Log Fourteen - Chapter Thirteen

"So what do you want to explain beforehand?" I inquired.  I stood before a lavender alicorn whose legs wouldn't stop shaking out of inexplicable anxiety, tapping a foot patiently waiting for her response.

"Ah, yes.  Indeed I do have a couple things to say," Twilight answered bashfully.  Her trembling knees straightened out as she breathed in and breathed out.  She then started kicking the dirt softly, creating miniature clouds of dust as she did so.  Twilight then turned away from me, mumbling things to herself that were inaudible to hear.

Arms still folded, I observed everything around us until Twilight gets the guts to say something else.  The summer morning sun was out, touching all of Equestria with its compassionate rays -- hot and humid.  The blue majesty that is the sky was completely barren of clouds, as it should be from the weather schedule Fluttershy had given me the day I moved in to her cottage.

I directed my attention past Twilight to Angel who was mingling with another rabbit identical to him, although it had eyelashes.  Gotta love how cartoons differentiate genders by particular appearances.  Apparently the floppy-eared fella was trying to flirt the girl by flexing his scrawny, tiny furry arms, which, by the way, wasn't impressing her one bit.  The girl rabbit shunned the poor guy and scurried off to somewhere else.  Talk about getting rejected...  Ouch.  No worries, Angel.  You'll find a lucky gal eventually.

I returned my attention to Twilight who happened to be facing me again.  Her cheeks, again, were flushing in pink.  But her demeanor was that of determination.  I was sure of it by those slightly narrowed eyes of hers.

"Rick," said Twilight, pronouncing my first name confidently.  "I want you to know that Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and I are eternally grateful for what you did for Fluttershy on Earth.  It means so much to every one of us to have our friend back.  Becoming princess wouldn't have been possible without her."

"No sweat," I replied.  "Though I don't think I should be given all credit.  I might be a jerkwad, but even jerkwads have their standards.  Raising Fluttershy was the most eventful experience I've ever had."  I tried on a wistful smile.

"So you're not really mad about what me and the prince- I mean Celestia, had to do?"

"Well..."  I scratched the back of my head agitatedly.  "I was rather mad at you and your teacher for taking her away.  But I learned not to hold a grudge against that.  She had to return home."  I craned my neck to stare up into the sky.  "And I could imagine how awful you must have felt...  I mean, this wasn't the first time this kind of incident happened, right?  Imagining having to take away your father's daughter twice.  It must have been torture for you."

"I know," Twilight confirmed sadly, both her pointy ears folding against her head.  "Believe me, Rick, when I say that it's never easy doing the right things; even Celestia had to banish her own one and only sister to the moon, because she thought it was the only viable option."

"I'm aware of that tragedy between Celestia and Luna."

"Anyway, we're deviating the main subject here.  I want to go over a few things before we proceed on to other matters."

"Ask away."  I prompted her with a wave of a hand.

"Alright."  Twilight nodded.  "So first things first is your attire.  You're not going to go to Canterlot dressed in that, are you?"

I took a self-inspection, and realized I was still standing around in my flannel pajamas.  "I've got a lovely black pair of suit and pants in my suitcase.  They should do just fine," I said.

"Good!"  Twilight chimed.  "Another thing: make sure you smell nice because, no offence, you're giving off a rather unpleasing odor..."  muffled Twilight with a hoof held over her muzzle.

Cocking a brow, I raised an arm and took a quick whiff of my armpit.  Wowee!  With an odor such as this I might very well be Pepe Le Pew.  Hey, it wasn't like I intentionally skip baths.  When one lives inside a cottage filled with filthy wild animals one wouldn't be able to smell his own damn fart.  "Yeah...  Bathing will be my number one priority."  I winced from taking another whiff.

Twilight suppressed a giggle at that.  "Finally, and most importantly, I'd like to ask you if you could..." she tapped her forehooves together "behave yourself?"

"Behave myself?" I parroted quizzically.  "Could you maybe enlighten me what I should do at Canterlot?"

"Certainly."  Twilight nodded.  "Perhaps what you could do is tell about yourself.  Like you could say what your hobbies are.  For example: my hobbies are reading books.  Simple as that."

"Ah, I see.  So basically I say 'what I do for a living' or 'what my favorite food is'.  I could probably talk about my world's music and stuff."

"Perfect!"  Twilight cheerfully grinned.  "Now all there is to do is... well."  The lavender alicorn trailed off, the pinkness on her cheeks were furiously redder than before.  "You see, well, um.  The thing is, Rick, I..."  She gently bit her lower lip anxiously, brushing a right foreleg with her left.

I peered down at her, confused as to why she was acting unusual so suddenly.  "If it has to do with that tour, I-"

Out of nowhere the alicorn exclaimed, "Oh, no, no!  That's not it at all!  How can I put this?  Rick, did your heart ever want to ask something, but your head is too afraid of what the answer might be?"

"What?" I dumbly replied.  "Enough questions, why not you just tell me up front?"

No verbal reply, but Twilight beckoned me to lower an ear to her, so I did.  Her mouth close to where I could feel the exhaustion of her warm breath, she whispered a few things (omitting for the sole reason that I could have misheard) and I just blatantly blinked.  "Err, I'm sorry, could you run by that to me again?" I asked.  She whispered into my ear once more, and then retreated a few steps, allowing the words to sink into my head.  Thus came the reaction, "You what?!?!"