Fallen Eagle

Chapter 35: Season of Surprises

theflammablefiredragon: Oh great, another dead one. Thank God I forged your signature on that contract :P

StacheKing: Before I go into replying to the actual review. I would've absolutely understood if you wanted to take a break from the chapter due to it being relatable to you. And please don't take this the wrong way, but I consider that a victory for myself, and here's why. The writers of the show have gotten me to love certain episodes because I've related so well to them, more recently in Tanks for the Memories because three years ago I had to say goodbye to the greatest dog I'd ever owned. And I'll admit it: I cried during the episode when Rainbow Dash cried. In short, if I can get readers to relate to certain chapters, then I'm doing what I want to do, writing good slice of life stories. Anyway, onto the actual reply. Coming up with interesting dialogue for depression was not easy; I had to look up depression as I had to with the origins of Christmas so wouldn't be writing blind. As for Twilight's perfection obsession, I have some OCD especially when it comes to NASCAR. In fact, I yelled at my TV when an announcer got a fact wrong and I sent out an angry tweet, so that's where I knew how to insert some OCD.

KillerWoW: *Grabs defibrillator* CLEAR!

adhdluke: You logged in? We must document this occasion for future generations to enjoy!

Dixie Darlin: I uh, I literally LOL'd in Castle Sweet Castle when Spike walked out with the Rarity plushie. And I'm not saying bronies that own plushies are weird; I own a Jeff Gordon build-a-bear from 2006. As for Owlowicious and Ivan, their scene together is an homage to one of my favorite movies, try and guess which one!

Guest: Pfft, more humans? No way. Ivan's the first and will be the only human to ever enter Equestria via the Bermuda Triangle.

Guy incognito: Glad to see this name; it brought a good laugh out of me. Here's that drink, that'll just be one review good sir. And I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

OBSERVER01: Twilight would be the adorkable one of the Mane 6, no question about that. Here's how powerful crying can be: If you see someone you're not used to seeing cry like Twilight here or even Pinkie Pie in Baby Cakes it triggers a sad response from us because we know those characters are supposed to be happy and positive.

UpgraderIsAwesome489: I update as often as I can with having to juggle college now.

Sassymouse: Glad to see someone spot just how far Ivan has come since arriving in Equestria :) I've been very sad before, but not depressed, so I had to do a little digging about depression to try and get Twilight's character just right for being depressed. As for the self inflicting harm, that's NEVER going to happen in any of my stories. Which is ironic considering the amount of swearing, sexual jokes and murders that take place.

And now, a message from the Author:

Good evening, morning and afternoon my readers, Captain Alaska broadcasting live from my dorm room in Alaska! I want to apologize for this chapter taking 2 weeks+ to come out, although I have good reasons why. 1) I had another one shot concerning a sequel to A Case for the Bass to work on. If I didn't work on it then this chapter would've been out much sooner. 2) My college schedule. I'm doing everything I can to get work for the week done as soon as possible, but that can't always happen. However, I am aiming for two if not three chapters per month to give you guys. In fact, here's a little treat for you all: Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep WILL soon become apart of the Fallen Eagle universe, there's something to look forward to.

Also, who wants to be the 350th reviewer?

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(Outskirts of Ponyville. Ivan's POV)

As much as I'd expected Twilight to gradually start talking more like her usual self, her silence as we trudged through freshly fallen snow surprised me. I wasn't expecting her to start off right away discussing the joys of Hearth's Warming her favorite activities to execute, but I at least thought she would attempt small talk. That's not to say she didn't put on a smile and waved at ponies who were out and about this morning that greeted us. At some points, she would slow her pace to look at families cozying up inside their homes with steaming mugs of hot chocolate in front fireplaces. And every time she was done, a sad sigh was all she would say before resuming our original journey.

I took notice that whenever she would cease walking and yearn to be cozying up with her friends and son, her pace would be slower than before when resuming walking. Of course I couldn't read minds, but I could tell that she wasn't exactly over the hump just yet; her voice cracked when she offered to wipe the slate clean between us. However, there was one thing I could give Twilight an immense amount of credit for: Whenever a citizen of Ponyville said hello to us or waved to us as we walked by, Twilight would instantly look happy and cheerfully wave back to the citizen before reverting back to worrisome state. With every step we took closer to Sweet Apple Acres, her eyes grew wider, her irises shrank, her breathing became shorter and she started to look only at her hooves.

"Twilight?" I asked her once her silence finally overwhelmed me. As Twilight looked up at me, our pace slowed down enough that a snail could have surpassed us if it tried. She attempted to hide her worry like with the other citizens, but she realized right away I could see through her charade. "Come on," I said as kindly as I could, "are you still nervous?"

"More like scared," she gulped. "I hope you don't imagine me being 100% ready to stand in front of everypony and give them my biggest apology yet," she replied. Her knees on all four legs were wobbling like a newborn fawn.

"You've given speeches before, right?" I questioned, sitting down on a nearby fencepost, not even bothering to wipe the snow off. I was reluctant to stretch out the time more than was necessary, but I wasn't going to force Twilight if she wasn't prepared.

"Are you seriously comparing a simple speech or lecture to a public apology, Cougar?!" Twilight raised her voice.

"Okay," I put my hands up, "bad analogy, I'm sorry," I apologized as she slowly approached me and sat on her haunches next to where I was sitting. Reaching over, I softly began to pet her mane, trying to ease her fear. "I never expected you to flip a switch and be completely ready to face them; that would be completely unfair of me."

"You're just trying to help," Twilight replied, lazily dragging one of her hooves through the snow in front of her. "And I'm just being a scared baby," she looked up at me, still dragging her hoof around.

"It's natural to be a little nervous when apologizing to friends," I said softly, still trying to go easy on her. I prayed that no one would suddenly discover us and as what was going on; I couldn't come up with a good enough lie and Twilight didn't need a swarm of others surrounding her in her fragile state.

"A little nervous? Hah," Twilight semi-mocked me.

"Look, I at least got you out of bed and moving. And I know that doesn't automatically mean all your fears and sadness are washed away," I explained, still stroking the back of her mane, "realizing your mistakes is one thing, but admitting them is a different story entirely," I recalled the same phrasing used about passing when I would watch NASCAR. "Come to think of it, you kind of already admitted them to me," I gave her a small pat on the back. Twilight sighed sadly again before using her wing to push my hand away.

