Brony Recon: Ascension

by Freescript the Bard

First published 1st of August, 2012

The bronies of Brony Recon have spent two months in Equestria, and are moving on with their new lives. But life has other plans for the six former-humans.

Please read the slightly lower-quality prequel before reading this, as it contains important events linked to this story. Otherwise, Enjoy!

Six bronies, transformed into ponies and sent to Equestria, were charged with the task of developing a diplomatic relationship with Equestria's royalty and determining if they can integrate and thrive among the native ponies. After two months, it seems their mission is a triumphant success; each of them has found a place in their new home. But when a series of unfortunate happenings upsets their new lives, they find that Equestria is not the utopia as they knew it to be. In this, the second story in the Brony Recon series, the bronies find themselves facing new challenges they could never have prepared for.

Welcome to the second installment of Brony Recon. It will be a long and bumpy ride. Oh, and to be warned: in the aftermath of a quartz experiment, Skyblaze and I have been separated, and he is helping me (with some constructive critism) at the end of each chapter!

EDIT: Alternate Universe, as the bronies' introduction to Equestria is right after season two, influencing all events. Season three episodes are not considered.

Prologue Part 1: Cottage in the Winter

BRONY RECON: ASCENSION

>>> MarkusBrony (Skyblaze) <<<

>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<

Rainchaser's POV

"Rain, tell Dash that… that I love her…"

"Aegis, no!"

"Take care of her, Chloe… I love you…"

"NICK!"

>><<>><<

"Chloe!"

"Gah!" I flipped out of bed, bumping my wing on the bedside table, "Jeez, Aegis, find some other way to wake somepony up on vacation!"

Aegis looked at me with his green eyes. "You were screaming my name in your sleep, Rain, I had to wake you--" His sentence was cut off by a pillow in his face.

"Keep it down, will ya? Tryin' to sleep here…"

"Sorry, Sky," we said simultaneously.

"Don't be sorry, be quiet!"

"Sorry!"

Facehoof. Skyblaze sighed. "As long as I'm up, Rain, I'm gonna have an expresso."

I blinked at him. "Expresso is evening coffee, Sky."

He rolled over and gave me a 'I'll give you five seconds to realize your stupidity look'.

Aegis was kind enough to save me. "For him, it is evening."

"Oh, right."

"But it's weird that you're going to bed so early, Sky. It's only seven."

"Ugh… I can't get a few more hours of sleep on vacation?" he said, sleepily getting out of bed.

"Sky, you've been sleeping in until seven every evening so far. You missed a lot of fun."

"Don't I know it. But it's hard to adjust, ya know? Especially when I've been doing this for a whole two months." Sky trotted groggily to the kitchen part of the cottage.

This week, the bronies all decided to take a vacation from all other ponies, and just hang with their fellow former humans. Luna was nice enough to lend her fiancé and us a small cottage in the foothill forests that line the feet of the mountains that make up Canterlot Valley. The cottage itself was nice, with an excellent view of the sunrise over the snow-covered land. It had bedding for eight, even though we only needed five (Aegis and I slept next to each other). Also, the woodland structure came complete with indoor plumbing and power.

Skyblaze, with expresso in hoof, joined us out on the porch. He sighed at the sunset. "Ya know, besides the trek to get here, this has been a pretty good vacation."

"Storm almost didn't make it. She kept getting woozy, and her knees wouldn't stop shaking." I replied. "I'm glad I was able to take care of her when things got rough."

"Yeah, remember the Running of the Leaves?" chuckled Aegis, "she was about to drop midway through it from an upset stomach, and that was before we knew…" Alerted to a malevolent presence behind him, he winced sharply and turned to see Storm in the doorway. "Um… hi, Storm."

"Well excuse me for being pregnant!" she cried, trotting quickly back into the house.

"Sam, wait I was just… Storm, please don't cry," Aegis hurried into the house after the emotional mare.

Skyblaze gave me a look. "So… do you think I should stay up for the day? Maybe Shift knows a spell…"

"Shift's been kinda weak lately, Sky. Without Twilight around, his magic's just as useful as Storm's."

"Well, buck. And I don't know a song that will help. Sometimes being a bard is frustrating…" He took another sip of expresso, then raised an eyebrow. "This is a good cup of joe."

"Oh, come on, Sky. We all know that you're afraid of using your power 'cause you're a megalophobic," I teased.

"Megalo-whatsit?"

"Means you're afraid of having power."

He said nothing, downing the last of his coffee. Then he began to sing. When Skyblaze sings with power, nopony can understand him. I don't even think HE knows what it means. It's all gibberish to us. It was a short verse, and a simple melody. Suddenly, his mug filled with another expresso shot. "It has it's uses."

"Okay, I gotta admit, that was pretty sweet." He shrugged and sipped his coffee. He then proceeded to gag and spit the musically-created concoction off the railing.

"Blekch! That was disgusting!" he exclaimed, sputtering. "Note to self: musical coffee is not good coffee."

I giggled at his misfortune. "Don't ever change, Sky."

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about something…" he looked slightly downcast.

"What is it?"

"Luna and I had a talk before we left," he said, setting his empty mug on the railing. "How would you like me as an alicorn?"

Had I been drinking something at the moment, it would have met the same fate as the bardic expresso. Instead I just dropped my jaw. "How would you…"

"When somepony marries an alicorn, the binding of our hearts will also bind our fates, and may or may not make me immortal," he said awkwardly.

"WHAT?!" came the exclamation from behind.

Sky gave a wince. "Hey, Ben…"

"Immortal?! You're going to be immortal?!"

"That's kinda what an alicorn is, so yeah…"

"This is one of those things that I need to be TOLD about! Do you realize that a brony who never dies is the ultimate recipe for disaster?!"

"Ben, I think you're blowing this out of context…" I said, trying to calm the fuming green earth pony.

"Out of context?! You're taking this rather well, aren't you?!"

"Dude, focus. Lesson Zero, remember?"

He instantly calmed at the mention of the episode in which Twilight flips out because she had a late friendship letter. "That bad?" I nodded. "Sorry, guys, you know how I get."

Sky chuckled as he filled his mug with singing again. "Here, Ben. Have a gift of forgiveness." I snickered as Ben took the mug.

Shrugging his shoulders, he took a sip. "Blekch! What the buck was that?"

"Musical expresso," Sky and I gasped between laughs.

Aegis appeared from behind Ben, a regretful look on his face. "Storm's not a happy mare."

"What happened?" asked Ben.

"We were joking around and may have hurt Storm's feelings by mistake," mumbled Sky.

"Guys, come on, she's already emotional as it is!" Ben berated, softly facehoofing. "The next nine months are gonna be a pain if you egg her on."

I tilted my head, perplexed. "Nine? She's already two months in!"

"The gestation period for equines is eleven months," stated Sky.

"Oh." I need to borrow an equine anatomy book sometime. On second thought, maybe not. I can only wonder what Applejack or Rainbow would think if they caught me with a book like that.

Then, Skyblaze's ears perked up. "I have an idea, but it's insane and probably a long shot. Gimme the mug!" Ben hoofed over the mug and Sky sang more distasteful black liquid into it. "You know how pregnant mares get cravings? Aegis, take this to her. Remember, it may not work, so duck and cover if she begins to gag."

Aegis took the mug with a raised eyebrow, but complied, bringing it into the cottage. We all listened intently. A few moments passed where nothing was heard. "This is DIVINE!" We all gave a sigh of relief as Storm came out of the bedroom, levitating the mug in front of her with a smile. "Who is responsible for this amazing blend?" she asked, sounding a bit like Luna in her regal voice. The pregnant mare proceeded to down the mixture, whereas Sky sang more into it. The blue pegasus looked out of breath.

"You alright, Sky?" I asked.

"Yeah… bardic songs take a lot out of me."

"Ooh, musical coffee?" Storm's eyes widened. "It's brilliant, Sky!"

As Storm continued to drink the debatable beverage, Shift came out in unicorn form. "What's all the yelling about?" the Changeling asked sleepily. "I heard something about immortality, a bit of hormonal rage, and a little divinity… oh, and musical coffee."

We all stared at Shift. "Um, Shift, weren't you taking Storm home today?" I asked, trying to dispel the tension. Storm had experienced a headache yesterday that caused everypony to worry about her health, even though she claimed she was fine. Shift himself wasn't all that well, either. Used to the unbound love Twilight feeds him, the Changeling felt almost starved, not to mention feeling guilty about using the forms of Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Luna, and Caramel to feed off their respective lovers.

"Yeah, you guys gonna be okay without my magic?"

"You may be more powerful than any of us when you're feeding off Twilight, but right now you have the magical ability of Skyblaze with a sore throat," Ben remarked. Suddenly, the sound of a familiar incomprehensible singing rang through the air, flinging Ben across the deck with a two-line tune.

"You were saying?" chided Skyblaze, his breathing slightly heavy.

"I was just making a point!" Ben grumbled, "in any case, I think we'll be alright without magic for a while."

"If you're sure…" said Shift, still chuckling, "c'mon, sis, let's get packing."

>><<>><<

Shift's POV

"Know any road games?" asked Storm with a smile.

"I Spy, Cloud Charades, Impressions…"

"Impressions? Against a Changeling?" She raised an eyebrow at my false unicorn form.

"Riiiiight… Cloud Charades?" I suggested.

"I get neck cramps really bad."

"Since when?"

"Since we came to Equestria," she said reminiscently. We continued on the path in silence for a few moments longer, hugging the side of the mountain.

"Are you sure it's not because of--"

"I'm sure," she replied irritatedly. The taste of giddiness disappeared, leaving the tangy flavor of annoyance. I was lucky I could taste emotions, as I could better predict Storm's hormonal mood swings. …and right now, we were between a rock wall and a cliff. Enough said.

"I'm gonna scout ahead if you don't mind," I said, trying to let the mare alone so she could blow off some steam. She nodded, the irritating taste in my mouth letting up. I changed into my true form and buzzed off on insect-like wings. I could have easily changed into a pegasus and flown with no difficulty, but I needed the practice with the translucent wings.

Nopony could teach me how to use them, as feathered pegasi fly differently. So I practiced as much as I could, learning how fast to beat my wings to ascend or descend, or how to angle them to change direction. While not as fast as pegasus wings, I could fly in any direction, even backwards if need be. As Sky explained it, it was like Changelings are helicopters, while pegasi were planes. Either way, I still needed practice.

Continuing above the trail, I scoped out the narrow mountain path. I kept Storm in my line of sight, in case she needed any help. Really, there was not much to see with the mountains on one side and the expanse of snowy conifer woodland on the other. This forster would eventually turn into the twisted trees of the Everfree. Normally it would be a five hour hike, but with Storm the trek was lengthened to a good eight hours. It was fortunate that the path wasn't iced over.

I glanced back to see Storm waving at me frantically. Wondering what could be so important, I circled back to check on her. "What is it, Storm?" I asked as I landed. She gave off the taste of discomfort.

"I gotta… you know…" She looked at me awkwardly.

"You have got to be kidding me," I said, facehoofing, "I asked if you had to go before we came on the path!"

"Well, I didn't have to go then!" she countered. "Besides, I may as well have diarrhea with how often I--"

"Okay, okay! I get it!" I said desperately. "But where are you gonna… wait a minute."

"What?"

I changed, taking the form of a Royal Guard pegasus. "I can carry you down to the forest!" I exclaimed, extending the large wings of the ponies that pulled chariots for a living.

"So, how's this gonna work, do I climb on your back or are you-- oof!" I picked her up with my hooves and glided down to the forest floor.

"Ngh… lay off the cupcakes, Storm."

"It's not my fault I have low blood sugar!"

Setting her on the ground before landing near her, I pointed her to a bush. "I'll be… over here," I stated, moving behind a tree. "Just, um… call… when you're done." Dear Celestia, this is not happening…

>><<>><<

I crashed Skyblaze's body in front of the library, the sun setting in the distance. Finally, some peace and quiet with Twi… The door opened, bashing me in the head. …light. "Dang it, Spike, that's the eleventh time this month!" I cried at the dragon.

"Oops, sorry Shift," he said walking out the door to run an errand. Then he stopped. "Oh holy guacamole! Twilight! Shift's home!" he yelled into the library.

Twilight came running down the stairs, stopping as she saw me. "Where's--"

"Oops, sorry," I said, changing into my usual unicorn form.

"Shift!" Twilight hugged me tightly and we shared a deep kiss. She was practically oozing love, my stomach soon full and my body full of power. "Why are you home so early, I thought you would be gone for another day!"

"Storm wasn't feeling well yesterday so I took her back today," I reported. "Caramel was excited to see her."

"Did you eat well, Shift?" she asked, hauling him inside.

"Um…"

"Shift, what did I tell you about not feeling guilty about other ponies feeding you?"

"I'm sorry Twi, I just feel weird when it's not your love," I rebuked, trying to flatter her.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Shift." Crap, time for plan B.

I changed myself into a small colt version of my disguise and looked up at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Twily, am I in trouble?" I said in my quivering young voice, imitating Elmer Fudd's idiosyncrasy.

"Act your age, Shift," she said, unimpressed. Okay, this is my last chance. Time for my secret weapon.

I stepped back and sat on my haunches, flashing green. I had turned into Fluttershy. Upon seeing one of her best friends, Twilight raised an eyebrow. I drooped my wings and ears and gave her my best sad eyes ever, complete with quivering lip. It was the cutest thing you had ever seen, even causing me to try to hug the mirror when in practice. It made you feel so guilty. I teared up and looked at the unicorn. Twilight bit her lip but made no move to do anything. Time for the finale…

I stretched out my yellow arms and very quietly, even softer than Fluttershy's normal voice, I shed a tear and whispered, "hugs?" The lavender unicorn gave in to the most powerful force in the universe and threw her forelegs around me, holding me tight. As I returned the embrace, I held out my hoof to Spike behind the crying mare's back, and bumped with his fist.

Author's Notes:

MB: I had to put my iPhone down, walk into the next room, and cry big, manly brony tears of pure D'aww when I pictured this scene in my mind. Shift still can't contend with the real Fluttershy, though.

Skyblaze: Was there ever any doubt? You're still a complete wuss, bro. Anyway, this story won't be updated as much as To Live and Love in Equestria, but Markus promises it will be much better and MUCH longer.

Prologue Part 2: Fall

Skyblaze's POV

"Is everypony packed and ready to go?"

"You seem eager to leave, Sky."

"Hey, I want to get back to my fiancé, and I think Aegis and Rain are missing Dash, so yeah, I'm eager!" I exclaimed, my impatient attention deficit mind not tolerating sitting idly.

"That's not the only thing he's eager for," whispered Rain to Aegis.

"I heard that."

Ben chuckled along with them. "I actually miss Derpy myself, so I'm just as much of a culprit."

"Okay, Aegis and I are packed," Rain reported. "Let's move out, Brony Recon!"

"Brony Recon? Seriously?" I asked. "Can't we be something with a cool acronym or military honorifics?"

"Actually, Cereal refers to us as Exodus Equestria: Brony Recon," stated Ben in his official voice. "So by all means, Chloe is right. Our official name is Brony Recon."

"All I'm saying is, it makes us seem like a bucking scout force for an invasion."

"Says the pegasus who wants military honorifics," chided Ben.

"Hey, military honorifics are awesome!" I countered as I led the group onto the trail. "Just imagine: Captain Skyblaze…"

They all pondered this. "Actually, that does sound cool," said Aegis. "Like some kinda 'Equestrian Air Navy' thing."

"Commander Skyblaze would sound cooler," input Rain.

"You think so? Luna and I talked about it and we both agreed it sounds better than 'Prince Skyblaze'."

Ben glared at me. "I'm still mad at you for not telling us that you're gonna be an alicorn."

"Ha! Foolish mortal," I rebuked in a regal accent. "YOU SHALL BOW BEFORE ME!"

While the couple behind the green earth pony nearly jumped out of their skins at the Royal Canterlot Voice, Ben looked so unamused it scared me. "You're not invincible yet, Sky…" Ouch. My pride.

"Could we just cut the arguing for a minute?" Aegis spoke in a low voice. "We're coming up on the avalanche zone."

"Oh come on, if the Empowered Voice didn't set off an avalanche, I don't think that talking above normal will set anything off," I said, but then remembered an important fact. "Oh yeah, the Dragonshy episode…"

"Precisely."

>><<>><<

Rainchaser's POV

"Hey Aegis?" I asked in a low voice.

"Yeah?"

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna go flying with Dash when we get back," I said. Really, our situation had turned into Aegis dates me and I date Rainbow Dash. The two would occasionally hang out, but I remained the link between the them. This tended to be controversial in two ways, one being the relationship with Dash and the other being the relationship with more than one pony.

"Sure, go ahead," he answered cheerily. "You don't have to ask, Rain. You know I'm fine with you two flying. It's actually fun to watch."

"Thanks, big guy," I said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "Bet you wish you were a pegasus so you could join us, right?"

"Nnope." I gave him a look. "I'm deathly afraid of heights."

This was new. "Wait, what?" I asked incredulously. "Since when have you been acrophobic?"

"I lived in New York, and often went to the tops of skyscrapers. It was pretty fun, and I can't remember a time when I didn't go on the roof occasionally. That is, until I was thirteen." He sighed and dipped his head. "I was at the top of the Empire State Building, enjoying the view. Like always, I leaned over the edge to feel the wind. But this time, a stray breeze caught me and I pitched over the rail. Someone was quick enough to catch me by the foot and help my mom pull me up. But to stare at the ground while suspended in the air like that scarred me for life."

"Really? I'd actually get a high off that." I shot Skyblaze a look. "Shutting up now."

Aegis continued. "There was an upside to it, though," he said, smiling. "That was the day my mom met the man who would eventually become my stepdad. The man who helped her pull me back in."

I stopped to give him a hug before continuing on the narrow path. Then I had a very mischievous idea. "Heh, hey Aegis, don't look down."

"Very funny, Chloe," he glared. "But I haven't fallen for that one in years."

I gave him a malicious smile. "I'll bet you haven't." We continued along the path. Occasionally, I glanced back at Aegis. The large earth pony was giving the side of the cliff a wary look, sometimes resisting the urge to peek over the edge. Eventually, his curiosity would win over his will. Silently, I counted down.

He leaned over, keeping his weight on the ledge. Closing his eyes, Aegis put his head over the cliff and did what my reverse psychology willed him to. Aegis opened his eyes and looked down.

"GAH!!!" He shouted, jumping back from the precarious ledge. His cry echoed of the mountains, stopping us all in fear of a rain of stone to come crashing down upon us. For a split moment, nothing happened, the four of us almost sighing in relief. "Whew, I thought we were…"

Then we heard the rumbling. Like a stampede of cows was about to come around the bend in the path. I looked up and gasped. A wall of rocks and boulders was fast approaching, barreling down the mountain. Most of them were as large as Aegis, and would crush any one of us.

"For Celestia's sake, RUN!" screamed Skyblaze. He began to navigate the rain of smaller rocks, flight no longer possible. Soon enough, he was hit on the top of his skull, the blue pegasus pivoting and collapsing in a heap. Ben ran ahead, and made it a full three meters before meeting the same fate.

I pumped my hooves, dodging both rocks from above and from my side, threatening to push me off the narrow path and over the cliff. Coming upon Sky, I began to drag him to an over hang where the larger boulders glanced off. I rushed out again to find Ben. A shadow appeared above me. I looked up to see a larger rock blocking the sun, tumbling for me. Closing my eyes, I awaited the inevitable.

CRASH!

It never came. Putting a hoof on my chest, I still had a heartbeat, meaning I wasn't in pony heaven. I looked around to see where the boulder landed. The good thing was it hadn't landed on me. However, it did land on my unfortunately long pink tail. Rrrrggh… Dash told me I should get it cut. As I moved to push the rock off my regrettable extension, I heard a grunt from over the cliff. I rushed over to the edge and searched the face for the source. Finding it, I stopped cold.

Aegis was hanging on to a root, the cliff face around the woody appendage cranking with hairline fissures. He tried to pull himself up, but having hooves didn't help. Even if the large pony could clamber up to the base of the root, he still wouldn't be able to reach the ledge.

Grunting again, his strength gave out slightly, making him slacken and slide down the root even more. The cracks in the cliff grew to worrying size. He looked up at me with solemn eyes. The eyes of somepony with no other choice. "Rain, tell Dash that… that I love her…"

There was a frightening CRUNCH from the cliff face, and I struggled against my restraint even more. I was reliving my dream… "Aegis, no!" I bucked the boulder. It didn't even move more than a slight wobble. No… I couldn't let Aegis fall… my dream…

"Take care of her, Chloe… I love you."

There was a KRICK and the hairlines grew into chasms. The root pulled out with the piece of cliff. Aegis looked at me one last time, tears in his eyes. I pulled desperately at my tail, never breaking eye contact with the maroon stallion. Suddenly, I stopped to peer at his eyes. They spoke of doom, of helplessness. But they said even more of love and compassion, of caring and kindness, of humility and loyalty. They held his last goodbye.

The rock gave way. Aegis ended his farewell when he closed his eyes to accept his fate. He released his lifeline, the rocks that made up the cliff tumbling down after him. I watched as Aegis, my love, as his maroon body fell into the snow-capped pines.

"NICK!!!"

I cried until I had no tears to cry, falling unconscious from shock.

Prologue Part 3: Summer Blossom

?????'s POV

My head hurt. A lot. That was the first thing I ever knew when I woke up laying in a puddle. My first thought was, why am I laying in a puddle? I opened my eyes. Or at least, the one not submerged in liquid. There were conifer trees around me, coated in snow. I felt cold as I realized that I was lying in the white substance.

I tuned my thoughts back to the puddle. Looking down, all I saw was a deep red. Blood. Whose blood was I laying in? It certainly wasn't-- My thoughts were interjected by the pain in my head becoming unbearable. It blocked out rational thought, rendering me unable to move.

Okay, I need to move. I need to find out why I'm bleeding.
…am I bleeding? Or am I in someone else's blood?
Why would I be laying in someone else's blood? Is there someone hurt?
…I didn't see anyone when I looked around. But I only have limited perception given my position.
Okay, I need to move. I need to find out where the blood is coming from.

The drive to discover the source of the blood drove me into alertness. My hearing came with birdsong. …and running water. The thought of water put a thirst in my mouth that would have been otherwise unquenchable. My primal instincts drove me toward the sound, crawling along the ground.

There was a searing pain in my left foreleg that made it impossible to move, as well as an ache throughout my entire body. All this was lost on me as I dragged my large body to the water with one foreleg, pulling myself along at an agonizingly slow pace. Finally, I felt the coolness of the small stream, numbing the pain in my head. I stuck out my tongue and began lapping the refreshing liquid up.

Then, I tasted something peculiar. It was a metallic taste, like iron. I racked my brain for what it was. I opened my eyes again to see the water had streaks of blood running through the stream. My blood. Coming from my head.

Suddenly, there was a muffled gasp from off my vision. "Oh sweet Celestia! Sir, are you alright?" came a mare's voice. I didn't have the strength to form a coherent answer, so I did the next best thing. Moan. "Your head is bleeding… we've gotta get you to a place where I can patch this up!"

"Uuuuuggghhh…" I groaned as teeth bit down on my tail and dragged me from the water. No… my water… it was so refreshing… The pain in my head began to come back as the wintery stream was taken from me. Luckily, my supposed savior had dragged me to a snow bank, where the deeper accumulation was enough to keep any feel in in my face and head numbed.

"Sir, try to stay still, please…" the mare said, staying outside my field of view. "This may feel a little weird."

"Wha…" Suddenly, a good portion of the pain that wasn't sedated by the cold was taken from me. I heard a grunt from my rescuer, like she was feeling the pain I was now… "Who…"

"Don't try to talk," she ordered. "Just… relax and close your eyes." I did as I was told, slackening the muscles in my neck and giving up my optical search for the mare. The pain slipped back to me, but not as severe as before. I felt her move around my head, occasionally lifting it, much to my pain. But I didn't cry out, knowing the mare meant well. Soon, I felt something wrap around my head and tighten around the source of the pain. "Okay, I'm done," she reported. "But don't strain yourself."

I opened my eyes to her voice, emanating from directly in front of me. The mare had a pearl-colored coat and a plant-green tinted mane and tail. Her cutie mark showed a ruby heart with a rose-vine circlet around it, matching the one on her saddlebags. She looked at me with light blue eyes, full of concern and intrigue. "Um… hi," I greeted weakly.

She straightened for a moment at my words. "Oh, um… sorry. Where are my manners--?"

"No, it's alright. Given the circumstances, I'd say it's excusable."

"Oh, right… um, my name's Summer Blossom, but you can call me Summer," she smiled.

I was about give my name when I stopped. There was nothing. My mind frantically searched for a name, but instead came up with a headache. Nothing. There wasn't a single memory before my waking in a pool of blood. Not a name, or birthdate, or even a semblance of what I looked like besides my maroon hooves. "I can't remember…" I whispered.

She gave me a sidelong look. "Huh?"

"I don't remember my name or… or my life… my…" I said in a shock. I didn't have an identity, anything to tell me apart from anypony else. I could be anyone, a criminal, a noble, a commoner, or even royalty, and there was no way to tell.

Summer looked at me in pity and concern. "You hit your head pretty hard…" she wondered to me. "It must have jarred your brain enough to cause total amnesia."

"What did I hit my head on?" She pointed to a particularly large pile of rocks. "How did…"

"Avalanche by the looks of it," she said pointedly. Summer looked up at the large cliff face that was initially hidden from me. "Part of the path up there looks collapsed. Did you fall?"

Rubbing my head with a hoof, the headache returned with a vengeance as I tried to recall. "I… I can't remember… I don't know…"

"Don't stress yourself," she said firmly but softly. "I'm sorry, I forgot for a minute that you…"

I lifted my right hoof to stop her. "Don't be. It's hardly a normal situation."

She giggled lightly. "Well aren't you humble," she said before growing serious. "Can you stand? You lost a lot of blood, so take it easy."

Shakily and cautiously, I began to rise to my hooves. When I was on all fours, I stood up quick… only to fall again to pain in my left foreleg and lightheadedness. Of course, blood loss… After a restrained giggle from Summer, I rose more slowly. I stood on three hooves, keeping my injured leg elevated.

Summer looked at the leg with concern. "It looks like you broke your leg…" she wondered out loud. "Let me get that in a sling." She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a piece of cloth that looked like an oversized hoofkerchief. With the cloth in hoof, Summer placed herself in front of me. Reaching around my neck, she tied the cloth on my back, letting the hurt leg hang in the sling. I felt a little uncomfortable with her forelegs around me, making what little blood I had rush to my face.

"Oh, sorry," she said meekly. "Was that a bit too… intimate?" She pointed at my tail. I looked back to see my short tail was completely rigid, similar to pegasi wings when they…

The realization hit me. "Oh… um," I stammered, blushing deeper. "This is awkward."

"Yes," she said, giggling. "Yes it is." She sidled up next to my left. "C'mon, you can lean on me and we can head for my home."

"Okay." I leaned on her body, careful no to put of much of my bulk on her side. It would be even more awkward than now if we tumbled through the snow in a heap. "Um…" I glanced back and pointed.

Summer gave me a questioning look and followed my gaze. Her own tail had gone completely straight, even more evident than mine, which was half as long. She blushed, the pink showing on her light coat. "Um… hehe…"

"Maybe we should… uh… go to your place then?"

"Sure."

It took us nearly a half hour to get our tails to cease their aroused-rigid display.

>><<>><<

Shift's POV

"Isn't a lovely night for stargazing?" Twilight said dreamily, leaning her head against mine.

"Just like every other clear night on Saturday, yes, it is," I whispered back. "Our usual hilltop then?" She nodded as we made our way to the top of our special hill. It was on this very hill upon which we had the first of many dates and picnics, as well as the party that brought Twilight and I back together after the 'misconception' her friends had. Now, we had found a new use, stargazing. The top of the mound was high enough and far enough from town to view Luna's artistic nights.

But tonight, the sky was filled with very few bright stars, making me wonder why Twilight had wanted to go stargazing. Twilight was setting up her usual array, a telescope, astronomy books, and a picnic basket for her if she got hungry. I didn't need the basket, as I simply fed off my fillyfriend's love.

I looked around to see if any witnesses would see me. Seeing there was hardly a soul out tonight, I dropped my unicorn disguise, becoming my familiar insectile form. "Twi, are you sure that you don't want to come back tomorrow night?" I asked, the studious unicorn looking at me, unfazed by my true form. "It's supposed to be just as clear."

She smiled slyly, producing a scroll of notes from her saddlebags. "It's because of the lack of stars I wanted to come out tonight, Shift." I waited for her to continue, but she was once again flipping through her notes and various astronomy books.

"Would you care to elaborate, Twi?"

She looked at me and, seeing my impatient face, giggled in embarrassment. "Sorry, Shift, but you know how into magic I get."

I smiled forgivingly at her. "Yeah, and it's so adorkable!" I exclaimed, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "…and it's why I love you."

She smiled and kissed him back, albeit on the lips. "I wanted to try out a spell I've been developing," she said, going back to her telescope. "But I need your shadow magic to make it work."

"Hey, I may be a Changeling, but that's no need to--"

"No, I don't mean DARK magic, I mean SHADOW magic," Twilight giggled at my unknowing face. "Shadow magic is what Luna uses to raise the moon and stars. Unlike light magic, which is based off intellect and knowledge, shadow magic is based on imagination and creativity. For example, Skyblaze's bard qualities are shadow magic because he needs to create certain songs for specific spells. Since your talent is translating emotions into visual expositions, I can only assume your magic is shadow-based."

I was taking this all in, trying to discern what she was ultimately getting to. "…and you need shadow magic because…"

"Oh, I can't do anything but the basic shadow spells," replied Twilight dejectedly. "Almost everything I learned about magic is from books, so my magic is mostly light."

"Ah…" I answered ambiguously. "So again, you need my shadow magic because…"

"Oh, I created a spell that I think can brighten the stars in case there are very few constellations visible," she said, looking at a scroll. "It's basically using how Luna controls the night sky, but I need shadow magic to do it. So you will need to feed me a constant stream of it so I can cast the spell."

I shrugged. "I guess that makes sense," I told her. "I'm not as book smart as you, but either way you could have just told me to feed you magic while you cast a spell to brighten the stars."

She grinned. "Glad to see you're catching on. Let's get started."

"Wait, that's it?" I asked incredulously. "No runic symbols or enchanted crystals or anything?"

"Nope. Just feed it to me when you're ready!"

"Um, okay…" My horn glowed as I gave a direct transfer of magic to Twilight, also drawing power from her love and using that. If somepony were recording the amount of magical power being transferred, it would be comparable to somepony teleporting six other ponies from Canterlot to Manehattan.

So pure was Twi's love for me that I could be the most powerful entity in Equestria, surpassing even Luna and possibly Celestia. However, with limited experience with magic, I still only possessed the knowledge to perform intermediate spells, albeit with no more energy than blinking. Still, if it came down to raw power on raw power, I had anypony beat.

Twilight's horn glowed white with absolute power, signaling the preparation of an extremely massive spell. Considering it involved altering the sky, it would need to be powerful. As I looked on, continuing the funnel of energy, Twilight's purple irises disappeared, her eyes completely white and glowing. A lavender aura surrounded her, creating a swirling wall around us.

Finally, Twilight lifted her horn to the sky and blasted a beam of lavender light into the night. As the beam channelled, a light wind whipped up around the epicenter. Suddenly, the stars began to appear. It was a gradual process at first, a few points of growing light in the sky. But soon, I saw the stars even clearer than before, every point of light ing the sky a starburst of pure white.

Twilight ended the spell, stopping the flow of energy into her from me. "Um… wow," was all I could get out before Twilight collapsed.

Author's Notes:

Skyblaze: Dude, you're giving a mare Aegis just met more action than Chloe or Dash got from him in the first story. That's messed up. Especially the tail thing.

MB: Well, I had nothing else to work off of! Pegasi have rigid wing and unicorns have glowing horns, so what else could I do?

Skyblaze: Touché… but shadow and light magic? Really? You're gonna pull the 'shadow isn't all evil and light isn't all good' thing?

MB: Oh, don't worry. It'll come into play… everything will make sense…

Skyblaze: That smile is kinda creeping me out, bro.

Prologue Part 4: Spring Ahead

Kind Greetings' POV

"Ugh… why did Chloe tell him not to look over the edge?" I wondered angrily as I woke. "Stupid reverse psychology…" Unconsciousness isn't sleep by a long shot. You don't feel rested at all, instead feeling just as alert as when you entered it. Rather, it's like a short hibernation.

My first perception was that I was underneath a small hill of rocks. Luckily, none of the rocks were big enough to do any significant damage to me. Sure there were some… more than lightweight stones I would need to dig myself out of, but it was a manageable task.

My second perception was voices. They were talking in hushed tones, not unlike the way somepony would speak respectfully around the deceased. Unfortunately, being buried didn't exactly do wonders for my hearing. As Sky would say, the acoustics in here were terrible.

Okay, lying under a mound of stone with snow filtering through to land on the back of your neck is fun and all, but I still needed to get out. Alright, earth pony strength, don't fail me now! I began pushing against the rocks burying me with my back, using a natural strength any pegasus or unicorn would be jealous of. I may not have gotten a lot of exercise besides my morning jog through Canterlot, but I still had the athleticism of the high school track star I was.

The mound shifted at the pressure I exerted upon it, the sound of a few stones rolling off it permeating the walls of rock. Consequently, the load on my back became lighter with less weight to hold me down. My head burst out into the sunlight, momentarily blinding me with the combination of the light reflecting off the snow-capped conifers.

When the whiteness faded, my first sight was Rainchaser and Skyblaze staring at me. Rainchaser's eyes were a raw-looking red, as if she'd been crying heavily. I turned to Sky. "What happened?"

The blue pegasus looked at the ground and scraped a hoof on the ground. "Aegis fell," he said in a sorrowful tone. "The avalanche pushed him over after we were knocked out."

The statement hit me like a freight train. I looked at Rain, who had resumed sobbing, but appeared to have run dry of tears. Aegis was gone. One of the bronies, our brother, had been thrown off the cliff, two hundred feet down to the pine forest. Nick, the humble bookworm jockey from New York, was gone.

But being usually insensitive, all I could get out was, "oh." I facehoofed so hard I nearly knocked myself out again.

Sky gave a halfhearted chuckle. "Always impassive, huh Benny?" he said. "C'mon, Rain. We have to go." She didn't move, looking over the edge of the cliff. "Chloe, remember that you have somepony else waiting for you."

Skyblaze always seemed to know how to handle tragic events. He looked as if he hadn't shed a single tear this entire time, belying his usual semi-dramatic self. Markus had always surprised me with his will, being stronger than one would think. His support had gotten Sam through his grandfather's unfortunate passing two weeks before the mission, bolstering the emotional brony with fortuitous words of consolation.

Rain, motivated by Sky's words, turned away from the torn-up spot in the path. There was a sadness and longing in her eyes, evident even to an emotional hopeless like me. She missed him dearly and didn't want to abandon him to the rocky bottom. But Sky was right; Rainbow Dash needed her. Especially when she broke the news to the rainbow pegasus.

>><<>><<

Skyblaze's POV

It was a quiet trek back to Ponyville, to say the least. Everypony, even the emotionally hopeless Kind Greetings, was shaken by Aegis' sudden passing. I almost felt guilty at my strength and ability to cope. Almost. It wasn't that I was glad I wasn't shattered, but my emotional fortitude in times of great sorrow was something that people- and ponies, given the situation, -rally to.

…Which didn't help my megalophobia. When ponies look for a leader in me, I will oblige without hesitation, but that didn't mean I had to like it. With what I've seen in Earth politics, and even Equestrian nobility, power leads to corruption and corruption leads to abuse of power. I couldn't trust myself enough to handle that kind of responsibility. It may sound controversial, given that I am not only getting married to a Princess to become a god-like alicorn Prince, but am also a bard with undefinable limits, plus the fact I can do a sonic boom, and I…

No, stop. I can't break down over that. I need to stay strong for Rain and Ben. They need a hope, a support. Rain was going to be a hard case, as it hit her the hardest. She had loved Nick as much as she loved Rainbow Dash. Possibly more. I wish I could be there when she breaks the news to Dash, as there's no telling what the rainbow-maned pegasus would do.

As the town came into view, I put a wing over Rain's shoulder as she leaned against me for comfort. She needed this, as Ben was the only other soul here, and with how impassive he is, he may upset her by saying something. Sometimes, all you need is a shoulder to lean on, both figuratively and physically. Talking only makes it worse, unless the pony wants to do so, and even then one must be silent and have them let it all out.

Rain stirred against my side, looking at us in turn. "I'm gonna… go see Dashie…" she said shakily, fluttering towards the cloud-home in the distance. I made no move to stop her. Rainbow Dash would be more understanding to the one she loved. As much as I wanted to go with her, I still had to tell Storm. Ben and I had agreed earlier that I would go to Storm and he would tell Shift.

"I guess I'll… see you back in Canterlot?" I said uncertainly to Ben.

"No…" Ben replied, shaking his head. "I'm gonna stay with Derpy and Dinky tonight. I just need somepony to lay next to, you know?" I nodded to him understandingly. He started down the path to town as I took to the air, making my way over to Caramel's house on the edge of town.

Night had fallen hours ago, and I was wide awake. Such was the life of being betrothed to a Princess of the Night. The stars seemed to shine a lot more than usual, though. I'll have to ask Luna about that when I get home. Looking up into the night sky was basically impossible while flying conventionally, so I had learned how to fly with my back to the ground. From the air, the night was almost twice as clear, allowing me to see every star on most nights when flying with Luna.

Shaking my head, I got back to the dismal task at hand, aileron-rolling back to a normal flight position. Because of the balcony on Caramel's second floor, I was able to land on a proper perch, allowing me to land silently and with more grace. Which made the next few moments my fault.

I walked up to the door and blatantly opened it, immediately regretting it. In the light of a dim purple glow, I made out two figures in the bed. One was the source of the light, her horn glowing profusely. The other was a stallion who froze as soon as I walked in the room. The awkwardness was so thick in the air, I could cut it with a knife. I wonder if Shift could feel it.

"I, um, probably shoulda knocked first…" I said, the blood rushing to my face. Silently, I cursed my confounded wings for being just as obvious as Storm's horn. "I… think I… should just check back… on the morrow…" Great. Now I was going Canterlot accent on them. "Farewell then!" I could still feel the blush on my face as the air whipped past me at near-sonic speeds.

>><<>><<

I landed on Luna's tower balcony, desperately trying to get my blush down. It was bad enough that I was late, but if Luna caught me with a blush and slightly rigid wings, I was toast. I checked the room, making sure my fiancé wasn't in sight. She was probably in her study, I thought. Casually, I trotted into the room.

"Ahem." Dammit! Luna can be a ninja sometimes. I turned to see a smirking midnight alicorn looking at me. "There seems to be more red than usual upon thine visage."

Aw schist. Stupid blue coat. "I was… just thinking of you, beautiful…" She raised an eyebrow, making me wince. I stared at the ground and tried to form the unfortunate truth on my lips. "I may or may not have walked in on Caramel conducting oral sex on Storm's horn…"

We stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, Sure Hoof, who was on duty that night, jumped at the sound of a trumpeting laughter. He simply smiled and sighed. It wasn't the worst thing he had heard from the room he was constantly 'commissioned' by his blue pegasus friend to stand outside.

"We have not indulged in that for a while," stated Luna matter-of-factly. "Mayhap you have forgotten what I taste like?"

I gave her a sidelong look. Then, thinking back to the memory in question, I recalled something. "I never told you what your horn tastes like…"

She gave me a look. "Beg pardon?"

"That first night I gave you horn, you asked what it tastes like," I said, going to a seductive tone. "…and I believe I need to be reminded before I can form an answer…"

"Hmm… shall we foray to the bed?"

"Nah, that's what wings are for." She gave me another look, but it never hit it's target as she looked at thin air. The unsuspecting Luna then gave a start as she felt a nibble on the tip of her horn. "Whoa, watch it! You trying to impale me?"

"I give you praise for your speed, my love…" she trailed off as I began licking the horn, now glowing. Normally, because of her pegasus origins, only her wings gave any sign of arousal, but as my tongue stimulated the reaction, the room was coated in a midnight blue light. Recalling my purpose, I tried to identify the taste. The results were surprising.

