//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Compatibly Incompatible // by Ponibius //------------------------------// Staving off boredom was definitely one of the harder parts of a long voyage. There was only so much you could do on an isolated little ship plowing through the waves, what with space at a premium; you had to make space for the crew quarters, storage for food, spare parts, rope, crates, barrels, and everything else needed to run a ship. There were only so many places you could go onboard, and only so much you could store. I’d been quartered inside of the captain’s cabin, but even that was only the size of a small room that was made very cramped thanks to the cot, table, chairs, and desk that were shoved into its limited space. It hadn’t seemed so bad when we first started our trip to Freeport, but there was only so long you could stare at its interior before claustrophobia and cabin fever started to set in. What made me feel bad was that I was better off than the rest of the crew, most of whom had to sleep in communal quarters. Not to mention you were stuck with the same ponies for the duration of the voyage. Which could make things hard after a few weeks even when you got along with everyone. You really didn’t appreciate being able to just go outside and walk around town or the countryside until you had been stuck on a ship for a prolonged period of time. Getting out to fly helped, but there was only so much relief you could get from staring out at a featureless ocean. It really made me appreciate why sailors had a tendency to go a little crazy once they got back to shore. I was currently busy reading Lighting A Fire: Torch’s Rebellion and the End of the Necrocrats while lying on my cot, though my heart really wasn’t into it. Part of that was because I’d already read the book twice during the voyage, but the other was because my mind kept wandering onto the fact that we were getting close to Freeport. My eyes kept drifting to the window and the islands sitting on the horizon. We had been passing the islands of the Freeport Archipelago for a few days now, and the captain said we were getting close to our destination. And once we got to Freeport... A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. “Highness,” Storm said through the door. “May we enter?” I was grateful for something new to do, even if Storm just wanted to check on me. “Sure, come on in.” Storm stepped to the side and used a wing to hold the door open for Spike as he entered the cabin with a tray of food and drink. “It's not much, just coffee, biscuits, and eggs,” he said as he placed it onto the room’s small table, which had just barely enough room for four ponies to eat without bumping into each other. I placed my book to the side and stretched as I stood. “I wasn't exactly expecting luxury accommodations for a weeks-long cruise. Even if that isn’t the same as saying the cuisine hasn’t grown a bit stale.” Storm closed the door now that everyone was inside. “Then you will be glad to hear we are expected to make port today.” My ears perked. “Thank goodness! I've run out of reading material.” Spike frowned as he prepared the plates. “But didn't you bring, like, twenty books?” “Twenty-four,” I groused. “Unfortunately, there wasn't room for that much more. A clipper only has so much room.” Storm cast a sideways glance at the neatly ordered pile of books on the floor. “Even for you, that is a rather rapid rate of literary consumption. Is everything alright?” “Of course, why wouldn't there be?” I said, perhaps a bit too quickly. Storm frowned before softening her voice to sound more warm and welcoming. “Is there anything you want to talk about?” I took a deep breath as I thought about the worries that had been plaguing me for the past few weeks. “Just, um, a bit nervous about when we’ll arrive at Freeport.” “Why?” Spike asked as he continued to place down more plates. “It's just a diplomatic visit, right?” “Which is really important,” I said. “I’m going to be meeting with Archon Sunset and the Council to finish hammering out a trade and friendship treaty with Freeport. I don’t want to screw it up.” “Yeah, you shouldn’t be panicking just because—” Spike was cut off when the door slammed open, and a rack with a dozen dresses flew into the limited space of the cabin. I had to fall back onto my bed to keep from getting plowed over, Storm had to squish herself up against the wall, and Spike grabbed the table to keep lunch from getting knocked over. Rarity immediately followed the rack and started frantically reviewing the dresses. “We're only a few hours out, Twilight! We have to pick the perfect outfit to make a good impression on your