Silver Streak panted from exertion as he galloped through the streets of Ponyville, his friends following close behind as they fled from Tirek’s rampage. He spared a glance behind them, and felt his blood run cold as he saw Tirek draining magic from some ponies down the street.
“This way!” he called to his friends as he headed down an alley, only to quickly find it to be a dead end. “No, nonono!” he cried, looking frantically around for another way out of the alley as he heard the monster stomping closer. When he couldn’t find another way, he turned around to see his friends all looking as terrified as he felt.
The stomping drew closer, and Silver ran to the entrance, telling everypony, “Get behind me!” as he charged his horn.
Tirek came and grinned menacingly at them as he said, “Ah, more little ponies!” He began to open his mouth to drain them, before Silver fired a beam of magic into his gut, pouring everything he had into the attack. The monstrous centaur barely flinched at the assault before he grabbed the unicorn in his magic and threw him down the alleyway.
The unicorn tumbled and slid to a halt near the dead end, groaning in discomfort. He looked up as he heard his friends scream, and saw as Tirek opened his mouth hungrily. “NO!!!” he screamed, watching in horror as his friends were drained of their magic.
They all collapsed, weak and lethargic without their magic. Silver forced himself onto his hooves and ran over to Sunny, wrapping his forelegs around her to hold her close as he told her, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He wept as he held her, and she merely groaned weakly in response.
“Your turn,” Tirek said to the fearful unicorn, and Silver could only look up at him with a tearful gaze as he awaited his fate.
“ENOUGH!” a familiar voice cried out from above, and a wave of light washed over everything, causing the dream to dissipate and leave them in an ethereal dreamscape.
He looked down at his hooves, where Sunny had been, and he fell to the ground sobbing as the fear and pain overwhelmed him. Why am I so weak? he wondered. Why couldn’t I protect her?
Princess Luna floated down to stand before the unicorn, looking sympathetically at him. “Silver, it’s alright now. It was just a dream.”
He slowly got up, looking up at Luna with tearful eyes. “I-I couldn’t save her, Luna…”
“Your friend?” she asked.
He nodded slowly. “I-I tried, so hard, but I couldn’t save her, or any of them…” He buried his face in his hooves and wept. “Why am I so weak?!”
She frowned and stepped forward, pulling Silver into a gentle hug. “Oh Silver, you need not fret. None of it was real, and everyone is safe in their beds.”
“But I’m still weak,” he whimpered, hugging her in return as he thought back to their adventure with the golden idol. “How can I protect anypony when I’m not strong enough to stand up to danger on my own?”
Luna gently pulled away from Silver, and reached under his chin to look into his eyes. “That’s the beauty of friendship, Silver; you need not face trouble alone, not when there are other ponies to help and support you. Just look at Twilight Sparkle; she is indeed a powerful sorceress in her own right, but she’s always relied on her friends to help her save the day.” She lowered her hoof to pat him on the shoulder as she told him, “Sometimes we must rely on the strength of our friends to make up for our weaknesses.”
He sniffed, ears slowly unfolding as he thought about what she said. I know I’d gladly help my friends if they needed my help, he thought, so… Is it such a bad thing to need their help in return? And Luna was right about Princess Twilight as well; only by working together were she and her friends able to overcome every threat against Equestria. “I… I guess you’re right… Thank you, Luna.” He rubbed at his eyes as he said, “I’m sorry about all that, I was just really upset, seeing all my friends being attacked…” Especially Sunny, he added mentally.
“It’s quite alright,” she replied. “I understand your distress. In previous nightmares it was only you being attacked, but now it seems your friends are under threat as well.” She frowned as she pondered the situation. “I worry for you, Silver. You’re having fewer nightmares these days, but now it seems that you suffer even more when you DO have them…”
“Yeah, it’s not good…” he lamented, his fear and pain remaining with him even as he embraced friendship. He knew the princess was right, that he should talk to somepony, but his past made him avoid that option. He simply hoped that the pain would go away with time.
Luna sighed quietly to herself as she saw his distress, and knew it was up to him to get the help he needed. “You know what I’ve suggested to help you. At any rate, helping you with your nightmare tonight was a happy coincidence; I came to visit your dream to tell you that I received your letter this morning, and that I look forward to finally meeting you in person on Sunday.”
“Oh, I’m glad to hear that,” he replied, albeit with some reservation. Silver had sent a letter to Princess Luna a couple days prior, wanting to meet her and introduce her to his friends, but the reality was that he wasn’t quite sure that the Luna before him was real, and not just a figment of his fear-riddled mind. Having her respond to the letter in his dream didn’t exactly fill him with confidence in the matter.
He shook off the doubt, and added, “It’ll be nice to finally meet you properly, and to visit Canterlot for the first time as well.” Even if she WAS a figment of his imagination, that was no reason to be rude or dismissive, not after all the times she’d helped him. “I, uh, have someone special for you to meet, before I introduce you to the rest of my friends. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” replied Luna with a smile. “I look forward to meeting this special pony, as well as the rest of your friends.” She patted him on the shoulder, and backed away as she opened her wings. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to be off to help others with their dreams.”
“Goodbye Luna, and thank you,” he said as she flew off to disappear in a flash, leaving him alone on the dreamscape as it grew foggy when a new dream formed around him.
= = = = = = = = = =
The train carrying Silver and his friends chugged along up the mountain heading toward Canterlot, where they (presumably) had a royal appointment. Silver and Sunny sat next to one another in the train car, while Mystic and Jewel sat together across from the pair, and Frosty sat in the seat next to them. At this moment, they were planning out their visit.
Seeing as they were halfway up the mountain, Silver decided to speak up. “I’d like to thank you all for coming to Canterlot with me to meet my friend.”
“It’s no problem, Silver, but how exactly did you get a pen pal in Canterlot to begin with?” Frosty wondered.
“It’s, uh, complicated,” he replied. He’d lied about who they were going to meet, still unsure if Princess Luna actually visited his dreams, and he didn’t want to sound crazy, so a pen pal in Canterlot was the quickest and easiest explanation. “At any rate, we need to make some plans before we get there.”
“What kinds of plans? Aren’t we just gonna meet her at the station?” Mystic asked.
“Well, no, we’re not,” explained Silver. “The thing is, I sent a letter telling her that we were going to visit, but I… didn’t get a response. I was thinking that Sunny and I would go to visit her first, and if it all goes well then we’ll all be able to meet up together later.”
