Too Afraid to Ask

by Drake Redwing

A Tasteful Date

Spike spit out his drink upon hearing the news from the doorway to the bathroom. "You're going on a DATE?! Without me?!"

Twilight couldn't keep herself from laughing as she straightened her mane in the mirror, her fur still wet from the shower she had taken several minutes prior.

"Yes, Spike," she replied cheerily, "I'm going on a date. And while I'd love your company at the Sunflower Grill, it's meant to be more of a private thing."

Spike's jaw dropped when he heard the name of the location. "The Sunflower Grill? Isn't that place kind of expensive?"

"It’s worth the few extra bits, considering the pony who’s coming with me!”

"Who is it?" Spike asked, his mind racing to estimate who Twilight could possibly have asked out. It couldn't be one of her close, platonic friends, especially not Rarity or Applejack, since they obviously weren't available. Rainbow Dash was busy with her job as a Wonderbolt, Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie were dating long-distance, and Fluttershy had been spending all her time with Discord and her animals. It also couldn't be Starlight Glimmer, since her relationship with Twilight was far more platonic, and since Starlight often spent time with Trixie alone in her office at the School of Friendship.

"I'll give you a hint: her name rhymes with 'Frizzlehop Cherrymist'."

Spike's eyes widened and he leapt into the air in shock, flapping his wings as he hovered. "NO WAY!!!! You're going on a date with TEMPEST?!"

Twilight chuckled slyly. "You bet I ammmmm~" she sang a little.

"Celestia's holy rump," Spike breathed in awe. "I never thought I'd see the day you actually took the first step with her. You've been interested in her for a while, but I thought you were too nervous to actually say anything."

"Applejack helped me be a little more confident." Twilight squeezed herself with both of her forelegs in front of the mirror. "And oh my gosh, I'm shocked I didn't do it sooner! I literally feel like I'm dreaming right now! I can’t wait!!" She resumed brushing her mane, giggling like a schoolfilly.

"Wow, Twilight," Spike marveled, "I haven't seen you this excited since Starswirl gave you his first-edition copy of Eight Bits, Volume 1—the one autographed by Neighchiro Roda himself!"

"Pfffft," Twilight dismissed, "as much as I’m honored and proud to own one of the first copies of the Reed Hat Pirates' adventures, it isn't as much of an honor as me actually going on a date with Tempest herself." She let out a little giggle as she finished styling her mane. She had withdrawn it into a ponytail, in a way that accentuated her muzzle and facial features.. The idea was to make herself look fancier and a bit more presentable.

"How do I look, Spike? Anything I need to change?" she asked, a little bit nervous.

"You look great, Twilight," Spike replied enthusiastically. "Heh," he added with a smirk, "I bet you twenty bits she’ll absolutely fall head-over-horseshoes for you. If you guys decide to come back to the castle, don't worry, I'm going to that one joint in Discord's dimension where we can get some root beer floats with him and Big Mac, so you'll have plenty of privacy. Just remember to keep your nose clean—if you know what I mean.” He winked and snapped.

Twilight shied away from the little dragon in shock, blushing and grimacing like mad. In all of her planning for a potential date with Tempest, she hadn't considered what her date would want… after their evening together.

Her mind was instantly inundated with risqué imaginary scenarios where either she or Tempest were pinning each other down… and… Tempest was running a hoof gently straight down her spine down, to the base of her wings and—

Twilight firmly shook her head to banish the indecent thoughts. Miracle of miracles, it worked, and, after regaining her composure, she spoke, "Well, this is only our first date, so... We're... She probably wouldn’t want to... you know.”

"You can be like the mare in Leather and Leglocks." Spike waggled his eyebrows mischievously.

Twilight blinked. "And how exactly do you know about that book?!"

"Let’s just say I was working at the boutique, I was bored, and Rarity lent me a big box full of romance novels to take home," Spike explained. "That one was at the bottom of the box. Personally, the whole riding crop thing wasn’t that interesting, but the story was kind of entertaining I guess, not gonna lie. Must be nice being a business-dragon like Slow Dancer… All the mares lined up outside your door."

Twilight face-hoofed. "Okay, Spike, when I get home, you and I are going to have a LONG talk about what sort of books are appropriate for you to be reading!"

"Hmmm, I'm not so sure about the look, Tempest," Grubber said, munching on a cookie, one of several he'd lifted from the jar on the kitchen counter. "I mean, I've heard that black is in this season, but, like, is it gonna stay fashionable?”

"I don’t know! Will it?" Tempest’s knees quaked with nervousness. She appraised herself in the mirror, considering her figure clad in the black dress Rarity had gifted her. The sequins sparkled in the light of the fire her little hedgehog friend had ignited in the fireplace, blinking with little pips of light as though she were wearing the stars of the night sky. The halter strap draped over her left shoulder, exposing her muscular upper foreleg and her right shoulder. The shapely bust of the dress accentuated her barrel fluff in a way she hoped would be considered alluring. Tempest certainly didn't consider complaining, least of all to Rarity, but the attire seemed noticeably... breezy.

"It's just... Well, to be honest, this is really hard for me. I got so used to seeing you the way you were even before the Storm King, and I never thought I'd ever see someone like you go on a date.. And it’s Twilight! Nerdy and cutesy and softie Twilight Sparkle!”

"You and me both, but, uh… here we are," Tempest replied. “Could you grab my brush?"

"Sure thing, Tempest." The little hedgehog dashed into the bathroom to retrieve the requested item. 

Tempest considered her reflection in the mirror. The shade adorning her eyelids Rarity had subjected her to complimented the dress extremely well and attracted attention to her intense, focused eye contact. Her mane, though still in the same mohawk she was accustomed to wearing, felt smooth and silky as she brushed one hoof through it. As she reached out with her other hoof and touched her reflection, a rush of wonder surged through her whole body. At some point, she had transitioned to appearing… feminine.

Tempest had never been the best judge of fashion or beauty, but, admittedly, she looked beautiful. In a way, she was thankful for Rarity's mane-and-makeup session, because if she hadn't suffered through it, the new look she experienced wouldn’t have been enhanced to quite the same degree.

"Twilight..." she said softly, "...will you love me?" Tempest closed her eyes and smushed her cheek against the mirror, clenching her eyes and struggling not to cry. The golden opportunity she found herself in was so opportune, she suspected, somehow, she would find a way to ruin it... What if she would be overdressed? What if the food wasn’t any good? What if Twilight didn’t feel the same way she did? Her mind bent beneath the weight of what-ifs.

"Tempest?" Grubber asked softly, offering her favorite brush with a sympathetic smile on his face. Tempest took the brush in her hoof and ran it through her mane delicately.

Grubber stepped beside her and lingered close to her foreleg. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking up past his friend's muzzle, scrunched with worry.

Tempest uttered a sad sigh. "I'm scared, Grubber, and, uh, there isn't much to say apart from that..."

"Scared of what?" the hedgehog asked.

"’Scared of what’?" Tempest echoed, a little incredulous. "’Scared of what’?! I'm going on the first date of my entire life with a pony I fantasize about, and I have no idea what she's going to think of me! Do I not have a right to be scared?!"

"Well, when you put it that way..." 

"UGH!" Tempest turned away from the incessant stares of her friend and her own reflection. After a couple of seconds, she spoke again, her voice slightly choked up. "I... I don't know if I can go through with this. I mean, what if she..."

