Tempest Shadow stared awkwardly at the table in front of her, contemplating the tea set that sat within the crosshairs of her aquamarine eyes. The tea set was made of polished black marble, with flecks of gold mixed into the stone. If Tempest was in this situation only a year or so ago, she would have taken delight in smashing the set to bits, just to see the look of defeat and despair in another pony's eyes as she interrogated them. To restore her horn, to be whole again, of course, she wouldn’t have hesitated to do more.
But, in the present, after her quest concluded, that was no longer considered proper.
Tempest listened silently as Rarity, one of the few ponies she could speak freely in front of, prattled on about who was wearing what that weekend, or what was wearing who or some such. That sort of conversation would be more stimulating if Tempest knew even the littlest bit about fashion; she hadn't had much time for experience in that sphere of interest when working tirelessly for an evil warlord. The only sewing-related skill she had was the ability to mend wounds on the battlefield. Though, needless to say, it lacked the certain finesse of Rarity’s craft.
Even Grubber, who had an uncanny knowledge about baked goods that rivaled that of Pinkie Pie, would have trouble coming up with the mental image of a sewing needle or a spool of thread without being distracted by the thought of a cake shaped like a sewing machine.
"Um, Rarity?" Tempest asked, making sure it was just loud enough for her to hear.
Rarity stopped her rambling about what color best complemented a pony's fetlocks and looked over to Fizz. "Yes, Tempest? What is it?"
"I... I have something to ask you about..." Tempest mumbled, awkwardly staring at her own hooves, as if she were ashamed of the question.
"Oh, well, that's fine, darling," Rarity replied, taking a sip of her tea. "Go ahead, ask me anything."
Tempest took a deep breath, blushing and wiggling uncomfortably in her seat, before slowly saying, "I want to ask Twilight on a date."
Rarity nearly choked on her tea but, fortunately, she managed to swallow the hot beverage instead of spraying it all over the purple mare sitting across from her. "W-what?!"
"Did I stutter?" Tempest asked, a little bit irritated at Rarity's reaction. Rarity could tell that her reaction must have been offensive to her friend, for she quickly apologized.
"Oh dear. I'm sorry, Tempest, I wasn't trying to be rude, I simply..." She stammered for a second. "Well, if I'm being totally honest, it comes as a real shock. N-not that I don't think that you two have chemistry or anything, it's just that, well..."
"You're shocked that I'm into her?" Tempest finished, looking crestfallen. "I suppose that's unsurprising, given that she's her and I'm... me."
Rarity adopted an embarrassed expression, before admitting, "...yes, darling."
Tempest sighed deeply through her nose. Speaking from the one place she still had difficulty connecting with, even after her time serving the Storm King was a mere memory—her heart—was never simple.
"It's just..." she started, "I don't know how to describe it, but it's like I get lightheaded around Twilight. I can't take my eyes off of her. Everything about her—her eyes, her mane, her smile..." Tempest stared into space momentarily, then resumed in a more passionate tone, "her soft, feathery wings, her cute little nose, her... cuddly body... her voice... Ohhhh, my gosh, her beautiful voice!" she shuddered. "It's like... she's a ray of sunshine who'll love you no matter what you do, or how you think, or… what villain you've served. I think about her and I feel... warm inside. I see her, and my heartbeat gets faster. I hear her voice as she sings, and I go weak-kneed and slightly panicky. I see her flying, and my heart soars and my face turns red and my breath hitches in my chest. It took me a while to realize there wasn’t something chronically wrong with me. Dr. Blossom has already screened me mentally. Twice. And Dr. Graymare confirmed I was in peak physical condition. Blossom told me, once I'd been screened, and I told her about Twilight being the cause of my afflictions, that what I was feeling was... love. A love that I don't know how to express. I've felt this way for three months now, and... I want to act on it. I want to tell Twilight how I feel."
Rarity flushed a little at Tempest's verbose descriptions of how deep her affection was for their mutual friend, fanning herself with one hoof. Meanwhile, Tempest blushed a bit deeper, before continuing. "This might seem a little weird but... sometimes I dream about her. I dream that she and I are, you know, off somewhere alone... and kissing... super deeply. And... and, uh... maybe a little more than just kissing... And... those are the best dreams I've ever had, Rarity. Sometimes when I'm home alone with my thoughts, I just have to drop what I'm doing and take a cold showe—"
Rarity's eyes widened and she quickly shouted out, "OH MY GOODNESS!" It appeared her guest took the hint, as Tempest stopped mid-sentence and chuckled sheepishly.
"I know all of that probably sounds... really stupid, doesn’t it?" Tempest fiddled with her cup of tea. "A mare like me fantasizing like a schoolfilly about a pony like that and confessing all of this stuff… including the..." She quickly chased the embarrassed confession with a sip of her tea.
"N-no! On the contrary, darling," Rarity said quickly, assuaging Tempest's fears. "Your desire for Twilight is a bit... fiery, but there's nothing wrong with that, and I'm very happy you feel it. Reminds me of one of my old romance novels." She reminisced about the first few dates of her relationship with a certain orange farmmare, recalling just how intense some of their first kisses were.
