> Lessons in the Moonlight
>  by Harmony Split
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Prologue





        

“Have a nice trip home!” I had said as I waved towards the princess and her friends while they moved out of sight. That was the last time I had seen them, and though it had only been about a week ago, it felt like so much longer.

        For a few days, they were our guests. They helped us in so many ways that I was sure that we could never repay them. Looking at my flank once again, I smiled. My cutie mark was back, the world was fine. My home was still standing, and that villain was finally gone.

        “You’re not looking too happy, Night,” a voice said beside me, causing me to turn in time to see Sugar Belle standing at my side.

        “I’m still thinking about the Princess and her friends. It feels different without having them around. I’m happy we have our lives and our homes back, but it just feels… off,” I replied, somehow my voice came out almost disappointedly.

        “Starlight Glimmer is gone. I don’t think we'll ever see her again, and the princess has her own life to get back to,” Sugar said as she softly touched my coat. She gave me a soft smile before heading back to her shop. 

        “I know, I know. It just feels like I’m missing something. Something isn’t right,” I whispered to nopony in particular. 

        I turned and headed back towards Sugar Belle’s shop slowly, my head dipped slightly. The small town was buzzing with activity, since the cutie marks were returned, everything seemed normal. Everypony was happy, without any doubt.

        So what’s wrong with me?

        I didn’t have an answer to that. Yet, at least. My hooves guided me towards Sugar Belle’s shop, packed with customers. Past Double Diamond’s house, where he was showing off his old set of skis he found while we chased Starlight Glimmer. I also noticed Party Favor, surrounded by some ponies and a few balloons.

        They all invited me to join, but every single one I declined. I was happy to have my town back, my friends and my cutie mark. But at the same time, I wasn’t completely happy. It was as if something vital was missing, even though everything was as it should have been.

        I had my friends and my home, I had my cutie mark back, and I knew who I was. But I was still missing something, and I wasn’t sure what it was, or why I was still missing it. It shouldn’t be normal that everyone else seemed to be so happy and complete, and I still felt like something big was missing.

        Maybe that’s why I didn’t want the princess to leave? She knows more than I do about friendship. I should have asked her while she was still here…

        I stopped outside of Sugar Belle’s shop, my eyes drawn back in the direction of the train tracks that Princess Twilight and her friends had disappeared down. They had it figured out, they were all so different, and somehow they still managed to stay friends.

        Giving a sigh, I pushed open the door and headed inside to visit with Sugar Belle. Maybe something sweet would help straighten things out.

 Sugar Belle’s shop was as welcoming as always, the sounds of faint music playing in the background, the smells of fresh goods being baked and the constant hum of ponies chatting and laughing. It was just the other day that this place was little more than a dingy room where Sugar Belle would cook horrible muffins. Now it felt like home.

        Trotting up to the counter, I gave Sugar Belle a smile as I scanned over the chalk boards behind her, thinking about what might help with clearing my head. Something called the Belle Special seemed to be highlighted in multiple shades of chalk, and with nothing better in mind, I settled on that.

        Sugar Belle greeted me happily with a wave whenever I stepped up to the counter, “Hey, Night Glider! Feeling better?” she asked with a cheerful smile.

        I offered a shrug, “A bit. Kinda feeling like some sweets’ll help,” I said, gesturing behind her, “I’ll try that Belle Special.”

        She offered a kind smile, “Hey, don’t worry. I’m sure you just miss them because they helped us out so much. They’ll come back to visit,” she said before turning around and heading into the back for a few moments. She reappeared carrying a plate with a slice of multi-layered cake on it, the plate delicately wrapped in her magic.

        After setting it down on the counter, she gave me a small giggle, “And if you miss them so much, you can always just go visit them. Ponyville’s not that hard to find, right?”

        “Honestly, I don’t have any clue where it is. Princess Twilight said it’s a bit south of Canterlot, but I’m not really sure,” I admitted sheepishly, my ears folding back slightly in embarrassment.

        Sugar Belle’s face deadpanned for a few moments before she let out a good-natured sigh, “You could always just get on the train. That’s how they got here, right?”

        “Uhh, I guess so?” I replied. 

        “Gosh, you really are out of it today. Seriously, Night, what’s the matter?” Sugar Belle asked, leaning in as if she was examining a bug on my forehead, “Even before we got our cutie marks back, you were usually more down to Equestria than this.”

        I sighed and shook my head as I picked the fork off my plate and started playing with the slice of cake, “I don’t know, Sugar Belle. This whole friendship thing, I don’t know how to make heads or tails of it. We’ve been living in this place for so long, I can’t even remember where to start,” I said, spearing the cake and taking a halfhearted bite out of it.

        Sugar Belle leaned back, the scrutinizing look leaving her face in favor of a look of understanding, “I guess I know what you mean, sometimes it feels weird to look out and see friends rather than just neighbors. But, I mean, that’s what friendship is, right? You need to figure it out as you go along,” she said, giving me a supportive smile.

        “I don’t even know how to go along after everything that’s happened, Sugar. It’s almost like I’ve lost everything about it. I’ve got my home, my friends, my cutie mark, but the rest is missing, something special.”

        “Don’t you have your work?” she asked, raising a brow, “Or any family you can get back in touch with? Something to get back into the swing of things.”

        I looked taken aback at that, “Pfft, if only I had something like that,” I muttered. 

        “Seriously? Nothing?” she asked, causing me to shake my head, “That’s kind of weird, don’t you think? Everypony remembers everything, except you, Night.”

        “I know, but I can’t figure it out. It’s just too...fuzzy? Maybe the princess knows what to do,” I mused, fiddling uncomfortably with the utensil in hoof. 

        Sugar Belle thought in silence for a few moments, looking at the counter as she did. After a few moments, she looked up, “Well, why don’t you go visit her, then? The train’s not expensive, and the next one is going to be here in a few hours. You could just go see what you can learn from Princess Twilight, and then come back home when you’re happy,” she suggested with a smile.

        “Just up and leave? There’s no way I can do that! My house is here, my friends, everything I own.”

        Sugar Belle laughed lightly and shook her head, “Get a room at an inn while you’re there. It’s not like you’re moving out, you’d just be taking a vacation. Besides, we’ll all make sure that nothing happens to your place while you’re gone,” she said, a grin cracking across her muzzle.

        I hesitated for a few moments. It was a possibility; I could just go to Ponyville for a while and see what the princess could teach me. Maybe I could learn something about who I used to be, and what friendship really means. It’s not like I have anything I need to do in town anyways, I could just take a vacation for a few weeks and see what I can learn.

        I looked up at Sugar Belle and cracked a smile, finally, “You know what, you might be right. It’s not permanent, I could just go see if she has any advice for me, then come back. Right?”

        Sugar Belle nodded enthusiastically, “Right! And then when you get back, you’ll be happy again.”

        I nodded back, mimicking her enthusiasm, the smile slipping into a grin and refusing to leave my muzzle, “You’re right! Thank’s Sugar Belle!” I exclaimed, setting a few bits on the counter for the unfinished cake before turning and trotting out in an excited rush.

After all, I had some packing to do.

> Unknown Journey
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter one: Unknown Journey




The train station was only a short walk away, and you could barely call it that. It was only a small dirt path with some rails besides it. On that track, it was basically the last stop. Reaching it, I sat down and waited. For all I knew, it could be a long time until the train arrived.

        Is this really what I want?

        My mind had been working hard since the talk with Sugar Belle. I still didn’t really know what was missing, but I also doubted that it would be as simple as friendship. At least, I had all my friends at home, right?

        Maybe this isn’t easy after all.

        Lost in my thoughts, I jumped up at the whistle as the train approached. It stopped with shrieking brakes and one door opened, revealing the conductor.

        “Destination?” he asked me.

        “Ponyville, please.”

        He grabbed a device on his side, tipping something in before pulling a lever, giving me the paper it spat out, “Here’s your ticket. That would be thirty bits, please.”

        Nodding, I grabbed a few bits from my saddlebags and gave them to him, then he stepped aside to let me in. The train was almost empty, and I had no problem finding a quiet place. I sighed heavily as I sat upon the comfortable chair. Despite my jumbled thoughts, sleep soon took me, carrying me through unstable dreams.


***


        As I opened my eyes, I realized that I wasn’t on the train anymore. Looking around, I noticed a small room, basked in moonlight. I also noticed that I couldn’t move. Out of the window, I could see the moon rising higher and higher, and as its light struck me, I got up, walking over to a closet. It wasn’t me that was in control, I was merely a watcher in a body. 

        There was a full bodied mirror within, showing little but my reflection in a blackened space devoid of the room behind me. However, it wasn’t my reflection that was startling, it was what the reflection of me was wearing.

        I stood in a set of deep purple and midnight blue plate armor, which covered most of my barrel and neck in thick segmented plates. Each plate was decorative and looked ceremonial, with a trim around the edge of each plate engraved with crescent moons and six pointed stars. My hooves were covered in decorative hoof plates, reaching up my fetlocks and ending in simple leaf-patterned plates in the same deep purple as my chest plate. The front plates of my forehooves were decorated with a large crescent moon on the front of both, prominently displayed and reflecting the glow of some ethereal moonlight.

        The reflection of me wore an angular and segmented helmet of the same style, with my mane pressed under the plate metal, and a fin of bat-like webbing decorated the top and trailed down the back of my neck. On the front of the helmet was a prominent crescent moon, silver and ornamental, separate from the helmet and turned onto its side so the edges of the moon were displayed almost like horns.

        The reflection of me was terrifying, regal and commanding all in the same glance. I wanted to say something, asking how a dream could be so real. But still, I was only a watcher in a body. My reflection stared back at me for a few moments before smirking and turning, heading for a door. 

        Leaving the room, I stood in a long hallway. Without hesitation, I turned left and walked along. There were a lot of dark blue banners on the wall, all decorated with moons and stars. They weren’t helping me figure out where I was.

        My steps fell harder the closer I came to the large double doors at the end of the hall. The closer I got, the more I noticed the two ponies standing beside it. They had similar armor to mine, but not as detailed, not as shimmering. They seemed more plain.

        “Centurion!” they saluted as I approached them, “She is waiting for you.”

        With a nod, I stepped forward as they opened the door. The light that flooded through the open doors blinded me before everything turned black as night.


***


        
        “Miss? We are at Ponyville station,” a voice suddenly woke me from my slumber.

        Blinking, I opened my eyes to look up at the face of the conductor, “Thanks, I’m up,” I mumbled, to which he nodded before continuing his way.

        Giving a long yawn, I stretched my neck from side to side before standing up on unsteady legs. Certain I wasn’t about to fall over and fall asleep again, I turned and gathered my luggage before making my way towards the exit, wondering where exactly I’d be spending my first night.

        The train station was nothing spectacular, kind of like the town behind it. It was small, to say the least, and very much of earth pony construction. The town itself was lined with buildings of similar construction to the train station, but with small variations that made each house unique in their own way. It was a small and seemed very simple, but it gave off a pleasant aura of homeliness.

        Of course, the most impressive and imposing part of the town was the massive crystal tree that loomed in the distance. It looked painfully out of place, and was undoubtedly the location I could find Princess Twilight, considering just how regal the crystals managed to look.

        The very sight of it made me gulp in anxiety. Seeing the imposing structure, even from a distance, was enough to set me on the tips of my hooves.

        I should try and find a hotel first. Hmm, well the town is kinda small, I might have better luck with an inn.

        Sighing, I made my way along what seemed to be the main road. It led towards a round building with a high roof. It seemed like a town center, or something similar. Maybe I would get the directions to an inn there.

Looking around, I noticed that some of the buildings seemed very different from each other. Most of the residences were old styled wooden buildings with woven roofs, but there were some that looked nothing like the residences. One such building I saw was a small, pale building with a long, green roof. The large letters spelling out ‘bowling’ made me gasp.

It’s such a small town, but it’s still got stuff to do like bowling? Nice!

        Taking my attention away from the bowling alley, I started heading towards the circular building in the center of town again, making sure to glance around as I did so. As small as the town was, it seemed to offer a lot of activities and businesses that I wouldn’t have expected. I was eager to explore, whenever I had found somewhere to spend the night, of course.

        It was just before I reached the building that a pink ‘something’ crashed into me.

        “Oopsie daisy, sorry!” it called, jumping up and down in front of me. 

        “Ughh,” I tried to get back onto my hooves, but the bouncing pink pony in front of me was seriously distracting me. 

        “Ooooh, I’ve never seen you around before! Are you new in Ponyville? That’s so exciting, because I usually know everypony, so you have to be new! If you are new, I have to throw you a party to welcome you and invite everypony to get to know you. My name is Pinkie Pie! What’s your name?”

        The pink pony was speaking fast enough to make my head hurt. Really badly. 

        “Wait! You’re that cool pegasus from that town we went to! What are you doing here? Are you visiting us? Do you have a place to stay? Are you looking for something special? I can show you literally everything! Oh, I can help you get to know my friends! I… mpf mpf!” the pink pony was silenced by an orange hoof.

        “Whiew, Pinkie! Let that pony breathe, will ya?” the orange mare said before chuckling towards me, “Never thought I would see ya again so soon, sugarcube.”

        “Hey, Applejack. I might have missed it, but this is Pinkie Pie, right?” Though I had the feeling that the pink pony had introduced herself at some point during her excited rant, she had been speaking far too fast for me to pick up everything she had said.

        “Yeah, she is. Pinkie, that’s Night Glider. She’s the pegasus from the small town we stumbled upon thanks to that map, ya remember?”

        “Ohhhh, I know that, silly!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing up and down with renewed vigor. 

        “Pinkie, don’t ya have some muffins in the oven or something like that?” Applejack deadpanned. 

        Pinkie’s eyes widened as she let out a gasp, the pink monstrosity hovering into the air by a solid hoof for a second before she landed again, “My muffins! Bye, Night Glider!” she exclaimed. In the moments it took her to speak, she was already gone, replaced by empty space where she was before.

        “What the…?” I started but Applejack just shook her head.

        “Never question it. It’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.”

        “And that’s… Normal?” I asked, raising a brow in curiosity.

        “I don’t know what’s normal in your town, sugarcube. But here in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie belongs to the standard inventory, if ya wanna call it like that,” Applejack chuckled slightly. 

        I shook my head in surprise. Pinkie Pie was wild while she was in my town, but I didn’t expect that she would be even worse in her own town. Giving a nervous chuckle, I nodded, “I guess that’ll take some getting used to.”

        “It sure does. So, what brings ya to our town?”

        “Well, I’m on some kind of vacation and decided to come here. Besides that, I also wanted to ask Princess Twilight a few questions about friendship.”

        “Ho, she’s definitely the right pony for those sorta questions. Where do ya plan on stayin’, sugarcube?”

        “I don’t have a place yet. You know of one?”

        “Sure do. C’mon, I’ll lead ya there,” Applejack smiled before turning and trotting off, making me have to pick up the pace to catch up to her. 

        The journey through town was uneventful, with no further incidents of pink disasters and headaches. Applejack was kind enough to gesture every time that we passed something she thought of as noteworthy, but I admit that I hadn’t been paying as much attention as I should have. I was busy thinking about what Applejack had said, how she had confirmed my suspicions that Twilight would be able to answer my questions about friendship.

        Applejack had managed to get my hopes up about the endeavor I had set out in front of myself, but it hadn’t served to settle my unease, and to be honest it had made me even more nervous about it. Now I knew that I would get answers, but that just meant that I had to think of questions that she’d actually be able to answer. Questions that didn’t make me seem too stupid.

        Why do I care if she thinks I’m stupid? She’s the Princess of Friendship, there’s no way she’d actually think that.

        We stopped for a moment as a seemingly disoriented grey pegasus flew past a few hooves in front of our muzzles, disappearing into the distance. I barely recognized the sounds of a crash moments later.

        But what if she does?

        Applejack said something and motioned for me to follow along again. Shaking my head clear of my thoughts, I forced myself to snap out of my own mind and started following again. It wouldn’t do any good to worry about what might happen, I still had to make sure that there was a place for me to sleep at night.

        I hadn’t noticed how far we had traveled, with my conscious thoughts blinding me so completely. However, it turned out that we were almost at the outskirts of town by the time I had really recovered from my anxious inner dialogue.

        “Hey, Applejack? Where are we going? I thought you said you were taking me someplace I could spend the night?” I asked, turning my head to look at the farmer quizzically.

        “Eeyup! And we’re just about there. Sweet Apple Acres; my home.”

        We turned around one last corner to see a path towards giant fields of apple trees and wheat, all leading up to a big barn and a few other buildings.

        “Uh, I’m staying at your place? Are you sure that’s alright?”

        “Of course it’s okay. You’re a friend, so y’all can stay here,” Applejack chuckled as she continued her walk.

        “What do I owe you for a few days?” I asked.

        Applejack stopped and turned back, “Are ya tryin’ to insult me now? You ain’t gonna pay nothin’, sugarcube. But it would be nice if ya could help us around the farm if ya got the time.”

        “I’m sorry,” I folded my ears back and Applejack sighed.

        “C’mon. The day is nearly over, and I guess that y’all also wanna to talk to Twilight.”

        Together, we walked up the laneway and towards the barn. Upon closer inspection, the barn seemed to serve an extra purpose as the farmhouse, which was likely where I was going to be staying for the next few days.

        Taking a moment to stop at the front door and admire the building, a smile crossed my muzzle. It looked homey and welcoming, the sort of place that you’d expect a farmer to live. Of course, that meant that it fit the picture quite well.

        Hefting my luggage into a more comfortable position on my back, I followed Applejack inside and through the halls. The farmhouse, though old and mostly made of wood, seemed very well cared for and kept tidy. It didn’t feel grungy and musty, and it smelt of fresh apple pies. I had to admit, this one building had more character than anything that was in my town before our cutie marks had been returned.

        Applejack came to a stop at the top of the stairs and opened one of the doors there, leading into a cozy looking bedroom. There was a single bed with a bedside table, and a dresser underneath a mirror opposite the bed. A few small paintings and pictures dotted the walls here and there, but it gave off the feel of a guest room, not a room that belonged to any of the family members.

        It was perfect.

        Giving Applejack a smile as I stepped inside, I set my luggage down against the far wall and took a moment to look around the room. It wasn’t impressively massive or elaborate, but it was simple and felt like I was welcome there any time. Not to mention the view of the orchards was beautiful.

        Turning on the spot to face Applejack, the smile on my muzzle only served to grow, “Applejack, this is awesome! Thank you so much!” I exclaimed gratefully.

        “Come on, sugarcube, it ain’t a big deal. Anypony ‘round here would do the same,” she said, a hearty smile gracing her muzzle as much as the blush that settled on her cheeks.

        “Sorry, I guess I’m not used to this sorta thing after everything that happened in my town,” I admitted honestly.

        “Like I said, no big deal, sugarcube. I think y’all should go see Twilight now. It’ll get dark soon, and I’m sure that y’all would like to talk with her as soon as possible.”

        I nodded quickly, “Thanks, Applejack. I’ll go see Twilight, and I’ll come back whenever I’m done over there,” I said before walking past her and trotting out to the front door quickly, “Thanks again!” I called out over my shoulders as I trotted along the path we had taken from town.

        It wasn’t a long journey back into Ponyville, the farm that Applejack lived at was just outside the town’s borders. Because of this, I found myself running through the town only a few minutes after I first left the farm, and the crystal monstrosity grew in front of me the closer I got.

        As imposing as the building itself was, I was aiming for something that was even more imposing. Or, at least, someone who was even more imposing. I couldn’t imagine that it was every day that Princess Twilight got visits from ponies that she saved. And even fewer visits from ponies who wanted to actually learn about what friendship really was.

        My nerves were silenced the moment I came to a halt in front of the stairs. All thoughts were wiped out as I took in the massive formation, eyes wide in shock and my ears back in worry. I stood in front of the stairs, but I just couldn’t bring myself to walk up them.

Okay, why is this so difficult? I just have to get up there, knock, and ask her if she could answer some questions. No… no, she’s a princess, that wouldn’t be right. What could I do? I could simply ask her for some help? No, that sounds like I would need help for something big, and make me look dumb in front of the princess. Ugh, why do I even care? Wait… she told me that she learned a lot as a student under Princess Celestia. Maybe I can ask her to be her student? I just don’t know how Princess Twilight would react. Sweet Luna, I’m bad at this… Argh, buck this!

Forcing myself to snap out of it, I hopped a few steps at once, finally standing in front of the colossal double doors of the crystal castle. Raising a hoof, I knocked and waited. I didn’t have to wait long before the doors were enveloped in a purple aura before pushing slightly open.

“Yes? How can I…” Princess Twilight stopped, eyeing me for a bit before her eyes widened, “Night Glider? What a surprise! What are you doing in Ponyville?”

I knew it was stupid, but I did it nonetheless. Kneeling down, I looked up to see a shocked expression on the princess’s face, “Princess Twilight, you showed me and my friends a part of friendship back in my town, but I don’t know much about it. I would like to be your student and learn more about what friendship really means.”

Minutes went by, and the expression of the Princess hadn’t changed. After a while, a small dragon came out of the castle and waved a claw in front of her muzzle.

“I think you broke her,” he said after a few seconds, chuckling slightly.

> Waiting Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Chapter Two: Waiting Time







        

        Minutes went by, but Twilight still stood in the same position. From time to time, her eyelid twitched, and I quickly became worried. But the small dragon at her side actually seemed humored by it.

        Then, in one swift movement, Twilight turned and ran into the castle, leaving us behind. I looked at the small dragon questioningly, but he just shrugged.

        “Give her some time, she’ll be fine. I’m Spike, who are you?”

        “I’m Night Glider, I’m from the…”

        “...small town that Twilight and the others visited,” he continued.

        “Yeah, that’s right.”

        “Well, you better come in. Knowing Twilight, this might take a while,” Spike motioned for me to follow him.

        I entered the castle and the large doors closed shut behind us. He led me through a long hall and through an entrance on the right, into what seemed to be a massive kitchen.

        “Do you want something to drink? We have tea, or maybe some apple cider,” Spike spoke as he scrambled around in some crystal cabinets. 

        “Apple cider, if it’s no problem. Uh, no offense, but is she always like that?” I asked, trying to sound as polite as that line of questioning could be.  

        “No, not really. Just give her some time, you kind of caught her pretty off guard with that.”

        “Y-you heard it?” I asked, ears flattening against my head in embarrassment. 

        “You weren’t exactly being quiet,” he replied, rolling his eyes as he retrieved a bottle of cider from the cabinets.

        A deep blush crossed my cheeks as I scuffed a hoof against the floor, avoiding eye contact with the dragon as he brought the drink over. Embarrassed beyond belief, I took the offered drink in the grip of one of my wings with a meek, “T-thanks.”

        “Yeah, no problem,” the dragon said before plodding off to another cabinet that he began digging through.

        “Do you think she hates me now?” I asked weakly.

        “What? No, she doesn’t hate you. She’s probably only confused and a bit overwhelmed. Give her time until she’s wrapped her head around it. That could take a while if she asks Celestia for advice,” Spike chuckled with a shake of his head, then his eyes went wide after a moment, “Wait, that means she will need…”

        Suddenly, Spike was enveloped in a purple aura before disappearing. I looked around to see where he could have headed, but I found nothing. Just an open cabinet, a small stool to help him search through it, but no dragon. 

        Just as I wanted to give up and leave, he reappeared. Right in the air above me. Crashing down onto my back, we both yelped in surprise.

        “Ugh, her aiming is off,” Spike complained, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort. 

        “What the hay, Spike?!” I exclaimed, untangling myself from my own hooves before standing up again, shaking off the disorientation that came with being clobbered over the head with a baby dragon.

        Spike was quick to put up his claws in a show of surrender, “Sorry, sorry! Twilight’s great with magic, but even she can’t teleport things somewhere she can’t see,” he explained before dropping his claws and sighing, “Last time I wound up upside down in the tub.”

        I rolled my eyes at the mental image of that, “So, what did she want?”

        “Well, she needed to send a letter to her former mentor. Or, well, a whole roll of twenty inch paper?” he chuckled softly.

        “How much can she even write? She’s barely been up there for half an hour!” I exclaimed, eyes wide. 

        “You would wonder,” Spike muttered before heading back to his task he had to leave thanks to the certain teleportation, “Where are they? Aha!” he shouted out, nearly losing his balance as he pulled a box out, “She keeps hiding them from me, but I find them every time!”

        Stepping down from the stool and setting the box on top of it, he stuck a claw in and proudly removed what appeared to be a royal blue gem. Making a subtle noise of approval, he tossed the gem into his mouth and crunched down on the crystal, filling the room with an unsavory crack of gems breaking.

        “What are you doing?!” I asked in shock, expecting to see his teeth crack at any moment. The very sound made my teeth itch and my jaw ache, I couldn’t imagine why he would put his own mouth through such a thing.

        Spike raised a brow at me quizzically as he munched away at the gem in his mouth. After a few moments of painful crushing, he swallowed and then replied, “Eating. Why?” he asked as he reached for another gem out of the box.

        Pointing at him wildly, my wings ruffled in displeasure, “But those are gems! How the hay do you eat gems without your teeth breaking?!” I exclaimed, my eyes wide as plates and ears flat against my head.

        Spike blinked a few times before letting out a hearty laugh, clutching his stomach as he tried to contain himself. The baby dragon fell victim to full body guffaws, filling the kitchen with the sounds of his laughter. This went on for a solid minute, the poor dragon looked like he might pass out from how hard he was laughing. However, as soon as it began, it ended in gasps and wheezes before he stood back up and shook his head and wiped a tear from the corner of one of his eyes.

        “What’s so funny?” I snapped accusatory, frowning at the dragon who so happened to find my discomfort laughable.

        Sighing the last of his laughs away, he held up a gem in his claws, “I’m a dragon, gems are just what we eat. My teeth are meant to cut through gems, that’s why my teeth don’t break,” he replied with an innocent grin before tossing the gem back into his mouth and crunching away at it.

        The sound of the gems breaking in his mouth still made me cringe and my ears to fold back against my skull, but at least it made sense. That didn’t change the fact that my jaw still felt bad when I imagined what it was like to eat gems. Not to mention the fact that gems couldn’t possibly taste good, but I wasn’t about to launch into another laugh-inducing line of questioning.

        Looking at the bottle in my wing, I brought it over and cracked the cap off, releasing a satisfying hiss of carbonated air. Bringing it up to my lips, I gave a halfhearted chuckle, “Right, dragon. I’ll keep that in mind,” I said before taking a sip of the delicious bottled beverage.

        We passed into relative silence for a few minutes, broken only by the shiver-inducing crunch of gems, and the near silent sound of my apple cider sloshing around in the bottle as I tipped it back. I spent the time in thought, wondering about what Twilight could possibly be discussing with Celestia. It was no doubt about me, but I had no idea what Celestia could possibly think about her past student taking on a student of her own. Would she support the idea, or utterly reject it?

        A small voice at the back of my head urged me to get up and just leave; go back to the town and live out the rest of my days in mediocrity. Of course, that voice was strangled by the larger voice that was practically shouting at me to hide under the counter and wait for Twilight to come down and blast her. And that particularly illogical voice was silenced by the calming voice of reason that was telling me to just sit and wait for Twilight to say yes.

        I could hardly understand most of the argument in my head, I kept switching between thoughts as if one of them may have held the answer that Twilight herself was seeking, but of course it was hopeless. The best I could do would be to wait there and drink the rest of my apple cider, and focus on not passing out or falling over. At least, not in the presence of this irritatingly childlike dragon.

        Sudden noises from behind me made my ears perk up. Twilight was entering the kitchen, her left eye twitching slightly.

        “I’m sorry, Night Glider, but this might take longer than I expected. How about you look around the town a bit?” Twilight seemed pretty stressed, I had no doubt about that.

        “Is everything alright with-” I started, but she interrupted me.

        “Yes, yes! Everything is fine! How about you come by later?” with that, Twilight was gone again, this time in the purple aura I had seen on Spike earlier. 

        I looked at Spike who just shrugged his shoulders, “Let her calm down. Finish your drink and then take your time, explore Ponyville. We’re pretty small, but there’s a lot going on if you look close enough. Maybe you should head to Sugarcube Corner and visit Pinkie?”

        “NO!” I yelled before coughing awkwardly, “I mean, no. I think I’ll just explore the town a bit without heading somewhere certain.”

        “Well, suit yourself,” he said before continuing with his gems. 

        I finished my drink and made my leave, promising to come again later or tomorrow. It was already growing dark, as far as I could tell from the light through those crystal windows at least. Walking out of the kitchen and the castle, my suspicions were confirmed.

        The sun was setting slowly in the distance, and a faint chill was invading the air. Grinning, I looked up. It was the perfect time for some flying. And after being on the ground for some time now, I definitely needed it.

        Spreading my wings after a moment, I took off into the air and climbed until I was high enough to see all of Ponyville stretching below me. It wasn’t exactly as small as I imagined it. Various houses were spread through some smaller paths in various directions, some with the woven roof I noticed upon arriving, some a mixture of bright colours, probably shops or something similar. 

        In the far distance, barely noticeable save for the lights in the windows, there appeared to be scattered cottages and farms, one of the bigger ones of which was most certainly where I would be spending the night. There were a few cloud houses far above me, the construction of which I recognized despite never actually having been inside one.

        One of the cloud houses seemed to be far bigger than the others, and caught my attention. From what I could see, it was multi-floored, and had various waterfalls of liquid rainbow running around it. It was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. 
        
        Turning my attention back to the ground, my eyes were drawn by the sight of a still lake in the distance, the colors of the sunset reflecting delicately off of the surface of the water. The effect turned the black water into a deep orange with subtle ripples through its surface, bending the light and making it seem as if the lake was a living creature.

        The sight drew me in, for some reason or another, and I soon found myself landing on a grassy hill above the lake. Taking a seat once I landed, I turned my attention to the slowly setting sun on the other side of the lake and let out a content sigh, watching the magnificent ball of color disappearing behind the horizon.

        I sat there, watching the sun set in the distance and the dying light play tricks over the surface of the water below me until the sun was out of sight. Soon enough, Equestria was cast into darkness and graced by the presence of the full moon overhead, along with an abundance of stars.

        I had to admit, Luna had outdone herself that night. The sky was beautiful, a black canvas with white speckles of wonder, and the moon itself was bright and vibrant. I always loved the night sky, even when I had my cutie mark removed, I enjoyed watching the stars.

        With my neck craned backwards, I could see the constellations that I had memorized at some point in time. The Cradle, the Hydra, the Mare, the Sea Pony, the Minotaur, the Warrior, the Tower, the Candle. It was always so fascinating to point out constellations and then recounting the stories of why it was named as such.

        Honestly, I wasn’t sure when I had acquired such a knowledge for the history of constellations. I had always just assumed that when I was a foal that my parents had some love of the stars, and saw fit to read me bedtime stories about them. I wasn’t honestly sure, I couldn’t remember much of anything about my childhood, or even my parents for that matter. It was a fuzzy period that felt like it happened over the course of one year, as opposed to about twelve.

        For as little as I could remember about my childhood, though, I still remembered the stories. How the Warrior was on a timeless quest to rescue his lover, who had been cursed by a witch, and the witch had told him that for him to find his lover he would have to be sent to the skies. His wife, the Mare, was still lost in the night skies, forever searching for signs of her husband. Or stories about the magister’s Tower, which was empty save for a single Candle, both of which disappeared from Equestria when the Candle was lit.

        I found myself fall over onto my back as I gazed at the stars, recalling stories about them and thinking about my past. In my new position, I could watch the stars without hurting my neck, and was quite comfortable in the position. The cool ground was welcoming and gentle on my back.

        Resting my front hooves behind my head as a sort of pillow, a grin broke across my muzzle at the sight of a pair of shooting stars sailing across the night sky, gone as quickly as they had arrived. It was poetic, in a way. They reminded me of ponies; we’re thrown into life, we rush through it, and then we leave as quickly as we had arrived, but during the time that we’re there, we burn as bright as any star in the night sky.


***


        I lost track of time as I watched the stars swirling above me, counting off stars in constellations and the number of dark spots I could see on the moon from there. It was peaceful, the only sounds being that of tree frogs and the delicate lapping of the river against the banks in the almost nonexistent breeze. I could have laid there all night, watching and listening, thinking to myself about the most inconsequential of things until the sun rose.

        However, as the moon made its journey across the sky, it occurred to me that I still had a princess who wanted to see me.

        I could have always just returned to the farm and came back the next morning, but my nerves didn’t agree with that. I wanted to have an answer sooner than later, and if I waited a whole night, I was sure I was going to be crawling up the walls too much to be able to go to sleep.

        Rolling over to my hooves and giving a long stretch, I sighed contently as the feeling returned to my back and hooves. Bouncing in place a few times to get the blood flowing again, I spread my wings and took off into the air, the grin refusing to leave my face as I took in the cold night air whipping past my face.

        It felt great to be alive.

        Flying at a leisurely pace back to the castle in Ponyville, I took the time to fly up into one of the scarce low-flying clouds to give myself a quick mist cleaning, making sure that I had no grass or dirt stuck to my back after my little stargazing session. The water stored in the cloud was cold, but refreshing all the same. There wasn’t enough to really make me soaked, but the misting that washed over me as the cloud exploded was more than enough to make sure that I was clean and smelt of morning dew.

        Not slowing down in my journey, I angled myself from the cloud towards the castle and was soon at the front steps yet again, landing on all four hooves with my attention at the door. It seemed that my journey had brought me back to these steps, but after having faced the dragon, so to speak, I didn’t feel frozen in fear any more. I was just anxious to get started.

        Trotting up the steps, I stopped on the landing and knocked three times on the door, waiting patiently.

        I didn’t have long to wait, the doors were soon enveloped in the faint lavender aura that I was growing accustomed to and swung open. As expected, there stood Princess Twilight Sparkle. However, she actually didn’t look as frazzled as she had… however earlier it had been since I was last there. 

        She looked clean, with none of her hairs out of place and none of her feathers ruffled. That, and she wasn’t twitching anymore, which was a good sign if any.

        Her eyes found me and she gave a polite smile, “Oh, Night Glider! I was starting to think that you might not come tonight.”

        I chuckled lightly, scratching the back of my neck with a hoof awkwardly, “Yeah, sorry about that, princess. I lost track of time stargazing, and I kinda didn’t know how long you’d be locked up in your room for anyways,” I admitted sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with the alicorn.

        The princess gave an embarrassed chuckle, a blush crossing her cheeks, “I’m sorry about that, you kind of surprised me,” she said, shifting her weight from one side to the other as if she was suppressing the urge to run away again.

        I nodded my understanding, “Don’t worry about it, I get it. But...uhhh… Did you think about what I said?” I asked, letting my hoof drop back to the ground and my eyes find her again.

        Twilight bit her lip for a moment before giving a quick, single nod, “Yes, I have. And I believe I’ve come to a decision,” she said, despite the fact that she sounded quite unsure about whatever decision she had reached.

        I raised an eyebrow at her, my ears perking up in curiosity, “And what did you decide?” I asked, a fresh wave of anxiety rushing through my system.

        A few moments of silence passed as Twilight took steady breaths, looking as if she were fighting a battle with herself. However, I didn’t interrupt her, and after she seemed to regain her figurative hoofing, she gave a small, unsure smile, “After speaking with Celestia about this matter, I’ve decided that I will accept your request to become your mentor in the ways of friendship. You can come here tomorrow morning so we can begin, and if you still need help whenever you leave, you can start writing to me about what you’ve learned about friendship yourself,” she said, exhaling the rest of her breath as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

        I couldn’t suppress the grin that reformed itself on my muzzle at the news, “R-really? You mean it?” my wings popped open and propelled me about three hooves into the air, where I proceeded to pump a hoof into the air in excitement, “Woohoo!! Awwh, yeah! This is going to be awesome!” I heard myself exclaim with fervor.

        Twilight seemed to be caught off guard by the display as she recoiled, eyes going wide in surprise. However, despite the surprise, a small grin crossed her features as she witnessed my excitement. Of course, that was about the moment I realized I was currently cheering in front of my new mentor.

        Clearing my throat and quickly dropping back to my hooves, I blushed fiercely and gave an awkward smile, “Err, I mean… Thanks, princess. I really appreciate it,” I said, making sure to keep my tone of voice more respectful.

        After a moment of adjustment, Twilight returned to a normal stance and gave a genuine smile that made me feel surprisingly warm inside. Shaking her head delicately, she replied, “You don’t have to thank me, I think this will be a learning experience for us both.”

        I nodded my agreement with my mentor, “Mhm. So, I guess I’ll see you in the morning?” I asked, my wings perking up again in barely contained excitement.

        Giving a small laugh, she nodded at me, “Yes, I’ll see you in the morning. Good night, Night Glider,” she said, giving a nod in my direction.

        Grinning ear to ear, I bowed my head towards her, “Goodnight, princess,” I replied before turning and taking off into the sky. I didn’t make it more than a few hooves before Twilight’s voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

        “And Night Glider?” She called out, causing me to look over my shoulder in mid-hover. The smile she gave me could have thawed out Stalliongrad, “Call me Twilight.”



> Difficult Start
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Chapter three: Difficult Start.










Moonlight greeted me once again as I awoke in that room from my last dream. And again, I was only a watcher in my own body. My dream-me stood up and walked to the familiar closet, looking into the mirror like last time. There was something new; a scar down my left eye.

After a few moments, I turned and left the room. However, this time I turned another way, going along a much larger hallway lined with various doors. I made my way towards the biggest pair and pushed them open, entering what seemed like a mess hall.

It was small, however, and only a few ponies were already in there. Most were pegasi like me, but there were a few others with bat-like wings and sharp, fluffy ears. They were smiling at me, showing piercing sharp teeth.

I walked past the doors, making my way to the head of a large table positioned in the middle of the back of the room.

“Centurion!” They all cheered, bringing a smirk to my muzzle.

I spoke, but it wasn’t really me. My voice came out crisp and sharp, a leader giving a speech to soldiers, “I know that we all face a hard time. Some of us have suffered under the day, others have died in the recent griffon war because the sun princess would rather waste our lives on the front lines than risk her own soldiers. Not anymore, I say! The night princess has promised us freedom under the light of her moon! No more will we be treated as lesser beings because of our preference for the dark! No more will we be looked down upon with spite and disgrace! They will know us, and they will respect us or fear us, but they will never again look down on us!” I cried out, slamming a hoof down on the table for emphasis, the loud thud of an armored hoof against wood echoing through the halls.

“We are brothers and sisters under the moon, we are the stars that protect her, and we will not die off at the whims of the sun! Tonight, we dine as a family, and we remember what we have to lose. And tomorrow, we begin the dawn of a new night. The eclipse is upon us, my family, and we will be the ones to usher it in with blood and steel!” I exclaimed the final part as a shout of desire and enthusiastic anger. The voice sounded alien to me, foreign.

Everypony in attendance let loose a wild cheer and thunderous applause, deafening me and most likely everypony else in the room. The sound brought a wicked smile to my lips. 

“Hoorah, Centurion Night Glider! For the Princess of the Night!” they all shouted as they lifted their drinks.

        I raised my drink with them as the doors behind me opened. Again, I was blinded by the light coming in as I turned towards it, passing out in blackness before I could catch a detail of the new arrival.



***



        I awoke bathed in sweat and greeted by a faint beam of moonlight seeping through the window into the room I occupied in the farm. It was still rather late in the night, but the dream seemed to wake me rather abruptly.

        Even after this dream I still had no idea what it was all about, but at least I knew who was involved. After everything I said in that dream, the Princesses of the Moon and Sun were involved. 

        What in the hay do I have to do with them? This makes no sense...

        Sighing in irritation, I pushed the sheets off of me and sat up in bed, groaning quietly with the effort. My head swam and my wings had cramped up against my back at some point in the night, but it was better than laying there and feeling confused. Usually I’d fly around whenever I had weird dreams like that, but that was when I was in my own house and there was no one around to disturb if I had to get up in the middle of the night. The farmhouse was quite the opposite; if I got up to go for a flight to clear my head, I would wind up waking up the whole family.

        No matter how restless I was, I wasn’t about to go and disturb the Apples after they had so kindly let me under their roof. That didn’t mean that I would be able to get back to sleep immediately, though.

        Why am I dreaming about this? I can’t remember ever being involved with the Princesses or anything else that matches my dreams.

        Shaking my head quickly, I sighed and turned so that I was leaning with my back against the wall and my head rested against it, staring off at the other side of the room. I had no idea why I always had dreams like that, they were confusing and always succeeded in giving me a headache when I thought about them for too long.
        
        It’s almost like there’s something to remember, but something’s stopping me from remembering it.

        I chuckled. That was simply unlikely. There was no way that there was anything of significance that had ever happened in my life, let alone anything worth blocking my memory over. Chances were that I just had a bad dream, and that was all that there was. It could have even been that I just read something that made that scene pop into my head.

        Or Starlight Glimmer not only took my cutie mark, but some of my sense.

        I actually had to laugh a little at that. It reminded me how often Sugar Belle told me that sometimes my head seemed to be full of air, and that it depended on the day whether it was hot air or just air.

        Raising my head from off the wall, I took a moment to stand up on the bed and stretch my limbs, feeling the satisfying pop that came from my bones falling back into place. As comfortable as the bed was, I was definitely not used to it. I was sure that I’d get used to it in a few nights, but for the moment, I was locked from the embrace of sleep by the vile jailor that was my bed.

        Grunting as I arched my back, I settled back down into a comfortable laying position and snuggled in, using a wing to pull the sheets back over me. It would take a while, but I still had a few hours left until sunrise, so I figured I might as well try to get some more sleep.

        Closing my eyes and settling in, I was quite prepared to fall back asleep until my ear twitched at the faint sound of voices coming from the room over.

        “Cut it out, Dash!” Applejack’s faint voice filtered through the wood quite softly, followed by the sounds of her giggling, “You’ll wake everyone up!”

        My eyes shot open as I found myself suddenly more awake than the nightmare had caused me to be. What was Rainbow Dash doing in Applejack’s room in the middle of the night? 

        “I guess we’ll just have to be extra quiet then, right?” a scratchy, tomboyish voice followed Applejack’s, which I could safely assume belonged to Rainbow Dash.

        Rainbow’s voice was followed by a fresh bout of giggles and the sound of wood squeaking under shifting weight, the same sound that the bed I was in made whenever I moved around on it.

        A blush crossed my cheeks, burning across my face as my ears folded backwards slightly. I didn’t need to be in the room to figure out what they were doing, I wasn’t that clueless. Still, that didn’t change the fact that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were currently doing that in the room next to mine, and the walls were thin enough to hear everything.

        It was going to be a long, long night.


***


        As the first rays of suns invaded the room, I was still lying awake, staring at the ceiling. Just about two hours ago the noises had stopped, but I still had the image in my head. And the sound in my ears. After all I had seen in my town, I would’ve never guessed that.

        They always told me how great friends they were. Who would’ve thought that they were so much more?

        There was something else, however. The noises, they weren’t only disturbing, they also hurt. It was like an indicator of something.

        Maybe after years alone I miss having a special somepony?

        No, that couldn’t be the case. All that time, I had managed well enough alone, and my flight habits, along with other things, would only disturb a relationship. I had to admit that I didn’t even have a single clue about anything like that. Banging my head against the headboard, I tried to get the images and thoughts to leave my head. Sadly, to no use. 

        Why do I even care?

        I had no answer for that. I was never the romantic type. But years without any other kind of relationship got on your shoulders pretty quickly. And right now, I had serious problems getting all those thoughts away.

        Before I could even continue to break my head about it, the door slowly opened and Applejack stuck her head through it.

        “Good mornin’, sugarcube. You awake?”

        I nodded, trying to avoid any mental images and the heavy blush that threatened to take over my cheeks once again. 

        “Well, come on then! Breakfast’s ready!” she called cheerfully before stepping back into the hallway to wait for me.

        After that night, it’s no wonder why she’s in such a great mood.

        I shuddered lightly before climbing out of the bed and following her. We made our way down the stairs and through a small corridor, reaching the kitchen. Just as we got there, I immediately wanted to turn back upon seeing the prismatic tail escaping the kitchen perfectly in time with our arrival. Well, a second too late maybe, because I still managed to catch a look.

        Of course, I pretended not to see anything, at least for Applejack’s sake. I wasn’t about to call her out on it, it was her business and I’d do my best to keep it that way.

        Even if I can’t get it out of my head.

        Shaking my head quickly to clear that thought process, I quickly waltzed into the kitchen and took a seat at the table, curious as to what the Apples would have made. For some reason, I had the sinking suspicion that whatever dish they made would feature apples.

        Applejack walked past me to the kitchen counter where she picked up a covered platter of something, which she deftly carried back to the table and set down in front of me. Lifting the cover, she revealed a small stack of pancakes, which gave off an aroma of apple and cinnamon.

        Ten points to Night Glider, hehe.

        Licking my lips at the sight of the food, I looked up at Applejack and raised an eyebrow, “Aren’t you going to eat with me?”

        Applejack chuckled, “Sorry, sugarcube, the rest of the family’s already eaten earlier. We figured you’d want to sleep in, since us farm folk get up mighty early. Don’t worry though, I’ll be out in the fields if you need anything,” she said before wandering out the door and tilting her hat in my direction as she left.

        I wonder how she managed to get up to eat so early with that sports session last night. Or maybe she ate during...

        Quickly looking around to ensure that nopony was there, I crashed my head upon the table, trying to forget it. Without luck once again. 

        I’m never going to get this out of my head…

        Figuring that it was best just to get breakfast over with and then meet up with Twilight, I quickly dug into the pancakes and wolfed them down, quite satisfied. I may not have been able to stand in the same room with Applejack at that moment, but she was certainly an incredible chef.

        Probably incredible with her hooves, too… UGH!!!


***


        With my belly full and my forehead quite sufficiently bruised, I made my way towards the castle in Ponyville, deciding to fly there instead of trot. After my flight last night, I had a pretty good idea as to how to get around Ponyville from the sky, and it gave me a chance to clear my head. There wasn’t much that a good flight couldn’t solve.

        Well, except erasing images of squeaking beds out of your head.

        I sighed and shook my head feverishly, trying my best to forget about what I’d heard for the past few hours of moonlight. I didn’t want to get to Twilight with that sort of image in mind, that’d look really bad on my part. Plus, I doubted that it would make a good impression as her new student.

        Especially if it gets too much and I pop a wingboner in front of her, duh. Ugh! Brain, shut up, this isn’t helping!

        Focusing on halting my increasingly perverse thoughts, I turned down towards the castle and landed in front of the steps. Shaking off some of the cloud residue on my feathers, I turned towards the stairs and quickly trotted up, stopping at the door to pound on it a few times.

        I only had to wait for a few moments before the doors popped open. Instead of being pulled in a lavender aura, though, Spike popped his head out through the crack between the doors. Recognizing me, he pulled his head back through the door and pulled it open more so that I could walk in.

        “Hey, Night Glider! Twilight’s in her study, she’s been waiting for you,” he said, closing the door behind me as I entered.

        A blush creeped across my cheeks, “Oh, sorry about that! She hasn’t been waiting long, has she?” I asked, worried that I had been keeping my new mentor waiting.

        Spike shook his head, “Nah, she spends most of the day reading in there anyways,” he said before he began plodding off down the corridor towards, what I assumed, would be the study.

        Following closely behind him, I let out a thankful sigh at his words. At least I hadn’t botched up the meeting time yet, so I was off to a good start.

        We traveled in relative silence for the most part, save for the sounds of his feet on the crystal floor, and the echoing of my hooves. The corridor seemed to go on for ages, but after a few moments, he stopped in front of a single, unassuming door. Reaching up, he knocked on it twice before stepping back and gesturing for me to go ahead.

        This time, the door was enveloped in the familiar lavender aura and pulled inwards. Through the doorway, I could see a warm room with a few bookshelves, a desk with neat lines of ink and parchment, a small fireplace and a few cushions in front of it. It looked like everything that a study should be. Or at least, I assumed it did, since I never really had the chance to see anyone else’s study beyond Starlight Glimmer’s, and I didn’t trust a thing about that mare.

        Twilight was sitting on one of the cushions by the fireplace, just raising her head from a book she had been reading. Smiling over at me, she waved, “Good morning, Night Glider. Come on in,” she said before turning to her book and closing it gingerly.

        Nodding, I quickly stepped forward and over to the fireplace. After standing awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to do, Twilight noticed my discomfort and gestured to the cushion next to hers. Giving an awkward chuckle, I quickly sat on the aforementioned pillow, getting comfortable next to her. 

        Twilight turned towards the door, “Spike! Can you bring us some tea, please?” she called out towards the dragon in the doorway.

        Spike gave a little salute, “You got it!” he said before closing the door and plodding off down the hall excitedly. I had to admit, the little dragon was like an enthusiastic little brother to Twilight. Kinda cute, in a way.

        Twilight turned her attention back towards me after a moment and gave me a kind smile, “So, how was your first night in Ponyville?” she asked, a look of curiosity on her face.

        If my coat weren’t so dark, the blush that rose to my cheeks could have been seen from miles away. Clearing my throat after a moment, I replied in a rush, “Oh! It, uh, was good! Yeah, pretty good! Just a little stiff this morning,” I said, biting my tongue and immediately regretting my choice of words.

        Twilight blinked a few times, raising an eyebrow. No doubt she had picked up on how quickly I had answered. In an effort to repair any mistake I had made, I continued, “I just had a bit of a bad dream. Made me toss and turn, so I was kinda cramped when I woke up,” I explained, hoping that was enough to make her not fall under the impression that I was weird or something.

        Giving a nod of understanding, Twilight visibly relaxed a little. Looking in thought, she spoke, “What did you dream about?” she asked, tilting her head a little as if she were examining my brain through my skull.

        I quickly shook my head in response, “It’s nothing, Twilight, don’t worry about it. Just your typical confusing nightmare,” I replied quickly, not really up for talking with her about it yet. It was just a dream, there was no reason to worry my mentor about it if there was any way I could avoid it.

        Twilight seemed unconvinced, but she gave a little nod and took her straight position on the cushion again. Giving a gentle smile, she reached over and set a hoof on my shoulder, soft as a kitten, “Okay, but if you want to talk about it, you can always talk to me,” she said, giving me a reassuring pat before reclaiming her hoof.

        It was at that moment the door swung open, granting access to the little dragon with a tray containing a full tea set. He plodded over to the cushions and set the tray down between us gently. The teapot smelt distinctly of mint, and there was a small plate with croissants stacked on it. After the breakfast at Applejack’s, this seemed like the perfect way to settle down.

        Giving a grateful smile to Spike, Twilight nodded at him, “Thanks, Spike. You can have the rest of the day to yourself, but please make sure your room is clean,” she said, speaking to him quite like an older sister or even a mother.

        Spike seemed quite joyful at this, “Thanks, Twilight!” he exclaimed before running out of the room. I could have sworn that he tripped somewhere in the hall, but Twilight didn’t seem concerned, so I wasn’t about to question it. He was a dragon, I was sure that he was used to stuff like that.

        Using her magic to close the door, Twilight turned back towards me, “So, you want to learn about friendship? That’s not a subject that you can really just teach, there’s not many books on the subject. It’s something that you have to work at to really get a hoof of. But, I’m your...mentor. So, I’ll do what I can to help introduce you to what the magic of friendship really is,” she said, visibly flinching at the word ‘mentor’.

        I nodded eagerly, “Thank you, Twilight, I really appreciate you trying to help me,” I replied before turning towards the tea. Using my wings to delicately grasp the teapot, I gingerly poured the minty beverage into the two cups and set the teapot back down. Looking up at Twilight, I gave a little smile, “It’s still new to me, so I’ll take whatever help you can give.”

        Twilight nodded in response, a brief flash of sympathy crossing her features. Picking up her cup in her magic, she brought the cup to her nose and gave a quiet sniff before letting out a sigh of contentment. Holding it next to her in her magic, she spoke, “I know what that feels like. Don’t worry, I’ll do what I can to help you,” she said, giving a reassuring smile.

