Unfortunately, they did go off. But instead of being bombarded by three heavy cannonballs, I was showered with streams of confetti. I then heard the sound of three little girls shout, “Cutie Mark Crusaders Party Cannon Operators!”

Once I had allowed myself to regain my composure, I noticed that Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were standing with their front hooves pressing down on the backsides of each cannon. I felt an uneasy grimace spread across my face as I asked, “Did Pinkie Pie put you girls up to this?”

The three fillies looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Apple Bloom then replied, “She sure did! And looks like we surprised ya after all!”

“And here I thought that goofball was running out of ways to mess with me.” I said with an amused smirk on display. I then kneeled next to the three fillies and caught them up in a group hug. “Anyway, what brings you girls over here?”

Sweetie Belle then pointed towards more of the storefront. “See for yourself!”

I then took a good look at my surroundings. The entire storefront had been decked out for a party. Normally, I only see such a high volume of decorations and sweet treats used for royal visits. “With all this, you’d think one of the princesses would be visiting.”

“Well, we are.” A familiar voice spoke from behind me. The instant I turned, I found Luna standing beside me. The beautiful alicorn then flashed me a delighted grin. “I did say I would be seeing you again soon, did I not?”

“I guess you did. I just didn’t expect it to be within the same day.” I replied before releasing my grasp on my three little friends and holding Luna in a tender embrace while she returned the favor.

Scootaloo then spoke up, “Oh, right! Nightmare Moon’s upstairs. And so is… Heads up, big brother!” Right when she said that, I felt something small jump onto my back before grasping my shirt collar.

“Yaaah! Look alive, Sir James! The forces of evil are upon us!” A familiar boyish voice shouted from just behind my head while rocking me back and forth.

“Who is this little imp?” Luna asked while I was jerked away from her. Of course, I knew who it was.

“Button, what’s up?! Get off me, you little scamp!” I spoke up before reaching behind me and grabbing whoever was riding me like an ogre. When I pulled my hands back in front of me, I found none other than Button Mash hanging from my grasp.

The two of us shared an awkward grin for a moment before he quickly spoke, “Hi, James. What’s happening?”

I nearly snickered under my breath before turning my gaze towards Luna. “I know this party is to celebrate the anniversary of my arrival in Ponyville, but just who exactly is invited?”

“From what Pinkie Pie told me, everypony who is your friend.” Luna explained vaguely with a calm smile. “And quite a few guests have already shown up. And it seems one more has arrived.” Her gaze was turned towards someone who apparently was standing right behind me.

Before I could even turn to face who Luna was looking at, a familiar heartwarmingly motherly voice spoke. “Button, don’t give James too much trouble. This is his party, you know.”

“I’m not, Mom! I’m just saying hi to the coolest gamer in town!” Button Mash replied while waving at the owner of the voice. When I turned to see who it was, I found Eleina standing just inside the doorway.

“Heya, Eleina! Don’t worry about Button. He’s being cool.” I replied before tussling the cute little colt’s mane. Although I had to lift his beanie first. “You here for the party too?”

Eleina flashed me that beautiful alluring smile I always see on her and explained, “Well, you’ve been a good friend to Button since the day we met you. So it felt right to let him attend. Though may I stay too?”

“Of course! It’s a pleasure having you here.” I replied while reaching out and holding the sweet mother mare in my arm. I heard an adorable giggle deep in her throat while she too threw an arm around me.

Once the two of us had released our grasp on each other, I set Button Mash down next to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “OK, Button. You and the kids have fun now.”

Button Mash grinned up at me before turning to face the three fillies beside him. “OK, girls! Who wants to play? I brought my Joyboy!” The three fillies started talking all at once, making it difficult for me to make out what they were saying. I then noticed Button lift his beanie before pulling a very familiar electronic device out of it. Was that the same device I saw Ruby with on the day I met Trixie? Regardless, the four children trotted off to the far end of the storefront to have some fun together.

“Your kid’s cute, you know that?” I said to Eleina with a smirk on my face.

“Well, he is cute as a button. Why do you think I named him that?” She replied with a chuckle. I then watched while she trotted over to the buffet table to help herself to the goodies that had been provided.

“She seems like a very sweet mare.” Luna spoke passively while watching Eleina walk away.

“Yeah, she’s a sweetheart. Very likeable.” I replied while letting out a sigh. Now that I was at the party and fresh off from work, I was really in the mood to relax and have a good time. However, I then turned to face my royal friend and asked, “Come to think of it, will Celestia be attending?”

Luna’s lips curved downward into a slight frown. “I doubt it. She knows this party is taking place, but she has duties to fulfill. She even took on some of my own and Nightmare Moon’s workload just so we could attend.”

“Oh… That’s a shame. I know she and I aren’t exactly the best of friends, but it would’ve been nice if she could’ve made it.” I replied with a twinge of disappointment in my heart. Still, I know the life of a ruler is not easy and she must be very busy. If I were offered a throne and a crown, I would turn it down without a second thought. The royal life sounds like much more of a burden than a privilege.

Luna gently reached out and nuzzled my arm. “Even so, she does send her best regards. My sister is fond of you, much like she is with most of her subjects. If given the chance, I do believe the two of you would be dear friends to each other.”

“Well, that would certainly be an honor. But for right now, would you mind if I took a look around? I want to see who else has shown up.” I replied while noticing Lyra and Applejack mingling over yonder.

My royal friend glanced over at them for a few seconds before nodding with a smile. “By all means, go ahead. Everypony who is attending is a friend, after all. I will be upstairs with the rest of our guests should you wish to see me again.” I watched as Luna walked up the stairs behind the main counter before directing my gaze over at the two other partygoers. For all I knew, there could be a few more around the corner.

I approached casually while Lyra and Applejack conversed with each other. Lyra had a cup of purple punch floating next to her while it and her horn were coated by her magic aura. From what they were talking about, I think Lyra was discussing when Applejack will have whipped up another batch of cider. I suppose that stuff must be ambrosia to the ponies of Ponyville and is only served seasonally. Finally, I drew closer and greeted them. “Evening, ladies.”

The two mares looked my way and instantly smiled. “Howdy, James! Can’t believe it’s been a full year already! And I still remember when I first saw ya wander into the farm.” Applejack spoke first while gently nudging me with her hoof.

“I still remember when I first spoke to him at the café. Anyway, how’re you doing, James? I didn’t think I’d see you twice today!” Lyra added while casually waving at me.

“Well, I only just got here. What’s been… Huh?” I replied before pausing upon hearing a shriek from nearby. From around the corner came two terrified fillies that I recognized instantly. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Right after them…with her head sticking out of the floor…was Ruby. That silly ghost filly was snapping at their heels while her body was probably running along on the foundation of the building just under the floorboards.

Applejack gave Ruby one of the most bewildered expressions I had ever seen on her face before she glanced up at me and asked, “Uh… James? You’ve know her longer than I have. Just how the hay does she do…THAT?!”

I had to hold back a laugh. I cannot fault her for being so baffled by Ruby’s supernatural abilities. I doubt there is a ghost like her anywhere in Equestria. “It would take too long to explain. Just roll with the fact that she’s a ghost, OK?”

My farm pony friend tilted her head to one side while looking even more baffled. “A ghost? Uh… Whatever ya say, pardner.” I then walked over to the three fillies while they pretty much ran around in circles.

“You’re creepy! How’re you even doing that?!” Silver Spoon yelled while being backed into a corner with Diamond Tiara. She seemed genuinely freaked out, not that I blame her. If I bumped into a ghost filly for the first time while she looked at me with glowing yellow beacon-like eyes while her head stuck out of the ground and she was constantly chomping at my feet, I would be intimidated too.

Ruby spoke in a falsely menacing tone while giggling all the while. “I am the ghost of the floor boards, she who has come to enact vengeance upon thee for all of the spilt drinks me and my brethren have endured!”

I could not help snickering when I heard that line. I then got down on one knee and patted my silly little ghost friend on the head. “That’s quite a robust vocabulary you’ve got there, Ruby. What’s up?”

The two former schoolyard bullies looked up at me before looking back at Ruby while she turned around and looked up at me with a grin. “Hiya, James! I was just having some fun! But now it’s your turn!” She then suddenly moved forward and gnawed on my foot for a moment. “You have dishonored the… Bleh, your shoes taste weird. You spill something on them?” For whatever reason, I could not hold back at that part and burst out laughing for several seconds. Even Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara got a good giggle out of Ruby’s plan not working as well as she had hoped.

Once that was all over, Ruby hopped straight up and stood upon the floor with the rest of us. “Anyway, how’s the party?! I just got here a little while ago.”

“I just got here myself.” I replied while gently stroking her head. “What about you girls? You haven’t been causing any trouble for old time’s sake, have you?”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon waved their hooves while backing away somewhat. I suppose they had not forgotten when we first met, even if that was not quite a full year ago. “No way! We’ve been good! No more bullying the blank flanks for us!” Diamond Tiara said rather loudly while grinning quite nervously.

I felt myself smirk while I heard them speak. I then reached out and gently rubbed the tops of their heads, although I had to take care to not knock Diamond Tiara’s…well…tiara off her head. “Good to hear. And just so you know, I still have that cutie mark removal tape at home.”

The two fillies still gave me some rather crooked grins, although they seemed more playful than genuinely terrified. Silver Spoon then replied while gently pushing her head into my hand, “Don’t worry, we’re still being good. And it’s nice to have ponies actually smile at us instead of always being angry.”

“Better to have friends than enemies, right?” I retorted while then scratching my finger along the little gray filly’s ear, causing it to flick in response.

Diamond Tiara then looked up at me with a rather forlorn expression, as if something was on her mind. Eventually, she cracked a more somber smile and said, “You know what? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…..thank you.”

“Thank you? For what exactly?” I asked in return while being pretty baffled as to why she was thanking me. Even Silver Spoon and Ruby seemed… Wait, where did Ruby go anyway?

“Well… I guess for setting me straight.” She replied while letting out a sigh. “I guess I was always just such a jerk because I’ve always been able to get what I want…and I guess I felt more important than everypony else. Who would’ve thought getting put in your place could be good for you?”

That was an unexpected show of humility from someone who used to be a pompous brat. Even Silver Spoon looked quite surprised. Still, I could not help but smile at the filly before me. It seemed she had learned much over the past year. “You either learn from your wrongdoings or you keep digging your own grave deeper and deeper. I’m glad you learned from that day. I have to admit it didn’t feel that good to do what I did to you, but I just really…REALLY hate bullies.” However, a thought then came to mind. “But I guess it’s my turn to be thankful.”

Now it was Diamond Tiara’s turn to be baffled. “Huh? Thankful for what? I don’t think I ever did anything good for you.”

“No, you didn’t. But if you hadn’t forced me to hide in the Everfree Forest back then, I probably never would have met Mitta and Ruby. And who knows what would’ve happened with Nightmare Moon?” I explained while casting my gaze to the left. Mitta was standing nearby while browsing some treats that had been arranged on a few shelves. “Actually… Could you excuse me for a bit? I want to go say hello to her.”

The two fillies looked over at Mitta before looking at me again with a smile. “OK. We’ll be… Huh?!” Diamond Tiara said before yelping as I noticed a small gray filly’s muzzle reach up out of the floor behind her and chomp down on her tail.

“I hope you’re ready for a ride.” I said snidely while not being able to stop myself from cracking a smirk. Right after that, Diamond Tiara was forced to turn around and fell on her belly with a yelp while silly little Ruby started dragging her all over the storefront from somewhere under the floorboards, Diamond Tiara yelling and screaming all the while.

“Hey! That’s not funny, Ruby! Knock it off!” Silver Spoon called out while galloping after her friend. I could not help bowing my head as I snickered under my breath. I suppose it would be foolhardy to not expect a ghost to get a little impish from time to time. And in hindsight… Maybe Diamond Tiara deserves a little playful abuse.

With no one else to distract me, I headed on over to Mitta. She did not seem to notice me coming since she kept moving her head back and forth along the rows of many sweet treats. “Mmm… So hard to decide…” I heard her mutter lightly.

I then wrapped my arms around her from behind and said my recommendation. “How about starting with a chocolate drop? Can’t go wrong there.”

Sure enough, Mitta looked over her shoulder at me and gave me one of the brightest grins I had seen all day. “Huh…? James! Hello!” She then wiggled out of my grasp before turning and throwing her arms around me in a very tight embrace. In fact, it was nearly painful thanks to her earth pony strength.

“Whoa! Ease up, you’re gonna snap me like a twig!” I yelped once I heard myself pop and crack in a few spots. Hopefully those were only my joints.

Mitta released me in an instant while grinning sheepishly. Clearly out of embarrassment for nearly hurting me. “Sorry, sorry! Are you OK?”

I flexed my neck and arms for a moment to work out the kinks and to make certain she had not hurt me. “Yeah, I’m good. Anyway, it’s good to see you here. Been having a good time so far?”

Mitta turned to look around before turning her gaze back to me. “Well, I only just got here about…um… I guess around ten minutes ago. I just had no idea where to start with all these goodies…” However, after a quick glance at all that was all around us, she looked at me with a slightly more reserved smile. “But anyway… This party is to celebrate the one year anniversary of you coming to Ponyville?”

“More like the anniversary of me being brought to Equestria itself. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that it’s been that long. And to think in one more week, it’ll have been a full year since the day I first met you.” I replied while also remembering what I had just spoken to Diamond Tiara about.

“I know.” Mitta said softly before gently nuzzling her head against my chest while my hand stroked her crimson mane. “I still remember that night. I didn’t think I would ever see you again… I’m glad you proved me wrong.”

I felt a dull sting in my heart upon hearing those words. To think I had waited close to eight months before coming back to her. “Sorry I took so long. I just…”

Mitta shook her head before gently touching my cheek with her hoof. “It’s all right, James. I wasn’t ever expecting to see you again in the first place. And eight months really isn’t all that long to somepony who’s been cursed for over a thousand years. It didn’t feel like all that long of a wait. I’m just glad you did come back for me.”

I felt myself relax greatly upon hearing her words and feeling her touch. “I still wish I went back sooner. It’s just… I wasn’t sure of how to go about telling anyone about you. A village in the Everfree Forest full of zombies? I was worried that things would only get worse if I brought it up. I was just following my gut feeling…”

“Maybe it was for the best that you did wait for the right time to act. Everything got so much better so fast that night…” My formerly undead friend spoke before looking up at me with an almost tearful smile. “You know… You’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”

I honestly had no words for that. All I could do was hold that sweet little mare in my arms and rest my head against hers. I can still remember the night where we first parted ways. I remember how helpless I felt, knowing I could not aid her at all while knowing she did not deserve such a wretched fate. And now she stood before me. Alive, well, and very happy. I felt compelled to kiss her, so I did. I placed my lips upon her cheek before whispering, “I’m glad things have gotten so much better for you, Mitta. You’re a very sweet person.”

I felt the mare in my arms sigh deeply before returning the favor, her lips being planted upon my cheek for a few seconds. “So are you, James. Really… I can’t tell you how grateful I am that I met you that night.”

The two of us just held onto each other while I remained kneeling beside her. It almost felt magical, really. Like I did not want to let go of her. However, a surprisingly deep woman’s voice soon spoke from very close by. “Ah, I was going to provide a proper greeting, but perhaps I shall wait to avoid intruding.”

I instantly glanced up at those words. “Now there’s a voice I haven’t heard in a while.” When I looked back over to the front of the storefront, I found none other than Zecora gazing at the two of us. “Zecora! You were the last person I was expecting to see here!”

The mysterious zebra mare returned my greeting with a delighted smile while she approached us. Even though I do consider Zecora a friend, I very seldom see her. I suppose her skills as an herbalist require her to spend quite a bit of time scouring the Everfree Forest for ingredients. Although I do occasionally venture into the forest to visit her for medicinal salves and even some tea. At times, she even invites me to stay and sample new brews she concocts. Anyway, I digress.

“Miss Pinkie Pie visited me this morning to inform that today makes the first year since you were welcomed into her arms so warm. With today being an anniversary of an event dear to us so, how could I have ever possibly said no?” Zecora explained in her constantly rhyming ways. I swear I never get tired of hearing her talk.

I extended my arms to my friend, prompting her to draw near and embrace me as well. “Thanks for coming, Zecora. It’s a shame we don’t see you more often.”

Zecora actually did show a slight frown in response to my words while pulling her head away from me. “Indeed… The gathering of herbs does rob me of much personal time…” However, she then flashed me a calm smile. “But that only serves to make visits from dear friends even more sublime. While it takes great patience to practice my herbalist arts, I still keep those precious to me close to my heart.”

Mitta then took a step forward and greeted Zecora as well. “Hello, Zecora. I don’t think we’ve ever met before. I’m Mitta.”

I then spoke to Zecora before our friend from the forest could reply. “You remember when I visited you a while back while wearing that armor? She’s the friend I went to help that night.”

Zecora seemed genuinely baffled by those words. She glanced at Mitta and then back at me before asking, “Your friend…from the village of the dead? How can she… She seems quite alive instead.”

Mitta smiled somberly before proceeding to explain. “Yes, I came from Sunny Town… And it’s thanks to James that I’m a normal pony now. He saved me.”

“To think the dead could return to the living… Surely this could only be the work of the princesses so giving.” Zecora replied while seemingly trying to wrap her head around how someone who is undead could be brought back to life. Although I suppose Mitta had never truly been undead in the first place. Just cursed.

“Yes… It was Princess Luna who cast the curse in the first place. But Princess Nightmare Moon lifted it from me when I first met her.” Mitta replied while glancing up at me with a smile.

At first, Zecora seemed rather shocked to hear the name of the Princess of Dreams. However, she seemed to immediately calm herself. “Ah, the Mare in the Moon who brings the most wonderful of dreams? She has been truly turning her reputation around, it seems.”

“Yeah, it does my heart good to see her image becoming more positive. She’s got a long way to go to make the people look past that ‘Mare in the Moon’ legend, but at least she’s welcome in Ponyville now.” I retorted while remembering that Nightmare Moon was likely upstairs. “Speaking of which, I would like to go see her. May I be excused?”

Mitta smiled broadly at me before stepping out of my way with Zecora. “Go right ahead. We’ll be heading upstairs shortly to see what’s up there.”

“Just make certain you enjoy yourself at this party without compare.” Zecora added, nearly making me laugh with how she combined her words with Mitta’s to form a rhyme. Even Mitta herself was quick to notice this and chuckled while holding a hoof to her mouth.

When I came closer to the stairs that led up into the loft from behind the store’s counter, I could already hear some peppy music playing while being partially drowned out by several voices speaking at one time. I recognized quite a few, but I then peeked into the kitchen to find Mr. and Mrs. Cake hard at work whipping up some more treats. From cupcakes to chocolate drops to lollipops, they were whipping up a smorgasbord of sweet treats. Even though I was off the clock, I decided to stick my head in and say hello. “Evening, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Need a hand?”

Mr. Cake was the first to look my way and immediately grinned at me. “Well, hello! I was hoping we’d have this last batch finished before you showed up, James. Been enjoying the party so far?”

“In all fairness, I only just got here. But it’s looking great so far.” I replied while my eyes scanned the various unfinished goodies on the counters. I was feeling my mouth water from the delightful aroma filling the kitchen, although I was also making a mental note to eat a heaping salad later that night to counter all that sugar.

Mrs. Cake then slid a cupcake tray into the oven before closing the hatch and turning towards me with that sweet motherly smile she always has. “A lot of your friends have already arrived and are waiting upstairs. Be a dear and go say hello to them, OK?”

“Will do, Mrs. Cake. I’ll be around.” I replied before waving goodbye and ducking out of the kitchen. But when I looked up the stairs that led into Pinkie Pie’s loft, I felt myself becoming increasingly nervous. I have never been one for being the center of attention and I had not felt this particular type of fear since my days as a kid. Still, the party was being thrown in my honor and I did want to be with my friends. After taking a deep breath to steel my nerves, I marched up the stairs.

Just before I reached the top, I decided to stop and take a peek between the wooden support beams that stood next to the stairs. As it turned out, the entire upstairs area was packed. There was a long table with a big punch bowl, a tray of chocolates, and a towering cake at one side of the room like there usually is when Pinkie Pie throws a party at home. And… Well, I do not believe I had ever seen so many people in that room before. In all, I saw Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Luna…uh… Who else was there? Oh, right. There was also Pinkie Pie, Nightmare Moon, Rarity, Eleina, Spike, Derpy Hooves, Lyra, Big Macintosh, Button Mash, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and… Well, I certainly was not expecting to see Shining Armor and Cadence there. While Armor did not seem to be clad in anything in particular, Cadence was still wearing the elegant pale gold attire I had seen her in during the Grand Galloping Gala. But just before I could decide how to approach my friends, someone suddenly stuck their head into my view mere inches away from my face. “Hi! You’re just in time!”

I very nearly stumbled back down the stairs from how sudden this move was. “Jeez, Pinkie! You don’t do that to people who are on the stairs!”

Apparently, my raised voice caught Shining Armor’s attention since he then looked my way. “Well, look who’s here! It’s been a while, James!”

I felt myself become cornered as more and more eyes fell upon me by the second. Well, except for the eyes of the four foals in one corner. Button Mash seemed to be playing a small handheld game device while the Cutie Mark Crusaders were looking over his shoulder to see what was happening on the screen. I finally decided to climb to the top of the stairs and provide a greeting. “Uh… Heya.”

Rainbow Dash was the first to reply to my words. With a quick swoop, she rushed over to me and gave me a surprisingly tight hug. “Happy anniversary, big guy! Can’t believe it’s been a full year already! Just don’t expect me to fall on you to celebrate it.” That actually got a chuckle out of Twilight, seeing as she is likely the only person to have witnessed when Rainbow Dash and I first literally bumped into each other.

Feeling myself relax somewhat in the firm embrace of my brash pegasus friend, I returned the favor by wrapping my arms around her as well. “Still feeling a little extra crispy today?”

She pulled her head away from me before looking me in the eye with a truly bewildered gaze. “Extra crispy? What’re you… Oh, you saw that?! I had no idea what even hit me!”

Pinkie Pie giggled loudly, clearly remembering the moment when Rainbow Dash helped ‘capture’ her that afternoon. “James called it the ‘zappity zap zap’ treatment! Like this!” She then shuffled her hooves along the rug nearby and poked her hoof into Rainbow Dash’s flank. I heard a sudden click just before Rainbow Dash let out a yelp.

“Ouch! Knock it off! I got more than enough of it this afternoon!” Rainbow yelled while most everypony present chuckled at Pinkie Pie’s antics. I could only hope she had no house slippers nearby.

With that said, Pinkie Pie hopped up in front of me. “So, James! I know I already said hello today, but now that you’re here, the real party can get started! So, what happens first?”

What, was I suddenly in charge of the party activities? Once Rainbow Dash had let go of me and had begun to hover next to me, I took a look at the guests. With the exception of the peppy music coming from Pinkie Pie’s phonograph, the room had gotten very quiet. With all eyes having fallen on me, I felt that familiar uneasiness returning. I took a good look at all the friends of mine I had made over the past year. After a moment of hesitation, I managed to put some words together. “Uh… I really wasn’t expecting something like this to happen today, so…I’m not even sure of what to say or suggest.”

Nightmare Moon then decided to speak up in response. “Then why not just thank us for arriving and ask us to enjoy ourselves?”

“You know what? That’s…a good idea. Thanks for coming, enjoy yourselves, and I’m going to grab a drink and relax for a bit since I only just got off work.” I replied while everyone before me burst into quiet chuckles. Once that was over, the partygoers began to disperse and return to whatever it was they were doing prior to my arrival.

At the moment, I was merely in the mood for something to drink. A cold beer is actually at its best just after you finish with a long job and I was wondering if there was any hard cider around. Sure enough, there was a table nearby with three wooden casks set upon it with each having a spigot on the front. “Sweet. But why three?”

