"Why do I torment myself so?" Midnight groaned as he laid on Twilight's bed covered in bandages while she was using her magic to heal the parts of him that were singed.

"If you would learn not to tease Luna, then I would suspect that you would come out a lot less singed and lack quite a few bruises as well." Twilight smirked to the Alicorn as he peeked through a bandage covering his head.

"Now ya'll should know better than teh mess with Luna. She ain't been around fer the past thousand years, so ya gotta give her time teh get used to yer antics sugarcube." Applejack smiled toward him, he only giving her an incredulous look.

"Luna has been around me for over a year now, this will be our second Hearthswarming together. If she can't get her tail out of a bind within a year, then she's just going to be a tight flank forever." He chuckled before wincing as Twilight removed a bandage.

"Hold still you big goof." She sighed in annoyance.

"Why can't you just heal me instead of putting bandages on me only to rip them off a few minutes later?" He groaned.

Twilight stopped for a moment before giving a sheepish smile.

"No............ You little SADIST!?" He yelled as he struggled with the bandages to get out of bed and pounce the evil lavender pony before him.

"Hey now, you deserve most of this punishment thank you very much. Always tormenting poor Luna. You should be ashamed." She retorted giving a huff.

Midnight stopped struggling as he glared at Twilight for a moment. "Really? You didn't say that when you helped me and Rarity play that prank on her before."

"THAT was before I knew she was going to use that stupid reversion spell on all of us." She snorted back as she pressed forward giving the Alicorn a return glare.

"So you wouldn't have went along with the prank if you knew that she would retaliate?" He smirked. "You are a sadist in disguise." He began to laugh but stopped as a lightning bolt erupted from Twilight's horn hitting him. "AAAAAHHH!"

He lay there twitching for a moment as Twilight turned, pointing her nose in the air and then trotting downstairs. Applejack stared at the now smoking Alicorn for a moment before giving a sigh as she walked up to the side of his bed.

"Ya'll got a screw loose or somethin?" She asked as she put out the small patch of burning fur near his shoulder.

"Not really, I just love these girls so much, it's hard not to pick on them." He chuckled. "Besides, life would be boring if we couldn't pick on each other a little. It's all in good fun." He chuckled as he pulled himself from bed, his horn lighting up as he cast a healing spell onto himself. "Besides, I knew Twilight was putting those bandages on me just to hurt me anyway. It's her way of telling me I did something she disapproves of. Well, that and the fact I think she may be a closet sadist as well as a pervert." He chuckled.

"I HEARD THAT!" Twilight shouted from downstairs causing him to flinch.

"I'm guessin ya like the pain is why ya keep doing it then huh." AJ chuckled, expecting a retort, but none came. She eyed the Alicorn for a moment. "Seriously?" She asked seeing Midnight give a sheepish grin.

"What can I say? I love it when my ladies beat me sometimes." He laughed.

"Well why didn't ya say so." Applejack grinned. "Ah gots a whole mess'o stuff ah'd like teh try out in one'o mah cellars." She grinned evilly causing Midnight to visibly stare in astonishment.

"I HEARD THAT TOO!" Twilight shouted causing them to laugh.

"I think I'd better go apologize to the abusive librarian before she decides to turn me into a gelding." He chuckled seeing AJ wince.

After a few minutes of begging forgiveness, Twilight eventually forgave the Alicorn for his shenanigans. But not before he promised to apologize to Luna for what he did earlier. After he agreed, she shooed him off so that she could finish up with organizing the library before the party at Canterlot castle the following day.

Midnight left the library to continue his search for the perfect gifts for the ponies left on his list, which included Luna, Starlight, Celestia, and Marina. As he took flight however, he began to mull over the possibilities of items he could get each of them. Celestia was a God, so getting anything for her would really be meaningless, the same applied for Luna really, but he wouldn't give up the search to find something for them. Starlight would be easy since he was still a foal, Marina would be a little tricky since she is a changeling. Of course he would have to get something for her to show her that his love for her as a father is true and never ending. After a few minutes of flying toward Canterlot he smiled as he thought of the perfect present for his adopted daughter.

"To the jewelry store and then to the photographer." He chuckled as his horn lit up, teleporting him into the center of Canterlot Marketplace. He looked around at the shops and the very few ponies that were out in the cold weather. After asking a couple of the ponies in the marketplace where he could find the jeweler, he was pointed into the right direction and headed toward the shop.

The bell above the door rang as Midnight entered into the jewelry shop, giving himself a shake from the cold winter air. As he looked from side to side at the various displays of jewelry he heard a voice call out to him followed by hoof steps.

