//------------------------------// // Playing with Matchmakers // Story: The Chronicle of the Return // by DracoUnis //------------------------------// It's the final harvest before winter at Sweet Apple Acres, and I'm up in one of the Apple's trees. A small basket is hanging from my elbow, filled to the brim with the ripe apples I've picked. From my vantage point I can see the ponies hard at work. Applejack had asked everyone to help her and Big Macintosh harvest their orchards before the pegasus weather team drop the temperature any further. I volunteered, so now I'm about ten feet off the ground, utilizing every instinct and childhood memory to reach the apples. So far I've managed to avoid falling out of the trees. To be honest I'm very impressed with may pace so far. After two hours about ten trees worth of fruit have been plucked by my hand. Even at that speed, I'm far behind the Apples. Heck, I'm behind Fluttershy, and she's just carting our harvest back to the barn. Big Mac and Applejack have their own method of getting the apples out of the tree, and it takes seconds compared to my protracted struggles with gravity. How they manage to kick the tree just hard enough to get the ripe fruit to fall is beyond me. I'm carefully inching my way up a branch towards a beautiful golden specimen of the farm's chosen crop when I spot Big Mac making his way up to me. The red colt seems a little distracted. Maybe it's farm worries. Macintosh isn't nearly as much of a worrywart as his sister is, but he has his moments. "Hey Mac. I'm almost done with this tree, so just point out the next one you want me to climb and I'll pass this basket down to you," I say, stretching for the apple. My fingertips brush it but it swings away before I can get a good grip. As I adjust my position in order to get a better angle I notice that Big Mac hasn't responded. "Um, Mac?" I look down to the base of the tree. My stallion friend is looking out over the fields towards Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn is using magic to lift entire barrel-fulls of apples at a time, organizing them for later storage. She tosses her head to flip a bit of mane out of her eyes, and even from this angle I can see Big Mac's eyes get bigger. He's got a silly little grin on his face that would be hilarious if he were not lining his hindquarters up with my tree at the same time. Uh oh. "Uh, Big Mac, I'm up here." Please don't. I really don't want to reacquaint myself with the ground that way. He's not paying attention to me. His eyes are locked on Twilight. He shifts his weight and lifts his hind legs. "Big Macintosh, I'm up the…" To late. The red pony's plate-sized hooves impact the trunk, sending teeth-chattering tremors up the tree. "TREE!" Ow. Hi ground, it's nice to see you again to. My fall seems to have snapped Big Mac out of his love-struck stupor though. He walks over to me with a sheepish grin on his face. "Uh, whoops?" The only thing I can say right now is "Ow." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You should just go talk to her," I tell Big Mac later. I'm sitting in Granny Smith's rocking chair holding an ice pack to the back of my head. Luckily the only injury I received from my little tumble is a sizable bump back there. "Nope," the red colt says, sitting next to me in an Applejack-decreed time out. "Mac, you're crushing on her hard enough to buck me out of a tree. Seriously, go talk to her." The whole issue is graduating from cute to annoying at a depressing rate. Mac gives me a look. "Ah said Ah was sorry, Lanternlight." I shoot his look right back at him. "You want to make it up to me? Go talk to Twilight. Talk about the weather, the harvest, anything." Now he looks kind of depressed. "Ya know Ah ain't much of a talker." I shake my head, taking the ice pack off my head because that would just look ridiculous. "Then man…er, stallion up and ask her out." "Ah don't even know if she likes me," the expression on Macs face becomes one of resigned hopelessness. "Oh, for the love of…" Here's were the conversation gets recursive. "That's because you haven't talked to her! Seriously, if you want something to happen you have to start it yourself." I stand up carefully, hoping that my balance is still unaffected by my head injury. Thankfully my feet stay under me. Applejack trots up the path, joining us on the deck in front of the house. "How ya doin' Lanternlight," she asks, "that lump on yer noggin feelin' any better?" I nod, causing the orange pony to turn her attention to her brother. "Big Macintosh, Ah can't believe that you would allow yerself to be so distracted. What's on got yer mind so occupied that ya knocked poor Lanternlight out of the tree?" Mac only turns his head away from his sister in shame. I