Chapter 9
Caramel and I were in bed, about to go to sleep. For the past few days, I’d noticed that he’d become increasingly distracted. I had been wondering about how I felt about Applejack, and how she felt about me. I’d been trying to figure out what to do, and I’d reached a decision. I just hoped I wouldn’t be hurting Caramel too much.
“Caramel?” I said, turning my head to look at him.
“Yes?” he said, also turning his head.
“Remember the conversation we had? The one a few days after the dinner?”
“Yes.” He smiled. “I’m… I’m glad you brought that up. I… I found someone too.”
“Good for you.” I said, truthfully.
“So, who is she?” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“Um…”
“You don’t have to tell me.” He reached a hoof out and put it on my shoulder. “I just want you to know… I’m glad we did this.”
“Me too. One more night?”
“One more night.”
I leaned forward, kissing him one last time. Then he nuzzled up against me, laying his head on my shoulder. We fell asleep, taking this one last night together. It hurt a bit, but I was confident of my decision.
___________________________________________
The next morning, when we got up, we both did our best to keep a bit of distance. He did help me in the shower, but he was quiet. We ate, and got ready to go. Both of us were going to try with the mare we’d found (I still didn’t know who he was going to visit). I was planning to go visit Rarity first; she said had something for me. I opened the door, and Caramel followed me outside.
“Good luck.” I said, as he started off. He nodded, smiling.
I watched him go, then I began to make my way to Carousel Boutique. As I passed Sugarcube Corner, I was joined by Pinkie.
“Where are ya going Northy?” she asked, bouncing along beside me. “Where’s Caramel?”
“He and I…” I said. “We-”
“Oh! You two decided to use the escape clause, didn’t you?”
“The what?”
“You both found mares! Oh, and I almost forgot! The party’s tonight!”
“Um… yeah.”
I highly doubted she’d forgotten, but whatever. She was having another party, which she seemed to throw at least once a day. As usual, everyone was invited.
“Who’s the lucky mare?”
“That’s a secret.”
“I won’t tell!”
I looked her up and down. “Fine.” I said, and whispered the name in her ear.
She looked startled, and was no longer smiling. “Um… Northy?”
“What?”
“Uh… nothing.”
“Okay, well I have to go. Rarity has something for me.”
“See you later!”
I continued onward, walking slowly through the snow covered streets. I eventually arrived at the Boutique. Icicles hung from the eaves, making it look like something from a calendar. I knocked, and Rarity answered.
“Good morning North.” she said, waving me in.
“Good morning Rarity.” I said, stepping past her. “You said you have something for me?”
“I do indeed.”
She led me through the shop, to the back of the main room where she’d cut my mane a while ago. She had me sit in one of the chairs.
“You’re overdue for a mane-cut.” she said. “So, let’s get you ready for that mare.”
“How did you know?” I asked, surprised.
“You’ve got that purposeful air about you.” she said, turning me to face the mirror. “So, do you want me to do it a particular way?”
“What do you think?” I asked. I wasn’t obsessed with how I looked, but I still liked to look alright. “I don’t really have any experience with this sort of thing.”
“Well,” she said, wrapping the black apron around my neck, “if you’ll trust me, I think I have an idea.”
“Go ahead.”
So she got to work, trimming away carefully. I sat still, occasionally blowing some hair off of my nose. When she’d finished, she showed me what she’d done. She’d gotten it so my mane so it curled across my forehead. It was longer than I’d expected, but it looked good.
“Thank you.” I said. “It looks good.”
“Oh! Have I graduated from nice to good?”
I laughed, handing her the apron.. “If you say so.”
“Well, off you go.” she said. “And good luck with that mare!”
“Thanks.”
I left the store, and headed for Sweet Apple Acres. As I went, I looked over at the frozen stream that ran through Ponyville. It was still frozen over, but nopony was skating on it anymore. When I reached the small lake, it was the same. I sniffed the air, which seemed a warmer than it had for a while. I stored that information away for later, as I was approaching the orchards.
I kept an eye out for Applejack as I went, but I didn’t see her anywhere. I reached the gate, and turned up the dirt drive. I made it to the farmhouse, still not spotting her. I knocked on the door, which was soon answered by Big Macintosh. He came out, closing the door behind him.
