“I’m back!” Twilight called into the library, opening the door wide to float her parcels inside with her. “I brought home groceries!”
She waited expectantly for a few moments, but when no answer came she set the various bags and baskets down. She was reasonably certain that Celestia and Pinkie were still in the library. Finding them shouldn’t prove very difficult, because while there were many places to look for Pinkie, Princess Celestia would only fit in so many of those places.
Her short search eliminated the upstairs bedroom quickly, the reading room would have been the first place she would have seen them, which left only—
“I think you used too many noodles!” Pinkie gasped out as she opened the door to Twilight’s kitchen, allowing a large column of black smoke to escape.
Celestia quickly followed Pinkie, her horn lit a bright gold as she directed a small storm cloud from outside the library to the inside of the kitchen. “I’m sorry, I haven’t tried cooking pasta in over six centuries.”
“We need to put the fire out! Twilight’s going to be home soon!” Pinkie said, coughing violently. She grabbed a blanket that Celestia had been using in a nearby reading chair and started fanning at the smoke to help clear it from the room.
“In just a moment, Pinkie.” Celestia replied, visibly straining as she directed the cloud. From the kitchen, Twilight heard the sound of raindrops sizzling as they touched open flame.
The fact that she was able to cast weather control spells said volumes about Celestia’s recovery, but Twilight had seen her shape whole storm fronts into literal works of art. Even weakened as she was, the Princess was an impressive figure, focusing all of her will and the power at her disposal to bend the world to her whim.
A younger Twilight had seen these same things, and though she hadn’t known what it meant at the time, the elder self recognized the feelings of love and admiration and felt them stir just as strongly. With them came the heady realization that, somehow, Celestia felt something for her as well. The sun itself had returned her awe-filled gaze, and had echoed it in kind.
She had no idea what to do with those feelings at all, and did her best to gather them up in the same place she had always kept her feelings of inadequacy. But where the sadness had been limp and listless, the joy refused to be caught, galloping around like a newborn foal and making her heart beat much faster than was likely to be healthy.
Twilight finally realized she was staring at Celestia, and promptly collected her jaw from the floor. She rushed down the stairs, and once she could see the blaze inside of the kitchen she used her own magic to create a strong wind gust, pulling all of the smoke from the room and funneling it out of the same window the princess had pulled her cloud through. She then isolated the fire in an airtight bubble, allowing the flames to die out as they consumed the remaining oxygen.
“Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed, whirling around and rushing towards her in one smooth motion.
Twilight had just enough time to take a single deep breath before having the wind knocked out of her by Pinkie toppling her onto the floor.
“I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry! I’ll get this cleaned up super fast then we can try to make... something...” she stared at the kitchen, her ears wilting. “I think we’re out of somethings to make.”
“We might have the means to make sandwiches.” Celestia piped up helpfully. The fire having been put out, she summoned the cloud from the kitchen, giving it a little pat before whisking it back outside to join its fellows.
“Just... um...” Pinkie looked around wildly, then picked Twilight up by the shoulders, carrying her to the nearest chair and setting her down in it. “Just sit there. I’ll figure something out.”
“Pinkie...” Twilight said, “You really don’t have to cook—”
“I know, but I wanted to make you something nice. Only... I don’t know how to make things that you don’t cook in an oven, really.” Pinkie admitted with a frown. “Celly said she could help but she’s—”
“I’m more than a little out of practice.” Celestia said with a chuckle. She plopped down on the chair next to Twilight, smiling as she did so. “The castle staff more or less banned me from the kitchen several centuries ago. A shame, really. I used to enjoy trying out a dish or two, back before my days were filled with paperwork and meetings and court.” She shook her head ruefully. “I’m going to have to find some way to free up time again. I miss having hobbies.”
“I... I brought home groceries,” Twilight repeated, unsure of what else she could say at that moment.
“Oh, that'll help lots!” Pinkie said, clambering over to the bags. She made a brief search of the contents, frowning just a little. “Well, I guess we can’t burn salad.”
Celestia made her way to the pile as well, nosing through the produce until she found what she was looking for. “Oh, good. I couldn’t find any more tea earlier.”
“Sorry, Princess.” Twilight said quickly. “I can brew you a pot—”
“No need, Twilight. This at least I’ve been doing for centuries. But thank you.” Celestia carried the tea in her mouth, looking amused with herself.
