Friendship (With Benefits) is Magic (With Extra)

Even travelling light, Ace had to balance several suitcases on his person, and with the platform being as crowded as it was, that was no easy task. The ponies around him were kind enough to not bump into him in their rush to board the arriving train, but that didn't help him much as he struggled to fit through the doorway and carry his bags into a carriage that was at least reasonably empty, somewhere he could store his luggage without interferring with anypony else. Through patience and persistence, he managed to keep balance, but found himself stuck when he reached an empty seat. Both his wings were pre-occupied keeping the luggage in place, and he couldn't rear up without dropping the bags onto the carriage floor. Looking up at the rack above his head, he stared imploringly, hoping that the space would take pity on him and carry the cumbersome load up for him.

To his surprise, he got his wish - the weight on his back disappeared, and from the corners of his vision, a blue shimmer rose into view. Turning his head, Ace caught the sight of his luggage rising up above his head, carried within a field of cornflower blue light. Blinking, he looked around, spotting a white unicorn mare a few feet to his right, her horn surrounded by the same shade that was ferrying his bags up to the rack above him. She smiled beatificially at him when she saw him looking, and without any hint of effort, completed her task, packing his items neatly in the space above.

"Uh, thanks," the pegasus muttered, surprised by her aid. Her smile widened, and she waved a hoof at him.

"It was my pleasure, darling," she spoke, turning away to return to her seat. "I can't have you struggling like that and not step in to help, can I?"

"I guess not," he answered, his eyes following her as she sat down on the cushions of the bench. She wasn't travelling alone, it seemed, as there were five other ponies sitting alongside and opposite her, chatting cordially as she resumed her spot. One of the ponies, an orange earth pony, caught his attention, and he smiled. "Applejack?"

The blonde mare looked up at him, her gaze followed by the others around her, and she gave a toothy grin upon seeing who had spoken her name.

"Aerial Ace," she greeted, her comforting country drawl permeating her speech. "Fancy meetin' ya here! What's brought ya to Canterlot?"

"You, apparently," the pegasus replied, walking over to the bench opposite hers and taking a seat. "I received a summons from the princess herself, and was asked to organise and oversee restoration work." He fought back the urge to smile as a hint of a blush emerged on her cheeks, nearly blending in to her orange fur. "The princess claimed I'd been recommended by a certain apple salespony from Ponyville. I don't suppose you happen to know anything about that?"

"Ah might," she responded, trying and failing to keep her expression nonchalant. "But sayin' ah did recommend your services, would ah be able to expect a 'thank you'?"

"You'd be able to expect a very big thank you," Ace told her. "The biggest thank you and glowing gratitude for providing such a spectacular opportunity for me." She nodded humbly at his comment, a small smile gracing her lips. "But enough about me, what about you? Why are you still in Canterlot? I thought the Gala was a couple of days ago."

"It was," the earth pony answered. "But after the, uh, incident, Rarity here insisted we have our dresses dry cleaned."

"I cannot be expected to take my dress home in such a filthy state," the white unicorn harrumphed, turning her nose up at the suggestion she should do otherwise. "Whatever would other ponies think if they saw us coming home bedraggled like some clueless ruffians after a hen party?"

"I'm pretty sure that was just your dress," a throaty voice interjected, uttered by a blue pegasus next to the unicorn. The white mare glared at her companion, who was smirking mischievously, her eyes lit up with impertinent amusement.

"Not a single one of us walked away from that Gala looking even passingly decent," Rarity rebutted. "You, Rainbow Dash, managed to destroy half of that room and cover us all in dust! It took me hours to cleanse my mane! Hours, I tell you!"

"So it's you I should thank for my lucrative business contract," Ace chimed in, addressing the pegasus that had been refered to as Rainbow Dash. The mare looked at him and chuckled, a twinge of embarassment in her smile. She was quite the mare to look at, her prismatic mane cut into a sharp and ruffled fringe, the colours remaining separate in spite of her devil-may-care facade. She looked spritely and ready, eager and energetic, but her coat was neat and immaculate, like a carefully constructed paradox.

"Don't mention it," she replied, waving a hoof in faux-nonchalance. "I'm always helping out. Just ask anypony around, I'm the most helpful pony anypony knows."

"An' humble, too," Applejack jibed, drawing a laugh from Ace.

"So we have the humble and helpful room-destroyer," the stallion assessed, nodding at Rainbow, and then looked to Applejack. "And her guilty sidekick, who confessed it all to the princess herself. What was your role, guilty one? Was it the stampede?"

"What sorta outlaw do ya take me for?" she demanded, huffing in offence. The twinkle in her eye betrayed her amusement. "All ah did was bring a tray of delicious treats into the hall, an'-"

"And I leapt from the stage like staaagggee diiiiiivvve and hit the cart Applejack wheeled in and hurled the cake all the way across the room!" interrupted a pink mare. The sudden change jolted Ace, and he felt his attention dragged away from the blonde mare to another earth pony, her appearance as loud and sugary as her speech. "The cake flew allll the way over to the door and nearly hit a prince, but Rarity was super brave and got volunteered to be a shield, but then she was all upsetti spaghetti, and shook the cake all over the prince, who was all like ew ew ew I'm a clean upper class pony and stumbled back into a big slender pony statue, which toppled over! Then Rainbow Dash zoomed in like a superhero - woooosh! - and caught it on her back! But then she wobbled and knocked over a bunch of other stone columns and totally ruined the party! I was feeling pretty bad for causing the cake to fly across the room, but then Twilight came in with Princess Celestia and saw that everypony was wearing a big old stinky frown, and said 'well, it can't get any worse', and then guess what happened?"

It took several seconds before Ace realised that the equine equivilent of a racing motor expected an answer from him, her eyes boring into him as she leered gleefully, obviously straining to contain her anticipation. "Um...it...it got worse?"

"It totally got worse!" she cheered. "There was a rumble and the doors burst open and a bunch of critters and creatures and condors and kangaroos cascaded into the room! It was all bang! Then Fluttershy came in and screamed at them to love her, and then everypony started running around like crazy, and Twilight whistled for us all to leave, and Rarity lost her glass slipper on the stairs and then smashed it and-"

"I think you've explained the minutiae of the incident quite exhaustively," Rarity cut in, smiling a little too tightly to be sincere. She pulled the eccentric pink mare out of Ace's personal space, returning her to her seat. "I'm quite sure that Mr Ace - if I'm not mistaken? - understands what happened." The unicorn let out a soft sigh, her smile easing as she looked back to the stallion. "I apologise for her antics. She gets quite overexcited sometimes."

