physically aggressive phase but that didn't mean she would make an exception, for Twilight. After all, this scalawag of a stallion thinks it's fair to get her mare drunk and steal her away in one night of passion. And that means war.

If this cheating stallion wants Twilight all to himself, he's going to have to win her.

It's time to bring out the big guns.

~~~

Horizon produced the large bag of bits to the pegasus mare donned in black clothing. Their meeting in the random Canterlot alleyway was shrouded by the dusk of a late afternoon sunset.

"So we have a deal?" Horizon asked the mare.

"Hmmm, is this it? I seem to remember making another specific request as part of the payment." The flyer tapped a forehoof in annoyance as she locked eyes with the stallion.

Horizon groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Hey! I can leave and go back to Cloudsdale where everything is awesome if you don't want to fulfill your half of the bargain." The mare threatened.

Horizon produced a rolled up magazine from his saddlebags and passed it to the mare, just levitating the article of 'literature' made his horn feel dirty. Sports Illustrated: Wonderbolts wet mane edition. Ugh, so juvenile.

"Awwwww yeah!" The pink eyes showing through the black hood narrowed in excitement just looking at the tight golden flanks of the team captain on the cover. Her short cropped aerodynamic mane flowing down her rock hard body, the zipper on her flight suit trailing down her barrel to her...

"I SAID, do we HAVE a DEAL?" Horizon shouted for the third time. Interrupting the thoughts of the pegasus mare as she almost began drooling on the vulgar magazine.

"Yeah! Do the thing at the place at whatever o'clock and stuff, got it! Gottagonowbusydayyouknowbyemrunicorn!"

And with that she was gone, faster than the eye could follow, taking off with force that should have left a crater in the cobblestone alleyway, leaving nothing in her wake but a rainbow contrail.

~~~

*Ding-Dong Ding-Dong... Ding-Dong Ding-Dong*

The door to the upper Canterlot residence opened almost immediately after the chimes sounded. A mature cloudy white unicorn mare with sky blue eyes framed in a purple and white striped mane answered the door.

"Your Highness! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Mrs. Velvet, we have grave news concerning your daughter."

"G-grave news? What do you mean?"

"We regret to inform you that Twilight has... started dating."

~~~

The Dragon's Hoard was the most chic and swanky restaurant in all of Canterlot. It was new, it was expensive, it was almost impossible to get a table. And it was exactly the kind of place the noble student of Princess Celestia would expect to be treated to on her first date. Or at least that's what one would normally think.

Celestia had wished Twilight good luck, and said that no matter what happened she would still be her teacher as surely as Twilight was still her student. But that was where her involvement in the nights affairs had ended.

Twilight Velvet had arranged for musical accompaniment and Luna had made the reservation. Luna had ensured that the night sky was pristine and radiant, the stars shone like diamonds on black silk. The four piece string ensemble was instructed to play quietly to drown out any noise from the late night city life but not so loud as to ruin a quiet and intimate conversation. But all of this was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that nearly two dozen Lunar Stallions were positioned all around the restaurant and balcony, hiding in dark storm clouds, only visible because of their glowing draconic eyes. They were there ostensibly to provide security and privacy. But Horizon felt certain that their chosen armaments, gardening shears, kitchen knives, and other cutting instruments were purely for his benefit.

And all of that was completely eclipsed by the other private table occupied by Princess Luna and Twilight Velvet on the other side of the balcony. Directly in Horizons line of sight over Twilight's shoulder.

Horizon was beginning to second guess his choice. Maybe he was getting in a bit over his head.

"S-so, uh nice weather tonight huh?" Twilight asked, looking out into the darkened fields below Canterlot from their almost private balcony. "I think I can see my tree house from here, heh heh." Twilight added half-heartedly.

"Heh, uh, yeah, great view, couldn't ask for a more perfect night..." Horizon trailed off as he levitated his glass of incredibly expensive vintage wine and sipped greedily. Twilight mirrored his actions and as their eyes met over the lips of the crystal they broke eye contact to stare in any direction that didn't involve each other or the gaze of a lunar stallion. Or in the case of Horizon, two mares rather enthusiastically and silently carving up cucumbers for a salad. All the while staring directly at him as they levitated the green phallic vegetables and methodically sliced off razor thin portions.

Horizon was definitely having second thoughts.

"Your appetizers, Madame et Monsieur." The steaming salted soy beans were placed in the center of the table next to the bread and cheese.

"Oh yum I love edamame! Neighponese food was always some of my favorite to have after studying long hours. The sodium picked me right up, and they are so healthy too." Twilight tried to engender enthusiasm and turn the conversation towards the meal at hoof. Hopefully their main courses would come out sooner rather than later. This night couldn't get any more awkward.

A pod was floating in front of Twilights muzzle. It was wrapped in a deep blue glow. Twilight was confused.

"Um."

"Oh sorry. I uh, I guess I thought it would be kind of you know, romantic if we maybe tried feeding each other? A bit?"

Horizon was thankful for the breeze on the balcony because he would have been sweating bullets with how unbearably awkward and forced this night felt. His tuxedo was ridiculous looking, Twilight was wearing her Grand Galloping Gala dress of all things and... Ok now Luna was definitely stabbing into that baguette of bread way more times than was necessary.

"Oh, uh, OK should I move forward? Or, are you going to pop out the beans one by one? Or maybe I should remove them? Or are you going to move it towards me while I move forward and—"

Horizon simply moved the pod into Twilights muzzle much more forcefully than intended to make her just go with it. Luna flinched and motioned for a Lunar Stallion to attend to her. Horizon's concentration was divided as he levitated pods of soybeans and watched as a strange looking tool that could only be a tree trimmer was given to Luna.

"Umm Ihs good. I hink I an sweeze em ou ith ma eeth" Twilight struggled to speak coherently as she tried to use her teeth and tongue to squeeze the immature soybeans from the steamed pod being levitated in her mouth. Her head motions and groaning sounds of frustration only seemed the make the situation even MORE uncomfortable if that was even remotely possible. When viewed from behind it probably looked a lot more vulgar than what was really going on.

Horizon briefly turned his attention to the other table. He saw a bunch of bananas levitated in a smoky grey magical aura being plucked one by one and sent to their demise within the jaws of a telescoping tree trimmer; The murderous gardening tool was held in a deep blue magical aura. The bifurcated bananas were dropping over the balcony and splatting in the river hundreds of meters below. Their death was only accompanied with the silent cries of their relief. Only the dead could know peace from this awkwardness.

The attempts to feed each other edamame with magic were met with marginal success after the initial failures. Horizon only managed to get poked in the eyes once, once in each eye to be precise. The wine managed to drain a little bit more quickly and the Princess and her partner in crime had switched from mutilating fruit to reducing what was left of the restaurants stale baguettes to dust by grinding them under their hoofs every time Horizon tried to loosen his ridiculous bow tie and tuxedo collar.

A Grey earth pony mare with slate black hair and a pink bow tie of her own paused her playing to facehoof at the situation in its entirety.

A polite cough interrupted the couple. "Your entrees. Pour le Mademoiselle, a three cheese garden omelette and quiche lorraine with fresh fruit on the side. Et for Monsieur, a grilled cheese sandwich." The last was spoken with a bit of barely restrained disgust.

Twilight allowed the waiter to remove what was left of the edamame science experiment and thanked him for having the decency to not stare at the mutilated remains of the pods as he trotted back into the restaurant itself to deal with customers who were not completely hopeless.

"Did you really order a grilled cheese sandwich?" Twilight asked incredulously.

"It was called a crock mister or something, I don't know I don't speak Prench and it was thirty bits so I thought it had to be something good right?" Horizon was at his wit’s end here. He didn't know how much longer he could last. Luna and Twilight's mother were running out of penis shaped foods and several of the cutting tools the Lunar Stallions had brought with them were completely covered in the innards of the bananas and carrots that gave their lives that night.

"I'm sorry." Twilight said. She stared at her plate and shed a single tear. Her posture that she had held perfectly all night slumped forward as she stared at her meal. Her overpriced, Canterlot Noble, typical upper crust meal consisting of mostly eggs, vegetables and some slices of fruit. Enough money to buy a stack of books from a good used book store that would last a week would be used to barely sate her appetite for a night. What she wouldn't give to just be back in Ponyville, out of her stupid constricting gala outfit and just eating a big daffodil sandwich with some greasy hay fries, maybe looking at some stars, maybe holding a real conversation with a stallion. In private.

Then the tears really started. "This whole night is my fault." Twilight cried, she did her best not to sob or move her body but the quiche was being coated in the signs of salty sorrow. Her mother and Luna didn't know what was happening, yet, but Horizon knew it wouldn't be long. He remained silent and hoped his plan would come through.

"I just thought that this would be the perfect night. You asked me out and you didn't know where I would like to go so I asked Luna for advice and she asked my mother and then this... this all..." Twilight levitated her napkin to her face. There was no hiding it now. The music stopped there was a loud gasp heard from the grey mare and Luna rose to her hooves quickly enough to topple the stool she was seated on.

Then all tartarus broke loose.

*FLASH*

*CRASH*

*BOOM*

"BUCK THE POLICE!"

The heaviest, most torrential, most devastatingly awesome rainstorm of all time that ever hit that very specific block of Canterlot began in earnest. And at the center of it all was a pegasus mare wearing a black and purple flight suit with lightning bolt accents and yellow lensed flight goggles. The faux skull cutie mark might as well have butterfly cutie mark, so badass was this mare as she lit up the sky with lightning and turned Lunar Stallions into crying foals with her awesomeness.

Worth. Every. Bit.

"TWILIGHT!" Horizon grasped the completely shell-shocked mare with his forehooves and motioned for her to follow him. "DO YOU TRUST ME!?" Twilight was in a hurricane of emotions just as surely as she was in a literal hurricane. The food was blown off the balcony. Lunar stallions were swirling in the winds chaotically. Luna was nowhere to be seen and Twilight’s mother had retreated inside to hold onto the foundation in fear that the restaurant would fall off the edge of the mountain.

"yes"

"WHAT!?"

"YES!"

"FOLLOW ME!"

~~~

They ran like foals. Soaking wet, sprinting through the streets of Canterlot, ducking into alleyways to evade the frantic searches of Lunar Stallions as they did rapid flybys of the surrounding quarter of upper Canterlot. Twilight and Horizon laughed, and ripped off what was left of their soaking wet formal wear, casting it into the winds. They teleported down streets, swung around street lamps and searched for the cheapest and dirtiest food they could find that late at night.

Their search lead them to a street cart in Lower Canterlot, just outside a trailer park for traveling merchants to hitch up their wagons and carts for their stay. There was a lovely little park here and next to it was a 'ride-in' movie theater. They wanted to get a pizza, a weird pizza, something completely unique and strange, like them. The vendor gave them a big five cheese pineapple pizza. It was the greasiest, cheesiest, and sweetest pizza they had ever eaten. It was perfect.

They teleported onto the roof of a nearby wagon and Twilight leaned back into Horizons barrel as they 'borrowed' the vantage point to watch whatever B-list science fiction movies from the fifties were being played now. They watched a strange film about a giant floating brain that wanted to eat ponies and another about bipedal ape men from another world who wanted to snatch up all the mares with their grubby little hands. They couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous the movies were and began riffing them in earnest and substituting their own dialogue by the second one. Much to the disappointment of the wagon owner.

"THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE DEMANDS YOU GET OFF HER HOME. THIS. INSTANT!"

Twilight held a hoof to her mouth to stop giggling at the layers of humor in the current situation and Horizon teleported them both off the wagon roof and into the nearby park where they found a big oak tree to rest underneath and catch their breath as they stopped laughing. Twilight leaned back into Horizon’s legs as he rested his back onto the large tree. The edge of Canterlot was before them and this time they were looking out across one of the rare eastern facing ledges of Canterlot, just over where the train tracks entered the tunnels below.

"You're really good at magic you know." Twilight said thoughtfully as she rubbed back into her stallion’s coat and felt his muscles flexing underneath from their recent exertions. Magic took its toll on unicorns physically as well as mentally. One could maintain muscle physique with pure magical strength training alone. And teleporting was very advanced magic, not many unicorns could do it, it required intense focus and raw ability. She was glad her stallion was strong. It meant her foals would be strong too.

"I had a great time tonight, Horizon. Thanks for rescuing me from that awful dinner. I can't believe my mom and best friend would do that to me. To us." Twilight looked away from the starry night and leaned her head back up to look at her stallion. She tilted her horn so it would not bump his jaw and he looked down to meet her eyes.

Even in the darkness of night they glowed. The purple depths of her eyes like a window into her infinitely beautiful and complex mind. Horizon knew then as he knew now that he was in love. And as Twilight looked up into his amber eyes she was surprised at how much they reminded her of her father. Not in a sexual way but in the sense that they made her feel safe, loved and cared for. Horizon held her tighter as the night air blew across their coats.

"I love you"

Horizon felt his hooves quiver as those words met his ears. The lips they left from rose to meet his own as he looked down in surprise at the mare in his grasp. She continued after they parted, "I know you probably don't feel that way about me yet and I understand. But I just want you to know that no pony I have ever known would be willing to go through everything you did and still fight for me and make me feel like the most special mare in the whole world. And I know what we did last night might have seemed like a mistake at the time, but after what happened this night; After what is happening now, I know it wasn't a mistake."

Horizon felt a strange feeling in his heart. The walls around his soul were falling. The crushing solitude, the apathy, the cynical cold-hearted hatred of ponykind for dealing him a tough hand disappeared like magic. It could only be love.

"I love you"

Twilight gasped and pulled the legs embracing her tighter and looked into his eyes searchingly. She wished she was Applejack for just the briefest moment so she could tell if he was lying. But the moment passed as he smiled down at her and held her close. They both let their eyes drift closed and enjoyed the physical proximity as they gently fell asleep in the warm spring mountain air.

~~~

Moments later a white mare descended gently towards them and her long horn gave off a golden glow that surrounded both ponies in the embrace of sleep and love. The trio was teleported to the private guest study of Canterlot Castle. Twilight Sparkle's old study and home. The pair, still nestled in each others legs were deposited gently on the freshly made linens and tucked in by the gentle magic of the goddess of the dawn.

"Good night my little ponies. Sweet dreams."

~~~

Meanwhile in the chambers of Princess Luna

Rainbow Dash was hogtied and thrown onto Luna's bed by a pair of Lunar Stallions. Luna herself was panting from the exertion of chasing down the Wonderbolts newest Lead Solo flier in the dead of night while she was wearing a dark flight suit. While they had not broken any sound barriers tonight they had most certainly broken several laws limiting the use of atmospheric electricity near a populated metropolitan center, as well as against a pony with the intent to injure.

"Leave us, and do not enter until I explicitly command you to. We are to have no visitors at all. is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Your will is our command."

The Lunar Stallions left the chambers and closed the door. The angry gazes of over a dozen others could be seen through the narrow gap as the doors were held briefly ajar. All eyes were focused on the now disrobed and bound pegasus mare who had caused them all so much trouble tonight. Who had caused their princess so much trouble tonight. They would enjoy hearing the screams of pain that were sure to come through the doors this evening. That mare was going to pay.

"What are we gonna do on the bed Princess?" Rainbow Dash winked and waggled her eye brows. Her mane and coat still slightly singed from where Luna managed to land a good hit on her.

"You are an insufferable and incorrigible pony Rainbow Dash. Your little stunt tonight ruined the armor of nearly a dozen Lunar Stallions with burn marks and excrement, both the result of near miss lightning strikes. You sabotaged a romantic evening between Twilight Sparkle, MY BEST FRIEND, and her would-be coltfriend and MOST importantly you dared to challenge me to a RACE!?"

"Aww lighten up Luna, it was all in good fun. Besides I won the race which means you get to come first the next time we do it." Rainbow smirked and licked her lips lewdly. Luna did not seem to notice this.

"How could you even be so immature Rainbow Dash? The Element of Loyalty herself sabotaging the chance of romance for one of your dearest friends. I still can't believe you would do this to our Twilight. You ruined her perfect evening and quite possibly caused irreparable damage to not only your friendship with her but OURS as well!" Luna's labored breathing from her aerial chase became ragged as she felt the weight of the nights events truly weigh down on her. Twilight had been crying. Luna had tried to set up a perfect meal and evening to ensure that the stallion suitor behaved himself and all that resulted in was more tears for her favorite mare. Luna sat on the edge of the bed and took off her crown. She didn't feel like a princess tonight. She felt like a villain.

Rainbow slipped the ropes from her athletic legs and looked at the princess. "What do you mean by 'our Twilight'?"

Luna didn't turn to notice that Rainbow had loosed her restraints. The young Wonderbolt could have easily made to the window and started the chase anew but instead she sidled up to Luna and began to massage her sore wings. They hadn't been worked like that in centuries. The physical relief and chance to open up to a mutual friend was enough to distract Luna from what was really happening.

"We... We had hoped to court Twilight Sparkle. Every Nightmare Night we had returned to Ponyville, to partake of the fun with Twilight Sparkle. Our Twilight Sparkle. For years we visited her every night our royal duties allowed for. We flew from Canterlot to Ponyville or wherever she may be doing research and back. We carried her on our back across the night sky and watched stars with her until she fell asleep using our wings as a blanket. We gifted her literature, quills, parchment, anything we could think of that would thoughtful and appreciated by such a practical mare. And still she did not return our attentions. We so desired her. A strong and independent mare, a free spirit, a leader. We wanted to share our secrets with her and some day... our body." Luna felt a blush rising to her cheeks as the ministrations to her flight muscles became rough and therapeutic.

The tension slipped from her body as she felt pressure on her shoulders easing her onto her back. She was dragged by the athletic sky blue mare as she pulled the princess into a proper lying position on the bed. Luna now finally registered that Rainbow was fully mobile and free from her restraints. "Rainbow... What... How did you, this isn't—"

"SHhhh Princess. You don't get with as many mares as I do without getting tied up a few times." Rainbow winked at the Princess of the Night as she eased her muscular and lean frame down across the slightly larger and softer deep blue alicorns barrel. "And just so you know Princess. Twilight Sparkle is a real dummy to turn down that kind of attention. I fly, like, every day from city to city! And every night I'm greeted with just another fanfilly who wants to get a piece of the Dash. Another mare I will never see again except as a face in the crowd. I never have the chance for a real thing like you tried to have with Twilight. The only mares I see for longer than a weekend at a time are teammates. And all I can do with them is ogle their hard bodies in the locker room showers because inter-team relationships are a one-way ticket to getting sacked. And I'm not ready to give up my dreams for love just yet."

Luna was enthralled. The mare wasn't just on top of her. She was holding her down. Both of Luna's forehooves were lifted above her horn and held in place by a single leg as Rainbow used the other forehoof to trace Luna's face while she spoke. Mapping out the territory and planning an attack on Luna's face with her mouth.

At least, Luna hoped so.

"Princess! You have NO idea. I would give anything to have a mare fly hundreds of kilometers every night to see me and keep me warm. To fly with me under the starry skies, racing and having fun. Giving me presents that were thought out and special? That stuff never happens to me! I never have someone special to share my secrets with..." Rainbow licked her lips and leaned closer to Luna's face. "or my body." She leaned even closer, nuzzling the princess roughly as she bit into her neck just below the jawline and worked her way up to her ears. "I would give my wings for that."

Luna felt a warmth filling her belly she hadn't felt in years. She quivered under Rainbow Dash as the kisses and nibbles became more eager, the strength of her forelegs wrapping around her stronger. Her hindlegs adding rhythmic pressure against her own as their bodies moved closer and closer. She kept staring at the muscular blue wings as they flapped aimlessly, doing nothing to lift the unbelievable athletic specimen on top of her. The weight of Rainbow Dash on her was so good, welcome and necessary at this point. If Rainbow let go now Luna wouldn't be able to hold her forehooves responsible for where they would travel.

"Tonight, Princess. I'm going to show you how awesome it is to win in a race against The Rainbow Dash. I usually come first, but I always make sure every participant finishes, that's just good sportsmanship. But I guess you could say I owe ya one after our little sprint before this."

Luna's mouth was engulfed in a kiss that devoured every inch of her mouth and attacked her with such passion it could almost be called an insatiable hunger. Then the kiss moved lower and lower... and lower...

~~~

The Lunar Stallions were all piled up against the door with their ears swiveling and struggling to hear what brutal lashings the mare was receiving for her heinous crimes. The shame she caused them all. The punishment must be severe. They feared that their Princess of the Night may have gagged the criminal pegasus and thus muted her cries of pain.

The something happened.

(*moans*)

The Lunar Stallions all stiffened. To attention that is. Their ears all pressed against the door as hard as they could given the strange pony pile they were in to guarantee each one equal access to the door.

("nnnnngh")

Yes... The pain must be severe. That filly would pay for causing our Luna such distress.

("ooooohhhhhh... YES.")

That... didn't sound right.

("mmmmmuuhhhh... DON'T STOP.")

No... This... This can't be happening. The Lunar Stallions all made eye contact and dreaded the worst.

("YOUR PRINCESS ENJOYS THIS, RAINBOW DASH!")

The sound was unmistakable now. Luna was engaging in romantic relations with the Wonderbolt.

("OH MOST WONDERFUL OF NIGHTS!")

As the Lunar Stallions all slowly walked away from the door of their Princess with their heads and eyes downcast. The sounds of hot, hot love making were only drowned out in their ears by the sounds of over a dozen stallion hearts being broken simultaneously and falling to pieces all around them in the dark of night.

Of course she had to be gay.

~~~

Twilight and Horizon awoke from the short nap they both took in each others legs. The same position they had been in that same night all those months ago under that tree. The train had finally pulled into Canterlot station, right on time. It was Hearth's Warming Day and they were going to make the most of it.

First stop, Twilight's old study to visit Spike.

4 - The Equestrian Dragon

“Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” –Groucho Marx

~~~

Canterlot, Hearth’s Warming Day, 1006 AN, 11:00 AM, Timeline 0

Horizon stifled a yawn with a hoof while Twilight trotted merrily from the train station down Mane Street towards Canterlot Castle. He was not a morning pony, and the nap on the train did little to energize him. Horizon valued his daily eight hours.

"Hurry up! It's almost noon and we have to be at my parent's house for presents before 3 if we want any chance of starting dinner on time. And Canterlot is going to be busy today which means we have to take some side streets to ensure we get everywhere on time with all the hoof traffic we can expect. If we take Stirrup Street instead of Broadway we should be able to avoid most if not all—" Twilight cantered forward on autopilot as the schedule floated in her magic next to the extremely detailed to-do list.

"Twi, please slow down, there's no need to canter all the way to the Castle." Horizon continued to blink the sleep out of his eyes. It was a long train ride by steam up the mountain and he couldn't jump out of bed at the drop of a hat like Twilight could every winter wrap up.

"Please! Pleasepleasepleaseplease can't we just hurry a little bit?" Twilight folded the items into her saddlebags and turned back to pout at her coltfriend. Horizon couldn't help hating how cute she was in that scarf, it shouldn't have been scientifically possible.

"I'm sure Spike has the presents all ready to go and we can just hop in, grab the goods, then hop out." Horizon continued to walk after her down the street as she waited for him to catch up.

"We can't do that! It's been so long since I have seen Spike, he only just moved back to our old study on the Castle grounds near the royal archives. We need to have lunch with him and catch up. It's probably been hard for him to make friends since he started growing and you know he can't go walking down the streets in Canterlot like he used to in Ponyville." Twilight brushed next to her colt-friend and leaned into him as they continued their casual pace down the sidewalk.

Horizon rolled his eyes and adjusted the scarf around his neck as it statically clung to his fillyfriends. "Twilight, you know Spike doesn't really like me. I mean you're basically his mother and I'm just some colt who started shacking up with you one day and caused him to get kicked out of the bedroom. We both know how dejected he would look carrying his basket to the main floor of the library whenever we would ask him for some privacy." The dark blue stallion looked at the thin layering of snow on the street as his hooves impacted the delicate powder.

"Horizon you know that's just not true. Spike is just a teenage dragon now and he's going through a tough time growing up. He's been adjusting to life without my friends around for a while now. Ponyville just isn't the same without Pinkie baking, Rainbow napping and Fluttershy hiding in her cottage. And Spike was crushed when Rarity finally had to tell him that they would only ever be friends this Summer." Twilight was thoughtful as she settled into the slow pace. She was glad to be sobering up and reducing the enthusiasm to a more reasonable level. She didn't honestly know how Spike was faring. Besides the letters that Celestia had been sending her as part of their normal correspondence she hadn't heard anything firsthoof.

"I mean, I never understood how you two couldn't get along. You have so much in common as far as family and—"

"Twilight we've talked about this a million times. Just because I am an only child who never had a father figure doesn't mean I'm instantly going to be best buds with every guy like me. I mean if anything, it has only made me less trusting of ponies in general and for a lot of ponies it makes me a total pariah. They can't even imagine what it must have been like, especially when you consider how I lost my mother." Horizon had long gotten over the fact that he was not raised in a normal atomic family. No brothers or sisters, no father around his entire childhood since he divorced and moved back to Germaneigh almost immediately after he was born. His mother was the only real guardian to speak of and she ensured that he could get through school with a roof over his head and food on his plate. But she never dated again after losing her husband, Horizon was her life.

When his mother passed away during his undergraduate years of college to breast cancer... Well Horizon didn't like to think about how close he came to taking the short way off of the mountain in those days. It was only his fear of wasting her efforts that kept him going. He didn't have the typical support net of extended family or friends to fall back on. He had to grow up fast.

"I don't mean to bring that up Horizon, I know how difficult it was for you, but you are a real success story. A fighter, you overcame odds that most ponies would crumble under. She would have been so proud to see the stallion you are today." Twilight nuzzled him and drew a few glances from ponies as they passed by. Twilight wasn't one for public displays of affection normally – and they were especially taboo in Canterlot – but she knew he needed it now.

"I wish you could have met her Twilight. She would never believe how lucky I am to have found a mare that would put up with all my baggage, heh." Horizon returned her nuzzle but decided it was time to drive the conversation back to Spike. He still coped with thoughts of family by emotionally shielding himself from it. Twilight didn't bring it up often and he never really talked about it with anypony else. It was just a sore spot that probably would never go away. At least his mare could understand that.

"But you are right. Spike is probably going through something similar. I mean you aren't gone in any permanent sense but you still aren't a part of his day to day life anymore. And you did give birth to him essentially, he owes his existence to you. That's a connection that you will always have with him and now that your differences in biology are finally coming into focus he is probably really confused. And that confusion maybe is what's been leading to the anger towards me... I honestly don't know how I would have reacted if my mother started to date again when I was in my teens, I probably would be mad, or at least make her coltfriends life a living tartarus haha."

"He's just trying to protect me Horizon. That's all it is. Dragons are very territorial by nature and he just saw you as a threat when you moved into the library with us." But Twilight always neglected to mention how she never asked Spike for permission. She just showed up one day with a chariot full of scientific goods and a stallion to boot. Spike was introduced to Twilight's 'coltfriend' and he immediately was put on the defensive.

It maybe shouldn't have been a surprise that he confessed his undying love to Rarity a week later and demanded she give him a direct yes or no answer. The comfortable limbo of silence they had maintained since his first 'hoarding' episode was still in full effect. Until she had to refuse his advances that summer. If anything it made Spike grumpier, but Rarity couldn't risk telling a lie and upsetting her own lover. That orange mare was the apple of her eye now.

"Well it's going to be difficult to do any bonding now that he's going to be living in Canterlot permanently. I still get chills thinking about the second hoarding episode he had when we visited Manehatten for that project on Fission. I wonder if they have finished reconstruction of the Empire State building by now." Horizon shuddered at the thought.

Spike was a dragon and always carried the inherent risk of losing control when greed could get a hold of his heart. It wasn't as bad as his destruction of the majority of Ponyville the first time it happened as far as property damage. But grabbing Twilight and climbing up the tallest building while the Wonderbolts zipped around him was more damaging just because of the sheer number of ponies who thought the dragons had finally decided to stop eating Griffons and travel up the coast to eat them instead. It took letters from friends and family in Baltimare and Fillydelphia to finally assuage the worries of some Manehattanites.

Thankfully Twilight was able to calm Spike down and have a very personal moment with him. It was the first time she had ever referred to Spike as her child. And it was the first time he ever referred to her as his mother. Celestia and Luna did their best to calm down the public fear but it would take a lot longer to get Twilight and Spike to stop crying as they held each other and she begged Celestia to let him stay in Canterlot rather than banish him. Exile for Spike was a very real possibility.

Twilight stopped and Horizon looked up from his hooves to see that they had arrived.

The guards never gave the pair trouble as they moved into the Castle grounds. They frequented the royal garden during the first few weeks of their courtship as Twilight traveled up to Canterlot as often as her studies would permit; More often sometimes as Celestia eventually had to ask her to either move back into her study to continue her work or ask Horizon to move to Ponyville. Horizon of course offered to move, Canterlot didn't feel as alive as the tree home in Ponyville. Less noise when they would walk along the Everfree forest to stargaze and talk.

But Twilight's old study had been seeing more and more activity since then. They both traveled a great deal to discuss magic, mostly Twilight's. But Horizon had essentially taken on the role of number one assistant when they hit the road or the rails. Spike usually stayed in Ponyville to mind the library before the incident, but Twilight saw this upset him and agreed to take him along to Manehatten. A choice with disastrous consequences for the young dragon’s freedom, but Horizon would never bring it up in that light to Twilight.

