A Sparkling Romance

Twilight was busy with her usual idle weekend plans: reading a good book on the evolution of fauna, studying out of a history book, or doing an experiment in her underground laboratory. This Saturday though, Twilight had a different thing in mind, and that was overseeing the preparations of the new arrival to Ponyville. She had spent so much time preparing, she was on the verge of collapse.

"SPIKE!" Twilight's tired voice rang out, to no response. Spike was ignoring her shouts by submerging himself in his dreamland.

"Yes Rarity, these are new scales. You noticed, didn't you? Oh? I have been working out, thank you my dear." Spike whispered softly in his imagination. In his dream, Spike was somewhat his normal self, but built more muscular, and the more shocking thing was Rarity was swooning head over hooves for him.

"Ohh yes, Spikey-Wikey. You look simply smashing with those scales, and your muscles are making me melt." Rarity said in a seductive tone. The two were then eye-to-eye, coming closer when they were interrupted by a soft shout.

"Spike!" the voice rang out.

"Spike, do you hear that?" Rarity asked.

"Whatever it is, I'll keep you safe." Spike said in a baritone voice, holding Rarity in his arms.

"Spike-ee!" the voice yelled, a bit more irritated.

"There it is again. Who is that?" Rarity asked.

"Don't worry, I'll check it out." Spike comforted her. He then stood up, and spread his new purple wings, and took off in flight, speeding towards the voice. As he sped closer, the voice became familiar. Spike was soon engulfed in a lavender aura, his flight path ceased, and he was sharply thrust forward into a giant hoof. Spike's eyes widened as he was soon being stared down by a humongous Twilight Sparkle.

"SPIKE, WAKE UP!!!" the giant Twilight Sparkle shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Spike let out a scream in his makeshift bed.

"For the love of Celestia, Twilight! I was in the middle of the best lucid dream ever!" Spike whined.

"I'm sure you had fun, Romeo, but I need help with preparations for the newcomer to Ponyville." Twilight said, levitating a checklist over to them.

"It's not like he's some entrepreneigh from Canterlot." Spike mispronounced.

"Entrepreneur, Spike. And according to his backround check from Princess Celestia, he's been to Canterlot on several important matters." Twilight said.

"Oh wow, I'd love to know more about this guy." Spike feigned genuine eagerness.

"Well, it says he's a pegasus, born from Cloudsdale, and then it gets kind of important. He was apparently a member of something called a 'Jedi' Counsel." Twilight said, dumbfounded.

"Well isn't that interesting." Spike continued to feign his own interest.

"He's also supposed to be quite diplomatic, likes...ooh, that's...surprising." Twilight stopped suddenly.

"Don't keep me in suspense, Twilight. Tell me everything." Spike said, slowly trying to get back into his sleeping position.

"It says he likes books on ancient things in history too. He's pretty into all types of literature. A Daring Do fan, perhaps? I seriously haven't anypony else who loves Daring Do as much as me and Rainbow Dash do, maybe I should introduce myself to him." Twilight rambled on, trotting over to her mirror, levitating her brush to her mane. Spike took the opportunity during her ramble to sleep.

"I heard from the Princess that he's very into democracy. He seems very sophisticated." Twilight continued, finally brushing her mane to perfection. She trotted by, not noticing Spike, only getting the gist of his sleeping mumbles.

"Mmm, yes I will go to the Gala with you, Rarity." Spike said in his sleep, as if he was in the middle of kissing her. Twilight rolled her eyes as she walked out of the Library. The birds sung in slight off-key pitch as she trotted to City Hall. She saw Rainbow Dash finishing a sign on town hall, Pinkie Pie bouncing happily on a bounce house, Applejack and Rarity arguing over the importance of wearing such a frou-frou dress, and Fluttershy trying to tune the birds to sing on-key.

"Hey girls, I see you're finished with preparations?" Twilight asked.

"I just finished hanging the "Welcome" sign. Fluttershy's tryin' to get the birds to sing right, and Pinkie's already finished the bounce house." Rainbow Dash said without a hint of exhaustion. Pinkie then spoke while bouncing gleefully.

"I...finished...over...an hour...ago!" Pinkie Pie squealed excitedly in sync with her bounces.

"No wonder she finished so quickly, she must have lungs of steel with all her energy." Twilight said quietly.

"You've been here bouncing for an hour?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"I couldn't wait for the new pony, so I came here with my bounce house at 6 A.M., and I was all," Pinkie said as she imitated blowing air into the bounce house, "and my lungs are like, super strong, so I blew it up in 10 seconds flat!"

"Hey! That's MY thing!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flying straight into the bounce house, preparing to wrestle with Pinkie over the catchphrase. Twilight watched the two mares rolling around on the grass play-wrestling over the sentence while she looked over to Applejack and Rarity.

"I told you Applejack, a lady has to look beautiful when a new arrival comes. It's all about being polite and elegant." Rarity defended her dress.

"And Ah told ya'll that it's not a big fuss to worry about if our ponytails match our horseshoes." Applejack retorted.

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way, but I'm more into fashion than you. I'm sure you'd never abandon your cowpony hat." Rarity stated.

"That you're right about, Rarity. Ah just think it ain't that big of a ruckus--" Applejack started.

"Fracus!" Pinkie shouted on the grass, before rolling Rainbow Dash onto her own back, continuing their play-fight.

"It ain't that big of a fracus to overwork yourself on that one dress for a new arrival. I mean, you have giant blood diamonds on the end of the dress. Ain't it heavy to lug around?" Applejack asked.

"Beauty knows no limits, Applejack." Rarity stated, lugging her hooves as she strained to move with the dress weighing her down.

