The day after the party, Aspect actually woke up with a giddy expression on his face. Early. Happy before he’d had his coffee.

Were any of the other Aspects around to see this, they might decry it as something unnatural. Aspect would brush their concerns off and simply smile at them.

He really liked teaching.

He hummed a happy, wordless song as he made his way to the kitchen, still wanting to prepare himself a simple breakfast and cup of coffee. He really wanted to teach, but high-duty pegasus magic on an empty stomach was ill-advised. There was a reason that Commander Hurricane thought food was just as important as medics.

Speaking of the old warmare, he still had her wingblades and armor…

“Well, somepony’s chipper,” Bon Bon chuckled, already in the kitchen and preparing breakfast for him and the others. “This is a first, I thought Mort would have to drag your soul back from Tartarus.”

“I’m gonna be teaching again, Bonnie!” Aspect all but chirped. “Teaching! I love teaching new things to ponies! All the things I taught them over the years became the basis of a lot of important things. It’s hardly the same, but bringing back the old arts is enough of a pick-me-up to make me happy all day.”

Oh gosh, he was just so adorable. “Hmm, well the store’s closed today… could I… maybe come and help? I do know a little Geomancy after all.”

“I dunno,” Aspect said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind having a lovely teacher’s assistant and example. But I was under the impression it was gonna be pegasi today. You’re free to come watch and listen if you want. And maybe you’ll be able to help me remember a few things about how they work.”

“And help you because you’d forget your own head if it wasn’t screwed on?” Bon Bon chuckled. “Look, if you don’t want me ‘cramping your style’...”

“No no, it’s not that,” Aspect said, nuzzling her. “It’s just gonna be...Well, put it like this. There was a reason the insult for a pegasus is featherbrain. Sometimes, that’s what it felt like, trying to teach them their tribal magic.”

“Ahh, well I think I can handle a few foals, despite their size…” Then Bon Bon smirked. Much like a shark really as she produced a little pouch of her namesake. “Aspect, what do you say to a little… experiment?”

“Uhoh,” Aspect replied, gulping. “I doubt this is going to end well…”

“Have you ever heard of ‘positive reinforcement’?” the candy mare asked. “It works, it’s how I trained Lyra not to eat on the bed.”

“It sounds an awful lot like bribing them to do better,” Aspect snorted, scrunching up his muzzle.

“No, it’s rewarding good behaviour,” Bon Bon nodded. “I don’t know about that pegasi magic, but Geomancy requires a lot of patience. And tell me, do you picture Rainbow Dash when you think of a patient pony?”

“...point,” Aspect replied. “Plus, knowing her, she’ll likely show up when the Wonderbolts do.”

“Yeah, her love for those guys is no secret,” Bon Bon chuckled. “And where there’s Rainbow Dash, there’s Scootaloo. And where she goes…” Bon Bon rolled her hoof in the air.

“Should I know the answer to that?” Aspect asked. “I haven’t been here all that long.”

Bon Bon looked at him like his closest relative had just died. “Oh you poor, poor stallion. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you as best I can okay?”

“Bon Bon,” Aspect whined, shuffling away a little. “You’re scaring me.”

“It’s inevitable,’ Bon Bon nodded. “You’ll meet the most destructive force in Equestria. Think of every monster you’ve ever fought, crank them up to eleven, them put them in the bodies of three little fillies.”

“...So what you’re telling me is that somehow, the Aspect of Chaos is both in Canterlot, in his prison, and yet here as well?” Aspect said, raising an eyebrow. “I would not be surprised if that turned out to be the truth.”

“No, don’t be silly,” Bon Bon giggled as she poured his coffee. “These girls are much, much worse.”

“And yet, they’re ponies,” Aspect pointed out.

“No, they’re cute ponies. You never see it coming, even if you know better,” Bon Bon nodded.

There was a loud thump! As Luna fell down the stairs, barely conscious.

“Cofffeeeeeee~” she moaned, sounding more dead than Mortal Coil.

“Lulu, civilized ponies do not moan like zomponies for coffee,” Aspect said, sipping at his.

“Teeeaaaaaa~” Tia moaned, flopping down on top of her sister, who may or may not have made a noise not unlike a squeaky toy.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, our regal and influential rulers,” Bon Bon said and bowed to them.

“Bet you they’d perk right up if they knew where I was keeping the leftovers from the party,” Aspect mused, sipping at his coffee again.

“Caaaaaaaakeee~” Celestia moaned, the Great White Alicorn creeping closer humming something. “Bum Bum…. Bum Bum…. Bumbumubum….”

“Ap!” Aspect sharply replied, beeping her nose. “No cake for breakfast, Celly!”

Then he had a little white filly in his lap. Ponies were cute, Twilight had learned the Cute.

Celestia was the Master of Cute.

“Pweeaassseee?” she blinked, looking up at him with those massive amethyst eyes.

There was only one way out of this. Aspect calmly put his drink down, dramatically gasped, grasped his chest...and then fell back off his chair, lying limply on the ground.

“And the cake tyrant hath been smoted,” Tiny Tia declared. “O’Fairest Bon Bon. Fetch us Our victory cake!”

“Um…” Bon Bon looked at Aspect, not entirely sure what to do here. Her princess had just given her an order… she couldn’t disobey… could she? Aspect was being no help, lying there as though he were dead. Still...he’d chosen not to give up the cake.

And it was then that Luna stole his remaining coffee, downing the mug in a swift, single gulp. “HUZZAH! WE HATH BEEN RESTORED TO OUR GLORIOUS STATE!!!”

“Mother-!” Aspect shouted, now clutching at his chest for a different reason. “Lulu what have I told you about using the Royal Voice when we’re five feet away from you?!”

“Lookit the pwetty birdies~” Tia sang dizzily from her hole in the wall. Bon Bon was a few feet away, upside down as her tail swung from side to side.

“Umm, oops?” Luna chuckled… then teleported from the room. She couldn’t be punished if she wasn’t here~

“Great,” the stallion sighed, picking himself up and pouring himself another cup of coffee. It was going to be one of those days.

Aspect sat in front of his door, waiting. Any minute now...Any. Minute. Now.

He’d been saying that for half an hour, with no results.

There was a pop of air, and then a cloud of dust as Rainbow Dash landed not six feet from him.

“Totally not late!” she declared loudly. “Everypony else is early!” She looked around and blinked. “Huh? Where is everypony?”

“I honestly have no idea,” Aspect replied with a shrug. “I know one of them will arrive likely when I least expect it, and I have no idea about the other two. And I’ve also been informed we may have mini-tagalongs as well.”

“Eh?” Rainbow blinked, before she heard a noise as three more pegasi landed. Her eyes widened as her wings extended in excitement. “Oh… my… gosh!” The last part came out more like a strangled squeak than a coherent word.

“Phew, finally made it,” Spitfire said as she pulled up her goggles. “So, you’re Balanced Aspect?”

“I am indeed,” Aspect said with a nod. “Knowledgeable in Mountain Root, Still Way, and the Gale King martial arts. All revolving around each tribe’s innate magic, honed and taken to their utmost capabilities.”

“Well, it all sounds impressive,” Spitfire said and pointed at her wingponies. “Let me introduce you. This is Fleetfoot and Soarin. They’ll be learning here with us.”

“And me! SURPRISE!” Surprise said, grabbing Aspect from behind.

“Hello Surprise,” Aspect replied, smiling and not even flinching. “Did you have fun last night?”

“The bestest!” Surprise giggled, only a little sad he wasn’t surprised. She’d have to up her game.

Rainbow was still staring at the group of winged performers, and Aspect was fairly certain she was about to explode. He sighed and gently slipped out of Surprise’s grasp, before walking over to the chromatic mare and waving a wing in front of her face. When that failed to get a reaction, he tickled her nose with a feather.

And with a violent sneeze, Aspect looked at his snot-covered feather with disdain. Plus side, he’d likely reset the mare more thoroughly than with a boop. Downside...well, that was pretty obvious.

He used a little air manipulation to get his wing clean, flapping it a few times to make sure nothing was clinging to it before folding it up again. “You good now?” the white stallion asked the chromatic mare.

“The... the…” Rainbow gaped, her mouth opening and closing a few times.

“Oh hey,” Spitfire waved. “I remember you, the filly that won the Best Young Flier’s contest, and saved us from becoming grass pizza. Rainbow Dash right?”

“They know my name!” She squeaked, holding Aspect in a hug so tight, his ribs were already signing their last will and testament. He responded appropriately. For him.

Lightning was appropriate, right? She was a pegasus, in either case. She’d walk it off. Plus it was only a little electricity.

“EEEEP!” Rainbow yelped and leapt back, her body sparking as her mane poofed up into a striking resemblance of Pinkie Pie’s.

“Yay, Mane-buddies!” Surprise giggled, hugging her.

