David groggily awoke from his magically induced sleep with a groan. He tried to sit up, only to find a weight pressing down on his chest and stomach. He slowly peeled his eyes open and looked down to find Midnight sleeping on top of him. A tired smile forced its way onto his face and he gently stroked Midnight's mane for a few minutes until she began to stir.

"Mmmhh? David?" Midnight said, opening one of her eyes.

"Yep. I see you made yourself comfortable." He said with a grin.

"Well, your skin is soft... Are you feeling alright?" Midnight asked as she sat up on his waist.

"Well, besides being really tired, I'm feeling great. What happened last night? Where'd everybody go?" David asked as he began to scan the rest of the room.

"Well, they all woke up about an hour ago and went to have breakfast. They should be back in a bit. As for last night... well... you had another migraine. Twilight tried to help you with her magic, but for whatever reason, it made things a hundred times worse. Princess Luna had to use her magic to put you to sleep to stop the pain." Midnight explained with a sad frown.

"Damn... That's so weird though. I don't remember anything after the play. Did she fry my brain or something?" David asked, bringing a hand to his forehead.

"I think you'll be okay... but we need to talk." Midnight said, more solemnly than David was used to hearing her speak.

"About what?"

Midnight looked down sadly, then hugged David tightly. David slightly jumped at the movement, but quickly found himself returning the hug in earnest. He felt Midnight sigh heavily against his neck, and gently rubbed her back with one hand and her neck with the other.

"Mid, what's wrong?" David asked.

"It's just... I'm so sorry you had to go through all that pain..." Midnight's slightly muffled words reached David's ears and stabbed at his heart.

"Mid... It's okay. I'm fine - you're here with me - everything is gonna be alright." David whispered.

A few moments passed, and the only response David received was Midnight's shaky breathing. David felt a heaviness in his heart, and decided to continue.

"You know, If you had told me, a hundred years ago, that I would fall for a talking unicorn on an unknown planet somewhere off in space, I would've thought you were crazy. Yet somehow... This just feels... right. Like, being with you like this feels more right than anything I've ever done in my entire life." David said, finishing with a gentle kiss on Midnight's forehead.

Midnight smiled against David's neck.

"Maybe... Everything that's happened to you... led you here? Maybe you were supposed to be born when you were, do the things you did, and survive the crash like you did... so that I could find you." Midnight cautiously replied.

"Something like fate, huh? Well, if that's what it is, I'm just glad it brought me to you." David warmly responded.

David felt Midnight's already tight grip around him tighten just a tiny bit more, and he planted another small kiss on Midnight's head. She closed her eyes and sighed from the affection.

They laid together for a while without a sound, save for their quiet breaths. David took to scratching Midnight's ear with one hand, and gently rubbing her barrel with the other.

"David... I need to talk to you... about something important." Midnight said.

"Go ahead."

"It's about... your nightmares." Midnight whispered.

"My nightmares?" David asked.

"Yes. Princess Luna told me about your nightmares after she entered your dreams a month or so ago. When she told me about them... she told me to do whatever was necessary to help you..."

"Which was?" David asked.

"Well, do you remember the bar? A few nights ago?"

"Yeah. Wait..." David trailed off in thought.

"Well, that night, you were having a nightmare, and... I kinda... cuddled with you..." Midnight hesitantly responded.

"You cuddled with me? All night?" David asked with peaked curiosity.

"Well, I fell asleep in your arms... When I got on the bed and laid down with you, you... sorta rolled over and wrapped your arms around me. It was so warm and cozy that I just fell asleep, even despite my panic. I was really afraid you were gonna wake up and then I'd have to explain why I sleep-cuddled you like I did last night..." Midnight explained through an ever darkening blush.

"Oh... Well, thanks... I think... You know about the nightmares then... Why didn't you tell me you knew?" David trailed off with a sigh.

"Princess Luna asked me not to tell you that I knew in case it might make things worse for you. I know you had them almost every night, and I had to do something... "

David was silent for a while as he thought over Midnight's words.

