Twilight Sparkle + Cuteness = Big Deals

by ThePinkedWonder

Rating: everyone
Tags: Shining Armor, Twilight Velvet, Slice of Life, Night Light, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy
Length: 5064

Shining Armor teamed up with Twilight Sparkle and her superpower to score deal after deal from unsuspecting stores.

Twilight Sparkle is a little filly with a big superpower. Shining Armor was more or less aware of this power, but he didn't know just how unstoppable it could be if unleashed.

However, once Shining finally learned what it could do by testing it, he decided to milk the hay out of his little sister's superpower while out shopping.

Unfortunately, things eventually ended with a pony in over their head.

Published 2022-11-10 16:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2022-11-22 20:21:54 UTC

Chapter 2: Twilight Velvet's lesson

“Hmm…no, that one won’t do,” Twilight Velvet mumbled to herself. With Night Light beside her and Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle behind her, she glanced at the surrounding stores and buildings, one by one, as the family trotted.

“Remember to pick an expensive place, honey,” Night Light said. “According to the ‘How to be Great Par’–uh, that is, some book, we shouldn’t be doing this at all.”

“I know. I’m only going to choose a store that her superpower is worth using in.”

“I’m still not sure what my ‘superpower’ is. Daddy, why is it so special when I smile, but not other ponies?”

“Let’s just say that you have…an effect on ponies at a level most ponies don’t. You’ll gain a better understanding of why when you’re older.”

“Ooh, ‘Deluxe R Us’ should work nicely,” Velvet said as she stopped walking, causing the whole family to stop. “Shining, I’m pretty sure you didn’t, but did you go to Deluxe R Us earlier?”

“No, but maybe we shouldn’t try this. Twily started to feel like she was doing something wrong after we left the last store.”

“Oh, she did?” Velvet laid a hoof on Twilight’s cheek, wearing a comforting motherly smile. A smile that had single-hoofly beat into submission many a worry and fear from the filly. “Listen, sweetie. All you did was ask a question, and I always tell you that there is nothing wrong with asking questions. I bet your hero Starswirl the Bearded asked them to become the strongest unicorn in Equestrian history. You want to be like him, so can you handle doing this one more time for your mommy and Starswirl?”

“Yes!” the filly answered, her joyful smile returning in full form. “I can!”

“That’s my little Twi-shine. Let’s go in, so your brother can see with his own eyes the type of deals worthy of your superpower.”

The family trotted through the store’s doors. There was a lesson to be learned, sorta.

“Hmm. That mare looked very familiar,” a male voice said. “She reminded me of that filly I told you about.”

Another male answered, “If she is, maybe that’s why it feels like we should keep an eye on her and her family while they’re here.”

With Shining staying further back in Deluxe R Us with Night Light to watch, and with Twilight Sparkle with her, Twilight Velvet floated a fittingly-named deluxe glass plate & cups set into a cart. The items in this cart, which included a pack of a rare but valuable type of flower (think of the flowers in question as the Equestrian equivalent of caviar–not cheap), promised to laugh endlessly at the cost of what Shining and Twilight Sparkle bought earlier.

And as per her lesson, that was exactly what Twilight Velvet aimed for.

“That should do it. Now, you already know what to do, but if it wouldn’t be enough, lay on the floor and ask ‘Pleassse?’ again. That will maximize your superpower. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good.” Velvet lowered her bag, housing one hundred bits, onto Sparkle’s back. The mother Twilight hurried to Night Light and Shining, while the little Twilight pushed her cart down the store’s lobby and to a counter–and her next unsuspecting victim standing behind it.

“Oh, look at you! Shopping at your age like a big filly!”

“Hehe, thank you. I am still struggling to use my magic consistently, but I can try to lift–”

“Don’t worry, sweetie. I can pick up those things for you.” The stallion levitated everything in Twilight’s cart out and onto his counter. He added up all the items' prices and said, “This will be one-thousand five-hundred and sixty bits. Are you sure you have enough?”

