It had been a week since the events that had occurred at Camp Everfree.
Since then, word had gotten around about the insanity that had happened there, including the newly developed powers of seven students, which turned them into even bigger school celebrities. That is, along with mixed feelings that were felt by the people that learned about these powers without seeing them in action.
The younger students were instantly in awe as certain ones began to show off their abilities for amusement, *cough* Rainbow Dash *cough*, while most of the others were a little more shy about it. This increased after they learned about the older people of the school, mainly the teachers, were worried these new magical abilities would only increase the number of magic incidents.
Luckily, Celestia and Luna were able to calm them down, making them believe the seven teens could be trusted to wield them responsibly, refusing the notion of either taking the power giving gems or outright expelling them. However, they did have some stipulations for letting them keep their magic granting geodes. The first is that they couldn't use them for athletic or educational gains, and the other being that any magic that causes damage to the school would have to be paid by them if they couldn't find a way to fix it. They all agreed, promising their magic won't become a problem, letting them return to their everyday life without worry of being expelled or even carted off to some government facility for testing.
And now another day of school was about to begin, the students arriving at CHS just before the bell. This included a pair that calmly walked together in a comfortable silence, Flash and Twilight. Both were showing calm smiles, clearly happy to be in one another's company.
It had been an interesting time for the duo, having begun a trial process for taking their relationship to the next level. This had certainly caused some strange reactions from their family, Shining Armor being completely gobsmacked in the face and almost fainting, but Cadance looked like she was resisting the urge to jump for joy. She later proclaimed she had been pushing this to happen for some time, but unable to get any spark between the two, the rest of the family then telling her she wasn't allowed to anything like that anymore.
But it had been Twilight's parents that had had the most unexpected reactions. Velvet was amazed by the fact that Twilight was actually interested in pursuing a relationship with anyone, believing she wouldn't develop those thoughts until after she had graduated college while Night Light just raised an eyebrow and asked Flash to come with him.
Despite the fact that Flash had fought man-eating plants, leapt into a portal to another world and faced off against a woman with insane control over a forest, the thought of being alone with Twilight's father was the most terrifying thing that he had ever felt. The memory of his hard gaze on him was probably going to play a role in his nightmares for many years.
Night Light spent an hour grilling Flash, asking what his intentions for his daughter were, and stating what he expected from Flash while dating her. Flash had sworn to uphold all these rules, squeaking out every response as sweat poured down his face. And seeing these responses, Night Light gave Flash permission to date his daughter.
After this and almost fainting, Flash had now been racking his brain around for his first date with Twilight. 'We could go to a movie, but that's something we've done loads of times together.' He thought, 'This needs to be something new and amazing, to show Twilight how serious I am about all this.'
And as they walked up to the school, only to find Fluttershy and Rarity sitting on the front steps. Fluttershy had some birds and a squirrel that lived in a nearby tree on her, the girl laughing at something one of the birds said. Meanwhile, Rarity was busy sketching what they assumed to be a new dress design.
"Morning," Twilight said as they walked up.
"Morning," they replied, only for Fluttershy to hear something from a bird that made her eyes go wide. "Oh? That sounds nice."
"What sounds nice?" Twilight asked as they all turned to the girl.
"Mary-Ann was just telling me about a poster she saw in the park this morning. Apparently, there's a new fun fair opening at the waterfront this weekend. There's gonna be games, a ferris-wheel, and even a fireworks display later in the night."
"Wow. That sounds fun." Twilight responded, her words going into Flash's head before his brain went over the image of him and Twilight on the pier, watching the fireworks. A bulb went off in his head, only for someone else to speak up.
"Indeed it does," Rarity added, "I so wish I could go, but I'm starting my first day working at Ms. Hemline's Boutique this weekend."
"That's too bad," Twilight told her, "It sounded like something we could all do together. But if you can't make it-"
"Oh, no darling," Rarity stood up. "I refuse to be the reason you can't enjoy yourself. Go and have fun. I promise I don't mind."
"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, Rarity nodding. "Okay then. Although I'm not sure if everyone else will be able to make it at such short notice."
