Twilight and Fluttershy continued staring at the photo in mutual silence. After a few more moments, Twilight spoke again.
“Good memories. They are an inseparable couple, like us.”
“I’m really happy for them. We also kept our promise. Now all of our friends have a special somepony, but we still get together as if nothing's changed, just the six of us…” Fluttershy asured.
“Yes… Rainbow and Applejack have a filly to look after besides Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and we have a filly too. Pinkie Pie aslo adopted a filly herself a few months ago, even though she’s married to a stallion.” Twilight said with a smile. "She wanted to give an orphan an opportunity; to show her that there’s still good ponies out there.”
“Yes, I remember…” Fluttershy said, caressing Twilight’s mane comfortingly.
The lavender Unicorn kept changing pages. Trixie was in some of the more recent ones, along with the rest of their friends. Her last visit was six months ago. "She really changed for the best."
“Yes, and I’m glad that she hasn’t forgotten about us.” Fluttershy commented while looking at a photo where the blue Unicorn was smiling at the camera (or trying to) beside Twilight and Fluttershy.
“Of course she didn’t, honey! She finally found the magic of friendship and she will never abandon us.”
“She said she would be back soon… I want to see her again.”
“Me too. We only have to wait a little longer. She'd never break a promise.” The couple kept looking at the different pictures until they came across another wedding photo. This time, it was Lyra and Bon Bon’s wedding, eight months ago. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. They came back to Ponyville today carrying a foal!” Twilight excitedly said.
“Really? Wonderful, born on Heart and Hooves Day... What a lucky little foal! Colt or filly?”
“Filly. They named her Trotting Paradise. She’s an earth pony.”
“I want to see her!”
“You will, because we will visit them very soon!”
“Yippie!” Fluttershy said in a low tone, causing the Unicorn to hug her.
“You are so cute, Shy!” Twilight said before kissing her wife. When the Unicorn pulled away, Fluttershy made contact with her lips again without opening her eyes. After a few more kisses, they hugged again for a long time. The photo album fell to the floor on a random page. When they broke the embrace, they stared into each other’s eyes before hearing the noise of hooves quietly coming downstairs. The couple looked at the door that led to the stairs only to see how a filly walked in and stood still. She was a blue Unicorn with a blonde mane; one eye was yellow, and the other one was blue. The filly yawned.
“Aurora, what are you doing up? You’re supposed to be asleep!” Fluttershy said as she approached to her daughter.
“I’m thirsty…” The filly said, her eyes were barely open.
“Oh, you poor thing. Let me get you a glass of water!” The timid Pegasus disappeared into the kitchen quickly.
“Thanks, mommy…” Aurora said before yawning again. Twilight could she that her daughter could barely keep herself on her hooves. Fluttershy returned a few seconds later with a glass full of water.
“There you go, hun.”
Aurora drank her water and fell over soon afterward, evidently asleep.
“What did you put in her water!” Twilight commented jokingly, prodding her wife with a teasing hoof.
“Very funny, Twilight! Do I need to remind you what happened after you proposed to me?” Fluttershy said with a smile before putting the filly on her own back. “I’m going to take her back to her bed.”
“I’ll be waiting right here.”
As Fluttershy climbed the stairs, Twilight put the glass back on its place in the kitchen and trotted to the fireplace, picking up the photo album and sitting down in the spot she was in earlier. She was no longer searching through random photos. Instead, she was looking for a specific one. She found it fast because she was particularly fond of this specific picture and she and Fluttershy looked it at often. Her wife returned moments later.
“I’m back… What are you looking?”
“Our favorite picture.”
Fluttershy trotted closer and peered over Twilight's shoulder to see the photo. It showed herself resting by the same fireplace they were beside now, with Aurora sleeping on her lap. Angel Bunny and Spike were sitting beside them. Twilight took the photo out of the album.
“Our first Heartwarming Eve as a family…” Fluttershy said with a single tear of joy streaming down her face.
“I can’t believe it's already been a year... Do you remember when we found her?” Twilight said, also starting to cry.
“Of course I do. I will never forget that day…”
Staring at their daughter in the photograph, they started to remember.
***
They first met her during the first few days of winter, a year ago. The days before the fateful encounter, everypony was preparing for the season. Applejack and her family were bucking the last few apples left from harvest season while her wife was preparing with the other pegasi to move the clouds for the snow. Rarity always had more to do in this season with the new fashion trends. Fluttershy spent the last week building burrows for the forest critters with Spike’s help. Twilight had the task of wandering around the own to make sure they were going to finish in time. So far, there were no complications.
“Twilight Sparkle, is everything ready for winter?” Mayor Mare asked when she saw Twilight walking on the streets.
“Yes, we're prepared for another winter! We shouldn’t have any problems when the pegasi let acommodate snow couds!”
“Wonderful! I honestly don’t know how we got through all these years without your help.”
“I’m happy to help, Mayor! I don’t want to be rude, but…”
“I understand. you have to make sure that we are indeed prepared for tomorrow, right?”
