Dating your friends, as it turned out, was no different at all from just spending time with them, something that Twilight Sparkle was fond of doing anyway, and she didn’t understand what the big deal was, or why dating was so important. Since returning from the Appleloosa Friendship Festival, Twilight Sparkle had gone on three, yes, three dates, and now she wasn’t so sure what the big deal was, or why she had avoided this for all these years. Hanging out with her friends now just had a different word—dating.
She had gone on a test date with Pinkie, and things had gone splendiferously. Pinkie had been having a rough time since the festival, but the date seemed to cheer her right up, and she had been her bouncy self, at least during the date. The second test date had been with Rainbow Dash and they had gone camping together. Just the two of them. There was no measureable, discernable difference between dating and just spending time together. She and Rainbow had stayed up all night, giggling with one another in their tent. The third date was with Pinkie Pie again, and this time, they had gone out to the movies, something that Twilight and Pinkie had done many, many times in the past.
Making a big deal out of dating was just making mountains out of molehills. Twilight, feeling a bit miffed, started to think of Cadance as the princess of really fancy, overly-complicated friendship. Yet, for all of Twilight’s confidence and taking her trusted friends on dates, there was still the matter of Mister Seville Orange.
She still hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to have a chat with him, but she hoped to do so soon. Today, even. She, Pinkie, and Seville were all supposed to go on a date together, and Twilight had the perfect date planned for the three of them. Only Seville didn’t know it was a date yet. At some point, she was going to surprise him with this information and then just hope for the best.
Twilight was confident that everything would work out. She was best friends with Pinkie, Pinkie was best friends with her, both she and Pinkie were best friends with Seville—what could go wrong? Still, the lingering anxiety was annoying and Twilight wished that she could get over the jitters.
I know for absolute certain, that everything is certainly fine, she told herself, while also trying to remember when she had reassured herself with these same words. It slipped her memory, but she was certain that everything had been fine back then, as well, even though she couldn’t quite remember the circumstances.
Humming to herself, a pink pony pronked into the room with an enticing jiggle that took place upon each bounce. Twilight, her head bobbing up and down, began to understand Sumac’s fascination with pleasantly plump females. It was physics in motion, which was quite a bit more interesting than poetry in motion. Physics was a universal language, meaning that Pinkie Pie’s delightful pronk that made her perky pudge go wiggle-jiggle could be discussed and shared with anypony that had a reasonable education, but poetry… ugh. Poetry was subjective and did not share a foundation vocabulary enforced by social contract and language agreements.
An astrophysicist and an aeronautics engineer could both discuss Pinkie Pie’s perky plot with a shared, common language. All manner of things could be discussed, bodies in motion, the conservation of energy, fluid dynamics, momentum… but introduce a poet into that conversation… Twilight shuddered at the thought. All those flowery, useless words being bandied about willy-nilly, with meaning assigned to the word based upon the perceptions and perspectives of those who heard said words.
Ugh.
“Hiya, Pinkie.”
“Hey! Twilight!”
Twilight wasn’t sure, but Pinkie’s mane looked extra curly, and that was a good sign. She was in a good mood, and that made Twilight feel bold. It also caused some questions, like, why were Pinkie’s curls dependent upon her mood? It was a delightful question, but Twilight was in no big hurry to have it answered.
“I have a fun outing planned,” Twilight said to Pinkie. “I got a letter from Sunset Shimmer and she passed along a really fun idea that I’d like to try with you.”
“How is she?” Pinkie asked as she bounced into a chair and sat down.
“Oh, Sunset? She’s fine. She’s really happy.” Twilight’s face grew warm, then hot. “Her relationship with Twilight on that side of the mirror is progressing. Hey, Pinkie, did you know that time passes differently on that side of the mirror?”
“Yep!”
“Oh.” Reaching up, Twilight rubbed her neck, not sure how she should feel about Pinkie knowing about the difference in time flow. “Well, anyhow, Sunset passed along a great idea. She and Twilight like to go out and watch each other try on fancy panties and they take pictures of each other. Sunset says it’s a lot of fun.”
