Lovely Adventures And Everyday Life

Chapters

The Broken Clock
The Set-Up
Crusading For Dragons
Requirements Of A Fashionista
Triple The Fun
Stallions Night
Special Occasion
It All Starts And Ends With Magic
Announcement
Unexpected Guest
Three Months Later
Magic, Families, And The Canterlot Voice

The Broken Clock

'CRACK!'

The clock hit the floor as I chased Angel around the cottage. We both paused and stared at it. Definitely broken. I looked down at Angel. "Now look what you made me do." Angel smiled and hopped off as Fluttershy came down the stairs. "What happened?" I sighed. "I was chasing Angel and knocked the clock off the table. I stepped aside to reveal the busted timepiece. Fluttershy came over and looked at it. "Oh. Well...it's okay. I mean...things happen." I picked the clock up carefully. "Don't worry about it. I'll have it fixed." Shy smiled at me. "So you can fix clocks now?" I chuckled. "I may be a quick learner, but not that quick. I'll take it into town."

I walked down the street with the clock in my saddle bag. I had seen a clock shop around here somewhere before. Now if I could just find it. Ah! There it was. I looked up at the sign:

TIME TURNER'S TIMEPIECES

That was the place. I walked to the door and opened it. A little bell rang as I entered the shop. It was a nice place. There were clocks of all sizes and shapes filling up the shelves and floor. I walked up to he counter. Nopony was there. "Hello?" Nothing. I sighed, the thought of waiting too long beginning to form. Oh well. If I had to wait, I might as well look around.

There were all sorts of clocks in this place! They went from wristwatches to grandfathers. And each one looked different. Had this Time Turner made every one of these by hoof? I began to notice some of the fancier clocks behind the counter. They had small jewels and gold trim. I let loose a whistle.

"Like what you see?"

I turned to find a brown stallion standing at the far end of the counter. Where had he come from? "Um...yeah. They're beautiful." The stallion walked along behind the counter over to me. He stuck out a hoof. "Time Turner." I took his hoof and shook it. "Speedy Quill." His mouth formed a slight smile. "The same Speedy Quill that fought that dragon and lost his leg?" I blinked a few times. He knew me? Of course it was common knowledge about the dragon. Not so much on the leg. "Yeah. That's me. Didn't know I was that well known." He chuckled. "You hear things in town. Word spreads faster than a group of parasprites." We both laughed.

I put my saddle bag down and pulled out the clock. "I was hoping that you could fix this up for me. It's my marefriend's." Time Turner looked the clock over. "Simple design." He picked it up and shook it. It sounded like a foal's rattle. "Internal damage. Not surprising." He set it down and looked back at me. "Should be a quick fix. I'll just take it to the back room and have it ready shortly." He began to walk off with the clock.

I had to admit I was curious about Time Turner. I was rather interested to know more about making clocks. "Hey I was wondering..." I began to pull back when Time Turner looked over his shoulder. "Yes?" I hesitated and then asked. "Could I watch? I like to see how things work." He flashed a smile. "Really?" I shrugged. "I also like to have different hobbies. I'm interested in learning how to make clocks." He turned back to me. "I guess that comes from not having a cutie mark?" I glanced back at my blank flank. He had me there. I looked back at him and smiled.

Time Turner trotted over to the window and looked outside. He then pulled a shade down and flipped his 'Open' sign to 'Closed'. "I've only let a few ponies see my back room before. But I have to admit that there's something about you I like. You want to learn something about timepieces? Right this way." He walked around the counter to a tall, blue cabinet. He opened one of the double-doors and stepped inside. What was he doing? He didn't seriously work in a cabinet did he? He poked his head back out from the door. "Did I mention that it's bigger on the inside?" He motioned for me to follow. I stepped up to the door and looked inside.

Whoa.

He was telling the truth. I had expected a cabinet. I got a room the size of the Apple Family's eastern orchard. And it was filled with clocks, gold, and jewels. I stepped inside. Time Turner closed the door behind me. "What do you think?" My lower jaw decided to hang open. Time Turner chuckled and walked over to a worktable. "Let's see what we can do for this clock, shall we?" I joined him at the table as he took the back of the clock apart and dumped out the loose pieces. He began examining every part and setting it off to the side, little by little emptying the clock of its innards. Soon it was a hollow wood shell.

I looked up at the gold and jewels that were littered through the room. "You earned all of this making clocks." Time Turner laughed. "Of course not. It's a dragon's horde." I looked at him in shock. "You took a dragon's horde?" He nodded as he began to piece the clock back together. "The dragon was dead. He didn't need it anymore." I continued to stare at the clock maker. "Did you kill him." He laughed again. "You crack me up Speedy. I didn't kill him. He was nothing but bones when my father and I found his treasure."

From there Time Turner went on to tell how he had been a young colt when he and his father had fallen into a buried cavern that contained this treasure. Among the treasures were some magical items. One of which was a magic cabinet. "You mean the cabinet we're in right now?" He nodded. "My father and I loaded every last piece of treasure into it and took it home. Surprisingly the cabinet didn't weigh anymore than it had when it was empty. And so I spend my days making clocks for the fun of it. I have more than enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life." I looked around the room again. "You have all this treasure, but don't use it?" He shrugged. "Why should I? I haven't even used a quarter of the treasure yet. And I don't need nice things." I nodded. I guess that made sense. No use throwing money away on things you didn't need.

I noticed a shelf of clocks off to the side. Every one of them was solid gold and encrusted with multiple jewels, many of them as big as my eye. I walked over to get a closer look. Without looking up from his repair job, Time Turner smiled. "My father made those when we first had the treasure. He melted the gold down into the various gears and casing. Then he added some of the largest jewels in the collection to the design. Just one of those clocks would be enough to buy half of Canterlot." I stared at the clocks for several minutes while Time Turner worked. My eyes fell on one clock in particular. There were three jewels laid into the face of the clock. They were stunning diamonds. For some reason they looked familiar.

Time Turner sat back from the table. "All finished." I walked over to look at his handywork. The clock looked perfect. And it was running. I smiled. "Thank you." He tapped the face. "I hope your marefriend won't mind, but I added a little something to the design." I looked closer. Time Turner had added some thin gold trim and a pink sapphire in the center where the hands connected. I looked up at him. "It's great, but I couldn't afford it." He shook his head. "No extra charge. In fact I don't need payment at all." It was my turn to shake my head. "I refuse to take it without paying you." We locked eyes for a moment. He smiled. "You're not leaving without paying, are you?"

An idea suddenly popped into my head. "How about I pay you with lunch?" Before Time Turner could respond, his stomach grumbled. He chuckled. "I guess I can't say no to a free meal." I slipped the clock into my saddle bag and we walked towards the door. I paused to look at that clock again. The three diamonds sparkled at this angle. And that's when it hit me. I glanced at Time Turner. "That's a beautiful clock. The design, the face, the jewels. So elegant. So...rare. Time Turner froze and looked at me. I gave him a wink. "Let's go grab that lunch."

The Set-Up

I leaned against the apple tree and sighed. It was a perfect day. The weather wasn't too cold yet and I could still enjoy being outside. Big Mac was sitting a short way around the trunk. I smiled. "Good day isn't it?" He nodded. "Eeyup." I looked to my other side to Time Turner. "And you thought it would be hard helping with harvest." He chuckled. "Okay. You two got me there. It was kind of fun. And the apple pie Granny Smith made for us was delicious." We all sighed at the memory of that delicious dessert. Granny had really outdone herself.

I had invited Time Turner along to Sweet Apple Acres to meet Big Mac. He wound up volunteering to help with the day's harvest. We had all gotten along and had a great time. And with the extra hooves we had finished a few hours earlier than plan. So here we were, lounging under an apple tree.

I heard the sound of hoofsteps coming towards us. "Ah'm surprised at you stallions. A harvest to do and y'all are layin' lazy under a tree." I looked up to see Applejack and Twilight standing over us. I smiled. "The day's harvest is done AJ." She looked over at the nearby barn to see the barrels of apples we had brought in. She looked back at us in surprise. "You three did all that?" We all nodded. She shook her head. "Don't that beat all." I looked at Twilight. "And what brings you to this fine farm today?" She shrugged. "I finished my checklist for today, so I decided to see if Applejack need any help out here. But it looks like you three already got the work done." She looked over at Mac. "You're lucky to have such good friends Big Mac. Having the help must be nice." He nodded. "Eeyup." I looked between the two, waiting for one of them to say something else. Nothing.

Applejack and Twilight walked off towards the house. I sat up and turned to Mac. "You should at least say something nice." He glanced at me. "Didn't feel like the right place for it." Time Turner looked at us. "You two know something I don't?" I looked at Big Mac. He thought for a moment before slowly nodding. I looked back at Time Turner. "He's got a thing for Twilight." Time Turner smiled. "Nice mare. You'd be lucky to have her Mac." Mac smiled. "Eeyup." I chuckled. "Of course Timey's got his own secret crush, don't you?" He stared at me. "Timey? Really?" I shrugged. He rolled his eyes and looked at Mac. "He's right though. I...I want Rarity to notice me." Mac sat up. "Miss Rarity huh? She's pretty and all, but you think you can do it?" I nodded. "He's right. You'll have your work cut out for you. Rarity's very particular about things. She even rejected a prince once. Though he was a jerk."

