What do you want now? Prove me the opposite?
Sunrays seeped through the thick grey curtains, biting the young foal pegasus’ eyes. He lazily waved to the general direction of the sun as if telling it to go away, uttering unrecognizable sounds. He turned around, burrowing his face in the pillow. However, the position wasn't too comfortable since his wings were open to the chillier air of the room, and he — even in his sleep — always kept his wings in the warmth. So, he wrapped them around his body and decided to call it a night.
This caused a new problem to arise; now, he had nothing to warm his hooves with. Usually, he would cover them with his wings, curling in a light grey ball with his gray mane keeping his head warm. But his wings needed all the warmth he could give, so there was no other option but to blindly move his hooves around in hope of catching the edge of the blanket. The darn, fluffy thing was nowhere to be found, so he slowly crawled around.
Rebelliously refusing to open his eyes, so that the dream he had been having wouldn't leave him, he moved around his bed, swishing his hooves around and moaning in frustration. After not finding the blanket anywhere on the bed, he leaned over and blindly swung his hoof over the floor. His prayers were answered; the soft edge of the blanket was just barely in his reach, he just had to reach out a little further.
Eager to retrieve his spoil of war, the young foal stretched out both of his forehooves towards the blanket, but this wasn't enough. He pushed himself over the edge of the bed a bit more and finally managed to grab it. Noticing that he was actually slipping, though, he did far too late.
He immediately prepared to flap his wings and take flight, but, as it turned out, wrapping them around his torso beforehoof had been a bad idea. The foal was sent plummeting down on the floor, landing face-first onto the blanket. Only then he finally noticed that all his turning around hadn't been left unpunished; he had churned the sheet whereon he had been sleeping and it had wrapped itself around his hindhooves. So, he was basically stuck upside down with his hind limbs immobilized and with an uncomfortable pain in his skull.
Only after that fall, he finally opened his eyes, looking angrily at the darkness under his bed.
"Good morning, Rumble!" the loud happy voice of his foalsitter, Flitter, reached his ears. Several swift hoofsteps, a creak of the door, and she was already inside his room.
"It's time for break...fast," she said, stumbling after witnessing the position she found Rumble in. He rolled his eyes when he heard her giggles.
"So, how did you manage to put yourself in a position like this?" Flitter asked and, judging by the hoofsteps, came closer to him. Rumble raised his forehooves, expressing his ignorance on the subject, but little did he know that by doing this he would disturb the fragile balance of his upside-down position. The weight shifted a bit to the side, and Rumble fell on his back, dragging the sheet off the bed. It covered him completely, so he could barely move at all now.
"Don't know. I was just sleeping," Rumble replied with slight annoyance.
"By some reason, when I'm sleeping, my bed always stays clean and tidy," she stated drily and helped the young pegasus unwrap himself.
"Maybe because you always sleep alone— ouch!" he said, receiving a weak slap on the head and a satisfied grin from the older pony. It was his favorite topic to tease Flitter about.
"Oh, look who's talking!" she replied, helping him to get up and swiping off any dust that had gotten into his gray mane. "You know, it's not just about being together. It's about loving each other, caring for each other, being very clo—"
"Yeah, yeah. Love-shmalove, caring-sharing, yatta-yatta-yatta. Please, Flitter, spare me the lecture, I've been hearing it far too oft lately!" Rumble replied as Flitter dragged him to the mirror, grabbed a comb with her teeth and started combing his mane. It always took quite a while to ‘construct’ the kind of manestyle Rumble simply adored, but it was worth it every time.
"Of coursh you do. It's Hearths and Hoovesh day shoon, shilly," Flitter noted and straightened out another patch of his wild mane, but Rumble was far too disappointed to make fun of her speech while holding the comb.
"Oh, pleeease! Not Hearts and Hooves day! It's such a bore to sit through!" Rumble moaned from sudden pain. "Ouch! Be careful, will ya?!"
"Sorry, dear. Why do you deshpise it sho much? Every Heartsh and Hoovesh day, you caushe shome kind of shcandal. Remember how it was lasht year?" The pretty pegasus mare said, barely holding back from giggling at her own speech while Rumble wasn’t fazed by it.
Of course he remembered what had happened last year. He had clung to his bed and refused to get up. Begging, threats, presents — nothing had helped. He just didn't want to go. Thunderlane had had to go to school and tell Cheerilee he were sick and therefore couldn't come — such an embarrassment.
"Yes, I do. But I still hate this stupid Hearts and Hooves day. I mean, what happens on this day?" he said and his face turned stupidly cute as he tried to parody Ms. Cheerilee. "Hello, foals and fillies! Today, I want to talk with you about the importance of love and why it's good to love and be loved. Bah, spare me the lectures; I know what's best for me!"
"There we go." Flitter uttered, and put the comb away, admiring her work. "Rumble, love is really important, you know. Besides, don't you think it's good to have a mare by your side? Don't you just sometimes want to stop and relax with your marefriend in Sugar Cube Corner, sharing some Sunday Special, or ice-cream, hmm?"
"Sunday Special must be shared with none. And I don't like ice-cream," Rumble was, of course, lying. He loved ice-cream more than he loved Sunday Special; he just wanted to get rid of Flitter's comments on the subject.
"Ah-ha-ha-ha, Rumble!" Flitter laughed and hugged the young colt, much to his displeasure. "Believe me, you'll soon realize that you not only want a marefriend, you need a marefriend. It's what all colts go through. Just ask your brother."
"I think I'll let Thunderlane keep his dirty linen to himself," Rumble replied, prompting another fit of giggles from Flitter, who had to restrain herself mentally before she burst into laughter.
"Yeah, yeah, there's a lot of dirty linen to talk about. A lot," she said, preferring to keep the meaning of the phrase to herself. "Well, then, you may collect your bag and come down for breakfast. I made your favorite pancakes!"
With those words, she left, leaving young Rumble to his thoughts. He sighed heavily and looked at the box wherein all the text- and copybooks were. Well, at least he’d have less than 3 lessons this day, and then, during the entire remaining time, they’d be making love letters. Yech!
***
The school yard was full — no, not the right word — packed with ponies in pretty costumes. Rumble felt incredibly weird as he passed past fillies with their manes tied into braids, into which red and blue knots were tied at their ends. Even colts had at least some kind of a fancy dress.
Wherever Rumble looked, Hearts and Hooves day was raging. The school itself was decorated with red colors and hearts, which seemed to have been cut out of thin paper. The entrance had letters above it, spelling out the word ‘Love’ in bright capital letters.
"O, which subtlety," Rumble couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark about the decorators of the school. He looked around, trying to find at least one sane pony that wasn't eager to listen to Cheerilee's hour-long speech about love. He was no social beast, but he kept good relationships with everypony (except Diamond Tiara). Rumble preferred to avoid that walking boredom.
To his dismay, everypony seemed excited. They all seemed to talk about whom they were going to write love letters to, whom they would invite for dinner, and how they'd congratulate their siblings and parents. However, there was one particular group that Rumble still had some hope for.
"Ah tell you, Scoots, this Hooves 'n’ Hearts day’s gonna be something special!" spoke Applebloom, earning a saddened sigh from Sweetie Belle.
"Bloom, it's Hearts and Hooves, not the other way around."
"Whatever. So, what do you think we should do for this day?" Applebloom ignored her friend, continuing her speech. "How about we get Fluttershy acquainted with somepony? She seems lonely."
"I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, that love potion deal and all..." Scootaloo half-heartedly objected, remembering yon dreadful moment. Lovety-pufety-muffin... Yech!
"Nah, I don't mean a love poison. I mean finding her a real date! What do y’all think?"
"No, I think we'd rather go with something less kissy this time. Mayhap make a big cake for everypony?" Sweetie Belle offered much to Scootaloo's excitement.
"Now, that idea I like. It's gonna be a huge cake in the shape of a heart," the orange filly pegasus said whereupon Applebloom nodded approvingly.
