Here it is! This chapter has been planned in detail almost since the beginning of this story. From this point forward, this story splits away from any relation to the canon MLP: FiM plot. None of what happens from now on is affected by nor does it affect that plot. Read on!

Chapter 25

The sound of a locomotive was almost all that Nightline could hear that fall afternoon. It was accompanied by the sound of cutting wind as a train travelled northbound from Canterlot. But even as the beautiful fields and mountain ranges passed by, the stallion couldn't tear his eyes away from a letter sent to him only one day prior. It was written on the finest paper, rolled and closed with the dazzling seal of the Crystal Empire. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were as surprised as he was that he had received it, and it was sent by none other than Princess Cadence herself. Since the Empire's return, Cadence had been sent to rule over it. It seemed like she was meant to, as it was a sector of Equestria governed completely by love. And so it was also fitting that Equestria's very first Hearts & Hooves Day Love Summit was to be held there. And that was the reason for Nightline receiving Cadence's letter. As the train chugged on, he read the letter over again to himself to ensure that he knew exactly what he was needed for.

To Nightline Wordsmith.

Nightline, as you are well aware by now, the Crystal Empire will be hosting the very first Love Sumit in Equestria. And this being the first event of its name, everything we are attempting to put together for it is more or less trial and error. Because of this, I find that I've got my Hooves full just trying to increase the spirit of Love. And so, I have decided to combine two of the Sumits needs. For one, there is a leader needed for every section of the festival, and I also require a representative from every sector of Equestria to come partake in the fun. Combining these two needs has thus far been promising. Originally, I was going to ask Twilight to be the main organizer, keeping everyone else on schedule, but I've opted to choose you instead because I think you'll do wonderfully and I needed someone else from Ponyville to lead a different department. As my first assignment to you since you joined the Castle Staff, I ask that you journey to the Crystal Empire and fulfill this task for me.

As Nightline finished reading, he put the letter down and sighed. He wasn't looking forward in the least to being "Mr. Checklist" as Twilight always had. His dread melted away, however, as he pulled into the train station of the Crystal Empire. He eyes widened as he marveled the city's beauty. It was so large, and every aspect of it was made of some form of gemstone. He chuckled to himself; he didn't know what else he was expecting. When the train came to a complete stop, he picked up his bags and disembarked. Nightline was delighted to find that Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were both waiting to greet him with smiles on their faces.

"Nightline, it's so good to see you!" Cadence said, offering a friendly hug. "How was the trip?"

"One of the smoothest train rides I've ever been on," he replied.

"Well what do you expect? Traveling between the two richest sectors of Equestria has its perks," Shining Armor joked, giving Nightline a powerful hoof-bump.

"You don't need to start working right away. We'll show you to your room and let you settle for a little while before we hand you your list."

The stallion grimaced. "Ugh, the list," he thought to himself.

Smiling, the three began walking to the central castle of the Crystal Empire. The entire way there, Cadence gave Nightline an outline of what she was hoping the festival would become. She also gave him a brief summary of the Sumit's centerpiece: the Crystal Heart. Though she didn't disclose its location where it remained hidden, she did tell him where it would be during the festivities. It didn't take long for them to reach the castle, nor did it take long to reach his room. It was much smaller than his room in Canterlot, but still a reasonable size. He would only be staying for a few days until the festival was over, so he didn't mind at all.

"There's a guard posted at the end of the hall. When you're ready, just grab the list from him and get started. Give us a holler if you need anything," Shining Armor said. With a short goodbye, he and his wife both left the room. After setting his things down, Nightline decided not to waste any time. He hadn't brought anything that needed unpacking, and having been sitting on a train for the last few hours, he decided that he didn't want to sit any longer. After quickly straightening out his main, the stallion exited his room and went to retrieve his list of things to check.