We stood up and walked towards the house. Time Turner asked me about Rarity and I answered what I could. I realized I didn't know a whole lot about her. I guess that might change if Timey kept badgering me enough. We entered the house to the smell of aromatic heaven. My eyes darted around and landed on a doorway. "The kitchen." We raced in to find Applejack and Twilight drinking...'sniff sniff'...hot apple cider! Applejack shook her head. "Ah told ya we should have blocked the smell. Now we got three stallions that look like haven't eaten in a week." Twilight giggled and her horn lit up. Three mugs floated over to the table. "I saved enough for all of you. Hurry before it cools." We drank greedily. Usually I would be ashamed of acting like this, but this was Sweet Apple Acre Cider we were talking about.

I finished my mug and set it down. "Thanks. That was delicious." Twilight smiled. "No trouble at all. Applejack knew you three wouldn't be able to resist it." Applejack froze and looked from Twilight to us. I looked at the mares and then turned to look at the two cider-guzzling stallions. What was going on? Applejack had acted like she'd wanted to hide the cider and now Twilight was saying it was AJ's idea to get us to have cider to begin with? I looked at Applejack again. She locked eyes with me and gave a short shake of her head. She nodded to Twilight and then towards...Mac. Ah.

I turned to Mac. "I'm going to go grab some of those juicy Red Delicious we brought in." I looked over my shoulder. "You should come see them Applejack. Make sure they're fit for eating. You can help me bring some in if they are." I walked out of the kitchen and went for the front door. As I walked onto the front porch I saw Applejack out of the corner of my eye. We hurried over to the barn and entered. I turned to her. "Okay. What gives?" She chuckled. "Ah just thought they could, ya know, use a push." I rolled my eyes. "Mares just can't let stallions handle these things, can they?" She punched me in the shoulder. "Not when it comes to mah brother. Big Mac's a slow mover when it comes to this sort of thing. And Twilight ain't much better off." I nodded. "Okay. I get it. They both like each other, but they're too afraid to make the first move. So you want to help them make it?" She grinned. "Exactly!"

We left the barn with some of the Red Delicious I and the other stallions had harvested earlier. Our plan was ready and now we just had to set it in motion. We were just coming to the house when Twilight walked out the front door. "I hate to leave, but I just remembered something that I forgot to put on my checklist for today. I'll see you later." She ran off and Applejack sighed. "Ah don't think that pony can stand bein' alone with Big Mac fer too long. She just won't do nothin'." I shook my head. "We've got out work cut out for us AJ." She nodded in agreement and we went inside.

Mac and Time Turner were still sitting at the kitchen table. I sat down and stared at Mac. "Did you talk at all." He looked at me and shook his head. "Nope." I put my face in my hooves. "Why not?" He shrugged. "Nothin' to say." I turned to Time Turner. "What about you?" He seemed surprised. "What? I didn't want to give anything away. You got Mac and his crush in the same room. I was afraid of letting something slip." Applejack rolled her eyes. "A lot of good you three are fer matchmakers. Do I have ta do everything by myself?" I sighed. "Don't fire me yet. We've still got our idea, remember?" Mac looked at the two of us. "And what idea is this?" Applejack and I looked at him and smiled.

The next day Big Mac and I walked into the library. Twilight turned and smiled. "Hi Speedy. Big Mac." I walked towards one of the bookshelves. "I was hoping to find something on clock repairs. Time Turner's giving me some pointers later this week and I'd like a head start." Twilight looked around the library. "I think I have something on the subject. Um..." She walked over to a shelf and looked it over. "That's funny. I could have sworn it was here somewhere." I looked at Big Mac and nodded towards Twilight. I watched him swallow hard and approach her. "Can I help?" Twilight looked up and smiled, answering softly. "Sure." The two ponies began to look over the shelves together.

I pretended to be helping in the search, but I knew it would be pointless. I had come earlier to have a talk with Spike. He was glad to hide the missing book to help Twilight out. "Every time she sees Big Mac she gets all mopey the rest of the day. If getting her a date with him will stop that, I'm in." And now the book was sitting only a few feet away from Twilight and Mac. They were getting closer. Twilight paused as she saw the book. "There it is!" She reached for the book. Just as her hoof touched the book, Mac's hoof landed on top of her's. Twilight blushed.

Big Mac slowly pulled away. "Sorry." She smiled. "Don't be." Mac shuffled his hooves for a moment. Come on big guy, you can do it! "T-Twilight?" She looked up at him. "Yes Mac?" They stared at each other for a few seconds. I saw Mac's mouth form a small smile. "Would you like to have dinner with me?" Twilight's eyes lit up. "Yes!" She put her arms around Mac's neck. "Yes!" She realized what she was doing and let go. "Sorry." He chuckled. "Don't be." They laughed for a moment before Twilight remembered that I was in the library too. "Oh! Here you go Speedy. This is what you wanted, right?" I smiled and looked at Twilight and then Big Mac. "Indeed it is."

Crusading For Dragons

I slowed my pace to catch my breath. I had been running after the girls all morning so far. Rarity had an order to fill and couldn't watch the Crusaders. Of course they had instantly volunteered me, their honorary member, to play with them. And now here I was running around town to keep up with the ever-crusading fillies as they continued the hunt for their cutie marks. How were they not tired yet? They ran as if there were no tomorrow.

Apple Bloom appeared from behind a cart and ran over to me. "Ur not tired already are ya Speedy?" I tried to laugh, but couldn't get enough air for it. Instead I gasped and shook my head. "Of course not." I sat down as I started to feel dizzy. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo joined us and the Crusaders sat around me. Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Old ponies never have energy." I shot her a glare. "Who are you calling old?" She smiled smugly. "We've been crusading for an hour and you're already tired. We're just fine. You, an old pony, are sitting there as if Nightmare Moon has been chasing you for a week." I stood up. "I have plenty of energy. And I'm not old. I'm just...older than you." Sweetie Belle, looking confused, turned to Apple Bloom. "Doesn't that make him old?"

Soon we were off again. This time I followed the girls as they ran away from the town. Where were they going? Fluttershy's? Nope. They angled towards...the Everfree Forest! I picked up the pace and overtook the fillies easily. I stopped in front of them and they came to a crashing halt. Scootaloo looked up at me from the bottom of the filly pile. "What gives?" I shook my head. "We can't go in the forest." The three untangled themselves and stood up. Apple Bloom tipped her head to the side. "Why not.?" I looked over my shoulder at Everfree. Memories flooded into my head of the dragon, Discord and indescribable emotions. I shook my head and looked back to the Crusaders. "It's not a safe place to wander. We should head back to town."

Sweetie Belle tried to pass me and I blocked her with my hoof. She looked up at me. "But we wanted to go to Zecora's." I froze. Zecora? I had heard the name before from Twilight. A zebra that lived in Everfree. These fillies wanted to go see her? I looked down at the girls. "You know Zecora?" They laughed and walked past me. Scootaloo called over her shoulder to me. "Of course we do. Come on!" With that they were off again. I knew I couldn't leave them alone out here, so I followed.

We soon came to a hut in the middle of the forest. It wasn't as much a hut as a tree. A treehut? Yeah, that worked. Apple Bloom knocked on the door and opened it. The others followed her in. I rushed forward to catch the door as it swung shut. I slipped inside to see the Crusaders greeting Zecora. She was a sight to see. I had never seen a zebra before. She looked up at me. "Do not stand there and be still. Introduce yourself Speedy Quill." She caught me off guard. "You know me?" She chuckled. "You're story is well known to me. Come and sit with your Crusaders three." Funny way of talking. I joined the girls and sat down. Sweetie Belle looked up at the zebra. "Is there anything we can help with Zecora?" Scootaloo chimed in. "Yeah. Maybe we could be Cutie Mark Crusader Zebra Helpers!" Zecora smiled and looked at me. Her eyes said it all. She entertained the fillies often and they never grew the wiser to the fact that they most likely wouldn't be getting their cutie marks here.

Before the girls could start discussing how helpful they were, Zecora raised a hoof for silence. I was surprised when the fillies actually obeyed. Zecora looked to me. "Perhaps these fillies need a tale, of dragon slaying without fail." Oh great. She had turned them on me. The Crusaders looked up at me, their eyes shining.

"YEAH!"

I rolled my eyes. "I've told you about the dragon before." Apple Bloom pressed up against me. "All you've told us is that's how you lost ur leg." She tapped my fake leg and it made a hollow knocking sound. Scootaloo stifled a giggle and I glared at her. Zecora stepped closer. "I too would like to here your side, provided you're not high in pride." I chuckled. "Believe me. I don't go around boasting about killing that dragon. Alright gather round you ponies...and zebra." Zecora smiled and sat down behind the girls.

I stood up and made a dramatic pose. The girls giggled until I glared them into silence. I sat down and began. "The dragon used to live where Ponyville is built. And he was very angry that ponies had moved into his nest...."