"Uh... You okay, big guy?" Midnight asked, her tone slightly concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm alright. So you think that you cuddling with me stops the nightmares?" David finally asked.

"Well, it seemed to work that night, and just about every night that we've slept together since..." Midnight trailed off.

"Damn... That's crazy."

"Well... Physical contact between ponies is very important for our mental health, and... well, since you're so similar to us, then maybe the reason you have them is because you just haven't had enough physical contact up until now. Plus, the trauma from the crash must've been hard on you, both physically and mentally." Midnight explained.

"In other words... You think there's something wrong with me..." David admitted, sadly.

Midnight lifted her head off of David's neck and looked into his eyes.

"I didn't say that, David. Survivor's Guilt or PTSD are possibilities, and if either are the case, then I will do everything in my power to help you, but I don't know. After what you've been through... It could possibly explain the headaches and what happened last night." Midnight said.

"I don't have PTSD, Mid. I don't have any mental health issues. I'm fine." David said, his voice taking a more serious edge.

Midnight sighed sadly.

"David... I know there are some things that bother you every day. I know you feel responsible for your friends, but not talking to anyone, and just keeping it inside isn't healthy. I mean, you've been here for two months now. If this has been a problem every single night, then why not ask for help? Princess Celestia, Luna, Twilight, me, we would all have done everything in our power to help you." Midnight explained as delicately as she could.

"I don't have PTSD, Mid. I don't need help, and I really don't want to talk about this anymore." David said, shifting uncomfortably under Midnight's gaze.

"David, please. I never brought it up before because I figured you'd react like this, but I don't want to have to work late one night and find you at the house having more nightmares or worse. I can't be with you every night, so when I can't, I want to be sure that you won't be miserable. I hate seeing you like that. I care about you too much, and I don't think I can handle seeing something like last night again..." Midnight pleaded.

"Look, Mid, just drop it, okay? I'm fine. I don't need any help, and I certainly don't need you trying to baby me. It'll go away in time. Besides, I don't want to talk to a therapist about it. It'll just cause more problems for me." David said, anger finding its way into his voice.

David slowly lifted himself up into a sitting position as Midnight stepped off his chest. He swung his feet off of the couch and set them down on the floor before resting his elbows on his knees and holding his head with his hands.

"David... please. I can see that you're not okay... I want to help. I really do... but I can't if you don't let me." Midnight gently said while rubbing David's shoulder with her hoof.

David suddenly shrugged Midnight's hoof off of his shoulder and rose off of the couch.

"You don't get it, Mid... There's no way you could understand..." David said, his voice low.

"I can't say that I know what you're going through, David, but I've gone through loss and pain too. I can at least sympathize with you, and I know that If you keep this bottled up inside, the only thing that's going to happen is that you're eventually going to snap." Midnight pleaded.

"Is that what this is then? All of this?" David accused "Everything we've done was just because you were afraid that I would snap!?" He angrily shouted.

"No! David, everything that happened over the last two months was real! I would never lie to you like that!" Midnight countered.

"You said it yourself! Luna asked you to do whatever was necessary! How am I supposed to believe you after you tell me that!?" David retorted.

"David, listen to yourself! You know me! You know I would never do that! The fact that you're this upset over this conversation is proof that you need help! Please, let me help you!"

"You can't help me! No one can! This is my issue and I can deal with it alone! I don't want your help and I don't need it! If anything over the last two months was real to you AT ALL, then you'd drop this!" David shouted.

"The reason I can't drop this is because it was all real! Every feeling, every word, every moment we've shared was real! You can try to push me away all you want, but I'm not going to sit idly by and watch you kill yourself because you couldn't hold the damn door open!" Midnight shouted back.

"... what did you just say?" David asked, his voice nearly a whisper.

"I know what happened, David... Princess Luna saw your memories last night. She told me everything. About the ship, about your friends... You did everything you could to save them... It's not your fault." Midnight replied, her voice shaky, but firm all the same.