"So... am I wrong for feeling this way?" Tempest asked. "Should I not have been so forward in explaining how I feel? And… am I wrong for thinking of asking her out?”
"Of course not," Rarity answered cheerily. "You're simply experiencing a little condition which the rest of the world calls limerence, or a hard crush." Continuing on despite Tempest's bashful smile, she explained, "It's far from wrong to express the depth of your passion, Tempest, don't you worry. And if you need advice for planning a potential date, you know my door is always open to you."
"I need that advice, yesterday!" Tempest nervously blurted out, a sudden avalanche of words practically burying Rarity as she lurched forward. "I've never been on a date in my life! I've never even felt this way about anypony before and I want to really make sure that it works out well and that she and I maybe have some sort of relationship beyond just being friends and maybe spend a night or two together and—"
"Tempest, deep breaths, darling!" Rarity insisted, attempting to stop Tempest from devolving into a ball of nerves and embarrassment. It worked. Tempest closed her mouth and sat back in her seat, closing her eyes and breathing slowly and deeply through her nose—Dr. Blossom’s recommended technique.
Gently, she told herself. In... and out... In... and out... Her breathing followed the pattern to the letter. The tension across her body washed away like the retreating surf on a beach.
"Feel better?"
A few seconds later, opening her eyes, Tempest replied, "Yes."
"That's better." Rarity took another swig of her tea. "Apologies for getting so loud, darling, but you were acting so restive I couldn’t give you my solid advice. You act as if you're preparing for the incoming Fashion Week apocalypse."
Tempest blinked. "Uh... I don't prepare for that sort of thing, Rarity."
"Oh, apologies again; I suppose not everypony prepares for the yearly Hearth's Warming Crush like I do for an entire month. Anyway, the first step to planning a potential date is deciding a location. What sort of mood do you desire? A restaurant? A trip to the theater? Perhaps a long nature walk?"
Tempest considered, before admitting, "A restaurant sounds good. I don't do the theater—had a bad experience at one when I was a little filly. Seriously, don't ask unless you want funnel cake to be ruined for you forever."
Rarity beamed. "Excellent! What sort of ambience?" She took another swig of her tea.
"’Ambience’?” Tempest considered. “I don't know, probably just the Hay Burger or something."
Rarity finally did spit her tea out in shock, and immediately inwardly cursed herself for doing so. "THE HAY BURGER?!" She screamed dramatically, a look of utter bewilderment in her eyes.
Tempest, though she was accustomed to Rarity occasionally freaking out for minor reasons, was still startled by her outburst, and nearly fell off of her chair. "Rarity, what the—"
"No, no, no, no!" Rarity shouted, her eyes full of fire. "You cannot invite Twilight to a place like the Hay Burger for a first date! It's hardly romantic—the waiter makes flatulence jokes loudly for the whole restaurant to hear! I went there with AJ once on a date and I have never felt so humiliated—I got dressed up and everything! Why would you even think of inviting Twilight to the Hay Burger, Tempest Shadow?!"
Tempest, uncharacteristically shivering a little from the volume of Rarity's outburst softly replied, "Because... I like hayburgers... and last I checked, Twilight does too?"
Rarity sat back down on her chair forcefully, her eyes still burning from irritation at Tempest's lack of good restaurant taste. "All right, Tempest, darling," she resolved, "I see I need more of a hooves-on approach to this advice. While a place like the Hay Burger is very convenient if you’re short of time or if you’re hung over after a night of drinking at a bar; it isn't exactly the type of establishment to set the mood on a date."
Tempest attempted to defend herself, saying, "Well, uh... I... I thought it'd be someplace that Twilight would enjoy going to... We’ve been there before for lunch."
Rarity, her patience wearing thin, quickly cut in, "Let me put it this way, Tempest... Do you think that Twilight, your friend who you have an overwhelming crush on, is going to get the message of how you feel about her when you invite her out to someplace as pedestrian, blasé and milquetoast as the Hay Burger?"
Tempest wanted to continue to defend herself, but she found it hard to argue with her logic. "...you've got a point," she admitted after a few seconds.
"Exactly!" Rarity emphasized this declaration with a flourish of her hoof. "Now, sit down and think—you already have decided on a restaurant as your potential first date. Is there somewhere in town you can think of that is even mildly classy?"
Tempest weighed her options. She wasn't comfortable at all going to some fine-dining restaurant for several reasons: the food was way too fancy for her comfort; the stress of maintaining an appearance of elegance and culture, even in the face of an itch on one's hind leg or a need to visit the restroom wasn't worth it to her, the cost of a table was prohibitively expensive, and she knew Twilight wasn't a soufleé-flambé type of pony. She also didn't want to go somewhere crowded; too many ponies would drown out their attempts at conversation. And unfortunately, Ponyville, though it was somewhat small, did have a lot of crowded restaurants.