When I drew near, Applejack also approached me. “Howdy, James! Need some cider?”

I took one look at my friend and smiled at her. “Sure. But which is which?”

Applejack took a few steps forward and moved her hoof before the casks. “Well, right here is the simple cider. Ya know, just in case anypony’s not in the mood for a stiff drink. And this one here is the typical hard cider if y’all want a lil’ kick ta it.” Sure enough, a large black ‘5%’ had been painted onto the front of the middle cask to set it apart from the others by showing the alcohol content.

I was about to ask for a dose of hard cider, but I then took a look at the third cask. I felt myself become rather wary when I saw that it had ‘XXX’ painted on the front. “Um… I’m getting the impression that this one is some sort of devil’s brew.”

My farm friend chuckled at my obvious wariness and stepped towards it. “Nah, it ain’t anythin’ like that. This is just somethin’ Granny Smith whipped up. But…yeah. I can’t just let anypony have some. It’s mighty potent stuff.”

“How potent we talking? What’s in it?” I asked while glancing at the cask again. For it to have the timeless ‘XXX’ on the front, it must have had a lot of rum or something in it.

“Well, the ingredients I know ‘bout are a bit of brown sugar, a bit of hard cider, a heapin’ helpin’ of apple juice for extra flavor, and pretty much the rest of it is her own homemade moonshine.” Applejack explained while my eyes widened just slightly at the mention of the last ingredient.

“Moonshine?! That sounds like some powerful stuff!” I spoke rather loudly, having never actually encountered such a product before. “Wait… If that hard cider is 5%, then what is this concoction’s alcohol content?”

Applejack did not immediately reply. She glanced at the cask before holding her hoof to her chin. “Uh… I reckon 50%, but I can’t say for sure.”

Even she did not know how much alcohol was in that stuff? “In other words, you better keep that junk away from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. You know those two can’t hold their liquor.”

“No worries, pardner. I ain’t leavin’ my stall now that everypony’s here. Anyway, what can I do ya for?” Applejack replied while glancing at a stack of tankards and small plastic cups.

As much as I feared what might happen if I ingested such a potent brew, I was still curious of how it tasted. “Actually… Mind if I try a bit of that apple moonshine just to see how it is? Just a shot, to be safe.”

Applejack gave me a cockeyed gaze, clearly wondering if I was being serious. “Really? Well, all right. Help yourself, pardner.”

I took one of the smaller plastic drink cups and placed it under the cask’s spigot before allowing enough of the brew out to fill the cup halfway. The liquid still had the same brownish color as most types of cider, although a quick sniff revealed the strong nose-tingling odor of a strong drink similar to most types of wine or even whisky or scotch. “Well… Bottoms up.”

I tilted my head back and chugged the entire drink, which was really just a mouthful. I recognized the sweet flavor of apples, but I was almost immediately hit with a powerful surge of heat at the back of my throat that made me wince and gag. “Whoa! That’s some potent stuff! Still good though.”

Applejack got a good laugh out of my reaction to her grandmother’s potentially illegal concoction. “Yeah, Granny Smith tried ta make it taste as good as possible without skimpin’ on the potency. You gonna be all right, James?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I think I’ll wait until later before having more. In the mean time, could you pass me a tankard of the hard cider?” I replied while directing my gaze towards the middle cask.

“Sure thing, pardner. Coming right up.” Applejack said while reaching for a tankard. With her ankle joint clutching the handle, she held it under the spigot and poured me a full dose of the sweet brew while leaving a layer of white foam at the top.

“Many thanks, AJ. I’ll be back for more later.” I thanked her with a smile before taking a sip of the much weaker beverage. “Much better. Just remember to keep Rainbow Dash away from that moonshine. She can’t handle it.”

“Don’t have ta tell me twice! She ain’t gettin’ any of this!” Applejack spoke with a very watchful gaze. Rainbow Dash was at the far side of the room while seemingly chatting with Rarity. While Applejack watched that brazen pegasus like a hawk, I made my way over to a large soft cushion and took a seat on it to relax.

While I was seated and sipping my drink, I took the time to look the room over. Despite the loft being as packed as it was, I could still make out the little details of the decorations. Along with confetti littering the floor, I saw that long ribbons were still attached to the walls and extended up into the ceiling with balloons tied to the railing and bottom edges of the walkway on the room’s walls. When all is said and done, it seemed to be very similar to the party we had on the day I was brought back from Earth three weeks after my arrival in Equestria. I still cannot believe that was nearly a full year ago…

After a few minutes of just sitting there and relaxing, I took a sip from my tankard, but paused when I heard the sound of hooves clopping over the noise of the party. For me to be hearing that, it must have been coming from very close by. My eyes glanced to my right without turning my head or lowering my drink. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Cadence standing only a few feet away from me. “Uh… Hello, Cadence. Long time no see.”

The alicorn princess gave me a very sweet smile while her horn was coated by a very pale aura with a shade of blue, perhaps a light hue of cornflower. At the same time, another round cushion floated over to her while coated in the same billowing aura. “May I have this seat?” She asked with that pure tender voice of hers.

“Go right ahead.” I replied while scooting myself and the cushion I was seated upon over a bit more to give her some room. Once that was done, Cadence set her own cushion beside me and took a seat. I did not pay much heed as to why she wanted to take a seat beside me and continued to sip from my drink. However, I froze as I felt a slight tickling sensation on my cheek. When I glanced to my right, I noticed that Cadence had extended her left wing and was lightly dragging its tip against my cheek. “That tickles, you know.”

An adorable giggle was contained in Cadence’s lips while her eyes squinted shut in delight. “I thought that would get your attention.” She replied while folding her wing. “So, how have you been? I haven’t seen you since the Grand Galloping Gala back in April.”

It was then I realized that Cadence had approached me to engage in conversation. I lowered my drink from my lips and turned to face her. “Things have been really good. I actually don’t think things could be much better in Ponyville right now.”

Cadence continued to smile while she gave me her undivided attention. “I’m glad to hear that. Twilight always did say that you really seem to prefer Ponyville to Canterlot. And I have to say this town, while not nearly as extravagant as Canterlot, is absolutely delightful to spend time in.”

“Why do you suppose I like this place so much?” I retorted with a slight smirk.

The elegant princess grinned while a very brief chuckle escaped her throat. At least I assume she is a princess. Even after all this time, I am not certain if she is even a true princess or simply has the title for the same reason that pompous Blueblood lout does. While she is clearly an alicorn, her body lacks the physical attributes of Luna, Celestia, and Nightmare Moon. “Um… Not to sound rude, but are you truly a princess and not a noble who carries the title due to hereditary reasons or close connections?”

She seemed surprised by my question. I assume it is not a question she gets very often. “Well, you’re right about one thing. I was actually adopted by Celestia herself when I was just a filly as her niece.”

This was a very unexpected revelation to me. I honestly thought that Cadence was directly related to Celestia in some way. It never once occurred to me that she may be adopted. My eyes glanced her over once more before I spoke, “You know…this is going to sound weird, but…I’m getting the impression you weren’t always like this.”

Cadence flashed me a rather silly grin. “Very perceptive! And you’re right! I was originally a pegasus.”

I nearly ended up spilling my cider all over myself when I paused while bringing my lips to my tankard’s rim. She was originally a pegasus? Then why… “Uh… How does that even work? Are you saying that anypony can become an alicorn?”

A much more uncertain expression spread across Cadence’s face. I think even Cadence was puzzled by just how something like that occurs. “In all honesty, I’m not certain how that process works. I was very young when it happened, so I don’t remember it at all. I can’t even really remember the days when I was unable to use magic. But to answer your question… Yes. I think anypony can become an alicorn.” She then turned to face Twilight Sparkle, who seemed to be chatting with her bother over yonder. “Who knows? Perhaps Twilight will join me as a princess too someday.”

Those words… I cannot remember the last time I have ever felt such a chill in my heart from just hearing something. I turned my gaze towards Twilight as well. Twilight…as a princess… That… I felt such a sickening sensation of dread fill my gut. It had been quite a long time since I felt so stressed. Cadence was quick to notice my tension and gently rested her hoof on my leg. “James? What’s wrong? You don’t look so good. How do you feel?”

My response was brief and honest. “Rather terrified, actually.”

Those words clearly shocked her. She then asked with a very concerned expression, “Why? Was it something I said?”

I looked back over to Twilight. That dear friend of mine. “Cadence. How often does Celestia actually have time to visit us?”

“Well, aside from official visits, very seldom… Oh my… You’re not thinking that, are you?” Cadence replied while clearly showing that she was beginning to catch on to just what I was feeling so upset about.

I bowed my head while my hands grasped my tankard of cider tightly, my eyes gazing at my reflection in the dark yellow liquid. “I don’t want her to be taken away from us…”

Cadence was silent. I think she could see just how bothered I was by such a thought. But after a good long moment of silence, I felt her place her hoof on my shoulder. “James… You’re worrying too much over this. Relax. If I know Twilight as well as I think I do, that will never happen.”

I returned the alicorn’s gaze with a slightly bewildered stare of my own. “How are you so sure?”

“Well, I have known Twilight since she was a toddler. So I know her better than most. Probably even better than Celestia herself. And I can promise you right now that she will never leave you or her friends for anything.” Cadence replied before looking over at her husband and sister-in-law. “If Twilight was the same mare I’ve known since her childhood, she would very likely jump at the chance to acquire a crown of her own. She had little interest in friendship as a filly and even into adulthood and was obsessed with everything Celestia assigned to her. But look at her now.”

I turned to look towards Twilight once more while staying silent to allow Cadence to continue. “She could always leave Ponyville and come back home to Canterlot to be with Celestia once again, and yet she chooses to stay here. And I think you know why. She cherishes her friends above all else now. If she had to choose between a life on the throne and a life with her friends, I think you know which choice she would make.” She then leaned closer to me and whispered, “And to be honest, I don’t think she’ll ever be willing to leave you especially from what she has told me.”

Those words actually caught me by surprise. “What she’s told you? Something happen during one of her visits?” Even though I have not ever chronicled such a day, Twilight Sparkle does occasionally leave Ponyville to head to Canterlot to visit her brother and Cadence. I do miss her whenever she is gone, but those visits are very infrequent and only last a few days each time.

Cadence gave me a very warm smile before she began to explain. “On one occasion, she told me about you. How she was the first person to actually approach you when you arrived in Ponyville, and how she truly felt about you. But she also told me something that I think says a lot on why she holds you so close to her heart. She said that she sees herself in you.”

I turned my gaze back towards Twilight at the far end of the room. She sees herself in me. That… That is exactly why I hold her so close to my heart too. I see a great deal of myself in her as well. We have so much in common. “I think…I feel the same. That’s why I don’t want to see her go.”

“Well, I don’t think you ever have to worry about that happening. Twilight has changed since her days at Canterlot's school for gifted unicorns. I can promise you that she will always be happier living a life in Ponyville with her friends than living a life on a throne away from them.” Cadence spoke with a very confident tone. However, as I took those words in, a thought came to mind.

“Come to think of it… That sounds like one of those ‘friendship reports’ Twilight sends to Celestia now and then.” I said while a small smile crept across my face.

I think I saw a playful gleam in Cadence’s eye while she smirked at me. “It does? Well, let’s pretend I’m Celestia for a minute. What would you say to me?”

I rolled my eyes, finding this childish approach to be rather amusing. But I suppose a babysitter needs to have a childish side to her if she wants to be on good terms with kids. “OK… Dear Princess Celestia. Today, I realized that life can go in many different ways. It can lead to a life with friends in a humble rural town. Or it could lead to making it big in a bustling metropolis with wealth and fame. There is no right or wrong way to lead your life while still being a good person. But in the end, quite possibly one of the most important things one should ultimately do is to live the life that makes one happiest. Your humble subject, James.”

Cadence gave me a very broad grin once I had finished relaying my ‘discovery’ to her. “Very well said, James. I think even Celestia herself could take something to heart from it. It’s definitely a very wise lesson to keep in mind.”

“Thanks. At least that’s how I feel about it.” I replied while taking another sip of my cider. It was starting to get a little lukewarm, so I wanted to finish it quickly.

Cadence remained by my side for a moment while the two of us said nothing for some time. But after a good while, I noticed her giving me a much more analytical stare. As if she was pondering something. I felt myself tense up just slightly when I saw her horn become coated with her billowing magic aura. “Uh… What’re you doing?”

“I’m just checking something, James. Don’t worry.” She replied while holding her horn close to me. After a few seconds, the aura began to billow more fiercely and even grew in size. Cadence suddenly looked rather shocked by this development. “Oh my… Twilight was right.”

“What exactly are you doing?” I asked while wondering just what kind of spell the alicorn princess was casting.

Finally, Cadence dismissed her spell and pulled her head away from me. “I felt the need to check and… It’s just as Twilight claimed. The amount of love your heart contains… It’s virtually limitless!”

I cocked my head to one side upon hearing that. “Uh… Thanks, I guess? Are you sure you’re not just flattering me?”

Cadence cracked me a very crooked grin. I suppose even she knew just how awkward of an icebreaker that was. “I suppose that does require an explanation, huh? Well, not long after Twilight and I met up here at the party, I asked how you and Fluttershy have been getting along. And that led to a discussion about Rainbow Dash and Rarity. You’ve been 'sharing your love' with them while staying completely faithful to your girlfriend?”

I felt myself become extremely warm. Not many would likely understand that concept. “Well… Yeah.”

Knowing that Cadence is a married mare, I was expecting her to condemn my actions. It certainly is not a normal way to love someone. However, I was mildly surprised to see her look at me not with disgust, but with a deep curiosity. “Could you explain how that works? I can’t imagine my husband being that way.”

I tried to explain the whole thing the best I could. “Well… It’s not something just anyone can do, I can say that much. I guess…I just like making people happy. Especially those of the opposite gender, but that’s largely due to natural preference. And… Well, I don’t see why I should deny someone love when they love me so dearly. Just as long as I do not forget who my heart and body belongs to, I feel there is nothing genuinely wrong with sharing my love with others. Especially with those who actually want it.”

Very slowly, I saw Cadence’s lips curve upward into a calm smile. “Hmm… I can see what you mean. I have to admit, it takes a very open mind to think like that. And it takes a lot of faith in yourself to do such a thing without being unfaithful to your partner. Fidelity is important in a relationship. You’re very brave, James. Fluttershy is fortunate to have someone with such strong principles as a sweetheart.” She then gave me a wink while cracking a more playful smile. “Just be careful. Don’t let passion get the better of you. But you already know that, don’t you?”

I could not help but snicker for a second. “I already have experience from a three-year relationship, Cadence. I know how to be faithful.”

Finally, Cadence stood up and gently nuzzled my cheek. “Well, I really enjoyed speaking to you, James. It truly feels like I got to finally get to know you this time.”

I replied with a smile of my own while my hand gently stroked the back of her neck. “It was a pleasure, Cadence. You’re a sweetheart.”

Cadence grinned brightly while also letting out a sigh at my touch. “You’re very sweet too. It’s no wonder you have more than one mare with their eyes on you. Most mares prefer the sweeter guys.” She then glanced over at Shining Armor and Twilight before looking back at me. “Excuse me for a while, James. I’ve got a craving for some strawberry cupcakes right now, but we’ll chat again before the party’s over.” I nodded and said my farewells before Cadence walked towards the two siblings.

I spent the next couple of minutes just chugging down my cider before it could get warm. Although since cider has a bit more powerful flavor than beer, I had to pace myself since my taste buds would easily get overwhelmed. But just as I was about to get up and look for something to eat, I froze when I noticed a flash of light to my right. And when I glanced over, I found Twilight Sparkle looking right at me. “Uh… Hey, Twi. What’s ha…”

My speech was silenced when Twilight placed her hoof over my mouth with great tenderness. The two of us shared a long gaze. I could see a rather forlorn yet relieved look in her eyes as an almost tearful smile spread across her lips. I could see what was on her mind. Cadence probably spoke to her about our conversation. Without words, I reached out and held my dear friend in a tender embrace while she did the same.

“I wish you told me how you really feel a long time ago, James…” Twilight whispered into my ear before falling silent once more.

“I could say the same to you.” I replied while a small smile formed on my lips.

For a moment, the two of us just sat there with each of us holding onto each other as if afraid to let go. I have no idea how no one noticed us sitting there while embracing each other. Or maybe they did and just respectfully left us alone.

Finally, Twilight pulled her head away and looked me in the eye with a very relieved smile. “Cadence told me everything, James. Don’t worry about a thing.” Before I could even offer a reply, she placed her hoof over my mouth again. “When I was studying under Princess Celestia and dedicating all my time to books and research, I thought I was happy. But now that I’m here in Ponyville with the best friends I could ever ask for, I actually KNOW that I am happy. I wish I came here a long time ago. This is where I want to be. And I don’t ever want to leave. So don’t worry. You and the rest of my friends will always have me.”

Any and all worries I had from several minutes ago flew right out the window upon hearing those words. And there was only one thing I could say in response. “Thank you, Twilight… Love you.”

My friend responded with an absolutely elated smile before once again wrapping her arms around my neck. “Love you too…”

For a moment, we just sat there in each other’s arms. Not moving. Not speaking. Just savoring this moment of tenderness. However, I noticed over the noise of the party Eleina calling out. When I glanced around, I saw her standing near the stairs. “Oh, children! Mr. and Mrs. Cake have fresh cupcakes right out of the oven! This way!”

Sure enough, every last filly, colt, and dragon child in the room trotted, galloped, and ran over to the motherly mare while bantering about all sorts of things. It seemed that Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Ruby had come upstairs since I had sat down with some cider and had joined the rabble of children before following Eleina downstairs. “Huh… You think that was staged?” I asked Twilight while she too turned her gaze over to the stairs.

“Hmm… It kinda felt that way. There are fresh pastries all over the store by now, so I don’t see why a few more would be a big deal.” Twilight replied while looking just as intrigued as I probably was at the time. Before we even had time to think about it, we noticed Pinkie Pie trotting over to us. “Hey there, Pinkie! Nicely done on getting this party set up.”

“Thanks, Twilight! Are all the kids gone?” Pinkie Pie retorted once she had drawn near, her big blue eyes glancing around in an abnormally suspicious manner.

I looked around to make certain none of the kids were still in the room. It seemed that not one of them had stayed behind. “Seems that way… Hang on. Did you ask Eleina to escort them outta here?”

Pinkie Pie giggled with a very sly smirk on her face. What was she up to? “I sure did! Because now…” She then reached into her mane and pulled out what seemed to be an empty cider bottle. “Now we can play some ‘special’ games!”

At first, I had no idea what Pinkie was getting at, but Twilight looked rather shocked with how she was staring at her friend. But before anyone could say anything, Pinkie Pie turned around and held the bottle high. “OK, everypony! Who’s up for a game of Spin the Bottle?!”

“Wait… What?! You’re just messing with me, right?!” I asked with a louder tone of voice than I usually do. I was feeling especially apprehensive because if the rules for ‘Spin the Bottle’ are the same in Equestria as they are back on Earth, then I knew there was more than one mare in the room who would not mind giving me a kiss.

“Nope! I’m being totally serious! Besides, it’s just good clean fun!” Pinkie replied while turning to face the guests again. It seemed that the area had quieted down significantly with the exception of the music that was coming from her phonograph. “That’s right! Spin the Bottle! Who wants to play?!”

Pretty much everyone there gave that silly party animal rather baffled or shocked looks. Nightmare Moon then proceeded to ask the most obvious question. “And what exactly is this ‘Spin the Bottle’ game you speak of?”

“I’m so glad you asked!” Pinkie Pie replied before setting the bottle down in front of herself. “We all sit in a circle and the one whose turn is up gives it a spin!” She then smacked the back end of the bottle, setting it into a spin. “And when it points to someone…” She then grabbed the bottle between her hooves, forcing it to point to a surprised Twilight Sparkle. “You give them a big hug!”

Before Twilight could even react, she was swiftly snatched up in Pinkie Pie’s arms for an enthusiastic hug. Twilight did not seem to mind much and returned the favor by wrapping her own arms around Pinkie Pie as well. But the hug was short-lived when Pinkie pulled away before looking back at the rest of the partygoers. “Buuuut if it lands on somepony who is the opposite gender as you…” She then turned the bottle so that it was pointing towards me. “You give them a smooch!”

I had no time to react before she suddenly lunged at me and planted a quick kiss on my cheek. I suppose some rules of this game are the same as back on Earth. I had to suppress a chuckle from this sudden display of playful affection. Pinkie then looked back at the other guests and said, “That’s all there is to it! Who wants to play?”

Everyone seemed to look towards Nightmare Moon for some reason. Possibly because she was the first person to actually question the game itself. However, she then glanced at me for a second and… What was with that look? Well, regardless, she then seemed to smirk playfully before looking towards Pinkie Pie again. “Count me in.”

“Sounds like an interesting change of pace. Mind if I join in, dear?” Shining Armor added while turning towards Cadence.

That sweetheart of an alicorn gave her husband a rather playful smirk before replying, “That’s fine. But only if you give me twice as many kisses tonight.” Armor grinned while chuckling, an obvious blush showing through the white coat on his cheeks.

One by one, more and more of the partygoers responded. And in a minute or two, I was seated in the center of the room with eleven of my friends gathered in a circle with that bottle in the middle. Along with myself, the players included Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Mitta, Shining Armor, Big Macintosh, Derpy Hooves, and Nightmare Moon. Fluttershy was seated to my right while Mitta was on my left. Luna, Cadence, Lyra, and Zecora watched from nearby. Before we could begin, Fluttershy spoke up. “Um… Are there any other rules we need to know?”

Pinkie Pie looked back and forth at us before explaining further. “Well, if you spin the bottle and it points to somepony you’ve already kissed or hugged, you lose a turn. The one who wins is the player who gives a hug or kiss to all the other players!” She then looked towards me and extended her hoof. “Since you’re the guest of honor, why don’t you go first, James?”

“OK then.” I replied briefly before reaching forward and grasping the bottle at the center of the circle. After turning it counterclockwise to give myself a bit more room to wind up, I spun the bottle clockwise. For several seconds, it spun in a circle. I heard a few of the players inhale and hold their breaths in anticipation. I swear, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were giving the bottle hilariously hopeful looks that made me roll my eyes while smirking. However, I do not believe any of us were expecting to see the bottle stop where it did. When the bottle ceased to spin, I felt myself tense up as an awkward grimace spread across my lips. The first mare I was to kiss was…..Nightmare Moon.

There was an audible gasp as several of the players looked on in mild shock. Even I was unsure of what to say to this. And Nightmare Moon herself was clearly caught by surprise as well. That look she was giving me and the bottle was one of true disbelief. However, it was soon replaced by a very…unnerving smirk. “Well, it certainly wasted no time, did it?”

I felt myself freeze. Warm sweat began to ooze from my pores as I felt my body temperature soar. Even though it was just a game, there was something about kissing a princess in front of others that made the whole thing feel very…improper. However, Pinkie Pie still tried to bark encouragement. “Come on, James! You spun the bottle, so you have to go to her!”

“Uh… Are you sure this is acceptable?” I asked while feeling extremely unsure about this one. I mean… Well, I suppose you have to actually be put in my place to understand it. It felt like something I should not do.

I swear Luna looked like she was ready to bust a gut. She was holding a hoof to her mouth and snickering constantly. Finally, Nightmare Moon spoke up while her horn and my entire body was covered by a deep blue magic aura. “Enough stalling. You know the rules, so come here.”

Everyone around me began to snicker and laugh while I started to slide across the floor. I kept trying to scoot myself away from my friend, but to no avail. Rainbow Dash’s laughter was becoming especially loud while she spoke out. “Oh, come on, James! Just go with it! It’s not everyday you get to smooch a princess!”

“But... But I…” I stammered out while trying to find the right words. However, I was silenced when I found Nightmare Moon’s face right up in front of me. The room fell silent in anticipation. Everyone was watching.

