*POOF*

“Here we are! Back at the Golden Oaks Library!” Twilight announced after we arrived in front of the giant tree/building in the late sunset.

“Golden Oaks…?” I asked, perplexed by the name. “Is that what this *cough* place is called?”

“Yeah. Haven’t I told you that befo—!” she stopped herself as her ears perked up. She planted an ear up against the door as if she’d heard something strange.

“What are you do—?”

“SHH! Come here…” she beckoned.

“Oookay…?” I uneasily approached and joined her in pressing my ear up against the door. There was whispering going on from the inside. I couldn’t tell what the voices were saying but the voices themselves sounded familiar… One sounded like that of a child while the other sounded like a well-mannered grown woman.

“What do you think is going on in there…?” Twilight whispered.

“I dunno…” I whispered back. “…but I have a pretty good idea as t’ who’s inside there…”

“So do I…”

“Aight… Le’ss go in an’ see wha’ss goin’ on…”

“Alright… On three… One… Two… Three…!” with that, Twi and I burst in through the library door to be greeted with a most unexpected sight. It was a small purple dragon and a white, indigo-maned mare holding one another as they seemed to be in the midst of an intimate moment. Their eyes widened in shock as they froze in their position.

“Oh, my god…” I muttered in shock.

“Spike!? Rarity!?” Twi shouted in complete disbelief. In lieu of saying anything, I started cracking up.

“Twilight! Ty! How do you do,” Rarity nervously greeted as she planted her fore hooves back on the ground.

“It isn’t what it looks like! Honest!” Spike defended as he hastily removed his claws from Rarity’s shoulders.

“Oh, really?” I asked, still laughing uncontrollably. At that, I saw the faces of both the white mare and the purple dragon heat up into a bright crimson.

“I-I assure you, we were simply… um… checking to see if… our faces were in tip-top condition,” Rarity said in a tone that sounded like she hastily came up with a lie.

“Yea okay, an’ I suppose y’all was gonna go ‘head an’ do that by wettin’ each other’s’ whistles, huh?” I got no verbal response; instead, the couple in question lowered their heads in embarrassment, which I took as a sign to relax and cease my laughing. I took a quick glance at Twilight, who I noticed stifling her own snickers with her fore hoof. “*AHEM* But seriously, I suppose i’ss nice t’ see you’re gettin’ better acquainted.”

“Better acquainted than I thought possible…” Twilight quipped. I resisted the urge to laugh at her remark.

“So uh… what sparked this li’l romantic flame between you two? If ya don’t mind me askin’…”

“I wouldn’t so much call it a ‘romantic flame’ as I would prefer to label it a… ‘Quixotic examination,’ of sorts… However, if you must know, the day we’d spent together was absolutely splendid!” the fashion mare informed with a smile.

“Yeah,” Spike continued. “We got to know each other so well! We went to the café, took a walk to the park and spent time talking and thinking back to funny moments…”

“Yes, and I must say, Twilight,” Rarity began in a tone of concern. “I had no idea you were having such problems with acne that you’d had to find and use a spell to hide it… If you would’ve come to me, I would’ve given you some of the finest ointments available to battle your blemishes in a more conventional manner. I also would’ve helped you with your issue in terms of— mm?” Spike quieted the mare by gently placing a claw over her muzzle. The library went awkwardly silent. At that, I widened my eyes as I gave a sideways glance at Twilight. She looked absolutely appalled, her jaw hanging open as she gawked at Rarity. I then turned to the dragon.

“You do realize that you’re prolly gonna have a *cough* LOTTA makin’ up t’ do…”

“Yeah…” he answered as he lowered his head, scratching the back of it with the claw he removed from Rarity’s mouth.

“But as for your adventure…”

“Oh, yes,” Rarity replied. “We simply spent the entire time learning about one another. Over the course of the next two days, Spike had finished his chores around the library earlier than usual as I’d made the extra effort to complete customer orders as swiftly as possible. We’d found a mutual break time where we were able to meet up and discuss miscellaneous stories with one another about anything and everything. He’s proven to be such a sweetheart…”

“And then today came, where neither of us was busy,” Spike continued. “So we spent most of the day in here, just talking, one thing led to another, and…”

“We kinda… ruined your moment,” I finished.

