//------------------------------// // Chapter 44: Love and Lost. // Story: Harmonic Gift From The Stars // by DTavs exe //------------------------------// At the Castle in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle walked around her desk, her mane and tail in a bad shape and a tic on her eye, Spike followed while she made a circle around the room for the umpteenth time. “OH my stars, what if they are hostile?” “Come on Twilight, haven’t we heard many of their songs already? And meanwhile they have some that might not be completely wholesome, most of them are.” “Yeah, but listening to some of their songs can’t give us a complete view of their culture, just part of it.” “Okay, but-” “It’s like saying that since an alien found one of our cupcakes, it means that every creature on this planet likes it, try giving that cupcake to a dragon!” “Hey! I like cupcakes.” “Sorry Spike, I was just generalizing,” Twilight stopped making Spike bounce on her flank, “what if these are not the same aliens.” Spike rubbed her face, “but didn’t you say that the surface of that ship is similar to the big ball that carried the music box?” Twilight rubbed her mane more, making it even messier, “I know, but the closest star system that has planets that MIGHT have life is more than four thousand light years from here and that ship wasn’t flying even near lightspeed. There is no way in Tartarus those are the same aliens if they traveled for that long. It would be too big of a coincidence, the probability is way too small to even consider it...” “Hey, what was the probability of the music box landing on our planet anyway?” Twilight made some mind calculations, then shook her head, “practically zero...” “Coincidence happens, Twilight.” “I know, but what if it wasn’t a coincidence? What if they sent this device to make us trust them and then they send their invaders to take over the world! Technology like theirs is way over us and could overpower even our strongest magic!” “But you saved them Twilight, you and the other alicorns saved them from a hot dip on our sun, don’t you think they would be grateful for that?” “I don’t know Spike, maybe we made a mistake and just doomed the entire pony race, maybe we should have just...” Twilight held her head low. “What are you saying Twilight?” Spike was worried about Twilight, he put one claw on her shoulder, “have you considered the best case scenario, where you saved tens of thousands of lives and now you will get the chance to make friends with a new culture?” “I... I don’t know Spike, what if I made the biggest mistake in pony history?” Twilight began to hyperventilate. Spike grabbed Twilight face with bot claws and stared directly into her eyes, “okay, Twilight, listen to me, don’t regret any of your decisions, they all brought you here and is what they keep you going, you made a decision based on the information you had available so it was the right decision at that moment, don’t ever doubt yourself, I thought we were past that already.” Twilight stared at Spike’s eyes, a wave of pride filled her watching hor the dragon in front of her has grown since she hatched him so many years ago, now he was a reliable dragon helping her, she hugged him, “you are right Spike, I’m glad you are here to put me in the right way when I stray from the right path,” she broke the hug and walked to her desk, “Raven, I know you have been behind the door all this time.” The royal assistant earth pony mare entered the room, “my apologies Princess Twilight, it wasn’t my intention to eavesdrop, I needed to bring you the reports from the guard, they need to be signed and sealed.” “No worries and I hope whatever you heard stays in this room.” “My lips are sealed Princess.” “Good, now give those reports… excellent, Raven, prepare an announcement, the royal guard will begin recruiting again, I want to at least double the amount of soldiers within the next two moons.” This caught Raven by surprise, but given the princess’ previous outburst, she could understand her reasoning, “at once Princess,” Raven left the room while Spike looked confused. “Twilight I thought you were calm about it.” “I am, in fact, I’m hoping for the best from these new visitors, but it doesn’t hurt preparing for the worst,” Twilight winked at her oldest friend, “hopefully Cadance, Celestia and Luna are also preparing.” ~♥~♦~♣~♠~ “Then I told him, I wish negotiations were as fast as you are in bed and he started, I lie not, crying on the sheets.” “Tia, you are traumatizing our beloved niece, we don’t need to hear about your conquests.” “That’s ok aunt Luna, she has told me this story before, I think I’ve heard it enough times to lose most of the awkwardness.” “HAHAHA, I love that story, Celestia.” “I know you do Tube and I’m glad you are back, why don’t you tell us one of yours.” “Come on Celestia, you know I’ve only been with Fam, I never had much time for romance myself.” The three alicorns and minotauress were resting on recliners on top of the Castle of Friendship, Twilight left after receiving the new that there were living creatures on the space object a few days ago, today Tube Tester returned with her son and all of them were discussing while getting tanned on bathing suits drinking and having a good time. “Aw come on Tube, tell them about that time on your wedding night, I remember you told me you not only broke the bed but also the floor of the suite?” “Yeah, good times, sometimes I miss that fat piece of fur next to me on the bed, but I guess it was not meant to be.” “I still don’t see why not, Tube, for what you told me about him, you still have feelings for him.” Tube Tester let out a melancholic sigh, “the feelings were never a problem, is just that work and our pride got in the middle,” what most creatures didn’t know is that even if they were separated, Tube Tester and Fam Icon occasionally got together outside the institute to let out some steam with an angry roll in the hay, Tube wouldn’t admit it, but she really wanted to get together with Fam again, but there was something that stopped them to return together, “please Celestia, I don’t want to talk about it, let just talk about what your sister found out, I suppose that we are going to be invaded by a bunch of aliens... crazy eh?”  “I’m sure there is nothing to worry about, worst case scenario we just blast them out of the planet, hey Tinker sweetie, do you mind getting me another cuba libre?” “Yes ma’am,” said the cat boy, he searched the exit with his hands since he had his tail covering his eyes. “Boy, get your tail out of your eyes, you are going to fall on your face.” “Sorry mom, but I prefer risking a concussion than seeing my mom in a bikini.” “Come on boy, you will soon get in the age to look at females in a different way, so when are you finally going to ask Joy out?” “MOM! We are just friends!” Tinker said while pouring some rum and soda on a cup. “Then how about one of the females you hang out from the school, that changeling seems pretty cute.” “Come on mom, I don’t like them that way, can’t you let me be a kid for a bit longer?” he said while giving the cup to Celestia. “I’m just teasing you boy, I know you are my little boy,” Tube grabbed the abyssinian pulling him into a hug while rubbing his head. “Mom! Please, not in public,” the teenager said while he was being petted by his adoptive mother, but he did not make any effort to escape. “Well, well, well, so you don’t want to be treated as an adult nor do you want to be pampered as a kid, I don’t understand you boy,” Tube said while rubbing her son who began purring and finally fell asleep “he is so cute when he sleeps.” “By the way aunt Celestia, shouldn’t we leave? Twilight left a few days ago and Shining Armor already left with Flurry Heart for the Crystal empire this morning.”  “Oh shush Cadance, we barely spend time together, stay a bit with us, these are the last days we can take sun baths before pegasus prepare to bring winter.” Luna applied more sun block on her body, “hey since they left the music box in here why don’t we listen to a few songs?” “That’s a great idea Lulu, let me press the button first.” “Ok, I’m out.” “Aw, why Tube Tester, come on and listen to it with us.” “No thanks, last time I listened to that thing, it really messed me up, besides I don’t want to wake up Tinker.” “I’m already up mom… mom, are you scared of the music box?” “What are you saying boy? I’m scared of nothing in this world… well maybe just Celestia when she is hungry.” “You know there is nothing to fear right? They are just songs.” Tinker said to his mother while making his pupils as big as he could. Tube let out a defeated sigh, “is not fair you use that face boy, fine, but if I hate it I’ll bail and I don’t want to be the first.” “Alright, I guess I’ll press it first then,” Celestia pressed the button with her magic and the sound of a guitar came out. “Hmmm, it seems country music, I’m not a huge fan of that genre.” “Me neither Celestia, how about you boy?” “It’s nice, I like it.” “You have terrible tastes boy, it appears that the singer is telling about her first love, let me guess, the song will tell about their life together, all the love they had, but there is a point where they fight and end with them separated.” “You have a grim point of view Tube Tester,” Luna said while opening another bottle of sunblock. “I agree, I’m sure you believe in love Tube Tester, I can feel it in you, I mean besides the love you feel from Tinker.” “Nope, not at all Princess Cadence, I love my son and my work, I don’t need anycreature else…” Celestia lifted her sunglasses, she stared at Tube Tester,  “oh yeah, and I love messing with Celestia but that’s it.” “Is so sad you think that way Tube Tester, I’m sure that if love didn’t work for you before with your first mate, it could work with somepony else.” “I… don’t want anyone else Princess, can we let it go, the song reached the part where they get married, hmm, I’m sure everything is going downhill from here… aaaaand there you go, they fell apart, I’m sure they both blamed each other and their own work, first it was small things like forgetting dates and then forgetting anniversaries, I SAID I WAS SORRY FAM! Damn, when your work is too important you can’t just leave it half done!.” “Tube, relax, you are projecting yourself.” The minotauress snapped from her angry rant, then looked down to her lap where a very worried Tinker Claw stared at her, “I’m sorry boy, is just that this topic is one of my weakness, I don’t really like showing that side of me,” her son hugged her and nuzzled her neck at which she patted his head. “I don’t care if you have weaknesses mom, I love you.” The alicorns let out a group d'aww, “listen, the song didn’t end with them separated, Tube, they had children together and watched them grow up and they both grew older together.” “Hmm, well I guess it wasn’t that bad after all.” “So Tube, are you ready to press the button now?” “You are not letting me leave without me pressing it right?” Celestia shook her head, “fine,” the minotauress approached the music box and pressed the button and a sweet and soft melody came from it.   Tube returned to her seat with Tinker on her lap, “that’s a pretty melody, I like it,” she said while rubbing her son’s head. “That’s sweet, he wants to give someone a special gift, I wonder what could be if it’s so rare,” said Cadence clapping her hooves. “Hmm, probably just something made out of gold and jewels, that’s what goes for special gifts nowadays.” “Come on Tube, you have to be so cynical about this as well?” “Alright Celestia, sorry about that, I’m sure it is something more significant than gold… what does september mean?” “I have no clue Tube Tester, but probably some sort of date,” Luna replied while enjoying the song lyrics, then the next verse started, “oh he wants to give the other alien’s smile to the moon, I don’t know if that’s romantic or if I should be scared of it.” Tinker kept enjoying the song in silence, he was almost sleep due to her mother’s caresses. Cadence was moved by the song, “I think that I know what the gift he wants to give is, but let’s keep listening.” “So now he is asking for a gift just as big?” “Well Tube, if I’m right about the nature of the gift, then that won’t be a problem Tube Tester.” The group kept listening and Tube Tester smiled realizing what the gift he was talking about, she remembered those times when she gave the same gift to Fam, how they promised to be together all their life, but then how they couldn’t keep that promise and remembered how deep inside her, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to love another man like him, she thought that it could be a good idea to talk with him about it, instead of either fight or angrily ruin his bed sheets for a night whenever they met, a single tear fell from her eye which she quickly cleaned without anyone noticing, “it would be nice, but it wouldn’t work.” The group kept listening to the song while it lasted, giving everyone present, a warm feeling inside. To be continued