The two of us shared a long silent gaze. I was not certain of what to say. Soon, Nightmare Moon broke the silence. Whispering so lightly that I am sure only I heard her, she spoke to me. “I was wondering if I would ever have this opportunity.”

Before I could even respond, she was upon me. Nightmare Moon rather forcefully sealed lips with me for…one of the most passionate kisses I had received in quite a while. I was even pushed to the floor while letting out a muffled grunt. I was tempted to push her off of me, but…I was quickly starting to find myself enjoying it. I heard a murmur roll through the players while they watched, some even beginning to laugh at how into the whole thing Nightmare Moon was.

Deciding to just go ahead and enjoy the kiss for what it was worth, I closed my eyes and held onto my dear friend. While the kiss was rather rough, it was also full of passion. I can say right now that Nightmare Moon was really enjoying it. I even soon felt her lips part, her tongue reaching out to mine. And I responded in kind with my own. Just… Man, merely thinking about that kiss gives me goose bumps. Applejack even spoke with a more subdued tone of voice, “Whoa… Get a room, you two.”

Soon, I felt someone pulling me up before starting to pull me away from Nightmare Moon. Just when I was starting to wonder who was doing it, a sweetly soft voice spoke in a slightly louder tone than usual from right behind my head. “That’s enough! He’s already…oof…taken!”

That was clearly Fluttershy trying to separate us. I suppose she was starting to get a bit jealous from watching Nightmare Moon make out with me like that, even if it was under the rules of a game of Spin the Bottle. Finally, the Princess of Dreams relented and I was yanked away from her. There was only one thing I could say while I wiped our combined saliva from my lips and chin. “Whoa… Have you been practicing?!”

Nightmare Moon grinned brightly at me while trying to not laugh. “Not at all. That was my first real kiss.”

“Seriously?! You’re a natural!” That was all I could say as everyone else burst into laughter. What a way to start the game. But it only got more awkward when I looked at Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow, put those away! No one wants to see that!”

That brazen pegasus mare glanced to her left and right while everyone else looked at her. Both of her wings were spread wide in an impressive wingboner. She then spoke loudly while blushing in embarrassment, “Hey, don’t look at me like that! That was one hot kiss! How would you want me to react?!”

Once I had returned to my spot, Mitta was up next. With some meekness, she reached out and gave the bottle a smack near the bottom. The bottle went into another spin before coming to a stop and pointing right at her. My friend could not help letting out an awkward giggle before asking, “Oops… Am I supposed to kiss myself?”

“Nah! If it lands on you, just spin it again!” Pinkie Pie replied while everyone continued to watch. I have to admit it was getting to be rather thrilling wondering who would kiss or hug who next. Mitta grinned sheepishly before smacking the bottle again. Just when it looked like it was going to point to her a second time, it stopped short and pointed at me.

Mitta and I looked at each other. I certainly was not ever expecting to ever have to kiss her. “Uh… Well, looks like I’m a popular guy today. Are you sure you didn’t rig that bottle, Pinkie?” I asked in an attempt to throw some wit into the moment.

Pinkie Pie got a good giggle out of that accusation. “No, it’s entirely up to chance! Go ahead, Mitta! Smooch him!”

My friend looked at me with a very uneasy smile. What, had she never really kissed anyone before? “OK… Uh… Shall we?”

I could not help but smile at how meek she was being about the whole thing. I then reached out and held my friend in my arms while she too embraced me. “All right. Pinkie, does it matter what kind of kiss it is?”

Our silly pink friend shook her head. “No, it can be whatever kinda kiss you’re comfortable with. It can be a really deep passionate one, or a soft and tender one, or a quick little peck. Whatever floats your boat!”

I looked at Mitta while she looked at me. I could make out a slightly reddish hue under the gray coat on her cheeks. She was nervous. Still, I tried to be as gentle as possible and slowly stroked my hand over her back to calm her. We slowly brought our lips together for a very tender kiss, although it did not immediately end. Unlike the one I received from Nightmare Moon, which was filled with passion, this one felt much more gentle. Just what I would expect from that sweet mare.

I heard a soft aww come from some of the mares who were watching. Lyra then asked, “Would you just look at those two. James, are you some sort of professional kisser or something?”

Once we finally broke the kiss, I looked her way and replied while a silly grin spread across my face. “Well, I have experience from more than one relationship. I guess you have to get pretty good after that.”

I then turned my gaze back to Mitta, who was looking at me with a bashful smile. “How was it?”

My friend replied with a tighter embrace than before. “That felt really good. Thank you… You’re really sweet.” I could not help returning the favor, my arms holding her against me for a moment. While I certainly do not think Mitta has ever once held romantic feelings for me, she is definitely one of my more precious friends. I am glad to have her in my life.

With the order of players going clockwise, it seemed Rainbow Dash was next. With that wingboner of hers still present, I am sure she was eager for the release of some tension. “All right, come on!” She said rather loudly before smacking the bottle to send it into a spin. I almost laughed from the way she was hunkered forward with her hooves pointing upward. I could almost see a pair of curled fists instead of hooves. “Big money, big money, big money, big...”

If you were expecting me to say ‘Macintosh’ as the punch line, you would be wrong. Although it would be rather poetic it the bottle did end up pointing to him. Instead, it stopped on Applejack. Rainbow Dash rigidly lifted her head until she was looking at Applejack with a rather…interesting expression. Almost one of desperation and frustration, if I could call it anything.

Applejack let out a chuckle before holding her arms wide open. “All right, Rainbow. Come ‘ere. I can always spare a hug.”

For whatever reason, Rainbow Dash did not respond. I know she was disappointed that the bottle did not point to me, but still… Very shortly after that, Rainbow’s rather desperate expression changed to one of irritation. “Oh, what the hay?”

Rainbow Dash suddenly swooped at Applejack, who seemed very unnerved by Rainbow’s words. “Rainbow, what’re ya… Mmph!”

Everyone looked at the two mares with shocked, amused, or dumbfounded expressions. Me? I burst into some of the heartiest laughter I have had in a long time. Rainbow Dash had pinned Applejack to the floor and was giving her a very forced kiss. “What the hell, Rainbow?! Bwahahaha!!! What’s wrong with you?!” I swear, I nearly fainted from that bout of laughter with how lightheaded I felt at the end.

After only a handful of seconds, Applejack managed to place her hind hooves against Rainbow’s underside and vaulted that desperate pegasus over herself and onto her back. “Get off, Rainbow! You know my barn door don’t swing that way!”

We all looked on, wondering what Rainbow Dash would do. Finally, she sat up and let out a frustrated groan. “Dang it! That wasn’t nearly as satisfying as I hoped!”

Once Rainbow had returned to her spot, it was Derpy’s turn. Although Rainbow was giving Applejack a very embarrassed and apologetic grin while our farm friend glared at her with a rather irritated frown. But even though Rainbow had gone against the rules and kissed someone of the same gender, the game continued without interruption. “OK, it’s my turn! Who’s it gonna be?” Derpy said before smacking the backside of the bottle to send it into a spin.

I was all but certain something odd would happen with Derpy being at the helm. Almost as if in spite of my concerns, the bottle stopped spinning without any oddities occurring. And the bottle was pointing towards Fluttershy. My girlfriend’s wings sprang open in surprise while she looked at the bottle. “Huh? Me?”

Derpy gave Fluttershy a big grin before trotting over to her. “It sure is! Gimme a big squeeze, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy could not help but give the mailmare a tender smile. She then held out her arms and said, “OK. I can always spare a hug.”

We all looked on with warm smiles, watching the two mares cuddling for a minute before Derpy returned to her spot. It was certainly the most uneventful turn we had seen yet. Once she was seated between Rainbow Dash and Rarity once more, Derpy looked at me and smiled brightly. “Fluttershy always gives the best hugs, doesn’t she?”

“No argument there. And I get some every single day.” I replied while Fluttershy and I gave each other a wink.

Next up was Rarity. Her horn was coated with her light blue magic aura, as was the bottle. “All right, who’s going to be the lucky mare or stallion this time?” Without even touching the bottle, she sent the dark glass container spinning before releasing her magical grip. We all watched in silent anticipation until the bottle came to a stop. I was hardly surprised to see it point towards me.

“Ooh, a kiss from Rarity! You’re one lucky guy today, James!” Pinkie Pie spoke up while Rarity gave me one of her more alluring gazes, her lovely azure eyes being batted at me.

Of course, I regularly receive kisses from Rarity. But still, I was not about to turn this offer down. “Heheh, OK. I’m ready, Rarity.”

With the grace of a queen, that beautiful white unicorn walked towards me with her head held high. Once she was standing before me, she then glanced around at the other players. “Watch closely, ladies. I will show you how to deliver a proper kiss to a gentleman.”

My beautiful friend turned her gaze back to me while she gently rested a hoof on my shoulder. I could already feel the tension in the air as everyone present gave us their undivided attention. With our faces so close, I could make out a tiny detail I had overlooked earlier. Rarity’s eyelashes were growing out quite nicely. While not up to the same glory as the false lashes she had been wearing for who knows how long, they were making great strides in their growth and looked quite dainty around the edges of those beautiful eyes. I whispered to her in as quiet a tone I could muster without anyone else hearing me, “Your lashes are looking better with every week.”

That gorgeous mare whispered in an equally quiet voice while giving me a gaze of absolute adoration. “It’s all thanks to you, my prince.”

Without further delay, the two of us closed our eyes and joined lips while I pulled her close to me. A muffled moan rumbled in Rarity’s throat, her lips parting almost immediately to allow our tongues to touch. I did not resist. The two of us sat there, enjoying each other’s caresses and taste. I swear I always just lose myself in those ungodly sweet kisses. I love that mare and would not trade our bond for anything.

That kiss went on for quite a while. But we did not care. I know Rarity was enjoying every second, as was I. Even so, I am sure some of the players were starting to get impatient. Twilight soon asked, “Um… Is there a time limit for how long a kiss can go on? I really don’t think this is how the game’s supposed to work.”

Pinkie Pie then spoke up, though she sounded rather unsure herself. “Ummm… I don’t think I ever saw a rule in the book about time limits.”

I then heard Applejack let out a quiet whistle. “Still… Land sakes, James. I never knew ya know how ta make a mare feel good like that.”

Rainbow Dash pretty much stood up for me right there. “You’re surprised?! It’s always the gentle quiet guys who know how to make a girl feel good the most! But still… Good grief, that’s one hot kiss!”

“Eyup.” Big Macintosh added while he too looked on. Considering how quiet and gentle he always seems, I would assume that Big Macintosh also would make a very loving boyfriend to someone. I know he is going to make one lucky girl very happy someday.

Finally, I heard Cadence speak up in a playful tone. Judging by what she said, she was talking to her husband. “You know, Armor? I think he might be a better kisser than you.”

He did not seem to like the sound of this and spoke up in a rather playfully annoyed tone. “Oh, come on, James! You’re making me look bad over here! And I’m a married stallion!” Most of the other players burst into shared laughter at his words. Not like I could help it. I was just trying to be as gentle and loving as I could be.

Finally, Rarity and I slowly pulled away from each other. I could tell by that look in her eye that while satisfied, she was very eager for more. But of course, it would have to wait until much later. We had a game to play, after all. Even so, she still managed to whisper to me one last time. “Splendid as always, darling.”

“Likewise, m’lady.” I retorted while wiping our combined saliva from my chin. I have to say that Rarity gives the most sickeningly sweet kisses out of any woman I have ever kissed.

Rarity then turned to face the rest of the players before gesturing towards me with her hoof. “And that, ladies, is how you properly kiss a gentleman. Commit it to memory!” Quite a few of the mares burst into hearty applause, although I swear Rainbow Dash was looking more and more desperate by the minute.

Remembering Shining Armor’s words, I turned towards the captain of the guard and gave him a smirk. “So, I’m making you look bad, Armor? I give lessons, you know.”

That little quip instantly planted a very unnerved expression on his face. His ears folded back against his head while he leaned away from me. “Ewwww, I’ll pass!” That got a good laugh out of pretty much everyone there, although it seemed Nightmare Moon was eager to poke some more fun at him.

“What’s wrong, captain? I think you could learn quite a bit from him. That kiss he gave me was certainly of the highest caliber.” The Princess of Dreams said in a jeering tone while making Shining Armor look more and more uncomfortable.

“Denied! Absolutely denied! I don’t swing that way!” He replied rather loudly while starting to seem mildly frustrated as well.

Finally, Luna started to get in on the fun as well. She lowered her head near him and spoke with a very sly smirk. “You know, we could always pay these two a visit in their dreams tonight. Maybe with a little…dream twisting, we could…”

Shining Armor clearly wanted nothing to do with whatever it was the two sisters of the night were planning. “Gah, no! Please, leave my dreams alone! Can we please just continue with the game already?!” Despite all this, Cadence was howling in laughter from nearby. It is good to see she was taking all this teasing in stride.

“All right, fellas! My turn!” Applejack spoke up to quiet everyone down. With a smack of her hoof, that bottle went into another spin. It actually spun for a surprisingly long time before slowing to a stop. And of all ponies it landed on, it landed on her brother. Big Macintosh.

“Uh… Y’all sure this is OK?” Big Macintosh asked while looking noticeably unnerved. Shy guy indeed.

Applejack seemed nervous as well, though not quite to the same degree. “Uh… Well, it’s just a game, big brother. Let’s just roll with it.” We all watched while the farm pony walked past Nightmare Moon and gave Big Macintosh a quick peck on the cheek. Nothing special. Just a sweet smooch. Neither of them seemed particularly bothered by this display of affection. But knowing how seriously Applejack takes family issues, I suppose she is very close to every member of the Apple family.

Once Applejack had returned to her spot, Nightmare Moon reached out and gave the bottle a spin. “Hmm, who will it be this time?” It did not spin for long before coming to a stop with the bottle pointing at Mitta.

Mitta was just as surprised as Nightmare Moon herself. The two of them shared a brief gaze before Nightmare Moon smiled warmly. “Well, I certainly do feel you are overdue for a royal hug.”

Nightmare Moon rose to her feet and slowly walked through the circle of players and over to Mitta with the elegance I would expect from a princess. Mitta responded in kind by rising to her feet to meet the Princess of Dreams better in height. Once the two were standing before each other, Mitta spoke with a somber smile. “Thank you again, your highness…”

I knew what she was referring to. It was Nightmare Moon herself who removed the curse that had been placed on her ages ago. And Nightmare Moon was all too willing to return the feelings. She gently draped her neck over Mitta’s in a traditional equine hug that was absolutely endearing to look at. In fact, it reminded me of how Celestia and Twilight often share a hug together. “It was a pleasure. I pray that you have been well since that time.”

No words were spoken while we watched. This was more than just a simple hug and should not be interrupted. Eventually, Nightmare Moon did return to her spot, though she did pass Mitta a playful wink, most likely as a sign of friendship. Mitta giggled just faintly from next me right before also giving me a grateful smile. I smiled as well while stroking my hand over her back.

“Your move, big brother. Give it a good spin.” Applejack spoke up while our eyes fell upon Big Macintosh. The very calm earth pony stallion gave the back of the bottle a smack, although I suspect he may have been holding back. It went into quite a spin, taking a good ten seconds to come to a stop. And the person it pointed to was probably the last player in the circle any of us was expecting. It was pointing to the guy right next to him. Shining Armor.

The captain of the guard and the local powerhouse of Ponyville looked right at each other with expressions that clearly showed that neither of them were expecting this. Rainbow Dash was quick to poke fun at this and spoke loudly, “Sweet! Who can hug the hardest?!”

The two stallions glanced over at her before looking back at each other with playful smirks. Shining Armor was the first to speak. “Well, may the best stallion win, Sir Macintosh.”

“Eyup.” Big Macintosh replied briefly while he and the unicorn stallion rose to a standing position before flexing and loosening themselves up.

“Ooh, this is gonna be good! Who wants popcorn?!” Pinkie Pie called out while holding a large stack of bags of popcorn. Come to think of it, where did she even get those? Regardless, everyone was watching as the two stallions threw their arms out to their sides before grabbing each other in a tight embrace. Although I suppose it was more of a bear hug.

The competition did not last long. Probably no more than five seconds in, there was an audible crack while Shining Armor threw his head back while letting out a yell. “Aaaaagh! I give! Uncle! Uncle!”

Big Macintosh responded right away, his arms letting go and allowing the humiliated captain of the guard to fall into a crippled heap. Quite a few of us burst into laughter while Rainbow Dash once again provided fitting commentary. “Oh, how embarrassing! The captain of the guard beaten out by a civilian!” Big Macintosh could only grin bashfully while he returned to his seat.

“Uh… Are you going to be OK, dear?” Cadence asked with a tone of concern. However, she also looked like she was trying to not laugh.

“Send word to the guards that I’m gonna be on leave for a few weeks… Be sure to let Estoc know I am placing him in command for the time being… Ow…” Armor groaned while lying on his side. Poor guy. Whatever it was that Big Macintosh popped out of place, it must have hurt.

“Your turn, captain. Give it a good whirl.” Nightmare Moon said while we watched the crippled stallion.

“Does it look like I can actually do anything?! I’m in more than just a little pain here!” He groaned in irritation without budging from the spot. Just what did Big Macintosh do to him?

Twilight Sparkle, who was sitting right next to him, rolled her eyes while a silly smirk spread across her lips. Her horn was then coated by her pink magic aura. “Easy there, big brother. I’ve got this.”

Before anyone could object, the motionless unicorn stallion was also coated by that billowing pink aura before being lifted into the air. Armor seemed to be rather unnerved by this and asked, “Um… Twily? What’re you… AGH!!!”

Out of nowhere, Shining Armor’s body suddenly twisted and bent backwards to the point where his horn nearly touched his tail. “Twily, this hurts! Wha… Ow! Cut it out! This… Agh! Stop it! You’re… Yeowch!” Twilight began to twist and turn him, audible cracks and pops being heard from somewhere inside his body. With each different pose lasting for less than two seconds, I did not have time to actually commit any of these bizarre positions to memory. Needless to say, they looked rather painful.

Finally, after maybe a dozen twists and turns, Twilight set her brother back down on his feet. “Better?”

Shining Armor gave his sister quite a frustrated glare. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that whole thing must have been for him. “That wasn’t funny, Twilight! What were… Huh?” It was then that he noticed that he was standing on his own again while his hind legs were clearly responsive. “Hey! I actually feel really good! That got out all the kinks!”

“Just make sure you spin the bottle before you try to hug me. You know the rules.” Twilight responded while giving her brother a whimsical wink.

“Oh, right. In that case, lemme move this game along.” Armor replied before taking his seat and smacking the bottle to send it into a spin. It did not stay spinning for long before it ended up pointing at the mare on my right. Dear little Fluttershy.

Fluttershy instantly blushed the moment the bottle pointed at her. Even Shining Armor himself seemed a little uneasy. “Whoa… Uh… James? You sure this is OK? I mean she is YOUR mare, after all.”

I shrugged my shoulders while cracking a smirk. “It’s just a game, man. Besides, you should be asking her. She’s the one the bottle pointed to.”

My girlfriend averted her eyes a bit while managing to stammer out a reply. “Uh… Well, it is just a game… I guess… Um… Could you just give me a kiss on… Uh… On my cheek?”

Shining Armor nodded with a slight smile. “Sounds good to me.” He then walked over to Fluttershy and stretched his neck out before planting a soft kiss on her cheek, prompting a tiny giggle from the lovely pegasus mare. Although… I must admit that I did feel a twinge of jealousy when I saw that. It was tiny. Hardly even noticeable at all. But it was there, even though I know Fluttershy would never leave me. I have to wonder… Is that how she feels when she sees me kiss Rarity or any other mare?

Once Shining Armor had returned to his spot, it was Twilight’s move. Much like Rarity before her, Twilight used magic to spin the bottle. We all watched in silence while the bottle whirled around on the floor. But when the bottle stopped, I felt a twinge of nervousness fill my heart. The bottle was pointing at me.

“Huh?! Really?!” Twilight asked while her gaze turned towards me, a noticeable blush forming on her cheeks. And considering the chat we had earlier that day, I could only imagine what thoughts were going through her head. While she and I looked at each other, her expression became even more uneasy while her ears drooped. She was obviously incredibly nervous about the whole thing and I was hardy surprised.

Shining Armor seemed to notice Twilight’s hesitation and gently nudged her forward. “Go on, Twily. It’s your turn. Or would you rather spin the bottle again?”

Twilight’s purple eyes glanced about uncertainly for a few seconds before she finally muttered out a response. “No… I’ll do it.” She then stood up and began to walk towards me with the slowest and most uneasy gait I had seen in a very long time. I could see that look in her eyes. She was scared. And it is very rare to see her look so… I am not even certain of how to say it, but she seemed very unsure of herself.

All eyes were on the two of us. The room had become almost quiet enough to hear a pin drop if not for the music playing in the background. For a moment, Twilight looked at me with a stare that I think I understood. She wanted to do this, but was worried that it might be a bad idea. However, her eyes then glanced to my right at Fluttershy. I too looked at my girlfriend, who gave us both a nod while showing a calm smile. To try to help Twilight relax, I reached out and gently caressed her cheek. “What kind of kiss would you like, Twilight?”

She very subtly leaned into my touch. It was very hard to notice, but I did. After a few seconds of contemplation, she leaned forward and whispered into my ear. “The best you can give, if that’s OK…”

I nodded and gave my dear friend a warm smile. Very slowly, I pulled the wise unicorn mare towards me. She slowly closed her eyes while clearly placing all faith in me. I too began to close my eyes and then gently pressed my lips against hers. The entire room was silent aside from that music Pinkie Pie had playing on her phonograph. Weirdly enough, the song that was playing at that moment was a calmer tune that better fit the mood.

The kiss was long and tender. I soon even felt Twilight starting to wrap her arms around me in a warm embrace. Remembering what she had just requested of me, I decided then to move along and make the kiss even more intimate. I reached out with my tongue, the tip soon gently rubbing against her closed lips. Twilight immediately responded in kind and parted her lips to allow me in. And the instant our tongues touched, I felt Twilight quiver in my grasp while she just melted against me like putty in my arms.

“Whoa… You OK there, Twilight?” Shining Armor asked from nearby. I supposed it must have been an odd experience for him to see his sister in such a situation. As for Twilight… She was in bliss. I could feel it in her body and subtle moans in her throat. She was completely submitted to these new sensations she was likely experiencing. And I did not want to disappoint her. My arms hoisted her against me so she would not slide to the floor. That taste… I could taste the faint flavor of tea. Was that pomegranate and raspberry? A favorite of mine.

Finally, after a good minute or two, I decided it was time to stop stalling. I very slowly pulled my lips away from hers while feeling a string of our combined saliva rest against my chin. That look in her eyes… She appeared to be intoxicated. Almost completely unresponsive. Was that the first real kiss she had ever received? “Um… Are you feeling all right, Twi? Was that too much?”

Everyone remained silent while Twilight looked at me with a completely blank expression. It fact, it was very worrying to see that empty look in her eyes. Did she faint? Fortunately, I did not wait long for some life to return to her eyes. Her mouth curved up into a groggy yet pleased smile. She then spoke in a tiny whisper while a single tear oozed from the corner of her eye. “Thank you…”

I followed up Twilight’s turn with a gentle kiss on the forehead. “You’re very welcome, Twilight.” After that, she stood up and turned before walking back to her spot while an absurdly lovestruck expression adorning her face. Her gait was ridiculously unsteady with her swaying and dipping as if her legs would give out from under her at any time. While most everyone else burst into laughter at this bizarre reaction to that kiss, I snickered while covering my face with a hand. Just what did I do to her?

Finally, Twilight spun around before dropping back down into a seated position to the left of her brother with a thump. Shining Armor was displaying a very awkward smile while looking at Twilight, who seemed to be having trouble keeping herself steady while still looking just as dazed as before. “So… How was your first kiss, Twily?”