"'What if'?" Grubber objected. "Hold the Celestia-damn calling-spell... you're this afraid over a 'what if'?" He punctuated his interjection with a loud crunch as he bit into another cookie. "Tempest, come on! You've faced down so many creatures, you've kicked the flanks of everyone you’ve come across! And you stood up against our old boss with Twilight and her friends. Do you have any idea how many ponies—and hedgehogs, for that matter—think you're the best damn thing since the invention of the cupcake? Do you have any clue how many villains would be ruling Equestria right now if you got caught up in every last 'what if' that ever popped into your head? I can think of at least one.”

The hedgehog waddled over to her and gently rested one of his little sugar-covered claws on his friend's foreleg. Tempest shied away a little, but she couldn't deny his presence was comforting. She looked down at him with misty eyes.

"Don't focus on the what ifs. Focus on what is... And what is, is that you're awesome. I just... dammit, I wanna see you happy. By any means necessary. You’ve been through enough by this point, haven’t you?" He brushed his claws along her foreleg to soothe her.

Tempest blinked the moisture from her eyes and cracked a small, genuine smile. She knelt so as to be at eye level with the little hedgehog.

"Th-thank you, Grubber," she whispered softly. "You're honestly the best friend I could ever ask for." She wrapped a foreleg around him and drew him in tightly. The hedgehog reciprocated the embrace, knowing she needed the support.

"You're welcome, Fizzlepop." 

The two remained together for a few seconds longer, before Tempest released him and stood to her full height.

"You feel better?" Grubber asked, munching on another cookie.

"Yeah," Tempest answered. "Still jittery, but... better."

"Good to hear," Grubber said as he waddled over to the apartment door and opened it for her. "Now get out there and have some fun with Twilight. Wine her, dine her, and then... well, who knows?" He looked to her as if expecting an answer.

Tempest's face went crimson from the implication, and she grimaced from embarrassment. She didn't think a first date would end with anything more than wining and dining, but… well, what if…? No, no, no, Tempest, stop it, she thought to herself. You can do this... you can do this... you can do this...

She shook her head to rid herself of her jitters and briskly trotted out into the evening air. Cold assaulted her body immediately. The dress really was breezy.

Stomach-rumbling whiffs of food filled Twilight's nostrils as she trotted up to the gate of the Sunflower Grill. She noticed a chalkboard sign was positioned outside of the restaurant, displaying fancy text . Twilight neared and read its contents.

"Wow," Twilight murmured to herself, "this place has great options. I can't remember the last time I had broc-and-cheese..."

From inside the restaurant, a soft jazz melody played...

The enticing scent of food, the crisp evening air, the restaurant's warm and inviting atmosphere, and the music coming from within certainly contributed to an overall ambiance. Already, anticipation building, she felt ready to wine, dine and shine with her date.

Twilight shivered slightly as a soft evening breeze blew through her mane. She trotted in place to maintain blood circulation in her legs. Regretfully, the strap of her satchel draped over one shoulder wasn’t sufficient to keep her warm. And it was all she had.

"All right, Twilight," she said to herself, trying to calm her jitteriness by talking, "should you pick out what you want to eat before or after Tempest shows up? Pros: it means you already know how many bits you'll be spending and you can anticipate exactly what you'll eat. Cons: you haven't seen the full menu yet and you don't know if there'll be something even better waiting for you. Plus, Tempest might like wine. Or maybe she'd go for the cider? It might be a little boozy for her, but she once told me she had a sweet tooth... didn't she? And… she might be allergic to something? I probably should have asked her earlier. Dammit. Okay, so, I can just ask her before we make our order, and then—"

"Twilight?"

In the midst of her Twilighting, Twilight hadn't noticed Tempest approaching from the rear. With a yelp of surprise, she rounded to see her date, and, immediately, her eyes bulged, she gasped, her cheeks flushed, and her heart nearly stopped beating.

Tempest. Looked. Amazing! 

The dress gifted to her by Rarity complemented her mane and the shade adorning her eyelids.. Her svelte and wiry figure appeared as though it were poured into the very shape of the dress like molten iron permeating a mold. When she shifted nervously on her hooves, the dress moved with her, and its sequins glinted in the light of Luna's rising moon, bearing patterns which resembled constellations she had learned when she was just a filly. Tempest looked like she wore the heavens themselves. All of that, coupled with the halter strap over one shoulder, and the way the dress’s bust accentuated the purple unicorn's barrel fluff... Twilight realized nothing could possibly suit her more.

"Um... h-how do I look?" Tempest asked warily, trying to pose in a way she thought might be alluring, standing with one hoof lifted slightly to present some of her back leg.

Twilight didn't answer for a few seconds as she felt blood rushing to her face; hearing her heartbeat in her ears. She felt lightheaded as her wings fluttered involuntarily. All that mattered to her was treasuring Tempest in her downright exotic and glamorous display, food and drink and manners aside.

"Twilight?" Tempest asked, a little nervous. "You've got something... like, right there..." She pointed to her muzzle with one hoof to indicate its location.

Twilight, in her enamored state, subconsciously swept a hoof across her muzzle, below the chin...

And immediately felt something cold and wet and sticky.

"Huh?!" Twilight yelped, looking down at her hoof. She didn't realize she'd been drooling. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry.” "I just... you look..."

"Overdressed, right?" Tempest glumly finished for her. "I get it, this is too much for a casual dinner..." She turned to leave.

"Tempest, you are hotter than the sun right now," Twilight interjected, causing the purple mare to freeze.. "I... I'm blown away," she continued. "I never thought I would see the day that you'd get all dressed up like this! Holy Celestia's horseshoes! You’re making me feel feelings I never even knew existed."

Tempest blushed and smiled a little. "W-wow," she said, in awe. "You really l-like my look that much?"

"I do! I really, really do..." Twilight responded, with the most adorable adoring smile on her face. Little hearts practically orbited her head as she beheld the glory of her date.

"L-let's go in!" she suggested after a couple more seconds of staring. Twilight quickly rushed to the door and opened it for Tempest. Above the door, a little bell rang to announce the presence of a new customer to the staff. 

"After you, pretty mare!" she added with a little squee.

Tempest, still in shock from Twilight's praising, slowly shuffled forward with a little smile on her muzzle, mumbling softly, "Thank you," as she entered the restaurant.

Tonight might not be so bad after all... Tempest thought to herself.

The interior of the Sunflower Grill was equally as cozy and inviting as the exterior. The L-shaped front counter by the entrance, where the cash register sat, was composed of a single slab of wood, glazed and treated and varnished to the point of mirror-smooth quality. Twilight found counting the knots within the counter, aided by warm yellow light coming from the inverted apple basket lampshades hanging from the ceiling, to be a fun little pastime. 

Behind the counter, porcelain mugs were arranged on a large rack , accompanied by glass cases and shelves holding a selection of tea leaves. The building’s walls and sturdy frame were stone brick, interspersed with rows of wood paneling. A mural of Ponyville’s environs, painted by a local artist, dominated the entire back wall of the restaurant, including the small lounge area surrounding an inviting crackling fireplace in the rear corner. The lounge area, which a few ponies occupied as they drank their wine, was furnished with plush couches, also carved from wood. The atmosphere was especially welcoming and rustic, complete with hoof-woven wool rugs underhoof.

Scattered throughout the restaurant, on both the ground floor and in the loft accessed by a spiral staircase, tables were arranged in a disorderly pattern, twisting like a snake slithering through grass. They were bench seats surrounding a smaller central table, capable of accommodating whole families or groups, and booths, divided from each other by wool macramé curtains for privacy. All of the furniture was expertly hewn from wood! Enough wood to clear out the stock of the average lumber yard.