future paramour!” I blinked. “Wait, what?!” Rarity patiently sighed as she examined each dress in turn. “Dresses, darling. And then mane, makeup, and all the other details of your presentation.” I decided to leave the part about Rarity mentioning a paramour out to concentrate on more practical and easier to grip issues. “Didn't we already have all of this picked out?” “Oh, we'd discussed it quite a bit, but now we have to actually do it!” Rarity held each dress up to me in turn before scoffing or shaking her head and returning it to the hanger. Spike frowned as she shifted the plates back into place. “Does it really matter that much?” Storm and I grimaced at what Spike had just provoked with his question. Rarity gasped as though she’d just heard some great, career-destroying scandal. “Of course it matters! Honestly, Spike, surely you know how important it is to make a good impression on someone you're trying to court?” “Wait, what? I thought this was just a friendship thing…” “We're not courting, Rarity,” I gently corrected. “Sunset just invited me to Freeport for an official visit.” “Of course,” Rarity said with a dry smile. “That's why we spent an entire evening with you going over charts, graphs, and historical data to try and decide which dress you should wear and how you should style your mane.” “Research is important,” I said. “It’s perfectly reasonable to want to want to be aesthetically pleasing to Sunset and the rest of Freeport when I’m visiting them for an official diplomatic visit.” Rarity snickered as she tried to pick between a couple differentiating dresses. “Of course, darling, I’m sure that’s exactly what it is.” Spike stared at me and Rarity in turn before his jaw dropped. “Wait a minute ... you’ve got a crush!” I spluttered in what was probably an undignified manner. “What?! Nooo, of course not. Why would you say that...”' I felt my cheeks starting to burn. Why was everypony so interested in who I might be interested in? Ugh... Spike groaned and ran a claw down his face. “Yup, iiiit's happening.” “Oh, Spike.” Rarity patted Spike’s head. “Really, it's quite adorable to see. Now, I suppose we could always use a discerning male eye to—” “Nope! That's not—” Spike looked around desperately before quickly finishing setting the table and grabbing up the now empty platter he’d entered with. “I'm gonna go wash the dishes.” “I thought you hated washing the dishes,” Storm remarked dryly. “Not as much as I'd hate being part of this conversation,” Spike grumbled as he made a hasty retreat. I rolled my eyes as he left. “I don’t know what he’s talking about.” “Oh, don't mind him.” Rarity waved dismissively as she started laying out brushes and makeup onto the cabin desk. “He's a bit too young to understand romance.” I applied my hoof to my face. “It's not romance. Sunset and I aren’t dating or anything like that. We only met briefly when Sunset came to Ponyville.” Storm’s grunt was more than a bit skeptical. “And the fact she said it was a date when she invited you to Freeport?” “Sunset was probably just teasing me when she said that.” Probably. It had to be her just teasing me, right? That was normal for ponies that were friendly to one another. There was another knock on the door before Cloud entered the cabin. She flashed everyone a shameless smile. “Hey, are we all barging into Twilight's room and bugging her?” Rarity sniff hauntily. “I am not bugging her, I am being her fashion consultant.” I gave Cloud a flat frown as Rarity continued to busy herself with my appearance. “She's rather insistent I look my best.” Cloud nodded in understanding. “Sounds like Rarity.” “One should always look one's best,” Rarity said. “You are representing Equestria, and I simply won’t let you present yourself at anything less than your best. Even if there are some challenges due to us being stuck on a ship for all this time. Ugh, what this awful sea water has done to my complexion and mane...” “Yeah, this is pretty important.” Cloud turned her shameless smile onto me. “Especially when you're trying to hook up with foreign leaders on top of that.” I groaned. “Why does everypony think that?” “Probably because it's true,” Cloud said. “I'm here for a treaty,” I said with strained patience. “I thought I explained that before we started this trip.” “Sure you are,” Cloud said. “Just saying, you're also hot to trot that Archon's plot. Just remember you don't want to try all the freaky things you've read about in books on the first date.” Storm sighed at her cousin’s antics. “Really, Cloud? Some day, you will treat Her Highness with the dignity her office deserves.” “Oh come now, Storm,” Rarity said as she draped a couple of dresses over the backs of