Ballistics of Romance

Chapters

Monday - Experimental Physics
Tuesday - Nutritional Logistics
Wednesday - Corrective Aerodynamics
Neverday - Lucid Dreaming
Thursday - Psychological Botany
Friday - Recreational Acoustics

Monday - Experimental Physics

Twilight looked over the device on her worktable. She felt both right and wrong in the same time. Right, because she proved her theory correct - it was indeed possible to launch mnemomatrix as if it were a cannonball, teleporting into the target location precisely. And whole process required only a fraction of concentration and fine-tuning that limited the range of teleportation spells so. With this device, she could teleport right into Canterlot or Manehattan in a matter of minutes - compass, sextant and logarythmic ruler provided her with everything necessary to calculate the ballistic trajectory.

But there was also wrong. Wrong, because she hoped to revolutionise the transportation of Equestria, to make the trains and chariots obsolete. Instead... Instead she found out that she was likely the only pony in the world, aside from princesses, who had the oomph to spin up the ballistic teleport. So while she indeed found a way to perform long-range teleport, it would be available to her, and her alone in the foreseeable future.

Time to put her device to the test. She carefully wiggled into harness that secured the device around her body, slipped padded vest and kneepads on, then put on helmet. Still, even with all the precautions, she felt the need to have someone safeguard her - just in case. And who would be better for that then Rainbow Dash? Carefully, she trotted out of library, heading for Dashs cloud home. With any luck, shed be napping.

___

That was indeed the case - Dash was napping. After she was done laughing at Twilights ridiculous getup, nonplussed unicorn explained the circumstances. Idea of magic experiments was certainly exciting, but in the same time worried pegasus, and she did not hesitate to let Twilight know that much - "I dont know, Twi. Your, er, experiments can be fun, I guess, but Im not looking to be a chicken. Seriously, Twi, that was whack thing to do. Squirts still craving birdseed at times. Birdseed, can you imagine that?" Sighing, Twilight pulled out her trump - "Help me with that, and I`ll take you to Wonderbolts show on Wednesday."

Judging by Rainbows expression, things just got 20% more interesting - "Whoa, Wonderbolts?... Uh, huh, wait, isnt it in Cloudsdale?" Twilight nodded smugly, and pulled out two tickets out of her mane - "It is. But see? I have tickets. So help me, and we can go see the show the day after tomorrow." Rainbow Dash looked over the tickets and cracked a wide grin at Twilight - "Weeeeell... Sold! Whatever do you need me to do?"

"Well, Im going to teleport around. Your job is to fly to the spot I call, and be ready to catch me in case something goes wrong." - unicorn explained, as she checked her gear for the last time, - "OK, to start with... That hill next to Sweet Apple Acres." Dash gauged the distance habitually, muttering - "Are you sure, Twi? That seems a mite too far to teleport." Twilight beamed - "Exactly, Rainbow! Im testing a new type of teleporting. The long distance kind!"

"Alright... Ill be there in a minute. Just one question, Twi... What kind of range youre thinking of getting with this new spell?" - offered pegasus as she took to the air, hovering above Twilight. Unicorn chuckled - "Well, actually its not a spell, its a dweomer. See? It`s technically assisted arcane surge.... Oh, er, distance? Well... It depends on how well things work out now. If everything goes as I expect it to go, then maybe from here to Canterlot in one shot."

"Whoa! Alright, see you at the hill!" - Dash was certainly quick on the uptake. Twilight doublechecked her calculations, using sextant to measure the bearing, elevation and necessary magic impetus to attempt the first shot. She saw Rainbow Dash waving merrily at the spot. Time for the show. Twilight turned around slowly, aligning the horizontal notch with calculated azimuth. Carefully raising head, she aimed her teleport cannon with proper elevation and spun the spindle sharply with her magic. Space around her suddenly collapsed, then bounced out again - and Twilight found herself in the air a few hooves off the ground, landing on her hooves with soft "oof!" Flapping of the wings next to her told her she`s at the spot.

"That was AWESOME, Twilight! Not like teleportation at all! When you teleport you just pop here, pop there.. Not this time. It looks like youre becoming a magic cannonball or something." - exclaimed pegasus, stopping next to Twilight. Unicorn turned around, her temple pressing to Dashs for a second as she magically plucked Dashs memory of the event and copied it over. Rainbow Dash by now was used to the procedure, weird as it was for her the first time she agreed to help Twilight in her experiments. Thankfully, it was utterly impossible to copy anything older then ten minutes this way - otherwise, Twilight wouldve probably never tried to learn the spell due to ethic concerns.

"Alright. Lets try it again. This time, lets see if I can manage elevation as well. I call the top of cliff over the quarry." - Twilight offered, as she processed the data from the first jump. Rainbow saluted and dashed off, leaving Twilight to calculate the trajectory. Soon enough, pegasus waved her readiness from above the cliff - just as Twilight finished aligning the trajectory. Wasting no time, she spun the spindle again, spacetime continuum around her collapsing and expanding again, as she found herself a yard away from the clifftop. Unfortunately, that was a yard to the side, not upwards. With a shriek, she fell, frantically casting the buyoancy spell. Sharp yank and wing flapping later, Twilight was standing on top of the cliff next to Rainbow Dash, both ponies panting and looking downward.

Twilight was first to break silence - "Thanks, Dash. That was a close shave." Pegasus nodded, her brash attitude suddenly absent as she muttered - "No kidding. I almost missed you. Lets try someplace, um, bigger?" Nodding, Twilight pointed to the meadow next to Fluttershys house. "How about there, Dash?" - she offered, peering through the ocular of sextant as she began calculating another jump. Rainbow streak across her field of vision told her about Rainbow moving to the place.

"Heya, Twilight!" - exuberant shout almost made Twilight Sparkle topple off the cliff for the second time. She turned around, heaving a little sigh - "Pinkie. Hello there. Whats up?" Pinkies face lit up as she offered cheerfully - "Oh, I just wanted to see how you`re doing! I was cleaning my party cannon and suddenly I thought about you and.. here I am!" Twilight nodded thoughtfully - "I see. Actually, Pinkie? I have two things I wanted to ask you about."

Pink pony sat down and pulled horn-rimmed glasses out of nowhere, perching them on her nose comically - "Professor Pie is ready to answer all of your questions, Twilight Sparkle!" - she offered in a low voice. Twilight chuckled. "Well, first... Do you want to have some sweets together tomorrow? I keep hearing about the blueberry pie youre now selling at the Sugarcube, but I had absolutely no time to go try it yet. This should be fixed, I think." - she posited, giving Pinkie an earnest smile. Pinkie Pie returned it tooth to tooth, exclaiming - "OOh, sure! Ill make us mors and... and... um..."

Pinkies hindlegs suddenly drummed against the stone. In the same time, Pinkies face fell. "...Ooh, Im sorry, Twilight." - she offered miserably, - "I just got twitchy-twitchy-twitch and it means you cant make it tomorrow." Twilights face took on a far-off expression as she quickly recalculated her projected schedule - "Hm. I cant make it, you say... Well, alright. How about we do it on Saturday instead?" Pinkies face lit up again with a wide smile - "Ooh, yes, sure, that works! Oh, oh ohhh, Ill make something extra tasty!"

Twilight chuckled - "Saturday it is, then. Now, the second thing?... Pinkie, grab my tail." Blinking at the unusual request, Pinkie Pie chomped down on Twilight`s tail, waiting eagerly for what was about to follow. Twilight spun her teleport cannon again. "WEEEEEEEEEE!" - apparently, Pinkie Pie quite enjoyed new way of transportation, if her excited yelp was of any indication. Both of them arrived to the spot right above the meadow and went down in a pile of limbs and giggles, much to the amusement of Rainbow Dash hovering nearby.

"Wowie-zowie-powie-kablooie! Twilight, what was that? What, what WHAT?! It was awesometastic!" - hollered Pinkie, jumping around Twilight excitedly. Twilight, for her part, stood up and brushed herself off with as much dignity as she could master, answering proudly - "That, Pinkie Pie, was my latest invention. Teleport cannon. With the help of this neat device Im no longer limited to just a few paces worth of distance - no, now I can teleport clear across Ponyville in one go. Uh, unfortunately the gain of range comes at expense of exorbitant torque needed to spin up the primary vortex, so, uh... Im the only one with magic strong enough to use it, aside from princesses."

Sighing, Twilight pulled her helmet off and shook head, letting the mane flop around freely. "Well, thats it for today, Rainbow. I got the feel for it, and now I know what to adjust and what to leave as is." - she offered, as she gauged the distance to the library. "...Um. Whats going on?" - that timid voice, without a doubt, belonged to Fluttershy, whom just appeared out of her cottage, - "Oh... Did they prank you, Twilight?" Fluttershy cast mildly disapproving glance on Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

"Hm... nope! But thank you for the idea! Cmon, Dashie!" - and with that, Pinkie Pie grabbed surprised pegasus by the hoof and dragged her into the bush. Twilight waited five seconds, then kicked the bush open. As she expected, there was no trace of Pinkie, nor of Dash, despite the fact it would be quite impossible to get out of bush without being noticed. Sighing, she turned to Fluttershy, offering her a tired smile - "Pinkie Pie. Cant understand, but can`t dispute either."

Yellow pegasus smiled back shyly - "Shes not doing that on purpose, Twilight. Shes just being Pinkie Pie." Twilight nodded, as she set the helmet down and turned to face Fluttershy properly. "To answer your question, no, its not a prank. Ive been experimenting again... And you know that safety is important when you are doing something nopony ever tried to do before." - she explained seriously. Fluttershy nodded quickly - "Oh my yes, thats really responsible of you, Twilight. And courageous too. Id never dare to try something like that."

Twilight, almost in spite of herself, puffed out her chest proudly... and then deflated with a soft sigh, as she recalled her plans. Convenient coincidence, too. She smiled at Fluttershy - "Well, experimenting is fun and important and all, but... I wouldnt want to to it all the time. Sometimes, I just want to relax with a cup of tea and good book. Speaking of which... Fluttershy, would you like to come over to my place on Thursday? Princess Celestia promised to send me some Bastian Rose Tea for tasting, and I could really use second opinion." Pegasus blushed faintly - "Oh, Id love to! Though, um, is that OK if I come in the afternoon? I`m not sure I can clear an entire morning."

Lavender unicorn lifted her helmet and placed it on her head snugly, responding - "Actually, I was going to suggest that myself. Call me old-fashioned, but I do believe that five oclock is the best time for tea. Oh well, its settled then. Thursday, five oclock, at the library." Fluttershy giggled demurely, nodding - "Thank you, Twilight. Oh, should I bring something for the tea?" Unicorn paused, mulling things over. "Well... Maybe you can pick some sugarlump biscuits at the Sugarcube Corner. Im sure theyll go well with the tea. Other then that, no, I think were all set." - she offered after a few minutes of consideration, nodding - "Now, though, I really need to get back to library. It`s getting stuffy in all this gear."

Nodding, Fluttershy waved at Twilight, staring in amazement as unicorn concentrated and used her device again, disappearing in a blink of an eye. Shaking her head, Fluttershy trotted back into her cottage. It was easy to forget just how powerful Twilight really was... up until the very moment when she`d casually perform a miracle like this. Fluttershy was well-read, unlike some of their other friends, and she was well aware only exceptionally gifted mages could teleport at distances beyond few yards. To see Twilight warp all the distance to her library? Even though she used some kind of device for that, the capability to do that was nothing short of outstanding - outstanding enough to awe Fluttershy completely.

Back in the library, Twilight pulled off her helmet, then unbuckled and cast off kneecaps, tossing the vest over them haphazardly. It was rather warm day, and being outside in padded gear made her coat sheen with sweat. Hurriedly stripping remaining gear off herself, Twilight trotted into the bathroom, leaving her stuff here and there over the floor. She`d pick everything up after the shower, she promised to herself.

Unfortunately enough, when she exited the bathroom, fresh and rejuvenated, she was met by a foot-tapping Spike and neatly folded safety gear. Her experimental device had been placed on the table. "Sorry, Spike." - she offered, looking sheepish - "I meant to put everything in place, honestly, but I needed that shower first." Little dragon continued to tap his foot, his eyes unrelenting for a few seconds more. Then he sighed and chuckled - "Thats alright, Twilight. Im your assistant, after all."

Unicorn still felt sheepish, however. "Still, it wasn`t very right of me to just toss things everywhere." - she offered in contrite tone, opening the gem chest. It was a mistake, to be sure, but Twilight had pretty good idea about how to smooth things over with little dragon. She rummaged through various gems, finally coming up with a piece of lapis lasuli. Spike noticeably perked up as he spied Twilight carrying the gem back to the bathroom. She came back a few minutes later, holding the stone in telekinetic grip.