“Did… you just use lightning… without a cloud?” Spitfire raised an eyebrow.

“It’s one of the skills you have to have to be a master of the Gale King,” Aspect said. “Mind you, I cheat. A lot.”

“I-I’ll g-get you b-back f-f-for t-t-that!” Rainbow twitched, making her stutter.

“Calm. Down,” Aspect replied, waving her down with a wing. “We’re not here in any greater respect than teacher and student. There are no titles that you’re not comfortable with on my property.” He then turned to the Wonderbolts and smirked at them. “Pop quiz, hotshots. How many of you felt the magic on the air as you flew in?”

“Well, we need magic to fly yeah?’ Soarin pointed out. “It’s why the Discord Plains is a ‘No-Fly zone’, as the air is magically dead.”

“Yeah, that’s the only reason it’s still around,” Aspect said, before shaking his head. “No, I meant, how many of you felt the spell on the air around my property? I put it in a nice big dome and fed it plenty of juice. One of you should have felt a tingle as you passed through.”

“I did!” Surprise giggled. “It felt niiiiice~”

“Like hay it did,” Rainbow muttered, more upset she got used as a living experiment.

“So, that’s what that was…” Spitfire mused, rubbing her chin.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty nice illusion spell, it’ll hide anything I want from sight,” Aspect replied, pointing a hoof at Rainbow Dash. “She already knows what I’m about to reveal to you four, so she doesn’t have to make any promises. But you lot, if you want me to teach you any of the secrets I know, have to swear on what you hold most dear, that you won’t reveal what I’m about to show you to anybody else.”

The four Wonderbolts looked at one another, before turning back to Aspect. “What, are you secretly Princess Celestia in disguise?” Soarin chuckled.

Rainbow barely concealed an amused snort.

“Nah, but she visits, for a reason I won’t reveal until I hear a promise from you four,” Aspect returned. “It actually all makes sense when you hear it.”

“Well, I suppose,” Spitfire said with a shrug. “This sounds kinda sketchy though.”

“Trust me, Aspect is cool,” Rainbow said, somehow forming a coherent sentence when talking to her greatest idol. “He’d never do anything bad.”

“Kinda against my nature, yeah,” Aspect said, carefully censoring the fact that he’d killed for the defense of ponies out of his personal history for the moment. Defending others or not, ponies in any age didn’t like killing, it would seem.

“Well, let’s see this big secret then,” Spitfire replied with a nod. “How bad could it possibly be?”

Aspect grinned.

Aspect’s entire body flashed.

Aspect was suddenly an alicorn, staring down four Wonderbolts on his lawn, with an amused expression on his face.

They all yelped and jumped back, wings flared with a Fight or Flight response.

“WaitwaitWHAT!?’ Spitfire pointed a hoof. “You… you…”

“I was the one who learned the Gale King from the first masters of it,” Aspect said, carefully raising one wing and causing a slight breeze across his property. “I learned Sorcery from the great unicorn mages. I learned Mountain Root from the noble Earth Pony knights. I am the one that gave the gift of enhanced tribal magic to the tribes, then turned around and learned what that actually meant. I am older than you would believe, and that does not leave this compound, understand?”

The Wonderbolts nodded once, more stunned than anything else.

Then… a net dropped over him? Waitwut?

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS IMPOSTER PRINCESS CATCHERS! YAY!”

There was a twitch of a wing, before Aspect reached out with his pegasus magic and called a greater wind to blow across his lawn. One that flipped the net right off of him.

“I am in no mood for uninvited guests,” he muttered, looking around to see where that net had come from.

“Whoa… that was cool!” a raspy voice said and he turned to see a little orange pegasus filly.

“Are ya really an alicorn mister?” A yellow earth pony said. Her mane adorned with a pink bow.

“He doesn’t look like a princess,” A white unicorn filly said.

“I would certainly hope not!” Aspect replied, holding a hoof to his chest. “I’m a stallion, not a princess. Or a prince. I never took a crown in my life. I’m just a stubborn old pony that refused to die.”

“Bwaaahahahahahaha!” Rainbow cackled. “Princess Aspect. Oh wow, that’s hilarious. Maybe Rarity can make you a pretty dress~”

“Mention that to her and I will shock you frizzy on principle every time I see you,” Aspect warned Dash.

Dash weighed her options. Alicorn Aspect in a dress. Highly tempting…

“So, who are you?” Scootaloo asked and then saw Rainbow Dash. “Ohmigosh! Rainbow Dash is here!”

“Heya squirt,” Rainbow waved.

“Ah know you,” Apple Bloom nodded. “You were there during Winter Wrap Up. And mah big sis Applejack has mentioned ya. But… she didn’t say y’all were an alicorn!” She gasped and turned around. “Ah gotta go tell ‘er!”

“Ap, hold it,” Aspect interrupted, stepping close and physically restraining the earth pony, and on reflection, the unicorn filly. “They already know. But I’ve asked them to keep it a secret. Not everypony needs to know. Only a few do.”

“Aww, okay,” they all sighed. Then they perked up again as they saw the auspicious company he was keeping. “So, what’s going on here?” Scootaloo asked. “Something awesome I bet!”

“I was about to teach the Wonderbolts an ancient martial art that’s been forgotten for centuries,” Aspect said as he released the fillies and walked over to the stuntfliers again. “Right...two seconds,” he muttered, flaring his wings. “What was it...ah yeah!” He held both wings perfectly level at his sides. “First form. Remember this form. Remember this pose, specifically. This is the recovery pose. If, at any point in time, something goes wrong. If you spiral out of control or anything, this is the pose to take to get your head on straight.”

“Aspect,” Spitfire said with a wry smile. “We’re seasoned fliers. We’ve been doing this for years. I think we know how to do a midair recovery.”

“Y’know, I thought that too, until I learned how to whip up my first tornado,” Aspect idly commented. “Was never more thankful for my teachers beating my lessons into my head than when that got out of control.”

“If we’re messing with weather, shouldn’t the local weather team be notified?” Soarin asked.

“Actually, I’m captain of the weather team,” Rainbow nodded. “We know not to touch this area today. And I think between me and four Wonderbolts, we can handle any rouge weathers that pop up.”

“In case you can’t, I’m here,” a new voice said and the Wonderbolts bowed as Princess Cadence stepped out of the house.

“Heya lovebutt,” Aspect said, not even looking behind him. “So,” he continued on, ignoring the shocked looks. “Yeah, the forms are important for a reason. Every motion you make…” He moved his wings in what were, to the others, weird ways for a pegasus to move. Like, who would roll their wings independently of one another like that? “...Is only half the equation.”

“Wait, who moves their wings like that?” Fleetfoot asked. “That’s a bit weird. And not to mention you couldn’t stay airborne doing it.”

“It’s a bit tricky, true,” Aspect nodded. “But like I said, half the equation. The other half,” the male alicorn put his hoof over his chest. “Is your magic. Your inner reserves of pegasus magic. Every pegasus has magic, hay, every pony has magic. Pegasi use their magic subconsciously all the time through two main mediums. Their wings, and their hooves.” He flapped his wings. “Otherwise, how would you fly or stand on clouds?”

“But all pegasi can do that,” Scootaloo said. “You mean to say that’s eggheady magic?”

“No, that’s just scraping the top of what they can do,” Aspect said, flaring a wing. “If a pegasus is in tune with their inner magic and calls it out...and puts a little energy into their wings…”

He flapped a wing, and suddenly there was a strong breeze coming from the north.

“Whhaaa?” Scootaloo stumbled back from the sudden breeze. Even the Wonderbolts looked impressed. If they could do that, they could always have a favourable wind during a performance.

“And that’s before you realize that the Gale King was a martial art developed to maximize what a pegasus could do with their wings and a touch of magic,” Aspect chuckled. “Heck, there’s even a method to flight in it. You know, to keep practitioners airborne so that they could continue to fly and fight at the same time. Because a pegasus is at its best in the air.”

“Well duh,” Rainbow said, but that line only served to make Scootaloo look down, her expression wilting as she sighed.

“Best huh?” she murmured.

“Watch,” Aspect said, raising his wings above his head. “I won’t go any higher than the illusion spell, but just watch at how fast I go with one flap.”

He brought his wings down.

Suddenly, Aspect wasn’t there anymore. It took the others a second to locate him, but he was lazily spiraling about...fifty feet above his house.

Spitfire let out a low whistle, though Rainbow didn’t look overly impressed.

Scootaloo was staring with wide eyes and an open mouth. Aspet was sure he could drop a watermelon and she’d catch it. He eventually landed back in front of the Wonderbolts and folded his wings back up.

“So, I’ve heard of others using it to go about,” he mused. “Hundred and fourty, hundred and fifty feet in the air. All has to do with how much you pump into that flap. And as I’ve learned in my time, wing size is non-indicative of magical reserve.”

