//------------------------------// // Chapter II: The Celebrated Return (Edited) // Story: Host Of Souls // by SapphireWings999 //------------------------------// Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie was running around gathering supplies for another party. In her mad rush, she accidentally ran into Applejack. "Whoa Nelly!" Applejack started. "Slow down there, Pinkie. What's tha hurry?" "Sorry, AJ," Pinkie replied. "I've just got soo much to do for my next party. The refreshments are mostly ready, but I've still gotta get plates and balloons and streamers and party hats and confetti, not to mention all the invitations and goody bags for everypony attending. Speaking of which, do you have the Fizzy Apple Cider and apple pies I requested?" "Me 'n Big Macintosh jus' finished bringin 'em over ta Sugarcube Corner 'bout 5 minutes ago. What party ya throwin this time?" "I have no idea. I just have this strange feeling that something really super-duper monumental is about to happen that'll require a party. In fact, I've already lost too much time as it is. Gotta go. Bye." And with a bright pink streak, she was gone. Applejack shook her head while smiling to herself. In all the years that she had known Pinkie, she knew all too well that it was best not to question her logic. To call her an enigma was the understatement of the millenium and everypony knew it. Turning to walk away, she spotted her friend, Fluttershy, hovering in her general direction, but apparently lost in thought. "Howdy, Fluttershy." "Oh um... hi Applejack," Fluttershy greeted, snapped out of her daze. "How are you?" "Pretty good. Jus dealin with the normal, ev'ryday eccentricities o' Pinkie Pie. How bout you? Is ev'rythin O.K.? Ya seemed ta be lost in thought fer a moment." "Oh it's nothing really." Applejack wasn't convinced. "C'mon, Fluttershy. Talk ta me. What's botherin ya?" "Well it's just that... I miss David. It's been almost a month now since he was last here and, as a friend, I'm concerned for him. I'm scared that he might not return." Applejack nodded understandably. "Yeah. Ah can understand that. Ah miss 'im too as Ah'm sure a lot of other ponies do, but ya gotta remember that, before he left, he made a Pinkie Promise that he'd return here. Not only that, but he'd also bring his girlfriend, Savannah, with 'im. Ah may not have known Dayvid fer an extremely long time, but what Ah do know, in tha short time that Ah did, is that he's a pony... er... man of his word. He will come back eventually, we jus need ta be patient 'n trust 'im." "I guess you're right. Worrying about him won't do me any good. I need to choose to trust his word that he'll return and bring Savannah with him." "That's tha spirit!" Applejack stated, enthusiastically. "Jus stay positive 'n it'll be nothin but clear skies from here on out." No sooner did the words escape her lips than storm clouds started to roll in. The unusual thing about these clouds was that they were a very dark blue instead of the normal grey. Suddenly, violent lightning lashed forth from them, startling Fluttershy and causing her to run and hide. Many other ponies seemed terrified of this freak storm also as Applejack took action. "Ev'rypony, head fer shelter!" she called out. No pony had to be told twice as they all ducked for cover. Some ponies wondered if this was the end times as they had never seen a storm of this magnitude. Hurricane level winds picked up heavily as lightning from the north, south, east, and west converged on one central point in the Town Square. The flash was blinding for several seconds until the light died down to reveal two forms within its field: two human forms. * * * * * * * * Within the blinding light field were me and Savannah, our eyes still trying to adjust as the light died down. "Ugh," I groaned as I rubbed my eyes. "Savannah? Are ya there?" "Yeah," she answered back, "though it's not like I can see anything." "Hmm. No kiddin. Ma eyes are still adjustin too." "What just happened?" "Well let's jus say we're not in Maine anymore." "Ha ha. Very funny, wiseass. You wanna tell me what's really goin on here?" "O.K. O.K. Ah'll be seri-" I froze midsentence. My eyes had finally adjusted fully and I caught my first glimpse of Savannah. The last time I had been to Equestria, I had never seen what an actual human looked like in this world. I had never even seen my own reflection. The closest