And so Ledger was the first to awake, once again to the sound of Midnight emptying her stomach in the bathroom.
“I...blarg...will murder you!” she cried out.
“I’ll get something to help you settle your stomach today,” Ledger promised, the threat of death waking him faster than any caffeine. Midnight just groaned and sobbed into her new porcelain best friend.
Somepony knocked on the door and Twilight’s voice could be heard. “Is everything alright in there? I heard yelling.”
Ledger carefully extracted himself from the bed and answered the knocking, undisguised. “Morning sickness,” the drone said as he peeked his head out the door. Twilight yelped when the Changeling emerged. One would think that she’d be used to it by now. At least she was only surprised and not scared.
“Ah... I have a spell that might provide temporary relief, until you can get some medicine for her.”
Ledger nodded and opened the door wider, standing to one side as his disguise shimmered into view. “I’ll go take care of that, don’t forget to show me the spell later for when you aren’t here.”
“Can do,” she nodded as she trotted into the bathroom. One flash later and there was a sudden yelp and Twilight yelling at Midnight.
“Oh eww, don’t kiss me with puke-breath!”
“Whzzat?” Scope sat up and blinked, before letting out a loud sigh and flopping back down onto the bed. Cider had already awoken and headed downstairs to fix breakfast.
Ledger gave the Apple mare a kiss before heading out to find a pharmacy so he could get something for morning sickness. He thought back to the multiple occasions upon which Midnight had thrown up and nodded. A lot of something. Or maybe just a general stomach-settler.
“LEVVY!!” Amy had flown out of...somewhere and tackled the stallion with a happy giggle. “How’s my favourite harem protagonist?”
“Having to deal with morning sickness,” Ledger replied as he readjusted for the pink’s tackle. “How’re you dealing with the griffon that trained Middy?”
“Acey and me are great. We’re still deciding on a date though,” Amy said more normally. “So Middy’s already getting that huh? That sounds rough.”
“Really rough,” Ledger agreed as he shifted the pink to Midnight’s favorite non-sexual position - riding his back - and kept walking into town. “And seeing as how I’d prefer it if she could keep food down, I’m going to get something to settle her stomach.”
“Yeah, that’d be good,” Amy nodded, rolling over so she was on her back, using Ledger like a recliner. “So...I heard an interesting rumor yesterday~”
“Oh?” Ledger asked as they started to enter the city proper. “Care to share?”
“That a certain Princess of Friendship has been seen hanging out with you here in Las Pegasus,” she remarked. “Setting your sights a little higher huh?”
“Hardly,” Ledger said as he quickly came up with a lie, the better to keep the truth secret with. “She’s more interested in the changeling messaging service, along with the fact that I’m basically a changeling version of her.”
“Hmm, you don’t say?” Amy mused. She wasn’t fooled, but that was his and his family's business... for now. She flipped herself off of him and landed in front of him, staring into his eyes. “You seem to be in a good place now huh? Going from under Toll’s hoof, to having three marefriends, one of whom is a nymph, something that you feared above anything else. And now you have a child on the way as well.”
“Scope can be a little scary still, and I won’t lie and say her using her pheromones doesn’t still send a trickle of fear down my spine,” Ledger replied. “Plus the child...yeah, there’s plenty of fear left in my system. But…” the disguised drone sighed and smiled softly, staring at nothing in particular before saying his thoughts on his situation. “I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything.”
“Hey Ledger?” Amy asked softly. “Give me a smile.”
That was easy enough to do, he thought of the mares he’d left at home and his smile only grew. Of the days they’d had together, and the future they would share. Of the child on the way. Of their eventual wedding day.
Amy stood there, vibrating as her entire body seemed to exude a slight pink aura. Her smile was so wide it probably could have swallowed him whole before she squealed and spear-tackled the stallion.
“I am soooo HAPPY!” she cried. “I can finally say that you’re cured!!”
“Ack!” Ledger said as he fell back, the pink mare’s power not to be underestimated. “Amy! Up! Ponies will talk!”
“I don’t care!” she giggled, nuzzling the drone with everything she had. “Of all the Changelings in the city, you were the one I was most worried about.” She lay her head on his chest and smiled. “You have no idea how relieved I am.”
“...Well, it’s not just me,” Ledger said as he softly pet the pink mare’s mane. “Middy and Cider and even Scope did their parts as well…”
“Hmm, I have to check up on Scope. It’s been a while,” Amy hummed thoughtfully. Several ponies had stopped to stare at the pair, some whispering amongst themselves. “Still, this is now my second favourite day EVER!”
“Why don’t you go do that while I buy some stomach medication for Middy?” Ledger said as he tried to prod the mare into getting off of him. Amy sighed and looked into his eyes.
“Aw, are you sure you don’t want a cute mare atop of you?” she cooed, before booping his nose and jumping off of him with a somersault. “Is Scopey at home right now?”
“Unless she’s moved in the last five minutes,” Ledger replied as he got to his hooves. Amy nodded and spread her wings, before she gave Ledger a kiss on the cheek and flew off, intending to surprise the Blue nymph.
“Well, that happened,” Ledger said with an eye-roll as he resumed his quest for the medicine.
Scope was sleeping peacefully. She honestly didn’t care whether Twilight joined their herd or not. She didn’t have any feelings for the mare, yet anyway. But she wouldn’t deny the others if they wanted her.
Life was back to normal, well, as normal as it got around here anyway. Food was plentiful, no-one really expected much of her so she was free to laze around as she pleased.
And then she opened her eyes to the sight of two, pupil-less pink orbs staring into hers.
“Fuck me,” she sighed. “What the hell do you want?”
“We can do the first one later,” Amy said with a giggle. “I just ran into Levvy, and I wanted to check on you too.” And then the pink nymph picked the smaller blue one up and began hugging her. “And thank you for helping in fixing him.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Scope muttered. “I didn’t really do anything.”
“He’s not afraid of nymphs anymore,” Amy said as she stroked the smaller ‘ling. “I remember the first time I dropped my disguise around him in a meeting...he just locked up for a minute straight before going to a corner and rocking back and forth. But you...you helped fix that.”
“Get off me,” Scope sighed, trying to push her off. “And Midnight had mostly fixed him already.”
“Midnight’s not a ‘ling, she doesn’t have our pheromones. He might’ve remained scared of nymphs he wasn’t related to forever without you,” Amy said before softly kissing the top of Scope’s head and letting her go.
“Yeah, well... I couldn’t stand the idea of any drone being involved with me being such a wimp,” she blushed lightly. Amy giggled before giving the nymph one more hug.
“So, is it just Middy, Cidey, and you?” the pink nymph asked. “I’d hate to walk around undisguised around somepony that doesn’t know.”
“The Princess of Rainbows and other sickness-inducing rubbish is here as well, but she’s well aware of the fact that nearly a quarter of the city is Changeling,” Scope replied. She was feeling more awake now as she rolled over and stretched. “At least they let me sleep in for once.”
Amy seemed to stop for a moment before her face was back in front of Scope’s. “Princess Twilight...is here?” Scope couldn’t place the tone that was asked with.
