Tempest found herself walking much more slowly then she normally preferred. She was proceeding early enough in her planning that this was not going to be a problem, but thinking of the fiasco she was sure was waiting for her at her destination made her in no hurry to arrive.
It warranted reminders to herself every once in a while that all of the element bearers were truly formidable individuals. Fluttershy especially made her wonder just how she had conquered Canterlot as easily as she did. After one conversation with the pony the day before she had found herself suddenly able to consider actions that previously would never have even crossed her mind. In this case, asking for help.
While her hard life had left a great many gaps in her knowledge of interpersonal relationships, she did know at least a few things. One of those was that despite that it was the most comfortable... familiar, for her to wear armor most of the time, showing up to a date in it would be inappropriate. And while she did occasionally go without armor, whenever she did she usually found that her armor harnessing was the only sufficient substitute she really needed or cared for. She however knew that this didn't always go over the best with the mare she'd be spending the day with. This was why she now found herself heading in the direction of Carousel Boutique for the second time in as many days.
The idea of dealing with the dramatic mare had almost made her decide to just forgo clothing for the day, however this had presented her with a problem. A hidden blade couldn't really be hidden if ponies could see where it was strapped onto ones body. And do to the fact that she had only just gotten Twilight to let her wear it whenever, not doing so seemed regressive.
That had almost seemed worth it the previous day after experiencing Rarity's reaction to coming to her for help preparing for a date. Doubly so after responding to the excited mares inquiry as to just who the "lucky stallion" was. Triply so when this triggered so much excitement in the fashionista that it took much longer then Tempest would have liked to dedicate to the entire process just to convince Rarity that a giant, fancy, multilayered, gala style dress was not necessary, practical, or wanted in any way.
The resulting argument, which the normally very prissy mare didn't back down from in the least, finally culminated when the designer just asked her directly what she desired in her clothing. To which Tempest had basically just described something with all the functionality of her harnessing. Pure purpose over anything aesthetic, unlike anything the mare had presented to her so far.
Tempest was then confused when this had suddenly seemed to make the other mares eyes glimmer after a few moments of thought. The confusion grew as Tempest was somehow caught off guard by a flurry of magic, during which she felt something long and slender snake over her body at such a pace that she could not catch it. It then had suddenly darted away and Tempest found Rarity somehow already in front of a drawing board, drawing pencil and tape measure floating above her. She was then instructed that she should come back in the morning, early enough to leave plenty of time to still make it to her date. And now with the door to the boutique in front of her she would have to face whatever it was that had been glimmering in the ponies eyes the afternoon before.
With a resigned sigh, she knocked.
"Do come in darling." Rarity's singsong voice was almost sickly sweet in Tempest's ears, but she pushed open the door nonetheless.
Inside was something that seemed confusingly familiar to Tempest. Rarity's usually immaculately maintained shop currently seemed more like a warzone. Fragments of fabric, wads of string, piles of unrecognizable debris. It was a very elegant disaster. Which is also what she could say about the owner of the mess shop herself at the moment.
Rarity pranced up to Tempest, a happy smile and exuberant look in her eyes that contrasted horribly with her frazzled mane and dark bags under her eyes. Despite her clear exhaustion she seemed surprisingly strong as she made it to Tempest and gave her a crushingly tight hug.
"Fizzlepop dear. Early, just as I anticipated. You have got to see what I've come up with for you." Those deceptively strong hooves now began edging her into the oddly familiar wasteland that was the current state of her shop. "Something about what you said yesterday sent me into a fit of inspiration. I will say, while meaning no offense, that designing for the more masculine mare such as yourself has never been my speciality."
"No offense taken," Tempest responded automatically.
"Of course darling. But now when presented with the problem, and having such a marvelous specimen as yourself for inspiration, I suddenly had an idea for a whole new type of fashion."
Tempest was now pushed in front of a garment that made her double, then triple take. It was some kind of confusing, and yet not unappealing, mixture of dress and suit. There was a nice crisp collar around the neck that would look good even next to the best pressed military dress uniform. But it flowed seamlessly down into a form fitting dress with cuffed sleaves which also didn't look like it would inhibit her movement much if at all. It ended in a skirted bottom with just enough frill, Tempest hoped, to cover her blades belting and give her easy access. To any other pony it would have been an amazing garment to wear, however Tempest had to mention one issue.
