Private Bright Lance had been assigned to door duty for the day. It might have had something to do with the crack he made about the captain last night. He didn’t know Shining was there, or that he was so sensitive about his marefriend’s flanks.

Still, at least door duty was boring. Watch the line of petitioners go in, block them after a certain hour.

At least, it was supposed to be boring. Visiting hours had already come and gone, and that usually meant that there wouldn’t be anypony else coming in.

This time, however, somepony did. A stallion with a white coat and a grey mane and tail, with no wings or horn, walked up to the doors. The only really notable thing about him was the sword strapped to his side under his saddlebags. The sword that seemed about as long as he was, and had a large sapphire set in the pommel. His eyes were blue, and he had a mark of a set of black, balanced scales on his flank.

Still, Bright Lance had a job to do, as did his fellow door Guard, Watchful Eye. They crossed their lances and stopped the stallion in his tracks. “No visitors after three PM,” Bright said. “Only urgent business is allowed inside after that hour.”

The stallion laughed, long and low, before looking both of the guards in the eye. And Bright Lance couldn’t place it, but he felt...uneasy by the look the stallion was giving him.

“Good on her, for putting a limit on the public,” the stallion mused. “Can one of you carry a message to Celestia then?”

Bright looked to Eye, who nodded and spoke up next. “What matter do you wish to inform Princess Celestia of?” Eye asked.

“Princess? Well I know I always told her she was,” the stallion muttered, before speaking up. “Tell her Balanced Aspect is here to see her. It’ll be up to her if I’m allowed in or not, though I rather think she’ll let me in.”

Watchful nodded and trotted inside, while the stallion merely sat on his haunches and examined a hoof, waiting for word to come back. Bright kept his eyes alternating between the odd guest and the street, doing his best to make sure that he was doing his job even with a distraction.

In a matter of minutes, Watchful returned and said something Bright hadn’t been expecting. He would have expected a short dismissal, or maybe a stern one. Instead…

“The Princess says she’ll meet you in her sitting room,” Watchful said. “Do you want me to lead you there, sir?”

“Thank you, that’d be appreciated,” the stallion said as he stood back up. “I can tell just from looking at the castle that it’d be a nightmare to traverse. Not like the ones I’m used to at all.”

“Yes, well, follow me sir,” Watchful said as he led the stallion into the castle.

Bright Lance would forever remember that particular day, and that particular stallion.

If only because of what came afterwards.

Princess Celestia of Equestria, Diarch and Raiser of the Sun, She Who Watches Over the Ponies, liked to think that thousands of years of practice lent her the perfect poker face. A pony could say anything to her, and she wouldn’t react unless she wanted to provoke a reaction herself.

That was until she heard six little words.

“A stallion named Balanced Aspect is at the gates, your highness,” the guard named Watchful Eye told her. Causing her to, for the first time in thousands of years, lose her composure.

“Is he really?” she whispered, before coughing and slipping her mask back on. “Ahem. Well then. Please tell this stallion that I will meet him in my sitting room shortly.”

The guard bowed and left the room, as Celestia thought over those words.

It had been a thousand years since she had seen him. To Luna, it would be as good as yesterday. She’d even asked about him once she was settled again. And Celestia couldn’t help but notice that he’d returned not long after after ‘his little Lulu’ had as well.

She still thought, though, that he had left because of what she’d done that day. When she’d had to banish her own sister. She’d lost more than Luna that day, and now it had come back.

Yes, Celestia’s mind was made up. She would tell Luna that Aspect had returned to Equestria. She’d never forgive her if she missed out on meeting him again.

Watchful Eye escorted the stallion to Princess Celestia’s favorite sitting room and held the door open for him. Balanced walked into the room and looked at everything before nodding approvingly at the decor. “She always did know how to do things without overdoing them,” the stallion muttered before turning back to the Guard. “Yes, well, I’ll be fine waiting for her here, thank you.”

Watchful Eye nodded and left the odd, sword-carrying stallion alone in the sitting room of the Princess.

At first, the stallion did nothing, just sitting on one of the cushions to pass the time. As time wore on, though, he pulled out a small book from his saddlebags and went over it.

