Chapter 109: Silver Shoals

Three days… three days… that's how long it was until… the wedding.

Twilight was pacing back and forth in her room while trying to wrap her head around some stuff. The girl was having a panic attack as she struggled to come to grips with what she was thinking. Since her decision to have the boy as her personal guard, things began to take a turn. For one, Storm was now obligated to be by Twilight's side whenever she had meetings to attend or take care of some royal business for her family. And often, she found herself distracted by the Jedi as she couldn't take her eyes off him.

The girl was going ballistic as the door to her room opened up.

"Twilight!" said Velvet as the Queen entered her daughter's room and was accompanied by her daughter's handmaiden, Moondancer.

"Mom?!" said Twilight as she was stunned to see her mother enter her room unannounced.

"I've been trying to call you for 15 minutes, but you never came down. So… what's the problem?" asked Velvet to her child.

"Nothing!" expressed Twilight with a big fake smile on her face.

"Twilight, a mother knows her child. What's eating at you?" asked Velvet. "Did it have to do with the meeting?"

"Of course not! Why would anything be wrong? I did my part, and Storm did his." chuckled the girl nervously while stroking her hair.

"Ah…" smiled Velvet as she knew exactly what was happening. She then snapped her fingers, "You may leave, Moondancer. I've got this."

"Yes, your Majesty," said the handmaiden as she bowed respectfully before leaving the Queen and princess alone in the room.

"Tell me, Twily. You like him, don't you?" asked Velvet.

"WHAT?!" shouted the girl that was loud enough that the whole kingdom could hear.

It's only natural. You're a teen and a girl. You're bound to have a crush on a boy. If anybody knows what it's like, it's me.

"It's… not the same, Mom. This is different than you and Dad," said the girl as she turned her back to her mother and sighed. "I thought that by making him my personal guard, I could somewhat suppress these feelings, but it's only made it worse."

Twilight sniffed a bit, and then soft sobs began to be heard.

"It's just… all I can think about lately is Storm. I can't focus on anything else," the princess began to cry harder as Velvet opened her arms to comfort her daughter.

Twilight did just that as she fell into her arms and wrapped them around her daughter as she began to work her motherly charm. Velvet stroked Twilight's hair as she hummed while letting Twilight loose some cries.

"Don't cry, Twilight," said Velvet, "You're not telling me what's upsetting you. Please tell me what's on your mind, and stop beating around the bush about it. Did Storm hurt you? Or is it something else?" Twilight sniffed a bit as she tried to recompose herself before speaking again.

"In the past year or so," said Twilight, "I just... find myself thinking about Storm more and more these days. Sometimes I can't concentrate on my studies. I always feel this happiness whenever he's here. Lately, just the thought of him makes me feel like bouncing around like Pinkie Pie. And ever since the incident with Discord, I just wanna be close to him and cuddle. I never used to be like that. Sure, whenever he was willing to hug me was nice, but I never wanted them to last forever. Then all this stuff happened with Discord and him being an Element Bearer by dying and how he was willing to sacrifice his own life and save everybody else. Just the idea of him being gone forever... just... just..." Twilight couldn't speak as her crying overtook her. Velvet just hugged her close until Twilight settled down. She had a good idea of what was going on, but he decided to put it to the test.

"Then tell me, Twily," said Velvet, "What if I said Storm was waiting outside the door to give you a big smooch?" Twilight then smiled despite her tears and started to giggle.

"Now look yourself in the mirror," Velvet asked. Twilight obeyed and took a good long look at herself in the mirror. She saw how she was smiling and her eyes looking sickly like she was lovesick. Twilight then froze, and her eyes widened. Her body began to tremble, and she began to breathe.

"You see," smiled Velvet at Twilight's expression; she knew what her daughter was feeling. "Now… you just need to tell-"

"No! I can't!" said Twilight to her mother. "At least… not now… I need time."

"Twilight…"

"Please, Mom! Don't tell him. I just… need time to figure out these feelings. Please."

The girl pleaded with her mother not to tell her partner how she felt as she wanted to ensure that it was true and not just some heat-in-the-moment confession.

"Alright, then. Just know, Twilight. They say girls don't wait for a boy to tell them how they feel. Well, the same can be said for them. You better tell him soon, before… he's lost forever." warned Velvet as she left her daughter's room.

"Yee-haw!" said Applejack as she was grinding on some rails.

"Aw yeah!" exclaimed Rainbow as she was doing the same.

"Heads-up!" stated Storm as he was also with the two girls.

The trio was currently in Manehattan as Aj had to deliver some goods for a customer. With a city like Manehattan was not only big but also heavily advanced when it came to technology. So much so was an implemented rail system spawned throughout the city. The trio wanted to get back to Rainbow's ship as fast as they could, so they decided to take a fun way back. The teens rode the rails, leaning back and forth as they zoomed across the city.

Storm leaped into the air and to another railing as he kept grinding.

"Woo! This is more fun than square dancin' with a donkey!" said Applejack.

"Watch this!" said Rainbow as she jumped off the railing.

The girl landed on a roof before she took off using her superspeed as she was zooming on the roofs of some of the buildings. Dash then leaped back into the air as, using her speed, she managed to leap onto a higher railing and continued to grind.

The trio soon did one final leap as they slid down a roof of a small building and landed right where Dash's ship was.

"That was awesome!" said Rainbow, still riding her adrenaline rush.

"Damn straight!" said Applejack as she took off her hat and dusted it.

"Now that's the way to travel across the city!" said Storm as he adjusted his unzipped hoodie.

The trio soon entered Rainbow's ship as the engines fired up, and they took off back to the Kingdom of Equis. The trip was short as they docked by the landing harbor, exited, and walked into town.

"Storm!" called out Twilight as the princess jogged toward the three of them.

"Hey, Sparky. What's up?" asked the Jedi.

"Well… I wanted to greet you guys when you arrived," said Twilight, as that was a made-up lie to cover her real reasoning. "So… how'd the trade go?"

"Everythin' went smooth as a pig's behind," said Aj.

"I don't want to know how you know that," stated Twilight at Applejack's countryisms. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you all if you wanted to come with my family and me tomorrow to Silver Shoals. With winter about to come, there's a small festival being held to celebrate the last warm days before it starts getting cold."