Potted plants and vines snaked through the quirky chaos as though they were invading the place. At every window, orange curtains were partially drawn, allowing the light from the booths' hanging lamps to shine onto the street to attract potential customers.

Twilight heard a bell ding. She gazed up at the loft and noticed a dumbwaiter rising and falling as it brought ponies' orders to their tables.

While her date was busy gawking at the artisanal interior of the Sunflower Grill, Tempest was still quite nervous. While the decor was warm and inviting, it was still overwhelming. She probably should have just suggested going to the Hay Burger. That would require her going to the trouble of getting dressed up in awkward, revealing outfits. Imposter syndrome struck her powerfully, as though she were trespassing somewhere she shouldn't be.

They approached the counter at the entrance, and a white-and-orange uniformed unicorn wearing a vest stationed behind it smiled warmly. "Welcome to the Sunflower Grill," she said cheerily, "My name is Cardamom, and I'd be delighted to get you a table. How many will be seated tonight?"

"Table for two, please," Twilight requested, before wrapping one of her wings around Tempest, an action that elicited an audible “eep!” from the purple unicorn. Twilight grinned as she continued in a sing-songy voice, "Tempest and I are here on a date~"

Cardamom gasped softly, saying, "Oh my goodness! Lucky you, Ms., uh..."

"T-Tempest," she stammered, inwardly panicking while wrapped in the tender grip of Twilight's soft, feathery wing. "My name's Tempest Shadow."

"Ms. Shadow," Cardamom finished, levitating a pencil and jotting down their names on a sheet of paper behind the counter. "You're a lucky, lucky mare to be dating royalty. I mean, sharing a meal with the Princess of Friendship must be very exciting!"

Tempest blinked as clouds swirled in her mind. Her pupils having shrunken to the size of tacks, she tried to open her mouth to say something. It's way more nerve-wracking than it is exciting, she thought to herself. Eventually, she managed to nod.

"Excellent!" Cardamom levitated a pair of menus and walked out from behind the counter, motioning for Tempest and Twilight to follow. "Come on, I'll help you find a table!"

Twilight let out a soft squee and released Tempest from her feathery grip, trotting briskly after Cardamom with a spring in her step. Tempest, meanwhile, shuffled in date's trail, trying to avoid eye contact with anypony else in the building for fear they would judge her. 

Cardamom led the pair through the Sunflower Grill's main dining area, passing by several enthusiastic customers who all offered glowing reviews of their orders. Seeing how the dining area was packed, only offering a small selection of tables, the waitress directed the two mares out through a set of double doors which led to an exterior patio. The elegant patio contained about fifteen picnic tables made of hoof-carved mahogany, each furnished with a single brass candlestick and a small bowl of complementary sugar cubes. At the center of the patio was a humble stone fire pit, which blazed with all of the warmth and coziness of a campfire in the woods. Encircling the patio from all sides was a barrier of trellises, interwoven with grape vines which enhanced the privacy of the whole area.

The isolated part of the restaurant was sparsely populated and significantly quieter. This soothed Tempest's anxiety a bit, as she felt herself drawn by the beautiful decor. The soft jazz tune from inside of the restaurant played from a speaker mounted on the building's outer wall, and, in the peaceful silence outside, she could actually hear the piano notes and saxophone clearly.

"This is our back patio," Cardamom explained, gesturing with one hoof to the area. "There's plenty of privacy and romantic ambience out here—couples love it!"

"Sounds perfect! Right?" Twilight asked, giving her date a nudge.

"Yeah," Tempest mumbled quietly, feeling a newfound sense of relief after they had entered a less-crowded place.

Cardamom directed them to a table adjacent to the fire pit, much to Tempest's relief. She'd begun to shiver slightly in the crisp summer evening air, and, with a dress that was rather loose and slinky, she needed the extra warmth to feel comfortable. As Tempest sat down upon the seat cushion, she silently reveled in how soft it was, reminding her of the beautiful, adorable, cuddly pony that was her date.

As Cardamom spoke with Twilight about what might have had something to do with ordering drinks, Tempest couldn't take her eyes off of the princess seated across from her. Something about the ponytail she sported was hypnotizing. The purple star-shaped clip tying it back gave the impression a literal shooting star flew through her mane. The stripe of cerise that ran through the length of her mane and tail was almost a perfect match in color. 

Tempest found herself staring into her purple eyes again, feeling as though she were being drawn in by the gravity of the strange astronomical object Twilight had recently educated her about: a black hole, the all-consuming attractor from which nothing, not even light, could escape.

Keep it together, Tempest, she told herself. Letting on will ruin everything... Her heart had different thoughts. It was a different story. Tempest felt a soft smile creep across her face as her heart went badump-badump-badump in her chest.

Twilight said something, but Tempest was too lost in gazing at her date to hear it. On some level, it felt like experiencing one of her favorite dreams, but while wide awake...

"Ms. Shadow?" Cardamom suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Tempest grunted, shaking her head to clear her mind of the thoughts that had been slowly creeping in again. "What?" she asked, embarrassed.

"What sort of drink would you like?" Cardamom asked with a smile. "Our drinks are red wine, white wine, apple cider, apple juice, and sparkling water. We also have tea, iced tea, and seltzer."

"Um," Tempest thought aloud, considering her options, "what did you order, Twilight?"

"Oh, I ordered the red wine," Twilight replied. "I don't get to drink often—I tend to get kinda loopy if I do it too much—but I figured that we should make this date feel as authentic as possible." She gave Tempest a sweet smile, and it melted her heart even further.

"Uh... I'll have what she's having," Tempest said, gesturing to Twilight with her hoof.

"Very good choice, you two," Cardamom appraised with an approving grin. "I'll have it out for you in a few minutes." With that, the waitress unicorn levitated a pair of menus onto the table for the couple to peruse before briskly trotting off towards the kitchen.

A few seconds of awkward silence followed as Tempest struggled to make eye contact with Twilight, as she felt the warmth of the fire pit on her shoulders and exposed back. She tried to settle into the comfortable cushion beneath her flanks, wiggling around.

"Hello?" Twilight asked softly with a light chuckle.

"Huh? OH! S-sorry..." Tempest yelped with a sheepish grin. "I'm just... feeling a bit nervous."

Twilight smiled good-naturedly, saying, "This from the pony who reduced the Storm King to rubble and saved Equestria? You teach self-defense classes at the School of Friendship—I didn't think you had a nervous bone in your body, Tempest." She laughed a little, a gentle, melodic thing that only further stirred Tempest's soul.

"Well, yeah, but everypony gets nervous sometimes..." She hated how generic her reply sounded and inwardly cursed herself for not thinking of a more intelligent answer. She also silently prayed Twilight wouldn’t notice the bead of sweat forming on her brow.

"I know how you feel," Twilight said with a soft sigh. "I get nervous about a lot of things. Like, there was this one time I forgot to write to Princess Celestia a few years ago. This was back when I would send her a weekly letter about what I'd learned about friendship, and the very thought that I would be turning in an assignment that was late scared me to my core. I ended up kinda... well... I became a bit neurotic."

Tempest was curious. "How so?"

"Like, to the point that I infected an old toy with a 'want-it-need-it' spell that made everypony in town desire it like their life depended on it to create an artificial 'friendship problem'... sort of against their will."

Tempest's eyes widened, and for a few seconds she struggled to say anything.

"Yeah," Twilight groaned, "Celestia wasn't very happy with me for doing that."

"I can imagine..." Tempest managed to stammer, shifting uncomfortably.

A couple of seconds of silence went by before Twilight face-hoofed. "I'm sorry, I'm probably oversharing, aren't I?" she asked bashfully.

