//------------------------------// // A Happy Ending // Story: Northern Lights // by MysteriousStranger //------------------------------// The way back to Ponyville was silent. Aurora was sleeping on Twilight’s lap while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were leaning their heads against Applejack’s legs, passed out. Trixie was sitting next to Twilight with a snoozing Trotting Paradise on her lap. “Ah can’t wait to take a long hot shower when we get there…” Applejack commented quietly, not wanting to wake the fillies up. “Me neither… I hope that Fluttershy is okay. After going to sleep and waking up to find out that I wasn’t with her… She must be really worried…” Twilight said with sadness. “You regret leavin’, sugarcube?” Twilight shook her head. “Not at all. I had to go. I mean, we rescued our fillies and liberated an entire city from an oppressive and evil organization!” “Not to mention all the foals you returned to their families.” Trixie added. Twilight nodded. “Do you think we'll ever see them again? Iron Strong and the others?” “If we decide to visit Damashooves again, I'm sure that we will.” the farmer pony replied with a smile. “You're right… I promised my father I would visit him.” the lavender Unicorn said as her gaze slowly traveled to the train window and out at the fast-moving scenery. “Will they be okay? Will they be able to hold your… mother?” the blue Unicorn asked, unsure. “Yes. She’s not dangerous to anypony anymore… I blocked her magic and unless I return it to her, she won’t be able to use any kind of magic." “Good…” Applejack said just before yawning. “Ah don’t know about you girls, but I’m sleepy…” “Yeah, me too… How about you, Trixie?” “I’m also tired… I haven’t slept well since I left Ponyville…” “Then I suggest we all sleep; it'll make the trip shorter…” Twilight yawned out. “Sweet dreams, everypony.” It didn't take long before everypony fell asleep. *** "Did you like the cupcakes, Fluttershy?" the pink pony asked anxiously, grinning at her shy friend who was sitting on the couch of her cottage. “Mmm, yeah… It’s delicious, Pinkie…” Fluttershy said, trying to smile. Morning has arrived to Ponyville, which was still being guarded by Princess Celestia’s guards. Pinkie rarely left Fluttershy’s cottage during the past week, and only did so to help Mr. and Mrs. Cake or to check on her other friends. But every time she did leave, she always left Cutie with Fluttershy so she had company besides Spike and Angel. The shy pony refused to leave her cottage, so it was up to Spike and Pinkie Pie to feed her critters. After Fluttershy ate the last cupcake, Pinkie Pie and Cutie headed to the kitchen to clean the tray. When they were returning to the living room, Pinkie Pie saw Trixie looking at her from the window. Pinkie Pie was about to scream of excitement but Trixie covered her mouth with a hoof and gestured with her head to meet her outside. The party pony turned to see the back of her friend's head on the couch. “Fluttershy? I’m going out for a few moments; will you be okay alone? I won’t take long.” The yellow Pegasus didn’t turn around, but Pinkie Pie could see that she'd barely nodded. “I’ll be back soon! Come with me, Cutie.” “Y-Yes, mom…” the cyan filly said as she followed her mother outside. Pinkie Pie trotted to where she'd seen Trixie and found her standing not far from the window. “You’re back!” the pink pony exclaimed as quietly as she could, trying to hide her joy so Fluttershy wouldn't hear. "Have you found Twilight and Applejack?" “I found more than them.” Trixie said as Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Aurora and Twilight with Trotting Paradise on her back appeared from behind the bushes. Seeing that Pinkie Pie was about to yell, Trixie covered her mouth with a hoof again. After she realized that they were really there, the pink pony removed Trixie’s hoof from her mouth and galloped to her friends, hugging them tightly. Cutie did the same with her own friends. “I can’t believe that you’re all back! I’m so happy!” “P-Pinkie, please! We can’t breathe!” the farmer pony coughed out, turning blue. Pinkie Pie let them go. “Sorry, but I’m so, so, so glad that you’re all back! What happened to your leg, Applejack? And Twilight, are those… injuries?” “We’ll explain everything later, Pinkie.” Twilight said. “Right now, I just want to relax and see Fluttershy.” “Me too… Ah need to get back to the farm with Rainbow Dash.” Applejack said. “Ah need to rest my broken leg.” “Okie dokey lokey! We’ll catch up later, then! I’ll leave you alone; I’m sure you'll want that, Twilight.” “Yes, thank you, Pinkie. I need to speak with Fluttershy and I would appreciate the privacy.” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Come on, Cutie! Let’s go see your dad!” Cutie hesitantly broke away from the hug and followed her mother, waving back at her friends. “I’ll return Trotting Paradise to Lyra and Bon Bon. Later, girls!” Trixie happily said. “Goodbye, Trixie, thanks!” Twilight replied as she, Applejack and the fillies waved at her. “Anytime!” The blue pony replied as she left, waving back. Twilight turned to see Applejack. “Applejack… I can't thank you enough. I would never have done it without your help.” “Ah wouldn’t let my friend do somethin' like that alone. You needed somepony by your side.” “I did… I’ll see you later. Take care, Applejack! Send my regards to Rainbow Dash.” “I’ll see you later, sugarcube, and I will.” the farmer pony said as she hugged Twilight. She then headed back to the farm with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo following closely. Twilight looked at her daughter. “Ready to see your mommy again?” “Yes!” Aurora exclaimed without hesitation, nodding fast. She followed her mother inside the cottage. Once they entered, they closed the door and were met with the sight of Fluttershy sitting on the couch. “Pinkie, Where did you go?” Fluttershy asked without turning her head. Her voice made Twilight feel extremely guilty for leaving; the tone had gone beyond depressed. “Our club meeting was a bit longer than we expected.” the filly blue Unicorn said, causing Fluttershy’s ears to perk. She smiled widely and galloped over to hug her daughter. “Oh, dear, you’re back--you’re back! I missed you so much!” Fluttershy started to cry of joy. “I missed you too, Mommy…” Aurora hugged her mom back, crying her own tears as she did so. But, in a moment Fluttershy abruptly pulled away and began checking every part of her body for injuries. “Are you hurt? Were they mean to you?” “Mommy, I’m fine! Thanks to Mom; she saved me and everypony else!” Fluttershy raised her head and looked at Twilight, who was smiling nervously. It was the first time Fluttershy had acknowledged her since they'd made their presence known. Twilight didn’t like Fluttershy's expression; it was torn between anger and sadness. The blue filly noticed this and was about to say something when the door that leads to the stairs opened, revealing Spike and Angel Bunny. “Twilight! You’re back!” the baby dragon said as he ran up to hug the pony that'd looked after him since he was an egg. Even Angel Bunny hopped up to hug the Unicorn. Twilight returned their hug, but her mind and eyes were still on Fluttershy. “Where have you been? You found Aurora! Twi, I…” “Spike…” Aurora began quietly. “I think that we should give them some space…” She led both Spike and Angel Bunny outside, closing the door behind her. The cottage was silent for a few minutes, where only the breathing of the mares could be heard until Twilight spoke. “Honey, I…” “Don’t ‘honey’ me, Twilight Sparkle! Do you know how hard this week has been for me?! I woke up hoping to have you by my side, but I found Trixie instead, telling me that you'd left Ponyville! She wouldn’t tell me where you went and then, she was gone too! Pinkie was here to take care of me but I never left the cottage--I didn’t feel like doing anything because my family was missing! I only ate because Pinkie is good at persuading!” She cried more and more as she yelled. Twilight didn’t dare open her mouth again, understanding that Fluttershy needed to take all her pain out. “I didn't talk to anypony other than Pinkie and Cutie… I thought that you would never come back…” This time her sobs became louder and Twilight couldn’t keep her hooves to herself any longer. She hugged her wife tightly, and Fluttershy cried into her chest freely. “I-I love you, Twilight… I need you… Never leave without saying anything again… Please…” Twilight kissed Fluttershy’s forehead as she held her close. The timid pony kept crying and sobbing for several moments before Twilight spoke again. “Fluttershy… I wanted to be by your side, but I couldn’t just sit and wait for the worse… I had to find our daughter. I knew where she was and I brought her back--with help, of course. There won’t be a next time because I won’t let it happen again. Honey…” Fluttershy looked up at her wife, her body still wracking with sobs and her eyes covered in tears. Twilight used a hoof to wipe her tears away. “I love you… I would never abandon you, nor Aurora. I’m happy here, and I could never ask for more.” Without warning, Fluttershy kissed Twilight passionately. Twilight returned the kiss, her forelegs wrapping around Fluttershy’s neck. Minutes passed and neither of them wanted to pull away. Around ten minutes had passed when they finally broke the kiss. Fluttershy hugged her wife tightly after they pulled away. “I missed you so much, love… But thank you for bringing Aurora back.” “I brought everypony back… Ouch!” Twilight broke the hug with a wince, scaring Fluttershy. “Honey, it’s not your fault; you didn’t know…” “What is it?” Fluttershy worriedly asked. “I