//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: Life with Twilight 
// by Brony Chronicler 
//------------------------------//

	Well, this it, my final semester of college. Yep, I’ve made it this far and the workload hasn’t gotten any easier. But really, it doesn’t bother me as much, because now… I’m living the dream life. Though it took some practice, that organizer has really changed my life. I’ve now been able to organize my time better and Twilight and I now have the relationship we’ve always wanted. This means more time with one another, and life has never been better.

Friday night is our usual date night, usually involving the two of us going to the movies. Sometimes, this just amounts to us staying home and watching one of my DVDs. Other times we actually go out to the theater. When at home, the two of us really enjoy films from the 80’s and 90’s. Part of the reason is because Twilight finds it fascinating to learn about the various tricks and special effects that were used in the old days. This is where my movie knowledge really comes in handy, and we can spend hours trading notes. Our theater nights are more hilarious, as we both find modern CGI to look completely fake compared to the old days. Usually the fun of these nights involves us laughing at what’s on screen. There's even been a few times where we were asked to leave the theater. 

Our field trips have become somewhat limited. It depends partially on how busy my schedule is and how much money we have at the time. Nonetheless, when we do get out, we have a lot of fun. We sometimes go to the zoo, other times to the aquarium, even once in a while to a dinner show. And every so often, we’re just out to see the town. I just can’t believe it; just over a year ago I was a hermit living in seclusion, bored and alone. And now I’m living the life I always wanted. A life out in the world around me, with the most wonderful girl I could ever ask for. 

That being said, I thought I’d ask her out to the campus dance. Every spring semester, my campus has one. I’ve always wanted to go, but was too shy to attend it by myself. Dancing has always been a secret passion of mine. I’ve actually practiced since I was a kid. But… I’ve been too embarrassed to really tell anybody, so I’ve kept it to myself all these years. But Twilight’s different; I really feel like I can be myself around her, which is why I want to take her. Twilight happily accepts my offer, even though she doesn’t have a clue how to dance.

Thursday night comes, two days before the dance. I actually get home before Twilight, so I decide to take my turn making dinner for the both of us. That’s when the door suddenly opens. I turn to get a look at the lovely girl walking in, but instead I see about fifteen books stacked on top of each other, and a pair of legs driving them. 

“Hi, honey,” Twilight says from behind the books.

“Um…hi… which ever book is talking to me?" I say, joking around with her.

“Oh, sorry. I’ve got a lot of reading to do before Saturday night,” Twilight says as she sticks her head out from behind the books. 

She then pulls over to the counter and puts the books down. She wraps her arms around me and gives me my welcome home kiss, before picking the books back up and heading for her room.

“Could you please bring my dinner to my room when it’s done?” She asks.

“Of course,” I say with a smile.

“Thanks. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

She then walks into her room and closes the door behind her. About fifteen minutes later, I finish cooking supper. I also start hearing loud noises coming from Twilight’s room. I fix two plates and bring them to her door, where the noises start getting a bit louder. I open the door, and nearly faint at what I see. All of Twilight’s books are scattered all over the floor, Spike’s bowl is nearly over the edge of her bed table, and I think I see a sideways lamp on the floor. I then look down and see a messy haired Twilight curled up on the floor, rubbing her head.

“Okay, it’s no big deal. The dance isn’t until Saturday; it’s still two days away. TWO… DAYS… AWAY!!! I… I still have plenty of time. Heh, heh…” Twilight says, running her hands through her hair and clenching her teeth.

“Uh… honey,” I say as I approach her.

“WHAT?!?!? Oh, hi Tai… how long have you been there?” She asks, sounding as deranged as ever.

“Long enough. I think you should take a break,” I say.

“OH NO!!! There’s no time for a break. I have a dance to get ready for. It’s only two days away. I must prepare… I must prepare for the dance-"

“Twilight!” I yell, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. “Take… a… break.”

Twilight looks at me with dazed eyes, but my words seem to get through to her. I hand her the plate and the two of us sit down to eat dinner on the floor.

“I just don’t get it, I’ve learned everything I know from books… why can’t I learn this?

“Maybe just reading about it isn’t enough. Maybe you need some hands on practice,” I suggest.

“Yeah, that worked so well the last time,” Twilight sarcastically answers, showing me the wreckage around us.

“I meant with a real partner,” I say, finishing my plate.