“Yeah,” she said as she rolled her neck until it cracked. Ah, much better. Now for some exercise. She pounced on the Pink and smiled. “Now, I believe you made a promise a moment ago~”
Amy easily flashed away, reappearing clinging to the ceiling. “Oooh, no, Acey’s the only one to get that,” the pink nymph chided. “Now if you’ll pardon me, I have a pony to find!” With that, the pink ‘ling was off on a pony-finding mission. She wanted to meet the princess of friendship!
...Mostly to hold it over Ledger’s head, but she wanted to see if the mare was any fun to hang out with as well! Scope just shrugged and got up. At least this should be entertaining to watch.
Midnight was feeling much better now, and getting to eat without fear of bringing it back up made her way happier than it probably should. Twilight sat next to her, just in case the spell needed a re-cast... until her ear twitched. Wait, this feeling was...
But how could she be here? Pinkie said she was working... ohno!
“HIYA PRINCESS!” An impossibly perky voice said from right behind her. Twilight screamed and jumped into the air, clinging to the rafters for dear life.
“Hey Amy,” Midnight said without even looking up from her soup.
“Hi Middy!” the pink-on-black changeling said before looking up at the new ceiling-dwelling alicorn. “Oooh, are we playing a game? I can do that too!” Even up in the rafters, there was no escape from the pink changeling as she buzzed up before flipping herself upside-down and attaching to the ceiling. “Hey again, Princess!”
“H-Hellooooo-Unf!” she fell from the roof, landing painfully on the floor. “Sweet Celestia, there’s two of them...”
“More,” Midnight said as she sipped from the bowl. “Amethyst Cream here is a Pink Changeling. And they’re all pretty much like Pinkie Pie. Hyper, inexplicable and utterly impossible to comprehend.”
“I feel a headache coming on,” Twilight moaned. Instantly Amy was there in a flash of teleportation magic, pulling things out of thin air. A thermometer, a sack of cold water and ice for her head, and two headache pills. A trained eye like Twilight’s could see the small flashes that accompanied these items appearing.
“We can’t have a sick princess on your property,” the pink changeling said with a stern voice as she held the pills and thermometer in separate hooves. “Open wide.”
Twilight shook her head and smiled. “Oh, look at that. Better already. You’re some nurse Miss Amethyst.”
“Ohh, she’s good,” Midnight hummed. “Though, I suppose Pinkie provided some good exp.”
“Aww,” Amy said as put the pills away and snatched the sack back, it too vanishing. The thermometer disappeared just afterward, and the Pink changeling huffed. “Fine, I suppose you can get away with it this time missy, but the next time, I’m making sure.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as Midnight gave a small chuckle. “Oh and Amy?” the Thestral spoke up. “I’ve decided to keep it.”
“Yay!” Amy said as she pulled out a small ice-cream dish from somewhere, pre-decorated with sprinkles that somehow spelled out ‘Congratulations on your foal’. “That means I can give you this!”
Even that threw Midnight for a loop, where did she?
“Thanks Amy,” Midnight smiled. “I just hope I can keep it down.”
“That spell I cast should keep you from feeling ill,” Twilight nodded. “But I would avoid too much dairy or citrus for now, just in case.”
“Okay,” Midnight said, already having wolfed down the ice-cream and was in the middle of licking the bowl clean.
“That’s why I made it a small one,” Amy said with a giggle. “I figured she might be at this stage of her pregnancy by the time she made her decision. Plus, Middy can’t resist mango.”
Midnight’s eyes suddenly flashed red as she turned and pounced on the nymph. “Hrrm, I wonder the mare tastes as good as her treats~” she purred in a sultry tone before giving her a very deep kiss. Amy let the kiss remain for a second or two before breaking it and flashing away.
“Jeeze, what is with this house and displays of too much affection?” Amy asked from the rafters. “If I go into the kitchen, I’m pretty sure Cidey will hold me down!”
“Yeah. No.” Cider replied from said kitchen. Midnight looked at her suddenly empty hooves before she started to cry.
“I’m sorhohohooryyyy!” she wailed as Twilight patted her on the back. She looked up and gave the nymph a brief rundown on Midnight’s unique symptoms. Including wild emotions and and her rampant instincts.
“Aww, it’s okay Middy,” Amy said as she walked back down, using a wall like others would a floor. “I don’t blame you. Just remember Acey’s staked his claim on me, and we’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I know...I’m sorry again,” Midnight sighed. Preganacy sucked bigtime.
“So, allow me a proper introduction,” Twilight said. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. you?”
“I’m-” Here a series of clicks and chirps came from Amy’s mouth, which to Midnight sounded like ‘Heart-of-Gold’. “But you can call me Amy!” The pink changeling finished her declaration by sticking her hoof out to the lavender alicorn.
“It’s nice to meet you Miss Amy,” Twilight smiled as Midnight blinked and spoke to her.
“Your name is Heart-of-Gold?” she asked in Changeish, prompting Twilight to give her a curious look. Amy did as well before shrugging and replying.
“Yeah, I tend to give things to others just to see them happy. It fits.” Then the pink changeling smirked before transforming into…
Oh. Cherry was here now. “Or you can call me Cherry,” the pegasus stallion said with a small smile. “I’m fine with either, really.”
Twilight was taken aback for a second, before she returned Cherry’s happy smile. “Well this city is just full of surprises huh? Well, nice to meet you too as well.”
“I like her,” Cherry said before flashing into Amy. “She’s hard to stump.”
“We like her too,” Midnight said, nuzzling the alicorn, who rolled her eyes, but returned the gesture none-the-less.
“Well, this has been boring so far,” Scope muttered from her nest. “Except for Midnight’s kiss. That was great!”
“Wait,” Amy said with a raised hoof. “Did you just…?” She gestured between Midnight and Twilight, clearly having caught the nuzzle.
“What?” Midnight asked the nymph.
“Are you all…?” Ledger had been lying, massively lying!
“Please try and keep this a secret,” Twilight said. “I don’t want them to be swamped by any unnecessary attention. Given Midnight’s oncoming condition, as well as Scope’s and Ledger’s identities.”
“I can keep my muzzle shut,” Amy mimed zipping it, before her eyes got a dangerous glint to them. “On one condition.”
“What condition?” Twilight replied with a terse glare. She did not take kindly to blackmail. This mare was getting dangerously close to being on the alicorn’s shitlist.
And then she asked the question. “What’s Levvy like when he’s bucking a princess?”
Scope nearly fell out of her nest as Twilight flushed a deep crimson. Midnight just rolled her eyes as she lay her head on the table. “I wonder when you became a Violet?” she asked idly.
“A-And how would I know?” Twilight stammered. “I-I haven’t done anything like that!!”
“You probably should,” Amy said as she turned to leave. “I hear enough about it from these three when we swap stories that he has to be doing something right.”
“I-I-I....” Twilight’s blush deepened as she wobbled on her hooves.
“I have it on good authority that Ledger loves his princess a great deal~” Scopey grinned her shark-like grin. “Very, very much~”
She didn’t get to continue as Twilight’s horn flashed and the nymph was teleported away... to, Celestia-knows-where. The purple alicorn sighed and fainted.