"It's an interesting, and most certainly not unappealing design Rarity. But isn't the appeal of any type of suit usually offset by their more impractical nature.
There was a flash of magic and Tempest was engulfed in a whirlwind of activity not unlike the one from the day before. This one was much shorter however, lasting only a few moments, and at the end the ponyquine before her was now bare and she felt the embrace of soft fabric around her. She looked over to Rarity, initially out of anger for the mares presumptuous actions, but was caught off guard when she saw... herself.
Rarity had floated over a large mirror and placed it between the two of them. This left Tempest no choice but to see herself in the prepared outfit, and she couldn't help but like what she saw.
"Oh," she said, largely involuntarily.
"Yes," Rarity responded, stepping from behind the mirror. "I designed it with ease in mind. Ease of movement, ease of putting on, ease of utility, and one more thing."
The mares horn lit up again and something now floated in from another room. Tempest's anger returned. "How did you get ahold of my armor!?"
"A lady has her ways." The answer was unsatisfactory, but it seemed to be the only addressing of the situation Rarity wished to give.
Before Fizzlepop could press for a better answer, her armor was flying at her. A flash of magic suddenly blinded her as she heard a series of clicks. When she could see again she was surprised to find her armor already on her, secured tightly and being accented well by the suit underneath where it extended from under the plates.
"Wow." Once again the response was largely automatic as she took in the look. Rarity was beside the mirror, eyes wide with anticipation. "Rarity, you might be a genius."
"Ah, but of course," she exclaimed, her eyes fluttering at the praise. "And just think, this is a whole new market I can corner. Just think of all the guards staying here in Ponyville ever since you moved them here to The Castle of Friendship. Eventually I could even extend to all the guards still in Canterlot with the other princesses. I'll have to have Twilight get ahold of her brother for me as well." She was now prancing around the room gleefully while Tempest used the mirror to get the alignment of her armor and the suit just right. She was just thinking about how much more comfortable it all now felt as Rarity's rambling continued. "And just think, I could even extend it to other professions. Other ponies who value utility but still want to...."
There was a dull 'thump' sound that finally caught Tempest's attention. Looking over, she saw Rarity now with her face on her carpet, rear end stuck in the air awkwardly, and snoring loudly. The position caused her long mane to fall to the floor, exposing her back and a folded piece of paper taped there. 'Fizzlepop' was written neatly upon it.
Curious, Tempest stepped to the prone mare and removed the note, mindful of the usually elegant coat it was stuck to.
Dear Fizzlepop,
Never fear for I am fine. This just happens from time to time when I get into a creative frenzy. In case I didn't impart this to you before my nap, I'd just like to let you know the outfit is already paid for by the inspiration you've given me and the advertisement having you wear it will serve. It and the other three variations of it I have waiting in a bag next to the door.
I'll be fine where I am. Sweetie Bell will be here soon and she knows how to handle this situation.
Go show Twilight a good time.
RarityP.S.
One little favor if you could. If it's not too much trouble could you make sure I've come to rest in a way that is at least somewhat... presentable. Thank you dear.
Tempest looked up as a particularly bear like snore came from the delicate pony. With some hesitation she reached out a hoof and pressed it against the side of the mares flank. She cringed at the resulting thud as her body fell limply to the ground, still in a position that looked neither comfortable nor presentable.
Fizzlepop looked around in earnest for an alternative. In the corner of the room was a small couch covered in what looked like very brutalized fabric samples. Concentrating hard to keep the crackling of her magic to a minimum, she lifted the pile from it and set it aside on one of the few clear places on the floor. She then even more gently used her aura to lift the snoring mare onto it. Giving it a second thought she looked around and found a larger piece of discarded fabric that was mostly intact and placed it over her sleeping form.
Rarity stirred for a moment, but did not wake. Letting out a breath, Fizzlepop turned to leave. In doing so, she caught another glance in the mirror of what the fashionista had made for her. She had to smile at how much effort the mare had put into such a gift for her.
