Another day means three more wonderful meals at the Apple Family homestead. Between Applejack and her kindly old grandmother, you’re treated to culinary delight after culinary delight. That, along with the genuine hospitality and courtesy the family shows you day after day, has made your time away from your special somepony its own type of joy. Instead of constantly pining for your silly horse like a lovesick puppy, you find yourself instead occupied with helping your gracious hosts as often as you’re able.

Considering the fact that you’re no longer working for the Cakes and winter isn’t really a good season for your usual outdoor activities, you often find yourself lounging around the house with time to kill. Plus, it’s just the right thing to do since you’re staying for free.

You volunteer for dish duty after breakfast. It’s amazing what a set of hands will do to speed a task normally performed with mouths and hooves. This is a job you can do on your own, freeing the Apple siblings and their matriarch to go about their other daily tasks.

And speaking of the matriarch, you find the old mare approaching as you set the last cleaned dish aside to dry. You turn to acknowledge her while you remove your gloves and allow the dishwater to empty from the sink.

“Something I can help you with, Mrs. Apple?”

She smiles at you in a way that only a grandparent can; a smile that reflects the simple joy of watching her grandchildren as they scurry about the house, taking care of their own morning chores.

“...Just wanted ta say thank ya.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Oh? For what? If anything, I should be thanking you guys for putting up with me for so long.”

She shakes her head. “Oh, pshaw. That ain’t nothin’. We always cook too much food anyways,” she says with a hint of pride as she turns back to you. “Ah wanted ta thank ya fer takin’ those three with ya on yer trip a while back. Ah don’t quite understand what all went on, cause Celestia knows when Applejack and Apple Bloom get excited about somethin’ it’s tough ta make heads or tails of what they’re goin’ on about. But whatever it was, it did ‘em good... all three of ‘em. Trust me, ah can tell... they seem closer now and less prone ta fightin’ an’ carryin’ on than they were before.”

The two of you look to the living room, where Mac and AJ are sorting through some old boxes of tools and spare parts, looking for the supplies needed to fix the leaky upstairs bathroom sink while Apple Bloom watches on.

“But Macintosh ‘specially... he came back with that spark in his eyes, just like his Daddy... my boy... used ta have. Ah dunno what caused it, but ah thank ya, Anon. Yer the nicest, scrawniest young’un of a minotaur ah ever did meet. Ya can stay with us as long as ya like, cause Celestia knows ya need ta get some good food in ya. Compared ta the other minotaurs ah’ve seen, ya ain’t nothin’ but skin n’ bones!”

“Thanks Mrs. Apple,” you laugh. “That means a lot to me. And don’t worry; if you keep cooking it, I’ll keep eating it.”

“Good on ya. That’s what ah like ta hear.”

With a nod of satisfaction, she makes her way toward the other ponies to help them find what they’re looking for. You’d offer to fix the sink for them, but you’ve found that beyond the help they directly ask for, these ponies prefer to do what they can themselves. Sometimes it’s a struggle just to get them to relinquish a simple task to you.

An unexpected knock at the front door catches everyone’s attention. Applejack looks up from her box of parts, then leaps to her hooves.

“Ah’ve got it, y’all.”

She opens the door to find two fillies standing on the porch, each one wearing what you’d wager is a hoof-made scarf sewn by a certain well-renowned local fashionista.

“Um... can Apple Bloom come out and play?” a familiar-sounding voice squeaks out, cracking at its highest pitch like usual.

“Yeah, it’s been a month, so she’s not grounded anymore, right?” a brasher voice adds.

Applejack rolls her eyes. “What, were you two countin’ down the days or somethin’?”

“Sort of...” the unicorn filly replies, blushing a bit.

“Sweetie! Scoots!” Little Apple Bloom exclaims, rushing over to greet her friends. They smile at each other through Applejack’s legs as she stands between them at the door.

“Well,” the farm mare begins, “you’re right. Apple Bloom’s not grounded anymore, so ah suppose it’s okay for her ta go out ta play with ya, so long as ya promise not ta get inta any of your usual shenanigans until at least after lunch...”