"Maybe a little..." Tempest admitted. She glanced down at the table she and Twilight were seated around and noticed small inscriptions in the wood. At first glance they appeared to be the carvings of a bored pony who'd been sitting there previously and perhaps scratched them in with a knife or with a wood-burning kit.

"Nice weather, huh?" Tempest inwardly cringed that she'd resorted to the lamest and most basic form of small talk, but hoped that Twilight would respond anyway.

"Yeah, it is," Twilight breathed, observing the sky above. "Looks like the town weather team ordered the weather factory in Cloudsdale to leave things nice and clear tonight... Just look at the moon!"

Tempest looked up at the moon in the sky, its soft white light shining down on Ponyville from afar. It was big and beautiful and bright, like a great spotlight diffused through a sheet, scattering its glory down onto Equus below. Tempest's mouth fell open slightly as she saw the detail in the craters.

"It's gorgeous," Tempest marveled at the majesty.

"And so are you," Twilight added, which caused Tempest's breath to hitch. When she, in a state of mild panic, looked back over at her date, she noticed the alicorn's eyes were full of affection—the kind she had only heard about in the fairy tales she was told by her parents when she was a filly.

"Y-you think so?" Tempest asked, stammering a little and gulping quietly.

"Tempest..." Twilight said softly. "Of course. Now, relax... We're just here to talk and get to know each other better."

"I... I know... and I'm trying... I just, well, for some reason I thought we already knew each other pretty well."

"Tempest," Twilight replied, "I only see you, like, maybe twice a month. Obviously I know you from all that happened with the Storm King and, you know, how you captured me, and took all of Canterlot prisoner and—"

"I get it," Tempest cut her off sharply, slightly sourly out of shame of the memories. She didn’t feel angry exactly, but hearing her mention the regrettable days of her life so casually hurt.

"Right," Twilight said, picking up on the subtext and dropping the subject of the Storm King Incident entirely. "Anyway, I don't really know that much about you as a pony. Like... hobbies, or interests, things that we can connect over."

"Sure," Tempest responded. "Anything you'd like to know? I'll try to remember as much as I can..."

"I'm actually glad you asked," Twilight told her with a sweet smile, using her magic to loosen the satchel still slung around her shoulders. Out from the satchel came a book, suspended in Twilight's magic field, and the adorable bookhorse held it up for Tempest to read. Tempest squinted slightly. "A Guide to Making a Great First Date, by… H... H. Haybarn... Haybale…?”

"H. Haybale Bundle," Twilight finished, silently noting Tempest’s apparent issue with her eyesight. "He's a leading authority on courtships and dating—and I just so happened to get this copy at a book sale at the Manehattan Public Library. I found it for, like, 20 bits on the shelf and I lost my damn mind when I saw it was a signed copy that used to belong to the mayor of Manehattan!"

Twilight grinned proudly. "I was just a little excited."

Tempest softly chuckled. "You? Excited? Unheard of." Despite her nerves, she gave Twilight a good-natured, perhaps even mildly flirty smile to let her know of the sarcasm in her statement.

Twilight laughed, a melodious noise of joy that sent Tempest's heart reeling and whirling and melting all at the same time. She is so perfect... she thought to herself.

"Yeah, uh, I got a five-bit fine for being too loud in the library," Twilight said with a mildly embarrassed snicker, blushing a little in the process. "Anyway, he offers some suggestions on what to talk about when two ponies—or anycreature, really—are trying to get to know each other better on a date. I'm sure that we can find something to talk about..."

Twilight levitated the book onto the table, placing it to the side of where their plates would be going. She flipped through it as her horn glowed softly, searching for the correct page. 

Soon, Cardamom returned with a wine bottle and two stem glasses held aloft in her magic. "Red wines, as requested," she sang cheerily, placing the glasses in front of the two before expertly pouring the wine into them. Tempest marveled at how skilled Cardamom was with her magic, and wished silently with everything in her that she could do something like it again.

"Thank you," Twilight sang cheerily, watching the deep red liquid fill the glass the way a curious foal would watch a bug crawling on a leaf. "Hey, Tempest, have you ever had wine before?"

Tempest mused for a second before answering, "Once. When I was young. If I remember correctly, I snuck into a neighbor's liquor cabinet and got in trouble for taking a sip or two."

"Well, let's hope you don't get in trouble tonight," Twilight joked, before, her confidence boosted by a glance at the book’s open pages below—in a section marked Flirty Phrases—adding with a slight smirk, "...unless you want to get into trouble..."

Tempest blushed at the particularly titillating comment.

"Oooh," Cardamom hummed as she poured the wine into Tempest's glass, "Sparks are flying!” She chuckled, then levitated the menus she had tucked under her left foreleg and placed them onto the table. "Are either of you fillies ready to order, or would you like more time to make your selection?"

Tempest glanced at the sizable, folded-up menu. Buck me, she thought, this thing is massive! What the hell am I even supposed to pick?!

"Maybe give us a few more minutes?" Twilight asked, to which Cardamom nodded in confirmation and walked off to another table.

Tempest gingerly lifted the glass of wine with one hoof and sniffed. She was not prepared for the wonderful smell that met her nostrils—a mildly sour but fruity aroma that flowed like a beautiful breeze. She sniffed once more and noted the individual flavors within the liquid, listing them off in her mind. Raspberry... a hint of blueberry, too... Lilac, perhaps. Plum, most likely. What kind of skill goes into making wine? She wondered.

"Wow," Tempest marveled after a few seconds, "it smells... amazing."

"I know, right?" Twilight asked, smiling as she levitated her glass. "I caught a look at the bottle while Cardamom was over here. We appear to be drinking Cheval de Prance—I've heard it's excellent quality."

Twilight then gave Tempest an optimistic smile and queried, "Wanna taste it for the first time together?"

Tempest shrugged, answering, "Sure." With that, both ponies lifted their glasses and sipped in unison. Tempest's taste buds were promptly flooded with the rich, fruity taste of the drink. Her eyes shot open as her mind was completely blown by the sensation. It was like an explosion of sweet and sour detonated in her mouth as the chilled alcohol worked its way around her tongue. The alcohol was sharp and unsubtle, with a warming sensation running down her throat as she swallowed.

"Oh my gosh...!" she exclaimed, a bit more animated than she had been before. "This... this is amazing!"

"Mmmm, it really is," Twilight concurred, finishing her sip. "Good year, too. Whoever made this really knew what they were doing."

"You can say that again," Tempest marveled. "I... never thought alcohol could actually taste good. The only real experience I'd had with alcohol before tonight was the rotgut crap the Storm King provided in his rations. Tasted awful!"

"How bad was it?" Twilight asked, curious, taking another sip of her wine.

"It tasted like mud mixed with kerosene," Tempest replied snarkily. "But this is nothing like that awful stuff! This is fruity and warm and delicious... it’s wonderful!"

"I'm really happy you like it, Tempest," Twilight said with a sweet smile. "Wine is an excellent alternative to seasonal cider. And it's served year-round."

"Do they sell this wine here in Ponyville?" Tempest asked, her eyes aglow with excitement. "I just might start drinking this stuff regularly! Like if I'm in the mood for some good food; or for some fun at a party, or, well..."The excitement in her eyes waned slightly as redness returned to her muzzle. "...on another date."

Twilight's eyebrow shot up. “Our first date isn't even over yet and you're already talking about a second one?"

She stammered with a mildly embarrassed smile. "I suppose I... sort of am." Tempest was glad Twilight wasn’t capable of performing mind-reading magic, because if she were, she might not like the thoughts swimming in Tempest's mind.