I had ever came to seeing another human was when the hag I defeated was stripped of her power and reverted back to Crystal before I condemned her to Tartarus and even then I didn't remember any of it on account of being under a trance at the time. I think Pinkie Pie had to tell me about what had transpired at a later time. But now, seeing Savannah before me, her appearance was very much like that of an Anime character. This made sense to me; the appearance of the ponies around here was somewhat Anime-esque so it would only be fitting that people would have a similar look to them. "What?" Savannah asked, nervously. "What's wrong?" "Uh... nothin'. It's jus that ya look... slightly different than usual." "Different? How?" "Well ya have a very Anime appearance to you. Ya actually remind me a lot o' that blonde chick from Attack On Titan." "Annie?" "No no. Tha other blonde. Tha one that was always referred ta as 'goddess' by tha others." "Oh you mean Krista." "Yes. That's tha one." "Well that's always a nice compar-" She froze midsentence as she looked over at me which led me to believe that her vision had returned also. She stood there in stunned silence for several seconds before speaking. "Umm... David? Why do you have... blue pony ears on your head and blue angel wings sticking out of your back?" she asked, uncomfortably. "Oh these wings are actually Alicorn wings 'n that's a long story." "Alicorn?" she questioned, before nervously looking around. "Wait a minute. Where the heck are we?" "Well, ya might not believe this but we're actually in Equestria." "Equestria?" "Ponyville ta be more specific." Savannah paused for a moment to slowly take in her new surroundings. The more she saw, the more her expression gradually changed from one of puzzlement and anxiety to one of relief and wonder. Soon, though, a confused look returned to her face. "But if this is Ponyville, where is everybody? This looks more like a ghost town." "Trust me, when Ah first came here, it didn't look too much different than it does now. Well except that it was much darker here, it was colder, 'n a lot o' tha buildings were damaged. Ma guess is that they were startled by how we arrived here without knowin it was us comin. Once they know it's me, they'll calm down' n come on out," I then took several steps forward while calling out to anypony who would listen. "Hey guys? Guys? Ya can come on out now. It's me, Dayvid. Ah've returned jus like Ah promised Ah would." At the mention of my name, the sound of my voice, or possibly a combination of the two, several ponies poked their heads out. The first of them was Fluttershy, who was hiding underneath a nearby fruit wagon. At the sight of me, she let out a loud gasp as her eyes lit up. "David!!!" she beamed as she came flying towards me faster than I had ever seen her fly before. "Flutters!!!" I greeted enthusiastically, arms wide open in a welcoming hug. "How's one o' ma closest friends in all Equestria?" "I'm doing great now that you're back," she replied, accepting the hug. "I've really missed you." "So have Ah. Ah've missed all o' ya these past several months." "Wait. Several months?" Fluttershy asked, slightly confused. "Yeah. It's been several months in ma world since Ah las visited here. Why? How long has it been here in Ponyville?" "It hasn't even been one month yet here." "Wow," Savannah stated. "That's really weird. Maybe there's some difference in time between Earth and Equestria." At Savannah's comment, Fluttershy looked over at her and her eyes lit up. "Hello," she greeted, extending a hoof. "You must be David's girlfriend, Savannah. He's told me soo much about you. I'm Fluttershy." "Thanks and I know your name," Savannah smiled back while accepting her hoof. "David's mentioned you in passing before." "Thanks. So how long have you been David's girlfriend?" "Well I'm actually not his girlfriend anymore. Just earlier today, the two of us got married so I'm actually his wife now." "Oh my!" Fluttershy answered, excitedly. "That's great news. So you're a princess now?" "Yes it is great ne-... wait. Princess?" Savannah asked, clearly confused. "Why yes. David here is an Alicorn prince and he married you so, by marriage, that makes you a princess." "Umm... O.K.? This is news to me." "Ah'll explain it to ya later," I stated. "Dayvid!" I heard a familiar Southern accent greet as I turned to see Applejack heading towards