"That was to one of my friends, not every single one of my closest friends, my mentor and my son all at the same time," the alicorn stood up and leaned against the very same fence post that I was sitting next to.

"Well, it's a start," I replied, getting up with a small grunt. "It's my fault you're like this anyway," I ran a quick hand through my hair, mentally cursing at myself. Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch. Twilight steadily turned around to look at me with shock and awe, her mouth was slightly agape.

"How is it your fault that I'm acting like a scaredy cat and filling myself with self-doubt?" She demanded, inching closer to me.

"I know how alicorns and a select few unicorns can teleport. I should have asked you to just zap us back to Sweet Apple Acres instead of walking back through Ponyville and shoving happy families and friends in your face," I explained.

"Actually, I had considered that, Cougar," Twilight hopped up onto two legs, bracing her front legs on top of the fence, "but I wasn't in the right emotional state for magic like that then, and of course not now. I could've ended up stranding us in Griffonstone or maybe on Pinkie Pie's old rock farm," she gave me a slight chuckle. "But, I do want to thank you though for getting me out of my bed and outside," Twilight took a deep breath.

"It's not the holidays if friends and family are divided," I grinned. She nodded in reply and began tapping her hooves on top of the fence.

"You know, I've never had such conflicted feelings like these," Twilight admitted. "I want to be with everypony more than anything, but then the fear that they don't want anything to do with me creeps back."

"And you know that's completely bogus, right?" I asked, pinching some snow in between my fingers.

"Of course I do!" she exclaimed. "I just wish I wasn't so scared," she added.

"If it makes it easier, can't you just treat this like a lecture?" I questioned. The purple pony looked over at me and then drooped her head until it rested in between her hooves.

"That's not possible, Cougar," she whispered. "A lecture means some ponies will listen, that they've soaked in new information and it'll end with a brighter day for everypony. With an apology, however, I don't know if anypony will listen or if they care at all." A soft breeze blew by, landing a few snowflakes on Twilight's face.

"The longer you wait, the more scared you'll become," I brushed the snow from her face. "Your heart is telling you to go and be with your friends, but your brain is filling you with a false sense of self doubt. And I understand since it's you that we're talking about, this will be hard to hear," I gently scratched her wing. She opened her eyes and turned to face me, giving me her full attention. "You need to tell your brain to fuck off," I remarked sternly.

"What?" she questioned, shaking her head back and forth.

"You and only you are the reason you can't get yourself to see your friends and son," I explained. "The more you feed your mind with lies and doubt, the more you'll begin to believe them," I gingerly touched her cheek. As if they were mechanical, Twilight's eyes blinked several times rapidly, digesting all of the information I just laid down for her. Suddenly, more tears started to brew within her tear ducts, inflicting a certain amount of fear within me. 'Oh shit,' I mentally said. Great, just when I got her off the crying bandwagon, I throw her right back on.

However, the princess puffed out her chest and stood tall and proud, shocking me. She was in fact crying, but they were not tears of sadness or depression. These were tears of determination and confidence. "Twilight?" I tip-toed around her name.

"Come on, I want to see my son," she smiled as a few more tears rolled down her cheek.

"That a girl," I grinned as she took my hand in her hoof and I felt an all too familiar tingle radiating through my nerves.

---

(Sweet Apple Acres. Ivan's POV)

The next thing I saw was a bright flash of magenta light, followed by a blinding white light from the effects of our trip. I still held onto Twilight's hoof so I wouldn't keel over from how dizzy I felt. "Are you feeling well, Cougar?" Twilight helped me keep my balance as my eyesight returned after I held them shut.

"I will get used to that one of these days," I swore to the alicorn.

"Don't worry Cougar," she assured me, "Spike still gets a little woozy whenever I perform that spell with him," she remarked, letting go of my hand and surrounding the door handle with her magic. A few blotches of white light remained in my eyes, but I could still see into the house through the screen door. No one inside seemed to be watching the door, though I could still see a few ponies with their backs turned, apparently watching someone in the living room.

"Are you ready, Twilight?" I asked, stepping back from the screen door. Her magic still consumed the handle, even making it shake a little as she tried to pull the door open.

"Y-yes," she shakily replied, "just need to take a few deep breaths here," she added with a gulp.

"Well, they look pretty preoccupied in there," I pointed out to her, "just gather yourself, I'm here with you." And so, the alicorn took several deep breaths, each one longer than the last before raising her right foreleg up to her chest and exhaled, pushing her leg foreword and then opening the screen door with her magic. Being the gentleman, I allowed to go in first before me and then shut the door quietly to not surprise anyone. "Pick up your feet," I whispered when I saw just how tense she was, causing her to stomp her hooves instead of walking normally.

"Okay, we give up, Lyra," Bon Bon exclaimed from the living room. Lyra had been the one doing something in front of the group of ponies and dragon that I had left. Surprisingly though, no one had noticed us yet, not even Pinkie Pie who was sitting just like The Thinker, studying what Lyra was doing.

"No, no Bon Bon," the pink mare waved her hoof, "I think I've got this," she said confidently, "hmm, you're Rainbow Dash when she was tricked by Spring Song at the Academy and got hung upside down by her hoof!" she declared. I cracked a small smile as every other pony gave Pinkie Pie a weird look.

"Oddly specific, wouldn't you say?" Luna asked her elder sister. Celestia replied with a brief nod, never taking her gaze off the party mare.

"H-how do you even know that?!" Rainbow Dash demanded, blushing from the embarrassing memory. Of course, Soarin being Soarin started chuckling loudly until Rainbow flipped his piece of pie onto the ground; the light blue stallion whimpered. Normally at this point, I would've pushed Twilight to step in, but I felt that with a lightened mood, it would make things a helluva lot easier on the poor pony.

"Duh, my twinzie Surprise told me in one of her 3,924 letters she's sent me since the incident," Pinkie dug a random letter out of her mane and thrust it into Rainbow Dash's face. The rainbow maned mare groaned, balling up the letter before tossing it back at Pinkie Pie whom caught it and smoothed it back out before inserting it back into her mane.

"Very funny Pinkie, but I doubt Lyra even knows that that happened until now," Rainbow Dash snorted.