“Well, that was fun,” Amy giggled before she left. “Try to get her to really unwind, Middy!” With that, the illogical pink pegasus was gone, bouncing down the road.
Midnight shrugged, idly wondering where Scopey went, before moving to put Twilight on the couch before pestering Cider for more food.
Scope Lens sat in front of Princess Celestia, looking right into the solar diarch’s eyes.
“Well,” the alicorn sighed. “This is awkward.”
“That’s...one way to describe it,” the blue nymph said. “I...don’t suppose you could spare me a teleport back to Las Pegasus? I can work my way home from there.”
“I could do that,” she nodded as she got up. “Care for some coffee and donuts before you go?”
“That’d be...good,” the nymph replied cautiously. “I didn’t really get any breakfast before I found myself...here.” With a soft blue shimmer, her usual disguise of a pegasus was in place.
“Excellent, you can tell me all about Las Pegasus in the meantime,” Celestia hummed. She looked around before realising that Luna would be asleep and Twilight was doing something or other. She pulled out a card and sat it on the throne.
‘Back in 30 mins’
“Okay, let’s go~” Celestia hummed as she donned her own disguise, a pink-haired Pegasus mare. Scope shrugged and followed the diarch’s lead.
Moondancer panted as she rolled over, sweat giving her coat a light sheen as she sighed. “T-Three days straight...is a tad much,” she panted. “Even for me...”
“Aww, but I can keep going for weeks,” the violet nymph said as she trailed a hoof down Moondancer’s flank. “Did once, when I first came here. Just wrapped myself up in the lust of this city and went to town…” The noble nymph sighed at the memory.
“You know, with all that emotion in the last couple of days, I could smack you with the feedback spell and go run a few errands,” Moondancer half-threatened.
“Mmm, you do that, I’ll return the favor,” the nymph teased. “We’d be locked up, useless until the spells run out of energy or one of the nymphs checks up on us…”
“Sugar, I love you, but that would probably kill me,” Moondancer sighed. “I need to eat and drink and the bathroom. We could have a shower together if you like. I have a few tricks I could show you~”
“Oooh, those sound like acceptable bribes,” the nymph replied as she helped her marefriend find her hooves again. “Maybe I can show you a few I know as well~”
“Mhmm,” Moon giggled, even as she struggled to walk. This mare was going to be the death of her. A wonderful, climax-inducing death, but death none-the-less. Her horn suddenly sparked and the mare frowned lightly. Hmm, now that was interesting.
“Sorry love, change of plans. We have a very important guest outside. So we should hurry.”
“Aww, okay. Here, before you go.” With that, Sugar was kissing Moondancer, giving her more than a little tongue, and the kiss itself felt...energizing, somehow. She hummed pleasantly into the kiss and smiled. With a flash, the two were in the bathroom and she had the Changeling pressed up against the shower wall.
“Hmm, I guess she can wait a few minutes,” Moondancer giggled.
“I guess she might have to,” Sugar teased back as she grabbed that flank she so loved. “I certainly don’t intend to let you go anytime soon.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that,” Moon sighed, leaning into the embrace.
Twilight sat inside the ‘Love Shack’ club, nursing a soda as a lot of the staff wouldn’t take their eyes off of her. Midnight had told the Princess about this place, and the fact that Changeling’s ran it. So maybe that’s why.
Twilight was one of the ones that defeated an entire army of them after all. She found herself wondering what would happen if she brought the changeling queen here. Another experiment for another day perhaps.
About half an hour passed, and she was about ready to call it quits, before a white unicorn mare with violet eyes and a black mane and tail, done in curls that reminded her of Rarity’s manestyle, came out from the back room. “Oh my, have none of the girls seen to you yet?” she asked, looking around at the barely-disguised nymphs that had barely taken their eyes off the visiting royal.
“Hm?” Twilight looked up at the mare. She was...strikingly beautiful. Twilight couldn’t help but blush slightly. “Um, no. Not particularly. I think they might be a little cautious around me.” She looked at her wings and sighed. “Sometimes these things are more hassle than they’re worth. Ah, sorry. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
“Sugar Darling,” the mare said, taking a small bow. “And we’re quite aware of who you are, your highness.” That said, the mare straightened back up and smiled in a way that also reminded her of Rarity. “So are you here for business? Or pleasure, which technically falls under the sphere of business?”
“Please, just Twilight will be fine, and no need to bow either,” the alicorn smiled. “Actually, it’s more curiosity that brought me here than anything else. A friend of mine told me about this place, and its...unique hostesses.”
“Oh?” the mare asked with a head-tilt. “Might I ask about the name of this friend? I’ve made quite a few over my time here.”
“Midnight Song,” Twilight replied with a smile. “She gave this place quite the glowing recommendation.”
“Ah,” Sugar said, nodding once before closing her eyes. When they were next opened, her violet eyes were pupil-less. “Something along the lines of this, I assume, is what she told you?”
“That sounds about right,” Twilight nodded, before she was glomped by another mare, one nuzzling her with abundant glee.
“Did think I’d see you again so soon,” Moondancer giggled. “What are you doing here in Las Pegasus Twi?”
“Moondancer!?” Twilight turned to face the Unicorn. “What are you doing here?”
“Hmm, just visiting my marefriend,” Moon smiled, drawing Sugar in for a hug as well. Twilight looked at Sugar then to Moondancer.
“Oh, well congrats then.”
“Thank you,” Sugar said as she shifted her eyes back. “So is there anything you wanted to know in particular, Twilight?”
“Well right now, I’m just seeing how everypony is getting along, now that Changelings aren’t a secret around these parts. Have you had any trouble Miss Sugar?”
“There was a lot of excitement during the first few days, but business has actually improved now that our secret is out,” the nymph hummed. “Apparently, a lot of ponies have a lot of fantasies, and we’re all to happy to help them fill it for the right price~”
“Ookayyy,” Twilight blushed as ‘that’ memory resurfaced again. If it wasn’t for the important conversation that happened after, she’d have purged the whole thing with a memory erasure spell.
“Heehee, little Twilight gets flustered easily,” Moondancer smiled. “It’s really fun to tease her~”
“Moony!” Twilight batted at her with a hoof. Sugar giggled her agreement.
“Plus with the minor time acceleration spell Moony’s helped us with, we can ferment test batches of cider in a matter of days.” The nymph hummed at the thought. “Still need to slow it down a bit for all the different stages and our special ingredients, but we are introducing emotion infused drinks here.”
“Time magic?” Twilight blinked and looked at Moondancer. “Hoofenheimer? Or Starswirl?”
“A little of both, with a Moondancer twist,” she smiled. “Wanna know how it works?”
“Is Einstags Theorem flawed?” Twilight replied with more than a little snark. The two spellcasters suddenly dove into a conversation that Sugar had little to no hope of following. She merely flagged one of her mares down and ordered three of the latest batch of drink to be produced. It had turned out well, unlike so many that had soured, so she figured the alicorn might want to taste the latest product.
Eventually the two finished and shared a giggle as they noticed that Sugar was still waiting patiently.
“Eheh, whoops. Sorry babe,” Moondancer smiled. “Ohh, what do you have there?”