"I'm down!" said Rainbow as Applejack nodded.

"Storm?" asked the princess to her partner.

"I… I don't know," said the boy, as he was hesitant about Twilight's proposal. "I'm not… a big fan of sand."

"You don't have to worry about that. If you don't want to be on the beach, there's a small boardwalk filled with lots of other stuff to do," said Twilight.

"I… I… don't…" groaned Storm as he was still not on board with this idea.

"Please," said Twilight as she grabbed the boy's hand and looked at him. "Don't make me order you to go." The girl didn't want to use her power as the princess to give a command to her partner, as she wanted him to have some free will in his new role as her personal guard.

"F-fine," sighed the Jedi as he hated dealing with Twilight's puppy dog eyes.

"Great!" exclaimed Twilight as she hugged the teen.

The group took their leave as Storm was heading toward his home. The Jedi was still hesitant about going with Twilight and her family to the beach, but his newly appointed duty as her personal guard meant he had to stay by her side and keep her safe. Who knows, maybe there would be some kind of danger, and it would take his mind off of the princess and what… she… might… be wearing.

The next day came as the royal guards were shown loading up the carriage. They were carrying luggage bags as the royal family was shown exiting the front door. Night Light and Velvet were discussing with Fleur, Moondancer, and Coco about them looking over the castle while they were gone for the day.

The girls were shown arriving as there was a second carriage behind the one Twilight, and her family would be riding in as the guards surrounded it. Storm was shown approaching the carriages as he waved at the girls. At that moment, Night Light and Velvet dismissed the girls they were talking to as they bowed to the royal pair.

"Everything is all set, sir," said one of the guards.

"Then let's be on our way," stated Night Light as he, Velvet, and Spike approached the carriage.
The guard near the vehicle opened the door and allowed them to enter. The signal was given to the second carriage. Storm arrived as Twilight saw him arrive. The girl was about to enter the carriage with her family when she approached her partner.

"You made it," said the princess.

"Well, my duty as your personal guard means I got to keep you safe," said the boy.

"Twilight!" shouted Night Light.

"Coming, dad," replied the girl as she saw how her father glared at them.

As she got in, the princess returned to her carriage, and the door closed behind them. Storm approached a nearby castle guard as he had the boy's horse ready. The Jedi approached Spirit as the animal gave a pleasant neigh to seeing its rider. Storm quickly got up as the driver of the royal carriage with the royal family inside began to move down the trail. The second carriage behind them, with the girls, followed as the guards selected to accompany the group began to ride out and take formations around the two vehicles. Storm flicked the reigns on Spirit as they were following from behind.

Some time passed as the carriages followed the trail to their destination.

"Oh, I can't wait till we get to Silver Shoals," said Rarity as she was ecstatic. "No doubt everyone will look adorable in their swimwear."

"Beach day! Good thing I packed my world-famous fun-in-the-sun cupcakes," said Pinkie. "The secret ingredient is edible sunscreen! It's SPF fun-hundred!" said the party girl to her shy companion in a whisper.

"Yech," said Fluttershy as she stuck her tongue out in disgust.

While the girls were discussing, Twilight looked out the side in the other carriage as she watched the many trees go by.

"Oh, I can't remember the last time we all went to the beach as a family. It's a shame your brother couldn't come, but his wedding is in a few days," said Velvet.

"Y-yeah, wedding," muttered Twilight as she looked out the window.

"I can't wait to build a sandcastle!" said Spike as he was most excited.

Night Light was smiling at seeing his family all excited for a day of relaxation. However, he was most concerned about the expression on Twilight's face. Especially because of a certain boy coming and would be very close to his daughter.

"I expect him to keep his distance around you," said Night Light to his daughter so that only she could hear him.

"Yes,... Father," responded Twilight, keeping her head down to avoid her dad's wrath.

"Your Majesty! We have arrived!" said the driver of the carriage.

Twilight peeked out the side of the carriage as a small town was in the distance. Ahead of it lay the blue ocean as the waves crashed along the shoreline. The girls also peeked out as they couldn't wait to do all sorts of activities. It wasn't long before the carriages arrived at the town, as it seemed the citizens heard about the royal family arriving and were waiting. As soon as the royal carriages were shown rolling down the town's entrance and onto the streets, people showed their appreciation. Loud cheers and applause were heard as they passed by.

The carriages were parked near the boardwalk as they got out. The guards began to retrieve the luggage from the carriages as they followed the royal family, with the girls following behind. Storm had hitched Spirit to one of the many posts as he gave the stallion some treats and petted his mane. He soon followed the group as they proceeded to walk along the boardwalk. The Jedi Knight saw many buildings they passed, and he was amazed by the sights and sounds that came from them. The royal family soon arrived at the beach as the guards began to set up their stuff. Night Light then turned as he snapped his fingers. Some cards appeared in front of the girls as they grabbed them.

"Feel free to explore the boardwalk and buy whatever you want," stated Night Light.

"Alright!" said Rainbow, as she was glad to spend money that wasn't hers.

With that, the entire group and Twilight's family left to change into more suitable clothing. Storm stood at the top of the stairway that connected the boardwalk and the beach as the Jedi stared outward. He saw the big body of water moving back and forth, touching the sandy beach. A sense of quiet fell upon the teen as he closed his eyes and listened. The waves of the water crashing provided a soothing sound as it seemed too serene for the Jedi. The sounds gave a peaceful aura as soon, a voice was heard.

"Storm!"

The boy turned as he saw Twilight standing a few meters away with her beach bag slung over her shoulder.

"You coming?" said the girl.

"Y-yeah," said the boy hesitantly as he looked back at the ocean before walking toward her.

"Here," said the princess as she had something in her hand.

Storm looked, and it was the same card that Night Light had given the girls.

"Seeing that my father didn't give you. You're gonna need it if you want to explore the boardwalk."

"Sparky…"

"Just take it. It's fine," said Twilight.

The Jedi Knight sighed as he took the card from the princess and examined it.

"By the way, you might want to shop for some beachwear. Also, you're gonna need to leave your lightsaber," stated the princess as she left to where her family was so that she could change into her swimsuit.