"I'll check." Twilight chimed in as she quickly sent a group text out, only to see in the next few minutes to get alternative plans replies. As she got these, they walked through the school, Fluttershy and Rarity having to go to a different room as she commented, "Seems no one is available."
"So it's only you, me and Fluttershy?" Flash added while putting his hands behind his head.
"Looks like it," Twilight replied as they turned a corner, "But we can still have a good time with just the three of us."
"I guess," Flash mumbled, making Twilight turn to him with a raised eyebrow.
She now saw a frown appearing on his face as she asked, "Why do you sound so disappointed? I thought you liked stuff like this."
"I'm not," Flash instantly responded, only to see Twilight glare at him, "Its uh...well um..." She leaned up at this, making him flinch as he continued, "Promise you won't be mad about what I'm about to say?"
"Depends on what you're about to say," Twilight replied as they came to a stop, the girl now crossing her arms, "You don't happen to have something planned and not tell me, are you?"
"No! Nothing like that." Flash glanced away at this, only to slowly say, "I just...well...I've been trying to think of someway to..." His face started to turn red as he said these next words, "Do a first date for us."
Twilight's eyes went wide at this, "Flash..."
He looked back at her as scratched the back of his head, "You know, the fun fair sounds great for something like that, but..."
"You want us both to be alone together?" Twilight added, Flash nodding as her face also became slightly red. "Yeah, I get it."
Flash did a small shrug, "I mean, I wanted to so something fun and good for first times...but you know how planning works out with us."
"I know. We could find time alone at the fair though, Flash."
The two began to walk again, now reaching their lockers as Flash commented, "Do you really think we could find time together?"
"I don't see why not. The others are busy, and only Fluttershy is joining us...though she's not the best person to leave alone in a busy place." Twilight replied as she took out a book, "And we can't un-invite her."
"Yeah." Flash nodded while leaning back on the locker, the two frowning at each other, "I uh...guess that's that. Sorry if I'm been awkward lately."
"Its fine." Twilight responded as she shut the locker, her mind going over the idea of wishing Fluttershy would discover a reason not to come, only to shake her head in response. "Oh well. I guess we'll have to think of another way to have a date."
Flash nodded again as they then made their way to class. Deciding to put the matter away and just focus on the fun they were going to have at the funfair, Fluttershy even telling them she was more then happy to drive them to the pier, the two began to make their plans for the event. A few days passed at this, the weekend coming up as Friday arrived, only for something new to happen.
As Flash and Twilight got off the bus, they found Rarity sitting alone on the school's steps, "Where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked as they walked up to Rarity.
"I'm not sure," she replied. "She's usually the first one here. I sent her a message, but she hasn't responded yet."
This made them all frown, only for another car to drive up to the school's front, the girl in question getting out of it along with her younger brother, Zephyr. "Thanks dad," Fluttershy told the driver before he drove off and the siblings turned to them.
"Fluttershy?" Rarity asked as the pair reached them, "Is something wrong?"
Fluttershy sighed at this, "My car started acting funny on the way home yesterday. I took it to a mechanic and he said...something I can't remember, but is really important is broken, so I had to leave it there until it gets fixed. But it's gonna take a few days to get the right part."
"That's too bad," Flash replied, only to go wide-eyed, "Wait...how are we gonna get to the funfair now?"
Saying this made Fluttershy blush, "Oh...yeah, that's a good point. Sorry."
"Don't worry, its fine." Twilight told her. "We'll find a way there. We can...take the bus."
"From here to the waterfront?" Rarity asked, "That'll cost a lot. Plus it'll take three times as long." The three exchanged glances, all sighing as Rarity stared at Flash, "You two really need to look into getting your own car."
Flash shook his head at this, "I already have. But Twilight's parents say that if we want one, we have to buy it ourselves." He then pointed a thumb at Twilight, "Plus, this one doesn't have a license yet." Twilight started to glare at him, the teen rolling his eyes at her, "Don't give me that. You chose to take advanced physics and calculus in place of driver's ed."
"I know." Twilight grumbled, "There's gotta be something we can do to fix this."