Sucking in a deep breath, her blue eyes went wide as her ears perked, and then Pinkie Pie blurted out as she vibrated in her chair, “That does sound like fun!” Bouncing in place, Pinkie’s excitement only lasted for a few seconds before she became serious and went still. “Wait, where are we going to try on panties here in Equestria?”
“Carousel Boutique.” Twilight did her best saucy eyebrow waggle, but she didn’t look saucy at all, she looked like a huge dork, and Pinkie Pie began giggle-snorting. “And I’ve invited Seville to come along because he loves taking pictures. It’ll be great and everypony gets to do an activity that they’re fond of.”
“Oooooh!” Pinkie squealed. “This sounds fun, I can’t wait!”
“Well, Sunset Shimmer and my mirror counterpart seem to really like doing it.” As Twilight spoke, her neck grew hot and her wingpits became itchy. Something about her sentence bothered her, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on what it was. “Sunset said they both cram into a changing booth and then wear nothing but panties and take pictures of one another. The rules seem simple enough. We’re already naked so slipping on a pair of panties doesn’t seem like a big deal.”
“Maud has quite a collection of panties,” Pinkie Pie said as she began to stroke her chin. “She has boring panties, plaid panties, lacy panties, fancy panties, and special panties that she wears when she wants to make Tarnish blow his steam whistle. She has several drawers full of panties. Hey, Twilight, do you think she knows something we don’t?”
“Whaddaya mean, Pinkie?”
Still rubbing her chin, Pinkie became thoughtful. “Maybe panties are super fun, and we’re missing out?”
Pinkie’s thoughtful expression was contagious, and it infected Twilight. Now, the purple pony princess was rubbing her chin with one hoof, while glancing in an upward direction at nothing in particular. The pair of mares spent several long seconds chin rubbing, contemplating the potential pleasures of ponies in panties, perhaps prancing, pronking, prancing, pacing, or possibly perchance playing.
“I wonder what your dad would look like in panties,” Pinkie Pie remarked aloud, disrupting Twilight’s thoughts.
Twilight’s eyelid twitched several times as her face sagged, and then an ear piercing wail filled the room. Pinkie Pie, clutching at her pudgy middle, brayed with laughter as Twilight convulsed in disgust while clutching at the sides of her head. Mid-bray, Pinkie Pie oinked, which set off fresh peals of laughter from the pink mare, and Twilight continued to implode.
Seville was handsome in his broad-brimmed pale green fedora. Twilight felt a sense of accomplishment in allowing herself to think that. He wore it flat on his head, no jaunty angle, and Twilight found that she liked that. You could lay a mason’s level on the brim of his hat to test the flatness, something that appealed to her fastidious nature. The years of working with tiny print and developing photos had not been kind to his eyes, causing him to need thick glasses. Seville’s eyes were the same shade of green as Applejack and Sumac, causing Twilight to wonder about relation. His yellow-orange pelt gleamed with what was called the Canterlot glow and he wore it very well.
Allowing herself to see him this way felt nice, and Twilight realised that there was no harm in looking. Seville was all legs, a little on the thin side, and he had grown tall from when she had first met him. For the first time, as they walked down the lane together, Twilight began to understand what Rarity kept going on about. Seville wasn’t pretty, like Prince Gosling, in fact, the earth pony was quite the opposite. He had a common, but handsome build. His mane was pale yellow with a hint of green, which Twilight found oddly appealing. You had to stare at it to notice. He was boring and average, sort of like a book with a plain cover that you had to pick up and read a few pages before you understood what it was about.
“So, Seville, how goes school?” Pinkie Pie asked as she trotted beside him.
“I can see the end from here,” Seville replied. “Soon, I’ll be a Doctor of Journalism.”
Now didn’t feel like the time to spring it on Seville that this was a date. Twilight’s frogs were sweaty and she felt out of sorts. She wanted to say something, but what? Pinkie Pie and Seville seemed to have no problem at all having a conversation, which was no surprise seeing as how they were already close friends. Twilight realised that she didn’t know just how close Pinkie and Seville were.
Thinking about this made Twilight feel like a bit of an outsider, but she refused to let it spoil her fun. She was determined to have a good time on this date with her two friends. So far, it felt like any other friendship outing, and Twilight was encouraged by how well she was handling it.
Everything was going to be fine.
