"So I get to come too, right?" Spike jumped up onto Twilight's back, ignoring that she was actually working. He leaned sideways and peeked around her neck and head, and waved to Lyra.

The Great Oaks Library was perfectly arranged. The books were all shelved in their correct locations, except for the two Lyra Heartstrings had brought back—The Diginomicon and 101 Handy Things to do With Hands—and the one she was trying to borrow—Other-Questria: A Definitive Guide to Parallel Worlds.

Twilight didn't have her armor on, not that anypony seemed to notice anymore. Each morning she spent in a hard gallop around the quiet town, and afternoons were spent practicing her magic and spear skills. Even though relaxing her rigorous routine would have resulted in her losing some of the harder edges that most broadcast her "stallion-ness," she wasn't going to compromise herself for the sake of what others thought.

"This is really advanced stuff." Twilight stamped the special platinum library card Lyra offered each time she borrowed books. "But you have the right card for it. Does Princess Celestia have you researching something special?"

"Yes!" Lyra Heartstrings grinned widely, her eyes darting to the sides so she didn't look right at Twilight. "Yes. Princess Celestia herself gave me that library card." She wasn't lying of course, being a graduate of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns meant that she had access to all but the most dangerous tomes; Lyra would have to sneak back to Canterlot to get at those.

"Of course! I graduated from her school as well; we all got them. It just seems like an odd subject." Ignoring her own worries, Twilight finished processing the book loan. "There you go." She smiled, and noticed a hot blush on Lyra's cheeks. "Come on, Lyra, you know I am a mare, right?"

"Well, sure I do. But it's the peer-pressure around here. All the other mares stare at you like you are the hottest muffin in Sugarcube Corner, I can't help but to glance too." Lyra bit at her bottom lip, and her eyes ran down Twilight's form. "A-A-And you know I—"

"Prefer mares." Things finally made sense as Twilight's memory dug up the little fact.

"You could just tell everypony." Lyra floated the book to her saddle bag in her own pure gold magic aura. "You know what everypony is like; they might be upset and confused at first, but nopony here holds a grudge."

Spike poked at the back of Twilight Sparkle's neck, trying to get her attention. "Twilight? I get to come to Rarity's too, right?"

"Sure, Spike, but I don't—" Twilight cut off as she looked up at the clock. "I have to go to my fitting!"

"O—" Lyra didn't get another word out. Twilight Sparkle, the pony everypony wanted to ogle, teleported from the library with a POMF. "Huh. Back to studying. It's not like a portal to the human world will just open itself!" She turned and left the library.

"I'm not late!" Twilight appeared in Carousal Boutique with another loud POMF. She looked around frantically for Rarity, only to see the mare in question already working on a rainbow colored dress that was obviously for their mutual friend: Rainbow Dash.

"Of course you're not late, dear." Rarity kept working on the dress, not turning around to show Twilight her tight-pinched expression. Each word was a struggle to say without getting angry. Pausing a moment, she levitated a cup of tea over and drank it down as if it were the hardest of Granny Smith's "Princess Grade" Moonshine. Sadly, the drink wasn't quite as potent as even the mildest of Granny Smith's hard liquor. "You are exactly an hour early. Did you forget about daylight savings?"

The reminder of the stupidest idea the Canterlot nobles had come up with, and its implications, drew a groan from Twilight. "I still don't understand why they didn't just ask Princess Celestia to change the duration of the sun."

"That's easy." Spike had enjoyed this argument with Twilight before, and both knew what he was about to say. "It would upset all the plants and animals." Jumping down from Twilight's back, Spike suddenly lost all track of the conversation, what day it was, and even what year. Rarity was magnificent. Drifting forward, Spike practically floated in a field of puppy love. "Can I help you with anything, Rarity?"

"Actually…" Rarity gave a tiny sigh as she no longer had to hold in the anger anymore. "You could tell me why you and Twilight have been lying to me about Twilight being a stallion!" She spun around, leveling her stare not at Spike, but at Twilight herself.

Rarity's anger fizzled when she saw the bright, happy look on Twilight Sparkle's face. The faux stallion rushed up to Rarity and pulled her into a hug. "What's—"

"Finally!" Twilight was almost in tears of joy. "Somepony recognizes me!" A sharp poke with a sewing pin caused reality to flood in, and Twilight backed away from Rarity, looking a little hurt.