My wise and scholarly friend replied with a very slurred voice. “Reeeeally goooood…”

Wanting to stop myself from bursting into laughter, I turned to Pinkie Pie in the hopes of getting the game going again. “Uh… Isn’t it your turn, Pinkie?”

“Oh, right! It is! Here we go!” Pinkie Pie replied before smacking the back end of the bottle to send it into another spin. And when it stopped…it pointed at me again.

“OK, what’s the deal, Pinkie?! You rigged that bottle! Admit it!” I spoke up in bewilderment while also trying to poke fun at just how many times the bottle had ended up pointing at me during the first rotation alone. Quite a few of the other players got a good chuckle out of it too, although Rainbow Dash was looking all the more frustrated by it.

Pinkie Pie let out a giggle at my question and replied, “Oh, James! You know I can’t rig a glass bottle to point at you all the time! Besides…” She then… Whoa. Where did that look come from? She then gave me a much more sultry gaze that looked more like a stare Rarity would give me in private. Anyone who knows Pinkie Pie probably sees her in a rather childish and cute light more than anything. But I swear… The instant she gave me that look, her sex appeal just skyrocketed. “Who are you to complain?”

I… I had no words. And that gaze was getting me very hot and bothered. Still, I managed to crack a nervous grin. “Heh… I guess I don’t have any right in complaining. OK, Pinkie. Come here and… Urk?!”

I have no idea what happened next. First thing I see is a mass of pink coming my way, then something moist engulfing my entire front side before I fell over in a type of frozen fetal position. Just… What the hell did she do?! Was that her lips?! It all happened so fast, I did not have time to memorize anything I saw! Still, I managed to force out a few words while my senses tried to stabilize. “She…psyched me out…”

Clearly I was not the only one there who seemed disturbed by what happened. Everyone else in the room was giving Pinkie Pie extremely uneasy stares while Pinkie just looked around at them with that smile she constantly wears. Even Twilight seemed to have been awoken from her stupor by…whatever the hell it was Pinkie Pie did. Rainbow Dash then spoke out, “Oh man, Pinkie! Creepiest kiss ever!”

Not wanting to think about what just happened, I looked to my girlfriend. “Well, it’s your turn, Fluttershy.”

“OK then… Here I go.” Fluttershy said softly before reaching out and smacking the back of the bottle rather lightly. It did not spin for long before coming to a stop. Not too surprisingly, it was pointing to the pony who was seated to her right.

“My turn again? Aw, you shouldn’t have!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed before turning to Fluttershy and catching her in a big hug. Fluttershy could not help grinning brightly while returning the favor. It was a very short display of affection, but I could tell the two ladies enjoyed it.

With my next turn, the first full rotation had been completed. And it would likely be a long time before the game actually ended. I gave the bottle a good spin while everyone watched in silence. When it did come to a stop, it pointed at quite possibly the last person in the room I expected. Applejack.

“Uh… Didn’t see that one comin’…” Applejack spoke upon seeing the bottle pointing at her.

“You know the drill, James! Give her a big wet one!” Rainbow Dash called out while making Applejack give her an annoyed scowl.

“That’s her call, Rainbow. I’ll kiss her the way she wants.” I retorted while I stood up and walked over to my country friend. When I dropped down to one knee so our faces were closer, I asked, “So… How should we do this, AJ?”

My friend seemed speechless at first. Even I never imagined I would ever have to kiss her. After a second, Applejack raised her hoof and motioned for me to move away from the circle with her. “Right over here, pardner.”

I soon found out what she had in mind. Once we were a few feet away from the circle of players, Applejack took off her hat and held it sideways with our heads behind it. A classic trick to hide the ‘action’ from prying eyes. Rarity let out a groan of disappoint from nearby. “Oh please, Applejack! Don’t hide anything from us!”

“Nice trick, AJ. So, what kinda kiss would you like?” I asked while trying not to laugh at such a trick to mess with the other players.

Applejack’s eyes looked away out of their corners while she tried to think of a response. “Hmmm… How about…” Actually, why reveal the truth when Applejack went out of her way to hide it? Feel free to use your imagination on what happened behind the hat. It is more fun to keep the readers guessing.

Needless to say, the two of us got more than a few annoyed glares once we went back to our seats. “You killjoys! Are you certain you have nothing to hide?” Nightmare Moon asked with a playful gaze. Applejack and I dismissed her with chuckling laughter while Mitta reached out and gave the bottle a spin.

I suppose it will take forever if I have to describe what happened on every single turn, so I will narrow it down to the turns that actually had something worth mentioning occur. Once Mitta gave a tender hug to Derpy, it was Rainbow’s turn again. I honestly felt a little sorry for her with how she had a constant wingboner since the start.

“Come on, come on, come on…” My brazen pegasus friend chanted while the bottle spun before us. Twilight even rolled her eyes at our friend’s obvious desperation.

“Rainbow, it’s not like we’re gambling anything. Don’t you think you’re taking this a bit too…huh?” Twilight spoke up before stopping upon seeing the bottle stop spinning. And… Well, Twilight pretty much took the words right out my mouth when she gave Pinkie a rather suspicious stare. “You know, I think James might be onto something when he says you rigged that bottle.” If you cannot guess what she meant, the bottle was pointing to me once more.

For whatever reason, I felt a sinking feeling in my gut when I looked over at Rainbow Dash. She was silent at first while giving me a very sly smirk. After a brief moment, she suddenly went airborne and let out a shout. “JACKPOT!!!”

Next thing I know, I am tackled to the floor with that brazen tomboy giving me one of the more forceful kisses I have gotten in a while. Even the kiss I had received from Nightmare Moon was not quite this rough. So much so, I was feeling rather overwhelmed and not in a good way. “Erf… OK, enough! Back off already!”

I managed to push Rainbow up and force her to take a seat before me. She instantly blushed upon realizing that she had really let herself go with such a large audience watching. But before she could say anything, I brought myself to a sitting position and pulled her closer to me. I then looked my friend in the eye and smirked as my playful side started to come out. “All you had to do was ask.”

Before she could even say anything, I brought my lips to hers and began to kiss her firmly, yet sweetly. At first, Rainbow Dash did not respond at all, but she soon pressed into the kiss while wrapping her arms around me. It felt so…nostalgic when our lips parted to allow our tongues to meet. I still remember the first time we kissed on Hearts and Hooves Day not even four months ago. And she still felt as sweet and passionate as before. Slightly rougher than Fluttershy, but filled with tender passion.

The kiss ended up going on longer than I intended. I suppose Rainbow Dash had been itching for another chance to kiss me like that since the last time. I know she loves me. And to be honest, I love her too. Despite being impossible to be even more of a polar opposite to me, I find Rainbow Dash to be shockingly attractive. In fact, the only real issue I have with her is her constant ego. Aside from her occasional egotistical moments, I find her to be very attractive. I suppose she was right. Opposites do attract.

We finally parted lips while we both lightly gasped for breath. I felt very warm all over. And Rainbow Dash… I had never seen her face so red before. You could clearly see it through the light blue coat that was covering her cheeks. I whispered to her, “As good as the last time?”

She soon smiled warmly and whispered back to me. “Even better. Thanks, big guy. I really needed that.” Sure enough, her wingboner was gone by that point.

After several more spins of the bottle and a few more hugs and kisses were given, it was once again Pinkie Pie’s turn. But I was in for a surprise when the bottle came to a stop after she gave it a smack. Upon looking at who the bottle was pointing to, she grinned brightly and spoke, “Oooh! Big Hunky Macintosh!”

The instant he heard his name being spoke, Big Macintosh’s rather lazy eyes opened wide. He then glanced over at Pinkie Pie, who was giving him the same shockingly alluring gaze she had given me. Since he was not trying to get away from her, I decided to give him my two cents. “Big Mac.”

The big burly stallion glanced my way without turning away from the pink mare who was on the verge of pouncing. I then spoke just one word. “Run.”

“Pucker up, big guy! You know the rules!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed rather loudly before lunging at Big Macintosh with her…lips expanding wide enough to consume him if given the chance. Just…try not to think too hard about that. I still cannot comprehend what I saw entirely.

Fortunately, Big Macintosh was quick to react and bolted from his spot in the circle of players. “Nope!”

We all burst into laughter at the sight that ensued. Pinkie Pie was chasing Big Macintosh all around the room while frequently planting kisses onto the floor every time she missed him. Even though it was all harmless fun, Big Macintosh was fleeing in sheer terror. And considering how freaked out I was when she smooched me, I cannot say that I blame him.

Finally, Pinkie Pie seemed to have Big Macintosh cornered. And sure enough, that goofball of a mare struck. She lunged at him while those lips expanded to absurd proportions in an instant and engulfed the poor stallion. I even saw a few of the mares in the circle look away from how unnerving the sight was. However, we were all in a surprise when the kiss relented. “Woo, that felt good! You OK, Big… Huh?!”

When we all looked at the big red earth pony stallion, I think I felt my jaw drop before I burst into laughter. “What the… Zecora?! Mac, why’d you do that?!”

Big Macintosh, from the looks of it, had grabbed Zecora from nearby and was holding her up to take the blow for him. Despite Zecora always being a very serene and calm individual, she looked rather…traumatized by what Pinkie Pie did to her. She was a bit drenched in saliva while one eye twitched nervously. “Can somepony please reveal to me…why these lips are the size I see?” She seemed a little slow on the draw since Pinkie’s mouth appeared to be completely normal to me at the time. But considering that she was in a mild state of shock at the moment, it is understandable.

Pinkie Pie returned to her spot without much argument while Big Macintosh did the same. But that look on his face… I am sure he felt like the luckiest guy in the world for having dodged one of Pinkie’s really weird kisses. I just hope Zecora would be all right in the end.

Over and over, the bottle spun. I gave hugs to Big Macintosh and Shining Armor and gave plenty of gentle kisses to the mares. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle took the opportunity to give me a second helping of their more impressive kisses whenever my turn ended up having the bottle point to them. However, once I had already had a friendly cuddle or kiss with a quarter of the players, I started to lose some turns since the bottle kept pointing to players I already had a turn with. Pinkie Pie seemed to be the most successful player aside from me, with her getting quite a few cuddles in. All the while, Shining Armor would look very tense whenever she had a turn. Being the last man standing in the circle, he was clearly dreading one of her kisses.

Finally, it ultimately came down to me and Pinkie Pie having just one person left to hug or kiss. I had landed on everyone in the circle besides Fluttershy. How fitting that it would save the best for last. And Pinkie Pie only had Shining Armor left to kiss. Good grief, the poor guy looked tense. Hopefully I would get the last turn in and win before she could. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. With one last spin of the bottle, Pinkie Pie landed on a horrified Shining Armor.

“Ooh, looks like it’s your brother’s turn, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed while Armor’s ears drooped significantly. I never thought I would see the captain of Canterlot’s royal guard look so frightened. Good thing none of his men were there to see that or he would never hear the end of it.

“Uh… Yeah. Just go easy on him, Pinkie.” Twilight replied with a rather uneasy smile. I can only imagine how awkward it must have been for her to see her brother about to be smooched in the creepiest way possible.

“Pucker up, captain! You’re the last one!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed while she started to approach Armor as if she was prowling for prey. I am sure she was just really into her game, although it is still understandable that he would be intimidated.

Just when it seemed Pinkie was about to pounce on him, Shining Armor’s horn was coated by a billowing pink aura that was identical to that of Twilight’s magic aura. “Honey, forgive me!”

And then she struck. Pinkie Pie lunged at him while her lips… You already know. However, once the kiss ended, we all just stared in silence at who was being held up in front of Shining Armor while looking just as mentally overwhelmed as Zecora was. Twilight spoke first. “Wha… Cadence?!”

Sure enough, Armor’s wife had taken the hit for him. Even Pinkie Pie seemed shocked by what she had done. Finally, Cadence regained her bearings and looked over her shoulder with a glare on her face and spoke to a very sheepish Shining Armor. “You’re sleeping on the sofa tonight.”

I was glad that the game was finally over by that point. It had been going for way too long by then. However, I did look at Fluttershy, who then let out a sigh. “I was hoping I would finally get a chance…” My girlfriend did not even get the chance to land on me herself. Very unlucky.

Of course, I could not leave her feeling like that. So, with a smirk, I wrapped my arm around the beautiful pegasus and pulled her closer to me. “Who says I don’t have to?”

Before she could even respond, I pressed my lips against hers. I was honestly expecting her to nearly faint. However, Fluttershy held onto her integrity and let out a muffled moan before embracing me tightly. Our kiss quickly deepened, my tongue tasting the familiar flavor of feta cheese in her mouth. As brief as the kiss was, it was very satisfying for us both. A few of the other partygoers even gave us some applause in support of our relationship. When we finally broke the kiss, Fluttershy gazed into my eyes with a blush in her cheeks. “Much better. Thank you, honey.”

Once the players had begun to scatter, Pinkie Pie started pulling some stuff out of a closest nearby. Was that a collapsible stage she was setting up? Maybe she had some standup comedy in mind? Regardless, I went over to the main food table to get myself some cake, punch, and some veggies to balance out my palette. While I did so, I noticed Twilight speaking to Fluttershy nearby. Over the sounds of conversation and the music that was coming from the phonograph nearby, I could not make out anything they were saying. Soon, Rainbow Dash even came over to them and joined in. Feeling it was not my place to interrupt, I returned to the cushion I had been using a little earlier.

I found the cake to be a marble style cake, mixing yellow cake with dark chocolate cake for a superb combination, and the icing was very soft and smooth to the point where I nearly mistook it for marshmallow spread. Man, that was some good cake. However, I did not wait long before I noticed someone approach me out of the corner of my eye. At first glance, I thought it was Cadence again. But when I turned to actually face the person in question, I found that it was Derpy Hooves instead.

“Hey there, James. Aren’t you bored over here?” She asked while looking at me with her unfocused eyes.

“Nah. I just prefer to do things to the beat of my own drum. I know it might look like I’m taking this party in stride, but I’m really having a good time.” I replied while taking a sip of my punch. I may not be the most enthusiastic guy around, but I still enjoy a good party at my own pace.

Derpy nodded while showing a slight smile before taking a seat by me. She then reached into her wing and lifted out an envelope by her teeth. “For me?” I asked before taking the envelope in hand. It was certainly addressed to me, although I did not see a return address in the corner.

“That envelope showed up at the office just after I finished my route today. Since I knew this party was gonna happen today, I decided to just bring it to you directly.” Derpy explained while seemingly focusing on the stamp in the corner. I cannot recall what was on it, but it looked…tropical. That much I do remember. “I think it was from a friend who couldn’t make it. Pinkie Pie started sending out invitations a full month ago, so this person must’ve been pretty far away for it to show up today.”

“Well, let’s see who it came from.” I replied while sliding my finger under the envelope’s closed flap to tear it free. Once it was open, I lifted a sturdy folded letter from the envelope. In the center of the side that was facing me was a familiar symbol I almost recognized. It seemed to depict a magic wand with a light blue star on the tip while a flowing light blue shawl floated behind it. It took me a moment, but I eventually recognized it. “Trixie?!”

“Huh?! Oh yeah, that’s from Trixie Lulamoon! I guess she must be on tour somewhere right now. What’s it say?” Derpy asked, apparently knowing Trixie’s full name from having to deliver to her before at some point.

“Let’s see…” I muttered before I flipped the letter open. Lots of text in black ink was written throughout the entire sheet. I suppose Trixie was trying to be careful to not run out of space.

“To Trixie the Illusionist’s Greatest Friend. How have you been, James? Has it really been nearly two months since we crossed paths? Time certainly flies when you are on the road. I must thank you again for your advice. My tours have drawn me much praise and admiration just like the good old days. At last, all is well once more. I am currently on vacation in Cantercun and soaking up the sun and surf for some much needed relaxation. I just recently received a surprise invitation to a special party in Ponyville taking place in a couple of weeks, although it may have already happened by the time you get this message. As much as I wish I could attend, I simply have no means to cancel the rest of my tour and make it back in time. My sincerest apologies, dear friend. I hope you enjoy yourself without me. And have a happy anniversary. I hope to see you again someday soon!”

“Well, that was certainly sweet of her to… Hang on, what’s this?” I said before noticing that there seemed to be something else in the envelope. When I reached in and pulled it out, I actually paused for a moment while staring at it. “Dang, Trixie…”

It seemed that Trixie had sent me a photograph along with that letter. The photo appeared to depict Trixie herself on a beach while reclining on a beach chair. As the beach spread far into the background, it curved to reveal the waves of the ocean nearby. She seemed to be holding a cocktail glass filled with a yellowish orange liquid in her ankle joint with a bent straw sticking out of it and a lime wedge stuck on the edge. As for Trixie herself… Wow. She was clad in a one-piece swimsuit that seemed to be the same light shade of purple that made up the majority of her hat and cape. A pair of sunglasses rested on her nose, but she was looking over them at the camera while clearly making certain whoever took the photo could make out her eyes. She was clearly having a good time, judging by that smile. Lastly, over an empty patch of sand in the bottom left corner were the words ‘Wishing you well! Trixie the Illusionist’ written in black ink. I recognized the stylish handwriting as Trixie’s since I see it on that poster I have framed back home every single day. Still… I certainly was not expecting to see her like that. While I am certain Trixie was not trying to be flirty, I will admit she looked quite hot in that swimsuit. Then again, she is very physically attractive. I would not be surprised if her looks alone draw a significant number of her male fans to her.

“Wow, looks like she’s having fun over there.” Derpy remarked while looking over my shoulder at the photo.

“Yup. And I think I know where I want to have my honeymoon if Fluttershy and I ever get hitched. And that place is called Cantercun?” I replied while taking note of Trixie’s surroundings. I have not been to a tropical resort in quite some time and would love to go again.

Derpy looked at me and nodded with a smile. “Yep! It’s one of the most popular seaside resorts in Equestria. If you go, bring me a souvenir!”

I rolled my eyes at Derpy’s playful request. However, I then remembered that there was one other possible friend who did not seem to be attending the party. “Hey, Derpy? How’s the doc doing? Was he unable to come?”

Derpy sighed while also looking rather disappointed. “No, he had some important business to take care of. He’s usually really busy, you know. But he did want me to give you his regards.”

“Thanks, Derpy. Next time you see him, tell him I think he’s pretty cool.” I replied while stroking her mane for a moment. The Doctor has revealed a bit more about himself since the first time we met. Something about being some sort of ‘lord’ and apparently being able to travel through time, although I cannot quite wrap my head around that part. Even so, I think we have become good friends. It is just a shame he is not around more often.

While Derpy and I were chatting, I was quick to notice that some of the kids had come back upstairs. Button Mash seemed to be rooting around in the corner of the room where he had been playing his little handheld a bit earlier. “Oh, come on! I know I left it over here!”

Fortunately, it did not take long for Ruby to pop up out of the floor with a familiar device in her mouth. “Hi, Button Mash! Is this Joyboy yours?”

The little colt turned to face the ghost filly and beamed brightly at her. “Oh, sweet! You found it again! Thanks, Ruby!” I was wondering who that device belonged to the first time I saw her find it a short while back. Now I know.

Before I could call out to Button Mash, I heard Pinkie Pie call out from one side of the room. “So sorry to keep you all waiting, everypony! I’d have gotten this stage put together faster, but my termite farm thought my old one was a private resort for them!”

Right off the bat and she was already doing standup? Turns out Pinkie Pie had assembled a small stage at the far end of the room and had even set up several round tables here and there. Many of the partygoers were already seated at the tables with plates and tankards of food and drink. Seems Pinkie had decided to liven up the party with a little standup comedy gig. She then looked around while holding a microphone in her ankle joint and asked, “Hey, Shining Armor! So nice to have the captain of the guard show up for the party! How’s the married life so far?”

It turned out that Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, and Cadence were seated at the front row together. Armor then replied, “Oh, it’s been going great! Ever since the wedding, life’s been smooth and steady.”

“That’s what she said!” Pinkie Pie suddenly replied in a barely masked innuendo that got the crowd laughing. Cadence in particular placed her hoof on her face while snickering loudly under her breath.

Shining Armor, on the other hand, seemed to laugh with a slightly uneasy grimace on his face. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?” Come to think of it, what does Cadence and Shining Armor do when… No, I am not going there!

Even so, as silly that joke was, I felt a little worried that the kids in the room might have heard it. Fortunately, they seemed a little preoccupied with talking and playing to be listening to any of Pinkie Pie’s jokes. That, and I think Pinkie Pie knew better than to let any of the naughtier jokes get too obvious.

After a couple more jokes, including one that implied Pinkie Pie had once gone on an ‘interstellar journey’ in Luna’s mane and met an alien race that get different weather patterns depending on what type of conditioner she uses, that silly mare pointed at me. “Hey, James! Do you know any standup routines?!”

I glanced up at her upon hearing my name. “Huh? Me?!”

Eleina looked my way and cracked a smile. “Good idea! Are there any comedy skits or jokes you have to share?”

I certainly was not expecting to get called to the stage. And it did not help that I am normally too shy to stand before a crowd. Even so, I tried to search my memory for anything prominent to share. “Uh… I don’t think I know any… Oh, wait. I do know just one. But can you give me a minute to get ready?”

While I walked over to the cider casks, Fluttershy looked my way and asked, “Um… Get ready for what?”

I looked back at everyone and replied with a slight smirk on my face. “You know I’m too shy to get up on stage as is. I need some liquid courage first.”

Applejack stepped out of my way to let me get to the casks. I suppose she was making certain no one would take the really strong stuff by accident. I then filled a tankard halfway with regular hard cider before filling the rest of it with that moonshine. Applejack seemed rather baffled by this approach and asked, “Uh… James? Are ya sure you wanna drink that?”

“Yep. I need some of the strong stuff to loosen me up.” I replied before beginning to chug the stuff as quickly as I could. Even with the weaker of the two ciders sweetening the drink a bit, I still felt a surge of heat at the back of my throat that nearly made me gag a couple of times. In less than two minutes, I had finished the drink and set the tankard down. “OK. Now to wait.”

Sure enough, I started to feel a little warmer a few minutes later while Pinkie Pie continued to spout more and more jokes, including one joke about how she found a bookworm named Twilight sleeping in one of her cookbooks one morning. And then I felt it. I became slightly listless and I found my eyes unable to focus perfectly while I could not stop myself from swaying just a bit. Knowing I was now mildly intoxicated, I decided to get ready for the show. I waited for Pinkie Pie to finish her current joke before calling out. “Hey, Pinkie? May I borrow the toaster from the kitchen downstairs?”

Everyone gave me some very weird looks when I made that request. And I do not blame them. Why would I want a toaster, right? Despite how odd that request sounded in retrospect, she still agreed. “Uh… Sure! Just don’t break it!”

I smiled sneakily while approaching the stairs with a more carefree gait than I normally walk with and headed down the stairs and into the kitchen. It seemed Mr. and Mrs. Cake were finishing up the last batch of treats at the time. Without paying them much mind, I went over to the counter at the far side of the kitchen and unplugged a shiny silver toaster from the wall. Just the kind I needed too.

While I looked the toaster over, I tried to figure out how I would make this work. “Uh… Mr. Cake? Can you give me a hand with this?”

After a few minutes of gathering up the needed components, the Cakes soon had the toaster resting against my belly while wrapped up in a very long cloth strap that was hanging from my neck. Finally, Mrs. Cake asked the most obvious question. “Uh… James? Just what are you going to do with our toaster?”

While I grabbed a pair of spoons from a drawer nearby, I snickered and replied, “Why don’t you come upstairs and see for yourself?”

A minute later, Mr. and Mrs. Cake removed the last batch of goodies from the oven and followed me upstairs. Everyone’s eyes were on me while I walked over to the stage with that toaster hanging prominently from my neck. Pinkie Pie let out a giggle while she left the stage and asked, “You weren’t kidding about the toaster, huh? What’re you gonna do with it?”