“We promise!” all three fillies cheer as halos appear over their heads.

“...and so long as Apple Bloom’s finished all her mornin’ chores.”

“I have, Applejack, really!”

“Even brushin’ your teeth?”

“Eeyup!” she smiles, showing off her pearly whites.

Applejack chuckles. “All right then, it’s fine by me. Stay outta trouble, ya hear?”

The three Crusaders squeal with delight and bolt out the door just as soon as the little earth pony grabs her own matching winter scarf. The door slams behind her with a loud bang, which causes the farmpony to cringe.

She turns to you and flashes a tired grin and sighs, “Ta be honest... ah’m a bit relieved ta finally have her out of the house for a spell.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” you reply with a sigh of your own.

There’s a knock at the door again and Applejack lets out another exasperated sigh as she moves to open it.

“...Apple Bloom, for cryin’ out loud, what did ya forget this ti—”

“Hello there. Can Anon come out and play?”

Your breathing stops, and you close your eyes and open them again just to make sure what you’re seeing isn’t some kind of weird hallucination...

There she stands, on the farmhouse’s simple porch, the light of morning dancing upon her pure white coat. Her gently waving multicolored mane and tail shine with their own light, their colors reflecting ever-so-slightly upon the snowy ground nearby. Two magenta eyes, and a gentle but somewhat mischievous smile, capture you completely, just like they always have...

You want to say that you ran to her, pulled her into your arms, and passionately kissed her in front of everyone, Casablanca-style.

But what really ended up happening was that the two of you rushed toward each other in the moment your eyes met like two lovestruck idiots, clumsily smashing your noses together and staggering back at the impact. A wing reaches out to support you as you stumble, while an arm reaches out to her withers to steady her, and the two of you share a glance as you hold one another, flush with embarrassment, and Applejack falls to the floor in riotous laughter.

You can hear Mac’s chuckling in the background, as well as a giggle and another stallion’s laugh that you can’t quite place. But as you watch the rosy blush start to fade from her white cheeks, you can’t bring yourself to care about anything else.

Slowly, she brings her muzzle forward and touches your noses together, much more gently this time, and the two of you share a breath.

“Hello, my precious human.”

“Hey there, pretty pony.”

You turn your heads and kiss, and the laughter of the others falls away.

After savoring the moment, you both pull back, though your hand never leaves her mane, your fingers dancing through the ethereal strands in a familiar pattern that’s comforting to you both.

“I hope I’m not interrupting any plans you had today,” she says.

You shake your head. “Of course you’re not. But you sure surprised me... from the sound of your letters I wasn’t expecting to see you again for another month at least.”

“Yes, and that was my intention. But...” her ears fold back and she turns away.

You ruffle her mane a bit, right between her ears. “Couldn’t wait, huh?”

She grins. “That I could not. May we come in for a bit?”

“Well, a’course!” Applejack answers as she hops back up, her trance from watching your kiss broken.

Cel nods and steps inside the farmhouse, two ponies who you didn’t notice before following behind her.

The first is a petite white unicorn mare wearing what you would describe as hilariously oversized reading glasses and carrying some sort of notebook and quill in her magical grip. Her dark brown mane and tail are both done up in buns, and she moves with cheery, if somewhat hesitant steps.

The second is a pegasus guard stallion sporting the typical pure white coat and golden armor of the Solar Guard. But there’s something about his forest green eyes that seems familiar to you, and you note that he too moves with cheery but hesitant steps as he enters.

The group moves to the living room, where Mac and Granny Smith are waiting. After the customary bowing, which Celestia insists is unnecessary given all that’s happened, you all take your seats while Granny Smith brings by some refreshments consisting of apple tarts and juice for their unexpected guests, which despite their protests she insists is necessary based on family tradition.

“I believe introductions are in order,” Celestia begins as she sips from her juicebox and munches on her apple tart in a manner so cute that it defies description. She gestures to the unicorn mare at her side as she dabs some crumbs away from her muzzle with a napkin.