Pinkie waited for Celestia to enter the kitchen before she crept back to Twilight as quietly as she could. “Twi, it’s going to be fine. I just need to clean up the kitchen, then we can have something to eat. I wanted it all ready before but Celly was having fun and then the water boiled over and the stove caught on fire and you don’t have any flour and I’m sorry!”
“Pinkie, it’s okay—” Twilight said before being abruptly cut off by a kiss.
“I know! I’m gonna make it okay, and then we’ll go stargazing!” Pinkie said after breaking the kiss. “It’s gonna be so nice! You’ll see! Just sit here and read for a bit—”
“Pinkie, could you bring me some of those carrots?” Celestia yelled from the other room. “And a few tomatoes, I think.”
“Sure thing!” Pinkie called back. She scampered back to the grocery pile, picking up all of it despite it towering well above her head, and made her way awkwardly into the kitchen while balancing on her hindlegs.
“I could help—”
“Nononono!” Pinkie said quickly, giving Twilight a smile that was nearly as much a grimace as she strained under the large load. “Pinkie Pie’s got this—” she wavered in her stance, having to catch herself by planting her tail on the ground briefly to push herself back into an upright stance. “Just relax!”
Twilight did as she was asked, sitting quietly for a time, trying not to worry. Pinkie had more than earned Twilight’s trust for various reasons, and if she said she had it—
A loud crash like the sound of a rack of pans falling to the floor came from the kitchen, followed by Pinkie popping her head outside to grin nervously at Twilight. “Um... it might be a little while. You should probably grab a book. A nice thick one,” she blew Twilight a kiss before ducking her head back inside.
“Right.” Twilight said to herself. She got up, picking and choosing at random from one of the shelves on alchemy, and finding to her relief she’d only read this particular volume four times in the past.
“Celly, can you catch that in your—” another crash could be heard, this time sounding like a piece of pottery shattering. “Nevermind! Can you get the broom?”
“Let it go, Twilight...” she said quietly as she resolutely looked away from the door, trotting upstairs with her book.
She had gotten through about two-thirds of the volume before she began to fret.
It was quite the testament to her faith in Pinkie that it took that long. Thankfully, it wasn’t a very bad case. She was merely concerned, as opposed to outright worried.
She had promised herself to leave matters in Pinkie’s hooves. It shouldn’t have proven difficult. Pinkie wanted to either take her to dinner, or make dinner. Either was fine, in fact, neither would have been just as fine. Twilight would have been happy to skip to stargazing and hoof-holding, or whatever else Pinkie had in mind for later. She had actually managed to stave off a full-blown panic attack by idly thinking about what else Pinkie might have in mind.
Too much of this, however, lead to worries that she was building up her expectations too high. This in turn led to worries that Twilight herself might not be ready for any of those things she was certain Pinkie had in mind, because it had been a while and how could Pinkie not be thinking about it and was it weird that Twilight couldn’t stop thinking—
Twilight buried her head in her pillow with a groan.
She had to get her head out of the gutter. Pinkie may not have even had plans for anything of that nature, which honestly might be a better idea because regardless of how excited the prospect made her... The reality was that Twilight was still very nervous about the concept, and how horrible would it be if she froze up and started to cry the first time they tried? That was a very real possibility.
Slow. Slow is good. Kissing, snuggling, hugging. Get used to all of it. Be me.
And most importantly, she had to do it all without making Pinkie worry about her in any way. Ideally, she hoped to not actually be stressed out enough to need to be worried about to begin with, but she knew herself well enough to know that was asking a little too much.
It’s going to be fine, she repeated in her head as a sort of mantra. Repeating something often enough was supposed to make it true. In Twilight’s case, it at least didn’t sound quite so impossible anymore.
She heard a muffled crash come from below her, and she repeated the phrase in her head even faster until the words blurred together. Eventually she did calm down, somehow managing not to dash downstairs and fret about the mess those two were undoubtedly making. It would have inevitably led to her taking over everything. She finished the tome, at first ignoring the noises, then actually casting on her floor to block sound coming from below.
Some time later, Pinkie dashed up the stairs and threw open the door. “It’s ready!” she sang out, coming up to Twilight and hugging her tightly. “We did it! Come see!”
Twilight grunted softly as Pinkie squeezed all of the air out of her lungs, but she wrapped her own arms around Pinkie, hugging back just as tightly as she could manage. This was why her worry wasn’t important. That smile, those eyes, they made everything else fall away.