Once she was seated before me with the rest of the partygoers, I decided to get the show started. I was still feeling slightly nervous, although the alcohol in my body was keeping most of my inhibitions at bay. “I’m so glad you asked.”

I held the toaster in one hand before lifting it higher for everyone to see. “This is a Toastmaster 4-slice concert model. I like the…” I was interrupted by some snickering in the background. Apparently Spike and Rainbow Dash were getting a good chuckle already at what I was doing. Even so, I continued while everyone else watched in intrigued silence. “Ahem… I like the crumb tray-down position a little better acoustically. You might’ve read about it in Toaster Player.”

Once again, I got a few more chuckles out of the crowd before me. With the intro out of the way, I pulled the two silver spoons out of my pockets and began to tap them against the metal shell of the toaster to beat out a rhythm. Everyone fell silent as I started my skit while speaking in a soft and smooth tone of voice.

“All around the country and coast to coast…” I spoke during a pause in the taps. Once I finished that verse, I tapped out another verse of metallic clacks with the spoons. All the while, everyone was giving me some of the most bewildered, if not amused, stares I have gotten in a long time.

“People always say what do you like most?” I spoke again before…actually, make a mental note as you read this. Between every verse, imagine me pausing while tapping out a rhythm on the toaster before speaking again.

“I don’t wanna brag, I don’t wanna boast….. I always tell them I like toast.” Once I finished those two lines, I tapped out a longer series of taps while a few of the partygoers laughed or chuckled lightly at my rhyming. However, once they had lowered their guard, I yelled out in the most obnoxiously sudden and high-pitched voice I could muster on the spot. “YEAH, TOAST!!!”

That sudden yell did far more to the audience than I expected. Along with everyone suddenly jumping at the sound of my voice, Luna was so badly startled that she ended up spewing the cider she was drinking right into Zecora who was seated at the table in front of her! I have to say Zecora looks quite lovely with that mane of hers weighed down with water…or cider, in this case. Although it was clear she was far from pleased since she then gave Luna a very irritated glare while the Princess of the Night covered her nervous toothy grin with a hoof as a bright blush filled her cheeks. Nightmare Moon and Rainbow Dash, not to mention myself and just about everyone else in the room, were howling in laughter.

“So sorry, Zecora! I… I didn’t see that coming at all!” Luna said apologetically while trying to not laugh herself silly.

Rainbow Dash then called out, “Hey, James! That wasn’t all of it, was it?!”

Realizing that I had paused due to Luna’s unexpected spit-take, I quickly tried to regain my composure. “Right, sorry! Let that be a reminder to everyone that for the sake of your fellow partygoers, please refrain from partaking in the consumption of drink during this skit!”

I then tapped the toaster a few times before beginning to speak quickly. “Uh… Where was I? All around the country and coast to coast people always say what do you like most I don’t wanna brag I don’t wanna boast I always tell them I like toast… Oh, right. YEAH, TOAST!!!” Once again, I caught everyone off guard with that sudden outburst and triggered quite a few laughs. I then decided to continue on to the next verse while speaking in a less subdued tone of voice.

“I get up in the morning around 6 AM… Have a little jelly, have a little jam… Take a piece of bread, put it in the slot… Push down on the lever and the wires get hot, I get toast.” By then, over half of the partygoers were chuckling and laughing whenever I paused in speaking. And then I surprised them all once more. “YEAH, TOAST!!!” This triggered another bout of stronger laughter from the ponies before me just before I tapped the toaster for a moment longer. “YEAH, TOAST!!!”

“Now, there’s no secret to toasting perfection! There’s a dial on the side and you make your selection. Push to the dark or the light and then if it pops too soon, press down again. Make toast!” The laughter would always come every time I stopped talking to tap out a tune on the toaster between each line. I wonder… Have these people ever heard so much about toast in such a short time before? “YEAH, TOAST!!!” I shouted once more while causing quite a few of the audience to break into heartier laughter. I could see Big Macintosh clutching his gut as he looked ready to fall off his stool. “AGH, TOAST!!!”

“When the first caveman rolled in from the dregs…didn’t know what would go with the bacon and the eggs. Must’ve been a genius, got it in his head…plug the toaster in the wall, buy a bag of bread and make toast.” And as usual, I followed that with a quick tapping on the toaster before yelling, “YEAH, TOAST!!!” Thankfully, I did not have that much further to go at the time. It would not do for a skit to get stale, no pun intended. Actually…yes, that pun was absolutely intended. I then followed that shout with a voice that must have made me sound like I was in some mild discomfort. “UUUGH, TOAST!!!” Everyone sounded like one big laugh track with how constant their chuckling and laughing was. And it was then that I got to the trickiest part of the skit as I began to speak with a fairly poor French accent.

“Oh, oui monsieur bonjour coquette… Uh huh croissante vous a ver! Maurice Chevalier, Eiffel Tower! Oh oui Marie baguette bon soir!” While that random gibberish may have gotten quite a dose of laughter out of my audience, Rarity in particular sounded like she was going to pass out from laughter at some point since she was likely the only person in the room who had any idea what I was saying since I was likely being completely incoherent. “FRENCH TOAST!!!” I yelled out, putting a spin on the punch line and hearing several thuds as some of the audience fell out of their seats. “FRENCH TOAST!!!”

And then, it was time for the last stretch. Deciding to improvise, I came up with the last line of real speech in the skit. “In Manehattan around the Flim and Flam show…” After tapping out another rhythm on the toaster that stopped short, I held my arms high and shouted, “YEEEEEAAAAHHHHH TOAMMPH!!!” Turns out that Applejack of all people had tossed, or likely bucked, a slice of bread right into my mouth. If I had to guess, she was not exactly pleased with me mentioning the names of who I would find out from her that evening are two of her shadiest business rivals. Even so, I brushed the interruption off without missing a beat. I tapped out another tune on the toaster while the audience laughed at how I kept going with a slice of bread hanging out of my mouth.

“Ymmm hmmm mmm hmmmm!” I hummed through the slice of bread hanging from my mouth while swaying side to side in a very exaggerated manner before taking a bite out of the bread to free my mouth and letting the rest of the slice fall to the toaster hanging from my neck. I then stuck my arms out to my sides with the spoons still in my grasp. “Toast.”

The audience before me burst into one last bout of laughter while also giving me a very noisy round of applause. I took one bow before lifting the toaster from around my neck and stepping down from the stage. Rainbow Dash yelled out while hovering in the air to apparently get a better view of the stage. “Man, and I thought Pinkie Pie could be random! Where’d you pick that skit up?!”

Rather than answer her question, I decided to get cheeky with her. “Skit?! What skit?! I just really like toast!” That earned me yet another bout of hearty laughter. Heh, that was really fun to do.

I decided by that point to head downstairs to get me some water to counter the alcohol I had consumed. For those who do not know, the best way to prevent a hangover is to keep yourself hydrated. But right as I was entering the kitchen, I noticed the front door just starting to creak open. I did not pay it any mind though and proceeded into the kitchen at the bottom of the stairs. Wasting no time, I snatched a large drink cup and filled it with water from the kitchen sink while also taking the opportunity to place the toaster back where I got it from. While I could have returned to the party, I decided to take a break from it and stepped out through the back door for some peace and quiet.

Come to think of it, I never really did get around to describing the backside of Sugarcube Corner. While the front of the building looks like that of most stores in layout, the back seemed to have the look of a backyard to some degree. It was fenced in by a rounded fence with two shades of pink painted over the wood while most of the posts appeared to be topped with white icing, sticking with the bakery look of Sugarcube Corner. There was a gap in the fence right ahead from the door to allow for easy access. There were a few bushes right next to the building itself and a patch of grass with little dainty flowers spread out on it here and there. There was also a patch of grass to the left of the door with a ‘peninsula’ of the ground reaching into it. The grass seemed to have been allowed to grow quite tall while having been carefully tended to in order to prevent it from becoming overgrown, much like a hedge. And to the right of the door was a small round table with a stool by it. I then took a seat with my back to the building behind me while taking long drinks of the water in my hand.

After a minute or two of basking in the silence of the warm summer evening, I heard the door open behind me once more. I did not mind it though. Probably just Mr. or Mrs. Cake setting out a bag of garbage. However, I then heard the sound of hooves drawing closer to me before a familiar voice spoke up from right behind me. “What are you doing out here? You’re missing your party.”

I did not immediately recognize the voice, probably due to my mild intoxication at the time. I started to turn myself around on the stool while replying, “I’m on break right now. I’ll be back in a bit to spread some more jam onto the toast jo… Huh?” I paused for a minute while beholding the last person I was expecting to see at the party. “Uh… Celestia?”

Indeed, the Princess of the Dawn herself was standing before me with a rather bemused expression on her face. “Spread jam on the toast… Did I miss something?!”

I dismissed her question and asked one of my own. “But… I thought you weren’t coming. Did something happen?”

The alicorn before me immediately giggled rather cheekily before rolling her eyes. “Well, I did have a fair amount of work to take care of today. However, after a while, I thought to myself. I am one of the true sovereigns of Equestria. I can take a break whenever I desire and my servants cannot say otherwise! And so, I locked the doors to my chambers and jumped from the balcony before flying down to Ponyville. And now, here I am!”

I got a good laugh out of that. I never took Celestia for the adventurous type, but I was not entirely surprised either. “And no one in the palace knows you’re here?”

“Probably not.” Celestia replied while also letting out a chuckle. However, she then looked directly at me with that tender smile she always has. “And before you ask, the reason I am here is not just because this is a fun party. It marks a very important event that occurred one year ago.”

Tipsy as I was, I was coherent enough to realize the seriousness of the situation. “Yeah… The day you and Luna brought me here.”

Celestia drew closer and stood by the table. I preferred to remain standing while in conversation, so I rose from the stool I was using so she could use it before leaning against the side of the bakery before me. Celestia then continued to speak. “Precisely. And now I feel it is the best time to ask. How have you enjoyed your first full year here? Was it to your liking?”

I let out a long sigh. A full year. How time has flown. I still cannot quite wrap my head around that fact. “In all honesty… I wish I came to this world a long time ago.” I then looked directly at her. “This world… It almost feels like something out of a child’s fantasy book. Only…it’s very real and plausible. The people of this world are open and friendly and very accepting. I have come across a few bad apples in the mix since I showed up, but as a whole… I don’t think I’ll ever see a world closer to being a true paradise than this one. It’s not perfect, but I don’t think there’s another world in the entire cosmos that comes as close to being perfect as this one.”

Celestia gave me a very warm smile that almost seemed rather flattered. “Thank you, James. I, along with Luna, have been doing all we can to guide this world and to keep it as peaceful and prosperous as possible. And I feel flattered to actually be receiving praise for it.”

“Well, you’ve been doing a far better job than the politicians on my home planet. I guess you have to actually experience living in a far from perfect world to appreciate the superiority of a world like this.”

The princess before me bowed her head with a smile. “I know. And I have been hearing nothing but good things about you. But that brings us to the question I have been waiting quite some time to ask you.” She then stood up from the stool and approached me slowly. “Now that you have a much firmer grasp of life in Equestria, now is the time to ask. Which world would you rather live in? Luna and I can send you back home, if you desire. Or you can continue to stay here.”

I did not wait long at all to give her my answer. “Do you really have to ask that? Even with all the conveniences my world has, I would much rather live in a simple paradise than in a complex world that is constantly sabotaged by greed and corruption and lord knows what else. I want to stay here, Celestia. Is that OK with you?”

She nodded promptly while showing a delighted grin. “Of course! And I am glad you wish to stay with us. You have been a good friend to many and my sisters would hate to see you leave. It’s a pleasure to have you with us.”

“Thanks, Celestia… And thank you for bringing me here.” I replied while reaching out an arm to her for an embrace, but then stopped myself from doing so upon remembering that she is a princess and not exactly a friend of mine. Or so I thought. Before I could lower my arm, I noticed Celestia’s horn become engulfed in her billowing golden yellow magic aura. My arm was being held in place while coated by the same aura.

Before I could inquire about why she was restraining me, Celestia spoke up while mirroring some of my own thoughts. “Do not feel the need to restrain yourself, James. While I will not deny that you and I are not the closest of friends, I do still see you as one. So, please…”

I felt myself smile at those words. Without further delay, I reached out and held the Princess of the Dawn in a tender embrace while she returned the favor by draping a wing over me. I felt as if I was in the presence of someone I could place all of my faith in. Someone I could always rely on. I find it odd I feel such a presence from Celestia and not Luna or Nightmare Moon, but I suppose that should be expected since she is the eldest of the three royal sisters and obviously has more experience in reigning over Equestria due to Luna’s millennium-long absence after the birth of Nightmare Moon.

“Luna was right. You are a cuddly sweetheart.” Celestia spoke softly with her head resting on my shoulder.

“I try to be.” I replied sincerely while my hand stroked the back of her long neck. This seemed to prompt a very relaxed sigh from the beautiful princess in my arms. It must be a hard spot to reach for her.

“Well… Enough delays.” Celestia said after a moment longer before lifting her head from my shoulder as she then looked right at me. “Shall we return to the festivities?”

While that did sound like a fun idea, I was still in the mood to just relax for a bit. “Um… I’d actually like to stay out here for a bit, if that’s OK. The whole reason I’m out here is to get away from the noise for a bit.”

“Ah, I see! That’s fine. Take your time then.” Celestia replied with a bright smile. While still clutching my drink cup in one hand, I began to just wander around the yard without ever really leaving it. I allowed my mind to wander while my eyes took in the sight of the town around me. Things were rather quiet at that time. Very few ponies passed by and the wind was warm. I could hear the hissing of cicadas as the sun was low in the sky. I was surprised by just how late it was already getting. Just how long did that game of Spin the Bottle take to finish?

After a few minutes of meandering around and savoring the moment to just let my mind wander, I finally noticed that Celestia had not gone back inside at all. She had returned to the stool next to the table and was watching me with silent interest. “Uh… I thought you were going inside to party.”

She covered her mouth with her hoof while letting out a quiet snicker. It seemed she found it funny that I had only just then noticed that she was still there. I suppose that ‘moonshine’ had dulled my senses more than I expected. “Oh, I was just waiting for you. And…did you have too much strong drink? I’m noticing a slight sway in your gait.”

“I didn’t have that much to drink, did I?!” I exclaimed, not really thinking I was that loosened up by that point. “Pinkie Pie invited me for some standup, so I tried to loosen myself up with some liquid courage. It did the job pretty well, but I swear that I’m nowhere near being drunk.”

After wandering around a bit more, I heard Celestia speak up. “You seem to be a man with appreciation for the simple things in life.”

I shrugged my shoulders, not really certain if I should feel proud of that trait. “I guess… Maybe that’s why I love living in this town so much. It’s much more simple than the likes of Canterlot.”

A minute later, I glanced over at Celestia once more. Before I could look away, she beckoned me to approach her with her hoof. Without a word, I complied and walked over to her before leaning against the wall opposite the table. “Have Luna and Nightmare Moon been enjoying themselves since they arrived today? I think they said they were going to stop by the spa to see you before the party.”

“I suspected that’s why they were there when the party started. Have they been OK back in Canterlot?” I replied while glancing up at the window above the back door. I think that may have been the window in Pinkie Pie’s bathroom since I saw no movement up there…oh, wait. Her bathroom is in the room at the very top of Sugarcube Corner. I forgot how the room’s walls are rounded all around the place. I suppose I should not be surprised I forgot since I almost never go in there. Well, I still saw no one looking out the window. Pinkie Pie was probably keeping everyone entertained and preoccupied with some jokes.

When I looked back at Celestia, she continued speaking. “They have been quite fine. In fact, I think Luna has been happier since she first met you. Before you arrived, she used to always have a very serious expression on her face whenever she and I were not out enjoying ourselves together. But now, I think I know why.”

“She was resentful of you always taking the spotlight. Am I right?” I retorted, having already heard testimony from Luna herself while at the spa that day.

Celestia seemed rather shocked by my words. “How’d you know? Actually, don’t answer that. But yes. I do believe that was the reason. But ever since meeting you, she smiles more often than ever before. She is more talkative and seems so much happier now.” She then smiled brightly at me and spoke softly, “Having someone who truly appreciates her as a person and as a friend has done wonders for her, James. I don’t think you know how important you are to her.”

I lowered my head. Those were some very heavy words. Had I really made such a difference in the life of the Princess of the Night herself? Absentmindedly, I turned my head up to look at the window that was above the back door. And speak of the devil, Luna was standing behind it while looking down at me. After a few seconds, she waved her hoof at me while showing a calm smile before also waving at her sister. She did not seem too surprised to see her there. Had she anticipated that Celestia would sneak away from the palace to attend the party?

Once she and I had shared a friendly wave, Luna looked away as if someone had called for her. She then glanced at me and winked, displaying that lovely light blue eye shadow she always wears before walking out of sight. However, I was suddenly pulled backwards and ended up dragging my heels along the ground while it felt as if someone had grabbed me by my shirt collar. When I came to a stop, I heard Celestia speak softly into my ear with a more menacing tone. “By the way… What is this talk of Luna’s flanks being ‘hotter’ than mine?”

I felt myself instantly tense up upon hearing those words. No wonder Luna was not surprised to see Celestia out here with me. They had likely already encountered each other inside before she came to me. “Oh snap, she told you that?!”

“I do not take kindly to insubordination, you know.” Celestia whispered with a hiss into my ear. I felt like I was in for a lot of pain right there. I squinted my eyes nearly shut while gritting my teeth. What was she going to do to me? I did not wait long for an answer before she whispered loudly into my ear. “Gotcha!”

I was suddenly pushed up onto my feet while Celestia giggled giddily behind me. “So sorry, I could not help myself! That topic was just begging for a retort!”

I turned and gave Celestia an amused grimace. “Hey, I was just speaking my mind at the time! Your sister is gorgeous!”

“Well, you can’t help but feel at least a little jealousy when your sibling is complimented for something you both share while you are not. Am I right?” She retorted while winking at me. I have to say, Celestia can be a lot of fun to be with. Worlds need more rulers like her.

“I guess so. But make no mistake, you’re gorgeous too.” I replied while reaching out and stroking my hand through her massive billowing mane.

“Well, it is certainly no mystery why my sisters are so fond of you.” Celestia spoke while glancing up at the window Luna had been standing at a moment ago. She must have known that Nightmare Moon was likely up there at that time too. “Nightmare Moon cannot go a single day without mentioning your name. It is rather endearing to see how close she holds you to her heart.”

This caught my attention. And considering the kisses she and I shared in that game of Spin the Bottle… “Uh… Just what do you two talk about whenever the subject shifts to me?”

Celestia seemed to scan my face for a moment before letting out a chuckle. “Oh, don’t worry yourself. I know what you’re thinking and that is certainly not the case. She has never once mentioned a romantic interest in you. But you are certainly precious to her. Very precious.”

“How precious are we talking?” I asked, finding myself becoming more and more intrigued with every word I heard.

When confronted with this question, Celestia’s rather jovial expression became one that seemed slightly darker. “Well… How do I word this? Is there someone in your life that you just cannot imagine yourself being without? Someone that, regardless of how many friends or loved ones that may fill your heart, you just cannot bear losing?”

That was a very serious question I would not have ever expected from her. And at first, I was not sure of how to answer. Even so, I crossed my arms for a moment to think. I tried thinking back. All the way back to exactly one year ago. That was a stressful day, to say the least. I was alone. I was lost. I was not certain of what to do. At least until I met… “There are six people in my life right now I can’t imagine myself losing. Twilight Sparkle. Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie. Applejack. Rarity. They’re the six most important people to me.”

My words prompted a very warm smile from Celestia's face. “I can see that. They are all very close to you. Although, I am curious. What of Nightmare Moon? I know you and her had a very difficult reunion that night a few months back.”

That brought to mind some unpleasant memories. And in all honesty, I was not certain of how to respond. “Yeah… But… I…” I let out a long sigh. “I just don’t know… I mean… She’s beautiful. She’s likeable. But I…”

Celestia then spoke rather sternly towards me. “James. I saw the journal you had with you when I arrived in the Everfree Forest to assist your friends. Tell me. What did you really feel when you initially defeated her? And what did you feel when she fell before you a second time? The moment where she ‘lay dead’ before you?”

I felt tears beginning to gather at the edge of my vision as if summoned from nowhere. Images of those dreadful moments flashed through my mind of that night. I brought a hand to my eyes and held my face. “I thought I lost her…”

“What is she to you, James? I know you always held sympathy for her, but I do not think you were feeling mere sympathy for her at that time. I took the liberty to read over that entire journal while you rested from that ordeal. It was not an invasion of privacy, mind you. I wanted to make certain that I understood exactly what unfolded that night.” Celestia spoke while showing me a very serious expression. And I suppose she was entitled to look over my writings at the time to make certain there was not a detail I overlooked that could point to future trouble. “From what I gleaned from your writings, you felt very strongly for her at that time. You were in turmoil. I am amazed you never once drew your sword on her. Never once attacking until the very end in order to defend Rainbow Dash. I could see in your writing the emotions you were feeling when you thought you had failed to save her.”

She and I shared a very long silent gaze. I could find no words to speak. I feel she was right. But no words came to me. Clearly seeing I was not going to speak, Celestia spoke for me. “I feel Nightmare Moon may be one of the most precious friends in your life. And I can assure you she feels the same. If my sister were to ever lose you… There are no words to describe the devastation she would suffer. James. As sister to the Princess of Dreams, I implore you. Treasure your bond with her.”

I wiped the tears away from my eyes. Those were powerful words to listen to. “I will… I won’t ever leave her.” I then began to approach Celestia before taking a seat on the fence near the table. “What about you though? Is there anyone like that in your life?”

Celestia seemed to not be expecting that question if that look she gave me served as any indication. “Me? Well…” She then looked away from me for a moment while adjusting her position on her stool. “There are two.”

“Do tell.” I replied while feeling my mood slowly rising through the magic of friendly conversation.

Celestia then glanced at me with a calm smile. “I am sure you can guess one. Luna. She and I have shared a powerful bond since our days as children millennia ago. She is the moon to my sun. Someone who shares a very special and powerful bond with me. If you are lucky, you too will find somepony like that someday.”

I was hardly surprised to hear that Luna is that precious to Celestia. She always does seem like a doting older sister to the Princess of the Night. “Yeah, I can see that sometimes. And who is the second person?”

I did not expect Celestia’s expression to darken like that. She almost instantly became quite somber. “Yes… The other one…”

“Take your time. I’ll listen.” I said softly while trying to make certain she did not feel pressured. I could tell that it was not going to be easy to talk about.

After taking a long and deep sigh to calm herself, Celestia began to speak while directing her gaze towards the sky. “I knew him since my childhood. Luna and I were dear friends with him for… I cannot even recall how long. Close to four thousand years, if I had to make an estimate. And he always knew how to make us laugh and smile.”

I listened intently. I was not expecting to see Celestia of all people look so melancholy. I was also quick to notice a single tear slide down her face. “But as the centuries went on, I began to see something within those eyes. A powerful sorrow. He always tried to hide it and did a fine job of doing so, but it never truly went away. And as the centuries dragged on, that sorrow only continued to grow. And with it, I saw an underlying madness beginning to fester. I saw it…but I did not want to believe it. I thought that my friendship with him and Luna’s friendship as well would be enough to fight what was building inside him.” She then looked my way, tears staining her ivory cheeks. “I was wrong.”

Those tears… I never thought I would ever see Celestia in such pain. “My best friend is gone, James… The sorrow and madness consumed him. And Luna and I had to act. We stopped him, but… I lost someone important to me that day…”

She ceased to speak while turning her gaze to the ground before allowing her tears to fall. To see beautiful Celestia, the jovial Princess of the Dawn, in such a forlorn state… I did not think it was even possible. What had she endured?

