//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: Time and Space in Harmony 
// by Inkspots 
//------------------------------//

	Time and Space in Harmony

by Inkspots

Chapter 12

Dear Princess Celestia,

I would like to apologize for not writing you sooner, but upon arriving in Harmonia, I found myself dealing with a number of issues: a stone chimera golem injured a member of my expedition and I inadvertently released the murderous necromancer Taraxipos, the pony responsible for the collapse of the Kingdom of Harmonia in antiquity.
However, it should please you to hear that Taraxipos no longer threatens the world. I took him to a pocket dimension outside of time’s flow, and there, Spike and I waited the 983 years for Quick Fix’s containment device to drain all of the remaining life energy from him.
We are much changed, Spike and I.
However, as per the Royal Decree under which I am bound, I have officially taken up the mantle of Princess of Harmonia, and with the largest threat to peace and order in the Everfree Forest dealt with, I have moved ahead with plans to begin the restoration of the Kingdom of Harmonia.
I have sent plans for the layout of the capital city to a number of architects in Canterlot. They will work in tandem with a group of archaeologists from Manebridge to begin designing buildings that celebrate the characteristics of the original vernacular style while benefiting from modern construction techniques.
Our agricultural efforts are being led by Applejack and Jade, who have built a model farm of sorts, which will serve to guide and educate ponies who seek to grow food in the unique environment of the Everfree Forest. While Applejack is running the model farm along with her little sister, I have appointed Jade to the post of Royal Groundskeeper. She will be maintaining the palace gardens once there is a palace to build the gardens in.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie are being tasked with creating economic opportunities to attract ponies to settle in Harmonia. Rarity has a number of ingenious ideas using local resources that should create a number of viable industries in short order. Pinkie Pie is serving as an ambassador of sorts, talking business ponies into buying stakes in Rarity’s ventures.
I have appointed Rainbow Dash to the post of Weather Master General, and she has been away in Cloudsdale recruiting pegasi to join the Harmonia Weather Service. I believe she might also be recruiting racing ponies for a private side venture.
Fluttershy suggested the creation of a team of rangers to deal with the more dangerous flora and fauna of the Everfree Forest. I agreed that such a team should exist, and appointed her to lead the Everfree Rangers, as she has decided to call them.
Quick Fix declined my offer to head up a group with the purpose of getting an educational system in place in Harmonia, stating that such a degree of responsibility and public exposure would be unpleasant, but she has agreed to teach mathemagical engineering at the Harmonia Magical Academy, when such an institution comes into existence.
Finally, Dark Matter has sent a separate missive to Princess Luna, requesting an honorable discharge from his commission as an officer in the Night Guard. Conditional on his relief from that post, he has requested the honor of creating and leading a military force to serve and protect Harmonia. We have, so far, failed to reach a consensus on what this force would be called.
Upon completing the previous sections I realize that this letter lacks the tone and warmth of previous letters I have written to you. I apologize. I wrote this letter several hundred times in my head during my long sabbatical outside of time. I now know first hand how Luna felt after her thousand years isolation. Every conversation that I have I have had a hundred times in my head. Little that happens surprises me, but at the same time everything that happens is surprising because I am not the one doing it. I constantly look to Spike for guidance. He has picked up right where he left off, and feels nothing but joy and satisfaction now that we have returned. I suspect that naturally, as a dragon, his mind and body are built to handle long gaps in stimulation and interaction, given the lifespan and hibernation habits of dragons.
I see that I have failed once again in the above paragraph to restore some personal tone to this letter. However, what I say next is not pre-planned. I could never decide how to tell you this.
Star Swirl did not cease to exist after his device malfunctioned. The device returned him to Harmonia, a few years further in the future of his original visit. He kept a journal during that time. Finding these journals in the ruins of the capital saved my life, and allowed me to defeat Taraxipos. But now that they have served that purpose, I have sent them along to you, so that you may have them to remember him by, and so that you can see that he never stopped loving you.

Twilight stopped writing. A wet spot had appeared on the page, and she realized that she had begun to cry. She had not cried for a thousand years. She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling of her tent and wept silently. Her sorrow disappeared quickly, and was replaced by a growing sense of hope that caught in her throat and she fought for breath between the sobs.
She could still feel.

However, I doubt you need these journals to know that his love for you was everlasting.
I will write again soon.

Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle

* * * * * *

“Oh man, Twilight, I don’t think I can do this,” Spike said.
“You are going to do this,” Twilight replied. “And you’re going to do this now. And you should fully expect her to say no because you waited until the last possible minute to ask her.”
“Well if she’s going to say no, why should I ever bother?” Spike countered. Twilight smiled, it was endlessly amusing to hear the note of fear and nervousness from the deep, resonating voice of Spike.
“Because you like her!” Steven Magnet said.
Twilight was sitting on a bench on the shore of Amethyst Lake. After Harmonia began to be developed, Steven Magnet, the river serpent of the Everfree Forest, asked if he could move into the city and live in the central lake. Twilight had agreed, seeing it a fitting gift to give the serpent who had helped them twice in their travels through the forest. Two years later his sister had come up from southern Equestria to live in Harmonia as well. Her name was Selena Magnet, and Spike had been smitten with her from the moment she arrived..
“Here she comes, just, be natural, be smooth, be calm,” Steven said.
Spike was breathing heavily, small gouts of green flames were escaping from his nostrils. Selena surfaced next to her brother. Her scales were teal, though she had the same orange hair as her brother, and much less pronounced nostrils. To Twilight she simply looked like a river serpent, but Spike thought she was gorgeous.
“Oh, Princess Sparkle, forgive me, Steven didn’t say you wanted to see me,” she said.
“Actually, Spike wanted to have a word with you,” Twilight replied.
Everyone turned to Spike. He squeezed his claws together and inhaled deeply.
“SelenawouldyouliketoaccompanymetoRainbowDashandPinkiePie’sweddingtomorrow?” he asked quickly in a single breath.
“Come to a wedding, tomorrow? With no warning? With nothing to wear?” she asked.
“I’m, I’m sorry, Selena, I should have asked sooner-”
“Yes you should have,” she said, then crossed her arms. Spike’s head drooped and his green spines dramatically flattened. “But a girl doesn’t turn down an invite to a wedding, so you got lucky this time. I’ll go with you.”
Spike let out a triumphant roar, spitting flame into the air.
Twilight left Spike and Selena to make plans for their date and started heading back through town to the palace. In the four years since Taraxipos’ defeat, Harmonia had become a bustling city. and on her way back to the palace Twilight had to pass through the Garment District, which was what everypony was calling the Ancient District now. Rarity had become something of a mogul in four short years. She owned the busiest boutique in Harmonia, and on top of that she held a commanding interest in several gem mines in the canyon south of the capital, and she ran a textile factory that spun silk out of the cocoons of Everfree Silkworms. Bolts of Everfree silk were shipped out of Harmonia and sold at Rarity’s boutiques in Canterlot, Manehattan, Ponyville, and the Crystal Kingdom.
Twilight stopped in at Rarity’s boutique and found her upstairs pinning Pinkie Pie into a wedding dress.
“Spike’s bringing Selena to the wedding,” Twilight announced.
“Awwwww, that’s so super sweet,” Pinkie said.
“I can’t believe she said yes at this late hour,” Rarity said without looking up from her work.
“Is somepony a little jealous? Eh? Eh?” Pinkie asked.
“No, I am not, Pinkie, but I will be furious if you keep moving about and I stab you with a pin and get blood on your gown. Now hold still,” Rarity demanded.
“I think she’s a little jealous,” Pinkie whispered loudly enough to be heard across the room.
“Really, Pinkie, I was always flattered by Spike’s affection, that is true, and he will always be a wonderful friend to have, but there were certain, basic incompatibilities that as a child he didn’t really understand, not the least of which is the fact that I will be nothing but dust before he is middle-aged,” Rarity explained.
Pinkie kicked Rarity, who almost blew up at Pinkie until she realized what she had said.
“Uh... but really the main problem, of course, was,” Rarity glanced about the room. “Probably the penis thing, that’s a much bigger problem than age.”
Rarity forced a smile on her face.
“It’s okay you two, really,” Twilight insisted.
“I’m very sorry Twilight, it was an insensitive thing to say,” Rarity replied.
“Wait, what’s wrong with his penis, is it weird looking?” Pinkie asked.
“It’s bigger than I am Pinkie, that’s the problem,” Rarity tied off a knot. “And why on earth are we talking about this? This is terribly rude, all around. Really, enough about that. He has an appropriately sized date and I hope they get on wonderfully.”
“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked.
“She’s back home,” Pinkie replied.
“Really, her gown is very basic, it took no time for the final fitting,” Rarity said. “I will forever be disappointed that she did not let me make her a more fabulous gown for her wedding, seeing as every fashion magazine in the world is going to be here, scrutinizing my work, but it’s her big day, so she gets what she wants.”
“Besides, she can’t see me in my dress before the wedding,” Pinkie added.
“You know you two can be downright old-fashioned sometimes,” Rarity said.
“My grandpa saw my Granny Pie in her dress before the wedding, and ten years later, a piano fell on him,” Pinkie said.
“Well what on earth does that have to do with seeing him on the wedding day? It was ten years later,” Rarity shot back.
“I dunno, but Granny Pie said it was because he saw her in her dress before the wedding, and Granny Pie was right about most things,” Pinkie replied.
“I think you’re done,” Rarity said, floating away her pins and threads, then she teleported the dress right off of Pinkie. “Twilight, you have no idea how helpful that spell is.”
“Glad I could teach you,” Twilight replied.
“Now, I’m actually glad you’re here. Aside from the brides, your outfit is the second most important, being the officiant and Princess and all, so let’s get you in it.”
An hour later Pinkie and Twilight left Rarity’s boutique. Pinkie was humming a tune as they walked along.
“You seem pretty calm for the day before your wedding,” Twilight said.
“Yeah, I am. But Dash is a mess,” Pinkie replied.
“She isn’t getting cold hooves is she?” Twilight asked.
“Nah, she’s just not cut out for tough stuff like throwing parties. Honestly, you ponies always made it sound like I had an easy job,” Pinkie explained.