The list was exactly as Nightline dreaded. Long, and full of the most minuscule things. For his entire first day, the Wordsmith wandered around the Crystal Empire checking off that various things were still on schedule. Street cleaners, Crystal polishers, and every local catering business. There wasn't a single detail which Nightline wasn't meant to check off. At the end of his list, he was meant to check on the decorations. Looking at the final item, he noticed that it said that the pony in charge of that specific section of the Summit was from Ponyville. He smiled at reading this, for he knew only one pony from Ponyville meant to decorate for a party: Pinkie Pie. Holding that smile on his face, Nightline trotted over to the center of town where the main festivities would be held. There was a large group of Crystal Ponies there, all doing their part in decorating the square. And standing in the middle of them all giving directions was the mare in charge, and seeing her caused Nightline's soul to shatter.

This mare was not Pinkie Pie; in fact, Nightline knew exactly who it was. Even though she had grown out her deep red tail, the colorful paint pallet and adorable white freckles on her cheeks left no doubt in his heart. The pony called from Ponyville was none other than Iris Pinkberry. Quickly checking off the decorations for that day, the stallion bolted away from the square and straight towards the castle. His heart raced as he fled, not wanting to chance being seen by the mare who had stolen his heart. Bursting into the castle, he slammed the Crystal doors behind him, holding them shut with his entire body as he breathed heavily.

"I assume everything is going according to plan?" The voice of Princess Cadence said.

Nightline looked to find her standing in the entryway, looking at him with a cocky smile.

"Everything except the fact that you brought Iris here to be in charge of decorating!"

"Did I?" She asked innocently.

The stallion could hardly form a coherent thought as the reality of Cadence's plan became clear. Sputtering out random combinations of noises, he attempted to speak.

"Why?" Was all he could manage.

"I've given you the opportunity to give her a second chance. And I want you to try, because I know you still love her, and she hasn't forgotten about you."

"Yeah, I'm sure she hasn't. Like the way I completely destroyed any positive image she may have had of me."

"Come now. You know her heart as well as I do. There's hardly any room for hatred in it. Try, Nightline. Try."

And try, Nightline did. He tried every second of every day to avoid any interaction with the artistic Pegasus. For three days, until the day of the Hearts & Hooves Day Love Summit arrived. The Wordsmith wasn't really able to participate to any extent in the festivities, because he was still needed to gallop from one location to the next ensuring that everything was going smoothly. The streets he found were clean, and every statue was beautifully polished. The caterers were kept busy, but were glad for the business. As he was walking down the street, Nightline noticed that one of the many tapestries had come loose, so he used a basic spell to lift it and tie it to its hooks.

"Nightline!" A sudden female voice shouted from behind.

The stallion turned just in time to see Iris Pinkberry galloping towards him, a smile painted on her face. Nightline felt an enormous mix of emotions fight for dominance in his heart, and so as she reached him, he could only choke out a chuckle and force a nervous smile.

"Hey, Iris. How's it going?"

"Shiny. Very shiny," she replied, making herself laugh. Nightline was surprised by how friendly she was being, given the way he had sent her off on their last meeting. "Sorry about the tapestry. I was just on my way to fix it when you happened by."

"Don't worry about it. It was nothing," he replied, glancing around in hopes that some crazy accident would kill him so that he wouldn't have to endure his own inhibitions any longer.

"So, I hear you were the big colt in charge of keeping everyone on track. Looks like you did a pretty good job," Iris praised, giving him a very brief pat on the shoulder.

When she made contact, Nightline could swear he felt electricity between them. For just a moment, a familiar feeling of serenity overtook him. As if everything in the world was right. In that moment only, for the feeling quickly vanished.

"Why didn't I see you come around my area?" She asked.

Awkwardly, he shifted his gaze. "Well, I could see that you guys were doing fine, so I focused on the areas that really needed help," he lied.

Hearing this, Iris puffed out her chest in mock-pride. "Hmm, why thank you." Once again, she made herself laugh. "Hey, you wanna grab something to drink? Those crystal berries make one heck of a shake. Come on, my treat."

