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As I moved through the motions of one of my simpler kung fu forms, I couldn't stop myself from drifting in thought. I often let my mind wander while I had a spare mental moment, doing what I could to take in everything that had happened since arriving here. Arms and legs snapped out and in and around in blocks and strikes in the choreographed dance I had gone through so many times that it was second nature and all but automatic, mind unable to avoid the big bag of mixed feelings that had had turned into my idle thinking as I thought about the wild turn my life had taken.

It was already three and a half weeks since I caught Twilight as she fell, jumping off her balcony to save her and earning more than a few injuries in her stead. And just over a month since finding that orb in the forest and I appeared in the Equestrian sky over Ponyville without warning, mostly unconscious when Twilight caught me, which in turn somehow led us into experiencing a life-threatening magic flux.

Just the three days after those events had been an overwhelming rush of experiences, with how sudden everything had been. So much, so fast...and then it was like everything turned into a routine somehow, an almost hazy blur of calmer events that were all fuzzy for some reason when I thought of them. Everything was fuzzy, almost rosy and lighter feeling than I thought it should feel, when I thought back to something even seconds after experiencing it, but neither I nor Twilight had any reason for why just yet.

Granted, part of the calmness came from my also asking Twilight if we could keep out of sight for the most part to slow things down, to give me a chance to adjust. It worked well with the doctor recommending we minimize being in public, just to be sure the flux was gone in full. I had been surprised to hear younger ponies and those without their marks were especially vulnerable to catching a magic flux, if it was a transmissible kind, though oddly enough only for interaction lasting half an hour or so, or regular physical contact beyond a minute or two, with some instances of shorter durations according to past cases. I didn't understand everything, but Twilight kept a special field around us whenever we were near other ponies, just to be safe. And lacking any way to tell if we were capable of transmission, it meant a good part of our hiding out was also out of precaution...and yet at the same time, life around us had also gotten calmer somehow. It all just...went quiet. Of course, my mind never did, unable to slow down, even as I kept a certain focus on the form I was performing.

Twilight and I had grown much closer over the past few weeks, finding ourselves past caring about exactly how much our link pushed us to be together at first. It had been long enough for us to grow a more normal foundation for a relationship, finding each other to be kindred spirits in many ways, and surprised at how often we balanced each other in even the small struggles. I'd joked maybe we were just made for each other, drawing a giggle from her at the thought. It was nice how often we felt like we couldn't be closer, yet continue to find ourselves proven wrong once more. A high arcing kick moved into a dropped stance and block.

Her helping me get clean in the shower had given way to making a regular habit of shared bathing, even after I was long past any physical hindrances from injury. It was a nightly ritual before bed now, a relaxing end to our day. Granted, it was still far too much fun to get each other worked up with all the seducing and teasing, sometimes even being pretty brazen with it. Things had also grown easier over time as the strange intensity we had at first faded. Twilight hadn't been able to explain it, even tried checking us for subtle magic effects, just to be safe, but found nothing. It did leave us feeling more confident in our choosing to wait, at least. I made a sweep into a low strike before springing up to reverse the stance.

My shirtless form was streaked with sweat as I kept moving. I was still stuck double-checking myself in the mirror at times, looking for scars of my recent injuries, but there were no marks remaining from all the cuts and gashes. The only signs of injuries I had healed from were things I'd picked up on Earth. As I understood it, it was due to the way Equestrian sutures and ointments were made, given enchantments to prevent scarring and infection while boosting healing. It wasn't hard to figure out that the medical treatment capability here was well beyond that of Earth. I hadn't had a chance to look into it yet, but there was supposed to be some kind of magic that could even manage things like regrowing amputated limbs and other severe, otherwise irrecoverable injuries. Real miracle healing was a thing, if very limited in availability.

For now I was working hard to physically recover the level I'd been at before taking a forced break due to injuries sustained. Twilight had made occasional protests that I change my mind, but had refrained from attempting any more healing spells, leaving me to recover naturally. My rate of recovery had also impressed Doctor Hoofmeister, himself just giving me a few suggestions on avoiding unintended injury during workouts as I finished healing. The strength of my left shoulder was still catching up, though range of motion was solid as I brought my arm through a sweeping strike.

My mind turned to the town, kind of at a loss how there was still a bit of confetti detritus left from the massive party and carnival Pinkie had put together in celebration of various things revolving around Twilight and I, while pulling off charity fundraising at the same time so we weren't the sole focus of the event, as that would have left us uncomfortable as a result. It had also surpassed her previous party records. That train of thought led me to remember the one unpleasant part of the whole thing, the meeting with the press, and again thanking, well, Celestia and Luna, for specific laws preventing paparazzi issues around any royals, or national heroes like the girls were. Funny how waving a heavy financial axe at publishing companies that used wrongly gained media kept the system in check.

Leaping through a flip and following up with a few fast kicks, I attempted, and succeeded, to get the handspring correct, if struggling a touch to not tilt to one side. My shoulder had healed well, but the loss of strength was aggravating by the time I could return to more serious exercises. Testing myself at each step I had made, I only started on shoulder-heavy moves as of yesterday. Another week or two and I would be happy to leave it all as a memory.

Finishing up the form and giving it a proper close out, I flashed Twilight a smile. She had gotten into a habit of waking up with me and watching my workouts once I recovered enough. I'd gotten her to join me a few times for some of the exercises she was physically compatible with, discovering Equestrian ponies had a much better range of motion than I'd expected of a quadruped, though she tended to prefer watching. She had also asked that we still sleep in at least once per week, a request I was more than happy to oblige.

Starting into my cooldown cycle as I began my full Tai Chi form, I thought of when we had taken my exercise routines outside after most of a second week of healing. I was a little bothered the first couple days as I seemed to draw a small crowd of early risers, but by this point, it was only two or three ponies stopping to watch my workouts at most. There was only one pegasus onlooker this morning, though I didn't know her name.

The careful motions of Tai Chi also helped to soothe away the storm of thoughts I couldn't shake as the form absorbed me a bit more, my focus drawn into the slow and specific positions one after the other, giving me some time to cool my mind again for the long minutes it took to go through the form.

"It looks like your shoulder is almost as strong as it was before. How does it feel?" Twilight asked with a small smile after I closed out the form and started towards her.

Giving my left shoulder a wide rotation a few times in each direction first, I took a seat next to her at the base of the tree we called home and kissed her cheek, "A little off balance in the handsprings still, a lingering bit of soreness, but it should be gone in another week or so at most."

Twilight made a face at me, her muzzle taking on an adorable wrinkling as she scrunched it up and gave me one of her looks when she didn't want to repeat something yet again. Playful, yet enough to remind me as I gave her a smirk.

Holding my hands out in front and gathering some magic between my palms for a second before directing it over myself, I cast a simple spell. It was a rather practical little thing we had come up with together during a spell creation lesson. Twilight had planned to use something else, but I suggested trying something a little more pragmatic, considering I was capable of something more challenging than a unicorn colt would have been at my level of development.

While she did most of the assembling, demonstrating as she went, now I had a helpful post-workout aid that was quick to dry the sweat on my body and clearing some of the dust and bits of grass off me. It was more for casting practice really, and wouldn't help with anything more than an hour old or too substantial for balancing reasons I was still learning, but Twilight had come to enjoy my quick cleanup, saying it made me clear for cuddles right after my workout when I was extra warm. She grinned once I was done, leaning close to snuggle against my side and planting a kiss on my cheek.

"Did you want to do more theory or practical application today?" Twilight asked as my arm pulled her a little closer.

Musing for a moment, "Practical applications, I think. I still want to work on the various preparations for the basic teleport spell... Yikes...I can hardly believe I'm getting ready to use actual teleportation magic and can learn to teleport myself soon after. This is cool and staggering at the same time... You're still curious if I'll singe myself, or even land upside down, aren't you?"

Twilight gave me a sly smile, looking at me from the corner of her eye, "I'm sure you'll do just as well as I did the first time."

"Heh, yeah, and as I understand it, you managed both. And singed Spike along with yourself the first time you cast a rapid multi-target teleportation," I teased, earning a little pout from her.

"Hey! That was a stressful situation. I didn't even do it intentionally. Just trying to escape all the ponies begging to go to the Grand Galloping Gala. I've mastered it since, haven't I?" Twilight said with a playful grumble.

With a soft chuckle, I nuzzled her cheek, "Just like you pointed out last time. I'm sure I'll earn myself some good stories too, Purple Angel."

She let out a soft giggle at that, looking bashful for a moment and enjoying the pet name I'd taken to calling her. Twilight scooted a little closer before hugging me, closing her eyes as she listened to my heart beating with her head against my chest and letting out a quiet sigh, "And I'm sure you'll be studying gravity spells by next month. You sure you still won't tell me why you've been looking forward to them specifically?"

I kissed the top of her head as my arms pulled her in closer, "Not a chance. I think it'll be far more entertaining to see how you react with what I have in mind. I must keep some secret surprises! Shall we head in for breakfast soon? I'm sure Spike has something going inside. I think I can smell it already."

"Mmm...just give me another minute. You know you're extra warm after finishing your exercises and I don't like to move for a bit," Twilight mumbled, rubbing her head into my chest a little more.