know that he probably doesn't want to talk about it, but I speak up anyways. "He's got a crush on Twilight." If Big Macintosh could turn any redder, you would be able to spot Sweet Apple Acres from orbit. Applejack looks shocked. "Wha? Mac? Crushin' on Twi? Since when?" The big red colt coughs into a hoof, "Well, ya have her over to help out a lot. An' well, she's mighty pretty an' smart. It just kinda happened." He looks around to see if anybody else is around to overhear. Luckily, the other ponies are taking a break on the other side of the house/barn. "AJ, please help me talk some sense into this big idiot," no more Mr. Nice Guy. "I've been trying to get him to talk to Twilight for the past twenty minutes." Applejack gives Big Mac a bright, encouraging smile with an undertone of humor. "Oh, Mac. Ya gotta at least say somthin' to Twilight. Otherwise, yer fealin's will just stew away inside 'a ya." The orange mare gives her brother a good-natured poke in the side. "Now get over there an talk ta her, we got yer back." When Big Mac looks at me, I give him a grin and a thumbs up. We walk around to the other side of the house. Mac pauses when we round the corner, staring at the object of his affections. Twilight is talking to Rainbow Dash, the annoyed expression on the unicorn's face making it clear that she was trying to debunk some element of the blue pegasus' bragging. Mac rallies his courage and walks over to Twilight. "'Scuse me?" He says, shifting nervously on his hooves. "Yes?" Twilight looks at Big Mac curiously. "Uh, can Ah have a word with you, Miss Twilight? In private?" Mac smiles at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus looks between the two ponies, before shrugging and flying back to the table where the others are talking asnd sipping apple juice. AJ and I join the group as Mac leads Twilight away to avoid being overheard. "What was that about?" Rainbow asks us as she sits at the table. Applejack is watching her brother, a small grin on her face. "Oh, Big Macintosh just needed to talk with Twilight is all." Rarity looks up from her conversation with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. "Whatever for? I dare say Macintosh doesn't really strike me as the reading type. No offense Applejack." The orange pony does seem a little peeved, but I answer Rarity's question in true friend style, "That's between him and Twilight." Bro Code; you don't tell a bro's crush to the crush's friends. AJ's his sister, so that doesn't count. "By the way Rarity, are those shirts ready yet? I'm getting pretty tired of having to wash this one every day." The white unicorn is immediately distracted. "Oh, of course. You can pick them up tomorrow, along with another pair of those denim pants you like so much. I must say, designing clothes for a human has been a wonderful challenge. It was about time I tried something new." "Ooh! Speaking of Lanternlight and new things," Pinkie interrupts, "We're giving that peanut butter and chocolate cake recipe a try at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow! You should totally come over and help me taste test it after going to Rarity's! Or before you go. Whichever!" "Uh, sure." Pinkie smiles and goes back to her juice. We talk about some more random stuff before Twilight comes back over. I look for Big Mac, but he's run off somewhere. Maybe he went for a hike. Twilight has a large grin on her face. "You're not gonna believe this," she squeals, "but Big Mac just asked me out on a date!" The mares portray different reactions to her announcement. Pinkie cheers. Rainbow nods as if she knew it all along. Rarity squeals along with Twilight, and Fluttershy congratulates her. Applejack does a spit-take, soaking me with apple juice. I just can't win today. "I know," the purple unicorn says with glee. "It's my very first date ever! We're going out for dinner tomorrow night. Oh, I have to get back to the library. I'm sure there's a book about dates somewhere." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later that afternoon I'm enjoying a nice, long soak in the hot springs behind my house. The hot water is heaven for my sore muscles, and I have just finished washing away the coating of sweat and apple juice I had built up today. I watch the slowly setting sun and consider how much longer I can stay here before the temperature makes the short trip back to my house unpleasant. My thoughts are interrupted by a visitor. "Lanternlight, ya home?" Big Mac's strong, steady voice echoes off the valley walls of Sunset Springs. I haven't had a chance to congratulate my buddy on his date yet. Now's a good a time as any. I call out, "I'm back here, Mac." The red colt trots up to the springs, an expression of deep thought on his face. "Care for a soak? The