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Unwished Encounter3,372 words
New Emotions5,990 words
Elementary Reaction6,498 words
Is this... Friendship?3,922 words
Under the Moonlight5,400 words
Unexpected Meeting2,715 words
Chemical Equilibrium3,031 words
Afternoon at Twilight's6,264 words
Branching Friendships7,379 words
Soft Side7,652 words
Little Lost Anabelle4,190 words
A Siren's Best Friend8,301 words
Twilight Sparkle: Professional Matchmaker6,160 words
Echoes from the Past5,989 words
Sleepover9,488 words
A Stargaze to Remember5,194 words
A Watched Pot Never Boils5,504 words
New Experiment10,279 words
The Experiment Continues11,002 words
Third Time's the Charm11,136 words
Experiment Results8,007 words
Revelations5,690 words
Sweet Enchantments8,407 words
Persistent Pestilence5,124 words
Hatchday Party8,799 words
Family Dinner6,130 words
Recovery8,673 words
An Unexpected Visit4,240 words
Discharge5,623 words
Sirens' Day Out6,836 words
Book Buddies5,240 words
A Date with the Stars8,691 words
Welcome to Camp Everfree3,819 words
A Hectic First Day of Work6,683 words
Problematic Manifestations8,805 words
Inner Demons8,140 words
Chemical Reaction5,064 words
Epilogue3,107 words

Epilogue

Aria’s POV

Years later...

Fortune has favored me. When I first came to this world I was miserable and alone, even with my sisters suffering alongside me. In the grand scheme of the cosmos I am an insignificant spec in the infinity of time and space. Yes, I quoted that from a book, a very good book given to me by Twilight. It’s the perfect reflection of my life, though it is true. I am small in the grand scheme of things, Twilight is my whole universe and I know I’m hers. My life has been full of joy for the past years growing and experiencing new things at Twilight’s side, and I’m thankful for all that I have. I have two amazing sisters, I have many good friends, and a wonderful girlfriend. I’m a happy siren but today my happiness with Twilight will reach new heights as we both take a monumental step in our relationship.

I will propose to Twilight.

I knew I wanted to marry her for a long, long time and in a spur of the moment decision I bought an engagement ring months ago. I waited for the right moment to propose to her and I thought what better time to ask than her birthday? I have everything planned, time, locations, friends and family. Today was going to be the start of a new chapter in my life. With how much Twilight and I love hamburgers, I thought of having a BBQ where we would only have hamburgers, with the veggie option included, of course. I wouldn’t forget about Fluttershy and Sunset's needs.

As for the location, I thought of some options but none of them seemed fitting to me. Fortunately, my friend Sunset suggested the perfect place, Canterlot High’s rooftop. It’s the place I was looking for because it has a nostalgic value to all of us, not just Twilight and me. And to add more to the nostalgia, I chose our favorite music genre for the party ambience. Synthwave.

I was flipping the hamburgers over when Sunset approached me with a smile.

“Mmmm, smells good, Aria.” The fiery woman commented as she stood next to me, eyes fixed on the grill. In recent years she started to wear more formal style clothing, and today seemed no different. Some nice dress pants and a button up shirt, perfect for when you're not stuffing burgers in your face, but it suited her.

“Thanks. I worked hard to perfect my grilling skills.” I said with pride. “And thank you again for allowing us to host the party here, Principal Shimmer.”

“It’s the least I could do.” Sunset said, smiling with a grin. “Being the principal here had to be useful at some point.”

I chuckled at that. “Being in charge of the education of the new generations wasn’t enough for you, pony? Have to abuse your power as well to flex on us little beings?”

“Don’t twist my words, siren!”

There was a long pause, and to anyone outside the conversation it would seem we were about to fight. We laughed until one of our friends approached.

“Grilling skills? You’re just flipping stuff on the grill.” Rainbow Dash commented.

“There’s more to it than flipping, actually.” Sonata said as she approached with Adagio. The guests were all of our closest friends, plus Shining Armor and his wife, Cherilee. We invited Twilight’s parents too, who offered to stall Twilight for a while. They wished me luck, which I needed. While I know that Twilight will most likely accept, I was still very nervous about the whole proposal thing. I hope I can keep my cool.

“They look almost done!” Pinkie Pie said with her usual excitement.

“We won’t eat until my girlfriend arrives. Not to mention that Applejack and Rarity must return from the store with the most important ingredient.” I said while frowning.