        Deciding to let my own tea cool off for the moment, I returned her smile, “I’m not worried. I’ve got the Princess of Friendship to help me, what could go wrong?” I exclaimed happily, my smile turning into an excited grin. Learning friendship from the Princess of Friendship, it seemed like the perfect deal.

        A small chuckle escaped Twilight’s lips as she nodded her agreement, “Yes, I suppose you do have it going quite well for yourself,” she agreed, taking a sip from her tea. After a moment of swallowing her sip, she looked back up at me, “So tell me, Night Glider, what did you do before you were in Starlight Glimmer’s town? Where did you come from?” she asked with wholehearted curiosity.

        I had no idea in all of Tartarus how to answer that.



> Problematic Explanations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter four: Problematic Explanations


I sat there for a while, just looking at Twilight. There was no possible way I could answer the question. Honestly, everything before the town and my cutie mark being stolen was a blur, but I always thought it was because Starlight had stolen my true self. 

“Uh… I… I just lived, you know?” I muttered.

It was a weak try, a really weak try and damned to fail. Twilight raised an eyebrow as she inspected me, and I could see that it only envigorated her curiosity even more. 

“What exactly do you mean by ‘just lived’? I don’t think I’ve heard that phrase before,” she said, curiosity lacing her voice.

I bit my lip, thinking for a moment. I wasn’t entirely sure how to explain it in a way that would make sure she stopped asking questions about it. It made me uncomfortable trying to explain my past to her when I didn’t even know how to explain my past to myself.

“I just kinda coasted. I didn’t do anything worthwhile, it was just… you know. Boring?” I elaborated, hoping that it made sense enough that she wouldn’t try to go any deeper.

Of course, Twilight wouldn’t have any of it. Shifting on her pillow, she shook her head, “There’s no way that you haven’t done anything special. How about the basics; where did you live before you moved there?” she asked, trying to find a starting point in her questioning. It was a simple question, one that most ponies wouldn’t have a problem with answering.

Of course, most ponies actually knew where they came from. It was a wild guess at best for me, and even then, that wasn’t a very accurate way to answer. The only things I could remember with any accuracy was my time in Starlight’s town, but I couldn’t tell Twilight that I actually came from there. So, I went with the best guess I could come up with.

“Uhhh… Canterlot. I came from Canterlot,” I replied quickly, my wings ruffling in anxiety. It sounded correct, or at least passable. If bits of blurry and incomprehensible dreams were to believe, it was possible that I had been in Canterlot before. Or at the very least, something that looked like Canterlot.

Twilight leaned forward, a serious expression on her muzzle, “Really? I was born and raised in Canterlot. Now that I think about it, I’ve never actually seen you there, and you look like you’re about my age. That’s strange,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she examined me and thought about what I had said.

I chewed the inside of my cheek, “Y-yeah, I must have been homeschooled or something,” I stammered, my ears folding back against my skull as I spoke, “To be honest, I think I lost a lot of my memories when Starlight took my cutie mark away. I just remember running around a castle, and the only castle I can think of is Canterlot castle,” I replied, trying to put on a convincing smile.

“So you can’t remember most of your past?” she asked as she leaned back, humming softly in thought, “Canterlot castle isn’t the only castle in Equestria, but the other castle is almost impossible for you to remember visiting before.”

Raising an eyebrow curiously, I tilted my head, “ What do you mean?” I asked in confusion. I only knew of the one castle in Equestria, most other cities only had holds or had upgraded to modern styles.

Twilight’s horn began to glow as a book floated over to her hooves. She shuffled through it for a few moments before holding it out in front of my muzzle, showing me a hoof drawn picture of what seemed to be the most beautiful castle I’d ever seen, “This is the old castle of the two sisters. A thousand years ago, it was where they lived and ruled, but now it’s not much more than a ruin in the Everfree Forest,” she explained as she poked a hoof at the page of writing next to the drawing.

Something seems familiar about it.

And it was the truth. The castle simply looked beautiful and, for the lack of a better term, like home. Like my home. Yet, it was impossible since that was a thousand years ago. If I had ever actually lived there, that’d mean that I was over a thousand years old, and that was just impossible.

“What’s going through your head right now?” Twilight asked as she gave me a charmingly knowing smile.

“Huh?” I asked stupidly, stopped dead in my thoughts.

“That look. I know it, it’s the same look I get when I’m buried deep in thought. Mind telling me about it?” she asked, looking as if my thoughts were the most interesting subject in the world to her.

I wonder how that would look on her.

I knew that telling her some story or even lying wouldn’t help, so I decided to stay honest, “It seems familiar somehow, but I know that it’s impossible,” I mused, vocalizing my thoughts as best as I could, “It looks like somewhere I’ve been before, and I don’t know how to explain it. I think about it, and somehow I can tell you exactly where the library is, or how many steps you have to take to get to the bedrooms,” I explained, putting my own hoof down on the page that had the picture of the castle.

I know where the armory is, too. And the barracks… and the night princess’s quarters. What the hay is going on?

Twilight seemed genuinely intrigued by my quiet musings, but the way that she bit her lips suggested that she was quite skeptical, too. No matter how skeptical she seemed, though, I seemed to have her rapt attention.        

“How about we go there at some point?” she asked, catching me completely off guard.

“W-what?” I asked, blinking a few times in shock.

She gave an understanding smile, “We could go to the ruins and you can take a look around. Maybe then you’ll get an idea of why the castle feels familiar to you,” she suggested, with no trace of sarcasm or humor in her voice.

“Why are you offering to take me there?” I asked bluntly, unsure of why she’d be willing to venture into the Everfree Forest, of all places, just for my sake.

“Because you are my student,” she said before shaking her head, “No… Sorry, that’s wrong. Because you are my friend, Night Glider.”

Before I could reply to the touching claim, we were disturbed by a rainbow-coloured blur crashing through one of the windows.

“RAINBOW!” Twilight yelled, “Not again!” she exclaimed, seemingly exasperated by the intrusion.

The cyan mare slowly rose from her crumpled position on the ground, shaking her head and wings, “Heh, sorry Twi! I just closed my eyes for a second.”

“Again? What were you doing that made you tired enough to fall asleep while flying?!”

I knew it. I definitely knew it, and I just couldn’t shut my muzzle. I had to pay her back for the lack of sleep.

“Because she was doing some nighttime exercises at the farm,” I said bluntly. 

Rainbow’s eyes widened at that and she looked pleadingly at me, almost as if I shouldn’t tell Twilight anything. 

“Nighttime exercises? I’m sorry, I don’t understand what-”

“Just practice, Twilight. Nothing an egghead like you would understand!” Rainbow quickly interrupted her, the blush on her cheeks matching the red in her prismatic mane.

Twilight blinked a few times in surprise, then shook her head with a slight scoff, “Alright, Rainbow Dash, just be careful from now on. Last time you fell asleep while flying, you were in the hospital for a month,” she said, then smirked at the pegasus, “And you don’t want me to have to sit by your hospital bed and pet you again like I was your mother.”

This time it was Rainbow’s turn to scoff, “Next time you could just accept my invite. It wouldn’t have been so boring then!”

“Rainbow!” Twilight blushed seriously, “I thought that we accepted to never speak of it again! I said no, and it stays no!”

“Chicken!” 

“I think it is my decision with whom I engage the act of cunnilingus, Rainbow,” Twilight replied coldly. 

“Cunni-what now?” I asked, sufficiently confused.

“Bucking,” Rainbow replied bluntly before blowing Twilight a raspberry. 

Twilight blushed deeply and smacked Rainbow lightly on the side with a wing, “Rainbow! That’s very vulgar,” she snapped, fixing her with a cold glare, “And why aren’t you surprised that Night Glider is here?”

“Uhh,” Rainbow scratched her head nervously, “Uh, because AJ told me about it last night,” she said before covering her muzzle quickly with her wings.

Ha! Nicely done!

To my surprise, Twilight didn’t get it.

“You helped at the farm again? What did you do, get caught napping in her tree’s again? Drinking through her cider cellar?” Twilight snickered softly, enjoying a laugh at her friend’s expense while still missing the sexual innuendo behind the real reason. 

I felt the urge to facehoof, and Rainbow expressed it by doing exactly that, “Twi, for an egghead, you’re sometimes pretty uneggish.”

“That’s not even a word, Rainbow,” Twilight scoffed. Rainbow didn’t really seem to care, not that anypony would ever expect her to.

“Yeah, whatever. What are you doing with her here anyways, Twi?” Rainbow asked, finally gesturing towards me as if she had only just realized she was curious as to why I was there.

“She’s my student. Celestia thought it would be a good idea to experience it for myself,” Twilight responded, her chin raising slightly.

Is she… proud? No way.

“You’re kidding me, egghead,” Rainbow replied, a laugh creeping out of her muzzle despite her best efforts not to laugh.

“She’s not,” I replied simply, “And I think she is doing really well, for her first time teaching,”  I said, flashing a smile over at Twilight, which she seemed happy to return, before returning my gaze to Rainbow.

Rainbow blinked a few times, looking from Twilight to myself and then back, her eyes narrowing slightly with each glance. After a few silent moments of glancing, her mouth slowly crept into a sly grin that set me on edge, “Oh my Celestia… No way,” she said, the grin growing exponentially.

“No way what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“How soft is her fur, Twi? I already guessed that you’re into wings, but now I have the proof.”

“WHAT?” Twilight and I both yelled out simultaneously.

“Nothing! Have fun, you two!” she said with a rather suggestive wink before flying out the way she came in.

“What the hay was that?” I asked Twilight, who still looked bewildered.

Twilight was silent for a few moments before she shook her head, “I have no idea,” she admitted, looking at me with a sheepish smile, “Sorry about that,” she said, embarrassment crossing her features.

“It’s okay. How about we continue?” I suggested, giving her a soft smile. 

Somehow, Twilight’s blush intensified at that, and I had to wonder why. Though, she nodded with a smile as the book she brought out levitated back to its spot on a bookshelf.

“What do you know about friendship?” she asked suddenly.

The question caught me off guard, because that was precisely why I was there to study from Twilight. I didn’t know much about friendship, and to be honest, the things I did know were probably the most basic things. I gave an awkward smile, “Uhh… When you’re friends with someone, you like them, and they like you?”

“Interesting answer,” she said, “You don’t know much about it, do you?”

A blush raced across my cheeks, “N-no, I don’t,” I admitted, giving a sheepish smile.

Twilight seemed to ponder for a bit before coming a bit closer. I had to admit that it wasn’t really uncomfortable to feel her coat on mine, and it confused me to no end. I wasn’t about to complain, it was just different.

“It’s okay, Night Glider. It’s not easy,” she said, setting a hoof on my back just above my wings. Rubbing my back gently, she continued, “I was the same when I first moved to Ponyville,” she admitted with a warm smile.

W-what is she doing?

The touch really relaxed me, and I had to try hard not to loose control over my shuffling wings, “Tw-Twilight. Wings…” I managed to get out, causing her to withdraw her hoof.

“Sorry, I’m still new to that part of anatomy,” she admitted sheepishly. Then she looked at the clock, “Okay, Rainbow distracted us for a bit, but there is still plenty of time. How about we go into town to eat something, and I’ll tell you a bit about the magic of friendship?”

A smile crossed my features after a moment, “I think that sounds good,” I admitted, giving an enthusiastic nod.

Pulling away from me and standing up, Twilight stretched her neck for a moment before gesturing towards the door, “Lets go, shall we?” she said, giving a smile.


***


The journey to the restaurant Twilight wanted to eat at was a rather short one. It never really occurred to me how close the castle was to everything in town, so it took no time whatsoever to get where we wanted to be. Of course, that being a hay fry shack in the middle of town came as a relatively brutal surprise to me, but I wasn’t about to complain.

After all, who didn’t like hay fries and veggie burgers?

Taking our seats near one of the windows, we stayed in companionable silence for a few moments while we looked over the menus at the table. Settling on my order, my eyes wandered towards the window and across the street, settling on a pair of mares across the street in a cafe, seemingly tossing balled up paper at one another and laughing. A scoff crossed my lips as I watched for a few moments.

Now that’s what friendship is.

Before I could bring my gaze back to Twilight, I saw two other mares approaching them, both wearing Guard armor. It looked like they dragged the two sitting at the table by their ears and wings from their table and papers, ignoring any complaints. I thought they were about to get arrested, however, what surprised me more was the kisses that were traded between the guards and paper tossers once they left the building. 

Twilight followed my gaze, “They look cute. You know, fillyfoolers are a pretty common sight. I guess it’s because over seventy-five percent of ponies are mares in Equestria.” 

I blinked a few times and glanced at Twilight before letting my gaze return to the fillyfoolers as they left the cafe, “They are pretty cute together like that. You never saw stuff like that in Starlight’s town… she discouraged us from same sex relationships,” I admitted, giving an awkward shrug.

“You speak as if you wanted a mare for yourself,” Twilight said with a smirk.

My ears fell back against my skull and an awkward blush crossed my cheeks, “M-maybe once. It was a long time ago, though,” I admitted, averting my gaze from Twilight’s own.

“I’m not judging you,” Twilight reassured with a smile.

“No, no, it’s not that. Thinking about it just makes me remember how lonely I was when I first moved in… How lonely I still am,” I admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of my head with an idle hoof.

“But surely you have friends?” Twilight asked, and suddenly I felt the urge to facehoof again.

“I do have friends. What I mean is my lack of a special somepony,” I explained, my blush burning brighter as I was forced to elaborate to Twilight.

The mare blinked a few times, a look of comprehension crossing her features as a blush began to burn under her own cheeks, “Oh, I see. I’m sorry, Night Glider,” she said, reaching a hoof across the table to cover mine reassuringly, “If it’s any consolation, I’ve never had a special somepony, myself,” she said, giving an awkward little chuckle at her own misfortune.

I looked at her, quite surprised, “Really?” I asked.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, I mean, I’m a bit surprised. You’re not exactly...” I facehoofed, stopping my muzzle from moving, “Forget what I just said.” 

“Please tell me what you wanted to say,” Twilight suddenly said as her hoof covered mine once again.

Giving a dramatic sigh, I rolled my eyes, “Ughhhh, you never give up do you?” I exclaimed playfully, giving a little laugh, “Alright, I was gonna say that you’re not unattractive. I’d have expected ponies to be lining up at your door to take you out on dates every night!” I said, forcing my embarrassment away as I explained.

“You… what?” Twilight stammered and blushed. 

A nervous laugh escaped my lips, “I said you’re not unattractive. You’re tall, slender, graceful, your mane is beautiful, your wings are perfectly tended to, even your horn doesn’t have anything out of place. You should have mares and stallions lined up to Stalliongrad trying to get your hoof!”
        
Wait, why did I just say that?

“Or...Uhhh… You know. That’s just what I think,” I said, my gusto leaving me the moment I realized exactly what I had said.

“Thank you, I guess. I’ve never had anypony say that to me,” Twilight mumbled, trying to avoid my gaze. 

We were saved from further embarrassment by the arrival of the waitress. The mare was a cheerful unicorn, a light purple coat with a short dark blue mane and a frying pan as a cutie mark. Levitating a notepad and pen in front of her, she smiled at us, “Welcome, princess! What can I get y’all today?” she asked, her eyes fixing on Twilight and quite obviously not acknowledging my presence.

What do you expect when you go to lunch with a princess?

Still with a proud blush on her cheeks, Twilight looked up at the waitress and fixed her with a smile, “I’ll have some hay fries and a double veggie burger, don’t hold back on the onions, and a chocolate milkshake,” she said before turning her eyes back towards me, “What about you, Night Glider?”

That’s not quite the gaze you give a customer. I already guessed that they would just all wait in line for her. 

The waitress followed Twilight’s gaze, and as if noticing me for the first time, made a little note in the pad she was carrying. I glanced at the menu again before looking up at the waitress, “I’ll have the same thing, but no tomatoes on the burger, please. And a vanilla shake instead of chocolate,” I said, giving the waitress a sharp nod.

The waitress wrote down our orders and nodded, bowing her head in Twilight’s direction before quickly trotting off towards the back with an excited bounce in her step.

With the waitress gone, Twilight turned her attention back towards me, a thoughtful expression on her face as she bit her lips. It occurred to me that I had probably had that look whenever Twilight had called me out on it.

I guess that’s how it looks on her. Kinda cute, in a way.

I hesitated for a moment before gesturing, “Now you’re doing it. What’s going on in that big head of yours?” I asked, throwing her own words back at her.

She looked up at me, confusion lasting on her face for a moment before she shook it off, “Nothing, really.”

“It didn’t looked like nothing,” I replied with a small smile. 

Twilight gave off a sigh after a moment, “You’re a fast learner, Night Glider. Alright, I was thinking about what you’d said,” she said, leaning against the table with her forehooves to hold her up, “I was just wondering if you meant it.”

“Twilight, what I said was the pure truth.” I assured her with a smile.

“So you really think that you’ve been in the castle of the two sisters?” she asked, leaning in as if she were trying to hear the latest gossip.

Really, it wasn’t what I had expected. My snout made contact with the table, shortly followed by my forehead and an audible crack.

Great. Why not directly place myself on a silver platter? 

Twilight blinked a few times, raising an eyebrow, “Night Glider, are you alright?” she asked, jumping with a small amount of worry.

“Yeah,” I muttered, “I just found myself in the gutter.”

Reaching over to place a hoof on my shoulder with my head still on the table, she leaned in, “Are you sure? You hit your head pretty hard. Are you tired? Do you need ice? Are you stressed?” she asked, her voice increasing in pace and tone with each question that made it past her lips.

Why is it important to me?

I had no idea why, but I was really disappointed that she chose that topic. I was expecting a totally different one, but maybe everything would need it’s time.

Time for what?

I groaned, getting more and more confused about my thoughts, “Yeah, everything is just fine,” I said as I leaned back up in my seat, giving my face a rub to numb the pain.

Though she still looked worried, Twilight gave me a nod and retracted her hoof, letting me get back up on my own. The fact that she looked worried put a knot in my gut, for some reason or another, so I did my best to give her a reassuring smile and alleviate her worries.

The smile seemed to be enough to make Twilight’s features relax. It was at that point that two plates levitated to the table in front of us, followed by two milkshakes. The waitress, now standing at the edge of the table, gave us both an energetic smile, lingering on Twilight for a moment longer than necessary, “Anything else I can bring for you, princess?” she said, her voice sweet and sultry.

I think I want to buck her in her face.

I had to chuckle at that, and the waitress shot me a burning glare, “That would be all, thank you,” Twilight said, sending the waitress away.

Twilight looked at me sheepishly, “Your laugh is kind of cute,” she spoke nearly inaudibly, but I could hear it.

However, I pretended to be fascinated by the plates in front of us. And she seemed thankful of it. 

Of course, just because she seemed thankful of my avoidance, I had to play around, “Not as cute as yours,” I replied, looking up from my plate to shoot her a small wink. Of course, immediately after that, my plate reclaimed my attention.

Maybe this whole student thing’ll be fun.
> Learning Difficulties
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter five: Learning Difficulties. 



“W-What?”

Even without looking up, I could feel Twilight’s wide eyed gaze on me. I knew I could have just told her that she said it first, but I had no idea how she would react. Maybe she would just drop the topic soon enough. 

“What did you say?” Twilight most certainly didn’t drop it, and I looked up to see exactly the gaze I had imagined. 

“I… I said that yours is cuter,” I replied almost silently, hoping with all my heart that she hadn't caught it. 

“Do you really think that?” Twilight asked, her blush deepening with each word. 

I coughed awkwardly, covering my muzzle with an idle hoof in a way of hiding both my blush and the words that came out of my lips, “Yeah…”

Twilight looked down, suddenly interested in her own plate. From her expression, I could see that she was thinking about it, but I had no idea about what exactly. Even I had no idea why I had said it. It just sort of came out, and felt right.

Following her movements, my own gaze turned down towards my plate as I began to pick at the contents. Of course I was hungry, but after the little slip of my tongue, I was embarrassed enough as it was. With my luck, a slip of the tongue would be the least of my concerns.

I can think of something else to use my tongue for…

My ears fell flat against my skull as my mind started wandering into forbidden territory, and I quickly shook my head as if to fling the thoughts from my ears and onto the diner floor. To distract myself, I hastily picked up my veggie burger and brought it to my mouth, digging in with the enthusiasm of a starving pony in the middle of the desert. Needless to say, the resulting image was far from flattering.

Twilight didn’t seem to mind, a small giggle escaped from her lips as her eyes were brought up to watch me. After a moment of her giggling, she reached down and picked up her own burger and brought it up to her mouth. Despite her dainty appearance, the princess took a page from my book and dug into the burger with enthusiasm that rivaled mine. In all honesty, it was the cutest thing in the world.

Of course, I would never admit that. But I just couldn’t get my eyes off of her for long. Watching her eating with such enthusiasm brought a smile to my face for some reason. If I had to dwell on it, I’d likely say that it was because seeing her eating just like me kind of brought her down to the same level as me, and made her seem more equine. She may have been a princess, but she didn’t see herself as above me, which was something that surprised me as much as made me thankful.

Not that there was really any regal way of eating veggie burgers, they were fairly messy to begin with. If Celestia or Luna had tried eating them, it would probably be an interesting experience. Though, I had to admit, I couldn’t actually picture Celestia or Luna eating anything as civilian as burgers.

Returning my attention to my own food, I quickly went along with eating it, stoically doing my best to ignore the cute presence on the other side of the table. It was a task that was surprisingly not as hard as I imagined, considering that the veggie burger was probably the best I’d ever had in my life. It was no wonder why Twilight wanted to come to the diner for lunch.

The rest of the meal passed fairly quickly and in relative silence, barring the sounds of us eating our burgers enthusiastically. It was enjoyable, the two of us eating together and just spending time with one another. It felt good, like whatever had been missing from my life was temporarily pushed aside and replaced by the company we shared. I supposed that was what friendship did; it pushed worries aside.

When our plates were empty, we switched to our milkshakes and went to contently sipping at them, occasionally looking at one another and giving a smile or a little giggle. I couldn’t explain it, but I didn’t want to break the silence by speaking. It was a content silence, something that would just disappear and float away into the ether if we broke it.

Too soon the shakes were empty, and Twilight leaned back with a small sigh. Silence spread once again until the waitress came up to the table. And completely ruined the mood.

“Was everything fine, princess?” she asked with a overly bright smile that I really wanted to shove down her throat. 

“Oh yes, it was absolutely delicious,” Twilight answered before focusing on me, “Do you want something else?”

“No, I’m fine,” I said, giving her a smile she returned while the waitress frowned before leaving us alone. 

“Is there anything you want to do, or should we just start with the lessons?” Twilight asked.

I wanted to tell her that everything was fine as long as I got to spend time with her. That I just wanted to be at her side. I had no clue why, and my muzzle was glued. No sound left it. 

Ugh, stop it brain!

It was confusing and disturbing me. I only spent a little bit of time with the princess, and I had already lost my mind at her side. I expected a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them. 

“How about we just enjoy some more time together?”

Ugh, that sounded pretty wrong!

Twilight stared at me, flabbergasted, “W-what do you mean by that?”

“N-nothing,” I stammered back hastily, ears flattening. 
        
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Twilight spoke, “Night Glider, don’t avoid my questions. What did you mean by spending more time together?” she asked, leaning forward against the table as if she were suddenly interrogating me.

“I don’t think I’m any good with all this friendship stuff,” I tried to convince her to leave the topic be, looking down and avoiding her gaze. 

However, she never dropped her gaze, “That’s all?” 

I nodded hesitantly after a moment, “Yeah, that’s all. I like spending time with you, it’s been fun so far. A-and besides, what better way to learn about friendship then by hanging out, right? Practical learning and all that,” I said with a bit of nervous laughter, doing my best to dodge the potential accusation.

Twilight seemed to mull it over for a few moments, staring at me in thought before she sat back in her seat and gave a little smile, “Well, I suppose that makes sense. That’s the way that I learned about friendship, after all,” she said, folding her hooves on the table and nodding enthusiastically.

Letting out a thankful sigh, I shook my head. That was a close one, I’d have to watch my muzzle from that point onwards to make sure that I didn’t mess up and say something else that was embarrassing. Calling a princess cute was one thing, but if I kept going the way I was, chances were that I’d scare off Twilight and wind up having to head back home.

And that wouldn’t be good for me.

Looking around for a moment, Twilight shuffled out of the booth and stood up, turning to look at me as she did so, “How about we take a walk around the town. I’m sure you’ve had the chance to see everything Ponyville has to offer, but if we find anything we want to do, we can stop and take a break to do it,” she offered with a smile, gesturing for me to come along with her hoof.

Nodding my assent, I quickly shuffled out and joined her, “That sounds like a plan to me!” I exclaimed enthusiastically, shaking off my previous bashfulness now that we were off of the awkward subject.

At least until my mind takes a left turn into the gutter again.

Twilight made to set some bits down on the table before a certain irritating waitress appeared out of nowhere, “Princess! You don’t have to pay, it’s on the house for you!” she exclaimed, as if Twilight paying for her own food was the most atrocious thing that could have possibly happened on her watch.

It didn’t help my desire to smack her in the back of the head.

Reeling back in surprise, Twilight blinked a few times before hesitantly taking her bits back, “Oh, umm… Thank you!” she said, putting on the most fake smile I’d ever seen on Twilight’s face since meeting her. I figured that she wasn’t used to the royal treatment yet.

Setting my own bits down on the table, I shook my head and wandered off to the door, Twilight following in tow as the waitress called out, “It’s my pleasure, princess! Please do come back any time,” in that annoyingly cheerful voice she had used for the entire day. It took a lot to refrain from bucking her into one of the tables and taking my leave, but for Twilight’s sake, I didn’t go over and kick her flank.

With my mood only minorly spoiled, a thought came into my head as we went outside into the midday sun. Looking over at Twilight, I gestured with an idle hoof, “Actually, you know what? How about we go back to the castle and read something? We can check out the rest of Ponyville some other time,” I suggested, nodding my head in the direction of the castle on the other side of town.

Twilight gave me a surprised glance for a few moments before she nodded, “Sure, I’m alright with that. I didn’t think that you enjoyed reading,” she said, the surprise reaching her voice as much as her eyes.

The claim brought a chuckle to my lips and I nodded my assent, “Yeah, you caught me. I love reading. And besides, I’m sure you have something in your book collection that could help me understand friendship a bit better, right?” I asked as I turned to make my way towards the castle instead of mindlessly wandering around Ponyville. As much as I wouldn’t have a problem wandering the town, getting right into the lessons with Twilight likely was the better use of my time.

Eyes glowing with excitement, Twilight nodded as she rushed to join me, “Oh, of course I do! I have several books on the subject! I can recommend a few, and we can read together, make a lesson in friendship over them!” she exclaimed, her words coming out slightly faster with each exclamation. If the mere notion of reading was enough to get her excited, I’d hate to see what would have happened if she had seen Starlight Glimmer’s library. She would likely have a heart attack and die from the sheer lack of content.

Giving a little laugh, I lead the way towards the castle, listening to Twilight ramble on as I tuned out. As much as I enjoyed her company, she seemed to like ranting, and I didn’t have enough information about the books to really contribute to the rant. Though, I did admit that I enjoyed her voice and the sheer enthusiasm that she spoke with during it. It was cute, in a way, innocent.

We found ourselves at the castle only a few minutes later, Twilight only just concluding her rant about the books as we reached the steps, “Oh, I’m sorry! I’m ranting! It looks like we’re here,” she said, flustered and embarrassed that she had gotten carried away as she looked up at the castle, her ears flattening slightly.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a small chuckle, “In those few minutes, I learned more than I have in years back in that village listening to Starlight and the others. You’re an awesome mentor, if you ask me!”

“Me? Awesome? Are you sure that you haven’t confused me with somepony else?” she asked with the cutest blush I had ever seen.

Wait. Why do I find everything she does cute?

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m thinking about you, Twilight,” I replied with a chuckle that she soon mimicked. 

“You remind me a lot of Dash, but you’re different in a lot of ways,” Twilight softly spoke as we made our way inside. 

“What’s different?” I asked, eager to know about everything she liked.

“Well, you both love flying, as far as I know. Even though you’re both pegasi, you love reading. The greatest difference so far is that you are more shy and… silent, in a way. You don’t brag about anything. I don’t mind it in Rainbow, but for you… it makes you seem kinder, that you don’t do it. Humble, even. I’m sorry, this sounds like a young schoolfilly babbling. I’m still not perfect,” Twilight stopped and stared at the ground.

“I don’t think that anypony needs to be perfect, Twilight, you’re just fine the way you are,” I said with a small smile.

“But you haven’t known me for that long,” she quietly spoke, but a smile still managed to break on her muzzle. 

“Even if I haven’t known you for long, I know that much,” I continued to smile.

“Did you ever think about what to do after this? You said that you don’t have friends, but what about Sugar Belle and the others? I thought they’re your friends?” Twilight suddenly asked. 

I blinked a few times in thought as we made our way through the castle towards, I assumed, the den. I hadn’t actually thought about what I would do after I was done with Twilight. Honestly, I had assumed that I’d just go back to Starlight Glimmer’s town and find some job with the weather team there or something along those lines.

“I haven’t really thought about it. I mean, yeah, Sugar Belle and the others are my friends, but I don’t know much about them. I’ve never really been close with anyone in the town, I was just sort of...there,” I explained, looking over at her in hopes that she understood what I meant.

Twilight hummed in thought and then gave a nod, “I suppose that makes sense. I was the same way when I lived in Canterlot, I had ponies to call my friends, but I never actually knew anything about them and never hung out. I was always caught up with my studies,” she explained, shooting me a gentle smile as she did so. 

It didn’t come as much of a surprise that Twilight had been too caught up in her studies to have friends. It made sense, she was very studious. Giving a small laugh, I shook my head, “Of course, Twilight. Makes sense that you, of all ponies, would have your muzzle buried in a book too much to make friends,” I joked, batting her side gently with a wing in jest.

Her laugh echoed mine and her wing smacked my side in response, “Hey! It’s not my fault, I just love books,” she replied, her grin stretching from ear to ear as she met my gaze.
        
Despite my previous assumption, we passed the study and reached a room that looked to be the library, where Twilight collected some cushions into her magic and stacked them in one corner of the room before laying down onto them. She floated a book from one of the many shelves to her, waiting for me to join her.

I just stood there for a few seconds before she patted one of the cushions at her side with a wing, “Are you coming, or not?” she asked, smiling.

I gave a quick flap with my wings and took my place at her side. My coat was softly rubbing against hers, and it made me warm, letting a blush envelope my muzzle. Twilight didn’t seem to notice it, and opened the book, beginning to read out loud for me.

It was marvelous.


***


When all was said and done, Twilight and I had read for the rest of the day, well into the early hours of evening. When we had said goodbye for the night, the sun was already setting in the distance, casting Ponyville into incredible shades of orange and black, making the already rustic-looking town seem even older than it was. It was almost picturesque, and brought a smile to my face as I walked down the steps of the castle’s front entrance.

We had managed to get through two small books together, both of which we had taken turns to read out loud to one another. I was sure that Twilight had read them both already, considering that she almost fell asleep a few times whenever I was reading to her, but she seemed to enjoy it nonetheless, and I found it plenty entertaining.

Not a lesson in the typical sense, I had learned a bit more about friendship from the books and Twilight’s explanations and rants that followed a few chapters and sections. It was interesting, and in all honesty, it was a really fun day. I had to look forward to the next lesson. Even more than that, I now carried a book under one of my wings that Twilight insisted that I should read.

The walk back to the farm was uneventful, and illuminated in the colors of sunset the entire way. It was only just reaching the final minutes of sunset as I turned the last corner onto the farmland. Even in the dying light, the farm was a welcome sight, and I was eager to get some sleep before the next day of lessons.

As I turned the bend, however, my eyes caught the sight of a flash of prismatic color disappearing into one of the upper floor windows. I stopped in my tracks and blinked a few times before a slow sigh escaped my mouth. Rainbow Dash had just flown into Applejack’s room, which could only possibly mean one thing.

Here we go again… Maybe there’s a stack of hay in the barn for me to sleep on?

Shaking my head, I knocked the side of my head twice with my hoof to try and clear my thoughts before making my way up to the farmhouse. As much as I hated the thought of thin walls and squeaking beds again, it would be better than sleeping out in the barn. Besides, now that I knew the windows could open wide enough for a pony to fit through, I could just go for a night fly if they kept me up again.

I made my way through the house, grabbing an apple off of the counter on my way through, and up the stairs to my room. I made extra sure to ignore any sounds as I passed Applejack’s room, and closed the door behind me as I entered my own room. Plopping down on my bed heavily, I sighed contently and began munching at the snack I had grabbed as I removed the book from under my wing.

The old leather-bound book honestly looked like a journal of some kind, and a quick look inside the cover confirmed the suspicions. Some sort of “friendship journal” that Twilight and her friends had kept. It was odd, but at the same time, it seemed like it would be fairly useful in understanding friendship. I could see why Twilight wanted me to read it.

At least I had something to distract me from what was going on in the other room.


***


I awoke with a start, my blood running cold in my veins. I was still in my room, with white moonlight filtering through the window and illuminating the space as if it were day time. I had no idea what had woken me up with such a start, but it left me on edge and breathing heavily.

Shifting the book off of my chest, I rolled off of the bed and quietly landed on my hooves, eager to work off the anxiety that my fright filled me with. Trotting in place for a moment, I turned and walked over to the window, setting my hooves on the sil to look out at the moonlit farm.

Despite the beauty of the night and the darkened farm, I could tell that something was wrong. I couldn’t place it, but there were sections of the farm that I knew wasn’t supposed to be there. And last time I checked, Twilight’s castle wasn’t so close to the farm. Despite the strange scenery, I felt the anxiety draining from my veins and a sense of calm replacing it.

Even with the odd change of the world, I felt a familiar presence, something that made me feel like everything was fine. Leaning my head on the sil, I basked in the feel of the cool night wind flowing past my muzzle. I didn’t remember opening the window.

Sleep, child. Your dreams are safe.
	
> Lessons, the Earth Pony Way
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter six: Lessons, the Earth Pony Way



“It’s time to wake up, sugarcube.”

I turned around, trying to shut the voice out for just a few more minutes. Even if the world was falling apart, I was far too comfortable to get out of the warm embrace of the bed.

“Breakfast is ready.”

I cracked open my eyes and squinted for a few moments before blinking against the harsh sun shining through the window. Applejack was standing at the end of my bed, smiling.

“I’m sure you don’t want to sleep in, and I need your help before you head to Twilight’s place. Now c’mon, sugarcube,” she said before turning around and trotting out of the room.

I pushed my muzzle back into the cushion, growling softly to myself. I hated early mornings, but sadly, this didn’t seem like one, and I had no excuse to stay in bed. Besides, I would be leaving Applejack hanging if I did, and that wasn’t really an option for me. 

I got out of bed slowly to make my way down to the kitchen, or at least I tried. When I stood, drowsy as I was on my hooves, I hit the corner of the bed frame with the center of my muzzle. The resulting crack had more effect than coffee ever would.

“Ooww,” I whimpered, clutching my muzzle with one of my hooves. What a nice start to the day.

My second try was successful, and I stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen to be greeted by a rather unusual sight. Rainbow was giving Applejack a peck onto the lips before rushing out of the room, supposedly to get to work. As Applejack caught sight of me, she blushed heavily.

I said nothing and just sat down across from her at the table, still idly cradling my muzzle after having it introduced to the fine carpentry work of Apples. I counted myself lucky that I hadn’t broken anything, and that there was no blood coming out of my nostrils. Though, that may have been an amusing way to break the two up from their morning rendezvous.

“Uh, how was your night, sugarcube?” she asked, a touch of awkwardness in her voice as she set a plate of apple waffles in front of me. Apples appeared to have an enjoyment for apple-based recipes, it seemed.

Oh Luna, that was definitely the WRONG question to ask.

So, of course I answered with the only thing that made sense at the time, “Fine, really!” I blurted out, trying to hide the blush that threatened to wash over my face. 

She raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on my hasty reaction. Shaking her head slightly, she lifted a fork with one of her hooves and pointed it at me, “Eat up, sugarcube. Big Mac’s in town today to get a few tools replaced, so I need help in the east orchard,” she said, the confused look getting replaced by a gentle smile before she dug into her own waffles.

I mumbled an acknowledgement to myself before I lifted my own utensil and began to pick at the food. After the first bite, I was quickly reminded of why waking up on the farm wasn’t a bad thing, and the rest of my plate soon followed. Though their primary ingredient may have been apples, I really wasn’t about to argue when the waffles were as good as they were.

By the time I had finished, the pain in my muzzle had dulled to a soft throbbing, and I couldn’t help but feel myself in an elevated mood. I stood and carried my plate over to the sink where Applejack was standing, already washing her own emptied plate. Setting the plate down on the counter for her, I wandered off into the front hall and trotted in place for a moment, limbering up and shaking the last of the sleep out of my brain.

I had never worked on a farm before, so I wasn’t sure what we’d be doing in the orchards. Picking apples seemed like the logical assumption, which shouldn’t be too much of a problem considering that I had the wings to just fly up and grab the apples. I was a bit concerned that Applejack would lag behind if she had to carry a ladder around with her to each tree, but I supposed that’s where I came in.

Applejack came around the corner a few moments later with a smile, “Y’all look like ya got ants tryin’ to make off with yer horseshoes, sugarcube! Guess you’re ready to get goin’?” she asked with a good-natured shove that nearly caught me off-guard.

Planting my hooves down quickly, I nodded, “I’m about as ready as I’ll ever be, let’s get this show on the road!” I exclaimed with a grin, gesturing for Applejack to lead the way.

My answer seemed to be the correct one, considering the grin that peeled onto her face before she made her way to the door and lead the way out into the growing light of a sunrise over the farm. It wasn’t quite morning, since the sun was still only halfway over the horizon, but it was high enough that we wouldn’t be working in darkness, and it wouldn’t be too hot.

To my surprise, instead of heading into the barn to grab a ladder or any similar equipment, Applejack gestured to a pile of empty wooden buckets. Looking over her shoulder, she nodded towards them, “Grab as many of those as you can and bring them with you to the east orchard,” she instructed before making her way over to the pile herself.

I nodded in response and quickly trotted over, sizing up the buckets and how best to pick up as many as I could. I hesitated for a moment before I used my mouth and wings to pull out one of the buckets. However, it seemed that the bucket I had grabbed was connected to a second one by some very strong rope, and the removal of one required the removal of another. And since the one it was connected to was underneath the pile, I recognized the rumbling sound far too late, and found myself buried by wooden buckets.

The avalanche of buckets lasted for a few moments, but soon enough it was over, and I found myself in a cave of wood and metal. The sound of laughing echoed through the broken darkness a few moments later as Applejack trotted over and lifted one of the buckets off of my head, “Havin’ a bit o’ trouble there, sugarcube?” she asked, looking like she’d break out into further laughter at any moment.

Shaking my head furiously to remove some of my mane from my face, I let out a puff of air, “Didn’t realize they’re connected,” I replied, looking up at Applejack once my sense of direction returned to me.

Applejack scoffed and shook her head before reaching into my little cavern and grabbing me around my barrel. With a little grunt, the farm mare yanked me out of my wooden prison and out onto my hooves, seemingly with no effort at all.

I stumbled for a moment, then turned my head to Applejack and gave a grateful smile, “Thanks,” I said with a little nod.

“Not a problem. Just try not to get buried again, I’d hate to have to take ya to the hospital and explain that to Twilight,” she said, brushing a few bits of splinters and leftover leaves off of my coat before trotting back over to the part of the pile she had been looking at earlier.

I would have more problems explaining you and Rainbow.

However, I quickly shook it off and joined her at the buckets again. She lifted two pairs and hung them over her back, “They’re connected so y’all can carry two full buckets on yer back at once.”

I looked at how she carried the buckets over her back and glanced at my wings. It would be nearly impossible to fly that way, but I guessed that I would just have to do it the earth pony way. I placed two pairs of them over my back like Applejack and followed her to the east orchard. 

Every tree we passed by on our way there was empty. But that soon changed. As Applejack stopped, we stood in front of a group of heavily loaded appletrees, “Today, we’re applebuckin’, sugarcube,” Applejack called out, “Let’s get to work!”

“Uh, I can’t really fly with those buckets on my back, Applejack.”

“Well, y’all don’t buck trees flying,” she answered with a lighthearted laugh. 

“I’ve never really bucked trees before,” I admitted sheepishly, which prompted her to give me a knowing smile.

“Don’t worry, sugarcube. It’s easy, and your hind legs seem strong enough,” she added with a scrutinous glance at my flank and the legs connected to it. 

I couldn’t hold it, “Hey, save that look for your marefriend.”

“Come again?”

“Leave that look for Rainbow,” I said. She turned around in response to my comment, but I still caught sight of the furious blush that tore across her cheeks.

“Didn’t mean nothin’ by it,” she replied in a bashful mutter, setting the buckets on her back down at the base of the tree she was closest enough. She set the two pairs around the tree, then turned so her rear legs were facing the tree, and her front was opposite. Glancing back over at me, she gestured with a nod in the direction of the tree, “This is how you buck a tree,” she explained.

What happened next was fairly shocking, but I shouldn’t have expected anything less from Applejack. She kicked out with both her rear legs and struck the base of the tree with a reverberating thud. The vibration rocked up the tree and shook the treetops for a moment before a rain of apples fell squarely into the buckets below, effectively emptying the tree in less than a minute.

Once I had recovered my jaw muscles and closed my muzzle, I shook my head quickly and laughed, “How in the hay do you do that?!” I asked with disbelief, a grin pulling at my muzzle.

Bashfulness lost, Applejack grinned as she turned towards the filled buckets, “Practice. Now, y’all can get started with the trees in this row. If’n ya need help, just gimme a holler, and I’ll show ya how it’s done,” she said, slipping under one of the ropes between two buckets and lifting them up to take back to the barn.

I watched Applejack go before turning towards one of the filled trees. Letting out a sigh, I dropped the buckets off of my back and set them around the tree like Applejack had showed me, then stood with my back legs facing the tree. I took a deep breath, then bucked out and hit the base of the tree.

Pain flared through my legs as they connected with the tree, a stiff yelp escaping my muzzle as I recoiled in pain. Hopping around on my hooves to try and desperately avoid the stinging pain that plagued my rear hooves, I huffed for a few moments as I tried to recollect myself. After the pain died away, I looked up at the tree in hopes that I had managed to knock at least a few apples down.

Of course, there wasn’t a single apple on the ground. I sighed and shook my head, reassuming the position with my rear hooves pointed towards the tree. Taking a moment, I readjusted myself before trying again, this time aiming a little higher.

When my hooves connected with the bark, another sting of pain shot up my legs, but not quite as much as last time. A satisfyingly solid thunk reverberated from behind me, and the sounds of apples falling from the tree brought the grin racing back to my muzzle. I turned my head up to see the apples that had fallen, and after a moment of consideration, realized it would take a second hit to get the rest of the apples out of the tree.

The third strike was as successful as the second, and the tree was rendered empty afterwards. With four buckets full of apples down, and many more to go, I quickly slunk under one of the buckets and lifted it to bring it back to the barn.

It was going to be a very long morning.


***


The sun had long since cleared the horizon and was now in an early morning position, providing more heat than was absolutely necessary for such tiresome work. The row of trees we had started on had been cleared, and the row after that, as well as the row after that. If the constant burning in my legs was anything to go by, I’d say that we had been at it for a few hours.

My coat was drenched in sweat, my hooves covered in bits of wood and dirt, and I had more than a few dirt stains on my face where I had wiped my brow with a careless hoof. However, despite the lack of hygiene and the iron filling my muscles, I felt good. It had been a long time since I had exerted myself as much as I had that morning.

Applejack and I were on the way back to the barn with the last load of apples for that morning. We hadn’t had the chance to speak much during work, and most of the time it was the exchange of jokes or pleasantries that two comrades in work had a tendency of participating in. Which meant that when I spoke, I was breaking a long silence.

“Do you love her?” I asked, looking over at Applejack as we casually walked through the rows we had cleared, the last load weighing our backs down.

Applejack seemed taken off guard by the question, if the shocked look that she wore was anything to go by. However, that didn’t stop her from responding almost immediately, “Yes,” she replied with a confident nod.

I hummed in response, having expected as much. After a moment of thoughtful humming, I spoke again, “What’s that like?” I asked, glancing in her direction again.

The blank look that I saw in the brief glance coincided with the unimpressed tone of voice that responded, “You’ve never been in love, have you?”

My ears found their way to the top of my skull and I recoiled a bit, “Uhh… No,” I responded in defeat, slumping slightly in mid-stride.

Applejack sighed as she walked, “It ain’t somethin’ ya can just describe. It’s the feelin’ that ya get when yer around the pony, the way ya just wanna listen to ‘em and everythin’ they say makes ya smile. It’s just a feelin’ ya get, it’s hard t’put in words,” she replied, scratching the back of her head with an idle forehoof and not missing a step.

A small chuckle escaped my muzzle. The way Applejack described it sounded nice. I looked over at her after a moment, “And it’s not weird that you’re both mares?” I asked, genuinely curious as to whether or not they encountered problems because of it.

The scoff I got in response answered that question for me. She spoke after the little scoff, “Weird? Lemme tell ya, sugarcube. This here’s Equestria, the land o’ peace an’ equality. The few ponies that’d judge a fillyfooler or a coltcuddler are either in Canterlot or Stalliongrad,” she replied, as if it were the most self-explanatory thing in the world, “Besides, all couples being stallions an’ mares ain’t efficient, as Twilight would say.”

“Why?” I asked as that one dumb word shot into my mind.

“Twilight gave us the odds. Seventy-five percent of the ponies in Equestria are mares,” Applejack chuckled slightly. 

“So, Twilight’s alright with that? Is she a fillyfooler, too?” I asked and immediately shut my muzzle with a wing, but the words couldn’t be pulled back.

Applejack gave me an inquisitive look, “Why would y’all be interested in that, sugarcube?”

I blushed heavily, trying to fix my error through stoic silence. Before I could answer, however, Applejack spoke up again, “I think I see. Well, she’s okay with it, but if she’s a fillyfooler, I don’t know. All I know is that she refused every invite for a date from a stallion. An’ there’s been plenty,” she replied with a sly little laugh.

I can imagine that.

A small chuckle escaped my muzzle, despite my desire to stay silent in fear of exposing more that Applejack could tease with. I wasn’t about to say anything more that might incriminate me for having feelings for my mentor. After all, that would just be inappropriate.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence, and we dropped the apples off in the barn along with the other loads. With the last job done for the day, I stepped back and let out a mighty sigh of contentment, looking at everything we had done. Turning towards Applejack, I reached a hoof forward, which she promptly hit with her own hoof in a friendly show. Despite the gentleness of the contact, I made a note of never again underestimating earth pony strength.

“Well, thanks for the help, sugarcube,” Applejack said, turning towards the exit, “Y’all should head on down to Twilight’s, now. I’m gonna finish up here,” she said, tipping her hat in my direction before trotting off to do some more chores somewhere on the farm.

I waved a wing at her, “Any time, Applejack!” I exclaimed before trotting out of the barn and taking off into the air, my wings aching to be spread and used after so long being grounded. The rush of the wind was refreshing after spending so long in the unforgiving heat and beating away at trees all morning.

The flight to Twilight’s castle was refreshing and enjoyable, despite how brief it was. I landed directly in front of the door in a rush and hastily knocked a few times, bouncing back and forth eagerly. Despite being so sore, I was eager to get to the next lessons with Twilight and to get some more time with her.

I continued to bounce on my hooves and didn’t notice that the door opened had opened in its typical lavender aura, an amused Twilight standing in the frame and watching me. It took me a few seconds before I noticed her and stopped dead in my tracks, blushing furiously.

“Somepony seems really happy today,” Twilight said with a steadily widening grin, “Mind telling me what caused it?”

“Uhh... nothing, really!” I exclaimed hastily, which caused Twilight to laugh and pull me into a lighthearted hug.

My blush intensified tenfold as I noticed that she hugged me with her wings. Twilight’s cheeks were boiling over in a blush, but I unfolded my own wings and returned the hug, much to her surprise.

We stayed like that for several moments before breaking apart, her cheeks seemed to be even more red than when we had first embraced. She quickly stammered out, “You… you were working at the farm, right? Maybe… you should take a shower before we start our lessons? You smell like sweat and dirt.”

I hadn’t thought about that, but I probably smelt even worse than she was letting on after an entire morning in the orchard, “Ohh, dear Luna, I’m so sorry about that! Is it really that bad? I’ll run back and take a shower right now!”

“No!” Twilight shouted in response before gasping and blushing some more, “I mean, not… well it is but… you can shower here if you want. Second floor, the door right next to my bedroom. Towels are in the small cupboards in the wall.”

With that, she quickly turned and left me standing, muzzle wide open as I caught sight of her flank leaving my sight. 

Wow, why was she so nervous? Maybe I really do stink?

Shaking my head, I went in and closed the large door behind me, which proved difficult without magic, and made my way upstairs. The bathroom was easy to locate, since Twilight’s bedroom was indicated by huge, purple double doors with her cutie mark on them, and the bathroom was right besides it.

I meandered up to the bathroom and pushed it open with a gentle shove, peeking my head inside. Of course, the sight made my jaw drop. The room itself was about as big as the farmhouse portion of the barn on Applejack’s property. It was absolutely massive, with smooth crystal floors and walls, a tub that looked more like a swimming pool, a shower of hazy clear crystal, and a separate toilet section. An entire portion of the wall next to the door was taken up by a mirror, a counter, and several deep sinks. There was a door on the side wall that must have lead into Twilight’s bedroom.

Shaking my head after a moment of surprise, I scoffed and headed inside, closing the door behind myself. I only had to search for a few moments before I discovered the cupboards that Twilight had been talking about, and recovered one of the plump, fluffy white towels from within.

Balancing the towel on a wing, I carried it over to the cavernous shower and set the towel down next to the entrance before slipping into the shower. It looked like the entire ceiling portion of the shower was the shower head, meaning that the shower would give the feeling of rain without actually having to bring a raincloud indoors.

“The perks of being a princess…” I muttered to nopony in particular as I reached for the water controls, releasing the hot water from above and relishing in the feeling of the water racing down my back. It was better than staying covered in sweat and mud, that was for sure.



***




For all you cloplovers, the chapter continues here


> Close Encounters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Chapter seven: Close Encounters



The shower was pretty refreshing, and more. I grabbed the towel with my wing and dried myself. As I dried my belly and lower, there was something left on the towel that would be a bit hard to explain. Not all of the fluids on me had been properly washed away. 

“Oh buck,” I cursed, trying to wash the sticky substance away with a bit of water from the sink. After a few moments of scrubbing the towel off and giving it a sniff, I figured that it was good enough and Twilight would likely not notice. To stay on the safe side, though, I gave the bathroom a quick glance-over before settling on what looked to be the dirty towel pile.

I trotted over with the towel and lifted a few of the dirty ones, stuffing the one I had just used in with all the rest, lost among the others. Giving a satisfied huff, I turned and walked over to the mirrors near the door and examined myself in the mirror.

Though my silver and white mane was about as messy as ever, it didn’t look monstrous. I was satisfied with the look after streaking my mane back with an idle hoof, giving it the typical windswept look I prefered to keep it in. It would look better after a quick flight or two, but for the moment, it would hold up.

Nodding to my reflection with a little smirk, I turned and trotted over to the door, giving it a solid push.

Right into the alicorn who had been on the other side.

“Ouch!” 

I froze at that. The voice was definitely Twilight’s.

Oh buck…

Looking down at the messy pile of lavender and purple fur and feathers, I recoiled in shock, one of my hooves hovering just off the ground in surprise. I hadn’t expected Twilight to be right outside the door, let alone sitting there. How long had she been sitting there? I had no idea, all I knew was that I had just decked my mentor with a bucking door.