water is the perfect temperature, I heated it myself." A small bit of Firebending is enough to make the water hiss and throw a thick cloud of steam into the air. Also, blowing steam out your nose does wonders for the sinuses. "Nah thanks," Big Mac says as he waves a hoof to clear the steam. "I really need ta talk ta ya." He looks, and sounds, even more serious than usual. I sigh, reaching for the towel draped nearby. Looks like my soak is over. "Let's take this indoors, shall we?" I dry myself off and wrap myself up in Rarity's housewarming gift, a delightfully plush wool robe. We enter my house through the back door into the kitchen. I light the stove and start warming water for a cup of tea. I'm getting addicted to the stuff I swear. I was never really a coffee person anyways. "Tea? Lily sold me a wonderful blend of camomile and lemon yesterday. Just the thing to calm a troubled mind." "Please." Big Mac watches me brew the tea for a few minutes before speaking up. "Ah need your advice." "For your date tomorrow night." I suspected as much. I pour two steaming cups and set them on the table, a straw in Mac's. "Is this your first date, too?" He's a good friend, but I doubt that he's had a lot of experience with mares outside of his family. "Nope. Second." Ah, just enough to be cautious then. Macintosh taps his hoof against the tile flooring as I sweeten my tea with honey. Having a serious talk with this pony is a game of patience and leading. Rushing him just causes him to clam up tighter. After a few seconds I ask, "So what do you want to ask me about?" Big Mac takes a deep breath, before diving right into the heart of it, "How can Ah make Twilight like me enough to keep dating me?" Oh dear. Confidence issues. I had to face those same issues when I first set my sights on Karol. It was only after some hard-learned lessons that I finally relaxed around her. A special kind of lady can do that to a guy. Apparently, Twilight Sparkle was that lady for Big Macintosh. It is time to impart some of my relationship wisdom. "Mac, listen. You can't 'make' Twilight like you like that. It either happens or it doesn't, and trying to force the issue won't help. You just have to relax, be yourself, and let her feelings come to her naturally." "But," my stallion buddy protests, "what if she doesn't like me?" "Well, it might take more than one date for Twilight to decide one way or another. And even if she doesn't return your feelings, there's nothing you can really do about it. Since you can't control it anyways, think about what you can control. You. Just be yourself and try to have fun." "Okay." The poor guy looks a little more sure of himself, but he's still looking like a sad puppy dog. He takes a sip of his tea before asking his next, very important question. "Where should Ah take her then?" That I can't help so much with. "I have no idea. I've only lived in the area for just over two weeks. I've been in town a handful of times, mostly visiting the girls or shopping for produce. Ponyville's restaurants aren't really my area of expertise." Big Mac's head sinks lower to the ground. Damnit Lanternlight! He needs my advice but it doesn't really have to be specific. "Okay, how about this: take her someplace nice but not fancy. Somewhere you two can sit and talk without too many interruptions." That brings the red stallion's spirit back up. The look on his face says he might have a few places in mind. He hangs out in my kitchen for about an hour, before leaving to get back home for the night. I watch him walk out of the valley before lighting my lanterns. I use Firebending, shooting small fire darts from my fingertips to light them as quickly as possible. The exercise helps me clear my mind, but not as well tonight as other nights past. Reentering my home, I climb the stairs to the second story. The second floor of my house is one big, open loft. A fireplace in the outer wall divides the room in half. The western half has my bed, wardrobe, and locker. The eastern half is a study. Bookshelves are built into the walls, although they are mostly bare right now. A large desk sits near the fireplace and a high backed armchair, piled with the charcoal rubbings we took from Ceatus's barrow and my own notes. Like the rest of my house, lighting is accomplished by a network of cleverly placed candles and mirrors. The light gives the place a soft, warm glow. I sit in the armchair after lighting the fire, a fresh cup of tea in my hands. I consider continuing my study of the history left to me at the barrow, but my mind is in a different place tonight. All this dating talk has brought Karol back into the forefront of my thoughts. The past couple of weeks have been such a frenzy of activity. First I was getting used to Ponyville, then