* * * * * *

Pinkie tore open the wrapping paper on Quick Fix’s gift.
“YESYESYESYESYESYESYES!” Pinkie screamed out.
She pulled out four shoes. They had a thick heel and were stylish, obviously Rarity had been involved in picking them out, but most importantly each one had a magical rune etched on the front, and the bottom actually glowed slightly.
“Are they?” Pinkie asked, desperation in her voice.
“Yes, I finally finished them-”
“HONEYMOON TIME EVERYPONY, THANKS FOR COMING!” Pinkie called out across the reception.
Twilight laughed as Pinkie wrapped Quick Fix in a bone crushing hug, which considering her magic, Pinkie really could do, then she shook hooves and hugged her way to the edge of the reception and finally Rainbow Dash picked her up and the pair took off into the sky.
“Pinkie, the bouquet!” Rarity called out.
“Oh, right,” Pinkie threw her bouquet down at the massive wedding reception. On the ground, mares rushed to catch the bundle of flowers, but instead of landing in the crowd of ponies it was snatched out of the air by Selena, who had the advantage of being thirty feet tall.
“Good luck, Spike!” Rainbow Dash called out, then she flapped her wings and the newlyweds disappeared into the sky, leaving behind a rainbow contrail.
Twilight turned from the sky back down to the wedding reception, which would likely continue until well into the morning. She excused herself from the two noble women who were talking to her about land claims around the ancient satellite farming communities and began searching through the massive crowd for somepony specific.
Instead she ran into Fluttershy, which wasn’t exactly bad.
“Oh, hello Twilight,” Fluttershy said.
“Hey Fluttershy, enjoying the reception?”
“I am, but, there are so many ponies here,” she said. “I’m kind of looking forward to getting back out to the forest. That doesn’t sound rude, does it?”
“No, it’s not. This is a big crowd for anypony,” Twilight replied.
Almost magically, Dark Matter appeared at her side.
“This is a security nightmare, Princess. I implore you that we hold future events of this size off the palace grounds,” Dark Matter said.
“Relax, Dark Matter, you’re not even on duty,” Twilight said.
“I should be on duty, I don’t think Raindrops is ready to be leading security on such a demanding assignment,” Dark Matter said.
“Dark Matter, you are at your friends’ wedding. Please, relax, and enjoy yourself,” Twilight implored.
Her looked grim for a moment, but then he straightened his dress armor and his face almost smiled. “You are right, I should enjoy the night off. Good evening Princess, Fluttershy,” he trotted off in the direction of the food.
Twilight left Fluttershy and finally found the pony she was looking for, but she was talking to Cadence and Shining Armor. Twilight approached the group.
“Well Twilight, we’re visiting, and it’s official, disaster hasn’t broken out,” Shining Armor said.
“There’s still the rest of the night,” Twilight said. “Who knows, a band of manticores might attack the town before you leave.”
“Twilight, you did a wonderful job up there, I’m not looking forward to the first state wedding in the Crystal Kingdom,” Cadence said. “I’m going to be a crying mess.”
“You did a great job, sugarcube,” Applejack said.
“Thanks everypony,” Twilight said.
The four ponies talked for awhile, then Shining Armor and Cadence left to go find Twilight’s parents. Twilight sighed with displeasure, but Applejack grabbed her leg and dragged her away.
“If anypony asks, official business came up,” Applejack suggested.
“Thanks AJ, I wasn’t looking forward to that,” Twilight said.
