> Learning To Fly
>  by CrimsonWolf360
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: How Do These Things Work?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

David felt the calming wind gently flow over his wings as he soared through the air. Thin strands of ozone wisped at his mane and tail and lightly flicked his hair around while he effortlessly flapped his wings to gain more speed. Once he was sufficiently happy with his newfound velocity, he relaxed his wings and took to just gliding. 

At this altitude, even the air itself smelt like pure, unadulterated freedom, and he couldn't help but grin at the crisp, atmospheric tang it left in his lungs as he soared. He slightly squinted his eyes as he looked at the setting sun over the horizon, and couldn't help the soft smile that graced his lips as he reminisced over how beautiful it looked. His gaze steadily fell down to the landscape, and all of the pony cities that called this particular chunk of Equestria 'home'. Even from his tremendous height, David could still make out the shapes and silhouettes of ponies and griffons as they went about their day and prepared for the night. 

He relaxed at the sight of the calm world below him and closed his eyes, basking in the perfection of that beautiful  moment for what could have been hours. Only when he completely basked his fill, did David reopen his eyes. He immediately noticed something peculiar.

The horizon was no longer blood orange and distant, but instead, it adorned a bluish tint to it. He scanned down to the landscape, and realized another pressing matter: The ground was getting closer. David's eyes went wide as he realized that he was falling, and for some reason, he couldn't feel his wings anymore. He turned his head to properly diagnose just why he couldn't feel his wings, only to find nothing there. Instead of his red fur, he saw skin. Instead of his hooves, he saw hands. He realized with painful clarity that he was human again, and had no wings to speak of.

David immediately realized the peril of the situation, and flailed his arms about in a desperate attempt to stop himself from slamming into the ground at terminal velocity. As he fell, the spiraling towers of Canterlot rose up to meet him, and no matter which way he seemed to try to maneuver, the spiked rooftop of the castle followed him. 

David could make out individual bricks as the castle grew closer and closer. He tried in vain to scream for help, but his voice was hoarse and weak from screaming the whole way down. Even if a pony heard him, his chances of survival were nonexistent at his current speed. He screwed his eyes shut as he closed in on the last hundred feet and slammed into the roof.   





David woke up to his body being shook, and he gasped as he realized that he wasn't dead. His eyes shot open and he sat up as quickly as he could. His vision faded in and out, and he heard a distinctly loud ringing in his ears. He shook his head back and forth to try to clear his vision, but it remained the same. He tried to rub the side of his head with his hoof, but found a weight pressing down on the aforementioned appendage. He turned his head to the side to see Midnight holding his hoof down with hers.

Slowly, his hearing came back, and he could hear what she was saying.

"David! Are you okay?" She asked in a panic.

"Uh... yeah... Just had a crazy dream..." David managed to respond.

"I could tell. You were thrashing around a bunch and then you screamed..." Midnight explained with a quickly softening voice.

"I did... Damn... I'm sorry. I was just... I don't know..." David explained as he rubbed his head with his hoof.

Midnight quickly brought her hoof to his wither and pulled him closer. She affectionately nuzzled against his neck while he leaned against her. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply as her soft fur melded with his. Midnight took that as a sign that her efforts were not in vain, and upon pulling away, she gave him a small kiss on his cheek. 

"Thanks, Mid. You're the best." David said.

"Anytime, big guy. How are you feeling though? Was it another one of those nightmares?" Midnight asked.

"No... this time it was completely different. It started out as something beautiful... then turned into something terrifying." 

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Midnight asked.

"I mean... there's not too much to talk about. I was flying over Equestria. It was gorgeous... I could see the whole country from how high up I was, and I watched the sun setting on the horizon in just the right way..."

David swallowed nervously before continuing. 

"I uh... I closed my eyes and just glided through the air for a bit, and then when I opened my eyes, I was human again... I had my hands and feet and everything... then I just started falling. I don't know how high I was but I fell for what felt like forever... The whole time I tried everything I could think of to right myself and maybe aim for some water instead of Canterlot, but I just couldn't move. I slammed right into Tia's castle and... then I just woke up." David explained.

Midnight scratched her chin as she thought over his explanation for a few moments.

"Hmm... Well... you've only been a pony for a few months. It might just be your body trying to adjust to what's different." Midnight offered.

"Yeah, well... If that's how it's gonna do that, I'd prefer it didn't." David grumbled with a noticeable edge in his voice.

Midnight felt a tiny stab of pain in her heart at the edge in David's words, but said nothing. She just cast her eyes down.

"I'm gonna go get some water. You want anything?" David asked as he moved to get off the bed.

"No. I'm alright. Thank you." Midnight meekly replied.

David raised an eyebrow at her sudden shyness, "You uh... you sure?" He asked.

"I'm alright, David. Thank you." She said.

David hesitated for a moment before turning around and heading out the door. He carefully stepped down the stairs and arrived in the kitchen. He moved to grab a glass but stopped just shy of actually touching it. A feeling of dread washed over him as he realized, once more, that he no longer had fingers. He sighed dejectedly before slowly retracting his hoof and leaning his head forward. He tilted his head to the side and gingerly bit down on the sides of the glass to lift it and bring it down to the counter.

He softly nudged the glass until it was just at the edge of the sink and turned the faucet on. Cold water pored into the sink at a relaxed pace before he bit the glass again and brought it under the flow of liquid. It quickly filled, and he moved it away from the sink to set it down on the counter. Just as he reached the edge, the bottom of the glass clinked against the sink and was knocked out of his mouth. The contents of the glass were promptly spilled onto the counter and wasted. 

David suppressed the urge to smash something and instead sat down on his haunches. He sighed again and hung his head low in shame.

"David?" A voice spoke up from behind.

David turned his head to see Midnight standing in the doorway with a concerned look on her face. His gaze quickly fell back to the floor and he sighed for the third time. 

"Hey, Mid. Sorry, I just kinda spilled the glass is all." He explained, morosely.

"Are you sure that's all that's bugging you?" Midnight asked as she approached the counter and shut the tap off with her magic. She quickly wiped the water away with a towel and focused her attention on David.

"Yeah..." David lied.

"David..." 

"It's just... It's hard... It's hard for me to be so weak and useless... I still don't know how to grab things with these hooves... I can't fly... I can't even fill a fucking glass with water..." David explained, his eyes screwed shut.

"Hey now, you've only been a pony for a few months. The doctors said it was going to take some time for you to be able to learn how to use the magic in your body like any other pony. You just need some time. You'll get the hang of it, I promise." Midnight replied, placing a comforting hoof on David's wither.

"I know... I know you're right, but it's just... just so humiliating. I shouldn't need your help to do everything. Big things like flying and whatnot, sure. But just filling a glass with water? It's pathetic..." 

"It's not pathetic, David. You're just getting used to it, that's all. Besides, I really don't mind helping you. I almost lost you a few months ago... I told myself that I'd do anything to save you, and from where I stand, this just looks like a small price to pay to keep the stallion I love in my life." She replied with a warm smile.

"I just hate feeling like a burden... You deserve better than this..." 

"Hey, look at me," At David's eventual gaze, she continued, "You are not a burden. You are my best friend and I love you. Nothing else matters. Please don't ever forget that." 

David forced a smile. He tried his best to hold it but he just couldn't. It fell off his face after a matter of seconds.

"I love you too, Mid... More than I could ever put into words... I just hate having to relearn how to do everything... Kinda wish I had to option to be human again for a bit..." David sadly explained.

Midnight felt her chest tighten at his words, and she quickly felt a pit form in her stomach.

"David... I... I'm sorry... I wish there had been another way..." Midnight replied, her voice full of guilt.

David managed to look back up at her before he realized what he'd said.

"Wait, Mid, I didn't mean it like that. You know I'm grateful for what you did. I'm not upset at you at all... I'm just mad at myself for not being able to get the hang of this." He hastily explained.

"I know... I just... I want to see you succeed too, and it kills me to see you so depressed like this."

"Hey, you didn't do anything wrong here. This is just me being a baby. I'll get over it and I'll get the hang of this. Promise." David replied with his best attempt at a winning smile. While his teeth shown and his face conveyed a friendly aura to it, there was one problem. His eyes just could not carry that strength. They looked cold and dead. Midnight tried her best to ignore how fake the smile was and just hope that his words were genuine.

She leaned down and nuzzled her cheek against his. He happily returned the gesture, and they shared a tender kiss before she leaned back again. 

"Do you want me to help you with the glass of water?" She asked.

"Yeah, please." David replied.

Midnight's horn lit up in its familiar sapphire hue, and she expertly grabbed the glass with her magic while simultaneously turning the faucet back on. She brought the glass under the tap and it quickly filled with water. She levitated it to David's hooves, and he carefully grabbed it between his two forelegs. With the grace of an inexperienced child, he brought the glass to his lips and drank the liquid down. Once it was all said and done, he relinquished the glass to Midnight, and she quickly set it down in the sink. 

"Alright, big guy, come on. Let's get back to bed." She said with a tired yawn.

"Okay. Thanks, Mid. You're the best." David replied.

Midnight just smiled before turning on her hooves and leading the way out of the kitchen and back up the stairs to their room. David followed behind, and within a minute, they were back at their bed and Midnight was climbing under the sheets on her side. He quickly found his place opposite of her and laid down. 

To his surprise, she didn't snuggle up with him like she usually did. Instead, she turned her back to him and drifted off. He gazed at her back for a few moments before sighing and turning over toward his side. 

"Great job, dumbass. Now she thinks it's her fault... Fucking bastard..." David mentally cursed himself.

With a heavy heart, and another barely repressed sigh, he closed his eyes and ruffled his feathers slightly go get into a more comfortable position. Sleep came relatively quickly, but even his dreams couldn't stave off the feeling of guilt burrowing into his chest throughout the night.


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Soft rays of early morning sunshine filtered in through the windows and kissed at David's coat as he walked over to the cabinet to grab a bowl for breakfast. He bit down on the knob and pulled it back to reveal the plates, bowls, and glasses Midnight had acquired over the years and used his muzzle to nudge one of the ceramic bowls off of it's inverted brothers. It slipped off of the pile easily enough and hit the bottom of the cabinet with a thud. Using his chin, David nudged the bowl again until it moved to the edge of the opening with the intention of catching it with his hooves. Unfortunately, as soon as it fell from its perch, he lost his balance from standing on just his hindlegs and his awaiting hooves slipped just so slightly to the side. 

It was enough of a movement that the bowl simply deflected off of his foreleg and smashed into the floor, shattering into a hundred pieces. David barely suppressed a growl for a few moments before his anger got the better of him and he slammed his hoof into the floor. His nostrils flared as he harshly exhaled, and his blood boiled under his skin.

Midnight winced as she watched him seethe in rage, and her already downtrodden look faltered even further until she could barely keep her eyes off of the floor. She wearily walked into the kitchen and approached David's side. 

"Hey, you alright, big guy?" She asked.

David sighed heavily before his features softened somewhat and he turned to face her.

"Yeah... I'm alright. Sorry. I just got a little frustrated is all." David explained.

"You know, if you want to talk to Princess Celestia about this, I'm sure she'd be more than willing to help you." 

"I know she would, but this is something I need to figure out on my own. I'd be a waste of her time to teach me to fucking grab things..."

"David... you never used to be so stubborn about these things... If you needed help before, you just asked for it. Why do you feel like you have to do this on your own now?" Midnight explained. Her tone was soft and gentle, but it still hit David like a freight train.

"Because... Because I'm tired of feeling useless... Ever since I got here, everything has just been handed to me. Tia gave me a place to stay, then a pension for no fucking reason... Then you let me move in with you, and all I did was some chores while you worked your ass off to fix me. I've been a burden to you ever since I got here, and now I can't even pick up a fucking bowl without dropping it!" David shouted, slamming his hoof into the floor again for emphasis. 

Midnight winced again as his hoof hit the floor. Her eyes fell to the floor again and her voice came out like a whisper.

"I told you that you're not a burden..."

David took a few moments to calm his breathing before he faced Midnight again, and sighed.

"I know... I'm sorry. I'm just-" David began, but a knocking at the door cut him off.

Both ponies in the room turned to face the doorway before Midnight trotted over to the front door and opened it to reveal Storm Shield.

"Heya, Midnight." Storm chirped.

"Oh, hi, Storm. I didn't know you were coming by... And so early too." Midnight replied, a look of surprise clear on her face.

"Well, if you want to train a pegasus to fly, you have to start early. That's when the air is the thinnest and safest to make mistakes in." Storm explained with a wave of her hoof.

"Really?" Midnight asked.

"Maybe. I dunno. It sounds like it might be right though, doesn't it?" Storm asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Midnight stared at Storm for a second before letting out a small chuckle and shaking her head.

"Come on in."

"Thanks." Storm replied with a bright smile.

Storm trotted into the entry way and easily spotted David in the kitchen with a towel on his hoof, trying to sweep up some broken ceramic. She headed into the kitchen with Midnight trailing behind after she closed the front door.

"Hey, Davey!" Storm greeted.

"Hey, Storm." David replied, glancing up slightly from his task.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I... dropped a bowl. Can't seem to grab things with these damn hooves and I keep dropping shit." David replied.

"Yikes. That's no fun. Here, let me help." Storm said.

"I got it. Thanks though." David replied.

"David..." Midnight said.

David sighed before nodding slightly and moving over. Storm quickly leaned down and expertly plucked the ceramic shards off of the floor with her hoof. She rose back up to her full height and effortlessly deposited them into the waste bin.

David frowned at how easy she made it look, but bit his tongue before he said anything.

"Alright, now. Who's ready to learn how to fly?" Storm asked, her voice full of enthusiasm.

"Uh... I don't know, Storm... Today might not be the best day." David replied, his voice much more timid than hers.

"Why not?" Storm asked with a tilted head.

"I just... I dunno. I don't think I'm ready to try to fly just yet." 

"Oh come on, Davey! It's not like I'm gonna throw you off a cliff and expect you to fly just like that. We're gonna go to a field with some good wind gusts and you're gonna try to glide. You won't be more than a foot off the ground." Storm nonchalantly explained.

"I don't know, Storm..." David replied.

"David, I think you should go train with Storm." Midnight chimed in.

"What?" David asked, slightly taken aback at her proposal.

"It'll help take your mind off of some of the things that have been stressing you out lately. Besides, I have to go into Canterlot today anyways. You could use a day to just have some fun." Midnight reasoned.

David moved to speak but found, yet again, no holes in her logic. He sighed in defeat before turning to Storm to find an energetic smile on her face.

"Alright, let's go try flying." He said.

Storm chirped in excitement before grabbing David by the hoof and dragging him out of the kitchen and through the front door.

"Wai- Storm, jeez, calm down. Can I at least get something to eat first? I just woke up!" David hastily explained as he was forced outside.

"I brought us some snacks, don't worry, Davey. Now come on! You're gonna love this!" She replied with no hint of slowing down.

David sighed before clumsily waving goodbye to Midnight and following Storm's lead. She dragged him to a small wagon with several items silhouetted under a tarp covering the back. With practiced ease, she attached the harness to her barrel and waved him along. 

Midnight waved goodbye to David and Storm as they walked down the road and out of sight. Once they were completely gone, she sighed and walked back inside. A few moments later, she exited the house with her saddlebags on and closed the door. She gazed over the cliff side for a moment before heading down the road and making way for Canterlot.





David walked beside Storm as she pulled the wagon along the gravel road leading away from Canterlot. He peaked over his shoulder at the wagon in question, in an attempt to see if he could figure out what was underneath the tarp Storm had previously laid out. He still couldn't quite make out the shapes of the items lying just below, so he gently slowed his pace until his was more align with the wagon. 

He tried to silently lift a hoof to move the tarp out of the way, but the surprise of all his weight bearing down on only one foreleg made him bring his hoof back to the ground. Next, he tried to nudge it with his muzzle, but to no avail, as the tarp simply slipped back down every time he got his nose under it.

Eventually, a light chuckle caught his ears, and David looked up to see Storm giggling at him.

"What?" David asked.

"Nothing, you're just adorable. You're trying to open that like a foal." Storm chuckled.

David grumbled under his breath before abandoning his mission and moving back up to be alongside Storm as she pulled the wagon. He turned away from Storm and pouted while she snickered under her breath at how childish he was being.

"Let's just get this over with." He said under his breath.

High trees on both sides of the road cast soft shadows that sprinkled throughout the path and occasionally blocked out the sunlight as it filtered down onto the two pegasai. David couldn't help but notice a few birds happily chirping away at them as they flew from branch to branch and watched them.

Storm looked over her wither to see David frowning at the birds as they flew overhead.

"Hey, Davey. Don't look so down. You're gonna be flying up there with them soon enough. Trust me, flying might sound hard, but it's super easy once you get the hang of your magic." Storm said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks, Storm... I hope so." He replied.

Storm tilted her head and furrowed her brow.

"What's got you in such a bad mood today, Davey? You were super excited about getting to fly a few weeks ago and now you seem really down in the dumps." 

"It's nothing, Storm." David quickly replied.

"If it was nothing, then you wouldn't be perpetually frowning. Come on, spill it. You know you can trust me." She replied.

David let out a harsh sigh that quickly turned into a dissatisfied groan.

"Alright, fine. It's just... I can't pick things up with my hooves... I can't... I don't know how to control my magic... I don't even know if I have any... And if that's the case, then I just lost fingers and any dreams of flight..."

"Davey, you've only been a pony for a few months. It takes time for all a pony to learn how to control their magic. You're basically starting out from scratch and expecting to be a Wonderbolt in a day." Storm reasoned.

"I'm not though... I just want to be able to pick things up like you can... I hate feeling helpless. My first six months here just felt like I constantly needed someone to help me and take care of me." David replied. He angrily kicked a rock off of the road as he continued to walk.

"I know, but like I said, you're trying to gallop before you've even learned to crawl. Think of it like this, you were just reborn as a pegasus, right? Now, most newborns can barely lift their heads for the first couple weeks after they're born. You, however, have a whole lifetime of experience's worth of a head start. You can lift you head, you can understand other ponies, and you can walk around in your new body with no real issues-" 

"Almost..." David muttered under his breath.

"Let me finish, Davey. There's a point here. Anyways, you can do all of the things the other foals can't do right now because you have a big brain in that skull of yours and you know how to do those things already. The problem, is that you haven't developed the muscle to lift your head yet." Storm explained with a triumphant smile.

"Storm... what?" David asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ugh... What I'm saying is that while you can do a lot of things right now, your magic just needs time to grow and get stronger. You're trying to lift a nine pound head with enough muscle to lift a tenth of that. You just need to give it some time. I promise you that after another week, you're gonna feel stronger, and you'll be able to grip things better. Give it two weeks, and you'll be even stronger. Give it a few months, and you'll be soaring through the sky wondering why you were ever worried in the first place." She reiterated.

It took a second for David to process all of Storm's information, but within seconds, a renewed feeling of determination filled his heart.

"So what you're saying, is that magic is kind of like a muscle. You just need to train it and let it grow." 

"Exactly. Although, think of it more as an extension of yourself. Magic is linked to your body down to every atom. That's what allows us pegasi to fly, walk on clouds, and grab things. You just need to work at it." Storm explained.

David found a noticeable bump in his step and a smile finally found its way onto his face.

"You really think I could be flying by next week?" David asked, his wings fluttering in anticipation.

"It depends on how willing you are to come train with me. I have work most of the week, but once I'm done, I'll come by and we can train. I just need you to make me a promise." Storm replied.

"What's that?" 

"Smile more. Frowning doesn't look good on you, Davey."

David chuckled at her request.

"Alright, you've got a deal, Stormy. I'll try to smile more." David said.

"Do or do not, there is no try."

"That... sounds like it's from somewhere..." David replied, stroking his chin in thought.

"I heard it from a guy. You wouldn't know him. It's good advice though!" Storm cheered.

David rolled his eyes.

"Alright, Storm. Whatever you say."

As they continued along the path, the tall trees flanking both sides of the road eventually tapered off and thinned out until there were scarcely any in sight. Storm led David further along until a large grassy plain came into view. She nodded to David and dragged the wagon along into the field. After a few hundred meters, she stopped, unhitched herself from the wagon, and began stretching her legs. 

"Wheew... I need to limber up more before I take this thing anywhere anymore. My legs are sore already." Storm complained.

"I'm surprised. We only walked a few miles. I'd have thought that a royal guard would have an easier time walking with a guy who's basically a newborn foal in denial." David teased.

"Go ahead and remove the tarp, tough guy." Storm replied.

David moved over to the cart and bit down on the canvas. He yanked back with a moderate amount of force and the white fabric came free. What greeted David's eyes in it's stead however, caused his jaw to go slack and the tarp to slip out of his mouth.

Under the tarp, previously unseen by the crimson pegasus, were dozens of weighted plates. A total of over thirty plates, all with the number "Forty Five" printed on them laid throughout the cart. There were also several dumbbells laying on top of the plates in several different piles, most likely causing the bumps and creases in the tarp earlier.

"S-Storm... How much weight is in this thing..." David asked.

"Oh, not that much... " She replied, her tongue stuck out in thought, "Just around... two thousand pounds, total." 

