“S-Sabrina,” Nick stammered as he saw his former lover standing before him. “Is that really you?”
“Of course it’s me, silly,” she smiled.
Nick took in her features. It looked like it was Sabrina, the only noticeable difference was that her eyes glowed green. He went to try and hug her only to realize he was still in his wolf form. Sabrina laughed at the frustration on his face.
“Here,” she giggled, walking over to him, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around him. Pulling away she added, “You look good as a wolf you know.”
“Thanks,” Nick smiled, “I really missed you.”
“I know,” Sabrina replied, her face becoming a bit more serious. “Which is why I’m here. The Tree of Harmony filled me in on what your situation was, and asked me to help you. You need to move on and find love again. We both know that you’re time is short, which is why you should say yes to the girls’ offer.”
“I know, but how could I put Twilight and Luna through so much pain. I remember losing you, and I still never completely got over it. At least I had some say in the matter, those two won’t have any choice. My fate is decided.”
“I know that you don’t want to hurt them, but look at it this way. You are sacrificing everything for these ponies. Using them for love is the least they could do to repay you. After all you deserve it,” Sabrina replied, her eyes flickering at the word love.
That caught Nick off-guard. “Using them for love? What are you talking about Sabrina? I don’t deserve anything. This was my choice, I wasn’t forced to sacrifice myself to save them.” He paused, and inspected the girl in front of him again. “The Sabrina I knew would never say such a thing like that.”
“Of course Nick,” Sabrina quickly recovered. “That is something I would never say. It’s just that when I found out what had happened to you, I was overcome with worry. I mean you made a very brash decision to help some world that abducted you. Why did you even say yes?”
There was wisdom in her words. Why did he accept the task of ridding Equestria of the darkness? Was it because he had reached a point in his life that he wanted drastic change, or that he wanted to feel important? Maybe subconsciously he wanted to make amends the death of Alex. Nick never really thought about it, just that he had accepted this request. He had been in Equestria long enough that he considered it a second home. As he moved forward with his training and met various ponies, Nick found his reason to help them out. He was apparently the only one that could help them, and it would be selfish to turn his back on them.
“You don’t have to answer that,” Sabrina sighed, looking endearingly at him. “I just want you to be happy in your final moments. The love you have for Twilight and Luna is just as strong as the love we had, if not stronger. I’m sure the love that you all share will give you unfounded strength to overcome the darkness.” After she finished, Sabrina’s form started to fade.
“Looks like my time here is coming to an end. Just think about the happiness gained from saying yes,” she smiled, waving goodbye as she finally disappeared.
If it had really been Sabrina, Nick would have rushed after her illusion. However he had come to the conclusion this was his conscious trying to help him decide what to do. He sat there, pondering on what to do. After a few minutes of weighing the consequences, he had made his decision. Exhausted from all that had transpired tonight, Nick just wanted to sleep and not think anymore. His eyelids growing heavier, Nick circled 3 times before lying down, sighing as blissful sleep overtook him.
Twilight had asked Luna to stay in her dream when they arrived. She wanted to get to know her potential marefriend better. As they talked, Twilight got more and more confident that she could love Luna just as much as she loved Nick. Still, she worried that Nick would say no. He had admitted he loved both of them, but still was hesitant on acting on his feelings. What else was he hiding from them? Luna quickly picked up on her anxiety and asked what was wrong.
“What if Nick says no?” Twilight said. “It would make teaching him awkward, especially knowing that he feels the same for us and -” Luna gently cut her off before she got too caught up in her worries.
“Well, he’d better have a good reason to say no,” Luna smiled. “There are many good reasons to say yes. We all care deeply for each other, and want to be more involved with each other. He’s been hurt in the past and we would be there for him, to let him know that everything is alright. We shouldn’t worry about it too much Twilight, everything will work out. If he does say no, then I guess we will have to respect his decision and move on. Also just because he says no doesn’t mean we can’t be close friends.”
“I guess you’re right,” Twilight nodded. “Thank you Luna, I feel better now.”