Ace's brain was still running a backlog on the information he'd been presented, trying to digest the flurry of words and the boisterous performance through which he'd received the account. His mind filtered the relevant details from the rest, trying to piece it together into a coherent picture. Applejack brought cake trolley into hall...pink pony stage dived onto cake trolley...cake hit Rarity...Rarity shook cake onto prince...prince toppled statue...Rainbow attempted rescue...rescue failed and destroyed room...stampede threw the gala into chaos...

"That...that lines up with what Princess Celestia told me," he commented, looking up at the six mares across from him. A thought crossed his mind, and his gaze tracked on to the purple unicorn sat nearest the train window opposite him. Pinkie had said the name 'Twilight' in her tirade, and Celestia had made mention of her student of the same name several times during their talks. There were two unicorns here, and the white one he'd already been told was Rarity, which left the lavendar one as the potential student of the Princess of the Sun. The same student who lived in Ponyville, which was where the train and its passengers were heading. The same student who had, according to Celestia, attended the Grand Galloping Gala with her five friends, much like the other five mares sitting in front of him, one of whom had recommended his services to the Princess herself, despite having no ties to royalty.

"Is everything okay?" the unicorn asked, her voice soft and polite. Ace realised he'd been staring, and shook his head clear of its thoughts.

"Sorry," he apologised. "I just realised I might know you. Are you Twilight Sparkle, by any chance?"

"I am," the unicorn answered, surprise evident in her features, even as she kept her expression polite and respectful. "I don't recognise you though. Have we met?"

"Not before now," Ace told her. "Princess Celestia told me an awful lot about you, though."

"She did?" There was no mistaking the glee in the mare's tone, her mouth curling upwards and her eyes brightening. It looked like she was eager for attention and praise from her mentor, which, when the pegasus thought back to Celestia's mention of how star struck her student was, made sense.

"She did," the stallion confirmed, her joy spreading faintly to him. "She told me you're the best student she's ever had, the most motivated, the most enthusiastic, and the most dedicated pony she's had the privilege of guiding."

"That's Twilight alright," Rainbow laughed, while the unicorn in question glowed with an energy rivalling that of Pinkie. "When she first came to Ponyville, she went to bed rather than enjoy the party Pinkie Pie threw for her. Imagine turning down a party because you want to study." She and Applejack chortled together as Twilight blushed, the pink blosom on her cheeks an adorable accentuation to her already gorgeous charm.

"I was a teensy bit preoccupied with studying when I arrived in Ponyville, but I've gotten much better since then."

"A teensy bit? More like totally obsessed."

"I've gotten much better since then," Twilight repeated more insistently. "Did you talk to the princess for long? What else did she say?" From the look on her face, she was hopeful for compliments, eager to hear something positive from the princess. Not so much starved, but inticed.

"Other than that she's proud of you?" Ace asked, tilting his head and pursing his lips in mock thought. He tried to ham it up a little, just for her enjoyment. "She's happy with the progress you're making, and she has high hopes for your future. She also made mention of your friends, and how they're a perfect supplement to your own talents and skills. By the way, girls, a pleasure to meet you all." He waved at the other five mares, grinning as he did, earning a variety of light chuckles, and a giggle-snort from Pinkie. "The main focus of our discussion was the repairs that needed to be done, but since you came up in the conversation as to what happened, the princess went out of her way to make it clear that you weren't responsible for what happened. She spoke very highly of all of you, and all of your qualities, though I only knew Applejack from who she mentioned."

"Oh, thank goodness," Rarity chimed in, her tone laden with relief. "She assured us that she wasn't upset with us for the state of the castle following the gala, but to hear it from another pony really alleviates that straggling anxiety. Anxiety is absolutely disasterous for my complexion."

"How do you know Applejack?" Rainbow asked, casting an inquisitive look at the blonde mare. "She hasn't mentioned you before."

"Ouch, my pride," Ace mourned, grinning at the earth pony opposite him. "Do I truly mean so little?"

"Cry me a river."

"I just might. In all seriousness, I worked on her farm for a while with her family. They were kind enough to give a colt somewhere to stay, and all they asked in exchange was help around the farm. It was good work, and it was actually during the reconstruction of their barn that I got my cutie mark. Shortly after, I went into the construction industry, made friends and contacts, and rented appartments where I needed them for work."

"Ah guess ya owe us twice over, what with me gettin' you this contract an' all."

"You mean I came in to help you with your mess yet again? Don't worry, I've just accepted my life is forever going to be running around clearing up after you." The group laughed, the differences in their voices melding into a sweet symphony that played across the carriage. It was the easy, warming sort of laughter that only existed around friends, a warmth and softness to it that connected those present together.

As the conductor called out, the whistle on the train trumpeted proudly, and the train began its slow, heaving journey from the mountain, Aerial Ace felt a satisfaction from meeting his travel companions, and a fulfillment from having met Twilight Sparkle already. He'd anticipated running into her in Ponyville, but he'd struck lucky and come across her early on. The Princess would be happy he'd already completed the first of the tasks she'd set out for him.

"SUR-PRISE!"

The cheer made Ace jump, and the subsequent flash of lights and the hooting of ponies he hadn't even realised were there made his blood run cold, his wings shooting out instinctively as his fight-or-flight kicked in. Before he could bolt out the door, he registered the interior of the building, a crowd of beaming at him with wide smiles from every direction. From seemingly nowhere, a pink mare leapt up and spread her forelegs wide, balancing on her hindlegs as she presented the assembled gathering.

"Welcome to Ponyville! It's a super duper fun place to be, and we're gonna make you feel right at home!" The cheerful exclamation was delivered so charmingly that Ace had to take several seconds to realise it was Pinkie Pie, and then a couple more seconds to realise that her being in his house was impossible.

"How...how did you get in here?" the stallion asked. "How did you know which house was mine? Did you go around checking every locked door? The door was locked right?"

"Maybe I got in...intruder window!" the mare answered, breaking out into a loud, guffawing giggle at her own joke, which ended in a snort.

"But you were right behind me!" he reminded her. "You were helping me bring my stuff from the station!"

"Sugar, if you're gonna live here, there's a few things ya should be aware of," Applejack interjected, coming up beside him. "First thing is that 'strange' has a whole different meanin' around here. Second thing is that Pinkie is stranger than most things we get around here."

"But...how did she-?"

"Third thing is never question Pinkie's antics," the orange mare interrupted. "If she does somethin' perculiar, just shrug and sally on. Ain't no makin' sense of it. Trust me, smart mares have tried and been driven totally loopy."