"OOh, water infused? Thanks, Twi, you`re the best!" - proclaimed Spike as he grabbed the stone with both paws and took a hefty bite. According to dragon, enchanted gems compared to regular ones as an icecream would compare to a glass of milk. In short, they were a tasty treat - particularly so if the element helped to mitigate the weather conditions. Given that it was summer, refreshing watergem sure tickled his fancy.

Having had squared things out with her assistant, Twilight levitated the fresh parchment on the table and started jotting down Weekly Checklist. First of all, she wrote down each day. Then she penned in Teleportation Experiment, Success for Monday and immediately checked it off. Skipping Tuesday, she penned Wonderbolts Show at the Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash for Wednesday, Tea at The Library, afternoon, Fluttershy for Thursday and Blueberry Pie at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie for Saturday. For Sunday, she penned in huge question mark. That left Tuesday and Friday. Tentatively, she penned in Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack for Tuesday and Canterlot?, Rarity for Friday.

"Well, things start to shape up." - she muttered under her nose, rolling up the scroll. That grand experiment would bring her a whole new understanding of the magic, friendship, and love in general, she hoped.

Tuesday - Nutritional Logistics

Spike stretched and yawned. Strange. He was not used to wake up on his own - and thus, usually tended to sleep in whenever that happened. Today, it definitely happened - it was a quarter past eleven on the clock. Hopping up, he stretched and looked around. Twilights bed was made neatly, a piece of paper laying on it. He picked up the note, fairly confident it was meant for him. The note said - "Hey, Spike. Im out at the Sweet Apple Acres hanging out with Applejack. Count me out for dinner, I`ll have a meal in town. Have fun!"

He tossed the note into the bin for used paper and shrugged. Time to get some breakfast, then. He wholly expected a lazy day filled with nothing but lounging around the library and munching on minerals - a simple solid plan that was utterly shattered by the triple cheer that greeted him downstairs. Cutie Mark Crusaders. What`s worse, they came bearing a letter from Rarity. Swooning habitually, he unrolled and scanned through the letter quickly. Apparently, Rarity had an urgent order and was asking him to babysit CMC while she rushed some fancy dresses. Sighing, little dragon went to the kitchen, motioning fillies to follow. If today was going to be an apocalypse, he fully intended to go down with full belly.

___

Earlier today...

It was crisp and bright morning when Twilight trotted up to the gates of Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack mentioned the western orchard - it needed bucking most often, as the russeted apples tended to grow the fastest. It matched Twilights interests well, as she intended to finally persuade Applejack into letting Twilight actually taste the russeted apple. She attempted before, but Applejack was quite stalwart that they 'aint purdy enough ta eat'. At the time being, Twilight accepted that as a hint that apples were excessively sour and thus only good for pies and cider - however, later she read through the almanac of apple cultivars. The almanac`s entry on russeted apples claimed them to be among the sweetest cultivars grown in Equestria.

First things first, though. Perking her ears, Twilight listened in. A distant thump of hooves connecting with the tree told Twilight where to go. Sure enough, she encountered Applejack just a few steps into the orchard, bucking one of the trees diligently. Cowpony noticed her immediately, of course. "Oh hiya there, Twailight. Topothe mornin` to ya." - she offered, pausing her work to talk with Twilight. Unicorn smiled back easily - "Hey there, Applejack. Bucking apples as always, I see?"

"Well, yah." - replied Applejack with certainity - "Them apples aint gonna buck themselves, by golly. So, what brings ya here, Twi?" Unicorn shrugged slightly as she looked around, answering softly - "Well... I wanted to help you buck apples today, if you dont mind." That set off Applejacks mental alarms - "Now wait just a cottonpickin minute there, Twailight. Ah donno what yer been hearin, but ahm not overworking myself again, no way."

Twilight chuckled and shook her head quickly - "Oh, no, no, no, its nothing like this, Applejack. Actually, this is for me, not for you." At the inquisitive glance of the orange pony, she elaborated - "OK, look... For us unicorns, telekinesis is something we need to practice all the time. Its just like running - the more you run, the better you are at it. Now, Ive been handling some pretty heavy equipment in my laboratory last day, and it sure wasnt a walk in the park. So, I`m looking to work out some, essentially."

Applejack rubbed at the back of her neck in confusion. On one hoof, there was her pride - she did not need no help with her chores, no way, no how. On the other... On the other, it was not like Twilight thought she was unable to do the chores - no, Twilight just wanted to pitch in to work out some. That, Applejack could understand and respect. Still, she felt a bit iffy about Twilight handling apple trees with magic. "....Hrm. Well, what do ya have in mind?" - she offered finally, resolving to at least hear Twilight out before dismissing her.

"Ah, pretty simple, actually. See, you spend most of the time hauling the full baskets of apples to the barn. So I thought Ill take over hauling of baskets with magic, while you concentrate on bucking." - proposed Twilight cheerily, as she glanced at the barn in question. Its doors swung open, and a cavalcade of baskets floated out, spun around the two ponies and settled themselves under the next few fruit-laden appletrees. Applejack whistled - "...Whoa, fancy tricks there, Twi... Well, ah suppose ahm alright with that. Lets give it a try."

___

Applejack glanced upwards. Her head felt a bit dizzy from constant bucking. "Aw, dangit. Aint dinner time fornother hour. Ah could use some grub." - she muttered, as she looked over the baskets full of apples floating past her. Twilights help changed her routine quite a bit - no longer needing to fetch the baskets here and there, she did nothing but buck trees for a few hours back to back. Oh well, she wasnt about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Trotting on to the next tree, she noticed something was amiss. There was no next tree.

"....Well, ahll be darned." - she breathed out, turning around, - "Weve gone and done bucked whole orchard in one morning." Twilight beamed at her friend, wiping some sweat off her brow - levitating all those baskets was a workout on itself, and the weather was not too merciful with heat either. "That we did, Applejack. That we did." - she offered proudly, her face growing concerned a second later - "Uh, Applejack, this is not going to give you any problems, now will it?"

"Naw. Ah sell those apples by tha bulk... Actually, ah think ah might beat everypony else at tha stock exchange this month. Twi, ah insist ya stay fer dinner. Yah earned it, for sure." - replied Applejack with a grin - "Tell ya what - ya tell me what ya want fer dinner, and ahll make it, if ah know how." Pausing for a moment, Twilight offered - "Well, since were done with the job, how about a little picnic for both of us? You make us some apple snacks, I`ll set the place here."

Judging by Applejack`s grin, she liked the idea. "I gotcha, sugarcube. Will be back in a jif." - she replied eagerly, trotting towards the house. Twilight followed her with the gaze, then trotted after her. She did not go into the house, however, instead stopping at the picnic table next to CMC treehouse. Judging by the silence, CMCs were terrorising ponies elsewhere at the moment. Concentrating, Twilight opened her saddlebags. Applejack had been curious about them in the morning, of course, but Twilight dispelled the notion by admitting she intended to buy some of the freshly bucked apples. That was the truth, of course, just... not all of it.

And so, now Twilight pulled out two sheets of fabric, folding them on the benches. Then she set the little snacks she brought along with her - cubes of candied ginger, fried cashews and a shaker of black salt. She sniffed the shaker and snorted at the smell of eggs wafting from inside. Applejack was not the fanciest of mares, but even she could be enticed by the exotic treat every now and then. Speaking of which... She spied the orange mare trotting back, basket in teeth.

"...Well, ahll be... Did ya plan that too, Twi?" - muttered Applejack appreciatively, as she spied the exotic treats. Twilight responded by levitating Applejacks basket up and spreading the apple treats on the table. It seems that Applejack opted for simple, today - her offerings included apple and cabbage coleslaw, jug of apple juice, some candied apples and the ever-popular apple pie. Soon enough, both ponies were eating coleslaw eagerly. Twilight was susprised as to how much of an appetite she had. But that was hardly a problem - big portions were a tradition of Apple family, after all. "Feel laike ah could eat a tree. What about ya, Twi? Hungry too, ah bet?" - Applejack offered finally, looking up as she licked some stray buttermilk from her lip. Unicorn nodded eagerly, her mouth too full to try talking at the moment.

"I dont know what you did, Applejack, but things are just extra tasty today..." - offered Twilight after a few more minutes of eating. Orange mare merely chuckled - "Ahve done nothang, Twi, ah swear. Nothang unusual, ah mean. Granny Smith keeps tellinus dinner always tastes bettah if ya put in some good honest work before eatin." Nodding thoughtfully, Twilight pushed her empty bowl aside, and reached for the ginger cube. "Try this, Applejack. Surprisingly good for something that tickles Pinkie`s fancy." - she offered, levitating another cube towards Applejack.

"That sweet, huh?" - quipped Applejack as she snapped the cube out of air, chewing it up. Her face expression changed to puzzled, then to alarmed as she grabbed the cup and chugged some applejuice down. Twilight giggled, slowly nibbling her own cube, savoring the sweet sweet bite of ginger. "Discord touch it, what in tarnation was that, Twi?!" - gasped workpony as she slammed the cup down, - "Anhow in the name of all thats holy somethang can be so sweet ansizzlin hot in the same time?"

"Thats candied ginger, Applejack." - Twilight finally got around to chewing up her cube, - "Dont hurry when you try it. Savor it a bit, play with it a little." Eyeing the bowl of treats with distrust, Applejack poked the nuts instead. "What about the nuts?" - she quipped, a little unsure. Twilight had to chuckle, for uncertain Applejack looked simply adorable - "Cashews. Theyre... uh, nutty? I dont know how to describe their taste as anything other then nutty." That sounded good enough for Applejack, so she popped a few in her mouth. "Ah, yah, ah dig it, sugarcube. Nutty, ain`t no question about it." - she offered after a bit of consideration, - "Care for some pie?"

Twilight found herself to be quite amenable to that proposition. "Sure do." - she offered enthusiastically, taking a bite, - "Yum." Applejack wasnt far behind. Finally, after three more slices, Twilight leaned back, folding her forehooves comfortably over her full belly. "...Oh, yeah. That was quite a meal." - she offered, smiling - "Im full, though... Oof. Maybe a little too full."

"Aw, Twi, come on. Aint nothang wrong with hearty meal every now and then." - replied Applejack, looking across the table on the unicorn. Lavender mare retorted playfully - "Well, I dont see you reaching for extra helping either." Snorting, Applejack snapped up candied apple, but it was obvious her heart wasnt on it anymore. "Aight, aight, ya got me there, Twi." - she admitted, stretching on the bench with a little groan - "Ahm full too." Twilight shot her a bemused glance - "Not too full for a salt lick, I hope?"

Applejacks face drooped in a rare expression of uncertainty - "Ahm not sure about that, sugarcube. Gettinplastered in tha middle of tha day? Kinda weird ta me." Twilight snickered, levitating the shaker off the table. She stuck her tongue out languidly, shaking out a little bit of black salt on it. She could see Applejack blushing slightly at the show. And then Twilight swallowed the salt, her mind clouding for a second while her body sorted out the sudden input. "Ahh... Come on, AJ. Im pretty sure youve never tried black salt before. Just one lick. And we have applejuice, so, yknow, no need to stay dehydrated." - she cajoled, letting the shaker float around Applejack teasingly.

Still uncertain, orange mare nevertheless decided to give it a try, sticking her tongue out stubbornly and closing her eyes. "Aight, fine. Lay it on me, sugarcube." - she muttered, blushing again. For a split second, Twilight considered what would happen if she were to lean over the table and suck on that tongue. Most likely, Applejack would have a shock of her life. Amusing, but.... naaah. That might end up ugly. She flipped the shaker over Applejacks tongue briefly, casting out a tiny pink cloud of salt dust settle on workponys tongue.

"Wuth... Wha... WHAT the hay!? Why does the salt taste laike eggs!" - exclaimed Applejack incredulously, smacking her lips at the unexpected taste. Unicorn chuckled, plopping the shaker on the table right before her friend. "Black salt. Also known as pink salt or mountain salt. It smells and tastes like eggs because it contains sulfur." - she explained patiently, sipping some juice - "Which, coincidentally, is good for health, if eaten in a bound form like this."

Applejack stared at Twilight incredulously. "...Only ya, Twailight. Only ya could turn picnic inta lesson." - she replied, shaking her head. Unicorn smirked and capped the shaker, floating a cup of juice to her friend - "Have a drink. Im guessing you dont want to be dehydrated all afternoon, now do you?" Nodding, orange mare grabbed the floating cup with both hooves and downed it in one fell chug, slamming he empty cup on the table after- "Ah, yah. That`s tha stuff, by golly."