“Morning, North.” he said. “How’re ya doin’?”
“I’m fine.” I said cheerily. “Do you know where Applejack is?”
“She’s down in the east orchard.” he said. “Um… North, if yer here to…”
“Thanks!” I said, setting off to find her, leaving Big Macintosh in hanging in mid-sentence.
I made my way through the orchard, searching for her. I found her, near the fence-line next to the Everfree forest. She was trying to pull a cartload of largish rocks, but the cart’s wheels were stuck in a muddy puddle. I hurried over, and started pushing from behind. With my help, she soon had it unstuck. I joined her in front as she walked towards the barn, going at a leisurely pace.
“Thanks North.” she said. “That cart sure was stuck.”
“You’re welcome.” I said. I decided to wait until she was a bit less busy.
When we’d reached the barn, I helped her unload the rocks onto a large pile she must have been stacking up. I didn’t mind helping her, and we soon had it done.
“Thank you again.” she said, wiping the sweat off of her brow.
“Yeah.” I said. “Um… Applejack?”
“Yes?”
“Would… would you like to…”
“What?”
“G-go to the party with me… tonight?”
“Oh…” She looked embarrassed. “Gee, North… Caramel already asked me, and ah said ah would.”
“Oh.”
“Ah’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.” I said, though I did feel disappointed. “I’m just glad Caramel found such a lovely mare.”
“Thanks.”
“Well…” I said awkwardly, “I guess I have to figure out what I’m going to do tonight.”
“You can stay here.” she said. “If you want, that is.”
“I think I will. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Listen, why don’t you go spend the day with Pinkie? I’m sure she’d love it if you gave her a hoof.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“See ya.”
“Bye.”
I left, feeling disappointed. But I was glad that Caramel, at least, wouldn’t be alone. I took her advice, and went to Sugarcube Corner. When I got there, I was greeted by a hyper-enthusiastic Pinkie Pie and two megalomaniac foals.
“Hi Pinkie.” I said, walking over.
“How’d it go?” she asked.
“It didn’t.” I said, ignoring “Armageddon, Pounder of Cakes”’s constant chatter. “She’s coming to the party with Caramel.”
“I’m sorry North.” she said, pulling a balloon out of her mane and twisting it into something I didn’t recognize. “I tried to warn you.”
I thought back to earlier. “I guess you did. Next time, I’ll listen. To you, and Big Macintosh.”
“So, what brings you here?” she asked, blowing another balloon and twisting it.
“Would you like some help setting up for the party?” I asked. “I’m free today.”
“Nah, I already finished.” she said, putting the balloon on one of the tables. I looked around, startled to see the entire place was already decorated, and ready for Pinkie’s festivities.
“Oh.”
“But I have a better idea!” she said. “How about a pie-eating contest?”
“Now?”
“Sure!”
“Okay, why not?” I said. Sugar… I was craving sugar.
Shortly, she had gotten ahold of a massive stack of pies. She set them on a table, a napkin having mysteriously tied itself around her neck. We sat down opposite each other, “The Great and Terrible Pumpkin” would be counting for us.
“Ready?” She asked, looking enthusiastically across the table.
“Ready.” I said, putting a napkin around my own neck.
“Go!” said “Armageddon”.
Both of us dug in at the same time. While she tore through them quickly, I took my time. After half an hour, she’d eaten nearly ten, but I was pulling up behind her. Her inexplicably insatiable appetite was becoming satiable. Soon, I’d somehow pulled ahead. Finally, she gave up, face planting into an twelfth half-eaten pie. I finished off my twelfth, and wiped off my mouth.
“Um… I win?” I said, smiling widely.
“Mm-hmm.” she said through her pie. “M-ghms-sm!”
“What?”
She lifted her head. “I guess so!”
I felt extremely energized. I stood up, bouncing over to the two foals.
“How’re ya doin ya little ponies?” I asked.
“Timey Lord has a sugar-high.” said “Armageddon”.
“I do indeed!” I said. “Hey, Pinkie! Let’s go do something fun!”
“Oh! Oh! I know!” she said excitedly. “Let’s go prank ponies!”
“Okay!”
We returned the foals to their parents, then the two of us ran out of the shop. Soon, we were hiding behind a bush.
“What should we do first?” I asked. “Sneeze powder? Disappearing ink?”