“So what do you expect us to do in the meantime?” Jewel asked. “I’ve never been to Canterlot before.”
“Neither have I,” Mystic added.
“I’ve been there for a couple articles, but I don’t really know the city at all,” said Frosty.
“Well fortunately for all of you, I’ve been there plenty of times,” Sunny told them, having visited the city quite regularly over the years even before she went to the culinary school in the capital. “There’s lots to see and do, but we need to figure out how we’ll meet up,” she said, looking to Silver for a response.
He nodded and thought about that. “You’re right. How about we meet… hm, at the castle gates? That should be easy to find, right? And we’ll meet up at one o’clock, either to meet my friend or to just regroup and continue touring the city.” That would give him and Sunny plenty of time to enjoy a visit with Luna, assuming she WAS expecting them.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Jewel said. “So, what can we do in that time, Sunny?”
Sunny stroked her chin as she thought about that for a moment. “Hmm, that’s not a lot of time to work with, just a couple hours… Maybe you guys could go to the market district, and do a bit of window shopping?”
Frosty perked up at that. “You know, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I bet they’ve got all kinds of stuff we can’t get in Ponyville.”
“Hey, yeah!” Jewel said with a smile. “I’d love to see what kinds of dresses I can find here.”
“Oh no,” Mystic lamented, dreading the thought of every stallion’s worst nightmare; clothes shopping! “If you guys are gonna drag me into some dress shop, then can we at least check out a music shop first? I bet they must have really high quality instruments here!”
“Yeah, that’s fair,” Jewel agreed. “I’m sure we’ll take longer looking through dresses than you will looking through guitars.”
“Eh, I think that’ll be boring,” argued Frosty. “Then again, you’ll be sitting bored while we check out some dresses, won’t you? I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”
Silver smiled as their plan came together. “Okay, so it’s decided. You three are going to go out and explore the city while Sunny and I visit my friend first. We’ll all meet up at the castle gates at one o’clock.”
They finished planning just in time, because the city was drawing close and soon their trip would be over. After a few more minutes, the train stopped at the station, and they trotted out onto the streets of Canterlot. Sunny gave the trio some basic directions to the market district before they all split up, with Silver leading Sunny to their destination.
“You know, you never mentioned having a pen pal,” Sunny said as they trotted along. “When did you two start sending each other letters?” Sunny smirked and nudged Silver playfully as she asked, “And should I feel jealous?”
Silver frowned, worried about how Sunny would take the truth. Still, he thought, I hate lying to her… He looked to her, and told her, “Actually, we’re not going to visit a pen pal…”
She frowned. “We’re not? Then who are we going to visit?” She knew Silver kept secrets, but she couldn’t help but wonder why he’d lie to them, to her.
“This is gonna sound a bit crazy, but… We’re going to visit Princess Luna,” he told her.
Her eyes practically bulged out of her head at that news, and she spun Silver around to face her. “Wait, what?! Are you serious? How do you even know Princess Luna anyway?”
He sighed, hoping that Sunny wouldn’t think he was crazy. “Well, you know why I came to Ponyville.” She nodded, and he continued, “Part of my trauma from Tirek’s attack includes many nightmares of that day, which I still suffer from. The reason I know Princess Luna is because she comes to me in my dreams to save me from my nightmares.”
She looked at him sympathetically, reaching a hoof up to caress his cheek. “Oh Silver, I didn’t realize you were having nightmares…” He never mentioned having nightmares before, so this was news to her.
He simply nodded, nuzzling into her hoof. “Our friendship grew when she decided to stick around and talk with me after saving me from the same kind of nightmares over and over. I-I didn’t say anything to you because, well, how crazy does it sound, having a princess protecting my dreams?”
She smirked, and told him, “Not crazy at all, actually. She helped me with a nightmare I had a couple weeks back.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, really? Why didn’t you say anything?”
She shrugged. “I dunno. I guess I just didn’t think it was all that important.”
He frowned and asked, “So, what was your nightmare about?”
Her smile fell and her ears folded as she told him, “It was the night after the golden idol… That was really scary for me, even though you guys came to rescue me. I had a nightmare about it, where Caballeron and his henchponies won, and we were all left tied up in the Everfree Forest, surrounded by monsters. She saved me from them, and told me that as long as I had all of you, I didn’t need to be afraid.”
Silver chuckled softly, telling her, “Yeah, that sounds like Luna alright.”
Sunny shook her head, deciding to change topics. “Anyway, if you weren’t sure that Luna was really visiting your dreams, then why did you want me to come along? Why not just go alone and leave me with the others?”
He smiled sheepishly and answered, “Because I wanted to introduce her to the mare I love.”
She was stunned, wondering if she heard him right. “Silver, d-did you just say…?”
He blushed, but smiled warmly as he told her, “Yes, I did. I love you, Sunshine.”
Sunny teared up a bit, so happy to hear Silver finally say those three beautiful words. She grinned wide and said, “And I love you, Silver Streak,” before she pulled the stallion into a deep, loving kiss, which he gladly returned.
The two stayed like that for a short while, reveling in the love and joy they shared, before they eventually broke the kiss, both left breathless. Sunny was the first to speak up after that, asking, “So, shall we keep going?”
Silver simply nodded, and the two continued on their way to the castle. It was a distance from the train station, but it wasn’t all that long before they reached the gates, where they were stopped by the guards positioned there.
“Halt!” said the one, startling the couple who expected to just trot right in. “Are you Silver Streak?” he asked the unicorn.
He nodded. “I am, and this is my girlfriend, Sunshine,” he added, motioning to her with a hoof. “Is there a problem, sir?”
“Not at all,” the guard assured them. “Princess Luna told us to keep an eye out for a gray unicorn stallion named Silver Streak. We were told that she was expecting a visit from you, and she informed us that you would be bringing a friend. If you’ll both follow me, I will lead you to the princess.”
Silver nodded and told the guard, “Lead on, sir.” The guard nodded, and turned around, trotting toward the castle with the couple following behind him. It was the first time that either of them had been to the castle, and they were in awe of its size and splendor. It was certainly a place fit for royalty, and Silver felt honored to actually be welcomed inside by one of the princesses.
