“Don’t be gone too long, ok?” I asked as we walked over to the mirror. I was here to see Sunshine and Starlight off, and though I knew that all they were going to do were make arrangements for Spike and Ray, I felt like I had spent enough time separated from my wife. I also had asked them to meet with Sunshine’s parents to let them know we were going to gone for a while. Thankfully, as an author fellowship student, I could still do my coursework here in Equestria and submit it via my wife when she would go through for her checkups and visit her parents.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Sunshine said, a small grin on her face as she leaned in to peck me on the cheek. I took an extra second to run my cheek against hers before glancing over at Starlight.
“I’m not kissing you,” she said with a smirk.
“Shame,” I said. “The temptation to tease Trixie about it might have been too much to pass up.” Her wide eyes and blushing cheeks were almost comical. “Take good care of her while you’re gone, please?”
“She's in good hooves, Your Majesty.”
“And don’t call me that,” I bit as I turned to leave. “I thought we had that discussion before.”
“You know,” Sunshine purred. “You never have a problem when I call you that. I wonder why…”
I turned and spitted my wife with a narrow smirk. “I hope she doesn’t start using the title in that way,” I said as I slowly began to stalk over to her. “It might get a little awkward at home.”
I saw her face color slightly and I heard her protest through our bond, though somewhat muffled.
Sunset Shimmer! she admonished silently.
Where am I wrong? I returned. “Have a good trip,” I said, touching the crystal cast to her horn. “I’ll miss you.”
She blinked for a few moments, a sad smile forming. “I’ll be back soon.”
I watched as they stepped through the portal, and turned to return to Canterlot for the official return of power to the Diarchs.
It was time to return life to normal as much as possible. Twilight met me outside and she smiled at me.
“Everything go alright?” she asked.
I nodded. “I may not like the fact that I have a couple months worth of horn regeneration to look forward to,” I said. “But at least I won’t have to worry about missing assignments and I can spend some more time with my family as we rebuild.”
We walked a few lengths in silence, seeing some of the broken bits of buildings being discarded as they were repaired or vanishing as repair spells took effect. I glanced at Twilight.
“You have any major plans, now that you’re no longer one of the major ruling princesses?”
Twilight tilted her head for a moment.
“I have been thinking about opening a school…”
Darkness surrounded him, but he was used to that. He had endured it for eons, after all. He knew where he had failed now. Last time he had been too overt by destroying the natural cycle of the sun and moon first, then had been blindsided by those Unicorn mages that had managed to band together to take over. He had tried a more subtle route this time, but perhaps he had been too subtle.
But he had to admit, that Alicorn had posed a good point in her parting words when she had been in his mind. Maybe he was being too impatient.
“It’s good to see you consider your own temper, Brother,” a voice chimed in. Entropy turned and saw the bright glow of Serendipity nearby. “Though, I must admit that it took you quite a while to consider that you might have been wrong.”
“And you’ve never thought to tell me what I was supposed to do?” the sullen being asked.
The soft glow of Serendipity drifted a little closer. “That is not my place,” she said softly. “I am only to guide towards destinies, aided by Harmony to keep things from spiraling out of control.” A sense of a smile carried through the voice. “We all forget our place from time to time. After all, we have seen both the Moonsister and Discord fall and be returned to their rightful place in the world.”
“And my place is to do nothing? Was the Seer right in that?”
“No, Brother,” Serendipity began to fade. “It just isn’t your turn yet. There will come a day when it is time for things to be reborn, but until then, there are still things that must happen. And when it is time, we will work together to bring a new reality into being.”
“The last time we worked together was so long ago I can barely remember it.” Entropy said, feeling a small smile form. “Maybe it will be worth the wait.”
“I’m sure it will be,” Serendipity whispered. “I’m sure it would be.”
I was sitting at my desk when the cry went sounded in the hall.
“Mommy! Mommy!” my daughter giggled as she rushed into my office. “Look what I can do!”
Her horn was shimmering as it held her favorite stuffed toy up, but it was wavering in its strength. But, between it being her first time being able to lift anything and her overabundance of excitement, I couldn’t help but smile at her.
“That’s great, sweetheart!” I said as I set my quill down and plucked her up in my magic, bringing her around to settle between my wings. “We’ll have to go show Momma as soon as she gets back from work!”
“Can we go see her?” She flicked her silvery mane out of her face with a hoof, only to have it fall back down in front of her eyes.
I smiled back at her. “I don’t see why not,” I said. “She should be finishing up with Aunt Sparky now.”
“Will Wowy be there?”
I smiled at her mispronunciation of her little sisters name. She had just lost a tooth and it tended to make her ‘R’s a little soft. “No, sweetie,” I said as we trotted down the halls of the Castle of Friendship. “Rory’s back with Auntie Fluttershy and Auntie Rarity, remember?”
“Oh,” she whispered.
I stepped out onto a balcony and spread my wings. “Hold on, kiddo,” I said, giving her a few moments before leaping into the air, feeling my Pegasi magic take hold as we glided down and to one of the terraces of Twilight Sparkle’s School of Magic and Friendship. My daughter was giggling in delight as we felt the wind blow through our manes, even after we had landed. Starlight met us as we entered, her mane up in a bun and giving her a much more scholarly look to her face.
“Hey, girls,” she said as she saw Middy poke her head up from behind me. “What brings you by?”
Midnight was impossible to stop from lighting up her horn and levitating her stuffed toy again, a wide grin splitting her face. “I can do magic, Aunt Stawight!”
“Oh, hey!” the Unicorn said, smiling. “That was great!” She reached down and hugged the filly. “You want to go show your mother, don’t you?”
She nodded quickly, her mane sliding down and getting in her eyes again.
“Sunset?” a voice pricked through my dream.
I looked up and at the smiling face of a deep blue mare laying across from me. “Hmm?”
“You were smiling in your sleep again,” she said, reaching out to brush a lock of my mane from her face. “And I got a few rather hazy glimpses of you and a little filly flying.”
I smiled. “You saw that, huh?”
She nodded, snuggling in a little closer under my wing. “I thought you looked really good as a mom,” she whispered sleepily.
“Heh,” I responded. “I liked the way it felt, you know. And you know what else?”
Quiet breathing was the only answer I got. I smiled as I pulled the glasses from her face and placed them on the nightstand.
“I love you, Twilight Sparkle,” I whispered before laying my head down as well.