“How come Sol won’t come see me?” Sweetie complained to her sister. “He hasn’t come to see me since Lunair woke up.”
“I don’t know, Sweetie,” Rarity replied as she was working on a dress. “But whatever his reason, I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten you.”
“I’m gonna go over to see him, is that okay with you?” Sweetie asked after a moderate pause.
“That’s fine with me, Sweetie,” Rarity replied, “just be sure you get home in time for dinner.”
“Okay,” Sweetie replied before rushing out the door of the boutique.
*********
“Sol!” Sweetie called as she walked through the halls of Twilight’s castle. “Sol! Come on! It’s me, Sweetie Belle!”
“Sweetie? Why are you here?” Spike asked as he came out of a room behind her.
“I’m looking for Sol, have you seen him?” she asked as she turned around.
“He’s busy right now,” he replied.
“Doing what?” she asked.
“I-It’s a surprise,” he said nervously.
“What kind of surprise?” she asked as she came closer to the dragon.
“I-I-I can’t tell you,” he replied.
“Come on, please?” she asked as she put on a ‘pouty pone’ face.
“Please don’t look at me like that,” he replied only making her look even sadder. “Please stop, you’re making me feel bad,” he said before she intensified the look. “Okay, okay! Solair and Lunair are making Promise Rings for you and Pipsqueak,” he said buckling under the pressure.
“Promise Ring? What’s a Promise Ring?” she asked with a confused look about her face.
“A Promise Ring is a collar you wear,” Twilight said as she came around the corner behind Spike. “When you have somepony you love and you want to spend the rest of your life with them but you have to go away for a while, you give them a Promise Ring. You also keep a promise ring to show that your heart belongs to somepony.”
“So… Sol loves me and wants to stay with me but he has to go somewhere?”
“That’s about right, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight responded.
“So where is he going?” she asked in wonder.
“I don’t know where it is or what it is like there. All I’ve been told is that he and Lunair are leaving in about four months,” she said.
“I’m gonna go fix dinner while you two finish this conversation,” Spike said as he began walking away.
“What do you mean you don’t know! You’ve got books telling you stuff about every place in Equestria! How can you not know?” Sweetie Belle said almost in a state of hysteria.
“Because where they’re going is not of this world,” Celestia said as she came from behind Sweetie Belle.
“What do you mean ‘Not of this world’?” Sweetie asked as she turned around to face Celestia.
“What I mean is: They are leaving Equestria,” she said.
“Leaving Equestria! So you’re banishing them?!!” Sweetie exclaimed.
“No, I am not banishing them,” she said “The ponies that made them are sending them away to another world to finish the challenge that they gave them.”
“But why? Why would they want to send them away?” she asked in a saddened tone.
“Because they know Solair loves you and Lunair loves Pipsqueak and they plan on using that to their advantage,” she replied. “You see, where they are going… it’s not a very kind place. Ponies hurt other ponies just for fun and sometimes they end up making them fall asleep forever. So they plan on making Solair and Lunair have a sense of loss by not being in the same world as you.”
“And that in turn will break their will to stay in their true forms,” Twilight said as it clicked in her mind. “Princes Celestia, do you remember the book you gave Sunset Shimmer?”
“Yes, but I’m afraid I cannot craft one with trans-dimensional properties,’ she replied as she lowered her head only to raise it back up two seconds later. “However, there is one way,” she said before her horn began to glow. Suddenly a book appeared on the floor in front of her.
“What’s that?” Sweetie asked as she looked down at the book
“This is Contact’s very own Book of Trans-Dimensional Relations,” Celestia started as she lifted the book with her magic, “with it they were able to accurate and efficiently communicate with us while in their Trans-Era slumber. Also they can use it to teleport between dimensions amongst other things,” she stated scientifically. “There is a possibility that they may be able to divide this book into two halves, one for which Solair can talk with you and on for Lunair to speak with Pipsqueak.”
Suddenly the book opened an flipped to a page somewhere near the middle. When the pages stopped turning writing began to appear in the book which read:
-“We are sorry, Tia, but this book cannot be separated into it’s two halves until our Parents remove our mental link. That and we have a feeling our physical bodies will be merged again and we are going to be THAT type of pony when we arrive in the Three-Sixty-Fifth. And if we do take that form, we’d rather Sweetie Belle and Pipsqueak not know how we truly think when in that form.”-
“Oh that’s right, this is one of two gateways to your connected minds, isn’t it?” Celestia said as she looked at the book.
More writing began to appear which read:
-“Yes, and we would prefer those who are not experienced enough to handle the book correctly to stay well enough away from it. It could cause problems for us, and certainly for them, if they mishandle it.”-
“Very well, I’ll return the book to it’s place of safe keeping,” she finished before the book disappeared. “Well that idea is not going to work.”
“Then what other means of Trans-Dimensional communication?” Twilight asked.
“There is a spell that works like the book but it drains both me and Luna after only five seconds of use,” she replied.
A door then opened behind Celestia and The Twins walked out.
“Our collars are done,” they said.
Solair’s was a solid Gold collar and Lunair’s was a solid Gold collar with a crescent moon shaped Cobalt gem in it.