"I don't know how I did it, but something gave me enough strength to charge that monster and hit him right in his heart. He died instantly. After that I blacked out." The Crusaders stared at me wide-eyed. Zecora gave me a slow nod. A sign of respect I guess. Scootaloo began to smile. "That. Was Awesome!! I can't believe you actually killed that huge dragon!" Sweetie Belle jumped up. "That gives me an idea!" Uh-oh. This couldn't be good. She whispered to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and they began to grin. They all jumped into the air.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER DRAGON HUNTERS!!!"

Zecora and I somehow wound up on the other side of the hut. It took a moment for my head to stop spinning. "Girls?" They were running around on the ceiling. I mean...the floor. I was upside down. I righted myself and looked back to the fillies. "Girls!" They stopped running and looked at me. I shook my head. "We're not going dragon hunting. What would your families say if they found out I let you go off after dragons? They'd have my tail!" Zecora had now stood up and leaned in close to the fillies. "Practice you will need, if you are to succeed." What the hay was she doing?! Zecora looked back at me and winked.

She led the Crusaders out of the hut and I followed. We walked through the forest until we came to a clearing. Oh my....it was the clearing. And there he was. The dragon. Or what was left of him. In the months since his death he had quickly turned to bone. The skull was nearest to us. The girls stood frozen in place. I walked up to the skull and turned to the girls. I could see the fear in their eyes. Now I understood what Zecora was up to. "Take a good look Crusaders. This is what you'll be up against when you begin hunting. And this guy is one of the smaller ones." Their eyes grew even wider.

Scootaloo looked to the others. "You know...I didn't really want to be a dragon hunter anyway. Not that I'm scared or anything! It just sounds boring." Apple Bloom forced a smile. "Yeah, it does doesn't it. I bet we could think of something ten times more fun." Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah. I guess it was a dumb idea after all." I sighed and nodded to Zecora. She returned the smile. And then we got a surprise.

"Wait a minute...Spike's a dragon!"

And they were off. I groaned. I raced over to Zecora just in time to see the Crusaders disappearing into the forest. I looked at her and she chuckled. "Warn the dragon dear, before the fillies near." I laughed. She was right. I took off after the girls. I would have to be faster than them if I was to warn Spike in time.

I hope you can all forgive me for how long it took to get this chapter out. I've had this idea pestering my mind lately and finally wrote it down in my new short story 'Separated'. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

Requirements Of A Fashionista

"I couldn't. I don't know a thing about dresses!" Time Turner turned away from me and returned to polishing clocks. I sighed. "Look. Rarity is a dress maker. You're a clock maker. We have to try and even things out." He looked over his shoulder. "You still can't get me to start a conversation on fashion. Even if it would make her happy. I wouldn't know what to say." I rolled my eyes. "And you expect me to tell you what to say? I don't know anything about fashion either!" He stopped polishing and turned back to me. "Well then let's just forget about it then." He walked off and disappeared into his blue cabinet. I shook my head and left the shop.

Maybe Turner was right. There wasn't a lot in common between him and Rarity. She was a very proper mare. He was...Time Turner. I would say he was a gentlecolt, but I'm sure Rarity had higher standards. If only we knew exactly what she wanted. I paused in the middle of the street as an idea formed in my head. Could I really do it? No. It was too simple. Not to mention suspicious. But still...

I opened the door to the boutique. Rarity was nowhere to be seen. I walked in and looked around. The usual explosion of fabric could be seen throughout the place. As I neared a half-dressed mannequin, I heard hoofsteps. I turned to see Rarity come through a door. She spotted me instantly. "Speedy! How nice of you to visit. Is there something I can do for you?" I stuck my fake leg out to the side and bent it. It shuddered and creaked as it tried to move through rust that had um...built up very quickly.

Rarity cringed as the leg moved. I put it down and gave a weak smile. "I need to do some work on my leg, but I wanted to have the designs before I took it apart." She smiled. "Of course. I should have them with my other drawings." She walked over to a desk and pulled out a portfolio. She began pulling papers out, looking for the leg diagrams. "Ah ha!" She smiled and turned to me. "Here we are. Perhaps you should hold on to them from now on." She levitated the papers to me and I grabbed them. "Thanks. Would you mind if I did my repairs here? I can't stand to walk with that screeching anymore." She giggled and nodded.

I hopped over to the nearest table without anything on it. So that means I hopped around half of the boutique before finding one. Rarity did her best not to laugh. I eyed her once I sat down. "If you laugh, I will stand up and start pacing." Her smile vanished and a shudder ran down her back. I knew she was thinking of my creaking leg. I began to laugh and she joined in.

We went about our individual work. I kept sneaking glances over at Rarity. She had to ask at some point. SHe always did. Anytime she saw me she asked it. Why hadn't she-

"So how are things with you and Fluttershy?"

Finally! "Things are good. Though this leg's been a nuisance recently. Shy won't say it, but I know she's bugged by it just like every other pony in town." Rarity sighed. "It's just like her not to point out those things. She couldn't say anything negative to anypony. Even her stallion." I chuckled. "The feelings mutual I guess. I can never say anything bad about her." Another sigh. "You two certainly are a cute couple." I rolled my eyes. "It's all her, I swear." That merited a laugh.

I stopped cleaning my leg and turned to Rarity. "What about yourself?" Her gaze remained on her work. "Hmm? What was that?" I stood up and slowly limped over. I almost never went without my leg and so my ten foot journey was anything but graceful. I finally stopped at Rarity's side and sat down. "What about you Rarity? You're always going on about your friend's relationships. What about you? Don't you want that?" That made her pause.

Rarity slowly looked up at me. "I...I...I just don't have time for such things. I'm far too busy with my work here. And then I care for Sweetie Belle half the time. And not to mention-" I put a hoof over her mouth. She seemed shocked that I cut her off. I smiled. "It's okay. You don't have to make excuses." I took my hoof back and she blushed. "I'm sorry Speedy. It's just...I've always hoped that I would find this charming stallion who was the perfect gentlecolt." I nodded. "And you caught a prince and dumped him. Not that he didn't deserve it." She glared at me. Her eyes dulled. "Yes. I thought I had found my special somepony. And then my dreams came crashing down with half the Gala. I haven't looked for love since."

I saw tears welling in her eyes. I pulled her in for a hug. "Hey. I know you've had horrible luck and your dream fell apart, but that's no reason to give up. You'd be surprised by some of the stallions in Ponyville." She pulled back and wiped her tears. She turned away. "Forgive me. This is most unlady-like." I slowly stood and hobbled back to my table. I reattached my leg while Rarity composed herself. She turned back to me. "I know that there are plenty of good stallions, but I just haven't found..." I smiled. "That special somepony?" She nodded. "Yes."

I stood up and bent my leg. The rust had cleaned up without a problem. No more squeak. I walked over to Rarity. "What do you look for in a stallion?" She eyed me. "Why do you want to know?" I chuckled. "Everypony has their own requirements for their special somepony. The minute I saw Fluttershy, I knew she was the one that fit them all. And apparently I fit hers. That's why we're good together. So what about you? What are your requirements?"

That got her thinking. Hopefully she shared her answers. I had already gone through the hardest steps getting to this point. I hated myself for making Rarity cry. I promised myself that I would pay her back for it. Perhaps by getting her a stallion. I saw her eyes light up. She began to walk around the room. "He must be kind, courteous, a gentlecolt in general." I nodded. "Already had that figured out. What else?" She paused for a moment and then continued her walk. "Handsome." That might be a count against Time Turner. "He would know how to treat a lady." Doable. "And he should have intelligence." Check. Rarity turned to me and blushed. "It wouldn't be bad if he was well off too. But that's of less concern." Wait until she saw the blue cabinet.

I made up an excuse to leave and thanked Rarity for the drawings. She thanked me in return for the company and conversation. I raced off for the shop.

I burst into Time Turner's shop. I smiled and sang out. "Timey!" I heard a rattle and the cabinet opened up. Time Turner's head stuck out. "What did I tell you about calling me that?" My smile grew bigger and I flipped the 'Open' sign on the door over to 'Closed'. Time Turner watched me. "What are you doing?" I pushed him back into the cabinet and walked in myself, closing the door behind me. "Guess where I just was?" He shrugged. I think my smile was covering half my face now, but I didn't care. "We have some planning to do." He looked confused. "For what?" I laughed. "For your asking Rarity on a date!"

Triple The Fun

How could this happen? Of all the dumb luck, how could this happen? I continued to pace around my house trying to think up a solution. There was a knock at the door. Normally I would have answered, but my mind was too preoccupied to care. The door opened and Fluttershy walked in. "Hi Speedy." I paused and turned to her. "Hey." She gave me a worried look. "What's wrong?" I began to pace again. "Big Mac has his date with Twilight tonight. And then I find out that Time Turner was able to get a date with Rarity tonight as well." Shy stared at me. "And the problem is...?" I sat down. "They both want us there as the second couple for a double date."

A soft gasp came from Shy. She looked out the door glancing back and forth before closing it. She raced over to me. "What do you mean they both want us there for a double date?" I stared at her. "I think it means they want us there." She narrowed her eyes. "I know! But how can we decide? We're talking about two of my best friends! I can't pick between them!" I rolled my eyes. "Do you think it's any easier for me? They're my best friends too!"