“One-thousand, five-hundred, and sixty bits? Oh no, I only have a hundred bits, but could I pay that much? Pleassse?”

Twilight summoned “the face”: she smiled, lowered her ears, and her eyes sparkled. There’s a reason her parents named her Twilight Sparkle.

“Uh, I’m sorry, but I can’t–”

Twilight lay on the floor and curled herself up in a ball. She laid her face on the floor and rolled her eyes upward in the manner of an innocent puppy–and an extremely cute one at that. In an even more endearing tone than before, she asked, “Pleassse?”

The stallion yearned to continue resisting; the sweat droplets speeding down his forehead were proof of his struggle. Yet the filly’s adorableness shredded his resistance–and whined that it was getting bored and wanted a true challenge.

“Okay, sweetie, but only this once.”

“Yay! Thank you so much!”

Twilight paid for her stuff, then pushed the cart back to her waiting brother and parents. All the while, the salesstallion left behind facehoofed, wondering what just happened.

Another twilighted pony to add to the list.

Once the family was back outside, Velvet bragged with a proud smirk, “Did you see, Shining? That is the caliber of deals that is worthy of Twilight’s superpower, if not theminimum.”

“Wow, Mom! How did you know Twily’s cuteness could be an actual superpower that ponies can’t resist?”

“Elementary, my dear Shining: she inherited her power from me.”

Two unicorn stallions, each wearing police suits, stepped to the family. One of the pair asked with a cheerful smile, “Uh, do you remember all those times you got clerks to sell you stuff here at ultra-cheap prices?”

“Hehe, I do. I guess I sometimes got a little carried away as a filly–”

The cop’s smile soured, followed by a sharp glare from his eyes. “I was right! It is you!”

“I beg your pardon?” Velvet asked in bewilderment. “Officer, have we even met before?”

“Oh, we’ve met all right! You got me fired over thirty years ago by begging me for all those crazy deals with cute smiles!”

Velvet gasped. The ragged brown mane from the cop glowering at her summoned fillyhood memories in a little more detail. Mainly who her fillyhood superpower targets looked like. “W-wait, I think I remember you! Are you one of the ponies who used to work here?”

“Yep, and I definitely remember you! We saw what you pulled in there, and while I normally hate this part of my job, I’m going to savor it this time.” He pulled out a magic-inhibiting ring and floated it over Velvet’s horn. “You are under arrest for using a filly’s cuteness for dealmaking. You have the right to remain quiet. Anything you say can and will be used against you. Now, come along with us!”

Both officers’ horns glowed white. Velvet’s body illuminated in the same-colored magic and she was carried away, flanked by the two officers.

“B-but you can’t do this to me! I had no idea it broke any laws!”

“Suuuuure, you didn’t know. FYI, you’re not getting out of this with a cute smile, so don’t get any ideas!”

As their mother/wife was taken away, Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor, and Night Light blinked twice in confusion.

“So…now what?” Shining asked.

Night Light groaned. He would have to use up a few bits that Twilight Sparkle’s superpower had saved him. “Shining, Twilight, you two can go do whatever. I’m going to post bail for your mother once her bail amount is determined.”

As a result of Twilight Velvet's brief trip to the "big house", Twilight Sparkle was never asked to use her superpower to land deals again, with one exception. Being an innocent, non-manipulative filly, she never considered using her abilities on her own accord.

However, many years later and doing that "one exception", Twilight Sparkle's superpower would have one last hurrah...more or less.

Author's Note

If you ever thought it was a crime for Twilight Sparkle to be so cute, especially as a filly, it turns out that it kinda is. Which Twilight Velvet just found out the hard way :rainbowlaugh:

Chapter 3: For old time's sake

In Canterlot, many years and one alicornication of a certain mare later…

“For the tenth time, I think this is ridiculous,” Princess Twilight ranted as she walked down Canterlot’s streets. “I’m not a cute little filly anymore, so I don’t know if my superpower still works.”

