That's Not Quite How It Works...

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 1

Chapter 2

MLP: FiM
That’s Not Quite How It Works…
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 2:

“OKAY! SO!” Shining draped his arm over a very nervous Twilight as they approached the fast food diner. Twilight had never experienced two shorter days in her whole life. She wanted to go with Shining’s plan, but when the day finally came, her confidence stalled and the nerves took over.

“Here?” Cadance wondered out loud as they stopped and looked over the simple hayburger joint. “Not a nice restaurant or anything?” she looked at Shining in confusion. Twilight was admittedly curious as well, but too busy worrying about the impending alone time with stallions she either never met, or didn’t know. Shining shook his head.

“We need to keep it casual. Twily’s a princess, but wants to be treated normally… right?” he asked while looking down at his sister.

“Mmhmm…” she said quietly. Shining looked up at Cadance and smiled.

“The best way for a stallion to stay casual is to give a casual environment. I even have an outdoor table reserved for the day!” Shining motioned out to a table that had an umbrella.

“So you want Twilight to try and meet a stallion while eating fast food all day?” Cadance flattened her brow. Shining chuckled.

“She doesn’t have to eat, but again, casual environment. Trust me, Cadance this will work,” he said while pounding his chest. Twilight looked up at Cadance from under her brother’s arm. Cadance just shrugged, but leaned down to Twilight.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be at a table nearby just in case,” she said while gently rubbing a hoof on Twilight’s shoulders.

“O-okay…” Twilight swallowed as she tried to calm her heartbeat. Cadance was right, she longed to be loved, and Shining was right, she wanted to meet some stallions… but were the two desires conflicting?

“First one should be here any minute now!” Shining stated with excitement. “Go ahead and sit down,” he said while gently nudging Twilight. She said nothing as she walked towards the table very stiffly. Shining winced before trotting up to her again. “Twily… relax…” he said as he smiled at her. “I know all of these guys. I’m sure you’ll have a good time. Just be smooth and go with the flow, alright?”

She nodded, but remained stiff as she sat down at the table. Shining noticed that she hadn’t relaxed at all, but he had to get to his table with Cadance. Twilight would loosen up as thing got moving. If there was one thing he knew well about his little sister, once she figured something out, she was unstoppable. He hoped that would translate here.

Shining made his way over to Cadance and sat beside her at the table. The two watched multiple ponies go in and out of the diner, some tossing confused looks at the princess of friendship as she sat alone.

“Is it bad that this looks awkward before it even starts?” Cadance scrunched her face uncomfortably as she watched Twilight simply sit still. She didn’t get a response though because Shining was waving to somepony in the sky before pointing at Twilight.

Cadance looked up and her eyes widened as she spied an orange pegasus with a blown back, blue mane fly down towards the ground, wearing a saddle bag. Cadance’s ears flopped down and she let her face fall flat onto the table, lightly bumping her head two or three more times before looking up at Shining, who looked too eager to notice his wife had just willingly applied her head to the table a few times.

“Shining… you invited FLASH SENTRY?!” she said with clear disapproval. Shining looked at her quizzically.

“Uh… yeah, why?” he asked. She shook her head.

“I see we have a great lead off…” Cadance replied sarcastically. Shining poked her in the shoulder.

“Oh, don’t be like that… I know he’s… weird… but maybe Twilight will appreciate that! I’m weird and you like me… right?” he asked while leaning into her.

“I like YOUR weird… HIS weird is… Well… Twilight’s gonna find out,” Cadance sighed. Shining looked back as Flash Sentry approached the table.

“Oh, they’ll be fine, I… oh, wait…” Shining eyed the saddle bag. “Oh… dammit, If that’s what I think it is…” his ears folded back.

“What?” Cadance asked while looking between Shining and Flash.

“I told him not to bring it… if he did… ah jeez…”

Twilight looked straight down at the table, millions of thoughts flying through her head at once. The idea of her brother helping her meet stallions sounded good and like a logical option, but they hadn’t even started yet and she was having second thoughts. Twilight preferred keeping a level head and always having all of her thoughts in check, always having access to a quick, intelligent explanation of anything going on to or around her.

She couldn’t tell one thought process from the other as she sat and waited.

Soon she would be sitting across from a stallion she did not know, and was expected to simply hit it off? She remembered how awkward it was the first time she met her current friends. And since then, she hadn’t made many more that she would consider to be good friends. She had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a very pleasant experience.

She shook her head out.

No. She couldn’t think like that. She had to trust in her BBBFF. He wasn’t a brainiac like her, but he was definitely smart enough to know what her interests and her comforts were. He wouldn’t have suggested doing this if he didn’t think she couldn’t handle it.

She would be fine… she just had to treat it like an experiment. She was the control variable and the stallions were the independent variable. She just had to be herself, and the stallions would figure her out… how hard could it—

“Hi!”

Twilight flinched so hard that it was actually a little painful. She looked up, blushing madly as she stared towards an orange stallion with a blue, swept back mane. He smiled at her cheerfully, but for some reason the smile seemed… blank. Twilight couldn’t put her hoof on why she felt that way. Maybe it was because she was embarrassed as hell.

“Uh…er… h-hi…” Twilight stuttered in response, trying to throw on a fake smile without sweating too much. The stallion sat down across from her, but didn’t say anything for a few moments. He just stared, never changing his expression from the static smile.

Was this stallion going to say something? She definitely didn’t want to speak first.

“I’m Flash Sentry!” the stallion finally spoke up.

“And… I’m…” Twilight stuttered.

“Twilight Sparkle, princess of friendship?” he finished for her. “Your brother talks about you all the time! I’m part of the Crystal Empire guard!”

“Uh… right…” Twilight simply nodded and agreed. This was weird. He continued to smile, and stare at her as if waiting for her to continue. What was up with this guy? Twilight couldn’t get a read on him in any way, shape or form… it was as if he didn’t have any personality at all, just a smiling face. He was good looking, she wouldn’t deny that… but if she were reading a book, this was the kind of character that was in dire need of development. “So… uhm…” she suddenly realized how blindly she walked into this. She didn’t even ask for pointers or anything that could help her with the situation.

“So what do you do for fun?” he suddenly asked, still staring blankly at her.

“Um…” Twilight preferred not to speak first, but she was flustered, there was no doubt about that. “I… uh… study… and read books… and…”

“I really like flashlights!” the stallion suddenly cut her off.

“Uh… What?” Twilight blinked, trying to figure out if she heard him correctly.

“Do you like flashlights?” he asked her. Twilight had no idea what was going on, but it was a form of conversation, so by default it was better than her sitting there feeling awkward.

“Y-yes? They are helpful…” she replied.

“Awesome!” the stallion suddenly reached down, grabbed his saddle bag and let it slam down on the table. “I brought my whole flashlight collection with me!” he grinned as he stuffed his face into the bag.

“Your… what…?” Twilight’s ears flopped down. Flashlight collection? WHAT?! Twilight was seriously wondering if her brother actually thought this… strange stallion would be to her liking. He simply talked and apparently liked flashlights, other than that he seemed so blank and devoid of anything else. It was… a tad disturbing.

