Even In Other Worlds

by Rytex

A Date That Goes Right

It had been many months since Nova had felt this happy, and since he had known what to do.  Everything was finally going his way.  After a couple of weeks had passed since their trip to the carnival, Nova had expected his relationship with Rachel to wane a bit, for her to back off just to let Tracy know he was open.

He was wrong.  She hung out with him just as much, but there was a certain platonic closeness between them that wasn’t there before.  And it seemed like everyone noticed.  Even Tracy.

Especially Tracy.

It seemed like every waking moment Rachel wasn’t around, she was.  And he had to admit, under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t exactly be opposed to the idea.  But a stallion had to have some free time, you know?

Scratch that, he had plenty of free time.  Most of it was spent training with Discord.  As a result, Nova had finally gotten to the point where he was able to give Discord a solid battle without Discord going easy on him.  He still lost every time, but he reasoned no one he fought with swordplay was going to be as good as him.

Which, unfortunately, meant that someone he fought was going to be as good as him.

But he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

But speaking of bridges, he was definitely starting to focus on building bridges with Regina, so as to awaken the fifth element.  Hopefully, though, said awakening wouldn’t be needed to stop a giant flaming comet of pure evil from destroying Equestria.

Yet imagine his surprise when she was the one seeking him out.

It was the day before Equestrian Winter Solstice (if the calendar was still on time with Equestria), and that seemed to line up with Earth’s Winter Solstice as well.  Nova had anticipated waiting a few more days before making his move on Regina.  And so there he and Rachel sat, watching an English Premier League game on television at his apartment.

It was around halftime when there came three short knocks on his door.  Nova hadn’t even been aware of an energy nexus there, so focused on just letting go and enjoying a rare day off from working to save Equestria, so he could mentally steel himself and sprint to the finish.  But when the knocks alerted him to the visitor’s presence, Nova was completely shocked to notice that it was Rarity’s energy standing behind that door.

And when he opened it up, there stood the beautiful nuisance seamstress herself, her form clad in a simple white dress with violet accents, the better to match her hair.

“Regina?” he asked.

“Good morning to you too, Nathan,” she replied, with a wry grin.  “Nice to see you know the proper way to greet a lady.”

“Sorry, I didn’t order a large pizza with a side of snark this morning,” he countered.

“Yet tonight, I do hope you’ll consider quite a bit more than just a pizza for your date with Tracy, would you, darling?”

Nova blinked.

“Do what?” he asked.  Regina rolled her sapphire eyes.

“I know you’re in there, Rachel.  I thought we agreed you were going to be the one to tell him.”

“I did,” said Rachel indignantly.  “Just… I kinda, uh, forgot to tell him it was tonight.”

“Wait a minute, you planned all of this?” asked Nova, only more confused.

“Of course we did, darling,” said Regina, gently pushing past Nova to enter his apartment.  “Though there have been complications as of late,” she admitted.  “Rachel and Ashleigh both approached me, asking if I would help you and Tracy find matching outfits for the date that we all knew you would eventually take her on.  It was my idea to make it today.”

“Why?  What’s so special about today?” asked Nova.

“Honestly, for such a smart young man, particularly in Doctor Hoffman’s astronomy class, you seem to easily forget dates,” Regina replied, rolling her eyes.  “It’s the Winter Solstice, Nathan.  You know, the onset of winter, and the longest night of the year?  The 22nd of December?”

Nova just stood there, completely confused for a moment, before something finally clunked into place.

“Oh.  OH!” he said, his cheeks going very red as the implications dawned on him.  “That’s not-- I’m not a first-date kind of person, you know?” he protested.

“Never said you were, darling,” Rarity winked at him.  “Though I figured you’d appreciate the extra snuggling time this evening.”

“Regina, show him the mark,” suggested Rachel.

Mark?

“Oh, yes,” Regina started, nodding and turning her back to Nova.  “I saw this on my back a couple of days ago.  From what I understand, you have a similar one, as do Penelope, Ashleigh, Rachel, and Felicity, correct?”

She pulled the straps of her dress off her shoulders and let it slide down just enough so that Nova could see between her shoulder blades.  There, sitting in the same spot as his, and the others’, was a purple diamond.

Nova could just stare at it, completely dumbfounded.  How had that happened!?  Sure, he was very glad that the Element of Generosity had awoken, but he had to know how it had originally happened!?

“I take it from your stare that you’re either amazed at the mostly-unblemished surface of my back, or this mark is a good thing you have been trying to make appear on my back for some time,” Regina noted, glancing back at him, before pulling her straps back onto her shoulders.

‘Well, uh, yes, actually,” Nova said, nodding.  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you why.  But now that the five of you have them, there’s one more that needs to appear.”

“Hmm,” Regina smiled knowingly at him, “I wonder if, perhaps, you might work your magic tonight to make that happen?”

Nova rolled his eyes.  “Okay, Regina, you’re here to make sure Tracy and I match for a date tonight.  How are you going to do that, exactly?”

“Why, by shopping, of course!”

“Riiiiiiiight,” groaned Nova as he found himself at the mercy of Regina and Rachel while they had him taken to a tuxedo shop someplace further downtown.  “‘Let’s go shopping, Nathan!’ they said.  ‘It’ll be fun,’ they said.  ‘You’ll get stuck full of pins and needles,’ they never said.”

“Quit complaining,” admonished Regina, poking him lightly.  “I promise you, it will all be worth it tonight, just to see the look on her face.”