~~~

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Ah! You're here already? Um... Just a minute! I'm just wrapping up some... I mean finishing some... stuff! One second!"

Twilight and Horizon shared a knowing glance. That was definitely the dragon they remembered. No matter how difficult it was for Spike to hide his feelings around Horizon it was still an endearing trait to have when he was happy or excited. Normal and mature dragons were so brutally serious and impassive. Never knowing whether they were going to eat you or ignore you was a common problem. Horizon and Twilight both hoped they would never live to see Spike become bitter like that.

"Spike. It's rude to leave ponies waiting at the door. Or have you been growing lazy since starting your little vacation here in Canterlot?" Twilight always referred to Spike’s 'forced' presence in Canterlot as a vacation. Saying he was just getting a well-deserved break for his years of service to the royal pupil. While the prison bars may not be present the guards lining the Castle walls didn't just face outward anymore.

The door opened only a moment later and revealed a large dragon with a claw surreptitiously out of sight behind his back. Spike now stood nearly a full three meters tall just on his haunches. The normal pony was just under a meter in height with only a few of the bulkier stallions breaching the meter mark. Only Princess Celestia herself passed the two meter mark, but that was all horn. He was smiling down at the pair of much smaller unicorns wearing their couple scarves with a wide toothy grin.

Horizon flinched.

"Spike remember what we talked about? Smile with your lips, less teeth." Twilight magically nudged his jaw closed but caressed his razor sharp spines and gently tugged his head down to give him a hug. Spike picked up Twilight in his arms and held her close to his warm and smooth underside as she struggled to wrap her hooves around his now long and broad neck. Spike’s growing wings flapped happily as he extended them protectively around his favorite pony, his surrogate mother.

"Twilight it's so good to see you! I'm sorry I haven't written more it's just that my stupid claws are too big to hold quills now and I can't use my fire breath anymore without causing the guards to smash down the doors and investigate. But Princess Celestia visits me every day to talk to me and have lunch. She's really something else Twilight, I don't know where she gets the energy! I mean when I'm not napping on the hoard she gave me, I am eating more gems than I ever knew existed to just keep up with the changes to my body!" Spike began licking his lips at the thought as he gently placed his closest friend on the floor of her old study. He lowered to all fours and began to walk into the heart of the high arched ceilings of the vaunted guest study of Canterlot Castle. His long and sleek tail trailed after him as his head raised high above his spined back and folded wings to look at and indicate the condition of the lavish quarters.

"I dusted off the entire place and made sure all your old books were accounted for, and I even got your presents all stacked neatly in the cart ready to go for you. And there's fresh food in the pantry and the water and plumbing all still works. I made sure the guards got all your favorite foods and your bed is set up right where it used to be with fresh sheets and everything. And the—" Twilight interrupted the dragon’s ramblings with a gentle tug on his tail as he began to give the full tour.

"Spike, aren't you forgetting something?" Spike turned to look at her and struggled to hide the frown on his face.

"Uh... Hey Spike, I know it's been a long time but I am glad to see you too!" Horizon did genuinely feel happy. He was just anxious to be around the dragon since he started to grow. The physical changes were frightening no matter how kind and gentle the soul was. But Spike was genuinely a fun personality to be around and they had their share of good personal moments and laughs. And of course they both shared a love for Twilight that went beyond mere friendship.

Yet it still didn't help to quell the anger Spike felt whenever he looked at the stallion. Spike believed that if it weren't for Horizon he would still be in Ponyville with Twilight, helping her every day instead of being back in this ivory tower. Alone.

"Yeah well I guess time flies when you're having fun you know. I mean it's a real hoot up here by myself. At least I don't have to deal with that annoying owl anymore, or you." Spike grumbled to himself and reared back up on his haunches to stare sideways at the hourglass and out the window overlooking Canterlot proper.

"Spike! That's enough! It's Hearth's Warming Eve and I refuse to let you be in a bad mood. Now I want you to shake hoof and claw and be done with it." Twilight literally put down her hoof and narrowed her gaze at Horizon as he started to back away from the dragon who mindlessly flipped his razor sharp tail side to side in agitation. Spike huffed and smoke wisps left his nostrils as he turned to extend a large and muscular arm down to the blue unicorn. Horizon stopped his retreat and mustered the courage to extend a hoof towards the meaty hands and their deep purple claws. His forehoof was completely wrapped in the powerful grasp as Spike narrowed his eyes and made it clear who was in charge.

They shook.

"There! That wasn't so hard now was it? I can feel the windigoes fleeing before us as we let the magic of friendship and love warm the air already!" Twilight beamed as the two males in the room rolled their eyes in near-choreographed unison at the unflappable nature of their favorite mare.

"Sheesh, Twilight aren't you done with that friendship nonsense. I mean I already helped you write like a hundred papers on it since we moved to Ponyville and burped out enough of those friendship reports between you and Celestia to fill an archive!" Spike gesticulated and indicated the numerous densely packed shelves that filled the deep blue decor of the study. The ladders that leaned up against them reached nearly all the way to the starry painted fresco on the domed ceiling.

"Spike, just because my academic research into friendship is complete doesn't mean my studies have come to an end. And the princess and I have developed a much more efficient form of communication since she taught me how to send the scrolls in the way she does. After all, I have begun investigating a much more powerful form of magic... The magic of love."

Twilight giggled and leaned into her stallion to nuzzle him as he continued to stare at the hulking lizard before them. Twilight was doing her best to snap him out of the mood and to close his mouth before flies started to land in it.

Spike simply indicated that he would rather be gagging himself as he stuck out his forked tongue.

"And since when are you on a first name basis with her? You aren't planning on making her your next Rarity are you?" Twilight continued to tease the no longer little dragon and push his buttons.

"Oh please Twilight." Spike waved dismissively as he continued to walk into a back corner of the study. "Celestia doesn't even talk about romance at all. She just really takes care of me you know. I mean without her and her guards some of the ponies in this town would be out for my hide. We just have lunch together and we talk alot, and she's my only friend up here now. It's not like Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy ever fly up to visit. And I know Rarity won't want to talk to me, especially since she's got Applejack now..."

Horizon barked out a laugh and poked Twilight in the side with an exaggerated nod of 'told you so' that earned an annoyed glance from the lavender mare in return.

Spike continued, "I mean honestly it's kind of refreshing to talk to somepony that isn't all lovey-dovey and talking about getting married all the time. It's not like there are any female dragons around for me to spend all my time on." Spike paused as he faced a large and heavy pair of obsidian doors that looked to be new. He simply looked down a bit somberly as he turned to face the two ponies.

Twilight let out a nervous cough at the remark about marriage as she started to make eyes at Spike, signalling to him that the topic was sensitive. The maturing dragon, who had always been wise for his years, caught on right away, but didn't let up.

"Ahhh... So he still hasn't asked you yet."

Horizon felt his heart sag. The tiny weight of the box in his saddlebags felt like it had gained the mass of a solar system as it tugged on his heartstrings and brought almost a year worth of love and anxiety to the forefront once again. But still he remained silent. No point in rising to the bait.

Twilight attempted to change the topic. "So! What's with the addition? I don't remember these being here before, is this your new bedroom?" Twilight walked up to stand next to her surrogate son as he towered over her before the large black portcullis. Spike nodded and extended an immensely powerful arm and swung the armored doors open to reveal his new bedroom. It was no basket that was for sure.

Inside was the largest pile of gold in all of Equestria.

"Woah." Horizon let out, he was immediately shocked by the glimmering sea of coins and bars that made up a pile large enough to fill the vaults at Fort Neighx, twice. "This is unreal! I didn't even know so much gold even existed!"

Twilight just looked up at Spike with a dumbfounded expression. She knew the princess wanted him to grow, but not this fast.

~~~

Dragons evolve in different ways depending on how they develop their hoards. Precious metals like Gold offered the greatest power in helping a dragon to grow. If they slept within close proximity to the pure metals they would grow large, powerful and have strong wings that would carry them high into the skies. They would also develop incredible natural resistance to the elements and disease in addition to razor sharp spines and a thick hide. These 'great dragons' would live for millennia, and the simple fear they evoked in their ilk would allow them to spend their hundred year slumbers away from the dragon lands without fear of having their hoard interfered with.

Most dragons merely garnered cheap hoards. Silver, Copper, old jewelry and adornments accompanied with alloys from machinery or decorative items like candle holders. These things would allow a dragon to grow and develop wings but they would be thinner, weaker and poor fliers. They would rarely be able to attract a mate alone and more often than not would rely on the scraps earned by pledging service to the great dragons who sought to have a hoard of pure gold to ensure their longevity. These average dragons were certainly the norm in the dragon lands, and they were the most likely to fight each other over earning mates through battle prowess.

Near the bottom of the totem pole were the 'drakonids' the dragons that were too weak, or lazy to even fight to earn their place in the cruel and materialistic society. So shunned were they by the proud dragons that they were not even considered of the same blood, they would never mate, and could only hope to extend their lives through thievery. They would gather anything and everything that held any value whether it be intrinsic like metals or simply sentimental like paintings or furniture. These were the flightless dragons and gargantuan graceless beast that would ravage border towns and outposts to ransack homes for valuables and break into storage warehouses for the bounty of the gem mines and eat their fill. These dragons never earned, they took. And it was usually up to the leaders of the dragon nations to cull these threats themselves, lest they all be seen as ignoble and mindless monsters.

When these savage and mindless drakonids entered the Griffon kingdoms after years of frustration and death at the hands of the Equestrian border forts they started the longest ongoing war the three Sovereign nations had ever known. Griffon blood had been spilled to feed the bellies of monstrous ground-bound reptiles. Lizards cut off from the gem mines of Equestria and forced to turn to their carnivorous roots or die of starvation since the dragon clans would not offer their share of gems to sustain them.

This war continued to bring a terrible imbalance to the major driving trade of luxury goods and the economy of the three sovereign states. The Dragon Clans were the most simple, having always exported the gold, silver and other precious metals that they were innately gifted at finding. The Equestrian Empire provided cotton, silk, dyes, marble and most importantly, gems. And the Griffon Kingdom was as always the most versatile since it brought the luxuries of tea, spices, wine, ivory, fur, pearls and whale oil. The Griffons were not herbivores like the ponies and did not eat pure gems like the dragons chose to, so they had no qualms with quelling creatures for their resources.

But at the very bottom of the dragon social hierarchy, lies an even more tragic tale. A dragon that is young and does not have a hoard will not develop at all. He will remain small and juvenile with chubby features and weak muscles. Without a proper hoard a dragon would grow sick quickly and become a small frail shell of potential and die young.

Twilight had learned this in her earliest studies after giving life to the long dormant egg that held Spike and it was her darkest secret to keep from him. She could never tell her number one assistant that his entire existence was an accident that could cost him his life. That his egg had been used in the School for Gifted Unicorns magical entry exam for hundreds of years as an impossible test, only to determine if the applicants had creative problem solving abilities and strong resolve.

Twilight always drove Spike to work hard and focus on proving himself to ponykind, and most of all to the Princess. Because if she couldn't help Spike to be welcomed into the society and live like a pony, he would not be granted a hoard and he would die. Cast away like the mistake he was.

~~~

The sight of the gigantic pile of gold brought tears to Twilight's eyes.

"Oh SPIKE!" Twilight jumped at Spike and tried to nuzzle him and hide her tears in the smooth and warm scales of his belly. Her little Spike was going to live, and grow strong, and fly.

"Geez Twilight I know it's a lot of money but I'm sure if you asked Celestia she would be willing to lend you some."

Horizons ears swiveled at that. It was a lot of money. More money than should ever be in one place at a time.

"Umm, hate to break up the moment but... How?"

"Well... Celestia said something about me needing a pure gold hoard to grow and develop into a 'proper dragon' as she called it. She was being kinda vague really. Talking in short sentences between sips of tea. I mean if I didn't know any better it was almost like she was lying or something. Tough to tell with that mare." Twilight tightened her grip on her dragon. He was growing fast, perhaps too fast. His physical form would always take a while to fully mature – no matter how large the hoard – but if only a month could multiply his stature by ten than his mental reasoning surely increased by a similar amount. Spike was always terribly sharp. Twilight feared that his intellect would far surpass hers in time.

She couldn't let him find out the truth on his own.

"Anyway she ordered that all the gold in Fort Neighx be brought to Canterlot and then had the old building turned into a hospital. Then she had this giant vault constructed near where I was being 'contained' so I could sleep on it and grow. And if that wasn't enough she then ordered that all the gold in all of the Empires treasury and banks be brought here as well. And THEN she put all of Prince Blueblood's money in here as well after confiscating it from him for 'being a complete lout'. Something about teaching him the value of hard work or some such, I dunno. In any case, a few billion bits worth of gold from some noble was like a drop in the bucket at that point. I mean, I don't think anypony knows how much is really in here except for Celestia herself but it's pretty safe to say that the entire monetary wealth of the nation is before you. The copper bits floating around out there as proxies should all be backed up by the real valuable material in here."

Horizon couldn't believe it. Twilight was happier for Spike than she ever had been. Spike felt hungry.

"So yeah anyway, that's that. No big deal if you ask me, but at least it's comfortable. That giant blanket Rarity made for me keeps me warm when I first get on that pile of metal but by the time I wake up its like the whole lot of it has absorbed my warmth. Celestia says it's a good sign. Means it's working." Spike closed the door as Horizon kept staring into the gigantic pile of unknowable wealth. Selling the machine to private investors would never be able to scratch the surface of the well of wealth contained in that room.

"But I'm hungry and that giant star ruby that Rarity sent me didn't last as long as it used to."

Twilight gasped.

"SPIKE! Did you cheat and open a present early?" She had stopped her tears of happiness as they trotted to the main room below the library section. The two ponies almost cantering to keep up with the large strides of the lumbering purple and green quadruped. Spike curled up comfortably on the floor near the balcony as the two ponies flopped into a large comfortable blue cushion together.

"Well it did have my name on it you know. And it was, technically, Hearth's Warming Day when the meteor shower began. I mean you guys teleported them through and woke me up right after I had my dinner and was getting ready for my after dinner nap. Seriously, I don't know what that STAR thing sounds like on your end but it was loud enough to wake up a dragon on this end. Something you might want to work on fixing before you publish mom." Spike smiled and laughed for the first time since they had arrived. Twilight smiled back.

"Well then, my sneaky little dragon of a son, I certainly hope you didn't ruin the surprise for what we got you!" Twilight began levitating the presents for Spike from the cart near the door. A multitude of boxes from friends in Ponyville all came to rest before Spike as he looked on in awe.

"I... had no idea that so many still cared..." Spike felt a few tears begin to well up. He really hadn't checked the other presents at all. He just wanted to see what Rarity had gotten him. But it was just a gem. Something that would have been heartfelt gift from a unicorn who's special talent was gem finding before; yet now just seemed like a thoughtless thing she must have felt compelled to do. It was, after all, only a snack for him. Spike sighed.

Horizon chimed in. "Spike, don't feel like that buddy. Everypony in Ponyville misses you and not a day goes by where they aren't asking about how you are doing. I know it feels like a prison here in Canterlot but know that those who really care about you wish every day that you were still there with them. You really are a great guy and the friends you made in Ponyville are still your friends. Even if you did smash a few buildings a bit." Twilight punched him in the barrel hard enough to make him let out a breath of air as she gave him the biggest stink eye she could.

"Oof. A heheh just a joke, dear. But in all seriousness Sweetie Belle comes by just about every day asking where you are. I think she wanted to sing you a song or something because Twilight and I kept hearing her practice out by the forest during our stargazing walks. She must have thought nopony was around." Spike blinked in surprise at this.

"You. You really think she cares about me?" Spike had grown rather fond of the cutie mark crusaders in his time in Ponyville. He was there in some form or another when they had all individually earned their own cutie marks. If Spike had any best friends it would be those three trouble makers.

Horizon winked at Spike. "Oh, I know so. Big, strong, scary dragon like you could probably get any mare he wants. And you know what they say, if you can't get a mare, you go for her sister. Haha" Horizon finished it off with some lewd hoof gestures about a biological process that clearly was impossible. Spike laughed alongside Horizon as they enjoyed the obviously growing discomfort of the mare in the room. Twilight was in a huff.

"Stop it! Both of you. And as for you mister," Twilight jabbed Horizon again where a bruise was surely going to form, "I don't want you giving my baby dragon any ideas. He is far too young to be thinking about that sort of thing. And it most certainly would be physically impossible and more importantly biologically impossible for Spike to have a clutch of his own with a pony. So stop joking about it. And even if Sweetie Belle doesn't realize that I don't want you getting her hopes up." Spike gave a subtle shake of his head as Horizon got an ear full from his mare. Those two are helpless.

"Oh come on Twilight, Spike would break her pelvis before he broke her heart. Haha—" Twilight levitated a large book from a shelf and smacked it across Horizons face. That would definitely bruise.

"You. Are. So. Crude." Spike raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had never seen his adoptive mother get that upset before.

"Wow, Twilight, that actually hurt. Are you OK?" Horizon looked at his fillyfriend as her angry glance shifted to concern. She used the limited healing magic she could perform to reduce the swelling that was beginning to form. It should prevent a black eye but the tenderness would still be there.

"I'm sorry... It's just... Don't joke about a mare getting her feelings hurt like that. Sweetie Belle may actually be infatuated with Spike, or at least how she last saw him... But that doesn't mean we can joke about it at her expense. A filly's heart is sensitive and easily broken. Sometimes you colts are just too careless to really realize that."

Spike sat in silence looking at the two ponies before him. His mother and her coltfriend were certainly an interesting dynamic. She clearly was frustrated with something that happened recently, and if the small amount of gold calling to Spike from Horizon’s saddlebags was any indication, it probably involved the ‘e-word’.

Engagement.

Maybe Horizon just needed a nudge in the right direction.

"So how about some lunch you two. I've got some nice eggnog to cool us down, no alcohol in it. I know what that does to you two. Then we can get to opening these presents, I want to see what you got me. Hehehehe." Spike jokingly rubbed his hands together and grinned toothily. His efforts to ease the tension were genuinely diplomatic but a little bit selfish as he wanted to sate his own appetite as well. Gems were calling.

Horizon and Twilight shared a smile then turned to spike, speaking as one, "That sounds perfect."

~~~

Spike had finished opening all but one of his presents.

He got an enormous cupcake from Pinkie Pie. It really should have just been called a cake but the party mare had somehow managed to find a paper wrapper large enough to hold the thing in its 'cup' form even with the veritable trough of frosting that must have been used to coat the top. A note was attached from the Cake family with a photo of Pound and Pumpkin destroying cardboard buildings wearing Spikes old Nightmare Night dragon costume. They wished a Happy – and safe – Hearth's Warming.

Applejack had sent a full barrel of cider, somehow both of the earth ponies must have known Spike would have a slightly bigger appetite and accommodated accordingly. She attached a note saying it was in fact alcoholic and that he shouldn't let Horizon or his mother anywhere near it. She wished him a happy Hearth's Warming as well and said the big guy was certainly grown enough to handle the hard stuff. Twilight objected vehemently.

Fluttershy had sent a giant nail file and toothbrush along with a note that said that she had a little help from Colgate for this one, and that – 'umm... no offense intended' as the demure mare put it, even in writing – it was to make sure Spike didn't look so scary when he came to visit. Lyra had appended a note to the bottom of the letter saying that you could almost read Fluttershy's writing in her voice. The trio had a good laugh at that one.

Rainbow Dash had sent a page of the foal free press with on the back side scribbled "Voucher for free flying lessons from the most awesome pegasus and Wonderbolt ever to the most slightly less awesome but still pretty damn awesome dragon ever. Redeemable whenever neither party is napping, like a boss." Spike read that aloud in his best Rainbow Dash impression and Horizon couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes while Twilight was mentally calculating how much she was going to have a word with Rainbow about the dangers of such a thing. There was a smaller print message that discretely proposed a future prank involving a certain princess of the night and the only local dragon. Spike laughed at how writing smaller made the request any less obvious. But he was definitely game.

"And last but not least!"

Spike picked up a large but pliable and carefully wrapped package. It was the size of a pillow.

"Twilight you know I don't need a pillow, my spines would rip it to shreds. The only reason the blanket Rarity made me doesn't get ruined is because it's made of gold and runeweave."

"Just open it silly, I wouldn't get you a bad present. And it's from both of us by the way." Twilight nudged Horizon and he smiled back at her. They both turned their wide open eyes to Spike in excitement.

"Alright... But i'm warning you I don't do well with soft fluffy things."

The wrapping paper was carefully peeled apart by a single extended claw with surgical precision and the single long piece of fabric within unraveled across Spikes hind legs. Spike stared down at the strange garment.

"Oh, come on, really? This is so girly, I'm not gonna wear this."

Horizon laughed. Twilight sighed in exasperation.

"Spike can't you please just try. Look I'll even tie it for you." Twilight levitated the scarf and wrapped it carefully around his large muscular neck and shoulders. Not too differently from how she had for the one Horizon now wore just the day before. The spines starting at his neck continuing up over his head would have shredded it if it weren't made of the same runeweave Rarity used to craft his blanket.

"Rarity made this. She was worried you wouldn't like just your gem and had just finished making our scarves so we all thought it would be a better gesture to get you something a little less... consumable." Twilight smiled up at the maturing dragon as he watched her magic fold the ends meticulously and give them gentle pats so they would lay flat against his large frame. The length was somehow perfect. Rarity was a miracle worker with fabric.

"But it was your mother’s idea for the colors. Lavender and navy blue. Not a bad combination if you ask me." Horizon smiled at Twilight as she winked at her coltfriend and finished admiring her handsome not-so-little dragon as he bashfully played with the loose ends in his claws. "But the criss-crossing pattern was my idea. Stripes are super lame so I thought it would be totally badass to have this teeth-like pattern. Way cool if you ask me." Horizon walked up to Twilight and leaned into her as they both looked up at the now madly blushing dragon.

"Yeah... I guess it's... Pretty cool." Spike was fidgeting under the smiles of his mom and her coltfriend. Then he felt the gentle pressure of two pairs of forehooves wrapping around his barrel and hugging him. He extended his wings to wrap around the little ponies holding him. The only two ponies to see him on Hearth's Warming Day.

"But I still have to give you your presents!" Spike lit up with joy and moved once again towards the cart and began carefully sifting through tiny boxes, in comparison to the digits searching through them at least. Finally a plain looking box was removed and handed to Twilight.

"For me? Oh Spike you didn't have to do this." Spike just playfully bounced on his haunches in anticipation as his mom opened her gift. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face.

It was a snow globe.

Inside was the Manehatten skyline and in the very center was a giant wingless purple and green dragon climbing atop the Empire State Building with a lavender unicorn in claw. Mini Wonderbolts were frozen in orbit as they circled him with his head raised high in a mighty roar.

Twilight began to tear up.

"They were selling these in town as a joke kind of and I thought it was actually really great but for the completely opposite reason. I mean that day may have been scary for a lot of ponies but for me it was the best day of my life. It was the first day I really learned what I was to you and what you were to me and so I had a guard go—" Twilight jumped and collided onto his belly and Spike rolled back to ease her momentum.

"I love you so much Spike. This is the best gift ever. Don't you ever let them hurt you with their words or jokes. I'm going to get you out of here some day. No matter what happens I won't give up on you. Count on it. You're my son and I'm not going to let them take you away from me. Never, ever." Spike felt tears welling up in his own eyes again as he held his mother close. The only pony to unconditionally love him his whole short life. Spike knew that no matter what he would love her back.

But it was all tempered by the sad reality that he was now beginning to accept. Some day he would outlive her.

"Thanks mom. But I think I have one last gift to give." Spike held Twilight close for one moment more and gently hugged her back as he lifted the unicorn off of him and back onto the plush cushion she was sharing with her coltfriend before. Her future husband.

"But uh... This gift needs to be given in private. Horizon would you mind joining me on the balcony?"

Horizon simply nodded and followed Spike to the balcony after giving Twilight a brief nuzzle. She was busy drying her tears and watching the silly snow globe showing one of the greatest and most terrifying moments of her life.

Spike cracked his knuckles in preparation.