“Flashlights are the best!” he continued as he dumped them out on the table. Twilight yelped as the multiple flashlights rolled around, a few falling off the table and clattering on the ground. “Big ones! Small ones! Bright ones! Dim ones!” he said giddily as he picked each one up and clicked them on and off. “I’ve named them too!”

“Ugh…” Twilight suddenly felt sick to her stomach. This went from tense, to weird, to just plain unbearable. She squinted her eyes shut and gritted her teeth as Flash named off all of his flashlights.

“But THIS one…” get held up a small, beat up, purple and orange colored flashlight. “Was the first flashlight I ever got! It still works, too! Since this was the first one, I just call it ‘Flashlight!’ Do you wanna try using it?”

“AUGH!” Twilight sharply stood up. “NO! I don’t!” she yelled at him. His smile instantly turned into a blank look of surprise. “I…” Twilight instantly glanced around, realizing she had drawn looks. “Um…”

“But… what’s wrong with Flashlight?” Flash asked while slowly clicking the flashlight named Flashlight on and off.

“Nothing is wrong with Flashlight…” Twilight said with a sigh before stepping back from the table. “I’m sorry, but… I need to go.” She pushed away from the table and started walking away from the table.

Cadance shook her head, ready to give Shining Armor a look of disapproval, but as she turned, she noticed Shining looked frustrated as well. In fact, he ended up making the first move.

“Go stop Twily, I’ll be right with you,” he said as he got up and head towards the dejected Flash Sentry. Cadance quickly got up and followed Twilight.

“Twilight!” Cadance called after her. She trotted up behind her, stopping her before she could get far from the diner. “Hold on a moment…”

“Cadance… I can’t do this…” she admitted. “I can’t just dive into the dating scene. I don’t even know what to do!”

“Twilight…” Cadance sighed as she looked back and saw Shining Armor chewing out Flash Sentry. “Look Twilight… I agree with you. This is honestly not the way I would approach this, but…” she gently made Twilight turn and look at Shining. “Look at your brother,” she pointed. Twilight watched as Shining Armor stood over Flash, watching him pick up his flashlights one by one before he took off. “It may be a silly method… but his heart is clearly in it. Just keep going with it, I’ll give you a few tips before the next stallion shows up,” she said with a wink. “If anything, this can be good practice,” Cadance added, trying to put a learning spin on it that Twilight could relate to.

“Sorry Twily…” Shining approached them, the frustrated expression still on his face. “Flash Sentry is a good guy… but when he gets nervous he gets all stone smiley and instantly talks about his flashlight collection. I told him specifically to relax and not bring his collection along, but obviously he was too nervous.”

Twilight blinked as she heard Shining’s explanation. As ridiculous as it sounded… she suddenly felt bad.

“It was a nervous habit?” Twilight’s ears flopped down. “Oooohhh… and I just yelled at him…” she frowned, feeling terrible. No wonder his expression changed so quickly when she lashed out. He was already nervous, just like she was.

But still… she didn’t know if she wanted to deal with a… compulsive need to carry around and talk about flashlights all day. She believed Shining in saying Flash was a good guy, but he would probably drive her crazy.

“Don’t worry about it, Twily… it’s a problem he’s aware of. But keep your chin up! We still have more stallions on the way. Flash wasn’t the best start, but I promise the others will be better! I’ve known a few of them for a long time,” he assured her with a smile. Twilight glanced at Cadance, who also simply smiled.

“Okay…” she said reluctantly and turned back towards the diner.

“That’s the spirit! We’ll find you a stallion yet!” Shining chanted proudly as Cadance moved alongside Twilight.

“Here are a few pointers for the next stallion…”

---To Be Continued---

Author's Note

I simply couldn't resist poking fun at all the silly drama that surrounds Flash Sentry :rainbowlaugh:

Chapter 3

MLP: FiM
That’s Not Quite How It Works…
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 3:

“I still think this is a bad idea…” Cadance sighed as she and Shining Armor sat back down at their table, both of them watching as Twilight returned to the ‘date’ table. Shining sighed.

“I know, I know… Flash Sentry was probably a bad choice… but he was the first to reply, so I gave him a shot,” Shining admitted. “The others will be better.”

Cadance looked at Shining carefully. He had clearly put thought and effort into this, but she still didn’t feel like it was right. She was doing her best to hold herself back and play along. Twilight was clearly uncomfortable, but Shining wanted to help his little sister. In a way, this would help, but it wouldn’t solve the puzzle they were truly facing. Something Cadance, as the princess of love, wanted to see if they would realize as this went on. She couldn’t always step in to fix a love problem.

“So who is next?” Cadance asked.

“Old friend of mine, Pokey Pierce,” he answered. Cadance blinked as her brain processed the name.

“Why does that name worry me?”

“Pokey Pierce?” Twilight repeated his name back to him as he sat down across from her. The dark blue, silver mane stallion sat across form her. She felt a little more at ease because it was somepony she had seen before, but she had never actually met him.

“That’s me, M’lady,” he answered with a smile and bowed his head. Twilight cringed subtly as he said it. ‘m’lady’. That wasn’t a good start. She was hoping to avoid any stallions that saw her as a princess before they saw her as Twilight Sparkle.

“N-nice to meet you,” Twilight said nervously with a smile. She had already completely recorded the tips Cadance gave her in her head.

Smile.

Make eye contact.

Small talk is fine, just don’t rely on it.

Try making conversation, but don’t force it.

Worry less about what he thinks about you and worry more about having fun.

It took Twilight seconds to memorize them, but they were clearly easier said than done, especially with her lack of experience. Still, she felt a little more secure now that she at least had some guidelines to follow.

“So… what do you do for a living?” Twilight asked, trying to hide the fact that she was shivering a little.

“Oh, I’m actually unemployed at the moment,” Pierce replied while suddenly glancing back and forth nervously. Twilight took note of that. His confidence waivered severely for all but a moment… she didn’t like that it made it seem like he was hiding something… or maybe she was just thinking too hard? She did that a lot.

“Oh… I see…” Twilight awkwardly acknowledged him as a waitress came out with their hayburgers. “Thank you,” Twilight nodded as the waitress set their burger baskets down. At least they got that far. Flash Sentry didn’t last long enough to order food. “But you’ve been working, right? I’ve seen you around town… what happened with your last job?” Twilight said, instantly mentally smacking herself. That was a little too personal, but she didn’t expect to be perfect immediately. This was practice… and Pierce seemed like an okay guy so far.

“I…” Pierce’s eyes had locked on his burger. Twilight looked at him curiously. “I can’t…” he gritted his teeth and glared sinisterly at the burger. “CAN’T CONTROL… THE URGE!!!!”

Twilight shrieked in surprise as Pierce thrust his head down, slamming it into the burger basket. Fries flew everywhere and ketchup splattered all over the table. Twilight pushed back from the table and stood up, alarmed.

“Uh… shoot…” Pierce picked his head up. The burger was impaled on his horn, sliding down and resting against his head as he sat upright. “I did it again…” he sighed as the ketchup oozed out of the stabbed burger and dripped down his face. “Oh, right… I was let go from my job at Donut Joe’s because…” his eyes suddenly locked on Twilight’s burger across the table.

“Oh god…” Twilight backed away as the sinister look in his eyes returned.