“I’m glad I could help, after all that will be my responsibility when we do form our herd,” she winked, causing Twilight to smile. “Now I’d better hurry along, lest Tia scold me for shirking my duties.”
“Goodnight Luna,” Twilight said, hugging the older mare, which Luna gladly reciprocated.
“Goodnight Twilight, I’ll see you tomorrow night, hopefully with Nick,” Luna said and teleported out of her dream.
For the rest of the night, Twilight had sweet dreams of being with her herd. Being sandwiched in between Luna and Nick, she felt safe, comfortable and above all, loved. Her dreams were short lived, as the rays from Celestia’s sun trickled into her room. Stretching out the soreness in her limbs, she proceeded to make breakfast and wake up Starlight. However, realizing that she hadn’t really prepared a lesson for her student and wanted to spend the day with Nick, Twilight decided to let her pupil sleep in.
Upon entering the kitchen, she decided to have some cereal, since it was quick and easy to make. The reason for such a light breakfast was that she wanted to be at the hospital when Nick was released and spend the rest of the day with him. Even if he said no to the herd, she still wanted to be with him to make sure he was really alright. As she munched on her rolled oats, Twilight tried to prepare for Nick’s response. Would she have to ask him what he thought, or did that sound desperate? Maybe he would save her the agony and tell her right away.
She stopped herself before she could start getting frantic about the whole thing. It was like Luna said, ‘Don’t worry too much about it. What happens will happen.’ Now that Twilight thought about it, she should have befriended Luna sooner. There wasn’t much anxiety around her unlike Princess Celestia, not because she was less important, but because she didn’t know her that well. Also, the relationship she had with Princess Celestia was more formal than her relationship with Luna. Princess Celestia had been her teacher, mentor and second mother, while Luna had been a fellow princess. That’s probably why her advice was easier to take, Luna didn’t know Twilight that well either but was willing to help calm her down.
Tilting the bowl to get the last drops of milk, Twilight hovered it over to the sink and returned to her room to make herself presentable. As she was combing her hair, the thought of prettying up to help convince Nick crossed her mind. She shook her head.
Nick loves you the way you look Twilight. When he met you, you didn’t do anything special. Everyday you trained, you didn’t bother dressing up, in fact, by the time we finished usually we both were a mess. No extra accessories or make up needed. Although, some more brushing won’t be changing too much.
Satisfied with the way she looked, Twilight jotted down a note letting Starlight and Spike where she would be and headed out of the castle.
Once outside, she was greeted with a beautiful sunrise, hopefully a good omen of how today would go. Watching the sun slowly rise into the sky, Twilight wished that she had slowed down more often to enjoy such a spectacle. When the sun finally lifted off the horizon, Twilight was able to see that another beautiful day awaited her. The morning air was clean and crisp and there was a slight breeze flowing through her mane, however not strong enough to ruin the extra brushing she did. Cotton clouds generously dotted the sky, and she could hear the town starting to come to life.
As Twilight entered Ponyville she got the usual greeting. Ponies she had become friends with, treated her like she was superior to themselves. At first she accepted the change, but now it was kind of getting old. Just because she had become a princess, didn’t mean she wanted to be treated like one. She was still the bookworm that arrived in Ponyville a couple of years ago. At least her friends had understood she was still Twi, and didn’t change the way they acted around her. However Twilight realized it had been a while since she took a trip into town, she had been busy teaching Nick, and not all of Starlight’s lessons were in town.
A few minutes later and she had arrived outside the hospital. Taking a deep breath, she headed through the double doors and walked up to the receptionist desk. Nurse Redheart smiled as she saw the lavender mare walk in.
“Good morning Princess Twilight,” she warmly greeted. “I suppose you are here to check up on Nick?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, I wanted to be here when he woke up.”
“Ah, I see,” Redheart replied, looking at a clipboard that Twilight assumed was Nick’s medical records. “Well you’re in luck. Our wolf patient is still asleep, which was well earned. He had quite a rough night last night.”
“A rough night?” Twilight asked, dread filling her throat. “I thought he had recovered?”