~~~

Horizon walked through the open glass doors onto the airy balcony. The awning above stopped most of the snow but there was still plenty of sky around them as the view of Canterlot was only surpassed by the two towers holding the bedrooms of the rulers of the nation. One of which, belonging to the Princess of the Night, was the royal observatory itself.

Yes there was plenty of privacy up here, out of earshot of Twilight and out of sight for every pony in Canterlot through the gentle snow filling the air obscuring the streets below.

A clawed hand reached out and grabbed Horizon by the neck lifting him bodily into the air.

"Guh... Spike, what are you doing this—"

"Shut. Up."

Horizon stopped talking, and focused on breathing.

Spike moved to the edge and held Horizon out over the hundred meter drop onto the ground below. The royal gardens may be full of soft flower beds but at this height it wouldn't matter. Horizon gulped as the grip tightened.

"You may think that just because you got me a nice scarf and can make me laugh occasionally that I will simply accept the fact that you are in love with my mother. But I just want you to know that not a day goes by that I don't think about how I am stuck here. Alone. Nothing but books to keep me company while you are off living in MY home with MY mother and laughing with MY friends."

Horizon sputtered and tried to speak but as his vocal cords vibrated the dragon squeezed harder. Horizon ceased his efforts and struggled to keep his heart rate down. The grip loosened slightly to allow air to return. Horizon could only watch in ineffable fear as the smoke seeping from the nostrils of the indomitable creature in front of him melted passing snowflakes with their heat.

"If the completely insubstantial amount of gold I can sense in your saddlebags is any indication, I know that you are going to propose to Twilight today. And I know she's going to say yes. Everypony knows she is going to say yes. I know that it would make her the happiest mare in the whole world because it's about Celestia damned time your cowardly heart managed to reach the level of commitment she has given you. But mark my words pony. If you do anything, anything that even so much as brings a fracture to her beautiful heart I will find you and I will end you. No force in Equestria, not even the Princesses themselves will be able to stop me. You can run and hide in Tartarus itself and it won't do you any good. Because with the amount of gold Celestia is nurturing me with, no Griffon, no matter how fast, and no dragon, no matter how ferocious, would be able to protect you from me."

Horizon felt his bladder emptying.

"So tonight, when you finally take that next step, you had better be ready to work harder than you have ever worked for anything in your short and insignificant life. Because that mare in there is the greatest thing to ever grace this earth and without her none of what every common creature on this world takes for granted would be possible. Celestia herself reveres Twilight Sparkle and you sure as shit better worship her. Because if that mare ever comes to me crying and I learn that you are the cause, you are going to wish you had stayed in Canterlot as a pathetic nobody wiping down tables until you died a lonely, friendless, virgin."

Horizon was crying now. Bloodflow was weighing down his hindquarters as he flailed his rear legs in the cold winter air and pried fruitlessly against the claws pushing the lavender scarf into his neck with a calculated yet threatening force. Holding him just tight enough to prevent him from falling to a gruesome end.

"So Horizon. If you ever expect me to call you father, you had better be ready to earn it."

Spike dropped Horizon and he fell half a meter onto a cushion resting below him pressed up against the guard rail of the balcony.

Horizon could only gasp repeatedly as the frigid air filled his lungs and his heart rate dropped under 200 bpm.

Spike turned and walked towards the main room where his mother awaited, before opening the doors he turned.

"Happy Hearth's Warming."

5 - The Royal Family

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn

~~~

Horizon and Twilight walked away from the Royal grounds with saddlebags full of gifts for Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Shining Armor, Cadance and Crystal. The majority of gifts on the cart Spike had loaded earlier were for Twilight from her friends, so they stayed behind. Twilight and Horizon planned to open them later that night with Spike, after dinner with Twilight’s family.

Twilight was talking excitedly and shifting her eyes animatedly to look at all the sights of a holiday Canterlot scene. She turned to look at her coltfriend to see why he was being so quiet.

"Are you ok?" Twilight nudged Horizon playfully after noticing his eyes had been glued to the snow-covered sidewalk for the last five minutes as she described how wonderful it was to see Spike growing up.

The stallion had his doubts.

Horizon briefly cast his amber eyes up and to the side to regard his fillyfriend. "What? Oh, sorry Twi, I just have a lot on my mind that's all..." His gaze quickly returned to the sidewalk as he hung his head once more. He continued to watch his own hooves plod through the slush and snow covering the cobblestone pathways of upper Canterlot, in silence.

Twilight had a lot on her mind too but it wasn't the time to talk about it. Thoughts of Spike and Canterlot, of home and family fought for her attention. But they all lost to thoughts of her future family. There was undoubtedly one single thing bothering her stallion right now, their brief but emotional visit with Spike only moments before.

"Look, if this is about Spike, you have to understand that he is having a tough time adjusting to his life here. It's a new home and practically a new body for him as well. Just try to see things from his point of view." Horizon huffed a little at that thought. Imagining how pathetic he must have looked as his bladder emptied and he flailed helplessly over a balcony in Canterlot. Twilight continued, "Whatever he may have said to you was just an emotional response and nothing that won't heal with time."

The unicorn mare smiled at her navy blue coltfriend. His deep brown mane hung over his jawline as he watched his hooves and continued to walk by her side. She wished her hopeful spirit would radiate through him like magic. If only she had Cadance's unique ability to spread love, she would be able to fix this whole Spike/Horizon father/son problem in a flash.

Horizon looked up and stretched his neck, it had been a bit sore from supporting his body weight moments before.

"Yeah, well I'm just hoping that being mortally threatened by a dragon isn't something that happens every time I visit him." Horizon grew serious as he held his chin up and looked straight ahead. The normally busy Canterlot streets were emptying as ponies went inside to celebrate Hearth's Warming Day.

"That's not funny, Rize." Twilight looked sideways at him with a disapproving glance and narrowing eyes.

"Yeah I wasn't laughing when it happened." Horizon knew this was an indelicate way of bringing the problem up but he had to vent. Twilight was just the only pony he could use.

Twilight halted in her tracks and put a hoof on his withers.

"Please tell me that was a joke." Yeah, this was going to be a conversation he didn't want to have right before he would meet up with her family again.

Horizon halted, looked down and sighed. "Look Twilight, I wish I could just laugh this off like his normal threats but I'm being serious. Spike is very protective of you and the same old threats of 'watch your back' and 'I'm watching you' just don't have the same effect that they had from a cute little pudgy baby dragon sorting books as they do from a teenage one with claws as big as my legs."

Twilight was pensive. Horizon took a breath before continuing. Best not to mention how scared he actually got. A real stallion dealt with it.

"I just don't want to have another Owlowiscious incident where he gets jealous and tries to do something to take me out of the picture and—" Horizon was cut off.

"Stop. You're being ridiculous. This is Spike we're talking about. I'm his mother figure and you are the closest thing he has to a father he is NOT going to do anything at all like that."

Horizon looked up at the grey cloud covered sky and took a deep breath. "It's been almost six months since I moved in with you and he's known me for longer than that. What if he just genuinely doesn't like me?"

Twilight sidled up next to Horizon and regarded the sky with her mate. "There's going to be plenty of time for family bonding tonight, we are going to be spending the night there and you two can stay up late and talk things out stallion to stallion, so to speak. And if you need me to be there for you I will." The mare nuzzled the stallion, "Spike is just feeling alone and scared, he needs our love and strength now more than anything. He needs your hope, please don't give up on him."

Horizon couldn't believe how Twilight always knew what to say. If she wasn't such a polymath she would have been an exceptional therapist. Horizon looked down to meet her eyes and kissed her gently. Twilight leaned her horn down to rub against his and sent him some feelings of warmth and comfort.

"How did I ever find a mare like you?" Horizon smiled.

"Luck." Twilight giggled.

~~~

Twilight and Horizon shared a few more kisses as their pace picked up. They were practically chasing each other around corners and streetlamps by the time they reached the steps leading up to the opulent home Twilight Sparkle grew up in. The home she had shared with her brother before they both moved into the castle, her to train her mind and him to train his body. 42 Highcrest Lane, the home of Night Light and Twilight Velvet.

Night Light, Head Astrophysicist of the Canterlot Royal Observatory and Twilight Velvet, Researcher and Professor of Magical Inscription at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns to be precise. Both ThD's (Doctor of Thaumaturgy), both unicorns, both extremely powerful magically, financially and politically. Their exceptional wealth was only exceeded by their happiness, and their pride in their foals.

As Twilight and Horizon walked past the outer wall and up the path through the yard to the doorsteps she smiled and took in the sight of her home. So many happy memories within those walls.

Horizon could only stare at the upper Canterlot mansion with its numerous rooms and chimneys. The stonework was exquisite alabaster with the dormant roots of ivy creeping along the front and wending around the many windows, gilded as they were with golden trimming without and lush royal velvet curtains within. The rooftops were true to Canterlot style with royal purple spires and golden adornments all capped with colorful banners bearing the marks of Celestia and Luna. The house itself featured the artistic but conservative star and moon designs one would expect since the owners had such things as their cutie marks.

The opulence was typical of an upper Canterlot mansion, especially one on Highcrest Lane. But the personal touches were there as well. The deep blue observatory dome that stood high above the banners. And the greenhouse which was attached to the side of the structure, full of plant life. Hobbies of Night Light and Twilight Velvet respectively.

Horizon consciously chewed on his tongue as he absorbed all of the details. If this was anything like the last time he visited, the father would grill him on his career and the brother would grill him on his activities with Twilight. All the while the mother would be not-so-subtly dropping hints that he should propose. It was hard for Horizon to believe only a month had passed since he and Twilight accompanied Spike to make his move to Canterlot as comfortable as possible. They had a few meals here with her parents and brother before but this time it would be different. This time her brother and his wife, rulers of the Crystal Empire, would be here as well. And they had a brand new foal.

Horizon sucked on his teeth and gnawed the inside of his mouth as they approached the large doors on the front steps. A nervous habit he always fell back to whenever he prepared to speak to a room full of ThD's who wanted to discredit him, or meet his fillyfriends family. There was a bit of overlap in both examples. For what would surely not be the last time in his life, Horizon felt like he was way out of his league.

~~~

*Ding-Dong Ding-Dong... Ding-Dong Ding-Dong*

The moment of truth.

The door opened almost immediately and four happy faces poured out as a large pink blur launched forward to wrap a smaller lavender one up in an embrace.

Horizon locked his amber eyes to the blue eyes of the stallion in front of him and thought only one thing.

'Don't look at Cadance's flank...'

"Sunshine, sunshine ladybugs awake!"

'Don't look at Cadance's flank...'

"Clap your hooves and..."

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes as Horizon felt his lower left eyelid twitch involuntarily.

"Do a little shake!"

Horizon forced his eyes to remain locked onto the eyes of the imposing stallion in front of him. His jaw was clenched as he pressed his chewing teeth together and stood at attention, waiting for the nonverbal order to rest to come from the former Captain of the Guard.

Cadance and Twilight shared another brief hug, completely oblivious to the dramatic conflict going on right next to them. Twilight moved to hug her mother and father and finally moved to embrace her brother as well. Shining Armor merely nodded at Horizon before looking down to his little sister and returning the embrace.

"Twily! It's so good to see you. Happy Hearth's Warming."

"Happy Hearth's Warming, BBBFF."

Night Light and Twilight Velvet smiled and shared a short nuzzle as they watched their foals greet each other.

Horizon stood there a bit awkwardly and felt his vocabulary slipping away in nervousness. Should he briefly nuzzle them? Hoofbump? Wave? What would be appropriate?

"Ugh... Hey everypony, Happy Hearth's Warming!" Horizon waved a forehoof quickly and smiled. Could have been worse, he thought, maybe make it a little more personal.

"Mr. Light, Mrs. Velvet, always a pleasure to see you." Ok so far so good. Horizon thought to himself.

"Prince Armor, glad to see you still haven't let yourself go up in the Crystal Empire." Horizon felt a swelling of pride as a smirk crossed the face of Shining Armor. A bit of humor never hurts. It feels genuine coming from him after all. One more greeting to go. I can do this!

"Wow, Princess Cadance, looking good! Did you lose a bunch of weight recently?" There was an awkward silence that befell the whole group. Horseapples. Ten stunned eyes turned to Horizon as he nervously pulled on his scarf and felt adrenaline flood his bloodstream as the fight or flight reflexes kick in.

"Ahhh hehe you know, because of um, the foal and... Pregnancy and... stuff ." Twilight looked like she was about to say something but Cadance merely covered her muzzle with a hoof and whispered something into Twilight's ear.

"I mean not to say you looked bad, or anything just... You know mares get, uh, big when they have uh..."

Shining Armor was giving Horizon the flattest gaze possible speaking volumes of his amusement. Twilight Velvet was giving a look of shock as the stallion continued to dig a verbal hole.

"and so it was, um, a joke about—"

"Ah HAHAHAHA Haha" Horizon was interrupted as Night Light burst into laughter.

“I'm sorry I couldn't keep it up any longer." Night Light continued to chuckle and held his wife closer as she kept up the disapproving glare act a little more. Twilight and Cadance kept giggling to each other and Shining Armor simply shook his head.

Horizon felt a wave of relief wash over him as he feared his earlier incident with Spike and this seeming disaster would lead to nausea.

Night Light continued. "Alright enough introductions and teasing. You fillies go on inside and take care of Crystal, I don't want to let anymore cold air in. Horizon why don't you join us stallions in my study, we can catch up."

Horizon gulped nervously as he realized he was just entering the hot water. He walked up the steps and crossed through the doorway held open by Night Light and was followed by Shining Armor.

"You almost did it this time, Horizon." Shining said calmly as the mares trotted out of earshot. "You almost didn't make a complete mule of yourself in front of my wife." He added a brief chuckle at the end as the door closed and they headed to the bar.

Horizon still had nightmares about the first time he saw Twilight and her old foalsitter do their special greeting. He couldn't stop staring after the Princess of Love 'did a little shake' and if it weren't for the calming words of Twilight he might have been pummeled by an upset earth pony sized unicorn husband. Shining Armor had a bit of a possessive problem.

"Couldn't be worse than the first time." Horizon said as he released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Night Light shared a knowing glance with Shining Armor before simply stating "You got that right."

~~~

Twilight, Cadance and Twilight all rushed into the den to coo and make faces at baby Crystal.

At only one month old the foal was still growing her wispy purple mane and the tiny horn protruding from her mauve coat just where her forelock started was dormant as the magical energies were still formulating. As a descendant of the royal line started by Luna and Steel over a thousand years ago she was guaranteed to be blessed with the maternal wings and horn of the Alicorn bloodline. But any colts born of the same line would have only one or the other, or possibly neither if the father was an earth pony. It was the reason Cadance's cousin Blueblood was a unicorn. But even though the mares of the family would be an alicorn in appearance, they would not be immortal. Crystal would live and love and die just as Cadance would; But she was still a princess.

Twilight thought it was a strange coincidence that she would be in Canterlot helping Spike get settled back in her old study when Cadance finally went into labor. Two weeks late, it was about time. Crystal just didn't want to leave her mommy was what Cadance always said.

"We're so lucky to have you here with us Crystal. Sometimes I thought you would never come out." Cadance smiled motherly as she nuzzled her quiet foal. She almost never cried, her angelic face always smiling and happy to see adults, she was so perfect.

"Oh Cadance every mother has that fear when they have their first foal. But with modern medicine nothing can go wrong, there's a spell for everything that could possibly happen." Twilight Velvet, ever the spellscribe was quick to jump at the chance to show that anything was possible, with magic. "Why, when I was giving birth to Shining his head was so big they had to do an emergency C-section just to get him out! It always amazed me that my daughter who came the natural way would be the genius, especially when her brother had such an enormous head."

Cadance giggled privately and muttered "Oh that's not the only thing."

Twilight Velvet rolled her eyes and swatted Cadances shoulder playfully while she had a short chuckle of her own.

Twilight Sparkle felt a little bit confused as she giggled along with them at a joke she didn't quite understand.

"Trust me dear, it's not the size that matters it's how they use it."

Understanding washed over the lavender unicorn.

"Awww gross you two! I don't want to hear about my brother's... thing!" Twilight blushed visibly as her mother and Cadance smirked mischievously.

"So Twilight is Horizon keeping you happy?" Cadance started.

"Mmm, you know if he's having some trouble he should ask for some tips from Night Light you know, thirty years now and he still can hit all the right spots." Twilight Velvet finished with a wicked grin as her daughters face exploded into crimson.

"la la la la la la I'm not going to have this conversation with you right now, Mom! Especially not in front of the baby!" Twilight gestured to the tiny foal that Cadance was still cradling in her forehooves as they all shared the couch in front of the hearth surrounded by presents. "And I defintely don't want to hear about Dad's... thing, either!" Twilight was practicing her breathing exercises to improve circulation to remove some of the blood from her face.

"Oh please Twilight don't use Crystal as an excuse." The mother said. The youngest mare simply huffed and folded her forehooves to look away. "Very well then daughter dearest, I shall take the foal to another room to let her nap. I will protect its virgin ears from words it can't even understand. And you two can have some filly time. But I want to be informed of all the juicy parts when I get back." The daughter stuck her tongue out at the mother and the mother return the gesture in kind.

Twilight Velvet took Crystal from Cadance's hooves and wrapped the blanket more snugly around her and levitated her out of the room with her.

"You two need to spend some time apart. You're rubbing off on her way too much." Twilight shot Cadance a dirty look as the princess feigned shock. It was really no surprise that the 'Princess of Love' would be a complete gossip when it came to bedroom activities. Twilight could remember how unbelievably colt crazy her foalsitter was as a teenager. It was a miracle that Shining Armor ever ended up with her since she seemed to be with a different colt every week. But I suppose being Captain of the Guard and apparently well-endowed, Twilight mentally slapped herself, was a great way to get a princess.

"Hehe, Twilight we're all grown mares here. I know you and Horizon are 'active'. As your best friend I can't tell you how relieved I was when you finally asked me to teach you 'the spell'." The spell she referenced was of course the one that every sexually active unicorn mare learned. It blocked ovulation and effectively prevented conception without fail. Unicorns all around Equestria would perform the spell on friends and neighbors who were not ready to conceive but still wanted to be sexually active. It only had to be cast once before intercourse and would last a week. And the beauty of it was that it was completely reversible. The counterspell was simple, it was the spell to induce ovulation.

Twilight very subtly froze as Cadance finished her sentence. She had been hoping to wait until a bit later in the week before bringing it up. But now that she was alone with Cadance she couldn't pass up the opportunity. She was far too embarrassed to discuss these things with her mother. That's why Cadance was the one to teach her the spell in the first place instead.

Cadance noticed the silence as Twilight pondered something.

"Twilight is everything ok? You know you can tell me anything right? Is something wrong between you two, a fight?"

"Well... There was a fight. But it was a small thing! It's totally over now, but it made me do something." Twilight was tapping her forehooves together. It was eating her up, she had to tell somepony, but Applejack and Rarity wouldn't understand. Her parents would freak out. Spike would probably start smashing things. Celestia would... well she could never talk to Celestia about that sort of thing, they weren't close like that.

"What is it, Twilight. Please, just tell me, it sounds serious." Cadance was always patient with the young unicorn. She was quick as a whip and sharp as a razor but when it came to matters of the heart she hid like a foal during its first night storm.

"I uhh. I love Horizon, and I want to marry him." Cadance nodded calmly. This wasn't a secret. Twilight had expressed this desire a month ago to her family after she ensured Spike would be safe in Canterlot. "And... I want to be with him and have a family with him and spend the rest of my life with him but he just can't find it in himself to commit yet. Even though he knows I want him to, and I know he wants to in his heart as well." Cadance nodded calmly at this as well. The stallion did love Twilight indeed. She could sense it with her magical gift, it bloomed between them when they did the simplest things like share a glance or even thought of each other.

"And you said that you can't cast your love spell on him to force him to propose—"

"Twilight, I thought I was very clear, you know why I can't—"

"I know. And... That's why I did what I did." Twilight stood up and began to pace in front of the hearth. She stepped over the gifts placed in front of the warm blaze and nervously stammered out her next few sentences between slow breaths.

"Horizon was an only child to a single mother, and his father left them almost immediately after he was born, he never met him."

Cadance had a seed of fear building in her heart, she hoped Twilight wasn't going where she thought she was.

"And his mother suffered from clinical depression as she raised him on a single income and struggled to give him a life he deserved. She passed away while he was in college, but he still finished it. He said he did it for her. His mother, the mare who gave him life." Cadance was at rapt attention as she listened to Twilight continue the story.

"And... after we had a fight last night I knew where the doubt he holds is coming from. He is afraid to commit because he is afraid he will be just like his father and leave me when I need him most. And so that's why I decided to stop—"

"Twilight! Don't tell me you..." Cadance felt a shiver pass up her spine.

"I... I stopped casting the spell." Twilight stopped pacing and looked down to her hooves. Cadance rose to nuzzle Twilight and comfort her. She was glad that Twilight had come to her to ask for advice before she let this go any further.

"Twilight, it's ok, it takes a week for the spell to wear off. You just have to recast it before the week ends when you have made up your mind. But you should really be talking to Horizon about this. Having a foal outside of wedlock is not uncommon and I'm sure your friends and family would understand. But risking a pregnancy when your partner is unaware—" Twilight felt tears on her cheeks as she looked up to Cadance. Cadance felt them as well.

"It's... It's not just...” Twilight paused to breathe. She closed her eyes, struggling to say the following words, “I cast the counterspell." Twilight felt the warm tears filling her eyes, it was a mix of happiness and sadness causing them to flow.

Cadance blinked nervously as her violet eyes matched the violet eyes of the smaller mare.

"Twilight did you..."

"Yes. Yes we did."

Cadance was at a loss for words.

"I'm going to be a mother."

