//------------------------------// // A Walk to Remember // Story: To Wake the Stars at Twilight // by LA Knight //------------------------------// Rςß "Rarity, you said we were gonna get more fabric to make the Cutie Mark Crusader capes." Sweetie Belle didn't want to complain; she wasn't just some little schoolfilly anymore - she was too old to be whining. But the new school year had already started, and sign-ups for the Ponyville Chapter of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had just ended. They had seven new foals, plus the nine from the year before. They'd already paid their annual dues and uniform costs, and Apple Bloom had already taken their measurements, which meant the new Crusaders (and their paying parents) were expecting to get those CMC uniforms at the next meeting. Normally, Sweetie Belle would've left the fabric shopping to her friend Apple Bloom, who'd finally discovered her talent in design and construction - both fashion and interior/exterior - but it was zap-apple season. Apple Bloom was busy with the harvest. Overseeing the little ponies who'd signed up for Granny Smith's annual zap-apple jam-making class took a huge chunk out of her time, as well, and there were her lessons with Zecora in Everfree (whatever those were about). In short, the young earth mare was as busy as Granny Smith's beehives. Since it was also Scootaloo's week to visit Rainbow Dash at the Wonderbolt Academy, that left one fashion-challenged unicorn to deal with the uniforms. Hence why she was with her sister, the most stylish fashionista in Ponyville (and in Canterlot, if anyone had asked Sweetie Belle's opinion). Rarity had claimed to be happy to take her sister to the local fabric store… which made Sweetie wonder why they were at the Ponyville Library instead. "We're not here to pick another one of those trashy romance novels you like, are we, Sis?" Sweetie Belle mumbled, eyeing the library door with mild irritation. She liked reading as much as the next pony, but not when it interfered with something more important. "Of course not, Sweetie Belle," Rarity snapped. "Keep your voice down." Pale blue eyes darted nervously around to see if anyone had overheard. Her predilection for "trashy" romance novels, as her sister called them, was a well-kept secret in Ponyville. Only four ponies knew of it: Rarity's parents, her sister, and Twilight Sparkle, who kept the other unicorn mare well supplied with… product. Pasting a smile on her face, Rarity added, "No, we're here to pick up the latest issue of Project Runway. I need it to go shopping for myself; this way we can get your errand and mine taken care of in one trip. Make sense?" "Oh." The younger mare nodded. "Okay." Rarity relaxed a little, since Sweetie Belle wasn't going to push her about the romances, and knocked on the library door. The sisters waited for a few minutes in relative silence. No one came to the door. Frowning, Rarity knocked again. Sweetie Belle cocked her head. Weird. Even if Twilight wasn't home, Spike or Owlowsius should've been there to get the door. So where- The door flew open to reveal a pale, shaking, wild-eyed Twilight Sparkle. Strands of her mane stuck up every which way, violet facial powder darkened her lavender coat in splotches, and a set of false eyelashes hung from the corner of one amethyst eye. Sweetie Belle's mouth fell open. Rarity's eyes merely widened a fraction. "Darling," the fashionista said gently. "What on earth-" "Rarity!" Twilight cried, reaching out and grabbing her friend by the strap of her over-the-shoulder saddlebag. "Thank goodness! I need your help!" Without waiting for a response, she yanked her friend into the library. The purple unicorn didn't hear Sweetie Belle mutter, "I'll say." The younger mare followed her sister and her sister's seemingly-crazy friend into the library, kicking the door shut with one hoof. Spike and Owlowsius, perched on Twilight's desk in the main room of the library, glanced over at Sweetie and shrugged. Clearly they didn't know what was going on, either. Wondering how long this was going to take, Sweetie Belle decided to help Rarity by locating the magazine her sister wanted. Considering the state of the main room, that would take awhile. Pushing aside a haphazard stack of books - the topmost book was titled How Not to Look Like a Slut 101 - Sweetie went in search of the fashion zines. Meanwhile, upstairs in Twilight's room, Rarity watched her friend pace back and forth, every so often tugging at her forelock in agitation. The best part was watching Twilight's face and hearing her disgusted exclamations whenever she passed her full-body mirror. Finally the white unicorn grabbed her friend by the shoulders and forced her to be still. "Darling, what is this about?" Rarity asked. A tiny spritz of azure magic pulled the lashes hanging askew from Twilight's face. "You've never been