“Just the latest to come off our line of emotional drinks,” the mare said as she put two ciders in front of the unicorn and alicorn. Cider that seemed to have a...slight pink and purple tint to it. “We call it the ‘Mood-setter.’”
“With a name like that, and what I have experienced thus far with Changelings,” Twilight said with a hint of doubt. “Will there be any...effects to myself if I drink this?”
“Maybe?” Sugar shrugged before she drank her own and smacked her lips, nodding and smiling a little wider. “Oooh, it came out well. But yeah, ‘lings can handle emotional imbalances well. Take it slow if you’re afraid of your mental state being...upset.”
Twilight nodded as she gave a sip that a Breezie would call insufficient. “It’s just, the last time a Changeling tried to transfer emotions to me, I wound up making out with Level Ledger and Midnight...”
Mindful of the fact that this was the result of their long and laborious work, Sugar didn’t spit out her next sip. Her cheeks did bulge and there was a mighty gulp from her end of the table, but she didn’t coat either of the other mares in her drink.
“I...beg your pardon?” the disguised nymph asked once she was certain she could breathe again. “Did you just say you kissed Level Ledger and Midnight Song?”
“With tongue,” Twilight nodded as she sipped her drink again. This was quite good. “I was curious about it when Ledger mentioned he could transfer emotions, and I wondered how it must feel for your kind to process such energy, so he provided a bit that he took from Midnight... but apparently Midnight’s love is... potent. The result was a rather embarrassing moment for myself.”
“It’s only embarrassing if it doesn’t result in something better,” the nymph said with a wink. “Now, as for this drink and everything in it, so that you know what you’re getting yourself into. Cider for the taste, and because the alcohol helps ponies relax and open up. A touch of happiness, to ease their minds. Just because we can’t process it as well as the Pink, doesn’t mean we can’t still gather it for things like this. And of course, just a touch of lust, for setting the mood.”
“You know, that tends to make me wonder if this is a bar, or a brothel,” Twilight mused as she raised an eyebrow. “I trust you have a permit for the latter of those practises?”
“What sort of law-abiding citizen do you take me for?” the mare joked back before she sipped at her drink. “And really, what did you think a Violet would open in Las Pegasus, of all places?”
“True enough I suppose,” Twilight nodded. “And I guess, Hmm, no, nevermind.”
“No no, please, by all means,” Sugar said with a wave of her hoof. “Now I’m curious.”
“Hmm, nope. A mare is entitled to her secrets~” Twilight teased her. This drink was really tasty...huh? Where’d it go?
“Gone already?” Sugar tisked. “Well I suppose I can give you another if you want...though I want a little feedback as to how it tasted and how you feel first.”
“Hmm, well it was tasty, very fruity,” Twilight giggled. “And, I feel super happy~”
“Hmm, I suppose I can give you another, though I think I may have to ask somepony to walk you home afterwards,” the nymph said before indicating they needed another round. Within five minutes, three more ciders were sitting in front of the mares and the three empties were whisked away.
“Hrm, I feel like this is a bad idea,” Moondancer hummed. “I wonder if there’s a law for getting a Princess drunk on magical drinks. Twilight seems like a bit of a lightweight.”
“Ledger can’t hold his liquor at all, this mare isn’t as bad as him,” Sugar brushed off her marefriend’s concerns. “Just take it slow, Twilight. This stuff is likely really effective on ponies.”
“Naw, it’s cool,” Twilight giggled, half the glass already gone. “And what was that about Ledgie? He’s really cute y’know. Such a big brain...and a big—”
“Aaaand I retract my statement,” the disguised nymph said as she used her magic to keep Twilight’s glass stuck to the table for a moment. “Okay Twi, I’m gonna need you to do me a favor.” One hoof was used to signal a waitress to bring some water and snacks over so that the princess wouldn’t end up completely trashed.
“Whazzat cutie?” Twilight giggled like a schoolfilly. The water and crackers arrived in record time.
“I’m gonna need you to have enough of this that the alcohol doesn’t kill off all your common sense,” Sugar said while indicating the new additions.
Twilight giggled again as she practically inhaled the crackers and then sculled the water and hiccuped. “Whooo... wha? I have a headache...”
“Take it slow, that’s your system readjusting,” the nymph said as the water was rapidly replaced. “That or dehydration.”
“Urgh, anypony get the name of that chariot?” she groaned as she sipped the water again. “Those drinks pack a heck of a buck Miss Sugar.”
“And I can’t believe how quickly you bounced like that,” Moondancer remarked, taking a few notes. “I wonder if your alicorn biology has anything to do with that. Ohh, would you be opposed to a few experiments?”
“I think the mare whose body it is might want to devise safe experiments on her own,” Sugar interjected. During the exchange, however, the half-full drink of ‘Mood-Setter’ was ignored in front of Twilight, even as the glow around the base died.
“Hmm, lemme try that,” Moondancer said as she took the glass and drained it. She swished it around in her mouth and swallowed. “Well, it is pretty fruity...aaand there we go, now I feel nice~”
“I noticed,” Sugar teased. “But we are in front of Twilight, so keep yourself in check dear, or else I’ll break out some of my gear.”
“Ooh, you already know my safeword,” Moon smiled as she ran a hoof over the nymphs flank. “You know, I kinda look like Twilight... I wonder if I could get a set of wings as well~”
“The thought of you becoming an Alicorn terrifies me,” Twilight snarked and the two friends shared a hug. “Still, my head has a slight buzz...perhaps I should see about somepony walking me home...” She looked at Moondancer and her slightly raised hoof. “Somepony who isn’t going to ogle my flank the entire time.”
“Aww,” Moonie pouted. Sugar giggled before humming and gesturing one of the mares over.
“Yes?” she asked simply. Twilight now noticed that while she was a pegasus, they all seemed to have adopted a similar color scheme, with the cosmetic differences of mane and tail, along with cutie marks. She’d have to ask about that later.
“See Twilight home, or wherever she wants to go, and make sure that you don’t ogle her the whole way, and neither does anypony else,” Sugar said. The mare gave off another nod and moved to stand next to the princess.
“That easy huh?” Twilight smiled as she got to her hooves. “Hmm, perhaps...to PegsusAir if your could. There is...somebuggy? someling? I don’t know what the correct vernacular is I’m afraid. Anyway, I must see him about something.”
“I know the way,” the mare said as she watched Twilight get to her hooves. “Do you think you need any help walking, miss?”
Twilight wobbled a little then righted herself. “Hmm, no, I think I’m good.” She turned back to Sugar and Moondancer. “It was nice meeting you Miss Sugar, and it was great to see you as well Moonie. Oh, do you think you could swing by Cider Farms later? I could use your help setting up a waypoint.”
“I guess I could do that, but why there?” Moon asked her.
“Well, it’d be a pain coming by train, so I’ll use teleportation to get to my destination,” Twilight giggled. Ohh, maybe she was part zebra as well.
“Hmm,” Sugar hummed as she ran a hoof through Moondancer’s mane. “If I know Ledger, he’s gonna want to see something like a...teleportation beacon, being cast,” the nymph commented. “Probably a good thing you’re going to see him first. When did you want this one again?”