When Pinkie was ready to let her go, they broke the hug, Pinkie bouncing down the stairs and Twilight following close behind. Below, her reading room had been transformed. The tables had been stacked in a single corner, save only for the large one in the center, which in turn had been immaculately set in the traditional Canterlot fashion.
“Sit, sit!” Pinkie beckoned, pulling out a chair and holding it out for Twilight to take her place. Twilight gingerly made her way down the rest of the stairs, looking over the dinner that Pinkie had laid out with care, her eyes wide and staring. She didn’t yet know how the kitchen had survived, but the food looked and smelled very good.
Celestia sat off in one corner in one of the ‘reading nook’ chairs. She looked up as Twilight made her way to the table, smiling a gentle smile. “Well, it looks like you’re ready for your dinner. I’ll let you get to it.”
“Thanks, Celly!” Pinkie said, scrambling over to Celestia as the latter stood and giving her a big hug around her bowed neck.
“You’re quite welcome. Enjoy your evening.”
Twilight smiled at first as she watched Pinkie hug Celestia, but frowned as she heard those words. “You... you don’t want to join us?”
Pinkie looked at Twilight, then back up at Celestia, then back to Twilight, opening her mouth in a surprised gasp. “Oh, wow! That’s a great idea!”
“Oh... I wouldn’t want to intrude...” Celestia said, wincing a little as Pinkie hadn’t let go of her neck yet, hanging off of it with her legs dangling on the ground.
Pinkie looked back up at her with a slightly hurt expression, and it was clear that the Princess was torn.
“Please! You helped make the food, it wouldn’t be fair otherwise.” Twilight said. Although, after saying it, she worried maybe she was pressuring the princess, and added:. “I mean, unless you really don’t want to. It’s okay.”
After a long moment, Celestia bowed her head further, allowing Pinkie to get to her own hooves. “As you wish.”
Pinkie’s eyes grew wide, and she hugged Celestia even harder, thankfully letting go before causing the princess serious discomfort. “Okay! Both of you sit, I’ll serve!”
Twilight sat, watching as the princess did the same. In the center of the table, the food sat steaming. Apparently Pinkie and the princess had finally figured out the noodle to water ratio, because a large pile of them sat on a plate, next to a pot of tomato sauce. Accompanying these dishes was a large salad bowl filled with salad (made up of tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, croutons, and daffodils), a decanter of what looked like salad dressing (at a guess, Istallian style), and a plate of crusty bread.
As promised, none of it was on fire.
“This looks wonderful!” Twilight said, eagerly preparing her cutlery as Pinkie dished out a helping of the salad, drizzling it with the dressing. She dug in, flashing Pinkie a big smile just before lifting the forkful of greens into her mouth.
Wait, why is this so sweet? She thought after a moment of chewing. It wasn’t the tomatoes, they tasted crisp and juicy, but were nice and tart on her tongue . The lettuce was likewise fresh, as were the daffodils. She frowned, finishing her bite with less enthusiasm. It wasn’t horrible, just... off. Salad was supposed to be more of a savory dish.
Pinkie, meanwhile, had buried her muzzle in her own salad, which Twilight was actually happy to see. Pinkie’s inexplicable eating habits aside, it made Twilight feel a little better when she saw Pinkie eating relatively normal foods for a change. By all accounts from Dr. Stable Pinkie was happy and healthy, despite having a slight pudge to her stomach. Still, salad was good for you. A healthy pony could only be healthier by eating good foods.
Across the table, Celestia had gotten through roughly half of her salad. Neither of them seemed bothered by the sweetness. Maybe it was a different dressing than she’d thought? French dressing was a little sweet, if she recalled correctly. But she remembered that being creamy. She shrugged, taking another bite. As salads went, it was fine, just a little sweet.
She got through the salad without much difficulty after her initial surprise. The veggies were very fresh, and the dressing was tasty, even if it was nearly the consistency of molasses. The next dish was the one she was really looking forward to anyway.
The noodles and sauce were still steaming, kept hot and ready by a simple heating enchantment on the dishes. As Pinkie stirred the sauce Twilight could make out celleri, mushrooms, olives, and various peppers. The noodles smelled heavily of garlic and lightly of butter.
Twilight eagerly twirled up a forkful of the noodles, trying to show restraint and not just shove them in her mouth—
It tasted sweet.