“How about a spinning bow tie?”
“What?” I looked down. Somehow, she’d replaced my bow tie with a polka-dotted one, which was spinning around. “Pinkie!”
She laughed it up, and after a moment, I joined in. It did look pretty funny. When we’d calmed down, she gave me back mine, and I replaced the polka-dots with the solid green.
“Thank you! Now what?”
“How about sneezing powder?” she asked.
“Sounds good. Who do we use it on?”
“How about Rainbow Dash?” she asked. “She loves a good prank!”
“Cool!”
We got a bottle of perfume, which we sprinkled with Pinkie’s sneezing powder. Then Pinkie used some crazy contraption to put it on Rainbow Dash’s front porch (she lives in a cloud house, about fifty feet off the ground). I didn’t see why Rainbow Dash would bother with perfume, but I went along with it.
“Here we go!” said Pinkie, ringing the doorbell with her thingamajig.
We sat back and watched. After a minute, Rainbow Dash answered the door.
“Hello?” she said, looking around. She looked down, and saw the bottle. “What’s this?”
She picked it up, turning it over in her hooves. Then she glanced around, looking to see if anypony was watching. Then, she sprayed a little out and sniffed.
“Ah-choo!” she sneezed. Pinkie and I started laughing, and she spotted us.
“Nice one Pinkie!” she said, flying down. “Sneeze powder in perfume? That’s a new one!”
She landed, her wings blasting us with wind as she did. “Hey, North.”
“Hi!” I said, snorting with laughter as I recalled the look on her face. “How’re ya doin!”
“Are you alright?” she asked, looking concerned.
“I’m fine!” I said. “Really!”
Black.
___________________________________________
The two mares watched as North’s eyes rolled up and fell over sideways. Rainbow Dash caught him just before he hit the ground.
“Geez!” she said. “What have you two been up to?”
“We had a pie eating contest!” said Pinkie cheerfully, pulling out the spinning bowtie and putting it around her own neck.
“Who won?” she asked, though she had no doubt about the answer. She was wrong.
“North!”
“He did? How?”
“I have no idea!”
Rainbow Dash groaned as she lifted North. He was just as heavy as she remembered, and she was not going to enjoy this.
“Well, Pinkie.” she said grumpily. “Since we can’t take him to the hospital-”
“Because they’ll lock’im up!”
“-where do we go?”
“Hmm…” Pinkie sat, cross-legged. “I sense a disturbance in the Force.”
“Yeah, sure. So where-?”
“Rarity’s house!”
“Why- never mind. Just… never mind.”
She followed Pinkie, straining under the weight of the unconscious stallion.
___________________________________________
When I woke up, I felt woozy. I was looking up at a ceiling, but I couldn’t identify it. I groaned as my head throbbed painfully. I felt a hoof tap my shoulder, and I turned my head. Rarity was sitting next to me, holding a glass of water.
“Drink this.” she ordered. I didn’t argue, taking the glass and downing it.
“Thanks.” I said. “Um… why am I here?”
“You had a bit too much pie.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed the side of my head, trying to dispel the fog.
“More water?”
“Yes please.”
She stood, and walked out of the room. I looked around. I must have been in the upper floor of Carousel Boutique. I was lying on a couch, which was incredibly comfortable. She returned with the glass and a pitcher, both held in her magical aura. I still missed having a horn, but I’d grown used to its absence. She helped me sit up, and gave me more water.
“I couldn’t find much in the way of pain medicine.” she said, holding up a white pill. “But I did have some aspirin.”
Before I could take it, Pinkie Pie whirled into the room. She grabbed the pill and threw it out a window.
“Bad idea!” she said. “Here!”
“Thanks?” I said, as she gave me two Ibuprofen.
“You’re welcome!” she said, leaving the room. I took the Ibuprofen, and drank several more glasses of water.
“I’ll be right back.” said Rarity. She soon returned, accompanied by a light blue stallion, with a darker blue mane.
“North,” she said, “this is Noteworthy.”
“Hi.” I said, raising a hoof.
“Hi.” he said, examining me.
“North, Noteworthy here’s going to let you come back to his place.”
“Why?”
“I think it’s best if you don’t go back to Sweet Apple Acres tonight.”
“I don’t understand. Why?”