During her year or so of living in Ponyville, Tempest had noticed several smaller, more remote places to eat, where she and Twilight might have a bit of privacy.
"There's that one cafe that I've walked past a few times," she intoned, “the one over on Withers Street with the trellises..."
Rarity let out a gasp of delight upon hearing the joint's description. "You mean the Sunflower Grill?"
Tempest nodded shyly. "Yep, that's the one."
"Sweet Celestia, darling, that's PERFECT!" Rarity shouted, quickly jumping up from her seat and rushing out of the kitchen and into the boutique proper, retrieving swatches of fabric and other sewing supplies before rushing over to her sewing machine. Tempest, meanwhile, stood up from the kitchen table and began to follow her fellow unicorn out into the shop.
"Um... Rarity?" Tempest asked, noticing her bizarre behavior. "...what are you doing?"
"What does it look like, darling?" Rarity asked amidst her furious burst of creativity. "I'm making you an evening dress!"
Tempest's eyes widened. "Rarity," she stammered, "I haven't even asked Twilight out yet—why are you making me a dress?"
Rarity mulled it over, before answering, "If what I know about Twilight is any indication, she will be jumping at the chance to go on a date with a sizzler of a mare like yourself!"
Tempest's blush intensified, and she felt her heart beat faster, though she wasn't sure if it was due to the idea of Twilight being enthusiastic to go on a date or from Rarity's compliment. "Y-you think so?"
"Filly, please," Rarity dismissed with a wave of her hoof. "If Twilight's history of love interests has been any indication, she's very into the strong, muscular, could-break-me-from-how-things-go-in-bed type." Tempest cringed a little at this, but Rarity only continued, "One of her first crushes was Flash Sentry. I remember her going on and on about his muscles and physique. And then there was her interest in Sunset Shimmer… Shame they didn't work out in the end."
She cast a smug look over her shoulder and said, "But you, darling, with your bewilderingly lithe, sexy figure and your gorgeous aquamarine eyes and that mysterious scar and your cute little horn—you are exactly the type of mare that Twilight would be head-over-horseshoes for!"
Tempest bashfully shuffled her hooves and smiled slightly. "Y-you really think so?"
"I know so," Rarity replied. "And, well, even if Twilight isn't interested in dating you, at the very least you will have an excellent dress all for yourself—free of charge."
"I honestly prefer suits..." Tempest tried to say, but Rarity wasn't listening. She suddenly stopped and stared into space for a moment.
"Hold on a tick," she questioned softly. "What exactly was I doing before you mentioned going to the Sunflower Grill?"
Tempest expressed mild annoyance. "You were supposed to be giving me dating advice, and also what I should say when I ask Twilight out."
"Oh, yes!" Rarity exclaimed, face-hoofing as if she had forgotten something as simple as what day it was. "Well, darling," she began, turning around in her chair before the sewing machine, "I suppose I can give you a few tips—three to be exact. I’ve learned quite a few in my day—for both stallions and mares alike."
"Fire away," Tempest encouraged, sitting down across from her friend.
"Firstly," Rarity began, as if teaching a lecture, "confidence. Stand straight when presenting yourself. Suavity. Don't sound too casual, or she might not take the hint.”
Tempest nodded as she mentally jotted the first item down. "I'm mostly confident, but... not with things like this. How do I gain that confidence?"
Rarity smiled. "Good thing you asked, since that's the second thing... a good self-image."
Tempest was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Upon hearing this, Rarity face-hoofed again, this time from exasperation at Tempest's complete and utter lack of knowledge about something as simple as a date. It's like having "The Talk" with Sweetie Belle all over again, she thought to herself, frustrated. "Okay, umm... close your eyes, Tempest."
Tempest was puzzled. "Close my—?"
"Do it," Rarity quickly cut in, an insistent look on her muzzle.
"...All right."
"Now, darling, breathe," Rarity instructed. "Breathe slowly..."
Tempest easily engaged in the same breathing exercise she had done earlier.
"Now, Tempest, what do you see yourself as?" Rarity asked softly, a hint of anticipation in her voice.
Tempest thought for a few seconds before answering. "I see... a broken mare... ugly… a monster... a cripple... who naively fell for the tricks of the Storm King... who attacked the Princesses and my homeland... who hurt ponies... An outcast who does not deserve this life... doesn't deserve pity or love or kindness... or Twilight."
Rarity was taken aback. She placed one hoof over her chest and stifled a sympathetic gasp. "Good heavens, darling..." she breathed, aghast, "I... I had no idea you felt that way about yourself... are you okay? I can always fetch Dr. Blossom if you need her help."
Tempest smiled weakly. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm... I'm fine, really..." As she spoke the last bit, though, it sounded as though she was choking back tears. "I'm fine..."
"All right, Tempest, I can see I have a lot to work with here," Rarity replied. "Listen only to the sound of my voice. For right this second, tell those voices to get lost. They are not as important as they make themselves out to be."
