Welcome, My Little One: Happy Graduation!
It was about nine o'clock at night. Twilight was reading a book in her library bed, the moon shining on the pages of her novel. She glanced out the window when she heard a pony approaching from outside, looking over her reading glasses to see a shadowy figure approaching the library. She immediately knew who it was.
Twilight jumped from her bed, leaving her book and reading glasses on her bed. She raced down her stairs, and threw open the front door to see Northern Lights standing on the other side, a proud smile on his face. Twilight immediately jumped forward, hugging her son around the neck.
"Happy graduation day, Northy!" Twilight said, pride flowing through her body.
"Thanks, Mom," Northern Lights, who was still dressed in the black robe and cap he was given at his graduation, returned the hug. "Sorry you weren't at the after-party."
Twilight let go of her son. "Well, I didn't think your friends would be very nice to you if they saw your mother following you around all night. Now come inside, it's cold!"
Northern Lights rolled his eyes, still smiling, and trotted inside. Twilight closed the door behind him, just as he was taking off his graduation cap, and throwing it on the kitchen table.
"So?" Twilight asked. "Did you have fun?" Twilight said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Northern Lights was rummaging through the fridge in the kitchen.
"Sure did," Northern Lights said, grabbing a carton of orange juice from the fridge, grabbing a glass from the cabinet, filling it, and taking a seat at the table with Twilight. "And don't worry, I didn't drink too much."
Twilight gasped. "Northern Lights!" she said sternly.
Northern Lights laughed, downing half of his orange juice. "I'm kidding, Mom," he said. "You know I don't do that. Although, Dad said he thinks him and I would have a good bonding experience over a few pints."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "You know I'm not gonna let that happen. Just because you're a grown pony now doesn't mean you're not still my little colt, and I'll be darned if I let you go out and do something stupid with your father." Even though Twilight made that clear, she was still smiling.
"Hey, you never know," Northern Lights said. "I might meet a pretty mare, and settle down with her a year later. Dad said that's how you two got married."
Twilight blushed, jumping to her own defense. "T-that is not true!" Twilight said. "Your father and I were married after I met him in some kind of parallel universe!" Twilight paused. "On second thought, I think your father's explanation would probably sit better with other ponies."
Northern Lights laughed. "You know I don't care how you two met. My uncle was a dragon, for cryin' out loud!"
"Yeah," Twilight said with a little amusement in her voice, but her face fell when she said it. Northern Lights caught on.
"Oh," he said. "Um, sorry about that, mom."
"You don't have to be sorry," Twilight said.
Northern Lights was apologizing since Spike didn't live with Twilight anymore. Spike had grown to nearly his full size and flew away to live with the other dragons two years before. Northern Lights and Flash were both heartbroken, but not as much as Twilight. She was in the most pain out of all of them. She cried for hours, and didn't sleep, eat, or visit Canterlot for days. Spike promised he'd come back to visit when he could, but Twilight still missed him with all her heart.
"No matter how big your Spikey-wikey gets, I'll always be your number one assistant."
Twilight had that sentence stuck in her head ever since Spike flew away on that clifftop that day. Even though Twilight was devastated, she made sure to keep an open place in her heart for her number one assistant.
Northern Lights knew that Spike was a sensitive topic for Twilight, but he couldn't help but keep the memory of his uncle alive. And he made sure to keep Twilight's spirits up by reassuring her that Spike was fine, and that he was out there somewhere, thinking of her. Twilight appreciated it, but she still wished Spike could be back to his tiny self, when he could still fit in the library and sleep by her bed every night. Occasionally, Twilight would receive a letter in her mailbox, since Spike wasn't around to cough them up, and open it to find a picture of Spike, fully grown and having fun with a group of his dragon friends, with things like, "Miss you, Mom", scribbled on the corner. It brought a tear to her eye every time, and she cherished every one, keeping them on a cork board in her kitchen.
Twilight found herself staring at the collage of pictures of Spike, smiling. She finally came back to reality when she saw Northern Lights was staring too.
"Yeah," Northern Lights agreed, even though Twilight didn't say anything. "I miss him too."
Twilight sniffed, and changed the subject. "Hey, don't let this get you down on your special day, Northy. How about we talk about how proud of you I am?"
Northern Lights smiled. "I dunno. How 'bout we talk about how I'm totally gonna hang this in my room?" Northern Lights held up a sheet of paper, with his name signatured on the front of a decorated cover. It was his diploma.
"Oh, my gosh, Northy!" Twilight said. "It's perfect. I can't wait to see it in a frame."