the chairs. “There's nothing wrong with a little casual teasing between friends, especially in private.” Cloud nodded in agreement. “Exactly, it’s not like I’m going to cause a big scene in public. Kinda goes against me being her public relations director. Besides, I'm just saying what everyone was thinking.” Rarity gave a ladylike cough but didn’t disagree with her. I huffed as I tried to be a good sport about everything. “How about we start to get me ready then? Whatever's happening, I should make myself presentable for our arrival.” “Of course.” Rarity raised the midnight-blue dress up to me. “Now then, I believe that your hours of statistical analysis indicated that this dress would be the most pleasing for Sunset.” I shuffled in place. “Um, yes, that's right.” Cloud rubbed her chin as she examined me with the dress. “Gimme a quick recap on which features we're working on. Do we know what Sunset likes?” “Not that much, unfortunately.” I started pulling the dress over my head. “Princess Celestia was only able to tell me so much about her, and I only got to spend a few days with her while she was in Equestria.” Cloud hummed to herself. “So no idea if we want to show off the rump, flank, wings, or anything?” Of course those were the things Cloud’s head turned to. Rarity scoffed as she got the makeup ready to use. “We hardly want to be crass in the display. This is a high-class diplomatic function as well.” She smirked slyly to herself. “Besides, it's far more tantalizing to hint at things than show them off right at the start.” Cloud nodded. “Aaah, good point. Sort of like how an outfit that looks like it could fall off at any moment is way more enticing than just being naked.” “Many ponies do not even wear clothes,” Storm said in a dry voice. Cloud grinned in a way that suggested all sorts of naughty thoughts. “And how enticing does that make them look?” Storm didn’t dignify the question with a response. “Which is why we want to be subtle.” Rarity picked up a brush and started brushing my mane. “Something dignified for your first meeting. Then perhaps something a bit more tantalizing for a more private gathering. Like that silk dress I made you for evening wear. And then later on when you two are alone...” I rubbed my brow. “I can't believe I'm listening to this conversation again.” “Do you want me to escort them out?” The corner of Storm’s mouth quirked a hair into a grin. “Or perhaps throw them overboard? I give them good odds of making it to dry land.” “You had better not,” Rarity said with an indignant sniff. “Do you have any idea what saltwater would do to my mane? I simply wouldn’t forgive you if you tried it.” I snorted. “You heard her, Storm. She wouldn’t forgive me if I tossed her overboard, and I don’t want to hear about it forever. So I’m going to have to veto that.” “Thank you for your consideration.” Rarity continued grooming my mane with cool efficiency, but there was still a note of humor in her tone. “Besides, I’m far too busy prettying you up for that nonsense. I haven’t even been able to think about what I’m going to do for myself, which is a problem when I need to consider how I’m going to make my first impression on Freeport society. It’s rather important when I’m thinking of opening another shop here.” Storm looked to her cousin. “What about Cloud? Can I toss her overboard?” Cloud playfully nudged Storm’s side with a wing. “Would that even do any good when I can fly? “I would find it very satisfying.” I couldn’t resist a little teasing of my own. “I should have known it would be trouble bringing both of you when you'd be stuck in close quarters.” “Oh relax, Storm and I get along fine.” Cloud waved dismissively. “This is nothing compared to Storm’s rivalry with her sister.” “Yes,” Storm agreed with a knowing grin. “Now I know teasing is a time-honored tradition among friends.” Rarity grunted as she worked out a knot in my mane. “But perhaps we should focus on getting you ready for your arrival? I am serious about needing time to get everyone ready.” I sighed and nodded. “It would be most terrible if I didn't arrive looking my best.” “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” Rarity agreed. “Right, so let's make sure this one's a good one.” I settled in to get myself ready for my first time ever in Freeport. A couple of hours later, I emerged onto the deck with my guards in tow. I wore the flowing midnight-blue gown Rarity had made for me. My mane was done up in an elaborate bun, along with accompanying makeup. Rarity meant well, but this felt like it might be a bit excessive. Not that I could exactly blame her for wanting me to make a public appearance in one of her dresses. She did want to