scrambling to find a place to live. All that rush had pushed the girl of my dreams to the back of my mind, but never out. I have few regrets about choosing to leave Earth behind, but Karol is definitely on top of that list. She was an amazing girl; smart, funny, talented, and beautiful. I had fallen for her the moment I laid eyes on her, and I fell hard. My friends always joked that it was love at first sight. I pursued her with everything I had, but I only wound up hurting myself. So I stopped. I let things happen naturally. We had become friends, and we were starting to grow closer. Then Ignus's spell brought me here. A whole other world, and I chose to stay rather than search for a way back. I still feel like that was the right choice. I know it was the right choice. But I can't help but wonder. Does Karol think I'm dead, killed and tossed into the trackless forest by some stupid, random lightning strike? Does she think I'm missing? Is she even still on Earth, or did the spell bring her to this world too? Is she frightened, cold and alone in some land far from the friendly borders of Equestria? I wake up when cold tea spills into my lap. The warm fire must have lulled me to sleep while I sat in the armchair. A little annoyed, I clean up the spill and call it a night. I'm probably going to have to back Big Mac up on his date tomorrow. Even if I can't be with Karol anymore, I can make sure that two of my friends have a shot at something special. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next day I decide to visit Sugarcube Corner first. The Cakes did an amazing job with the chocolate and peanut butter "Resses'" cake, and Pinkie decided to accompany me to Carousel Boutique so she could hand out free samples to her friends. We enter Rarity's store to find her with Twilight. Twilight herself looks frazzled, her mane mussed and her eyes shut as she lays on the floor. Rarity is laying a consoling hoof on the other unicorn's shoulder, although she looks a bit confused. Spike is sitting on a nearby stool with his head in his claws. "Okay, what's going on here?" I ask. This doesn't look like a very good beginning to the day. Spike speaks with a tone of annoyance. "Twilight got the bright idea to read the entire Relationships section of the library. She was up all night." Wow. I know Twilight is a heavy reader, but that's going a little overboard. Not to mention that it was a very, very bad thing to do just before a date. Twilight moans miserably, "I don't know what to do. All those books said a bunch of different things about how to handle a relationship. But Mac and I aren't in a relationship yet. Are we? He asked me out on a date, does that count? Should I kiss him tonight? Or would that send the wrong message? Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." "Now there dear, calm down. You should now that you have no obligations to do anything tonight. It is only the first date." Rarity pats her friend's head reassuringly. "But it's my first date ever! I really want it to go just right, but none of the books I read said anything about what a first date is going to be like. What should I do?" The purple unicorn looks like she's on the verge of snapping. Luckily Pinkie steps in with the save. "Stop fussing and have some cake!" The pink pony scoots up to Twilight and pulls a plate of cake from the basket she had brought with her. The unicorn, however, is still distraught. "This is not the time for cake Pinkie!" Twilight is chewing on a bit of her mane now. That's not a good sign. "I'm in the middle of a crisis here!" Before the borderline neurotic unicorn can continue ranting a pink hoof stuffs a slice of cake into her mouth. Twilight almost spits it out before stopping. She slowly chews the confection in her mouth, her face visibly relaxing as that edible miracle known as chocolate does it's work. Pinkie smiles at her blissful friend, "I know, good huh?" Spike holds a claw in the air. "Can I get a piece of that to?" The little dragon soon has his request fulfilled by the grinning earth pony. Rarity sighs in relief, "Thank you Pinkie Pie. Now Lanternlight, your shirts are in the back. As you requested I steered away from gemstones, but I did take the liberty of embroidering a few with flame motifs. I know you prefer solid colors, but a little bit of detail won't hurt you." The white unicorn leads me into the back and helps me gather up my shirts. They are mostly darker shades of red, yellow, and orange, and while I am a little peeved that she embroidered a few of the button-ups but I cannot complain about the quality of her work. After all she did do this free of charge. The jeans are just as good, plain blue denim without embroidery with nearly perfect seams. As we leave the back room I spot