It was a peaceful early evening in Ponyville today, as its lone human resident was cozied up in the Books and Branches Library. DJ had surrounded himself with books deep within the confines of his home, far out of the way of Twilight. He had been meaning to go through all of these books for a long time; each one meant to help him better understand the ponies of Equestria. As he read, however, his mind began to wander back to the previous day.

It had started out normal enough: got up, got dressed, ate breakfast with everypony, and went to work on the farm. When he arrived, though, he found Big Macintosh acting very strange. He seemed jittery and paranoid. DJ tried to talk to him, but Big Mac seemed to be in his own little world. The work day went by fast and DJ was getting ready to leave when the large stallion approached him. Mac had told him to take the next three days off, said he was going to need it. DJ gave him a suspicious look, but shrugged it off and took the free days.

Arriving back home had been strange, too. Twilight had seemed… anxious. Almost as if she were waiting for something amazingly special. As they sat down to dinner, DJ noticed that Nyx and Spike were nowhere to be seen. He asked where they were and Twilight told him that Nyx was staying over at Applejack’s for the next few days so she and her ‘aunt Apple Bloom’ could bond some more. Spike walked her over there and would be staying as well to help Big Macintosh with a ‘special’ project. DJ was confused by all of it, but, again, shrugged it off. The rest of the night was uneventful, but Twilight still had that strange look in her eyes. Almost like a child on Christmas Eve; he was a little freaked out by it, but figured that maybe she was getting a new book soon.

DJ shook himself out of his memories and refocused on his reading. He was currently going through a textbook on pony culture and mannerisms. He had chosen a quiet corner of the library to conduct his research mostly so he wouldn’t be disturbed, but still close enough to call for Twilight if he was having trouble understanding something he had read. Come to think of it, whenever he did call for her, she never actually came to him. Twi would just shout the answer back to him, something she rarely did in her library. He gave a scowl thinking on that. Pfft. Hypocrite.

Once again, DJ concentrated on his book. Then something he read stood out to him. He gave it an interested look. Something just seemed off about it and he felt that Twilight would be best to clarify. “Hey, Twi?” he called toward the main room.

“Yes, DJ?” the alicorn mare answered back.

“I was wondering about something that I read. It just doesn’t make much sense to me.”

He heard the sound of hooves approaching from the lobby. “What would that be?” she asked back, her voice getting louder as she got closer.

“Well, do ponies really have an estrus cycle?” he asked, scowling a little at the book. “It just seems like that’s something you guys would have adapted out of. I don’t really see the point in having it now a days.”

“Oh, yes! We still have our estrus cycles, but over the centuries it has become much more controllable. In fact, three days out of the year, the mares of Equestria all have their estrus cycle at the same time; it’s an old spell the princess cast centuries ago to make the process more manageable. The ponies were given the choice for the spell and they agreed, so it’s not like we were forced.”

“Huh. Interesting,” was his reply. He continued to re-read the section, trying to understand it fully. Then another question appeared in his head. “So then Twi, when is this estrus season of yours? I would think it would be some kind of national event or something.”

Twilight rounded the corner, finding DJ near a window, surrounded by piles of books. She stared right at him, but he still had his eyes focused on the book in front of him. “That’s an easy one to answer, honey!” The mare stopped talking and just waited.

“Well? When is it?” he asked, completely oblivious to the pony in front of him.

“It started today!” said Twilight, only it wasn’t her normal voice. It seemed darker, longing, and lustful. DJ’s head shot straight up and his eyes widened when he looked at his marefriend. She had a lustful smile on her muzzle, her eyes narrowed and full of intent, and her muzzle in a full, red blush. Her body was pulled back, obviously ready to pounce on him. “Now come here, big boy!” and she lunged, scaring DJ out of his wits. He shot up out of his books, hanging in midair for a couple seconds as Twilight passed beneath him. “Zoinks!” he said as he did so. He made a beeline down the hallway, coming short almost immediately to a purple, magic wall. He turned around to see Rape-face Twilight slowly trotting towards him.

“Oh, don’t think you’re getting away from me that easily. One way or another, you and I are ending up together by the end of all this!” she said in that voice that wasn’t hers. DJ felt like a trapped rat, he started scanning the room as fast as he could, looking for an escape. He found one! The window! DJ took off for it, using the Force to aid his sprint and jumped through the window. He curled as he landed, keeping his momentum and shot off through the town. “DJ!!” The human looked behind him as his name went out, and he gulped when he saw Twilight flying after him at top speed.

“OH CRAP! Got ta think! Got ta think! I ah to hell with it! MEEP! MEEP!” he said as his speed increased immensely with the added road runner powers. He shot off like a rocket, heading straight for the Everfree Forest. As he neared the evil forest, he could still hear Twilight calling after him, confirming that she was still chasing him. This ain’t like her! I got a hide out until all this blows over! The forest is the only place nearby that can offer me that! Estrus only lasts for three days, and this one is almost over already anyways. I can last in there for two days, no problem. With his confidence confirmed, he raced through the thick brush of the Everfree. Little did he know, his pursuer never stopped, either.