Scootaloo just shot a hatred glare at her tiny wings.

Rainbow scoffed and flapped once, almost matching Aspect’s height. But he barely felt any magic from it. And what was there was very raw, as if driven by pure willpower.

“Very good,” Aspect praised her. “But that was all you. Not your magic at all, which is what we’re here to learn.” He waved her back down and motioned for all the pegasi to get in a line.

All of them.

Four Wonderbolts and the Element of Loyalty lined up, Scootaloo just stood to one side with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

“Go on,” Aspect said, gesturing for Scootaloo to get in line as well. “I promise this won’t hurt.”

Scootaloo just mumbled under her breath.

“Look, kid, you’re cute and all, so I can promise you this,” Aspect said. “It may not be easy. But no pegasus who has learned this method stayed ground-bound.”

She just mumbled again and Cadence subtly shoved Aspect towards her. When he was close enough, he sighed and leant down.

“I can’t fly,” she said quietly. “I’m not Rainbow Dash… or, or a Wonderbolt. I’m just… a Blank Flanked dodo.”

“Whoever told you that was saying mean and spiteful things for the fun of it,” Aspect softly replied. “All pegasi can fly. That’s what the Gale King promises. Using your natural magic to lift you into the air, with as few flaps as possible. Some learn through their flight schools, and good on them. But some need help learning. That’s where I come back into the picture. I promise you, little one. Even with wings like yours. You study under me, I’ll have you flying around Ponyville in a year.”

“You… you mean it?” she blinked. She wasn’t crying. Nope. Not at all. Cool ponies didn’t cry. It was just… an invisible cloud raining on her face.

“Promise,” Aspect replied, rubbing her head with a hoof. “Now, you ready to get in line with the big ponies and learn how to fly my way?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo said as she trotted over next to Rainbow Dash.

“That’s real nice of you Mister,” Apple Bloom smiled. “We get picked on a lot fer not havin’ our Cutie marks. But Scoots gets the worst of it, all because of that Diamond Tiara bi—”

“Shhh!” Sweetie said. “Don’t cuss in front of the princess!” she pointed at Cadence.

“Okay!” Aspect said, standing in line in front of all the Pegasi. “Now! The first thing you are going to have to do is get in touch with your magic. And unlike Unicorns, you all don’t have horns. So this is going to be an interesting exercise, wouldn’t you say?”

“Just a bit,” Fleetfoot asked and motioned at Cadence. “And forgive me, but why is the Princess helping us?”

“Because I used to be a Pegasus,” Cadence said, smiling at the shocked looks. “That’s right. And as an alicorn, I can get in touch with my own magic much easier. But I also know a lot about weather. So think of me as your safety net while you practice.”

“Not a bad reasoning there,” Aspect said with a smile. “Now. First form! I want to see you all holding it for a little bit. I’ll explain myself in a moment here.”

“Uh, could you show it again?” Rainbow blushed as he did so, and soon all six pegasi were holding the form. Aspect nodded, then flared and flapped a wing.

Now the wind was in their faces...and running over their wings as well.

Oh. So that was why.

“Now, think about this feeling,” Aspect said. “Lose yourself to it. Get in touch with what it feels like. Focus on nothing but this feeling, and you. Let me know when you feel a tingle in your chest.”

“Is… this what it feel like to fly?” Scootaloo whispered to Rainbow Dash.

“Something like this,” she smiled back. Her chest was nice and warm. She loved this feeling when she flew.

“Pegasus magic is based around emotion,” Aspect continued. “Focus on it. Focus on your feelings. Bring that magic up out of your chest, and into your wings. Make them tingle...and then give them one flap. We’ll see who travels the highest.”

Fleetfoot started, soaring just above the roof. Soarin leveled with her as Spitfire and Surprise rose much higher, as high as Aspect had. Rainbow hovered mere inches below them.

Scootaloo remained more grounded than an Earth pony. Aspect got down in front of her and whispered encouraging words to her.

“Think about what it would feel like, to prove your bullies wrong,” he said softly. “Think about what it would feel like, to finally join the others in the sky. Think about what you want to do most, to fly, and how you want nothing more than to take those first steps. Feel those emotions, feel them burning inside you. Bring that burning up to your wings, and give them one good, hard flap.”

Scootaloo nodded and raised her wings. She wanted this. She wanted so bad to fly it hurt. She brought her wings down and could almost feel the rush of air, picturing herself soaring into the stratosphere.

In reality, she’d only gotten a foot off of the ground, barely higher than Aspect’s chest. He gently reached out a hoof and caught her, smiling all the while.

“You know,” he mused. “For a foal learning one of the more difficult martial arts? You actually did very well for your first try. I can’t imagine you have a whole lot of magic to work with. So a foot off the ground is a foot more than you were making ten seconds ago. And if you keep practicing, keep trying, then you’ll be soaring up onto rooftops in no time.”

“You really mean it?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes wide as she sat on his outstretched hoof. She looked up at the soaring adult pegasi and smiled. “One day. Imma do it for sure!”

“Whoo! Go Scoots!” Sweetie and Apple Bloom cheered, making their friend blush a little. They’d gotten hold of Pompoms and little outfits. Waitwut?

But after a few minutes of cheering, they stopped and looked at their still-bare flanks. “Aww, no Cheerleading Cutie Mark,” Sweetie sighed. “And I’d had such a good feeling about that one.”

“Now Scootaloo, I am going to have to give you homework, but I think you’d probably do it anyways,” Aspect rumbled, rubbing her head with his other hoof.

“Bleh, homework?” the pegasus filly poked out her tongue and made a gagging noise.

“Twenty repetitions of this exercise a day, magic included,” Aspect said. “And remember, when I’m not around to catch you, you assume the recovery pose,” the stallion said, sticking his wings straight out. “So that you glide back down to earth. You need to work up your magic, if you want to get all the way on top of houses within a week.”

“That soon?” Scootaloo blinked and then jumped off of his hoof. “Sweet! I’ll be kicking clouds in no time!”

“Working you up to the point where you can fly is one thing,” Aspect replied. “It’s all the other exercises I’ll be putting you through afterwards that’ll really put you through the magical wringer. By that point in time, though, you’ll be so strong on your off days that you won’t even question how you got that far up. You’ll be enjoying flying so much.”

“I wanna fly sooo baaad,” Scootaloo whispered in awe. “Okay girls! Let’s finish our Crusading for the day! I have homework to do!”

“Aww, how come you get to learn neat stuff?” Sweetie pouted. “I wanna learn magic too.”

“I’ll be paying a visit to the school soon,” Aspect replied with a wave of a wing. “Today was just a special pegasi day. I know things about unicorns and earth ponies as well. Oh! And one more thing.” He crouched down and looked the three fillies in the eyes. “Under no circumstances are you to tell anypony about this,” he said, pointing at his horn for emphasis. “Ya got that?”

“YES SIR!” They shouted with the force of Luna’s voice before galloping off. He turned and saw Bon Bon and Cadence in the doorway, both smiling widely. He flashed back into his pegasus guise and shook a little like a dog as the formshift settled.

“There we go, back to my more normal state,” he sighed. “Well, that’s today’s class taught. Next time I’ll go through the basics of the first form and what adding magic to each step does.”

“Wait, that’s it?” Spitfire asked as the older pegasi landed. “We haven’t even been here ten minutes!”

“Oh?” Aspect said, raising an eyebrow. “Okay then, but you'd all better follow along!” With that, he raised his wings again. “Twenty reps, now! We're gonna give your magic a workout!”

Rainbow and Soarin groaned, while Spitfire smiled proudly. Now this was more like it!

After a few hours of this, the Wonderbolts eventually had to return to Cloudsdale for their own jobs, while Rainbow Dash was laying on his front lawn, her chest heaving and her coat slick with sweat from the exercise that was surprisingly draining.

“I… gaaah, hate… All… My…. Haaaaaate,” she groaned.

“Yeah, not gonna lie, if you’re not trained in the Gale King, then the first week of training is probably going to suck majorly,” Aspect replied, not looking majorly concerned. “It’s more about unlearning than learning. Learning new motions and ways to move your wings as compared to just flapping harder. Though lucky you, they also wanted to know about magic training for pegasi. Which means you get both sets of exercises for the price of one morning.”

“My hated grows…” Rainbow groaned as Bon Bon brought her some iced tea. One she eagerly took and gulped down. “Pwwaah! Thanks, sooo much better!”

“You had to deal with Aspect all morning, that’s not easy on the best of days,” the earth mare smiled.

“And today is a really good day!” Aspect chirped. “Just be glad I didn’t surprise you with the family. Bonnie actually fainted.”

“One time! And you showed up in the middle of work!” Bon Bon blushed and shot him a glare.

“Hahahaha, you guys are a riot,” Rainbow cackled and wiped her eyes. “Seriously though. Can I say something real quick Aspect?”

