A/N: Steelbreaker and Drew here with more story coming at ya! We're enjoying a day off while writing this. Ahhh...nothing like peppermint Schnapps and some made-from-scratch banana nut bread. NOM. Jelly? You should be. Anyway, this story will be skipping ahead a bit as not much happens for a while. Fear not, anything important that did happen during the fast forward will be explained. I cried at one part while writing this story, so I hope you all like it. As always, R&R and let us know what you think.

To Vinyl Beat - Yes, more...much more. And cookies!

To zsd - Steel: I do like Pinkie, she's a lot more interesting than I initially thought. I can't say whether or not we'll all get together, but I wouldn't be against it. As far as that stallion of old, I do praise his ability to keep twenty mares happy successfully. I however, do not ever plan to let things get that crazy. Not only is that a lot of mares to keep happy, but I'm not greedy. I only am interested in who is cool for me and my girls, not necessarily the hottest or the most popular. Applejack for example, just wouldn't work. I like her and trust her, but her stubborn personality gets on my nerves after awhile. Drew: As far as the story, things are gonna settle down for a bit, as I don't want things to get too chaotic. If I'd wanted the story that way, I'd have made it into an adventure/drama.

To JB - Steel: I happen to like waking up surrounded by my girls. Never gets old to me and wouldn't to anyone or pony else, if you love them. Besides, I don't like sleeping alone. I only have nightmares when I sleep alone, and I'd rather not wake up screaming. Something tells me my brother would kick my ass, and he's a lot stronger than me now. Drew: As far as the story mixing up, I do try and do that when I can. Breaking the fourth wall too much or inserting too much random humor not part of the story line tends to take away from the credibility of the story. I might give it a try in a chapter or two to see how it works out though.

We're really pleased with the story thus far and we'd like to extend a thank you to our new and loyal fans. There'll be plenty more to come of course, so we do hope you enjoy. If you know of any of your friends that might like the story, pass it on to them. I'm not a fan-whore, but I do want people to read and enjoy my work.

With that out of the way, ON TO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters associated with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, nor the original story.

Chapter 12: The Warmth of Winter's Heart

It's been about three weeks since my coma, and things have gotten back to normal for the most part. Twilight and Luna didn't sleep too well for the first week, as they kept waking up in a panic, checking to make sure I was okay. This of course also meant that I didn't sleep well either. It made me happy that they cared about me so much, but at the same time the lack of sleep made me cranky. I was relieved when their fears abated. Dash strangely enough didn't seem to hold the same fear. At first I was worried that she didn't care about me as much as the others did, but I instead found it was because she knew I'd be okay, no matter what.

I love my girls...

Pinkie and I had gotten closer as well, and while we weren't together, we were definitely almost as close as I was with any of my other girls. Thankfully Luna, Twilight, and Dash loved Pinkie and didn't mind in the least, so I was confident that should the time arise that Pinkie wanted to be with me, everything would work out okay. Twilight and Luna were never as close to Pinkie as Dash was, so they had no problem with who she really was. Dash however had a bit of a breakdown. She felt that by not knowing her friend as well as she should, she was a failure. Pinkie assured her that she was a great friend, and that it was her that should have not hidden who she was. Dash seemed okay with this, and set about getting to know the real Pinkie Pie. I was pleased when the two old friends became closer than they'd ever been, and they were both all smiles around each other.

My mom and Jen settled into the new life of a pony very quickly, and made friends with all the townsponies as well. It bugged me for some reason when my mom took a liking to Big Mac, and he to her. I quickly got over it though and was happy that she found a man - or stallion in this case - she liked. My sister became really good friends with the CMC, even though she was five years older than them. Thankfully she hadn't started dating anypony yet, which I was thankful for. When that happens I feel sorry for whoever that poor colt is. Two older brothers with one being an alicorn and the other a dragon? He better watch himself.

We had all spent these weeks adding on and renovating the library, making it bigger and better. The library was now twice the size it had been with a book collection that rivaled the Royal Library of Canterlot. We decided to keep the central structure of the tree for Twilight's sake. My mom and Jen now had their own rooms, and Twi's room was now on the new third floor. Twi's old room had become a study, and the old guest room had been enlarged and split into two rooms that made up Jen and my mom's rooms. An extra washroom had been put in the basement for Mason, and Spike permanently moved in with him. We also set about insulating the entire building after I told Twi why it would help. All I can say is thank God and Celestia for magic. What would have taken months on Earth only took two and a half weeks, especially with all Twi's friends helping. Lyra had helped too, and her and I had gotten very close as a result. She became my fourth marefriend after I ran it by Twi and the rest of the girls, who all were very accepting and pleased, especially Dash. I think she has a thing for Lyra.

