I was lying in bed, enjoying the peace of sleep, when I was woken up by a sudden weight pressing down on my chest. Letting out a gasp I sat upright — only for the weight to fall onto my lap. I looked down with a puzzled look on my face, only to see two very scared-looking foals looking back up at me.
"Hey now," I said, "what's got you two so worked up?"
A flash of light, followed by a loud bang, was my answer. I glanced over at the window and saw that it was raining. I looked back at Azure and Evening and smiled.
"I get it," I cooed, "you're scared of the thunder. Hardly surprising, given that this is the first time you've heard it."
The two of them nodded as another flash of lightning announced itself, followed by the rumble of thunder. Almost immediately the two foals dove under the covers and huddled as close to me as they could. I chuckled and lay back down, only to sit up again when I noticed that something, or rather somepony, was missing.
Twilight wasn't in the bed with me, which struck me as odd. Looking at the clock I saw that it was rather early in the morning. With my curiosity piqued I got out of the bed. I then tucked in Azure and Evening as best I could, making a barrier with the pillows to block out noise, before gently kissing them both and heading downstairs to look for Twilight.
I soon found her sitting at her desk, her head on a pile of books, snoring away without a care in the world. Not even the sounds of the weather outside were bothering her. I chuckled and went over, taking a minute to admire her as she slept, before gently poking her in the side with a finger.
She groaned and batted a forehoof at me while mumbling to herself. I poked her again and her eyelids fluttered open. She looked at me blearily, presumably trying to focus, before she sat upright and yawned.
"Sorry," she mumbled, "I must have dozed off."
"Don't worry about it, Twi," I replied, "as long as you got your beauty sleep. The kids are in our bed, having just been scared witless by the storm which has finally graced our small town."
"Ahh," Twilight said, "I had a feeling that there was something important about today, but I forgot. I guess it was the storm."
"I guess so." I replied, "Because I don't think it could have been anything else, do you?"
Twilight shrugged and got off the chair, stretching her legs with a series of pops. Another flash of lightning ripped through the sky, followed by the rumble of thunder and the panicked squeals of two terrified foals. Needless to say Twilight and I both rushed upstairs, where we spent the rest of the morning soothing them.
***
By late afternoon the storm had cleared. Neither Twilight or I felt like preparing anything for lunch so once everyone was showered, and in my case dressed, we set off for Sugarcube Corner.
As we approached the bakery I saw that it appeared to be in complete silence. Twilight noticed it as well and we both slowed our pace, approaching the building cautiously.
"It's not like the Cakes to be closed," Twilight whispered, "especially not during lunch. It's their busiest time of the day!"
"I don't like this," I replied, "so I'm going in. You stay here with the kids, and don't come in until I tell you."
Twilight nodded, quickly nuzzling my leg as I slowly approached the bakery. My nerves were on high alert, and I was breathing quickly.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside, ready for anything that any potential intruder could throw at me.
"SURPRISE!" the noise was unexpected, "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!"
I promptly fell on my arse as a particular pink blob attached itself to my chest and choked the life out of me. Twilight, having heard the commotion from outside, entered and levitated Pinkie off me.
"Two things, Pinkie." she said, "One, why weren't we invited to this party and two, who's it for?"
"Well duh," Pinkie replied, "it's your anniversary, so I couldn't exactly invite you both to your own surprise party!"
Twilight and I both looked at Pinkie with puzzled expressions on our faces. Eventually her words got through to us and we gasped.
"What?!" I said, "It's our anniversary?! Crap, I totally forgot!"
"So did I!" Twilight moaned, "I knew there was something special about today, but I thought it was just the storm!"
We both looked at each other for a moment before we burst out laughing. The assembled guests, as well as Azure and Evening, watched in silence as we both rolled around the floor. Eventually we stopped and looked at each other sheepishly.
"I can't believe you forgot our anniversary!" I scolded in a mock tone of voice, "How could you?"
"Me?!" Twilight replied in mock outrage, "It's the stallion's job to remember the anniversary, everypony knows that!"
We started to laugh again before someone decided to interrupt by loudly clearing his throat and tapping on a glass.
"You're both forgetful ninnies," John groaned, "so let's just leave it at that and get on with the party, okay?"