create a branch of her business in Freeport, after all, and all of this pomp and circumstance was just another price of being a princess. Freeport didn’t want to insult Equestria by not treating my arrival as a big deal, and I didn’t want to insult them by making them think I didn’t care about what they thought. Those considerations and a dozen others made my crown feel heavy as we closed with the harbor docks. Freeport sat on the horizon, slowly engulfing our view as we were sailing into the bay that dominated the center of the island nation. Ours was far from the only ship in the harbor, dozens of ships sat in the docks. Beyond was the city itself, with a wide variety of warehouses, businesses, homes, and markets that seemed to cover the whole of the island. Most of the buildings along the shore were made of brick, sported grey slate roofs, and were brightly painted. It was nice to get some fresh air and to know that our trip was nearing its end. True, I felt more than a bit of trepidation—the purpose of this trip was a bit too big for any rational individual not to be a little worried. But I was looking forward to getting to meet Archon Sunset again, and it was going to be interesting to visit a nation I’d only gotten to read about up to now. Still, I felt nervous, and it was a sore temptation to review some of the lists I’d made before and during the voyage. We slowly pulled into the port. All along the shore was a wide diversity of creatures. Ponies, zebras, and gryphons made up most of those gathered, though there was a cross-section of hybrids and other species as well. They all stared at my ship, and I realized, more than a few were looking and pointing my way. It seemed word had gotten around that I was coming to Freeport, given the large crowd that had collected. On the dock itself were a half dozen individuals in the red, orange, and yellow cloaks of the Phoenix Guard, Sunset’s personal bodyguard. Among them were their golems, and each one had a different design: some were quadrupeds, others bipeds, some hulking constructs that dwarfed their owners, while others were no bigger than a chicken. This was probably my escort to Sunset, since I didn’t see the archon anywhere within the crowd. The gangplank was set, and as a matter of course, a squad of my guard descended to speak with the Phoenix Guard. Once they confirmed that everything was fine, they motioned that it was okay for us to descend. Soon I was in front of a changeling that I recognized from Sunset’s previous trip to Ponyville. Magus Kukri Doo strode proudly before me in her brightly colored cloak and a pleasant smile. “Princess Sparkle, on behalf of Archon Shimmer, this one would like to welcome you to Freeport.” I returned her smile, happy to see a familiar face. “Hello there, and thank you for hosting me.” “Don't thank this one, thank the Archon.” Kukri waved for me to follow her. “If you’ll come with us, we’ll escort you to the Archon’s tower.” I nodded. “That sounds good to me. Lead the way.” The Phoenix Guard parted the crowd to allow us to proceed forward. I tried to wave to those gathered but I quickly found myself shuffling forward to keep up with the group. Maybe in the future I’d get to interact with the crowd more? They clearly wanted to see me, considering everyone gathered around the guards maintaining a cordon around us. That would be something to discuss with Sunset later. But for now I was content to follow Kukri and let the guards keep most everyone as a distance. I didn’t want to cause any trouble for them when they were just following their orders. As we walked along, I started studying the golems walking alongside us. Several smaller ones flanked Kukri, each of them with the frame of a bipedal lizard. Though they still possessed an obviously mechanical appearance, as each was covered in metal. I then looked at the larger golems and started wondering what all of them could do. “So, I see each of your golems is a unique design,” I said to strike up a conversation while we walked. “Thanks!” said one of the Phoenix Guards. She was a hippogryph with a dual-green plumage, and she smiled widely as she spoke in an excited tone. “We all tried to find a way to express our unique selves in their designs, not to mention matching them to our specialties.” “She doesn't need to know that.” Kukri murmured to her fellow Phoenix Guard in a manner that made me suspect that I wasn’t intended to overhear. The other guard grimaced, and Kukri pointedly cleared her throat. “Archon Shimmer’s been looking forward to your visit, Princess.” “Has she now?” Rarity said with a knowing grin. Kukri nodded. “She’s planning on taking you to see the Torch Liberation