But before anything could be suggested, the bell rang, the group now heading inside. For the rest of the day, the three tried to come up with an idea, only to find every idea to get thrown out the window. The only option they could think was a taxi and even then, the cost was just too much for the teens.
Fast forward to lunch time, Flash went to the bathroom to do his business. Once done, he stepped over to the sink, only to glance up and frown at the sight. "Great," he sighed before flicking his hands dry and pulling his hair back to reveal a large spot on his forehead. "Not only do we not have a ride to the fair, but I've also got a zit the size of Kansas."
"Yup!" Flash jumped as Iron Core suddenly appeared behind him, "That's one big zit alright." Flash spun around to glare at him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Same thing as you," Iron replied before heading for the closest cubical. "But what's this about a ride to a fair?"
"You know," Flash leaned against the sink. "The fair I was gonna go to with Twilight and Fluttershy." Iron turned back and raised an eyebrow, "The one Twilight told you about."
"This is the first I'm hearing about it."
"Didn't Twilight text you?"
"I don't think she has my number," he responded, "Or maybe she was expecting you to tell me." Flash's eyes went wide at this before groaning and facepalming.
"Sorry man."
"Whatever," Iron replied. "So you need a ride there or something?"
"We were gonna use Fluttershy's car," Flash sighed, "But it's broken down and now we're struck with no way to get...there." He then stared at the bulky teen, who raised an eyebrow back.
"What?"
"What are you doing tomorrow night?"
"Nothing. Why are you-" His eyes narrowed at this, "No."
"Oh, come on!" Flash told him, "why not?"
"I don't do funfairs," Iron replied, "Besides, why should I lend you a hand when you forgot to even invite me?"
"I'm sorry I forgot to ask," Flash responded, "I'm an idiot." He put his hands together, "Please do this. If not for me, then for Twilight and Fluttershy. They were really looking forward to this." Iron glared back at him, only for Flash to give him the best puppy dog eyes he could.
"Grr...fine!" He yelled, pushing Flash back. "I'll go and give you a ride. But you're paying for my ticket in."
"Yes!" Flash pumped his arm, "You're the best!"
"Whatever. Just get out of here and leave me to my business." Flash saluted and walked out of the bathroom, only for his mind to remind him what had really happened. Now he and Twilight could spend some time alone while Fluttershy and Iron hung out.
"YES!" He cheered, jumping up for a moment and dancing for a few seconds. He then came to a stop before glancing around, sighing in relief when he saw that nobody had seen him before walking down the hallway. The teen took out his phone next, texting Twilight about the change of plans.
This was gonna be a fun night. He was sure of it.
The next day...
It had been an interesting morning Twilight. Flash had headed out early to take a bus to Iron's place, as he and the Royal Knights had set up a band practice with Flash planning to drive back with Iron later to pick them up. Not twenty minutes after he left, Cadance arrived and forced the girl out of bed.
However, Twilight resisted the love crazed woman, curling herself into the fetal position on her bed. That is, till Cadance literally dragged her out of bed. "Why?" She whined as Cadance forced her into some clean clothes and marched her out of the building.
"You're going on your first date tonight," Cadance grumbled, "You need to look amazing. That's why I booked you an appointment at the spa."
Twilight's eyes went wide at this as Cadance pushed her into her car, "But...it's not really a date! Flash and I won't be alone!"
"I'm sure your friends will leave the pair of you alone once you get there," Cadance replied as she took the driver's seat, "And I'm double sure Flash will enjoy seeing you look all prettied up."
"I doubt that. Its gonna be night time when we get there and its not a date. We'll just be hanging out."
"Twilight..." Cadance grumbled as she started the car, "Do you remember what I told you after you and Flash admitted you were now dating?"
"You lectured me for one hour, twenty-two minutes and fourteen seconds about how I take things too logically and have no idea about romance or love." Twilight deadpanned.
"Yes. And I am a love guru. That's why we're having a beautification day." Cadance replied as she hit the gas, "That's one thing that you can't logic yourself out of." She then patted Twilight's shoulder, "Time to teach you romance 101."