“Well, Applejack… you know…”
I nodded. Maybe I wasn’t as okay as I’d thought.
“Fine.”
“Do you feel up to walking yet?” Noteworthy asked.
“I think I can.” I pushed myself off of the couch, steadying myself. “Yeah, I’ll be alright.”
“Let’s go.”
“Thanks Rarity.” I said, following him out of the room.
“You’re welcome.”
I followed Noteworthy downstairs, and then outside. He walked purposefully at first, then he sighed, relaxing.
“You alright?” I asked.
“I’m fine.” he said. “I… I kind of get nervous around mares.”
“I see. Well, thank you for letting me stay with you.”
“You’re welcome. Rarity’s a good friend, even if she does sometimes make me a bit uncomfortable.”
“She is pretty generous.”
We went on for a short while longer, then he stopped in front of a house. It was a bit smaller than Caramel’s. Noteworthy opened the door, walking inside. I followed, looking around. I was in an entrance hall. Several doors lined it, and a staircase was visible at the end of the hall on the left. Noteworthy took one of the doors on the right, and after I was finished looking, I followed. My jaw dropped when I entered. The entire room was filled with instruments of every size and type.
“You like it?” he asked, as a grin spread across my face.
“You play all of these?” I asked.
“Yes. I’m a composer.”
“You are? What’ve you written?”
“It’s mostly small things. I write for small-time musicians and singers.”
“May I?” I asked, pointing at the piano.
“You play?”
“I have no idea. Let’s find out.”
I walked over to the piano, and lifted up the cover. I sat down on the bench, examining the keys. I held still for a second, then I felt my hooves begin to move. As I played, I gave myself up to the music. When I did so, I let go fully, and I sang words I didn’t know I knew. The words reminded me of all the times I’d spent with Luna, and the pain returned in full force. As I played, I cried.
(Piano)
(Word)
When I finished playing, I looked over at Noteworthy. He was smiling, and his eyes were wet.
“That was amazing.” he said. “I’ve never heard that song before.”
I nodded, and closed the piano. I laid my head down, a wave of exhaustion coming over me. I let him help me stand, and he guided me over to the couch. I sat down, and he walked over to a brass saxophone, which was in a place of prominence.
“Would you like to hear me play?” he asked. I nodded, and he obliged. He played a beautiful song. It was so relaxing, it gently put me to sleep.
___________________________________________
When I woke, it was evening. The pain in my head was now completely gone. I sat up, looking around. I was still in the room with the instruments. I got off the couch, and walked into the hallway. I heard voices, so I walked quietly down the hall to the door. The room was the kitchen, and inside, Noteworthy and another stallion were at the table. Noteworthy’s back was to me, but the other spotted me.
“Hi!” he said. He was dark charcoal, with a bluish-white mane and tail. His mane was done up in a mohawk, and his tail was cut relatively short.
“Hi.” I said, walking into the kitchen. I was still staring at him. Something about him was familiar, then I remembered.
“Thunderlane!” I exclaimed. “Sorry, I have a hard time with faces and names.”
“That’s okay.”
“How’re you doing?” asked Noteworthy.
“Better.”
“Well, North, you have a decision to make.”
“I do?”
“Yes. I haven’t got another bed, but Thunderlane does. If you’d like, he’s willing to let you stay with him for a while.”
“He is?” I said, shifting my gaze to Thunderlane.
“Sure!” he said, standing up and walking over next to me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and shook me slightly. “We can pal around, get to know each other.”
“I guess so.” I said, removing his arm.
“Awesome! You ready to go?”
“Sure.”
“Bye Noteworthy!” said Thunderlane, heading for the door.
“Thank you.” I said, following him.
“You’re welcome.” he called after me.
I followed Thunderlane outside, trying to figure out the day I’d been having. How on earth had I jumped around town this much? I dropped it, since it was giving me a worse headache than Pinkie’s most confusing and impossible stunts. I followed him through the streets of Ponyville.
“Noteworthy says you play the piano.” Thunderlane said, as we passed by the large fountain.
“I guess so.” I said, remembering the song I’d played. I wondered if this meant I’d played when I’d been human.
“He said you were good.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Do you like playing?”
“Yes.” I said, truthfully. As painful as the song had been, the act had felt amazing.
A few more minutes passed, then he spoke again.