“Then that’s one more reason to try!” Shining Armor said, walking beside his sister. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Humiliation. Failure. I get laughed at. I’m sure I could think of more reasons.”

‘But aren’t you curious to find out if you still got it? Just think of this as an experiment.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Uh, you know I’m too old to bite on that, right?”

“But aren’t you curious?”

“Yes,” she answered meekly.

“See?”

The pair arrived at the doors of Deluxe R Us. “So go in there and do your thing, for old times sake! You remember what to do, right?”

“Yeah, I do.” Twilight sighed. She should hurry and get it over with, so she could return to her books in Ponyville. She started to walk to the floor, but halted right before she reached it. “Wait, I don’t think I can go in.”

“Why? You feel nervous?”

“No, it’s because I’m still banned. See?” Twilight backed away and pointed at a picture of herself as a filly, who was inside a “not allowed” symbol drawn on the picture. “Too cute for this world to enter” was written above the photo.

“Wow. After all these years, they still have your picture up, but it’s okay.” Shining reached for and lifted one of Twilight’s wings with a hoof. “Twilight Sparkle the unicorn may be banned, but you’re Twilight Sparkle the alicorn.”

“Pretty sure that’s not how bans work–” Twilight yanked her wing out of Shining’s grasp “–but if we must do this, how about we just try another store? I, or at least Twilight the unicorn, was only ever banned from Deluxe R Us.”

“I checked, and this is the only one that doesn’t have any workers from back when we…visited. Just in case your superpower has weakened, you should target saleponies that didn’t see you as a filly.”

“Uh, how were you able to check that?”

“I’m Captain of the Royal Guards, remember?” Shining said, raising his head in pride.

“Okay, but how does that help with–”

“Less questions, more superpower using.” He shoved Twilight forward. “Get in there and do your thing, Twily! I’ll wait out here.”

“Fine, fine.” The Princess puffed out a sharp, annoyed exhale and went inside.

With some plates inside a cart, Twilight trotted down the store’s lobby, pushing the cart with her magic. “I still can’t believe he talked me into this scheme at our age. This is going to be so embarrassing, even if my superpower still works.”

Twilight willed herself to stop complaining as she got close to a counter and the unicorn stallion behind it.

“Hi, Princess Twilight,” the stallion said with a greeting smile. “It’s an honor to see you shop at our little store.”

“Hehe, thanks,” she said with a bashful smile, levitating her plates out of her cart. ‘I wish he recognized me from my banned picture. Then I’d have an excuse to not go through with this silly plan.’’

"Oh, nice choice. Those are some of our best plates. Anyway, they will cost fifty bits.”

“Uh, I’m sorry, but I think I only have thirty bits with me. I must have misjudged the prices, but do you think you can allow me to pay with just thirty bits? Pleassse?” Twilight smiled, drooped her ears, and her eyes sparkled.

She still had it. Even if she felt humiliated trying to exploit her cuteness abilities as a grown mare.

‘Uh-oh! She must be the filly I heard stories about! Get out of here before her cuteness overpowers you!’ The stallion ran off and zipped into a room with an “employees only” sign on its door.

The alicorn blinked twice in confusion toward the employees-only room. “That was weird. Did my superpower change what it does? I knew this was a bad–”

A unicorn mare strode out of the employee room and took her place beside the counter.

“So, did you say you wanted to pay with only thirty bits?”

“Um, yes, pleassse?” Twilight repeated her ultimate move. ‘Oh Celestia it feels REALLY weird doing this to another mare.’

“Yep, I thought so!" the new mare scowled. “You gotta be that filly that got my dad in trouble years ago!”

Twilight’s smile faded and her eyes ceased its sparkling. “Really? If I did, I’m so–hey!”

A ball from a shelf flew toward Twilight, glowing in red magic, and whacked her on her head.

“Ow! Are you crazy?!”