Museum, the academy, and other places in the city later.” “My, how thoughtful of her,” Rarity said. Cloud leaned in to whisper something to Rarity, prompting her to giggle. I rolled my eyes, having some idea of what those two were talking about. “Sooo, how far away is Sunset's tower?” An earth pony Phoenix Guard with a light grey mane, blueish grey coat, and perpetually bored expression spoke up. “It’s right there. You can’t miss it.” She pointed and she wasn’t wrong about how you couldn’t miss it. Sunset’s obsidian tower was like a black finger pointing into the sky. “Huh, it sure is...” I tried to think of a nice way to say kind of evil looking. It wasn’t like I wanted to judge on appearances, but a tower made of black glass left an impression. “Unique to the architecture of the rest of the city.” “While your palace perfectly fits in with a small town?” Kukri asked dryly. The light grey mare turned her perpetually bored expression on me. “Your palace is made of dark, pointy purple crystals.” “Freeport doesn't really have a consistent architectural style anyway,” the hippogryph said with a shrug. “Comes from being a melting pot.” I glanced around the buildings around us, with its architecture drawing from the various cultures surrounding the island nation. “True enough. Everyone seems to build what they want around here.” The hippogryph nodded. “Freeport believes in freedom.” I opened my mouth to argue how that wasn’t technically true, historically speaking. Freeport had been ruled by several rather oppressive regimes over the centuries—the Golden Path and the Necrocrats being particularly noteworthy for their terribleness. But I decided that bringing up every despotic ruler in Freeport’s history wasn’t the most diplomatic thing for me to do. Instead, I went with something nicer. “That should make it really fun to get to see the rest of the city later.” That brought a smile to Kukri’s lips. “Definitely. As this one said, the Shimmer-mare’s been looking forward to getting to show you around.” We reached the merchant district of Freeport. All around were stalls, buildings full of shops offering a variety of goods. Spices, textiles, tropical fruits, books, coffee, pottery, and more were on display, and merchants called out to potential buyers to purchase their goods. “Oooh, I heard about this place,” I said. “The Freeport merchant district is world famous for the variety of goods it offers.” “Freeport is a trade hub,” Kukri confirmed. I tried not to let myself get too distracted by a bookshelf full of novels as we passed. “It’s a big part of why the treaty we're going to be signing involves trade.” “It’ll help a lot with the sugar trade,” the grey coat guard said. “Lowering tariffs will make it a lot more profitable.” “We were hoping that—” I was interrupted when someone pushed close to us. “Spare some ducats?” An earth pony beggar who was missing a leg hobbled towards us. “Lost my leg on a sugar plantation. Mind helping out, miss?” Kukri gave him a quick once-over and then snorted derisively. “If you want money, get a job.” She shooed him away with a flick of her hoof. I blinked at this callous treatment. “Kukri! He's missing a leg. He deserves our help.” I pulled out my coin purse to give the poor beggar something. Kukri narrowed her eyes at me before turning to one of her golems. “Get him.” The little golem opened its mouth and made a hiss like escaping steam. It charged the beggar, who let out a panicked yelp and started running—on four legs I now saw. And he wasn’t an earth pony, for he now sprouted a horn. An illusion. He’d used an illusion to trick me! My jaw dropped as I watched the golem run the beggar off. “H-he lied to me!” Kukri glared after the fleeing conpony. After chasing the trickster for a bit, the golem suddenly stopped and turned around to return to us. “There's no way you're that naive.” I frowned, not sure what to make of what I’d just seen. “I'm used to people being honest about that sort of thing.” “Well in Freeport they aren’t,” Kukri snorted. “Try not to get conned. It doesn’t look good. But then, that’s why we were sent to keep an eye out for you.” She waved for me to keep following her. “Come on, no sense letting the riff-raff bother you.” Kukri showed me into Sunset’s tower. The interior possessed all the fancy and luxurious decorating to be expected of a leader of a nation, even if I wasn’t sure if the tower’s decorations were because Sunset wanted to keep up appearances or she just liked her tower looking like this. After going up a couple of floors, Kukri escorted me to a doorway being flanked by a pair of golems I recognized as belonging to Sunset. I crossed the threshold and found myself before