//------------------------------//
// The Two-Legs Revealed 
// Story: A Woodland Romance 
// by KidatHeart5 
//------------------------------//

	Spike asked, “Are you sure Timber isn’t going to catch us doing this?”
Discord said as he set up a rope for a trap, “He won’t. Our camouflage outfits make us invisible to anyone but ourselves and the Two-Legs.” 
“But should we even be doing this?”
Discord got up and faced his in-law, “This is for his own good and Sunset’s. Trust me, he’ll thank us.” 
Cheese said, “And if we’re not doing it for Sunset, we’re doing it to get an actual photo of the Two-Legs.”
Spike said, “I’d rather do it for Sunset. Besides, why are we going through all this trouble if Timber wasn’t the one for her?”
Cheese agreed, “Yeah. They can’t fool us. Their eyes are telling us they’re in love.” He batted his eyes for emphasis. He then started chanting, “Timber and Sunset, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!”
Discord clamped the stallion’s mouth shut and shushed harshly, “SHH! Quiet! We don’t want Timber to know we’re here! No matter what he says, we’re going to catch this creature even if we have to stay up all night!”





Hours later, the three of them were sleeping on the ground. They had grown tired of waiting for the Two-Legs and dozed off without another thought. Suddenly…
“AAAHH!”
The abrupt scream awoke the brothers-in-law and they got up in a startled manner.
Discord asked, “What was that?!”
Spike said, “It must be the monster!”
Cheese declared while he held a stick, “Let’s get him!”
The in-laws gave a war cry as they charged towards the trap Discord had set up earlier that evening. When Spike angled the flashlight at the creature caught on the rope by its ankle, the guys yelped in terror at the sight of the Two-Legs. It was a creature unlike anything they had ever seen before. It had a lean frame with a built-up chest and a slim stomach. It wore a red shirt, khaki pants, and a hat that was similar to Timber’s. It also had five-fingered hands and odd-shaped feet with what appeared to be toes. But the strangest thing of all was that it shared many traits with Timber!
Discord exclaimed in shocked disgust, “Good gracious! He’s even ghastlier than I thought!”
To their surprise, the creature said, “Guys, it’s me, Timber Spruce!”
When they heard Timber’s voice, the in-laws yelped again.
Cheese cried, “He ate Timber Spruce!”
Discord said as he flashed on surgeon’s attire, “Stand back! This could get very messy!” He put his hands around the creature’s upper body and began performing the Heimlich maneuver. “Don’t worry, Sprucy! We’ll get you out of the foul beast in no time flat!”
The Two-Legs grunted between squeezes, “But I *Hngh!* really am *Ugh!* Timber *Blugh!* Spruce!”
Spike cried, “Guys, wait, wait! I think it’s really him!”
Discord scoffed as he kept squeezing the Two-Legs, “Ha! Likely story!”
Spike said as he pointed to the creature’s features, “Look at the eyes and the hair and even the hat!”
Discord stopped what he was doing as he and Cheese looked closely at the Two-Legs. They then realized that Spike was right: it really was Timber Spruce!
Timber said in an irritated tone, “Now that everyone’s convinced, can you please let go of me before I lose my dinner?”
Discord gagged as he let go of Timber, “Ugh! I don’t want to have anyone puking on me. It’s just plain gross.” 
He then used his talon to cut the rope. Timber grunted when he landed on his head. 
As the camp guide rubbed his head, Spike asked, “What happened to you, Timber? Were you cursed?”
Timber confessed when he sat up, “I was born this way.”
The three in-laws stood there in silence for a few moments before Cheese said in confusion, “We’re…not following you.”
Timber said as he stood up, “My mother went to another world and accidentally brought magic with her.”
Discord said in an intrigued tone, “Another world? Do tell.”
“The world Mom went to was home to humans. That is, creatures that look the way I do now. So anyway, when Mom got there, she became a human herself. Dad was already a human living there when he fell in love with Mom, even though he knew she came from Equestria. They got married and had my sister and me. We were born at home at night, so our folks couldn’t tell that there was something different about us until the next morning. Thankfully, our parents were the only ones who knew about it. 
“For everyone’s sake, Mom took us and Dad to Equestria. They had to keep us hidden, though. When they died just after Gloriosa and I turned sixteen, we had to rough it out here.”
Spike asked, “So how come you’re human now and pony during the day?” 
“I’m only human when the sun’s not out.” Timber then faced the moon and said as he put his elbow against a tree, “‘By night one way, by day another. This shall be the norm until you find true love’s first kiss and then take love’s true form.’”