They trotted through the hallways, being led by the royal guard for several minutes through the large castle before they were finally stopped in front of a meeting room. The guard knocked on the door, and Silver heard a familiar voice call, “Enter!” The guard opened the door and stepped aside, sitting next to the door to keep watch.
Silver glanced over to Sunny, who smiled and nodded reassuringly at him, and he took a deep, soothing breath before stepping into the room. It was a spacious meeting room, every bit as beautifully designed as the rest of the castle, and sitting at the head of the large, sturdy table was Princess Luna, who gave a warm smile at the sight of the stallion entering the room. “Silver Streak, it’s so nice to meet you at last.”
He smiled and bowed to her as he said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you in pony, Princess Luna.” He wasn’t exactly sure if he should act casual, or remain formal, even being considered a friend, so he decided on the latter, hoping to avoid offending the princess.
Luna chuckled and motioned for him to rise, telling him, “Please, there is no need for a friend to bow to me. And you can just call me Luna, Silver.” She noticed Sunny step inside, bowing to her as well. “I take it this is the special friend you mentioned? Please, rise, and tell me your name.”
“I’m Sunshine, your highness, though you may call me Sunny; all my friends do,” Sunny said, like Silver erring on the side of respect for one of the princesses of Equestria.
“And you may call me Luna,” she told the earth pony. “It’s a pleasure to meet one of Silver’s friends. I can’t wait to meet the rest of you.” She glanced over to Silver and asked, “When shall I meet the rest of them, anyway?”
“I told them to meet us at the castle gates at one o’clock,” he informed her. “That should give us a couple hours to chat.” He glanced at the chairs, and then to the princess as he asked, “May we?”
“Oh, of course, sit, please!” she said, motioning to the chairs, and Sunny and Silver both got comfy. “One moment, if you will,” she requested before looking at the door, and calling out, “Guard, please come here!” The royal guard went inside and trotted up to Luna, who whispered a few commands to him, and he gave her a salute before trotting off.
“Everything alright?” Silver wondered, glancing at the door the guard just left from.
“Everything’s fine,” she reassured him. “Among other things, I asked him to have refreshments brought to us to make our visit more comfortable.” She gave a sly smile as she looked to Sunny. “At any rate, I assume there’s a reason you brought this lovely mare with you while sending all your other friends away?”
He smiled and nodded, and turned to look at Sunny, reaching over to hold her hoof as he told the princess, “You’re right. Sunny isn’t just my friend, she’s also my special somepony.” Sunny smiled warmly back at him, squeezing his hoof gently.
Luna grinned and clapped gleefully. “How wonderful, to know you have found love in your new home! And how long have you two been together?” she wondered. She recognized the mare that Silver held in his nightmare the other night, but she couldn’t be sure if it was a true relationship, or if the unicorn was merely acting on his feelings there in the dreamscape.
“Just a couple weeks,” Sunny replied, feeling more comfortable as their conversation went on. “But it’s been a good couple weeks to be sure. We were attracted to each other from the start, and as we got to know one another we began to develop feelings for each other, though he was shy and I didn’t want to push things.”
Luna giggled and nodded. “Yes, Silver wasn’t all that knowledgeable about friendship when we first met, let alone romance. Am I to assume that you finally got tired of waiting?” She glanced at the doorway as a servant mare came into the room with a food cart carrying a tea set and some cookies.
“Actually, I was the one to ask her out,” Silver told her, using his magic to get everything moved from the cart to the table. The servant smiled appreciatively at him, and gave Luna a small bow before leaving with the empty cart.
“You?” Luna asked incredulously. She knew how Silver was from their many talks in the dreamscape, so it surprised her to find that he had taken such initiative. She looked to him and asked, “And just what caused you to make such a bold move?
“Nearly losing her,” he replied, his gaze falling to the table as he thought about their adventure with the golden idol. It had gone well in the end, keeping it out of the hooves of those treasure hunters, but the memory still filled him with worry.
“Sounds like there’s quite the story to your courtship,” Luna observed, preparing a cup of tea for herself.
Sunny nodded, munching on a cookie before she began explaining, “Well, it all started when I got a shipment of coffee beans for our friend, Frosty…” She went on to tell the story of her ponynapping, being held for ransom, and the subsequent fight that occurred when her friends came to save her. She didn’t like thinking about what had happened either, but it was the key to starting their relationship.
“…And that night, as I laid in bed, I realized that I couldn’t live with myself if I had lost her without telling her how I felt,” Silver said as he finished the story. “A few days later I asked her out on a date, and we’ve been together ever since.”
Luna looked at them, wide-eyed in fascination by the time the story ended. “Goodness, you truly fought for your love, didn’t you?” She looked between them and smiled, adding, “I’m glad you all came away from that relatively unharmed, and it appears that some good came from the whole incident as well.”
“I’d say so,” Sunny replied with a smile, giving her lover a gentle nuzzle. “I probably would have asked him out if he’d taken much longer, but in the end Silver got the nudge he needed to start things off.” She giggled and added, “I think the strangest thing about the whole incident was finding out that some of my favorite adventure novels are actually real.”
“Indeed,” Luna agreed. “It makes one wonder what other stories might actually be based in truth.” Her ears perked up at a knocking at the door.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” asked the mare at the door.
Luna smiled and shook her head, telling the newcomer, “Not at all, sister! Please, join us!”
Silver and Sunny’s eyes went wide as they turned to look at the newcomer, seeing Princess Celestia standing at the door observing them, before her gaze focused on Silver. “So, this is the friend you’ve told me about…”
= = = = = = = = = =
Thanks to Sunny’s directions, it didn’t take the trio too long to reach the market district of Canterlot, where Mystic began searching for a music store he could browse. He knew those two mares were looking about for clothing stores to shop at, and when they got done at the music store he would be cursed to hours of boredom while they tried on dress, after dress, after dress, and he prayed that he could avoid answering the question that ALL stallions know is a trap; “does this dress make me look fat?”
Fortunately for Mystic, he soon found a place called Steady Beat’s Music Shop, and he led the two mares inside. “This is what I’m talking about,” he said with a grin, looking around the shop. All around there were ponies checking out various instruments and equipment, the sound of simple tunes being played, and he felt right at home.
Frosty wasn’t nearly as excited. “You know, I tried to play an instrument when I was a filly. Even after a month’s worth of lessons, all I could manage was a bunch of noise,” she reminisced.