We paced together for an hour, trying to think of something. Eventually we collapsed on the couch. I shook my head. "What are we going to do?" Shy cuddled up to me. "I don't know. I want to be there for Twilight, but Rarity will need the support too." I put my hoof around her. "We'll figure something out." She put her head on my shoulder. "It's too bad they can't be each other's double date." I shook my head. "Two awkward dates together?" And then it clicked. A smile started to spread across my face. "That's it." Shy sat up. "What?" I turned to her. "We can go to both dates." She looked puzzled. "How?" I stood up. "It is now going to be a triple date."

"What do you think?" I waited for Time Turner to respond. He continued messing with his mane as he stared at his reflection. I saw him glance in my direction. "Well...I guess that's okay." I sighed. "Perfect." He turned to me. "I was really hoping for it to just be us and our dates, but I guess it would be okay if Mac came too." I butt my head into his shoulder. "Next time just plan your date for a different night." He rolled his eyes. "Look. Mac and I don't coordinate our dates. It just happened." I gave him a stern look. "And now you've both made my life impossible. And you're dragging my marefriend into it too." He lowered his head. "Sorry. It's just that Fluttershy and Rarity are friends and I thought you two coming on my date would make it less...awkward." I walked over to a dresser and pulled open the drawer.

Time Turner began to pace around his room. "I just want everything to go perfect." I chuckled. "Rarity already agreed to go on a date. How much more perfect do you want?" I turned back to him and held up a piece of fabric. "What is this?" He stopped and looked at me. He smiled. "Perfect!" He grabbed the fabric and threw it around his neck. He smiled at me. "It's my favorite bowtie." My head tipped to the side. "A bowtie for a date?" He smirked. "Bowties are cool." He turned back to the mirror and began to tie his bowtie. "So where are we going for dinner?"

"We're going to Starry Night Cafe." Mac turned to me. "Kinda fancy for a first date." I rolled my eyes. "You boys dragged me into this, the least I should get out of it is a good meal." I looked Big Mac over. "All I can suggest is to clean yourself up. After that, just be yourself." Mac smiled. "Thanks." I sat down on the bed and sighed. "Now if we can all have a nice dinner, we'll get through this." Mac rolled his eyes. "Thanks for makin' mah date sound important." I smiled. "I know this is important for you. I just didn't think I'd have to deal with it too." Mac sat next to me. "Then why'd you agree to come?" I chuckled. "Becuase you and Time Turner are my best friends. I can't say no to the two of you."

I waited for Big Mac to get cleaned up. I gave him one more check and smiled. "You could blend right in with the city ponies." He shoved me back. "Yeah right." I walked to the door and opened it. "I'll see you tonight. This is going to be one fun date."

I knocked on the cottage door. "A panicked voice answered. "Oh! Just a minute! Let me tidy up!" I smiled and opened the door. Fluttershy froze in the middle of the room. The place was a mess. And I don't mean just some stuff on the floor. I mean a real mess. I could barely see any of the furniture and maybe a spot or two of the wood floor. I turned my gaze back to Shy. "Did a tornado hit?" She sighed. "Sorry about the mess." I gave her a hug. "It's okay, but what are you up to?" She smiled sheepishly. "I was...getting ready for dinner....you know...the date tonight." I put on a puzzled face. "What date?" Her eyes went wide. And then she knocked me over the head. It didn't hurt. It was more of a frustrated knock. She scolded me. "Don't do that." I could see the slightest smile trying to fight its way to her face.

I looked around at the scattered items. Several of them were dresses. I looked back at Shy. "I know this is a more upscale restaurant, but I don't think a dress is required." She looked at me. "I know, but we both know that Rarity will be wearing something." I nodded. Of course Rarity would never go on a date without a dress. Shy picked up a dress and looked at her mirror. "I'm not looking for anything too fancy, just something....nice." I looked around and spotted a dress. It was plain in color and seemed to be free of any accessories. I picked it up and turned. "What about this?" Shy looked at the dress. "Oh my! I didn't know I still had that." I held up the end. "Put it on." She put her head through and slipped the dress on.

The shape was slender and really caught her form. "How did I ever get such a beautiful marefriend?" She blushed and looked at her reflection. "It's perfect."

As we walked into town, I saw Twilight approaching with Mac. We met them halfway and stopped. I smiled. "Ready for dinner you two? I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" Twilight smiled. "I've never been to this Starry Night place before. Is it good. I shrugged. "Don't know. I've never been. But I've heard good things. Or more specifically, I heard good things from Rarity."

"Did someone say my name?"

We turned to see Rarity and Time Turner walking over to us. As expected, Rarity was in a lovely evening dress with some gems around the collar. Time Turner had on his bowtie. He smiled. "All here then?" I nodded. "Let's get going." And off we went towards the restaurant. I was excited to check this place out. It was a restaurant on a roof. And the night was perfect. It had been particularly warm today and so the evening was pleasant. The stars shone above and the moon was almost full. Luna had really outdone herself tonight.

We turned a corner and went up a flight of stairs, leading us to Starry Night. We all stood for a moment in awe. It was an amazing setup. Bushes bordering the edge of the roof. Tables lit by candlelight. It was great! A waiter came over to us. "Are we all together this evening?" We all nodded and he led us to a long table in the corner. The stallions waited for their dates to sit and then we sat down. I had made sure that the mares were all on one side and the stallions on the other. The waiter passed out our menus and left us.

It was completely silent. Ugh! Did I have to do everything?

"Rarity. How did you and Time Turner meet?"

I shot my most thankful look to Fluttershy. She smiled and turned back to Rarity. Rarity smiled. "Well it was a rather quick encounter, but it was interesting all the same." Time Turner chuckled nervously. "More like nerve-racking." Rarity smiled. "And it made you seem all the cuter for it. Time Turner walked into my shop to place an order. While I finished writing the order down, he noticed my clock. I'm sure we all know that Time Turner runs the timepiece shop in town. Anyways, he commented on how lovely it was. I agreed and then he said.... Oh I don't know if I could repeat it without giggling!" I nudged Time Turner. "Well what did you say?" He smiled. "A lovely clock. It goes perfectly with such a lovely mare." We all smiled as Rarity let out a soft giggle. "It was so flattering!" Time Turner chuckled. "She stared at me for a few minutes without saying a word. So I took the chance and asked her to dinner."

The waiter returned and we ordered our food. As he walked away, I noticed that Twilight and Big Mac were glancing at each other. They would break eye contact every few seconds, but they would be looking at each other again a few seconds later. I glanced at Shy and nodded towards them. She looked over and smiled. I smiled back. "So how are the animals doing?" She seemed confused at first, but she caught on quick enough. We began talking to each other. This left One couple on each side of us that would have to talk to each other as well. And it took before long.

Rarity and Time Turner took off fairly quickly laughing away as each spoke. Twilight asked Mac if there were any books he liked to read and they went off on a conversation about apple farming. I would have been bored, but those two seemed to be pretty interested in the topic. Our food arrived before long and it was delicious. At this point the talking opened to all six of us. We laughed and joked just like friends should. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a quartet setting up on the far side of the roof. The tables in the middle of the restaurant been cleared. As the first notes of music began, I stood up and grabbed Shy. "Come on."

We began to dance. A few other couples joined in. And then the others came out to the floor. Rarity and Time Turner danced in place. Their eyes told me that the date was a success. They were just staring at each other dreamily. We danced towards Mac and Twilight. She actually had her head on his shoulder. Mac locked eyes with me and I winked.

We walked down the stairs. As we all began to split up I walked over to Rarity. "Do you mind if I come by the boutique? I'm missing a sketch. I was hoping to do some tinkering before bed tonight." Rarity smiled and nodded. Time Turner gave me a stern look. I heard Shy behind me. "I was hoping to pick up a book Twilight. I need it for the animal's breakfast tomorrow." And so it was set. I looked at Rarity. "You two go ahead. I'm going to say goodnight to Shy." They smiled and trotted off, thrilled I'm sure to be alone.

I had made it a quick goodnight to Twilight and Mac. I said goodnight to Shy, but I knew we'd be seeing each other later. I trotted off towards the boutique. As I got close, I slowed my pace and stepped as quietly as possible. I peeked around the corner of a nearby building and saw them standing at the door to the boutique. And then....

Rarity gave Time Turner a quick kiss.

It was over in less than a second, but it was definitely a kiss. And after that she disappeared inside without a word. Time Turner stood frozen on the doorstep. And then the smile formed on his face. He walked away from the boutique and I came out of hiding. I knocked on the door and opened it. Rarity was nowhere to be found. I walked in and pretended to look for my "missing sketch". It wasn't long before Rarity reappeared. She was all smiles. I shook my head. "Maybe I do have the sketch. I'll double-check at home. Goodnight! It was fun!"

The lights were on at the cottage. I didn't bother to knock. I raced inside. Shy jumped off her couch as I entered. We looked at each other.

"They kissed!"

I paused. I had said that, but it sounded like I had two voices. Unless.... My eyes grew wide. "What did you just say?" Fluttershy seemed just as surprised. Her eyes were even wider. "Rarity?" I nodded. "Twilight?" She nodded. And then we started cheering. I pulled her into a hug and we jumped in place. As we settled down, I noticed that Shy was moving her face closer to mine. I smiled. Mac and Time Turner had gotten to kiss their dates tonight, now it was my turn. This was definitely the perfect ending to our triple date.