Sunset. She was reviewing the contents of a scroll but put it down when I entered. I smiled for her, happy to finally meet her after weeks of travel. “Archon Shimmer, thank you for inviting me.” Sunset stood from her desk. “Thank you for coming, Princess Sparkle.” “I could hardly turn down an invitation from the Archon of Freeport.” Sunset grinned. “I'm sure you could've found a way to if you really wanted.” “But I wanted to come here. You know, to visit, and see what Freeport is like. And see you.” I trailed off, feeling embarrassed as I lost the line where I was going with that. Where I felt unsure about myself and this visit, Sunset held herself with far more confidence as she walked around her desk with a sure step. “Well good, because I wanted you to visit. In fact, I’ve set an agenda for while you’re here, pending your approval.” My ears perked. “Kukri mentioned something of what you have in mind, and it all sounded good to me. Honestly, I prefer it when everything is nicely organized and scheduled.” “Then you’ll be happy to hear that I have everything ready for you to review.” Sunset picked up a scroll and levitated it over to me. I unraveled it and found a very neatly organized and bullet-pointed list of everything she wanted to do. “Let me know if there are any issues. We can move around or add anything if you prefer.” My eyes scrolled through everything on the list. “I’m not seeing any issues at a first glance. We can go ahead with this for now. If I think of anything, I’ll make sure to have someone tell you.” “Glad to hear it,” Sunset said. “I’ve been looking forward to getting to spend some time with you.” Her grin widened. “In fact, it’s one of my goals for your visit.” There was something in how she said that that caught my interest. “Is that so?” “Well yeah.” Sunset leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. “Considering that's kind of the point of going out on dates, right?” “A d-date?!” I spluttered. “Yup.” Sunset seemed far too calm for how flustered I felt. I mean, she just asked me out on a date! How could she be so calm?! My words tumbled out of my mouth on their own accord and without so much as passing a memo to my brain about what they were up to. “I-I mean, that'd be, um, a surprise, and nice, and a surprise and I didn't know you were serious, and ehehehe, I—sure we could do that. If you're serious.” Sunset snorted softly. “Breathe, Twilight.” “Right.” I took her advice and took a deep breath—several in fact. Just like how Cadance had taught me. “I can do that. It's totally normal.” Not that anything felt normal at that moment. The Archon of Freeport had just asked me out on a date! And I was accepting! This was really happening. Sure, it’s been a possibility, but there was a big difference between a possibility and an actuality. From behind me, Rarity whispered something to Cloud, and both of them giggled. Storm simply stood stoically as she watched everything, and Spike stared at Sunset with a frown. Once I got my breathing under control, I spoke up again. “Um, you’re being serious about this, right? This isn’t you just teasing me?” This wouldn’t be the first time somepony had pulled my tail to get me worked up, and Sunset was definitely enjoying this. “Oh no, I’m being very serious about the courtship.” Sunset raised her eyebrows as she kept grinning. “And I’m hoping you’ll say yes.” My heart beat faster. “W-we can certainly give it a shot.” I glanced back at Rarity and Cloud, both of whom had to work to suppress further giggles. “I know some ponies would approve.” “Great.” Sunset pulled out another scroll. “How about we confirm our plans for tonight and tomorrow, and get you settled in. You’ve just finished a long trip, after all.” “Sounds good to me.” Well, things had just gotten a lot more interesting. After confirming our immediate plans, Sunset showed us where we would be staying in her tower and arranged for porters to bring our things from the ship. Really, after weeks of sea travel, it all felt like a whirlwind of activity. It didn’t help that I was distracted by the idea of courting Sunset. There were just so many questions that I didn’t have answers for. Would we get along? How would we deal with things like the distances between our homes? How would this affect Equestria and Freeport’s relationship? How long would we want to court? Was I now seeing the pony I’d end up marrying someday? What was I going to tell my family and friends? The questions whirled and whirled as I set up in my quarters. The guest rooms were nice, being decorated in summer colors, with paintings, and expensive furniture set up around the rooms. From what the others said, their rooms were about as good as