Nick had reverted back to his wolf form, but he was teleported back to earth. His memory self was in a car, waiting in front of a very familiar house. A girl had just left the front door and was headed towards his car.
Well this memory isn’t too bad. Still, it hurts whenever I think of… her.
Her name was Sabrina, and to him, everything he could look for in a girl. They had met freshman year of high school, mainly thanks to Alex walking over to her and telling her that Nick had a crush on her. Being forced into a corner, he had no choice but to talk to her, which ended up with them arranging a date. This memory had flashed back to that night, one of the best nights of his life.
He was dressed up in a black button up shirt, black slacks and suede shoes. He also had a purple necktie.
She was stunning. She had let her blonde hair down to her shoulders and was wearing a sleeveless red dress that went down to her knees. She had some light makeup on, which to Nick was unnecessary.
“I got these for you,” he said, handing her a bouquet of red roses.
“They’re lovely,” she smiled, inhaling their sweet aroma.
“So for tonight, I was thinking some Italian, followed by dancing.”
“Dancing?” she repeated.
“Uh yeah,” Nick rubbed a hand behind his head. “If you don’t want to, I’d love to hear what you have in mind.”
“No that’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised that you chose dancing. It’s something I love to do, and I’m glad you do too.”
Pleased that he hadn’t messed things up so far, Nick took her hand and led her to his car.
The dinner was great, their meal came out perfect. They had an engaging conversation as they ate, finding a lot in common between themselves. They were both nerds, loving the sciences as well as playing video games. She had actually just moved into town, having to start all over. Nick could easily relate to her story, admitting that Alex had really been his only friend. After dinner they went to a teen friendly club.
If there was anything Nick loved most, it was dancing. He loved moving his body to the music, getting lost in his own little world. He was glad she liked it as well. They danced through the night, loving every second they were in each other’s presence.
Nick wished that this night wouldn't end, but knew she had a curfew to abide by. As he was about to say goodnight, NIck felt Sabrina’s lips on his. He felt his cheeks burn: that was his first kiss. Looking at her face, he could see she was just as embarrassed as he was. “Thank you for such an amazing time tonight,” she smiled, getting her nerves under control. “Wanna do it again next Friday?”
“As if I’d say no,” Nick grinned. She bid him goodnight with a hug and closed the door. Nick practically skipped back to his car, as happy as when he learned he would be able to stay friends with Alex.
Nick was just as inseparable from Sabrina as he was with Alex. There were some double dates, but mostly it was just themselves, from dinner to a movie to simply just hanging out. You could say they had the typical high school experience, two teenagers that had fallen in puppy love, thinking it would never end. The next three years were filled with many great memories, especially senior year. However, it was the end of senior year where Nick's misfortunes started.
The memory moved forward. Prom was two weeks from tonight. Nick had gotten all of his finals out of the way, and was now putting all of his efforts into making sure this night would be perfect. It was on their third date, that Sabrina offered to pay the bill. Nick insisted that he should pay as it would be the chivalrous thing to do. Sabrina was also insistent, she really wanted it to be fair between them. After giving him the saddest look she could, Nick yielded. For this date, it would be Sabrina’s turn to pay and he had the perfect idea on how to ask her to prom.
He took her to the same Italian restaurant they went to their first date.
“I love this place,” Sabrina giggled, “It was where I met my favorite guy,” she smiled, turning towards Nick.
“It’s also where I met the girl of my dreams,” he smiled back, pulling her into a deep kiss. He had already arranged with the owner to have them sit by one of the windows, so that they could have a great view of the night sky.
After helping Sabrina into her seat, Nick sat across from her. They ordered their meals and as they waited, they talked about how the years had passed.
“It seems like it was only yesterday that I had met you,” Sabrina smiled taking Nick’s hand in her own.
“Well, when you’re in love, time flies by,” he replied, placing his other hand atop hers.
Their meal arrived, and it was as delicious as the first date. After they finished dinner, they decided to order a cheesecake. They had to split it between themselves, as they were pretty full from dinner. Nick excused himself and went to the hostess stand. She knew what to do and handed him the bill. He tucked a piece of paper in the slot and handed back to her. When the bill came, Nick again offered to pay it.
Sabrina gave him an annoyed look. “After three years of dating, and you still offer to pay when it’s my turn,” she giggled, “You’re lucky I love you so much that I’m willing to put up with you,” she smiled, taking the bill from him.
“Suit yourself,” Nick sighed, a big grin slowly growing on his face. He watched as she read down the whole bill, stopping when she reached the bottom of the receipt.