“Oh, of course not!” Rarity replied. “We were simply conducting…”

“An experiment!” Spike abruptly finished for her. At that, I laughed, considering Rarity's look changing to one of puzzlement.

“Ha, ‘experiment…’ Yeah, I know all about those…” I joked as I looked over at the purple unicorn. She looked none too pleased, glaring at Spike as if he’d just screwed up big time. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

“Changing the subject,” Twilight began in an eerily calm tone. “Spike, did you get my message?”

“Oh! Y-yeah! She said to let her know when you got back. In which case…” the small lizard scurried his way to a nearby desk to pull out a slip of parchment and a quill. After he was done, he engulfed it in emerald-colored flame as it made its journey to the princess. “There.” With that, he fearfully approached Twilight as she fixed her glare from one of anger to one of mild annoyance.

“Good. Now that that's out of the way... Ty, Rarity…”

“Yea?” “Yes, dear?” we asked in unison.

“Could you two please step outside for a moment? I’d like to have a word with Spike… alone.” Already, I could tell he was probably in a lot of trouble. The two of us didn’t hesitate to trot outside of the library door before it magically slammed itself shut. Now sitting outside in the waning sunset were Rarity the fashion mare, and myself. After a short, uncomfortable silence, the white mare spoke up.

“So, Ty… How do you do?” she politely asked.

“Um, I could be *cough* better… But I’ll manage."

"Good to hear. Last I heard, you were exiled from our fair land."

"Yea, well... In a nutshell, we're goin' t' see the princess so she can deliver us her final verdict."

"I see. Spike DID mention something about an important letter regarding a meeting between Twilight and Princess Celestia... I presume it must've been Twilight following up with a challenge to her ruling?"

"Your presumption would be correct."

"Quite..." she commented, suddenly smirking at me. "It's actually quite admirable... seeing you two fight the justice system in the name of love..." she followed THAT statement with an admittedly cute little giggle and a wink, instantly putting me on the hot seat.

"Jeez... She's too good at this 'flattery' thing..."

"Y-yea, well... when the goin' gets tough, the tough get goin'..." I nervously murmured, scratching the back of my head as I tried to make sense of what I just babbled out to her.

"Indeed, Ty," she agreed, still smiling that enticing smile at me.

"Right. So uh... How... are you today, madam?”

"Why the hell am I so NERVOUS around her?? She isn't even flirtin' with me! At least, I don't think she is..."

“Marvelous, dear. Thank you for being a gentlecolt and asking so politely,” she kindly replied in such a tone that sounded like it was laced in intrigue.

"Huh... Maybe she IS doin' it on purpose..."

“You're welcome…" I said, almost losing my words before I thought up a topic to discuss with the strangely alluring marble-coated mare. "So… um… you an' Spike, huh?”

“I assure you, Spikey-Wikey and I are not an item…” she curtly replied, her smile disappearing almost instantly.

“Hmph. That ain’t what that puppy-dog stare you two were givin’ each other while you was huggin' said…”

“Honestly, I had no intention of doing anything suggestive, if that's what you're implying…”

“Uh-huh…” I was still a bit skeptical of her.

“You must understand that he’s simply too young for me,” she explained without me needing to prod her. “I mean, he has all the qualifications of a perfect gentlecolt and he will find a suitable special somepony OR somedragon in due time. However, he and I are… too different for me to think of him in such a manner. As I previously mentioned, he’s younger than I, which wouldn’t necessarily be a problem in itself if he weren’t still a child. The real predicament lies in—!”

“Him bein’ a dragon?”

“Well… yes. Dragons age much more slowly than ponies do unless they experience a sudden growing, insatiable greed. In that case, he’d become an adult in a matter of hours—!”

“Unless he was to snap out of it, which would make him turn back t’ normal, right?”

“Yes. Not to mention, he'd grow to the size of a mountain... How did you know that last little tidbit?”