us. "It's great ta see ya again." "AJ! Nice ta see ya too." "How'd things work out with yer sister?" "Great. We got ta spend some time together before she left 'n now she's doin great down south. She 'n her boyfriend are actually gonna be gettin married in a few months' time." "Glad ta hear it," Applejack replied, turning to tip her Stetson to Savannah, "'n you mus be Savannah, Dayvid's girlfriend. Ah'm Applejack." "Actually, AJ, speakin o' gettin married, me 'n Savannah here jus got married earlier today." Applejack let out an impressed whistle. "Well good fer you, Sugarcube." "Thanks," Savannah and I replied in unison. "FLYING ATTACK HUG!!!" I suddenly heard a high pitched, energetic voice shout from somewhere above me. Looking up, we all saw Pinkie Pie diving out of the sky straight for us. All of us screamed and scattered as she fell closer. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough and got tackled by her as we tumbled for a while before finally coming to a stop with her on top of me, hooves around my torso in a tight hug. I was hyperventilating soo hard as my entire life had just flashed before my eyes. Finally, through gasps, I spoke. "Dammit... Pinkie! You... nearly... gave me... a heart attack!" "Silly goose, I'd never give you a heart attack," Pinkie replied, playfully. "I've done this plenty of times before and everypony I've done it on has always been fine." "Wait. You've... done this... before!?!" "Of course I have. Why wouldn't I? It's all in good fun." she stated, innocently. I immediately felt sorry for any previous victims of Pinkie's Flying Attack Hug. "How did you even get that high up? Wait a minute. Never mind. I really don't wanna know." "Okey Dokey Lokey. Anyways, I was just super excited to see you again, Davey." I couldn't help but smile at hearing her call me "Davey" again. It had been much too long since then. "Well it's good ta see ya again too, Pinkie," I stated, hugging her back. "You came back here." "O' course Ah did. Ah Pinkie Promised that Ah'd return didn't Ah?" "Yes you did," Pinkie smiled back. "Now where's your girlfriend, Savannah?" "Right over there," I pointed as she stepped out from behind a barrel, "'n she's actually ma wife now." "Really?!? This is great. Before you got here, I had the feeling something big was going to happen so I was preparing to throw another party and, now that you're here, I realize that I can finally throw that 'You saved Equestria from an evil hag and found out you were a pony prince' party that I had mentioned last time you were here. Of course now it would have to be a 'You saved Equestria from an evil hag, found out you were a pony prince, got married, and returned to Equestria' party-" Pinkie inhaled sharply before continuing. "-Wow that's a mouthful. This might be the biggest party in the history of Equestria." I chuckled at her hyperactivity that I had long since missed upon my return home. "Well sounds like ya've got quite a lot o' work ahead of ya." "Actually, it's almost ready. I just need a few more things for the celebration, but I thought I'd drop in to say 'Hi'." "Quite literally," I joked. "Yup," she laughed. "Anyways, I'll see you two at the party later on tonight." And as quick as she came, so she left. "What was that all about?" Savannah asked as she, Flutters, and AJ approached me. "Oh that was jus Pinkie bein Pinkie," Applejack stated simply. "Ya'll learn ta get used ta it. Prob'ly." Savannah smiled at that last line before turning to me. "I had no idea you were this popular around here." "Yeah. Sorry bout that. Ah guess Ah forgot ta mention it," I replied, meekly. Suddenly, we saw a rainbow streak shoot across the sky before stopping right above us to reveal Rainbow Dash. "What happened? I saw the lightning storm. What's going on around here? We're not supposed to have a storm here for another-" she paused as soon as she saw me. "Twin!!!" "Hey, Rainbow!!!" I answered back as she flew in to hug me. "Great ta see ya too." We hugged briefly before pulling apart. "Was that lightning storm you just now?" "Yup. Ah've returned 'n Ah brought ma wife, Savannah, with me." "You two got married? That's Awesome!" she replied before turning to Savannah. "Nice ta meet ya. I'm the one and only Rainbow Dash, #1 flier in all of Equestria and future Wonderbolt." "Very nice to meet you too," Savannah smiled while shaking Rainbow's hoof. "From what David says, the