6 - Father, Brother, Son

“You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” – Charles Buxton

~~~

The study of the Head Astrophysicist of the Canterlot Royal Observatory was a complete mess. Night Light had completely avoided the concept of order and decided to let star maps and other apparatus litter every surface in the room. Some diagrams were even tacked to the ceiling itself due to the lack of space.

The room itself would have been spacious and open if not for the cacophony of research materials strewn about. The furniture was all intricately carved and dark stained mahogany with expensive cloth upholstery. The large desk in the back of the room was framed by a wall-sized bookshelf containing numerous volumes and reference texts. Some could have been rare or unique but at a glance it would have been impossible to make sense of how they were organized.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, Horizon, I don’t allow my wife in this room often.” Night Light chuckled as he sank into a comfortable reclined chair while levitating the stack of papers from it and plopping them onto the floor nearby.

The three stallions had come back from the modest bar that was clearly only used for entertaining guests with glasses of eggnog in tow. Shining Armor made to sit in a similarly comfortable chair next to his father while Horizon was left with a couch across from the two older unicorns. He did his best to respectfully shift several scrolls to the side or onto the coffee table to make room for himself to sit.

“It’s important for a stallion to have some personal space from his mare.” Night Light began, “Twilight Velvet has the endearing trait of being completely neurotic when it comes to organization and so I let her exercise her control over the plants in her greenhouse so I can sit in here and connect dots in peace.” Night Light smiled contentedly as he sipped at his deep glass of eggnog levitating near his muzzle.

Shining Armor remained stoic as he regarded his sisters coltfriend across from him.

Horizon shifted a bit nervously as he looked at the clutter all around the room, finding it difficult to focus on any one thing while he stalled the inevitable conversation with the other two unicorns.

Shining Armor simply looked at his father and gave a subtle nod.

“So, Horizon, I know it isn’t fun to make small talk with the in-laws. I’ll just get straight to the point here. How are you and Twilight doing?” Night Light was one of the few stallions in Equestria that Horizon ever considered as a male figure in his life. If any other stallion had asked him that he would have been evasive, but there was a certain amount of trust that Twilight’s father inspired in Horizon.

“We’re doing great and um...” Horizon paused to look at both of the stallions in the room to get a read on their faces. They were intensely interested in what he was going to say but it was obvious that concern was written on their features as much as hope. No signs of fear or outright malice. The question wasn’t a trap, it was genuine.

“Well I guess there’s no point in keeping this a secret from you since I know you won’t tell Twilight but...” Horizon took a long slow breath and prepared himself, “Well, I’m going to propose to her, tonight.” Horizon felt the air in his lungs get heavy as he waited for the reaction from the father and brother.

The blue and white unicorns shared another glance and raised their eyebrows, it wasn’t a gesture of complete surprise but carried a bit of it along with a sense of relief and approval.

Shining emptied his lungs and spoke first. “That’s great news Horizon. Twily has been sending everyone in the family letters about you two ever since she could muster up the magic to do the spell that Celestia uses to send letters. We all knew it was just a matter of time.”

Night Light nodded thoughtfully and added, “It’s wonderful news and Shining is right about those letters. Ever since Twilight visited last month it was like the perfect storm of events to get her thinking about it. I can only imagine the pressure that she has been putting on you.”

Shining Armor took a gulp of eggnog and laughed to himself. “I guess after almost losing Spike and then seeing her sister-in-law become a mother made her start pushing you a lot more than usual huh? I can still remember the conversations Cadance and I had before I proposed, I had never talked so much about foals in my entire life.”

“That conversation doesn’t end by the way, Horizon.” Night Light added, “It keeps on going until she can’t stand to have any more foals running around the house and while two was the number for my Twilight I know yours is aiming for double from her letters.”

“Always the overachiever.” Shining added with a head shake and a glance up to the ceiling.

“I mean we were prepared to do some serious leg twisting here if you were still on the fence about it. And my son gives some pretty good leg burns.”

The two stallions shared a few laughs while Horizon could only stare.

Horizon was almost speechless as he took in the response. How could they simply accept this without giving him a hard time? Wasn’t that what fathers and brothers were supposed to do?

“Umm, not to sound like a completely confused idiot but... what?”

Shining Armor drained his glass of eggnog and laughed heartily. Night Light seemed a bit confused by Horizon’s reaction.

“I think he was expecting us to threaten him and coerce him into marrying Twily, Dad.”

Understanding dawned on Night Lights face. “Ah, a good ol’ fashioned horn wedding, is that what you had in mind? I think you have been spending a little too much time in Ponyville.”

Horizon laughed along with Night Light and said, “Well, you just surprised me is all. I was expecting you to at least make me feel uncomfortable and promise to never hurt her on pain of death or something. At least that’s what most of being with her has been like.”

Shining Armor looked to his father and shared another nonverbal agreement before he stood up and announced, “I think I need another drink before we get into this, you two start without me.”

“Bring us all another round Shining, the Scotch is on the lower right, blue bottle.”

As Shining left the room, Horizon drained what was left of his eggnog along with Night Light. Horizon knew he was in for a heart to heart conversation and was mentally preparing himself. He expected it would be the first of many tonight.

Night Light began, “Horizon, I don’t really know how to be delicate about this so I’ll just be straight with you. I don’t know what life must have been like for you without a father but the job of the stallion in the family is to be supportive first and protective second. I have never once in my life forced my son or daughter to do anything they haven’t wanted to do themselves.

I would have loved to have Shining follow in my hoofsteps and be a researcher at the CRO just like his father. It would have made supporting him and guiding him easy. But life is never so simple. He wanted to be a soldier, he wanted to save the princess...”

Night Light laughed as he leaned forward to look at the star charts on the coffee table. Horizon let his future father-in-law continue.

“Watching Shining join the military academy was painful, but I had to let him follow his dreams and support him no matter what. And watching Twilight study for hours on end to get into Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns and shirk friendship and family was tough. When she was selected to be Celestia’s pupil and moved to the ivory tower in the castle was even harder... For all of us.

But Shining eventually rescued his Princess, and even married her. And Twilight became the Element of Magic and Celestia’s most faithful student.”

Shining Armor returned to the room with three glasses full of Blueblood Reserve Scotch. He levitated them to his father and future brother-in-law before stating, “Imagine my disappointment when my little sister beat me to it. Rescuing a princess that is.”

Horizon broke his silence. “Your children have accomplished a great deal Night but I’m not sure what this has to do with my proposal to Twilight.”

The youngest stallion sipped the strong drink. It was powerful but honest. A smooth blend that tasted first like a burnt piece of cured animal hide but which mellowed into the wooden flavor of the oak casks they were stored in... by the third or fourth sip.

“I guess I should have asked if you wanted that with water.” Shining laughed a bit at the expressions Horizon was making as he gingerly nursed his neat scotch.

“Well we can’t all have the fortitude of a Captian of the Royal Guard, Shining.” Night Light sipped his drink without difficulty. “Or the experience of a father of two of the most determined unicorns in the history of Equestria.”

Horizon levitated his drink to rest next to him on a side table, he didn’t want to get too ahead of himself. He was a lightweight when it came to drinking, and the night was still young.

“The point, Horizon, is that never once have I had to force my children to do anything. I knew for a fact that they were driven and determined to achieve what they wanted, no matter how big those dreams were. And the only time I ever had to be protective of them was when it came to them hurting themselves in their passion, or something external preventing them from achieving their goals.” Shining gave a sudden glance to the floor in what might have been shame but it was fleeting.

Night Light continued, “And since my little Twilight loves you and wants to be with you I know that the best way to help her with that is to be supportive. So it relieves me that she finally convinced you to commit to her because otherwise I would simply have to let you know that you were the external force preventing her from being truly happy.”

Horizon looked toward his drink again and felt that creeping guilt. This is what it must really feel like to have a father. Somepony to be disappointed in you for not believing in yourself.

“But I would be encouraging, I would be optimistic and do what I can to help you see reason. Because there is not a single way that you being with Twilight could harm her. Ever since she met you she has been happier than she ever was in any library or at any museum.”

Shining sipped his drink and smiled to himself, remembering quiet times he shared with his little sister, before they both were separated by their destinies. “Horizon – sorry for interrupting father – but... Well if you don’t mind me asking what made you choose now to go through with it? Surely not just because of the holiday.”

Horizon looked at his glass, it was half empty now. The talking to he was getting from his fillyfriend’s father was not as stressful as he really imagined; but it didn’t stop him from taking in the liquid courage as he listened. He swiftly downed what remained and held in his breath so that he didn’t cough from the aftertaste.

Night Light and Shining looked impressed.

“I had a breakthrough. I had been working on a project and I finally got scientific proof that it worked. I plan on compiling my research notes and making it official in the next few weeks.” Horizon shuffled his hooves and wished he had something to eat to chase the taste of the liquor from his tongue but he powered through.

“I just wanted to have a means of income, I know this research will lead to great things and honestly, none of it would be possible without Twilight’s help but... I can’t help feeling like she isn’t happy in her Ponyville home anymore and I just wanted to be able to get her what she wanted. A real house, for a real family, not just a couple of students.”

Shining nodded his understanding and Night Light stood up and walked to his desk.

“Horizon I am glad that you feel you are prepared for starting a family but there is so much more to it than the size of your house or bank account. While providing for a wife and children has its inevitable monetary costs, the emotional one is much higher. I hope that you will not let this new project of yours get in the way of what should be most important to you. Your wife must always come first, and nothing should ever be kept from her, especially the truth.”

Shining added his own thoughts. “I know I don’t have as much experience with these things as my father but I have to agree with him. Please don’t let this project be more important than my sister. Twilight needs someone who will put her first. She’s just not strong enough to do things on her own. And if you think she isn’t happy in Ponyville anymore that’s something you should talk to her about. I know a lot of her friends have moved on and maybe she should too because—”

“What my son means is that you should focus on the present and not get ahead of yourself. Your career and your life are a series of decisions and you need to be completely sure about each one before you make it. Twilight was happy to wait for you to finish whatever this project was but she won’t wait for you to choose to be a husband after you have committed.”

Horizon felt the weight of it all bearing down on him now but the warm feeling in his face and neck was there to help him shrug it off. He spoke quietly to himself with a short guffaw, “In other words, don’t fuck up.”

Night Light looked up from his desk. “Basically, yeah.”

Shining looked pleased with himself. “Well my job’s done, I think I better go check on my daughter.”

As Shining stood to leave the room he downed what was left of his drink and nodded once more to Horizon as he walked through the door. He wondered if that’s what it felt like to have a brother. Someone who would have your back no matter how serious it was. Who could offer support with as little as a nod. Horizon stood to leave the room as well but then remembered that Night Light was still there.

Night Light watched the younger stallion and scratched his blue mane thoughtlessly as he shuffled through his papers. “This research, it wouldn’t happen to be related to your Skywave device would it?”

Horizon shook his head. “No, it’s completely unrelated actually, I didn’t realize anypony even remembered my research or the device at all.”

“Well, perhaps this letter will be a bit more interesting to you. It seems that a position has opened up at the CRO for a project director and it involves using a bit of experimental technology. Something invented by a young colt from Canterlot, a certain...” Horizon accepted the letter into his magical grasp and glanced at the royal seal of Princess Luna.

“... Skywave device. The patent for which is held by a unicorn named Horizon. You wouldn’t happen to know him would you? Seems like quite the coincidence.” Night Light smirked at the expressions rolling across Horizon’s face.

“You’re... offering me a job?”

“Not the most glamorous Hearth’s Warming present imaginable but something I thought you would appreciate.”

“But what would Twilight think? I can’t just—”

“She already knows, Horizon, one of the many things we discussed in our letters over the last month. You don’t have to accept but, as you said, she doesn’t feel at home in Ponyville anymore. And with Spike being here in Canterlot she doesn’t have much left. Most of her friends have already accepted the next chapter in their lives and she is ready to as well. I’m glad it is going to be with you at her side.”

Horizon was amazed but he began to speak without really thinking, the excitement was overwhelming. It had been years since he even held a research position that was paid, his royalties earned from other minor patents he had made on magical devices supported him as he looked for work but not having connections in the academic world was the most detrimental thing to his career. Getting a position at a university or on a team was impossible without a letter of recommendation. He had never liked his professors much, the only reason he succeeded was because he made it impossible for them to fail him. His internships were successful but he never kept in touch with anypony. He was a bit... anti-social.

“I... Thank you. I don’t know what else to say. I’m going to have to pull out my old notes but I’m sure—”

“Ha! I knew you would accept. But I gotta warn you, I’m a pretty laid back boss, If you show up to work on time you might not be able to get in because the doors could still be locked.”

Horizon laughed at that. How could Twilight ever have come from this stallion. They had almost nothing in common.

“Now let’s get another drink and celebrate. I can’t wait to show you the observatory, maybe we can go tomorrow!”

As Night Light stood up from his desk in excitement he spilled what was left of his scotch across all the star maps on his desk along with the letter from Princess Luna.

“Shoot! Um, you better go have that drink without me Horizon, Luna will banish me if I let these charts get stained.”

Horizon saw the similarities now.

7 - Mother

“Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time.” – Benjamin Disraeli

~~~

Twilight held onto Cadance as if her life depended on it as she cried after letting out her secret. The young lavender mare was being comforted and lectured at the same time. For her part, Cadance had never been more concerned about her sister-in-law.

“Twilight you have to tell him. Tonight.”

“What if it’s too late Cadance, what if he leaves me, what if—”

Cadance gripped Twilight’s forehooves painfully tight. “Twilight stop this.” The words were clear but whispered in a quick and stern manner.

“Twily, your family loves you and we all support you, I know for a fact that Horizon loves you and that if you believe in him he will support you as well. But you can’t let this decision break your confidence or your determination. Do not give up on Horizon and most importantly do not give up on yourself.”

Twilight nuzzled into the tri-colored mane of her sister-in-law and foalsitter. Cadance’s pink coat was soft and absorbed the tears on the smaller mare’s cheeks as they slowed.

“I’ve made a mistake Cadance... I wouldn’t forgive me...”

“Shh... Twilight you have to tell him. Nothing is more important right now. We will all be here for you.”

Cadance hoped with all her heart that it would work out. Too many ponies depended on Twilight, losing her will alone could spell disaster for Equestria. The Element of Magic could never lose hope.

~~~

The pale grey mare watched through a partially cracked door into the den. Crystal had been handed to Shining and he was singing her a lullaby upstairs. But when Twilight returned downstairs to speak with her daughters she was witness to hushed whispers and tears. While she couldn’t hear the conversation from the beginning, her position allowed her to hear the end, she didn’t dare to intervene.

Twilight Velvet knew her daughter didn’t trust her with everything. Some would blame it on how ‘controlling’ she was. Twilight knew her daughter would be intelligent, but she also knew she would be fragile, like her mother. Twilight Velvet was eternally afraid that her daughter would end up like her. She would not allow her daughter to make the same mistakes she did when she was young. She had her heart broken by too many stallions and her back stabbed by too many ‘friends’. It made her bitter and cynical, traits she was ashamed of and behaviors that could only be curbed by one stallion. Her light in the dark, her Night Light.

For a clumsy and insufferably messy stallion he sure knew how to make her feel loved. He never gave up on her, no matter how loud she yelled or how hard she cried. She could trust her stallion implicitly.

As the mother watched her daughter crying because of something her future husband did, it set her off. She should be able to trust her husband. And if that stallion did anything to ruin her daughter’s trust then she would find out and she would fix it.

~~~

Horizon walked to the bar and poured himself another drink of expensive scotch while Night Light continued to fuss about in his study. He felt that he had already reached his limit, his judgement was already a bit clouded and speech would follow soon.

Horizon downed the glass in one swift motion. Nothing was wrong with celebrating a little. He was on the cusp of greatness, he could feel it in his bones. An amazing new job, a beautiful wife and a successful personal research project that would make him the wealthiest stallion in Equestria and secure his legacy. He could just imagine the look on Twilight’s face when he told her about how great it all was going to be.

Maybe he wouldn’t have to use the machine for tonight after all.

“I hope you aren’t developing a drinking problem.”

Horizon stopped himself as he realized he had poured himself a second drink.

“Um... no it was just. I was pouring it for the Night, your husband I mean.”

The sky blue eyes of the mare in front of him were piercing. She saw through his paper thin lie like it was glass.

“Drink up, that’s a 200 bit bottle of Scotch, don’t want to waste it.”

Horizon was beginning to feel nervous like he always did around Twilight Velvet. His fillyfriend’s mother was aloof and didn’t visit Ponyville much during his stay there, and his Twilight never spoke of her. But the few times she did were primarily in embarrassment at how frustrating it was to have a mother who taught at the same school she went to and who would constantly shield her from the colts who would get near her.

Horizon drank the second glass in one swift gulp as well.

“Good boy.”

Night Light emerged from the study and noticed his wife standing in front of Horizon. Her body language indicated she was preventing him from moving away from the corner where the bar was located. Horizon himself looked like he was searching for any means of escape.

“Ah Twilight dear, I was just about to have a drink with Horizon here, he has decided to take me up on that offer. I am certain that her highness will be pleased with my choice and see fit to grant me—”

“Nighty, dear, don’t you think you should wait until after dinner for that sort of thing?” Twilight Velvet smiled at her husband as he sputtered at the interruption. “I would hate to see you falling asleep so early, we do have such a long night ahead of us.” She added a flirtatious wink at her husband to punctuate the sentence.

Night seemed to be surprised at her change in attitude but was willing to bend to her will. She had a way of making him change his mind. “Ah, yes dear that seems wise I should—”

“And do close the door to your study when you leave, you know I don’t want that hurricane of paperwork spilling into the house.”

Night Light seemed a bit taken aback by his mares attitude. He walked to pull her aside as he used his magic to close the door. He whispered to her softly. “Twi, is everything alright? You seem upset about something.”

Twilight Velvet let out a short breath and shifted her hooves. She lowered her voice so that Horizon wouldn’t hear her. “It’s your daughter Nighty, she was crying and I don’t know why. I just” Twilight paused and looked to Horizon briefly, “I think that stallion did something and—”

“Shh, shh, you’re jumping to conclusions again Twi. I’ll go talk to her OK? I’m sure you’ll see it’s nothing. And she’s our daughter, not just mine, do try to remember that.”

Twilight could only nod as her husband calmed her down as he had a million times before.

“I hope you’re right.”

Night Light raised his voice and made to walk from the room to the den. “I better go check on dinner and our daughter. Food should be ready in 30. As for Twilight I should make sure she’s not having any panic attacks from spending more than 15 minutes away from her stallion eh?”

Horizon and Twilight Velvet both shared a short laugh, but for different reasons.

“And Twi, honey, please go easy on the colt. He’s preparing for a major announcement tonight.” Night Light winked conspiratorially as he left the room and headed down the hallway to the den. The warm glow of the hearth followed him as his silhouette was cast through the opening doorway onto the walls. It eventually disappeared as the door closed again.

Twilight Velvet raised her eyebrows at that, whatever it could mean. But she still had questions for this colt, the well-being of her daughter came first.

“Why don’t we go somewhere a bit more private to speak.”

~~~

Twilight Velvet’s greenhouse was astonishing.

Pure white crystals hung from woven hemp ropes stretched across the ceiling in a beautiful dreamcatcher weave. The octagonal building was separated from the house by a short hall with two doors to control the moisture and temperature within the greenhouse. The hallway itself doubled as a storage shed for the seeds and other materials a grower would need.

The glass that made up the walls appeared to glow with a faint blue color like the midday sky. They were magically enchanted to reflect light inwards at the night hours. The neighbors wouldn’t complain about a bright glowing building next door and the plants would get the full benefit of the spectral crystals.

The center of the garden contained an octagonal fish pond full of beautiful Koi. A waterfall was gently flowing across algae and moss covered volcanic rocks. There were bamboo pipes running all around the floors delivering gentle trickles of water to each and every plant potted in the soil substitutes around it. Magivascual plants from every corner of the earth were present. From Mars Fly Traps to Poison Joke. An unbelievably rare and eclectic variety of impossibly different plants were present. Each demanding a different nutrient blend and climate to flourish but all blooming in the cold of winter. All of them protected in a house of glass.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you, I’m glad somepony appreciates my work here.” Twilight reached up to inspect a blooming Dragon’s Tongue with a hoof while she levitated a spray bottle of nutrient water. “High in potassium to help it bloom and aid with photosynthesis. The Dragon’s Tongue is a very hungry plant, it would normally only bloom once as it would soak up all the nutrients in the soil and turn it to sand. It naturally occurs near volcanic mountains since the soil there is the most rich. But even there it will only bloom up to three times at most. A majority simply get burned by the lava that provides their nutrients before that. Such is the nature of reality, that which gives life, most often, also takes it away.”

The spray bottle was applicated along the petals of the vivid orange and red bloom. The pistil reaching out of its own volition to lap at the liquids beading on the beautiful petals greedily. The few drops that it could not reach quickly evaporated as the heat of the petals burned them away.

When the blooms were sated and turned upwards to the growth crystals they let out a mighty burp of flame, a gorgeous blue burn that swirled and dissipated in a fiery blast that felt like a blast of warm air and smelled of cherries.

“It seems a bit dangerous.” Horizon added as his eyes lit up in wonder.

“Most naturally beautiful things are. They are blessed with defense mechanisms to prevent them from being destroyed by predators drawn to their allure.” With that she tossed a koi from the center pond with her magic into the jaws of a giant Lily pad that folded to cover the fish and begin devouring it whole.

Horizon felt himself becoming sick at the site, the alcohol and hunger wasn’t helping.

“Every rose has its thorn, Mr. Horizon. The Liar’s Lily is no exception. For a fish out of water is certainly living a lie, and it has to pay for it.”

Horizon was still transfixed as he watched the lump of what was once a flopping happy fish get absorbed into the undulating veiny underside of a carnivorous lily.

He hardly noticed the vines twisting about his hooves.

“Horizon, let’s play a game. I will tell you a truth and you will tell me a truth. I’ll go first. I have been misleading you, I brought you here to ask you about why my daughter would be crying on Hearth’s Warming Day.”

Horizon was surprised by this outcome, but not as surprised as he was about the revelation that Twilight, his fillyfriend, would be crying. “I-I am not sure what you mean Mrs. Velvet. I have been having a great time with her and I don’t know what could poss—”

The vines around the stallions hooves constricted and lifted him up bodily. His belly was exposed and his limbs splayed out as the plant pulled him into the air and his deep brown tail brushed futilely against the beechwood panels covering the floor of the greenhouse.

“The Virtuous Vines seem to find fault with your words Horizon, best start speaking the truth before something bad happens.” Twilight Velvet regarded the stallion calmly as he tugged on the vines and tried to summon magic to pull them off.

“I swear I don’t know what you are talking about! We just had a little argument that’s it, it was nothing!” Horizon’s horn sparked as his aura grew stronger, The vines shrugged off every attempt to grasp them.

The vines grew tighter around his hooves and legs, one wrapped around his barrel and began to squeeze. Horizon briefly had the thought that Spike and Twilight’s mother may have been sharing notes.

“You know Horizon, stallions all have one thing in common. They only see the beauty of a flower in its petals. But the Virtuous Vines are the most beautiful plant in the world to me, and yet their blossoms are so common that they are mistaken in the wild for common wildgrass. You see the only way to stop them from killing is to tell the truth. So tell the truth.”

The rules of the game were long forgotten at this point. Horizon felt the tendrils reaching to his neck and swirling around his neck like a scarf. He braced himself against the desire to scream for help and used his air instead to tell the truth.

“OK! It was an argument about my research, I didn’t tell her about it. I was working on a secret project and I didn’t want her to know about it. I showed it to her and she was upset and then I apologized and we made up. That’s all it was I swear!”

The vines continued to spread across the stallion, they did not grasp harder but they did not give up an inch, a few began to wrap around his mane and pull his head back until he had to strain his eyes to look down at the mare.

“Tell the WHOLE truth! Do not omit any details or you will be most uncomfortable in a few moments.”

Twilight Velvet watched the stallion as the vines lifted him ever higher, almost to the dreamcatcher pattern of glow crystals and ropes.

“She made me promise not to work on the project anymore and I did.” Horizon gasped as his vision was blocked by a vine wrapping around his eyes, holding them shut as they crossed over his muzzle gingerly, threatening him gently. “But then I worked on it anyway, without her permission. I lied to her and I know I messed up, I know I messed up!”

The vines halted their advances along his body, only his ears and muzzle were protruding from the living cocoon surrounding him. The web of lies he had wrapped himself up in.

“This still does not explain why my daughter is crying. What is the secret announcement you are making tonight that my husband referred to?” Twilight Velvet knew the vines were dangerously close to causing permanent harm, but the question was asked by the tender and the question would be answered by the victim.

Horizon felt the vines coiling tighter. Every hair on his pelt sending panic messages through his spine to his brain as he struggled to focus on the question.

“The announcement. The... Twilight! I am going to propose tonight! I want her to marry me! That’s all it was, she doesn’t know. It’s a surprise! But the crying, it’s... I don’t know... I don’t...”

The vines halted their advance once more. Twilight Velvet was blinking in awe. The stallion was suspended in the air and breathing rapidly as the vines restricted his airflow and chest expansions. But he was telling the truth.

“Do you love her?”

“Y-Yes.”

The vines loosened, his eyesight was returned and his ears swiveled to catch the sound of the mares voice.

“Do you love my daughter, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Yes.”

The Virtuous Vines relinquished their hold of his neck and head. The thick cords across his barrel began to weaken their grasp and Horizon sucked in air as he looked down at the mare with his bloodshot eyes.

“Do you promise to do everything in your power to protect her and support her? Through thick and thin, sickness and health?”

“Yes. Yes.”

The vines fell away from his barrel and lowered him gently, but his limbs were still splayed as they clung to his legs, pulling them apart. His tail brushed against the floor once more as he felt blood returning to his flanks and thighs.

“And will you always be honest with her? Will you let no secrets stand between you and promise to honor her for the rest of your life?”

“Yes, I will try. I promise to love her and honor her, forever.”

Twilight Velvet sighed and shook her head in relief. It was more than she had expected from this stallion. Her soon-to-be son-in-law.

The vines slowly dropped the stallion to the ground and they coiled back into the trellis behind him. The thick green vines coiling once again around the wooden structure and sprouting leaves to once again catch the light. Its duty fulfilled it return to its task of photosynthesis. To continue generating life.

Twilight Velvet helped the stallion to his hooves. “I am sorry for having doubted you Horizon, and for subjecting you to this draconian torment.” Horizon continued to gasp and stare at the vines as they settled back into place in the trellis. The leaves sprouting from the vines covering the thick and menacing organic tendrils that threatened his life moments before.

“Would it... Would it really have killed me?” Horizon asked as Twilight Velvet moved to his side to look at the vines with him.

“No. It merely would have bound you indefinitely. All lies serve no purpose but to limit the speakers. Constricting them and twisting them in uncomfortable and unnatural ways. The solution to surviving them is simple,” Twilight said as she nuzzled slowly against the stallion that held the love of her daughter. “The truth will set you free.”

Horizon was a bit surprised by the intimate gesture. He had never shared more than a brief nuzzle on the cheek with his fillyfriend’s mother but now she was rubbing up against him with her whole body it seemed.

“Thank you for being honest Horizon, and thank you for loving my daughter. I know it seems like I hate you at times, but I can only say that I wish my own mother had put my coltfriends through the same treatment. I always had a hard time judging stallions. And it always lead to heartache. I was so fortunate to find Nighty.”

Twilight Velvet moved towards the vines and got to her knees, she nuzzled through the leaves and bit down on a vine and pulled free a pair of small blooms. A simple white flower with a golden set of petals surrounded by large white ones.

“I think that you will find that honesty reaps a sweeter reward than deception.” Twilight ate half of one of the blooms as she held it in her magical aura. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the flavor as it sang across her palate like a choir. She levitated the other half to the stallion.

Horizon looked at the half eaten blossom with skepticism, but gave in and ate it in one delicate bite. The stem was dropped to the floor and as he chewed thoughtfully. He was caressed by a delicious combination of salty and crunchy texture. After that a sour and granular texture met his mouth as he chewed through the sticky petals. This relinquished into a sweet and oily texture. Like buttery cream, wrapped in caramel, chocolate, and something ineffable.

Twilight Velvet knew that look on a stallion’s face. She had seen it on her husband’s many a time before as they shared the blossoms of the Virtuous Vines. The vows of true love always produced the sweetest nectars.

“Magivascular plants are truly wondrous things Horizon. Some draw nourishment from blood, others from laughter, some from fire, and some from love. But this one draws it from the spoken truth.”

Horizon looked at the pale grey mare in front of him. She had risen to her hooves and locked her sky blue eyes with his amber ones.

“You find out why my daughter is crying, Horizon. I will not have my family sad on Hearth’s Warming Day. And you propose to her tonight and make her the happiest mare in Equestria. Celestia knows she deserves it.” Twilight Velvet levitated the second blossom to her future son-in-law. “This one is for you and Twilight, your Twilight now. May she love you more than she loves me.”

Horizon made to speak as he accepted the blossom into his magical aura. His horn glowing softly to hold the delicate blossom by the stem. But Twilight stopped him with a hoof to his muzzle.

“I will finish tending my garden here. You go to her. And just let Nighty know to fetch me when dinner is prepared.

As Horizon walked out the door with the bloom in his grip he looked back briefly at the pale grey mare as she leaned down to the koi pond. Twilight Velvet looked back at him and smiled faintly as she levitated more bottles of nutrients and began to tend to all of the plants in her sanctuary with practiced precision.

~~~

The door shut and Twilight Velvet let the tears flow. The droplets falling directly from her eyes into the koi pond leaving rippling waves across the delicately Ph balanced water.

She saw his changing expression as he tasted the bloom. She tasted it herself as well. The salty and brittle petals would always dissolve rapidly into the sweet blooms of a virtuous nectar; When the whole and untarnished truth was spoken.

But this bloom had a hint of sourness, the granular bits stinging the tongue with their acidity before dissolving into the pure honey of truth and honesty. She knew he was telling a half-truth somewhere. But she did not know where. It was so fleeting it could have been any small thing, he may not even have truly realized that his heart was not being completely oriented with his words. Only the Virtuous Vines could know.

But she was sure of one thing. He loved her daughter, her little Twilight. And maybe that was enough.

~~~

Horizon left the greenhouse silently, swiftly and sorrowfully. He knew he should have been distraught, afraid, or angry about how he was treated. But in a sense he knew that he deserved it. That moment was just a wake-up call for him. He knew it was a long time coming.

As Horizon looked at the flower once again he was reminded of what he shared with his love, his Twilight.

But it still didn’t change the feeling he had now, more than ever.

He needed a drink.

8 - Weakness

“It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

~~~

Hearth’s Warming dinner came and went the same way it always did on 42 Highcrest Lane. Cooking holiday meals together had been a tradition that Night Light and Twilight Velvet began long before Shining Armor was born. And though the menu was hardly ever different, it was because you never change perfection.