“He told me hisself. But as you was sayin’…"

“Oh, yes. Other than that, we’d likely be long gone before he even finished puberty. In addition, he is one of my best friends. Even if he were to somehow become a stallion, I certainly wouldn’t want to damage the little dragon with something so terribly demanding as a relationship. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us for the simple fact that he is, in a way, Twilight’s younger sibling. Add that to how sisterly Twilight and I have become over time and that would serve to further deter me from considering Spike as a… special somepony…”

“I see…”

“Please understand that I do love Spike very much… It’s just that I just cannot find it in me to love him in that fashion. I would find it much too harmful to the relationship we have now...”

“Ouch…” Hearing that hurt me a little and I wasn’t even the one with feelings for her. “You are aware of his feelin’s for you though, aren’t you?”

“Of course, dear. It would be hard to miss… In fact, it would be harder to miss than, as Applejack would say, ‘the broad side of the barn.’ Still, there's always the possibility that it's simply a childhood crush and that he'll be over it himself in due time...”

“Right. But what if it isn't just some insignificant little prepubescent infatuation? How will you break it to him that his love is unrequited?”

“That’s what would pain me most. After these last two days we spent learning about one another, we were on the verge of touching that subject… of course, until you and Twilight burst in…”

“Ooh… Sorry about that…”

“It’s okay, darling… I’ll simply have to find another time to converse with him…” As Rarity finished her statement, the door reopened with Twilight and Spike standing in the doorway.

“She’s ready for us, Ty,” Twilight informed. “A chariot should be here any moment.”

“Alright! Hey, wha’ss wrong with him?” I said as I looked at Spike, who seemed less than thrilled. In fact, he seemed really grumpy, as he was pouting with his arms crossed.

“Oh, nothing… He’ll just be spending the rest of this week reorganizing this entire library as a way to learn not to spill secrets that aren’t his to spill…”

“Ouch… but then, this is a lesson to you, too, Twi…”

“And what lesson might that be?” she asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“A secret between three friends is best kept… if two of them are dead.” The two mares and the dragon looked up at me in shock.

“Whoa whoa whoa, I’m certainly not gonna KILL anypony…” Twilight warily said. I felt my face go deadpan as I resisted the urge to face hoof.

“No, I mean don’t share secrets if you aren’t comfortable trustin’ anyone else with them.”

“Oh,” All three of them said in unison.

“Well, that’s certainly a dark way of putting it…” the lavender mare worriedly remarked. “And all the things he told Rarity weren’t things I told him. They were things he’s seen me doing, but found humorous enough to blab to her.”

“Oh… Well, Spike… You sir, are a bad, bad boy.”

“Yeah, yeah…” He dismissively replied, waving a claw.

“Aww, cheer up, Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity cooed to the dragon. “I’m sure it won’t be too difficult. I might even be able to lend a helping hoof… if you’re okay with that, Twilight…”

“Sure, fine. I’d hate to separate you two lovebirds…” the purple mare teased, much to the chagrin of her fellow unicorn. “But NO more embarrassing stories about me. Please??”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye…” Rarity recited.

“I see these Pinkie Promises are serious business…” I said.

“That they are, Ty. Just be extremely careful not to break one if ever you make one… If one is unwise enough to go back on their word, Pinkie Pie will know. From there, she will most likely hunt you down like nopony’s business…” I wondered what COULD happen if one was to break a Pinkie Promise… I could imagine the party mare going completely insane and practically killing someone if they weren’t careful. But then I got this dark, ominous feeling… like I was going to be finding out firsthand. I shook it off as I saw a royal chariot approaching us. It landed in front of us, prompting Twi and I to climb on and take our seats. We said our goodbyes and soon enough, we were headed off towards Canterlot.

“So… Twilight.”

“Yeees?”

“I’m curious… What exactly DID Spike wind up tellin’ Rarity?”

“I’d tell you… but then I’d have to kill you…” Instantly, I remembered what I told her just a bit earlier.

“Oh yeah…” I gave a short laugh. “Nice one.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem… But here’s a quick thought: Why punish Spike so harshly for revealin’ a few secrets o’ yours when you wound up revealin’ one o’ his by accident?”

“You mean that time where he, Rarity, and Fluttershy trusted me to keep so many secrets that I inadvertently blurted out the one about his crush?”

“Yea.”