Tempest slowly nodded and did as Rarity instructed. Once she had banished the darker thoughts to the furthest recesses of her mind, she announced, "Done."
"Very good, darling," Rarity replied. "Now, focus on the sound of my voice…”
"Tempest Shadow... Fizzlepop Berrytwist… You are not a broken mare. You are not a monster, nor a cripple, nor an outcast. You may have fallen prey to the Storm King's deceptions, but he also underestimated you, which led to his undoing. You saved the Princesses. You are not a pariah, darling—you are loved by friends all around you who do not harbor resentment. And, most importantly, you are far from ugly, so distant from ugliness that most mares your age—half of your age, even—would jump through hoops to be you. You're ravishing, darling... you're lithe. Statuesque. Muscular. Your muzzle is long and elegant, your eyes are a dazzling aquamarine. Your broken horn does not make you ugly at all. It’s a part of you now. Your mane is so silky and smooth. And deep down, most of all... you deserve love and kindness and friendship far more than some other ponies. In short, Tempest... you're hot."
Tempest's heart was fluttering again, her blush returning with a vengeance as she absorbed Rarity's flurry of compliments. Was she really speaking truthfully?
"Hear my words and rejoice, Tempest..." Rarity continued, "Be confident. Be bold. Be alluring. Be comfortable in your own skin. You are glorious. And you can and will ask Twilight out. The only thing you have to fear is fear itself."
Tempest nodded as she listened to her friend's words. She must be speaking the truth, she thought, because why else would I be feeling this way?
She'd be lying if she said her confidence wasn't lifted by Rarity's compliments and affirmations. What had started as a mere flicker in her soul had grown into a glowing, bright flame. She felt the tension and jitters across her whole body slowly fade away with every inhalation and exhalation, like the tide advancing and retreating on a beach. She even felt... happy.
"Thank you, Rarity..." she whispered. "I... I feel better. A lot better. I feel like I can do it now. I feel like I can just walk up to Twilight and ask her out."
"Excellent, darling, excellent," Rarity said with a soft and mischievous giggle. Tempest heard her leave the sewing machine and move around the boutique a bit. The odd behavior puzzled her.
"You said there were three tips you could give me," she called over her shoulder. "What's the third?"
"Ah, yes, the third and most important tip of all..." Rarity concluded, returning to where she had initially been with a brisk clip-clop of her hooves. "A fetching appearance is always, always, essential. Now, how do you feel about a mud mask before I go to work on your eyes?"
Tempest's eyes shot open as she saw Rarity standing before her with a cosmetics kit levitating in her magic and with a sly smile on her face. It was obvious: a makeover was imminent.
The broken-horned unicorn face-hoofed and cursed quietly, "Ohhhhhhhhh... buck me."
Applejack bucked her hooves against an apple tree in the orchard, causing several fruits to land in the baskets surrounding its trunk. Several more landed on the head of the mauve alicorn who was busy following her, causing her to yelp in surprise and mild pain.
"Twilight," she said with a mildly annoyed expression, "if I've told ya once, I've told ya a thousand times: don't stand right under the tree when I'm applebuckin'."
Twilight Sparkle rubbed her head in an attempt to soothe the pain. "Sorry, Applejack, but... well, I wouldn't normally follow you around this, but I need advice..."
Applejack halted and stared at her friend with a look of concern. She sat next to Twilight beneath the tree. "Oh, uh... all right, sugarcube. Is everythin’ okay?"
"Well," Twilight replied with a bashful glance down at the ground, absent-mindedly tracing a circle in the grass with her hoof, "yes and no. There's no real danger. For the first time in what feels like forever, there isn't a villain threatening Equestria. But... something isn't okay with me."
"What is it?" Applejack asked, still a little concerned.
Twilight stammered for a few seconds, brushing her hooves through her mane. "You see, uh... I, uh... I'm... kinda... I... uhh... I've got a... she's got a... I'm kind of in..." Upon Applejack's eyebrow raising, Twilight bolstered her courage and blurted it out, running all of her words together:
"IthinkI'minlovewithTempestShadowandIwannaaskheronadate!"
Applejack blinked. "Um... come again? A mite slower?"
"I think I'm in love with Tempest, and I wanna ask her on a date," Twilight came again, this time a mite slower. She blushed and grinned sheepishly as she managed to say what was really on her mind.
Applejack's eyes widened, and a broad smile crossed her muzzle. "Well, shoot," she chuckled, "I always kinda wondered if ya were into mares, given how ya were so gol'-durn infatuated with Sunset last time she came through here."
"Was it that obvious?" Twilight asked, rubbing the back of her neck with one hoof.
"Twi, you were drooling as you saw her walk by ya on the way to the restroom at the Hay Burger," Applejack replied with a snicker. "It was kinda hard not to notice."
Twilight had forgotten about that incident. She laughed awkwardly and attempted to suppress the memory of Sunset which had suddenly arisen in her mind. "Y-yeah... well, I've been having those same sort of feelings for Tempest lately. I mean, can you blame me? She's hot."