“Yes he did, your highness,” Redheart quickly explained, catching onto Twilight’s worry. “It’s just that around midnight, his whole body started to tremble and a green aura surrounded him. He kept muttering ‘Sabrina’, which is the strangest name I heard. His little episode didn’t last long and in a few minutes he was back asleep. Of course we checked his vitals and there were no abnormal readings. We took a MRI (magical resonance image) but the source of the glow was from his own magic. There have been no medical records of anypony glowing while unconscious, but then again he is a wolf so I’m not sure how anatomy might’ve played a role. I can take you to his room if you want.”
“I would appreciate that Nurse Redheart,” Twilight let out a sigh of relief, although she wondered why did Nick have such an outburst. Maybe the idea of forming a herd caused it, or him reminiscing about his first love. Maybe Nurse Redheart had a point. Nick was a human, who apparently had never been exposed to magic before. Maybe the stress of using something he didn’t know existed was straining his body. They would need to take a break from their lessons if that was the case, although she knew he would insist he was fine.
“Alright, if you’ll follow me,” Redheart smiled and lead them down one of the wings. A few minutes later and they were in front of Nick’s room. Nurse Redheart opened the door and they stepped inside. As Redheart had said, Nick was resting peacefully on his cot, his chest slowly rising and falling. The heart monitor filled the silence, its constant beeping oddly soothing. Twilight smiled as she watched Nick sleep, making cute whining noises and the occasional flick of the ear or leg twitch. Seeing as this was her time to leave, Nurse Redheart excused herself and let Twilight know that an aid would be by around 10 to deliver Nick’s breakfast. She also added that whenever Nick was ready to go, she could sign him out at the front desk.
Thanking her, Twilight pulled up a chair next to Nick’s bed and sat down, inspecting Nick. The first thing she noticed was that his bandages were completely removed. Carefully pushing back Nick’s fur, there was no sign of any scarring. What he had said about gaining the timberwolves’ powers was not exaggerated. Still, although physically he was alright, she couldn’t help but worry about his mental health. The things she saw last night were traumatic and life changing, yet Nick never mentioned getting any treatment or help. Normally ponies that had suffered such tragic events never fully recovered, yet Nick never let on, at least to her, that he had experienced such pain.
Nick’s murmuring roused Twilight from her thoughts. After a loud yawn and stretching of his forelegs, she felt his gaze fall upon her.
“T-twilght?” he managed to get out before another yawn took control. “What are you doing here? Wait, I must still be dreaming.”
Twilight shook her head. “No this isn’t a dream. I’m really here and you’re awake. I wanted to be here when you woke up.”
“I see,” Nick mused. “What time is it?”
“9:30. Nurse Redheart said that an aid would be by with breakfast at 10.”
“I’m guessing I can’t go and head to Sweet Apple Acre’s since you’re here,” Nick suggested, seeing Twilight’s face turn to a frown.
“Nick. You just suffered a collapse, had to relive only most ponies’ worst nightmares, didn’t sleep well last night and you want to go to work?! Which reminds me, what did you dream about after Luna and I left? Nurse Redheart said you started to glow and mutter Sabrina’s name.”
What is with these ponies finding out stuff I don’t want them to know? I obviously can’t say that that didn’t happen. But I also don’t want to tell her about my ‘meeting’ with Sabrina either. Something was off about that encounter and telling Twilight would only make her worry more. I hate to keep lying to her, but it’s too protect her.
“Well I did dream about Sabrina after you two left,” he admitted. “It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t say it was the best feeling either. It was kind of neutral. It did help me make my decision considering this herd thing.”
“And that decision would be?” Twilight asked, Nick’s ploy completely working in distracting her.
“Discussed when you, Luna and I are all together. It wouldn’t be fair for you to know when she’s probably eagerly waiting as well. And before you get any ideas, we’re not waking her up just to find out. I’m sure after you two saw my past, you would need more time to recover.”
“Well I had Luna to help me understand and accept what we witnessed. You, on the other hoof, had to keep those memories welled up for so long. It should be us that are more concerned about you. Even if you don’t want to be in a herd with us, at least let us help ease your burden of such sorrowful memories.”