"Yeah, Ah agree on that. Cake definitely sounds like loads of fun!" she concurred and finally turned to Rumble, who had been standing there, listening to their conversation. "O, hi, Rumble. How you doing?"
"Pretty good, I guess. What are you, Cutie Flank Crusa—“
"Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"Yeah, that... Cutie Mark Crusaders, are up to?" he finished his question, but was only answered with several cold glances dropped at him. Nopony mispronounced the Cutie Mark Crusaders!
"Why should we tell y—", Scootaloo just began speaking, but...
"We're going to make a huge cake for Hooves 'n’ Hearts day!" Applebloom interrupted, much to Scoot's irritation. There was nothing she could say, however, so she just sighed in frustration.
"Oh... Hearts and Hooves... alright, I'll leave you to that. Have fun," Rumble replied incredibly disappointed, turned around and left, hearing only how they started arguing again. Well, it seemed he would be assuming the Throne of the Hater alone.
He was at a loss. Everypony was swept up by, what he called, 'love plague'. They all wanted to find the mare or a stallion of their heart, become a pair, and do something wonderful today. All Rumble wanted was to come home and drop onto his bed with a good book. Or he’d play a video game he had borrowed from Button Mash recently.
Finally, the bell rang, which meant that it was time to go to class and listen to the annual speech about love. Rumble sighed, stopping for a second, letting all the kids run past him. He really didn't want to go there. He would do anything to not go there. But there was no other choice. He’d either go or become a pariah in the school. Nicknames like 'Sombra's Subordinate' became quite popular after the Crystal Empire had returned along with Mr. Anti-Love, King Sombra. He hadn't left much of an impact on Equestria, except becoming the complete antipode to Cadence.
Rumble noticed that he was alone in the yard now. It seemed his thoughts had consumed him a bit too much. He wanted to rush for the classroom, unwilling to get shouted at for being late, but suddenly noticed a shadow on the ground, which looked like a carriage. He immediately raised his eyes to the sky, but found nothing.
Must be my imagination. Well, off to the land of dreams I go. Hooray! Rumble thought to himself sarcastically and proceeded into the school. The strange shadow of the carriage whirled around the building of the school for some time and then landed nearby.
***
The classroom was decorated just as one would have expected: hearts cut out of paper, pink posters, pink pictures drawn by first graders, and ponies wearing even more pink. The only thing missing here was Pinkie Pie and the pink cacophony would be complete. Rumble quietly proceeded to his desk and tiredly fell onto his seat.
Mentally and physically, his body was preparing for a long, boring speech. Rumble thought about what Flitter had said this morning, but still couldn't find the power in him to convince himself of the importance of love.
Instead of sitting here right now, he could be out there doing something — racing against his brother, earning his cutie mark, building sandcastles, trying to figure out the secret of Pinkie's teleportation. Anything but watching everypony going lovey-dovey, drooling over any heart symbol like it were the last thing in Equestria. Even Diamond Tiara was bragging in front of everypony with her new pendant in the form of — which wonder — a heart!
Rumble covered his face and slammed it onto the desk. Facehoofing right now wouldn’t be enough; Facedesk seemed appropriate enough. Its surface felt rough and spiky, but it was so dear and familiar to Rumble that he didn't feel anything.
He remembered one time Thunderlane had raced against him. O, what fun it was — the thrill of the chase, the wind that pushed against his face, his wings, which he had been flapping with reckless abandon. Rumble loved flying just as his brother did. He even dreamed about joining the Wonderbolts when he'd be older.
"Hello, children!" Ms. Cheerilee loudly announced her presence. Rumble quickly raised his head and was more than disappointed to see the teacher wearing a necklace with heart-shaped emerald.
"Good morning, Ms. Cheerilee!" the class replied, though Rumble's voice was the quietest of all.
Oh, yes, of course. Hearts. Hearts everywhere. I swear, by the end of this day, if I see another heart shaped figure or symbol, I'll tear it into shreds! Rumble thought to himself.
"Children, you know what day is drawing nigh?" Cheerilee asked and Sweetie Belle immediately raised her hoof into the air. "Yes, Sweetie Belle?"
"Hearts and Hooves day, the day where everypony cherishes love and finds a special somepony to spend the day with — and not just the day, maybe their whole life!" Sweetie Belle replied, smiling widely.
"Exactly, Sweetie Belle. We all know and love this holiday, for it celebrates the warmest feeling inside us — love — and I'm not just talking about love between a colt and a mare. I'm talking about the love of a mother as well, of that of every sibling towards his brother or sister — everything," Cheerilee said and approached the blackboard. "But this year, there is somepony special who is going to be talking with you about love, somepony whom the whole of Equestria knows."
The whole class went silent except Rumble, whose snoring started to rock throughout the classroom.
"Rumble!" Cheerilee exclaimed, waking up the unfortunate foal.
"Wah? Blah? Wha-?"
"This is a very special pony, I repeat, a very special pony. I would like you to stay awake throughout the whole process. At least for this year!" she said, looking right at Rumble, who didn't seem fazed.
"Don't worry, Ms. Cheerilee. I'll keep him awake!" Button Mash, who was sitting right next to him, delivered a mighty slap right on Rumble's forehead.
"Ouch!" Rumble shouted, more of surprise than of pain. Several giggles ran throughout the class, but quickly died out.
"Thank you, Button Mash."
"I'm so going to shove your face down a toilet!" Rumble growled at Mash. The earth pony replied with an innocent smile. Sometimes, Rumble really wanted to just shove that propeller hat up this guy's a—
"Ehem, well then, children, this special pony should be on her way. I suggest you all keep quiet and calm; she could come in at any second," Cheerilee tried to calm down her pupils, who had apparently decided it was a good idea to have some chit-chat.
Rumble took a deep breath and prepared to go back to sleep again, when suddenly, the air started to crack and electrify. Every unicorn in the class suddenly started to worry, looking around, their eyes widening in fear.
"Sweetie Belle? What's wrong?" Scootaloo asked as Sweetie Belle shrunk and grabbed her tail.
"I'm... I'm a... a...." she couldn't even say a word.
Rumble looked around, having no idea what's going on. Suddenly, he noticed some kind of a warp hole opening just beside Cheerilee. It was getting bigger and bigger and was soon hard not to notice. Cheerilee herself looked astonished and shocked and just opened her mouth to say something when a flash of light blinded everypony in the room.
Rumble rubbed his eyes, trying to calm down his senses. The flash had been so sudden, it had felt like he’d been blinded. But slowly, the white color faded away and Rumble was able to see again.
However, what he saw made his jaw drop — drop so low it felt like it would hit through the floor.
In the center of the classroom, right beside Cheerilee, dressed in golden royal regalia, a beautiful crown with red and blue jewels, stood Princess Celestia herself. Her mane was sparkling brightly and her horn still had tiny specks of golden aura surrounding it from using a spell recently.
"I bid thee good day, fair teacher Cheerilee. I am terribly sorry about this unannounced visit," Celestia pronounced and turned to Cheerilee only to find her completely motionless. "Ms. Cheerilee?"
Celestia gently touched Ms. Cheerilee and the teacher fell over like a statue whose pedestal had been removed. She even made the sound of metal hitting against the floor.
"Whoops," Celestia looked from the petrified teacher to the class of astonished ponies. "Children, I hope you aren't as shocked as Ms. Cheerilee. Please, let me explain..."
"Oh. My. Goodness! It's CELESTIA!" a girly voice screeched from the rear of the class and everypony lowered their heads before the princess. Some even hit their foreheads on the desks with a loud thump sound.
"My princess! We didn't expect you to arrive! I mean... we are always ready for your visits, it’s just that I thought Princess Cadence would arrive, not you," Celestia shuddered as Cheerilee suddenly appeared behind her. "I mean... What I meant to say was that we didn't expect you to arri—"
Celestia gently placed her right hoof, over which a golden slipper laid, onto distressed teacher's lips. Rumble observed silently and wished he could do the same thing when she lectured him.