“If it’s ‘How do I throw around lightning,’ I’m gonna tell you you aren’t anywhere near ready for that yet,” Aspect returned. The prismatic mare shook her head.

“Nah, well… okay, now I only have one thing,” she smirked, before taking a more serious expression. It was still a happy one, just… lacking the ego and confident swagger it usually did. It was the serene kind that he usually saw on Fluttershy. “It’s about what you did for Scoots today. That was… it was really cool. Not a lot of ponies would go out of their way to help a stranger like that.” She snorted and smirked ever so slightly. “Especially one that trapped them in a net not five minutes before.”

“I got worse from Hurricane,” Aspect said with a wave of one wing. “She seriously had a brigade drop a lightning bolt on me because I neglected to announce myself. It was her birthday, I was trying to surprise her with a present for once. She saw a strange pony walking around under her cloud and...reacted first. A net’s a small thing in the long run. I don’t mind teaching ponies with ‘runty wings’ how to fly with the Gale King. It’s…” His expression softened, unfocused. “It’s the best thing. Seeing their eyes light up. They’re not discouraged that they aren’t flying as high as the others just yet. They’re happy they’re off the ground at all. I love that expression. I love teaching.”

“Seeing Scoots so happy when she flew like that…” Rainbow’s smiled brightened. “Especially after all the crap that Diamond Tiara kid gives her and the others. I really appreciate it Aspect.”

“You should see their faces when I go to teach at the school in a few days,” Aspect replied, actually smiling wider. How was that possible? “Unicorns are gonna learn the basics of Sorcery, and Earth Ponies are gonna learn the basics of Geomancy. It’s gonna be so awesome~”

Bon Bon secretly wondered how the world was going to change with Aspect at the helm.

“You know, I might just do that,” Rainbow said as she got up. Then she leaned over, kissed him on the cheek and flew off.

Bon Bon just stared at the retreating Pegasus, a few stones levitating up off of the ground around. “Ever heard the saying, ‘Kill two pegasi with one rock’? How about, ‘Kill one pegasus with a lot of rocks’?”

“Bon Bon,” Aspect warned her, putting a wing on her back. “No killing the Bearers. We kinda need them. Especially if the worst came to pass.”

“I’m sure there’s tons of loyal mares around that aren’t after my Aspect,” she said, but the rocks dropped regardless. “Celestia Above, could she at least have been more subtle about it?”

“You mean like Lyra?” Aspect sniped back at Bon Bon.

“You and I both know that Lyra is her own special brand of crazy, and we have been friends for a very long time,” Bon Bon deadpanned. “Gaaaah, fine. You win this time Mister Logical Stallion. At least Rainbow’s kind of cute. And I can’t fault her for her taste in stallions now, can I?”

“Wait, what?” Aspect blinked. “I was just trying to convince you to not kill her. What did I just do?”

“Convince me that jealousy isn’t pretty,” Bon Bon replied. “Besides, I shouldn’t be mad right? We’re actually together.”

“True,” Aspect agreed. “Still, the way you phrased that…”

“What do you mean?” Bon Bon asked him, her head tilted slightly.

“Nothing, nevermind,” Aspect shook his head. “Okay, so. Today is probably gonna be a lazy day, unless I suddenly get a letter from Cheerilee or the school for gifted unicorns about more teaching.” He blinked a few times. “I’m gonna have to get a calendar. Maybe a day planner.”

“Any pony who is not Twilight Sparkle should not be so excited to buy a day planner,” Bon Bon chuckled. “Well, that’s fine. Your cupboards are looking a little empty after last night’s party anyway. Sooo, shopping trip?”

“WE DEMAND COFFEE!” Luna shouted from… somewhere within the house.

“I am going to hang whoever introduced her to that drink,” Aspect muttered. “I’ll write up a list and hitch myself up to the cart.” He nuzzled Bon Bon. “Think you’ll be able to hold down the fort? Or do you want to come with?”

Bon Bon was… was it hot outside? She seemed to be sweating slightly. “S-Sure, I need a few things for the store anyway. Let me grab my bag…” She bolted inside in a rush, leaving him alone on the lawn.

“Everypony is crazy. Is it me, or a function of being around me?” Aspect mused as he walked back inside. He had things to do.

An hour later, and Aspect was ever so thankful for the fact that he’d discreetly enchanted the cart when nobody had been around. Sorcerous enchants could be hard to find if you weren’t looking in just the right place. Charms for lightness and weight reduction for carried things were simple things to use. He never did ask how his saddlebags were made, but he’d wager it was something along those lines. Along with maybe space expansion.

He rethought back to the small armory he had in one saddlebag. Okay, definitely space expansion.

Still, the shopping trip was going well. He nearly had enough to restock his house from ‘Alicorns crashing in my home’ levels of depletion.

“You know, was it necessary to buy out half the market?” Bon Bon asked him as they trotted home. “There are other ponies in Ponyville you know? Or is one of your forms a squirrel and you’re stocking up for the winter?”

“Okay, A, you’re exaggerating,” Aspect fired back. “I bought like, a quarter of the market at most. And B, in case you haven’t noticed, Lulu seems to be crashing with me a lot these days. Not that it’s a bad thing, but if she’s sticking around until the public is comfortable with her again, I’m gonna need to feed her. And Alicorns can eat.”

Bon Bon snorted and smiled. She did notice that they seemed to wolf down her meals rather quickly. Celestia was rather formal when she ate, Luna… was more like a starving Timberwolf.

“Well, that would explain the thirty pound sack of coffee beans you bought.”

“Heya!” a voice chirped, and Bon Bon yelped, falling backwards only to be caught by a golden aura. “Heheh, you’re as easy as always Bonnie.” Lyra smiled and helped her back up. “And Aspect! Heard about the teaching gig. Congrats.”

“My thanks,” Aspect said with a nod of his head. “It won’t be easy. They’ll be whining, stuck up, entitled, stuck in their ways fools.” He paused for a beat. “And then there’s the foals.”

“Hahahah, oh man, I’ve missed hanging with you,” Lyra giggled. “Ooh, speaking of. Bonnie… why were the princesses, a giant bird and a sexy beast of a merstallion in your shop yesterday?”

“Ask him,” Bon Bon expertly deflected and the minty unicorn’s gaze wandered to Aspect.

“Remember Mort?” Aspect asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lyra shivered as her ears flattened and her eyes went wide. Oooh yeah, she remembered.

“Those were the other, currently mobile, Aspects,” Aspect explained. “There are two that can’t come whenever I call. The rest really wanted to meet Bonnie.”

“Huh, so BonBun’s pretty special huh? To warrant that kind of attention.” Lyra swooned and stood up on her hindlegs, to this day, Bon had no idea how she did that so easily. “And alas, I get skipped over. I thought we were friends Aspect. I thought we had something special! But nooo, you only like Bonnie…”

Said earth pony just rolled her eyes.

“Well when daddy starts seeing a new mare and the kids are in town, of course they’ll want to check her out,” Aspect explained. “Besides, you couldn’t handle my level of crazy anyways.”

“You haven’t seen Lyra on sugar,” Bon Bon said. “That’s a ballgame you do not want to play.”

“Aww, you know you love me,” Lyra giggled and nuzzled her friend. “Sooo, Aspect. We’re friends right? Buddies? Pals. Amigoes? Compatriots in arms?”

“What do you want, Lyra?” Aspect sighed.

“Well, any chance a certain Best Friend like moi could get in on this magic class of yours?” Lyra bat her eyes at him. “Pleeeeease?”

“You know what,” Aspect said, smirking at her. “You can join in when you do the same thing the school for gifted unicorns unicorns will be doing. Get a letter of permission from Celestia.”

Lyra’s jubilant expression fell and she sighed. “Okay then Oh Magical Pegaspect! How does one do that?”

“Just write her, asking if you can be allowed to learn the secrets of Sorcery,” Aspect replied with a shrug. “Probably include a good reason behind the asking as well. Heck, I think she might even be around still, so you could pass your letter off to her in person. Unless she vanished when I wasn’t looking. Alicorns are tricky like that.”

“Aspect, quit teasing Lyra,” Bon Bon chuckled. “Wouldn’t it be faster to just taker her to see Celestia?”

“I swear, half the time when I took my eyes off of them for a second, they were out and about causing mischief,” Aspect sighed. “Nobody told me raising a pair of ponies would be so freakin’ hard. Ah well.” He waved Lyra into line with a wing. “Come on, we’re just about done here.”

“Ah foals,” Bon Bon smiled. “You have to love them… because burying them in the backyard is illegal.”

“Eh, kids aren’t so bad,” Lyra shrugged.

“Well when you’re their intellectual equal, I suppose not,” Bon Bon fired back.

“Huh?” Lyra tilted her head.