mine, though it looked like it was going to just about be a full house in Sunset’s tower. It’d been made as the residence of a single pony—or family. It was hardly cramped, but in terms of space it was about the same as the library. Before Tirek had blown it up, in any event. Rarity was busy making sure everything was set up perfectly in my quarters, and Spike directed the porters on where everything was to go. Storm stood by the door and didn’t stop her cousin from entering. Cloud’s cocksure grin gave me a very good idea of what was on her mind even before she opened her mouth. “What was it you kept telling us, Twilight?” Cloud asked, knowing full well the answer. “Something about how this was totally just a diplomatic visit and definitely not a courtship?” I groaned and pressed my hoof to my face. “I didn't know how serious Sunset was when she invited me to Freeport! There was a very good chance she was just teasing me back then.” “Pretty sure Sunset just put that debate to rest. She must be sweet for you.” Cloud waggled her eyebrows. “Not that I can blame her.” “I think it’s quite romantic.” Rarity sighed wistfully. “A foreign ruler asking a princess for her love and to get married. It’s like out of an old storybook.” “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I started pacing about the room as I considered the full implications of everything. “It's not like we’ve announced we’re getting married yet. I mean, that's the assumption when you start courting, historically speaking. Courting generally comes with the assumption that it’ll lead to marriage, but whether it goes through or not depends on several factors like compatibility and the political climate. But it doesn’t seem like Sunset to do this casually, and if she is serious about this then that probably means she really does want to get married. And that would mean—gah! So many things! What if I mess this up?! What if Sunset doesn’t really end up liking me?! What if I end up causing a big, huge international incident?!” My breaths started coming in short gasps as the weight of everything pressed down on me. “Highness.” Storm placed a hoof on my back. “Everything is going to be okay.” Cloud directed me to a cushion to sit down. “Exactly. Sunset seems to be nice and has a good head on her shoulders. Even if things don’t work out, I’m sure you can still be friends. And if they do work out, then you’ll get a special somepony to make you happy.” I brought my breathing under control as Cloud rubbed my back. The massage helped work out some of the tension in me. “Right, everything's going to be okay. This definitely won't turn into a huge disaster.” Spike snorted as he put some clothes away in a drawer. “I can’t imagine you offending anyone so much it caused a disaster, Twilight.” He wrinkled his nose. “Though it’s super weird imagining you dating.” “You’re just saying that because she’s your big sister,” Cloud said as she kept rubbing my back. “He’s not the only one who feels weird.” I sighed. “I'd feel a whole lot better if I knew what I was doing. We've got a date tomorrow, and I haven’t even made any preparations!” Rarity placed a hoof on my shoulder. “Oh darling, you'll be just fine. Don’t overthink things. Just go out there and enjoy yourself. Have some fun, be a bit spontaneous.” Cloud nodded in agreement. “It's really not that big a deal.” “Fear will not help you make a good impression,” Storm said. “I know that.” I buried my face in my hooves as I groaned. “It's not like I want to make a bad impression.” Rarity patted my shoulder. “I think what they're trying to say is that you shouldn't let yourself get too worked up.” I felt my frustration rise. I knew I shouldn’t get myself worked up, but that was easier said than done for something so important. “That’d be easier to say if we weren’t talking about me potentially getting married to somepony.” “Do you want to marry her?” Storm asked. I frowned as I considered the question. “I don't know. She's nice, we get along, and I like spending time with her. Though she is a bit older than me, we don't know each other all that well. Then there’s the fact that we live a long way from one another.” “Which is precisely why one goes on a date,” Rarity said. “To see if you'd like to pursue things further.” “Exactly.” Cloud started rubbing my shoulders in slow circles. “If it works out, great. If not, no sweat.” “I guess that makes sense.” I sighed and looked back to Cloud. A question nagged me. “So, you're okay with this, Cloud? We have been kinda... involved, on and off.” Cloud hesitated before answering. “Well, yeah, but I'm not looking to get in the way. I mean, our thing wasn't...” She trailed off as she tried and