“No, but I have been waiting years for this!” the mare said, her horn glowing in that same red magic. “Nopony gets my dad in trouble but me!” She tossed another ball, which Twilight just managed to duck.

“Eep! Stop that this instant! I don’t like playing the ‘princess’ card, but I am a princess!”

“Princess, sicmness! You can give me whatever punishment you want later! As long as I get in some clean hits, it’ll be worth it, just like my cuteness-resistance classes now are! Now stand still!”

Of course, standing still wasn’t happening. Twilight scurried through the lobby and out of Deluxe R Us’s front doors. She whizzed by Shining and sprinted down the streets with the furious salesmare in fierce pursuit, continuing to chuck balls at the fleeing alicorn.

"I'm sorry I'm–ow, the reason your dad got in trouble, but what would your boss think of you treating your customers like this?! Ow!"

"I don't care what she thinks! I was thinking of quitting anyway, and now I have a way to go out with a bang!"

Shining watched the two mares slowly disappear from his view in stunned silence. He finally said, “Huh. So that is the worst that could happen. I better go save Twily, but at least she’s going to burn off the cake she ate before we left.”

Author's Note

I would make my millionth joke about Twilight forgetting she can teleport to save herself if she didn't want to use her alicorn magic to fight back. But I had made a whole story where I went ham on that so...:rainbowlaugh:.

So instead of making that ~~overused~~ joke again, what would you consider doing if you had the type of superpower Twi had in this story?

Chapter 1: The original Twilight definition

It was a pain. Shining Armor couldn’t shake the dreaded sensation that he had forgotten something. But for the life of him, what it was stubbornly eluded his memory.

However, until what it was surfaced – given he really had forgotten anything – or he grew bored, Shining would continue to lie on his bed and read through one of his books. Part of him felt ashamed for reading this particular book, but the end result would be, and has been, worth it.

"Hehe.”

Shining’s ears rose – was that a giggle? He peeked toward his bedroom’s open doorway, but nosey nothing greeted him. “That wasn’t Twily. I must be hearing things.” He shrugged his hooves and refocused on his book.

A small lavender figure landed on the teenage colt’s back, forcing a gasp of air out of his lungs. He swung his head around to the figure now lying on his back: a grinning Twilight Sparkle.

“Surprise, Shiny! It was me! What are you reading?”

He hastily covered his book with his forelegs. “Uh, nothing you’d like.”

“Yes I would! I like reading everything!”

The filly rolled off Shining and crawled to his covered book, an inquisitive smile curling on her lips. She poked her brother’s forelegs with her muzzle–she was a force of nature when it came to her thirst for reading!

“T-then I’ll let you read it after I’m finished.” Shining’s horn glowed rose. He lifted Twilight off his bed and to the floor with his magic. “Just wait a little bit, okay?”

“Okay,” Twilight pouted. She stared down and pawed the floor in acquiescence.

“Heh heh, why are you practicing your pouncing on me anyway, Twily? You want to be a royal guard someday like I do?”

“No way!” she answered as she raised her head. She bore her usual cheerful smile and added, “I want to learn everything about magic like Starswirl the Bearded! But aren’t you supposed to do some shopping for Mommy and Daddy?”

“Oh, that’s what it was! I’m glad one of us remembered.” Shining rolled off his bed. A list and bag full of his father's bits floated off his dresser and to him. “I better go before the store gets busy, but I won’t be gone long.”

“Can I come too? I’m bored.”

He nodded. “Sure.”

The siblings left their house, with Twilight faithfully trotting behind Shining. As they did, Shining wrote a mental note to swap his copy of “How to be a Great Big Brother” book with something Twilight would enjoy reading later. His pride couldn’t allow his little sister to learn some of his big brother skills arose from a book.

“These are some good-looking apples. We gotta try one when we’re home.” Shining said as he levitated a bag of apples off a shelf and into his cart. “That’s the last thing on our list, but I’ll double-check it to be sure we didn’t miss any–”

“Wait, can I do it?” Twilight asked. She stared up at Shining with pleading eyes.

