//------------------------------// // Book 3 - Chapter LXV // Story: The Sunset Trilogy // by ocalhoun //------------------------------// Book 3: Equestria Abides Chapter 31 “Are you sure about this?” Twilight asked shakily from the edge of the fortress's roof. She was literally teetering on the edge, wings spread wide. Apollo hoped she would go ahead and do it soon, or else a gust of wind might blow her off by surprise. “You can do it!” He shouted, already hovering just out of reach off the edge... and he was sure she could. Her flight training had been going well, and now it was time for a real confidence builder. She had already flown distances longer than what he was asking for now, just never so high up. For a pony who was born without wings, she sure seemed to be a natural, actually. She was up and flying much more quickly than it usually took a pegasus filly to fledge... Then again, she didn't have to grow the wings and muscles for it; they were already there and all she had to do was learn to use them. With a cringe and a flap of her wings, she jumped, falling quickly at first and startling Apollo into a dive to catch her, but she recovered just as fast, rising back up to the roof level and beyond. Slowly at first, but building speed, she completed his requested loop around the edge of the roof before landing again where she took off. He set down next to her, congratulating her on her performance, “You did great for your first high flight!” “Really?” She asked eagerly. “Really! I just wish I could learn magic as easily as you're learning flying.” “Oh, it's no big deal, you're a fine student. It just takes a lot of study... it's not like flying... that just comes naturally. Magic you have to really learn,” she said reassuringly. “You know that's not it.” He said, turning away. She sighed. He was sure she was getting tired of his hangups about magic, but if she was, she was doing a good job of hiding it. “You'll get used to that in time, too.” She snuggled up close, laying a wing over him. “Magic isn't anything to be afraid of... especially once you learn it, and especially for somepony as powerful as you'll be.” Sometimes he wasn't sure... maybe it was the prospect of all that power that was actually scaring him sometimes. It was just... creepy. “Sometimes I wish we could just go back to the way things used to be...” he mused. “Yeah, me too... all the time. Things were simpler back then, I just had my friends and my studies, and I would write a letter to...” She wasn't just talking about the times before they became alicorns, Apollo realized. She was talking about the times before everything changed. “Heh, yeah... those were the days all right,” he agreed... but privately he wasn't so sure he would go back if he could. He personally hadn't lost anyone, and while there was a lot more grief in the world now... there were also a lot of other new things; he had made new friends, got a new job not just as the leader of an exploration crew, but as the leader of a whole city... and even other little settlements here and there had begun swearing allegiance now. He would be leading a nation before he realized it... and of course, he had a new lover! Would Twilight really want to take all that away? With that in mind, Apollo remembered something he had been meaning to do lately... and now would be just the time; it would take her mind off of the past for sure! “Oh, Twilight, I was wondering...” he lead on. “Hm?” She turned towards him, away from looking at the scenery below. “I know it's a little soon, but...” he held out a ring, “Would you marry me?” If his goal was to distract her from her wistful thoughts on the past, he certainly succeeded. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped, thoughts obviously very much on the future now rather than the past. Her look of shock faded into a big smile and what looked very much like a valiant struggle to hold in a shout. “Yes!” She broke out, managing to contain the volume... mostly. He joined her in sharing a big smile now, leaning in for a kiss. Just as they touched though, and before he could actually give her the ring, the quiet was broken by an enormous roar from below. Both ponies rushed to the edge of the roof, looking down and knowing anything that roared that loud must be a serious problem. * * * Twilight hurried to the edge of the roof, rushing to see what was going on below. What she saw surprised her, even after she had been expecting something terrible. An enormous dragon was at the fortress's gates, being harassed by a few brave pegasi and roaring back at them enraged. What would they do now? Twilight's mind was going frantic quickly. How would they deal with a full-scale dragon invasion? Sure, they had three alicorns here now... but two of them weren't very well-versed in magic... and honestly, she wasn't entirely sure about herself either. Some of her spells had turned out a little differently than expected ever since her change... So how would they get this dragon to go away? She looked back at the scene below, expecting it to devolve into a full-scale slaughter any moment as the dragon's rage took hold... yet it didn't seem to happen... why? What was going on? The big purple and green dragon was just standing at the gate and bellowing, halfheartedly swatting at the pegasi harassing him as the only sign of offensive action. Wait just a minute... purple and green? No, it couldn't be. There was no way he could be that big already... could he? She realized she didn't know much about dragon development... maybe it could be... but no, it was too far fetched. Just when she had almost convinced herself that it couldn't be... she caught a tiny glimmer of flame circling the dragon, quickly growing into a bright flash, deterring one of the pegasi who got too close. That flash... only one thing in the world made a flash like that... a phoenix... and with that, she knew this one's name: Pewee. It WAS spike! After all these years! With a thought, Twilight teleported away, leaving a concerned looking Apollo in her wake. She reappeared with her customary violet flash at the very peak of the arch of the gates. Gathering her breath, she yelled out as loudly as she could, “STOP!” Apparently she wasn't used to having the power of the royal Canterlot voice behind her yet though. All the ponies around – and even the huge dragon in front of her – were all holding their ears in pain... Well, at any rate, it got the job done. They all did stop what they were doing. Reverting to her normal voice, and hoping he could still hear her despite the claws held over his ears, Twilight called out, “Spike... is that you?” The huge beast nodded, leaning in closer. Even though Twilight was standing at the top of an enormous arched door, Spike could still look her eye to eye... he even had to bend over a little to do so. The phoenix stopped its circling and landed on one of the spines on his head. Twilight remembered reading about how loyal they could be... and it looked like that was true... how many years had those two been alone together? “Wow... you're ah... big!” Twilight exercised her brilliant powers of observation. Trying to recover a little from that, she added, “And... um... nice wings!” He seemed to squint at her a moment before his eyes widened in surprise, “Nice wings yourself!” He bellowed before quickly following up, more quietly, “Oh, sorry, It's been a while since I talked much at pony volumes.” Twilight quite literally couldn't believe it. After she had given up on all her old friends here one was, right in front of her, very much larger than life! Suddenly, she remembered something she couldn't wait to tell her old friend. “Oh! Spike, guess what?” She held her hooves up to her chest in excitement. “I'm getting married!” * * *