“Everypony, this is Raven, my personal aide. Raven, this is Applejack, her brother Big Macintosh, and their grandmother Granny Smith...” she turns to you with a wink. “And of course, Anonymous the Human, though I’m certain you’ve gathered that already.”

The mare folds her ears and blushes at the attention. “It’s nice to meet you all, especially you Lady Applejack and Sir Anonymous. I’ve reviewed so many reports about the exploits of the Element Bearers and of a certain human in Ponyville that it’s nice to finally be able to put faces to the names, so-to-speak. And it’s a real honor to finally meet the Element of Honesty in pony.”

Applejack’s own ears fold in embarrassment. “Aw, shucks.”

“And this,” Celestia gestures to the pegasus stallion currently munching on his own apple tart, “is Empyrean Blaze of the Solar Guard. Though I keep insisting that it’s not necessary, the Council is very adamant that I bring at least one guard with me when I leave the castle now that I’ve assumed the mantle of Princess once again.”

‘Empyrean Blaze’... why does that name sound so...?

Your eyes widen as it hits you. “Pyre! I knew you looked kinda familiar! How’ve you been?”

Now it’s his turn to blush at the attention as he answers, “I’ve been well, My— erm, Sir Anonymous. I hope the same can be said for yourself?”

“Yeah, I think so. I’ve been eating great food like that tart you just inhaled every day for the past month, so it’s tough for me to have any complaints.”

“I... I see...” The stallion glances down at his crumb-covered hoof with a look of longing, and with a chuckle Granny Smith stands from her seat to go bring him another one from the kitchen.

“So tell me, Princess... how’s Twi doin?” Applejack asks, genuine curiosity in her voice. “We’ve been sendin’ letters back an’ forth an’ all, but ah’d like ta hear it from the horse’s mouth if ya catch my meanin’.”

Celestia closes her eyes, a serene smile on her face. “Yes, of course. I’m happy to report that she’s doing well. Her adjustment to the new realities she must face in light of all that happened is progressing even faster than I imagined it would, but then again, such exceptionalism is typical of her, wouldn’t you say?”

“Eeyup,” AJ nods. “That’s definitely Twi.”

“And while she still tries to fall back on her magic sometimes out of habit, I’d say she’s mostly adapted to living without it at this point. In fact, I’d dare say her penmanship writing with her mouth nearly rivals my own! And I’m also very happy to report that she’s already completed 150 of her 1,000,000 assigned hours of community service by teaching as an adjunct professor of history at the University, which she seems to greatly enjoy.”

Celestia shifts her gaze to you, her ears folding back.

“As far as her broken heart is concerned, all I can say is that it’s slowly mending. I don’t think she’s ready to see you yet, Anon, but I’m certain that day will come soon.”

You look down in thought. “Yeah. I know it must be rough for her, but if there’s one thing that can be said about Twilight, it’s that she’s tougher than she looks. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

Celestia nods in agreement. “As am I. As for our own relationship, things are going well. I don’t think I truly realized how much I missed having her nearby in Canterlot until I sent her away to Ponyville that fateful Sun Celebration’s Eve. Though many mistakes followed, and though my guidance of her wavered, the many experiences she had since then have truly transformed her into a better pony than I alone could have led her to be...”

She looks over to Applejack. “...And for that, I thank you all. Though I hope you’ll put up with my selfishness as I monopolize her time with my lessons and talks for just a few more weeks.”

The farmpony smiles. “It’s all right. We understand it’s for the best.”

“Thank you,” Celestia replies, turning her attention back to you. “Now then, my human, I have a bit of a surprise for you. Raven, if you would?”

The unicorn flips through the pages of her levitated notebook. “Ahem. Yes, Sir Anonymous, I’m pleased to report that your insurance company has opted to honor your claim and has provided compensation for the house in Ponyville you lost last month. They’ve elected to pay you the home’s full value, plus some added compensation for additional damages.”