David's jaw dropped immediately.

"What!? You mean you've been pulling a legitimate ton this whole time!?" He shouted.

"Yes? I mean, it's not like we were going uphill or anything. Besides, I've been needing to work out more too. I figured this would help us both out. You'll use the weights to train your wings and help get your body stronger, and I'll pull the cart to get my legs stronger. Teamwork. Yay!" Storm cheered, clopping her hooves together.

David just stared at the cart in disbelief for a few moments.

"W-How... how much weight am I supposed to be training with here? Two thousand pounds is a little out of my league right now, Storm." 

"Well, duh? I wasn't gonna start you on anything super heavy. For a pegasus your size... you should be able to lift at least two twenty five with ease-" Storm began.

"TWO TWENTY FIVE!?!" David interrupted.

"-but considering your current situation... we'll start with the twenty pound dumbbells." She finished.

"...fine..." David muttered.

"That's the spirit! Come on. First, we're gonna start with your grip strength. You can't really lift the weights if you can't even pick them up." Storm explained before heading over to the wagon to pick up the aforementioned weights. 

David sighed and walked along with her.

"This is gonna be a long day..."
> Chapter 2: Regal Rendezvous
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Midnight walked through the castle doors of Canterlot castle with a small frown visible on her face. Her brow furrowed in thought as she contemplated over the events of the morning.

"How could I have not seen this coming... There's no way he wants to be a pony... There has to be a way to switch him back. There just has to." 

Midnight glanced out of one of the windows to find the rising sun basking the land in its warm, springtime radiance. She couldn't help but feel a hint of relief at how soft and serene the outside world appeared to be. It was almost as if it the land itself was trying to reassure her that everything would be alright.

Midnight was so transfixed on the outside world, that she completely forgot that she was walking, and her hooves came to a screeching halt as she walked straight into another pony. Midnight staggered back and fell to her haunches as her forelegs came up and she clasped her hooves over her muzzle.

"Oof... Sorry about that. You okaaa......" Midnight trailed off as her eyes fixated on the pony she bumped into.

"I'm quite alright, Midnight. Are you okay? You bumped your muzzle into my chest pretty hard there." Celestia answered, more than enough warmth emanating from her voice to remind Midnight that she wasn't upset in the slightest.

"Princess!" Midnight exclaimed, a smile forming on her face as she quickly rose to her hooves.

"How are you, dear?" Celestia asked with a motherly smile adorning her face.

Midnight's happy mood instantly shifted, and her excitement faltered for a moment before she caught herself and smiled again. Her slip did not go unnoticed by the solar diarch staring at her with a mix of friendliness and concern.

"Oh, you know. Things have been alright. Just a little bit of this and that, hehehehe... How about you?" Midnight awkwardly answered with a disturbingly fake smile.

Celestia's warm face quickly turned to a frown.

"Clearly something is troubling you, Midnight. Would I be correct in assuming that it has something to do with David?" She asked, her magenta eyes already scanning Midnight's face for the tell-tale signs of deception.  

Midnight let out a long sigh and hung her head low.

"I'm terrible at lying, aren't I?" She asked.

"Let's just say that that wasn't your best work." Celestia replied with a half smile.

"Well... Yeah... It is about David." 

"Hmm... Come with me. Let us discuss this in my private chambers. Tell me, Midnight, do you like tea?" Celestia asked, already turning on her hooves and heading down the hall.

"Oh, um... yes." Midnight answered as she trotted after the alabaster alicorn.

"Excellent. What kind?"

"Uh... just some green tea would be nice." Midnight answered, her voice lacking in certainty.

"A simple tea, but a classic. You know, you can tell a lot about a pony simply based on how they like their tea, Midnight." Celestia recalled as she rounded the corner and approached her private bedchambers.

"I, uh... yes?" Midnight awkwardly replied as the doorway was opened and she was led inside.

The brilliant yellow and white coloring of Celestia's room immediately caught Midnight's eye, and the sun-kissed balcony upon which Celestia rose the sun that morning glistened in that very same gorgeous yellow light as she entered the room. Celestia's massive bed, at least three times the size of any ordinary pony's, stood tall and proud in the center of the room, catching most of the early morning sun rays as they penetrated the stained glass windows lining the wall.

As Midnight marveled over the majesty of her bedroom, Celestia suppressed a small giggle and set about writing a request for tea to the kitchens. With a quick flare of light from her horn, the letter was on its way to the chef. Celestia returned her attention to Midnight to find her still observing her room with a slack-jawed expression.

"Now, Midnight, there's no need to stare, I promise the room won't bite." Celestia teased.

"Oh, uh... ahem. Right, sorry." Midnight replied after snapping out of her trance.

She quickly walked further into the room and followed Celestia as she walked over to a table sitting just outside under the morning sun. The princess effortlessly pulled a chair out for Midnight and herself, and once Midnight was seated, she took her own seat directly across from her.

"Now, why don't you tell me about this problem with David. I'm assuming that it isn't a massive issue, considering that you would've sent a letter if that were the case, and I found you wondering through the castle instead of rushing to the throne room to find me." Celestia recounted.

Midnight let out a heavy sigh.

"Well... He's just having a hard time adjusting. He can't seem to get a hold of his magic and grab things with his hooves, and the frustration has really been getting to him. I want to help him, but he's gotten so stubborn lately. He keeps trying to do things on his own, and when he fails, he gets angry and I just feel worse each and every time." Midnight explained, her voice carried a dour tone to it, and caused a small frown to appear on Celestia's face.

"Hmm. Well, certainly that can't be all. We knew it would take him quite some time to adjust to his new form, and he's trying to learn a motor skill that simply wasn't present in his body as a human. It would honestly be quite shocking if he could function like an adult pony after less than half a year." Celestia replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof.

"That's true... but it just hurts to see him struggle so much... I want him to be happy, and as much as I love him and want him to stay in my life... I still wonder if I did the right thing..." Midnight explained, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Celestia brought her hoof across the table and gently rubbed Midnight's foreleg. 

"Now Midnight, you mustn't say things like that. Even David agrees that you made the right decision. It's simply a difficult time in his life at the moment. Changing one's species is not something that many creatures have to go through... and while I certainly understand that David did not have any inclination to become a pony at the time... there was no other choice. You can't blame yourself for that. Nopony knew what our magic was doing to him. If we had known, we could have worked to prevent this situation, but it simply wasn't possible. Please don't forget that." Celestia explained, using her warm, motherly tone she had perfected over the centuries. 

"I know... you're right, it's just..." Midnight trailed off.

Celestia tilted her head to the side, "What is it, Midnight? You can tell me. I promise." 

"It's just.. this morning, there was an accident. Nothing serious or anything, David just dropped a bowl and it broke... and I know that it's not a big deal and I can easily afford another one, but the look in his eyes... I just... I don't think I've ever seen him that utterly defeated since..." She trailed off.

"I understand, Midnight. That was a particularly difficult time for the both of you-" Celestia began to respond.

"No, that's not it. We've made a lot of progress in dealing with that... What hit me was what he said, or rather, how he said it... He said that he wished he was still human... and he said it was such a cold, dead voice that I hardly recognized him for a second. It was like for that one moment, the David I fell in love with was gone and dead... and a pony-shaped husk was all that we got back." Midnight spoke, through shaky and shallow breaths.

Celestia's brow furrowed at this news, and her heart ached for the mare across from her. She couldn't help but notice the crestfallen appearance of her features, and how her eyes didn't seem to shine like they usually did. She brought her other hoof over to Midnight's and gently reminded her that she was still there.

"Listen to me, Midnight. The human you love is alive and well. He is simply having a hard time at the moment, but he is still there, and he loves you just as much as you remember. You know just as well as any other mare your age that a relationship isn't always going to be perfect. There will be rough patches ahead that you will have no way to prepare for, and it will take both of you committing everything to each other to make it work, but the beauty of a relationship is that it is all worth it. Every fight, every hardship, and every day that you feel like things aren't going the way they should are tests that you must overcome together. It won't always be easy, and there will be times when you feel like he doesn't understand how much pain he's putting you through, but you have to remember that he loves you, and he's going through just as much pain as you are." Celestia explained, a warm smile on her face the whole time.

There were a few moments of complete silence between the two mares as Midnight processed Celestia's words. Her gaze fell to the table, and for just a moment, the grainy wood pattern became the most interesting thing in the world to her. That moment passed almost as quickly as it came, and in it's place, she found herself chuckling slightly.

"Heh... you sure you aren't Princess Cadence in disguise?" Midnight asked with a trace of a smile.

"I only speak from personal experience, Midnight." Celestia replied.

"Then... what should I do? I mean, just this morning he looked like the saddest version of himself I've ever seen... and I don't know how to make him feel better..." 

"I think that the simplest solution is just for you to be there for him. Nothing more, nothing less. Regrettably, his current situation isn't something that we can help him with very much. Perhaps you should tell him that it will merely take time and that it will get easier as he moves forward." Celestia explained.

"That's just it though... I've been by his side almost constantly since he changed, and no matter what I try to do to help him, it just doesn't seem to work. He just gets frustrated and shuts down. I'm starting to think that the only way to fix this would be to make him human again..." Midnight replied.

Celestia cocked her head to the side. "And then we'd have the same situation with Equestrian magic killing him again, wouldn't we?"  

"Well, no... I mean... Just something temporary. Something that would let him switch back every once in a while, just so that he could have that little shred of what he was before. I just want to give him something to stop the misery he's been going through for the last few months..." Midnight trailed off.

Celestia's brow furrowed, and she pursed her lips. After a few moments of deep thought, she found the right words, and spoke again.

"Midnight, I understand what you're asking for, and while there is a possibility of such a device existing, I'm afraid it would be terribly dangerous and experimental. That's not even accounting for the acute possibility of his body rejecting the transformation back to human and killing him." 

"I know... I know... But if there's even a possibility of a device like that existing, don't I owe it to him to try to find it? Don't I owe it to him to give him back that choice? Isn't that what you do for the ponies you love?" Midnight asked, a sad frown on her face.

Celestia bit her lip. She knew that trying to convince Midnight, once she had an idea in her head, was like trying to paddle upriver with a paper oar - A fleeting endeavor at best. 

"Midnight, please be careful if you're going to follow this path. I care deeply about you and David, and if something were to happen to either of you because of this choice, then I could never forgive myself." Celestia pleaded.

"Don't worry, Princess. I won't let anything happen to either of us. It's just... I feel like I have to do this." Midnight firmly replied.

Celestia winced ever so slightly at Midnight's determined tone, and decided to pull out her trump card. "Has David even asked you to consider this? I feel like you might be acting a little rash, Midnight."  

That took the wind right out of Midnight's sails.

"Uh... Well... No.. No, he didn't... But I can tell that it's what he wants. If you'd seen him this morning, you'd agree with me... If you'd seen him most mornings, you'd agree with me..." Midnight tried to get some fire back into her spirit, but instead found herself losing steam at an alarming rate.

"I can't tell you how best to handle your relationship, Midnight. I can only offer my guidance wherever possible. If nothing else, then at least consider asking David if this is even what he wants. His answer might surprise you." Celestia replied, the finality of her tone signaling the end of that particular conversation.

Midnight let out a long sigh and her head drooped a little.

"Of course, Princess... You're right. Thank you for listening." 

"I will always listen to my subjects and friends, Midnight. Even if you may disagree with me, I still appreciate you considering my advice. I would not give it if I didn't believe it to be true." Celestia responded with a kind smile.

Midnight managed a smile in return before a maid appeared at the table with a golden tray levitating in her magical grasp. On top of the tray were an intricately detailed tea set, fitted with gold trimmings and white silver patterns cascading down to the bottom of each piece. The maid set the tray on the table between them and picked up the teapot with her magical grasp. She filled both Celestia and Midnight's cups before levitating another small cup filled with sugar cubes to the princess.

"Just one, please. Thank you." Celestia instructed.

"Same here, thanks." Midnight followed up.

The maid did as asked and dropped two sugar cubes into the respective cups before giving a small curtsy and heading out without a word.

"They don't say a lot, do they?" Midnight wondered aloud.

"Hmm... Now that you mention it, I do recall that the castle maids rarely speak to me... I'll have to fix that." Celestia decided.

"Uh... you're not gonna... punish them or something, right?" Midnight asked with an awkward laugh.

"Now why does everypony always assume I'm going to do something like that? I'm not a tyrant or something." Celestia  replied with an exasperated sigh.

"Hehe, just checking." Midnight chuckled.

Celestia raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Right, let's just enjoy our tea."

"Right."





"Alright, David, now just reach out and grab the weight. Try to really feel it with your hooves." Storm ordered.

David stood in the middle of the open field with two twenty pound dumbbells attached to the mid-length of his outstretched wings. His right foreleg stuck out in an attempt to grab another twenty pound dumbbell with little success. He grunted in exertion as he desperately tried to lift the lone weight sitting in front of him, mocking him. A pained grimace adorned his face, and his cheeks flushed dark red with embarrassment and utter contempt for just how difficult the weight was being.

Finally, after several minutes of aggravated grunting and hateful staring, David gave up and brought his hoof back to the ground. He cursed under his breath and dropped the weights that were resting on his wings before falling to his haunches and pouting.

"Hey, come on now, Davey. We've only been at this for half an hour. It's not gonna come to you just like that. You need to keep at it for a bit." Storm advised while curling eighty five pounds with her wings.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who can't even pick up twenty pounds." David said, blowing a stand of his mane out of his eye.

"Davey, you're doing that thing again where you get really pouty and grumpy for no good reason. I've had my entire life to get this strong. You've only had a few months." 

"That doesn't change the fact that this feels pointless! It feels like I'll never be able to grab things like you can! It's like trying to teach a fish to walk on land... It just doesn't have the brain for it." David said, his tone conveying utter defeat.

Storm unceremoniously dropped her weights to the ground and walked over to David's side. She stopped right next to him and brought her hoof over his head. After a moment, she brought her hoof down and smacked David on the top of his head with an audible *thump*.

"Ow! What the fuck, Storm? What was that for?" David snarled, bringing a hoof to rub the spot Storm had smacked.

Storm looked at her hoof as if she was bored, and it was infinitely more interesting than anything David had to say, "That was for putting yourself down again. David, you're an amazing stallion who's smart, caring, compassionate, and fun to be around. As such, I'm tired of seeing you down in the dumps all the time and trying to make excuse after excuse as to why you can't pick things up. It just takes patience. You can do it. All you need to do is keep at it and trust me. Can you do that, or do I need to smack you upside the head again?" 

"No... I mean... You didn't have to hit me..." He complained.

"Oh stop being such a baby. I barely tapped you. Besides, if I didn't, would you still be complaining about how you couldn't pick up the weight?" Storm asked, pointedly.

David's mouth moved for a few moments but he struggled to find any actual words to say. He struggled to come up with something to say for quite a while before sighing deeply and giving up. 

"Sure didn't feel like a little 'tap'..." David grumbled.

"You're not answering my question, Davey." Storm pressed.

David sighed.

"I... I guess..." He admitted.

"And now that you're not complaining about it anymore, you can focus on getting back to actually trying to lift the weights." Storm finished.

David was silent for a moment while he glared at Storm. When it became apparent that she was completely unfazed by his look of utter contempt for her, he sighed, admitting defeat.

"Fine."

"There you go, Davey. I knew you had it in you!" Storm cheered, making David glare at her once more, "Now, come on, if we have to lower the weight, we will, but I want to see you give it your very best effort, deal?"

"Alright, Storm. You've got a deal." David answered, moving to pick up the weights again.


.

.

.

.

.


As the sun finally slunk back behind the horizon for the day, the moon graced the world with its presence and rose to the sky, signaling the passing of day to night. Ponies across the land drifted off to sleep, and the world lapsed into a quiet rest until the next day.

Standing on her balcony, Celestia watched the last rays of sunshine disappear behind the horizon, and she quietly hummed a song to herself as she watched the moon rise to take its place. A few moments later, her sister arrived on the balcony beside her.

"That is a catchy tune, sister. I think I recall hearing it once upon a time." Luna mentioned, smiling at her sister.

"Hmm? Oh yes. I do believe you were there when I heard the song for the first time. It was that night when one of the nobles tried to proposition me-" Celestia began.

"-To marry his son in exchange for his collection of aged cheese, yes. Ahaha! I do remember." Luna finished, holding back boisterous laughter.

"The worst part was that his son was barely a teenager at the time. But yes, it was right after that. The cellist that wanted to play in Canterlot but had no bits to buy a house to stay in. I asked him to play for me, and that was the beginning of the royal orchestra." Celestia reminisced. 

"The worst part was that he claimed half of it was sourced directly from the moon!" Luna gleefully corrected.

"Indeed. I still can't believe how many ponies believed him." Celestia reminisced.

"I recall. Those were different times." Luna replied.

"That must have been... eleven hundred years ago. My how the time flies." Celestia mused, her gaze still hanging on the horizon.

"Hmm... You seem like you have something on your mind, sister. What is it?" Luna asked cocking an eyebrow back.

"Well... I'm not so sure either of us should get involved." Celestia replied.

"Perhaps, but as the old saying goes, 'two heads are better than one', are they not? If nothing else, at least tell me so I can help you decide." Luna teased.

"Hehe, right. Well... It's just about David and Midnight. It appears that he's been having a hard time adjusting to being a pony. He cannot seem to control his magic and his quality of life is suffering because of it." Celestia explained.

"I see-" 

"However, it is not him that I'm too concerned with. Rather, it is Midnight. Her conscience is riddled with guilt. She came to the castle earlier today, but I'm afraid my advice did not stick, and she's going to go poking around dangerous magic regardless." She continued.

"What advice did you give her?" Luna asked, her curiosity peaked.

"I told her to be honest about her feelings with him and explain that his magic will come to him in time. Unfortunately, she only seems to think that making him human again would solve both their problems. I'm afraid she's going to look into magic and arcane knowledge that is better left unknown." 

"I see... What do you want to do?" Luna tilted her head to the side as she observed her sister.

"Hmm... You know as well as I do that trying to dissuade Midnight when her mind is set is nearly impossible, but there might just be one way we can guide her." Celestia thought aloud.

"And what might that be?" 

"Do you recall the tale of the Island of Magicae Artes Earumque?" Celestia asked.

"Indeed. I also recall that it is far more than just a tall tale for fillies and colts." Luna replied.

"Then you are aware of the chaos magic residing in the crystal there." Celestia pressed.

"Yes. I don't see how this benefits either of us or Midnight though."

"It does, because Cadence has informed me of a chaos crystal discovery in the Crystal Empire." Celestia replied.

"What!? How? When did it get there?" Luna hastily asked, shock painted all over her face.

"Just yesterday. She sent me a letter detailing it's discovery. Apparently a colt out in the wilderness found it and brought it home, not knowing what it was. His parents quickly brought it to Cadence's attention, and she's taken it to the safest location in the castle." Celestia explained.

"So you think... it can be used to help David and Midnight?" Luna pieced together.

"I'm not sure. There's only one pony I trust to find out if that's the case, however." She replied.

"Twilight?" 

"Twilight."
> Chapter 3: So That's How This Works
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


One Week Later



Sweat poured from David's brow as he strained against the weights, pulling his wings down to the earth. He panted heavily as each passing second carried the full exertion his equine body was capable of. Finally, after the longest ten seconds of his life, his ears picked up on the sound of Storm blowing her whistle, and he unceremoniously dropped the weights to the ground. His sore wings snapped back to his sides in protest to their rough treatment, and he collapsed to the ground in a panting heap of exhausted pony. 

Storm trotted over to his side and gave him a congratulatory smack on the back. "There you go, Davey! Look at that! Only a week in and you're already holding forty five pounds up with each wing!"

David rolled his eyes at her praise. 

"Yes... thank you, Stormy... I can now... carry half my body weight... with these wings and... I still can't pick up anything with my hooves... Woohoo." He deadpanned through heavy breaths.

"Oh, come on now. Don't be like that. You've made a tremendous amount of progress in a really, really short amount of time. At this rate, we'll have you flying in a month or two!" Storm boasted, a massive smile on her face all the while.

David got his breathing under control just in time to deeply sigh at Storm's bubbly attitude.

"Come on, let's take a break. You look like you've earned it." Storm said good-heartedly.

She offered him her hoof, which he happily wrapped his foreleg around and half pulled, half pushed to his hooves. The duo walked over to the wagon and Storm hopped up into the back. She dug around through the materials they brought out with them for a moment, with her rump sticking out in the air as she searched, before popping back up with a basket held by her teeth.

She hopped out of the wagon and landed beside David, who struggled to keep a straight face and keep his chuckling under control. 

Storm raised an eyebrow at his antics. "Wahfpt?" She asked, still having the handle in her maw.

"It's just... the way you were shaking your ass around while you were digging in there just looked like a dog digging for a bone." David admitted with a lighthearted laugh.

Storm's cheeks puffed out in the most child-like fashion possible, and a hot blush rose from her chest to her forehead. She dropped the picnic basket and scrunched her muzzle up.

"H-hey!" She pouted.

David just laughed at her response and walked over to the weights they had piled up from earlier in the day to sit down. Storm glared daggers at him for a moment before giving a "hmmpf" and picking up the basket. She found her seat opposite of his and set down her cargo with practiced ease. 

