//------------------------------// // Twilight Sparkle // Story: Feather Bangs Dates the Mane Six // by BrawnyBold //------------------------------// Ponyville looked more different than usual as the citizens were dressed up as peasants, nobles, or even knights. This was because today was Ponyville's Reneighsance fair where ponies would dress up and act like they came from ancient history. Feather Bangs enjoyed seeing the sight of the fair while trotting down Ponyville's streets. He dressed up as a bard since he has such a passion for poems and music. Feather even has a small lute strapped to his back to complete the outfit. He came to Ponyville's fair to admire how historically accurate it looked. Feather also couldn't help but be smitten from how beautiful the mares looked in Reneighsance clothing. As Feather continued to stroll, he came across a large tent that had a balcony with only a bejeweled throne on it. Feather looked in awe from how shiny the throne looked and wondered who will sit on that throne. "Princess Twilight will be sitting there." A peasant pony said to Feather. Feather looked at the peasant pony in surprise. "Really?" Feather asked in surprise. "Yeah, since Princess Twilight is an actual princess, it would make sense that she would sit up there during the jousting tournament this afternoon." Feather stared back at the throne while imagining Princess Twilight sitting up there. Feather had seen the princess when she visited Starlight's old village for the first time. Feather was surprised not only there was a fourth alicorn in Equestria, but Princess Twilight was more extraordinary than Feather thought she was. Feather began to hear more stories involving Princess Twilight and her exploits. He couldn't believe that Twilight was able to do so much throughout her life. There were times that Feather wished he could meet her, but he never exactly had the courage to go up and talk to an alicorn princess. Feather still hoped that he will be able to see her since Ponyville is where she usually lives. Feather was about to leave when he accidentally bumped heads with another pony. This caused both of them to fall on their flanks. "Ow, my bad." Feather said while rubbing his head. He looked up to see a unicorn mare dressed in peasant clothing. Her fur was light purple but her manes could not be seen as they were completely covered in a long, white cloth that wrapped around her head. A pair of small-framed glasses were placed below her purple eyes. Feather's gentlecolt nature kicked in and he got up to make sure the mare wasn't hurt. "Are you okay, madam?" Feather asked. "I'm fine, I'm fine." The peasant mare said as she used her magic to adjust her glasses. "I was so distracted from sight seeing that I forgot to watch where I was going." The peasant mare stopped speaking when she heard some ponies' voices approaching nearby. "Where in Equestria is she?!" One mare dressed like a noble said as she frantically looked around. "She needs to be ready or else the fair will become a disaster!" Another noble pony added. The peasant mare took Feather's hoof and they hurried inside one of the tents. "Is something wrong, miss?" Feather asked in concern. "There's nothing wrong, I'm just hiding from some ponies who are demanding so much of my attention." The peasant mare said while peeking out from the tent. "Why would they do that? Are you like the organizer of this fair?" Feather asked. The peasant mare stared blankly into space until she turned to Feather. "Yeah, I'm one of the organizers. It's just that I really wanted to see the fair, but I wasn't able to thanks to my job. Luckily for me, I was able to sneak out without notice." The peasant mare continued to look out until her pursuers were gone. "Alright, the coast is clear. I'll be taking my leave now." Before the peasant mare was about to leave, Feather spoke up. "Do you want me to go with you?" Feather asked. "Why would I do that?" The peasant mare asked. "Well, those ponies looking for you will be looking for a single mare. But they will have less of a chance of finding you if you're with a stallion." Feather explained. "I promise that I won't flirt with you while we're together. For my name isn't Feather Bangs, the bard!" The peasant mare put some thought into it and she thought it wouldn't hurt to be extra careful. "I accept your invitation, Feather Bangs." The peasant mare said while bowing. "I'm Twi....um," Feather was confused as the peasant mare suddenly stopped when she was about to say her name. "Twine! Yes, Twine...Strings! It's Twine Strings." Feather felt a bit confused for a moment before he shrugged it off. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Twine." Feather said while offering his hoof. "Shall we get going?" Twine nodded before she hooked her hoof with Feather's and they exited the tent. Feather and Twine first explored the path full of vendors that sold old-looking antiques, ancient looking fabrics, and even small wooden toys foals and fillies could play with while attending the fair. Feather was surprised that a mare like Twine was so drawn into the historical stuff. It was as if Twine was a filly in a candy store. It wasn't until they arrived to a vendor selling large amounts of books when Twine started to get excited. "Wow! I can't believe there are so many books involving the Mareval Era!" Twine said while levitating some books with her magic. "You sure love books, huh Twine?" Feather said. "Oh you have no idea! I just love to open up books that help me find out so much about anything!" Twine said enthusiastic. She suddenly stopped when she realized that she was expressing herself too much. "Sorry," Twine said while blushing. "No, don't be." Feather smiled. "I think that's great that a mare like you have such a good taste for books." "Thanks," Twine said while blushing. "What about you? What kind of books do you read?" "Mostly books about