“You love reading off lists, huh?”

“Mm-hmm! It’s my favorite part of shopping with Mommy.”

“Heh heh, all right, have fun.” He laid out the list on the floor. “I’ll check the cart as you read. I just grabbed our apples, so you can skip them.”

“Thanks, Shiny!” Twilight leaned closer to the list. “Do we have our bag of bread?”

The older unicorn checked their cart. “Check.”

“Two bags of hay?”

“Check.”

”A twelve-pack of tea and coffee packets?”

“Check and check.”

“Five pounds of sugar?”

“Check.”

“Finally, ten daisies?”

“Finally, check. If that’s everything, let’s find a salespony who’s free.”

The pair trotted through the store’s lobby. As he magically pushed his cart along, Shining peeked to his following sister. A light bulb lit in this brain. It was a ridiculous idea he thought of…or was it?

‘The big brother book said to never use a younger sibling for anything. But…I’ll make it up to her later,’ he thought. He stopped walking, coaxing Twilight to stop too, and spoke, “Twily, I got an idea.”

“What is it?”

He pointed to a unicorn stallion behind a counter and cash register. “I want you to go up to him by yourself, and when he says what the price for everything is, tell him that you just have thirty bits to pay with. You’re still learning to control your magic, but you’re strong enough to push our cart even without it, right?”

“I am, but shouldn’t all we bought cost more than thirty bits?”

“It does, but when you ask, say ‘pleaaase?’ and smile as cutely as you can. He might let you pay thirty bits if you do. Think of it as an experiment.”

“Ooh, an experiment?!” Twilight asked as she grinned and hopped in excitement. She couldn’t pass up an opportunity for an experiment! “If it’s an experiment, I’ll do it! Anything for science!”

“That’s the spirit! Go get him, uh, for science. I’m going to stay here, but I’ll be watching in case you run into trouble.” Shining took out the bulk of the bits from his bag of bits, then floated the bag onto Twilight’s back.

‘Experiment #1: start.’ Twilight went behind the cart and pushed it to the counter with her head, grunting from effort. Not bad for such a small unicorn filly.

“Hi there, little filly. You have some things to buy?”

“Yes,” the little filly answered. Her horn glowed magenta; the bread inside her cart glowed with the same color, but it barely raised inside the cart. Twilight winced from strain and pleaded, “Come on, come on, you can do–”

“Oh, don’t strain yourself, sweetie. I got you.” The clerk’s horn glowed yellow and he levitated all the items out of the cart and onto the counter. He entered the prices of each item onto his register. “All righty, this all comes to fifty bits.”

“I’m sorry, but I only have thirty bits. Could I pay that much? Pleasssse?” Twilight’s eyes widened; sparkles flashed in her pupils as her gaze peeked into the clerk’s soul. Her lips curled into the sweetest smile a filly could muster, times ten, and her ears woefully wilted to lie limp over her head.

’No, don’t give in. You have a job to do…but she’s so cute…no! Fight it…fight it…use your pride…ah! I can’t do it! She’s just too precious!’ The stallion’s willpower shattering, as it would to any stallion staring down that face, he said, “Fine, you win. You can pay just thirty bits this time.”

“I can?! Thank you!”

“Whoa. I didn’t think it would work that well,” Shining said in amazement while peaking from an aisle. “Twily’s cuteness is almost like a superpower!”

Twilight picked up the bag of bits on her back with her teeth and paid for her items. After which, her victim floated the food into her cart.

“Will you like some more help, or is there anypony nearby to do it?”

“I’ll be okay. My big brother is around to help.”

Her experiment(?) successful, Twilight returned to Shining armor, pushing her cart from behind while grunting as she went.

“It worked! I got everything for thirty bits!”

“Great, and sorry I didn’t go with you. My idea might have failed if we went together, but it was a nice touch to lower your ears.”