Unicorn smirked again - "Good. I was hoping to get you all buttered up, because I have a favor to ask." Applejacks posture straightened immediately as she peered at Twilight intently - "Uh-huh, so whats that abo... oooh, no, ya dont. Ah done tole ya, them russeted apples aint purdy enough ta eat, and ahm not budgin on that." Lavender mare pretended to sulk for a moment, then fixed Applejack with a rather intense and maybe even slightly steamy gaze. "Oh. Too bad. If that`s the case, would you go out with me instead?" - she offered.

"Ahm glad ya.... WHAT?!!" - as soon as Twilights words registered, Applejack jerked up straight, as if she just swallowed a poker, - "Twailight, ah must have misheard ya. Ya cant be seriousbout askinme out, now can ya be?" Unicorn leaned on the table, resting her head against her hoof, flashing a tilted smile at Applejack - "Oh, no no no, you heard me right. Weve had fun just now, didnt we? I like you, you like me, whats the problem?"

Cautiously, workpony searched for the right words. Finally, she offered - "Twi? Please, dont take it tha wrong way, but ahm just not into ya. Ahm sorry if yer sweet on me, but ah dont laike mares that way." For a moment, it seemed that time itself was frozen between two mares, but then Twilight smiled again, offering a slight shrug. "Ah. Well, no problem." - she responded airily, - "Lets just be friends, then." That wasnt the reaction Applejack expected to see.

"Are ya sure, sugarcube?" - she ventured cautiously, - "Ahm sorry, ah really am. Is there anythang ah can do ta smooth things over?" Twilight regarded her with a cool gaze. "Weeeell... there is one thing. Id be much happier if you`d let me taste the russeted apples." - she finally responded, giving Applejack a little smirk. That smirk vanished, however, as Applejack slammed her hoof on the table, standing up. "Confound it, Twailight! Did ya asked me out only ta taste the darn apples!?" - she exclaimed angrily, her nostrils flaring as she leaned over the table.

"No." - a short and concise reply from Twilight threw Applejack off the loop. She could tell Twilight was entirely honest with that answer - but she also felt confusion and anger in her own head. "Well, then, what was that supposed ta mean?" - she asked, looking on unicorn intently. Lavender mare shrugged, folding her front hooves neatly on the table as she adopted a lecturing posture subconsciously.

"What it meant? Exactly what it sounded like." - she offered seriously, her gaze making direct contact with Applejacks, - "I assure you, Ive asked you out in all honesty, and I would have been delighted to go on a date with you, if you deemed it fit to accept my offer. As far as things stand... I can respect your decision. You like stallions and thats a fair and logical reason to decline. Obviously enough, I dont think of you any less for it, and I hope you won`t think any less of me for making the offer in first place."

"Twailight. Ahm pretty sure ya haveta be sweet on somepony to ask them out." - responded Applejack, as she backed off slightly, taking a seat again. "Oh, I do like you." - responded Twilight lightly, - "That much I can honestly state. Unfortunately, I dont know all that much about romance, and I hoped to learn more if I started dating. So I am not sure about how sweet I am on you, as you put it." Orange hoof rose up and connected to orange forehead with a groan. "Twi... It aint gonna work that way." - workpony offered after a few seconds of silence - "Ya haveta figure out whom yer sweet on before askin them out, ah reckon."

Unicorn shrugged. "I have no idea how would I figure that out, AJ. The only way I can think of is through the experiment... And it seems to me that thats pretty much how everypony does it." - she explained, lifting another ginger cube to her lips - "And even if todays experiment wasnt a success, its not a failure either. I learned something about you, about me... and I`m hoping I do get to learn about russeted apples, after all."

Letting out a small chuckle, Applejack waved her hoof. "Fine, Twi, ya win. Ya can taste them russeted apples, but ah assure ya, they aint purdy enough ta eat." - she replied, resting her head on the hooves as she mulled things over. An apple floated from the barn. Applejack sighed as she glanced at it. Criss-crossed all over with brown lines and dots, that kind of apple wouldnt fetch a good price on the market. Still, if Twilight wanted to try it so much, she could - just so she could see why it wasnt a good idea to taste one. She watched, eyebrow cocked as Twilight bit into the apple with a soft crunch, a trickle of apple juice running over her chin as she did. Applejack found herself blushing again, and she coudlnt even say why.

"Suns glory..." - muttered unicorn, looking on the apple in her hoof with a weird expression. "Twi? Ah tole ya, it aint purdy enough ta eat." - offered Applejack tiredly. She knew russeted apples didnt sell. Twilights words astonished her, however. "What are you talking about, AJ? Its the sweetest apple Ive ever tasted." - she offered, as she took another bite, letting out a little moan of pleasure. Applejack was pretty sure she was just teasing.

"Ah know theyre sweet like honey, Twi." - orange mare offered thoughtfully, - "But they aint purdy." Twilight looked at her with strange expression, apple in her hooves already reduced to a core. "AJ? I want a bushel of those." - she said, her face serious and elated in the same time, - "And before you say something? I don`t care how they look. I care how sweet they are."

Wednesday - Corrective Aerodynamics

Today, Twilight was again up and at it bright and early. The show was scheduled for two past midday, which meant she had a morning to settle some affairs. Well, after one frantic Rainbow Dash would be calmed, that is. "Come on, Twi, were gonna be late! Your balloons too slow, we wont make it to the show in time." - she insisted, tugging Twilights foreleg insistently. Theoretically, thought unicorn, Dash was right. Balloon was quite a slow method of movement, and depending on air currents, it might be indeed necessary to leave soon, if she were to reach Cloudsdale on the balloon. But she wasn`t planning on that.

"Calm down, Dash. Im not taking balloon." - she responded firmly, shaking pegasus grip from her foreleg. Dash didnt think much of that, that could be seen on her face. "What do you mean, not taking balloon? How are you going to get to Cloudsdale? I may be the best flier, but even I wont be able to carry you all the way there, Twi." - she retorted. Twilight let out a little snort - "Oh come on, Dash. Did you forget what we were testing, already? Trust me, we`ll be arriving to Cloudsdale in style."

"Oh... OH! Your new teleport thing! Yeah, yeah that sounds awesome... um, wait, are you sure? I mean, are you sure you can teleport me as well?" - it was obvious that pegasus needed additional reassurance. Twilight shook her head, chuckling - "Why not? I teleported with Pinkie without any troubles the day before yesterday, remember? Dont be so nervous, Rainbow. I promise you, we will not be late for that show. Why dont you read a book or something? I need to pick something up from Rarity."

"Nah. Next Daring Do book isnt out yet, and Ive already read the rest." - replied Rainbow Dash, her face looking pensive - "I wish theyd come out more often. Its always such a bother to wait till the next one." Twilight paused at the doors - "Well, Dash, you know... Daring Do isnt the only adventure series I have. Why dont you try something else?" Dashs face fell slightly. "I tried, Twi." - she offered with a sigh - "I tried reading "On Beyond Zebra", but its just plain weird. I thought it would be something about zebrican lands, and it`s about alphabet instead. Bleh."

Twilight facehoofed. "I knew I shouldve put that silly book in the vault." - she groused, rubbing the bridge of her nose with hoof - "Im sorry, Dash. Its a book Ive pulled from the reality fissure, its likely written in another world and, frankly, is outright weird. Im surprised its written in equestrian, actually." She turned around, and skimmed through the adventure section of the library. "Aha!" - exclaimed unicorn triumphantly as she pulled rather thick book from the shelf - "Adventures of Captain Blood. Youll like this one, Dash. Its about pirates." Pegasus made a face - "What, like "arr, landlubber" kind of pirates? Thanks, Twi, but Im not a foal." Twilight snorted - "Yeah, youre also not an egghead, Dash. Dont worry, pirates in this book are not the playground variety."

"Oh, yeah? So whats the backstory on this captain Blood then?" - retorted Rainbow Dash dubiously, as she stared at the hardcover book with distrust. Sighing, Twilight hoisted up her saddlebags and plopped them on her back, offering - "Why dont you read to find out, Dash? I really need to get to Carousel Boutique before midday, you know." She trotted out, leaving the perplexed pegasus hovering over the book.

___

"Hello... Rarity? Rarity?" - Twilight poked around the boutique curiously. It was very strange - the door was open, the things were laid out, but no proprietor. The mystery was solved quickly, though, as she peeked into the kitchen. There, with a mouth full of cake and a deer-in-the-headlights expression was the Rarity herself. Twilight chuckled. "Im sorry, Rarity. Ill wait in the studio while you handle things here." - she offered, walking out again. A few seconds later, Rarity joined her, cheeks red from abundant blush. "I`m very sorry you had to see that, darling." - she offered, looking to the side.

"I saw nothing wrong, Rarity." - interjected Twilight, shaking her head, - "We all have our little guilty pleasures." Heaving a little sigh, Rarity nodded - "Well, thank you for discretion, darling. Why, if it were Rainbow Dash in your place, I simply would not be able to live it down ever." Lavender mare let out a quiet laugh - "You neednt worry - shes at the library reading. Speaking of Rainbow Dash - I must really hurry, Rarity. Is my dress ready yet?" Nodding, white mare pulled the chest open - "I think it is, darling, but we need to fit you one last time to make sure everything is fine and all the parts are in proper place."

As it turned out, everything was just fine. Normally, Twilight wouldnt opt for a dress made after pegasi fashion, but for this particular outing, she needed an accommodation for wings. "If I may be so bold, darling, whats the occasion?" - quipped Rarity as she considered the last-minute adjustments. Shrugging, Twilight offered - "Ive promised Rainbow Dash Ill go see Wonderbolts show with her later today."

"Oh, I gathered that much, dear, but why the dress? Sadly, Rainbow Dashs one of those ponies who pay little attention to the fineries of life, so to say." - responded white unicorn as she stepped back to admire her work - "Speaking of whom, you and Dash, darling? So it is true that opposites attract?" Twilight shook her head - "Ah, sorry to disappoint you, Rarity, but Im not dating Dash. Its just a repayment, of sorts, for her help with all my experiments." Raritys face fell - "Oh. Oh dear. And here I was, assuming a torrid love affair between two of my best friends. How uncouth of me."

Purple mare giggled, as she turned around in front of mirror, checking out her new dress - "Well, me and Rainbow Dash? It`s certainly just about as plausible as me and you." That offhoof remark caught Rarity off the balance. "Come again, dear? Me and you? Why, how did that idea even came to be?" - she quipped, unsure of her feelings at the moment. Twilight shrugged, as she turned around to look at Rarity instead of mirror - "Oh, you know me. Always overanalysing everything."

Unsure, Rarity chewed on her lower lip - "Well, that is not to say that Im not... I mean, its not like its anything out of..." She facehoofed - "Oh dear. Look at me, all confused and bothered by a simple joke. Hahah." Twilight raised her brow. "You know, maybe in your case I underanalysed." - she offered quietly - "You certainly seem to be perturbed by the notion." Raritys face took on a peculiar expression as she defended herself - "Oh, nonsense, darling. I`ve just been caught off-guard by that, hrm, notion. Nothing more to it."

Carefully, Twilight levitated her dress off and folded it into the saddlebag neatly, offering in the same time - "You dont seem to be convinced of that yourself." She raised her hoof before Rarity could mount another objection - "I have an idea, Rarity. How about we have a date, just you and me? A little outing to Canterlot, perhaps?" She could tell her remark hit the spot, if the perplexed mix of emotions on Raritys face was of any indication. Very cautiously, fashionista offered - "Well... What do you have in mind?"

Twilight tapped her temple with hoof as she considered the options - "How about Friday? I was thinking Royal Arts Academy, then we can dine on the city and attend the Grand Opera in the evening? Ought to be fairly low-key this week, if I remember the schedules right." Rarity blinked, unsure - "Friday? Wouldnt that mean well have to leave on Thursday evening and spend at least one night there?" Magician chuckled - "Oh, no, nothing of a sort, Rarity. You know what was Dash helping me with? Long-range teleportation. At this moment, I can confidently claim I can teleport both of us to Canterlot and back within single day."

"Twilight, darling... Im not sure..." - Rarity sighed and rubbed the base of her horn with hoof - "I mean, are you sure its a good idea?" Twilight merely shrugged, as she hoisted the bags on her back and opened the door. "Im positive that it will be a learning experience for us both, if nothing else." - she offered confidently, shooting a smile at Rarity - "Other then that? Lets say its a friends date, unless something changes during the course of it." Rarity nodded slowly. She wasnt sure. Wasn`t sure at all.

