Moonlight
by milesprower06

Third Time's A Charm, Part 1

"Next stop, Canterlot! Canterlot, next stop! Late night stops include Fillydelphia and Manehattan!"

As the conductor bellowed the scheduled stops, the butterflies in Twilight's stomach wouldn't settle as the evening train made it's final approach to Canterlot. She hoped the nervousness in her gut wouldn't make her sick. On one hoof, she was thrilled that she hadn't done anything wrong on the second date, and things had gotten right back on track after Moondancer had sorted things out. On the other hoof, she was nervous. Not so much about whatever Moondancer needed advice or help with, but what her expectations might be for the third date.

It was common in some circles that by the time the third date rolled around, some dating couples would get intimate with each other. For others, it was five dates, or seven, or nine. The date count was insignificant. What was significant was figuring out what Moondancer's expectations were, and depending on what they were, would she be ready? Twilight had never had an intimate encounter in her life. How would it go? Would it be super awkward? It would probably be the farthest thing from perfect. As long as they both enjoyed themselves, that's all that mattered. But again, they had to be ready.

The Friendship Express came around the final bend, and slowed to a stop at the platform, the hissing brakes announcing the arrival. Twilight got up from her seat, taking care not to brush her gala dress against the train doors. Once she was clear of the platform and on the streets of downtown Canterlot, she heightened her pace to a quick trot. She continually had to swallow the nervous lump in her throat as she got to the school grounds and came to Frosthay Spire, her private study that she had given to Moondancer. Ascending the stairs, she took one last deep breath, and knocked on the door. She heard frantic hoofsteps come down the stairs and towards the door, then... Nothing. A full five seconds passed before the door opened.

As Twilight saw Moondancer's smile change to surprise, along with her widening eyes, she knew something was amiss. Then as she saw her date in her black turtleneck and earrings, the dread set in. The impossible had happened. She forgot.

Organized, punctual, planning, Princess Twilight Sparkle forgot to ask about tonight's dress code.

"Twilight!' Moondancer said happily.

"Oh my gosh, aren't I the overdressed one... I'm so sorry, I should've asked what kind of clothes to wear." Twilight said nervously, blushing lightly at the cheeks.

Moondancer wasn't having any of it. She came forward and embraced the glamorous alicorn in a hug.

"Nonsense. You look absolutely beautiful."

Twilight returned the hug, relief setting in immediately as Moondancer welcomed her in.

"Although, I certainly wouldn't blame you if you took it off. I was gonna rough it tonight. I figured you have way too much of the fancy life with all the events you host at the castle, so I've been cooking up some simple, home-cooked goodness." Moondancer announced as they made their way into the living quarters. As the aromas emanating from the kitchen reached her nostrils, she did indeed opt to remove her dress and set it neatly aside on the couch. A few minutes later, Moondancer emerged from the kitchen with two steaming platters, and Twilight had to swallow to avoid drooling at the sight of homemade hayburgers and fries.

"That smells amazing." Twilight said, taking another whiff as Moondancer set the platters on the table.

"Thanks. Haven't cooked in awhile. Well what are we waiting for? Let's chow down!"

Being homemade, the burgers and hay fries were much more savory. Moondancer made one last trip to the kitchen for some cheese sauce, and that was the icing on the cake. The two of them ate to their heart's content. Afterward, Twilight helped Moondancer with the dishes. They had a small debate during the endeavor; Moondancer believed letting Twilight help with the dishes wasn't being a good host, while Twilight thought that not helping wasn't being a good guest. All in all, dishes were done in half the time, and they could then get on with their evening.

"So what did you need my help with?"

"Oh! Well, earlier this week, after Celestia explained what had happened with you moving to Ponyville, she offered me an apprenticeship at the school, something I figure could finally lead to a career. Perhaps a teaching position."

"Really? That's fantastic!"

"Yeah, it is. But she said that my studies have been so broad that I haven't really chosen a field of magic to focus on, and when I do make a decision, to just let her know."

"And?"

"And that's my problem. I've been looking at all my books, and I can't make up my mind. All these different disciplines of magic I've submitted research papers on, and I can't decide what I like most. I figured if I could get more help with the Haycartes spell, I could take a closer look at the disciplines with you."

Twilight leaned in to kiss Moondancer on the cheek, getting a red tint from her cheeks in return.

"Absolutely. Come on, let's go find your future!"

Together, the two of them left the living area and ascended the stairs up to the study. Moondancer, who had spent the last few days reorganizing the shelves, began pulling books off the shelves and setting them in a circle around the two of them. In the middle, she placed a copy of Aetherius: The Origins of Magic. Surrounding them in the circle were more than a dozen books, each focusing on a specific arcane discipline.

"Ready?" Twilight asked.

With an immediate nod, the two of them closed their eyes and began to concentrate. The niches of their horns began to glow with light, and the books around them began to glow, most of all the center copy of Aetherius. The air around them began to crackle, and in a flash, Moondancer and Twilight Sparkle vanished into thin air.

Author's Note

I initially wasn't going to divide this up, but life has been so hectic and progress has been slow enough where I'm going to give you guys smaller, split up offerings of the third date.

Hope some of you are enjoying the ES references too, it's pretty much the only fantasy-based lore I'm even remotely familiar with.