"No, no, no, no... You... that's... that's not true.. I- I can't stay here, I need to go." David said, suddenly turning on his feet and heading for the door.

"What?! David, No!" Midnight shouted.

David quickly moved to the door and grabbed the handle. He yanked it open and bolted out the door before Midnight could use her magic to stop him. Midnight jumped off the couch and galloped to the doorway to find David already half way down the hall. She stood there, dumbstruck for only a second, before galloping after him.

David sprinted down the hallway as fast as he could. His tired body fought him every step of the way, but he pushed past the soreness and ran even faster. He ran like his life depended on it, quickly covering the distance between Celestia and Luna's private chambers, to the front gate within a minute.

David bolted past the front guards and into Canterlot, not even noticing the ice cold wind as it cut right through him. He pressed on, determined to escape Midnight and the royal sisters.

"Nononononono! FUCK!" David screamed in his head.

Midnight was hot on his trail, and quickly found herself being blasted by the same frigid wind as David as she pursued. Chills forced their way through her body as she galloped, her fur bristling as the cold permeated through. Midnight pushed the cold to the back of her mind, and pushed after David.

Midnight was faster than David, and began quickly closing the distance between them. David pushed through Canterlot proper, and found his way into the middle of the city with Midnight trailing only fifty feet behind him. All number of species that were out and about, enjoying Hearth's Warming, turned their attention to the sprinting human and galloping pony trailing close behind. A few fillies and colts giggled at the seemingly friendly race until they caught sight of David's panicked expression and Midnight's worried face.

David ran into the marketplace and weaved through the stands as Midnight followed. She couldn't maneuver quite as well as he could and had to slow down to avoid running into one of the stands. Midnight cursed under her breath as she lost vital distance between her and David.

David rounded the corner and sprinted out of the marketplace. Midnight chanced her luck one more time and called his name before losing sight of him. As she rounded the corner, her hooves slid on the fresh snow and ice, and she fell onto her side. A pained yelp escaped her muzzle as she connected with the hard pavement. Within moments, ponies were at her side to see if she was alright.

"Wow, ma'am are you okay? That looked like a nasty tumble." A pegasus said as he offered her his hoof.

"I'm alright. Did you see which way David went?" Midnight asked as she took his hoof and pulled herself off the ground.

"The human? I think he turned right and went up the street."

"Thanks." Midnight said, catching her breath. After a moment, she galloped away.

Midnight scoured the city for over an hour, but she could find no trace of the lone human. She checked every district of the city, high and low, but found nothing. From questioning every pony she ran into, to outright asking the royal guard to help her find him, Midnight could find no trace of David.

Midnight finally found herself in the central district, dripping in sweat from the exertion. She panted heavily as her gallop slowed to a trot, then to a walk. Eventually, she found a bench to sit on and promptly did so. Her mind raced for possible locations David could have run off to, but found nothing she hadn't already considered a hundred times already.

"Could he have gone back to the castle? No, Celestia would have sent somepony to get me if that was the case..."

"Maybe he went back to the house? If he did, he didn't bring a spare key last night. I don't think he would break a window to get in, but then again... Ugh... David... Why are you being like this? You didn't do anything wrong... Just don't do anything dangerous until I find you... please?"

"Ahem, excuse me, señorita?" A voice caught her attention.

Midnight turned her head up to see a dark grey thestral, his coat almost matching hers. His faded blue mane and tail were nicely combed, and his eyes were a brilliant rose color. He gave her a smile, his fangs poking out as if to say hello.

"Oh, um, yes?" Midnight asked, shaking her head of her thoughts.

"Well, you see, it is Hearth's Warming Day, yet, I could not help but notice that you do not seem happy. In fact, you seem upset. Also sweaty. May I ask how you came to be in this state?" The thestral asked with a silky smooth Spanish accent.

