Twilight woke up bright and early the next morning to the sight of Smarty Pants. It was such a familiar feeling that Twilight almost forgot she wasn't a filly anymore. The only thing that would've made it perfect would have been Pinkie by her side.
She sighed. Nopony can be with another pony every second of the day. And even if you could, no matter how smitten you were, you'd grow sick of them eventually. she thought, dismissing the part of her that wished she could always be with Pinkie. Then, she remembered why today was so important.
"Princess Celestia's going to visit! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my... Spike! Come here, Spike! Hurry!" Twilight hopped out of bed and trotted over to his own, prepared to pull him out of it.
...It was empty.
"...Spike?" she said, a lot quieter this time. There was no way he was already up--it was still winter--so she had no idea where he could possibly be. What if he was a frozen dragon-cicle outside?!
Twilight shook her head. That was Pinkie thinking. She thought about the last time she'd seen him, and came up with a better explanation. "He's probably still at Rarity's. She wouldn't have let him walk home with the weather the way it is... Hm... I'll pick him up on the way to the market. I have to get something for when the Princess gets here!" She laughed at the thought. There probably wasn't a single thing not expired in the library. Her mentor had apparently known that Twilight would end up living in Ponyville, because she'd added a mini-kitchen in the corner before Twilight had moved in. Not that she ever really used it; that was what Spike did.
The unicorn made her way downstairs, planning out her day. Princess Celestia would arrive around noon, so she needed some lunch-type food. Sandwiches were easy. So, considering it was around eight, she could go into town, pick up Spike, get some food, check on Pinkie, and get back home in the span of two hours. If Pinkie wasn't busy, (which Twilight doubted, seeing as how Princess Celestia wanted to speak with them both) she could relax with her marefriend at the library and make some sandwiches.
That'd be fun.
So, with that, Twilight grabbed a scarf and made her way out of the library, making sure to lock the door behind her. Some ponies were out and about, doing their morning chores. It was just about routine for Twilight to see these ponies every day, but it still amazed her that they could be so cheerful this early. There was only one pony that could be even happier than these, even in the morning, and that was Twilight's marefriend. Somehow, everything in Ponyville somehow reminded her of Pinkie.
The unicorn trotted leisurely to the Carousel Boutique, wondering if Rarity would be up this early. It seemed unlikely, as that pony would probably want to get her "beauty sleep," or something silly like that.
But when Twilight got to the front door, she was surprised by the sound of a pony actually moving around and speaking. She recognized the two voices as Rarity and Spike's. The lavender pony knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, so she knocked on the door and spoke into it. "Hello, Rarity? Is Spike in there?"
A sudden "Shh!" elicited from Rarity, who was speaking extremely loud for somepony trying to be secretive, "It's Twilight!"
The unicorn frowned at that, wondering just what in Equestria they were talking about that involved her. The door inched open just enough for Rarity to show her face.
"Yes, darling? What brings you here this early?" she asked, her nervous expression a reason for suspicion. The room behind her was completely dark, so Twilight couldn't tell what was going on in there.
"Is Spike in there?" asked Twilight, opting to ignore that which was none of her business. Rarity stared for a second too long.
"Oh, well of course, darling! Spike, dear! Twilight's here to take you back to the library." the white pony directed behind her. Twilight heard the unmistakeable sound of shuffling dragon steps before he squeezed himself through the door. Rarity still hadn't opened the door more than a crack. Twilight found that odd, but decided not to say anything about it.
"Ready to go?" she questioned instead. Spike nodded, glancing back at Rarity. She said goodbye to the dragon and closed the door without another word. As weird as Rarity's behavior was this morning, Twilight figured she had more important things than to ask what those two were hiding from her. With most things, she'd find them out in due time; she was a pony who didn't require instant gratification. Well, curiousity usually outweighed that resolve, but Princess Celestia had requested an audience with her for today, for Tartarus' sake!
When the dragon seemed to realize that they were indeed not headed back to the library, he asked, "Where are we going?" He barely concealed a yawn behind his claw. Twilight knew how difficult it was for him to so much as move at this time of the year, so she lifted him onto her back via levitation. He seemed to appreciate the gesture as he slumped against her neck.
"Remember the letter from yesterday? Well, Princess Celestia is coming to Ponyville for lunch and we're going to get some things at the market. Also, we need to pick up Pinkie; the Princess wants to see her, too."
Spike chuckled. "You sure that's not an excuse just to see her, Twi?"
Twilight had to suppress the urge to buck him off. "Spike!" She turned her head around and glared at the snickering dragon, "That's not funny! You know I wouldn't lie about something like that!"