Twilight and I nodded and picked ourselves up from the floor before walking further into the bakery. One table was piled high with gifts from our friends, while another six tables were piled high with various sugary goods. Pinkie obviously wanted us to have fun at this party, and the food was her way of making sure. Either that or it was her gift — only time would tell.
***
The next few hours were spent talking, laughing, dancing and enjoying good company. As the last record drew to a close, Pinkie grabbed a microphone and addressed the various guests.
"Thanks for coming, everypony," she chirped, "but I really think that the time has come for the happy couple to make a speech, wouldn't you agree?"
"Speech! Speech!" John shouted as he applauded eagerly, "Come on, folks, show your support!"
The bakery soon filled with the sound of stomping hooves and cheering. Twilight and I looked at each other and shrugged. We both walked over to the microphone and I picked it up. After looking around the room for a moment I began speaking, letting the words flow naturally.
"I can't believe another year has passed." I said, "Another year spent in the company of all you fine folk, but especially another year spent in the company of my beautiful wife here."
I motioned towards Twilight, who smiled and nodded.
"When I first came here," I continued, "I wasn't sure what was going to happen to me. I was hurt, alone... and scared. But then I met Twilight and her friends. Ordinarily, I would be sceptical of meeting new people, or ponies in this case, but something about these six mares seemed to tame my apprehensions. Perhaps it was the way they radiated friendship and trust, or perhaps it was the genuine concern they showed me when my injuries got worse."
"I spent three long months in the hospital. The girls visited me as often as they could, but Twilight seemed the most eager. I put it down to her inquisitive nature, and wanting to learn all that she could about me. But I was still appreciative of her company nonetheless, and over time I grew to admire her... in more ways than one."
I let out a small chuckle before continuing.
"At first this worried me, as I wasn't sure how Twilight would react if I told her that I had fallen for her in such a short period of time. But to my immense relief, and surprise if I'm honest, she made the first move. And ever since that day I have been proud to have her by my side. And if you add our two lovely children to that mix... you get a recipe for harmony."
I turned to face Twilight and took one of her forehooves in my hands. She held the other one to her face and blushed.
"I love you, Twilight Sparkle, and that's never going to change. I'm sorry I forgot our anniversary, but even if I did remember I wouldn't be sure of what to get you. You already have my heart, and no gift could ever beat that."
I leaned in and gently kissed Twilight on the lips, a gesture she returned to generous applause from the guests. When we separated, the calls for a speech restarted. With a wave of her hoof Twilight quietened them and began speaking.
"When I first met Geo," she said, "I was intrigued by him. I'll admit that I was eager to learn all about a species I had never seen before, although humans as we know used to live in Equestria nearly a thousand years ago."
"I spent all my free time at the hospital learning about Geo — his personality, his species, his life, his hopes and dreams. Over the three months I spent at his bedside I learned everything I could from him. But I also began to realise that my feelings towards him ran deeper than I thought."
"I kept them to myself because I wasn't sure how he would react if I told him how I felt. He might have reacted harshly to my sudden declaration of love, or been against the idea of being with a pony. Heck, he could have been gay for all I knew."
Laughter greeted this statement as my cheeks turned pink. I coughed and looked away as Twilight grinned sheepishly and resumed her speech.
"Even after leaving the hospital I still found myself learning things about Geo. He told me how he had found it difficult to make friends until he was sent to someone who could help. The same applied to me — I found it hard to make friends until Princess Celestia sent me here to Ponyville."
"A few days later I was asking him about... something I can't say in front of foals." she giggled as she saw me facepalm out the corner of her eye, "The conversation turned to relationships, and once again I saw how alike the two of us were. I saw my chance, and I took it. At first, Geo didn't return my kiss, but that's only because he was stunned by my boldness. He told me that he felt the same way, and... well, you know the rest."
She jumped into my arms and wrapped her forehooves around my neck before gently nuzzling my face.
"I love you, Geo," she said, "so very very much. I too am sorry that I forgot our anniversary. But as you said, what could I possibly get you had I remembered when you already have my heart, much like I have yours?"
I wiped my eyes before bringing Twilight in for a long and passionate kiss. The room filled with applause, and some wolf whistling courtesy of John, as we celebrated another year together.
While looking forward to many more.