“You can’t move your wings, can you?”
“No.” I said, surprised. “How did you know?”
“I haven’t seen you so much as twitch a feather this whole time. Do you know why you can’t?”
“No.”
“Sorry.”
“Yeah.”
He stayed silent for the rest of the trip, and I didn’t speak either. We arrived at our destination, which was near the edge of town. He took me inside, and closed the door behind him. He led me into the kitchen.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I said. “I haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“Well, then-”
He was interrupted when a little gray blur streaked in and knocked him over. It took me a moment to see what was going on, then I smiled. A little gray colt was standing on Thunderlane’s chest, pinning him to the ground.
“Hi, buddy!” said Thunderlane, ruffling the colt’s mane. “How was your day?”
“It was great!” said the colt, jumping off of him and letting him stand. “Ms. Cheerilee let us have extra recess time!”
“Did she now?” said Thunderlane, getting up. “What did you do during recess?”
“I played with Featherweight. We built an enormous snow fort!” The colt stretched his front hooves as far apart as physically possible, demonstrating the size.
“That’s cool, Rumble. This is North.” He pointed at me, and Rumble seemed to notice me.
“Intruders in the castle!” he shouted, charging me. I just caught the look from Thunderlane. Go with it.
“Come and get me!” I said, doing my best villainous laugh. I only managed a few steps back before I was bowled over.
“Argh!” I shouted, going limp. “I am defeated.”
“Ha!” shouted Rumble. “I win!”
“Yes, you do.” said Thunderlane. “You can get off of him now. It’s time to eat.”
“Okay.” Rumble got off of me.
“Thanks.” I said, letting Thunderlane help me up.
“Thank you.” he whispered, as Rumble rushed over to the table. “He’s… very important to me.”
“Brother?” I guessed.
“Yeah.”
“Are your parents dead?”
His face darkened. “Not dead. Not our father, anyway.”
I didn’t pry, sensing it was a touchy subject. While I had my guesses, I didn’t dwell on them.
“Now, food!” said Thunderlane, brightening up. “What’re you hungry for?”
“I don’t care!” said Rumble. “Food!”
Thunderlane laughed. “Sure, buddy.”
“I can help.” I said, following him over to the counter.
“If you want.” he said. “Flour, furthest door left.”
I went to the specified cabinet door, and pulled out the flour. I put it on the counter, and he returned from the fridge with a couple eggs and some milk. After a few minutes, he’d mixed a bowl of pancake batter. He turned on the stove, and pulled a pan out of a one of the large doors below the counter. He put it on the stove, and started waiting for it to heat up.
“You can sit down now.” he said. “I’ve got it from here.”
“Okay.”
I joined Rumble at the table. He seemed very curious about me, so I started the conversation.
“So, what do you like to do?” I asked.
“I like reading.” he said. “And playing with Thunderlane.”
“Oh, really? What do you two do?”
“He pretends to be a big dragon, or a manticore! Then we…”
He told me all about what they did. While I listened, I glanced over at Thunderlane. He had tears in his eyes, and a happy smile on his face. I could tell he really loved his brother, more than anything. By the time Rumble had finished, the pancakes were ready. Thunderlane brought the plates over one at a time, the pancakes having been buttered and covered in syrup.
“Dig in!” he said, taking his own seat.
We did. The pancakes were fantastic, and I managed to eat second helpings. Rumble was a messy eater, and by the time we’d finished, he was sticky with syrup. Thunderlane took our empty plates, carrying them over to the sink. Then, he slowly crept up behind Rumble. His eyes flickered between me and Rumble. Keep him occupied.
“So, Rumble.” I said, catching his attention. “What do you like to read about?”
“I love adventure stories!” he said excitedly.
“Like what?” I asked, as Thunderlane came closer.
“Well, I-” The floor creaked under Thunderlane, who froze.
“Bathtime!” he shouted, pouncing. Rumble was out of the way before he got there.
“Catch him!” Thunderlane yelled, chasing after him.
I jumped down from my chair, chasing after him. We almost caught him several times, then he led me into Thunderlane’s room. He was under the bed, and I crouched down.
“Rumble, come on!” I said. “What’s wrong with getting a bath?”
I lunged under the bed, and hit my head against something warm.
“Ow!”