Carousel Boutique was air conditioned, which was great. It wasn’t chilly, but it was nice and cool in there, and Twilight knew why. It helped to sell clothing when ponies felt comfortable wearing it. Rarity locked the door behind them once they were all inside, and she grinned in a most knowing sort of way. Twilight felt her cheeks grow warm, and other places too.
“Hello, darlings,” Rarity said in a voice that was almost a slow, cultured drawl. “Seville… you lucky stud.” Giggling, she gave him a coy smile as the stallion shied away. Following him, she placed a hoof upon his foreleg to calm him. “Darling, do you know why you are here?”
“Uh, I was asked to take photos,” Seville replied in a husky, but velvety baritone.
“Yes, dear… photos.” Rarity began to titter, and this caused Seville to stammer, with no words able to escape. She pressed her advantage and her hoof against Seville while batting her eyelashes. With a turn of her head, she gave Twilight a knowing, teasing look while giving Seville a reassuring rub with her hoof.
Did Rarity have the heat on? Twilight could feel sweat beading up and moistening her wingpits. Her mane was starting to stick to the back of her neck. Pinkie Pie pronked away to look at fabulous dresses fit for princesses, and Twilight discovered that she could not look Rarity in the eye.
“Very well, shall we begin the festivities?” Rarity asked. Her lips puckered into a perfect, well practiced pout and she gestured to a stool inlaid with gold filagree. “That should be just the right height so you can have a pleasant view. I use it when Fluttershy and I have our photoshoots.” Pausing, Rarity’s mouth fell open and she licked her perfect teeth with her orange tongue. “I must confess, I’ve been looking forward to this, and I came home early just to be here.”
“So, uh, what’re we gonna be doing?” Seville asked.
“Why, darling, Pinkie Pie is going to try on panties and you are going to take her picture.”
“Hmm.” Seville reached up and began to rub his stubbly chin, which drew Twilight’s attention.
She wanted to know what that stubbly chin felt like when he rubbed up against her. Swallowing a few times, it took Twilight several attempts to find her voice. “Yeah… panties. Exciting. Fun!” Twilight’s eyes darted from side to side, because she didn’t know what to do with them at the moment, or who to look at.
Rolling her eyes, Rarity let out a lip-flapping huff.
“Panties you say… Goose’ll kill me, but I have a few compromising photos of him wearing some he stole from Luna.” Seville nodded. “I can be professional about this.”
Twilight battled to maintain her decorum, but failed. A few snorts indicated a breach was happening, and then she ended up spitting all over Rarity because she spewed out lip-flappy laughter. Giggling, Rarity conjured up a towel and began to wipe her face as Twilight’s sides split. When Rarity was done, she tossed the towel over Twilight’s face, covering her and blinding her.
“Hey!” Twilight cried from beneath the slobbery towel.
While Twilight pulled the towel off of her face, Pinkie Pie pronked around the room, grinning, happy that she was going to be the center of attention. She bounced up on the stool, her hooves clattering, and she struck a majestic pose, with one front leg raised up to her barrel. For a brief moment, something about Pinkie was breathtaking, and Twilight wondered why she hadn’t allowed herself to experience this sooner.
It was odd, having the realisation that your friend was breathtakingly pretty. The thoughts in Twilight’s head were electrifying; she was learning something new, something wonderful, something life changing. With a turn of her head, she regarded Seville. He was plain, he was quiet, he was studious. Pinkie was the exact opposite, and Twilight had a glimmer of understanding when she discovered that she wanted, no, needed both.
Was she being selfish? She didn’t know. Was she gay? Bi? She didn’t know. Twilight couldn’t be certain that her current attractions were even based on gender, because both Seville and Pinkie were appealing to her because of who and what they were. What they meant to her. Pinkie was pretty, and Twilight found her eyes lingering, but that was not the primary source of attraction.
There was so much that Twilight just didn’t understand.
The towel was folded and placed over the top of a chair, as Twilight didn’t know what else to do with it. In seconds, when she was no longer looking, it vanished. Twilight was transfixed on Pinkie, her expression thoughtful and a little morose. Seeing this, Rarity moved so that she might assist, because Rarity wanted Twilight to have a good time.