"Irish cream expresso…" I whispered in wonder. "With a bit of a cinnamon spice."

Luna nearly gave another small jump. "Really?" I flew into her vision and nodded. "Well… I never would have guessed." She sat on her haunches, seemingly deep in thought. "Suddenly, I feel like Starbucks." …or not.

"Heh, you're cute when you kill the mood," I said flirtatiously. "Maybe I can help that…" Hovering close, I planted a kiss on her lips and pressed deep. Luna closed her eyes in bliss and pushed back. Soon, it escalated into a kiss-of-war as we tried to overpower one another with our lips locked. Unfortunately for me, I needed to breathe.

I separated with a gasp, drawing in air. "How the buck can you hold your breath that long?"

"Alicorns have no need of oxygen," she said slyly. "How do you think I survived a thousand years on the moon?"

Never thought about that. "Alright, then," I said with a rather good Trottingham (North British) accent. "Shall we foray to the bed so you may demonstrate this lack of necessity to respire in an environment suited to said ability?"

"After you, kind sir."

Any thought of my lost friend had vanished in the moment. I hate dwelling on things, as well as it being physically impossible. My mind can't hold one thing for long, easily getting distracted and wandering to other things. The fact that my imagination was on metaphysical steroids didn't help. Besides, how could I be sad in the arms of the mare I loved? I wanted nothing to spoil this moment. Call it shallow, but it's how I cope and keep going. Just think about the good things in life. Like kissing my fiancé.

>><<>><<

Sure Hoof sighed as he heard silence from the other side of the door. Perhaps they had gone for a night flight. He shrugged and leaned on his spear, hoping to catch a few winks. Almost immediately, he was woken by the sounds of passion in the room. Growling out a chuckle, he pulled his helmet over his eyes, deciding that a nap would do him good.

Had he not been sleeping at the time, he would maybe have noticed the dark-coated pegasus outside the stairwell window. The intruder watched the guard from under a dark grey cloak with glowing green eyes.

Song of Immortals Part 1: A New Dawn

>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<

SONG OF IMMORTALS

>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<>>><<<

Shift's POV

Sunlight filtered into Twilight's bedroom, hitting my eyes with a blast of warmth and brightness. Curse you, Celestia, and your damned sun. I rolled over to avoid the intrusive light, only to find myself facing Twilight's purple eyes. We always had this kind of synchronization of our biological clocks, waking at almost the same time every morning.

"Hmm… waking to myself. That's a new one, Shift," she said groggily. I looked down to see that I was indeed Twilight, lavender body and all. I gave Twilight's signature nervous chuckle and changed back into my unicorn disguise.

"Hehe… awkward…"

"Uh huh," Twi said. Suddenly, I sensed pain and Twilight held a hoof to her horn. "Ugh… Shift, you didn't give me horn in your sleep, did you?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Since when did I start giving you horn?" She gave me a questioning look. I sighed as I realized she didn't recall he stargazing spell from last night. "Twi, don't you remember stargazing last night?"

"Of course I re-…" she said with a smile, then trailed off, blushing. "Oh… huh."

"So, what did we learn today?" I chided her, earning me a scowl and a cuff on the nose. "Ow… Twi, that hurt more than usual."

She ignored me, deep in thought. It was then that my Changeling tongue kicked in out of it's morning trance. Twilight, aside from her love that began feeding me, she gave off that stumped sense. Along with it, her face screwed into an adorable frown, akin to a filly that can't remember the name of a certain kind of flower.

"I don't get it! The stargazing spell I created was designed to only to clarify the stars in a given area…" she trailed off, muttering something about magical theory and energy transference.

"Maybe you just brightened the stars, instead of making them appear brighter. So in that sense, it would explain why you fainted."

She shook her head. "No, that would be impossible. The only ponies powerful enough to do that are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" I didn't tell her that it was probably from her lack of control over shadow magic, as this would distress her more. Besides, she's so cute when she's frustrated.

"Well, magical theory aside, I'm gonna fix breakfast, and you should go fix the bed-mane," I said, sliding out of bed and pointing to her rat's nest on her head. She chuckled nervously and waved me off.

In the kitchen, Spike was already removing ingredients from the cupboards to prepare breakfast. I stopped him as he was about to begin cooking, giving the dragon a wordless look. Spike took the hint, wandering off with a smile. Returning the smile, I turned to the stove. Then I remembered something. I couldn't bucking cook for the life of me. I turned back to see Spike standing there, a smug grin on his face and a spatula in his hand. Casually, he waved me off into the other room.

Me and Spike's relationship had drastically improved since I came along. Instead of seeing me as a threat to his job, the baby dragon looks up to me like a brother. In turn, Spike is like the little brother I never had, even though I have a younger sister back on Earth. As such, we became partners-in-crime, often pranking Twilight and other Element Bearers (aside from Rarity) using my ability as a Changeling and Spike's instant correspondence fire-breath. At this point, we were in a prank war with Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and the occasional appearance of Rain.

My reminiscing was interrupted by the sudden sensation of absolute fear, originating from upstairs. Twilight! Seeing my face, Spike drew a confused look, but bolted out of my way as I made a beeline for the bathroom. "Twi? Are you alright?"

There was a scrambling noise from behind the door. The flow of shower water could be heard. "No! I mean… I'm fine! Just… don't come in!" came the panicked reply.

"I sense fear, Twi! What the buck is going on?" When there was no answer, I growled at the sound of running water. "I'm coming in, Twilight!"

"No! I'm, uh… taking a shower!"

"Twilight, we've done a shared shower before, so I'm not afraid of that," I said, even though I was blushing at the thought of Twi's wet body, her soaked mane dripping water trails down her chest… No! For Celestia's sake, I'm almost as bad as Skyblaze.

"Please! Don't come in!" There was a desperation in her voice that scared me. When Twilight has a breakdown, it's at least laughable. But this was more than a stroke of insanity. This was a definite fear of something that would either put her in imprisonment, banishment, or imprisonment in the place she was banished to.

Spike appeared at the top of the stairs, looking on in perplexity. "Hey, Spike?" I turned to address him. "If Twilight does something she may regret, try to stay out of her way." I shoved the door open.

The frame was grabbed by a lavender aura. I tried to overpower her, but as powerful as I may be, strength doesn't beat experience. We were at a stalemate, her knowledge over my potential. Yet, as significant as potential may be, the door slammed on my face, earning me a hurt nose, loss of disguise, and a restrained chuckle from Spike.

Growling in frustration, I set my hoof and charged my crooked horn again with a green glow. Something caught my eye, stopping me cold. It fluttered in the slight breeze running through the library, caught in the door hinges. I leaned close and plucked it from its perch. As it floated to the ground, Spike and I stared at it in shocked wonder.

Laying of the wooden floor of the library, stirring slightly, was a small, lavender primary flight feather.

>><<>><<

?????'s POV

I woke to the sound of running water. At first, I thought I had imagined the whole thing. That I was back at the foot of the cliff laying in blood, the stream running near me. But I felt no wetness on my head, no splitting headache. When I thought about the headache, it suddenly hit me with a vengeance.

"Erg…" I groaned, holding my head with my right hoof, as I found my left forearm restricted by some kind of wrapping. I heard the sound of hoofsteps and opened my eyes. I was in a small one-room cottage, laying on what seemed like the only available bed in the structure. In the kitchen portion of the abode, Summer Blossom was smiling at me while stirring a pot of tea.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" she said cheerily. "…well, actually, it's almost noon, come to think of it."

"Heh, yeah. I'd ask for breakfast, but I think it's a little late for that," I said, chuckling slightly. "…and having lunch just after waking seems weird."

There was a moment of silence, then we came up with the solution. "Brunch!" we exclaimed at the same time, causing us both to laugh. So in result, Summer took a few eggs out of a cupboard and cracked them into a pan.

I tried to get up, but found I was hindered by my injured left foreleg, bound in the sling. "Oh, try not to move," Summer said, worrying over my injury. "Your leg will need to be motionless for a day or two, and you're still probably weak from the blood loss yesterday."

"Mm-hmm…" I replied ambiguously, but not with any lack in good nature. "Those eggs smell like the best thing ever."

"Well, even considering you couldn't remember a better smell, thank you for the compliment."

I frowned at the mention of my lost memory. If only to give a name to myself for Summer, I wish I had it back. "Yeah… but it smells good either way."

She frowned at my downcast face. "Hey, cheer up! At least you still have life, right?"

How did she do that? "I guess I am lucky to be alive after an avalanche," I said, the smile returning to my face. "I'm also lucky you found me."

Summer gave me a grin. Then the teapot began to whistle, bidding her rush to take it off the stove and pour it into two teacups. "Sugar?"

"Um…" I tried to recall the taste of tea, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. So I settled with the 'buck it' approach. "Might as well. Everything is kinda new to me."

"Sugar it is then!" said the pearl mare, gripping the spoon in her mouth and scooping two lumps of sugar into the cups. Stirring the tea in either teacup, she set the spoon down and brought the tray over to the bedside table. I noticed that the cups had a long handle with a furrowed indent, so an earth pony or pegasus could pick it up with their teeth and have the liquid pour down the furrow.

Summer watched me examine the cups and giggled. "I take it you've never seen these before?" I gave her a 'really?' look. "Oh, right." Just then the timer on the oven dinged, Summer rushing over to fetch the eggs before our meal met a fiery demise.

Curious, I took the handle of the teacup in my mouth and tipped my head back slightly, letting the steaming liquid flow down the furrow and into my mouth. Besides the initial burn that nearly made me drop the cup itself, the taste was actually rather good. Unfortunately, because of a certain head injury, I had nothing to use as a comparison. It could be the best thing I ever tasted and I wouldn't know it. "That's pretty good," I said simply.

"You like it?" Summer said while loading scrambled eggs onto two plates. "It's my own brew. Just some herbs I have growing in the garden." She moved the plates over to the table, setting my own in front of me so I could reach it with my mouth.

Evidently, there was no special way of eating eggs. Summer, tossing table manners to the wind, began chowing down, putting her nose to the plate and grazing. She made rather embarrassing noises, a practice I would think transcends table etiquette. When at last she looked up from her meal, she saw me staring at her with a nervous grin.

"Oh, um…" she said, blushing heavily. "I… usually don't have guests… sorry."

We stared at each other for a moment. Then I burst out in laughter at her unfortunate naïveté. Her blush increased as she giggled along. Ah well, do as they do, I suppose. Comically, I shoved my face into my own plate, noisily slurping up the eggs, putting Summer's display to shame. I was soon joined by the mare, the sounds of our less-than-polite eating reverberating through the small log cottage.

Once our eggs were demolished, we finished off our tea by slurping loudly. After clanging the cups down on the table with a clatter, we looked up at each other. Summer's face was coated in egg and tea, a result of our sloppy eating. I could only imagine what mine looked like.

Laughter once again filled the room at sight of one another's food faces. Still teary-eyed with mirth, Summer got up and wet a rag. She's took the rag in her hooves and washed, cleaning her visage of the gore that was her meal. I chuckled and held out my hoof for the rag.

But she had other plans. Smiling maliciously, the mare tossed the rag onto my face and proceeded to rub down my face. When she was finished, I expected to be greeted by a smiling face.

Summer looked at me with a frown, taking me by surprise. "You know…" she said. "I really need to give you a name."

I raised an eyebrow. "Say what now?"

"Well, I can't keep calling you by 'you'." I almost pointed out that she didn't do that much anyway, but I let her continue. "Let's see… you're cutie mark is a shield- an aegis, to be precise -so I think Aegis is fitting."

The name stirred around in my head. Anything is better than nothing, I suppose. "I guess you can call me Aegis, then," I replied with a smile. "Wait… come closer." Summer gave a look, but complied, putting her face next to mine. "You have something right…" I reached up and licked a bit of egg off her chin. "…there."

She gave a start and blushed, her tail suddenly shooting out. "Well… aren't you playful," she chided. "I'm gonna remember that when I take you through physical therapy."

Uh-oh.

Author's Notes:

MB: A note to readers: I am going to be gone for Aviation Camp for the week, so don't expect any updates in that time. (I get to fly a plane! Buck yeah!)

Skyblaze: Aren't you peeved that you can't have lustrous wings like mine?

MB: I'm kinda tempted to have your wing severed in the fight scene coming up.

Skyblaze: O_O fight… scene?

MB: Also, as I have caught up to my writing, updates are going to be less frequent, but I will post them as I finish. Please be patient, and don't hate me for my love of flying.

Skyblaze: Dude, stop kidding around. I heard fight scene. You better not be giving me bull-schist. Who am I fighting?! Somepony bucking say something!

Summer Blossom Sketch:

Song of Immortals Part 2: One Does Not Simply Trot into Equestria

MB: Hey, everypony! I'm back from Aviation Camp! Please enjoy another chapter of the Song of Immortals story arc, now longer with more plot twists!

Skyblaze: Seriously, though, you might want to brace yourselves. This story gets so twisted, it may as well be a nerd's underpants after a bad school day.

>><<>><<

Storm's POV

I was bored. When Caramel has to work, I'm usually stuck at home or trotting around town. Well, not so much trotting as almost trudging. Ponies are normally friendly around me, some even congratulating me for bringing life into the world. In response, I try to put on an amiable face and smile back. I get an especially good cheer from Derpy or Dinky, often passing by their house on my walks to and from town center fountain.

The fountain was one of my favorite spots, having more comfortable benches than the parks. I also had an excellent view of the town market, main street, and town hall. Watching ponies go about their business was quite fun, actually. The rush of commerce and the idle chatter between friends is more soothing than one may realize. Of course, this coming from someone who grew up in downtown St Louis. My house was literally down the street from the pier where Cereal had set up Exodus Equestria.

Today, I saw two familiar faces on the benches next to the frozen fountain. Bon Bon was sitting with her legs tucked like most ponies, but looked kind of downcast. Dinky was sitting on the adjacent bench, resting on her haunches, her face matching Bon Bon's.

Concerned, I walked through the snow up to Bon Bon. "Hey, Bon Bon," I greeted. "What's with the frown?"

She sighed. "Can I share something personal with you, Storm?" I nodded. "I've been trying to get into a relationship with Lyra."

Oh sweet Celestia. I nearly gave a fanboy squeal as I realized I was about to influence Lyra-Bon Bon shipping. Calming myself, I took a breath. "So, what's keeping you from her?" I asked. "You two are perfect!"

She gave me a raised eyebrow. "You're not weirded out by the fact I'm a mare?" Bon Bon said.

"Well, my friend is engaged to a Princess and my other friend is dating a mare AND a…" I paused as I recalled the saddening news Ben gave me last night after Sky's unfortunate entry. "…stallion." Drawing my inner strength, I used Markus' advice he gave me when my grandpa died. I put on a smile as I focused on the things that make me happy; Caramel and the foal within me prominent among them. "So I don't have a problem with it. Ponies can do whatever make them happy."

"I guess," she replied, eyeing me when I paused. "But Lyra has these… quirks… that I'm afraid will get in the way of our relationship."

I gave a laugh as I was fully aware of Lyra's obsession with the world I came from. "Well, Caramel has his quirks as well, but look at us now," I exclaimed, sitting back on my haunches and rubbing my slightly swollen abdomen. "I may have my own oddities, but Caramel is forgetful and a little clumsy."

Bon Bon peered at me curiously. "How'd you get passed it?"

"I didn't." Her puzzled face increased as I giggled. "I love him for all his awkwardness and little lapses in memory."

Bon Bon furrowed her brow for a moment, then began to catch on. "So, I should find a way to appreciate Lyra's oddness?"

"Yep!" I responded curtly.

"Thanks, Storm, you're a real friend."

"No problem," I said, looking over at the filly who was still staring at her hooves. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somepony else to cheer up." Bon Bon nodded with a smile as I moved over to Dinky. "Hey, Dinky, what's eating ya?"

The filly looked up at me with large, round eyes. She sighed with a tone that belied her youth. "I think mommy wants Ben to ask her to marry her," she said plainly. Dinky was smart for her age, getting perfect grades in school and had a ton of common sense. "But I know that Ben wants to know about my dad."

I frowned. Ben had put off proposing to Derpy so he could find out more about Dinky's father. It was probably his confounded sense of duty. On any other day, I wouldn't know how to respond. But today, I felt a weird motherly vibe as the words formed in my head. "Sweetie, Kind Greetings is a pony of dedication. Once he has his mind set on something, he will stop at nothing to finish. It's unfortunate that he set his mind on… that."

"I just feel guilty about telling him…"

Hold up, what?! "You… know who your dad is?"

She looked away, scraping at the bench seat. "Can you keep a secret?" I nodded and leaned closer. "Mommy joined the mail mares because she wanted to travel. She was looking for somepony, or something, that was part of her past." I knew Dinky was smart, but this was getting deep. "One night, before I was conceived, mommy disappeared for a month. Carrot Top said that when she was found again, she was five months pregnant with me."

I startled at this. "How…"

"Sometimes, mommy whispers things in her sleep," Dinky continued. "Things about a strange stallion with a blue machine. A traveler and his ship." Oh you have got to be kidding me. "Sometimes, I see things. I sometimes know how somethings work by looking at them. …and I hear it."

I was shocked. I knew exactly who she was talking about. "Hear… what?"

"His ship," the small filly answered. "A grinding noise, but the most beautiful sound in the universe. It's his spaceship. A time machine."

Oh dear sweet merciful baby Luna in her crib. Dinky was conceived in the 'Time And Relative Dimensions In Space'. That's why she's so smart. Dinky Hooves is part Time Lord.

Dinky's father was the Doctor.

>><<>><<

Skyblaze's POV

The setting sun poured its light through the west-most windows of Canterlot Palace, giving the hallway an orange tint. It was a nice change of scenery from Luna's study, the beauty of Celestia's sunset glorifying the snow-covered landscape outside. Looking out the windows, I spread my wings to take in the sunlight.

When I began to switch my sleep cycle to match Luna's, my body started to become deprived of Vitamin D, which is normally gained by literally soaking in the sun's rays. The Royal Physician was able to form a spell that enables me to intake my daily dose of the vitamin at sunset every evening. Which was fine by me, considering sunset was one of my favorite times.

I almost startled at the approach of hooves from my left. Shining Armor, dressed in his ever-present armor, trotted next to me and sat, staring out the window. "Cadence loves to watch the sunset," he said pointedly. "I'm partial to the sunrise myself."

Twilight's brother and I often saw each other around the castle, taking the time for idle chatter. We were similar in the fact that our respective lovers were immortal alicorns. I had met Cadence, of course, and decided she was nice enough to talk to, despite being obsessed with romance novels and… wait a minute…

"Hey, Shining, if you married Cadence, shouldn't you be an alicorn as well?"

He eyed me carefully. "Did Princess Luna tell you about that?" I nodded. "Well, it's actually a closely guarded secret that the spouses of alicorns become immortal. Let's just say this armor isn't just for show." As I watched, the sides of his armor fluttered slightly, making stare in wide-eyed wonder. Twilight's brother was secretly an alicorn! "We don't tell ponies about it because the lure of power would be too great for those who would abuse it."

Being a megalophobe, I could understand this. "I guess I won't have trouble in that department."

"Even if somepony were to try to marry a Princess for their power, it wouldn't work." I gave him a raised eyebrow. "Their love needs to be pure for their hearts to bind to the alicorn's. If not, then I'd hate to be the cleaning crews."

We sat in silence as the sun sank lower. "Have you flown yet?" Leave it to me to kill the mood like Luna.

He sighed. "I really haven't had the chance to learn, what with hiding my wings and all. After we break the news after your wedding, I hope Cadence or even you could teach me. After all, I hear good things about your flight skills."

"Heh, I was a bit of an aviation geek back home. I know how aerodynamic things are and how to manipulate my wings in certain situations. Por ejemplo, the difference between a barrel roll and an aileron roll. It could save your life." I had the weirdest mental picture of Cranky Doodle Donkey's pixelated face in the corner of my screen, giving me flight advice in space.

"In any case, I'd be honored if you--" The captain stopped, looking past me down the hall. When the flipping Captain of the freaking Royal Guard is worried, then you can be damn sure I was.

Following Shining Armor's gaze, I saw a line of five ponies, each clad in a dark grey cloak. Their coats were a matching color, each being almost black. There were three mares and two stallions. One mare was a pegasus, the center pony, and the pairs on her left and right were unicorns and earth ponies, respectively. All had glowing green eyes.

Oh, you have got to be bucking kidding me.

Shining stepped to the center of the hall, standing in a defensive pose. "By order of the Captain of the Royal Guard, identify yourselves!" he shouted at the intruders. Not one moved a muscle. "You are hereby under arrest for--"

"And here I thought you schist-ridden scum would crawl back to your holes and die," I interrupted. "If you're here for revenge on me or my fiancé, you have another thing coming." I drew my wristwatch-switchblade, Shining looking in in confusion as the sword slid out of the timepiece on my wrist. Facing the leader, I stared at them and shouted, "YOU. SHALL NOT. PASS!" Thank you, Tolkien. The Royal Canterlot Voice was the icing on the cake, altering my own voice to sound exactly like the Grey Wizard.

In perfect synchronization, the ponies threw back their hoods and drew switchblades of their own, barring the unicorns, whose blades levitated in front of them with a purple aura. The pegasus mare took a step forward. "Who are you to challenge the will of the True Energy, and the wrath of the Darkness?"

"Oh… nopony," I said with a malicious grin. "Just a traveling songbird…" I flared my wings, pulling myself low for a horizontal takeoff. "…and damn, can I sing."

I left Shining Armor standing in shock as I took off at a speed that, by all rights, should have ripped my wings off. Ten feet before colliding with the pegasus, I veered sharply right, circling the five Alyiess at a speed that left even the disciplined cultists stunned.

In science class on Earth, I learned that there was a sound that, when played above a certain resonance, can cause unconsciousness. I guess watching 'Lost' was a good thing. As I became a blue blur around the cultists, I let loose a screech from my mouth. Let's just say that I had named the sound 'Call of the Banshee' for a reason. The wave of sound echoed within my near-sonic-speed chamber, and the dark ponies dropping with their hooves clutching their ears.

Screeching on the marble floor to halt my centrifugal path, I leaped to take on the nearest pony, the unicorn mare. Being disoriented from my sonic wave, she was still clutching her head. At the moment, her distraction rendered her unable to use her magic, her mind barely perceiving me coming at her. The sword on the ground rose a full inch before clanging to the ground as I swung a full-powered punch to the head with my left- and un-bladed -hoof.

Moving from the mare, the stallion unicorn faced me. His versatility was far better than that of his sister cultist, his sword already raised in defense. Despite being a unicorn, he was almost as large as Big Mac, easily putting overpowering him out of the question. That, and he could use magic. Schist, right?

Something within me reacted. I don't know if it was ADHD, instinct, or adrenaline, but in the split second the revelation went through my head, my mind had already reacted. I was a bard. Bards tell stories of battles far greater than this. But they never simply TOLD them. They were sung. In a hymn of battle.

So I began to sing.

After that, it was a blur. I remember clashing swords with the stallion, but my movements were different, a blurred echo following them. As the unicorn swung, so did I. The hymn was all I ever heard, my own voice rattling off a stream of Archaic, most of which I had no idea what it meant. There was no clang of metal as the blades connected, no hoofsteps as I danced around the unicorn, a flurry of blade and song.

From there, my memory hazed. In the rush, instinct mixed with learned skill as I flipped and dove, engaging not only one, but multiple targets. Constant was my singing, a chant that felt fairly familiar but completely alien. When at last the haze ended, I found myself holding the dark pegasus against the ceiling with my left hoof, my right hoof drawn back and holding the point at her throat.

At this point, somepony competent would have said some epic one-liner and punched the cultist down, but instead I looked around dumbly and said, "How the schist did I end up on the ceiling?"

In hindsight, I should have just punched her. But alas, she beat me to the… punch, I guess. Her hoof connected with my face, sending me sprawling downwards to the floor. The mare smiled maliciously and made a blot for the window. Luckily, us alicorns gotta stick together. Before she was able to penetrate the glass, she found herself trapped in a red-violet sphere.

Shining Armor had apparently been affected a lot more than the cultists in the initial sonic wave, being evidently disoriented the entire time. I would call it trolling, but seeing as I was the cause… Wait, doesn't that mean I trolled myself? Double schist.

"You alright, Sky?" asked the captain, his horn glowing from the magic of keeping his shield up.

"Um, quick question. What. The. Buck. Happened?" I looked around, the bodies of the other four cultists were unconscious, covered in slash wounds and stabs, but noting lethal. If anything, they would probably recover given even minor medical attention.

"You tell me! At first there was this noise that made me really dizzy and confused, then I heard singing and when I came to my senses, you were dueling that pegasus in midair, with moves I've never seen a top rank Royal Guard pegasus do!"

Okay, so a bardic adrenaline rush is a definite catalyst for short term amnesia. Triple Schist. "So… that happened," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck. "Now, um, what do we do with this one?" I motioned to the pegasus, slouching from her attempts to free herself.

Shining Armor trotted up to the bubble. "Why are you here?" Legit question.

"To end the tyrants' false hold over the heavens!" she proclaimed. Illegitimate answer. Go figure. "All will bow before the True Energy, and all heretics shall perish before the Darkness!" Okay, so the Alyiess, one of the most powerful cults in Equestria and possibly Terra, wants to assassinate my fiancé. But what about… "The Darkness will soon hold the night, and we shall rally to destroy the tyrant!" Ah… that's why they went for Luna first. They're gonna--

"They're gonna kill Luna to get at Celestia." Thank you, Captain… Obvious. "You are under arrest for the attempted murder of--"

For the love of the Fausticorn, can't anypony get anything said without getting interrupted?! Shining's reading of charges was stopped as the cultist drew her switchblade and laughed maniacally. Like, death-wish maniacal. That was unfortunately the idea. She gave the two of us a grin, as if she had just found the funniest thing ever and wanted to show us, and held the sword up to her own neck.

We were helpless as the body of the dark Alyiess pegasus slumped, a pool of blood forming in the bottom of the sphere.

Quadruple schiiiiiiiiiiiist.

Skyblaze: Um… whoa.

MB: Yeah, it's a long chapter. I figured I should give the readers their due for the five days they didn't have an update. I broke my six-hours-of-sleep rule the night before I left for Aviation Camp! Extra coffee that morning… (JK, I still got over six! Still needed coffee, though)

Skyblaze: Let me get this straight, Dinky's father is Doctor Whooves, Shining Armor is an alicorn, and the Alyiess are now trying to kill my future wife?! And on top of that, Lyra/Bon Bon shipping?!

MB: Um, yes…?

Skyblaze: Pardon me. I need to leave the room to try to cope with the sheer amount of plot twists and the complete darkness of those last few paragraphs.

>><<>><<

Correspondence: Kind Greetings and Exodus Equestria HQ

To the ponies at Exodus Equestria,

This letter comes with ill report. Yesterday at noon, myself and three other members encountered an avalanche zone while trekking back from a week long vacation. In a series of very unfortunate events, an avalanche began. The rain of rocks and boulders rendered all of our party incapacitated. Some more than others. The three of us made it out with mobile status, yet I am regretful to report the following update.

Status Report; Recon Agent 'Aegis'

Missing In Action.

Standing by,
-Kind Greetings

>><<>><<

To Agent Kind Greetings of Brony Recon,

This is ill news indeed. The loss of our agents is tragic, and the status has been updated and placed in the honor record. Should Aegis fail to be recovered, rest assured he will be commemorated and forever remembered.

In lighter news, we have a standing order for all standing agents of Brony Recon. Two weeks from today, all agents re being recalled for a three-day leave to their homes. The purpose is for the agents to address their respective families about Brony Recon and Exodus Equestria. All agents must comply. Even Storm, as she must speak to her parents regarding her situation. However, she has been denied deponyfication, as her male human form cannot support her condition. You are instructed to shadow Storm in her leave to assist her.

Standing by,
-Cereal Velocity
-Sethisto

Song of Immortals Part 3: Twilight Alicorn

>><<>><<

Shift's POV

"Oh, uh… hey, Applejack," I said in Twilight's voice as I answered the door. My fillyfriend still hadn't come out of the bathroom, only letting us slide food under the door as a panicked rambling went on. Eventually, after sundown, the room went silent, only emitting the occasional snore.

I had taken on Twilight's form to make sure there was no suspicion. Ponies could understand me being gone, sometimes to visit Storm or having a guys night in Canterlot with the other stallions. Oh, the debauchery…

"Howdy, Twi. Ah was just stopping over to see if ya had a book on physical therapy," she said, entering the library. "Macintosh sprained his hoof on a pumpkin vine… again."

I smiled warmly at her. "Okay, let me just… um…" I had no idea how the library was organized. Twilight usually had the placement of the books memorized down to the author name and title. But only being here two months is nothing compared to two years and an overly organized mind. I scanned the shelves, looking for a mention of the subject Applejack wanted.

Suddenly, the taste of suspicion made its way to my tongue. "Shift, what in tarnation are ya doing?" Dang it.

"What gave me away?" I asked with a sigh.

"Fer one thing, y'all were scraping' at the ground like ya do when yer stumped." Wait, I do that? I gotta be more careful in disguise. "This ain't one o' yer and Spike's pranks, is it?"

"Um… yes! This is a prank! I'm pranking you! Surprise!" Diggy Diggy grave, Shift.

Applejack's suspicion increased two fold as she stared me down. "What's going on, Shift?"

It was my crushed Changeling deceit against the unstoppable power of Equestria's best polygraph. I had next to no chance of successfully creating a cover for Twilight's disappearance. "Twilight…" I began. If I can't hide Twilight, maybe I can help her. "Twilight has been in the bathroom all day, Applejack. Something happened to her, but she doesn't want to come out to talk about it. The only clue I have is this." I levitated the lavender feather from the counter in the kitchen to have it hover in front of the orange farm mare.

"Uh… is that a feather?" she asked, her suspicion turning to confusion. I nodded. "Are ya telling me that Twilight is sprouting wings? Honestly, sugarcube, that's gotta be one of yer worse jokes, 'cause…" She saw my deadpan and stopped. "You ain't kidding, are ya?"

I shook my head in response. "I want you to talk to her and try to get her out. Whatever it is, she's extremely scared about it."

She blinked, her face going to one of concern for Twilight. "Ah reckon ah'll give it a shot. Twilight is mah friend after all."

"Thanks, AJ. With your support, there's no way she'll say no!"

>><<>><<

"NO!"

Buck.

"Sugarcube, ah know yer worried over what happened, but all we wanna do is help ya," replied Applejack in a convincing tone. It took us nearly five whole minutes to wake her up, and several more to get the lavender unicorn to reply.

"I don't want anypony to see me like this! Not even Shift or even Princess Celestia!"

Ouch. There was a moment's pause before I spoke. "Twi, you looked fine this morning. I doubt that something happened in the five minutes I was gone--"

"You didn't see them, Shift…"

I blinked my light-blue eyes in confusion. "Huh?"

"I was under the blankets. You didn't see them."

Applejack gave a frustrated groan. "Sugarcube, yer gonna start makin' sense or Ah'm gonna buck this door clear to Manehatten!"

"Did Shift show you the feather?" Twilight's fear still permeated the door.

"Yes, I showed her," I sighed. "Twilight, you're just freaking out again. Come on out."

A detectable silence was heard. Applejack sighed at the door. "Twilight, Ah'm your friend, and Shift is yer coltfriend. Ya need to show somepony, sugarcube, and it might as well be yer friends."

There was the longest pause. At first, I thought Twilight had simply chosen to ignore us, but indecision now flowed from the mare in the bathroom. "Promise not to tell anypony?"

"Cross mah heart, hope t' fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye-- ow…" Applejack went said in an honest tone, going through the motions of a Pinkie Promise. I seconded the unbreakable vow, though with less force to my light-blue insectile eye. I swear to Celestia I heard the distant call of 'ffffffoooorrrrreeeeevvvvvveeeeeerrrr!'.

"Okay, I'm coming out…" Twilight replied, the door edging slightly open. "Just… please don't hate me."

"Twi, ain't nopony in this room gonna hate you fer something that ain't yer fault in the first place," Applejack soothed. "C'mon, now."

Slowly, the door creaked open. Twilight stood with a wet mane, water droplets dripping onto the tiled bathroom floor. She must have fallen asleep in the tub, I realized. Yet as I stared into her violet eyes lovingly, a flutter at her sides stopped Applejack and I cold.

Twilight turned to the side, revealing the source of her stress. A pair of lavender wings hung at her sides, fluttering in a reflex to dry her wet feathers. They were slightly longer than the wings of an average pegasus, and much more elegant in appearance, reminding me of Princess Cadence's wings. The only way to describe the figure of the mare before me was…

"Shift, I appreciate the lack of discouragement, but that is hardly the way you should be reacting," Twilight said, facehoofing.

"Huh?"

"Yer wings, Shift," noted Applejack, motioning to my back with her tail.

I looked back to see my transparent-blue insect wings buzzing uncontrollably. Facehoofing, I realized I was displaying the Changeling universal sign of arousal. In my defense, Twi did look pretty hot with wet wings and a soggy mane and coat. Blushing profusely, I turned back to my fillyfriend, chuckling nervously. "Well, you do look good as an soaking wet alicorn."

"Shift! This is serious! Do you know what could happen to me if Princess Celestia finds out I'm an alicorn?!"

I thought for a minute, very familiar with Twilight's lapses in sanity during a crisis. "Let me guess; she will think you're a contender for the throne, and that you'll start a rebellion in order to ascend to it. So she will either banish you and imprison you in the place she banished you, banish you to the moon, or worst of all, banish you to the sun."

"No! She will think I'm a contend--" She stopped dead as she realized I had accurately predicted her rant. "You know me too well."

"Sugarcube, don't ya think that's a might dramatic?" Applejack said, stifling a laugh.

"Of course not! It's perfectly rational!" Twilight exclaimed, her face looking stricken at the farm mare's accusations.

"Twi, this is almost as bad as that one time you put the 'Want-it-Need-it' spell on your doll…" I said, rubbing my face with a hoof. "I love you, Twilight, but sometimes you let your imagination and obsessive-compulsive mind run wild. You need to stop worrying and just be calm about this."

She sighed at my small speech. "You're right, Shift…" the lavender mare chuckled. "At least my wings will take some of the stress when we talk to my family about our relationship…"

Applejack startled at this looking at Twilight with a bewildered look. "Ya still haven't told yer brother that yer dating a Changeling?!"

"This Changeling wants to live to see old age, thank you very much!" I rebuked. "Anyway, I hardly think your brother will be forgiving of my unfortunate relations for deceiving him and impersonating his wife. Plus, there's no telling what Celestia will do…"

"At least Skyblaze and Luna can back us, right?" Twilight said hopefully.

"Sugarcube, Princess Luna might be enough t' give Princess Celestia a pause, but yet brother has a standing death sentence on all Changelings he can get 'is hooves on. Not to mention he's mighty protective of ya." Applejack had a point. It may as well take the combined power of Sky and Luna to stop Shining Armor. "As fer what he'll do when ya show him yer wings, nopony knows."

As if on cue, Twilight's wings fluttered upon being mentioned, drawing attention back to them. I pondered her new appendages as we all stared. Smiling, an idea came to me. "Hey, Twi, guess what?"

She gave me a quizzical look. "What?"

"Now that you have wings…" I said, enveloping myself in a green aura. Because my usual unicorn disguise was created, not copied, I was not constrained to being a unicorn. Where there was once a Changeling, a purple pegasus with a blond mane and tail stood, a perfect copy of my unicorn disguise, with the exception of wings instead of a horn. "…I get to teach you how to fly."

>><<>><<

Rainchaser's POV

Dash wasn't in good condition. We were in her cloud home, getting ready for bed. A bed that hasn't been used for almost a month. Ever since we started dating, the three of us had always slept in Aegis' guest room in the farmhouse on Sweet Apple Acres, as our my coltfriend was an earth pony and couldn't walk on clouds without a cloud-walking spell.

But tonight, we were using the bed in the cloud home, only because Dash found it easier to sleep at higher altitudes. It was going to be a hard night regardless.

Dash didn't take the news of Aegis' passing very well, the normally pumped up pegasus slumping and not saying anything since. While Dash often took the occasional cloud-nap, she wasn't normally lethargic. Today, I had to cover for her while she slept the day away on the couch in her living room. Not a tear was shed, but her silence was depressing.

We slid into bed, letting the cloudstuff mattress sink beneath our weight. The blanket was drawn up over us by Dash, using her hoof absent-mindedly. The ever-present depressed muteness was still there.

"Dashie…" I said, trying to draw out her tomcolt-ish voice. "If there's something you want to talk about, I'm here, okay?"

"There's nothing TO talk about," she said sourly. "Just… let me sleep."

I sighed. "Okay." Markus used this trick on Sam when his grandfather died, and on me when… No, stay strong, Chloe. Be strong like Markus. Dash has to let it out by herself, when she decides to do so…

Dash gave out a stifled sigh next to me. "Why did he call you Chloe?"

I allowed myself a small smile. Rainbow Dash was talking again, and that's all that mattered to me. "Did I ever tell you about the bronies?" I asked, looking over to her. She was facing the ceiling, her head shaking. "We considered ourselves siblings, and over time, we developed second names for each other. It was Storm's idea, actually." It wasn't entirely false. Sam had come up with the idea for our pony names, dubbing himself Storm. It was lucky his chosen name was unisex.

"Yeah I get that," she said a bit harshly. Calming down slightly, she asked, "but why do you call each other that? You call Shift 'Jon' all the time when we visit Twilight."

I shrugged when we met each other's magenta gaze. "I suppose because it's something special we share to tie us together." I chuckled slightly. "Or in Kind Greetings' case, make conversations shorter."

She said nothing, only rolling over to have her cyan back face me. I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that evening. Still facing Dash's back, I began stroking her rainbow mane. Despite popular brony opinion, her mane is actually softer than most ponies', with the possible exception of Fluttershy. It was perfectly styled without any tangles or wiry strands. How it stayed like that without any work in the morning was beyond me.

Once, my hoof slipped and brushed gently against her wing. Her body shivered at the contact of the sensitive limb. I assumed this meant discomfort, so I turned began to turn back over.

"Don't stop…" came the whisper from the cyan mare. Complying, I turned back to her and started stroking her feathers. A shudder went through her body at the movement. Slowly, the sky-blue wings unfurled, becoming almost board-like. Yet the feathers were still soft as ever on my hoof, running through Dash's primaries. "Thank you, Chloe."

I paused at the use of my human name. A name my closest friends always used when in close company. Smiling softly, I continued rubbing her feathers, until the sounds of snoring emanated from the cloudstuff blanket. I soon joined my fillyfriend in a deep slumber.

Author's Notes:

Skyblaze: Huh, you know, it sounds like--

MB: Shh! You almost gave away my subtle plot device!

Skyblaze: But why can't I--

MB: No! You can't! Anyways, I'm lucky I got this chapter out on the day after my last one. As said before, I will release updates only when I finish them.

Skyblaze: Probably 'cause you're lazy.

MB: Laziness is just another name for efficiency, my friend.

Skyblaze: Touché…

A half-flanked depiction of Shift. Notice: he is different from other Changelings

Song of Immortals Part 4: Novice Preening and Other Situations

Skyblaze's POV

"So let me get this straight," Luna said, rubbing her forehead. "The cult that we completely obliterated is trying to kill me, not for revenge, but to have their sub-deity force replace me as patron of the night. Then they would use their victory to rally others to their cause to take down Tia and have their false god replace her."

Shining Armor nodded ambiguously, but I shook my head. "They actually believe that their 'True Energy' is what controls the sun. All they need is for their reaper of death to replace you," I corrected. "Accuracy for the win."

Luna facehoofed at this. "Do I rub off on you, or have you always been like this?"

"Consistency for the win?"

"Ugh… you're hopeless." She walked over to her desk and began scribbling with a magicked quill on a piece of papyrus. "Shining Armor, the door is locked and the windows are shut. It is safe for you to remove your armor."

The captain gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Princess." His horn glowed as the fastenings on his armor became undone, the metal suit falling unceremoniously to the ground. His wings, tinged blue at the feather-tips, spread in reflex from being restrained all day.

I hissed through my teeth at what I saw. "Dude, you look like you haven't preened in forever." He gave me a look. "Oh… right."