"Actually…." Lyra shrugged. I really had to bite down on my lip hard to keep from snickering too loud as Rainbow's face fell completely. The cyan pegasus then jumped up from her seat with an accusing glare on her face.

"Okay, how the Tartarus do you know?" Rainbow Dash pointed her wing at the mint colored unicorn.

"Surprise and I met at a Reggae Reggae concert a couple of months back; she sends me a few dozen letters a month," Lyra explained and sat down next to Bon Bon.

"That's it, I'm buying a muzzle for Surprise, Soarin," Rainbow huffed and crossed her forelegs across her chest. Suddenly, and without warning, Twilight cleared her throat loudly, surprising me so much that my heart rate increased. A few mumbling chats from within the group cut off so fast it was like someone hit the mute button. A collective groan from the furniture in the living room sounded off simultaneously while the occupants leaned over to see who was there.

Almost immediately, princess Celestia stood up, most likely because it was the 'regal' thing to do whenever another symbol of royalty would enter a room, though I was forever curious why Luna didn't rise either. . The moment Twilight's hooves began to move, propelling her, albeit slowly, into the living room made my jaw nearly drop. I wasn't prepared to announce her arrival or anything like that, but I had figured that I would perhaps have to coerce her a little. I was wrong, I admitted, and ended up following her into the living room.

All eyes stalked the two of us, as if our very souls were to be judged, never blinking and never leaving us. The one occupant I was most interested in seeing was actually not Applejack, but Spike. The purple and green drake in question was currently sitting in between Rarity and Fluttershy, looking as conflicted as I'd ever seen. He was sitting perfectly still, yet upon closer inspection I could see his claws digging into the couch that he was sitting on and he was trying with all his might to fight back tears in eyes. A part of the dragon wanted to keep his cool in front of everyone while the other part wanted to leap up and grab his mom in a hug. The stress Spike was putting on himself pushed him to the verge of tears.

"I think I've got it from here, Cougar," Twilight said about as meekly as Fluttershy when my mouth opened to speak. Hesitant, I looked from Twilight to everyone else that was inside the now cramped living room. Their expressions were not of anger nor disappointment, but they were all silent and willing to listen. Nearly puppet-like, my eyes crept back over to the pony standing at the front of the room next to the fireplace. And with a sympathetic biting of my lower lip, Twilight graciously smiled, "Yes, I'm positive," she wrapped a foreleg and both of her wings around me and pulled me into a hug.

Once she let me go, her head bowed gracefully. A singular nod to let me know that she was going for broke, no matter the outcome. She had come this far, and I wasn't going to be the one to prolong this any further. My boots thumped loudly against the floor as I gave her the space she needed, walking backwards towards the couch. There was a light shuffling around as I reached my destination right in between Applejack and Spike, the latter still being soothed by Rarity's hoof rubbing his back. Not only was I intrigued as to what Twilight had planned to say to everyone, or what their reaction was going to be, but what I wanted most out of this was to see Twilight succeed and reconnect not only with her friends and son, but with herself, something I was struggling with myself.

"Good morning everypony," Twilight breathed out after repeating the same foreleg process she showed me earlier. Celestia finally laid back down, shuffling probably louder than she wanted to and curled back up against Glock. So it seemed, Twilight and I bet that someone was bound to say something upon our return, but the continuing silence about twenty-seconds after Twilight's greeting told us that it wasn't going to come to fruition just yet. "I-I just have something I want to say about," Twilight slowed down before choking out the final words to us, "last night," she gulped like her throat was sore.

Sweat was starting to form at the brim of her mane line as the silent reaction from the crowd started to frighten her more than I thought it would. She was right about one thing to me: A public apology was vastly different from a lecture. My only guess was the collective shock that my plan had worked, or just the fact that Twilight did show up anyway was the reason everyone suddenly losing their voices. "If anyone doesn't care to hear, I won't cast any blame upon you," Twilight squeaked, blinking just a few tears out of her eyes before they would become waterfalls.

No one moved an inch, however. Twilight's head scanned around the room, waiting for the first pony or ponies to get up and walk out of the room, waiting for her to get this over with and leave. But that never happened. "G-go on, Twilight," I jumped when Pinkie Pie's normally squeaky voice spoke in a normal tone. Her statement was then followed by a simultaneous nod from everyone with the exception of myself as this was starting to creep me out a little. In fact, Twilight's head stopped in Pinkie's direction, stuck like she had just been told the most disturbing secret of all time.

With a quick shake of her head, Twilight tried her best to find a way to start, but I couldn't blame her for finding this difficult. Her purple eyes then zeroed in on the couch that I was sitting upon before her head moved again. She was staring at me for whatever reason, maybe wanting some more encouragement? The alicorn told me that she had everything covered from there, but if she still wanted my help I was more than willing. A few more tears brimmed in her eye lids as a forced smile then spread across her face, confusing me even more. It was then I realized that she wasn't looking at me, but the dragon sitting directly to the right of me. Spike's face was one of sorrow, pain and remorse as his and Twilight's eyes connected from across the room. Twilight then bowed her head once more and finally cut her eyes off of Spike's, biting her lower lip.

*Third Person POV*

"I... I know that you all probably think that I'm awful right now, but I just can't handle it knowing that there's a rift between me and my friends... a rift that I need to repair...right now," her voice sounded extremely strained, though that was one thing Ivan correctly expected. Despite having had that big, emotional talk with her earlier, he was still rather intrigued to hear what she exactly had to say in her apology. Twilight sucked in another breath before continuing, "Today I stand before you all: my friends, mentor, role models, acquaintances and family," she scanned the room from her main group of friends to Celestia, Big Mac, Cheerilee, Granny Smith, Ivan and the Crusaders before stopping at Spike. "And I stand here ashamed, embarrassed and angry, no, infuriated at myself," she said while grinding her teeth, "not because my plan completely obliterated right before my eyes," Twilight explained, "which I wouldn't blame any of you for thinking that's why I was upset," she added, allowing her wings to droop.