Hearth's Warming was two months away and was coincidentally on December 25th, which I found funny. Dashie's birthday was coming up in a week though on November 2nd, and I was walking in the snowy town with Pinkie trying to find something to get her. "Well Pinkie you've known Dashie longer than I have, what do you think she'd like?" Pinkie shook her head. "This gift isn't supposed to be from me Steel, it's supposed to be from you. She's your marefriend, you know her well enough to find something she'd enjoy." I rolled my eyes. "Gee thanks for the help Pinkie. I mean I know she loves the Wonderbolts, but they aren't performing again until Spring." She giggled. "Yeah, but I know you'll find something nice for her, Steelie. You're a good stallion, I know you'll come up with something." I thought for a second when it hit me. "Oh! I know what to get her!" and with that I ran off to Rarity's, Pinkie amazingly having a hard time keeping up.

I arrived at Rarity's to find(big surprise) Spike working with her. He'd had another growth spurt with the winter season, and was now as tall as Rarity was, and he could actually look her in the eye now. Rarity had started to take notice of him, much to his delight. While I never thought he acted like a baby dragon, now he didn't look like one either. Pinkie and I walked in the boutique and Rarity smiled at both of us. "Hello Pinkie and Steel, what can I do for you on this lovely winter day?" I smiled. "Well Rarity, as you know Rainbow Dash's birthday is coming soon, so I'm here to ask for something for her." She smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well what did you have in mind, Steel?" I looked to Pinkie and smiled, then turned my attention back to Rarity. "Well Rarity we all know how much Dashie loves flying, and how much she loves the Wonderbolts. I'd like to get her a flight suit made, like the Wonderbolts have. And, I have ideas for the design as well." Rarity tapped her hoof on her chin in thought, and then smiled. "I believe Rainbow Dash would simply love that, and I have just the fabric for it. The fabric is soft and stretchy, yet strong, and is also waterproof. I had bought it some time ago and just have not had a use for it. I think this would be the perfect thing to use it for."

Rarity and I set about taking down the designs and colors for Dash's gift. After an hour of brainstorming, we had come up with a great design. Thankfully because of my new job as a trainer for the guards in Canterlot, I finally had bits of my own to buy things with. "So Rarity, how much do you think this'll be?" She furrowed her brow in thought. "Well this fabric was very expensive, and the tailoring that will be needed will take time. I think one-hundred bits should do it, does that sound fair?" I nodded. "That sounds great Rarity, and I must say it's quite a good buy." She smiled. "Very well, I will get started Steelbreaker. You may pay for it when you pick it up. It will take about three days to make, so come back Saturday afternoon. I am most excited to get working on this, it will be one of my greatest works!" I nodded to Rarity. "Alright then, Pinkie and I will let you get started. Thanks Rarity. Let me know if there's anything you need." She nodded and closed the door to her "inspiration room", getting to work.

Pinkie was bouncing around me as we walked through town towards the park, where the fillies and colts were playing with their friends. My sister was there as well, playing some version of hide-and-seek with her friends. Pinkie and I sat on a bench at the edge of the park, just watching everyone. I draped a wing around her to keep her warm, and she just looked at the sight before us. "It's really pretty, Steel. Did winter look like this on Earth?" I shook my head. "No, it didn't. Because of the vehicles we used, most of the snow would end up piled on the sides of the road, or dirty from all the dirt and air pollution. It rarely kept the pure white, like it does here." She nodded and smiled. "You don't seem to miss Earth very much at all, Steel." I smiled and shook my head softly. "No Pinkie, I don't. I love it here. Earth never really felt like home to me. It took coming here for me to realize that." I focused on an essence inside of me. 'Hey Frostrender, the day is pretty nice and I've been working on my spell. I think I can give you a few hours if you want. You interested?' I felt a happy feeling from within me. 'Yes Steelbreaker, that would be very kind of you, thank you.' The past week I had been working on another improvised spell to give Frostrender his own body for a time. It was a passive spell that I needed to keep active, but through practice I'd gotten better at channeling it. It's gotten to the point now to where I don't have to think about keeping it going, and the duration has increased to a few hours now. I was worried at first about him, but he was still me, and I knew he wouldn't hurt anypony. I focused on the feeling of the ice within me - Frostrender - and brought it to the surface and out. A ball of soft blue light settled into the snow before me, and took the shape of Frostrender in a flash. I saw the small elemental alicorn standing before me and I nodded. "Have fun Frostrender, I think you've earned it since helping me save Twilight from those gryphons. You make one hell of a first impression, I'll say that." He smiled and chuckled. "Well I am you after all, so I aim to please." He nodded and bounded off like a playful colt. I cast the spell for the first time a week ago, and found it strange that he seemed so much younger when he had his own body...even his voice was different. I didn't mind though, that just meant he could enjoy himself more with the younglings of Ponyville. Pinkie looked up at me. "That was really nice of you, Steelie. I know he enjoys it." I nodded while still looking at my other. "Yes I know. I like to think that even though his first use was for a fight, that isn't all there is to him. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger." Pinkie giggled and shoved me. "Now I know what Twilight means when she says you sound old." I chuckled and nuzzled her mane.