I felt a long sigh escape my lips. Without waiting for her to speak, I stood up and walked over to her before lowering myself slightly. I gently stroked her shoulder to let her know I was there. When Celestia looked at me with those sorrowful pink eyes, I gently wrapped my arms around her to try to comfort her in any way that I could. Whether she was a princess or not, I wanted her to know that I was there for her.

A sniffle came from right beside my ear before I felt Celestia wrap one arm around me. “Thank you… You are a great listener.”

“I try to be.” I replied briefly while my hand gently stroked her back. “But…who was this friend of yours? I’ve never heard of him.”

Celestia was silent for a moment. When she did reply, I did not get the response I was expecting. “He was… That is a story for another day, James…”

The memory must have been especially painful for her if she could not bear to speak of it in any greater detail. I did not inquire further and merely held Celestia in my arms to try and keep her calm. Eventually, she did lift herself from my grasp and gave me a tearful smile. “Thank you. I really needed that.”

“It was no trouble, m’lady… But wait. What about Luna? Did you end up… You know. A thousand years ago? How did you endure that?” I replied before asking about that infamous day where Nightmare Moon was born into the world. Having to send your own sister into the moon itself for a full millennium… That has to be hard on one’s conscience.

Celestia sighed deeply before looking away for a moment, although her response was not nearly as heavy as the last. “It was not easy… But I always had Philomena with me. She helped soothe the solitude I had to suffer. And I always clung to the hope that Luna would return. Even though I had doubts at times, I knew my sister was still out there just waiting to return. I was praying that when she did return, there would be a way to purge her of the darkness that had plagued her soul. And thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her new friends, I finally got my beloved sister back.” However, she then looked at me with a very grateful smile. “And in hindsight…perhaps it was for the best in the long run. Because through all of that, I gained a new sister because of you. Now I have not just Luna, but Nightmare Moon as well. Thank you, James.”

I averted my eyes momentarily at that praise. “I… Well, I guess it was a lot of trouble in the end. But I’m glad Nightmare Moon is with us too… But did you ever figure out just HOW she came to be? Luna becoming Nightmare Moon… That couldn’t have possibly been natural, right?”

Celestia nodded in agreement. “You are quite right. That transformation was by no means natural. But even after all this time, none of us have even the slightest idea what could have caused it. But it surely couldn’t have been the result of the meddling of a malevolent being... Could it? Still, whomever it was who brought about Nightmare Moon’s birth, I am sure they must have been quite disappointed to see her become a true princess alongside Luna and myself and not a sworn enemy of Equestria.”

I snorted just slightly while I tried to not laugh at that thought. “Heh, I’ll bet. To see your ultimate weapon become one of your enemy’s most powerful allies has got to have you kicking yourself in the end. But who do you think could have done it? If anyone?” A thought then came to my mind. Just how old is Celestia and Luna? And what may have happened so long ago? “Celestia… Has there ever been some evil tyrant or anything who might have done something to create Nightmare Moon? Someone you might not have told me about?”

Celestia’s response was stern and brief. “I’m sorry, James. There are some things that this world is better off not remembering. I cannot tell you anymore than that.”

Taking Celestia’s word for it, I decided to drop the conversation there. And considering how peaceful and wonderful this world is, I suppose any dark times from so long ago would be irrelevant by this point. Better to focus on the pleasant present than a dark past that happened so long ago that it will probably never happen again under the guidance of the three royal sisters.

“Well… You think we should get back to the party by now?” I asked while bringing myself to a standing position.

Celestia glanced at Sugarcube Corner behind herself before looking back at me with a smile. “I believe so. It wouldn’t do to keep crying at a party. Shall we?” I nodded before holding the door open to allow Celestia back inside before following. The kitchen was empty at the time, so we headed right out to the storefront.

When we stepped out from behind the counter, the two of us found Fluttershy, Eleina, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle either engaged in conversation or just helping themselves to the various goodies located around the place. I even saw Mr. and Mrs. cake going about tending to the waste bins and bus tubs in a couple of spots. Despite being a relatively small party, the place was getting a lot of use.

Before anyone could say anything, Twilight was the first to notice Celestia and trotted right over to her. “Princess Celestia! I thought you weren’t able to come!”

“I know, but who says one of the rulers of Equestria can’t take a break for some fun now and then?” Celestia replied with a cheeky grin on her face. Once Twilight had drawn near, I saw the two of them share a traditional equine hug. Twilight reached out with her head and rested it against Celestia’s chest while the Princess of the Dawn lowered hers and draped her neck across Twilight’s upper back. It was rather endearing to see those two being so cuddly. “I wouldn’t miss this party for the world. I hope I didn’t miss anything significant.”

Pinkie Pie then trotted over and let out a laugh. “Oh, you missed an awesome standup from James! He really reeeally likes toast!”

Celestia then lifted her head and looked at me with a smirk. “You like toast, do you? Well, I like bananas.”

There was something…unnerving about that look she was giving me. I raised my hand and opened my mouth to speak, but then lowered my hand while my mind failed to find a proper retort. “Uh… I can’t think of a standup routine involving bananas. Sorry.”

Not too far away, I saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike gathered around in a circle with Button Mash pointing at the center. It seemed that they were discussing some sort of video game while moving around colored pieces of paper. Were they comparing gaming experiences?

While I looked on, my eyes fell upon Spike. I have to admit that if there is one person I see frequently but have not interacted with on a personal level very often, it would be him. I see him nearly every time I visit Twilight. In fact, half of the time I encounter her outside of her house, Spike is with her. Almost as if they are some sort of dynamic duo or he is her sidekick.

Eventually, Spike walked away from the group and over to one of the refreshment tables while trying to refill his drink cup with punch. Due to his small stature, he could not quite reach the punch bowl and began to look around for something. Probably a stool to prop himself up on. Seeing his need for assistance, I stepped forward and grabbed him by the sides from behind. “Lemme help you with that.”

Spike yelped slightly from apparently not seeing me coming while I lifted him into the air and held him near the handle of the punch bowl’s ladle. Once he realized what I was doing, he glanced over his shoulder at me and smiled. “Thanks! I needed that.” He then reached for the ladle and lifted it from the bowl before pouring the beverage into his plastic drink cup. But before I could start to lower him, he looked back at me. “Hang on a minute.”

I watched in silence while he quickly chugged the contents of his cup before filling it again and repeating the process. Once he filled his cup for the third time, he tapped my hand. “Thanks. You can put me down now.”

While I lowered the dragon child to the floor, I asked, “Not easy being short, huh? You get all you need?”

Once he was back on the floor, Spike seemed to instinctively or reflexively brush his sides off. “Yeah, it’s not always fun being this short. But it’s no big deal.” He then took another sip of his drink before looking up at me with those big green reptilian eyes of his. “So, what’s up? You having a good time?”

“Yup. What about you? We hardly ever get to talk.” I replied while looking down at him. I was almost expecting to see Twilight approaching us, but a quick glance showed me that she was locked in conversation with Celestia at the time.

He also looked over at Twilight for a second before looking back at me. “Yeah, sorry. I usually only talk to Twilight unless something important comes up with one of her friends. I don’t get a whole lot of free time as her assistant. But it’s fine! I really don’t mind it at all.”

I reached out and ran my fingers over the green spines running over the middle Spike’s head. “You’re a good kid, Spike. I’m sorry we don’t chat more often.”

Spike snickered while playfully pushing my hand away. “Don’t do that! I’m a big boy now!”

“Right, sorry. It’s just that you’re cute.” I retorted while Spike rolled his eyes. Typical boy behavior. Most boys do not enjoy being called cute. While I looked at him, a thought passed through my mind. And in hindsight, I am surprised I did not notice it before. “Hey, Spike? Are you the only dragon in town?”

He clearly was not expecting that question. “Huh? Me? Well… Yeah, I am. I don’t think most dragons want anything to do with ponies.”

“What makes you say that? I think dragons are really cool and majestic creatures. I’ve had a deep interest in them for years.” I replied while glancing over at Twilight and Celestia again. They really seemed to be deep into their conversation.

That look Spike was giving me… He seemed utterly flabbergasted by what I had just said. “Majestic…? What dragons are you talking about? The only dragons I ever met were total jerks!”

My eyes scanned Spike carefully. Total jerks? That certainly did not sound like him. While Spike and I do not interact with each other very often on a social level, I can still see that he is a good kid. He is hardworking and eager to please those he cares about. In some ways…I can actually relate to him. “That doesn’t sound like you at all. I’ve never once felt any bitterness towards you. Well…except for the few times you slammed the library door into my face.”

Spike sighed while looking down. He seemed to be looking at his reflection on the surface of the punch in his drink cup. “I guess that’s because I was raised by ponies right after I hatched. And you know how nice they are most of the time, right?”

“Oh yeah, definitely. The all around nicest folks I’ve ever met in my life… Wait. Have you actually met other dragons who live their lives more traditionally?” I replied while taking note of Spike’s rather forlorn look.

He let out a long sigh while looking at himself in his reflection. He seemed genuinely upset or even remorseful over something. Had he done something he had come to regret? “I’ll just say that ‘real’ dragons aren’t exactly good people. It’s no wonder you never see them hanging out with ponies or anything else anywhere in Equestria.”

I could only imagine what he meant by that. Could it be that dragons are naturally unpleasant or even violent by nature? If that is the case, it is clearly no small wonder why they have not been socially accepted into Equestrian society. But at the same time… Spike is nothing like that. As I said before, he is a good kid. Perhaps living among the genuinely pleasant ponies of Equestria can influence one enough to suppress their more unpleasant and destructive tendencies. That would certainly explain how humans lived in harmony with them so long ago. At least I assume they did. I looked down at him and gently stroked my hand over his head and spines. “Well, that’s certainly not how you are. You’re a nice guy, Spike.”

This time, Spike did not refuse my touch. Instead, he turned his head up to look at me with a slight smile on his face. “Yeah… I’m glad I live with ponies instead of dragons. I don’t know what I would do if I never met Twilight.”

“No kidding. They’re a great influence on others, aren’t they?” I replied while running one finger over the curve of the spine that stood directly atop of his head. “Come to think of it, where did you meet Twilight?”

Spike took another sip of his punch before looking up at me with a more passionate smile. “Oh, I’ve known her since the day I hatched! She was supposed to hatch me from my egg as part of some sort of… I dunno… An entrance exam into the Academy for Gifted Unicorns? I was just a baby back then, so I don’t remember a single thing. I’m not sure if that’s what it was even called.”

I got a weird feeling while looking at Spike after hearing that bit of testimony. He had not been born normally, but through an egg? I am not sure why, but it felt rather odd to be looking at this very likeable child and knowing he came from an egg. Just… Well, perhaps it is because where I come from, the only sentient creatures on the planet are humans and we are born live. So I suppose knowing that someone with human-level intelligence and emotion, not to mention many abilities humans possess, could be born from an egg. I suppose that is just something I will have to become accustomed to in time. Although this also raised the question of exactly where and who Spike’s egg came from, but it probably would be for the best that I did not ask. I cannot imagine Spike’s true mother and father being good people after what he had told me about traditional dragon behavior. If anything, whoever gave Spike’s egg to Twilight to hatch may have ended up saving his life. “I guess that makes sense. And Twilight certainly is gifted when it comes to learning spells. She’s got quite an extensive spell pool, huh?”

“Yeah, you’d think she likes looking up new spells to learn for kicks by now!” Spike retorted while glancing over at our brainy unicorn friend. Upon noticing Twilight’s cutie mark, I instantly felt it represented the glowing spark that forms around a unicorn’s horn when he or she focuses greatly to cast a spell. I see it most often when she takes a moment to use the teleportation spell. With how frequently she uses it, you could be forgiven if you assumed it is her favorite spell. And I certainly see her using magic more often than Rarity.

Just before he and I could converse further, I noticed Twilight walk right up behind her little dragon friend and speak with a slightly jeering tone. “So, what are you boys chatting about?”

“Oh, you know. Boy stuff. Right?” I replied while trying to be funny. Spike then looked behind himself and saw Twilight looking down at him with a smile.

“Uh… Hey there, Twilight! I’m having a blast! What about you?” Spike asked while chugging down the rest of his drink before chucking the cup into a waste basket nearby.

She then gave us both a delighted grin. “I’m having a great time too! You know any party Pinkie Pie throws is always going to be a good one.” However, she then glanced down at Spike before looking up at me. “Come to think of it… Isn’t tomorrow the one year anniversary of the day where you two first met?”

“How could I forget that?! He greeted me with a door to the face!” I replied while almost being able to remember how unpleasant it felt to get smashed into Twilight’s house with her own front door. I still peek through the closest window every time I am about to go inside to make certain no one is coming.

Spike did not seem entirely pleased to be reminded of that. I noticed a slight pink hue shining through his scaled cheeks while he scratched the side of his head. “Uh… Yeah. Sorry about that. I don’t think I had my hands free that day.”

“And come to think of it…” I muttered before looking over at the kids having fun at the far end of the storefront. “Tomorrow is also the day I first met them. I should take those girls out to dinner.”

“What about me?! Can I come too?” Spike asked while clearly becoming excited at the mention of anything involving food. Kids. Heh…

Knowing that I had no real say in what Spike was allowed to do, I looked at Twilight. He too turned towards her and pleaded with his hands clasped together. “Please, Twilight? Can I have the evening off tomorrow?”

Twilight did not take long to think up a response. She rolled her eyes while cracking a smile. “Oooh… All right, Spike. You can go. But you’ll have to finish up your chores as soon as you get back.”

Spike jumped for joy before giving Twilight a big hug. “Oh, thank you! I promise I’ll get my chores done extra fast tomorrow!” He then ran off towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Button Mash, apparently to either rejoin their conversation or to spread the word.

“He wasn’t giving you any trouble, was he?” Twilight asked while drawing a little closer to me.

I glanced back over at Spike at the far end of the room before looking down at her. “Nah. He’s a good kid. Does he do his job well?”

Twilight glanced at her little assistant and smiled back to me. “Oh, he’s always helpful and efficient. He never tires and is very diligent. He’s been a great friend to me for as long as I can remember.”

“Despite being as young as he is, he’s not one to tire easily despite working all day? Dragons must be really hardy creatures.” I retorted while also looking over at the little purple dragon boy. He seemed to already be lost in conversation with the other kids.

For a moment, the two of us did not speak. I grabbed a drink cup from the table nearby and filled it with punch for myself. However, I soon felt Twilight gently nudge my side. “I talked with Fluttershy.”

I instantly knew where the conversation was going and immediately cast my gaze towards my dear friend. “And she said…?”

Twilight let out a long yet satisfied sigh. “She’s very lucky to have you. She told me she can’t believe that so many girls feel so strongly for you, yet you stay loyal to her. She is sure that if anypony else were her boyfriend, they would have left her for somepony like Rarity. She says she feels like the luckiest mare in the world that you can be so close to so many mares while keeping your heart reserved for her.” She then seemed to smirk sheepishly upon realizing that she was not being very specific on what she wanted to say. “What I mean is… She’s all right with you sharing your love with me… That just sounds so odd to me.”

I chuckled for a second before gently caressing her mane. “You don’t seem like someone who has much of a grasp on love.”

While I lowered myself to the floor to give my friend a tender hug, she looked into my eyes with a calm pleading expression. “Will you teach me?”

“I would be honored, Twilight.” I replied while wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close to me.

Twilight returned my embrace, her arms wrapping around me in a loose grasp. It felt pleasant to just lose myself right there, being in the warm embrace of a friend who could have very easily been my mirror. However, she soon spoke up in a whisper. “You know… Rainbow Dash had talked to Fluttershy as well.”

“Really? I was wondering what you two were discussing with her… Uh… Wait. Rainbow Dash? Really?” I retorted while my memories went back to my first Hearts and Hooves Day experience with her. I could still remember the guilt I felt when I could not accept her feelings for me. But with how things have become between Rarity and I in recent months… She surely would have become madly jealous if I would continue denying her that. I suppose if anything, the only reason why I had not informed Rainbow of such a thing was out of worry of what Fluttershy would feel since Rainbow Dash did try to come between us once before. Even though she did back out before she could go too far with it.

My friend seemed noticeably unsurprised by my reaction. She cracked a smile while pushing me onto a stool that was right behind me. “Uh huh. She just happened to come over while I was discussing…well…our chat from earlier with Fluttershy. She did seem really jealous when Fluttershy agreed to let you… What do you call that again? Sharing your love?”

“Well, that’s the best way I can describe it. My heart and body belong to Fluttershy, but I have plenty of love to give.” I replied while feeling slightly awkward about the whole thing. First there was Rainbow Dash, then there was Rarity, and now Twilight Sparkle. Though to be fair, she started developing feelings for me during my first week in Ponyville at roughly the same time Fluttershy did. It is indeed an odd feeling knowing there is more than one woman who wants you. Though as I explained in an earlier entry, it is not something that is new to me.

“Yeah. Well, Fluttershy felt it was all right for Rainbow Dash to do the same. But…she did give Rainbow that ‘stare’ of hers and seemed to warn her that you are her man. Come to think of it, did something happen between you two a while ago? Fluttershy really seemed like she was trying to hammer in a fact or something.” Twilight explained while looking rather baffled the more she spoke. Just thinking about the scene she described caused me to smirk whimsically while being tempted to laugh.

“Oh, you have no idea. Rainbow Dash met up with me in the park for a picnic lunch and tried to trick me into drinking a love potion of some sort. But she backed out and knocked the cup outta my hand at the last second. I’m not surprised that Fluttershy would still be a bit wary of her after that.” I retorted while shaking my head at the memory. Being a sucker for romance, the thought of such a brazen and bold mare using a love potion to get the man she secretly wants sounds really cute despite being about as morally bankrupt as one can get.

My words caught Twilight be surprise if that look on her face said anything about it. “Love potion?! I was wondering what she wanted that book for… The last time I lent that book to anypony, the Cutie Mark Crusaders took it. I heard something…weird happened last year before I got it back.”

“With those girls?! Well, it must’ve been something pretty crazy. Too bad I wasn’t here to see it.” I said with my voice being a bit louder than usual. Those three fillies can certainly get themselves into a lot of trouble when someone is not around to keep them on the right path. Fortunately, my input during their meetings has largely kept them out of trouble for a while. Mitta’s presence also probably helps with that.

Twilight then proceeded to finish up our conversation. “Well, I think I’ve distracted you long enough from the party.” However, she then began to cutely curl her left arm around her right while nervously rubbing it. While averting her eyes, she then spoke rather meekly. “Also… Next time you come by my place and Spike isn’t around… Do you think we…uh…”

I could see that she was not used to being in love at all and was feeling very insecure about herself. So I reached out and tenderly caressed her mane. “Twilight, I always have time for a kiss and cuddle. I’ll teach you all I know about how to love.”

Her expression instantly brightened before she pushed her head against my hand. “Thanks. I love to learn and I want to learn all I can about love. Just…uh…make sure Spike never sees us getting too cuddly. I don’t think he’s mature enough to understand this kind of friendship.”

“Yeah, definitely not. Anyway, let’s get back to having some fun. No telling how long this party will last.” I replied while feeling eager to get back to enjoying the festivities. Parties like that one do not happen very often.

“Oh, sure! Well, I’ll be around if you wanna chat. Now, where did Princess Celestia go?” Twilight replied while she trotted away before heading up the stairs. With no one else in the way, I set my sights on the Cutie Mark Crusaders at the far end of the storefront.

As I drew near, I could hear Button Mash going on and on about some video game he had played. But after listening a while longer, I could make out from the mention of a paladin and archer that he was referring to the spectacular Equestrian Heroes he and I had played together not that long ago. By all means, try that game with a friend or three. The more players you have, the better the experience is.

Finally, I decided to speak up in a way only he would understand. “Well, good day, little archer. You been keeping your aim sharp since our last outing through the forest?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike looked up at me quite suddenly. But before either could speak up, Button Mash beat them to the punch while waving at me. “You bet, Sir James! Keep that sword sharp because who knows when the dark lord will strike next!”

“What’s he talkin’ about, James? Did he see ya in yer armor or somethin'?” Apple Bloom asked while I brought myself to a sitting position beside her and Scootaloo.

“Huh?! Armor?! You have armor?! You’re a real knight?!” Button Mash spoke up in excitement, apparently having instantly caught on to Apple Bloom’s words a little too easily.

Before I could even counter his words, Sweetie Belle stood up and spoke in my place. “You bet! It looks really cool with all that dark blue and gold with a pair of really big white wings! It’s also got a helmet that has a really big pretty mane coming outta the back that looks like an aurora around the night sky!”

I tried to get a word in there and started to open my mouth to speak. But, as expected, Scootaloo beat me to it. “He’s also got a big sword and a really big shield! You should’ve seen him! He did a cool rising spinning slash! Like this!” She then grabbed a plastic fork from a plate nearby in her mouth before suddenly doing a spinning jump with it sticking out to her side. Her little wings flapped rapidly with letting out a familiar clicking buzz in the process, carrying her a little higher before she dropped back down.

Just as I was about to interrupt, Spike spoke up too. “Oh yeah, I saw it too! And that sword’s blade glows in the dark! And the light feels warm, like from the sun.”

This was all it took to send Button Mash on a spazzing tirade. He suddenly climbed onto me while looking at me with extreme excitement. “That all sounds so cool! Did you slay any dragons?! Did you ever fight the real Nightmare Moon?! How big is that sword and shield?! Did Princess Celestia ever knight you?! What kinda monsters have you gone up against?! Does your sword really glow?! What’s your armor made of?! Can you show me it sometime?!”

Over and over, he spouted question after question. Kids… And every few seconds I would speak his name to get his attention, only to be drowned out by his constant questioning. Finally, after close to a full minute of bombarding me with questions and requests, most of which I do not even remember, I resorted to shouting his name while placing my hand on his head. “BUTTON!!!”

That got him to shut up. He looked right me with a rather wary look as if I had intimidated him. I then spoke more calmly, “Yes, I do have a sword and shield. Yes, I do have a winged suit of armor. Yes, I have gone up against the real Nightmare Moon. Yes, the sword really does glow in poor lighting. No, I have not slain any dragons. No, Celestia and Luna have not knighted me. And… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to show you. It’s not like I can wear it at any time. Besides, I don’t know if I would be comfortable having access to it whenever I want. It’s best to only use it when you need it instead of all the time.”

Button stood silent the entire time as if he was just drinking in my words. Every now and then, he would nod. Finally, the little colt beamed at me. “Only use it when you need it and not all the time? Got it.” He then looked over at Scootaloo and grinned broadly. “Your big brother’s really cool, Scootaloo!”

“You better believe it! I heard he took on a timber wolf a little while ago!” Scootaloo replied while looking rather proud of the fact.

“Hey, that wolf just needed to be reminded that they can’t even digest meat. I didn’t really fight the thing.” I replied while remembering the day I spent with Derpy not very long ago. It was then that I remembered something I should have said earlier. “Speaking of that day, thanks for that wooden sword you girls crafted for me. It really came in handy at the time.”

Sweetie Belle gave me a big smile while looking at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “It did?! Wow, I thought you’d never have to really use it! But Apple Bloom did most of the work. We just carried all the wood and supplies to make it.”

I looked down at the little farm filly and rubbed her head while she smiled at my touch. “Well, you did a fine job on that, Apple Bloom. You used some good wood too since it’s still no worse for the wear after that little scuffle.”

The little farm filly then caught me by surprise with what she said next. “Yeah, I was goin’ for tough wood that won’t break or crack when it hits somethin’, so I used some ipê wood since that wood’s some sturdy and durable stuff. It stands up ta water really nicely too and termites won’t bother it. It also don’t burn that easily.”

It was especially surprising to hear that little filly speak so professionally about how she did it. Just how does that girl not have her cutie mark yet?! She is so obviously a master of woodworking and design! Well, maybe not a master with how young she is, but it is clearly her calling. Still, I am sure it will not be much longer before she figures it out. Even Scootaloo, Button Mash, Sweetie Belle, and Spike seemed a bit lost while listening to her talking about the details of the type of wood she used.