She swung her wings against the ground sadly, like a human swinging their foot against the ground when they were upset or sad. "But I'm not going fabricate a lie and say, 'I wasn't myself,' or, 'I was not thinking straight,' because I was 100% alert and aware of what I was doing." Applejack's hoof tapped Ivan's hand a few times before it finally rested upon his palm. The pilot took an opportunity while Twilight paused to look at his girlfriend. Her eyes stared into his and read, 'Ah'm proud 'o ya,' whilst his hand squeezed her hoof, trying to tell her that their time would come when Twilight's was over, though that wasn't to say Ivan didn't mind holding AJ's hoof.

There was a few other proud ponies within the room as well, namely the royal sisters of Canterlot to be specific. Princess Celestia was internally proud of Twilight for not using the tired lie of, 'she didn't know what she was doing.' The goddess of the sun knew her student wasn't a liar, but even the most trustworthy of ponies almost always fell down that path when they bucked something up majorly. As for Luna, she was proud of Twilight for having the guts to confront her problem. "While I was telling the truth to Cougar of what I was trying to do," the purple alicorn remembered to not say anything about Cougar's romantic feelings for Applejack, less she makes things as worse as they could be, "after Applebloom discovered my plan, it was not the real reason for my actions."

Nearly everyone with the exception of the human simultaneously said, "What?" underneath their breath at the first of Twilight's confession/apology.

"I willingly allowed my judgment to be consumed by the lust for perfection by falling for the alluring chance of putting on not only the perfect Hearth's Warming Eve party for us," her hoof pointed to her chest, "but also the perfect Christmas Eve party for Cougar," her gaze returned to the human. His hand quickly released from Applejack's hoof, praying that Twilight hadn't noticed in case she lost her train of thought. "My perfection thirsty mind was so flooded with the thoughts of hosting the perfect parties that I never once stopped to consider Cougar's feelings, thus ruining the party for all of you," Twilight had to look away and try to force her tears down.

A few ponies had to sit back and think for a brief second. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Lyra knew of Twilight's perfection obsession, but never said anything for fear of a stern lecture or an essay detailing her explanation. Hearing her finally admit that she was easy prey to perfection was almost like a breath of fresh air to the two pegasi and unicorn. Applejack applied a little bit of pressure to Ivan's hand, garnering his attention again. 'She tried ta get ya ta,' the orange mare mouthed to the Air Force pilot. He nodded his response, seeing it as the only way to respond.

Applejack exhaled quietly, running a hoof over her eyes in the process. "But wanting everything to be perfect right down to the napkins was not the only thing wrong with me last night," Twilight gulped, losing her battle against her tears. "When I saw how the party was split into two groups and how neither of them were even attempting to talk with the other, I feared that could potentially kill the party; that's when I put the plan into action," she clenched her eyes shut tightly. "I began to think and act selfishly, worrying only how negatively the parties would be affected if Cougar didn't get a secret off his chest."

Everyone else except a certain dragon looked over at the human in question with sympathetic eyes before returning the their attention to the alicorn. "I had a goal last night: to see that everypony was having a good time and building memories for the future with our human friend," she pointed to Ivan. "And I was so focused on completing that goal that I didn't care who I stepped on and who's feelings I made a complete mockery of. Instead of the party being ruined by two groups not interacting, it was ruined by my own meddling," Twilight added, now completely surrendering to her tears.

When Twilight paused again, Bon Bon, Rarity and Scootaloo took this as the sign that Twilight was done apologizing and sat up from their seats, trying to approach her to give their own responses. Yet, they all froze when Twilight wiped her eyes with her wings and kept on talking, prompting the three to hustle back to their seats. "My reign of selfishness doesn't end there," she pressed on, feeling her speech coming to a close and working towards her eventual apology. "What did I do next? I dropped so much stress onto your shoulders because rather than swallowing my pride and arriving here earlier to face everypony, I chose to seclude myself in my castle, wallowing in my own tears and self pity."

"Twilight, dear," Rarity tried to say before Ivan shook his head, cutting his hand across his throat and signaling her to keep quiet while Twilight was on a role. If anything happened now to make Twilight stop, then the whole rebuilding trust between her and her friends could be tarnished. And who know how long she could be back to her old self in the castle that dreary morning? Luckily, years of acting like a Canterlot pony trained Rarity to keep her mouth shut if there was the possibility of saying the wrong thing to the wrong pony. What Ivan didn't know, however, was that Twilight secretly craved for somepony to ask her questions or just talk while she had the room's attention; Twilight wanted her friends to talk to her once more.

"All the while I had the greatest son a mother could ask for doing everything he could just to get me to smile and talk. And what did I do for his acts of kindness and compassion? I was too busy feeling sorry for myself that I ignored him and a breakfast he m-made so-special for m-me." Twilight's voice officially went from strained to blubbering the instant she began to talk about how she wronged Spike. "M-making your own ch-child c-cry because you've made them feel like a failure is the a-absolute worst thing a parent, can do," Twilight's breathing became more shallow as she sniffled.

Throughout the apology so far, Spike was the only one within the room that had yet to move since his mother had entered. The purple drake was still gripping the arm of the sofa so hard that his claws had punctured through some of the upholstery, trying to contain his emotions.

"And I know h-he volunteered," Twilight said in between cries, "b-but it was unfair of me to s-stress out Cougar and make him f-feel obligated t-to fix everything wrong with me, e-especially after I made him look like a fool last night!" Twilight was on the verge of becoming absolutely hysterical, but she somehow managed to control herself. She was not the only one limited to crying, however. Some of the more emotional ponies were dabbing their eyes or staring off somewhere else to keep their eyes dry. "I w-want to leave y-you all with this, j-just in c-case you want me t-to le-leave," Twilight wiped her eyes again. "Last night was the absolute worst thing I've ever committed, and I was most certainly not deserving of my regal title. And I'm not expecting this speech to flip a switch and immediately wipe the slate clean between all of us," she managed to stop choking on her tears.

With Twilight's eyes snapped shut to prevent the salty discharge of her eyes from escaping coupled with her shallow and loud breathing, she failed to see and hear the shuffling of ponies sitting up from their seats.

"I'm not perfect, nopony is perfect and nothing will ever be perfect, no matter how hard I try to make it so. Cougar helped get that through my thick skull, but what I did have was the perfect friends to be surrounded by during the holidays, something that a few ponies can't even say. Everything was already perfect, and I tried to fix something that wasn't broken. Yet, the one thing I can fix is this mess I've created. All I want is your forgiveness. I'm not asking for your pity or sympathy, j-just a chance to right this wrong and keep our friendship intact, if you're willing to of course." With a quiet final sentence, Twilight then felt a large set of wings blanketing her torso. Upon opening her eyes and letting about a gallon of tears fall to the ground, Twilight saw the face of her mentor smiling sweetly at her.