“MUST… POKE…” Pierce stood up and dove across the table, slamming his head down into Twilight’s burger basket as well. Twilight yelped and ducked to avoid the incoming rain of fries and ketchup, looking up to see Pierce slowly remove his head from her basket, with two burgers on his horn now. “Eh… I have a bad habit of wanting to… spear things with my horn…”

“Yeah, sorry, gotta run!” Twilight quickly turned and escaped.

Over at the other table, Cadance glanced at Shining.

“Shiny… really?” she sighed. Shining shook his head.

“I was sure he’d be over that bad habit by now… guess not…”

Despite another weird experience… Twilight remained vigilant and continued the dates.

“The name’s Full Steam…” said the large, brown earth pony, wearing an engineer’s cap. Twilight was staring wide eyed up at him as he almost cast a shadow over her. He was almost as big as Big Macintosh! Very imposing and muscular as well. An intimidating sight. Twilight flinched when she realized he was waiting for her to respond.

“Oh! Eheh… yes, you pull a train right? The express from Ponyville to Appleloosa?”

Twilight squeaked as his eyes widened and he glared down at her.

“Pull the train?!” he stood up. “PULL THE TRAIN?!” he pounded his chest. “I AM THE TRAIN!” he pulled out a wooden train whistle and blew it three times before turning and sprinting out of the diner yard, making chugging noises.

Twilight just stared as he ran off.

“What?”

“Oh, hi Caramel!” Twilight said cheerfully as Caramel sat down across from her. Somepony she had spoken to once before. Maybe that would make it a little easier.

“Hi, Twilight…” he said, trailing off, but in a way that seemed natural and not induced by anything.

“I didn’t know you knew my brother,” she said curiously. Caramel looked up and blinked.

“Oh, I don’t… he asked me about this in town yesterday,” he said casually.

“He what?” Twilight blinked. She thought Shining was bringing her guys he knew personally. He just picked Caramel out at random?! Twilight glanced over at the table with Shining and Cadance. Shining was hiding behind a menu and Cadance had slapped a hoof over her face. “I see…” Twilight huffed quietly before turning back.

“But hey! I get t’do a blind date with a princess, hooo-wee! I couldn’t pass up that chance!” he said, the country twang in his accent reminding Twilight of Applejack. He also seemed eager to have a chance. She had no idea what his motives were yet, but his first impression was nice.

“Well, how are—” she started but he suddenly cut her off.

“Oh, by the way… I, uh… lost my bits on the way here, but I’m mighty hungry! You’re a rich’n’pretty princess though, you could buy for me… right?” he said with another smile…that Twilight suddenly found very, very fake.

“Uh…” Twilight stood up, disgusted. “No,” she turned and walked away. It was one thing for her to be nervous, but… the way he so quickly assumed something princessy about her completely ruined the moment.

“Aw, dang… almost got a free burger.”

“A-a-aren’t you… Neon Lights?!” Twilight gasped as the celebrity sat down across from her.

“That’s me! And you’re the lady of friendship!” The turquois pony with a spiked up mane and sunglasses leaned against the table very suavely.

“Wow! Um… what a surprise! Uh… you know my brother?” she felt the need to ask. She was nervous and caught off guard, but after Caramel’s little confession, she felt better if her brother actually knew who he was sending to her. Hopefully caramel was the only random one.

“I’ve met him a few times,” Neon chuckled. “Being a music celebrity lands you royal company at times. It definitely has its perks.”

“Huh, he never told me…” Twilight nodded. She hid the fact that Neon’s voice had a somewhat… uncomfortably smug tone to it. He was a celebrity though, a well-known one at that, almost as famous as Vinyl Scratch in the music industry. His confidence was believable.

“To be honest though, it isn’t often I get to spend some time with a princess…” he said while tipping his sunglasses down so she could see his eyes.

“Um… I see…” Twilight wasn’t sure what to say. She was being controlled by two things, his presence, and his confidence… put together, they were making her feel a little uncomfortable.

“Though I have to admit… this is definitely the last place I thought I’d have a lunch date with a princess,” he joked looking at the diner.

“Haha… yeah…” Twilight was stuck. She felt like any other mare would have laughed at that, but he was just so in control… Twilight didn’t like not being in control, at least of her herself. He was completely dominating her without doing much at all!

“AH! It’s Neon Lights!” a mare suddenly called out from another table.

“Huh?” Twilight blinked and looked around as multiple mares started screaming and running towards their table.

Twilight yelped and quickly backed away from the table as it got swarmed. She watched as Neon barely flinched… letting the mares approach and instantly signing autographs and taking pictures with them. Twilight remained still and stared at him. For the next few minutes, he didn’t pay attention to her at all.

“Yeah… that’s all I need to know,” Twilight sighed and left the table behind. Suave, but self-centered… definitely not her type.

“Wait… Lightning Streak of the Wonderbolts?!” Twilight recognized the light blue pony with the messy yellow mane sitting before her. He was wearing his Wonderbolt flight suit and everything.

“You got that right princess babe,” he said as he casually slumped in his chair. “Saw you were takin’ dates, wanna skip to the fun part?”

“The… WHAT?!” Twilight blushed.

“BROTHER!” a cream colored stallion with a blown back, orange and red mane fell right out of the sky and slammed to the ground beside them. From his flight suit and the fact that his features were identical to Lightning’s, Twilight identified him as Fire Streak. Fire stepped forward and yanked Lightning out of the seat.

“Whoa, bro! Chill, I’m trying to score here…”

“You will do, NO SUCH THING, to Princess Twilight. Now let’s go! We have to be back at the compound in an hour!” he belted in his brothers face.

“Yeesh, why you always gotta be a stiff-ass?” Lightning asked casually as he used a wing feather to clean out his ear.

“Because you’re an ignoramus!” Fire retorted before turning to Twilight and giving her a graceful, proper bow. “I must apologize for my unruly twin brother m’lady. We’ll be on our way,” he said as he spread his wings and pulled Lightning along.

As they rose up, Lightning looked back towards Twilight and put his hoof up by his ear.

“Call me, babe!” he yelled as Fire smacked him upside the head.

Twilight blinked, not sure what had just happened…

But one thing was for sure.

She had had enough.

“Rggghhhhhhuggghhh!!!!” she groaned as she smacked her head against the table. She stood up, turned right towards the path, and started walking away from the restaurant.

“Shoot…” Shining stood up from his table and started after her. Initially, Cadance thought to stop him, but after a moment of thought, she felt it better to remain silent and simply follow.

“Twily!” Shining ran up behind his sister as she kept walking down the path. Twilight didn’t look at him, she simply kept walking with her head down, her mane hanging past her face, blocking it from view. “Twily… hold on…” Shining matched her pace beside her and tried to reach out to stop her. He flinched as she swung her arm to throw his hoof off of her.

“No!” she said with a shaky, defeated tone.

“Twily, I’m sorry those didn’t work out so well, but…”

“I said no!” she stopped, turned, and glared at him. “It didn’t work! And it didn’t help that you started throwing random stallions at me!” she yelled with tears forming in her eyes.

“I just wanted to help y—”

“Well, you sure did a good job!” Twilight snapped at him. “In fact, I think you made it worse! Let’s face it, I’m not cut out to love OR be loved! After all, I’m just the stupid princess of friendship!”