"But...if..." Ace eventually sighed and conceded defeat. "Okay. I'll get my stuff in from outside." He turned to face the door, peeking out to find his luggage, only to see it was all gone. Looking around fretfully, he glanced both ways up the street, panic rising in his chest as the seconds passed without any sight of his suitcases. "Where did they go?" he asked, spinning back to the mares he was with. "Did you bring my bags inside?"

"I did!" Pinkie chirped. "Put them upstairs! Now you can party without any distractions!"

"But...how?"

"You're question' again," Applejack chuckled.

"I had to be here to surprise you, but if I was here before you arrived, I'd have left you alone with your bags, which wouldn't be friendly, so I took all your bags and put them in your bedroom upstairs, turned off the lights, and shouted SURPRISE when you walked in!"

"You were right behind me...and you did all that while we were walking?" Another thought crossed his mind, and the stallion paused. "When did you have time to plan this? I met you on the train from Canterlot, and you planned all of this-" He looked at the room more explicitly, taking in the sights that he'd missed before. There was a banner bridging two walls with the words Welcome to Ponyville, Aerial Ace printed across it, a number of tables had been covered in colourful cloth and laden with party snacks, and there was an assortment of ponies he didn't know, undoutedly townsfolk. "-and, and, somehow set up the entire party without leaving my side until five minutes ago? If that?"

"If I'd left, you'd have known something was up," Pinkie told him, seemingly unfazed by his disbelief. "Nopony expects somepony next to them to surprise them with a housewarming party, making it the ultimate surprise housewarming party!" Bouncing up to him, she pressed her nose up to his and asked, "So do you like it, huh? Were you surprised?"

The stallion had to blink several times before he conceded defeat once again. "Yes, Pinkie. It was a huge surprise, and I'm grateful. Thank you."

"You're super duper welcome!" she answered, beaming wide and bouncing over to a table covered in drinks and snacks. "I make sure everypony coming to Ponyville has a welcome party, and when I heard you were moving here I knew I had to throw you a memorable spectacular surprise celebration!" Her smile didn't fade, and she watched him as he made his way over to the table, eyeing up the bite-sized treats laid out, as well as a sizable bowl of punch.

"If you're thirsty, make sure you don't drink the hot sauce," Twilight spoke, coming up beside him.

"Hot sauce?" the pegasus asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "How and why would I drink hot sauce?"

"You might be thirsty or tired after a long trip and reach for a bottle thinking it's something to quench your thirst," she explained, reeling off the story with a knowing lilt in her tone. "It's worth keeping in mind."

"I see," Ace replied, slowly. "Thanks for the advice. I'll avoid any opaque bottles. Is there anything else I should know about?" He glanced at the table again, the information casting a new light on the various items in front of him.

"Expect the party to last all evening," the purple mare revealed. "When I arrived in Ponyville, I didn't sleep for two days."

"Two days?" the stallion repeated, incredulously.

"Yeah!" the pink mare chimed in. "I was walking down the street when I came across this new purple pony and her petite purple dragon, and I didn't recognise either of them so I threw a huuuge party for them, and then we partied the night away in the library before Princess Celestia came to raise the sun, but when we got to the town hall for the Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Moon turned up and was all the night will last forever mwuhahahaha! Twilight ran to the library and we followed her and she told us about the Elements of Harmony, and we travelled into the Everfree Forest which was dark and spooky and-"

Ace normally would've zoned out from such a lengthy tale, but Pinkie's vivaciousness was too abundant to ignore, intruding into his consciousness and puffing away any boredom like dust from an old antique, or an extractor fan removing smoke from a kitchen. Her head didn't stay still for a single second, bobbing and weaving and turning sharply, her body just as animated. Every few sentences were accompanied with a grand gesticulation, and she seemed to vibrate with energy as she belted out her story like a phonograph on triple speed. A cautious glance at the others showed that they were watching with an air of familiarity, clear used to the eccentricity, while Twilight and Fluttershy looked a little more overwhelmed. The latter was probably due to how shy she was, and her aversion to loud and persistent noise, and he guessed Twilight was still acclimitising to the vociferous outbursts like this one.

"-so we threw another party for her, and she was a party pony for that one! We became super duper best friends and spent the next day celebrating!" The story - which was more of a speech than a story - ended with Pinkie wrapping her forehooves around Twilight and smooshing their cheeks together, the earth pony beaming so wide it seemed that her smile took up a majority of her face. The purple mare looked squashed, but didn't complain, either because she didn't want to, or because she simply couldn't. Luckily for her, Pinkie let go soon after. "It's a bummer we can't have a dangerous world-threatening adventure to coincide with your arrival, but I didn't have time to plan for that, and I promise I'll make it up to you with a humungous cake the size of your house!"

"It's quite alright," the stallion assured her, concerned that the mare would actually attempt such a feat. "The party's enough. I don't feel neglected." Apparently, he was already getting a feel for her antics, and could tell she was about to insist when she pouted. "But if you want to do more, we can talk about it and we'll find something I like?" That stopped her upcoming barrage of pleas and offers, and she brightened considerably, nodding and smiling.

"Oakily dokily!" she responded. "I'm gonna go say hi to some of the other ponies. Enjoy your party!"

"Will do," he called out as she hopped towards a crowd of mares, all of whom turned to greet her. Ace watched her for a few seconds before realising his heart was beating faster and his breathing was heavier, as though he'd been jogging, and a lick of his lips revealed to him that he was parched. Turning around, he reached for the first bottle he saw and grabbed a cup, tipping the bottle to pour himself a drink. A warm glow encompassed his hoof, and he found he couldn't move it any further.

"If you really want to drink the hot sauce, I won't stop you," Twilight teased, her horn glimmering in a pink haze. "But you might want to think about it for a second or two."

"I...wow," Ace mumured, levelling the bottle. "That easy?"

"That easy," Twilight confirmed, releasing her magic, allowing the pegasus to push it away. "Apart from Pinkie Pie or foals who've been dared for brovado, nopony deliberately drinks condiments or sauces." She floated a pre-poured cup of lemonade over to him. "I think you'll like this more."

"I think so too," the stallion agreed, taking the drink gratefully and swigging down a mouthful, smacking his lips appreciatively. "Since you're the newest resident besides me, mind giving me a run-down of the town and all the do's and don'ts? What can I expect, other than more of Pinkie being Pinkie?"

"Honestly? If you understand you're going to have to deal with Pinkie on a daily basis, you're halfway to being a fully-fledged Ponyville citizen."

"There's got to be more to it than just that," Ace pressed as the purple mare reached out with her magic for a cup of lemonade, cradling it a safe distance away from herself.

"Oh, there is, but if you want to quantify just how crazy it can get, Pinkie is a good barometer. She's a stable metric for these sorts of things, which is something I never would've said a year ago. It sounds weird even saying it now, but with recent events, I've come to accept it as the best I can do."