___

"Dash? Rainbow Dash? Equestria to Dash, over!" - gradually, pegasus realised someponys yelling at her. She looked up from the book languidly, unable and unwilling to shake off the alternate reality of swashbuckling just yet, muttering irritably - "Yes?" Twilight chuckled. "Well, if youd rather read then go see Wonderbolts..." Dash glanced on the book. Then out of the window. Then on the book again. That - that made Twilight blink in surprise. To think that Dash was seriously considering abandoning the show just to finish the book? Unreal.

"Uh, Dash? You can always finish the book tomorrow... unlike the show." - she reminded, trotting closer. That snapped pegasus out of her daze. "Oh! Oh, yeah, right." - Rainbow Dash was certainly taken by the book. Taken so much that it took her a couple minutes to start registering the surroundings. But once she did, she was treated to a sight of Twilight in a dress - and with a set of lavender moth wings fluttering over her back. "Twilight?..." - ultimately, Dash knew what it was about, but she needed verbal confirmation to let it sink in.

Unicorn shrugged - "I decided to dress up a bit. Want to do the same? You have five minutes to dash to your house and grab your dress, if youre up to it. Oh, and Ive already checked this book out for you, so you can take it home." Pegasus blinked. Now it was her turn to be surprised - "I... you what?... Twi, you`re scaring me, sometimes." Still, upon thinking about it a little, blue mare deduced the overall idea to be good - "I... yeah, alright." She grabbed the book and dashed out of the window, absentmindedly noting the midday sun.

Six and half minutes later, Rainbow Dash flew back in, sporting a short dress and looking vaguely uneasy. "How do I look, Twilight?" - she questioned in a rare show of self-consciousness. Unicorn looked over her, smirking - "I think handsome would be the right adjective to use." Initially, she planned so say pretty, but passed that adjective over in favor of more masculine-sounding to appeal to Dash`s tomboy persona. Apparently, that was the right call. "Ready to go, Dash?" - she offered, as she fluttered upstairs, testing her new wings.

"Twi?... Why are we going... upstairs... OH!" - Rainbow cut her question short as she realised theyve walked out on the balcony. Spike was already there, looking into telescope of all things. "Hey, Rainbow Dash." - he offered jovially, - "Looking good today." Pegasus blushed faintly. Getting an offhand compliment from Spike cinched the situation - she was dressed up. Twilight tapped Spike on the shoulder - "Everythings ready?" Dragon nodded, as he tapped the piece of parchment - "Heres the numbers. I doublechecked and I cant find anything wrong." Nodding, unicorn began her routine of aligning the teleport device. "Rainbow Dash? Come on closer." - she offered, peering through the ocular, - "Grab to the handle on my right side."

Indeed, she had updated her teleport cannon, now featuring a handy handle on the side for a passenger to grab on. Rainbow Dash did that much, putting her hoof on the curved brass securely, calling out - "Ready!" Unicorn tapped her hoof... And suddenly... Pegasus let go of the handle and looked around. They were suddenly on the outskirts of Cloudsdale, the area where the clouds tapered off into the blue nothingness. "...So thats how the teleport feels." - she offered softly, taking in the sights. Its been a while since she was in Cloudsdale. Soft giggle cut though her reverie, though.

"Now I can see why Rarity was so weird back then." - Twilight opined, as she fluttered over the cloud cautiously - "Having wings is something... else." She tapped the cloudfluff testingly with her hoof. It held, and she landed cautiously, folding the gossamer wings out of the way. "Lead on, Rainbow." - she offered, smiling at the pegasus - "We have an hour before the show. Any good places to eat nearby?"

___

Rainbow Dash didnt know what went wrong. Or, more precisely, she could pinpoint every individual thing that went wrong, but she had no idea what possessed her to follow through with this course of mental destruction. So there she was, sharing a plate of escargot with Twilight Sparkle and laughing at mathematical jokes of all things. Pegasus wasnt exactly as ignorant of the fine sciences as shed like everyone to think - handling the weather required certain understanding of mathematical, physical and even chemical aspects, an understanding that came naturally for pegasi. Still, even though they were naturally apt with practical implementation, Rainbow Dash didnt like to admit she was no slouch with theory either. Too many unpleasant memories from schooldays. So why were she so carefree with Twilight?

Maybe because Twilight could sympathise on the level none of the other friends could. Fluttershy, Celestia bless her, was never particularly apt with calculative part of being a pegasus. She tried to be, she really did, but her fancy lied in the poetry and romance and sappy books. Rainbow craved adventure and precision - something sorely lacking in her friends until Twilight came along. "...You know, Twilight, I never thought you of all ponies would go for griffon food." - she opined, nibbling on the stick of brined cheese. Unicorn shrugged, making her moth wings wave around goofily - "Oh, Canterlot Castle kitchen is rather eclectic. I actually had gone through the phase of "tasting everything" back when I was studying in the castle. Well, I meant everything in the sense of "every dish that castle kitchen can prepare readily". Escargot were among the few carnivorous dishes I actually liked. Speaking of escargot, how did you figure out you like them?"

"Gilda." - offered pegasus simply, as she finished her cheese stick - "We were pretty competitive back in school days, and sometimes, it was about food. I still dont know what she saw in lobsters, but escargot... I guess its my guilty pleasure. Fluttershy would keel over if she`d ever found out." Twilight nodded thoughtfully as she took a sip of dandelion wine - "Oh, yes. Poor dear does take every living being so seriously - even the ones that exist for the express purpose of being eaten."

Feeling a little uneasy with that particular bit, Rainbow sought to change the topic of conversation. Thankfully, the opportunities were wide. "I just realised its been ages since I just watched Wonderbolts show." - she ventured, reaching for another cheese stick - "It seems like every time I watched them ever since I left school, Im either taking part unwittingly or saving them from flailing unicorn or something else. Makes you wonder, doesnt it?" Purple mare laughed softly - "Oh Dash, you have no idea. If anypony told me the two years ago Im going to be a librarian in a rural burg, Id laugh in their face. Lifes thrown us big old curveball with the Elements. Still... I wouldn`t trade it for anything."

"I hear ya, Twi." - offered pegasus, as she leaned on the table, - "Id never imagine how things turned out... But I wouldnt change a single one." That struck an odd note - not even the words itself, but the maudlin mood with which Rainbow Dash uttered them. "Not a single one?" - quipped unicorn, suddenly feeling a need to investigate - "Come on, Dash. Surely, there are some things you regret. I certainly do. That whole debacle with the Mr. Smartypants, for example. Or turning Scootaloo into chicken. I`d take back those things if I could."

Pegasus shook her head rather fiercely, as she pondered the response. "I dont think I would, Twi." - she finally responded, unusually seriously for her usual brash attitude - "I mean sure, some of things I did sucked, and I felt awful for doing them afterwards, but... Yknow, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Every time I think about taking back something that sucked, I just have to ask myself - if I didnt do that, if I didnt learn that lesson back there and then, just how much worse I could`ve cocked up later?"

Twilight leaned around the table and patted Rainbows foreleg - "Its about Gilda again, isnt it?" She took a shot in the dark with this guess - an educated shot and educated guess, granted, but... Pegasus let out a soft sigh. "Yeah. I think. Too many old memories around here." - she offered, somewhat bitterly, but without malice - "The streets, the food, the show..." Unicorn quirked her brow - "You miss her, dont you?"

Rainbow Dash let out a tired chuckle - "Id say yes, but that would be a lie. No, I dont miss Gilda. If anything, I resent her for being whom I thought I wanted to be. And in the same time, I feel sorry for making her think Im something I wasnt. Aint self-reflection grand, Twilight?" Unicorn shook her head - 'Thats just salt talking, not you." She levitated a glass of mineral water to pegasus - "Here, drink up. That`ll clear off your funk." Pegasus downed the glass without looking, her face pensive and determined in the same time.

"You know, Twilight? I used to be an egghead." - she offered suddenly, glancing around, - "And because of that, school sucked. Well, not the school itself, but everypony else who went to school with me. Except for Fluttershy, that is. But Fluttershy just wasn`t into the same kind of thing I was." Purple mare nodded, her face pensive as well when she continued - "And then Gilda came along, and she was into the stuff you liked... but she was cooler then you. So you tried to act like she does. Right?"

Blue mare sighed again - "Bingo. The scary thing? It worked." She shook her head and cracked a smile - "But you see, I learned something from it. I learned I can be arrogant without being a jerk." Twilight could tell the joke was just a tiny bit forced, but she run with it. "Thats the spirit, Dash." - she offered, smiling back - "Everythings a learning experience, if nothing else. Though some experiences are better then other, Im guessing." Now the smile was much more genuine. "Oh, yeah, Id say. Finding out you like escargot is one heck of a learning experience." - opined Dash with a chuckle.

Twilight made a bit of face, as she considered the empty plate - "Id love to learn more about that one, but too much of exotic treat is never a good thing." Rainbow let out a short barking laugh - "You know, thats exactly the kind of thing Im thinking about Gilda right now. Too much of her wasnt a good thing for me." Sipping her wine daintily, Twilight ventured - "I wonder why nopony realised you were dating before. In retrospect, it`s blindingly obvious."

Dashs face scrunched momentarily, and Twilight realised she hit the nerve. Hard. "We werent." - Rainbow Dash said fiercely, - "I was never interested in her in that way." Unicorn nibbled on her lower lip thoughtfully. That.. was interesting, to say the least. "Well... From what I do remember of her, she acted like you two used to date and then broke up." - she offered at last, - "Im sorry if Ive jumped to conclusions, but it`s really rather obvious she was jealous about you."

"Really? I never catch on to that stuff." - responded pegasus, looking aside - "Makes sense, though. I wondered why she suddenly cranked up bitching to eleven." Very... interesting. Twilight picked up her glass and took another sip, mulling over her options. That being Rainbow Dash, probably the best course of action would be just to ask things straight... and be ready to grab in case she bolts. "You mean you never realised? Come on, Dash, surely the topic had came up during your school days." - she ventured, smiling at pegasus.

"Sure did. About Gilda, Fluttershy and just about any other mare Ive ever walked past. So I kind of stopped listening to that years ago." - proffered pegasus, as she pushed away from the table slightly, - "Twi, Im full. Can we take a walk or something? I need some fresh air." She waved to the waiter, but he merely flashed a smile back. "Ugh. Whats wrong with him? Cant he see I`m ready to pay the bill?" - she groused. Twilight chuckled - "Actually, I already paid when you were at the powder room." She tipped the glass, draining the rest of dandelion wine and stood up - "So, ready when you are, Dash."

Trotting out after unicorn, Dash couldnt hold back the indignant - "Now whyd you do that?" Twilight just shrugged, looking up and down the street - "Which way..? Oh, and you paid for the meal before the show, remember? So its only fair." Pegasus didnt have the good objection to that, so she resorted to incoherent grunt instead.

___

"Ah, so much better! This, Twi, is what life really is. No hastle, no bustle, no emo stuff... Just clouds, wind and you." - Rainbow Dash proclaimed as she flopped languidly on the small cloud. Twilight settled next to her gingerly, still not quite trusting in the supportive capacities of the fluff barely big enough to hold two of them. They were lazily floating away from Cloudsdale, in the general direction of Ponyville. "I can certainly see the appeal." - offered Twilight cautiously, - "Had fun, Rainbow? I sure did."

Pegasus looked up lazily. "Yes. I had lots of fun." - she offered, - "But right now... Can you finally tell me what are you buttering me up for?" Twilight smirked - "Caught me, huh? So what gave me out?" Rainbow shrugged - "Paying for the dinner, mostly. Not even you would treat me to Aile De Lor on the lark. Too.. whats the word?... formal, I guess." Unicorn nodded, rolling to her side a little as she let her wings splay on the cool cloudfluff. "I suppose. Well, to be honest, I wanted the skinny on you and Gilda. I mean, its rather obvious she had some romantic aspirations... And just as obviously, you didnt reciprocate that much." - she offered after a moment of silence.

For a while, Dash just lounged silently. Then she sighed - "Ask something easier, Twi. I really have no idea whats the deal with featherbrain. I know theres been rumors about us dating, but as I said, there are rumors about me and just about every mare in the town. So I never paid much attention to it. Gilda never brought that up with me, though. So even if she wanted to date, she sure kept mum about it." Twilight nodded thoughtfully - "I take it you didn`t want to date Gilda, did you?"

Rainbow shook her head slightly. "No, not really." - she responded after another short silence - "To be honest, I dont even know where all the rumors come from. Its not like theres a writing on my forehead saying "fillyfooler", now is there?" Twilight frowned - "Somethings wrong with being fillyfooler?" That certainly alerted pegasus a little - "Gah, no. I mean, if somepony figures out they are, well power to them and all that jazz. What I dont get is why everypony thinks Im one."