A content smile on my face, I just sat with her as I leaned back against the trunk of the tree. It was how we wound up spending part of most mornings if we hadn't slept in. I'd wake as the dawn began and, if she wasn't already up herself, wake Twilight when I was ready to begin my exercises. I usually indulged my romantic notions by doing so with a kiss.

Then she would watch as I went through the myriad forms and techniques, changing day to day as there were a lot of them in Ying Jow Pai. For the first three weeks, she spent a lot of time taking notes and studying everything I did. By this point though, it was just occasional notes, her common quill and paper on the ground nearby, all but forgotten when my exercises were done. Once the little cleansing trick was cast, we would just snuggle up together and enjoy a quiet few minutes as we took in the morning, talking or just holding each other close until ready for breakfast.

So it was for this morning as well, though this was the day we planned to finally head up to Canterlot and meet with the Princesses, now that I was more or less done recovering.

Coincidentally, the Ponyville Weather Patrol had a nice sunny day planned. It still amused me to no end, knowing that weather was on an established schedule here. Twilight thought my tales of Earth weather patterns were a little unsettling, which just made me chuckle at different our perspectives.

Between the chirping of birds in the area and the gradual rise of the sounds of activity from town, it was another rather peaceful morning.

"I know it'll change, but I wish it would be like this forever, Purple Angel," my voice almost a whisper as I gave her a tender squeeze.

Twilight gave a soft hum in agreement before nuzzling my chest again.

The gentle breeze in the air teased at a few loose strands in her mane as I watched, feeling far more interested in her than anything else I could look at in the moment.

I felt fortunate to find myself in the place I was now, blessed even. Specifics to how I wound up in Equestria had stopped mattering so much, as had all the unknowns from when I'd woken up from the coma. It pierced through my mind like it seemed to for the past few days, how clear and pure all the feelings Twilight was drawing from me were. I mused to myself, hoping we'd have another pleasant surprise in how close we could feel again, though acknowledging maybe we just managed to keep the feeling of the first few times we felt the air of unity between us. All that really mattered to me was how we kept finding and feeling it again.

We were eventually alerted that breakfast was almost ready, having gotten lost in each other's presence when Spike stepped out to let us know. Taking a moment for a warm kiss, we headed inside as I slipped back into my shirt as I followed behind Twilight and, unable to resist the opportunity as we got in the door, I gave her posterior a quick squeeze.

She let out an adorable 'eep' and tried to give me a rather unconvincing glare over her shoulder as she struggled to keep from laughing. After watching me with a wary eye for a moment, she turned and swatted me across the stomach with her tail, a sly smirk on her face as she headed for the food.

After enjoying a nice, simple breakfast of oatmeal with different things mixed in, a good helping of nuts to help meet my morning protein requirements as I was still trying to get used to their gritty version of protein powder, Twilight and I started on more magic studies until it was time to head for the station. She was splitting her time between her own studies and reviewing things I needed to learn. I was splitting my own studies a little as well, trying to reserve some time for more general learning about magic and the world I was now in.

It was all going to change sooner than we'd like, once our link was stabilized enough or something like that, and we could actually be apart by a reasonable distance. Due to our circumstances, along with the unknowns of what caused the magic flux, we were recommended to try and keep things restful and stay home for the most part, with the reasoning that avoiding straining our link might speed up the stabilization process. After we were in the clear, Twilight would have her full Princess of Friendship duties to get back to, even if they were limited. For now at least, we were milking our constant time together for all it was worth.

Before we left, the girls dropped by to wish us well in learning what Celestia and Luna had been able to find out about our situation. Since Spike had already planned to help Rarity with something at her shop when we'd figured out a day, he chose to stay behind.

With an earlier train to catch, we were at the station by mid-morning. The few things we needed were in a pair of saddlebags I'd slung over my shoulder.

As Twilight had discovered when we'd gone to visit Zecora a few days earlier, after three days of being cooped up, she had no leverage when trying to protest my carrying her things for her. This time, she didn't do more than roll her eyes and smile with an exasperated look upon my interrupting her donning her saddlebags and throwing them onto my shoulder.

As we waited for the train to arrive, the two of us settled on a bench and leaning into each other, my arm around her, I got curious about her attempts to research our link, "Have you had any luck finding a spell that functions similarly to our link yet? I saw you looking again yesterday."

Twilight shook her head and sighed with a frown, "No, I haven't. At this point, I've gone through all my books on magic at least once for this, and some of them three times even, but still nothing! It doesn't make any sense that there aren't any mentions of similar magic that matches what little we've learned so far. I could find all manner of similar aspects in small amounts, but nothing inclusive. Like I mentioned last night, I'll try looking in some of the Canterlot archives tomorrow morning before we need to catch our train back. Celestia might even have a suggestion on where to start."

"Any thoughts on what you'll do if they end up telling you directly that it's never happened before and therefore entirely new?" I asked her as I ran my fingers through her mane a little, hoping to help her shed her building tension.

She took a deep breath and hesitated, her right hoof coming up to her chest after a moment, waving her hoof away from herself as she exhaled, leaning a little more against me now, "I don't really know since it's so similar, yet still so different to some spells. If it does turn out to be a formerly unencountered type of magic...well, at least I can catalogue it by analysis and start writing down what I can discover about it. The chance to study a new magic would be lots of fun, but proving it's new isn't exactly an enjoyable process in academic circles. It was bad enough getting my efforts with Friendship magic recognized. A second discovery would be scrutinized ten times worse."

"Well, that's just a matter of time in the end, or at least I think it is. And I suppose we have plenty of time to figure it out," I said, looking up when I heard the train coming into the station.

Twilight smiled before giving me a peck on the cheek, nuzzling the spot, "Yeah, I guess we do."

Within a couple more minutes, we were aboard the train and settled into our private luxury cabin, a surprise courtesy of the Princesses, even though Twilight and her princess status technically gave her a free pass for herself and any traveling with her. We were quick to snuggle up for the lengthy ride up to Canterlot. Both of us spent some time just looking out the window for a while, watching the landscape rushing past like a river of land flowing by.

After we were well into our actual ascent up the mountain, I got the distinct feeling that Twilight was thinking about something through our link.

With experimentation and practice, the two of us had gotten to a point we could now sense each other's mood and general state of mind if we focused, though we were still working on reliability. From what I could figure out, she was in deep thought and rather nervous for some reason.

When I couldn't stand to wait her out any longer, I nudged her, "What's on your mind, Purple Angel?"

Twilight jumped a little, leaving me to suspect it was even more important to her than I suspected if she was that caught up in it. She took a bit to find her voice, seeming to radiate nervousness as she played with her hooves, "Um, I was just...just thinking about something. It's nothing bad or anything, really. Just found myself thinking while we sat here. Not a big deal or anything, you know? Just--"

A finger touching her lips brought her to silence as I gave her a gentle smile, seeing the tension, hope, and even fear in her eyes, "Twilight, you're babbling. What has you so worked up all of a sudden?"

"I...," Twilight tried before losing her voice again, a few tears welling up as she moved closer and buried her face against my chest, clinging to me. Her voice carrying a disproportionate amount of nervous energy, even while near quiet enough for a whisper, "I-It's...irrational f-for me to be nervous or s-scared about this. I know how you feel. Sometimes perfectly so because of our link. I-I...I just... Vojin, just hold me tight for a while?"

A small huff of a gentle laugh escaped as I pulled her in tighter and held her there, fingertips massaging the back of her head under her mane. If she thought it was irrational from the start, I was sure she'd get it out in a minute or so when ready. A warm smile on my face as I comforted her, holding her snug against me as I let her calm herself in the quiet embrace.

It turned into several minutes by the time she pushed herself back and raised her eyes to mine for a moment, then looked away with a growing blush and leaving me to suspect certain directions of what she was working herself up to tell me. She still took a minute, starting to play with her hooves again. When she finally did look up at me, she was bright red and looked a bit like a deer in headlights to me just then.

Twilight swallowed, her voice almost too quiet to hear as she turned her head to stare at the wall, "I... I-I... I think I'm...almost...r-ready, Vojin."

I felt my mouth go dry at that, knowing all her build up left only one meaning to her words as I swallowed against a lump in my throat. Twilight and I had been waiting on any kind of consummation of our relationship beyond kisses and teasing, feeling the need to explore the other parts of our relationship first and not wanting to rush anything. While she had let me know she'd spent time with mares before, even if it had been a while, she'd never been with a stallion.

For myself, though I had a daughter on Earth it had been some time since I'd been intimate with anyone. I was nervous enough of course, but we had agreed she needed to make the decision of when for us, as I was much more prepared by personal experience.

Neither of us was quite sure why we felt the need to wait so much, only that it was a mutual desire and we had very much enjoyed taking time to learn more about each other as we laid a strong foundation for the two of us to build on. We both had a bit of worry about moving too fast.

But now...

Reaching out with the arm that wasn't against her back, I brushed the back of my fingers across her cheek before cupping it in my palm, seeing her stiffen and tremble just a touch. Upon drawing her eyes to me with a nudge to her chin, I gave her a tender smile before nudging her back to my chest. Her motions remained stiff as she let herself fall into my arms again, sinking into my embrace as little tremors ran along her form.

Nuzzling into her mane, I couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up as I had a flash of mischief, "You know...you're really cute when you're all nervous and flustered, Purple Angel."

I chuckled a little more at the adorable squeak she made as she tensed and scrunched herself up. While we had both felt the time was at last approaching us, how worked up she was acting was too cute for words.