Shaking out of my trance, I quickly rushed forward to her side and felt around her with my hooves, trying to pull her into a less painful position. After a few moments of struggle, I had managed to pull Twilight out of the tangled mess she had made herself and into a more normal sitting position.

“Sorry, Twilight! Are you okay?” I asked in a rush, checking the top of her head to see if I had done any serious damage. Luckily, I didn’t see any blood, so I mustn’t have hit her that hard. Either that, or alicorns just had really thick skulls. The only thing out of place I noticed was a serious blush burning across her cheeks.

“O-of course! I’m completely fine! You… you finish getting ready, and I’ll wait in the library. Yes, that’s a good idea!” Twilight stuttered before quickly escaping from my hooves and rushing away in a flustered blur of lavenders and reds.

She was long gone before I had even managed to blink, let alone respond. I had to admit, that was kind of odd, even for Twilight. Hesitating for only a moment, I began walking after her, heading towards the library to meet up with her. I didn’t even have the chance to tell her that I was done.

How long was she just sitting out there? Did she… No way. She couldn’t have heard me!

I shook my head and picked up my pace to a solid trot, heading down the stairs and towards the library. Despite the fact that she could have possibly heard me screaming her name from the shower, I still had to go and meet with her, at least to figure out what she was doing just outside of the bathroom. It wasn’t the only bathroom in the castle, so I figured that it couldn’t have just been her waiting to go to the little mare’s room.

When I entered through the library’s doors, a quick glance around the room confirmed that Twilight was sitting in our reading corner, except with a distinct blush burning through her cheeks and a blanket draped over her flank. I chewed my lips for a few moments before trotting over to her, ignoring the growing blush that simply radiated off of her.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Twilight?” I asked with concern, looking down at her with skepticism.

Despite chewing the insides of her cheeks in clear thought, she gave a quick nod, “Mhm,” she confirmed with a hum, stoically avoiding meeting my gaze.

A moment of silence later, I gave off a sigh before sitting down next to her and turning my head to look at her, “So what were you doing outside the bathroom, anyways?” I asked, a brow raised in a questioning position.

The question seemed to prompt Twilight’s blush to increase, despite her silence. She seemed to consider her response before she finally replied, “I was responding to a letter in my room, and you were taking a long time. I was about to ask if you were okay,” she replied hastily with an unconvincing smile.

She’s lying… But why? There’s no reason, unless she heard it...

Before I could ask her, she pulled a scroll from Luna only knew where. At least she wasn’t lying about that. Unrolling it, she held it up to show it to me.

“Princess Luna wants to visit me in the next few days,” she said with a smile, the roaring blush still present on her cheeks.

I looked over the scroll curiously for a moment before turning my attention back to Twilight, “What for?” I asked, wondering what Luna could possibly want when her dominion was mostly around Canterlot. Ponyville, as odd of a town as it was, was mostly Twilight’s concern.

Rolling up the scroll, she set it aside before responding, “She has a few days she can spare away from Canterlot, so she wants to make sure I’m not getting overwhelmed by my new duties. Celestia also seems to think that she wants to meet you, being my new student and all,” she admitted with an awkward chuckle, finally turning her attention back to me.

I blinked a few times before laughing and shaking my head. There was no way that I was that interesting, but it made sense that Luna would want to see who Twilight had taken under her wing. The same way that I was sure many ponies had taken interest whenever Celestia had taken Twilight under her wing. Princesses didn’t idly take ponies in as students, so I was sure that a few eyes would be turned towards us whenever more ponies found out.

Despite the blush that still burned away on her cheeks, Twilight seemed to find my laughter contagious, and soon was laughing along with me. I wasn’t entirely sure what was more funny; the fact that one of the sisters thought I was important enough to come investigate me, or the way that Twilight snorted every couple of laughs as she tried to inhale. Either way, her laughter was terribly cute, and prompted me to continue laughing until I felt lightheaded.

When we had settled down a little, the last of the laughter leaving us in matching sighs, I leaned back in the pillow fort we had turned the corner into the other day, getting comfortable. With the incident in the bathroom nearly forgotten, I felt myself relax into the soft bundle of pillows, my tender muscles appreciative of the rest. Twilight appeared to do the same thing, though I couldn’t help but notice that she left a small gap between us.

Even with the small space between us, I felt incredibly close to the alicorn. And not just in proximity, either. Despite the awkwardness, I knew that she was my friend, and I was hers. It was comforting, in a way, to know that there was someone else out there who actually cared about me. It made not having a past more tolerable, because there was someone who I could talk to about anything.

We stayed silent, both enjoying the time spent with a friend. I was about to say something and turned my head, just in time to see her rub her head. As her hoof lowered, I could see a slightly red spot where her hoof had been, which I could safely assume was a souvenir from her head being introduced to the door.

“Did I hurt you with the door?” I asked in concern, a feeling of worry racing down my spine in response to the subtle wince she gave when her hoof moved.

“No, it’s fine,” she replied quickly with an attempt at a reassuring smile, despite the fact that her hoof was moving back up to the sore spot.

Feeling sympathetic to the wince that passed across her features at the touch of her hoof again, I opened my arms towards her narrowly, “Hey, come here for a second,” I said in a soft tone, trying my best to be of some comfort to the mare that I had nearly given a concussion not minutes earlier.

Twilight seemed hesitant at first, though as her hoof dropped from her forehead, she shuffled herself closer and into my arms. With her securely against me, I wrapped her in a little hug, “I’m sorry I hit you with the door,” I repeated in soft tones, giving her a compassionate smile before planting a small kiss on the swollen location. I had vague memories of somepony doing that to me when I was hurt, and it had always felt better. I hoped it would have the same effect on Twilight.

My mentor let out a surprised ‘eep’ in response, jumping slightly in my arms, but she remained there and relaxed after a moment, seemingly at ease. Though, I did notice the burning blush that stubbornly refused to leave her cheeks. She gave a little sigh as she relaxed, “Thanks, Night Glider. I forgive you. And it’s okay, I’ve had worse,” she said as I released my grip on her, letting her shuffle back into her comfortable position.

After settling back into her original position, Twilight leaned back in her pillows. Her horn lit up after a moment and a lavender aura appeared around one of the many books in the library. It swiftly hovered over to us and settled on her lap, and was then opened to the index with a further pulse of magic. Giving a small chuckle, I looked up at her, “Well, I guess you’re alright enough to use your magic, so I guess I didn’t turn your brain to mush. Though, next time, you should probably stay a few steps away from doors that might open on you,” I said with a coy grin.

Twilight’s blush burned brighter in response and she smacked my shoulder with a gentle hoof, “Oh hush, you. Maybe you shouldn’t kick the door as hard as you can, next time,” she replied, looking over at me with a small grin of her own.

I couldn’t help but laugh and put my hooves up in a mock surrender, “You got me. But hey, if there was a villain right behind the door, you have to admit that I totally would have looked awesome doing that,” I retorted, my feathers ruffling in a show of faux pride. While I was still a little confused as to why she was on the other side of the door, at least we were in a position we could make jokes about it without feeling bad.

“So, next time I better keep a shield around myself? Got it,” Twilight replied with a good natured laugh, “Besides, what villain would be waiting for you right outside the bathroom?” she asked, the grin that split her face nearly reaching from ear to ear.

“The evil towel thief of disharmony!” I replied jokingly, breaking out into silly laughs of my own as I struggled to keep a semi-serious composure. We shared our laughter for a few moments, no further words passing between us as we rode out our shared joy.

She stopped laughing after a few moments and gave me a smile before pointing to her book, “Today we’re going to cover the basics. What do you think is important for friendship?” she asked, fixing me with that studious and hopeful look she got when she knew that somepony had the answer she was looking for.

I pondered about it a few moments before jumping to the first answer that I found floating around my head, “Trust?” I ventured with no small amount of my own hope.

“Yes, exactly,” Twilight replied enthusiastically before opening a certain page with the word trust on it, “On the night we brought Princess Luna back, I trusted Applejack and was rewarded by being safe,” she elaborated, making idle hoof gestures to accentuate her words, “Trust is one of the most basic stepping stones of friendship, and no good relationship can be built without it.”

I nodded eagerly and she looked at me, awaiting the next important thing. I kept silent for a few moments and she giggled, “Got any other guesses?” she asked, a childish twinkle of hope in her eyes that made a small knot twist in my stomach.

Sweet Luna, she’s adorable…


***


It had been a few hours, and my eyes were trailing across the page of the book I was now engrossed in. We had continued on with the lessons and discussion well into the evening, only stopping to get some food from the kitchen before continuing. It was a long day, but it was a good day, and I felt a lot more confident in my understanding of friendship. I wasn’t quite ready to say that I knew what a friend really was, but it was a lot better than how I started out.

The book I was currently reading was some fantasy novel that Twilight seemed to think had some very good representations of friendship, especially of trust. I couldn’t exactly say that I understood what she was talking about, though. The book was good, but I didn’t read between the lines enough to really see the subtleties of the relationships. It was just a collection of swords here, a magic blast there, a damsel in distress and a couple of valiant adventurers to me.

Of course, it was a really, really good collection of events, and an invigorating read. That’s precisely why I couldn’t take my eyes off of the page as the minutes ticked by. I was almost to the part where the adventurers were helping one another to escape a collapsing island when I realized something. A peculiar weight on my shoulder.

Venturing to take my eyes off of the page for a moment, I looked over to the side and couldn’t help the little smile that grew on my lips. Twilight was sound asleep, resting the side of her head against my shoulder with bits of her mane falling over her face. She looked peaceful and quite content, despite the fact that we were still in the pillow corner we set up.

I gave a near silent chuckle as I watched her sleep, the sound causing one of her ears to twitch slightly. Despite how much stress I was certain she was constantly under, she looked almost childlike while she was asleep, free from all troubles and worries for at least a few hours. There wasn’t any tension in her body as she laid against me, breathing softly and steadily in sleep.

The sight brought a smile to my muzzle that I just couldn’t wipe off. And, despite the fact that I was trapped as a leaning post, I had no desire to wake her to leave. She was a jailor, and I was her willing prisoner. It seemed almost like it was a crime to get up and have her wake, like the most punishable crime in Equestria would be nothing compared to the destruction of peace that I’d be causing.

So, I stayed there and turned my eyes back to the book, contently reading on as I leaned my head to the side to rest on top of Twilight’s, being careful not to impale myself on her horn. With my new perch, I couldn’t help but notice the smell of her shampoo filling my nostrils with a new strength, and more importantly, the smell of Twilight herself.

It was hard to explain, but everypony had a different smell to them. When I’d tried to explain it to other ponies before, most never really had a clue what I was talking about. I could be in a room of a hundred ponies, blindfolded and with my hooves tied behind my back, and still be able to pick an individual out of the crowd by how they smelled. And it was no different with Twilight.

Actually, it is just a little different with her… It’s not just anypony, it’s Twilight Sparkle.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I took a breath of her scent, enjoying the familiar smell I recognized as being Twilight. It was like a mix of lavender, new books and old wood, and a fresh scent I just couldn’t put my hoof on. Whatever the mixture was, it filled my nostrils and relaxed my muscles, and caused a small wave of weariness to pass over my body.

With how comfortable and relaxed I was, it was no wonder why I’d feel a wave of tiredness pass over me. I could have easily fallen asleep in that position without a worry in the world, as long as Twilight was there. Really, without Twilight there, I probably would have been able to just go back to the farm and fall asleep there.

There was just something about my mentor that made me never want to leave, that made me want to stay there and do my best to make her happy, no matter what that took. The little smile she got whenever I answered something correctly, or the twinkle in her eyes when she heard something new, they were little actions that made my heart flutter in my chest. Little touches made my gut twist up, and being around her set me on edge as if I had just been given a dose of adrenaline.

What the hay is wrong with me?

I wasn’t sure what I felt for Twilight. I had a sneaking suspicion, especially after the shower incident, that I didn’t like her just as a friend. But I had never had a crush or fallen in love before, and I doubted that it was that. More importantly was the fact that Twilight wouldn’t be interested, even if it so happened to be some sort of infatuation.

A mare who had no idea where she came from, what she was doing and what she wanted to do wasn’t a good special somepony, let alone a suitable somepony for a princess. Twilight seemed to be everything that I wasn’t; she was organized, brilliant, beautiful, witty, and she knew exactly what she was doing. And the few times that Twilight didn’t know what she was doing, she at least had the guts to improvise and make due.

Me, I just sort of coasted and hoped that everything turned out well enough in the end. In Starlight Glimmer’s town, I just sort of hoped that I’d figure out who I was while I was there. And now that I was free of Glimmer’s reign, I was still clutching to an authority figure to tell me who I was. That being said, Twilight was a far better authority figure than Glimmer was, so at least I had that going for me.

Giving a gentle sigh into Twilight’s mane, I opened my eyes and set the book down to the side and used my free wing to pull the blanket over both of us, submitting to the idea that I’d be spending the night. Despite my reservations, the feeling of Twilight pressed up against me made my trapped wing feel slightly cramped. So, with the utmost of delicacy and dexterity, I unfolded my other wing and slipped it around Twilight’s barrel.

With the blanket over us, my wing around Twilight, her head on my shoulder and my head on her head, it felt as though everything was right in the world. The pillows substituted for a bed just fine, and the castle wasn’t too hot or too cold. Even the faint moonlight that filtered in from one of the higher windows was comforting.

Content, comfortable and tired, I closed my eyes and snuggled into Twilight’s mane. Sleep came swiftly to me, due in large part to the bundle of warmth that was pressing into my side. As my mind fell to darkness, a single thought lingered in my head longer than the rest.

I could get used to this.
> Butterflies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter eight: Butterflies





Once again I woke up in the small room flooded by moonlight. This time, something was wrong. As I looked down, I noticed immediately that my stomach was bandaged and the sheets had dark stains in some areas. I had no idea what it was, but I had to assume it was blood. My blood.

Being only the watcher as always, I stood up and went to the closet, opening it and retrieving the armour from it. It looked bright and shiny as always, but several spots seemed to show recent repair, and some of the straps were frayed and stressed. I had no idea how I could recognize what was wrong with the armor.

With the armor on, I inspected myself in the mirror. The scar under my eye was still there, but now there were some additions. Bruises and smaller cuts over my whole body and a blood-stained bandage around my belly, only partially covered by the armor. Even despite my condition, my reflection smiled, disrupting the soiled bandage wrapped tightly around my forehead.

I turned and left the room, once again walking down the long hallway with the doors, heading for the one that lead into the mess hall. Opening it, I took a glance around. I remembered those ponies in there, the same as the last time. Two were missing, most of the rest were in even worse shape than me. They all wore grim and determined looks as I entered.

They all greeted me, but this time there was no cheering, no applause, no smiles. I simply turned to my place at the top end of the furthest table and sat down. They were all hurt and broken in some way, and I hadn't raised my voice this time, silently reaching for my goblet. From my position at the head of the room, I could point out almost every wound on the bodies of the ponies in front of me, and it was enough to break my fragile mental spirit.

Before I could even sip at the goblet, the door behind me smashed open in a rush, revealing the familiar, blinding light. This time, however, I could see the pony walking through. Or, better yet, the goddess that walked through. 

Though I had never seen this alicorn in my life, I could recognize her from some part of my hidden memories. Tall, graceful, elegant and terrifying. Her coat and feathers were blacker than a moonless night and possessed a subtle sheen, not a single section of her was marred by wounds or imperfections. The pale blue armor that covered most of her body reflected the shifting mass of her ethereal mane and tail, like a gaseous presence of the stars wavering around her in an eternal breeze.

The alicorn walked up to the table, standing immediately next to me and fixing her slit-pupil gaze on me for a moment before giving a subtle nod and turning her attention forward again. Her muzzle pulled back into a grim sneer, revealing sickeningly sharp teeth that looked unnatural on anything but a wolf or an equally predatorial beast. As much as she was terrifying, her presence seemed to boost the confidence of the ponies around the room.

“You have all been fighting as hard as you can to disrupt the Solar forces. You strike from the shadows, you kill all witnesses, and then you disappear as swiftly as a shooting star in the night sky. The Solar forces do not yet suspect our actions, and yet, we are still forced to crawl around these hidden passages like rats to avoid detection,” she spoke, her voice starting out as a low growl and increasing to a normal speaking voice.

“We say no more! We are tired of suffering casualties within the walls of our own castle, we are tired of having to crawl in the shadows to reclaim what is rightly ours!” she exclaimed, slamming a hoof down on the table as she turned her attention forward to the rest of the room.

“My little stars, we are tired of fighting and dying for those who pay us no love. We are tired of acting in the body of a weak and pathetic little mare! We cannot continue fighting in the shadows when what is rightly ours is in the light. We must strike now, as swift as shadow and as lethal as the void!” the alicorn exclaimed in anger, baring her teeth in a show of her unbridled rage.

“We shall strike tomorrow! The Lunar Guard shall be lead by Centurion Night Glider, and you shall all gather the remainders of the night forces and strike at the heart of the castle. We shall engage the tyrant herself, and ensure that she does not have the power to stop your advance!” she reached the apex of her speech, ears folded back against her head and her wings flared backwards in a display of aggression.

Despite the gloom that oppressed the room, the alicorn’s speech was met with a round of thunderous applause and cheers. A wave that I found myself joining in by clapping my hooves against the table in agreeance. It seemed to have the desired effect, as the alicorn slowly dropped her aggressive stance and calmed down.

Lowering her voice to just over a whisper, she spoke again, “We shall all share the same fate, my little stars. If we succeed tomorrow, we shall bask in an eternal night. And if we should fail, we shall all pay for our actions together,” she said, concluding her speech by sitting down in the spot next to me with a heavy sigh.

As the others continued to drink and chat, she turned to me, showing me a small smile, “We don’t know how to thank you enough for your actions. Two hundred years isn’t long for us, but surely they are for you. Thank you for staying at our side all this time.”

“Anything for you, my lovely queen,” I said, returning the smile. 

Seeing her happy made me happy. I had no idea why, but I felt connected to her. As her hoof touched me, it seemed like a shock ran through my body and everything turned black.


***


I woke up, startled and breathing heavily. The dream was a shock, but it answered as many questions as it raised. Quickly looking to my side, I sighed as I noticed that Twilight was still sleeping. What shocked me a bit, however, was that she somehow had started to cuddle into my coat during her sleep with her arms wrapped around my midsection and her head snuggled into my neck.

I couldn’t help but simply smile. She looked so cute and peaceful. It was heartwarming. Without thinking, I leaned back against Twilight, softly cuddling my muzzle along hers. I was happy, despite the terrifying nature of the dream I had. It was nice to wake up next to another pony in the morning, especially in her arms, it felt like I belonged. Even though I was just a guest, and it was in no way my own, it felt like at that moment, I was home.

The light of dawn was beginning to seep through one of the high windows of the library, casting the crystalline structure into shades of orange as the sun crested the horizon. It was beautiful in its own way, the dark crystals caught the shades of light at different angles and reflected them into a plethora of different shades and shimmering patterns. However, as beautiful as the sight was, my own gaze couldn’t stop turning towards the mare that was in my grasp.

If every morning could be like that, then I would be able to die happy and not want for anything else in my life ever again. Twilight, pressed up against my side with her head on my shoulder and her breath as steady as a metronome, the feeling of her ribs expanding and collapsing with each breath tickling the fur on my barrel very subtly. If her fur tickling against mine wasn’t a reminder enough of the sweet mare I had fallen asleep with, the slight tightness of her grasp that was constantly around me was more than enough to keep me from forgetting.

Of course, that brought with it the fear of her finally waking. I hadn’t the slightest idea as to what she would say when she woke, or what she would think about our current position. However, whatever her reaction might be, I had no doubt that I wouldn’t be forgetting that morning for many years to come. In that exact moment, I was happy, and I was more than content to just lay there with Twilight until the sun died out and the land was casted into eternal darkness. The world could end, and I’d be happy.

As with all moments of such enjoyment, it had to come to an end. And sadly, that end was brought on by the sudden rumbling of my stomach, which caused me to jump slightly in surprise and further disturb Twilight. She grumbled slightly against my shoulder, muttering something incomprehensible as her eyes fluttered awake slowly. Though she was awake, in her still half-asleep state, her grip tightened around me as a massive yawn wracked her, the cute sound breaking the monotonous silence that had plagued the library since the night before.

The world-shattering yawn persisted for almost a solid minute, a fact that had me resisting a laugh as Twilight finally closed her muzzle and blinked a few times in delirious surprise. After a moment of glancing around, Twilight lifted her head and took a tired look around the library, and I could almost see the gears turning in her head as she put the pieces together and realized she wasn’t in her bedroom. Her search of the library ended when her gaze turned towards me, and a look of realization crossed her features as I felt her grip tighten for the briefest moment.

“Oh! Uh… Morning, Night Glider,” Twilight said sleepily, giving a bleary smile as she took another glance around the library, “I’m sorry, did I pass out on you?” she asked, sounding more than a little embarrassed at that prospect.

I let the chuckle I had been holding in escape my muzzle as I replied, “Heh, morning Twilight. Yeah, you kinda did,” I replied with a little nod and a reassuring smile. Waking up with another pony pressed up against me was very, very low on my list of concerns.

A small blush crossed Twilight’s features as she turned her head back to me, her ears folding back in embarrassment, “I’m sorry, I was just so comfortable. You could have woken me up, you didn’t have to stay here all night,” she stammered, trying to regain herself from the flustered state she was currently in. However, I couldn’t help but notice that despite her worries, she still had her hooves securely around my barrel.

Keeping the reassuring smile on my muzzle, I shook my head quickly, “Twilight, don’t worry about it. It’s okay, I didn’t mind spending the night. And I didn’t want to wake you up. You, of all ponies, deserve your sleep,” I replied, giving her a gentle squeeze with the wing that was still securely wrapped around her.

A small smile crossed Twilight’s features at my reassurance, and she gave a silent nod in response. After a few moments of silence, and one more gargantuan yawn, Twilight lowered her head back onto my shoulder and let out a sigh, “At least I didn’t knock you onto the floor. You might have changed your tune if I did that,” she said, ending with a small laugh of her own.

The fact that Twilight didn’t get back up immediately was a little bit of a shock to me, but I wasn’t about to complain. It meant that I got a few more moments with my wonderful mentor clutching onto me, and a few more moments of the warmth that resulted from that act. The smile on my muzzle slowly crawled into a wider grin, despite the blush I could feel that burnt on my cheeks the entire time. 

Lowering my own head onto Twilight’s, I gave a lighthearted chuckle in response, “Well, it’d be a good way to get back at me for hitting you with the door last night,” I replied, grinning practically ear to ear as Twilight laughed in response, each laugh causing her ribs to push up against my side and tickle the fur there.

“It would only be payback if you hit your head, too. But then I’d feel bad,” Twilight responded against my shoulder, though I could feel her muzzle peeled back into a smile as she responded.

“Well, I can’t let my teacher feel bad, so let’s just skip the whole payback thing, yeah?” I teased, pushing the top of her head with my chin in a gentle prodding manner, as much to emphasize my words as to revel in the feeling of her mane against my chin.

Twilight chuckled in response, “That sounds like a good idea,” she replied with a long-winded sigh of contentment.

We stayed laying in that position for a few more minutes, enjoying the silence as we both found our morning winds. I could have laid there all morning with Twilight, if it wasn’t for the sound of my stomach growling in complaint that penetrated the silence and shattered all hopes of lying around.

A little laugh came from the area around my shoulder before Twilight sat up, pulling away from my shoulder and escaping the clutch of my chin, “I guess we should probably go get breakfast,” she said, looking up at me from under a spectacularly messy gathering of purple and lavender mane.

I nodded in response, a blush burning brightly across my cheeks in embarrassment from my stomach’s irritating timing, “Right, probably a good idea,” I replied, despite my desires to stay right there.

Twilight untangled herself from my body, the feeling of emptiness that replaced the area where she had been touching me felt all-oppressive and cold, a feeling I immediately decided I didn’t like. I lifted my wing away from her, giving her the freedom to stand and escape our little pillow fort, which she did after stumbling a bit on unsteady hooves.

Following in her motions, I stood up off of our pile of pillows and steadied myself on hooves that hadn’t been moved in several hours. Once I was sure I wasn’t about to fall over, I shook my head, arched my back and stretched for all I was worth, which earned me several bones popping back into place and a sigh of contentment to escape my muzzle.

A similar groan came from next to me, where Twilight was stretching her wings after having had them cramped up against her side all night. The sound of a few of her bones popping echoed after mine, and she seemed to be content after leaving her wings extended for a few moments.

With both of us limbered up and the sleep rapidly draining from us, I followed Twilight through the door and out into the hall, making our way towards the kitchen that I had only ever been in once before. Considering the fact that the last time I was there, I had been clobbered over the head by a baby dragon, I had high hopes that this visit would be slightly more pleasant.

Twilight entered the kitchen first and paused in the center of the room, looking around as she seemed to consider what she wanted for breakfast. By the time that I had entered after her, she had come to a decision and rushed off to one of the cabinets, searching for the ingredients that would be required. She moved like a little lavender whirlwind as her magic lit up and searched through the cabinets, levitating out a series of ingredients that included sugar, flour and milk.

I hesitated for a moment, eyeing the stools that were seated by the counter in the center of the room before deciding against it. I turned and trotted over to the cabinet that Spike had gone through before, and opened it up, going off of memory as I searched. I wasn’t sure how exactly I had noticed it before when I had only seen the inside of the cabinet for a couple of moments, and I hadn’t even actually searched through it myself. But, after sticking my wing into the shelves for a moment, they came out with the prize I sought; a can of coffee grounds.

Holding the can in one wing, I used the other to close the cabinet before I walked over to the counter Twilight was working on and set to making coffee for the both of us. Twilight seemed to notice, and the pleased smile that crossed her features was enough to fill my barrel with butterflies and warmth as I set to my work. I had done something that made her happy without her asking me to, it filled me with an oddly placed pride.

The coffee didn’t take long, and it took even less time to find the mugs without asking Twilight. Of course, if I had asked her, I would have found them sooner. But I figured I’d let her focus on the task she had at hoof. I set the two mugs full of coffee down on the counter on the side where there were stools, then turned to look over my shoulder, “How do you take your coffee?” I asked, breaking the sounds of food preparation.

In response, the milk and the sugar floated over from the counter and landed next to the mugs, “A little bit of milk and a tablespoon of sugar,” came the reply as Twilight mixed the batter with her magic. It really was impressive to watch her use so much magic on so many different tasks at once.

I gave a quick nod and turned to prepare her coffee the way she wanted, putting in just a little bit of milk and the tablespoon of sugar that she liked. With hers prepared, I turned to mine and added more milk and more sugar than hers. Most ponies pinned me for a black coffee type of mare, but I honestly could never stand the stuff just straight. Lots of sugar and lots of milk made it easier to go down.

Finally taking a seat with my mug, I turned my head up to watch Twilight making pancakes. I admired my teacher, in a lot more ways than I would ever care to admit. The beautiful, elegant mare could do more with her magic at once than I’d seen any other magic used do, and she did every task with the concentration most unicorns would give a single item. There wasn’t the slightest waver in the objects she manipulated, nothing looked unstable and her aura never fluctuated. It was incredible, to say the least.

Before long, Twilight had finished cooking, and two plates with stacks of pancakes on them were set with two hungry mares in front of them. Looking at my plate for a few moments and admiring the almost perfectly shaped pancakes, I gave Twilight a grin, “Thanks for breakfast, Twilight!” I exclaimed contently before lifting my utensils and digging in.

Twilight gave a little chuckle in response, “Don’t mention it. And thank you for the coffee,” she said, lifting her coffee in her magic and giving a mock salute with the mug before taking a contented sip.

The breakfast was incredible, as was expected. We both dug into our plates with the enthusiasm of ponies who hadn’t eaten for months, and the pancakes were devoured without much of a second thought. No words were passed between us as we ate, save for the occasional compliment about the pancakes.

When we were both sufficiently full and our plates cleaned off, Twilight turned towards me with a smile, “I’m going to go upstairs and take a shower, and hopefully make my mane presentable again. If you need one, too, you can use the guest bathroom upstairs. It’s a few doors down from my bedroom, on the side opposite the bathroom you used last time,” she said as she walked towards the stairs with me in tow.

I nodded in response, “Probably a good idea. I smell like books and sweat,” I said with a laugh. My words caused a blush to appear on Twilight’s cheeks, though I wasn’t sure what I said that could have been embarrassing.

Twilight stopped at the bottom of the stairs, covering her blush with a little smile, “When we’re done, we can go out or go back to reading, if you want. We still have more lessons to cover,” she said, a look of anticipation and expectation flashing in her eyes.

Even if I had something else I wanted to do, I wouldn’t have been able to say no to that look. Giving a confident smile, I nodded, “I can’t wait,” came my reply.

The look of joy I got in response was more than enough to make my heart crawl into my throat.
> Moonlit Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter nine: Moonlit Truth





I woke up to the suspicious creaking of a wooden bed in the other room. Confused, I cleared the sleep from my eyes before I realized what was going on. Once again. Ears flattening against my head, I buried my face into the pillow, trying to block out the sounds. 

Can’t they just cut it out for a day? Just one?

Seriously, I was starting to think that some words might be just the right thing soon. I had serious doubts that I could go on with those noises much longer. 

Then, just as the creaking of the bed stopped, I heard the moans. Seriously, I had enough. Trying to stand up a little too fast, I lost my balance and smashed muzzle-first onto the floor. I groaned as I forced myself up to my hooves before making my way out of the room and to the one right next to mine.

There was no need for them to say I didn’t knock.

I practically rammed the door in. 

Also, no need to say that what I saw was unexpected. While I had assumed that they were bucking, they were simply sitting on the bed with some cards while Applejack was tickling Rainbow Dash right at the moment.

“What the hay is going on in here? I can hear you from my room!” I shouted, causing them both to stop dead in their tracks.

“Well howdy, Night Glider. Didn’t think y’all would be up this early. We were just playin’ some cards, and Rainbow thought she could cheat!” Applejack chuckled awkwardly, the blush on her face clearly telling me that there was much more behind it than a simple tickling. 

“Since when do you make the bed creak or moan while playing cards?” I asked bluntly. 

“Uh, well…” Rainbow started before turning, which was a rather large mistake on her part. When she turned, I could see a distinct wet spot near her hind legs, making it more than obvious what had been happening.

“You were bucking, just admit it. And please, do it more quietly or go to Rainbow’s place. Or just warn me so I could go get a hotel, seriously. The walls are pretty much paper thin,” I complained in exhaustion.

“Hey, don’t go on to us like that!” Rainbow shouted, “You’re the one bucking Twilight!” she accused, pointing a hoof at me to exaggerate her point.

“I… I buck… WHAT?” I stammered, absolutely flabbergasted.

“You heard me! I saw how you defended her, and that smile you gave her and she returned it! I know that smile! You two are definitely bucking, and you’re not fooling anypony!” Rainbow exclaimed, the hoof that was pointed at me shaking slightly with every exclamation.

“Say what, now?” Applejack asked, her jaw falling slack slightly as the gears visibly began turning in her head.

I stomped my hoof, “Okay, stop it, you two! She’s my mentor and my friend! We’re NOT bucking!”

“But…”

“No buts!” I cut Rainbow off, “I really do like her, but we’re just friends. And we’re definitely not bucking, even if you two are!” I exclaimed, stomping a hoof down to exaggerate my own point.

“Hold yer horses there, sugarcube. We’re sorry, alright?” Applejack piped in quickly, shushing Rainbow when she tried to speak again. 

“Can I get back to sleeping now?” I asked with a long-winded sigh.

“Not tryin’ to be argumentative, but it’s already morning. I thought you were gonna head to Twilight’s early today?” Applejack said, chuckling a little bit as my gaze trailed over to the window. The orange glow from outside confirmed Applejack’s claim, bringing an irate groan to my muzzle. 

“I’ll deal with you later,” I said tiredly before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind me. 

Shaking my head as I walked down the stairs, I only stopped to grab an apple off of the counter in the kitchen on my way out. Despite my interrupted sleep, Applejack was right that I wanted to go see Twilight early. It was the highlight of my day; going to see Twilight. I was starting to wonder how I had managed to live for so long without having that activity in my daily routine, it was starting to feel vital in some way.

Opening the front door and taking a moment to revel in the fresh morning air, I began my journey into town, deciding to walk the distance instead of fly. It gave me enough time to eat my apple and finish clearing the sleep out of my head, as well as push the image of Applejack and Rainbow Dash as far from my mind as possible. Though, that particular task was almost herculean after that morning.

It didn’t take long for my hooves to lead me through the familiar streets, past familiar buildings, past familiar faces who bid me good mornings and hellos. It was strange; I had only been in Ponyville for a few days, but everypony was already treating me like a neighbor. It had started subtly; with a pony here or there waving to me or saying good morning. But after spending so much time there, I was greeted in some way, shape or form by just about everypony that I passed on my way to the castle.

It was heartwarming, to say the least.

And the best part was that it felt perfectly normal, like it was something that I’d been dealing with for my entire life. Good morning welcomes were returned with a smile, waves were mimicked and nods were reflected. It felt like something that just went hoof in hoof with living in Ponyville, even if I was only there for a short while.

By the time I reached the castle, my face had contorted into a pleasant smile and all the bitter thoughts I had before were set out of my mind for the time being. The only thing that really mattered was the fact that Twilight was waiting for me, and my problems were long behind me. I had no doubt that it would be as good a day as ever.

Stopping at the top of the stairs, I raised one of my hooves and knocked on one of the large doors a few times, waiting patiently for an alicorn or a dragon to welcome me. It took a while before the later opened the door.

“Oh, Night Glider. You’re early! Twilight is in the kitchen,” he said, stepping aside to let me in. 

“Thanks, Spike,” I said before moving past him and going directly towards the kitchen.

After just a few steps in the direction of my destination, I noticed two voices. One of them was clearly Twilight’s, one that I could always recognize. But the other, it was familiar, but I couldn’t exactly place where I had heard it before. 

I continued on my way, and was also surprised by some laughter as I entered the kitchen. Twilight sat there with a mug of coffee, laughing and as cute as ever. On the opposite side of her sat Princess Luna.

Twilight visible perked up as she noticed me. “Oh Night Glider! Come in, grab a mug and have a seat,” she offered, standing up to give me a wing hug that I returned before she settled down again. Princess Luna’s ears perked up when Twilight spoke, her eyes shifting towards me. She wore an unreadable mask, though I couldn’t help but feel like she was staring through me and didn’t like what she saw.

Breaking my gaze away from the dark blue alicorn, I gave Twilight an earnest smile and nodded, “Thanks Twilight,” I said before walking over to where the mugs were stored. Their conversation picked up again, though it seemed as though it had gotten more stiff since my arrival.

I quickly filled my mug with coffee and added the necessary milk and sugar before making my way to Twilight’s side and taking a seat. They seemed to be bantering about something mathematical, which I couldn’t have followed even if they were directing it towards me. Equations about some sort of magic or another, if I wasn’t mistaken. Not my forte.

While the two spoke, I found myself zoning out as I sipped at my coffee. It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in their conversation; I would have happily listened to Twilight drone on about anything. I just couldn’t really contribute to their conversation about magic when I wasn’t a unicorn, so I was content to sit there and sip at the liquid nectar of the gods until the conversation changed.

If the situation were different, I probably would still be in a bow in the doorway in response to Luna’s presence. After spending so much time with Twilight, though, it just didn’t even occur to me to bow to Luna. It felt like I was walking in on a couple of mares having coffee and chatting, not walking in on two of the leaders of Equestria. 

My attention was pulled away whenever I heard Twilight mention my name.

“So, Luna, this is my new friend, Night Glider. She’s from Starlight Glimmer’s town, and she’s recently become my student. She’s staying in Ponyville for the moment,” she said, introducing me to Luna now that their conversation was over. After a moment, she turned to face me and gestured towards the other alicorn, “And this is Princess Luna, the one who steers the moon and the stars,” she said, offering me a smile.

I looked across the table at Luna and gave her a smile, “Pleased to meet you, Princess Luna,” I said, nodding my head at her in what could barely pass as a bow.

Luna eyed me for a few moments before returning the nod, the mask of indifference she wore making it impossible to tell what she was thinking, “The pleasure is Ours, Night Glider, student of Twilight Sparkle,” she said, her voice taking on a more formal edge than what she had been using to speak with Twilight.

A beat passed before Luna spoke again, leaning in as she did so, “We must admit, We were quite surprised whenever Our sister informed Us that Twilight would be taking on a student. Though, We are pleased with the results,” she said, giving a gentle smile in my direction before turning her attention to Twilight.

I wasn’t sure if it was just me, but I could swear that she was speaking in a collective. She hadn’t been doing that before I entered the kitchen, so I didn’t know whether it was just a mistake on my part, or if I had done something that made her change her speaking patterns. It was a little unnerving to say the least.

“It’s been interesting,” I replied with a nervous chuckle, “There’s a lot more to friendship than I would have guessed,” I said, fiddling with my mug idly as I spoke. It felt kind of like being under a looking glass, and everything I said was being analyzed. I was almost certain it was just paranoia, but every time that Princess Luna looked at me, it was as if she was looking for something.

Twilight nodded at my response, “She’s been learning at an incredible rate, but there’s a lot to cover. I’m still proud of her, though,” she said, shooting me a smile that made my stomach twist around and my heart flutter in my chest.

A blush crossed my features and I gave a little scoff, “I’ve only been learning so quickly because I have a great teacher. Come on, give yourself some credit,” I replied quickly, trying to brush the compliment off and recover from my flustered state at the same time.

In response, Twilight gave a scoff that mimicked mine and she smacked my side with one of her wings in the gentle manner that she always did. Shaking her head, the grin grew on her lips, “You’re a quick learner, and that’s all there is to it,” she said, the blush that flared up on her cheeks bringing an infectious smile to my muzzle.

We shared a laugh at our own bantering before our attention fell onto Luna. I couldn’t help but notice the quick glances she made, jumping from Twilight to me and then back again. She only spoke after a moment, a tentative smile on her lips, “We are glad that you two are so compatible as student and mentor. Too often have We seen students despising their mentors, and mentors becoming impatient with their students,” she said, giving an accepting nod towards us. At least, I hoped it was accepting.

She examined us for a few moments longer before her head turned to Twilight, focusing on her, “Twilight, I have to talk with you later. In private,” she said, the glance she threw me out of the corner of her eyes was only just barely noticeable.

Is it just me, or did she just change her speech pattern again?

“Of course, Luna,” Twilight replied, her face scrunched in confusion. Maybe she noticed the same thing I did. 

“Tell Us something about you, young Night Glider,” Luna suddenly asked me, her eyes locking onto mine in her typical calculating manner.

“Uh… like what?” I asked, blinking a few times in surprise.

“Where you’re from, or how you met Twilight Sparkle, for example,” she said, her voice suddenly a tad colder, but that could also just have been my imagination. Luna was a very imposing figure to begin with, so I could have just been self-projecting.

I hesitated for a moment, looking over to my side where Twilight was. I wasn’t sure when I had picked up the habit of looking to Twilight for assurance, but the smile she gave me in response boosted my confidence. With a subtle nod of my own, I turned my attention back to Luna and took a breath before beginning.

I recounted the oppression of Starlight Glimmer’s town, how we had all been stripped of everything that had made us unique and then forced to conform to everything she wanted of us. When I was done explaining that, I moved on to how Twilight and her friends had come to the town and saved us, returning our cutie marks and chasing off Starlight Glimmer. When that was over, I moved on to how I had come to find Twilight to teach me more about friendship.

The entire time that I spoke, Luna was silent, the only sign that she was even listening to me was the small nods or nearly imperceptible changes in her facial features in response to this point or that point. I had to figure that she knew most of what I was telling her already, but I was just telling her again from my perspective. Every now and then, Twilight would comment on something or confirm something from my story, but I was the only speaker for the most part.

When I was done with my story, Luna gave a silent nod, a thoughtful look painted on her face for the moment. After a few beats of silence, she spoke up, “That is certainly a tale, Night Glider. We are glad that Twilight was there to help you and your friends,” she said, raising her mug for the first time since I started my story and taking a sip from it in a patient display.

I couldn’t help but to feel that there was something off. It was almost like she was acting carefully around me, wearing a mask of some sorts. Of course, it could have been my imagination, but something was definitely off. What that was, of course, was anypony’s guess. 

Giving a nervous smile, I nodded, “I’m glad that Twilight was there to save the day. Not sure what we would have done if Starlight hadn’t been stopped,” I said, idly fiddling with my mug. Whether Luna was actually analyzing me or if it was just my imagination, I was still generally nervous when it came to talking about what would have happened if Starlight hadn’t been stopped. I’d still be just another pony with no future, no friends.

I felt Twilight’s hoof settle on my shoulder, and took comfort in the familiar weight. Raising my hoof without looking at her, I covered her hoof with my own, a small smile crossing my features as I felt the nerves fall from my mind. Even without words, Twilight was able to make me feel better.

After a moment of sitting like that, Luna cleared her throat and spoke, “While We do find this moment touching, mayhaps We might relocate to the library?” she asked, keeping a formal tone about her. I was inclined to agree with her. After all, the library had become almost a second home to me over the past few days.



***



The day had passed a lot more quickly than I would have thought. We read in the library for a long time, and only broke to have dinner. Twilight and Luna discussed many things, ranging from mathematical equations to theoretics in magic. I was included in some conversations, and others I was more than content to sit out, instead choosing to read my own book while they talked. 

When the sun had been lowered, Luna relocated to one of the higher balconies in the castle, raising the moon and the stars in a style that could only be described as picturesque. Her display had earned a round of applause from Twilight and myself, which was followed by a long discussion about the night sky.

“...and as she cried, her tears crystallized and became the stars, giving her companionship and love where no one else would give it,” I said, waving my hooves in the air as I elaborated on the story about one of the constellations in the sky. All three of us had been trading stories about constellations for a fair amount of time since the moon had been raised, the most entertaining of which always came from Luna.

At my conclusion, Twilight let out a giggle, “That’s the most ridiculous story I’ve heard about the formation of stars yet,” she said, grinning at me for a moment before her eyes turned up towards the sky. I had to laugh in response; Twilight always had such a scientific explanation for the stars, but science was just plain boring. I always thought that it was better to embellish on stories and come up with something entertaining.

Luna hummed in what appeared to be thought for a moment before she cracked a rare smile, “Your knowledge of stories relating to the stars surprises Us, Night Glider. Too few ponies in today’s age are versed in pre-Celestian tales,” she said, casting a look that I hoped to be approval in my direction.

I gave a shrug as I leaned against the balcony railings, “Sometimes I surprise myself, if I’m being honest,” I said, chuckling a little as my eyes turned up towards the constellations above and I began running through stories in my head again. I wasn’t really sure where all the stories came from, but they were there in my head, and they were always entertaining to some degree.

Another hum of thought came from Luna as she nodded in acknowledgement, turning her attention to the distance. The silence was only broken by the sounds of crickets and tree frogs in the distance, filling Ponyville with the sounds of summer, and my obscenely loud and long yawn.

Blinking the resulting tears out of my eyes, I found Twilight staring at me with a look that suggested she was trying her very best not to fall onto the ground laughing, and Luna with a raised eyebrow in amusement. I gave a sheepish smile after a moment, “What? I’m tired,” I said with a chuckle.

With an idle gesture towards the distance, Twilight spoke, “You can go back to the farm if you’re tired, Night Glider. We’ll just meet up again in the morning,” she offered, giving me one of her usual gentle smiles.

A sigh escaped my lips and I shook my head, “Ugh! I don’t want to go back there. I can’t sleep because it’s always so noisy there,” I complained, banging my head against the balcony rails to emphasise my irritation.

A beat passed, and then two, before Twilight finally spoke, “Why don’t you stay here for the night?” she asked, causing my ears to perk up in surprise. I had slept over at the castle before, but Twilight had never actually invited me to stay. It just sort of happened before.

Looking over at Twilight with a raised eyebrow, and stoically ignoring the blush that turned most of her face a cherry red, I spoke, “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude,” I said, fighting off my own blush.

Twilight smiled in response and nodded once, “Of course! You can just use the guest room, you know where it is,” she said enthusiastically. Luna seemed indifferent to the exchange, but I couldn’t help but notice the slight twitch in her right ear as Twilight spoke, something I hadn’t seen her do during the entire day.

Glancing at Luna for the briefest of moments before returning my attention to Twilight, I gave her a thankful smile, “Thanks, Twilight, I appreciate it,” I said contently. Crossing the distance between us, I wrapped her up in a hug with my wings, one that she happily returned.

“It’s no problem,” she replied, nuzzling against me for a moment during the hug before pulling back.

As another yawn wracked me, I quickly walked over to the door and called over my shoulder, “I’ll be heading to bed then. Goodnight, you two!” I said as I stepped into the castle.

“Goodnight, Night Glider!” Twilight called after me, turning to face Luna as I left.


***


If the bed in the guest room Twilight wanted me to stay in was anything to go by, then princesses really had it made. It was like lying on a warm, fluffy cloud, basking in the sunlight of a summer afternoon. Wrapped in the cocoon of blankets and pillows as I was, sleep was pressing into the edges of my mind faster than it had in recent memory. I was almost asleep when I heard the sounds of voices in the hallway.

“You are deluding yourself into believing you can trust her, Twilight Sparkle,” the voice of Luna came, an irritated edge to her voice as the two passed the doorway to the bedroom I was lying in.

“And you’re making a big fuss out of nothing. I don’t get what the problem is, you haven’t even met her before!” Twilight exclaimed in a less-than-quiet manner, the sound of her hoof stomping against the floor echoing through the crystal. I had to wonder if either of them realized that the crystal carried their sounds through the castle as if I were right next to them.

There was a beat before Luna spoke again, “That is precisely the point. I have met her, and I know more about her than you do. I know that she is not to be trusted,” she said, heaving a sigh as if she were finally letting a weight off of her shoulders.

Sitting up in my bed, I found myself more awake than I had been minutes earlier, my ears perked in curiosity as my gaze turned towards the dark crystal of the door. With the moonlight filtering in through the high window, I could see perfectly well in the room, not that there was anything to actually see. I was tempted to get up and tell them that I could hear them, but I was curious to see what they were talking about.

“What are you talking about?” came Twilight’s disbelieving voice, along with the sound of shuffling hooves as she presumably looked around the hallway.

There wasn’t a reply immediately, making me wonder if they had moved on. Shifting on the bed slowly, I gently got to my hooves and crept my way towards the doorway, careful to make no noise as I did so. I only made it to about halfway through the room before I had to stop and listen to the voices as they picked up again.

“She was the Centurion of Nightmare Moon’s forces, the Captain who fought a civil war in the shadows. Your student willingly worked for Nightmare Moon,” Luna’s voice came with a sharp edge, twinged with a tone of what could have been regret.

Twilight laughed, “That’s impossible. That was over a thousand years ago, that pony can’t be Night Glider,” she said, the sounds of her laughter still echoing through the crystal.

I blanched as I stood stock still in the circle of moonlight in the middle of my room. Either Luna was a terrible liar, or she was telling the truth. Either way, I could do nothing but stand still and listen to her response.

“Centurion Night Glider of the Lunar Guard; white of mane and silver of highlight, blue of coat and sapphire of eye. Pegasus. Cutie mark of two feathers outside of a crescent moon,” Luna read out in a methodological voice, as if she were reading out a description from a book, “Accused of no less than thirty eight counts of murder, all of which were of Solar Guards, and one count of high treason. Banished with Nightmare Moon and the survivors of the Lunar Guard,” she concluded, her voice trailing off into silence.

There was no immediate response from Twilight, which left room for Luna to interrupt before she could speak, “Towards the end, I used ancient and forbidden magics to preserve some of my Guard. Friends were in short supply, so I did what I could to hold on to the ones I had,” she said, her voice a tone lower than before, making me strain to hear her, “Night Glider was the Centurion of my forces and…” Luna hesitated for a long time before continuing, “...more, for two hundred years before Nightmare Moon arrived,” she concluded, finally taking a break for Twilight to respond.

“I can’t believe it,” Twilight’s voice shivered, nearly imperceptible. The two voices were silent for a while, the only sounds were of my own heart throbbing in my ears and the blood rushing through my body. When she finally spoke, it sounded further away, like I was hearing it through a body of water, “She said she doesn’t remember anything about her past… Was she lying?” she asked, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.

“I assume so. I do not think that she has changed much since she has returned. She was always a bit… manipulative, I believe the correct term is,” Luna replied, sounding only slightly conflicted through the watery distance I perceived. 

“But why all that acting? I… I thought she was special. I thought that she was different, that she liked me… I… I have to think about this,” came Twilight’s reply before the familiar popping sound of her magic signified her teleporting somewhere, most likely her room.

A sigh came from Luna before the sounds of her hoofsteps lead off, down the hall and towards the stairs. I stopped paying attention when the conversation ended.

I found myself curling up onto my side on the floor in the circle of silvery moonlight, blinded by a mix of tears and the moonlight reflecting into my eyes. I was confused, terrified, and something inside me twisted until I felt like it was going to tear out of my chest and fall onto the floor.

With my rear legs held in my front hooves, I pulled myself into a small circle and let my tears fall, a trail of the warm liquid running from my eyes and pooling onto the hard crystal below. I heard the sound of someone crying through the watery distortion in my ears, echoing around the room and coming from every direction.

I could have sworn it sounded like me.
	
> Bleeding Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


 Chapter ten: Bleeding Past 


        

I was flying.

I didn’t know where I was going, and I didn’t care to know. All that mattered was that I was flying, with the castle shrinking behind me.

Tears stung my eyes almost as much as the wind, keeping me sufficiently blinded as I flew as fast as I could away from the castle and the ponies within. The only way I was sure I wasn’t going to crash was by flying as high as I could get away with, leaving the ground well below me and the all-encompassing darkness of the night around me.

I could scarcely believe my ears, at first I was in denial. There was no way that Luna was telling the truth. There was no way that I could have possibly been more than a thousand years old. But Luna didn’t lie, there was no reason for her to. And that, coupled with my dreams, I knew she was telling the truth. It was more than just a coincidence.

And so, I ran. As soon as I had picked myself off of the floor, I flew out of the window and didn’t look back. I thought that maybe if I flew fast and far enough, I’d be able to leave it behind me and never think about it again.

But that was where my problems had stemmed from in the end, wasn’t it? Not thinking about my problems, letting them be nothing but dreams and blurred memories. Denying what my mind was telling me, what my body already knew.

There were times before I had gotten to Starlight Glimmer’s town, when I was wandering through nameless territories of sandy desert, where I had let my body take over. Times where I needed to fight to survive, or needed to scavenge to eat, or find shelter when there was none. I never questioned how I was able to survive, how I was able to pull out of the badlands and wind up back in civilization. I just thought that I was lucky.

But in the end, I was able to survive because I had the training for it. My body remembered what to do even when my mind didn’t. My body was a machine, and it could operate perfectly fine without anything controlling it. Be it for killing or surviving, my body was a machine, and I was just a helpless passenger who was disgusted with what the machine had been used for.

I found myself wishing that I hadn’t made it to Starlight’s town, that I had died in the desert. When that line of thought died out, I wished I had never been altered by Luna, and I had died a thousand year ago. And when that line of thought trailed to an end, I wished I had never been born.

The thoughts that whizzed through my head were a clutter, an amalgamation of disarray and heartache. A blizzard of self-loathing and hatred, and yet, at the center of it all, I still thought about Twilight. The worst of my thoughts were always about how I had hurt and lied to Twilight, without even realizing it.

Gliding on unsteady wings, I hung at the joints of my wings as my thoughts fell to Twilight and tears rolled down my face. I had hurt the one pony I cared about more than anything else, and I had done so without even realizing it. I was a failure, a mess who didn’t even realize what I was doing wrong.

I didn’t really know when I had turned, or when the horizon in front of me had been replaced with a rapidly approaching ground. The only tell that it had happened was the whiz of air rushing past my face, pulling my tears with it as much as my mane or tail. There was a moment at some point that I thought about leaving my wings closed and seeing how much damage a straight fall would do to me, even despite Luna’s additions.