“It’s not like anypony DIDN'T know about his infatuation; except Rarity, who was completely oblivious at the time. That was the only secret of his I’d revealed, and it wasn't even secret. Did you know he crafted a T-shirt with a picture of Rarity’s face inside of a heart on it? Other than that, he was practically worshiping the ground she walked on.”

“Wow… he made it THAT obvious, huh? Borderline creepy…”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Still, tha’ss somethin’ he trusted you with.”

“Yeah, well I also trusted him with keeping my problem with my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder sec— *GASP*!” I laughed heartily at that.

“Looks like you can’t even keep your own secrets… O.C.D., huh?”

“I-it’s not as bad as you think… honestly!” she gave me such a pleading, worried look that I actually felt bad for her.

“I dunno… that brings me back to what Rainbow told me about you trickin’ the whole town int’ fightin’ over that raggedy ol’ doll that Applejack’s older brother is now in possession of…”

“That was one particularly bad incident… Nopony actually knows I have the disorder, to my knowledge… except Spike… and Rarity… and now you…” she lowered her gaze to the carriage floor. A second later, she slightly lifted her head up as she moved her eyes to look at me in the most adorable display of submissiveness I’d ever seen. “But… I learned how to control it…”

“Aww, Twi… I don’t think any less o’ you for havin’ O.C.D. Nobody’s perfect. I mean come on... You've seen already that I can get a little too frustrated at small things a bit more quickly than I should…”

“Interesting… Could you possibly have Intermittent Explosive Disorder?” She surprised me with her knowledge of psychology.

“I.E.D.? Oh no, not THAT frustrated… most times. I don’t usually get violent when I’m angry… Most o' the time, I jus’ stop talkin’. Period. Other times, I might laugh at whatever’s gettin’ on my nerves. You’d know right away.”

“I see… Well, I hope I don’t have to see you angry… unless it’s for my amusement,” she teased and winked as she scooted close to me.

“Oh, hardy har har…” I remarked as I hugged her tight. “Anything else you’d like t’ ‘accidentally’ share with me?”

“Hmm...” she pondered as she returned the hug. “Well… this isn’t so much a secret as it is a… request…”

“A request, hm? Wha’ss up?”

“Well, I know how you don’t really like being experimented on, considering what I've put you through thus far… But I know I could gather tons of information from you if you allowed me to… I just don’t feel like it’s fair to you, though…”

“It ain’t really that Ah’ont like it. I’ss jus’ that I don’t like when I don’t know your motives. If you need me in order t’ learn somethin’, jus’ lemme know. I understand that I’m your first human test subject, but I’m not a lab rat. I’m honored to assist you in your studies. But at the same time, I don’t want that t’ be the only reason you’d keep me around, y’know?”

“I understand loud and clear… There’s no way I’d let my colt-friend feel like anything less than that… Thank you for letting me study up on you. I think it’d make an excellent addition to my primary studies on friendship, which I’m a little behind on due to everything that’s happened to us over the past week. Besides that, I really do like you, Ty… I would hate for you to think I’ve only been keeping you around as a scientific instrument.” She finished her statement by kissing me on the cheek. I couldn’t help but smile at Twilight as I held her in my forelegs. She looked up at me in such a state of blissful happiness that I instantly felt my heart thumping in my chest like it was going to burst. My stomach felt like an entire exhibit of butterflies had been released inside it. I absorbed the euphoria of it all as I stared into her eyes, grinning with delight.

A short time later, we’d arrived in Canterlot once again, the chariot gracefully landing in front of the palace doors. The two of us gave our appreciation to the guards for the ride before we entered the enormous building and trotted all the way up the stairs to the throne room door.

“Here we are… The moment o' truth is here… No pressure… No pressure at all...” I muttered before taking a deep, uneasy breath and gulping down my anxiety.

"Who am I kiddin'? ALL of the pressure!"

“Relax, sweetie…” Twilight whispered to me, which prompted me to shoot her a slightly perplexed look.

“Sweetie? That’s a new one…” She merely smirked at my observation.

“I should say the same to you. That's how I felt when you called me ‘honey’ before you left for work today…” It took me a moment to recollect my thoughts, but I did remember what I said to her this morning.