“Thanks!” Twilight grinned while closing her eyes in pride. “Mommy taught me that when she–”

“Oh, that’s right! We should go before Mom gets…hmm.” Shining laid a hoof on his cheek. A mischievous smile curled on his lips.

“What?”

“Let’s go home, drop off Dad’s bits and grab my bag of bits, then do some more…shopping. I would need you, so can you come with me?”

“Of course!”

The duo left the store – if Shining would have his way, their reign of cuteness-powered terror had only begun. After they were gone, the shellacked-from-adorableness salespony facehoofed. A second worker, a unicorn mare, walked over to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m so weak, Cotton. I sold some stuff at almost half-price, all because a little filly begged me to. I couldn’t resist her.”

“I saw it, and you’re stronger than me. I would have charged her ten bits, or maybe even nothing.”

In another store and armed with a bag of Shining’s bits, Shining and Twilight just put a hat into a cart, full of other goodies such as some books, candles, cups, and more. All they needed was to pay – and get a “discount.”

“Now, you remember what to do?”

“Yep!”

“Then go do your thing! I’ll be here watching.” Shining laid his bag of bits on Twilight’s back.

‘Experiment #2: start.’ She pushed her cart to a unicorn stallion behind a counter. “Hi, I would like to buy some things, please.”

“Sure thing, little filly.”

Twilight’s horn glowed. With her teeth gritted, she managed to levitate a book out of the cart. It drifted through the air, but dropped to the floor halfway to the counter, prompting a disappointed frown from the young aspiring mage. “Sorry about that. I’m still learning to use my magic, but I’m improving.”

“Don’t feel bad, sweetheart,” the stallion assured with a supportive smile. “I went through it too when I was your age, but you’ll be using your magic like a pro in no time.” He picked up the book off the floor and everything in Twilight’s cart, and lifted it to his counter. After adding their prices to his register, he said, “This will all be seventy bits.”

“Um, I’m so sorry, but I only have forty bits. Could I pay that much, just this once? Pleassse?” Twilight again used her ultimate move: she smiled, endearingly puffed her sparkling eyes, and drooped her ears.

“I’m sorry, but I…can’t…” Twilight’s raw adorableness from her innocent smile and eyes hammered the stallion’s heart and pulverized it into goo – the filly’s move was super-effective. Efforts to resist Twilight's face merely “gootified” the worker’s heart further. Finally, he wisely blew a defeated sigh. “Okay, just this once.”

“Yay! Thank you!”

Twilight paid for her items, and once they had been returned to her cart, she pushed it back to a waiting Shining.

Twilight Sparkle: 2. Saleponies: 0.

“That was amazing! You’re even getting better with your magic to boot!”

“Hehe, thanks. Are we done?”

“Not yet. Let’s go to a few more stores.”

As the siblings left, their second victim slammed his face on his counter. “Oh Celestia am I pathetic,” he said, face still buried. “I’m glad Mr. Fields didn’t see that, or he would so chew me out. Again.”

*ahem*

The pony’s head shot up. He sheepishly grinned at another, older unicorn stallion stomping toward him, glaring. Once in front of the counter, the second pony tapped his hoof.

“Uh, hi, Mr. Fields. Nice day is–”

“Save it. Part of me wants this to be the last straw and fire your flank, but another part is impressed you handled things that well.” Mr. Fields’s stern glare softened, even eeking out a chuckle. “I’ve seen many cute fillies, but there was something irresistibly cute about that purple one.”

“Does that mean I’m not fired?”

“Yeah, for now.”

A “few” more store visits later…

Carrying ten bags in his magic from their shopping "spree", Shining departed from yet another store; Twilight followed him from behind. In the store, a stallion repeatedly banged his head against a wall from recently getting twilighted.

The original definition of the verb “Twilight”: to utterly overpower with a filly’s adorableness.