"Don't you dare feel happy about this!" Stomping her hooves, Rarity wound up staring slightly up at the bigger mare. "You lied to me all this time! Why?"

The bubble broke, and Twilight registered her friend was actually showing signs of being hurt. "I just…" Twilight closed her eyes and prepared the word that worked only if you meant it. The greatest spell of all was always the simplest. "I'm sorry, Rarity. It started as a little gag, on that first day."

"A gag?" Rarity's rage was partially assuaged by the apology, but what she wanted was a reason for it all. Then, as if by magic, the door of her boutique opened and the reason came in. "Pinkie Pie."

"Hiya Rarity!" Pinkie Pie bounced inside, pronking on all four hooves. "I figured I would come and help my coltfriend pick something amazing to wear to the Gala."

"Coltfriend? I think you mean fillyfriend." Rarity's tone was like ice. "What I don't get is why everypony seemed to go along with this?" Rarity gestured at Twilight, and used her magic to pull her fainting couch closer.

Pinkie Pie's mane sagged and lost all its bounce. Wilting, she walked up to Rarity and lowered even her head. "I didn't mean it to hurt anypony. It started as a joke, because everypony treated Twilight as a stallion, and I guess we just got carried away with it."

Rarity knew she had lost the fight. Pinkie Pie sad was almost as bad as yelling at Fluttershy; you just don't do either. "I guess it was a tiny bit justified. We all assumed you were a stallion…" She looked from Pinkie to Twilight. "I am sorry about that."

"And I am sorry that we didn't tell you." Twilight reached out to Rarity for a hug, but saw the mare blush hotly.

Jumping back a little, Rarity still couldn't get the idea of "stallion" out of her head. Looking at Twilight Sparkle was exactly like looking at any of the big stallions of the Royal Guard, so much so that it was impossible to not think of her as one. "This is confusing." Rarity retreated onto her fainting couch to think of a way to work through the problem.

"I'm really sorry, Rarity." Pinkie felt like the world was crushing in on her. "I didn't think it would be this bad. I just—" A white hoof poked against her snout, stopping the rush of words.

"Darling, I am still not happy about being kept in the dark, but I can see it's at least half my own fault." More important things suddenly came to mind, and Rarity turned her gaze from the rapidly floofing-out Pinkie Pie to Twilight. "Now, the big question is, will you wear a suit or a dress?"

"D-Dress?" Twilight had never liked wearing dresses, but she could tell by Rarity's inflection that she probably wouldn't get away with a suit. "Wait, everypony's going." As Twilight worked through the problem, Rarity started smiling wider. "S-So that will let the breezie out of the bag, then?"

"Darling, if anypony still thinks you are a stallion after I make you a dress, they deserve their delusions." Rarity jumped off the couch, and levitated her measuring tape over to Twilight. "I believe this is how we first met?"

Twilight blushed and nodded. "You were trying to get some kind of saddle and armor on me." Resigned, she stood as Rarity directed and put up with the little pokes and prods of her friend's magic.

"Something like that. I admit the spell you made for Dr. Horse threw me. I was starting to suspect it was all some elaborate joke to play a prank on the unicorn stallions of Equestria." Rarity's mind was rushing, not with memories of the encounter with a half-feminized Dr. Horse, but with how to make a mare as big as Twilight a dress that would look fabulous.

With Rarity busy measuring Twilight, Pinkie Pie walked up to her fillyfriend and rubbed noses. "Maybe we should tell the others first?" She froze in place and looked shocked. "Did—Did I just become the voice of reason?"

Laughing, Twilight kissed Pinkie Pie on the nose. "You've been doing quite well so far. You said we should keep dating, and look how that worked out?" She repeated the kiss, and got a return kiss from Pinkie.

Spike, meanwhile, waddled around beside Rarity, giving happy sighs from time to time. "Is there anything I could do for you, Rarity?"

Rarity smiled down at Spike. "My Spiky-Wikey-Darling, could you maybe make me another cup of tea." She glanced briefly at Twilight and Pinkie. "And a bucket of water?" Her pad was rapidly filling up not only with measurements, but also designs.

With Spike off getting her tea, Rarity started explaining her ideas. "This will be amazing. It will be my greatest work yet! The number one reason most dresses cannot be so fantastic is that the mare wearing it has to wear it."