two of you have a lot in common." "Yup," Rainbow stated, pulling me to her side while hovering. "We call each other twins because we're soo much alike. We're extremely loyal, we're both speed demons, we even have the same color ears and wings, except his wings are much larger than mine, but that's what happens when you're an Alicorn... or part Alicorn in this case. Heheh. Anyways, how about the fact that you two just traveled here in a lightning storm? I mean, talk about Awesome!" "Well it only makes sense," I started. "When Ah first came here, there was a lightnin' storm happenin at ma house. Lightnin' appears ta be part o' ma mode o' transportation ta Equestria." "What in the name of Celestia is going on here?" a familiar Mid-Atlantic accent demanded. "You better not be trying anything foolish again, Rainbow Dash. That last fiasco of yours had us stuck-" I turned around to see Rarity, frozen in her tracks at the sight of me, mouth gaping open in stunned silence. Finally, after nearly half a minute, she spoke. "David, darling, it's great to see you again." "Likewise, Rare," I replied as I took her hoof and kissed it. "Such manners. Somepony here certainly knows how to treat a lady," she smiled before turning to Savannah. "Speaking of a lady, you must be Savannah, David's special somepo- umm... someone." "And you must be Rarity," Savannah smiled back. "David told me all about your little gift that you gave him the last time he was here." "Right right. The necklace. Of course, it wasn't entirely my doing. Fluttershy told me how Green, Blue, and Red were David's favorite colors and my other friend, Spike, gave me the gemstones to use in the necklace. It was originally meant to be a little something to remember us by when we thought that there was no way for him to return to Equestria, but then Princess Twilight found a spell that would allow him to return here and she placed it on the necklace, making it a... talisman of sorts and now he's back and has brought you, his girlfriend, with him." "Actually, Rarity, David and I are married now. We got married just earlier today." "You did!?!" Rarity beamed. "Well congratulations to both of you. So how do you like being a princess?" "Umm... well I..." "Wait. You mean he never told you?" "Umm... no. All I had gotten from Fluttershy was that, somehow, David's actually an Alicorn prince but that was it." Rarity gasped. "David, how could you? Keeping something of this immensity a secret from her this whole time?" "Ah'm sorry, but Ah had a lot o' stuff goin on in ma life," I explained "From work ta family ta the weddin, there was never a good time ta tell her." "Well you have to tell her. Now is as good a time as any." "Don' worry. Ah'll explain it ta her at tha party tonight." "What party?" Rainbow asked. "Pinkie's throwing a party to celebrate David's return to Equestria amongst other things," Savannah stated. "Me 'n Big Mac have already brought tha Fizzy Apple Cider 'n apple pies," AJ remarked. "She dropped in a bit ago to say 'Hi' before continuing to get the party set up." "Yeah. Dropped in on top o' me," I joked. "Oh my!" Rarity answered. "She didn't do the Flying Attack Hug on you, did she?" "Yup." "Somepony needs to talk some sense into her. Anyways, the party sounds like it'll be delightful and I wouldn't miss it for all of Equestria." "I wonder where Twilight is?" Fluttershy finally spoke up. As if to answer, three shadows fell on the ground. Looking up, we saw Celestia, Luna, and Twilight flying towards us. All of us moved to provide room for them as they came in for a landing. "Princesses," I greeted. "It's great ta see you three again." "It is great to see you again too," Celestia replied with a smile. "We have long since awaited your return, Prince David," Luna stated. "Definitely and now that day has finally come," Twilight answered, smiling as she noticed Savannah, "and you must be his girlfriend, Savannah, or is it wife now?" "The latter," Savannah replied. "That's great! David told me all about his plans to propose to you once he returned to your world and this whole time I was wondering whether or not you two would be married by the time he came back." "Wait. You knew about this the whole time?" Rarity questioned. "Yes. David told me to keep it secret because he didn't want to get anypony's hopes up on the off-chance they didn't end up getting married." Suddenly, a shower of paper