A blue cheese and pomegranate salad was followed by a light and salty vegetable stew to start the meal. The main course was, as always, Twilight Velvet’s creamy butternut squash soup, with chopped almonds to garnish. There was asparagus on the side with a unique horseradish and hollandaise sauce, a creation of Night Light’s. The drink of choice for the night was a fruity red wine from the Crystal Empire, fermented from the finest crystal berries, courtesy of Her Royal Highness Princess Cadance. The center of the table had a shared plate of fresh baked Prench bread and marshmallow encrusted mashed sweet potatoes. And If that wasn’t enough, dessert was magically caramelized crème brulée with a glass of Hay Baleys and a cinnamon stick.

Twilight Sparkle politely declined the alcohol. While this decision was commendable to those in the room who knew of her situation, it left her mother curious.

The dinner itself was nothing too exquisite or professionally prepared, there were no waiters to deliver the food or clear plates. No arsenal of flatware with utensils for every bite. No citrusy sherbet to cleanse the palate between courses. No, this meal was homemade and wholesome, and whatever food wasn’t eaten - purely because of gastronomic limitations - would not go to waste.

The genuine laughter and happiness of a close family in a warm home sharing a hot meal filled the air as the plates were cleaned, and the glasses emptied. When their bellies were full, they all individually prepared to gather for the giving of gifts before the hearth.

Horizon and Twilight had stepped outside to take their nightly stargazing stroll. Cadance briefly left to tend to a crying princess foal who wanted to be fed as well. Shining Armor brought in more wood to stoke the fire. And as Twilight Velvet and Night Light went to the private study to have a quiet conversation about the future of their children, and grandchildren.

~~~

Mrs. Velvet followed her husband into the study they had each spent a lifetime filling. She closed the door with the handle turned so it would not click. The mare gently let her magic fade from the mechanical lock as it shut and then cast a sound dampening spell on the entire door frame. It wasn’t the first time the couple had come to this room to discuss their children out of earshot. Not always an easy thing to do since one was such a bookworm.

Night Light turned to face her and took a deep breath.

The cloudy white mare was anxious to hear what her husband had to say, since it had to wait until after the meal. Twilight turned to her husband and spoke hurriedly, “So, what was it about? What was wrong?”

“Twilight, dear, I need you to promise me not to act rashly about this ok?” Night Light was genuinely concerned about his wife’s reaction to the news he was about to give her. But the father knew that the secret he was about to divulge was something his daughter would not reveal to her mother on her own. He loved his little Twily with all his heart, but he knew she trusted Cadance more with these things than she ever would her biological parents.

It almost made Night Light feel guilty having to use Shining to coerce the truth out of Cadance. But ‘no secrets between spouses’ was a primary rule in marriage, as he had taught Shining. Night Light was bound to tell his own wife, as Cadance had told his son.

“My love, we’re going to have another grandfoal soon...”

~~~

Twilight Sparkle was cuddled up next to her coltfriend – and the father of her unborn foal – on a large cushion in front of the hearth. They both still had their scarves on from their nightly stargazing and were warming up by the fire. Cadance and Shining were sitting on the couch next to them nestling a resting Crystal between their hooves, a motherly wing draped over a napping filly.

The presents of Hearth’s Warming were still resting in front of the hearth as it burned on. The Hearth would stay lit until midnight when the day would end and the family would sleep. Shining and Cadance would be taking the guest bedroom and Twilight and Horizon would be heading back to the old study at the castle, Twilight’s Ivory Tower.

A muffled, but powerful, thump came from the hallway leading to the small personal library.

Shining Armor winced noticeably and Cadance looked up from her sleeping foal to give him a frown of concern. They spoke at the same time.

“Is something wr-”

“I better go see wh-”

Shining stood from the couch and a sleeping Crystal burped and shuffled closer to her mother’s barrel under her wing. Cadance could only look up at her husband and communicate in the subtle non-verbal way that all married partners learn. The Princess gave a look of concern towards Shining as she cautiously flicked her eyes towards Twilight. Twilight was now also looking on in concern as her brother averted his gaze and nodded before heading out of the room and down the hall.

Horizon missed the exchange completely as he was nuzzled under his fillyfriend’s chin and struggled to stay awake after the filling meal and the amount of alcohol he had consumed over the course of the night. His eyes were drifting shut as he watched the embers and flickering flames of the hearth consuming the thick logs that Shining had just added.

Twilight extracted a foreleg from under Horizon’s chin and began to rub gentle circles on his distended barrel.

“Hey, are you ok?” She asked with a soft but caring voice.

“Mmrhn, I love you.” Horizon closed his eyes and enjoyed the comforting touch. His body slid deeper into the pillow and under her head and neck. He closed his eyes and groaned as the food shifted in his stomach and the alcohol thinned his blood. “I think I ate too much.” He added.

She sighed and nuzzled his mane from above with her cheek. “You’re going to have to learn how to have a diet someday.”

The comfortable stallion blew a contented rasp from his lips and closed his eyes. He held a forehoof over Twilight’s and rubbed his barrel along with her. “Mmm, butternut squash soup too good. You learn to cook it. Have your mother teach you.”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she raised her head to look down at the grin plastered on her coltfriend’s face as he smiled with his eyes closed. “Okay, now I know you’ve had too much to drink too. If you were sober you wouldn’t tell me to cook anything more complicated than cookies and pizza.”

Horizon yawned and opened his eyes to look up at her, “Maybe.” He raised his hoof from his belly and ran it up her foreleg to her withers where he caressed her mane and pulled her into a deep kiss. Twilight let her eyes fall closed as she was pulled into the open mouthed kiss and explored her coltfriend’s warm mouth that still had a hint of cream and sugar to its taste.

Cadance coughed politely into her hoof.

Twilight snapped her eyes open, remembering they weren’t alone in the room and pushed her coltfriend back. She straightened her mane with her magic unconsciously and smiled bashfully up at her sister-in-law.

The stallion simply licked his lips and smiled with his eyes still closed.

“Not that I wasn’t enjoying the show, but I think the rest of the family will be coming for the giving of gifts soon. would hate to see you two get so caught up in each other that you forget about the most important part of tonight.” Cadance looked pointedly at Twilight Sparkle.

Horizon opened his eyes and attempted to collect himself, he rolled to his hooves on the cushion and stood to walk to the foyer where he had dropped his saddlebags. “Right, the gifts, um, I’ll be right back.” He stumbled a bit as he left the room and brushed the doorframe from the den with his flank as he passed.

“Is... he going to be alright, Twilight?” Cadance turned her gaze from the doorframe that Horizon departed through.

The younger mare stood and looked towards the fire, she let out a long and measured breath, “I hope so, he always does this when he’s nervous and there’s alcohol around. Or excited, don’t forget about how he and Pinkie went streaking through Ponyville on Nightmare Night.”

Cadance laughed as quietly as she could manage as the mental pictures were conjured in her head. The blue unicorn and the pink earth pony decided to be adventurous and run about Ponyville stark naked on Nightmare Night after cleaning out the special punch bowl together. They were so far gone that nopony could seem to convince them that ponies didn’t wear clothes normally anyway. But that didn’t stop them from laughing uncontrollably and counterpointing every argument with, “Well then why are you dressed up!?”

It was all fun and games until Pinkie started getting a bit too hoofsy and Twilight had to prevent her coltfriend from being... well, whatever Pinkie was planning on doing to him.

“Oh, don’t remind me. Grandma Luna almost summoned a storm with how annoyed she was getting at Pinkie and Horizon. I was glad Rainbow was there to cool her down, literally. I don’t think she was expecting the apple bobbing trough to be dumped on her.” Cadance laughed once again, but loud enough to wake the foal.

Crystal sniffled and started to wail. Cadance shushed, cooed, and held her closer to calm her. “You also can’t tell Luna I call her that in private. She hates it. It’s a bit of a private joke between me, Shining and Aunt Celestia.”

Twilight Sparkle felt a pang of jealousy. She couldn’t wait to have a foal to fuss over, teach magic to, watch stars with, read wi—

*SLAM*

*POP*

Twilights thoughts were interrupted as the door to the study was slammed open and Twilight Velvet teleported into the center of the room. She was followed shortly by her husband appearing right next to her with a *pop* of his own and leaning into her roughly and whispering into her ear to calm her down.

The elder mare had bloodshot eyes. Her older and softer frame was rippling with stress as she struggled to approach her daughter. But her husband held her still with his calm words and a firm shoulder.

“Twilight!” the clearly hysterical mare practically seethed as she addressed her daughter in a vicious whisper.

Shining Armor came galloping into the room. He stood in front of his little sister defensively and Cadance took wing and leaned on the other side of Twilight and her husband. She whispered quickly with Shining Armor.

Twilight Sparkle was astounded by the abrupt entrance. “Mom, what’s—”

“Don’t you ‘mom’ me. Why am I always the LAST to hear about these things. I can’t believe you would do this without consulting me, your own MOTHER!” Twilight Velvet nearly spit the last word as her stage whispering grew in volume. She was attempting to push past her husband and get to her daughter, but he was roughly nuzzling her and speaking into her ear.

Light violet magic lifted her tail and mane, her eyes began to glow.

The cloudy grey unicorn mare’s eyebrows raised as she recognized the fear in her daughter’s eyes and the sorrow in her son’s. Baby Crystal began to cry and Cadance held her close and fanned her wings defensively. Twilight Velvet felt a tear fall down one eye slowly as Night Light continued to hold her. Her white and violet striped mane was shifting with magic as her stress level caused her horn to glow sympathetically. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth as she felt the dam of emotions threatening to burst.

Cadance looked to Night Light and Shining Armor for approval before slowly charging up her horn. They had discussed this contingency almost in jest but did not think it would actually be necessary.

~~~

Horizon wandered down the hallway from the foyer, singing his favorite Pinkie Pie song on the way. His saddlebags were held by the strap in his mouth, he became lazy when he was drunk. Magic required a lot of concentration.

“Nighmare Nigh, Nighmare Nigh,

nod a sdidch of cwothes in sigh!

Nighmare Nigh, Nighmare Nigh,

cwothwess ponies whu a fwight!

Nighmare Nigh, Nighmare Nigh...”

He barely registered the hissing and intense whispers coming from his destination in the den. But the stallion had heard a door get slammed and his ears perked reflexively. He hoped it wasn’t anything too terrible, he was proposing tonight. He paused in the hall wondering why he brought the saddlebags when he could have just levitated the ring box out by itself. Horizon thought about this for a couple seconds before coming to the conclusion he was well and drunk.

Then he heard a foal crying.

As he quickened his pace and rounded the corner to the den, bumping his flank on the doorframe again, he became the subject of five pairs of eyes.

There was a thump as a pair of saddlebags dropped to the floor from the open muzzle of Horizon.

Every unicorn in the room was either charging up a spell or standing defensively in front of someone else. It was almost comedic except for the expressions of anxiety washing across every face in the room which made it all too real.

“Umm... maybe this is a bad time but—”

The deep blue stallion was interrupted by his future mother-in-law. Twilight Velvet seemed to snap out of her stress-induced magical trance at the sight of her daughter’s beloved.

“NO! Now is perfect. It’s a perfect time right now, everything is just perfect. In fact, things are so ideal I think you should talk to my daughter about that thing. That’s a great idea, you can talk to Twilight now, not later, NOW.”

Every pony in the room was standing still as statues. Horizon didn’t immediately register that Twilight Velvet looked as if she had just finished crying, but he did notice his fillyfriend covering her mouth with a hoof and fighting back tears as she watched her mother speak.

“Umm, ok, well maybe we can—”

Twilight Velvet composed herself frighteningly quick and then spoke to her husband. “Nighty, darling, it’s alright if Twilight and Horizon use the observatory, right? I think they might need the privacy.” She gave her husband an intense glare, whom in turn looked to his son and daughter-in-law for support. The Alicorn Princess let the glow from her horn fall and nodded her approval. Shining Armor stopped preparing the shield spell matrix that would cover his wife, daughter and sister. Night Light lowered his forehoof from his wife’s withers.

Twilight sparkle rushed past her brother and foalsitter to her mother and nuzzled her. Tears were barely held at bay and a sickness of guilt filled her stomach. “Mommy, I’m so sorry I sho—”

“Shh, shh shh my little Twily,” The mother spoke to the daughter as the father held them both close. “There will be time for that later, please just go with him. Right now, hurry, there’s no time to lose.” The mother lowered her voice before speaking only to her daughter, “Don’t lose him Twilight, no matter what.”

The daughter nodded, but was hesitant to look at her coltfriend. It would be a difficult task, telling him about her pregnancy. But it had to be done. The younger Twilight ushered her lover from the room.

Horizon could only watch in awe at the surreal scene in front of him. He was pulled down the hall by his fillyfriend and out of the line of sight of the den and its occupants. Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Cadance, Shining Armor and, - somehow - even Crystal were watching him with trepidation. The fire burned bright from the hearth, the warm glow going over the presents and reflecting off of their large and caring eyes. Their faces only showed one emotion, uncertainty.

As they rounded the corner out of sight and began taking the stairs to the rooftop observatory, the sounds of a filly crying were replaced by the sounds of a grown mare crying.

~~~

Twilight Sparkle entered the observatory with her coltfriend. The bite of winter had returned once more after the iron door was closed behind them, but the dome was closed to keep the snow out. The large reflector telescope rested in the middle of the room designed for it. It was one of the best privately owned instruments for astronomy in Equestria. It could see far beyond the unaided pony eye.

“Twilight, what was that all about? What was wrong?” Horizon was almost in a stupor of cluelessness.

“It’s... I’m so sorry Horizon. The timing was all wrong, It’s all my fault. I didn’t think this would happen I just wasn’t ready to...” She looked down as her breathing became heavy. She knew the sobs would follow soon.

Horizon wasn’t as lucid or observant as he could have been. “Whoa whoa, Twilight, slow down, it’s Hearth’s Warming Day, it can’t be that bad. Let’s just take a breath and go from there, okay?” Horizon smiled at her and held her chin as she looked up to him.

Twilight took a slow deep breath. “Yeah, that sounds good. I love you.”

“Come here.”

They shared a nuzzle. During that contact, Twilight felt like all her problems had vanished for just that iota of an instant. It was only her and her stallion, an unstoppable team.

Horizon broke away first to speak “But first, I have some good news. There’s something I really need to tell you. I just hope that your brother and father didn’t spoil the big surprise! Well, it’s a couple of surprises really.” Horizon grinned to himself as he watched his fillyfriend blink in confusion. “I think we need a bit more light in here.” Horizon closed his eyes and furled his brow in concentration. His horn was illuminated with a deep indigo glow as the dome rotated to face North and opened to allow the clear Winter sky in.

Twilight let out a gasp and looked up into the skies. The audience of twinkling lights millions of kilometers away almost cheered for her. She felt that this had to be the moment she had been waiting for. It couldn’t be anything else.

“Twilight, I have great news.”

“Yes...” She wanted to hear it, she had to hear those words, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Maybe she could just say she got pregnant after he proposed.

“As a Hearth’s Warming gift... Your father offered me a job at the Royal Observatory!” Horizon beamed at her as she held a forehoof over her heart and her mouth held open in wonder.

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat as she processed the words and realized they weren’t what she had hoped to hear.

“Oh, right, dad was going to do that.” Twilight thought to herself.

“Th-That’s great news, Horizon! I guess I forgot that he was going to talk to you about that tonight and I sort of knew you would say yes and all, but—”

“But that’s not all Twilight.”

Again, she inhaled sharply. The mare recalled he had said there were two surprise announcements. There was still a chance!

“Yes...” She spoke again without thinking.

“But before I say what it is...”

“Yes...” Twilight whispered to herself.

“Your mother gave me this flower, after a... discussion we had. Before whatever that was downstairs, uh, and I... well I thought we could share it together, before I tell you something great.” Horizon looked to his tail where he had tucked the flower, next to the horn ring box.

“Yes...” She spoke again barely audibly.

“Your mother really showed me the importance of honesty tonight. I guess you could say I passed her test and she trusts me to do the right thing. So, starting now, I will do my best to be honest with you, always.”

“Yes...” Twilight uttered the words under her breath like a mantra.

The stallion produced the bloom from the Virtuous Vine and delicately bit off half of the petals and chewed slowly as he savored the flavor. He levitated it to his fillyfriend who took it without hesitation into her mouth, not even letting him release his magical grip as she savored the familiar tingle along her lips as he fed her. It had been a while since she had savored a blossom.

The flavors rolled along her tongue. She only frowned briefly at the hint of sourness that came in the mix. “Mmm.” She chewed it slowly and swallowed with care as the smooth and sweet petals caressed her taste buds. At least it ended pleasantly.

“Well, here it goes. Twilight, I have to tell you.”

The mare couldn’t control her heart as it sped up. She felt goosebumps forming all over her coat. The chill of winter had the hair on her coat standing on edge. Her breath was condensing in front of her and mixing with her coltfriend’s as she leaned forward in anticipation.

“The machine works.”

“...” Her mouth was open. She was leaning on her forehooves, her tail raised as if she was preparing to mate and her hindhooves were practically off the ground.

“I thought it was a fluke at first, but I verified it myself. The machine works.”

Her ears flicked left and right in frustration. She couldn’t have heard him right. “What?” She said as she slumped backward and focused her eyes on the mouth of her coltfriend. The smiling mouth. The lopsided grin of a drunk stallion.

“Can you believe it? It’s incredible! We can—”

“What.” Twilight deadpanned as her heart rate began to rise once more. This time in anger. Anger at the liar in front of her.

“It means it’s true, my theory! A new type of temporal magic! My machine could be a failsafe switch in case of emergencies. No more Discord, no more Nightmare Moon, no more Sombra, no more dragon, hydra, cockatrice, or manticore rampages.”

“Stop.”

“I’ve finally made something to—”

“STOP!” Twilight began to vibrate with emotion. One moment, everything was going to be alright and now it was not. She couldn’t believe her stallion would do such a thing. He had promised.

“Twilight, I know I promised, and I know I made a mistake. But that’s why I’m being honest now. I just had to know definitively once and for all. It was too important to me.”

“You? YOU? Why is it always about YOU.” Twilight was finding it hard to breathe. The cold air was rushing in her lungs and she felt a panic attack approaching. As her brilliant mind raced into overdrive, she briefly registered that there wasn’t a brush nearby to run through her hair and calm her nerves.

“Starbutt, please just lis—”

“NO, RIZE! Sweet Celestia, do you have any idea how tired I am of waiting for YOU?” Twilight felt the temperature in the room rising as she had excess magic almost pouring from her hooves. She wondered why her life had to be so complicated.

Horizon was speechless as he watched his fillyfriend begin to lose control. He felt his confidence crumble all around him.

“I’m so tired of hearing about how YOU don’t think you’re good enough. How YOU don’t think my friends will like YOU. How YOU don’t think Ponyville will be a good fit for YOU. How YOU are so mad at the world for not offering YOU a chance. How YOU don’t get along with Spike. How YOU are afraid of my Mother. How YOU can’t commit to marriage. How YOU can’t decide whether you want to have children or not. How YOU can’t just tell me the truth. How YOU can’t just... LIVE IN THE PRESENT.” Every ‘you’ was accented by a stomp of a hoof on iron.

~~~

In the den below, a family of unicorns were comforting each other and whispering words of optimism. But suddenly, four pairs of eyes turned upward towards the ceiling as they heard the staccato thunks of a hoof on iron. They each shared a foreboding glance before standing as one and galloping up the stairs to listen through the doorway.

~~~

Twilight was huffing and puffing. Her barrel growing and shrinking with every cycle of ice cold air that was combating her heart pumping red hot blood. She was furious. Her eyes were glowing dimly as she struggled to make sense of it all. “Why is this happening now,” she wondered.

Horizon couldn’t believe his eyes. She had never been so upset before. “I’m so—”

“Sorry? SORRY? You think being ‘sorry’ can just make every little misstep go away, is that it? You think the last nine months of my life where I gave every inch of my mind and body to you was meaningless? You think you can just lie to me and flounder and be indecisive and expect me to just hold you and treat you like a child because you aren’t ready to grow up, is that it?” Twilight was awash in anger. She couldn’t understand why it had to be so difficult. ‘It’s just not fair. I shouldn’t have to put up with this. It was supposed to be perfect.”

Horizon backed away from his fillyfriend. Something was wrong, very wrong.

“What more do I have to do!? How else can I show you that I love you with every fiber of my being. How can I convince you that it’s not about YOU or ME or anypony else in the entirety of EQUESTRIA. It’s about US, Rize. You and me stopped being a thing a long time ago. I can’t even imagine a life without you anymore. Do you not feel the same way? Do you not feel like there is a piece of me with you at all times that will never leave you? Because I have given that to you. And I thought you gave that same piece of yourself to me. Because I feel it inside me as literally as I do figuratively, you have... no idea...” She ran out of air as the sobs began to stifle her breathing. The mare paused to catch her breath. She sighed and looked at the ground dejectedly.

Twilight continued to think, she struggled to find a logical cause for this situation. “It’s not my fault. Damn that machine. Why did this have to happen now. What more could I have done?”

“Twilight, I love you and I have given you that same piece of my own. Why...” Horizon trailed off as he looked at the mare beginning to shake with anger now.

She spoke slow and low as the anger and sadness built to a crescendo, “Liar. That’s what I tasted in the flower. I know all about the Virtuous Vines. That brief bitterness, that acrid taste of deception. My mother caught you in a lie. If you had really given yourself to me you would have done it a month ago. When I begged you to move to Canterlot with me and help me care for Spike. When I practically asked you to marry me. But no, you needed more time. Time to what? Work on your stupid machine? You would put all those people who said you couldn’t be successful to shame, was that it? One last ‘screw you’ from Horizon to the world for being unfair is that it? I can’t believe how selfish you are.”

“What happened?” Twilight continued to boil down the question in her thoughts. But in her anger, she could only ask herself.

Horizon felt that he had heard enough. Twilight didn’t understand. She had nothing to prove. Every lecture she gave him was so laced with concern, but it was also infused with her condescending tone. She knew she was better than him. And she was right.

“Everything I do, Twilight, is for US. So what if I want to make money, so what if I want to change the world and be remembered for it. I love you, you are what keeps me from giving up. But you know what, maybe that’s not good enough, huh? You’re always having to hold my hoof and guide me, because I’m just not good enough is that it?”

Twilight sobbed as her coltfriend began to shout. His eyes that were lazy and content before, now burned with anger as well. His jovial drunkenness was no longer cute, it was frightening.

The navy blue unicorn charged his horn and slammed the dome shut with a thundering boom. By severing the night sky he left the dome to be illuminated only by the emotionally charged horns of two of the most gifted unicorns in Equestria. Various instruments and papers around the room began to levitate.

“I’m sorry I can’t be as perfect as ‘Shiny’, or ‘Nighty’, or ‘Twily’. I’m sorry I can’t be as perfect as you. I’m sorry I’m not an Element of Harmony, or a Prince, or a Royal Pupil, or a wealthy colt who grew up in the ‘canterlot bubble’. I’m sorry I leave my research papers on the floor. I’m sorry I take a long time to wake up in the mornings. I’m sorry I don’t have a family. I’m sorry that after all the work I have put into this relationship you still don’t understand. You never once considered WHY I might want to wait until the right moment. And now, that moment is ruined.” Horizon couldn’t believe it. He was going to make the night perfect for her and they were arguing worse than they ever had before.

“What happened? How can I fix this,” he wondered.

Twilight didn’t care what his words were at this point. She wanted to hurt him and she knew exactly the way to do it.

“Fine, go ahead and just give up. Maybe you can’t commit. Maybe you’re more like your father than you realize. Amazing since you never even met him, hopefully it’s not genetic.” Twilight smiled sardonically as the acidic barbs left her mouth. She had a sharp wit and knew how to cut deep. The voice of reason inside her was screaming behind the prison bars of indignant rage.

Horizon fell to his knees and closed his eyes tight. He felt a lump form in his throat. She was right. The smartest unicorn in Equestria just told him he was going to give up. That’s probably what they were all arguing about before. The worthless stallion that she had chosen to be with. He was nothing but a mistake, and they all knew it. He couldn’t do anything right. He had screwed up tonight. He shouldn’t have told her mother. He should have just done it. Proposed to her before they could poison her thoughts and make her so angry at him. What else could explain it?

Horizon knew he could make it right. He had to make it right. He wouldn’t allow her family to corrupt her mind with doubt. He would make her his. His Twilight.

Twilight watched with anguish as the stallion slumped to his knees and elbows and began to fight back tears. She had never hurt anyone so badly. Her mane and tail lost their fiery glow and her eyes dimmed to normal. But as the stallion covered his head with his hooves and let his deep brown mane and tail spill around him on the cold iron, she registered what she had really just said. “Rize... no wait. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“No, Twi. You’re right. You always are. I’m not ready, for any of this. I will never be perfect or anywhere near what you deserve, I don’t know if anypony can be. I’m sorry for that. But now I have a way to at least try to be. I may not have made tonight perfect this time, but I will next time. I’ll never give up on you. No matter how hard you push me away...”

Twilight felt her anger fade as she worked out what he was saying.

Horizon stood and looked to a blank point on the circular wall of the room. His eyes were bloodshot. His head was beginning to hurt from all the drinking and shouting. He was going to make this right, he just had to get back to Ponyville. But not before he hurt her back, just a little bit. It’s not like it would matter. This timeline would be gone in a few minutes anyway.

“It’s amazing, you know,” Horizon chuckled to himself and looked to the ceiling as he levitated the horn ring box from where it was hidden in his tail. “I was going to propose about five minutes ago. Before you went completely off the edge.” His tone was conversational, almost lethargic.

Twilight dropped to her haunches and stared at the now open box as it was held in the indigo glow. It was a deep purple star amethyst set beautifully in a golden horn ring. No diamond encrusting, no filigree or engravings. It was beautiful in its simplicity, like her.

“Horizon...” Twilight bit a hoof down in her mouth as she began to cry. There were no words to describe her sorrow as it welled from her belly. The horn ring box was placed delicately on the observatory floor between them.

Horizon straightened his scarf and looked down at his fillyfriend. He raised her chin with a forehoof and looked into her eyes as they filled with genuine tears. She really did love him, he could see it. He had to make sure the night didn’t end this way. He had to get to the machine.