the designer cover up a box of failed attempts at human clothing. Nobody's perfect. I barely take two steps into the main room before I'm beset by Twilight, who apparently finished her mouthful of cake and was back to worrying. "Lanternlight," she's practically shouting in my face, "you're a boy!" "Last time I checked, yah." "What do I do for a first date? Please, please help. I know Big Macintosh is your friend and I don't want to let him down so is there anything you can tell me?" Oh man, she's got the puppy dog eyes going. Nothing mortal, human or pony, male or female can resist that look. She does it almost as well as Apple Bloom. Plus she's as close as eye to eye with me as she can get. That's just overkill. "Look, Twilight," I say, gently pushing her off me. "The best thing you can do tonight is just be yourself." Strange, I feel like I've said that before. About this exact same subject. Crazy. "Have fun and don't worry. If things are meant to work out, they will." My purple unicorn friend bites her lip, a bit reassured but still worrying. I guess it's in her nature. "But what if things get... awkward?" Rarity takes it from here, "It's a first date. Things are going to be a little awkward at first, but once you get past that it's all upwards from there." "Besides," Pinkie continues, "You should focus on having fun with the guy you're with. Maybe even ask him out next time." Pinkie waggles her eyebrows suggestively, drawing a giggle from Twilight. "I don't see why not. Macintosh is quite a handsome stallion, and he strikes me as a perfect gentlecolt. Unlike some others I could name." Rarity's last comment holds an unexpected amount of venom. There's a story there, I imagine. Our friend finally relaxes, putting her worries aside under the weight of our collective encouragement. "Well, I guess I should start getting ready for my date." She turns to leave, only to be cut off by Rarity. The white unicorn turns Twilight around and begins pushing her towards the stairs to the second story. "First of all, you are going to get some sleep. No buts," Rarity cuts off a protest before Twilight can even form the first syllable. "Once you're well rested we can start preparing you for tonight. Lanternlight? You can tell Macintosh that he can pick Twilight up here when he's ready." "Uh, sure." The two unicorns vanish up the stairs, leaving me alone with Spike and Pinkie Pie. I stand there for a few seconds before pointing to the door. "I'll just be heading back home. Big Mac is going to meet me there later. Catch you later Spike, Pinkie." "Laters Double-L! I got a lot of cake to give away!" Pinkie bounces out the door ahead of me. The purple dragon perks up a little, probably because he was effectively being left alone with Rarity. "See you guys," he calls out the door. I have a pretty good feeling about tonight. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That evening Big Macintosh and I arrive at the boutique. Mac is freshly groomed, his collar polished until it shines. He knocks on the door with one hoof then shifts around nervously. He adjusts his collar then looks at his reflection in the window. "You look fine," I tell Mac. He's been doing this ever since we left Sunset Springs, and frankly it's gotten a little annoying. Now I know what David had to suffer through when I was dating Karol. Thankfully Rarity opens the door for us and invites us in. "Twilight! Your date's here!" A white unicorn filly shouts up the stairs as we enter. "Sweetie Belle!" Rarity scolds her little sister, "That was very rude. You shouldn't yell indoors." "I'm coming!" Twilight shouts back downstairs, sounding a little frantic. Sweetie Belle smiles at her big sister, who rolls her eyes in annoyance. I take a seat on Rarity's model platform to wait for Twilight's grand entrance. As I do a white Persian cat, the unicorn fashionista's pet Opalescence, leaps into my lap and begins purring. Sweetie also comes over to join me. "Hi!" She's looking at me with curious eyes. "I'm Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom's told me and Scootaloo a lot about you, Mr. Lanternlight." "I'm sure she has." The little Apple seems to think of me like another big brother. So naturally she takes every opportunity to tell her friends everything she knows about me. "Is it true that you can make fire with magic?" Ah kids. If it's bright, new, and dangerous it is bound to be cool. As much as I like showing of, I glance at Rarity questioningly first. She nods tentatively, giving me permission to Firebend inside her store. A little. So I create the smallest flame I can. That's still enough to impress the little filly. I'm making the flame dance around my fingers when Twilight finally joins us. She's wearing a simple yellow dress with a