“I’ve never tried,” Jewel said while Mystic trotted over to a row of guitars along the far wall. “I was content just listening to Mystic play his guitar.”
Mystic smiled as he pulled a high-end electric guitar from the wall, looking it over. It was black, angular, and far nicer than his secondhand guitar back home. “Now this… this is a sweet axe,” he declared. He looked to see if there was a price, and his eyes bulged. “Wow… I don’t think I can afford to hold this, let alone buy it,” he muttered to himself as he put it back on the wall.
“Something wrong, Mystic?” Jewel wondered, trotting up to him when she noticed his look of disdain.
“Just that I’m poor,” he grumbled. He remembered how much it cost him to buy his guitar, and how long it took him to save up for it. A new guitar certainly couldn’t hurt his music, but to afford something as nice as what he was looking at, well, that was currently a pipe dream.
“Well somepony’s gotta fill the ‘starving artist’ role,” Frosty teased as she trotted up.
Mystic snorted, and shook his head. “Not for long, if I have anything to say about it.”
“Oh? So your band is making some progress, then?” she asked.
“Yeah, we’re getting there,” he replied as he trotted along the wall, looking over the variety of guitars. “Been playing at a couple of parties around town, and we’ve just arranged for a regular weekend gig at a local pub. It’s not much, but we’re getting some recognition at least.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but you’ll need to get gigs outside of Ponyville if you want to make it big,” said Frosty.
“I know, I know,” Mystic grumbled. “We’ve gotta make a name for ourselves first, hope that word of mouth gets ponies in nearby towns interested in us.” He pulled another guitar off the wall and looked it over, and played a few practice notes to test it out. “That’s a good sound…”
“And after that, then what?” the pegsaus wondered.
“Well, then the hope is that we’ll start getting gigs in these other cities, get a larger fan base going, eventually get a record company interested in us,” Mystic explained. “Blossom Beat suggested we start spreading flyers around nearby towns and cities like Canterlot here, which would help get the word out. We’re finalizing the design right now, and we’ll be getting them copied and spread around in the next week or two.”
“That sounds like the best thing to do right now,” Jewel agreed.
“You guys will get your big break soon, don’t you worry,” said Frosty. “You and your band sound way too awesome to not make it big, and years from now we’ll get to say we knew Restless Harmony before it was popular!”
Mystic chuckled. “Thanks, Frosty.” He put the guitar back on the wall—another fine instrument he couldn’t afford without weeks of savings—and sighed in defeat. “Well, I think I’m done here for now. No point in looking around if I can’t afford anything…”
Jewel frowned, and asked, “Are you sure, Mystic? We could hang around a while longer, yet.”
“No, it’s cool,” he told her, trotting toward the entrance to leave. “I’ll let you guys decide where we go from here.”
“Well, if you’re sure…” said Frosty. “I did see a nice dress shop nearby.”
“Oooh, really?” asked Jewel with an excited grin. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”
And it begins… Mystic lamented as they left the music shop.
= = = = = = = = = =
Both Sunny and Silver immediately got out of their chairs to bow to the princess of the sun, and Celestia chuckled. “Please rise, my little ponies. I am here not as your princess, but as a curious sibling. Luna told me she was expecting company, and I found myself eager to meet her friend. I hope you don’t mind me dropping in.”
“N-not at all!” Silver said nervously. “Please, sit down,” he added as he and Sunny both got back into their seats.
Celestia nodded and went around the table to sit next to her sister. She smiled at Silver as she said, “It’s been a long time, Silver Streak. I assume that Ponyville has been treating you well?”
His eyes widened in surprise, and he stammered, “Y-you remember me, Princess?” It had been years since they met, and he never expected her to actually remember him!
“Of course,” Celestia replied, preparing a cup of tea for herself. “It’s not every day that I get to watch a talented unicorn sculpting with a unique spell.” She glanced over to Sunny and asked, “And who might you be?”
“I-I’m Sunshine, your highness, though you can just call me Sunny,” she answered.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sunny,” Celestia said as she made herself a cup of tea.
Sunny smiled shyly, and asked, “How do you and Silver know each other?”
“Well a few years ago, my art dealer, Winter Gust, thought that ponies would be interested to see how I sculpt,” Silver explained. “I performed a live sculpting exhibition at his gallery for a paying audience, who watched as I carved a block of stone.”
Sunny was still confused. “And where does the princess come into the picture…?”
Celestia spoke up, telling her, “At the time, I was in Fillydelphia for an official function, and I managed to get some free time. I got word of the exhibit, and was curious to see this magical sculpting for myself.”
Silver chuckled as he continued the story. “I remember hearing gasps and whispers when I was working on my sculpting, and I stopped to turn and see what the commotion was. Imagine my surprise when I saw Princess Celestia just sitting down to watch with all the other ponies. Needless to say, I freaked out a bit.”
The elder alicorn chuckled and nodded. “Oh, he did indeed. For a moment, I was worried I’d have to leave so that he could continue, but fortunately he managed to calm down and continue sculpting. I must say, it was very interesting to watch the rock just chip away, fragments falling off to reveal the sculpture hidden in the stone.”
“I’ve never seen him sculpt before,” Sunny admitted. “It sounds fascinating. I think I’m gonna need to bug Silver here to give me a demonstration sometime soon.” She pondered something, then asked, “What happened to the sculpture, anyway?”
“One of the ponies who watched me sculpt it bought it anonymously, and put it in the Manehattan Museum of Modern Art,” Silver explained as he took a sip of his tea. “I didn’t think the piece was that good, but who am I to argue?”
“Well I couldn’t simply let it collect dust in somepony’s private collection, now could I?” said Princess Celestia with a knowing smile. “Such a nice sculpture, made in such a unique way, should be admired by ponies everywhere.”
Silver gawked at Celestia, ear flicking as he tried to process what she just said. “W-wait! You’re the anonymous collector?! You bought my piece?!” He couldn’t believe that the princess of all ponies would even be interested in his artwork.
“I bought several, actually,” Celestia told him. “The large stone sculpture I donated to the museum, and the few wooden pieces I purchased were donated to my School for Gifted Unicorns. They reside in the art wing, inspiring future artists.”
“I didn’t know you had some of his artwork, sister. I must go to the school to see them later,” said Luna. He’d told her of his artwork in his dreams, but she hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing them for herself. It was something she was eager to rectify.
