//------------------------------//
// 06- In Which Twilight Makes a Friend 
// Story: Let Me Count The Ways 
// by Rara 
//------------------------------//

Rarity was nervous. When Rarity got nervous, she had a terrible habit of babbling uncontrollably about everything and nothing. She realized she was doing it now, but could do nothing to prevent herself from rambling on and on about Ponyville- and herself- to the newcomers. She simply couldn't help it. She had never met strangers from Canterlot before, and she was petrified that she would make a bad impression. 

Not only that, but Spike has polished his scales and was sparkling like a diamond mine! He had complimented her outfit (once he had stopped laughing at Pinkie's antics, that is), and Rarity was all a-flutter. Her laugh was pitched just a bit too loudly to be decorous, and she kept forgetting what she had been saying in the middle of sentences. This made for an odd conversation, at least from Twilight's end. Spike was listening with one ear, still chuckling to himself as they walked. 

"Well now, where was I? Something about school- Oh, that reminds me! Twilight, darling, I know you're privately tutored by the Princess herself, Princess Celestia, I mean, what filly wouldn't jump at that kind of opportunity! And no homework, too, that must be wonderful! Not that I don't like school, I'm actually one of the top in my class! Not to brag or anything, but facts are facts, and- What was I saying? Oh, yes! Are you going to be attending school? I know it's spring, and it's almost over, but I'd sure you'd have so much fun getting to know everypony! And our teacher, Mister Weatherby, is just wonderful! He's so knowledgeable when it comes to history, although his hoofwriting is simply atrocious." 

Rarity was quite proud of atrocious; it was the word of the day on her calendar. She made a point of having the most sophisticated vocabulary of any filly in her class, and affected a faux-Canterlot accent that, while surprisingly good, would never pass to ponies like Twilight, who had grown up there. Of course, Twilight being Twilight, she didn't even notice Rarity's lilting tones.

Rarity made the little lavender filly a bit nervous- she was so outgoing, and reminded Twilight uncomfortably of the snooty fillies she had known far too many of in Canterlot. But she was warming up to Rarity, in no small part due to her announcement that she had stopped Pinkie from throwing them a welcome party that night. Twilight shuddered at the thought of a party where everypony's attention would be turned on her. And she would, without a doubt, be expected to socialize! No, thank you. Twilight was grateful for Rarity's thoughtfulness, and felt herself beginning to like this filly, despite how prissy she had seemed at first.

"I won't be going to school here, no. Like you said, it's almost summer, and I'm probably ahead of the class anyway. Um, no offense."

Rarity waved it away with an airy hoof. "Oh, none taken! It's a pretty boring class, unless Mister Weatherby decides to go off-topic and give us a really interesting lecture. I usually spend most of it sketching dress designs in the margins of my schoolwork."

Twilight smiled tentatively at her. "Once, when I first became her student, the Princess caught me doing equations on my creative writing homework. I thought she was going to punish me, but she just laughed and gave me double the math homework for the night!"

"And that wasn't a punishment?" 

"Well, it was, but I thought she was going to send me to the dungeons, so I figured I was getting off easy!"

The fillies giggled together, and began to relax. Spike, strolling along next to them, sighed with relief as he noticed. He had been worried that they wouldn't get along, or even- Celestia forbid- that they would get into a fight. Twilight was a lot of things, but easy to get along with wasn't exactly one of them. When confronted with foals her own age, she tended to withdraw, using her incredible intellect as a shield, and they tended to see her as antisocial, and a know-it-all. But this Rarity filly, she was getting along with his charge as easily as if they had known each other for years! A glimmer of hope appeared; maybe Twilight would finally make a friend her own age. University professors, big brothers, foalsitters, and princesses were and well and good, but a filly needed other little fillies to play with. Spike wanted for Twilight what he had never had, and here it was, having practically jumped into his lap!

"So, Spike, how are you related to Twilight? I mean, you're obviously not related, but you know what I mean. Are you her bodyguard? You're certainly big and strong enough." Rarity fluttered her long lashes at Spike, who missed a step and stumbled, nearly landing face-down on the packed dirt road. Twilight sputtered with barely contained laughter, and Spike glared at her.

"No, I'm definitely not her bodyguard. Although I do protect her from falling boxes when she uses her magic to lift things that are way too heavy for her." This shut Twilight up. As the student of an all-powerful alicorn, the limitations of her own magic were a sore subject, and Spike knew it. He relented.

"Nah, I'm just here to look out for her and help out. I don't really have a title, the Princess just sent me to assist her."

Twilight perked up, shaking off the comment about her magic. "Yeah, she decided I could use an assistant this summer!"

Spike rolled his eyes. "I thought I was your BDBFF, not your assistant." 

Twilight turned to confer with Rarity briefly, and the fillies whispered together in tones too low for Spike to overhear. Then Twilight turned back to him, grinning confidently. "You can be both." 

Spike groaned as the unicorns roared with laughter. They proceeded in this fashion, meandering through Ponyville as Rarity, their honorary tour guide, pointed out landmarks and important buildings. "This is Town Hall. It's a bit... plain for my tastes, but it's one of the more impressive buildings in town. And you see that red building there? No, there- That's the schoolhouse!" 

There really wasn't much to see, and they did a circuit of the park before turning and moving back down a different street in the general direction of the library, led by Rarity. She was giddy in her excitement, leaping ahead before remembering herself and falling back at a more sedate pace. 

"I was hoping you two would accompany me for a late supper before going home tonight," she told them proudly, revealing the piece de resistance of her tour. "I've made reservations!" The newcomers were amenable, so off they went, the warm spring air toying with the girls' manes and tickling the ovaloid spines on Spike's back. 

The trio had made their way down Blueberry Street, and was approaching their destination. The bellies of the clouds that dotted the sky were stained pink and orange with the light from the setting sun, and the air was fragrant with the flowers that bloomed in window boxes and along the roadside. The Canterlot natives had to admit that, while not a hub of sophistication, Ponyville was certainly a beautiful little town.  

As they approached the low-slung stone building, deliberately built to look roughly-hewn and rustic, the air grew rich with another scent: the smell of Bitalian cuisine, wholly out of place in a tiny country town, drifted tantalizingly through the air. Rarity stopped them as they reached the inviting entryway, laced with ivy and set with cobblestones underhoof. She gestured grandly, an obvious look of pride on her face.

"Welcome to Ristorante Marediso! The best- well, the only- gourmet restaurant in Ponyville."

Spike was impressed. He knew how classy these sorts of places were, and he wondered how on Equestria a little filly could have made reservations, let alone how she intended to pay. I hope she doesn't expect me to pay. I didn't bring any money with me. I really don't want to have to wash dishes for the next few weeks to pay it off, he thought nervously.

They entered, and were bathed in warm golden light and soft music from an unseen stringed instrument. A tall, light blue stallion in a waistcoat smiled down at Rarity over his spectacles. His voice was smooth and slightly accented. "Ah, the young Miss Rarity! And you gentlefolk must be her new friends. Come, I have your table ready." 

Without waiting for their answer, the stately server had swept away down an aisle lined with velvety booths. Twilight looked at Spike, mouthing "friends?" behind Rarity's back. The tall dragon smiled understandingly, but with a firm claw he led his charge to their booth. Twilight allowed herself to be dragonhandled, but her mind was somewhere far away. Friends, huh? A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she bounded ahead to catch up to Rarity.