"It's not an official visit. You see, Princess Cadence has a little problem in Crystal Empire — huge black clouds of smoke, apparently — she couldn't come," Celestia said, adjusting her crown a bit. "I hope you will find my company just as pleasing."
"O, of course, kids, be honored; Princess Celestia herself will tell you about the importance of love!" Cheerilee proudly announced.
Oh, come on! Rumble barely held back from saying this out loud. He placed his head on his desk and sighed heavily; even the most awesome of all things awesome that could happen was ruined by Hearts and Hooves day. Why did fate hate him so much?!
The moment Celestia started speaking, he felt relaxed and calm. Her voice flew through the air like a morning breeze which seeped into ears and stayed there, attaching itself to his young mind like sticky honey. No wonder she was a princess, she knew how to speak to a crowd. But it didn't matter how honeyed and well-worded her speech was, the subject was boring beyond belief. Rumble closed his eyes for a moment and didn't even notice how he fell asleep.
***
A slight thump to the side made Rumble lazily turn his head around and babble, "Mom... I don't want to go to school today... This holiday is so lame," he snorted while turning on his desk as if it was a pillow. Unfortunately for him, after the pillow ended, there was no soft bed sheet; there was a long way down instead.
Rumble fell down, dragging the chair along with him, and painfully hit his head when he collided with the floor.
"Ouch!" he shouted, grabbing the bruise by instinct, trying to alleviate the pain.
"O my, sorry!" Celestia apologized, kneeled before Rumble and helped him up by allowing to usage of her body as support. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to scare you."
She helped Rumble to sit down and gently stroked his head with her hoof.
"Does it hurt?"
"N- no," Rumble replied, trying to sound as cold as possible. His head hurt horribly and his eyes started to water. He felt relieved when the pain finally seemed to subside.
Celestia carefully stroked his head, trying to drive away the pain caused by the fall.
"Alright, good. It's probably going to leave a bruise. Sorry," Celestia apologized again and Rumble smiled.
"No problem, princess," he replied.
"Good, I'm glad that you're okay. Now, let's get to business," she stated and looked sternly at the sleepyhead. "Why were you sleeping on the lesson?"
"Whoopsie," Rumble pronounced. He had to come up with something quickly. He couldn't embarrass himself before a princess!
"I didn't sleep last night... Was helping my brother... wash his linen, because it was dirty," he lied and immediately facehoofed as that attempt at a lie was so bad that probably even Applejack would’ve done better.
"Yes... that makes sense," Celestia replied, probably thinking something that the boy hadn’t intended to say. "And the real reason is?"
"Umm... What reason?" Rumble retorted, deciding to play dumb to somehow avoid embarrassment. Celestia sighed heavily.
"This conversation will lead us nowhere. Please, Rumble, come with me. We’ll need to talk outside and — if possible — in private", she said, making Rumble's jaw drop. She knew his name! The princess knew his name and she wants to talk with him in private!
This was going to hurt.
***
Rumble trotted alongside Celestia, sometimes hurrying up to catch up with the big alicorn. He couldn't believe what kind of scrap he’d gotten himself into. This really, really looked grim.
Celestia was probably going to be very angry; she was used to everypony listening to her very closely, and he’d slept! He briefly wondered what the weather would be like on the moon.
Though, why didn't she scold him during the lesson? She could have woken him up, embarrass him in front of the whole class, which would then spread across all of Ponyville. She could have done something equally horrific, but instead she wanted to talk in private.
Celestia made her way to a field next to the road that led to the school’s entrance. There was nopony to be seen. It seemed Rumble had slept for quite a long time.
When they reached the field, Celestia sat down and sighed with relief. Her horn started sparkling with golden glow and her regalia slowly disappeared, turned into white dust. When her crown was gone, she opened her eyes and turned to Rumble with a friendly smile.
"Now we can talk," Celestia said. "Talk with me like you would talk with your friend, not like to royalty. I'm listening, Rumble, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, Princess Celestia... I'm honest!" Rumble replied and Celestia once again looked saddened.
"That's not what I want to hear. I need truth, Rumble, and you're obviously not telling me the truth," she said and looked at him with fury. Her mane suddenly burst into colorful flames and magical golden wisps flowed from her eyes.
"Tell me the truth," she spoke once again, though calmly, which harmonized with her eldritch look in such a terrifying way that Rumble backed away and closed his eyes.
"I hate Hearts and Hooves day!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, expecting his final demise. That was it, he's done for — sent to the moon, or banished to the Everfree Forest, or imprisoned, or all three at once!
He closed his eyes... but nothing happened. He didn't feel any excruciating pain tearing his soul into tiny pieces, he didn't suffocate from the vacuum. He was still alive.
Rumble opened his eyes and looked around. Green grass, blue sky, bright sun and completely normal Celestia, who was walking towards him, were the sights that greeted him.
"Why do I always have to scare ponies to make them talk to me?" she asked herself, approaching Rumble.
"You're... not angry?" he asked and Celestia shook her head.
"Why should I be? I have to admit, you did irritated me with your stubbornness, but it's forgivable," the sun alicorn pronounced. "For when I know what the matter is, we can simply discuss it and find a solution."
Rumble shyly looked around, checking if nopony saw him being scared. Though, he wagered, everypony would be scared by such a sight. Though, he preferred being safe more than being sorry.
"Tell me: why do you hate Hearts and Hooves day?" Celestia asked, looking at Rumble with kindness. She wanted to show that she wouldn't be angry no matter the reason, and he couldn't resist looking into these deep magenta eyes. They seemed to root him on the spot, forcing his undivided attention to her voice.
"I... I don't know," Rumble replied. He really couldn't recall why he despised this day so much. He wanted to say that it was boring, but was that even a legitimate reason to hate something? School could be boring, but he didn't hate it.
"That's strange. You can't hate something for no apparent reason... It's the celebration of love, friendship, and life. It's the day where you find your special somepony..." Celestia started talking and immediately noticed Rumble sigh with annoyance. He turned away and — so it seemed to her — mimicked everything Celestia was saying mockingly.
"Ooh, I see the problem now," Celestia said and startled Rumble by teleporting right in front of him, looking him straight in the eyes. "You don't have that special somepony, am I right?"
Rumble swallowed as the alicorn stared straight into his soul. He couldn't lie now. He just couldn't. Her stare was as petrifying as Fluttershy's but Celestia was smiling at the same time! Rumble was scared to imagine how she would look like when she was absolutely infuriated.
"I..." he really wanted to change the subject, but Celestia's eyes compelled him to speak truth. He couldn't come up with anything else anyway.
"I just don't know why this is needed. I mean, going out with somepony, all this love-shmove, kissing...eugh... Why is it needed and why do we celebrate it? If my brother wants to find a marefriend — good for him! There's no need for a whole holiday with galas, concerts, and other activities. Why can't I just stay home without having to listen to all this nonsense about the importance of love? Like ‘twould be that hard to go on a date!" Rumble started complaining, finally giving Celestia some material to work with. He finally loosened his tongue, just like she wanted.
"So you think going on dates is easy?" Celestia asked and Rumble nodded bravely. He was no longer afraid, he knew the princess would not harm him. The alicorn delved into thoughts about how she could fix the situation. She could ask Twilight Sparkle to teach Rumble the meaning of Hearts and Hooves day, of course, but Celestia had a better idea.
Yes, perfect. That way, Rumble would truly understand why Hearts and Hooves was important. This lesson, he would never forget.
"Well then, how about you try it yourself?" Celestia said, winking at the young pegasus. Rumble glared at her with confusion.
"What? But who would go to a date with me? Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom — not in a million years, not after I mispronounced their club’s name... though their faces were hilarious!" he chuckled. "Who else is there? Diamond Tiara — Meh. Silver Spoon — double meh… Twist?"
Rumble suddenly cringed, looking as if he had eaten something nasty.
"No, just no!"