She used her hooves to flip open the cover and pull out two dandelion sandwiches. She hoofed one over to David, who awkwardly used both hooves to cradle it and bring it close so that it wouldn't fall. Meanwhile, she brought hers to her mouth and took a large bite of her sandwich. 

They weren't particularly tasty, but they were high in fiber and provided much needed energy for David. Even with her own training routine being gutted slightly so as to give her more time to train him, Storm still needed the energy just as badly as he did. Being a pegasus did come with having a higher metabolism than a normal pony, after all.

David took a bite out of his sandwich and let out a small hum of satisfaction. His muscles were burning and sore after the days training, particularly the last hour of weightlifting. He took another bite of his sandwich, and just like a battery, he felt his energy levels rise significantly. It was a welcome reprieve from the constant exhaustion he'd felt nearly every day since training began. He noticed that there was only enough sandwich left for one more bite, and his spirits immediately sank. Storm picked up on his apparent sadness and smirked.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I'm out of sandwich..." He replied.

"Well then, you're lucky that I brought you a treat today." 

Storm began fishing through the basket again until she found what she was looking for. Her smirk turned to a grin as she pulled out a bag of beef jerky. She wiggled it in front of David to catch his attention, and was immediately rewarded by the pegasus's jaw dropping and drool beginning to leak out of his mouth.

"Is... Is that... jerky?" He asked, clearly in awe at the sight.

"It sure is. I remember Midnight telling me that your diet is still pretty much the same as before with just a few more pony options now, so I figured that if you showed me that you were dedicated, I'd get you a reward. So, here you go." Storm answered before tossing the bag to him.

David caught the bag in his jaws and immediately ripped into it. At least, he tried. He used his hooves to hold it in place while he tore at the top with his teeth, but the bag held firm, undeterred by his attacks. He changed strategy, trying to compress the bag length-wise and force the top open that way. The plastic strained as the air inside compressed against it, but yet again, it was all for naught, as the bag simply refused to pop or budge. Finally, David hopped off his seat and pressed the bag against the weights. He then brought his jaws down to bear on the top of the bag and pulled with all his might in a last ditch effort to rip the bag apart. 

The plastic stretched and gave under his force, and finally, it tore. Strips of jerky went flying everywhere, and David was flung on to his back from the force of the inertia. Time slowed down as he watched, in horror, the strips of dehydrated meat fly through the air and land all over the ground in every direction except within reach.

Storm watched in awe as David lay there on the ground for a few moments before shaking her head and hopping off the weights to go check on him. 

"Come on, they're just on the ground. It's not like it's that dirty down there, besides, the dandelion sandwiches came from the ground too." Storm pointed out.

"Yeah but they're washed and cleaned and not meat and meat gets ruined when you drop it on the ground okay?" David quickly responded from his position on the ground.

Storm pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side, "You know, for an omnivore, you're a really picky eater."

"Well excuuuuuuuuse me for wanting to eat clean food. I just... I'm so tired and sore, and that jerky was like the silver lining of my day. That was all I needed and now... now it'll just taste like dirt." David mournfully replied.

"Do I need to smack you upside the head again? 'Cause I will totally do that if you don't stop overreacting." 

David let out a small whimper before rolling over to belly and pushing himself back up to his hooves. He hung his head low in sadness before a hoof smacked the back of his head... again.

"Ow! For fucks sake!" David shouted.

"Told you I'd do it." Storm smugly replied.

"Ugh..." 

"It'll be alright, Davey. I'll buy you another bag tomorrow and you can eat it then." 

David was silent for a few moments before he slightly lifted his head and faced Storm again.

"Promise?" 

"Promise."

David perked back up at that and smiled again. He walked back over to his makeshift seat to find one lone strand of jerky sitting on the weights. His mouth began to water as he looked over it's shape and size, and before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down to pick it up with his teeth.

"Hold on, Davey." Storm said, blocking his path with her foreleg.

"Oh come on! What now!?" David shouted, exasperation clear in his voice.

"Try to pick it up with your hoof." She ordered.

David glanced between Storm and the jerky several times before sighing and reaching out with his right foreleg. He felt the food gently connect with his hoof, and he willed all of his power into picking it up with his natural magic. He screwed his eyes shut in concentration, and pushed even harder in an attempt to somehow feel the alien feeling of picking something up with just his hoof.

The feeling was strange, and slightly alien to him, as if he was still grabbing with fingers that were simply invisible. All the same, he concentrated on feeling the jerky with his magic, and a sensation akin to two magnets connecting washed over his hoof. His hopes rose immediately, and David attempted to lift the meat with his newfound grip, alien as it was.

Several tense seconds passed before the piece of jerky was gently lifted off of the weights in David's embrace, and brought fully into the air. He opened his eyes to the sight of the jerky being held by nothing other than his hoof and a massive smile immediately broke out on his face. He excitedly turned to face Storm to find her with the same expression of happiness on her face.

"Davey! You're doing it!" She exclaimed.

"I am! I really am! Holy shit!" David shouted back.

He triumphantly thrust his hoof skyward and launched the jerky into the air. After a moment, it came crashing down and landed right in his mouth. David bit into the tough, dried meat and the smokey flavor instantly exploded across his taste buds. Jerky never tasted so sweet.

After quickly finishing the jerky, David turned to Storm and wrapped his hooves around her in a tight hug. She happily accepted his advances and hugged him back as tightly as she could.

"I am so proud of you." She said.

"Thank you. You're the best coach a guy could ask for, Stormy." He happily replied.

Storm beamed as she squeezed David just a little tighter. Upon breaking the hug, she smiled and picked up another forty five pound weight with her wing.

"So, you trust me now?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Absolutely." David immediately replied.

Storm took up a more authoritarian posture before pacing back and forth in front of David, much like a general addressing her troops, "Alright, then it's time to step up your training a little bit. From now on, you're gonna pull the wagon to this field in the morning, and I'll pull it back in the afternoon. We're gonna start training you to glide too. Once your wings are strong enough, you'll be ready for actual flight. I give it... two months tops before you're up there soaring with the best of them. Who knows, we might even find out what your cutie mark is supposed to mean from all this." 

"Hell yeah."

Storm smiled brightly, "Good. Now go get those forty five pounders. I want another four sets of ten, on the double!" 

David bolted for the weights and lifted them with his wings. He smiled through the pain and the soreness for the first time since training began. His mind was clear and focused, and he couldn't help the giddy feeling in his stomach as he thought about he happy this new revelation would make Midnight.





Midnight rode the train from Canterlot to Ponyville for the first time in almost five years. Despite that time, she wasn't surprised in the slightest when the train suddenly jolted forward as it pulled out of the station and made way for its first stop. She absentmindedly gazed out the window to see the passing mountainside and beautiful Equestrian scenery while the train chugged along to its goal. As she swam about in her thoughts, a polite cough from her side caught her attention, and she turned to see the pony trying to get her attention.

"Excuse me, Miss. Is this seat taken?" A sky blue pegasus stallion with a jet black mane and fiery orange eyes spoke with a slightly southern twang as her gaze fell on him.

"Oh that one? No, go ahead." She politely replied.

The pegasus took his seat across from her and whipped out a magazine from his saddlebags. From Midnight's angle, she could just barely make out the pair of wings he bore on his cutie mark, along with the wind gust blowing between them.

"Do you race, by any chance?" Midnight asked, trying to make small talk to avoid the boredom of just staring out the window.

"Hmm?" The pegasus inquired.

"You're cutie mark. It just looks like the type a pegasus who's special talent is fast flying would have. Like, pretty much all the Wonderbolts have cutie marks with a pair of wings in them." Midnight explained.

"Hehe, well pops probably wishes I was a 'bolt. I appreciate the thought that I could be one, but no, I'm not a Wonderbolt. I'm just a weatherpony." He replied.

Midnight tilted her head in confusion, "What were you doing all the way over here in Canterlot? I thought Cloudsdale was the only city that employed weatherponies this time of year." 

"Well, I live in Canterlot. It's a bit of a commute to Ponyville, then from there to Cloudsdale, but I only work three days a week so I get to be home with my wife most of the time. It works out." He answered with a shrug.

"Oh, okay. That actually sounds pretty nice. But still, the flight to Cloudsdale is at least another half hour flight on top of the two hour train ride. That must be rough." 

"Well, it's only a thirty minute flight if you're slow. I usually make it in five." He smugly replied.

"Five minutes? How in Equestria do you make that flight in five minutes?" She questioned.

"Easy. I fly fast." 

Midnight frowned slightly at his answer.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Wind Rider."

"Wait, you mean like-" She started.

"Yes, I mean like the Wonderbolt. He's my dad. Also an Ex-Wonderbolt." He cut her off.

"You don't sound like you like him." Midnight cautiously continued.

"Well, lets just say that he wanted me to continue his legacy, and when I chose not to... our relationship kinda... ended." He explained.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. That couldn't have been easy for you." Midnight empathized.

"Ahaha, don't be. It's for the best. My dad isn't exactly the kind of guy you cry over losing his good graces. This was years ago anyways, and I think we're both better off for it." He nonchalantly dismissed.  

"Still... I can't imagine never seeing my dad again."

"It's easier if you can't stand the guy. Anyways, I've been talking all about myself this whole time, but I haven't heard any of your story. What's your name?" 

"Midnight Shadow." 

"Hold on a second... You're Midnight? As in the Midnight Shadow that's dating that human?" He asked, suddenly much more invested in the conversation.

"Uh... yes? Why?" Midnight hesitantly replied.

"My wife is practically obsessed with him. She keeps heading out in the mornings to help train him to fly like a pegasus ever since he got swapped into a pony." Wind Rider explained.

"Hold on, Storm Shield is your wife?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. So you know her then. She's been practically obsessed with your human for the last... well pretty much since he got here." He continued.

"Yeah. Storm was a really great friend when David was going through a pretty hard time... I don't think either of us would have made it out okay if it weren't for her." Midnight gratefully replied.

"Hehe, that's my Stormy. You'd never think she'd end up a royal guard with how kind she is, but hey, somepony has to keep the Princess safe. That's kinda why I married her, you know? That kind heart, the way she can just make you smile even after a bad day... she's one of a kind." Wind Rider reminisced, a happy smile crossing his face.

"I'm really happy for the two of you. If she makes you half as happy as she makes David every time they see each other, then you guys have it made." 

"Thank you. How about you and the big guy? I've heard enough from Stormy about you two to know it's getting pretty serious. When are you two gonna tie the knot?" He asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Midnight felt a hot blush form on her chest and seep up to her cheeks.

"W-well, uh... You see, I-I'm not really all too sure yet. We've only been dating for a few months and... you know... stuff." 

"Aw come on, you can tell me. I'm not gonna go gossiping or anything. I'm just curious. Storm keeps telling me that you were going to propose any day now. I'd like to be able to surprise her with news like this."

"Well... I'm just... not too sure yet. As much as I love him, we're going through a bit of a rough patch right now. He's just been having a really hard time adapting to his new body and the stress of that has made him a little... I don't know, distant? I know these kinds of things happen but I've just been having a hard time dealing with it lately." She admitted with a frown.

"Oh come on. You saved his life! He'd probably do anything for you. If you just told him that, he'd probably go out of his way to fix it." Wind Rider reasoned.

"Well, yeah, maybe... But it's not just so easy as just telling him that. He's different from a pony, you know?" She reasoned.

"True, but you just told me all that and you didn't even know who I was until five minutes ago."

"Well yeah but... It's just one of those things, you know? Like... it's easier to talk to a pony you don't know very well about personal stuff since you know they don't have any reason to tell the pony you have an issue with."

"I think you'll find that it's not as hard as you might think it is." 

Midnight sighed, "I hope you're right."





The train pulled into Ponyville and came to a screeching halt. The horn blared over the train station to signal the passengers to leave and allow new passengers to board before the next departure. Within a few minutes, Midnight found herself leaving the train station and waving goodbye to Wind Rider. 

She continued on through the town without paying much attention to the ponies running about and living their daily lives. A passing glance at the local town square told her all she needed to know about Ponyville. It was quiet. Eventually her eyes came to rest on a small, two story building residing just a block away from the center of town. It's bright yellow coloring was unmistakable to her eyes, and she allowed a thin smile to grace her lips as her gaze fell onto her adoptive parents house. 

The charcoal unicorn trotted along the block until she arrived at the house in question and knocked on the door a few times. After a few moments of silence, she heard hoofsteps in the house, and the sound of the front door unlocking reached her ears. The door swung open, and standing in its place, was a tall, nearly pitch black Thestral stallion. His dark red leathery wings caught some of the morning sunlight, and he gazed back at her with blood red eyes.

"Midnight!" He cheered.

"Dad!" She replied, a wide smile on her face.

He wasted no time, and pulled her into a tight hug which, she happily reciprocated. After a moment, they separated and he waved for her to enter.

"Come in, come in. Your mom and I haven't seen you in ages! Sapphire! Come down here, Midnight's here!" He called to his wife.

The sound of hoofsteps upstairs caught Midnight's attention, and she turned her gaze to the stairs in the corner of the room. Only a second later, a slightly blueish-silver thestral mare with purple wings and amber eyes came trotting down the stairs. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Midnight, and she added a slight bounce to her step to close the distance even faster.

"Oh, Midnight! It's so good to see you again!" She exclaimed, wrapping Midnight in another tight hug.

"It's good to see you too, mom. I missed you guys." Midnight managed through having her ribs crushed.

"We missed you too dear. It's not so often we get to see you since we moved, and I'd hate to think that we were growing apart." Her father replied.

"Oh come now, Ardent. Midnight's just a very busy mare these days. We can't expect her to come see us every single chance she gets." Sapphire chastised, releasing her death grip on Midnight.

"Hehe, it's fine, mom. Dad's right. I really should come here and see you guys more often. It's just that the last year has been beyond hectic." Midnight spoke up before her dad could say anything.

"You're telling me. What with that alien that landed near Canterlot last fall and everything, Equestria's been going nuts over that! There's talk of an invasion and all kinds of crazy ideas. Honestly, I'm just surprised the fella survived. I heard it was a rough landing." Ardent replied.

"Oh yes, what were they calling him in the papers, dear? A... humon?" Sapphire asked.

"A human. He was a human, and his name is David." Midnight answered.

"Oh, that's right. A human. Also, what kind of a name is 'David'? I've never heard of a name like that before." Sapphire continued.

Midnight's eyes flicked back and forth between her parents, "Well, I'm not entirely sure... but I think it sounds nice... and he's very nice." 

"Oh? You've met him? What's he like? I heard that he was a predator species with fangs and claws sharp enough to skin a dragon." Ardent chimed in.

"Ahaha, no, no David does not have fangs or claws, hehe... He's got some sharp teeth, but nothing to be afraid of. He's an omnivore, not a carnivore, so he mostly eats what we eat." Midnight explained.

"Well, you sure seem to know an awful lot about him. How long have you known him for?" Sapphire asked.

Midnight scratched the back of her head with her hoof, "Well... pretty much since he got here..."

"Oh so you've known him for a long time then. Why didn't you send us a letter or something? We would've loved to meet the only alien this side of Equestria." Ardent said with an enthusiastic wave of his hoof.

"Well... You guys are going to get to meet him... I just wanted to talk to you beforehoof." Midnight explained while a blush formed on her cheeks.

"What do you mean?" Sapphire asked.

"Well... We're... kind of.... dating..." Midnight sheepishly replied.

Ardent stood stock-still and his eyes widened at the news while Sapphire only blinked. The room filled with silence for a few moments before it became almost unbearable for Midnight and she began to visibly sweat.

"You're... dating him?" Ardent asked, having recovered slightly from the shock.

"Yes..." Midnight replied, pawing at the floor all the while.

"Well... that's some news you don't hear every day... how... how long have you been together for?" Sapphire inquired.

"Uh... almost nine months now..." Midnight replied, her voice nearly a whisper.

"Nine months!? And you didn't tell us until now!?" Sapphire shrieked.

"I was busy! He almost died like five times the first six months he was here! The last few months have just been so busy that I kinda... forgot..." Midnight tried to defend herself, but her voice grew weaker the longer she spoke.

"Oh that's just an excuse! Nine months and you didn't even find the time to write a letter to say 'hey mom and dad, I'm doing well, not dead or anything, and oh, by the way, I'm dating an alien!' Don't you think this is kind of the type of thing you would want to tell us sooner rather than later?" Sapphire chastised.

Midnight's ears flattened against her head and hey eyes fell to the floor, "I just... I wasn't sure how you'd react..."

Sapphire's intense gaze instantly softened and she sighed before pulling Midnight into another hug, "Honey, we're not upset. I'm sorry for yelling. It's just that we worry about you when you're gone and don't talk to us for a long time," She released her hug and placed a hoof on Midnight's wither, "And when you say that you're not only familiar with an alien, but you're in a relationship with him, then it scares us. We don't know anything about him, just what we've read in the papers. Besides... we didn't know you were ready for a relationship again after..." Sapphire trailed off.

"I know, and I'm sorry for not keeping you in the loop... but I'm okay. David's a great stallion and he loves me. That's... also kinda why I'm here." 

Ardent walked alongside her and looked at her with a mix of concern and curiosity, "Because..." He trailed off, motioning for her to pick up where he left off.

"Because I need your advice. You know about how he's a pony now, right?" Midnight asked.

"Well, we heard some rumors in the paper but we didn't think that it was possible." Sapphire answered.

"It is. He's a pegasus now, and despite his best efforts... he's having a really hard time figuring out how to be a pony. He can't pick things up with his hooves yet, he can't fly, and he gets so frustrated that it kills me inside but I don't know what to do." Midnight explained.

"That does sound tough... He sounds like a newborn foal, just learning how his body works. That wouldn't be easy for anypony." Ardent replied.

"Exactly. Which is why I wanted your advice. I talked with Princess Celestia a couple of weeks ago and she told me to just be patient, but I'm getting more and more worried that this struggle he's going through is driving a wedge between us and I can't seem to stop it... So I've been doing some research. I sent some letters to Princess Twilight and asked her to help me look into it, and she's found something that might be promising." 

"What did you ask her to look into?" Sapphire asked.

"A way to make him human again. If nothing else, then just for short periods of time, but I feel like just that little bit of freedom would change everything for him. Especially if his body never fully adapts to Equestria." Midnight said, a trail of sadness ever present in her voice.

"Well that sounds like it solves everypony's issues right there. What do you need our advice for?" Ardent asked.

"Because... of what Princess Celestia said... That day... when we had to change him into a pony... that was the hardest decision I've ever made in my entire life... Every time he drops something or stumbles or gets angry because he just can't do what the rest of us can, I feel so damn guilty. I agreed to the spell... not him... I made the choice to change him into one of us so that he wouldn't be ripped away from me. He tells me that he's thankful for what I did, but I just can't shake this feeling that he resents me for it and deep down... he hates me for it..." Tears began to form in Midnight's eyes, and she deftly wiped them away before continuing.

Sapphire and Ardent both drew closer to her as she wiped the tears away, and a comforting hoof was placed on each of her withers.

"Honey..." Sapphire whispered.

"I just... I just want to make him happy again... but every time I try to help, he tells me that he wants to do it himself. He keeps saying that he feels like a burden and I don't understand how I can make it clear to him that he's not. I know making him human again will make him happy, I just know it... but the princess told me that I should just give it more time and I'd find out... I mean, what if offering this to him just makes him angry? A way to be himself again for a few minutes a day... It'd be like locking a dog in a cage and only letting it out for a few minutes a day... I've already taken his humanity away... I don't want to wave it in front of his face and mock him with it..." She explained, barely keeping her eyes off the floor the whole time.

"Well... when you put it like that... maybe it'd be better to ask him." Ardent reasoned.

"But he's just going to say that he's fine with things being the way they are. That's who he is, dad. He doesn't want you to worry about him. He's stubborn like that..." Midnight pouted.

"Hehe, sounds like somepony we know." Sapphire chimed in.

"Har har."

"Oh, come now, dear. I think you already know the answer I'm going to give you." Sapphire said.

Midnight raised an eyebrow.

"Listen to your heart, dear. It's never steered you wrong before, has it?" 

Midnight's brow furrowed and her lips pursed. She took a moment to think over her mother's words before biting her lip and shaking her head.

"Exactly. You already know what you need to do. You just have to follow that." Sapphire said, placing a hoof over Midnight's heart.

Midnight allowed a small smile to form on her lips, "Thanks mom. You too dad." 

Ardent and Sapphire both smiled. 

"Any time, dear."

"Oh yeah... One more thing."

"What is it?" Ardent asked.

"Well... if this all works out the way I'm hoping it will... I was thinking of asking him to marry me afterwards..." Midnight answered.

Sapphire fainted.
> Chapter 4: Training Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're gonna ask him to marry you!?" Sapphire shrieked upon waking up from fainting.

"Uh... yes?" Midnight hesitantly replied.

"Wh-but... We don't- I haven't... WE STILL HAVEN'T EVEN MET HIM!" She cried as she was helped back to her hooves by Ardent.

"I know, and that's why I want you to meet him before I do that. I think you guys would really like him." Midnight explained.