poetry." Feather answered. "I sometimes read works from famous poets to inspire me to write better poetry." "Who is your favorite poet?" Twine asked. "My top three favorites are Grave Stone, Jasmine Haiku, and Rhyme Quill." Feather answered. Twine gasped from hearing Feather's answer. "You like Rhyme Quill?! He's my favorite poet too!" Twine said. "I just adore him for writing about his hopeful dream of finding love. It makes me relate to him so well." Feather replied. "I know, Rhyme truly has a way with words." Twine included. Both Feather and Twine suddenly stopped speaking while looking away from each other. Their cheeks began to blush they felt really awkward. "It felt like we were bonding, didn't it?" Twine asked. "Yeah," Feather answered. "I know that we're suppose to pretend we're on a date, but it felt nice." Feather then looked back to Twine. "Should we stop?" "I don't think so." Twine said while looking at Feather. "It never hurts to just get to know each other. It's what most ponies do on dates." "I guess that makes us really convincing, huh?" Feather asked. Twine simply nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's move on before we feel more awkward." Twine suggested. Feather agreed and they made their way out of the vendors. Feather and Twine arrive to some carts that sold food that were made during the Reneighsance such as cooked bread, soups, and vegetables. Feather offered to pay for the food and they enjoyed themselves to some sandwiches. "This bread is really crunchy." Feather claimed while chewing on his sandwich. "Well, it was made from the same ingredients ponies used during the Reneighsance." Twine said while attempting to take a bite from her sandwich. Even with the crunchy bread, Feather and Twine still enjoyed their food. When Feather and Twine were done eating, they started to trot again to look for things to do. "Do you see anywhere else we can go, Twine?" Feather said while looking around. "Oh, how about over there?" Twine suggested while pointing at a tent with a crystal ball on the sign. "Fortune telling?" Feather responded. "Yeah! The pony inside tells us what our fortune is! It sounds really exciting!" Twine said as she took Feather's hoof and they made their way inside of the tent. Feather and Twine saw a single table that held one small crystal ball. Behind the crystal ball was a grey, unicorn mare dressed like a fortune teller with a purple turban on her head and she wore a dark purple robe to match." "Welcome to Madam Glass Mist's fortune telling tent! I am Madam Glass Mist and I will be tell what your future will be!" Glass Mist said while waving around her hooves. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madam Glass Mist." Twine said as she and Feather took a seat in front of the table. "We will start by reading your hooves to find out more about yourselves." Madam Glass Mist said. "Please offer your hooves to I can begin." Feather and Twine looked at each other before they held out one hoof each and Madam Glass Mist placed her hooves on them. "Oh yes, mmhmm," Madam Glass Mist said while feeling Feather and Twine's hooves. "Very interesting," "So what do you think?" Feather asked. Madam Glass Mist pulled her hooves away. "I'm done with your hooves. Now I will interpret what I felt through this crystal ball." Madam Glass Mist moved her hooves near the crystal ball as it began to glow and mist appareled in the inside. Feather and Twine watched in awe as the movements of the ball's mists was eye-catching. "The stallion once loved another mare, but she chose another. Leaving this stallion saddened and needed to recover." Twine raised her brow while looking at Feather who was blushing in embarrassment. "Yeah, I did fall in love. But it didn't work out and that was fine." Feather admitted. Madam Glass Mist turned to Twine. "You, young mare, have such an interesting read. You have done some interesting things throughout your life. Some of these things made such an impact throughout Equestria." Twine started to sweat a bit. "W-well, I did travel a lot before I came to Ponyville to do this job." Twine admitted. "It would make sense that I would do some good deeds at different towns." "I also sense that both of you have a growing bond since the both of you have gotten along quite well." Madam Glass Mist said. "Well, we just met today and I have to admit that Twine is a pretty nice mare." Feather said which caused Twine to blush a bit. "Even if that were the case, I feel that there is something between you two that is preventing your bond from growing. Perhaps it's a secret one of you is keeping to prevent the other from knowing?" "And we should be leaving!" Twine blurted out as she pulled Feather out of the tent. Once they were gone, Madam Glass Mist looked out with a small smile. "That lucky stallion, if only he knew what his date was hiding." Feather felt really confused while he was being pulled by Twine. "Um, mind telling me what was that about?" Feather asked. "I'm sorry, but I felt like I needed to leave." Twine said while looking down. "If it's about that secret Madam Glass Mist mentioned, then you don't have to tell me." Feather assured. "I respect a mare's privacy if she doesn't want to share." Twine couldn't help but smile for Feather's act of respect. "Thanks, Feather." Twine said. "No problem," Feather said while bowing. "Shall we move on to more things to do?" Twine nodded as she and Feather along. When Feather and Twine arrive to Ponyville's main street, they stumbled upon a group of ponies who were dancing to the music of some nearby musicians. Feather, Twine, and some of the nearby ponies couldn't help but clap their hooves along to the music. If that wasn't enough, some of the dancers grabbed Feather and Twine so they could be part of the dancing. Feather and Twine looked at each other before they went along to the dancers and the music. Feather didn't have no problem