"Well, it seems that there's one you have forgotten," a smiling Celestia declared. "You shall go on a date with me."
Rumble's brain needed a few seconds to process a message. At first, he giggled, thinking that it was a joke, then he just smiled, deeming this little fun an unnecessary one; and, at last, his face was struck with shock when he saw Celestia's smile. She was serious.
Oh, by Everfree, she was serious.
"Who...where...how...when...why..." Rumble muttered interrogative words like a broken record. But Celestia was far from finished.
"I have a tight schedule; I'll have to take my leave back to Canterlot the day after tomorrow. So, I think the next day in the morning by the fountain. Is that alright for you?" she asked and Rumble barely managed to move his head up and down. "Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow... Don't disappoint the lady!"
Celestia slowly walked away towards her carriage, which was stationed just nearby the school where some children had already gathered and were asking her guards different questions. Rumble stared into the distance for quite some time before finally making a move. He managed to move his right hoof forward and take a step.
He, at last, realized how grave his situation was. He realized just what a mess he had gotten himself into. He had a date with nopony other than Princess Celestia herself tomorrow! He had to do his best... No, he had to be the best! It's the princess, he couldn’t fail, or else...
Rumble ran back home, praying to the skies above that Flitter was home. She was, after all, a mare. She had to know about this dating business, she had to help him.
She had to help him, or else Rumble would surely spend his last days on the Moon.
***
"Flitter! Flitter! Flitter!" the loud screams disturbed the concentrated foalsitter as she was so close to putting the tiny thread through the hole on the bottom of the needle. It was hard enough to do it with magic, and Flitter had spent the whole morning carefully aligning her hooves, holding the thread, moving it, pushing it. Now, as she shook from the surprise, the needle fell down along with the thread.
"Aw , shi... Shoot", Flitter held back from using too colorful words. "What is it, Rumble? Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Yes, yes, but it's not the first time I catch you in an inopportune moment where you are too busy shoving your hose through a tiny hole, but I really need your help right now!" Rumble said, jumping on the chair just nearby Flitter. "My whole life depends on it!"
"I am going to... ignore what you said just now... and I will ignore you completely, if it's not as important as you make it out to be!" she reproached him, turned away from the knitting and looked at Rumble. "What is it?"
"You see... I have an... appointment tomorrow... a very important appointment," Rumble said, blushing like a tomato. "And I need a few tips from you... as the expert... in appointments."
Flitter raised an eyebrow, looking at the young foal. "Appointment? You mean you've gotten yourself into trouble again?"
"No, no! I... ugh... I have a date tomorrow. A very important one," Rumble gasped. He felt so troubled telling Flitter about this and not without a reason, too. She burst into laughter the instant he stopped talking.
"Oh, my! Celestia as my witness, alas! Rumble is finally getting it! Yoo-hoo!" Flitter exclaimed. "So tell me, Casanova, who's the lucky girl?"
"Umm..." Rumble stuttered, "err, Twist!"
"Twist? O...kay. Love isn't picky. So anyway, I assume you want to know the art of... a date?" Flitter said, flying up into the air. Rumble swore he started hearing some kind of a soft musical tune.
"Y- yes," he said, looking at his foalsitter. "But what are doing exa— Oh no, please don't do it!"
"Oh, Rumble, I will!"
"Please don't sing, please don't sing, please don't sing!" Rumble pleaded.
"Sing? Why should I sing?" Flitter raised an eyebrow, and the young pegasus let out a sigh of relief, putting away the headphones, which had appeared out of nowhere. Those would have surely muffled any sound.
"It just seemed like it," he groused. "So... about art of a date..."
"Of course. Listen closely, and write everything down!" Flitter exclaimed merrily and dived into her deepest dreams of the one true date. Her most impossible dreams appeared as she dictated rules and actions little Rumble should perform to appease his mare of choice. What she dictated was dictated to her by her dreams and hopes, some more impossible than others, but always conveyed the same picture: the picture of the perfect colt.
"Is that all?" Rumble asked, putting down pen and paper. "Please tell me that's all!"
"Yup!" Flitter sung, descending down from the ceiling. "Did you write all of it down?"
"Yes. I hope this works... I really do," Rumble said, looking through at least three pages full of dos and don’ts regarding a good date.
"Everything is going to be okay. Just remember: use your heart. Do what you think is the best for your beloved. That's the biggest secret," Flitter spoke and patted the foal's cheek. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to finish knitting."
"Yeah... yeah," Rumble muttered and walked away. Just is he supposed to accomplish all of this madness in just one day? The date was scheduled tomorrow... Was everything lost? Was he destined to spend his life banished to the Moon?
Rumble took a deep breath and looked forward steadily. He would succeed, he would prepare for his date, and he would make it the best date ever in the whole world of Equestria. Celestia would certainly not be disappointed.
***
Morning in Ponyville was always most calm and beautiful. The sun was slowly rising, making its way to the top of the sky. Ponies were already on the streets, still a bit sleepy. The morning birds were buzzing in the trees and flying over the heads of the passers.
The fountains of water streamed up towards the blue sky, the splatter getting on young Rumble's muzzle. He wearily brushed it off and looked around.
The boy was wearing a tie that — as he would say — was choking him. His hair glistened in the sunlight (after the lengthy hairdo session, it better should!), and the pretty bouquet, consisting of roses, tulips and sunflowers, fluttered in the wind. His jaw was already tired of holding it.
I feel like a complete idiot right now, he thought to himself. The morning had already come, but there was no trace of Celestia anywhere, though, as Flitter mentioned, that was okay. Ladies were supposed to be late for a date. But, deep inside Rumble's mind, there was a fear that Celestia just wouldn't come at all, that she changed her mind. But, on the other side, that would relieve him of the duty to date her.
His fears and hopes were dispelled by the sound of gentle flapping of wings.
"Good morrow, fair sir knight!" Celestia announced her presence, landing beside Rumble. There weren't too many ponies around, so she was safe from the crowd's attention. "I hope I didn't make you wait too long. A very forgetful pony can I be sometimes and I ask your forgiveness therefor."
Rumble bowed down before her — as was proper — but Celestia lifted him up with magic.
"I was joking, Rumble — no need to bow. Right now, I'm not royalty, I'm just your marefriend you invited for a date," she pronounced. "Let's try again.... Ehem... Hi, Rumble!"
It was so weird to hear Celestia (try to) talk so commonly. She let Rumble go, and he landed on his own four hooves. After swiping off the dust, he took a deep breath and greeted the princess... I mean, his marefriend.
"Hello... Celestia," he almost stuttered, remembering the list of compliments he crammed for the whole night. "You look stunning today... A new hairstyle?"
"No, actually. I haven't changed my hairstyle in... five hundred years, if I remember correctly," Celestia replied. Rumble swallowed, having been reminded that he was supposed to be dating a being that was one-thousand years older than him.
"Ehem... So, my pri... I mean, dear... Shall we go to Sugarcube Corner for some ice-cream and baking?" Rumble finally managed to ask, constantly forgetting the words he learned for so long. Celestia nodded with a smile.
"Sugarcube Corner? Sounds sweet, lead on!" she said and followed Rumble towards the bakery.
The poor foal hoped that Celestia liked strawberry flavored ice-cream, cupcakes with extra cream, and crumbly cake; because he had those goodies in mind when he beheld Celestia's figure. Mayhap it was just because she was big, but she seemed quite pudgy. Furthermore, he had once read an article in the school newspapers that had featured Celestia eating a cake, thus she had to like cakes, right?
But what the cake she liked was chocolate cake? Then the alicorn would make a cake out of Rumble! Who could tell with these alicorns? What if they were carnivores?!
Rumble opened the door leading to the bakery and held it open so that Celestia could pass through. Paragraph number thirty-two: be a gentlecolt — check! Celestia whispered a gentle 'thank you' and looked around, searching for a nice table.