Stallions Night

The sun was setting and the time had come. I waved to Fluttershy as she walked off towards the library. She was off for an evening with her friends. Mares only. And that meant that it was also a stallion night. I trotted off to Time Turners's shop. Mac and I would be meeting him there to begin our big evening.

I spotted Mac walking through the door as the shop came into view. I picked up the pace and caught the door before it closed fully. Mac looked behind him and smiled. "Took ya long enough." I rolled my eyes and joined him in the main room. Time Turner was nowhere in sight. He must be in his cabinet. I walked over to the tall, blue cabinet and knocked. "You in there Timey?" I pressed my ear to the door. I heard a muffled 'Come in!'. There was a slight echo. He must be in pretty far. I opened the door and motioned for Mac to follow.

We walked in to find Time Turner working on a gold and diamond clock. And I do mean literal gold and diamonds. How he had moved it from the shelf to his worktable was beyond me. The thing had to weigh hundreds of pounds. His head appeared from behind the clock. "Hey guys. Just finishing up with this clock. The minute hand gears are a little stiff. That's what you get for making them out of emeralds I guess." I chuckled. "Yeah. That's why I use metal in my clocks." Mac and I laughed. Time smiled and made a few more adjustments. The minute hand ticked forward. "Got it!" He shut the back of the clock and walked over to us. "Let's have some fun."

Big Mac was the one who had planned the evening. He refused to say what we were going to do as we walked through town. All we could get out of him was 'Nope'. He led us out of Ponyville and off towards Sweet Apple Acres. What was there to do out here? We made our way towards the farmhouse. But instead of going in, Mac led us around to the back. Nothing in the open yard. What was he planning? I turned to Mac and he was standing next to a cellar door. He kicked the door open and walked down the steps. I looked at Time Turner and then we followed him into the cellar.

It was dark. Or at least it was until Mac flipped on the lighting. I looked around the cellar. Boxes, bags, and barrels. Storage? What was going on? Mac walked along the barrels and turned a corner. There was more? How big was this cellar? We followed him around the corner. Another line of barrels with a cabinet standing at the end of the row.

Mac stopped at the cabinet and motioned around at the barrels. "This is the family's private stock." I looked around for a moment before it clicked. My eyes grew wider. I saw Time Turner out of the corner of my eye. He was just as surprised. He looked at Mac. "You mean this is all..." Mac nodded. "Our homemade apple cider." I could already feel my mouth watering from the mere thought of the famous cider. I stared down the row of barrels. There was so much of it!

Mac opened up the cabinet to reveal a collection of bottles on racks. He pointed to the top left bottle. "That's from when Granny was about AJ's age. And every one after that is from each harvest up until last year." My jaw had to have dropped to the floor now. Aged cider! Was it true that it got better with age? Were we going to find out?

Mac pulled down a bottle from the racks. He brought it over to us and flashed the label. "This is from my first harvest when I was a colt." He pulled out the cork. "And now Ah'm gonna have a sip." He tipped the bottle up and let the cider fall to his open mouth. He stopped the flow and closed his mouth. His eyes closed as he swallowed and sighed. He held out the bottle to Time Turner. Timey grabbed the bottle and took a swig. He had the same reaction as Big Mac. The bottle was held out to me and I took it. I looked down at the cider. It looked like any other cider I had ever seen. I glanced at Mac and Time. They still had their eyes closed, enjoying the moment. I lifted the bottle and poured the cider.

I opened my eyes slowly. There was an orange blur in front of me. I blinked a few times. The blur had eyes. And a hat. And she was upside-down. Oh Horse feathers. Applejack was frowning....I think. She didn't say a word as I rolled over. I turned to find Mac and Time on the floor behind me. I shook them awake and they looked up. If we hadn't been in the cellar, I'm sure those two would have launched into the clouds. We stood together as Applejack stared at us. Applejack motioned to the cellar. "And what were you three doin' down here?" Mac shuffled his hooves. "We were just havin' a cider or two." That got her mad. "A cider or two?! Look at this place!" I looked around.

Wow....

I glanced at Big Mac and Time Turner. They both looked equally surprised. Applejack stomped her hoof on the ground. "There were thirty barrels of cider down here. Do you know how many there are now?" We slowly shook our heads. Applejack's frown got even frownier. "Two! You left two barrels!"

My eyes were getting wider by the second. That meant....28 barrels were gone! But...there were only three of us. How could we have each drunk nine barrels of cider? I could see Mac was trying to figure out what to say. He began to open his mouth, but Applejack put her hoof over it. "Not a word out of you. Any of you!" Time and I backed away.

And then Mac started smiling. Applejack looked shocked. "What are you smilin' about? You think this is funny?" Mac nodded. "Eeyup." Everypony looked shocked. I couldn't help it. I smiled too. And so did Timey. The three of us started to laugh. Applejack's anger turned to confusion. "What are you three laughin' for?" I sat down. "Do you really think we could have drunk all that cider? Come on! 28 barrels? We barely finished one between the three of us!" Time Turner stepped forward. "The rest of the cider's in the back orchard. We moved it and then played cards the rest of the night." I could see her anger was starting to come back. "Why would you take the cider out of the cellar?" Mac stopped laughing and wiped away his tears. "Payback for the other day. Now we're even."

Applejack stuttered for a moment as she fought for words. Finally she paused to take a breath. "Macintosh! That was a harmless prank. This was a bit over the top to get even, don't ya think?" He shook his head. "Nope." We fell over laughing again. Applejack shook her head and turned away from us. "I found 'em!"

Our heads shot up as we watched....'gulp'...our marefriends walk into the cellar. Applejack whispered to each of them. Rarity scolded Time Turner. Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head. Fluttershy...she didn't look at me. Rarity stepped forward. "That was a cruel thing to do to a friend. Hiding one's property is not 'funny'." Twilight looked up at Big Mac. "There are plenty of other ways to get even with Applejack other than making her believe that you three depleted the family's stock of cider." Applejack began to pace. "Now that we've found ya, y'all can go and bring the cider back to the cellar."

Rarity actually grabbed Time Turner with her magic and carried him away. Twilight walked up to Mac and whispered something to him. It must have been pretty serious because Mac lowered his head and walked out of the cellar. I looked at Fluttershy. We made eye contact. I gave her a weak smile. She smiled back. Her eyes shot to the still-frowning Applejack and she realized that she was supposed to be harsh with me.

"HEY!"

She had actually grabbed my ear in her mouth and was pulling me up the stairs. What a way to end a stallions night.

Special Occasion

I walked out of the library with a copy of Dining Fancy. It wasn't the kind of thing I normally read, but I needed to get some ideas for Thursday. Twilight had guessed that I was practicing my cooking again. That wasn't the real reason of course, but I nodded my head anyways and had left.

I walked through town to Time Turner's shop. Time was dusting the various timepieces in the main room. As the door closed he turned to me. "Hey Speedy. How's it going?" I set my saddlebag down. "Right on schedule. Were you able to get those curtains up in the workshop?" He nodded. "I still don't see why we needed to cover everything." I smiled. "It make's things easier on the both of us. Mind if I go check it out?" He nodded towards the cabinet. "It's unlocked."

I opened the cabinet door and walked in. Impressive. Long, black curtains hung from the ceiling to the floor. You couldn't see a single jewel or piece of gold. The cabinet cleaned up nicely. A table was set up in the middle of the open space. I smiled. "All we need now is some candlelight." There was a flicker of flame and two candles appeared on the table. I looked at Time Turner. "Did you do that?" He shook his head. "It wasn't me. You?" I shook my head. We stared at the candles as they burned.

A knock on the door interrupted us. We turned to find Big Mac sticking his head in the cabinet. "I brought the dessert." He walked in with a tray balanced on his back. The tray held an apple pie and some fritters. The smell alone was enough to drive me crazy. "Thanks Mac. Time knows where to put it. If you two will excuse me, I have a dinner to prepare." I walked to the door and left the cabinet.

I set my supplies down on the kitchen counter. I opened my library book and turned to the recipe section. One by one, I added ingredients into my mixing bowl. This was going to be delicious! I looked down at the recipe and muttered to myself. "Add two eggs."

'CRACK' 'CRACK'

I paused. What was that noise? I looked down at the bowl and found two eggs sitting on top of the pile of ingredients. How had the eggs gotten in the bowl? I looked around the room. Nopony was there. I looked back at the bowl. The eggs were still sitting there. It didn't make sense. I discovered the egg shells sitting on the counter next to the bowl. They were cracked in half and empty. I picked up one of the shells and examined it. Nothing. I looked around the room again and my eyes fell on the clock. Oh no! It was getting late! I decided to worry about the eggs later. I finished the recipe and stuck the mix in the oven. I had to go and wash up while it cooked.

I knocked on the front door. Fluttershy opened the door and smiled. "Hi Speedy." I motioned a hoof towards town. "Ready to go?" She nodded and away we went. I led her to Time's shop. She looked through the window. "What are we doing here?" I pushed open the door and smiled. "You'll see." I led the way to the blue cabinet. She looked at the cabinet in confusion. I chuckled. "Would you like to see what's inside?" She put a hoof to the door and pulled. The look on her face made me smile even more. The cabinet interior was dimly lit. The only light came from the candles on the table.