"Beachwear?" said Storm, as he had no clue what his partner was referring to.

As he entered, the boy approached one of the shops near the changing building.

"Um, I need some help?" asked the Jedi to the woman at the counter.

Storm stepped out of the building, now having a different outfit than his Jedi robes and the casual wear Twilight had given him. With help from the shop owner, the Jedi found some proper clothing for the beach. Dawning some waterproof beach shoes, swim shorts, and a cap. The owner had decided to give the Jedi a backpack full of supplies and to put his lightsaber in. However, the one thing that Storm kept on was his unzipped hoodie.

The boy made his way to the sandy terrain itself as he saw many people walking about. Some families, some with kids, and all types of people were present. The boardwalk was full of people, and the sounds could be heard. The Jedi soon made it to the part of the beach where many guards and some servants stood by some lounge chairs. He soon spotted the girls as they were all arriving as they had changed into some swimsuits. As the gender of the opposite sex, he had to admit that seeing the girls in what they were wearing was somewhat attractive.

"Cannonball!" shouted Spike as she ran by the Jedi, racing toward the water with a giant ball in hand.

He was suddenly stopped in a magical aura grip as he was yanked back.

"Spike!" shouted Velvet as she pulled her child to her.

"Mom!" said the small prince.

"No swimming until you've got some sunscreen on!" The woman, as a servant, brought the Queen a bottle.

The woman sat her son down on her lounge chair as she began to apply some of the substance on Spike. Night Light was shown talking with some of the servants as they all bowed and left to fetch what was told of them.

"Your drink, your Majesty," said a butler.

Night Light simply grabbed it as he joined his wife, who was still applying sunscreen on Spike, who was unhappy as he wanted to go have fun.

Storm saw this and couldn't help but crack a small smile. He saw the girls were a few meters away from the royal family as they were all disbursed to do their own activities. As for the Jedi himself, he slowly walked along the beach as he came to a rock. He sat on it while placing his backpack; the Jedi watched from afar as he saw the many people present. The way they smiled, the sounds of joyous laughter from the kids who were having fun, and the waves of the water splashing about. All of it was… peaceful. The kind of peace that one could just forget about everything else. Forget the violence that had occurred, forget the corruption in the galaxy, forget one's duties and responsibilities in life.

"Hey… Storm."

"Was wondering when you show up, Spa-"

The Jedi didn't finish as hearing the voice behind him, he turned around and was stunned by what he saw. Standing there was his partner in Twilight, but what the princess was wearing left him speechless. The girl had changed into a proper beach skirt and top, a sunhat, some glasses to go with them, and even some cute sandals.

"Um… what do you think?" asked Twilight as she spun around to show off her outfit to her partner to get his opinion.

"Um… well… it's… um… something… y-yeah, something… It…"

Storm turned his head to take another look at the princess as he got a better eye on what she was wearing. When he took a good look, he was quite surprised. Her swimsuit was a darker purple than her skin, but it also had light purple strips on them as well. However, he noticed that her swimwear was a bikini. It was with comfort wrapped around her chest as the valley between her breasts was emphasized by the way the top pushed against it. While the bottom was only a little better, covering her front but leaving a bit more of her behind exposed. The top piece also had a pink star on each breast area.

The Jedi Knight had to admit, she looked really amazing.

"Um… you… definitely got the body to make it work," said Storm as he finally managed to get a sentence out and tell Twilight something concrete to avoid getting caught like a pervert.

Twilight blushed a bit at that as she rubbed her arm. The girl wasn't trying to catch Storm's attention with what she was wearing; she was glad to see that he, in a way, couldn't take his eyes off of her. Maybe… maybe it would make things easier if she decided to tell him.

"T-Thanks," said Twilight as she had her head turned away while the red remained.

Storm also turned away as he had some red and was trying to not look at how "exposed" the princess was unless she took it the wrong way and executed him on the spot.

"So, why are you sitting alone?" asked Twilight as she took a seat on the rock next to Storm.

"I… don't know…" replied the Jedi as he looked ahead and gazed at the ocean. "I guess… I just wanted to enjoy the peace. Seeing something like this isn't something we often see. We're always on the front lines, fighting and seeing all the damage that the Separatists do. We don't ever see many beautiful places that are left untouched."

"I know what you mean," stated Twilight. "It's one of the reasons why I want this war to be over. So that other places can be like mine. Have this amazing view, untouched and preserved by Mother Nature herself. When I hope this war ends, we can rebuild what we lost."

"You have a determined mindset, Sparky. I… adore that about you," said Storm as he turned to look at the girl as she was staring directly at him.

"And... I lo-...I mean, I admire that you're willing to stand by me. I'm glad I decided for you to be my guard." said Twilight.

"Just doing my duty, princess."

"And I appreciate it, Jedi Knight."

The two teens sat in silence as they watched the ocean and saw the many people playing in the water. The Jedi Knights hoped this would happen once their war was over. Once they brought peace to the galaxy, they could just sit back and enjoy some downtime.

The duo sat together for a while before Twilight got up and looked at her partner.

"Come on!" said the girl as she had her hand out for the boy to grab. "Let's go explore the boardwalk a bit."
"Sure," said the boy as he nodded.

He grabbed the princess' hand as both began to head toward the boardwalk. The pair walked along the boardwalk as they passed by many shops. They soon arrived at one of the buildings as what was inside drew their attention. The flashing lights, the cool blacks and purples of the room, the constant sound of various games blaring their music or random sound effects, and the wall of prizes full of strange, random, and colorful toys all overwhelmed the boy's senses for a moment as the princess dragged her partner by the wrist into the small vacation town's arcade.

"What is this place?" asked Storm.

"This is called an arcade. It's an amusement center where you spend money to play various games. Trust me, you'll like it." said the girl as she began to lead the boy inside.

"Once again, the advancement of Twilight's homeworld continues to amaze me," muttered Storm as he allowed the girl to drag him.

The princess managed to get two new cards for her and Storm as she handed the boy his. As he saw some nearby kids demonstrate, he needed clarification on what to do. They swiped their card into the machine as it booted up and made sounds. The Jedi then saw other people swipe into other games as they began to pick up a ball and try to shoot it into an overhanging basket or hole.