“Is she even going through the same treatment?” asked Nova, as the tailor, a portly older man with a pair of pince-nez perched on his nose, continued to measure everything up and pin things into place.  Much as Nova hated to admit it, he looked damn good in a suit.

“I believe so, yes,” Regina said.  “Felicity also knows quite a bit about dresses, Ashleigh knows a thing or two about keeping it practical over extravagant, and Penelope, social butterfly that she is, has been working tirelessly to make sure the two of you have nothing but the best possible evening.”

She paused, before scrunching up her face.

“Do you intend to wear the gaudy earring at your date tonight, regardless of if I tell you to take it off?”

Nova let out a quick bark of laughter.  “Regina, if you knew what it was, you’d already know what the answer to that question is.”

“Well, go on, then,” she tossed her hand in front of her.  “What is it?”

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering that, too,” Rachel piped in from her spot at the tie selection, where she seemed to have narrowed her search down to a slightly light blue

“Twenty bits says you don’t believe me,” Nova preempted.  “Both of you.  And I look forward to cashing that in.”

“Uhh, ‘bits?’” Rachel asked, giving him a strange look.

“Yep, ‘bits,’” affirmed Nova.  “You don’t understand now, but you will later, and I so look forward to making a tidy profit.”

“Well, you won’t win a profit if we don’t know what we’re going to believe, will you darling?  So spit it out already.”

“Alright, fine, keep your shirt on,” Nova said, before wincing as another needle stuck him in the leg.  “It’s my engagement ring.”

“Your… engagement ring,” repeated Regina skeptically.  “Forgive me, Nathan, but I’m pretty sure engagement rings are supposed to go on your finger.”

“I don’t like to conform,” he shrugged.  “I’m telling you, it’s my engagement ring.  And I’m pretty sure you both know who it’s to.”

“It would certainly explain your attraction to Tracy that seemed to come out of nowhere, that’s for sure,” pondered Regina, “but how does it glow like that?  I can see no bulb and it appears to be completely clear.  It almost looks… magical.”

“Oh, if only you knew,” muttered Nova to himself.

“Well, whatever the glow is, I still find it hard to believe it’s an engagement ring.  Normally, that implies that there are two,” Regina continued.  “Where is her’s?”

“The honest answer is ‘Lying at the bottom of a drawer in her nightstand, due to something that’s completely made her forget we were together.”

Regina just stared at him.

“You know, I think it’s quite telling that there are times when I just can’t tell when you’re being serious or simply making fun of me.  And this is one of those times, Nathan.”

“Completely serious, actually,” Nova smiled humorlessly.  “Told you you wouldn’t believe it.  Though if it makes you feel any better, I’ll start making it more obvious when I’m making fun of you.”

Regina rolled her eyes, but Rachel snickered from the tie stand.

“Ah’m tellin’ ya, Nathan’s gonna hate the poofy sleeves if we put them on,” Ashleigh argued.

“But the poofy sleeves are fuuuuuuun!  It’s like… ‘Poof!’” Penelope whined, before suddenly brightening and continuing to play with the giant poofy sleeves on Tracy’s shoulders/upper arms.  Tracy, meanwhile, looked decidedly unnerved by all of this.

“Umm, girls?”

“Trust me, Penny, Ah know Nathan, he prob’ly won’t like ‘em.  Ah personally would suggest the bare shoulder.”

“But where’s the fun in that?” asked Penny.  “If we leave the sleeves on, Nathan will have something else to squeeze that’s completely sex-free!”

Tracy’s face went beet red, as did both Felicity’s and Ashleigh’s.  Penny, however, seemed completely unaware of the innuendo she had made, continuing to mess with the giant poofs on Tracy’s shoulders.

“By the way, Penny, how’s the reservation going?”

“Oh, I’m just waiting on Mr. Carino to answer the phone,” Penny shrugged.  “They keep saying he doesn’t actually work there, but why wouldn’t Johnny Carino work at Johnny Carino’s?  It’s, like, the most insane thing I’ve ever heard of!  And I’ve heard of Mountain Dew Code Red.”

Ashleigh’s face met her hand with a loud smacking sound.

“Um, girls?”

“Penny, gimme the phone, Ah’ll do it.”

“Nuh-uh!  Regina told ME to do it!” Penny whipped her phone out of her dress and held it away from Ashleigh’s expectant hand.

“Penny, just give me the damn phone, Ah’ll do the reservin’, it’ll be done nice and quick-like, and you can go back to playing with those… poofy things.”

“GIRLS!” shrieked Felicity, startling all three of the other women in her room.

“OW!” yelped Tracy, as Felicity stuck her with a pin on accident.

“Oh, sorry, Tracy,” she apologized, before rounding on Penny and Ashleigh.  “Girls, we’re not here to have fun or make a dress for us.  We’re here to get this one fixed up for Tracy.  Penelope, call the restaurant and ask for the manager, not Johnny Carino.  Ashleigh, come help me out here.  Just do what I tell you, and Tracy’s dress should look perfect.”

Her cheeks went a little pink, and her head reflexively bowed, hiding her face behind her long pink bangs.

“Umm, if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure thing, Felicity,” said Ashleigh, scooting around to help her out.  Penelope, meanwhile, was hammering away on the keys on her phone.

“Yes, hi, I need to speak to the manager, please?”

There was a pause.

“No, no, I’m not the person who was asking for Johnny Carino, She’s a big stupid doo-doo head.  That’s not me, I Penny Promise it.”

Another pause.

“Oh.  Well, I, uhh, need to make a reservation for two, tonight at 6:30.”

A pause again.