“Yggdrasil, I caught up with already. Ghelgath, I did before coming here, don’t want him or his kids trying to freeze the world again anytime soon. Chrysalis, it’s been awhile, I wonder how she’s doing. I should definately check up on Thanatos. The Seaponies I saw just a year ago, but maybe I should check up on one again. Maybe see if there’s an Elder Dragon around that remembers me. I’d be lucky if I saw a phoenix, they probably would remember me…”

So caught up in his muttering, the stallion didn’t notice that the door had opened, or that two alicorns were staring at him from the doorway. It was only when Luna spoke up that he noticed they were there.

“That sword,” she said in a low voice. “Tell Us where thou got it.”

Balanced Aspect looked up from his book and smiled at the girls before snapping it shut. “Celly! Lulu! It is wonderful to see you both again!”

“The voice is a match, sister,” Celestia said. “And can you not see it in his eyes?”

“Nonsense,” the blue alicorn replied. “Our father is not a pony.”

The stallion sighed, before the sword glowed bright white. The glow spread rapidly to the one it was hung off of, and his form...changed. From quadrupedal to bipedal. From hooves to feet and hands.

From a pony, to a species that there was only one of on Equus. A human male, clad in fine, rune-covered robes. The sword hung off his hip, and his saddlebags had become a sturdy backpack. The human sat back with both his arms and legs crossed, levelling a glare at the lunar alicorn, as if to ask, ‘Better?’

Luna wasn’t so reserved with her emotions, running forward and wrapping the human in a hug. She nearly shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice, but recalled that he never did like it when she did, and merely gestured for Celestia to join her with one wing. The white alicorn did walk forward and sit next to the human, waiting for an explanation. One that she wasn’t getting quite yet, thanks to the hugging and rubbing behind the ears that Luna was getting.

Eventually, the two separated, and the human turned his blue eyes upon Celestia. “Well go on, ask,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Otherwise we’ll be here all day!”

“Where did you go?” the solar princess softly asked.

“I had a job to do,” the human said simply. “Grogar had come back, and I had to deal with him. And then...I found it easier and easier to just...stay away. Every time I looked up at the moon, I reminded myself of that night...and how I failed to do anything.”

Luna leaned up against the human in a comforting way. “Thou did nothing wrong,” she said simply. “The fault was mine, and mine alone.”

The human shook his head before rubbing behind Luna’s head again. “Remind me who gave you that power? If I hadn’t done that, then that...parasite, wouldn’t have infected you.”

“A fair point, but it was Us who allowed it in,” Luna said. “Regardless, it has been dealt with.”

“I can see that,” the human said before hugging Luna again. “You’re so adorable like this. It’s been a good two thousand years since you were this small.”

“And...how exactly did you change your shape to mimic a stallion’s?” Celestia asked.

“Hydia, Reeka, Draggle,” the human listed off.

“Yes, We are well aware thou...dealt with the witches harming the ponies of that day and age,” Luna says. “And We recall that your sword allows thou to change the power one of thine victims held into something new and redistribute it.”

“It also holds onto a fragment of their power, so that I can take on their attributes if I need it,” the human says. “I probably don’t have much more magic than any other unicorn, but I’ve had time to hone my strength. More time than they’d ever get, at any rate.”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “So, all those monsters you told us about when we were growing up...you can use a portion of their powers?”

“Mmhmm,” the human said. “Nothing more than the very basics, but I’m no pushover compared to you ponies. Plus, some of them are just weird or wrong, and I’m not going to touch them.”

Celestia smiled at that; it sounded like her foster father still had a heart of gold, despite the time they’d spent apart. Or at the very least, a heart that knew right from wrong, despite his...extreme means of correcting that wrong. “It’s good to have you back, Christopher,” the solar princess said before she hugged him.

“It’s good to be back,” the human said with a laugh as he returned her hug. “I missed you two. I mean, I made a lot of ‘kids’ when I went around righting the Aspects, but you two...you always were the best behaved of the lot.”

“How could We not be, with thou as Our guide?” Luna asked. “Thou helped keep Us safe in the hidden valley, and constantly helped the ponies of Dream Valley as well.”

“I did what anyone would,” Christopher said. “Your mother was the first friend I’d had on Equus, and she had more than a few friends in Dream Valley besides. When we found out I had the power to actually slay the wicked Aspects and reform their powers into something...useful, I took the chance to do what I could.”

“Don’t be so modest,” Celestia said as she drew back and gave him a friendly nudge on the shoulder. “I think it’s safe to say that without you, Equestria wouldn’t exist as it is today.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” the human replied with a roll of his eyes. “Not every child I made from the remains of an Aspect became good by default. Ghelgeth certainly wasn’t. It took me going up there and talking to him before he realized the error of trying to freeze Dream Valley.”