As he walked about, the boy soon saw the girl leave to play games. Storm was watching the many kids he passed by, as while the flashy games were nice, none seemed to catch his attention.

"Face it, this game is impossible!" said a kid.

"You'd have to have crazy insane powers to beat this!" said another kid.

"Let's play something else," said another as the trio of kids all left.

Storm watched the small band of kids leave as he soon stepped up to see what game they were playing. He saw the sign as it read: Survivor. The boy decided to see what a game labeled that had to offer. He swiped his card as he stepped up to the platform. The screen started up as a voice came up.

"Choose your weapon!" said the A.I.

A selection of weapons came up as it had a range of blasters, staffs, shields, and other stuff. The boy quickly used his hand to move the selection of weapons around as he was looking for something. He soon found it that even he was shocked that this game had it in its system. He touched it as the image enlarged.

You've chosen a lightsaber as your choice of weapon. Difficulty: Extreme. It is not recommended for beginner use. You need to know how to use it.

"Why not," said Storm as he could see that nobody ever had selected this weapon as it was on the highest difficulty.

The boy made his selection by putting on the vizor stationed on the console. It came online as the boy was now in augmented reality as a lightsaber appeared before him. The boy grabbed it as the A.I. told him to take a position. Storm simply sat down as if he was meditating as the game started a countdown.

"Survivor is the game. Do what you must!" said the voice as the final ticks went off.

Storm was shown sitting on the ground as he had his lightsaber in hand, ready. All around him was a sandy plain with no sign of danger. Moments passed, and there was still nothing. At this point, Storm closed his eyes as he began to meditate and calm his mind. Soon an enemy spawned in front of the Jedi as it took cover behind a rock. It has its blaster out and aimed it at its target. A second later, a blaster shot was fired. However, Storm didn't move as the blaster zipped just centimeters by his face. The Jedi didn't open his eyes as another enemy spawned and took a position meters behind him.

More spawned as the Jedi was surrounded. Even then, Storm didn't open his eyes or move. They all collectively fired as the boy moved with superspeed in the blink of an eye. He moved as if he left a former shadow of himself within seconds behind as he turned on his lightsaber and perfectly blocked each shot. From there, it was a non stop barrage. The boy was swinging his weapon as if he had his actual lightsaber. All trying to do as the game's name suggested, turn and rotate with fluid movements, and survive. Eventually, the shots began to reflect back to the enemies as they fell and despawned, but not before two more appeared to take their place.

Storm kept in place as he deflected the blaster shots aimed at him. The enemies began to move forward while shooting. The Jedi was holding his place, twirling and spinning to avoid getting shot out. On the outside, some kids noticed the teen moving as they took notice. Inside the game, Storm began to take more evasive moves as he leaped into the air and spun several rotations as the shots deflected back at their owners. The targets kept marching as they were closing in on the Jedi, who was surrounded on all sides; the boy quickly stabbed his lightsabers into the ground as he spun in a circle, as sand picked up just as the blaster bolts pierced through.

The sandy veil disappeared as the enemies stopped firing. Storm was nowhere to be seen. Before the A.I. could move, a slash was heard as the boy reappeared and sliced through some of the targets. They quickly turned their attention to the Jedi, who was now starting to run at high speed and slicing each of his targets. The A.I. soon began to get in formation as some were on high ground and shooting at the Jedi. Storm quickly threw his lightsaber as it spun and took out the enemy above before returning to his hand; he slid toward a rock as the shots bounced off it. The boy then leaped out and ran straight at the massive field of enemies. They fired at the moving target as he transitioned his lightsaber hand to hand while charging head-first. Storm did several slashes as many of his foes despawned. He was in a circle, taking out the last of his foes. The Jedi swung left and then right, before quickly stabbing his lightsaber backward without looking. He then pulled it out and sliced the blaster before chopping the head off of the AI. It fell to its knees before hitting the floor.

"Game over! New High Score!" said the A.I.

Storm moved his vizor up as he heard some cheers behind him. The Jedi was caught off guard as when he turned, he saw tons of kids who had gathered and were cheering him. Storm was confused as he then looked at the screen, and it showed his score as it shot to the top of the leaderboard and was cemented as the first score on the highest difficulty.

"You got mad reflexes. You could be a Jedi someday!" said the A.I.

"I am a Jedi," said Storm calmly as he put the vizor down.

The kids all then rushed at him as they were asking how Storm managed to do that. Twilight was watching her partner being swarmed by the smaller kids. She giggled at how Storm showed how the boy was good with kids and showed his leadership skills by setting an example for others.

Sometime later, Twilight had managed to find her partner as he'd been looking at some stuff.

"Find something you'd like?" asked the girl.

"Eh,' shrugged Storm.

"Come on, let's go cash in our tickets," said the princess as she led her partner to the counter.

The bored cashier at the counter took the cards and swiped them into his machine. Twilight beamed as the number on the screen beamed up to almost a thousand tickets. She tapped a finger to her chin for a moment as she looked across all the prizes on the wall.

"So, what do you want?" asked the bookworm.

"You're spending your tickets on me? Why?" asked Storm.

"W-Well… you know… to say thanks. For every time you gave me something. Figured it's my turn to give in this relationship, I mean, partnership." said Twilight as she almost blurted out her feelings.

Storm simply looked at the many prizes along the wall.
"I guess I like that one," stated Storm nonchalantly.

"I'll take that small narwhal plush. And throw in some cherry sours," said Twilight as the cashier got the princess's requested stuff and gave it to her.

Storm looked at the small plushie Twilight gave him as he was unsure what to make of it. He held the thing by its horn and bounced it up and down, trying to see if it would do anything. Twilight giggled at seeing her partner's behavior. Soon the sound of the register came up as the princess saw the number of tickets that Storm had acquired, as her jaw dropped. The number 5000 was shown as the princess was shocked to her core.

"Wh-What? How...?" she says, looking back and forth between Storm and the screen with bewilderment.

"So… uh, what stuffed animal do you want?" asked the boy.

Twilight didn't hear Storm's question at first as her brain was starting to malfunction. She was trying to calculate how he managed to get such a huge amount of tickets on his card that her brain soon started to hurt from trying to figure it out. The princess soon sighed as she looked at the many prizes, and then her eyes landed on one that caught her interest.