“Name, ‘Nova Sunset.’”

“Nathan Samuel,” corrected Tracy, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, sorry, I meant ‘Nathan Samuel.’”

A final pause.

“Alright, thank you, good bye.”

And Penelope hung up and stuck the phone in her pocket..

There was yet another pause.  But then...

“OH!” exclaimed Penny, eyes widening.  “You thought with the sleeves that I meant he would have something other than Tracy’s boobs to squeeze!”

The other three almost died of embarrassment.

“How do you think she is even taking this?” asked Nova.  “I mean, does she even know what’s happening?”

“She knows, darling,” Rarity assured him.  “I daresay, she’s been quite excited about it for the last week.  We told her shortly after we came up with the idea.”

“We?” Nova asked, looking over at Rachel, who knocked her fist to her chest a couple of times.

“Yep, ‘we,’” she said.  “Told her I was giving up on you before I told you.  And then Ashleigh got the idea to get all of us in on this little plan, and we went full steam ahead.”

“How did they get you involved, Regina?” asked Nova.  “I don’t seem to remember you liking any of them.”

“That’s because I didn’t,” Regina said tersely.  “I thought Ashleigh was just some ruffian who didn’t know the difference between casual and formal attire, I always thought Rachel here was just some punk, no offense.”

“None taken,” Rachel shrugged.  “Let’s face it, when I was getting involved with the Hellsings, I kinda was.”

“Penelope was just someone who didn’t know when a time to be proper was, and Felicity was just so quiet and shy it’s a wonder she ever got anything done.”

“And… Tracy?”

“Tracy, well,” Regina shrugged.  “Not much to say.  No one wanted any contact with her when she was on Natalie’s bad side.”

“Not even me,” Nova said.

“Yes, not even you,” concurred Regina.  “Most of us liked you as a person, and some of us even admired your gallant behavior, standing up for poor Deborah even to your own significant other, but we were left to wonder why that didn’t extend to her.”

“I wasn’t me back then,” he replied simply.

“Hm, a sort of cop-out, but let’s face it, you back then and you now are two different people,” Regina said.  “Though in a manner of speaking, perhaps you never were two different people.  I think of it more along the lines of you wearing a mask for Natalie, but every so often that mask would vanish and your true nature would show up.”

“True nature?” Nova asked.

“Gallant, chivalrous, and I even hear you’ve picked up swordplay.”

She smiled roguishly.

“Now if only we had some shining armor for you, you really could be Tracy’s gallant knight.”

“Well, when you consider I jumped in front of the Hellsings to save both her and Rachel…”

“Hm, yes, I had forgotten.  I think the legs need to be a bit higher, Jenkins.”

“As you say, Miss Mills,” the portly man said in a strange, squeaky voice, before shortening the length of Nova’s pants.  “You picked an excellent color.  There’s something about an all-black ensemble that makes this particular gentleman look quite striking.”

“In a manner of speaking, that’s the idea,” Regina smiled.  “Oh, if only I were going to be there to see the look on her face… and yours too, Nathan.”

“If you’re here, who’s getting Tracy’s dress?” asked Rachel.  “Because if it’s Ashleigh and Penelope--”

“They are helping, yes,” answered Regina, who was now inspecting you as the tailor continued to measure and adjust certain parts of the suit he was wearing.  “I gave Felicity specific instructions on how Tracy’s dress should look, with a little help from Quincy Sire, who seemed to have an idea at Nathan’s taste in attire.”

“He WHAT!?” Nathan shouted, mortified.  If Discord was going to share what he thought Nathan’s taste in dresses was--

“Relax, Nathan,” Rachel said, stifling a laugh.  “It’s nothing embarrassing.  Tracy’s dress will be pretty modest, I bet.  Though knowing Ashleigh and Penny, they’ll probably have their own opinions on what certain parts of the dress should look like.”

Despite the fact that Regina loved her makeup, her pale complexion made it easy to tell when her cheeks went a little pink even underneath it all, a fact Nova was not lost on.

“Yes, well, I do believe Felicity should be able to keep them in line...”

“TAKE THOSE OUT OF TRACY’S DRESS!” shouted Ashleigh, sticking her hands down Tracy’s front to try and remove the large cotton pads Penelope had unceremoniously stuffed into the bust of Tracy’s dress.

“...but then again… how much time do we have?” she asked, glancing around toward a clock.

“Why even ask if you’re going to look yourself?” asked Nova.

“Well, I often ask why you speak if you’re going to look the fool, but some questions just don’t have answers, do they,” she said, giving him a very sly smile.

Nova opened his mouth to retort, but paused.  “Touché.”

“Hope you have some cold water for that burn,” Rachel said, smirking.

Regina simply shrugged modestly.  “I try, darling.  But back to the seriousness of the occasion, we are close to wrapping up.  I’ve arranged for transportation to and from Johnny Carino’s.  Transportation to, separate.  Transportation from, together.  Now,” she suddenly grew stern, like a teacher, “she is going to meet you at the restaurant.  You are going to dine very well, and you will allow her to order what she wants.  Don’t worry about costs, I’m taking care of it,” she said, holding up her hand with a credit card held between her fingers and offering it to Nova.  “When the date is finished, the transportation will take you back to Tracy’s home, where you will walk her to the door like a gentleman, and as I’m well aware, you are within walking distance to your apartment from there.”

The sly smile returned.

“Though knowing Tracy, something tells me you need not worry about walking home for the night.”

A thought occurred to Nova, one he felt needed addressing, so he voiced it.

“What about Sam?” he asked, hoping he had remembered Spike’s human name right.