“Maybe in a few hours, so enough to continue what the two of you were up to before,” Twilight giggled again. “I’m beginning to wonder if everypony in this city is a pervert~”
“Everypony has a perverted side to them,” Sugar said as she gave a little of her namesake to Moondancer. Once the kiss broke, she looked at Twilight with a gaze that could only be called sultry. “It just seems a lot easier to...let loose here.”
“Isn’t it great?” Moondancer giggled. “Oh, you should come with me Sugar. I forgot to tell you, but Midnight’s pregnant.”
“Ooooh, how marvelous!” the nymph all but squealed. “Finally, Fortune will have somepony like her to socialize with! Granted, about twenty years too late, but another hybrid comes onto the scene!”
“It should be quite interesting,” Twilight agreed. “Well, see you three later then~” She trotted out of the door as the barmaid followed her.
“Three...?” Moondancer blinked. Then she giggled. Seems Ledger was going to be in for a little surprise.
Ledger was sitting in his office, going over reports of the preliminary tests of the communications relay. While the initial results had been positive, the government was also worried that the postal service would be put at risk. So the idea was under debate for the time being until a compromise could be reached.
Once negotiations began breaking down, he had an idea: offer it to the government as a new service, in addition to the postal service. In case you needed to send a message somewhere really quickly. He’d leave it up to them to determine what an appropriate price for something like that would be, though. He knew Scope would probably enjoy the idea of being in charge of something like that.
He could hear the tiny maniacal laugh already...
That was when his door was flung open and an overly jubilant Twilight strutted inside.
“Hello Levvy~” she giggled. “Not bending a nymph over your desk today?”
“Scope has the day off, possibly indefinitely,” Ledger replied as he moved the file to one side, the better to give Twilight his attention. “The Princesses don’t take too kindly to you when you try to supplant the post office, so she doesn’t need to keep a Hivelink up across half of Equestria.”
“Oh well,” Twilight sighed as she lifted herself up to sit on the edge of his desk. “You must be a bit lonely working in here by yourself.”
“A bit, but I have side-projects I can do when things get boring,” Ledger replied.
“Hmm, maybe I could be one of those side projects you can do~” she giggled again, running a hoof across his cheek before she kissed him deeply.
Ledger froze as he processed the situation. This wasn’t Scope, he knew that. She didn’t smell like the nymph in the slightest. So it was the real Twilight kissing him. And he’d spent the better part of yesterday afternoon educating the mare by example, so he knew she knew what she was doing. The idea that the actual Twilight wanted...that from him…
It was a stunning thought, and one that needed clarity. Once the kiss broke, Ledger took a breath to ask her a question. “What...would you have of me, your highness?”
Twilight’s smile faltered a little. “‘Your highness’? Really? I thought I said to call me Twilight. Or do I have to make that a Royal edict?” She hopped off the desk as she moved around behind him, rearing up to hug him from behind. “I dunno. I just feel really good all of a sudden. Sugar makes some nice drinks~”
“Well then...if you’re feeling up to it, Twilight, I think I can show you some oral attention,” Ledger hinted as he enjoyed the hug nonetheless. Time to see if she was being serious or not.
“Mmmm, you can talk aaallll day and I’d listen,” Twilight giggled. “Watcha wanna talk about Ledgie?”
“Not that kind of attention,” Ledger clarified for the...oh sweet Hives she was inebriated. His mind only just put that together, but not in time to stop his mouth. “More like the kind of attention my lips can show a different pair of your lips.”
“Hmm?” Twilight tilted her head adorably. “Ledgie? Are you trying to be naughty?”
“...Kinda?” he said meekly. “But you’re kinda drunk and innocent, and I don’t wanna take advantage of you, and-” he was cut off as she kissed him again, this time he felt her tongue probing his mouth, the fruity tingle on her breath as she moaned into him.
He wished he could hold the kiss forever, but they eventually had to come up for air again, and he stared deep into her eyes when they did. “You’re a helluva kisser, Twilight,” he complimented the mare.
“Hee, I had a little practice before now,” she smiled, leaving him to wonder where.
“While you are rather distracting, I still don’t want to take advantage of you,” Ledger replied as he moved one step back, to give the mare her space. “So…”
“Ohh, but I wanna be taken advantage of,” she pouted. “Do you have any idea what it’s like for me. As a Unicorn, nopony wanted me. I was just a lonely little bookworm with no friends. Or I was the precious student of Celestia, which nopony dared to touch. Then as a Princess, I’m ‘unobtainable’ for an entirely different set of reasons!”
“Prove it with your big-girl words,” Ledger said as he twirled a hoof. “Tell me what you want, Twilight Sparkle, and if you can say it without stumbling over them, I’ll give your request serious thought.”
“I want... I want...” Twilight frowned as she paced around the room. “I wanna take a nap,” and with that, she curled up on the couch and fell asleep. Ledger chuckled before he went back to paperwork.
“Well, I’m happy to provide, your majesty,” he said softly. He was going to get her used to those titles...or get those titles associated with naughty things, one day.
“—And then she said, but how am I supposed to get a tan?” Celestia laughed as she plucked another donut from her horn and bit into it. “Ah Joe, as amazing as always!”
“Oh don’t tell me she actually said that,” Scope laughed. “Ponies have coats of fur for a reason!”
“Hipsters aren’t ponies, they are some species that I have yet to classify,” Celestia giggled. “You’re quite a lot of fun you know that?”
“So’re you,” Scope replied as she sipped at her coffee. “I thought you were going to be more upset with me when I appeared outta nowhere in your courtroom like that.”
“Why does everypony think that?” Celestia moaned as she drank her hot chocolate. “One little slip up and poof I banish you to the sun. Geez, it’s not like I’ll drop the sun on you or anything. Though I totally could.”
“I think it’s statements like that that make others afraid,” Scope pointed out before snagging a donut of her own. “But hey, it keeps the parasites down, so good on you.”
“You know, between you and me, sometime I wish I could go whoops and the noble section suddenly exploded for no reason. But alas, godlike power also comes with responsibility.” She waved her mug and Joe and wolf-whistled at him.
“More please~”
“If you say so your highness,” Joe chuckled, wondering if anypony actually could get drunk on hot chocolate.
“Mm,” Celestia sighed as she watched him leave. “Now that is some fine flank. I’d like him to glaze my buns sometime~”
“Gah, you’re just as bad as Midnight,” Scope whined. “You’ve made that sort of observation about most of the stallion customers, and more than a few mares as well.”
“Can’t help it, I get lonely,” Celestia sighed. “Though Brass Balls...mmm, I have to call him again sometime~”
“...He’s that really old Yellow general, right?” Scope asked. “Wow. I mean, I know his name and all, but...wow, did not expect that of him.”
“Admittedly, I had to use an age spell on him to give him...a little boost,” Celestia chuckled as she polished off her donut. “But still, the sun rose a few times that night.”
“And just like that, the moment passes,” Scope snarked before eating another donut herself. “Sheesh. Find a dragon in his youth, why don’t you. Get him interested in you and form a bond that’ll hold up longer against the test of time.”