“Alright,” Nick smiled, glad that Twilight and Luna cared for him so much that they were willing to face his past with him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Twilight, I would like to wash up before breakfast is served.”
“O-oh, sure,” Twilight blushed, getting up out of the chair. “You don’t mind if I wait in here though right?”
“Well I guess that’s fine,” Nick replied, removing the heart rate cuff, getting out of his cot and stretching his limbs. At least the timberwolves’ magic had worked quickly, as he wasn’t sore anymore. “It’ll only take me a few minutes.”
Nick closed the bathroom door behind him and turned on the hot water. Locating a towel to use right after he finished, he hopped into the shower and began scrubbing. The warm water mixed with the rough loofah melted all the tension in his body. Soon he forgot that Twilight was just outside and started humming a tune, getting lost in his brushing. As his voice reached Twilight’s ears, she couldn’t help but smile. Nick was in a good mood, which could possibly mean that he decided that he would say yes. His humming was contagious and soon she found herself humming along.
Nick heard Twilight’s humming and smiled. He had just finished scrubbing and was now rinsing off. Although it was odd for him to be showering with her right outside the room, that was easily overlooked. Since he had spent almost two weeks in Equestria now, he had gotten more accustomed to their mannerisms. It wasn’t unusual to let an invited guest in while you were in the bathroom. Rarity had done just that to him when he came over for a fitting. The whole time she was measuring him, she still had a bath towel around her head and her fur still damp.
Turning off the water, Nick shook his fur out and floated over the towel to finish the rest of the drying. He really needed that shower as now he felt fresh and lighter. Brushing his fur into place, he opened the door to find a very expectant Twilight waiting for him.
“Well, since you’re here and don’t want me working or training, what do you suppose we do for the rest of the day?” Nick asked his guest.
“I don’t really know,” Twilight replied, feeling foolish for not planning something for them to do. “I just want to spend the whole day with you, if that’s alright.”
“Sure,” Nick smiled. “Well I do need to do some shopping. I’m running low on food at the castle and I’ve been meaning to buy some books and other stuff to make it more homely.”
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. “Mr. Nick? Your breakfast is here.”
“Come in,” he answered.
Being granted his permission, the door handle was enveloped in yellow light and a green unicorn walked in, followed by a cart full of treats.
“We weren’t sure what wolves ate, so we had the kitchen make every dish they could,” the aid explained, floating several items in front of him.
“Wait, ponies eat eggs?!” Nick exclaimed as a plate with two boiled eggs made its round. Unfortunately this startled the mare and caused her to lose her grip on the plate, luckily caught by Twilight. “Sorry,” Nick quickly apologized.
Calming herself down, the unicorn smiled. “Thank you, Princess Twilight.” Turning to Nick, “It’s alright Mr. Nick. It would sound odd that ponies do eat eggs or any baked good at all. But even as herbivores we still need protein. The process of how we get the eggs is a little complicated, something you probably don’t want to hear.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Nick rubbed the back of his head, thinking of how foolish he was to not realize the cupcakes Pinkie offered him had to have been made with eggs. “I guess I’ll take the eggs, waffles, fruit cup and orange juice please.”
“Alright, and what about you princess?” the mare asked, pulling the requested items off the cart.
“I already ate, thank you though,” Twilight smiled, handing Nick his eggs.
“Ok, is there anything else you needed?” the aid asked.
“Nope, we’re fine here thank you,” Nick replied, climbing up onto the bed and placing the platter of food in front of him
“You’re welcome,” the unicorn cheerily answered, opening the door again and pushing the cart out. “You can leave the plates here when you leave. We’re all glad that you’re feeling better Mr. Nick. We were quite concerned when Princess Twilight rushed you in here. Hope you stay safe.”
“Thank you,” Nick smiled.
The door shut behind her, leaving Twilight and Nick alone once again.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat? This sure is a lot of food,” Nick asked his companion, although licking his lips subtly.
“I’m positive Nick. You probably need all this food after what you went through last night.”
“Ok.”