came down on us. Upon observation, we discovered that they were all invitations. I opened one of them up and read it. "'Fillies and Gentlecolts, you are all invited to a party for Prince David and his wife Princess Savannah to be held at Sugarcube Corner tonight at 8:00 sharp. Be sure to bring lots of fun and happiness with you as we celebrate this super-duper special occasion. See everypony there.' Wow. Pinkie must've gotten these invitations done in record time." "Well that doesn't surprise me," Twilight replied. "What does surprise me is how she was able to get them to rain down like this, but I know it's better not to question it." "Definitely," Savannah agreed. "Well I'd better get ready for the party," Rarity stated. "Me too," Rainbow confirmed. "Definitely," Fluttershy answered. "Count me in," AJ replied. "I'll be there," Twilight stated before turning to Celestia and Luna. "Will you two be attending also?" "Of course," Celestia answered. "We would not miss it," Luna smiled. "Great," I replied. "See y'all there." And so we all went our separate ways as we got ready for the party happening later that night. * * * * * * * * Later on, the entire populace of Ponyville was at Sugarcube Corner celebrating as were Savannah and I. As we were getting refreshments, I was recounting to her the truth about my ancestry. "So, wait a minute. Let me see if I've got this right. So you're telling me that one of your ancestors was an Alicorn princess who wound up in our world as a human over 2,000 years ago in Earth time, having many descendants up until the present day with you and, because you're one of her descendants, you are in truth an Alicorn prince?" Savannah asked as she grabbed a cupcake. "Yup. Pretty crazy, huh?" I replied, grabbing a slice of pie and some cookies. "Wow. That's quite a lot to swallow." "Ah know. Even Ah had a hard time believin it when Star Swirl Tha Bearded first told me." "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" "Ah dunno, but if it helps Ah didn' tell anyone else bout it. Not even ma own family. They'd prob'ly think Ah was crazy 'n tha las thing Ah needed was ta wind up in that mental ward again. In retrospect, that's prob'ly tha reason Ah didn' mention anythin' bout it. It's been four years since that incident 'n Ah swore ta maself Ah'd never go back there again," I stated as I poured myself a mug of Fizzy Apple Cider. Savannah then placed a hand on my shoulder and started rubbing it. "We could've figured it out together," she whispered in my ear. "I've been by your side for nearly four years now just like you've been by my side and we vowed to stick by each other for better or for worse. Any problem that we come across, we'll face together." "Ah guess yer right," I answered, taking a sip of Cider before my eyes shot wide open. "Woo-wee!!! Savannah you gotta try this!" "O.K.," she replied, accepting the mug from me. Taking a sip from my mug, her eyes shot open in a similar fashion. "Wow!!! That's got some zing and kick to it!" "Ah know, right? Ya know what it actually reminds me of?" "What?" "Angry Orchard Hard Cider. It makes me think o' that one time we were at Old Orchard Beach with family 'n ma cousin's boyfriend first introduced me to it." "But isn't that alcoholic?" "Yeah. Why?" "Because I'm only 18. That's three years off from the legal age to consume alcohol." "Aww c'mon. Ya know yer closer ta 19 then anythin else 'n besides things are different here in Ponyville. Look around ya." Savannah looked to see many young colts and fillies with their own mugs of cider. Even the CMC were at a table enjoying the tangy, fizzy beverage. "Jus think about it like we're livin in Bible times or the Middle Ages when even little kids consumed alcohol." "O.K.," she answered, handing me my mug back. "I think I'm gonna go get my own mug." "Ah hear ya. Ah jus might go back fer seconds maself." While I was walking across the floor of this court of confectioneries, I ran into Twilight and Spike. "Hey, Twi. Hey, Spike," I greeted. "Hey, David," they replied in unison. "So how've you two been doin lately?" "Pretty good," Spike answered. "Me and Twilight just got back from an alternate dimension several days ago where she was a human like you and I was a dog." "Speaking of which," Twilight started, "just before you got here, I had been reading a letter from a friend of mine who lives in that dimension." "Oh? Who's that?" I