Luna looked over her shoulder and mirrored my reaction. Shining Armor's wings were in a state of absolute chaos, the primaries all wrinkled and out of alignment. This was made worse by the fact he was covering them with metal plating twenty-four/seven.

The white alicorn looked at his wings and shrugged. "I just haven't had time to learn, is all. And with Cadence's pregnancy, she hasn't had the time to show me."

"Oh my gosh! Cadence is pregnant?! Dude, you're holding out on--" I stopped when I saw my fiancé's disapproving look. "Right, sorry, Back to matter at hoof…" Luna's expression changed, but to one that struck me as malicious. "Oh please, no. Anything but that!"

"I'm sorry, Skyblaze, my love, but I am SWAMPED with paperwork," she replied with malice. "Feel free to use the washroom."

Shining looked back and forth between us in confusion. "What's going on?"

I sighed in contempt. "C'mon, Captain," I ushered, motioning for him to follow me to the bathroom off Luna's study. "Somepony needs to teach you how to make yourself presentable."

Shining gave a confused look, but complied nonetheless. We trotted into the large bathroom, sitting in the middle of the room. I sighed at the memory of Luna showing me how to preen the first time.

"So… how does this work?" Wow, mood-killing must be a disease around here. I turned to face the stallion, who was holding out his right wing and starring at it intently.

Groaning, I held open my own wing. "First things first. Angle your wing so your outside primary is near your muzzle--"

"My what?"

I facehoofed at his ignorance. "The long feather at the end of your wing." This was going to take a while.

>><<>><<

"Thank the Fausticorn, we're finally done!" I exclaimed, exasperated. Shining Armor's wings were now straightened and aligned, in contrast to their original state. It took nearly an hour to instruct the decidedly thick-headed stallion on proper preening, as he had a very mediocre understanding of pegasus biology terms. Not to mention that he was born a unicorn and lacked the natural instinct of all pegasi.

"Now, remember that preening is a sanitary activity, meant to be kept on the down-low," I instructed. "So what ever you do, don't do it in public or have anypony else do it for you. If you were a pegasus, you'd understand."

"What about Cadence?" he asked, acknowledging my instructions.

"I guess, but really Luna and I are the only ones that I know of that preen in each other's company," I replied with a shrug. "For now, just do it behind closed doors. Literally."

Shining Armor nodded understandingly. Hopefully he got the message. We trotted back toward the door to Luna's study. Opening it was a mistake.

Knocking is a virtue, kids. In the middle of the room sat two earth ponies, both I knew all too well. Ben stared at me with a curious gaze, while Sure Hoof was looking at Shining Armor wide-mouthed.

Shining Armor shifted uncomfortably. "Um, good evening, lieutenant!" he greeted, trying to fold his obvious avian appendages against his body.

"I'm a… I'm a corporal… sir…" the orange-eyed guard replied shakily. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"G-granted."

"This is pretty bucking awkward," Sure Hoof said in an undisciplined voice.

"Indeed," remarked Ben. "While this is an interesting development, Derpy is waiting for me in my room. Have a good evening, Princess Luna, Prince Shining Armor, Markus." As he trotted halfway out the door, he stopped and turned to me. "Skyblaze, please meet me in my study at oh-seven-hundred hours." We all watched the green earth pony walk out the threshold and down the hall.

I rubbed the back of my neck with a hoof. "I guess I'm getting a chewing-out from him later."

"Oh I'm sure it's nothing," Luna said assuringly from behind her desk. "He was just here to check on a census update. So how was the… lesson?"

"Bucking awkward, thank you very much," I replied. "Hey, Sure Hoof? Do ya mind not telling anypony about…" I motioned to Shining Armor's wings.

"My lips are sealed," he said, making the motion of zipping his mouth shut. "Am I still permitted to speak freely, sir?"

"For fear of what's going to come from your sealed mouth, I'm going to say no," he replied returning to an authoritative stance. "Carry on, Sergeant Sure Hoof."

"I'm a corp--" he began, then stopped as I started laughing.

"Dude, you just got a promotion…" I paused to continue laughing. "…and it just went right over your head!"

>><<>><<

Aegis' POV

"Ngh!" I heaved the pile of firewood off my back and onto the pile. Summer had gotten out of bed early to do some morning chores, so I offered to help. There was something satisfying about the weight of a workload on my back before the sun came up. I guess it came with being an earth pony.

At first, Summer refused my offer, on the account of my broken leg and injured head. It made sense, as I could barely stand on three hooves yesterday without getting dizzy.

But when she removed the bandage on my head, she was shocked to see the injury completely healed, with a light-colored scar on my temple. An additional examination of my leg confirmed her suspicion. I had fully healed over the course of two nights. How, I had no idea. Memory loss, what can I say? Summer mentioned something about me having a larger amount of earth pony magic than normal, but again, it's all gibberish to me.

So there I was, hauling firewood out in the snow. I wasn't by any means complaining. The hard work actually relieved some of the stress that was in my muscles and took my mind off my lost memories. The snow was ice-cold on my hooves, but I hardly felt it.

Yet I couldn't help but turn my chosen name over in my head. Aegis. It was like my name connected me to the world. This world. For some odd reason, I kept thinking of the realm around me as if this wasn't the only one. Were there other worlds out there than this one?

"You almost done staring into space there, Aegis?" Summer trotted up behind me and dumped her own load of logs onto the pile. She was stronger than she looked, probably from being an earth pony and living out in the woods. However, being larger and more muscular, I was able to carry more than her, reducing the work time to about a third.

"Yeah, is that the last load?" I asked, pointing to the pile leaning against the side of the cottage near the door.

"That should be enough," she replied, examining the pile of firewood. "Thanks for helping."

"Hey, you saved my life. It's the least I can do." I looked around the cottage clearing. "Is there anything else that needs to be done?"

A growl from my stomach answered my question. "Breakfast, maybe," she replied with a giggle. Suddenly, her own abdomen gave a rumble that rivaled my own in volume.

I smiled and chuckled. "Definitely breakfast."

"Great! What do you feel like?" she asked as I followed her inside. "I can make eggs, pancakes… um…" Summer glanced around her small cottage in search of another source of breakfast. "That's pretty much it."

I looked at the ingredients she had on her counter. Cheese, some vegetables, eggs… Aha! "Omelets!" I exclaimed.

Summer raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"I can make omelets! You know, eggs, cheese, throw some peppers in… BAM! You have an omelet!"

She looked quizzical. "I don't get out of the woods much, so excuse my ignorance. But what in Equestria is an omelet?"

"Don't short size yourself, Summer," I said, drawing her into a hug. "You're a great cook. C'mon, I'll teach you."

We spent the next half hour on breakfast, me teaching Summer Blossom how to make an omelet. It was fun, and more often than not, we ended up with egg yolk on our clumsy earth pony hooves. Thirty minutes later, we had two semi-circular flats of eggs and cheese, with diced green and red bell peppers spotting the yellow surface. As well as a messy counter top that I insisted on cleaning myself, in spite of Summer's objections.

Finally, we sat at the small, round table in the cottage, enjoying the fruits of our toils. Of course, like yesterday's eggs, we had to eat them by grazing. It turns out that Summer doesn't have any proper silverware, or a spare magnetic bracelet for me. The one she did have was to lift the woodcutting axe outside.

I sat back as I finished my breakfast, watching Summer as she ate hers. Unlike the arguably messy display from yesterday's eggs, she ate slower, with less embarrassing noises. Up until then, I hadn't really realized how attractive she was. The pearl mare had a lean, yet slightly built figure from her chores around the cottage. I continued to stare, completely unaware she had finished her omelet.

"What are you looking at?" she asked as I caught myself looking at her flanks.

"Um…" My cheeks flushed red, hopefully hidden by my maroon coat. "I was… wondering what your cutie mark meant." I pointed to the ruby heart on her flanks.

She giggled. "You're a terrible lier, you know that? And yes, your blush shows."

Buck. Initiate subject change… now. "So… do you live here alone?" Wait, what?

Summer sighed and looked at the ground. "Yeah, I do. It's alright most of the time, kinda peaceful. Nopony to bother you…" Her face turned solemn as she continued. "But sometimes, that means nopony to talk to. I get lonely sometimes living in the woods. It's hard to get over, but somehow I--"

She stopped as I brought her into another embrace. Being larger than the average pony, I was able of completely circle her form with my forelegs, whereas when she returned the hug, her hooves didn't even come close to meeting. "You don't have to be alone anymore."

She looked at me, her light-blue gaze perplexing. "What do you…"

I gave her a sly smile. "I have no idea where I lived before, and you're the only other pony I know. I don't have any other place to be but here, with you."

Her frown quickly disappeared into a smirk. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were hitting on me."

"Oh I don't know," I said, releasing her. "How about we do lunch at your place?"

Giggling at my pseudo-ignorance, she wrapped her hooves around my neck. "That sounds lovely."

Author's Notes:

Skyblaze: It sounds like its actually ME who's rubbing off on Luna. She lost her Old Canterlot accent.

Luna: Well, I couldn't just keep talking like a renaissance fair fool. Tia says I should keep up with current events and culture.

MB: Note to self; quartz is dangerous stuff to experiment with.

Skyblaze, the main OC himself!

Song of Hearts Part 1: A Typical Day in Luna's Study

THREE DAYS LATER

>><<>><<

Shift's POV

"A friendship letter!"

I looked up from my book on shadow magic to look at my now-alicorn fillyfriend. "Huh?" Usually Twilight isn't this active in the morning, often taking a cup of coffee and a shower to wake her up.

"That's how we tell Celestia I'm an alicorn! She always enjoys my letters, and I DID learn a valuable lesson about friendship yesterday."

I thought about it for a moment, tapping a hoof to my carapace chin. It had been a while since Twilight's last friendship update. "Sounds great, Twi. SPIKE!"

There was the very audible sound of the dragon falling out of bed, then tumbling down the stairs. Dexterity in the morning was never a strong point for most ponies, Spike included. Shaking his head, the assistant stood at attention, then immediately tripped again. Twilight's and my own facehoof rang throughout the library.

"Spike, take a letter…" Twilight instructed. Spike pried himself off the floor and grasped a quill and parchment from the desk. Ready to take the note, he looked to Twilight. I nodded at her and she began her dictation.

Dear Princess Celestia,

A few days ago, I was taught a very important lesson in friendship by Applejack and my coltfriend, Shift. I learned that even if it seems the very world is going to tumble down on top of you, you can always rely on your friends to help you through anything that you feel scared or threatened about. Like growing a pair of wings overnight. Even though I panicked, my friends were still there for me when I needed them. Hopefully they will be there when I start learning how to fly as well.

Your Faithful Student,
Princess Twilight Sparkle

"Um… Princess?" I asked as Spike sent the letter via dragon-fire. "Isn't that laying it on a little thick?"

"Well, I AM an alicorn now," she said proudly. "Logically, since all Princesses are alicorns, then all alicorns must be Princesses, right?"

I shrugged, only having a basic knowledge of the Equestrian caste system. "I guess, but still…" I sighed. "Whatever happens, I honestly hope it doesn't interfere with my studies."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at this and peeked at the title of the book I was reading. "'A Reference Guide to Shadow Magic'?" she asked, looking over my shoulder. "What exactly are you studying?"

"I'm trying to figure out how giving enough shadow magic to level Ponyville to a unicorn that uses light magic turns her into an alicorn," I responded. "The only thing on alicorn magic I could tie into this it that it's connected to either a celestial body or powerful force."

Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin thoughtfully as her wings gave a slight flutter. "We could ask Princess Celestia, or even Cadence or Luna."

"Maybe I could ask Skyblaze. He's gonna be one eventually," I said flatly, remembering Sky's confession at the cottage.

Twilight shot me a quizzical look. "Gonna be a… what?"

I shrugged. "An alicorn. Evidently when one marries an alicorn, their hearts bind and BAM! You have a new alicorn!" Wow, I said 'alicorn' a lot.

Only when Owloysius did an impressive face-wing from his perch did I realize my mistake. Twilight's brother married Cadence. Cadence is an alicorn. Oh sweet bucking Celestia, what have I done?

As the revelation hit the lavender mare, her normally purple eyes turnings deep fiery orange. I didn't know it was possible for the insides of your pupils to light on fire.

"Shining Armor… is a… and he didn't tell…" With the Fausticorn as my witness, I will never prank again! Just let me live! "He… is… DEAD!" She stormed down the stairs with Spike and I in hot pursuit. Twilight was shaking with anger at this point, her mane and tail giving off sparks and black smoke. "Shift, cast a disguise spell on my wings. We're going to Canterlot."

>><<>><<

Luna's POV

Skyblaze calls it a facedesk. Aptly named, I must say, as it perfectly describes the action of slamming one's face upon a desk. The reason for this action? Prince Blueblood.

The noble wasn't even a real prince, mind you, but an unfortunate descendant of Princess Platinum of Old Canterlot. However, he still acted as of everypony else was below him, myself and my sister included. Because of his large holdings in Canterlot, he styled himself the hierarch of the city, claiming to rule it as his own. All because of his bucking father playing his cards right in a political standpoint.

Yet even now, Blueblood continues to be an ever-present pestilence. For the fourth time in the last month, I received a petition stating that I end my affairs with, quote, 'that low-life commoner scum who should have his blue wings clipped from his body'. I liked Sky's wings. They were very soft.

But now, the scourge himself was in my study, presenting me with yet another petition. Like all others, it would have even more signatures that the previous one. Not many nobles were happy with my relationship with Sky, as many saw him as disruptive and distracted. Disruptive? Maybe. Distracted? Definitely.

"…and furthermore, I wish to have the ruffian banished from Canterlot." Well, at least he was finished with his rant.

"Prince Blueblood, in all due respect, will you please remain out of my personal affairs?" I pleaded with the incompetent noble.

"Humph! And let a filthy commoner such as himself into the ranks of nobility? Not likely!" Shining Armor silently facehoofed behind the noble. Because of the recent attacks from the Aliyess, Shining had, along with Skyblaze, taken up the role of my personal guard. Where Skyblaze was now, I had no idea. It was probably for the best, seeing as we were discussing him.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Blueblood. Your claim has been denied. I do not hold any prejudice against you or your colleagues…" That was an outright lie. "…but this is a matter that transcends politics. Who I choose as my spouse is none of your business. Besides, in what way is my love 'disruptive'?"

CRASH!

Oh you have got to be bucking kidding me.

To my right, one of the stained-glass windows shattered, two pegasi tumbling in and crashing into the opposite wall. One I recognized as a grey-cloaked Aliyess mare. The other, much to my chagrin, was my betrothed.

Skyblaze recovered first, pinning the cultist against the corner, aiming the tip of his switchblade at her throat. "Okay talk! Where's your- oh, hi Luna -leader?!"

The Aliyess mare's face split into an insane smile. "Repent! The Darkness cometh! All who do not believe shall perish in eternal flame! Hail to the True--" SMACK! The cloaked body slumped to the ground as Sky silenced her with a solid punch to the face.

Sighing, Skyblaze sat against the wall, rubbing his face. "This is the fifth attack this week alone, Luna," he said, sliding a hoof down his muzzle. "These guys don't know how to quit!" It was then that Skyblaze noticed the extra presence in the room. Blueblood was staring at him with absolute horror.

"Oh my! Where are my manners? Tis the esteemed Prince Blueblood himself!" Sky bowed low, much the surprise of both Shining Armor and myself. "I apologize deeply for my intrusive behavior. Especially in the presence of one so honored. Such is necessary, however, in order to keep the peace of your fair city intact and my own fiancé safe."

What the hay had gotten into him? Sky was never this humble on the normal occasion. Blueblood's expression softened, looking more confused than irritated. The white unicorn looked Skyblaze's bowing form over and harrumphed. "I approve," the false prince said plainly, exiting the room without another word.

My mouth was hanging open in absolute surprise. I looked over at Sky. "How did you do that?"

He gave a sly smile as he brushed dust off his blue wings. "You gotta know how to play the nobility, Luna. I believe I just reached the status above Mister Snobby's own servants."

I was about to give a response when a bright green flash lit the center of the room. A purple unicorn with a yellow mane and tail glanced around in a panicked fashion, pausing when his gaze alighted on Skyblaze and Shining Armor. "Sky! Shining! Thank Celestia I found you!" he said in a desperate voice. "Listen, I don't have much time. Twilight's coming, she knows Shining Armor is an alicorn, and she is bucking pissed!"

"Shift?!" Sky exclaimed. "What the buck is going on?"

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the castle, throwing everypony off their hooves. Shift's irises shrunk to pinpoints as he looked at the door. "Every pony for themselves!" he shouted, diving behind Skyblaze. "It's too late! Shining, run while you still--!"

BANG!

The doors to my study flew off their hinges, nearly crushing Sky and Shift. In the threshold stood a very peeved-looking lavender unicorn. Her eyes, seemingly blazing, locked onto the single white stallion in the room. "You!" Twilight Sparkle stormed over to her brother and blasted him with a bolt of lavender energy.

Shining Armor's ever-present captain's garb disintegrated, leaving his blue-tipped wings exposed. Sky and Shift seemed content trying to hide behind one another, with mixed levels of success. Twilight Sparkle had backed her brother into a corner and was now glaring at him with the fires of Tartarus. "Uh… hey Twily…" he greeted nervously. "I suppose I have some explaining to do…"

"If you think eternity is going to save you from me, you have another thing coming, buster!" she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes. "Because now, we're spending it together!"

Everypony looked at the fuming mare questioningly. "What do mean?" asked Shining, raising an eyebrow.

Twilight spun to face the purple stallion, who was currently cowering behind my fiancé. "Shift, take off the spell."

"But I…" the unicorn pleaded.

"Now, Shift!"

He complied almost instantly, firing a magical beam at the unicorn. Twilight Sparkle's sides glowed the green of the stallion's magic, almost seeming like a pair of…

"Oh sweet Fausticorn…" I whispered.

The glow faded, revealing a pair of elegant lavender wings, tinted purple at the feather-tips. Everypony was struck silent at the unveiling of the newest alicorn. Even Skyblaze, whose uncanny ability to spoil any dramatic moment was stumped at the current situation.

It was then that my sister entered, reading a piece of parchment. "Dear sister, you would not believe this, but I just received word that Twilight Sparkle is…" Tia trailed off, examining the room. My study was in such a state, one window smashed in, the doors off their hinges, and the extra five ponies. "Oh… I think you already know… please be sure Shining Armor isn't hurt too badly. My presence is needed elsewhere."

As Tia made her leave, Shift and Sky looked at each other. "Trollestia strikes again!" they exclaimed, slamming their hooves together in a euphoric 'brohoof'.

Author's Notes:

Luna: Ha! I am the only canon pony with a POV! The literary value has been doubled!

Skyblaze: *facehoof*

Song of Hearts Part 2: Meet the Parents

Shift's POV

"Twily, are you sure you want to do this?" Shining Armor asked his sister.

"Well, we have to get it over with, anyway, right?"

"Yeah, but do we really have to--?"

"Oh for Luna's sake just ring the bucking doorbell!" shouted Sky. "I don't get why everypony has to be so dramatic!"

Cadence and I shared a worried glance. Twilight and Shining Armor stood on the porch to their parents' house in Canterlot. For the moderate-upper-class district, it was a modest house, with two stories and about half as large as the first-class mansions. Twilight had said their family had a high standing, but didn't exactly like to be showy about it.

"You know, suddenly it's not the parents I'm worried about," I told Cadence admittedly.

The pink alicorn gave a weak smile. "Oh I'm sure it won't be that bad…" she paused as she saw my deadpan. "Okay, yeah. This will definitely end in disaster."

"Oh for buck's sake!" cried Skyblaze in a frustrated tone. Rising to his hooves, he stormed past Twilight and Shining, who had hesitated once more at the door. Much to our horror, he pressed on the doorbell with nonchalance. "There," he stated, trotting away. "Have at it, you four." Skyblaze had insisted upon coming, saying he could be emotional support. How he managed to haul a lawn chair and an filled extra-large bucket of popcorn halfway across Canterlot was beyond me.

"Well, here goes nothing…" Twilight voiced nervously, her wings twitching slightly. Hoofsteps sounded behind the door, each one causing Cadence and I to tense up. Being there for our respective lovers was a minuscule investment at this point.

Barring Skyblaze, who was lounging in his chair with popcorn at his side, we were all holding our breaths when a white mare with opened the door. "Why, hello, Twilight and Shining Armor, what a pleasant--" She must have been levitating a teacup out of view, as the sound of shattering glass was heard just as Velvet Sparkle noticed her two children's new extremities. A few moments of silence passed

"Huh, I expected her to at least--" Sky's review was cut off by the 'thump!' of Twilight's mother falling to the floor. "There we go."

>><<>><<

"So," Night Light began nervously, his teacup rattling on the levitating platter. "May I ask who you are?"

"Oh, please, pardon my manners," I apologized. "I'm Shift, Twilight's coltfriend."

He shook my offered hoof. "Nice to meet you, Shift," he replied. "And how are you helping Twilight with her… change?"

"Well, she freaked out at first," I said admittedly, ignoring Twi's glare. "But she came around eventually, with the help of Applejack, of course. As for the last few days, it's been a bit of a hassle to hide them. Luckily I'm good with illusory magic, so I can just turn them invisible."

Velvet Sparkle smiled at me. She had astoundingly recovered from both unconsciousness and the fact that both her children were alicorns. "So how did you and Twilight meet?" she asked.

"I, uh…" I stuttered, shifting my hooves around. "She took me in after I gashed myself in a teleportation accident."

"One that placed me in Canterlot with second-degree burns and Discord's statue on top of me, thank you very much!" Skyblaze pouted from his lawn chair, which he insisted upon using. This was the story we concocted for me and Sky's initial injuries. It was reasonable and didn't stress the truth.

Shining, Cadence, and Twilight had been silent most of the conversation, based on the awkward position the three alicorns were in. "Oh dear, I hope you were all alright," said Velvet in a worried tone.

"All things considered, I'm glad it happened," I stated cheerfully. "If it didn't, I wouldn't have met your daughter. Skyblaze also met Luna when she saved him from being crushed by Discord."

Shining Armor and Night Light's brows raised in amusement. Cadence simply took to giggling. Sky looked at me and shook his head, then motioned for me to do something.

"So Shift," Night Light asked, slightly less unnerved. "What exactly is your talent?"

"Oh, I… um…" I was hesitant on revealing my abilities, however Skyblaze gave me an assuring nod. "I'm an artist, of sorts. I create magical displays based on emotions that I sense around me. For example, I can taste the approval you're giving off. Thanks for that."

"You're… welcome?" voiced Velvet.

Cadence gave me a curious stare from the other side of the living room. "You can… taste emotions?" she said as she narrowed her eyes. I could sense hatred in the room, but it wasn't directed toward any one thing. Somehow, I realized it wasn't Shining Armor I needed to worry about.

Twilight put a hoof behind her head. "Uh… yeah. That's the other thing I wanted to tell you all," she half-mumbled. Skyblaze sat on the edge of his seat in anticipation "You see, Shift isn't actually a pony… per se."

Night Light chuckled. "Really? He looks like a normal unicorn to me," his chuckles grew in intensity. "If this is your idea of a joke, honey, I must admit it is not a very good one."

I smiled nervously. "See, the reason I can taste emotions is--"

"Changeling." The word was spoken with such a vibe of hatred, I thought Shining Armor had said it. Cadence was glaring at me, her horn alight with a light-blue glow. She looked even more pissed than Twilight did when she found out Shining Armor was an alicorn. This does not bode well for me.

"Hey Shift?" Skyblaze looked genuinely worried.

"Yeah, Sky?"

"You're bucked."

BOOM!!!

>><<>><<

Aegis' POV

"So this is where you found me?"

Summer had taken me back to the avalanche site, just for something to do. We had finished the day's chores especially early, so I wondered if we could go back to the place we met. It seemed like nothing had changed, albeit a cover of new snow on the pile of boulders.

"Yep. You were laying right there next to that rock, except the snow was all red."

I chuckled a bit. "That tends to happen when you have a serious head injury," I joked. "It looks a little different than last time we were here."

"Well, you WERE suffering from blood loss and a concussion," she replied with a giggle. "You were probably delirious, not to mention the shock of having all your memories erased." The pearl mare saw my frown and immediately put a hoof to her mouth. "I'm sorry I didn't mean…"

"It's alright, Summer," I assured. "I mean, we can't just pretend it didn't happen."

She nodded and didn't say anything else, moving toward the pile of rocks. Summer cast her light-blue gaze over the collection of small boulders. Her brow furrowed occasionally, as if she was missing some important detail.

"What are you looking for?" I asked. Summer sometimes did things without thinking, occasionally acting on some instinct or random urge. She spun from her observing and blushed, confirming my suspicion. "You're really random sometimes, you know?"

She shuffled her hooves in the fetlock-deep snow. "I try not to be," she said, dipping her head in embarrassment.

"Hey, none of that, now." I trod up to her and put a foreleg around her shoulders. "You're perfect just the way you are. Don't ever change, Summer, because I love you for being you," I consoled, giving her a peck on the nose. She smiled up at me with her azure eyes, leaning her head on the side of my thick neck. It was almost ironic how much her coat blended with the snowfall, despite her name.

Something glinted in my peripheral vision. I glanced away from the mare to see a piece of metal, reflecting the pre-noon sun into my eyes. "What the hay is…" I trailed off, moving for the metal. Gripping it in my teeth, I pulled it from the snow. Attached to it, a brown saddlebag with an aegis shield on it. The metal piece was actually the buckle. "My saddlebags?" I shot Summer a questioning look.

"They must have been buried when I got here."

I glanced back at the one link to my past. Who knows what could be in there? Only one way to find out I guess. Using my teeth, I unfastened the flap and unceremoniously dumped the contents in the snow.

Utter disappointment. That's what I felt when I looked upon the various rations of food and bottles of water. "To be honest, I expected a photo or something," I admitted to Summer. "Oh well, I guess."

Summer looked down at the assortment of items that had fallen into the snow. "What about this?" She picked up a metallic object with her hooves. It looked like a small bracer, with no adornments or carvings on its silver surface. There was, however, a round maroon gem embedded into the center.

Summer hoofed it to me. Curious, I slipped the minuscule piece of armor over my right foreleg. It was a perfect fit, as if designed to fit my wrist only. The gem began to give off a slight glow when I put it on, making the two of us glance at each other.

I turned it over, letting Summer get a closer look at the gem. "What do you think it does?" she wondered.

"I don't know, but the gem is--"

KSSHINK!

We both jumped as the gem's red light sparked intensity, fading to reveal a round metal buckler, a perfect match to my cutie mark.

Author's Notes:

Skyblaze: That lawn chair is seriously the best piece of portable furniture ever! It's woven with strips of cloudstuff cloth, so it's like sitting on a puff of cumulus.

Song of Hearts Part 3: Shifty Tactics

Kind Greetings' POV

Alicorns! All around me, bucking alicorns! Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Skyblaze, Shining Armor, Twilight… what the hay, Shift technically has wings and a horn. Why keep him out of the bucking picture?! If the bucking Fausticorn or Chrysalis shows up, count me out of it!

I stormed down the halls of the palace for my room, the servants and passing nobles giving me a wide berth. Smart ponies. My hoofsteps practically left singe marks on the marble. In Equestria, cartoon physics apply; if you get somepony ticked-off enough, their anger can actually ignite their mane and tail. Especially in unicorns.

Sure Hoof, who somehow had the unfortunate luck of being posted at my room, jumped as he saw me round the corner. "Hey, Ben…" he greeted nervously. "What did Sky do this time?"

Why is it that whenever I'm irritated, everypony assumes it's Sky that's the cause of it? Oh, wait… right…

I calmed myself, years of disciplinary public relations classes telling me to remain docile for verbal interaction. "Nothing, Sure Hoof. I'm just ticked at the world right now."

"Heh, it would seem that way." I slowly trod toward the door. "Hey, do you ever feel overwhelmed at all by the rapidly increasing number of alicorns around here?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, somepony who understands!" I exclaimed to the ceiling. "Yeah, I do, actually. But just you wait, Sure Hoof, it's gonna get worse."

He huffed. "How could it be any worse?"

"From what I heard, Cadence is with foal and I overheard Sky talking with Luna about parenthood. And you can bet your bits that Shift and Twilight are gonna want one eventually."

The guard paled at the thought of nine different alicorns here at one time. "I stand corrected," he mumbled. "My shift's almost over, so I may not be here when you get out, so have a nice day, Ben."

"You too, sarge." Bidding him farewell, I walked into my study…

…only to be immediately wrapped up by two pairs of grey hooves. "Hi, Benny! Guess what? I'm here!" exclaimed Derpy excitedly.

"Derpy! Dinky!" I hugged them both in a strong earth pony embrace. "What are you guys doing in Canterlot?"

"My last delivery was here, so Dinky said we should visit you," replied Derpy, pulling back to have me meet her wall-eyed stare.

"Mommy!" scolded Dinky, the small filly breaking out of the embrace to reprimand her mother. "It was YOUR idea! I don't want to take your lightning!"

I chuckled at her misplaced phrase. "It's 'steal your thunder'," I corrected amiably. Dinky was smart, but she needed to work on turning phrase. At my revision of her metaphor, Dinky slumped to her haunches and made a raspberry with her lips. I suddenly forgot what I was mad about as I was overwhelmed by the cuteness of the display.

The two grey ponies had become a shining light in my life. Whenever I wanted a break from work, one of them was always there for me. Even if Sky had somehow managed to blow up every tower in Canterlot, Derpy or Dinky always found a way to make me smile.

Feeling rather giddy from the lifting of worry from my shoulders, I took Dinky in my hooves and flipped her onto her back. Before she could react, I planted my mouth on her belly and blew my own raspberry. Dinky squealed with laughter and tried to flail away, with little success.

So engrossed was I with the adorable mirth of the filly, I had forgotten about Derpy. But it was too late. I suddenly felt feathers brush my side, eliciting a giggle from me and ending my hold on Dinky. Soon, Derpy had me on my side, laughing uncontrollably as she brushed her grey feathers against my stomach. Eventually, Dinky set to tickling my hooves individually.

"Ah-haha! Cease… haha! …fire!" I managed to gasp, my sides beginning to hurt. Derpy and Dinky Hooves smiled at each other, content with their work.

I looked up into Derpy's eyes. For the briefest of moments, her golden gaze met my brown irises. All the stress of life, all the worry and grief and strife disappeared in that moment. It is the most beautiful thing I will ever see. Behind those eyes, kindness, compassion, determination, and love were all present in an immeasurable amount.

But all good things must end, I suppose. The moment, which to me lasted too long but all too short, ended when one of her eyes slid off to peer at space. I sighed at the loss, but rose from the floor to hug the mare I had fallen in love with tightly.

"I love you, Derpy."

"I love you too, Benny."

Benny… I love it when she calls me that.

>><<>><<

Shift's POV

Courage. Courage is what you have when you face your fears. Like when you check under your bed to see if the monsters are gone. Or if we ever get Skyblaze to eat a banana. Without fear, there can be no courage.

Lucky for me, there was a lot of fear when Cadence tried to blast me. Unfortunately, the courage wasn't in large amounts. So… yeah.

"Oof!" I hit the wall from the first blast of aquamarine magic, actually rocketing backwards off the couch. The magic wasn't meant to cause collateral damage, but if that's what an illusory dispel was, then I don't even want to find out what the pink alicorn could do when she shoots to kill.

My disguise blasted off from the dispel, Twilight's parents gasped as they looked upon my insectile form. Note to self; invent spell to counter dispels. I rose to my hooves, only to throw an emerald shield up to deflect another magic bolt, this time from Shining Armor.

"Shiny, stop!" pleaded Twilight. "Don't hurt him!" She jumped in front of the advancing alicorns, flaring her wings.

"He brainwashed Twilight!" cried Cadence. For Celestia's sake, somepony give me the benefit of the doubt! I don't even know how to brainwash ponies.

"I'm not brainwashed!" Twilight exclaimed. "If I was being controlled, my eyes would be green!"

"What if he put a spell on them?" Shining Armor glared. Son of a mule! They had me on everything!

"Shift, try to hold them off!" Sky yelled. "I'll be right back!" He spread his blue wings and took off with breakneck speed through the open bay windows. The probability he's actually going for help? Nopony knows.

"Twilight, get behind me!" I said. "I don't want you to get hurt." Knowing it was impossible to stop her brother and his wife, Twi moved to my shield. I was about to lower it to let her in, but she just walked right through the wall of green to stand behind me. Weird.

"So how are we gonna do this?" I asked her as the magic bolts from the two alicorns scattered across my force field. Twilight's parents were nowhere to be seen. "I may be powerful, but I don't know any combative magic."

"You're keeping that shield up at least," she reassured. "Um, we could improvise…"

I stared at her for a minute. If Twilight is suggesting that we improvise, then we're more bucked than I thought. Twilight almost always had a plan, so winging it was almost a last resort for her.

"We need a plan. We can't just sit in this bubble the whole time."

She nodded. "We have to show them that you're sincere, and I don't think your cutie mark is going to persuade them you're not part of the hive-mind."

My cutie mark… I looked back at the double spiral of starbursts, showing my talent for the magical displays I made from emotions. Wait, emotions… that's it!

"Twilight, Cadence has power over love, right?" I asked. "Can she sense it?"

Twi shook her head. "Not if it's not broadcasted on a medium, but that's…" Her eyes widened as the revelation hit her. "Really? You want to do… that?"

"If it shows them that I love you, then yes. It will be a tad awkward, but we're getting desperate."

She groaned slightly at my idea. "Okay, I'll distract them, so be ready." Her glowed a familiar lavender color.

Suddenly, a bright flash emitted from her horn, temporarily blinding me. But I had no time to recover as Twilight wrapped her arms and wings around me. I gathered her love into my horn and released it, letting it take whatever form it chose.

As the light faded, I drew Twilight into a kiss. Whatever my magic was creating was lost on me as our lips locked, our eyes closed in bliss. The room was filled with absolute silence as my talent took it's affect. Hopefully that was a good thing.

On their own accord, memories began to pop into my head. Twilight and I on one of our picnics. Twilight playfully dragging me into the shower with her. The night of the party when we started dating. That one time she cut her tongue on my fangs when we kissed. More and more the memories poured into my head without calling.

I suspected it worked, as I wasn't a green stain halfway across the room. However, when I finally broke away from the mare I loved, I found Shining Armor and Cadence staring with their jaws practically on floor. Neither of them moved.

"Uh… Shift, what did you do?" Twilight asked as she moved toward them, the two alicorns not even flinching.

The realization hit me like Tom through the window. "I had a weird flashback to a ton of memories we had together and…" I paused and gulped. "I think I projected them."

Twilight looked passive. "That doesn't seem too bad… what was the worst one?"

I swallowed. "That one night, after Applejack's cider party…"

Twilight gasped. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed. "Shift! They didn't need to see that!"

BANG!

A crash from the front door interrupted our discussion. Skyblaze flew in, followed by Princess Luna. "The cavalry has arrived!" announced Sky as he entered. Seeing us in fit condition and the statues of Shining and Cadence, he scratched his head. "What did you do to them?"

I smiled slyly at the confused blue brony. "Rule thirty-five."

Skyblaze visibly paled. "You showed them the night after Applejack's cider party, didn't you?"

"How does he know about that?" Twilight scolded, glaring at me.

"Spike, if you must know. Poor guy was trembling," Sky responded. He looked at the two alicorns frozen in the middle of the room. "I think you broke them."

I glanced at Shining Armor and Cadence, wondering what to do. "One second." Concentrating, I changed, my body flashing green. In my new form, I trotted to Cadence's front and sat on my haunches. "Cadence, are you still mad at me for being a Changeling?" I asked in a voice only filly Twilight could pull off. As Twilight was an alicorn now, so was her filly-form.

The pink alicorn blinked at the familiar voice from her past, snapping out of her trance to look down at me. She hesitated with narrow eyes. Then sighing, she dipped her head. "I sensed the true love in your display, and as much as I hate to admit it to a Changeling, I'm sorry," she said solemnly. "But did you need to go so far as to--"

"In my defense, I wasn't controlling it," I replied, interrupting her. "As such, it just did whatever. Sorry you had to see that…"

"I'll get over it," Cadence assured, standing over my smaller form. "Um, this is gonna sound weird, but can I get a hug? You just look so cute, and- oof!" She grunted as I flung my lavender forelegs around her neck. As she returned the embrace, Twilight and I bumped hooves behind her back.

"Um… Sky, shall we make our exit before Shining Armor wakes?" mumbled Luna from the anteroom.

"Yes, let's."

Author's Notes:

MB: So… much… Shift.

Skyblaze: You know, I think I shouldn't have left Luna to find the apples on her own…

MB: Why?

Skyblaze: I don't think she gets the concept of a refrigerator, yet. Microwave, fine. Coffee machine, uses with skill. Fridge, hay no.

Luna: Sky! How does one open these drawers with hooves? Curse your infernal human devices!

Skyblaze & MB: *facehoof/palm*

Ben, one of my better drawings.

Song of Hearts Part 4: Kiss From a Rose

Rainchaser's POV

I groaned as I tried to force my eyes open. Stupid sun… why does Celestia make you so bright? "Dashie, you forgot to close the blinds again…"

A moan from the other half of the bed signaled my fillyfriend's waking. "It was your turn," she complained, drawing the blankets over herself. "Now lemme sleep…"

Groaning again, it was obvious I wasn't going to get anymore sleep. I literally rolled out of bed, silently thanking Celestia for cloud-floors. Half-crawling half-fluttering down the stairs to the kitchen, I started the coffee machine. Rainbow didn't usually like coffee, resorting to her morning exercise in the weight room downstairs to wake up in the morning.

As I waited for the coffee to brew, I groggily stuck my head into the cupboard to pull out a box of oats. Apparently, in Equestria, oats are the equivalent of cereal. I'm pretty sure if ate these on Earth, I would immediately spit them out. However, like daisies and other flowers, oats tasted quite good on my equine tongue.

A series of grunts alerted me to Dash sliding down the stairs on her stomach. Foregoing using her legs altogether, she used her wings to propel along the cloud-floor. Continuing to slide, she made her way to the basement. It wasn't long before I heard the familiar sounds of weights being lifted and crashing back down. Yeesh, I could never do that in the morning.

A loud ding signaled the completion of the coffee. Trudging over to the machine, I poured myself a cup and added a generous portion of Sweet Apple Acres Coffee Sweetener. It looked and tasted almost exactly like apple juice, but was designed for use as a coffee sweetener, with the added benefit of removing the mid-morning crash one usually got from coffee. That, and it tasted like the morning drink of the gods (Luna loves coffee too).

Sipping the delicious beverage, I heard the telltale crash from the bench press and silently counted down. "Whew! Nothing like a morning workout, right?"

I just shrugged, taking another swig of coffee. Checking the clock on the wall, I saw it was nearly seven. Shift and Twilight would be getting home from whatever they were doing in Canterlot right about now.

"Hey, Chloe? Have you seen my towel?" I looked back to Dash, then began blushing. Dash was dripping sweat from her workout, her rainbow mane soaking and hanging in front of her face. Oh my Celestia, please let my wings be-- "Heh, nice bed-feathers, Chloe. You should really preen before going out." Buck.

"Your towel is in the wash," I said, covering my blush with a hoof. "Just please take a shower."

She gave me a seductive look, turning for the bathroom. Which, unfortunately, revealed her equally wet tail and flanks. On the bright side, my misaligned feathers were fixed.

As per my luck, the doorbell rang as soon as the shower turned on upstairs. My wings were still rigid. Sighing, I accepted my fate and trotted to the door, attempting to force my wings closed. I prayed to the Fausticorn it was somepony I knew. Scratch that, somepony I knew who was competent enough not to mention my aroused state.

I opened the door to a pair of light-blue insectile eyes. "Hey, Rain," Shift greeted before seeing my wings. "Um… were you stretching had a cramp, or are you just happy to see me?"

"Can it, Shift," I growled, effectively shutting him up. "What do you want?"

"Is Rainbow Dash in?" he asked.

I nodded. "She's taking a shower right now. She'll be down in a minute. Why do you need her?"

Shift looked around, as of he was missing something. His gaze stopped to the right of the doorframe, outside my field of view. "Twilight, would you please stop hiding?" he said, exasperated. "It's Rainbow Dash and Rain, Twi. They won't hate you for anything! Rainbow is LOYALTY for Luna's sake!