They continued their small talk while Nick ate. What shops he had in mind, what they wanted to do for lunch. After Nick had finished and brushed his teeth, he followed Twilight to the front desk and signed himself out. Stepping outside, Nick took a deep breath of fresh air. That was one thing he loved about Equestria, it was still comfortable to live here while keeping the environment clean.
Heading back into Ponyville, they headed towards the marketplace. The first stop on their list was the bookstore. Upon entering they were greeted by a tan pegasus, who introduced herself as Book End. After an exchange of pleasantries and some help finding the novel section, Nick began scanning the shelves for any interesting reads. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he read some of the titles. “Lord of the Horseshoes”, “Horslet, Prince of Denmare” even his favorite, “A Tale of Two Ponies”. After picking out a few good reads along with a journal, some quills and ink, he met Twilight at the counter with her own stash of books. Checking out and thanking Book End, they proceeded to their next destination, the market.
Nick had been to the market before to buy food, but he never actually looked around at what else was offered. It was pretty much an emporium, from everyday supplies to more specific items. Nick browsed each stand, looking for anything to make the castle more “liveable” while keeping in mind he couldn’t carry everything with him and he didn’t want to teleport everything he bought home. As he shopped, Twilight not so subtly tried to get any hints as to what his decision was. Nick found it adorable how she begged and pleaded and promised that she would still act surprised when he told Luna. Yet as much as it was amusing to see Twilight so obsessed with his answer, he had to put a stop to her constant requests.
“Do you really want all of Ponyville to know that we could be in a potential relationship?” Nick asked, causing Twilight to pause momentarily.
How would her friends feel about not only her relationship to Nick but Luna as well? What about her parents or BBBFF? What about CELESTIA?!? Twilight started to twitch and hyperventilate, which obviously concerned Nick. Taking her aside, he placed his paws on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.
“Calm down Twilight,” he said slowly, demonstrating slow breathing for Twilight to copy. Once she had settled down, Nick spoke again. “No matter what happens, know that I will and do still care about you and Luna. It’s easy for me to say, as I’m not important to other ponies, but you shouldn’t care what other’s think about you. I could see why your friends wouldn’t approve of such a relationship, heck we’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks. The same goes for Celestia, I could see her wanting to protect Luna and you. But just know that even if we can’t be physically together, we can still be close friends. No pony should be against that.”
Twilight smiled at his speech. He was just like Luna, comforting her and telling her everything would be alright. Although, from the way he spoke it sounded like he was going to say no.
“So you don’t want to be in our herd?” she asked glumly, looking at Nick and still seeing him smile.
“Now I never said that,” Nick said, pulling her into a hug. “I was just letting you know that nothing is going to stop me from caring about you.”
“So does that mean you’re going to say yes?!” Twilight pepped up.
“Quit putting words in my mouth,” Nick chuckled, resuming his browsing. “You’ll find out tonight when we meet Luna. Just a few more stands and we can head out to eat.”
Nick ended up buying a pillow for him to sleep on, a candle holder along with some candles so that he wouldn’t have to light the campfire every night, a small desk to write on (teleported to the main hall by Twilight to make sure it arrived intact) and some cookware. Satisfied with his purchases, he asked Twilight if she had a particular cafe in mind.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve had a hayburger,” she commented. “They’re really delicious and you should try one!”
“As much as I would love to do that Twilight, I’m afraid wolves don’t digest hay. But we can go to a burger joint and I’m sure they have something for non equines.”
“Right,” Twilight blushed, rubbing a hoof behind her head. “Since Ponyville has been receiving visitors from all across Equestria, I’m sure most places have a more diverse menu.”
“Alright, well lead the way!” Nick proclaimed, causing Twilight to giggle and lead them to her favorite burger joint.
Twilight ordered a double hayburger with crinkle-cut fries, while Nick opted for a Caesar salad with extra croutons and a some fish sticks. Nick had never liked seafood, but these fish sticks were the best he ever had. He asked Twilight how her hayburger turned out and she said she really missed the taste and would eat more if she wasn’t trying to lose weight. Like a good friend, Nick told her she didn’t need to, that she was a healthy weight, in fact he liked her a little plushy. That earned a deep blush along with some silence. After getting over the complement, Twilight asked if Nick still wanted to do more shopping, in which he replied that he had bought enough. He suggested after they ate that they go to the park and maybe they could do some reading together. Twilight loved the idea, and told him of the perfect spot that had enough shade.