"That obvious, huh? Well... my boyfriend is hurt... and I tried to help him, but he ran away. I don't know where he went, and I need to find him before something seriously bad happens to him." Midnight explained with a sigh.

"Ah, I see. Truly, a difficult situation. I assume you have searched most of the day, yes?"

"Yeah... I don't think he's in Canterlot anymore, and that only makes me even more concerned. Equestria can be a very dangerous place, and he doesn't know it very well. He only knows Canterlot and my house." Midnight said, wearily.

"Perhaps, you should consider the things most personal to him." The thestral said, his tone calm and collected.

"What do you mean?" Midnight asked.

"When a stallion endures an affliction of the heart, sometimes, the easiest way to cope, is to go back to the beginning. Back to the things that brought him there in the first place. Whether those things are a pony, a place, or even a thought-" The thestral started, until Midnight cut him off.

"Wait! What did you just say?"

"When a stallion-"

"No, not that part. The end. What things did you list?" Midnight said, her mind already racing.

"I said that those things could be a pony, a place-" He started, quickly being cut off again.

"That! A place... I know where David is!" Midnight excitedly shouted.

Midnight quickly wrapped the stallion in a tight hug before hopping off the bench and galloping away.

"Thank you so much! And sorry for interrupting you a lot, you've been super, super helpful!" Midnight called back as she ran.

The thestral smiled and waved as Midnight faded away into the crowd. He chuckled lightly to himself for a moment before pulling out rose from under his wing. He studied it as though it had a long-lost secret to share and headed off.

"Young love... Such a joy to witness."

Midnight galloped down the road out of Canterlot noticeably slower than before. She was panting heavily and exhausted, but pressed on regardless. She barreled past the royal guards stationed at the mane gate without a second glance and headed into the countryside. She followed the path down towards her house until she caught sight of her target.

"There it is!" Midnight cheered in her head.

She came to a screeching halt as she reached her goal. A wide trench, burrowed into the mountainside, just to the right of the road beckoned for her to follow it. The snow had nearly filled it to the brim, but it wasn't the snow itself that had her attention, it was what was in the snow. Midnight brought her face close to the ground to investigate the tracks in the snow. The prints were far too long and misshapen to be a hoofprint.

"David's tracks..." Midnight deduced.

The human's footprints led further along the trench, down the mountainside. Midnight allowed herself a soft smile before turning and heading down the snowy mountainside. Her hooves slid down the snow easily enough, and before long, she was halfway down the mountainside. She tore her eyes away from her hooves for a moment to look further down the cliff and saw the skeletal remains of the escape pod David arrived in... and a tall, silhouette standing next to it.

The silhouette was far too tall and slender to be a pony, not to mention the distinct coloration of its skin and short hair. There was only one creature in Equestria that it could be.

"David..."

As Midnight got closer, she saw more and more of him. His hair, formerly clean and well kept, was now wild and messy. His clothes were damp with sweat, and there was steam visibly pouring off his body into the cold air. His pants were soaked up to the knees from the deep snow he had traversed, and he almost seemed to be shaking.

Midnight finally reached the bottom of the cliff and dropped off the last edge to her hooves. The snow made a soft *crunch* sound as she landed, alerting David to her presence, although, he did not move. Midnight quickly wrapped her magic around his torso to prevent any escape, and she slowly approached.

David didn't even flinch. He simply stared at the skeletal remains of the pod in front of him until Midnight was only a few paces away.

"How did you find me?" David asked, quietly.

"I realized this was the only place you would go." Midnight replied, trying her best to hide her concern over how cold he must have been.

"You know, they gave this thing a level five safety rating? Rated to survive an impact at one hundred miles an hour and keep all four souls on board alive..." David trailed off.

"David..."

"Too bad there was only one in this thing when it landed..." David said, coldly.

"David, you did everything you could. Please, why can't you believe that?" Midnight asked, pain clear in her voice.

"Because it's not true." David's words came out like venom.