“And you told me to stop teasing her,” Aspect replied. “Come on Lyra, we’re heading home. Feel free to join us if you want to make your case to Celestia. Assuming she’s around.”

“Whoo!” Lyra cheered, falling into step along with them. “Sooo, Bonnie?”

“What did you do?”

“Ate your imported oats…” was the unicorn’s sheepish reply.

Bon Bon let out a low groan. “Lyra… those were expensive.”

“I’ll buy you more! Promise. But, they were sooooo gooood~”

“Aspect?” Bon Bon asked. “Can we get Celestia to banish Lyra to the moon for a while. Not long, just a few hundred years or so?”

“Bonnie, you don’t get to just foist your problems off to the next generation,” Aspect chided her.

“Why not?” she replied.

“You both suck,” Lyra pouted. “Seriously. Just go find the nearest cactus and mount it already.”

“You know we love you Lyra,” Aspect chuckled. “You’re just hard to put up with sometimes, but you’ve got nothing on my family.”

Speaking of…

As they approached Aspect’s house, they passed through an illusionary shield… which was currently hiding Celestia and Luna tearing up the lawn with a magic duel.

“Tis most unfortunate… that We shall win!” Luna growled as their energy beams clashed.

“Unlikely little sister,” Celestia smiled. “I mean really, your magic still hasn’t fully returned yet…”

“But nothing!” Luna roared. “We’ll not be a disappointment to Father anymore!”

“Oh bother,” Aspect sighed. They had to be holding it right outside the cart entrance, didn’t they? And the topic of the fight…

“You aren’t a disappointment Lulu,” Celestia said as she dodged to the right as Luna’s beam passed by her. “I believe we moved past all that.”

“We have, but…” Luna powered her magic down, she already spent far too much of it, her reserves still dreadfully insufficient. “Father has suffered greatly because of us. We are his daughters, Tis out job nor to make him worry, but be proud…” Luna sighed as she looked at her wings. “What have We done to make him proud?”

“You came back,” Aspect replied softly. “You saw a problem, and asked for my help in fixing it…You took up the mantle of Aspect of Dreams...You always were my wonderful Luna.”

Luna yelped in surprise and turned around to see him standing there, along with Bon Bon and Miss Lyra. “F-Father? Thou… heard that huh?”

Aspect smiled and walked up to Luna, nuzzling her softly. “Have I ever said how proud you two make me?” Aspect inquired as he looked at both alicorns. “Because you do.”

Celestia was going to mention certain comments he’d said not yesterday about knife twisting, but decided to drop it.

“Nay… but We would hear it over and over without ever feeling bored,” Luna smiled, returning the affection. Aspect opened a wing up and gestured for Tia to come over and get in on the hugging action.

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Lyra whispered to Bon Bon.

“I know,” she smiled back. “Underneath all that snark and sarcasm, Balanced Aspect really is a wonderful father.”

“Hhmmm, is somepony thinking about foals of her own?” Lyra teased as Bon Bon turned bright red and spluttererd.

“I… what! NO!” the earth mare said and grabbed the wagon, dragging it towards the house. “Stupid nosy unicorns…” she muttered under her breath.

“Granted,” Aspect said to both his daughters. “Both of you have scared me at times. Both of you can make mistakes. But to err is human. Or in this case, pony. It’s seeing your errors and learning from them that defines you. Oh! Speaking of!” He raised his head from the hug pile and looked over at a laughing Lyra. “Come over here, you minty mare. No better time than now to make your case!”

“Oh, right!” Lyra said after coming down from her gigglefest. Ahh, Bons was gonna make her pay for that one. It would totally be worth it.

“Ah, hello Miss Lyra,” Celestia smiled. “It has been a while has it not?”

“Mhm,” Lyra nodded. “How’s the Princess gig?”

“I cannot complain,” the white alicorn smiled. “And you? Still a travelling minstrel?”

“Ehh, if you call going out of the house to buy snacks travelling, sure!” Lyra nodded. The two went back and forth like this for a while, chatting like old friends.

“Well I’m glad to see my daughter has someone she can talk to like a normal pony,” Aspect said, rubbing behind Celestia’s ears with a hoof.

“Father,” Celestia whined. “Don’t treat me like a little filly.”

“You both will always be my little fillies,” Aspect nodded solemnly. “Always. I was there for when you entered the world, and I will be there for you from now on.”

“Awwww~” Lyra cooed.

“Lyra. Shut up,” Celestia frowned and blushed in embarrassment. “So, what did you want to ask?”

“Oh right. Can I learn cool magic please?”

Celesta stood upright, at her full height and spread her wings, looking rather regal and more than a little imposing. “You? You want to learn Sorcery!?”

“Tia,” Aspect warned. “We spent time telling her you wouldn’t pull this.”

“I’m a Princess, can you at least let me act like the crazy powerful and scary alicorn goddess at least once in awhile?” she pouted. Lyra didn’t seem overly fussed though. Her hind legs weren’t shaking. She had an itch. “And sure, I don’t mind. Aspect is the one teaching you, not me.”

“Whoo! Thanks Sunbutt!” Lyra said and did a cartwheel. “I’m gonna learn badflank magic! Sweeeeet!”

“Speaking of, when are you going to send those fussy, prissy unicorns down from the mountain?” Aspect inquired of his daughter. “I want to know, so that I can prepare their foal bottles beforehoof.”

“Ahh, oh, you’re going to love this,” Celestia smiled. That… that was a most unsettling smile. “I have a few prospective unicorns in mind. But it’ll take a while to organise everything. So, perhaps after the Gala? I might be able to organise one or two beforehoof. But this close to the event, there’s just no reasoning with them sometimes.”

“Ergh! The gala?” Lyra shuddered. “Why would anypony go to that thing?”

“Celly, I’m missing something,” Aspect sang. “You said you wanted me there. Now Lyra is saying it’d probably be more productive if I went out to the Everfree coated in barbecue sauce. Which is it?”

“Definitely the latter,” Lyra said with the expression that she’d just eaten a bug. “I mean, all the Gala is, is a way for the Noble caste to show off how much money they have by wearing extravagant outfits, putting their noses so high in the air they could sniff the moon and eating things that look and smell like a Parasprite dipped in foal vomit.”

“...Right,” Aspect said with a shake of his head. “Unless you can provide a very good reason for me to go, I think I’d find more enjoyment teaching the foals of Ponyville how to not blow themselves up with magic.”

“Relax, the Gala will be much better this year,” Celestia said with a mischievous smile. “I promise~”

“...Fiiiine,” Aspect rolled his eyes. “But I want no cake dives this year.”

“But! That’s the best part!” Celestia whined.

“Cake dives?” Lyra and the now-returned Bon Bon echoed.

“We used to hold a gathering of ponies back in the Everfree,” Aspect explained. “A get together for the common good as it were. Only noble ponies back then were noble in both senses of the term. They could appreciate a good party and had earned the right to relax. One year, someone brought this massive cake in and set it on the table…”

“And then I took the most impressive swandive right into it,” Celestia smiled. “Luna dared me to do it. Said I would never disgrace myself in front of all the nobles like that.”

“Little dids’t We know,” Luna sighed. “That Our sister dearest had partaken in quite the quantity of ci—” She was silenced by a ribbon of golden magic as Celestia giggled nervously.

“Ix-nay on the ider-cay Luna!” she whispered harshly.

“Mares, why I don’t drink to excess,” Aspect proclaimed with a bow to Bon Bon and Lyra.

“So I see,” Lyra hummed. Not to self, see what Drunk Aspect looks like. Drunk Bonnie was apparently rather affectionate…

“Yes well,” Celestia cleared her throat. “Twilight and her friends will all be there, so you’ll have somepony to spend time with at least. Aside from Miss Bon Bon here.”

“Huh? I’m invited too!?” Bon Bon gasped.

“Celly,” Aspect replied warningly. “I’m not forcing Bon Bon to go if she doesn’t want to. It wouldn’t be ri—”

“I get to go the Gala~ I get to go to the Gala~” Bon Bon sang, bouncing around in a small circle.

“Orrr she could want to go,” the pegasus stallion sighed. “Tia. I’m only going to say this once. Your nobility in this day and age had better impress. Your nth degree grandson didn’t.”

“Ah, you mean that prattling foal Blueblood?” Luna spat. “He is the antithesis of Nobility. In our day, We would have the whelp gelded and put into the Guard, to at least try to be useful…”

“You know what?” Aspect said with a vicious grin. “I’ll come. On one condition.”

“Why do I feel like making a deal with Discord is a safer bet here?’ Celestia groaned. “Okay, let’s hear it.”

“Any noble that insults me or Bon Bon? I’m going to remember their family history and how they got their titles, and bring it up to their faces,” Aspect replied with a vicious smirk. “And considering that we were there for those things…”

“Well, if you think it’d do anything to dissuade them,” Celestia shrugged. She’d tried that a couple of times already. It was often like talking to a wall. “Very well Father. Do as you will. Not like I could stop you anyway.”