have some injuries that need to heal… Don’t worry, I’ll be fine…” “Oh, my! Why didn’t you warn me?” “I didn’t want to get you more worried. They'll heal, I promise.” Fluttershy took a closer look at Twilight, and noticed that she had injuries everywhere. “I’ll prepare a bath for you!” “You read my mind, honey! But could you do me a favor?” “Anything!” “...Bathe with me.” Fluttershy blushed. “A-Are you serious?” Twilight nodded. “Why not? Now that I’m back, I want to spend all the time I can with you… And tomorrow, we’ll have a picnic with all of our friends and Aurora’s friends! What do you think?” The timid pony smiled. “That’s a great idea, love! I’ll be in the bathroom; come up when you're ready.” Fluttershy nuzzled Twilight’s cheek and headed to the bathroom. Minutes later, the front door opened and Aurora, Spike and Angel appeared. “Hi, Mom!” “Hello, Aury, Spike, Angel. I’m going to go take a bath now; it'll help my injuries heal.” “Where’s Fluttershy?” the baby dragon asked. “She’s going to help me bathe. You know how she gets when somepony's hurt.” “Mommy worries too much sometimes… But that’s why I love her; she’s so kind!” Twilight nodded. “Your Mommy is a wonderful pony, Aury. I don’t want to keep her waiting. See you in a few minutes.” The bookworm pony smiled and headed to the bathroom. “I want to sit down.” Aurora said after her mother was gone. She plopped down on the couch. “I missed this couch!” Spike sat next to her, followed by Angel. “Welcome back home, Aurora.” the baby dragon said with a smile. Aurora hugged him. “Thank you, Spike… I missed you too…” One year later... Twilight woke up first. Like every morning, a sleeping Fluttershy was her first sight. Today was an important day. Twilight felt something holding her and removed the sheet to investigate. A sleeping Aurora was hugging her tightly. Twilight smiled and carefully got up, trying not to wake her up yet. However, Aurora started to move her hooves as if she were trying to find something, so the lavender Unicorn used her magic to slide Aurora closer to Fluttershy and turned her to the other side; her hooves found Fluttershy and she smiled in her sleep. The timid pony pulled the filly closer to her chest, still sleeping and smiling. Twilight grinned and used her magic to cover them with the sheet before quietly heading to Spike and Aurora’s room. She opened the door and approached her number one assistant. “Spike.” she whispered. “Spike!” “Mmm, what?” the baby dragon questioned groggily as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I need you to help me prepare breakfast before Fluttershy and Aury wake up.” “Alright.” He simply replied. He jumped off the bed and he followed Twilight downstairs. Once there, they found an angry Angel Bunny patting his leg impatiently on the floor next to his bowl. “Are you hungry, Angel? Just give me a second,” Twilight whispered, heading to the kitchen. She cut some vegetables up and took them to Angel’s bowl, who started eating as soon as she'd placed the food into the bowl. The bookworm pony giggled and headed to the kitchen again and, with the help of Spike, she prepared a delicious breakfast for the family. Ten minutes later, back at the bedroom, Fluttershy was just waking up. Opening her eyes, she didn’t see her wife but felt something on her chest. The Pegasus smiled warmly when she found her daughter. She softly moved her, waking her up. “Dear, it’s time to wake up…” Aurora yawned and stretched. “Is it morning already?” “I’m afraid so. Come on, after breakfast we have to go to Canterlot. Are you nervous?” “A little bit… But I've been preparing for three years for this and Mom told me that I’m ready.” “I know that you can do it. Your mom knows what’s she talking about; she took the exact same exam when she was a filly. She passed it, gaining both her cutie mark and Spike. Well, she had help from Rainbow Dash by accident, but that’s why she's trained you so much. You won't be getting any extra help.” “I know, but I still I can’t help being nervous… Will you be with me when I take the exam?” Fluttershy patted Aurora’s head. “Of course we will, dear. Now come on, let’s see if your mom is downstairs.” The blue filly nodded and followed Fluttershy downstairs. They were both pleasantly delighted at the sight of breakfast ready on the table. “Twilight?” When she heard her wife calling her, the lavender Unicorn appeared from the kitchen, smiling. “Oh, hi, honey, and Aury! You woke up just in time for breakfast!” “Yummy!” Aurora exclaimed as she trotted to her seat. Twilight approached Fluttershy and gave her a peck on her lips before heading to her own seat. Fluttershy sat next to her and, moments later, Spike appeared from the kitchen with his own plate. “Now that we're all here, let’s eat!” Twilight said and everyone started to eat. *** "Good luck, Aurora! We’ll be cheerin' for you!" Apple Bloom said as she hugged her friend. All of Twilight, Fluttershy and Aurora's friends were at the train station to wish Aurora luck before they headed to Canterlot. “Ah’m sure you can do it, sugarcube.” Applejack encouraged the blue filly, patting her head. “Of course she will! She was trained by Twilight!