//------------------------------// // Rthö Snefuf- Twilight's Birthday // Story: CYCLED // by The REAL Mister Pkmn //------------------------------// A few weeks had passed since the incident with Rainbow’s nightmare shift. Not much of note had happened since, aside from Maestro taking Trixie out for another date. While it did irk Twilight, there really wasn’t much that she could do about it. She had promised herself that she wouldn’t get in their way if he was going to go full-on with Trixie, but that didn’t stop it from hurting. Today was her birthday though, and she had told the others that in advance. She didn’t know about Maestro, but she knew at the very least that her other friends would be there. She took a deep breath and found her way towards the train station. After all, they had plans for the party up in Canterlot, and her anticipation was a bit on edge. The ride up with Spike was enough to get her thoughts sorted out, however. Whatever the case, she resolved to have fun with her friends, whether or not Maestro was there. The train arrived in Canterlot, and she came across her parents. She hugged them and smiled. “It’s been a while. Sorry that I haven’t visited sooner, it’s just…” Her mother interrupted her. “It’s quite alright, dear. We understand. It’s nice that you’ve invited you new friends to meet us here. Can’t wait to start! Come on!” Twilight sighed lightly and shook her head. She followed her parents back to the house, and went inside. Her face lit up as she saw her fiends there- but as she looked, she saw that Maestro hadn’t made it. Her mood only dropped for a second, as she shook it off to enjoy the festivities. Each of her friends had gotten her something, but she wanted to hold off on presents until Maestro arrived. They started with the cake, which was red velvet- her favorite. They played a few games, but as time went on it started to seem that there was no avoiding it. Maestro wouldn’t be making it to the party. Twilight understood, of course. He was very busy, after all. It just… didn’t feel the same without him here. Her father saw the sad look on her face, and tried to comfort her. “It’s alright. The rest of them are here. Why don’t you open their gifts now? It’s been long enough.” With a deep sigh, Twilight gave a sigh. She stood, and went to the living room. Her friends and family followed, each carrying a gift for her. She looked around, and couldn’t help wishing that Maestro was there. The first to give to Twilight was Applejack, and the gift was a hoof-written card. It wasn’t expensive by any means, but its value was great. Twilight thanked Applejack, barely hearing herself. The next to have a gift for Twilight was Rarity, giving her a simple scarf for the coming winter. Twilight thanked Rarity, but her thoughts were elsewhere. The next up was Rainbow, who gave Twilight a store-bought card. It was cheap, but effective. After she thanked Rainbow for the card, things started to blur together a bit. Fluttershy gave her a potted poinsettia, and Pinkie gave her a puzzle book. Moon Dancer gave her a photograph commemorating their friendship, and Lyra gave her a harmonica. Lemon gave her a new Bunsen burner, and Minuette gave her a new mane brush. Twinkleshine gave her an empty photo album, and Trixie gave her a backstage pass to her next show. Shining gave her a birthday card, and Night Light gave her a new book on magic. Her mother then gave her a family photo, and Spike gave her a new quill. It was then, that there was nobody left- until, a knock was heard at the door. Twilight got up, and rushed to the door. She took a deep breath, hoping that it would be who she thought it was. She opened the door, and saw Maestro standing there, Prism at his side. Maestro rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. “Sorry that we’re late. I was dealing with a particularly obnoxious customer.” He looked around, and saw all the open gifts. “Ah, nuts. We missed it!” He looked apologetically towards Twilight. “Sorry about that, Sparks. I truly am. It-” She placed a hoof to his mouth, and smiled. “It’s alright. You made it, and that’s all that matters.” She took her hoof off of his mouth, and beckoned them inside. “So, do you have gifts, or…?” Maestro chuckled. “I’ll let Prism go first. Mine’s a bit… unconventional.” The two of them followed Twilight inside of the house, and Prism sat next to Twilight on the couch. She held out a gift box, and gave a toothy grin. “I hope you like it! I made it myself!” Twilight took care in opening the box, anticipating what it might be. She soon found that it was a small pendant made from Prism’s molted scales. Twilight tried it on immediately, and turned towards Prism. “Thanks. It’s lovely.” Prism moved away, and Maestro approached. He cleared his throat. “You might be wondering where my gift for you is. Well, it’s not exactly something that you can put in a box.” He took a deep breath, and went for it. “I was hoping that you would join me next Saturday for a date. If you do, I’ll be taking you to someplace that I’m sure that you’ll like. What do you say?” Twilight was a bit confused at first, certain that she had misheard. It took a good look around for her to realize that she had heard correctly. A mile spread on her face. “Of course. I’d be happy to!” Maestro gave a sigh of relief, and shook his head. “You had me worried for a moment there, Sparks.” He smiled gently. “I’ll be around to pick you up around 7.” He turned towards Prism. “Come on, Prism. Let’s get going.” They left quickly, but Twilight didn’t mind. She had a chance… and that was enough.