I then put the plate down and stand up, holding out my hand to her.

“C’mon, I promise not to throw you into any book cases.”

Twilight looks at my hand with a bit of fear. I can tell what’s going through her mind, so I smile at her, which seems to convince her that it’s alright. She takes my hand as I pull her up to my level, and quickly loses her footing and falls forward onto my chest. 

“Twilight, there’s no need to worry. I’m here to catch you if you fall,” I say to her. 

With that, Twilight pulls herself off my chest. I then take a firm grasp on her hand and put my free hand on her waist. She then puts her free hand on my shoulder. 

“Now just follow my lead,” I say to her, as I start to move us around the room.

At first, Twilight’s a little scared, as I can feel her hands tighten their grip. But as she grows more use to the motion, her grip starts to loosen. We repeated the process the following night, and Twilight even found herself enjoying it. 

Saturday finally arrives, and my sister is back in town. When she found out I was taking Twilight to the dance, she packed up and got over here as fast as possible. She showed up at my door at nine o'clock this morning, and wrote me a check for one thousand dollars, insisting I get a nice suit. She then took Twilight out with her and ordered me not to call them all day. So I obeyed her command and am now standing out on campus by myself, dressed in the best tux that I could afford.

Everyone starts heading in while I’m sitting out here in the cold. I actually start to worry that they may have lost track of time. Did my sis just ruin our big date? That’s when a limo pulls up and my sister hops out the right door. 

“Oh Tai, you’re gonna love your date tonight. I made her dress myself.”

“Sis, you shouldn’t have,” I say.

“Oh of course I should’ve. I want only the best for my sweet little brother.”

Of course I knew better than this. My sister has always had a “girls watch out for one another” philosophy on life. Whenever one of her friends needs help, she always rushes to their side, and helps out by either spending lots of money or making them dresses… more often than not, it's both. 

She opens the door, and Twilight steps out of it. She’s wearing a silver and blue dress that glitters against the lights. The sight of her nearly causes my jaw to drop. I’m not really much of a fashion critic, but I must say that my sis did a real good job with the dress. She looks absolutely stunning. 

“H-how do I look?” Twilight asks, looking slightly embarrassed.

I smile and take her hand.

“Like I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else tonight,” I say to her.

Twilight giggles at my remark.

“Okay, you two,” my sister says. “I think it’s time for the first picture. Twilight, hand me your phone.”

Twilight hands my sister her cell phone, and she takes a firm grasp on my arm as sis snaps the picture. She then hands the phone back and tells Twilight to take as many pictures as possible, and send them to her immediately after the dance. I take Twilight by the arm and we start to head in. Sis calls back to me, warning that if I screw this up she will cut off all financial support. I only smile at the joke. 

So we get inside and I show Twilight around the place. The two of us head over to the punch table and I pour Twilight a glass. That’s when I hear voice from behind me.

“Wow, Tai, I can’t believe you actually came. Whose this?” Asks Scott. He’s a peer from one of my classes. The two of us had taken up chatting whenever we got the chance.

“Scott, this is my girlfriend,” I say, with a touch of pride.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight says taking a slight bow. 

“Twilight Sparkle? What kind of name is that?” Asks the girl holding onto Scott’s arm.

“Well actually… Tai gave me the name,” Twilight responds, taking a firm grasp of my arm.

“You named your girl,” Scott asks with a confused look.

“Yeah, I fell into his living room one night and couldn’t remember my original name. So he came up with the name Twilight Sparkle, and I thought it was cute.” Twilight says, leaning against my shoulder. I then give a bit of an embarrassed smile.

Scott and his date look at us with a stunned look. The two of them stand there for about a minute, before Scott breaks the silence. 

“Oh, I get it,” he says.

“Get what?” His date asks.

Scott then whispers something into her ear, to which she gives a “got it” look.

“Well, Twilight Sparkle, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Liz, why don’t you come meet my friends over here?

Liz then takes Twilight’s hand, and shows her over to a group of girls. Scott pours himself a glass from the table.

“Wow, she’s pretty cute. You sure can pick ‘em, Tai,” Scott says, taking a sip from his glass.

Then another classmate approaches me, asking about Twilight. He asks me who she is, where did I meet her, the whole nine yards. Before I have a chance to answer anything, another one of my peers comes up, badgering me with questions. Before I know it, there’s a whole crowd standing before me, all asking the same questions. I actually feel a bit overwhelmed. This is the first time I’ve ever been the center of a crowd, and I don’t know if I like it. Thankfully, Scott comes to my rescue. 