one for makeup and dressing up, so why…" Twilight fidgeted, shifting her weight between all four hooves. She hung her head with a sigh. "I kinda, sorta," she peeked at Rarity beneath her lashes, "have a date." For a moment the other unicorn simply stared at Twilight as if she'd said the earth was flat and mythological humans had built the stone circles of Trottingham and Connemara. Rarity blinked twice, slowly. Then she peered at Twilight, giving her the fierce sort of once-over she normally reserved for a very choosy customer. Twilight… Twilight Sparkle… had a date? With a stallion? Tonight? Rarity briefly considered being insulted; why was Twilight only asking for her help now, at the last minute? But her friend looked so utterly panicked that the fashionista didn't have it in her to get well and truly miffed about it. Instead, she gave Twilight an understanding smile. "Well, first things first - we need to wash your face. Come on." Cleaning Twilight's face - and the rest of her - of makeup took a few minutes. Then, taking a compact of concealer powder, Rarity applied a light dusting of the white powder, following it with lavender, powdered foundation. "Violet's too dark for your complexion, darling," the white unicorn informed her friend. "If you don't go with your coat color, you should only go a shade lighter or darker. Now for your eyes; do you have a piece of cardstock and some scissors anywhere?" It took perhaps an hour to do everything Rarity wanted to make Twilight look her best. She'd lined her friend's eyes with midnight violet liquid liner, which made them look just a little bigger, and gave them a somewhat sultry look that didn't even approach slutty - exactly what the fashionista had been aiming for. A bit of silver eyeshadow and clear lip-gloss enhanced the look. It helped that Rarity had slightly styled Twilight's mane to emphasize her eyes, as well. A few well-placed decorative hairpins were the final touch. When she allowed her friend to turn around and look in the mirror, the purple unicorn's mouth fell open. "Is that… me?" Rarity tossed her fashionably curled mane over one shoulder. "It is, indeed, darling. You look fabulous." In point of fact, she looked like herself, but with just a little something more about her. The perfect look for a first "kinda, sorta date." Since Twilight wasn't sure if this Peter fellow actually meant it to be an actual "date" - though Rarity was fairly certain the stallion was romantically inclined, since he'd asked Twilight on two outings at the same time, and was going out of his way to escort her to and from Sweet Apple Acres tonight, which meant he had to make the round-trip twice… but Rarity kept that little opinion to herself - they hadn't gone overboard, keeping it subtle. "Wow," Twilight whispered, sounding awed. "I look… I really look…" "Fabulous!" Rarity cried. "Now, let's pick out your outfit. Outfits must match your hair and makeup, you know." Þ€ "He is going to attempt to fight us, my sister," Princess Luna murmured as she emerged from her room in Canterlot's observatory tower. The circular overlook that wrapped the entirety of the tower's top was where Luna stood to raise the moon at the hour of sunset, which was swiftly approaching. Celestia stood on the overlook already, watching the weather-pegasi of Canterlot placing clouds to paint a brilliant sunset. The younger princess drew abreast of Equestria's ruler. "You know he will." Celestia sighed. "With the information he provided for us, I almost want to fight Fate myself. But hopefully Peter isn't so foolish as to think he can win against Fate… or against us." "He loves her, my sister." Another sigh. "Love has always made him reckless. Losing her will break him in ways we've seen before. Hopefully he will heal from her loss, as he has healed before this." Luna began to draw power from the diamond stars above and the lengthening shadows blanketing the world as Celestia began to bring down the sun. Magic whispered through Luna's blood, starlight and midnight. She imagined the luminous pearl of the moon on the other side of the Equestria. Threads of power stretched between the Princess of the Night and the silvery moon. It resisted for a moment, trying to stay settled in its gravitational sling, but Luna coaxed it out the way one might coax a wild thing from its nest. As the sun sank beneath the horizon, the moon peeked above it, ivory against the velvety twilight of the sky. When the moon was on its way to resting in the cradle of the stars, Luna turned back to her sister. "Sister, I do not wish harm to come to your student. I am… fond of her." Fuchsia eyes settled on Luna's solemn face before returning to the vision of moon and stars. A soft breeze rustled Celestia's shadowed feathers, cool along her white coat. She didn't speak for a long time. When she did, the sorrow in her voice was obvious to her younger sister. "I, too, am fond of Twilight Sparkle… but some things must be. And as her idol, Starswirl the Bearded, discovered… one cannot hope to change Fate. Attempting to is hopeless. It's never been done." Only when Celestia had gone back inside, and Luna was gazing up at the fullness of the moon, did the Night Princess murmur, "Just because it has never been done, does not mean it cannot be done." Luna's eyes flicked to Ponyville, miles away. "Fight Fate, Peter," she whispered. "Fight Fate, and Celestia, to protect Twilight Sparkle. You are the only one who can." ŦS Twilight couldn't stop pacing. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had already left to go to the fabric store - something about taking care of the newest troop of Cutie Mark Crusaders - so Twilight was relatively alone as she wore a circle in the floor pacing around the main column of the library's roof supports. What if Rarity was wrong? What if Peter thought she looked ridiculous? What if wearing makeup broke one of the co-ed friendship rules? She didn't have a lot of stallion friends she hadn't known since foalhood - hers or theirs. Snips and Snails wouldn't have noticed if Twilight wore makeup; neither would Featherweight or any of the other stallions who'd been colts when she'd first come to Ponyville. As for Big Macintosh or Horse Power or Doughnut Joe… they probably wouldn’t notice, either. Would Peter even notice? What if he didn't notice? Did that mean anything about whether he wanted to be friends? "Ugh! Why does friendship have to be so complicated?" Twilight cried, stopping long enough to reach up for her mane. Only a cautionary "who!" from Owlowsius reminded her that she'd mess up her hair, which Rarity had been kind enough to style. It wasn't anything elaborate, but if she messed with it, it would look elaborately messy. "I think you're over-thinking this, Twilight," Spike said. He swung his legs back and forth where he perched on one of the shelf ladders, watching his best friend driving herself crazy. "He's probably like you: likes books and stars and stuff. A brainiac. Big Mac probably told him you were the same way and he wants to spend time with someone with common interests while he's stuck in Ponyville." She forced herself to be still. "You're probably right. I'm probably reading way too much into this. I'm being ridiculous. Of course it doesn't matter if I wear makeup or my fancy saddlebags or my star-vest. I'm being silly. This is just a meeting between two academic minds in a stimulating social setting-" Power, familiar as the sound of her own heartbeat, whispered against her magical senses a few moments before a soft knock came from the front door of the library. Twilight's heart leapt into her throat and she tripped twice on her way to the bookshelf that held L.F. Ingram's works. She grabbed Saddled in Death from the shelf; she wondered if Peter had read it and, if so, what he had to say about the futuristic crime series. Then she went to the door as another knock sounded. To her surprise, her hoof shook as she opened the door to reveal Peter on the stoop. Eyes as cold as sapphires widened as the unicorn stallion took in her appearance. Oh, yeah - he'd noticed the makeup. Or maybe it was the silver embroidery on her dark violet vest that had caught his attention? She didn't know. Didn't care. Why wasn't he saying anything? Why was he just looking at her? His eyes had warmed to summer azure. Twilight swallowed and thrust the book at him. "Here," she blurted. Her tongue felt thick and numb in her mouth. "Um… I figured, since you liked Kristen Trottingham, you'd like L.F. Ingram. Different genres, but they've both got a brilliant way with words and mysterious plot points, and both series have strong heroines, so… so, I thought you might like to read it." A smile tugged playfully at Peter's mouth as he accepted the book, lifting it with magic and sliding it into his hunter green saddlebag. Another book slipped out of the bag. Peter presented it to Twilight. "It seems we both had the same idea. Here; it's fairly new, so I wasn't sure if you had it in your library or not. It's called Buttercup's Foal; it's a sequel to The Princess Bridle." Twilight accepted the gift with a delighted gasp and clutched it to her chest. She inhaled the rich scent of the leather binding and the sweetness of fresh, clean, newly-printed paper. All thoughts of Peter's strange familiarity or her own made-over appearance fled her mind. She'd loved The Princess Bridle as a foal. Shining Armor and Cadance had both read it to her a thousand times. She'd always wondered about the rumored sequel, Buttercup's Foal, and whether it would ever be published. How had Peter known she'd wanted this book more than any other novel in the world? "Thank you," she breathed, still hugging the book. "Thank you so much." Small purple claws plucked the book