Then almost out of the blue, she spoke in a bit of a rush as she locked up, pressing closer and squeezing her eyes shut, "C-Can we try something tonight? I want to explore first. That is, i-if you don't mind. Maybe just h-hold me, without wearing anything t-to bed tonight? P-Please?"

A quiet, rumbling chuckle escaped at her words, the sound full of love as I replied to the utterly adorable mare I'd come to treasure so much in such a short time, "We can do that, Twilight. Anything you want to do, we'll do that first, alright? Now, are you still feeling really nervous, or have you started drifting into anticipation mode?"

With another flash of mischief, I caught one of her ears with my mouth and began to nibble. The shudder that went through her body, and the quiet moan she let out, was just as expected. Continuing with the light nibbling along the edge of her ear, I coaxed a few more faint moans out of her as she began to tremble more.

For a brief moment, when she jerked herself back and left a hoof placed at the center of my chest, I thought maybe I'd been a little too playful in the moment. Then I caught the smouldering look in her eyes as she leaned closer without moving her hoof. Having seen her worked up a number of times by this point, I saw her eyes displaying more open hunger than I'd seen from her in a while now, leaving me to swallow out of nervous reflex.

Twilight leaned close and hovered her lips just above mine, her half-lidded eyes boring into mine like she was about to devour me, a faint growl coming from her for a moment. Even her voice came thicker than normal as her breath tickled against my lips, "Keep it up...and I'll make you walk naked to the castle... And you won't...be at rest, either..."

With how she had me on edge so fast, I wasn't sure I'd be 'resting' for a while anyway. Although I didn't think she'd actually follow through with her threat, if only just because she has told me she kind of likes having me 'wrapped up' around other ponies and getting to keep part of me all to herself. Despite this, I couldn't help trembling a little, rather torn between diving into a heated kiss versus not risking her actually following through with it.

She pressed her form closer to me while keeping her lips hovering a hair away from mine, every deliberate breath escaped to tickle across my skin with the promise of more about to come but didn't. As her other hoof began to drag back and forth just above my beltline, her tongue began to trace along my bottom lip.

A small, panting gasp escaped me and she gave a lazy sensual smile, making a languid motion to press the length of her body against me as she moved to nuzzle along my cheek until she could nibble at my ear. Before long, she let the tip of her tongue trace my jaw as she moved back again, leaning back with a sultry, smug look on her face upon seeing the state she'd put me in.

Panting, my heart was racing as I looked at her, feeling more than a little hot and rather dazed. I had seen her do things like this multiple times, yet still she kept surprising me with what she came up with in these private teasings.

"Mmm...behave yourself, my handsome Vojin... Or else... Maybe we'll finally be ready tonight and I won't want to stop until we're both... a quivering... mess...," Twilight whispered as she made a slow move with her hoof down my stomach and, for once very on purpose, pressed against my excitement for several agonizing moments before she withdrew.

It always seemed like she shifted into a whole different state of being when she got too aroused too fast and had no immediate outlet. It was moments like these that I would wonder if I was going to survive long enough for us to take that last step before she turned me to jelly.

It didn't help that she was well aware that she had me wrapped around her hoof.

She also knew I enjoyed every second of it.

***

The train pulled into the station in Canterlot just past noon with the usual squeal of brakes and hiss of steam. Twilight and I chose to relax a bit longer and headed into the capital city once the departing crowd had thinned a little. Bags over my shoulder again, we took a relaxed walk towards the castle, not being in any kind of hurry by arriving early.

Twilight made a casual remark as we walked, "I hope we can stop by Donut Joe's before we leave tomorrow."

"Huh," I blinked at that, "I'm still not used to things being a real experience after thinking it was all fiction. Can't complain, but it never stops being kinda weird. Donuts do sound good though, weird feeling or not. Hey, has Princess Celestia ever eaten a Donutopia or the like by herself? You've mentioned some of her past indulgences for her sweet tooth," I grinned with a look at Twilight, drawing a small giggle from her.

"I actually saw her doing just that once. I was tucked away in an out of the way room in the castle, settled in a quiet corner and she happened to come in and close the door behind her with an entire 7-layer cake. She didn't just snack on it either, she devoured it. I still have a hard time believing she ate the whole thing, then looked so pleased with herself afterward, at least until the book I'd been reading slipped and hit the floor. She was so embarrassed when she realized I'd watched her eat the whole thing!

"After a little talk though, we ended up laughing about it before we left the room. Please don't mention it to her though. She doesn't want anypony to think, as she put it, 'that a Princess would scarf down a cartful of sugar' like she did," Twilight said with a smile, keeping her voice down so passerby wouldn't hear her little story.

My only response was a light chuckle as I ran my fingers through her mane.

As we walked, occasional stares would have been nice, but that was just wishful thinking for us right then. I had to shoo away a few ponies when they tried to strike up a conversation out of the blue.

Thanks to that award the Princesses gave me, which I still thought was over the top, and the way the press had spun my story, there were a number of ponies trying to meet the fearless mythical human that appeared out of nowhere to save their youngest Princess in the nick of time. Twilight just thought my exasperation was funny.

It remained annoying but tolerable until a particularly uptight pair of snooty ponies didn't take the courteous hint. Or the direct request to leave us be. They just started babbling about some self-aggrandizing stuff and how I just had to join them at something or other. The stallion was a greenish gray with a dark gray mane, while the mare was a pale grayish olive with a pale grayish indigo mane streaked with light gray. The two of them were wearing some kind of casual fancy clothes. Part of me wanted to call them preppies.

They were so absorbed in themselves, they didn't notice we weren't really paying them any attention. Having joked about how we'd deal with any Canterlot residents that wouldn't listen, I glanced at Twilight with a raised brow and didn't bother to hide a little motion with my hand. She gave a small nod as she smirked, knowing I wouldn't go too far to spook them a bit so we could be on our way, herself tuning them out entirely at this point.

It was hardly a week ago that Twilight and I had reached an understanding and I would start creating a public persona of a protective personal guard for her. I didn't have to keep up as much of an easily approachable reputation that way, counterbalancing the openly friendly one she was known for. I had been told her brother, Prince Shining Armor, did the same for his wife, Princess Cadance, to a degree.

Enjoying the excuse to practice a couple spells on 'unwilling' live targets without preparation, I folded my arms and gave the somehow oblivious babbling snobs a steady look just short of a glare, hands enveloped in my billowing white magic aura as I caught them with levitation, their obliviousness letting me latch on in short order. Lifting them into the air as a simple silencing spell held their yammering mouths shut, simple in that it was just a very basic physical effect, I moved their faces up closer to mine.

Their eyes were wide now, and more than a bit fearful.

My own face impassive as I spoke in a calm, yet loud voice so it would carry a little, "I don't know you two and have no desire to at this point. Your names and stations are meaningless to me. Since both a courteous hint and a direct request to leave us in peace wasn't enough for you two, now I give you a warning. You will not bother us again, and I think you recall from the news how I may respond when Princess Twilight is being inconvenienced. When I set you back down, you will go about your business and bother us no further, understood?"

After their somewhat frantic nods, I levitated them higher and over our heads. Before I set them back down, I sent them through several backflips without warning, just to add a little more entertainment. In addition to being scared of what they had gotten themselves into, they were also a little dizzy as they stumbled to turn around as fast as they could before running away.

The scene playing out had attracted more than a few stares, but I noticed any close enough to hear my words seemed to be rather entertained, as opposed to the nervous looks of those farther away. I figured that was right on target for what I was going for, leaving Twilight and I to go back to walking.

Perhaps next time we came up to Canterlot, we should ask for a carriage to meet us at the station, just to avoid future hassles.

Managing to avoid any further incidents on route to the castle, we arrived not much later. Aside from a greeting to Twilight as we passed the various Royal Guards at their stations, we were left to ourselves as we headed for the hall before the throne room. I had to admit it was a little strange to see so many identical ponies. Even the pair of unicorns we were approaching were a uniform white to go with the gold-colored armor. Something about regulation enchantments that was escaping my memory at the moment.

Once we arrived at the doors of the throne room, Twilight went up to one of the two unicorn guards, "Excuse me, guardspony. Please let Princess Celestia and Princess Luna know Princess Twilight and Vojin Drayce have arrived."

"Of course, Princess Twilight. Their Highnesses are presently mediating a dispute between some high-ranking citizens. Their Highnesses have been eagerly anticipating your arrival and may feel it necessary to interrupt their settling of a dispute over paint color, considering a fellow Princess has arrived," the Guard said with a small smirk before giving Twilight a short bow, then turning to slip through the door as the other guard cracked it open.

That made me quirk a brow for a few reasons, leaning a close to Twilight before whispering, "He did not just tell us the Princesses are putting up with some uptight snobs having a snit fit over paint color, did he? And aren't the guards supposed to be all stoic and serious? He seemed kind of informal with you."

Twilight suppressed a giggle, giving me a small grin as she spoke in a quiet voice, "I don't know what you mean. Only important matters are given arbitration by the Royal Sisters. And as for the informal manner, that was Flame Stride. I've known him almost since the first day I became Celestia's student. I've pretty much ordered him to stop being quite as formal with me in most situations when it isn't truly necessary."

I just smirked in response.

It wasn't long before the doors opened and said ponies exited with noticeable separation between them, noses high in the air as they went, not even noticing Twilight and I standing by the door as they passed.