The wedding was taking place in the expansive palace gardens, Jade’s personal realm of exotic and colorful plants. But despite the enormous size of the wedding, it still wasn’t taking up all of the gardens. Applejack and Twilight headed for Jade’s personal alchemy garden, a gated, secure corner where she grew rare herbs, some of which were deadly enough that there was usually a guard nearby. However, as they approached, Twilight saw no guard, which she knew would send Dark Matter into a fury if he found out.
Applejack opened the gate and the pair walked inside. Jade was quietly sipping a glass of wine.
“Oh, too much bustle for you too?” Jade asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Applejack said. “We were looking for a quiet corner, you know.”
“Well the herb garden was probably a good pick,” Jade replied with a smile.
Applejack said nothing. After about thirty seconds, Jade put her glass down.
“You know, maybe I should get back out there. I, think I might be getting hungry,” Jade said, then she quickly left.
Applejack and Twilight had the garden for themselves.
“Applejack, what’s this about?” Twilight asked.
“Just wanted a little peace and quiet, sugarcube,” Applejack replied.
“What’s this really about?” Twilight asked.
Applejack took her hat off and set it down beside her on the bench and tapped her hooves together in thought.
“Ah know you had a pretty hard time of it when you and Spike got back,” Applejack started. “And you’ve gotten so much better, you smile, you laugh. It makes me so happy to see you happy again.” Applejack drew in a deep breath. “But I don’t see much of you anymore.”
“I am busy, AJ, we’re all busy,” Twilight replied.
Twilight looked away from AJ.
“Twi, come on, I’m not dumb,” Applejack said.
“I know, AJ,” Twilight said, crestfallen.
“We talked about an afterwards, remember?” Applejack said.
“I remember.”
“Well, I gotta know if you still want that afterwards,” Applejack said.
Twilight dropped her face into her hooves.
“Because either way, I still want to have you as a friend, Twi.”
Twilight was silent for a few minutes.
“Do you think Rarity and Spike would have worked out?” Twilight asked finally.
“I think if they had really loved each other,” Applejack replied. “If they couldn’t stand to live without each other, sure. And I’ll be honest, I might not have said that yesterday. I wasn’t even sure I was gonna bring this up yesterday. But I was talking to your brother and sister-in-law earlier. Seemed like about the happiest two ponies I’ve ever met. And I realized I wanted that. I want that even though you’re so much smarter than me-”
“I’m not smarter than you.”
“-and so much more important-”
“That’s also not true.”
“-and I’m just a farmer pony from Ponyville and you’re about the best catch a girl could hope to pull down in several lifetimes.”
Twilight’s face was on fire. Suddenly the night air seemed to turn into steam. She thought she had buried all of these feelings away, that she wouldn’t have to make the choice. It just wouldn’t come up. She thought about sitting in the Star Swirl the Bearded section of the Canterlot Library, stroking Celestia’s mane as she said goodbye to her love. The pain on her face and in her voice, the absolute defeat. Then she thought about Cadence and Shining Armor, and their love that saved the Crystal Kingdom. How did those scales balance out?
“That’s a lot of silence, sugarcube,” Applejack said nervously.
“I’m sorry, I’m still used to having a lot of free time on my hooves,” Twilight replied. “Tell me AJ, and be honest. What would you do if you were me?”
The earth pony kicked at the ground for a moment in silence.
“I’m still me, still feel and think the way I do? Just... you know, a few more bits and pieces and live forever?” Applejack asked.
“Yes.”
“I think I’d jump in front of a chimera for you,” she said.
Twilight kissed her, and she knew it wasn't a dream, because nothing had ever felt so real.