"I is less than three U' Twilight stated to Pinkie Pie no just blinked at her several times.
"I don't get it." The abundance ('haha: a-bun-dance, good one author') of pink said with a sad tone. She hated disappointing Twilight and wanted the scholar to see more than a silly pony.
"It's a simple enough algebraic formula, I'm sure you can work it out." Twilight said before trotting off to rearrange the books - again.
Pinkie walked out of the library to avoid further embarrassment. 'I'll see if Applejack can help me.'
Pinkie pie hopped all the way to Sweet Apple Acres until she saw Apple Bloom. She was cantering across the yard to the barn in a flurry of movement.
"Hey there, Bloomers! Where's your sister?"
"She's in tha' field over yonder. Hey Pinkie, do ya know where Ah could find a set of pliers?"
"Nopie dokie. May I ask what a sweet filly like you wants pliers for? If I can't it's too later anyways 'cause I just asked."
"Right...well I was wonderin' if Ah could get mah cutie mark in wire cuttin'," said Apple Bloom.
"Haha okay. Goodbyeeee!" She set off towards the northern field.
"Applejack! Hi can I ask you a question, well that wasn't my question. I guess I should say 'can I ask you two questions?'"
"Huh?" Applejack's eyebrow raised in utter confusion.
"Can you help me with a maths question - 'cos I know you like to help every-pony, I thought I would see if you could help me!"
"Alright, Pinkie. What do ya wanna know?"
"Work out what this means: 'I is less than three U'," said Pinkie Pie slowly.
"Sorry, Pinks. Ah don't have a clue what you jus' said; why don' ya ask Twi?"
"Silly - she's the one who asked me what it meant."
"Alrighty then. If Twilight doesn't know the answer then Ah don't know anyone besides Celestia that might be of help to ya."
"Great idea, Applejack!"
"Ah didn' mean-" but she was too late. Pinkie Pie had already started hopping to Canterlot.
"I demand an audience with the princess!" Pinkie yelled to the stallion guarding the royal chambers.
"I'm sorry but Her Royal Highness is busy and you haven't made an appointment."
"But this will decide the fate of Equestia!" yelled Pinkie Pie with what she called completely necessary volume.
The noise was so loud that the sound waves shattered the door to Celestia's chambers wide open.
Inside was a shocked Celestia, who spat out a stream of hot tea across the width of the room. Next to her sat a Twilight plushie who appeared to be having afternoon tea with the Princess.
"Wow, Twilight! I didn't realise you were here too!" Pinkie Pie said - unable to differentiate between the world of reality and inanimate objects.
Her heart raced just from her presence.
"Um, yeah - the real Twilight is here; say hello, Twilight." Celestia pressed a button on the plushie and it played a recording of Twilight's voice; "Hello. My name is Twilight Sparkle!"
"I know who you are silly. Wait a second...you're not the real pony!" Pinkie shrieked, "The real Celestia is a banana!"
"Erm, yeah - is there something I can do to aid you?"
"How did you know?! It must be your goddess-ness-"
"Or the power of deduction? That you've burst into my chambers is reason enough to believe that you require my assistance, is it not?" said Celestia - annoyance evident in her tone.
"Maybe, but probably not. Anyway, 'I is less than three U' - what does it mean?!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Twilight's work?" To this, Pinkie Pie nodded, "Try writing it out as she would - in the format of a mathematical formula." Celestia giggled a bit whilst reaching out a hoof towards another button on the plushie.
"I love maths!" the doll said and then flopped into its side.
"Twilight has spoken!" Celestia bowed before the speaker as if in worship.
"Thanks, Twilight! And thank you, false-Celestia."
"No trouble at all. Now please leave Twilight and I to our tea."
"All-righty, miss high and mighty!" With that - she darted back to Ponyville, this mare was on a mathematical mission.
"Twilight! Do you have any paper and a quill? Silly - of course you do! And I'll need a maths book or your help because I don't understand maths equations." Pinkie strolled into the library and searched for the pony in question, "Twi?"
A baby dragon ran downstairs towards Pinkie and said with uncertainty, "She er- headed out a while ago?"
"Oh...well can you help me find a maths book instead?"
"What's the topic and I'll find it."
"Well, I have no idea - but I know that I need to find out what a 'less than' sign looks like."
Spike found a quill and scribbled a '<' onto a scrap of parchment. He gave it to Pinkie, who examined it with intense concentration.
"Thanks a bunch, Spike!"
"No problem, Pinkie," Spike replied and walked back up the stairs.
'Now, if I wrote the rest out I get...'
She wrote on the scrap of paper that Spike had given her.
'I is < three U - hang on, there is still some words in there.'
She proceeded to erase the written dialect before making a few minor corrections. She placed the quill down onto the table and held the parchment aloft.
'I <3 U'
"Twilight...loves me?"
Her heart went into overdrive as she processed the information. It set her checks ablaze in an inextinguishable flame that spread like a wild fire across her face. Her body shook like an earthquake that no building could defy. She sank to the floor in an effort to calm down.
But somehow, this all felt...right.
'Twilight loves me back!' Pinkie screamed in her mind.
It had been so long since Pinkie had wanted to hear this. She remembered the moment with clarity beyond that of glass - the day Twilight had become a resident of Ponyville. It had been her soft voice, incomparable beauty and that spark of magic which had stolen Pinkie's heart. That was the moment she had fallen for Twilight Sparkle.
She repeated what she did upon first meeting Twilight - gasped, jumped and ran away. Only this time, instead of going in any direction away from Twilight, Pinkie galloped in the only direction she thought could lead to her.
She ran up the stairs to her bedroom and slammed the door off its hinges.
('Two doors gave their lives in the making of this story so like it!')
Pinkie was distraught by what she witnessed - Twilight curled on her bed with tears spurting out of her eyes.
"...Twilight..." Pinkie managed to say.
"Please d- don't hate..." Twilight began but bundled herself up into the sheets.
Pinkie crawled beneath the sheets, mere centimetres from Twilight's face.
"I could never hate you - because... because I love you," Pinkie said with a stream of tears flooding from her ocean blue eyes and a smile unfolding on her mouth.
Twilight's horn sparked in delight - Pinkie could see how happy she looked in the flashes of light.
The two edged their muzzles closer together until they made contact. Their lips locked in a promise of love that would stand for eternity.
They parted and gazed into the others eyes with pure bliss.
"I love you," the two said in unison.