“I have quite a selection of panties and I’ve become quite skilled at making them. There are ponies here in Ponyville that wear clothing regularly and panties do a marvellous job of keeping things neat and tidy. Pinkie, darling, why don’t we start with something lacy?”
“Sounds fun!” From up high on her pedestal, Pinkie Pie beamed.
Horn glowing, Rarity moved to assist Pinkie, and slipped on a pair of bright blue lacy panties. She slipped them over Pinkie’s right rear hoof, then the left, and then pulled them up as the pink party pony shimmied her backside around to help out. With a snap of elastic, the panties slipped into place and Pinkie Pie gasped.
She turned around on the stool a few times, trying to be a model, and then she settled on hiking up her tail and sticking her plot right into Twilight’s face. “How’s this look?”
Twilight stepped closer to have a better look, and Seville did the same. Both of them had their snoots inches away from the bright blue lacy panties, and both had the same studious expressions upon their faces. Their cheeks were almost touching as they leaned in close, and Pinkie shook her tail over their heads.
“Hmm.” Seville’s eyes narrowed and his head tilted off to one side.
At some point, he had taken off his hat, but Twilight had somehow missed it. One of Seville’s ears grazed up against Twilight’s cheek, and she quivered a bit, her feathers fluffing out. Twilight’s hind hoof stomped against the fine tile floor while Pinkie wiggled her backside around to show it off better.
“Yep, those are panties,” Seville said in a very matter-of-fact voice.
“I don’t know that I see the appeal.” Twilight pulled her head away and her nose was now six inches away instead of three. “I mean, the blue looks nice and it contrasts well with Pinkie’s pink… but… I dunno…”
“They feel kinda snug.” Pinkie shook her fluffy, curly tail and teased Seville’s nose. “Stop breathing on me, it tickles!”
“On the other side of the mirror, this is done for fun,” Twilight said as she wondered where the fun was. She winced when a bright flash of light blinded her, and then tried to blink away the bright bursts in her vision after Seville had snapped a picture with no warning.
Shoving Twilight and Seville aside, Rarity moved in to assist Pinkie and she pulled down the electric blue panties, tugging them off of Pinkie’s pert, plus-sized, plush posteriour. She said nothing, but something about the blue made Pinkie’s generous backside look a little too big. With a well practiced moue, she plucked out a bright green pair of panties, gave them a stretch, and then moved to put them on Pinkie.
With a loud snap of elastic, they slipped into place, and Pinkie Pie let out a bawdy sounding titter. These were a bit different, a bit narrower, a bit more revealing. Seville leaned in for a better look, peering through his bifocals. These panties had no lace, but there was an exciting leaf and vine print in the stretchy, flesh-hugging fabric.
Twilight found her eyes resting on Pinkie’s dock, and not the fabulous green panties. What might it be like to give that dock a little nibble, like stallions did in those trashy romance novels that Rarity had on her shelf? Just thinking about it made Twilight’s ears feel hot and her stomach muscles quivered. It was like a fuzzy… a fuzzy… a peach, yes, that was it. Pinkie’s dock was fuzzy with a pleasant, inviting layer of chub, just like a ripe peach.
Thinking of Sunset Shimmer, Twilight wanted to fan herself with her wing and she wondered what humans saw in one another. Humans did not have docks, so they had to be looking at something while modelling panties for one another. But what? What could possibly be so interesting to look at? Was it the panties themselves? So far, they didn’t seem that exciting.
“Darling, green just isn’t your colour,” Rarity whined, displeased with what she saw. Cringing, she moved in to pull the offending green panties off, all while trying not to actually look at them.
Seville snapped a photo just as the panties were being slid down.
Humming to herself, Rarity picked up some pink polka dot panties with lacy trim. She shoved Twilight out of her way with her backside, and then slipped the panties on Pinkie, pulling them up her hind legs and over her curved, fuzzy buns. Pinkie wiggled around as the fabric hugged her backside, and Rarity gave her a playful smack, causing her cupcake padded hindquarters to jiggle.