red stole, with a little makeup on to accent her features. Big Mac is speechless, staring at the purple unicorn until she blushes uncomfortably. "Um, h-how do I look?" Big Mac says nothing, so I give him a little nudge with my foot. "Oh, uh, you look mighty pretty," the big red lug stammers out. I feel like facepalming but now's not the time. "Shall we get goin'?" He gestures to the door. "Yes, let's." Twilight follows Mac out the door. He even holds the door for her. They walk down Ponyville's main street together. "Awww. They're so cute." Sweetie Belle says, her head in her hooves while obvious thoughts of romance run through her head. Rarity turns her head away from the window, "Yes, I suppose so. You should get going yourself Sweetie. You don't want to keep your friends waiting, do you?" The filly jumps into the air. "Oh yeah! Apple Bloom and I are sleeping over at Scootaloo's tonight. I gotta go Lanternlight! See ya!" And with that she's out the door. The older of the unicorn sisters pats her curled mane thoughtfully before she turns to me. "I'm sorry, Lanternlight, but I have to close up the store now. I'll see you soon, we still have to get your measurements for your feast clothes." Oh goody. Wait a minute, something about this strikes me as odd. "Why are you closing up so early, Rarity? Do you have somewhere to be this evening?" The unicorn pauses and looks around, "Uh, well. R-Rainbow Dash asked for my help this evening. Something about helping her with a new stunt routine. She's expecting me soon, you know how she is. I'll never hear the end of it if I'm late. Ha ha ha." Opalescence is giving her owner a meaningful look. I decide to play along, though. "Huh. I didn't realize you knew so much about pegasus stunt flying. You must be really knowledgeable for Rainbow to value your input so much." "Oh, it's not so much for technical advice," she says as she all but shoves me out the door, "Style is style after all. Well I've got a lot to do and little time to do it see you later bye." Her blue magic slams the door behind me. One good thing about living with ponies: most of them are horrible liars. I sigh and stretch out, already looking around for good cover to shadow Rarity from. Looks like I have to play interference for Mac and Twilight. Otherwise they're going to be interfered with, and I'm betting Rarity is not the only one of our pony friends that's planning on following those two tonight. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sun is close to setting by the time Rarity stops. She's outside one of Ponyville's less expensive upscale restaurants, and I can see the silhouettes of Big Mac and Twilight in one of the windows. I'm hiding in the bushes nearby, watching the white unicorn as she debates her next move. My own plan is to get her over here somehow. I shift over to get more comfortable when I see a blonde tail on the ground next to me. Looks like my guess was right. Applejack is sitting in the same bushes, but she is so intent on spying on her brother and his date that she hasn't even noticed me yet. The farm pony is muttering under her breath. "C'mon Macintosh Apple. Say somethin'. She's a talker, ya just have to get her goin'." In another world, I would suspect her of using a headset to give her brother advice. As we are not in said world, however, I just see a worried sister rooting on her big brother. It's cute, but still an invasion of the couple's privacy. So I give AJ's tail a yank, and dodge the inevitable kick while the pony stifles a yelp. She looks at me with panicked eyes, then calms down a little. "Lanternlight," she whispers, "what are you doin' here?" I hold up a finger to shush the orange pony, then return my attention to Rarity. She's speaking to one of the waiting staff outside. Probably trying to figure out a way inside the restaurant without alerting our couple. Luckily, she walks around the building towards the bushes Applejack and I are hiding behind. The waitress walks slightly ahead, so I quickly grab the unicorn and pull her into the bushes. When the waitress pony turns to speak with Rarity again she sees nothing. Rarity is shocked to see me, a given under the circumstances. "L-Lanternlight!? What are you doing here." There's that deja vu again. "Going to help Rainbow Dash, huh?" I cross my arms as I look both ponies in the eye. They both begin to talk at once, but I hold up a hand for silence. "Ah, let me guess. You both want to make sure this date goes smoothly. AJ, you're waiting for your brother to come out so you can give him some advice. Rarity, you were planning on impersonating a waitress so you could eavesdrop and maybe slip Twilight some advice." The girls share a quick glance before nodding. I want to smack them both upside the head, but I