Luna had joined Pinkie and I in the park shortly thereafter and we all sat on the bench just enjoying the day. I was happy with the more regular schedule that Luna had now. With some help from Twilight's organizational skills, Celestia and Luna had much more free time of their own. It was now not uncommon to see Celestia in town greeting her subjects as one would greet a friend, and Luna was able to stay with us most of the time, only going back to the palace on the weekends. Celestia had become much closer with all of us, so much so that now she simply asked us to call her by name. It almost felt like I had a second mother watching over me, and I was happy with my new family in Equestria.

Before I knew what had happened, I fell asleep on the bench to be awakened by Pinkie. "Steelie get up, it's too early to be sleeping!" I laughed. "Sorry Pinkie, I was just so comfortable that I couldn't help myself. What time is it anyway?" Luna looked up at the sun for a moment. "I believe it is just after 1:00pm." I hopped up "Oh no, we were supposed to meet Twilight at Sugarcube Corner! Come on, let's go!" We ran through the snow-blanketed town and arrived at Sugarcube Corner to see an annoyed Twilight standing next to the front counter. "How nice of you all to show up, finally." I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Twi, I completely forgot. So what's going on?" She smiled. "Well first of all I want to get some lunch with all of you. Then, we need to get Rainbow Dash a cake designed for next Thursday. You did remember it's her birthday, right?" I nodded. "Yep, and Rarity's helping me with a present. I think she's going to like it."

Pinkie hopped behind the counter and grabbed a tray full of apple strudels and a few cupcakes. We paid for the meal and ate the lovely pastries. I'll never get sick of these things. Pony anatomy must be different because I'd have diabetes by now if I were a human, with as many sweets as Pinkie makes us. After finishing the meal we all sat in the corner window drinking hot chocolate, Twilight cuddled up next to Luna, and Pinkie leaning back against my chest. Luna gave me a knowing look and a soft smile, which I grinned at. We just relaxed for the next hour or so, talking about random things while we waited for Dash to get off work. Apparently blizzards could happen very easily, so this was the busiest time of year for Dash.

The rainbow pegasus walked in the door and nearly tackled me and Pinkie in a hug. "Ugh, winter always seems to take all my time up. It's been like three days since I've seen you guys last." She then moved to Luna and Twilight and gave them a hug as well before sitting in between the four of us. Pinkie hopped up and made a hot chocolate for Dash as well, which she took with a smile. I nodded at the cyan mare and grinned at her. "Well Dash I know you've been busy, but we all love it whenever we see you, even if it's just for a few minutes. Speaking of the weather, how are things this week?" She took a sip of the hot cocoa drink and set it down. "Well that's part of the reason I had to make sure I saw you guys today. There's going to be a blizzard tomorrow until Sunday. Cloudkicker and I are going to be warning the rest of Ponyville about it too after I leave here." I tilted my head in confusion. "Why the need for a blizzard Dash? I still don't really understand how weather works here." She rolled her eyes, as if it should've been innate knowledge or something. "When too much moisture gathers in the air, it can cause all kinds of problems. It can make it so that the clouds won't move where we want them to, and also make it so that the storms are a lot worse than normal. Blizzards are never a good thing, but if we didn't schedule one ourselves, we'd get a worse one that would be uncontrollable, and that would be bad." I nodded. "Yeah that makes sense. Anything we should do to prepare?" She nodded. "Yeah, stock up on food and water. The snow will pile up around doors and some lower windows, so unless you climb out a high window, you're not going to be able to leave the library. The good news is that after this blizzard, I'll get a few days off." I smiled. "To think it would take a blizzard to be able to spend time with our Dashie. You should schedule crazy weather more often." She giggled. "I'll be sure and bring that up at the next meeting."