"The parakeet," said the girl.

"Alright then. The parakeet and some chocolate, if you please," said Storm to the clerk. The man soon brought the giant plushie, giving the teens mini bags with their other prizes.

Twilight was given her parakeet, and she struggled a bit to carry it, given how huge it was. Storm was amused at how the princess was struggling to find her footing as she managed to lift her plushie as the two exited the arcade.

"Need a hand, Sparky?"

"No, I got it!" said Twilight as she couldn't see in front of her. "Besides, you already did a lot by getting it for me; the least I could do is… Woah!"

The girl found herself leaning forward and starting to fall. Her parakeet was flung from her hands as Twilight was about to hit face-first onto the wooden boardwalk. Storm quickly caught the girl in his arm before sticking his other hand out to catch the plushie. He then looked at the princess in her arm.

"Guess I should have asked for help," said Twilight nervously.

Storm lifted her sunglasses so he could stare directly into her blue eyes.

"Or just ask your servants to do the lifting for you," said Storm.

"Right," said Twilight as she snapped her fingers.

Three servants appeared before the teens, all standing straight as if on command. They soon collected the bags of the teens as one of them lifted the giant parakeet onto his back as they began to haul everything toward the carriage.

"You sure you don't want to try, Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow Dash to her friend as she offered her surfboard.

"No, it's okay, Rainbow," stated the shy girl as she declined politely.

"Then let's stop talkin' and get to surfin'. Yee-haw!" said Applejack as she grabbed her board and ran to the water with Dash in tow.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen; welcome to the Silver Shoals surfing contest. With me as your host, Pinkie Pie!" said the girl as she managed to hijack the contest from the actual host.

The host was about to scold the party girl when a servant approached him and gave him a slip of paper. The man took it and looked at it as the signature was from Night Light. The man nodded at the servant as he told him to relay a message to the king about his generous donation; he let Pinkie run things while he went to try all the ice cream flavors.

"Pinkie!" said Spike as the small prince managed to climb onto the platform and ran toward the girl.

"Hey, Spike!" said the party girl.

"Um, I know you're doing the announcing today and stuff and... I'm sure you're gonna do a great job and all, but... I was just wondering…" said the small prince.

"What?"

"Aw… forget it," said the boy as he could see Pinkie had things under control.

"Spike, would you like to be my co-reporter? We could comment on the action together," said the party teen.

"We could?" exclaimed Spike as Pinkie nodded.

With one quick spin by the girl, Spike was now wearing a headset; the two were seated behind a table, and Spike had a stack of papers in front of him. The lifeguards for the contest signaled for the surfers to start heading for the zone where they would be competing, as Aj and Dash were among the crowd. The girls sat on their boards as they felt from the water's motion that a wave was coming.

"All right, surfers! On your marks!" announced Pinkie through the headset.

"Get set!" said Spike.

A whistle was blown as the surfers in the water began to paddle toward the ocean.

"And they're off! Welcome to the official coverage of the Silver Shoals Surfing Contest! I'm your host, Pinkie Pie. And I'm joined by my co-host, in Prince Spike." said the girl toward the camera as the small boy waved. "So, Spike, what do you think of our competitors?"

"Well, Pinkie, we have a field full of contestants. But I believe you should keep an eye out for two participants: Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Apparently, these two have a bit of a grudge match that they're trying to settle. Trying to prove who's the better surfer." stated the boy.

"Yes, and "grudge" rhymes with "fudge,"" said Pinkie.

"Yes, it… does," said Spike, rather puzzled, "What?"

"And I like fudge," said Pinkie, "But if I eat too much fudge, I get a pudge, and then I can't budge."

"So… no fudge?" Spike asked in confusion.

"Oh, no thanks," said Pinkie, "I had a big breakfast. Let's check in with our two competitive surfers, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Having come fast out of the gate, Applejack and Rainbow Dash are evenly matched neck and neck. But what's this? Applejack is making a move; she's now ahead by a nose. But Rainbow Dash won't let Applejack have it and takes the lead. She's ahead by half a nose or three-quarters of a nose. No, about sixty-three point seven percent of a nose... roughly speaking. Applejack sees this move and pushes forth with her strong legs slinking ahead by three hundred and fifty noses!"

Spike looked slightly annoyed by Pinkie's idea of measuring leads but in simpler terms…

Rainbow and Applejack had swam ahead of the other competitors as a huge wave came toward them. Both girls prepared as soon the wave was upon the surfers. Some failed to get in position as they fell into the water. The prepared ones began to stand up inside the wave as it began to curve. Both athletic girls were now surfing as they tried to outdo each other.

While this happened, Fluttershy was shown underwater as the girl had a snorkel. She was diving under the sea as she saw the sea animals that lived in the ocean. Many of the fish saw her and were drawn to her. They all rubbed against her as the teen found herself swimming along many schools of fish. Some sea turtles floated by as the girl saw and took a picture of them using an underwater camera Twilight's family gave her. Up on the beach, Rarity was in her swimwear, lounging on a chair with a tanning reflector in her arms as she was looking to give her skin some sun.

Afar, Night Light could see the teens having fun as he smiled. He looked around but didn't see Twilight or Storm; he was starting to think the boy was doing something. The king was about to signal for his guards to find his daughter and her partner and bring them here but was stopped when a hand grabbed his tropical shirt as it belonged to his wife, who had her bathing suit and a sun hat on while under an umbrella.

"They're fine," said Velvet.

"Velvet…" stated Night Light.

"Nighty, Twilight is fine. Storm is with her."

"That's exactly the problem, Velvet," said Night Light as he snapped his fingers, and some guards approached him.

"It's fine. Twilight can take care of her. She's faced worst. Storm would never hurt her. You have nothing to worry about."

"Velvet!"

"Nighty," said the Queen as her fingers glowed as the king was forced to sit by his wife's magic.

"She'll be fine. Trust Storm. He is her personal guard, after all." said Velvet as she sat up and looked at her husband.

Night Light just sighed as he couldn't argue with his wife. Velvet snuggled next to her handsome husband as she leaned against his chest and put her head back on his shoulder.

