//------------------------------// // 2 - Everything's fine. More or less... // Story: My adorkable marefriend // by SkarinOfAtmora //------------------------------// Ryan left Twilight's castle-house feeling pretty happy with the outcome and eternally grateful that Twilight asked him out. Because how the hell do you ask your best friend out on a date who is also a princess? Truth be told, Ryan started having dirty-I mean, fond feelings for Twilight about the same time she did for him. Not that he knew but for you readers that's the general info. Ryan still considered Twilight his best friend on Equestria, might as well throw in Earth for good measure, and he was scared he would ruin it by asking her out. Ryan never had those thoughts back on Earth as he never wanted a relationship. One night stands were his thing for years, but now, with Twilight, he wanted more. You see, Ryan's life style was never suited for a relationship. He wanted to see the world, learn along the way and live life on the road. He acquired many skills on his travels, skills that made him the ultimate handyman. His last endeavor was a little off the norm, search and rescue, but he felt it was what he needed at the time. When he first met Twilight he was on a rescue mission that quickly went south for him. The victim was brought to safety but the line snapped just as Ryan was about to make his escape. Aaaaand a blinding flash later he found himself in a strange room with mirrors and a very concerned looking Twilight Sparkle. At first Ryan thought he died and somehow went to heaven since he saw Twilight's silhouette and thought she was an angel. Suffice to say he was in for a surprise when he got a better look at her. Thinking back now, she really was an angel... Anyway, new world with new opportunities and Ryan quickly adapted and made many new friends as well, something he never had back on Earth. The lone wolf lifestyle had it's drawbacks apparently. Speaking of friends, he just returned to Sugarcube Corner to continue his lunch with one. "So? How did it go? " Luna asked with a sly smirk, already knowing the answer since she saw the feather behind his ear. "Pretty good. " Ryan smiled and took a sip of his half-finished orange juice "I'm picking her up at seven. " "You do know that she is supposed to plan your date, right? " Luna asked while taking a slice of chocolate cake, her voice indicating Ryan should expect anything. "I've been around long enough to know that. " Ryan answered and took a fork-full of salad. Here's the thing. In this magical pony land the male to female ration is out of balance. Like, way off. It's probably six to seven mares to one stallion so the females are the ones who need to woo the males. That includes the asking out part and planning the date. If all goes well the two become a couple and begin dating. Pretty standard as far as Ryan was concerned but the reversed gender roles did confuse him a little at first. And the herding thing was just a nice way of saying harem which he didn't want anyway. Ryan wanted his adorkable best friend. "It's Twilight we're talking about. " Luna said with a raised brow. "I don't see your point. " Ryan replied with a confused look and Luna sighed deeply. "Listen, I am very fond of Twilight Sparkle, but when it comes to certain things she can be a little... " Luna waved her hand around "What's the word I'm looking for... " "Eccentric? " Ryan offered and Luna snapped her fingers in approval. "Eccentric! Yeah, let's go with that. " Ryan chuckled and leaned back in his seat "Remember the research she did on you? " Ryan laughed. "Those were the days. " at the time he was a little terrified but it was also the moment he realized he and Twilight will be good friends. The shock proof test was maaaaaybe a little too much... "So why her? " this question made Ryan raise a curious brow "From what I've seen and heard, you've had plenty of mares asking you out. I even recall Lyra Heartstrings to be especially smitten by you. " Luna leaned forward and looked Ryan straight in the eyes "She is a very dear friend of mine and my sister's precious student so give me a good reason why I should support you. " Ryan scratched his cheek in thought. "I guess... She's just her. " Luna looked at him in confusion "You know, before I found her quirks funny and even teased her about it but lately I find them endearing. " Luna listened closely "She is pretty, no question about it, but it's more than that. " she leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, her gaze unfaltering as Ryan continued "I like how she gets passionate about her research and how she never gives up when an experiment blows up in her face. "Ryan was present at one point when it blew up about a dozen times "The way she tries to help everypony and wants them to be happy. Or, I don't