settle for a shake of my own. "What in gods," wait, "Celestia's good name were you thinking? Plans like these never turn out well!" I whisper to the both of them, and Rarity at least has the grace to look embarrassed. Applejack, on the other hand, "Well what are you doin' here then, Mr Dating expert?" Her sentence is loaded with unspoken accusation. "I'm the guard dog," I say, arms still crossed. Something odd enters the edge of my vision. "Speaking of which, get out of that cloud and come down here Rainbow Dash." Above us is a fluffy grey raincloud with fuchsia eyes and a rainbow-streaked tail poking out the back end. It's not very hard to guess who it is. "Uh, no Rainbow Dash up here. Nope. Just a cloud." "Well Mr. Cloud," I make create a flame in my palm while I'm talking, "it's very nice to meet you. Unfortunately the weather schedule says it's supposed to be clear tonight. I'm going to do the weather team a favor and disperse you now, okay? No hard feelings." I shoot a jet of fire up into the cloud. Rainbow Dash leaps out of it just before my flame jet pierces the center, causing the raincloud to puff out of existence. "Hey!" Dash yells as she lands heavily next to us. "Why did you have to do that for? Do you know how hard it was to find enough moisture to make that thing?" The three of us shush her at the same time. The door to the restaurant opens and we all duck into the bushes. A chef sticks his head out the door and looks around, then shrugs and goes back inside. Rarity gives Dash her best accusing glare. "And what, praytell, were you doing hovering over a restaurant in a raincloud?" We're back to whispering again and the brash pegasus is wise enough to follow our lead. "Um, creating a romantic atmosphere?" The pegasus smiles at us guiltily. Our reaction to her blatant is enough to make her confess. "Okay, okay. I was going to prank the lovebirds with a little rain, what's the big deal?" Rarity gets within a hairs breath of Dash's face before answering. "The big deal? The big deal is that this is Twilight's first. Date. Ever. Even the thought of pranking her tonight." The unicorn gasps. "How could you?" "An' my brother's been workin' up the courage to ask Twi out fer ages." Applejack glares at our very guilty blue pegasus. "The last thing he needs is fer somepony to rain on his parade. Literally." Poor Dash's wings are almost touching the ground. "I-I. I thought it would be funny." Okay, she's had enough verbal abuse for one night. "Look, she didn't get to do it. I think it's best if we all just go home and leave Twilight and Big Mac in peace to finish their date." The three ponies look at each other and nod, but as we're starting to leave we hear Twilight laughing. The next thing I know, we're all peering through the gap in the bushes. Judging from the silhouettes the unicorn is talking animatedly with the big farm pony, Mac supplying a comment now and then. After a few minutes we hear them both laughing. Applejack is thunderstruck that her brother is actually coming out of his shell. Rarity is smiling and giggling with romantic glee. Rainbow Dash is leaning in closer to actually hear the conversation. I take down a mental note to brohoof Mac when I see him tomorrow. It goes on like this for an hour before I say, "Time to go." So we leave, one human and three mares walking down the moonlit street. "Hey," I say as we pass a well-lit diner, "you girls hungry?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Macintosh and Twilight step out into the street. The moon is high and the night is quiet, and they turn towards each other. "I had a really great time tonight, Mac. Would you like to walk me home?" Twilight looks up at the big stallion. This is going to be a very interesting letter to the princess, she thinks, but it won't be about my studies this time. Big Mac meets Twilights eyes. This night had gone better than he had ever hoped. It was a little awkward at first, but then he remembered Lanternlight's advice and relaxed. The date had only gone smoother from then on. "Ah would like that very much." The two walk slowly down the street. After a few minutes of walking Twilight leans against Mac's side, and the big pony blushes a bit before leaning back a little. "It's a beautiful night," Twilight says softly. "Why don't we take the long way home?" "Eyup." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash says: If you think this fic is awesome as I am, then rate and comment! It'll encourage the author to keep writing chapters. Toph: And don't forget to tell your friends about the story. Recommending is how you'll keep this story alive. RD: So you ready for another round of hoof wrestling, Squirt? Toph: Only if you're ready to loose again, Twinkle-hooves. RD: Bring it on, dirt princess!