“Been there, done that,” Celestia replied. “So how about you hmm? The first herd in a century. Must be interesting.”
“Ledger’s a romantic sap of a drone, Cider’s a hardflank rule stickler, and Middy’s throwing up everywhere,” the disguised nymph deadpanned. “I can hardly contain my joy.”
“Your smile says otherwise~” Celestia sang as Joe brought her drink back out, as well as a refill for Scopey. “Deny it all you want, but you love those three.”
“...I might care about them a little,” Scope ruefully admitted. “But that’s all you’re getting outta me.”
“Well, good enough I suppose,” Celestia hummed as she sipped her drink. “In the end, they’re your beloveds, so it doesn’t matter what anypony else thinks.” She placed the mug down as she put her wing around Scope Lens. “This has been quite fun Miss Lens. So, I take it you’re ready to go home now?”
“If you’d please?” Scope said with a nod she otherwise wouldn’t have.
Celestia’s horn lit up, a remaining donut vapourising in an instant. “Oh, and Miss Scope, would you be so kind as to pass a message onto Level Ledger for me?”
“Maybe?” the nymph said, hedging her bets. “What do you wanna tell him?”
Celestia’s large doe eyes narrowed and for a brief moment, the motherly alicorn was replaced by a being of immense power. One that would wield that power should the need arise.
“If he hurts Twilight in any way, I will be most upset.” she said, those last words were so cold, the sun itself threatened to freeze over. And just like that, she was back to normal. “Okay, have a nice day Miss Scope.” And with a flash of golden light, Scope Lens found herself on Level Ledger’s desk.
The nymph looked around the empty office, wondering where that drone was, before she caught sight of a nearby wall-clock. Oh, that’s why it was empty. Ledger was on his lunch break. She double-checked to make sure her usual pegasus disguise was in place before running off to find Ledger. She had a message to deliver.
Hives, if he was with that alicorn, Scope was of a mind to give Twilight a piece of hers for that involuntary trip.
Twilight groaned as she followed Level Ledger on his lunch break. That was it, she was so done with emotional experimentation.
“Uurghh,” she sighed.
“You’ll feel better when you’ve got some food in you,” the stallion said as he led her to a clearly Griffon-run establishment. “This place does amazing salads.”
“I can’t believe I did that,” she muttered as she trudged behind him. Her head was killing her, and the memory of-of... flaunting herself like that was even worse. “I’m just glad you’re such a gentlestallion...or that could have turned out a lot worse...”
“I know better than to take advantage of an inebriated mare,” Ledger replied. “That being said, it took me a minute to piece together that you were.”
“Two drinks is hardly enough to get me drunk,” Twilight said sharply, before wincing as that aggravated her headache. “But it seems that emotional transfer affects me greatly, and no, you may not experiment with that Mr. Ledger!”
“Wasn’t going to, without an invitation anyways,” the stallion replied with a small laugh before he held the door to the restaurant open. “After you, milady.”
Twilight nodded and entered the building, and the moment she walked in she picked up the scent of...cooked meat? Well, that was...something. It reminded her of her trip through the mirror...
The griffon behind the counter nodded at Ledger showing up, before her face showed shock at the sight of Twilight. “Y-your highness!” she squawked before bowing.
Twilight sighed, maybe she should have used an illusion spell. “Please don’t go to any effort Miss. Though, if you have something for a headache I’d be most appreciative.”
“I...I think we have something in the first-aid kit,” the griffon said before standing back up and ruffling her wings, clearly unsettled. “So, ah, table for two?”
“Please,” Ledger replied, before looking at Twilight to see if that was the right move. Twilight nodded in response.
“Please,” she smiled. “Something on the private side if you have one.”
“I think we have a private room,” the gryphoness said as she retrieved two menus from under the podium. “Would that be acceptable?”
Twilight mulled over that. The Princess seen going into a private room with an unknown stallion. Yeah, not suspicious in the slightest.
“That won’t be necessary. Just a booth in a quiet corner will be fine.”
“Very well,” the waitress said before leading the pair of ponies to a nice, quiet corner, occupied by a very large booth. “It’s a little much, but it should serve your needs nicely,” she said as the pair seated themselves. “I’ll get that medicine for a headache in a moment, but while I do, what would the pair of you like to drink?”
“Apple juice,” Ledger said as he got comfortable.
“Just water will be fine,” Twilight nodded. “And perhaps some crackers or nuts to snack on please.”
“We can do that,” the hen chirped. “I’m Wendi, and I’ll be seeing to your needs today.” With a final bow, she was off to the kitchen. Ledger flipped open the menu in front of him and hummed at the selection available.
A few ponies present in the establishment had already looked in their direction and began whispering amongst themselves. Twilight sighed as she picked up the menu to stare into it. Out of sight, out of mind.
“I think I’ll get a chef’s salad while we’re here,” Ledger said as he went over the options. “They’re always improving it. Possibly to try and impress what few ponies walk in.”
“That sounds good, I think I’ll have the same,” Twilight replied. Her eyes briefly lingering on the griffon side of the menu. And despite her best wishes, her tummy gave a slight rumble in response.
“...I would ask, but I know better than to pry,” Ledger said with a chuckle. “They do have a seafood section, though. For those ponies that want a little extra protein and can stomach the idea.”
“What? No!” Twilight’s adamant denial was adorable. “Urgh, it’s a long story that can wait for another day. Trust me, even you would have trouble believing it.”
Ledger was about to reply, but was interrupted by a griffoness returning. “One apple juice, one water, and two tablets of headache medication,” she chirped, placing the items before the ponies. “Have you decided what you want?”
“Two orders of the chef’s salad,” Ledger said as he folded his menu up. “One apiece.”
Twilight swallowed the pills and downed her water, giving a satisfactory sigh. “Mmm, I feel better already. Um, this might be a little weird, but I don’t suppose I could add two prawn cocktails to that order please?”
“Not at all,” the griffoness chirped. “Ledger usually gets some shrimp with his salad anyways.”
“Your fault for doing it so well,” the stallion fired back before floating the menus over to the hen. She chuckled and nabbed them before nodding at the pair of ponies.
“So two chefs salads, and two prawn cocktails. Easily done, we’ll have that out for you in a jiffy!” The griffoness gave another bow before she headed in the direction of the kitchen, to drop their orders off.
“And what are you smiling at?” Twilight snarked at the drone. Her headache already reduced to a dull throb every now and then. Ledger sighed before choosing one of the tales that had earned him his name.
“I don’t think you’ve heard this, but changelings earn their names, your highness,” he teased. “Mine wasn’t easy to earn. I did a lot of things in my time in the Lands. Like investigating the Red’s burial mound.”
“Oh?” Twilight’s ears perked up. This sounded interesting. Ledger nodded before taking a sip of his juice. Once he’d lowered the mug, he continued.
“The Duty Reds feel is so strong, that if they ever leave anything undone in life before they’re put to rest, they become...quite restless. To the point where they get back up and start shuffling around.”
“Wait...” Twilight held up a hoof to stop him for a moment. “You mean to tell me, that you actually encountered zombies. Real, undead, zombies?”