“Most important ingredient?” Trixie said as she crossed her arms. “She just went to buy mayonnaise.”

“And it’s the most important ingredient of all!” I raised my voice while still frowning. I was just joking around, of course. I wasn’t angry for real.

“So...” Adagio said. “Twilight should be here in thirty minutes, right?”

“Yup!” I replied. “Her parents are with her so they won’t arrive earlier than expected.”

Shining Armor chuckled. “Yeah, she always likes to show up with time to spare.”

“She was always earlier during exam days back when she was my student too.” Cheerilee commented.

"What an egghead." Rainbow Dash commented with a smile.

"Maybe she feels an itch whenever she's about to be late." I said confidently. I knew Twilight so well now I could predict her very schedule based off her habits alone and still get most of it right nine times out of ten!

Shining Armor barked out a hearty chuckle in agreement with me. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised."

I continued cooking until Applejack and Rarity returned twenty minutes later.

"Howdy, Aria!" The farmer woman said as she raised my precious mayonnaise. "We found mayo!"

"Excellent, thank you!" I grinned. "Place it with the other dressings. Also, would you mind covering me? I need to serve myself a drink."

"Sure thing, sugarcube!" Applejack said as she approached me. I gave her the spatula before going to a portable refrigerator we brought to take a bottle of juice. After serving myself a glass, I turned around only to find Rarity grinning at me.

"Aria. Can I… see the ring again?"

"Again?! How many times do you want to see it?"

"I can't help it! I just love proposal rings!"

I sighed but smiled. "Fine. But you could have waited, though. Twilight will arrive soon." I said as I took the ring box out of the pocket of my jacket. I gave the box to Rarity, who opened it immediately to look at the amethyst ring I bought, matching the eyes of my gorgeous girlfriend.

"It's so beautiful." The fashionista said with a smile. "I'm so jealous of Twilight!"

"Thank you." I said just before the rooftop door opened. Twilight came running up, waving and smiling widely, her parents not far behind.

"Hello, everyone!" she greeted.

“Happy birthday!” Everyone exclaimed as I gasped and Rarity quickly returned the ring box to me and I placed it in my pocket again.

"Happy birthday, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said before she and Sonata crushed Twilight with a hug.

“Th-thank you, Pinkie, Sonata.” My girlfriend said as she returned the hug. Eventually, Pinkie Pie released her with a grin and greeted Twilight’s parents. My girlfriend took the opportunity to greet the rest of our friends. “Hello, everyone.”

“Hey, egghead.” Rainbow Dash waved her hand. “‘Sup? I’m surprised you decided to leave that lab of yours for a night.”

Twilight giggled. “As if I would ditch my friends, especially on my birthday!” She said before giving a quick hug to the athletic woman. I then noticed that Twilight started to sniff. “Hmm, what’s that delicious smell?” She said as she approached the grill.

“Yer favorite, that’s what it is!” Applejack said while flipping the burgers. Rarity joined them and gave Twilight a quick hug.

“They’re so many! I think that’s more than enough for me, but what will you eat?” Everyone chuckled.

“You’ll eat all these burgers without even sharing with Aria at least?” Trixie commented.

“She’ll have to fight me if she wants some.” Twilight said before looking around. “Where is she, by the way?”

“She’s over there, darling.” Rarity answered as she pointed at me. “Having a drink.”

“Thanks!” Twilight smiled and started to walk towards me. I gave my back to her before she reached me. “Hey there, my beautiful star.” My girlfriend said as she hugged me from behind. “What’s the matter? Are you angry?”

“You tell me, Ms. ‘I won’t share my burgers with anybody.’” I said while crossing my arms, trying really hard to pretend to be mad.

Twilight giggled and kissed my shoulder since my cheek was out of reach. Of course I made it hard as I wiggled away from her playfully, still teasing her. “Don’t be like that, of course you’ll eat too. Unless… you didn’t forget about the mayonnaise, did you?”

“Applejack and Rarity just bought it.” I said with a smile.

“Good. Then, you can eat.” As Twilight said the last, I turned around to face her.

“I wouldn’t forgive you if you forgot the mayo either.” I smirked before giving her a soft peck on the lips.

My girlfriend giggled. “That’s why I love you.”

"You do? Because you went towards the hamburgers first."

"Oh, you got me!" Twilight jokingly said with a smile. I chuckled and took her hand.