The answer came in the form of my body reacting for me; my wings stretching out on their own accord and pulling me into a gentle, albeit quick, landing. My muscles ached, my head swam, my eyes were sore and itchy, and I was sufficiently lost. The hill I had landed on was bare, save for a single oak tree at the top of the hill, and a valley on the other side. It was as good a place as any to collect my thoughts.

I found myself sitting at the base of the tree, looking out at the moonlit valley with a glazed-over look. The area was unfamiliar, and I couldn’t see even a trace of Ponyville behind me. The only sounds were of crickets and tree frogs, and the distant call of a pack of wolves somewhere in the valley.

With my back propped up against the tree, I let myself sink down low and breathe a shaky sigh. After such a traumatic night, I was tired, I was angry, and I was confused. But even so, I felt my body wanting to react for me, wanting to take me back to familiar ground. I wanted to stay lost, to never face Twilight again, and just sit there for the rest of my life.

As if a switch had been flipped, I found memories where there had been none before. I could put names to the faces in my dreams, meaning behind things that had been nonsense. Context to the blurry memories that had plagued me since I had woken up in the desert, vivid images and thoughts that felt like it had been in another life. Someone who was me only in name, a thousand years ago in buried history books.

I remembered training in a dark forest as a foal, with hundreds of other shouting ponies as we worked our muscles as much as our voices. I remembered learning ancient Equin, and getting lectured by a stern-faced professor for daydreaming in class. Fuzzy memories of the taste of wood and cloth as I held a sword in flight, and the echoing vibrations as it hit another. They were memories that had always been there, just hidden beneath a surface as thick and murky as ice.

It could have been that at one point I had a chance for a normal life, but with the families who had been tied to the ancient Lunar Guard, most foals of those families became Guards themselves, if not soldiers and fighters of Equis. The faded memories of my parents drew a shudder from me as I blearily recalled them signing me up for training before I had even learned how to fly to the lowest of clouds. If I had ever had a chance for a normal life, I wasn’t old enough to see it, and I wasn’t mature enough to make my own choice.

As I stared at the full moon in all its splendor, I remembered the first time I could call myself a true member of the Lunar Guard. I recalled the difficulty I had adjusting my sleeping schedule into a nocturnal one, and the teasing I had received from the bat ponies who never had to adjust. I even recalled my first friend in the Guard, who had wound up being my training partner for years.

Time became an echo as I relived the ceremony that Luna held for me and a hoof-ful of other Guards as we were uplifted into the Dynasty. The feel of a cast iron cup in my hooves as I drank back a rancid green liquid that made me gag, and the feeling of strength that passed through me when the nausea had passed. The cold feel of the crescent moon helmet being lowered onto my head, the same that the others who had been uplifted wore.

My heart wrenched in my chest as a flash of my first lover jumped into my head; a midnight blue bat pony with a fiery red mane and a love for sappy and romantic things. My breath caught as I recalled outliving my first lover, and spending months blaming Luna for not uplifting her. Months of loathing and hatred for everything that I held dear. I remembered for a time after that being a consort to Luna, there at her beck and call, no matter the need.

Faces flashed in my mind as I recalled my best friends, ponies who I trained and then subsequently outlived, ponies who I fought beside and called their names in the heat of battle. One stuck out as another lover came to mind; a white unicorn mare that I trained from a foal into an incredible fighter in the Solar Guard.

The very same mare I recalled crossing blades with on the night the civil war came into full swing. I barely felt the sob that wracked my body as I recalled removing my sword from her, turning away as her coat steadily turned red in the darkness of the eclipse.

The final memory that stood out was the moment Nightmare Moon was banished, and those who had been uplifted were banished through the ties they had with the princess of the night. A thousand years passing as though in endless dreams of constellations and lullabies, and a faint calling as if the moon itself was asking for my help. 

I wasn’t sure when I had fallen asleep, or if I had actually fallen asleep at all. By the time I felt that there were no more tears to shed, and my body had had enough, the faintest rays of light were already cresting the horizon in front of me. My body felt like it had been torn apart, melted, and then reformed in a terrible replica of what it used to be, and my mine fared no better.

Despite this, I found myself able to breathe and see for the first time in hours. A long, drawn out sigh escaped my lips as I watched the sun start to peek its head out from behind the mountains in the distance, casting my hill into morning light and chasing the shadows down into the valley below. It was almost picturesque.

Despite the raging storm of emotions that boiled inside of me, it was a peaceful morning. The birds were chirping, animals were scampering about in the valley, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. It was as if the entire area was untouched by pony hooves, just left to its own devices, and now it was showing itself to me. Like a little secret shared between nature and a broken pony.

As tired as I was, I was still awake enough to recognize the sound of approaching wings. The whooshing sound of air running through the primaries of a pegasus were hard to mistake with anything else. I assumed it was a passing weather pony, or a guard patrol of some sort. What I didn’t expect was the voice that came up behind me, making my weary body jump with surprise.

“Night Glider?” the familiar voice asked, making my ears flatten against my head as if I had been hit by a white hot poker. I chose not to reply, instead letting the other mare land on the grass behind me and do what she would. She knew about me, so if she was going to have me arrested, I wasn’t about to stop her.

I turned and expected hate, anger and many more other negative emotions. But there wasn’t any sign of it. She showed fear, hurt, sadness and it hurt me more than the other emotions could have.

“Is it true what Luna said?”

It was a simple question. A question that only gave me two answers, no chance to play around or dodge the question. It was a question that demanded the truth or a lie. I chose the truth; I never wanted to lie to Twilight.

"It is, but I didn’t lie to you,” I replied, focusing on her.

I could see a tear making its way down her muzzle, “But if it’s true, you lied!” she exclaimed, ears folding back against her head as she yelled.

“No! Remember what I said about those bad dreams? They’re my memories. Every dream showed me a bit more, and I’ve been able to remember it bit by bit. It’s not much yet, but this was my past, Twilight. I’m not a murderous, bloodlusting monster. I’m exactly the pony I’ve showed you the past few days.”

“How is it possible that you are over a thousand years old?” her voice trembled.

“Princess Luna did something to me, I don’t know exactly what. I’m not immortal, but I’m stronger and live much longer than any regular pony.” 

“L...Let’s say that I believe you… would it change something?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Our relationship, the friendship we built, all those nice memories.”

“Twilight, everything would stay the same. It’s up to you,” I said before slowly starting to approaching her.

Twilight backed away, concern on her face, and it hurt me. I could feel tears coming up and my heart aching, “Twilight, I could never hurt you. I would rather sacrifice myself than hurt you.”

Did I just say that?

I heard you,” she said simply.

“What?”

“I heard you in the shower… I,” Twilight was cut off by various shadows appearing around us.

“Step away from her!” Luna shouted at me as she stepped out of the woods, a ring of darkly armored ponies joining her from all around the hill. I wasn’t sure how they had gotten so close without me noticing, but they were the Lunar Guard, and stealth was really one of their strong suits.

I jumped, an action that Twilight mirrored in surprise as we were surrounded by the winged ponies and one particularly angry alicorn princess. Twilight turned to face Luna with wide eyes, “Princess Luna! What are you doing?” she asked, confusion evident in her voice.

However, despite her confusion and whatever qualms she may have had with Luna’s intervention, it appeared that Luna wasn’t having any distractions. She made a subtle nod, one that I recognized and had seen on multiple occasions. My body knew what it was doing before I had even clued in to it. The power that I had put into the buck sent the first of the guards sailing in the opposite direction in mid-tackle, part of his chest plate caved in.

Two of the other guards had aimed for my legs, looking to set me off balance and pin me to the ground. A quick beat of my wings sent me above them, causing them to crash into one another before I landed heavily on them, the sound of metal giving away to my hooves echoing across the valley as parts of their shoulder and rib armor plates were bent and twisted.

My body didn’t rest on top of the two guards; with another steady beat of my wings, I found myself hovering above what had just turned into a battlefield, with no less than eight opponents taking to the skies around me. Even with three taken out of the fight, there were more than enough to overpower me, no matter how much my body knew how to handle itself.

The telltale whoosh of a pegasus sweeping was more than enough warning for me to close my wings and dive, reaching my hooves up and grabbing the pegasus who had attempted to grab me from behind. With a solid grip of his barrel, I twisted him in mid-flight so that he was pointed down, and then shoved with all my might so he crashed down on top of his two comrades. As he crashed, my wings popped out again, keeping me in the air as the seven remaining guards sized me up and tried to figure out how to handle me.

I could vaguely hear Twilight and Luna yelling in the background, and a few cases of my name being thrown between them, but I was beyond the capacity to care. I was in a battle, with the sun rising behind me and my freedom on the line. Hours ago, I would have been willing to let them do what they wanted with me, but the only pony I was willing to let render judgement on me at that point was Twilight.

Narrowing my eyes, I noted the pony directly across from me was a bat pony with my shadow in her face. Something of a smirk crossed my features as I beat my wings as hard as I could, propelling me into the air and removing my shadow from her, exposing her sensitive nocturnal eyes to the full brunt of the sun’s rays. The poor mare exclaimed in pain as she found herself staring directly at the sun, only for my rear hooves to connect with her armored skull as she thrashed about in mid air.

The bat pony hadn’t even hit the ground before I had turned to the next pegasus and had engaged in full frontal combat, catching her off guard as hooves and wings were entered into the fray. As elite as the current Lunar Guard may have been, they were nothing compared to even the lowest of grunts that I had trained with in my youth. As soon as the pegasus made a mistake, I gripped her forehoof and twisted her as hard as I could, the resulting snap was only covered by her scream as I spun her around to put her in the way of one of her comrade’s charges, sending the two of them to the ground in a heap.

“We have had enough of this silly play!” a voice boomed through the early hours of morning, causing me to look down, just to see Luna powering up a spell.

I had no idea what kind of spell it was, but it was blue, and heading right for me. There was no chance for me to block magic, so I braced myself for the impact and closed my eyes. An impact which never came.

Opening my eyes and blinking, I found myself surrounded by a faintly shimmering purple shield. 

“Twilight Sparkle! What are you doing?! She is a threat to us all! We have to stop her, just look what she did to Our guards!” Luna shouted, her full attention turning towards Twilight in what could only be described as disbelieving anger.

“You attacked her first!” Twilight shouted back, her front hooves spaced out and her head lowered with her horn pointed at Luna.

“She is a murderer, and a traitor!” Luna exclaimed, stomping a hoof in barely contained anger as she kept her own horn pointed at me.
        
“So were you, one time! She’s a victim of her past just like you! I believe her, and I won’t allow you to hurt her!” Twilight growled back at her before what looked like a victorious grin crossed her features, “I hereby enact the Equin Speculator Act on Night Glider!” she called, eyebrows raised in a position that just dared Luna to retort.

Luna looked as though she had been smacked by Twilight’s words, directly insulted by having been called a traitor and a murderer, and what I could only assume were horrid memories for her. She huffed, breathing heavily for a few moments as she glared at Twilight and then up at me before looking back at Twilight.

After a few moments of huffing, she let out a snort and shook her head in irritation, “The consequences are yours, Twilight Sparkle! Do not say that We did not warn you!” she exclaimed before spreading her wings and taking off to the sky. The other members of the Lunar Guard who were lucky enough to be uninjured flew down to help their comrades who had been taken down, but soon enough, the Lunar forces were little but quickly receding specks of black in the morning sky. 

The bubble of purple disappeared, allowing me to spread my wings and gently land next to Twilight. She looked like she was ready to jump for joy or pass out, a look of equal parts confusion and excitement passing over her features. She looked up at me, breathing heavily for a few moments before she finally got out of her combat stance.

After a moment, I set a gentle hoof on her shoulder, giving her the first real smile I’d been able to manage in several hours. I couldn’t contain myself, after a second of silence, I darted in and wrapped my hooves around her in a tight hug. Despite the surprised look on her face, she returned the hug almost as quickly as I gave it, burying her head in my shoulder as she did so.

We held one another for a long moment, nothing but the sounds of nature to tell the passage of time. When we broke away, I took a breath, looking back over the valley before asking something that had me curious, “What’s the Equin Speculator Act?” I asked, my wings ruffling slightly in worry.

Twilight stepped up next to me, the feeling of her wings brushing against mine not bringing a blush to my face for once. She followed my gaze for a long time before she finally responded, “It’s an ancient law… It was around when you were a guard, if I’m not mistaken. It states that a Princess of Equestria can claim the life of a criminal as her personal guard, in whatever position she wishes, for as long as she thinks is necessary for the criminal’s crimes to be repaid,” she explained, the distinct shuffling of her hooves making her nervousness obvious.

I blinked a few times, “That’s stupid. Having a criminal as a bodyguard?” I asked, confused beyond measure at the sheer ridiculousness of the law. A criminal would make a terrible guard under the best of circumstances.

A small chuckle escaped Twilight’s muzzle before she responded, “It has to do with psychological conditioning. You take a criminal, give them a job protecting a princess, and reward them for it. Eventually, they stop being the bad guys and start being the most devoted of good guys. A guard who’s always been a hero will take advantage of it, but a guard who knows what it’s like to be on the other side of the law and doesn’t want to be on that side again will always appreciate the position they have,” she explained, the smile gracing her features almost as warm as the sun that was rising in the distance.

I was silent, taking in the ramifications of the explanation. It meant that I wouldn’t be a criminal anymore, but it also meant that I’d be spending the rest of my natural life with Twilight. I wasn’t quite sure if that was a blessing or a curse, but with the sun shining and the chill of sorrow washing away from me, I chose to believe that it was a chance to start anew.

Twilight was the one to break the silence as we both stared at the slowly rising sun, “Welcome to the Twilight Guard, Captain Night Glider,” she said, leaning into my side slightly as we stood on the hill in the middle of nowhere, basking in the sun's glow.
	
> Twilight's Captain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter eleven: Twilight’s Captain


        

The armor that was being bent and fitted around my barrel was almost as uncomfortable as the white unicorn that barely understood the meaning of “personal space”, though not quite. She wore a pair of tortoiseshell glasses that she peered through as she fastened straps with her magic and tutted at this or that, complaining about how the color didn’t match my coat, or that metal wasn’t in season. I never pretended to understand what she was going on about, it would take a mind sharper than mine to understand Rarity.

I was about halfway through zoning out and replaying the flight home from the hill yesterday morning when the mare’s irritatingly persistent voice cut into my concentration, “Could you lift your left hoof for me, darling?” she asked in a honey-sweet voice, poking at the aforementioned hoof.

With a show of heroic personal control, I managed not to sigh as I lifted my hoof for her to slip an armored forehoof guard onto my hoof. It was far too big, and I could feel the tingle of her magic as she made markings on the inside. Of course, the armor that we had to work with was a spare that had been dropped off from Canterlot, a set of Solar Guard armor that was clearly made for a stallion who must have been made more of muscle than anything else.

Despite the golden armor being almost twice the size of me, Rarity seemed to be certain that she would be able to resize it so that I could wear it comfortably. I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t about to complain when Twilight told me that she was the best when it came to reshaping anything clothing related. I wasn’t going to mention the fact that Rarity had specifically said she’d never worked with armor before.

A few more minutes drew out before the presence of the unicorn backed off, followed closely by the plates of metal that had been strapped onto my back. Lifting her glasses and folding them with her magic, she gave a patient smile in my direction, “This should be a simple task. I shall have it done by this evening!” she exclaimed with confidence.

“Thanks, Rarity,” Twilight’s voice came from behind me as the alicorn walked up to my side, giving Rarity a grateful smile. I glanced to my side at Twilight and couldn’t stop the goofy smile that worked onto my muzzle, watching my personal savior and my new boss with admiration. The only thing that snapped me out of my thoughts was the sudden gasp that came from Rarity, drawing my gaze.

Rarity was glancing between Twilight and myself, or more specifically between Twilight’s chest and my own. I wasn’t sure what had made her gasp, but her eyes had lit up significantly, and an unparallelled grin shot onto her features. A beat passed where I was about to ask her what the problem was, before she broke the silence, “Idea!!!” she exclaimed in a haste.

Whatever the idea was about, she turned tail and sprinted out of the castle with the bits of armor held in front of her in her magic, and I could have sworn that her pen was writing in her notebook as she ran. If I had to guess, I’d say that it was just another thing about Ponyville that its citizens just didn’t question. Something I’d need to get used to.

Looking at Twilight, she only chuckled, “That’s Rarity for you. If she gets a idea she just drops everything else,” she explained, turning around to face me properly.

I nodded, “You have great friends,” I said, smiling as I glanced at the door that Rarity had sprinted out of just moments ago.

“I do. And now I have one more,” she gave me a beaming smile that made my heart melt and the goofy grin to crawl back onto my muzzle. 

Before silence could grow between us, she clapped her hooves together, “How about we just relax a bit in the library with some tea? You must be tired after everything that happened yesterday,” she said with a little sympathetic smile. She was right, I had napped on and off for the rest of the day while she had taken care of all the legal stuff that came with both forming the Twilight Guard, and appointing me in charge of it. And then the entire night was spent warding off nightmares.

I nodded and followed her to the library where she collected the usual cushions to the pile on which we had fallen asleep last time, cuddled against each other. I settled down as she quickly made her way to the kitchen to make the tea, and I sighed in exhaustion as I laid back in the cushions.

Being alone for some time, I couldn’t help but to think over some things. I still had no idea why Twilight just trusted me, why she willingly helped me. Why she was willing to trust me with her security, of all possible things.

And I still want to know if she had really heard me…

My thoughts were disturbed by Twilight returning with two cups in her magic. Just like it was part of the regular routine before everything had gone all crazy, she settled down next to me on the cushions, her coat and wings brushing against mine. I took my tea from her in one of my hooves, giving her a grateful smile as I shuffled up against her, taking advantage of the closeness we shared.

I sniffed at the tea for a moment before speaking, “Thanks, Twilight,” I said, taking a small sip of the offered beverage. It wasn’t as good as coffee, but Twilight sure knew how to make a good tea. 

“Don’t mention it,” she replied with a content smile, sipping at her own as silence fell back over us.

We stayed in silence for a few minutes, enjoying our tea and acclimating to one another’s presence. I was about to ask her about the shower when a book was suddenly dropped onto my lap, causing me to jump in surprise and Twilight to giggle at my reaction.

Putting a hoof on my shoulder, Twilight shook her head with a good-natured grin, “Easy there, soldier. Just getting a book so we can get back on track with our lessons,” she said, opening the book with her magic to the same page we had left off before Luna had come to visit.

I blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow, “Lessons?” I asked, curiosity edging into my voice.

There was a twinkle in Twilight’s eyes as she nodded, “Mhm, lessons. You’re still my student, in case you’ve forgotten,” she said, hiding her grin poorly behind her cup of tea.

I couldn’t help my own grin in response, a small laugh escaping my muzzle as all concerns and questions dropped from my mind. She was right; in the end, nothing had changed. I was still her student, and she was still my mentor, and we still had a lot of lessons to cover before I could claim to understand friendship.

Sipping at our tea, we started reading from the exact place we had left off. It reminded me of reading while Twilight slept on my shoulder, a night that I was sure I’d never forget. So, it was safe to say that I was a little distracted while Twilight read to me, but only on the surface. I paid rapt attention to Twilight’s voice and listened to what she was saying, enjoying the time we had together.

If I was going to be living in the castle with her, I had to assume that there’d be a lot more days like that in the long run. Not that I’d ever complain about spending a day reading with Twilight, it was a day well spent in my eyes, and it was very educational. The day’s topic covered letting go of old troubles, which I thought was particularly fitting.

Whether or not Twilight had planned for it to coincide, or if it was coincidental, I’d never know.


***


With the light in the library dying down to what reflections of the sunset could bring, we decided to call it quits for the night. We had lit a few candles, brought in dinner, and ate in companionable conversation on our comfortable little fort of pillows. It had turned out to be another fruitful day of lessons, as all lessons with Twilight had a tendency of doing.

With our bellies full and the library tinted orange from the sunset just outside, we turned to conversation to pass the time. Or, at least, Twilight spoke and I listened. She went off on a tangent about how much effort it was to set up a new faction of the Guard, and about how she couldn’t wait until all the red tape was cleared away. I just sat there and listened, content to just listen to Twilight ramble on about any topic that popped into her head. I didn’t need to contribute, she was really amusing enough by herself.

Of course, I did have a topic that I wanted to approach, but I wasn’t sure how to. It was sensitive to say the least, and very awkward. However, the only way that I had ever known how to deal with such issues was to approach them head on and deal with whatever fallout came from it. So, when there was a lull in the conversation, I took the chance.

“Twilight, did you actually hear me in the shower?” I asked as soon as there was a moment of silence, catching Twilight off guard.

She stared at me for a few moments, a familiar blush burning across her cheeks and flaring every few seconds. She stammered for a few moments as she tried to formulate words, “I… I, uhhh. Y-yeah, I heard,” she said, dying out in a whisper as she nodded a confirmation.        
        A blush found its way onto my cheeks as well, a near perfect mirror of her own. I hesitated a few moments in panic, trying to come up with my own reply. It was a solid minute before I could manage to speak, “I’m sorry, that must have been awkward,” I said, saying the first thing that came to mind.

Twilight mumbled something that sounded like a confirmation, but I couldn’t be sure. We passed into an awkward silence as neither of us figured out what to say. Twilight was clearly embarrassed, and I just had no idea what I could ask that wouldn’t sound creepy or weird.

What does she think about it?

The nagging voice in the back of my head was persistent, and it had a point. Twilight hadn’t said anything about what she felt about it, aside from feeling embarrassed. I bit my lips, thinking to myself as I thought about how exactly I could word a question that might get me an answer I wanted to hear.

Coming up a day late and a bit short, I decided to go with it the same way I just went with anything. Raising my chin to look over at her, I spoke, “W-well… What do you think?” I asked, forcing my embarrassed stammers into as much coherency as I could manage.

The blush on Twilight’s face redoubled as she looked up at me. Her mouth opened, closed, opened again, and then closed before she quickly averted her gaze and looked at one of the further bookshelves in the room. I thought I had lost her for a moment before she responded, “I… was flattered,” she said quietly.

I felt a weight fall from my shoulders at her words. At least she didn’t hate me for it, and she wasn’t so awkward that she couldn’t respond. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I turned my head and looked off into the distance myself, wondering about the possibilities of where the conversation could go now that I had thrown that out in the open.

A beat passed before Twilight spoke again, softer than last time, “I really like you, Night Glider,” she said, her voice coming out in nothing more than a whisper. I felt her shift closer to me, the feeling of her barrel pressed against mine one that I found familiar and incredibly comforting.

I turned my head to look at her, only to find that she was facing me as well, and our muzzles were now only inches apart. I could feel the warm puffs of her breath against my nose, tickling the sensitive hairs inside and drying my lips with each breath. Her orbs were locked directly on mine, neither of us willing to be the first to break the gaze.

Time stood still as we laid there, gazing into one another’s eyes with our muzzles growing imperceptibly closer with each passing moment. I could hear the blood rushing in my veins, my heart throbbing in my chest so loud I could swear that Twilight would hear it. I could feel her breathing against me, each inhale pressing her barrel against mine, and each exhale puffing air against my muzzle.

With each eternity that passed us by, our lips drew ever so slightly closer together, drawn like two magnets held apart by a world of pressure. No matter how much distance was between us, we were slowly getting closer, we wanted to get closer. Her eyes fell into half lids as we got closer, our lips only a centimeter away and yet still so far apart.

“Finished!” came the irritatingly loud claim as the doors of the library barged open, forcing us to turn away from one another and look at the unicorn who chose the wrong moment to burst in. Twilight cleared her throat as her blush left her, quickly regaining her composure.

I sighed heavily and looked at Rarity, who seemed to not have noticed what she just interrupted, and got to my hooves. I walked a few paces closer to her before speaking, “You’re finished already?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I looked her from front to back, unsure of where she was keeping the armor.

Rarity looked insulted, putting a hoof to her chest in mock pain, “Oh, darling! You do wound me with your cruel, cruel words! Of course I’m finished,” She said with a devilish grin, “Now, close your eyes and let me put it on,” she said, her horn lighting up and pieces of armor floating in behind her.

Deciding it best not to argue after she walked in on such a sensitive moment, I closed my eyes and let out a huff, doing my best to go along with it. 

“Twilight, you can close your eyes, too,” Rarity called. Due to the lack of arguing, I assumed that Twilight had closed her eyes as well.

It took a few minutes, maybe more. I could feel the weight of the armor pressing down on me and getting strapped on, before getting readjusted into a position I found incredibly comfortable. When the back plate was on, it felt kind of like having my old Lunar Guard armor back on, except slightly lighter.

Each hoof was subsequently armored and the straps set on accordingly. My tail was hidden by the plate that went over my flank, which sat comfortably and didn’t move around much. Finally, after the neck plates were fastened, the helmet was lowered onto my head and strapped under my chin. All in all, the armor felt incredibly comfortable, and was a huge change from the massive armor that it had been just that morning.

How in the hay did she manage to get it fixed this fast?

Choosing not to ask any questions, I stayed standing in silence with my eyes closed while Rarity made a few finishing touches. After a few more moments, Rarity spoke, “Oh Twilight? You can open your eyes now,” she called out over me as I felt the tingling touches of magic finish touching around the bits of armor I wore.

I heard Twilight’s gasp from somewhere beside me, and got the urge to turn and look at her. However, I did my best to stand there in still silence, allowing myself to be presented before my princess. I stayed stock at attention, keeping myself still as a statue and as tall as I could make myself.

After a moment, I finally heard it, “And now you can open your eyes,” Rarity said. I didn’t need any more of an invitation; I opened my eyes and immediately turned to face Twilight.

I saw her standing there, mouth slack and eyes wide, with a hoof covering her mouth as she looked me up and down with a level of shock I hadn’t seen on her before. She wore a mix of shock, surprise, admiration and approval as she took in my appearance, the familiar twinkle in her eyes as she stared. From the look she was giving me, I could have sworn I was wearing a wedding dress and not a suit of armor.

The sound of magic brought my attention forward, where a full-body mirror had hovered in Rarity’s aura to a stop in front of me. Where she had gotten a mirror was a question that I’d never have answered, but at the moment, I didn’t particularly care.

The pony that stared back at me was wearing a set of sleek, curvaceous and slim armor that looked like a modernized version of Saddle Arabian armor, mixed with the more Equin style of royal guard armor that it had looked like before. It fit me perfectly, covering my barrel, neck, shoulders and hooves in light plate armor, leaving only my legs open to allow freedom of movement.

The helmet was distinctly Equin in origin; it clung fast to my head, keeping with the sleek style of the rest of the armor while still providing the angular look that the royal guard’s helmet had been known for. However, there was a flat amethyst set into the metal exactly where a horn would be, about the size of a bit, keeping with the Saddle Arabian influences the rest of the armor had gone with.

The plume of the helmet was the same color as my mane; white with silver highlights, and was the same as the faux-tail that stuck out of the flank plate. Over the back of the armor, tucked into the neck plate and draping loose, was a nearly transparent purple robe of sorts, with what looked to be depicted swirls of magic embroidered into it in a slightly lighter shade than the rest of the robe. Looking at it, I noticed that it looked sort of like if Twilight’s magical aura were made into silk.

Underneath the translucent robe, the armor had been repainted to the same lavender color that Twilight’s coat was. It was trimmed with a slightly darker purple, and the star crest in the center was nearly the same as the Solar Guard’s chest crest. However, the star that was on my chest plate was the same deep purple as Twilight’s mane, and was six-pointed instead of five, the same as her cutie mark.

There were engravings of gentle swirls and stars along the trim of each armor plate, placed there by a gentle hoof and made to look like magic turned to metal. It had a captivating effect, keeping with the armor’s sleek and sweeping look. Everything about the armor I wore screamed speed, agility, and magic.

Admiring myself in the mirror, I looked myself up and down a few times before testing out my wings, giving them a few experimental beats. Satisfied that my wings were given full movement, I tucked them under the smooth material of the robe and turned to look at Twilight, the grin on my face steadily growing. She looked happier than I had seen her all day.

“Darling, you look absolutely fabulous!” Rarity exclaimed, lifting the mirror in her magic along with a few tools she had brought along. Giving my armor an experimental tug, she nodded her approval of the job.

Turning my attention back to her, I couldn’t help but grin at her as well, “Thanks, Rarity! This is so awesome!” I exclaimed, giving the armor a trot in place to see how it felt. In short, the armor was barely noticeable as I moved, showing just how light the thick metal was. I had to wonder if Rarity had put an enchantment on it.

Tutting slightly, a smirk crawled onto her lips, “Oh, I know. Do take care of it, won’t you?” she asked, though it was clear she was being rhetorical. Turning with as much grace as she had barged in with, she started out, “I have other projects I must work on. So, ta-ta for now!” she exclaimed over her shoulder, leaving Twilight still gaping and me still trotting in place like a fool.

We only really realized that Rarity had left when she closed the door behind herself. When the doors slammed shut, I stopped trotting in place and turned to look at Twilight, giving her a charismatic grin, “How do I look?” I asked, throwing in a wink for good measure.

Finally shaking off her stunned paralysis, Twilight swallowed as she stood up, walking over to me. She set a hoof on the armor, feeling the smoothness of the metal and the gentle feel of the translucent robe for a moment before she looked up at me and managed to whisper, “Incredible,” she said, trailing off into silence as she admired either me or the armor.

She was silent for a long moment before she turned towards the door and walked to it, only pausing to open it with her magic before walking out. I stood there for a few moments, blinking in surprise before I quickly trotted to catch up with her. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to or not, but I didn’t want to just stand in the library alone.

I followed Twilight closely, staying a pace behind her and to the right, though not trying to be sneaky in the slightest. She didn’t tell me to stay, so I figured I was doing the right thing. We walked for a few long moments before we came out onto the balcony where everything had started to go so wrong.

We stopped at the ledge, looking out at the setting sun in silence, a princess and her guard. From the way that Twilight was chewing her lips, I had the feeling that she wanted to say something, but I didn’t want to be first to break the silence. As it so happened, she was the first to speak.

“I really, really like you, Night Glider,” she said, a blush crawling to her cheeks as she looked over at me. As shy as she was, I couldn’t help the smile that pulled at my lips. She was too cute.

“I really like you too, Twilight Sparkle,” I replied, keeping my face towards her and the smile still on my lips. It was strange how easily the words came out, I knew I wasn’t lying when I said that I liked her. It was just the truth.

Seeming to be emboldened by my comment, Twilight took a breath, swallowed, and then leaned in quickly, closing the short distance between us. Our lips touched. It was quick and short, but it felt like a spark of electricity had passed through me, originating from her lips.

She broke away, the blush still burning away at her cheeks as she looked into my eyes for a few moments in silence. When she saw my smile, she leaned back in, this time more slowly, and gently set her lips against mine in a longer, more loving kiss.

The balcony may have been where everything started going bad. But it was also where everything started going right.
> Balance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter twelve: Balance






I awoke in the guest room of Twilight’s castle, the blanket wrapped tight around me as I tried to cling to the last remains of warmth from my sleep. Even with my tired mind clinging to the rapidly dying possibility of sleeping in, I found myself quite happy to be awake, and looking forward to the day. The other day had been great, and I couldn’t help but touch my muzzle in memory of the first kiss. Our first kiss.

However, all my thoughts were interrupted by a yell.

“What do you mean CALM DOWN? SHE’S VISITING TOMORROW, SPIKE!”

Yep, that was definitely Twilight.

Drowsily, I untangled myself from the sheets and got up, slowly making my way out of the room and towards the source of Twilight’s voice down in the kitchen. I figured that for the moment I wouldn’t need to get in full uniform in the mornings, at least not until Twilight started recruiting more guards. It still felt like I was there more as a friend than as an employee.

When I got to the kitchen, I could immediately tell that Twilight was in panic mode and trying to get herself under control. She was pacing back and forth in front of the counter, a few strands of her mane popping up in awkward angles, and a scroll held in front of her face in her magic. Spike wasn’t far from her, though he was significantly less panicked than she was, and was currently getting ingredients together for a breakfast of some sorts.

Spike was the first one to notice me, and he snapped off a little wave towards me. Twilight was far too absorbed with the contents of the scroll, likely contents that she had already read and was in the process of re-reading. Figuring that she would probably take a little while to notice my presence, I walked into the kitchen and skirted around her, aiming to put some coffee on.

As I expected, Twilight didn’t seem to notice anything beyond her scroll. I couldn’t help but snicker as I leaned against the counter opposite her, watching her pace and mutter to herself as she read and re-read the scroll. It was funny to watch, at least for the time it took for the coffee to be made. When I realized that she still hadn’t noticed me even after the coffee had been finished, I decided it was probably best to intervene.

Sighing heavily, I walked around the counter and set myself in Twilight’s path so that she’d run into me during her next round of pacing if she didn’t notice. Which of course meant that Twilight bumped into me, causing the scroll to smack the alicorn in the face and her to stumble back in surprise. With the scroll having been dropped in surprise, she looked around as if just waking up for the first time that morning.

“Oh! Night Glider! Where’d you come from?” Twilight asked, her eyes locking on to mine and a look of surprise twisting her features. It was more than obvious that she had no idea that I had been in the kitchen the entire time, so it took a gargantuan feat of will not to laugh at her confusion.

“Twilight, take a breath. You’ve been pacing for a solid ten minutes while I’ve been making coffee,” I explained, setting a wing on her shoulder with a tolerant smile. 

She looked at me for long seconds before sighing and leaning into me, allowing my wing to wrap around her. I folded my wings against her and pulled her close, giving her a few moments to catch her breath and recollect herself. Spike looked shocked.

“How did you get her relaxed that fast? It’s usually takes her pacing for about an hour,” Spike explained, looking over the counter at us as he set whatever dish he was working on into the oven.

“Uhh…” I started, unsure of how I’d be able to explain it. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I could calm her down like that, but it was better than letting her just pace.

“Spike, she’s a mare. Don’t get me wrong, but she can understand me in a way… others can’t. You’re too young to understand, my little baby dragon,” Twilight said, trying unsuccessfully to hide her blush as she pulled out of my grip and stood properly. She didn’t look at the little dragon, instead she had her gaze focused solely on me..

She’s so kissable...

“If you two are done staring at each other, can we eat?” Spike asked with a humorous chuckle before placing a tray down the table. 

Twilight’s blush deepened, and I found my own blush burning across my cheeks. Just as I was about to turn and join the dragon at the table, Twilight leaned in and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, leaving me frozen in place while she sat down across from Spike as fast as she could. 

What the hay was that?

“Night Glider? Are you okay?” Spike called out as he climbed onto a chair, looking over at me in what I could only assume was worry.

I turned and nodded at Spike before quickly snapping out of my trance and walking over to the table. I took my seat next to Twilight, trying to force the blush off of my face. Rather than focusing on either of the others at the table, I decided that my breakfast was far more interesting, and had a higher chance of pushing my blush away.

I failed as soon as I tried to shove the eggs into my muzzle. Mostly because I missed my muzzle by almost a solid inch. The next thing I noticed was the cute laughter that caused me to look up, seeing Twilight nearly falling out of her chair. 

That’s cute.

Taking a moment to set the failed bite down onto the plate, I reached for the napkin next to my plate and quickly wiped my muzzle, trying my best not to satisfy Twilight by giving her anything else to laugh at. Of course, that failed as soon as I pulled the napkin away, revealing my shining grin at the sight of Twilight losing it. Balling up the napkin, I quickly threw the ball of paper at her, which hit her squarely in the nose.

Twilight only stopped for a moment, the silence being broken by Spike trying hard not to laugh. After blinking a few times and visibly trying to process what had just happened, Twilight scoffed and broke into further laughter, the ball of paper only serving to prod her into full-body guffaws. I couldn’t help but join in.

As soon as Twilight got a hold of herself, she turned to Spike, “Spike, what would you say to taking a day off and going to visit Rarity? I’m just going to be in the library with Night Glider for most of the day anyways,” she couldn’t hide a blush at the last sentence. 

“Really?” Spike asked with eyes almost as big as the plate he was eating off of, “Thanks, Twilight!” he exclaimed, quickly digging into his breakfast. I had never seen an entire breakfast devoured so fast, I could have sworn that he just inhaled the entire thing in his excitement to leave. He was done before I had even managed to eat my original failed bite.

Watching him scamper off in a rush brought a little laugh to my muzzle, but I focused on eating my own breakfast. As funny as it was to watch Spike run around and probably wind up tripping somewhere, I was starving, and I hadn’t even managed to dig into my food. It didn’t take me long to scarf down my own breakfast, and I had finished long before Twilight did.

Twilight took her time with her breakfast, taking each bite and savoring it. She clearly wasn’t starving in the same way that I had been, which I had to kind of admire her for. I was always so hungry whenever I woke up, so I never actually took the time to enjoy my breakfast like she was doing.

I simply watched her eating, and it didn’t take long before she noticed my gaze and blushed, “Is there something on my muzzle?” she asked, a hoof idly grabbing the napkin next to her plate. 

“No, just watching you. I’m sorry,” I replied, a blush burning across my muzzle as I averted my eyes. 

“W-why?” she asked, her blush intensifying even more.

“I… Because no matter when I look at you, you're simply… you’re just…” I stopped just to slap myself with my wings, keeping myself from embarrassing myself further, “Sorry,” I muttered. 

I felt a feathery embrace suddenly and looked up. I hadn’t noticed her standing up and coming towards me, “You can tell me everything, you know that, right?” she asked while holding me in her wings.

I could be forever in her wings, it would be the best in life.

Before long, she released me from her embrace and took a step back, waiting for me to speak.

“IthinkyoulookbeautifuleverytimeIlookatyou,” I simply blurted out, hoping that it was way too fast for her to get anything of it. 

I should’ve guessed that of all ponies, Twilight would understand it.

“You really think that?” she asked as her eyes widened. 

“Of… Of course,” I said, betting that my cheeks were burning red at that point. 

A small smile crossed Twilight’s features as she took on a look of acceptance. After a moment, she leaned in and set a small kiss on my lips, sending shots of excitement through my body as she held her lips against mine. She pulled back after a moment and gave an embarrassed smile, “You’re cute when you don’t know what to say,” she whispered before turning and coyly trotting over to the sink with all the dishes in her magic.

Oh, that sneaky mare!

Shaking my blush and shock away, I couldn’t help but grin as I walked over to the counter and leaned against it, waiting for her to finish doing the dishes. It didn’t take long; with her magic, it was done almost as soon as they entered the sink. I was waiting for her when she turned around, a goofy smile still on my muzzle.

With the dishes done, Twilight walked past me, reaching a wing out and dragging it across my barrel to guide me along. I didn’t need to be told a second time, I followed right behind her on the way to the library, almost close enough to smell her. Not that I’d really have a problem with smelling her, I thought she had the best aroma. And she seemed to enjoy having me close.

At the entrance she set up the cushions as always before attempting to settle down. I was faster and laid down on the cushions, but slightly on my side and raising a wing. It was a clear invitation and I had to admit that I was a bit surprised as Twilight snuggled against me without hesitation. Lowering my wing, I held her against me, enjoyment clear on both of our faces. 

She sighed softly before powering up her horn once more and floating the book from last time to us. With how much we were reading together, we were getting very close to the end, and then we’d have to move on to the next book. Considering just how many books Twilight seemed to have, I didn’t think that finding another book would be all that hard.

And the thought of continuing this endlessly isn’t an unpleasant one.

Before we started, I couldn’t help but ask. Poking her in side before she could open the book, I spoke, “What was in that letter that Celestia sent you, anyways? I heard you yelling about her coming to visit,” I said, lifting my head so I could look down at her.

Twilight jumped at my poke, then gave a little giggle and shook her head, turning slightly so she could meet my gaze. She spoke after a moment, “She heard about what happened from Luna. I thought she’d be absolutely furious at us for that, but she seems okay with it. She just wants to meet you, make sure that you’re the right material for a guard,” she said, trailing off into a nervous silence after a moment.

Giving her barrel a squeeze with my wing, I gave her a gentle smile, “Hey, it’s gonna be alright. Celestia will think that I’m the best pony around for your guard, and you two will have tea and cookies, and everything will go perfectly,” I reassured her, trying my best to assure myself. While Luna was terrifying, and I was sure that she would have killed me if she had the chance, Celestia was the more powerful of the two.

Celestia had banished Luna with her own two hooves, and had quelled the rebellion without breaking a sweat. If there was anyone that I was more afraid of than Luna, it would be Celestia. So, having her come to the castle and conduct what was the equivalent of an inspection was something of a nightmare.

Of course, I wouldn’t say anything to Twilight about that. I had to be strong for her, to make sure that she didn’t panic anymore. So, I gave her my best smile, and kept the pressure around her barrel to make sure that she knew I was there for her, and that there was no reason for her to panic.

Twilight gave a soft sigh and leaned into me, pressing her forehead against my chin and being careful of her horn while she did so. She was silent for a long moment before speaking, “I know, I’m just worried. I don’t want her to take you away from me,” she said, finishing in a whisper as she nuzzled me.

I blinked a few times in surprise. Of all the things she’d be panicking about, I never would have expected she was worried about me getting taken away. Taking a soft breath, I nuzzled her and hugged her tighter, “No one is ever going to take me away from you. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere,” I said, turning my head slightly to kiss her forehead.

Giving a content little sound, Twilight pushed into my neck, “I certainly hope not. I haven’t given you leave, yet,” she said, and I could hear the grin on her lips. Giving a little chuckle of my own, I shook my head and held her close. At least I had managed to calm her down a little and distract her from the upcoming visit.

Pushing her with my chin, I turned her attention back towards the book, giving her a last reassuring smile, “Yeah, yeah. We should get back to my duty assignment, shouldn’t we?” I teased, a small laugh escaping her lips in response. She nodded her agreement and turned towards the book, shimmying back against me so that we were comfortably cuddled yet again.

We continued where we left off and she pointed out new words and how they affected friendship as a whole. Most of the words were things I had already known, but hadn’t ever actually understood as being important to friendship. I had to admit that I mostly listened because of her voice. It simply calmed me, made me all warm and fuzzy.

Despite the amount that she spoke about the book and how much she went off on subjects, I noticed that there were a lot of awkward silences and quiet moments that usually weren’t there. I was already afraid that it was because of me, because of the closeness between us. While cuddling on the pillows was a fairly normal thing, the way we cuddled today was entirely different. 

Looking to my side, it was clear how it was different. I laid on my side, exposed belly and right on that warm, soft spot laid Twilight, rubbing her fur against mine while my wing snuggled her closely against me. The one thing I hadn’t noticed yet was her tail entwined with mine, and it made my heart flutter like nothing else before. How she had managed to wrap her tail around mine without me noticing, I’d never quite understand.

It was incredibly comfortable, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with her. She was incredibly warm and soft, and every moment spent with her was spent in enjoyment and comfort. I was happy to be with her, even if we were only reading a book. Feeling her breath against my barrel, and the soft movements of her arms whenever she took a moment to gesture with her hooves to illustrate something, I couldn’t help but grin with my enjoyment the entire time.

With each and every passing minute, it seemed to me as if Twilight stumbled on her own words more often, and made more breaks in her explanations. It was weird, to say the least. I had never known Twilight to be so distracted whenever a book was involved. Something was definitely wrong. 

“Twilight?” I asked softly as she stopped explaining something in the middle of what should have been a well formulated rant.

I regretted saying something immediately. She looked up at me and her ears folded back while her gaze turned. It wasn’t really describable. Like a kicked filly, “Y-Yes?” she asked, clearly trying to avoid my gaze as she did so.

“Are you alright?” I asked, “You seem distracted,” I said, the question trailing off into silence as I hoped for her reply. I thought it had something to do with me distracting her, making her uncomfortable or something along those lines. She hadn’t complained once, but she wasn’t able to focus, which was something of a give away.

Twilight bit her lips, looking at me in silence for a few moments. It looked like she was searching for something, an answer hidden in my coat or something. I briefly wondered if I had something left over from breakfast somewhere on my coat, but quickly dismissed the suspicion after a moment.

"It’s nothing, Night Glider. I’m just thinking about something. Worried,” she said, quickly switching back to biting her lips as she moved to turn her head away. When she went to move, I quickly brought my wing up and cupped her chin, pulling her head to look at me again. She didn’t struggle, but a blush painted her cheeks a vibrant red color at my touch.

“Is it about me?” I asked as she stared up at me with those inquisitive eyes of hers.

“No,” she answered. I was just about to say that I didn’t believe her, but she surprised me by speaking again, “It’s about us,” she said, meeting my gaze for the first time since we started reading.

“What?” I asked, about to continue before she stopped me by placing a hoof on my muzzle.

“I’m not a romantic pony. I was always the studious one, if not for Celestia, and later my friends, I wouldn’t even have come so far in friendship. But this… of course I’ve read some books on the subject, and I’ve learned a bit through some friends and ponies I know, but it’s all so complicated,” she said, her voice picking up slightly as she slipped into her rant mode.

“I don’t get it,” I said, my ears folding back. I figured that Twilight would make me understand, she had a way of explaining things that I didn’t understand in a way that made sense eventually.

She sighed before looking deep into my eyes, “Night Glider, I trust and like you. Like I said earlier, I really, really like you,” she paused again and breathed in, as if she had to collect all her strength, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

My jaw really dropped at that. It seemed so unreal, and it seemed uncommon for her to ask such a thing. I hadn’t really thought about that yet, I had to admit, but there wasn’t a reason to not do it now.

I really do like her, and she likes me, too. What harm could there be? 

“And it is okay that I, as your Captain, go on a date with you?” I asked simply.

She smiled, “Actually, in the past it was a common thing for the Captain or any other high ranking officer and their protected to share a deep relationship,” she explained, her smile turning slightly coy as she explained.

I smiled back, “I would love to go on a date with you,” I said, honestly and fully meaning it as it escaped my muzzle.

She didn’t answer with words, but she really didn’t need to. As soon as I felt her lips on mine, my world drifted away into paradise. 
	
> Dating
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter thirteen: Dating



                
That I was nervous would’ve been a severe understatement. I was practically shaking as I inspected myself in the mirror. Since Princess Celestia would be visiting the next day, we agreed that our date would have to happen immediately after we finished our daily lesson. Which ended rather quickly, as neither of us was able to concentrate anymore.

I didn’t exactly have a dress or a suit that I could wear to the date, so we agreed that we’d skip out on clothing for this particular outing. Though, that didn’t mean that I couldn’t run a comb through my mane and tail for the first time in a long time. It took almost half an hour to get all the knots and tangles out, but the end product seemed worth it.

My mane and tail were long and flowing, no longer in the bushy windswept look that they always had. I couldn't help but wonder if Twilight was going to do something special with her mane, and if it was even possible for her to look even more beautiful than usual. I doubted it, Twilight was breath-taking as it was, and if she managed to look even better than perfect, I would probably keel over from a heart attack.

Mhh, not that that’s a bad thing. She could reanimate me with her lips. 

Tilting my head to look at my face from a few different angles, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with how I looked. It would probably look better if my mane didn’t reach my barrel when it was combed down like that, though. I hummed in thought for a moment before setting to scavenging through the bathroom, looking for something.

I didn’t have to search for long. With how organized the bathroom was, I was surprised I didn’t find it sooner. Reaching inside the box of mane elastics, I removed a small black one and returned to the mirror. Using my wings to hold my mane up, I tied it into a tight ponytail so it wasn’t just a flowing mess of white and silver.

Satisfied for the moment, I nodded to myself and walked out into the hallway. Taking a look around, I didn’t immediately come up with anything that I might need on the date, so I made my way down to the front entrance to wait for Twilight. With Twilight, I doubted I’d need to wait long. And of course, I was right.

As soon as Twilight walked down the stairs, I gasped. She definitely had combed her coat and mane, simply looking fantastic. At her side, I was sure that every other mare looked ugly. She smiled as she approached me and took a look. 

“You look good,” she said with a small blush on her cheeks.

“And you look beautiful,” I replied, gulping a little from the wave of nervousness that washed over me. 

She gave me a sheepish smile before her horn glowed and I felt the band from my mane falling down, letting it float freely, “I think it looks even better like this,” she whispered before stopping with a burning blush on her cheeks. 

“Uhh, where are we heading anyways? You didn’t want to tell me earlier.”

“We’re going to eat something at my favourite restaurant, and then we could just enjoy the evening, maybe watch the stars?” she paced nervously with her gaze lingering on me, “Only if you want, of course,” she added quickly.

I gave her a quick hug, “I would love to,” I said softly, and she gave me a thankful smile before she opened the door and we left the castle. 

Walking out into the steadily darkening streets, I found myself surprised when the first thing that happened was Twilight wrapping a wing around my barrel, pulling me close to her. I didn’t struggle, the heat of her barrel was welcome, and it felt good to be so close to her. The cute, unsure blush on her cheeks was more than enough to comfort me against her.

Part of me wondered how it must have looked to the inhabitants of the town, or even to Twilight’s friends. I also wondered what she would tell them. Sooner or later, there would be somepony asking about us for sure. For the moment though, I didn’t really care. I was with Twilight, and that’s what mattered.
        
The walk to the cafe wasn’t terribly long. The entire time was spent in companionable silence as we walked, me pressed up against Twilight’s side and her leading us towards our destination. I didn’t mind the silence; it was nice to be able to just walk with Twilight. It felt like nothing had gone crazy and everything was still normal, I was still just a pony and Twilight was still just my mentor.

Maybe a bit more than a mentor.

A small grin crossed my features at that thought. I was on a date with Twilight! To Tartarus with everything else, because what really mattered was that we were together. She stood up to one of the most powerful mares in Equestria just to protect me, and that meant something. It meant that she cared, and it brought a little fuzzy feeling to my chest.

Looking to my side, I saw that Twilight was pretty nervous, so I pressed my coat a bit more firmly against hers, “Your first date?”

“What?” her head snapped to me, “Oh, yes,” she chuckled.

I nodded and gave a reassuring smile, “It’s my first one in a long time,” I replied, hoping to ease some of her discomfort.

Sadly, it didn’t quite have the effect that I wanted, “You’ve gone on dates before before?” she asked with wide eyes.

“Twilight, I’m… “ I paused to quickly calculate, “Over one thousand and two hundred years old, if you include the banishment. Of course I went on a date before, and I have to admit that I’ve had other lovers,” I looked directly into her eyes, “But I can also admit that nopony ever left me quite as stunned as you before,” I admitted, giving her a winning smile and leaning into her side for emphasis.

She mumbled something unintelligible as a blush crawled its way onto her cheeks, but replied by leaning in and nuzzling the top of my head, “Stop flattering me,” she complained, though I could hear the grin in her voice.

“Only telling you the truth,” I replied, chuckling to myself slightly. 

She chimed in with my chuckling and we continued on our way, pressed firmly against each other. I didn’t cared what anypony else would think at that moment, and I knew that Twilight thought the same in the way she hummed. It was a cute little sound, something to show just how happy and carefree she was.

The cafe was a little affair, with a small outdoor extension. It wasn’t terribly fancy, but it looked nice, and it must have served good food if Twilight said she enjoyed it. When we got to the front door, Twilight let me go and held the door open for me. As much as I missed the feel of the wing around me, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the gentlemarely gesture.

“Oh, thank you milady,” I mocked jokingly with a bow and went in as she blew me a raspberry. The action was incredible cute.

Heading inside, I noted the sign telling us to seat ourselves, so I made my way towards one of the booths near the windows and took my seat. Twilight joined me soon after, sitting across from me and getting comfortable in her seat. It wasn’t dissimilar to the place we got lunch at during our first day of lessons, if only a little fancier.

Twilight looked around for a moment before turning her attention towards me, “The salads here are amazing,” she said, trying to make conversation with an enthusiastic smile and a gentle blush gracing her features. She was cute when she tried something she had no experience in.

“I might have to try that, then,” I replied, giving her a playful wink as I did. Of course, I’d eat anything she told me to, or at least would try. Nothing she could suggest would be worse than eating fish rations from the Griffin nations, least of all a salad.