"Yes it is. You did everything you could to save them." Midnight reasoned, growing more frustrated with David.

"It's my fault!" David said, quickly turning on Midnight. "You have no idea what happened up there, so why can't you just let it go!?"

"Because I care about you too much to just let you destroy yourself over this! If I have no idea what I'm talking about, then tell me! Tell me how this is your fault!"

"I can't!" David shouted, before turning away from Midnight and walking toward the pod, her magic aura gently reminding him that he wasn't going anywhere else unless she allowed him to.

A painful silence took over the air as Midnight thought over David's words.

"What do you mean you can't?" Midnight asked softly.

Tears welled in David's eyes as he leaned his head against the pod.

"If you knew the truth... You'd hate me... Everyone would hate me..." David spoke. His tone was barely a whisper.

Midnight slowly walked over to David. She quietly sat down next to him and looked up at him.

"I do know the truth... I know the ship was hit by an asteroid... I know you lost power and had to get to the pod... And I know you tried to hold the door open for them..." Midnight said, softly.

"That's not it... That's not why they died... It was all my fault..." David painfully responded.

"Then tell me how." Midnight pleaded.

Time seemed to drag on while Midnight waited for David to respond. Eventually, her gaze fell to the snow at her hooves and her shoulders slumped. After several minutes of silence, her ears picked up on a very quiet sound. A drop of liquid impacting the snow right next to her. It took her only a moment to realize that it was a tear. She looked up to David's face to see more tears streaming down his cheeks and falling to the snow. It was the first time she had ever really seen David cry.

Midnight's eyes fell down to his hands. They were shaking, violently. Despite the cold, his hands were shaking far more than they should have been, especially since he had most likely arrived only minutes before her. She realized that it wasn't the cold that made him shiver this way, it was fear. Fear for what he was about to admit to her.

"W-when we lost power... It was m-my job to reroute what we had left from the bridge... to wherever the guys needed it..." David took several shaky breaths before he continued.

"I-I messed up... I didn't see the fire... in the o-oxygen cycle room... We w-would have been... fine... but it blew up... Then I... I d-didn't save enough power for the airlock... It only h-had enough p-power for a minute... but I was s-scared... I didn't wait for them... I just ran inside... Then I-I couldn't... I-If I had just waited..." David trailed off, his sniffles and tears turning into sobbing.

David fell to his knees, a pained grimace on his face as the tears clawed their way out of his eyes and spilled into the frozen ground below. Within a second, Midnight was on him, wrapping him in a hug and nuzzling her cheek against his. Her own tears threatened to fall at the sight of David in so much pain, but she held them back for his sake, opting instead to just hold him as close as she could.

"I-It's my fault! I'm a fucking coward and I killed them!" David breathlessly shouted, pain evident in his tone.

"You made a mistake... No one can fault you for that."

"I-if I had waited... They'd s-still b-be alive!" David cried.

"It's not your fault, David... It's not your fault..." Midnight cooed, hugging him even tighter.

"D-don't you lie to me... Not you... Anyone but you... Y-y-you should h-hate me... Everyone should. I-I killed them!"

"It's not your fault... It's not your fault." Midnight said, bringing her head back to look at David.

"H-how c-can you say that? I-I'm a murderer... You should h-hate me..." David managed between sobs.

"I can't hate you, David..." Midnight whispered.

"Why? H-how c-c-could you not? I... I-"

"You were trying to save them..."

"B-but I-" David started.

"I don't care. All that matters to me is who you are now." Midnight said, firmly.

"How?" David whispered.

"Because I love you." Midnight admitted, her voice nearly a whisper.

"W-what?" David asked, turning his head to look into Midnight's beautiful sapphire eyes.

"I love you." She repeated, no trace of fear or waver in her voice.

David didn't move for a moment. Try as he might, he couldn't speak or think. Midnight's words bounced around in his head over and over again until he was sure he understood her. He slowly turned in Midnight's embrace until he was squarely face to face with her. Without another moment of hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as he could. His tears broke free again in full force, and he buried his face into Midnight's fur. Midnight gladly held him as close as she could, her own tears spilling free as she held him.