There was an awkward silence in the air from listening to Apple Bloom do into such detail, so I decided to break it. “So…uh… Oh, right. Spike, did you let them know yet?”

The little dragon boy seemed a bit lost. Perhaps it had slipped his mind. “Uh… Sorry, I forgot. What was I supposed to say?”

I rolled my eyes while cracking a smile. I then looked at the three fillies around me and asked, “Do you know what tomorrow is? Or rather, do you know what will have happened a full year ago by tomorrow?”

The three fillies looked very visibly confused. Scootaloo spoke first while rubbing her head. “Uh… The one year anniversary of the day I first thought up my wind walk trick?”

Apple Bloom spoke next. “The one year anniversary of when I choked on my first apple core?”

It was Sweetie Belle who successfully guessed it. “Ooh! I know! It’s the one year anniversary since the day we first met you, James! Right?”

I grinned at the unicorn filly’s answer and gently patted her head. “Yup. It’s also the one year anniversary of when I met Spike too. I was thinking… How would you four like to go out to dinner to celebrate?”

Scootaloo jumped into the air and hovered for a few seconds in excitement while her little wings buzzed. “To celebrate the day I first met my big brother?! You bet! Come on, girls! I’m game!”

Apple Bloom looked up at me and smiled brightly. “You bet! I still remember how ya snatched Diamond Tiara’s cutie mark right off ‘er flank! That got ‘er good!”

However, Sweetie Belle suddenly looked a little uneasy. “Wait! You’re not gonna invite Diamond Tiara, are you?”

I honestly almost laughed at that question. “Are you kidding? She might be a nice girl now, but that day was when she became my first real enemy in Equestria. I’m not inviting her along to celebrate that!” The rest of us got a good laugh out of that. If I was going to celebrate anything with Diamond Tiara, it would be a celebration of the day where she finally learned the errors of her ways. And that would not be until a week later. “Anyway… You kids wanna stop by the arcade after dinner for some fun tomorrow?”

Spike seemed pretty stoked for that suggestion. “Oh, you bet! I’d love to try out that Equestrian Heroes game!”

Button Mash then spoke up with a look of desperation on his face. “What about me?! Can I tag along too?!”

Having Button Mash along for the ride did not sound like a bad idea at all. He really is a fun kid. Cute as a button too. “Sure thing, Button. Let’s try for 6:30.”

Not much later, I decided to leave the kids alone to play and headed back upstairs to see what was going on. By the time I got there, I saw that Pinkie Pie had already put away her collapsible stage and the little tables set out throughout the room. It appeared that everyone had gone back to just enjoying themselves while also enjoying the delicious treats set out on the refreshment table. I saw Celestia engaged in conversation with Twilight Sparkle before Nightmare Moon joined in. However, I then felt something lightly touch my cheek. Obviously a kiss.

“Happy anniversary, honey.” I heard a quiet meek voice speak. And sure enough, Fluttershy was hovering right next to me. And I was quick to return the favor with a quick smooch on her lips.

“Thanks, Fluttershy. How’s the…huh?!” I said to her before suddenly feeling something land on my back. Even though it was enough to make me stagger forward, it did not feel all that heavy. “Huh? Someone there?”

“Heya, James. What's up, Fluttershy? You two digging this party?” A familiar voice spoke up from just beside my head. With a quick glance, I saw that Rainbow Dash was piggybacking on me.

Fluttershy got a good giggle at the random entrance our brazen friend made. I certainly would not expect her to jump on me like that. Good thing she is such a lightweight. Fluttershy then proceeded to offer a retort to Rainbow’s question. “It’s been a great party so far. Definitely one of Pinkie’s better parties. How about you?”

“Oooh, I’m just loving it. Good food, great friends to chill with, and the nicest hunk in town makes it all complete.” Rainbow Dash replied, although I was beginning to notice a bit of a slur in her speech. What was more, I noticed how…direct she was being about her feelings towards me, which is strange when one considers her ego and the fact that quite a few other ponies were around us.

“Uh… Rainbow? Are you feeling OK?” I asked while turning my head to look at her. When we locked eyes, I saw that her expression was blissful, yet listless. There was also a noticeable pink hue in her cheek. I swear that she also felt surprisingly warm to the touch… Warm… Oh good lord.

“Oh yeah, I’m feeling good. Really gooooood… Hey, I got an idea. How about we duck into the bathroom for a little while?” Rainbow Dash said in that slurred voice while looking positively stoned.

“Uh… Why? What’s happening in there?” Fluttershy asked while looking increasingly creeped out. This was certainly bizarre behavior from our friend.

Rainbow Dash spoke again without once looking away from me. I could feel myself beginning to sweat with how hot and nervous I was becoming. “Why? Well, you ever heard the saying that there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? I bet you wanna see what’s at the end of mine, big guy.”

By this point, I was beginning to have my suspicions. And Fluttershy was just looking on with her jaw hanging open. How tactless could she be with such wordplay?! Without offering a reply, I looked over at Applejack at the far side of the room. She was looking on from right next to the ciders casks with a somewhat bewildered expression on her face. “AJ, you only let Rainbow have some of the 5% cider, right?!”

“Uh…” Applejack stammered briefly before grabbing a used tankard that was resting on the table. She took a quick sniff of it before turning it upside-down and letting a leftover drop of its contents drip onto her tongue. A second later, she frowned and let out a groan. “Dagnabbit, that was the 50% cider!”

“Oh, well, that explains everything, doesn’t it?!” I replied in exasperation as I realized right there that Rainbow Dash was not simply getting flirty with me, but rather that her inhibitions had been removed from being drunk!

Rainbow Dash grinned at me with a drunkenly lustful smirk before speaking to me. “Yeah, so what if I had some of the strong stuff? Come on, big guy. Let’s head on up.” She then started to flap her wings as if to try and pull me backwards to the steps that lead up to the second floor of Pinkie’s loft and towards her bathroom. Fortunately for me, the flapping of her wings was so out of sync that they were hardly generating any lift at all.

“Knock it off, Rainbow! That’s just the booze talking!” I said rather loudly while trying to get away from her or find someone who was willing to pry her off of me. However, I was not having much luck since pretty much everyone was starting to burst into laughter at my predicament. Though to be fair, I too was tempted to laugh. “Stop laughing, guys! This isn’t funny!”

All the while of me trying to reach behind myself and yank Rainbow Dash off me, that drunken pegasus mare kept trying to coax me into ducking into Pinkie Pie’s bathroom to see ‘what lies at the end of her rainbow’ or however she said it. “Come on, James. I know ya want me. Quit playing hard to get!”

“All right, fine! Pinkie, can we use your bathroom for a bit? I need to have a word with this…nympho.” I finally spoke up with a groan while looking towards my silly pink friend.

Pinkie Pie was covering her mouth with one hoof before pointing to the walkway that rounded the room higher up against the wall. “OK. Just head up the steps over there and go through that door. You can’t miss it.” She explained before slipping out another giggle.

With an annoyed scowl on my face, I climbed the steps before making my way to the blue wooden door at the far end of the room. Upon stepping through that door, I found myself in a very cramped stairwell. And upon reaching the top and stepping through the door at the top, I found myself in Pinkie Pie’s bathroom at the very top of Sugarcube Corner. The bathtub was located in the very center of the room and seemed to be of one of those old fashioned designs, being all white and being atop four black ‘feet’ on the underside. The faucet was unusually high above the tub and seemed to be more like a showerhead, giving it more than one function. A ring that looked like a red and white peppermint hula-hoop hung above the tub while a light blue shower curtain hung from it. The whole thing was adorned with images of various treats liked wrapped candies, cupcakes, lollipops, cookies, and so forth. Definitely fitting for Sugarcube Corner. A sink with a design that brought to mind a ceramic flower planter was nearby with a faucet that was very similar to the one over the bathtub. Just behind it was an oval mirror with a pink frame that was adorned with yellow baubles that gave me the impression that they might be lights. The top of the frame stuck upward while bearing a strong resemblance to a club you might see on a playing card. A magenta heart design adorned the frame just above the mirror itself. A toilet was between two of the windows and did not look like it was worth describing, though it had a fluffy pink topping for the seat cover. There was a window at each of the cardinal directions of the room’s walls with long pale blue curtains at their sides. And surprisingly enough, the tub was already filled with warm water.

“Sweet. You ready for some fun, big guy?” Rainbow Dash mumbled to me while looking at me from right next to my face.

By that point, I knew exactly what I wanted to do to her. “No, but I’m ready to drop you like a bad habit.” Without further delay, I grabbed one of her hind legs and yanked her off of me before dropping her right into the tub with a splash.

Seconds later, Rainbow Dash lifted herself from the tub and coughed up some water. I was not trying to hurt her. In fact, I was hoping a good dunk in some warm water might bring her back to her senses a bit. However, she soon looked at me with that lustful look on her face again and panted while out of breath. “Playing…hard to get…huh?”

Not wanting anyone to walk in on us during this chat, I locked the bathroom door to prevent any intrusions. Rainbow then hopped out of the tub and flung water everywhere while shaking herself off like a wet dog. She then slunk low to the ground and began to playfully narrow the distance between us with a very unsteady gait. I suppose she is really someone who cannot hold her liquor. The most I had ever seen her drink was six or so tankards of the 5% cider, but I suppose a single full tankard of 50% cider trumps that by a landslide.

Finally, I held up my hand and spoke one word. “Stop.”

Rainbow Dash seemed to listen and stopped her approach, but she still had that smirk on her face while staying low to the ground. Seeing that I had her attention, I decided to ask her the most obvious question. “Do you know you’re drunk?”

“So what if I am?! I’m still me! And I know what I wanna do now.” Rainbow replied before starting to draw closer again. But when she came close enough, I grabbed her by the shoulders to hold her down.

“Knock it off! You know I’m with Fluttershy, Rainbow! I told you before that this is the one thing I can’t give you. So stop it.” I finally raised my voice to her while being as strict as I could be. It did not feel good to have to put my friend down like that, but I had to draw the line.

At a painfully slow rate, I saw Rainbow’s drunkenly blissful expression start to sink into something far from joyous. Soon, she gazed at me with a mournful expression that looked vaguely familiar. “You think I don’t know that?!”

Seeing that she had likely lost the drive to do whatever it was she wanted to do before, I let myself relax and took a seat on the floor. “Are you OK?”

Drunk as she was, Rainbow Dash let out a sigh and turned her head away. “I don’t even know… I mean… I remember that day… I can still remember your touch… I can even kinda remember your taste…”

“You…never really were able to let go of your feelings, were you?” I asked as a feeling of guilt began to well up inside my heart. That occurrence on Hearts and Hooves Day still lingers at the back of my mind at times. And it is not always pleasant to recall.

Rainbow Dash looked right at me and took one step before stopping, as if waiting for a signal. I saw what she wanted and held out my arms. She then walked forward and fell into my arms before a sob escaped her lips. “I can’t… You’re… You’re the first guy I ever felt this way about… I can’t let go, James… I love just about everything about you. I just can’t bring myself to stop loving you… It feels wrong to let go…”

A long sigh escaped my lips. My arms wrapped tenderly around my friend, holding her limp form against me. It was very rare to see Rainbow Dash looking and acting so vulnerable. The alcohol in her system was definitely allowing her to let go of her inhibitions in order to let out her true feelings. She must have been holding in these painful emotions for quite some time.

While my hand tenderly stroked her mane, Rainbow continued to speak. “There are times…when I lie in my bed at night… I still remember that last kiss we had… When it felt like you were mine, even just for a minute. I swear my body aches for you sometimes… I wish you were mine, James… I wish I could be your mare… And I don’t care how corny that sounds.”

I had no words for her at that time. I mean, what could I say to that? Sorry for making her miserable by getting into a relationship with another woman? All I could do was hold her close to me before placing a kiss on her forehead. “Rainbow… I don’t know what to say about all that…”

“Well… Could we only sit here for a minute? I just needed to let that out… I don’t wanna put you on a guilt trip… I just needed to vent…” Rainbow Dash muttered softly without really moving in my grasp.

“Sure…” I replied softly. But after a moment more of silence, I decided to try to speak to her. “Rainbow… I want you to know that I do love and cherish you. As much as we bump heads over your ridiculous ego, I just can’t imagine being without you. You’re important to me.”

Rainbow Dash took a long deep breath before lifting her head to gaze at me with her beautiful rose-colored eyes. “Come to think of it… I don’t think we’ve been bumping heads as often as we used to… I guess you’ve been rubbing off on me, huh?”

“I guess that’s how things work with those you love. Maybe you subconsciously adjust your habits in order to make those people more comfortable around you.” I retorted while looking down at her. “Still… Just remember, Rainbow. I can never give you my heart or my body. But I have plenty of love to share.”

A rather forlorn smile spread across her lips while the tears began to slow. “Yeah, I know… Fluttershy and Twilight told me about it.” She then nudged me with her hoof and gave me a smirk. “And just how long were you planning on hiding that from me? Been smooching Rarity behind my back, right?”

She had a good point there. Why had I allowed Rarity to get so close to me while not paying much mind to Rainbow’s feelings towards me? “Uh… Good point. Well… Better late than never, right?”

I then felt that brazen pegasus wrap her arms around the back of my neck before giving me a lustful smirk. “Then how about you give me something you’ve been keeping from me for a while?”

Before I could say anything, I felt her lips upon mine. Almost instinctively, I pressed into the kiss as well. I felt the passion she was exuding. The boldness. Her feelings towards me are no mere crush. They are true. I felt the touch of her tongue. The taste within her mouth. It had the faint strong taste of an alcoholic beverage, but also the sweet aftertaste of sweet spiced apple cider. The instant we broke the kiss, Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh of sincere satisfaction. “Oh man, I needed that… Just as sweet as the last time.”

“Yeah… For someone as wild as you are, you really know how to give a good kiss.” I retorted while stroking her rainbow-striped mane.

Rainbow Dash gave me a drunken grin before tenderly nuzzling her head against my chest. “Sweet as honey, but tough as nails when you need to be. It’s no wonder so many mares want you, James. And for you to have the balls to be willing to share love with them while keeping your heart reserved for your real sweetheart… That takes some serious guts. I don’t think a lot of folks would understand that.”

“Thanks for understanding, Rainbow. You want another smooch before we head back to the party?” I asked, knowing that Rainbow was likely aching for some attention after the last time we spent such quality time with each other. However, I did not get the response I was expecting.

My wild mare of a friend looked at me and raised one hoof. “I’d love to, James. I really would, but not this time. I’m drunk. Even I know that. And I swear that if we have another kiss like that right now, I know I won’t be able to stop myself from pinning you down and riding you until dawn. And I don’t wanna do that to Fluttershy.”

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuh….. Point taken, I guess…” I retorted while rather unnerved by that particular thought. At least she had the foresight to give me that warning.

Before I could stand up, Rainbow Dash nuzzled her head against me once more. “Still… Thanks for doing this for me, James. If I ever catch you alone, you better expect a smooch from me. And remember… If anything goes wrong between you and Fluttershy, I’ll be there for you. I know that probably won’t ever happen, but you’ll always have me.”

“I’m flattered, Rainbow. You’re one awesome girl. Now, let’s get back to the party before the others start to wonder what’s keeping us…” I replied before my eyes fell upon the toilet at the far end of the room. “Actually, could you head on down without me? I’d like to take the chance to use the bathroom while I’m up here.”

“Huh? The bath…oh, I getcha. OK, I’ll see you down there.” Rainbow Dash said with a nod before staggering to her feet and unlocking the door. But just after she left the room, I heard a yell and numerous crashes and thuds. Did she just fall down the stairs?! Fortunately, my fears were swiftly grounded when I heard Rainbow call out. “I’m OK!” I broke down into a snickering fit at that unexpected slipup and locked the door behind me. Once I was done reliving myself in the bathroom, I headed back downstairs to enjoy myself with the rest of the partygoers.

The party went on for quite some time. By the time the very first guests had begun to leave, the sky was already painted a very dark blue and dotted with stars. It still impresses me how subtle Luna and Celestia can be when lowering and raising the sun and moon. I have been in Equestria so long that I do not even remember at times that they are responsible for it.

The first guests to depart were the youngest. Eleina had to get Button Mash home to get him ready for bed so he would be rested for school tomorrow. The poor little guy tried to argue with his mother for quite a bit, but his frequent yawning was a clear sign that he was reaching his limit. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon departed without incident as well, although I have no idea what became of Ruby. That filly just comes and goes as she pleases. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had to depart soon as well, so Big Macintosh decided to escort them. Applejack insisted on staying longer though and Scootaloo decided to try to stay up as late as she could. Then again, there was no one home at the time, so it seemed wrong to send her along without Fluttershy and myself.

One by one, the other guests began to depart. Lyra and Zecora headed out first while Mr. and Mrs. Cake began to clean the place up. In all honesty, it felt rather…sad to see the party end. I took a seat on a stool in the storefront and gazed at the area before me. Much of the snacks and sweet goodies had been consumed and several unfinished cupcakes had been left here and there. Everyone else was likely upstairs while Pinkie Pie did a bit more standup. Even though I was enjoying a bit of respite from the party, the atmosphere felt much quieter than before. Almost depressing, even. Parties like this are quite rare, even with Pinkie Pie, and I was certainly going to miss it.

Out of nowhere, I heard a voice speak up beside me. “Hiya, James! Having a good time?” Somehow, Pinkie Pie had snuck up on me despite having been doing some standup just moments before. I must have really been lost in my thoughts to not detect her approach.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m just chilling for a bit to pace myself. I’ll be back in the action soon…” I replied while letting out a yawn. However, I think Pinkie Pie was quick to notice I did not seem entirely happy.

“Are you OK? Did something happen? You look like you’re feeling kinda down.” Pinkie inquired while lightly patting my shoulder. It is not often that I see her mellow out like that. She is almost always really peppy and jumpy.

Seeing no reason to be dishonest with my friend, I looked around slowly while explaining my mood to her. “Well… I guess the only problem is that the party’s over. It just feels…sad to see such a fun event having to end, even though you know it has to. It would be one thing if it happened again tomorrow, but parties would not be parties if they became daily routine.” I then looked at her and smiled just slightly. “Kind of funny how they are at their most enjoyable yet most depressing when they are kept spread out, huh?”

Pinkie Pie mirrored my expression. She smiled as well, though it was hardly noticeable. “Uh huh. I know what you mean. That’s why I do my best to make every party the best it can be. So it will have been worth the wait! Did I do a good job on this one, James? I did set it up just for you, after all.”

“Definitely one of the most enjoyable and memorable parties you’ve set up since I came here, Pinkie. You did a fine job.” I replied while rubbing my hand over her poofy mane. “Actually, will you be throwing this party again next year?”

“You bet! You’re the first human ever seen in Equestria, so it’s an important anniversary!” Pinkie Pie replied promptly while performing one of her springy hops. “I hope it’ll be just as fun for you next year. I really wanted to make you smile with this party. And I hardly ever see you smile. My other friends smile a lot of the time, but I think I only see you smile half the time.”

I suppose she has a point there. Despite Pinkie and I being on very good terms with each other, I am actually impressed by how little in common we have. Where she is peppy and optimistic, I am much more mellow and…not nearly as optimistic. She is definitely my foil. Come to think of it, I believe that is the same kind of connection she has with Twilight Sparkle as well… Huh. I suppose Twilight and I have more in common than I expected. Of course, just because we have so little in common does not mean I dislike her. I sincerely appreciate Pinkie’s exuberance and hold her close to my heart. And she always makes me smile.

“You notice that, huh? Well, it doesn’t mean I’m unhappy or anything. I’m just really relaxed most of the time.” I explained, wanting to reassure Pinkie that I am not a person suffering from chronic depression.

My friend grinned brightly at me before speaking. “Yeah, I know. But it feels really good whenever I make you smile. The smiles you don’t see very often are usually the nicest to see.”

“Aww… Come here, Pinkie.” I said while holding out my arms to her. She did not miss a beat and quickly wrapped her arms around me while I did the same. However, I soon felt a familiar sensation as more and more arms embraced me in a group hug. Next thing I knew, my other five dearest friends were around me and holding me in a tender embrace. “Girls…?”

Applejack spoke first. “Happy anniversary, pardner.”

“One full year already… How time flies. Right, darlings?” Rarity added without even opening her eyes.

“And hopefully the first of many.” Twilight swhispered with her lips being almost right next to my ear. This group hug… I had received one just like it on my first night in Ponyville. How nostalgic…

Before much more time had passed, the sound of hooves clopping could be heard coming down the stairs. And soon, I noticed Derpy stick her head out from behind the wall of the stairwell behind the counter and look at us. “Uh… Bad time to say goodbye?”

At her words, my friends let go of me and scattered a bit. Rainbow, noticeably less drunk than before, spoke up first. “Uh… Nope! What’s up? You heading out?”

Derpy grinned before trotting over to us while Celestia, Nightmare Moon, Luna, Mitta, Cadence, and Shining Armor soon followed. “Yeah, I need to get home to rest up for tomorrow. Postal workers gotta stay on top of their schedules!”

She went right over to me for a goodbye hug and that is exactly what I gave her. “It was great to have you with us tonight, Derpy. Have things been better at your workplace?”

The mailmare nodded while looking at me with her yellow derped eyes. “Uh huh. I do get criticized when I screw up, but they don’t rub it in anymore. I just have to learn from my mistakes so I don’t keep making everypony mad. But anyway, I need to get going. See you later! And happy anniversary!” With one last wave, Derpy trotted out the door and took to the air just before the door could close.

“Derpy’s such a sweetheart, isn’t she?” Fluttershy asked while Cadence and Shining Armor began to draw near.

“Yup. It’s always nice to have her around.” I replied to her while I turned my gaze to the young couple who was looking at me. “You guys heading out?”

Shining Armor nodded while gesturing with his hoof. “Yeah, I got a bunch of new recruits in and need to teach them how to properly use spears tomorrow. And Estoc doesn’t know the first thing about using spears.”

Twilight then trotted over her brother and gave him a traditional equine hug while he draped his arm over her back. “It was great to see you, bro. You coming for Nightmare Night in a couple of months?”

For some reason, Shining Armor seemed to smirk while pausing to think for a moment. “Oooh… Maybe. We’ll have to come up with some costume designs first.” However, he then looked over at Cadence and gave her a wink. “Honey, I don’t think you and Twilight have done ‘it’ since the last time. Wanna fix that?”

Twilight and Cadence immediately glanced at each other before grinning enthusiastically. They then winked at each other before standing before each other and… Actually, I am very sure I already described this little skit during the journal entry I wrote on the night I first attended the Grand Galloping Gala. Regardless, they chanted together while the rest of us looked on. “Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!”

Quite a few of the partygoers around me got a good giggle at just how adorable that performance was. I merely crossed my arms and shook my head while smiling broadly. “Man, that never gets old.”

Once Cadence and Twilight had shared a hug, Cadence then approached me and extended a hoof to me. “It was a pleasure getting to know you a bit better. We really didn’t have much time to chat last time.”

I smiled while reaching out and holding the lovely alicorn in a tender embrace while she did the same. She really is quite the sweetheart, almost as if she is just bursting with tenderness. “Likewise. It was great to see you again.”

Shining Armor and I shared a friendly handshake before he and his wife made their way to the doorway. “Awesome party, but it’s time to get going. We don’t wanna miss the last train to Canterlot. Take care!” We all bid them farewell and watched them head off into the night.

Lastly, it was the royal sisters’ turn to say farewell. They did not seem to have much time to actually speak though. Celestia was quick to share one last equine hug with Twilight before the three of them made their way to the door. Luna spoke first while showing a satisfied smile. “It was great to see you all again, but we must be returning to Canterlot at once. The guards and servants must be in quite an uproar by now since they cannot find my sister anywhere.” She rolled her eyes before smirking at Celestia.