Flame Stride returned and gave Twilight another short bow with a faint smile, "Princess Twilight. Mister Vojin. Their Royal Highnesses, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, are happy to receive you now. Please enter."

Twilight favored him with a friendly smile and nodded, "Thank you, Stride."

We entered the throne room to find Celestia and Luna watching us with smiles, their manes and tails as impressive as expected in the setting, the slow billowing of semi-ethereal masses almost aglow as they drifted on the perpetual unfelt breeze. I noted they had twin thrones, rather than one like I expected. Each stylized to their personal themes, but otherwise equal in size and grandeur.

The moment the door closed behind Twilight and I to leave the four of us alone, not even guards present inside the throne room, the two Princesses made a graceful descent down the steps and met us halfway through the large room. Twilight was quick to give her long-time mentor a warm hug, though I was surprised when Luna moved in and hugged me tight a moment later as well.

My initial surprise turned towards amusement when Luna spoke, "It is good to see you again, my friend. I trust the two of you had a pleasant ride up to Canterlot?"

Rolling with it and returning the embrace, I nodded as she released me, "That we did. It was relaxing, and we spent most of the trip watching the scenery. Thank you again for the private cabin, by the way."

Luna smiled and waved a dismissive hoof, "It was but a simple thing. You are most welcome. We did ask that both of you visit us, after all. Not only that, but with Twilight Sparkle being a Princess, and yourself counted amongst my friends, it was something I felt was most necessary."

"It's still appreciated, Luna. I hope you have both been well since your last visit to Ponyville for the ceremony. I also don't know how you deal with all the silly squabbles. Were those two you just met with really making a fuss over paint color?" Twilight asked, suppressing a small laugh at the end.

The Princesses smirked as they glanced at each other, Celestia's voice seeming to carry a touch of amusement, "I will merely mention that there are times when my sister and I both wish certain protocol and good manners could be suspended so we might provide some, shall we say, more appropriate perspective and insight to some of our little ponies. But enough of that. You are here to learn what Luna and I have been able to discover about your link up till now. As we have a rare day of no actual appointments for a number of hours in anticipation of your visit, we have no need to remain in the throne room. Let us move to a more comfortable location and we can discuss what we have found."

Departing the throne room, Twilight and I followed behind the Princesses through the elaborate halls of the castle. It wasn't long before we reached a pleasant outdoor table and chairs that sat nearby the Royal Gardens, if my guess was right. A tray with an elegant tea set was waiting for us.

Once we had all taken our seats, Celestia began to serve the tea as she spoke, "I am not entirely sure where it would be best to begin, considering the volume of information we have learned. Even so, there is still a great deal we have yet to sort out regarding some aspects of your experiences with the magic flux and the link it has left you with. Many details also still remain unknown. As you have surmised and already informed us through letters after some trial and error, further efforts should see you reach a stage where you need only think about it in order to know how each other is feeling at any given time. It will be much the same with the sense of direction you have gained. There are also still several questions surrounding what appears to be a connection between your individual magics, which we hope to have clearer answers for later today, after some tests."

Sipping at my tea, pleased by the rather robust flavor of whatever it was, I listened in interested silence. A glance at Twilight showed she was in a similar state.

Luna continued, "After we learned of your ability to properly use magic, we had a much wider scope of tomes within which to search. While what we know so far is somewhat vague, that which we have discovered has proven most remarkable. There are, as Tia mentioned, some tests we would like to perform with the two of you a bit later. It is suggested, though unconfirmed, that the two of you may have a capacity for some sort of magical amplification for each other. That is to say, you may have the capacity to direct your magic into the other and empower their magic to be much stronger than is otherwise normal. There is little documented information on this specific effect, in part due to it's rarity and how tremendously difficult such a thing is through spells alone. The implications are such that, working together, the two of you may very well be capable of spells on a scale only Celestia or I would consider, should circumstances necessitate such a dramatic endeavor.

"It does come with a bit of a cost, however. From what we have gathered, while in the process of amplifying your partner, your own magic is subdued nearly to the point of absence, and you will not be able to stop the effect nearly as fast as you can initiate it. This would mean you are effectively without your own magic for as much as several minutes, from our current estimations. If you were to find yourselves in a dangerous situation, this would be an important aspect to keep in mind."

Twilight and I shared a look of disbelief at what we had just heard. The idea that the two of us together could have enough potential power combined to rival the same ones responsible for raising and lowering the sun and moon was a difficult prospect to take in. The implications that started flying through my head were already threatening a headache, and I could only guess at what Twilight was thinking with her far more advanced knowledge.

That one point was a lot to absorb, but it was clear the Princesses weren't done yet. Lacking any real response to make, we just let them continue.

Celestia spoke this time, "Another matter with your link that is perhaps more problematic... We believe that despite indications of your link slowly stabilizing, you will likely never be able to move farther away from each other than around two dozen miles or so. For reasons we do not yet know, this link is drawn and powered from within the two of you. Although it should not be life threatening by itself, so long as Vojin remains in our world, it does appear quite capable of rendering both of you unconscious if you remain apart for too long, get too far apart, or a sufficient combination of the two. One of the things we need to look at more closely is just how intrinsic this is to your life essence. You are tethered to each other in what seems to be a very permanent fashion, perhaps down to your souls."

Luna took over, watching us taking in the things they shared, "We can provide you a better understanding after we have performed the aforementioned tests. We do not know for certain just how deeply this link has bound you. Only our suspicions formed through study."

As they were telling us some of what they had learned, I had unknowingly caught Twilight's hoof in my hand, now giving a small squeeze as I looked at her. Not even needing to sense our link, her eyes told me plenty about her anxiety. The magic amplification we appeared capable of was surprising, but nothing to really worry over. Instead, having experienced our link threatening to knock us both unconscious just before I caught her falling out of the sky a few weeks ago, the thought of how easily we might be rendered helpless was unsettling. The suggestion that there were still many unknowns did not help matters.

We leaned closer together and shared a hug, my arm and her wing around each other's backs. The tension was slow to ebb, but at least it was something we would deal with together.

Once we had drawn back, still keeping a limb around each other, we looked at Celestia and Luna again as we searched for words. Twilight found her voice first, "That's... That's a lot to take in. I'm kind of nervous to find out more, even though I really want to know what exactly this link is and what it could do to us."

"Definitely a lot to take in. When did you want to do those tests?" I asked.

Celestia gave us a comforting smile, "If you both feel ready, we can begin once we finish our tea. We have a laboratory with various magical apparatus that will help in discerning a much greater understanding of your present situation."

Wearing a curious look that carried just the faintest hint of mischief, Luna inquired, "As there is no rush, let us move on to lighter subjects. Now if you don't mind my asking, how are the both of you doing together? I trust your growing love is progressing well?"

"Hmm, it's been going really well, Luna. At first, I had worried this link between us was the only reason we became so close, especially since it happened so fast. But now, even though it's just been a few weeks...," Twilight trailed off as she looked up to me with a smile that said more than just words could convey, continuing after a moment, "It's just... I don't even really know how to say it. We can spend hours just reading together. He keeps surprising me with how he looks at things, coming up with theories I never considered before even though he has so much more to learn. He's been learning remarkably fast with every spell and method he's tried so far. It's hard to believe, but he's already preparing himself for the first tier of teleportation spells! And I know I don't need to tell you how protective he is of me, but he manages to do it without me feeling restrained or smothered. If I'm getting upset or tense, he often doesn't even need our link if he's in the room and finds a way to cheer me up or help me relax again. Several times a day, he's making me laugh. Coming to understand Vojin so well, knowing he is understanding me just as much... I could quantify any experiment, but this... It's, it's more than I can really explain, if that makes sense."

While she was talking about me, I felt my face heat up with something of a sheepish look as I ducked my head. Though I'd heard this from her before, having her telling the Princesses made me feel much more self-conscious, even as hearing it warmed me within a little more. Compliments were nice, but kind of embarrassing. Still, I gave her a little squeeze as she leaned closer, unable to stop the small smile her words gave me.

The Princesses both let out soft laughs, Celestia had a smile full of warmth as she spoke, "It is wonderful to see you happy like this, Twilight. You have certainly come such a long way since I first sent you to Ponyville. And how about yourself, Vojin? How have you been feeling in regards to finding love in our world so swiftly? And teleportation spells already? Goodness, you are learning fast."

Still feeling embarrassed, I lifted my head as my free hand rubbed the back of my neck, "I've just been giving it my best effort with the things Twilight has me working on. My prior experience in magic from Earth seems to carry a number of similarities that are allowing me to pick things up really fast, even to the point that making the transition has been surprising, so that's probably the biggest reason I'm learning so quick.

"As for finding love with Twilight though...it's... Well, as she said it already, it's more than I can really explain. Her mind fascinates me to no end, both in the way she sees things and how much knowledge she has. When I get struck with a moment of homesickness for the ones I left behind on Earth, somehow she just appears all of a sudden and helps me ride through it. She actually likes my jokes and fires back, even when it's getting technical or nerdy. We've found we're often on the same mental page when studying a given spell or technique. Somehow, she's already become a safe place of sorts where I find myself letting my guard down without even trying. She doesn't mind my being protective. Everything she's become to me is... Well, words attempt to quantify what they are used to describe, and I honestly don't know how I can convey how I've come to feel about Twilight. I suppose over-explaining is the best we can manage."