She met his gaze with her own as he leaned forward and kissed her. Twilight closed her eyes and reached a hoof up to pull him deeper into the kiss. But the sensation was fleeting as a loud crack filled the air and her lips were met with nothing but air. She opened her eyes and saw the observatory was empty. She looked down at the horn ring box and was entranced. He loved her.

The door to the observatory was thrown open and a cloudy white mare rushed into the room, followed by a deep blue unicorn, a snow white stallion, and a pink Alicorn Princess.

“Who cast the magic? Why were you yelling!?” Twilight Velvet was scanning the room hurriedly as she looked for signs of a magical struggle, finding nothing out of the ordinary her gaze returned to the lavender mare kneeling in the center of the room.

Night Light used his magic to open the dome once again and as the delicate light from the moon and stars poured in there was a bright twinkle that caught everyone’s eyes.

The star amethyst horn ring was still nestled in it’s box in the middle of the room, only centimeters from Twilight’s face as she had tears flowing from her eyes all the way down her neck to her navy blue scarf. The purple gem shone brilliantly even under the faint illumination from the night sky that crept in.

Everypony looked at the ring, stunned in silence.

“He left.”

Twilight Velvet didn’t need to hear her daughter say one more word. Her horn glowed with a blinding intensity and she winked out of existence.

Night Light cursed under his breath and quickly slid to kneel at his daughter’s side and nuzzle her. “I’m so sorry Twily, I’m sure he was just surprised that’s all. Shining will find him and we can straighten this all out. It’s going to be okay.”

Twilight was in her own universe as she kept staring at the flawless gem before her, sparkling in the low light. “He... left me. I... failed.”

Night Light squeezed his daughter closer and looked to Shining imploringly.

Shining Armor nodded at his father, “I’ll get the guards ready. They’ll still listen to me. It shouldn’t be hard to find one stallion on the streets of Canterlot this time of the year.” As he made to leave the room, his wife stopped him.

“Wait! Twilight, what happened, you still love him I can feel it. He didn’t break up with you, what happened when you told him? Why did he leave the ring?”

Twilight blinked tears from her eyes as her father wiped her face clean with the ends of her scarf. “Told him? What...” A spark flashed in the back of her mind as she replayed the conversation that just happened, “I-I didn’t tell him.”

Cadance gasped and looked to Shining Armor with grave concern.

Night Light was still confused, “Twilight what do you mean, why would he leave if you didn’t-”

“I didn’t tell him. He said he was going to fix it and I didn’t tell him. It was an argument about his stupid time machine and... I didn’t tell him. Oh... oh no.” Understanding dawned once more and exploded across her visage. “I didn’t tell him... oh NO!” Twilight jumped to her hooves as her horn flashed and she disappeared from the room.

Night Light was left staring in confusion at where his daughter once was. “What just happened?”

Cadance was the first to speak, “Shiny, run and get the guard, tell them to lock down the train stations, we have to find him. I will get Celestia and Luna. If temporal magic is involved we can’t be too careful. Night, I’m sorry, but I need you to take care of my daughter and wait here in case anypony comes back. Send a letter to Luna using the emergency spell if anything happens.”

“Understood.” The former Captain of the Guard replied.

Night Light simply nodded.

The Princess and the Prince flashed out of existence.

Night Light was alone in his observatory staring at his daughter’s engagement ring.

“Life is never dull with you, is it, Twily?”

9 - Strife

“As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.” -Henry David Thoreau

~~~

“Get back here you scoundrel!”

Horizon was galloping hard. His original plan of trotting to the train station and getting to Ponyville by rail was interrupted by one small factor he failed to account for.

“How dare you leave my daughter like that!”

Twilight’s mother.

The stallion turned to glance behind him as he rounded another corner into an alleyway. The older mare was somehow managing to keep up with him. Her efforts to grab and trip him up telekinetically had so far met with failure, but that was mostly because he had barely deflected them. Horizon knew he would have to put more distance between himself and his pursuer if he wanted to lose her. If she was on his trail it wouldn’t be long before Shining Armor and the entire Royal Guard was too.

*Shoom*

Another blast of magical energy whisked by Horizon. The light blue aura of the missile was pulsating with circular wave patterns. The stallion recognized the stunning spell that typical deflective spells weren’t strong enough to redirect. He would have to exert more energy to deflect these types of attacks. The stallion knew that moving from weak kinetic spells to debilitating ones was problematic. One good hit and he would down for the count.

Horizon kept galloping through the streets without direction. He knew the train station was no longer an option. And finding a pegasus carriage to take him to Ponyville would be nigh impossible at this time of night; but there was one other method he could risk, one that nopony would expect. He just didn’t know if it would be possible.

Horizon closed his eyes as he focused his breathing cycles. He felt his hooves plodding through the snow and slush of the alleyway in a regular rhythm. His heart rapidly pounding the cadence of his thoughts.

*Shoom*

One... Horizon cast a parabolic deflection spell to redirect a second stunning missile sent at him. It rebounded into a street lamp, blowing out the glass housing and grounding it into the filament, causing the entire street to flicker as the charge hit the wires.

“Curse you!”

Two... He cast a simple spatial searching spell, to identify whether the area two blocks ahead was empty or not.

“Stop running!”

Three... He erected a wall of magical kinetic energy behind him as he felt the mare closing in on him.

“OOF!” Twilight Velvet crashed into the deep blue field in a full gallop and fell onto her haunches in the snow.

Four... The stallion disappeared with a flash and snap. Catapulted two blocks ahead in a long-distance teleport.

There was a brief moment of silence. The falling snowflakes had parted to make way for the pony that appeared with a loud snap. The space that moments before was just air became full of a panting unicorn. Horizon slowed his momentum and let the ice cold air fill his lungs. His heavy hooves crunched down the fresh snow and clacked on the hard cobblestone underneath. He looked up to the night sky and breathed out a long slow breath of relief.

That was easier than I thought it would be.

*WHOOSH*

*CRACK*

The area in front of the stallion was blown clear of snow. Horizon reflexively shielded his eyes with a forehoof. The cobblestone street in front of him was occupied by a unicorn mare with her head bowed low to the ground. As she raised her muzzle to look at him, Horizon felt a wave of raw magic flow over him so familiar to that of his fillyfriends; It was terrifying and beautiful in its power.

Twilight Velvet’s sky blue eyes burned with intensity. Her horn was humming with a charged spell. Blood was dripping from her muzzle from her collision with the magical kinetic barrier. The elder mare snarled as a rivulet ran into her mouth and she breathed out a single threat.

“No more games.”

Horizon saw the horn lower once more and blindly jumped an approximation of two more blocks ahead again. His eyes and ears were once again met with the bright flash and loud snap that accompanied long distance teleportation. An instant later, he heard the distant sound of splintering wood and shattering glass. Horizon turned to look at where he once stood.

The sky blue wave of magical force had blasted out in front of Twilight Velvet and across the street. The snow whirled away which gave her a spare moment to take in the damage. There was no unconscious stallion crumpled into a heap. She huffed in frustration and a few blood drops flew to the snowy sidewalk. With a quick magical detection spell she found him again. She turned to look at Horizon further up the street and snarled.

As the mare made eye contact, Horizon shivered, but not from the cold. The entire storefront of the building across the street from where he stood moments before had been destroyed. That spell at point blank would have given him a concussion at best and broken bones at worst. Even from a distance, the gaze that now met his eyes was enough to make his legs weak.

Horizon saw her horn charge up again and he quickly uttered a prayer to Celestia. The moment he flashed away in another blind teleport, the cloudy grey mare appeared almost exactly where he had been. She didn’t bother to show disappointment this time, with another rapid detection spell and a quick turn of her head she flashed away once more.

The chase was on again.

~~~

Twilight Sparkle was galloping through the streets of Canterlot as well. Her legs wanted to give out on her as she replayed the conversation over and over. The words they traded etching into her memory like a deep scar that would never heal. She had never imagined saying anything so cruel to anypony, especially her coltfriend. Her heart fluttered and she closed her eyes to blink away tears once more. The dampness on her face was bleeding out the heat of her cheeks as she felt shame, anger, embarrassment, and frustration all at once.

It became too much for her once again. She slid to a halt and leaned on the nearest street lamp. She took a moment to catch her breath and cast another resonance spell for what seemed like the tenth time in as many minutes. She knew the signature magical “scent” of her mother and coltfriend like the back of her hoof. But when she listened to the ripples in the aether it was like a pond in a rainstorm. Whatever they were doing, it was violent and fast.

Twilight felt her neck constrict once more as she fought down another sob. She prayed to Celestia that he would be safe, that they both would be safe she amended.

With a second detection spell Twilight calmed her breathing and began to count. She listened every half second and felt the waves flowing from all the unicorns around her. But one large emanations that she recognized hit her and startled her out of her thought process. It was almost as strong as when her brother cast his shield spell. And it came from her mother.

“Mom!” The young unicorn mare yelled. She turned towards the market square and lowered her horn to charge a long distance teleport. It was nearly twenty blocks away, but she wasn’t the Royal Pupil for nothing.

~~~

Horizon slid and ducked into the nearest market stall in the open square. He had managed to get a two teleport lead on the pursuing mare and he used the time to hide. The stallion gasped for air and held onto his left front foreleg. He took a moment to inspect the aching area. A debilitating missile spell had hit him just above the hoof and singed his blue coat. The real damage would be in the muscle tissue that lay underneath as the force of the spell was designed to penetrate dermal tissue and dissipate in the muscular fibers, causing tears that would manifest as extreme soreness. The ligaments and nerves were fine as he tested his flexibility and sensitivity, but the pain from the motion was almost unbearable. Galloping would be out of the option now.

* WHOOMF*

Horizon rolled to peek over the market stall counter in the direction the sound came from.

Twilight Velvet was standing tall on the second tier of the large marble fountain in the center of Canterlot’s market square. She was breathing rapidly, her mane was disheveled and the snowflakes that hit her horn evaporated instantly. The bleeding from her muzzle had stopped, but the fur from her nostrils to her neck was stained a deep red.

“You think you can hide from me!? You can’t run anymore, I made sure of that, and I will find you if you teleport again. Shining Armor will have the entire city locked down in a matter of moments. No pony hurts my daughter and gets away scot free!” She was swiveling and staring down every dark corner in the market. She cast multiple detection spells and listened to find a ripple of a long distance teleport over the background noise of the ancient Unicorn capitol. But nothing was nearby and nothing had his signature magical scent.

“Pfah! No matter, you can sit and stew like the coward you are. The Enchanter’s Eye will help me to find you!” Twilight Velvet closed her eyes and spread her hooves into a balanced stance as she focused on the complex magic. She bowed her head deep and her horn glowed once more as she spoke the incantation for the enhancing spell.

“Shit!” Horizon harshly whispered under his breath as he ducked down and cursed his luck. Of course, the mare trying to capture him had to be the professor of Magical Inscription at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. He closed his eyes and began silently moving his lips as his brain struggled to remember.

What was it? Enchanter’s Eye... Enchanter’s Eye... sees through dark and... NO!

Horizon began to thud the side of his head with his injured leg. The pain was sharp, but the adrenaline released into his system was jogging his memory.

Enchanter’s Eye... something hide... that’s it!

“The Enchanter’s Eye will aid your sight,

Penetrating barriers and dark like light.

But if you wish to be subtle and hide,

All you have to do is cool your hide!”

Horizon mentally cheered and briefly smiled as he recalled how terrible the mnemonics and memorization tricks were. They helped him to ace nearly every class at the damnable school, but he never imagined he would need to recall one for such an obscure spell.

He dropped himself onto the slush and snow and rolled around. His face, neck, barrel, legs and hooves were thoroughly drenched. He got back to his haunches in a low crouch and his teeth chattered as he listened to the sound of the mare’s hooves on the marble fountain. When he risked another glance up to the elder Twilight he did so with foolish pride. With a simple thought he smirked at the one who hunted him.

I always knew I was smarter than my teachers.

Twilight Velvet’s eyes glowed with a light blue aura. A small rune was floating above her head in a wispy smoke that showed that the enchantment was active. She turned once, rapidly scanning every market stall and road leading away from the large marble fountain in the center. On her second pass she went slowly, carefully, meticulously. She knew her adversary was cunning.

A sliver of light blue poked above a wooden counter in her peripheral for a moment. She turned her head to it instantly and it disappeared. The market stall it came from was partially tucked between several closer ones. The line of sight was direct, no other stalls behind it were in alignment and the cloth fabrics wouldn’t block the Enchanter’s Eye; but the wooden counter and its contents might. She knew she had found him.

Clever, a solid ‘A’ my diligent student, but you forgot the horn.

Horizon held his breath and listened intently to the sound of the market around him. The wind and the gentle flapping of the market stall fabric walls were the only sounds, the hoofsteps had stopped. He leaned back into the market stall counter and stared up at the tent flaps above him as he shivered.

She had looked right at me! He thought. How is that possib—

* FLASH *

Horizon’s thoughts were interrupted as his vision was filled with the eyes of his pursuer.

“Gotcha.”

Twilight Velvet lowered her horn and spread her stance as the quivering, soaking wet stallion in front of her looked at her in disbelief. His amazement began to fade as he grit his chattering teeth once more in frustration.

She released her spell.

* BOOM *

A parabolic wave of sky blue magical force exploded out of the market stall in a wide arc. A 20 meter high wall of wood and cloth debris flew through the air. The pressure wave slammed into the marble fountain and snapped the gilded wings off of the rearing Celestia and Luna statues. Bright and intricately designed fabrics and pennants littered the opposite half of the market as the wooden remains began to fall.

Twilight Velvet walked forward on unsteady hooves. The stall behind her collapsed as the supports for its front half finally met the ground on the other side of the square. She looked at the pennants, snow, and fabrics flying away and searched the now clear ground in a wide swathe in front of her. Again, there was no unconscious stallion crumpled in a heap of broken limbs. She had failed again.

“DAMN YOU, HORIZON!”

~~~

Twilight Sparkle blinked as she took in the sight before her. The large magical pulse she felt emanating from the market square moments before was obviously the cause of the destruction. Every unicorn in upper Canterlot must have felt it. It had only taken her a moment to teleport the great distance to the markets and trot to the point of origin, but there was nothing happening here now. She walked towards the center of the quiet square as the sounds of shouting in the distance drew closer. One sound carried over it all however, the sound of crying.

The young unicorn moved towards the mare as quickly as possible fearing the worst. She noticed a cloudy grey mare lying down next to the shattered wing by the base of the marble fountain. She appeared distraught and was holding a hoof to her muzzle where blood had been dripping down her neck. Twilight gasped at the sight of her injured mother.

“Mom?”

Twilight Velvet looked up quickly and made to rise and nuzzle her youngest child. But the magical exertions had clearly taken their toll on her as her legs buckled. The elder mare slumped forward once more. But the determination to be presentable for her daughter pressed her on.

Twilight Sparkle rushed forward and slid to her knees and joined her mother on the cold cobblestone. She rubbed her neck into her mother’s and did her best to support her as the elder Twilight slowly moved once more to stand.

“Twilight... I couldn’t stop him... I’m sorry. I did everything I could... There’s-” Twilight Velvet tried to sound as urgent as possible, but the exhaustion and hopelessness was weighing down her words.

“What happened?” Twilight asked with clear nervousness in her voice. She couldn’t imagine her coltfriend harming anyone intentionally, much less her mother. “That spell you cast... did it cause this?” She added with a hint of disappointment salting her voice.

The mother knew that tone. She knew exactly what her daughter was thinking. And she was right. “I... I was just trying to stop him, I didn’t mean to...” her words fell short as she took in the damage all around. Citizens and guards were filling the square to marvel at the destruction and see what had caused the noise.

Twilight Sparkle stared at her mother, shifting her gaze from eye to eye as the cloudy grey mare looked to the damage she had wrought in shame. It wasn’t the first time her temper had caused her to behave irrationally, but it was definitely the worst.

“You could have killed him.”

“Twily, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”

“NO! You weren’t thinking, again! Why can’t you just trust me instead of going crazy!”

“Twilight, I was doing what was best for you!”

“What’s best? Take a look around, Mom! Does this look like what is best? This is exactly the kind of thing that Celestia works so hard with me to prevent. What is she going to think of us now?” Twilight Sparkle groaned and rolled her eyes. She remembered the “want it, need it” incident all too clearly. “Why did I have to inherit this part of your personality.” She spoke softly, but audibly.

The mother was angry once more as she spoke, “If he was a real stallion, he would do anything to ensure that his child was safe! Just as I do for my child! No parent runs away from the most important thing in their life!” She lowered her voice and took a calming breath before holding a hoof to her daughter’s side and adding, “You have always been the most important thing in my life, Twily, my namesake. And now you are two of the most important things in my life.”

Twilight Sparkle sighed as she walked away from the upset mare in front of her. She looked up to the stars and took a deep breath and waved her hoof in a calming gesture before turning around and addressing her mother once more. “He doesn’t know, Mom.”

Twilight Velvet was aghast. “What!? B-but you-”

“I didn’t tell him, I... forgot. I was just so angry with him because he lied about... ugh... it’s this time machine he has invented. It is confusing him and-”

“Stop. What did you say?” The mother fixed the daughter with an icy glare.

“It’s a time machine. He made it yesterday and turned it on. I don’t know how it works.”

“Temporal Magic!? Are you insane? How could you let such research take place?”

“I had no idea before last night, Mom! What was I supposed to do, destroy his life’s work before Hearth’s Warming Day? Call the guards and have him arrested? He’s an inventor for Celestia’s sake!”

The mares were interrupted as a white stallion flanked by two royal guards charged forward to the source of the shouting.

“Twily! What in Tartarus happened here?” Shining Armor addressed both of the female members of his family at the same time.

The sister looked to the brother and simply pointed a hoof to the mother. “Guess.”

Twilight Velvet looked insulted as Shining Armor simply closed his eyes and nodded.

“Don’t look at me like that! I had no choice, he was going to run away, I had to cripple him.” Twilight Velvet stopped and regretted her choice of words instantly.

“CRIPPLE!?” Twilight Sparkle’s horn began charging up.

Shining Armor stepped in front of his mother and looked at his sister with fear.

“Twily. Please calm down. I can do my best to control this situation, but not without your help. Please, help me.” The brother pleaded as he stood defensively in front of the mother.

Twilight stomped a hoof once more and shook her head. She shut her eyes tight as the magic faded from her horn once more. Shining Armor nodded to his sister as she opened her eyes and looked crestfallen. “It’s going to be ok Twily, we can help you. You aren’t alone.” Shining moved closer and hugged her. Twilight relaxed into the embrace and thanked the stars once more that she had such a caring older brother.

“I’m so sorry, Twily.” The elder mare watched her progeny arguing over her and it nearly brought her to tears again. “I just hit his foreleg with a muscle debilitating spell to stop him from running. I didn’t mean to do any permanent damage.” She leaned into her son as she felt the sobs coming once more.

Shining Armor dismissed the nearby royal guard with a nod, they each moved to begin crowd control and to tell the citizens to return to their homes. A moment of silence passed while the trio of unicorns held onto each other and collectively calmed down.

The younger mare wasn’t about to ask how a debilitating spell escalated into a kinetic wave that destroyed half of the upper Canterlot market square. She could just take solace with the knowledge he was alive. “Which way did he go?” Twilight Sparkle asked quietly.

“You... You’re not mad?” The mother asked.

“Of course I’m mad! You probably gave him rhabdomyolysis or worse! But I don’t have time to think about it and every second we stand here bickering like foals the closer he gets to doing something crazy.” Twilight Sparkle huffed and looked around the square at the slowly clearing crowds as the royal guards began to move back and forth assisting the fireponies with clearing debris.

“Twilight, I’m sorry. I didn’t see which way he went. He just disappeared after I... lost control.” She paused once more to look at the destruction around her and to grip her son once more. “I know you are upset, but I love you so much. I just don’t know how to show it sometimes. I know I’ve done enough harm as it is. But please, let me give you what little strength I have left.” Twilight Velvet looked to her lavender daughter and smiled hopefully.

Before the daughter could respond, Shining Armor added, “I may be a prince now Twily, but this sort of thing is way over my head. I’ll give you as much as I can too.”

The royal pupil turned back to her mother and brother. She bowed her head in understanding. With a wordless nod Shining Armor did as well. Twilight Velvet slowly joined her children as they closed their eyes and prepared the spell.

All three touched horns and a light blue aura from a cloudy grey horn was joined by a pink one from a white horn. Both flowed into the violet red aura around the lavender horn. Twilight clenched her jaw as the surge of energy overcharged her senses and was awash in the emotion that carried it. Unconditional love.

With a gasp, all three pulled away and the mother collapsed into the forelegs of the son as they both sat on the cobblestone and breathed heavily. Twilight Sparkle shivered as all of her hairs stood on end from the magical boost. Her thought process was cleared like a clean slate and she began to think on overdrive.

“Have they stopped the trains yet?” The younger mare asked as she hummed with energy.

“The guards should get to the station any minute now. The pegasi scouts went first to stop the departures through Ponyville. The unicorns will be there shortly to search for him. Cadance was heading for the castle.” Shining Armor stated.

“Then I’ll head for the trains first, there’s no other way for him to get back to Ponyville unless he sprouts wings.” Twilight looked in the direction of the Grand Central train station and began to focus.

Twilight Velvet opened her eyes to look at her daughter as her breathing slowed down. “Good luck Twilight, I love you, so much.”

“Go get him, Twily.” Shining spoke as he held his mother who slowly drifted to sleep from overexertion.

Twilight Sparkle nodded. She used her magic to pull her navy blue scarf tight once more and blinked away in a supercharged teleport, directly to Canterlot Grand Central from the market square in the heart of the city.

~~~

Horizon limped through Canterlot as he wheezed in pain. Street by street he made his way to the royal grounds, taking a moment to cut down a random alleyway every time guards ran by. The royal study was in sight, he only had a few more blocks to go.

He leaned against a streetlamp and groaned in pain. The magical exertion of his last panicked teleport was throwing off his balance and making his stomach churn. Walking on three legs was difficult enough without vertigo and a migraine. The headache was punctuated with a burst of pain in the base of his horn every time he put any weight on his injured leg; but walking was the only option now, if he teleported again, he risked detection.

With a growl of determination he pulled his lavender scarf tight again and remembered why he was doing it. He was going to make it perfect for Twilight. His love deserved nothing less. Horizon continued to walk on three hooves through the snow once more towards the ivory tower in the distance. He had to get to the machine.

~~~

Spike was sitting on his haunches and staring at the oven with his arms crossed. Long sharp claws clacked against his forearm scales as they tapped a rhythm in annoyance. His draconic eyes watched the egg timer count down slowly. The comically small chef hat on his head was impaled by a large green spine and flopped to the side with every impatient twitch of the large sinuous wings.

“Curse you oven, cook faster! Twilight could be here any minute!”

Spike had always taken his food seriously. Especially when it was his freshly baked home-made triple-decker nut-crazy vanilla cream cookies. The kitchen in Twilight’s study had always been his domain. He made sure that the mare didn’t get anywhere close to the cupboards. Somehow she could use a bunsen burner to brew experimental potions just fine, but couldn’t cook more than tea or coffee to save her life. The well stocked kitchen had every utensil he would ever need and each was ergonomically designed to work with his clawed hands; but one thing always made him miss his little kitchen in the Ponyville library. The teenage dragon regretted most that his special heart embroidered apron no longer fit him. Getting batter in his scales was impossible to clean out, especially when his internal heat caused them to harden.

The timer ticked down one minute.

“AUGH!” Spike groaned in frustration. he turned on his heel and waddled out of the kitchen, ducking low to avoid the doorframe. He made his way to the main floor and curled up around his large bowl of gems. He still had dinner to finish after all. Another lonely meal for a lonely dragon.

“Scree!”

Spike looked up to the vaunted ceiling to see the burning contrail of a large phoenix as it entered through the special entrance made for it at the highest window. As the majestic bird lazily spiraled down to the lower levels of the ivory tower it tilted its wings to slow its descent. Back winging to stop its momentum just above its favorite perch.

With a plop and a, “caw”, Peewee landed on Spikes head and raked its claws to fluff the chef hat before folding its wings in, puffing its chest out, and burrowing in to enjoy the warmth.

“Peewee, do you always have to sit there?” Spike looked up to the puffy mound of white hanging lopsided off of his head. The chef’s hat was accented with orange wing tips that poked over the edge. Spike may have been in an abysmal mood for the last month of his “vacation” but his best friend for life made it bearable, somewhat. Nobody else aside from Celestia made any effort to talk to him–and aside from re-reading and re-organizing every scrap of paper in the library that he and Twilight collected, there wasn’t much entertainment.

“Ca-caw, scree chirp chirp.” The young phoenix responded.

Spike sighed, “Hello to you too. Yes, those are cookies,” Peewee raised his head and looked down over Spike’s forehead to look the dragon in the eye excitedly, “and no you can’t have any, those are for Twilight.”

“Cheep skraw chirp chirp peeoowee.”

“Well, if Twilight wants to share with you she can, but since you were too busy to even say ‘hello’ earlier today I doubt she will.” Spike responded with a smug and satisfied look.“Let that deserter fare without his dessert!” He thought.

“Cheep chirp ca-skraw cluck, skra cheep.”

“What? I am not jealous! I could have a special somebirdy err... somedragon if I wanted. There just aren’t any female dragons around, or maybe you haven’t noticed because your head is up in the clouds all the time.” Spike was getting angry and eating his gems faster and faster. It had been a stressful day already. He hated when Peewee had just come back from visiting... Her.

“Squaawk tweet skra skra, whit woo.”

“Ugh, no Peewee, I don’t want to hear about how you ‘heated things up tonight’.” Spike began to curl further into himself and clutch his bowl of gems tighter. He lowered his head, narrowed his eyes, and munched his gems by the clawful. The young phoenix was so optimistic and energetic that by contrast it was actually depressing and draining to be around him. His eternal gregariousness did nothing but throw Spike’s depression into sharp relief.

“Caw-cheep, skra-skraw, squawk tweet chirpee. Pip tweet ca-cuckcoo coo, cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck...”

“Aww gross Peewee! How many times do I have to tell you I don’t want to hear about a cloaca ever again! Disgusting.” Spike put his nearly empty bowl of gems aside, losing his appetite at the graphic description of his best friend’s carnal activities.

“Peeoowee whit, Peeoowee coo whit cawee” The teenage phoenix melted into a smile of contentment as he thought of his very special somebirdy. He was of course referring to none other than Philomena, the immortal pet of Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia. As the only two phoenixes in Canterlot it would only be a matter of time before biology took its course. Peewee didn’t mind having a nestmate with a great deal of experience either.

