//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The original Twilight definition // Story: Twilight Sparkle + Cuteness = Big Deals // by ThePinkedWonder //------------------------------// It was a pain. Shining Armor couldn’t shake the dreaded sensation that he had forgotten something. But for the life of him, what it was stubbornly eluded his memory. However, until what it was surfaced – given he really had forgotten anything – or he grew bored, Shining would continue to lie on his bed and read through one of his books. Part of him felt ashamed for reading this particular book, but the end result would be, and has been, worth it. "Hehe.” Shining’s ears rose – was that a giggle? He peeked toward his bedroom’s open doorway, but nosey nothing greeted him. “That wasn’t Twily. I must be hearing things.” He shrugged his hooves and refocused on his book. A small lavender figure landed on the teenage colt’s back, forcing a gasp of air out of his lungs. He swung his head around to the figure now lying on his back: a grinning Twilight Sparkle. “Surprise, Shiny! It was me! What are you reading?” He hastily covered his book with his forelegs. “Uh, nothing you’d like.” “Yes I would! I like reading everything!” The filly rolled off Shining and crawled to his covered book, an inquisitive smile curling on her lips. She poked her brother’s forelegs with her muzzle–she was a force of nature when it came to her thirst for reading! “T-then I’ll let you read it after I’m finished.” Shining’s horn glowed rose. He lifted Twilight off his bed and to the floor with his magic. “Just wait a little bit, okay?” “Okay,” Twilight pouted. She stared down and pawed the floor in acquiescence. “Heh heh, why are you practicing your pouncing on me anyway, Twily? You want to be a royal guard someday like I do?” “No way!” she answered as she raised her head. She bore her usual cheerful smile and added, “I want to learn everything about magic like Starswirl the Bearded! But aren’t you supposed to do some shopping for Mommy and Daddy?” “Oh, that’s what it was! I’m glad one of us remembered.” Shining rolled off his bed. A list and bag full of his father's bits floated off his dresser and to him. “I better go before the store gets busy, but I won’t be gone long.” “Can I come too? I’m bored.” He nodded. “Sure.” The siblings left their house, with Twilight faithfully trotting behind Shining. As they did, Shining wrote a mental note to swap his copy of “How to be a Great Big Brother” book with something Twilight would enjoy reading later. His pride couldn’t allow his little sister to learn some of his big brother skills arose from a book. “These are some good-looking apples. We gotta try one when we’re home.” Shining said as he levitated a bag of apples off a shelf and into his cart. “That’s the last thing on our list, but I’ll double-check it to be sure we didn’t miss any–” “Wait, can I do it?” Twilight asked. She stared up at Shining with pleading eyes.  “You love reading off lists, huh?” “Mm-hmm! It’s my favorite part of shopping with Mommy.” “Heh heh, all right, have fun.” He laid out the list on the floor. “I’ll check the cart as you read. I just grabbed our apples, so you can skip them.” “Thanks, Shiny!” Twilight leaned closer to the list. “Do we have our bag of bread?” The older unicorn checked their cart. “Check.” “Two bags of hay?” “Check.” ”A twelve-pack of tea and coffee packets?” “Check and check.” “Five pounds of sugar?” “Check.” “Finally, ten daisies?” “Finally, check. If that’s everything, let’s find a salespony who’s free.” The pair trotted through the store’s lobby. As he magically pushed his cart along, Shining peeked to his following sister. A light bulb lit in this brain. It was a ridiculous idea he thought of…or was it? ‘The big brother book said to never use a younger sibling for anything. But…I’ll make it up to her later,’ he thought. He stopped walking, coaxing Twilight to stop too, and spoke, “Twily, I got an idea.” “What is it?” He pointed to a unicorn stallion behind a counter and cash register. “I want you to go up to him by yourself, and when he says what the price for everything is, tell him that you just have thirty bits to pay with. You’re still learning to control your magic, but you’re strong enough to push our cart even without it, right?” “I am, but shouldn’t all we bought cost more than thirty bits?” “It does, but when you ask, say ‘pleaaase?’ and smile as cutely as you can. He might let you pay thirty bits if you do. Think of it as an experiment.” “Ooh, an experiment?!” Twilight asked as she grinned and hopped in excitement. She couldn’t pass up an opportunity for an experiment! “If it’s an experiment, I’ll do it! Anything for science!” “That’s the spirit! Go get him, uh, for science. I’m going to stay here, but I’ll be watching in case you run into trouble.” Shining took out the bulk of the bits from his bag of bits, then floated the bag onto Twilight’s back. ‘Experiment #1: start.’ Twilight went behind the cart and pushed it to the counter with her head, grunting from effort. Not bad for such a small unicorn filly. “Hi there, little filly. You have some things to buy?” “Yes,” the little filly answered. Her horn glowed magenta; the bread inside her cart glowed with the same color, but it barely raised inside the cart. Twilight winced from strain and pleaded, “Come on, come on, you can do–” “Oh, don’t strain yourself, sweetie. I got you.” The clerk’s horn glowed yellow and he levitated all the items out of the cart and onto the counter. He entered the prices of each item onto his register. “All righty, this all comes to fifty bits.” “I’m sorry, but I only have thirty bits. Could I pay that much? Pleasssse?” Twilight’s eyes widened; sparkles flashed in her pupils as her gaze peeked into the clerk’s soul. Her lips curled into the sweetest smile a filly could muster, times ten, and her ears woefully wilted to lie limp over her head. ’No, don’t give in. You have a job to do…but she’s so cute…no! Fight it…fight it…use your pride…ah! I can’t do it! She’s just too precious!’ The stallion’s willpower shattering, as it would to any stallion staring down that face, he said, “Fine, you win. You can pay just thirty bits this time.” “I can?! Thank you!” “Whoa. I didn’t think it would work that well,” Shining said in amazement while peaking from an aisle. “Twily’s cuteness is almost like a superpower!” Twilight picked up the bag of bits on her back with her teeth and paid for her items. After which, her victim floated the food into her cart. “Will you like some more help, or is there anypony nearby to do it?” “I’ll be okay. My big brother is around to help.” Her experiment(?) successful, Twilight returned to Shining armor, pushing her cart from behind while grunting as she went. “It worked! I got everything for thirty bits!” “Great, and sorry I didn’t go with you. My idea might have failed if we went together, but it was a nice touch to lower your ears.”  “Thanks!” Twilight grinned while closing her eyes in pride. “Mommy taught me that when she–” “Oh, that’s right! We should go before Mom gets…hmm.” Shining laid a hoof on his cheek. A mischievous smile curled on his lips. “What?” “Let’s go home, drop off Dad’s bits and grab my bag of bits, then do some more…shopping. I would need you, so can you come with me?” “Of course!” The duo left the store – if Shining would have his way, their reign of cuteness-powered terror had only begun. After they were gone, the shellacked-from-adorableness salespony facehoofed. A second worker, a unicorn mare, walked over to him. “What’s wrong?” “I’m so weak, Cotton. I sold some stuff at almost half-price, all because a little filly begged me to. I couldn’t resist her.” “I saw it, and you’re stronger than me. I would have charged her ten bits, or maybe even nothing.” In another store and armed with a bag of Shining’s bits, Shining and Twilight just put a hat into a cart, full of other goodies such as some books, candles, cups, and more. All they needed was to pay – and get a “discount.” “Now, you remember what to do?” “Yep!” “Then go do your thing! I’ll be here watching.” Shining laid his bag of bits on Twilight’s back.  ‘Experiment #2: start.’ She pushed her cart to a unicorn stallion behind a counter. “Hi, I would like to buy some things, please.” “Sure thing, little filly.” Twilight’s horn glowed. With her teeth gritted, she managed to levitate a book out of the cart. It drifted through the air, but dropped to the floor halfway to the counter, prompting a disappointed frown from the young aspiring mage. “Sorry about that. I’m still learning to use my magic, but I’m improving.” “Don’t feel bad, sweetheart,” the stallion assured with a supportive smile. “I went through it too when I was your age, but you’ll be using your magic like a pro in no time.” He picked up the book off the floor and everything in Twilight’s cart, and lifted it to his counter. After adding their prices to his register, he said, “This will all be seventy bits.” “Um, I’m so sorry, but I only have forty bits. Could I pay that much, just this once? Pleassse?” Twilight again used her ultimate move: she smiled, endearingly puffed her sparkling eyes, and drooped her ears. “I’m sorry, but I…can’t…” Twilight’s raw adorableness from her innocent smile and eyes hammered the stallion’s heart and pulverized it into goo – the filly’s move was super-effective. Efforts to resist Twilight's face merely “gootified” the worker’s heart further. Finally, he wisely blew a defeated sigh. “Okay, just this once.” “Yay! Thank you!” Twilight paid for her items, and once they had been returned to her cart, she pushed it back to a waiting Shining.  