I stepped inside. I began to walk forward. When all I heard were my own hoofsteps, I looked back at the doorway. Shy was still standing there wide-eyed. I nodded towards the table. "You know, you could come inside." She slowly put a hoof forward. Step by step, she joined me and we walked to the table. We sat down and she looked around again. "What is this place?" I looked around. "Time Turner's magic cabinet. It's bigger on the inside. Got it from a dragon's horde if I remember correctly. He let me use it for tonight. After all it is a pretty special occasion." She eyed me and smiled. "It's amazing. We've known each other a whole year now." I put my hoof on hers and smile gently. "And I hope we know each other for a lot longer."

I stepped inside my home and sighed. That had to have been the best evening of my life. And the goodnight kiss was the icing on the cake. I looked around the main room. Boy was it a mess...I'll clean up tomorrow. I went to my room and jumped onto the bed. I let out another sigh as I nestled into the soft covers. My eyes were almost closed when I realized that I had forgotten to turn out the light in the main room. I growled to myself. I didn't want to get up. Why couldn't the lights turn off themselves? After all I wasn't in the room anymore.

The light went out.

I froze on the bed. What had just happened? I listened for anything, hoping that somepony had gotten in and had turned the light off. Why they would I had no idea, but it was the only thing that made sense. I slowly got up and walked to the doorway of the bedroom. I peeked around the corner. Nothing. I stepped into the main room. It was dark. I couldn't see anything. I shook my head. "Where's my flashlight?" Of course it was somewhere in this mess.

The sound of rustling pages hit my ear and I turned. My pile of discarded papers was shifting. And then, from under the pile, my flashlight appeared. It levitated into the air, surrounded in a pale green aura. I stepped backwards. "Who's doing that? Come out!" No response. I looked back at the flashlight. "I don't know why I even need you. I'll just turn the light on."

The light came on. I whirled around. Nopony was there. I was all alone. Then how...

My mind flashed back to earlier in the day. The candles...the eggs... I was the only pony in this house. I had wanted the light off, then on and they had done so. I had wanted my flashlight and it had appeared surrounded in an aura of....

Magic.

It All Starts And Ends With Magic

I paced back and forth in the shop. "I don't know if I can do this." Time turner looked up from his polishing. "Of course you can. Celestia herself chose Twilight, your friend, to be your teacher. It's not as if you're joining the Royal Guard." Mac paused with his broom. "She'll be good and patient with ya Speedy." I nodded. "I know. I just can't settle with the fact that I'm learning magic." Time smiled. "Believe me. Neither can we. I'll never forget the look on Rarity's face when you told us!" He made a mock expression and pretended to faint. We all started laughing.

The door opened and Twilight walked in. "Hey guys. Applejack said I'd find you here." I was about to respond when Fluttershy walked in right behind Twilight. "What are you doing here Shy?" She smiled. "I'm here for moral support." I returned the smile. Twilight put down a saddlebag she had brought in. "Are you ready?" I nodded slowly. "Sure." Time Turner appeared from one of the rows of clocks. "Hold everything! You're not having a magic lesson in my shop!" I rolled my eyes. "I was figuring on borrowing the cabinet space for a while. You still haven't sorted things away since my dinner in there." He stood still for a moment and thought. He sighed and nodded. "Alright."

I motioned for Twilight to follow me. I could tell she had been confused by the conversation. I opened the cabinet and stood aside. Twilight's eyes went wide. "It's...it's...." I smiled. "Big. I know. Mares first." Twilight jumped in and Shy followed after her. I stepped onto the cabinet and reached for the doors. Before I could close them, Big Mac stepped forward. I paused and looked at him. He gave me a stern look. "Moral support for my marefriend." I rolled my eyes and let him in. Time Turner waved to me and I closed the doors.

Twilight looked around the cabinet. "This is incredible!" She turned to me. "Are you ready to start?" I nodded. Twilight pulled some books from her saddlebag. "From what the princess told me, you can do some basic spells." I nodded in agreement. Twilight flipped open a book. "Then that's where we'll start. Magic 101." I rolled my eyes. "You do remember that I once read up on magic and how it works, right?" Twilight turned to me with a bemused look. She pointed a hoof to her books. "Make them levitate." Wow. Straightforward, wasn't she? I looked at the books and concentrated. Nothing. What? I tried again. Nothing?!

Twilight smiled and shook her head. You can't force it like that. Magic has to be one with you. That's the first thing you learn in magical theory. She began to lecture about the mechanics of magic. It was fascinating and all, but she sure was rambling on. I sat down after the first ten minutes of the speech, hoping it wouldn't be much longer. Boy have I ever been more wrong. When we were approaching the hour mark, I decided to cut it short. But I couldn't get a word in edgewise.

My eyes trailed over to the books. I smiled as I thought of an idea. I nodded to the books and slowly.....they flinched! I beckoned with my head and a pale green aura formed around the books. Fluttershy and Big Mac watched in awe. Twilight hadn't noticed a thing. I levitated the books up to eye-level and marched them around Twilight's head. It took her a moment to realize what was happening. She trailed off as the books landed in a perfect pile in front of her. She looked at me in shock. "Did you just do that?" I chuckled. "Well it certainly wasn't Mac." Twilight looked down at the books. "That's amazing work for a beginner!" She opened the books and flipped through the pages. "Let's try something else."

I opened the door to my house and stumbled in. Shy supported me from the side. "Careful. You used a lot of energy today." I smiled. "I'm fine. There was just a loose floorboard, that's all." I could see she was unconvinced. I let her lead me to the couch and I sat down with a sigh. She sat next to me and all was silent for a few minutes. I glanced at the beautiful mare next to me and smiled. "I think I have enough energy left for one more trick." She shook her head. "You shouldn't." I chuckled. "It doesn't require magic. Honest." I reached down and pulled off my false leg. I felt along the material for the break and slipped my hoof inside. Shy watched me with curiosity. I smiled as I pulled out a simple gold band. Her eyes grew wide. I held the band up. "I know it's not fancy or anything, but I saw it and immediately knew it was the right one. Shy, would you-" I didn't even get to finish as she tackled me with a kiss. We embraced and stayed like that for several moments. When our lips parted I stared up at her. "Is that a yes?" She smiled and leaned in for another kiss.

Announcement

First off, sorry for ending the story so quickly. I thought it over and have decided to continue on this storyline. Also my announcement about another story has, until further notice, been postponed. Hope you're ready for more romance and adventure!

I walked next to Fluttershy as we headed for town. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. "Are you sure you want her to the first to know?" She nodded. "After the whole first kiss thing, it's only fair." I rolled my eyes. "Okay, but you know she's going to tackle us with a hug. I'm still recovering from yesterday's lesson. I don't think my body can handle it." Shy shoved me and giggled. She started running and I chased her all the way to Carousel Boutique. We stopped at the door and composed ourselves before knocking on the door.

Rarity opened the door and smiled. "Hello you two! Come in, come in!" We entered the shop to discover Time Turner sitting at a table. He turned to us. "Hey guys!" Rarity closed the door and walked over to Time. She sat down in the chair next to him. "What can I do for you dears?" Fluttershy looked at me and I nodded to her. I closed my eyes in focus.

Twilight hadn't taught me any illusion spells in our first lesson, but I understood the general concept of them. I had taken the liberty of making Shy's ring invisible. I cut the spell off and the ring winked into view. I swear Rarity's eyes were as big as the moon. "Is that-? Are you-?" Shy nodded. The excited squeal that followed easily could have been mistaken for Luna's Canterlot voice. I plugged my ears until the sound died down to be replaced with Rarity jumping up and down. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!" Time Turner edged around her and trotted over to me. "You finally did it, eh?" I smiled. "I figured it was the right time." He laughed and pulled me into a hug. "Congrats! To the both of you!" He reached with one hoof and pulled Shy into the hug. Rarity must have noticed the scene because I felt something tackle our hug to the ground. I winced and looked at Shy. "Told you."

After deciding it would be easier to tell the rest of our friends together, Fluttershy and I headed off for the library. Rarity and Time Turner had been kind enough to go gather the others and get them there. Shy had figured we had better be there first so off we went.

I pushed the door open just in time to see Twilight and Mac break their kiss and jump away from one another. I smiled. "Sorry about that." Twilight blushed. "You know it's polite to knock first." I chuckled. "Not for a public library it isn't." Shy stepped in behind me. "Oh! I'm sorry. We're we interrupting something? We can come back later." I shook my head. "No, no. I think we arrived at the right moment." Mac narrowed his eyes. "Yer aimin' for a hoof to the face." I put on my most mischievous grin. "As long as you don't kiss me." Shy looked at me in shock.

Mac began pacing towards me. Twilight tried to stop him, but to no avail. I closed the distance between us and we started circling each other. Before I could say anything, he tackled me. We wrestled for a moment, but wound up breaking apart since neither one of us could stop laughing. What made it even funnier was the look of confusion on our marefriends' faces. I stood up and brushed myself off. "Sorry about ruining the moment." Mac stood up and walked towards Twilight. "It's okay. It's not as if we had just started." Twilight shoved him away. "Mac!"