Applejack shook her head. "Couldn't blame ya even if I tried. Rarity and I are in agreement that Tempest is hotter'n a tin roof under the summer sun. Ya said you wanna ask her on a date?"
Twilight nodded. "I messed up big time with Flash, and Sunset and I never were close enough. They were both attractive ponies, but... the way I feel about Tempest is different. It's on a whole other level. What I had with Flash and Sunset was about as heated as a mild jalapeno pepper, and what I have for Tempest is like a double shot of Pinkie's hot sauce."
Applejack's eyes shot open. "Hot sauce-level, huh?”
"Yeeessssss!" Twilight squealed, giddily smiling and squeezing herself with glee with her wings. She reared and bounced around on her hind legs a little. "Oh, Applejack, everything about her is so… incredible. I catch a glance from her soul-shaking aquamarine eyes, and my heart aches. I hear her say my name in her husky, beautiful voice, and I get butterflies in my stomach. I see her muscles flex when she walks next to me and my knees go weak. I feel her soft, velvety fur whenever I give her a hug, and my mind is flooded with thoughts of how much I want to hold her and be close to her… and tell her how much I love her!" Twilight flopped onto her back, her wings splayed out and moving back and forth across the grass as though she were making a snow alicorn.
Applejack leaned a little bit forward. "Hooey mama, Twi, I reckon yer pretty serious about this! One question, though: what exactly do ya need my help for? I mean, if ya just wanna gush about Tempest, I've got no problem with that, but... ya said you were both 'yes and no' when I asked if ya were okay. I'm guessin' it has to do with you wantin' to ask her out on a date?"
Twilight looked up from where she was lying on her back, her expression morphing to a more solemn one. "It does... AJ, I've never asked anypony out on a date before, let alone the walking god of beauty that is Tempest Shadow. How can I do it and not make myself look like an idiot?"
Applejack shrugged. "It ain't that hard, Twi. Y'just gotta have confidence and not be afraid to be direct here 'n there. When I first asked Rarity out, I thought to myself, 'Hey, I feel a certain way about her, and I wanna take her to a place I know she'll like, so I just need to ask her.' You'll never get anywhere if ya don't take the first step."
Twilight raised herself to a sitting position, her wings folding against her torso. "And... how do you suggest I take that first step, AJ?"
"Well, like I said, confidence is something you've gotta have if'n yer gonna ask anypony out. Just tell her how ya feel."
Twilight grimaced and shifted her weight a little. "I... uh... well, it's complicated."
"How so?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You've heard me gush about her, AJ—it's going to be awkward if I say everything," Twilight responded sadly. "You know how awkward it was when Pinkie and Cheese started dating and she, having no filter whatsoever, as she does, started yammering on about how good of a ‘performer’ he was?”
Applejack cringed, the memories still fresh in her mind. "Eeyup," she recalled, with a shiver, "and I still cain't shake what she said about the sweet potato pancakes... blech!"
Twilight nodded. "So, I feel like my confession would be the same level of awkward.”
"Well, that said, I still think ya just need confidence. Don't be that direct—there's a helluva difference between just dumping yer affection all at once and showing her yer int'rested in a date."
"I know, AJ, but... agh," Twilight stammered, sitting. "How do I do that? How do I do that well?"
Applejack placed a hoof on her chin as she pondered, debating how to translate her thoughts so that Twilight would understand better.
"Here, I'll show ya," the farm-pony said, dipping behind a tree, and, finally, finding a use for the scant acting skills she'd learned in Hearth's Warming Pageants, Nightmare Night cosplays, and Rarity's boudoir. She waltzed from behind the tree after a second, and, much to Twilight's amusement, assumed her attributes, playing the shy, nerdy Princess of Friendship in a shockingly accurate fashion.
"Well, hi, Tempest!" Applejack exclaimed in a scarily accurate imitation of Twilight's voice, ditching her country accent entirely and acting bashful in the way that only Twilight could. "I was hoping, I don't know, that you, maybe, possibly, kinda... wanted to go on a date? No, wait, don't freak out! There isn't any pressure, you know, I was just curious... You don't have to accept, it was just, you know, a crazy idea..." Applejack laughed in that nervous way Twilight tended to when she felt flustered, be it from a particularly scandalous passage from a book, or from a particularly scandalous sculpture, or from the particularly scandalous advances of a hot pony. Twilight couldn't help but laugh a little at AJ’s display—she couldn't deny its immaculate accuracy.
"Oh, well, uh... if you don't want to, that's totally fine," Applejack continued, "I'll just... go get drunk at the Ponyville Tavern." She then dipped behind the tree again to conclude her little performance, chuckling.
"That was pretty accurate. Apart from the ‘drunk’ part," Twilight declared with a chuckle of her own.
"Rares calls it 'artistic license'," Applejack bragged with a smile. "But seriously, that’s an example of how not to get a date." After a pause, she added, “Okay, maybe a pity date, but still, that's not what ya want, right?"