“So I did… So I did… Okay, enough stallin’… Le’ss get this over with…”

“Right…” We wasted no more time in entering the throne room to be greeted with the luminescent presence of the Sun Goddess Princess herself. The second she laid eyes on us, she stood up and smiled. Twilight and I walked up to her. I felt the need to take a bow, but I was stopped.

“Formalities, while thoughtful, are not necessary, my faithful subject,” Celestia calmly informed, prompting me to stand back up as I looked at her. “Now I know you two must’ve had a busy schedule today, so I won’t hold up more of your time than I need to. Ty.”

“Yes?”

“I’d… like to issue an apology for my decisions regarding your presence here in Equestria.” We’d just gotten here and already, she’s thrown me off-guard.

“Oh, wow um… It’s… okay?” I meekly replied.

“No… no, I’m afraid it’s not okay. What I did to you was unbefitting of me, and it was certainly unfair to you. I am not afraid to admit that I’ve made a mistake. I didn’t give you a fair enough trial to prove yourself worthy of staying in Equestria.”

“Water under the bridge, all of it,” I said, wanting to bring the princess to the main topic of why she called me here. “Twilight an’ I already talked about the reasons behind your decisions an' I understand ‘em. For one, as we ALL know by now, you was lookin’ out for the greater good of this country. Tha’ss what a leader’s supposed t’ do. Then there’s the fact that you had no contact with humans before that guy in that other country who told you that all humans were evil. I told you that NOT all humans were evil, but I didn’t elaborate.”

“Yes, but I’m sure you are aware by now that I invaded your privacy by performing a mind-reading spell on you, are you not?”

“Yea, I know…”

“That was far from fair to you, whether you choose to combat that point or not. I had no right, even as Equestria’s leader, to encroach your personal boundaries in such a treacherous fashion. However, I had no idea what human beings are capable of and I’m still not quite certain I know now… However, what I do know is that you genuinely care for my most faithful student.”

“*sigh* Yea… yea I do…” I felt the air get significantly thinner as I glanced over at Twi, who looked at me and flashed me a small smile. “But I also understand that you an’ she are very close. Like, family close.”

“Are you referring to the fact that she is my niece-in-law?”

“Close, but no. I mean, I’ve only heard about all the time she’s spent under your protection an' care as she learned more an' more about magic every day since she was a filly… But she holds you in such high regard that she wouldn’t dare even think anything negative about you. Even when we were discussin' your choices an' our thoughts on 'em yesterday. The idea I’m gettin’ at is one of a possible mother-daughter relationship between you two. Not that you would need some random stranger like ME t' tell ya that, of course...” Despite that last comment, Celestia’s eyes went wide.

“Mother… daughter…?” she quietly asked as she registered the words in her mind. She then averted her gaze over to the purple unicorn, who flashed a bright, warm smile at her mentor. “Twilight… I… you haven’t a clue how much that means to me…” Celestia’s eyes began to show signs of wavering as she smiled at her protégé. Twilight took it upon herself to approach the royal winged unicorn before they shared a loving, heartwarming embrace with one another.

“…and that’s why I could prolly guess that you was especially lookin’ out for her. Your distrust o’ me hurts… but what can I say? This IS your one an’ only most faithful student. I’d be a fool not t’ at least comprehend that,” I informed as the two unicorns separated.

“Ty… I do not distrust you. At least, I don’t now… Again, I’m deeply sorry for the inconvenience I’ve caused you and Twilight. It would be my honor if you were to stay in Equestria…” Those words made my entire day. Princess Celestia ACTUALLY allowed me to stay in Equestria! But, there was a pressing issue at hand…

“Thanks! I’m eternally grateful, Princess. But… I likely won’t be stayin’ long. Not that I wouldn’t come back, but…”

“Yes, I understand. You have no intention of leaving your world permanently.”

“Yes…”

“I wouldn’t have a problem with bringing you in between worlds,” Twilight finally spoke.

“Well thanks, Twi! But I’m sure that would exhaust you if you kept doin’ that, wouldn’t it?”

“Right now, yes. But, as you can see, the more I use that spell, the better I become with it. It’d be more or less a training regimen for me.”

“I see… but then, what about the transformation spell?”

“That one’s easy! It hardly—!”