Spike was unswayed by his friends lovesick behavior, “We do not speak her name! She is the burner of bro-bridges. The flame-setter-to of friendships. The winged wedge that widens our wonderful way of life. The clawed corruptor of cool phoenixes everywhere!” Spike paused his dramatic gesticulation and alliteration when he noticed the frantic chirping coming from above his head. He had been loudly stomping and pacing as his frustrations mounted. His best friend for life was hanging on desperately to the chef hat he loved so much as the large dragon bristled.

“CA-CAW! Skree squawk! Skra-skra chirp chirrup.” Peewee flapped his wings in desperation and held onto the chef hat with all of his strength.

Spike paused his angry pacing as he heard his companion and realized the amount of noise he was making.

Peewee’s right, we don’t want to guards to break down the door again, Spike thought.

The dragon slowly walked towards the golden and marble perch that Celestia had brought specifically for Peewee to sleep on. With a gentle claw and a grumble Spike took off his chef hat and placed it onto the ash tray under the gilded rod that was Peewee’s designated spot.

“You stay there and cool off, mister! Celestia had that made specifically for you and it’s about time you start using it. No more sleeping on me anymore. I don’t want a repeat of last week.” Spike shuddered as he thought of the morning he woke up covered in ashes. He was afraid he had sneezed and incinerated his honor-bound brother in his sleep and cried for nearly fifteen minutes before the ashes coalesced back into a laughing phoenix. Spike then learned that Peewee was actually flameproof, in a rather unscientific way.

As Peewee fixed his fluffy white makeshift nest once more he turned a full rotation and plopped back down to glare at his slightly older dragon friend. “Squawk, pip skra...”

“Yeah, I am still upset about it. Your prankster girlfriend is rubbing off on you too much.”

“Ca-ca-ca-ca chirrup.” The phoenix laughed.

“Come on man, that’s not what I meant and you know it. Now you stay there and behave while I go back to the kitchen.” Spike turned on his heel and marched away from the phoenix who he loved like a little brother.

“Cluck, twitter cheep.”

Spike turned and gave the most offended stink eye he could at his friend. “How could he tweet such a thing?”

Before Spike could leave the main room and return to his cookies, the door was thrust open and a shivering Horizon fell forward into the warm room. Peewee and the dragon stared at the sight in front of them. The deep blue unicorn was a mess, his lavender scarf was dripping wet as was his coat. He was clutching his hoof to his chest and gritting his teeth as he rose to stand. Before either of the royal study occupants could address the stallion, he asked.

“Spike, where are the STAR crystals?”

~~~

*FLASH*

*CRACK*

Twilight Sparkle appeared at the train station to see families arriving from all around Equestria being greeted by their Canterlot relatives and hosts. A small crowd formed around her as she had appeared out of thin air. Her glowing eyes probably had something to do with that as well.

With a quick voice amplification spell she yelled, “WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE!”

A pegasus Royal Guard who noticed her arrival took to wing, moving to her quickly as possible while ponies began to look on in fear and shift uneasily at the sight of the loud glowing unicorn. Most who lived in Canterlot knew her instantly from her appearance. The royal protege of Princess Celestia was no stranger to these streets.

“Ms. Sparkle! There you are, we were told you would be arriving soon, but I did not expect you so quickly.”

“Report.” Twilight commanded as she began walking down the station checking the loading areas by the tracks. Nearly every train was letting passengers off. She cast a quick resonance spell. There wasn’t even a hint of another unicorn’s teleportation magic nearby.

The guard was taken aback at the seriousness of the mare. None of them knew exactly what was happening, just that the trains that ran through Ponyville were to be indefinitely delayed until the passengers could be searched. The order came down from Prince Shining Armor himself. “We have stopped the trains returning to Appleloosa, Dodge City, Los Pegasus, and Tall Tale via Ponyville. Only two had been scheduled to depart in the last few minutes, but there were hardly any passengers on the manifest and no tickets had been sold recently.” He trotted behind the mare as she swiveled her ears and lit her horn up every few paces. The pegasus guard knew she was searching for something, but couldn’t fathom what.

Twilight paused and closed her eyes, she lit her horn up and it pulsed a few wide omnidirectional bursts throughout the train station. She let out a breath she had been holding and looked to the ground with a sigh. “He hasn’t been here. There’s no trace of his magic.”

“Ms. Sparkle, if you told us what we were looking for we could possibly help. Right now we are all in the dark and not sure what to tell the ponies who are just trying to meet with their families during the holiday. They are worried that it might be dangerous to travel.” He paused as families moving by began to whisper and stare. “It, it isn’t something dangerous is it? You know how people get when the elements are involved, especially you.”

Twilight bit her lip and sighed. “We are looking for a unicorn stallion, he has a deep blue coat, brown hair, amber eyes and a boring cutie mark.” Twilight sardonically chuckled at the final descriptor. If she couldn’t find him with enhanced detection spells, she doubted some pegasi could, no matter how good their eyesight was.

“You mean your coltfriend?” The guard asked, genuinely confused.

“What!?” Twilight turned on the guard with barely checked anger.

“I’m sorry it’s just, well, everyone in the guard knows who he is. Princess Luna had us all memorize his appearance when you two were first courting. She said he was a potential risk to the safety of the nation, and even had some of us following him while he was in town for the first few months. I didn’t know he would actually be dangerous.” The guard said as calmly as he could manage. He chose to stick to the facts and not mention the more invasive methods they used to violate his privacy.

Twilight realized her mouth was hanging open. She would have to discuss this new information with Luna, in private. “Unbelievable.” she spat out.

“I’m sorry, it was just orders. We didn’t think anything would come of it. But if he’s done something to risk the safety of Eque-”

“He has done NOTHING of the sort.” Twilight bristled with anger and surged with energy. Unicorns all around the station turned instinctively to the feel of raw magic and began backing away.

The guard removed his helmet and looked nervously at Twilight as he leaned forward. “I am sorry if I have offended you, but it’s Hearth’s Warming Day and we are on a skeleton crew. I didn’t think I would have to lead an investigation into, whatever this is. Please, just let us know how we can help, we don’t want to cause any more panic than there already is.” He looked around at the crowd as ponies shuffled as quickly as possible to the exits. “Just tell us it’s going to be okay.” He was practically begging her, the fear was obvious on his expression.

Twilight blinked away her frustration and looked to the guard.

“It’s going to be fine.” She said.

~~~

Cadance literally flew through the entrance to the upper hallways of Canterlot Castle. The throne room had been empty and not a single guard knew where the Princess of the Night was, again. Luna had probably gone on another one of her “leave of absences” to some unknown corner of Equestria again. Cadance may be good at holding her tongue, but it was no secret to the Princess of Love that her grandmother had given herself to someone special. Someone who happened to follow the Wonderbolts tour schedule with uncanny precision.

But even the Wonderbolts had Hearth’s Warming Day off.

As she approached the five meter tall solar emblazoned doors to her aunt Celestia’s private chambers as she addressed the guards. “I want you to find Luna, now. It’s an emergency.” The pair nodded and galloped down the hall.

Cadance quietly entered the bedroom and moved towards her aunt’s bedside.

Celestia awoke to the sound of her chamber door being opened and turned to look up at her niece Cadance as she looked down at her. “Cadance? What’s the matter?” She blinked away the pleasant dreams of days gone by and friends long past as the visage of a young pink alicorn filled her field of view.

As the leader of the Crystal Empire opened her mouth to answer the leader of the Equestrian nation, there was a terrifying roar.

~~~

Shining Armor and every other pony in the market square turned as one to look towards the castle. A gigantic gout of green flame burst through the side of the royal study. The tower of swirling green fire burnt up the side of the pristine marble building and spewed black smoke into the night sky, obscuring the stars to the west. A second roar followed suit and a concussive blast of heat seemed to radiate from the tower as the windows were all blown out and the ceiling began to crumble and chip like an eggshell.

Shining Armor had no words to describe what he saw next.

~~~

Twilight Sparkle and every pony in the train station turned to watch as the Ivory tower lit up the night sky in a bright green magical fire. From this side of town it looked like the building had spontaneously burst into flames. Then the sound reached them.

A roar of pain and anger. Hurt and confusion. Twilight Sparkle felt her heart skip a beat as she remembered in excruciating detail the last time she heard that sound. Manehattan, only four weeks ago. Spike had lost control again.

There was a second of shocked silence as every pony in the station watched the building in awe. Then the second roar came, more terrifying and powerful than the first. The roof of the burning tower began to crumble and crack, rising higher until with a final shove a large dragon burst from the top and spread its wings. The night sky framed the mottled purple and green silhouette of the draconic monstrosity as it tested its wings and rose into the night sky. It looked down once to the tower with a calm expression that few ponies would recognize as regret and mourning, but Twilight could see that his heart was heavy with terrible sorrow. She just wished she knew why.

Then it raised its neck once more and roared, a sound of anguish, as it swiveled its entire body to dive down the southern shelf towards Ponyville.

Twilight watched in awe. Spike was flying, but she didn’t know why he would head to Ponyville or why he would destroy the study. The only thing in the old tower was her personal copies of research notes, a great deal of un-unique books, copies of her friendship reports, and the presents she sent with the...

The STAR crystals.

Twilight snapped out of her trance as the screams of mass hysteria broke through to her.

She closed her eyes and teleported to the safest place she knew.

~~~

Cadance and Celestia rushed to the balcony and threw the double doors open to the winter night. They watched in awe as Spike took to wing in a clumsy manner and swooped over the edge of the city towards Ponyville. His roar echoing far into the distance as every light in canterlot turned on and screams filled the streets.

*CRACK*

“Princess!”

Celestia and Cadance both turned as a weakened Twilight Sparkle fell to her knees in the center of the bedroom.

“Twilight, what is happening.” Cadance turned and quickly moved to Twilight. Celestia continued to watch the dragon recede into the distance. No pony noticed the single tear that fell down her cheek.

Twilight stood up from where she arrived after the enhanced teleport. “I’ll explain on the way, we have to get to Ponyville. I’m the only one who can calm him down. He... He needs me.”

Before either alicorn could answer, a third swooped down onto the balcony to address the group.

“Rainbow Dash is already heading to Ponyville to begin evacuation. I will carry Twilight to Spike.” Luna already was lifting Twilight with her magic and placing her on her back preparing to take wing. Her expression bore no humor as she wasted little time in preparing to carry the unicorn for the long flight.

Cadance widened her eyes in surprise, at least now she now knew exactly who the mystery pony was, or mare to be specific. Luna flapped her wings a few times and shuffled Twilight to balance her. She met her distant daughters wide eyes with a hint of a knowing smile and a brief wink. The youngest princess smiled briefly, despite the chaos, and was happy for her distant mother.

“Cadance, what is happening.” Celestia intentionally avoided eye contact with Twilight as she turned to her niece. Her tears had slowed, but had not dried completely.

Cadance noticed the fading tears, but could convey only confusion as the elder alicorns looked to her for explanation. The Princess of Love was aided by her sister-in-law.

“Princess Celestia, please, I can explain on the way, but there’s no time to lose.” Twilight pleaded. Luna nodded her head in agreement and stretched her wings to test her balance. She unconsciously began to scrape a forehoof at the thought of flying into danger.

Celestia simply looked to the burning building below and then once more to the dragon as he shrunk in the distance to the quiet village to the south. “Cadance, take care of my city.” Celestia commanded her niece.

“Of course.” The youngest princess replied.

As Celestia took wing and rose into the air she was joined by her sister. As one, they swooped low off the balcony toward Ponyville.

“I hope for our friends sake that we can reach him in time, my most faithful student.”

Twilight nodded her understanding at her mentor beside her as she gripped the dark alicorn tighter and hoped as hard as she could.

~~~

The Ponyville library was dark, quiet, and cold. The statue of Mareistotle kept silent watch over the yards of literature and reference texts from the center of the library. The snowy streets of Ponyville outside were empty. Families were inside and had finished exchanging gifts, the foals who were tired from a day of playing with their new toys were ushered to bed. The soft light of the moon cast a silvery light onto the oaken floor of the tree house through the upper windows. Then peace was interrupted as five crystals began to glow and vibrate.

Horizon’s senses were assaulted with an intense heat, a metallic smell, and a blindingly bright light. Vertigo washed around and through him as he felt the sensation of falling in every direction at the same time. He focused as hard as possible on maintaining the field that would ensure his entire body arrived - and in the same configuration it was in when he left Canterlot - theoretically. He clenched his teeth hard enough to make his jaw hurt, he pushed more energy through his horn than he ever had before. The hurt of his foreleg was nothing compared to the wall of pure pain below his horn.

And just like that it was over. The stallion barely had a second to open his eyes before he stumbled forward and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor. He retched twice more before he realized how much weight he was putting on his bad hoof and he rolled onto his side to take the pressure off. His mind exploded in pain as his head rolled to bump his horn on the floor. He attempted to shout in agony, but his sound was blocked by another stream of sick that was forced out his mouth. He tried to breath in between the heaves, but realized his nostrils were now bleeding from the magical overload. With gasps and coughs he spit the blood and vomit out of his airways. He coughed and took what air he could into his lungs.

His vision was doubled as he struggled to focus on anything besides the sensation of his horn melting through his brain like a white hot rod of iron. His vision began to shrink from the edges. He struggled to crawl to the basement door for a brief moment, thinking only of the urgent need to get to the machine. Numbness took over his limbs and his world became dark.

The library was silent once more.

Horizon opened his eyes with a gasp. His breath tasted of copper, wood polish, and oak. He raised his head and saw the congealed outline it had left on the polished oak floor. The stallion groaned and made to stand on his hooves, but fell back down as a wave of nausea and vertigo washed over him. His dry mouth laced every gasp and hiss of pain with metallic and acidic flavors. The hurt of his many injuries was a warm blanket now and it simply prickled his overloaded senses as he rose to his hooves.

He knew he had to get to the machine. There was no going back from what he had done.

He walked slowly and with purpose to the basement door. He opened it with a weary hoof and took the stairs one at a time. When he reached the machine, he gripped the drop cloth with his mouth and slowly pulled it back to reveal the silent box covered in magical runes. With a brief sigh and a shaking hoof, he turned the latch and opened the door. The inside was completely dark and unwelcoming. He simply stared into the maw of his greatest creation for a moment. He knew the trip back in time would take almost 24 hours if his theory held water. He shivered as he remembered that it was only last night that he decided to turn it on and began to contemplate the amount of ruin that had befallen him since then.

The stallion looked down to his lavender scarf. It was stained with his blood in a few places now. It would need to be washed, purified, renewed, like so much else that went wrong tonight. He remembered again why he was doing this, why he had to follow through with it. With renewed resolve, he grabbed a pillow and blanket from the couch he had just last night spent hours with his love on, doing nothing more than watching movies. He remembered the observatory dome, her harsh words and her tears. He remembered how her mother had turned on him, how Spike had turned on him. He grit his teeth and tossed the pillow and blanket into the machine.

Horizon vowed to never let anything come between them again.

There was an odd sound coming from above him. A dull murmuring which carried faintly through the doorway. Then the talking and bustling devolved into shouts and screams. The unicorn turned to look up the stairs, past all of his and his fillyfriends laboratory equipment to the open door and listened to the sounds of panic and confusion. The wind seemed to be picking up as well.

Then the entire foundation of the tree house, from the roots to the meter thick oak walls shook. The sounds of splintering wood and rustling leaves invaded the sanctity of the library. Horizon watched in awe as the bookcases from the main floor were shook and snapped by a terrible force. The basement groaned at the stresses. Then a roar that he had hoped to never hear again assaulted his ears.

Spike had followed him.

Horizon didn’t waste a single moment. The stallion dove into the safety of the quantum locked box and turned to the small door to close it. His horn glowed as he charged up the spell that would discharge the temporal energy stored in the runes and reverse the flow of time in the box. As he pulled on the handle with his weak hoof he saw the walls alight with a flash followed by the loud crack of a teleport. The bright and familiar red-violet glow of unicorn magic illuminated the basement. As he finished closing the door he heard a voice over the sound of a great tree being torn asunder.

“Rize! Wait, I lo-”

Twilight’s words were cut off as the box was sealed once more and Horizon’s spell released its energy. There was a spark of light that jumped from his horn to the interior of the box which seemed to rapidly divide upon contact with the runes. The entire inside surface of the box crackled with static and sparks and then everything was dark. All was quiet except for the sound of the sole occupant.

“I love you too.”

1 - Hearth's Warming Eve

A/N: This story exists because of the film Primer. We exist because those who invent Time Travel are smart enough to never use it.

I hope you enjoy the story.

– LiamNeighson

~~~

“Time makes fools of us all. Our only comfort is that greater shall come after us.” – Eric Temple Bell

~~~

It is December 24th, 1006 AN (Anno Noctis) for the first time.

The quiet streets of Ponyville are being covered in a blanket of delicate snow that erases hoofprints like the tides of an ocean. The heavy grey clouds directly over the village provide the snowfall but the distant horizon is clear to let the sunset light up their bellies. The twilight rays shine across the sky and clouds in a palette of timeless beauty to any who would take a moment to look up and enjoy it.

A navy blue unicorn stallion plods down the street levitating a copious amount of presents and food. He waves greetings to fellow villagers as he passes by, his legs unburdened but his horn glowing from the magical strain of so many festive gifts. His destination looms in front of him, obscured by the flotilla of gaily wrapped gifts, the Golden Oaks Library.

A lavender unicorn mare is wrapping a navy blue scarf around her neck and withers, the color of her coltfriend. She runs a brush through her mane for the 88th time in the last hour as her magic juggles levitating several ribbons and tape rolls about her as she finishes wrapping her present last minute. She is also levitating two important pieces of paper that she furiously reads through while micromanaging her other task. Her hairs still threaten to burst out into uncontrolled vectors as she rushes to complete her most important item on her checklist while catching up on the letter that Derpy just delivered.

Checklist:

WRAP PRESENT FOR HORIZON

Letter:

"Dear Twilight,

I hope this letter gets to you before you depart for Canterlot in the morning. Your father and I have been so excited to finally have you back home for the holidays. It seems like only yesterday that you were here performing in the Canterlot pageant. I can't tell you how many times I hear about how you were the most believable Clover the Clever ever! (ugh, mom) But nothing gets more compliments than your efforts to help save Equestria during your brothers wedding. Night Light likes to retell it as mostly Shining and Cadance but I think we both know who the real hero was! Oh I know you had already saved Equestria twice before then, so maybe this one could be split evenly between you and Shining, sharing is caring! (sigh) And dear, you have done so much for Equestria since then, I mean really the princesses should be giving you some time off from adventuring. You have a life to live after all, and you aren't. Getting. Any. Younger. 26 years old is about the proper time for a mare, such as yourself, to be thinking of a wedding of your own. (here we go...) And if that coltfriend of yours isn't stallion enough to ask the princess' prized pupil and the multi-savior of Equestria for her hoof in marriage after nearly a year then you either make him or SHAKE HIM, filly! (REALLY? MOM!)

Twilight dear, it's your father. (Yes dad, I know your horn writing.) I have had to rescue this letter from the telekinetic clutches of your mother because she started dictating at the end there and Cadance was getting ready to fire the love spell before she started foaming at the muzzle. While she gets her egg nog fix I would just like to wrap up this letter saying that we love you and can't wait to see you, and Horizon, tomorrow. I know you will make the right decision Twilight, and I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't feel ready to do. (oh, dad.) But I have no problem pressuring Horizon into doing something he should be ready to do. (yep, too good to be true) Your mother and I love you very much and Shining, Cadance and Crystal can't wait to see Aunt Twilight. Please have a safe trip, I'll see you soon.

Happy Hearth's Warming Eve,

Night Light, and Twilight Velvet"

The flurry of telekinetic activity slows to a steady pace as Twilight finishes the letter and slips into the lukewarm feelings of family during the holidays.

The door to the library opens. Discord summons a bucket of popcorn.

"Twilight! I'm ho—"

Scissors and tape dispensers are hurled at transonic velocities towards the door of the library. Presents and food stuffs are launched in a defensive spread towards the incoming projectiles; Their attempts at intercepting them are mostly successful. One pair of scissors manages to evade the blockade of bundt cake and boons and buries itself within the oak door frame.

"Ahhh!" Twilight, screams.

"Sweet Celestia, Twilight! You almost killed me! Again!" Horizon yells mirthfully as his projected parcels roll to a halt all about the main floor of the library.

Twilight teleports within legs reach of him and immediately begins inspecting his coat for signs of blood or injury.

"Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorryso—"

"Twilight!" Horizon barks with a laugh as he watches the mare fuss all over him. She looks up at him expectantly, fearing that she may have actually hurt her coltfriend. "You missed a spot." Horizon calmly says, indicating his deep brown forelock with a hoof.

Twilight investigates the indicated portion of her beloveds mane while he simply rolls his amber eyes and looks into her purple irises. "I was talking about your mane, crazy head." Twilight blinks in understanding before telekinetically grasping her brush from where it came to rest on the floor and straightens out her bangs.

"I'm not a crazy head..." Twilight says as she pouts, hopefully covering up that her adrenaline levels are dropping from Hydra to Manticore. "And besides! You never know when an assassin could burst into the library at any moment, I am a Very Important Pony after all!" Twilight puffs out her chest and waves the brush like a torch of truth and justice.

"I know you are starbutt, why else would I be dating you?" Horizon pulls her into a deep kiss and kicks the door shut with a hind hoof as he backs her up into the library main table and begins pushing aside the presents and fruit cake scattered about.

Twilight sighs into the kiss and lets her tail fan against the table next to the bust of Mareistotle as her hindquarters are lifted onto the flat surface. Horizons forehooves reaching down her flank as he begins to grasp her...

"WAIT!"

"What is it Twi? I'm just happy to see you." Horizon teases her playfully as he caresses her cheeks, both of them.

"Ahem! As much as I would like to indulge in the Hearth's Warming Eve foreplay, which is actually scheduled for after dinner, the library is now a mess thanks to—"

"You" Horizon interjected.

"—Us." Twilight rebutted. "And must be cleaned before the evening can continue as planned." Twilight said smugly crossing her forehooves as she trapped her coltfriends own forehooves to the table with her purple posterior.

"Is Rarity here?" Horizon deadpans. Twilight glares. "Huh, weird. I mean for a second there it almost sounded like Rarity was talking and..."

"Wasn't funny the first time, linebutt." Twilight narrowed her eyes even further.

"Oh come on starbutt you know I'm only teasing, there's no reason to start insulting my special talent." Horizon was hoping to derail Twilight from the 'cleaning' train of thought onto 'battle of wits' train of thought because that usually devolved into passionate lovemaking.

"It's not my fault someone whose special talent is futuristic and theoretical magic happened to get the most BORING cutie mark in the HISTORY of ponykind." Twilight gesticulated animatedly and rolled her eyes.

Horizon smirked, just as planned.

"yes, yes," Twilight continued, "as much as I am drawn to the stunning secant line on your flank and marvel at all it implies this room must. Be. Cleaned. No ifs ands or flanks about it, no pony argues with the Sparkle Schedule!"

Horizons grin slowly shifted into a neutral expression as he calculated his next move.

"And don't think I'm not onto you!" Twilight prodded him in the chest. "I know you well enough now to see what you are planning, it's written all over your terrible poker face, but you will NOT distract me from this category five mess!"

"Well I guess I'm just going to have to revise the schedule." Horizon grins hungrily as he levitates the pieces of paper from the table and begins visibly scanning for a quill.

Twilight notices that he is magicking the checklist mentioning his present... And the letter from her PARENTS! Twilight immediately incinerates them both. Acceptable losses, checklist, you will be remembered. "Oops! Hehehe I guess you're just going to have to take my word for it!"

Dropping to all four hooves and sighing exasperatedly Horizon lets out a "Yes, dear." and begins stacking items onto the main table to be mass teleported to Canterlot. Twilight hops off the table, swats her tail once to align her highlights and begins to gather the tape rolls and scissors from the various parts of the tree they were embedded into. All the while basking in her glorious victory as her desire for order conquered her stallions desire for kisses!

~~~

Horizon finished stacking the last piece of food from Sweet Apple Acres and Sugar Cube Corner onto the table and all the presents from Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash as well. He carefully stashed a small box into his saddlebags after picking it up without Twilight seeing and thanked Celestia she didn't notice.

~~~

"What's with this one wrapped in old copies of the Foal Free Press?" Twilight asked indicating an obviously flight goggle-shaped item on the table.

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash said she was too busy to get anything sappy since she is still touring with the Wonderbolts but said that it was more like an investment since she's going to be super-extra-awesome-famous or something after she becomes team captain." Horizon stated wobbling the flimsy gift in his telekinetic grip.

"So... she's giving us her old stinky flight goggles." Twilight stated with no hint of doubt.

"Yeah."

A brief pause before they made eye contact. "Do we have a gift for Scootaloo yet?" Horizon asked with a knowing smirk.

"We do now!" Twilight affirmed.

~~~

The Sun dipped below the skyline and the last rays of daylight faded into the deepest black of a winter's night. Luna lit up the night sky with a gorgeous spectral aurora to accompany the ascent of the full winter moon. The perfection of the night was not lost on the thousands of ponies who would be staying up late to watch the annual Hearth's Warming Eve meteor shower as the sky would be lit up for a full hour after the clock struck midnight.

The ancient tradition of presents being delivered via shooting star to the hearths of homes all round Equestria by the Princess of the Night died after her lunar imprisonment. Celestia was never able to emulate the meteor showers and aurora as well as her fair sister, perhaps not only because of magical ability but because of how much it reminded her of her absence. And the ponies were all too happy to not continue the legend because foals should be afraid of what Luna became, Nightmare Moon. Thus Nightmare Night was born and celebrated ever since. The Winter holidays still felt happy with the closeness of friends and family but at least the foals would have another day to look forward to in the Fall season. A Night of games, treats and fun.

But since Luna's return, Celestia was all too happy to allow her sister to reclaim the night sky in its entirety. Ancient and worn constellations made way for new and vivid ones. Old heroes long forgotten replaced with the beginnings of new heroes. And Nightmare Moon could retain her holiday and become a silly game of fright for foals. While Luna could reclaim her own happy holiday that emulated what she truly loved, her winter moon. A moon that once held the sad visage of an imprisoned princess, glowing radiantly once again as ponies looked on not in fear, but happiness and love. Night time was, as always, the time for romance.

~~~

"Well I think that's everything now. The crystals are in position. Everything is properly oriented... I think that as long as we follow standard insertion procedures, everything should be perfectly fine... probably."