asked as I took another sip of cider, even though I had a pretty good idea who it was. "Her name is Sunset Shimmer. She was a former Unicorn student of Princess Celestia's and even tried to take over Equestria once, but now she's reformed and we even became close friends during my last visit." "Sounds like she mus' be a pretty cool girl. Ah wonder if Ah'll ever get ta meet her?" I pondered while eating a cookie. "Who knows? Maybe," Spike responded. "Hey, David," a voice that was clearly female sounded behind me. Turning around, I was greeted by a white unicorn with a blue mane similar in style to Rainbow's and purple tinted shades. "Oh hey, Vinyl," I greeted back. "As the DJ here, I thought I'd check in with you to see if you had any requests." "Hmm... Ah'm guessin ya don' have Billie Jean or Thriller or anythin like that?" "Nope," Vinyl shook her head. "Never heard of them." "Then Ah guess ya could play whatever has a nice beat ta it," I stated, slightly apathetically, taking a bite of pie. "O.K. then," she replied, walking away. "Is everything O.K.?" Twilight asked, concerned. "You don't seem as enthusiastic as you normally are." "Oh yeah," I answered after finishing my snacks and throwing away the plate. "There's jus been a lot o things on ma mind. It's been such a long time in ma world since Ah was las here 'n, with all that was goin on in ma life, Ah almost wasn' sure if Ah'd see ya girls again." Especially with terminal cancer, I thought to myself. "Well we're still glad to have you back anyways," Twilight smiled, "and that's all that matters. Plus it was nice to finally meet Savannah." "Someone mention my name?" a familiar voice asked. Turning, I saw Savannah approaching with a mug of cider and a plate of snacks. "Hey baby," I smiled before kissing her. "Hey. Twilight, nice to see you again," she stated before looking over at Spike. "And you must be Spike." "Yes ma'am," the baby dragon replied with a smile on his face. Noticing Savannah's plate loaded with cookies, cupcakes, and pie, I thought she might need some help and remembered something that might give her an extra hand. "Hey, Savannah?" I asked. "Wanna see one o' tha perks ta bein part Alicorn?" "Umm... sure?" she replied, somewhat unsure. Holding my free hand, palm up, towards her, one of the cookies became surrounded by an Emerald aura as it levitated much to Savannah's amazement. I then held my hand up, palm facing forward, as the cookie floated over to Savannah's mouth. "That was amazing. Thank you," she stated enthusiastically, taking a bite out of the levitating delicacy before continuing. "So what were you guys talking about?" "Oh, jus travelin ta alternate dimensions 'n stuff that'd been happenin in our lives," I answered back. "And I was just about to suggest that you two stay at my castle during your stay here in Ponyville," Twilight stated. "Oh no. We couldn't possibly ask ya ta do that, Twi." "Why not? You stayed at my castle last time you were here so one more guest this time around won't hurt. It's not even a problem." "O.K. Fine. Ya win," I answered in defeat with a tiny smile on my face. "Great. I'll see you two there later on tonight. Enjoy the party." "We will," me and Savannah replied in unison as Twilight and Spike walked away. Looking around, I noticed Princess Luna sitting with her sister at one of the tables. "Hey let's go see Celestia 'n Luna," I suggested to Savannah. "Sure," she agreed. And so we made our way over to the two sisters, who were quick to notice us upon our approach. "David. Savannah. It is nice to see you two," Celestia greeted with a smile. "Likewise," the two of us answered. "So Luna," I started, "Ah jus wanted ta thank ya again fer that shootin star ya sent ma las night here." "It was my pleasure," she replied, pleasantly. "Wait. What shooting star?" Savannah questioned. "Well las time Ah was here, Ah was given a way ta return ta our world, but, as a result, Ah'd never be able ta return here. So ma las night here, Ah couldn't sleep thinkin about all tha friends Ah made here that Ah'd never be able ta see again. As Ah was lookin out tha window, a shootin star streaked across tha sky so Ah made a wish. Ah wished that Ah'd be able ta find a way ta return here before it was too late. Nex day, Twi came ta me with tha spell that allowed travel between dimensions 'n placed it on tha necklace Rarity gave me. That's what allowed me ta