The sauce was wonderfully spiced, and it was full of heady tastes from the vegetables. The noodles were perfectly al dente... but overwhelmingly, what she tasted was sweetness. It was all throughout the sauce! Even the noodles tasted sweet.
“Something wrong, Twilight?” Celestia asked with a single raised eyebrow.
“I... I don’t know.” Twilight said, looking back and forth between Celestia and Pinkie, neither of whom seemed bothered by the sugary syrupy nature of their food.
Maybe I’m sick?
She frowned, wracking her brain for any illnesses she’d ever read about that involved changes in taste buds. She took a deep breath through her nose, confirming that she could in fact still smell. The food smelled wonderful, full of garlic and other more subtle herbs, but now, above it all, she could even smell the sweetness. It hung cloying in the air, taunting her.
“Twi-twi?” Pinkie said, sounding concerned, which was exactly what Twilight didn’t want.
“I’m fine!” She said quickly, taking the glass of wine in her magic and sipping at it with her eyes closed, wondering if it too would be all wrong.
It was sweet too, but not in a sickly way. It was tart, and rather nice. It made her mouth feel cleaner as it washed away all of the sweetness, leaving behind a much milder taste. Her eyes opened in surprise, and she gulped it down as if she’d found the one oasis of normality in a desert of desserts.
Her mouth screwed up into a little frown as she looked down into the now-empty glass. She poured more from the bottle, giving the wine an experimental sniff. It was just wine. A good wine, to be sure. Celestia herself had gifted it to her during one of her visits, and she’d put it aside for just this sort of occasion. But why would the wine be normal? And why was all of the food so sweet?
“Twilight, I know that face.” Celestia said from across the table. “If there’s something wrong, please say so. I really don’t want you making yourself sick eating something you don’t like.”
“Uh...” Twilight looked back up from the food guiltily. “Not... not wrong, exactly... It’s just, the pasta sauce is a little—”
“Sweet?” Celestia supplied.
“Yes!” Twilight said with surprise. “I mean, the salad was a little bit too, but the sauce is just all wrong, it smells great but it isn’t supposed to taste like somepony dumped a cup of sugar in there—” her eyes bulged out as she saw Celestia cringe in response. “I mean—”
“Two tablespoons, actually. They were supposed to be teaspoons.” Celestia said with a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I had hoped the addition of the mushrooms and garlic would help mask the error a bit. To me it seemed fine, but I’ve always had a bit of a sweet tooth.”
“Celly, it was great, really!” Pinkie piped up.
“Yes, but you are likely the only pony I know who likes sugar as much as I do.” Celestia said with a laugh. She turned back to Twilight, looking contrite. “Twilight, just push it aside, I won’t be offended.”
“Is it really okay?” Twilight asked, looking back and forth between Pinkie and Celestia anxiously. “You worked hard on this—”
“I’ll eat yours!” Pinkie said quickly. “Just please don’t be upset! We did our best!”
Twilight looked at Pinkie for a long moment, only now recognizing that Pinkie was just as nervous as she was, if not more so. “Pinkie, it’s okay! I liked the salad, it’s just the pasta came out a little off. I’m sorry for being picky.”
Pinkie shook her head with a little frown. “It’s my fault. I didn’t know what restaurant to take you to, and I don’t know how to cook things you don’t bake and frost. But I’ll learn, I promise!”
Twilight reached across the table, taking one of Pinkie’s forehooves in her own. She smiled warmly at the other mare. “It’s fine, really. I’ll just have some more salad, and maybe some bread.” She gave Pinkie’s hoof a little pat of reassurance.
She eyed the bread hesitantly. It was the only thing she hadn’t tried so far. It looked like simple bread. It smelled like bread. She picked up a piece in her magic, lifting it to her mouth and taking a big bite.
The bread was... a little sweet. It wasn’t heavy, but it was there. The butter, however, tasted like it had been mixed with honey, and was very sweet. Like the salad, it was unexpected, but not unpalatable. It was warm, and crusty, and now that the overly sweet sauce had been washed out of her mouth, it was delicious.
Her eyes opened in surprise, and she heard a little sigh of relief from Pinkie.
“It’s okay?” Pinkie asked.
Twilight nodded, vigorously finishing the slice of bread and adding more to a clean plate.