“Happy birthday, beautiful.” I said while caressing her cheek.

“Thank you.” Twilight replied as she leaned against my hand.

"Let's go back to the others, yes?" I said. Twilight nodded and, together, we returned to our friends and family. "How are our babies, by the way?"

"Don't worry about our pups." My girlfriend replied. "I made sure they had enough food and water for the night."

"Why do you call your dogs 'your babies'?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I think it's cute." Rarity said while placing a hand on her own cheek. "They're part of their family, after all!"

“Don’t underestimate a family made with furry friends, Rainbow.” Sunset said.

“That’s right. Paws bring as much joy as any family.” Fluttershy added. She’s right. It’s still not the time for Twilight and I to have children, but our cute dogs already make us very happy.

“Hamburgers are done!” Applejack happily announced. “Everyone, dig in!”

Everyone cheered while Twilight looked at me.

“Aria, hun. I love you, but-”

I chuckled. “Go ahead, love. I’ll-” And in the blink of an eye, Twilight disappeared into the crowd to get her hamburger. Since she’s the birthday woman, she was served the first one.

“Did she not eat at all today?” Trixie commented as I approached everyone. “She sure took a big bite.”

“Nah, she’s usually like that when hamburgers are involved.” I answered. “Like me and sweets.”

Sunset chuckled. “Indeed. You two sure are meant for each other.”

I blushed. “Yeah...” I said as I glanced at my girlfriend. She’s devouring her food, and yet, she’s so beautiful. And I’m about to ask her to marry me.

I'll wait until she finishes her first hamburger before asking her to slow dance with me. It's during this dance where I'll propose. In front of everyone.

"You look nervous, Aria." Sunset said. "Breathe."

I nodded and took deep breaths. "Yeah, thank you."

"You're welcome." Sunset smiled. "We all know Twilight will most likely accept your proposal. Try to relax."

"I can't help it. Marriage is a big step." I said. "I have known I want to marry Twilight for years and here I am, about to make a dream closer to a reality."

"Do you need to be alone?" Trixie asked. "We can make excuses about leaving early if you want."

"I appreciate the gesture, but no." I said with a smile. "You all have to be here. I want to share this moment with you and surely Twilight will want to too."

"What do I want?" Sunset, Trixie and I froze in place when we heard Twilight's voice behind us. Damn! She almost overheard us! "What are you girls talking about?"

I got mute. I tried to say something, anything! But my tongue wasn't cooperating.

Fortunately, Trixie reacted first. "Aria was just telling us how she wanted to dance with you!" Trixie said, maybe sounding louder than she wanted to.

"Oh, is that so?" My girlfriend said while leaning closer to me. I quickly glanced at Trixie and Sunset. The latter nodded encouragingly. With how close Twilight was from overhearing us, I think that I should move forward with the plan before the surprise is spoiled.

"Uhh, yes!" I said while turning around. Twilight was smiling but was surprised by my strange behavior. "D-Do you want to?" I added as I reached my hand to her.

"Umm, yes, of course." My girlfriend said before taking my hand. That could have gone smoother.

I took her to the middle of the rooftop. One of the good things of synthwave music is that many of the songs are perfect for slow dancing. As Twilight rested her head on my chest, our friends and family made a circle around us. While I couldn’t see her face, I’m sure that she’s smiling as much as me. I couldn’t resist kissing the top of her head.

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” My girlfriend said as we kept dancing.

“Once or twice, I believe.” I replied with a smirk.

Twilight giggled. “Clearly it wasn’t enough. I love you more than I can express with words.”

It doesn’t matter how many years we have been together. She always makes my heart skip a beat. “I feel the same way. You always know how to put a smile on my face. I’m happy to have you here, and our friends all around us.”

“The perfect night, isn’t it?” My girlfriend said before looking up at me.

I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It will get better.”

“Oh, really?” Twilight smiled widely. “Why? What do you have planned?”

I booped her nose with a finger before replying. “It’s your birthday, my adorable cub. I won’t spoil any surprise.”

Twilight pouted cutely. “Meanie. I thought you would make an exception because of our love.”

This is it. I think I have the perfect cue now. “Our love is exactly the reason why I can’t tell you.”

My girlfriend widened her eyes, confused. “What do you mean?” There’s no turning back now.

“Twilight, since the day we met, my life changed. For the better. I started to feel new emotions. Guilt, happiness, and, of course, love. You made me consider things I never thought I would ever consider before you came to my life.”