“You forget, I was there for them earning their titles as well,” Aspect hummed. “It’ll be easy to pass myself off as a historian, I think.”

“As I said, if you think it’ll work…” Celestia chuckled as her magic cleared up the lawn. “Also, Cadence is looking for you. Something about… chasing rainbows?”

“That reminds me!” Aspect crowed, pointing a wing at Celestia. “Please tell me you didn’t get rid of our old Pictomancy pictures. I came across a batch of Spectra crystals in the forest!”

“Pictomancy…” Celestia’s eyes gazed towards the castle city. “That… is not something I have heard of in a long time. I didn’t think Spectra crystals even existed anymore.” She shook her head to clear the wave of nostalgia. “But to answer your question, of course I still have them. As if I would discard something so important.”

“I just wish I was better in the art of, well, the art,” Aspect chuckled. “I can restore them easily. But I’m no great creator. I have a tome on the theory in my bag somewhere. And to answer your point, the crystals have to form in a natural rainbow in places of high magic. I found one in the forest and chased both ends of it until I saw the things glinting at me. I’ve got about two dozen now. How many pictures did we have?”

“Stars knows,” Celestia shrugged. “I haven’t taken them out on over half a millennia. And, I’ve forgotten things in my old age. But…” She gasped and put a hoof to her mouth. “Mother… There… there is one of…”

“That’s why I asked,” Aspect replied softly. “There’s one of all of us, but there were also the individual portraits as well. If...If I could have stayed, then I would have seen to it that we never lost any of our family. Not truly. Our pictures are some of the best-made.” He chuckled a little and smiled. “How bonkers do you think it would drive Twilight to learn that Starswirl had one of him made...that could climb out of his portrait?”

“She would hunt you to the ends of the earth,” Celestia said absently. “I’ll… be right back.”

That was all the warning they got before Celestia poured a ridiculous amount of pegasi magic into her wings. A single flap and a concussive blast so strong it knocked Luna off of her hooves saw the white alicorn near a kilometer in the air and streaking towards Canterlot like a white ballistic missile.

“Wanna go help your old man make Spectra paint?” Aspect asked Luna as he helped her up again.

“....Ow…” Luna muttered. “She… could have teleported.”

“Give her a moment…” Bon Bon replied as Lyra helped her up. “Then… Mommy’s gonna give that filly a smack for slamming the door.”

“Yeah, she’s probably really anxious to see all our old friends again,” Aspect rejoined. “I mean, these are some of the only static, unchanging things she could have counted on, and one by one, as the magic of the paint faded, they would have just...stopped. Gone quiet. It would have been worse than losing someone to Mort, because these friends? She could still see, frozen in time, every day. I don’t blame her for putting them away. It would have hurt just as much as Luna or I leaving her life.”

Bon Bon looked up at the mountainside city. “One by one, everypony she cared about left. While she remained, unchanging…” It was rather pensive of the earth pony. “The price of immortality I suppose.”

“Which is why I spend a few years with each new Aspect when I make them,” Aspect added. “So that they’ll know that they have someone they can count on. Someone they can call on. Someone they can rely on.” He walked over to Bon Bon and nuzzled her. “Thanks for telling me to call them to me.”

“Yeah well… I figured you’d be too stubborn to,” Bon Bon said with a cheeky smile and smack his flank with her tail. Aspect whinnied a little, before shaking his head and smirking at her.

“I’m sure the idea would have come to me eventually,” he defended himself.

“Mhm,” Bon Bon replied. “I’m sure you would have. Now, come and help me pack all these groceries away while we wait for Celestia.”

“Yup, and then it’s some good old fashioned alchemy to make Spectra paint,” Aspect agreed, nuzzling her. “I think one of the artists did a self-portrait, actually…”

“Ohh, you know… we know a good painter,” Lyra hummed. “Remember?”

“Lyra. No.” Bon Bon said adamantly. “She must NEVER meet them. Nopony would survive. Heck, Aspect barely survived!”

“What are we talking about?” the stallion asked as they moved inside to start restocking the cupboards.

“See, my mother caused him so much agony, he’s blocked the memories,” Bon Bon pointed out. “I don’t care if she’s an amazing painter. No way are we calling her here.”

“Oh,” Aspect replied in a small tone. “Maybe...someone more open to being taught how to paint? It’s just...I don’t think she’d take well to whoever was seeing her daughter telling her ‘I know a better way to do this.’”

“Maybe if you word it… ‘I know another way to do this?’” Lyra pointed out. “I mean, if you said you knew a better way to play the lyre, I’d probably hoofpunch you in the face.”

“Point,” Aspect replied. “Still, let’s get this done, then get some Spectra paint made, then see about those paintings I’m sure Tia will bring back in just a minute.”

“So, you have to repaint them? Is that it?” Bon Bon asked as she started reorganizing the larder. Her eye twitched, Luna had been in here, not because of the utter chaos she left… but by a blue feather she’d left behind. “Two little fillies are getting a spanking,” she muttered.

“More like, I have to apply a fresh coat of color to them,” Aspect replied as he started lifting things with his pegasus magic and floating them in. “Spectra paint is color and magic at the same time. Sorta reminds me of the liquid rainbow I saw up in Cloudsdale. Or is that the other way around? Point is, one it’s been applied to the painting, the magic will seep in and give life and animation back to any dormant painting.”

“Whoa!” Lyra whispered in awe. “You could make a killing with Playcolt—”

“LYRA!” Bon Bon yelled, a fierce blush on her face.

“And the reason why the witches of Mount Gloom were so fierce and feared was because they had a series of Pictomancy portraits depicting their relations, who were also fierce and ruthless witches and warlocks. With a bit of applied Sorcery, the characters in them gained the boost they needed to step out of the paintings and advise the witches on the best way to subjugate the ponies,” Aspect replied, outlining the negative side of Pictomancy for the mares.

“Well… that’s a little terrifying,” Lyra gulped. “I have a dead aunt, Piano Heartstrings. She has a portrait in the family home. Can we keep this paint faaaar away from it?”

“If it wasn’t painted with Spectra paint, it’s not a Pictomancy portrait, and won’t come alive no matter how much we splash on it,” Aspect waved off her concerns with a wing. “I’m not great in the realm of creating new art, but I’m trained enough to be able to restore Pictomancy portraits.”

“Thank Celestia,” Lyra sighed.

“For what?” the alicorn said from right behind her. There was a yelp and minty-coloured flash, and Aspect spied the unicorn dangling from the rafters, the fur on her back standing on end.

“We were just talking about Spectra paint and other sundry articles,” Aspect chuckled, maneuvering himself under Lyra. “Come on, I’ll catch you,” he called to the rafters.

There was a soft thwump as the unicorn landed on him. She was… actually a lot lighter than she looked. And now the warm mare was draped across his back.

“Mmm, this is actually kinda comfy,” Lyra hummed. “Now I see why Bonnie likes to—”

“The last time another mare showed interest in me, she threatened to kill them,” Aspect warned Lyra.

“Oh, somepony hit on you?” Lyra hummed, nonplussed by the threat. She had Best Friend immunity.

“Somepony hit on you?” Celestia asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Who was it again~?” Cadence cooed from the doorway. She could smell lovetalk like a shark sensed blood in the water.

“Nobody of importance, it’s likely nothing,” Aspect brushed the issue aside as he and Bon Bon finished up packing all the groceries away. “Now. Tia, I trust you brought some pictures you would like to see restored?”

“I did,” she replied. Ahh, good ol’ Tia. Lifespan of a mountain, attention span of a gnat. She floated out a bag which opened, and produced several paintings that should not have physically fit in there.

“Someone studied my saddlebags of holding~” Aspect cooed as he looked the paintings over. “Oh. I remember them well.”

“The memories do come flooding back, don’t they?” Celestia said as he got to one painting. A beautiful red-maned alicorn mare with a white coat.

“She was as confused as all hell when those things grew in,” Aspect chuckled. “I just wish she could have stayed...a little longer.”

“So, is this her?” Bon Bon said as she looked at the painting. “She’s very beautiful…” How the heck was she supposed to compete with that?

“I just hope she’s not mad at me for what I did,” Aspect sighed. “After Starswirl’s picture, this is the second most complex Pictomancy picture I’ve ever seen. It can learn and grow, and act just like she would have. The only thing she can’t do is leave her portrait. Which is probably a blessing. She might just slap me one.”

“So wait,” Lyra held up a hoof. “It’s like having a ghost in the painting? Isn’t that… I dunno, unethical?”

“We all had them done, in the bad old days,” Aspect said, choking up a little. “In case...the worst happened.”

Bon Bon put her forelegs around him, hugging him close before Tia, Lyra and Cadence joined the hug pile.