“Wow,” said Silver, stunned at that news. “I never thought too much of my sculptures before, certainly not that they could inspire others…”
Celestia chuckled softly. “You sell yourself far too short, Silver. Your sculptures are visually interesting, but more than that they are unique in their creation. Sculpting with a modified repair spell is certainly uncommon, and that brings me to something I’d like to ask of you.”
“A-anything, your highness,” he replied nervously. If one of the Princesses of Equestria ask you to do something, you do it!
“The way you earn your living, by selling sculptures meant for magical practice, shows how success can be earned by approaching one’s talent from a different angle,” said Celestia. “I think it would be good for my students to learn that lesson; to think differently about their talents so that they may find new ways to excel. I would like for you to go to my School for Gifted Unicorns and speak to them about your sculpting, among other things.”
Silver smiled and nodded. “I’d be honored, your highness.” He had always wanted to attend Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns when he was younger, but to be asked to speak to the students? The thought filled him with pride, and he couldn’t wait to plan out his coming speech. A thought occurred to him as he noticed something, and he asked, “Wait, other things, your highness? What other things?”
“Luna has told me much about you, about both the issues you’ve suffered from, and the friendships you’ve forged since you moved into Ponyville,” Celestia explained. She noticed his smile fall as he thought back to that terrible day, but she pressed on. “You suffered greatly from the loss of your magic when Tirek attacked, because you dedicated your life to magic above all else. My former student, Twilight Sparkle, was the same way before she was sent to Ponyville.”
“She’s the one who encouraged me to make some friends that first day I moved in,” Silver told her. He reached over to hold Sunny’s hoof as he smiled at her, and added, “Best advice I ever got, I’d say.”
Sunny giggled and blushed. “Didn’t she order you to make friends?” she asked teasingly.
“Semantics,” he replied with a grin.
“Wait, Twilight Sparkle ordered you to make friends?” Luna asked incredulously.
He held up a hoof, explaining, “In her defense, Princess Twilight has dealt with several powerful unicorns who caused a great deal of trouble. She was worried I might cause trouble as well, because of my talent in magic, but I convinced her that I wasn’t a threat. To prove that, she ordered me to make friends, and so I went out into my welcome party and met Sunny here, along with the rest of our friends.”
Celestia chuckled. “It’s no more than what I told her to do when I sent her to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration. At any rate, we’re getting off topic. I’ve no doubt that there are other students like you and Twilight at my school, and now that you know the magic of friendship I’d like for you to also discuss with my students the need to balance study and socialization.”
“I’ll be more than happy to do that, your highness,” Silver told her. “If I had valued friendship half as much as I did magic, then perhaps Tirek’s attack wouldn’t have traumatized me so.”
“Very good,” Celestia said with a warm smile. “Before you leave today, be sure to talk to my assistant, Raven, to set up a schedule for your speech at the school.” The princess put her cup down and rose from the table. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ve taken up enough of your time.” She smiled at Luna as she told her, “I’ll let you get back to your visit.”
“I shall see you later then, sister,” replied Luna with a nod.
“It was nice meeting you,” Sunny said as the princess trotted over to the door.
“And it was a pleasure meeting you,” said Celestia. She paused at the door, and turned to Silver, telling him, “Before I go, I have some advice for you.”
“Oh? What kind of advice?” he wondered.
“About your sculpting,” she answered. “Your sculptures are interesting, but art cannot be an intellectual pursuit. You have talent, Silver, and if you just put your heart into your work, then I’ve no doubt you would gain true fame for your art.”
“I-I’ll keep that in mind,” the stallion replied, unsure what else to say. She was right; he only ever focused on making complex patterns, never putting any emotion into his sculpting. Maybe it’s time I tried sculpting something that means something to me, he thought to himself. A glance over at Sunny gave him an idea as to where to start…
Celestia smiled and nodded, apparently convinced that her message had been received, and she left the room to let the trio have their privacy.
“She gives you good advice, Silver,” Luna remarked after Celestia left. “Art must come from the heart, not from the head. However, that’s something to consider for another time; this day is for us to socialize, to get to know one another.” She smiled at Sunny as she added, “And I’d very much like to get to know you, Sunshine. You must be a truly wonderful mare to have won Silver’s heart.”
Sunny smiled and blushed deeply, waving a hoof dismissively. “Oh, I’m sure I’m not all that great, but I’d be happy to tell you about myself. What would you like to know?”
= = = = = = = = = =
Jewel was having a good day. It had been a while since she had last gone dress shopping, and while Rarity had such wonderful designs to offer, it was nice to be able to see new and different dresses in the capital of Equestria. She was looking over a light green dress while she and Frosty gossiped, and Mystic sat bored in a nearby chair provided for stallions like himself.
“…And right there at the bar was the second-place guard from the jousting tournament,” Frosty told Jewel as she checked out a red dress nearby. “He was so disappointed at losing the tournament, so I knew I had to go over there and cheer him up,” she added with a lecherous grin.
Jewel gasped, and giggled. “Oh, Frosty, you didn’t!” she said incredulously.
“Oh I most certainly did!” Frosty giggled. “You know, there’s nothing like a royal guard in bed; those stallions go through so much training to make sure they have strength AND endurance!” She bit her lip as she thought back to that night. It had been a good day, topped by a great night, and she would remember it fondly for years to come.
While the two mares giggled at Frosty’s tale, Mystic groaned in disgust nearby, covering his ears with his hooves so he didn’t have to submit himself to more mental images. Frosty was certainly a pretty mare, but she was his friend, and more than that she was talking about the experience from a mare’s perspective, detailing things a stallion didn’t want to think about!
The talk about Frosty’s latest romantic conquest reminded Mystic that it had been quite a few months since his last relationship, among other things. He could have simply had a fling here or there, but that wasn’t what he wanted; Mystic wanted a long-term relationship, like his bandmates Low Tone and Blossom Beat enjoyed.
Those two seemed so happy together, spending hours hanging out, talking about nothing and cherishing every moment of it. He wanted someone there to love him for who he was, to support his dreams, somepony he could spend hours with and not grow bored. Why can’t I find someone like Jewel? he wondered as he looked over to the mare. She glanced over to Mystic, and smiled warmly at him before she turned back to look at a simple orange dress.
She trotted into a nearby dressing room to try her selection as Mystic sat there thinking about his previous relationships. The mares he dated before were all nice, and he had fun, but the relationships never lasted too long before they fell apart. Sometimes it was the mares, but more often than not it was him breaking things off. Those relationships, even if they had been going fairly well, never felt “right” to him, and he had yet to find a mare that matched whatever “right” was.
He glanced over to a nearby mare, a lovely unicorn who was looking over a selection of dresses, and smiled as he decided it was a good time to get back into the dating scene.
- - -
Jewel smiled as she looked herself over, the orange dress fitting her quite well as she struck a few poses. Looking good, Jewel! she thought to herself. Like most ponies from Ponyville, she had little reason to dress up very often, but it still felt nice to try on new dresses if only to make herself feel pretty.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, she found herself blushing as she remembered the odd look Mystic was giving her earlier. Was… was he checking me out? she wondered hopefully. Gossiping with Frosty about her time in the Crystal Empire made Jewel once again wish she could be so bold with her own desires, and yet every time she thought to talk to Mystic about her feelings she was stopped by the fear of everything going wrong.
She couldn’t help but wonder if he started thinking of her that way, as more than just a friend. If so, then this could be the chance she was looking for, the opportunity to start a relationship with the stallion she loved. She looked herself over once more, and nodded in satisfaction before she turned to leave the dressing room, hoping to show off and perhaps encourage Mystic to make a move.
What she saw when she left the dressing room made her heart sink as she saw the stallion standing halfway across the shop with another mare, a pretty unicorn who was chatting with him. Her ears folded, and she blinked away some tears as she felt disappointment surge inside her. Of course he’s not interested in me, she thought bitterly. Why would he be attracted to a lovesick midwife like me? Why would he ever think to give me a chance?
Jewel glared angrily at the mare chatting with Mystic, feeling jealous, resentful, and filled with more than a little self-loathing at her own weakness. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way when they weren’t in a relationship, when Mystic didn’t even know her feelings for him, and yet she still felt angry at this mare for trying to take away her beloved stallion.
Frosty had been looking over a couple dresses, and turned to ask for Jewel’s opinion on one of them when she noticed her glaring at something, and her gaze quickly caught the object of the red mare’s disdain. The pegasus sighed and put the dresses back on the rack before she trotted over, and tried to lighten up the mood. “Jeez Jewel, you’re glaring at that mare like she kicked your baby brother or something.”
She looked over to Frosty, who noticed her watery eyes, and was about to respond, when they heard raised voices coming from the pair. The unicorn mare rolled her eyes and trotted away from him, while Mystic fixed her a glare before he stomped over to his former chair and sat in it, scowling to himself after that failed attempt at flirting.
Jewel sneered at the mare, nodding her approval. “Yeah, walk away,” she muttered as the mare trotted away. “He’s too good for you anyway.” With that, she turned to look at more dresses, trying to distract herself from the myriad thoughts that ran through her head.
Frosty poked Jewel’s shoulder as she said, “Maybe before you go looking for another dress, you could take off the one you’re wearing now?” She stopped to look herself over, and scowled, having forgotten she was even wearing it.
She turned and trotted back into the dressing room to take it off, and Frosty followed along to talk to her through the curtain after it was pulled closed. “Jewel, I understand how you feel about Mystic, but this has to stop. Every time he flirts with a mare you get upset, and the times he’s dated other mares you got so depressed.”
Frosty only heard angry grumbles in response, and sighed. “Jewel, it hurts to see you so upset. I get that you love him, that you get jealous when he’s with somepony else, but if you want to find happiness with him then you have to tell him how you feel.” She heard her friend whine at the thought, and continued, “You made Sunny and me Pinkie Promise not to interfere, so it’s on you to either tell Mystic how you feel, or move on and find somepony else.”
Jewel snorted and poked her head through the curtain, telling the pegasus in a loud whisper, “Easy for you to say! If you want somepony, you just trot up to them and say ‘Hey, you’re cute, let’s bang!’ but it’s not so simple for me!”
Frosty snorted in amusement, and smirked. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but you’ve got the gist of it.”
Jewel’s ears folded as she pouted at Frosty. “It’s not fair… Mystic can go around flirting with all the mares he wants, but any time I even think about asking a stallion out I just end up feeling guilty about it. How am I supposed to find someone else if I feel like I’m betraying Mystic when I even look?”
Frosty’s ears wilted and her gaze fell as she admitted, “I-I don’t know…” She glanced over to where the mare had been, and looked back at Jewel with concern as she said, “But if you really want a future with Mystic, then you need to try something soon. Eventually he’s going to find the mare of his dreams, and what will you do then?”
“Well, I…” Jewel began, before words failed her. Frosty was right; eventually he was going to find someone he’d love, and she’d be left alone. So, what, I either have to risk what I have with Mystic, or be doomed to loneliness forever? she wondered. The thought of seeing Mystic walking down the aisle with somepony else made her feel ill. “I don’t know what to do, Frosty…” she whispered sadly.
Before the pegasus could reflect on an answer for her lovesick friend, they both heard Mystic call to them. “Hey girls, hurry up, we gotta meet up with Silver and Sunny soon!” Frosty looked over and nodded to him, while Jewel retreated back into the dressing room to finish getting undressed.
It wasn’t long before they left the shop together, heading toward the castle. Mystic noticed Jewel’s demeanor, and looked at her with concern as he asked, “Hey, why the long face?”
Jewel nuzzled into his shoulder, letting the affection linger for a few moments before she answered, “I, uh, I liked that dress, but it was way too expensive.” She berated herself internally for keeping the truth from him, but still, she couldn’t be sure how he felt about her. “So, uh, what happened with that mare? I heard you two shouting at one another, and then you went and sulked for a while.”
His ears folded as he answered, “Oh, things were going okay at first, until I told her I was from Ponyville, and she said she didn’t want anything to do with a small-town pony like me.” He gave a bitter snort, and asked, “Can you believe that? Rejecting me just because I’m not from Canterlot…”
“Th-that’s a real shame,” Jewel lied.
“Yeah, well, good riddance I guess,” said the stallion. He sighed and shrugged as they trotted on, and said, “You know, sometimes I don’t know why I bother. I mean, I’ve already got you, so what more could I want, huh?” He smiled at Jewel and wrapped a foreleg around her shoulder, and she simply blushed and leaned into him, mumbling in agreement.
Frosty looked at the display, shocked and quite frustrated. Oh, so maybe he’s just really dense, then? She wondered. I mean, how can he say something like that and not feel something for her? She glared at Mystic, and shouted at him, “So maybe you should stop flirting with random mares, then!” That Pinkie Promise stopped her from pushing them together, but it sure didn’t stop her from calling him an idiot!
“Hey, can’t win if you don’t play the game, right?” he asked, wincing at the shout into his ear.
“Yeah, whatever…” Frosty grumbled as she trotted ahead, wanting to avoid saying something she’d regret later.
Mystic was confused, and glanced over to Jewel to ask, “What’s her problem?”
“I ‘unno,” she muttered as she just enjoyed their closeness as long as she could.
= = = = = = = = = =
Back at the castle, Silver, Sunny, and Luna were trotting over to the castle gates while the mares giggled over Sunny’s tale of their first date.
“…So he goes and asks me “how do you like your eggs?” and I told him, “unfertilized, for now, anyway,” and he was just completely speechless!” Sunny said with a giggle. “I swear, you probably could have seen his blush from the castle!”
Luna laughed at the mental image. “Oh my stars, that’s hilarious!”
“Wasn’t that funny,” Silver grumbled, blushing in embarrassment.
“I thought it was!” Sunny replied with a grin. “I swear, you acted like I just bent over the table and told you to breed me!”
Silver sputtered and squirmed, his whole face turning red at that perverse mental image. Luna simply laughed harder at the couple’s antics, thoroughly enjoying these stories; it was so rare for her to have such candid and casual conversations, so she cherished every moment of it.
While the stallion struggled to get his blush under control, Sunny suggested to Luna, “Why don’t you hide somewhere out of sight while we meet up with our friends? I’ll give you a signal to come on out and surprise them.”
“No need; I can simply use illusion magic to hide until the time is right,” Luna replied, grinning mischievously. “The looks on their faces will be priceless!” She trotted over to one of the guards standing at the main entrance, and told him to take a short break. He left, and she took his place, her horn glowing blue as she shimmered, and appeared to everyone as just another royal guard.
“Perfect!” Sunny giggled, and led Silver over to the gates. They only had to wait for a few more minutes before they spotted Frosty, Jewel, and Mystic coming along to meet up with them, which gave Silver just enough time to stop blushing from Sunny’s earlier teasing.
“Hey guys!” Frosty greeted the pair as she and the others made their way to the gate. “Where’s your friend, Silver? Was she too busy for a visit?”
“Aww, that’s so sad!” Jewel lamented. “I was really looking forward to meeting her too…”
Silver and Sunny shared a smile, before he told them, “Actually, we had a nice long chat with her, and she’s excited to meet the rest of you.” He glanced knowingly to one of the royal guards, who had a small smile on “his” face.
“Oh? So where is she?” Jewel wondered, looking around the area.
The royal guard shimmered as the illusion spell was ended, revealing the Princess of the Night standing next to them. “Greetings, friends. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”
All three of them just stood there, gawking at the alicorn. Not one of them had ever expected that Silver’s friend would be a princess! Luna looked between them, and a moment later both she and Sunny broke out into laughter at their stunned expressions.
Silver merely grinned and chuckled, and said, “Guys, I’d like you to meet my friend, Luna.”
Jewel looked between the princess, and Silver, going back and forth a few times before she asked, “A-are you serious? Your pen pal is Princess Luna?”
“Actually, we’re not pen pals,” Silver admitted. “But we are friends. She’s the one I wanted you all to meet.”
Frosty was the next to speak up, asking, “Wait, so how do you know Princess Luna?”
Luna stifled her giggling, sighing happily as she said, “Please, just call me Luna. And as for how, well, that’s up to Silver to explain.”
That gave Silver pause, as he had only ever told Sunny the real reason he moved to Ponyville. It hadn’t occurred to him until that moment that he’d have to tell them all the truth, and he looked over to Sunny with concern. She put a hoof on his shoulder and smiled, telling him, “It’s time they all knew, Silver. I promise they won’t think any less of you.”
“What are you talking about?” Frosty wondered, looking between the two.
Silver sighed, but explained, “Explaining how I know Luna is a bit of a story, but it’s time I told you.”
A loud grumbling was heard, coming from Mystic’s stomach, and he looked sheepish as he asked, “Uh, could we discuss it over lunch? I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”
“Neither have I,” added Jewel, also feeling quite hungry.
Luna smiled as she told them, “Come with me to the castle, and I shall arrange for a fine meal. Once we’re settled in, then Silver can tell you all how he and I came to meet.”
Silver nodded and smiled. “Yeah, that sounds good. Lead on, Luna.” The princess nodded and turned toward the castle, and everypony followed her inside, eager to fill their bellies and learn how this friendship came to be.
= = = = = = = = = =
It had been a fine feast, as the princess promised, with lots of delicious food and drinks to fill all their bellies. But it wasn’t a joyous occasion, however, as Silver described the events which led him to move to Ponyville. He told them all of his attack against Tirek, and the subsequent loss of his magic, and as he relived the fear and pain and hopelessness of it all, Sunny was there next to him, holding him close, supporting him as he got through it all.
They learned of his feelings of weakness and helplessness that remained even after Tirek’s defeat, and the many nightmares he suffered in which he met and befriended Princess Luna. They were told of the lingering fear and pain that caused Silver to move to the one place in Equestria he thought he could be safe.
By the time he finished his story, the three of them sat there in stunned silence, with mixed expressions. Jewel looked on him with deep sympathy and sadness, feeling pity for Silver for going through all that, while Mystic had a look of understanding as he finally realized what had happened to Silver back in Fillydelphia.
Frosty was simply shocked at everything that she had been told, but she managed to find her voice. “Wow… I-I just can’t believe you actually fought Tirek…”
Silver snorted bitterly. “I attacked him, Frosty; ‘fought’ signifies that he had to put some effort into beating me.”
“Still though, that was really brave…” she replied.
“It was stupid,” he said. “I saw the remains of the Golden Oak Library, and now I know how lucky I was that he didn’t just kill me for my effort.”
“Why didn’t you tell us about all this?” Jewel wondered.
“Because I didn’t think anyone would really understand,” Silver explained. “How could I talk about my trauma when seemingly everyone else just got over it?”
Mystic was quiet for a time, before he looked to Silver with a small smile. “Well it probably wasn’t all bad, if you really think about it.”
Silver’s brow furrowed in confusion as he looked at Mystic. “What do you mean?”
“You remember what you told me a while back, about my move to Ponyville?” he asked, thinking back to their time in the bar. “I was telling you how frustrated I was at leaving the big city, but you made me realize that I never would have met my friends and bandmates if I didn’t come to Ponyville.” He smiled as he explained, “It’s the same way with you; if Tirek hadn’t attacked, then you wouldn’t have come to Ponyville and met all of us.”
Luna smiled and nodded as she spoke up, “He’s absolutely right, Silver. You came to Ponyville seeking safety, and instead you found friendship and love. What Tirek did was terrible, but there’s a silver lining to his actions; because of him, you met all of us.”
Silver looked around at all the smiling faces of his friends, everyone nodding in agreement, including Sunny who added a gentle hoof squeeze. He felt his vision go blurry as he realized they were right; out of that terrible day came all his wonderful friends, and he knew he wouldn’t trade them for anything. “Y-you’re right… Why didn’t I see that before now?”
Sunny smiled and pulled him into a warm hug, and Frosty grinned as she got out of her seat to trot over and hug Silver as well. Mystic was happy to simply watch the group hug, but Jewel grabbed him by the hoof and dragged him over to hug Silver as well. He kept silent, but complied with the hug, and then Luna completed the hug, her wings working to wrap around as much of the group as she could.
Happy tears streamed down Silver’s cheeks as he truly felt the warmth and friendship from all of his friends, and the knowledge that they all cared so much made him choke up. “I love you guys…” he whispered as he savored the moment.
= = = = = = = = = =
Eventually the group hug ended, and the mood in the room lightened up considerably as everypony ate and talked and simply enjoyed themselves. Luna had many questions for everyone there, and they in turn had many questions for her as well, and by the end of the visit the princess found herself with four new friends.
She and a pair of royal guards escorted Silver and the others to the train station as they got ready to head back home late in the afternoon. She and Silver promised to keep in touch, and he invited her to come to Ponyville so that he could entertain her in the near future. All too soon, the train was ready to leave, and everyone boarded it with a final farewell to the princess.
The five friends got caught up on the train ride home, both groups talking about their experiences away from the others, and through it all Sunny’s hoof never left Silver’s. After a while they finally reached Ponyville once more, and they all separated to head home, though Sunny elected to head home with her special somepony.
They headed home in a comfortable silence, neither one feeling the need to talk as they trotted along, coats brushing against one another as they simply enjoyed their closeness. Soon, they reached Silver’s home, and headed inside, and Sunny went to the bathroom to freshen up while Silver headed into the family room to relax on the couch.
Sunny soon joined him, sitting next to him to cuddle up with the stallion. “This is why I like your house, Silver; it has a couch.” The bottom floor of her home was mostly dedicated to her shop, between the storefront and her industrial kitchen. The top floor held her bedroom, bathroom, and a couple spare rooms. What little time she had to relax she would spend in her bedroom, sprawled on her bed for comfort.
He laughed at that, and nuzzled her softly. “You’ve got those spare rooms, you could make one of them into a living room if you wanted.”
“Or I could just come here to relax,” she suggested. Her bed was comfy, of course, but there was something to be said for relaxing on a couch.
He smirked and nuzzled her softly. “Whatever you say, love…” They stayed like that for a few minutes, before he asked, “So, the night’s still young. What did you want to do?”
She pondered that for a moment, and a smile grew on her face as a thought occurred to her. “Well, why don’t we go upstairs, and I’ll show you just how much I love you?”
His eyes widened, and his cheeks lit up in a blush as he realized what she was proposing. “A-are you suggesting…?” he asked nervously.
She pulled away from Silver to face him, smiling and nodding. “Yes, dear, I’m asking you to make love with me.” It had been a long time since she had been intimate with anypony, and unlike Frosty she wasn’t interested in a casual fling. She loved him, and now that she knew he loved her as well, she was eager to take the next step in their relationship.
He fidgeted nervously in his seat. “I… I’ve never done that with anyone before,” he confessed. He enjoyed the cuddles and kisses they shared together, but he had never considered the idea of… intimacy. His heart pounded at the thought of taking that step, while other parts of him reacted somewhat differently as he looked at this beautiful mare in a new light.
She smiled warmly and held his hoof as she said, “It’ll be fine, sweetie; I’ll teach you. We’ll go nice and slow, okay?”
He swallowed, and avoided her gaze as he whispered, “What if... What if I disappoint you?” He could scarcely believe that she was offering this to him, and the last thing he wanted to do was to ruin things due to his inexperience.
She reached a hoof up to his cheek, gently guiding his gaze back to her. “Don’t worry about that, Silver. Nopony’s first time is perfect, believe me.” She stroked his cheek softly, and added, “Besides, you’ll have almost as much to teach me as I have to teach you.”
He nuzzled into her hoof, though his brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”
She chuckled softly, and explained, “Well, dear, the truth is that there’s no one way for two ponies to make love. Everyone enjoys different things, and different ways to be touched; a caress here or a nibble there can be electrifying. I have places I like to be touched, just as I’m sure you do too; we’ll need to communicate to make the most of our time together.”
“Communicate? During… that?” he asked shyly. He had never heard of talking during lovemaking, but then again he wasn’t at all knowledgeable about it either.
She giggled and nodded. “Oh yes, indeed. I’ll tell you what I like, and how I like it, and I’ll expect you to tell me whenever I do something you like. We’ll both learn what the other enjoys, and after a few sessions we’ll know exactly how to make each other feel good.”
Silver continued to blush, but a small smile grew on his face as he nodded slowly. “That sounds… nice,” he said, enjoying the idea of learning together.
Sunny got off the couch, and offered her hoof to the stallion. “Come to bed with me, Silver. Let me show you how much you mean to me.”
She gave him a warm, tender smile as she stood there waiting for him, and he looked into her beautiful eyes, feeling his nerves being soothed by the love he felt from her gaze. “Okay…” he said with a nod, taking her hoof and carefully hopping off the couch. Silently, the two made their way up the stairs and into his bedroom, where they spent the next couple hours exploring one another.
Their first time together was slow, and somewhat awkward, but it was also filled with love. They would have better, more passionate nights together as their relationship continued, but both of them would fondly remember that first night for the rest of their lives.