“Thank goodness! Bread I can do!” Pinkie said with a giggle. She reached over the table and grabbed Twilight’s plate of pasta, gobbling it up as promised.
Twilight polished off nearly half of the fresh bread herself, having another bowl of salad to top it all off. She pushed herself firmly away from the table. “Well, that’s enough for me.”
“Are you sure?” Pinkie asked. “I could make you a sandwich or some more bread or some cupcakes or pastries or pies or—”
“Very sure, Pinkie.” Twilight said, laughing a little. “Thank you. I think I liked your idea of a date much better than the one I tried to take us on.”
“Well, it’s not over yet!” Pinkie proclaimed, whipping the tablecloth out from under the dishes in one smooth movement and gathering up the plates in a stack that she balanced on the end of her nose. “Jus gibbe a sec to take dese to the kiccin.”
Twilight watched Pinkie until she entered the kitchen, trying not to think about the mess that had to be contained therein.
“She was very, very excited about this dinner.” Celestia said conversationally. “I’m sorry if I spoiled it for you.”
Twilight whipped her head back to the Princess, giving it a quick shake. “Nonono! It was fine, really...”
“Twilight, it’s okay to be honest. I have never had much of a talent for cooking, unless you count being able to restart the oven after the pilot light goes out.” Celestia said with a little self-deprecating chuckle. “I simply enjoy the mechanics of it. Making a good meal takes patience and planning, and the right ingredients.”
“But... I mean... you must have been practicing all of your li—” Twilight’s mouth clamped shut as she realized she was on the verge of not only calling Celestia old, but also questioning her cooking methods.
“All of my life? No, sadly not. I’m afraid my servants, once I had them, wouldn’t hear of me trying to cook for myself. It was beneath me, apparently.” Celestia gave a tired chuckle, pushing some noodles around her plate with a fork. “Unless you have a talent for something, you have to stay in practice, or it’s easy to forget it. I was once quite pleased with my efforts. Now I have ponies who grow up learning from their parents about how wonderful it is to serve the princess. I can’t disappoint them by insisting that I would like to dabble.”
“I... I thought it smelled nice...” Twilight said, not quite sure if she was helping or hurting the situation, but wanting to say something.
“You’re very kind, Twilight.” Celestia said with a bright smile. “I suppose I was being a little selfish, wanting to do something for you and Pinkie. I only wish it had turned out better.”
“Pinkie liked the pasta just fine!” Twilight spit out in a rush. “I would call that a win. And really, it wasn’t horrible, though I was starting to question whether I was developing a neurological or sensory disorder. But, you know, that’s just me—”
“Over-thinking things,” Celestia supplied with a smile. “Well, at least Pinkie enjoyed it.”
“I did too! Sort of... I mean, the noodles were... good?” Twilight said, grinning in a way that felt fake even to her.
Celestia laughed, reaching over the table to gently rub Twilight’s hoof. “I thought they came out rather perfect, yes. Next time I’ll watch the measurements more carefully. But that’s for another day. You two should have a good view tonight. If I recall correctly, Luna had a meteor shower planned.”
The fake smile slowly widened into a real one without Twilight even really noticing it happening. “That’s going to be so interesting! I’ll need to get my telescope ready—” she stopped, her mood dipping just a little as she remembered Pinkie’s plans. “Right... no telescope. Well, it should still be fun...”
“If I may offer a little advice...” Celestia said, leaning in closely and dropping her voice to a near-whisper. “She’s very nervous about the date going badly. I tried to persuade her that starting over doesn’t necessarily mean ignoring your existing time together, but—”
“She gets fixated on the idea, I know. It’s fine. As long as she’ll give me a chance, I’ll be happy to play along with her ‘first date’.” Twilight said with a little laugh. “This will actually be the second ‘first’ date, but I kinda messed the last one up. I... I panicked when they set the food on fire.”
“So I heard, in detail, with illustrations. I think she’s picked up your presentation habits, but her drawing skills are a bit more rudimentary.”
“She’s actually a pretty remarkable artist when the mood strikes her.” Twilight replied. “But she likes stick figures because they look funny.”
Celestia raises a single eyebrow at that. “I see. Well, suffice to say, I hope you have a good time. That’s really all she wants to happen tonight.”
“I... I just want the same for her.” Twilight said, blushing just a little.
“That should make your date very easy, then.” Celestia said with a smile. “You’re going to be fine, Twilight.”