"Honey, you've only known this stallion for what? A year? Not even? We support you no matter what, but don't you think that you might be rushing things just a little bit?" Ardent reasoned.

"I get what you're saying... but I just don't feel like there's any reason not to get married at this point. I mean, we know everything about each other... He's the kindest, most gentle stallion I've ever met and wants nothing more than to make me happy. Honestly, it already feels like we're married, we just don't have the rings yet."

"Midnight, he sounds like a lovely stallion, but marriage? Is that even a thing in his culture? Does he even know that it's a thing in our culture? What if he wants a herd? We've already discussed that you're not the herd type..." Sapphire continued while pacing back and forth.

"I've already talked with him about a lot of those things, mom. Marriage is a thing where he's from and it's almost always between two humans. No more. He doesn't want a herd either, so it's perfect. 

"Well what if marriage is only a short term thing for him? What if he just said that to get on your good side since you have connections with the princesses!?" Sapphire accused.

"Mom... he's very good friends with all four princesses. Honestly, he's got better connections with them then I have at this point. And marriage is supposed to be a lifelong commitment for his species too. I've already asked him all of the things you're searching for right now." Midnight deadpanned.

Sapphire sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Well... I mean... you never know..."

"Alright, now that that's all done..." Ardent sighed, " Can we please go back to just being happy to see our daughter again, dear?" He asked.

"I want to meet him. As soon as possible." Sapphire declared.

"Mom..." Midnight rolled her eyes.

"No buts. I want to meet him as soon as possible and decide for myself if he deserves you." Sapphire turned her nose up, having made up her mind.

"Ugh... geez... fine. I'll see if I can't get him to come down to Ponyville sometime this week. I'm sure he'll be really excited to meet you guys." Midnight relented.

"Perfect! We can't wait to meet him." Sapphire cheered.

"Geez... Anyways... As much as I'd like to just spend the day with you guys, I do have to go see Princess Twilight. She's expecting me in a little bit. Once I'm done I'll come back and hang out with you guys until my train leaves." 

"Of course, dear. Just stop on by whenever. We'll be around." Ardent replied, already moving to open the door for Midnight.

Midnight stepped out the front door and waved her goodbye to her parents.

"And don't you forget! We know where you live!" Sapphire called out as Midnight started walking away.

"Ugh! Alright. Thanks mom! Thanks dad! I'll see you in a bit!" Midnight called back as she stepped off.





Midnight arrived at Twilight's crystal castle to find the front door slightly ajar. After knocking a few times and receiving no answer, she let herself into the main foyer and looked around for any sign of the princess. She was met with bright translucent crystalline walls and a long red carpet leading down the hall to what appeared to be a throne room. 

Not wanting to waste any more time, Midnight made her way through the castle to the end of the long hallway and knocked on the large stained glass door. Her light taps on the entrance echoed throughout the castle, and reverberated back into her ears from all around. She looked around at the seemingly empty castle before the sound of hoof steps coming from inside the room caught her ear.

The door slowly opened to reveal a dreadfully tired looking Twilight Sparkle. Her mane and tail were a mess of loose ends and split hairs, along with what looked like a slight bit of frizz, giving her a slightly 'mad scientist' look. Her coat was disheveled, messy, and there was a large coffee stain right on her chest fluff. Bloodshot eyes and wings with feathers sticking out at odd angles completed the look, and Midnight was sure she'd never seen anypony more exhausted in her life, let alone a princess.

"Uh... Twilight?" Midnight asked, clearly taken aback by the sight in front of her.

"Mmhmm?" Twilight managed.

"Um... Have you slept? Like... at all?" 

"Once or twice..." She muttered while staggering for balance.

"R-right... Well... I hate to ask you anything since you've clearly been up for a while and obviously need sleep, but uh... I was wondering if you maybe... had the crystal we talked about?" Midnight asked.

"Hmm? Oh yeah.. yeah... crystals... there's one over there... and there... and on the ceiling..." Twilight replied as she teetered back and forth on the brink of consciousness. 

"Uh... I got that... I was hoping you'd have the crystal we discussed in our letters... you know? The one that can help David?" Midnight pressed.

"Wha? Oh! Right... This way..." She replied before lazily turning around and walking face first into the wall.

"Twilight! Are you okay?" Midnight asked, already moving to her side.

"Ow..." 

"Yeah, she tends to do things like that when she pulls an all-nighter... or four..." A soft, slightly prepubescent voice spoke out from inside the room.

Midnight turned to face the source of the voice to discover a small purple dragon with lime green spikes jutting out of his scalp and neck. He walked over to the dazed princess and, by grabbing her mane, led her inside of what Midnight could only presume was the throne room.

"Wha?" Midnight managed as she followed behind.

"The name's Spike. I'm Twilight's assistant. Her number one assistant." Spike announced.

"Oh, well... It's nice to meet you, Spike. I'm Midnight Shadow. Is... Is she gonna be okay?" Midnight asked, eyeing the lavender alicorn with concern.

Spike gave Midnight a small nod of acknowledgement before leading Twilight to a small mattress in the corner of the room. She was out the second she hit the mattress, and the sound of soft snoring quickly reached Midnight's ears, "Oh yeah, she'll be fine. This happens at least once a month. You kinda just get used to it after a while." He answered.

Midnight tilted her head in confusion, "That... sounds really unhealthy..."

"Oh yeah, trust me, we've told her that a thousand times. It never really seems to register with her though. Eh, what can you do?" He replied with a shrug, "So what're you hear for? Can't be a friendship problem, otherwise the map would've said something."

"Map?" Midnight asked.

She turned to face the rest of the room to find, to her astonishment, that there was not only one throne, but seven. All were beautifully made out of some of the finest crystal she'd ever seen, and sitting in the middle of them all was a massive table with a map of the entirety of Equestria being holographically projected into the air.

Her jaw dropped slightly, prompting the scaly dragon to chuckle.

"Hehe, first time seeing something like this, huh?" He asked.

Midnight had to manually close her jaw before replying, "Uh... yeah... What in the world does she need all this for? I mean, I get that she's a princess now, but this is ridiculous! Princess Celestia doesn't even have something like this..."

"Well, Princess Celestia isn't the Princess of Friendship, now is she?" Spike beamed, striking a heroic pose.

"I... I guess not... A-anyways, Spike, would you happen to know anything about the crystal I talked with her about? It's really important that I get my hooves on it as soon as possible." 

"Hmm... let me see." Spike replied before heading off into a previously unseen doorway.

Midnight awkwardly pawed at the floor while she waited for the purple drake to return with the crystal, or something leading to the crystal, with only the sound of Twilight's soft snoring to keep her company. She hesitantly stepped over to the hologram of Equestria and gazed at the display. 

"Wow... there's Manehatten... Las Pegasus... Oh, you know what, I've never been there... Maybe David will want to go someday?" She asked herself.

The sound of a door opening caught her attention and pulled her from her thoughts. She gazed over to see Spike reentering the room with several scrolls of paper in his claws and a small, ebony crystal held in the crook of his elbow.

"Okay... so... Twilight's notes say something about this crystal being able to amplify a spell cast by a unicorn or alicorn. Something something... StarSwirl's first law of revolving magical energy, blah blah blah, and... okay. It says here that it can be charged with a single spell, which can be recast over an over while amplifying the spell to the tenth power. So basically, the magical structure of the crystal allows you to charge it with whatever spell you want and then you can use that to amplify your magic with regards to that particular spell. Sound like what you're looking for?"

"Yes! That's exactly it!" Midnight exclaimed, "Uh, there was a spell that we were discussing too... If it isn't too much trouble, could I get that too?" She asked much more quietly.

"Sure! Just give me a second to find that..." Spike said, setting down the crystal on the table and heading back through the door.

Midnight followed him with her eyes until he was out of sight, before turning to the table and making her way over to it. She arrived at the side Spike deposited the black crystal on and eyed it with an intense gaze. 

"I hope you're everything I've been looking for these last few weeks." Midnight whispered to herself.

Spike came through the doorway only a moment later with a large scroll spread out in his claws. He flipped it around and upside-down a few times until he seemed satisfied with its arrangement and set it down on the map next to the crystal. 

"Alright, here we go. As per Twilight's notes, this is the transfiguration spell that StarSwirl made all those years ago. She said in her notes that this was the spell you two were talking about?" He asked with a scratch of his chin.

"Yes! This is exactly what I've been looking for! Thank you so much, Spike. This really means a lot to me." Midnight cheered, wrapping Spike in a hug.

"Ehehe, thanks, but it was really all Twilight's work. Dozens of hours of collaborating with Cadence over in the Crystal Empire to get the crystal in the first place, literally days of trying to power it enough to handle the spell you wanted, and another week or so of channeling the spell into the crystal so that all it takes to work is a simple 'on' spell that any unicorn could do, and she's gotten maybe... an hour of sleep since last weekend." Spike recounted as Midnight released him.

Midnight's eyes widened considerably, "She did all that? T-that's absurd! She didn't have to break her back for me like that..." She said, her eyes falling on the sleeping alicorn in the corner.

"Nope, but she wanted to. Believe me, I told her to take it easy a few times... but once she's got an idea in her head, she goes and goes until she can't anymore. She kept saying something about hearth's warming last year and how she still felt bad about what happened. Do you know anything about that?" Spike asked.

Midnight sighed, "Yeah... I remember. Suffice to say what happened wasn't her fault. I wish she hadn't beat herself up so much over it." She explained.

"Ah, well, it's all said and done now. She'll be out like a light until at least tomorrow morning. Are you staying in town?" 

"I wish, but my train leaves for Canterlot in a couple hours... but I am planning on coming back later this week. Is she gonna be available? I'd like to properly thank her for doing all this for me." She replied, scratching the back of her neck.

"Yeah, she'll be here. Can't say how free she'll be, but if I know Twilight, she'll be ecstatic to see you and David again." He said with a smile.

"You know David?" She asked.

"Eh... Not really, no... Well... I did get to meet him one time when Twilight was doing her weekly meetings with him and she let me come with, but that was almost a year ago now. He was really scared of me for some reason. Said that dragons didn't exist on his home world. After a few hours though, he was really friendly." Spike recalled.

"Hehe, that sounds like him. He was terrified of just about everything when he first got here."

"Haha, it's weird that he was so scared of all of us when we were just as scared of him." He chuckled.

"Like two kittens too scared to talk to each other." She added.

A silence filled the room as both parties eyed each other for a few moments.

"So... you're really gonna try to make him human again with this thing?" Spike suddenly asked.

Midnight was caught off guard by the sudden directness of the drake, and stuttered over her words for a moment, "W-well... I-I was gonna ask him first..." She sighed, "It's not right that he was forced to change into something he's not. If there's any way that I can help make things easier for him, even just a little bit, then I'm gonna do everything I can." She stated, firmly.

"You know that this crystal hasn't been tested before, right? I mean, not to try to tell you what to do or anything, but this could be dangerous." He cautioned.

"I understand. That's why I fully intend to have a long conversation with him about it first. If he decides that this is something that he wants for himself, then I'll give it to him... I just... I just wanted a backup in case he really hates being a pony. I hate not being prepared..." Midnight admitted.

"What's so wrong with him being a pony?" Spike asked, genuinely curious.

Midnight's brow furrowed in thought for a few moments before she sighed deeply, "There's nothing wrong with being a pony... it's just that he's a human... and I want him to be able to have that back. I took that choice away from him before by my own selfish actions... I'm not making that mistake again." She answered before turning to the door and walking away, "Thank you for everything... And please let Twilight know that I'll be back in town later in the week with David. I'll pay her back for everything she's done for me." With that, she walked away.





David jumped into the air with as much force as his legs would allow. He shot his wings out and spread them wide as the updraft from the incoming headwind flooded under them. He grit his teeth as he poured as much of his energy into his magic and keeping himself airborne. For a split second, it looked as if it would work, and his body hesitated before coming back down to the ground.

His hooves connected with the soft grass with a dull *thud* and he angrily sighed in frustration.

"God dammit... Why is this so hard!?" He wondered, while kicking a rock with his hoof.

"Come on, Davey. Don't give up." Storm said from her position in front of him.

"I'm not. It's just frustrating." 

"You've been doing well this whole time, but you're starting to reach a mental block. You need to push further and try harder. Confidence is key when it comes to flying, and from what I'm seeing, it doesn't look like you have the confidence yet." Storm chastised.

"What are you talking about? I just picked something up for the first time earlier!" David rebutted. 

"Exactly. Now you need to push yourself harder than ever before. The magic is in you, Davey. You just don't have the confidence to push yourself and use it." She lectured. 

David gave her a flat look, "Alright, fine. What do you want me to do then?"

Storm gave him a toothy grin before turning around and walking back over to the weights and other equipment set out by the wagon.

"We're gonna have you fly a little bit." She called back to him with a grin.

David's eyes widened before he hesitantly followed over to the wagon to find Storm laying out a series of ropes and belts on the ground. 

"Uh... what're all these for?" David asked.

"It's a buddy flying system. We use it in the guard for ponies just getting into physical therapy and such. The idea is that I strap you to me with this, and then you can attempt to fly from an elevated position with no risk of falling and hurting yourself." Storm explained.

"Huh? Well that sounds awesome! Let's do this."

David moved over to the straps Storm had laid out on the floor and started stepping into them. With her help, in a few seconds, he was secured and strapped in. A moment later, she strapped herself in and secured the ropes to her barrel and withers. She gave an experimental tug to see how secured the straps were, and when they didn't budge at all, she gave a smile.

"Alright, looks like we're good to go." Storm announced.

"Awesome... Now what?" David asked.

"Well, now I'll pull us up and just keep us airborne. Since you can't really fly yet, you're just gonna kinda dangle underneath me. Your goal is going to be to use those big fancy wings of yours to pull us around and eventually, get to the point where you're flying level with me. The goal is for there to be slack in the straps. If there isn't any, then I'm doing all the work and you're not getting anything out of this." She clarified.

"Okay... but there won't be any slack since I can't even get any lift right now... I mean, I can't even glide for a second right now. How am I gonna pull you anywhere?" He asked.

"I'll be able to tell. Trust me, I've spent a lot of time in one of these. When you're in the air already, it's a lot easier to move around then starting from the ground. Besides, the main point of this exercise is just to help strengthen those wings of yours. I don't expect you to be able to pull me around like you own the place or anything, but I do expect you to put forth as much effort as you can to move forward."

"Alright. That sounds easy enough. Let's do it." David said, a winning smile adorning his face.

Storm unfurled her wings and gave them a few test flaps before squaring herself up and wiggling her hips. She gave two good flaps and was airborne. David watched in awe at the sight of her so effortlessly taking off and leaving the ground behind. He was so enamored with her grace and ease of flight that he almost didn't notice the slack in the straps go taught. He quickly unfurled his wings and gave a few flaps the resembled a pigeon trying to maintain balance, before he was hoisted off of the ground.

He gave out an audible yelp as he was suddenly jolted upwards, and his hooves dangles uselessly under him while his wings strained to gain any kind of lift on their own. He could not only see, but feel the straps digging in to his coat due to the strain on them and utter lack of slack due to the futility of his efforts. He squeezed his eyes shut and flapped his wings. The pain on his barrel only made him flap his wings harder, and within seconds, he was starting to sweat from the strain of attempting to mimic a fly with wings his size.

Seconds turned into minutes, and David's wings grew sore just as quickly. He flapped as hard as he could and strained to move forward, but it was all for naught as he didn't budge an inch. The burn in his aching wings quickly turned into exhaustion as he struggled with the air to no avail. No matter how hard he struggled, it seemed like he only became more stationary. 

David panted for breath as he fought, but no amount of air seemed to help him, and he quickly began to feel cramps forming in the joints where his wings met his withers. His muscles burned and his lungs heaved for air but he pressed on, determined to at least budge an inch or two. 

Finally, after what felt like years, but was only a minute, he felt the ground reach up and kiss his hooves. He opened his eyes just as he was standing on his hooves and collapsed onto the ground in a heavy, exhausted mess. He felt the straps go slack on his barrel just a second later as Storm gently brought herself down to the ground beside him.

"...Damm...it..." David muttered through heavy breathing.

"That was amazing!" Storm cheered.

David turned his head to face her. A quizzical expression formed on his face as he thought over what she just said and he couldn't help but feel like she was mocking him..

"...What?" He asked, a hint of aggression in his voice.

"Look at how far you pulled us!" She exclaimed, pointing a hoof back towards the wagon.

David cast his gaze over to said wagon to find it ten feet behind them. He glanced back at Storm to find her beaming back at him.

"Wha? That's... but we only... moved ten feet..." He said, confusion clear in his voice.

"Davey, that's amazing! For a pegasus who's never even used his wings before? You did great! Come on, let's keep going. I know for a fact that you have more in you." Storm enthusiastically replied.

David turned around and looked at his wings. They hung limply at his sides and laid out onto the ground below, but at Storm's words, they seemed to almost perk up on their own accord. Previously exhausted tendons and muscles found new life, and his sore wings managed to find their way back up to his sides.


.

.

.

.

.

.


"My wings... My back... good god it hurts so much... how long has it been? An hour? Two? I don't even know anymore..." David thought to himself as he panted for breath on the ground.

David's wings limply laid on the ground at his sides, neither one having enough energy or strength to even retract to their original positions. As he tried to catch his breath, in a literal puddle of his own sweat, David desperately clawed for a reason, any reason at all, to continue on. 

"Come on, Davey. You're almost there. Don't quit. We've got one more set. Give it everything you've got." Storm encouraged, her friendly voice raking at his ears as they flicked back in protest. 

"I... I can't... I don't... My wings..." David breathed.

"Come on, on your hooves," Storm said as she pulled him up into a standing position, "Don't you quit on me. You're making progress, but you need to push past your limits, Davey." She explained before tightening a loose strap on David's chest.

"Storm, I... I can't even... my wings... I'm done..." He said, choking back a whimper.

"You're not quitting now. I know you can do more. You know you can too. Deep down, you know that you can do this. Get ready, we're starting again." Storm asserted, uncharacteristically sternly.

David's ears flicked back against his skull and a hurt look crossed his face before Storm flapped her wings and took flight. Once more, the straps quickly went taught against his barrel, and the sharp pain of the tightly woven fabric digging into his coat, against his skin, caused his eyes to water. He was immediately hoisted up, and the full weight of his body caused the straps to dig in even deeper, making him hiss in pain.

His tired wings slowly arched back and spread to their full length before he gasped from the soreness of his muscles. He flapped his wings in slow, shaky motions, and it soon became clear that he wasn't going to move anywhere.

"Come on, Davey! I know you can do better than that! You're dead weight right now! Push harder!" Storm shouted from above.

"I-I can't!" David breathlessly shouted back.

"The fact that you have enough air in your lungs to tell me that you can't, is proof that you have more to give. You want to fly? Then give me one hundred percent! Now!" She hollered from above.

David grit his teeth and flapped harder. His wings immediately caught more air, and the burning in his muscles increased dramatically. A stabbing sensation quickly spread all throughout his wing-joints, and up to the ends of each individual feather, as every ounce of strength he had left was poured into flight.

"Grraaahhhhh!!" He cried. His voice was full of pain and anguish as he tried, in desperation, to keep going.

"You're almost there! Give me thirty more seconds! Don't you dare quit now! Come on! Push!" Storm ordered.

David cried out in pain as a cramp formed right in his right wing-joint. The stabbing pain pulsed with his rapidly beating heart, and within seconds, tears began to stream from his eyes. He tightly shut them, and struggled for breath as each second of pure agony made him feel dizzy and lightheaded. With every muscle fiber in his body feeling like it was completely torn or exhausted, David finally felt the grass reach up and kiss his hooves. 

Immediately upon reaching the ground, he collapsed in a pile of nearly sobbing exhaustion. He fought for each breath, and his completely spent wings refused to move, opting instead to lay where they fell. A moment later, the straps went slack, and the soft *thud* of hooves connecting with the ground reached David's ears. 

"You did good, Davey. You did real, real good." Storm praised, gently stroking David's mane with a hoof.

David only managed to wheeze and gasp as the overwhelming pain in his wings and back prevented him from really answering. Instead, he could only continue to let the tears fall. Two streaks of dampness marked the fur on his cheeks, but even if he wanted to, he didn't have the strength to wipe them away. 

"Hey now, what's wrong? You did it!" Storm comforted, laying down next to him.

"I just... I can't... I can't do this anymore..." He whispered between heavy breaths, "My... my wings... they hurt so much..."

"Davey, there's nothing more to do today. You did it. You made it to the end. You pushed so hard, and you did exactly what I knew you could. Be proud! Stop the waterworks, you should be celebrating!" She exclaimed, rubbing his wither with her hoof.

David shakily lifted his head up to look her in the eye, "What are you talking about?" 

"Davey, look at where we are." She replied.

He slowly turned his head around to find that they were in a completely different part of the field. Despite feeling like he was only moving at a snail's pace the whole time, David saw the wagon well over three hundred feet away. His jaw dropped, and his eyes shot wide open. 