Twilight’s wings snapped out with a supersonic crack and she almost decapitated both Seville and Rarity. Seville hit the floor and Rarity just ducked her head. A low hiss could be heard as Twilight sucked wind between her clenched teeth. A great and powerful moistness saturated Twilight’s nether regions and Twilight knew that if she was wearing panties, they would be damp right now.
The pink panties had some kind of magic and they transformed Pinkie’s backside into something amazing. It was like a well frosted cake, and there was only one thing a pony could do with a well frosted cake. Still hissing as she sucked in wind, Twilight felt her wings quiver as she experienced the most powerful state of attraction ever, even worse than that time when she had walked into a room to find Gosling and Celestia preening one another.
Her wings had stayed stiff for hours, and Luna did nothing but tease her.
“Did somepony put on a tea kettle?” Rarity asked as she looked around, her ears perking.
“Ese culo!” Seville cried, speaking burro. “Magnífico!”
Nodding, Rarity agreed. “Gloria a los alicornios, Señor Naranja.”
Twilight was still hissing.
Shaking a bit, Seville got back up on his hooves, angled his camera, and took a picture. Then, turning about, he snapped a photo of Twilight as well. making certain that Pinkie Pie’s glorious pantied plot was in the frame. Rarity, standing nearby, looked amused and covered her muzzle with one dainty hoof.
“You know, this is just what I needed right now… I needed to feel special.” Pinkie shook her fluffy tail, making a circular motion, and she wiggled her booty too, causing the stool she stood on to rock a bit. “Tarnish said my self worth took a big hit, and he would know, I suppose. Thanks for making me feel special, guys.”
Drinking a glass of water, Twilight was trying to restore some moisture to her teeth and gums. Her wings ached, and her dock was cramping from being so tense for so long. Pinkie Pie was posing in her pink panties, and Seville took a picture when there was a pose that he liked. Twilight discovered that she very much liked this and she found it enjoyable.
It was time to spill the beans and she decided not to mince any words. “Hey, Seville, are you enjoying our date?”
The earth pony went still and didn’t move. Rarity slurped some tea out of a delicate teacup. Pinkie Pie was making lewd faces at her own backside in a nearby mirror and was oblivious to what was just said. Twilight, just a mere second or so later, wondered if she had made a terrible mistake.
After what felt like an hour, Seville managed to say something. “A date?”
“Ain't it fun?” Pinkie asked.
“Yeah.” Twilight’s throat felt tight. “A date. Are you having a nice time? I thought this would make a fun first date for the three of us.”
Seville coughed.
“Seville and I have already been on a date,” Pinkie said, still admiring her pantied backside in the mirror. “It wasn’t as fun as this one.”
“What?” Twilight felt her heart skip a beat and when she looked at Seville, he nodded. “Um… would you mind telling me what happened?”
“Well,” Pinkie Pie began, “long story short, after the Grand Galloping Gala, Seville and I found ourselves alone together.” Pinkie turned to face Twilight, and her face was serious. She glanced over at Seville, as if requesting permission, and when he nodded, she continued, “I was lonely, and he was lonely, I was drunk, and he was drunk, and I was wishing that Cheese was there, and Seville was wishing that you would finally notice him—”
“Wait, what?” Twilight almost choked on her own sharp, sudden inhale, and her ears perked as Rarity slurped more tea.
“Well, this was about, two years ago?” Pinkie glanced over at Seville once more, and he nodded. “We had ourselves a drunken tumble. I wish I knew about Dashie’s H.A.L.T. rule back then. It was a nice time, I guess.” She sniffed once and her ears drooped. “We both wished that we were with somepony else, but we had a nice time and I don’t think either of us really regret what we did. It just felt good, ya know?”
Snorting with disbelief, Twilight wanted to know just one thing. “Am I the only one of us that is a virgin? Have all of my friends had sex and I just don’t know about it?”
Her muzzle hovering over her teacup, Rarity nodded.
“Even Fluttershy?” Twilight squealed in disbelief.
Rarity was still for a few long moments, and then she gave a slow, almost unseen nod.
Twilight’s hind legs collapsed and she sat down with a whooshing wham. She looked up at Pinkie, blinked a few times as her vision blurred over with tears, and then looked over at Seville. He turned away, and Twilight wished that he hadn’t. It was awkward, unbearable, and the idea that she couldn’t even be looked at somehow made it worse.