Twilight rolled her eyes as she was driven into town, now spending the next few hours getting poked and tweezed before being thrown into a pool of mud. By the end of it, they had washed off an entire layer of skin. Once that was done, Cadance pulled Twilight into a nearby clothing store. Twilight didn't see the point of this, saying again that it was going to be night time, meaning it would be too dark for Flash to see what she wore. But Cadance wouldn't let her off, now finding something she thought Flash might like the look of, though it was something Twilight knew she would never wear regularly.
"Flash better appreciate this..."
Meanwhile...
The Royal Knights were in Iron's garage, all rocking out. They were doing pretty well, though it was clear to Flash's band mates that his brain was on other things. Even though he was playing and singing perfectly, the music had no heart. And as their song came to an end, the three turned to him.
"Alright Flash," Heather sighed from her keyboard. "What's wrong?"
"What? Nothing wrong," Flash replied.
"Then why do you appear...distracted," First asked as he tuned his bass, Iron huffing as he spun his drum-stick between his fingers.
"This is about tonight, isn't it?"
"No," Flash responded, only to see them all glare at him, "Err...well, maybe it is."
"This is that funfair thing, right?" Heather asked, Flash nodding. "Too bad I can't go to that."
"Same for me," First added, "But we promised to help out at the children hospital tomorrow, so we can not spend all night out late."
"So what's the problem?" Heather continued.
"Well..." Flash strummed his guitar, "This is kinda...gonna be mine and Twilight's first date."
This caused their eyes to all go wide, Iron growling, "How? Me and shy girl will be...there...oh, you are not lumping me with your add-ons!"
Flash rolled his eyes at this, "It won't kill you to hang out with Fluttershy for a few hours. Besides, Fluttershy's fun. Just...probably a good idea to stay away from the more extreme rides."
Iron's eyes narrowed at this, about to yell before seeing Heather and First glare at him now. The teen slumped back and sighed, "Fine...but this is the last favor I'm doing for you."
"Thanks." Flash replied. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."
"Yeah yeah..."
"So, this is gonna be your first date with Twilight." Heather chimed in, "Sounds like it's gonna be fun."
"It should," Flash nodded. "I'm just...a little concerned that things might not go as well as I hoped."
"How do you mean?" First asked.
"Well...what if I mess up? I mean, you three know me." The three exchanged a glance at this as he continued, "What if...what if this is my only chance to make sure Twilight and I become something more?"
Heather shook her head at this, "Flash, you're not gonna mess this up. No matter what happens tonight, as long as Twilight has a good time, then I don't see why she wouldn't want to go to the next level."
"Just remember not to rush her," First added, "You might be absolutely sure how you feel, but if you feel like this, she probably does not. Attempting to make her fall for you now may end up leading to her not wanting to be with you at all. It is like when deal with some animals. You have to let them come to you."
"So basically don't try and steal a smooch tonight," Iron chuckled, making Heather glare at him before looking back at Flash.
"He's right though. The best you should go for is...holding hands."
Flash nodded back, "Got it. Any other advice?"
The others hummed at this, most knowing that they had never been in a real relationship before. But as they thought about it, First spoke up, "Try to not think of this as a date." Flash raised an eyebrow. "If you let that thought fill your head, you may end up ruining the night trying to make it seem romantic. Just treat this like any other outing you and Twilight have had together."
"That's a good one." Heather nodded as she played a few notes on her keyboard. "You've got an advantage over anyone else when it comes to showing Twilight a good time, because you've been doing it as friends for years."
Flash nodded. "Alright....thanks guys." He let all that info sink in as he took a deep breath, "Just...gotta make sure to not panic. Now," he strummed his guitar, "What do you guys wanna practice now?"
Twilight was exhausted.
The teen girl wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in the car. If this was the amount of preparation required, Twilight swore that this would be her very last first date, even telling Cadance this. She seemed half-horrified at this, but told the teen she knew they would work out. However, Twilight then told her that if she and Flash didn't work out, she was gonna swear to a life of celibacy. More time for her science that way.