“Better the King of Windigos than the Charlatan King,” Luna rebuffed him. “...Art thou staying, father?” she asked with a pouty lip and shimmering eyes. Christopher turned to look before ‘ack’ing and putting a hand to his chest.

“The cute...the cute! Turn off the cute!” he said. Luna didn’t, and the human sighed. “Yes, fine, I’ll stay for a while! I want to reconnect with you two, see the kingdom you’ve built. Might even catch a show or two while I’m here.”

“Huzzah!” Luna cheered.

“I think I’ll invite my student to meet you while you’re here,” Celestia mused. “It’d be interesting, getting your perspective on the history of Equus, the formation of certain species...your role in the shaping of Equus, generally.”

Christopher sighed before rubbing behind Celestia’s ears. “If you insist,” he said. “And only if you’re sure she won’t freak out at the sight of the only human in Equestria.”

To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

A momentous event has happened, one that I did not think would occur for a thousand years. I hereby invite you and your friends up to Canterlot, to meet a very dear friend of mine. Attendance is by no means mandatory, but I cannot promise that he will remain for too long. He always was a free spirit.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia.

With a wave of her horn, the solar princess sent the message off to her student down in Ponyville, before returning to the matter of the stallion at the table with her and Luna. And yes, he had become a stallion again once out of their sitting room. He said he didn’t want to frighten the staff with his human self, and Luna had begrudgingly agreed that their reactions to their father would have delayed dinner an unacceptable amount.

“So what did you do with Grogar?” Celestia asked once their food was brought in. A simple salad for them all, without any hay or flowers or grass or leaves or anything like that. She knew he couldn’t handle it, though the chefs were a little perturbed by the order. Still, it was delicious.

“What I always do,” Balanced Aspect said. “Slew him and reformed his essence into something more positive. He’d become the twisted Aspect of Death, so I created the Reaper. The Grim Stallion, Thanatos. He’s more...neutral about the whole thing. He doesn’t actively seek other ponies out to slay them, just helps them shuffle off this mortal coil to what waits beyond.”

“So you basically gave us a new little brother,” Celestia summed up, which caused the stallion to wince. Luna chuckled.

“Father, when do We get to meet him?”

“When he works up the nerve to meet you,” the stallion said with a roll of his eyes. “I’m not just going to call him here before he’s ready. He might be busy, and his is the sort of work you really don’t want to interrupt. Maybe tomorrow I’ll call him and see if he replies.”

“Fair enough, We suppose,” Luna admitted. “And what did thou do after slaying the ram Grogar?”

“Wandered, from one end of Equus to the other,” the stallion said. “Got a feel for all the magic and powers I’d been taking over the years, got familiar with them. Made sure to stay in touch with as many of my children as I could. Ghelgeth says Hi, by the way. As do the Seaponies, and Yggdrasil.”

“It is nice to hear they are doing well,” Celestia said as she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “And how are you doing?”

“...I missed you both every day I was away,” the stallion admitted. “But I just...I just couldn’t stay there. So many memories, soured. And every day that I stayed away, I went to sleep missing the pair of you. It was only when I saw the mark on the moon vanish that I got up the gumption to return. And I must say, I’m glad I did. The rest of the world was not nearly so civil as this. You two have a right proper civilization here, don’t you?”

“Yes, well, it wasn’t easy getting it in line,” Celestia admitted. “And Luna is still learning about all the improvements and changes in the laws since she was away.”

“‘Tis a long and complex process,” the lunar alicorn admitted. “‘Tis not always clear why some things are no longer done. In Our day, we would have simply let thou deal with an offender as thou saw fit.”

“Oh sure, make your dad out to be the bad guy,” Balanced said with a roll of his eyes. “I thought I raised you better than that.”

“Thou surely did, but the example thou would set would help Us to learn what punishments should be meted out for particular crimes,” the moon princess returned.

“I see, make me do all the hard work, huh?” the stallion said as he gave Luna an accusing glare.

“Only because thou art so good at it,” she returned.

“Did you ever find where the other humans went to?” Celestia softly asked. Balanced returned his look to the solar sister and shook his head.

“All I know is, they set off one day, seeking ‘something new’ in that ship of theirs. I don’t know where they went, I can only hope they found it.” The foster father of the princesses sighed and lowered his head. “I...I could have kept them safe here. I could have guarded them, but they left...I can’t help but feel...responsible.”