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed proudly. Twilight smiled at her friend, silently thanking her. “You’ll be marvelous, darling. Just concentrate on what you are doing and forget about your examiners.” Rarity advised wisely. “I’ll do that. Thank you, auntie Rarity.” Aurora replied, smiling. “And remember, I’ll throw you a party when you get back!” Pinkie Pie grinned. “Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I…” The blue filly began, but was interrupted by Sweetie Belle. “You'll be fine, don’t you worry!” the white filly said, almost yelling. “Yeah, remember that this is what you've been preparing for!” Scootaloo added. “We’ll be waiting for you…” Cutie timidly said. “Good luck, I guess…” Flying Feather commented in her usual bad mood. Aurora hugged all of her friends just as the train arrived. Twilight and Fluttershy got in first, followed by Aurora moments later. She turned around to see her friends one last time before the train started to move. *** The family was at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns just outside the examination room, finishing their last minute preparations. “Remember, dear, we’ll be by the door cheering for you.” Fluttershy said, hugging her daughter. “Thanks, Mommy!” “Show them what you can do!” Twilight grinned, placing a hoof on Aurora’s shoulder. “I won’t let you down, Mom, I pinky promise!” Aurora turned, sighed, and prepared to open the door, but she was surprised when it was opened by somepony else’s magic. Princess Celestia herself was in the evaluation room and smiled warmly when she saw her subjects. “Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Aurora. We've been waiting for you.” “Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed as she and her family bowed. “I didn’t know you would be here!” “I wanted to surprise you! And I wanted to make little Aurora more confident, seeing that somepony she knows is one of the examiners.” “Y-You're going to evaluate me… personally?” “That’s right, Aurora, unless you don’t want me to.” “No! I mean… Of course I don’t mind! I-I...” “Easy there, dear…” the timid pony said, nuzzling Aurora’s cheek from behind. “Princess Celestia being here means that she has faith in you and she came here to encourage you! Right, Princess?” “That’s quite correct, Fluttershy. I’m sure that Aurora has a lot of potential and I would like to be the first one to evaluate her. We should start now, though, seeing as how other gifted Unicorns have yet to be tested.” “We understand, Princess.” Twilight said before looking at her daughter. “We’ll be right behind you.” The blue filly hugged both of her parents and entered the evaluation room. Twilight and Fluttershy entered as well, but they stayed by the door. The examiners were sitting at the back of the classroom while the Princess of the Sun stood in front of the chairs. Aurora headed to the blackboard. In front of it, there was a table with a white dragon egg with red spots on it. “Well, Aurora? We're waiting.” The blue filly looked back at her parents who waved at her and smiled warmly. Aurora looked back at the examiners and Princess Celestia. “I-I’m ready…” she nervously said to the examiner before turning to the egg. Twilight trained her for this--she knew how to do it, so why did she suddenly forget everything?! The blue filly gulped and focused on the egg. Why did I have to forget how to do it now? Come on, Aurora, concentrate! You worked too hard to just fail! You don’t want to let your parents down! “Well, Aurora? We're waiting.” The examiner called again. “Y-Yes, sorry!” No more time to think! I hope I do it right… Aurora’s horn started to light up and her magic hit the egg. She focused as much as she could. Silence filled the room for several moments--a silence that was broken by a crack. Aurora stopped casting the spell, but didn’t dare open her eyes. “Open your eyes, Aurora.” A majestic voice echoed throughout the room. The blue filly opened her yellow eye first and was amazed at the sight. Before her, there was a baby dragon chewing on his tail. He was crimson and had lavender eyes. The spikes atop his head and back were the same color as his eyes--a lavender similar to Twilight's fur. Aurora smiled and took a closer look at him. The crimson dragon put his tiny claws on her nose. “He’s so cute…” Aurora said, nuzzling him. “You passed your exam, Aurora, congratulations!” Princess Celestia said, now next to the filly. Twilight and Fluttershy trotted to their daughter and hugged her. “I’m so proud of