I waited in the living room while Fluttershy brushed her mane. We were supposed to leave in five minutes, so I hoped she would hurry up. I sat impatiently on the couch, fussing with my suit, listening to the clock tick-tock. It was in fact the same suit I wore to my wedding, Blood Ruby clips glistening. I was both nervous and excited, this being my first formal meeting with a friend since… Well, I can’t even remember. It had been far too long, and I felt bad about putting them aside for so long, but nowadays I simply couldn’t keep up with friends. I hadn’t seen Rainbow Dash or Twilight for nearly a month now, and I had forgotten what it was like to have a Pinkie Pie Party. The only reason I even see Rarity regularly is because she comes by every Thursday for her spa appointment with Fluttershy. Hell, I hadn’t seen Applejack since that apple bucking session a while back. It had been far too long since I had seen any of my friends, and I really feel like I should put aside more time for them, impending doom or not.

I shifted around uncomfortably on the couch as I waited for Fluttershy. A few minutes later, Fluttershy came downstairs, her mane well-brushed, and her form looking simply beautiful. She was wearing a stunning green dress with white trim, surely a work of Rarity’s. She had a small pink crystal butterfly in her mane, its surface glistening a hundred different directions in the light of the house… when did she buy it?

“Red Storm, are you ready?” she said, fluttering her eyelashes. She was wearing a pretty blue eyeshadow and had mascara. Great Luna, she had never been so alluring.

“Of course, my dear. I have been ready. Let us depart! Shall we fly?” Fluttershy thought for a moment before nodding. We headed out the door, waving goodbye to Angel and locking the door behind us. We both took off, dust trailing up behind us. I noticed that as of late, not only has Fluttershy become more confident, she is also a much stronger flier. She could actually keep up with me at a moderate pace. This was something I was rather proud of. I may even say that this marriage is just what she needed, but that is just vain.

We flew over the town just below the cloud line, taking in the sights. By now, the sun had begun its decent, the entire day having gone by now. We saw the scheduled spot below, and so we dove down, smiling at each other. It had been a while since we flew together, and never at such speeds. We must have been going at least thirty kilometers per hour. When we touched ground I saw that the restaurant was the same one that Ditzy and I had visited on our first date. Nearby, I spotted the Doctor and Ditzy herself standing by the door.

‘Hey look! The Doctor appears to have regenerated!’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘I thought he was dead meat after you drained him like you did, but I guess he was just fast enough.’

‘Again, what?’

‘Remember? You killed him!’ I paused in mid-step.

‘No… that was the Eternal Night… right?’

‘Just repeating what I remember, dude.’

‘This is very bad.’ I shook myself back into reality.

The Doctor was wearing a simple brown jacket, and Ditzy wore a nice black dress. She wore no makeup, and even still, she looked stunning… if not for her eyes. There is a special place in Tartarus for me. Ditzy spotted us and waved. We trotted over and said hello.

“Ditzy! Doctor! Good to see you both! It has been far too long! How are you both?” The Doctor chuckled.

“We are both doing quite well! And how are you two doing?” Fluttershy spoke up:

“We are also well. It really has been far too long. I hear you got a promotion, Ditzy!” The wall-eyed mare nodded.

“Yup! I did! But come on in, it’s getting cold out, and we can catch up inside.” We all nodded in agreement before stepping inside. The restaurant looked the same as it had that first day, excluding the fact that there was a strange blue horn adorning the wall now.

‘It looks like a basilisk dick!’

‘If they had one, numbskull.’

‘I know. It’s just funny to say.’

‘*sigh* You make our head hurt.’

While the voices in my head commented on the phallic-looking blue horn, we were seated in a small booth in the corner of the restaurant. I removed my coat and hung it on a rack, the Doctor doing the same. The mares sat in the middle of the booth, us gentlecolts on the ends. A waiter immediately came over and took our drink orders; The Doctor ordered water, Ditzy a plain cider, Fluttershy wine, and myself a strawberry daiquiri.

“So, pray tell, what sort of things have happened between you two since we last met?” asked The Doctor. I shrugged, taking a sip of my drink.

“We hadn’t been up to very much,” I said. “Most of our time these days is spent doing lovey-dovey things together like having picnics and walks in the park. I’ll admit it, I’m a complete sap.” Ditzy giggled, and The Doctor nodded. “What about the two of you? I hear Dinky enjoys your company greatly, Doctor.” It was still weird calling him that. I really needed to ask him his name, even if it killed me(him).