"Thank you, my friend." She said before taking the bag next to the door and making her departure.
***
Tempest marched down the halls of The Castle of Friendship with a confidence she hadn't felt in some time. A large part of her trepidation about what she was doing today was gone and she was now even more excited for her Saturday then she normally was.
She arrived at Twilight's door, paying just a moment to brush her mane from her eyes. Having dropped off her armor before starting down the short hall between their rooms, this was now the one annoyance she hadn't found a way around yet. While it didn't seem it, her usual mane style was something she did for the sake of a commanding image. Figuring that would be about as appropriate as wearing her armor on this day, she had decided to attempt something a little more simple. It would do for now, so long as it stayed out of her face.
She reached forward and knocked at the door firmly. She was then confused at the monotone, "You may enter," that followed. Brushing it off she pushed the door open.
What was inside was even more confusing. Instead of the usual places Tempest would find Twilight, she now found her in the middle of the room, sitting at a very professional looking desk she was fairly certain had never existed in here before. Twilight sat at the opposite end of the desk, a single empty chair on Tempest's side. She seemed to be reading through some paperwork, glasses that she'd never seen before upon her nose.
"Ah yes, miss Berrytwist. You're early, very good." The voice coming from her barely sounded like Twilight Sparkle. The normally warm and inviting tone that so easily put Tempest at ease was currently so staunchly business like and almost cold. It took Tempest aback, causing older, more engrained instincts to take over.
"Yes ma'am," she said quickly as she sat.
"All right. Let's get this parole meeting underway then."
Tempest had almost forgotten that the reason her and Twilight got together every Saturday was actually for official business. In addition to being her princess and commanding officer, she was also technically her parole officer. Although they hardly ever even thought about that on their days together, on several occasions Tempest having to even make special trips back to her room first thing in the morning to sign the paperwork they had forgotten about so Twilight could submit it on time. That exact paperwork was now shuffled to the top of the pile Twilight was going through.
"Yes ma'am." It was said this time less out of instinct and more out of being not sure how to respond.
"First off: Community service hours. You are required to log at least twenty hours a week. Has that been completed?"
This was one of the questions that usually wasn't asked. Twilight was the one who kept track of her hours for her and she knew that her community service was her job. All the work she did training the guards was done for free while her room and board were courtesy of Twilight's generous nature. She often logged more then twenty hours before the end of her second day of the week.
"Yes ma'am." Once again, it was the only way she could think to respond.
"Very good." She shuffled the paperwork in what seemed to be a needless way. "Special circumstances of your case also require you to devote some of your free time to social interactions, preferably of the friendly variety. Has that been accomplished for the week as well?"
Tempest felt herself wanting to break rank and simply mention that Twilight was there for most of her social interactions and that this week had been no different. Instead, she remembered the time she'd spent alone with other of Twilight's friends, her friends. Not being able to find a way to succinctly say that she had covered that even more thoroughly this week then any other she simply responded, "yes ma'am."
"Very good." Twilight then made a show of checking over the paperwork. "Oh yes, one more thing. Have you taken part in any action that will either directly or indirectly lead to a plot to conquer Equestria or do you have any knowledge of any individuals who might have?"
At least this one was easy. It was the only question that had to be asked during their meetings do to some kind of official protocol. They both always had to joke about how it was literally required for Twilight to ask and for Tempest to answer every time in order for their meetings to be official. That's when the answer finally hit her.
A joke. And Fizzlepop had walked right into it.
She realized she had been instinctively sitting in an attention like position and barking out the answers as if in formation this whole time. Her posture now relaxed and her next words came out much more casually.
"No ma'am, and are you done yet?" She slouched back in the chair, casting as teasing a smirk as she could to the other mare.
A smile threatened Twilight's composure, but she managed to keep it to a twitch. Her voice shook only the slightest as she responded. "Not until you have thoroughly read over and signed this document."
Fizzlepop gave a gesture she'd noticed become all too familiar while dealing with Twilight, she rolled her eyes. She barely glanced down at the page she'd signed some huge number of nearly identical copies of so far before signing and sliding it back to her parole officer.