When they arrived at Twilight's house, they found Fluttershy sitting on the front step. The glasses wearing girl was about to leap out and apologize for leaving her waiting, but then she noticed Fluttershy was having a nice chat with a squirrel that she recognized as Spike's mortal enemy.
"I'm sure you and he just got off on the wrong foot...paw," she told him as the two got out of the car. "Oh, hello Twilight." She turned to the other woman, "Oh my, Dean Cadance!"
"It's actually Principal Cadance now," she replied while grinning, "I'm sorry if we kept you waiting."
"That's alright," Fluttershy smiled as she stood up and the squirrel moved from her lap to her shoulder. "Nutsly here was telling me all about his younger days and why he moved here." She then noticed Twilight's bags. "Oh, did you to go shopping?"
"Yes," Twilight sighed, "And hopefully that's the last time I have to go for a good while." She looked at her watch, "At least I still have some time to work on my new project before we head to the fair."
"Oh, no you don't missy," Cadance told her taking out a large metal box from the car's trunk, "We've still got a lot of work to do before tonight."
"Cadance…" Twilight groaned, "What else could there possibly be?!"
"Well, first there's your makeup, hair and nails. Then you'll need to break in your new shoes and practice walking in them." Twilight let out another moan, now resisting the urge to kill.
"Cadance...I love you, but I really don't see why I have to go through all this and all Flash has to do is show up in clean clothes!" Cadance laughed at this, saying she said the same thing before her first date. The three went inside at this, only for Twilight to run upstairs before Cadance could grab her and shove her into a chair for the makeup.
Fluttershy went up with her, the pair entering her room as they found Spike was still asleep in his bed. "At least someone got to sleep." Twilight grumbled as she fell onto her bed.
"I'm sorry Twilight," Fluttershy told her. "Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned going to the fair."
"No," Twilight shook her head, "This was gonna happen anyway. At least this way I can get it over and done with." She let out a sigh, "I just hope I don't end up falling asleep when Flash and I are on the pier." She then sat up, "Are you sure you don't mind spending time with Iron?"
Fluttershy nodded back, "He may be a little rough around the edges, but he's nice in his own way. I'm sure we'll have a nice time."
"If you're sure," Twilight got off her bed and started messing with her hair, Fluttershy now sitting on the bed and staring at her with a frown.
"Are you sure you're okay? You look a little...stressed."
Twilight turned to her, "I...yeah, I am. With everything I've been through today, it just made me realize how big this really is...and what happens if things go well." She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wardrobe. "Flash and I promised that no matter what happened, whether we decide to become more than friends or not, we wouldn't let what happened ruin our relationship...and I gotta admit, today has not helped." A big frown began to appear on her face, "But what if we break up and can't be around one another anymore? What if it's too awkward?"
Fluttershy just stared back at her, her mind trying to think of what to say. She knew Twilight probably wanted to tell Fluttershy these fears were silly, but she knew she would probably fell the same way if she went on her first date with a friend. But as she thought about this, a memory rang out in her mind.
"Twilight...did you know that the other Twilight used the journal that Sunset has to talk to us a little bit before we met you?" Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, "Back then, she told us about all the adventures the other versions of us went on. On one occasion, they even went up against a massive dragon, and the pony me was terrified."
"Really?" Twilight asked, Fluttershy nodding. "What happened?"
"Their version of Flash helped her through it. He told her that whenever he's scared, he asks himself something. What's more terrifying: What might happen if you try and face what you're scared of, or what will happen if you let your fear overcome you? Most of the time, what will happen terrifies you more than what might happen."
"Huh. Okay..." Twilight nodded before applying that logic to her situation. "So if I face my fear, Flash and I might ruin our friendship and never be able to be around one another again. But if let my fear overtake me..." She thought back, now thinking about the moment Flash admitted he liked her in a special way, knowing he didn't tell her because of how awkward things would be unless they faced those feelings. This line of logic went through her brain, now making her realize that she would likely spend the rest of her life wondering how things would have ended up if she had just had the courage to at least try. "You're right. That is a lot scarier."
Fluttershy nodded again, "Don't worry. Flash won't do anything stupid to ruin your date. He's probably been waiting for this a long time and he'll wanna make it memorable." She then reached into her backpack, "Oh, and I have something special for your big night. Just in case you need it."