Pinkie clambered back into the room at that point, taking one of Twilight’s hooves in her own and pulling her to her feet. “C’mon! It’s time!”
Twilight shot Celestia one final look of thanks before she was yanked out of the library by Pinkie.
Pinkie dragged Twilight along with her for half the length of Mane Street before she calmed down enough to slow to a steady trot instead. “Sorry, sorry. I’m just really super excited and I want everything to go just right and somethings already went wrong and I’m sorry—” her eyes widened as she found her words being mumbled around purple lips.
Twilight had her forelegs clasped around Pinkie in a tacklehug, and had snaked her head around to kiss Pinkie from underneath. While it wasn’t quite enough to knock Pinkie down, she was floored by the simple ease in which Twilight kissed her. Her heart felt light, like it was being lifted by millions of butterflies. “It’s okay.” Twilight murmured into Pinkie’s neck, making no move to let go. “I’m excited too, but we don’t have to rush. I don’t want to run anymore.”
“I’d find you.” Pinkie whispered back. “I’m really, really good at hide and seek.”
“I don’t want to hide either. I’m tired of being scared.” Twilight clutched Pinkie a little closer. “Just... let’s not rush, okay? Slow is good.”
Pinkie nodded quickly, trying to shoo the butterflies away.
Celly said third date. Not first, not second.
She repeated this to herself in a little singsong, humming along to it as Twilight held her tightly.
But she said kissing is fine, and kissing is fun! So, lots of kissies!
She was comfortable with her decision. It felt right. Some of the butterflies stayed behind and fanned the flames growing in her chest. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling.
They walked together, side by side, occasionally stopping to nuzzle or kiss the other with a frequency that might have been a little embarrassing for onlookers. Neither of them noticed or cared if they drew looks. Pinkie in particular was never worried about such things, as her antics always seemed to inspire smiles in others.
Arriving at the hilltop Celestia had Pinkie Swore would be the best location to view the meteor shower from, Pinkie reached deep into her mane to pull out the picnic basket, taking a moment to lay out the blanket for them to lay on. She made a grand gesture which Twilight correctly interpreted as ‘after you, milady’. Once Twilight had settled in, Pinkie plopped down beside her, setting close and pulling the basket to them both for her to root around inside.
“What did you bring?” Twilight asked curiously as she tried to see past Pinkie’s mane.
“Crackers, cheese, and a little wine.” Pinkie popped out of the basket with a monocle for each of them. “Here, you’ll need this.”
“Really?” Twilight asked, her eyes wide as she stared down at the eyepiece Pinkie had placed in her hooves.
Pinkie nodded earnestly. “You eat the crackers and the cheese, sip the wine, and say deep and meaningful things while you look up at the sky.”
Twilight let the eyepiece spin on the chain for a long moment. “Really?” she repeated incredulously.
Pinkie burst out in a little giggle. “Nah! You can just eat, it’s fine. I just thought it might be funny if we acted all serious and stuff.”
“I thought we were trying to stop acting.” Twilight said with a little scowl.
“N-not like that!” Pinkie sputtered out quickly, her smile dropping as she struggled to explain herself. “You know, like those ponies at the garden party they had while we were throwing your birthday party? I... I just thought...”
“I didn’t think it was very funny,” Twilight muttered.
Multiple alarms went off in Pinkie’s head, her heartbeat ringing in her ears, and she was absolutely certain that she’d ruined everything.
Then Twilight raised her head, wearing the monocle on one eye. “Gotcha.” she said, sticking her tongue out.
Pinkie stared at Twilight for a moment, then began giggling again helplessly. Twilight laughed a little at first, but soon the two of them were setting each other off into constant fits of laughter.
After some time, they managed to calm down, and Twilight snuggled close to Pinkie’s form, letting out a happy little sigh. “You know, I used to wonder what went on at those garden parties. The princess had to go to a lot of them, and when she got back she would tell me all about how boring they were.”
“I think maybe hoity toity ponies just have fun in weird ways.” Pinkie said. She got up to fetch a plate of the crackers and cheese, setting down two glasses next to the plate.
“Maybe...” Twilight said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “But I was curious, I wanted to see what was so important that she had to go all the time. So I snuck into the forbidden wing of the library—”
“Ooo!” Pinkie exclaimed. “You mean the one with the time travel spells?”