Twilight returned the eye roll. "I keep telling you that you should always read official documents before signing them. Who knows what I could have just made you agree to."
The familiarity of this argument finally made Fizzlepop relax completely. So much so that she responded by saying, "well you already got me to agree to go on a date with you today. Not sure you can top that."
Twilight only blushed slightly, but smiled at the jab very genuinely. "Yeah, I guess I did." Her horn now lit up and the papers she had now recollected were teleported off to who knows were to be submitted to who knows who. "And now that that is out of the way, we can focus on having a good time for the rest of the day."
She then lit her horn again, this time for a levitation spell. Fizzlepop turned at the sound of her magical aura humming gently on the other side of the room where her bed was. There, hovering above where it had apparently been was a rather simple but pretty sun dress. She then heard a familiar pop cut off the magical hum and suddenly saw the dress fill out with the form of the princess that had been behind her. The now dressed mare took a few seconds to straighten her new outfit before looking back to where her companion had now stood up. Her gaze then turned inquisitive as the purple mare tilted her head and asked, "what?"
Fizzlepop once again felt that odd sensation of her face feeling warm, but she pushed wondering about it to the side again in favor of tackling how to phrase what just popped into her mind.
"I... Just didn't expect you to wear a dress. I know I usually prefer to be covered, but it's a little.. different on you."
"Oh, that." Twilight looked back, more specifically at the dresses clear lack of wing holes. "It's just something I was thinking about. Even ponies I knew back before I became a princess notice me more whenever I'm out and about now. I was thinking it would be better to blend into the crowd today, so this is just a little experiment to see if removing that little visual stimulus will alter ponies behaviours and allow me, allow us, to progress through today more like normal ponies would." She turned back around and smiled while glancing at her soon to be dates attire. "And it would seem it's actually a nice little coincidence. I'd feel more then a bit underdressed with how well you managed to polish up."
Fizzlepop's face felt that warm feeling intensify, but paid it no mind. Or at least tried to. "Rarity initially tried to put me in a dress, and made a rather big fuss about it as well. Could you have imagined such a thing?" Twilight's face went to a look she knew was one she used when she was slipping into deep thought. The warmth grew. "No, don't actually think about it. I'd look ridiculous in a dress, even one made by Rarity."
"Huuummm. I'm not so sure about that. You're good at most things when you actually want to be. If you actually were to try to go for a more classically 'pretty' look I think you could pull it off." She smiled playfully to her before adding. "But I did want to tell you when you first walked in that I think this look actually works great for you. I don't really like it when you're trying to make sure everypony knows you're tough all the time. You are a tough pony, but you don't need that to be the first thing everypony knows about you. This is nice, still that commanding presence, but also very handsome, in a feminine way."
Fizzlepop was going to have to get around to determining what was making her face feel so warm at some point, because it seemed like everything Twilight said seemed to set it off. It distracted her enough that her response came out more hesitantly then she would have liked. "T, thank you. I.. I'm sorry, I don't know exactly how to respond in this sort of situation."
Twilight gave her a supportive smile. "It's ok, that's kind of what we're supposed to be working on right." Her smile became more playful as she took a half turn to the side to show her full profile, turning her head back to gesture. "I guess the logical place to start would be to tell me if this is a good look for me."
The sudden change of topic caught Fizzlepop off guard and caused her to look at Twilight without proper thought as to what she was looking for. This caused the heat in her face to intensify as she inexplicably focused in on a specific aspect of her current look. "We're you... going to keep the glasses on too?"
A hoof instinctively went to the other mares face, and the moment of realization caused a giggle from her. "Totally forgot I was still wearing those." She adjusted them absent-mindedly but didn't remove them yet. "I randomly found them when I was trying to think of a way to hurry up and get you past your serious side today. I honestly couldn't believe they still fit, they must have been so huge and dorky on me when I was a filly. Had to pop the lenses out though, I haven't needed them since I accidently fixed my eyes in a magic accident."
Fizzlepop only realized she was paying very close attention to the mare still absent-mindedly playing with her glasses when that statement shook her out of it. "Wait. You, accidently, fixed your eyes with magic?"