Twilight shook her head. "Of course not. I’d be there for her.”
"Exactly," replied Applejack. "So, allow me t'show you how ya should ask her on a date."
Applejack rounded behind the tree again. Inwardly, she told herself, All right, AJ, don't buck this up, or this is gonna make ya a laughin' stock. When she reemerged again, she still embodied some of Twilight's mannerisms, but possessed newfound assertiveness.
"Heya, Tempest," AJ started in an accurate imitation of Twilight's voice with a smirk on her face, "How's it hanging? Hey, I was wondering, you interested in going on a date with me? I know it's a little sudden but, you know…" She grinned flirtatiously with half-lidded eyes and resumed, "I've kinda been into you for a while, and I wanna get to know you personally." After a pause, Applejack continued, "Good thing I have a library card, because I’m checking you out"
Twilight blushed and she snorted as she fought the urge to laugh hysterically, as that had been a pick-up line she'd planned to use before.
"You'll go out with me? YES! I'm so excited! What time are you thinking? 7:00? Sounds great! See you then!" AJ squeaked excitedly, then trotted giddily around the tree. She returned as her usual self. "How was that, Twilight?" she asked with a snicker.
"I've never been so offended in my entire life," Twilight laughed, her giggles spilling out at last. “By the way, that pickup line was almost as good as Pinkie’s favorite line. You know the one.”
Applejack dropped into an imitation of Pinkie, lidding her eyes and saying softly, "Did you just come out of the oven? Cuz you are HOT..."
At this, Twilight burst out laughing—Applejack’s imitations were so accurate that it hurt.
Applejack shared a laugh with her, before saying, "So, do you get what I'm drivin’ at with the whole confidence thing?"
Twilight nodded and confirmed, "Yeah, I do, Applejack. Don't be a nervous wreck, speak honestly, and try to be a little flirty."
"Eeyup," Applejack replied. "You can do anythin' ya set yer mind to, Twi. 'Specially since you've faced down more'n a few villains in yer life—Tempest included. I can’t imagine you being afraid of anything ever again."
Twilight smiled softly as she stood up. "You really think so?" she asked, blushing a little and rubbing her shoulder awkwardly. "You're not just saying that to boost my confidence, are you?"
"Twilight, how the hell have ya got it in yer head that I’d say anythin' but the daggone honest truth?" Applejack replied, walking over and giving her friend a hug from the side. "I think ya could be one o' them fem-fatals in those Shadow Spade novels Rarity likes so much."
"Good point, AJ," Twilight returned, echoing her friend's affirmation of her Element of Harmony. "Good point... But it's 'femme fatales'."
The two ponies hugged, connected as only true friends could be. "Thank you, Applejack," Twilight said after a couple of seconds. "I'm feeling a lot better."
"Good to hear," Applejack said in return, shivering slightly as a soft summer breeze blew through her mane. "Now, anythin' else ya need my advice about?"
Twilight blushed and nodded, saying, "Do you know any more pick-up lines? Maybe if I were, potentially, interested in a little, uh… more than dating?"
A mischievous grin broadened across the farmpony’s muzzle. "Ya alludin’ to, uh, 'rollin’ in the hay'?"
Twilight's eyes glimmered and her wings involuntarily fluttered. "...Yes," she softly confirmed, shivering a little at the thought.
Applejack guffawed loudly. "Well, there is one I told Rarity a few weeks back... She almost fainted."
"Damn," Twilight said in shock, her mouth hanging open. "It was that jaw-dropping?"
Applejack smirked smugly. "Let’s just say she probably took a shower or two after she got home.”
Twilight raised her eyebrows, her curiosity piqued.
Applejack snickered, before leaning in and whispering...
On the other side of Sweet Apple Acres, Big Mac hummed softly as he walked back towards the farmhouse after a hard day of work in the fields, thoughts of his soft, inviting bed dancing in his head. Slowly and sleepily, he entered and trotted up the stairs, with muscles sore and aching harder than the time he got involved in a brawl out in Appleloosa. He was just about to enter the shower, when, distantly, he heard a mare’s familiar, incredibly flustered voice, letting out a distant, incredibly flustered yell...
Not thinking much of it, he shrugged and stepped into the shower.
The afternoon sun began its descent over Ponyville, and the blue sky gradually transitioned from azure to warm, friendly orange. With only a handful of days until the Running of the Leaves to mark the beginning of autumn, ponies were mingling and excitedly chatting in the crisp, cool evening air. Foals rushed through the streets playing tag with their friends. Here and there, a bar opened for the evening. A gang of friends laughed loudly at some stupid joke their buddy had made. The smell of food wafted through the streets. Music played somewhere through the streets—likely Vinyl Scratch at her outdoor DJ booth remixing whichever song by Sapphire Shores or Lady Rara was at the top of the charts this week. Now and then, an older song would float through the breeze; something slow and country-like, with swooning guitars and lyrics about a hometown the protagonist longed to return to. All in all, a warm, comforting environment, awash in the comforting orange light of a calm, late-summer evening at 5:00 in the evening.