"What are some things that fall lower on the Pinkie scale that you've seen around here?" the stallion asked, a twinge of a smile tugging at his lips as the unicorn giggled at his words. After a few seconds spent pondering his question, the mare gave him his answer.

"We had a griffon visit town once. She was an old friend of Rainbow's, and she made quite the splash when she arrived. Apart from Rainbow, I don't think anypony in town had met a griffon before, and she wasn't quite what we were used to. Pinkie threw her a party to try and get her to realise that Ponyville was a friendly town, but the griffon proved to be too hostile."

"That's disappointing."

"It was, especially for Rainbow." The unicorn cast a glance at the prismatic mare chatting to another few pegasi at the other side of the room, sharing what was presumably an entertaining story of their own. "They fell out, hard. I knew she felt betrayed and that she felt bad for neglecting Pinkie to spend time with an older friend who turned out to be something very different to what she remembered. Pinkie and Rainbow grew closer, but the town is still weary of griffons as a result. Now that I think of it, that incident probably didn't help anypony's perception of Zecora."

"Zecora?"

"She's a zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest," Twilight explained. "She comes into town when she needs something, but for a long while, she wasn't received very well. There were strange rumours surrounding her, and I don't think anypony had even heard of a zebra before, which meant that when she came to town, everypony hid in fear."

"That's wild. So...a zebra?"

"Yes, she...oh." Twilight noted Ace's expression, and smiled knowingly. "Zebras are a species who look very similar to earth ponies, except their coat is black and white striped. Their homelands are far from Equestria, and Zecora is honestly the first I've ever met. She's a lovely mare, and I'm glad she was so forgiving after we..." She paused, a blush blooming on her cheeks.

"Excluded her?" Ace guessed. The unicorn winced, and wobbled her head slightly.

"More that we accused her of cursing us, and of being a witch."

"What?"

"It's a bit of a long story involving dangerous flora in the Everfree Forest. Which reminds me, don't go in there without a guide, or at night. If you can, stay away entirely."

"Okay," the stallion replied slowly, a little perturbed by her explanation. Sipping his lemonade, he mulled the warning over in his head. Ponyville sounded outright dangerous, not just whacky.

"Creatures don't usually roam beyond the borders of the forest, but sometimes we find that one grows curious and wanders too close. Fluttershy can usually take care of them, in those cases."

"She can?" the pegasus asked incredulously. The yellow mare was painfully shy, scared of almost everything, and the thought of her dealing with ferocious beasts, or whatever came from the dark shade of the forest that Twilight had just warned him to stay away from, was shockingly unbelievable. He didn't think Twilight was lying, but, well, maybe it was a matter of judging a book by its cover; the angelic mare was not the image of ferocity and authority. Even now, she was gathered with a smaller crowd of mares, all of whom were talking in soft tones about something quaint.

"I know she seems quite timid, but Fluttershy actually takes care of pets around Ponyville for other residents, and is in charge of training and domesticatic animals. When I first met her, she was organising a choir of birds for the Summer Sun Celebration. She has a deep connection to creatures which most ponies can't understand, never mind achieve. She's successfully negotiated with cockatrices, manticores, and even dragons."

"When you say 'dragons', do you mean-?"

"The huge scaley winged creatures that ocassionally fly over Equestria?" Twilight finished for him. "Yes, I do. She talked one into moving to another cave so his smoke didn't smother Ponyville in a blanket of darkness."

"I didn't expect that from her," Ace commented, whislting at the thought.

"Few ponies do, myself included," Twilight admitted. "That's why she's so..." She paused, searching for the word. "So...potent. Ponies look at her, size her up, and think she's fragile and guileless. They think she's too small and meek to make a difference or to pose any real threat to anycreature. Kindness is a strength, though, not a weakness, and she's done so much good for ponies and other creatures on such a foundational level that I don't think they realise it. When a creature does something bad, they dismiss her, and she's able to work unfettered to stop them, or if they indulge her, thinking it'll be fun to toy with her, they inadvertently let their defences down, and allow her to connect with them. She ignites something in ponies that they even knew they had in themselves."

"You make her sound like a goddess."

"She's definitely a strong and powerful pony, appearances notwithstanding."

"You've got an important circle of friends, from the sounds of it. You've saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon, you've sowed peace between settlers and natives, you've stopped creatures and beasts of all descriptions, and on top of all of that, you've got full-time jobs in the town. I'm not sure how I can supplement that."

"Everypony has their strengths, and besides, friendship isn't about how you can use somepony. It's about forming a meaningful bond and getting something from that relationship."

"To bonding, then," Ace offered, tapping his cup against hers. Twilight smiled and drank in tandem with him. "Did you choose to live in the library, or was it a package deal?"

"The Princess arranged it," the unicorn told him. "I'm glad she did. After I decided to move here permanently, the library was a natural home for me. I lived in a tower in Canterlot, and while it's not quite the same, it has similar qualities in it, from the spiralling staircase to the amount of books. I couldn't have picked somewhere more perfect if I'd tried."

"Did you expect to end up as a librarian?"

"I'm more of a scholar than a librarian," she countered. "It isn't too different to what I did in Canterlot, except now I have to record the outflow and inflow of books and ocassionally lend somepony in town a novel or textbook. It's more social than my experience in Canterlot, what with ponies coming in to select a book to read, which obviously didn't happen in my private quarters, but no stranger." She paused, and added, "Well, no stranger if nothing odd happens in town. I've only had my reading interrupted a hoofful of times."

"I've been meaning to get into reading," Ace informed her. "I've been kept busy with work, but if there's a central library and a dedicated librarian/scholar/national hero staffing it, there might be more motivation for me to bury myself in a novel or three. Mind if I come round some time to take advantage of your stacked shelves?" He finished his request with a half-grin, earning a small chortle from the unicorn.

"Of course! We're open every day between 10am and 8pm unless otherwise stated, barring national holidays. No appointments needed, and I'll try to be there to greet you personally. If not, Spike should be there to fulfil your requests."

"I'll do that. When does the book club meet?"

"Book club?" The mare tilted her head at his question.

"There isn't a book club? Well, in that case, I guess we'll have to make one. When are you free to start the book club's first meeting?"

The second of confusion passed into realisation, and a smile split her muzzle, amusement colouring her expression as she caught on. It didn't take much to convince her to pursue the idea seriously, and with a date and time hashed out, he left her, eyes sparkling with giddy excitement, and set out to meet the other guests at the party.

Pleasing the pretty purple pony was both easy and immensely satisfying, and Ace once again gave himself a metaphorical pat on the back for a job well done.