I stopped myself from laughing. "While we're on the subject of romance, did any of you notice something different about me and Shy?" Twilight turned to Fluttershy and looked her over. It was easy to tell when she saw the ring. "An engagement ring!" Mac looked from the ring to me and winked his approval. Twilight ran from Mac to Fluttershy and had her locked in a hug. "Omygosh! I'm so happy for you!" Shy smiled and returned the hug.

From who knows where, Pinkie appeared. "Speedy and Fluttershy are engaged?! This calls for an engagement party!! I'll get the balloons!" And she was gone again. I shook my head. That mare didn't even surprise me anymore. I just accepted the fact. While Twilight and Shy were talking away about how I'd proposed, the others walked into the library. Rarity had obviously told them as Applejack ran over to Fluttershy and was hugging her. Rainbow landed next to me and punched me in the shoulder. "Look at you. Can't say you're a single stallion anymore." I grinned. "Come on. I haven't been single for over a year now." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Just remember one thing. No fancy stuff for the wedding. I am not wearing some frilly dress." I held out a hoof. "Throw in a sonic rainboom and you've got a deal." She grabbed my hoof and shook it. "Awesome!" She flew over to the other mares and joined in on the conversation.

Time and Mac joined me and we sat back as the mares talked on. It wasn't long before Pinkie appeared with a cannon and balloons. Se fired the cannon and streamers went everywhere. Soon the party was underway and we were all having a blast. The only problem was that I couldn't get to Fluttershy. She was surrounded by her friends and I couldn't get anywhere near her. I tried to think of something. I eyed the record player. I put on some music and we all started dancing. Finally! I grabbed Shy and we danced around until I had positioned us near the door. We slipped outside.

I looked at my future wife as the moonlight danced on her face. "You are so beautiful." I whispered. She smiled. "You're pretty handsome yourself." I leaned in and kissed her.

"AWWW!"

We broke apart and looked to the door. Everypony was standing there in the doorway watching us. I rolled my eyes. "A little privacy would be nice. Twilight smiled. "Public library Speedy." She and Mac started laughing. I tried to stay serious, but I couldn't help it. I started laughing too.

Unexpected Guest

I set down my quill and sighed. "How many of these are we sending out?" Fluttershy smiled. "Just a few more invitations." I looked down the list. I crossed off three of the names left. That left four more. I looked over at Shy and saw she was sealing her envelopes. One, two, three, four-

Five?

I looked down at the list. Only four names. Why did Shy have five wedding invitations? "Shy?" She looked at me. I took a step towards her. "Who's that invitation for?" She looked down at the envelope. Her eyes grew wide in fear. "Umm...just an extra." She was lying. Why? I took another step towards her. Before I could see the name, she slipped the envelope into the pile of invites. I looked at her. "Who was it for?" She smiled. "Nopony. Just a friend." She could tell I was unconvinced.

The stack of invitations glowed as I levitated them in front of me. I began to sort through the envelopes. Shy tried to grab the stack. "Speedy, don't!" I continued sorting, passing each invite on as I quickly looked for an unfamiliar name. Wait... What was that last invite? I brought the name back in front of my eyes.

Discord

Canterlot Castle

Canterlot, Equestria

I was frozen in place. Shy stood there looking horrified. Slowly I gained some feeling in my body again and moved my eyes to Shy. "What....what is this?" She shrunk back. "It's...it's an invitation....for....Discord." I sat down and smiled. "I'm sure you thought this would be funny, but it isn't." She shook her head. "It's not a joke Speedy." My smile dropped. I looked at the envelope again and back to Shy. "Explain."

Shy led me over to the couch and we sat down. Se sighed as she turned to me. "The last time you were in Canterlot, Princess Celestia had just brought Discord to us. She wanted me to reform him so he would use his magic for good." My eyes bugged out. "Reform that no good-" I never finished. Shy had stuck a hoof in my mouth. She frowned at me. "Let me finish." I nodded and she removed her hoof. "I did it. I became Discord's one and only friend and he learned to be kind. He's different now. And I thought it would be rude if I didn't invite him." I stopped myself from speaking, allowing her words to sink in.

Okay. Discord, the maniac creature that had taken over my body and had left me mentally scarred, was friends with my fiancé. She had reformed him and now he was being invited to my wedding. What was wrong with this picture?

I began to pace the floor. I couldn't bring myself to form a sentence. No words could come close to describing my anger and confusion.

"Keep up that pacing and you'll put a rut in the floor."

I froze again. I looked at Shy. She was looking behind me. I slowly turned to find Discord lounging on the table. He smiled. "Hello Speedy." My eye twitched. And then I charged him. I only got halfway before Discord snapped his fingers. I stopped instantly, stuck in place. Discord stood up and walked around me. "Honestly Fluttershy, I don't know what you see in him. He has some anger issues to work on." I watched out of the corner of my eye as Shy stood up. "Let him go Discord. You know better." Discord sighed. "Only if your stallion behaves." Shy glared at me. I would have nodded if I could move my head. I guess Discord figured I'd agree, because next second I toppled over as the magic was cut off.

I stood up and glared at Discord. He smiled. "Good to see you again." I smirked. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't knock you out." He began to laugh. "I missed you too!" He rushed me and picked me up. I struggled to free myself. I paused as Fluttershy spoke up. "See? He's changed. He's even giving you a hug." Hug? Is that what he was doing? I held still for a moment. He was! Discord was hugging me!

The embrace ended and I dropped to the floor. Discord took a seat on the couch. "So you were about to send me my invitation?" Shy nodded. "I hope you can make it." He chuckled. "Of course. Anything for my best friend." I was ready to kick something. I looked around, but nothing was close enough. I sighed and sat down. Discord glanced at me. "Rough day Speedy?" I rolled my eyes. "Rough day? No! My fiancé is friends with my enemy. Why would that make it a rough day?" Fluttershy shook her head and sighed. Discord stood up and walked over to me. He held out a paw. "Truce." I stared at the paw for several seconds. I looked up at Discord and he smiled. It wasn't a mischievous smile. It was... sincere. I glanced over at Shy. Her eyes were pleading with me. I smiled. If she was willing to trust Discord, I had to at least give him a chance.

I grabbed Discord's paw and shook it. I met his gaze and smiled. "You ever been to a wedding before?" He thought for a moment. "I don't believe so. This will be my first." I chuckled. "Same here." We shared a laugh and sat at the table. Shy joined us and we talked for the next few hours. I was surprised by how Discord had changed. His humor of course was still as twisted as I remember. He described switching the genders of the Royal Guard and laughed hysterically. I glanced at Shy and rolled my eyes. She smiled and shrugged.

We talked about wedding plans, the goings on of Ponyville, and everyday things. It was an interesting conversation. Eventually Discord looked down at his wrist. "Drat. Forgot my watch. Speedy, what time do you have?" He was smiling as he said it. I looked down at my hoof to discover a watch wrapped around it. I looked at the face. "A quarter to five." Discord stood up and stretched. "I'd better go. Celestia will be expecting me to work tonight." I smiled. "Sticking to a schedule? You must still have some of me in your head." His eyes narrowed. "Be grateful for that. It's part of the reason I was able to be receptive to Fluttershy. Without you I doubt I'd be walking around Equestria. I wouldn't have a friend." He pulled Shy and me into a hug. "You both did your part with me. And I count you as my best friends. Just know that I hate you both for making me nice." We looked up at his straight face. He didn't last long before breaking into a big grin. We all started laughing.

Three Months Later

Speedy straightened his bowtie in the mirror. He turned to Big Mac and Time Turner. "How do I look?" His friends nodded. Speedy smiled and walked towards the door. "Then lets get this show on the road." Time Turner trotted behind him. "Best do it quick or Mac will get married first." Mac shoved Time Turner. "I only just proposed to Twilight. We ain't gettin' married for a while." Speedy and Time Turner chuckled and soon Mac joined in.

The field was green and beautiful. Several ponies were gathered near a large tree. Speedy and his friends walked towards them. He noticed Celestia and Luna standing at the front of the crowd. As they got closer, they were noticed. Ponies started waving and Speedy would wave back. Out of nowhere, Discord popped into existence and straightened Speedy's tie. He winked and popped off again. Speedy rolled his eyes and continued towards the crowd.

When they were close, Mac and Time joined the crowd and the ponies parted for Speedy to get through. At the end of the crowd stood Celestia, Luna, and Fluttershy. Fluttershy was wearing a simple, yet elegant white dress that Rarity had made for her. Speedy slowly walked up to her and smiled. "You look beautiful." She smiled back. "You look good too." They turned to Celestia and she beamed.

"We have gathered together today to celebrate the union of these two ponies..."

Magic, Families, And The Canterlot Voice

I stepped off the train and looked at the city in front of me. It had been a while since I was in Canterlot. I had decided upon the trip soon after my discovery. I needed to see Celestia. She needed to know about this. And she needed to be the first to know. I hadn't spoken a word to anypony.

As I walked towards the castle, I felt a sharp pain in my head. These headaches would be the death of me if they didn't stop soon. Ever since that night I'd been having constant pain. I began to walk up the steps to the entrance, but was brought to a halt by two guards. "What business do you have here?" I looked between the two of them. "I'm here to see Princess Celestia. It's urgent. Just tell her Speedy's here." One of the guards walked away and I sat down to wait. It wasn't long before I was invited inside.