“No! I—” he tried to step towards her.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” she wailed before shoving Shining away from her and breaking into a sprint.

“Twily, wait!” Shining tried running after her. “OW!” but something yanked him by the tail, stopping him in his tracks. He looked back to see Cadance's magic surrounding his tail, keeping him from pursuing his little sister. “Cadance, let me go after her!” he demanded in a desperate tone that almost sounded like begging. Cadance shook her head.

“Let her go, Shiny,” she said sternly. “I think it’s safe to say your idea didn’t work. I admire your willingness to help her, but it’s not the right way,” she said as she let go of him and stepped up beside him.

“Didn’t work? Well, yeah they didn’t work, but I know others, I could get in contact with them and…” he trailed off and paused as Cadance gave him a flat look. “What? I just wanted to give her options… give her lots to choose from. Was that so wrong?” Shining sighed as he sat down and hung his head. Cadance could see how dejected he was.

He was only trying to help. It wasn’t the best idea, but Shining thought it would help. Cadance knew that Shining was well aware of the words she was about to say to him, but they were very relevant and he had to think from Twilight’s point of view as well.

“Honey… That’s not quite how it works. You know as well as I do that love is not something you can reach for. Those who constantly try to look for it may end up never finding it. More often than not, love finds you. I think you and I, more than anypony should be aware of that… my prince,” she said while giving him a light nuzzle on the cheek.

“I know…” he sighed. “That’s what I was hoping to do, but maybe I was being a bit too eager?”

“Maybe a little,” Cadance stuck her tongue out at him. “And by a little, I mean quite a bit.”

“I wanted to help love find her, but a fat load of good it ended up doing…” Shining groaned in frustration. “I need to go apologize,” he added as he stood up. Cadance smiled and stood up with him.

“That’s a good place to start,” she agreed as they started walking. She noticed Shining was still sulking to himself a little. “Oh, stop that Shiny, it wasn’t the best idea, but your heart was in the right place.”

“Yeah,” a small smirk formed on his lips. “It’s right on your flank—OW!” he yelped as Cadance poked him in the side.

---To Be Continued---

Author's Note

Coming up with these guys was quite entertaining :rainbowlaugh:

And Lightning Streak! Get back to the compound! :trixieshiftleft:

Chapter 4

MLP: FiM
That’s Not Quite How It Works…
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 4:

Shining and Cadance walked down the path, doing their best to follow the direction Twilight had run in. She actually had gone in the opposite direction of the library, puzzling them both. Twilight’s safe haven was generally anywhere as long as she had her nose stuffed in a book. It didn’t take long though, before they came across a park, one that Twilight had often mentioned in letters as a place to go to get away from the library on rare occasions.

It didn’t take them very long to find her. No more than a minute walk into the park, they spotted her beneath a tree atop a small hill. The tree was a good distance from the path, but it was easy to see a purple pony curled up beneath the green leaves and dark brown trunk.

“There she is…” Shining said upon them catching sight of her. His ears flopped down. They weren’t very close, but they could clearly see her contorted and jittering slightly as she cried. Shining felt like he had completely let her down. He wanted to help her, but it only made things worse. He felt like the worst older brother ever. Without saying a word he started towards her. Cadance walked in pace behind him, but they barely got very far before she noticed something. She quickly reached out and hooked her arm over Shining’s back, holding him. “Cadance?” he looked back at her, confused.

“Hold on!” Cadance said as she pointed. Shining blinked and followed the direction of her point. Shining tipped his head curiously as his eyes landed on a pony walking towards Twilight. He was a yellow unicorn with a well combed, dark blue mane. His cutie mark was a star with a trail curving behind it and he carried a small saddle bag. His face was wrought with curiosity and concern as he approached the crying princess.

Art by: eveyannie

“Huh? Who’s that?” Shining wondered out loud.

“I don’t know,” Cadance shook her head. “But… let’s see what happens,” she said as she held tight to Shining.

Shining picked up on what Cadance was suggesting. He really wanted to apologize and make things up to his sister, but maybe something else would cheer her up first.

Twilight rested her face in her tail as she lay curled up on the soft grass beneath the tree. Tears were steadily falling from her eyes as the words ‘alone’ and ‘never loved’ ran through her head. It was ridiculous. She was neither of those things. She had so many great friends and a family who loved her dearly. She felt terrible for thinking such things when she had ponies like that in her life, but alas, she had no significant other. No stallion to bond with, share her dreams with, have no secrets with, and love with all her heart. No matter how great her friends and family were, that gap remained unfilled.

Her brother didn’t understand. The love of his life fell right into his lap, and he expected the same to happen to her with all the idiotic stallions he sent her way? She didn’t care if he meant well, it only reminded her that she didn’t know any stallions she could really connect with.

Plus, she was a princess… that alone was a barrier. She would forever be groveled at or seen as a prize rather than a love. She watched as her friends all found others who could love and appreciate them for who they are… well, except for Pinkie and Rarity, but at least Rarity knew how to talk and act around stallions and Pinkie had such an easy target if she ever wanted Braeburn.

She just had to face the facts. Nopony would ever truly want to be with her. She was destined to be alo—

“Princess Twilight?”

Twilight’s ears perked up and her eyes widened as a male voice she had never heard before met her ears. She looked up quickly, tears dripping from her face as she looked into the concerned eyes of a stallion she had never met. He looked somewhat familiar. She had seen the body and mane color and mane style before. If he lived in Ponyville then she may have seen him at some point or another.

He had an intense look of concern in his eyes, one that made her quickly feel safe instead of startled. Did he see her and come all the way off the path?

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice echoing the concern upon his face. Twilight sniffled, not quite sure what to say or do… just like she had been with the other stallions. It looked like it was just another reminder. Her ears flopped down and she lay her chin right back down on her tail, looking away from him.

“Nothing…” she squeaked quietly, assuming he would just leave.

“I find that hard to believe. You’re out here all by your lonesome, curled up under a tree, and crying…” he stated the obvious. Twilight didn’t care. In fact, she just wanted him to go away. She was clearly doomed to be alone, why did another one have to come up and taunt her so? She decided to just not answer. That would make him go away.

She didn’t hear the sound of hooves walking away though. He was still standing right behind her. She flinched lightly as he let out a sigh.

“Okay Princess, I have no idea what’s wrong…” he began. Twilight’s ears picked up when she heard some shuffling. “But I can’t stand seeing our very own Ponyville princess crying all by herself.”

Twilight looked up again to see the stallion reach back and grab the saddlebag in his mouth, hoisting it off his back and setting it against the tree. He turned and sat down beside her, giving her a glance as she stared up at him quizzically.

“Nopony should cry alone,” he added before looking back out into the park and simply sitting there. Twilight just kept looking at him.

Nopony should cry alone.

How ironically put given how she felt. No words came to her, she just stared. He was doing this just because he saw her crying? He didn’t care what it was about? That was… touching. However, as she kept staring at him, he looked like he started to become a little, nervous? Twilight didn’t know why she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Maybe she was trying to figure him out?

After a few more moments he suddenly stood up, grimacing.

“I’m sorry… that was too forward, you probably want to be alone, I didn’t mean to bother you…” he spoke very fast. Twilight’s eyes widened as he stood, and he barely grabbed his saddlebag before she reacted.