“You won’t lose any of us that easily,” Bon Bon said. “You got me to fall in love with you, so I’m not going anywhere.”

“And where Bonnie goes, I go,” Lyra nodded. “Sorry Aspect, you’re stuck with me now.”

“And I never got to meet you during this time,” Cadence nodded. “We still have a lot to catch up on.”

“Thanks,” Aspect smiled, genuinely touched. “Okay, so who wants to see some old world alchemy firsthoof and see me chewed out by Written Script?”

“Oooh, this is gonna be great,” Lyra giggled.

“Lyra I have told you three times, the doors are shiny. Shiny things from the old world translates to do not touch!” Aspect shouted at her.

For some reason, he felt the need to move their operation to the basement. It just felt right to brew up Spectra paint in a cauldron, and the only cauldron he had was already installed in the basement. Plus, the measurements were already written up for a cauldron-sized serving of Spectra paint.

The major downside? Even though the Golden Doors were chained and locked shut? Lyra still seemed intent on touching them.

“But it’s shiny!” she said and poked at it again. “Come ooooon, tell me what it does or I’ll keep poking it!”

“It could cause an apocalypse of epic proportions if I hadn’t chained it shut!” Aspect growled. “That there is the gateway between the written world and reality.”

Lyra’s eyes widened significantly. “You… can enter the world of books in there?”

“And that is why Twilight must never know,” Cadence added.

“To be fair, it only works on fiction. And the more beloved a legend is, the more likely it has a place in that realm,” the pegasus said as he held up a Spectra crystal, it glinted in all the colors of the rainbow. “Trapped color and magic, check. Boiling water?” He looked into the cauldron. “Check.” He dropped the crystal into the water, which bubbled and frothed in the colors of the rainbow. “Lightning bolt?”

Cadence passed over the jar that held the crackling light. “Lightning in a bottle huh?” she mused.

“That works,” Aspect smiled, picking the bottle up and aiming it at the cauldron, before uncorking it. The electricity rushed out and into the cauldron, causing the concoction to settle and just glint in the low light of the basement. “Mares, I do believe we have ourselves a batch of Spectra paint.”

“Oooh~” they all cooed, looking at the beautiful substance.

“So… now what?” Bon Bon asked.

“Now, I paint,” Aspect stated, turning the lightning bottle into a scoop to pick up some of the viscous liquid. He then extended a wing and slathered the paint over his feathers, turning the entire thing into nothing more than a glorified paintbrush. “Tia, where’s the painting?”

“Right here,” the alicorn said as she floated over the painting. “The magic in these died out a long time ago. I really hope this works.”

“It should,” Aspect replied, cradling the portrait of Written Script with his non-paint-slathered wing. “All I need to do is restore the magic, and...well, face the music I suppose.” With that, he screwed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and drew his painted wing over the portrait. The multi-hued substance was visible for a moment, before it slowly seeped into the picture.

All was silent as five sets of eyes stared at the painting.

“Um… is… is something gonna happen?” Lyra spoke up. “Cause, I think your painting might be bro—”

Then there was the sound of a yawn, from a mouth that wasn’t one of the ponies there. “Well that was an enjoyable nap,” a new voice said, soft-spoken and reserved. “My word...what in the world have I missed?”

“Sweet Celestia! It can talk!?” Lyra and Bon Bon exclaimed.

“I… I just thought it’d move around or something,” Bon Bon said as Lyra worked her jaw, trying to get it to work.

“M-Mommy?” Celestia said quietly.

“Oh darn it all Christopher, you know better than to hold me off the wall,” the mare said with a sigh. “Go on, go on, put me up, let me get a look at my girls. It’d be better than constantly shifting around.”

“Two seconds,” Aspect said, opting to prop her up against the wall on a nearby workbench. The mare in the painting rolled her shoulders, fluffed her wings, and walked closer to the ‘painting’ to get a better view.

“Well I see Celly,” the cream-colored mare mused. “And...I’m sorry, miss, do I know your name? You look like I should know you. Are you terribly important to have earned the alicorn upgrade as well?”

Cadence was staring wide-eyed, it took a moment to realise she was being spoken to. “I… uh…”

“This is Cadenza,” Aspect helpfully filled in. “She’s a result of Yggdrasil’s...meddling. Apparently he figured out how to bring about Alicorns.”

“I see,” Written Script mused. “And who are the other mares?”

“This,” Aspect said, using his free, non-painted wing to bring Bon Bon closer. “Is my good friend Bon Bon. The unicorn is her friend Lyra.”

“Mmm,” the alicorn in the painting mused. “And where in the world is Lulu? Shouldn’t she be around?”

“She’s… here somewhere mother,” Celestia said, before Bon Bon pulled away from Aspect.

“I’ll go and find her. I’m such a good friend after all…” And with that, she turned and left the room.

“Yep… well done there Aspect,” Lyra said. “Tell me, how does that hoof taste?”

“I was going to work up to that particular revelation,” Aspect sighed. “I didn’t want to lead off with that. Or really...any of them. I mean, we are only talking about the mare that I literally helped raise my daughters with. And the one that we kept with us in spirit. I didn’t want to start off with something like that.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Lyra winced. “Alright, I’ll explain it to her and we’ll let you have family time okay? Want me to tell the bird and that sexy seapony?”

“I think we’ll need more than a minute to break it to Written Script,” Aspect sighed. “It’s going to be...unpleasant.”

Of course it had to be complicated. “Yeah, just remember which one is real,” Lyra replied as she walked out. She’ll take Bon Bon home and get wasted tonight. It’ll be fun.

“Just let Bon Bon know it wasn’t personal,” Aspect called after her, before sighing and turning back to the portrait.

“I take it some time has passed between my restoration periods,” Written Script said wryly.

“You could say that,” Aspect replied, wishing he could wash the paint off. Tonight was not going to be easy. On...anyone.

“It’s been more than a thousand years,” Celestia said. In that time, she hadn’t told her of the Nightmare Moon incident either… “I am sorry Mother. But without the materials, I could not create more paint. Only father here still remembered and he…” She closed her mouth and looked away.

“Yes, your father always was a stubborn sort, but he was also the sort to restore us all, every year on the day,” Written Script said. “I take it that you’ll be fixing this oversight, Christopher?”

“I’ll do my best,” the pegasus said. “You’ll be back to having tea-parties with Hurricane and Pansy in no time.”

“Fantastic, they are excellent company when my family is not around,” Script replied. “So. What happened a thousand years ago to cause this...schism in the family?”

“MOTHER!” she heard a shout from the doorway as Luna bolted inside, leaning up to nuzzle the painting. “It… it worked?”

“The old arts are stubborn ones, my dearest Luna,” Script replied. “Down, though. You know I love you, but I also like seeing the others when they talk too!”

“Fine,” Luna pouted. “It’s not like I haven’t seen you in a thousand years or anything…”

“Yes, we were just getting to that,” the painted alicorn replied as she regained sight of the room outside of her painting. “Just what happened a thousand years ago to cause you all to go your separate ways?”

Nopony spoke for a good long while.

Until Luna did.

“It was my fault,” she said quietly. “All because of me. My rage, my jealousy… I… almost destroyed the world because of it.”

“A parasite latched onto her as well,” Aspect pitched in. “Some sort of nightmarish entity from the dream world. I was able to fend them off without thinking about it, but...it attached itself to Luna and fed into those emotions. Soon...there was no Luna. Only the Nightmare.”

“If I hadn’t been so jealous of Tia and the way the ponies only loved her…” Luna said. “Then it wouldn’t have happened. Tia… wouldn’t have had to send me away.”

“And what happened then...the fact that I nearly raised my sword against our daughter, Script,” Aspect said, crying softly. “It...it broke me, inside. Something snapped. I couldn’t...I couldn’t stay anymore. I couldn’t remain...so I just, wandered. I picked up my bags, packed up my gear, and just...left. I got a little bit of my spark back when I found Grogar and dealt with him more permanently this time, but...I don’t think I could actually fight the way I used to anymore. Not without thinking about my failure.”

“It’s pretty much been this pity party for two days straight around here,” Cadence said. “Mind you, given what’s happened, I hardly blame them. The Nightmare, Aspect’s vanishing, Auntie Celestia destroying literature and history…”

“So basically, they all ignored the one rule that we set down once it became just one Written Script in the painting,” the alicorn summed up. “Family trusts one another, is there for one another.”

“Pretty much,” Cadence said. “Mind you, Discord probably had a hoof in that…”

“Still gonna stab that bastard when he shows up,” Aspect muttered.

“Well!” Written Script clapped her hooves together. “I can tell you all have had a tumultuous time. Then again, you’ve had a thousand years to have said times. But there’s nothing we can do to change the past. Unless Starswirl actually manages to work out his time-travel spell, but that’s another story for another day. Crotchety old fart never did stop, even when it was down to just him and he couldn’t cast any magic for fear of running out of paint sooner. So the best you all can do is move forward. And the first part is forgiving each other.”