Without even waiting for a reply as she always had, Iris began walking and leading Nightline down the road and towards an ice-cream bar. The stallion couldn't believe how nice she was being, after the way he had treated her. She was acting as if it had never happened. Before he knew it, they were both sitting at a table enjoying their choice of Ice Cream Sundae and making idol conversation.

"So, how's the art career going?" Nightline asked.

"It's going great, actually. I've been getting a lot of big commissions, and since they pay so much, I don't have to take as many jobs. I've been able to spend more time at home and with friends. What about you? How's life in Canterlot?"

Nightline was glad to hear that Iris' life kept moving after he'd left. "I'm doing alright. Things have been quiet for a while. No huge disasters, no attacks, no big assignments. Just me and Cherry Blossom against boredom."

"Don't forget Percy. He's there too," Iris added, giggling.

The stallion chuckled. "Yes, him too. I suppose it hasn't been all quiet. I did have this fan club come all the way from Phillydelphia just to get my signature on my book. That was an interesting day."

"It must've been. How'd they know where to find you?"

"They didn't. A friend of mine told them who I was and lured me to the theater to meet them just so he could win a bet."

Iris almost spit out her drink upon hearing his explanation. "No way. Someone really did that to you?"

"Yeah, it was quite the day."

The two ponies broke out in innocent laughter, probably more so than the story deserved. But they were both too caught up in the comfort and joy they felt around one another to notice. The entire time they were talking and eating, Nightline's heart was set aflutter. He felt so at peace talking to his old friend, and even when the conversation began to feel more casual than strange, his heart still continued to beat. Like the sound of drum, it set its own rhythm, and his souls began to sing.

I tried to push away her grace.

She tried to fight her way into my heart.

Maybe I should have given her a chance

To be, every, thing I need.

Maybe we could have had our one romance.

When the two had finished with their treat, they stood and left. Together, they wandered the Crystal Empire without a care in the world. The song of Nightline's heart carried on, as did Iris's heart join in. With every sight they saw, a new line was forged.

He pushed away my every attempt.

But I could not forget the love I felt.

Maybe we were destined to receive this chance

To live, together again.

Maybe we could create this one romance.

Eventually, Nightline and Iris found themselves standing beneath the Crystal arch where the Crystal Heart would be appearing later that night. Turning to face each other, the song of their hearts became vocal. Their voices harmonized beautifully for all to hear, as their souls collided in a flurry of renewed love.

Maybe we can make this life,

Make this love

Something real.

It may be true that you and I could

Share our hearts,

The way we feel.

N: I knew that I would make it back.

I: I knew that you'd be true.

We knew whatever path we took

Would lead me back to you.

As the last note from their song faded to nothing, Nightline leaned his head down to nuzzle the pony who had stolen his heart all over again. Iris returned the nuzzle, closing her eyes blissfully. Neither of them could have been happier, for the Love they had found as young ponies had returned to them that much stronger.

Pulling back, Iris broke the silence. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. Iris, I am so sorry-" but he was silenced by a simple "shh."

"I know."

With a joyful smile, Nightline nodded. From those two words, an enormous weight was lifted from his chest. He was forgiven. Letting his silver eyes meet her blue, the two simultaneously leaned in and ever so tenderly, their lips met. It only lasted for a few seconds, but those few seconds felt like they were spend at the center of a lightning strike. The atmosphere around the two was set ablaze by the love expressed in that one single kiss. And when they separated, their eyes met once more. To Nightline, Iris had never looked so beautiful before. And to Iris, Nightline's silver eyes had never sparkled so brilliantly. Suddenly, the heat of the moment was interrupted by another heat, as if a pair of eyes was burning holes in Nightline's right side. Turning, he attempted to spot whoever was staring so intently, but found that there wasn't another pony around.

"What's wrong?" Iris asked.

Seeing as Nightline saw no one, he brushed off what he had felt and turned to face the pink Pegasus before him. "It was nothing."