“No, I mean… would you have to keep doin’ it? I don’t mind bein’ a pony at all. I’ss a new experience for me. But you’re already goin’ outta your way t’ bring me to an’ from here. I don’t want you stressin’ yaself constantly usin’ your magic on me…”

“I will see to it that a spell that more properly accommodates your situation is found,” Celestia graciously offered, to my surprise.

“Tha—!”

“However, I require something from you first.”

“Anything! You name it. A slushy? A sweater from my world? A hug?”

“No,” she answered as she let out a small chuckle. “I need you… to prove your feelings towards Twilight.” Twi and I both shot looks of confusion at each other, then at her.

“Um… prove my feelings?”

“Yes. I’m aware that you two are more than friends.”

“What!? How’d y— Ohohoho, okay, you prolly got that from the mind-readin’ spell, right?”

“Actually… no.”

“What? Then how’d you know…?”

“Word spreads quickly around Canterlot; especially amongst the guards,” she informed with a wink. I almost asked her what she was talking about, but then I remembered the first time we came here…

“Oh…”

“Indeed.”

“Okay... I accept your challenge,” I confidently said as I walked over towards the purple unicorn and kissed her on the cheek. “There.”

“A nice try, but not quite.”

“No? Okay…” I kissed her again, except this time giving her a small peck on her lips, provoking her to blush vehemently. “That good enough?”

“*sigh* It will take more than you kissing her to convince me...”

“I see… is there somethin’ specific you want me t’ do?”

“Not at all. Simply do what comes to mind that you think would convince me that your feelings are truly genuine.” I wasn’t sure what she was looking for me to do, but if kissing didn’t work, then something had to give. After a moment of pondering, I finally hatched an idea.

“I got it! How about a song?” I suggested.

“A song would be nice. Let’s hear it.” I simply nodded before I began to think about what song I’d serenade the two lovely mares with. I mainly thought about mushy love songs, given my objective. A short time later, a single song got stuck in my head and I couldn’t get it out. I sat there, trying to think of a better song to sing to the unicorns that would also force the current song out of my head. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be happening as the song I’d been listening to in my head suddenly started playing loudly out of nowhere, where all three of us could hear it. I figured that this must’ve been that song magic Twilight told me about, because I suddenly lost control of my body as it began to do these ridiculous dance moves on its own. Rather than resist it, I got curious and allowed it to happen.

“I jus’ wish I’d-a picked a better song than this… Damn it…! Well, here goes nothin’…”

“We’re no strangers to loooove,” I impulsively began singing with no explanation as I found my body at the mercy of this strange magic.

You know the rules, and SO! DO I!

A full commitment’s what I’m thinkin’ of...

You wouldn’t get this from ANY OTHER GUY!

Aaaaah jus’ wanna tell ya how I’m feeling…

Gotta make you… Understand!

Never gonna GIVE YOU UP, Never gonna LET YOU DOWN, Never gonna RUN AROUND and… DESERT YOU!

Never gonna MAKE YOU CRY, Never gonna SAAAY goodbye, Never gonna TELL A LIE… and HURT YOU!

“Wow…” I heard Twilight say as I was too busy being a magical marionette. I also noticed a few random ponies I hadn’t even seen enter the room; they were dancing right along with me. Some were even providing background vocals. The choreography of it all was astounding to say the least. Everything seamlessly flowed together, despite everypony and everything just showing up out of nowhere... Before long, the next part of this awful song began…

We’ve known each other! For so long…

Your heart’s been achin’ but… YOU’RE TOO SHY to say it!

Inside, we both know what’s been… Goin’ on…

We know the game and we’re… GONNA PLAAY IIT!

AAAAAND If you ask me how I’m feeling…

Don’t tell me you’re too… BLIND TO SEE!

As the song went back to its hook, I noticed my body making especially strange movements towards Twilight. So far, I’d somehow been moving in ways I’d only thought were possible in human form, making strange gestures towards the unicorn, such as gently brushing her face or caressing her chin with a fore hoof or winking at her and smiling as I sang to her. The weirdest part is that she seemed to be absolutely captivated by it, her eyes glimmering as she smiled brightly at me. So I figured I might as well keep this going. After a short instrumental stint accompanied by some background singers saying "Give you up!", I involuntarily began to sing again. This time, I was just repeating three words, though:

Never gonna give, never gonna give!