My wink caused her to blush even more, and she seemed surprised that I answered her with approval. She was really cute like that, “H-hehe… Okay then,” she mumbled, giving a shy but content smile. Before she could say more, the waiter approached our table.

“Bonjour, Princess Twilight!” the waiter exclaimed, his Prench accent pulling at a nerve I didn’t even realize I had. He bowed lowly before standing back up and presenting two menus to us, and as usual, he didn’t seem to acknowledge my presence, “May I start you off with something? A petite appetiser, or maybe some wine? We have a beautiful red from Prance this evening,” he said, the obnoxiously wide grin setting off an irritating tick in my eye.

Why do I want to buck every waiter or waitress in the muzzle?

I had to giggle at that, causing Twilight and the waiter to both look at me. He seemed to notice me for the first time at the sound of my giggle. He raised his muzzle before speaking, “And what would… madame like to eat?” he asked. The only thing that could have been worse than the tone he spoke to me in would have been a slap across my cheeks.
        
Twilight looked at him, her expression suddenly changed to an unhappy one. Then she turned to me, winked and focused on the waiter again, “A fresh daisy salad for my beloved here, and I’ll take the royal daisy sandwich with some roasted dandelions. And the red wine for both of us, please,” she shot me a beautiful smile while talking, one the waiter followed.

His appearance suddenly changed and he bowed shortly before quickly walking away. I couldn’t hold my grin back, “Beloved one, huh?” I asked Twilight, who’s blush deepened again, “Don’t ever change,” I added, giving her a lovely smile. 

She looked into my eyes and smiled back sweetly, causing my heart to flutter.

She’s just wonderful.

I leaned against the table, taking the time to just happily gaze at Twilight. She was beautiful, and perfect in every way I could imagine. It took everything I had to not just hop the table and cuddle up against her again, and every fibre of my being wanted to be back at the library with her in my wings.

The blush on Twilight’s cheeks burnt up a little and she idly touched her muzzle, “Is there something on my face?” she asked, her ears twitching backwards slightly in what I could only assume was worry.

Giving a small chuckle, I shook my head, “I’m just admiring how beautiful you are,” I responded, my own cheeks flaring up in barely contained heat. In response, she gave a meek ‘oh’ of surprise, letting her hoof fall as a bashful grin set itself onto her muzzle.

I hesitated for a few moments, biting at one of my lips before I leaned in and reached my wings across the table. They weren’t long enough to reach the other side, but Twilight seemed to get the gist of it, and with a blush and no complaints, she reached her own wings across and entwined them with mine. I couldn’t help but notice that her wings were longer than mine, which was probably a result of being an alicorn.

But, more importantly, her wings were soft and warm against mine, giving me the gentlest of comfort without so much as a word. I didn’t need to say anything, and she didn’t need to say anything. We were perfectly happy to sit in silence, holding each other’s wings and gazing across into the vast universes within our own eyes. She was everything I wanted, even after only knowing her for such a short time.

I could happily move on, forget everything about my past, and just be with her if she’d have me. No amount of moral dilemmas, no amount of hatred or regret, just love. Pure and simple love for the alicorn that had captured my heart as if it were the easiest thing in the world. And I’d do anything to make her as happy as she made me…

“You already do,” came the response to my thoughts. I hadn’t even realized that I had spoken out loud, but apparently I did, and apparently Twilight heard it. Her face looked more red than lavender, and there was a slight ruffle that pulsed through her wings, but she looked genuine. The soft, attentive little smile on her muzzle was more than enough evidence to show it.

I stammered for a moment, blushing deeply. Then, deciding it was best not to ruin the moment with more words, I gave a soft little sigh and smiled back at her, gripping her wings a little tighter in mine. There was so much that I wanted to tell her, amounts of sweet nothingness that I wanted to whisper into her ears over hours of cuddling together. A small voice in the back of my head told me that we could, that there was nothing stopping us any more.

“Oh… Oh my… T-wilight? N-Night Glider?”

We both turned and stared into the surprised and maybe even a bit shocked face of Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked before I could even move my muzzle.

However, it wasn’t the shy mare that answered. A ball of smoke appeared besides her, then the weirdest creature I’d ever seen before. He had an abnormally long body, with mismatched body parts and the wildest eyes I could have sworn came from my worst nightmares. If that wasn’t enough, he was dressed in an old vest and a top hat with a golden watch hanging out of one of his breast pockets. 

“Why, hello, Twilight Sparkle. She is having dinner with me, isn’t that just wonderful? And how wonderful to see you and,” he stopped, then in a whirl of smoke a looking glass appeared and he used it to inspect me closely, “And who is this mare at your side?” he asked before the glass moved over our wings. I hadn’t noticed that they were still entwined, “Ohhhh, how wonderful! You must be Twilight’s marefriend, then,” he clapped in applause, and suddenly there were thousands of invisible claps joining in with his.

“Discord,” Twilight began to scowl.

“Don’t worry, Princess. It will be our little secret,” Discord said before suddenly holding up a camera and blinding us with the light as he took a photo, “But this one will get framed and hung up in the cottage!” he laughed and suddenly the camera disappeared, leaving only the picture behind it. Before we could say anything, it was framed in purple with hearts on it and sent into a portal to who knows where. 

“Discord… you are ruining our DATE!” Twilight yelled, causing everypony in the restaurant to go suddenly quiet. 

“Oh, my… so, she is your marefriend?” Fluttershy squeaked. 

“We’re not...yet,” I whispered, “It’s a date,” I continued a bit louder.

“Not… yet? Oh, how wonderful! She talks with such huge amounts of hope,” Discord laughed.

Twilight looked at me and suddenly smiled, “If you would excuse us now? We would like to enjoy our date. And no, Discord, you can’t stay,” she continued before the creature could even open his mouth.

Discord pouted, “Buh-huh… well, fine,” he said before lifting Fluttershy up in the air and took her to a table at the other end of the restaurant, ignoring her squeaking and gasps. 

Watching the two figures disappear to the other side of the restaurant, I gave a little sigh and shook my head. I’d really never get used to how weird Ponyville was. If something like Discord was so common that he didn’t even warrant a second glance from the other ponies eating their dinners, I’d hate to see what actually did warrant a second glance.

Speaking of, what in the hay is Discord, anyways?

A nervous chuckle came from Twilight, breaking me out of my observations. I looked over at her curiously and raised an eyebrow at her, giving her the unasked question. She spoke after a moment, “Sorry about that. Discord is a little...intrusive, to say the least,” she apologized, sparing a glance in the direction that Discord had run off to. She looked like she expected him to come walking back.

I scoffed lightly and shook my head, “Don’t worry about it, no harm done,” I replied, giving her an accepting smile after a moment. As odd as Discord was, he didn’t actually ruin the date. Giving her wings a gentle squeeze, I smiled at her, “The date’s not ruined, we’re still alright,” I assured her, nodding once supportively.

Twilight seemed to visibly relax at that, her shoulders going slack as she let out a soft sigh. She gave a nod after a moment and squeezed my wings back, giving a nervous little smile in response. She seemed to be reassured by my words, so I didn’t bother saying anything else, electing instead to just hold her wings and lightly rub the tips of my feathers against hers. It seemed to work.

After a moment of silence, Twilight finally spoke up, “So, ‘not yet’?” she asked, one of the corners of her muzzle pulling up into a teasing smile as she mimicked my voice the best she could. It was cute, even though it was an incredibly terrible replication of my voice. I gave a little laugh in response.

“Well, you asked me out on a date. I don’t know if that makes us marefriends?” I tried, smiling a bit. How the whole relationship thing worked in Equestria at the moment was a lot different than it did whenever I remembered having other relationships. Back then, it involved a rhetorical song and dance, with a lot of time dedicated to courting one another.

With how Equestria seemed to be at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise me if ponies just sort of did it on a whim. Whether or not there was a whole process around it seemed to escape me, so I figured I’d just defer to Twilight’s judgement on the matter. Not that I’d really argue it even if I did know as much as her on the subject, I’d just go with whatever she wanted anyways.

Twilight bit her lip for a moment before replying, “Well, I’ve read a few books on the subject. Would you say that we’re ‘going out’?” she asked, using her hooves to make awkward air quotes around the phrase ‘going out’. At the same time, her muzzle scrunched up slightly as if she despised the term. I couldn’t help but snicker at it.

“Yeah, I guess we’re going out. I mean, we’re out right now, aren’t we?” I asked, tilting my head in the direction of the rest of the restaurant, pointing it out to try and prove my point. Unless going out meant something other than actually going out, then it felt like a rather simple question to me.

A little chuckle came from Twilight as she shook her head, apparently amused by my answer. After a moment, she gave a soft sigh, “Well, according to the books, that means we’re dating, if I’m not mistaken,” she said uncertainly, looking across at me for some level of confirmation.

“Of course we’re dating. You asked me out on a date, after all,” I replied confidently, causing her to blush a little.

“I know, sorry! This is just so confusing and new,” she replied blushing.
        
That settled it. Twilight and I were together, and if there was any doubts in our minds before, there was no room for doubt any more. I couldn’t deny the fact that I was overjoyed, if the stupid grin on my muzzle was anything to go by. It was too much, it had turned out to be an awesome day in the end.

Going from being nopony to being the Captain of the Twilight Guard and the marefriend of one of the Princesses of Equestria was a massive step, something that set my nerves on fire and made the fur on the back of my neck stand on edge. But, at the same time, I was fairly confident that I’d be able to take it all on so long as Twilight was there with me. She made me confident, and she made me happy. I’d do anything for her, anything to make her happy.

It was at this moment that the waiter chose to come back, clearing his throat to announce his presence. We quickly removed our wings from the table as the dinner was set down in front of us and he backed away with a swift bow. Looking across at Twilight with that stupid grin still on my face, I couldn’t help but feel like a filly again.

It was good to be alive.
	
> Inspection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter fourteen: Inspection




Blinding light woke me once again, and I blinked before raising my head slowly. If it were up to me, I would just stick my head back into the cushion and continue to sleep. Sadly, today was the day that Princess Celestia would visit, and it darkened my mood. If I was afraid of one pony in the entire world, it would have to be that particular alicorn. Looking to my side, the bed was empty, causing me to sigh.

I wanted to sleep at Twilight’s side, just cuddle with her the whole night, but I wouldn’t force it. If she asked me to or offered it, I would love to just sleep at her side. But until then, it was better not to go too fast. Last night, we just went into our own beds instead of a single one together. Of course, to say that I slept well without her would be greatly overexaggerating.

Groaning, I got up and onto my hooves before leaving the room. Everything was quiet, so I made my way directly to the kitchen. I found Twilight sitting at the table, her head on it and a mug of coffee besides her. She raised her head as soon as I walked in.

“Good morning,” she yawned.

“Good morning. You look like you only managed to sleep for half the night,” I replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Just like you, it seems,” she mumbled before levitating a mug over to me, “Coffee?” she asked, cracking a tired smile at me.

“Sounds good,” I said, grabbing the mug and sitting down besides her. 

I took a sniff of my coffee as I sat and a small chuckle escaped my muzzle. Twilight somehow knew exactly how to make my coffee. Whether it was from simple observation or scarily accurate intuition, I’ll never know. But, I had to admit that it was kind of touching to know that my marefriend knew exactly how to make my coffee.

I blushed into my coffee mug. It was so easy to call her my marefriend, yet it seemed a bit odd and really new. What if she felt the same way about it that I did? I really hoped it, and the thought made me smile. 

“What are you so chipper about?” Twilight grumbled from beside me, looking over at me through tired eyes and over the lip of her mug. The picture kind of screamed ‘tired librarian’, which I thought was pretty funny, considering how much time she spent in the library of the castle.

“Just thinking about you,” I replied with a lazy wink before turning back to my coffee. It seemed to have the desired effect, because the next thing I felt was a pair of lips on my cheek, sending a slight jolt of excitement shooting through my body. The blush rose on my cheeks just as much as my grin.

“Your blushing is really cute,” she replied, her mood seeming to raise by a mile. 

“Oh, is that so?” I asked her.

She raised an eyebrow and I took that moment to plant a peck right on her lips. It was short enough to not force anything, but long enough to draw the cutest blush I’d ever seen on her cheeks. 

“You… you’re evil,” she said, giving a joyful grin, “Now, we should get ready. Celestia will be here soon,” she said, finishing off the last of her coffee in one long swig.

“W-What? Already?” I asked in panic, only for her to giggle in response.

“Calm down. I don’t care if Luna told her something,” she unfolded her wings and wrapped them around my barrel, “Listen, I won’t let anypony take you away from me. This might be early and new, but I don’t care. Even if I have to stand up against the other princesses, no one is taking you away from me,” she said with a strength I had only seen in her when she had stood up to Luna to save me.

That made my heart melt and flutter. Before I could stop myself, I leaned in and pulled her into a long kiss full of passion. Her eyes widened in surprise, but after just a moment, she leaned in with at least the same effort I did. The kiss was long and deep, more passionate than anything we’d shared before, and it made my heart gallop like I had been facing down a hydra rather than actually kissing my marefriend. It was amazing.

During the kiss, I noticed that her wings were slowly stroking up and down my back, taking longer at the joints of my wings. I’d never know if it was accidental or on purpose. What I knew, however, was that the touch made me shiver and feel better than before. The touch lighted my heart and coat, granting that I was hers. 

We held the kiss for a few more moments before she suddenly broke away, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Quickly kissing me on the top of the head, she whispered, “Go shower and get dressed, we only have about an hour,” she said before stepping away from me and heading up the stairs. I couldn’t help but notice the sway of her flank and the swish of her tail as she walked away, my eyes glued to her figure as she left.

Wow.

I blinked and quickly followed her, heading to the other bathroom to take a shower like she told me. It would also cool me down, because the small tickling down my stomach and my slightly stiff wings told me that it was a good idea. 

My marefriend is not only a princess and smart, she’s also pretty hot.

I slapped myself for that thought, because it didn’t help, and only managed to make things significantly worse. Sighing, I stepped into the bathroom and quickly into the shower, turning it slightly cold. I shivered at the contact, but my wings relaxed and I could fold them properly again.

I wonder if I have to wear my armor while Princess Celestia visits.

To be honest, I would feel much better if I had to. The thought about having Princess Celestia here still freaked me out a bit.  But thinking about what Twilight said caused me to smile.

And I thought it was the captain that should protect her princess.

Of course Twilight would be the one to protect me, though. I had never known Twilight to sit idly by when one of her friends was in trouble, even in the short time that I did know her. I doubted that she’d be any different with her marefriend, so I’d probably wind up fighting a lot of the time to protect her when she tried to protect me.

A knock at the door startled me out of my thoughts, “Hey, Night Glider! Hurry up, the Princess arrives soon!” Twilight exclaimed through the door, followed by the sounds of magic opening the door and something heavy getting set down just inside the bathroom. The door shut and the sounds of her hooves disappearing down the hallway quickly followed.

That sounded like my armor...

I sighed and quickly grabbed the shampoo, covering my coat with it before washing it down. It was only a quick wash, but better than just water at least. It still made me smell like Twilight, which was something I thoroughly enjoyed.

Turning the shower off, I grabbed one of the towels and dried myself and looked beside the door. Indeed, there was my armor, set in a neat little pile of steel and silk. I just hoped I could actually put it on all by myself. It was a little difficult to do that sort of thing without magic. 

Grabbing the undergarment, I simply slid it over my head and then added the body plate over it. It just seemed natural and easy, plus my wings were some good help. It only took me a few moments to put everything on and I stepped out of the bathroom with a smile and down to the hallway.

Twilight was already standing there, her princess dress and regalia on. She looked at me for a few seconds before her horn glowed and her magic pulled a bit at my armor. After she was done, the armor sat a bit more comfortably on me, and I shot her a thankful smile. She leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips, one I gratefully returned with a loving gaze.

Our moment was interrupted by the sound of knocking at the front door. For a brief moment, a look of panic swept over Twilight. Then, she pressed her front hoof against her chest, gave a short breath as she extended her hoof, and looked about as calm as ever. Turning towards the stairs, she gestured with her head for me to follow before she trotted down to greet the other princess.

Saying that I was nervous was an understatement. I shivered slightly, worried about what the other princess would say. I knew that after all that had happened in my past, she would be all but pleased to see me. I would be lucky if she left me at Twilight’s side, in my opinion. However, I had a job, so I followed Twilight and stood a few meters behind her when she stopped to open the door.

Twilight opened the door, revealing the cause of our nervousness in all her glory. The abnormally tall alicorn stood there, her eyes first traveling to Twilight before snapping over to me. She didn’t say anything for a moment as I bowed at her entrance, though her attention was brought back to Twilight when she noticed the other princess starting to bow.

“Twilight, what have I told you about bowing to me?” the elder asked in a patient and slightly amused voice, the slightest of smiles gracing her features. Using one of her forehooves to gently pull Twilight’s chin out of its bow, she fixed Twilight with her gaze, giving a little nod of reassurance to her.

“Sorry, Princess Celestia, it’s still taking some getting used to,” Twilight replied, a blush crossing her features as she stood up properly. The two looked at one another for a few moments before Twilight lunged forward and wrapped Celestia in a hug, one which the elder was quick to return. 

They held the hug for a moment before breaking away, Twilight stepping aside so that Celestia could step in. When she did, Celestia’s gaze turned back to me, looking as if she were sizing me up. The gaze made me shudder slightly, but I didn’t let it show as I stood back into my proper position.

She held her look for a while before smiling, “You must be Night Glider,” she said in a warm and patient voice, one that seemed to alleviate some of my nervousness.

I bowed deeply, trying to not show her how nervous I was and that I feared her. Yet, I could still hear some part of my armor shake to the rhythm of my shivers. I could feel Twilight’s gaze on me as well, and the shivering stopped.

“Night Glider, there is no need to sulk in the past. What happened, happened, and from Twilight’s letter, I know that you are a new mare now,” Celestia spoke and I looked up.

“You never told me that you answered her,” I said to Twilight, who blushed in response.

“I might have forgotten,” she mumbled, and I turned my attention back to Celestia.

“I’m truly sorry for everything I did. I can remember part of it, but not everything. Maybe that’s a good thing,” I said quietly as I stood up. 

“There are things in this world we can’t control. You were formed and controlled by dark magic. I wouldn’t be much better than any villain if I would punish you for that now. You accepted the responsibility Twilight offered, and I’m thankful for that,” she gave me and Twilight a sincere smile which we both returned. 

“Now that this is settled, maybe we can discuss a bit more with some tea and those lovely small cookies Spike always makes,” Celestia giggled a bit before leaning in conspiratorially, “I just can’t hold onto myself in private. I’m a little sweet tooth, you must know,” she whispered into my ear.

She’s… different than in my memories…

Despite my surprise, I couldn’t suppress the grin that formed on my muzzle. My fears seemed to be unfounded, and this surprisingly silly princess was admitting to having a sweet tooth the same as anypony you could find around Ponyville. It was strangely humbling.

We made our way towards the kitchen, and suddenly, Twilight stopped, “Oh… I don’t know if Spike is even back yet,” she rubbed the back of her head with an awkward hoof, “Spike!” she yelled out. I could hear it echo through the entire castle, bouncing around the thick crystals and amplifying her cry.

“Something crystal is useful for,” she said in response to my questioning look. She did have a point. The crystal did make it easy for sound to travel, as made evident by the night Luna had been in the castle.

We didn’t have to wait for long. After mere seconds, I could hear the dribbling patter of little feet, and soon Spike rushed down the stairs, “Yes, Twilight?” he asked, trying to catch his breath before noticing Celestia, “Princess Celestia!” he quickly bowed. 

“There is no need for that, Spike,” Celestia chuckled daintily, “Would you be so kind as to prepare us some tea and a tray of cookies?” she asked, giving him a patient and understanding smile.
        
He went off in a blink and we continued our way, just to reach the kitchen where Spike was already scrambling around the cupboards. Smiling, I joined the princesses at the table, but instead of sitting next to Twilight I simply decided that a Captain would just stand besides her. 

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked me before patting onto the chair next to her with her wing, “That’s the place you belong,” she said, a clear invitation that I wasn’t about to turn down.

I smiled and sat down next to her. It wasn’t quite easy to do that with the armor, but I managed it after a bit. I kept a fairly rigid and formal posture in the chair, just to make sure that it didn’t look like I was slouching or anything in front of Celestia.

“Now, Twilight. I assume that the last few days have been pretty… interesting?” Celestia started once we were all settled. 

That was definitely an understatement.

“Indeed,” Twilight said and shot me a smile, “I got a wonderful Captain for my Guard,” she said, turning her attention back towards Celestia after a moment.

Celestia nodded as she seemed to process the information, thinking to herself as she got settled in her seat. She turned her attention to me for a moment, looking me up and down for a second before turning back to look at Twilight. She gave a knowing smile, “Wonderful, you say?” she asked, her eyebrows going up almost imperceptibly in a suggestive manner.

Twilight didn’t seem to get what the other alicorn was suggesting, but I couldn’t help my blush as I realized what the elder was hiding behind her words. I struggled not to shift in my seat or look away, instead choosing to bear the blush in silence. Twilight, on the other hoof, gave a proud smile and nodded, “I couldn’t ask for a better companion,” she said, clearly not realizing how much she had just implied to Celestia.

A dainty giggle escaped Celestia’s muzzle, quickly stifled by one of her forehooves. I could almost see the gears turning in Twilight’s head as she tried to figure out what was so funny, and after a few moments, a blush bloomed onto her cheeks. She quickly shook her head, “I didn’t--! I mean… That’s not what I--!” she stammered, trying to figure out how to back out of the hole she had dug herself into.

The giggles died off and Celestia waved Twilight’s concerns away with the same hoof she had used to hide her laughter, “It’s okay, Twilight, I understand what you meant,” she said, setting the hoof down at the same time that Spike came back with the tea and cookies. Giving the little dragon a thankful nod, she picked up her teacup in her magic and raised it to her lips, “But you two do seem very taken by each other,” she noted, as if she were spelling out the simplest thing in the world.

Twilight huffed in irritation, her blush stubbornly refusing to leave, but she didn’t deny Celestia’s observation. Instead, she surprised me by reaching her wing out the few inches that separated us and slipped her wing tip between my wing and my armor. She held our wings together, giving a soft sigh as she seemed to relax at the touch. I couldn’t help but admit that it was a comforting presence.

“I couldn’t imagine being with anypony else,” came the reply. Neither of us was entirely sure who had said it first, and it took a moment before I realized that we had said roughly the same thing at about the same time. The amused look on Celestia’s face was priceless, and entirely worth the nerves we had experienced all morning.

Celestia hummed softly, “Hmm, is that so? Well, that alleviates any concerns I may have had before,” she said, giving a patient and understanding smile in our direction before she sipped at her tea contently. Giving a tiny sigh of contentment, she lowered the teacup and gave us a coy look, “Though, Night Glider, it’s your job to find more ponies to fill the other positions in the Guard. After all, Twilight can’t just make up a new guard force with just one guard,” she said, a grin pulling at the corners of her lips, as if she were already expecting me to do well.

“I’ll make sure we get the best ponies around for the Twilight Guard, your highness. Though, we’ll need more armor made,” I replied, giving an affirmative nod towards Celestia.

“I’m sure that you will. And I’ll have a shipment sent to Rarity. I have no doubt that she’ll be overjoyed to have more armor to work with,” Celestia said, an amused chuckle escaping her muzzle at the mention of Rarity’s work. All the while, she snacked on the cookies provided almost imperceptibly, as if she had never been without a stack of cookies since she had arrived.

“Now, before we start catching up, I do have a gift for you, Night Glider. Something to go with your new position,” Celestia said after finishing yet another cookie. With a brief flash of golden magic, a thick, dark wooden box sat on the floor beside me. It looked old and worn, but well cared for and recently tended to. I glanced at the box for a moment before looking back at Celestia, “You may open it tonight, after I’m gone,” she said, giving a little nod towards me before she turned to start catching up properly with Twilight.


***


The day with Celestia had actually been rather uneventful. The three of us talked, trading stories and catching up with the times. Celestia and Twilight had a lot to talk about, in particular about the state of Equestria and the disdain they had for politics. I was just happy that Celestia wasn’t about to banish me to the moon. Again.

She had left when it was starting to get dark, giving Twilight a farewell hug and me a nod of what I hoped to be respect. And then, Twilight and I were alone again. As soon as the door was closed, Twilight turned and wrapped me up and a shaky hug, holding me tighter than I had ever thought her capable of.

It lasted for a few moments before she pulled away, a slight tear in her eye and a massive smile on her muzzle, “She didn’t take you away,” she breathed, “You’re still here,” she said, her voice shaky and little more than a whisper. It was as if she were trying to reassure herself that I was still there, that I hadn’t been taken away.

I leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips, a light and loving peck that told her that I was still there. I held it for a few moments before moving my lips up to her ear, “I’m not going anywhere, I told you that,” I whispered to her, wrapping my wings around her and pulling her into another hug. It seemed to do the trick.

Instead of letting me pull away, however, Twilight held me close and kept me against her. She was still shivering slightly, light tremors reverberating through her body as the adrenaline left her system. After a moment, she finally spoke, “Could you… C-could you sleep with me tonight? Please?” she asked in a shaken whisper, “I don’t want to be alone,” she continued, her whisper dying off into little more than a dry breath.

Blinking a few times in surprise, the best I could do was give a little nod, “Sure,” I said softly, nuzzling into the side of her head and giving her a little squeeze. To be honest, I kind of didn’t feel like falling asleep alone. I’d much rather be with her, especially if it would comfort her.

We stayed embraced for a few more minutes, just holding one another in the entry hall, until Twilight finally pulled away and gave a little nod. We didn’t need any words, instead I decided to walk in front of her and head up the stairs, guiding her to her bedroom. I heard the sound of her magic behind me, but didn’t think much of it. I just wanted to make sure that she got to her bedroom alright, and then we could put the day behind us.

I held the door open for her, and turned to look at her. To my surprise, she was carrying the box from downstairs in her magic, held out in front of her as she walked into the bedroom, giving me a little smile as she passed. I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. Leave it to Twilight to remember something I forgot.

I stepped into the room behind her and closed the door, following her over to the bed where she set the box down. Twilight sat down on the bed, “Well, are you going to open it?” she asked, giving me an encouraging smile as she gestured to the old wooden thing. I could have sworn that Twilight was more curious than I was.

Nodding, I stepped over to the bed and used one of my wings to fumble with the old brass latch. I popped it open, then after a cursory look towards Twilight, I pushed open the wooden box. There was surprisingly no squeaking or dust from the box, it was as if it was perfectly oiled and tended to.

Inside was what looked like a pair of metal wings, shining slightly in the light of the sunset beyond the window. They were about the same color as Twilight’s pelt, and the same material as the armor that I wore. The edges, where bones would be on an actual wing, were sharpened off to a wicked point. Armored feathers swept backwards from the tops of the blade sections, each one jointed in multiple areas so that the entire wing would likely bend into any sort of shape imaginable.

Twilight peeked into the case curiously, looking at the armored wings for a moment before humming. She reached over and tilted the box slightly, the light of the sun catching a brass plate that was on the inside of the lid. It looked old, worn and very faded, but the engravings were still there.

“Wingblade model eight, pegasus mare. Property of Centurion Night Glider of the Royal Lunar Guard,” Twilight read out loud, blinking a few times in surprise. She looked up at me after a moment, “These are from before Nightmare Moon was banished,” she said in a gasp, her eyes going slightly wider.

Reaching a hoof out, I gently touched the ancient wingblades, vaguely remembering them. They used to be a darker purple, and each feather had been engraved with crescent moons and stars. I wondered when Celestia had gotten them modified to match the new armor I wore, and more importantly, I couldn’t help but wonder why she had decided to keep them in the first place.

Wingblades were incredibly dangerous, and the newer versions had a tendency of being shortened and most of the plates were removed. I had seen in a book of military history that they had become unpopular because they were seen as unethical. Apparently the model eights were decommissioned the year after Celestia had taken full control of Equestria. 

Whatever her reason for keeping them was, I couldn’t help the slight smile that grew onto my muzzle, “They’re mine,” I replied to her, despite not needing the clarification. It felt good to get something from my past that didn’t bring me pain, something I could use in the present to help Twilight.

A small and satisfied smile crossed Twilight’s features after a moment as she pushed the box closed, “And you’re mine,” she said in a soft, loving tone.

There was definitely no arguing that.
	
	
> Reconciliation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter fifteen: Reconciliation




I was in the familiar mess hall again, about two dozen familiar pegasi and bat ponies around me. We ate and drank in silence, nopony chatted, and there was no sound besides the clinking of plates and glasses. Everything was just too quiet. 

Before long, a black bat pony with a wavy, blue mane that was nearly as dark as the night stood from her seat and approached me, sitting down on a empty chair to my side. I remembered her name; Night Breeze. 

“Centurion, are you sure that this is a good idea? You should talk to Luna and end this, before it goes too far,” she whispered.

I shot her a glare and knew that I was only watcher again, “I trust Luna with all my heart, and I’m sure that she knows what she is doing. Are you questioning her?” my voice snapped, full of loathing.

“No, I’m just bringing up what nopony else dares to. If she is wrong, we will all suffer or die,” she sadly replied.

“She won’t let us down,” I said with pure confidence in my voice, making it clear that the conversation was over.

Night Breeze went back to her place, just on time before the doors opened and Luna stepped in. We all quickly stood up and saluted. She waved a hoof and everypony sat down once again.

She slumped into the big chair to my left and sighed before facing me, “Nopony came to the night court. They are all simply asleep or ignoring Us while Celestia says that everything is normal. This isn’t fair,” she whispered.

“No matter what, I will stand at your side,” I whispered back, which caused her to shoot me a rare smile before starting to eat.

I watched her all the while from the corner of my eye. I wanted to calm her, hug her, simply be there for her. Sadly, I couldn’t do that too officially.

As soon as Luna finished her meal, she stood up, “We know that it is not looking good for any of us at the moment, but We promise that everypony will respect and love our beautiful night soon enough again,” she spoke, trying her best to reassure the guards.

Everypony clapped their hooves, but there was no real cheering or enthusiasm, just some bare smiles.

As soon as the applause died down, she turned and went to the door. I noticed and quickly stood up to get to her side. We left the mess hall and walked through various small and dark hallways until we reached the giant, dark blue door to Luna’s chambers.

Her horn powered up and opened the door and we stepped in. As soon as the door slammed shut behind us and locked, I sighed and unfolded my wings to pull Luna into a lovely hug. She didn’t need another invitation.

“Remind me why we have to keep this a secret again,” I mumbled, enjoying her warmth deeply. 

“We don’t know if the others would approve, and if there is one thing we need right now, it is unison,” she answered softly before giving me a peck onto the lips. 

I sighed again, ”I know, but I will still stand at your side no matter what,” I said, turning to look up at her.

“Good to know,” she giggled and looked into my eyes.

Before I could say anything, I was enveloped in her magical aura that slowly removed my armor. Once done, she pulled me to her bed.

We fell upon it and she crawled as close as she could, nuzzling my muzzle before drawing me into a deep kiss. I wondered how a dream could feel so real. As we broke, she smiled and whispered, “Please, never leave me,” before nuzzling into my chest, falling slowly into sweet slumber.

“I will never leave you. Sleep well, my love,” I whispered softly before closing my eyes as well.


***


As I opened my eyes again, I was still in bed chambers of some sorts, but not in the one I remembered from my dream. They were significantly different, yet, I could still see that they were Luna’s.

“Interesting dreams you have, Night Glider,” Luna softly spoke as she walked out of the shadows.

“Luna,” I stopped and looked around once more, “Is this how your chambers in the new castle look like?” I asked, putting two and two together.

“Indeed,” she replied before sitting down on a couch in the corner, “Sit down, we should talk a bit,” she said, inviting me with a pat of her hoof.

I hesitated, but sat down on the other side of the couch, “You saved me from the dream about the war last time,” It wasn’t a question, it was a simple fact. The question followed, “Why?” I asked, confusion lacing my voice.

“Some things don’t change, Night Glider. You are still a very important part of my life,” she replied stoically.

“But you attacked me, insulted me in front of-,” I started, but she stopped me.

“I thought that you were going to be a threat to Twilight and use her. I also had no idea if you still wanted to draw Equestria into eternal night for Nightmare Moon. But what Tia told me today… It seems like you are the same mare from before my change,” she sighed, “I would be lying if I said that I’m not really happy about that,” she admitted, a small smile pulling at the corners of her muzzle.

“I got my wing blades back from Celestia.”

“I know,” she smiled, “Use them to protect Twilight like you protected me,” she said, a twinge of sadness and longing making their way onto her face.

“There are still so many blank spots in my memory, and I just don’t get why,” I looked at her and instantly knew that she had an answer to that.

She shivered a bit and hesitated before talking, “There was a legend about the mare in the moon, about me. It said that after a thousand years on the moon, I would escape with the help of the stars. That wasn’t a legend, and you, Night Breeze, and all the others were my stars,” her expression turned hurt, “You freed Nightmare Moon, but you paid a terrible price for that; you lost all of yourself, including your memories. Not everypony survived this,” I could see tears forming in her eyes.

“Who is still alive?” I asked in awe.

“Night Breeze, Winglong, and a few others. But from around fifty Lunar Guards, there are not even half left,” she said bitterly, “With you, there’s only sixteen,” she said, dropping the metaphorical bomb. Sixteen, that was far less than I expected.

Her tears were falling freely now, and I couldn’t do anything else but hug her. I unfolded my wings and pulled her into a strong embrace. She resisted at first, but after a moment she leaned in, crying out against my fur. All that pain from the past, and it hurt me to see my princess, my former lover and the most important pony, at least after Twilight now, in my life break down. 

I also noticed that the feeling had changed. While in the other dream, having her at my coat was exciting, making me feel all warm and my heart pounding faster; now it was just good. Rubbing my coat against Twilight was much better by all accounts. 

After a while, she smiled and looked up, “Thank you. You don’t know how much I missed this,” she said, her voice trailing off into a whisper.

We stayed silent after that, only some looks shared between us before I spoke up, “We stay friends forever, right? You’re still very important to me. It’d be nice to spend a bit of time with you and the others again,” I said hopefully, looking up at her.

“Yes, definitely. And of course, whenever you want,” she smiled and wiped the last of her tears out of her eyes. 

“Good… Do you think I should tell Twilight about this?” I asked.

“That depends on what Twilight means to you. If she is the same for you like we were all that time ago, yes,” Luna smiled upon my reaction, “Ah, I see that the young Twilight has truly stole your heart,” she said, her eyes lighting up a little.

I blushed, “Is it wrong? I mean, I’ve already had some lovers… I don’t want to do something she sees as too fast. I even declined to sleep with her in one bed until she asked me tonight,” I said, trying to get some iota of guidance from the pony who had turned me into the mare I was.

Luna laid a wing on my back, “Night Glider, if your love is strong and honest, everything will be fine,” she reassured me, giving a gentle smile.

“I thought you were the princess of the night, not the princess of love,” I mocked playfully.

“Oh… about that. We raised another alicorn before Twilight. Cadance. She is the princess of love, you will meet her soon enough.”

“Is she related to Twilight?”

“No. But her husband, Shining Armor, is Twilight’s brother,” Luna smirked. 

“Who is he?”

“He used to be the Captain of the Royal Guard. Now he’s the Prince of the Crystal Empire,” Luna snickered.

“Oh, great… That can only end well. And you find it funny, huh?”

“Very, indeed,” Luna laughed.

“Okay, then how do you like this?” I asked as I leapt at her, tickling her with the primaries of my wings. 

“Stop!” she gasped, “We surrender!” she exclaimed after a few moments of tickling and flailing.

I giggled at that, “Interesting to see that you hold onto parts of the royal we,” I teased, a grin pulling at my muzzle.

“Shush. There was a time you copied it from me!” Luna blushed before tilting her head, “The night will be over soon, but I have one piece of advice for you. If you are seeking everything from your past, visit the old castle in the Everfree Forest. I’m sure Twilight would love to accompany you there,” she suggested, sounding slightly more like her older sister for a moment.

“Thank you. And Luna?” she turned and I smiled, “Please, visit me more often in my dreams,” I said, giving her the open invitation with a twinge of hope.

She nodded her head with a slight smile before she disappeared with the room, only leaving black.



***



I woke up for real, though it took a glance around the room to confirm where I was and reassure myself that it was morning. With the glittering rays of sunshine filtering in through the window from the sunrise, I could see Twilight’s room was pretty much exactly the same as it was the night before. The box that contained my wingblades was off to the side on one of Twilight’s desks with the rest of my armor, and I was still on Twilight’s bed, curled up in all the blankets and pillows.

Next to me was the sleeping alicorn, cuddled up against my chest with her forelegs wrapped around me and her tail entwined with mine. I gave a little sigh of contentment as I pulled Twilight a little closer, nuzzling the top of her head and enjoying the warmth that came from her. I slept infinitely better with Twilight there than I did whenever I slept alone. I had a feeling that it’d be fairly common. 

I laid like that for a while, just holding Twilight and thinking about how lucky I was. I got a whole new chance at life, I had a wonderful mare and I got to spend my life protecting her. Even Luna wasn’t trying to murder me or imprison me anymore. I’d say that pretty much all was well in my life.

It occurred to me that I’d still need to go back to Starlight Glimmer’s town to get the rest of my stuff. It hadn’t been on my mind, but I had some things that I’d rather bring with me. Not to mention the fact that I’d have to tell my other friends that I wouldn’t be going back to the town. I supposed it was for the best; I liked Ponyville better than there anyways.

After a few minutes of laying there, Twilight began to stir with light sounds of irritation. She mumbled something and tilted her head up, kissing my chin tiredly with closed eyes. I couldn’t help but chuckle lightly in response. I turned my head down and kissed her properly on the lips with a, “Good morning,” to accompany it.

“Mhh… morning,” she softly mumbled and blinked, “I don’t know about you, but I slept wonderfully last night,” she groaned out, stretching her back and arching her barrel against me.

“I slept pretty well myself,” I cooed. 

“I could get used to this, if you’re okay with it,” she whispered.

“I would love to fall asleep every night cuddled at your side and to wake up every morning with you as my first sight,” I said with every bit of love I could muster. It seemed to have the desired effect as Twilight leaned against me and buried her muzzle into the tuft of fur on my chest.

We stayed cuddled in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of waking up with one another as the clock ticked away somewhere in the background. It was glorious, to just slowly wake up with the pony I loved. I almost hated to even think about getting up. Of course, my stomach decided it would be a great time to alert the entire castle to its desires.

I sighed softly as my stomach broke the silence with an abnormally loud growling, one that I swear Spike could probably have heard all the way in his room, even if he had a pillow over his head. Twilight seemed to find it funny though, considering the tired little chuckle that escaped her muzzle in response. She sat up, escaping my grip, and stretched her wings with several loud pops.

“As much as I’d love to stay here all day, I think we should probably get some food into that monster,” Twilight teased, a grin on her face as she leaned in and gave me a kiss on the lips. We held it for a moment before she broke away and danced off of the bed.

I laughed and shook my head, “Alas, it’s the one monster that can’t be slain,” I responded dramatically, throwing my front hooves into the air and waving them around a little in fake desperation. Twilight giggled from across the room as she magically ran a brush through her hair, getting the sleep knots out of it.

Slipping off of the bed, I trotted over to where she was standing so I could look at myself in the mirror. I was a mess, considering I spent the entire day before wearing a helmet, and I hadn’t showered since that morning. I hummed in thought for a moment before hugging Twilight from behind, “I think I’m going to go take a shower and see what I can do about my mane. Looks like a bird made a nest out of it,” I said with a little grin.

Planting one last kiss on Twilight’s cheek, I backed off from her and quickly trotted out to the bathroom. I heard Twilight call out behind me, “I’ll have breakfast ready for you when you’re done, dear!” she said, the use of the pet name bringing a little flutter to my chest and a blush to my cheeks. It wasn’t much, but it still made me feel special.


***


The shower had been refreshing as always, and it did wonders for my mane. Now, instead of looking like a nest of white and silver, it was back to its proper fluffed up and windswept style. I didn’t need to run a comb through it or anything, I really just stepped out of the shower and banged my head a few times in the air until it was satisfactory.

Once I was happy with my appearance and I didn’t smell so much like steel and sweat, I trotted down the stairs and made my way to the kitchen. As promised, Twilight was there in front of the stove, contently cooking away and humming a tune of some sorts. I could have sworn I heard her say something about “smiling”, but I wasn’t quite close enough to tell. 

I walked up behind her and planted a kiss on her cheek, one that brought a wide smile to her face as she leaned into me for a moment before turning back to her food. I set to making the coffee as she made the breakfast, then made my way to the counter stools and took a seat as I waited for everything to be ready. It was already a good morning, I could tell.

It didn’t take long for breakfast to be ready and in front of us both, as well as fresh coffee. We sat at the counter as we ate, munching away at our respective breakfasts in relative silence. I didn’t mind the silence, it was alright, but I figured that we should probably have something to talk about.

“Luna visited me in my dream last night,” I said, looking over at Twilight apprehensively.

Twilight was silent for a moment, “What happened?” she asked, concern lacing her voice.

“She wasn’t mad,” I said, fiddling with my coffee cup, “She believes that I changed, and that I’m the same pony I was before everything started going wrong,” I explained, taking a sip of my coffee after a second.

A hum of thought came from beside me, “Hmm… So she’s not going to try to get rid of you?” she asked, a bit of hope shining through.

“No, apparently we’re good now,” I said with a little chuckle, “She wants me to go visit her and the few Lunar Guards that survived this long,” I explained, still a little surprised about it myself.

I was wrapped up in a sudden embrace, two warm wings pulling me close, “Then I think we made it,” Twilight whispered, leaning her head against my shoulder as she held me.

Blushing lightly, I nodded and pressed my head against hers, “Yeah… We made it, Twilight,” I replied, sighing softly in contentment. Even after everything that had happened, I still had Twilight, and everything was turning out alright.

“She said that you and I should go see the old castle,” I added after a moment of silent embrace. Twilight pulled back and looked up at me, a small and familiar smile pulling at her muzzle.

“Well, I did promise you that I’d take you to the old castle, didn’t I?” she said, visibly perking up in anticipation. She turned to her breakfast and quickly scarfed down the rest, along with her coffee. It was a surprising show of her ability to just store away food like that, and it never ceased to amaze me.

“Wait, does that mean we’re gonna go now?” I asked, going wide-eyed in surprise. The nod from Twilight was all the warning I needed to quickly dig into my breakfast and my coffee, trying to force it all back at once. It wasn’t quite as quick or smooth as Twilight, but I managed to get it all down without any of it coming back up in just about a minute.

I had barely finished eating when the magical pop signaled Twilight teleporting somewhere. I figured she had gone off to her bedroom to get anything she might have needed for the journey, so I was left with doing the dishes. I did them as quickly as I could, but they were done nowhere near as fast as when Twilight did them.

I was walking into the main hall when another magical pop found me covered in a sudden weight, and Twilight standing in front of me with a pair of saddlebags on her back. After a brief inspection, I was impressed to find that Twilight had successfully teleported my armor onto me, along with a pair of my own saddlebags, without teleporting anything inside of me and turning the main hall into a bloody mess.

Looking down at my hooves, I noticed that she had also been kind enough to teleport the box containing my wingblades to me. Deciding to be prepared, I flipped open the box and began the slow and ceremonious application of the armored segments to my wings while Twilight watched. It didn’t take long, my muscles knew where everything went and I didn’t have to think too much about it. When it was done, my wings were almost completely covered in metal blades and plates, with only the underside of my wings left uncovered.

Twilight let out a low whistle of appreciation, “Looking good, Captain. Are you ready to go?” she asked excitedly, a grin on her face as she started towards the door. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that she was more excited for the trip than I was.

“Always, my princess,” I replied with a smirk, trotting over to catch up with her.

It was going to be a long day.
> Dreams and Memories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter sixteen: Dreams and Memories






The first rays of sunshine to fall onto my face for the day were greeted with squinted eyes and a barely repressed groan of disapproval. It had never really occurred to me just how dark it was in the crystal castle, at least compared to the outside world. Probably explained why Twilight didn’t go out very much.

That’s not even to mention why I’d dislike the sun with my past.

After taking a moment to get my bearings, I made my way down the steps and turned to look at Twilight as she closed the doors behind her. She joined me soon after and gave me a little smile, “Do you want to fly, or walk?” she asked, gesturing with her head in the direction of the Everfree.

“Sometimes I forget that you can fly,” I admitted with a little laugh, shaking my head. Giving my wings a test stretch, I smiled, “How about we fly? I’ve gotta get used to flying in armor, and the best way to do that is to just go for it,” I said, eager to get on the road. It was also a pretty hot day, so flying would make sure I didn’t cook to death in my armor.

“Sometimes I forget that myself,” Twilight said with a sheepish grin before spreading her wings and taking off into the sky with unpracticed beats. It wasn’t graceful or impressive, and she looked like she was mentally going through all the movements she needed to do to fly, but at least she was able to get off the ground.

Smirking a little to myself, I hopped up and spread my wings, quickly beating them to take off and catch up with Twilight. It wasn’t that hard to catch up to her, considering how slow she was going, but I fell in line next to her at the pace she set. I didn’t want to strain her by making her fly faster than she was comfortable with, and we weren’t in any rush.

Even with the armor on, I barely felt anything pulling me back to the ground. The weight of the armor was almost not noticeable, and the plates of the wingblades didn’t get in my way at all. In general, my flying skills weren’t impacted in the slightest by wearing the armor, and that brought a wide grin to my muzzle.

“What’s so funny?” she asked me from the side, gently nudging me while in flight.

The pure action itself brought her out of balance and she drifted away before she could get ahold of herself again. Smiling sheepishly, she drifted casually to my side again.

“Just surprised that I can fly that easily with all this armor. And you should save nudging me for the ground, I don’t want to dig you out of a hole,” I chuckled slightly while she blushed. 

Twilight waved me off with a hoof, “Alright, you’ve got a point,” she agreed, the wave sending her slightly off balance again. I couldn’t help but chuckle at her as she righted herself again, the look of irritated concentration painted across her face.

Suddenly, I felt a slight wave of warmth and I got an image in my mind. I saw myself as a filly at the side of a large, blue pegasus, flying wingtip on wingtip and I smiled. Maybe it was worth a try.

“Twilight, let’s try something. I want you to stay steady at my side, at the same speed and height.”

She looked irritated for a second, but quickly did as I asked. As soon as she was in position, I hovered slightly over, approaching her until our wingtips slowly touched. Her flight stabilized and I sped up for a bit, happy that she followed me without any problems.

“Wow, how did you know that this would work?” Twilight asked me.

“Just something else from my past,” I smiled. 

Twilight gave me a look, something that I couldn’t exactly determine the nature of. It looked like a smile, or maybe a grimace, but she didn’t shy away. She seemed determined to stay there next to me, the tip of her wing under mine as we flied along, sharing the drag between us.

“I’m glad we’re doing this,” she spoke after a few moments, looking over at me with what I could certainly tell was an approving smile. I didn’t need words to acknowledge it, I only had to turn my head and give her a soft smile. Gliding along under the bottoms of the clouds, four wings beating in harmony, two hearts beating as one, it was almost poetic.

The Everfree was approaching quickly from the distance, a looming black mass of trees and living things that were determined to beat back the control that ponies had on nature. Try as I might, I couldn’t remember the forest ever being that creepy while I was living in the castle, so I assumed that it had happened after I was banished. It was actually fairly peaceful while I was living there.

Soon we reached it and flew over the edge. The atmosphere seemingly changed, a cold wind ruffled our feathers and the sky seemed to darken. Under us was an ocean of dead or just dark trees. I couldn’t help but feel my muscles tighten up slightly in response to the change of the air pressure and the feeling of cold that swept over me, but I stayed in formation with Twilight.

I looked to my side and had to smile, the cold immediately replaced by the warmth of having Twilight at my side. My smile held for a while, but it left my muzzle once the castle came in sight.

Or what was left of it.

We flew down, slowly, and I frowned. Most of the castle was destroyed, or simply broken down by the years, nothing but a memory left of how beautiful it had been. My whole body shivered at the sight. In my time, there had been two gorgeous statues at the entrance; now nothing was left of them except the sockets.

Something soft touched me, I could feel it over the armor and I looked to my side to see Twilight draping a wing over me. Sighing, I leaned into the touch. The armor on me was probably uncomfortable for her, but she said nothing.

“It seems like it was just yesterday the last time I was here. I see it so clearly in my mind,” I said before walking to the stairs and pointing to each side, “Here were the Celestial and Lunar statues. You can still see the sockets, but the rest is gone. They were simply beautiful, and I loved the Lunar one the most.”

It was needless to say that it hurt, and I think Twilight felt it, because in the next moment I found myself in her embrace. It comforted me, calmed me, promised me to always be there for me. I simply loved her touch, even if I could barely feel it because of the armor.

“Thanks,” I mumbled into her neck.

As we broke the embrace, she had a wide smile on her muzzle and gave me a quick peck onto the lips, “I can understand that this is hard for you. If you’d rather we wait, we can come back any other time.”

“Nah, I’m fine. Let’s do this,” I gave her a reassuring smile, “And hey, maybe I can even show you a few things you haven’t seen yet!” I added with a smirk. 

“Do you know where their private chambers were? Maybe you can even show me where you lived!” she exclaimed happily.

I took a look at the castle before smiling sadly, “I can show you Celestia’s chambers. It seems like the tower where they were is pretty much intact. For Luna’s and mine… see the right wing of the large part there? It looks pretty much destroyed, but of course we can try it.”

I had no idea why it came up so easily, but I knew everything about the castle, and I planned to make Twilight’s stay with me as pleasant as possible. And I knew the right place to start with.

“Would you like to see Luna’s library of dreams?” I asked Twilight, who suddenly got wide, excited eyes.

“Yes!” she said excitedly and followed me, nearly bouncing as I walked up to the entrance. 

I knew exactly where I was heading, the hallway clear and fresh like a thousand years ago. I followed the main hall from the entrance and turned right, moving through a small passway until we stopped in the hall of hooves.

“I’ve been here before with my friends,” Twilight exclaimed suddenly as she was thinking.

I smiled, “I bet you never found this.” 

With that, I pulled on the third hoof from the right row. The hoof followed my movement and with a loud, shrieking sound, a door in the wall opened. The opening revealed a long, dark way.

“Follow me, this is Luna’s secret passage. It leads to her wing, but also to her library. I think that part is mostly intact.”

She followed me, still overjoyed. The way was dark and long, and there was no light source left. With a flicker, a light appeared behind me and I turned, seeing Twilight’s horn glow for a moment before a ball of light moved past me and began lighting the way before us. 

“Good idea,” I said with a smile, and she brightened even more.

The way soon turned down, heading deeper under the ground, and the temperature dropped a few degrees. I could hear Twilight’s wing ruffle before she spoke, “It’s under the ground? It makes sense that it could still be intact, then.”

“Most of the Lunar Guard’s buildings were located under the ground, especially after the actions against Celestia and the Solars began,” I replied, trying to concentrate on the way.

Indeed, only a few hooves away it was. The blue door to Luna’s special library, covered with beautiful sapphires. I walked towards it and smiled as the door glowed.

Even after a thousand years, the spells are still working.

“The stars and moon light our way, through the darkest of nights and the brightest of days.”

“What was that?” Twilight asked, but went silent as I touched the door with my wings and it began to glow brighter, before disappearing, allowing us to step through it. 

“Some protection spells Luna had cast are still working, even after a thousand years,” I replied with a smile.

“How can you remember the words to open it?”

“My memories, Twilight. In here, they are stronger than ever before.”

She smiled at me as we stepped through the door, entering the dark, expansive library of dreams. It was exactly how I remembered it, being protected under the ground saved it from most of the damage. 

“Welcome to the library of dreams,” I said to Twilight, who looked in awe, “If you want to see better, you should make some more light. See those blue crystals in the wall? I remember Luna somehow activating them with a spell and they started to glow. Maybe it’s still working.”