“To be fair, you are a little...extreme in how you deal with perceived threats,” the white alicorn said.

“More like, anything of great power that bears ill will towards ponies has most likely met its end at the end of thine sword,” Luna added. “That may have had some small part in their decision to leave.”

“And what was I supposed to do?” Aspect said as he looked at the sisters. “Let the monsters consume Dream Valley before they eventually found you?”

“No, because then you wouldn’t be our father,” Celestia said before sighing. “Still, it can’t have been good for you to be alone all that time.”

“Who said I was alone?” the stallion said. “I met up with the others I helped bring into the world every now and then, and every so often I made a friend out there. I will admit, though, that you have a point. I came alone because there was nobody to make the journey with.” Balanced Aspect finished off his salad and shrugged. “It’s not like I could very well keep any friends. The fountain dried up after your mother and I drank from it.”

“That does not mean thou should not try,” Luna said. “It is the trying that matters, after all. Thou told us that when We had doubts that We could lead the ponies.”

“Yes, and look where that got us,” Celestia said with a smile. “Diarchs of Equestria.”

“And how many friends do you have?” the stallion replied, causing a silence to descend upon the table as the sisters thought about that question.

“I...try to keep friends around,” Celestia said. “But...it’s hard when they see you as Princess Celestia, and not just Celestia. And Luna…”

“We are out of touch with the modern world,” the lunar alicorn added. “We suppose all of Our friends are...long gone now.”

The both of them looked ready to cry at the thought, and Balanced Aspect changed into his human form and opened his arms up, the sign that he was ready to hug the pair of them close. Something the celestial sisters took advantage of as they walked over to him. Christopher whispered soft words into their ears and hugged them, running one hand down both of their backs in a soothing manner.

“It’s okay, girls, it’s okay,” the human said. “I’m here for you two now. And I won’t leave again without warning you first. I promise.”

After a few minutes, their soft sobbing stopped, and all three of the odd family looked at one another. “Right then,” the human said. “The first thing we’ll need to do tomorrow. Make some friends.”

“I think we might have somepony coming tomorrow that could help you with that,” Celestia said with that familiar mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

The next day came bright and early, no thanks to a certain sun princess. Christopher rolled over and moaned in mock agony as he tried to shield himself from the sunlight. “Celly, put the sun back down, it’s too early for me to be up,” the human whined.

“That’s a shame,” the voice of said white alicorn came from near his bed. “Because I brought something for you to help motivate you.”

A familiar smell worked its way into the human’s nose. One he hadn’t had for so long. Tea was good and all, but this!

This was beyond good! This was beyond compare!

This. Was. COFFEE!

The human rolled over and sat up before grabbing the cup and holding it close, revelling in the warmth and the smell of a well-brewed cup of joe. He inhaled the scent before he started sipping the brew that he had very, very fond memories of. “Oh,” he moaned. “That...is the stuff.”

“Agreed,” the voice of Luna said from the doorway. A cursory glance revealed that she held a similar mug in her magic. “This brew is most potent.”

“It’s been a long while since I had any of this,” the foster father of the princesses said as he sipped at the life-giving brew. “What gave you the idea, Celly?”

“Well, you always were complaining about how you liked mornings just fine...and would love them if they just came later in the day, so I figured some coffee would help you change your tune.”

“You figured correctly,” the human said before sipping again. “This is good stuff.”

“Indeed, this concoction can alter even Our sleep-cycle,” Luna admitted. “Rarely did We see it worth the effort before, but for thou, we certainly would.”

“Well, I’m awake,” Christopher said before glowing and turning into his stallion form. “What say we shock the chefs again and request pancakes for breakfast?”

“That...sounds like a delightful idea,” Celestia said with a smile. “And if I know my student at all, she’ll try to arrive just after breakfast is done, when we open up court for the day, usually.”

“Let’s at least get something to eat before she does,” the stallion said as the three of them made their way to the dining room.

“Pancakes sound like a delightful idea,” Luna concurred.

It was an odd sight that Twilight Sparkle and some of her friends would walk in on. Not only Princess Celestia sitting on her throne, but Princess Luna was sitting on hers as well, with a strange stallion sitting close by, talking and laughing with them like they were old friends.

Then again, Princess Celestia had told them that an old friend of hers would be visiting. They just hadn’t expected somepony so...plain looking. And with the thousand years line that she had added in, they were expecting another Alicorn like them. Not an Earth Pony that barely looked older than twenty with a sword hanging off his side.