We all just sat there enjoying each others company until Dash had to leave about twenty minutes later. We left with her and bid her goodbye, her assuring us that she'd meet us at the library when the blizzard started. I watched the rainbow blur speed off towards Cloudsdale before walking with my group towards the library. We were about halfway there when Lyra walked up. "Hiya everyone, it's good to see you all!" She rushed up and embraced me in a tight hug, surprisingly strong for such a small pony. I hugged her back and the others joined in too. Lyra started giggling uncontrollably. "It's like a hug party!" I rolled my eyes. "It's like we have a second Pinkie Pie sometimes." Pinkie looked at me and huffed. "What's wrong with that, Steelie?" I laughed and pulled the pink pony into a strong embrace. "Absolutely nothing, Pinks. I personally could never have too much of you." Pinkie blushed and giggled. "Steelie stop it, you're making me blush." I smirked. "Well that is the idea." I looked at Lyra. "Anyway we're all heading back to the library, care to join us?" She nodded. "Actually Steel, I was wondering if I could stay the night. Bon Bon finally started dating a stallion and I'm sure she wants some privacy, seeing as how she's bringing him back to the house for the first time." I nodded with a snort. "Bon Bon's about to get BIZAY!" Luna rolled her eyes at me with a smile and then looked down at Lyra. "Of course you may stay with us Lyra, you are always welcome and there is more than enough room." Lyra smiled wide and gave Luna a hug, making her blush. I just laughed. A small blue alicorn cantered up and waved at me. "Hey Steel, thank you for today, I appreciate it." I nodded at Frostrender with a smile. "No problem buddy. It's about that time, you ready?" He nodded and placed his hoof on my shoulder. I felt a tingling in my horn, and I saw him dissipate into a small blue ball of light. The ball of light touched my horn and disappeared. Luna, Twilight, and Lyra just stared at me with wide eyes. "What was...how..." said Twilight. I chuckled. "I thought Frostrender deserved some time on his own to enjoy himself, so I created a spell to make it so." I just laughed and we continued on to the library.

When we got back, my mother was on her way out. "Off to see your man again?" I said with a smirk. She nodded. "Why yes, I am. I'll be home late, don't wait up." I shook my head and stepped inside. The building was much warmer since I had gotten it insulated, so much so that my brother didn't mind being upstairs now. He was actually sitting with Applejack in front of the newly installed fireplace in the reading room(it was such a pain to get the permits for that). He and Applejack had gotten rather close over the past week or so, after he helped her at the orchard when Big Mac hurt his leg. I hadn't thought he'd be able to pull it off, but he seemed to have caught the eye of the Element of Honesty. I guess people really can change for the better. He looked up at me and just nodded with a smile and I nodded back. AJ waved to me and I grinned knowingly at her. She blushed and I laughed at her.

We all sat down for a dinner of sautéed mushrooms with roasted potatoes and carrots, courtesy of yours truly. Thanks to Spike I'd gotten quite a bit better at cooking, so I often cooked dinner when he wasn't around. AJ told us all about her visit to Appaloosa two weeks ago to visit some family. As much as it made her sad, she told us about how she'd been pulling all of the Apple family together, as it was getting to be about that time for Granny Smith. Granny Smith was like the town grandma. It doesn't matter what age you are or where you come from...you're family and she's granny to you. A tear came to my eye as I reminisced about the last time I saw her, shortly after getting out of the hospital.

I remember I had come over to the farm to buy some apples and sat with the aged mare as I waited for Applejack to get back. It had been awhile since I'd seen Dash, and I missed her...and Granny Smith could tell. She didn't even need to ask what had me feeling down...she knew. She told me something that day that I'll never forget. She said, "It don' matter how far away she is or where ya'll go. As long as ya love each other, yer gonna be okay. As long as ya love each other, yer never alone." There was a wisdom in her words that I didn't realize until later that week when Dash came to visit...and I felt the same spark between us when she first told me she liked me. The spark of love.