Amid all of the revelry, Tempest Shadow ducked and dodged the gazes of everypony she encountered. She stealthily attempted to zip behind stacked crates, hide behind lampposts, and crouch beneath window sills.
Slathered in Rarity's onslaught of makeup, she wouldn’t exactly appreciate being noticed. And her adrenaline level was still quite high from the tense confession of her feelings about Twilight to her fashionista friend.
She caught a glimpse of her reflection in a shiny window pane and went wide-eyed. She certainly looked... different. Her eyelids were coated in magenta eyeshadow eyeliner for good measure. Tempest cringed, quite self-conscious of how she looked, partially due to the fact she wasn't accustomed to seeing herself beautified in any fashion, and partially because she couldn’t reasonably predict how Twilight would react.
She could only imagine Twilight’s reaction to the little black dress Rarity had gifted her which was tucked in her saddle bag. Thin and subtle, dotted with shiny sequins, it was pretty, but, having grown up in an environment where dressing seductively wasn’t considered appropriate, Tempest wasn’t exactly comfortable. She was a mare of monotony, efficiency, and ruthlessness, as the Storm King had required her to hunt down magical relics and ponies alike 24/7.
Tempest would be lying if she said she wanted to return to her previous life, but, occasionally, her new life in Ponyville was stressful. Everything she had to relearn, everywhere she had to see again, everypony she had to face...
Some days it was simply too overwhelming, and sometimes she resolved to while away her hours huddled up in her apartment, trying to destress using the advice of her medical professionals..
The tears she had shed over the course of the year she'd lived in Ponyville had been by far the worst part.
Knock-knock-knock. Tempest, realizing she'd been staring vacantly at herself in the window's reflection, yelped and jumped backwards. "Oops!" said the large brown earth pony behind the window as he opened it. "Sorry, Miss. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Oh, uh, you... you didn't," Tempest lied, her heart pounding like a drum behind her ribs.
"You sure?" the earth pony asked. "I saw you jump back like you'd seen a flock of angry fly-ders."
"Y-yeah. Well, uh, I gotta run. Sorry for fogging up your window." The unicorn quickly rushed off.
"No problem!" the other pony called after her. "Nice shade on your eyes, by the way—might have to buy my wife some for Hearts and Hooves Day!"
Hearts and Hooves Day can bite my fuzzy flank right now, Tempest thought to herself, her whole body a quivering ball of nerves as she continued slaloming to avoid the crowds, slipping into alleyways and sneaking behind obstacles.
With her apartment being only a block or so away, she only had to avoid the little park before she was home free. However, it was occupied by the Cutie Mark Crusaders helping yet another blank-flank find their cutie mark, introducing them to grass mowing.
Tempest had to alter her plan accordingly, since the CMC’s knew her personally and would likely embarrass her in front of everyone. If she utilized one of the clotheslines hanging overhead, she could possibly hop over several roofs to reach her apartment, like how she used to in her warrior days. If she timed it just right, she could avoid the gaze of the CMC’s, dodge the crowds, and enter the window of her bathroom, where she could easily—
"Hi, Tempest!"
Tempest shrieked and leapt high enough to reach one of the aforementioned clotheslines. She stumbled backwards and nearly fell on her own flank in the dirt. Rearing up onto both hind legs, one hoof rested on her chest to soothe her throbbing heart, and the other instinctively raised in a combat position. She was more than willing to employ her knowledge of extra-Equestrian martial arts learned during her service of the Storm King to deal with whoever had the audacity to surprise her.
Twilight giggled softly, amused by Tempest's over-the-top reaction, saying, "Sorry, Tempest, I didn't mean to scare you like that."
If it were anypony other than Twilight, Tempest most likely would have kicked their flanks into the following moon. But due to who it was, she resisted the urge and returned to all fours again. "H-h-h-hey, Tw-Twilight!" She stammered, involuntarily chattering her teeth.
"Mind if we talk for a minute?" Twilight asked, beckoning invitingly.
"Uh... y-yeah, sure," Tempest said. As she followed her crush, she struggled to keep her knees from knocking.
"Sure is nice out tonight, isn't it?" Twilight asked, her demeanor cheery and uplifting. "Look at the sun! Princess Celestia outdid herself tonight."
Tempest’s downcast eyes, staring vaguely in the direction of Twilight’s flanks and rear legs, jerked upwards to consider the sunset. "Y-yes, it is pretty tonight. A great night for... well, uh..." Her face flushed awkwardly. Smooth, Tempest, smooth, she inwardly cautioned herself.
"A great night for what?" Twilight asked, her adorable smile making Tempest's heart flutter.
"F-for a pint of cider, or for, uh, I don't know, a nice long walk in the woods?" Tempest inwardly sighed in relief that she hadn't managed to make things awkward.
"Oh yeah," Twilight remarked. "That sounds like it would be fun sometime... just a slow, steady amble along the trail out to Sweet Apple Acres or something..." She then took another look at Tempest's muzzle with a raised eyebrow, saying, "Hey, is something different about you? I can't quite put my hoof on it."