"To be fair, it's the same way I accidently hurt my eyes in the first place."
The usually unflappable mare actually had to give her head a quick shake at that. "Is taking you on a date going to mean hearing more stories about how you've nearly broken the laws of reality without even meaning to?"
Twilight snorted a little laugh at that. "Oh no way, most of those stories are way too embarrassing."
Fizzlepop blinked. "What?"
"What?"
Fizzlepop stared for a moment. Twilight's smile was impenetrable, for multiple reasons.
"I find it incredibly difficult to feel properly irritated with you while you're wearing those." She didn't know why she said it, but for some reason it had to be said.
Twilight looked confused briefly, the question of, "why", slipping from her at the statement. She then seemed to think of something before shifting over to a clearly unpracticed expression of half lidded eyes peering from behind the frames. "Do you like this look?"
The heat in Fizzlepop's face ignited anew, but she was able to respond in a, mostly, level tone. "It is, not an unappealing look for you."
Fizzlepop was now confronted by something she'd seen just a few times since being put under Twilight's care. The scientific mares tendency to forget social norms when something had peaked her interest. It was normally something that made Fizzlepop smile, but not when it involved the scientifically minded pony to suddenly be very close to her face and looking at her with an intensity few ponies could muster.
"..... Twilight?"
"....."
"..... Twily?"
"....., ..... Are you... blushing?"
Fizzlepop was even more confused as her face suddenly felt even warmer. Twilight's eyes seemed to light up. "Of course not."
"You are."
"I can assure you I am not." Her face now felt hotter then it ever had as Twilight now got right in close to it, her nose almost brushing her cheek.
Twilight finally pulled away, and it confused Fizzlepop that her doing so somehow felt just as unwelcome as the initial intrusion of her personal space had. She didn't have time to dwell on that however as Twilight was giving her that smile that made her head fuzzy again.
"The color of your coat hides it well, but you were, are, totally blushing." Her smile became almost playful as she continued. "Apparently you like the look of mares with glasses."
"You should know that everything you are saying right now sounds completely ridiculous."
Twilight's smile now became mischievous. She reached her hoof up, cocking her head down just slightly as she slid the glasses down her snout to peer towards the other mare over the tops of the frames. "Does it really?"
Tempest had a moment of panic as an unfamiliar tremor ran through her legs making them briefly feel weak. At the same time her mouth suddenly felt like she was dehydrated despite perspiration starting to bead on her forehead. She was certain at this moment that she should be trying to think of some kind of counter attack to whatever had just been done to her, but the feeling that usually accompanied being around Twilight was dulling her senses even more then usual.
The look of concern that had taken over Twilight's face quickly brought Fizzlepop back to herself enough to stand from the defensive position she had instinctively crouched into. She took a moment to brush her hair from her eyes and give herself time to think. She would have also taken an extra second to adjust her suit, but it had apparently stayed exactly where she wanted it.
"So, is this really what having a 'crush' is like?"
The concern was replaced with relief, which then quickly changed to a sheepish expression that was not quite a smile. "Umm, well, I think what was just going on there would fall more into the category of 'flirting', if I'm not mistaken. Although I do suppose it is related. I'm sorry, I've never really ever tried to do something like this before. I'm not sure where or even how to draw the line on what might be going too far."
Fizzlepop sighed openly at this. "It's ok. Thanks to some of your friends I thought I had a better understanding of my own feelings at this point. I apparently wasn't quite as prepared as I thought I was for what I was going to face today."
Twilight looked to her, apology still written all over her face. And glasses still framing her face perfectly. "I'm still sorry," she said with the slightest of pouts.
Fizzlepop had to twitch back. "Just.. take off the glasses and I'll forgive you completely." Realizing what she was doing, Twilight once again smiled sheepishly before levitating them from her face and over to a shelf on the other side of the room.
"Sorry, I really wasn't trying to fluster you that much. I wasn't really trying to at all actually, it just sort of happened. I mean really, you're normally so hard to get any sort of reaction out of. And I'm usually trying to get some kind of reaction from you, so I guess I just got a little carried away."