"I'm s-so sorry..." David barely managed through the tears.

"It's okay. It's all okay now. I love you." Midnight cooed.

"I love you too. I love you so much..." David said, his voice hoarse and weak.

It was a long time before either David or Midnight could pull away from each other, but alas, eventually David had to. The cold had finally registered with him, and he was shaking. Midnight took immediate notice of his shivering and immediately pulled him back into her embrace.

"Come on, big guy. Let's get you home." Midnight whispered into his ear.

David managed a shaky nod and squeezed Midnight closer one more time before they fully separated. Midnight was quick to turn and lead the way back up the mountain with David close behind her. They made their way slowly, the physical and emotional drain of the day weighing heavily on them as they climbed.

Soon enough, they were at the top of the cliff and following the trench back to the road.

"Hey, Mid?" David asked while he rubbed his hands together for warmth.

"Yeah?" Midnight answered, turning her head to acknowledge him.

"I... Just... Thank you... For everything."

Midnight stopped and turned around fully to face David. She made her way over to him before rearing back on her hind legs and placing her forelegs on his shoulders. She leaned forward and kissed him.

"I'd do it all again in a heartbeat." She said after pulling away.

David smiled at her words and hugged Midnight close again. Once she dropped back to her hooves, they resumed the journey back to her house.

David and Midnight made the short trek back in silence. Neither one had the energy to start up a conversation so they merely focused on getting back to the house as quickly as possible to get David out of the cold. After a few minutes, the sight of Midnight's house greeted them both with open arms, and they made their way to the front door.

Midnight unlocked the door and pushed it open with her magic. She ushered David inside and quickly closed the door behind them.

"Alright, how about you go ahead and take a seat on the couch. I'll get us some hot chocolate and start a fire so you can warm up, big guy." Midnight said with a sincere smile.

"I c-can help." David said through a shiver.

"David, please, let me take care of you."

David looked like he was about to speak, but thought better of it. He slowly closed his eyes and nodded his head before going and sitting down on the couch. Within moments, a blanket was levitated onto his back, and wood moved into the fireplace. Midnight cast a quick spell, and pleasant fire began to burn in the fireplace. She quickly moved back to the kitchen and removed two mugs from the cabinet.

Within minutes, she was back with two mugs of hot chocolate in her magical grasp. She added marshmallows to both as usual, with a little extra in one of the mugs. She hopped onto the couch and found her spot laying down on David's lap. After a moment of deliberation, she levitated the mug with extra marshmallows to David and brought the other one to her lips.

"I think you gave me yours." David said as he eyed the extra marshmallows in his mug.

"Nope." Midnight responded before taking another sip.

"But you love marshmallows. You always add extra to yours..." David said, his brow furrowing slightly.

"I do." Midnight replied with a smile.

David sat there for a moment, looking into his mug, then back at hers, before he set his mug down on the table next to the couch. He turned back to Midnight and pulled her close again. His eyes watered as he held her, and his entire body trembled. The stabbing pain in his heart from before was replaced with a new pain. A loving pain, that warmed his heart and soul. It pushed out every other sense and feeling he had. He felt nothing but that beautiful pain in his chest as he held her closer, and nothing else in the world seemed to matter to him. The only thing that truly mattered was that beautiful graphite mare he held in his arms for what could have been forever.

"What did I do to deserve you?" David asked, his voice coming out choked and weak.

"You didn't have to do anything. You're the light to my dark." Midnight answered, feeling her voice waver too.

Midnight nuzzled David's cheek affectionately as the tears began to flow freely again. The day's events replayed in her mind, and she couldn't help but allow her own tears to fall as well. She had never seen David so vulnerable before, and the only thing she wanted to do was hold him close and tell him that everything would be alright. So she did. She held him until they both had no tears left to shed.