The throne room was empty. I guess Celestia was going to meet me here. I approached the throne and sat in front of it.

"Speedy?"

I turned to find myself face to face with...

"Luna. It's good to see you again."

The lunar princess stayed where she was. "What are you doing here?" I nodded to the throne. " I've come to see Celestia. Do you know where she is?" She shook her head. "I don't keep track of my sister. She's busy enough without a shadow following her." I nodded. Luna began to walk away. I stood up and trotted after her. "Luna. Wait." She paused at the end of the room and glanced at me. "I have other business to tend to just as you have your business with my sister. Two separate agendas." I stopped. "If you don't want to talk to me, then say so." She turned to me. "I must go." I ran in front of her.

Luna tried to step around me, but I mirrored her movements. Her frustration showed. "Get out of my way." I shook my head. "Not until we talk." She shook her head in return. "No." She spread her wings, jumped up, and flew out of the room.

"She needs time still."

I turned to find Celestia standing next to her throne. I sighed and walked towards her. "Alicorns have a different meaning when it comes to time. You probably mean she'll come to terms after I'm long gone." Celestia smiled. "I'm sure it will be sooner than you think. Now may I ask why you came to Canterlot?" I sat down in front of the throne. "Something has happened. Something...impossible." The concern began to show in her eyes. "What's happened Speedy?" I looked to the stand next to the throne. There was a quill and some parchment sitting on top. I nodded to the quill and a soft green aura illuminated it. It levitated into the air and in front of Celestia. She stared at the quill in awe, and then looked at me. "How?" I shook my head. "I don't know. I just don't know."

Celestia had me try a few simple spells. I did them all with a smal degree of success. She began to pace around the throne room. I walked alongside her. We didn't say anything. Eventually she walked out of the room and I followed her. I didn't ask where we were going. She led us out of the palace and towards a large building located just outside the courtyard wall. As we got closer I saw the words engraved on the front of the building. Equestrian Historical Records. We walked inside to a lobby.

There was a mare sitting behind a desk. She looked up as the door closed behind us. Her eyes widened as she stared at the princess. Celestia smiled. "Could you direct us to the genealogical records?" The mare jumped up and led us to a room off of the lobby. All that was in the room were shelves and shelves of scrolls. The shelves must have been over fifty feet high. Celestia thanked the mare and she began looking around the shelves.

I waited quietly as Celestia walked up and down the rows of shelves. After a while she returned with a scroll and laid it out on a table in the center of the room. She motioned for me to join her. "This is your family Speedy. All the way back to the early days of Equestria." I looked down at the scroll. Sure enough there were hundreds of names all connected. Celestia placed a hoof below my name. "We'll start from you and your parents. Did you know your mother was adopted?" I nodded. "Yeah. She never met her real parents though." Celestia sighed. "She couldn't even if she had wanted to." I looked up at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" Her horn glowed and another scroll appeared from the packed shelves. It landed on the table and unrolled. In large letters at the top of the scroll it read:

The Unicorn Family of Hoofguard

Celestia pointed to a spot on the scroll. I looked at the spot to find it blank. I looked to her for clarity. She sighed again. "I'm one of the few who knows your mother's origins. The Hoofguards are an old line of unicorns. Nearly as old as I am." I shook my head. "But my mother's not a unicorn." Celestia nodded. "Which is why her parents gave her up. The Hoofguards have been considered the finest unicorn family for many ages. When your mother was born, her parents were more concerned with keeping that line pure rather than their newborn daughter." I looked down at the blank spot again. "They gave her away and disowned her." Celestia put a hoof on my shoulder. "She learned the truth some time ago. When she found out, she vowed to never reveal her ancestry. I suppose that protective feeling for family is heretic. She never approached her parents and they've never done the same."

I stepped away from the table and began to pace. "This is intriguing and all, but what does it have to do with me?" Celestia seemed surprised. "Speedy, you come from a family of unicorns." I shook my head. "So?" She stood up and walked over to me. "I believe that you may be a unicorn too." I couldn't help but laugh. It was ridiculous! "Me? A unicorn? Right." Celestia closed her eyes and her horn lit up. I stood still and watched her. What was she doing? It only lasted a few moments and then her eyes were open again. "You have a reserve of magic within you. Not as much as a normal unicorn, but magic none the less." I stood frozen in place. How could it be possible? Celestia continued. "I think that your mother must have had a dormant reserve that passed onto you. Your dealings with the dragon and with Discord must have awoken it."

I sat down. Me? Magic? Then I remembered one thing. I glanced up. "What about a horn? I can't be a unicorn if I don't have a horn." Celesta nodded. "That occurred to me as well. Both of your parents are earth ponies, but again, your mother came from an old magical family. Somewhere in her is magic, but she's never known about it. You discovered your magic by accident, and now it's alive within you." I stared at the princess for a few seconds. "So you're saying that I'm a unicorn...without a horn?" She nodded. "That's the best way I can put it for now. It will take time to fully understand, but perhaps someday we'll know the whole story. For now though I would like to have you do something." I eyed her warily. "What?" She smiled. "I would like you to study some magic. It will help you control your power and may help us know what your capable of."

We returned to the palace and were headed towards the library. Luckily I wasn't going to magic kindergarten. I had heard Twilight freak out about going back there too many times. Instead Celestia had opted for a homeschooling route. All I needed were some books and I would be set.

We walked into the library and discovered Luna sitting at a desk with several books. She stood up as we entered. "Ah. I'll leave you two alone." Celestia shook her head. "No need sister. We're just picking up some books before Speedy heads for home." Luna slowly sat down again and returned to her books. I waited while Celestia selected my curriculum. She set the books in a saddlebag and levitated them towards me. I glanced back at Luna. She didn't look up. Celestia paused, looking between me and her sister. I looked to her and she nodded. "I'll be right outside." She walked away and out of the library.

I stood for a moment not knowing what to say. I slowly approached Luna. She still didn't look up, but I knew her attention was on me and not her reading. I stopped at the table and cleared my throat. "It's been a while. I haven't seen you since..." I couldn't bring myself to mention it. "How...how have you been?" No response. "Luna?" Nothing. I sighed. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. I began to walk away.

No...

I turned back to her. "You think that we can just ignore each other forever? We have to talk!" She didn't move. That was it. I stormed over to the table and grabbed the book she was reading. Her eyes met mine.

"GIVE THAT BACK!"

I hadn't been prepared for the Canterlot voice. I fell backwards, but I refused to be intimidated. "Not until we talk!"

"THERE IS NOTHING TO SAY!! NOW LEAVE ME!!!"

I stood up. "Feel better? Does yelling help? Or perhaps you would prefer landing a hoof or two to my head?" She glared at me. "Don't tempt me." Okay....now I was getting worried. She was whispering now. I hope she didn't actually take my suggestion to heart. I did my best to stay calm. "Luna, we have to get this sorted out. Something happened between us and I intend to fix it." She turned away from me. I walked around until I was in front of her again. "Neither one of us was ourself. We both were giving into our darker halves. It's not anypony's fault." She didn't meet my gaze. I sighed and sat down. "You're one of the only ponies that really understands what I've been through. For that I count you as a close friend."

"You were my friend too."

It was barely audible. I watched as her head tilted up and her eyes met mine. I stared back at her. "Then why the cold shoulder?" I saw a single tear roll down her cheek. She closed her eyes. "I didn't want to believe that my feelings were brought on by the Nightmare. Or yours by Discord. When you left, I still thought that. You were able to go home to friends and a mare who loves you. Me....I had nopony. I felt betrayed. It's taken me all this time to come to terms with the fact that we were both not acting of our own accord." I reached out and wiped her tear away. She opened her eyes and I smiled. "Luna, I will always count you as a close friend no matter what. I want us to be able to talk. I want to able to walk into the same room as you without an awkward silence following me." She smiled at that last comment.

I stepped forward and gave her a hug. She didn't respond at first, but I felt her arms slowly raise and return the embrace. I pulled away and saw more tears coming to her eyes. She turned away and rubbed her eyes. "This is most unbecoming of a princess. Crying in front of a pony." I began to walk towards the door.

"Speedy?"

I looked over my shoulder. Luna was smiling. "I'm sorry." I shook my head. "There's nothing to be sorry for." With that I left the library. Celestia was sitting outside the door. I looked at her and she smiled. "You are a remarkable stallion Speedy. You have a special magic that few possess. The power to heal a heart." I smiled. "Thank you." She smiled back."no. Thank you."

I stood on the platform as the train was preparing for departure. I had my saddlebag on and was ready to go. Celestia had said she needed to go take care of something and had sent word ahead to Twilight of my arrival. She had decided that Twilight would be my teacher. "I can think of no pony better for the task."

I stepped onto the train and sat down for the journey home. Celestia and I had both agreed that the only ponies that need know about the whole affair should be my friends. Equestria didn't need to know about a hornless unicorn just yet. I leaned back in my seat and let out a sigh. My life had just gotten a whole lot more complicated and yet....I was excited for the challenge.