Throughout the weeks that followed, Ace made sure to split his time visiting his new acquaintances, turning them from ponies he knew into ponies he could call friends. Pinkie was the easiest, welcoming him back to Ponyville every time he got back from overseeing the repair efforts in Canterlot, her boundless joy lifting his spirits after even the longest day. Rarity made sure to ask about how Canterlot was doing, chatting frequently with him about the city and his work there, which moved on to his work in general, and how he himself was doing. Applejack was an old friend, somepony he always knew he could stop by to say hi to, passing on his well-wishes to the Apple family while he was there. Fluttershy took work and effort, her nervousness around new ponies meaning he best had time to speak to her when she was with one of the others, though she slowly began opening up to him, smiling if he came round to visit her cottage and offering him some tea and a soft chat. Rainbow, being the energetic athlete she was, was happy to have him watch her practice and comment about how great she looked doing it. Somehow, it wasn't even flirting; she just loved hearing everypony else praising her.

Twilight, though, was the pony he looked forward to seeing the most. She was erudite and prim, and adorably nerdy. Ace had heard she was bookish, particularly from Rainbow Dash, whose athleticism he figured clashed with the more reserved nature of the unicorn, but the stallion found her to be intelligent and astute, and the way she spoke about topics ranging from maths to theoretical concepts of existence had him captivated. He didn't know what she was talking about half the time, but it was clear she did and that she found the subjects exciting, which meant that listening to her was exciting. It was like she'd managed to isolate and extract a portion of Pinkie's personality, which only came out when she was discussing academic matters, and it was just as infectiously invigorating as the pink pony's meandering conversations.

The book club idea remained, as Ace had expected, the two of them meeting a couple of times a week - or more, if they both had time - to discuss their favourite books, the librarian starting him off with some recommendations. He'd already read the Daring Do series (who hadn't?), which was how they began their sessions, comparing favourite segments of the books and sharing their expectations and hopes for the next entry. She introduced him to The Adventures of Shadow Spade, crime thrillers that Rarity liked to read, and he brought her attention to The Universal Trilogy. Their appointments took the form of them sitting together on the balcony of Golden Oaks Library, reading through their respective stories of the week, enjoying each other's silent presence until they took a break and chatted excitedly about how they felt.

With each passing session, the unicorn became more comfortable with him, the space between them reducing imperceptibly. During an unexpectedly brisk afternoon wind, Ace had wrapped his wing around the mare's smaller body, surprising her at first, though she quickly grew comfortable among his feathers, the cover warming her nicely. From then on, whenever she looked chilly, or if he felt like it, Ace drooped his wing over her, the mare receptive to the close contact, and they continued their chat or their separate reading without any issue.

It was a sunny, still day when they closed their books in synchronisation, turning to one another with a smirk and a smile, and exchanged their thoughts on their novels.

"You were right, I didn't see that coming," Ace started, to the purple mare's obvious amusement. "Yes, I know you said I wouldn't see it coming, but I thought I'd spotted the bluff. It looked like the victim was the perpertator all along!" The unicorn giggled, a satisfied glow to her visage. "So yes, you were right. Was I right?"

"Well, it was certainly entertaining," Twilight replied, a hoof resting on the final book in The Universal Trilogy. "I won't rate it as my top ten of all time, but I won't mark it down, either. I think Fluttershy might like it; there's plenty about animals in here that she'd be overjoyed to read about." She stretched, her joints cracking faintly as she moved for the first time in the better part of an hour. "What do you want to try next? I was thinking a non-fiction book, something neither of us has tried before. I could learn about a subject you're good at, and you can learn something I'm interested in."

"What exactly don't you already know?" Ace asked teasingly. "I'm sure you could learn anything in an afternoon, anyway."

"There's always more to learn," the mare assured him, dismissing his compliment. "I know there's so much out there that I don't know yet. Everypony has something they've never encountered before."

"Then why don't we try that?" the stallion suggested. "A topic neither of us has covered, like knitting, or ballet, or something similar." Twilight considered that for a few seconds before nodding brightly, visibly pleased with his plan.

"What haven't you researched that you want to?"

"That's a good question. Uh, I haven't looked much into astronomy, which I probably should after having read The Universal Trilogy."

"Space is nothing like that," Twilight assured him. "At least, nothing that's ever been studied about space has ever corroborated the descriptions of other celestial bodies."

"You sound like you've studied a lot about space," Ace observed. "I'd be at a disadvantage going in blind."

"We could always swap areas of expertise?" the mare suggested. "I'll give you some astronomy books to read through and we'll explore them together, and you can teach me something you're interested in."

"I'm not sure there's much for me to show you," the stallion pointed out. "I'm mostly a manager and organiser by trade, which you're very familiar with, if your Winter Wrap Up experience is anything to go by. I'm not sure if there are any interesting texts on woodworking, construction, or much else. I learned it on the job." He hummed, mulling over some ideas in his mind, one coming to the forefront rather quickly. He maintained his thoughtful expression, pretending to be stumped, until he perked up suddenly, as though an epiphany had sprung up. "Of course! I could...no, no, that's silly of me..." He muttered to himself some inaudible musings, and returned to looking thoughtful.

"What is?" Twilight asked curiously, her expression adorabley naive. He had to fight back a smirk as she took the bait. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm not sure it's appropriate," he insisted. "I could, but I'd want to read something with you that you've never read before, and something you've got no experience with, and I don't think this is the right text for that."

"If you tell me, we can see," the purple mare pressed. "If we've both read it, we can try something else. There's no harm in suggesting it, right?"

"I suppose," Ace agreed, glancing around for exaggerated effect. "Well, how about..." He leaned in close, as if he was about to whisper something conspiratorial to her, and the mare looked even more intrigued. She flicked her ears towards him, obviously invested in whatever secret he was about to bestow on her. With her full, enraptured attention, his muzzle an inch away from her ears, he finally told her, "The Kama Hooftra."

The unicorn paused, like a stutter in a film reel, and then turned to face him, surprised awe plastered on her face. He no longer needed to contain his grin, and so let it stretch across his muzzle, meeting her shock with unrepentent amusement. At the sight, she let out a soft giggle, colour rising in her cheeks as she digested his unorthodox suggestion.

"I did say it was inappropriate," he teased, bringing another giggle from the mare.

"You did," she acknowledged. "I can't say I've ever had anypony suggest I read that."

"I imagine most ponies who suggested you books were teachers or librarians, right?" the pegasus asked, receiving a nod. "How do you know about it in the first place, Miss Sparkle?" Her rapidly-reddening cheeks were well worth the moderately scathing glare she shot him, and he chortled at her indignation. "Somepony's been doing some extra-curricular reading, hasn't she?"