"Twilight," Celestia said in her motherly voice.

"I-I'M SORRY!" Twilight finally burst. She repeated the same phrase over and over again several times, each time prompting others to join the hug to comfort their crestfallen comrade.

"We forgive you, Twilight," Rarity hoofed a napkin to Twilight to help dry her face. "Right, everypony?" she asked. Ivan and Spike still remained on the couch, both of them for very different reasons. Ivan had wanted to congratulate Twilight personally for sucking it up and making her public apology while Spike was waiting for the right moment to talk to his mother.

"Oh of course," Fluttershy agreed, nuzzling up to her lavender friend, "we all make mistakes, Twilight."

"But it takes a true friend to admit them and apologize for them," Luna smiled, bowing to her fellow princess. "We are very honored by your speech and apology, Twilight Sparkle, however, I do believe that next time a situation where feelings such as those are concerned," Luna began before a new voice took over for her, causing the human and lavender alicorn to freeze.

"You should leave that job to me," Cadence and Shining Armor appeared from the kitchen.

*Ivan's POV*

Seeing Cadence and Shining Armor walk in through the kitchen surprised the hell out of me, mainly because I knew for a fact they weren't there when I left. Maybe Celestia invited them to brunch as a surprise for Twilight yesterday, or maybe she contacted them as a backup in case I failed in my mission to get Twilight out of bed. "C-Cadence?! Shining?!" Twilight exclaimed fearfully.

"C-Cougar didn't say you two were here!" I thought another barrage of crying was going to rain down upon us in case one of Twilight's older family members scolded her.

"That's because we've been here only since Cougar left," Shining explained, casting a quick gaze over to me. "Princess Celestia filled us in a little bit ago," the white unicorn added. If they were going to have a sibling talk, then I felt that should be done in private. "Twily, I'm proud of you for admitting what you did wrong," Shining Armor pulled his little sister over with his foreleg and hugged her.

"Y-you're not mad?" Twilight lazily hugged her big brother.

"Mad? No. Disappointed? Well yeah, I mean you of all ponies would be the last one I'd expect to try and trick a poor guy like that," Shining replied, "but you owned up to it, and I'm proud of you," he repeated. "I know you're royalty of your own castle and you'd like everything to be all neat and tidy, but you've got to learn to relax a little more."

"I can teach you other relaxation techniques, Twilight," Cadence joined in the hug between the brother and sister. I looked over as the couch creaked from Spike's body finally moving and standing up. The way he walked was like he was trudging through molasses as he made his way over Twilight, Shining and Cadence. While Cadence and Shining were trying to cheer up Twilight, everyone else held their silence, waiting to see how this would play out. Seeing Applejack standing by herself next to the fireplace, I quickly slipped over just as Cadence noticed the dragon standing behind Twilight. "But right now, I think there's somepony who wants to see you, Twilight," the pink alicorn and white unicorn took a step back away from the purple pony.

Clop, clop, clop

Twilight's hoofsteps sounded pretty loud in the small room when everyone stopped talking, almost like she was in an empty street. When Twilight turned around and was face to face with her son, she let out a soft gasp and covered her mouth with her hoof. Spike's lower lip quivered and he let out a sad whimper before reaching up with his hand and softly caressed his mother's mane. "Spike," Twilight whispered as she wrapped her wings around the drake and hugged him tightly, all the while tears erupted from both of them.

"I love you, mom!" Spike returned the hug, "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you last night," he apologized, resting a teary cheek on top of Twilight's head.

"No, there's nothing you need to apologize for," the princess pulled away to look her son in the eye. "everything you did this morning was more than enough. I was just selfishly beating myself up when I could've just cuddled with the kindest son in Equestria to make me feel better. You mean everything to me Spike, more than spell learning, cleanliness or books ever could; I couldn't last without you," she squeezed him a little tighter. This was getting so emotional that I was starting to have trouble keeping my own eyes dry. Times like this were reasons I envied AJ and her ability to cry on the inside.

"We may forgive you, Twilight," Celestia stopped in front of Twilight and Spike. The two looked up at the larger alicorn, though still held each other. "However, I want you to promise us that you will work on your need for perfection and focus your energy not only on spreading friendship across Equestria, but also on maintaining your current friendships," the sun goddess both requested and ordered.

"I Pinkie promise, princess Celestia," Twilight swore, still squeezing Spike.

"Ahem," Granny Smith then cleared her throat, making Twilight and Spike pull apart as the focus of attention was 100% on the elderly mare. "This is all very touchin' 'n Ah'm happy we done got this mess at least on the path ta bein' straightened out," she explained, "but we best eat 'fore the hot food gets cold 'n the cold food gets hot," she gestured to a table full of food.

"I am feeling a might peckish from our trip," Cadence licked her lips, "if there's no room, Shining and I will gladly eat in the living room if that's fine with you, Granny Smith," the princess of love trotted over to the head of the Apple household.

"This is the Apple family house," Granny chuckled, "we've got plenty 'o chairs 'n tables fer when we host the Apple family reunion," she explained as Big Mac pulled out a pair of chairs and set them around the large dining table.

"Come on mom, sit next to me," Spike jogged over to the table, pulling out a chair for Twilight. Twilight smiled in appreciation and pecked the dragon on the cheek.

"That's my boy," she went to work on drying her eyes from all of the crying she had done. Just as I was about to join the exodus to the kitchen, there was a slight tugging at the back of my shirt. Taking a look back, AJ's orange hoof was yanking on my shirt, preventing me from going anywhere.

"Anything the matter, Applejack?" I asked, hoping she wasn't mad or anything.

"You've come a long way, Sugarcube," she looked around before reaching up and kissing my cheek. "Ah'm proud 'o yer progress in openin' up ta everypony," she complimented.

"Well, there's still some things about friendship I've got to embrace instead of shoving aside," I replied, enjoying the tingling sensation in my cheek.

"Now, you've got yerself a chance right quick while everypony get's situated," she grinned.