"Well... you are a shoe-in for a butch stereotype, Dash." - responded Twilight thoughtfully, - "Tomboyish, brash and loyal. Pretty much the staple archetype. Are you telling me that you, in fact, like stallions?" Judging by Rainbows grimace, that wasnt it either - "Thats the thing. I have no bloody idea." How very curious. And peculiar. Her interest peaked, making Twilight roll over again so she could face Rainbow Dash directly - "Aha, so thats how things are, Dash? You honestly never had interest in anypony?"

Pegasus groaned - "Yeah, pretty much. I just dont get it, Twilight. Why is everypony so crazy about this dating stuff?" Twilight looked on the mare before her. Clueless Rainbow Dash was adorkable. Acting on an impulse, she pulled forward, her face next to Dashs. "Lets see if I can demonstrate." - she breathed into blue ear, leaning closer and letting her lips brush against Rainbows. She felt the rush of intimacy pass through her body, exciting her. But... something was amiss.

"Twi? Why did you do that?" - asked pegasus quietly, as she pulled back from her friend. Twilights eyebrow quirked - "Well, that is the most demonstrable part of dating. The idea of intimacy is exciting." She couldnt figure out the peculiar expression on Rainbows face, though. "Exciting, huh?" - she repeated, throwing her head back - "Im sorry, Twilight, but I don`t feel anything. Exciting, I mean." Unicorn pulled back, nibbling on her lip as she mulled over the response.

"I guess that proves in black and white youre not interested in mares, Rainbow." - she offered finally, - "If you were, youd have some kind of reaction." Pegasus responded with a groan. "Thats the bloody thing. I dont feel anything about stallions either." - she responded, sitting up, - "I tried. What is this excitement everyones talking about?" "Well... your heartbeat goes a bit faster, you feel warm, you get that feeling of anticipation..." - offered lavender mare as she pondered the situation - "Maybe youre just asexual, Dash?"

"Asexual?... What do you mean, asexual? As in, neither a mare nor a stallion or what?" - Rainbow Dash inquired warily, - "Im pretty certain I am a mare, Twi." Unicorn laughed a little - "Oh, no, not that. Asexual ponies are the kind of ponies who dont date because they dont feel attracted to anypony. Come to think of it, asexual ponies usually have some kind of overarching life goal, too. Kind of like you and your love of flying. Do you get excited when youre flying your tricks, Dash? Do you feel the heartbeat, the warmth, the anticipation?"

For a few seconds, Rainbows face was perfectly still as she mulled things over. "...Huh. You know, Twi, now that you mention it... Yes, I do get excited about flying. So what does that mean?" - she offered slowly, - "Its not like I need to see doctor about it or something, now is it?" Twilight rolled her eyes a bit and giggled - "No, no, it`s perfectly normal to be asexual, Dash. A lot of ponies are like that, actually. I have a couple of books about it in back in the library, you can check them out later."

"Huh. So you dont think something is wrong with me, then? Its OK if I just... dont want to?" - pegasus drawled as she struggled to wrap her mind around the concept. She felt surprised about how well it fit her situation. "Wait a second. Twi, why did you want to know in the first place?" - she demanded suddenly, fixing unicorn with intense stare. "...Well... To be honest, I considered asking you out." - replied unicorn sheepishly, - "But its alright, weve already figured out youre not interested." Rainbow`s hoof connected to her forehead with a loud clap. "Twilight..." - she groaned in disappointment.

"Dash. Its OK, really. To be honest, Im also quite clueless about dating." - implored Twilight - "Please dont be mad." Rainbow slammed her hoof into the cloud - "Why me, Twilight? Because I oh so "obviously" dig mares, is that it?" Unicorn shook her head slowly. "Actually, youre not the first." - she replied, - "Ive been asking Applejack out yesterday. She said no, by the way." And with that, Rainbows irritation was immediately replaced with utter astonishment.

"You... and AJ? Bwahah!... Oh, dear, I wish shed say yes. You two, dating? Would be hilarious." - she offered at last. Twilight took the response as a sign of mollification. "Im just trying to figure out dating." - she offered to bemused pegasus, - "Unlike you, I do get excited about it... but I havent figured out whom I can date just yet. Thats what Ive been trying to do." "Sooo... youre a fillyfooler then?" - inquired pegasus cheekily.

"...Maybe. Or bisexual, at the very least." - answered Twilight after a few moments of thinking, - "I can certainly get excited about a mare." Rainbow nudged her playfully with the hoof - "Im cool with that... so long as its not me youre excited about. Because that would get weird." Lavender mare shook her head - "After today? Im pretty certain I want to be just friends, Dash. Pretty certain indeed."

Neverday - Lucid Dreaming

Sighing, Twilight punted her pillow with hoof. She just couldnt get comfortable. Sleeping on the back, as she liked, was out of question at the moment - wings havent dissipated yet, and it was pretty certain that crushing fragile appendages would hurt. Not that much, per ce, but still quite enough to possibly keep her up whole night. Unfortunately, sleeping on her front proved to be less then comfortable. She needed some kind of distraction.

She let out another sigh and cast a discreet light before herself, levitating notebook in front of her nose. This particular one was used to keep her notes and observations on dating. Applejack was apparently heterosexual, she recalled, checking her notes. She could see that her offer unsettled Applejack. Chances are that if she, Twilight, were to find herself hopelessly in love with Applejack, orange mare would not budge on this. Not without something drastic happening to her. She briefly wondered if any of the stallions in the town had any designs on Applejack. Farmer was pretty attractive, after all, in a simplistic healthy way.

Rainbow Dash... was uninterested, plain as day. That revelation came quite out of left field, she mused, as she tapped the pencil against the scroll. It`s been "common knowledge" that Rainbow Dash is homosexual. Apparently, that "common knowledge" stemmed from the fact she tried to go out with some of the local stallions and utterly failed to find the concept enticing. That led Twilight to wonder how come none of the local mares made a pass on Dash before. Or maybe they did and Dash turned them down. But why then the assumption of her interest would be there? She shook her head. Maybe it was because Dash looked like living breathing stereotype of butch dyke.

Of course, Rainbow Dash also had certain obtuseness about her - she tended to dismiss things out of hoof only to find them enticing once she was forced, coerced or challenged into them. Maybe Dash would find sex more attractive then dating. That is, assuming she never had sex before. Maybe she did and felt nothing about it, just like she felt nothing about a kiss Twilight stole. Oh well, she could ask Dash about it later.

Twilight let go of the light spell and set the notebook on the night table. Now... nope. No sleepiness still. She groaned. Time to use artillery. Rifling thought her mind, unicorn recalled what she could about sleep-inducing spells. Needlepoints Knockout... No, thats for medical anaesthesia. It was never meant to be self-cast. OK, what else. Gigglers Sleeping Prank? Great, except it caused the affected pony to wet the bed as well. Hm. Lucid Dream?... Well, that caused to share dream with somepony else... And she had nopony nearby. So shed share the dream with nearest creature that`s currently dreaming. That would be either Spike, or one of her neighbors. Likely Spike. Yuck. She shared dream with him a couple of times - not an easy experience, considering his dreams were pretty much a temple to Rarity.

Speaking of Rarity... Twilight blinked as she remembered about her date with Rarity. Scheduled for Friday. No doubt, Spike wouldnt be happy about it. She supposed she should feel guilty, but... After seeing Spikes dreams, she came to a startling conclusion that Spike wouldnt know real Rarity from a knot in the wood. His "love", if it could be called so, revolved around his mental image of Rarity - which had next to nothing in common with bona fide article. Twilight sorely hoped hed outgrow it on his own.

Argh, this is going nowhere! She rubbed hoof over her nose irritably. At that rate, shed have to cast location spell just to catch her train of thought. Wait.. LOCATION SPELL! EUREKA! Combining Lucid Dream with Contagions Attraction would let her share the dream with somepony who WANTED to see a dream about Twilight Sparkle. Grinning at her own craftiness, she cast the spell... And nothing happened. ...Right. It was not a certainty anypony wanted to dream about her to begin with. Disappo...

___

Twilight looked around warily. How strange. She was in the tiny kitchen, wearing an apron. Pot bubbled merrily on the stove, and almost absentmindedly, she reached out, grasping ladle in her telekinetic grip and stirring the soup within. It smelled wonderfully. "I`m a cook?" - she quipped incredulously, glancing around. "More like... housewife." - voice was gratingly familiar, and yet... Twilight was certain she heard it before, but only for a brief time. A daily acquaintance, most likely. Who?

She turned around, and came practically nose to nose with Trixie. "You?..." - exclaimed lavender mare incredulously, taking a step back. Trixie chuckled. She was dressed in her usual garb of cape and hat - only in this dream, her clothes were quite obviously expensive. Instead of dyed and painted linen, it was silk, and stars were little gems grafted into the fabric magically. "Hello there, dear. Is the dinner ready?" - she quipped rather amiably.

Trixie? Dreaming about her, Twilight, being a housewife? To whom? To Trixie? Holy bucking Discord riding Nightmare Moon, what the bloody hell? Shocked and confused, Twilight turned around, checking the pot. "A minute or two still, darling." - she responded cautiously. No need to disrupt the normal flow of dream just yet. Trixie flopped on the chair, smiling slightly. "Trixie had a lucrative day. Tiring, but lucrative." - she offered, stretching out.

"Really? Do tell, dear. I like to hear about your work. Its always incredible to hear what great and powerful things youve accomplished." - she cajoled, stirring the pot again. If Trixie wanted to dream about this? Twilight would milk it for all that its worth. Blue mare let out a soft laugh - "Trixie was performing at the circus in the morning. Nothing too grandiose, just the usual routine. It was great enough to attract mayors children, though, so in the evening Trixie was performing a private show at mayors banquet. Good payoff, although Trixie feels she couldve done more if she had the time to put some stage equipment in place. Oh well."

Taking the pot off the stove, Twilight levitated it on the counter, lading out the steaming broth into two bowls. She wondered if Trixies dream would entail some particular kind of denigration for her - like, not being allowed to eat with Trixie or something equally unsavory. However, judging by Trixies reaction, she did exactly what was expected. Interesting. Twilight levitated the bowls to the table, quickly throwing together the rest of necessities to enjoy a meal, like spoons, bread and other things.

Trixie sampled the broth and smiled again. "That tastes great, Twilight." - she offered, dipping a slice of bread into the soup and nibbling it. Quirking brow, lavender mare took a sit across Trixie and took a spoonful of broth herself. It was indeed good. Time to up the ante. "I tried really hard for my beloved." - she offered, taking a bite of bread to stifle the groan that she just HAD to let out at the corniness of that line. She saw Trixies eyes widen in alarm. OK, now that was a dream flow disruption. Dream had Trixie cohabitating with Twilight, clearly. Surely, a mere suggestion of intimacy wouldnt turn Trixie`s dream into nightmare?

Trixie put her hooves on the table, pushing the bowl of soup to the side. "...Alright, Twilight. Trixie had enough of this charade. Why are you in Trixies dream?" She facehoofed at Twilights dumbfound expression - "Oh, come on, Twilight Sparkle. Trixie is an expert in illusion magic. Would you really expect Trixie not to notice she`s sharing dream with you?"

Twilight nipped her lip. What to do, what to do? She decided to seek refuge in audacity - by being honest. "I had no idea it would be your dream Id end up in." - she offered, blushing slightly - "I cast Contagions Attraction over Lucid Dream. Just wanted to end up in the dream of somepony whod want to dream about me." Trixie blinked. Twice. Then again. "...Youre a dirty mare, Twilight Sparkle." - she offered at last, - "Jumping into dreams about you?..."

"What do you mean, dirty!? Its not like I did that to do something weird to whoever... And looks whos talking. It was YOU who wanted to dream about me, remember?" - Twilight exclaimed in indignation. Trixie facehooved. "For crying out loud, Twilight Sparkle. What kind of dream would you expect anypony to have, if they want a young attractive supple mare in it? Chances are it would be a wet dream. DUH." - she retorted - "If Trixie were a stallion, you`d probably be bent over that table already, sheesh."

"...Its charming to know youre entertaining such notions about me, Trixie, really." - responded Twilight acerbically, - "But I dont think Im interested." "If so, why did you cast the spell, Twilight Sparkle?" - offered Trixie, covering her eyes with hoof, - "Trixie refuses to believe youd fail to realise the fact youre effectively seeking a wet dream with your direct participation." Twilight fought the blush as she retorted - "Not everypony has as dirty mind as you do, Trixie. Speaking of which, WHY ME? And what`s up with that getup? Dreaming of domestic abuse or something?"