She levitates over a check which you pull from the air. And sure enough, what she said is true. Your jaw drops at the amount.

“But... the letter I got from them last week said my policy didn’t cover losses due to ‘Acts of Princesses’! They denied me even a single damn bit because of it!” you exclaim.

Celestia beams. “Well, it appears they’ve changed their minds! Anon, I want you to have a home here in Ponyville, and it’s not right that the one you worked so hard for was lost. With this, you should be able to buy and furnish a new one with some money left to spare. I would’ve purchased one for you sooner after reclaiming the throne, but the Kingdom has been facing a bit of a budget shortfall as a result of the staggering cost of replacing so many valuable military assets and paying out restitution to those whose property was damaged by the battle above Canterlot...”

You notice her flutter her wings with happiness. “But with the insurance company covering things, you’ll have a new home and it won’t cost the Kingdom a bit! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Raven coughs. “With all due respect, Majesty, that’s not entirely true. You did agree to pay for the insurance adjuster’s psychiatric counseling after your visit to their offices this morning...”

Wait, what? You flash a questioning glance at the alicorn and she returns that familiar look of shame you’ve seen so often in the past when she’s misbehaved.

Your eyes begin to narrow. “What did you do?”

“Nothing.”

“Cel...”

You give her your own version of the stare, and after a few moments of silence she relents.

“I... I merely paid a personal visit to the company’s headquarters in Manehatten earlier this morning to make an inquiry as to the details of why your claim was rejected.”

“And?”

Her ears fold back. “And... and when they explained the situation, I may have made a tiny, completely inconsequential off-the-hoof comment that if they didn’t opt to pay the claim, I’d show them what a true ‘Act of a Princess’ is like...”

“Cel, that’s extortion,” you groan, facepalming and rubbing your eyes.

She turns up her nose in the air. “Believe what you want, Anon, but you weren’t there so you don’t know.”

“That’s the same excuse you used when I came home from work one day and guacamole was spilling out from the upstairs windows!”

She gives you a deadpan stare. “And I can still neither confirm nor deny that I was involved in that incident in any way.”

“Whatever,” you huff, crossing your arms. “This time there’re witnesses. I’ll just ask Pyre what happened.”

You turn to the pegasus, but it seems the death glare Cel’s shooting him has reached him first considering his already white coat seems several shades whiter. With a sigh, you realize it’s a lost cause and hold up your hands in defeat.

“Alright, alright, I get it. I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“That’s right,” Celestia says as she nods sagely, a slight hint of satisfaction in her voice. “Sometimes it’s best not to question your good fortune. Now, I think it’s time we get going. As much as I’d like to stay here and snack on these yummy treats, we need to make the best use of the remaining daylight hours we still have.”

She stands, with Raven and Pyre following suit, addressing the Apples as she stretches her legs.

“Thank you so much for the hospitality you’ve shown us today, as well as the hospitality you’ve shown Anon throughout the past month. I promise you, it is appreciated, and it won’t go unrewarded.”

“Wait, you’re leaving already?” you ask.

She turns back and smiles. “Well, you’re coming too. After all, this is as much your decision as it is mine.”

You follow them to the front door, your confusion evident in your expression.

“And... where is it we’re going?”

A golden aura captures your hat and jacket, pulling them from the hanger near the door and neatly placing them on your body.

“To look at houses, obviously! I’ve had Raven compile a list of possible candidates from Ponyville’s real estate listings that match your budget. C’mon, it’ll be fun!”

House hunting with Cel, huh? You don’t know if fun would be the right term, but at the very least it’ll be a nice change of pace. And you suppose being shown around by your special somepony instead of the typical sleazy realtor is an added bonus...

“I guess I won’t be back for lunch, so don’t bother saving anything for me,” you tell Applejack as you prepare to leave.

The farmpony just shakes her head, looking first to Cel, then to you.

“Have fun, y’all. Ah’d tell ya ta keep outta trouble, but with the two’a ya together...”