"It's perfectly natural to be curious," the unicorn asserted, fronting a visage of confidence. "And your suggestion is hardly innocent either, mister."

"We're just two curious ponies," the stallion teased. "Perfectly natural. Besides, we're here to share our enjoyment of books, right? What's better than enjoying a book about how to live an emotionally fulfilling life? I can tell you my favourite parts, unless you'd like to share first?"

The mare winced, her coat failing to hide her burning face. "I-I don't think we should," she stammered, shifting uncomfortably. She glanced inside, looking like she'd rather be somewhere else. "Maybe we should end the session here?"

"Hey, I'm sorry," the stallion relented, backtracking his teasing. He draped a dark wing over her, softly covering her body. "I took it too far there. I was just teasing." He pulled her against him, providing a familiar, comforting presence for her, and they stayed like that for several seconds, silently.

"It's okay," she told him, taking a deep breath. "I'm not weirded out, or anything, I'm just not very good at talking about it. I'm a private mare, mostly, and discussing personal things like that has never been my strength. I've been trying friendship for less than a year, and intimacy isn't..." She stopped herself short, trailing off into nothingness. Ace waited for her to continue her train of thought, but she didn't.

"You said you were happy to learn something I was familiar with," he reminded her. "Maybe opening up about this is something I can help you to do? It's not exactly reading books, but it's still a feat of friendship. It doesn't have to be anything more than you feel comfortable with. I'll just be a listening ear and a source of advice, if you ask for it." He kept silent, allowing her to think his offer through.

"You might be right," she considered, her cheeks having cooled to a rosy glow. "Can we go inside and I'll think about it?" He didn't say anything, retracting his wing and standing up to give her room, picking up his novel as he did so. Twilight followed suit, bringing her book with her in a telekentic grasp as she stepped back inside the library, the stallion leaving a few paces between them to give her some room.

Closing the balcony door behind him, the pegasus entered into the library's living room, passing the book over to Twilight as she returned them to their rightful places. She took her time, aligning the tomes on the shelves and adjusting the others so that they stood perfectly, spending far too long ensuring their neatness. When she did finish and turned around, she looked nervous, and sat down in one of the armchairs of the room. Ace silently placed himself in the other.

"Nopony's ever asked me about my personal life before," Twilight spoke up after a long period of silence. "At least, not intimacy. I spent a lot of time just studying and focusing on learning, and I saw other ponies as a distraction. Books were my best friends, and they taught me everything I ever needed to know."

"Including sexuality?"

"Yes." The confession brought another bright burn to the mare's lavender coat, but she looked a little more relieved, and her words sounded like they weren't such a struggle to say. "I know I was a lot less social than other ponies, but I still had normal desires, which I couldn't share with anypony else. I didn't want to, either, but that didn't mean I didn't have needs." She bit her lip. "Is that weird to hear?"

"Not at all," Ace assured her. "It would be...well, not weird, but it wouldn't be typical if you didn't have sexual thoughts and desires. Everypony does. You're a pony just like the rest of us, so of course you have needs and wants. Why would that be weird?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just never felt comfortable addressing it. Other mares would openly talk about stallions they liked, or I'd hear whispers about their interests, but I never took it seriously. It was all just a distraction to me. When I came to Ponyville to study friendship, I noticed just how often mares talked about private things like that, and I couldn't join in, either! It's been a nightmare to try and avoid!" She groaned, running a hoof down her face. "You're the first pony I feel I can trust to explain why I'm so jumpy around this subject."

"I'm flattered," he told her. "You sound rather repressed, if you don't mind me saying. I don't mean that as a jab, I mean you sound like you carry a lot of tension with you."

"I do. From what I can tell, all of my friends have had somepony in their life before, except maybe Fluttershy. I had my first sleepover with Rarity and Applejack, and when it came to sharing stories about boys we liked, I had nothing! They didn't make fun of me - Rarity was very sympathetic, actually - but I realised just how out of my depth I was. Rarity spent minutes talking about her first kiss, and I just assumed that was her usual theatrics, but even Applejack recounted her own first experience. I had nothing."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of. You don't need to have been intimate with somepony to have value."

"I know that, but...it's not that I don't want to anymore. I used to not want to, but now I've experienced friendship, I realised I've been shutting myself off to the world for no real reason. I used to think friendship was a waste of time, and that friends were annoying distractions. Now I know that friendship is magical, that it makes life worth living, and that it's one of the simplest and most important joys we can ever experience. I never had to force myself to avoid friendship, but I had to find a way to deal with my other desires, and here I am, explaining this like a filly to somepony because I don't know what to do."

"Okay, you sound really repressed. If you don't mind me asking, how strong are your desires?" There was a significant pause, and Twilight mumbled something while looking down. "Sorry?"

"Very," she muttered, her words just audible to the pegasus. Her face was glowing again.

"On a scale of 1-10, would you say-"

"10."

"Oh." There was another lengthy pause. "So, um, how do you deal with this, if you can't approach another pony?" It wasn't a real question, given what she'd already told him, but Ace needed to get her to talk freely if he wanted to make progress. Forcing her to answer would just make her more reluctant.

"I...I have some...toys."

"Do you use them often?"

"Every day." She bit her lip. "You've said you'd listen, so can I be really, really open with you? I need to get some things of my chest, and I've never ever told anypony about this before." She swallowed. "Please Pinkie Promise you'll keep this to yourself and not laugh or find me weird."

"Cross my heart and hope to fly," Ace recited, performing the gestures. "Stick a cupcake in my eye. I won't laugh or be weirded out by you, Twilight. Your secret is safe with me. I promise." She looked relieved, taking a second to peek her head down the staircase towards the entrance. He saw her horn ignite, and heard the front door to the library lock. When she returned to the chair, she looked like she was ready to explode from whatever she was ready to reveal.

"I...I...I have a problem!" Her words were shouted in a hushed exclamation, her eyes wide. "I masturbate at least once every night, and once in the morning! Sometimes I drape a blanket over me when I'm reading so I can play with myself without alerting Spike! When I lived in Canterlot, I spent seven hundred bits on a collection of masturbatory aids!" She slumped in her chair. "Is there something wrong with me? I've read everything I can on excessive libido, and the medical texts say I'm well above what any normal mare should experience! I don't want to believe it, but it's just so...ugh!" She thumped the armrest with a hoof. "I'm tired of being so weird!"

"You are not weird," Ace asserted. "You're a mare with needs. I know you feel like you're different, but different isn't bad. Isn't that what you told me when we first met? That everypony has their strengths? We couldn't be unique and useful if we were all exactly the same, could we?"

