//------------------------------// // Homecoming // Story: Legion // by Thule117 //------------------------------// "Wealthy indeed is the man with a loving home."     -D'nuriean proverb     Derran looked up from his book to glance through the train window at the scenery passing in the distance. No matter how many times he saw the astonishing beauty of the holy land laid out before him, it never ceased being breathtaking. Skies of azure, seen through air clearer than crystal. With far off mountain peaks like dragon's teeth piercing distant wild thunderheads. Hills and fields rolled by covered in lush grass that was soft as silk to the touch, and dotted with wildflowers that all but glowed with color. As overhead, fluffy white clouds drifted lazily by. Finally, just in view between the grassland and the mountains, lay deep green forests of ancient trees. Wide as a house, and with branches that extended to cover an area the size of a hoofball field. Seeing it all from this angle, Derran couldn't help but feel calling Equestria 'beautiful' felt almost disingenuous, like calling Canterlot a 'mountain village'.      As the train trundled along the tracks, Derran let out a soft smile. It was good to be going back to Ponyville. Where his friends never addressed him as 'lord'. Where every meal was homemade with love. Where he knew almost everypony by name, and where his unofficially adopted family were never more than a ten minute walk from his residence. Where he could work the land with Applejack. Bake a cake with Pinkie Pie. Have a hoofrace with Rainbow dash. Tend to animals with Fluttershy. Have tea with Rarity. Play games with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike. Discuss kites and magical theory with Starlight. And of course, go on romantic dates with Lady Twilight.      "I do hope all the preparations are in place for my little surprise. Lady Vinyl Scratch assured me her compatriots were all on schedule, but that was some days ago." He mumbled to himself, before suddenly noting a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Glancing up, Derran smiled, as he looked down at the small unicorn filly staring up at him in awe from the aisle. "Finally worked up the nerve to come say hello then eh?" He asked with a chuckle.     "You knew I was watching?!" The little filly asked, her voice squeaking with a combination of excitement and nervous energy. Derran nodded. The filly was young, at least three years younger than the Crusaders, which would put her at about nine or ten. She had a shockingly bright pink mane, and a striking silver coat. She also appeared not to have a cutie mark yet.     "I noticed you staring at me from across the train car. Admittedly, not as impressive as it sounds, considering the three of us are the only ones in this car. By the way, I also noticed you waited till your mother was asleep to come pay me a visit. I take it she told you not to bother me?" The filly's ears flattened against her head, her expression becoming worried, clearly afraid he was going to scold her. Derran just gave a smile, while he spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. "Well, while we should always listen to our elders, I think in this case your disobedience can be overlooked. May I ask the name of my mysterious admirer?" The filly's face immediately brightened, as she nodded vigorously.     "My name is Stellar Magnet, but everypony calls me 'Stella'." She declared proudly. Derran smiled.     "Stella hm? I shall be certain to remember it." He stated with a chuckle. "Now Stella, what can I-." Derran was cut off, as with a sudden abruptness, a large unicorn stallion barged through the door leading to the adjacent car, and into Stella, knocking her painfully to the floor.     "Watch where you're going!" He snarled down at the young filly, who almost immediately began to whimper, clearly doing her best to hold back the tears rapidly forming in her eyes. The Stallion in question, his back to Derran, made a noise of disgust. "Oh toughen up!" He declared, his voice unsympathetic. "You're completely fiiii. . ." The stallion trailed off, as an aura of pure malevolence engulfed him. With a feeling like icy claws had just affixed themselves to his throat, he slowly turned around. To see a pair of blazing red eyes, attached to a being that looked, at that instant, like a bipedal mountain.     "Step. Back." The words were barely above a whisper, yet, to the now terrified stallion, they sounded like the point blank roar of a manticore. Instantly, the stallion jumped into the unoccupied booth across the aisle, trembling from horn to hoof. As the red eyed titan put aside his book, and moved into the aisle. Kneeling down next to the filly, his tone became gentle, his eyes flickering back to blue, as he spoke to her with concern.     "Are you alright Stella? Tell me what hurts?" Stella, unable to reply, simply grabbed onto Derran as she quietly sobbed. With a look of understanding, Derran gave the little filly a gentle hug.       "Oh come on?! All I did was knock you over!" The stallion declared. His tone a mix of arrogance, outrage and disgust. Only for another wave of soul piercing dread to silence him, as Derran looked him in the eye with a gaze that was nothing less than soul curdling.     "Speak again without my permission, and I will remove your tongue." The words were spoken with a frigid calm, accompanied by a burning glare that left no doubt that the threat was very real. Satisfied that the stallion would hold his peace, Derran turned back to Stella, who seemed to have calmed a bit. Tears still trickled from her eyes, but she had at least regained a little composure. "I'm guessing that scared you more than it hurt?" Derran inquired gently, to which Stella nodded as she slowly released him. Derran smiled warmly in understanding, as he reached over to the black leather valise he habitually traveled with. Popping it open, he reached in and drew out a silk handkerchief, using it to gently dab away Stella's tears. Once her face and muzzle were cleaned to his satisfaction, and she had blown her nose, Derran held up the dirty handkerchief. "Now, watch closely. This is something a friend of a friend taught me." He stated, as he loosely clenched his fist, and proceeded to stuff the handkerchief into it. "And now. . ." Here Derran vigorously shook his fist, before opening it to reveal a caramel candy wrapped in golden foil. "Voila." He stated softly, as Stella stared at him in wonder.     "Wow! You're even more amazing than my daddy said you were!" She declared happily, her face shining with excitement. Her pain and fear forgotten in an instant. Derran simply shook his head, as he placed the caramel in Stella's hoof.     "Not at all. I learned this trick from a great and powerful pony sorceress, now she is impressive, though admittedly, a touch egotistical." He declared with a grin. Stella nodded and smiled as she unwrapped the caramel, popped it into her mouth, and began chewing. "Now, as I was about to ask before we were interrupted by all that commotion: what can I do for you Stella?" Stella suddenly looked embarrassed, shuffling from one hoof to the other uncertainly.     "I. . . uh. . . I don't want you to think I'm greedy." She admitted shyly, staring down at the golden candy wrapper in her hoof. Derran nodded sagely.     "Well that is very mature of you, but I am the one who asked, so go ahead and tell me what it is you desire from me?" Stella nodded, some of her confidence returning as she smiled again.     "Well, it's just. . . could I have an autograph?!" She blurted out, before suddenly becoming quiet again. "So I can prove to my friends I really met you." She explained, her voice almost a whisper. Derran smiled, even as inwardly, he felt yet another sharp pang of concern over the idea of encouraging yet more idolization of himself. Still, the request could hardly be called unreasonable, and besides that, Stella had been through enough for one day.     "Very well, but remember, I am merely an instrument of the Seraphim's will. I'm nocreature special, I just happen to work for ponies who are." Stella clearly didn't quite understand his meaning, but she nodded anyway. Returning the nod, Derran took out a beautiful gold and silver fountain pen from his bag, a Hearthswarming gift from Lord Fancy Pants and Lady De Lis, along with a notebook he always kept on him when he traveled. A habit he had picked up from Twilight. In long flowing script, he wrote out the words: To my dear friend Stella, from Derran Grandel. I shall always remember our train ride together. Tearing off the page, he handed it to Stella. Who looked like all her Hearthswarmings had come at once.     "Thank you mister Grandel!" She declared enthusiastically, to which Derran just smiled.     "Anytime my dear, now, you'd best hurry back to your seat before your mother wakes up." He declared with a wink. Stella nodded vigorously, as she trotted back to the other end of the train car. Derran continued to smile until he was sure Stella was safely in her seat. Before turning to look at the still cowering stallion in the booth across from him. Instantly, his expression became like a storm of barely contained wrath, his eyes a burning red.     "Do you know me?" He asked the stallion, his voice once again containing all the warmth of a timberwolf's toenail. The stallion, still too afraid to speak, nodded. Derran's expression didn't shift so much as an inch. "And do you know, what function I perform?" The stallion appeared near tears himself, as he nodded again. Derran's face remaining as merciless as a frozen cliff face. "Tell me your name, and know that if you attempt to deceive me, things will go poorly for you." The stallion nodded.     "B-b-b-bitter R-r-r-r-root s-s-sir." He stuttered out. Derran nodded, his expression becoming almost calm, even as his eyes continued to blaze crimson.      "You say that you know what I do Mr. Root? So that means, you know, that when I tell you: 'if you ever mistreat a filly like that again, I will hunt you down, and I will feed you a piece at a time to a tatzelwurm', I am not lying. . . Do we understand each other?" Bitter Root nodded, tears actually forming at the edges of his eyes as he did so. Derran's scarlet gaze did not relent as he straightened up. "Good. Now leave my sight, and have care that I never see you, ever again." Bitter Root nodded a final time, before turning and bolting like a madpony for the door to the next train car, as Derran returned to his seat, letting out a sigh as he once more picked up his book. "I suppose the old adage is true: no matter if you occupy Heaven, Hell, or somewhere in between, you can always find at least one asshole."     "When do you think big brother's gonna get here?" Asked the gray coated unicorn filly with white highlighted blond mane. Applebloom glanced at the train schedule, while Scootaloo yawned, and Sweetie Belle munched on a Sugarcube Corner sweetroll.     "Should be any minute now Dinky." Applebloom declared with a smile, at the newest member of the Cutiemark Crusaders. After being brought together during Derran's rescue of Flurry Heart a year ago, the Crusaders had started hanging out with Dinky a lot, and had swiftly become fast friends, culminating in them initiating her as a full fledged Crusader about three months back. They even helped her get her cutie mark. A series of golden sparkles, representing her talent for bringing the spark of happiness into other's lives with her remarkably strong, if somewhat unpredictable, magic.     No sooner had Applebloom finished speaking, than the chugging of the 6:05 train from Canterlot was heard making its rapid approach. The sound easily filled in the mostly empty station.     "Uhg, why did we have to get here so early?" Grumbled Scootaloo. "Couldn't this have waited till afternoon?" Applebloom just rolled her eyes.     "Did ya'll forget that Derran asked for our help with his romantic surprise for Twilight? He caught the early train 'cause he wanted to make sure he'd be there when she woke up." Dinky nodded in agreement.     "Yeah, big brother has been planning this for weeks, and asked for our help." Scootaloo looked less than enthusiastic as she replied.     "Ok fine, but did it have to be today? I'm always up late hanging with Rainbow Dash on Sunday, and I could have used the sleep." Sweetie Belle shook her head in exasperation as she finished the remains of her sweet roll.     "Don't you remember what today is?" She asked, her tone faintly annoyed, as she brushed a few crumbs off her chest.     "Monday?" Scootaloo asked flippantly, as she let out another yawn. Sweetie Belle's expression became a frown, as Apple Bloom spoke up.     "Yer kidd'n right? Today is the one year anniversary of when Derran returned to Equestria! Not to mention the day he an' Twilight first met! It's practically the day they fell in love!" Scootaloo just arched an unimpressed eyebrow.      "Aren't Celestia, Luna, and Twilight already planning some big party to celebrate Derran's return next week? I mean, we got the invitations just a few days ago didn't we?" Dinky shook her head.      "But big brother doesn't know about that. It's supposed to be a surprise." She explained. "They really wanted to do it today, but not everypony could make it. He probably thinks nopony remembered." Scootaloo opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the metallic scream of the train slowly coming to a halt. Any other attempt at conversation was then further drowned out by a loud hiss of steam, and a piercing whistle from the locomotive. A moment later, the doors of the train cars opened, and the conductor hopped out, calling out in a deep baritone.     "Ponyville Station! All passengers for Ponyville Station!"      As the Crusaders watched, a small group of ponies made their way off the train. There were only about five or six all together. Including an elderly earth pony couple, a yawning mother and her daughter, the latter of whom was beaming like Celestia's sun as she tucked a piece of paper into her saddle bags, a well dressed pegasus, and a unicorn stallion, who all but sprinted off the train with an expression like death itself was after him. Finally however, they sighted the towering figure of Derran Grandel, ducking his head slightly as he emerged from one of the rearmost train cars. Wearing a simple dark blue suit and pants, white dress shirt, black tie, and black leather belt. Derran looked more like an accomplished businesspony than the legendary warrior he was, as he glanced around the platform.              "OVER HERE BIG BROTHER!!" Dinky yelled out enthusiastically, waving one hoof wildly in Derran's direction. Derran smiled and gave a brief wave, as he walked toward the group of familiar fillies, chuckling slightly at Dinky's appellation for him.      It had started some months ago, when he had been visiting her mother. Something Derran made a point to do at least once whenever he was in town. Derran had taken Dinky out for lunch while Derpy was running errands, and Dinky had asked him if he had ever had any siblings. When Derran replied that he had not, Dinky had shyly inquired if he had ever wanted any. Derran had thought about it for a bit, before smiling at the young filly, who had hidden behind her menu in embarrassment. Taking a gamble, and recalling a certain pair of pegasai sisters who weren't technically related by blood, Derran had asked: 'Dinky. . . would you like to be my little sister?'