“We talked about it, Twilight, in the morning.” Pinkie’s words were soft and her blue eyes glimmered with moisture. “I told him not to give up, that you’d catch on eventually, and things might work out between the two of you.”
“Am I that oblivious?” Twilight shrieked.
“Yes, Twilight,” Pinkie replied, being honest.
“And so the two of you just… just… did that with each other?” Twilight stammered a bit and her barrel was hitching now.
“We were both lonely, Twilight, and we tried to make each other feel better, as friends do. We figured out it was a mistake, but our friendship survived it. In fact, I think we’re closer now because of it.” Pinkie Pie looked over at Seville, then back at Twilight. “I cried out the name of somepony else, and so did he. We bared our souls to each other, and there was some crying, and afterwards, for quite a while, we spent a lot of time with each other, talking, and consoling each other. I convinced him that he still had a chance to make it with you, and he convinced me that I had what it took to make Cheese settle down.”
“One of us was wrong,” Seville muttered as he stared at the floor.
“Why are you so interested and hung up on a nerdy, oblivious virgin?” Twilight demanded, wavering between anger, shock, and disbelief as she stared at Seville.
“All of your friends, all of them, they told me that you would come around if I was patient,” Seville replied. “Princess Celestia even pulled me aside one day and had a long, long talk with me, telling me that there would come a day when Twilight Sparkle would decide it was time to explore the upper echelons of friendship. She said if I waited, my patience would be rewarded.”
“So while you were waiting, you went off and busted Pinkie’s balloon!” Twilight snapped, not knowing what else to say.
“Uh, Seville didn’t pop my balloon.” Pinkie Pie’s eyes darted around and her ears rose, fell, rose again, and then pivoted around. “I, uh, sort of partied with Dashie after she became a Wonderbolt—”
“Ugh, really?” Twilight cringed and felt her world crumbling.
“Twilight, darling, do be careful. Ponies have sex. It’s what we do. Some of us are sexual beings, and you have no right to judge. Even those of us carrying a torch for somepony else sometimes need release. Sex happens, darling. Be very, very careful, and don’t judge.” Rarity cast a steely, but caring gaze upon Twilight while inhaling the steam from her teacup.
“You’re right.” Bowing her neck in defeat, Twilight just sat there, not knowing what else to say. She huffed, she puffed, her cheeks bulging, and then she blurted out, “Some first date this turned out to be.”
“Okay.” Seville waved his hoof around in a frantic motion. “This date is over. It’s done. Twilight Sparkle, would you like to go out with me?”
“Right now?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, right now,” Seville responded. “And Pinkie, I would feel better if you joined us.”
“Count me in, but I’m wearing these panties out the door!” Pinkie swished her tail around and checked herself out once more in the nearby floor to ceiling mirror. “I have a fantastic ass, did you know that, Rarity?”
Blinking, Twilight discovered much to her own surprise that she had the courage to keep going, and the desire as well. Rarity was right, she didn’t have the right to judge ponies because of her own obliviousness. She took another much needed sip of water, and thought of her mentor, Princess Celestia. Twilight decided on the spot that she had yet another friendship letter to write, an important one, and she wondered what her mentor might think or say when she saw it.
“I would love to go out with you, Seville,” Twilight said, her voice scratchy. “And I think it would be great if Pinkie joined us. Maybe we can go someplace and talk over coffee or tea.” She gave her companions her best, bravest smile and was glad that Seville was looking at her once more.
“Before you go,” Rarity said, her voice thick with concern, “do clean up in the powder room. A lady must be presentable when she goes on a date.” After a moment, Rarity added, “Good on you, Twilight. It takes courage to do what you are doing. We’ll talk later, okay, darling?”
“Okay.” Twilight nodded and felt encouraged as she rose from the floor.
“Whee! I had a great date and I got a pair of fancy pink panties! My two best friends finally discovered each other and I can stop keeping secrets! And now we’re having a second date together, which means they really, really like me! I’m having just the sort of day I needed to have!”
Try as she might, Twilight Sparkle could not resist the grin that took over her face.
Author's Note
I'll be in my fallout bunker, cowering and waiting for the end to come.