“No! Wait!” she called out. He stopped completely, looking down at her again. “I mean… no… you aren’t bothering me… um… please don’t go…

Twilight had no idea where the words came from, but his brief presence made her feel less isolated. Less… alone. Precisely the opposite of what she was crying over. She barely thought about speaking, her words poured forth the moment he stood up to leave.

“Er… alright…” the stallion said sheepishly, blushing lightly as he sat back down. “Sorry… I get really worried that I bother other ponies a lot…” he admitted while rubbing the back of his head.

Again, Twilight found herself at a loss. It was almost like she didn’t want to say anything at all, she just wanted him there. What was she thinking? She didn’t even know his name! But the way he approached her out of concern and initially planted himself there to be for her was… uplifting. She didn’t want the feeling to leave.

“So… um… do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Twilight had said before that there was nothing wrong. Well… she lied that there was nothing wrong. Why did he ask again? Probably because she desperately asked him to stay.

“I…” Twilight started, but got no further. She couldn’t think straight it seemed. She wanted to break down and figure out everything, but that seemed impossible. How was she supposed to operate if she couldn’t understand how she was even feeling?

The facts of the situation: she was sad, she felt alone, she was miffed at her brother, and she’d never get a special somepony.

The facts of the newcomer: He approached out of concern, was quick to offer his company, and he seemed a little shaky or nervous.

Nervous, huh? Kind of like how she had been around the other stallions. He even tried escaping while apologizing.

In terms of a first impression, nothing about him seemed bad. She was lonely, and crying. He was concerned and curious. The situation was favorable for her to get her woes off her chest. She didn’t care if he was a complete stranger.

“I haven’t had a very good day,” she started. She guessed it was the best way to put it. She glanced up at him with her tear stained eyes and saw that he was simply sitting and listening while looking down at her. “I’ve been feeling down lately about… things.” she decided not to be too detailed. Some of it was private after all. “My brother tried to help fix it, but I think he only made it worse,” that detail she was willing to share. “I know he means well, but it really just pushed things over the edge. I ran away from him and now I’m here.”

“I see…” the stallion nodded as he listened.

Twilight found herself pondering the brief explanation to be… lacking. As she looked at the stallion and once again thought over how selfless he was being, she felt like he deserved more or else she’d be stiffing him. He looked like he wanted to ask. She was sure he wanted to ask, but he was holding it back. Was it out of courtesy and not wanting to pry? That was so polite of him.

“I’ve been… feeling lonely lately…” Twilight said a little quieter. He quickly looked at her, his head tipped in confusion.

“What? Lonely?” he repeated in disbelief. She kept her eyes locked on him as he blinked. “Princess… forgive me, but I’ve seen you and your friends around town, you have the best friends anypony could ask for!” he had raised his voice a little, but there was no sharpness to it, it felt to Twilight like it was more out of confusion than anything. “Plus… you are the princess of our town. And…” he suddenly stopped. Twilight perked up slightly as he did. His eyes widened a little as if he realized something. “Oh…” he said as his ears flopped down. “Forgive me… I’m going to assume you mean, something more than friendship, correct?”

He was perceptive too. She didn’t even have to say it. He read her emotions and put two and two together, having seen her around with her friends.

She gave a weak nod as she sniffled.

“Oh, dear…” he gritted his teeth and rubbed the back of his head. “And I’m guessing your brother’s help was... less than appealing,” he added as he tried to figure it out. Twilight nodded again.

“It’s hard,” Twilight surprised herself. She was speaking freely? Did she feel… comfortable? “As a princess, I’m worried I’m just a prize. Any stallion that shows interest only wants my status. Not… me.”

“That’s not true!” the stallion quickly retorted while leaning towards her. He instantly backed off, blushing as he winced. “Sorry… a bit much,” he said while clearing his throat. “I mean… that’s not true at all, Princess. There’s somepony out there for everypony. Somepony out there, who will someday love and respect you for who you are, not what you are,” he assured her. A moment after, he gritted his teeth again. “Sorry, that was a bit too philosophical…”

“No, that was… very lovely actually!” Twilight cut him off, visibly surprising him. More than once now, Twilight had heard something very well put from him. This stallion had a very good way with words, but he seemed a little too humble for his own skill.

She then realized that her tears had stopped. Talking had made her feel better, and he had made her feel better. The relief was beyond compare and it happened so quickly. She was, by no means, suddenly all fine and peachy keen, but he had definitely helped her sadness of the moment subside. She felt a tremendous need to thank him… but she didn’t even know his name.

He was currently blushing over her compliment it seemed.

“Gee, I dunno, it just felt like the right thing to say,” he said, looking a little embarrassed.

“Thank you,” Twilight quickly said.

“Hm?” he looked back at her. She wiped her eyes and sniffled one more time.

“Thanks for sitting with me and listening. I feel a lot better, um…” she paused and fidgeted, grabbing part of her mane and biting down on it as she contemplated the best way to ask. She was clearly overthinking it. How hard was it to ask for a pony’s name? “I’m sorry, it’s easy to know who I am because… well…” she mentally slapped herself for bumbling over her words and saying stupid things, but she sucked it up and just asked. “But… what’s your name?” she forced out, barely keeping herself calm.

“Me?” the stallion pointed at himself. “I’m Comet Tail,” he smiled and nodded.

Finally, a name. For some reason, knowing his name made Twilight feel very warm on the inside, as if she had learned the identity of a hero in the shadow who had come to her rescue… she had really been reading too many romance novels.

“Well… thank you, Comet Tail,” she said, trying to smile, but barely managing a weak grin. What was wrong with her? He was being so nice and she was still all frowns. He didn’t seem to mind though, he seemed happy that he helped. They looked at each other for another moment before he turned and looked at his saddle bags.

“I should get on home… lots of stuff to do,” he said as he flashed her another grin.

“Alright,” Twilight acknowledged with a wayward sniffle, feeling a little… sad? She was already feeling sad, sure, but this felt different. Well, a pony she felt could be a friend had to take his leave, but it felt a little too strong. Perhaps she wanted him to stay a little longer? She didn’t want to be selfish though. He had a full pair of saddle bags with him and said he had things to do.

But, still…

Comet seemed so nice, so friendly. He was good with words, and…

It made her feel so warm. It was a warmth that eased the tight feeling in her chest and comforted her as her dilemma still weighed upon her. She liked the feeling. He was being so helpful and she couldn’t even muster a smile in response… what was wrong with her?

She glanced up to see him hoist the saddlebag onto his back. As soon as it was in place he looked down at her again. He blinked for a moment and sighed.

“Hey now…” he knelt down to her. “Nopony wants to see a beautiful princess sad. Show me that bright smile that everypony in town loves,” he said before smiling himself.

The words hit Twilight so hard she almost gasped.

That…

Again… how did he…

Not only was it beautifully put, but nopony had ever said anything so… sweet to her before. Twilight’s face felt hot as she stared up at him with wide eyes.

It looked like Comet once again felt he went too far because he winced again. Was she blushing? She was totally blushing, but how could a mare not blush when such words are said to her? Twilight observed his body language, he looked like he was ready to apologize again, so she made sure he never got the chance. Her ears flopped down as her face finally found the desire to smile. She simply couldn’t help it.