“At the very least, we’ll make an effort,” the alicorn replies, suppressing a giggle. “Thank you once again.”

Everyone says their goodbyes, and once more you step outside into the cold February air. But this time, you have a very special, very silly horse nearby to keep the cold at bay, and it makes all the difference in the world. You walk beside her, placing your hand upon a folded wing and leaning in only slightly.

The wing tenses a bit as she leans back, a reminder of a promise still unbroken, and you both smile.

The four of you move from room to room of the first house on the list, considering the various pros and cons of the dwelling.

“The floorplan’s nice. It’s kinda similar to my old one.”

“Yes,” Celestia replies, tapping her hoof in thought. “But come to think of it, your old house was a bit small. I had to sleep on the couch for those three months since you didn’t have a guest room. Plus, I think it’s too far away from Sugarcube Corner.”

Raven levitates her notebook and quill and starts jotting down what you assume to be shorthand of your discussion, while Pyre watches on from the side, fidgeting slightly.

“Well, I don’t work at Sugarcube Corner anymore so I don’t think that’s a problem, nor is the lack of a guest room. To be completely honest, I don’t see the need for me to even buy a house in town considering I’ll be moving to Canterlot in a few months,” you say.

The alicorn grins and trots by you, lightly brushing against your side as she moves. “Oh? Moving to Canterlot, Anon? And where were you planning on staying?”

“Somewhere in the castle, I guess,” you reply, leaning against the room’s doorframe. “You know, like we talked about.”

She gasps and places a hoof upon her chest in mock surprise.

“Anon! I’m a princess! To... to have a... a ‘suitor’ staying with me at the castle would be improper! Though, I suppose if you really wanted to, you could avoid the scandal entirely by simply marrying me...”

You chuckle at her antics. “Cute. Maybe if I didn’t know you as well as I do that would’ve worked. But seriously, what’re you aiming for with this? You don’t usually do this kind of stuff without an end goal in mind, so cut to the chase and spill it.”

She pouts for a bit at the fact that you didn’t choose to play her game, which is cute in its own way. But then she completely surprises everyone present by suddenly curling up in the middle of the empty room’s floor. Pyre and Raven glance at one another in confusion, while you just cross your arms and wait to see what comes next.

Two magenta eyes meet yours, and you detect a palpable seriousness in the tone of her voice.

“So... you’re adamant about this?”

“Yeah, it directly involves me, so I kinda am.”

“Very well. Raven, Empyrean Blaze, I’m afraid this matter is not for your ears, so I’d like for the two of you to wait outside of the house, please. We’ll return to you shortly.”

The unicorn bows. “Yes, Majesty.”

The pegasus salutes. “As you command, Your Highness.”

With another nervous glance between one another, the two make their exit, and you hear the click of the door as it closes behind them.

“Now then...” Celestia begins, the tone of her voice still bearing the weight of what’s to come. To be honest, it’s starting to make you a little nervous.

Once more, your eyes meet...

...

...

...

“Bellyrubs.”

She rolls over on her back, her mane spilling out around her smiling face.

“What?”

“Bellyrubs,” she repeats matter-of-factly. “If you wish to know my secrets, my human, this is my price.”

She kicks her forehooves in the air a few times for emphasis and you burst out laughing. For the second time today, you really, really wish you had a camera.

“That’s a steep price,” you manage to say through your laughter. “But I guess I have no choice, huh?”

You move to the center of the room and take a seat on the floor alongside her, and you gaze at her, admiring the expectant look in her eyes, before gently placing a hand upon her stomach and trailing your fingers back and forth. She coos and closes her eyes as you apply the slightest pressure with your motions and her smile widens.

And in that moment she becomes irresistible, and you lean down to share a kiss, your hand never leaving her.

“I’ve missed this,” she whispers as you part. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too. But you know what they say, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’.”

She opens her beautiful magenta eyes again. “And ‘they’ are right.”

You sit there in silence for a while, the daylight streaming through the empty house’s curtain-less windows, until she finally decides to voice her thoughts.

“I want a home in Ponyville for us, Anon. Nothing elaborate. Nothing fancy. A happy, simple home.”

“But what about the castle?” you ask. “What about Canterlot?”

“The castle will always be there. But due to the way things have worked out, the importance of this little town can’t be understated. Twilight’s friends are here, and she needs them. At the same time, many of her new responsibilities, as well as her ongoing lessons with me, will require her presence in Canterlot, which in turn will pull her away from her friends and their stabilizing influence.”

“Ah, I see where this is going.”

She nods. “Yes. In order to minimize the amount of back-and-forth for her in these critical first few years, I’ll be dividing my time between Ponyville and Canterlot. My lessons to her will be given here, with her friends close by. For long term functions in Canterlot, accommodations will be made for them, with the ultimate goal being as little disruption of their normal lives as is possible, even if my own life will become far more hectic as a result.”

She extends all four of her legs into the air and arches her back, stretching and sighing as you continue your massage.

“But if you consider that I’m partly to blame for all of this, I suppose it’s a small price to pay, and I’m more than willing to do so. I won’t ask you to follow me back and forth constantly, Anon, but since I feel I’ll be spending more time in Ponyville than in Canterlot for the time being, I think you should be here. That’s all.”

You smile at her. “That’s fine. But keep in mind that I’m always willing to go wherever my trusty navigator points me. If you need something, just say it.”

You remove your hand and she rolls back over on her stomach, then shakes her head until her mane frames her face in the perfect way that you’re used to.

“I’ll keep that in mind, my captain.”

She nuzzles you as the two of you stand, and you make your way outside to rejoin the others and continue on to the next house on your list.

“No, Anon, I don’t like it.”

“What? Why? It has the extra bedroom you wanted.”

“Yes, that’s true, but I like the floorplan of the cloud mansion we looked at earlier a bit better.”

You shudder. “Look, I told you, walking on clouds makes me nervous. I don’t care how long you said this spell you cast on me lasts, the idea that I might fall to my death at any random moment isn’t very appealing. Seriously, what’s so bad about this one?”

Celestia rolls her eyes as the four of you step outside onto the house’s front porch, the edge of Ponyville’s market visible in the distance.

“Oh, I’m sure you’d grow accustomed to it in time. And as far as what I dislike, aside from the layout I feel it’s a little too close to the town center. I’d like us to be a bit more out of the way so we can have more privacy. Plus, it’s not far enough from Sugarcube Corner.”

You smack your face and groan, “...One of your complaints about one of the last ones was that it was too far away.”

“Yes, and this one’s too close.”

“And that’s a problem because...?”

“Well, for one, we’re well within ‘her’ sphere of awareness here...”

“Ooooh! Sounds serious~!”

Celestia nods gravely. “Trust me, it— AAAAAAH!”

The four of you scream and jump backwards at the sound of the strange voice. Celestia clings to you with her forehooves and Raven and Pyre latch on to one another in fear as a certain party pony with a poofy pink mane peeks her head over the porch awning.

“...Pinkie?!” you gasp.

“Heya, Non-non! Hey Celly! Long time no— whoa!”

She promptly loses her hoofhold and tumbles from the awning to the soft grass of the home’s front lawn with a crash, but before you can move to do anything or even peel the frightened alicorn off of you, she pops back up and bounds up the porch steps, her sapphire eyes shining with excitement. The plucky party pony immediately zeroes in on Celestia, who still seems startled at her sudden appearance.

“What’re you doing today? Looking at houses? Are you gonna follow your own advice to Twilight and permanently move to Ponyville and make lots of friends and have adventures on a weekly basis and learn simple yet valuable life lessons through a series of crazy yet heartfelt situations and/or wacky hi—”

“Pinkie, what’re you doing here?” you ask as your hand reaches forward and clamps down on the pink pony’s muzzle.

She pulls back and pouts. “What kinda question is that, Non-non? I got a twitch that said if I went ‘up’ I’d get to say hi to old friends today! So, I’ve sorta been climbing and hopping between houses all morning. You know, like Spider-Mare! Thwip!”

She rears up and holds her hoof out to perform the classic web-slinging gesture, which naturally causes you to nearly let a barely-stifled laugh escape. You want to be annoyed at her, but sometimes she makes it really, really difficult.

Celestia giggles as she releases you. “Well, while I can’t say that what you just described is my intention, Pinkie Pie, I suppose that considering nopony knows what the future holds, I can’t exactly rule it out, either.” She gives you a knowing glance, which you promptly return with a smile of your own.

“That’s the spirit!” Pinkie beams. “Ponyville is a really nice town, Celly, but you know that already. And hey! You should come and work with me at Sugarcube Corner! We’d love to have you! Especially since Non-non’s being a fuddy-duddy and refusing to take his old job back...”

Uh oh, there’s the familiar Pinkie Pie glare of disapproval. You hold up your hands in defense.

“Whoa, whoa. Look, I figured I’d be moving to Canterlot in a few months so I didn’t think it’d be fair to the Cakes for me to come back to work only to leave again so soon. But it sounds like my plans might be changing, so maybe I’ll go have a talk with them later.”

The glare melts away, replaced by a smile, and Pinkie bounds over to the two other ponies in your group, who’re still huddled together nearby.

“I knew I’d be meeting old friends today, but I didn’t think I’d meet new ones too! Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie! What’re your names?”

The pegasus and unicorn nervously look at each other, still locked in their fear-prompted mutual embrace. You turn to them just in time to witness that awkward moment when they suddenly realize it and quickly move away from one another, cheeks blazing with embarrassment.

Damn it, you’re just gonna have to start carrying a camera with you at all times...

The pegasus coughs. “Empyrean Blaze, of the Solar Guard.”

“R-Raven, aide to Princess Celestia,” the unicorn manages to stutter out.

“Hmmmm...” The pink earth pony squints her eyes, examining them both closely. She turns from the frightened mare, to the nervous stallion, to the mare again, and then the stallion once more before stepping back, nodding with satisfaction and muttering, “Yep.”

‘Yep’? What could that mean? Celestia gives you a questioning look and you shrug your shoulders back at her.

Pinkie smiles, shaking hooves with the two ponies in her typical over-enthusiastic manner.

“Nice to meet you! You’re both from Canterlot, right? I’m sure you’re gonna love Ponyville, it’s really fun! Perfect for a honeymoon too! You should come by Sugarcube Corner later, we’re baking carrot cupcakes today! They’re really good! And speaking of Sugarcube Corner my break was over a long time ago and I’m really, really late for work now so I gotta go, but keep what I said in mind, okay?”

And just like that, she bounds away from the four of you down the street toward the market, turning back to wave before she’s out of earshot.

“Bye Non-non, bye Celly, bye Emmy, bye Raven! I’ll see you later! And good luck looking for houses!”

You all wave back at her as she disappears into the distance.

“...What was that all about?” you ask, still unsure of what just happened.

Celestia shakes her head in confusion. “I have no idea. She said something about a honeymoon... was she talking about us?”

“No clue. But now I get what you mean by this place being way too close to Sugarcube Corner...”

“Yes,” the alicorn replies, her eyes never leaving the spot where Pinkie vanished. “Let’s cross this one off the list and move on to the next home, shall we?”

You both start down the road, the guardspony and assistant trotting beside you in silence, their hearts beating a little bit faster for reasons they can’t quite grasp just yet. Though if the simple, somewhat hesitant smile they share with one another that you happen to catch out of the corner of your eye is any indication, they may be well on their way to solving the mystery.

You chuckle as the pieces all fall into place. That pink pony... she’s way more clever and observant than you really give her credit for sometimes. You wouldn’t even have noticed had you not experienced something similar in your own life only several months ago.

“Something amusing on your mind, Anon?” your alicorn asks as you move a hand to drum your fingers on her withers.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you later. I think you’ll get a kick out of it, too.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” she says, swishing her tail with excitement.