"I'd love to do this again soon, Tempest, but let's maybe finish this one first, eh?"

Tempest's eyes widened as she realized she'd accidentally agreed to go on a second date. She fidgeted in her seat, saying slightly absent-mindedly, "Y-yeah... let's get through this one first."

You idiot, she thought to herself, staring into space. As she sat in her seat, alone with her chastising thoughts, Twilight noticed something was off about her—something more than simply nerves. There was a look in her date's eye that she couldn't discern the origins of, a look that told her something was wrong.

"Hey, uh, Tempest?" she ventured, causing Tempest to snap to attention with a soft yelp, her eyes focused on Twilight.

"Yeah, Twilight?" she asked. The look in her eyes dimmed, but never faded. 

Something was wrong with Tempest Shadow, and Twilight wasn't sure what it was. But she was sure as Celestia going to find out. "You seem a little distant. Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"Y-yeah, I'm... I'm fine," Tempest lied. "Just getting a bit hungry, is all."

"Oh, I gotcha," the alicorn sighed slightly out of relief. "I'm starving too. Mind if we look at the menu, Tempest?"

"Not at all," Tempest stated, a little too quickly. She grabbed her menu and began to peruse it. Twilight did the same, holding the menu aloft by her magic, her violet eyes scanning the various dishes. She really wanted to get some broc-and-cheese in her belly. While she read the menu, she extended a hoof across the table, laying her foreleg flat on its surface. Tempest noticed this, and her eyes widened slightly. Twilight was busy reading the menu... had it been intentional?

She wasn’t sure, but Tempest felt herself dismissing the overwhelming cautions of nerves and fear and choosing to... reach out. With a trembling hoof, she slowly raised her foreleg up to meet Twilight's. A bead of sweat traveled down the side of her muzzle as she did this, and she swished her tail back and forth a few times to try to flick the anxiety out of her body. It took everything within her to do it, but Tempest gingerly met Twilight's hoof with her own.

Twilight let out a soft gasp, looking up from her menu, and gazing down at where their hooves connected. Tempest, surprisingly, didn't shy away when the two made eye contact. Instead of saying anything further, Twilight only gave her date a reassuring smile.

It was at that moment Cardamom returned once more, noticing the two holding hooves. "Oooh-la-lah," she sang with a chuckle. 

Twilight chuckled. "I think things are going great! What do you think, Tempest?"

Tempest, though with the concerning look in her eyes lingering, nodded in agreement. "Y-yes, it's g-going well.”

"Good to hear!" the waitress pony replied. "Are you ready to order?”

"Ooh, yes," Twilight confirmed, "I think I'll go with the broccoli-and-cheese, with extra cheese. And some crinkle-cut fries on the side." Cardamom quickly levitated a small notepad and a pencil with her magic and wrote out Twilight's order.

"All right, got one broc-and-cheese, extra cheese, plus crinkle-cut fries…" Cardamom finished writing Twilight’s order with a flourish. "And how about you, Ms. Shadow?"

Tempest looked down at her menu again, retracting her hoof from Twilight's in the process. "Ummm..." she started, considering her options, "can I get a... hmmm... What exactly is a 'tofurger'?"

"Oh, it's a tofu burger, Tempest," Twilight explained, showcasing her bookish talents yet again. "They make it from soy milk curds."

"Hmmm... can I get one of those with some extra grilled vegetables? Two patties, if that's okay?"

Cardamom nodded and wrote down Tempest's order. "Do you want fries with that too?"

Tempest nodded, and sheepishly told the waitress, "A large fry, please, the crinkle-cut ones. I'm very much a hayburgers-and-fries type of filly. Sorry my order isn't... interesting."

"No reason to worry whatsoever, Ms. Shadow," Cardamom said cheerily, completing the order on her notepad as she also levitated the menus off of the table. "We've got some of the best gourmet hayburgers and tofurgers in town right here. Thank you for ordering, fillies—we'll get those right out to you in a few minutes."

Twilight and Tempest both thanked Cardamom, before the orange unicorn waitress disappeared back inside the restaurant with a spring in her step. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight turned her head back to face her date head-on. "So, uh, Tempest... As I was saying earlier before we got our wine, I kinda wanna get to know you a bit better. You've told me what happened to your horn, but not much else. Is that okay?"

"S-sure," Tempest said, dodging Twilight's gaze. "What would you like to know?"

Twilight flipped to another section of the book on the table, seeking Dr. Haybale Bundle’s advice. Upon arriving at a section marked Conversation Starters and seeing one of its suggestions, she queried, "Well, uh... what was your hometown like? Come to think of it, I don't think you've ever mentioned the name."

Tempest frowned a little. "I was born in a town called Berry Falls, about... I think about a day's journey from Whindianapolis. It was named for nearby waterfalls powering some of the town's oldest mills back in the day. It wasn't exactly extravagant, just a little farming town in a valley. We primarily exported berries, of the blue-, rasp-, straw-, black-, cran-, elder-, bar-, lingon-, cloud-, boysen-, huckle-, mull-, goose-, choke-, crow-, and snow- variety. You name it, we had it. I don't remember that much apart from the big clock tower in the center of town that would always ring in a little tune that I adored as a filly..."

Twilight's eyes were wide with fascination and wonder at her date's story. "Wow, I've never heard of Berry Falls. It sounds like a wonderful place."

Tempest slowly nodded. "It was... before, well, you already know what happened. But before all of that, before... my horn, it was a beautiful place. My parents owned their own business, a little place called the Mane Street Cherry Treat—Sugarcube Corner reminds me of it quite a lot, actually."

"Really?" Twilight asked. "How so?"

Tempest's eyes grew a bit wistful, though there was a hint of a nostalgic smile on her face. "It was a confectionery, a bakery, a soda shop, and an ice cream parlor, all rolled into one. We lived upstairs above the shop, and I'd wake up every day to smell something new being made in the kitchen. I remember my mom always let me try whatever baked goods she made, and, wow, she could cook! Every day I'd get to try something new as a snack or dessert. The cupcakes were always my favorite." Tempest started salivating slightly at the memory. "And my dad was the confectioner there. He once made these little candy flutes that I couldn't get enough of, both in terms of taste and musicality... I think I gave him their name in one of my weird little foalhood rants—you know how ponies are when they're super young. He started calling them 'Toot Sweets'." Tempest let out a snicker at this.

"'Toot Sweets'?" Twilight asked, snickering as well. "Isn’t that from a musical or something?"

"No idea," Tempest shrugged. "That wasn't even my favorite. He would always make ice cream on weekends, and if I was well behaved the week before, he'd make me a special sundae. It was the first to really take off in Berry Falls." Tempest's eyes got misty for a moment. "He made it with strawberry ice cream, white chocolate, banana and cherries, and he always served it with a twist cone on top, and..." Her voice faltered slightly with emotion as she said, "...and he called it the Berry Twist."

"Oh my gosh..." Twilight breathed, her hooves flying up against her cheeks. "Is... is that where...?"

Tempest nodded. "He named me after his greatest creation... but he always told me it was his second-greatest creation. After me."

Twilight's eyes practically had stars within them as she stared in sheer delight into Tempest's own soul-windows. "That's so sweet, Tempest... Like... jeez..." She sniffled slightly and brushed away a couple of tears from her eyes with one hoof. "...why am I tearing up from that?"

"It's one of my few good memories... before the Storm King... before... the invasion," Tempest said, concluding her little history lesson. She seemed a little less anxious, and Twilight could tell that it was a good memory, although, when Tempest brought up the Storm King, that off look was still there.