“Give you up!” said four unbelievably familiar voices.

Never gonna give, never gonna give!

“Give you up!” this time, I saw my background singers… Shockingly, they were none other than Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Despite them only saying a couple of words, they all had wonderful singing voices! Especially Rainbow, whose singing voice I would’ve assumed sounded like a wet cat attacking a chalkboard, considering how boyish her normal voice sounded… no offense to her. I didn’t even have the time to wonder how they even got there before the song progressed through one more torturous set of lyrics.

We’ve known each other! For so long…

Your heart’s been achin’ but… YOU’RE TOO SHY to say it!

Inside, we both know what’s been… Goin’ on…

We know the game and we’re… GONNA PLAAY IIT!

Aaaaah jus’ wanna tell ya how I’m feeling…

Gotta make you… Understand!

One final time, the song went back to its trademark hook of “Never gonna’s,” except this time, everyone in the room save for Twi and Princess Celestia were reciting them with me. Something unusual happened the final two times the hook was repeated. Instead of the normal lyrics, it came out as…

CROSS MY HEART

AND HOPE TO FLYYYY

OR YOU CAN STIIICK A CUPCAKE

IN MY EYE!

With that impromptu Pinkie Promise that I’d made twice in a row, the song finally ended with me and all of my… helpers, I guess, striking ridiculous poses as the music finally stopped. Almost instantly, I finally regained control of my body. The first thing I did was plant all four of my hooves on the ground as I panted, completely worn out by the performance.

“Damn you and your catchy song, Rick Astley…”

I looked up at Twilight and Celestia to see that they had different looks on their faces. Celestia wore a look of what seemed like surprise, satisfaction, and approval. Twi, on the other hand, was on the verge of tears, albeit grinning ear to ear.

“Is that… proof enough… for y—?” I was about to ask the Sun Princess before completely interrupted by her niece as she wrapped her forelegs around my neck and pulled me into the most surprisingly strong lip lock I’d ever had. She seemed to be holding nothing back, holding me tight as she moaned into the embrace. Eventually, she let me go with an audible pop. I simply stared at the unicorn, mind-blown and a little disoriented.

“Thank you for this wonderful song, Rick Astley…”

“WOW... I uh… take it you liked that?” I stammered.

“Like it?” she rhetorically asked. “That was the most wonderful thing anypony’s ever done for me!” she tearfully answered.

“Aww, I already broke the Pinkie Promise I made for you in the end… I wasn’t supposed to make you cry,” I somberly said as I pulled the mare into a consoling hug.

“I… I think it’s okay… these are just tears of joy…” I heard her loud and clear as I stroked her mane with a fore hoof as we continued to hug, provoking everyone in the room, with the presumable exception of Rainbow, to “d’aww” in admiration. I looked around to see that most of the other ponies that had magically appeared during the song were already gone. The only ones still in the room were Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack.

“Hey, y’all!” I greeted after Twilight and I separated from the hug. The four of them merely waved back at me. “Nice t’ see y'all again! But… Somebody’s missin'…” I pondered for a moment before I realized who the missing link was. “Where’s Pinkie Pie?” The second I asked that, that ominous feeling I’d gotten while I was talking to Rarity earlier intensified as I shuddered inexplicably. “I… sense a disturbance in the force… I feel like I’m… in a LOT of trouble…”

“Darn tootin’ you are…” Applejack concurred with a sinister smile as she and Rainbow crept towards me, prompting me to back away in fear.

“W-why? Did… did I do somethin’ t’ y’all? I’m sorry if I did…”

“Oh, it’s not US you should be apologizing to…” Rainbow warned as she smirked and chuckled. Now I was really confused. As I backed away in apprehension, I looked around to see the faces of everypony else. They all seemed to be wearing the same look of confusion as they observed.

“Then wh—?” I was stopped when I’d bumped into something behind me. The dark premonition I had amplified as I slowly turned around to lay my eyes on a most fearful sight; a positively pissed off pink party pony with a piece of pie in her palm…

“Awwwww sheeit…”