“No... the one with the sensory manipulation spells... nevermind. I found a spell called ‘Wallflower’s Notice-Me-Not’, it’s like invisibility only better. Ponies see you, but they think they don’t? So I just used that and walked in on their party.”
“Wowee! That sounds amazing!” Pinkie exclaimed. Then she looked down at her own monocle, put it up to her eye, and added: “Errr... I do say! Jolly good show! I trust a good time was had?”
Twilight shook her her head. “No, the cheese was stinky and the crackers were dry. I thought maybe they were really doing something fun that the princess couldn’t tell me about, but even the wine didn’t taste good. It made my mouth pucker up and I felt a little sick afterwards.”
“Awww, no fun!” Pinkie said, the monocle popping out of her eye in her disappointment. She picked it up and placed it back inside the basket, reaching out to take Twilight’s from her as well.
Twilight shook her head, still holding the monocle to one eye with her magic. “I like it.”
Pinkie hesitated, then let her hoof fall, giving a sheepish little shrug. She settled back down on the blanket close to Twilight, facing her. The meteor shower was supposed to start soon, but there was really only one heavenly body she wanted to look at.
“Thank you.” Twilight said with a bright smile. “I’m sorry if I worried you during dinner. I liked the salad and bread.”
Pinkie’s face lit up in sudden joy. “Thanks! I made those. I wanted to take you to a restaurant but I don’t really know which ones you might like.”
“I like daffodil sandwiches and hayburgers with fries?” Twilight offered. “Really... I don’t mind what I eat very much. Spike usually just puts down food somewhere where I can get to it.”
“But that’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Like, dinner, then the kiss goodnight, then maybe a movie the next time, then an amusement park—” Pinkie looked down her nose at Twilight, who had apparently decided it was time for another kiss.
Twilight broke the kiss after forever had passed, leaving both of them breathing heavily. “I can look up some books on dating rituals if you like. We could make a date of that.”
“You can read during a date?” Pinkie asked. “How did I not know this? That’s perfect! Like... could you read to me? Or we could read together, and do funny voices—”
“Or we could pack up the basket, trot back to your room, and I show you how much I missed you.”
“Or that!” Pinkie exclaimed. She blinked, looking at Twilight in surprise, a blush growing on her face. “Oh! I mean... um... third date...”
Twilight blinked at her owlishly from behind the monocle. “What?”
“We haveta do it right,” Pinkie insisted. “Tonight we watch the stars and hold hooves, maybe second date we could read together, that sounds super fun! But then... the third date, we can, you know.”
“Why would we have to wait?” Twilight asked. “What if I wanted to snuggle under your covers and we just do what’s normal there?”
“Well... we can, Twi-twi.” Pinkie said slowly. “I just don’t want to rush and mess it all up again.”
Twilight looked at Pinkie for a long moment. At the end of it, she took the monocle down from her eye, putting it into Pinkie’s hooves. “I understand,” she whispered.
Pinkie looked down at the eyepiece, cocking her head to one side in confusion. “You do?” she asked.
“Yes,” Twilight said, shaking her head sadly. “I... I just thought... I know what you’re trying to do—what you want— and I still tried to go back to what we had before,” she sighed deeply as Pinkie put the monocle away.
“What do you mean?” Pinkie asked after she’d closed the basket.
“I... I tried to cheat a little... to make myself feel safe.” Twilight admitted. “I wanted to be... I dunno, evil genius Twilight? Sexy Twilight? But I just... I’m sorry, Pinkie...”
Pinkie looked at Twilight for a long while. She looked at the basket, connecting the dots quietly. At first, she was disappointed. Not with Twilight, but with herself. She’d messed up by playfully joking about acting stuck up and snooty. Twi-twi really, really liked playing games like that.
But something had changed, even if Twilight hadn’t noticed it. “Twi, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not!” Twilight said bitterly. “You kept telling me you weren’t having fun anymore, I can see that now. And I see why. All I can say is... it was never you I was trying to hide from, Pinkie. Just... me. I... I didn’t like me very much. And... I thought nopony would like to be with me—”
Pinkie shook her head solemnly, reaching out to take Twilight in her arms and clasp her to her chest. “Silly filly! You were still trying to be Twi for me! Thank you! But I like sexy-Twi, and shy-Twi, and silly-Twi, and especially my-Twi! And I’ve never met evil-genius-Twi but she sounds fun too! I like all of the Twis! You don’t have to be just one for me.”