"Yeah, I don't think that's the first thing Dad would say. He'd probably say, 'Sure, you can hang it up in your room! As soon as you go out and buy your own house already.' Not that I have a problem with that." Northern Lights smiled, and looked around. "Speaking of that old timer, where is he?"
Twilight was about to answer, when the front door opened, and Flash trotted in. "Honey, I'm hooome!" he yelled.
"Welcome home, Flash," Twilight said. "Looks who's back." Northern Lights turned around and waved at his father.
"Hey, there's my grown stallion!" Flash trotted to the table, giving Northern Lights' head a hard, playful rub. "Did ya have fun at the party?"
"Sure did, Dad," Northern Lights said. "Can't remember much, since I kinda had too much to drink, but I think I got some poor mare pregnant."
Twilight gasped. "Northern Lights!" she said again. Northern Lights and Flash both laughed.
"Hey, that's your influence, not mine!" Flash said. Twilight just rolled her eyes.
"When did you two get so immature?" she asked. The two stallions just kept laughing.
"A-anyways," Flash said when he finally calmed down. "What'd you really do?"
"Not much," Northern Lights replied. "Just kinda enjoyed myself with my friends. Couldn't have asked for a better night. Well, except for coming home to you two, so I could show you this!" Northern Lights held up his diploma. Flash gave it a quick look-over, and smiled.
"Nice," Flash said. "Really proud of you, buddy."
"Thanks, Dad," Northern Lights said. "Wasn't easy. Surprised I didn't meet some pretty mare in high school, like you met Mom."
"In a parallel universe," Twilight added.
"In a parallel universe," Northern Lights echoed.
"Eh, not everypony gets the chance to do that," Flash said, his voice humorous. "You'll meet the right mare some day. Remember what I always taught you."
"Yeah, I remember," Northern Lights said. "Always say she looks nice."
Flash smiled. "And?"
Northern Lights smiled, rolling his eyes. "Love her more than Celestia's sun is bright."
"That's my colt," Flash said.
Twilight smiled. "Well then," she said. "So how many times were you lying when you said I looked nice?"
Flash looked hurt, but in a sarcastic way. "What? I'd never lie to you about how you look, my beautiful wife!" Twilight gave him a look of expectance, and he smiled. "I never lied, Twilight. You'll always be beautiful, and not just because you'll never age a day."
Twilight smiled. "Northy, don't expect your future mare friend to always be as beautiful as me, okay?"
Northern Lights looked confused. "Are you saying you want me to call my own Mom beautiful?" He stuck his tongue out, gagging. "That's just gross, Mom."
The whole family laughed, sharing a moment together like the many they had over the years.
Twilight's laugh had gone down to a giggle. "Wow," she said. "I can't believe you're already a grown pony. You're just growing up way too fast."
"Yeah," Northern Lights agreed. "I can hardly believe it myself. Feels like just yesterday I was racing with your friend, Rainbow Dash."
"I remember the days I used to come get you from Fluttershy's house," Twilight said. "You always loved her ferrets. And you were just so cute when you played with them."
"Oh, you mean Chip?" Northern Lights asked. "I remember him. He was my favorite."
"Chip was a girl, Northy," Twilight corrected him.
"I was a foal, Mom," Northern Lights smiled. "I don't think I was smart enough to know what my favorite ferret was."
"You know what my favorite memory is?" Flash said. "The day we took you to see the Wonderbolts."
"Oh, yeah!" Twilight said. "It was your birthday, and when they found out I was one of the princesses, they offered to take you up to the starting line for a race."
"Yeah, it was my birthday," Northern Lights said.
"They let you win, too," Flash said. "If it was me up there, I would've left you in the dust."
"Oh, please," Northern Lights said. "I'd take you on any day of the week!" The two stallions laughed together, and Twilight just smiled.
"That's if you could catch me first," Twilight said. Both of the stallions looked at her. "What?" she said.
"I'm sensing a challenge," Flash said.
"Challenge accepted, then," Northern Lights said. He downed the last of his orange juice before heading for the door. "Middle of the night, or not. I don't need light to beat you." Twilight and Flash followed him just as he opened it. Twilight went first, but Flash stopped when Northern Lights started talking again. "So, Dad, I was just thinking. Wanna help me hang my diploma in my bedroom?"
Flash chuckled. "The only thing I'm gonna help you do is move out." He trotted out past his son.
"See, Mom, I told ya!" Northern Lights said. "
All three of the family members laughed as the front door of the library closed, leaving it, and the memories inside of it, behind for just a little while. Even though they would only be gone a few hours, the memories inside would always be there, waiting for them to return home to all the years that went by.