Twilight stayed like that for several seconds before snapping back to reality and smiling sheepishly, “I can try it.”

I could see her concentrate, her horn pointing at one of the crystals. For some time, nothing happened. After a few moments, a slow beam of energy left her horn and hit the crystal, which pulsated with her magic. The pulse spread through all crystals and in seconds they all started to glow.

I gave her an approving smile and she returned the smile to me before looking around. With the lights, it was clear how big the library was. Maybe not as big as the royal library Celestia owned, but still impressive.

“What are those books about?” Twilight asked as she looked at a few shelves.

“Well, I don’t know all of them. Some are explaining Lunar histories, some are written by Luna herself. A few of them even describe the Lunar Guard.”

“Won’t Luna get mad that we invaded her library?” Twilight asked me with a worried expression.

“I don’t think so. After all, I’m still the same as I was before her transformation, and this is a ruin. I think I have every right to be here, and you as Princess, especially,” I replied with a chuckle. 

She looked at me for some more moments before smiling and turning back to the shelves. For a few minutes, there wasn’t anything to hear but her walking around and mumbling if she found an interesting title. After a while, she seemed to have found something interesting.

“Oh my,” she gasped, causing me to turn from the old guard books I had been looking at to look over in her direction.

“Did you find something?”

“I… I think I found a book from you,” she quietly replied.

“From me?”

I couldn’t think of a book that I wrote, but I approached her to look at the title.

We are Her Stars.

“Interesting title. What’s inside?” I asked.

“Pictures.”

With that, she opened the book, revealing pages and pages filled with small photos. They were all black and white with a magical glimmer around them, indicating that they were magically created. The first picture clenched my heart. It showed Luna and me on top of the castle’s stairs, and in front of our hooves were all the Lunar Guards from that time.

Images flooded my mind and I saw myself on those stairs, right at Luna’s side. Celestia had made those photos, and after it was done, I saw myself in Luna’s embrace with some important words.

Never leave me. 

I blinked as the first tear fell from my muzzle. Some of them were still alive, but what about the others? I lost my family, lost most of my friends and everything I was back then. As soon as I felt the wing on my muzzle, I looked up and smiled, looking directly into Twilight’s beautiful eyes.

I’m glad that I found you.

She slowly wiped my tears away before leaning in and kissing me, her soft lips firmly pressed on mine. The kiss dried every tear and doubt in my mind. She was my family and my future. Sure, the past was a part of me, but I couldn’t clench and cry over it.

As she broke away, she smiled at me, “Don’t cry over the past. You can’t change your past, but you can still change the future, and I hope that we can turn it into a great one together,” she said softly, nuzzling against me for a moment before she pulled away to look back at the book before us.

We spent some time flipping through the pages of the ancient tome, looking at the pictures that represented my collected memories under Luna’s service. There were pictures that made me laugh, some that made me cry, but the whole time Twilight was there to share in my memories. Most of them were just singular moments in time that we thought would be good to capture, usually meaningless beyond the memory of that moment.

A few pictures of foals training to be in the Lunar Guard had Twilight trying as hard as she could not to fall onto the ground in laughter. Foals no bigger than a pumpkin trying to hold swords that were almost three times as big as them, or foals trying to wrestle their full grown instructors. I had to agree with Twilight’s laughter, it was pretty funny to think about in hindsight.

My hoof froze when we reached a page with a picture of me and a bat pony playing chess. In the picture, I had a look of utmost concentration and frustration, while the other mare seemed to be relaxed and perfectly happy with her position on the board. Though the black and white didn’t do well to capture it, I remembered the midnight blue pelt and fiery red mane better than any colored picture could have captured it.

Twilight seemed to sense my hesitation, and gently put her wing around my barrel, “Are you okay?” she asked, leaning in to nuzzle my ear in a loving and supportive fashion.

Pointing at the mare I was playing against, I spoke softly, “That’s Fire Breeze,” I said, trailing off after a moment, “The first lover I ever had,” I admitted quietly, turning my gaze over to Twilight with a sad little smile.

Looking down at the picture for a few moments, Twilight responded with a little smile of her own, “She’s pretty,” she said, then looked up to meet my gaze, “Tell me about her,” she said, no twinge of hesitation or uncertainty.

I blinked a few times in surprise, sure that she would have been upset or saddened to see one of my past lovers. But she didn’t seem to have any malice or ill-will about it, so with a little sigh, I nodded. Turning back to the page, I spoke, “She was smart. Or, well… I guess clever is a better way of putting it. She wasn’t book smart, but she knew how to twist situations in just the right way so that she came out on top. I could never beat her in games like chess and battlefield simulations,” I said, a nostalgic chuckle gripping me.

“She was a firedancer for the Lunar Guard. Unicorns from the Solar Guard would create these magical balls of fire, then the firedancers would fly over enemy lines and drop them like bombs,” I explained, looking over at Twilight, “And she was damn good at it, too. Made it look like an art that I’d never understand,” I said, biting my lip after a moment to stop from rambling too much.

“We were together for a long time, but she was never uplifted. Luna said that we didn’t have room in the Dynasty for her. So, eventually, I outlived her. One day, she just disappeared. I asked Luna about it once, and she said that her time had come. I think that was her nice way of saying that she died,” I said, a small sniffle escaping me as I turned my attention back to the page. 

Twilight gave me a small squeeze with her wing, pulling me close as a few tears trailed down my muzzle and fell to the floor. She kissed me on the side of the head before whispering, “She sounds like a lovely mare. I’m sorry, Night Glider,” she said, pressing her forehead against me for a few moments in blissful silence. I took a few moments of silence before I felt the wave of sorrow pass.

I nodded after a few moments to show that I was alright, then reached towards the book to flip towards the last few pages. Glancing ahead, I noted that there were no pictures after the rebellion started, so there would be nothing else that might make Twilight or myself uneasy. I felt comfortable enough showing the rest of the pictures, since there’d be nothing about the rebellion in my book.

One of the last pictures in the book brought me a mix between a scoff and a sniffle. It was a picture of a unicorn mare wrestling me, holding me in a headlock and biting down on one of my ears while a collection of Solar and Lunar Guards in the background watched and laughed at my misfortune. If it weren’t black and white, the picture wouldn’t have been able to properly do the white unicorn’s golden yellow hair any justice.

Setting my hoof on the picture, I gave a little sigh, “And this was Golden Glory, the lover I had right before the...rebellion,” I explained, hesitating to call it what it was. Twilight didn’t respond, so I figured it would be alright to continue, “I first met her when she was a foal. I taught her from foalhood right up until she graduated as a proper Solar Guard. One of the best fighters I had ever met. Stronger than most earth ponies, and more ferocious than a manticore,” I said, leaning my head sideways until it rested against Twilight’s.

I stayed in silence for a few moments and moved to flip the page, but was halted by Twilight’s hoof on top of mine, “What happened to her?” she asked, preventing me from moving on to avoid talking about my past. I sighed softly, only mildly annoyed by her persistence.

“The rebellion happened,” I replied, blinking away a few tears, “I was Lunar, she was Solar,” I elaborated, hoping that it was enough for Twilight to understand.

“Is there a chance that she might have survived the rebellion?” she asked, a curious and hopeful tone to her voice. It was almost enough to make me break down again.

Giving a halfhearted chuckle, I shook my head against hers, “No… No, there’s no chance of that,” I said, my voice trailing off into a shaky sniffle. Twilight seemed to understand after that, giving a little ‘oh’ of understanding before her wing tightened around me again.

“It’s not your fault, Night Glider,” she assured me, whispering in a soothing tone as she pulled me tightly against her side.

“It isn’t? It was my blade in her body, and her blood on my hooves. It was more than just my fault,” I sobbed lightly, burying my face into her mane as the tears fell freely.

“You were different back then, you were fooled by Nightmare Moon. I know you’re a good pony, that’s not who you are,” she reassured me, holding me tightly as I cried into her mane. We were both silent for a few moments as Twilight closed the book and set it aside. When I felt the last of my tears dry up and my last sob exit my body, I sighed and leaned up properly, tired and worn out.

“Let’s take a break and explore somewhere else,” Twilight suggested with a little smile, lifting my chin with her wing.

I looked at her and chuckled softly, wiping the last few tears from my muzzle, “I think I know a place that you would really love to visit.”
	
> Solārius Astronomiae
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter seventeen: Solārius Astronomiae





We left the library and headed back through the hallway. I couldn’t help but think about the book with the pictures in it, my mind left behind in the pages of the book. It was all consuming in my mind, distracting me enough to stop and have Twilight walk into my flank.

“Oof! Night Glider? Is everything alright?” she asked, concerned.

“Yeah, just can’t get the pictures out of my head,” I replied.

“Then why don’t you take it with you? It’s yours, after all,” she smiled softly.

I poked the ground with my hoof, “And you’re okay with that?”

“Night Glider,” she started and gently laid a wing around me, “These are your memories of the past. They assemble who you were and all your past friends. Besides, I know that you’d never be able to let it go if you didn’t take it,” she said, a little laugh escaping her.

“As short as our relationship’s been, you know me too well,” I chuckled and she chimed in after giving me a soft peck on my muzzle.

“Get it, I’ll wait here,” she whispered.

I didn’t need any other invitation. I gave her a soft kiss directly on the lips, which made her blush to no end, before turning and galloping the whole way back. Just as I was about to say the phrase to unlock the door to the library, it simply disappeared.

Hesitating and watching carefully, I stepped in, just to see Luna sitting on some cushions in a corner. 

“It has been a long time since I was last in this room,” she greeted me with a smile.

“Luna!” I exclaimed, surprised, “I… I just wanted,” I stopped, unsure of how I could explain that I wanted to take a book from her library.

“I know. Take it, it’s yours. But you should also take this with you,” she said before levitating a blue book without any remarkable cover over to me.

“What’s this?” I asked, taking a closer look.

“It is a collection of spells for your armor, written by me. And tactics for guarding, written by you,” she smiled softly, “Use it to protect Twilight as well as you protected me.”

She also levitated the book with the pictures to me, and I took both in my wings, “Thank you, Luna,” I said before a question shot through my mind, “Luna? How did you get in here? There’s only one door.”

She winked at me, “Not everything is as it seems. Now go, I don’t think you want to make Twilight wait for long,” she giggled.

I nodded and turned, just to hesitate at the door, “Luna?”

“Yes?”

“Tomorrow night. Some flying together, just like in the old times?” I asked.

She seemed to ponder about it for a bit before showing me a genuine smile, “Sounds wonderful.”

I gave her a soft smile before leaving and going back to Twilight. She still stood in the same position where I left her.

“You got the book?” she asked and I raised my wings as reply, “What’s this one?” she asked, pointing at the blue book.

“I’ll explain it later;” I said with a peck on her lips, “Now, shall we move on?”

She nodded and we continued our way through the hall until we came to a solid wall. I could practically sense Twilight growing nervous, but I simply tilted one of the light fixtures on the wall and the hidden door opened out of the stone. 

With a sheepish smile, she moved on and we were back in the main section of the castle.

“We have to go back to the main hall at the entrance, and then to the upper levels. From there through the right hall, it will lead directly to the Solar tower,” I said with a smile.

“Solar tower?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“That was the name we Lunars gave it. Celestia and the Solar forces called it Solārius Astronomiae, but I don’t know what it means.”

She nodded, seemingly in thought as we continued on our way. I couldn’t help but smile. This had been my home over a thousand years ago, and now I was walking in here again. With Twilight, my princess and marefriend. I chuckled at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” she asked with a curious look.

“Just thinking about this whole thing. That after a thousand years, here I am walking the halls again, with another princess. But this time, I’m with my marefriend as well,” I shot her a smile. 

She returned my smile sheepishly as we made our way to the main hall and the upper levels, reaching the Solar section of the castle. It wasn’t a terribly long walk, and I had memorized the path there so there wasn’t really a chance of us getting lost. Every now and then Twilight would seem to get tense or worried, but I’d always nudge her with a wing or push up against her whenever she seemed worried.

Of course, I couldn’t really get worried as I walked around the castle. As creepy as the ruins may have been, they were my home for the longest time. It’s hard to be scared of your own home, even after it had been burnt out and destroyed.

After a few minutes of pacing through the halls, we came up to the solar section, a place that had been sequestered off from the rest of the castle and limited to the solar forces. Whether it was because of the war or because Celestia just liked having some amount of privacy, I wasn’t sure, but high ranking officers like myself were given the password in case of emergencies. So when we came up to a pair of thick golden doors, I figured it would be the same thing.

Sadly, it was not.

As soon as my wing touched the door, I got the shock of my life, and the force-field around the doors threw me back. It felt like every one of my nerves was on fire, spreading inwards from the part of my wing that had touched the door. I found myself on my back, twitching sporadically as my frayed nerves tried to figure out what the hay just happened.

I could vaguely feel that Twilight was at my side, trying to talk to me, but all I could hear was an overwhelming throbbing sound in my ears that caused the ceiling to swim in front of me. It didn’t last terribly long, but every moment felt like a lifetime. After what could have been a minute as easily as it could have been several hours, the feeling washed out of my body as if I was being magically dried off after a shower.

Once my vision returned to normal, I found Twilight sitting next to me, leaning over me with concern etched on her features. I was in her hooves, held up against her body as she watched me with wide eyes. When I finally turned my eyes towards her, her face lit up and she quickly leaned down, giving me a furious kiss.

“Night Glider! You’re okay!” she exclaimed when she pulled back, “I was so worried! You just touched the door and got flung back!” she cried out, fear still present in her voice as she pulled me tightly against her and nuzzled me.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” I mumbled, waving her concern off with a still-twitching hoof. Her concern brought a wave of warmth to my heart, though, and a smile to my muzzle.

Twilight let out a nervous laugh, pressing her forehead against mine, “Oh, quiet, you. Just lay there for a few minutes,” she said, trailing off into a whisper, “Let me have a moment,” she said, her hooves tightening around me slightly.

I stayed there in silence, letting her hold me and keep her head against mine as she settled down. As my body settled down, I relaxed in her grip, getting used to being able to feel things again. It was comforting to have her there, and I was happy in her grip.

Looking around in her grip, strangled and obscured as I was, it took me a minute to realize that Celestia was standing a meter or so to Twilight’s right, watching with worried motherly eyes. I had no idea when she had gotten there, but it was probably whenever I was lying on the ground spasming like a tortoise stuck on its back.

Twilight held me there for a few more minutes before she let out a shaky sigh and leaned back, letting me go. She still looked worried, but she seemed confident that I wasn’t about to drop dead on her. I stood up on my hooves, shaking the last of the tingly feeling from my limbs, then leaned over and kissed her on the lips quickly, giving her a reassuring smile.

An action that drew a small giggle from the sun princess, a sound that got Twilight’s attention right away. 

“Princess! Uhh… I mean, Celestia! I’m sorry, I forgot you were there,” Twilight said, flustered as a blush raced to her cheeks.

“There’s no need to worry, Twilight,” Celestia replied with another chuckle before turning to me, “Your password won’t work on this door. I sealed it myself after I found out about the rebellion.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” I mumbled.

“Only alicorns can open this door. When I sealed it, that was only Luna and I,” she smiled at Twilight, “But now you have the right to open this door, as well. This is a similar lock to the one in the castle that protected the elements, do you remember?”

“I do. What spell do I have to use?” Twilight asked.

“None. Just power up your horn, the door will recognize you after I do this,” and with that, Celestia lowered her horn and slowly put it into the small hole in the middle, powering it up.

The door glowed for a few moments before Celestia drew back. “Go ahead,” she said with a smile.

Twilight hesitated at first, but slowly moved to the door. She looked at me and I gave her a reassuring smile. Bowing her head, she slowly inserted her horn and powered up her magic. The doors glowed brightly, followed by a series of mechanical clicks before the doors swung open. 

Celestia smiled, “May I give you two a tour?”

“Uh, sure,” I said after sharing a look with Twilight.

Celestia walked in and we followed her. I hesitated at first, but I draped my wing over Twilight and she hummed softly. Surprisingly, it drew another giggle from Celestia which caused Twilight to jump, quickly trying to escape my wing.

“Don’t worry, Twilight. I’m not blind. I, too, know what it is like to fall for your most loyal guard,” Celestia explained with a patient and understanding smile.

I had no idea why, but I knew who it was, “Golden Speed,” I said, more as a statement than a question.

Celestia nodded before continuing her way while Twilight accepted my wing. She still seemed uncomfortable in front of her former mentor, but leaned into the touch.

The alabaster alicorn led us through a small hallway full of sunlight to a large, round room that seemed to be the eye of the tower. I looked up to see the stairs winding in circles for some distance up until they seemed to disappear into the ceiling. 

Her chambers aren’t in the tower, the tower is her chamber. Or at least it was in the past. 

“This is the first time in two hundred years since I’ve walked these steps,” Celestia quietly said as we made our way up the stairs. 

“Only two hundred years?” Twilight asked.

“Even though the castle was mostly destroyed by Nightmare Moon over a thousand years ago, I didn’t immediately abandon it. It took much longer, but that is a story for another time,” Celestia spoke softly. 

It took a while for us to get up the steps, they seemed to go on forever. We could have just flown up the center, but I figured that Twilight probably didn’t have the wing control necessary for that sort of precision. Not to mention the fact that Celestia’s wings probably could have reached the entire span of the center of the tower.

When we got up through the hole in the ceiling, Celestia stepped off to the side to allow us to explore. The room was massive, in a word. Even after being dulled with time and covered in dust, the room was still impressive with its shades of white and gold. There were bookshelves on almost every part of the round wall, some filled with actual books and others filled with cracked or broken treasures of some sorts.

The bed at the far end of the room was almost as big as the room I slept in back in Starlight Glimmer’s town, even in tatters as it was. Looking up, there was another twirl of stairs that lead up to another level, which I assumed was a study or something. I had never been in Celestia’s private chambers, so I wasn’t sure what secrets it held.

If it weren’t in such a terrible state, the entire room would have been beautiful beyond belief, and likely very homey. As it was, it was almost nightmarish, but still held onto the threads of regality that it may have once held. Twilight seemed quite taken as she started walking from bookshelf to bookshelf with the wide eyes of a foal, engrossing herself in whatever the shelves contained.
        
“I’ve never even heard of half of these books! I can’t believe it! So much knowledge left forgotten,” she squealed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at her foalish behavior. Celestia seemed to find it amusing as well, considering the quiet chuckle that escaped her muzzle as she watched her former student.

While Twilight went about examining the room and ogling the books, I saw fit to wander around the room, eyeing the little bits of treasures here and there that hadn’t yet fallen to the decay of time. Most of them were either priceless or worthless, but Celestia didn’t really seem to have much to say about any of them. She just stood back and watched us go through her things with an amused little smile.

Eventually I came to the wreckage of the bed and found myself looking at it, wondering why Celestia would ever really need such a gigantic bed in the first place. As big as it was, two ponies could probably sleep on it and never even realize that there was another pony on it. The thought made me laugh slightly as I wandered around the bed.

What caught my eyes the most, though, was a little doll that was sitting at the head of the bed atop a little mound of pillows. It looked old, dusty, worn out and frayed in some places, but it was still intact. The little pegasus-shaped doll was a dark blue, with a faded white and grey mane and tail. I couldn’t help but feel there was something familiar about the little stuffed doll, but I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it.

I didn’t notice Celestia’s presence behind me until she spoke, making me jump, “Ahh, yes. One of Luna’s particularly favorite dolls when she was younger, before everything happened. I found it in her chambers after the rebellion, and I’m afraid I didn’t have the heart to let it go abandoned,” she said, her voice sounding particularly nostalgic as she explained.

“It looks familiar,” I said, drawing Twilight’s attention to me.

“I would say it looks pretty much like you,” she laughed. 

“What?! No way!” I exclaimed in disbelief before taking a closer look at the doll. 

There was no way that it looked like me. Sure, it had the same pelt color as me, and it was a pegasus. But the mane and tail were all wrong, and it didn’t have a cutie mark on it. Besides, Luna would never have a doll of me! That would just be absurd.

Celestia covered her muzzle with a hoof and laughed daintily, hiding her laugh as best as she could. After a moment, she shook her head, “No, Twilight is quite right. Captain Fluffykins is a representation of you, Night Glider,” she said, a sly grin gracing her features as she explained.

“Captain WHO?” I asked, my jaw dropping.

My question went unanswered as the two princesses broke into laughter. Not just the controlled dainty giggling that I had become used to, but full-body guffaws and bellows as the two mares laughed at my reaction. I felt like digging into the floor and hiding somewhere, it was strange to be the subject of laughter from Celestia, of all ponies. But, at the same time, the reaction brought a sneaking grin to my face.

“Celestia, you said you weren’t here for two hundred years. Mind if I borrow the doll for tomorrow?” I asked, a shit-eating grin refusing to leave my muzzle as a terrible idea struck my mind.

Once she recovered from her laughter, Celestia nodded, “Of course, Night Glider. If you want it, it’s yours. It would please me to know that it’s not sitting in this castle for a day longer,” she said, her grin turning into a pleased little smile.

“Great! Twilight, do you think that Rarity can repair dolls?” I asked, turning to face Twilight as I picked up the doll in my only free wing.

She looked at me before levitating the doll up, taking it from my grasp with ease, “I have a spell that can return it to its original state. It’ll be just like new,” she said with a smile, holding it in front of her face for a few moments to inspect it. Satisfied, she closed her eyes and her horn glowed brighter for a few seconds before the doll seemed to rejuvenate, color returning to it and its shape tightening until it looked like it was just made.

With the doll restored to its proper appearance, it was clear that it was meant to be me. The mane back in it’s original state, it looked exactly like mine, right down to having the highlights in the appropriate spots. I couldn’t help but scoff lightly at the fact that my mane style hadn’t changed in a thousand years. Rarity would have a fit.

Still holding it in her magic, Twilight brought the doll closer to her and nuzzled it affectionately, smiling widely as she did so. I gave a little grin, watching my marefriend snuggle a doll that looked like me. It was kind of endearing, to say the least. I gestured with a hoof, “I think Twilight wants to keep it,” I said, glancing over at Celestia with the grin on my face.

Celestia nodded after a moment, an amused hum escaping her muzzle, “I agree, I think that she may have finally found a replacement for Smarty Pants,” she said, the sly grin returning to her features as she watched Twilight snuggle with the little doll.

“As long as it’s not a replacement for me,” I replied with a grin that made Twilight blush. 

“I’d never replace you,” Twilight replied, flashing me a reassuring smile as she set the doll onto her back and went back to exploring the books. She was quickly engrossed in the bookshelves as she wandered from wall to wall, taking out random books and scanning over them. The sight made me chuckle.

Turning back towards Celestia, I glanced up, “What’s up there?” I asked, nodding in the direction of the stairs that lead further up the tower to another level.

She followed my gesture and looked up for a few moments, a clear look of thought on her face. After a moment, she smiled, “That, my dear Night Glider, is my astronomy study. That’s why this tower is called Solārius Astronomiae,” she said, leaning in conspiratorially as she explained, as if it were some big secret. Her dramatization of it almost made me laugh, but I held it back so that only a snicker could escape.

“So what, it’s a bunch of telescopes and star charts?” I asked curiously, turning my attention from the roof back to her with an inquisitive brow raised.

“Of course, all the stars in the night sky that Luna ever brought to us were observed from that room,” she said, a patient smile gracing her features as she turned towards the stairs, “Would you like to go see?” she asked softly.

In all the time I had known Twilight, I don’t think that I had ever seen her move as fast as she did at Celestia’s offer. She was at Celestia’s side before either of us really even realized that she had heard us.

It was kind of cute to know that my marefriend was so enthusiastic about the stars.
	
> My Sweet, Purple Star
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chapter eighteen: My Sweet, Purple Star 





It was really cute to see how Twilight was basically hopping behind Celestia up the stairs and to the astronomy study. I walked behind her, an amused grin on my face at the sight in front of me, but also a slight blush.

Keep to yourself. It’s not like her flank is bouncing up and down right in front of you.

The trip up the stairs wasn’t really long, and soon we reached the last few stairs, Celestia and Twilight disappearing through the hole in the ceiling. I heard Twilight’s stunned gasp before I even made it through the gap in the ceiling, causing me to chuckle slightly before following her up into the astronomy study.

The study was as large and circular as the rest of the tower, though it had a massive dome as a ceiling, making the room seem almost cavernous. At one point in time, it must have been a soft, midnight blue to match the night sky. But, with time, it now looked almost grey from how much it had been faded and decayed.

There were more than a few telescopes scattered around the room, some of them hung up in racks and ordered nicely, and others were set around the floor pointing up at the ceiling. After a bit of scrutiny, I figured that the domed roof probably opened up to reveal the sky whenever it was in use. That, and the fact that one massive telescope was sticking out of a panel in the roof, and it didn’t look like it was breaking anything.

While I inspected the room, Twilight ran around, looking at everything and squealing in joy. Both Celestia and I had to laugh a bit at the sweet display. The sounds caused Twilight to shriek and blush, quickly coming back to us. 

“It is early in the day, and most of these telescopes are broken. I don’t think there is much more to see,” Celestia said, giving Twilight a gentle smile, “Let’s leave this place, shall we?” she suggested, turning towards the stairs.

We both nodded and went down the stairs again. I could see that Twilight was about to argue, but Celestia was right. In stark difference to her old chambers, the astronomy study was mostly destroyed and left to ruins. It was a shame to see, but it was sort of unavoidable after years of being left to the mercy of the Everfree Forest.

We made our way back down through the tower and a few halls before we came out into the main hall, where the ancient thrones sat in ruin. I took a glance around before looking up at Celestia, “Are you heading back to Canterlot?” I asked curiously.

She gave me a little nod in response, “Sadly, my duties require my attention. As much as I would enjoy spending more time here with you both, it’s time for me to return to Canterlot,” she said, a regretful smile crossing her muzzle as she explained.

Twilight seemed a little downtrodden at the news, but nodded in response. Giving her an encouraging smile, I stepped up next to Twilight and gave her a little nudge with one of my wings, “She can always come visit us again,” I said to her before turning my attention back to Celestia, “Right?” I asked to get her confirmation, briefly worried that she might say that she would be too busy to visit for a while.

With a motherly smile, she nodded patiently, “Of course, I can always come and visit you two,” she said, seeming to be content with the idea.

Giving her a little smile of my own, I gently pushed Twilight towards the entrance, guiding her along towards the front doors. She glanced over her shoulder at one point to call a goodbye towards Celestia as we made our way out, but she didn’t fight to try and hold Celestia there. If she did, I wasn’t exactly sure who I should have helped, but it would have been entertaining regardless.

When we got to the front steps, I noticed that it was only around noon. There was still plenty of hours left in the day, despite having spent the entire morning adventuring. To be honest, I felt like I had been exploring for so much longer. I supposed that’s what adventuring did to a pony; it made every minute feel like an hour.

“So, did you find what you were looking for?” Twilight asked, turning her head to look at me with a sweet smile. A fresh wave of butterflies rushed through me as I smiled at her, my heart beat increasing slightly as I gazed at her. Even after all that, she was more concerned about me than anything she found interesting.

“It was good to be there. I feel a little bit more like I’m real, at least,” I said, giving her a gentle smile as I bumped into her side lightly. Seeing all the places from my past made me feel more confident that it had all actually happened, that it wasn’t just some cruel joke or a dream that I had been deluded by.

“Of course you’re real,” she said with a little smile, leaning over and kissing my cheek softly, “Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do that,” she said, her muzzle turning up into a coy grin. Stretching her back slightly, she turned away from me to get ready to take off.

I smiled and got ready as well. Before I did, however, I couldn’t help but notice that Twilight had wrapped her tail around the faux-tail from the armor that replaced my own. I wasn’t sure if she had did it consciously, but at some point between the point we walked away from Celestia and got outside, her tail had become intertwined with what was effectively mine. The thought made me smirk.

As she took off, I was quickly at her side, gliding at her own speed through the air. I enjoyed it more than I would ever before. I wasn’t much the flyer in my old town, mostly I just stayed on the ground. Now, with Twilight, it was a precious gift to glide with her through the air. All the while, I held my smile directed at her.

She looked at me and grinned, “You can’t keep your eyes off me, it seems,” she teased, causing me to laugh in response.

“Why would I? You’re beautiful,” was my simple answer that caused her to furiously blush, “And that cute blush of yours is always worth seeing,” I added with a smirk. 

“You always make me, that’s cruel,” she muttered back, but with a smile of her own. 

“Is there anything you wanna do now?” I asked her as the town came back in sight.

“How about just relaxing in the library and reading a bit? Maybe inspecting those books?” she gestured with her head at the two books levitating behind her in her flight. Surprisingly, she even had the doll held onto her back in a thin veil of her magic, allowing it to ride her with its fluffy arms draped around her neck.

Oh god, I forgot the books while taking off. She really is distracting me.

I blushed and nodded, “Sounds like a good idea,” I said as I made my way down towards the ground in front of the castle.

Twilight landed next to me after a moment, surprisingly not stumbling as she did so. Her success made me smile widely, “Nice landing,” I commented genuinely, nudging her lightly with a wing before starting my way up the steps to the castle.

“Thanks,” Twilight said quietly, a shy blush crossing her cheeks as she followed me up the steps. With a quick burst of magic, she pushed open the doors for us, allowing us to enter without even needing to pause to actually open the doors. It must have been really convenient to be able to use magic.

“And thank you,” I replied with a little laugh as we passed through the open doors, entering into the main hall. I looked over my shoulder to smile at her as she closed the door behind us, and she set the books and the doll down on one of the tables in the main area. I was about to start heading to the library before she stopped me with a hoof.

“Nu-uh! You’re covered in dust and sweat, there’s no way you’re going into the library like that. Go upstairs, take a shower, and put that armor away,” she commanded playfully, a grin pulling at her muzzle as she gave me the orders.

Stepping back from her, I brought a hoof to my forehead and snapped off a salute, “Yes, ma’am!” I snapped off, fighting back a laugh as I turned towards the stairs and made my way up. I was sure that she would wind up taking a shower as well, she was just about as dusty as I was. I just had the added problem of having been cased in steel for the entire day, so I practically radiated sweat.

I quickly trotted up the stairs and entered Twilight’s room. Or, I should have said, our shared room. I didn’t think that we’d be living separately any more, it was a lot harder to sleep alone. Once inside, I quickly set about unlatching and dropping the segments of my armor, taking a few minutes to disrobe before I was finally free of the steel casket.

Taking a second to sniff one of my forelegs, I gagged slightly at the smell. It was a mixture of dust, dirt, sweat and mold, and Twilight was right to ban me from the library until I smelled a bit better. Spending an entire morning in an ancient ruin wasn’t the right way to smell nice, especially not while wearing armor.

I crossed the hallway and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind me before quickly setting about to showering. I didn’t take too long, choosing to take a shower that was only long enough to scrape any dust out of my fur and to make sure that I smelt nice, rather than staying in there to relax. When I stepped out, I felt and smelt a lot better than I had before.

I took a moment to dry myself off before quickly heading out into the hallway and down the stairs, making my way to the library. On my way through the main hall, I made sure to grab the books and the doll from the table they had been left on. Seeing the doll still made me chuckle a little, and forced me to try as hard as I could to not roll my eyes.

Twilight wasn’t in the library when I got there, which confirmed my suspicion that she was off taking a shower of her own to get the smells of the castle out of her fur. So, I set to work rebuilding our little pillow pile in the corner. It didn’t take too long, and I dropped onto the mound when I was done, waiting for Twilight to arrive.

While I waited, I decided it would probably be a good idea to start looking through the book that Luna had given me in the castle. Cracking the old tome open, I started scanning through the pages, curiously reading the ancient text. I must have lost track of time, because the next thing I noticed was the sound of Twilight giggling.

I looked up to find her standing there, her coat still damp from a shower, and a wide grin on her face as she looked down at me. Her magic took the book out of my hooves and hovered it away for a second, “Get a little lost in space, there?” she asked teasingly as she crawled onto the pillow mound and scooted herself into my forelegs so her back was to my chest.

“Maybe a bit,” I admitted with a little laugh of my own, shaking my head slightly in amusement. She used her magic to pull a blanket up over us and then returned the tome to my hooves so I could continue reading. However, with Twilight in my arms, I felt kind of uninspired when it came to reading.

Her coat snuggling up against mine made my heart flutter, and her humming told me that she enjoyed it as much as I did. However, as she turned her head, she blushed. I followed her gaze towards her tail, or more specifically, our tails.

“Uh, sorry, sorry!” she muttered quickly, about to move away before I stopped her with a soft kiss.

“It’s alright,” I giggled.

Without even realizing it, our tails had entwined. I had no idea how it always happened, but it just seemed to happen automatically every time we laid close together. It was a feeling I loved. It was a feeling I wanted to keep. 

As I drew my muzzle over her neck, softly caressing her, she gave some soft humming, relaxing slightly. She leaned back against me, almost melting against me as she did so. It was soft, warm, and just perfect in every way.

“Please, don’t stop,” she purred slightly.

I wasn’t sure if on purpose or not, but I was more than happy to oblige. 

She sounds like a happy little kitten.

I had to giggle at that while I continued to draw my muzzle over her neck, caressing every good spot I could reach, even softly nibbling on her ears from time to time. She seemed to have no problem with it, since she didn’t complain, but continued to purr even louder. It was absolutely adorable, and I loved hearing it come from her.

I could have easily spent the entire day like that; cuddled up with Twilight and running my muzzle over her neck. I could have caressed her for the entire day, doing nothing but just lying there with her. It was a perfect moment, bringing a wide smile to my muzzle as I rubbed into her neck.

On one of the rubs I did of her neck, she turned her head in mid-rub so that my muzzle ran under her chin and ended at her own muzzle. There was no hesitation as our muzzles touched, entering into a long and loving kiss with our eyes closing at the same time. I could even feel her heart beat increase slightly in her chest as our lips met.

Of course, I was surprised beyond belief when I felt Twilight’s tongue pressing against my lips, asking for entrance. I didn’t deny her. Her tongue snaked into my muzzle, exploring with inexperienced touches and innocent enthusiasm. My tongue wrestled with her own in a wet dance, but I let her keep the dominance, let her guide us.

It drew on longer than I thought it would. Our tongues played a passionate battle, never letting the other down. If it were up to me, it would have lasted forever, but at some point we had to break apart to breathe. Panting, we stared into each others eyes, just before our muzzles pressed against each other after a few deep breaths again. 

Everything seemed like a dream. Never, I would’ve thought that Twilight would move on that quickly. A few deeper kisses, some touches, yes. But that she would tongue-wrestle me that soon? Never in my mind before. It was simply amazing, and I loved it. It sparked everything in me like a burning fire that longed for her. 

She spun around in my grip, never breaking contact with my lips as she moved. After a few moments of awkward shuffling, she was facing me in my hooves, her chest pressed up against mine as our tongues lashed at one another. She wrapped her hooves around me and pulled me tightly against her, holding me in place as she fought my tongue for all her worth.

The feeling was incredible, having Twilight pressed up against me with her tongue in my muzzle. It felt right, to have her there with me in such an intimate way. I squeezed her slightly with my arms, pulling her as tightly as she held me, our tongues still locked in battle.

Our battle lasted for a few long moments, our tongues lashing against one another as Twilight’s tongue began getting more used to the moves of our dance. When we finally pulled away, we were both panting against one another, our muzzles only an inch apart as we got our breath back. Twilight was the first to speak, coming out with a little chuckle.

“That was incredible,” she said in a little whisper, moving forward to nuzzle against me gently as we laid there together. I only nodded in response, a smirk gracing my features as we stayed locked in our embrace. She really did sum it up perfectly though, it was incredible.

We stayed together for the rest of the afternoon, lying in the library. We’d read occasionally, but we stayed cuddled up and kissing for most of it, and whenever we weren’t cuddling, Twilight had her arms wrapped around that doll of hers. The only time we really had to break apart was whenever Spike called out that dinner was ready, and even then, it was only temporary.

I loved every minute of it.


***


“Do you want to go stargazing?” Twilight’s voice broke the silence of our reading session, making me jump a little in surprise. I had been reading the book Luna had given to me, and had been pretty taken by it. We hadn’t needed to speak much since dinner, we just enjoyed reading next to one another after our day together.

“What?” I asked, blinking a few times in surprise as I turned towards her.

“Well, we didn’t get a chance to look at the stars in the astronomy study in the ruins today. You looked a bit upset whenever we left, so I figured you were looking forward to it. Do you want to go stargazing?” she explained, giving me a loving smile as she shuffled up against me in a warm embrace.

“I would love to,” I whispered, softly nuzzling her.

She smiled at me brightly, “Did I ever show you my study upstairs?” she asked.

“I don’t think so,” I answered with a sweet kiss.

Twilight kissed me back softly, meeting my lips with her own before she pulled back and nodded, “Then let’s go upstairs. When we’re done, we can head to bed,” she said with a smile as she got up to her hooves.

Mhh, that sounds quite appealing.

She turned and slowly walked towards the doors. I slowly rose, noticing the soft sway in her hips and grinned. Alone, that small action made me raise that much faster and move hot on her tail. All the while she hummed as we left the library and went up the stairs.

The way to her private study was nearly the same as to our chambers. We just walked further down the hallway to another flight of stairs, one that led to the outer tower of her crystal castle. Twilight continued to hum all the way up to her study, only stopping after we stepped through the door, as if to await my opinion to it.

It was typical Twilight. Clean, sorted, stacks of books in every possible storage place, notes, quills and ink thoroughly stacked in some corners. A desk occupied the center of the room, with scattered papers and notes on top of it, obviously where Twilight did her most work. Behind the desk, there was a set of clear crystal doors that opened up onto a balcony, where I could see a telescope set up pointing towards the stars.

“I like it,” I said with a little grin, looking around the cluttered and yet somehow still orderly room. It fit Twilight pretty well, and it just reminded me so much more of why I liked her. I trotted over towards the door, taking the lead so I could open it for her.

“I’m glad you like it,” she said with a smile, following me over to the door. When I opened the door for her, she bowed her head towards me, “Thank you,” she said, giggling slightly as she slipped out onto the balcony with me following closely behind her.

Before I closed the doors, some cushions rushed through the doors, levitated by Twilight’s magic and settling down in front of the telescope. I noticed that they were arranged quite centered with the telescope lense, so I supposed that the snuggling wasn’t done for today. Not that I minded in the least.

Twilight smiled at me and settled down on the cushions, unfolding her wing and inviting me with a soft pat to her side. I didn’t need any second invitation, and quickly settled down at her side, enjoying the feeling of her coat against mine. I even couldn’t help a small purr from my lips on the feeling. 

She giggled and leaned into me, rubbing her coat slightly against mine. That was a position I could always fall asleep or stay forever. Twilight powered her magic, which enveloped the telescope, switching it into a new position.

“Let’s start with some basic formations,” she yawned.

“Tired?” I asked.

“Kinda, yeah,” she admitted with a blush and I gave her a soft kiss.

“We can always do this another night if you’re too tired. I’m not really awake either,” I offered, giving her a soft smile as I nudged into her side softly.

She seemed to think on it for a few moments before she smiled softly, “Okay, but can we sleep out here tonight? It’s warm out,” she said, an almost foalish look of hope crossing her features as she asked.

I gave a little chuckle and nodded, “Sure,” I agreed, settling in against her and nuzzling into her pelt. It was a warm night, and the pillows were incredibly comfortable. We didn’t even need a blanket, we had each other, and that was more than enough. Twilight gave out a little sigh as she leaned up against me, wrapping her hooves around me as we snuggled in to start falling asleep.

It was so much better than sleeping alone.
	
> Intimate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter nineteen: Intimate




My dreams were peaceful, just as expected at Twilight's side. Some pressure under my belly woke me, and I blinked the sleep away in confusion, trying to find out what caused the feeling.

I recognized it once I took our position in. During sleep, we somehow managed to cuddle into each other sideways, my muzzle buried into her chest fur and my underbelly straight between her hind legs, pressed deeply against her.

It was a wet, hot feeling that caused me to blush furiously upon realizing exactly where I was lying. Moving was impossible, her hind and fore legs trapped me in my position. I also doubted that she wouldn’t feel me move, so I simply stayed where I was, completely frozen. 

What if she wakes up now? Damn, what now?

The only thing that shot through me was a burst of unbridled fear. I had images of Fire Breeze and Golden Glory in my mind. Every mare in my world wound up leaving me. Would Twilight leave me, too? If I continued and she wound up leaving me, what would the point be? For once in my life, I was afraid. And it was because I was afraid to get any closer to Twilight, to go any further.

A slight shift from Twilight made her rub against me, making my blush redouble its efforts to burn my face off. I could have easily have done something to her, taken advantage of her position and the closeness. I doubted that she’d actually resist, and she’d probably enjoy it. But I didn’t want to make that move. If I did, then it would be real, and I’d be losing that much more if she left me.

Her chin lowered until it was on the top of my head, holding me close to her chest as she snuggled into me in her sleep. Even though I felt it, I couldn’t bring myself to smile as the feeling of pinpricks raced to my eyes. I didn’t want to lose her, I couldn’t handle being torn away from anyone else again.

Most of the other mares I had been with had died, and as much as I knew that wasn’t much of a possibility with Twilight, I was still afraid to lose her. She was more important to me than any of the other mares, and not just because she was the first mare I fell for after I rediscovered myself. It was more likely that she’d leave me on her own accord, which twisted my heart a little as I thought about it as a possibility.

Despite the awkward position, I couldn’t help but squeeze her slightly, burying my muzzle into her chest fur as I forced the thought out of my head. I didn’t want to lose her, and I didn’t want to have to be alone anymore. She was more important to me than I could have ever admitted, but I didn’t want to let myself get too close to her if there was a chance she might slip away.

Twilight didn’t wake up from her sleep, instead shifting closer against me and murmuring something in her sleep. I didn’t know what she said, but I didn’t really need to know. She was there at that moment, and that’s all that I really cared about. The fact that she was there was enough to make my heart settle down and stop hurting at my rampant thoughts.

As long as I don’t do anything stupid, she’s mine.

With that thought, my mind went back into an unsteady slumber.


***


I woke up again, this time from something shifting around in my hooves. I knew that it was Twilight, but I really didn’t want to open my eyes. Once she took in our position, I was sure that I would be forced to sleep in the guest room once again. Surprisingly, the only thing that happened was that she nuzzled my forehead.

“Good morning,” she purred.

Okay, didn’t she notice anything?

I slowly opened my eyes, just to find myself in the same position as I slept in again, and a practically grinning Twilight.

“Sleep well?” she asked with a slight blush across her cheeks.

"Uh... you noticed?" I asked in nearly a whisper.

"Of course. It was weird and new at first, but I have to admit that I really liked it," Her blush burned furiously at her own confession.

My blush soon matched hers, "You did? I... I'm still sorry that it got so intimate and... and," I trailed off, not sure how to end that particular sentence.

"And?" She asked with a smile.

"I don't know what to do or say," I squeaked, not sure if that was really my voice.

She looked uneasy, maybe even hurt, "Was it too fast? Did I do something wrong?"

I stopped her with my hoof on her muzzle, "It's not you. I'm the problem here. I don't know if I'm ready for more yet. Because of my past, you know? And no, it's not because there’s something wrong with you or anything like that," I explained, quickly trying to shut down her fears before they grew.

She hugged me with all her might and I enjoyed it, no matter the wetness from our position, "You can talk with me about everything," she said with a smile.

I had never once thought that my words would be able to cause that sort of reaction. I even thought that she might not allow me to sleep with her for another night, but it seemed like she wasn’t about to kick me out.

My Princess is full of surprises.

Yes, I had to smile about that, and cuddled deeper into her coat, enjoying the warmth from her body. However, a suddenly wet touch on the top of my muzzle told me she wouldn’t let it rest. As I looked up, I just did it in time to see her tongue pull back.

“You know… I’m not biting,” she said with a beautiful smile before nuzzling me. 

“I really thought you would freak out and throw me out,” I mumbled, earning a slight giggle from her.

“Well, it just seems right. I know it might seem early to be that close, but I feel good,” she answered and pulled me tighter as to strengthen her words. 

I had no idea how to respond to that. I hesitated, but not without reason. There was a memory in my head about Fire Breeze, me and a promise. I had no intention to let these things repeat like in my past, and continuing with Twilight meant risking exactly that.

Is a memory… a sting in my heart worth stopping right here?

“I can see that there’s a lot you’re not telling me about. Talk to me, maybe I can help you,” Twilight gave me a reassuring smile.

“It’s mostly because of my past with Fire Breeze,” I admitted.

“You mean that beautiful, fiery mare you used to be with?” she asked me.

I looked directly into her eyes. No pain, no envy, nothing. She truly meant every single word she said, “It’s about a promise we made to each other,” I said, “It was long ago but… it still exists in my mind, and I’m afraid that I’m stomping her memory with my hooves now.”

“I’m sure that you aren’t,” she answered simply.

“How can you be so sure about that?”

“Because I know you, Night Glider. I think you are a wonderful and beautiful mare, and I know that you wouldn’t do anything to damage her memory or anything you promised her,” she said before leaning down for a quick kiss.

I squirmed nervously, only for the movement to remind me that we still were in that ‘wet’ position. Twilight blushed furiously upon my movements, and I knew that I caused her more new feelings than I really wanted right in the moment.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

But it’s still sweet to see her blush.

“For what? You are my marefriend, so you don’t have to be sorry for that,” Twilight smiled softly, seemingly trying to get rid of her red cheeks.

“I’m sorry that I’m making things more hard and confusing than they have to be.”

Twilight simply looked at me for moments, before suddenly asking, “Tell me about the promise.”

“It was quite a few years before the war and her passing. The best time of my life before the rebellion happened. We were happy, Luna cared for us, we simply had everything. It,” I stopped, blushing furiously, “After being together for so long, we started to think about having a family. I loved the thought of little colts or fillies with my coat and her mane running around our hooves,” I explained, a deep blush coloring my cheeks as I explained.

When Twilight didn’t say anything, I continued, “At night court, I asked Luna if there was a possibility for us to have foals of our own. She explained that there is a spell that would make it possibly, we just had to… sleep with each other while it was active. I told Breeze about it and she was simply overjoyed, asking if we could have some right at that moment. After some talking, we decided to wait, but I gave her the promise to be there for her, forever. And that I would have some little foals with her some day.”

“That almost sounds like a beautiful romance from a book,” Twilight said with a smile, an inquisitive glint in her eyes as she listened to me. She didn’t look upset or lost, in fact, she looked interested in what I had to say.

Wiping away an errant tear from the corner of my eye onto her chest, I gave a little chuckle, “Well, I’m kind of a romantic, in case you can’t tell,” I joked, looking up to her to give her a small grin.

“Oh, I can tell,” Twilight replied, smirking as she pulled me into a tighter embrace, “And I think it’s incredible,” she said, nuzzling into the top of my head gently. It was a nice embrace, it helped me to not feel so bad about my situation.

“I’m sorry I’m such a mess about this,” I said, trailing off with a morose smile. Something that happened a thousand years ago, and I was still hung up over it. As much as it might have been like it was straight out of a romance novel, it was still preventing me from moving on, even if the mare I was currently with made me want to move on.

“You don’t need to apologize to me, I understand,” she said softly, kissing the top of my head, “You made a promise that you’d have a family and a life, and that you’d be happy. I know that things didn’t go quite the way you’d hoped, but you’re still here now, and you’re still holding on to that promise,” she said, leaving her chin resting on top of my head.

I sighed softly and closed my eyes, leaning into her gently in silence. She was right, I was still holding on to a promise, and I was still here. I didn’t know whether or not that made me a good pony, but I couldn’t let go of it. The fact that it happened over a thousand years ago didn’t make any difference to me, I just wasn’t ready to open myself up like that.

“But, I think you may be looking at your promise the wrong way,” Twilight said, leaning back to look at me with an encouraging smile and a soft look of acceptance. I wasn’t sure what she meant, so I looked up at her and waited for her to continue.

“You promised you’d be happy, that you’d have a life and a family. But you can’t have any of those things if you’re holding onto a past that you can’t change,” she said, gently cupping my muzzle with one of her hooves, “You need to see the positives of the promise. You need to let yourself be happy,” she said softly, a caring smile sneaking onto her features.

I can’t have anything like that if I hold on to my past? Is she saying… no, that can’t be true. But it sounds like she’s assuming it.

But she had a point, I was still living partially in the past. I was dwelling on a promise that ensured my happiness, but by dwelling on it I was taking my own happiness away. I couldn’t just move on, but at the same time, I couldn’t be happy if I just kept worrying about my promise. If I wanted to be happy with Twilight, I’d have to start letting myself relax, as hard as that might be.

“How about we just enjoy the day? I don’t have any duties today, so we could go to bed and just cuddle, and maybe you could tell me a bit more?” Twilight gave me a smile and I nodded.

I slowly pulled back from her embrace, desperately trying not to cause her any more feelings than I already had. As soon as I stood onto my hooves, I saw the mess. Her juices were dripping down from my coat, and a quick look between her legs caused me to blush at the sight.

Twilight blushed, but also smiled as she stood up and we went inside, heading for her bedroom.

Maybe it’s our bedroom now?

Blinking, I noticed that we were already in front of the big door, and Twilight opened it, pulling me in. I could only watch in awe as she slowly walked to her bed and hopped onto it before settling down and patting her side with a wing, clearly inviting me.

I hesitated, but her smile melted into my heart and I quickly made my way to her side. As I laid down next to her and her coat pressed up on my side, she gently nuzzled me. 

"Anything special you would like to know about me?" She asked with a smug smile, surprising me. 

“Uhh,” I had no real idea what to ask.

“Really, nothing you would like to know about your marefriend?” she asked, gently planting pecks onto the side of my muzzle. 

“What was it like to study under Celestia’s wing?” I asked her after a few moments of careful consideration. 

Twilight rubbed her muzzle softly against mine, humming, “It was very interesting, to say the least. She was always my role model, and I wouldn’t be the mare I am today without her.”

I smiled softly, “And not to mention that you lived in her enormous castle!”

“Well, I had my own chambers in one of the towers. It did had its advantages,” she chuckled, “That I got Spike in the acceptance test was another plus.”

“Mhh, and now you got a wonderful marefriend, too,” I purred, gently kissing her.

“Oh, so much confidence,” Twilight giggled, “Wanna tell me now why you’re afraid of more… close contact?”

“I’m not afraid of close contact, Twilight,” I replied. 

“Oh, yes, sorry. You already said that,” she blushed, looking down.

“Hey, don’t worry,” I said and nuzzled her, “Not your fault, it’s just mine. I just can’t forget the past. I,” I stopped, not sure how to say it.

“You what?” she asked softly.

“I don’t want you to leave me,” I admitted, looking directly into her eyes.

Twilight looked taken aback by that, “Why would I ever do that? I’m still here, even after what Luna told me, after what you told me, right?”

“It’s complicated,” I mumbled.

Twilight simply snuggled closer and laid her head over my neck, “We’ve got time, and I’m not heading anywhere,” she said. 

I sighed softly, knowing that she wouldn’t let it rest, but I was okay with it. My marefriend had the right to know everything about me, my life, my thoughts.

My fears.

Enjoying her warmth, I collected my thoughts, “I already told you about the promise. It’s not only that. Every single relationship I had ended with me being alone. Either just alone or in front of a dead body. One part of me knows that it’s silly, but the other is afraid that it happens again and again. It happened four times in my life, I don’t want more.”

“Four?” Twilight perked up, “I just know about two.”

“Well, Luna. And my old Centurion, while I was still in training. My Centurion died not even a week after we started to date, and Luna transformed into Nightmare Moon, somepony that wasn’t interested in me at all as a mate. The other two, I told you about them,” I ended with a sad smile. 

“I know that your past wasn’t easy, and in this case I can understand where your fear comes from,” Twilight started before pausing and kissing me softly, “But there is no reason why I would leave you. There is no war, and I’m an alicorn,” she continued.