Trixie jerked up, staring at Twilight with alarm and a touch of disgust - "What? No! Heavens, youre one messed up mare, Twilight Sparkle. Did you seriously came into my dream expecting to get raped, Discord touch you? ANSWER ME, YOU... YOU..." Twilights face matched the alarm and disgust readily as she yelped - "What? NO. Celestia forbid, not in a thousand years!.. I swear, I didnt even think Im jumping into wet dream."

"...Trixie sees we both are rather... indignant about the idea, as it were." - offered blue mare after a few moments of tense silence, - "She proposes we assume you indeed jumped into dream not for salacious reasons... As long as we can assume that Trixie was not thinking of Twilight due to salacious reasons either." Letting out a huff, Twilight nodded, - "Very well. Let us assume for now that neither of us harbors indecent thoughts towards the other. But that brings up the question - why is that you wanted to dream about me?"

"...Trixie does not rightly know." - admitted illusionist after some silence - "Trixie thinks she just wants some closure on the whole... incident in Ponyville." Lavender mare nodded, as she pulled her bowl of soup closer and took another spoonful. No point in letting good food go to waste, even if its just dream food. Right? "Go on, Trixie. Im listening." - she offered. Chuckling, Trixie took a spoonful of soup herself. "Very well. Trixie was very angry for a while, you know. Trixie is not meant to be taken that seriously. She only plays tricks on ponies as a part of show. It usually goes off really well - ponies who would take up Trixie on her challenge first are usually loudmouths nopony around likes anyway, so they`re fair game to trick." - she offered between the spoonfuls of soup - "So Trixie was livid about having a monster sicced on her in Ponyville."

"Wait a second. We didnt sic any monsters on you. Ursa Minor was woken up by two colts who didnt know any better." - responded Twilight. Trixie shrugged - "Trixie knows that much now. At the moment, however, Trixie was pretty certain those two ruffians were there just to watch the bear trample Trixie. After all, monsters like Ursa don`t usually have lairs so close to towns - it would take a unicorn to bring out an Ursa out of mountains where they usually prowl."

"Fair enough. But you said you know better now. What changed?" - inquired Twilight curiously, as she nipped on the piece of bread. Blue mare chuckled. "Would you believe nothing? Trixie reached Springwell on hooves two days after, still quite livid, and contacted her insurance agency. Trixie wanted to sue Ponyville for that... incident." - she offered, sighing - "Agency investigated, however, and they brought back proof that attack was not set up by anypony intentionally. Insurance covered the losses Trixie suffered, so... Trixie has no more beef with Ponyville... Though, Trixie can say for sure she won`t be performing in that particular burg anytime soon."

Twilight mulled things over. It was quite nice to see Trixie does not harbor much of a grudge against Ponyville, but... there was still an issue as to what exactly Trixie felt about her. "Well, that is nice. But why did you want to dream about me?" - she quipped, looking on illusionist inquisitively. "Why, Trixie was curious. It was very surprising to find a unicorn of such power in a little burg like that." - Trixie responded, flicking her mane, as she reached for another piece of bread - "And so, Trixie found out that you are Princess Celestias personal protege. Which explained a lot to Trixie. Oh, and theres also a little issue of Trixie wanting to say 'thank you'."

Twilight dropped the spoon. Fortunately, it landed into her bowl. "..Did you just... thank me?" - she asked, incredulously. Trixie winced, pain clearly seen in her expression. "...Is that so strange?" - she offered in clipped tone, - "Trixie is not stupid, Twilight Sparkle. She knows she may have had been killed that night if not for you. So yes, Trixie feels thankful to you. It hurts Trixie`s pride to admit she was saved, but Trixie values her life more then her pride."

Suddenly, Twilight felt like the worst pony in Equestria. "...Im sorry, Trixie. I seriously misjudged you." - she offered, contrite expression on her face, - "And, for whats its worth, Im glad you are alive and well." Trixie`s hurt impression waned, replaced by mostly neutral frown. "Trixie wished she could say that in person, but... Trixie does not want to visit Ponyville again." - she offered and offered a little smile - "Trixie guesses saying it in lucid dream is good enough."

Staring at the mare across the table, Twilight made a snap decision. "You know, I know how to make it a little better." - she offered, standing up and stepping around the table, coming next to Trixie. Illusionist blinked, looking at the mare next to her with a peculiar expression - "...What do you have in mind, Twilight Sparkle?" In lieu of answering, Twilight leaned forward, her lips pressing against Trixie`s for a second. "Maybe Trixie is just having a wet dream about Twilight. Or maybe Twilight is having wet dream about Trixie? Who knows." - she murred.

Blinking, Trixie pulled back a bit - "Twilight... Trixie wants to, but it would never work out... Trixie can not give up her life, and Twilight certainly can`t give up hers... And as things are, dreams are the only place where Trixie and Twilight can even meet." Twilight let out a soft laugh, tinged with just a bit of sadness - "Twilight is well aware of that, Trixie. But Twilight thinks both her and Trixie need... a closure." Slowly, blue mare leaned to lavender one, light dimming out as the dream took a sharp turn towards erotic.

Thursday - Psychological Botany

Twilight sat up on the bed slowly. "Ooh... I knew that idea would bite me in the flank." - she complained to nopony in particular. She overslept, severely. It was almost two after midday. But then again, after lucid dream she needed some regular dreaming to offset the exhaustion. Still, she didnt regret her decision one bit. Squaring away things with Trixie was definitely a good thing. Who knows, maybe theres something to consider for future, there.

She levitated the brush off the nightstand and began making her mane presentable as she mulled over what had happened. True, she told Trixie that they both needed a closure... But who said there can`t be a new beginning after it? Of course, there were some noticeable problems to that arrangement - first and foremost being the fact that Trixie had to lead rather nomadic lifestyle to support her profession, and Twilight had to live in one place to do the same.

All in all, while courting Trixie was not the most convenient idea, Twilight had to admit that Trixie was also the most successful attempt so far. Granted, maybe it was due to the fact it was just a dream... but both of them were well aware of lucid and shared nature of such. Laying the brush aside, Twilight picked up her notebook and jotted down her thoughts about Trixie. Maybe if she couldn`t find any better options, she might consider working some more in that direction. For now, though, Twilight had to settle for labeling Trixie as potential Plan B.

Now, however, she had to get ready for Plan A. Tea was already stored in her cupboard safely. What about everything else? Stretching, she slipped out of bed and trotted downstairs. Huh, no Spike? She took a look around. Aha, a note. "Hey, Twilight. Helping Rarity dig up gems, will be back in evening. XOXO, Spike." - she read aloud, chuckling. Leave it to Spike to be absent when convenient. Too convenient. Twilight distinctly remembered she told nopony (and no dragons either) about her arrangement with Fluttershy for the five o`clock. Coincidence? Maybe. Things could just go her way sometimes, no?

She quickly ascertained there`s no pressing matters to attend to, and even managed to dust off the shelves a bit before the clock chimed half to five. Time to boil the kettle. Things continued to be unremarkably quiet as she set the table with some sweets, treats and snacks. Bastian Rose Tea was steeping in the teapot, sugarcubes were arranged neatly and... Aha!

Noting the ginger knock, she trotted to the door and opened it carefully. As expected, Fluttershy was outside, holding a bag of cookies in her mouth. "Ah, hello there, Fluttershy. You`re just in time. Come on in, come on in." - proffered unicorn, stepping back and smiling, as shy pegasus trotted into the library. "Hello, Twilight. I brought sugarlump biscuits." - she said cheerfully, settling the bag on the table. Twilight wasted no time unwrapping it and shaking the biscuits out on the plate.

"Hows your life going, Fluttershy?" - again, trite but oh so true way to start a conversation. "Oh, quite good, thank you. What about you, Twilight? Ive been hearing some... um, things, lately." - ventured pegasus, shying away as she finished her question. Twilight blinked as she sat down, pouring tea into cups. "Well... what kind of things? Good or bad?" - she offered, trying to gauge Fluttershy`s reaction before committing with some of the answers.

Daintily, pegasus set her cup down. "Ive heard from Applejack that youve asked her out, and um, Rarity was strangely subdued about it in the spa yesterday..." - she proffered, her voice tapering off into cute squeak as she got progressively more embarrassed with each word she spoke. Twilight blinked and rubbed her nose - "Ah, that. Yes, I did ask Applejack out the day before yesterday, but she said she`s not interested."

Blinking, Fluttershy stared on unicorn for a few tense moments. "Um, you dont seem to be upset much..." - she finally ventured meekly, - "I was afraid youd take it hard." Twilight shook her head slowly as she took a sip of tea - "Oh, no, no. Im not upset. Applejacks not attracted to mares and I can respect that. She`s been nothing but courteous about it, too, so no hard feelings."

"Twilight... You dont have to bottle it all up." - offered Fluttershy softly - "Its perfectly natural for a pony to be upset over a rejection, and you have every right to be upset right now. Im certain I would cry for days if something like that happened to me." Blinking in confusion, Twilight set her cup down again, and turned to face her friend squarely - "Uh, Fluttershy? Im being perfectly honest right now. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. I`m really not upset."

Shrinking back from the Pinkie Promise, yellow pegasus stared on purple unicorn in confusion. "But... but, why would you.. I mean, how... Arent you in love with Applejack?" - she finally blurted out, blush coloring her cheeks as she hid behind her mane again. Twilight facehoofed. "...Its strange, you know. Everypony seems to assume I fell in love with Applejack." - she opined, heaving a sigh - "Is it so unusual of me to ask somepony out without a deeply vested romantic interest already in place?"

"But why?" - plead Fluttershy, - "Why would you do that?" Twilight blinked. Again. Then she poured herself a fresh mug of tea and sipped it, collecting her thoughts. "Why?... Because I want to develop that deeply vested romantic feeling, Fluttershy. But I dont know whom is also interested. And so, Ive tried to ask Applejack out. Shes always honest, and she would tell me straight if Im doing something wrong." - she offered between the sips - "But I am not yet sure whom I want to start romance with, you see? So Applejack is not interested, thats alright. Ill just look for somepony who is interested instead."

Somewhat calmer, yellow mare nodded, as she picked up her cup again. "Oh. Oh, I see... I guess. Youre just. um... trying to get a date?" - she inquired quietly. Twilight rubbed her cheek absentmindedly, and nodded - "I suppose so, in a nutshell. Or more precisely, Im trying to figure out who would be interested in dating to begin with. No sense in getting all serious about somepony who isn`t, right?"

Fluttershy nodded and sighed a little. "Youre right... No sense at all." - she offered, her usual shyness replaced by a more forlorn expression for a few moments - "But sometimes, you just cant help but not make sense." Twilight offered with a chuckle - "That sounds like a personal experience. Perhaps, I`m not the one bottling things up here, eh, Fluttershy?"

Yellow pegasus merely shook her head, however. "Its nothing important." - she ventured softly, taking a sip of tea - "This is really, um... good?... But it tastes um... somewhat sour?" Twilight nodded absentmindedly - "Ah, yes, thats to be expected. This tea has some hibiscus flowers mixed in. They give the sour taste and the red color." She rubbed her ear with hoof, pondering the response - "Say, maybe it would be better with some honey instead of sugar?" Fluttershy nodded eagerly, holding out her cup as Twilight poured some honey into it from the jar.

"Mm, yes. Much better." - she opined, after taking a little sip, - "Now it tastes great." Unicorn nodded. "Say, Fluttershy? Why were you so interested about me asking Applejack out?" - she offered thoughtfully, - "Im not treading on your hooves here somehow, am I?" Twilight couldve sworn Fluttershy would`ve caught on fire that very second, if spontaneous self-combustion was a thing for pegasi. "Um... no, not at all." - she breathed out after a few moments, her face red as a tomato.

Twilight chuckled - "Oh, sorry. Didnt mean to embarrass you." Pegasus nodded, but her cheeks remained red, as she sipped the tea again, sighing - "No, thats alright..." Twilights brow creased as she considered the situation. Maybe being blunt would work here just fine. "Say, Fluttershy. Would you like to go out with me, in that case?" - she offered as casually as she could. Apparently, it wasnt casual enough. Thankfully, she was prepared, and caught the cup the very moment it slipped from pegasus` hooves.

"Meep!" Twilight set the cup on the table and turned to face Fluttershy - who had somehow managed to end up behind the couch, peeking from over the couch pillow shyly. "...Are you alright, Fluttershy?" - she asked, somewhat worried about the backbreaking leap pegasus mustve undertaken to change the position so abruptly. It didnt help that Fluttershy`s wings were obviously locked up in full spread. Strange. And... Oh dear no. Unicorn reached out with her magic again, just in time to catch the hyperventilating mare as she fainted.