"Besides, we're here to relax. When was the last time we did that," said Velvet as she turned to face her husband and planted her lips on his.

The kiss lasted a few moments before Night Light returned the gesture and wrapped his arms around his wife. The kiss began to intensify as the king laid on the towel, as his wife was on top of him as they continued to show their love for each other. They broke apart as Velvet looked into her husband's eyes.
"Did I tell you how beautiful you are?" said Night Light as she ran his hand through his wife's hair.

"Everyday," said Velvet in a flirty tone before pressing her lips against her husband's as they enjoyed a small makeout session on the beach.

Twilight and Storm were walking along the boardwalk when the pair stopped by an ice cream stand as they purchased some tasty treats. The duo was now leaning along the railing as they ate their sweets.

"So, did you ever come here before Celestia found you?" asked Storm.

"Once or twice, my parents took Shining Armor and me to the beach to celebrate my first birthday. Since then, they discussed having plans to make it somewhat of an annual thing. Set aside a date when we could come here and have fun. But… well… as you know… things didn't work out that way."

"You were given powers, and Celestia took you to the Jedi Temple," stated Storm.

"Yeah. Since then, I haven't visited a beach in so long. When Spike was born, they continued the tradition of coming here; I was just a bit jealous at seeing the images of them having smiles on their faces. Mainly because… I couldn't join them." said Twilight as her ice cream was aimed downward and began to melt.

"I can understand you feeling envious that you couldn't see your family until recently. If I had a family, I probably would feel the same way," Storm said as he finished his ice cream.

"Storm, do you regret me being your partner?" asked Twilight.

"Sparky…" said the boy as the girl finished her ice cream.

"Do you?"

"Sparky, I've told you before; I'm glad to have met you."

"But are you being serious?" said the princess.

"How many times do I need to say it?" asked the Jedi as the princess was now in his lap; she straddled him and looked directly into his eyes while grabbing both sides of his face.

"Please… just tell me again," said the girl.

"Twilight… I'm glad to have met you. My life has been one hell of a rollercoaster since we got to know each other. You're a part of my life." said Storm.

"Thank you," said Twilight as she let out some sniffles.

The princess leaned in and placed her head on Storm's shoulder as she closed her eyes. Storm heard some sniffs from the princess as he held the girl.

She really does have some serious self-esteem issues.

Once Twilight had finally calmed down her anxiety, she pulled back and looked at her partner. Her fingers then trailed down to Storm's neck as she saw the pendant she had given him for his birthday. She played it for a bit before her fingers started to head down as they began to feel Storm's exposed chest; the princess felt the muscles of her partner as Storm merely looked at the girl feeling his body.

"Sorry," said Twilight as she removed her head and got up from his lap, the girl thinking that her partner might have been uncomfortable with her feeling him up.

"It's fine," replied Storm nonchalantly as he got up. "What else do you want to do?"

The girl began to lead the Jedi to explore some more. The pair were walking side by side as Twilight instinctively grabbed the boy's hand. This time, she decided to lean on his arm; a few people saw the girl and recognized Twilight as the princess; they saw her walking with her partner as they formed some thoughts.

"It's been a grueling afternoon, but here we are, the final match! The next point wins! A hush falls over the crowd of ten thousand fans." said Rainbow Dash in a sotto voice.

After how intense the surfing contest got between Aj and Dash, so much, so that Night Light and Velvet had to pay for some damages from the two's wrestling match that followed during the announcing of the results. Now the two were back on the beach as a volleyball game was about to take place. Pinkie and Fluttershy were on one side, and Rarity and Rainbow were on the other side of the net.

"I'm not holding back this time!" shouted Rainbow.

"That's what I'm afraid of." squealed Fluttershy.

"Bring it on, Rainbow Dash! You and Rarity just bought your team a one-way ticket on the express train to You're Going Down!" said Pinkie with some attitude.

"Ooh. Nice game face, Pinkie Pie," complimented Rainbow.

"Thanks! I've been practicing all day, " the party girl smiled.

A whistle was blown by Spike as the game was on. Rarity was about to serve the ball, but Rainbow grabbed it out of her hands and quickly hit it as she jumped, much to the disdain of the girl. Fluttershy squealed in fright as she lifted her arms to cover her head as the ball bounced off. It set up perfectly for Pinkie as she spiked it into the net for it to rebound to her face. It went over the net and over Rainbow's head as she tried to hit it back but tripped over the sand and fell down as it landed just a few inches above her head.

"Point!" said Spike as he pointed to Pinkie's side.

"Lucky break!" said Rainbow as Rarity glared at her.

The fashionista grabbed the ball and was going to serve it as Rainbow again yanked it out of her as she scoffed and walked off to the side. Rainbow quickly jumped into the air as she spiked the ball at Fluttershy, who, this time, dropped to her knees and hid her face. The ball was coming at her with force. Pinkie dove to stop it from touching the ground as it returned to Rainbow's side. The ball was soaring as it looked out of Rainbow's reach. The chromatic-haired teen then activated her superspeed and quickly got in front of the ball, and returned it to Pinkie, who got smacked and tumbled to the floor.

"Point!" said Spike as he pointed at Dash.

"Yes!" exclaimed Rainbow.

"Hold on there, an apple-pickin' minute! You cheated, Dash!" shouted Applejack as she watched the game.

"So what? The game never said I couldn't use my powers," replied Rainbow.

Both girls growled as they got in each other's faces, as it seemed the rivalry between them was still not settled.

"Figures, you can't win fair and square, so you gotta cheat!"

"I ain't never cheated in my life, cowgirl. And I'll prove it to you!" growled Rainbow.

"Fine, let's have a team game. Pinkie, you're on mah team!" stated Applejack.

"Yippee!" said the party girl as she was oblivious to how her friend was acting.

"Fluttershy, get your butt over here now!" demanded Rainbow while keeping her forehead against Aj as they glared.

"Okay," replied the girl nervously.

"Rarity!" said both Dash and Aj in unison.

"I will be partaking in such tomfoolery," scoffed the fashionista as she left to go back to lounging on her chair and read a magazine.

"Kids, everything okay!" called out Night Light.