“Sam’s been taken care of,” Regina answered.  “He’ll be over at my house until 8 this evening, on which he’ll be taken back to his and Tracy’s home, since he can take care of himself for the most part.”

“If he can take care of himself, why’s he staying with you?” Nova asked.

“Because knowing Sam, he’ll end up barging in on your date or something,” Rachel said, shrugging.  “Besides, we all know about his huge crush on Regina.  We figured humoring him a bit would keep him out of your manes.”

Nova blinked, and he was sure Regina did too.

“Uhh, ‘manes?’” he asked, giving Rachel a strange look.  Regina was giving her the same odd look.  The portly man tailoring Nova’s suit just kept dilly-dallying away.

“‘Manes’ what?” Rachel asked, confused.

“Don’t you mean, ‘Out of our hair,?’” Nova asked.

“That’s what I said,” replied Rachel.

“No, no it isn’t.  Are you feeling okay today, Rachel?” asked Regina.

“I feel fine, why do you ask?” she responded, looking not only confused, but also a bit worried.  “What’s up with you guys?”

Nova cut off Regina with a look.  He had to admit, he wasn’t quite sure how to react to this.  If Rachel was subconsciously using pony terms, that could only mean the curse on her was close to breaking.  And knowing the nature of the Bearers of Harmony being bonded as they were, that meant the curse would break on all of them.

With five Bearers awoken, the sixth awakening was imminent.  And when it did, Nova knew it would be time to go home.

So why not work on it tonight? he thought to himself.  Why not get started early, and then rest when everyone has returned to Equus?

Because, the other half of his brain felt compelled to interject, all work and no play makes Nova a dull pony.

Good point, the other half agreed.  A date tonight, but tomorrow, the long grind and home stretch begins.

“You know,” said Discord, hefting his cane onto his shoulder as he entered City Hall, “as much as I enjoy these little chats of ours, I can’t help but wonder if they serve an ulterior purpose.”

“You’ll want to hear what I have to offer, I promise,” assured Sombra, leading Discord into the meeting room in which Moony had admonished them only a couple of months ago, right before the little adventure had started with Nova’s awakening.

Discord harrumphed and crossed his arms, but otherwise showed no irritation.  Sombra found his way to the oaken door and opened it, revealing the Queen already in the room.

“For a matter considered urgent, you seem to have a very slow clock,” she said as the two of them entered the room.

“I had to find him,” Sombra swatted Discord’s shoulder.  “This is something I believe we all need to hear.”

As Discord entered, Sombra shut the door behind him and locked it, before turning around with a grave expression.

“The chosen day must be tomorrow.”

Discord’s eyes widened, and Chrysalis’ mouth parted.

“Tomorrow!?  How could he possibly have enough time to--” she exclaimed, but Discord cut her off.

“He has a chance, Cheeselegs, considering Rarity’s Spirit of Harmony has been awakened within her human self,” Discord answered.  “Now all that remains is the most elusive and most mysterious spirit of all:  the element of surprise.”

“Why tomorrow?” asked Chrysalis, ignoring Discord’s little joke.

“The curse grows ever weaker by the second,” Sombra stated.  “That, and my spying from the shadows has uncovered a very… disturbing revelation.”

“Which is?” asked Discord.

“Killik intends to institute martial law in two days,” Sombra answered.  “He has already set up the plans and convinced key members of the hive of his intentions and the effects of said actions.  The ideal time to act must be tomorrow, while the changelings are still entering town and are disorganized.”

“Can’t the Queen--”

“No,” Chrysalis admitted.  “I can do nothing to help Nova.  When the news broke that Nova Shine was the one responsible for Molossus’ death, Killik has begun to use Molossus’ ‘martyrdom’ as a motivator for the changelings to galvanize them against him and those who stand for him, and as a catalyst to stop the Spirits from uniting and sending us all back.  Were I to help Nova Shine at the moment, I would be unseated, and Killik would undoubtedly be given the crown.”

“If I may use the human expression,” Discord said, “fuck changeling politics.”

Sombra merely nodded.

“With the confusion tomorrow will bring, tomorrow provides the best opportunity to reawaken the final element and take us all home.”

“There’s got to be more to it,” Discord observed.

“How do you mean?” asked Sombra.

“Well, all these little adventures always have a final battle, or something, don’t they,” he shrugged.  “Somehow, something tells me Nova’s gonna have a horde of changelings to fight, one day or the other.”

“True,” Sombra inclined his head.  “As well, you know how I’m the one who’s in charge of maintaining the curse, correct?”

“Yes,” replied Discord.  His eyes narrowed.  “What did you do?”

“I have done nothing,” Sombra said, smiling.  “I may have… forgotten to inform Envy of how I implemented the curse in such a way to prevent myself from being able to maintain it properly.  Hence the reason why so many ponies are showing signs of breaking out lately.  But…”

He reached into his suit and pulled out something that again made Discord’s eyes widen and Chrysalis’ mouth part.  In his hand was a crystal, glowing red with energy stored within its surface.

“Is that…” Chrysalis breathed.

“Yes, the source of the curse,” Sombra nodded.

“Then why isn’t it shattered?” demanded the Queen.

“Because Envy brought me back to maintain it.  I cannot disobey her orders while I am her thrall.  Though I am left enough freedom to, ah, ‘inadvertently sabotage’ her plans here and there.  And besides…”

He tossed it to Discord.

“You try it.”

Discord stared at Sombra suspiciously, before clenching the crystal so hard, tendons bulged in his hands, which were shaking from the effort.

“You won’t be breaking it any time soon, unfortunately,” Sombra said.  “Envy’s placed a special shield around it, preventing it from being broken unless the shield’s source is destroyed as well.”

“So you’re saying Nova has to find and destroy whatever this shield source thingy is, tomorrow?  While he’s going to be trying to get the final element reawakened as well?” Discord asked in disbelief.  “That’s… I… Look, as much as I trust the boy and feel he can handle a lot of nearly impossible things--”

“Do you even know where the shield is?” queried the Queen, cocking a skeptical eyebrow.

“Unfortunately, the only one with that knowledge would be our shadowy ‘benefactor,’” Sombra answered, “which means that unless Nova knows who she is, he’s probably going to spend the majority of the day searching.”

Discord sighed and leaned back onto a hammock made of thin air.

“Well, I hope he gets plenty of rest tonight.  Tomorrow’s going to be a very busy day.”

Nova stood in the entry of this Johnny Carino’s place in the heart of the suburbs of the city.  It was a chain restaurant, but it was an expensive chain restaurant.  Nova’s cursed self had been blessed with a pretty hefty amount of human currency, but he had enough financial sense to realize that he didn’t have a job, he didn’t know how much longer they were going to be trapped on this human world, and he didn’t want to go blow it all before they left and leave himself broke.

Thank Faust for Rarity and her credit card.

The place had the feel of a Bitalian restaurant.  Which, considering Italian and Bitalian were pretty analoguous, Nova had to think it was to be expected.  A cubical sort of Bitalian villa, a few shrubberies here and there (Knights who say “Ni” unaccounted for), and a sort of earthy, warm feeling emanating from it.  A few wine racks formed the dividers between table sections, a bartender making his drinks stood behind a granite counter, and the many servers seemed fairly relaxed as they did their job in the sparsely-populated restaurant.

Which was good, as it would give them a nice bit of privacy.

Nova approached the host stand, where a young man wearing a black button-up shirt stood looking down at something behind a small little barrier.  He had short blonde hair, a nametag that said “Caleb,” and was marking off squares on a laminated sheet that Nova assumed was a table chart.

“Excuse me?  I have a reservation for Nathan Samuel,” he said.

The blonde host looked up, revealing blue eyes Nova could swear he’d seen somewhere before.  Perhaps in a bar or someplace.

“Reservation for Nathan Samuel?” he repeated, looking down at a list of names.  “Oh, yeah, got you here.  Hang on…” he scrunched up his face and held the list closer.  “There’s a lot of scribbling.  Are you sure it isn’t Nova Sunset?”

Damn it, Penny!

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s Nathan Samuel, though knowing who called it in, it’s probably both.”

“Alright then,” the guy said, scratching the name off the list.  “Your table’s this way.  Follow me.”

“Oh, and if a girl with a magenta highlight in her hair comes in, she’s with me,” Nova added.

“Got it.  Figured it was a romantic date.  I’ll get you my brother for server.  You didn’t hear this from me,” he said, glancing around and placing the back of his hand next to his mouth to hide it from prying eyes, “but he’s the best damn server we’ve got.  Make sure to tip him well.”

“Will do, will do,” promised Nova.

“Alright.  He should be here in a few moments.  Enjoy your date, sir!” Caleb said, and walked off.

Nova picked up the menu and immediately cringed.  Meat.  Meat everywhere.

He didn’t know how humans could do it, eat what were once living creatures.  The griffins did it, but he had never been to a restaurant that catered to griffin taste.  This was an entirely new experience for him.

If Tracy orders something with meat… he started to think, but he quickly purged that thought before it took him somewhere undesirable.  The last thing he wanted to think about was pony!Twilight eating Philomena or something.

And speaking of the phoenix, Nova had interacted with her very little since she had first left him a message and teased his mother.  Nova had to admit, he hadn’t planned on having her along, and so he was fresh out of ideas for how to use her to help.  What the bloody hell was he going to use her for?

To Nova’s horror, a voice sounding uncannily like Pinkie Pie’s felt the need to emerge in his mind.

Maybe she’s in this human world for no real reason!  Maybe Celestia felt like giving you a pet because you’re just a Mary Sue that gets all the cool things because the author likes you that much!

Note to self:  sterilize that portion of the brain.

Agreed.

Nova sighed and glanced at a clock on the wall.  The slight annoyance of not knowing exactly when Tracy was going to show up was testing his patience.  But then, he figured it’d all be worth it eventually.  He just wondered why things were taking so long.

“Now remember girls, we’re just here to see that first look on his face,” Regina reminded them, camera at the ready as they hid in one of the bushes outside.

Thanks to Regina’s skilled negotiation while Nova was on his way to the restaurant, they had managed to snag a seat in a secluded part of the restaurant that still had a window outside.

“But I wanna see how the date goes!” complained Penny.

“Ah’d be lyin’ if Ah didn’t share her sentiments,” Ashleigh admitted.  “Ah mean, what if things don’t go accordin’ to plan?”

“They won’t,” Regina assured her.  “Let them have a private moment together.

“Alright then,” Ashleigh said, inclining her head.  “Tracy’s on her way in.”

Nova felt it.  The familiar energy nexus that belonged to her was walking towards him.  And unfortunately, he couldn’t see a bloody thing, since Regina had gotten him a table behind a wall.

And with a window outside where he felt the energy nexuses of the Bearers hiding.

He hid a smile.  They probably wanted to see the look on his face when he saw her or something.

Tracy’s nexus grew closer, ever closer, and Nova suddenly felt a tinge of nervousness creep in.

No!  Stop thinking like that!  She’s your wife-to-be in Equestria!  Everything is going to go perfectly tonight.

Against what he thought was his better judgement, he listened to his mind and took a deep breath just as she came around the corner.  The moment she did, his breath completely left him and his mouth fell open.

Tracy Strong-- no.  Twilight Sparkle looked absolutely radiant.  There were precious few ponies Nova could ever apply that label to.  And she truly was absolutely, literally breathtakingly, radiant.

The first thing Nova’s mind went to was the Grand Galloping Gala dress Twilight had worn shortly after their first meeting.  She had shown him the dress, which had been neatly kept on a mannequin in the library, and was still kept in her new castle.

The actual billow of the dress was a soft blue, identical to his tie color, with pale stars at the hem.  Underneath the hem he could see shoes of the same pale blue, but adorned with the six-pointed star he was so familiar with.  Her torso was clad in the same pale blue, with several stars emblazoned closer to her back, a single white one directly at the front of her breast, with a darker blue collar flaring up from it.  Her bangs were done up in that perfect, natural style he was so fond of, though her long hair had been done into a bun, and adorning her hair was a simple, powder-blue star.

But what did the most to him was the sight of the glowing blue earring on her left ear.  Even though she knew not what it was, she still wore her engagement ring just for him.

Nova had absolutely no idea what to say or do.  So stunned was he that he almost even forgot how to breathe at the mere sight of her.

His own feelings were mirrored on her face, as her purple eyes were wide and her own mouth open as she drank in the sight of him.  Everything from the sharp edges of his suit, the organized untidiness of his hair, the pure blue eyes that just emanated surprise, and even the glowing magenta earring he was wearing.

“I…” he tried to say, but his words failed him.

Tracy’s cheeks went a little pink, but there was a certain confidence in them now, and she smiled coyly.

“My, you look dashing,” she commented, looking him up and down.

“And you look beautiful,” he replied honestly.

Her smile widened.  Nova took the opportunity to walk around and pull out her chair for her, in which she sat with all the grace and poise Nova would have expected from a princess.

From his princess.

“Oh, I could just look at the expressions on their faces for days!” Regina cried, showing the girls the expressions she had captured.

“Dayum,” commented Rachel, as Ashleigh wolf-whistled at the sight of it.

“Well, now that that’s over with, we should leave, right girls?” asked Felicity.

“Yeah!  Now we gotta go take care of Sam, right?” asked Penny.  “ALL NIGHT VIDEO GAME PARTY!”

“No, it will not last all night,” Regina said, rolling her eyes, “but yes, let’s go make sure Sam has a little fun this evening before it’s time to take him back to Tracy’s.”

With that in mind, they stealthily made their way out of the bushes and started for Regina’s home, completely unaware of the blue-eyed and red-haired girl walking past them.

“You know, when the girls told me they were sending me on a date with you,” Tracy said, failing to contain a giggle, “I thought I was being pranked.”

“I was a bit surprised myself,” Nova responded.  “I mean, you were aware of mine and Rachel’s platonic date, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, she didn’t tell me then.  I literally only found out about this this morning.”  He grinned.  “But if I’d known this was going to be how I spent my evening, I don’t think I would have been able to wait.  I don’t know how you did it.”

“It wasn’t easy,” she said, glancing down at the floor.  “I… After the incident a few weeks ago, I wanted to just come up and talk to you.  I mean,” she waved her hand a bit vaguely, “I did come and talk to you, but I always wanted to just… say so much more, you know?”

“I know the feeling,” said Nova, who was all too familiar with wanting to tell Tracy so much more but being unable to because she’d think he was insane.

“You just seemed so… well, broken,” she said.  “Like you were barely holding yourself together, and I wanted nothing more than to just come and hold you together myself if I had to--”

She broke off, apparently thinking she had said too much, and her cheeks went scarlet.  Nova could stifle a chuckle at that.

“I appreciate the sentiment, Tracy, I really do,” he assured her.  “I just... “ he rubbed at the back of his neck, “I didn’t know what to do.  I had taken a life, I found out I had a sister who had passed away and that that incident led to a ridiculously high number of preventable family issues…” he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair as he sighed.

He saw Tracy move out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly, she had grabbed his hand from somewhere in his hair and had pulled it back toward her.  Surprised, he locked his blue eyes with her purple ones to see that she was giving him a determined look.

“It’s all better now, isn’t it?” she asked.  “It’s not healed, but it’s better, right?”

Nova smiled.  “Yes, it’s all better.”

Her lips curved into a warm smile, and for a moment, all they could do was stare into each other’s eyes.

Someone coughed to his right, and Nova inwardly groaned.

Right when we were getting to the good part, he mentally complained.

The waiter had arrived, and he seemed to just be standing there awkwardly, patiently waiting for them to finish.  Like the host up front, Nova could have sworn he’d seen him somewhere.  He had short brown hair, blue eyes, and a slight, almost unnoticeable curve to his nose, and he stood in his black server uniform, pen and paper ready to go.

“My apologies,” he said.  “Didn’t mean to interrupt.  Welcome to Carino’s, my name is Trey and I’ll be your server tonight.  Can I start you off with something to drink?”

Tracy and Nova shared the briefest of looks before Nova cleared his throat.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll just have a coke.  No ice, please.”

“Man after my own heart,” commented the server, taking down the order.  “And for you, ma’am?”

“Just a water, with lemon.”

“Water with lemon, and a coke, no ice,” Trey recited from his pad.  “Alright then, I’ll have them right out.  Any appetizers?”

Nova shook his head, Trey nodded, and with that, he was off.  As the server rounded the corner, Nova let out a sigh.

“Seems to happen to me a lot,” he observed.

“Getting a kiss interrupted?” asked Tracy.

“Yeah,” he nodded.  “I mean, the first time it was my fault, the second it was interrupted by a friend, and now this one…”

“I don’t remember those,” Tracy said, giving him a strange look.  “Was this with Natalie?”

“Oh hell no,” Nova shuddered.  “I have absolutely no memories of ever locking lips with her, and damn I’m glad I haven’t.”

“Then… who with?” she asked curiously.

Nova smirked.  “Really that interested in my love life, aren’t you?  You’re not… jealous, are you?”

“I am not!” she protested indignantly.

“You totally are,” Nova interlaced his fingers behind his head.  “It’s actually reassuring.  Nice to know you’re that dedicated to me.  And you get quite cute when you’re slightly angry.”

She crossed her arms and huffed, but otherwise said nothing.

Shortly after, Trey got back with their drinks and took their food orders (Nova was immensely relieved to hear her order just some simple pasta; noodles, sauce, and vegetables only) and was off fairly quickly, leaving them alone again.

“But seriously, who was it with?” she asked, giving him a flat look.

“Oh fine, you want to know?” he asked, a teasing grin spreading across his face.  “It was a magical unicorn named Twilight Sparkle.”

Tracy groaned and buried her face in her hands, leaving Nova to chuckle a bit at her expense.

“You really are just a bit too much fun to mess with, you know that?” he reached across the table to pry her hands away from her face.  He was only partially successful, managing to get one hand away, revealing a very irritated purple eye staring at him.

“Really, though, what does it matter?” he asked, pulling his hands back across the table and setting them in his lap.  “It’s us on a date, not me, you, and my past.”

“It matters to me,” she huffed.  “Nathan, I remember.”

“Remember what?” he asked, confused.

“You’re engaged,” she stated.

Nova froze, feeling his insides go cold.  No… I personally locked her memories of that night back up.  Is the curse so weak that now even my magic can’t hold the memories back?

“What are you talking about?” he asked hesitantly.  She responded wordlessly, choosing to point to the blue earring attached to her left ear.  Nova let out a shaky breath.  “How much do you remember?” he asked quietly.

“Give me your hands,” she replied, holding hers out.  Nova complied, reaching his hands over toward hers, where she took his wrists.

Nova gasped as a feeling of energy flowed through his hands.  Hers were outlined in magenta light, and his were outlined in blue.

Nova gaped at her.  “I… how…”

“I remembered the day after your incident,” she confessed, looking away.  “After that, I just… I don’t know, practiced I guess.  It’s all I can do.”

Nova still didn’t know what to say.  He just kept staring at her hands, even after she let go and the energy stopped flowing, but after a moment, he smiled.

“Believe it or not, this might actually be a bit helpful.  Remember how I said I was looking to reawaken the Spirits of Harmony?”  She nodded.  “Well, considering you remember, and considering Regina’s spirit has been awakened, I dunno, maybe,” he shrugged, ”this will help speed it along or something.”

She tilted her head for a moment.  “Well, if I can do anything to help, you know I would in a heartbeat.”

Nova’s smile told Tracy all she needed to know about it.  Trey returned with their food and left quickly, seemingly determined to not interrupt another moment between the two of them, but they didn’t really care.  It really felt like Twilight was back.  The banter, the company, everything felt almost exactly like her.

And he couldn’t stop smiling because of it.

As their food began to slowly dwindle, Nova saw something out of the corner of his eye that made him go cold.

Natalie was sitting at a table by the doorway, watching the two of them with a sour expression on her face.

“Tracy, I’m going to the bathroom real fast.  I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Sure thing,” she said, oblivious to what had his attention.  Nova nodded and walked off.  Tracy simply continued sitting there, eating her pasta and thinking of him the whole time.

Nova, however, walked towards the bathroom hallway, giving Natalie an incredibly filthy look as he did so.  It worked like a charm, because she was up and on her way over to him in a mere moment, her red hair blocking one of the lights and giving it the appearance of it being on fire.

How fitting, he thought.

“Well well,” she sneered, crossing her arms as she got close.  “Funny seeing you here, Nathan.  Not so funny seeing you with her.”

“What are you doing here, Nat?” he asked in a low voice.

“Can’t a girl go out to eat?” she asked in exasperation.  “Believe me, I wish they didn’t seat me right by that doorway, giving me a prime time front-row seat to watching the two of you suck each other’s faces off.”

“Really?” asked Nova skeptically.  “Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say you have been following me for a while now.”

“What gives you that idea?” Natalie growled, leaning against the wall.

“What were you doing at the carnival?”

“I was going to the carnival,” she said in a voice positively sagging with irony.  “You and Rachel just happened to be there.”

“Right,” said Nova, sarcastically pretending like he was convinced.  “And Penelope’s party?  You never went to those.”

“I thought it would clear my head after the breakup,” she stated flatly.  “If I had known that she had invited asses and sluts there, I wouldn’t have--”

SMACK!

Natalie staggered sideways, gasping in pain as she did so.  Nova’s open palm was shaking as he lowered it back down to his side.  She glanced at him with surprise before her expression became a snarl.

“Fine,” she whispered, stomping off.  “I can see you’re completely devoted to her now.  It’s like you’re her personal dog now.”

“I’d rather be a dog than a bitch.”

She let out a growl, but said nothing else, stalking over to and throwing down some paper bills on her table, before marching out of the restaurant, leaving Nova to stare after her, fuming.

He stood there for several seconds, angrily watching the door after she left, before it hit him that he needed to return to the table.  He stopped to take a few deep breaths, trying to let out all of the tension and rage in his system with them, and was met with slight success.  But it would have to do.

He returned to the table, where Tracy was almost finished with her plate.  She noticed the redness on Nova’s hand and glanced up suspiciously.

“How was your bathroom trip?” she asked.

“Eventful,” Nova said.  “Ran into a bitch or two on the way.”

A look of surprise crossed her face for a moment, but Nova spoke before she could.

“But let’s not focus on that.  We’re on a date, for goodness sake!  We can worry about it tomorrow.”

She hesitated, but smiled and nodded regardless.  It took a moment to get over his frostiness toward the incident with Natalie, but Tracy was able to coax him into letting go of Natalie’s appearance.

It wasn’t too much longer before they were both sated, at which point Nova paid on Regina’s credit card (making sure to leave a very generous tip on it).  At this, they got up and started making their way out of the restaurant, Tracy holding tightly to Nova’s arm.  And when they arrived outside, they found a limousine, with a chauffeur holding a sign with their names on it waiting for them.

I’m dreaming, aren’t I? he asked himself rhetorically.

You’re the Dreamwalker.  You tell me.

After expressing her glee at the sight of said vehicle, Tracy almost yanked Nova inside, sat him down on the chair, and plopped right down next to him, her hand taking his and her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

Definitely dreaming, then.

Just shut up and enjoy the moment.

The ride to Tracy’s home was far too short, but despite that fact, it was spent in silence, merely basking in each other’s company as they vehicle drove through town.  Nova glanced down at Tracy to see that her eyes were shut, and a peaceful smile seemed glued to her face.  His insides seemed to melt at the sight of it, and he lay his head to rest on hers as he stared out at the city at night, taking in the sight of the towers of downtown and all of their lights.

They arrived at Tracy’s home only a few minutes after that, whereupon Nova got out of the limo first to help Tracy out.  As soon as she was free, the limo driver drove off, leaving them standing outside of the flat in the cold.

“Did you enjoy the date?” he asked.

She just gave him a glowing look.

“I had a wonderful time,” she said, hands gripping at her elbows due to the cold.

“Glad to hear it,” Nova replied.  “Do you, maybe, want to do this again sometime?”

“I would love to,” answered Tracy, her glowing look seeming to intensify as she blushed.  She sighed awkwardly.  “Time to go, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Nova breathed.  “It ended far too soon, didn’t it?”

For a moment, they stood there, Nova wondering if this was the right time to say his farewells…

...but in a sudden blur of movement, Tracy reached out and grabbed his tie, pulling him forward and kissing him.  Nova was completely caught off guard, but he relented and embraced her as she began to back herself into her home…

Tracy was alone when she woke up.  She had never slept so soundly in her life, but it felt cold this morning.

Nathan wasn’t in the bed with her.  It would seem, like before, he had left when he woke up.  She reflexively curled into a ball.  The date had been absolutely wonderful, but she wished he could have stayed and woke up with her.

For a moment, she lay there, half of her wanting to cry, but the other half content and knowing that she had definitely not seen the last of him.

She took a deep breath, breathing in the crisp winter air to rouse her, and got up.

The first thing she noticed was that she was still in her pyjamas.  She had forgotten, they had simply slept together and nothing more (though a large part of her wished she had been that bold).  Still, the morning seemed like a good morning already.

Breakfast time, she thought, wondering if Sam was up.

She stepped out of the room, stopping when she noticed that Nova’s suit was neatly folded in the corner, atop her dresser.

Is he…

She hurriedly stepped out of her room, and as soon as she did, she could hear voices coming from Sam’s.

“No!  Dude, you have to do it like this!”

“Oh, my bad.  I’ve never played this before.”

“Seriously?  Who hasn’t played this?”

“You’d be surprised, dude.”

“No, no, not like that, do it like this!  You want to knock my guy off the edge of the map!”

“OH!  I thought the point was to get the percentage as high as you could.”

“You do, but that percent being high means my guy flies further when you hit me.”

“Oh, I think I get it now!”

Tracy saw Sam’s door ajar and pushed it open gently to find her green-haired little brother Sam playing Super Smash Brothers with Nathan, who seemed like he had no idea what he was doing, leaving Sam to try and help him out.

At that moment, Tracy became incredibly weak at the knees.

He didn’t leave… she thought incredulously.  And he’s playing with Sam…

There came a loud cartoonish popping sound, and Tracy saw some guy from Sam’s game go flying off the edge of the television screen, where Nathan pumped his fist in triumph.

“Nice job, Nathan!” Sam exclaimed, holding out a fist, which Nathan bumped.

She let out a shaky, dreamy sigh at the sight of him (partly due to his barechestedness, if she were honest with herself), which alerted them both to her presence.

“Oh, hey Trace!” Sam exclaimed, grinning broadly.  “Me and Nathan were just playing some Super Smash Brothers!  Want to join?”

“No, no, I think I’m quite fine,” she said.

“Are you alright, Tracy?” Nathan asked, his smile changing to concern.

“I’m fine, really,” she answered, smiling warmly at him (leaving Sam to roll his eyes and make gagging motions).

“Suit yourself,” Nathan said, shrugging and going back to the game.

“Everything’s just perfect,” she breathed, before sitting between them and watching them enjoy their game.