“She prefers to be called Twilight Sparkle and for now let’s just play along with her. She’s a little shy and you’d be too if you came to a dance where you didn’t know anyone. I’m pretty sure Tai doesn’t want to embarrass her too much, so let’s not pester him with so many questions. She’ll come around when she’s ready.”

Everyone seems content with that, murming little words of approval. I give a sigh of relief. 

“Well, can you at least tell us about yourself?” One classmate asks.

“M-myself?” I ask.

“Yeah, I mean, you’re in a lot of our classes, and we hardly know you. So how about it?”

Everyone then looks at me with curiosity. 

“Well Tai, how about it?” Scott asks. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

I then take another look at the crowd before me. This time they’re all quiet and giving me the space to breathe. I can’t believe this, they’re all really interested in what I have to say. I’m once again feeling a little nervous. Like I said, I’m not really one who likes so much attention. 

I then look over and see Twilight in the same situation as me, except she seems to be happily chatting away. All the girls on her end seem to be laughing and having a great time. So what the heck, if my girl can do this, then so can I.

So, I tell them everything. I tell them about my interest in movies, the trips I’ve taken with Twilight, and even mention my sister. Much to my delight, they listen with great interest. Soon I pass the conversation off to the other students, and before I know it, we’re all sharing stories about ourselves, and laughing with each other. I never thought the evening would be this lively. I gotta say, I think this is probably the second best time of my life. The foremost being the day Twilight and I first kissed.

Soon the music starts, and the voice on the intercom tells everyone to get ready. The group breaks apart and we all go back to our dates. 

“Okay, everyone this is a personal favorite from where I come from,” says the voice on the speaker. 

The intercom then starts playing the song “Remember Me This Way.” Twilight and I take hold of each other’s hands and move towards the center of the room where everyone is gathering. 

“Okay, Twilight, just like we practiced,” I say to her.

I then take her right hand, as she puts her left on my shoulder. She trips in her high heel shoes and falls right against my chest. I can tell she’s having another nervous breakdown, as she had been getting quite good at this during the practice sessions. 

“Twilight, just calm down. If you fall, I’ll pull you back up,” I say to her. 

She then pulls her face out of my chest, and looks up at me. Our eyes make contact with each other, which seems to calm her down a little. Soon the two of us exchange smiles, as we start moving our feet, gracefully dancing to the music. We spend the whole time looking into each other’s eyes, completely lost in the moment. It felt so magical, like we could do this forever.

She then puts her arm around my neck and rests her chin on my shoulder, pulling us closer together. I can smell some rich perfume on the back of her neck, most likely another of my sister’s handy works. 

“Thank you Tai,” she says. “You’re a real awesome guy.”

I simply smile as I rest my head on her shoulder. 

“I could say the same about you,” I say gracefully. 

I once again get that same warm feeling from the day we first kissed. I feel like she completely trusts me. And I must say, for my first dance with a partner, I couldn’t have asked for any better.

The two of us continue dancing, song after song, repeating the process over and over again. Finally, the clock strikes ten, ending the event. The two of us head outside, where my sister is waiting with the limo. But before we can get in, I hear a voice from behind me. I turn around and see that it’s Scott.

“Hey Tai, we thought we’d swing by Burger Joint for a late night party. The guys think you and Twilight should come. You interested?”

I'm quite surprised. Believe it or not, this is the first time anyone’s ever invited me to anything, let alone a late night get together. I admit I’m a little tired, but I’d hate to turn down the invitation, so I turn to Twilight and ask her what she thinks.

“I’ve never been to Burger Joint before, but I’d love to go,” she says. “Besides I didn’t get to hear the rest of Liz’s story.”

So I tell my sis that we’ll get a ride home from one of the guys, as Twilight and I climb into Scott’s car. The others follow as we all head over to Burger Joint. Once there, I find myself once again involved a huge conversation around the table. Meanwhile, Twilight’s over at the girls’ table, laughing at the things they're discussing. I look back to the guys and reflect on how this whole evening has gone. It’s truly amazing. Not only did I get to dance with the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met, but I find myself in a large social group of students I’ve barely talked to in class. All I can say is… could life possibly get any better?