"Fine, but if you're wrong, you're gonna be a green stain on the cloud," she said harshly, stepping into view. At first, I couldn't figure out why Twilight was so stressed. Then her sides fluttered.

"Hey, nice wings Twilight," I said. "I thought you could only conjure butterfly wings."

She dipped her head. "Well, they're not conjured, per se…" Her hoof scraped on the cloud nervously. "They kind of… grew in."

At first, it took me a few moments to discern the difference between conjuration and random wing growth. Magic is Shift and Sky's thing, not mine, so you couldn't exactly blame my ignorance. The only magic I was aware I had was the standard pegasus cloud-walking/weather-control stuff.

Then it hit me. Twilight was standing on a cloud. A pegasus magic. "Oh my dear sweet merciful beloved baby Luna in her platinum crib," I whispered, shocked. "Are you telling me that you're a…"

Twilight nodded, dipping her head shyly. She abruptly perked up again at the soft sounds of wing beats behind me. Dash must have been done with her shower, and was fluttering down the stairs. Hearing this, Twilight jumped out of view again, making Shift facehoof.

"Shift, could you tell Dash before I come out?" she pleaded.

Shift groaned, but complied. My fillyfriend made her way to my side. "Hey, Shift. Sup?"

Once again, the Changeling sighed. His crooked horn glowed green and Twilight was for ably levitated into sight, her wings hanging limply as she flailed her hooves in a vain effort to escape.

"Dash, Twilight is an alicorn now, so I want your help teaching her to fly," Shift said nonchalantly. Talk about being direct…

"Okay." Hold on, what?

"You're not surprised that Twilight is now an immortal alicorn, possibly with goddess-like power?" I asked, surprised at the lack of a reaction from Dash.

"Nah, it kinda makes sense," she replied, surprising me once again. "If anything, it's about time. Sure, I'll help you learn how to fly, Twi."

Twilight was floating limp in the air, her jaw swinging on its joints. "Uh… thanks Dash," Shift said, just as shocked at Dash's collected disposition. "I guess we'll be… going… see you tomorrow…" With that, he changed into a large Royal Guard pegasus, picking up Twilight, who had fallen to the ground from a lack of magical levitation, and flew off.

Well, that was unexpected. I had read a few Alicorn Twilight fics on Earth, almost all having Twilight freak out at the appearance of her wings. I wondered how her family had taken the news, assuming she had already told them.

As I closed the door, I turned to finish off my coffee, only to find Dash sitting on her haunches with an exasperated look on her face. "It's so unfair!" she exclaimed at the ceiling.

"Huh?!" What da buck just happened? Rainbow had gone from cool and collected to frustrated and pouty. "But you were… with the… and I… what?!"

"Nopony can just grow wings! I mean, now she can use an awesome amount of magic AND fly!" the cyan pegasus complained. "Do you realize how much more awesome she could potentially be?!"

"You're jealous of Twilight?"

"Of course not!" she said quickly. "But now I have to work TWICE as hard to be the awesomest pony in Ponyville!"

Oh you have go to be kidding. "Rainbow Chromatic Dash!" I scolded, using her full name. "You listen to me. There is no way anypony, much less an egghead like Twilight, can match your level of pure awesomeness!" Dash cringed visibly and her eyes widened in shock at my outburst. "Besides, Twilight is a UNICORN for pony's sake! There is no way she has the natural talent and instinct of any true pegasus! Especially not you!"

Dash was motionless at the end of my reprimand, frozen in place. After a moment, she sagged and sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "Yeah, I guess you're right…" she admitted. "I could go for some music right now."

I smiled at her, then made for the sound system in the living room. The stereo worked like Vinyl's records, playing songs directly from memory. I put the headphones in and shifted through the songs in my head. AC/DC, Zac Brown Band, A City Alive… when it comes to music, I didn't really have a preference. Shrugging, I hit the 'random' button…

…and nearly broke down into tears.

Ba Ya Ya, Ba Da, Ba Da Da Da, Ba Ya Ya…
Ba Ya Ya, Ba Da, Ba Da Da Da, Ba Ya Ya…

Dash trotted into the room, looked at the stereo, then at my somber face. "Chloe, what's up?"

There used to be a greying tower alone on the sea
You became a light on the dark side of me
Love remained A drug that's the high and not the pill…

"It's his favorite song, Dashie…" I shed a tear. "Kiss From A Rose…"

But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and,
The light that you shine can be seen…

The tears came flowing down my cheeks. He used to sing this song all the time. When we were having a good time, the mirth forced it from him. In times of sadness or grief, he would hug us and sooth us with the calming melody. The memories it brought also brought along more tears, the liquid flow down my face now unstemmed…

To my surprise, Dash wrapped her cyan forelegs around my neck. As the next verse began, she started to sway to the rhythm. She was crying too, sharing the same memories.

Baby,
I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey
Ooh, the more I get of you the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom,
A light hits the gloom on the grey…

We were now both swaying to the song of our lost friend, dancing in the middle of the living room. It was just her and I, physically. But in the song, I heard his voice singing it, lifting me up and telling me not to worry. I placed my hooves low on Dash's sides and drew closer, putting my muzzle below her chin level.

There is so much a man can tell you
So much he can say
You remain
My power, my pleasure, my pain, baby…

I leaned into Dash, still swaying. She gathered me up into her forelegs, keeping me close and putting her chin on my lowered head. The music continued unchanged, but to us it was sounding less and less like Seal and more like our fallen maroon lover.

To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny.
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?

But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and
the light that you shine can be seen.

Baby,
I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray.
Ooh, the more I get of you the stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom.
A light hits the gloom on the gray,
I've been kissed by a rose on the gray,
I've been kissed by a rose
I've been kissed by a rose on the gray,
...And if I should fall along the way
I've been kissed by a rose
...been kissed by a rose on the gray.

There is so much a man can tell you,
So much he can say.
You remain
My power, my pleasure, my pain.

To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny, yeah
Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby.

But did you know,
That when it snows,
My eyes become large and,
The light that you shine can be seen.

Baby,
I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray.
Ooh, the more I get of you the stranger it feels, yeah
Now that your rose is in bloom,
A light hits the gloom on the gray.

Yes I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray
Ooh, the more I get of you the stranger it feels, yeah
And now that your rose is in bloom
A light hits the gloom on the gray

Now that your rose is in bloom,
A light hits the gloom on the grey…

Still sobbing, we embraced each other, both leaning on the other's shoulders. "I miss him, Dash…" I told the cyan mare I loved. "I miss him…"

We drew into a kiss, wrapping our wings around us. It was a simple motion, one that express both of our grief. "I miss him too, Chloe," she replied when we finally separated our lips. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Author's Notes:

MB: Gah! Must… get… chapter… done…! Need to… update… daily!

Skyblaze: *walks into room with three bottles of Mountain Dew* Hey, Markus I got the… whoa. Dude, you need to take a break for a day. Your 'luscious mane' ain't so luscious anymore.

MB: No! Must write… must finish-- *THUMP!* zzzzzzz…

Song of Legends Part 1: Tortoises and Explanations

Rainbow Dash's POV

It felt good, having Chloe in my arms and wings. Just as good as being in hers. Even better than that, her lips on mine. "I miss him too, Chloe." The kiss wasn't an intimate one, but a small lock of our mouths for our comfort. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Even though the music had stopped, I held my fillyfriend in my arms, resting my chin on her pink mane. We were still swaying slightly, the tune echoing in our heads. Kissing Chloe on the forehead, I held her out at a foreleg's length and have her a reassuring smile.

"C'mon, Chloe," I said. "We still have the day ahead and cloud-or-tree napping abroad!"

She giggled at my proclamation. Breaking out of my grip, she fluttered up the stairs. I watched her leave until she was out of sight. I then sighed a in sad breath. Shaking my head, I bolstered myself again. I had made it this far, and I was going to make it longer.

Exiting the living room and going into the kitchen, I pulled out the carton of eggs. Twilight had told me that I should start every morning with a ton of protein and carbohydrates and some fruit to maximize my exercise routine. Whatever that means. The only thing I got from that lecture was to eat eggs and some fruit.

I scrambled the eggs with some vegetables and cheese while chewing on an apple. It was a recipe Aegis had taught me called an 'omelet'. Aside from meeting Twilight's dieting plan, it tasted really good.

As I nibbled on the tasty breakfast, I couldn't help but think about the maroon stallion. He was always there for us, even if he couldn't fly. When I broke my wing and got a concussion from a particularly painful crash into the library, he was there when I woke up. When I was called to perform a Sonic Rainboom in the opening ceremony of this year's Best Young Flier Competition, he was cheering in the stands, curtesy of a cloud-walking spell from Twilight. And when Chloe we thrown out of that club for getting into a fight, he went out to be with her.

"Gah!" There was a cry from the top of the stairs and the sound of Chloe tumbling down them. "Tank! Watch where you sleep, you dang turtle!"

"Tortoise!" I called, giggling. The slow reptile always seemed to get in my fillyfriend's way.

"Whatever!"

>><<>><<

"So, cloud or tree?" I asked Chloe as we circled Ponyville in the air, looking for a place to take our daily nap.

The pink-maned pegasus put a hoof to her chin. "Normally I would pick cloud, but today feels like a 'sleep among the apples' kinda day." I noticed she was wearing her mane in a ponytail, something she neglected to do since getting back to Ponyville from her time with her friends.

"Tree it is, then!" I exclaimed, angling my wings into an aileron roll-dive toward Sweet Apple Acres. I flared my wings slightly when a familiar white cone began to form around me. I had been able to do a Sonic Rainboom on command ever since Twilight's brother's wedding, and now I had to restrain myself from doing so. Applejack would be ticked if I shattered every window in her house… again.

Another reason for slowing was Chloe. While my fillyfriend was a great flier (taught by yours truly), she wasn't really the fastest pegasus in Ponyville. She struggled to keep up with me in high-speed maneuvers and lost our occasional races by a long-shot.

Flaring my wings for a final approach, I landed gingerly in a gala apple tree. Gala apples were always Chloe's favorites, and the trees had the best napping branches. Now, in the December snow, the trees were barren of apples, but still had wide enough branches for both Chloe and I. Settling in the crotch of the tree (that's what it's called, so stop laughing), I waited for my fillyfriend.

A slight sagging of the branch and a panting noise told me she had landed. "Took ya long enough," I teased.

"Shut up and move over," she responded with a giggle. I shuffled over, allowing room for her grey body. Laying down next to me, we cuddled up next to each other and sighed as we let the increased oxygen levels of the lower altitudes lull us in to a drowsy state.

Even in the chilled December air, our bodies' heat warmed us to a comfortable temperature. Nestled among the branches, we fell asleep in each other's arms.

>><<>><<

Luna's POV

"Looks like the Alyiess are blasting off again!" Skyblaze shouted as he bucked the remaining cultist off the balcony. "Seriously, though. These guys are hardly dangerous. I don't even think they're combat-trained."

"From what our intelligence force tells us, they recruit from the general public," replied Shining Armor, his wings once again hidden beneath his armor. "So it's typical their fighting skills are… less than adequate."

"We have an intelligence force?" asked Sky in a curious voice. "Bucking sweet!"

I examined the broken window through which the cultists accessed the palace. "It's a shame they had to desecrate the Royal Library," I said, fixing the glass with a spell. "Good thing no books were harmed in the process."

"Uh… your Majesty?" a bat-guard unicorn inquired, picking up a book. The tome immediately fell into two halves.

Skyblaze glanced at the top half and immediately facehoofed. "I don't think anypony's gonna miss a copy of 'A Comprehensive Guide to Potato Farming'…"

A pegasus guard with bat-wings shot Sky an annoyed look. "Me family happens to own a potato farm!" he argued in a Gallopway accent.

I put a hoof over my face in exasperation at my personal guard's outburst. "If you're so concerned about it, Shamrock, then I can have a complementary copy sent to your family's estate," I replied. "Now, please help the rest of the squadron round up the serving ponies and the librarian."

With the bat-guards left to their duties, Skyblaze picked up the book he was reading and placed back on the reading stand and started looking for his page. "Ah! Found it…" he said out loud.

Wondering what subject had my normally distracted fiancé so enthralled, I peeked over his shoulder. "'Alicorn Magic: An In-Depth Explanation of our Princesses' Powers'…" I read. "May I ask why you are reading into me and my sister's magic?"

"Shift asked me to." Ah, so he was commissioned to do research. That made more sense. "He wants to know how Twilight became an alicorn. All he could tell me is that she was attempting to brighten the stars for a certain area, but she needed a generous portion of shadow magic."

I raised a brow at him. "How did Twilight gain this shadow magic?"

"Shift fed it into her. A ton of it," he replied, spreading his hooves for emphasis.

Oh sweet Fausticorn. "I… I think I know what happened." Skyblaze looked at me with an interested expression. "Twilight's magic is mainly light, and she has a lot of it. As you know, alicorn magic is connected to either a celestial form or force of the world."

"Like Cadence controls love or Shining has his force magic and shields," he said comprehensively.

"Or Tia with the sun and myself with the moon, yes." I settled myself down next to my love. "In this case, Twilight was casting a spell that was related with the stars, which was the celestial connection. Also, because Shift was feeding a large amount of shadow magic to pool with her light magic, she must have been magically balanced, creating an intonation with not only the heavens, but the very universe."

"So that explains that…" Skyblaze wondered. "But if alicorns are masters of a certain… thing, what does Twilight have power over?"

"Well, it can't be the stars, as I still have complete control over them." I put a hoof to my chin in thought. "Any ideas?"

Skyblaze rested his head on my front hooves, chewing thoughtfully on his lower lip. Suddenly, his eyes widened and and he jolted upright. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "Twilight is the Element of Magic, her special talent is magic, her body was magically balanced…" He stood and struck a victorious pose. "Twilight is the Princess of Magic!"

Before he could go into an over-loud speech about his triumph, I kissed him. In my opinion, it was win-win. I got to have a moment with him and avoid getting scolded by the librarian.

"Sorry," he apologized as the librarian gave us a dirty look. "What say we foray to your study so we may continue our discussion on the topic?"

"Agreed." I focused, and in a silver flash we had disappeared from the library.

Song of Legends Part 2: Seeking Shard

Aegis' POV

"Ugh… Summer?" I woke groggily, shifting beneath the blankets. For some reason, I felt restless, as if I had a lack of sleep. I didn't remember waking up in the night. At my impulsive calling, the mare in my forelegs stirred.

Summer was a moderately light sleeper, only taking my soft voice to rouse her. "Can you keep it down, Aegis?" she said, just as groggy as I was. "I'm trying to enjoy our day off from chores…"

"Sorry," I apologized.

"Don't be sorry, be quiet."

"I'm--" I stopped myself before apologizing again, but my partial sentence was enough to make Summer smile slightly.

Chuckling, I relaxed my head again, letting it sink into the pillow. Although I was already awake and not going back to sleep anytime soon, I closed my eyes and brought the mare I had come to love closer to my body. She sensed this and snuggled into the longer hairs on my chest.

She looked so cute when she was asleep. Like a foal curled up next to her mother or father. Her breath ran through my coat like a warm summer breeze. With pearl forelegs tucked tightly against her body and ears laid back, she was as peaceful and peace could be.

"D'aww…" I breathed, not wanting to wake her again. Silently, I closed my eyes and felt her breathing against my belly.

>><<>><<

Rainchaser's POV

I fluttered into the bathroom, taking the mane-brush in hoof and moving it through my pink locks. I had a bad bed-mane, so naturally there was a lot of tangles that made me wince when the brush moved through them. I'm surprised Shift didn't say anything when he was here. Of course, he was smart enough not to insult a mare's mane. I've seen Twilight's bed-mane, and it's not pretty.

Finished with my grooming, I set the brush down and was about to turn away when I saw my mane-band on the counter. It was a simple elastic double-band, attached together with a magenta ruby the same color as my eyes. It was a gift from Sky and Luna, along with an enchanted switch-shield bracer for Aegis, similar to Sky's own switchblade watch. Luna had said she put a special enchantment on the respective gems that were embedded in the gifts, but didn't say what.

I sighed and picked up the band, putting my mane into its familiar ponytail. Smiling at the mirror, I made my way downstairs.

"Gah!" I stumbled on a green shell, rolling down the stairs. "Tank! Watch where you sleep, you dang turtle!"

"Tortoise!"

"Whatever!"

>><<>><<

Aegis' POV

It must have been an hour since I first woke up. I blinked open my eyes again, careful not to rouse Summer again. The mare as still in her adorable position, making me 'd'aww' silently again. Feeling bold, I shifted my head closer to hers to kiss her forehead…

…only to find my lips meeting hers. The kiss later a few seconds before Summer withdrew. "Don't even try it, big guy," she scolded playfully. Summer was surprisingly perceptive, even in sleep

"Oh, you can count on it, if that's what I get for it." This earned me a one-way trip to the floor. "Ow… you can buck hard for a mare." And for that, a backhoofed slap to the face. "Ow! I'm sorry!"

"Are you?" She stepped down from the bed and sat one her haunches. "Prove it."

I grinned. My turn to be sly. I rolled quickly to my hooves, putting one her chest and the other behind her back. I leaned forward, dipping her head back and planting a kiss on her mouth. Our tails instantly went rigid as our lips connected. I explored with my tongue, and she did likewise. It wasn't long until she was kissing my neck with gusto. In response, I slid my tongue from her ear to her shoulder, gliding along her soft fur. She giggled at the movement, being slightly ticklish.

"That's it, lover boy," she said seductively. "You're gonna get it." Gingerly, she began leaving a trail of kisses down the side of my neck. The trail ended on my flank, her tongue tracing my cutie mark with skill. A nibble on her ear gave her signal to cease, reluctantly.

"C'mon, let's start breakfast before we get carried away," I insisted.

She giggled at this. "How much more carried away can we get?"

"I can think of a few ways…" I voiced playfully. Her tail, which was rigid to begin with, was now stock-still, standing at almost a forty-five degree angle. Turning, I moved to begin making some more omelets.

I stopped. On the counter was my shield-bracer. The gem was glowing radiantly. On an impulse, I trotted up to the table and slid the bracer onto my right hoof.

>><<>><<

Storm's POV

"Hey, Caramel!" I greeted my fiancé. "I brought you a snack!"

Caramel stopped bucking the leafless tree to smile at me. "Thanks, Storm," he said, accepting the DLT from my magical grip. "Have I told you that I love you?"

I giggled at the cheesiness of his words. "Only every other minute," I replied in a low tone, trotting up to him and kissing him gingerly on the lips before letting him eat. I looked up and down the rows of trees, all lacking both leaves and apples. "Why are you guys trying to harvest dead branches?"

Caramel looked up at the tree he was on, swallowing the last of his sandwich. "These are gala apple trees. Some of their branches die in the first frost, so we have to prune the weaker ones by bucking them." he pointed with his tail over to Applejack, who was kicking the trees on the other side of the field.

I nodded, getting a good understanding of what the Apple family was doing. Caramel smiled and gave me a peck on the lips before moving on to the next tree. Winding up, he bucked the solid tree with force…

…causing the two mares cuddled up in the branches to come crashing down on top of him. Rain and Rainbow Dash shook their heads, as if waking from a… oh.

I broke down laughing at their misfortune, Rainbow and Rain scrambling to detacth themselves from my coltfriend. "Caramel! What the buck?!" yelled the pink-maned pegasus. "Do ponies EVER look up?!"

"I don't know, you pegasi usually have your heads in the clouds," I rebuked. "Maybe you should pay more attention to where you snuggle in for a nap."

"Ha ha, don't quit your day-job, Storm," said Rainbow Dash in a sarcastic voice. "If you must know, we were having a-- Chloe, what the hay is up with your mane-tie?"

"My mane tie?" Rain whipped her hair around to look at the band keeping her hair in a ponytail. The magenta gem was glowing. "Uh… no idea. Luna said she put an enchantment on it, but she never told us what it--"

"INCOMING!" A royal blue streak fell out of the sky, landing with a 'PIFF' into the snow. Skyblaze immediately recovered and hopped out of the snow bank. From his saddlebags he removed a hoof-sized gem, the same color as the one on Rain's mane-tie.

Without bothering to give an explanation, he began singing in that weird language. The larger gem became wrapped in a golden aura that matched Sky's eyes and floated off his hoof. After two verses, the gem clattered back onto his hoof. "Here," he said, tossing it between Rain and Dash. "Just tap it to have the sharper end point where you need to go. I need to be heading off for a court session with a couple Alyiess we captured. Good luck looking for Aegis!" With that, he flew off, leaving us a standing in shock.

>><<>><<

Correspondence: Kind Greetings and Lyra Heartstrings

To Ambassador Lyra Heartstrings,

This letter is upon short notice as I had only recently discovered your appointed position. As stated in your job description, you are to handle any dealings with those whose origins are… extraterrestrial in nature. Particularly with anything from a world by the name of Earth. It may be of shock to you, Miss Heartstrings, to know that I know of this world. As I had once called it home.

I cannot stress the how invaluable this information holds, Miss Heartstrings. If I may introduce myself, I am the ambassador from Earth, representing an organization known as the bronies. The bronies are humans that have seen Equestria and wish to immigrate here. Thus, Exodus Equestria was born. As of now there are five humans, their DNA altered to match that of a pony, currently living in Equestria, myself included. I am not inclined to name the other bronies present in this world, however I am inclined to say that we are part of Brony Recon, the first bronies to set foot in Equestria.

Hoping for a swift response,
-Ambassador Kind Greetings,
Brony Recon

>><<>><<

To Ambassador Kind Greetings,

Is this some sort of cruel joke, or are you being legit right now? If the latter, please meet me at my Ponyville residence. Just follow the return address. That is all.

Hoping you aren't pulling my leg,
-Ambassador Lyra Heartstrings
Equestrian Extraterrestrial Embassy

Author's Notes:

Skyblaze: Fight scene?

MB: Fight scene.

Extra: Lyra's Song Part 1

MB: Author's note; Lyra talks in an Earth dialect, using 'anybody' and 'hand' instead of 'anypony' and 'hoof'. She will even go so far as to use Earth swears or sayings.

>><<>><<

Lyra's POV

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmy--"

"Lyra!" My rant of excitement was stopped as Bon Bon shouted my name. "What in the wide world of Equestria are you yelling about now?"

I smiled at my fillyfriend. Bon Bon had asked me out a few days ago which took me off-guard. I had no idea she had feelings for me, as she was often scolding me for my obsession with humans and Earth. But as we began to go on dates and start getting more… intimate, I found Bon Bon was now actually listening to some of my less dramatic rants.

This new attitude startled me at first, as this was a tad out of Bon Bon's character. But I soon came to accept it, lowering the intensity on my lectures to a level she could handle and respect. Now it became a regular thing, every time I reached a breakthrough in my studies of human anatomy and science.

"You would not believe what I just got in the mail!" I exclaimed excitedly.

She sighed. "Let me guess, this week's 'Human Digest'?"

"Even better!" I handed her the letter I received earlier today from someone named Kind Greetings. She took it and began scanning the document. Soon, she burst out into laughter.

"Lyra honey, I think somepony is pranking you big time!" she gasped between laughs. "I told you not to make public statements about--" She was interrupted by a knock on the door. "That must be Sugar Coated with my ingredients. We'll talk about this later."

I sighed, motioning with a hoof for her to proceed. It was entirely possible somebody was yanking my hair. I tried to educate other ponies on humans and their technology, but was often scoffed at. But so far, the worst prank that had been pulled on me was an apple cream pie to the face that was, on top of being a complete surprise, quite tasty.

"Hey, Sugar C-- oh, hello, Derpy, who's this?" My ears perked up at Bon Bon's greeting. Derpy was the local mailmare, but there was someone with her…?

Derpy, along with a green earth pony wearing a crystal necklace I didn't recognize with a small grey unicorn filly on his back, came into the living room. "Hello, Miss Heartstrings. I trust you have received my letter?" the stallion greeted. "I'm Kind Greetings, or Ben, if you want to be brief."

I gasped at his shortened name. "That's a… that's an Earth name…" I wondered out loud, making Bon Bon facepalm. I held out my hoof for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Ben."

He took the hoof, shaking it. "Pleasure's all mine, Ambassador."

"Please, just call me Lyra," I responded, almost too shocked for words. "May I ask why you brought Miss Hooves and her daughter?"

"Oh, they're just excited to see where I'm from." On cue, the filly on his back smiled adorably. "Derpy and I have been a couple for about two months. Almost as long as I've been in Equestria."

Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. "You're not from Equestria?" she asked. "So… you're from Mexicolt or the Griffon Empire? Across the Palomino Sea, maybe?"

Ben smirked. "Try the second star to the left and straight on till morning."

"I knew it!" I exclaimed, making Bon Bon wince. "You're from another planet!"

Bon Bon glared at me. "Lyra, what have I told you about jumping to--"

"Well, another dimension, actually," Ben answered. "Though, I guess it is a different planet, so yes."

My fillyfriend's jaw dropped faster than a Wonderbolt. "What gives you the right to come in here and tease my fillyfriend!" she yelled, making the filly cringe.

"I assure you Miss…"

"Bon Bon."

"Miss Bon Bon, I am a representative of a group of humans called the bronies. Humans, unfortunately, live in a world of violence and hate. And in this cruel world, Love and Tolerance are almost unheard of," Ben said solemnly. "But through the clouds of war and oppression, there was a light. We bronies followed this light and it's teachings: Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and most of all, Love, Tolerance, and Friendship. That light was Harmony and Equestria." He paused to let his words sink in before continuing. "Others looked upon the bronies with hatred and shame. They despised us so much as to go out of their way to oppose us. This is why we are in Equestria, so we may have someplace to go when our world begins to openly act against our cause."

Bon Bon was shell-shocked. As was I. How could humans, creative, inventive, wonderful humans, be violent and warlike? Are they the same ones I've been studying? "You said we were… going there?" I asked plaintively.

"Oh, don't worry. Where we're going is a classified location where my superiors have set up Exodus Equestria Base Camp," he reassured. "My necklace is actually a remote portal, through which I can send messages or even ponies."

Bon Bon threw her arms into the air. "I give up! You two do whatever crazy thing you're gonna do. In the meantime, I will be in my workshop." She stormed off, leaving us all staring.

"Um… everypony ready to go?" asked Ben, ignoring the awkward build.

"Sure, just let me get my--" I was interrupted by a bright flash of light. Dang it! I really wanted to bring my sketchbook.

>><<>><<

"Ugh…" My head hurt. A lot. I tried to open my eyes but all I saw were blurred forms. I heard voices, but they were muffled. One of the voices came close to me. A blurry figure waved in front of my eyes and held out something. In a reaction, I took it. It didn't feel like a hoof. My vision suddenly cleared, and I was staring at my hoof…

…being held by a hand.

"Hey, Lyra," said a friendly voice. "My name is Cereal Velocity. Welcome to Earth."

I looked up to see what I have been searching for my whole life. A human being, kneeling down and holding out his hand to my own hoof. They were everything I studied and more. Bipedal stance, twice as tall as an adult pony, and with fingered hands. The possibilities available to them with those hands popped into my head, so many inventions and creations, artwork and sculptures, music and writing…

Cereal helped me to my hooves, smiling at me. I took this chance to look around. I was on a large raised platform with four crystal pillars around it. On the other side of the platform was Derpy and Dinky, hugging another human with an emerald shirt and blue jeans.

The other human looked over at me with a familiar smile. "Glad to see you made it, Ambassador," he greeted, squeezing Derpy once more. His voice was a perfect match to…

"Ben?!" I exclaimed.

The human nodded. "Yeah, it's me." Ben made to stand, but immediately lost his balance, landing on Derpy. "Heh, sorry, Derpy. I'm not used to walking on two legs." A third human rushed from the row of blinking panels to help Ben to his feet. "Thanks, Seth."

As I was marveling at the movements of the humans, a door suddenly slammed shut, prompting everybody's attention. There was a fourth human, but he looked… different. "Oh, man good o'l St. Louis! It hasn't changed in a decade, and probably won't for the next few." …and talked with a Trottingham accent, apparently.

Cereal stood and walked over to the new human. "Guys, I want to introduce you to the mastermind that helped us build the portal and the ponyfier," he announced, throwing an arm around the human. "Meet the Doctor. The last Time Lord."

The Doctor gave a bow, grinning as he looked upon the group on the platform. Then, when he looked at Ben and the two other ponies, he abruptly stopped cold, his expression seemingly one of horror.

"Derpy?"

"Doctor?"

The two stared at each other for the longest time. I was afraid to move, unable to predict what would happen next. It was as if they knew each other from some past. Then, inexplicably, the Doctor rushed forward and Derpy flew to meet him in a tight embrace.

"You've regenerated!" exclaimed Derpy.

"Four times since we last met," answered the Doctor cheerfully. "So how have you been? I see you've made a new friend!" He waved at Ben, who, in a confused daze, waved back. "Now, who's the little unicorn, eh?"

Derpy visibly paled. "Um… she's…" she stuttered nervously. Ben was positively frantic at this point whipping his head back and forth.

Dinky Hooves hopped off the low platform and trotted out halfway to the Doctor. She gazed at him curiously. Dinky was extremely smart and inquisitive from what I heard, so whatever was going on in her mind I could only guess at…

…and none of my guesses even came close.

"Daddy?"

Author's Notes:

MB: Welcome to the side-story. A completely optional storyline for your enjoyment and possibly your entertainment.

Skyblaze: Warning: this side story contains canon POVs, plot twists, ninth-dimensional physics, the Tenth Doctor, trolling, sadness, anger, and references. This side story may cause d'aww. Please do not read the side story if you are susceptible to d'aww-related seizures, heart attacks or have diabetes caused by d'aww. If you experience any of these symptoms while reading, contact your roommate immediately and have him slap you twice in the face.

Luna: *facehoof* You guys are so dramatic.

MB: Says the Princess who's sister banished her for a thousand years on the moon.

Luna: Touché.

Skyblaze: *ahem* Please read the comments section below for a 'serious' author's note to the fans.

Song of Legends Part 3: Stir Fried Manticore

Rainchaser's POV

"The Everfree Forest?!" Dash exclaimed.

I checked the seeking-shard again. The pointed end was pointing straight into the twisted woods. "Desafortunadamente, yes," I answered. "Why, are you SCARED, Dashie?"

She put on a challenging face. "Me? Scared? Ha! I'm not afraid of anything!" she said, but when she turned back toward the dark forest, her smile dropped. "Maybe a little nervous…"

I sighed and put the seeking-shard back in my saddlebags. It was going to be a long trip if Dash is getting anxious. I'll have to admit, with the prospect of timberwolves, ursas, manticores, and other terrifying things that go way more than bump in the night, it was getting hard to keep our composure.

In an attempt to get a feel for our path, I pulled out the map and unrolled it. "It looks like this is the fringe of it, so all we have to go through is a few miles of it before reaching the conifer woods on the other side," I assured. "And besides, we can just fly over it, right?"

Dash was staring up at the sky above the Everfree. "Hey, Chloe? Guess what we're NOT doing," she said sarcastically, pointing to where she was looking. Following her gaze, I was met with a downing sight. The sky over the portion of forest we were going to travel over was blanketed in an anvil-shaped thunderhead, unnaturally red lightning occasionally jumping from the cloud-tops. "That," Dash continued, "is an Everfree Electric Storm."

My heart sank as I looked at the raging tempest. I jumped as a bolt of crimson lightning leaped from cloud to cloud. "Okay… I guess we're walking then?"

Dash sighed frustratedly. She hated being grounded. For one, any pegasus hates being restricted to the ground, not being able to answer the call of the open sky. Plus, being forced to walk reminded Rainbow Dash of when Discord had taken her wings. Not always a good thing to have going for you.

"Well, we're not getting any closer to Aegis by standing here," she stomped her hoof. "C'mon, Chloe, let's get your coltfriend back!" Together, we charged toward the forest, a song of valor singing in our hearts.

>><<>><<

Luna's POV, a few hours earlier

"Skyblaze, could you please stop that humming?" I said, getting irritated at the constant noise.

He looked up from the paperwork he was helping me with. "Oh, sorry, Luna," he apologized. "I've just been practicing the Song of Valor, and it has this catchy tune to it. The original song was used by soldier bards on the battlefield to stir the hearts of their allies, sending them to glorious victory."

I put a hoof to my chin in thought. "That sounds rather useful. Why don't we use it more?"

Sky frowned and looked back at the paper on his desk. "The song may increase the bravery of those around you, but it also takes their self-preservation, often ending in tragedy if sung at a poor moment."

"Oh," I said ambiguously. "I see how that can backfire easily."

"Yeah, now what is it you want to do about this trade agreement with the settlement in the Crystal Mountains?"

>><<>><<

Rainchaser's POV

"Gah! Dash, a little help!" I yelled as I dodged another swipe from the manticore's paw.

"I'm a bit occupied at the moment!" Dash was being held in the scorpion-like tail of the creature. She struggled, but could not get loose. So that left me to try to free her. But there was a slight problem. Manticores, with the addition of the barbed tail, had clawed paws and pointed fangs. Once in a while, I had to dodge a swipe from the spur on the bat-like wings of the large predator.

I was on the ground for most of the time. While hovering, pegasi are limited in maneuverability. Had I been a Changeling like Shift, with insect wings, I could have easily taken this fight to a third dimension. So I was stuck with rolling, ducking, and diving over the frosty ground.

"Chloe!" called Dash as I jumped over another horizontal swipe. "In my saddlebags! There's a switchblade bracer! You gotta get to it!"

I dove out of the way of a paw, the furry masher crashing down to the earth where I once stood. "And how am I supposed to do that?!" I answered through the adrenalin. The bags had been thrown to the opposite side of the clearing, and standing between me and them was a carnivore the size of a tractor.

Dash was silent for a few moments, grunting as she was jostled in the scorpion tail's grip as I evaded the manticore's attacks. Finally, when her face came into my view, she gave me a 'oh bucking screw it' look. Whipping her head around, she bit down on the insectile appendage.

"RAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRR!!! "

Daaaaayuuum… judging by the amount of ichor that spurted from the wound, it was extremely painful for the beast. Not wasting any time, I bolted around the manticore for the bags. I had to move quickly, before the large lion-like creature regained its senses. I reache the bag and dug around with my hoof.

"Where the buck is it?!"

"How the hay should I know?! I'm a little tied up if you couldn't tell!"

"RAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!!!"

The manticore had shaken off the pain. If anything, the experience had made it even more pissed. It spun to face me, it's eyes filled with hatred. Scraping the ground twice like a bull, the manticore pounced once and charged. Letting the adrenalin take over, I grabbed a random item from the saddlebag and whipped it at the manticore's face with both hooves.

BONG!

Metal contacted with the lion-head, causing the creature to become dazed. Curious, I looked down at the weapon that had saved my life. Between my hooves was the handle of a frying pan. "Dammit, Dash!"

"What?!"

"My life was just saved by a bucking frying pan!"

The manticore was about to roar at me from point-blank. In order to preserve my era and mane, I slammed the pan on its head again. But once it was again dazed, I continued my assault with the cooking flat, laying on hit after hit on the thing.

BONG!

CLANG!

PONG!

Finally, I let up my attack. The manticore swayed to an unknown tune, then fell as the unsung lullaby took it's hold. With the creature relaxed, Dash freed herself from the tail and made her way over to me. The cyan pegasus was covered in green ichor from when she bit the manticore's tail.

"Aww, man… this stuff's not gonna wash out easy," she complained.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Since when did you care about how your coat looked?"

"Oh, I'm not worried about my coat!" she insisted. "I'm worried what RARITY will do to it."

>><<>><<

Storm's POV

"You know, I could help you guys around the farm…" I offered as we sat down to lunch.

"Sugarcube, y'all know Ah can't let ya do that, given yer condition," said Applejack firmly. "Caramel's mah cousin, and yer gonna be mah cousin-in-law. We Apples look after our own." She munched down on a bit of veggie stir fry I cooked up, her eyes widening in surprise. "Mah stars, Storm! This is mighty tasty. What is it?"

I shrugged. "A veggie stir fry with apples, onions, daffodils, snow peas, peppers, asparagus, and some teriyaki sauce. I make it for Caramel all the time."

Big Mac's reaction was about the same. Applejack shoveled my cooking into her maw, pausing only to face Caramel. "So ya eat like this all the time?"

My fiancé nodded. "She's great in the kitchen! You should try her… what are they called… omelets," he responded, looking at me lovingly. The praise made me blush and scrunch up shyly.

"What in tarnation is an 'omelet'?" asked the farm mare.

"An omelet is a breakfast food, a flat of eggs, cheese, and various vegetables," I answered. "I can't believe how your cookbooks lack the recipe, though! Next you'll be telling me you don't have French fries!" Big Macintosh gave me a puzzled look, confirming my suspicions. "You know what? Caramel, sweetie, is there any way we can have them over for dinner?"

"I don't see why not," he smiled.

"Great!" I pulled my own plate forward, lifting my fork with magic and scooping a bite into my mouth. Like usual, it tasted great. But something was missing… something salty or spicy. Or maybe sweet. "You guys have any hot sauce, do you? And could you pass the salt?"

Applejack glanced at me with a questioning look. "Sugar, Ah think it tastes fine. Why would you--"

"The Fillydelphia Hot Sauce is in the condiment cupboard, third to the left." Nodding my thanks to Caramel, I magicked the spicy condiment out of it's place and applied it to my food. Applejack glared at Caramel for interrupting her. "She gets cravings," he stated simply.

After a lunch of delicious spicy stir fry, Caramel and I walked home on the outer streets of Ponyville. After a while, I glanced at him, only to catch him staring at my flanks. "Enjoying the view, honey?"

He startled, his cheeks flushing red. "I was just wondering if your talent is cooking, but apparently not…"

I sighed. Rain and I have yet to find our cutie marks and respective talents. On cue, the Cutie Mark Crusaders rushed past, their capes flowing in the wake of Scootaloo's scooter. Had I not been… incapacitated, I would have joined them. It was a strange sight for an adult pony to lack a cutie mark, and often received strange looks from other ponies because of it.

I was so deep in thought, Caramel had to grip my tail in his teeth to keep me from colliding with Bon Bon. "Wah!" the sudden stop nearly jerked my front feet out, instead causing me to fall back on my haunches. "Heh, sorry, Bon Bon. How's it going with Lyra?"

She gave a frustrated growl, making me believe something went wrong with their meeting. "Sorry, Storm. Our relationship is going great! We've been on a date almost every night. We even shared our first kiss together, I must admit," then her face fell. "But the reason I'm feeling down is because Derpy's twice blasted coltfriend just HAPPENS to be a human that just HAPPENS to also be a pony."

I froze at the mention of my friend. "You mean Kind Greetings, green earth pony, white mane, crystal necklace?" I asked. Bon Bon gave a sideways nod. "And he told Lyra he was a human because…"

She huffed. "Apparently Lyra has a high position in some 'Extraterrestrial Embassy' that requires that all non-Terran lifeforms have to be registered, or some other hay," she said begrudgingly. "Let me tell you, when she gets back from wherever in Equestria they went, she's gonna get it."

"Did Ben mention any other human-ponies in Equestria?" I asked worriedly.

"He said there were four others, why--?"

"Wellnicetalkingtoyouseeyouaroundtownbye!" I grabbed Caramel with my magic and power-walked away from the confused mare.

Author's Notes:

Skyblaze: I'm telling you, since I'm two years older, I'm the boss of you!

MB: You're only seventeen! Plus, I created you, and that makes me your technical father and ME the boss of YOU!

Luna: Well I'm YOUR fiancé and YOUR favorite pony, plus I'm four and a half thousand years old! So that makes me top pony AND the boss of both of you! And I am telling you both to SHUT THE BUCK UP!!!

Skyblaze & MB: But he…

Luna: NOW!!!

Skyblaze & MB: Yes, Luna…

Song of Legends Part 4: At Least I Have Chicken

Aegis' POV

"Can't catch me, slowpoke!"

"Is that a challenge?" I huffed, galloping after Summer thought the long grass. The circular clearing was a huge swath of tall grass, at least a hundred yards across. Summer and I were playing tag on our day off and decided the clearing was the best place.

"Yes, it is," she said playfully. "C'mon, lead-hooves, can't catch me-- oof!"

We rolled around as I tackled her, tumbling around in the tall grass. Laughing, our roll came to a stop on the slope of a hill. "I'm sorry, I thought the aim of tag was to keep away from the pony whose 'it'," I teased. Gingerly, I tapped her chest. "You're it."