. Dinky had all but jumped over the table to hug Derran as she shouted 'yes!'. And from then on, Dinky had only ever referred to him as: Big Brother. It was easily one of the greatest honors he had ever had the privilege of receiving.               "Ah, there are my partners in crime. Lovely to see you girls." He greeted warmly, as he tousled Dinky's mane affectionately, her expression absolutely beaming. "I take it everything is ready?" he inquired. Sweetie Belle nodded, as she gestured to a filly sized wagon, loaded with a carefully folded outfit, covered in a protective plastic wrap, and an oblong black leather case.      "It's all here." Sweetie Belle declared enthusiastically, before letting out a joyous squeal, as she trotted excitedly in place. "This is going to be so romantic!!" Derran simply chuckled in response.     "Well I certainly hope so. I would feel no end of shame if, after all this effort and planning, the ponies involved felt I had wasted their time." He stated with a grin. "Speaking of, have Lady Vinyl's associates arrived yet?" Dinky nodded.     "Yep, they got here yesterday, and we saw them heading up towards Twilight's castle earlier." She declared happily. Derran gave a nod of approval.     "Excellent. Shall we then?" He asked, with a gesture toward town. The four fillies nodded enthusiastically, Scootaloo hitching the cart to her scooter, as they headed toward their destination.     Twilight Sparkle felt her ears flatten against her head in fear, as she walked down the dark corridor. Stretching out into invisibility, the corridor's walls were shadowed, and devoid of doors. The ceiling hidden amid pitched darkness, so that Twilight had no idea if it was seven feet above her head, or seven thousand. Walking forward, she winced at the clopping of her hooves against a floor of grey polished stone, the sound seeming deafening in the all consuming silence. Twilight knew none of this was real, yet the awareness of that fact did little to alleviate her unease. Nor did it allow her to stop or alter the event, as it played out in the same manner as it had the first time.       Twilight had been having this dream regularly for the last six months. There didn't seem to be much of a pattern to how often she had it, only that it typically occurred at least once a week. That said, repetition hadn't done anything to make it any less worrying. As she inexplicably reached the end of the supposedly infinite corridor. The narrow space terminating at the entrance to a room with two of its walls and the ceiling stretching off into oblivion. Only the wall directly opposite Twilight was visible, as well as a pair of familiar bipedal figures.     Both beings appeared frozen in a fierce battle. Their hands locked together with interlaced fingers, as each tried to push the other back. Currently, neither appeared to be winning, each straining against the other, their booted feet planted in what looked to be a perfectly circular puddle of liquid darkness. The pool of viscous black slime appearing almost like a wound in reality beneath their feet. Making it seem almost as if they were floating in mid air.      At first glance, the pair of bipeds appeared almost a mirror image of one another. They were exactly the same height. Each wearing a suit of magetech armor of green plates, over a brown leather-like substance, sans the tinted visored helmet Twilight knew went with it. The armor almost completely hiding their nearly indistinguishable, perfectly muscled bodies, that looked like living statues of an idealized human form. Their identical noble features, both framed by the same manestyle, a military crew cut. A detail made extra noticeable by the fact that Twilight knew for a certainty, that at least one of them had locks down to his shoulders in the waking world.     However, for all that they were similar, there were several clear cut differences. First was their hair, one of the twin's hair was jet black, set above an expression of stoic resolve, that didn't quite mask the hatred in his gaze. While the other had hair of brilliant blond, and bore an expression of pure wrathful malice. His mouth twisted into an ugly, if defiant, sneer. However, arguably the most notable difference between the two, was their eyes. The one with black hair had eyes of purest blue, set like glowing sapphires in his skull, and that burned with a purity and righteousness that Twilight could barely describe. However, the one with blond hair, had eyes of blood red. His gaze shimmering with the red light of a burning coal, and filled with a naked hatred, so strong it seemed almost to deepen the very shadows around him.     As always when she beheld them in this dream, Twilight felt her heart ache. A sense of helplessness and despair clawing at the back of her mind. As the ebon haired Derran Grandel, fought against one whom could only be his alter ego, and secondary consciousness. . . the Doom Slayer. Each of them frozen in an eternal contest for control, that she knew neither could ever win. However, Twilight had little time to consider that, as the next part of the dream began.     