Twilight was naturally curious as to what was going on. Fluttershy hid behind her mane slightly at so many unexpected faces, and Pinkie Pie…

Well, Pinkie was Pinkie. Especially in the face of a new pony to meet.

“Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked, causing all three of the ponies at the other end of the room to look towards the entrance. They smiled when they saw Twilight and her friends, and all three stood up and walked over to meet them. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight bowed to the regal Alicorns, and they were waved back up a moment later.

“Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Permit me to introduce you to Balanced Aspect,” Celestia said as the stallion stepped forward.

“Our foster father,” Luna added, which only caused the stallion to grin at them while they processed that statement.

“Lulu, I think you broke them,” the stallion said as he looked at the three dumbfounded mares.

“He’s your...but how...it’s...not possible,” Twilight said, barely coherent. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was practically vibrating in place. Fluttershy, imagining that somepony that could get away with calling a Princess a pet name had to have some credence behind his claims...actually came out from behind her mane.

After all, if Princess Celestia was wise and kind, surely her father would be as well. “Um...mister Balanced Aspect, sir?” she asked. “If...it’s not too much trouble. Could you tell us how you came to be the foster father for the Princesses?”

“Ah,” the stallion said with a dramatic air. “Now that is a story ages old...one that I’ve not told to too many others, because those that needed to know, did, and those that didn’t need to know, I didn’t tell.”

“Oh, I don’t mean to pry,” the shy mare said, shrinking back a little.

“Father, tell them,” Celestia said with a nudge of her wing. “You know the story better than us.”

“Fine, fine, I will,” the stallion said as both he and the princesses walked back to the thrones and got seated again. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie followed after, all curious about this story.

“It was many, many years ago,” he started. “At least two thousand. Equus was much younger then, it's magical field not yet tamed or ready to be tamed. Strange events were common. Such as portals between worlds. They would sometimes just bring plants. Other times, they would bring curious creatures. And rarely, just rarely, they would bring intelligent creatures through. I was one such creature, and I was brought through near a fountain that had strange writing around its base and a sword embedded in it. I could not decipher the runes, but I was thirsty. So I drank of the water and felt...refreshed. And then I heard a voice.”

“‘What are you?’ the strange voice asked. ‘I’ve never seen something like you before.’ I looked around and saw only a pony approaching me. Her coat was as white as a cloud in the sky, and her mane and tail were as red as roses. Her eyes were a deep emerald. And then her mouth opened, and that voice came forth again.”

“‘Well whatever you are, you’re funny-looking, that’s for sure,’ she said. That was when I panicked. Because that was my first meeting with a talking pony.”

“But, um, mister Balanced...aren’t you a pony?” Fluttershy asked.

“Not normally,” the stallion said, before he and the sword he was carrying began to glow, and his form began to change. When the shifting stopped, there was a creature of myth sitting between the Princesses. A human male, smiling at the gathered ponies.

Twilight tilted her head at the strange creature, already comparing him to the myths and legends she had read while she was in the castle. Fluttershy was curious about the new species she was seeing, and Pinkie…

Was somehow vibrating even more.

“Now where was I?” the human said, putting a hand to his chin.

“Right after you met your first pony!” Pinkie chirped, her voice somehow even, despite the fact she seemed to be… blurring.

“Ah yes,” the human said with a nod. “So where I came from, there were no talking ponies. So I was a little...startled by meeting one. To the point where the first thing I did was pull the sword out of the fountain and point it at her, because I didn’t know what was going on.”

“You were scared,” Fluttershy said softly, to which the human nodded.

“I think the phrase losing my mind was more appropriate,” the human replied with. “‘Stay back,’ I told the pony. ‘I don’t know who you are or where I am, and I need a minute to get my head on straight.’ ‘You’re not going to hurt me,’ she replied. ‘Otherwise you would have pulled that out a lot sooner. Can I get a drink as well? I’m very thirsty.’ I edged away from her as she drew closer, so that I was standing off to one side while she drank from the fountain. And drank. And drank and drank and drank. It was only after she’d had her fill that she stepped back and examined the runes on the fountain. ‘Oh my,’ she said. ‘This...this can’t be right.’”

“Wait,” Twilight said, holding up a hoof. “You both drank from an unidentified fountain of water before trying to read the runes on the side of it?”