"Well, no, but that doesn't mean-"

"If you've got an overactive sex drive, that's fine. Besides, I think you're just experiencing..." He hummed, trying to find a right word. "...buildup. You've not experienced intimacy with other ponies in your life, and that's resulted in your urges growing and growing, like steam in a pipe. Maybe you're not a nymphomaniac; maybe you're just repressed, and all you need is to-" He mimicked turning a pressure valve, voicing the squeaks and the hiss of the release. Twilight watched on glumly, though his words seemed to stir something in her.

"That makes sense, but how?" she asked. "I don't know the first thing about approaching stallions, and I don't want to just ask some random stallion for a roll in the hay. What if I come across as weird? What if all of Ponyville finds out I'm an awkward virign bookworm?" She began to fret again, chewing her lower lip with panic-stricken eyes. "It needs to be somepony I trust, but I don't want to ask a friend and ruin our relationship, and that leaves me with nopony!" She slumped onto her forehooves, groaning in distress.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Ace asked her. She looked up at him, a dejected expression cast on her features. "Why would asking a friend ruin your relationship?"

"Because friends don't just sleep with each other!"

"Don't they?" There was a momentary pause as Twilight considered that, unable to rebut his question with any certainty.

"Well, no friends I know ever have, other than friendships which have evolved into romantic relationships, and I don't see any of my friends that way."

"There are plenty of friends who have sexual relationships."

"Really?" She tilted her head. "How? Why?"

"Desire. You said yourself that you've got some very strong needs, and that other ponies have had experiences you haven't. What if two friends both wanted to let off some steam? There's nothing wrong with two adult ponies having some consensual adult fun."

"When you say it like that..." The unicorn looked hopeful for a moment, then her face fell again. "None of my close friends are stallions."

"You aren't interested in mares at all?" His question received a prompt shake of the head. "Well, I'll take the news that I'm not a close friend on the chin." She looked up at him and blinked.

"You?"

"Yeah. I'm a stallion, just in case you've missed that throughout our book club sessions."

"I know, I'm just...well, you're a friend, but you're not...we're..." She trailed off, unable to formulate her thoughts. "I...I suppose you are a stallion friend of mine. I haven't thought of that."

"Still taking it on the chin, don't worry."

"Sorry," she laughed. "I just never thought of...well, I didn't consider you to be somepony I could see other than as a friend. Not that you aren't attractive, or anything, it's just that my friends are closely knit, and I've only thought of being able to trust them with my thoughts about this. Except, I never have. And I did entrust my private thoughts to you." She fell silent, the realisation hitting her.

"Do I seem like a suitable candidate to your problem?"

"You?" The mare opened her mouth, then closed it, opened it again, and finally posited, "Would it be weird? I trust you, if our talk just now has proved anything, but...are we close enough? Are we too close? Is it weird either way? I don't want to make it weird between us."

"I've already told you, I don't think you're weird," Ace assured her. "If you want me to help you, I won't find that weird. If you feel uncomfortable, and don't want this, then that's fine as well. I won't force anything. Whatever you choose, we'll still be friends, and I won't think you're weird."

"Okay." She smiled, her face brighter and her expression fuller than it had been since they'd started their little talk. "Then yes. I very much would like to expand our friendship." She rubbed the back of her head anxiously. "Can you help me plan it? I'm really not experienced with it at all."

"Of course," he replied, her request bringing a smile to his lips. Of all the things she could've asked, that was somehow the most Twilight thing she could've said, and also incredibly adorable. "Communication is key for a good relationship, be it friendship or more than just friendship. Let's start with the basics, then; what do you want me to do with you?"

The purple unicorn sat up straighter, ready to reel off a list...and then stopped, a confused frown crossing her face. "I want to...have...sex?" She smiled sheepishly at him, underprepared for the question.

"Well, yes, I imagine so. But what things do you want to do? Do you have any particular kinks or fetishes you want me to indulge?"

"I think I do. Actually, I know I do, but I'm not sure how normal they are."

"Go ahead. I won't judge."

She hesitated. "Could you start? Please?"

Everything the unicorn said was cute, the pegasus noted. Her demeanour and her little mannerisms, the way she tried to engage, only to pull away at the last second, anxiety halting her efforts. She was a heartthrob, and he gladly acquiesced to her plea.

"Personally, I'm fond of power dynamics," he informed her. "I'm regularly a dominant, so I love having mares or stallions submit to me, and having them service me. Related to that, I enjoy tying up my partners or binding them. Having a partner give themselves over to me is a massive turn-on, because they're investing all of their trust in me and I get to exercise power over them, which is a wonderful thrill. Other than that, I just enjoy really getting into it - having them service me willfully or begging me to service them." Having finished, he lifted a hoof towards her. "How was that? Feel more confident about telling me what you want now?"

"A lot more confident," she confessed. "Hearing you say that has really put my own wants in perspective. I knew that some ponies enjoyed the sorts of things I want to do, but I never knew how many, or if it was normal at all." Taking a breath, she steeled herself, pushed a smile onto her muzzle, and looked Ace in the eye. "I like the idea of being tended to. I really enjoy the thought of a strong stallion holding me close, carefully, um, loving me, and telling me what to do. I want to be directed. I've got a fantasy of someone rugged and gruff holding me down and roughly...rutting me." She stumbled a little, her nerves clearly returning more strongly as she delved into her own desires. The pegasus was patient, allowing her time to express her wishes. "But I imagine him being completely infatuated with me, wanting me because he thinks I'm beautiful and intelligent, and while he's roughly...well, I want him to tell me that he loves me, and that I'm the prettiest mare he's ever seen."

"That's incredibly hot," Ace commented. "And cute."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes the idea." She looked more relaxed, and while her face was practically dyed red, her expression was lighter than when she'd first confided in him.

"You'll find ponies have a lot of common interests, if you can get over your fear of being seen as odd," Ace told her. "For instance, I like girls who aren't afraid to tell me what they want." His words made her smile, a hint of lust playing across her expression.

"If that's how it is, you might like to know I've also fantasised about being tied up. There's something about a male keeping my legs apart so he can do whatever he wants that just gets me going. I want to feel like he has complete control over me, even while telling me how much he adores me. Maybe a blindfold too, or a gag."

"Kinky mare," Ace teased. "Who would've thought that the innocent librarian was harbouring such intentions?"

"You can hardly talk," she shot back, smirking at him. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you came here specifically to seduce me."

"I seduced you, did I?" the pegasus asked, wiggling his eyebrows as her. She nibbled her lip and averted her eyes tellingly. "All I thought I did was suggest that you talk about your wants and needs."