Twilight Sparkle: 2. Saleponies: 0. “That was amazing! You’re even getting better with your magic to boot!” “Hehe, thanks. Are we done?” “Not yet. Let’s go to a few more stores.” As the siblings left, their second victim slammed his face on his counter. “Oh Celestia am I pathetic,” he said, face still buried. “I’m glad Mr. Fields didn’t see that, or he would so chew me out. Again.” *ahem* The pony’s head shot up. He sheepishly grinned at another, older unicorn stallion stomping toward him, glaring. Once in front of the counter, the second pony tapped his hoof. “Uh, hi, Mr. Fields. Nice day is–” “Save it. Part of me wants this to be the last straw and fire your flank, but another part is impressed you handled things that well.” Mr. Fields’s stern glare softened, even eeking out a chuckle. “I’ve seen many cute fillies, but there was something irresistibly cute about that purple one.” “Does that mean I’m not fired?” “Yeah, for now.” A “few” more store visits later… Carrying ten bags in his magic from their shopping "spree", Shining departed from yet another store; Twilight followed him from behind. In the store, a stallion repeatedly banged his head against a wall from recently getting twilighted. The original definition of the verb “Twilight”: to utterly overpower with a filly’s adorableness. “Um, Shiny? Is what I did wrong?” Twilight asked with a ping of guilt in her voice. “Huh?” Shining turned around and the pair stopped walking. “What do you mean?” “It feels like I’m doing something…bad by asking to pay for less so many times.” “No, you’re not doing anything bad.” Shining laid a comforting hoof on Twilight’s cheek. “If you were, they wouldn’t have let you pay the amount of bits you did.” “You sure?” “I’m sure. You’re a good filly.” He slid his hoof off Twilight's cheek and added, “But if you really feel like you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing, we can stop. I can’t let my LSBFF feel guilty.” Shining grinned slyly. He gently grinded a hoof onto Twilight’s head in a noogie, and continued the light-hearted assault. “Hehe, no, not that! Stop!” “Only if you stop feeling bad. Are you gonna? Huh? Huh?” “I will! I will!” “That’s more like it.” He lifted his playful hoof off Twilight. Now that Twilight’s guilt was soothed, she and Shining returned home. Shining Armor trotted into his bedroom and laid his bags on the floor. He swapped some contents from the bags, evening out the number of items in each one. “Can I have some of what you bought?” Twilight asked as she walked into the room. “Ha ha ha! You getting some! That’s a good one, Twily!” “Wait,” she said, her bright smile dimming into a frown, “You’re not going to let me have anything you bought? Not even one of the books?” “Nope!” Shining floated five of his ten bags beside Twilight. “You will get half of it, and all of the books. We’re a team, you know.” *Squee!* Twilight ran around her bags and embraced her brother in a hug. “Shining Armor! Twilight Sparkle!” A deep male voice called out. “We have been waiting for you!” “Uh-oh,” Shining and Twilight said in unison. Hearts pounding, they slowly turned toward the doorway. Their parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet, sauntered into the room, both scowling. “H-hi, Mom, Dad,” Shining said, grinning sheepishly as his ears flopped. “Uh, your mane looks good, Mom. Did you–” “Save that empty flattery for your future girlfriends, Shining. They won’t work on me.” Twilight Velvet ordered, her glare unbending. “Now, is it true that you were out using your sister to pay for about half-price from stores?” The colt chuckled sheepishly. If he liked having his flank, he would need to choose his words carefully. “W-well, ‘used’ is such a strong word, but, uh–” Night Light’s glare further sharpened. “Shining!” Wrong answer! Shining flinched back and explained, “O-okay I did, but I gave her half of everything we bought!” “And I agreed to help!” Twilight chimed in. “It’s my fault too!” “That’s not the point! Let me see those bags!” Night Light floated Shining’s and Twilight’s bags to him. He skimmed through them and disapprovingly shook his head. “Yep, it’s just as we feared. What do you have to say for yourself?” “I’m sorry.” Shining hung his head in shame. “I’ll never do it again.” “You don’t get it, do you?” Night Light asked. His and Velvet’s scowls waned into puzzled stares. “If you had Twilight’s help, you could have gotten better deals!” “WHAT?!” the brother-sister duo asked, their pupils constricting. “Yeah!” Night Light pointed a hoof upward to the ceiling. “Our house’s price was originally 880,000 bits, but we got it for only 70,000 bits thanks to your sister asking on our behalf! 70,000 bits for a brand-new house in Canterlot!“ Twilight Velvet strolled to and leaned down to her daughter. “Twilight, when you were asking to pay for less, did you remember to not only smile, but lower your ears?” “Hm-hmm. I did.” Velvet facehoofed. “You could have gotten some of this stuff for free.” She glanced toward Night Light, who nodded preemptively, then looked toward Shining and little Twilight. “All right, you two, come with us.” “Uh, where?” Shining asked. “To a store you didn’t go to,” Velvet answered. “We’re going to show you how to land a real deal with Twilight’s superpower.”