“Thank you…” she spoke as her face continued to flush. Comet exhaled as if relieved, which she thought was adorable because he seemed to constantly think he went overboard even though he was saying all the right things. After he regained himself he flashed her another smile.

“Always a pleasure to serve royalty,” he said with a playful smirk. For the first time since she became a princess, Twilight didn’t feel at all bothered by her status being mentioned. The way he said it was simply fun and she could appreciate that. She giggled and rolled her eyes as he chuckled with her. “I’ve gotta run,” he gave her a nod. “Be happy, okay?”

“Okay…” Twilight nodded in response, wiping the last remnants of tears from her eyes. Comet turned and slowly began walking away, giving one look back at her after his first few steps.

As she watched him leave, she grabbed a piece of her mane and bit down on it again as she blushed and began swaying slightly. She had never been so comforted by a stallion before, nor had anypony outside her friends ever made little jokes relating to her being a princess. She found herself wanting to know more about Comet Tail… what an incredible first impression that was. The best part of it all was how real he seemed. The way he would speak so passionately and then get nervous that he went too far, it was cute. She had seen him around in Ponyville, but had never approached him or talked to him. He lived in the same town… she’d have her chances. She suddenly felt a lot better… as if all the trouble with Shining and the train wreck of the blind dates had never happened. She hugged herself and released a quiet muffled squeal as she replayed everything Comet said to her in her head.

She was so giddy and wanted to tell Cadance about Comet so badly that she didn’t even realize what had just happened.

It all played out exactly as Cadance had told her.

“Well, what do you know… look at her,” Cadance cooed while leaning her head against Shining’s neck.

“I hate it when you’re always right,” he said jokingly, earning a giggle from his wife. He was a little miffed that some other random stallion managed to succeed in cheering up his sister where he failed, but Twilight looked so damn HAPPY as she bounced towards them that he accepted it. Who was that stallion anyway?

“Hey! Shining! Cadance!” Twilight called cheerfully as she spotted them, clearly still thinking about the stallion she just encountered. “I have to tell you about this stallion I just met!” she exclaimed as she bounced up and down in front of them. The two gave each other a brief glance and a smile before looking back towards Twilight. It was weird to see Twilight in such a dreamy state, but it was such a wonderful sight compared to the broken, crying state she was in moments before.

“Let’s go back to the library,” Cadance suggested. “You can tell us all about him there.”

“Okay!” she bounced giddily before skipping along down the path ahead of them.

“I unconditionally surrender and admit defeat,” Shining said as he chuckled at his sister. Cadance leaned against him as they began walking after her.

“Like I said, dear. More often than not, love finds you,” she said lovingly. Shining glanced down at her and smirked.

“It definitely found its way onto your shapely plo—OW!”

---The End---

Author's Note

Once again... all ponies were chosen at random... yes, even Comet Tail. It wasn't until i decided to look him up on derpibooru that i discovered there's apparently a ship for the two of them. This was written with no shipping in mind, just to convey the fact that love is seldom something you can search for. You never know when the right person... or pony may come along.

And there you have it! Short, sweet, and funny!

I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! :eeyup:

Chapter 1

(Timeline position: After Chapter 62 of Piercing the Heavens)

(For timeline info, please visit my homepage)

DISCLAIMER: This story was not written in support or against any shipping pairs. This story was written to express an important life lesson, as all my fics are. All ponies used aside from Shining, Cadance, and Twilight were chosen at random from a wiki list of ponies that appear in the show.

“Well… that’s certainly an interesting situation they have going there…” Shining said as he made his way over to the incredibly cushy, red couch in the corner of the royal coach and flopped down.

“They’re in good hooves, and Soarin seems quite adept for only having magic for a short while,” Shining’s wife, the beautiful Princess Cadance, strode up and climbed up on the couch herself, laying down, but remaining upright in a regal manner. The approach was different than her husband, but she let it slide. He was such an adorable goofball after all. She giggled as he inched his body towards her and rested his head on her hooves.

They swayed slightly as the coach lurched. A whistle sounded from outside as they began moving. They were riding in their personal royal coach, custom built for comfort of the Crystal Empire royalty. It was basically a luxury hotel penthouse in the form of a train car. A large bed, fit for a king and queen, lots of open space, comfortable couches, fancy artwork of the Crystal Palace and other fine locations around the Empire, a full wine cabinet and a kitchen with a personal chef if they were on long trips. Everything was bolted down to prevent moving. The finishing touch? The car was enchanted, turning to crystal once it passed into the range of the Crystal Empire’s magical reach.

Cadance was initially worried Shining would soften up upon learning the luxury of royalty. But she had faith in him, and the faith was well placed. He enjoyed the luxury without sacrificing his discipline and harsh training regime as the prince of the Crystal Empire and the captain of the royal guard. He was an icon of a strong leader as well as a stallion she could be proud of, not that he wasn’t before. But Shining was well aware of his duties.

Didn’t stop him from being a dork, but she loved that about him. His quirks never failed to make her smile. Shining shifted slightly as he nestled the top of his head against Cadance’s chest.

“Soarin must have a real special somepony. He had trouble maintaining it, but he had no trouble conjuring it,” Shining explained. Cadance blinked and looked down.

“He’s dating Rainbow Dash,” she said while slightly tipping her head. Shining’s eyes widened and he did a quarter roll to face her from below.

“Wait, what?!” he asked in disbelief.

“Twilight didn’t tell you?” Cadance asked curiously. Shining pouted.

“My amazing little sister now tells you things and not me? I’m hurt!” Shining fake whined as Cadance rolled her eyes and patted him on the head.

“You’ve never heard of girl talk?” she joked. Shining shrugged as he rolled back over on his side, his head still against her chest.

“Yeah, but… Twili… she used to trust me with everything,” Shining actually did sound a little depressed this time. It seemed like the two of them had a bond deeper than Cadance would ever know, but the distress of her husband made her concerned. “At least we’re going to see her now,” Shining exhaled.

Indeed, they were making a stop in Ponyville. Canterlot was so close by train, coming all the way from the Crystal Empire warranted at least a stop. However, they had planned this, and were staying in Ponyville for a week to spend some time with Twilight. They had nothing on their agenda, so it lined up perfectly.

“I wonder how Twilight’s doing…” Cadance thought out loud. Shining instantly reached up and gently grabbed her face.

“What’s wrong with Twili?” he frantically asked.

“What?”

“What else hasn’t she told me?!” he said in a whiney tone.

“Shiny…” she lowered her head to him and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Twilight is a big girl now. And big girls like to have girl talk. She still loves you very much, I can assure you, but sometimes you don’t discuss certain things with… your older brother,” she said while playfully sticking her tongue out at him.

“Still…,” he pouted.

“Oh, stop it Shiny,” she giggled while nuzzling noses with him. “Your sister is fine,” she said while looking him sternly in the eye.

It wasn’t a lie, but Cadance couldn’t help but remember Twilight’s words…

All of my friends have been finding love interests lately… I don’t really have any stallions to interact with… love or friend…

The spark that set off the re-telling of the hilariously strange first date between Cadance and Shining. Cadance left Ponyville that day, happy that she got to share such a tale with Twilight, but concerned as well. How was Twilight faring? Had she found love since? That was wishful thinking. Twilight was very… independent, but in a strange way. She kept to herself when she wasn’t with her friends, but at the same time wished to be loved. It was a dangerous combination, one that could very well have her lovesick her whole life, but not having the guts to go and find herself a good stallion.