since he had a lot of experience with dancing. Twine on the other hoof, struggled a bit while trying to keep up with the dancing. Feather and Twine were able to reunite to dance along before the music stopped. The crowd clapped their hooves for the dancing and music that were made. Feather and Twine couldn't help but blush as they were still holding each other's hooves. They quickly let go and looked away from each other. "You were really good on the dance floor," Twine complimented. "Thanks, I practice a lot." Feather explained. "I never did much of dancing." Twine admitted. "I mostly just read and whenever I do dance, I kind of do it in a goofy way." "Maybe I can teach a thing or two to you whenever you have time." Feather suggested. Twine smiled before she heard ringing from Ponyville's clock tower. She panicked from seeing what time it was. "Oh no, oh no!" Twine said in panic. "Is it really that time already?!" Twine began to gallop away from Feather. "Wait, where are you going!" Feather said before he lost sight of Twine when she ran through the crowd. At that moment, Feather was confused on why Twine suddenly left when they were just connecting. Feather felt sad as he never got the chance to say goodbye to Twine and maybe ask her if he could write to her. Feather looked down in defeat as he had lost the chance of a potential lover. The ponies began to move towards an area that looked like an arena. "The jousting match will begin very shortly! Don't forget to take a seat and enjoy the show!" An announcer called out. Feather slowly trotted along with the crowd as he decided to watch the jousting match before going back home. A couple of ponies dressed in ceremonial clothing appeared from the balcony tent. They blew on their trumpets to catch everypony's attention. "Here ye, here ye!" One of the trumpet ponies hollered. "It is time for the jousting tournament!" The crowd cheered to show their excitement. "Before we begin, we would like to bring out the host and judge for this event! She has learned under Princess Celetia's teachings and she herself has been a princess for quite some time, please leave a warm welcome to Princess Twilight Sparkle!" The crowd roared with cheers as the alicorn princess emerged towards the balcony. Feather was speechless as he saw her glittering purple coat and flowing pink and dark blue manes. She wore a gold and purple dressed that would have been quite popular during the Mareval period. Princess Twilight light up her horn before she spoke. "Thank you all for attending this event! It is such an honor to be hosting the jousting tournament and to be able to see how well this Reneighsance fair has turned out!" This made the crowd cheer even more. Before Princess Twilight spoke again, she spotted Feather within the crowd. Feather was a bit confused as he noticed Princess Twilight was looking at where he was sitting. 'Is there another pony the princess is looking at?' Feather thought as he looked around from where he sat. 'I doubt that she would recognize me.' The princess quickly shook her head before she continued to speak. "Now let the jousting...begin!" Cannons were fired to indicate that the tournament has begun. After an evening of jousting and the winner was given a medal, everypony in the crowd began to disperse as the fair was declared over. Feather felt a bit better from watching the tournament as it allowed him to cheer up for a bit. A part of Feather still wanted to see Twine Strings again since she was such a nice mare to him. Feather suddenly stopped when one of the armored guards approached him. "Are you Feather Bangs?" The guard asked. "Y-yeah?" Feather answered while still confused. "Her majesty, requires your audience." The guard answered. "Follow me and I will escort you to her." Feather was now more confused as he wasn't sure why Princess Twilight would want to meet him. He didn't want to be rude so he followed behind the guard in hopes of getting answers. The guard opened up one of the tents to let Feather inside. Feather entered to see that the interior of the tent looked like a dressing room. Sitting near the vanity was none other than Princess Twilight while still wearing her dress. "Princess, I have brought Feather Bangs just like you requested." The guard informed. "Thank you," Princess Twilight said to the guard. "You can take your leave. I'll be fine." The guard nodded before he left the tent, leaving Feather completely alone with Princess Twilight. "P-Princess....Twilight," Feather stuttered while he was sweating nervously. "It's alright Feather, you can just call me Twilight." Twilight suggested. "B-but it would be improper of me to call you by your first name, Princess." Feather replied. "Especially since we just met and I don't want to act rude in front of you." Feather then noticed that Princess Twilight was chuckling while her hoof was to her mouth. "You didn't seem to mind when you called me by my first name when we first met." Princess Twilight responded. Feather was dead silent as he didn't understand what the princess was talking about. "Excuse me?" Feather asked. "Don't tell me you forgotten about what we did earlier. You mentioned that your favorite poet was Rhyme Quill who is also my favorite poet." Feather then started to piece it together. "I have to say, you were quite the dancer when we went to town square." "T-Twine?!" Feather said in realization that he went on a date with an alicorn princess. "It's sort of cute to see you so surprised." Princess Twilight said as she approached Feather. " I want to apologize for leaving you without saying goodbye. Here's a little something to say thank you for showing me such a great time during the fair." Princess Twilight then gave Feather a kiss on his cheek. This caused Feather's face to completely blush with bright red while he spoke gibberish. "I really hope we can do this again." Princess Twilight said while winking.