"I got Twilight's mother!" said Rainbow.

"What?" said Spike and Night Light.

"Then I got the King!" stated Applejack as she was willing to let Dash one up her.

"What did we walk into?" asked Night Light as he and his wife somehow found themselves involved in Aj and Dash's rivalry.

"Well, Nighty, it's been a while since we acted like kids," said Velvet as she snapped her fingers.

A servant appeared before the Queen as she removed her sunhat and gave it to her servant. Velvet walked onto Rainbow's side of the net as Night Light sighed and took to the other side. Spike was confused at seeing his parents go in, as he didn't know who to cheer for. Eventually, they all looked at him as he blew the whistle to signal the start of the match.

"No powers!" said Applejack.

Rainbow just leaped and spiked it as it was coming at Aj. The cowgirl set the ball up for Pinkie, who jumped and went for a spike. Rainbow quickly used her superspeed and dove as Fluttershy turned around to avoid getting hit. The chromatic-haired girl managed to get the ball in time as she set it up for Velvet, who bounced it back to Dash, who used her speed to spike it faster than Aj could react.

"I said no powers!" yelled Applejack.

"Sorry, couldn't hear you!" smirked Rainbow.

"Now, Applejack," stated Night Light as the king could see how angered the farm girl was.

Before he could calm the girl down, Applejack smashed her fist into the sand as it served the ball into the air. Rainbow got under it and looked to return it. However, the sand below her opened up as it surprised the chromatic-haired teen. Her lower body was buried under sand as the ball landed by her head.

"How do you like them apples!" smirked Aj.

"Hey, you cheated!" screamed Rainbow as Velvet used magic to pick the girl out of the sand.

"You started it!" said Aj.

"That's it! All bets are off!" screamed Dash as she and Aj began to tap into their powers.

"Uh-oh!" said Fluttershy as she decided to sit this out. Pinkie changed into a cheerleader outfit and stood with Spike and the animal-loving girl to cheer for both of her friends.

"Kids," said Night Light and Velvet as they rolled their eyes.

The royal figures were still with the girls as they could see this match was going to be intense. Rainbow served the ball as hard as she could as Aj returned it with a hard smack. It was heading to Velvet as the Queen was about to hit when Rainbow ran using her powers and leaped over the Queen and smacked it. The ball was heading in Night Light's direction as the King was about to serve it for Aj to smack, but the girl slammed her hand into the sand as a fist made of the material appeared and hit the ball.

The girls were now using their powers to gain the advantage over the other as both adults watched this game of volleyball turn into a game of tennis. The back and forth went on for about five minutes as whenever Twilight's parents tried to hit the ball, either Rainbow or Applejack would steal it and try to score. Soon Applejack leaped off a sand hill and spiked the ball toward Rainbow. The girl was running at top speed and about to get under when she failed to notice a small shell uncovered due to her constant running. The teen tripped, and she fell face-first into the ground.

The ball was still heading for the ground as Rainbow couldn't reach it. Just as it was about to score the first point of this wild game, a flash of magic was shown as it saved the ball and launched it upward.

"Huh?" said Applejack and Rainbow in unison.

The ball started to fall back as Velvet was shown with a smile.

"Heads up!" stated the Queen as she twirled and fired a magic shot to hit the ball back across the net.

The ball pierced through the sand hill that Aj was standing on as the girl wailed her arms about and fell to the ground. It didn't look like she would stop it from scoring until another magic blast stopped it by launching it upward.

"Now, now, Velvet. This is supposed to be a fair game," smirked Night Light as his hands glowed with magic. The ball was coming down as he saw it, and he jumped into the air to rotate his body before smacking the ball with his magic.

"This is fair, Nighty," called out Velvet as she returned the ball with her magic.

"We're supposed to be setting an example for the younger ones," said Night Light as he fired back with his magic.

"We are," said Velvet as she caught the ball in her magical grip, "but you should also know, Nighty, I don't like to lose!"

The woman fired back the object as the king waved his arms about; a magic cylinder appeared and caught the ball as it was preparing to fire.

"Well… so do I," smirked Night Light to his wife.

The cannon fired as the ball shot out; Velvet waved her arms as the magical symbols and circles appeared around her hands, and a portal opened up in front of her. It sucked the ball in before another portal opened up and fired back.

While Night Light and Velvet were getting into the game, Rainbow and Applejack slowly got off the field as they could see that neither could match Twilight's parents' power.

"Are my mom and dad fighting?" asked Spike as he didn't know what to make of his parent's competitive behavior toward each other.

Twilight and Storm had emerged from a local gift shop, and the girl had purchased some things. She gave her bags to Storm as he had no choice but to obey the princess' command and become her pack mule. Twilight restrained from buying so many books as she knew she wouldn't treat her partner like an animal. Eventually, they made it to where the carriages were as the servants took the stuff.

"Seriously, Sparky? More books?" said Storm as he felt the girl didn't need more things to sleep with.

"They were limited edition! I need them," said the girl.

"Need or want? 'Cause there's a big difference!" said Storm as Twilight ignored her partner's response as she didn't want to prove him right.

"Alright, let's get back before your father sends his guards out to execute me," said Storm. "Here, hop on."

Storm bent down as if he was willing to give the princess a piggyback ride. Twilight approached her partner as she, hopped onto his back and had her arms around his neck while Storm had his hands under Twilight's thighs. The boy felt how smooth the girl's skin was as he stood to his feet and began to walk. While he was focused on not dropping his partner, Twilight, on the other hand, had a smile on her face. The girl was snuggling into the boy's back, all while closing her eyes as some red was on her face.

The Jedi Knight made it back to the end of the boardwalk connected with the beach; he walked down the stairs, still holding the princess on his back as Twilight had locked her legs around his waist as she continued to enjoy herself.

"What the hell is going on?" said the teen.

Twilight snapped out of her daydream as she peaked her head out from behind Storm; the girl saw what he was seeing as their friends watched the princess' parents in front of them. Storm gently set Twilight down as they watched Night Light and Velvet still battling against each other as they had been at this for the past 20 minutes.

"What's going on?" asked Twilight as she and Storm approached their friends.

"What else? Your parents are hoggin the game!" said Rainbow.