Cadence nodded as she pushed the three together with her magic. “That what I’ve been saying. And so had Bon Bon!”

“So, the first part is forgiving Luna,” Script said. “It doesn’t really sound like it was entirely her fault, but Tia, Aspect, you’re both sort of to blame for what happened. For not catching it sooner. So I guess it falls to me for now.” She smiled kindly at Luna. “My perfect little Lulu. I forgive you for what you did. It wasn’t your fault, not really. I don’t hold you accountable. What was the first rule if somepony was possessed or had their mind altered in any way?”

“It’s not thine fault…” Luna mumbled.

“Louder, and get the context right,” Script replied. “Whose fault isn’t it?”

“It is not Our fault…” Luna said again, a little louder.

“Say it like you mean it, filly!” Script chided her. “Where’s the voice that could be heard a castle away?”

“IT IS NOT MY FAULT!!”

Luna’s roar made the building tremble and blasted Celestia and Aspect back from her.

“Check please,” Aspect slurred, raising a hoof.

“I need a necromancer…” Celestia moaned. “That just shaved a few lifetimes off of my immortality.”

“I will tell you to say it and look like you believe it every day if I have to,” Script told Luna. “Now. Someone else has to forgive someone else in your little three-way of blame.”

“I know it’s not her fault,” Cadence shrugged. “But, I also know that Aunt Tia and Grandpa Aspect are gonna be deaf for a while.”

“Lulu always did have the louder lungs, out of the pair of them,” Script mused.

Luna just blushed as two figures poked their heads through the door.

“By the Oceans! It’s true?” Neptune spoke loudly. “Tis really her?”

‘Really? I thought it was the Dragon King,’ Pyroclastia snarked back.

“Oh, I remember Christopher telling me about you both from ages ago,” Script said, looking at the new intruders. “Let’s see...I know the seapony king is named Neptune, but for the life of me, I’ve forgotten the full extent of your name, miss. I know it started with Pyro…”

‘Pyroclastia. Mother-Queen of the Phoenix race and Aspect of Fire!’ the bird trilled with an air of self-importance and puffed out her chest.

“Yes, that was it. Well, come closer,” Script said, urging them on. “Let me get a good look at you. You go to sleep for a thousand years and foals you never knew you had suddenly decide to up and visit.”

They both moved inside, the seapony hovering in his bubble of water while Pryo perched on the floor, looking at the cauldron that was something still standing after Luna’s audio assault.

“Well, I can tell that Neptune is quite handsome for a seapony king,” Script chuckled. “And Pyroclastia, you’re quite magnificent yourself. It’s good to see that you’re both doing well.”

“Ah! I like her!” Neptune thumped his chest.

‘As do I, she recognises true magnificence when she sees it,’ the bird nodded.

“Well, I do have an appreciation for the finer things,” Script smiled. “Now if you could see to the restoration of the one that apparently is the only one that knows how to restore Pictomancy paintings, I could introduce you to the whole party.”

The Phoenix looked at the fallen Celestia and Aspect, then to Luna. ‘Ah’.

A few tears later, and Aspect and his daughter were fighting fit and ready to take on the world.

The painted Alicorn was a different ballgame altogether.

“So, I do hope you kept us all, my daughter,” Script said to Celestia. “I would love to talk to the whole crew again.”

By way of explanation, Aspect waved a hoof at the other paintings in line. “Pictomancy paintings can, if they’re all hung up in the same house, jump from one painting to the next. A picture of Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy can meet even if they’re hung up on completely opposite sides of the house.”

“Woow!” Cadence whistled. “Twilight’s gonna flip when she sees this. She’ll probably want to move in, just so she can ask questions.”

“This is nothing,” Aspect said with a shake of his head. “A really skilled Pictomancer can step inside his paintings to work on them from there.”

“So, can you do that?” Cadence asked.

“There was really only one painting me and the girls ever visited,” Aspect replied softly. “I have to have her helping me to get in.”

“Which painting?” Cadence asked, before looking at Written Script.

“That would be mine, dear,” Written said, before gesturing to the room around her. “This is an exact duplicate of ‘my’ room back in the hidden valley, down to the last sheet on my bed. The artist was incredibly skilled and came in here to make sure he’d gotten every single detail right before adding, well, me to it. And he layered so much paint and magic into making me, it was hardly a surprise I came out as well as I did.”

“Wow,” Cadence looked around. “But… I have to ask something. But I don’t want to come across as rude or insensitive…”

“Ask away,” both Written and Aspect said at the same moment.

Cadence winced, this… would likely be ugly. “So, can you explain how you can talk? I mean, you aren’t really her… are you?”

“The magic of the paint and how complex I am enables me to talk,” Written said. “And no, I’m not really her. More like a copy made in case the worst happened and my fillies still needed their mother. Whenever Christopher was taking the fillies out to play, the real me told painting-me all the things that had happened, so that I could learn and respond appropriately.”

“That must have been odd, like a mirror that talks back,” Cadence said. It was odd, she could feel faint love coming from the painting. Even if she was just a magically constructed copy, she could feel the love she had for her family.

Which would make Aspect’s near future all the more difficult.

“So tell me Christopher,” Script said, turning to look at the stallion. “Have you actually fallen in love with a pony yet? Or are you still a happy bachelor going around slaying monsters for the greater good?”

“There, uh...might be an answer to that question,” Aspect said, scuffing the floor with a hoof. The three alicorns in the room all remained silent, none dared breathe a word of this. So they decided to just throw Aspect under the proverbial bus by leaving him alone in the room.

“We’ll leave you two to catch up,” Celestia smiled and led everypony else out of the room. “Have fun~”

Script waited for the sparkles to die down before smiling. “It was that Bon Bon mare, wasn’t it?”

Aspect winced, but nodded. The painted alicorn beamed at him. “Good on you. I died a while ago, and we were never really ‘in love.’ More like a partnership for the sake of the fillies. Sakes, you only learned to formshift after I died! They never bothered to ask how you could be their father if you weren’t a pony.”

“Are...you sure you don’t mind me falling for a pony?” the pegasus asked.

“Christopher, you could fall for anything and I wouldn’t mind. I just want to see you happy.” She pointed a hoof at the paintings behind him. “Now. If you wouldn’t mind?”

The pegasus sighed. “I’ll get to work on them in a bit. I have to hang you up properly first. I’m just glad I have a lot of space around here…”

Aspect sighed, this was the last one he had to restore. Which was good, he’d almost run out of this batch of Spectra paint, he wanted to save the rest of the crystals for later. He’d also hung almost all the pictures up in his home in various locations. Script had gone up in the bedroom, Hurricane and Pansy had gone up in one of the guest bedrooms on the same floor. Starswirl had actually expressed a desire to return to Canterlot once Celly had said she’d filled an entire wing of the royal Archives with the things the original had produced. Still, he’d accepted the fact that the world wasn’t quite ready for Pictomancy to return just yet, and said he’d accept living in this large house...as long as he could get a few things the original had written eventually.

There had to have been two hundred pictures that Aspect had restored and hung up around his house. Which meant he’d have to be careful about thinking out loud, as the walls would likely respond.

Aspect pulled the last picture to himself and had to suppress a pang of sadness. This…

This was Realm’s self-portrait. The original pony had vanished some time ago, they never found his body. Realm had been the most prestigious Pictomancer back at the castle, and had been the one to touch up and improve the pictures that he’d just spent all night restoring. The self-portrait was the last thing they’d found in his room, and they’d dutifully hung it up. And now it was in his hooves again.

“I’m sorry, dear friend,” Aspect said, before swiping a layer of Spectra paint across the picture. “I’m sorry I never found you.”

The paint was absorbed into the painting, and Aspect tucked it under a wing before walking out of the basement. There was one place where he knew this painting would go very well. The gallery, where it’d get a nice sunbeam every morning. It took him a few minutes to get there, but when he did, the paintings welcomed him.

Right up until they saw who he was hanging up. Then they all fell silent, quite aware of the story behind this one.

“Right,” Aspect said, wiping the small amount of tears away. It’d been a long day, and he’d been reunited with plenty of old friends. “I’ll see you all tomorrow morning. I need some sleep before I go to see about teaching the foals.”

…

Later that night, the picture of Realm giggled and looked out towards the real world...before the pegasus colt pulled himself out of the portrait.

“Poor little Christopher,” Realm said with a smile as he stretched. Being confined in a painting for a thousand years was an unpleasant experience, even if it was a self-imposed time-capsule of a sentence. “I never went anywhere.”

Author's Notes:

I totally didn't get sidetracked with an awesome new idea that I'm writing with Aus, what're you talking about?

Oh, and meet Realm. He'll be sticking around a while.

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Half the money will not go towards a new keyboard.