She pointed at the table just by the window, and silently asked for Ruble’s opinion. He smiled and nodded in reply; the lady had to pick the table — paragraph number seventy-three.
They sat down so they’d face each other and were just picking up the menu, when a flash of pink stirred up a wind that ruffled Celestia's mane. Rumble's careful hairdo only bent a little bit. Flitter had applied enough hair gel to prevent it from being ruined.
"Welcome to the Sugarcube corner! I'm Pinkie Pie and I will be your waiter…ess," the smiling pink earth pony babbled. "Hi, Rumble! Hi, Princess Celestia, how are you do..."
She suddenly opened her eyes and mouth and stared at Celestia. She took a deep breath, and prepared to unleash a gasp when the alicorn shoved a bun, which had lain on a neighboring table, into her mouth.
"Pinkie, whatever you do, don't scream!" Celestia commanded quietly but strictly. "I'm on a date, you see? And we both just want some ice-cream and cakes... in peace, alright? No crowd, no noise... and no Twilight, you hear me?"
"Do not tell her I'm in Ponyville, am I clear?" Celestia carefully enunciated every word. Pinkie just nodded since she was still busy swallowing the delicious bun.
"Okie-dokie-lokie, Princess! I hereby swear that no Twilight shall interrupt your date with a child! I Pinkie-promise!" the pink pony said, though Rumble had quite a few doubts about that. Celestia had already been seen at school and the rumors had surely spread already. But at least they had Pinkie on their side; nopony can break the Pinkie promise.
"So, what are you going to eat? Drink? Dreat?" Pinkie asked, taking a notebook out of her hair and materializing a pencil that she, as Rumble thought, had kept in her mouth. "Pancakes? Cakes? Syrup? Pancakes with syrup with cakes on top?"
"I think I'll take strawberry ice-cream and syrup... What will you take, pri... dear?" Rumble said, watching Pinkie scribble everything down.
Celestia looked around, a slight, pink blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Chocolate cake and a milkshake — banana flavored," she said quietly. Rumble gritted his teeth — it had been chocolate cake! He just knew it!
Well, his predictions were wrong, but that was alright. He just hoped that he would have enough money to pay for Celestia's appetite afterwards.
"Aye, got it! Wait just a second!" Pinkie disappeared from sight for a whole second and instantly flashed back, balancing a tray with the food on her head. "Here you go! Enjoy, ye lovebirds!"
She smiled widely and hopscotched her way back unto the kitchen. Rumble was left all alone with Celestia. He desperately searched his mind for a topic to talk about.
"So, umm... How are you doing? Anything new back at Canterlot?"
"Well, several meetings, several political crisises, and also over thousands of ponies to personally watch over — nothing interesting," Celestia lamented. "O, but there was a funny moment: Luna and I were supposed to meet the griffon's ambassador. So, here we are, in all our royal dressings. He comes in, bows to us, and introduces himself as 'San Bunt'. But he pronounced it so quickly that I heard ‘Sunbutt’. So I, as a self-respecting princess, retaliate, 'You're a butt!' I really didn't want to insult him; it's just that this nickname is my rage trigger."
She made herself comfortable in her seat. Being twice as big as any normal pony it would surely take her quite a while to find a comfy position.
"And then he replies: ‘I thought your name be Celestia!' That was so awkward. I can't believe we avoided an international scandal," she finally finished her speech. "That's about it. So... anything new in Ponyville?"
"Well... considering that our town is regularly attacked by strange creatures intending to eat Twilight Sparkle, or any of the Elements — really — I honestly lost count," Rumble strained his memory. Who was the last one: Discord or Trixie? Did Trixie want to eat Twilight? Probably.
"Yes, I see. Though, the necessity demands that she stay in Ponyville. You see, Luna amassed quite a few books while she was on the moon — she wrote them herself, don’t ask wherewith and how — and now, she's struggling to understand what she actually wrote," Celestia said, drinking her milkshake. "We have a separate room for her books..."
She sipped some more of her drink, noticing a slice of banana on the edge of the glass. The sun alicorn opened her eyes widely, putting the glass down. Her horn glowed gold, wrapping the banana in the aura of the same color, moving itslowly towards her mouth. She quickly devoured the fruit.
"Don't. Tell. Anypony!" she warned Rumble.
After that short, completely humorless scene began the most dreaded of situation whereabout Flitter had warned Rumble: awkward silence. They both were silent. They didn't know what to say! Celestia was probably regretting that she had ever appointed this date, hating Rumble wholeheartedly! He had to come up with something! He had to make her smile!
"Hey, Celestia! Do you like your cake?" he asked out of nowhere. Celestia got distracted from eating the chocolate bliss and looked at him.
"Yes... Would you like some? It's very tasty"
"Oh, I would love to... But in fact, I would like to invite you somewhere else... after you finish your feast, of course," he said, looking at her chocolate-smeared lips. There was some charm in that, though he was probably too young to understand exactly what.
"That sounds terrific," Celestia said, smiling. For a moment, Rumble watched her devour the cake — not just eat, devour. With fire and fervor in her eyes, the sun alicorn stuck her teeth into the lush baking, its chocolate insides splashing over her cloud white face. She would smile like a child after every bite.
Yes, Celestia surely wasn't the most orderly pony when it came to eating cake, just like in that article; she was not so different from her subjects. Looking at her made Rumble quite hungry.
While eating his ice-cream, Rumble couldn't help but thank the creation for the absence of ponies in Sugarcube Corner at this hour. He was sure Celestia was thankful for that as well. He really didn't want the princess to receive bad publicity because of him.
After finishing their desserts, Rumble invited Celestia to get up with a gentle gesture. She bowed gracefully, yawned, and got up.
"Lead on!" she said. Rumble lead the way, feeling his left wing twitch. Her yawn! It scared him so much. He was so afraid that he might actually be... boring; Something that he had branded Hearts and Hooves day with — boring.
No! He would not be boring! By the end of this day, Princess Celestia would have had so much fun she'd consider the Grand Galloping Gala the most boring event ever created in the history of ponykind! So boring that she'd cancel it and make it Rumble Appreciation Day instead!
A fair wasn't the right word to call this little entertainment place for the young and those in love. It was a small gathering of tents and stands with various joys and funs on display. There was a simple shooting gallery, a small shop, and the arcade for those who yearned for adventures in the yonder but were a bit far too young to travel on their own.
Rumble had visited this little fair quite oft. However, while most of the youth went for the arcade, he preferred the shooting gallery. There was just something satisfying in knocking down all the targets with the tiny paper bullets that were being shot with this strange tube. Besides, today, there was a prize: a pretty teddy bear.
"A fair. How very entertaining!" Celestia exclaimed, but Rumble was sure she was bored out of her mind by the sight.
Calm down, Rumble. Just stick to the plan and everything will be okay — just how Flitter told you: the lady expects, you deliver.
They approached the shooting gallery, its bored owner peacefully dreaming in the corner. Rumble knocked on the counter a few times to rouse him. The grey earth pony quickly got up, dusted himself off and saw the princess, then, Rumble had to knock on the counter again in order to wake him up from shock.
"Pri- pri- princess..." the shop owner mumbled, prompting Celestia to sigh.
"Rumble, would you kindly..."
"Of course. Princess Celestia is on a date. So, relax, have this coin and give me the rifle," the young pegasus indulged Princess's desire, tossing a coin to the owner, and expecting him to hoof him out a rifle. The poor earth pony took a second to breathe in, process the situation, smile at the sun alicorn, and give Rumble the weapon.
"Alright... Now, just to remember... how it's done," he whispered to himself. Don't fail now, muscle memory!
He just had to lean onto the counter, point the rifle in the direction of the tin targets and hit the trigger on the side of the rifle. The bullet would fly out and hit the target, knocking it over. Seemed simple enough, but Rumble was a professional at this game. With the many times he’d come hither, he’d impressed his friends countless of times with what kind of thaumaturgic feats he could perform with this little baby.
He took a deep breath in. He wasn't in front of his friends anymore, it was Princess Celestia; and she wanted a good show... At least that's what the guide had told him. He did it countless of times before. It was easy, he just had to concentrate.
*Poof*
A tin can fell over with a hole in its center. Rumble bit his lip — one down, nine to go. Now, was the time to work his magic.
He flapped his wings, taking flight, and bashed the trigger once again. The bullet flew out with a poof, knocking down another can. But that was just the beginning. He called this one the Rumble-O-Copter.
He started spinning in the air with loud screams of 'woohoo' as he shot the rifle again and again, knocking the cans down one by one. It made his head spin a little, but that was nothing compared to what was at stake. He spun faster and honestly thought he was going to be sick, until he finally ran out of bullets.
He landed on the ground, dropping the rifle on the counter by instinct, breathing heavily. The owner looked at the shooting range, then back at Rumble, and nodded with respect.
"Nine out of ten — not bad, not bad," he said, reaching for a small teddy bear, which hung just below the ceiling of the stand.
Not bad? This was supposed to be perfect, he had to ace it! Rumble looked back at Celestia, who was clapping her hooves together.
"Nice one! How do youngsters call these nowadays... trickshots, aye! Very good!" she cheered to Rumble... But he knew she was bored, bored out of her eternal mind. Bored so badly, she would rather spend her time blowing dust off her sister’s old books than waste any more time with him!
Rumble opened his eyes widely, looking at the deepest void of the far away horizon. He had to remember what Flitter warned him about.
"Remember, on a date, the lady will expect you to appease her desires. Thus it goes — you do, she watches."
So far, Celestia had been eternally bored with watching him. Did he not do it well enough? What should he do then?
Suddenly... the most brilliant idea pierced Rumble's head. He slowly understood what he had to do; a date seemed so familiar to meeting with hisfriends. He and Celestia had some yummies at Sugercube Corner, then they went together to this fair. Now, what do friends do when they're having fun?
Get involved!
"Celestia... would you like to try?" Rumble asked, tossing a coin to the owner once again. The sun alicorn looked at him with quite bit of shock.
"I... but I don't know how... I've never been to a shooting gallery before," she almost suttered, but Rumble hoofed her the rifle anyway.
This tube, which seemed fit for the young Pegasus just well, looked like a small stick in Celestia's comparatively giant hooves. She perplexedly looked around. Thankfully, the ponies around them weren't too interested in the strange pair, though, she still blushed heavily.
"I'm sorry... but do you have...an adult...sized...version?" Celestia asked, putting the tiny stick onto the counter. "It kind of... doesn't fit."
"Ah, yes, of course!" the owner smiled nervously before taking out a giant gun, probably longer than any gun Rumble had ever seen. He didn't know they even had those in store! "This should suit your... complexity quite well, my princess! Here you go!"
Celestia blushed a little bit, taking the giant rifle and waving it around. It felt weird standing bipedal, and with her monstrous height, it felt even weirder. The rifle, however, did suit her quite well. All she needed to do was point and shoot. The sun alicorn carefully tried leaning onto the counter to see if it would hold out her weight. The old wood creaked, but didn't break, thankfully.
That would have been mighty embarrassing. Celestia always admitted she had a few pounds more than needed, but she hated when somepony or something reminded her of that. She liked the way that she was, the idea of diets seemed so stupid and silly. What was wrong with some more warm skin on her sides? Nothing, that's what!
*Poof*
Well, it seemed Celestia had been far too focused on debating her weight with herself than actually aiming. The bullet hit the background and bounced off without doing any visible damage.
Celestia expressed her feelings with a shy 'whoops', while Rumble examined the princess's shot. It was way off target, probably not even aimed. Even a toddler could’ve shot better than this.
"Just a few inches! You're so good at this, Pri... honey," Rumble corrected himself, and Celestia smiled, blushing a bit.
"Thank you, I think I'm getting the hang of this!"
The second shot missed. So did the third, the fourth and the fifth.
There was only one shot left in the cartridge chamber. Celestia looked at Rumble, who stared at her with compassion and the desire to help. These innocent eyes — Celestia just couldn't resist. She couldn't disappoint the little pegasus! He had tried so hard for her and she had to do her best!
"Hey, look, Rainbow Dash!" Celestia pointed to the left of the boy. Rumble immediately turned around, opening his eyes widely, scanning the horizon for his favorite flyer.
Celestia's horn lit up with gold magical energies and, one by one, the metal tin cans received a small hole in them, one for each can — all except one. Celestia took the rifle, focused her sight at the last target and bashed the trigger.
The bullet hit the background and fell on the ground. Celestia glanced at the owner of the shooting gallery and gently put her right hoof to her lips, signaling to keep silent no matter what. The owner smiled nervously and nodded, agreeing to play along.
Rumble turned back, and was, quite frankly, shocked to see all the cans but one having been pierced. He stared at Celestia with amazement and she smiled warmly at him, putting the rifle away and brushing her mane away like she used to do when she was several hundred years younger... and several decimeters smaller.
"Trickshots — not only you youngsters can do these!"
Rumble was astonished to say the least. Nine cans with one bullet, that'd be something he'd try out on his own one day. But he just couldn't believe that Celestia was capable of this! Maybe she had more secrets than Rumble had suspected.
One ‘secret’ was quite evident: Celestia looked very nice. Her ever-changing mane was something Rumble questioned for long a long time, as did many foals in his class; how could such a mane exist? But it existed, and he was dating the mare who owned this mane — so cool!
Rumble caught the thought that he was actually enjoying himself. Enjoying himself on a date? On Heart and Hooves day? Impossible!
He and Celestia went on, and even though Rumble was so tempted to waste another coin and play a round or two of "Crystal Slug", he had a mare to date. He and Celestia proceeded onwards to...
And that was when Rumble the thought occurred that he had ran out of options. When Flitter recommended him to come up with a plan for the date, he didn't have any bright ideas except the fair and Sugarcube Corner.
Where to go, where to go, where to go?! Celestia looked so lively now, Rumble didn't want to see her bored again; he had to entertain her in some way.
The sun alicorn looked towards the horizon and closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze blowing through her mane. She felt a relaxed and extended her wings a little, humming some kind of song to herself. It felt like she fell asleep right in the middle of the field, but it served a good purpose: it let Rumble think of his options.
Celestia's little meditation helped him make the decision. He carefully touched the rim of princess's wing. It felt strong, the feathers were flawlessly aligned and more than able to keep her mighty body afloat.
"Celestia... Do you fly often?" Rumble asked, continuing to carefully caress her wing. He just liked how her plumage tickled his skin and there seemed to be a strange, relaxing aura coming from her.
"Fly? Mmm, can't say that I do," Celestia replied, opening her eyes. "I take a stroll around the castle from time to time, but I won't be so brave to say I'm a professional flyer."
She flexed her wings, the milky feathers fluttering in the wind. "What are you suggesting?"
Rumble breathed in deeply. The idea seemed crazy, but... maybe Princess Celestia would want to go crazy for a while. Even royalty was not below simple fun.
"How about a race — you and me?" Rumble finally spoke and bit his lip. He expected any kind of answer from angry to less angry.
"A race? Hmm," Celestia took a long and thoughtful look at her coltfriend/opponent. It had been so long since she raced. But the thought of it did seem quite intriguing and sounded like a lot of fun... if a bit immature. Though, why did she even find herself time free of royal duties, if not to be just like that? Her little trick at the shooting gallery already made her feel much younger; why not become a filly for a moment?
"Why not, I say. We'll race to yon cloud and back," Celestia exclaimed, pointing at the big cloud in the distance. Rumble was surprised that she had accepted, to say the least, but, at the same time, relieved. He was actually... looking forward to it.
"Alright, if you say so," Rumble said and gathered all the courage in his heart to make a remark. "Though don't count on me if you fall behind."
A simple, friendly poke, Celestia took it quite well.