DJ weaved through the trees and vines of the forest, no true destination in mind. After running for an hour straight, he finally stopped at a river. He was tired and thirsty so he sat on his knees at the riverbank and dunked his head in the cooling water.  His head broke out of the water a few seconds later. He sank on to his rump as he tried to catch his breath, the fatigue finally catching up with him. Then, he heard a rustling sound come from behind him. He straightened up and his eyes went wide with fear. It only got worse as that voice came from behind him. “D~~J~~!! Come out and plaayy~~,” she said in a singsong voice. DJ slowly turned his head around, to find Twilight Sparkle, slowly advancing on him once again. He freaked once again, and took off at full speed upstream, fortunately faster than Twilight could cast anything to stop him.

This routine continued on well into the night and the next morning. Anytime DJ would stop to rest, Twilight would show up minutes later. Fortunately for him, Twilight’s arrival time kept getting longer and longer allowing him to get better rests. It was midafternoon of the second day and DJ was currently standing in a very small clearing of the forest. Everything was calm and he hadn’t run into Twilight since much earlier that morning. Then something tapped his shoulder.

“GAH!!” he jumped and turned around, expecting his lust-filled marefriend.

“Woah! Is that really how you react to a friend, DJ? Not very becoming,” said Discord with a mocking smile.

DJ put his hand on his heart, completely relieved. “Oh thank Celestia it’s you, Discord. Sorry about that, but I’ve been on edge lately.”

“Whatever for? Something happen?”

“Yeah, Twilight’s trying to rape me! She’s been chasing me through this forest since yesterday.” The he looked at Discord with pleading eyes. “You gotta help me, man!”

“Aren’t you interested in Twilight? I’m not sure what the problem is here,” said Discord with a look of interest and confusion.

“It’s not that I’m not interested, it’s because of how she’s acting! That’s not my Twilight. The one that’s chasing me, that Twilight I hate. That voice, her mannerisms, their all wrong. I hate it! Look I just need to hide out someplace until after tomorrow. That’s when this blasted Estrus season ends. So, will you help a brother out?”

Discord thought on it for a moment. “Oh, what the hay? Sounds like fun, just like those old cartoons you told me about!” Now his smile turned manic. DJ gulped, what have I done?! Discord grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him off, shoving him in every crevice or hole he could find. This would continue for the next twenty-four hours, but little did the pair know, that as they took off, so did another. A purple blur that fled from a nearby bush, leaving a trail a water droplets in its wake.

The next day was over in a flash, and Celestia’s sun was only just beginning to rise. DJ excused himself from the last hiding spot Discord forced him into, it was relatively large tree, but still cramped due to his size. He stretched as he watched the sun rise. They were pretty high up on a nearby mountain and he was enjoying the view. Then a sound made its way down the mountain, it sounded like crying. DJ scowled, wondering who else was on the mountain. It wasn’t Discord as he was still slumbering outside the tree. DJ decided to climb the rock face, using sound to locate the source.

After roughly twenty minutes of climbing, he found himself outside of a fairly large cave. Not big enough for a dragon or an Ursa, but definitely large enough for a normal bear. He walked through the entrance, the crying nearby. Then he saw what, or who, was crying; it was Twilight Sparkle. She had her back to the cave entrance, her sobbing easily seen as her head bobbed up and down with her sobs. Tears could be seen falling from eyes at a frantic pace. It hurt him so to see her like this. He called out to her in a gentle voice, “Twilight?”

Her sobbing stopped and she turned to look at him. DJ’s eyes widened and he pulled back a little. Whatever he had been expecting, wasn’t what he was seeing. Twilight’s eyes weren’t filled with sadness, they were red and puffy, and filled with anger. She had a deep scowl on her muzzle and her eyes seemed to blaze when they saw him.

“You,” she began in a dark tone. “How dare you show your face to me after what you said?!”

DJ was confused. “Twi, what are you talking about? Just talk to me, I’m here for you,” he said completely calm, but worried.

“Don’t play dumb with me you stupid human!”

*Crack*

“I heard you say it plain as day: ‘I hate that Twilight’. That’s what you said to Discord! I was right there, I know you said that!”

DJ’s eyes widened in shock. He had no idea she was in the area at that time, but she obviously hadn’t heard the start of the conversation. She must have only been there for that small part. DJ knew he had to fix this, Twilight was obviously very upset.

“Twilight, that is just—“

“Just what?!” she interrupted. “I don’t care what you have to say! You know why? Because, I hate you, too! You heard me! I. HATE. YOU!!!”

*Crack* DJ grasped at his heart as he heard those words. He was completely speechless. He wanted to tell her it was a misunderstanding, but her words were too strong. He felt like he was in terrible pain.

“I want nothing to do with anymore. I want you out of my house! You will stay away from my daughter forever! I want you to go away and never come back! I want you out of my life, DJ! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!!!!” She screamed the last words at the top of her lungs.