"Flying is about confidence, Davey. I know it was hard for you understand that at first - you had the mental block of thinking that because you weren't born a pony, that you couldn't do things like this, but I hope that this shows that you can do it. Oh, and by the way, we've been at this for six hours straight, just so you understand exactly what you're capable of, when you don't quit." Storm explained, a smug smile on her lips.

David only stared. He had no words, no reaction for what Storm told him. All he could do was look back at the wagon and sigh. After a few moments, he let out a light chuckle before turning to Storm and wrapping his forelegs around her. She gasped at the sudden contact, but eagerly hugged him back upon recovering from the shock.

"Thanks... for everything. You're the best, Storm." David said, his voice slightly muffled by the fur of Storm's wither.

"Of course... What are friends for, silly?" Storm happily replied.

David pulled away from her and gave a friendly smile before he cast his gaze out to the horizon and saw the setting sun. He squinted as the orange light bathed the world around him in its warm hue, and he smiled again as he realized what that meant.

"Mid's probably back by now!" He celebrated in his head.

"Alright, Stormy. I've gotta get back to Mid." He said.

"You gonna tell her you can fly?" She asked, with a grin.

"Nah. I haven't told her that I can pick stuff up yet either. I'm gonna surprise her with it when the time is right." He explained.

"Ah, surprising her with all your progress once it's done, now that, sounds like a plan. You're pulling the wagon back though." She replied, a smug smile quickly forming on her face.

"Wha-I, but... Why?" David stuttered.

"Because you're getting stronger every single day that you pull it. Now that you have working wiiiiiiiiings.... you get to pull the wagon both ways." She explained, that smug smile never leaving her lips.

David muttered a few choice words under his breath before walking over to the wagon and attaching himself to it. He strained against the weight of the heavy load for a few seconds before it began to budge and move. 

"Ugh... sometimes I think you overload this thing just for me..." He groaned as he picked up some momentum.

"I do." 

David whipped his head around and glared at the navy blue pegasus. She simply smiled back at him and trotted off ahead. He grumbled under his breath for a few more seconds before blowing a strand of his mane out of his eye and trudging along the four mile journey back to Midnight's house.





David waved goodbye to Storm as she trotted off with the wagon hitched to her barrel. He turned around and walked back up the steps of the front porch and made his way through the front door. After taking a few steps into the house, he called out to Midnight.

"Mid, I'm back!" 

"Over here!" She called back from the living room.

David walked over to the living room to find Midnight reading a book on the couch. She dropped the book as he entered the room and craned her neck to look back at him. David leaned over the couch and gave her a quick peck on the lips before walking around and tiredly plopping down on the couch beside her.

"Hey, handsome." She said.

"Evening, beautiful." He replied.

"How was your day?" She asked as she pulled her book back up.

"Pretty tough. I'm gonna be really sore tomorrow. How about you? How was Twilight?" 

"She was alright. Pretty tired after everything she's been up to the last week, but otherwise doing alright."

"What was she up to all week?" David asked as he laid his head down on a pillow.

"Well, you know... Princess stuff... I guess..." 

"That makes sense. She does get pretty busy sometimes." He said, clearly not very invested in the conversation anymore.

Midnight frowned behind her book at David's lack of interest. She took a tentative glance over her book to find David with his eyes already closed and drifting off. She let out a hurt sigh before an idea popped into her mind and she decided to quickly act on it.

"Hey, David... I need to ask you something." A confirming nod told her to continue, "So... you know how my parents live in Ponyville, right?" Another nod allowed her to continue, "Well, today I saw them... and I told them about you..."

"You mean you hadn't already?" He asked, propping and eye open in curiosity.

"Well... let's just say that mom can be a little... overprotective and I didn't think you needed to deal with that for a while." She explained.

"Oh... Okay..." 

"Anyways... They want to meet you." 

David was silent for a few moments. Midnight waited patiently for his answer, but the longer it took for him to speak, the more her heart began to sink. She glanced up at his face to discern his emotions from there, but he maintained a fantastic poker face when he really wanted to. Finally, she got her answer.

"That sounds awesome. When can I meet them?" He asked, much to Midnight's relief.

"Well... I was thinking Friday."
> Chapter 5: PointBreak
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Next Morning



"So Friday then?" Midnight inquired.

"Friday sounds perfect. We'll head into Ponyville on the morning train, meet your parents for lunch, and say hi to Twilight before three. Are we spending the night down there?" David replied from the kitchen while struggling to hold an apple.

"No, I don't think we're gonna spend the night... you need help with that?" She asked, a hopeful glimmer in her eye.

"Nah, I got it." He answered, biting down on the juicy fruit as if to prove his point.

Bits of apple juice smeared into his coat on his face and around his mouth, but that hardly deterred him as he munched on his prize. Midnight deflated slightly at his refusal to accept her help, but hid her reaction before David could notice it. After a moment, he finished his apple and tossed the core into the trash. It missed by a mile, and he sighed before trotting over and delicately picking it up with his hooves and deposited it in the trash.

After it became clear that he no longer needed assistance of any kind, Midnight decided to change the subject, "Are you sure you're ready for this? My mom can be a bit... much. I don't want her to spook you or anything."

"It'll be fine, Mid. Trust me. I've dealt with overprotective moms before. It's nothing new. Besides, I have a plan that I think will make her like me." David hinted, feeling immensely satisfied with the sudden look of confusion on Midnight's face.

"What are you planning?" She asked.

"Oh, just you wait and see. It'll be a fun surprise, I promise." David replied.

Midnight pouted, "Fine then. Keep your secrets." 

"I think you'll like it too." He sing-songed.

"Oh well now I really wanna know!" She cried out.

"In due time, Midnight. In due time." He teased.

David headed for the door but a pouting unicorn to his left kept him from completely exiting the house.

"Where are you going now?" She asked.

"I'm going to go train with Storm for a bit. She said that she got her husband to show up and he's apparently really good at flying. Why, what's up?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well...I mean, you've been going to train with Storm every day for the last couple of weeks and I don't get to see you until sundown... I was kinda hoping that we could spend today together." Midnight's voice came sheepishly, and with a hint of embarrassment.

David suppressed a chuckle at her modest request, "Aw, Mid. I miss spending time with you too, but it's only for a little while. Besides, Stormy is already waiting for me outside. I don't want to tell her to turn around now. As soon as I can finally do things like a pony, then I can go back to just being a lazy bum like always." He replied with a coy wink.

Midnight moved to speak, but David was already opening the door and heading outside.

"I'll be back in a bit. Don't worry, we'll spend tonight together, I promise." He called out.

"Wait!" Midnight called out.

"Hmm?" David turned his head, his hoof half way out the door.

"Can I... at least come with you?" She asked, a clear sign of trepidation in her voice.

David scratched the back of his neck with a hoof, "Uh... You know I love you, Mid, but... I'd rather you didn't... I'm just... I don't want you to see me crashing all day and making a fool out of myself-" As David continued, a sad frown slowly formed on Midnight's face while she silently stared back at him, "-I want you to see me when I can actually fly, you know? Besides, it's pretty boring stuff to watch. I mostly just try to hold some weights up with my wings. You'd get really bored." 

Midnight's stomach twisted. The knowledge that her lover didn't want her to be there to support him during his struggles burned like a scalding blade right through her heart, and it took everything in her willpower to not let the tears start pouring out. So she stood there, unmoved, and her expression as neutral as she could make it.

David noticed her saddening features almost immediately, and his brow quickly furrowed in worry.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.

"N-nothing, nothing. I just... wanted to spend some time with you today, is all..." She replied, casting her gaze to the side.

"Mid... I'll be back in a few hours. Don't worry, okay?" He said, still wearing concern on his features.

"Alright... I'll see you when you get back." Midnight replied, her voice lacking any of its normal luster.

"Okay," David gave a warm smile, "I really need to get going, but I promise that tonight, we'll do whatever you want." He said before turning around and heading out the door. He waved goodbye as he began to close said door behind him.

Seeing her opportunity quickly slipping away, Midnight reached out with a hoof to get his attention, "Wait, David!" She weakly called out, but the door closed just as she opened her mouth. 

She cringed as the door closed, and her hoof slowly fell back down to the floor. A depressed frown adorned her face, and she pawed at the hardwood for a few moments before muttering a curse under her breath. With David gone for the majority of the day, she had nothing else to do. Knowing full well that boredom would set in within a matter of minutes, she headed out the front door and watched as David hooked himself up to the wagon and headed off down the road, chatting up Storm Shield all the while.

"Dammit... Why is this so hard?" Midnight whispered to herself.

The early morning rays of sunshine kissed the world around her, and even though the serene lighting reflected a picture of content and warmth as she watched the two pegasi happily talk and trot, a feeling of bitter loneliness and pain made the graphite mare's heart ache. Alas, she cast her eyes downward and sank to her haunches. 

"Why won't he talk to me..?" She asked nopony in particular.

A single drop of liquid fell from her face and collided with the wood of her front porch below. Then another, and another. Soon, there was a small torrent of tears dripping down to the hardwood floor, and despite Midnight's best efforts, the cascade of liquid continued.

"M-maybe mom was right... Maybe I am jumping into this a little too quickly..." She whispered to herself.

Only when the sun disappeared behind a veil of cloud cover, and her tears were joined by the tiny pitter-patter of rain drops, did Midnight finally rise to her hooves and walk back inside her house. The tears didn't stop for some time after that.





David and Storm trotted along the country road leading to the open field as rain drizzled over their coats and matted their manes against their scalps. Despite the apparent turn of weather, they found conversation easy, and trotted along happily as the morning wore on.

"-So we met a Pacy's - he was shopping while I was... putting a slinky on the stairs. Hehe..." Storm finished explaining with a sheepish smile.

"Haha, so what, he saw you screwing around and just decided that 'Yep, she's the one'?" David teased.

"Pretty much, yeah. It only took us a few months to figure out that we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives, and well... the rest is history." 

"Nice. I'm glad you found him. It sounds like he makes you really happy." David replied.

"Oh yeah, he's the best. I hate having to see him go for work, but he makes it up to me every time he comes home." Storm replied in a dreamy tone.

David simply chuckled at her schoolgirl crush level of affection for her husband. Storm raised an eyebrow at him, before her face changed into a wide grin.

"And what about you and Midnight, mister 'hopeless romantic'? You and her have been going steady for months now. Any thoughts about making it permanent?" She coyly asked.

A hot blush immediately formed on David's face, and he quickly redirected his gaze at a passing tree as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world, "W-well... I mean... Maybe?" He stuttered.

"Maybe? Come on, Davey! You're practically head over hooves for her! And she's completely head over hooves for you! After what you two went through together, I'm honestly surprised you're not married already with a few foals running around." Storm chastised.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Midnight. I do! I really, really do. When I see her eyes sparkle in the morning light, or the way her coat feels against mine when we snuggle up with each other... The way she makes my heart beat faster just by looking at me... I would do anything for her... I just want to be sure that I can be the husband she deserves. I don't want her to marry me when I can barely hold a cup in my hooves, or just barely manage to get off the ground. She deserves better than that... I just want to be my best self before I ask her that." David thoughtfully explained.

Storm pursed her lips as she thought over his words. One thing quickly became apparent in the forefront of her mind, "Well... What are you afraid of? I mean, she fell in love with you when you were dying from Equestrian magic and couldn't remember what you had for breakfast each day. Why wouldn't she want to be with you when you can't do normal pegasus things yet?" She inquired.

"Because that's just it, Storm! I've been nothing but a burden to her this whole time. I mean, think about it! When I crashed here, she saved me. When the guard almost killed me, she spared me. When I was lost and confused, and all of Canterlot rejected me, she accepted me. And when I was on my literal deathbed, with the decision to save me resting entirely on her shoulders, she went against everything she believed in to give me another chance at life. Every time I've been down or needed help, she was the one that came to my rescue. I mean, fuck! If it weren't for her, I would have died three times over by now-" David explained, his tone growing louder and angrier with every word.

He stopped pulling the cart and simply spoke, prompting Storm to stop beside him and recoil slightly as his voice rose and rose with each sentence.

"-And the worst part is that she feels so goddamn guilty over that choice, over making me a pony, and I mean, being this way fucking sucks. It really does. I miss having hands! I miss having feet! I miss being able to grab things and not feel like a fucking child all the time, and every single day is a struggle! I get out of bed, and I can't tell you how many fucking times I've looked at the mirror and almost had a panic attack because I don't fucking recognize the face looking back at me!" He abruptly stopped, his gaze cast down at the ground.

"Davey... I-" Storm began.

"But that isn't the hardest part. Nothing about that is as hard to deal with as how upset she gets. I know she thinks I don't notice, but when I have my little moments, I can see it in her eyes... It's like every time I struggle, I can literally see her blame herself for doing this to me. Like every hardship I have to deal with is entirely her fault, and nothing hurts more than that. Hell, just ten minutes ago she asked to spend the day with me and I turned her down because I can't stand to see her watch me struggle... I love her, Stormy... I love her so much and I'd do anything to make her happy... That's why I have to do this without her. When I can finally stand on my own legs and show her that I'm not just some burden she has to take care of -  when I show her that I deserve the love that she has for me... then, I'll ask her to marry me." David finished, his breath heaving out slowly through the drizzling rain.

"D-Davey? Where is this coming from? Are... are you okay?" Storm hesitantly asked, a worried frown plastered on her face.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm sorry. It's been hard to keep my temper in check lately and I just kinda vented... God, I can't stop seeing it..." He trailed off.

Storm placed a worried hoof on David's wither, "Can't stop seeing what?"

"That look in her eyes, Storm... That hurt, stabbed-in-the-back look in Midnight's eyes this morning. It literally hurts to think about..." He muttered.

"Well, then let's call it off today and you can go back to her. Spend some time with her." Storm suggested.

"I want to! God knows I want to... But at the same time, I hate the idea of just being completely dependent on her for everything. That's why it's so important to me that I get this down. If I can show her that I can be a pony on my own, then I can show her that I deserve the second chance she gave me. If I tell her that though, it'll just break her heart... She won't understand that this is just something I need to do without her." 

"But, I've been the one training you this whole time... Learning to fly isn't exactly something you do on your own, Davey..." Storm said, her eyebrow cocked back in confusion.

"Well, yeah... But it's different. You're my best friend, Storm, but you're not Midnight. It's just... ugh, it's hard to explain." He replied, groaning in frustration all the while.

"Try me. We've got nothing but time." 

David took a few moments to gather his thoughts before sighing heavily and beginning.

"It's just... You know when you really, really love someone, and you know that they've seen you at your lowest, so you know that-ugh, no no no.... That's not it... It's like... God Dammit!" He angrily shouted, stomping his hoof into the ground, splashing a fair amount of mud and water all over his barrel in the process.

"Davey. Relax. Breathe. Breathe and tell me what exactly you're trying to say here." Storm chastised.

David sighed heavily again, "I just... I just want to surprise her by showing her that I can adapt to this body, that I can deal with what happened to me, and that I can move forward. I know it doesn't really make sense, but I just want to do something on my own power to show her that I deserve what she's done for me..." 

"Well, don't you think that having her out here with you to support you would still accomplish the same goal?" Storm asked.

"I mean... Trust me, I want her there to support me... I do... It's just..." He trailed off.

"Davey, I feel like you're not being completely honest with me here." Storm sternly asserted.

David hung his head low and sighed again, "I just... I don't want her to see me fail again... On my planet, a man is supposed to be strong, dependable, and protective. So far, I've been weak while she's had to be strong for me... I've had to depend on her when she didn't need to depend on me for anything... And as for protection? God... If it weren't for her, I don't know where I'd be now. She's everything I'm supposed to be, and I feel like every time she has to help me with something, it's like I lose a little more of what I'm supposed to be for her. Every time she has to come to my aid, it feels like I don't deserve her." 

"Davey, you know that's just not true. Midnight loves you! I mean, have you seen the way she looks at you? It's like puppy-dog love but real. So what if you're not the macho man that you always wanted to be? At the end of the day, if you have a mare that loves and cares for you, isn't that all that matters?"  

David's brow furrowed as small rivulets of water streamed down his face. 

"It's not about what I want... It's about what she deserves..." He muttered, his gaze aimed at his hoofprint in the mud.

"Yeah? And what if you are exactly what she deserves? Flaws and all?" Storm asked, giving David and uncharacteristically intense look.

"Storm... I don't-" David started.

"No! Look at me." Storm commanded. David slowly lifted his head until he was looking into Storm's emerald eyes, "You are probably my closest friend, Davey. I've seen you at your lowest, and at your highest. One thing that stayed the same throughout all of those peaks and valleys, was how much you care about her. I've never seen two ponies more meant for each other. Go back there right now and tell her that." 

David dropped his gaze to the dirt once more and pawed at a small stone with his hoof for a moment before turning back to face their house. The faint light of the front porch still shown in the misty rain, and after only a few moments of deliberation, David bit down on the strap connecting him to the wagon and unfastened himself. He turned around and broke into a full gallop back towards his home.

Rain pelted his coat as his hooves pounded against the gravel road, and he pushed all of his power into the fastest gallop he could muster. Within a minute, he was back in the front yard, and running up the steps of the front porch. He panted heavily from the exertion and pounded on the front door like his life depended on it. A few moments later, the front door was meekly pulled back open to reveal two bloodshot eyes with sapphire irises. 

"D-David?" Midnight asked, clearly taken off guard by his sudden reappearance.

David did not reply, instead, he pulled the door open with his hoof and pressed forward through the now-open doorway. Midnight was again caught off guard by his sudden ability to use his hooves, and she struggled to find any words as he drew closer. Just as she was about to speak, David cut her off by grabbing her by the withers and pulling her into a deep kiss. Her eyes shot wide open at first, but as the kiss persisted, they slowly fluttered shut, and her withers sagged as she felt her body literally swoon from the raw emotion behind the kiss.

As their lips connected over and over again, David wrapped his hooves around Midnight's back and gently pulled her in closer. She almost hurriedly pushed herself into it, even through his damp and soggy coat. The water soaked into hers all the same, and she couldn't even be bothered to notice it as the only thing that held her focus was the strong, almost intimidating pegasus stallion kissing her as if it was the last time.

Eventually, his lips pulled away from hers, and Midnight felt him gently place his forehead against hers. 

"I-I think I needed that..." She whispered.

"Mid... I am so sorry. I should have asked you to come with us from the very start." He replied, his voice also a whisper.

"It's okay, real-" She began.

"No. It's not okay. I'm going through the biggest change in my life right now and I was trying to keep you out of it for so long. You've been nothing but good to me ever since I met you. You're the best thing in my life and I would do anything to make you happy... I love you so much that it hurts, and I can't believe it took me so long to realize that what I was doing was the exact opposite of what I wanted to do." He explained, interjecting her in the process. 

"But... David, I don't understand." She replied

David squeezed her just a little tighter, "I've been able to pick things up for over a week now... And I kinda flew for the first time yesterday..."

He felt Midnight go just a bit ridged in his forelegs.

"And I know that you wanted to help me more than anything, but the thing is... I'm having a real hard time adjusting to being a pony. I miss a lot about being human... It's a struggle every day for me, and I know that you feel guilty for taking that choice from me, but the thing is, I would rather suffer through that for the rest of my life than push you away." He explained.

"But... I still don't understand?" She pressed.

"Mid... you're my hero. My personal, honest to god, hero. You've stolen my heart and I would die for you... But that's just the thing..." He sighed heavily, "I just... I just wanted to surprise you and give you a reason to be proud of me. I know you've said that I'm not a burden on you, but sometimes... it's just impossible for me to not feel like I am. Even since I got here you've been the one constant in my life that has held me together... And I don't think I've been that for you... That's why I didn't tell you, and why I didn't want you there with us... I got it in my head that if I could succeed without you, then I could prove to myself that I do deserve you... But instead, all I was doing was hurting the best mare in my life... And I'm so sorry for that." He finished, his voice shaky and horse all the while.

Midnight was taken aback. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and the aching pain in her heart quickly blossomed into a beautiful tingling sensation.

"David..." She breathed, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm so lucky to have you... You're everything to me..." David whispered, burying his muzzle in her mane.

Midnight wrapped her hooves around his barrel as best she could and squeezed him closer. Tears streaked out of her eyes once again, but for the first time in a while, they were tears of joy.

"Oh, David... I'm sorry too." 

"No. You have nothing to apologize for. You are perfect in every way and I love you." David cooed, stroking her mane with his hoof.

Midnight blushed at the compliment and melted further into his embrace.

"I should have been more understanding though... I didn't realize that doing something on your own mattered so much to you." Midnight pressed.

"It is a big deal to me... But you had no way to know. I've been downright terrible at communication these last few weeks." David relented.

Midnight chuckled slightly into his chest, "I think we've both been pretty bad at communication lately, huh?" 

"Yeah... Promise to be more open with each other?" David asked.

"It's a promise." She whispered.

"Good. I love you, Mid." 

"I love you too, David."

They held each other for a few moments before finally relenting the hug and looking into each other's eyes again.

"So... what now?" Midnight asked.

"Now, we do whatever you want. We can go out in the rain and I can make a damn fool out of myself while you and Storm watch me, or we can spend the day here and just be us for a bit." David replied.