Both Thunderlane and I exclaimed in pain as our heads collided. We both pulled out from under the bed, clutching our heads.
“Sorry!” we both said, then we chased after Rumble
We finally managed to corner him, and Thunderlane picked him up, still struggling.
“Come on.” he said. “Bathtime.”
I followed after, making sure he didn’t escape. I kept him in the bathroom, while Thunderlane ran the water. Then, he put Rumble in the tub. He forced him to sit still, and started washing him off. I handed him the soap, then the shampoo. Rumble struggled the whole time. Near the end, he made a giant splash. Thunderlane and I both gasped as a monsoon of water rained down on us, soaking us through.
When we’d finished, Rumble was clean, but both of us were soaked through. Thunderlane handed me a towel, and I dried myself off as best I could. Thunderlane took Rumble to his room, where he was allowed to read until it was time to turn the lights out. Thunderlane closed the door, then turned to me.
“You want to shower first?” he asked.
“Um…” I glanced back at my wings. “I… I kind of need help. I can’t-”
“Reach under your wings?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll help.”
“You… you don’t…”
“It’s fine. I’ll help.”
He followed me back to the bathroom. And though I felt embarrassed, he felt… different. He let me turn on the water, finding a good temperature. I let him check it himself, so he didn’t burn or freeze. When we’d found a temperature that worked for both of us, he shifted the water flow so it came out through the shower head. He stepped into the water, shaking himself slightly.
I followed, enjoying the feeling of the water seeping through my coat. I let him start cleaning under my wings, and he did so with a gentle hoof. The fact that he was also a pegasus seemed to help him understand how to do it without hurting me.
“Thanks.” I said.
“You’re welcome.”
We finished up, giving each other as much privacy as was possible. We dried off, and left the bathroom. He went to tell Rumble good night, and I went back downstairs. I settled in the living room, looking around at the walls. There didn’t seem to be any family pictures, just a few of Rumble. There was only one picture that featured Thunderlane. He was smiling, sitting next to an older mare. Was that his mother?
“North?”
I turned around. Thunderlane was coming down the stairs. I stepped away from the picture, waiting as he walked over.
“You ready for bed?” he asked, and I yawned. “Looks like it.”
“Sounds good.”
“There’s a room upstairs. Come on.”
I followed him upstairs, and he took me to a room next to his. He opened the door.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.” I said, walking in. “Good night.”
“Night.”
He left, closing the door behind him. I walked over to the bed, turning down the cool sheets. I climbed onto the bed, relaxing. A lot had happened that day, and I was ready to sleep. The nap I’d had earlier hadn’t done much. I closed my eyes, feeling… happy. In spite of the day’s complicated events, the transitions I’d gone through were… nice. I slept well that night.
___________________________________________
At the Ponyville Library
___________________________________________
“Coming!” said Twilight, running to the door. She opened it, and gasped.
“Cadence,” she said excitedly, “Shining Armor!”
“Hi sis!” said Shining Armor.
Twilight and Cadence went through their ritual greeting, then they all came into the library.
“How’re you doing?” asked Shining Armor.
“Great!” she said. “Spike, guess who’s here!”
“If it’s North,” came an angry voice from upstairs, “I don’t care.”
“It’s not North!” she said, half excited, half exasperated. “Come see!”
Spike appeared at the top of the stairs. When he saw who it was, his angry expression melted away.
“Shining Armor!” he said, running down the stairs. “Princess Cadence!”
“Hi there, little guy!” said Shining Armor, doing a hoof/claw bump with Spike. “How’ve you been?”
“I’m great!” he said. “I’ve been practicing that trick with the hoofball you showed me.”
“Cool.” He yawned loudly.
“Twilight, it’s great to see you.” said Cadence. “But it’s late.”
“We’ll have to pull out the spare bed.” said Twilight. “Shining, could you help me?”
“Of course.” he said, following her upstairs.
Together, they managed to pull out the extra bed. Shining Armor was happy to see his sister, but he hadn’t forgotten what Luna had asked. He’d been surprised when Celestia had shown him the letter Twilight had seen. And now, it seemed, Twilight and Spike knew the stallion personally. He decided to wait for tomorrow before asking her about it. They all turned in for the night, Twilight and Cadence upstairs, Spike in his little basket/bed, and Shining Armor on the couch.