"Um, Twilight, are you sure you can handle this now? I mean we can do it in increments if you want instead of all at once."

"NO! No, I can do this. I was BORN to do this, I just gotta get ready with some stretches... whoo... Maybe a few breathing exercises... whoo... a couple math problems..."

"TWILIGHT!"

"Don't rush me! I've never done anything this big before! Especially not so MANY of them!"

"Twilight calm down, I know you've taken bigger packages than this before. Just try to focus on them one at a time, slowly."

"OK... I've got the first one now."

"Good, now the second one, start with the little ones, get a feel for them."

"Ok... yeah this is good. I can feel them all now, the bigger ones are going to take a little bit more effort but feeling out the smaller ones first is making it easier."

"Ok Twilight, you're doing great just listen to my voice ok."

"Ugh... yeah"

"Are you ok? Should we stop?"

"NO! No just do it now, I have them all. Do it now, Now, NOW!"

"Alright, Here it comes!"

*FLASH*

The crystals, meticulously aligned and placed onto the library table glow with residual magic. Twilight collapses to the floor splaying her hooves in all directions. Horizon opens his eyes and shakes his head to clear the ringing as smoke lightly trails from his horn. The mound of baked goods and gifts is no more, transported to Canterlot using a long-distance teleportation spell field method that Twilight invented.

"Did... Did it work?" Twilight blinks her eyes and shuffles her hooves under her to stand under her own power. Horizon walks to her and nudges her barrel affectionately and lifts her up. He smiles to her and simply says, "See for yourself, superstar!"

"Oh... Oh WOW! They are all gone, it worked! HAHA! Oh wow this is amazing I didn't know I could take so many at the same time, oh Celestia my head hurts but that felt so good!" Twilight hops around the library table doing her best Pinkie Pie impression. Almost as if she is trying to determine if viewing the table surface from another angle will reveal them from whatever hidden dimension she may have inadvertently phased them into.

"YESYESYESYESYESYESYES!"

"Twilight, Twilight take it easy, I mean come on I was the one who held the crystal field in place. All you did was build up the teleportation spell to encompass all the packages, and then align them to the exact location of your old study in Canterlot a hundred kilometers from here. Honestly I did all the work here I don't know why you insist on calling it the "Sparkle Teleportation Array Relay" when I do all the heavy lifting. I mean it's not like just any old unicorn can hold five crystals in such a precise orientation AND offer verbal support at the same time." Horizon chided playfully as Twilight stopped her celebratory YES dance.

"AHEM! The S.T.A.R. is an advanced magical theory that is still in its testing phase, it is only recommended that exceptionally gifted unicorns even attempt simple STAR transport! You should consider yourself lucky that you even had the rare pleasure of assisting me in this historic endeavor." Twilight slipped into her smug pedagogical behavior as she lifted her chin and closed her eyes enjoying every second of her magical prowess.

Horizon snuck up to her upturned muzzle and planted a feather light kiss on her lips as she opened her violet eyes to look up into his amber irises.

"And what does your number one most rarely pleasured assistant get as compensation for his contributions to this 'historical endeavor'" Horizon joked.

"The honor of making dinner!" Twilight sparkle decreed, the 'most rarely pleasured' part of the jibe making the first silent sonic rainboom as it shot over her head and crash landed in the Star Swirl the Bearded shelf.

Horizon groaned, she could be so adorkable sometimes. "Well what does my little starbutt want for her most special dinner of the year?" Twilight opened her mouth to speak. "WAIT! Let me guess... Hay fries... and... A daffodil sandwich!"

Twilight pouted and looked up into his mirthful amber eyes with sadness. "Am I really that boring to you?"

Horizon immediately felt the stab of guilt in his chest. Colder and harder than the icicles that ran off the faux-frosting top of sugar cube corner this late in December. It pierced his heart and drained all the foul black sarcasm and bitterness he had built up in his whole life of intellectual superiority and isolation. His aorta began pumping the dark red blood of sorrow into his heart to replace the vacuum of sharp wit and teasing comments. He could only salvage this night with one thing...

"Because I am not!" Twilight perked up. "I happened to make a very special dinner tonight for my very special somepony and it only took me 18 very special minutes at 400 very special degrees Fahrenheit!"

Horizons heart stopped. It attempted to restart. His brain was sending out red alerts along every nerve ending, trying to get some kind of status update. "Eighteen mi-mi... Did you say... four hundred?" Horizon sputtered. The adrenaline found his core. His heart started beating again. Blood flow returned to his extremities, if his stomach wasn't between his penis and his heart he would have had the beginnings of a throbbing erection but instead he had the extremely audible groans of a stomach attempting to digest the greatest food known to pony kind.

"Degrees means oven. Oven means delicious. 400 means more than 350 so not cookies. Conclusion: PIZZA!" Horizon spewed with a thousand yard stare.

"Right so far!" Twilight smiled wider than she had all night. Stallions... the best way to their heart is through their stomachs.

"Eighteen Minutes... That's two more minutes than sixteen minutes, the standard time for pizza. That can only mean one thing... STUFFED CRUST." Horizon felt the blood finally reaching his nethers now. He looked at his mare... His perfect lavender... brilliant... nerdy...

"Two for two, doctor you!" Twilight giggled at her own little joke and leaned in closer, her breath mingling with the hungry pants of her stallion.

"And because I love you so much," Horizon continued and Twilight simply nodded, " and you love me so much back it can only be one type of pizza."

Twilight leaned her forehead against his as he gazed hungrily into her eyes.

"Pineapple." Horizon released the word from his mouth like a weight was lifted from his barrel.

Twilight knew she had him now. "And you know what that means?" she drew out the last word and raised to her hind legs as they shouted out in unison...

"MOVIE NIGHT!"

~~~

Yes. They were nerds. Twilight Sparkle. Doctor of Magic. Horizon. Doctor of Magic. Two unicorns born and raised in Canterlot. They spent most of their lives studying in solitude and only met because they happened to attend the same annual Magic Convention in Canterlot earlier that year at the start of Spring. Coincidentally they both presented two entirely different theories of temporal magic. They argued fiercely on the presentation stage until they nearly came to blasts and had to be escorted out of the building, much to Princess Celestia's chagrin.

They argued some more on the street until Celestia lowered the sun. They continued to argue and had to be corralled and quarantined into the banquet hall of Canterlot castle by Princess Luna's night guard for disturbing the peace. They eventually became thirsty and couldn't be bothered to drink anything but what was at hand. Sweet Apple Acres Genuine Hard Cider.

It was then that Twilight learned that she didn't mix well with alcohol. In a daring attempt to prove her point that time only flows in one direction and that only one true time line exists, she transported herself 30 minutes into the past, and she remained in the past for 30 minutes. At least, if time travel worked the way Horizon argued that's how it would have started. Instead it happened the way Twilight argued.

The spell she used caused a time loop, Horizon perceived this in a very unique way. An increasingly attractive lavender mare standing in front of him who was matching him drink for drink as they continued to litter the royal dining table with mugs to visually explain their divergent theories of time travel had a marvelous thing happen. She suddenly became two increasingly attractive lavender mares.

Horizon failed to notice the swirly arcane energies prior to her appearance but he did notice her lowered inhibitions as she stumbled over to him and leaned across his barrel proclaiming, "HA! Now there's two of me! What'choo think 'bout THEM app... apples. W-wait... there's... something important I need to... do."

It was then that history was made. The first, officially, recorded example of time travel gone awry happened that warm spring evening, 1006 AN, in the Canterlot Castle banquet hall as the Princess' Prized Pupil had intercourse with a stallion, and herself, at the same time, twice.

It should be noted here that this isn't the first sign that time travel may actually be more trouble than its worth. The first time Twilight Sparkle time traveled she broke into Canterlot Castle only after causing herself severe personal harm and giving a dragon a tummy ache, more or less. Consequences that were harmless and largely laughed at by her mentor Princess Celestia.

The second time it was because she appeared and informed her drunken self that the only way to solve this argument was to have a threesome for 30 minutes and then time travel 30 minutes into the past and do it again. This was arguably a much worse, albeit much sexier consequence.

The infamous thirty minutes that lasted sixty for one particular mare were promptly followed by a loud clatter as the two participants waved farewell to the third member who would continue the cycle ad infinitum. Twilight and Horizon would fall asleep in each others legs, draped across the royal banquet table while surrounded by empty cider mugs; They would be discovered come the dawn by two goddesses.

Namely Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, rulers of the free world.

On threats of repeating magic kindergarten and castration respectively, Twilight Sparkle and Horizon began a courtship that could only be described as... Aaawwwwkwwaaaaard.

Yes. Two nerds whose primary form of interaction was using their vast intellect to hurl playful insults and irony at each other. Who both lost their virginity to each other in a magical blunder the likes which has never been seen. Slowly they began to connect, and three months later in the heat of summer, Horizon moved into Twilight's tree house in Ponyville and they fell in love. Twilight's friends, the other five elements of harmony took the news fairly well. They were probably just glad she finally got laid, even if it was partially with herself.

~~~

And yet as that sexy flashback comes to an end we jump forward nearly six months. It was a cold winters night, Hearth's Warming Eve, a full moon and a gorgeous aurora was lighting the sky above their cozy tree house turned library.

And they were in the basement.

Watching Sci-Fi movies.

~~~

"Aww what?" Twilight was staring at the credits rolling and cradling her slowly emptying plate.

"Told you it was bad." Horizon said with a flat expression as he finished eating all the delicious stuffed crusts that his mare left him.

"No... It was good I mean when Rarity said I would like it because of the time travel she said it was because of the romance subplot." Twilight huffed as she placed the plate on the oaken floor of her hollowed out basement and began to lean against her coltfriend.

"Yeah I mean she probably likes the part where the colt just kills himself at the end, probably because she wants you to hook up with a better stallion." Horizon jokes through a mouthful of cold stuffed crust hunks.

"Oh stop it!" Twilight swatted his cannon playfully. "You know Rarity approves of you, she even makes you nice clothes to wear!" Twilight continued.

"Twi, she makes everypony nice clothes to wear. I mean come on she probably only liked it because the mare in this reminded her so much of Applejack. You know those two have something going on, I know you see it too!" Twilight could only shrug at his theory and look to the side, she had seen Rarity and Applejack taking tea together much more often after Fluttershy moved further away to open the Everfree National Park, and Rainbow Dash started touring with the Wonderbolts, and Pinkie Pie joined the circus. But Twilight was still convinced that the time she found Rarity hitting Applejack with that fancy black fly swatter in her boutique was a genuine attempt to get a particularly pesky pest, no matter how hard Horizon laughed when she brought it up.

"I don't care about any of that stuff I mean look at the facts! Why would that first looper guy need to be tortured in the present just so they could kill him in the future. I mean come on he was losing his legs and stuff, that would totally change his ability to fulfill his part of the time loop and get back to where he was. Circles can't be broken. I proved this multiple times already! And don't even get me started on the part where he kills himself. No WAY would that be possible he would never even be able to get into that situation to begin with if his older self NEVER EXISTED! This movie was totally inconsistent I mean the plot holes were bigger than Cheerilee's!"

Horizon had to spit some Colta-Cola at that one.

"Haha! Twilight, such a dirty mouth, you know spreading those kinds of rumors is bad!"

"Oh, it's not a rumor, everypony knows Big Mac likes taking the back door and those earth ponies go for hours... and hours... and—"

"Ok, ok I get it, jeez, way to make me feel adequate starbutt."

"Not that I wouldn't mind trying it some time, but I just Looooooove the way you fill me up and treat me like a real mare... mmm" Twilight leaned into Horizon and started rapid fire kissing him, tasting the pineapple and cola mixture on his crumb covered muzzle.

"Woah, woah hold up there cowpony you may have won the coin toss but that doesn't mean you get to ignore the other half of the deal miss 'the circle can't be broken'" Horizon shot back playfully as she pouted and leaned back off him.

"Ugh, fine we can watch your stupid low budget indie boring time travel movie. I knew this day would come, I've been dreading it for months." Twilight grumbled as she sipped on her Colta-Cola while glaring at Horizon with an askance glance.

"Come on Twilight, quid pro quo, fair is fair. I got to watch that lame 'Looper' movie with murder and sex and you get to watch my boring more scientifically accurate movie about how time travel SHOULD WORK, in a PERFECT WORLD." Horizon began, knowing perfectly well how to push her buttons.

Twilight rose to the bait like she always did, "I know you are just tempting me to send myself back in time another 30 minutes to have more threesome fun but that is not going to happen again mister. You know what Celestia threatened to do to us both if we ever messed with that spell again." Twilight shuddered as she thought about going back to Magic Kindergarten, even more so knowing that a certain 'Great and Powerful' unicorn mare was now teaching Magic Kindergarten in Canterlot.

Horizon consciously reached for his stallionhood just to confirm it was still there. Seeing a stallion become dismembered because of something his past self did hit just a little harder to home for colts than it probably did for fillies. Looper was not a movie he wanted to watch before going to bed. Nightmare fuel.

"Alright let's get this over with." Twilight exasperated after levitating over two more Colta-Colas from the well stocked mini-fridge. Movie Night part two was a go!

~~~

"Umm... What?"

"Oh come on Twilight don't you see? Every time he went back he came out of the box and there were two of him—" Horizon began.

"But... But..."

"JUST LIKE IN YOUR SPELL, but instead, the version that joins the timeline has the ability to ALTER the 'past' thereby creating an entirely new and different timeline!"

"But... But..."

"So in the end he ends up with multiple versions of himself because the LOOPS have overlap and each 'box' is like a frame of reference for a spell! Just like when we teleported all those presents and food to Canterlot earlier! They were all in the same frame of reference!"

"I teleported."

"Yes, OK it was mostly you, whatever. Point is that in this depiction of time travel, energy is conserved, all the positive time flow is countered with negative timeflow and you don't end up with those nasty logical kinks and eddies that your spell causes."

"My spell doesn't cause nasty eddies or... whatever you said. A time loop like mine is a completely contained and closed system. What goes in comes out instantly and the flow of time is preserved, there are no loose ends or 'negative' time values. I simply create a specific amount of time and transpose myself into the past and let that clock run its course, once the charge runs out I get sent back, neat and clean. No causality paradoxes." Twilight looked smug again as she lectured. She was an old hat at this, time travel was not only their favorite Sci-Fi plot device but also their favorite discussion topic.

"Ok Twilight, ok. I can't argue with results. But hear me out now because I want to show you something really special ok? I've been working towards this for a long time and I think I'm ready to share it with you now." Horizon smiled.

Twilight's mind kicked into overdrive. Could this be the moment she was waiting for? Was Horizon finally going to pop the question? No... Twilight calmed herself... As romantic as the current setting was, she knew Horizon would definitely wait for a better opportunity. Or he would at least play a classic like Back to the Future before he proposed to her in their musty library basement on the crumb covered and cola stained couch ruined after their countless lovemaking sessions after watching numerous B list Sci-Fi movies. Twilight fluttered her eyes and moaned in her mind as she recalled the night they shared after watching The Fifth Element. Oh, she screamed loud enough to stop the moon that night too...

"Twi? Starbutt? You with me here?" Horizon poked her horn a few times.

"Wha-huh? Yeah, yeah Linebutt i'm here. Hehe." Twilight had a bemused expression as he took her hoof and led her to a dark corner of the library basement and lifted up a tarp.

"Tada!" Horizon exclaimed.

Twilight stared at the strange metal box. It appeared to be made of some kind of rune stone but... no rune she had ever seen was repeated all along the box, every few centimeters... Almost in a grid pattern... A field array...

"No." Twilight said.

"No... what?" Horizon looked confused but borderline heartbroken.

"No, Horizon! I know you still think that your whole 'infinite multiple universes that appear every time we make a decision theory' is paradoxically soundproof but you can't mess with stuff like this anymore! You know what the Princesses said! And we don't even know if this thing works?" Twilight seemed panicked. The hair started to go crazy again.

"Twilight please let me—"

"You're serious aren't you? This isn't a joke... I was hoping... Ugh rize..."

There it was, the nickname. Not the fun or cute pet name. The short nickname. The serious one. The kind that let you know your mare was upset and couldn't be bothered to address you by your whole name.

Horizon would normally wilt under the pressure as Twilight rubbed a hoof to the base of her horn and moved aside her highlighted bangs to massage the oncoming headache. Horizon would normally hold her and kiss away the worries and tell her he was sorry over and over and over. Until the tears stopped or the smile came back.

But this time he was resolute.

~~~

Minutes later. With the dishes cleaned up and the blankets folded and the projector turned off, Twilight and Horizon sat upstairs at the library's main table. Twilight stared at the statue of Mareistotle and Horizon tried to make eye contact as they both let the mugs of hot chocolate warm their fore hooves. The Winter chill was permeating even the meter thick walls of the literal tree house and the clock was ticking away the minutes until the meteor shower would begin. Horizon hoped he would be embracing his lover when the time came rather than trying to talk his way out of a very deep hole he dug for himself.

"Twilight look. You have accomplished so much more than I ever will. And as a team we are so strong. But I want to make something for myself. History will ALWAYS remember you Twilight. You have been immortalized so many times already in books, statues, I mean even the Element of Magic crown has your cutie mark. No pony will ever forget you existed, you will become a legend. Just like Star Swirl..."

"Rize..." There it was again. His heart hitched, he almost stopped.

"No, listen Twilight. I need this. I am almost 30 years old now. I have published theories... theories Twilight, nothing more. I want to make something real. Can't you see how important this is to me? You got to travel through time, twice, I never got to try it once! And we both know it's possible!" Horizon paused expecting her to try and stop him.

Twilight remained silent.

"Twi, you know I love you and I want to be there for you always and forever but I want to be remembered as more than just your coltfriend... or lover or..."

"Husband?" Twilight looked straight at him.

Horizon looked at his hot chocolate. Those eyes were so sincere. So intelligent. So afraid.

"I've let you have your time to make your case, but all I hear is a colt that is so afraid of the future he can't even live in the present." She paused and waited to see if he would speak up or even make eye contact, she only heard him shuffle his hind legs as he felt the weight of her words.

"You don't have to do anything at all to prove yourself to ponykind, or Equestria or me. All you have to do is love me and trust me and know that I don't care if you are a billionaire, a supermodel, a celebrity, a vagrant, a leper or a nobody. I love you Horizon. There is nothing you need to do to earn that love because you already have it. And you will always have it. And I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and hold on to you with all my strength because I am afraid of losing you. I am afraid of waking up with you not there because you went and did some damn fool thing to try and earn the love you think I am holding back from you because you have it built up in your mind that I am still testing your worth. Well I. AM. NOT!"

Twilight had tears visibly streaming down her cheeks now. Horizon felt colder than the world outside. He met her eyes and felt a hollow void open in his heart. He felt his mind struggle against his heart, one trying to make sense of what he was hearing, the other telling him to just commit already and let go.

"This isn't a test Horizon. We aren't two young foals in grad school vying for position to get a paper published or to earn favor of a professor to land that perfect internship or research grant. This is real unconditional, unquestionable and unquantifiable love. Stop trying to win me over. There is nopony else but you. There won't ever be anypony but you. Just give in to your feelings. I know they are there, I feel them every time we kiss and laugh and hold each other and just enjoy the time that we have. Stop trying to prove yourself because the most important thing you could ever achieve in life is right in front of you begging for you to take it. There is so much more to life than what gets carved on your tombstone!"

Twilight gripped her mug with her fore hooves painfully hard. Horizon could see the ripples forming as she vibrated with emotion. He knew he should stop her. Kiss her and hold her and love her and pull out the box in his saddlebags and make her the happiest mare in the world but still he hesitated. He was afraid. She was so much stronger than him.

Twilight took several gasping breaths before continuing "I want a family Horizon. I know you want one too. I want to have two fillies and two colts who will run around our house and wake us up in the middle of the night because of the weather pegasi starting their first night storm. I want to watch them sled down the hills in winter. And run with the leaves in fall. And enjoy the family vacations we will take in the Summers to visit Aunt Cadance, Uncle Shining Armor and cousin Crystal. And I want to be there in the springs when their horns are tired from turning pages studying for their finals and we will be there to help them succeed. I want to lose hours of sleep with you because our little magical prodigies are walking through walls and teleporting across Equestria giggling all the way because they would be our little foals. And I never want to stop chasing them as they grow and have lives of their own, and foals of their own to chase around the world. The legacy you leave behind won't be in your name Horizon. It will be in your blood, our blood. The blood we pass to our children, and their children and theirs after them. You have to stop thinking you are alone in this world. It's not you against everypony else. It's us against the universe. And the universe is so indifferent and harsh. The universe will not hesitate to punish us for being lazy or hiding from what is best for us."

The hot chocolate in his hooves was cold now. Horizon felt broken, defeated. He felt like Twilight was a goddess telling him he had just ruined her charge. It was as if he had plucked the sun from the sky and Celestia was only upset with him.

"We both know what it's like to be alone. So alone it feels like nothing else is real but what we can do to improve ourselves and rely less on the outside world. But I found friends, and you found friends and we both are better for it. So let's take the next step. Please Horizon. Let go of your ambition, we have everything we need right here. We have to make sure life goes on, so that happiness and friendship and all those amazing things we experienced can be experienced again and again by the young and innocent. But I need you to be there with me to do it. I can't do it alone."

Horizon waited. The clock on the wall ticked by. At some point Twilight got up and emptied the mugs of what used to be hot chocolate. And still Horizon waited. and stared at his hooves. The hooves of a failure. How could he ever deserve this mare.

~~~

A hastily wrapped package landed on the table in front of Horizon. It was pliable and soft. He lifted it without thinking, searching for a name. Perhaps they forgot to send it to Canterlot. His brain was on autopilot.

"It's for you numbskull." Twilight smiled and let out a half hearted giggle. "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve."

The clock struck midnight as if on cue.

Horizon looked into her eyes. They were puffy and red but at least they were dry. She was wearing a navy blue scarf.

"When did you get that scarf?" Horizon asked, he felt tears starting.

"Silly pony, of course you notice it now. Maybe I should have breakdowns more often if it means you will compliment my appearance." Twilight smiled again knowingly. She could see the tears forming in his eyes.

Horizon wasted no time in opening the package. The wrapping paper fell to the table in neat ribbons as he telekinetically pulled it apart, making sure the priceless gift inside was cradled as it came into the world like a child.

A lavender scarf.

Horizons amber eyes clouded. He became acutely aware as every hair of his dark brown mane stood on end. He looked up at Twilight and found she was standing next to him. She leaned down and kissed him as his head turned up and to the side to meet hers. He raised a forehoof to grasp hers and pulled her in close as he tried to focus his magic on tying his own scarf.

"Let me do that you dumb colt." Twilight fixed his scarf and folded it just so. Tucking the ends together and resting it across his neck and withers in a comforting and loose embrace.

She kissed him again.

Passion took him.

~~~

As Twilight snuggled sleepily into Horizons shoulder he looked out the window above their bed as the last of the meteor shower came to an end. Foals all around Equestria would be sneaking downstairs to get a peek at all the presents that Luna had left them and all the parents would be secretly listening in from their bedroom doors to the excited giggling of their foals as they 'got away' with opening one or two early. Horizon looked down to Twilight, her soft breaths into his neck more healing than any salve in the world.

What he would give to live this moment forever.

In theory. He could.

The intense love-making they had just shared, regardless of its ineffable and wordless quality was enough to spark a desire within him. It wasn't about being right or wrong. It wasn't about whether the past or future could be changed. It was about knowledge. No knowledge is inherently good or evil right? Horizon would simply turn on the machine, and observe the results.

In theory it worked exactly as Twilight's time travel spell, except it was anchored to a physical object, requiring no knowledge of teleportation to use or prepare. The machine would be turned on at a specific time, in a specific place. Once activated it could not be moved from that location, by any force known to ponykind because it would become quantum locked.

In theory when the machine was activated whoever used it would simply walk out of the machine, having returned from whenever he entered in the future and go about his life in the time loop created by it. This is what was observed through Twilight's spell. No paradoxes. No 'origin timeline' as it is known in the paradox model. Twilight would be proven right, there is only one timeline and the end user would return to the present the moment the machine was activated. If this happened the machine would be a proven success and marketable all around Equestria in a simple package. Any pony could use it. And the wealth he would earn from it would secure the future of his foals and their foals and all the foals he and Twilight would ever be related to for all time. It would give him the security he needed to propose to her, and he would do it tomorrow in Canterlot. All Horizon had to do was go down to the basement tonight.

And turn the machine on.

~~~

The soft hum of magic runes being activated filled the room. The timer on the side of the machine started counting up. A moment passed. Two moments. Horizon let out a breath he had been holding.

Standing there wrapped in a blanket to protect himself from the chill that was generated not from without, but from within.

Nothing came out of the machine.

It didn't work! Haha, of course it didn't work, Twilight was right. I was being silly, this whole idea was contrived from nothing and completely irrational. Now, I just have to turn this stupid timer off.

The machine would not budge.

It's not possible.

IT'S NOT POSSIBLE.

The machine counted up. Inexorably. Horizon simply stared.

"The implications..." Horizon muttered to himself, his brain going faster than finals week cramming on stimulants.

"The... the time line theory... it's proven... it's a FACT! It's impossible that no pony would ever NOT use this device. It's quantum locked to this location! Some pony would HAVE to find it and get in at some point. They would be instantly transported back in time and be here... In the present. It can't simply exist FOREVER with no pony ever using it!"

The machine counted up.

"No. The evidence is irrefutable." His amber eyes locked on the clock the numbers taunting him. Like some manifestation of all of his doubts, hopes and dreams. He only saw numbers, bits. More bits than could possibly exist in the world.

"It's as I hoped. As in the movie. A reset switch." He shuddered. The adrenaline reaching his limbs, giving him chills and goose bumps. He was the origin. This was timeline zero. This was the beginning of the future. All the loops would come back to this moment, no further. This was the master key.

"Any mistakes, any tragedies could be undone, the knowledge of the future, a destiny completely in ones own hooves. The only price to pay would be time in the box. Negative time to balance out the positive time. Balance."

Horizon walked up to the main floor of the library. He took a deep breath and opened the small box he kept hidden in his saddlebags. The beautiful amethyst horn ring shone back at him like the brightest star, even in the darkest winter night.

He tip hoofed his way back upstairs and slowly slid into bed. Twilight grasped him firmly and nuzzled into his neck. She was so warm.

"Don't you ever leave meee..." she mumbled into his coat.

Tomorrow he would take the leap and seal their future, and it would be perfect for Twilight.

And if it wasn't he would go back and try again, and again, until it was perfect. For her.