Her lower lip quivered, looking at me with sad puppy eyes. "Do I have to be?"

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that again," I insisted. In response, she unleashed her secret weapon. Curling up next to me, she nuzzled her nose into my chest, wrapping her hooves around me. "You fight dirty, you know that?" Circling her form with my forelegs, I drew her closer, bringing my head over hers.

"I love you, Aegis," she mumbled through my coat.

I gave her a firm squeeze. "Summer, I'm glad I lost my memory." She looked up at me, her blue eyes alight with confusion. "Because there's nothing holding me back from you. I have no other home, nopony else. Just you and the forest." I craned my neck to meet her lips with my own. It wasn't an overly intimate kiss, but it lasted a long while, yet was still much to short. "I love you too, Summer."

Summer smiled and pressed herself against me, her body warm against my own. This early in the winter, the snow was prone to spontaneous melting, as it was now. The slightly frigid air did nothing to make us uncomfortable as the early afternoon sun warmed our coats. Even if the sun had been covered, the warmth of our bodies touching each other was enough to dispel any coldness we would have felt.

With the warmth of the sun and the feeling of the mare I loved pressed against my body, I drifted off into sleep…

>><<>><<

"Run, Dash, Run!"

The conifer trees rushed by in a rush of terror.

"Chloe! They're gaining! We need to move faster!"

The snarls of the pack of timberwolves was getting louder with every second, baring down on them.

"Can we fly?"

"The trees are too low! Not enough room!"

"At least we're out of the Everfree…"

Yellow eyes appeared in the bushes ahead, and they skidded to a stop. They were trapped, surrounded. The timberwolves advanced, circling them.

"Looks like we have to do this the hard way…"

Rainchaser looked up. "This is for you, Nick…"

>><<>><<

I was startled from my strange dream by Summer bolting upright. What the hay did I just see? The two pegasi seemed so familiar. Why did I call the grey one Rainchaser? Who in Equestria is Nick? Everything just felt too vivid to be a dream…

"Summer? What's up?" I asked my fillyfriend, who was sitting up, glancing around, ears twitching. "What are you--?"

"Shh!" Her head swiveled as she shushed me. "Do you hear that?"

I perked my ears up, straining to hear whatever noise Summer had heard. Aside from the chirping of the winter birds, I heard nothing. Then, out of the peace, came a bone-chilling howl. "What was that?" It sounded like something I've heard before, but I couldn't put my hoof on it.

"Timberwolf pack," she said worriedly. "And I think they have something surrounded."

At first, I was confused at what she was insinuating. Summer had lived in the woods for a long time, and showed a lot of knowledge about nature. In this case, Summer could tell what timberwolves were doing by the different kinds of howls. Including what kind of prey the pack was after.

After another howl, the pearl mare's irises shrunk in fear. "It's another pony!"

"What?!" I jumped up in surprise. "We have to help them! They could be in trouble!"

"You think?!" she replied, dashing off with me in hot pursuit. As we ran, I made sure I had my shield-bracer on my foreleg. Seeing the metal glint off the sun, I sped up to the mare in front of me, matching her pace thought the woods. Branches whipped into my face, but my earth pony resolve allowed me to barrel past without a second thought. The howling grew closer, and I began to hear growling and yelping as well. Whoever was being attacked was fighting back.

"How much closer is--?" My question died in my throat as we rounded a thicket.

Summer had told me that the average timberwolf pack contained about fifteen individuals. The group in the small clearing was at least twice that large, the wooded canines flocking whatever they had surrounded.

"C'mon, you mite ridden mutts!" came a tomcoltish voice from the center of the circle. "Eat frying pan!"

In an explosion of plant-like wolves, two pegasus mares blasted out of the assault. One wielding a frying pan, the other with a bronze switchblade.

Oh you have got to be bucking kidding. The two mares from my dream, the ones who were running from the timberwolves. They were standing in front of me. And I knew one of them. The grey one with the pink mane…

Rainchaser…

>><<>><<

Rainchaser's POV

"Eat frying pan!" I shouted, bursting from the wave of timberwolves. Gripping the cooking flat between my hooves, I bashed it on the head of the nearest wolf, effectively removing it from the fight. For a household object, it was a surprisingly dangerous weapon, proving it's worth against a manticore, plus three timberwolves and counting.

Spinning, I faced my next adversary. The wolf was already in the air, pouncing for me. But I was ready. Drawing back and relying on mostly tennis and softball skills from Earth, I swung around. The bottom of the pan met the wolf's face in midair, pausing it's momentum and making it slump into the snow below.

Glancing over my shoulder, I checked on Dash with the little respite I had. She was in a battle stance, the ground below her littered with four sliced bodies of timberwolves. In the small amount of time I had her in my vision, she stabbed another wolf and tossed it aside. Was it just me, or did Dash look super hot when she--

WHAM!!

Damn it! Why can't I just have a decent look at my fillyfriend while she was at her best angle! The timberwolf hit me broadside, knocking the wind from my lungs and the pan from my hooves. No! Not my beloved frying pan! In a desperate attempt, I tried to reach for it…

"Augh!"

…and was stopped by pain racking my side. "Chloe, don't move!" I looked up to see Dash standing over me, her switchblade shattered. "That's a pretty bad bruise. Just stay here and… don't… move…" Her voice trailed off when she saw the situation.

With only ten wolves down, a majority of the pack was up and able to fight. Able to kill. Able to feed… Oh dear sweet merciful graceful majestic magical baby Luna, I'm going to die. Dash couldn't possibly hold off twenty-odd timberwolves! With a broken sword, no less. I hope Tartarus is the 'wander aimlessly in a black field' kind of hell, in contrast to the 'burn for eternity in a fire'.

My last thought as I closed my eyes to wait for the end was of Aegis. His unbelievable cooking. His emerald eyes glinting in the sun when he watched Dash and I practice. The softness of his chest when I nuzzled him. His shield glinting off the sun when he beat the living oak out of the timberwolves…

…WAIT, WHAT?!?

The timberwolf that was midair, barreling for Dash and I, was bowled over by a maroon flash. Aegis tackled the wolf and rolled over it, his large form crushing the wooden canine. Whipping his shield around, he dispatched another with a 'clang' not unlike a frying pan. As another wolf pounced for him, the large stallion reared and crashed his heavy hooves down upon the wolf's head, collapsing the wooden skull.

However, I didn't have time to relish in the victory of finding our loved one, as Dash had to buck another wolf away from me. "Dash! Behind you!" I yelled as a wolf stalked behind the cyan mare and pounced. Before Dash could spin to counter, pearl hooves sent the canine flying.

"Stay close to your friend!" the leafy maned mare ordered Dash. I looked back over to Aegis, who was fending off a timberwolf with his shield. "Don't worry about him. He's taken worse." Glancing back at the mare, she gave a brief smile before kicking another wolf away.

"How much worse?" I asked when she disposed of another wolf with a whack from her forelegs.

The mare smirked and turned to face an advancing enemy. "For one thing, he took a fall of a cliff and hit his head hard enough to induce memory loss."

Dash froze at this, glancing at me in between opponents. "What?!" she said incredulously.

Still smiling, the mare stomped on a wooden head before continuing. "Yeah, and still managed to completely heal in the span of two days! True earth pony. I guess that's why I fell in love with him."

Oh no she bucking didn't just say that. "Hey Rain?" asked Dash as she stabbed the broken end of her switchblade into a wolf. "You may want your frying pan back when this is over." Her voice was filled with the same amount of rage I had.

"You have no bucking idea."

>><<>><<

"Well, Summer, I think we're bucked," Aegis said plainly. While the small team had downed most of the timberwolves, the fight soon when downhill. Mainly, Aegis' shield had been torn from his wrist and was backed into the Dash and Summer, who were protecting me by slowly becoming exhausted. The hit I took earlier broke a rib, immobilizing me and leaving me defenseless. Just bucking great.

"What gave you that clue?" Dash snapped sarcastically.

"Hey, guys?" I berated from my humble position on the ground. "Kinda in a situation right now. Keep together and stay focused." I had the weirdest reminiscent feeling from when the two of them would clash when I dated them.

My reverie drew their attention back to their tense surroundings. The wolves continued to circle us, baring their wooden fangs. They were becoming more cautious of us, already having killed or incapacitated most of their pack. But by Celestia, they were not going to give up on a meal this big.

A particularly large wolf had slunk out of the shadows. Instead of circling us, it stared with cold, calculating eyes. Suddenly, it tensed, dropping low. With a loud growl that would turn the bravest soul, the alpha leapt, clearing the distance between us in a single bound. His eyes stared straight at Rainbow Dash. It tensed again, ready to pounce on the pegasus and quicken the inevitable. Narrowing it's yellow eyes, it was ready to make the kill…

LEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOY JEEEEEENKIIIIINNNNSSS!!!

Abruptly, the alpha wolf was back where it started, cleaved entirely in half by a blue blur. "What the hay was--" I began, but was interrupted.

BOOM!

Green fire exploded across the clearing, setting three wolves ablaze. In the same manner, lavender bolts of lightning struck down three more. For the finale, tendrils of cobalt blue gripped the remaining timberwolves by the neck, twisting their heads with an audible 'snap!'.

The ground next to Aegis suddenly exploded in a cloud of dust. When the cloud settled, a blue pegasus stood with an enchanted switchblade drawn. "I always wanted to use that line!" Skyblaze proclaimed.

"So the fact that you only have a single kill doesn't bother you?" To our surprise, Princess Luna herself landed next to him.

"Oh it bothers him, alright." Shift and Twilight stepped out of the trees. "He just doesn't like to admit it," the Changeling said. Shift was in his usual unicorn disguise.

Dash and I were stunned at the appearance of our friends. "What the hay are you guys doing here?" I asked, incredulous.

"After we found out you were headed for the Everfree, we thought you could use some help finding Aegis," Sky said with a shrug. "I see your mission is a success. Sup, Aegis?"

Summer was looking between Aegis and the four new arrivals. "You're friends with these ponies?!" she asked.

Aegis put on an innocent look. "How the hay am I supposed to know!" he countered. "I lost my memory, if you haven't noticed."

The alicorns and Shift all put on a confused face. Sky simply shrugged. "I'd be surprised if he didn't," the blue pegasus admitted. "He did fall about one-hundred-fifty feet. Shift, Twilight? Do you have any spells for memory?"

While Shift shook his head, Twilight nodded rapidly. "I used a memory spell on the rest of the Elements when Discord took over, so this shouldn't be any different," she said confidently. "But it works best when the recipient is unconscious. And I'm going to be restoring his entire memory, so--"

CLANG!

"Rain!" Sky yelled as Aegis slumped to the ground. "What the schist was that for?!"

I placed the frying pan over my shoulder. "You heard Twilight. Unconscious is best."

"I could have cast a sleep spell on him…" stated Luna.

I just shrugged and grinned while Dash continued to laugh her flanks off. "He had it coming to him," I insisted with a glare to Summer Blossom.

Author's Notes:

MB: Hey, when will Sky be back with the Mountain dew?

Luna: Right about-- *CRASH* --now…

Skyblaze: *from hole in wall* Hey guys…

Luna & MB: Hey, Sky.

Extra: Lyra's Song Part 2

Lyra's POV

Seth had taken Derpy, Ben, Dinky, and the Doctor into another warehouse. Personally, I was glad to be away from the awkward situation of the small grey filly's parenthood. While it was greatly disturbing that Derpy had taken the now-human Doctor for a partner, he had said he was a pony in appearance, so I guess that reduced the level of… controversy.

So that left Cereal Velocity and I sitting at a card table in the main warehouse. The entire setup was amazing in itself, even more so that it had been built without magic. Humans and their wonderful hands…

"So, Lyra," said Cereal, breaking me out of my reverie. "What would you like to know about humans?"

"Everything!" I exclaimed excitedly. This is what I've spent my life beyond music studying. Finally, I was going to learn about the humans and how amazing they are. From an actual human, no less!

Cereal chuckled at my enthusiasm. "Anything specific?"

I put a hoof to my chin in thought. "Okay, um… how many humans are there in existence?"

"About seven billion, if my knowledge is correct."

Seven billion?! Whoa, that's more than fifteen times the number of ponies on Terra! "How does your planet support them all?!"

The human's expression darkened. "It doesn't."

"Then how--"

"The Earth has been overpopulated for some time now. Our natural resources are running low and the world is slowly degrading from pollution and poverty. Not to mention all the war and political upsets. And don't get me started on the god damn economy!"

I was stunned. This world full of these perfect creatures was dying. It was a huge contrast to the world I studied, full of peace and white-columned temples. "But… the world that I had researched had a peaceful land of marble cities with triangular buildings, and a variety of tools and musical instruments. Like my lyre."

Shaking his head, Cereal gave a sad chuckle. "That sounds a lot like Greece," he said, lifting my hopes slightly. "ANCIENT Greece." In my head, a small whistling sound decreased in pitch, ending in a dramatic explosion.

The overall mood had gone from enthusiastic to dreary, so I decided to change the topic. "How long does the average human live?"

"An average of seventy-two years, counting natural and unnatural deaths."

"Interesting, ponies live for longer than that, regardless of unnatural death. Almost a hundred years. The oldest pony in Ponyville is probably Granny Smith, and she just celebrated her ninetieth birthday." He nodded his understanding and motioned to continue. "Of all the places you could go, why Equestria?"

I grew confused when he smiled and shook his head in amusement. "I trust Ben gave you the run-down of the bronies?" I nodded, thinking back to Ben's speech about the group of humans. "We are one of the most peaceful organizations on the planet, as we take after the prosperity and ideology of Equestria. Your world is the example we live by. If anything, my response would be this; why not Equestria?"

"That's another thing I wanted to know," I said. "How do you know about our world?"

Cereal scratched his head, looking unsure. "It's complicated. We humans have a device that allows us to peer into other realities for our entertainment. One happens to be Equestria, and more specifically, Ponyville. Although the actual viewing of Equestria is centered around the Mane Six, the Elements of Harmony if you will."

I raised my eyebrows at this. "Was I part of this… viewing during any point?"

"As of right now, the only speaking parts you ever had were in Canterlot, when you were a bridesmaid to the imposter Cadence. Other than that, you are in the background a lot. We refer to ponies like you as 'background ponies', like Colgate or Bon Bon. An especially popular background pony was Derpy."

Wow, I suddenly felt insignificant. "Could I possibly… see one of these viewings?"

"Oh, sure. One sec…" Cereal dug around in his pocket and pulled out a black rectangle. He began to poke the rectangle in various places before turning it around to face me. On the other side, it had word 'Netflix' on it. Suddenly, the surface went dark. What new and amazing technology was this?

Abruptly, the image changed again, fading into a familiar scene. In it, Rainbow Dash was flying behind Fluttershy.

"Now, what have we learned?"

"Loss of control."

"Good."

"Screaming and hollering."

"Yes, and most importantly?"

"Passion."

The viewing continued for a good twenty minutes. I watched in awe as the events that I had been told about unfold before my very eyes. I saw Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom! How she saved Rarity and the Wonderbolts and won the competition! And it was all on this tiny black rectangle!

"What is this…?" I whispered rhetorically.

"This is reason the bronies ever existed," said Cereal with a smile. "This is 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."

Taking the device in my hooves, I looked at the many different 'episodes'. I could recognize a few by name, like Winter Wrap-Up or Hearts and Hooves Day. 'Dragonshy' I assumed had something to do with the dragon that had almost covered Equestria in smog for a century. Luckily, Fluttershy frightened it off… somehow. I used the tip of my hoof to scroll down through season two and finally reached season three. There were only eight episodes in the third season.

"Why are Bon Bon, myself, Carrot Top, and others so… lacking?" I asked Cereal.

"The main character of the series is Twilight Sparkle. She and her friends are the perfect examples of love, tolerance, and friendship. On top of that, they're the Elements of Harmony."

I blinked in understanding. Twilight Sparkle had been tasked by Princess Celestia to study the magic of friendship in Ponyville. However, nopony in Ponyville ever thought of her as anything more than the local librarian and neighbor. Much less the protégé of the Princess and the Element of Magic.

"Now, I'm sorry to say that this visit is almost at it's end," said Cereal sadly. "If you'll follow me, please."

We got up from our seats and walked back over to the portal. Cereal had said the design was improved from the initial portal, making it safer than it was at first. I wonder why they had to make it safer?

Soon enough the door to the other hanger opened. First came Ben along with Derpy, Dinky asleep in Ben's arms. The Doctor was next, holding a tissue to his nose for some re-- oh god, is his nose bleeding? Sethisto came out last, carrying a box of green bottles.

"Hey Cereal? Can we send packages through the portal?" Seth asked. "Skyblaze has made a ton of requests for Mountain Dew, so I'm gonna send him a month's supply, if that's okay."

I peered at the strange bottles in the box. "What's 'Mountain Dew'? Is it actually few from the mountains?"

Cereal chuckled. "No, it's a soda. It's what makes us able to run Equestria Daily around the clock."

"Equestria Daily is run by HUMANS?!?" I exclaimed. EqD was the bestselling newspaper in Canterlot Valley. Bon Bon loved to read it every morning with her coffee.

"Wait, are you saying that there is an Equestria Daily newspaper in Equestria?" asked Seth. I nodded. He then did a fist-pump and turned to Cereal. "Dude, we're canon!" The two bronies shared an excited high-five. I decidedly concluded that humans are strange creatures.

Derpy took the box of Mountain Dew from Seth and stepped onto the portal. Ben followed her, the grey pegasus hovering and wrapping her hooves around Ben's neck when he came to a stop at her side. "Thanks, Benny…"

"It was my pleasure, Derpy," he replied.

"Your pleasure, my pain…" complained the Doctor, rubbing his swollen nose.

Cereal took my hoof and led me to the top of the portal. "Time for you to go home, Lyra," he said. "Oh, before you go, how are you and Bon Bon?"

"We've been dating for about a week now."

He patted my side and smiled. "Now that you've met us humans, try to get along with her. If you want to know anything, just write to us or Ben using this." Cereal reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with a crystal pendant. "Ambassador Lyra Heartstrings of Equestria, welcome to Brony Recon." He made a swift retreat as Seth threw the lever.

The next thing I knew, we were all staring into the eyes of an extremely surprised creme earth pony, making her drop the teacup she was holding.

Song of Legends Part 5: I'm Going Home

Aegis' POV

Oh man… this is the third time this week I woke up with a splitting headache. But for some odd reason, the source of my pain was from a specific part of my forehead. When I put my hoof on my head, I discovered a painful bump, as of somepony hit me with a…

Oh.

"Well, well, well… the lost hero returns to the waking world."

"Summer…?" I mumbled, thinking I was still in the cottage, and the fight with the wolves was all a crazy dream. Heh… Princess Luna herself coming to save us… ridiculous.

"You wish, lover boy," said a voice with an all-too-familiar voice crack.

Wait, FAMILIAR voice crack? Why was it… oh holy Celestia. My memories… I remember Earth, the bronies, becoming a pony and going to Equestria, my friends Sky and Ben and Rainchaser…

Rainchaser…

Oh buck me.

"Hey, Dash, you think I should whack him again?"

I heard the sound of metal scraping off the table and shot up in fear of being knocked unconscious by the decidedly dangerous kitchen utensil. "I'm up! I'm up!" The strangest sight greeted my eyes. Standing in the middle of the single-room cabin was Rainchaser, Rainbow Dash, and Skyblaze. Luna, Twilight, and Shift were sitting around the table.

"Uh… how does one ask an amnesic if their memory has been restored?" Skyblaze asked rhetorically.

I rubbed my sore forehead with a hoof. "You pretty much got it down, Sky," I said. Abruptly, Rain tackled me, making me grunt as she pulled me into an embrace, and kissed my face multiple times. I ended her assault of affection by planting my lips solidly on hers. "Leave some for Dash, Chloe."

"Ugh, after that display?" Dash said in a disgusted tone. "I'll wait till we get home."

I looked around the room. Somepony was missing… "Where's Summer?"

Chloe rolled her eyes at me and glared. "Your earth pony fillyfriend is outside chopping wood or some hay. And before you ask, yes, she knows about you, Dash, and me."

"I need to talk to her," I said dejectedly, rising to my hooves. The rest of the ponies in the room aside from Dash had moved away and pretended not to notice the situation.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. What for, big guy?"

"Chloe, we spent the entire week thinking we had something neither of us would have with another pony. As much as it's awkward to admit, we… loved each other." There was a few moments of silence from the grey pegasus.

"If you're talking to her, I'm coming with you. As insurance." I felt hurt at her lack of trust. It's not like I'm gonna kiss her… right?

Trotting out of the cottage, I moved around to the back with Chloe behind me with a begrudging face. When I came into view of the lumberyard, there was a 'shunk!' as the axe came down, splitting the log on the cutting block. With a skillful whip of her moderately long tail, another log was swept from the pile onto the block.

"You're awake," Summer said plainly. She was facing away from us, avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah, I am." Why is this so bucking awkward?! I never had trouble talking to her before. Maybe the fact that Chloe was standing right behind me. Or probably the emotional stress on the pearl mare. Even though Chloe was there, I felt… alone.

Then I heard it. Barely audible in reality, but prominent in the quiet of the forest. A sob. A dry sob. One somepony would make when there were no more tears left to cry. With a mighty swing, another log was ended by the made as she broke down into dry heaves. It was truly depressing to see somepony as strong as Summer lose her composure. I even thought I heard a sniffle from Chloe.

Slowly, she turned to meet my gaze. Her blue eyes were tinged red from crying. She was giving me that look. The one that made me just want to cuddle her. I looked away from her to avoid the temptation.

"Summer, don't make this any harder than it has to be."

She sighed and placed another log for cutting. "I know…" she sniffed as the wood split. "It's just… when I finally have somepony to take away the loneliness, you have to go away…"

Chloe, I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I walked up to her and pulled her sobbing form close, causing a growl from my pegasus fillyfriend. Glaring at the pink-maned mare to silence her, I turned back to the pony wrapped in my forelegs. Summer had closed her eyes and was nuzzling my chest.

"Summer, I know what happened between us was something real, but with Rain, Dash, and I had a bond that couldn't be replaced. Especially since I have my memory back." I kissed her lightly on the head.

"You're pushing it, Nick," grumbled Chloe.

I continued despite the warning. "But that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. You could come with us."

"Excuse me?!"

"Chloe, this would be easier without you interrupting me." She muttered to herself irritatedly but complied. "There's another guest room at the orchard, or Derpy's house since she spends most of her time in Canterlot with Ben, anyway."

Summer blinked away ghost tears. "Are you sure your fillyfriend is going to like that?"

"Oh I can agree with it… if Aegis would take his hooves off a certain pearly mare in the next two seconds." With the threat of beat down by frying pan imminent, I detached myself from Summer. Chloe chuckled at my immediate haste. "If you're coming with us, start packing. We leave in an hour."

I raised my eyebrows at this. "Why so soon?" asked Summer.

"Dash and I have weather duty, and Aegis has some work to catch up on in the orchard," Chloe replied, turning to me. "Caramel's been working overtime to make up for your absence, so you also owe Storm an apology."

I gave her a smile. She glared, but smiled back. I put a hoof on Summer's shoulder and led her to the cottage. "I suppose I'm cleared?" I asked Chloe as she joined us.

"Oh, hay no," she replied. "When we get home, you can clear up with Mrs. Frying Pan."

Oh, buck.

>><<>><<

A FEW DAYS LATER

>><<>><<

Skyblaze's POV

The night was clear. Perfect for flying. The cool breeze flowed through mane and tail, ruffling my coat. Angling my wings slightly upward, I let the refreshing wind keep me aloft, hovering above the clouds. As I did, the wind blew through my feathers, providing a soothing cool to my wings.

I hummed a tune to myself. The air in front of me glowed golden in response. With a simmering light, a gilded cloud appeared for my midair rest. It was a Tune I've been working on for a while, as the notes had to be exact. A Tune was different from a Song because a Song required vocalization in the Archaic Tongue, while a Tune was directed by a series of precise notes and used less energy than a Song. Even so, I still felt light-headed after the cloud had taken shape.

Flopping down on the cloud, I reclined myself, putting my hooves behind my head. A nap would do me good until Luna was finished with that wedding business she was doing. It was a week until Hearth's Warming, the day Luna and I get married. It was only four days after we come back from Earth, so we had to get the whole wedding organized within that timeframe.

When I had told Luna about the three day retreat for us bronies, she immediately invoked her royal position to join me on the trip to Earth tomorrow. I guess it would be a good opportunity to tell my parents I'm getting married in another dimension to a character from a cartoon. On top of that, I'm a pony. That might be good to mention.

"Dozing off again, Sky?"

"Just waiting patiently for you, beautiful."

Luna joined me, laying down on her back next to me. "You are advancing quite fast with your bardic studies," she remarked, shifting in the cloudstuff. "This cloud is extremely comfortable."

"Ah, so you like the feel of my magic?" I said slyly.

Luna glared at me. "Was that supposed to be dirty?"

"Depends which context you take it in." Thank you senseless lawyer-like classroom environment known as high school forensics.

Luna promptly kissed my cheek and wrapped her hooves around me, her mouth moving from the side of my face to my lips. She stopped and met my gaze with her beautiful teal eyes. "Does this answer your statement?"

"You're sexy with the moon behind you."

She smirked at my remark. "So I'm not any other time?"

"Oh hay yes, you are," I rebuked. "But the moonlight brings it out. You kinda hide it with your regality."

She raised an eyebrow. "My… regality?"

"Yeah. I guess probably it comes with being an immortal princess-goddess of the night and all that jazz."

"So what you're saying is that being a Princess is a turn-off?"

"Not when I can look past that and see the beautiful mare I fell in love with." I cupped her face with a hoof and kissed her deep. I am such a sweet-talker. We broke away and stared into each other's eyes. When my ADHD decided I needed to move, I sat up on the cloud and looked out over Canterlot Valley into the Everfree Forest. "C'mon," I said to Luna, "I want to show you something."

We took to the air, the golden cloud disappearing beneath us. The landscape passed quickly by below us. Wind ruffled our… er, my …mane, as Luna's was ethereal and unchanging. As we neared the destination, I tucked my wings for a free-fall descent. Being skilled in the way of aviation and read a few books written by past Wonderbolts and stunt-pegasi, I was qualified for many different kinds of aerobatics. Including pulling out of a terminal velocity drop at the very last moment. In my usually cluttered mind, I calculated my rate of descent, made adjustments for crosswind and air pressure, formed an estimation… then flared my wings at the golden moment.

PIFF!

A plume of dirt flew up into the air as my hooves hit the ground, jarring my legs and throwing me forward about ten feet. Note to self; increase flare altitude by five meters approximate. Postscript; landing on your face hurts at terminal velocity.

"Aw… did somepony fall down and go 'boom'?" Luna chided as she landed with grace beside me.

"The fall was intentional. The 'boom'… not so much."

"I would recommend reducing your flare altitude by five--"

"Duly noted." I picked myself up from the dirt and shook myself like a dog. I looked around the small grove of trees we landed in. The trees were pure white and had leaves despite the cold weather. Even the canopy was pale. "We're here."

Luna glanced around at the albino woods. "A ghostwood? Rather creepy, don't you think?"

"That's what I thought too," I replied. "But check this out." I cleared my throat and inhaled. Calming my mind, I released the breath in the first five notes of the My Little Pony theme.

Luna watched in amazement as, with every note, the trees flashed a different colored light. The spectrum ranged through every color of the rainbow, each tree flashing a different color for each note. In a spectacular display, the ghostwood turned from mildly morbid to lively and colorful.

"Sky… how did you find this?" Luna asked, her eyes wide.

"I was going for a night flight while you had Night Court and I saw this place, so I landed here for a nap," I explained. "But I couldn't sleep, so I whistled a tune and to my surprise, the grove lit up in all da colors o' da rainbow!"

I found a small incline in the clearing and lay on my back, motioning for Luna to do the same. "That was beautiful…" she said as she settled down next to me.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," I replied. I calmed myself again, letting the Archaic Tongue flow to my mind. Exhaling, I sung in the ancient language. It was a slow, smooth song. Instead of flashing, the trees' colors simply shifted through their hues, the entire grove lighting up in a continuous myriad of color. Luna and I bathed in the lights of the trees. Within the song, I input a small line that allowed the melody to continue without me actually singing.

"Which Song is that?" Luna asked in wonder.

"It's not a Song. Just a short love melody in Archaic. But the trees like it a lot."

As I listened to my own voice repeat the song, Luna rolled toward me and embraced me with her forelegs. I returned the gesture, wrapping myself around her neck. Being smaller than her, I was the one cuddling up against her chest. Sure, it was a rule sixty-three thing for the guy to be the one in the girl's arms, but I didn't care. As long as I was with Luna. The love of my life and my soon-to-be wife. Burying myself deeper in her coat, I pressed up against my fiancé and sighed. She tightened her grip around me to reinforce the movement.

"Sky, honey?"

"Yes, Lulu?"

"What is that song about?"

I nuzzled her before continuing. "It's about a stallion from a far off land who journeyed to the city of his dreams. But then a loose stone in the wall caused a section to crash down on him when he arrived. He was saved by the lady of the castle in the city. They fell in love the moment their eyes met."

Luna wrapped her neck around my head and giggled slightly. "That sounds like a very familiar story. I wonder who wrote it."

I allowed myself a sly smile as I kissed her chest. "He's laying in your arms right now." Eventually, the shifting rainbow of colors induced a peaceful sleep, with dreams of our future in our heads.

Many of them had a small foal between us.

Author's Notes:

MB: Cruddy plot-line emotional part, beautiful sideline emotional part. I am not sure if that's sad or just… I don't know…

Skyblaze: Commendable?

Luna: Misplaced priorities?

MB: I was going to say favoritism for my own OC, but those work too.

Song of Return Part 1: Homecoming

Shift's POV

"Okay, is everypony ready for their last days on Earth as we know it?" Rainchaser said excitedly.

"You sound like the guy that stands on the corner down the street from my house, proclaiming the end of days," I stated with a chuckle. "But yeah, I'm ready."

"I think we're all ready at this point. We just need Ben and his crystal-necklace-thingy," said Storm cheerily. I swear to Celestia her emotions were out of whack a few minutes ago. She was near tears at the thought of leaving Caramel when she came into Derpy's house, but now she radiated excitement.

Skyblaze sat down on the couch, Luna kissing his forehead from beside him. "I hope he gets here soon," the blue pegasus complained. "I hate waiting."

"We know, Sky…" came the droning reply of the congregation.

Just then, the door swung open to reveal Ben with a grey pegasus draped over hhis back. "Sorry I'm late, everypony," he apologized. "Derpy had a regrettable incident with a rather dangerously placed rowan tree. Jammed her foreleg pretty bad."

Derpy lifted her hoof, which was wrapped in a cast. Her face turned red with embarrassment. "Heh… my bad…" she half-mumbled, making us all 'd'aww' at her flustered face. Derpy is so cute.

"Hey, it's alright, Derpy," said Aegis in a comforting tone. "Ben, you go put her in bed. We'll be waiting." Sky groaned audibly, enticing a glare from Luna, Rainchaser, Aegis, and I.

"In any case, I am grateful your leader is allowing me to accompany you to your home planet," Luna said after a moment. "It will be a great milestone in Equestrian-Human relations."

"We're honored to have you visit our world, Princess," replied Aegis humbly.

Abruptly, the door swung open again. Much to everypony's surprise, Lyra and Bon Bon rushed into the room. "Sorry we're late everybody," Lyra said. "We had some errands to run beforehand." The mint green unicorn looked around the room at the surprised faces. Pausing when she saw Luna. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, bowing low. "Your majesty, why are you here?!"

"Rise, Ms. Heartstrings," ordered Luna gently. Lyra complied, sitting on the empty armchair in her human-like style. "If you must know, I am accompanying my fiancé to his home world, to receive the blessings of his parents."

"Whoa, wait," interjected Bon Bon. "Are you saying that one of these creatures is going to become a Prince?"

"Creature?! Why, I have never been more insulted my entire life!" scoffed Skyblaze. "Oh, by the way I am already helping with affairs of the state, so I would appreciate it of you wouldn't use such derogatory terms."

Storm raised her hoof in the air like a school-filly. "Yes, Storm?" I humored her.

"Why are Lyra and Bon Bon here?" she asked, as if she were Applebloom inquiring Cheerilee about a math question.

Ben appeared from the upper floor with Dinky on his back as the question was voiced. "It turns out that there is an official Equestrian Extraterrestrial Embassy," He answered. "Ambassador Heartstrings is in the position as of now. As for why Bon Bon is here…" Ben looked to the creme earth pony for an explanation.

The confectionist sighed. She was leaking exasperation at this point. "I thought I may as well see this world Lyra is obsessed with, and maybe go on a date or two while we're there." Her expression brightened, and so did her emotions. "I guess this is a reward for her. She hasn't obsessed over humans since she first went to the other world. It's given her more time for her lyre… and me." Lyra smiled at this and planted a kiss on Bon Bon's cheek in response.

"Ugh…" groaned Sky, killing the mood. His impatience was inundating the room. "Can we please get going before I die of prolonged exposure to sitting idle?"

Ben nodded, placing the crystal necklace in the center of the room. Tapping the quartz three times, he backed off and watched it. The crystal began to radiate a bright light, getting brighter… and brighter…

>><<>><<

I expected deponyfication to hurt more. I woke up with a pained head and fuzzy vision. Like I just ingested a bunch of angst. Trust me, angst will do things to your head that you don't even want to know. It's like a drug for Changelings. Blinking away the fog, I saw my leather jacket covering my hand. Everyone said it was one size too big. Instinctively, I tried to stand up bipedally…

…then immediately fell backwards onto my carapace. Wait… carapace? I looked back at my arm. Only, it wasn't an arm. It was a foreleg. A black foreleg. Not only had the portal NOT deponyfy me, it completely stripped my disguise.

I looked around the platform. Nick, Chloe, and Ben were all sleepily trying to rise to their feet with the help of Cereal and Seth. Dinky was already up and alert. On the other side, Luna was shaking off the transdimensional is sickness while Skyblaze helped her to her-- wait a minute…

"Markus? You're still a pony!" I exclaimed.

"Tell me something I don't know," he retorted. "You're still a Changeling, by the way."

"Noted. Hey, Cereal?" I asked my superior. The human glanced over from helping Lyra with Bon Bon. "We have a situation here."

"I've noticed, yeah," he said plainly. "The only explanation I can give is that to be deponyfied, you need to be an actual pony… no offense."

"None taken, don't worry. But what about Skyblaze?"

Seth stepped in from helping the three deponyfied bronies. "Um, remember how his ponyfication went… um…"

"It bucking hurt!" exclaimed Sky.

"Yeah. We can't exactly risk any complications with deponyfication regarding how catastrophic that was. Sorry about that, Markus."

Sky grumbled something, only calming when Luna kissed his head. The moon goddess then made her way over to Cereal. "Greetings, you must be the one called Cereal Velocity."

The brony made a bow and shook the proffered hoof. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, your majesty," he said eloquently. "I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused your fiancé."

"He'll get over it," she replied, looking at Sky, who was helping Storm down the ramp… Oh sweet Celestia, Storm!

I rushed over to the pregnant mare and sidled next to her, opposite of Sky. "How are you holding up, sis?" I asked. While we weren't actual siblings, Storm and I were as close as friends could be. That and the fact that my usual disguise was modeled after her form.

"I could be better. I'm more disoriented than anything," she answered. "Thanks, bro. Join the 'stuck as a pony' club."

"Changeling, technically." I emphasized this by changing into Caramel, feeding off her love.

She sighed and looked forward. "Don't patronize me."

"I'm not. I was just really hungry," I replied. Somehow, transdimensional travel caused me to become extremely starved. As Storm's love for Caramel flowed into me, I felt my power increase to acceptable levels. Not nearly as powerful or sweet as Twilight's love, but enough to stockpile and keep me fed for the three days I was here. Of course, the only magic I would be capable of performing in that time would be intermediate levitation and equal spells, but at least I wouldn't starve.

"Why is Storm's coltfriend here?" Bon Bon's question snapped me out of my thoughts. Her and Lyra had been talking in the middle of the warehouse. It seemed Bon Bon had snapped out of her original surprise at the humans.

"Oh, sorry…" I said, reverting to my unicorn disguise, much to the shock of the two mares. "What?"

"How did… you just…?" stammered Lyra.

"Changeling," the three of us said. I shed my disguise, laughing at their faces. Absolutely priceless. I made a mental note to share the memory with my partner-in-crime Spike.

With a whistle, Cereal called the bronies to attention. Skyblaze, Storm, and I lined up horizontally with the human bronies, giving a salute. "At ease," said Cereal. "Now, you all have three nights with your families. No more. Chloe, Nick, your flights are booked at the St. Louis airport, so take the shuttle there. Remember that you will change back into ponies at sunset on the last full day. Storm, Ben will be shadowing you for the duration of your retreat. Skyblaze, Shift… you're on your own. Sorry."

>><<>><<

Skyblaze's POV

"I'm sorry about your… predicament, my love."

"Don't be," I said with a smile. "As far as I'm concerned, I get to keep my wings!"

Luna and I, unable to travel via public transport for obvious reasons, had to fly all the way to Wisconsin from St. Louis. Not that it was a bad thing, 'cause Luna was right there with me. Also, what pegasus doesn't like to fly? As if to emphasize my own thoughts, I did an aileron roll, angling my wings inverted to cause the horizon to spin.

"Woo Hoo!"

"Having fun?" asked Luna with a smirk.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm flying!" I exclaimed, my mind in total aerial ecstasy.

Luna giggled at my excitement. "Could you cease your recreational aerobatics so we can talk about what we do about your family?"

"Fine…" I grumbled, irritated that she had to spoil my fun. "I was just going trot up, declare that I am a pony and proud of it, and watch their faces. It'll be priceless!"

"Sky, be serious."

"I was being serious," I said. "In any case, what other options do we have, Lulu? I know it may be a little shocking to come out of the blue that I was spending the last two-and-a-half months in an another dimension as an alien creature and- here's the best part -fell in love and am now engaged to one of said alien creatures. Yet, I think that's our only…" I stopped for a minute to consider what I had just said. "You know what? Let's come up with a plan."

"Why didn't I think of that?" said Luna sarcastically.

>><<>><<

"So let me recap. After an hour of deciduous brainstorming, and a complex elimination process, the only thing we could come up with is just flat out tell them?!" I exclaimed, facehoofing. "Buck my life."

"Considering our options, you may have been on to something with your original plan. At least if they do freak out we can get some entertainment out of it," Luna replied dejectedly. "It is unfortunate that transfiguration to another intelligent being can only be done on oneself."

I shifted around to adjust the saddlebags on my back. "Hey, Lulu? Could you grab a Dew out of my bag for me, dearest? I can't exactly levitate anything yet."

Luna rolled her eyes as her horn glowed a midnight blue aura. "Honestly, I can't wait for our wedding. You'll become less dependent on me for magical needs."

"Not my fault I'm a pegasus," I grumbled, accepting the green bottle that hovered in front of my face. With my mouth, I unscrewed the cap and spat it into the open air. Gripping the bottle between my hooves, I guzzled the sugary citrus drink down. "Ah… that's the stuff…"

>><<>><<

"Well, I can honestly say I didn't think I would ever come back to this place again," I said as Luna and I landed on our driveway. "It's a shame I'm not human. We could have taken a drive in my car."

"We can regret your lack of humanity later, Sky," Luna said. "Just knock on the door and let's get this over with."

I gulped. There was no telling what my parents would do to me. My little brother I could deal with, and rub it in his parasprite face. Mom would probably freak out or deny it. Dad… well, I hoped he wasn't home to reprimand me for lying to them all for more than two months. After all, I was supposed to be traveling with other students on a grant from some obscene university. Shaking any doubt from my head, I knocked on the door.

After five minutes of continuous knocking, no one had answered. "Why wouldn't they be home?" I wondered to myself.

"Sky, there's a note right above your head," said Luna, pointing with a hoof. Looking up, I saw a post-it two feet above my head. Had I been human, I would have seen it. But as of now, my eye-level sat at a little less than three feet.

"Right…" I reared to my hind legs, placing my front hooves on the door for support, and read the note aloud. "'Gone to Door County for the extended weekend, will be back by the twenty-first'. Great. That means we just missed them," I grumbled. "On the bright side, we get to go to one of Wisconsin's most beautiful places. I think you'll love it there."