failed to find the right word to describe whatever it was we had. To be fair, our whole thing was a bit complicated and not easily defined. Which just made me all the more nervous about where things might go with Sunset. I didn’t exactly have a lot of experience with the whole dating thing. Thankfully, Rarity interposed herself into the silence with a delicate clearing of her throat. “I believe what you’ve had was a bit more ... casual than what you and Sunset have in mind.” “That's probably a good way to put it,” I agreed. “I just didn't want to hurt your feelings, Cloud.” “Thanks for thinking of me.” Cloud smiled as she wing-hugged me. “But you don’t need to worry about me. I’ve still got Eepy and Blossom, and we’re plenty happy together.” Storm’s lips quirked into something that was almost like a smile. “Yes, and you’ve been together for a while now, haven’t you? Long enough that I’m sure you’ve talked about marriage at some point.” Cloud squirmed in place as her cousin brought up the m-word. Something Storm had been doing periodically as of late. “Well, yes, but...” Her lips pressed together as she failed to follow up. I was unable to help myself in joining in on a little bit of teasing and I nudged her. “If you want a wedding planner for when you finally tie the knot with Fluttershy and Blossomforth...” Cloud coughed, and for something especially rare, her face reddened a shade. “Er, right...” Rarity grinned just a tad sharkishly. “I’m sure it would be a beautiful wedding. I just know Fluttershy would look fantastic in a wedding dress. And Blossomforth’s coat and mane would compliment the dress too, for that matter.” Spike smiled and nodded. “You know Rarity could make some great dresses. In fact, we’d all like to help.” He snorted softly. “Twilight especially. I wouldn’t put it past her to get married just so she could organize it.” I rolled my eyes. “I'm not that bad.” “So anyway, about you and Sunset...” Cloud said just a bit hastily. I raised an eyebrow. “Trying to get to safer territory, Cloud?” “Yes, she is,” Storm said. Spike snickered as he refolded a shirt. “Nothing quite lets you get away from your problem like dealing with other people's problems. Am I right?” “Mmm, quite.” Rarity puckered her lips as she studied Cloud. “I do trust you plan on making an honest mare of Fluttershy eventually.” Cloud chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. “Of course!” “Do you have any plans for when you’re going to make that happen?” Rarity pressed. “I really do have some wedding dress designs that are absolutely dying to be tried out.” “Nothing solid yet.” Cloud grimaced and turned to me. “So what's your plan for Archon Shimmer?” I decided to let Cloud off the hook for now. It was a good question, in any event. “I don't exactly have a plan yet. This did surprise me.” Rarity hummed as she pressed her lips together. “From the sound of things, Sunset has a plan for tomorrow already. So I think it best to just go along with whatever her plans are for now.” I nodded. “That sounds like a pretty good idea.” “So go along with them for now, and take your time hatching your own clever scheme,” Cloud offered. “I wouldn't exactly call them clever schemes for something like this.” Cloud rubbed her chin. “Cunning plans?” I sighed as my patience was tested. “Yes, because I'm going to launch some kind of scheme to net the Archon of Freeport, and bend her to my will.” Cloud crossed her forelegs over her chest as she thought. “Date outline? Come on, you have to like that term. It has one of your favorite words in it.” “That one isn’t bad,” I granted. “And coming up with some outlines couldn’t hurt.” “No doubt the archon has done some planning of her own,” Rarity said. “After all, her planned date does seem quite tailored to Twilight's interests. At least I can’t imagine it’s an accident she’s taking her to see a museum and her own school.” I couldn’t help but smile at the upcoming itinerary. “I am really looking forward to it.” “It’s not that hard to scout out Twilight.” Cloud gave me a friendly nudge with her elbow. “I mean, anyone could tell you she loves books, magic, science, plans, and learning.” I narrowed my eyes as I gave her a flat grin. “You could say I'm a bit of an open book.” Spike snickered. “You're just asking to get read.” “And now Sunset's gonna slip her bookmark between your pages.” Cloud waggled her eyebrows. Storm groaned and facehoofed. It was a sore temptation to join my bodyguard in that action. “Now now now.” Rarity waggled a hoof in the air. “I'm sure she'll want to take her time before doing anything with ... bookmarks.” I sighed with exasperation. “What have I unleashed?” “Madness,” Storm declared simply.