know, the way she smiles whenever something goes her way. It's the most adorable smile I've seen in this place. " Ryan smiled fondly "How flustered she gets when I barge into her room every morning to wake her up on time. By the way, have coffee present. " Luna chuckled at that, seeing as she was the same in that way "She makes me laugh and makes me feel happy. I love spending time with her, be it fighting to save Equestria or just listening to her while she reads me a book I have no idea what it's about. " Ryan suddenly found his hands to be very interesting as he slowly spoke "My life was on the road, I don't regret choosing that, but I've never had a real relationship. " Luna knew very well of his life and nodded in understanding "There's just something about Twilight that makes me want to stay close to her. I want to see her smile and for her to be happy. I want to hear her snort whenever she laughs too hard. I want to.... Wake up every morning and her adorkable smile to be the first thing I see. " Luna smiled warmly and mentally already decided she would support their relationship "She might not be the most beautiful or graceful mare in the world and I don't want that. I want the cute, and somewhat klutzy, Twilight. " he looked at Luna and continued "I'm not the best with words but, that's just how I feel and I want to do this right. " "You really like her, don't you? " "Yeah. There's so much more I could say but... I just can't find the right words. " he laughed sheepishly but Luna heard enough. "I'm sure Twilight could lend you a dictionary to look up some new words. " she said teasingly. "A thesaurus. " Ryan corrected and Luna looked at him questioningly "I thought it was a dinosaur at first but apparently it's a book with words in it. " Luna nodded in understanding "You should have seen how she freaked out when I tried to write adorkable as a word inside of one. " both laughed at that since Twilight was really fond of her books being pristine "As for your date concern, I don't really care what we do as long as at the end of it we begin dating. " Ryan gave one more genuine smile and Luna was now completely satisfied. "Spoken like a stallion in love. " Luna said which caused Ryan's cheeks to get just a little red "But tell me, if you were the one to ask a mare out, how would you do it? " this question made Ryan smirk. "I have a... Move. " he said smugly. "Really? Do tell. " Luna rested her chin on her hands and waited. "I have to warn you though. It could make you fall hopelessly in love with me. " Ryan answered and leaned forward. "I'll take my chances. " Luna replied. "Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you. " Ryan took a deep breath and rested his arm on the table. Looking at Luna with an overconfident smirk he asked one question "How you doin'? " suffice to say it made Luna explode with laughter. "I pity the mare that falls for that! " "Works like a charm. " Ryan leaned back and crossed his arms "At least it did on Earth. " finally calming down, Luna continued their previous conversation. "So, what will you do now? There's still time before the date. " "Well, I still have some work to do around Ponyville. " Ryan quickly finished his drink and sat the glass down "Speaking of, I need to hurry if I want to make it in time sooooo you're buying, thank you, goodbye! " and with that he ran off to finish his job orders. Luna shook her head and laughed. "The first dine and dash in my entire life. " she then looked at her empty plate "Hold on... I still had cake. " her eyes snapped up at the running Ryan "GET BACK HERE YOU THIEF!" Twilight Sparkle was in the zone. She had this in the bag! Scrolls and books were all around, charts and graphs analyzing every detail, chocolate cookies were providing the necessary sustenance and hot cocoa to ease the nerves. With all this preparation, nothing could go wrong. The perfect date had been created! "I did it! Hehehehe... " she rubbed her hands in satisfaction, grinning like a mad mare "First, I'll wear that beautiful dress Rarity made for me and knock him off his hoo-,errr, feet! Then, I'll take him to that nice restaurant that caters to omnivores so Ryan can eat whatever he wants. After that it's off to the carnival, a ride on the ferris wheel and he's mine! " she laughed triumphantly before she was interrupted by a knock on her half-open bedroom door. "Ummm, Twilight? " her number one assistant Spike peeked inside and his eyes went wide as plates upon seeing the war-room Twilight has made. "Yes Spike? " she looked at him with a wide smile that should have broken her jaw but hey, magical pony world. "Getting ready for your big date? " Spike asked with a smirk and carefully stepped inside, making sure not to trample on one of her scrolls. "I'm all set! " she said confidently and puffed out her chest "Ryan