“Sol!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she rushed to her lover.
“Sweetie, I missed you too,” he said as they held each other.
“Tia, can you send a letter to Pipsqueak’s parents asking him to come to the castle?” Lunair asked.
“Certainly,” she replied before her horn began to glow. “It is done. He should be here in about half an hour,” she said after her horn stopped glowing.
“Thank you,” Lunair said.
“Sweetie, can I see your necklace for a second?” Solair asked her.
“Sure, why?” she responded while removing the necklace with her magic.
Solair took the necklace in his claws and it began to take the shape of a solid gold collar with a sun shaped Crimson gem in it.
“Cool! But, how am I going to put it on?” Sweetie said as she looked at it.
“Leave it to me,” he replied before he caused it to phase through her body then re-solidify around her neck.
“Cool!” she said as she looked into a near by mirror.
“So, we’re just waiting on Pipsqueak?” Twilight asked as she looked at the four.
“Exactly,” Lunair replied.
*********
“Lulu?” Pip called as he entered the castle.
“She’s in her room,” Spike said as he looked down from the top of the stairs.
“Thanks, Spike,” Pip called as he began to run under the stairs and deeper into the castle. “lulu! Lulu!” he called as he an through the halls.
“I’m in here,” Lunair’s voice called from a nearby room.
“There you are,” Pip said as he entered the Twins’ room. “My parents received a letter that somepony here wanted to see me, so I assumed it was you,” he said as he came nearer to the filly.
“You are smart for your age,” she said. “But let’s get to the point. May I see your bandana for a second?” she asked.
“Sure,” he started as he handed her his bandana, “and I love your necklace.”
“Thank you,” she replied as she took the bandana. “And it’s not a necklace.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“It’s a Promise Ring,” she responded. “It’s something somepony wears to show that their heart belongs to somepony.”
“Oh! I get it!” he said. “You want to marry me once I’ve grown up!”
“Yes, you are indeed very smart,” she said referring to his abnormally vast intellect. “Watch closely,” she said as she began to change the bandana’s form into a solid Gold collar.
“Neat,” Pip said in amazement. “But how do I put it on, it’s a solid piece of Gold?” he asked.
“I make it phase through your body,” she said.
“Um, will it hurt?” he asked.
“Only if you move while I’m putting it on you,” she said before causing it to go through his body and re-solidify around his neck. While she was doing this, Pip closed his eyes in fear. “There, done. You can open your eyes now, Pip,” she commented.
“What? Open my eyes? I-I never closed them!” he said trying to act brave after opening his eyes. Lunair then gave him a ‘Seriously?’ look and he gave up the brave act. “Okay so I-“
Lunair interrupted his sentence with a kiss and they just stood there together for about a minute. “I love you for who you are, Pip. Not because you’re not brave. Not because you’re small. And certainly not because you’re young. But for you, the pony inside the body,” she said after breaking the kiss.
“A body is an empty vessel without a life in it,” she continued. “A meaningless pile of atoms arranged in a pattern that mimics what life looks like but not life itself.”
“Your voice sounds beautiful when you speak scientifically,” he replied before receiving another kiss, though this one only lasted a few seconds.
“I’ll have Owlicious take you home,” she said before the owl flew into the room. “Take good care of him, Owlicious, because I want to say I married the best pony ever when he’s old enough,” she said to the owl before it gave a quick hoot and flew toward Pip and landed on his back.
“Let’s go you book-bird,” Pip said before going out the door.
“Pip wait!” Lunair called as she rushed after him, catching him about one quarter of the way to the castle’s front door
“What is it?” he said as she came beside him.
“I-I have to tell you something very important and it may make you sad,” she stated trying to approach the subject delicately.
“You’re going some place far away from here, aren’t you?” he asked.
“H-How did you know?” she asked in astonishment.
“A Promise Ring is worn when you’re going someplace far away from your love,” he said.
“Where did you learn this?” she asked.
“My parents told me when I asked what the rusty collars on the shelf in their room were. It’s as simple as ‘Ask And You Shall Be Told’.”
“You are indeed a smart pony,” she said before giving him a parting kiss then walking away, flicking the tuft of her tail against his nose as she did.
“Owlicious, consider yourself lucky,” Pip said as he looked at the owl. “You’re single. My relationship is complicated.”
*********
“Sol, Lulu, I’ve contacted Rarity and Pipsqueaks parents and they said they could come over to say their good-byes,” Celestia said.
“We don’t say good-bye, Celestia, because if you don’t say good-bye, you’re never really gone,” Lunair said.
“Either way, they’ll both be here in about half an hour,” she finished.
“Thank you, Tia,” Sol said.
*********
“Sweetie, Pip,” the Twins said simultaneously. “We’re about to leave for a world that is a complete opposite of this one,” Sol said. “It’s almost the end of the sixth month,” Lunair said.
“Say your good-byes,” Prysme’s voice said.
“And hope nopony cries,” Chia’s voice continued.
“this is our last time to say this,” the Twins said. “Sweetie Belle- Pipsqueak-“ they said before disappearing without a trace.