Midnight smiled. It was a normal, everyday kind of smile, but something about it tugged at David's heartstrings, and he couldn't help put pull her into another tight hug. She happily reciprocated the action, and soon enough, they were simply sitting on their haunches in the doorway, one soaking wet and dampening the other with each passing second. She didn't mind though, if anything, it only made her feel warmer.
> Chapter 6: I'll be your wings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

David eagerly flapped his wings to gain more altitude as the morning sun warmed the world around him. He effortlessly soared higher and higher into the air until he was hovering several hundred feet above the ground. He looked out at the gorgeous scenery of Equestria as it spanned out in front of him. A grin quickly formed on his face and he purposefully flapped his wings to gain some forward momentum.  Within seconds, he was flying at considerable speed, and the landmarks of Equestria breezed past him.

Canterlot, Ponyville, Apploosa, and even Las Pegasus blew past him as he accelerated to speeds unheard of by a mere pegasus. His mane swept back in the breeze, and despite the rushing air making his eyes water, he couldn't help but smile brightly as he flew. Even the world around him turned into a blur as his movement became fast as lightning.

Despite the thrill of actually flying like a pegasus was supposed to, David couldn't help but notice a faint mist to his left. It was a dark bluish color, that instantly reminded him of when he was lost in the fog during so many dreams all those months ago.

"Wait a sec... Is this a dream?" He thought to himself.

Immediately, his wings were gone, and instead of his red coat, he saw skin and hands again. 

"Oh fuck, not agaaaaaaaaaain!" He shouted as he plummeted downward.

The whistling wind rippled past him as he fell towards the Earth. Buildings that were once small and tiny were growing larger with each passing second, and once again, David found himself desperately trying to stop himself. 

"It's a dream, it's a dream, it's a dream, it's a dream!" He shouted to himself, but to no avail. 

Even with his knowledge, he continued to fall, and the ground below only grew larger. 

"Oh for fuck's sake! Why can't I do anything!?" 

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" A voice spoke in a disturbingly calm tone to his left.  

David immediately turned to face the source of the voice to find none other than the Princess of the Night herself, falling alongside him, her mane and tail sweeping back in the updraft.

"Luna!?" He shouted.

"There's no need to yell, David. I'm right here." She replied, lighting her horn up all the while. 

Not a second later, they both stopped in mid air. David hastily looked around to find them only a few feet above the ground. A moment later, they both dropped. Luna landed gracefully on her hooves while David belly flopped onto the grass below. 

"Ugh..." He groaned.

"Oh, come now. You can't feel pain in a dream, David. I know that little fall didn't hurt." Luna teased.

David pushed himself off his stomach and rolled onto his back.

"I know... Just sick of this dream is all. Thanks for saving me by the way... Wait, how are you even here? I thought you couldn't get into my dreams?" David asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Well, suffice to say that I finally figured out why I couldn't enter your dreams before and so I decided to try with my newfound knowledge, and to my surprise, I arrived just in time. You fall most elegantly, by the way." Luna chuckled.

"Ugh... yeah. What was the reason you couldn't get into my dreams before though? I'm actually kinda curious now." He asked, shuffling up into a sitting position.

"Well, as you know, I could not interact with you in your dreams when you were human. However, as time progressed, and your body absorbed more and more Equestrian magic, I was able to get closer and closer to your subconscious. If you recall, I did see one of your memories," At David's nod, she continued, "Well, I came to the realization that the reason I could not truly interact with you on a dream level was simply due to a lack of a magical presence in your body."

David tilted his head to the side, "Wait, I thought you said that you could see more because I was absorbing magic?"

"Indeed. That's exactly what the problem was. The magic was being absorbed by your body in a destructive manner. It completely bypassed any natural pathways of magical travel throughout the body and wrecked havoc instead. As such, I simply could not communicate with you the way I can with every other creature. However, once you became a pony, and magic began to correctly flow through you, that doorway was opened. Now, I can enter your dreams just like I would any other pony in Equestria." Luna explained, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Well... It's good to see you, Luna. Thanks for dropping in on me. That would've been the second time I would've gone splat in the last few weeks." David replied.

"You mean you've had this dream before?" She asked, clearly intrigued.

"Yeah. It was not a good time. I kinda figured it had something to do with the fact that I still can't really fly or do things like a normal pony would." 

"Hmm... I am sorry to hear that. I shall monitor your dreams more carefully from now on. I do not wish for one of my friends to suffer in their slumber. I already regret those months you suffered through when I could do nothing to help you." She replied, slightly downtrodden.

"Hey now, don't you worry about it. I'm just glad you're here now." David replied, reaching out and scratching Luna's ear with his hand.

Luna's eyes immediately widened and she froze. After a microsecond, David realized what he was doing and retracted his hand. 

"Shit... Uh, sorry. Forgot I wasn't supposed to do that." He apologized, casting his gaze to the ground like a child that was caught stealing from the cookie jar. 

Luna did nothing for a moment, until a smirk found its way on her face. 

"You are bold, I will give you that. Not many creatures would touch royalty so casually, even in a dream. That said..." She leaned down until her head was just a few inches away from his, "I did not give you permission to stop."

David's eyes widened before Luna's horn lit up, and his hand was pulled back up to her ear. He immediately scratched at her ear and on the base of her scalp, causing her eyes to flutter closed and her body to lean closer to his. David smiled at the effect his efforts were having and brought his other hand to Luna's neglected ear. She softly hummed as his fingers dug into her fur and softly scratched at her ears. 

Casting any hesitation aside, Luna pressed herself forward and nuzzled her head against David's chest, causing him to chuckle. He brought one hand down to her neck and lightly scratched along her jugular. She let out a soft coo of encouragement before leaning more of her weight into him, causing David to lean back slightly. After a moment, he leaned all the way back until he was laid flat on the ground. Luna laid down with her head resting on top of his chest, and he continued to scratch. 

For a while, they just laid there, both content to scratch and be scratched. However, a thought popped up in David's head that made him pause.

"Huh... I really miss doing this with Midnight." David said, sadly.

Luna's eye opened at looked over at David while he continued to scratch, "Hmm?"

"Ah, nothing. It's just that I haven't been able to do this since I was human. I kind of miss it. You guys are always so adorable when you lean into it and practically force my hands." He replied with a light chuckle.

Luna blushed for a moment, and she cast her gaze away from him, "W-well... It's not our fault it feels so nice... Besides, Tia told me that your fingers felt divine whenever you scratched her ears... Although, I can see why you'd miss doing this with Midnight." 

"Yeah... Sometimes I wish I could go back, you know? Things were a little simpler when I was just the wayward alien living with her and we just did whatever we wanted." He replied, a smile readorning his face through the reminiscing. 

Luna smirked, "Hmm... As I seem to recall, it was because of me that Midnight had the free time to spend with you."

"Hehe, yeah. Thank you for that." 

"You can repay me by continuing to scratch my ears, thank you." She replied, matter-of-factly.

David chuckled again and continued to give each ear attention, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were really only here for scratches and petting." 

Another hot blush formed on Luna's cheeks, "I-I am not! I have a completely valid reason for being here that concerns both you and Midnight." She hastily replied.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" 

"It has to do with a certain crystal that Midnight acquired for you." 

"What crystal? I didn't know she got a crystal for me." David said, tilting his head to the side.

"You didn't? Oh... That is... unfortunate."

David paused his scratching, much to Luna's dismay.

"How is that unfortunate? What's the deal with the crystal anyways?" David asked, sounding much more invested.

Luna pouted from the lack of scratches, but continued nonetheless, "Well... The crystal she was searching for has the potential power to make you human again-"

David immediately sat up, unintentionally shoving Luna off his chest in the process, "What?!"

"Oof... Um... yes. The crystal she was searching for has the potential power to turn you back into a human, however, there are some complicated issues involving said crystal. That is why I came to your dream tonight." Luna explained after landing on the ground.

"How? What issues? Tell me!" David exclaimed.

"Calm down, David. I promise to explain everything I know. As for the how, the crystal is made of a particular subsection of dangerous chaos magic found only in one location: The Island of Magicae Artes Earumque. It's said to be the birthplace of life and magic." Luna explained.

"Alright, so what are these 'issues' you were talking about?" He asked, using air quotes.

"Well... Not much is known of the Island, other than the fact that it is extremely dangerous, if not perilous, to travel there. As such, not much is known of the crystals native to the island. Their presence in Equestria is extremely rare and dangerous."

"How are they dangerous?" 

"The few times my sister and I have seen these crystals in Equestria, they have began to rot and decompose within a matter of weeks. We don't understand why. Every time we've seen one, it was gone before we had a chance to properly study it, and going to the island is a perilous task at best. Staying there for prolonged study is even more dangerous. The magical nature of the island has been known to drive ponies insane and sometimes... outright kill them." Luna explained.

There was a moment of silence between them as David processed Luna's words.

"... And you were just gonna sit there and let me scratch your ears all night instead of telling me all that?" David replied.

"Well... It's not particularly dangerous unless a pony attempts to cast a spell through the crystal. Also, I can tell that you're still a pony at the moment, and I know for a fact that Midnight is dreaming right now, so I thought we had some time before it became truly pertinent that I inform you." She said.

"Alright... So what would happen if Midnight tried to cast a spell through the crystal? I mean, how long has she even had it?" David asked.

"As far as I am aware, Twilight gave the crystal to Midnight about two weeks ago. As for how long it has been in Equestria and off of the Island, I cannot say. As for what would happen... It depends on how long the crystal has been off the island. For all we know, it could turn you back into a human... or it could outright kill you. You're entire body could be vaporized down to the last atoms, and that's not even beginning to scratch the surface of all the magical abnormalities that could happen. You could be turned to stone, you could be liquidized, you could turn into a gas-"

"Alright, I get it. So what you're saying is that it's super dangerous and I shouldn't do it." David cut her off.

"Well... no. Not exactly," At David's confused look, she continued, "The reason I'm telling you all of this is so that you are acutely aware of the risks involved. From what Tia has told me, it appears Midnight has been suffering a great deal of guilt after what happened with you and this was her attempt at rectifying it. As for you, I know that the transformation has been difficult for you and attempting to learn how to be a completely different species is quite a challenge, so I completely understand why you might want to take the risk and tell her to go for it." She explained.

David's eyes scanned the floor for a moment before replying.

"So what should I do? I mean, what if the crystal's only been here since the day Midnight got it and it'll work just fine? Should I just take the risk and tell her to do it?" He asked.

"I'm afraid that the answer to that question depends entirely on your answer to another. Do you want to be human again? If the answer is yes, and you desire your humanity enough to risk what you have now, then the answer to your question should be obvious. However, if you are still unsure, then I would recommend you follow my advice." 

"Which is?" 

"Listen to your heart. It's never steered you wrong before, David." Luna's voice was soft and kind, almost reminding him of lavender.

"Hehe, you sure you're not Cadence in disguise?" He asked with a half grin.

Luna giggled, "I don't believe Cadence can enter dreams, David. Now, think on what I've said. You have a good heart, perhaps one of the best I've had the pleasure of knowing over my long life. Do what you think is right, and I, my sister, and especially Midnight, will support you." 

David reached out and pulled Luna into a tight hug. She happily reciprocated, and for a moment, the dream was quiet. It was destined to be short, however, and they eventually pulled away from each other.

"Thank you, Luna. I really have missed seeing you these last few months. I'll have to stop by the castle soon and say hi to you and Tia." David said, a friendly smile adorning his face.

"I wouldn't miss that for the world, David. I must go now, but in the meantime, think on what I've said. I only want the best for you and Midnight." She replied, an equally wide smile on her face as well.

"I will. Goodnight, Luna." 

"And a good night to you, David." 

With that, Luna's horn flashed a brilliant white light, and the world began to fade away. Within seconds, there was nothing but a bright light, then, darkness. 





David awoke to the sound of birds chirping in the window. He blinked his eyes open and looked around to find himself in bed. He glanced to his right to find Midnight's sleeping face just a few inches away from his. He couldn't help but smile at the peaceful look on her face and how her ears adorably twitched every few seconds. He gently brought his hoof over to her cheek and lightly stroked the soft, short fur on her face. Her eyes began to twitch as the soft, stroking motion against her cheek began to rouse her from sleep.

A moment later, her gorgeous sapphire eyes fluttered open, and focused on his. A smile instantly found its way onto her face, and she leaned into his hoof with a content sigh.

"Hey there, gorgeous." David whispered.

"Hey, handsome. How did you sleep?" She asked, her voice also a whisper.

"Like a rock. How about you?"

"Same." She replied.

"Good," David leaned forward and kissed her lips, "I want to talk about something with you today, but first, I want to make you breakfast. You wait here. I'll be right back." He said, keeping his muzzle just an inch away from hers.

"Oh? And what's the occasion for such generous treatment?" She asked, cocking her eyebrow in mock scrutiny.

"I just thought you looked so beautiful that I wanted to do something nice for you." He replied with a cheeky smile.

With that, he hopped out of the bed and trotted down the stairs, leaving a smiling Midnight behind. He found his way into the kitchen and pulled out two skillets to put on the burner. With an effortless flick of his hoof, the stove top came to life, and a flame appeared under each respective pan. 

"Huh? I'm really starting to get the hang of this." He offhandedly mentioned.

David quickly made his way over to the refrigerator and pulled out several eggs, along with some hay bacon and a carton of orange juice. He hooked his foreleg around the bacon and juice while simultaneously holding the eggs in the fetlock of his hoof. He walked back over to the stove on three legs and set the eggs down on the counter, immediately followed by the items hooked in his foreleg. With careful attention to how much pressure he was putting on the eggs, he cracked them over the skillet, one at a time until they were all sizzling. He moved to search the pantry for some cooking foil, and found a sheet just above the stove. He removed a large enough section and covered the skillet to trap the heat before stepping away.

Taking a moment to admire his hoof work, David set about his next task and pulled out the hay bacon. He set a hoof-full of pieces down on the other skillet, and a relaxing crackling of heating bacon soon filled his ears. He removed the foil on the other skillet and glanced at the eggs to find them ready to eat. A smile graced his lips before he turned the heat off and deposited the eggs on a plate near the stove. A moment later, he retrieved a glass from the pantry and filled it with the orange juice. 

The tell-tale sign of bacon crisping alerted his nose to it's presence, and David hastily removed the skillet from the oven before depositing the bacon on the same plate as the eggs. He scratched his chin in thought for a moment before heading over to the pantry and retrieving a blueberry muffin to place at the edge of the plate. Lastly, he returned to the fridge to retrieve a hoof-full of strawberries and washed them in the sink. He bit down on a knife and removed the tops of each strawberry before finally relocating them to the plate. 

With a happy sigh, David admired his work and the smell it was putting off. He only enjoyed it for a second before withdrawing a fork and knife from a drawer and placing them on the plate. Lastly, he retrieved a tray from the cabinet and slid the plate and juice onto it with extreme care. He gently arranged himself under the trey and hefted it up with his wings, careful not to spill any of his hard work. With an extremely satisfied sigh, he headed for the stairs and began to climb. He tilted the trey just so that its contents wouldn't spill, and made his way up to Midnight's room. 

Upon entering the room,he was confronted by a gratefully smiling Midnight, who, by the looks of things, could smell breakfast coming a mile away.

"Hey there." He said.

"Hey." She replied, her mouth already watering.

David suppressed a chuckle at her demeanor and made his way over to the bed.

"So uh, I managed to make everything, but I don't want to risk spilling anything all over you, so uh... could you magic this off my back?" He asked, a sheepish smile adorning his face.

Midnight giggled and took the trey in her magic. She gently set it down over her stomach and eyed each item with an intense gaze of longing.

"Wow, David... You really know how to cook. I wish I had you make food more often now." She mused.

"Well, if there's one thing I learned in the Army, it's that if you let leadership know you're good at a certain job, you're gonna have to do that job on top of your normal job too." He replied with a chuckle.

Midnight tore her gaze away from the food and stared at him with a slack-jawed expression, "Wait... So you pretended to not know how to cook... So that you wouldn't ever have to?" 

"That and I just love your cooking." He answered, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck with his hoof.

Midnight stared at him, dumbstruck for a few moments before her mind rebooted, "You are... either the slyest stallion I've ever met in my entire life, or just a huge jerk... Right now I'm leaning towards the former, but ONLY because you made me breakfast in bed." 

David beamed a bright smile back at her, "Well then, I guess there's only one thing left for you to do. Try it!" He exclaimed.

Midnight needed no second invitation and brought her magic to the fork. She eagerly attacked the breakfast from all angles, and within a few minutes, it was completely gone.

David simply stared with wide eyes, "Uh... wow... I guess you were hungry."

"Like you wouldn't believe." She replied with a happy sigh.

Midnight magic'd the tray off her stomach and over to the side of the bed before leaning over and planting a kiss on David's muzzle. He lightly chuckled at the affection before leaning forward and nuzzling his cheek against hers. She returned the gesture in earnest, and soon they lovingly rested their heads on each other's withers.

"You know, I'm not sure why this feels so nice. By all accounts, my neck should be straining right now, but this just feels nice." David mentioned.

"Hmm, just enjoy a good thing, David..." Midnight whispered.

For a while, they just stayed there, happy to be close to each other and to feel each other. 


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David placed the last of the used dishes in the sink and let the water wash over them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark blur, and a moment later, he received a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for breakfast, David. You're the best." She whispered in his ear with a playful tone.

David shivered from the proximity of her soothing voice to his sensitive ear, and leaned his head over towards her. She eagerly nuzzled her cheek against his once more, and finished with a chaste kiss on his lips. 

"So, about that thing you wanted to talk to me about..." She trailed off.

"Right. Here, let's sit down in the living room." He replied.

A moment later, they were both seated on the couch and facing each other. David took a deep breath before focusing his attention completely on Midnight, and began.

"Alright, we need to talk about something you went and did, Midnight." He said, his voice was soft and caring, lacking in any kind of maliciousness.

"What... did I do?" She asked, suddenly concerned.

"It's about the crystal you got from Twilight. Before you ask, I talked to Luna in my dream last night and she told me all about it. Where it came from, what it's supposed to do, and why you wanted it." He replied.

Midnight had a blank look on her face. She tried to think of something to say, but words wouldn't come out, and she cast her gaze to the floor.

"I really can't seem to keep anything from you, can I?" She asked, almost mournfully.

"Mid, talk to me. Please... I want to hear it from you, not from someone else." David said, softly placing his hoof over hers.

Midnight took a few seconds to respond, but she did not shy away from his touch, in fact, she leaned down and rested her head on David's hoof, "I just... I just wanted to give you a choice... After what happened, I just kept having this feeling in my gut that deep down... you resent me for making that choice for you. Every time I see you struggle and fail at being a pony, it feels like I'm the reason... and I hate that..." She trailed off, her eyes cast to the floor.

"Mid... I-" David began.

"I just... It's just that every time you tell me that you feel like a burden, I feel like it's my fault... Like I chose to cripple you rather than lose you because I just couldn't deal with that pain again... What I did to you might just be considered worse than murder... I took away your humanity... I took away what made you who you are because I didn't want to be alone again..." She trailed off again, this time with fresh tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey, stop it," David firmly replied, "You stop that right now-" At her quizzical gaze, he continued, "You stop blaming yourself for that Right Now. You didn't take anything from me, except for my heart. Did becoming a pony suck? Yes. It was a complete change from everything I've ever known, and I'd be lying if I said that I expected it or was prepared for it in any kind of way. That said, you didn't just save me... you gave me a fresh start. My humanity... that died with my friends on that ship... What you fell in love with, that was all that was left of me. I had nothing. No friends, no family, no home, but you... you gave me all three."

David leaned forward and placed a kiss on her muzzle.

"All my life... I've never really felt like I belonged. I know I said that I joined Nebula to make my dad proud, and to an extent, that's true... but that's not the whole truth. A big part of me wanted a fresh start.. That's the real reason I joined up with Nebula and left my life behind... and those guys... they were the only family I cared for after that. When they died, I fell into a pit of despair and guilt, but you pulled me out. You were strong when I was weak. You made a choice, that never should have been thrown on you in the the first place, but you did all the same... And I know it's hard to believe... but for the first time in my life, I honestly, truly feel like I belong." He finished, wiping away a lone tear of his own.

Midnight's lips trembled as his words registered in her head completely, and she hardly even noticed the tears freely streaming down her cheeks. She hesitantly cast her gaze to the nightstand next to the couch and her horn lit in a pale sapphire light. The middle drawer opened, and an ebony crystal quickly levitated over to her.

"B-but... You c-can have your hum-manity back... You can be h-human again..." She whispered through heavy sniffles.

"I don't want it." He replied, his tone soft and kind.

Midnight's eyes snapped wide open, and she fixed her gaze squarely into David's chocolate orbs, "B-but... really?"

David leaned forward until his muzzle was just an inch away from hers, "For the first time in my life, I can honestly say, without a shadow of a doubt, that the only thing I want, I already have." He replied, punctuating his sentence with a tender kiss on her soft lips.