*CRACK* He clutched at his heart even tighter. It felt like his entire being was crumbling to pieces. DJ’s eyes were full of pain, tears refusing to fall due to the pain. Shakily, DJ pulled a small case out of his pocket. With a calm voice, though strained, he spoke to her.

“Fine, then. If that is your wish, I will head your words. Here,” he threw the box onto the ground in front of her. “I was going to give that to you once all this had blown over, but I guess I wasted that Rarity favor.” He turned towards the exit, but looked back. “Goodbye, Twilight. I hope you’ll be happy without me,” with that, he walked out of the cave, only to be greeted by a somber looking Discord. He had apparently heard the whole thing.

“Are you alright, my friend?” he asked with a sense of worry in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” He sighed and hung his head a little. “Discord? Could you go get the girls from town? I don’t want Twilight to be alone right now, and I can’t be with her.” His voice was soft, only a little louder than a whisper.

“O-okay, DJ. I will be back after a while with the others. Be safe, my friend.” He snapped his fingers and he was gone in a flash. DJ walked to the edge of the cliff and sat on his knees, then the tears began. His heart was breaking apart, Twilight’s words were worse than any physical damage he could have ever endured. He would have rather gone through another training session with Shining Armor, then have her flat out say she hated his very existence.

No, his heart wasn’t breaking. It was completely shattered. He had no heart anymore that much he knew, and it hurt. The pain was immense and he just wanted it to stop. He looked up only to see his hands. In one, he saw something glint in the sunlight. DJ looked down upon the object and only one thought came to his mind. Salvation. He brought his ‘salvation’ to his chest, hugging it tightly.

I am so sorry, Twilight. I’m sorry Nyx.

His salvation was activated and the pain was gone.

***Meanwhile***

Twilight simply sat there, still facing the cave entrance where her ex-coltfriend had walked out of her life. She stared at the entrance, a deep scowl on her face. She hated him for saying those things. Twilight thought that it was indeed true love between the two of them, but it had meant nothing to DJ. Nothing at all. He rejected her every advance. Estrus season was supposed to give her the courage to go all the way with the one she loved. Only for him to throw all of those feelings right back in her face.

Those words of his still repeated in her mind. ‘I hate that Twilight’. That’s what he had said, and she knew he meant it. Her gaze shifted down as the sadness began to take over again. When Twilight did, she noticed the small box DJ had thrown at her. At first, she wanted nothing to do with it, but curiosity got the better of her. Twilight picked it up in her magic and brought in front of her face. She opened it and regarded it with wide eyes. Inside, was a gold ring that, similar to her earrings and necklace, had her cutie mark on it, made out of star sapphires. Twilight didn’t know what to think as she looked on the masterpiece. She looked closer and found that it was engraved on the inside of the ring. Only a few simple words: Twilight, my true love. Those four words resonated deep within her heart and then she noticed that there was something in the top portion of the ring case. It was a note. She took it out and read it, and then re-read it, fresh tears beginning to fall.

To my dearest Twilight,

I’m sorry if you are having to read this note instead of me saying my feelings right out. I just knew I’d be too nervous to do this. This has been a long time coming, Twi. You have been there for me ever since I first came here to Equestria. You put up with me and my random wackiness and all of my other quirks, and you even asked me out. We have grown so close over these past few months and early on it was obvious to me that you were the one for me. You are the most intelligent mare I have ever met, your beauty is matched by no one, and you are more loving than any other being I have ever met. You gave me a home, a job, a wonderful daughter, and many, many friends. Now I want to give you something in return: my life. Yes, Twilight I want to give you the rest of my life. So, now it’s time for the greatest question I will ever ask in my life:

Twilight Sparkle, will you marry me?

Her tears began to stain the letter as they fell. How could she be so blind? There was no way that DJ could ever hate her. Now that she thought back to it, she had walk in on the conversation between DJ and Discord, so she hadn’t heard everything they were saying. Had what she heard been completely out of context?  It had to have been! And she overreacted, never even giving DJ a chance to explain. Only someone who truly loved her would go through everything he has.

Now, she truly hated herself. Twilight had thrown away a good man, without even thinking. As the need to go after him grew, Twilight heard a sound from outside the cave. It was a sound that she had grown very familiar with over the past 11 months. A sound that only appeared in Equestria when DJ arrived here.

*Snap-hiss* was the sound. A sound that could only be made by one of DJ’s lightsabers. Twilight began to wonder why he had activated one of them. Was he going to be taking his anger out through using them? She wasn’t afraid of him coming after her with them. There was no way he could ever do that. Then another sound came into the cave, one that caused her eyes to grow wide. Her breathing increased and her fears began to grow. It was the same sound that a large sack of potatoes would make when it fell over. With fear in her eyes, Twilight rushed out of the cave. She stopped at what lay before her, tears welling up more than ever, and her next words could be heard throughout the entire area.

“DDDDDEEEEEEEEEEJJJJJJJJJJJJAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!"