"What were your parents like?" Twilight asked, fully enrapt by her date's story. She hadn’t needed to glance at the book at all.

"They were wonderful..." Tempest began. "My dad's name was Banana Surprise, and my mom's was Crumb Cake. They were both amazing. I remember my mom would always make the best snacks for me to take to school, and my dad was a part-time musician. My friends Glitter Drops and Spring Rain, they'd come over to my parents' shop after school and order ice cream while my dad sang, well, whatever silly song he'd thought of at the moment. Back when my horn was intact, I'd help my dad serve customers at the counter during business hours. And my mom usually based whether or not her recipes were a success on my reactions to them. I always knew it would be a special day if she brought out the cake spit."

Twilight's eyebrow rose. "’Cake spit’?"

"As in a spit for baking cake. Cake baked on a spit," Tempest clarified, chuckling a little. "You make a batter, soak the spit in the batter, and then rotate it steadily above an open fire. It makes beautiful little rings like the inside of a tree trunk. And oh my gosh is it good. Light, firm, chewy—like biting into a cloud. And the icing..." Tempest shuddered in happiness, her shoulders rolling from delight as she remembered the taste. "Heavenly." She quickly brushed aside a drop of drool which descended from her mouth as she described the confection.

"Twilight, I swear to Sleipnir, if you haven't tried a spit-cake, you haven't lived," Tempest concluded with a wave of her hoof, before taking another sip of her wine.

"It sounds amazing, Tempest; I'd love to try someday. Maybe you could make me one sometime? Give me a couple of... private baking lessons?" She half-lidded her eyes and batted her eyelashes in an attempt to be flirty—another recommendation by the book, of course.

Tempest nearly choked on her wine, but fortunately managed to gulp it down before embarrassing herself. When she spoke, her breath was slightly ragged, and a blush crept across her muzzle. "I, uh, I… thing is…" Her teeth chattered as she stammered. She offered Twilight a hesitant smile.

Twilight giggled a little at Tempest's flustered actions, finding them both sweet and attractive at the same time. "It's okay if you don't want to, Tempest. No pressure. But I've got to admit, you being flustered like that was really, really cute."

Cute? Tempest thought. She thinks I'm... cute? She fought back misty eyes as she processed the word in her brain. H-how is this actually happening? Why did she...? Am I really cute to her? I... What...? No, this can't be happening! This... shouldn't be happening! This has to be a dream, but... I don't feel like I'm dreaming...! Dammit, be still my fluttering heart!

"Th-thank you," she gasped out after a few seconds, shivering like she was caught out in a blizzard. "I, uh..." She chuckled nervously, unable to say anything more.

How is she so adorable? Twilight thought to herself. 

Though something internal cautioned her not to, Tempest gingerly reached for Twilight's hoof again, trembling like a leaf in the wind. They connected hooves, and Twilight offered her date a sweet, affectionate smile.

Though Tempest reciprocated the smile, the look in her eyes returned distinctly. In fact, it was more noticeable than before. Twilight stared into her date's eyes partially because of their beauty and partially to identify what exactly she was feeling deep down. As she looked, she wasn't totally sure but, if she wasn't mistaken, the look that she found in her eyes resembled some form of...

Self-loathing.

Before Twilight could consider the implications, however, Cardamom returned with their food held in her magic. She levitated it onto their table. The smells of the freshly cooked meals were heavenly enough to distract both mares from their anxieties and concerns. Tempest's mouth fell open at the sight and scent of her tofurger. She had never seen or smelled anything like the concoction before her. Unlike before, a bead of drool successfully slipped from her gaping mouth. Subconsciously, she released Twilight's hoof and placed both of her hooves on either side of her plate.

"Enjoy your meal, lovebirds!" Cardamom called out softly. "When you're ready, just leave the payment on the table, and I'll come get it later."

"Thank you so much, Cardamom!" Twilight smiled politely. "Have a wonderful night!"

"You too, Princess Twilight! Enjoy your date!" Cardamom then trotted back inside the restaurant to help serve other customers. Meanwhile, Tempest stared in awe at the tofurger before her. The warmth of the tofu patties and the burger’s thick bun wafted under her chin, and the smell of the grilled vegetables beneath it enticed her to quickly consume it.

"Whoa,” Tempest gasped aloud in fascination. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"You've eaten hayburgers; what do you mean?" Twilight was a little confused.

"Well, yeah," Tempest replied, "but this is something new."

She gripped the tofurger with both hooves and gingerly lifted it towards her mouth. Slowly, she took a bite… Almost immediately, she yelped in pleasure, "Oh my gosh, this is amazing!" She struggled to find words to describe the tofurger. "This is incredible! What the heck is it made of?!"

“From what I remember hearing,” Twilight recalled, using her magic to levitate a fork and stab into her pasta, “they’re made with eggs, celery and cheese in addition to the tofu. Plus an extra-special ingredient.”

“What ingredient is it? ‘Cause… I need more of it!”

“I don’t think it has an official name,” Twilight continued, “but I think Pinkie told me once that it was called Celestine Dust. Probably a brand name.”

Tempest took a larger and more eager bite of her tofurger. “This is the best food I’ve had in moons,” she marveled between bites. “I can’t believe I didn’t think to come here sooner!”

Twilight smiled sweetly. “I’m so happy, Tempest. Does it live up to your parents’ cooking?”

“I don’t know, but… it’s definitely up there!” She chowed down on more of her burger.

“You should try the fries, Tempest,” she suggested. “The menu said they’re fried in peanut oil instead of vegetable oil—they’re crispier than the ones at the Hay Burger. It might be a fun treat.”

Tempest placed her tofurger down and lifted a fry from the small basket next to it. After sniffing curiously, she took a bite, and her eyes immediately rolled back in her head as she let out a shuddering, wavering moan. “Wowww!” She tossed the rest of the fry into her mouth. “How have I never tried this kind of food?”

Amused by Tempest’s elation, Twilight spectated for a while, then levitated a forkful of pasta into her mouth. At once, the warm creaminess of the cheese, the warm, earthy taste of the broccoli, and the soft, squishy, delectable texture of the pasta rolled over her tongue. “Mmmmm…” she groaned in happiness.

“The Hay Burger has nothing on this… I think I might actually cry!” Tempest stuffed her face with another bite of tofurger and chowed down in delight.

While her date busied herself with feasting upon her meal, Twilight consulted the book again, seeking another appropriate question to ask Tempest. Given that the unicorn across from her was reveling in the taste of the tofurger, Twilight opted to ask a question less questionable in its intent. Ah, she thought to herself, Here's one that shouldn’t fluster her too badly.

“Hey, Tempest, since you brought up food, I’ve got to ask: what’s your favorite food?”

Tempest politely gulped a bite of tofurger before answering. “Honestly, I have no idea what I could count as my favorite. I just love food. If I had to answer, though, it would be sweets—cakes, ice cream, chocolate, candy, pancakes, donuts, I love it all. I don't really know how to describe it, but… I can taste things differently from other ponies.”

“How so?” Twilight asked, her interest piqued.

“You know how ponies say water tastes like nothing? Well, I can taste if the water is from a spring, or if it contains metal, or if it's been filtered or processed or something. To me, even the temperature matters. When we got our wine, Twilight, I took a sniff of it and I could tell the ingredients from one whiff…”

“Whoa,” Twilight breathed in shock. “So, what's in the wine?”