That was all it took for the damn to break, and Midnight's horn fizzled out, unceremoniously dropping the crystal on the floor. She almost desperately wrapped her hooves around his neck and pulled him in closer, deepening the kiss. Unlike most of their kisses before, there was a distinct lack of lust behind it. Rather, the raw love pouring out from each of their hearts simply melded together in the shape of a kiss, and their bodies were merely along for the ride. 

Midnight's entire body went slack, and all the tension evaporated away while her eyes softly closed. David followed soon after, and his body slightly sagged. His neck only retained enough strength to keep his lips connected with hers.

The kiss continued for only a few seconds, but for them, it might as well have been an eternity. When their lips finally parted, a hot blush was present on both of their faces, and they felt distinctly warmer than a few moments prior. 

"So... you're sure about this? If we don't go through with it, then you might never get another chance to be human again." Midnight said, breaking the silence.

"I'm sure. I don't need to be human to be happy. I just need you."
> Chapter 7: Flight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Friday


"So is your dad overprotective too? Or is it kinda just your mom?" David asked.

"Well, Dad has been really laid back ever since he retired, but Mom is just a different animal. She was really tough on Cobalt when I first brought him home, but that was over after about a week." Midnight replied, peeking an eye out from behind her newspaper.

"Alright, alright... good... that's good." 

Midnight raised an eyebrow.

"You're not nervous, are you?" She asked, a hint of playfulness present in her voice.

"What, me? Never! I've never been nervous before in my entire life... Okay maybe once, but not right now!" David hastily replied.

A crooked grin formed on Midnight's lips, and she couldn't help but giggle at the obvious lie.

"Hehe, you're just as bad as I am, big guy." 

"Eh, I can't help it. I haven't had to meet my significant other's parents in over a hundred and fifty years. Let's just say that dads that try to scare teenagers with shotguns when they're taking their daughter to prom need to just die out." David said, his brow furrowing in disdain. 

"Don't worry, big guy. My Dad is really nice, and I'm fairly certain he doesn't have a 'shotgun'." She teased with air quotes.

"Yeah, fair enough. Maybe he'll be super cool and we'll end up being best bros." David replied with a shrug.

"That's the spirit!" Midnight cheered.

As they rode along in the Canterlot train, heading to Ponyville, the soft clouds parted over the land, and brilliant sunlight once again filtered through onto the world below. Rays of light peered into the cabin of the train while David and Midnight happily chatted away, and the world around them began to shine. 

"Hey, sun's out." David remarked, his gaze pointed out the window.

"Perfect. It's about time. The weather schedule said the rain was only supposed to last until Thursday. I was kinda worried when we left and it was still super cloudy out." Midnight replied, her gaze also taking in the light.

"Yeah. That would have put a damper on our plans with your parents, wouldn't it?" 

"Well, the plan right now is for them to meet us at the train, and then we'll go out to lunch and just talk and catch up. After that, they wanted to show you around Ponyville a little and I wanted to get with Twilight to thank her for finding that crystal for me." Midnight explained.

"Alright. Wait... You're leaving me alone with them?" David asked, a slight amount of panic rising in his gut.

"It'll only be for a little bit, David. Besides, it's not like they're gonna hurt you or anything. They probably just want to get some one-on-one time with you." She dismissed.

"More like two-on-one. Mid, you can't leave me exposed like that! What if I do something stupid? I'm gonna be the butt of every joke they make for the rest of my life!" He returned, waving his hooves around for emphasis.

"David..." Midnight deadpanned, "Come on now. You know that won't happen. Contrary to what you might think, you're not that bad at first impressions..." She trailed off, "With a... few exceptions."

"Oh, you mean like when the guard attacked me, when I tried to pick a fight with a dude in a crowd of like, fifty ponies, or when I scared you and you got a concussion from running into a wall?" David sarcastically replied.

"Like I said... a few exceptions... Hey, but you managed to make all four of the princesses like you, so you're already doing better than half of Equestria!" She exclaimed, a proud smile on her face.

"Well... I mean, Twilight is just predisposed to like me because I'm an alien. Tia and Luna... well I think they were more afraid of me starting an invasion if they didn't get on my good side, and as for Cadence... well, she's just impossible not to like, I mean, her whole thing is getting ponies to fall in love. Who could hate that?" He replied, shrugging all the while.

"Details, details, details. At the end of the day, does any of that really matter?" 

David smirked, "No, no I guess it doesn't." 

"Exactly. So could you please relax? You're gonna love my parents and they're gonna love you. I mean, they kinda have to. I do and they can't really tell me 'no' anymore so you're gonna be a part of their lives whether they like it or not. It's in their best interest to like you." Midnight finished with a dismissive wave of her hoof.

David chewed his lip in thought for a moment before giving an indecisive shrug and nodding. Midnight smiled at her victory and the cabin fell into a pleasant silence. They both took to simply watching the scenery pass by outside as their train chugged along on its way to Ponyville. 


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The train pulled into the Ponyville train station and came to a screeching halt. The doors opened, and dozens of ponies began exiting while a few dozen more began to board. In the midst of the crowd Ardent and Sapphire stood, waiting for Midnight and David to pop out of the crowd. After a moment, they saw Midnight's ebony mane peeking through the multicolored crowd, and they called out to her.

"Midnight!" 

David and Midnight swiveled their heads towards the source of the noise and spotted them near the edge of the crowd.

"Hey guys!" Midnight called back, "Alright, there they are, let's get out of this crowd."

"Already on it." David replied as he navigated through the crowd.

After a few moments, Midnight and David arrived on the other side of the crowd, and approached her parents. She quickly wrapped each of them in a hug before taking a step back. 

"Alright, so mom, dad, this is David." She said, motioning with her hoof.

"It's great to meet you both. Mid's been telling me all about you guys for the last week. I'm glad we could finally meet." David said, addressing the pair of thestrals.

Sapphire squinted slightly as if she was trying to get a better look at him while Ardent gave a wide, toothy grin, "And it's a pleasure to meet you, David. We've been really looking forward to getting to know you for the last week." He replied.

"Yes... yes we have." Sapphire added, still squinting slightly at David.

David nervously glanced back and forth between Ardent and Sapphire before Midnight awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Well, anyways, let's go guys. This platform is getting kinda stuffy." She said, ushering the group over to the off ramp.

Ardent quickly picked up on her tactics and joined in, "Right, right, come on then. We have quite a day ahead of us." He said, wrapping a wing around his wife and pulling her closer to him.

The group headed out of the train station and made its way through Ponyville with Ardent holding Sapphire behind David and Midnight.

"Honey, could you please be a little more approachable?" Ardent whispered.

"What? I'm just getting a feel for him, dear." Sapphire replied, matter-of-factly.

"Yes, well, maybe you could get a better 'feel' for him if you were a little more conversational next time?" 

Sapphire sighed, "Alright, Ardent. You're right. I'll give him a chance." 

Ardent nuzzled his wife and planted a soft kiss on her muzzle.

"Thank you. Just remember, Midnight's not a filly anymore. She can make her own decisions about who she dates."

"I know, I know. Sometimes it's just hard for me to believe that. It feels like just yesterday she was this big..." Sapphire replied, holding her hoof a foot off the ground while she walked.

"I know, honey." Ardent replied, nuzzling her once more.

Meanwhile, in the front of the group, David and Midnight walked side by side as he took in the sights. While David was used to large crowds and multitudes of different species running around and making a general ruckus as far as the eye could see, there were almost no ponies out and about. Even the few that were out seemed to be absorbed in their tasks and day to day work. 

"Huh, Ponyville really is a quite little place, isn't it?" David asked.

"Yeah, there's only a few hundred ponies that live here. The population is almost exclusively Earth ponies, but there are a few unicorns and pegasi here and there." Midnight replied.

"What about griffons? Haven't seen one of them since we left Canterlot."

"Ponyville is pretty much all ponies. I think I remember something about a zebra living out in the forest, but as far as other races, my parents are about as exotic as it gets around here." She replied with a shrug.

"Ah, I see. Well, that's cool I guess. I get why they moved here then. This place is really quiet. Must be really peaceful here." David remarked.

"It is for the most part, although I'm sure Twilight would tell you otherwise." Midnight shrugged.

"Yeah, Twilight did say that some weird stuff tends to happen here from time to time." David admitted.

"You don't know the half of it!" Ardent chimed in, earning both David and Midnight's attention. "It feels like every week there's some kind of monster attack or impending doom that almost wrecks half the town." He chuckled.

David paused in his step, forcing Midnight to stop beside him, lest she continue without him. "Wait, seriously?" He asked.

Ardent and Sapphire continued to walk between and around David and Midnight.

"Oh yeah! We'll have to swap stories over lunch. Come on!" Ardent responded, nodding his head toward the town.

David looked over to Midnight to find her giving him a playful shrug before she followed after the pair of thestrals. David shook his head in confusion for a moment before following behind.

With that, the group made its way further into town. David and Midnight again ended up side by side while Ardent and Sapphire did the same, only this time they led from the front. As they all walked, the soft sounds of birds chirping along with colts and fillies playing in the playground flitted around the town. Midnight glanced over at the school and saw a filly playing with her mother by the swing-set. She couldn't help the warm feeling in her chest as she observed, and a soft smile soon graced her lips.

"What'cha looking at?" David asked, glancing at the playground.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, nothing." Midnight replied, quickly casting her gaze to the ground while a small blush formed on her cheeks. 

David raised an eyebrow before shrugging it off and proceeding forward. Within a few moments, the group arrived at a building that looked like a giant gingerbread house. David stopped in place just to stare at the utter monstrosity of a building before being pulled along by a smirking Midnight.

"Alright! Sugarcube Corner! Here we are." Ardent proudly proclaimed.

"Uh... is the gimmick here that the whole building is edible or something?" David asked, barely keeping his dumbstruck look from turning into one of disgust.

"Haha! No, no, the building isn't edible. It wouldn't exactly last very long if that was the case. No, this place is run by Mr. and Ms. Cake and their friend Pinkie Pie. They make the best cupcakes this side of Equestria," Ardent explained before leaning closer to David, "But between you and me, don't get the 'Rainbow' cupcakes. They're uh, not exactly the best."

David slowly nodded before leaning away from Ardent and towards Midnight.

"Am I gonna get murdered in there or something? Seriously, this place screams 'serial killer'." He whispered into her ear.

Midnight chuckled and lightly punched David's wither, "Stop it, you. Come on, let's go inside." 

David shrugged and followed behind while Ardent, Sapphire and Midnight led the way inside. Upon entering the building, he saw that the inside was just as grotesque as the outside. Everything was candy themed, from the candy cane pillars supporting the building's weight, down to the small cupcake swirl carpet that rested on the floor. David's eyes were assaulted with pinks, yellows, greens, and blues, and it was all he could do to not vomit on the spot from the sheer loudness of the room's coloring scheme. 

So lost was he in his disdain for the interior decorating, that he didn't even notice Ardent, Sapphire, and Midnight addressing the yellow stallion he could only assume was Mr. Cake.

"Could we get a table outside please?" Sapphire asked.

"Absolutely. Here, I'll lead you guys right out." Mr. Cake replied, grabbing a menu in his teeth and heading out the side door.

"David!" Midnight called back as the group was led outside.

"Huh? Wha? Oh, right." David replied, shaking his head clear of the thoughts about the room's decal. 

He hurried after them and found them being seated at a small square table with four chairs sitting around it. Ardent and Sapphire sat down first while Midnight waited for David to arrive before pulling out his seat for him. He blushed at the slight embarrassment before uttering a quiet "thank you" and taking his seat. Midnight just smiled and pulled out her own seat to sit down. A moment later, Mr. Cake set the menu down on the table and pulled out a notepad and pencil from his apron. 

"Alright, can I get you folks anything to drink?" He asked enthusiastically. 

"Um, I'll just go for a lemonade." Sapphire responded.

"And one for me too." Ardent added.

"Water's fine." Midnight chimed in.

"Same here." David answered.

"Alright then. I'll give you folks a few minutes to look over the menu and I'll be right back with those drinks." He said before turning around and heading back inside.

A few moments of awkward silence reigned down on the lone table before Ardent cleared his throat.

"So, uh. David, Midnight... How exactly did you two meet?" He asked, obviously attempting to prompt more conversation.

"Well, uh... it's kind of a long story... Basically, when I crashed on the side of Canterlot mountain, my pod was banged up pretty bad and I ended up getting third degree burns all along my right leg, and a titanium rod sticking out of my left leg. Also I got hit in the head by some kind of metal panel and that knocked me out completely. When I woke up, the pod was filling with smoke and I just barely managed to break out. I tried to crawl away from the pod but I only made it about twenty feet before I passed out." David recalled, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Both Sapphire and Ardent shared a concerned look with each other.

"...Then what happened?" Sapphire asked, showing clear investment in the story.

"Well, a certain beautiful unicorn," David wrapped his wing around Midnight and gave her a little squeeze, "Came to my rescue," Midnight smiled while a blush creeped up her face, "She carried me all the way back up the mountain and brought me back to her house, patched me up, and saved my life." He finished, sharing a loving smile with the graphite mare.

Midnight quickly decided it was her turn to continue the story, "After he woke up the next day, the royal guard showed up and tried to take him back to Canterlot. There uh... Was some confusion and well, David almost died, hehe..." 

A shocked look immediately found its way onto Sapphire's face.

"Again!?" She exclaimed.

"Yeah. All the work Midnight did to save me ended up getting undone by the guards chasing me to the edge of a cliff. I got into a pretty nasty fight with at least twenty of those guys before they took me down. In my defense though, I had no idea what was going on. The first thing I remember was waking up and running into Midnight, then she ran into a wall, then a royal guard tried to impale me when I was making sure she was okay." David continued.

"Wait, wait, wait, what? Why did you run into a wall?" Sapphire asked, directing her gaze at Midnight.

"Well... I wasn't expecting him to wake up so soon. When I went to check on him, he was already awake and kinda... in the doorway. Oh, and don't forget, David was bipedal before. He was standing almost twice as tall as I was at the time. So... you know, when you go into a room expecting him to be asleep, only to find a giant alien twice your size looming over you, running away sounds like a pretty good option." Midnight explained, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Well, what happened next?" Ardent asked.

"Well, I woke up in a hospital and was taken to Tia, Luna, Cadence, and Twi for interrogation-" David began.

"I'm sorry, who?" Sapphire interrupted.

"Tia? You know, Celestia? The four princesses?" David replied, cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh! Right. Sorry, I've just never heard anypony call the princesses that before." She replied, dismissively waving a hoof.

"Right, anyways, once they deemed me as 'not a threat', I was allowed to live in the castle for a couple weeks while they broke the news of my arrival to the rest of Equestria. Then one day, Tia came to my room and told me that I was going to live with Midnight." David continued.

"We were both a little taken aback by it. I just showed up to see how he was doing, and the next thing I knew, the princess was asking if I was willing to house him. We came to a compromise, and David moved in with me that night." Midnight continued for him.

"Right. Then... I guess we just became really close. Mid was always up for my shenanigans, and she's been a shoulder to lean on whenever I was feeling down, and I'd like to think that I was the same for her." David finished, resting a hoof on Midnight's.

"You are, big guy." Midnight replied, placing her other hoof over his.

David and Midnight shared a tender moment, just looking into each other's eyes, before Ardent clearing his throat caught their attention, and they immediately separated.

"Right, hehe... Uh, yeah. After a while, we just sorta... happened. I've never met someone more amazing and genuine than Midnight." David awkwardly finished.

"Well, that was quite the story. Regardless, I can see that you two really do make each other happy." Ardent said, giving a warm smile.

Before David or Midnight could reply, Mr. Cake returned with all of their drinks. He expertly slid them off of his back and onto the table before again whipping out his notebook. 

"Alright folks, have you all had enough time to look at the menus?" He asked.

"I think we're good, how about you two?" Ardent asked.

"Uh, Mid, what are you getting?" David asked, hastily eying the menu.

"What I usually get. A daffodil sandwich with a side of hay-fries." She replied.

"Uh... Can I get that, minus the hay-fries?" He asked.

"You certainly can," He replied, writing down both of their orders, "And what about you two?" He asked, looking at Ardent and Sapphire.

"We'll get two hay-burgers, no onions." Ardent replied.

"Alright then, and anything else?" 

"Let's get two dozen of those sugar cookies and four cupcakes." Sapphire replied.

"Great choices. Alright everypony, I'll be right back with your food." He replied, hastily scribbling down their orders and taking the menu with him.

"So anyways," Ardent began, "Where were we?"


.

.

.

.

.


"Alright, you win. You can definitely eat more sugar cookies than me." David admitted defeat while his slightly swollen belly ached from the sugar overdose.

"Haha! What did I tell ya? Nopony can stomach more of these things than I can." Ardent replied. He finished signing the check and hoofed it over to Mr. Cake who gratefully accepted and took his leave.

"How many did you boys eat?" Sapphire asked, eyeing the crumby carnage still littering the table.

Midnight levitated a piece of paper in front of her face while counting tally marks for a few seconds before responding.

"Looks like eight for David... and sixteen for Dad. Jeez..." She frowned at the massive disparity between parties.

Ardent smiled and struck a superhero pose while David smacked his face on the table. A small groan slipped out of his mouth before Midnight's hoof gently rubbed his back.

"Hey, don't worry about it, David. My dad's kinda obsessed with sugar cookies. Almost as much as mom is with mangoes." Midnight comforted.

"S'not that... My stomach... ugh..." He whined through the table.

"Ah, don't worry about that. A walk through the park will do wonders for a stomachache. How's about we head over there and walk lunch off?" Ardent suggested.

"Sounds perfect. Let's go." Midnight replied, helping David to his hooves while his coat changed from red to green.  

As the group departed from Sugarcube Corner, they approached a fork in the road. One path led to the castle of friendship while the other led to the park. Upon arriving at the fork, Midnight stopped and addressed everyone.

"Alright guys, I need to go see Twilight for a bit. You go ahead and check out the park and I'll be back in an hour or so." She said.

David's eyes immediately widened while his pupils shrunk to pinpricks, "Uh... a-are you sure? I mean, don't you want to stick around and catch up with your parents while we go through the park?" He asked, nervously glancing back at the pair of thestrals the whole time.

"Don't worry, I'm only going to be gone for a little bit," She replied, before leaning in and whispering into his ear, "They won't bite. Just be friendly and I'm sure you'll be fine." 

David turned around to find Ardent and Sapphire waiting patiently by the road leading to the park. He glanced back at Midnight one more time and gave a small nod before heading over to her parents and walking towards the park.

The walk was scenic and calm, and while David appreciated the natural beauty of such an undeveloped town amidst a gorgeous landscape, he couldn't help but feel a slight unease as he found himself in the center of the group of three. With Ardent to his right, and Sapphire to his left, he felt slightly trapped, as if at any moment he would be assaulted with personal questions and pushed to stay away from Midnight 'or else'. Nevertheless, he pressed on, determined to at the very least, make a decent first impression.

The forest made itself known with tall pine trees and a wide variety of mixing smells as spring turned to summer. Budding branches pressed out into the world and provided shade to all who came to relax under their leaves in the mid-morning sun. It was almost beautiful enough for David to forget about the two thestrals eyeing him, then each other with mixed emotions crossing their faces.

Despite their obvious reservations, neither of them said anything until they reached a bench resting against a tree in the park.

"Alright, here we are." Ardent announced. 

"It's uh... a nice bench?" David replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Come now, dear. Take a seat. We want to talk to you." Sapphire replied, waving him over with a wing.

David reluctantly walked over and took a seat on the bench. It's rustic wooden frame sagged ever so slightly as it accepted his weight, but held firm once he was fully seated. A moment later, both Sapphire and Ardent were in front of him with questions clear on their minds.

"Alright... I hope we're not being too rude here, but Midnight is our daughter, blood or not, and we want to protect her no matter what." Sapphire began.

David nodded but said nothing.

"How much has she told you about... her past?" Ardent asked.

"As far as I know, she's told me everything. Everything from her dreams as a filly to her life as an adult... If this is about Cobalt, then yes, I know what happened to him." David replied, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yes... Cobalt was a great stallion. He was so kind and gentle with Midnight... It destroyed her when he died. I hope you realize that you are the very first stallion she's even shown an interest in, in almost six years." Sapphire explained.

"I know... And I know that I'm the luckiest guy in the galaxy to be with her." David replied, looking Sapphire dead in the eyes.

"Alright, so you know about her past, but we still don't know a lot about yours. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?" Ardent pressed.

"Well, there's not too much to tell. I lost my mom when I was in high school, my dad worked three jobs so he was never around, my brother and sister both left for college and never came back... once I graduated, I left for the Army, got out after a few years, and ended up crashing in Canterlot. We covered pretty much everything else at lunch." David responded, raising an eyebrow at their interrogation techniques. 

Ardent and Sapphire shared a glance before continuing.

"We're, uh... sorry to hear that. That must not have been easy for you." Sapphire said, with some slight hesitation.

"Well, that was over a hundred years ago. It's not like I've got anything left back on Earth now." David replied.

"Over a hundred years ago? How old are you?" Ardent asked, a shocked look on his face.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm about a hundred and sixty five, but for all I know, January here might be October back home, so I could be a hundred and sixty six." David replied, scratching his chin in thought.

Ardent and Sapphire were silent for a few moments as this new information processed. David noticed the pause and decided to continue.