"Chance for what, exactly?" I asked, confused. The mare sighed with a chuckle, shaking her head back and forth before pointing me in the direction of Luna and Celestia as their colt-friends pulled chairs out for them.

"Don'tcha have a name ya wanted ta tell them?" She began to nudged me in the back with her nose, pushing me towards the dining area. "'N then we can tell everypony what happened last night 'n get it out 'o the way," AJ added.

"I don't want to steal this moment from Twilight and Spike," I protested upon deaf ears.

"Their moment is over, Ivan," she explained, "see how their happiness is returnin'?" She asked me. "Now move yer caboose," she gave me a little slap on the butt before grabbing her own chair. I didn't have time to think if that was a double entendre or her way of flirting as I stopped directly in front of Luna, Celestia, Cadence, Shining and Twilight.

"And it's good to see you too, Cougar!" Cadence stood up, patting my back with her wing. "Thank you for helping my sister, you're a very sweet man," she nuzzled my cheek with hers before sitting back down.

"Is there anything you require before brunch starts?" Luna questioned me, scooting her silverware around with her magic. Thanks to having to help Twilight, I hadn't really thought of how I was going to do this. Just standing there and saying, 'My real name is Ivan Pearson,' was sort of lame, and I already used that one on AJ last night. My mind then wandered to how I was taught to introduce myself whenever meeting superior officers in the Air Force in different bases around the world. It may work for this instance, especially since I was addressing superior figures.

"Princesses, Shining Armor, friends," I cleared my throat, raising my hand up to my forehead to salute the five, "Lt. Ivan Pearson, at your service," I completed the salute and dropped my hand back to my side. What happened next was a cacophonous eruption of gasps and clattering silverware within the dining area. With the exception of Applejack, everyone stared at me like I was growing a third eye in the middle of my forehead. "What?" I asked, grabbing the empty seat next to Applejack who was snickering under her breath.

"Y-y-your name!" Celestia sputtered. I knew everyone would be surprised when I would finally tell them my name, but I tried to be as cool about it as possible, even trying to treat it as nothing. "Ivan," she whispered, thinking hard about it.

"I'll be honest, I actually forgot Cougar wasn't your real name," Fluttershy blushed embarrassingly.

"Well, that's fine, Fluttershy," I assured her. "Sometimes I forget Rarity wears fake eyelashes," I joked, looking at the fashionista unicorn. The white pony blushed red and looked down at her plate of food.

"Just hold on here a second," Twilight cut in, "what in the world brought this on? Is Christmas also a time to reveal personal secrets?" She asked with genuine curiosity and not like her scientist self.

"No," I replied, cracking my knuckles, "Luna and Celestia helped me realize how much better it felt to open up a little more to friends, especially ones you could trust with your life," I explained. "You all had a hand in saving my life and giving me food, shelter and friendship. And I felt you were all more than deserving to know who I really am," I concluded. "I should have told you guys a long time ago," I added.

"Ivan? That sounds like a tough as nails name!" Applebloom exclaimed, "Suits ya perfectly like yer call sign thingy," she grinned while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded in agreement. At the other end of the table, Rainbow Dash sputtered, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

"Meh, it's a'ight," she shrugged. "I mean, Cougar is just so badass, and we've all called you that for seven months!" the cyan mare emphasized. "You can keep Ivan if you want, but I'm just gonna keep calling you Cougar," she firmly stated.

"Doesn't bother me at all," I took a swig of cider.

"I would say this is a joyous occasion!" Cadence raised her glass with her magic, "Welcome to Equestria, Lt. Pearson was your last name, right?" She asked me. I replied with a nod and she took her own swig of cider. "Couple more glasses of these and you'll get your Hearth's Warming present, Shiny," she winked. Pretty much every other adult not named Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie in the room shot their eyes open and immediately did their best to change the conversation in front of the fillies. I did feel a little bad for Twilight, having to hear that about her own brother.

"Cougar!" Pinkie Pie sang and pulled a cupcake from behind her chair, "I've been saving this bad boy just for you for when you'd reveal your name!" She presented me the dessert item.

"Uh, when did you bake that, Pinkie?" I moved my head back. There wasn't mold or anything on the cup cake, but I could tell it was hard and I could smell the staleness wafting off its surface.

"Hmm, about thirty minutes after we found out about your call sign, why?" she questioned, still trying to shove it in my face.

"Because that thing looks stale," I grimaced.

"Pfft, what you see as stale I see as an extra flavor!" She grinned, "Crunchy!" the pink mare then popped the piece of food in her mouth. Indeed I was correct, the cup cake was stale and crunchy; it sounded like she was eating a handful of potato chips. "Mmm, everything tastes better with that crunch!" Pinkie swallowed and rubbed her belly.

"Ugh," I shuddered.

"If that's it then, can we say grace so we may eat?" Checkered asked, hoping he wasn't stepping out of line. Luckily for him, Luna was on the same page and ruffled his black and white mane.

"Why sure, would you like to do the honors, Big MacIntosh?" Granny gave the job to Big Mac. The red stallion grabbed Cheerilee's hoof with his own and cleared his throat.

"Hold on, Big Mac," Soarin interrupted. The only male of the Ponyville Apple family released his marefriend's hoof, allowing the Wonderbolt to speak. "Applejack, you didn't seem surprised when Cougar, or Ivan, whatever told us his real name," the blue Pegasus jumbled around my two names. 'Uh-oh,' I thought. Applejack remained stationary while her eyes darted around. I didn't know if she was the one who wanted to tell the rest of our friends that we're now a couple or if she wanted me to do it. "Did he already tell you earlier?" Soarin added.

"Ah, uh, Ah wasn't payin' attention?" Applejack so horribly lied while sweating and darting her eyes around the room.

"Cut the crap, Applejack," Bon Bon said from across the table, leaning on her elbow. I knew Bon Bon could be a very abrasive and blunt mare, but to Applejack? I always imagined anyone that would talk to AJ like that would end up with a broken jaw and an interesting story. "Did he tell you this morning while helping make brunch?" the candy making earth pony continued, sounding like a police interrogator.

"Big Mac, y'all can grace now," Applejack quickly gulped, still sweating. Bon Bon looked as if someone had intentionally kicked over a bowl of candy right in front of her, glaring at AJ for changing the subject. For the second time, Big Mac softly grasped Cheerilee's hoof and took a breath to begin saying grace.