Sitting at that table with my friends and family, I realized just how much I was going to miss the old mare. I found it a little odd seeing as how I had never even met her until a few months ago, but I could now understand how AJ felt. I looked up from my empty plate to see AJ crying too. She looked right at me and without speaking, walked around the table and hugged me. She nuzzled into my face and cried. "Ah'm gonna miss her Steel...Ah'm gonna miss her somethin' fierce." I nodded, rubbing her back. "I'm gonna miss her too AJ...so much. But you know what? She's lived a long and happy life, and I know she's proud of you, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac. It's going to be hard, but we'll pull through this. We all will together. I know we can...and she knows it too." Applejack looked up at me with tears in her eyes, but smiled. She hugged me tight again. "Thank ya Steel. I don' know what Ah'd do without ya." My brother snorted. "I'm here too, ya know." AJ laughed and went next to him and nuzzled his face. "Ah know Dark, Ah'd never ferget about ya." He put an arm around her and squeezed her tight, and she sighed with a smile.

We finished cleaning up the dinner dishes and went off to our respective areas. Applejack would be staying the night as she was not needed at the farm during the winter, so she had a lot of extra time. We all hugged AJ one more time and headed upstairs to get cleaned up from the day. One of the things I had installed in the new master bathroom was a stand up glass door shower that was double the size of the original, which also was a raindrop shower. I stepped into the shower and turned on the water, feeling the soft pitter patter of the drops upon my skin, relaxing any stress away. I sat down and closed my eyes, just relaxing and letting my mind clear from the sadness that gripped me. I heard the door open and heard the sound of three sets of hooves moving towards me. I didn't even open my eyes when I heard the shower door open, I just scooted a little towards the far wall. I felt two small pairs of hooves go around my neck and a large pair of wings envelop me. I opened my eyes to see Lyra, Luna, and Twilight all hugging me. I felt a little better from their warm embrace until I looked out the glass of the shower to see a pink silhouette standing by the washroom door. "Pinkie, what are you doing all the way over there? Get your rump in here before I make you." I said with a smile. She blushed and giggled before stepping into the shower with us. Luna pulled her over with a wing and Lyra and I held her close in a hug. I smiled. "Thank you girls...I feel so much better now." They all released me except for Pinkie. Without warning, she pressed her lips against mine. I just closed my eyes and kissed her back. I heard Twilight and Luna giggling. "Wow...didn't know you had it in you Pinkie." said Lyra. Pinkie broke away with a half-lidded smile. "Wow..." I chuckled. "Yeah, I have that effect. Just ask Luna and Twi." Said ponies both blushed.

We cleaned up pretty quickly and brushed our teeth. It was only about 7:00pm, but with the new observation deck I had built for Twi on the third floor, we had a place to hang out and relax. I fixed us all some mixed drinks of pineapple juice, vodka, and coconut juice. During Celestia's travels she'd become friends with a supplier in one of the islands off the coast, and being a personal friend of hers entitled me to benefits, such as getting a personal stock of some of the produce. Man I had missed the fruit of the islands. I had come to find that both Luna and Twi were lightweights when it came to any sort of alcohol, whereas somehow Pinkie could drink me under the table. Lyra just seemed to chill and enjoy the early evening, which is what I was doing. We had the observation deck set up with a telescope and a vented outdoor fireplace, as well as an oaken couch, a large bed, and a few chairs scattered about. I had installed a retractable glass curtain to shield us from any rain that may pop up, or if we just felt like sleeping out here. Needless to say, it was perfect for summer, but with the fire going it was good for winter as well. Luna thew a few logs into the fire pit and cast a spell to light them on fire. With the insulation as well as a few enchantments I'd placed on the deck, this place was as warm as if it were a balmy summer night.

Twilight passed out rather quickly, as did Luna after she raised the moon. I looked over to find Twi laying on top of Luna on the couch. Lyra was just relaxing, enjoying the crisp cool air and watching the stars. I was laying propped up on the bed, admiring the night sky as well, and Pinkie was lying in front of me. Pinkie brought her head back against her chest and looked up at me with her lovely blue eyes. I leaned down and kissed her softly and she smiled at me. "I really like you Steel." I smiled back and nuzzled her cheek, causing her to giggle and blush. "Well I like you too, Pinks." I kissed just under her left cheek on her neck and breathed a warm breath, causing her to shiver and her mane to go straight for a second. "Well, that was interesting." She blushed. "S-sorry...I got a little excited there." I just wrapped my foreleg around her and pulled her closer into me, causing her to let out a little squeak. Lyra walked over wobbling a bit and lay down behind me. I turned over on my back and wrapped my other foreleg around Lyra. I then focused on the two sleeping mares on the couch and levitated them over to us, laying them down as they were and propping Luna up with a pillow against my thigh.