won't know what hit him! " "That's great! " Spike's said happily before his face took on a deadpan look "Cuz' he's been here for like half an hour and we covered the last two episodes of Power Ponies already. " it was in that moment Spike heard something snap "Umm, Twlight? " the mare still wore her previous big smile but now it looked so forced it almost hurt to watch. "Everything's fine... " she said through gritted teeth and Spike approached cautiously. He waved in front of her. "You alright? " in the blink of an eye Twilight grabbed Spike's cheeks and stared into his eyes, her gaze looking deep into his soul "Oh boy... " "Stall him! " she then all but threw Spike out of her room and slammed the door behind him. "Sheesh! " Spike said while rubbing his sore behind "It's nice to be appreciated! " he yelled at the door and descended down the stairs to keep Ryan occupied. Meanwhile back in Twilight's bedroom, things got hectic... "Great way to make a first impression Sparkle! " she opened her wardrobe in a hurry and used her magic to look through different outfits "No, no, no, no, no! " outfits kept flying out of the closet until there was nothing left. She decided to search again and turned around to the outfits scattered on the floor. They were all stained with ink since they landed on ink wells. None were salvageable "This can't be happening! " Twilight pulled at her mane in frustration and looked at the mirror. She was still in the same outfit from this morning "I can't go out like this! " groaning in frustration she suddenly got a bright idea "I can use magic, duh! " seeing as time was short, Twilight pulled out the light blue dress Rarity had made for her. It ended just over her knees, a sleeveless design and showed just a tasteful amount of cleavage. Using her magic to clean the dress, she quickly put it on, grabbed her hand-bag and stuffed the cheat sheet inside. Taking a final look in the mirror she concluded it would be fine "Everything's fine. You got this! " nodding to herself, Twilight exited the bedroom and found herself on the stairs "The first impression is down the drain but the second one will fix it! "she remembered something she saw in a movie once and went into action. Twilight leaned slightly on the railing and cleared her throat "Ooooh Ryan! " she made sure her voice was extra seductive for this. Sure enough, Ryan appeared at the bottom of the stairs, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a simple white, button-down shirt. It made Twilight smile when she saw he held a bouquet of purple Canterbury Bells, her favorite kind "So sorry I've kept you waiting." she began to slowly, teasingly, descend the stairs and Ryan couldn't take his eyes off. She felt like Ryan was undressing her with his eyes I so got this! Twilight thought to herself as she reached the last few steps "I hope you like what I have in mind for toniIIIIIIIIIGHT!" yeah, she tripped... *BONK* And hit Ryan head on, tumbling them to the floor... "I am so sorry! " Twilight apologized over and over again as Ryan held an ice pack on his aching forehead, the crumpled boquet placed in a vase in hopes of restoring it. Or for Twilight to use it as a late-night snack. "I'm fine Twilight. Really! " he reassured her with a smile "See! " he removed the ice pack to show a rather large bump on his forehead. Spike then began laughing hysterically. "Dude! You look like a unicorn! " the dragon said through teary eyes. "It's not funny Spike! " Twilight scolded her assistant and looked back at Ryan "I could have hurt him with my horn! " "You think I can do magic now? " Ryan asked and furrowed his brows in concentration which only made Spike laugh harder. "Ryan! " Twilight slapped his shoulder and he raised his arms in defense. "Alright, alright! We're done! " he said though laughter and Twilight pouted which he found adorable "You're so cute when you pout. " the alicorn's cheeks heated up and she looked away. "You always say that. " Twilight mumbled quietly. "And now I mean it more than ever. " Ryan got up from the couch he was sitting on and offered his hand to Twilight "Now c'mon! I was promised a date by a beautiful mare. " Twilight smiled bashfully and took his hand. They exited the castle and Spike waved them goodbye. "I won't wait up! " the dragon yelled after them and closed the door. As they were walking, Twilight noticed Ryan was still holding her hand. She didn't mind it one bit. "So... Where are we going? " the question made Twilight stiffen. She forgot to make reservations! "W-well, I was thinking about Le Poney. " Twilight answered but before she could admit she forgot to make reservations Ryan spoke. "That new Prench place? " she nodded "I heard It's hard to get reservations. " good job Ryan, slam that nail into the coffin "Good thing I know the owner. " he squeezed her