"Fluttershy, you didn't-" She stopped when Fluttershy held up a jar of bugs, making a shiver go down her spine, "Have to." Fluttershy happily smiled back, Twilight deciding to not refuse the...nice gift and taking the jar before placing it into her bag. And as she did this, Cadance called up to them and stated that she had everything ready, making Twilight let out a long groan, "Let's get this over with..."
A few hours later...
Flash was sitting in Iron's car as they drove to the teen's house. Flash had changed into some much nicer clothes, thoug still keeping the punk rocker aesthetic, mainly the jacket to keep warm in the night.
"Okay," Flash told himself, "I can do this. I can...I can do this. I-"
"You say that one more time and I'm throwing you out and you can walk to the waterfront." Iron hissed, Flash glaring at him as they reached Flash's house. The car pulled up front, Flash getting out while Iron kept the engine running.
He ran up to the door, only for it to open as Cadance walked out. "Flash. Good, you're on time. And you cleaned up nicely." She then scanned him over before raising an eyebrow, "Where are the flowers?"
"Flowers?"
"You're supposed to give a girl flowers on the first date," Cadance barked back, "Hasn't Shining or Night Light ever told you how to treat a girl on their first date?" Flash shook his head, "Figures. Well, hopefully Twilight won't notice. Alright, go back to the car. Twilight has to make her big entrance." Flash let out a sigh before returning to the car, Iron asking him what was wrong now, only to just get the reply of Cadance and nothing more.
A few moments later, two girls walked out of the building. The first was Fluttershy, who was wearing her normal clothes plus some leggings and a cardigan to keep away the cold. She ran up with a bright smile, stepping aside to allow Twilight to appear. And as she did, Flash's eyes went fully wide.
Time seemed to slow down as she made her appearance, looking like something out of a fashion show catwalk. She was wearing a light blue shirt with her star pattern on the front under an open black leather jacket with frills at the bottom that ran down her purple skirt. She was wearing black thermal leggings and purple high-heeled shoes, eye-shadow and makeup that went with her skin tone while also carrying her backpack, though hidden behind it to not detract from her overall appearance.
Flash knew looks had never played a factor in his feelings for Twilight, but he couldn't stop blushing at the sight before him. And as Twilight started walking up to him, a smile and blush on her face as the slow motion continued...only to trip and fall face first.
"OW!" She cried, time returning to normal as Flash leaped out of the car.
"You okay?" He asked, grabbing her arm and helping her up.
"Stupid heels," she moaned, her legs wobbling as she leaned against him.
"Heel? Why are you wearing those?" Flash asked, Twilight glaring up at him. "I mean...you look great in them. But if you can't walk..."
"That doesn't matter," Cadance chimed in, "So what do you think of the rest of her?"
Flash didn't need to take a second look at Twilight, whose current image was burned into her brain forever, "She looks great. Not that you don't always looks great. You-err...look great in a different way." Twilight went red again, Cadance giggling at this before clapping and taking out a camera.
"Come on. I wanna snap a photo of you two before you leave." The pair exchanged a glance, both slowly standing next to each other. Both were frowning, their faces red as tomatoes as Cadance sighed at the sight. "You two don't have to act like the other's gonna explode, you know?"
The two looked at each other again, fully blushing before glancing away. Cadance rolled her eyes at the sight, only for Flash to slowly reach his arm around to Twilight's outer waist and pulled her closer. Twilight went pure red at this, the pair now making small smiles. "Perfect." Cadance chuckled as she snapped a photo.
"Great," Twilight told her, "Can we go now?"
Cadance nodded as the pair turned to go for Iron's car, Fluttershy having remained out since it was a four-door and figured the pair would wanna sit together. Once they were in the back seat and Fluttershy got in, Iron drove away, Cadance waving them off until they turned a corner. As they drove, the group wondered how the night was gonna turn out, Flash and Twilight barely able to look at each other as their minds were now racing.
This was it. Time to figure out if they could take their relationship further...or have it crash and burn. Only time would tell