I could feel a tear forming in my eye, “I know that! Still, I don’t want you to leave me, I don’t want to lose you!” I stopped, sobbing, “I love you, Twilight!”

Twilight quickly unfolded a wing and laid it over me, pressing me as tight as she could to her side, “I love you, too, and you’ll never lose me!” she softly whispered, and I could clearly hear that she was sobbing now as well.

I couldn’t deny that I trusted her words and believed her, yet I couldn’t stop crying into her coat. We were both clinging to each other, tears staining our coats, but we still loved the embrace.

“We will stay together and face everything together,” Twilight whispered through her sobs, “I won’t let anything happen to you, and I know that you will protect me.”

Hearing Twilight say that made me smile, despite the anxiety I had over the possibility of losing her. I pushed my muzzle into her coat, burying myself in her scent and her warmth as I tried to hide from the possibility of her leaving me. As nervous as I was, she made me want to believe her, that she’d never leave me. 

She pulled me tightly against her, wrapping me in limbs and love as she held me and cried against me. In turn, I cried into her, letting her hold me as tightly as she desired as we shed our tears. Minutes or hours passed before we finally teetered off, our sobs turning into contained sniffles, and then finally silence.

I looked up at her through sore and swollen eyes, and had to hold in a laugh at the sight. Twilight was a mess, almost as much as I was, her face was matted with dried tears and messed up from rubbing up against me. I managed to give her a light smile as I met her gaze with my own.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly, leaning up towards her before giving her a gentle kiss on the muzzle. She returned the kiss, closing her eyes and leaning into me as we held the touch for a few moments. When we broke apart, she let out a soft but content sigh.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” she said quietly, giving me a happy little smile as she gently cupped my chin in one of her hooves and held my head up to look at me. She was absolutely beautiful, and as I gazed at her tear stained face, I knew that I loved her. I knew that I wanted to be there for her, no matter what, and I wanted to be hers for as long as she’d have me.

“I’m not going to leave you,” she whispered softly, breaking the silence between us as she leaned in and planted another kiss on my muzzle. This time it was more intense, more heated, a kiss that conveyed more than just innocent feelings of love. The passion she poured into the kiss was intense, something I had never experienced in a thousand years of life.

The kiss lasted a lot longer than I was used to, with our tongues battling for dominance as if our very lives depended on it. When we finally broke apart, both of us were panting, and it felt like the distance between us had been filled with an immense heat and desire, burning away like the wick of a candle.

“Night Glider,” she whispered, leaning in so that her muzzle was next to my ear, and every pant made the sensitive hairs stand on end, “Please. I need you,” she whispered, her forelegs tightening around me, “Will you be mine?” she asked in a breathy tone, as if she had lost all semblance of voice during our kiss.

How could I say no to that?






This chapter continues here for all of you interested in the clop!
> Nothing to Hide
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter twenty: Nothing to Hide



I awoke, greeted by the faint rays of light and the soft movement of the wonderful, purple alicorn in my embrace. It was a position that made me want to fall back asleep immediately, but the position of the sun was a mark that we had enough sleep.

Slowly, I nuzzled into Twilight’s neck, trying to wake her up gently. With a murr, she stirred and blinked before giving me a heartwarming smile.

“Good morning,” she said with a yawn.

“Morning, sexy,” I teased her.

She blushed before nuzzling me, then took a look around. It only took a few moments for her eyes to widen, “Did we make that mess last night?” she asked, shocked.

“Yup,” I said, slowly rising and climbing off the bed.

“Oh, no, no, no, no! We have to clean this mess before Spike sees it!” she shrieked, and in a quick flash of her magic, the soaked sheets were gone.

“Calm down, Twilight, he never comes in here,” I chuckled and nuzzled her once again.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she blushed, before sighing, “We should take a shower and head down, I’m sure Spike’s got breakfast ready already.”

I nodded and followed her as she left the room and headed straight to her bathroom. As I attempted to go in after her, she stopped, “What are you doing?”

“I’m following my marefriend into the shower?”

She bit her lips before nodding, “Alright, but no funny business in the shower! I feel sore, and we can’t take forever in there.”

“Well, it wouldn’t take that long, but you’re right. Let’s not overdo it,” I replied and gently nuzzled her neck as I followed her into the bathroom and straight into the shower.

Twilight lit up her horn and turned the shower on, electing sighs from both of us as the water hit our coats. As she sent her magic for the shampoo, I stopped her.

“Please, let me do that.”

She stared at me for a moment before giving me a gentle smile and a little nod.

I grabbed the shampoo in my left wing and poured a healthy amount on my right one. Stepping to Twilight’s side, I began to massage the shampoo softly into her coat, electing a quick coo from the purple alicorn.

Rubbing the shampoo into every part of her coat, I enjoyed the small sounds coming from Twilight, telling me how much she enjoyed it, “Pegasi always use their wings to treat their partners well, since they are the most sensitive and erogenous parts besides, well, you know,” I explained to her. 

“I love it,” she replied, then turned once I finished, “Let me try now.”

I gave her a soft smile as she grabbed the shampoo and put some onto her wings before starting to massage my coat with them. She started very slowly and her tried to massage my coat with her wings, but she was still inexperienced. Even if she was inexperienced, I still loved it, mostly because it was Twilight with her wings on my body after all. 

"Am I doing it right?" she asked after a few moments, and I could hear the nervousness in her voice.

"You're doing fine," I replied with a smile.

It seemed to have the desired effect, since she rubbed a bit more intensely, more vigorously into my coat. I shrieked in surprise as her magic suddenly lifted my tail.

"Hey, I thought you said no funny business?"

Twilight blushed furiously and dropped my tail, "Sorry, I guess I got into it a bit too much."

“Hey, its no problem. Don't worry, Twilight," I replied and gently nuzzled her.

We quickly washed the shampoo out before Twilight turned the shower off and we stepped out to dry ourselves. 

I couldn't do anything but stare at my marefriend with her wet coat and mane, grabbing the towels from the wall.

"See something you like?" She asked with a smile.

"How did you guess?" I chuckled.

Twilight blew me a raspberry before flicking her tail once, then she started to dry herself. I followed her example, and soon we were on our way towards the kitchen.

Indeed, Spike was already sitting there with a giant stack of pancakes in front of him, waiting for us.

"I thought you would never make it out of the bed," he greeted us with a growl.

"Heh, it was just way too comfy," I replied with a smile and a wink towards Twilight, who blushed again.

"Great that you had a good sleep, mine wasn't exactly good. Half of the night I heard weird noises," Spike muttered.

"W-weird noises?" Twilight's voice shook, and I could see that she was about to panic.

"Yeah, I tried to ask you about it, but you weren't in the guest room," the dragon turned to me.

“Ehh, Twilight had a nightmare, so I slept on the floor in her room, protecting her."

Twilight shot me a look, likewise to 'are you bucking serious?', but I had no time to correct my sentence.

"Oh, okay. So those weird noises came from Twilight having a nightmare?" The dragon asked with a smile.

"Yes, Spike, don't worry," Twilight chimed before sitting down and shooting me a glare.

I had the weird feeling that sex would be off the table for a while.

And I wanted to show her so much more. Maybe if Spike is out of the castle for a night

or two.

I shook my head free of the thought and quickly grabbed the plate, offering it to Twilight, who stacked a few pancakes on her plate.

She smiled at me and we started to eat after I loaded my own plate full. We were all silent until Spike spoke up.

"I'm glad that you two are coming along that nicely. I saw you two on the balcony outside, sleeping up against one another. Oh, I nearly forgot, Fluttershy was here to ask you something, but she left when she saw you two, mumbling something about a 'cute couple'."

I froze at that as well as Twilight. We both hoped he would let it drop, but of course we weren't that lucky.

"What did she mean by that?" The dragon asked.

"Nothing, Spike!" Twilight responded way too quickly.

Spike looked at her before crossing his arms, "You’re acting really weird, Twilight. What are you hiding?"

"What? Don't be silly! We aren’t hiding anything!" Twilight mumbled.

I facehoofed while Spike looked at me, "You’re both being really suspicious," he said.

"Spike, seriously, there is nothing to hide!" Twilight stuttered while blushing slightly. 

Spike eyed her suspiciously before shrugging and focusing back onto his plate, while I got a glare from Twilight that didn't look too promising.

It would be much easier to just tell her friends the truth.

Sighing, I ate the rest of my pancakes before standing up to get myself ready.

"We’ll head to Fluttershy’s first," Twilight said before levitating the dishes into the sink. 

I nodded and quickly went up to put my armor on. It was a procedure that went quickly enough, and soon I was downstairs, startling Twilight, who had just grabbed her saddlebags.

“What’s in there?” I asked.

“Something to keep Discord silent,” she simply replied before nodding, “Let’s go.”

She opened the large doors in her magic and we left the castle, greeted by wonderful sunlight. I sighed and smiled before following Twilight down the stairs. There was another sound that soon disturbed the silence and I looked around, just in time to see something large and dark speeding up towards me.

At the last second, I recognized Luna before she crashed into me, sending us tumbling onto the floor. We rolled over until I laid on my back and she was on me, a glare in her eyes.

“You! We had a meeting last night! I waited several hours, and you never came!” she exclaimed in frustration. 

“Well, she came, but not in the way you imagine, my dear Luna,” a voice laughed out of the aether before a ball of smoke announced the dramatic appearance of Discord.

“WHAT?!” Luna screamed while Twilight and I blushed. 

“And that’s not even the best part! They even,” Discord was stopped by a length of rope tying itself around his muzzle, held in Twilight’s magical aura.

“Enough of this! Night Glider, why didn’t you tell me that you had a meeting with Luna?”

I blushed a bit more, “Because it was a special night for both of us, and I kind of forgot in the heat of the moment.”

"Please tell me that I'm not assuming right," Luna muttered, staring deeply into my eyes, as if she were searching my mind for answers.

"It’s true. I know she was your mate, but she is my marefriend now," Twilight replied softly with a slight blush.

I was shocked that Twilight was so open about it, and Luna just looked at me. It was a look I recognized, a look I thought was lost a thousand years ago.

"After all those years?" I asked, to which Luna nodded.

Luna slowly raised and looked at us, "I won't cause you any trouble. If you two are together, I will respect it. But I do wish for one small thing," she looked directly at me, "I want to spend time with you again. Flying, have some fun, just like in the old times!" I could see the longing in her eyes.

Looking at Twilight, who smiled and nodded, I turned back to Luna and gave her a smug grin before raising to my hooves, "Sounds like a deal to me!"

“That’s splendid!” Luna cheered, dancing a bit on her hooves.

I had to smile at that. It had been a long time since I had seen Luna that happy. Then we both stopped and turned to Twilight; the source of the cutest laughter I’d ever heard. Twilight was laughing wholeheartedly at Luna’s display, a clean and loud laugh.

She’s so cute.

Twilight continued like that, and I stepped forward, nuzzling her cheek gently before she stopped, “That was cute,” I whispered into her ear.

She blushed and gave me a quick peck onto my lips before looking at Luna, “I’m sorry!”

“There is no reason to be, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said with a small smile of her own. 

Twilight’s blush was still existent as she looked into my eyes, “Well, I guess we should move on to Fluttershy’s.”

“Hellooo? I presume that you are forgetting who’s still here? Fluttershy is not at home, just for your information,” Discord scoffed, the remains of the rope around his muzzle turning into a black vine that immediately retreated. 

“And where is she?” Twilight asked.

“Mhh, are you and your marefriend up for a little riddle?” he asked back with a smug grin.

“Discord, spill it, already,” I snapped, causing him to chuckle.

“What has a single eye but cannot see?” Discord asked.

What?!

I simply looked confused while Twilight and Luna seemed to ponder the question for a few moments, before Luna smiled.

“Is it a needle?” she asked.

“Indeed!” Discord clapped his mismatched claws.

“Huzzah!” Luna called out victoriously while Twilight and I giggled.

“So, she’s at Rarity’s place?” Twilight asked the obvious.

“Does her rabbit have a bushy tail?” Discord deadpanned.

“Right, she is,” the purple alicorn sheepishly replied before reaching for her saddlebags, “Discord, I got something for you.”

“Ohh, what is it, Twilight Sparkle? Something… chaotic?” he asked with an over dramatic play, “I never received gifts from anyone but Fluttershy before, you are such a good friend!”

Twilight levitated a small, green box out of her saddlebags and gave it Discord, who grabbed it with a devious smile and shook it, electing silent clinks from it, “Is it what I think it is?”

“Yes. You can have it, but I want you to keep quiet about us to anypony until we are ready to announce our relationship, is that clear? We don’t want anypony knowing about us until we’re ready to be public,” Twilight raised her voice a bit.

“Crystal clear, just like your castle, Twilight. I won’t say anything!” he replied, and the box disappeared in a small puff of smoke. 

I looked at Twilight, raising an eyebrow, “What did you give him? I should know that as your Captain.”

“Well, Captain, if you really want to know,” Twilight started and leaned in close, whispering into my ear, “A quite interesting potion. I might let you have a try tonight if you’re a good mare.”

I shuddered at Twilight’s sultry voice, and I could feel my wings stiffen slightly, but I kept control over them, “I would love to, my Princess,” I replied teasingly. Twilight seemed to enjoy this particular brand of teasing, and gave my ear a quick little nip before pulling away and acting like nothing had happened.

I hadn’t expected her to nip me in front of both Luna and Discord, so the act caused me to jump slightly in surprise and give a little yelp. The two others in our presence hadn’t seemed to notice Twilight biting me, but they definitely heard my yelp, and turned to face me with curious gazes. I met those gazes with an attempt at a stoic face, that was only ruined by the shade of red my face had turned.

Neither of them said anything, and instead let my odd behavior drop. Twilight gave a little giggle in response to my action, and then smiled over at Luna, “It was wonderful speaking to you again, Princess Luna, but we really should be going to Rarity’s,” she said, giving a tone that suggested that Luna could join us if she wanted to.

Luna turned towards us and smiled, “And it was wonderful speaking to you as well, Twilight Sparkle. I should return to my duties in Canterlot, despite my desire to accompany you both. We shall speak again soon, I’m sure of it,” she said, bowing lowly towards us as she spoke.

“Heh, at least you had the time to come here and crash into me,” I chuckled teasingly.

“Rest assured, I won’t be as merciful the next time, Nighty,” she replied, using the nickname I still hated with a smug smile. 

“Nighty?” Twilight asked, and I glared at her, giving her a silent ‘don’t’.

“Well, her usual nickname was,” Luna started but I stopped her.

“If you continue, we shall tell both Twilight and Celly about all the nicknames we had for you!” I threatened her, pointing a hoof in her direction and fixing her with a glare. 

She’s bringing me back to the royal we again...

“Is that so, Captain Fluffykins?” Luna asked teasingly.

“Okay, you’re so on, Blueberry Butt,” I replied with a stoic glare. 

Luna and I glared at each other for a while, before our expression softened and we burst into laughter while Twilight and Discord simply looked on in confusion.

“You have no idea how much I missed this, Lulu,” I sighed, wiping the tears from my hard laughter away. 

“Likewise, Nighty. Likewise,” she replied, still giggling a bit. 

We recovered after a few moments of dying laughter, and when we did, Luna nodded to me and Twilight before spreading her wings, stretching out for a moment. When she was ready, she took off into the sky, heading back towards Canterlot and her duties. Even though we weren’t together any longer, I still missed her, and I was glad that we’d be able to talk freely.

Maybe there is still a bit of the old feelings left, but surely not enough to sulk in it.

It took me a few seconds before I recognized the stare Twilight gave me with a tilted head, Discord copying her reaction one to one. I knew that look, and it announced that she was about to panic. She was about to panic over something she shouldn’t.

“Twilight, it changes nothing. I just would like to be her friend again, just like in the old times, nothing more. You’re my princess, after all, and I love you,” I said and leaned in to nuzzle her gently.

That seemed to do the trick, and she broke out of her thoughts, “Sorry, I guess I’m just overthinking things again.”

“I think last night should be proof enough that I’m yours and yours alone,” I replied with a soft kiss. 

“I know, and I’m only yours,” she replied with a more eager one. 

“All this lovey dovey stuff is going to make me sick,” Discord said, feigning a gagging sound. Of course, Discord being Discord, as he made the gagging sound, a spray of flower petals came out of his mouth. The best reaction I had was a deadpan and a roll of my eyes.

“But you’re acting ‘lovey dovey’ with Fluttershy!” Twilight stated.

“Me?” Discord asked, looking insulted, “You are talking to the master of chaos, Twilight Sparkle! I am not ‘lovey dovey’!”

Twilight simply followed my example and rolled her eyes before nodding to me, “Let’s go, he’s a hopeless case anyways,” she said as she turned around and started heading in the direction of Rarity’s place.

Discord scoffed behind us, “I’m going to warn Fluttershy that a lovesick couple is on the way. Ta-ta!” and with that, some kind of vehicle appeared and Discord sat on it before disappearing. 

“You get used to him,” Twilight chuckled as I rolled my eyes for another time. I wasn’t entirely sure if I would ever actually get used to him, but if Twilight said so, then I supposed it was worth taking in stride. Discord was just plain weird, there was no other way to put it, and I wasn’t sure how long it’d take me to get used to his level of weird.

I followed Twilight all the way to Rarity’s boutique, the journey spent in silence, only occasionally broken by a few loving gazes. I had no idea why Twilight looked at me so often, but I had the weird feeling that was because of what had happened with Luna.

It’s like she’s making sure that I stay by her side.

“Twilight, you’re still thinking about the situation earlier,” I stated.

“Uh, no, I’m not,” she replied nervously. I didn’t need to be psychic to know that she was lying.

“Listen, what Luna and I had was over a thousand years ago. I can’t claim that I’m completely without feelings, but they are nothing to worry about, and I would give you my heart right out of my chest if I could. You are my marefriend, and Luna isn’t. I love you, Twilight Sparkle. More than anypony can ever imagine,” I said in a shaking voice, trying to make it sound somehow romantic. 

Twilight simply looked at me and chuckled a bit, before leaning in and planting a small, gentle peck onto my cheek, “You’re lovely, have I ever say that?”

“You said it now,” I replied with a furious blush and gave her a short nudge with my left wing, glad that I left the blades at home so I could even do that.

Twilight didn’t reply and continued her way, leading me along a small road towards the boutique that was soon in sight. Of course, the strange vehicle Discord used was already at the front door. I didn’t even bother questioning how it worked or what it was, I just let it be as I walked up to the boutique.
                
The doors opened in a little flourish of Twilight’s magic, which held the doors open for me so I could walk in before her. I gave her a dramatic little bow and a laugh as I made my way through the open doors, which Twilight quickly returned with just as much dramaticism. When we were safely inside, she let the doors close behind us.

I had never actually been to Rarity’s place, but the boutique was actually pretty nice and spacious, if I could actually get over the dresses and drawings of dresses just about everywhere that there was room for them. It was grossly feminine, and almost made me feel itchy just standing there. The only saving grace was the fact that I could safely stand in the middle of the room and not run into any of the aforementioned articles.

In response to the dinging of the bell above the door, Rarity had chosen that moment to come out, “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, how can I-- Oh! Twilight, Night Glider! Discord mentioned you’d be coming,” she said, a smile quickly gracing her features as she started walking towards us, looking between us expectantly. The unicorn looked entirely unsurprised that we had shown up, and she had gone from looking professional to looking like she was examining us in less than a second.

“So, are you here to order matching dresses already?” she asked, her innocent smile turning into an almost cheshire grin.

Twilight frowned, "Discord! We said not a word to anypony!" She yelled.

“Umm... you know, actually... that was my fault," Fluttershy squeaked as she came down the stairs. 

"Why?" I groaned, "We wanted to tell everypony by ourselves."

"I was just so happy for you two, and then Rarity invited me for tea, and... I might have blurted it out during the tea," Fluttershy was almost silent as she whispered her explanation.

Twilight sighed and looked at me before turning back to Rarity and Fluttershy, "Okay. Not a word to anypony, I really mean it!"

"But, Twilight! This is the story of the century! A princess falling for her lovely captain, such drama, such romance!" Rarity pouted.

"NOT A WORD!" Twilight and I yelled simultaneously, before pausing and sharing a blushing look.

"You two are really cute," Fluttershy smiled.

“Ugh, we really mean it. No word to anypony. Not one!” I reiterated, and Twilight nodded.

The two other mares nodded in response, and silence reigned over the room for a few moments as everyone looked around and refused to break the silence. Fluttershy and Rarity seemed to understand that we didn’t want them talking, though Rarity looked like the only thing she wanted to do was spread the gossip around. Fluttershy just looked embarrassed at best.

“Uh, Twilight? Can I ask you something?” Fluttershy mumbled, breaking the silence.

“Of course, Fluttershy.”

“Discord showed me the potion you gave him… and, uh… it looks really dangerous. What will it do to me if I drink it? What will it do at all?” Fluttershy seemed pretty nervous about it.

“Oh, you want a full list?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, please, if you don’t mind, that is,” Fluttershy squeaked.

I looked at Twilight and I knew that gaze. She would rant it all down and nopony would be able to stop her, no matter what. 

“Alright, let’s see,” Twilight started and hummed in thought, “First off, it increases your libido, almost increasing it to the level of a mare in heat. Secondly, it increases your stamina. It also intensifies the sensations in your erogenous zones, especially in your wings. However, it takes away a lot of your ability for higher thought, so be careful when using it,” she explained, as if it were the most simple thing in the world.

There was a loud thump to the left, and as I looked in the direction of the sound, I noticed Rarity was on the ground, looking like she had just fainted upon that explanation. All the while I could simply look at Twilight, my jaw open wide.

I didn’t know a thing about this side of Twilight, but I felt like I would soon find out. 
	
> Firedancer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Twenty-one: Firedancer



“I’ll never forget Fluttershy’s or Rarity’s expression,” I laughed.

“Oh, shush! She wanted to know all the effects, so I told her!” Twilight answered me with a blush.

“You still want to let me try that potion?”

“Maybe some other time,” was the answer I got, accompanied by a heavy blush, “You should visit Luna today,” she quickly added.

“Just me? You mean both of us should!” I corrected her with a smile.

“I don’t want to bother you, and-,” She started, but I quickly stopped her with a kiss.

“You know, it’s mean to interrupt me all the time,” she whispered breathily after I broke for a pause.

“Want me to stop?” I asked teasingly.

“Don’t you dare,” she growled before pressing her lips back against mine. 

We stayed exactly like that for a while, undisturbed, together in bliss. That was, until Twilight recognized that we were still in public and quickly broke, blushing and taking a few steps away from me.

I sighed, slightly annoyed, "Twilight, I know that you want to tell everypony once you’re ready, but this is ridiculous."

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked at me. I knew that I looked hurt and annoyed at that moment, but that was just a given. After all, my marefriend had just pulled away from me as if I were made of red-hot iron.

It took a few seconds before she looked at the ground, “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, a chastised look on her face as her ears folded back against her head.

I was satisfied that she apologized, but as soon as I saw the first tear meet the ground after flowing down her muzzle, my feelings did a one-eighty. In not even a second, I was at her side and embraced her in my wings.

As soon as she felt my touch, she broke down and outright sobbed, “I’m sorry! I’m just so afraid what everypony will say. I’m afraid what they think about us, not to mention that I’m a princess and you are my guard.”

I strengthened my grip on her, “Twilight, I understand that, but everything is fine! You know what Celestia said about relationship with guards, and she even agreed! Besides, I’m pretty sure that all of your friends would be okay with this.”

“How can you know?”

“Because I know your friends, Twilight, and I know that they care about you no matter what you do in your private life,” I replied with a comforting smile, giving her a little nuzzle to reassure her, “They’d never be upset at you for doing something that makes you happy.”

She hesitated, giving me an undefinable look, as if she was asking for my sanity, but I was serious on that one. After a moment, though, she breathed loudly and closed her eyes before leaning into my coat.

“I love you,” she whispered, her muzzle gently nuzzling along mine.

“I love you, too,” I replied, enjoying her touch dearly.

“You know we should talk about this at some point? About us, our future,” she mumbled into my coat.

“Yes, I know. Can we just enjoy the day for now?” I asked, and could feel her nod, “Besides, if we want to visit Luna today, we should get going.”

“I don’t think I want to join you on that trip. Not because of you, but of Luna,” Twilight sighed.

“Don’t tell me you are jealous,” I giggled.

“I’m not!” Twilight exclaimed defensively, shaking her head far too quickly.

“You are!” I replied with a little chuckle, giving her a lighthearted squeeze.

“I’m not,” she huffed, “And your princess says that topic is over now.”

“Not gonna work, we’re out as marefriends right now,” I reminded her.

“Ponyfeathers,” she cursed silently with a pout that caused me to grin. 

Before she could shy away, I quickly wrapped her in my wings, pulling her tightly up to me, “Hey, you come with me. It will be fun, and you’ll meet some of my old team as well!” I exclaimed enthusiastically, a smile on my muzzle as I pulled her along with me.

“That does sound like fun, actually,” she said, rubbing her muzzle in thought, “But what will I get for joining you there?”

Smiling, I leaned in and whispered three words huskily into her ear, “Sweet, intense love.”

Immediately, her wings shot open and she yelped, trying to fold them back. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and roll on the floor at her expression. Of course, my outrageous laughter didn’t serve to do anything but make everyone around us stare in surprise at my outburst. But at that moment, I didn’t really care, I was far too involved in my own laughter.

Twilight stood stock still, pouting for a few moments, but I could see the slight twitching of the corners of her muzzle as she tried to stop herself from laughing. She lasted a few more seconds before she broke into laughter and joined me, more likely laughing at my laughter than at her own situation. Our collective laughter lasted for a few more moments before she gave a good-natured sigh and reached a hoof down to help me back up.

Of course, I took her hoof and stood up when I finally collected myself, but I refused to let go of her hoof, a small grin on my muzzle as I held the limb in my own. Twilight didn’t say anything, a blush on her muzzle as she tried a few times to take her hoof back, only to be met by my grip around it. After trying twice, she surrendered her hoof to me without a word as her face turned a beautiful shade of red.

I could still swear I saw her trying not to smile.

We stood in silence for a few moments, looking at one another, Twilight trying not to smile and me trying not to make too much of a scene. With an unspoken agreement, we both started walking off towards the castle to pack whatever we needed for our small trip to Canterlot. The whole time, I refused to give her her hoof back, and she didn’t try taking it back either. It was peaceful, and nice after the small scuffle we had earlier.

We didn’t need to say anything, silence was more than enough as we walked back. I was content to be with her, and I’d like to think that she was content to be with me as well. I wasn’t about to put my wing back over her again, in case that was too much for her, but I was happy to walk back with her hoof in mine, at least for the time being. It was more than enough to vocalize our comfort to one another.

***

“Do you think we need some extra supplies? Should I pack some books or some scarfs if it is too cold?”

I faced Twilight with an amused smile as the alicorn paced around in our bedroom, collecting stuff from all drawers and places. It was typical Twilight, but also so very adorable in my book. Still, after a few minutes of this going on, I decided to put a stop to it. As much as I thought it was amusing, it was taking way too long for us to leave.

“Twilight, calm down, please. It’s just a small visit.”

She stopped, just to look at me, offended, “Just a small visit? We’re going to Canterlot, visiting Princess Luna. We can’t just go there and take it as it comes! We need to prepare! We need to make sure we’ve covered all of the possibilities! What if a sudden snow storm comes through? Or what if the train breaks down and we’re stuck with nothing to do? Or what if the princesses invite us to an impromptu ball?” with each possibility, Twilight’s voice raised in pitch ever so slightly, until she was practically at a panicking squeal with her final question, and quite out of breath.

“Twilight,” I whispered, stepping closer and nuzzling up to her, “Please, calm down,” I said calmly, giving her a reassuring nuzzle and a little smile.

She tried to squirm away for a few moments before resting into my touch, “Sorry,” she replied quietly, pressing up against me with a little sigh.

“No need for that,” I chuckled, “I guess I know your antics by now. But now we should really get ready, huh?” I asked good-naturedly with a lopsided grin.

She hummed and pressed herself into my coat, a touch we both enjoyed before she broke away, “Alright,” she replied with an assured sigh and smile, showing she was calmed down enough to pack reasonably.

“On the ride, I’ll tell you a small story if you like,” I grinned.

“Ride? I thought we would just test out my long-range teleport,” she said, quite puzzled at the prospect of not just trying to solve the problem of transportation with magic.

My smile faded away. Teleports simply weren’t made for me. Well, or I wasn’t made for teleports. Anyways, I had other reasons for a smooth chariot-ride, “Nuh-uh, we’ll take the chariot. I want to spend the time at your side,” I suggested with an eager smile, ready for the short but close journey that we’d be spending together.

She just stared at me, “But… my new teleport,” she stammered, as if it were the most logical thing in the entire world.

I gave her the best puppy stare I could muster, but I had no idea if it was enough. She looked at me, no emotions in her gaze, but soon her lip started to tremble, before she looked away, sighing, “Alright, we take the chariot, you unbelievably adorable mare.”

As she turned, I quickly pumped my hoof triumphantly into the air, then lowering it again before she would notice it. Moving to the saddlebags she was packing, her tail playfully swished over my muzzle, “You are a tease,” I pouted, but with a noticeable grin. Her only reply was a little scoff, and a tortuous grin on her muzzle as she picked up the saddlebags and loaded the last of her items into them.

“Now, what are you waiting for?” she asked me, “You promised me a story, and I need either you or a blanket at my side, and I don’t have place for both on my chariot,” she winked at me, a grin pulling at her muzzle.

Such a tease!

“Okay, a story it is,” I huffed, “And I’m much better than a blanket!”

“That is still up to you to prove,” she smiled at me, “Now, come,” she said in such a way that suggested it was definitely not up for discussion. The implications made me laugh a little, but I gathered my things and followed along with her anyways, choosing not to push my luck by making even more innuendos.

The treck to the chariot was a short and sweet one. Considering the fact that the chariot was just waiting outside for us, all we had to do was trot down the stairs and hop in the back. But even in the short distance between the front doors and the chariot, Twilight was assaulted by two chariot handlers, asking for her baggage so they could take it from her. I could tell how unused to the attention Twilight was, based solely on the tiny twitch in her right eye as she tried to refuse the assistance.

Instead of laughing at her, which I was quite tempted to do, I instead decided to shoo the handlers away and offered a hoof to Twilight, “Here, let me take your things. At least that way you’re not going to be pestered by the handlers the whole ride there,” I said with a little good-natured chuckle.

Twilight looked a little uncomfortable at the idea of having someone else deal with her baggage, but after a moment of gazing at me, she sighed and nodded, levitating her things over to me, “Ugh, you’re all so tenacious with wanting me never to carry anything in my life ever again! Fine, here,” she said, giving a small scoff, “But you’re the only one I’ll let treat me like royalty without getting flustered about it,” she added under her breath, pointedly looking the other direction as I took her things.

“Without getting flustered? Then what do you call that?” I teased with a coy little grin, nudging her playfully before making my way down to the chariot to make sure all of our things were properly secured away for the journey.

I swear I could hear Twilight’s mental scream, which contradicted her embarrassed looking smile, “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” she said as she accompanied me, taking her place inside the chariot and waiting for me to join her.

When I was finished locking the luggage away, I climbed in next to her and settled in, “Well, I plan on it. But, maybe later,” I replied, smirking at her as I wrapped a wing tightly around her barrel, pulling her closer against my side as the drivers got ready for the final takeoff, “Now, my Princess requested a story?”

“I want to hear a story about Fire Breeze and you,” she said, completely taking me by surprise.

“W-what?” I asked, baffled as to why she would ask to hear a story about that.

“You heard me,” she replied, fixing me with a completely straight look.

“What exactly would you like to hear?”

“How did you two met, or more important, how did you fall in love?” Twilight smiled.

I hummed, trying to bring it up without digging too deep, without bringing the memory of my last time with her up, “I met her at the training classes under Luna-”

“Luna taught you?”

“Yes, indeed,” I chuckled, “She took a large part of the responsibilities in training and teaching her personal guards. She liked to do most of it in person. Anyways, Fire joined quite late into the classes, but she stole my breath right away. In a word, beautiful. Her midnight blue fur and her fiery red mane. She was unique.”

“Love at first sight,” Twilight giggled.

I laughed, “Not quite. Definitely not on both sides. Damn, she was a cheeky little mare. Always teasing me for the heck of it. We quickly became friends, but that was it. Everything I tried failed. Letters, sweets. I thought she’d never love me, but she never understood that all those things were from me,” I gave a good chuckle before sighing, “She was new to love, just like I was. Three years younger, but hell, quite a mare,” I blushed heavily as I became aware of what I just said, “Sorry.”

“No need to be,” Twilight smiled, “Cadance once told me that you never forget your first real love, and that it will always have a place in your heart.”

“She’s a wise pony. Well, one day, I decided to leave the academy. My heart was broken, rejected. At least I thought so. As I packed my stuff, she smashed the door in with one of her firebombs.”

“Firebombs?”

“You remember how I told you that she was a firedancer for the Lunar Guard? That sneaky mare stole one of the bombs once she heard that I tried to leave. By Luna, she was pissed that I was about to just leave her.”

“What happened then?” Twilight asked.

“Well, after she burned the whole door, including half of the wall, she crashed into me and kissed me,” I smiled dreamily, “It was kinda magical. Kissed by the mare you loved most in the fire. I loved it,” I said happily before trailing off, “That was, until we realized the room was on fire, and then Luna took the cost of the repairs out of our paychecks,” I concluded with a little laugh, shaking my head.

Twilight clapped her hooves, “That’s such a sweet story! But the poor door!” she added with a pout, “This was rather short though, how about another story?” she asked, looking rather hopeful that I’d tell her another one.

“Mhhh… Something funny, maybe?” I asked with a grin, to which she nodded eagerly, “Alright, how about Luna? You should know, she is simply adorable when she is all pouty and annoyed!”

“Really?” Twilight asked, quite surprised to hear that Luna could be anything but serious and imposing.

“Yep! Do you know that Celestia loves cake?” I asked with an added exaggerated conspiratory whisper.

“Of course I do,” Twilight blushed.

“Well, you can easily hook Luna with candies or cookies. Anyways. One day, we - that means the Solar and the Lunar Guard - actually ordered a chocolate cake covered completely with cookies for the princesses.”

“What happened?”

“Cake fight,” I laughed, “Celestia stole the cookies from it and Luna took the cake. It ended in lots of cake and cookies being thrown,” I explained with a laugh, shaking my head at the recollection of the ridiculous events.

Twilight blinked a few times as if she couldn’t completely comprehend, and then as if something flicked, she started laughing at the thought of the princesses having a food fight over cake and cookies. I couldn’t help but join her in the laughter, enjoying the jovialness we shared together. 

“Anything else? Canterlot is still a bit away,” she smiled, leaning against me.

“Do you play chess?” I asked with a smug grin.

“Princess Celestia played it from time to time with me, but since I moved to Ponyville, I haven’t really had the chance to play it very often,” she replied, looking a little bit regretful that she hadn’t been able to play as often as she’d like.

“Want to play it with me then?” I asked, giving her a wide smile as I leaned back against her.

“Really?” Twilight asked, blinking a few times in surprise at the suggestion.

“Of course only against high bets to my advantage,” I laughed, “After all, I’m an old, old mare.”

“You look still nice for a thousand year old mare,” Twilight chimed into my laugh.

“Hey, I’m only one-thousand two hundred and sixty six, I’m young,” I scoffed playfully, giving her a little prod to the chest with a hoof.

I nearly didn’t heard the next two words she whispered.

“Still sexy.”

“What was that?” I asked, blushing.

“Nothing.”

She looked away, doing her best to not meet my gaze, so I unfolded my left wing and brought it over to her side, gently tickling her, “Nothing?” I asked with a grin as she started to thrash in my grip as a result of my tickling.

Through her laughter and squirming, she managed to call out, “I said you’re sexy!” as loud as she could, which made the two drivers turn their heads to look back at us with looks of curious disbelief before returning to their jobs. I couldn’t help but laugh as loud as I could as I stopped tickling her, but continued holding her tightly against me.

“You think everything will be alright with Luna?” she asked suddenly as her laughter faded away, and she took on a more serious look.

“Why not?” I asked, concerned with a brow raised in question.

“Maybe because you two were fighting a few days ago, and Luna nearly took you from me,” Twilight suddenly whined, looking worried as she spoke.

I was shocked, “Hey, you know what happened in Ponyville. Everything is fine. As long as you’re not jealous, at least,” I explained hopefully, giving her my best supportive smile.

“I don’t care that you were in bed with Princess Luna. You’re here now with me,” she smiled through her worry, nuzzling deeply into me.

“Twilight. I’ll always be with you. Until the day I die. I promised it, and I’m a mare that holds her promises high,” I whispered gently, “I love you.”

“And I love you, too,” she whispered back, her smile brightening.

“Princess, Captain, we’re arriving in Canterlot,” one of the drivers said before quickly turning his head away, not before I caught sight of the deep red blush on his muzzle.

“Please take us down directly in front of the castle,” Twilight said before squirming out of my embrace.

The drivers descended quickly, and within a few moments, the chariot came to a stop outside of the castle. What surprised me the most was that Luna was actually already waiting for the chariot, along with a few Lunar Guard, who all seemed to be squirming in the uncomfortable sunlight. I couldn’t help but smile at the display; leave it to Luna to know when she was going to get a visit without even being told.

Among the collection of guards standing in a semi-circle around the chariot, I only recognized two of them from before the banishment, which actually came as a surprise to me. There was Night Breeze, one of my old bat pony friends, and Moonlit Sparks, another one. They were both in their modern Lunar Guard armor, which made me feel more than a little nostalgic, but still caused a smile to cross my muzzle as I helped Twilight step out of the chariot.

“Twilight Sparkle! Night Glider! We are so happy to see you!” Luna exclaimed, a little more eagerly than the situation really warranted, but it was nice to see her happy, at least. As per usual, the guards didn’t say anything, but I did catch a few smiles and grins on the muzzles of the guard who presumably knew me to some extent. It was like an extended family; even though I hadn’t met most of them, they still seemed excited to meet someone who was a part of their fold.

“We’re happy to see you too, Princess Luna,” I replied with a grin, working to remove the luggage from the chariot for Twilight as she stepped off and went to greet Luna on her own. I didn’t think that Twilight was going to smack her or anything, but I was sure to keep one eye on them just in case.

“I’m glad this is under better circumstances,” Twilight said respectfully, giving Luna a smile that conveyed forgiveness and understanding. I breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, pulling the luggage along with me to stand next to Twilight in front of Luna. That was at least one crisis averted.

“Let me take some of it, Captain,” Moonlit Sparks smirked as she stepped up to me, grabbing some bags, “Good to have you back, at least in some way,” she added in a whisper.

“It’s good to finally remember most of it, Sparks,” I smiled back.

“Where is she?” Luna suddenly asked, much to my surprise. Who’s missing?

“I don’t know, she said she would be on time,” one guard to her right spoke up, “Maybe she overslept again?”

“I’m here, I’m here! Wait for meee!”

The voice was familiar. Way too familiar. So soft and warm, but yet sneaky with a tomboyish edge. I knew that voice.

The bat pony that came in sight was as tall as me, her fluffy ears twitching as she caught my gaze, her crimson eyes lighting up. As she approached us, her fiery red mane danced in the wind, highlighting her midnight blue fur that much more.

“Fire Breeze?!”
	
	
> Wanna Play?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Twenty-Two: Wanna Play?





“But… You should be dead!” I screamed, my mind unable to process any of the information it was getting, “Luna said it was your time!”

“Good to see you too, Moon-butt,” Fire Breeze smiled at me before her expression turned serious, “And about that. Maybe Luna wasn’t really honest with you.”

“What do you mean?”

Luna coughed, “That means that we lied to you and sent Fire Breeze away from the Castle.”

“But why?” I asked.

“Maybe because she wanted you for herself,” Fire replied bitterly.

I sat down on my flank. It was too much. Way too much. The first love of my live, banished, but not dead. And then my Princess, the pony I vowed to die for lied to me and took her, just to replace Fire with herself. 

All my thoughts stopped as I felt a soft wing embracing me. It was purple, and looking up, I saw Twilight smiling gently at me before glaring at the princess, “Do you even know what you’ve done?” Twilight hissed at the princess with barely contained anger.

I was shocked. No title, no friendliness, nothing. Twilight was outright pissed.

“You betrayed her heart! Not only that, you stole the mare she loved most, just so that you could replace her yourself!”

“Not as we planned, we have to thank Golden Glory for that,” Luna whispered, but Twilight stayed on like a dog with a bone.

“Are you insane? You lied to her! You betrayed her! You are a princess, such things should be way beneath you!” Twilight yelled.

“We were insane at that time,” Luna hollered.

“Yeah, right. Sorry to interrupt you, but the time I was with Fire Breeze, everything was still fine between you and Celestia,” I spat.

“We do not ask you to forgive us. We invited Fire Breeze here so we can all talk, and maybe revive the past,” Luna spoke gently.

I looked at Twilight, who looked at the ground. That is, until I unfolded my right wing to pull her muzzle up and kiss her. Her eyes went wide, but she soon leaned into the kiss.

“Hey, don’t even think about it. No matter what, nothing changed for me. You are my princess and I stick to my promises. I’m not going to leave you,” I whispered before looking at Luna, “I have no idea what you thought would happen, but I promised my heart to Twilight. Fire Breeze died for me, just like you told me.”

Fire Breeze looked rather downtrodden at that, “Not even a chance?”

“No,” I glared at her, “You might not be at fault for Luna’s actions, but I belong to Twilight now. Yes, of course I never forgot you and never stopped loving you. But those feelings aren’t as strong as they would need to be for me to take you back.”

“Can we at least start again as friends?” she whimpered.

I looked at Twilight who nodded and smiled, then sighed, “Alright. I guess that’s fine, Fire-butt,” I smiled slightly.

“You had nicknames as well?” Twilight laughed before blushing, “We need new ones for us,” she added in a whisper.

“Maybe we should go inside and talk. Just us four,” Fire Breeze suggested.

“This sounds like a good idea, indeed,” Luna said before looking at the other guards, “Back to your posts and duties,” they all bowed before quickly leaving.

We followed Luna inside the castle and up a hallway that looked surprisingly familiar. It was of the same design as in Luna's wing of the old castle.

Some things never change.

It was a short walk before Luna suddenly turned to the right and opened a door, motioning us to go in. We did that, finding ourselves in some kind of meeting room. A surprisingly large table with some chairs around it was positioned in the middle.

I took a seat and looked at Fire Breeze and Luna, who both sat down across me, while Twilight took my side, “So you simply banished Fire Breeze directly after promoting her to keep her away from me?” I asked Luna, but it was Fire who answered.

“Well, no, you see, I was reassigned. Permanently, I guess,” Fire Breeze explained, making a little shrug that made it seem like she wasn’t entirely sure how to word it herself, “One minute I was part of the Castle staff, and the next I was given the ritual of initiation and then whisked off to some forward operating base in the Zebra lands,” she said, giving a huff as she did so.

“The Zebra lands? Why would you ever be there?” Twilight asked, looking a little baffled at the idea of having a military base in the Zebra lands.

I cut in, “Ah, that’s easy. Back when we were together, we didn’t exactly have a good relationship with the Zebras. At the time, our relations with them were… fragile, to say the least,” I explained for Twilight before turning my attention back towards Fire Breeze, “But really, you were sent off to the Zebra lands right after your initiation?” I asked completely surprised at this new information.

“Yup, that’s about right. Went through the ritual, got to drink from a goblet, lots of candles, singing and dancing, and then whoosh! Out the front door and to the Zebra front lines. Funny how that works, innit?” Fire Dancer replied, giving an ironic eye roll as she explained how she was so easily just taken from me and the castle.

Luna just pouted, “It wasn't that bad!” she defended, crossing her hooves in front of herself and looking away with a pout.

“There was nothing but desert and zebras for miles! Of course it was bad! We didn’t even know about your rebellion until we were already banished,” Fire Breeze replied with a sarcastic laugh, shaking her head as she did so.

“And here I thought you loved the heat,” I replied teasingly with a coy little smirk on my muzzle.

“Oh, ha-ha, very funny. I just love the heat, especially when it’s constantly hot and there’s never any rain,” she replied, fixing me with a deadpan look as she spoke.

“In nearly a hundred years you had no way to message me or talk with Luna before the rebellion started?” I asked in complete and utter surprise.

Fire snorted, “Well, it's not like Luna just left me there without any watching eyes. There was no chance. I'm sorry.”

I glared at Luna, “All that time you were just lying to me. I can’t believe I crawled into your bed and didn’t even see it!”

“Calm down, please,” Twilight said, “We can argue as much as we want, it’s not going to change the past. It’s up to you if you forgive her or not.” 

I snorted, but a look into her beautiful eyes made me shut my muzzle. She was right. Arguing wouldn’t help anypony, but was I even ready to forgive her already?

“We do not ask for your forgiveness,” Luna stated calmly, “We simply ask you to talk with us,” she motioned between herself and Fire.

“Speak for yourself, Princess,” Fire Breeze retorted, looking at the alicorn with a small smirk, “I want to be forgiven eventually. You can keep being humble all you want, I just want my friend back,” the bat pony said, turning her attention back to me.

I gave a little scoff and shook my head. It was typical Fire Breeze; brash, quick and careless. It was no wonder that she was a firedancer. She was really just like her namesake, in that she could be warm and caring, but burn wild and free the moment the right breeze came blowing through. And she always spoke her mind, which was a trait that I loved, and absolutely baffled most.

That's not to say that I loved Twilight and her hesitant, sheepish art any less. It was just of a different sort, and that made me love her that much more. And not only that. The purple alicorn simply had qualities in her character that stole my heart. She was unique. And she was mine.

“Well, you’re going to have to work for it, fire-butt. But I don’t see you having too much trouble with it,” I said, giving my old lover a subdued grin in her direction before looking back at Twilight, subtly leaning closer to my current lover. It was odd how even though I could be so close to my first love, I was no less attracted to Twilight. I would have thought that it might change, that I might fall head over hoof for Fire Breeze again. And yet, there I was, still incapable of going a minute without looking at my beautiful purple alicorn.

Fire Breeze coughed, “Can't you keep this to a minimum?” she asked, looking a little uncomfortable.

I was about to answer, but Twilight surprised me with a kiss before replying, “No.”

Sneaky mare. Show her that I'm yours. I simply grinned at that.

“Captain, she has a right to do this. You shouldn't try to stop it,” Luna chuckled, and my eyes went wide.

“Captain?!” I asked with wide eyes, jerking my attention over to Fire Breeze.

“Yep, Moon-butt! Since you were off playing solo guard for Princess Twilight over there, I got promoted,” Fire giggled happily.

“You sure you didn't just do this as some kind of apology for what you did to her?” I asked Luna, my eyes narrowing slightly in her direction.

“Hey!” Fire complained, fixing me with a glare.

“She earned it,” Luna simply answered with a slight smile.

“How?” Twilight cut in before blushing, “Sorry,” she said, giving me an apologetic smile before returning her attention to Luna and Fire Breeze.

“She did the test,” Luna whispered in a nearly inaudible tone.

“The test?” I asked loud, “When you say ‘the test’, you mean the test?!” I asked with wide eyes, to which Luna gave a simple nod.

Twilight looked at me with confusion evident on her face before I gave a heavy snort and crossed my hooves, “She bucked Luna.”

“What!?” Twilight exclaimed, looking at the two in complete surprise.

“You say that as if it's something bad,” Fire Breeze rolled her eyes, “Besides, we're not together.”

“As if I would care if you two are together or not,” I laughed, shaking my head in response to the defense.

Fire Breeze chuckled, “You sure don’t,” she replied with a nod, seeming not to believe my claim.

“Fire, seriously, I don’t give a buck. I know who my heart belongs to, and it isn’t you,” I replied cooly, gripping Twilight’s hoof into my own.

I could practically see her smile slipping. A small part of my mind told me that I was being too mean, but another part of me said she still loved me and wanted me back. If that was an attempt to do so, I had to extinguish the sparks before it could grow into a proper fire.

“Let’s not overdo this,” Luna cut in, “We said we can talk, there is no need for those insults,” she scolded, giving me a frown that suggested I had overstepped the boundaries.

“Then let me ask directly,” I turned to Fire Breeze, “What exactly is your plan now? Because the only thing I’ve gathered from this little talk is that you want me back! Otherwise you wouldn’t talk so bluntly about you and Luna fucking, trying to make me feel jealous about you,” I snapped, squaring my jaw and glaring at Fire Breeze without looking away.

Luna blushed upon my bluntly words while Twilight’s jaw fell open. Fire, however, she just glared at me.

“Is it wrong after such a long time?” she asked, looking me square in the eyes as she asked with a straight face.

“It is wrong to think the past can be revived. I’m at the side of a wonderful mare. I won her heart, along with her trust, and I’m definitely not going to waste it,” I replied, and to make my point, shuffled ever so slightly closer to Twilight’s side.

Luna hummed before tapping her chin, “You know, how about we play a game of hoofball like in the old days? Maybe that will help you two reconnect, even a little,” the princess said hopefully, giving a little smile as she offered the suggestion.

“Bat pony style?” I asked with a wide grin, a bit of my competitive eagerness resurfacing at the idea of kicking my ex-lover’s flank in hoofball.

“Of course, what else?” Fire replied before getting up, seeming to be just as eager at the idea.

I got up and motioned for Twilight to follow me, “Where do we play?”

“If you wait a second, I’ll get some of the other guards to set up a playfield,” Fire Breeze smiled.

“You can explain the rules to me in the meanwhile?” Twilight asked me, which served to make me worried pretty quickly.

“Twilight? Are you sure? Our hoofball games aren’t exactly kind,” I explained with a bit of a wince, worried about her getting hurt.

She smiled before nuzzling me softly, “You explain everything to me and I’ll be fine,” she reassured with a nod.

“Who are you, and what did you do to my lovely bookworm?” I asked teasingly, playfully giving her a nudge.

“I’ll stay at your side, and I trust that you’ll protect me, right?” Twilight said hopefully, giving me a soft and trusting smile as she leaned into me.

That smile could always melt my heart. Seriously, if she kept that up, I was really worried my heart would burn out someday.

“Alright, alright,” I chuckled, “Let’s go over the basics. Hoofball is usually played by pegasus or bat ponies, six in each team. One goalkeeper, the rest to score the ball. There are two goals made out of clouds at each side in the sky. You have to throw the ball into the cloud goal to score, and the first team to get five points wins. But everything is allowed. You can tackle, kick, punch, bite. Pretty much everything.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide with my description before asking very quietly, “Will Luna join us as well?”

“Of course we will, ”Luna chuckled behind her, “And being a princess comes with some advantages, of course,” She closed the distance between her and Twilight before whispering something into her ear I nearly missed, “Everything is allowed, including magic,” she explained in a conspiratory tone, a small smirk cracking her muzzle.

The grin Luna wore told me she was more than serious. And, oh Tartarus, I really remembered some of the games where she used magic. Needless to say it never ended well for the rest of us who were stuck with nothing but wings.

“Why do we have the feeling this will end bad for us, Lulu?” I asked her dubiously, my eyes narrowing into suspicious slits.

“We do not know what thou art talking about,” she replied mischievously, returning to her proper posture as her smirk turned into an evil grin.

“Royal canterlot voice?” Twilight asked as she rolled her eyes at me, “Really?” despite the tone, I could tell from the small smile that she was only making fun of me.

“Heh, it’s hard to drop old habbits,” I chuckled with a noncommittal shrug.

Luna turned and addressed Twilight, “We will be gentle against you.”

Twilight smiled, but I raised an eyebrow, “Don’t expect the same from me if you harm one single hair on her fur, Lulu,” I threatened, only half joking.

“Hey, enough talking,” Fire Breeze suddenly yelled, sticking her head back into the room, “Everything’s ready!”

Damn, she’s fast.

We followed Fire Breeze outside to the gardens in front of the castle. Up in the air, I could already notice the playfield. The large neutral cloud in the middle where we would start along with the fairly sizeable cloud goals at each end. Directly under the playfield, around a dozen bat ponies talked and chatted. They were all excited, and I knew that feeling.

