Time Makes Foals of Us All

“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?”