Eventually the fatigue of the days events finally caught up with them. David was the first to feel sleep tugging at his being, and slowly laid down on the couch with Midnight coming to a rest on his chest. The warmth of the fire, and the soothing melody of her beating heart soon lulled him to sleep, and David's soft breaths warmed Midnight's heart.

For quite some time, she only held onto him as he slept, desperately hoping to stave off any nightmares that would ruin his rest after such a painful day. Midnight rested her head against his neck, her ear picking up on every breath as it left his body. A smile forced it's way onto her lips as she thought over everything. David was by no means a 'perfect stallion', but he was her stallion.

After an hour or so, Midnight felt sleep calling for her as well, and her eyelids grew heavy. She nestled her head in the crook of David's neck and closed her tired eyes. She felt the calm embrace of sleep caress her mind, and within a few minutes, she was soundly asleep.

Midnight awoke to the sound of knocking on her door. She wearily opened her eyes and looked out the window to find a dark world outside. After a moment of contemplation, she realized it was nighttime.

"Oh... shit." Midnight whispered to herself, careful not to wake David.

She gingerly hopped off the couch and quickly made her way to the door. She easily saw all four of the princesses through the window and hastily opened the door. An entourage of royal guards was dispersed throughout her front yard, and the four princesses regarded her with mixed looks of worry and confusion.

"Midnight, thank goodness you answered." Celestia said, sounding heavily relieved.

"We've been looking for you and David all day. Are you two alright? We heard about how he ran away. You found him, right?" Luna asked, still sounding concerned.

"David's alright, princesses. Thank you for the concern. I'm really sorry I didn't get back to you, but... after the day David had, I just thought it best to bring him back here and rest." Midnight explained, stifling a yawn.

"Is he okay?" Cadence asked.

"He's fine. It was just an emotionally draining day for both of us... If Doctor Whinny was right about his headaches, then I think he shouldn't have anymore." Midnight explained.

"So you got him to open up about it?" Twilight asked with a curious expression.

"Yeah... It was a pretty tough on him." Midnight admitted, sadly.

"I see. Well, we just wanted to be sure that you two were alright. When we went back into the room to find you both missing, I feared something had gone horribly wrong. I'm just so relieved to see that both you and David are well." Celestia said with a sincere smile.

"Thank you, all of you, but... I won't ask you to leave, in fact, you can stay with us if you want, but... it's been a very long day, and if it's at all possible, I'd like to get back to David." Midnight said as politely as she could.

Celestia stifled a chuckle before answering.

"Thank you, Midnight. While we appreciate the offer, I think you two deserve some time alone. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come to the castle and ask. We'll always be there for our friends. Have a happy Hearth's Warming." Celestia replied with a quick bow of her head.

The other three princesses followed with their own bows and farewells before turning to leave.

"Thank you, everypony. I owe you all everything. Thank you so much." Midnight said with a soft smile.

Celestia turned and gave a quiet nod before turning back and walking away with the rest of her entourage in tow.

Midnight quietly closed the door and made her way over to David to find him still soundly asleep. She gently climbed back into her spot on his chest and laid down with him. After taking a moment to find the most comfortable position, she softly sighed, and nuzzled her head against his cheek. Within minutes, she was soundly asleep, and the soft sound of their steady breaths filled the air, once more.

I know this one got pretty heavy. I'm afraid that there will be less cuddles until we get to the final chapters. For now, I hope you enjoy the drama. I will fully admit that a certain scene in this chapter was inspired by Good Will Hunting. I encourage you to watch that movie if you haven't yet. In case you didn't notice, this is the first time that David and Midnight ever say the words "I love you". I made a point to not let them say that until this moment. I feel like until now, their relationship has been more of a casual relationship kind of thing. For me, the words 'I love you' are really, really important, and I feel like they wouldn't be said until they were absolutely sure of each other. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. The next few chapters should be just as interesting as this one hopefully was :D