“What’s this?” she asked, lifting up the receipt and finding a piece of paper tucked underneath it. She opened it up and began to read it aloud.
“Sabrina,
These last three years have been the greatest of my life.
I count it as a blessing every day that I get to spend with you.
Still, there is one more thing that can make me the happiest guy on Earth.
Will you go to prom with me?”
Sabrina looked up and saw one of the goofiest grins on her boyfriend’s face. She thought that maybe she should tease him a bit just for a good laugh.
“What if I say no?” she asked him, trying to keep her best poker face. That made Nick’s smile shrink a bit.
“Well, I guess that is your decision,” Nick replied, he knew she had to be putting him on. “If you don’t want to, I know I could find some other pretty girl to go with me.”
“NO!” she shouted. Realizing she had fallen for his trick, she turned red, and sank into her chair. Recovering, she spoke up, “I would love to be your date for prom.”
With that they both stood up, and hugged each other tightly, sharing a very intimate kiss.
So far all the memory had done was fill Nick with nostalgia, however, when the memory changed once again, it all dissipated. Tonight was the big night most teens look forward to, the night that they’ll never forget (which in Nick’s case was painfully true). He had gotten everything set up with Alex. They had split the limo cost and bought their tuxes. Everything was going accordingly to plan..
While all his classmates were scurrying around getting all the last minute preparations done, he was in his shorts watching Saturday morning cartoons. He wanted to make sure to save his energy for tonight. He invited Alex over to play some video games, and before they knew it, it was already 5 pm. They both got prepared and waited for the limo to arrive.
When the limo arrived, Nick could barely contain his excitement.
“Tonight’s going to be a blast!” he told his friend as the driver headed to Sabrina’s house. Both their dates had probably spent the whole day fixing their hair and makeup.
“You bet it is, especially since I’ll be there,” Alex winked at Nick. Nick just sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Sure buddy.”
They arrived a few minutes later. Nick knocked on the door, waiting for one of Sabrina’s parents to answer. Sabrina’s dad answered and invited the two in.
“Sweetie, your Prince Charming is here!” he announced, making Nick blush a little.
“Coming daddy!” Sabrina answered, and appeared at the top of the stairs with Megan, Alex’s date.
Red certainly was Sabrina’s color. She had a crimson, strapless dress, with a black ribbon around her waist. She had two golden bracelets and a pair of silver earrings. Her blonde hair was curled, hanging above her shoulders.
“Wow,” Nick gasped as she reached the bottom of the stairs, “You look stunning.”
“You look handsome as well, not like I didn’t already know that,” she smiled, hugging him.
After the traditional photo op from her parents, Nick helped her into the limo and they drove off. They talked the whole way, excited for the best night of their lives. The limo driver stepped out and opened the door for them, each of the gentlemen helping their dates out of the vehicle.
They entered the conference center and took their seats in the reserved conference room. The dinner was decent, but that’s not what Nick and Sabrina really cared about. When the coordinator announced that the dance floor was now open, they were among the first to get up. The song selection was great, from rave music to their song, God Bless the Broken Road. It was during this song that Sabrina decided to break the news.
“So Nick, I just want to say these three years have been the greatest,” she started.
“Me too princess,” he smiled, holding her close.
“There’s something I want to tell you,” she hesitantly said, looking him in the eyes.
Nick always hated to hear that phrase. He didn’t know of a better way to say it, but that phrase usually was the signal that she had some bad news.
“You know you can tell me anything.” Nick knew something was up, but nothing could have prepared him for what she had to tell him.
“I got a letter in the mail the other day. It was from a company I had interned for in California last summer. They wanted me to work for them and in return they would pay for me to go to Berkley. I know that we were planning on going to John Hopkins together, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
The news hit him hard. He thought that they would be high school sweethearts, going to college together and getting married. But he understood, this was a big opportunity, one she couldn’t afford to pass up. As much as it would hurt, he knew he had to do the right thing.
“You’re right, this is a big opportunity. I’m proud of you,” he smiled, trying to hold the tears back. “I want what’s best for you, so you should go for it. I’ll miss you, but knowing that you’re happy will be worth it.” He held her tight, she did the same.
“I’ll miss you as well,” she whispered in his ear, “You’ve been so kind to me, way more than I deserve. Even now you’re willing to let me go so I can pursue my dreams. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
“All I ask is that we make the most our last few weeks together, to make memories we’ll never forget.”
“I can do that,” she smiled, pulling him in for a kiss. They danced the night away, knowing that soon everything would drastically change.