Five objects appeared before Twilight, all arrayed in a row, and hovering two feet above the polished grey floor. To her left, was what looked like a pair of roses made of silver wire and gold leaf, positioned with their stems crossed over each other. To her right, was a pair of wickedly sharp steel daggers, also crossed over one another as if displayed on a wall. And finally, directly in front of her, and seemingly thrown in at random, was a set of scales. As always in this dream, Twilight was given little time to scrutinize the items. Before a pair of voices speaking in perfect unison, called out in frantic desperation. One voice sounding as though snarled by a wild beast, and the other seeming as clear as a bell of crystal. The cry echoing forth, even as the static figures remained as incapable of movement as when Twilight first beheld them.     "THE DAGGERS TWILIGHT!! GIVE ME THE DAGGERS!!"     The voices tones were a mix of strain and desperation, a plea born from a struggle that was life or death. Instantly, a feeling of terror and panic seized Twilight, as she almost involuntarily reached for the pair of Daggers. Only to hesitate suddenly, as she regarded the other two items. Fighting against her fear, and the surge of anxiety that her hesitation might have sealed the fate of her truest love, Twilight struggled to understand what the other floating objects meant. Reasoning they must be there for a purpose, and that this situation had to be more complex than a simple brawl. Only to flinch, as a pair of panicked screams, in perfect synchronicity, reached her.     "TWILIGHT PLEASE!! I NEED A WEAPON!!"     The fear in those voices, a fear Twilight could never have imagined hearing in them before, instantly broke whatever sense of focus Twilight had been able to maintain. Unable to ignore the desperate cries of the man she loved, Twilight reached out for the daggers. The thought of losing him filling her with an unrivaled sense of desperation and horror. Yet, as always, the instant her hoof touched the glittering steel of the weapons, the entire scene collapsed into darkness, as Twilight's eyes snapped open.     Staring at her ceiling, Twilight let out a groan, as she turned to look at her bedside clock, currently reading 6:45. Normally she set her alarm for seven, and considered closing her eyes again to try and steal another fifteen minutes of sleep. Unfortunately, she knew from past experience, that after waking up from her reoccurring dream, she'd be far too filled with nervous energy to sleep.      Throwing off the covers, Twilight yawned, as she reluctantly rolled out of bed and stretched. Her wings making a few odd pops as she flared them out. Her room was dark, the curtains drawn, and with only a few faint tendrils of light peaking through. The faint illumination still creating just enough of a contrast to throw the furniture and walls surrounding her into shadow. With a pulse of her magic, Twilight threw the curtains open, revealing a pair of glass double doors, opened just enough to cool the room, and a large balcony of carved crystal overlooking Ponyville. The parting curtains instantly flooded the room with the light of the morning sun, as Twilight turned toward the perfectly organized vanity opposite her bed.      Instantly, Twilight was greeted by the smiling faces of her friends, courtesy of innumerable photos cluttering the built in mirror. Moving towards the cushioned stool in front of the vanity by memory alone, and with her eyelids still partially weighed down by sleep, Twilight ran her comb through her bed-head ridden mane. Wondering, in between yawns, and for the millionth time, what her strange dream could mean.     While she wouldn't exactly call the dream a 'nightmare', it was hardly pleasant, and always left her with a vague sense of unshakable dread. What's more, it often seemed as if the dream was annoyingly incomplete. Considering she never saw beyond the point where she touched the daggers. Equally frustrating was that, despite racking her brains countless times for an answer, Twilight couldn't even begin to imagine what the items accompanying the dagger could possibly mean. The scale was the only one Twilight had any ideas on. Her current theories were that either she was supposed to help Derran balance his two sides, or that there was some sort of decision that needed to be weighed carefully.     As for the metal roses, Twilight hadn't the slightest clue. Maybe a metaphor for the love Derran and she shared? A sign of future tragedy? Considering the gold and silver they were made of, it could even be an obscure reference to Celestia. Even the daggers were unclear. In her dream Twilight always reached for them to give Derran a way to protect himself from. . . well, himself. Yet they could just as easily be a warning against some sort of betrayal. A knife in the back perhaps? Though that did make it rather odd that there were two of them. Then again, for all Twilight knew, it could be a sign that Derran needed a new set of kitchen knives. And all of that was assuming the dream meant anything at all, and wasn't just lingering stress from Derran's fit of berserker rage six months ago.     