“They’re not so bad…” Ledger said before grimacing. “Until you encounter ones from an ancient scuffle between the Reds and the Silvers. That was when I learned that fire doesn’t solve everything.”
“The best way to handle a zombie is a boomstick,” Twilight nodded, remembering her monster manual she used to read as a foal with Shiny.
“I didn’t know that then,” Ledger grimaced. “I got chased by flaming zombies for a while before the fire ate away at everything holding them together.”
“That must have been terrifying,” Twilight gulped, sipping at her water again. “And I live near the Everfree Forest.”
“It was one of the more terrifying moments of my life for a while,” Ledger agreed. “But I got over it eventually.” Just don’t ask how, just don’t ask how...
“How did you do that?” Twilight asked. She was still having problems regarding Tirek, so maybe his answer could help her.
“...Something worse took it’s place,” Ledger said, compromising on an answer. “But Midnight, Cider, and Scope helped me recover from that memory. There’s...nothing you can’t overcome with the right friends.”
Not the answer she was hoping for. “I know how you feel,” she smiled. It was true she still had the occasional nightmare, but she knew that when she woke up, her friends would be there waiting. “It’s good to have friends you can count on.”
“Amen to that,” Ledger said with a smile. Just then, Wendi returned with two prawn cocktails before placing one in front of each pony.
“There we are,” she said with a smile. “Your salads will be out soon. Just have to track down some fresher ingredients for some of it. In the meantime, these are ready.” Before either pony could speak up, she was off again.
“She’s rather friendly,” Twilight smiled as she took a forkful of her cocktail and bit into it, savouring the savoury taste. “Mmm, delicious~”
Ledger took a bite of his own and agreed with her assessment. “Not bad, not bad at all. I still prefer the way Fredrick does his shrimp alfredo, but this has definitely improved from when I first tried it.”
“Ooh?” Twilight’s ear flicked at the mention of alfredo. “That sounds good too!” She resumed her munching, and soon the glass it had been served in was licked clean, as the alicorn hummed happily, not noticing some seafood sauce on her lips. Ledger chuckled as he continued to munch on his own before floating her napkin up next to her muzzle.
“You’ve got a little something right there,” he said between bites, pointing at her lips. Twilight blinked as she took the napkin, their magic overlapping for a moment as it sent a pleasant tingle down Ledger’s horn.
“Thanks,” she smiled, wiping her muzzle. Ledger shuddered a little before resuming his meal. Soon enough his own appetizer was gone, and he was wiping his own face off before presenting it to Twilight.
“Did I get everything?” he asked, turning one way and another for her approval.
“Hmm, yes, you are your usual handsome self,” Twilight giggled as she folded the napkin and placed it on the table. “You know,” she smiled. “This almost looks like it could be considered a date.”
“Who said it wasn’t?” Ledger replied innocently. “The line between ‘friendly interaction’ and ‘date’ is quite blurry, as most things are when romance gets involved.”
“Well,” Twilight blushed as she looked down at her hooves, then her eyes peered up at Ledger. “If you don’t mind...then, I don’t either.”
“Fair enough, but we tell nopony else,” Ledger said, warning the lavender alicorn. “I just know Middy would hang it over both our heads.” He sipped at his juice before a thought crossed his mind. “Speaking of dates, did you want my advice on where to take us for dinner tonight, or would you rather do it on your own?”
“Well, I’ve heard mention of this ‘Fredrick’ a few times, and that his food is good.” Twilight sipped at her water and smacked her lips. “Is that alright?”
“A fine choice, I’ll help you find him later,” Ledger said with a nod, before two salads all but materialized in front of them.
“And done!” the waitress said with her usual pep. “Now you two enjoy, okay? The chef’s really proud of this one!”
“Thank you Miss Wendi,” Twilight smiled. “This looks delicious.” Once the waitress left, the princess wasted no time in digging in. Her headache had vanished completely now and she was feeling back to normal.
Ledger also learned that a good way to lose a hoof would be to put it between the alicorn and her food. He boggled at her ability to simply devour food before sighing and eating his own, afraid that if he didn’t, she would. Hmm...the lettuce was crisp, the blue cheese dressing was fresh, the black olives were just right, the cucumbers and radishes couldn’t have been cut up long ago, the red onions were the right thing to offset the rest...and the croutons were of course crunchy, and the cherry tomatoes were juicy.
All in all, this salad was perfect.
It took a little longer for Twilight to eat her salad. And to somepony that knew her well enough, that meant that she liked it quite a lot. Enough to savour the food before it was lost to the void.
Once she was done, she signalled for Wendi to come back over. Once she had, she gave the griffoness a serious stare.
“Could you please summon the chef for me?” she asked.
“Of course,” the hen replied. It took her a minute, but eventually Wendi returned with an older griffon, a male in the stereotypical chef’s hat.
“Yes, yer highness?” he said. “Something wrong with your food?”
Twilight looked at her plate, one could mistake that it hadn't been used in the first place, she’d licked it clean.
“On the contrary,” she said with a soft smile. “That was one of the most delicious salads I have ever eaten. It puts even the Canterlot Castle chefs to shame. You have my utmost thanks for an enjoyable meal.”
“That means a lot to me,” the griffon said before giving her a bow. “I keep trying to improve the recipe, make it so ponies see there’s more to this place than just a place for griffons to get some meat. You’re the first to have complimented me on it.”
“Well I certainly hope I won’t be the last,” Twilight beamed. “I loved it, so thank you. I’ll even recommend this place to others.”
“That...means the world to me,” the griffon said as he stood back up. And if anybody asked, there was just something in his eyes. He certainly wasn’t crying tears of pride, no sir. Twilight let out a little giggled as he returned to his kitchen. Yelling at his apprentices should re-affirm his masculinity.
“Well,” Ledger said as he surfaced from his salad, having finally killed the last of it. “If this is how you react to their salads, I can tell we’re going to have to fight to keep Fredrick here.” Unknown to him, a leaf was stuck on the side of his muzzle thanks to the blue cheese dressing.
Twilight giggled as she scooched around the table. “Um, you have a little something...” she murmured before placing her lips on the side of his muzzle briefly before pulling away. Ledger blushed, actually blushed, before looking away for a moment. He was never going to get used to her showing affection for him, was he?...
Twilight also blushed, a little embarrassed over how bold she was. “M-Maybe some of that drink is still in my system,” she said quietly. And then she found him returning the peck by kissing the side of her muzzle.
“Doubtful, but let me return that which you’ve given anyways,” the stallion rejoined. Twilight stammered incoherently for a moment before settling on blushing and smiling. The two enjoyed a moment of conversation before it was time to leave. The princess left a very generous tip for Wendi and the moment they stepped outside, they were greeted by a rather indignant-looking Pegasus mare.
“Scope Lens?” Twilight blinked.
“Yup,” Ledger said before looking around and sighing. “Okay, so, what do you want?”
“Oh where should I start?” she sighed dramatically. “Oh, let’s go with the fact your new marefriend sent me on a trip to see the Princess, in freaking Canterlot!!”
“Eheh, whoops?” Twilight giggled bashfully.
“Wasn’t so bad, we got donuts,” Scope replied. “Oh, and I sincerely hope that you haven't done anything to hurt Twilight, Ledger?”
“I would never!” Ledger protested, conveniently leaving out the ‘she showed up drunk in my office and I almost took advantage of her’ bit he would normally say. Honesty could come later, when they weren’t in public.
“Good,” Scope sighed as she leaned in close. “Because Celestia made it pretty damned clear how pissed she’d be if you did. And yeah, she already knows!”
“Meep!” Ledger replied as he suddenly started treating the mare next to him with all the reverence usually reserved for something highly dangerous. Which to be fair, she was. He scooted a good five feet away before smiling at her fakely.
“Princess Celestia threatened you, didn’t she?” Twilight said with an unamused stare.
“Why would you think that?” He asked, never losing that fake smile. Her safety was now more important than the fun he could have teasing her...or really anything. He didn’t want to deal with an angry Celestia. Ever!
Twilight gave him a hard stare, before sighing and rolling her eyes. “Fine. I think I’ll go and make dinner reservations. Don’t you have a job to get back to Mr. Ledger.”
“Yup!” He said with that same smile. “Scope, think you could accompany her, show her where to go?” Make sure nothing happens to her? was the unsaid sentiment.
“Fine,” Scope sighed. “And I was looking forward to a relaxing day off as well.” She turned, only to see that Twilight had already taken off, now just a lavender speck at the end of the street. “Oh ponyfeathers,” she muttered as she ran after her.
“...Well, I’m just going to go back to the office and enjoy a nice panic attack,” Ledger muttered, already on his way. And this day had started so well, too…
A few hours later, Twilight was back at Cider’s farm, standing in front of a large, flat stone. Cider and a burly Earth pony stallion that worked for her had located it, and Twilight’s magic had done the rest. Now, all that was left was to create the runes...
Her horn hummed with power as a magic circle formed on the stone platform, a hissing sound could be heard and after a few minutes of this, the circle faded, revealing that it had been burned into the stone itself.
“Phew, that was harder than I thought,” Twilight sighed, wiping her brow. From the house, Ledger walked over, having arrived home not long ago and wanting nothing more than to rest. However, her work had attracted his attention.
“What...was that?” he questioned as he looked at the stone and the symbols burned into it.
“Just...creating the waypoint,” Twilight panted as Cider brought her a cold drink. “Ah, thanks!” she beamed, downing the chilled cider. “Mmm, much better.” She walked over to the dias and placed a hoof on it. “This is what I’ll use to zip between here and home. I plan on making one for Canterlot soon as well. Hmm, I wonder if I could network them together? Save making multiple access points at home...”
“...Why haven’t ponies made a public network of these?” Ledger questioned aloud. “If you could make a network of waypoints in major towns across Equestria, getting around would be a breeze, much less transporting goods!”
“Because the Waypoint Marker is tied to the user’s magical signature,” Twilight explained. “You would have to add the signature of every single pony, to every single marker. Well, Unicorn’s anyway. A Pegasus or an Earth Pony can’t even use one of these without a Unicorn... but, hmm...” Twilight’s brain started to tick again. Ledger decided to help.
“A magical battery, likely some huge charged crystal, to serve as the trigger, and waypoints that are tied to each other and publically accessible. Then all you would need is a team of unicorns, or the way I would do it, a team of changelings, on either end, to mold the energies…”
“Hmm, perhaps not a Waypoint spell...” Twilight paced around as she thought, a million ideas whizzing through her head. Forget a library, Twilight outdid that in terms of emotional food a hundred fold. Ledger was filling up quite rapidly as she turned ideas over.
“Gah, between you and Midnight, I’ll never go hungry,” the disguised drone said as he held a hoof to his stomach.
“Don’t be such a drama bug,” Twilight rolled her eyes. She almost forgot she was still annoyed with him. “And should you really be eating a Princesses’ emotions without permission?”
“You’re emitting so much excess, it’s hard not to,” Ledger rebuked. “I think I could teleport all over the city with this much energy.”
Twilight just sighed again, one that didn’t go unnoticed by Midnight.
“Is something wrong between you and Ledger?” she asked with a small tilt of her head. Twilight looked at Ledger and shrugged.
“Beats me, ask him,” She replied. “He’s the one treating me like I’m some precious, breakable object now. He doesn't tease or anything either. I’m still trying to figure out if that’s a bad thing or not.”
Ledger gulped before looking away and doing a very poor job of whistling innocently. There was nothing wrong here, nope, not at all...
It didn’t stop a pair of red eyes staring into his own with a sharp glare.
“Ledger. Talk. Now.” Midnight ordered.
“...Well, remember when Scope just vanished today?” he said, trying to delay actually mentioning the topic for as long as possible. “Turns out she was sent by Twilight to Princess Celestia.”
“So?” Midnight asked. She had yet to see how this related to Ledger giving Twi the cold shoulder.
“Scope got sent back with a message,” Ledger explained. “Basically, Princess Celestia would be...displeased if Twilight was hurt. And I make it a habit to avoid displeasing solar alicorns. Not good for the lifespan.”
“Is that so,” Midnight mused as she looked at the alicorn. “So tell me, o’wise Level Ledger. Treating her like some breakable object, instead of the mare trying to woo us isn’t hurting her how...?”
“...Y’know, for a changeling, I’m remarkably dense when it comes to the emotional health of others,” Ledger commented aloud.
“I think you owe somepony an apology,” Midnight said, doffing him upside the head lightly with a wing. He rubbed the back of his head before bowing it to Twilight.
“Your- I mean, Twilight. I’m sorry about my attitude as of late. Can you forgive me?”
Twilight tilted her head, like she was considering some great decision. She took a step forward and placed a chaste kiss on his muzzle.
“I believe I can. And don’t worry, Princess Celestia is very kind. I don’t think she’d actually do anything to you.”
Ledger raised his head before taking one of Twilight’s forehooves and kissing it. “Many thanks, m’lady.”
“Good, now where were we?” she asked, a light pink tinge to her cheeks. She was still deciding if his teasing was a good thing or not. “Ah, networked teleportation platforms. Well, it might be possible. But a different spell would need to be used. Hmm, I should pay the Archives a visit.”
“Let me know if you find anything out,” Ledger said seriously. “With a Hivelink in major cities thanks to Scope, we’d be able to organize teleportation across vast distances easily...something I’d like in on so that I don’t go out of business.”
“We’ll see,” Twilight hummed. “Oh, we should get ready for dinner...soon...” She trailed off as her face lit up a bright red.
“...You met the proprietor, didn’t you,” Ledger deadpanned. “If you told him you were seeing somepony, then I would be the only one causing you to blush. He doesn’t hit on mares in relationships.”
“W-Well, I was...and he was so...pwahhhh~” Twilight’s brain just fizzled out. “Let’s just go dinner get....”
“Why don’t you all get ready?” Ledger asked as he discreetly nudged Twilight towards the house. “I’ll wait for you out here.” Plus he wanted to study this waypoint a little more...
“Yeah,” Midnight giggled as she dragged the alicorn inside. Dinner was going to be so much fun~