Twilight was a princess now. If she wanted, it would be very easy to get herself a stallion through courtship or suitor… but Twilight wasn’t the kind of mare to buy into royal traditions. If Cadance knew her sister-in-law, she wanted to love and be loved like everypony else. Much like Cadance herself wanted to be when she was younger. It was part of why she fell for Shining Armor in the first place.

But… Speaking of…

Cadance looked down at Shining, taking note that he still seemed slightly put off, knowing that Twilight had confided in Cadance, but not him. Something told her he would try to help... and if he did, it might not work so well. But she knew how Shining thought, he loved his sister dearly, if not as much as he loved her. She wouldn’t be able to say no if he wanted to help. She just hoped he had good help to give. Shining was, after all, a bit of a dolt when it came to love.

They would find out soon enough. The train whistle blew, signaling they were approaching Ponyville.

MLP: FiM
That’s Not Quite How It Works…
By: Calm Wind
Chapter 1:

“So from this case, I can conclude that the spell can increase the size of carbon based manner, but anything inanimate is unaffected…” Twilight spoke out loud while writing down her findings, a habit she had picked up over the years to help her record the information in her head as she learned. She set the quill down and looked closely at a rock and a potted rose she had sitting side by side on her desk.

“Twilight?”

“This is an interesting finding…” her horn came to life, the magic aura swirling around it as she eyed the rock. A single, focused beam shot from her horn into the rock. The magic encased the rock and lingered for a few seconds.

“Twilight?”

“Again nothing… but,” Twilight turned to the rose and repeated the process, a small beam extending from her horn down to it. The magic encased the flower, and it slowly began to grow. Twilight quickly ducked down to get a closer look. “Hmmm?” Twilight blinked curiously, her tail swishing back and forth as she noticed some new developments. “Interesting…” she grabbed her quill again.

“Twilight!”

“It would seem that the spell isn’t making the flower grow in the sense we would usually relate to a flower growing…” she said out loud as she wrote in her notes and looked down as the flower continued to grow… or, a better way to describe it now would be ‘expand.’ It did not grow taller or sprout new leaves, but the stem grew thicker and stronger. The leaves seemed to hold more firmly to the stem, increasing in size as well, but in a way that looked to strengthen it. The rose was already in full bloom, but the open petals extended further, opening the rose more than it would be able to normally. “It looks like the spell is increasing the strength and durability of the living matter… fascinating…” she said as she reached a hoof out and pushed against one of the leaves and the stem, they gave back much more resistance than a flower ever would.

“TWILIGHT!!!!”

“This warrants further study and analysis…” Twilight continued to be oblivious to her surroundings as she focused. “A spell that can physically manipulate living matter, making it grow bigger and stronger…” she paused, grabbing part of her mane that hung down beside her head and reached it up to her mouth. She gently gnawed on the bunched strand of her mane as she collected her thoughts. She released her mane, letting it swing back down as she put the pen back to paper. “I wonder if the same thing would work on animals and ponies? This could lead to some serious medical breakthroughs if it does!” she started walking in circles in front of her desk. “The weak or disabled achieving growth in dead or scarred nerve tissue… repair or strengthen muscle fibers… restoring failed organs…” she stopped and looked at the flower, her smile fading for a moment. “But I can’t jump to conclusions, I don’t know if it’s safe to use on ponies or anything else… I’ll have to run more tests before I take any risks like that…”

Spike climbed up on her desk right in front of her.

“TWIIIIIIILIGHT!!!!!!” he yelled directly into her face.

“WAAAH!!!!!” Twilight yelped and fell over backwards. She frantically stood up. “Spike?! What was that for?” she asked, miffed that her thought process was interrupted.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes!” Spike crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.

“Well, you have it,” Twilight pouted angrily. “What is it?” she asked. Spike pointed behind her.

“You have guests… you know… the ones that were coming today,” he said a little sarcastically. Twilight tipped her head slightly before turning around and—

“Ah!” she stood up quickly as her eyes fell on Shining Armor and Princess Cadance standing in the middle of the library. Shining was smiling, trying his best to hold in snickers as Cadance giggled beside him. “Shining! Cadance! But… um…” she glanced behind her, blushing in embarrassment. Her magic sprung to life upon her horn and many books started shuffling around behind her, being put in random piles. “I thought you weren’t supposed to be here till Thursday!” she asked while forcing a smile, glancing at her calendar, and continuing to shuffle books around her.

Shining took no notice, but Cadance found it odd. It looked like Twilight was trying to cover up something behind her… and doing a terrible job at being subtle about it.

“You haven’t marked your calendar in three days Twilight…” Spike said calmly as he held up a calendar in his personal notebook and showed her that it was indeed Thursday and not Monday.

“Oh…” Twilight blushed a little harder. “I was pretty deep in thought…Sorry…and, oh, the place is a mess,” Twilight sighed as the married couple advanced towards her. Cadance reached out and gave her a hug.

“It’s okay, Twilight, you were concentrating. We didn’t want to disturb you,” she said while glancing behind Twilight and curiously eying the new pile of books that Twilight awkwardly and frantically restacked moments before.

“I don’t think a point blank bugle could have broken you out of that,” Shining chuckled as he reached forward to give Twilight a hug as well.

“Good to see you too, Shining,” Twilight rolled her eyes but smiled as she hugged her brother back.

Cadance kept stealing glances at the pile of books as Shining and Twilight conversed. Twilight was clearly hiding something, and as Twilight’s former caretaker, Cadance could easily tell when Twilight was guilty. In fact, Twilight was exhibiting similar mannerisms to when she used to try and steal from the snack cabinet as a filly.

Cadance waited until Twilight and Shining were facing away before she quickly turned and let her alicorn magic flow. She skillfully removed a few of the books from the bottom of the pile without toppling it, and sneakily slid them along the floor towards her. Cadance blinked when her eyes fell upon the book titles, her jaw hanging open slightly. She looked around the library. There were pots with roses everywhere… she thought she smelled them on the way in. Cadance was sure of it now as she took a closer look at the furnishings and decorations around the library. Since when did Twilight collect little wooden carvings of animals nuzzling?

Looks like it was time for some princess to princess conversation.

But… she had just got done reassuring Shining that nothing was wrong with Twilight and he didn’t need to worry about his sister losing faith in him as somepony to confide in. The last thing she wanted to do was blatantly shoo him away after that.

So she came up with a quick alternative that would give her at least a few minutes with Twilight.

“Honey? Could you and Spike carry the bags up to our room?” she asked while using her magic to push the bags forward followed by batting her eyelashes at Shining. To most it would seem like a weak attempt, but she knew Shining well.

“Yes, ma’am!” he eagerly replied before coming forward and grabbing two of the three bags they brought along. He didn’t use his magic. Shining was dead set on always looking macho for his wife, something she was using to her advantage here. It would take him longer because of it, giving her more time with Twilight.

“Oh no!” Twilight perked up. “I don’t have your room ready!” she tugged on her mane.