Discord said, “That’s very charming. Who knew you wrote poetry?”
Timber said as he turned to face the in-laws again, “Give all credit to the zebra. He told my parents that rhyme when they brought Gloriosa and me to him.”
Spike asked, “So if you and your sister get true love’s first kiss, then you can be ponies 24/7?”
Discord said cheerfully to Timber as he clasped his mismatched hands together, “That settles it! Sunset’s going to kiss you and break your dreadful curse!”
Timber stopped him, “Hold on, hold on! I’m not even sure if Sunset will like my other form. I mean, she might reject me because I’m part human, a creature nopony else understands!”
The three in-laws gave him smirks as Cheese said, “So?”
Discord explained, “I’m a creature made up of all sorts of animals, but that never stopped Fluttershy from loving me and even marrying me.”
Spike said, “I’m a dragon, but I got a wife and kid anyway.”
Cheese said, “We know our Sunset, Timber, and if she’s anything like her sisters, then there’s a good chance she’d love you no matter what form you take, day or night.” 
Timber was filled with hope, but another worry crept into his mind. “But…what about Gloriosa? She doesn’t have a significant other.”
The three in-laws uttered as they realized that, “Oh…”
After thinking for a few seconds, Discord suggested, “How about this? After we leave Splendor Woods, we’ll find the perfect pony for your sister to marry.”
Timber’s eyes widened as he said, “Really? You’d do that for her?”
Discord nodded, “Absolutely.”
Cheese agreed, “Yes, siree!”
Spike said, “How can we say ‘no’?”
Timber smiled, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”





The alarm clock buzzed and the three in-laws and Timber groggily woke up in the forest. 
Discord groaned, “Is it that time already?”
Timber said as he stood up, “Yep.” After he yawned and stretched, he said, “It’s almost sunrise. Time for the big show.”
The draconequus muttered grumpily, “Remind me again why we agreed to wake up early to see this.”
Cheese smiled, “Come on! It’ll be fun!”
Timber shared the Earth colt’s smile, “Yep, you won’t be disappointed.” When he faced the direction where the sun was about to come up, he slightly spread out his arms and said, “Here we go.”
The in-laws watched as Celestia’s sun began to rise and flood the land with its radiant light. Just then, yellow clouds and sparkles began to envelope Timber. After several moments, the clouds and sparkles died down and Timber landed on his front hooves as he had done so many times before. When he turned to see the in-laws again, they had astonished expressions on their faces. 
Timber asked with a smirk, “So?”
Cheese said, “That…was…awe-some!”
“Thanks. Now I need to show Sunset when the sun goes down tonight and explain everything to her.”
Discord said as he held out his hand to stop Timber, “Hold up. Why do ‘show-and-tell’ when you can just show her?”
Spike realized what he was getting at and said, “Oh, right! Sunset has that new ability now!”
Timber asked in surprise, “She does?”
Cheese said, “Of course! She can touch ponies and see their memories and feel what they feel!”
Discord suggested, “So you can let your memories do the explaining for you!”
Timber asked in concern, “What if she’ll be afraid to touch me? I don’t know how she’ll act when I’m in human form.”
Cheese then grinned widely, “Who says it has to be at night? You can take her on a romantic boat ride on the lake…before the sun sets!”
Discord smiled sneakily, “Ooh, soften her up so she’ll be more accepting of him. Good idea, Cheese Sandwich!” 
Timber said with a hopeful smile, “You know what? I think it might actually work!”





When the guys returned to the camp courtyard, Gloriosa walked up to them. She greeted them in a tone that sounded cheerful, “Hi, Timber! Have you been having fun with those three?”
Timber rubbed the back of his neck as he explained with a smile, “Well, actually, I kinda got snared in one of my traps. Thankfully, the guys were hiking through and found me.” At that moment, he noticed something around her neck. “Say, where did you get that necklace?”
Gloriosa put a hoof to her necklace and explained, “Oh, these were just some colorful geodes I found near the rock quarry. I thought I’d loop them together into a wonderful necklace.” She then whispered to her brother, “Meet me in the woods at sundown.”
When she left the guys, Cheese said to Timber, “Well, you better ask our girl out on a date before the sun sets.”
Discord said as he and his in-laws walked away, “Don’t disappoint us, Sprucy!”
Timber gave a small grin before he began searching for Sunset. Luckily, he found her at the campfire pit, peering at something below a log. 
When she saw him, she smiled and waved him over as she said, “Hey, Timber, look at this!” 
To his surprise, there was another Cupid’s Arrow orchid where the log and ground met. 
He chortled in amazement, “Whoa-ho! How did that get there?” 
Sunset smiled innocently as her eyes looked up in a playful way and her head swayed from side-to-side. “I may have brought two pals of mine back together again.”
Timber chuckled as he playfully hit her arm, “You sly pony!” He then said slowly to ease his nervousness, “Say, would you…be interested in having…a date…this afternoon?”
Sunset said with no expression, “A date?”
“Um, yeah?”
Suddenly, Sunset threw her arms around him as she cried, “Yes! I would love to go out with you!” She pulled back to face him again and asked, “Where should I meet you?”
“Right here at the campfire pit. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”
“I’m sure I won’t.”
Meanwhile, Daring Do and Quibble were at the ledge. Quibble had just gone inside his tent to retrieve something. After a minute, he came back out with…
“The token from the Rainbow-Eyes,” Daring’s eyes widened. “You kept it?”
Quibble gave a small smile, “I forgot to give it back to you when we separated. Since then, it was a reminder of what we had.”
“You mean you didn’t hate me all this time?”
“I hated myself even more than I could ever hate you. Look, if you want the token back, then take it.”
Daring Do looked like she was considering the offer for a few moments, but she surprised him by pushing his hoof back towards him. “Considering how we patched things up last night, I think our relationship is still good.”
Quibble asked with an amazed smile, “You mean we’re still…?” When she nodded, he squealed happily, “Oh, Dare!” He wrapped his arms around her and held her in a tight embrace. She mirrored his very actions by hugging him in return. 
Daring Do then said with a smirk, “Besides, I got some nice artwork from the Rainbow-Eyes.” This surprised Quibble and he faced her with a stunned look. She said, “Yeah, I found them first, so I won the bet.”
Quibble looked as if he was offended by this, but then he smiled, “I knew you’d find them, Dare. After all, you’re Equestria’s most famous jungle adventurer.”
“Don’t ever forget it.”
They chuckled before they locked lips and fell into a deep kiss. 





Sunset wore a blindfold as Timber led her towards the dock. She said with a smile, “I can’t wait to see what you have as a surprise for me.” 
Timber told her, “It’s going to be worth it. Trust me.” 
When they stopped on the far end of the dock, he let go of her hoof and removed her blindfold. Sunset gasped in amazement when she saw a decorated boat waiting for them at the end of the dock. 
She breathed, “Timber…it’s beautiful.”
Timber smiled, “Yeah, although I had a little help on it.” He pointed to the lifejackets in the boat and said, “Don’t forget to put on your lifejacket before we sail.”
Sunset joked as she saluted him, “Yes, sir.”
They both chuckled before they got on the boat and donned their lifejackets. Once everything was prepped, Timber hoisted the sail and steered the boat around the lake. When the sky began to show tints of orange and purple, Timber angled the boat so Sunset’s head was in front of the bright sun and let the vessel stop at that spot. Having the sun’s rays surround Sunset’s head like a halo was even better than he imagined. She was like an angel, a dazzling, beautiful angel with all the colors of daytime in her mane, coat, and especially her eyes. He wondered if she could be his nighttime angel, too.
Sunset couldn’t believe how striking Timber looked with the sunlight radiating his face. The light seemed to bounce off his green eyes and make them more brilliant. They were so captivating to her that she almost didn’t hear him ask something.
“Are you enjoying the boat ride?”
“Hmm?” She snapped out of her trance and said embarrassedly, “Oh, I was thinking about how fun this boat ride was.”
He smiled, “Yeah, it is great.” Now it was time to let her know his deepest secret. But how was he going to bring up such a shocking topic? Then, it came to him. “So…I hear you have a new magical ability.”
Sunset was surprised that he knew, but she assumed that maybe everypony knew by now. “Yeah! I can touch ponies and see their memories.”
“I think that’s pretty cool.”
“Wow. Thanks. Ponies would freak out if they knew that I was looking into their minds.”
“So is this only going to be at Splendor Woods or is it permanent?”
She shrugged, “I wish I knew, but I think it’s only going to be here. I don’t know why, but the magic has been strong ever since my family and I got here.”
“So why not use your new ability to learn my secret?”
Sunset was confused by that and asked, “Secret? What secret?”
“Why you never see me at night.”
“But…aren’t you usually hunting for the Two-Legs at that time?”
“I can’t tell you that…But I’ll show you.” Timber outstretched his hoof and said, “Touch my hoof and you’ll see what I mean.” When Sunset hesitated touching his hoof, he added, “Please, trust me.”
The soft, pleading tone in his voice finally convinced Sunset to do as he said and touch his hoof with hers. As she expected, her mind’s eye saw an image playing before her. A young Timber Spruce and Gloriosa Daisy were playing catch in the camp courtyard and the sky was a bright mix of orange and purple. Amazingly, Timber looked pretty much the same but without the hat, but Sunset was surprised by how Gloriosa looked. The young Earth filly had pigtails akin to braids, a single daisy in her mane, and a missing tooth.
A female voice then called, “Kids! Time to go inside!”
The kids groaned before Timber asked, “Do we have to?”
“Yes!”
The twins walked to a cabin as they dejectedly said with their heads down, “Okay.”
After their mother closed the door, Timber grumbled, “Stupid curse-at-night thing.”
This surprised Sunset. What curse at night? Then, in the vision she saw, the sun went down. When yellow clouds and sparkles surrounded the twins, Sunset watched in astonishment and anxiously waited to see what would happen. Her heart skipped a beat as soon as she saw the twins as creatures she had never seen before. They still looked like themselves, but in a different form. 
Gloriosa asked her parents sadly, “I don’t get it. Why are we like this at night?”
The parents looked at each other with uneasy looks, but then they nodded, as if they decided it was best to tell their children now. 
Their father came up to them and said, “I’m not from Equestria. I was born in a world that can only be reached by a crystal mirror.”
Timber asked with wide eyes, “So are you a human, too?”
His dad nodded, “Since I was born in the form you guys take at night, yes, I’m a human.”
Gloriosa asked, “Then why aren’t you human at night like us?”
Their mother explained, “You two are only half-human and half-pony. I’m 100% percent pony, but when I came to your dad’s world, I became a human. Likewise, when Daddy came here, he became a pony. But no matter which world we were in, we were still our true selves on the inside.”
Her husband said, “So when your mother came into my world, she lived there with me until we had you guys.”
Gloriosa said in an incensed tone, “Well, I would think that having kids who are one form during the day and another at night would count as odd.”
Her mom agreed, “We thought so, too, when we found out you were ponies by day. You see, you guys were born at night, so we thought that there was nothing unusual about you.”
The dad chuckled, “Boy, were we wrong!”
“So to avoid any attention by the locals, we went to Equestria with you guys. That way, you could be out and about during the day and stay somewhere safe during the night. When we arrived here, we sought the help of a wise zebra to hopefully break the cycle you guys were in.”
Her husband shook his head sadly, “Nothing.”
She corrected him, “Nothing but a rhyme. A very useful rhyme, no less.” She then recited, “’By night one way, by day another. This shall be the norm…’”
The twins then droned with her as if they had heard it countless times before, “’Until you find true love’s first kiss and then take love’s true form.’”
Gloriosa asked worriedly, “But will anypony love us, both in this form and our pony form?”
Her father wrapped his arm around his wife as he told his daughter, “If it’s true love, it can defy all odds.” He then remembered something and said, “Oh, I almost forgot something!” He trotted to the closet and brought out a cap. He said as he walked to Timber, “Your mom and I made this for you.”
His wife pointed to an image printed on the rim and smiled, “And look at this! It even matches your cutie mark!”
“It’s yours, my boy.”
When Timber grabbed it, he beamed, “Whoa! Thanks!” 
As soon as he put his new hat on, Gloriosa whined, “Why didn’t I get a cool cap like his?”
Her mother explained, “Trust me, Glory. It wouldn’t be your style. Besides, I got something that will fit you to a T.” She grabbed a box and gave it to her daughter. “Open it.”
When Gloriosa did, her eyes widened with joy and she beamed, “Wow…A daisy chain!” She said as she held it in her hands, “I’ve been trying to make one for years!”
“Well, then I guess I’d better teach you.” 
After Gloriosa put her daisy chain on her head, she teased Timber, “See? Now I got something to wear, too.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
Her father admonished, “Gloriosa, that’s not very nice.” When Timber was about to stick his tongue at his sister, their dad warned, “Don’t you dare, mister.”
Timber flashed a sheepish grin. 
Both twins said, “Thank you for the gifts, Mom and Dad.”
Their parents answered when they hugged them, “You’re very welcome.”
Sunset loved looking at the happy scene, but suddenly, a white flash appeared, signaling the transition to another memory. Unfortunately, this memory was gloomier than the one before it. A now-teenaged Gloriosa and Timber were standing in front of two stone markers that stood in a secret place in the forest. Judging by the writing on the markers, Sunset assumed that the monoliths were gravestones for their parents. 
Gloriosa sniffled, “How will we ever live without them? It’s not fair!”
Her brother nodded sadly, “I know, but I bet they’re watching over us at this moment.”
Gloriosa choked through tears, “What will we do now, Timber?”
After staying silent for a few moments, Timber answered, “We’ll run the camp, just like Mom and Dad would’ve wanted.”
“Until one of us finds a true love and breaks the curse?”
“Hmm…Yeah. Until then.” He then faced her, “But right now, let’s just take care of each other and Splendor Woods.”
Another white flash occurred and Sunset saw the moment the Two-Legs brought her back to camp safely.
Her memory self said, “Thanks for…”
The image then cut to the silhouette swinging from branch to branch until it landed on the ground. When it stepped into the moonlight, Sunset couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The Two-Legs was none other than a grown-up Timber in human form! He looked so strange but so entrancing as his night self. 
Timber fretted as he looked behind him, “I hope Gloriosa won’t find out about this.”
After a white flash, Timber and Gloriosa were quarreling in their human forms.
Gloriosa reprimanded, “Why did you save her?! You could’ve given away your identity!”
Timber rebuked, “Should I have just left her to be eaten by those Timberwolves?!”
“No! That’s not what I meant!” She calmed down and sighed, “Look, I don’t want her to know who you are at night. Ponies in this world have never seen humans before.”
“I know, but if she’s the one for me, she’ll love me no matter what form I take.”
“And if she’s not?”
“Look, I’ll know either way. Please trust me.”
Gloriosa sighed sadly, “I just don’t want you getting hurt because of this.” She gestured at herself when she said that last word. “What if she rejects you and reveals our secret to all of Equestria?”
Timber put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Somehow, I don’t think she will.”
“What? Reject you or expose our human forms?”
“Neither.”
When Timber said that, Sunset found herself back in the real world again. She looked at Timber – still a pony - and found it strange to see one form in a vision a second before she saw the other in reality. Still, she couldn’t believe that a daily cycle of transformations was behind Timber’s nightly disappearances, but she knew she couldn’t blame him. Timber was anxiously waiting for Sunset to say something when her eyes had returned to their normal, beautiful color. 
After several moments, Sunset overcame her initial shock and began to say, “Timber…this explains everything. You’re not searching for the Two-Legs, because you are the Two-Legs.”
Timber added, “My sister is, too.”
“But you were the one who saved me from the Timberwolves that night.”
He rubbed his hoof against his chest and said proudly, “Yep, that was all me. You can give your thanks now.”
Sunset chuckled before she said, “Thank you. And now I expect your thanks in return.”
“For what?”
“Accepting you for who you are, pony and human.” She gave him a warm smile as a sign she meant what she said. 
Timber’s eyes widened with joy as he hugged her and exclaimed, “Oh, Sunset! Thank you! I told my sister you were the one for me! I just knew it!”
When he pulled back to face her, Sunset nodded, “I knew it, too. At first, I was convinced that I couldn’t marry and start a family, but then I found you. You gave me new hope.” 
Now with the sunset coloring the sky and illuminating the lake, the amber unicorn sang, “All those days…watching from the windows…All those years…outside looking in…All that time…never even knowing…just how blind I’ve been…Now I’m here…blinking in the sunlight…Now I’m here…suddenly I see…Standing here…it’s, oh, so clear…I’m where I’m meant to be…
“And at last, I see the light…and it’s like the fog has lifted…And at last, I see the light…and it’s like the sky is new…And it’s warm and real and bright…And the world has somehow shifted…All at once…everything looks different…now that I see you…”
Timber then said to her, “You know, all my life, I’ve been afraid that no one would love my human form along with my pony form. But when you came into my life, I felt like there was a chance that things could work out. I’m really glad that I met you and that you chose to love me despite what I became at night.”
He started singing, “All those days…chasing down a daydream…All those years…living in a blur…All that time…never truly seeing…things the way they were…Now you’re here…shining in the sunlight…Now you’re here…suddenly I know…If you’re here…it’s crystal clear…I’m where I meant to go…”
They both sang as they held hooves, “And at last, I see the light…”
Timber sang, “And it’s like the fog has lifted…”
Both sang, “And at last, I see the light…”
Sunset sang, “And it’s like the sky is new…”
Both sang, “And it’s warm and real and bright…And the world has somehow shifted…All at once…everything is different…now that I see you…Now that I…see you…”
With the two of them very much in love, they touched muzzles and enjoyed this beautiful moment.