“Um, Shiny? Is what I did wrong?” Twilight asked with a ping of guilt in her voice.

“Huh?” Shining turned around and the pair stopped walking. “What do you mean?”

“It feels like I’m doing something…bad by asking to pay for less so many times.”

“No, you’re not doing anything bad.” Shining laid a comforting hoof on Twilight’s cheek. “If you were, they wouldn’t have let you pay the amount of bits you did.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. You’re a good filly.” He slid his hoof off Twilight's cheek and added, “But if you really feel like you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing, we can stop. I can’t let my LSBFF feel guilty.” Shining grinned slyly. He gently grinded a hoof onto Twilight’s head in a noogie, and continued the light-hearted assault.

“Hehe, no, not that! Stop!”

“Only if you stop feeling bad. Are you gonna? Huh? Huh?”

“I will! I will!”

“That’s more like it.” He lifted his playful hoof off Twilight. Now that Twilight’s guilt was soothed, she and Shining returned home.

Shining Armor trotted into his bedroom and laid his bags on the floor. He swapped some contents from the bags, evening out the number of items in each one.

“Can I have some of what you bought?” Twilight asked as she walked into the room.

“Ha ha ha! You getting some! That’s a good one, Twily!”

“Wait,” she said, her bright smile dimming into a frown, “You’re not going to let me have anything you bought? Not even one of the books?”

“Nope!” Shining floated five of his ten bags beside Twilight. “You will get half of it, and all of the books. We’re a team, you know.”

*Squee!* Twilight ran around her bags and embraced her brother in a hug.

“Shining Armor! Twilight Sparkle!” A deep male voice called out. “We have been waiting for you!”

“Uh-oh,” Shining and Twilight said in unison. Hearts pounding, they slowly turned toward the doorway. Their parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet, sauntered into the room, both scowling.

“H-hi, Mom, Dad,” Shining said, grinning sheepishly as his ears flopped. “Uh, your mane looks good, Mom. Did you–”

“Save that empty flattery for your future girlfriends, Shining. They won’t work on me.” Twilight Velvet ordered, her glare unbending. “Now, is it true that you were out using your sister to pay for about half-price from stores?”

The colt chuckled sheepishly. If he liked having his flank, he would need to choose his words carefully. “W-well, ‘used’ is such a strong word, but, uh–”

Night Light’s glare further sharpened. “Shining!”

Wrong answer! Shining flinched back and explained, “O-okay I did, but I gave her half of everything we bought!”

“And I agreed to help!” Twilight chimed in. “It’s my fault too!”

“That’s not the point! Let me see those bags!” Night Light floated Shining’s and Twilight’s bags to him. He skimmed through them and disapprovingly shook his head. “Yep, it’s just as we feared. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I’m sorry.” Shining hung his head in shame. “I’ll never do it again.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Night Light asked. His and Velvet’s scowls waned into puzzled stares. “If you had Twilight’s help, you could have gotten better deals!”

“WHAT?!” the brother-sister duo asked, their pupils constricting.

“Yeah!” Night Light pointed a hoof upward to the ceiling. “Our house’s price was originally 880,000 bits, but we got it for only 70,000 bits thanks to your sister asking on our behalf! 70,000 bits for a brand-new house in Canterlot!“

Twilight Velvet strolled to and leaned down to her daughter. “Twilight, when you were asking to pay for less, did you remember to not only smile, but lower your ears?”

“Hm-hmm. I did.”

Velvet facehoofed. “You could have gotten some of this stuff for free.” She glanced toward Night Light, who nodded preemptively, then looked toward Shining and little Twilight. “All right, you two, come with us.”

“Uh, where?” Shining asked.

“To a store you didn’t go to,” Velvet answered. “We’re going to show you how to land a real deal with Twilight’s superpower.”

Author's Note

Despite how she hasn't mastered her magic yet, Twilight might already be the strongest pony alive. How needs the immense magic power of alicorns when you have the even more immense power of cuteness?