Finishing their meals, Twilight lead them to the spot. There was a bench under a big oak tree, just off one of the paths. A few feet off there was a stream, gently trickling past and the Ponyville Gazebo just beyond that. Settling down his bag, Twilight asked what book he had in mind. To answer he floated out “A Tale of Two Ponies”, and explained how he had to read this book in high school and loved it. He further gave her a synopsis, at least the human version of it. As he continued Twilight’s interest in the book grew.
“So it’s a fictional novel based on historical fact?” she asked, looking the book over.
“Pretty much, although this version is a little less graphic.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, looking at him with concern.
“Well in the human version, the lower class decapitated the nobility and there were coups and extreme changes of power even in between the newly founded leadership. In this version, any violence was replaced with exile, which I guess in Equestria works. It shouldn’t be too much for you to handle, since you most likely already know the history.”
Twilight did remember learning about the Prench Revolution while studying under Celestia. She thought that the way the peasants rebelled was a little extreme, but understood that they had been living under oppression for decades. She also understood that this was a novel, not a history book so some of the events would be exaggerated or romanticized.
“Alright, you can begin,” she smiled, getting comfy by resting her head on Nick’s shoulder so she could read along.
“Ahem, A Tale of Two Ponies, by Charles Daleskin. Chapter 1: The Period. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way….”
As Nick continued to read, Twilight found herself getting drowsier and drowsier. The warmth Nick and the weather provided, the relaxing motion of the rise and falls of Nick’s chest and his powerful yet gentle reading voice were all to blame for her nodding off. It could also be due to the fact she woke up early today to see Nick and had actually fallen asleep sometime around 2 after talking to Luna.
Nick took notice of this as he finished the first chapter and smiled. Deciding not to disturb Twilight, he placed the book back into his satchel and brought out the journal he had bought. He was thankful that he had magic to write because he was going to make a memoir of all the things he had done here. Something he could give Twilight and Luna to remember him by. He was almost done with his first day when a certain orange pony trotted up.
“Hi Nick,” Applejack greeted softly, quickly noticing her friend was asleep. “What are you two doing here?”
“Hey Applejack. Well Twilight had come to visit me this morning, and wanted to spend the whole day together since she was worried last night. I’m sorry I didn’t report for work this morning, Twilight simply wouldn’t allow it,” he chuckled.
“And ah wouldn’t have allowed it either,” Applejack smiled. “I never knew Twilight to spend the whole day not reading a book or doing some research. Ya must be pretty special for her to want to spend so much time with ya.”
“Well learning magic from her has made us pretty good friends, considering what she teaches me will save my life. How about you, what are you doing here?”
“Ah wanted to check up on ya,” Applejack replied. “Ah woulda been at the hospital earlier but I had to make sure all my chores were done before I went off. I asked Nurse Redheart and she said that Twilight had signed you out. Asking around town, several ponies said you two were headed to the park. I remember Twilight talking about one of her favorite places to read and that’s how I found ya. What were ya doin’?”
“First it started by me reading this book,” Nick casually floated A Tale of Two Ponies out for Applejack to inspect. “She fell asleep as I finished the first chapter so I decided to work on my journal.”
“Journal?” Applejack asked, handing him back his book. “A journal for what?”
“My time in Equestria of course,” Nick chuckled. “I want to remember everything I’ve done here, so that’s part of the reason we went shopping. Don’t worry, I’ll write about how great of an employer you were,” he winked.
Applejack chuckled at that. “That won’t be necessary Nick. Well I’m glad to see you’re doing alright. Ah’ll stop interrupting y’alls date.”
“Who said this was a date?” Nick asked defensively.