Nick watched as their last few weeks together flew by, each week they did something they loved, from dancing to going out to the park and look at the stars. It was a blur and soon he found himself at the airport, waiting with Sabrina for her flight. He held her hand as they waited in the terminal, not wanting to let go.
When they called her boarding group, he pulled her in for their last kiss.
“Take care of yourself,” he whispered.
“I will,” she sniffled. She ruffled his hair. “I know you’re going to do great things Nick. Keep being the kind, sweet and funny guy I fell in love with.”
With that, they broke the hug, Nick waving as she went down the jetbridge. He stayed to watch the plane leave the gate and takeoff. Turning around, he headed home to finish his packing.
Everything vanished, and Nick found himself back in the darkness, alone.
I regret nothing. She was able to follow her dreams, and that’s all that mattered to me. I guess it’s true that if you love someone, you let them go.
The emotional stress from these memories finally made the wolf drowsy drowsy. He yawned, stretching out his paws and curled up to sleep.
For once in her life, Luna was glad that she didn’t have much to do. There were a few nightmares that needed to be addressed and she was on top of her paperwork. Nopony had come to Night Court and she was preparing to visit Twilight. What made it even better was that she had sensed that Nick had fallen asleep.
Should I wait to tell Twilight about Nick’s confession or tell her before we enter his dream? I guess it would be awkward to just admit that in front of both of them. How will she respond? I know that herds have never been that common, even when Tia and I started ruling. Would she be willing to share Nick, or would we have to let Nick decide who he wants?
Deciding it would be best to just see how everything played out, Luna had finished her preparations. As she was about to enter the Dreamscape, she noticed that Twilight herself wasn’t asleep. It was was pretty late and the young alicorn should have been asleep by now. It seemed that she was going to have to see what the matter was, although that didn’t bother her, it was one of her responsibilities as Guardian of the Night.
Stepping onto the balcony, she spread her wings and began her flight to Ponyville. Spending most of her time in the Dreamscape, Luna never really got the chance to just enjoy the night. It was even rarer for her to be flying alone, last night didn’t count because she was rushing to Nick’s aid. As she soared above the plains that separated Ponyville and Canterlot, she was able to take in sensations that hadn’t been felt in decades. The cool wind flowing through her feathers, the soft purple sky filled with constellations she had created and the gentle, melodic ballads of nightingales, crickets and other nocturnal creatures creating a soothing ambiance.
As she flew over Ponyville, Luna could see that the light to Twilight’s chambers was still on. Floating down to the balcony, she softly landed as to not startle the lavender alicorn within. Gazing through the window, she saw Twilight at her desk, writing something on a scroll only to crumple it up and toss it on the floor. Based on the pile that had accumulated on the floor, she had been at this for a while. Gently tapping on the window made the mare jump, however when she turned and saw Luna standing there she opened the windows with her magic.
“I’m sorry to startle you Twilight, but when I sensed that you were not asleep I wanted to make sure everything was alright,” she immediately apologized, clearing up the confusion on the younger alicorn’s face.
“It’s alright Princess Luna,” she replied, levitating all of the scrolls into a trash bin. “Thank you for your concern but I don’t think I’m going with you to see Nick.”
Luna was not expecting that response. “Why not Twilight? I thought you wanted to spend more time with him since he’s hospitalized.”
“I do but… “ Twilight wasn’t sure how to express her feelings clearly. Luna had already slept with the wolf she loved along with taking care of his wounds. All she had done was tag along with her into Nick’s memories. “I love Nick, but I know that you love him as well, Princess. I wouldn’t want to compete for his affection and you’ve known him longer. I wish you both the best.” She drooped her head in defeat, her ears pinned back.
“Compete for him?” Luna replied, now understanding the mare’s dilemma. “Why not share him?”
Twilight’s ears instantly perked up when she heard the older mare’s suggestion. “Sh- share him? You mean like in a -” she trailed off, wanting to hear Luna finish her sentence.
“Yes, as in a herd. I don’t know how you feel about me Twilight, but I know that ever since you and your friends saved me from the nightmare I created, I was eternally grateful. You continued to show me kindness on that fateful Nightmare’s night, helping me adjust to a world that had drastically changed last I saw it. You showed me that ponies could come to accept me and that they did appreciate what I did for them. This appreciation turned into more intimate feelings for you, yet I did not want to ruin the friendship we had created so that’s why I remained silent. I am willing to share Nick’s affection, but if you don’t want to form a herd, then I would be fine in allowing Nick to decide who he wants to court.”