“No need to call me that now. We’re all friends here, right? After all, you introduced me to Ditzy here. My name is Time Turner. ‘The Doctor’ is just something I go by. A nickname of sorts. Admittably, I hadn’t actually told Ditzy until my first visit,” he said, blushing. Ditzy just nuzzled him affectionately. I nodded to this. ‘Well then, that solves that.’ He then answered my question:

“Things between Ditzy and I have been wonderful! And yes, Dinky and I get along famously as well. She even called me ‘Daddy’ the other day! She really is a bundle of joy.” His eyes were gleaming as he said this, and I couldn’t help but sigh in envy. They were a deliciously happy little family, not a care in the world.

‘Too bad they’re going to die…’

“I will not allow them to!” I snarled. I realized, once again, I was talking out loud. The three of them were looking at me sideways. “Apologies. I was thinking out loud.” Need to stop that… Ditzy continued:

“Not only is Dinky warming up to Time Turner, but she is also doing much better in school! Her grades have been improving, and she’s been making more friends too! All thanks to Time Turner!” The Doc- Time Turner waved her off.
“I do nothing more than give her a few lessons. I cannot teach her to be charismatic.” I smiled.

“I disagree. Having a father figure after so long has very likely boosted her self-esteem, along with her determination. I think you couldn’t have done more than simply be there for her.” Time Turner looked taken aback, but grinned widely.

“Why thank you, Red Storm. I appreciate that. Now, enough about Ditzy and I, let’s hear a bit more about you!” Before we could start, however, the waiter returned to take our orders. Time Turner ordered fish and chips (‘It's good for your coat, and excellent protein!’), Ditzy ordered a platter of muffins (who’ve guessed?), Fluttershy ordered a green salad, and I ordered a haysteak. Really! Haysteak! The things they can make out of hay…

Once our orders were placed, Ditzy picked up the conversation again.

“So you never answered Time Turner. What’s been up with you two? Have you two... thought about foals?” I choked on my daiquiri.

“No, not at the moment. We’re just trying to enjoy our lives to the fullest. We may consider it when situations change.” I glanced at Fluttershy, who looked a bit down. “Of course, we will certainly find the time to in the near Future,” I quickly added. She perked back up. I just hope she didn’t think I meant that soon.

“That’s great! I honestly think that you can’t truly live until you have a foal. They really do change your life… for the better.” Ditzy leaned on Time Turner as they looked at the two of us, eyes full of joy. I chuckled, and Fluttershy planted a kiss on my cheek.

“I’m not sure if we’re ready for so much change just yet. Like Red Storm said, maybe soon.” I smiled again. The four of us continued to chat, recalling recent events and catching up. After a while, the waiter returned with our food. We talked between bites, laughing at every funny story. We enjoyed each other’s company for another several hours, talking about everything we could think of. We continued this until it became late. I paid the bill(much to Time Turner’s duress) and we stepped outside. We waved and parted ways, myself and Fluttershy headed home, while Time Turner said he need to speak with Ditzy. We took off to the sky, but in mid-flight, I stopped Fluttershy. “Wait,” I told her. We sat down on a cloud and looked down at them. We watched as I saw Time Turner get down on his knees, and pull out a ring, as Ditzy squealed in joy. I smiled lightly, and nodded for us to head back. While we were flying, Fluttershy asked me:

“Red Storm, how did you know Time Turner was going to propose?” I chuckled, shaking my head.

“He had that look in his eyes. The kind you see in a colt that is in love. True love. The kind that will never die.”

“Like ours?” Fluttershy said, smiling back at me.

“Just like ours.”

We arrived at thecottage a few minutes later. We landed, walked inside, and closed the door behind us. I was not surprised to find Angel sleeping on the couch again. Fluttershy moved him to his small bed in the corner of the room and tucked him in. I moved upstairs, Fluttershy close behind. She changed out of her dress while I removed and hung my suit. We laid down in bed, snuggling up against one another. Fluttershy looked up to me, and I gazed into her eyes.

“Red Storm… will we be able to have foals? I mean… will we survive what’s coming?” My face grew stern.

“I assure you, we will. I want you to stop worrying. I will handle this. I will make sure we all make it out of this alive and well. Ok?” I nuzzled her on the nose. “Don’t worry. I swear I will do everything in my power to protect us. Sleep. I am here to protect you.”

I held Fluttershy close, and in a few minutes, she was asleep.

“I will sooner die than lose you…”