"Believe me, I won't be the one to fall behind," the sun alicorn smirked, spreading her gigantic wings. Rumble untied his loathed tie, which had bounded his neck for so long, and spread his wings as well, giving them some much needed room. He felt that he hadn’t for the whole day, having been bound to the earth. Now, it was time to take it into the skies.
Rumble took off first, being much lighter than Celestia, as it took several swings of her mighty wings to lift her off the ground. But, after a few seconds, she quickly got used to the sensations unfelt by her for so long. She looked at Rumble with challenge as they both prepared to blast off to the cloud which they’d determined the goal.
Rumble flapped his wings and pierced the air so quickly, he even heard whistling in his ears. The wind blowing to his face, the feeling of the open sky: this was his element. He was born for these feelings. Rumble trained quite frequently with his brother, but he didn't want to become a simple weather pony. He aimed higher: the Wonderbolts. He knew that one day, he would be wearing the blue color with yellow lighting stripes, and he will prove that to himself by defeating Celestia...
To say that Rumble was surprised when he saw Celestia fly past him, her wings cutting through the wind, was quite the understatement. She was like a gigantic dragon, a mighty predator of the skies, and yet she was faster than the small, agile Rumble. She looked around, her big magenta eyes winking playfully at the young pegasus, and flapped her wings once more, sending a wave of raised wind into Rumble's face.
He endured it all, only provoked by Celestia's (temporary) victory, as he gathered all his strength and boosted his speed. He flew up into the air, remembering all the lessons of aerodynamics his brother gave him.
"Get higher... and swoop down with maximum speed!" He whispered to himself, flying above the clouds. The sun blinded him for a second, but he quickly adjusted his eyesight and set his eyes for the cloud, which drifted peacefully not far from him. He folded his wings, pointing his snout towards his target and flew down like a rocket.
"Woo-hoo! Yes! Yee-haaw!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as he surprised Celestia with his mad dash right past her. She stumbled for a second, but continued flying towards him with all the speed she had. However, her face looked... distressed.
"Rumble! Stop! You're gonna crash into—"
Celestia's warning fell on deaf ears as Rumble just ignored her cries and turned back to his goal, expecting an easy win, but only then noticing the danger Celestia had tried to warn him about. He was flying right into a dreamy Rainbow Dash, who, up until this point, was peacefully sleeping on the cloud Celestia had determined their goal.
"Oh...my.... Wha... WHAT THE BU—" the rainbow colored mare was unable to finish her sentence as the collision with a grey furball was imminent. It seemed as though time would freeze for a second, and in this stillness, Rumble noticed the air wobble and shake. Something was forming out of thin air, right between him and Rainbow Dash.
Celestia managed to teleport herself right in front of Rumble, catching him with all his speed body. For a moment, the young pegasus felt himself wrapped in the pure bliss of Celestia's fur. It was short and yet so sweet and soft. However, he quickly realized just how much pain he must have caused her with this impact.
"Ce-Celestia!" He flew back, to watch the Princess's reaction. Her mouth was a bit distorted, like from a minor annoyance.
"Ouch..." Celestia breathed, rubbing her belly where Rumble collided head first. The young pegasus quickly flew back to her and starting massaging the injured part.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't know, I didn't notice!" he babbled, but Celestia calmed him down with a gentle touch of her hoof.
"It's alright, Rumbley. Don't think that a hit like that would hurt me. I used to endure much severer pain," she said, giggling. "At least you're not hurt."
"Princess Celestia?" the confused voice of Rainbow Dash made Celestia freeze. The pegasus abandoned the crowd and flew over Celestia so she would face her.
"Rumble?" Rainbow Dash asked in even more confused voice. The princess wanted to say something, but Rumble interrupted her.
"Don't worry, Rainbow Dash! I and Princess Celestia are just out on a date," he clarified with some pride. "Don't tell Twilight, though! She might get jealous."
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Celestia. The princess responded with a nod and a wink, which might have suggested many things. Rainbow Dash looked at Rumble, then at Celestia again.
"Twilight... jealous? I knew it! I knew you're that kind of pony, Twilight!" She suddenly exclaimed. "Do not worry, princess Celestia, prince Rumble! Twilight shall know nothing!"
With those words, she flew away, shouting something as she left the field of vision.
"But next time, try not to crash into me when flying around — okay?"
"Okay!" Rumble shouted back, still not knowing how to react to being called prince: offended or pleased? Rainbow had that sense of humor.
He and Celestia looked at each other and exchanged a giggle, then a laugh, then, they both burst into uncontrollable frenzy of laughter.
"Ah, Rumble, this was incredible. What you did was risky... and yet, I somehow feel that was just what I wanted you to do. I mean, I loved flying and racing... I love the sky," Celestia closed her eyes. Rumble landed on a cloud nearby.
"Still, forgive me for hitting you. I really didn't expect you to teleport there," Rumble blushed as he spoke, but Celestia gave him a warm hug. It made the little pegasus blush even harder. He felt so safe in her embrace, so protected.
"It's okay, Rumble, it's alright. It didn't hurt at all and I was just glad to help you," she said, looking at the foal.
"Thank you so much... You still basically saved my life," he informed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yes, I did. And in return, I'd ask you to continue our date! Lead us on!" she sung and Rumble happily rushed into the sky, setting up a route for yet another race, this time, more complex and with less ponies around.
***
"How are you holding up, Rumble?" Celestia asked, tilting her head slightly, addressing the foal, who slogged beside her.
"Honestly? Can't feel my everything," he replied, breathing heavily. His fancy manestyle had long ago been ruined by the wind, and the tie he had lost at some point. Rumble was far too exhausted to go looking for it now.
They had spent an incredible time together flying in the skies of Ponyville, scaring birds and other flying creatures. Races, doing laps above the town, and even an aerial confrontation: he and Celestia flew at each other at max speed, diving down on the last moment — quite a tiring maneuver.
"I can understand that... oh," Celestia sighed and sat down. The grass welcomed her, tickling her belly with its green tendrils.
Rumble joined her, sat down right beside the Princess and sighed heavily. He felt so exhausted.
"How long were we flying?" Celestia asked. "Oh my, a lot. I think it's time to lower the sun a bit."
She summoned a glow around her horn, but it quickly dissipated and she lay down on the ground.
"Are you alright?" Rumble approached her with worry in his voice. Celestia smiled weakly.
"It's okay. I'm just very tired," she explained and the golden aura returned. The sun started to slowly descend. Rumble stood and stared as his marefriend was lowering the sun to make way for the sunset.
The horizon turned crimson, painting the world before them with dim red colors. Celestia smiled again and the golden aura disappeared.
"I bet you haven't seen anything like this," she said.
"The dawns and sunsets are beautiful... They truly…” the young Pegasus yawned, “are.” He wanted to lay down on the grass as well, but Celestia raised her wing, inviting him to find shelter near her.
"Come. It will be warmer," she said, and even though Rumble didn't feel that cold, he still made himself comfortable under Celestia's gigantic pinions. It served as a huge, warm, puffy blanket while Celestia herself was the pillow. The colt gently leaned against the great alicorn's side and closed his eyes, losing himself in the white heaven.
Celestia looked at the horizon with joy, mixed with melancholy.
"You know, Rumble, I thought I could teach you a lesson — not in a bad way — I just wanted you to understand how hard it sometimes is to bring joy to the one you love. How... difficult it is to have a date."
"I understand... And it wasn't easy, no no!" Rumble replied slowly and quietly. "I can clearly see now: Hearts and Hooves day is just as worthy a holiday as any other. There's really no difference between me and my friends going out to have fun, or my brother and his marefriend. The point of both is to have fun."
"You're right, my little pony," Celestia said, ticking the colt with her primaries. “Do you still think Hearts and Hooves is boring and not worthy of your attention?"
"Best holiday I ever had," Rumble whispered, burrowing his muzzle in Celestia's fur. "And I found my special somepony, too..."
The boy went silent for a moment, clearly trying to gather his wits for what he was about to say.