"..."

"No! Could you answer my marefriend's question, please," Lyra asked, slightly annoyed. Big Mac growled, beginning to lose his patience every time someone would interrupt him. My girlfriend bit down on her lip, looking over at me; her eyes were asking me for help. We hadn't been 'together' for very long, but I wasn't going to let her down like this in front of her family and friends.

"If I may say a few more words, and I don't mean to steal the spot from you, Big Mac," I chuckled nervously. The huge stallion pouted his lip and glared, not at me per se, yet he did scare me a little. I was about to announce for the both of us about, well us, even getting non-verbal permission from Applejack herself when a loud, deep breath over amplified my voice.

"Last night after Twilight went crazy, you talked with Princess Luna about finding yourself and then you came back home after she and Celestia sang you a song, and then you and Applejack both confessed that you love each other and kissed under a mistletoe at midnight and then cuddled last night in her bed?!" Pinkie Pie practically shouted, "Just a hunch," she grinned.

My mouth hung open so wide I was surprised a family of flies didn't move right in. Applejack's cheeks looked like red hot coals and I felt like a museum exhibit. "You should've been on Pyramid," I acknowledged the hunch, sitting back down next to Applejack, holding my head in my hands.

"SQUUUUEEEEEEEEEEE!" my ear drums nearly exploded as Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Lyra squealed in unison. Thankfully, none of the other girls squealed, but most were smiling sweetly while Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Checkered Flag, Glock and Spike nodded in approval with proud looks on their faces. For some reason Cadence didn't say anything or squeal; she just sat in her chair with a smug look on her face pointed to Shining Armor. Her husband then dropped a bag of bits in her hoof and starting nibbling at his food.

"We confessed we love each other and kissed," I said after the ringing in my ears stopped, "it's special, but not a national holiday." Applejack agreed, softly placing her hoof on my hand.

"You're right; it's BETTER!" Rarity continued to squeal. "Kissing under mistletoe at midnight? How positively romantic!" She gushed, holding her chin her hooves which she then clapped together, "I must write a letter to Fleur-de-lis, she'll simply adore this!" the unicorn made herself a mental note.

"Not to mention cuddling all night!" Lyra cut in. "I'm so happy for the both of you. Bonnie, how about we invite them for a double date?" The mint green unicorn begged her marefriend.

"Now that sounds like fun; the last couple that joined us bore me to death," Bon Bon agreed, despite not getting an approval from myself or Applejack.

"Hey!" Twilight held out her hooves in a 'WTF' fashion.

'Maybe this was a mistake to tell them,' I mouthed to Applejack. The mare nuzzled against my arm and rested her chin upon my shoulder, mouthing in response.

'We'll get through this; you know how crazy some of us can be.'

"I'm very happy for the both of you," Fluttershy picked up a glass with her hooves in her own little toast.

'Except fer Fluttershy 'o course,' AJ mouthed again.

"If this crazy train has left the depot already," Rainbow Dash silenced the squealing females, prompting me to think about being her servant for all eternity for saving us, "congrats you two; you're perfect for each other, though not as cool as me and Soarin," Rainbow hoof bumped her stallion friend.

"Thanks, Ah think," Applejack removed her chin from my shoulder.

"But how could you two think this isn't that big of a deal?" Sweetie Belle asked us. "Two beings, two completely different species fall in love while fighting off their gut instincts because their hearts were leading them on the right path," she said poetically, "it's romance stories like that that blow those trashy ones out of the water." The little pony then found herself in a crushing hug from Rarity.

"Oh, you are my little sister! That was beautiful, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity rubbed her cheek against Sweetie Belle's.

"I'm turning into Rarity, help me!" she begged to her two Crusader friends. Seizing his opportunity in which I would've done the same thing, Big Mac cleared his throat much louder than before to start grace so we could all eat.

"..."

And then Soarin decided he wanted to say something. "Oh wait guys, I have a few big announcements of my own!"

"AH GIVE UP!" Big Mac bellowed, grabbing his cup of cider and downing it like water.

"Oh sorry bro," Soarin winced when the bigger stallion gave him the death glare. "Sheesh Applejack, Brae never told me that your brother's got a stick up-" AJ shook her head, telling Soarin if he wanted to live, he better shut the hell up. "Anyway, my first announcement has to deal with the fastest, coolest, funnest and if I may say so, sexiest Pegasus mare in Equestria," Soarin's wing wrapped around Rainbow's back. "I've decided to move out of my Cloudsdale mansion, sell it to collect some extra bits and move in with my marefriend here in Ponyville!" he announced.

"Okay that's an awesome announcement, not gonna lie," I raised my own toast.

"I had to think about it for a while, but he finally convinced me it was the right move in our relationship," Rainbow bragged.

"You practically crammed the spare key down my throat, Dashie!" Soarin exclaimed.

"My sister's living with the Captain of the Wonderbolts, that's what the definition of awesome should be, Ms. Cheerilee," Scootaloo beamed to her school teacher.

"Congratulations to the both of you," Twilight smiled at her friend. I was starting to get the impression that Hearth's Warming was a holiday of announcing big, exciting things, that or I triggered a chain reaction of announcements from everyone, sweet!

"Moving in party?" Pinkie Pie asked, blowing one of those party things in Rainbow's face. The cyan mare shoved Pinkie Pie away, pulling out a wrapped box from beneath her chair. This struck me as odd since I didn't see her bring it in, though she was so damn fast that she could've easily whizzed home and grabbed it while I was gone.

"If it's cool, I have an announcement of my own, which also happens to be a present for Scoots here," Rainbow Dash patted Scootaloo's back.

"Knock yerself out; nopony cares what Ah have ta say," I grew concerned for Big Mac as he was now on his third glass of cider.

"That's not true hon-" Cheerilee tried to placate her stallionfriend before Rainbow continued talking.

"I didn't hear you say 'no,'" Rainbow hoofed her present to Scootaloo. "Hope you like it kid, I had to go through Tartarus to get this for you," she ruffled Scootaloo's purple mane. I had a feeling of what it was, but I kept my trap shut to keep the surprise a surprise. The filly in question flapped her wings like crazy, ripping the wrapping paper off the box with a huge grin.