hand reassuringly and Twilight smiled in return. "Hehe, yeah. " they continued walking towards the restaurant and Twilight felt Ryan's hand getting a little sweaty "Umm, are you okay? " "Who, me? Psssh! Totally fine! " Ryan was so not fine. The best way to describe how nervous he was right now would be the song First Date by Blink-182. He was going on a date with his best friend! Who was a princess! No pressure! "If you say so. " Twilight giggled at his response. The two of them knew each other well enough to know when the other was lying. It did ease her worries seeing that Ryan was as nervous as she was. It wasn't long before they reached Le Poney and sure enough, the place was packed "This is all my fault... " Twilight's ears dropped to her head in shame but Ryan, one again, squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. I got this. " he approached the stallion behind the desk, Twilight in tow "Good evening. May I please talk to the owner of this fine establishment? " "And what for, may I ask? " the stallion asked with a condescending tone. "I would like to get the finest seat in the house so my beautiful date can enjoy a nice dinner. " Ryan looked at Twilight who blushed once again. "I am sorry sir, but as you can see- " "Ryan! Mon'Amie! " a griffon female with a, well, Prench accent and red feathers came up to the reception "Vat a surprise to see you 'ere! " she embraced him and gave him a kiss on both cheeks, being careful not to scratch Ryan with her beak "And I see you brought a date! " the griffon bowed to Twilight "Good evening, Princess Twilight! " said alicorn bowed slightly in return. "Nice to meet you, miss? " "Sauwingon, your highness! Chef extraordinaire! " the mare said proudly before looking at the receptionist "You there! Prepare ze' patio table! " "But miss Sauwingon! Filthy Rich and his wife have already- " "Bah! I don' care for Filthy Filth and 'iz kind! " she waved him off "Now do az' I said! " the receptionist nodded and made a hasty retreat. "It's alright miss Sauwingon. " Twilight spoke up "We don't have reservations and- " she was interrupted by the chefs hands on her shoulders. "Princess Twilight, I would consider it an honor if you would grace my small restaurant with your presence tonight. " the griffon chef looked straight into Twilight's eyes, making the young alicorn shrink under her gaze "Those snobs can go to Hay Burger for all I care. " "I still think it's not right... " Twilight said meekly before Ryan leaned in and whispered in her ear. "What if I told you they said Pinkie was a menace that needed to be locked away for good? " Twilight's ear twitched and her demeanor changed completely. "I would be delighted to eat at your restaurant! " Twilight perked up and the two were lead to their table. Ryan pulled out a chair for Twilight "Oh! Thank you. " she sat down, discreetly pulling out her cheat sheet and smiled at Ryan who sat down as well. Sauwingon appeared shortly after with a pad and pencil. "Good 'evening! I shall be your host for tonight! " she smiled at the couple and Twilight did a double-take. "Host? But, you're the owner! " she looked from Sauwingon to Ryan who merely smiled to the confused alicorn. "Vell, I wouldn't be ze' ovner' if it weren't for Ryan! " the griffon bowed curtly to Ryan who did the same in return. "You never told me about this. " Twilight sad, her index finger moving from Ryan to Sauwingon. "I'm a man of mysteries! " Ryan said with a laugh and got a deadpan look from Twilight. "Apparently... " Twilight mumbled to herself and crossed her arms. Sauwingon cleared her throat and raised her pad. Twilight looked to Ryan who was thinking it over before speaking. "I'll have the house special! " he said with a smirk and the chef laughed. "As I thought you would. " she wrote down the order and looked to Twilight "And you, Miss Sparkle? " "Yes, I'll he the sal- " she stopped mid sentence and looked at her cheat sheet Be open to new things and experiences. Take a leap of faith and be adventurous. she read the line she found in one of the book she was studying and quickly corrected herself "-special too! " she finished with a sheepish laugh. Sauwingon raised a curious brow. "Ummm, Miss Sparkle, the special is- " a raised hand from Twilight stopped the chef from continuing. "I may not look like it, but I like experiencing new things. " she said a little too unconvincingly and Ryan looked at her suspiciously. "You can order a salad if you want. " Ryan offered but Twilight shook her head. Ryan thought something smelled fishy... "Ze' special it is then. " Sauwingon shrugged her shoulders and wrote it down "Drinks? " "Water for me. " Ryan said simply and waited for Twilight's answer. The mare in question subtly (so not subtle...) checked her cheat sheet before looking at the chef. "I will have a glass of