As I finished speaking, Twilight and I looked at each other and had a moment of being lost in each other's eyes as we shared a smile. What felt like a moment later, we looked back to find both Celestia and Luna wearing delighted, almost sly smiles.

Celestia had a twinkle in her eye as she took a calculated sip of her tea before commenting, "Will you wish to hold the wedding in Canterlot?"

That caused both Twilight and I to gain a bright blush, myself trying not to let out a nervous laugh as Twilight said all we needed to, "We...haven't decided when we'll be ready for that yet."

***

Not long after finishing our tea, the four of us entered some kind of private laboratory belonging to the royal sisters. The number and strange variety of equipment and tools around the room was both a surprise in the low numbers, and how exceptionally rare they were, if I understood what I was looking at.

The collection they had also didn't surprise me that much for what was present, considering some of the items and devices were even developed by Celestia, Luna, or the two of them together. Many were ancient to my perspective, with one or two rather recent ones made after Luna's return.

The room itself was rather modest, with a rough guess at a twelve foot ceiling over the roundish room of plain fitted stone walls. There was too much visual distraction to be sure, but I figured it was at least fifty feet across.

Spread around, most of them against the wall, were various tables holding a myriad of things. Some looked covered in almost messy collections of papers, some stacks of books or piles of rolled parchments. One that caught my eye looked to have a tangled mass of glass spaghetti, with all the tubes and other features, and suggested a place for alchemy and chemistry.

The centerpiece of the room was a large platform in the center, the broad stone steps clear of obstructions. As I looked it over, I noticed the raised platform was covered in a webwork of intricate carvings that stood out as I recognized Equestria's ancient runic language that I'd been learning in my magic studies. It had some indispensable, useful functions for more complex work within spell circles and arrays, so it still had it's place even today.

What stood out most were the six crystal spires. Looking to be around eight feet tall, each looked to bear the specific colors associated with the Elements of Harmony.

Overall, the arrangement was beyond anything I had been able to study so far. I could at least grasp it was capable of a large number of uses, leaving me to suspect it was some sort of serious magical multi-tool. Whether it was just a focusing booster, or if it could do much more than that, I couldn't really tell without more time learning from Twilight.

"Tia and I do not get to spend as much time in here as we would prefer. Should you be wondering, this is the room where we did much of the work in creating the artifact that brought you to our world, but that is a subject for later," Luna said, glancing at me when she mentioned the artifact that had pulled me into all this.

As we approached the platform, the Princesses each stepped to one side and stood upon what looked like intricate carved circles on the floor, giving me the impression of designated control points.

Celestia gestured for us to step onto the platform, a note of curiosity in her voice, "If you would both please stand in the middle of the the crystal spires, Luna and I will see what we can learn. In this instance Vojin, you can think of this magical apparatus as a sort of improved scanning spell with a physical amplifier to boost our efforts in specific ways. I believe you will feel a sense of pressure, perhaps a tingling sensation at most. Please refrain from moving much as some functions lose focus against a subject in motion."

Twilight and I shared a look as we moved to the center of the spires as requested. Once we were side by side on the middle of the platform, we watched as they grew focused, their horns beginning to glow with their magic.

Trying not to move, I watched as the spires in my field of view start to glow as well, and soon felt magic bathing the air around me as a tingling sensation began across my skin. The sensation got to a point it was similar to a limb falling asleep, almost like a vibration even, and assumed Twilight felt much the same.

To my surprise and silent amusement as a lopsided smirk appeared on my face, rainbows sprouted along the tops of the crystal spires and seemed to connect them in a ring. The glow had intensified and become rather brilliant, but not uncomfortable to the eye. A glance down revealed a dance of light flowing around some of the carved rune forms on the surface of the platform.

After perhaps a minute or so of all this, I felt my feet begin to lift from the ground. Trusting the Princesses knew what they were doing, I pushed down the growing nervous feeling and held still, unable to really tell what was being cast, until an unexpected surge of anxiety came from Twilight and I turned my head to look at her. When our eyes met, the tension seemed to grow muted, causing us to share a small smile and ignore the odd sensations playing over our floating bodies.

Another surprise came when softly glowing masses appeared at each of our chests and pulled away from us. Each was the color of our individual magic auras, seeming to dance around the other just above and between us, almost like the two masses were playing together. I had a sense of balance from the display, then it dawned on me we were watching a reflection of our souls dancing before us.

My eyes widened at the realization, and felt Twilight's own surprise as she realized it as well. It made me wonder just what Celestia and Luna had to cast just to study the link between Twilight and I.

I knew by now that any spells that touched the soul were never used lightly, as even a botched reading of one could cause a disruption of varying consequences. The potential risks were higher than any other branch of magic as a result, and all such spells were at the same level of, or higher than things like age spells. Most unicorn mages never even touched the branch, for the ones that could even reach that level.

It left me wondering just what they saw in Twilight and I.

Once the masses of magic that reflected our souls had merged back into us, we settled back onto the platform again. The flow of magic around us faded seconds later and upon looking to Celestia and Luna, I noticed they wore expressions of wonderment as Celestia motioned with a wing for us to step down from the platform. The whole process had taken over ten minutes.

It was Luna that spoke first as she looked back and forth between Twilight and I, sounding both surprised and fascinated, "I find myself scarcely able to believe what we have witnessed. By the stars! Your link joins the two of you even down to your very souls! Not only shall your connection in fact permit knowing each other's state, but all indications are such that you can truly share each other's very magic! Despite our earlier findings making such a suggestion, it is so unprecedented that I did not anticipate it actually being true in full!"

Her own expression one of undisguised interest, Celestia added, "In all the many long years we have watched over and ruled Equestria, this is something we have never witnessed before. The very idea that you could gift each other your own magic to empower each other is something I would have never believed until now. Twilight, Vojin...there are just so few words to convey the potential importance of this. While a being's magic can potentially be stolen via certain darker spells, there has never been a spell or balance between beings of sufficient strength to even consider sharing one's magic with another without surrendering it yourself. A capacity for merging of magic in such fashion has only ever been considered by the most imaginative magical theories. The scale of spells it could permit you two are substantial."

Lacking words in the moment, Twilight rose up on her hind legs and we shared a tight hug, both of us feeling a tense excitement over what it could all mean. From what I had already learned of unicorn magic, I understood such a capability would permit us to boost each other in a way not so unlike a controlled form of throwing fuel on a fire. Well, maybe touching a candle to a lake of fuel was more accurate.

"So...you're telling us we may have the capacity to combine our magic and do something as dramatic as, say, levitate an entire lake and everything in it straight into the air?" I queried, trying to get a grasp on what it all meant, at least in terms of raw power.

"While it does sound rather stunning, you are not too far off the mark in your statement. Twilight has more than enough knowledge to explain it more fully to you later. You have so far demonstrated yourself as a respectful, good-hearted being since your arrival, Vojin. I hope yourself and Twilight will remember to approach this gift with tremendous care," Celestia said as I had a brief sense something was off in her expression somehow, though it was just for a moment.

Glancing down for a second before looking at her again, I met Celestia's gaze and spoke in a more solemn tone, "Well as I have said before, I have a fondness for Equestria. As I try to make a home here, if I can ever be of service, you need only ask and I will do what I can to help, Princess Celestia."

Celestia gave me a small smile in return, "You have a good heart, Vojin, and the offer is quite appreciated. Though you must forgive me for hoping that I never need take you up on it."

Luna added a few more points, "Lest we forget, we also want you both to refrain from attempting the sharing of your magic until you next return to Canterlot after a month or two from now. While it is unlikely to cause issue, we wish to avoid any potential risks until your link has stabilized further, and we are certain there will be no trace of the flux remaining. At that time, we will also test your magical strength and other aspects. Apart from that, attempting to explain the full amount of what we have learned from the spells we cast could take hours, and would largely be a matter of pouring through small details. Except for a few more interesting points, such would just elaborate on what we have already said. We will make a copy of the results for yourself and Twilight to review at your leisure. If neither of you have further immediate questions, we can make our way to a private study and converse for a time, before Celestia and I need to attend our royal schedule once more."

Turning back to Twilight, she was still resting against me on her hind legs, I was going to ask if there was anything else when I noticed a shift in her, like something came to mind. Her expression grew troubled, prompting me to furrow my brow as a hand stroked her mane. In her eyes I saw worry, fear, even regret.

My concern only grew as her emotions kept rising across our link, starting to notice her feelings of apology and...duty?

Arching a brow as all of it happened in a moment, she then placed a hoof over my heart as she spoke in a tense voice, her eyes growing determined, "Vojin, I...I need you to show them your mark."

Celestia and Luna were standing together, looking on in mild confusion when Twilight spoke about my tattoo. Remembering how Twilight had reacted upon seeing it, I frowned even as I gave her a short nod and she moved back to her hooves so I could unbutton my shirt.

"What mark does she speak of? Is something amiss with your body you have not mentioned?" Luna asked as she watched my fingers work at their task.

Twilight hadn't really been able to tell me much, and I turned my eyes to Luna at her words, "While we were on the ambulance ride to the hospital after I caught Twilight when she fell, she saw the tattoo on my chest and got rather worked up about it. She said something about a scroll she found a while ago but wasn't supposed to see. It's still a working hypothesis, but when thinking about how events were timed on both worlds, I think I got the design in my head around the same time you and your sister were restarting your work on the artifact that brought me here."