To refresh her memory, Tempest sniffed her glass of wine again, then sipped. “Raspberry, blueberry, lilac, and plum. Possibly cinnamon too.” Her eyes, half-lidded, went starry for a second as the wine moved and touched every inch of her tongue.

Twilight’s eyes widened and she sat upright, straightening her spine. “You mentioned that to Dr. Blossom, right? Did she say anything about supertasters, perchance?”

Tempest nodded. 

“I read a book about it a while ago. Fascinating stuff. Did you know Pinkie is also a supertaster? That’s how she has such an intimate knowledge of baking!”

“Explains a lot.” Tempest reclined in her chair as the reality of what Twilight told her sank in. “Gosh, I think you're right. She really can taste anything, huh?” She recalled times Pinkie had endeavored to taste every flavor in Equestria. “I should have known by the way she bakes. The patterns I see whenever I bite into one of her cupcakes are absolutely mind-boggling.”

Twilight, confused, called out, “Wait, wait, wait… what? What patterns? What are you talking about?”

“When I eat things and close my eyes as I'm chewing, I see these beautiful patterns of light dancing in my vision. Each flavor has its own pattern, too. Cheese has a soft, yellow starburst.” She pointed to her crinkle-cut fries, and the excitement in her voice resounded like the echo of a foghorn penetrating fog. “These fries have a swirling whirlwind of brown, earth-tone sparks. The wine has these cascading waves of scarlet and purple light, like a tsunami!” She glanced up at Twilight to see her gorgeous violet eyes wide and an elated smile on her muzzle.

“When a bunch of flavors are combined into something amazing like this tofurger, it's like a fireworks display—pinwheels and bursts and sparklers from the cheese and lettuce and the celery and the eggs! I can see fountains of bright green every time I taste the celery, and ripples of warm yellow and white for the eggs! And that Celestine Dust you brought up?” She uttered a soft, shuddering moan of delight, her voice shaking like a leaf. “It’s like explosions going off in my brain—it almost makes me want to cry!”

She jumped up in her seat, giddily pranced, reared up on her hind legs, stretched her forelegs to the sky and exclaimed, “I LOVE FOOD, TWILIGHT! I LOVE FOOD!” She let out a slight squee of delight, before plopping her flank back down in her seat with a joyful grin on her face.

“W-Wow,” Twilight said, her mouth open with an awestruck smile on her face, “Tempest, you did have a walk with Doctor Blossom about synesthesia too, right?”

Tempest considered for a minute, before mentioning, “You know, Dr. Blossom did use that word during my mental health screening. It’s when two senses overlap, right?”

Twilight nodded with an eager expression. “Sounds like your taste and vision are crossed with each other. That explains what you see when you eat!”

“And it isn't even just food! It happens with certain words, too! Like, if somepony says the word ‘cloudy’, I get a sharp, cold taste in my mouth, even if I'm sweltering hot. The word ‘sunny’ produces a taste like fresh-picked daisies, ‘blue’ tastes like icy-cold lemonade, and ‘trees’ tastes like pine sap.”

Her rant completed, Tempest took a deep breath to calm herself. “It's amazing…” she whispered giddily, gazing fondly across the table at Twilight, whose eyes were glued to her. 

Just as she was about to go for another bite of tofurger, she heard three words she never expected to hear from anypony.

“You're amazing, Tempest.”

Tempest froze, looking back up at Twilight, who was now gazing with what Tempest hoped was love. “I… I am?”

“Of course you are,” Twilight affirmed. “You’re totally unique. I don't think I've seen anypony, not even Pinkie Pie, get as enthusiastic about food as you do. It's inspiring seeing you as happy as this. I've never seen somepony so happy to bite into a Prench fry as you. Your senses differentiate you from everypony else in a unique way. I bet you could be a judge at one of Sweet Apple Acres’ cider tastings, perhaps even the best judge they've ever had. You're so much deeper and complex than I ever imagined…”

Twilight reached her hoof forward to take Tempest's own, feeling the purple unicorn's body twitch and shiver at her touch.

“You’re one of the most amazing ponies I've ever met…” Twilight said softly, her eyes conveying unadulterated admiration. “And I want to get to know you better. I want to really get to know you better.”

Tempest's mind was overwhelmed with a flurry of surprise, flusteration, love, desire, shock and concern, and her eyes lowered sheepishly. As Twilight took her hoof, she trembled slightly, and her breath hitched. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and she found herself choking up. The electricity of Twilight's touch rushed throughout her entire body, invigorating her soul in a way she had only dreamed of.

“I… y-I wuh– I… I would like that too, Twilight…” Tempest said softly, gazing into the entrancing violet eyes of the pony sitting across from her. It truly was a dream come true, and like all pleasant dreams, she was averse to it ending. 

“Tempest?” Twilight asked. “You said you can taste ponies’ names…” she said slowly. Twilight blushed, flustered, as she struggled to voice her thoughts. “What does… my name taste like?”

Tempest thought for a second, her gaze temporarily moving aside. She slowly closed her eyes and focused. “Go ahead and say your name, as if you were saying it for the first time.”

With an anticipatory smile on her face, Twilight obliged: “Hello, Twilight Sparkle here!”

Sensation danced like a ballerina across Tempest's tongue as soon as she heard the delectable, beautiful name. It started with a gentle caress of sweetness, like the flavor of strawberry ice cream, a pink ripple radiating across her entire field of vision, punctuated by rockets of sparkling, crackling purple. The sweet taste cascaded into gently-rolling sour waves, like fresh lemonade, that swept across the depths of her mind like ocean tides. Then, sweetness returned, like a frosted eclair or the gooey center of a jawbreaker. The sensation rushed up and down her spine from the base of her skull to the depths of her tailbone, making her heartbeat accelerate...

“Sweet,” she softly stated, her mind in a state of absolute bliss. She opened her eyes to meet Twilight's gaze, with an adoring smile creeping across her face. “Your name is sweet… just like you.”

“Awwwwww…” Twilight crooned. Her ears flopped downwards as she rubbed her hoof back and forth in her date's grip. “That's the most romantic thing anypony's ever said to me, Tempest… thank you.”

Tempest felt a little woozy and lightheaded as the implications of what the alicorn had been telling her sank in further. She likes me, she thought. She REALLY likes me… maybe she even… loves me. Oh my gosh, my heart… Maybe I was worried for nothing. Maybe Rarity was right and… I do deserve love. I just have to tell her. I have to tell her how I feel!

“Twilight?”

“Yeah, Tempest?”

“There's… th-there's been s-s-something I've wanted t-to talk to you about for a while.”

“What is it?”

Tempest took a couple of deep breaths like how Dr. Blossom had taught her, steeling herself and her nerves, her confidence slowly climbing in increments. In… and out… In… and out… 

“I've been wanting to tell you this for… for over nine months,” she began. “It started after you saved me from being sucked into the Storm King’s tornado. I didn't know it for sure then, but, later, at the party in Canterlot… when you told me my horn was powerful, just like ‘the pony it belonged to’… I felt something. Something that I… I didn't even know I could feel… not since my parents split and my horn was destroyed. And when I launched that magic burst into the sky, and then I saw you, so proud of me, so… approving and forgiving of me… Y-you and your friends didn't mock me for my name… ugh, I'm babbling, aren’t I? I don’t know why I’m struggling so much with this.”

“It's okay, Tempest,” Twilight reassured her, stroking her hoof along Tempest's foreleg, which only further flustered the unicorn.

“Twilight,” she said, trying not to faint from nerves and from flusteredness, “I… wanted to tell you that I, uh… um…”

Twilight leaned closer and sat on the edge of her seat.