out of Twilight's hooves. She immediately felt an aching sense of loss. It took everything she had not to snatch the book back from her assistant. "I'll go put this on your 'Read Immediately' shelf," Spike said, waddling away. "Have a good time, Twilight. See you in the morning." Owlowsius hooted. There was the swift, steady beating of owl wings. Somehow Twilight and Peter ended up on the stoop of the library together, the door shut firmly in their faces. Twilight eyed the door. "He's going to pig out on that box of turquoise Chief Thunderhooves sent him for his birthday," she muttered. "I can tell." Peter chuckled. "Ah. And here I thought it was simply that your dragon didn't like me. Twilight Sparkle," he added, suddenly serious. That look of anguish had returned to his gaze. A shiver of unease whispered along Twilight's back; why did he always look as if he was in pain when he saw her? "I wanted to say that… you look lovely tonight." He studied her. "You've done something to your mane." She flushed. "My friend Rarity… I told her you were escorting me, she said since Applejack was inviting me and I had an escort and everything, I had to… I know it looks stupid-" "Not at all," he contradicted immediately. "It looks beautiful. I like the star-pins especially. I, uh… brought something else for you. It lacks the power to make you any lovelier, but I hope you'll accept it, nonetheless." Soft cobalt magic withdrew a pale purple flower from Peter's saddlebag. It looked like Heart's Desire, except the poisonous magical herb was normally red. It was one of the prettiest flowers Twilight had ever seen - a pearlescent sheen to the inner petals, the wine-dark stamen lightly furred with pale rose, the green leaves and stem flush with midnight indigo. In fact, the flower's colors matched her mane. The honey-like scent was sweet as apple blossoms. "It's called Magic's Dawn," Peter said softly. A brush of power tucked the blossom behind her ear. The petals brushed the tip of her ear like a caress that sent flutters through Twilight's stomach. It took her a moment to find her voice. "Um… so, I'm a very academic pony. I like experimentation and the scientific process and rules and such. I like knowing what things are. And I'm probably breaking a billion social rules, but I have to ask you… is this… I mean… are we…" "Unless you would have it otherwise, Twilight Sparkle, I consider this a date," Peter said calmly, coming to her rescue. "This is why I brought you a flower and came as your escort - because that's what gentlecolts do when they request an outing with a mare of your quality." "But… you don't even know me," she blurted, then wanted to face-hoof. What a stupid thing to say! Peter only smiled, shrugging. "Perhaps I would like to know you. Why else do ponies date?" He indicated the main road with a slight nod. The sun, just beginning to sink behind the Ponyville houses, burnished his golden mane with warm bronze light. "Shall we?" Walking with Peter was strange, and not just because it felt oddly familiar, as if she'd done it a million times before. He was courteous, like the stallions in some of Rarity's romance novels - always keeping level with her while they spoke about various books, matching his long stride to hers, and placing himself between her and traffic. Once they were past the actual township on the main road to the Apple family farm, he used magic and the occasional helping hoof to hold rogue branches out of her path. Yet he was careful to never actually touch Twilight. Even when he'd first arrived, he'd used magic to give her the book and the flower. Why? Did he feel that bizarre sense of déjà vu when he touched her? Or did it hurt him somehow, to come in physical contact with her? "So," Twilight ventured into a sudden silence. The sun barely peeped above the tree-shrouded horizon. Long shadows embraced the countryside, deepening the dark between the trees of Everfree Forest. Silver moonlight gilded the little streams and ponds that sprinkled the idyllic landscape. A late-summer zephyr teased the unicorn mare's forelock; luckily, Rarity's diamond hairpins kept Twilight's styled mane presentable. That breeze danced in Twilight's nostrils, bringing with it the warm scent of leather, clean sweat, fresh hay, and stallion. Peter's scent. He smelled nice. Was he wearing cologne? Or was that his natural smell? Was she supposed to be thinking things like this on a first date? What were the rules of first dates? She hadn't had time to look them up before Peter's arrival. She hadn't even considered doing it, because she hadn't known this was a date! Rather, she'd thought it was a friend-date, an outing between co-ed buddies, not a romantic venture. But Peter wanted it to be a romantic date. So was she supposed to be thinking about his smell, and how nice it was? Or was she doing something wrong? Was it weird that she