“Aria...” Twilight was blushing madly and I could see the stars on her eyes, but I placed my index finger on her lips. I was not done.

“While I learnt new stuff across all these years, I know there’s more to learn about you, and about us. We have built a good life together. It’s time to make it even better.” I said before raising her hand to make her do a twist. Once her back was facing me, I pulled her closer and I took the engagement ring from my pocket to slide it on her ring finger. I heard my girlfriend gasp as she admired her new possession. “I’m ready to take the next step. What about you, my love?“

“Yes!” Twilight exclaimed before turning around and kissing me passionately. “Yes, yes, yes!” She repeated between kisses.

I smiled like I never did before and lifted my fiancée into the air as we turned around. Once I put her feet back on the ground again, we kissed one again, but this time, our friends and family clapped and cheered for us. Twilight apparently forgot that we weren’t alone because she turned completely red before she hid her face on my chest. I chuckled and held her closer.

“Well done, Aria!” Sunset said.

“Really? Because I was so nervous I swear I don’t know how I didn’t throw up.”

“Maybe it’s because you haven’t eaten yet.” Applejack said.

“Now that you mention it, I’m starving!” I said before catching Twilight’s attention. “Mind if I leave you for a little bit?”

My fiancée smiled lovingly. “Go ahead. I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

I returned the smile and gave her a peck on her lips before releasing her. As soon as I did, Rarity jumped in, alongside Adagio. Twilight’s parents were approaching too, as well as Shining Armor and Cheerilee.

“Congratulations, Twilight!” Rarity said as she hugged my fiancée before taking her hand. “Let me see the ring!”

I shook my head as I smiled. Rarity’s always the same.

When I came across Twilight’s parents, Night Light stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder. “Your speech was beautiful, Aria.” He said with a smile. Velvet then hugged me.

“I’m happy that you’ll be officially becoming part of the family.” She said.

“Thank you. It was just the time to do it.”

“Indeed.” Night Light nodded. “We won’t take any more of your time. Go eat something.”

I nodded and continued walking towards the grill, where Applejack was already preparing me a hamburger. While I waited, someone softly punched me on my arm. I turn around to see Rainbow Dash, smirking at me.

“You know I don’t normally like cheesy stuff, but the proposal just now… wow.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” I smiled at her. “I did practice a lot to not mess it up.”

"Yeah, it was fun to be your practice dummies." Sunset said.

"Did you really need to come to my work to practice with me yesterday?" Trixie said with a smirk.

"It was absolutely necessary, yes." I said, nodding.

"Aria!" I barely had the time to turn around when Sonata and Pinkie Pie jumped on me. "Congratulations!" They both said in unison.

"Thank you..." I was barely able to speak. They were suffocating me!

"Alright, you two. Give her space." Applejack said as she walked towards us. Sonata and Pinkie Pie moved aside to let Applejack give me my hamburger. "Here you go, Aria. Ah made it double since ah guess you must be really hungry."

"I am." I said before taking my hamburgers. "Thank you so much.

The farmer woman nodded. "Anytime, partner. Enjoy."

I ate while I watched everyone talk and have fun. My gaze found Twilight, talking with her family. I could see how happy she was. She admired her ring whenever she could. Her happiness was my happiness.

When I was almost done with my hamburgers, Twilight met my eyes. She smiled at me and walked towards the railing, placing her hands on them to admire the view. I finished my food, cleaned my hands, and joined her. I hugged her from behind and she leaned back against me. I kissed the top of her head and admired the view alongside her.

Moments later, our friends joined us in silence. While the music was still playing, we all enjoyed the view of Canterlot City during the night. It was a beautiful sight to share not only with my friends, but also with my future wife. I couldn't possibly begin to describe how happy I was. There's nothing else I can ask for.

Author's Note:

And that's a wrap! Thank you so much to everyone for reading this story! We really had fun writting it!

While we couldn't include everything we wanted, we're still happy for the result. There's of course more projects in mind, but for now, a break is in order. Writting this for years was never the plan

Stay safe, everyone!

I want to thank Windsor, Quantum Logic and Zalla661 for proofreading and editing this chapter before its release

P.S. Oh, about the time skip, if there's ever going to be a sequel to the story, it will be to their teenage years. Adulthood will do in case we ever feel like writting a spin-off story

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