Twilight stiffened in her arms, then melted in the embrace, throwing her own arms in kind around Pinkie. “I’m sorry.”
Pinkie felt something wet hit her shoulder, and clutched Twilight a little tighter. “Don’t be sorry. Just be Twi. She’s the super-splendiferous-special-somepony for me.”
Twilight laughed, then let out a loud hiccup, followed by a sniffle. “I love you, and I’ll try harder.”
“Shhhh. You’re already doing. You don’t need to try.” Pinkie pulled back from the embrace, taking a quick moment to lick Twilight’s face clean of the tears. “Let’s get ready, the meteor shower is starting soon.”
They snuggled down together on the blanket, Pinkie draping herself over Twilight possessively, Twilight curling up into Pinkie’s curves with a sigh of contentment. Above them, the final rays of sunset were coloring the horizon, and the deep blacks of night were beginning to show themselves. And with them, Luna’s vast tapestry began to peek out, one single point of light at a time. Dozens became hundreds, hundreds became thousands, and thousands grew to numbers even a Pinkie Pie couldn’t quite count to, though she made it to a respectable twenty-seven thousand five-hundred and thirty-two before she lost count around the horizon.
“Third date?” Twilight asked again from inside Pinkie’s mane.
“Third date.” Pinkie confirmed.
There was silence again for a long time. Above, the sky lit afire with hundreds of streaks of brilliant light. They watched together, eventually getting up from their snuggling to have some cheese and crackers.
Twilight looked from the sky to Pinkie with a sudden thought. “We... we could do the movie thing next, if you like. I think I saw The Princess Bridle playing again this weekend.”
“Oooo! I love that one!” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down in excitement.
“I do too,” Twilight said with a smile, a cute little blush just barely visible in the moonlight. “That sounds like a date, then.”
Pinkie nodded earnestly, pouring out a glass of wine for them both. “Uh huh. That just leaves what to do for the third.”
“I’d... I’d like to plan that one, if you don’t mind.” Twilight said, taking a big sip from her glass.
“Sure! Just tell me when.”
They finished their snacks, drank off the rest of the wine, and watched the rest of the meteor shower, the silence only being broken by the occasional animal noises in the distance, or the odd exclamation of excitement from either of them as a particularly flashy meteor made its mark amongst all of its brothers and sisters.
“Pinkie?”
“Hmmm?”
Twilight didn’t say anything at first, and Pinkie strained her ears to make sure that she wasn’t just whispering without Pinkie hearing. But eventually, Twilight managed to squeak out: “Is it okay if we make out a little while we watch the movie? I don’t want to rush anything, but some parts of Bridle get a little slow and I really would like to make out during those scenes. Is that too much?”
“Kissing is supposed to be fine. So yeah, totally!”
“Good,” Twilight said, breathing a sigh of relief.
At some point, Twilight’s hoof made its way into Pinkie’s own. And though they’d been snuggling earlier, that simple gesture of closeness meant more to Pinkie than all the kisses and snuggles in the world at that moment.
“Pinkie?” Twilight asked in the darkness as they were left with nothing but the light of the moon and stars above.
“Yahuh?”
“Are... are you sure? I mean, I’m kind of boring. And I get nervous really easily. I’m pretty sure I’m going to get flustered and I won’t know what to say or do if we’re not doing a scene.”
“I’m sure, Twi-twi.”
They shared a long look in the darkness, their faces briefly illuminated by one final flash of a falling star.
“Okay.” Twilight said quietly.
They packed up their picnic blanket, putting everything away carefully in the dim moonlight. In the walk home, they walked largely in silence, occasionally brushing up against one another in a little nuzzle.
“Pinkie?” Twilight said as they began to see the lights of Ponyville in the distance.
“Yeah?”
“During the movie, is it okay if we kiss whenever the leads kiss? You know which scenes I mean.”
“That sounds fun!” Pinkie replied with a giggle.
“I don’t mean just making out,” Twilight said in a very serious tone. “I mean passionate kissing. Like... the kind that makes you have to catch your breath for a long time afterwards. The kind that leaves you feeling like a wet noodle.”
“Sure!” Pinkie said immediately.
“Good.” Twilight said.
Pinkie felt soft lips brush against her cheek in the darkness.
“Good.” Twilight repeated in a dreamy-sounding voice.