"I'm sorry to say but we're closed for the evening........." The elder stallion trailed off as he saw Midnight standing before him. "Oh! Your majesty, I wasn't aware that you would be paying my shop a visit today, seeing as it is Hearths Warming eve and all." He smiled sheepishly.

"My apologies, but I have a last minute items that I wish to purchase for somepony. If you would allow me of course." He smiled to the shopkeeper who nodded as he stepped behind the counter.

"What are we looking for today? A ring, a pocket watch, a necklace?" He asked as he waved a hoof over the counters.

"I was looking for a two lockets. One will be going to my daughter, and the other to my bride to be. So they must be of the highest quality." He smiled happily.

"Ah, it sound's as if you love these two very much." He smiled as he began to shuffle through a cabinet that was below the counter and out of view.

"I do very much. My adopted daughter Marina, and Princess Celestia mean more to me than anything." He smiled seeing the shopkeeper look up at him with dinner plate eyes.

"Ahem! Well them, if you'll give me a moment to go in the back to get our select pieces, I am sure you will find something you like." He beamed as he stepped quickly into the back room. Midnight stepping forward as he looked into the counters at all of the fancy pieces of jewelry.

After a few minutes and a single crash of something falling later, the shopkeeper came back into the front with two boxes floating in his magical grasp. As he set them onto the counter he smiled while opening the flip top of each piece. Each locket had a brilliantly made necklace that was made of pure diamond. The links had been magically made without breaking the diamond allowing them to look like intricately laid and flattened chain links. On the bottom of the necklace hung a Ruby heart shaped locket that was held together by magic and split down the center. Midnight pulled a hoof up and gently touched the locket making it open slowly revealing the blank space where a photo would go in each piece. After a moment of looking at them in complete awe, Midnight smiled warmly to the shopkeeper.

"I'll take them both. How much do I owe you good stallion?" He asked as he opened his portal and pulled out a bag of bits.

"Well, they are quite expensive unfortunately due to how they were made........" He trailed off giving a sheepish grin.

"I would suspect so due to the intricate detail involved with them. So please, how much?"

"They're ten thousand bits each." He said giving a smile as silence filled the air for a moment, until the bag of bits hit the floor.

"Well, good thing Hearthswarming is only once a year." Midnight chuckled as he pulled a second bag of bits from his stash portal and set them both onto the counter.

The shopkeeper stood there as he quickly counted the bits, all the while his mouth hung open at just having made twenty thousand bits on a day that he wasn't even open. After a couple of minutes he finished and quickly placed the items into a bag each, then handing them over to Midnight who gave him a smile before placing the items into his stash portal and left the shop.

After leaving the shop he teleported into the castle and stopped a maid, asking her to locate a magical camera that would print out a photo that was just taken and meet him in Celestia's quarters. A short time later she had arrived with the camera and even set it up for him as she waited to take the said pictures.

"Midnight, is there a reason why you are taking a picture of all of us as a group?" Celestia asked as she picked up Starlight, placing him in front of her, while Midnight did the same to Marina.

"Its for someponies present's." He smiled to her. "Now everypony smile for the camera." He said causing them all to smile.

After a quick flash from the camera, a few pictures left the camera on a white film of paper. It was like a Polaroid camera, except it was done with magic. Midnight picked up two of the photos and placed the third into a picture frame, placing it next to Celestia's bed.

"I'll be back shortly." He smiled as he left the room leaving a semi-stunned family behind.

The two foals went back to playing while Celestia just cocked a brow in confusion. "What could he use those photos for as a Hearthswarming present?" She asked herself as she watched her foals playing.

After a few minutes of carefully cutting out the photos and then shrinking them to the right size, he placed them into each locket before wrapping them flip top boxes with some golden paper and a bow each, then writing Celestia and Marina's names onto them, he returned them to his stash portal for the time being. As he glanced out the window he noticed how dark it was getting out and knew he had little time left to acquire the last of the presents. After thinking for a few more minutes on some presents he settled on the idea of getting a few items from his home world by summoning them. He was just lucky enough that he had recopied his summoning spell from Twilight that he had used to acquire Luna's gift from last year.

After making his way back into his guest bedroom he took a seat on his bed, his horn glowing brightly as he began to summon items left and right. One item in particular was a problem, but after some quick thinking and an interplanal internet connection later. He had acquired Twilight, and Starlight's gifts.

Starlight would get most of the toys that he had summoned since Marina would get the locket as well as a few toys. Twilight would get an iPad completely filled with mostly downloaded books and quite a few games as well. Luna's was tough since it wasn't really a gift at all, more of an apology letter along with a little added bonus that he knew he would regret. But at least it would make thing even between them in the end. Now all that was left, was to wait for morning to arrive along with the rest of his ladies and friends.