"A tattoo? I don't see how such from your world would...," Luna's words died on her tongue the moment I moved my shirt aside. Both Princesses' eyes widened by a fraction as their expressions transitioned into great worry, even some fear as they glanced at each other before looking again. Seeing such a reaction made me worry myself, wondering how the design was of such apparent importance here.

"Princess Celestia, Twilight said she couldn't discuss it by your order unless she found the one with this design on them and that you could explain further. Why is a tattoo I got on a whim so startling here? What does it signify? And why did Twilight tell me she would have to save me from something, and that I'm somehow supposed to be this 'Guardian of the Bearers' thing?" I said in a wary tone. Twilight's reaction was one thing, but seeing Celestia's reaction when she was supposed to know the full story left me more than a little tense as I began to worry I might not want to know.

And then there was also the look Celestia was giving me now.

It was one I hadn't seen on her before, and very much not like anything she had yet directed at me until this moment. Her eyes bored into me as though I were a dangerous foe, an imminent threat, as she studied me with intensity and almost seemed to be daring me to try something. A glance at Luna found her staring at me in a way not far off from her sister, though she had an almost torn expression at the same time.

After what may well have been the longest seconds of my life, Celestia closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh as she hung her head with a flutter of her wings like she were shaking herself off. Luna just looked off to one side with her face falling into a conflicted look.

Celestia sounded strained, even a little resigned as she opened her eyes to look at me again, "It seems we will need to remain in this room for a bit longer. Yes, we know the mark you bear. We also know it was to be borne by a being that would be a very serious potential threat to Equestria. I am glad we had a chance to spend some time with you and see how you act around our ponies before learning of this."

I blinked at that, "Should I sit down, your Highness?"

"I believe that may be best, though we keep no chairs or stools in this room, with only the steps of our magical apparatus as all I can offer. Please make yourself comfortable and let me know when you are ready. I have a number of things to share and some shall be unpleasant," Celestia said, raising her head again as she watched me with a firm expression that held a touch of sadness.

Taking a seat on one of the wide steps, I was worried about what my tattoo might mean here, if they were making such a big deal about it. And it would be on someone that would threaten Equestria? I really didn't understand how a simple tattoo could have such importance.

Twilight settled at my side, leaning against me in support as I nodded to Celestia, "I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Princess Celestia."

Celestia only nodded, Luna remaining silent as her sister began to explain, "This matter goes back almost 1200 years. We saw that Equestria was on a strong path to ever greater peacefulness as we guided our subjects along, with the recovery after the end of the Reign of Discord largely long finished. The few potential threats left at the time were following a similar path, or at least heading in directions where they would be of no real concern to us, with many of them forging lasting treaties as we nurtured trust across borders. It was during this time that Luna and I found ourselves less concerned with what was visible, so we turned our attention to ways we might preempt dangers we could not yet perceive.

"To this end, we were able to create a new approach to divination spells, using our unique talents and power to perceive some of how the vast array of possibilities of life would play out. We had hoped such efforts would affirm the direction Equestria was taking, or at least provide us enough warning that we might be able to avert approaching threats before they could reach our gates. In this endeavor we were moderately successful, learning of several things we could work to diffuse or otherwise deal with before things could escalate and become severe. However, simple to deal with threats were not all we discovered.

"This process also revealed to us a time of unparalleled danger, and a war unlike anything we have ever faced approaching our world. What exactly is behind the threat we saw would come appears shrouded, as though it has been hidden from our sight by another. Some aspects also appear as yet undecided and vague, as to be expected in attempting to view future events. Some things need to take place before other things may come to pass. When this course of events was to begin was also waiting on certain signs. Your mark is one of the major ones we have been waiting for."

Celestia paused to take a breath and continuing, "Your mark was to indicate a being that was rife with potential, and either be a catalyst to saving us all, or ultimately be the threat that destroys us following an act of the deepest agony and sorrow. I expect you even have a number of meanings for each part of your mark, such as the shining heart within which it is all held is for reminding and guiding you in times of darkness so you do not lose your way, yes?"

My eyes widened a little as I gave her a slow nod.

Celestia gave a nod in reply before speaking still further, "The sword for when you shall fight. The shield for your desire to protect. The dove is a wish for safe haven and peace. The dragon speaks to the strength you know you bring to bear for friend and foe alike when necessary. The whole of your mark is almost identical to what we saw in our divination. In addition, thanks to Twilight's letters, I am aware you already fulfilled the confirmation by promising to protect the Bearers of the Elements at the hospital after catching Twilight.

"Vojin, I know you mean well and that the very idea of bringing harm to Equestria could not be further from your thoughts. It is tied to the shining heart of your mark. Something we have been unable to see will take place that possibly leads to you losing your light and becoming that threat. Whatever this event is, it will be the Element of Magic, and by extension, Twilight, that must save you from it. If she does not, you will be that force that would destroy us. As much as Luna and I have tried, we could not discern what this event would be.

"Before that even has a chance to take place, the war we have foreseen will begin. An unknown enemy is driving it forward that will fall before you if you become lost to us. Yet at the same time, this unknown enemy has the potential to overwhelm us without your aid, leading to something we cannot discern. This all leaves us with a difficult choice. If Luna and I feel you pose too great a risk, we may very well have already lost the coming war and Equestria. If we choose to keep you with us, we risk the chance of your possible fall leading to certain destruction we would not be able to stop and bring about the end of all life on Equus.

"This is not a simple choice for us to make, and not simply for what I have already told you. We knew we would need to make this choice, but recent events have made this even more complicated than it already was. Your link with Twilight will not break. After some time to evaluate matters, should we feel the risk is too high to keep you with us...," Celestia grimaced, pausing before she could continue, "Your lives are bound together. Choosing to end your life would cost my most precious former student her life as well. Had you seen what we have in our visions, you would understand why we are struggling with which course we should take."

The sheer scale of the choice that Celestia just laid out was difficult for me to grasp. How could I be so pivotal in a coming war? And beyond that...how could I be the cause behind all life on this world ending? I had a rising sense that my arrival was no accident, but I couldn't understand what I was just told, nor how it could be connected to my tattoo. And how do you balance between keeping a friend and ally to survive a war, yet risk the world ending or sacrifice that friend to protect the world, yet face losing all you know to that war and an unknown future?

Turning to Twilight, I saw she was struggling with deep worry and what she should do, just falling into me without resistance when I pulled her into my arms and latched on like her life depended on it. Considering the circumstances, I supposed it kind of did in a rather literal sense. I felt her starting to tremble and held her that much closer.

Luna moved forward a step, sadness in her voice, "My friend, I am afraid Celestia and I agreed long ago not to wait when this choice arrived. We must decide before leaving this room. While the exact time the war will come is unknown, we also do not know what the reason is that could lead to your falling into darkness and become something beyond us to stop. My sister is right, I am glad we had time to know you some before discovering you bear that mark. It is no easier to decide but it does help us understand the whole of this better. Were we not facing such grave circumstances by keeping you with us, we would never even consider this choice at all."

All I could do was nod in reply as my mind wandered through random moments of my life, both since my arrival and growing up on Earth, in a childish hope I could suddenly have all the answers. What did come to mind however, was a memory from when I was ten. All but forgotten until now, it became as clear as a cloudless blue sky in my mind.

My father had told me once, should I ever be staring death in the face, I should stand tall and face it on my terms. If you find yourself with no more options, you still retain the choice of how you choose to face your end. You still control the choice to stand bravely.

Reflecting on that thought let me strike a spark. Like an ember against tinder, each breath brought a little more strength to the flame. It continued to grow as I held Twilight, letting her presence help steel my resolve as well, the way I wanted to face this becoming clear in my mind.

Giving Twilight a kiss on her temple, my voice was soft and a little resigned, but steady, "Purple Angel, I need to stand up and ask them something."

She gave me a squeeze, hesitating before she nodded and released me so we could both get up.

I looked at the Princesses for another pause, steeling myself a little more even as the tension grew inside, "I...I have not had any reason to doubt the care and wisdom with which you guide your subjects. I have no cause to doubt your ability in divination granting you the ability to see the things you have about future events. Considering the magnitude of the risks you have shared, I must admit I cannot see an honest reason for me to resent such a choice if you chose not to keep me around, despite my obvious feelings on the matter. My one life has little weight against an entire world. You have to do what is best for Equestria and Equus.

"I would like to know if you have a spell that would let you see all I am, both my better qualities and past mistakes. If there's no other option but for you to make this choice, then I shouldn't hold anything back and give you as much understanding about me as possible so you can approach this choice with everything you can possibly learn that would be relevant to this. If you really feel the risk is too high and I have to go, then perhaps it will help ease your minds afterward. And if you choose keep me around, you will know how much you can trust me in the days ahead."

Celestia looked hesitant, but nodded after a moment, her tone calm but subdued, "We do have such a spell, though I have not needed to cast it in over a century. It was designed for looking into the lives of those that committed grave crimes, so I might determine whether or not they were deserving of life or not after whatever they had done. In most cases of recent times, those I might have cast it upon have little to suggest there was a chance for anything being left to save within them.

"The Judgement spell is capable of showing us everything of note about who you are and the things you have done. Your most defining characteristics and experiences. Everything of consequence that you have been, both good and bad. The spell is also designed to end the recipient if Luna or myself find you undeserving of life and forcibly removes your spirit upon completion. After we bear witness to all there is to see, the choice is made by our heart of hearts where one cannot lie to themselves. We will not need to debate."

