Cinnamon pushed the rocking cradle and Star Chaser squealed with glee, it was his favorite activity, she assumed anyway from the amount of happiness when he would be rocked.
"He really loves you," Twilight smiled, and sighed watching the two interact.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Of course I'm sure! Cinnamon, you are a lovely mare and especially to a foal you've been helping care for, and birthed on top of that, it's obvious he'd love you! You're very lovable!" Twilight exclaimed.
Cinnamon ducked her head into her forelegs and continued rocking the foal while hiding her blushing face.
Spike stifled a laugh. Man, Twilight sure could be oblivious.
"It's nice to see you two working together." Spike said and sat beside Twilight with his comic.
"Yeah Star Chaser, you love Mom pushing the cradle for you?" Cinnamon smiled as she gazed at the little foal. Not quite so little anymore.
Star Chaser babbled in response.
"Ma!" He squealed.
"Awww. See he knows you're mom too!" Twilight said.
"Oh my little foal, I love you so much." Cinnamon said gently and nuzzled his face. Star Chaser squeaked out a yawn and closed his eyes.
"Looks like the rocking is doing it's job finally." Twilight said approaching Cinnamon.
Star Chaser blinked sleepily a few times and then his eyes remained closed. Cinnamon pushed the cradle for a few more minutes before stretching herself and getting up.
"Twilight, do you mind if I go read in the library?" She asked.
"Not at all, I'll just hang out with Spike and make sure Star doesn't wake up in a tantrum again." Twilight nodded.
Spike waited until he was sure Cinnamon was farther away, and then turned to Twilight.
"She likes you, you know." He said.
"What? Of course she does! We've been raising a foal together!" Twilight laughed.
Spike groaned and buried his face in his comic for a moment, heaving a sigh he reappeared.
"No, Twilight, I mean she likes you." Spike sighed. "Isn't it obvious?"
"No?" Twilight cocked her head thinking over her interactions and relationship with Cinnamon Flower.
"You know, for being the princess of friendship, you're shockingly bad with crushes." Spike laughed. "Let's see, she blushes pretty much every time you say anything nice to or about her, she very obviously idolizes you and seeks your approval, she hangs on every word you say, do I need to go on?"
"That doesn't mean she has a crush on me! She's probably just latching on to the first pony to show her kindness in ages!" Twilight argued.
"And the non-crushy-feelings for your friends who have also hung around and been nothing but nice?" Spike laughed harder. Twilight really was oblivious sometimes.
"But... she's so young!" Twilight exclaimed. "She's only sixteen!"
"And you're nineteen you idiot, that's not weird." Spike answered.
Twilight stared at the floor.
"It was obvious, wasn't it?" Twilight asked meekly.
"It was." Spike began laughing. "So you gonna ignore it? Because ignoring a problem works so well in any other case."
"No!" Twilight exclaimed. "I need to find a way to confront this and end it."
"Why end it? She might be good for you." Spike argued.
"She's too young!"
"She's almost seventeen, and you've only just turned nineteen Twilight." Spike answered.
"And how do you know that?"
"She told me her birthday was coming up next month." He shrugged. "Told me not to tell you because she didn't want you fretting over her. But I didn't Pinkie Promise so hey, don't have to not tell you."
"No, Spike, I'm going to end it. Maybe... ask her out and her seeing that we're totally incompatible romantically would be a nice way to end her feelings for me?"
Spike sighed and rolled his eyes.
"That's the smartest plan I ever heard!" He said sarcastically. "Go ahead, do it."
"I will!" Twilight exclaimed and headed to find Cinnamon Flower.
Spike buried his face into his comic again. Man, Twilight was oblivious sometimes.
Cinnamon Flower was sitting on a pillow, engrossed in a book she'd retrieved from the shelves. As Twilight approached, she saw it was a book on raising foals.
"Cinnamon Flower," Twilight said gently.
"Yes?" The mare looked up from her book.
"I, have something I want to ask you. And before I do, know you are one-hundred percent free to say no, or even chuck that book at my head, okay?" Twilight said.
"Okay?"
"Would you allow me to take you on a date. Well, not like out but, I mean, we'd stay in, I'd make us something nice and we could have a little night for just us." Twilight smiled, wondering where the nerves had come from, she didn't have feelings for Cinnamon Flower, did she?
The red mare simply stared at Twilight with wide eyes.
"Cinnamon? Cinnamon Flower? Hellooooo?" Twilight poked the mares nose, and she shot back startled at the sudden sensation.
"You're messing with me." Cinnamon glared.
"No, I'm not." Twilight answered, wondering what Cinnamon could have possibly been through to think a date was a joke.
"I... I'm a teen mother! And I'm too stupid and shy!" Cinnamon argued.
"Firstly, you're not stupid, secondly Fluttershy was way worse than you when I met her and she's still adorable, thirdly, I've been having you live with me! Surely if I had anything against teen moms as a whole I wouldn't do that?" Twilight shrugged. "Besides, you're not shy around my friends. And you weren't initially shy around me, so why the change?"
Cinnamon ducked her head as she began to blush again.
"Ilikeyou." She mumbled.
"Thought so, so, how about it? A date?" Twilight asked with a smile.
Cinnamon nodded furiously.
"It's a date! How about tomorrow night? We'll stay in and I'll make us some yummy dinner and treats! Fluttershy can handle Spike and Star Chaser for one evening, how's that sound?"
Again a nod, as if Cinnamon could no longer speak.
Twilight laughed at how cute Cinnamon was when she got shy.
"I look forward to it." Twilight smiled.