"No doubt I will, if you insist," she replied elegantly. She leaned forward and we kissed in the driveway of my previous home. "Now, let's leave before someone sees us."

"Oh, I'm sure there's nobody--" I glanced behind Luna and paled. A familiar human with two dogs on leashes was staring at us, his jaw on the pavement. "Uh, hey Steve. How's it going?"

"I… uh… I've been better," my former neighbor responded, the leash shaking in his hand. His face was now pale and sweating. "How… er… how are you, sir?"

"Just flew in from St. Louis, and boy, are my wings tired!" I joked, earning a scuff to the back of the head from my fiancé. "Ow! That hurts!"

"Stop messing with the locals and focus, Sky. We need to find your family," she reprimanded. Then she turned to the frightened human. "Pardon my betrothed. He can be a little… insensitive, sometimes."

"Uh… no problem," he gulped. He looked more like a ghost every moment he stared at us. "You know what, I think I'm going to faint now… check please." With that, the human dropped to the ground, releasing the leashes. The small dogs began to wander around the yard, relishing their freedom.

>><<>><<

Nick's POV

Chloe and I sat at the gate benches. We were slightly confused, as our flight to Philadelphia, then New York, was not even at the terminal yet, despite it being five minutes to departure. Another strange thing was there were no other people at the gate for our flight.

"Are you sure we have the right terminal?" asked Chloe, checking her ticket. "I swear to Celestia, if this plane doesn't get here by departure time, I'm going back to the warehouse, demanding to be turned back into a pony, then flying to Philly myself!" She stole a look at me. "Are you even listening?"

I looked up from my game as I missed the last pig in the puzzle. Stupid stone piece. "Huh?" I had heard Chloe's dialogue, but didn't catch most of it. "Oh, sorry… uh… yeah. Whatever you said."

She groaned and slumped in her seat, facepalming. "Why do I put up with you?"

"No idea. But if it makes you feel any better…" I reached over and gripped her shoulder, pulling her close and kissing her in the middle of the gate. Not that there was anyone around to see us. It felt weird kissing her with human lips, the shape completely different from a pony's. When we finally broke away, I stared into her magenta eyes… wait a minute… "Chloe, your eyes are still pink."

"Yours are still emerald," she countered. Curious, I turned on the face-cam on my Android. Sure enough, instead of my formerly hazel eyes, they were a deep forestry emerald. I still had pony eyes. "I guess that's one thing that we keep through deponyfication."

"Yeah, I had a bit of trouble working that out," said a voice in front of us. I turned to see a man in a darker blue suit wearing a kind of jacket. He spoke with an English accent. "Hi, I'm the Doctor. I'm here to bring you both home!" He said, pointing to a blue police call box that wasn't there a few moments ago.

Chloe chuckled. "Cereal, you sly son of a mule," she muttered to the ceiling.

Song of Return Part 2: Unforeseen Circumstances

Chloe's POV

"Gah!" I yelled as the time-ship lurched again. I understood the whole 'hurtling through time and space' thing, but couldn't the Time Lords make something less shaky? "The TARDIS is a lot more bumpy than it appears on the show!"

"I know!" replied the Doctor over the noise of the vessel shuddering. "Your friend Seth said the same thing! Yet I have to agree they sweeten the tremors a bit on the show. Great series, by the way! Very accurate!"

"Hey guys? I don't want to rain on your little Doctor Who fan moment, but we're kinda in the middle of a crisis!" shouted Nick from the other side of the room. "Doctor, how much longer?!"

"Just a few more--" The Doctor's estimation was cut off by the TARDIS jolting to a stop. Without bothering to stand up from tripping, he continued. "--nanoseconds."

"Very astute calculation, Doctor," I grumbled. "Nick! You okay?!"

"Yeah! Although I appear to be buried under a bunch of metal and half of the Doctor's wardrobe," came the call from another room in the ship.

"Oh thank Celestia…" I groaned, moving into the the wardrobe room of the TARDIS that the Doctor uses to change his appearance in after every regeneration. Indeed, there was a random pile of clothing and metal in the center of the room. The sound of grunting told me Nick was still trying to get out. Despite the large amount of weight on his body, the pile still shifted with every heave.

The Doctor and I scrambled over the pile, removing articles of clothing. I had to notice some of the clothes were a bit weird, like a four-armed sweater with a heart on it. After a few dozen coats, jackets, and pants, it was just metal between me and Nick.

"Oh buck…" I heard the murmur from the pile of metal. I was trying to remove a large metal pipe that was extended vertically from the heap.

"Nick, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly. "How close are we?"

"Chloe, could you pull that pipe out? I don't think I'm as fine as I thought I was…"

I tried to oblige, but the pole was barely budging at my attempts. It was really stuck in there. "Doctor, give me a hand with this!" I ordered. The Time Lord tossed away the sheet of metal he was holding and gripped the pipe. Together, we heaved upward, and the length of metal inched out, slowly at first, then at an increased rate. With one last heave, the end came free…

…covered in a dark red liquid. We stared at the bloodied pole before panicking and doubled our efforts. "Nick, we're gonna get you outta there!" shouted the Doctor. "Hang in there!"

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh," I said in a panic. "Oh please be okay please dear Luna let him be okay." Tears were fogging my vision. I was hoping to whatever forces that drive Terra and Earth that he was okay. That it was all just fine. That I wouldn't lose him again…

"Ngh!" the Doctor grunted, throwing one last sheet of metal off the trapped brony. What we saw horrified us. Nick was laying down, the lower part of his legs buried still. He was breathing heavily, as if tired. With both hands, he clutched at his midsection, which was oozing blood. The pipe had pierced him all the way through, from his front to his back.

Nick looked down at the wound and grimaced. "This is gonna ruin my whole day…"

"Nick, don't move," ordered the Doctor. "Chloe, support his other side. We need to get him out of the TARDIS."

I did as I was told, tears still stinging my eyes. "Where are we?" I asked the Doctor.

The Time Lord didn't answer directly, kicking open the door to the time machine. We carried Nick out the doors into a medium sized bedroom. It took me a few moments to realize we were in New York. In Nick's house.

"Set him down carefully on the bed," instructed the Doctor. We cautiously placed Nick on the blankets, taking care not to hurt him further. The bleeding hadn't stopped and Nick's breathing was becoming ragged. He was losing blood fast. In a last-ditch effort, I took my two spare bandanas out of my jacket pocket and applied pressure to his wound. But I couldn't cover the wound on his back.

While I stressed over his wound, the Doctor searched the house for a first-aid kit. A touch on my arm alerted me to Nick's calling. "Chloe, if I don't make it--"

"Shut up."

"…tell Dash--"

"Nick, shut the buck up. You are not going to die," I stated firmly. "I can't do that again. I don't think Dash could handle losing you again." I tried to reach my hand under Nick to stem the bleeding from the exit wound.

Sudden footsteps sounded in the hall. More than one set. The Doctor quickly appeared in the doorway, holding a first-aid kit, followed by a middle-aged woman. The woman gasped when she saw Nick. "Chloe, take this," said the Doctor, handing me the kit. "I need to find some water."

I opened the kit and took out the gauze, working the cloth around Nick's midsection. As I worked, I looked up at the woman. "You must be Nick's mother," I greeted. "I would say its nice to meet you, but given the circumstances…"

>><<>><<

Ben's POV

For a van, it was actually pretty comfy, and provided perfect cushions for Dinky to fall asleep on, which she did. Probably for the best, as we were carrying precious cargo. Storm was on edge, as per the expected. I couldn't put a meter on the situation. It was already awkward that Storm was a pony in the first place, but even more disconcerting was she was also a mare, in contrast to her male human counterpart. On top of that, she was engaged AND pregnant.

All these thoughts ran through my mind as the Equestria Daily van rolled down the road to Storm's house. It was a few mile drive through St. Louis, literally just down the road from Exodus Equestria Headquarters. We could have walked there, but given the sight of a human walking down the road next to a small purple unicorn and an even smaller grey unicorn, it was pretty much impossible to do so without compromising Exodus Equestria. So now, we were stuck in the mid afternoon traffic, extending the minute-long trip to ten minutes

"You alright, Storm?" I asked as I saw her form shiver on the opposite seat.

"I'm fine, Ben. Or at least, as fine as I am for being in possibly the most awkward position in the world," she said, pawing the seat. "It's just that… I'm okay with what happened to me. The thought of having a foal makes me feel excited and happy, especially since it's with Caramel. But I'm worried what my parents will think of having a colt or filly for a grandchild, or how their former son is now the mare carrying that foal."

"Yeah, I can see how that would be the most edgy situation in the world," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "I guess we'll find out when we get there. But Storm? Don't worry. I'll be right there with you."

A small yawn called my attention to the seat next to me. Dinky was just blinking awake. Her sleepy golden eyes wandered into my own. It was amazing how much her eyes were like her mother's. "Have a nice nap, Dinky?" I asked my fillyfriend's filly.

She yawned again and nodded. Still half asleep, she crawled up onto my lap and rested her head. Absent-mindedly, I scratched behind her ear, causing a relaxed smile to spread across her drowsy face. Groggily, she snuggled up to my stomach and sighed out.

Storm smiled at the sight and subconsciously put a hoof to her swollen abdomen. "That," she said, pointing at Dinky, "is why I'm happy about becoming a mother."

Our reverie was broken by a tap on the sliding window that separated the back of the van from the driver's seat. "Welcome to your destination," announced Seth from the front. "Thank you for traveling with Equestrian Airspace, and we hope you enjoy your extended weekend."

I rolled my eyes at the attempt at comedy. Careful not to disturb her, I picked up Dinky and escorted Storm out of the van. Storm's parents' house was a single-story suburban home, kinda ordinary.

I inhaled deep and walked Storm up to the front step. "Ready, Storm?" She hesitated, but nodded shyly. Setting the now awake Dinky on her hooves, I stepped up to the door and casually knocked.

"Hey, Ben? I should probably mention something about my parents," said Storm hurriedly.

She didn't have time, however, as the door opened before she could tell me anything. "Hello? Who are you?" the man at the door asked me.

"Hi, my name's Ben. Would you happen to be Sam's father?"

The man raised an eyebrow at my name and the mention of Storm's human name. "Aren't you one of Sam's friends he was traveling with on that university grant?"

"Yeah… about that…" I scratched the side of my head nervously. C'mon, Ben, use those PR skills! "We weren't exactly TRAVELING, per se. Are you familiar with a place called Equestria?"

My nervousness turned to surprise when he let out a chuckle. I felt a nudge on my leg and looked down to see Storm gesturing wildly from out of her father's view. I was unable to decipher her message before her dad answered. "Why, you a fellow brony?"

There was a barely audible 'conk' as Storm facehoofed. Storm's dad was a brony. "Uh, yes, well… would it completely shock you if I said that the six of us were all in Equestria for the past few months?" I asked.

He chuckled again. "I would say that would be a terrible excuse for a joke," he answered. This time, the facehoof was from Dinky. "Now, if you're here, where would Sam have run off to?"

I was about to answer, but Storm stepped out of her hiding place. "Hey, Dad…"

Everyone froze. The appearance of the pony put a stunned look on Storm's dad's face. It was probably the same way I reacted when I first saw Cereal Velocity as a unicorn. Really, the Rainbow Dash 'loyalty' tee shirt Storm's dad was wearing put the whole while scene into what it would be if a major fanboy met their idol. In my mind, I compiled a list of reactions, and thoroughly went through how I would act in response.

What I didn't count for was the man at the door bursting into laughter, throwing my thought process for a loop. "You turned my son into a pony?!" he gasped between bouts of laughter.

"Well, not me specifically, but our superiors did…" I answered, still confounded at his reaction.

"I was trying to tell you, Ben," said Storm from behind me. "My parents are a tad bit nonsensical, if not completely Pinkie-level insane."

This somehow invoked another laughing stream to emit from her dad. "Are you telling me that…" he paused to gasp and chuckle some more. "…that not only is my son a pony, but he's a mare?!"

"He reminds me of what you used to act like a bit," I said to Storm.

She sighed. "That was before I was pregnant."

Silence can mean many things. It can be peaceful, suspenseful, even awkward. In this case, it fell into the 'too much information' category. Storm's dad, in a mood switch that rivaled Storm's in magnitude, went from hilariously incapacitated to grimly serious. Even though his eyes barely came to my shoulders, he had more than enough height to glare down at his former son.

Storm shrunk visibly under her father's gaze. "Oops…"

Author's Notes:

Skyblaze: You know, given Storm's position, I feel kinda lucky. I'm still the same gender and I also have my beautiful fiancé to help me out.

Luna: Well, aren't you a flatterer?

Skyblaze: Only 'cause it's true. *kisses Luna passionately*

MB: Hey guys? Still in the room with you… guys? C'mon, at least go into the other room to do… oh c'mon, Sky, I don't need to see that!

Song of Return Part 3: Crash Courses

Skyblaze's POV

There's a difference between using trees to break your descent and trees breaking your descent. The former is a planned, coordinated maneuver that makes use of the natural give in tree branches to slow a vertical landing if you're coming in too hot to the landing zone. The latter is a misjudgment of the canopy density, and hurts a ton more.

"Oof! Ouch! Schist! Ow! AAAAAAAA-- Oof!" And it sounds a bit like that. Or at least, that's the sound I made when I crashed through the trees above where my family was camping. Getting to my hooves, I rubbed my sore head. "Ow…"

The fluttering of wings alerted me to Luna's approach. "Perhaps we should work on your landings back in Equestria," she chided. "I've noticed that you have a particularly poor record with them."

"You don't say…" I grumbled, folding my ruffled wings. Shaking off my daze from the crash, I peered around my landing site. Aside from the three humans around the campsite who stopped dead and was staring at Luna and I, it was a pretty nice campsite. Neatly wooded, a lot of room for the trailer camper, even ground… pretty sweet. Surprising lack of snow; probably the cause of warmer weather.

Luna and I greeted my mom, brother, and sister with an awkward wave. "Hey mom, long time, no see," I said, rubbing my neck. "Um… introductions! Luna, this is my family; my mom, brother, sister. Guys, this is Princess Luna of Equestria, immortal goddess of the night, and patron of the moon."

Luna bowed her head in greeting. "How do you do?"

"Quite well…" my mom responded. "If not a bit surprised. Uh… so this is what Markus has been doing for the past few months?"

"To be honest, we couldn't just tell you I was off to a perpendicular dimension as a completely different species. So no, I wasn't traveling on a grant with others."

The three humans just slumped, shell-shocked. "They took it rather well," Luna said to me. "I was expecting someone to faint at least--"

THUMP!

"Never mind," she corrected. My brother was slumped awkwardly in his lawn chair, looking as if he had fallen asleep.

>><<>><<

Storm's POV

"So who's the father?" My dad asked. It had taken nearly an hour for my dad to calm down. Despite his usual carefree attitude, he was still very protective of me. My mom, on the other hoof, had fainted as soon as she saw me, and was now sprawled across the sofa.

I shied away, scooting closer to Ben for support. "Caramel Apple," I answered. "He's a farmhand at Sweet Apple Acres and Applejack's cousin. Very sweet, but a total klutz. You would like him." It felt weird having a serious conversation with my mom unconscious in plain sight.

His gaze went from me to Ben. "So you're here because…?"

"I'm here to shadow Storm. Given her condition, Cereal tasked me with her care," Ben answered flatly. The college grad had experience with this kind of thing, so he appeared calm as a zen master. "I also have Dinky here for… therapeutic reasons. She has a very calming effect on ponies and people."

"Really?" asked the small filly next to me. "I calm ponies down? How?"

I smiled at her. "Honestly, who can look at that face and stay mad?" I said, nuzzling her forehead. I turned to my dad and wrapped a hoof around Dinky. "C'mon, dad. Look at this face. This adorable face."

Unfortunately, his expression remained bemused. "Shouldn't your mother be taking care of you while you're here?" he asked the filly. My dad knew his basic fanon, so he probably recognized Dinky as Derpy's daughter.

"Benny takes care of me," the filly answered. "He's dating my mommy, so he looks after me when mommy is out delivering mail."

Dad's face softened visibly. Yes… Dinky's effect was taking hold of him. No one can resist the filly's golden gaze. He turned back to Ben. "You're dating Ditzy Doo?"

All three of us facehoofed/facepalmed. "Her name is Derpy Hooves, and yes, I'm her coltfriend," grumbled Ben. "I'm usually a green earth pony with a white mane and a scroll for a cutie mark." As proof, he lifted his tee shirt sleeve to reveal his cutie mark on his shoulder. All bronies retained some of their pony features, like the eyes and cutie marks.

At this, my dad peeked at my own flank. "You don't have a cutie mark?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I guess I never found my special talent. My friend Rainchaser didn't have a cutie mark either when she was a pegasus." My dad, being as insensitive as he is, began to chuckle at this. "Hey, it's not funny! It's embarrassing!" I huffed, crossing my forelegs. In spite, I levitated my iced tea to me and took a drink to calm myself.

"If you say so…" he said, getting a hold on his laughter. "…blank flank."

Oh that is it! I slammed the bottle of caffeine-free tea back on the table and stormed off to my former room. It was bad enough that I was a blank flank in Equestria, being constantly reminded of it through the comments of bystanders. Now I can't even escape it on Earth. Slamming the door angrily, I flopped onto my bed and buried my face into my pillow. Stupid blank flank.

Lost in my aggravated thoughts, I didn't notice Ben come in until he put his hand on my shoulder. Like the other bronies, I considered him to be a brother. While Ben and I weren't as close as Shift was to me, he still cared about me. I sat up on my blanket and hugged him, reburying my muzzle into his shirt. He responded my putting his arm around my back comfortingly. It felt better having him there. Safer, away from the discriminating eyes and judgmental minds.

"Thanks, Ben," I whispered to my hypothetical brother. "I needed that."

"That's what big brothers are for, right?" he said, stroking the coat on my neck. It felt really good. Relaxing and comforting at the same time. His gentle touch soothed my original anger toward my father and the world. "I'm going to go back in there and talk to him. Would you like something? Maybe a snack or drink?"

I was about to shake my head 'no', but there was a twinge at the base of my tongue. Like I the desire for a certain taste. "Yeah… could you get me some pickles?"

>><<>><<

Shift's POV

"You're back early," noted Cereal as I buzzed into the warehouse as the sun set in the horizon. "A few DAYS early."

"Uh… my family meeting didn't exactly go over well…" I admitted reluctantly.

Lyra and Bon Bon, who were enjoying a salad dinner at a card table, looked over at my premature arrival. "What happened?" asked Lyra, shoveling another levitating forkful of salad in her mouth.

"Well… if you really want to know, my parents disowned me and my ten-year-old sister threw a pair of galoshes at my face," I reported rubbing the dent in my carapace. Everyone's jaws made with all haste to the floor. "So naturally, I came back to spend some time here."

Seth recovered first, blinking in sympathy from the picnic table he and Cereal were sitting at. "Sorry to hear that, bro," he said, beckoning. "Come on over. We were just about to play some cards. I can deal ya in."

I buzzed my insectile wings, floating over to the table and sitting to Cereal's left. Seth dealt five cards to each of us, which I levitated in front of me. I waited, trying to decipher what game I was about to own the two bronies at with my expert emotion-reading skills.

Seth organized his hand and glared at Cereal, an intense sense of indecision and challenge emitting from him. "Got any threes?"

It was the facehoof heard around the world.

Author's Notes:

Skyblaze: So, I don't have a father? What's going on there?

MB: No, Skyblaze. I am your father!

Luna: *facehoof*

Song of Return Part 4: Only Human… Right?

TWO MORNINGS LATER…

>><<>><<

Chloe's POV

I was never a morning person. Or pony, for that matter. Grogginess is just another way of my body saying 'why the buck should I wake up?'. Unfortunately, once I'm awake, I can't go back to sleep. Ever. So I guess the only pleasure I got in waking up that morning was waking to find Nick's arms around me.

Back in Equestria, Aegis always woke up before me. Even though he miraculously recovered from a life-endangering injury the day before, this morning was no different. "Hey, sleepy-head," he greeted, kissing my forehead. "Have a nice sleep?" Groaning, I rolled out of the bed, landing face-first on the floor.

A paramedic had checked on Nick the night of our arrival and in the morning. He said that Nick shouldn't be alive, much less be in better condition than he began. By the time the medic got to Nick, the bleeding had slowed, but still kept Nick in critical. The only thing the man could do was treat his injuries and wait overnight. Yet, come morning when the medic checked Nick again, not only had the bleeding completely stopped, but Nick's blood-count was returning to normal and his wounds had mostly scarred over. A process that should have taken weeks. Needless to say, the medic was baffled. The emergency medical responder simply left without even leaving a bill.

I picked myself off the floor, straightening my borrowed pajamas giving a groggy smile at Nick. "Today's the day we change back, Nick," I said plainly. "We still haven't told your mom about Equestria."

"You still haven't VISITED your family," countered Nick. "I still think you should ask the Doctor to bring you to Philadelphia while you still have time." He looked to the TARDIS, which hadn't moved since landing in Nick's closet.

I ruffled his dirty-blond hair, walking around the bed to the door. "Hey, you got hurt," I rebuked. "I couldn't just leave you. You're more important than my folks. Besides, your mom makes the better breakfast."

He chuckled at that. "No argument there." He threw off the covers and sat up on his bed. "Go on ahead, I'll see you downstairs. I can smell the hash browns from here."

At the premise of food, I was out the door and down the stairs. In the kitchen, the Doctor already had his feet up on the table, reading a newspaper. Mrs. Marcellus was at the stove, cooking a great-smelling batch of hash browns and eggs.

"Well, good morning, Chloe," chimed the Doctor as I entered. "How's the impalement patient today?"

"Oh, you know, recovering at a record pace," I said in a deadpan. "Morning, Mrs. M."

"Morning, Chloe," she greeted with a smile. "Care for some breakfast?"

"Yes, please!" I said happily, all but jumping into the chair. Nick's mom served me a generous ration before loading the three other plates. With zeal, I dug into the food. "I can see where Nick gets his cooking skills from."

"Everything he knows, he learned from me," she replied, nodding her gratitude before looking at the stairs with an impatient expression. "Nicodemus, breakfast!"

The Doctor and I shared a glance, both of us restraining from bursting into laughter. Nick's actual name is Nicodemus Marcellus?! Priceless. "I'll be down in a minute!" came the answer from upstairs.

There was silence for a few moments. I noticed an itch on my backhand reached back, only to frustratingly find it in the one place I couldn't scratch. A series of heavy footsteps told us of the larger brony's arrival. "Sorry," he apologized. "My side still aches a bit."

"If it were me in your shoes, I would feel lucky to be alive," remarked the Doctor, taking in a final forkful of eggs before rising. "Now, if you will all pardon me, I have a friend in the city I would like to meet again. Allons-y!" With that, the Time Lord was out the door.

A momentary silence dominated the room again. "You have some strange friends, Nick," remarked Mrs. Marcellus.

"Tell me about it," he said, sitting next to me. "Hey, Chloe, remember that one time Sky did something like that a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah, that was--" A sharp pain hit my chest, causing me to clutch at my heart and collapse from the table. I felt a familiar feeling, one I hadn't felt in nearly three months. "Nick, something's wrong…" I gasped as he rushed to my side. "I'm… reponyifying… gah!" I winced as the pain spread throughout myself. It didn't hurt this much the first time. As the burning inundated me, the itch on my back became unbearable. Like something was about to burst from my back. In any case, I was right.

The pain spiked and I doubled over, the itch disappearing. Instantly, my mind registered new muscles and nerves that weren't there before, like when I had… wings. Oh Celestia… I was changing back into a pegasus.

My eyes scrunched closed, I felt my hands become simpler. My arms and legs shifting. My neck elongating and the bones in my face rearranging themselves. When I opened my eyes, I saw the auburn ends of my hair as they turned a dull pink shade. Finally, the pain subsided, and I lay panting on the ground as a grey pony.

…in full view of Nick's mother.

>><<>><<

Skyblaze's POV

My family was probably waking up right now, getting their breakfast. However, if any of them were to check the hammock that was set up for Luna and I, they would find it devoid of any alien equine creatures.

Snuggling close to Luna as I woke up, I looked past my fiancé and at the sun rising over Lake Michigan. In my morning grogginess, I stroked the midnight-blue wings at the alicorn's sides. Luna stirred, but instead of drawing away, she wrapped her feathered appendages around me, pulling me tight against her body. Her warmth was welcome in the early morning chill. The lake breeze, however cold it was, was almost as comforting as the cloudstuff mattress we slept on.

I gently pressed my wings against Luna's, feeling the insulating heat in her feathers. She then pressed her muzzle into my mane, her hot breath running through the fibers. I drew myself up and wrapped my forelegs around her neck, hugging her close as she placed her chin on my head.

"I love you…" I whispered, kissing her neck softly. Embracing my torso, she returned the kiss with one to the top of my head. We lay there, a thousand feet above the ground, with no cares except for the one we love.

Nuzzling my head, she placed her muzzle next to my ear. "What did you dream about, my love?" she asked.

I furrowed my brow. My dreams were always a touchy subject, as I have the worst case of desire-dreams. Sleep for me had always been haunted by things I desire, be it escape from my own power, or even things I hoped for my future with Luna. The most latter was the dominance of my sleep last night.

"You… and me…" I said, kissing her again. I hesitated, debating whether I should tell her the worrying part of my dream. Deciding there was no reason to hide it, I nuzzled her. "…and a little foal in a crib…" I admitted into her neck.

I felt Luna give a small jump in shock. Looking up, I met her teal eyes, gazing into my own golden gaze with a mixture of feelings. "Isn't it a tad early to be thinking about that?"

I huffed, snuggling once more into her grasp. "Try telling that to my desires," I said. "Luna, even though we're about to become eternally bonded, and you may argue that we literally have all the time in the world, I can't help but think about what it would be like…" I turned back to her and kissed her lips. "To be a father… to have what Storm has…"

Luna returned my stare with an understanding look. "I know how much you hate to wait, Sky," she replied flatly. "How about this? After our honeymoon, I'll instruct you on alicorn reproduction."

Wow, I didn't know Luna was so dirty… unless… "Do alicorns reproduce through standard means?"

She gave a giggle and kissed me. "They can, yes, as demonstrated by Shining Armor and Cadence. However, their child will be a mortal race, as is their choice. To produce an alicorn… well, it is an entirely different process."

With that, she rolled off the cloud and flew down to the limestone coastline, leaving me to my thoughts.

Author's Notes:

MB: NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Skyblaze: Ouch, Markus! What's the big deal? And was it really worth my eardrums?

Luna: Huh, I did not know he could use the Royal Canterlot Voice.

MB: Sky, it's the last day of my summer vacation! All my freedom… all the time in the world… gone! Spent! Kaput!

Skyblaze: You are such a drama king. Have you been taking lessons from Rarity?

Luna: I think he's more concerned about the amount of time he has for writing or reading. Or other pony stuff.

MB: Oh, no. I already took that into account. It was obvious that I would be updating less frequently, anyways.

Skyblaze: Then what the buck are you worried about?!

MB: …homework…

Luna & Skyblaze: *facehoof*

Song of Return Part 5: All Decidedly-Alright Things Must End

The Doctor's POV

Amazing! After eighty years, the pig-man of Manhattan still lived! Perhaps an unintended side effect of the concoction I had used to save his life. Lazlo and his wife had a full life, even having three kids and seven grandchildren. I was simply amazed that he could reproduce with a human, given his state.

My mood was high after my visit with my old friend. Not even a cyberman could bring me down. With a spring in my step, I walked happily up to the Marcellus' home and entered with a grand, "The Doctor is in!"

There are few things in the universe that, after nine-hundred-odd years, could surprise me. This was one of those rare moments. When I opened the door and made my grandiose entrance, I was greeted by a grey pegasus with a pink mane, sitting at the table with Nicodemus holding an arm behind her shoulders

Rainchaser looked up at my humbling introduction. "Oh, hey Doctor…" she greeted. "Yeah… I'm a pony again. Happened a few hours ago."

I stared for a moment more. "No… no, that's not possible," I stated. "We designed the deponyfication device to last the full period. Unless you were exposed to any magic from Terra which is impossible… unless…" I pulled out my trusty sonic screwdriver and moved to the grey mare.

"What are you…?" she asked, and stopped as I pointed the device at her to get a reading on the energy composite around her. After a brief span of time, the blue light flashed to signal completion.

After a few seconds, the sonic device gave a report of its findings. The results were almost enough to surprise me. "That's rather odd…" I said, analyzing the result. "You were exposed to a large amount of earth pony magic… interesting."

"I was what, now?" she inquired. "How could I be exposed to earth pony magic when I'm a pegasus?"

"Because if it was pegasus magic you wouldn't have been affected. You can't have a reaction to your own magic, you know," I answered. "Tell me, were you around Nick while he was healing?"

Rainchaser blushed slightly. "I… slept next to him last night, but what does that have to do with me turning back into a pony?"

"Huh, interesting… it would seem that Nick retained his natural earth pony ability, most foremost the inert hardiness that makes them so tough and able to survive. It's like humans… but more literally."

"So, wait," pleaded Nick. "The reason I healed so fast is because I still have earth pony magic still in me? But I'm a--"

"Human, yes, but how do you explain your eyes, or even how you managed to survive a wound that would be fatal to most humans and recover in two days? That kind of thing should have taken weeks, at least."

Nicodemus pondered this for a moment. "I guess that makes sense. I had something similar happen when I lost my memory. Not many people OR ponies can say they survived a one-hundred-fifty foot drop off a sheer cliff without any significant injury."

"Yeah, I've noticed that you have some pretty bad experiences thee past few weeks," I remarked. "Falling from a cliff, stabbed through the abdomen with a clothes rack, frying pan to the face…"

Rainchaser snickered at this. Nick just glared. "Okay, I admit I deserved that one," he said humbly. "And yes, I also noticed the sheer amount of things I went through."

I thought for a minute, remembering the reports Ben wrote to command. "I just realized something," I said plainly. "Most of it is Rainchaser's fault. Think about it; reverse psychology on the cliff, a concussive frying pan to the face out of anger, and I think a while back there was an incident with Applejack's cider party…" I trailed off in my thoughts, like I normally do when I go off on a tangent.

"Hey, Nick, Where does your mom keep the cooking flats?"

Uh oh…

>><<>><<

Storm's POV

I flopped down onto my bed, huffing. "You know, this would be more enjoyable if I could go outside," I grumbled. Ben looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "I just feel so… cooped up in here, ya know?"

The brony folded the paper and sat next to me. "Storm, we both know that's not the reason you're upset," he consoled, placing a hand on my mane and lightly scratching. "Now, what's up?"

I sighed sadly. There were a few things I was upset about. First of all, constantly being reminded of what I once was. Even though I had convicted myself that I was to live out my life as a mare, it was hard not to look around my old home and be sucked into a nostalgia. A very awkward nostalgia.

Then, there was Caramel. The love of my life and father of my foal. Barring the six days I was gone for the brony retreat, I never missed watching the sunset with him. At least in Equestria, I could look at the Celestia's sinking sun and think that he was watching the same thing. But in this world, there was a different sun. Heck, not even the constellations were the same. It was as if Earth was an alien planet, and I was stuck here while Caramel was on Terra.

"It's just… hormones," I lied, blushing.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Hormones? Really?"

Sighing again, I looked him in his brown eyes. Weird, I thought they were hazel. "Alright, I guess I'm a little homesick," I said, almost giggling at the irony of it. "A LOT homesick, in fact."

Ben smiled at me and hugged my neck with his arm. "You're not the only one, Storm," he admitted. "It's too bad Dinky left. She always reminded me of her mother. Especially her eyes…" Ben sniffled and wiped his nose. "Her beautiful eyes…" It took me until then to realize Ben had broken down, barely holding back tears. "I think I need a hug."

I was happy to oblige, sitting up and wrapping my forelegs around his neck. He returned the embrace by encircling me with his arms and laying his head on my shoulder. It was a bit out of character for the usually passive brony, hugging a pony while on the verge of tears. Maybe Derpy was having an effect on him. Could he really change so much for the cause of love?

Suddenly, Ben broke away from my hold and clutched at his chest. "Storm," he gasped. "What time is sunset at?"

"About…" I looked at the clock, my eyes widening with realization. I became aware of the orange light filtering through the window. "…now…"

We glanced at each other, knowing exactly what was happening. "Something tells me this is gonna hurt."

As if to confirm his words, Ben convulsed in pain and collapsed on the floor. My mind flashed back to Markus' ponyfication. What Ben was experiencing didn't look half as bad, but it still looked painful.

As per my misfortune, the door swung open to allow my dad entrance. "Hey, Sam. I just wanted to tell you--"

"Gah!" exclaimed Ben from his keeled-over position. The roots of his hair were already turning white. His arms began to grow a coat of emerald hair and grew shorter. His hands and feet were disappearing. Strangely, his clothes had changed colors to match his coat and were melding to his body. His face was the worst part to watch. Ben's features became elongated, forming a broad muzzle. Both ears shifted to the top of his head, where they lay back as a sign of pain. Even though Ben had clenched his eyelids shut, I could see the sockets enlarge behind them.

Finally, Ben's face relaxed and a green earth pony slumped to the floor. My dad and I stared at Kind Greetings in wonder. "Uh… you okay, Ben?" I asked.

"I was right," he said shakily. "That did hurt. Oh, hello, Mr. Anders."

My dad shook himself from his shock. "That was certainly… different," he admitted. "I actually came in here to tell you that your friends from New York want you to call back."

I nodded, almost immediately forgetting about the reponyfication. "I'll just Skype them. It's an hour after sunset in Manhattan, so they'll be ponies by now," I stated, hopping off the bed and trotting over to my desk. Using my magic, I turned the computer on and looked to Ben. "Hey, Ben, you wanna talk to Rain and Aegis?"

"Nah, I'm gonna find Dinky and take a nap. Completely altering your genetic and integral makeup is tiring." As if on cue, a small grey filly walked into the room, stopping when she saw Ben in his pony form.

"Benny!" she exclaimed, throwing herself to embrace the brony's foreleg "You're a pony again!"

"Oof! Careful there, Dinky." The filly unhinged herself from Ben's leg. He then performed an impressive track-star hop onto the bed. "I'm gonna lay down for a while, Dinks. You want to join me?"

Dinky nodded. "I'm not tired, but I can lay next to you."

"That'd be great." Ben settled himself on my bed, curling up on his side. Dinky hopped up next to him and planted herself between his forelegs and hind-legs.

I smiled at the sight. Surprisingly, I felt the slightest bit jealous of my friend. While I wasn't as impatient as Sky, almost nine more months is a long time to wait to experience what Ben has. I guess some things are worth the wait.

Using magic, I moved the mouse and opened Skype. Even after nearly three months in Equestria, I was still logged on. Nick's status read online, as did Markus' and Cereal's. Chloe's and Jon's remained offline. Shrugging, I clicked on Nick's profile and called him.

My call was answered by a group of video feeds. Every one of them showing ponies. Cereal stood next to Shift, the brony commander now in the form of a grey unicorn with a dark blue mane. On Aegis' feed, he and Rain greeted me with a wave. The only part of Skyblaze that was visible from his call was a teal and grey tail, Luna pointing at the camera and telling him it was working.

"So, seems we're all ponies," I stated. "How did your visits go?"

Everypony shared a glance with their on-screen companion. "Could've been better," they all said.

"Oh, can it. You all got the easy parts. I had to tell my dad that I'm engaged and pregnant, on top of being a pony; a mare."

Skyblaze smoothed back his mane. "I guess even admitting immortality is trumped by that. Now, where's my favorite diplomat?"

"Taking a nap." I turned the webcam to point at the sleeping green pony, Dinky snuggled up in his hooves. "Reponyfication took a lot out of him."

"Aw, they're so cute!" giggled Rain. "Just think, Storm. That'll be you someday."

I smiled at her, subconsciously putting a hoof to my abdomen. "Yeah, I guess it will be." There was a moment of silence as I was lost in my thoughts.

"Hey, sis, you okay?" Shift's voice snapped me back to the world.

"I'm okay. How about you? What's going on at Exodus Equestria?"

"Nothing but found after round of Go Fish and Checkers. No offense to Cereal and Seth, but you can only take so many mediocre table games," Shift griped.

"You know I'm standing right next to you, right?" Cereal glared at the changeling.

Shift ignored the unicorn. "Seriously, come back soon. I'm bored out of my chitin."

"I'm right down the street, Shift," I told him. To be honest, I was as anxious as he was to get home and be with my friends. "If you want, I could have my dad drive me there so you don't have to put up with those two killjoys."

"...I can hear you guys."

"Luna and I are leaving Wisconsin first thing tomorrow morning," Skyblaze reported, then put a hoof to his heart. "Oh land of cheese and all things dairy, I shall miss thee so."

Luna shook her head. "I will never understand this human fascination for everything that comes from cows. Even the meat is a delicacy, it seems."

Aegis groaned. "Please don't mention steak… I miss it too much."

>><<>><<

Dear me... what is this?

What is what, my love?

This. This empty space. This space within reality. What is its purpose?

Oh, that? That would be--

Astrus! Is this your doing? What is this anomaly?

Keep me out of this please...

Concordia, dear... if you would remain quiet, I will explain the purpose of this particular element. It is of my creation, besides. Do not pester Astrus. He is busy guiding a few wayward souls through the Bifrost.

Then explain, if you will, why you have put this... hole in reality.

Exposition.

I beg your pardon?

You are aware that this universe is only one of many, right?

So Astrus claims...

Oh believe in me, my dearest, he is correct. There are an infinite number of universes, in which anything and everything can exist. Some are fleeting ideas of a sentient being, and others, like this one, are stories to several universes. Fantasies that have been made tangible in this version of existence.

I fail to see how that explains your creation of this space.

I am getting to that. You see, the universe in which we exist is a version of reality that has manifested in another universe as a tale in written script. A series of stories. This empty space is for the creatures observing this tale to distinguish between different pieces of this particular story, even though there is little disruption in the telling of the tale itself. It allows another arc of this story to begin without beginning a new story entirely.

But why not begin anew? Why must this story continue on its own?

This story has not ended. There are things that still need to be done, loose ends that need to be addressed, holes in the plot that need to be filled.

I am trying very hard not to take that out of context...

You know what I mean!

Calm down, Pandora. You were saying about the story?

Yes... there will be another story. But that is for another time, when the tale requires that a new story be written. But for now, this story shall move along.

...if the author decides to get off his lazy flank and write it, that is.

...

...

...what?

Author's Notes:

No, I don't know what I just did.

...

I am not lazy!

Wedding Bells Part 1: Assumptions and Communication Gone Wrong

>><<>><<

Luna’s POV

Three days had passed since we returned to Equestria. One may think that the days preceding a royal wedding would warrant significantly more activity around the castle, especially near the banquet hall. However, the undeniable fact is that the banquet hall is always heavily trafficked with the preparations one celebration or another. These days, it seems that anypony with bits could rent out the palace banquet hall for a night or two. What sort of world do we live in that a high-royal wedding is just as much work to set up as a noble heir’s birthday party?

From the balcony of my tower, I looked down upon the ponies setting up the party and observed their work for a few minutes. As I watched, I saw two stallions hauling a large box stamped with the logo of the local bakery, no doubt containing a multi-tiered cake. With a heavy sigh, I shook my head in pity of the hard work they were putting into an assumption.

As my sister's sun began to dip below the west horizon, and I lifted my moon into the sky to the east, I heard the stirrings of my betrothed as he got out of bed and stretched his wings. Skyblaze made his way groggily to my side, and stared with half-lidded eyes at the courtyard and the activity in it. "That is a big cake box," he remarked. "What's all the hubbub today?"

I shrugged and draped a wing over his shoulders. "Something about one of the princesses being wed to a handsome young pegasus stallion," I told him sarcastically. "Personally, I believe it is much aloof over nothing."

"What?" Skyblaze looked up at me in surprise. "Nopony told them? Aww, that's too bad."

"Indeed, all that hard work in vain. Though, to be fair, ponies can be very presumptuous, especially in Canterlot." I took a moment to nuzzle his head. "This is also what happens when we take care to keep our actual plans discrete."