___

Fluttershy woke up. It was a strange kind of waking up. She couldnt see a thing, just an off-white light everywhere. That light was also wet. And then Twilight lifted the wet towel from her face. "...Im very very sorry, Fluttershy." - she offered awkwardly, folding the towel up to lay on Fluttershy`s forehead - "I should not have had said that." That. That being... Meep.

"Oh, um... Twilight?" - offered pegasus meekly, as she sat up a bit and pulled the towel off her head - "Im really flattered but, um... I cant, ohpleasedonthateme...," She ended her little speech in a squeak, covering behind her mane. Unicorn sighed a little and patted Fluttershys back with the hoof. "Thats alright." - she offered calmly - "Im not going to hate you for anything, I promise. Though, if its not too much trouble, can you tell me why not? I`m trying to figure out this romance thing, but it seems to be much more complicated then I expected."

Collecting her thoughts together, Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together, nervously. She didnt like admitting things, but... Right now, she had to speak up. Because otherwise, things could get ugly. Well, she could lie about the reason, say shes not attracted to mares, like Applejack.. but lies tend to get exposed sooner or later. "Im sorry, Twilight. But I am in love with somepony else." - for a moment, Fluttershy wasnt even sure it was her who said it. So casual, so aloof, so... self-assured...

Twilight smirked - "Ah, that explains things. So whos the lucky pony?" For a moment, Fluttershy considered stopping the line of inquiry there. But Twilight.. Unicorn had uncanny knack for hanging on doggedly to every single unanswered question. It would be just easier to nip this in the bud by truth. "Rainbow Dash. Im in love with Rainbow Dash." - she muttered quietly, looking down.

Twilight quirked her brow. "Interesting." - she offered after a few tense seconds, - "Did you happen to mention that to Rainbow Dash, perchance?" Fluttershy shook her head quickly - "Oh no, no, I couldnt. She wouldnt be interested anyways." Twilight`s face assumed a rapid series of expressions, finally settling on concerned puzzlement. "How long were you in love with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy?" - she asked finally, picking up a cup of tea an sipping it - "And did you ever gave her a reason to suspect you are?"

Canary mare sat up completely, looking on the teapot wistfully. In a few seconds, she began speaking, softly. "I... I dont know, Twilight. Ive always loved her, ever since we met at school. I guess Im one of those mares who fall in love at the first sight. And... um, no, not intentionally, at least. I wanted to, I really did, but I just... just dont feel confident enough to say something to her." - she offered, surprised at the sudden relief of having had told somepony, at last, - "I hoped... you know. Rainbows always with a new mare, and I was hoping that um, maybe... one day, shed get around to pick me... Um."

That admission caught Twilight in the middle of the sip, and she nearly choked on tea. Setting the cup down, she coughed a few times to clear her throat - "Fluttershy? What do you mean, Rainbows always with a new mare? Ive never seen her on a date with anypony." Fluttershy blinked. "But... everyponys talking about her. And the mares, I mean. Each day, theres someone new. Sometimes not even pony. I thought she was in love with Gilda..." - she offered meekly.

Lavender hoof connected to lavender forehead. "Oh, for crying out loud... Fluttershy, had you ever seen Rainbow Dash out on a date with anypony at all?" - she quipped. It came out a bit harsher then she wanted it to be, but... Pegasus blinked again - "I um... What about... Oh... Well, maybe at the... no, I... Well, fiddlesticks. Do you mean to tell me it`s just.. rumors?" Twilight nodded, shaking her head slowly - "You see, I had a similar conversation with Rainbow Dash yesterday. As it turns out, she does not date anypony... and maybe, never did. Apparently, all those rumors are cropping up just because she looks and behaves like a butch fillyfooler stereotype."

Fluttershys eyes suddenly grew very big - "So... you mean to tell me she waits for..." She trailed off, shushed by Twilights waving hoof. "As far as I understood, Rainbow Dash does not think about dating much, period." - unicorn offered dryly - "Id like to encourage you to go after her, but... I tried to ask her out yesterday, and she wasnt interested. Still, I think you should tell her how do you feel. If nothing else, it will give you some closure. And who knows? She wasn`t interested in my offer of casual dating, but maybe she would be more responsive to a genuine love offer."

Pegasus looked down, sullenly - "I cant. And besides, if... maybe Rainbow Dash likes stallions." Lavender mare shrugged at her - "Had you ever seen her with a stallion, Fluttershy? Listen, I dont know much about dating, but even to me, holding out for years seems like an unhealthy thing to do. Shes your friend, Fluttershy. Even if she declines, shell never stop being your friend. I should know, because she turned me down, and were still friends. Nothing changed. So... my advice is to try and talk to her, at the very least. I think youll be surprised."

"I... Ill think about it." - offered pegasus with a timid smile - "Thank you, Twilight. I think... I think I really needed to talk about it with somepony." Unicorn smirked - "Well hey, what are friends for?" Fluttershy looked up, straight into Twilights eyes - "No, I mean it. I just turned you down, after all. It takes a very kind pony to help me sort out my love problems immediately afterward. Youre a best friend a pony could wish for, Twilight." Suddenly uncomfortable, unicorn turned away, her face blushing lightly - "Aww, thanks." Fluttershy chuckled - "And Twilight? Good luck with finding your special somepony. Im pretty sure Im not her, but... I hope youll find her very soon. You deserve that much."

Friday - Recreational Acoustics

"...This is the. Worst. Thing. Ever!"

Twilight cringed. Rarity`s outcry was quite audible in the immediate vicinity of the boutique - especially so to her, given she was on the porch, hoof raised to knock. Oh well - nothing ventured, nothing gained. She knocked on the door firmly, eliciting a gasp from somewhere inside. A few minutes and some frantic whispering later, the door was opened by Sweetie Belle. "Hello there, miss Sparkle." - filly offered with a smile - "Rarity is putting on her, um... clothes, I think?" Twilight nodded back, stepping into the boutique gingerly - "Hello, Sweetie Belle." She looked upstairs and called out - "Take your time, Rarity, no hurry."

Sweetie closed the door and trotted back into the living room, flopping on the pillow. "Miss Twilight, why is Rarity so panicky today?" - she asked in a low voice - "I keep asking her, but she just says not to worry and that everythings fine." Twilight raised her brow. "Panicky? Oh, nothing of a sort, Sweetie. Were just going to Canterlot today, and shes worried about looking her best." - she offered reasonably, hoping to defuse the situation. Filly grinned. "Naw, she went to Canterlot plenty of times. Big sis is only that panicky when shes got a date. Are you having a double-date, miss Twilight? Wheres your coltfriend? And whos taking Rarity out? I hope they`re nice." - she proffered, winking at the mare.

Twilight nibbled her lip. What to do, what to do? On one hoof, Sweetie Belle seemed to be remarkably well informed about Raritys romantic endeavours. On other, she was not keen of explaining the hows and whys of two mares on a date. Especially so, given that aforementioned filly probably didnt even receive the obligatory the birds and the bees speech. Twilight smiled a little and offered - "We`re, uh, meeting our coltfriends at Canterlot." Filly treated her to a long inquisitive stare.

"So... youre dating my big sis today." - drawled Sweetie quietly - "Thats nice. Hope youll have a good time at Canterlot." Mare did a doubletake. "What?... I mean, ahaha, no, thats.. silly?" - she offered unconvincingly. Sweetie sighed. "Oh, come on." - she offered with a pout - "Im old enough to know. Its not like you`re the first mare to ask Rarity out, anyways." Rubbing her forehead nervously, Twilight trotted over to filly quickly, gingerly sitting down next to Sweetie Belle.

"Sweetie... OK, youre right. Im taking Rarity out on a date today." - she offered quietly - "But youre too young to talk about that kind of thing, you know?" Filly treated her to an artistic eyeroll. "Doing that kind of thing, you mean." - she replied quietly - "Miss Twilight, I know just fine Im too young to try that myself. But I am old enough to see that kind of thing happening around... And I am old enough to understand its exactly that kind of thing." Twilight rubbed her forehead again. "...Fair enough, I suppose. You dont mind me doing this, now do you?" - she asked seriously.

Filly shrugged - "Thats OK, I think. Youre a nice pony. I dont think sis will actually date you, like the going steady kind of date, though. Hope youre not counting on that." Lavender pony quirked her brow at this. "Really? Why do you think so?" - she offered inquisitively. Sweetie looked upstairs and sighed - "I dont know. Rarity never does. I think she likes dating, but is scared of getting serious with somepony." Twilight filed that little snippet in her mental dossier on Rarity. It provided an interesting insight into Raritys life - one that Twilight previously lacked.

"Well, I dont know what going to happen yet." - she offered, - "But I think well still be friends, regardless of how this date turns out to be." Sweetie cheered and nodded eagerly - "Yeah, thats the ticket! I keep telling Scootaloo its OK to just be friends, but she never gets it!" Twilights brow creased yet again. "Scootaloo?" - she quipped - "Whats this all about, Sweetie?" Filly suddenly looked very sheepish.

"Aw, me and my big mouth." - she grumbled quietly - "..Um, dont tell anypony, but Scootaloo thinks shell be cooler if she starts... yknow, dating. Me and Applebloom keep telling her shes too young, but she thinks its cool because Rainbow Dash does it all the time." Twilight let out a chuckle. "You know, it will probably be a shock for Scootaloo, but Rainbow Dash does not actually date all that much." - she offered, - "I dont know why everyone thinks she does."

She was about to say something else, when the noise from upstairs made both of them look up. It sounded like something just fell over. A second later, Raritys frustrated "ARGH!" cut the silence again. Shaking her head, Twilight stood up and trotted up the stairs, calling out - "Im coming, Rarity." Apparently, fashionista had some objection to make, but didnt quite make it in time. Twilight stood at the door, fighting the urge to giggle as she observed Rarity pinned under the tilting ponyquin in decisively suggestive pose. Another ponyquin was laying on the floor at Raritys hooves, along with many many many pieces of discarded clothes.

Twilight took a step forward, her magic grip lifting the ponyquin off Rarity easily. White mare shot her half-embarrassed half-thankful look. "Many thanks, my dear. Oh, I just dont know what went wrong!" - she proclaimed. A moment later, both unicorns ducked their heads, looking around panicky. "...Rarity, dear. Please, do not tempt the fates so." - offered Twilight after a tense pause. Heaving a little relieved sigh, Rarity gently but insistently shooed Twilight out of the room, insisting it would not be long until shes ready.

Ten minutes later, Rarity finally made her appearance, bedecked in a shimmering blue cocktail dress. Twilights own attire was of the same kind, if only lavender in color. "Im ready, darling!" - Rarity offered from the stairs, as she passed by Sweetie Belle. At Twilights inquisitive and slightly worried stare, Rarity just chuckled and leaned to nuzzle her younger sister - "Ill be back in the evening, Sweetie. You can call your friends over if youd like, but please, please, please, do not do any crusading in my boutique. Theres salad in the fridge for dinner, oh and Applejack said Applebloom was considering a picnic, so... you know, have fun, darling."

Sweetie Belle simply nodded in return, smiling - "Sure thing, big sis. Have fun on your date with miss Twilight." Shaking her head incredulously, Twilight trotted out of the boutique after Rarity. She had... questions to ask.

___

"I do declare, darling, this new method of transportation is simply marvellous! No hustle, no bustle, no station crowds, nor stuffy carriages... Nor even hours of awful waiting... Its magnificent!" - gushed Rarity, as she looked around. Twilights invention got them straight to the Canterlot gates, much to the surprise of the guardsponies. "Well, uh, it would be much more magnificent if it was actually suitable for public use." - offered Twilight, as she folded the device back into the saddlebag. It just wouldnt do trotting around the Canterlot with machinery on ones back, after all.

"Oh dear, why not? It is quite a marked improvement over anything equinity has at its disposal, darling." - objected fashionista, falling in after Twilight as she led them into the city. "Because it requires a unicorn with exceptionally strong magic to provide the necessary torque for the primary vortex." - replied Twilight offhoofedly as she considered the path ahead - "Im straining to spin it up. If you tried, youd probably faint from the effort it takes." Rarity nudged her shoulder briefly - "Oh, Twilight. Im quite I am not as inept in magic as you would make it out to be."