“I set it up,” Spike said holding his hands out to her. “I’m following our schedule, don’t worry,” he assured her as he and Shining began hoisting the bags up the stairs.

Twilight and Cadance watched until the two disappeared up the stairs before turning back to each other. Twilight flashed a very fake smile.

“Twilight… stop it,” Cadance said with a look of concern on her face as she stepped over to Twilight. Twilight blinked and glanced back and forth.

“Stop what?” she asked, proving she was a terrible liar. Cadance shook her head.

“You can’t trick somepony who watched you grow up,” she said with a weak smile. “What’s wrong?” she asked again. Twilight stared blankly at her for a full ten seconds.

“Um… nothing?” she finally replied while looking in every direction and shaking slightly. Cadance gave her a slightly exasperated look.

“Fine…” Cadance said as she looked around. “Wooden carvings of animals nuzzling…” she suddenly began. Twilight visibly flinched.

“Uh… um… I felt like decorating!” she said, putting on a very wide smile and forcing herself to hold it.

“Roses everywhere?” Cadance pointed out next.

“Um… for experiments!” Twilight shifted aside and pointed to the rock and the rose on her desk. Cadance rolled her eyes as her magic glowed upon her horn. Four books floated towards her. Twilight’s pupils shrank as soon as she saw Cadance pull up the books.

“Let’s see what we have here…” Cadance said as she looked at the book covers. “Rodeo and Muliet, Pride and Pedigree, Fence and Fencibility, Oh my! Fifty Shades of Brae?! Twilight Sparkle!” Cadance finished while looking at Twilight with an eyebrow raised.

Twilight’s blank stare turned a bright shade of red.

“Um…” she again didn’t answer immediately. “Re…search?” she said shakily, biting her lip and looking away afterward.

“You can’t trick the princess of love… Twilight…” Cadance put the romance novels and moved towards her sister-in-law. “Now I’m sure you haven’t spoken to Spike at all… you have a lot on your mind… don’t you?” she asked purely out of concern. Twilight looked down shamefully, squinting her eyes shut.

“Yes…” she replied quietly. Cadance frowned, walked over to Twilight, sat down beside her, and draped one of her large wings over Twilight’s shoulders.

“Talk to me Twilight, you know you can confide in your foal-sitter without worry or regret,” Cadance offered.

Twilight simply remained in the comfort of Cadance’s wing for a moment, leaning against her as she tried to collect her thoughts. Was she really that transparent? Or was there just no hiding it from Mi Amore Cadenza? Probably a bit of both. Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled as she shook her head.

“Nothing has changed, Cadance… nothing at all,” Twilight began. “Days go by, I see love and couples all around me, but every day I wind up back in the library… alone,” she said in a very depressed tone. Cadance thought about scolding her for not acknowledging Spike, but she knew what Twilight was talking about. “Cadance, you said I would know when I’ve found the right stallion… when he puts every fiber in his being into trying his hardest for me. But… I swear…” Twilight trailed off. Cadance lifted her wing slightly to look down at Twilight.

“Twilight… that was barely three months ago! You can’t be in such a rush…” she said with concern.

“But… when all it seems I get is recognition for being a princess, how am I supposed to feel? How am I supposed to know who’s right and who’s being pure? You had this problem too, didn’t you?” Twilight spoke up to Cadance. Cadance blinked, Twilight was right about that… only Cadance was lucky to have known…

“DON’T WORRY, TWILY!” Shining Armor suddenly hopped down from the stairs and landed right beside them. Cadance yelped in surprise as her husband entered the scene. “If it’s a stallion you’re looking for… leave it to me! I know lots of stallions from my travels and stays around Equestria! I can help you find the right one!” He barely finished talking before Cadance grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away from Twilight.

“Excuse us for a moment, Twilight…” Cadance said while throwing on a smile.

“Ow, Honey, ear hurty…” Shining said casually as Cadance turned around and faced him.

“Shiny,” she whispered sternly. “What did we JUST talk about on the train?” she looked him in the eyes, expecting him to simply repeat what he said before, but to her surprise, he sighed and looked down.

“Okay, fine…” he sat down. “I just… want to help my little sister, you know?” he said in a slightly rejected tone.

“Wait… no… I didn’t…” Cadance found the situation completely changed, at least for the moment. She wanted what was best for Twilight, and while she wasn’t sure she’d agree with her husband and his silly ideas… he was just trying to help, and Twilight was his little sister. Shining was a family stallion, he never backed down from anything when it came to Twilight, his parents, or Cadance herself. Cadance frowned and let go of Shining’s ear.

Then again, knowing Shining, this could be an act to get her to stand down as well. One thing was for certain though… he wanted to help his little sister, and perhaps Twilight would like that as well.

“Fine… what do you have in mind?” Cadance asked, curious to the more expanded version of Shining’s plan. Shining’s face instantly brightened, taking her slightly by surprise.

“Well, I know a lot of stallions here in Ponyville… a few from Canterlot, and… OH! I can contact one or two from the Crystal Empire! We have a week, this will be perfect!”

“Um… you’re going to trust random stallions with your sister?” Cadance lifted an eyebrow. “For some reason I felt you were more protective of her than that,” Cadance pointed out curiously. Shining gave a single, hard nod.

“Oh, believe me… if they touch her inappropriately, I’m tearing their heads off!” Shining said with a chuckle and a wink. “But she wants to meet guys… right? Then I can help her!”

“Uh…” Cadance wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that. “I don’t know…”

“Cadance?” Twilight’s voice suddenly came from behind Shining. Shining and Cadance flinched in surprise. Apparently eavesdropping ran in the family. “I… think I want to try Shining’s idea…” she admitted sheepishly.

“Alright! Time to set up some dates!” Shining pounded his hooves together before approaching Twilight and giving her a hug. “Don’t worry Twily, I know lots of stallions, I’m sure you’ll like them,” he said giving her a light squeeze before heading up the stairs.

Cadance approached Twilight and sat down beside her.

“Are you sure you want to do this Twilight? Going from being unsure to blind dating? It seems a little rash,” Cadance voiced her concern. Love wasn’t that simple. In fact, not even close.

“I want to do this, Cadance,” Twilight said with a sudden wave of determination. “My biggest problem right now is that I don’t know where to start…”

“Twilight, you can’t hide that quivering lip from me,” Cadance pointed out as Twilight quickly bit her bottom lip to stop it. “You’re so like your brother,” Cadance shook her head slightly as her husband’s mannerisms and failure to hide things were twice resonated by his little sister… “Twilight, I know what you want… and I severely doubt you will get anything special out of this, but I’m not about to rule out that you might. I just hope… your brother finds some reasonable candidates for this.”

“Huh?” What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked curiously and slightly worried. Cadance’s tone of voice had quickly become a little disgusted.

“Oh… nothing… it’s just that your brother has a knack for making friends with… interesting stallions…” she grimaced.

“Wow, is living with my brother tough?” Twilight managed a light smile.

“A little,” Cadance admitted quickly, but smiled. “But it’s been worth every moment,” Cadance smiled too while placing a hoof on Twilight’s back and gently rubbing it. “Now I just hope we know what we’re getting into here…”

---To Be Continued---

Author's Note

I would like to give credit to Kestrel for coming up with "Fifty Shades of Brae"... that magnificent bastard :rainbowlaugh: