//------------------------------// // The Question // Story: Peni and Copper: A Love's Beginning // by DeadlyPegasister //------------------------------// It's been two weeks since the cloud barrel competition - and the kiss. Peni had a hard time trying to talk to Copper after that, she'd normally just blush and look away. Even when she'd try to talk to him, Copper would do the same. After the first few days, Copper asked Peni if she'd be his marefriend, and she'd quickly said yes, almost too quickly. A quick hug, and they walked the rest of the way down the hall hoof in hoof. After the two weeks, the Grand Galloping Gala was coming, and Peni seemed depressed. "What's the matter, Pen?" Copper asked one day. Peni replied, "I can't afford tickets to the Gala, and I want to go so badly!" Copper bit his lip, but only for a second. Peni was looking away, so she didn't notice. After the kiss, Copper had went straight to Rarity Belle, owner of the Carousel Boutique. The memory flashed into his mind: The twinkle of the doorbell sounded as Copper walked into the boutique. A dragon sat in the front room, almost too big for the huge room. A beautiful, white unicorn mare stood inside the room, looking over a finished outfit studded with jewels. Obviously, the dragon had been talking, his deep voice canceling out the sound of the doorbell. Rarity first noticed Copper in a reflection of one of the sapphires. She said, "Oh, I'm sorry sir, may I help you?" Copper replied, "Yes, Mrs. Rarity. I only have a question for now. About how long would it take for you to create a simple dress and a suit?" "Why do you ask, darling?" Rarity gasped, then said, "Is it for a special somepony? Who is it you're going to the Gala with?" Copper was confused. "How did you know I was going to the Gala with my special somepony?" The dragon, Spike, replied, "It's her mare's intuition. She just knows, is all." "Well," said Copper, "I need to know because, yes, I'm taking my special somepony to the Gala, and I want to surprise her with the tickets. I just need to know how soon I should ask her so she can come to you and you can design the dress. With my suit, I just want it simple, a dark blue suit with a light blue tie." "All right, your suit can be done within just a day or so, and the dress, depending on the simplicity of it, will take three to ten days." Copper said, happily, "Thank you, Mrs. Rarity. I'll be by three days before I leave for Canterlot to get to the Gala to pick up my suit." "You're welcome, darling! And the dress and suit will be half price, since you'll be almost broke after getting the tickets!" Rarity said. With a two weeks left before the Gala, Copper would need to tell Peni very soon. And he decided now would be the perfect time. "Peni, how about we go to Sugarcube Corner for lunch? Josie can come, and Frostbite, too. How about it?" Peni replied, "Yeah, I guess. It's better than hearing all the stories everypony has to tell about their gala dress or how they got the tickets." At lunch, Peni, Josie, Copper, and Frostbite took off towards Sugarcube Corner. As Peni contemplated what to get, Copper made sure he had the two golden tickets in his saddlebag. There they were, gleaming beautifully in the sunlight. Of course, Copper had eaten before this. He wouldn't have enough bits to pay for the suit and dress if he bought something for himself and Peni. Once the four ponies finally made it to the little sweets shop, Copper checked one last time that the tickets were there. And like last time, they gleamed in the light. Josie noticed, and said, "I'll wait out here for just a moment, be right in." She then set her hoof against Copper's chest, saying, "Okay, what were those? What are you planning?" The colt sighed, and gave in. "They're... Gala tickets. For me and Peni." Copper quickly added, "I haven't told her yet!" upon seeing Josie's look of surprise and joy. "Oh my Celestia! Copper, she'll be SO GRATEFUL! I can't wait to see her face when you show her!" Josie exclaimed, her wings beating rapidly in her adrenaline rush. "So you'll be telling her today?" "Yes, and I've already set an order for a dress and suit. No specifics for the dress though, that's Peni's and I don't want to decide for her," Copper told Josie. "Well," Josie said, flying behind Copper and starting to push him towards the door, "what're you waiting for?" She stopped pushing him so it wasn't obvious something had happened. Josie followed behind moments later, after having a little moment of squee. "I'll be paying for your order, Peni. And, I've got, uh... I've got something to ask you." Copper sat on the floor, and dug into his saddlebag. Upon pulling out the two golden tickets, he said, "Penned Hearts, will you be my date to the Grand Galloping Gala?" Peni's hooves instantly flew to her mouth. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she tearfully said, "Yes... Yes, Copper Wire, YES I WILL!" She embraced him as the ponies in the sweets shop clapped for the sweet couple. Peni gasped, "Oh! I've got to go put in an order for a dress with Rarity!" Peni raced out the door, her mane and tail flying behind her. Copper quickly took out his cellphone and called the boutique. "Is this the Carousel Boutique? Yes, Mr. Spike. My marefriend is coming to order her dress. Who am I? I'm the colt that came in two weeks ago, pre-ordering my suit and letting you two know about my plan. Yes, that's me! My marefriend will be there shortly to start the order. Please don't tell her I ordered a dress for her, that I only ordered my suit specifically. Okay, thanks." And he hung up. Frostbite asked, "You already ordered her dress?" "Well," Copper replied, "not completely. Just that I knew she would go for a dress, and I pre-ordered her dress, without a description. I wanted THAT to be up to her." "My good colt, you are a MASTER of planning," said Josie. As I ran to the boutique, a dress began forming in my mind. A complicated dress? No. Simple, of course. Hmm, a light yellow top... a sparkly blue bottom... No, a light green top... white collar... A belt separating the two different colored halves... Shoes? No... A choker! A black choker with an emerald in the middle, and the top will be yellow. I got it! I entered Carousel Boutique, out of breath. Mrs. Rarity sat in the middle of her display room. She was adjusting a light blue tie on a deep blue tux. "Hmm? May I help you?" Rarity asked. "Yes... please..." I said, in between breaths. "I need to order a dress. For the Gala." "Okay," said Rarity, pulling out parchment with a pony mannequin already drawn on. "How would you like that designed?" I said, "A light yellow top, about the color of Fluttershy's coat, with a white collar and a sparkly blue skirt. At the seam of the two parts of the dress, a belt. And to top it all off, a thick choker with an emerald in the middle." After Rarity drew the design, she asked me to look. It seemed to... complex. "Maybe... a little simpler. Cut back on the frilled sleeves, the shoes, and the height of the skirt." After adjusting the design to an almost Rarity-repulsing design, I said, "Just like that!" "You know," Rarity said, "without all the sparkles and the gem choker, I would just get you Twilight's old birthday dress and modify that." She took the design and pinned it to her "Current Dress Design to Make" board. "Come back in about a week, and your dress will be ready." "Thank you, Rarity! I'm so glad you could do it," I said, and left. After a week of waiting, Peni returned to Carousel Boutique to pick up her dress. The blue suit had gone, but the gorgeous dress of hers stood off to the side. "Ah!" Rarity said. "You've come for your dress, I presume?" "Yep!" Peni said. "I can see it's done." Rarity said, with a hint of 'I know something you don't' in her voice, "Your dress has been payed for by an anonymous pony." And with a hint of 'How can that be?' in her voice, "You know, while I was waiting for you to come pick up your dress, which I finished yesterday, I got asked several times by my customers if they could PURCHASE the dress! It appears simple designs are all the rage nowadays." "Thank you, Mrs. Rarity! And tell whoever payed for my dress that I said... thank you..." Peni's voice faded as she realized who'd payed. Peni hurried to Copper's house to ask him how long he'd planned this out. Once she got there, Peni pounded on the door, demanding to be let in. Copper opened the door, and upon instant, Peni asked, "How long did you plan the Gala surprise?" "Oh! Well, I knew you'd ask at some point. I've been planning this for almost a month now. I needed a lot of time to earn money for the tickets. I started by buying one just for you, but then my father FINALLY paid his foal support, and I got enough to pay for mine." "Just so you know..." Peni began, a face of resent and anger quickly fading to happiness and... Lust. "I love that, so much." And she kissed Copper full on the lips. "Oh my Faust, Copper! This place it BEAUTIFUL!" Peni and Copper had just arrived at Canterlot, the day before the Grand Galloping Gala. Peni wanted an extra day so she could go sight-seeing and meet new ponies. "Okay, first let's go to the gem shop, where Rarity told us to g-" Peni's sentence was cut off as she bumped into a gorgeous unicorn mare. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss-Miss-Missus de Lis! I am SO sorry!" "Oh, it's alright, young mare. I wasn't hurt, and I hope you weren't," Fleur de Lis said, and continued, "I'll be on my way. And if you need help finding the gem shop, Gifts from the Hearth, it's just around the corner to the left." Copper replied, "Well, thank you so much, Mrs. de Lis. I do hope we end up meeting again. Perhaps at the Gala tomorrow?" "Oh, I do wish we do!" Fleur said excitedly, and left with a "Farewell, new friends!" Peni said happily, "Well, that was certainly a treat! Now, let's go see Rarity's daughter at the gem shop." Copper and Peni went off in the direction Fleur de Lis told them. Once they arrived at the gem shop, Gifts from the Hearth, a young mare walked up to them. She looked younger than Copper, but definitely larger, and had strange horns growing out of her head, right on the backside of her ears. Her mane was short and incredibly curly, and she bore claws on all four of her hooves. And sweeping from side to side behind her was a violet tail, the brunette curls on the end glimmering in the hearth fire. "Hello, strangers! My name is Beauty Gem, how may I help you?" asked the violet mare. The freckles on her cheeks danced as she talked. To Copper, she was one of the most beautiful and strange mares he'd ever seen. But to Peni, she was a familiar face. "Beauty," Peni said, her eyes wide with recognition, "it's me, Penned Hearts, from elementary school!" Beauty's eyes opened wide with the memories flashing back into her mind. "Peni? Oh my Celestia, it's been so long! How are you?" Beauty exclaimed as the two mares embraced each other in a hug. It was then that Copper also noticed the objects fanning out around Beauty's middle. "Are those dragon wings?" he asked, indicating to Beauty's wings. The dragon-pony nodded, quickly explaining that because of her mother's slightly extended life and her father being a dragon, she'd managed to be one of the two foals of Rarity and Spike. Her twin brother, Beast Claws, was living temporarily in Manehattan looking for a job suitable for somepony his size. "So far, Beast hasn't been able to find a job. He would look in Cloudsdale, but he's part dragon, so he can't manipulate or walk on clouds. He should be able to find one sooner or later. But I'd told him to look for a job in the traveling business, his wings and legs being rather strong so he'd be able to get along pretty fast." "Tactical. Anyway, we came by because your mom said we should come and visit since we're going to the Gala tomorrow," Peni said. Beauty gasped, then noticed the choker on Peni's neck. "Will you be wearing that to the Gala?" She pointed at the emerald in the middle, and continued. "Even if you aren't, I'll go ahead and polish it for you, it seems a bit dull." Peni removed the emerald and handed it to Beauty, saying, "Yeah, thanks! How soon should I pick it up tomorrow?" "No, no, I'll just bring it to your apartment. Me and you can cartpool to the Gala while Copper and my date, Record Player, head out in their own cartpool." "Okay, Beauty. Thanks again, we'll stop by before we leave Canterlot to say goodbye." Beauty said, "All righty, then, see you Peni, bye Copper!" Once the two were outside, Copper said, "You never told me about Beauty. You said you met in elementary school?" Peni nodded. "So, you couldn't have told me before?" Peni shook her head, and laughed. "She was one of the few ponies that was different in my class. Everypony but me, Spirals, Aqua, Flitter, Josie, and Pom absolutely HATED her. That is, until Spike came to talk with the teacher. That was when he started to get HUGE." Peni's stomach grumbled, and she giggled. "We should look for a place to eat real quick." Copper opened a map and said, "Here's a new restaurant called Twilight Sweets, run by a mare names Sugar Belle. We could stop there, what do you think?" "Sure, let's go there! I heard she's the second best baker in all of Equestria, only behind Pinkie Pie and the Cakes." "Ooh, I'm so excited!" Peni stood in her room, ready in the new dress Rarity made her. Beauty was standing behind her, working on her mane. The emerald in Peni's choker gleamed, amplifying the deep green in her eyes. "I can understand that, Peni, it's your first time ever going to the Gala, and it's also your first date with Copper!" Beauty pointed out, finally finishing Peni's mane with a spritz of manespray. "Oh, my Celestia, you're right! I didn't consider that!" Beauty's outfit was gorgeous, a light red color, with deep blue at the skirt's edge. In front of her right horn was a deep red bow. She was stunning, and Peni knew there would be more than one colt attempting to court her tonight. "I'm all finished, Peni. You look gorgeous! Copper's never going to leave your side. He might even give you a kiss!" Beauty said, and made kissy faces at the air. Peni giggled and pushed her shoulder. Peni said, clearly ready to go, "Okay, let's head out to the carriage. I wanna be there before Copper." The two mares went out to the carriage, getting quite a few stares before they got there. Spirals had ordered the carriage, and asked Wicker to drive. Peni was a great friend of Wicker, the wyvern, so Wic had gladly agreed. She gently flicked the reigns to get the two colts pulling the carriage moving. It bumped along the road, heading towards the enormous castle in the center of Canterlot. Once they arrived, Peni saw out the window that Copper was already at the castle, waiting for them. Once he saw Wicker, he straightened up, knowing Peni was in the carriage. Wicker opened the carriage door, and Beauty stepped out first. Copper bowed his head in greeting, and raised it just in time to see Peni step out. Coppers eyes widened at the sight of her. Peni's mane was curled gently at the front, and the back was pulled into a partial ponytail. Light green eyeshadow outlined her eyes. The emerald gleamed and amplified Peni's eyes. And the dress was stunning. The light blue skirt lit with sparkles brightened up her coat, and the light yellow top brightened her mane. And the belt and collar simplified the entire outfit. Peni giggled as she noticed Copper's beet red face. Copper was stunning, in his own way. The dark blue suit Peni had seen when she ordered her dress deeply contrasted Coppers red-orange coat. A white rose was tucked into the coat pocket, making his eyes seem darker than usual, and his normally lengthy bangs were trimmed short and still glowed with his recent shower. Peni felt her cheeks heat up, and Copper reached out his hoof. They walked towards the castle, Peni's leg crooked inside Coppers. "Now, milady, shall we go inside?" Copper said at the castle doors, pulling one of them open. Peni walked inside, exclaiming at it's beauty. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight, and Spirals stood at the top of a large set of stairs, shaking hooves with the guests. When Peni and Copper got to the four alicorns, Spirals said, "Peni! Copper! Welcome! I didn't know if you'd be able to make it, how are you? Was Wicker a good host?" "Yeah, Spirals. Oh, and guess who I came with?" Peni said. "Copper? Isn't that obvious?" "No, it's another pony, one we've known since elementary school. She's not the most normal of ponies..." Spirals noticed the mare Peni was talking about, and gasped. "Beauty! I didn't know you were coming!" Peni said, "I'm going to go dancing with Copper, if that's alright with you guys. Come on, Copper. Real quick, RD, isn't your sister playing here tonight?" RD, Record Player, replied, "Yeah, I forgot she said she would be playing with Mom Tavi and her sister." Peni thanked him, and went off with Copper towards the dance floor. After a long while of dancing, Peni decided she'd needed fresh air, and Copper escorted her outside towards the garden. Once they're outside, Copper pointed out the beauty of the garden. Peni knew he was being subtle about how she looked, and Peni said, "Yeah, and the night is just as pretty. You know, Princess Luna believed nopony liked her night, but I find it absolutely gorgeous. But I can't spend too much time outside by myself, it gets too creepy. But that's just because I'm paranoid." Copper said, rubbing the back of his neck, "You know, I'm glad you said yes to coming with me, and also to be my marefriend. Otherwise I'd probably take your brother." "Yeah, you two made the cutest couple before we came here," Peni said, laughing. Copper and Peni laughed heartily. Peni slightly opened her eyes, and gazed at Copper. She closed her eyes, and... The two ponies kissed passionately. Peni wrapped her hooves around Copper's head, curling them into his mane. Copper hugged Peni's body towards him, kissing her harder. The two wouldn't have split if they could, but they needed to breath. "I love you, Penned Hearts." "I love you more, Copper Wire."