Twilight was still trying to wrap her head around Luna’s suggestion that she form a herd with her and Nick. Then there was Luna’s confession that she also had feelings for her as well. Princess Luna was a pretty mare, but Twilight had never considered her romantically attractive. Honestly she didn’t know much about her, her likes or dislikes. Twilight wasn’t sure how to answer, she needed time to think things out.
Luna sighed, seeing as she overwhelmed the poor mare. “I understand that this is a lot to process right now Twilight. It took me several months to come to the conclusion of how I felt about you. You don’t have to answer right away, and I won’t go to see Nick so you won’t feel left out. I do wish that you be honest with me however. If you don’t feel the same about me, you won’t hurt my feelings. I just saw this as an opportunity to bring the conversation up, since we both deeply care about Nick, something we have in common. I’m sure being here won’t help you fall asleep, so I’ll just go.”
“Wait, Princess Luna,” Twilight called out. “I may not know how I would feel about being in a herd, but I definitely know I would regret not giving it a try and losing the chance to be in a relationship with Nick. Honestly, it is I who should be thanking you.”
“Thanking me for what?” Luna replied.
“Well for becoming Nightmare Moon. I know it sounds weird, but if you never turned into her, I wouldn’t have met the Elements of Harmony. I wouldn’t have learned the magic of friendship, let alone become the princess of it. You may think that only I helped you, but I feel that we’ve each had a huge impact on each other. With that reason, at least trying to be in a herd is plausible.”
“You- you really mean that?”
Twilight nodded her head. “I do. Now all we have to do is convince Nick to join.”
Luna smirked at that statement. “Oh I believe that won’t be too hard, Twilight?”
“What makes you say that Princess Luna?”
“Well first of all, Luna is fine. Secondly, let’s say Nick let something slip while I was treating his wounds.”
“What did he say?” Twilight leaned in closer, her eyes turning into saucers.
“You’ll find out when we go visit him, assuming you are now fine with that?” Luna replied.
“We did promise him that we’d go visit him. What type of princesses would we be if we couldn’t keep such a simple promise?” the younger mare smiled.
“Very well. If you don’t mind, I’ll cast a little sleeping spell on you so we can leave immediately.”
Twilight quickly got ready for bed, and once under the covers nodded her permission. Luna’s horn softly flickered and a soothing aura encompassed Twilight. She felt her breathing slow and her eyelids grow heavy. Soon she was softly snoring, the scene in front of Luna almost too cute to bear. Kissing Twilight’s forehead, she entered her dream and they were off.
Ever since he arrived in Equestria, Nick had been plagued with nightmares. Luna had tried to convince him to let her help, but he always refused. If they hadn’t been about him completing his quest, he would’ve happily accepted her help, but in some way, shape or form, each dream had him failing and dying or succeeding and dying. While death by succeeding wasn’t physically painful, it still was painful to watch as he tried and convinced the Elements to blast him with their magic, giving him enough power to effectively destroy his soul gem.
He could see the fear in their faces, obviously not wanting to hurt somepony who had risk life and limb for them. Then would come the confession that he knew from the beginning that he would have to do this, adding that he willingly accepted this fate and that he wanted to make sure Equestria stayed safe. This wasn’t what made the nightmares bad.
What made these dreams true nightmares was the loneliness that ensued. Despite his efforts to convince the Elements to destroy him, they outright refused. On top of this, they were mad that he didn’t tell them this fact from the beginning, especially Luna and Twilight. They no longer wanted anything to with him, telling him that they never wanted to see him again and could stay in the Everfree like he wanted to so badly. Forced to wander the now empty Everfree (he had cleared out all the creatures in his quest) he was faced with being alone again. Normally this would have been fine, but Nick was a loner on his own terms, not because he had hurt those he loved.
Tonight was not filled with these dreams. Instead, the memories of Sabrina continued to repeat before him, bittersweet emotions welling up inside. They had tried to make it work after they split, but with her working for the company that agreed to pay for her tuition and his internships in multiple labs, there was no time for any relationship. After college Nick had figured that Sabrina had moved on, probably found someone else and that he should do the same. Still, looking back on the connection they shared, Nick could only wonder what would’ve happened had things not transpired the way they did. Then again, if Nick hadn’t had such a tragic past, he would’ve never met Celestia, Luna or Twilight.
He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear the former two mares pop in behind him. The timing couldn’t be any better, Nick had just asked Sabrina to prom. Twilight and Luna watched the whole scene unfold, before Luna decided to speak up.
“Who is this?” she asked with a hint of jealousy in her voice.
This caused Nick to jump, forgetting that he was supposed to have company tonight. Frantically he tried to take the memory down, but it refused to budge. Seeing as he had been caught, the only way out of this mess was the truth.