"Celestia... will you be my special somepony?" he asked quietly and Celestia giggled.
“Rumble…" Her horn started glowing as she lifted the tired child and held him afloat in front of her face. "Of course you can, and I would gladly visit the school with you tomorrow, but I have to leave for Canterlot tomorrow morning."
"No! Please, don't leave! How about we have another date? Please, please, please!" he cried, waving his forehooves around, but Celestia only sighed heavily.
"Sorry, Rumble, I would love to, but I can't — royal duties," she said, which drastically changed Rumble's mood for the worse. "Don't be sad, little one. It's just the way life works. Besides, I doubt you'd want to see my sparkly face around all the time; I might be boring for you."
"No! You're not boring! You're awesome!" Rumble exclaimed. "You like chocolate cakes! And you are professional shooter," that remark made Celestia blush slightly, "and you are such a great flyer — ever better than my brother!"
He flapped his wings, forcing his way closer to Celestia. When he finally managed to free himself from her grasp, he hugged her, wrapping his hooves around her neck gently.
"I- I- I love you, Celestia," he stuttered quietly. Celestia smiled at these words and patted the pegasus on the back.
"I love you too, Rumble," she whispered to his ear, "and do you know what ponies do when they're in love?"
"Umm... they make children?"
An awkward pause claimed dominion for a minute.
"Before they make children... far before that," Celestia corrected herself with barely restrained laughter.
"They kiss, right?"
Celestia nodded and looked questioningly at her suitor. It took rumble a moment to realize what she was expecting. He blushed furiously and averted his gaze in hope she wouldn’t notice. A sigh made him turn, and he saw that Celestia looked at her hooves, which lay folded before her body. Realizing that she had taken offence in his action, he wrestled down his shyness and moved his head to the princess’ left cheek, planting a gentle kiss on it. Celestia gasped in surprise, their eyes met. First, Rumble was afraid that she’d be furious, though all his feared evanesced when he saw her gentle, happy smile before she tenderly returned the gesture in kind.
Rumble turned red as a ripe tomato, though this time, is what not because of shyness, rather because of a warmth that seemed to spread from the spot he’d been kissed. Usually, he would consider a kiss disgusting, but this felt different. It wasn’t one of these kisses a grandparent would pester their grandson with. His beloved had kissed him.
Celestia loved him! She really, really loved him!
"Now, from this day on, you and I are in love, and if I see you with another mare, I shall banish you to the moon!" Celestia joked, prompting a giggle from both of them.
"You won't need to. I shall always be loyal to you," Rumble promised. "Even if I have to wait for another Hearts and Hooves day, I shall be loyal; if it only means that I may see you again."
"Of course you will," Celestia replied. Rumble descended down on the ground and assumed his previous position under her wing. "Now... let's watch the sunset. I would like to finish it, if you don't mind."
She began the ritual of lowering the sun, turning the horizon into a mish-mash of colors. The beautiful scene continued to evolve until the colors slowly decayed and the sun finally disappeared.
Celestia yawned. She didn't plan on spending the whole day with Rumble, but it had been more than worth it. However, she was a little bit worried about the kid: it seemed he really had feelings for her. Perhaps letting her guard down had been a mistake. Maybe she should have kept the date official, just like it had been at the start.
She leaned down, wanting to check if Rumble's okay, but noticed that he had fallen asleep nestled under her wing. At the sight, her mouth formed a kind smile; it warmed her heart to see how the child trusted her with keeping the cold away, knowing that he’d be safe with her.
The trust, the love she felt coming from this child, she couldn't reply with anything but mutuality.
"Keep yourself together, Celly. Keep yourself together," she calmed herself down. Rumble's parents were probably very worried about him already. She should bring him home.
***
Several knocks on the door disturbed Flitter's concentration. She left her book behind and quickly hurried up to open the door.
It had to be Rumble. If it wasn't him, Flitter would find him and choke the little brat; it was night already and he was still on his date! Flitter liked the idea of Rumble finally going on a date, but why would he take so long?
She opened the door, but, to her shock, instead of Rumble, she saw princess Celestia before her. The alicorn looked pleased, and her mouth formed a kind smile.
"Your highness, I—"
"Tshh... The child is asleep,” Celestia whispered, entering the house and looking for a sofa. As she passed Flitter, the foalsitter noticed Rumble in Celestia's mane. The little pegasus seemed to have wrapped the alicorn's mane around himself like a blanket and rested his head on the rest of the majestic hair. He was smiling like a toddler through his sleep.
"Sorry that it took us so long. It's my fault — really — so please, don't scold him for it," Celestia informed and Flitter nodded. When the alicorn approached the sofa, she gently disentangled the sleeping child from her mane and laid him down.
"He truly is a magnificent flyer. I'm looking forward to seeing him in the Wonderbolt’s lines," Celestia whispered. "Oh, I almost forgot."
A small envelope materialized out of thin air and slowly drifted down onto the table not far from the sofa whereupon Rumble was sleeping.
"This letter is adressed to him — and him alone," she stated and Flitter nodded again, ensuring the princess that she would not open it. "Now, I will take my leave. Sorry if I disturbed you."
Princess Celestia left, leaving Flitter with the burning desire to wake Rumble up and ask him just what in the name of the Everfree had happened, but she supressed it and just went back to her book. He would have to tell her in the morning, eventually. It wasn’t every day that one went on a date with Twist and returned with princess Celestia.
***
The morning sun seeped through the window and bit the young pegasus in the eyes. Rumble lazily flailed his hooves around, trying to drive it away, until he fell down from the sofa with a loud thump sound.
"Argh, not again!" he exclaimed and laid there a little before an ache in his back compelled him to rise. He felt a little numb, the sofa was less soft than his bed, and he wasn't used to sleeping on anything but.
After stretching a bit, he looked around, surprised to find himself in the main hall of his house and not in his room. He couldn't even recall when he had fallen asleep.
His memory returned piece by piece and his eyes widened before he rushed to the door to try finding Celestia before she left. Maybe he could still bid her farewell, or maybe even manage to persuade her to stay. However, he had to make a sudden stop as he noticed a letter lying on the table not far from the sofa. It seemed to be important, so Rumble quickly approached it.
There was a short sign on the envelope: To Rumble. Now interested, the pegasus quickly opened it and unfolded the paper. There, in blue ink, was written something that made Rumble smile... and yet invoked a little melancholy in his heart.
Dear Rumble.
I will be honest with you, I have never been so thankful that something went not according to the plan. If it hadn't been for the problems in the Crystal Empire, I would never have travelled to Ponyville, and we wouldn't have met. Thus, we would have been unable to spend such a perfect day.
Truth be told, what you did from the start was very clichéd. It seemed like you tried to recreate some kind of a romance fairy tale. I didn't expect anything else, but then... you started actually having fun, instead of being worried; and it caught me as well. I felt great joy participating in this childish fun (and I don't mean childish in a negative way!). You made me feel so much better, so much younger. I didn't think I'd ever feel something like this — just having fun. Being a princess means taking everything seriously, and I do. Even when it seems that I don't, I do. However, those many races that I won (and I wasn't cheating) completely kicked me out of the mood of seriousness.
Near you, I felt like a new pony, and I doubt I would ever feel something like that by somepony's else side. Yesterday, you announced your love to me, and, right now, I wanted to tell you that these feelings are mutual.
Please, I implore you, next time you visit Canterlot, make sure to visit me in the castle. I think I'm already missing you.
Yours Truly, Princess Celestia.
P.S. - Okay, I cheated a little. But that was in the shooting gallery! I hope you will forgive me this little sin.
Rumble put down the letter and sighed dreamily. He felt on the top of the world.
"I will come, Princess. I promise." he whispered to himself. He didn't care about who had won their races. He had been content with just flying beside Celestia; He just wanted to see her again.
Gonna have to teach her a few trickshots, though. Her shooting skills are far below average; would be good if I could help her improve a little.