Crystal Red. " now both looked at her incredulously "What? " "That's wine, Twilight. " Ryan explained and narrowed his eyes at her "You don't drink... " Twilight did her best to avoid his gaze and shuffled in her seat, her wings twitching nervously behind her. "I am allowed to relax once in a while. " she answered with a huff but Ryan didn't buy it. Now something definitely smelled fishy... "Vould' you get that avay' from 'ere? " Sauwingon yelled at a waiter pegasi who carried fresh fish in a large pot. He seemed to snap out of his trance and made a quick retreat before he angered his boss even more. Sauwingon shook her head and looked at the couple "Sorry about that. Now, iz' that all? " both nodded and the chef bowed curtly before going to the kitchen. "All right, what's going on? " Ryan leaned on his elbows on the table and looked at Twilight with an intense stare. "What? Going on? " Twilight guffawed and leaned into her seat "Nothing's going on! " she wanted to cross her legs, trying to be all casual about the situation, but her right knee hit the underside of the table pretty hard "Motherbu- " "Your drinks! " Sauwingon appeared with the order on a platter. "You work fast. " Ryan commented as she sat down the drinks. Twilight took a sniff of her wine and actually liked the smell. "I 'ave to vit' this lot! " Sauwingon turned to the kitchen and dashed off once again. The alicorn now took a sip and almost choked on it. It was true she didn't drink, in fact, this was her first taste of alcohol. She heard everypony fawn over this particular brand and went with it. Suffice to say she had a coughing fit now... "You okay? " Ryan asked in concern and was about to get up and help but Twilight waved him down. "I-I'm fine... " she managed to croak out and grabbed Ryan's glass of water and chugged it in one go. After realizing what she had done her whole face heated up "I'm so sorry! I'll get you another one right away! " as she hastily stood up, she knocked over her almost full wine glass and spilled the contents all over the table "GAH! " realizing what she had done, a quick glow of her horn should make the problem go away. At least, the stains on the tablecloth should have vanished and not the entire TABLE! Twilight stood there, mouth agape and looked at the empty space between them. Her gaze fell to Ryan who was trying to make sense of things but simply shrugged his shoulders. Having spent so much time here, Ryan found out it was too hard on his brain to come up with some explanations. Having said that, Ryan pulled himself and the chair closer to Twilight and smiled at the mare. "Who needs a table anyway? My thoughts exactly! " Ryan motioned for Twilight to sit down and her ears splayed back in shame. He was always like this. Every time she would mess up he would always try and make her feel better. She guessed it was why she came to like him in the first place. Ryan always tried to cheer her up. Add the fact that he actually called out others on their mistakes and even got angry sometimes, he never did that with her. Was that because he actually liked her? Then maybe there's still hope for this date... Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Twilight perked up once more and sat down. She looked to Ryan who leaning towards her, their faces inches from each other. Twilight's face flushed at the sudden realization and she felt her heart beating faster "So... " Ryan smiled as Twilight gulped "How you do- " "Dinner iz' serve - " Sauwingon stopped mid-sentence as she saw the two close together and the table missing entirely "Ponies... " the couple leaned back in their seats, both of them a little red in the face as Sauwingon handed them their meals. That's when Twilight realized why they tried her to steer her away from the house special. In her hands was a plate with some kind of sauce in it. It wasn't the sauce that got to her, oh no my dear readers, it was the rest. Snails and frog legs, grilled of course. She felt her stomach lurch but bravely kept it in "Bon appetite!" the griffon bowed once again and walked back to the kitchen chuckling to herself. Twilight just stared at the plate in her hands. "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. " Ryan reassured her with a smile but Twilight wasn't about to back down. She dug this hole herself and now she needed to get out of it. "N-no worries! " she said with a nervous laugh and picked up one snail from her plate "I-I mean, how bad can it be? " she gingerly, slowly, shakily brought the snail to her lips. Images of the first time Rainbow Dash convinced her to try fish flashed before her eyes and she winced at the memory Pegasi eat fish and I managed that. Here we go... she closed her eyes and put the snail into her mouth. Her eyes widened like saucers, pupils shrank to pinpricks. The taste... Was...