"Ooh, is it Blynd Cheetah's newest album signed like you promised to get me?" Rainbow Dash's biggest fan questioned. One by one, piece by piece, the wrapping paper was ripped from the box until nothing but the box itself remained. Once the flaps of the box opened up, Scootaloo's eyes widened and jaw and wings dropped.

"Well, what is it?" Applebloom asked, intrigued by Scootaloo's present. Watching the filly open up a present reminded me of the days when I was a child and was excited for Christmas morning.

"You okay there, Scootaloo?" I questioned when her eyes began to water. She took out a framed piece of paper and laid it onto the table, covering her mouth and letting her tears fall. We all crowded around the document that Rainbow Dash had given her and there was another collective gasp from everyone, me included. On the document, it read: Ponyville Orphanage and Adoption Agency. This Document confirms that filly Scootaloo is herby officially adopted by one Ms. Rainbow 'Danger Dash' effective December 25th as her Hearth's Warming present.

The head of the Orphanage and Adoption agency had signed their name at the bottom along side Rainbow Dash's. "You're now officially the coolest little sister of all time," Rainbow nudged Scootaloo with her wing.

"W-w-when did you do this?" Scootaloo choked out.

"Yesterday when Soarin told me he wanted to move in with me. I know I'm capable of taking care of you myself, but it wouldn't hurt to have somewhat of an older brother figure in the house," Rainbow explained, "even if he is a complete doof," she winked. Scootaloo apparently was a silent cryer as she wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's neck and buried her head in Rainbow's chest.

"It's okay Squirt, I know this is a lot to take in," Rainbow hugged her new official sister. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?" she then snarled as she realized we were all watching her touching moment. As Applebloom and Sweetie Belle joined in the hug which Rainbow allowed, nothing else was being said, Soarin raised his hoof in the air like a school kid, for whatever reason.

"Yes, Soarin?" Cheerilee cocked her head to the side.

"You do know you're a grown stallion right, Soarin?" I asked the light blue Pegasus.

"Aaaaand your point, Cougar?" He asked.

"Nothing, you can go on now," I gave Applejack a worried look.

"Anyway," Soarin continued, "I know most of you have been missing the Wonderbolts after some nasty things took place, but after months of hard training and getting acquainted with being the new captain, I've got the Wonderbolts booked for a New Year's Eve show at the Maredalay Bay Hotel and Casino in fabulous Las Pegasus!" he exclaimed to the heavens. "Oh, and you're all invited guests of the 'Bolts!" He produced VIP passes, just enough for everyone and tossed them into the middle of the table.

"LAS PEGASUS?!" The Crusaders cheered, grabbing a trio of passes and hopping up and down in their seats. Scootaloo apparently snapped out of her happy crying phase once that city name was announced.

"Oh, I don't know," Fluttershy held one of the passes, "I heard Las Pegasus is a bad city filled with greed and selfishness, and besides, I think Angel may have a cold scheduled for New Year's?" I cocked a smirk at the buttery yellow Pegasus' ruse. It was pretty cute I had to say.

"Element of Kindness," Luna began, "this is a once in a lifetime opportunity; you cannot pass this up," she smiled.

"But Lulu," Checkered corrected, "there's like dozens of trains that go to Las Pegasus on a daily basis. Anypony could leave now if they wanted," he explained. 'Oh boy,' I thought and nudged Applejack as Luna turned around to Checkered with a glare on her face.

"Actually Las Pegasus is a fantastic town, Fluttershy," Checkered gulped. "I may have only won at the track there once, but I always remember the fun I had," the poor earth pony feared for his life.

"That's my Checky," Luna nuzzled Checkered.

"Well, as long as I'm with friends," Fluttershy said, looking at the VIP pass one more time.

"Hey, just stick with Twilight, Fluttershy," I passed the Pegasus a glass of water. "You know she won't do anything stupid or dangerous."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or a joke," the purple alicorn scratched her head. While Spike asked Twilight if he could potentially stroll some parts of the city alone before the air show, Rarity went on about the 'fabulous shopping malls at some of the higher end hotels,' Rainbow talked about playing laser tag at the one of the huge underground arcades and Soarin talked about the famous 2 bit all you can eat buffets. I then noticed Pinkie Pie just sitting in her chair, shaking slightly.

"Hey Pinkie, everything okay there?" I asked.

"S-s-s-so many p-parties t-to plan!" She grinned so big that her mouth could've taken a bite out of the top of her head. Her shaking started to grow violent, so violent that her chair started to splinter and the table followed suit.

"AJ, is she okay?" I asked my girlfriend for an answer. Applejack stopped talking to Bon Bon and Lyra and looked over at the mare I was pointing to.

"Uh-oh," Applejack replied with a gasp. "Not again," she added.

"What do you mean, 'uh-oh?'" I asked before AJ dove underneath the table, grabbing my shirt sleeve and yanking me down.

"HIT THE DECK! CODE PINK!" Applejack declared. Suddenly, chairs crashed to the side as all of the other guests joined us under the table besides Pinkie Pie. I was about to ask what was going on again when there was a HUGE explosion that rocked the entire house.

"Is that, confetti?" I asked as a few multi-colored paper-like objects floated to the ground.

"Merry Christmas, again," AJ chuckled and kissed my nose.

"And Happy Hearth's Warming to you all," I replied as another explosion rocked the room. "Anybody have anything to pass the time?" I asked, not knowing how long Pinkie was going to be like this.

"These normally last only fifteen minutes," Twilight said, hugging Spike close. "But don't worry, that's just enough time to recite the complete history of-" she began before I said something to shut her up.

"Quesadilla."

"WHERE!?" Twilight shook with fear.

And then we began to plan out our trip to Las Pegasus.

End Chapter 35.

---

Yes, I know this was a REAL emotional roller coaster, but I didn't want people to be too sad again, so I amped up the comedy a bit to even out the sadness, plus the last two chapters have been downers, so why not put a smile on your faces? Next Chapter: VIVA LAS PEGASUS!

The plan for the Vegas chapter is to start out in Ivan's POV with arriving in the city and checking into the hotel. But then, it goes into like the Slice of Life episode and chronicles what the majority of the characters are doing to spend their day in Las Pegasus before arriving back at Ivan's POV AFTER the air show. I plan for that chapter to be very long, so please buckle up for it.