you, Aury, I knew that you could do it!” Twilight said, crying of joy. “You can start school right away, Aurora. I would be honored to have you here.” The Princess of the Sun said, smiling warmly. “Th-Thank you, Princess Celestia.” the blue filly replied, unsure. Fluttershy noticed her uncertainty. “Is something wrong, dear?” Fluttershy asked, looking into her daughter's eyes. The family broke their hug. “N-No, Mommy! I’m fine and happy to have passed the exam!” Aurora exclaimed, grinning nervously. Fluttershy didn’t fall for it. “Something’s bothering you… Are you sure you want to enter the school?” “Of course I want to!” “Aurora…” The timid Pegasus gave her a serious look. Aurora sighed. “No… I really don’t want to study here…” She looked at Twilight, who was surprised to hear that. “I just did it for you, Mom… I'm sorry…” “Why didn’t you tell me anything, Aury?” Twilight asked in confusion. “I-I didn’t want to let you down… I know how much you wanted me to study here… At first I did want to come here… But with time that wish faded… I wanted to tell you, but you were so happy… I just couldn’t do it…” The lavender Unicorn was silent for a few seconds, but she hugged her daughter tightly soon afterwards. “I’m sorry, Aury… I should have asked you if you really wanted to enter… I wanted you to follow my steps so badly that I forgot to make sure if it was what you wanted… I was being selfish; I'm sorry… Please say something the next time this happens, okay?” “I will, Mom, thank you…” They hugged for a few more moments before breaking the embrace. Aurora turned to Princess Celestia. “Sorry, Princess… But I’ll have to decline… I want to learn magic, but I want my mom to be my teacher… I’ll learn on my own… I don’t want to come to the city. I prefer the ambiance of Ponyville, surrounded by nature and beautiful critters I love and like to take care of… I don’t want to leave my home; it’s the place where I recovered hope and where I’m happy with friends and family… I hope that you understand, Princess…” “Of course that I understand, Aurora. You have to follow your heart and do what you love. And I think you've just found your path, look.” Princess Celestia said, pointing to her flank. Aurora, Fluttershy and Twilight looked at it as well. THey saw that it was shining white. After a few seconds, the shining faded to reveal Aurora’s cutie mark. It had three lavender butterflies with three sparkles, also lavender, surrounding them. The blue filly was so happy that she jumped of excitement, yelling, and hugged her mothers tightly. “My cutie mark! I finally got my cutie mark!” “Congratulations, dear!” “We're proud of you!” “It seems that you love your parents very much, Aurora. I've seen ponies get the same cutie mark as one of their parents, but never from both at the same time.” the Princess of the Sun said, watching the scene with amusement. Aurora broke the hug and turned to the Princess. “Yes, I do, Princess. They saved my life multiple times and provided me a new home. They accepted me when nopony would… I would do anything for them.” Both Fluttershy and Twilight caressed Aurora’s cheeks. “We love you too, dear…” the timid pony said. Twilight looked at Princess Celestia. “Thank you for everything, Princess Celestia, but we have to get going now. We have a celebration waiting back in Ponyville.” “I understand, Twilight Sparkle. I won’t take any more of your time. Before you leave, don’t forget about your gift.” “A gift?” Aurora confusedly asked. Princess Celestia nodded and used her magic to levitate the baby dragon to them. He was sleeping. Twilight used her magic to hold him as Princess Celestia released him. “But I thought she would have to look after him if she entered the school...” Twilight questioned in confusion. “She passed the exam and wishes to learn from you. You're a great teacher, Twilight Sparkle, so she will take the baby dragon home and raise him as you raised Spike.” “Thank you, Princess Celestia! I won’t fail you!” Aurora happily said. “I know you won’t; you proved that to me today.” Princess Celestia said warmly. Twilight put the newborn dragon on Aurora’s back and he immediately wrapped his tiny claws around Aurora’s neck and smiled, making the filly smile too. “Good thing that we added that extra room to the cottage! Right, Twilight?” Fluttershy commented with a giggle. “Yes! What're you going to name him, Aury?” “Hmm… I was thinking of Titus.” “That’s a nice name, dear!” Fluttershy said as she looked at the baby dragon. “We should make Titus a bed as soon as we get home.” “I’m ahead of you, honey! I was already thinking about the materials to use! Well, we better go now... Thanks again, Princess Celestia!” “Take care, my little ponies! We shall see each other again!” The family turned and walked away with their new addition to the family, ready to begin a new chapter of their lives.