return here with ya in tha first place." "Wow. I had never heard that before." "So, Savannah, did David tell you all about his ancestry?" Celestia asked. "Yes, Your Majesty," Savannah bowed before her. "David explained everything to me." Celestia smiled at her. "Please. There's no need for formalities. You're a princess now." "Oops. Sorry." "No need to apologize." "Sorry," she replied with a meek, nervous smile. "I guess I'm gonna have to get used to being called 'princess' now." "Hey. Take it from me," I remarked. "It's been months since Ah was las here 'n Ah still haven't fully adjusted ta bein called 'prince' quite yet." "I guess not." Suddenly, Pinkie's voice sounded over a microphone. "O.K. everypony. It's time to get on the dance floor and shake your 'hoove thang.'" And with that, Vinyl Scratch dropped the bass, resulting in every pony taking to the dancefloor to bust a move. Me and Savannah joined in, letting the music take over as we all danced on into the night. * * * * * * * * Later that night at Twilight's castle, me and Savannah were getting settled in for the night in our room. "Wow. That was intense," Savannah stated. "Pinkie sure knows how to throw a party." "Tell me about it," I replied as I took off my T-Shirt, that I had changed into back in Old Orchard Beach. "How bout that food also. Ah think Ah'm gonna be full fer a week. Not ta mention tha fact that we technically had two parties within tha past 24 hours." "You were dancing up a storm out there tonight. I was almost wondering if you even have cancer." "That's tha strange thing. Ever since we came here, Ah feel soo much better now. Tha best Ah've felt in months." "That's good to hear," Savannah answered, while disrobing, "So whataya say we finish this night off the right way?" "You read ma mind," I smiled back as I took off my sweatpants and boxers. Savannah then looked over at something on my thigh. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to my thigh. "Is that... a Cutie Mark?" On my thigh lay the image of a sword with two wings as the crossguard and a Unicorn head as the grip. I had noticed it ever since returning to my world, but was oblivious as to when it had appeared there first. My guess was it showed up after my defeat of the hag. "Yes. Ah believe it is." "What does it mean?" "Ah dunno. Ah've come ta think of it as a Guardian mark, a symbol of bravery," I replied before trying to change the subject. "But let's not think about it. Let's jus think about you 'n me... alone in this room... with nothin else ta do." She smiled as I led her over to our bed where she lay down before I climbed on top of her and pulled the blanket over us. "Please be gentle though," she stated. "This is my first time." "Don' worry. It's mine too." She then reached up and pulled me near her to engage in a kiss. Soon kissing turned to even more as I reached for her thighs and she placed her hands on my back. This moment was pure bliss that I had never known before. In this moment, everything was perfect. That is until my wings shot straight up in what many refer to as a "wing boner", sending the blanket we were under flying up into the air. "Well this is awkward," I replied. "Maybe, but not quite as awkward as it would be if you had went full on pony when we arrived. I mean can you imagine us doing this like that?" she laughed. "Ha ha. Real funny. Laugh at tha pony boy," I chuckled. "Plus who even knows if Ah'd be tha same size as you." "In all honesty, size really doesn't matter to me." My smiling soon changed to frustration as I reached my hands behind me in an attempt to fold my wings up. This proved to be a struggle as they were stiff and refused to cooperate. "Can't... tuck ma... wings... in all tha way." "Here," Savannah rolled over on top of me. "Try with me on top." We then proceeded with our love making only for my wings to erect themselves again and, just like a spring, the previously compressed wings shot the two of us up in the air before crashing back on the bed. Finally, Savannah spoke. "You know what? I think it was better the other way." "Ah agree. We should probably lose tha blanket until we're actually ready fer bed." And so after some modifications, we consummated our relationship, our bodies entangled in a passionate embrace as all of our troubles just slipped away in that beautiful moment of intercourse, that solitary instance of heavenly bliss indescribable.