“You two spent the whole day together, had lunch together and now you have Twilight sleeping on your shoulder. If that isn’t a date when ah see one, then ah need my eyes checked. Don’t worry Nick, I won’t stop ya. It’s nice that Twilight has a strong stud to be there for her,” Applejack winked and started to trot off. “Cya tomorrow!”
She was out of earshot before Nick could protest. It didn’t matter anyway, he had already made up his mind, even if today did end up being like a date. He wondered if Twilight saw it like that. Seeing as he had a few hours before he needed to get Twilight home and him as well, he continued finishing his journal entries. When he did finish, the sun was starting to set. He gently woke the sleeping mare at his side.
“Twilight. Twiilight, time to wake up.”
The mare slowly stirred awake. Letting out a yawn along with a stretch, she took in her surroundings.
“How long was I asleep?” she asked.
“A few hours, but don’t worry you didn’t miss much of the book. I was working on some journal entries while you slept.”
“Journal entries about what?”
“My time here in Equestria. I want to remember everything that’s happened so far.”
“I see. What time is it?”
“Time for me to get you home and me as well,” Nick replied, hopping off the bench, stretching out his limbs and helping Twilight off the bench.
As they walked, Twilight tried to shake the grogginess she was feeling. She wished she hadn’t dozed off but was grateful Nick didn’t mind her sleeping on him. Alas, her day with him had reached its end, and she was going to learn his decision.
“Nick, can’t you at least stay for dinner?” she suggested. “It doesn’t make sense for you to head back into the Everfree when you can wait for Luna with me at the castle. Plus you’re in no condition to get in another fight if you go back into the Everfree.”
While he wanted to argue that he was fine, Twilight did have a point. Why make Luna have to go to her dream and teleport to his?
“Alright Twilight, I’ll stay at the castle for the night,” he replied, causing Twilight’s face to brighten up and she started hopping around him.
“You’re finally staying the night!” she cheered, before Nick tried to calm her down.
“Twilight, we’re still in town remember,” he gently reminded her.
There had been a small gathering of ponies around them and while the princess’s behavior wasn’t too out of the ordinary, seeing her spend the whole day with Nick was odd, and now she was jumping for joy. Nick didn’t mind, but Twilight was horrified. What were they all thinking? How did she allow herself to act like a filly? Luckily Nick was quick to react and lead her away calmly from where they were, not stopping until they arrived at the castle.
Once they were inside, Nick asked her if she was alright.
“I’m, I’m not sure,” she stammered, trying to process what had just happened. It was at this point Nick took the initiative and hugged her, while trying to comfort her with his words.
“You don’t need to worry about them, Twilight,” he told her. “All they saw were two friends enjoying each other’s company. Seeing how you ponies react, they would see that we were really close friends, which isn’t surprising since you’re the Princess of Friendship. Now, take a deep breath and I’ll help you make dinner.”
Twilight took his advice, and led him to the kitchen. After taking a look in Twilight’s fridge they decided to make some spaghetti and garlic bread. They split up each part of the dinner and in 30 minutes the food was ready. Twilight called Starlight and Spike to dinner but couldn’t find either one. She did find a note saying they were going clubbing and that they would be home late.
With that Nick and Twilight ate their dinner, talking about what they could do while they waited for Luna. Nick suggested they could continue reading “A Tale of Two Ponies”, which Twilight happily agreed to. After they finished dinner, Twilight showed Nick one of the bathrooms so he could shower. As the always soothing hot water ran down his back, Nick started forming a plan for how he was going to tell both princesses what he decided. Should he tell them his reasons first and then tell them, or just tell them and leave it at that? As he was drying off, he decided to tell them his reasons first, that way he could at least try to explain why he decided the way he did.
Looking at one of the clocks in the hallways, it was 7:30. About an hour or two before Luna would show up. Following Twilight’s directions he was now in front of her room. He didn’t hear the shower running so he knocked on her door. She called him in and found her lounging on her bed. She patted a spot next to her with a hoof, but Nick was hesitant. He’d never been in a bed with another before, not even Sabrina. Sure they fell asleep on the couch together sometimes but that wasn’t a bed. After some negotiation, Nick was at the edge of her bed on the floor, while she lay on her stomach and their reading session began.