Breaking their latest kiss, Twilight turned her head to look at Rarity, while her body was restrained by the most binding of leashes: a seamstress' tape measure. "What do you mean?"

"Weight, darling. If you can't lift the dress, you can't wear it!" Rarity drew her tape measure back from Twilight rapidly, causing it to make a fluttering sound. "And you,"—Rarity laughed and jumped up to land (sitting side-saddle of course) astride Twilight's back—"can lift anything!"

Unable to resist joining in, Pinkie Pie laughed loudly and jumped up to land on Twilight's back too. "Wee! This is just like at the spa!"

Under the combined weight, Twilight began to actually struggle. "Would you two use your own legs. I am not carrying this much dress around!"

Giggling, Rarity slipped down from Twilight's back, landing daintily on her hooves. "Snip by snip…"

Twilight walked up to Carousal Boutique full of trepidation. The Grand Galloping Gala was later on in the evening, but that was in Canterlot; everypony there expected her to wear a dress. She lifted her hoof to open the door, and froze. "They're going to get angry, like Rarity did." She turned to look at Pinkie Pie.

"No they won't, silly." Pinkie Pie pronked in place beside Twilight for a few bounces before settling to a stop. "They're your friends. Rainbow Dash practically deserves to get pranked. I still owe her one for what she did when I came to get measured up for my dress."

"What did she do?" Twilight hadn't heard of this incident. Just as Twilight saw Pinkie Pie open her mouth to reply, a loud explosion rang out across the sleepy little town. "What was that?!" Guard-trained reflexes had Twilight Sparkle in motion before Pinkie could even turn to face where the noise had come from.

Sticking her head out around Twilight, Pinkie blinked a few times in surprise. "That's my line. Aren't you supposed to be the pony who knows what's going on all the time?" She poked Twilight's flank, causing her fillyfriend to jostle to the side.

The door of Rarity's boutique slammed open, revealing Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack poking their heads out in surprise. Of course, Fluttershy was trying to hide behind them, while also being close enough to hear what was happening.

"What's going on?" Rainbow Dash looked around, then launched free of the door and scanned the sky. "I see smoke on the other side of town!"

At that exact moment a giant pink tube landed around Rainbow Dash. The rubber-like walls of the huge cylinder forced the mare's wings closed, and shot her hurtling to the ground.

Twilight and Rarity reacted at the same time. Rarity's light blue magic aura combined with Twilight's pale white, and they both heaved at their falling friend.

As quick as the unicorns were at slowing the tube, it was still moving way too fast. Applejack rushed forward, with Pinkie Pie at her side, but both were overtaken by a yellow flash. Fluttershy grabbed the end of the tube (strangely painted a lighter shade of pink, and closed over), and started pumping her wings.

The tube slowed faster still, until at last it landed softly on Applejack and Pinkie Pie's backs. The huge, round pillar of rubber flopped down and rolled a few times.

Rainbow Dash squirmed free of the tube, and was suddenly caught up in the tightest hug ever by her friends. "You guys are amazing!"

"I am so sorry…" Lyra, with a hat that looked like a pink blob with five miniature versions of the giant cylinder on her head, walked up to where the six friends stood around the dangerous object. "I didn't think it would fly that far!"

Twilight narrowed her eyes and examined the hat, the mare, and combined it with what she knew of Lyra's latest reading focus. "No more books." She turned from Lyra and walked into Carousal Boutique. "No more books, Lyra!"

Author's Note

Twilight: I wonder, would lifting your tail for an entire day while there is a vibrator inside your snatch convince anyone?

Pinkie Pie jumped up before Twilight could say anything. "She tried that."

"Pinkie! It was addressed to me!" Twilight planted her rear on the floor and crossed her forelegs in a little huff. "But she's right. I had my tail held high for a week. Do you know what happened?"

Bouncing up and down, Pinkie Pie raised her foreleg. "Ooo! Pick me! Pick me!"

Twilight kissed Pinkie on the snout to distract her. "I had two doctors, three construction workers, and a waiter start doing the same thing. They claimed it 'Brightened up the town.' "

"They had Twilight's spell, of course." Pinkie giggled and kissed Twilight back, completely distracting her.

So I do this "Ask x" thing, x can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and ~~I~~ they will definitely hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories and of course, ~~I~~ they will answer the best question(s) in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer, try and keep it to one answer per post! ~~I~~ They will pick one question per chapter.

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