“This is Sabrina, my first love and ironically my first heartbreak,” he sighed, watching as the memory continued its loop. “It’s better explained if you just watch.” As prom and the final days together flashed by, Twilight and Luna could easily see that Nick loved Sabrina deeply. This caused a mutualistic concern that maybe Nick hadn’t gotten over her and wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with them.
“You two never got back together?” Twilight cautiously asked, not wanting to trample on sensitive ground.
“No. When I finished graduate school, I contemplated trying to find her, but figured she had moved on and so should I.”
“Did you?” Luna asked, a more worried tone now present in her voice.
“I- I tried, but no girl could replace Sabrina. But that’s all in the past, I’ve moved on.”
“No you haven’t Nick,” Luna shook her head. “If you had these memories wouldn’t have been as vivid. You would have let go to some details, but instead you’ve held on, hoping to make new memories that could replace these. I know two mares that would be willing to help you make those new memories.”
Seeing as it was time to tell Nick how they felt Twilight mustered her courage. “Nick you’ve been hurt so much in the past. I can understand your apprehension to trying all over again, but if you let Luna and I try and help you, we’ll see to it that you aren’t hurt again.”
To put the icing on the cake Luna added, “Plus, I know that you love both of us as well. Why make it hard when everypony can get what they want?”
Nick’s jaw dropped. H-How does she know that? I never told either one of them how I felt. She must’ve snuck into one of my dreams. Judging by the look on Twilight’s face, only Luna knew, but why are they now confessing their feelings? Shouldn’t they be fighting over who I should pick? Why is Luna smirking like that?!
“It looks like you have some explaining to do Nick. Poor Twilight here is just as confused as you are?”
“Me explain?!” Nick finally got a hold of his words. “Who’s the pony sneaking into my dreams and finding such personal information?”
“I am appalled that you would think I would do such a thing,” Luna playfully huffed. “I can’t help it that you like to sleep talk.”
After thinking about what she meant by sleep talk, it suddenly dawned on Nick that he must’ve spilled the beans while she was treating his wounds. Now that his little secret was out and he knew they both felt the same, Nick should’ve been overjoyed. However he was feeling the exact opposite, dread. How was he supposed to complete his quest, when it would mean they would have to watch him sacrifice himself?
Twilight had finally gotten over the initial shock of what she heard and saw Nick thinking about something. “If you’re worried about having to choose one of us Nick, there’s no need to. Luna and I had discussed what we should do and came to the conclusion that we’re alright with sharing you. We can form a herd, where we love each other equally and just be happy. We’ll still have our lessons but they won’t have to be so formal, and you could maybe stay at my castle that way we could spend some more time together.”
Nick held up a paw. “Hang on Twilight. Before you get too caught up with any plans I need some time to think this through. Yes I do love you both very much and I want us to all be happy. Still this is something I wasn’t really prepared for, kinda like a fantasy I was living. I never expected either one of you to reciprocate my love. I definitely wasn’t expecting you to both to feel the same and want to share me. It’s just a lot to process right now, and I don’t want to say yes and not be ready to fully commit to a polyamorous relationship. I have no experience at all with making two mares happy.”
“On the contrary Nick, you already know how to do that,” Luna smiled, coming over to his side and wrapping a wing around him. “Just being here with you makes me the happiest mare in Equestria. I’m sure Twilight can say the same.”
Twilight nodded and placed herself on the other side of Nick, wrapping her wing around Luna’s. “Luna is right. You even said it yourself earlier that I care a lot about you. Being with you makes me feel like a normal mare, not the science nerd. Herds are not all that common either, so we will all be learning together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
It was hard to argue with them as they wrapped him in a hug. The mixture of warmth and coolness along with their soft coats was breaking down Nick’s defenses. Still in the back of his mind he could only picture them brokenhearted when he told them what he had to do. Gently breaking off the hug, he sighed.
“Just one night to sleep on it, for all of us,” he suggested. “If by tomorrow we all still agree this is a good idea, then we’re a herd.”
“That sounds reasonable enough,” Twilight smiled, looking up to the older mare.
“Fine,” Luna sighed, before a small grin formed on her muzzle. “But tomorrow night, you owe us cuddles that could’ve been happening tonight.”
“Deal,” Nick chuckled, before hugging them goodbye. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.”
After making sure Nick didn’t want to just say yes, the two alicorns popped out of his dream. Nick heard something approach behind him and to his amazement he saw Sabrina. He had thought it was still a part of the dream repeating until she smiled and spoke.
“I think you should say yes.”