Lavender unicorn stopped suddenly, blinking - "...Wha?... Oh heavens forefend, I dont mean it in this way, Rarity. Its just a question of raw power, not the level of aptitude." Rarity considered her for a second, then smiled. "Ill take your word for it, darling." - she offered quietly, - "So... where are we going?" Twilights face mirrored the smile back as she answered - "I had a table reserved at the Gilded Carafe... Three hours should be enough for dinner and a bit of sightseeing, and after that, the afternoon showing of Der Rosenkavalier at the Grand Opera House."

The rest of the way to restaurant was made in comfortable silence. Rarity was deep in thought considering her options at Canterlot. She expected the dinner to take no more then hour, hour and half at most. That left at least an hour to see some sights. The question was, what she wanted to see? If she were on her own, shed use that time to prowl the fashion outfits to see whats hot in Canterlot today, but.. That was a date. Which meant that Rarity should be mindful of her partner in crime, so to speak, and select an avenue of sightseeing they`ll both enjoy.

Occupied with her planning, she missed the stop. Only when the voices rose up, she started paying attention to the surroundings. "...why yes, I am quite sure." - came the voice from the door. That would be... hm, the host, it seems. Appropriately snobbish and refined, as would befit the host of one of most prestigious Canterlot restaurants. Twilight`s voice lacked the snobbish undertones, but made up for that in volume - "Would you please check the records? I am quite certain I made the reservations two days ago."

Stallion leaned over the counter slightly, shaking his head. "Oh, I dont need to check. You see, I happen to know lady Sparkle personally, and youre most certainly not her. Now please, leave." - he stated with just that touch of "who do you think you are trying to sneak in here, filly" undertone that grated on nerves in sublimely offensive way. Raritys brow furrowed. Twilights reservations were lost? How unfortunate. Or maybe it was simply a mistake? She briefly considered stepping forward and trying to use her own name to resolve the situation. She`s been to Gilded Carafe before and was fairly certain they would not dare to refuse the custom of up and coming fashion star of Equestria.

"...Id like to see maitred." - Twilights voice was suddenly full of restrained fury. Rarity glanced upon her friend, bemused and alarmed in the same time. The only occasion Twilight allowed that much steel into her voice was when one of her plans was being... oh dear. She briefly caught the expression of condescending dismissal on stallions face just then. He opened his mouth to speak... and was cut off by "NOW!", magically reverberating throughout the whole restaurant. No matter what kind of objection the host wouldve have had, maitred was most certainly alerted about the situation at the doors by now.

"Whats going on here?" - no points for originality, there. Maitred had already made his way to the door. Older stallion took one glance upon the situation and raised his hoof, silencing the host. "Lady Twilight Sparkle. Lady Rarity. It is such an honor to have both of you at our humble restaurant today." - he offered, giving them a polite bow. Hosts eyes bugged out. "...T-twilight Sparkle?!" - he muttered quietly. Maitred gave him a quick glance, making the younger stallion wilt and attempt to hide behind the counter.

"My sincere apologies if our host had somehow offended you, lady Sparkle. Is there anything I can do to rectify the situation?" - he offered, shooing away hapless host with hoof. Twilights expression softened noticeably. "Im sure its just a misunderstanding." - she offered pensively, - "Ive happened to make a reservation for two on Wednesday, but as Ive been informed right now, somehow its not in the records." Maitred brightened up. "Oh, what nonsense." - he offered with a little chuckle - "It would be my honor to see to you personally, ladies. If youd please follow me?"

Now thoroughly bemused, Rarity followed the stallion into the dining hall, taking the opportunity to bump her flank against Twilight`s a little. She figured lavender unicorn could use some friendly reassurance.

___

"Well, that was a fine dinner." - offered Rarity, as they made their way through the Canterlot Park. She could see that the little incident at the doors had left its mark on Twilights mood. Thoughout the dinner, lavender mare was quite reserved and pensive. Still, the dinner was magnificent. Twilight nodded absentmindedly, slowing down her trot to a very leisurely pace. "It was pretty good, yes." - she offered thoughtfully, - "I just... Rarity? Can we just sit here for a while?" Her hoof gestured toward the bench somewhat off the way, secluded under the shade of big oak. Fashionista was rather happy to oblige.

"Now, dear... whats eating you? Surely, that little... misfortune at the doors is not that bad to brood over it." - she proffered, making herself comfortable. Twilights face scrunched up. "Its a silly thing, yes." - she replied, and shrugged - "I dont really know why I am so bothered about it." Rarity chuckled - "Well, darling, if I were to hazard a guess, you were simply too flummoxed by the ridiculous assertion you`re not the lady Sparkle." Lavender mare pursed her lips and nodded. "That may be it." - she agreed hesitantly, - "Though I think the lady Sparkle he meant was simply my mom."

"Well, that solves it, then." - offered Rarity, as she stretched a little, 'accidentally' bumping into Twilights side. Without thinking, Twilight shifted her position, her hoof wrapping around Raritys shoulders, pulling her snuggly close. Then, both of them froze for a moment. "Oh... my. Youre certainly... bold." - offered fashionista after a bit of hesitation. After all, it was not like Twilight wasnt nice. No, if anything, cuddling up to her like that was quite pleasant.

"...oops. Sorry about that, Rarity." - Twilight offered apologetically, withdrawing her hoof, - "I dont know what came over me." Rarity merely rolled her eyes. "No, no, its quite alright, dear. In fact, its... nice." - she offered conspiratorially, giving Twilight a little peck on her cheek - "After all, we are on a date, yes?"Lavender hoof returned, wrapping around Raritys shoulders gently. "I was worried about crossing the line, there." - proffered librarian, as she turned her head to look on Raritys face, - "Mind if I`ll ask you something?"

Rarity nibbled on her lip, proffering - "...Hm... Well, of course you can, darling!" Twilights brow arched a little. "If you say so." - she offered back just a little teasingly - "Its about Sweetie Belle, actually. How come shes so... uh, updated about your, ahem, romantic schedule?" White unicorn blinked, her cheeks gaining a pink tint suddenly - "Oh, oh my.... Well, yes. She knows I tend to date a lot, yes. Given that she lives with me most of the time, it would be quite an ordeal to hide that from her... And our parents tended to favor quite... ahem, libertarian approach to our education. If I may be so bold, darling, why do you ask? I do assure you Ive never exposed Sweetie to anything, ahem, untoward, if thats what youre thinking about."

"Wha... Oh, no, nothing of the sort." - responded Twilight quickly, shifting a little - "Its more of a curiosity then anything. You see, Sweetie said something that stuck with me, and I just couldnt get it out of my head." Raritys expression fell a little, as she inquired - "...What did she say?" Lavender mare shrugged, and looked up - "Well, I wasnt really expecting her to know what we are up to, so she kind of blindsided me on that. Anyway, since she knew Im asking you out, I asked her if its OK. And... well, thats the thing. She told me its OK, but she does not think it will work beyond today."

Rarity chewed her lip nervously, carefully gauging her answer. In the end, she elected to attempt diplomatic approach - "Well, ehehe... I suppose she might have gotten that idea that I date a lot of different ponies. But its not just the same, Twilight. I often have business dates or networking dates or ... you know. The whole mess of being a part of beau monde. Whole lot of things gets called a date, even when romance is the furthest thing in equation." Twilight didnt respond for a few moments, looking on the leaves above. "I figured that much, to be honest." - she answered at last, - "Dating is as much of a business for you as tailoring, I would think."

White unicorn pulled back abruptly, her hoof pressed to her chest. "Twilight! Im appalled you could think of me so... So..." - she exclaimed. Lavender unicorn merely regarded her with a calm glance - "So 'what', Rarity? Ive thought about it throughout our dinner, to be honest, and in the end, I came to a conclusion that the assumption most immediately obvious would be dead wrong in your case." Rarity`s face creased with confusion. "I do believe you should explain your thoughts in more detail, darling." - she offered at last, sitting back in a pose more relaxed, but not quite cuddling to Twilight as she were sitting previously.

"Well, to begin with, lets state the facts." - offered Twilight, involuntarily adopting a tone of professor as she continued - "You are dating often and quite diversely. Also, so far no one had observed you maintaining romantic relationship more involved then casual dating with anypony. Finally, its rather obvious you are approaching all of those instances with a measure of responsibility and caution." She paused to breathe in and then continued - "With that in mind, let`s consider your statement - that a noticeable part of your dates are related to your occupation and aspirations rather then conscious search for a potential long-term mate."

"Ah. Well, yes. A fashionista has to make her rotes in the society, darling." - responded Rarity, looking aside - "But that does not mean I am not looking for a love of my life, as it were." Twilight chuckled - "At the risk of sounding trite, if it makes you happy, its quite alright. Isnt it?" Rarity let out a soft sigh - "I suppose so. But, darling, I have to ask. Why would you mention all of this now?" Magician rubbed her forehead with a hoof, suddenly embarrassed - "Ah. Well, thats what I was thinking over during the dinner, you see. When I asked you out on Wednesday, I didnt think about it, but Sweeties words brought it to my attention. In short, Im worried if I`m not pulling you out of your comfort zone."

"Pulling me out of my comfort zone, dear? Howso?" - inquired Rarity, now thoroughly intrigued. Now it was Twilights turn to blush - "Well... bear with me here, Im not exactly an expert in romance. But, well... Lets suppose I wanted much much more then one date? Two dates? Five dates? Ten dates? Or your hoof and heart in marriage? Youve gone this far to humor me, and I appreciate that, but I cant help but worry about mixed signals there." Rarity did not like the direction this conversation was heading in, but... She could endure it a little more, for Twilights sake.

"Go on, darling." - she prompted. Twilight nodded resolutely, continuing - "I think I should state my intentions before anything else. So... I am looking for a single long-time partner. Preferably mare, and preferably, somepony from my closest circle of friends. However, and this is a big however, I am not saying that my eye is set on you and you only, Rarity. If anything, Im trying to figure WHO is suited best to my idea of romance. And, honestly speaking... Im unnerved by your idea of romance. Don`t get me wrong, I am quite impressed by the sheer multithreaded complexity of it, but I am quite certain it would overwhelm me if I ever attempted it."

Fashionistas face fell, along with her mood. "Twilight." - she murmured, - "Im wounded. Do you honestly think I would not be able to stay faithful?" Twilight shot upwards, her face incredulous - "Gah, no, this is NOT what I meant at ALL!" She threw her hooves around Rarity, pulling her in a tight hug - "Im so sorry if it came across as this. What I mean to say is that your social interaction is a major part of your life, and I cant see myself participating in it so much." Rarity allowed herself to enjoy the hug for a few moments more, then gently but insistently pushed Twilight away - "Alright, this cant be brought on just by Sweeties remark. What prompted this, darling?"

Twilight looked at her for a few long moments, then offered - "In the restaurant? Ive spotted four ponies that gave you a look. Two of them likely being on a date, themselves. Ive seen all four with you before, going out on what most likely were dates as well. And, while I have no scientific proof of this, I have a feeling that all five of you were quite aware of each other, the situation and saw nothing unusual about it."

"And you think its bad." - offered Rarity softly. Twilight chuckled, shaking her head - "Nah. Not really. It just made me realise something. Its not the type of relationship Im after. I would gladly participate when an opportune moment arrives, but I am looking for something else. Something you wont enjoy." White mare quirked her brow - "Wait a second. Participate gladly? Havent you said just a little while ago that youd be overwhelmed by this kind of relationship?" Twilight shook her head - "Well, I would be, if I attempted to do what you`re doing."

A bit of silence that followed was finally disrupted by Rarity asking - "So, where does it all leave us, darling?" Twilight pulled back from the hug slightly, keeping her hoof around Raritys shoulders nonetheless - "To answer that, I would need your input. So tell me... what exactly do you feel about this date, right now?" Raritys face run a gamut of expressions as she mulled her answer over cautiously. Finally, she decided, she had no choice but to settle on honesty. "To be frank, darling... no, I didnt think things through beyond this date. Ive had fun so far, and what youve planned promises to be quite enjoyable, but I havent thought about what may be to follow." - she admitted - "I hope I didn`t lead you on, dear."

Twilight smiled. "Right now? What you said meshes perfectly with what I think." - she replied - "Were just having fun." Rarity let out a little sigh of relief - "Im glad were on the same page, darling. Though, I daresay, I wouldnt be adversed to another such an outing, if you were ever to desire it." Twilight`s brow quirked - "Maybe, maybe. So I guess... friendly outings are the best way to describe it?" Rarity nodded, beaming, and gasped a second later, when Twilight suddenly stole a kiss from her.

"Twilight!" - she exclaimed, mock-scandalised. Lavender mare merely grinned, and hopped up - "Let`s go, Rarity. We have less then half an hour, if we want to be at the Grand Opera on time."