Somehow in the middle of laying there with Lyra and Pinkie in my hooves, we started kissing, which graduated to a make-out session between the three of us. I still don't really know how we started, but I wasn't complaining. I was in the middle of kissing Pinkie at one point when Lyra licked my horn, and I nearly let out a loud moan. I turned to her with a confused look and she just smiled. I just shrugged and went back to the task at hand.

About an hour had passed and I was out of breath, Lyra having fallen asleep a few moments ago and Pinkie still laying in my grasp saying 'wow' every now and then. I almost laughed when I noticed that Twi and Luna were still completely out, with no response other than the occasional murmur or mumbling. I looked out at the night sky, it being well past 10:00pm now. I looked over at Luna and smiled, and then focused on a spell I had been practicing. My horn was covered in a green glow, then a blue glow added onto that, and then a purple glow. I focused hard and let the spell amplify. When I felt the spell was at its apex, I released it into the sky. The bolt of swirling colors shot forth high in the sky. When I felt it was high enough I focused again, and the bolt exploded into brilliant ribbons of shimmering color...an aurora. I focused and made contact with Dash. 'Dashie...are you awake?' I was worried I was waking her up, but wanted her to see this. 'Oh hi Steel. I'm in bed but I hadn't fallen asleep yet. What's up?' I smiled. 'I want you to go outside and look into the sky. I did something special for you girls I think you'll like.' I clopped my hooves together loudly and all the girls started moving around. Luna looked at me with a groggy look. "Ugh...Steel what is it? I was having a good dream about..." she trailed off as she looked at Twilight, blushing. "Umm...nevermind." I just laughed. "It's okay girls, I just wanted you to see something. Step out onto the balcony and look up." We all walked out onto the balcony and the girls looked up. All of their eyes widened in awe and Twilight's mouth dropped open. "Wh-what is that? It's so pretty." I nodded. "That's known as an aurora, girls. It's a naturally occurring anomaly that usually only happens on Earth at extreme northern or southern latitudes. The one you're looking at now is of magical nature...I made it, for all of you." I heard Dash gasp in my head. 'Wow, you made that...for us? Steel...I don't know what to say. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.' I chuckled. 'It's not as beautiful as you girls, Dash. I miss you a lot...I hope you come home soon.' I felt her blush. 'I'm going to be there tomorrow Steel...then you can show me how much you've missed me.' I smiled. 'It's a promise. Go to bed now Dashie, I love you.' 'I love you too Steel, goodnight.' Luna stepped to me and kissed me on the cheek. "Steel, this is wonderful. Thank you for showing me this." I grinned. "Well if you like that, you're really going to like this." I focused on the magical aura in the aurora, and willed it to change shape. It split into five separate balls of colors, all in a circle. The girls watched in awe as each one changed into a shape they were each familiar with. They all turned and stared at me, Twilight stepping right in front of me. "Those are our cutie marks...how did you-" I cut her off. "I'm not done yet, Twi." I focused again, and the residual color that was left over became the outline of a massive shield, with two swords behind it...a coat of arms, with each of my girls' cutie marks on it. They all just stared at the enormous color spectacle before them. Luna turned to me. "That is us...you have placed all of us in my night sky." I nodded and chuckled. I then focused again and dissipated the shapes, turning it all into the lovely ribbons of color again. "I can only imagine what the ponies who are awake right now might be thinking." I then closed the glass curtain and lay down on the bed, beckoning the mares over. They all lay around me, Twilight with Luna again and Lyra and Pinkie in my forelegs. I wrapped my wings around the two in my grasp and closed my eyes. What seemed like only a moment later I heard a voice. "Steel? Are you still awake?" I looked over to see Lyra looking at me with those lovely gold eyes. "What is it, love?" She looked down as if in shame before looking up at me again. "Thank you for loving us...for loving me. It means a lot...I just wanted you to know that." I sighed and kissed her forehead. "Well thank you for loving me back. Get some sleep, beautiful." Lyra then closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, and a few moments later, I did as well.