“Well, for me it can be forgiven,” the boy said. “I couldn’t read the runes, nor did I have any equipment to try and purify the water of whatever contaminant it may have had. The mare, though, that one I’ll not take credit for. She could read the runes and didn’t until she’d slaked her thirst. And it was then that I found that we’d both drunk from the Fountain of Eternity.”

“The what?” Twilight asked. “I’ve never heard of that before…” And she’d read all the books in the castle. Five times. There was no mention of such a place in any of them.

“You likely wouldn’t,” the human replied. “It wasn’t long after the mare had drunk her fill from the fountain that it sputtered, stopped, and ceased producing water. ‘Oh dear,’ the mare said. ‘Well, I suppose we’ll have to find more water elsewhere.’ ‘We?’ I replied. ‘Yes, we,’ she said. ‘I’ll not leave you alone here, if that’s what you’re wondering. A good pony always helps out those that need it, and you seem like you could use a friend.’ It took her a few more minutes and persuasive arguments, but eventually I agreed to accompany her. And that was the start of my friendship with the mare Written Script.”

“Soooo,” Pinkie said. “She was the Princesses’ mommy? And you both drank from that same magical fountain?” At all three nods, she continued her line of questioning. “Then where is she?”

At this, the human deflated a little. “She...isn’t around anymore.”

“But if you both drank from the fountain, and you’re still here,” Twilight began to point out, at which the human nodded.

“Yes, but most of the power from that fountain went to the two lives growing within her at the time,” he said before giving both Celestia and Luna a rub behind their ears. They nodded again at his words and the rubbing, and the ponies there thought about what he’d said. Their mother had been...pregnant with them, when she drank from the fountain.

“So she’s?” Fluttershy asked softly, and the human nodded. “I’m sorry, you must have been so sad when she…”

“Yes, I was,” the human replied. “But come!” With a clap of his hands, he jolted every pony out of their melancholy moods. “We’re not here to discuss the sad moments in my far too long life.”

“Indeed not,” Celestia said. “My student, it has come to my attention that our father has been without friends for quite some time. If you and he both agree to this, then once he has caught up with Luna and myself, I would ask you to help him acclimate to modern Equestria in Ponyville.”

“What?” Twilight asked with a tilted head. She wasn’t the only one, as the human had turned to Celestia with an expression that said he thought she’d grown a second head.

“Specifically, We would like thou to help Our father make some friends,” Luna added, causing the ponies and human to look at her now.

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered as confetti fell from...somewhere. “I have so many things to show you about Ponyville, mister human!”

“Christopher,” the human corrected her. “My name is Christopher Gale.”

“Okey Dokey mister Gale!” Pinkie said. “I’m gonna help you make a lot of friends when you come to Ponyville!”

“...Why does she remind me of Surprise?” Christopher asked himself. Both alicorns flinched at that name, before looking at Pinkie again.

“She...does have many of her character qualities,” Celestia observed.

“Mayhap it is time we upgraded the wards on the castle, sister,” Luna pitched in. “It took us quite some effort before we could repel Surprise back in Dream Valley.”

“Silly fillies!” Pinkie said with a giggle. “Nopony can escape the Pinkie!”

“Yup, now she really reminds me of Surprise,” the human observed. “Well, I’ll be down in Ponyville in good time, and when I am, I’ll be sure to see you, Pinkie.”

“Mmhmm,” the pink pony hummed.

“I will send you a letter when father decides to come down, Twilight,” Celestia said. The purple unicorn nodded even as the human turned to face Celestia again.

“It’s remarkable how I came to the conclusion that I needed to go to Ponyville in the span of less than a minute of being informed of this,” he said aloud, causing Celestia to grin.

“Face it, father, thou require friends, and sister’s student is studying friendship,” Luna pointed out. “It is as perfect a match as ice cream and cake.”

“I know, right?” Pinkie asked.

“If you say so,” Christopher sighed. “Somehow I feel that this will all go terribly wrong.”

“Nonsense,” Celestia said. “It’s not like Ponyville is under any major threat. It’s a quiet little town located just out of Canterlot. I promise you, everything will be fine.”

Author's Notes:

Hello hello! Welcome to the latest Ausbrony and Thadius collab!

This one has been in the works for a while, and will be on a similar update schedule as the last story. Once a week, you get a new chappy.

Speaking of, let me start this up right now...

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Half of the proceeds will not go towards wrecking Diablo 3.