was willing to go on a romantic date with one of her father's friends, even though the friend was closer to her age than his? Was she… was she turning into a Lolita? "You're over-thinking things, Twilight Sparkle," Peter murmured. Twilight yanked herself from her thoughts and focused on the unicorn stallion. "You're worried about the rules, aren't you?" A flush spread through the mare's cheeks and down her neck. How did he know? "If I may speak freely?" Peter asked. She nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on the pale ribbon of dirt road under her hooves. "I know your father has no objections to me courting you, so long as you don't object," the stallion said gently. Twilight could feel his eyes on her as he spoke. "He and I discussed it… recently." Surprised, she flicked a glance at him. Was that what he'd been doing the last couple days while he'd been avoiding her? "If you will permit me… I would like to court you. You're someone I would very much like to know better. What I do know of you and what I remember are… I have fond memories of our previous time together," he murmured, looking out toward the border of Everfree. A mild tremor rippled through him - faint, but she felt it, though a good three feet separated them. "That said, the choice is entirely yours. Will you give me a chance?" "Why me?" The question popped out of her mouth before she could censor it. She ducked her head. "Not that I'm not flattered, it's just… I barely know you. You barely know me, except for when we were kids. So… why me?" Peter smiled. "Before coming here, I asked Princess Celestia if you were much different than when I knew you. She told me that in some ways, you'd changed. Which made sense; after all, you were…" "Just a foal," she supplied with a self-conscious smile. He inclined his head. "But she said that in other ways, in all the ways that mattered, you were the same Twilight. Then I saw you and I felt… different. More alive than I have in a long time," he confessed. Twilight blinked at him, stunned into momentary silence. "I was reminded of when I knew you before. Those were better days for me. Happier days. And I decided I wanted to get to know you. Requesting a first date was a spur-of-the-moment decision," he added with a self-deprecating smile. "But I feel it was the right one. Do you?" Twilight found herself smiling sincerely back at him, even though she had no idea why. Was it weird that he wanted to date her just because of all that? Or go on a date with her? There was a difference between dating and going on a date, right? Why didn't she care about the semantics right now? "You know what? I do think it was the right decision." Peter opened his mouth to say something when- "Hey, Twilight!" Twilight turned to see two ponies trotting toward her. One was thickset, with a bushy beard washed out by the night shadows and a rather broad horn spearing the air. The other pony was tall and lanky, his slender horn an almost delicate spiral piercing overhead. Once, these two ponies had been some of the most irritating colts in Ponyville. Then they'd gone abroad for several years. Now, Twilight was proud to call them her students-in-magic as well as her friends. "Snips! Snails! Hey!" The two young stallions approached with wide grins on their faces; their expressions were lit by the tiny ball of viridian light pulsing at the tip of Snails' horn. Despite how they'd grown up over the years, they still shifted around in a sort of half-prance (though no self-respecting stallion would ever admit to such a thing), excited to see her. Then they got a good look at her companion and froze. Snips opened his mouth. From the corner of her eye, Twilight thought she saw Peter shake his head ever so slightly. Snips' mouth snapped shut. Snails glanced from his friend to the white stallion, then seemed to incline his head almost imperceptibly. Baffled, Twilight frowned. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on when Snails suddenly said, "Well, it was nice seeing you, Twilight. Can't wait for Advanced Arcanum Three-oh-Three. How long do we have left to do the summer reading?" "Uh…" Caught off-guard, she had to think for a minute. "Class starts in two weeks. You need to have the reading done by then." Snips grinned. "Great. We've got plenty of time to finish up the last bit. Well, bye, Twilight!" And before she could say anything or ask any questions, the two young unicorns trotted off toward the darkly veiled borders of the Everfree forest, no doubt finishing up the last of their summer assignments. Twilight stared after them, confusion and irritation twining together in knots. "That was… strange." "Was it?" Peter asked. "Well, it is zap-apple season. It's a time for strange happenings, is it not?" He shrugged. "But the meteor shower is drawing close; we should hurry. We're nearly to the farm." "Oh, right! Let's go."