Luna watched me with sadness in her eyes, "Another situation, I would question your sanity for making such a request, but perhaps this is truly the best way. Once we have seen what lay within you, you are either released from the spell or from the realm of life. You would feel nothing and simply move on."

By this point, Twilight was leaning against me, her wing around my waist as she pressed her head against my stomach, she trembled and sniffled while standing with me in silence. What I felt across our link was a mess of fear and anguish.

After a pause with my hands holding the side of her head and neck, I swallowed a lump in my throat as a thought I could not suppress came to mind, feeling it was for the best. I hoped she would understand my desire for her not having to suffer through this, regardless of the outcome.

I needed another moment before I was able to find my voice as I turned my eyes away from Twilight again, "Princess Celestia, I'd like you to place a sleep spell on my Purple Angel. We have to do this either way. There's no reason for her to suffer through it."

Celestia gave me a faint nod before looking at Twilight.

Twilight shifted and gave a quick nod to Celestia before meeting my eyes as tears started to roll down her cheeks. I knelt down before her and our noses touched as we gazed into each other's eyes. I had the sense that if this was it, she knew what she wanted her last sight to be. I drank in her features and all I could see in her eyes in turn, feeling the same. Her eyelids drifted down as Celestia's magic settled over her, and I held Twilight close for a couple more moments after she went limp.

Lifting her into my arms, I carried her sleeping form a short distance and laid her gently on the floor, kissing her cheek and touching my head to hers for a moment longer before I stood back up. The longer I was near her, the harder it was getting to move away as I stared at her now peaceful sleeping face, the wet trails still visible on her cheeks. I had to force myself to turn away and leave her side.

Moving to stand before the Princesses, I prepared myself to face what I had to, needing to clear my throat a little before I could speak, "There's no reason to wait, I suppose. Do I just...stand here then?"

Celestia closed her eyes for a moment with a quiet sigh, then opened them again as she looked at me, "While I could cast the spell separately if necessary, it is from a time when that particular area of magic was far less refined than it is today. If you would please stand in the center of the platform of our apparatus again, it will make it simpler for Luna and I."

"I understand. May I beg your indulgence for a couple requests, assuming you can allow me to remain?" I asked.

The two of them glanced at each other before Luna spoke, "Speak them."

Nodding, rubbing my forearms a little out of nerves as I spoke, "Just some silly requests is all. If I can remain, could I have your permission to simply call you both by name without the honorifics and just call you my friends?" I gave a light cough, "And, uh...as silly as it sounds, share a hug with both of you after this?"

After a moment of surprise, despite the tension, both of them wore small smiles and nodded.

"My friend, I am happy to grant you such a simple request," Luna said before she moved towards her place beside the stone platform.

"Vojin, you are welcome to call me by name without titles as well," Celestia said as she inclined her head to me, "It will be best if we begin now."

I ascended the steps and turned around once I was in the center, hands at my sides as I stood straight and tall, seeing their horns light to start casting the spell that would determine my fate.

As my feet lifted away from the platform and I began to float in place, a faint sensation of resonance starting to build, I let my eyes fall closed and resigned myself to let come what may. If I was meant to be here and be some sort of hero, it'd be a big emotional mess in the end and leave Celestia and Luna with a much better understanding of me. Twilight and I could take the scare and cherish each other that much more.

And if not, well...at least it'd be over without any ability to notice.

I occupied myself with thinking about how much I'd come to feel about Twilight in only a few short weeks. Even if our link helped us get started at first, fast as it was, it was how well we worked together that gave it strength. She kept me more on track, while I kept her from obsessing so much, giving each other a balance we were coming to rely on.

My mind then drifted to the daughter I'd left behind on Earth. I thought about her often since I woke up in Equestria. While I had no way to even send her a message, I hoped she wouldn't forget about me, despite how young she is. My little lady was showing signs of a talent for singing, her voice sounding like she was years older than she was and was supposed to starting formal lessons once she was in first grade.

Guess I can let go of getting to teach her how to drive or terrifying prospective boyfriends with a sword in her later years. Between her mother and the will I left behind, everything was in place for her to have college paid for and a nest egg to start her adult life when the time came. Before that and after it, I knew my best friend would keep his promise to look after her in my stead.

Twilight came back to my mind then, remembering it was just earlier today she had told me she felt like she was ready for the last physical step between us. Taking our time as we had still felt like the right choice. The love we'd grown before including that form of intimacy already felt like it was able to last a lifetime... Well, however long that was going to be at this point.

Though we hadn't looked into it or spoken on it much, I found myself wondering if having offspring was somehow an option for us. While I doubted we were compatible, being different species from whole different worlds, perhaps there was a spell for such things? There were so many questions about the life I had found with Twilight, some of them almost painful to consider in this moment of uncertainty. I felt glad she was sleeping through this. I could sense a bit of her peaceful, dreamless slumber through our link and the feel of it helped me retain my resolve to face things with dignity.

Maybe we'd be fortunate enough to meet again in the next world. I wondered if it would be whatever we hoped to see, or would it follow one of the various traditions I knew of. Heaven? The unifying Oneness of Bhuddism? Perhaps even the Elysian Fields of ancient Greece? I found myself really hoping it didn't turn out to be Valhalla. Just the thought of being drunk for eternity was unpleasant.

Wait, isn't this taking a little too long...?

Just a moment after that thought, I heard someone clearing their throat.

I cracked one eye open, my bowed head showing me my feet as I found I had settled onto the platform and was standing on my own without realizing it. Opening my eyes and raising my head, I saw the Princesses standing at the edge of the stone steps, watching me with patient, if faintly troubled looks and smiles.

All I could do was blink at them for a second, feeling the first bits of relief starting to trickle through me, though I remained hesitant in case I was just in some weird limbo between worlds somehow, needing to accept crossing over or something.

A rather odd, probably even somewhat manic closed-mouth smile spread over my face as I looked at the two of them, "So...this mean I'm...staying?"

Celestia spoke in a tone both relieved and troubled as her smile widened a little further, "Yes it does, Vojin. We were able to witness everything in your memory that defines who you are today in these past two hours. From how hard you have tried to practice kindness most of your life and into that dark period you endured in your late teens when your parents disappeared and your grandfather passed. Those things that truly define you carry a weight that Luna and myself cannot deny the value of. It is a manner different than we typically have undertaken for such things, but we now know we may trust you to an extent I admit is surprising, when the time comes where we will have need of you. Now come. You have hugs to claim."

As I practically bounced on my feet towards them as the crazy mix of emotions steeped in relief, I saw Celestia and Luna smiling with more warmth. Luna caught me first and held me in a firm embrace to one side, with Celestia pressing in from the other. I wound up with an arm around each of their necks and held tight, trying to squeeze my own tension out in a way as I relished the moment.

"Celestia, Luna...I will do everything I can to help you avoid the future you've seen. I don't have a clue what could happen to make me a threat, but if you ever get a clue towards it, by all means summon me immediately so we can go from there. The same goes if you can ever make use of my ability as a fighter or even a magic user, despite how little I know just yet. If I can help Equestria, you have only to ask and I will come. All other things aside, if I really am here for life and have to make a home in your world, I will protect this place with everything I've got," I spoke quietly, pausing a few moments more before pulling back from the embrace.

Luna was still smiling, the troubles under the surface fading, "My friend, thank you for the offer. Although I fear we shall likely need to call upon you in due time, please focus on your time with Twilight Sparkle until then. Regardless of what is to come, there is time yet before it arrives."

In a soft tone, Celestia added, "I also want to point out that knowing the deepest sides of you as we do, our artifact did indeed fulfill it's purpose. To be quite honest, I had been expecting a fully-grown adult red dragon, based upon what we had seen in our divination. We will have to reevaluate what parts are literal and which is metaphor and allusion. You are the one we sought to summon, just not what, when, or from where we had expected.

"...I am also truly sorry you had to endure the loss of your parents like you did after that accident when you were seventeen. That period was quite hard on you, but remember you made it through that time. I hope you will listen when I tell you to try and let it go. You don't need to hold onto it like you have for so many years."

The unexpected mention of the loss of my parents and what happened made me hesitate. It was a time of so many strange questions I'd never found answers to, and the turmoil had led me into some bad choices. The buried feelings from that whole ordeal came back to me as I closed my eyes and swallowed against the rising sense of anguish that was always waiting for me, the fears about it all that I could never shake.

Celestia and Luna moved close again and pulled me into another embrace. At first I tried to fight it, but somehow I felt safer in their embrace in a way I couldn't explain and coupled with the already frayed emotional state I was in, the urge to fight it back down was weak enough part of me finally gave in. Pulling them in tighter, I found myself weeping as I let the mess of it all wash over, knowing the two of them understood. It was like a poison inside I was starting to squeeze out as I let them help carry me through something I had always been afraid to face alone. I didn't quite know how they made it easier to let go like they did, just that their presence somehow gave me something familiar that had felt missing for a long time.

It took me a minute, but I felt relieved and a bit steadier when I was done, voice a bit thick as I pulled back again, "Thank you for that, both of you. Maybe I should sit down and tell Twilight the story soon... How long will the sleep spell on her last...Celestia?"

"As I did not wish for her to waken by chance during our studying you, it will lift a few minutes after I allow it to. I will release it now," Celestia replied, but paused when I held up a hand.

"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to bring her to the room we were going to use tonight. Perhaps it's a bit cliche, but I'd like her to wake up in my arms as we lay in bed together after this. And... It's really been two hours since starting the Judgement spell?" I said, the mention of how much time had passed catching up in my brain.

With a faint smirk, Celestia nodded, "I can wait until you get her in bed if you like. Yes, it has been about two hours. The spell is a delicate process, but the conscious awareness of the recipient is shifted so they will know nothing of what happened either way. You were standing on the platform for a decent length of time before I tried to get your attention and you finally opened your eyes to see we had finished."

"Seeking to have her waken in your embrace with joyous news after such a troubling moment, hmm? You are a romantic at heart, it seems," Luna said with a sly little grin.

Giving a somewhat dry chuckle, I started moving towards Twilight, drinking in the lines and curves of her sleeping form, "I suppose I am, Luna."

Kneeling down beside her, I carefully added a bit of levitation to keep her wings in place as I lifted Twilight off the ground and cradled her in my arms, her head nestled against my left shoulder. At first, all I could do was hold her close to me, swallowing against the lump in my throat as I took a few shaky breaths as relief crashed over me again. Just the feel of her slow breathing as she slept quietly in my arms was almost enough to drive me back down to my knees. I pressed my lips to her temple and held close for a long moment before lifting my head again with a slight sniffle

I turned back to Celestia and Luna, following them as we departed their laboratory with new questions and some new perspective.

The walk to the suite mostly went unnoticed by me. Both Celestia and Luna remained quiet, just guiding me through the halls in comfortable silence and seemed to know I wasn't feeling very conversational.

While the walk and carrying Twilight was not difficult for me, by the time we reached the last hallway I was feeling drained. A heavy emotional drain that left me feeling exhausted and lethargic after everything that had just taken place. Facing such uncertainty over the potential of my life being brought to an end to prevent some dark future coming to this land was not exactly invigorating, now that the rush of relief had passed. The fact it put Twilight's life on the line as well was weighing on me just as much. I had so many questions circling my head about what was happening in this world I was coming to see as my home a little more with each passing day.

After I'd set Twilight down on the bed and made sure she was settled comfortably for the moment, I turned back to the Princesses, "Thank you for giving me your acceptance as you have. I figure both of you know just what that means coming from me as well."

Celestia gave a graceful nod, "I understand. Luna and I shall always be available to you, if you have need of an ear to listen for any reason. For now, I believe it will be best for yourself and Twilight to have some time for reflection and rest. I know it has been a trying experience and the two of you will have mutual comfort to seek in short order. I will release the sleep spell now."

"My friend, as my sister has just said, you are free to come to us if you have need of an ear to listen or you seek counsel in something. Even if just to share in each other's company, one or both of us shall make time for you whenever possible," Luna said before pulling me into a firm embrace, with Celestia moving close and draping her neck over my shoulder as well.

Returning the hug in kind, I squeezed them both best I could, "Celestia, Luna... Thank you."

They headed for the door when we all let go, Luna looking over her shoulder, "May your rest be deep tonight, my friend. We shall see you both in the morning."

Pausing after the door closed to let out a slow breath, I turned to look at Twilight as she lay sleeping on the bed for a moment before approaching, slipping out of my shirt before sitting on the edge of the bed to get rid of shoes and socks the normal way. I sat there for a long moment, just watching her as her body rose and fell with each breath before joining her under the covers, kissing her nose and pulling her into my arms to wait as I watched her face.

Another minute passed and she began to stir, nuzzling a little closer into my embrace as if she was first waking up in the morning. A moment more passed before she went rigid, a nervous tremble passing through her body as her eyes opened to find mine staring back at her.

Her hoof moved in slow motion to cup my cheek as her eyes misted, her voice faint, "Vojin...? A-are you..."

My chest felt tight as a warm smile spread across my face, emotion making it difficult to talk, "Yeah, we're both still here, Purple Angel..."

Twilight could only stare at me in wonder for several long seconds before moving close and latching onto me as tight as she could, her body trembling with increasing intensity until she began to hitch in quiet sobs, her face buried against my neck and shoulder. With a sniffle, I was soon weeping alongside her, both of us thankful we could still hold each other close.

All that mattered to us in that moment of intense relief was letting it flow through us and venting all the built up stress and fear because of me somehow having a mark tied to Equestria's future. We were a bit of a mess by the time we calmed, clinging to each other as we recovered. We just stayed like that for several minutes, sharing gentle caresses and quite rubs as we kept needing to feel each other's physical presence again.

When we pulled back to look at each other we both felt a bit embarrassed, knowing it was like looking in a mirror and feeling tears and snot on our own faces. I noticed some tissues on the nightstand behind Twilight and levitated it over to us. A round of curiously comforting nose-blowing and wiping away each other's tears and other things followed. Every touch was done with loving tenderness.

"They felt you should stay... Oh stars... Even if my life wasn't tied to yours, I don't want to be without you now, Vojin. I can't imagine life without you anymore. Just a month of knowing you and everything I hoped for with my future has changed," Twilight said, hiding her face against me again, minding her horn as she snuggled up under my chin.

Slow strokes of my hand went along her mane as I all but whispered, "I know, Purple Angel. I couldn't give you up anymore either. I love you too much for that."

We took comfort in the closeness for a while, holding onto the shared moment as I kept stroking her mane and listened to the sound of her breathing. Every exhale felt like a caress across my skin as one of her wings was wrapped around me to hold me that much closer to her. Just being together as we let any remaining tension fade away.

After a time, Twilight wiggled herself a little closer, nuzzling at my throat for a moment before pulling back to look into my eyes, her own shining and asking. Both of us felt a need within, meeting in a kiss as our eyes fell closed a moment later.

Like water to a dry throat, we drank each other in, feeling like it wasn't enough and pressing still closer for more. Every bit of passion she gave me, I matched and gave back as the kiss continued. My arm around her back pulling her closer, a wing holding me tight, our tongues dancing together and unable to decide which mouth to stay in.

Panting after a few minutes, Twilight drew back. She eyed me with a smouldering look, no question in her eyes as she had to return for another quick kiss, never quite separating our lips as she managed to get out words she had been so unsure of before, yet now sounded so certain it made me shiver, "Vojin, please. Tonight. Right now," another lingering kiss, "I need you tonight. All of you..."

My only response was crushing my lips to hers as a hand found it's way to her wing joints, now moving with singular purpose and no restraint. Such simple words to say, yet they carried so much meaning for us as we prepared for a transition to something new together. Even as I began to massage the muscles of her wings, I held to a deliberate pace to stoke her fire, drawing out little sounds from her as things grew more heated.

The two of us were past words, her body rolling against me as she seemed driven by passion. It barely registered when she used her magic to dispense of my remaining clothing and shuddering at the open contact, need meeting need. All thoughts of stopping nonexistent as our link seemed to come alive, somehow able to feel some of each other's excitement and craving mingling with our own, whispers of sensations being shared tickling the edges of our perception. Moans, gasps, the sounds of passion were all we would have heard if we had been able to notice more than pure sensation.

Everything I had, she welcomed. Everything I needed, she provided. An act done in love that stood apart from anything I had known before. It all seemed to resonate through us, somehow feeling both perfectly timed and overdue. Time had no meaning as we were lost in each other's presence and intimate touch, seeking, reaching. Minds washed away by the rush as we felt the world slip away with every breath of the one that became our whole focus, giving all we had to our other's need.

Thought was slow to return as we began to catch our breath, her body giving an occasional squeezing pulse around me in a faint whispered request for more, even as we worked on recovering.

It was several minutes before Twilight found her voice, now sounding lethargic and pleasantly sated in the afterglow, "That... Oh wow, why was I so nervous about that for so long...? Anatomy books tell how things function and romance novels try to explain the feeling, but there just...aren't any words that could convey just how you feel in me, how all that felt... By Celestia, I love you so much!"

Twilight buried her face against my neck as I gave a soft laugh, just staying close, "I love you too, Purple Angel. Never felt so...so... Hmm...yeah, words just seem to be lacking right now. You wouldn't mind staying right where you are for eternity, would you?"

Nuzzling against my neck a little before nipping at the skin, she gave a contented sigh, "I don't think I would mind in the slightest. Though if we are somehow unfairly forced to separate, I will not be letting you get away from me for long. I thought I was secretly possessive of you before, but now I don't even want you out of my reach, let alone out of my sight... Maybe not even out of me..."

The last part came out as a sensual purr as she writhed against me with every intention of teasing out the shiver she caused, leaving me to give a low growl in response. It was like everything that had gone on earlier in the day was forgotten for now.

I hummed as I felt the tip of her tongue starting to trace against my neck, knowing she felt the stirring of my arousal still inside her begin to respond from the half-awake state it had been in, fingers finding their way to sensitive spots in her wings again, "Mmm...we aren't going to be waking up early, are we Purple Angel?"

She let out a throaty laugh and rolled her hips with a growl, giving me a look that seared away any inkling of rest for the foreseeable future, both of us knowing sleep wasn't happening any time soon tonight, "I'm glad that was a rhetorical question or I might have had to punish you with no sleep at all. It was more than worth the wait, but I'm never waiting again..."