He nodded in agreement, leaning on me a little more. I kept my wing around him and pulled him a little closer. We stayed like this for some time, watching the last orange rays of Celestia’s sun dip out of sight, until the whole sky was a deep blue that was so characteristic with my star-studded nightsky.

“So,” I prompted, giving the indigo stallion a squeeze with my wing. “Shall we begin?”

Skyblaze replied with a mischievous grin.

>><<>><<

Sure Hoof’s POV

It was way too quiet around the castle. I mean, sure, quiet meant that there weren’t cultists bursting through the windows in the endless and mysterious onslaught on Princesses. But this quiet was unnatural. Even the banter of nobles and the rhythmic hoofsteps of patrolling Night Guard couldn’t be heard through the echoing halls of the Royal Wing. The silence was an ominous one, and suggested something out of the ordinary.

For a grunt like me, who was rarely in-the-know about stuff the higher-ups try to keep quiet, silence like this could mean a lot of things. For one, it could just be a standard drill for a special ops team, and they needed the regular patrols on duty. Two, there could be an urgent matter in another wing of the castle, so the force in less-essential wings was relocated and the castle evacuated. Three, the wing could be on lockdown and the department head may have forgotten to inform the normal patrol. Four, one of the Princesses was either dead or missing, but the odds of that being the case were extremely low. Five, one of the more panicky nobles saw a--

“Clear the way!”

I jumped back toward the door I was stationed at (I think it was the Royal snack stash?) to let the small band of six ponies through. To my surprise, four of the ponies were Solar and Lunar Knights, the greatest champions of Equestria hoof-picked by the Princesses for the elite title. The fifth and sixth ponies, who galloped in the center of the formation, I recognized as the Head Investigator of the Royal Investigative Service, and the Director of the Equestrian Intelligence Agency.

What in Tartarus is going on!? I wondered. Why do they need Knights and the criminal investigation heads!? Looking at the door behind me, I pondered whether the ridiculous amount of cakes in the Princess’ stash was really worth guarding over investigating the sudden increase of activity. On one hoof, I could be court marshalled. On the other, I could say I was investigating for matters of security.

“Armor is gonna have my head…” I groaned as I left my post and ran after the heavily-armed escort of ponies.

>><<>><<

The entire Lunar Tower was under full military lockdown. As I approached the area, trying to act as if I was supposed to be there, I found every hall adjoining the tower staircase blocked by several high-ranking royal guard, plus a few Knights and Archmages.

I frowned as my self-imposed mission went downhill very fast. There was no way I was getting in there with anything lower than a Captain’s rank, let alone Sergeant. Maybe if I act natural… I hoped to myself, making my way down the corridor toward the blockade. They already saw me, so there was no turning back now. Keep it cool, Sure Hoof, keep it cool… walk with purpose, like you belong… like you’re definitely not abandoning your post for curiosity’s--

“Halt!”

BUCKIMSODEAD. I froze where I stood and straightened in attention as soon as the Solar Knight barked his order, trying not to appear nervous. Hopefully the mental conditioning would kick in and my poker face would keep.

“State your designation and intent, Guard,” the Knight, Breaker Blade I think his name was, ordered cooly with a hard stare as he approached me. His intricately forged golden armor looked heavy on his off-white body, but the earth pony moved as though it didn’t exist.

“Royal Guard Sergeant Sure Hoof,” I replied, with a barest shake in my voice. “Here on personal inquiry regarding the presence of the blockade, so I may better perform my duty to protect my Princesses and my nation.” Faust almighty, was that the best I could come up with? It sounded like a cheesy line from a war epic.

“Solar Knight-Captain Breaker Blade, the ‘Breaker,’” he replied. I barely held my straight face when I realized his nickname was as cheesy as my speech. “You do not have the proper clearance to be privy to any details at this time, Sergeant. Return to your post, before I have you detained for-”

“Sir Breaker.”

To my surprise, Breaker Blade stood at attention in response to a raspy bark from behind him. Another earth pony stallion, who was darker gray and equipped with a midnight-blue version of Breaker Blade’s armor, approached the two of us. The Lunar Knight looked a little old to be on active duty, if the wrinkles on his face were any indication.

“Knight-Commander Deeprun, sir!” Breaker barked.

Deeprun rolled his eyes. “At ease, Breaker. Now tell me what all this commotion is.”

“This Sergeant was attempting to pass, sir.” What? No I wasn’t! I just want to know what happened! “His clearance is insufficient for--”

“Shame on you, Breaker,” the older stallion interrupted the Solar Knight for the second time. “Don’t you recognize this Guard? Sure Hoof is Princeling Freescript’s favored escort, as well as his personal friend.”

“Yes sir, but-”

“Don’t you think he deserves to know what happened to his friend?”

What? Something happened to Skyblaze? My face broke from its hardness to stare at Deeprun in surprise. What in Tartarus would be so bad a blockade would be needed?

“...I understand, sir,” Breaker said with no small amount of contempt and marched back to the blockade.

Deeprun watched him leave. “You’ll have to excuse Breaker. He’s young and strong, but hard in the head,” he told me with a tone that seemed too informal for a Knight-Commander to use when addressing his subordinates. “I’ll talk to him later.”

I wasn’t sure how to speak to him. He was far above me in the ranks; almost at the top. But he spoke in a way that expressed empathy that a Guard would only use off-duty at a pub. Gathering my will, I opened my mouth. “Sir… you said something happened to Skyblaze?”

The Lunar Knight nodded somberly. “I’m not going to sugar-coat it for you, Sarge. Here’s the bottom line…” he took a pause to allow me to steel myself. “Skyblaze and Princess Luna are missing.”

>><<>><<

Elsewhere Nearby…

Beneath Canterlot lie labyrinthine network of caverns, rumored to extend from the top the mountain, weave through a portion of Canterlot, then continue far past the base of the mountain. Some even speculate that the deepest of these caves brush or even breach the roof of Tartarus, the Underworld of Equis. However, since the caverns were only recently discovered, these speculations continue to be speculation. Few since the changeling invasion of Canterlot have attempted to explore the caves, and those that did made very little progress.

Since its abandonment in times forgotten, the walls of the caverns had, to the puzzlement of several geologists, become extremely reflective crystalline forms. The crystal walls, aside from the fact possessing no practical use or appealing jeweling aspects, also caused some ponies to become very anxious. Being nearly reflective as mirrors, any kind of movement or change in lighting caused a myriad of shifting shapes, disorienting those who saw them. Experts advised any and all who attempted to venture into the caverns that prolonged stays could cause severe mental trauma. “Look at the walls too long,” they said, “and one could lose their mind.”

But what were the caverns to one who had already lost their sanity?

Rising Dark looked upon these same walls, reflected in the light of the many torches of the Aliyess encampment in the caverns, with wonder. It was the reflective property that scared off any who would dare try to venture too deep into the tunnels, and more importantly, allow the watchponies set up in the surrounding tunnels to spot the reflections of intruders.

The dark unicorn mare chuckled to herself at how lucky they were to discover this area of the cave system. Deep enough that nopony would stumble upon them, but close enough to tunnels that adjoined to sewer tunnels and outlets on the ground, and big enough to hold the several scores of cultists within. These caverns were the key piece in the hit-and-run attacks on the palace; a group of Aliyess could emerge undetected from any part of the city and move off quickly to strike. Supplies and fresh troops came via the hidden entrances at the base of the mountain, keeping the staging area well-stocked for these frequent attacks.

Foalproof... Rising Dark thought to herself, turning away from the wall and making her way back to the center of the encampment; a large open area specifically dedicated to morning exercises and, at that particular moment, worship. Three concentric circles of gray-dyed, black-cloaked ponies of all three races surrounded a circular wooden stage. Each pony had their head tilted back and their eyes closed, silently meditating and praying to the True Power they worshipped, and the Darkness they served.

Rising Dark weaved through the circles and hopped onto the stage, regarding the congregation before her. Glorious, she thought. Truly, a force worthy of the Darkness’ guidance and the True Power’s praise. “Brothers and sisters of the Aliyess, disciples of the True Power, hear me now,” she spoke, her voice magically intensified.

“We hear and heed, High Priest,” the gathering chanted in perfect unison.

A shiver went down the unicorn’s spine. She loved hearing the united voices of her followers. “The Darkness has spoken to me through the Aether, whispering to me the final phase of our victory!” There was no cheer, but many of the cultists broke out in grins. Rising Dark allowed herself a brief hesitation, gathering her thoughts. “As you are aware, the tyrants still sit upon the throne, slandering the True Power and denying its rightful place! Tonight, my brothers and sisters, we shall have justice! In my meditation many moons past, the Darkness has aided me in devising the downfall of the blasphemous filth in Canterlot above, and the time has come that I reveal to you the fruits of our efforts.”

A stirring passed through the crowd. Rising Dark had expected this reaction; over three dozen of their comrades had already been captured or killed by the Royal Guard, much to their dismay. “Fret not for those lost,” she consoled them. “Their sacrifice had not been in vain. Their part has been played most excellently.” A few confused looks dotted the crowd. “According to our spies in the castle, the Royal Guard believe that we are few in number, and do not possess the strength to mount an assault on the palace. This night, the night of their Hearth’s Warming, we shall show them exactly how wrong they are.”

A quiet gasp of realization carried throughout the Aliyess. “Yes, my brothers and sisters!” Rising Dark cackled. “Tonight, we exact our revenge!”

“...High Priest Rising Dark?”

“Tonight, we emerge from the caves and engage in glorious battle!”

“...Sister Dark?”

“Glory and bloodshed await you! The Darkness shall be at your side, fighting alongside you, giving you strength and--”

“Rising Dark!”

“WHAT!?” the unicorn spat at the offending pony, a small pegasus stallion that couldn’t have been more than sixteen. Rising Dark seethed for a few seconds before she realized that the terrified stallion had a scroll tied around his neck, and that the stallion was the runner she picked to carry messages to and from the spies inside the castle. “I told you to wait until I was finished! How dare you interrupt this sacred rite!?”

“Yes, High Priest, my sincerest apologies,” the messenger replied meekly. “But you-know-who insisted it was of the highest priority that this be delivered to you as fast possible, no matter the circumstance. To be specific, they-”

“Give me that!” Rising Dark snapped at the anxious pegasus, taking the scroll in her magic grip and ripping it from his neck. She unfurled it, still fuming about the interruption, wondering just what in the nine levels of Tartarus could possibly be more urgent than this vital ritual of inspiration. If she could help it, that spy wouldn’t last until their next…

...what? Her eye twitched involuntarily. “The princeling and the Princess are missing…”

In the back of the crowd of cultists, one mare whispered to the other. “Now that just makes us look bad.”

>><<>><<

Celestia was having a wonderful evening. At noon, she had finished the surprisingly little amount of paperwork in her office far ahead of schedule, so she had a light lunch with a few griffon dignitaries that were visiting Canterlot on their way to Zebrica, which made a good impression for her on a few lesser griffon clans. Well fed and with a light heart, Celestia made a visit to her School for Gifted Unicorns to look in on one of the younger age groups, much to the students’ joy and the instructor’s surprise.

As her sun dipped lower in the sky, preparing itself for the final push she needed to apply for it to set, Celestia found herself in the castle gardens. The gardens were a place that were special to her, and she often walked its paths whenever she felt stressed or unrestful. Sometimes, like this time, she needed no reason. It was, to her, a sanctum created by the twisting vines and branches of the plants and the gentle calls of the fauna that flourished within.

Yet, though the tranquillity and natural peace of the gardens was part of her reason for the frequent visits, there was a deeper meaning to them for Celestia. After the final battle of the War of Sun and Moon lay ruin to the once-grand Everfree Citadel, the gardens had been burned to the ground. Unbeknownst to the builders of the replacement capital, Canterlot, one of the many design inputs Celestia had requested was an exact replica of the gardens in the Citadel. While that fact faded out of most living memory, the Sun Goddess still found a feeling of nostalgia when she was among the hedges that exactly resembled the grounds in which she played and learned with her sister as young fillies.

By the time a very panicked Solar Guard found her, she had been alone in the gardens for two hours, her eyes closed in reflective meditation. “Your Highness! Thank Elysium we found you!” the pegasus stallion exclaimed, scrambling to find his footing and stand at attention.

“Found me?” Celestia chuckled. “I was here the whole time.”

“My sincerest apologies, Princess,” the guard continued, unabated by her humor. “Rest assured all actions have been taken and all protocols have been followed, Your Majesty.”

“Protocols? Actions?” Celestia looked at the pegasus with confusion. “What on Equestria has happened? Was somepony hurt?”

The guard shook his head. Celestia heard the clinking of armor as more guards positioned themselves around her, remaining unseen to surprise potential attackers. “As far as we’re aware, there have been no casualties,” he reported. “My condolences, Your Highness. We assert that we are doing everything in our power to find and recover Princess Luna and Princeling Freescript.”

The Princess stared at the pegasus. Her expression was impossible to read, holding her ever-present pokerface. When she was silent for several seconds, the guard’s mind began racing. Had he done something wrong? Was the Princess angry? Frightened? Decisively thinking about her next orders? What if he had upset her? What would happen then? Sweet sanity, would he be executed? No! He couldn’t be beheaded! He had a wife and two kids and another on the way! He was too young to die! Oh, what tragedy had become of--

His thoughts were quickly silenced by the sound of soft laughter. The guard was extremely confused as to what the source was for a few moments before realizing, to his surprise, it was the Princess’ laughter. “Princess?” he asked, unsure if he had just traumatized her beyond normal mental function. “Your Highness, are you okay?”

“Is that what all the commotion is about?” she giggled, wiping a stray tear from her eye. “Dear me… I shall have a long talk with the commanders on security protocols and communication later on.” The Princess regarded the guard, who was trying not to look anxious. “Sound the all-clear; this has all been an extraordinary misunderstanding.”

“But… but I…” he stammered. “But… what happened to Princess Luna and Lord Skyblaze?”

“I believe the dictionary term is ‘eloping,’” Celestia answered. “Now, please relax, my good soldier. Tell me about your family. Another foal on the way, am I correct?”

Author's Notes:

Yes. I am alive. That last chapter was not a troll chapter. Or maybe it was. The world may never know!

PS. I turned seventeen today. This is my birthday present to you guys.

Wedding Bells Part 2: Jitters

>><<>><<

Aegis’ POV

“I never expected to be taking this path again,” I remarked over my shoulder to Chloe.

The gray pegasus stared at me with a perplexed look for a moment before realization hit her, and she let out a short huff of laughter. “Ugh, don’t remind me,” she scoffed. “You nearly died here.”

I turned back to the path and continued on my careful way, keeping well away from the drop on the left side of the path: the one I had fallen off the last time I walked this dangerous road. This time, Rainchaser had given me her solemn word that she wouldn’t pull the same stunt twice, but I kept myself wary and as close to the cliffside as possible. While I would have rather prefered to stay far away from this particular route, it was necessary to return to Luna’s cottage retreat in the woods.

We both had been surprised when the invitation to Skyblaze and Luna’s wedding had specified a private ceremony near Luna’s private retreat, the same cottage she had loaned the bronies many weeks before for their vacation. I assumed originally that the wedding was going to be held publicly at the castle, like Shining Armor and Cadance’s. Then again, Luna wasn’t the most sociable of ponies, and Skyblaze hated the nobility with a barely-restrained passion.

“Hey! Aegis! You’re holding up the caravan!” Dash’s voice shouted from overhead. Rain had the chromatic pegasus keeping an eye out ahead and above for anything that could potentially hinder our progress. Unfortunately, I think that included me.

I looked back behind me to see Rainchaser, Shift, Storm, Caramel, Twilight, and Applejack following my snail’s pace while the rest of the group advanced far ahead. “There’s no sense in rushing,” I said, turning back to Dash. “Better safe than sorry.”

“You’ll be sorry if you don’t hurry it up!” she chastised quickly before flying forward to the others ahead of us.

Frowning, I picked up my pace again, but not too much. I still wasn’t going to take risks.

“I wish she wouldn’t do that,” Rainchaser voiced from behind me. “I mean, I love her to death, but she can be an impatient hothead to you.”

I shrugged. “She’s not my fillyfriend.”

“Yeah, but she is mine. And so are you!” There was an apparent pause. “...my coltfriend, I mean.”

I stepped over a rock that was in my path. “Love and tolerate, right?” I said, quoting the old motto. “Well, I love you, and I tolerate her.”

Rainchaser groaned. “Fine. You win, tough guy,” she said, staying silent for a while. Her hoofsteps sounded a little harder on the ground than usual. “Why do you think they picked the cottage for the wedding? It’s not exactly the most scenic of places. Or the most accessible.”

“I heard it had something to do with the attacks,” Shift piped up from further back. “A hit on a royal wedding would cause chaos and wreak havoc on the Princess’ special day. Even if the attack didn’t succeed- which it likely wouldn’t have -the Aliyess would still have the satisfaction of butting in on, not only the wedding, but the Hearth’s Warming celebration.”

“Dicks,” Chloe interjected. “I thought Dash and I brought those guys down for good.”

“Evidently not,” I said to Chloe, then replied to Shift. “I didn’t even think about the Aliyess. I thought the reason was more because of the ponies being married.”

Shift made a noise of agreement. “Sky and Luna do shared a hatred of the nobility. I suppose a big, grand, public royal wedding isn’t their thing.”

“As if the last one went smoothly at all, right?” Storm called out, making us all laugh. I noted that Shift’s chuckles were not as enthusiastic. “But seriously, why are we going so slowly? I’m dying of boredom back here!”

>><<>><<

Kind Greetings’ POV

“You’re not serious, are you?” I asked, still in disbelief at the whole situation. Celestia simply nodded and sipped more of her tea. “Not one pony in the castle bothered to come to you about where your sister went?” The Solar Princess shook her head impassively. “Not one pony bothered with the chain of command? That, in the event of a possible security threat, nopony goes to the highest authority?”

Celestia sighed. “Unfortunately.”

I groaned and shook my head. “Back on Earth, there was a dictator that was on his way to controlling the world,” I told her, reciting an anecdote. “In fact, he may have succeeded... if he was woken up on the morning nearly six-thousand Allied ships landed an invasion on the shores of Normandy. His generals were without direction and the entire defense fell, giving victory to the Allies. The same problem happened here, only on a smaller scale. This needs to be fixed, Your Highness. An error like this could cripple the castle’s defense.”

There was a long moment of silence in the throne room as Celestia sipped her tea. She paused, then looked at me. “Why wasn’t this dictator awakened?” she asked.

“He...” I blinked, realizing her point. Sharing a glance with Derpy, I continued. “He was known to be mentally unstable and had a short temper. They were afraid of what he would do to them.”

“Precisely,” Celestia replied. “The guard that finally notified me was frightened terribly. While I do love my little ponies, their respect and reverence for me can sometimes be born of fear. As powerful as I am, I’m not surprised nopony was brave enough to confront me.” The Princess set her tea down on the tray, apparently having finished it.

“I’d be scared too,” Derpy voiced. “I mean, if I was the Princess and I just lost my little sister again, I’d be pretty angry.”

I gave my fillyfriend a small smile. For all her little... inconsistencies... she can be very insightful. “I’m glad you got it sorted out before anything bad happened,” I said, turning back to Celestia. “It wouldn’t be a very enjoyable wedding if Canterlot was put under martial rule when we got back.”

“If the way the Guard handled the present situation is any indication, I fear for Equestria if they were to run the country for even a single day,” Celestia chuckled. “Of course, I did not call you here to criticise our security measures, Ambassador. I hope you have gathered anything you need for my sister’s wedding.”

“Right here!” Derpy chirped, tapping the two suitcases she and I packed with our formal attire. The action caused them to topple over like dominoes. “...oops.”

Celestia and I let out a quiet laugh at this, then the Princess proceeded to lift both cases in her magic. “Then we will depart immediately.”

Before I could respond, we were enveloped in a bright, yellow light. For those that are inexperienced in travel by long-distance mass-teleportation, I will say this: while possibly the fastest route from point A to point B, it’s extremely uncomfortable on the stomach. Though not nearly as jarring as the portal from Earth to Equestria, my bowels still churned and my footing became unstable as I instantly went from standing on a marble floor to wobbling on the uneven, snow-covered soil.

“Wow... tingly...” I heard Derpy giggle.

It took several moments for my eyes to adjust to the change in environment. When I was finally able to get my bearings and stabilize my stance, I noticed Celestia had teleported us to the crest of a hill overlooking the cottage and the nearby clearing. I knew for a fact that Skyblaze and Princess Luna were in the cottage with Shining Armor and Cadance, respectively, helping them get ready.

As for the clearing, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor’s task of setting up the space for the ceremony had not been wasted. A large length of white cloth was laid out from one end of the clearing to the other, substituting an aisle. I trotted closer to the area, and found a large masonry arch swooping over one end of the cloth, decorated with hanging, flowering vines with silvery petals and golden sigils of a language I didn’t recognize. Peering at the runes, I could have sworn they were shimmering ever so slightly.

”Haesdr fuiln, ruirr shuailan, nardailaiar delrran.” I turned around as the melodic voice chanted behind me. Princess Celestia walked up beside me and looked up at the runes. “An Archaic matrimonial blessing,” she explained. “It means ‘hearts bound, souls adjoined, destinies tangled,’ if translated literally. It’s symbolic of the essences of the bride and groom being bound together.”

“I see,” I answered. “So... it’s a metaphor, then?”

“A metaphor?” she asked, confused. “Whatever for?”

Before I could clarify my question, I was interrupted by a nearby voice of excitement. “Auntie! You’re just in time!” Cadance’s voice carried across the clearing as she hovered in from above and landed nearby. “Your sister is having those annoying pre-wedding jitters, and I can’t get her to calm down.”

Celestia looked at Cadance with a perplexed expression. “I would think settling her nerves about being married would be easier for somepony who has experience,” she stated, motioning to the pink alicorn. “I’m not sure there’s anything more I can do that you haven’t done.”

“No, it’s not that, I just...” Cadance hesitated for a moment. “I think you would be more used to the Royal Canterlot Voice than me.”

“I see,” Celestia chuckled. “I will see what I can do.” With a final nod, Celestia opened her wings and lifted off, flying toward the cottage, leaving Cadance and I in the clearing.

I turned to Cadance with an inquisitive look. “What about Skyblaze?” I asked. “Any jitters on his end?”

“Of course,” she replied. “But he settled down once we gave him a little coffee.”

I rolled my eyes. Typical Skyblaze. Giving the Princess a nod, I walked off to see if I could find Derpy before the others got here.

>><<>><<

Skyblaze’s POV

I opened my eyes...

Before me was a great expanse of endless night sky, colored deep purple and dotted with the occasional puff of cumulus. There was no ground below me, nor emptiness above; an endless and limitless sky, surrounded by a velvet blanket covered in tiny stars like diamonds. In front of me, the moon shined with a great white light, illuminating the entirety of my world of only-sky.

I flew toward that moon, basking in its silver glow, feeling the breeze on the tips of my feathers. Gravity had no power here. Clouds brushed at my hooves, playfully licking my fetlocks as I passed. Floating free through the slightly-shifting air, I dipped and dived and rolled, just enjoying the freedom of flight.

Setting down on a flatter piece of cirrus, I gazed once more at the moon. Its light now seemed to shimmer, reacting to my acknowledgement. With a smile, I called out to it, “I know you can hear me, Lulu! You know it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride on their wedding day!”

“It is also considered ill fortune to fall asleep before the ceremony on the same day,” Luna’s voice rang out from all around me, echoing in the empty sky. Looking to one side, I watched a shining, silver silhouette of my betrothed land next to me, dimming to reveal Luna herself alight in glimmering white. “You did that on purpose, you naughty colt. Taking advantage of my command over dreams is not something I’ll readily allow you to do in the future.”

I made a face of false offense. “Take advantage?” I replied. “You’re the one who’s spying on my dream in the first place, liar!”

“Alright, you caught me,” Luna admitted, nuzzling my forehead. “But you still fell asleep on our wedding day. Not enough excitement for you yet, my love?”

“No, I’m plenty excited,” I told her, returning the nuzzle to the underside of her chin. “I just wanted to talk, that’s all.”

“Then talk fast, my dear. Somepony is bound to find you sleeping sooner or later.”

With a long sigh, I looked up at my dream-moon. It shined with the same light as Luna’s apparition within my dream. “I don’t think Celestia likes the idea of us being married,” I told her. “Sometimes I catch her giving me this... look, before she goes back to her regular expression.”

“My sister is being overprotective,” Luna assured me. “For her, I’m still the same helpless form that remained after the Nightmare was defeated. Occasionally I’m still her little sister, though merely ten years younger.” She looked pensive for a moment. “I suppose I’m now another millenium younger than her, if you include my stasis on the moon.”

I nodded, thinking about her words. “Just what I noticed. Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions.”

A small kiss pressed itself onto my cheek, making me giggle a little. “Or you are still nervous about this,” Luna whispered. “I know you better than most, Skyblaze. You’re not one for long-term commitment, and eternity is the longest one could imagine. Immortality and ascension to godhood aside, you fear being tied down to me.”

“Ha! Kinky.” I let out a laugh as she slugged my shoulder. “No, it’s not that... I mean, being with you for eternity; it makes the whole ‘alicorn’ thing less intolerable,” I told her. “I think I’m afraid of being tied to the world, life clinging to me like a parasite.” Shaking my head, I looked into her eyes. “If death is a part of life, what does that make us? What’s living without death?”

Luna sighed tiredly. “These are deep thoughts, my love,” she replied. “Methinks you are putting too much effort into one of many ways to look at it. Life, after all, is not something to be completely defined with words. Especially for immortals.”

“I can’t help it. Me not over-thinking something is like a pony without legs.”

My fiancé chuckled at this. “Hopeless, you are.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the support,” I muttered. Suddenly, a loud BOOM rang through my dream. From above, I could hear a muffled voice calling my name as everything around me began to gradually fade. “Looks like Ben found me.”

“Then our time is spent,” Luna stated with a nod, then kissed the top of my head. “I love you.”

Smiling, I returned the kiss. “Love you too. See you at the alter.”

>><<>><<

Rainchaser’s POV

“For Celestia’s sake, I can’t believe this stallion...” Ben muttered to himself as he poked Skyblaze’s slumbering form again. “Skyblaze! Wake up, you lazy bum!”

I had to laugh as Ben continued jabbing the sleeping pegasus. “He’s out cold, Benny,” I told him, then glanced outside the dressing room into the cottage hallway. “Hey, do you know where the frying pans are in this place?”

“I’M AWAKE! I’M UP!” Skyblaze jolted up as soon as I uttered the name of my weapon of choice. The indigo stallion grinned innocently, trying to appear as awake as possible to avoid a terrible fate. “...I totally didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“How did you manage that, anyway?” Shining Armor asked. “You just had two cups of coffee half an hour ago.”

“One does not drink coffee as often as I do without forming a chemical addiction. If anything, it probably helped me sleep.”

“You still fell asleep on your wedding day,” I pointed out. “Isn’t that, like, bad luck for the rest of your marriage or something?” I thought about this for a few moments. “Damn, if you’re going to be married for eternity, you definitely don’t want that kinda curse.”

“You’re not helping,” Sky grumbled.

I shrugged. “Just saying.”

“Alright, that’s enough. He’s awake,” Shining Armor stated, turning to Skyblaze. “You should be getting ready. You’re getting married in an hour.”

“That’s our queue to leave, Ben,” I said to the green earth pony, turning to head out the door. “Good luck, Sky.”

Skyblaze nodded. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”

>><<>><<

Author's Notes:

Markus: Dude, we should get cover art for this thing. Why don't we have cover art?

Skyblaze: Can you draw worth a damn?

Markus: Um, no?

Skyblaze: Do you have time to learn how to draw?

Markus: No, but--

Skyblaze: Do you have the money to commission and pay for a full-color, quality cover?

Markus: ...No...

Skyblaze: Huzzah. There's your answer.

Wedding Bells Part 3: 'Till Death Do Us Part

Shift’s POV

All throughout the wedding, I was inundated with oceans of emotion. I felt almost claustrophobic, surrounded by the vibrations of excitement, nervousness, happiness, love, and even the occasional taste of irritation. There were too many ponies around and too many emotions to even pinpoint whose feelings were whose unless I was near enough.

“Shift?” Twilight said from beside me. She and I had settled into a spot on one side of the cloth in the clearing, waiting for the ceremony to start. Ben had recently emerged from the cottage with the news that Sky and Luna were almost ready. “You’re crowding me a little.”

I realized that the intensity of the emotions had caused me to shrink down and huddle against her for some security, regressing to the same shyness I once had on Earth. “Sorry...” I muttered, shuffling away from her a bit. “Just a little overwhelming for me, I guess.”

Twilight’s constant stream of love energy became laced with the undeniable taste of concern. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” she began to ask. “Would you describe it as a cramped feeling or a sensation of drowning?”

At the sudden shift from concern to curiosity, I gave her a look. “I... I don’t know, I just--” I stopped, thinking for a few moments. “Are you analyzing me?”

“Psychoanalysis is proven to help with feelings of closeness or stress,” Twilight recited.

I chuckled dryly. “You’re so adorkable.”

Her hoof struck my chitin hard enough to make me grunt. “I am not!”

“Are too,” I countered, nuzzling her neck and making a small, insectine purring noise in the back of my throat. “...and I will never let you forget it.”

I heard her sigh as her chin rested itself above my horn. “See? Don’t you feel better?”

To my realization, I found that I did indeed feel better. Twilight’s love washed over me, overpowering every other background emotion until it was just a little buzz of static on the edge of my perception. It was like she put up a shield between me and every other distraction, holding me in tendrils of the sweetest taste in existence. “Yeah...” I answered. “Yeah, I do feel better.”

“Ahem.”

Uh-oh. The barrier of love was suddenly breached by a very sharp taste of disdain and repulsion. It wasn't exactly hatred, but I was no less frightful of who had cleared their throat beside me and was broadcasting those feelings directly at me. Removing myself from under Twilight's chin, I shrank down and gave the invader a sheepish grin. "Uh, heh..." I stammered. "Hey, Shining Armor. Nice day for a wedding, huh?"

“It sure is,” the white alicorn replied, giving me a faked smile. I guessed it was more for Twilight than for me. “And how are you, Twiley?”

“Excited, for one thing,” Twilight answered, oblivious to the friction between her brother and I. “I could never have guessed I would live to see two royal weddings, much less be a distinguished guest of both. Celestia told me that there hasn’t been a marriage involving an alicorn since before Discord’s era... at least, not until yours, BBBFF.”

“To be fair, a lot has happened in the last few years that no one could have guessed would happen in their lifetimes,” Shining chuckled, then waggled one of his wings. “I think you and your friends are just fated to always be right in the middle of it.”

Twilight glanced back at her own pair of feathered limbs. “Yes, I suppose we are,” she giggled.

“Being the vessels of the most powerful artifacts in living knowledge will do that,” I pointed out.

Shining Armor opened his mouth to respond, but was silent as a hush fell over the clearing. Anticipation was suddenly dominating the air as everyone turned to the leading end of the aisle to see Princess Celestia trotting her way to the front. As she did so, we were joined by Cadance, who discretely sat herself opposite me next to Shining Armor. “Sorry,” she whispered. “It took longer than I thought to get Luna into her dress. Rarity wasn’t kidding when she said she fit it exactly to her dimensions.”

“That’s alright, Cady,” Shining replied, putting a wing around his wife. Celestia had reached her place at this point, and was waiting patiently at the end of the aisle under the large marble arch. There was a pregnant pause throughout the gathered ponies.

“It’s starting!” Twilight whispered excitedly.

I looked back at the start of the aisle, along with many others, expecting Skyblaze to follow Celestia down the cloth. But even after a few moments, there was no sign of the pegasus within the copse. It was getting to the point where ponies began to mutter among themselves. I looked around the clearing, trying to figure out what all the fuss was about, and discovered that both Rarity and Ben (sitting on the other side of the aisle near the front) were both grinning knowingly.

Before I could wonder what was so amusing to them, a rush of air blew through the space above the clearing. I looked up just in time to see Skyblaze pull into a roll, swooping down as he pulled out of it to land at the front of the clearing to Celestia’s left. The stallion gave the Princess a short bow, then stood at attention.

That was when I realized why Rarity was smiling. Skyblaze’s outfit appeared initially to be a modified version of a Royal Guard’s formal white coat with gold trimming. However, the coat cut off at Sky’s midsection and hid nothing of his quill-and-book cutie mark, had no sleeves past the first join in his forelegs, and the wing-holes were cut larger to allow full motion of the wings. It was a military uniform and a flight suit all in one. Rarity had created a suit that reflected both his love of flight and his duty to Equestria.

Suddenly, there was a series of gasps from the ponies gathered. There was an unidentifiable taste in the air, one I wasn’t entirely familiar with. I turned away from Sky back to the beginning of the aisle to see the source of the commotion.

I was stunned at what I saw.

Storm’s POV

“It’s...” Derpy, sitting in front of me, breathed in amazement. “...she’s beautiful.”

I couldn’t agree more. Princess Luna walked slowly down the cloth aisle, every eye that beheld her staring, unblinking. Without a doubt, it was one of the most breathtaking sights I’ve ever seen. Rarity had outdone herself and then some.

Luna’s wedding dress was more silver than white, much akin to moonlight. Her ebony breastplate and crown had been replaced with platinum pieces of far more intricate design; the crown resting just above her horn, settled in her flowing mane, was a single crest than arched itself between her ears, anchoring a headdress of white flowers that looped below her ears; the chestpiece was more complete, and extended down her torso in such a way that the metal curved around the base of her forelegs. From a small anchor on the chestpiece, a silver loop of chain was hung, resting just below her flanks. A long, silvery train was suspended from the chain, not concealing any part of her cutie mark. From there, the train flowed down to the cloth and back another ten feet. Every inch of it was covered in swirling designs that reminded me of Van Gogh’s Starry Nights, each swirl spiraling inward to meet at a small, glimmering, flawless diamond about the size of a button, creating the effect of a cloudy yet star-filled night sky. It captured the beauty and wonder of the night.

In short, it fit Princess Luna perfectly.

Skyblaze’s POV

I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Luna was easily the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Though each princess has insisted, on multiple occasions, that alicorns should not be considered gods or deities, my fiancé’s grace had certainly surpassed anything; mortal, immortal, or divine. It wasn’t just her dress that had me utterly dumbstruck. Sure, Rarity had done some of her best work on it, and it was beyond amazing. But I was surprised to find myself looking for beauty in other things about her.

Luna’s eyes were a shade of teal that some say look like an astral color, like raw diamond; but to me it was more like they were wavering, giving off a certain radiance that I could not describe. Her steps as she walked down the aisle were regal from practiced centuries of ruling in formal courts, yet I saw a perk in the way she lifted them. It reminded me of astronauts walking on the moon. It was in her smile that I found the most pretty: it was sincere, thoughtful, and maybe a little playful. There was a kind of... youth... about her, despite her age.

My heart fluttered as she stopped opposite me. Am I dreaming? I wondered. It all seemed too fantastical to be true. Here was this goddess of a mare, wearing a silver dress, standing next to me at the front of an aisle on our wedding day. It could only be a dream, part of me began to think. I don’t deserve this. This could never happen to me in reality. I doubt I could ever be loved by someone this amazing.

A single tear trickled down my cheek. To my surprise, Luna’s face also held a solitary drop of liquid pride. I tried to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. It has to be real, I thought to myself, smiling wider than I thought was possible. Otherwise, that tear wouldn’t feel so heavy.

I got lost in her eyes. Maybe it was my imagination, but I swear Celestia was talking just then. It was all a blur, anyway. I couldn’t recall anything around us, our surroundings dissolving until it only held myself and the mare that stood but steps before me. Personally, I found it rather fitting that she had become the center of my world, when she had been all along.

But then she gave me a look of curiosity, and began to bite her lip to hold back a giggle. The world rushed abruptly back to me and reality took hold. Blinking, I glanced around discretely. Everypony was staring at me with anticipation. It didn’t take me long to figure out that Celestia had said something to me.

Of course, any witty and intelligent pony would improvise and fall back on what they knew about matrimonial dialogue. I, unfortunately, am not one of those witty, intelligent ponies. Instead, my fall-back was the only sound that meant the same thing universally in every language, both on Earth and Terra.

“Huh?”

There was a round of restrained chuckles from the crowd as my face flushed red. Celestia’s poker face let out a small bit of frustration. “I asked if you were ready for your vows,” she repeated.

“Oh,” I said. “Yes, of course.”

“As am I,” Luna followed.

Celestia nodded, then addressed the congregation. “As a testament to their bond, they have decided to make their vows in the ancient Archaic tongue,” she stated. “The binding magical nature of Archaic prevents anypony from speaking falsely and holds them to their oaths, else their fortune be forfeit.”

Wait, what!? Since when was that a thing? You’d think Celestia would have told me about that before we decided this! Fortune be forfeit? Is that some kinda old-speak for being cur-

Hold on, why am I concerned? I wondered to myself. I wasn’t going to lie in my wedding vows anyway, and I love Luna too much to break any promises to her. With a realization, I smiled a little to myself. Besides, I already made these same promises..

“Skyblaze, you may begin,” Celestia offered.

I took in a breath, looked at the gathering of ponies, then turned back to look into Luna’s eyes. Slowly, I let my tongue speak for my thoughts as the Archaic flowed off my tongue with more ease than normal Equestrian. ”Luna, my promise to you is not as original as I would like. In fact, I would have rather made up a new one altogether. But I feel like this one really makes everything I want to say concise and clear. I don’t know if you knew, but...” I gave Celestia a glance. “...this is the same promise I gave to Celestia when she found out we were engaged.” The Solar Princess gave me a slightly raised eyebrow as Luna made a curious face. “So... Luna... I swear to always ward you from harm, to never hurt you in any way, to give all my love to you and only you, and be with you for the eons to come, until our time as immortals comes to an end.” I wiped away some of the wetness that now flowed freely from my face. My emotions seemed to think that my cheeks were simply too dry. “In addition, I would like to say... Luna, you are the only one worth spending forever with. You are worth anything and everything. I vow to be with you always, until the very end.”

Luna herself had watery eyes as well, though she was better at hiding it than me. With composure still intact, she spoke to me. “You have a very odd definition of concise,” she chuckled. I had a slight laugh myself, both at her remark and the fact that nopony else present knew what we were laughing at. “My mother- may she rest in Elysium -taught me about marriage as an alicorn, an immortal. She told me that whomever I may take as a spouse should be somepony I would be able to tolerate for hundreds of millennia. To be honest, it frightened me at first; whoever I chose would be forever bound to me, deathless and everlasting. But when we met, I found that maybe being with someone for eternity would not be so terrible if that someone loved me as much as I did them.” She paused for a moment to, very subtly, sniffle a little. “Love, perhaps, is something that will outlast even our eternal lives together, then even longer past the ending of existence. So my promise to you is this, my dearest: I will try to make forever as bearable as possible for the both of us.”

When we were done, several moments of silence passed between us. Though most couldn’t understand what we had said, many in the congregation (mostly the mares) had to dry their eyes. That was something about Archaic that always creeped me out. No matter how fluent you were in the language, the meaning within seemed to touch your feels, even if you didn’t understand why.

Observing that we had finished, Celestia simply smiled and nodded her head. “By the power invested in me by the State of Equestria and my immortal soul, I hereby pronounce Princess Luna and Prince Skyblaze Freescript...” She paused, apparently for effect. “...husband and wife.” She didn’t say anything for a few moments, and the other ponies held their breath. When it began to get a little irritating, Luna and I looked at her with a quizzical expression.

Celestia rolled her eyes and chuckled, her troll-face showing it’s ugly head. “Very well... you may kiss the bride.”

Actually, from the way I remember it, it was Luna that kissed me, catching me completely off-guard and nearly toppling me over. After a second of surprise, I realized that the pony kissing me was now my beautiful wife, and kissed her back with equal passion. The congregation erupted into applause that was a little more enthusiastic, having been held back by Celestia’s joking pause.

I smiled as Luna and I continued to kiss. Entering a similar trance as before, I forgot all my woes about my ascension. If forever meant being with her, then I don’t ever want it to end.

>><<>><<

Kind Greetings’ POV

It was unreal, almost.

Derpy had, at one point, leaned her head on my shoulder and put a wing around me. I was thankful that Skyblaze and Luna had insisted that nopony dress up at all (much to Rarity’s dismay) so that I could feel the warmth of her feathers on my coat in the chilly winter air.