"Maybe," Tempest replied with a slightly hoarse voice, struggling to conceal her blush. Twilight inspected her face, and her eyes lit up as she noticed the subtle change. "Hey, you did something new with your eyes!"
Tempest blushed as her gaze was met by Twilight's violet eyes, brushing through her fur with one hoof. "Uh, yeah, I was just... trying out a new look," she lied, wanting to spare Twilight the horrors of being on the receiving end of one of Rarity's mane-and-makeup sessions.
"I really like it," Twilight replied. "That shade compliments your fur really well. And you look beautiful with that eyeliner."
"...thank you," Tempest managed to say softly, after a few seconds of being too stunned to speak. The soft and admiring tone of Twilight's voice was enough to stir chords within her soul, and she felt her spirits bubble up again. She longed to feel the way she felt when she heard Twilight say she was "beautiful" for hours... A buzz crept into her heart and made her shiver in happiness.
"And you know, your mane looks really pretty today too," Twilight went on. "It's all shiny and silky! Damn, somepony hit up the spa today, eh?"
"Y-yeah... I hit up th-the spa..." Tempest merely said to voice her thoughts, fighting against her nerves with every single ounce of her willpower. "Twilight?"
Twilight met the unicorn's quizzical tone with a curious gaze. "Yes?"
"I was w-wondering if... if I... if I could..."
"Tempest, are you okay?" Twilight asked, concerned. "You're kinda... stuttering. And your knees are jittering..."
The unicorn stopped in her tracks and sighed deeply. "Okay, I need to say this before I lose my nerve... I was wondering if... if you were..."
Twilight's eyes widened as realizations clicked into place in her mind. Was she really—?
"I wanted to know," Tempest stammered, trying her hardest to penetrate the veritable fortress of nerves and anxiety, "...if you want to go on a... a..."
"A date?!" Twilight asked excitedly, her eyes wide. A broad, adoring smile beamed across her face.
"I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a—wait, huh?" Tempest asked, shocked. "H-how'd you know?"
"Because I was going to ask you the same thing!" Twilight rushed to hug the purple mare. Tempest's jaw practically fell to the cobblestone pavement below as she stood, stunned and bewildered. Despite her best efforts, nothing could have possibly prepared her for the real thing.
"W-well, uh, do you want to go on a date with me?" she managed to squeak out as her voice faded into an adorable mew.
"Of course!" Twilight whooped and pranced in elation, bouncing around with the vigor Pinkie Pie sported at any given moment. She danced, posed dramatically, and shook her rump in the air, shouting, "Bite my fluffy purple ass, Trixie, I can get a hot date!"
Across the street, Trixie Lulamoon heard her remark. She rolled her eyes, turned, and walked down another avenue away from the giddy mare—although it was clear by her expression that Ponyville's local stage magician harbored a bit of jealousy at her accomplishment.
Twilight vibrated excitedly as she faced Tempest "Where would you like to go?"
Tempest perked up hopefully., "I've heard good things about the Sunflower Grill.”
Twilight let out a squee at this. "The Sunflower Grill?! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, my gosh, oh my gosh! I've always wanted to go there!"
"Well, I suppose we can see if it’s as good as they say.”
"I'd love to!" Twilight chirped.
Tempest struggled to devise an appropriate time suggestion, as her mind was overwhelmed by the reality of a situation which had played out so many times in her head—often ending in negative ways. "Does 7:30 work…?"
Twilight very quickly agreed, "7:30 sounds perfect! So, I'll see you there, then?"
Tempest nodded, giving her date a nervous smile. Twilight squeed excitedly and leapt into the sky, taking flight and ascending in a spiral pattern. "I CAN'T WAIIIIIT!" she cried as she flew off in the direction of her castle, practically creating a sonic boom in her wake. Tempest couldn't avert her gaze as Twilight flew through the sky, her heart fluttering like a hummingbird flitting between flowers. She rubbed her misty eyes and felt that maybe, just maybe, she didn't need to be so anxious...
"Um, lady?" came a young colt's voice from next to her.
"Yeah, kid?" Tempest said, staring off into space, her mind awash with thoughts of Twilight.
"Are you feeling okay? You look like you're about to cry..."
Tempest snapped back to reality, and the level of nervousness she was feeling immediately spiked as she realized she had an audience.
Tempest blushed and dashed for the door to her apartment, ignoring the concerned voices of the crowd behind her. She quickly slipped into her home and slammed the door behind herself, leaning up against it as she panted uncontrollably.
After sufficient de-stressing in the comforting privacy of her apartment, Tempest laid and stretched onto the floor in relaxation. As the realization of what she had agreed to do with the pony she admired more than anypony else sank in, she gazed down at her saddle bag and noticed the sequins adorning the little black dress she had been gifted glinting in the last vestiges of sunlight.
She wasn't sure whether to cry from elation or worry.