"Before you guys start asking questions, typical human life expectancy is around seventy to a hundred years. The only reason I'm as old as I am is because of cryo technology on my ship. I'm not gonna go into the details since we'll be here all week, but basically it froze me for a hundred and forty two years while we traveled from one galaxy to the next. If we're talking just in terms of my mental age here, then I'm twenty three. Maybe twenty four, like I said, I'm not entirely sure." He finished, leaving dumbstruck look on both Ardent and Sapphire's faces.

"So you're only twenty three... and you've done all that?" Ardent said. There was a slight hint of sorrow in his tone.

David cast his eyes to the ground, "Yeah... Look, I want to be honest with you guys here. I love Midnight. She didn't just save me from the crash, she's the most important pony in my life..."

"What do you mean?" Sapphire pressed.

"When my ship went down, I lost the only three people I had the honor to call my friends. Richie, Roman, and Issac all died while I lived-"

"I never heard anything about three other humans..." Sapphire interrupted.

"You wouldn't have. They never made it to the ground. They were jettisoned out into space while I tried to get the door open for them... It's uh... not something I like to talk about... The point is, I was in a bad place, for a very long time because of that... I blamed myself for what happened, and it ate me up inside knowing that I survived while they all died... I still have a hard time dealing with it. The thing is, Midnight stood by my side through it all. She wouldn't leave me, even when I pushed her away... She kept me sane." David trailed off, a slightly glossy look appearing in his eyes.

Ardent and Sapphire shared another glance before Ardent walked over to the bench and placed a hoof on David's wither.

"It sounds like you and her have been through a lot together, huh?"

"Heh, you could say that... Look, I get why you're hesitant to trust that I'll be good to her. I'm an alien and you know almost nothing about me... but I swear to Celestia that I love her more than life itself. If I had to, I would die for her. She's my reason for living... She's the best part of my life." David said. His voice lost much of its strength and turned almost into a whisper as he continued.

There was a pregnant moment of silence between the three of them as the two thestrals thought over David's words. Eventually, and with her face scrunched up in deep thought, Sapphire spoke.

"I think I speak for both of us when I say that we didn't want to come across as an obstacle for you to overcome." She replied. 

"I would understand if you did, but I'm only here because of her... I want to make her happy... That's all I care about anymore." David spoke again, a more somber expression on his face.

"I think... That's a good enough reason for me." Ardent chimed in, giving David a small smile.

David glanced back to Sapphire to see her contemplating her next words. It took a few moments, but eventually, she knew what to say.

"Well... Midnight already loves you, that much is clear. I know I might have come across as standoffish earlier, but I just wanted to be sure that she made a good choice... And I think I can safely say that she did." Sapphire said, taking a seat to David's left and draping her leathery wing around him.

David gazed into her her amber eyes and for the first time, saw no signs of distrust or deception. For the first time since meeting her, those cat-like eyes of hers only shown with honestly and warmth. It was enough to make his heart ache.

He returned a warm smile, "Thank you."

With that, Sapphire retracted her wing and hopped off of the bench. David followed close behind and was quickly swept up in a bear hug by Ardent.

"Ghrk... thanks..." He managed as the air was squeezed out of his lungs. 

Ardent release his grip and tussled David's mane until it was wild and sticking out all over the place.

"Anytime." He replied with a toothy grin.

David chuckled and fixed his mane before readdressing the two thestrals, "Alright, so now what?"

"Well, what do you want to do now, dear?" Sapphire replied.

"Well... I was kinda hoping to get your approval on something." David answered, scratching the back of his neck.

"What's that?" Ardent asked.





Midnight walked out of the Castle of Friendship to find the sun just beginning its descend to the horizon. She smiled at the sight before heading over toward the park to meet back up with David and her parents. As she trotted along the path, she passed a few other ponies who were out and about and gave them a friendly wave. They eagerly returned the gesture, and Midnight continued along.

"Huh, I see why mom and dad love this place. Ponies are so friendly here." Midnight thought aloud.

The trees jutting out along the road cut the pouring sunlight into thin rays of yellow, and Midnight had to squint to see just where she was going as a particular ray aimed right for her eyes. As she progressed toward the park, the sounds of fillies and colts playing nearby, again rang in her ears, and she couldn't help but glance over to see three small fillies chasing each other in a game of tag.

Midnight couldn't hold back the smile that formed on her face as the orange pegasus chased the yellow earth pony around a tree several times, before stumbling away in a dizzying display of over-commitment, all while the white unicorn laughed and laughed. Turning her gaze back to the road, Midnight realized that she was already at the entrance to the park. She quickly stepped in and searched for David and her parents.

It didn't take long for her to find the crimson pegasus and pair of thestrals. They were sitting on a bench, chatting and laughing at some unknown joke. Midnight felt her heart melt and a small shiver went up her spine. A profoundly wide smile graced her lips as she saw how well David was getting along with her parents.

Taking this new information in stride, she trotted over to the tree and bench. 

"Hey guys!" She called out as she trotted up to the group.

"Hey, Mid!" David replied, excitedly.

"Afternoon, dear." Sapphire said.

"Honey." Ardent replied, giving a small nod. 

"That took a little longer than I expected. Sorry I was gone for so long." Midnight apologized.

"Don't worry about it. We kinda took the time to get to know each other. I had no idea your parents ran the night school here." David replied.

"What? Wait, you guys run the night school?" Midnight asked, nearly doing a double take.

"Oh, there's a lot of things we've been up to lately. We just didn't have time to tell you all about it last time your were here." Sapphire responded, dismissively waving a hoof.

"Huh... Guess I need to come visit more, don't I?" Midnight asked.

"We love every chance we get to see you, honey." Ardent chimed in.

"Anyways, we wanted to show you something. Over there by the lake, there's a really pretty flower that only grows this time of year. Why don't you two go check it out." Sapphire announced, nudging David with her wing.

"Right, come on, Mid. Let's go check it out." David replied, discretely winking at Sapphire while he hopped off the bench.

"Uh... okay?" Midnight replied, casting a curious glance at her parents.

David quickly led her away from the tree and towards the lake while her parents stayed behind. Midnight glanced back to find them waving at her from the tree, and a confused look adorned her face. She turned back around to follow David, but could not see his face from her position behind him. She hastily moved up to walk beside him, only for him to wrap a wing around her barrel and pull her closer. He took the opportunity of their newfound closeness to nuzzle his cheek against hers, and Midnight couldn't help but giggle into his cheek.

Soon enough, they found themselves at the water's edge. David unhooked his wing from Midnight's barrel and turned to face her properly.

"So..." He began.

"So?" Midnight pressed, a small smirk on her face, "We're not here to look at a flower, are we?"

"Aha, no, no we're not. I told them that you wouldn't buy that." David replied, chuckling just slightly.

A slight laugh escaped her lips, "Well, I never knew mom to be good at lying. Guess that's where I get it from."

"Yeah. You are terrible at lying, aren't you?" He asked, grinning all the while.

"Only as bad as you are, big guy." She dismissively waved her hoof at him.

"Yeah, yeah I guess that's true..." 

"So what are we here for?" Midnight asked.

"I think you already know." David replied.

"Do I?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Am I gonna have to get down on my knee and do the whole shebang?" David asked, giving an accusatory grin.

"Well... I mean... I was gonna do it, but I know how you get with these things." Midnight replied, giving a smug grin to match his.

"Well alright then." 

With that, David kneeled down and unfurled his right wing. He brought the tip of his pinfeather just in front of Midnight's face and presented a gold ring. It was just wide enough to fit at the base of her horn.

"Midnight Shadow, will you marry me?" He asked, gazing into her sapphire eyes like they held all the world's secrets.

Midnight maintained her smile, but her eyes quickly watered. She lit her horn up and pulled a tiny box out from under her mane and opened it in front of David.

"Why do you think I got this?" She asked as tears began streaming down her face.

In the box, was another gold ring, sized perfectly to fit David's pinfeather. The ring glistened in the daylight, and David had to stop tears of his own from forming. 

"I guess that's a 'yes' then, huh?" David teased.

Midnight could only giggle and nod her head, "It's a 'yes', big guy."

With that, David rose to his hooves and gently slipped the ring over Midnight's horn. It effortlessly slid down to the base of her horn were it came to a comfortable rest. Immediately, he felt Midnight's magic on his pinfeather, and saw Midnight's ring leave it's box and lightly slip onto the feather. It slid all the way down until it reached it's final resting place, neatly nested in his wing.

They shared another loving look with each other as the sunlight glistened off their new shiny gold rings, and without another moment's hesitation, they leaned forward and kissed.
> Epilouge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


One Year Later



As the sun began its decent into the horizon, and the moon began to show itself once more, Sky looked out through the window to watch the ponies in his backyard eagerly take their seats. Blood orange rays of light tinted the world outside in a warm hue that perfectly framed the gathering as one from heaven itself. Even the temperature bowed to the event about to take place, as the outside air was crisp and pleasant, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. 

The gathering was small, admittedly, but only the ponies who were necessary were present. Sky watched as Twilight and Spike took their seats at the front row, followed by Princess Luna, Cadence, and Wind Rider. Princess Celestia took her place at the alter, and prepared herself while also humoring her sister with small talk. Sky chuckled at Celestia's use of air quotes before he cast his glance down to his tailored suit, and frowned. The bow-tie was off again, and no matter what he tried to do to fix it, he just couldn't get it to look right. 

A knock at the door behind him caught Sky's attention, and he turned around just in time to see Midnight open the door and enter the room. She was wearing a gorgeous alabaster white dress. It fit snugly around her barrel and withers, draping off into a short train that just barely kissed the ground with every step she took. Dressed in all that white, she almost resembled an angel. He couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered about in his stomach as she met his gaze with her own, and in that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Hey." He said, softly smiling.

"Hey there." She replied.

"You know, it's bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding?" Sky teased.

"Hehe, you know that's just a joke, right?" She teased him back.

"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. How are you?" He asked, taking a more gentle tone.

"Nervous as Tartarus... But in a good way, you know?" 

"Yeah... Same here. I can't believe how long it's been since I got here... And I'm just now marrying the mare of my dreams." Sky reminisced. 

"Well, we would've got married a lot sooner, but with the whole Storm King fiasco and half of Equestria needing to be rebuilt, we just didn't have the time to get around to it." Midnight replied with a dismissal wave of her hoof.

"Well, I mean, that was a minor thing." Sky shrugged.

Midnight cocked an eyebrow, "Uh huh... minor. Definitely the word I'd choose to describe it." 

"Well, Twilight and her friends took care of him in like, what a week? Ah, that's nothing. I've had indigestion that lasted longer than that guy." Sky replied, shrugging again.

Midnight chuckled, "All the same, I wish we could've done this six months ago like we planned."

"Me too, but you know what, it kind of feels like it was meant to happen today." 

"Why's that?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Look outside.."

Midnight walked over to the window and looked at the outside world. Beautiful Spring flowers bloomed in the glistening sunlight, and singing birds littered the tree-tops. A gentle breeze whispered through the field that lay behind their home, and each blade of grass moved ever so slightly as if to wave hello at the soon-to-be husband and wife.

She turned to face Sky and let a gentle smile tug at her lips until it turned into a wide grin, "It's gorgeous." 

With that, they leaned in and nuzzled each other. Sky found his resting place just on top of Midnight's wither, and softly inhaled, allowing her gentle scent to flood his nostrils. Midnight, in turn, rested her head just at the crook of Sky's neck and sighed. They stood there for a few moments, simply enjoying each other's warmth and comfort until a knock at the door got their attention, and they pulled apart.

"Hey Sky, hey Midnight! Are you guys almost ready?" Storm asked from the slightly ajar door.

"Yeah, just one second, Storm," Sky replied before turning back to Midnight, "I'll see you out there in a bit." He said, giving a loving smile.

Midnight placed a tiny kiss on his muzzle, "I'll see you out there, big guy."

She turned and walked out of the room, prompting Storm to head inside. Her teal dress almost caught on the doorway, but she easily avoided it and made her way over to David.

"Alright, hang on, you are not going out there looking like that." Storm said.

"What? What's wrong?" Sky asked searching himself for flaws.

"Here, let me get it." Storm replied, grabbing his bow-tie with her hooves and adjusting it until it was perfect, "I get that you've never worn a suit before, but come on, Sky. In what world would a bow-tie go sideways?"

"I have worn a suit! Just... you know, not as a pony... And if you think mine is fucked up, then you should see the mayor down in Ponyville." He replied, a little too defensively.

"Hehe, I'm just messing with ya, Sky. Everything good?" She asked.

"Yeah... yeah I'm good to go. Thanks for doing this, Stormy. I know you've been busy ever since the Storm King, but it really means a lot to me that you could make it." Sky replied, gratefully.

"Ah, come on, Sky! You really think I'd even consider missing out on being your best mare? Not in this lifetime." Storm said, shaking her head in disapproval.

Sky chuckled for a moment, "Alright, Storm. You got me there. Still though, thanks. For everything. Not sure what I'd do without you."

Storm smiled brightly and pulled Sky into a gentle hug.

"Anytime, Sky," Upon pulling away, she looked out the window, "We'd better get out there though. Unless you want to be the one that walks down the aisle..." She teased.

"Hehe, no, I think I'll let Midnight have that honor. Come on, let's go."

With that, they headed out the door and made their way outside. Sky was immediately met by Wind Rider and Sapphire.

"Sky! There you are, come on, we're gonna start in a few minutes." Sapphire said, hurriedly ushering him towards the alter. 

Wind Rider also hurriedly pushed Storm alongside Sky, "Same goes for you, sweetie. Can't be the best mare from all the way back here." 

Sky and Storm quickly found themselves at the alter with Princess Celestia. She gave them an amused grin before leaning down slightly and whispering.

"Nervous?" She asked, a clearly smug smile on her face.

"Hehe, not one bit. Just, you know... a little... maybe a lot... okay a ton." Sky replied, sheepishly adjusting his collar.

Celestia and Storm both giggled at David's nerves.

"Fear not. I promise that this will go exactly as planned. You know what you need to do, and so does Midnight. The rest is on me, so if anypony should be nervous, it should be me, not you." Celestia said, teasing Sky with a grin the whole time.

"Right, right. Thanks, Tia." He responded, calming down slightly.

As Storm took her place to Sky's right, the rest of the ponies took their seats and prepared for the ceremony to begin. Sky nervously glanced back at Storm, but found her giving him a reassuring nod and smile. He felt his nerves relax somewhat, and redirected his attention to the doorway at the end of the walkway. 

A moment later violins began to play, and Sky had to suppress a chuckle at the ponies version of Here Comes the Bride. Before he could properly appreciate it however, the door opened, and Midnight stepped out into the light with her father coming in just behind her. He quickly stepped up to her side, and they began their slow walk down the aisle. 

Sky's eyes locked on Midnight's and he felt all his nerves disappear. Any reservations he had were dashed away immediately, and he could only think about the beautiful mare coming closer with each step. In the crowd, the muffled sniffles of Sapphire could be heard just over the violins, but Sky paid her no mind. All he could think about was how surreal and perfect that moment was. 

As Midnight reached the alter, a glowing light caught his eye and he finally realized something was different about her appearance. Sitting just above her left ear and gently stuck into her beautifully straightened mane, was the crystal rose that started it all. Sky's jaw dropped as he saw it, and when he finally looked back into Midnight's eyes, he found her smiling brightly at him.

Once she was at the alter, Midnight gave one last loving look to her father before he nodded and walked back to sit with Sapphire. Only a moment later, did the song finally end, and Celestia cleared her throat before officially beginning the ceremony.

"Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Midnight Shadow, and Crimson Sky, formerly known as David Lawson. If any of you have known them as long I as have, then you will know without question, the strength of their love, and the devotion they share. Would the best mare kindly provide the rings?" Celestia announced.

Storm unfurled her wings and provided two gold rings to the princess. She quickly wrapped her magic around said rings and brought them over to Sky and Midnight. She effortlessly slid one ring down Midnight's horn, bringing it to a rest at the base of her scalp, before turning to Sky. He quickly unfurled a wing and allowed Celestia to slip the other ring down his feather until it rested near the wing joint.

"If there is anypony with a reason that these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your piece," Celestia continued. When nopony spoke, she smiled, "Then by the power vested in me, as Princess of the Sun and diarch of Equestria, I pronounce you Mare, and Stallion." 

With that, Sky and Midnight kissed, and the gathered ponies cheered.


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As the last of the ponies headed home for the night, Sky, Midnight, and Twilight remained on the front porch. The sun was just below the horizon now, and the events of the day were finally catching up with the weary ponies.

"-that was a great wedding. It went a lot smoother than the last one I was at." Twilight chuckled. 

"We couldn't have done it without you, Twi. Thanks for organizing everything. Really, I don't know how you do it." Sky replied. 

"Anytime. It was a pleasure."

"We really do owe you for everything you've done for us, Twilight. Thank you so much." Midnight added.

"Like I said, it was a pleasure. I'll look forward to seeing you both down in Ponyville sometime soon though." Twilight said, giving an implicative smile.

"You still wanna figure out what this cutie mark means, don't you?" Sky asked, eyeing his own flank.

"Yes! You've had it for over a year now and we still have no idea what it means!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Hehe, maybe I'll need to meet with those 'experts' you mentioned way back." Sky said with a slight laugh.

"Maybe. Anyways... it's getting late, and I can tell you two want to enjoy your time together, so I'll get out of your manes." Twilight said.

"Wait! Before you go-" Sky hurried over to Twilight's side and whispered into her ear.

Midnight raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Sky whispered. Twilight nodded and, after a moment her eyes widened while a smile formed on her face.

"Yeah, I can do that." Twilight replied.

"Do what?" Midnight asked.

"Just a quick spell. Could you hold still for a second, Midnight?" Twilight asked.

"Uh... sure?" Midnight responded.

Twilight's horn lit up in a purple hue, and within seconds, Midnight's entire body was similarly enveloped in purple. A slightly ticklish sensation bloomed over her entire body from her head down to her hooves. After a few seconds, the spell fizzled out and Twilight gave a triumphant smile.

"Alright, that should be good for the next twenty four hours." Twilight announced.

"Awesome! Thanks, Twi." Sky said.

"Wait, what will? What spell did you cast?" Midnight asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"Ask Sky," Twilight sing-songed before turning to head down the steps. "You two have a fun night!" She called back.

"Thanks again, Twi! You're the best!" Sky hollered.

Sky turned around to find Midnight giving him an expectant look.

"Well?" She asked, expectantly.

"Come here and I'll show you." Sky replied, holding his forelegs out invitingly.

Midnight rolled her eyes but walked over to Sky as asked. He quickly wrapped his hooves around her and lifted her into a cradle while standing on his hindlegs. 

"Whoa!" Midnight managed through the shock of being so suddenly lifted and flipped around.

"You good?" Sky asked, looking down into her eyes.

"Hehe, yeah. I just didn't expect you to pick me up so easily. Is that what the spell did? Make me lighter or something?" Midnight asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hehe, nope. You trust me?" He asked.

"With my life." She immediately replied.

Sky unfurled his wings and spread them wide. At his full extension, he had a six foot wingspan, and Midnight's eyes widened upon realizing just what he was going to do. Before she could say anything, Sky gave one good flap of his wings, and suddenly, she was weightless. She screwed her eyes shut and tightly gripped him with her forelegs, but after a moment, found nothing but a cool breeze blowing past her with each flap of Sky's wings.

Midnight opened her eyes to find that they were hovering several hundred feet in the air, and her gaze immediately shifted back up to the grinning pegasus holding her.

"We-we're flying..." She breathlessly whispered.

"Well, I wanted tonight to be special." Sky replied, bringing them over to a lone cloud.

Midnight eyed the cloud with suspicion, and as Sky gently landed, she couldn't help but grip him tighter. 

"I'm not gonna let you fall." He whispered, breaking her from her fearful trance.

Midnight hesitantly lessened her hold on him, until she was able to touch the cloud below, and to her surprise, it held firm under her weight.

"Wha?" She asked as she completely released her hold on Sky and rested on the could.

"Cloud walking spell. I figured it was something easy for Twilight, and I really wanted to share this view with you."

Midnight's eyes trailed over to the horizon to find the sun setting completely, and bathing the world in reds, yellows, oranges, and purples. She turned around to find the night sky behind, and millions of bright stars sprinkling throughout the view opposite of the sun.

"You know, I think I had a dream like this once." Midnight thought aloud.

"Well, that's the good part. This isn't a dream." Sky replied, gently kissing her cheek.

Midnight shuddered from his affection, and turned to properly return the kiss. Even with the breathtaking view around them passing by with each second, the only thing either of them could care about was each other. Even as the sun fully set below the horizon, Sky and Midnight busied themselves in their heated passion, and the world around them simply faded away.

After a while, they came to a rest, and laid on that cloud until sleep came to claim them. Not a thing in the world could disturb the loving couple as they snuggled together in the embrace of soft cloud. Even the chilly air did nothing to the graphite mare while she was wrapped in the fuzzy embrace of her pegasus. 

"Who knew wings were so cozy?" She whispered as she dozed off and the world followed suite.