"You asked about my private life," she reminded him. "And encouraged me to let you help."

"Ah, yes, that I did."

"Yes, you did."

"Should I stop?"

"What? No, no, not at all!" She looked worried for a moment, before his grin made his teasing clear. "Oh, ha ha, very funny. It's not nice to toy with a mare like that."

"You love it." His words and the wink that accompanied it flustered her just a bit, if her expression was anything to go by. "Anyway, you were telling me about your likes. You mentioned having a fantasy about being doted upon by a rough lover. Do you want to try some roleplay?"

"I don't think so," she replied, giving it some thought. "Maybe one day, but for my first time, I don't want to associate the experience with somepony I'm not. I want it to be genuine. I know it's narcissistic to ask, but could you only say things you really mean?"

"That's not narcissistic at all. And yes, I'll only tell you the truth when I compliment you." Casting his mind over everything they'd talked about, the stallion determined that they'd gone through everything. "How about you write down a list of everything you want to try, and I'll make sure to keep it in mind. Does that sound good?"

Twilight nodded fervently and levitated over a quill and scroll, the scratching telegraphing her rapid scribbling as she jotted down her interests like an inventory for him to mull over. Minutes passed, the mare eyeing up her writing before passing the paper over to the stallion. She was a lot more confident, happily taking to the task now that she'd gotten over her fear, which was always a good sign. Taking the scroll, he looked over what she'd written. Most of it was what they'd discussed, but she'd taken the time to add some more details.

Must: Condoms, safety bell, safeword, sincerity, aftercare.
Want: Bondage, tying, gag, blindfold, cunnilingus, fellatio, soft kissing, caresses, cuddles, affectionate words.
Maybe: Light spanking, tail pulling, fellatio after vaginal penetration, teasing, begging.
Avoid: Serious pain, injury, harsh words (bitch, whore, etc.), non-consensual play, whips or paddles.

"You're thorough," he noted. "Well done. I'm glad to see you've thought about this."

"I've had a lot of time alone with my desires and I've read enough trashy novels," she told him, giggling. "I want to use 'red' as my safeword to stop, 'yellow' to slow down, 'green' to go faster or harder."

"I will make sure to oblige you on that," the stallion confirmed, rolling up the scroll and stowing it away in the bags he'd brought with him, which had originally contained a book. Now he'd be using it to carry home another, very different, type of writing. What an interesting way life turned out. "All we need to do is figure out when we want to do this. Judging from what you've written, you'll want a few hours to properly enjoy what we're going to do, and I imagine you'll want us to be alone."

"I'll need to send Spike away," she confirmed. "The end of next weekend, he'll be out after lunch until dinner, which gives us several hours to..." She stopped talking and looked down, nibbling her lip again. "Wow, we're really doing this, aren't we?"

"We are," Ace answered with a grin. "If you want to, of course. You can reconsider at any time." She shook her head emphatically, and he laughed. "Then yes, we're doing this. Next weekend. I'll be over at midday for some 'reading', and we can say goodbye to Spike together. Does that sound good?"

"It sounds perfect." She beamed at him, sighing in contentment. A few seconds later, she giggled, lifting a hoof to her mouth to try and stem the flow. "Sorry, it's just so surreal to be planning something like this. I never imagined losing my virginity would involve so much planning." Ace chuckled along with her, sharing in her amusment until they'd both worn off their excess excitement at the situation. They enjoyed the silence, relaxing in its passivity, ocassionally sending smiles in each other's direction.

"Twilight."

"Yes?"

"If we're going to be getting very intimate in a week, maybe I should introduce you to the more basic parts of it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Twilight Sparkle, that I am going to kiss you." He looked her dead in the eye, smirking with a confident, considerate warmth. "Would you like that?"

A gulp. "Yes. Yes I would." She let out a breath, then stood up. "No, wait, just give me a minute." The unicorn paced back and forth a few times, taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly. "Sorry, nerves. Lots of energy." Coming to a stop, she turned to face him again, licking her lips. "Okay, now I'm ready."

The pegasus stood up from his armchair, slowly pacing his way towards the unicorn, who he noticed was trembling just slightly. Smiling kindly, he extended a wing, brushing it along her side, the feathers gliding against her coat in a gentle gesture. She shuddered, this time from the stimulation, a shiver visibly running through her from his point of contact, and she locked eyes with him, her silent plea shimmering in those gorgeous violet eyes. Extending his other wing, he carefully cupped her chin as he lowered his muzzle down to hers, gradually, carefully, painstakingly inching his way closer and closer.

Their lips brushed, a soft, momentary touch, and then again. Ace moved smoothly, embracing her lips with his own, her softness contrasted only by the tad of dryness, which he remedied with a pass of the tip of his tongue. He kept his breathing deep and slow, focusing on caressing her with his lips, adding a dash of tongue only where it felt tasteful, letting her grow used to the ebb and flow of their sensuous dance. She pressed into him, wanting more, and he indulged, tilting moderately to give himself more room to approach her, encapsulating more and more of her as they deepend their embrace.

They hadn't gone very far before he broke it off, the stallion sweeping his tongue across the back of her teeth, but it had been deep and intimate, and the mare was breathless when he pulled back. Smiling, he kept his eyes closed to savour the sensation and to allow Twilight to see him so visibly content. She hadn't been the best kiss he'd ever had, but she didn't need to be; she was pure and innocent, comparatively, and the kiss was all the sweeter for it. Opening his eyes, he found her looking at him, breathing more rapidly than he was, her face aglow and her mouth parted.

"How was that?" he murmured, his voice a deep whisper. Swallowing, the mare nodded.

"Amazing," she uttered. "I can't wait for you to show me more." He smirked, pecking her forehead before standing up and stretching. Picking up his bag, he headed down the stairs towards the main door.

"Could you let me out?" he called up the stairs, hearing the hum of magic and the click of a lock a second later. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!" she called out, trotting after him. "And thank you, for everything. You're a good friend, and a very handsome stallion."

"And you, Twilight Sparkle, are a gorgeous mare, a beautiful pony, a supremely intelligent unicorn, and an absolute cutie." Of all the things that he'd said that day, that was the one which made her knees shake, and her eyes gleamed with pride. "I'll see you over the weekend." With a final wink, he opened the door and strode out, hearing it close behind him quite firmly, which brought a grin to his muzzle. She was going to be flicking the bean to him in a couple of minutes, and she was going to be thinking of him all week.

He grinned harder, patting himself on the back for his own spectacular work, and for surpassing Celestia's expectations of him, as he headed to the market to make some very particular purchases.