Fizzlepop allowed herself to grumble at that. "I believe I have emphasized that it is in fact very easy for you in particular to have a rather dramatic effect on me. After all, the only reason we're going out today is so that I can learn to get myself under control when I'm around you is it not?" She tried to sound serious, but the conversation so far had taken all the bite from her words, as interacting with Twilight often did.
"Well, I was treating it more as an opportunity to have a nice, fun day out with a friend. I think all of that other stuff will work itself out naturally." Twilight now paused and blushed slightly, Fizzlepop presumed finally remembering what was planned for the day. "And if ponies think something more of it in the meantime, I think that's ok."
Fizzlepop, also remembering what had been planned for the day and it's potential implications, felt her cheeks heat up again. Twilight squinted and smiled at her. That was frustrating, but the statement had made her remember something she had been thinking of doing ever since talking to Fluttershy the day before. She had planned to do it early on, but this was the first moment she felt it would fit into the conversation properly. And as her eyes tracked over the pony before her, sans glasses this time, she knew it would be both easy and hard for her to do at the same time.
"It.. It might be difficult for ponies not to think there's something going on, not when.. not when you look as lovely as you do today." Twilight's eyes widened at the words as her entire face suddenly darkened to nearly match Fizzlepop's. Fizzlepop herself was suddenly concerned and tried to make amends immediately. "I'm sorry, that was probably too forward. I.. I've never tried something like that b..."
A raised hoof from the blushing mare stopped her as Twilight managed to get out a hesitant response. "It's ok, really. I know that you do kind of, like me. And I was kind of teasing you about it just a few minutes ago anyway." She took a deep breath and gave a smile to her friend. "I guess I wasn't fully prepared for this sort of thing either. Just so you know, this is my first time going out on something that can officially be qualified as a date."
With her usual reserve already thoroughly devastated at this point this took Fizzlepop aback enough that it caused her to speak before thinking. "How is that even possible for a mare as brilliant as you?" Both mares froze at the very obviously genuine words being spoken so suddenly. The moment drug on slightly longer then either mare was comfortable with, but it did give Fizzlepop time to collect her thoughts. Looking at the expression of the mare before her she managed to come to a realization. "I am blushing, aren't I?"
The moment finally broke as Twilight snorted out a laugh and giggled lightly at the mares plight. "Yeah. And just so you know it's also not a bad look for you. It's.. cute."
Fizzlepop's face felt even warmer as her blush deepened. Twilight's smile was making it difficult for her to concentrate on a proper response once again. She turned away in an attempt to find a distraction from the situation. It came in the form of her noticing the clock hanging on the side wall of the room and what time it read.
"Why does this always happen whenever I'm around you?" Just by her hesitation she could tell Twilight was sending a quizzical look in her direction. She indicated the clock with a nod. After a moment she heard Twilight giggle again, also realizing how long they'd already spent together. "I normally adhere to a strict and disciplined series of events throughout my day. Whenever I'm with you my hours slip by like nothing."
"It's a lesson I've had to relearn more times then I'd care to admit, but it's ok to let yourself enjoy just waisting time with somepony." Her blush came back slightly as she paused. "Especially if it's with somepony who's maybe a little more special."
Twilight launching into some kind of lesson was a far more familiar situation then anything that had been going on so far. It was enough for some confidence to come back to the usually confident mare. She gave an only slightly devious smile before responding. "Even so, I don't think this relationship has progressed enough for a date to involve not leaving the bedroom all day."
Twilight did blush at the slightly crude joke, but laughed nonetheless. "Good thing we still have plenty of time. And that I did think of a great idea of what we can do for the rest of the day." Finally focused on their days plans, she lit her horn and levitated a small bag from the corner of the room. With it secured over her shoulder she finally indicated the direction of the door.
Fizzlepop walked over, opening the door for her date, but also bowing low for her princess. Twilight just rolled her eyes as she walked past. Fizzlepop wasn't sure if it was accidental or if Twilight was making another attempt at flirting, but the mares tail, swishing as she walked, brushed across her muzzle ever so slightly. Whether deliberate or not, she knew it caused her face to ignite in her deepest blush yet.