“The thing is, I realized that I… I'm… I'm in lu… luh…” She took one last deep breath. “Twilight, I realized that I'm in lo–”

“OH, MY WORD, EWWWW!” 

A loud, obnoxious, haughty voice shrieked and interrupted Tempest's confession. Both mares looked in the direction of the shout and spotted a middle-aged white unicorn mare with a short manecut dressed in a fine silk dress and a large sun hat, slathered in entirely too much makeup, sitting at a table by herself and recoiling in blatant disgust.

“WHO ALLOWED YOU TO DINE HERE?!” The mare shrieked, pointing one hoof directly at Tempest.

“Wha–me?” Tempest asked, pointing to herself in shock and horror.

“Yes, you, you empty-headed dolt,” the mare hissed icily. “I have traveled all the way from Manehattan to escape reject ponies such as yourself. Yet here you are, sharing my patio!”

Tempest’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open, but before she could get a word in edgewise to defend herself, the Manehattanite mare continued her tirade, attracting attention from the other diners on the patio. “It was terrible enough that Princess Celestia pardoned a traitor such as yourself after what you were responsible for in Canterlot, but now you dare to infiltrate this environment and foul it with your presence?!”

The mare raised both of her forelegs to indicate Tempest, as though she were presenting a lecture. She succeeded in attracting attention to herself, and by extension, Tempest.

“Cripple!” she shrieked. “You’re a dreadful stain on the tapestry that is the unicorn race! Useless good-for-nothing, low-born, filthy, common, can’t-even-levitate-a-pencil DUD!”

The other patrons of the restaurant who were listening to the hateful speech shouted in protest. “You can’t say that!” a stallion called out from the opposite side of the patio. “Why’d you bring race into this?!” an offended mare bellowed, seething with rage.

“As if it isn’t obvious!” The Manehattanite mare raised the volume of her shrill snobby voice to be heard over the din of the other patrons. “She is not fit to dine here with us! She has no horn to show off to make other ponies jealous!”

Twilight rose from her chair. “Do you have a problem with my date? Because if you have a problem with her, that means you have a problem with me.” She maintained straight, unwavering eye contact, directly into the center of the Manehattanite mare’s pupils.

The unicorn released a long, dramatic, snobbish gasp, nearly fainting from revulsion. She placed her hoof over her forehead dramatically. “Oh, the ponanity! This is beyond the pale, do you hear me?! This truly is a nightmare of unimaginative proportions—You’re DATING THAT SPLIT-TIP?!”

Twilight stamped one hoof on the ground. “ENOUGH!” She unfurled and spread her extensive alicorn wings to elucidate who, exactly, the mare was dealing with. She wasn’t any other pony who would cower or shy away from being ranted at, she was the Princess of Friendship, somepony who did not take kindly to her loved ones being called racial pejoratives.

The intimidation worked like a charm. Immediately, the Manehattanite mare blanched and retreated a little, her eyes widening. 

Twilight hovered several feet off of the ground. The flaps of her wings produced downdrafts of immense force, blowing leaves in all directions. "Who gave you the right to waltz in here and start verbally abusing my date with your stupid high-horse attitude?” Twilight snarled. 

The Manehattanite mare narrowed her eyes and doubled down, digging her hole ever deeper. “So that’s your date, is she? I’d mistaken her for a dingy old doormat!”

Twilight interrupted by doing something she, admittedly, had little practice doing before—she summoned will from deep within the depths of her spirit and assumed the Royal Canterlot Voice, as she had observed Celestia and Luna do before her time. “SILENCE!”

The magic emitting from her horn flared, casting furious sparks of violet mana as she stomped towards the mare’s table. “Listen here, you shrieking, repulsive, vomitous little mass: Tempest was pardoned by Celestia because she proved herself in the end, when it mattered the most! She’s rehabilitated! I’m shocked that you think it’s appropriate to say these horrible slurs! Says a lot about Manehattan’s so-called polite society!”

Twilight slammed both of her hooves on the mare’s table. She glared down the muzzle of the Manehattanite with an intensity that rivaled Fluttershy’s Stare.

Twilight growled like a feral dog, arching her upper back in an attempt to look larger and more intimidating. “If you don’t back off, I swear I will send you HURTLING into the next moon in the next five seconds!” 

A moment of stunned silence followed Twilight’s outburst. The Manehattanite mare found herself speechless in the face of the furious alicorn, and only managed to squeak quietly. 

A rapid clip-clop of hooves sounded from the back door as Cardamom exited onto the patio. “What’s going on—” Cardamom started to say, but as soon as she saw the mare Twilight was glowering at, her voice suddenly filled with ire. “You! How did you get back in here, Fusspot?”

Fusspot attempted to summon forth the obnoxious so-called bravery she had utilized earlier. “Stay out of this, you blue-collar immigr—”

Cardamom cut her off before she could finish her newest hate screed. “You and your foals were removed from our restaurant an hour ago for berating me and other members of our staff. Are you really going to force me to kick you out again?”

The waitress looked at Twilight. “She wasn’t giving you trouble too, was she?”

“Oh,” she replied, “you know, nothing serious or anything, just average run-of-the-mill commentary about my date being a ‘dud’.” She punctuated her verbal air quotes with a roll of her eyes.

“What?!” Cardamom's eyes narrowed furiously. 

Fusspot protested desperately, attempting to excuse herself. “I was just saying the truth!”

“Not in our town,” Cardamom forcefully interrupted. “The Sunflower Grill has a policy for absolutely no toleration of despicable behavior like yours. You have precisely sixty seconds to get out of my establishment before I get the sheriff!”

“One…” 

“Two…” The waitress continued. All around, the other patrons of the restaurant eagerly awaited to see what would happen next. Fusspot trembled anxiously, clearly debating her next move.

“Three…”

With an ugly scowl, Fusspot quickly grabbed her purse and dashed out of the restaurant like her flank was on fire. Along the way, she made sure to intentionally bump into other patrons along her path.

The other diners cheered at the eviction of the loudmouthed racist from their midst. A couple of ponies whistled in celebration. Twilight sighed with relief as, with the offender removed from the premises, she could resume her date.

She returned to the table and sat. “Sorry about all that, Tempest. At least that racist old hag is gone, now. I guess money can't buy class, can it?” She chuckled. “Anyway, uh, where were we?”

She looked across the table to see Tempest and saw that her aquamarine eyes were glazed over as she vacantly stared at an indistinct point in the background, seemingly staring through Twilight rather than at her. All of the pensive and joyous emotion Twilight had seen in her eyes was gone, replaced with emptiness and self-loathing.

“Tempest?” she asked softly, hoping to capture her attention and shatter her trance. A chill ran down Twilight's spine as she realized something was very, very wrong with her date. “Tempest? Are you okay?”

Tempest was not okay. The words of the Manehattanite mare were lodged in her brain, echoing repeatedly like a shout in a chasm. 

”WHO ALLOWED YOU TO DINE HERE?”

“Cripple! Dud! Doormat! SPLIT-TIP!”

The words tumbled through her mind, ripping and tearing away at her nerves like rolling boulders made of razor blades. She breathed heavily. She recalled the words she'd called herself at Rarity’s once again…

Cripple, broken mare, outcast…

“I… I need to go.” Tempest abruptly rose from her seat and walked off.

“What? Wait!” Twilight yelped, trying to reach out and take her hoof. “Where are you going?”

“I'm just going to the bathroom, Twilight. I'll be back soon…”

With that, Twilight was left sitting alone at their table with a confused and worried look on her face. Tempest briskly cantered back inside the building, trying to restrain impending tears.