"Fluttershy, how's the bird song going?" Twilight asked.

"Ohh, there're trying their hardest, but they just can't. Mordecai here is trying his best, the poor little blue jay." Fluttershy said quietly.

"Well the preparations are finished, I suppose?" Twilight asked.

"It's my catchphrase!" Rainbow shouted, wrestling Pinkie around on the grass.

"It's sounds 20% cooler when I say it!" Pinkie teased, throwing Rainbow off her.

"THAT TEARS IT!" Rainbow yelled, barreling into Pinkie, grabbing her hooves, pinning her down.

"Dashie!!" Pinkie whined.

"Say uncle!" Dash replied.

"Ok fine, uncle!" Pinkie shouted in fake pain. Rainbow then let go, helping Pinkie back up.

"Are you two done breaking bones?" Twilight deadpanned. The two then hugged each other, patting each other on the back.

"Yeah, sorry Pinks. Did I hurt you at all?" Rainbow asked.

"Nopey dopey! You can never hurt Pinkie Pie" Pinkie chirped, her head twisting completely upside down, to Rainbow's surprise.

"Spike still sleepin' in?" Applejack asked Twilight.

"Ugh, like always. He never cares about any new arrival." Twilight said, checking off her list.

"Welcome sign: check. Bounce house: check. Balloons: check. Spike not caring: checkity check."

"I'm sure the little guy would care if it benefited him." Rainbow said.

"I just hope the new arrival is a nice pony." Fluttershy said quietly.

"I heard he's a pegasus. As long as he doesn't beat me in a race, I think I can be pretty tight with him." Rainbow declared.

"We can only hope, Rainbow," Applejack said, "Speed's your strong spot, but Ah'm not sure 'bout your hoof skills."

"Oh, you wanna go?! Huh, you wanna go, cowgirl?!" Rainbow started shouting. The two then dashed to a hay bail, and started a hoof wrestle.

"Oh Celestia, can you two be anymore competitive?" Twilight asked. The two mares struggled, both of them trying to bring down the other's hoof. Rainbow started smirking through her straining expression, and she spread her wings, giving her more balance. Applejack started to sweat immensely, and Rainbow's smirk grew into a competitive smile. Applejack began to groan in effort. With a small snapping sound, Rainbow defeated Applejack, causing her to hit the ground from the force.

"Told ya I'd win!" Rainbow gloated, only to be kicked off her haunches by Applejack.

"Only cuz ya cheated!" Applejack argued.

"Did not!" Rainbow retorted.

"Ya did so!" Applejack yelled back. The two mares were levitated by a lavender aura, shaken repeatedly, and were in Twilight's vision.

"Stop fighting, for Celestia's sake!" Twilight said.

"We're not fighting, we're having a physical discussion." Rainbow said, struggling to get free.

"I don't care, I don't want you two fighting when the new pony arrives." Twilight said sternly. She then let go of the mares, and they hit the ground.

"Oww." Rainbow Dash said, stretching her wings. The mares were soon interrupted by the sound of a stallion-driven carriage drawing close.

"He's coming! Everypony get in position!" Twilight shouted, pushing the mares into a single file line, getting into the middle of the line. A few ponies stood outside of their homes to watch the new pony arrive.

"I'm sooo excited!!" Pinkie Pie said, trying to speak under her breath, but her quiet voice was more of a regular speaking voice.

"The carriage is coming down..." Twilight started as the carriage started to descend.

"Good so far." Rarity said. The carriage began to come to the ground.

"It's lowering. In a few seconds we're about to see who he looks like." Twilight said, containing her excitement. The carriage finally lowered to the ground, and the two Royal Guards neighed. The stallion arriving stepped out from his carriage, a faint expression on his face. He was blue in color, a bit darker than Rainbow Dash's cyan color. His eyes were the same color as Rarity's. He had a simple short dark blue mane, along with a short tail of the same color.

"So that's what he looks like." Rainbow said. The stallion turned his head, looking at the ponies around him, casting a friendly smile to them.

"Thank you, Royal Guards. The trip was successful, much faster than expected." the stallion complimented the guards. He turned his head to face the Mane 6, gazing upon the six ponies and their respective colors. He viewed Pinkie Pie, returning a smile to her wide grin, to Fluttershy he saw her hiding behind her mane smiling. To Applejack he saw a friendly smile like his own, to Rarity he saw a polite, poised smile, to which he nodded to. He then saw the competitive smirk on Rainbow's face, and he returned it as such.

"It's very nice to be greeted by such grateful ponies. Rainbow Dash, I think I remember you from Flight School. You were that filly who did the Sonic Rainboom." the stallion said.

"I remember you; you were in a few of my classes. It's great to see you again, Aqua." Rainbow said, hoof-shaking Aqua's hoof. Aqua then turned his head to Twilight, and his eyes widened slightly, and he went at a loss of words. Twilight and Aqua soon walked to each other. Twilight herself was somewhat at the same expression he had.

"H-Hi." Aqua said to the purple unicorn. Twilight was a bit struck by the stallion's appearance.

"Hello." Twilight nervously responded. The two ponies hoofshook, and Aqua soon spoke again.

"Well, it's been nice meeting you all. I have to unpack at my cloud home." Aqua said.

"No way! I have a cloud house too! I bet mine's cooler though." Rainbow boasted.

"Well we'll find out, won't we? Aqua replied with his own smirk. Spreading his wings, Aqua flew off, taking a glance at the Mane 6. He was a bit nervous when he waved back at them, but his wave was directed at Twilight. Twilight blushed slightly as she waved back. She then broke the silence as the others were staring at her.

"Wow...," Twilight said, "I think I'm a bit flustered."