"Give up, Nighty!" shouted Velvet as she fired her latest spells on the ball.

"Just simply submit to me, Velvet, and we'll call it a draw!" stated Night Light as he fired his own spells back.

"Twilight, are Mom and Dad fighting?" asked Spike to his older sibling as the girl face-palmed herself.

By the time Twilight's parents had finally seen out of hand what their little "game" had done to them, the sun was already starting to set. When the King and Queen were "playing/fighting," the kids all decided to have some fun in the water. Twilight had to tackle Storm to get the boy in the water, as he was hesitant about joining the girls. Once she did, the splash war soon followed as Storm sprayed some water on Twilight's face; her hair got wet and covered her face. The boy laughed at how it was a good look for the princess as she returned the gesture and splashed water in his face. Both were now laughing and giggling as they continued to splash the other.

Sunset was now upon Silvershoals as the whole place was preparing a festival. The plaza was lit up in lanterns and tiki torches as some fire dancers were shown twirling flame sticks. Everyone was watching the show as the band played some music. The bartenders slid out drinks to the customers as Night Light and Velvet decided to open a tab and pay for anybody who wanted a drink. Once more, Twilight saw how the folks of Equis praised her parents as that single generous act made them love and respect her parents even more.

"A good ruler thinks of her people," muttered Twilight as she repeated a lesson that her father had said to her on multiple occasions to teach her how to be a ruler everyone respected and adored. "Will I be that? Am I gonna be a ruler that people look up to?"

"Sparky, you good?" said Storm as he approached the girl.

"Y-yeah," said the princess, "Just… talking to myself."

"O-kay," stated the boy with a raised eyebrow before he offered the girl a shaved ice, "Here."

"Thanks," said Twilight.

The pair were leaning against the hut's wall as they watched the crowd celebrating and having fun. The sounds of laughter rang throughout for all to hear. Soon the band finished as the dancers struck one final pose. The crowd all applauded the performers; nighttime was slowly coming over the beach as the sun was starting to go down, and it created a colorful orange light followed by the colors of black and blue in the sky. The two friends were shoulder to shoulder as they watched the crowd before then.

The band then began to start up the music as this time it was more gentle, a calming tune flowed out of their instruments, letting a different kind of feeling settle onto the plaza. It was almost like a love song with its sweet, low melody. Storm glanced back over at Twilight to see she had somehow downed the entire drink in her hands. A soft redness formed on her cheeks as she turned to look at the Jedi before the boy could say anything. The princess held out an eager hand once she saw Storm looking at her and looked down her arms expectantly.

"Dance with me?" she asked, a hopeful smile on her face.

"Really?" said Storm to his partner.

"That's an order," responded the princess.

The Jedi Knight merely looked at the girl as he stared into her eyes.

"I don't want to use my power to order you to do things that you. You're more than just my personal guard. But I want to at least get you to step out of your comfort zone." said Twilight.

Storm looked at the girl before him as he simply sighed and took the girl's hand as she began to lead him.

"You know I'm not much of a dancer," said Storm.

Twilight took both of Storm's hands in hers as they came to a stop between everyone. "It's okay, it's a slow song. Just put your hands here."

Her hands guided the boy's hands to the top of her bare hips. His palms come to rest against her silky skin. Twilight rested her soft hands against the boy's shoulders and let herself settle up against Storm, her bare stomach lovingly caressing him as both started to sway. They held strong and managed to sway to the beat of the music. The feeling of her hair falling over the boy's shoulder and brushing up against his skin, the smell of her lavender shampoo radiating up to him, and their bodies being so close together... it's almost more intoxicating than the alcohol the adults were drinking.

"Do you like the music?" Twilight asked, breaking Storm out of his reverie.

Storm had to blink a few times before he realized she just said something. "Uh... yeah. It's nice," he said.

"It feels good to just forget about everything and just flow with the music, doesn't it?"

"It really does..." smiled the boy.

Before Storm could settle back into it, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see one of the elderly couples looking at him and smiling.

"I just wanted to say how nice it is to see two young people so in love with each other in this day and age. I hope you two live a long and happy life together," said the older woman of the couple.

"Uh…"

Twilight cut her partner off.

"We appreciate the comment, ma'am. You two are really cute together too," she said with a bright smile.

The older woman sauntered back over to her husband and took his hand to start dancing as well.

"Why did you say that?" asked Storm as he didn't seem to like how Twilight seemed to play along with what the old lady has thought they were.

The princess giggled as she gave a sneaky wink at her partner. The pair looked around the hut and noticed most of the couples had followed their lead, swaying back and forth to the music together. Twilight took in a deep breath of her own and leaned her head forward onto Storm's chest. The feeling of her incredibly soft purple skin and lavender and pink locks brushing up against his skin sent goosebumps across the boy's entire body. The band slowed down their song until it ended with a long, slow note fading into the night. Twilight lifted her head, and the two stopped swaying.

The feeling of the girl pressed up against him was almost intoxicating. The soft palms of her hands resting on the back of his neck, the feeling of her head up against his chest. The smile on Storm's mouth didn't seem to want to go away at all the wonderful sensations. He squeezed her a little tighter up as the princess ooked at her friend. The pair now moved their heads in closer as Twilight began to close her eyes. She was about to bring her lips in, but something stopped her. Her brain took over as she stopped with their foreheads touching.

Twilight let out a sad sigh as Storm merely kept their foreheads touching. Eventually, the princess hugged the Jedi Knight as she placed her eyes on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and let a tear of sadness fall that he didn't see.

You need to tell him.

The words by her mother echoed.

Night Light was standing to the side and saw the teens as they held one another. A guard approached him.

"Shall I give the order, sir?" asked the guard to the King so that he and his men could separate Storm from the princess.

"No," responded Night Light as he told the guard to forget about his request.

The king gave a heavy sigh as he left with the guard and left the Jedi Knights to be by themselves. A small part of him decided to allow her daughter to just enjoy herself with her friend.

Author's Note: Nothing like a little relaxing given all that has happened for our characters. Plus, the wedding is upon us. And of course. it seems that when Night Light and Velvet aren't ruling an entire planet, they showed the kids just how powerful they can be with their magic. As always leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.