The Princess of the Dawn giggled rather nervously while backing away towards the door. “Oh, come now, Luna. It was worth it! I seldom get to just let loose at parties like this!”

Nightmare Moon then chuckled while using magic to hold the front door open for her sisters. “We really should attend these parties more often. But yes, it is time for us to depart. Thank you for the invitations. And sweetest dreams for all of you, my friends.”

While my friends bid them farewell, I was left silent for a moment. The last of the princesses to head out the door was Nightmare Moon. And as she stepped outside, I noticed her glance back at me for a second just before the door closed behind her. A sense of desperation came over me. Celestia’s words from earlier echoed in my mind. I had to do something before they could depart. “Excuse me.”

Without much thought, I pushed my way through the front door and looked around. The area was dark, a half moon hanging in the sky. I glanced around quickly, catching sight of the three alicorns as they ascended into the air with wings spread. I did all I could to get their attention and called out. “Wait!”

Fortunately, they were not quite out of earshot. The three princesses stopped ascending and began to hover in place. They were quite a sight, their grand wings spread wide while flapping to keep them airborne. All three gazed down at me. I was unsure of what to say. I was not even sure of what I wanted. However, Celestia then inched closer to Nightmare Moon and seemed to whisper something to her. Immediately afterward, the Princess of Dreams descended and landed before me. Her gaze showed curiosity. “You wished to see me, my friend?”

Celestia must have known exactly what I had wanted. I did not even say anything. Even so, I tried to be honest. “Well… Uh…” I then took a step closer. “I kind of…don’t want to see you go.”

A pained expression filled the beautiful and exotic eyes of the mare before me. Her response was soft while her sisters hovered above us. “I… I do not wish to leave either.”

After a moment more of silence, I reached out to her at exactly the same time she did. I then held my friend in my arms while she did the same. I could feel myself quiver for an instant. Was I…falling in love? No, it could not possibly be that. She is precious to me. Oh so precious. But my heart belongs to Fluttershy. Even so… What was I feeling? It was certainly a rare sensation. I just felt so…serene in her grasp at that time.

I could hear every sigh that escaped my friend’s lips as I held her against me. My hand caressed the back of her neck with long slow strokes. Soon, she spoke softly to me. “I will see you before long in your dreams. Wait for me, my friend.”

“Sounds good to me.” I replied briefly, my lungs releasing a long sigh of my own.

I am not certain exactly how much time passed. But when we did release our grasps on each other, it was too soon. I could still see the want in her eyes. I wish we could have spent more time together, but I know her duties as a princess come first. A burden of royalty that I have no love for. Even so, she did crack a smile and whisper to me. “My sister dropped something off at your home. She will send some guards to retrieve it in the morning, so enjoy it this evening.”

I was baffled by this revelation. Celestia dropped off something for me to borrow for the night? Now I was curious. “Um… Thanks?”

As much as I did not want to see her depart, I had no choice. After one last tender embrace, I watched as Nightmare Moon spread her sable wings and rose into the air. She and her sisters waved at me while I waved back at them. They then turned and soared higher into the night sky and flew east until they vanished from sight beyond the rooftops.

I did not look away until the three royal alicorns could no longer be seen against the deep blue canvas spread over the night sky. But when I turned around to head back inside Sugarcube Corner, I found all of my remaining friends already standing outside waiting for me.

“Ya forget to say goodbye?” Applejack asked while my friends drew near.

“I guess you could say… Wait, where’d you find them?” I retorted while noticing that Spike and Scootaloo were fast asleep on Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy’s backs respectively. Did they finally succumb to their internal clocks and pass out somewhere?

Mitta flashed me a grin before proceeding to explain. “I found them asleep under the refreshment table. The tablecloth was hanging low enough to hide them.”

Pinkie Pie then rubbed her hoof against her chin in pondering. “Hmmm, I was wondering why we were two guests short for the last twenty minutes. I didn’t think they left.”

Twilight giggled in response while looking back at her sleeping passenger. “Well, it is past Spike’s bedtime. And Scootaloo has school tomorrow, right?”

Fluttershy responded before I could. “Oh, right. She does. We better get her home so we can get her in bed.”

However, Rainbow Dash then spoke up with a voice that sounded even more slurred than the one she was speaking with a few hours earlier. “Hey, you just leave that to me. I’ll…ugh…I’ll drop her off at your place for you. And you two can bunk at my place for toni…for… What was I saying again?”

Every last mare there was giving her funny looks after hearing that. And with how she was constantly swaying… I finally had to address this. “Rainbow, I thought you were just about sober by now!”

“She ain’t! I saw ‘er drinkin’ from the 50% cask! I reckon she downed at least a tankard of the stuff before I got to ‘er!” Applejack explained while looking mildly annoyed. Was she just going for the strong stuff because of how easily it loosened her up? Rainbow Dash has never given off the vibe of an alcoholic. Perhaps she just really digs the cider Sweet Apple Acres cranks out now and then and goes out of her way to gorge herself on as much as she can whenever the opportunity arises.

“Yeah, I did! So whaddya say we… Uh… We head on over to my place for some…fun games and…and… Whoa, I’m seeing triple the goodness now! Wanna make it a threesome? Or a…foursome?” She spoke up without any shame. And…was she suffering from double vision?!

Rarity was clearly unnerved by just what Rainbow Dash was hinting at. No subtlety at all. “Rainbow… I believe all that alcohol has finally gone to your head… Perhaps you should get home right now and guzzle some water to avoid a hangover when you wake up in the morning.”

Before Rainbow could inquire further on my decision, I decided to settle it right there. “Before you say anything else, no. I’m not bunking with you tonight. Not like I could anyway, seeing as how your house is made of clouds.”

This clearly got through to her, even if her judgment was greatly hindered at the time. “Ooooh, good point. Well, maybe some other time! I guess I gotta swap out all that cloud for some wood.”

Rainbow Dash then went airborne, albeit while constantly swaying from side to side with her wings flapping out of sync. Twilight was clearly concerned for our drunken friend and called out to her before she could fly off. “Rainbow, you’re too drunk to fly properly! Just walk until you get home!”

However, Rainbow was having none of Twilight’s advice. “What are ya talking about?! I’ve flown drunk before! Besides, I’m unstoppable! Anyway, I’ll see you girls to…ow!” Sure enough, she flew smack into Sugarcube Corner’s roof while we all looked on with laughs and chuckles filling the air. In all honesty, it was hard not to laugh.

“Ugh… I’m OK! Anyway, I’ll talk to ya some…oof!” She spoke out before being interrupted by a face-first collision with a house across the road. “I mean… I guess I’ll…Argh! Aw, forget it!” Finally, after another loud thud, she just swooped out of sight without saying anything else. However, we then heard another distant crash and a yell from Rainbow Dash while we all burst into hysterical laughter. “DANG IT!!!”

“Well, you can’t deny she makes for some great entertainment when she’s in that state! And I guess I learned something new today! Never fly drunk!” I spoke up once my laughter had ceased.

“Is she always that heavy a drinker?” Mitta asked while wiping some tears from her eyes. She must have been laughing especially hard.

“Well, when it comes ta my cider, she drinks like a fish. Gotta remember ta keep ‘er away from the stronger stuff from now on.” Applejack replied while shaking her head with a big amused smirk on her lips.

“Well, I really need to get back inside and help clean the place up. We’re open tomorrow, you know! And thanks for coming!” Pinkie Pie spoke up before heading back over to the front door. But just before she could open it, my party animal of a friend looked over at me and gave me a wink. “And thank you for coming to Ponyville in the first place, James!”

“I know… Can you believe it’s only been a year by now? It almost feels like it was just a couple of months ago.” Fluttershy replied while looking up at me with a timid smile.

“I can hardly believe it myself. Man, time flies. But in all fairness, we really should be getting home now. Gotta get Scoot to bed.” I replied while looking down at the sleeping filly on my girlfriend’s back.

“Right, we really shouldn’t be keeping you. We’ll all chat again very soon, darlings. Let’s be off now, Mitta. And stellar party, Pinkie Pie.” Rarity said next before she began to walk off into the night with Mitta by her side. However, Mitta then looked over her shoulder and waved at all of us.

“I really enjoyed the party! Let’s do this again sometime!” She spoke loudly while Rarity too waved goodbye. One by one, we all said our farewells before heading home. As fun as those kinds of parties are, they tend to wear you out.

Fluttershy must have been just as tired as I was on the way home. We hardly spoke at all. Although I suppose it would be hard to speak considering the atmosphere. The occasional hiss of cicadas serenaded the chirping and ringing of crickets while we were bathed by the glow of the moon. Definitely a little bit of magic you can only hear in summer. And when we began to cross the meadow that our home stood in, the audio magic was joined by a visual form of magic that you seldom get to see. Hundreds upon hundreds of fireflies rapidly flashing their glows like malfunctioning holiday lights. Fluttershy and I could not really bring ourselves to speak as we walked. If you heard and saw what we were experiencing at the time, you too would likely be rendered speechless while indulging yourself in such sights and sounds.

Scootaloo stayed fast asleep throughout the entire trek. Once we finally did reach our home and step inside though, I noticed something slightly out of the ordinary. Sitting in the middle of a small round blue table just past the fireplace was a shiny silver chalice with a lid on top. “Waaaaiiiiit a minute… Do I know that from somewhere?”

Fluttershy seemed to know exactly what I was thinking and winked at me. “Maybe. Why not take a look inside?”

We approached the table together while Scootaloo remained sprawled out on Fluttershy’s back, light snores coming from the little pegasus. When I removed the lid, I saw exactly what I was expecting. A shifting and swirling liquid consisting of a dark blue and white. A familiar liquid metal that I had not seen for a while. I then smirked while looking down at my girlfriend with a shifty stare. “You asked for this to be delivered to us, didn’t you? Care to explain why?”

Fluttershy snickered a bit under her breath, apparently finding it funny that I figured it out so quickly. “Well… Yes. I sent a message to Princess Celestia asking if she could bring your armor down here today so we could use it tonight. I was thinking that…um…” She then began to blush, though she hardly seemed afraid. “I was wondering if…if you would like to go out for a…moonlit flight with me. Just the two of us to celebrate this anniversary together.”

A flight under the moon with the girl I love? Could she have possibly come up with a more romantic way for us to spend time together? I sighed while looking down at her with a warm smile. “How could I possibly say no to that? That is one of the most romantic scenarios I’ve ever heard of.” While Fluttershy grinned brightly as a giggle escaped her throat, I gently lifted Scootaloo into my arms. “Just let me get the scooter princess to bed and I’ll suit up.”

“All right. I’ll be out back checking on the chickens. See you soon, honey.” Fluttershy replied sweetly before trotting right back out the front door. With no one else to speak to me, I carried my little sister into the side room. I saw little Angela perched on a lantern in the corner. Seeing that my pet dove was fast asleep, I decided to let her sleep in peace.

After pulling down the covers on the little bed, I gently set Scootaloo on the sheets while making certain her head was rested upon the pillow before covering her. While still light, I swear she is significantly heavier when asleep than she is while awake. Once covered, I made certain to tuck her in.

Dear little Scootaloo… I cannot fathom that it has been just one day shy of a full year since I first met her. And now she sleeps near me as my own adopted sister. Although… I do have to wonder. Whatever became of her parents? Do they still live? Was she truly orphaned or merely abandoned?

I shook my head while letting out a sigh. There is probably no one in Ponyville who knows the answer by now. And by this point, I suppose it is irrelevant. I am the only family she has now as her brother. And I will confess, while she can be a handful at times, she is quite fun to hang out with. I do not regret allowing her to stay with Fluttershy and I at all.

I felt warmth fill my body while I looked down at the pegasus filly before me. Her head was resting on its side, a barely noticeable smile on her lips. Despite being a complete tomboy, she is just such a precious child. And I adore her for what she is. However, I did not want to keep my lover waiting long. As silently as possible, I lowered my head and placed a soft kiss upon Scootaloo’s cheek. “Sweet dreams, sis. Love you.”

Not wanting to keep Fluttershy waiting any longer than necessary, I walked back into the living room before sliding my shoes off. I then stuck my hand into the liquid and waited. I felt the liquid metal creeping over me. Sliding and stretching. It covered every bit of flesh and cloth on me, but I never once felt my clothes become wet from absorbing any of it. Bit by bit, the liquid hardened and solidified into a cool metal. And soon, I stood clad in my armor once more. I had all but forgotten how spectacular its design is. And I soon remembered the wings on the back when I tried to get through the front door.

I actually had to take a minute to get myself through the door’s frame. I normally have to duck through the doorway already, so having to do so with a suit of sturdy plate armor covering me and a pair of large wings folded behind my back certainly does not help. Normally, pegasi and alicorns have their wings neatly and compactly folded against their sides. But because my wings have to be much larger in order to lift both my own weight and the armor’s, they are simply too large to fold in the same way and hang down behind me instead. That takes up quite a bit of space.

Finally, I managed to squeeze my way out the door and closed it behind me. I then decided to get myself reacquainted with my armor’s functions. Namely, the wings. Almost as if reacting to my will, the white wings on my back spread wide open. Despite having not flown for around three months, I soon found everything coming back to me like an old pro and began to ascend into the air. Deciding to catch Fluttershy by surprise, I flew right over the bushy roof of her cottage and held my wings wide open to slowly descend towards the chicken coop in the backyard.

The chickens began to squawk and scatter while I slowly and silently floated down from above. Fluttershy was not facing my direction and clearly did not see me coming. “What’s wrong?! Girls, please calm down!”

I cracked a smirk at Fluttershy’s obliviousness and landed with a light clank just outside the coop. Even she did not overlook that sound and turned to face me. Her gaze became one of… I cannot find the right word for it, but she fell silent without once blinking while she looked up at me. “Oh…my…”

“Hey there, honey. Ready to fly?” I asked while waving at her with a smile. I had forgotten that I had my wings spread and was reminded of it when I felt myself lean to one side when my left wing got caught in a gust.

“I had completely forgotten how amazing your armor is, James…” Fluttershy said softly before hovering up to me. She ran her hooves over my wings while closely inspecting them. “I love how the moonlight shines right off of them. Rarity was right. Your armor is simply fabulous.”

I suppose she had a point right there. I had actually forgotten that my wings have quite a luster to them. Despite looking and feeling like soft feathered wings, they are entirely composed of a sturdy metal. And that gives them quite a shine under the light. “Heh, I guess so. Stylish and functional, the best of both worlds.”

When Fluttershy looked away from me, she seemed to notice that the chickens had ducked inside the coop for the evening. Or perhaps they were just hiding from me. That big wingspan must have caused them to mistake me for a large bird of prey. “Well… I guess it’s just us now.” She spoke softly before ascending a bit higher into the air. She then looked down at me and gave me a wink. “Shall we?”

I smirked while preparing my wings for flight. “Absolutely. Lead on, honey.”

With a great flap, I propelled myself into the air and took off after the lovely pegasus. We rose higher and higher into the night sky, there being hardly a cloud in the sky to obscure Luna’s beautiful moon and the shimmering stars dotting the night sky. Our rate of ascension was fairly low, although I am sure Fluttershy preferred it that way. She is not exactly one for heights. While we flew lazily over Ponyville, I felt so calm and relaxed while just gliding along. The sense of freedom that comes from self-generated flight… I can now say that if I had to choose what kind of pony I would like to become, it would have to be a pegasus. Or an alicorn, if possible. You cannot beat the convenience of both flight and magic. But I would definitely choose to be a pegasus if my choices consisted of just the three primary races.

Fluttershy and I would often glance at each other. At one point, we even got into a game of aerial tag. While my larger and stronger wings allowed for greater speed, Fluttershy’s smaller form made her a bit more nimble and harder to touch. It was a silly little game, though we both got some laughs out of it. And it was just us and no one else.

Finally, I happened to notice something float in front of the moon. Quite possibly the only cloud in the sky. Being in the mood to just chill for a while, I called out to Fluttershy before pointing to the cloud. She seemed to understand and flew up to it along with me. I almost expected to fall right through it, but it felt quite solid against my armored form. Try to imagine the softest cushion you could possibly touch. That is the best way to describe it.

Fluttershy bounded right over to me and gave me a very content smile. “There’s nothing like resting on a cloud, is there?”

“Nope. No wonder Rainbow Dash keeps nodding off when she rests on these. If someone could find a way to turn these things into bedding for unicorns and earth ponies, they could easily start a monopoly on the mattress market.” I retorted while snuggling myself into the white cushion below me. Overall, it was not terribly large. Perhaps half the size of our bedroom back home. And despite not wearing my armor’s matching helmet, my head rested firmly upon the cloud as well. Must be some sort of magic that affects the entire body that is built into the armor.

My girlfriend giggled at my words, apparently finding the thought of mattresses made of clouds being sold in stores to be rather silly. I could already imagine Rainbow Dash rushing in and obliterating them with punches and kicks for…well…kicks. Perhaps selling these would not be a good idea since pegasi can easily destroy them. Anyway, Fluttershy then curled up beside me with her head resting against the side of my chest.

The two of us just lay there beside each other. My hand tenderly caressed her side over and over, my eyes directed towards the moon hanging in the night sky. “Such a shame it’s not a full moon tonight. That would make this moment even better.”

“Well, you know what they say. There’s a full moon pretty much every twenty-eight days.” Fluttershy replied softly while smiling up at me.

Just floating on a cloud in the night sky while being illuminated by the moon and stars. Just… I could not make this up if I tried. We hardly even talked. We were just basking in each other’s presence. Although Fluttershy did eventually break the silence. “I can’t believe it’s been a full year… I hope we’ll have many more years ahead of us together.”

“Yeah… Doesn’t even feel like it’s been that long. But it’s been a grand year, hasn’t it?” I retorted while leaning down and placing a kiss on my lover’s head. However, a thought then popped into my head seemingly from nowhere. “Actually… We’ve been together for quite a while now. Do you think your folks would be OK with us being together?”

Fluttershy did not immediately reply. She did not even look up at me. It was not until after a good ten seconds that she finally did respond. “About them… My parents…”

That was when I made a sudden realization. I have seen Twilight’s parents, Pinkie has shown me photos of her family, I have met Rarity’s parents, and I have met a few members of Applejack’s family, but I have not once seen or heard of Rainbow Dash’s or Fluttershy’s family members. And I was already getting a bad feeling about them in my gut. “Um… You’re not estranged from them, are you?”

My girlfriend shook her head and looked up at me with a rather unhappy expression. “No, it’s not that… Um… Well, you did tell me about yours. I guess I should tell you about mine.”

I leaned back a bit to allow Fluttershy to rest more easily upon me. I had a bad feeling about what she was going to say. After taking a deep breath, she began to speak. “I never knew my father… And my mother never talked about him. It was always just the two of us. And she was always so sweet and gentle. I really loved her.”

The lack of a father in her life actually said quite a bit about Fluttershy’s character. Without a strong masculine person in her life, she likely did not have someone to instill confidence into her. But still, I would not have Fluttershy be any other way than how she is right now. Regardless, she continued to speak. Although what she said next was not what I expected. “Do you remember that lullaby I made?”

“You mean the one that starts with ‘Hush now, quiet now’? Yeah, that’s a very cute and soft lullaby. What about it?” I retorted, knowing that lullaby all too well by that point.

“Well, it used to have different lyrics, but I changed them because…it kept making ponies cry. They were too depressing.” Fluttershy explained while looking noticeably disheartened.

“Depressing? Why would a lullaby be depressing? The purpose of a lullaby is to soothe someone into feeling calm and relaxed so they may fall asleep more easily. How could the lyrics be depressing like that?” I asked, finding it difficult to comprehend that there could be a lullaby that makes one cry instead of feeling calm.

Fluttershy bowed her head for a moment in silence before she looked up at me again. When she did, I felt my heart sink. Tears were beginning to form at the edges of her eyes. “Because…I came up with that lullaby for my mother. I sang it to her when she was on her deathbed…”

I… I did not have any words to say to that. Fluttershy’s mother… Dead? I… What could I possibly say to that? No father in her life, and now her mother was gone… Although there was one thing I had to ask. “May I…hear the original version of the song?”

She was clearly hesitant, but she soon nodded. “OK… But just this once. It hurts for me to sing it now…”

I gently placed my hand over Fluttershy’s hoof. I wanted her to know that I was there for her. And then… She began to sing. “Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head… Hush now, quiet now, prepare for the path ahead…”

It was then that she spoke lyrics I did not recognize. Lyrics that instantly caused my throat to tighten as if some sort of magic was carried within them. As she softly sang, I could hear her voice breaking. And I am not surprised she had chosen to not sing this version of the song again in so long. “Drift, drift up above, the angels are beside you then… Drift, drift up above, one day we’ll meet again…”

Such power in those words… As if summoned from nowhere, I felt the tears flow… I brought my spare hand to my face, holding my fingers over my eyes while I grit my teeth. I shuddered as muffled sobs escaped my throat. How in the world could a song so simple… So brief… How could such a song invoke such powerful sorrow in those who hear it?

I felt Fluttershy wrap her arms around me. I felt her shudder against me as I heard light sobs from her as well… That song… It was her way of saying goodbye to her mother. And what a way to say goodbye it was…

I reached down and held Fluttershy in my arms. I felt her arms wrap around me while our heads rested beside each other. I soon heard Fluttershy whisper with a choking voice. “Now you know why…I had to change the lyrics…”

I sniffled and gasped for a moment longer. I tried to shake off these overwhelming emotions, though it was not easy. “I see your point… But still…that was beautiful, Fluttershy… I think it really fit the moment when you sung it to your mom…”

I felt her nod against my pauldron. “I know… She… She died right after I sang it to her… I hope she heard me…”

“I know she did, honey… There’s no way she couldn’t have heard you…” I whispered back to her, my hand tenderly stroking down her back. “Do you… Do you think she would’ve liked me…?”

Fluttershy nodded with a slightly more uplifting tone to her voice when she spoke. “She would have loved you… I know she would… I wish you could have met her.”

A long gasping sigh surged forth from my throat. “Me too… She sounds like she was a sweetheart…”

Fluttershy soon pulled away from me and gazed at me with her glistening tearful eyes. “I came to Ponyville right after that happened… And…my friends became the most important people in my life… But…you’re the most important thing to me now, James… I’m… I’m so happy that you chose me… You could have ended up with Rarity, or maybe Twilight… But you chose me in the end…”

It was then that I came to a powerful realization. When all is said and done… When everything is considered… I believe that it is Fluttershy who needs me most. I gently held her hoof in my hand and gazed into her eyes. She had always been precious to me, but now… I felt that bond deepen further. She needs me. And I want to be there for her.

“You’ll always have me, honey. I won’t ever leave you.” I spoke softly yet firmly.

From that moment forward, there were no words. I held her in my arms while she held me in hers. The two of us gazed up at the moon and stars above. Where I am sure her mother was looking back at us…

That is all I am willing to write for today. This day… It was full of laughs, full of tenderness, and even full of tears. I believe this may have been the most fulfilling and important day I have had in Equestria for quite some time. My first full year here has ended and I can only fathom what lies ahead for me and the wonderful people who have made my life here so enjoyable. There are good times ahead for us and I intend to document them all so I can look back on them and smile.

Thank you all… I cannot express how content I am as I lie in bed now. Fluttershy is beside me sleeping soundly and I will soon join her. I love her… I love her so much. And I will always be there for her and for those I hold dear. I love my friends. I love this world. I… Just… Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you.

Volume 2 ends here. Volume 3, Mortal Chaos, begins next chapter.

Words from the author

Due to massive backlash against the length of this chapter, I have divided it into two halves. However, I wish to inform my readers that having to divide up my chapters is a significant pet peeve of mine and unless size restrictions forces me to do so, I am in no way obligated to go out of my way to do this. This is the last time I will be catering to the critics like this. Writing this story is challenging enough and I do not plan the lengths. So from now on if the length of a chapter shocks you, pace yourself and use the site's bookmark function. You can't always get what you want.