Luna and Skyblaze remained under the arch, still within their first kiss as newlyweds. At some point, the proximity to the Everfree Forest had caused it to start snowing despite the lack of nearby weatherponies. The cascade of powdery flakes made for a fantastical scene, like a softer substitute for petals in the bright moonlight.

“Benny,” Derpy said suddenly from my shoulder. “Look...”

Curious, I looked back at Skyblaze and Luna, who had ceased kissing for the moment. At first, I didn’t see anything out of place. But as they started to lean in for another kiss, something caught my attention that didn’t seem quite right. Under Sky’s uniform, at about the center of his chest, there was a very slight silver glow that I wouldn’t have been able to catch if it wasn’t already night. Something similar was present under Luna’s chestpiece, but it was more of a metallic gold light. There was magic involved, but I had no idea what kind.

I muttered quietly to myself. “What in Tartarus is--?”

FWOOSH! My thought was interrupted as a flash of intense, piercing light struck my eyes, blinding me and everypony else present.

Author's Notes:

Markus: To be honest, I was putting off writing this particular part of the story, trying to stall for more between here and then. But with this chapter, after talking to a friend about it, I decided to get it done once and for all. I'm glad I did, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. It was fun to write and I couldn't stop smiling afterward.

Skyblaze: Hey, ever wonder what would have happened if Luna and I never fell in love?

Markus: Of course. There's now a whole side story about that very concept, bro! ( Brony Recon: Eyes of Chronos )

Skyblaze: Oh. When did that happen?

Markus: While writing this chapter, I enlisted a little help from a strange and mystical world, known the 1980's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUVGCGt_qnQ

Song of Ascension Part 1 (Rewritten): Weaver of Cocoons

Author's Notes:

PLEASE READ!!!

Now, now... I know what you're thinking. "But Markus, what happened to the other chapters? Why is this here? Why does it say 'rewritten' in the title?"

If you aren't thinking about that, then go back to thinking about kittens or whatever. But for the rest of you here's a short explanation for as to why the Song of Ascension arc is being rewritten the way it is. You see, I was reading back on the first drafts of the arc when I realized that I could write all of it in a much more compact form that could deliver all the information the readers need to know without the all fluff and headcanon schist.

BUT!

I'm not taking the other chapters down yet. Why? Hey, I still know you all exist, so this is how I'm showing it. After reading this chapter, I would like your input on both drafts of the arc, and which you would prefer I keep in the story. Though I put a lot of effort into both, I would like to see what you all as reader want and would like to see more of.

EDIT: BOX CLOSED. FIRST DRAFT HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN.

All that aside, please enjoy take two of Song of Ascension.

>><<>><<

Shift’s POV

It was like entering a dream.

I opened my eyes, still reeling from that weird flash of light. Expecting to still be sitting in the clearing, I was shocked to see something else entirely. It was a place like nowhere I had ever seen before on Earth or Equestria.

An endless expanse of space stretched farther than infinity, completely occupied by more stars than I had beheld. Even the flat plane on which I stood was made completely of tiny points of softly-glimmering white light. Actually, no... once I looked closer at the ground, I found that it wasn’t the stars themselves; the points of light were spaced too far apart. Instead, it was just an invisible surface that was covered in a dense cloud of stars... or whatever else these lights were.

There was something else I noticed as I was peering at my hooves. At first, I thought it was the odd lighting playing tricks on my eyes. But, when I lifted my foreleg into view, I saw that I was horribly right.

My legs were holed. Like a regular Changeling’s.

“Gah!” I shook my leg, then my head, trying to convince myself it was some kind of dream or hallucination. But no matter what I did, I came to realize that I was indeed fully awake. “What..!? What the buck happened to me!?”

“Hmph. A simple ‘thank-you’ would have sufficed,” A vibrato female voice harrumphed nearby.

With a yelp of surprise, I spun around to face the voice. Standing in the starlight next to me was the slender form of an alicorn. She had an off-black coat that was layered in regular sections and oily wings with green-tipped feathers. Her mane and tail flowed like Luna’s or Celestia’s, but were made of some kind of amorphous, fluorescent-green substance. The mark on her flank was some kind of green blob that looked very much like a butterfly. She probably had another head of height on me, but was definitely no giant. Green eyes that seemed to glow in the starlight blinked at me with an almost bored look. Black and green summed up this mare’s entire color scheme. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she looked a lot like a Chrysalis. Strangely, she didn’t broadcast any emotions... not any that I could pick up, anyway.

“But... but I...” I stammered, lifting my leg again. “You did this?”

“Did I stutter?”

“No, but...” I scraped my brain for some kind of retort. “But why!?” I finally spat angrily. “That was what set me apart from the rest of those mindless monsters! gave me emotions! It made me unique from creatures that had no diversity! It gave me an identity beyond just ‘Changeling!’ It--!”

“It was a genetic disorder that would have been the death of you in barely a year. Now stop griping and be grateful, you foolish bug,” she snapped at me. “Your empathy ‘sickness’ is another affliction entirely, and one that I would wish upon all my children. I wouldn’t take your feelings from you even if it meant your death.”

I was taken aback by her words. Genetic disorder...? I wondered to myself, staring at a hole in my hoof thoughtfully. That’s why I looked different? But... how did she know? Moreover, who IS she!?

“Besides,” continued the mysterious alicorn. “I took the liberty of giving you a more... personalized appearance, so to speak.”

Before I could ask what she meant, her horn lit up with a bright green glow. In front of me, the air shimmered and wavered uneasily, then formed into an elliptical shape, perpendicular to the ground. Its surface wobbled for a few moments before settling into a material that was perfectly reflective. A mirror.

“Whoa...” I gasped as I stared at my reflection. Of course, each leg was dotted with gaping holes that seemed to be just drilled straight through at random points, like a normal Changeling. However, much had been altered. I still had my jagged horn, but it was poking through a mane of ruffled green that hung just above my eyes, very similar to the style on my disguised form. Along with the horn were two antler-like protrusions on either side of my head. On my back, a green-teal shell was attached just below where my neck ended, though it seemed to serve little purpose, considering that my wings (now green, like many of my other features) were always exposed. Two green bands wrapped around my abdomen like some kind of belt holding the shell in place. To my amusement, I discovered a short, cropped tail that, like my mane, matched the one my disguised form had. My cutie mark, the double-swirl of white, green, and lavender stars, was unchanged.

“I assume you are pleased?” asked the alicorn, giving me a look.

I nodded. “I like it a lot, yeah, but...” I turned back to her with a befuddled look. “Why? Who are you?” I asked her, then looked back over the starry landscape. “...and where am I?”

The alicorn followed my gaze out into the expanse. “This is a projection in your mind’s eye, no more real than a dream,” she answered. “What you are seeing is a place called the Astral Sea, a realm that coincides with the physical world; one that only High Immortals may enter... without burning away, at least.” As if it were a joke between friends, the alicorn chuckled a little. “It is where those who embody the aspects of the world dwell and direct the world.”

“So this is some kinda telepathic vision you’re sending me?” I asked.

She pondered this, rubbing her chin. “Not exactly. I like to think of it as your soul and consciousness being in limbo between the Astral Sea and the world,” the alicorn stated. “This way, we can carry out what must be done without risking one of us falling into the other realm.”

“You still haven’t answered my first question,” I pointed out. “Who are you, and why am I here?”

“Ah, right, sorry... I often get distracted, as is my mindset.” the alicorn apologized, facehoofing lightly. “My name is Morpha. I am the Aspect of Change of the First Pantheon.”

I blinked curiously at the additional titles. “...Shift. I’m a Changeling.”

“I can see that,” replied Morpha sarcastically. “Though a Changeling you are, there is something special about you in particular. Something that has shaped yourself and others around you in a way that no other Changeling has.”

“Empathy sickness, right?” I guessed. “Changelings aren’t supposed to have emotions.”

“Well, yes and no,” Morpha answered, waving her hoof vaguely in a circle. “Those with empathy sickness are unique indeed from the mindless Hive drone, in that they are capable of independent thought and feeling, but what I’m referring to is something especially rare among all the races of Terra.”

Leaning over, Morpha poked my chest playfully. “You change the very hearts of ponies around you.”

Looking down, I put a hoof on the piece of chitin over my heart. It felt oddly warm, like a small ember burned within. “That’s it?” I said, a little disappointedly.

“Do not look so unimpressed, Shift,” replied Morpha, a tone of offense in her voice. “It is no small feat to change the very nature of a pony. Do you recall what happened when Twilight Sparkle’s friends discovered your true visage?”

My mind flashed back to that day: being strapped to a chair in front of Twilight, forced to reveal to the one I loved most that I was a creature of monstrosity and deceit, then feeling myself be torn apart inside when she fled. It was the worst experience of my life, and I recalled it as if it happened yesterday. “That was the day I thought I had lost her...” I told Morpha.

“True, but remember further. What about her friends?” she prompted.

Her friends...? I did remember. As soon as they found out that my feelings for Twilight were real, that I did truly love her, the taste of hatred all but vanished from them. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie all tried to reconcile for their actions (with a little yelling on Storm’s part, of course). Rarity even made me a uniform...

Suddenly, I realized what Morpha meant. Despite their hatred, Twilight’s friends immediately moved past them to help me win her back. It was as if they had completely forgotten I was a Changeling. “You mean that I changed their hearts? That’s why they forgave me so quickly?”

“They were hardly the only ones,” Morpha chuckled at my surprise. “Twilight herself, her brother, and the Aspect of Love- you know her as Cadance -were also affected by your aura. A true testament to your ability.”

This put a smile on my face; one that grew as I considered the alicorn’s words. While at first it seemed like a trivial thing, I began to value it as a gift of great significance.

“...and ability that will be tested in the days to come.”

I’msorrywaitwhat? “Excuse... me...?”

Morpha’s cheerful expression had vanished. What had replaced it was a terrifyingly serious visage, one that foretold a doom to swiftly come. “There is a darkness fast approaching, Shift,” Morpha said forebodingly. “One that cannot be fought through the Elements of Harmony alone.”

A force too powerful for the Elements of Harmony!? My mind just couldn’t conceive it. What could be so terrible that the very embodiments of Harmony are no match for it? “But what is it?” I asked, more than a little frightened.

“Something older than time itself,” she answered vaguely.

I opened my mouth to question her further, but was interrupted by a bright flash of light, similar to the one that had occurred in the clearing. When the intensity of the light faded to tolerable levels, I blinked open my eyes again. My mouth dropped open at what I saw.

In front of us, just above the sea of endless stars, floated wavering, flickering images of several familiar figures. All of them hung in the air with blank expressions and wings outstretched in broad poses. In the center of the arc, my own likeness- holding my new appearance -stood side-by-side with the mirage of Twilight. Directly left of Twilight and I was Cadance and Shining Armor, then Celestia at that end.

To our right stood Luna and... a pony that I initially identified as Skyblaze, but with several differences in his figure. For one thing, the normally diminutive stallion was now just as tall as Luna. His open wings had much more elegant feathers, each primary tipped with a fringe of teal. On his flanks, instead of a book and quill, the image of a golden feather and a teal crescent moon emblazoned either flank. From his forehead, just above the three white specks on the bride of his nose, a long, spear-like horn jutted out of his mane. It was Skyblaze... as an alicorn.

“It’s all of them...” I breathed in amazement. “Every alicorn in Canterlot Valley.” Looking back to the image of myself, I tilted my head. “...and me, for some reason.”

“No, you were partially correct,” Morpha said. “This is every High Immortal on Terra, barring Chrysalis and Discord... and including yourself.”

As her words struck home, I gasped. No way... “I’m a... but I don’t...”

“Shift the Changeling.” Morpha rested her hoof on my shoulder, gazing at me with an unreadable expression.

Suddenly, all around the two of us, the constructed world of stars began to dissolve into a swirling void of green and white, with us in the epicenter of the vortex of light and magic. My first instinct was to duck away and flee, but I found myself somehow frozen in place by the hoof on my shoulder. My eyes were locked on Morpha’s, the green orbs staring through me. Behind them, the alicorn’s pupils brightened and colored to match.

“Shift the Changeling,” she repeated, her voice echoing from everywhere, even from within myself. “I, Morpha, Aspect of Change, do as I have done since my birth, and change you. From wretched drone to Changeling Prince, mortal to High Immortal, creature formerly of Earth and presently of Terra to the very embodiment of Change itself.” I felt a jolt run through my form, stimulating every particle of my being, as the eye of the violent tempest of magic closed in. “In the eternity before you, carry out your task as you have been. May the very soul of the universe bend and twist at your will. May your power watch as all things come and go, move from place to place, shrink and grow. Take this nymph of a world and make it into something beautiful.”

Everything went black. I felt as if I was falling slowly, tumbling gracefully down to reality.

In the dark, I heard one last whisper: “Farewell, Shift, Aspect of Change.”

Song of Ascension Part 2: Mason of the Dead Forest

Skyblaze’s POV

Suddenly, I felt cold. It was the first sensation that hit me after the blinding light faded from my eyes. Second was the smell; an arid, sour odor that permeated the air around me, almost enough to choke on. It wasn’t unlike the experience of getting caught in the smoke of a campfire, yet it had more of an ashen texture.

Strangely, the next sense that returned to me was my orientation; I was lying on my side, my legs splayed out on the ground. My face was in such a position that one side was pressed into the ground, the dusty earth filtering into my nose as I breathed. Given the thickness of the dry air and the particles running down windpipe, I started to cough as I lifted my head out of the dirt. It wasn’t welcome, but it brought my remaining senses back to me as I continued to drag myself off the ground and into a shaky stand. Something on my forehead itched but I ignored it for the moment.

I looked up... and gaped. Holy schist...

One thing was for sure: I was no longer at the wedding. All around me, shooting up from the dusty ground, stood dozens of dead trees, gnarled branches stripped of any green. Every tree was bare of bark, giving them a bone-white color that, even under an overcast sky, seemed to glow with its own light. A soft breeze blew, but there was no sound; no rustle of leaves overhead, no creaking branches, no whispering noise as the air flowed around the featureless trunks. Not even the chitter of forest creatures or the song of birds could be heard to at least hint to me that something still lived in these woods.

Dead. This forest was completely dead. My lungs began to clog up with the potent air once more, making my breathing heavy. Head swimming, I stumbled over to the nearest tree and leaned against it to catch what little breath this environment allowed me. The wood was cold, like stone. Where am I? I asked myself, staring up at the twisted branches of the canopy. What is this horrible place?

I entertained the idea of flying above the trees to get a better idea of my surroundings, but a closer look at the clouds revealed that the overcast was part of a fog that extended below the trees: clear and unnoticeable in the nearby area, but further out clarity diminished to almost nothing. Flying would do me no good if I couldn’t see anywhere beyond a half-mile or so. Even if I could, the lack of breathable air would make staying aloft a hefty chore. Maybe it’s the fog that’s making it so hard to breathe? I wondered.

I can’t stay here, some part of me ushered. I need to move. But move where? There were no distinguishable landmarks that I could see from the ground, and there was certainly not a path I could follow. With no view of the sun, there was no way of telling direction or keeping myself from going in circles.

Eventually, the heavy silence of the woods was too much for me to bear standing around wondering what to do. The itch on my forehead had gotten somewhat worse. Balls to it... Taking in as deep a breath as I could without gagging, I opened my mouth. “Hello?” I tried to shout, but it came out as a strangulated croak not much louder than my breathing. It echoed slightly, as if the forest was unaccustomed to having sound within in it. “Hello?” I tried again, with very little improvement beyond starting another hacking fit.

“You will find that speaking is much easier in this tongue.”

I startled at the sudden manifestation of perfectly clear Archaic words that echoed through the trees. Whoever spoke had a deep, powerful voice, masculine of course, and was nowhere to be found in the immediate area that I could see. Heeding his advice, I spoke again in Archaic. “Greetings, watcher unknown. May I--” I was interrupted by another coughing fit, my hoarse throat getting the better of me.

“No, no...” the voice reprimanded. “You speak from your throat, youngling. Go deeper than your body; forge the words from your soul and allow them to free themselves.”

Shaking my head, I glared at the forest around me. “Is this some manner of cruel riddle?”

“Speak as if you are singing. A Song is not needed.”

With a sigh, I closed my eyes and focused inward, toward my center. Taking deep breaths, I put my spirit into the words in my head and let them flow out of my mouth. “Greetings, watcher unknown.” I was surprised to find that the resistance from my oxygen-starved lungs had gone completely. “This was unexpected.”

“Such formal language,” remarked the stony voice. “Though it is to be expected of a Bard only just beginning to learn, I suppose.”

There was a moment of silence as I paused to concentrate on breathing and trying to get oxygen to my brain so I could think more clearly. When my mind began to clear, I picked my head up to continue our dialogue, but I was stopped by a new sound entirely breaking the morbid quiet of the forest. A rhythmic thumping sound; heavy hoofsteps pounding into the dusty ground with a leisurely pace.

It was then I saw the owner of the voice. From out of the thick of the trees, a massive gray stallion advanced toward me. His stone-like coat was stretched over a body of large, blocky muscles set high upon four tall, similarly-built legs, rising to twice my miniscule height. Immense wings hung from his side and a large horn extended from beneath a messily-cropped mane of darker grey, marking him as an alicorn. The only color on the alicorn that wasn’t akin to a stone wall was in his shimmering blue eyes and cutie mark--an image of a wooden mason’s hammer and a bell that looked to be made of white granite.

What the buck is...?

“Greetings to you, Skyblaze, Bard-Prince of Equestria,” the massive alicorn said with a voice as deep and stone-like as his body. He approached, looking down at me with a friendly expression. “I am Prometheus the Terfaust oud Terrus.”

As the unfamiliar Archaic words passed my ears, I tilted my head at him. “‘Terfaust oud Terrus?’”

“The ‘World Mason,’ in this tongue,” he answered in Equish, his voice suddenly raspy as he was forced to speak through the heavy air. Prometheus coughed, the thickness entering his lungs. “I apologize for the atmosphere. Even the air about this place withers of life.”

“Yes, regarding that...” I looked around the dead forest. “What is this place? For what reason am I present? And by what means have I been brought?”

“This place...” Prometheus waved a hoof, indicating the trees and earth. “...is a small piece of reality that exists outside the world proper. What you see is my attempt to recreate an echo of the woods I once played in as a colt, eons ago. But as it does not exist within acceptable bounds of the universe, existential instability caused it to decay until nothing remained but the skeletons of trees and the ashes of foliage upon which we stand.”

For a moment, I thought I could see what the dead forest would look like in life: a lush canopy filtering streams of sunlight down into the flowering underbrush, with the chirping of unseen birds in the air. When the vision passed, I almost broke into tears at the shocking contrast. I turned back to Prometheus, who nodded as if he knew what I’d seen. How long has he been here in this horrible place?

“As for your being here, you are actually not,” the grey alicorn continued enigmatically. “I have conjured your essence and awareness, much like astral projection. Your body is back in the clearing, where it is undergoing the process of being burned away by the piece of Lady Luna’s immortal Heart.”

“WHAT!?” I exclaimed, forgetting to use Archaic. Oxygen-poor air burned through my lungs, sending me into a bout of hacking and wheezing. After the heaviness passed, I looked back at Prometheus. “So I am dying!? Why would I be dying!?!”

“Calm yourself, Sir Freescript, you are not in any immediate danger,” replied Prometheus, making a vague gesture with his hoof. “Your body was doomed inevitably, as ascension is not a gentle process. You are lucky your awareness is here, else you would feel a most horrible pain.”

“...so am I dying, or am I not?” I asked, still a little fearful for my life.

Prometheus shook his head. “You are simply going through the process of becoming a High Immortal: an alicorn,” he consoled. “A physical form is recreated when the process is complete, oftentimes altered from the experience.

“You see, to ascension can happen one of many ways, all of which you have personally witnessed to some extent. The first examples, Celestia and Luna, were born to alicorns, meaning their souls already contained an Aspect that gave them power over their respective parts of the world--Day and Night--and ascended when their Hearts grew to become an immortal essence. Alicorns like Twilight, Cadance, and myself gained their Aspect upon exemplifying what their Aspect represents, and their Hearts followed suit so they could become High Immortals. Finally, in the cases of Shining Armor and you, their Hearts are bound to the Heart of another High Immortal, imbuing them with the eternal life of an alicorn. It is in this last case that something unique occurs: they are either given an Aspect they most closely epitomize or a new Aspect is created if they do not resemble an existing one closely enough. This may even cause their cutie mark to change to better fit their Aspect.” After his long-winded explanation, Prometheus let out a heavy breath. Even without using his lungs to speak, the decayed air still wore on his body.

“Oh,” was all I could say to the speech. It all made sense, based on what Luna had told me of her knowledge of alicorns. A moment passed, then the alicorn looked at me quizzically. “I suppose my only inquiry remaining is...” I stated. “...what Aspect may be bestowed upon me?”

Prometheus hummed and nodded, probably expecting this question. “Only twice before has a Bard ascended to become an alicorn, Skyblaze Freescript,” he informed, peering down at me with his shimmering blue gaze. “Both have carried the same Aspect. As such, it is appropriate you be given the same courtesy.”

“Which is that? Perhaps the Aspect of Music or Song?” I wagered.

“No, no...” Prometheus shook his head, looking almost somber. “One day, Bard-Prince, you will determine the true nature behind the Songs and Tunes; what really fuels their power. But for now...” Stepping toward me, the alicorn bowed. Despite this, he still had a decent amount of height over me, but the submissive action made me uncomfortable nevertheless. “The Aspect you will be given... is mine.”

“Y...yours?” I stuttered, tilting my head. “Which is what, exactly?”

Prometheus rose from his bow. “With time, you will learn. It is better that you discover your Aspect on your own accord.”

“But what is the harm in knowing?” I asked, a little miffed at the secrecy. “Surely there is no reason for my being here if you weren’t going to--”

“NO! I will not allow you to make my mistakes! Still I regret knowing the nature of my power before I was prepared!” the alicorn bellowed suddenly in the Empowered Voice, the echo reverberating through the forest for a long while before fading. He let out a sigh, looking strained because of it. “I brought you here so that, when you do realize your potential, you would think of me, and remind yourself of the fate that same power brought me...”

As the initial startle the Empowered Voice gave me started to wane, I looked again at Prometheus and the surroundings, smelled the air of death and decay. Ashes beneath my hooves now felt coarse and cold. “I am...” I began, gulping down a snag in my throat. “I am wary already of the power I would receive simply as an immortal and Prince. Now... I am frightened.”

“Good,” Prometheus said bluntly. “You should. I wish you could have been spared the sufferance.” He gazed off into the dead forest for a moment contemplatively. “But I fear certain circumstances force my hoof. My Aspect will be needed, for the world’s sake.”

I blinked at this new piece of info. “Needed?”

“I’m afraid our time is spent; I can only suspend an instant for so long,” the alicorn suddenly said.

Before I could react, the tip of his horn flashed a blinding sapphire light at me. Dazzled, I flinched back, but found no purchase. I felt like I was falling, tumbling into an abyss. When the haze of blindness lifted, I found nothing but darkness around me; an infinite void.

“Remember, Prince Skyblaze,” Prometheus’ voice thundered from the dark. “Even in the darkest corners of the universe, there can be light.”

Author's Notes:

*spinning around in a swivel chair*

BALLS TO YOU, HIATUS! I DO WHAT I WANT!

Song of Ascension Part 3: New Digs

Shift’s POV

When I returned to the conscious world, the flare of light from Luna and Skyblaze was still fading, blinding me a little with the contrast of the darkness I had fallen through only an instant before. Though it seemed like I had been gone for no time at all, it was certainly enough time for my physical body to become what I had seen in Morpha’s mirror, judging from the heavier weight of my new shell on my back and the lighter weight of my holed legs as I held them up against the blinding radiance. ...to little effect, due to the holes. I guess that’s one drawback to that...

As soon as the light had come, it dissipated, dimming to nothingness in less than a second. Yet, in its place, there was another glow from Skyblaze himself. Or, at least, where he had been standing. In his place was a swirling orb of shimmering golden energy, flowing like water over a vaguely pony-like shape. It shocked me at first, but then I realized that it was similar to the green vortex that surrounded Morpha and I during my own ascension.

“What in Celestia’s name...?” Twilight breathed in amazement, her emotions similarly betraying her awe and curiosity. The same feeling seemed to be repeating throughout the clearing by all present.

Slowly, the swirling magic began to slow and deteriorate, gradually uncovering the pony beneath. When the last of the golden tendrils finished their circling, they drifted off above the snowy clearing and faded into the night, revealing Skyblaze once more.

I wasn’t surprised to find a vastly different pony than the familiar pegasus I knew. Just like Morpha’s apparition of Skyblaze, he was just as tall as Luna with large, elegant wings, a spiralling horn, and a completely different cutie mark. Much to my interest, his formal coat had also grown to fit his new form, which was a good thing I suppose; anything smaller would have the collar choking him. The indigo alicorn looked very perplexed and strangely disoriented, as if he expected something different... or perhaps he was called away to a meeting like my own, with an elder Aspect, and was surprised to find himself back at the wedding.

I wonder what his Aspect is, I pondered. Maybe something to do with his Bard thing? Or writing, based on the cutie mark. Aspect of Scribing sounds pretty dull, though.

Silence hung over the clearing. All eyes in that moment were fixed upon Skyblaze’s new form. Emotions swirling in the air were heavy with wonder, confusion, and one little sprinkle of relief from Rarity’s direction (likely because the coat hadn’t been destroyed or torn). For several seconds, nopony said a thing, the light wind above the canopy being the only sound in the wood.

Finally Luna broke the quiet. “How do you feel?”

Skyblaze looked down at himself for a moment to take in his new form, then looked back at Luna’s eyes. He looked surprised that they were level with his own. “...taller,” he stated simply.

Princess Luna rolled her eyes and smiled. “Then maybe we should try this again,” she chuckled, then leaned forward to bring Skyblaze into another kiss. This time, uninterrupted by the flash of light that had begun the ascension, they were allowed to carry it on to be the romantic moment between newlyweds it was supposed to be. It took the gathered ponies a few moments of hesitation to overcome their shock and applaud once more.

“Shift?”

I turned to Twilight, still stamping my hooves on the ground in congratulations of the union. To my surprise, her head was tilted at me and wore a curiously confused look. “What happened to you?” she asked. “Why do you look like that?”

...oh... “It’s... uh... I can explain.”

“Better start now, bug,” Shining Armor’s voice threatened.

Well, crap.

>><<>><<

Skyblaze’s POV

If I’m anypony to judge, the transition from scrawny pegasus to alicorn was not a smooth process. I mean, sure, the actual transformation wasn’t too unpleasant--I was numb the whole time my mortal body was being incinerated, and for half a second, I had the experience of lacking a physical body before my new form was incarnated in its place. But from there on, it felt like I was wearing a misfit shell, with a completely new center of balance and body proportions. In my chest was an uncomfortable feeling of something having been crammed into a nonexistent cavity, just alongside my heart.

But the differences and incommodities didn’t stop there. Even picking up my legs to walk back down the aisle with Luna was awkward, some new strength within me making each limb almost weightless, to the point where I had to be careful not to lift my hooves too quickly. Conversely, my skull felt front-heavy, my lengthy horn being a few ounces extra that I was very unaccustomed to having, even with my newfound strength. Only my wings, though they had grow both in size and volume, felt remotely familiar, the pegasus appendages giving me comfort apart from the earth pony and unicorn traits of alicornhood.

Yet there was one difference in my new body that I could not explain; the strangest aspect yet of my transformation. For some reason, I had a very powerful craving for sweets. My mind kept straying away from the wedding and the other changes I had gone through toward sugary treats like cookies, ice cream, pie, and... cake... especially cake. Oh, how I wanted cake! Just the idea of cake made my mouth water more than I thought possible.

Sweet... sugary... moist... delicious... I licked my lips hungrily. ...Cake...

“Sky, love? Are you alright?”

“Caaaake...” I drawled dreamily. Instantly, but too late, I came to my senses, realizing I had just spoke my hungry thoughts aloud. With a blush on my face, I shook my head to clear out the offending sugary images and turned to Luna. “Sorry, I... I was...” I stammered, looking down at a platter full of fruit slices and grilled potatoes. “I have the weirdest craving for--”

“Carbohydrates and sugars?” Luna interrupted giving me a knowing smile, prodding at the mixed-veggie stir-fry on her plate. Because we had too many ponies to fit in the cottage’s dining room, the wedding feast had been laid out on a long banquet table on the porch. It was agreeably better this way, if only because Luna’s moon shone bright that night to match her euphoric attitude. Our selection of food was much like our wedding: informal and nothing too fancy apart from the top-class champagne. There was fruit salad, potato dishes, rolls, vegetables of all kinds, and large variety of apple-themed dishes courtesy of Applejack. In the middle of it all, placed teasingly in front of my face, was a seven-layered, frosting-coated, intricately-decorated cake. It took a lot of willpower to hold myself back from devouring it outright. Luna flicked her gaze toward it as well. “Yes, you would.”

“Huh?” I asked, confused. “Why?”

My beloved laughed, leaning against me. “Have you ever wondered why Celestia and I have an infamous sweet tooth?”

“You do have a thing for donuts,” I chuckled, earning me a playful shove from her. “What? Name one time you didn’t have at least one donut on our coffee-dates.”

“Fine, then,” Luna harumphed, unable to deny the claim. “But on the point of sugar cravings, it is because sugars help alicorns metabolize the variety of pony magics flowing through our bodies. Ponies normally only have one kind of magic, so we need a heavy sweets diet to ensure a healthy balance of all six.”

Glancing over at Twilight, Shining, and Cadance--other alicorns with less discipline than Luna and Celestia--I could see them eyeing the sugary tower as well. It would be a long meal for the younger alicorns.

As I resisted staring at the cake, something Luna said caught up to me. “Wait... six?” I asked, confused. “You mean three?”

Luna smiled and shook her head. “I count the three races you know of here in Equestria proper, a magic from a certain kind of earth pony that had existed some years ago to the north, our own inert alicorn magic, and then...” Pausing, she looked at me with a somewhat-shocked face. “Have we never talked about the Atlantean Empire?”

I stared at my bride uncomprehendingly. “...the what now?”

“Oh my...” frowned Luna. “We’ll need to rectify that oversight, especially given you’re now Prince.”

Letting out a groan, I lowered my head, lifting a scoop of diced tropical fruit into my mouth to wet my dry throat with. “Yeah, don’t remind me,” I said after a swallow.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” she told me, rubbing my shoulder with a silver-shoed hoof. “Be mirthful, at least for tonight. It’s our wedding reception, after all. You should not be so glum.”

She was right, as usual. It wasn’t the time to get worked up over stuff like that. That would come later, sure, but I hadn’t been given a crown yet. For tonight, I would enjoy the company of my wife and friends. Now was the time for merrymaking, feasting, and... sweet... delicious... caaaake...

“Love, you’re drooling again.”

>><<>><<

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The clatter of silverware against fine crystal rang out in the night. While a good deal of the feast remained, the many ponies at the table were sat back in their seats, patting their full stomachs with looks of contentment--with the exception of Shift, who laid his head against Twilight’s shoulder to feed in his own way. Much to my annoyance, the only item that remained pristine was the alabaster pillar of sugar and frosting in front of me. Even stuffed to the brim (an impressive feat given how hungry my transformation had left me), I found myself licking my lips in anticipation at devouring it.

However, Equestrian wedding traditions cursed me again, as I was forced to wait until the Best Mare and the Groomscolt had made their speeches. Ben, my Groomscolt, stood from his seat next to me and cleared his throat. What little conversation there was died down, the circle of ponies waiting for Ben to start.

“I wish I could say the task of summing Skyblaze up in a few sentences was a difficult one... but let’s be honest, he’s only seventeen,” he began, causing a rumble of chuckles. “At his base, Sky is your typical pegasus: he’s got a love of the sky, he’s hot-headed, flashy, has a need for speed, is absolutely distracted, and has made cleaning his wings almost masturbatory.” I felt a blush form on my face as another chorus of laughing rang out.

“But to know Skyblaze Freescript as his friends do, you have to look beyond this surface. He is a philosopher; he thinks deeply--often too deep--about menial things. He is a dreamer; he likes to think and write about fantasy worlds and grand adventures, and sing songs of rebellion, freedom, and love. He is a lover: his favorite genre is tragic romance, believe it or not; and he holds love as the most powerful, most valuable thing in existence. Is he a romantic in believing this? I thought so. But then again, was it not love and friendship that freed Luna from Nightmare Moon and turned the Spirit of Chaos into stone?” Ben took a moment to nod respectfully to the Elements of Harmony. “When I met Skyblaze, I saw in him a pony with no other want than to be humbly content. He wanted no fame or fortune and he feared having responsibility and power above all else... barring bananas. To Princess Luna, I say that you must certainly be insane or desperate to marry him. But, given his fears and attitude toward politicians and gods, something in you aside from your regality and divinity has ensnared his heart, and so I must label you both equally disturbed.” Taking a pause, Ben lifted his glass. “To wrap up, I would like to be the first to toast what will surely be a long and prosperous reign of the Triarchy of Equestria. To the High Princesses and Prince.”

When the table echoed the toast and the sound of clinking glasses clamoured and died away, Ben sat down, satisfied with his speech. In turn, Celestia stood, her grandiose height towering over the rest of the attendees. Her face was soft, yet serious.

“I feel any iteration on my part about my sister would be repetitive, so I will be keeping this as brief as a few thousand years can be,” the Solar Princess began, following Ben’s lead in using humor and an allusion to age to start. “Luna, I find, is a very curious pony in her own right. She is very much a dreamer, yet she is unable to dream herself. She is loud and boisterous in manner, action, and heart, yet has an appreciation for more small, more subtle things. She admits to having little talent for the arts, and yet her night sky remains the greatest work of imagery, wonder, magic, and lore in Equestria’s history, far greater than my paltry attempts at recreating it.”

Celestia turned her gaze upward at the light of the full moon. “When my sister was returned to me, after a thousand years apart, I felt a great joy. Not just for myself; for Equestria as well... Luna is, as expected, is my contrast, no further analogy needed. Many ponies considered my monarchical reign to be the golden age for this nation, but this is in comparison to the tumultuous years leading up to and including the War of Sun and Moon. They forget that, under the Diarchy, Equestria had centuries of splendor and power, in greater amounts than today. This was the result of having two rulers that were so different, so polarly opposite, that our compromises were always the better for our subjects. I was very traditional, very reserved, and so Luna’s progressive and outward views were necessary to open my eyes to new ideas and keep the progress of a thriving country moving forward. Without her, our people would have been kept in the dark of the old ways. With her, I believe that the golden age will come again.” Taking a moment’s pause, Celestia gave a small chuckle. “That is, if this series of new Princes and Princesses does not interfere too much. But, I digress...” I couldn’t really tell why, but I felt as if Celestia was speaking directly at me. There was no legible disdain in her voice, yet it was almost like she gave me a cold glare.

“Luna, I cannot give to you my congratulations on your marriage.” A small gasp went through the table. Celestia continued unabated, with a light chuckle. “After all, I’ve only just got you back from the moon, and now I must give you away, after so little time together... and that little spent busying ourselves with matters of the state and your reintegration into society.” For a moment, Celestia regarded her sister with a studious, yet familiar gaze. “On that line of thinking, maybe this is part of your introduction to the modern world; finding love, companionship, a friend. And this is the reason that I give you my most sincere congratulations.

“Now, before I put anypony else to sleep with my rambling-ons, I will conclude with an irrelevant fact,” Celestia said, a sly smile crossing her face. “After some observation, there are a few individuals who physically depend on sugars to keep their magic regulated, and I believe it would be best for all if their drooling could end.” Instantly, Shining Armor, Twilight, and myself sat straight up, conscious that we had indeed begun salivate heavily in the presence of the tower of fatty sugars. “Prince Freescript, Princess Luna, you may finally cut the cake.”

Aside from what I’ve seen Pinkie accomplish with her elastic maw, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much cake devoured so quickly. Nothing else, from that day on, could compare to the sweet, moist, fluffy goodness of me and Luna’s wedding cake.

>><<>><<

I vaguely recall the rest of that the night. Upon the swift demise of the cake, Storm put a vinyl record on an old player, and the table was levitated off to one side to turn the porch into a make-do dancefloor. All the songs on the vinyl were slow, but melodic dances performed by a small symphony orchestra with a fitting percussion beat. I’m a little embarrassed that I can’t remember the name of the song to which Luna and I danced our first dance, but it was something with a flute melody that reminded me of Irish music back home.

Only a few songs in, even Pinkie was yawning, the feast in everypony’s bellies making them lethargic and sleepy, and the small hours of morning weren’t helping. Eventually, ponies said their goodnights and congratulations one-by-one, and stepped into the cottage to get some sleep. About an hour before sunrise, only Celestia, Luna, and I remained on the porch.

As if on queue, a pair of Lunar Guards pulled up to the balcony pulling Luna’s personal carriage. There were no words spoken between Luna and Celestia... just a loving hug and a short, smiling look between them that I couldn’t read. Then Luna boarded the carriage and Celestia turned to me. “Well?” she asked.

I frowned at the question. “Well... what?”

Celestia smiled. “No hug for your sister-in-law?”

This caught me a little by surprise. I eyed the taller alicorn suspiciously. “Since when are you the hugging type? Or the technically-familial type?” I questioned. “...and I still think something in your speech was directed at me. The part about interfering.”

“Perhaps,” Celestia hummed to me in a tone of appeasement. “Or perhaps, as Sir Kind Greetings pointed out, you are reading too much into it.” Keeping her stalwart smile, she looked East, toward Canterlot, as if she saw the city through the wall of mountains. “But I stand by it. I cannot trust you with rule of our nation when you are barely a year into maturity, and are still learning our customs, history, and laws. Luna and Ben have taught you only the tip of the iceberg, and they can only teach you so much. The rest will come with experience, and it will likely be decades before I feel comfortable and trusting enough to allow you full rule.”

I felt, with my fear of not being ready or able to accept a position of high authority, that I should have thanked Celestia for this, for easing me into the task over several dozen years. But again, there was something about the way she said it that told me there was more to it than that. To me, there was almost an emphasis on the issue of trust. Maybe Ben was right... I thought to myself, trying to stem my worries. Maybe I’m thinking too deep into a menial thing.

“If that’s what you want—you are the Princess, after all,” I said, deciding on an obedient stance.

“I’m glad we could come to an understanding, Skyblaze,” stated Celestia cheerfully. We came together for a decidedly awkward hug, then I stepped up to the carriage. Celestia waved at us. “Fare thee well, and I wish you and your stamina the best of luck.”

I smiled back at her. “Thanks!” I said, giving the alabaster mare a small wave with my wing before ducking into the carriage with Luna.

Immediately, I found myself in a tender kiss with the love of my life. It may have been my imagination or some static from my coat, but I swear there was a small jolt that ran down my spine when our lips connected. After a minute or so (I wasn’t keeping track), we broke away and stared into each other’s eyes for even longer. I nearly laughed at how sleepy her face looked, though mine likely looked similar.

It was then that Celestia’s farewell words caught up with me. I scrunched up my face in confusion. “Why did Celestia wish good luck to...” Puzzled, I scratched my chin. “...my stamina?”

Luna suddenly snorted and laughed uncontrollably for some minutes. “Do you even remember where we’re going, dear?”

“Maybe?” I looked around at the carriage, and then outside. “Wait, where ARE we going?”

Luna snickered again. “A secret cavern enclave reserved for use by only Celestia and I for retreats and vacations, called Elysium Sanctuary. It’s hidden behind a waterfall, and the floor is covered in a bed of dry, plush moss. There’s a volcanic mineral spring that is always comfortably hot, and the soothing steam fills the cavern. In the back is a small cavity behind a curtain of flowering vines, where the moss is softer than almost any pillow.” She let out a dreamy sigh. As the image of this mystical place filled my head, I did the same. Snuggling closer to me and nestling her head beneath mine, Luna continued in a mumble. “The perfect place to honeymoon and consummate our marriage.”

I blinked twice, registering what I heard for a moment. “...consumwhatnow?”

“I wish you and your stamina the best of luck,” Celestia’s words echoed in my head. I looked down at the now-sleeping form of my wife, a small smile of innocence on her face. ...This day is going to be perfect.

Author's Notes:

I'm still alive, guys. Hi.