“Never hurts to double check, or triple check! I’ll see you later, Mayor!”
“Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle!”
Twilight waved at the mayor as she looked over everything on her checklist one last time. Once she finished with that, she was ready. It was late afternoon when she started to head home. On the way, she overheard Rainbow Dash giving orders to her fellow pegasi, who saluted her and flew away in different directions.
“Way to keep their spirits up, Rainbow! I see that the Wonderbolts Academy is teaching you well!” Twilight yelled, making the cyan Pegasus jump in surprise. She looked down to see her friend.
“Oh, hey, Twilight!” She landed in front of the Unicorn. “What’s up?”
“I've just finished triple checking. We're ready for winter!”
“Awesome! Are you going back to the cottage?”
“Yes, I think that I need some rest. I've been trotting around Ponyville all week and Ijust want to sit on my couch…”
“Sounds like a plan! Well, I have to get back up there. See ya later, egghead!”
“Bye, Rainbow Dash!” The rainbow-maned pony got back to the cloud she was on before and plopped back on it. Twilight let a small giggle out and made her way home. When she arrived, she decided to tell her wife that she'd gotten back before entering. She headed to where she built the burrows with Spike and saw her talking to a couple of snakes.
“Oh, please, go inside your burrow or you’ll freeze…!” The timid pony said, but the snakes didn’t move. “Please go inside… It’s very warm in there, W-Wait, where are you going!?” The snakes suddenly started to slither away, heading towards the Everfree Forest. Twilight decided to lend Fluttershy a hoof and teleported in front of the reptiles, who stopped at the sudden appearance of the Unicorn.
“I would listen to her if I were you. You don’t want to freeze, do you?” The snakes shook their heads slowly and they made their way back, entering their burrows. Fluttershy sighed in relief and headed to where Twilight was, smiling.
“Thank for helping me, Twi!” She said before kissing the Unicorn on her cheek.
“I’m always happy to help, Shy. Thank you for teaching me not to be afraid of them.”
“You’re welcome. Are you finished with the triple checking?”
“Indeed I am, honey! How about you? Where’s Spike?”
“I asked him to collect more nuts for the squirrels; I accidentally counted wrong. I’m glad that he was here to help me.”
“That’s why I asked him to stay with you. I figured you would need some extra help.”
“Thanks, love… Once he comes back, we’ll be finished.”
“Excellent. Everything's in order!”
Spike returned a few minutes later. Once the nuts were in the squirrels' burrows, they happily headed inside. Twilight laid on the floor next to the fireplace while Fluttershy rested her head over Twilight’s mane. Angel Bunny was trying to get Fluttershy’s attention, but failed to do so. He sighed, heading to where the mares were, and laid down in resignation. Spike appeared from the kitchen.
“Hey, Twilight… I was wondering if I could visit Rarity… to see if she needs help.”
“Sure, Spike, but make sure to be here by the time the moon lights Equestria, okay?”
“I will,” the baby dragon said as he left the cottage.
A few days passed and Ponyville was completely white. Snowponies could be found everywhere. Fillies and colts were constantly playing in the snow, and so where the bearers of the elements. Pinkie Pie was making angel ponies in the snow whereas Rainbow Dash and Applejack were throwing snowballs at each other and Rarity, who, in a flare of anger only ever present by ruining her manestyle, joined the fight. Twilight and Fluttershy were watching their friends from a safe distance, tails intertwined.
“You know, Flutters, Do you want to join them.”
“Join them...?”
Twilight was already making a snowball with her magic. She threw it at Fluttershy, who didn’t have time to dodge it. The lavender Unicorn laughed and moved a few steps away from her wife. After the yellow Pegasus recovered from the surprise, she made a snowball and threw it at Twilight, but she dodged it just in time.
“Missed!” Just as she said that, Fluttershy threw another snowball at her. It hit its target this time. Both mares trotted to where their friends were--the snow fight was now a free-for-all!
After hours of fun, they went their separate ways. Pinkie went back to Sugarcube Corner, Rarity following behind because she wanted to buy something. Rainbow Dash and Applejack went to look for the crusaders who were planning to spend the night at Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy wanted to go home, but Twilight had another idea.
“Let’s go for a walk, to the restaurant close to Ponyville. Shall we?”
“Why?”
“I just want to feel this snow a little longer before drinking some hot chocolate with my wife.
“Okay. It's a good idea…”
They started to walk, but halfway to the restaurant, Twilight noticed something on the ground and stopped.
“What is it, Twi?”
“Look over there...” The bookworm pony said, pointing to the side of the road. Something was glowing. They trotted to the strange phenomenon and they noticed a blue horn protruding from the snow. They cleared the snow and they were shocked when they found a blue filly Unicorn with a blonde mane and a bag under it, unconscious.
“What is she doing here…!? Is she…?” Fluttershy managed to say when she recovered from the shock. Twilight put a hoof on the filly’s chest and she was relieved when she felt a heartbeat. However, it was weak.
“She’s still alive… but barely. We have to take her to our cottage or she'll freeze to death!”