If Twilight was honest, the events of that day in Thunderspire still weighed on her. It had taken Derran nearly a week to return home after leaving the devastated city, during which she had endlessly fretted. What he had been doing during that week of absence, she still didn't know, and when asked, Derran simply claimed the journey had merely taken longer than he expected.      After Derran had come home, things had more or less gone back to normal, with most of the ponies in his life just glad he was back to his old self. Yet, Twilight couldn't stop feeling slightly uneasy, not of Derran, but for him. She still loved and trusted him unconditionally, but the events six months ago had deeply shaken her. Showing Twilight that Derran's life had left scars deeper and far more terrible than she ever could have imagined. And her recurring dream, while vague and unclear, only continued to reinforce the idea in Twilight's head that Derran needed her help. Though, if she was honest, she had no idea what sort of help he required, let alone how she could grant it to him. Not to mention, ever since coming back, he'd not been anything save his usual charming self. Almost to the point Twilight could believe the events six months ago, had themselves just been a bad dream.                             Pausing in her efforts to tame the unruly strands of her mane, Twilight sighed in frustration. Turning to stare at a framed picture propped up on the top of the vanity, next to a small case of barely used makeup. The frame was made of silver wire, twisted into the shape of a heart. The picture within, showing the gently smiling face of the only stallion, or more accurately: man, that Twilight had ever truly loved. Caressing the frame with her hoof, Twilight wondered if she should talk to Luna about the odd nocturnal visions. She and Celestia would be joining Twilight and Derran for a date before the party next week, so maybe she could ask her then? Now that she thought of it, it would probably be a good idea to include Celestia in the conversation. After all, who besides Twilight herself, knew and cared about Derran more than royal sisters? Even if they ultimately couldn't help, it would be a relief just to talk to somepony she trusted about her concerns. Something she was forced to admit, she'd been avoiding.      Lately, between her duties as a princess, her relationship with Derran, Celestia and Luna, constructing the new School of Friendship, her personal magical researches, her normal day-to-day, and the odd friendship quest, Twilight had been dragging her hooves on seeing to her own mental well being. Letting out a slight chuckle, she recalled her thoughts a year prior, when she had lamented not having enough to do. At that thought, Twilight felt a flare of resolve burn in her chest. That settled it, she was going to talk to Luna and Celestia about this, and together, they would figure out her dream, and put her worries to rest for good!  However, just as she was basking in the glow of her self affirmation, Twilight was pulled from her thoughts by a strange sound echoing through the barely open doors leading to her balcony.        Pricking her ear, Twilight tried to make out the sound. A deep, reverberating sort of twang, that seemed oddly familiar. Curious, Twilight rose and moved toward the crystal and glass door separating her room from the balcony. Using her magic, Twilight gripped the golden handles and stepped out onto the platform of crystal jutting from the side of her castle. Looking down over the railing, her eyes widened with surprise, a second before her mouth curled into an ear to ear smile, accompanied by a slight blush. The sight below her, instantly smothering what remained of her earlier dark thoughts, beneath a tidal wave of joy, love, and a bit of embarrassment.         There, on the patch of grass just below Twilight's window, holding an electric guitar, and flanked by all four of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, was none other than Derran Grandel. He was dressed in a tight black shirt, with the top button undone. Over this he wore an unfastened brown tweed sports coat, with almost invisible brown buttons. His generally favored black dress pants were fastened with a brown leather belt, covered in designs like flowering vines, with a simple golden buckle. On his feet, he wore a pair of brown leather shoes, while finally, around his neck, was a loosely fastened black wool scarf. The whole outfit seemed a bit heavy for summer, but Twilight couldn't argue that Derran did look quite dashing in it.      There was also a small group of other ponies surrounding Derran and the Crusaders, that Twilight didn't recognize. Each stationed at a different instrument. Glancing up at Twilight with a mischievous smile and a wink, Derran glanced at the band around him. Each giving a nod, before, with a slight flourish, Derran gave an exaggerated snap of his fingers, and they began to play. The drummer swiftly established the beat, as the plucking of a bass guitar shaped itself into an overlying rhythm. Derran joining in with the higher pitched chords of his guitar at the proper moment. Until, signaled by a brief solo from the bass guitar, he began to sing. . .     (Song: Always a Winner, by Pete Murry)     Twilight watched and listened, blushing ever brighter as she was entranced by the song. What little exhaustion that still clung to her, was swiftly erased, as the tune and lyrics flowed over her. Swaying to the music, Derran never took his eyes off of Twilight, keeping up a mysterious smile, even as he continued the song. At his side, the Crusaders bobbed their heads in time to the beat, wide smiles on their faces, as Derran sang his heart out.     As the song went on, Twilight found herself whisked through countless happy memories of her and Derran. Their first official date, where Derran had prepared her a gourmet candlelit dinner, and then read the new Daring Do novel to her aloud. Even going so far as to imitate the voices of the heroic Daring Do, the duplicitous Doctor Caballeron, and the fearsome Ahuizotl. He then took her up to the highest balcony in the castle, where he had set up her telescope, astronomy books, and a blanket. So they could watch a meteor shower and drink mulled cider together under the stars.      Or their first date together with Celestia and Luna. Where Derran had somehow gotten them all tickets to a sold out show at the Canterlot Opera house. Where they saw a hilarious mystery/comedy about a bungling pony detective with a Prench accent, trying to recover a rare pink colored diamond. Afterword, Derran had taken them to a delightful restaurant, featuring a live jazz band. Apparently having bribed the owner of the normally overbooked establishment, with a recipe for peach cobbler taught to him by his mother. Twilight had had that cobbler herself, so it didn't surprise her that the restaurant owner was willing to do almost anything to get her hooves on it.     As she listened to the words of the song, bathed in countless happy memories, Twilight's mind briefly wandered to three small black velvet boxes, hidden deep in her closet, and containing some recent purchases of hers. Something she intended to give to Derran, Celestia, and Luna at the surprise party she and her fellow princesses were planning next week. Awash in an ocean of love and joy, Twilight was sorely tempted to just say to Tartarus with it, and give Derran his, right then and there. However, in the end, despite her near delirious euphoria, she held back. The question she planned to ask her three paramours, was beyond important, and everything had to be perfect. Still, it was extremely tempting.     Twilight was gently pulled from her thoughts, as Derran stopped singing to perform a solo on his guitar. Twilight was impressed, he'd come a long way for somepony who just started learning ten months ago. Yet, as she listened and watched, Twilight felt her eyes widen, as Derran, inexplicably, started getting closer. For a split second, Twilight felt shock blast away the rapturous entrancement created by the song. As she wondered: "How in Equestria is Derran FLYING?!" Only for her thoughts to settle slightly, when she noticed Derran's shoes glowing with a combined yellow and green magical aura. The same aura currently emanating from the horn's of Sweetie Belle and Dinky Hooves, both of whom bore expressions of fierce concentration.     As he floated to become eye level with Twilight, Derran reached out a hand to take her hoof, as his solo ended. The music quieting. As his voice lowered, and he sang the next few lines of the song.     Pick me up don't bring me down   Take me right now to the other side of town   That's where I wanna be, you and me alone   We've gotta build it right up so we can make it our home     Then, with a wink, Derran released Twilight's hoof and whirled away, in a midair maneuver that no doubt taxed Sweetie Belle and Dinky's mystical skills to their limits to pull off. As a keyboard played along to the rising tempo of the music. Derran still keeping his eyes firmly on Twilight, and singing like his life depended on it, continued to smile, as he was slowly levitated back down to earth. The two Crusaders who had briefly granted him the power of flight, looking exhausted, but glowing with pride. Derran sparing them a grateful nod, as he concluded the song.      Unable to wipe the smile from her face, or the blush from her cheeks, Twilight opened her mouth to offer praise for the heartfelt and flattering performance. Only to be interrupted by the sound of a set of hooves and a set of claws applauding, as a pair of familiar voices cheered from off to the side.     "Bravo! Bravo! Encore!!" Starlight Glimmer all but screamed. Madly clapping her hooves in front of her as she sat back on her haunches.     "Whoo! Rock on Derran!!" Shouted Spike, as he put two claws in his mouth to give a piercing whistle of approval.     Still clad in their bedclothes, Starlight and Spike's cries of enthusiasm continued. As Derran arched an eyebrow in mild surprise. Struggling not to laugh, Twilight gave a helpless shrug. That Derran and the band copied, as they smiled and gave the two unexpected onlookers an appreciative bow. . .