It had been a week or so since Maestro had dropped that bombshell, and it still felt unreal to Twilight. When she thought about it, it was the most unlikely thing ever. After all, why would he go for her over Trixie? The two of them had much in common, so him choosing Twilight instead had made no sense- and yet, he had. Every day when she woke up since that night, it had felt like a dream, unreal and distant. Yet it always set in sooner or later that it hadn’t been. After all, she had fainted that night, and couldn’t exactly get home. Yet the next morning, there she was in her bed. She sighed. It wouldn’t do her much good worrying about why he had chosen her, she supposed. She could always ask him, the next time they met. She nodded, resolving to do so. She got ready for the day, unsure what was to come, but excited nonetheless. Nightmare Night was gone and passed, and her brother’s wedding was fast approaching. Whatever came between those to surprise her was good in her book, so she decided to take on the day with confidence that she could handle it.
However, what she didn’t expect was to be approached by Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow. Twilight hadn’t remembered such an event happening last time, so maybe… she pushed the thought away, and smiled. “So what’s up girls? Did you just come by to chat?”
The three of them looked between one another, and were about to broach the subject when Pinkie popped up from nowhere. “Congrats! You actually did it, even though you doubted it would happen! We were wondering why you’d been out of it for the past few days, and-”
Applejack put a hoof to Pinkie’s mouth, and explained. “What she’s tryin’ to say is that we know that ya an’ Maestro are a couple. Took a bit o’ readin’ th’ signals, but… we figured it out.”
A blush rose upon Twilight’s face, and she looked away and circled her hoof on the ground. “It sometimes doesn’t feel real, you know? But he’s keeping in touch with me more often now, so I know that it really happened.” She gave a small sigh. “I wish he weren’t so busy, though…”
Rainbow chuckled lightly. “It’s kinda funny, if you think about it. Here we all thought you might be the last of us to get a coltfriend, but now you go and be the first. Sure showed us for thinking like that!” She shook her head, a gentle smile replacing her earlier boisterousness. “Seriously though, we’re happy for you.”
Twilight smiled. She looked across the four of them, glad to have them. She sort of wished that Fluttershy was there, but she knew that she was likely busy with taking care of her animals at the moment. “Thanks girls. It means a lot. I’m sure you’ll all find somebody of your own. It might not be who you expect, though…”
Rarity gave a nod. “I second that. I thought that I’d at least have been dating somebody at this point, but Blueblood wasn’t quite what I expected at the Gala. Even though I was going in with intent to get to know him as a pony, he brushed me aside anyway. I don’t know who I’ll end up with.. But I hope that it is somepony that loves me for who I am.”
Pinkie piped up again, giggling. “Sooooooo…? When-”
Just then, Mastro popped in via teleport, and Twilight’s blush returned. He took one look at Pinkie, and chided her. “These things take time. I’m not ready for the next step, and it might not happen for some time.” He looked over to Twilight, and smiled. “How have you been? I’ve meant to check in personally before now, but… you know how it is. The Hearth's Warming rush is almost here.”
Twilight rubbed her left forehoof on her right foreleg as she turned to face him. “I’ve been well. I know that you’ve been busy, but… I just…”
He approached her, and nodded slowly. “I get it. Dating one of the world’s most famous artists can be quite frustrating sometimes, I’ve heard.” He paused, and a smile grew on his face. “Tell you what. My shop closes for Harvest Day. We can have our first date as an official couple then, a few days before the end of the month. How does that sound?”
Twilight hugged him, and surprise lit upon his face. She pulled away slightly, and spoke. “I’d like that very much.” She paused and until she realized what she’d done. She let go, a massive blush on her face as she sat down and looked away. “I- I don’t know what came over me, I-”
Maestro blinked a few times. When was the last time he had felt something like this? Had he even felt something quite like that before? He decided to file that away for later as he drew close to Twilight. He lifted her head to face him. He smiled. “It’s alright. I don’t mind.” His smile turned into a grin. “Couples shouldn’t be shy about hugging in public, after all!”
He let out a hearty laugh, one unlike she had ever heard from him before. She snickered. “I guess I am being a bit silly. See you then… Mae-Mae” She walked off back to the library.
Maestro processed that for a bit as Twilight was about to enter her house. He smiled. “Heh. My first pet name from a girlfriend of mine. It’s sort of refreshing.” He called out to her, a happy tone in his voice. “It’s promise, then! See you later… My Sparks.” This possessive caused her to blush a bit, as Maestro chuckled as he teleported away.
Meanwhile, in the Everfree…
The creature growled. “No. He’s not supposed to be happy! This is all wrong…” The creature barked harshly. “Nightmare Echo! Come! We have some work to do…”