“Well, I’ll let you choose first. I guess you want Princess Sparkle on your team?” Fire Breeze asked with a really not-too-friendly smile.

I nodded and looked over the bat ponies standing in front of me, “Heh, let’s make this fair, Fire-butt. I’ll take Night Breeze and Moonlit Sparks.”

Fire Breeze growled at me, but chose her players while I did the same. In the end, we each had five members. We both took our positions while I made sure that Twilight would stay close at my side. Of course, Fire Breeze took Luna right to the front while she placed herself in the goal.

“Ready to eat dust, Captain Fluffykins?” Luna asked with a really offsetting grin as we took our position in the middle of the field, directly opposite each other.

“Bring it on, Princess,” I chuckled, glaring at her as we waited for the game to start.

A pegasus in proper Lunar armor hovered in front of us with the small blue ball in his hooves, “All set?” he asked, to which Luna and I nodded, “Alright, play!” he exclaimed as he threw the ball into the air.

That’s when the slaughtering really began. Really, I had never expected it to end like that..

Of course, Luna was the first to catch the ball in her magic, and galloped past me and straight to the goal. To my surprise, Twilight was hot at her tail, chasing the princess. Sadly, she was no match for Luna’s flying, but Night Breeze caught the ball expertly. Just like I had hoped.

Some things you never forget, not even in a thousand years, I chuckled silently.

What happened next, surprised me as well as any other pony. Twilight asked for the ball, and after a nod from me, Night Breeze passed it to her. My marefriend made her way to me and I tried to meet her in the middle, but Fire was faster. She rushed towards her, shoulder angled to simply rush her down, and I knew I would be too late.

What followed was a surprised shriek, followed by a midnight blue streak bouncing away from a purple shield. I simply had to laugh as Fire was reflected by a good few meters through the air thanks to Twilight’s shield.

“Not fair!” Fire yelled.

“I thought everything was allowed?” Twilight smirked before shooting the ball off with her magic.

To all of our surprise, she made the goal.

“You should stay in your goal,” I laughed at Fire Breeze who had seemingly thought Twilight would be some easy target.

Needless to say, Luna was furious. Upon the ball being released, I found myself head-first in a cloud as Luna rushed by, the ball tightly in her magical grip. Rounding and blocking players, she approached Night Breeze. The poor mare stretched herself, and I could swear I heard her wince and curse as the ball flew past her hooftips and straight into the goal.

“One to one, I guess this is turning out interesting,” I smiled at Luna, who grinned.

“We never said it would be boring.”

The rest of the game went like quite like the first round. One side made a goal, the other one closed up right in the next turn. It was just like in the old times, just not exactly as bloody as it used to be. And I was happy about it, since Twilight participated. But what made my day was that my marefriend actually stood her own. 

Twilight and I shared each half of the goals and won, but oh dear, it was so close. In the end, Luna accidentally burned our goal cloud down, “We are sorry,” she just grinned.


***


“This was surprisingly fun,” Twilight exclaimed as she hovered down behind me.

“You were awesome!” I replied before sweeping her off her hooves and gently laying her in my wings, kissing her passionately. 

The kiss wasn’t long, but full of love, and to see her eyes flutter and the blush on her cheeks was worth a million bits to me, “Thank you, but anypony with the basic knowledge of magic could’ve done it,” she said sheepishly.

We both broke away and stopped as we noticed more than one bat pony landing heavily with various wounds on their body. Night Breeze was between them, holding her sides and panting hard. One of the balls Luna had shot with her magic hit her square in the ribs.

“Maybe not everything was that fun,” Twilight mumbled.

“Tis’ normal,” Luna replied with a chuckle, “They will be in excellent shape by our night again.”

I simply shook my head, “I should’ve known that you wouldn’t spare anypony. I’m glad I still remember your tactics so I fared better than anypony else.”

“We would’ve stopped if something bad happened, Captain Fluffykins,” Luna rolled her eyes mockingly.

“Of course,” I replied sarcastically before my eyes spotted Fire Breeze.

She had a grin on her face as she wiped her muzzle clean of the leftover blood where I had hit her with the ball, “Nice game, Moon-butt.”

I smiled slightly, “Indeed, Fire-butt.”

“How about you two stay in the old tower, Twilight?” Luna suddenly asked.

Twilight shifted her hooves and looked at me, but I just shrugged, “One night?” she whispered to me. I sighed before nodding, which she rewarded with a grin and another sultry whisper, “I can show you my old bedroom.”

That made the trip immediately a hundred times better, at least in my book. Hoping nopony had heard it, which was impossible since everyone around were bat ponies, I smiled at Luna, “Alright, we stay.”

“Huzzah!” Luna suddenly cheered, earning her some confusing glances before she calmed down again, “We shall talk to our sister and prepare thy room at once, Twilight.”

With how quickly she was gone, I really had to smile upon the realization that it was Luna’s plan after all. She had wanted us to stay from the beginning, but what her exact plan now was, I had no clue.

Twilight gently nuzzled into my side and we followed the others back into the castle. It turned better from how it started, but I was still worried about what was to come. At least, and I was sure about that, I would be able to face it without problems with my beautiful princess at my side.
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> A Shoulder to Cry on
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Twenty-Three: A Shoulder to Cry on



It was all hard to process, to take in. Just a few hours ago, I was pretty sure that Fire Breeze was dead. Now I knew she was more alive than ever. That was something that I had more than a few problems dealing with. Of course, in front of Twilight, Luna, Fire and the others, I was the perfect example of a calm pony. I had to be, if not for me, then for them.

Now? Now my mind was a single feather in the wind, being tossed around by thoughts I couldn't control, thoughts that hurt to think of. Never, never would I have thought that it would come to all this. Life can be jokingly cruel, right? I find my first lover after centuries, and after finding my newest, deepest love.

Being lost in thought seemingly didn't pass Twilight unnoticed, because a gentle nuzzle broke me out of my own mind, “Are you alright?,” she asked me with what looked like a caring, gentle smile.

I sighed. There was no way I would ever lie to her, “Being honest here? No. It's a lot to take in, and I still can't believe they both lied to me for all these years,” I admitted with a small frown, my brow furrowing as I turned my attention to look out the window of the tower we were currently sitting in.

She hummed before laying a wing around me, “I don't know how you feel, since I’ve never had such a moment, but I can imagine it. They both did something bad, but also did something good today with their actions,” She paused and looked into my eyes, “I was able to see it. They both care deeply for you, and they never wanted to hurt you. All they want is your happiness, even if it is not with them.”

“How can you be so sure with that?” I asked her, puzzled by the suggestion that they actually cared about me.

“Cadance was a good teacher,” she winked slyly, “Love and its feelings are just an extension from friendship, my reign, so it was pretty easy to learn once I got rid of my embarrassment about the topic,” she explained simply, making an idle hoof gesture as she explained it.

“Must've been a pretty interesting lesson,” I replied, chuckling quietly as I continued looking out the window, refusing to look at her.

Twilight actually blushed at that before coughing, “What are you going to do now?” She asked as she laid a hoof gently on my side, urging me to speak.

I sighed, “If I just knew. This is kind of hard to process. That whole time, I thought she was dead. That I outlived her and that it was my fault because I didn't fight hard enough for her promotion. Now,” I hesitated, feeling a lonely tear starting to form in my eye, “Now she is back like I always dreamed, but just because of a few lies and Luna trying to replace her, I feel betrayed and hurt by the ones I loved. Not to mention anything about the conflict,” This time I looked directly at Twilight, “I’m still going to hold my promise, but I never left Fire Breeze. I don't know what to do. I love you, Twilight, with all of my heart, but at the same time I don't know if I can betray you both, since Fire is back.”

“Do you still love her?” Came the question that I dreaded.

It was a simple question, yet it hurt my heart, “Of course I do. You never forget your first love. But it's not as strong as it was. And, Twilight, I’m not just kicking clouds when I say that the love I have for you is way stronger. I mean it, and that's why I rejected Fire the whole time today. I'm not going to replace you with anypony, not even an old flame,” I said, not actually intending the pun, but noticing it as soon as it was out of my muzzle.

Twilight seemed reassured by my words, even though the worried crest of her brow remained. She gave a soft sigh before she leaned in and hugged me tightly, wrapping her forehooves around me and pulling me close against her. She didn’t say anything, but there wasn’t really anything that needed to be said at that point. We had each other, even though there was so much else that was going on, and that was all that really mattered to me.

As we slowly broke, she looked into my eyes. It was still a worried gaze, which was something that I just couldn’t let linger there. Before she could back away, I closed the distance again, but this time muzzle to muzzle. She hesitated, but leaned in, humming gently. I poured all the love, all those feelings into the kiss, trying to soothe her worries.

It seemed to work, at least a little. She practically melted into the kiss, as if my touch were enough to just pull away the barrier that had been holding back all of her emotions all day long. I could easily say the same for myself; it was a relaxing, beautiful touch that warmed me to the core, and brought emotions buzzing to the surface.

And then the tears started.

I don’t know what made it start, really. Or if there was even a single thought that triggered it. All I know is that suddenly I had my muzzle buried in Twilight’s neck, and I was bawling against her coat, my cries only partially muffled against her. But her hooves were around me, and it felt like they had always been around me, as if somehow she had known this was going to happen and had prepared for it.

I had no words to express to her, or anything to really say to explain myself. I just needed to cry, to let the floodgates open and my soul weep to the one I loved. And so I did just that; I cried, and wailed against her, and through the heart-wrenching, painful sobs, my princess was there to hold me and rub my back. She didn’t have any words for me either, but I don’t think she needed to say anything. Her actions were more than enough to give me a port to weather the storm of emotions that was raging within me.

I don’t know how long it took for me to calm down, but Twilight never left her spot, never left me alone. Just that was more worth to me than a thousand bits, completely priceless and irreplaceable. After everything that happened, just that she was there warmed my heart completely. She was an anchor that kept me grounded enough not to be swept away, and the very thought of her being there for me made me warm and fuzzy inside, despite the emotional storm that ravaged me and caused me to wail against her.

“Hey, everything will be fine,” she whispered, gently nuzzling the top of my head, “I’m here for you, I won’t leave you alone,” she reassured in a calm, soothing voice that just told me that everything was going to be alright, even if she had said anything but that.

“I know,” I sniffed, “It’s just hard to take everything in,” I admitted pathetically, trying my best to blink the tears away so I could look at least somewhat presentable.

“Shhh,” she whispered.

“I’m sure I look horrible now. Your captain crying on your shoulder. I’m sorry,” I complained as I tried backing away, but she held me firmly in her grasp, refusing to let me leave.

“No need for excuses. If I wanted a hard-as-steel captain, I wouldn’t have chosen you as my marefriend and captain,” she smiled gently, kissing the top of my head gently, giving me a silent reassurance that everything was fine and that she didn’t judge me for having a moment.

“I’ve never had a breakdown like this,” I whispered back, “It just seems like the world chose today to simply fuck me,” I said, only realizing my choice of words after they had already left my muzzle.

I waited for a retort to my choice of words, but all she did was chuckle in response, “That’s a way of describing it,” she agreed with a little nod, seeming not in the mood to make fun of my word choice. I appreciated the fact that she wasn’t making fun of me for my slip up, but at the same time, I kind of wished that she’d do something that would break the tension that I could feel in the air.

After a few more moments of silence, in which she just held me and kept my head underneath her chin, she finally spoke up, “Besides, I’m the only one allowed to fuck you,” she said, finally pouncing on the joke. I gave a loud, irritated sigh and playfully shoved her chest with both my hooves, which made her break out into a fit of giggles.

“Yeah, yeah, way to make fun of me, you meanie,” I pouted, crossing my hooves and making a show of trying to look as upset as possible. Of course, that didn’t work out so well when her giggling was so infectious, and I soon found myself laughing along with her despite my best attempts to act serious. I felt the weight of the emotions just slide off of my shoulders as we laughed together about my slip up, and I felt my need to cry abandon me just like that.

“Better?” she asked after our laughter died down a bit.

“Yes,” I snorted, “And I’m not going to comment on your choice of words. Since when do you use the word ‘fuck’ in reference to me so bluntly?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She actually blushed. And I had to say that the pink matched her purple coat very nicely, “Well, let’s just say I feel like I can be more than open with you.”

“That’s good to hear,” I replied with a gentle nuzzle, “I hope it will develop in the future.”

“Who knows?” she answered with her very own smile, one that would always make my heart melt, no matter when and in what situation.

Of course, it was at about that moment when I was nuzzling her that I realized that I was spreading the remnants of my tears and other stuff on Twilight’s muzzle, and quickly pulled away with a bit of an embarrassed wince. Giving her a nervous smile, I idly scratched the back of my neck, “Oh, uh, sorry. Maybe I should go take a shower?” I suggested awkwardly, suddenly feeling very conscious of what a mess I was.

“Yes. Yes you should,” she replied teasingly, leaning in close as she spoke, “But under one condition,” she breathed into my ear.

“That would be?” I asked, more than a little skeptical about what she might have in mind.

Her smile was wicked. More than I was used to from Twilight, “I come with you. No funny business, though,” she winked with a devious little smirk that set my fur on end. 

“So you can just be a big tease?” I asked accusingly, throwing her a narrow-eyed glance.

“Where’s the fun without any teasing?” she asked innocently.

“Well, there’s more fun to be had in having a bit of funny business, ya’know,” I complained, nudging her chest playfully with a hoof, which caused my princess to giggle.

“Maybe later,” she winked deviously, accompanied by a smirk that made my regret bringing up the idea.

“What? Really?” I asked, quite surprised by her openness towards the idea. It was unexpected from her, I figured she would be a lot less open about having sex while in Canterlot.

Twilight giggled again, “Hey, I said maybe, don’t take that as a promise,” she said teasingly, that smirk never leaving her muzzle.

“Good enough for me,” I shrugged, winking. I wasn’t about to turn the offer away, even if it was only a possibility and not a promise yet.

Somehow, my princess found that more than amusing. At my words, she gave a little giggle, and that smirk turned into a satisfied grin.

“What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” she denied, shaking her head with the playful grin still on her muzzle.

“Spill it,” I prodded, also taking the time to poke her deliberately on the forehead, trying to annoy the answer out of her.

“Noooope,” she said in a singsong manner, pointedly refusing to tell me anything that I wanted to know.

“Pfft, suit yourself, if you don’t want this flank,” I teased her with a quick shake of my flank, making sure to flick the tip of her muzzle with my tail as I did so.

Her laughter died immediately, “Shower. Now. Princess’s orders,” she said, quickly standing up to vacate the room and presumably escort me to the showers.

“As you wish, your highness,” I teased her with a playful bow, receiving a hard nudge into my side as a result, “Ouh!” I exclaimed, the pained grunt turning into a little laugh as I looked up to see the unamused look of my marefriend in front of me. She turned around without another word, gave me a flick of her tail, and then she started making her way out of the room. Figuring that she was heading to the showers, I stood up straight and quickly set about following her.

It wasn’t a terribly long walk to the showers, especially not with Twilight’s flank directly in front of me the entire way there. It gave me something to distract myself with, rather than paying attention to the walk. And I don’t think that Twilight really minded, even when she looked over her shoulder and noticed me staring, she just gave me a knowing grin and picked up the pace.

With a simple touch of magic, the door to the bathroom was flung open ahead of Twilight, just slightly harder than was really necessary. I caught the minor flinch on her muzzle when she realized just how hard she flung the door open, but frankly, I think she had other things on her mind at that moment. She stepped to the side and waited for me to pass the threshold, which I made a point of doing as teasingly slowly as possible.

“Get your butt in here,” Twilight practically growled as she reached out with a hoof to grab me around the neck. I was caught off guard by her movement, and she took full advantage of that to yank me into the bathroom, at the same time slamming the door behind me. I had never seen her so worked up, really.

It was one of the hottest things I had ever seen.

“Now, wipe your face, and get that flank in the shower. That’s an order,” the alicorn snapped at me, pointing at the shower with a hoof.

Yes, ma’am.


***


I was feeling much better after the shower. My muscles were much more relaxed, and my fur felt like absolute silk to the touch. Even my mane cascaded around me like a miniature silver waterfall. But all of that meant nothing to me, all that mattered was the lovely, beautiful mare in my arms immediately in front of me.

We had showered for a good hour, which was something that came across as absolute bliss for me. It had felt like a long, long time since I had any decent private time with Twilight. It had really only been once the water turned cold that we parted and retreated back to the bedroom, wrapped in the fluffy embrace of her blankets there.

Despite the warm embrace and comfort of my location, I was not yet overcome by the tiredness I thought I should be feeling. Instead, I was actually still fairly awake and full of energy. My muscles were still buzzing with energy brought forth by the moonlight, a hum that I just couldn’t shake despite my best attempts at trying to force myself asleep.

Giving a soft sigh, I turned my attention to look out the window at the full moon that rested on the horizon just outside. The bright light coming from the moon almost beckoned to me to go out, work some of the energy out of my system during a night flight. After all, that was how I had gotten my cutie mark in the first place, so it was worth consideration.

“Hey, Twilight?” I asked in a whisper, gently prodding her with one of the hooves I had wrapped around her barrel.

“Mhh?” Came her murmured response, little more than a grunt of dismissal.

“What would you think about a quick flying trip under the moonlight?” I smiled at her.

“Flying? Now?” She asked, puzzled.

I gently nuzzled her coat, “Yes. Just us two. It might help get my head free, and having you at my side would be an enormous plus.”

“You do remember I'm not the best flyer?”

“And it still worked fine last time,” I grinned, “C’mon!”

I could see that she wasn't really thrilled, but I gave her my best puppy stare I could muster. Something even she couldn't stand up long against.

“Fine, we’ll go flying,” she huffed, “But in return for that, I want you to take me out to dinner,” she added with a wink.

“Anything my princess wants,” I laughed in response.

“Anything?” She asked.

I gulped. Oh oh. The way she pronounced that question didn't seem good for me. She had something her her mind already, something I wasn't really sure about. She looked at me with a smile that made my heart flutter, that made me sure I would do everything for her.

So I did the only thing I could. I nodded.

“Good mare,” she purred before smiling and approaching me, “Now, lets go flying, and then,” she stopped and leaned in, her next words nothing above a seductive whisper, “Then, I’m going to tell you what I want from you.”

She turned around and made for the door. How was I even going to resist? I couldn’t, that was fact. The way her hips gently swayed, her tail brushed from side to side, it was hypnotizing. It showed me that she had another side, a new side that was just for me. Not Princess Twilight, no. She was my marefriend.

“Should we do it like the last time?” she asked, shuffling her wings slightly.

I wanted to say yes. But I had something else in mind. A memory that was freshly burned into my mind, something that was buried with Fire Breeze, yet newly awakened. It was something I had done once with one single pony.

It was time to see how much we trusted each other.

Giving Twilight my most inviting wink, I dashed out of the door and spread my wings, trying to get as high as quickly as I could. I could make out a ‘not fair’ shriek down below, but that was my plan. Come to me, Twilight.

I could see her. First just as a small purple dot, then she was getting bigger. Fast. I didn’t expect her to approach me that fast, and was more than surprised as she stopped before me and kissed me on my muzzle, “Tap, you’re it.”

Blinking, I watched her speed away. Where does that confidence come from? I chuckled and made my way to speed after her.

Twilight tried to get a distance between us by flying directly next to the clouds, making my route like an obstacle course. That was, until I had enough. Just as Twilight lowered down behind a cloud, I sped up and smashed through the cloud and right into Twilight, sweeping us into the next larger cloud below us.

First, the only sounds she managed were some ear-piercing shrieks, but as soon as we hit the cloud she burst into a laughing fit. I soon chimed in with her giggling eagerly, “Guess we’re even now.”

She nudged me in response, “Next time, don’t fly away.”

“Well, I had plans,” I replied in my defence.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Twilight, do you trust me?”

She didn’t even hesitate, “Of course, with all of my heart.”

“Good. Follow me, and once we’re up high enough, fly directly beside me. I’ll show you something,” I smiled before getting up off of the cloud, “Ready?”

Twilight nodded and we lifted off. My destination was over the clouds, more than high enough to correct any errors before the ground, and also high enough to have the clouds as a sort of emergency buffer.

“What are we doing?” Twilight asked as we glided over the clouds, wingtip to wingtip.

Smiling, I brushed my wing against hers, “Don’t freak out about what I do now. Our wings have to synchronize, or it won’t work.”

“What?” Twilight asked, but it was a bit too late.

I had already rolled onto my back, gliding under her and smirking. Before she could ask anything, I approached her, gently nuzzling against her coat and wrapping my hooves around her. Her eyes went wide, and I could see her concentrating as she tried to get her wingbeats match mine.

After a few seconds, she was still trying to adjust her beats, looking at me with slight panic. I responded by pressing my lips against her own soft ones. Twilight hummed gently into my mouth and her wings slowed down, her beats less frantic as they began to match mine.

The kiss lasted for a while, neither of us wanting to break apart. Sadly, even alicorns and ascended Lunar Guards had to breathe once in awhile, so we had no choice but to break after a few seconds.

“Wow.”

That was all she said, yet, it was enough for me. Her eyes, her beautiful violet eyes spoke of love and trust, making my heart jump in my chest.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you, too.”

There wasn’t any need for more words. After all, we had the whole of Equestria beneath us.






The chapter continues here if you are open to clop. Have fun!
> Burning Floors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Twenty-Four: Burning Floors





I groaned as I tried to turn from my uncomfortable position, just to find out that I wasn’t able to even move a inch. Cracking an eye open, I found my view obscured by some lavender fur, my brain trying to find out what was going on.

It took me a few seconds to realize that Twilight was laying half over me, restricting my very movement. Not that it was a big problem or something, not at all.

The big problem was that Twilight was pressing on my bladder, which was full.

I sighed softly, not knowing what to do. On one hoof, I knew I should wake Twilight so I could go, but on the other, she was just too soft and cuddly to let go. Besides, I was pretty sure I couldn’t move her without waking her.

Lying still, I pondered over my options for a few moments before smirking. My right wing was restricted, but I could open and bend my left one freely. Moving it up and down Twilight's back, even down to her flank, she soon started squirming and purring.

Did I mention that I loved her purring? It was so lovely and adorable.

After a few more moments she blinked her eyes open, looking for the cause of her disturbed sleep until she found my gaze. The smile she gave me made everything worthwhile.

“Hey,” she silently whispered.

“Hey,” I whispered back, smiling slightly.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the way you woke me, but why?”

“Uhm… I kinda have to use the bathroom,” I replied with a small blush.

Twilight nickered softly before moving down from me, but not before she planted a soft and loving kiss on my lips. “Then go.”

Hesitantly, I made my way to the bathroom and rushed everything, eager to get back to my princess. Still, I took the time to quickly brush my teeth. Just as precaution.

When I was done, Twilight was sitting on the bed, yawning while reading over a letter she held in her magical grasp.

“When did that arrive?” I asked curiously.

“Oh, just a few seconds ago. Luna is asking if we would join her for breakfast.”

As if on cue, my stomach gave a loud rumble, making me blush. “Sounds like a good idea.”

“Well, then we should get going. Just give me a few moments to brush my mane,” Twilight chuckled back, making her way to the bathroom.

At least, she tried to. Before she could move past me, I swept her around in my wings, then brought her in for a long and loving kiss. First, she squeaked in surprise, but then quickly melted into it.

“And none shall say my Captain didn’t sweep me off my hooves,” she said with a smirk as we broke.

With an extra sway to her flanks, which of course I admired all the way, she disappeared into the bathroom before I went over to the bed and examined the letter. It was simple, really. What made it leave a bad feeling in my gut, was that Luna mentioned company.

If it’s Fire Breeze, I hope she will at least be polite, or she’ll regret it this time.

I was so lost in my thoughts concerned about Fire Breeze that I didn’t notice Twilight sneaking up on me until she jumped me, forcing me down onto the bed, straddling me.

“What’s up on your mind?” she asked softly.

“Fire Breeze.”

“Oh.” Her ears immediately flopped down.

“Hey, hey,” I whispered, kissing her softly. “I just wonder if she’s the company at breakfast and I don’t want her to do something silly. She will try to get under your skin, no matter the match yesterday.”

“And you think as a princess, I won’t be able to kick her flank?”

“Oh I’m going to kick her flank if she’ss that stupid,” I muttered darkly, just to be shut up by a kiss.

“None of that. We will try to enjoy the day as best as possible, alright? And I have a surprise for you this evening,” Twilight smirked.

That made me perk up. “Is it a sexy surprise?”

She groaned and cuffed me in the chest before rolling off me and the bed. “You are incorrigible!”

“You love it!”

“Well, that’s true,” she sighed with a small blush before shaking her head. “No distractions anymore! We have to go. I’m sure Luna is already waiting.”

I waved my hoof idly, taking my time to get up. “Yes, yes, I’m already up.”

Twilight glared at me before her horn lit up, and I gulped. Not even a second later I felt my gut twisting in a teleport that left us directly in front of the door of what I assumed was the dinner hall and two surprised guards.

“Never do that again without warning!” I hissed as I tried to lose the sick feeling in my stomach.

All my princess did was face me with a very unprincess-like raspberry, before nodding to the guards, who pushed the door open. Much to my surprise, it was not not just Luna and Fire Breeze, but also Celestia and someone else attending.

“Discord,” Twilight growled, before facing Celestia. “What in the hay is he doing here?”

“Well, good morning to you too, Twilight,” Celestia looked up from what looked like a slice of cake. At breakfast. “He accepted my invitation.”

“Your… INVITATION?!” Twilight answered, her right eye starting to twitch.

I knew she was on the way to losing it, so I quickly stepped closer and nuzzled her, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Just ignore him,” I whispered. “And please do so as well for Fire if she misbehaves.”

“I heard that!” The mare looked up from her plate, glaring at me while her ears twitched.

Stupid thestrals. I rolled my eyes.

While Discord laughed at Twilight’s distress, she recovered and gifted me a small smile before Luna spoke up.

“If you want breakfast, you need to enter the room and sit down, you know. I promise we won’t bite.”

“Buck you too, Lu,” I shot back as we approached the table.

“Don’t make me punish you, Captain Fluffykins.”

“Try me.”

“Oh, I will if you keep this up, trust me!”

By the time we gave each other silly raspberries, the whole table was laughing, including Celestia.

“I forgot how good you were at this,” she said softly through her laughter. “It is good to see you two hold no old grudge.”

My gaze went over to her. “I could say the same about you, Celly. How is your breakfast-cake? I thought you swore to never eat sweets this early again.”

“I earned it, didn’t I?” she replied with a small blush while Discord broke out in full-body guffaws.

“You are all so adorable!”

“Shut up, Discord.” Luna, Fire Breeze, Twilight and I spoke simultaneously.

“Now that’s what I call a lovely family!” he continued.

I groaned and sat down next to Luna, just to crash my head right onto the table. That didn’t hold long as Twilight took the place next to me and started trailing a wing over my back. Involuntarily, I started to purr, albeit quietly.

“That’s adorable,” Fire Breeze spoke up, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Now stop that, we’re eating.”

“You never had a problem with that in our time, so shut up,” I shot back, enjoying the touch.

“Really now?”

“Captain, be quiet and eat up,” Luna interfered, and thankfully, Fire Breeze did shut up.

“Great!” Discord clapped his hands. “Now that it’s quiet, story time!”

“Discord, please no,” Luna muttered, but Celestia seemed thrilled.

In a flash of magic, two dolls appeared on the table, and with a bad feeling I immediately recognized them.

“How about the story of Captain Fluffykins’ and Princess Twilight’s wild cloud adventure?”

Both blushing, Twilight and I both shouted, “NO!”

Celestia, however seemed intrigued while Luna shot me an interested glance.

“Last evening, I, yours truly, Discord, went on my late round around the premises to keep all you ponies safe. Yes, yes, I know, that’s so heroic and nice of me. Now, as I simply floated around keeping my eyes open, my ears heard the strangest of sounds.” He stopped, facing me and Twilight. “Almost like a strangled cat.”

We glared at him, but he, of course, continued.

“As I went to investigate, I found those two on a wet cloud, tumbling over each other in a flurry of mghhghdfff mhhhfff!”

We were saved by a golden and blue magic seal shutting his lips tight, thankfully.

“Discord,” Celestia slowly began, a sweet smile spreading on her muzzle. ”While I enjoy your… shenanigans now and then, please don’t overdo it. Or shall we have a meeting at the stone garden again?”

Discord gulped before shaking his head, and the seals vanished. I knew exactly why. If Celestia gave that smile, you knew you were going to get in trouble. Real trouble.

“Last time I received that smile, she sealed me into my armor for two weeks,” I mumbled, earning a few gazes.

Celestia giggled faintly. “That was over a thousand years ago. Surely you don’t hold any grudge, Captain Fluffykins? Besides, I know my little sister let you out so you could use the bathroom for a few minutes every day.”

“I’m going to test that out if you keep this up, Celly,” I glared playfully at her.

Luna sighed as she poked her daisy sandwich. “While I appreciate that we all get along just fine, could we finish breakfast now?”

“I don’t know about you, Princess, but I’m done,” I replied with a grin, licking my plate clean.

“That’s gross, Nighty,” Twilight said from my side, giving me a small glare.

“Sorry, love.”

“You two are adorable; it brings back old memories,” Luna giggled. “Does she still kick in her sleep?”

“Not saying anything,” came the dainty answer from my marefriend, accompanied by a small smile. “But she does make for a nice cushion. And blanket, occasionally.”

“Tell me, Twilight. What have you two planned for today?” Celestia asked as she picked up a napkin.

The mare in question seemed clueless and looked to me. I only shrugged.

“Don’t look at me. I sort of just roll through it with you and every day has been perfect so far.”

“Every day?” she asked.

“Okay, nearly every day.”

“We don’t have anything special planned except my surprise for the evening, Celestia.”

“I hope my information will serve you well,” Celestia replied as she slowly got up. “As much I would like to indulge longer, I have duties to attend. Discord, you coming?”

“Right behind you!” he replied before stopping next to me and Twilight, leaning down to whisper into our ears. “I know what you did on that cloud.” And just like that, he was gone.

“We, too, have duties to attend,” Luna said with a small groan, getting up as well. “Night Glider, I would like you to join me in my study later. I’m sure your princess can live without you for some time,” she added with a smile.

And just like that, we were alone with Fire Breeze, who did her best to keep her attention to her plate, but failed utterly in the end. “What does she have that I don’t?”

“Excuse me?” I looked at her, surprised.

“What does she have that I don’t? Is it because she is a princess?”

“Hello? I’m sitting right here!” Twilight scowled.

“Fire Breeze,” I started slowly. “I knew the fire bombs shorted some of your circuits, but I didn’t expect you to be outright stupid. Not only acting like she isn’t here, at the same time you try to rile Twilight up. Let me tell you something. I still love you, yes.” Fire Breeze looked smug at that, but I glared at her. “But I love Twilight a thousand times more.”

That effectively wiped the smug grin from her face.

“She is cute, wonderful, caring, funny, just perfect! If I have to describe everything I love about that mare, we would sit here until late night. So let me get this straight for you. I will never leave Twilight. For nopony, and definitely not for you.”

With that, I nodded to Twilight and we left the dining room, leaving a positively shocked Fire Breeze behind.



***



We were sitting in the library of the castle, where Twilight wanted to read up on a few things. I had no idea what it was, but I knew it would be way over my head if even Twilight had to look it up.

So I settled in a cushion next to her, reading up on military history over the last thousand years when she spoke up.

“Did you mean everything you said to Fire Breeze?”

“Of course I meant everything!” I replied, looking at her in surprise. “Why would you think otherwise?”

The blush on her coat was evident as she answered, “You are my first marefriend and I know you had some before me. And I know you still love Fire Breeze.”

“Twilight,” I started as I shuffled closer, pulling her in a strong embrace. “I meant everything! You are strong, cute, funny, there is always something new to experience with you that I love.” I paused and waggled my ears. “Plus, you are awesome in the hay.”

That earned me a shove and a playful scoff, but also a soft, lingering kiss.

“Thank you.”

“For what? That I told you the truth? Nothing to thank for that, Twilight.”

“Such a sweet talker you are.”

I was about to reply but we were disturbed by a Night Guard approaching. He bowed before turning to me. “I am sorry to interrupt, Captain, but Princess Luna would like to see you in her study. She states that it is important.”

“Alright,” I said and stood up. “You okay without me?” I asked Twilight.

“I will be fine. Thanks, mom.”

“I love you too,” I chuckled and gave her a kiss on the cheek, before turning to the blushing guard. “Lead the way.”

The way to Luna’s study was nearly the same as to her bed chambers, and we quickly arrived, the guard bowing before leaving me. I knocked on the door and opened it, letting myself in.

“Night Glider, thank you for coming so quickly. Please, sit down,” Luna gave me a small smile as she looked up from her papers.

“What do you need, Lulu?”

“Please look at this,” she replied and offered me a paper.

Looking it over, I stumbled. It was an agreement that stated each princess was to have the same number of troops and personal guards. It was signed by Celestia and Luna, but one spot was left blank.

“What does this have to do with me?” I asked.

“You are the Captain of the Twilight Guard. My sister and I agreed on this, which leaves us currently with a problem. While we both have one personal guard, Celestia has a total of fifty-one troops and I have fifty-two.”

I had a small idea where this would lead, but stayed quiet, forcing Luna to explain it completely.

“Twilight will have to sign this as well, but there will be no need for that many guards. I want you to pick two of my guards that will change into your command, and one from Celestia. The only terms are that your candidates must be willing to follow your orders and protect Twilight, and willingly leave my sister or I.”

I scrunched my muzzle slightly. “What’s the catch?”

“I want you to take Night Breeze with you.”

“Why? Not that I wouldn’t love an old friend at my side, but why would you give her up?”

“About six months ago, I decided on my new captain. Fire Breeze wasn’t my only candidate.”

“Her sister wanted the promotion, too,” I groaned.

Luna acknowledged me with surprise. “Yes. It ended with Fire Breeze turning violent after I became… intimate with her sister. We found Night Breeze the next day with burns over her whole body and a concussion. Ever since then, they fight, and it usually ends with one of them in the medical wing.”

“So you want me to take Night Breeze to hopefully defuse the situation?”

“And to help you. Night Breeze is well learned in the arts of war and has dedicated herself to studies of the last few centuries. She will be a good asset to you while setting up the Twilight Guard.”

“Is Night Breeze still chasing after the position of her sister?” I asked.

“She is,” Luna sighed.

“Then what makes you think that she will willingly come with me and follow my commands?”

“Because she adores you.” The night princess chuckled at my confused expression. “Ever since you tamed her sister over a thousand years ago, she has adored you. I know that she will follow you willingly and help in every way possible.”

“I hope that’s all there is to it.”

“She also might have had a crush a thousand years ago.”

“For buck's sake, Lulu!”

“It is over, I assure you. But when you first showed up here I was able to see that the adoration is still there. She won’t be a problem. After all, she is far more disciplined than Fire Breeze.” Luna sighed. “No matter how much I try to teach her sister.”

“You are trying to teach that firehead discipline?” I asked with a chuckle. “How is that working out for you?”

She growled at me. “Terrible.”

“Could’ve bet on that, Lu.”

“You are terrible sometimes, dear Night.”

“I know! You should know as well even after all that-”

I was interrupted as the door smashed open and the guard from earlier rushed in.

“Your highness! There is a fight going on in the library!”

“Between who?” Luna asked, but I could already guess.

“Princess Twilight and Captain Breeze!”

Luna and I shared a quick look before her horn lit up. I steeled myself for the teleport which had us moments later in front of the giant doors of the library, around us about a dozen guards mixed of night and day.

“Situation, please,” Luna quickly spoke.

“We heard shouts and crashes, my lady, so we went in to see what was wrong and found Captain Breeze attacking Princess Twilight with fire bombs. We had to retreat from the heat, but there has been silence for about a minute.”

“I’m going in,” I spoke up, earning a look of surprise from the guard who had spoken. “Yes, I think that it is a bad idea, but it’s my princess and marefriend in there, so get out of my way.”

The guards parted as I approached the doors, Luna directly behind me. A wave of heat and smoke beat against us as the doors opened, but that cleared quickly thanks to Luna’s magic. We were greeted with the sight of a damaged library, but the fires seemed contained, and no sign of the troublemakers.

“Twilight, where are you?” I shouted.

There was no answer so I quickly spread my wings, only to be held back by Luna.

“There is a huge amount of concentrated magic in one corner of the library. I can sense that it is Twilight.”

Nodding, I let her lead the way. Noticing the damage to the shelves and books, I knew Twilight would be furious at least. She loved knowledge, after all. But that was quickly torn from my mind as we approached our destination.

The area was charred and nearly not recognizable anymore, but I still noticed the slightly smoking remains of the once colourful cushions. It was exactly the same reading corner I had left not even minutes ago.

In the middle of this mess was an alicorn, her coat charred and several chunks from it missing, her eyes burning with anger, her horn glowing bright as she held a pony to the ground.

“Twilight?” I softly whispered.

That made her look up and sighing, she slumped down and released her captive that I could now see was Fire Breeze. The mare was dug around a foot into the ground, her coat likewise charred, but with what I suspected were rather magical burns. What shocked me a bit more were her wings, that were bent at an highly irregular angle.

“What happened?” Luna shouted, rushing to her Captain.

“She attacked me,” Twilight coughed.

“Explain,” was all Luna said while her horn lit up.

“I was just reading after Night Glider left, so I thought I would be undisturbed until Fire Breeze barged in, challenging me to a duel. The winner would get Night Glider. I denied and said I already had her love and attention so that fight would be crazy, not to mention that I was a princess. She left and I assumed her gone, but then the first fire bomb landed close to me.” Twilight started to tear up. “I had to bring her down, or the library would be lost!”

Luna’s horn died down and she gave Fire Breeze a nasty look. “Twilight is telling the truth. Let’s get you both to the medical wing.”

Fire Breeze stayed silent, knocked out cold as Luna took her in her magical grasp. As she started to do the same with Twilight, I shook my head and went over to my marefriend, offering her my back. She gave me a thankful smile and climbed on, nuzzling softly into me.

Outside of the library, Luna stopped for a moment to address her guards. “Fetch my sister and tell her we might have to renovate the library. She shall meet me at the medical wing.”

The guards bowed or saluted and we were on our way to the medical wing again.

Of all the things I had expected from the day, this wasn’t one of them. And somehow I knew it would get even worse.
> Old Wounds - New Pain
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Twenty-Five: Old Wounds - New Pain




I don’t know how long I waited with Luna in front of the medical wing. As soon as we dropped Twilight and Fire Breeze off, the doctor shooed us out, telling us to wait while they were doing their best for them. While I did try to argue, Luna quickly told me that we would likely just get in the way of things.

“I guess that means I won’t get Night Breeze?” I tried to joke half-heartedly, but it was apparently lost on Luna.

“We do not know. Fire Breeze attacked a princess of Equestria. This will have consequences, but let us not speak of this. We have to wait and see.”

There was no long waiting time.

The first thing that told us the wait was over was the heat that started to build up. It was getting warmer and warmer, and we both shared a look before the source rounded the corner. I hadn’t seen Celestia that furious in a long time.

“Where is she?” she snapped.

“Sister, calm down,” Luna spoke first, trying to lay a calming wing on her sister’s back, just to quickly withdraw it with a sharp inhale of air. “They are both in there, getting treated by the doctors.”

There was nothing but fire in her eyes as she focused on her. “No! This was the last straw! I kept a blind eye for too long. All her wild parties, ignored. This is too much!” I felt the heat singe my coat as she spat her next words. “She attacked something most dear to me. I nearly lost her! NOT AGAIN!”

“Celestia, shut up for a second!” I screamed, before blushing as both princesses looked at me with wide eyes. “Ehm, sorry. But there is also my Twilight in there, hurt, so I know how you feel. We need to be level headed and find out what went wrong!” I stopped for a second, rubbing my head before continuing. “I never gave Fire Breeze any signals that she would have hope to get me back, but we know she was always a fiery mare. And the most important thing now is also that Twilight was able to defend herself and survive the bombs, while also rescuing most of the library.”

“She is right, you know,” Luna threw in, just to be glared at by Celestia.

“I want to go in there.”

“The doctors even denied me entry,” Luna scoffed before patting her sister on the back with a wing. “They told us to wait so we wait.”

Celestia scowled, but quickly sagged to the floor, sighing. “It’s new for you to be the reasonable one, dear sister.”

“What is that supposed to mean!?”

“That sometimes you forget there is a head on your long neck, Lulu,” I added, snickering.

“I just wonder about one thing that came to my mind,” Celestia hummed, likely deep in thought. “I know she got the defensive spells from me, but where did she get all the offensive spellwork from? I never taught her any of that, and from the looks of the library, she unleashed a few powerful attacks herself.”

Luna slowly lifted her hoof. “That would be my work. After Tirek, she asked me about the magic she used against him. I decided to lay some groundwork in offensive magic, and likely she built up on it. I just hope she wasn’t the one that I lent my book on shadow spells.”

“You hope it wasn’t her?” Celestia gritted her teeth.

“Well, we were talking in my quarters, and maybe I was a moment or two unfocused while lowering the moon. A few days later, I noticed the book in another space on the shelves.”

I snorted. “I’m sure it wasn’t Twilight, then. I think we all know her: the book would’ve been back in its place perfectly.”

“True,” Celestia agreed. “I still remember the time we reorganized the library, just to check in a bit later to find all the books back in their old place. Including a seriously offended Twilight.”

“Never mess with her Books,” was all I could answer before the doors opened.

“Princesses, Captain,” the doctor bowed before us. “Princess Twilight is awake and stable. Captain Fire Breeze sadly not.”

“What do you mean?” Luna asked. 

“She sustained heavy wounds, likely from being tossed around or crushed with a heavy weight. Additionally, she sustained lots of deep wounds from overpowered magic, of some type we can’t identify. While asleep, her status is highly unstable and we don’t know when she will be awake.

“Some groundwork, did you say?” Celestia slowly turned to Luna, who blanched considerably. “I think I can guess the kind of magic Fire Breeze got hit with.” Turning to the doctor, she added. “The captain needs to be treated against an overflow of shadow magic.”

The doctor's eyes went wide and stole a look at Luna, before bowing and retreating back into the room, but not without adding. “You can go in and see Princess Twilight. We will separate the other bed and continue working.”

It wasn’t something I needed to be told twice, rushing in and to Twilight’s side. She smiled softly and yelped in pain as I hugged her. “I’m so, so sorry for leaving you alone with that idiot!”

“Heh, I’m a big pony after all,” Twilight chuckled, before yelping again. “Could you stop murdering me now, please?”

“Sorry, sorry,” I stepped back, sheepishly looking down. “I’m just happy you’re okay.”

Twilight grimaced at that, wiggling a bit before groaning. “I think the first bomb still burned all my feathers and the fur on my back away,” she said, trying to look at her wings, even though they were heavily bandaged.

“Indeed,” a voice behind the curtain on the other side of the room answered. “We accelerated the regrow with magic, and you should be fine in three to five days, but please still avoid aggravating the areas or moving the bandages.”

“Sorry, doctor,” Twilight said, before looking at me. “She is crazy. I don’t know exactly what happened to her in all the time after she emerged from the stars, but I think she was only after you the entire time.”

Luna hummed. “She never showed any signs. Yes, she sometimes asked about Night Glider, but since I knew nothing about her whereabouts in the beginning, those questions quickly stopped.” 

“She showed pretty clear signs on our visit that she wanted me without any questions asked, no matter how,” I snorted. “I told her time after time that it wouldn’t happen, that even if she was still my first love, Twilight was my everything and she wouldn’t get me back.”

“There is one important question,” Celestia added, so far silent. “Is she really mad, or just lovesick? I would like to find out, but it is a risky idea I have.”

“Let us hear that plan of yours, sister,” Luna rolled her eyes. “It would be a surprise if any schemes, plans, or ideas of yours would not pose any risk.”

The white alicorn’s cheeks reddened, but she coughed politely. “Now you do me a disservice, dear sister. My proposal would be to make Moonlit Sparks acting captain.” We all perked up at that, but then she dropped the literal iron into the fire. “And let Night Breeze as well as Fire Breeze serve under Night Glider in Twilight’s guard as well as take the proposed additional soldiers from the lunar and solar forces.”

Silence reigned in the room, only broken by the words and actions of the medical ponies behind the curtain of the other side of the room. Then Luna spoke up, blanched. “You can not be serious! This will end in a blood bath.”

“She is right. While she might listen to my orders, she’ll probably try to kill Twilight again, so she’s my only choice in partner,” I butted in. “Plus, I doubt Twilight is playing this game.”

“I’m in.”

“Wait, what?!” Luna and I both asked at the same time, me nearly screaming as I continued. “She tried to kill you! Is that getting into your head? If not for some old, stupid feelings, I would’ve ended her life in the library!”

“You what?” Luna glared at me, while Celestia nodded.

“I can understand that. If it was me and not you arriving at the library, I would’ve likely felt the same.” Twilight looked surprised at that and Celestia smiled. “What? After all those years being my faithful student and now my friend at the same level, how could I not cherish you like my daughter?”

Twilight blushed heavily at that, and I let out a sigh. “Be that as it may, it won’t change the fact that she’s still gonna fight over me.”

“What makes you think she won’t back off, knowing Twilight is stronger than her?” Celestia asked me. “I’m sure it only went so well the first time because she surprised Twilight, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I think this will be a suitable punishment and keep her a bit in check before Luna continues to groom her.”

“Do I have to decide this now?”

We all looked surprised at Twilight, who had a grim look on her face. “What? It’s my guard, and I’m a princess, so it’s my decision.”

Celestia smiled proudly while Luna and I shared a look. This was far from over, but it was yet to be determined how much worse it could get.

“This is all fine and dandy, but now you should leave my patient alone,” the doctor spoke up behind us, sweat on his forehead. “She needs rest if she wants to leave this bed in a few days, but you can come back tomorrow.”

It looked like Twilight wanted to protest, but I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, one she was quick to respond to in kind. Maybe, maybe the kiss went on far longer than it should have and only a cough from Celestia made us separate quickly, but it was needed nonetheless. 

“Sleep well, relax, and I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said softly, planting a small, last kiss on her muzzle before following the other princesses out of the room. “I need a strong cider…”


***


“This, this will be a disaster,” I spat loudly, slamming my cider down on the bar and getting more than a few nasty looks. “Why are we here again, Lulu?”

Luna massaged her side with a hoof before sighing. “To clear your mind and talk without my sister.” She looked around the rather fancy establishment she had chosen. “Maybe next time I’ll search for a bar outside the nobles artisan district.”

I giggled. “Yes, but you are the princess.” Waving a hoof, I put my snout up. “You have to keep at least a bit of decorum, don’t you? But seriously, I think Celestia is more concerned about Twilight and the library, so I doubt she’d bother us much.”

“Honestly?” I looked down. “I am unable to read Celestia. Back in our time, yes. Now?” I shrugged. “I have no idea what’s going on in her mind or what she’s planning, but I have the feeling it’s one of the long games again.”

Luna nodded, taking a sip of her own mug. “I fear the same, but there is no way of knowing without her telling or involving you. It’s a bad habit she even puts on in front of me.”

“So we just let her play her little game?” It wasn’t a particularly pleasant thought, but it seemed like I had no choice but to watch and wait. Trying to take another sip, I noticed that I had already drunk all of it. Again. “Can I have another one?”

“I think you have had enough, Nighty.”

“Please, Lulu?” I added my best puppy eyes, blinking charmingly until she groaned in defeat.

“I’m not going to carry you home!”

“You don’t have to. Besides…” I smacked my lips, looking at her with a grin. “I remember a young princess being smashed more often than not before the war, and her strong, daring captain had to carry her home and tuck her into her bed.”

Luna blushed heavily, something she tried to fight with her counter. “And I remember a young captain having no problem getting me drunk and then into my bed.”

Now it was my turn to blush, and I hid behind my mug, mumbling, “That was looong ago. Alright, enough with the teasing. We need a plan.”

“I hope you have assembled one, my dear captain, because I have nothing that wouldn’t annoy Twilight or anger my sister.” She took another sip before continuing. “One idea of mine would be to subject Fire Breeze to one of the old punishments, but my sister wouldn’t allow it. The other would be to put her into the dungeons for attacking a princess of Equestria.”

I nodded, my head nearly hitting the counter. “Yeah, none of that would make the two mares happy…” For no reason, I suddenly had a thought. “Do you think Celestia’s jealous?”

Luna looked at me for a long, long time, and I was nearly sure she would never answer, just look at me. After what seemed like an hour, she got up and her magic grabbed me, pulling me up with her. “You’re drunk. We go.”

“Hey!” I wiggled around. “I’m serious!”

“You might be now, but in any other state you would notice that you spoke senseless stuff.”

“Did you never think that Celestia saw more in Twilight than family?”

Luna stopped dead in her tracks and looked straight at me, a scowl on her face. “I asked her this question once, and I regret it. Believe me that Celestia sees in Twilight nothing other than her precious student that is like a daughter to her. And you had better refrain from asking her yourself; she is rather touchy on those assertions.”

“I don’t want to lose Twilight.” I hung my head as Luna continued to carry me outside and to the castle. 

“You are speaking dumb things, Night Glider.” 

It seemed she was really annoyed with me now. Honestly? I had no idea where that question came from. Maybe I had a cider or two too much.

“There is no shame in worrying, Nighty,” Luna continued, softer. “But you have to keep watch that negative emotions don’t capture your heart. Be happy for the strong and young love you two have, and foster it. There might come a time when you will be tested, whether you wish it or not.”

“That sounded like a bad omen.”

“Maybe it was,” she ended the conversation.

We didn’t come far before we stepped up to Night Breeze, fully clad in her parade uniform, saluting to Luna. I nearly had to snicker at that, but Luna only raised an eyebrow.

“Sergeant, how can I help you?”

“I ask for permission to take the role of acting captain of your guard, my princess. I have to clear my name thanks to the actions of my irresponsible and treacherous sister,” Night Breeze answered with stoic and strong voice.

Luna sighed. “I’m sorry, Night, but the matter is not done being discussed, and your sister still remains unconscious in the medical wing. If you’d wait-”

“Luna, why wait,” she was cut off now by Night Breeze, who was showing her emotions now: pure rage. “She tried to kill a princess of Equestria. She should be banished in the best case.” There was a pause before she spat, “Or better even, executed.”

“Luna, let me down,” I growled, and she did, albeit still supporting me a little as I approached Night Breeze. “Why are you so angry? You never really questioned her before. Even as she achieved the rank you both wanted. Why now?”

“Because she destroyed my chance to become something else. Without her name pushing mine. Without the support of my so-called family. Now she has destroyed our name, our history, and everything we fought for.”

“You are still to be transferred under my command,” I stated bluntly, ignoring the surprised look from Luna. “That is sure, trust me.”

That seemed to be news she didn’t expect, and she looked from Luna to me and back more than one time before shuffling on her hooves. “Are you sure, captain?”

I smiled and went to pat her, just to trip over my own hooves and land muzzle first on the pavement. “Yes, Night Breeze. I’m sure,” I groaned. It wasn’t rendered any better by the roaring laughter that followed from both Luna and Night Breeze, the latter rolling on the floor laughing, not caring that her uniform got dirty. “Yeah, laugh it up you two,” I sighed. “Can somepony be so nice now and release me from my misery? I prefer the wingblades through my neck please.”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic, Nighty,” Luna laughed, picking me back up. “We all need a good laugh once in a while.”

“Indeed,” Night Breeze added before bowing. “Captain, Princess, thank you. I’ll take my leave, then.”

I tried to smile and nod, but my muzzle still hurt. Luna just called after the mare. “Enjoy your day off, and make sure you can still walk tomorrow!”

“Was that necessary?”

“Absolutely, Nighty, absolutely.”

I groaned, hanging my head. 

How was this my life?

And it was about to get much, much more interesting.