It was about 9:25 when they heard a knock on her window. Using his magic, Nick opened it up for Luna, in which he was quickly greeted by a tight hug.
“Thank the Elements you’re alright!” she sighed, finally releasing her grip. “So now that we’re a herd, I suggest cuddles. Twilight your bed should be big enough.”
“Hold on a second there Luna,” Nick replied. “I never officially said that we were a herd. First there is something I need to make sure is clear to both of you.”
Now that he had both mare’s attentions, he began.
“I’ll just cut to the chase. Being sent to the hospital made me realize one thing: I am mortal. Which means I can age, get hurt, and will eventually die. You two are immortal, free to live throughout the centuries. Do both of you really want to be in a relationship where you will have to watch me grow old and die?”
Twilight had never really thought about her immortality given via becoming a princess. She would outlive her friends, which saddened her even more. But Cadence married Shining Armor, would that make him immortal? Or would she outlive her BBBFF?
Luna had been quiet as well. Now she remembered another reason why she had been ok with not having a suitor. Nopony she saw was worth the pain that would follow if she had been in a relationship with them. Maybe that’s why she was now willing to go through that pain for Nick. He didn’t try to court her immediately after meeting her. They got to know each other better, and she developed feelings for him. Then she learned that he felt the same about her, that he cared for her just as much as she cared for him.
“You’re worth it,” she finally spoke, bringing Twilight out of her thoughts. “Nick, besides my sister, there has never been anypony I have loved so much except for you and Twilight. I would rather be at your deathbed as a lover than just a friend. The way you have treated me, cared for me is all worth the pain of having to say goodbye. So to answer your question, yes I still want to be in a herd with you and Twilight. Nothing could change my mind.”
Now that he had Luna’s answer, it was Twilight’s turn. Twilight knew that ponies died, but she still couldn’t fathom that she wouldn’t be with her friends for the rest of her immortal life. Nick walked over to her and placed a paw around her shoulder and asked what was wrong.
“I’m going to outlive my friends by centuries,” she whispered. “I’ll grow up to full alicornhood while they will age and die. I should have realized the implications of becoming a princess sooner. I’m not prepared to lose any of them.”
“Well you won’t have to,” Nick replied, causing Twilight to look at him confused. “When I first met the Tree of Harmony, it told me that I was still mortal, despite the new powers I gained. It never said that the Elements are mortal. I figure since I’m a pseudo Element, that’s why I can die. You all were a part of the original Elements, so as long as the Tree stays healthy and strong, so should all of you.”
“How are you a pseudo Element? The Tree of Harmony gave you it’s powers?” Luna asked.
“Have there ever been any records of the Element of Hope?” Both mares shook their heads to his counter question. “That’s why. My Element was only created for this task. Once I die, my power will go back to the Tree of Harmony. But that’s beside the point. Twilight are you willing to form a herd knowing full well that I won’t be here forever?”
“I agree with Luna,” she finally said after some thought. “I’d rather know the happiness of being in love at the cost of pain, than not knowing it at all.”
“Well, if you two are sure, then I officially accept your invitation to be in a herd,” Nick smiled, pulling them into a group hug.
“Wait, so what if we said no?” Twilight had to ask, even though she should just be enjoying this moment.
“Come on Twilight,” Luna sighed, still holding onto Nick. “We got our herd together, that’s all that matters.”
“It’s ok Luna,” Nick laughed at their antics. “If either one of you said no, then I would have said no. Last night I decided to say whatever was appropriate to your reply. I didn’t want you two saying yes, without knowing what could happen to me. Now I believe I owe you some cuddles.”
“Yes!” Luna hoof-pumped and hopped onto the bed.
Laughing, both Nick and Twilight approached the other side of the bed, and hopped on so that Nick was sandwiched between the two mares. After saying their goodnights, Luna and Twilight were both fast asleep, Luna placing a quick sleep spell on herself so she could join their dreams. Nick looked at the two mares on each paw. Sabrina was right, saying yes was the right thing. Content he made the right decision, Nick finally fell asleep too.