//------------------------------// // What If? // Story: Hypothetically // by Erynaster //------------------------------// "What if, hypothetically, I... kind of had a small... um... crush on you?" You stop in your tracks, turning to face the mare trotting next to you. You can see that her face was now a shade of burning crimson, the thick blush covering her cheeks and most of her features. "W-What did you say?" Twilight Sparkle takes a deep breath, as though gathering the courage to speak before opening her mouth once more. "I-I said..." "... wanna go for a walk with me?" You look up from your typewriter, where your gaze locks onto a pair of pretty violet eyes. Twilight Sparkle stands by the doorway to your bedroom, awaiting your response. "It's a bit late for that, isn't it?" You take off your glasses and place them on the desk, wiping them clean with a piece of cloth. Twilight sighs. "I know it's late, but... the sunset looks so pretty this time of day. I just figured we could go out for a bit, y'know? To stretch our legs..." Twilight trails off, her tail wagging eagerly as she waits for you to reply. "Hmm..." You hum, thinking for a moment. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. Where will we go?" Twilight beams at you. "There's this pretty spot by the lake, Fluttershy showed it to me the other day. We can watch the sunset there." Twilight offers invitingly, her tone carrying with it a hint of pleading. "Come on, please? It's been ages since we've been out of the castle." You struggle in vain to resist the pull of Twilight's puppy-dog eyes staring deep into the chasm of your soul. Darn ponies and their weapons-grade adorableness. "Oh, alright. Fine." You sigh. "But only 'cause you asked nicely." You stand up, walking over to her and ruffling her mane. You chuckle at the adorable sight of the purple Alicorn staring up at you, her mane a mess and her expression one of indignation. "Anon! Not my mane..." Twilight mutters, straightening out her colorful locks with her magic. "You sound like Rarity. And hey, you look good that way. Makes you look more laid-back and casual." You joke, watching as she continues straightening out her locks while giving you looks of incredulity. "Plus, you look cuter when your hair's a mess." Twilight does a double-take, blushing slightly as though your words took her by surprise. You fail to notice her reddening cheeks as you're now preoccupied with choosing a sweater from a nearby closet. "Y-You really think so?" "Mmyup." You mumble absentmindedly, finally selecting a two-tone sweater to match the colors of autumn, which is what the season currently was. "Ready to go!" You say, before finally noticing your friend's flustered expression. "Um... Twi? You okay there?" Twilight shakes her head a few times, chuckling nervously. "W-What? Psshhh. I'm fine. I'm fine. Whoever said I wasn't?" Twilight lets out a sound halfway between an awkward chuckle and a squeak. "I'm totally okay. Are you?" You stare at her for a moment, before shrugging your shoulders in an offhand way. "If you say so." You reply, unsure of what to make of your friend's odd behavior. "Well, shall we?" Twilight recovers slightly to beam at you once more. "Y-Yes! Absolutely. Come on, let's go." "You were right, Twi. The sky sure does look pretty today." You always thought of the sky as a canvas of sorts. A blank, never-ending canvas that stretched out for hundreds of miles, each streak of color a splash of paint dotting its surface, piercing through the fathoms-deep sea of dark blue. Right now, the sky was a shade of golden yellow, the sun's final rays casting golden light through the growing hues of purples and blues, a sign that day was finally over, and that night would soon come. Twilight trots adjacent to you, staring up at the sky with equal interest. "Yeah... it sure does." The two of you make your way in the direction of the woods behind the castle, where past a few brambles and thickets you knew there to be a vast lake, with a lot of sightseeing spots around the edge of the shoreline. This spot Twilight was taking you to, it ought to be something special. "So... how's your novel going?" Twilight asks, finally breaking the silence between you two as you make your way down the worn path leading into the woods. "It's alright, I suppose. Dante still hasn't found the truth behind his mother's murder. Meanwhile, the feds are still actively investigating the case of the missing artifacts from the museum." You kick a stone in your way as you go, and it rolls down the path for a moment before coming to a halt at the base of a tree. "He still hasn't found out about his wings yet, though." "Wait, I thought Dante already learned the truth about his heritage way back in chapter three?" Twilight asks, intrigued. This was a common occurrence between you and Twilight. She always displayed a keen interest in your written works, being a book-lover herself. This only brought you and Twilight closer together, with your love for writing matching perfectly with her love of reading. It was as though Fate itself had brought you two together, which was probably the reason why Twilight became your best friend in the first place. "... and then, spoiler alert: turns out, Dante's mother was the one pulling the strings the whole time. She orchestrated her own murder, and laid hints for Dante to lead him to the truth of his own heritage!" Twilight's eyes widen with interest. "Ooohh, that's good! I would've never seen that coming..." Twilight gushes, prancing excitedly in place. "What happens next?" "... I haven't gotten to that part yet." You sigh sadly. "Darn writer's block." "Oh, Anon... that's rough." Twilight pats your back with an outstretched wing. "Still, feel free to run some ideas by me, I'd be happy to help you brainstorm some ideas!" You smile. "Thanks, Twi." "Don't mention it! What are best friends for?" She chirrups happily. "You mean my only friend. You're the only pony I'm this close with." You chuckle lightly. Twilight huffs disapprovingly. "Well, if you got out of the castle more and made more friends like I asked you to—" "But why would I do that? You're all I need, Twi. You're the only pony who gets me. Like, really gets me." You retort, huffing slightly. "Why would I need anypony else?" Yet again, Twilight seems to be at a loss for words, her cheeks reddening once more. "I-I'm flattered, Anon. But I really think you should—" "I'm not gonna repeat myself." "Okay, fine. But just so you know, the Princess of Friendship is very disappointed in you." Twilight chuckles. The two of you resume your walk in silence, taking in the quiet ambience of dusk. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Twilight still fiddling with her mane, this time with a comb she had taken out of her saddlebag and was now running through her slightly messed-up hair. "You still fussing over your mane, Twi? Didn't think that Rarity would've rubbed off on you that much." You chuckle. Twilight continues brushing her hair as if she didn't hear you, stopping only to glance up at you, her ears drooping low as a faint blush creeps up her cheeks. "I-I just... I wanted to look good for this evening, that's all..." Before you can ask about what was so special about the evening, you notice that Twilight's features look significantly more... refined than usual. Then it dawns on you. "Wait, Twi... are you... wearing makeup?" You couldn't believe it. Twilight smiles at you, her blush deepening. "Mhmm." "But... why?" We're just hanging out, nothing special there." Twilight sighs, her brisk trot slowing to a walk. She glances up at you once more, as if to say, "I thought you knew?" "Anon, I... we need to talk."