Finally, the assistant was able to stop himself, though unshed tears gleamed in his eyes, "Sorry, Twilight! Heh, you asked for that one!"
Twilight continued into town, quietly sulking over what Spike had suggested. For anypony--even Spike--to so much as mention anything bad about Princess Celestia, regardless of whether or not it directly involved her, really set her off. Princess Celestia was a respectful ruler, and didn't deserve anything of the sort. Only good things should be said where the Princess was concerned.
Spike relaxed atop Twilight until he was nearly asleep. The unicorn wondered if he'd gone to sleep late, or if it was just his instincts getting to him. She shrugged the matter aside and bought the ingredients for daisy sandwiches--her personal favorite--and made sure she didn't need anything else. Then, when her mental checklist had been perused several times over, she allowed herself to go to the place she'd wanted to all along: Sugarcube Corner.
Pinkie had felt anxious all morning. After leaving Twilight last night, she'd gotten home at precisely 10:01, where she was ambushed by a super hyper Mrs. Cake. The mare hadn't been lying about questioning her all about her "date"--and Pinkie had to be really vague with her answers.
However... Mrs. Cake had picked up on that and made Pinkie promise to bring her date to dinner on Friday... and she couldn't get out of it.
So, she and Twilight were on a crash course set for disaster in the matter of a couple of days--and that had nothing to do with why Princess Celestia wanted to see them. If anything, that only seemed to bode more trouble.
All that stuff made Pinkie pretty nervous. The only thing going for her was seeing Twilight soon. All morning, the Cakes had been badgering her for more information on this mysterious "coltfriend" of hers, in which Pinkie had to pretend they'd actually asked her about the "cold frames," and from there she'd say she didn't know they owned any picture frames that were cold. (That usually ended with them face-hoofing, but Pinkie didn't really see why--wasn't that a legitimate statement?)
Finally, the bell for the door rang, and Pinkie just knew it was her marefriend, despite dozens of other ponies' entrances. She bounded over to the door with more enthusiasm than she would've done had it been somepony else, and beamed at Twilight.
"Hey, Twi! What's up?" Twilight smiled in return and glanced back at the snoozing dragon on her back.
"Remember how Princess Celestia wanted to speak with us today? I figured I'd come by and make sure--"Pinkie's eyes widened and she shouted over Twilight to be heard by the Cakes:
"Oh, I almost forgot! Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, this is an emergency! The Princess is coming and I have to go and see her since she asked me to! I'm really sorry but I'm gonna have to take another personal day and I'll make it up to you, I promise!"
With that, the pink pony practically shot off like a rocket, leaving behind a smoke trail in her and Twilight's wake. Mr. and Mrs. Cake both blinked at the sudden disappearance of their employee, trying, and failing, to comprehend the jumble of words that'd just been thrown at them. However, it was one of the things that came with living with Pinkie Pie, and they'd learned to find endearing.
Seconds later, Twilight and Pinkie had come to a complete stop in front of the library. The unicorn felt dizzy, and face-planted on her doorstep. Spike was no better. He stumbled off the lavender pony and clutched at his stomach.
"I think I'm gonna be sick!" he exclaimed as he rushed inside. Pinkie alone remained completely fine from the extreme-speed dash she'd just taken them through, though concern was etched into her features.
"Hey, Twi? Are you okay?" She stepped a little closer to her groaning marefriend and helped her up. Twilight's muzzle was twisted with distaste and a hoof was immediately pressed into her forehead.
"What the... I don't even..." She scrunched her eyes together and groaned again. "Pinkie, I didn't know you could do that! You're just as fast as Rainbow Dash, except with more whiplash. My head aches..."
"Aww, I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Well, I'll try not to--I mean it's a lot of fun, ya know?" Pinkie smiled brightly before nuzzling Twilight's neck. She then hopped up to the door, which was ajar from when Spike had come in, and held it open for Twilight. The pink pony tried to keep a straight, gentlepony-like face as she did so, but a grin split her face when she saw Twilight blush. The unicorn walked in, and Pinkie followed after her.
"Oh yeah! Twi, I have some important questions for you!" The party mare bounced in front of Twilight, who flinched at the assault on her ears. Pinkie lowered her voice. "Would it be bad for a pony to swallow ink? Did Smarty Pants work last night? Did you miss me this morning? Oh! Are you free this Friday?"
Twilight stared at Pinkie. "Um... Yes, it could be hazardous for a pony to ingest ink. I slept well last night, thank you. I did miss you a lot, actually, and I'm pretty sure I don't have any previous engagements planned on Friday."
"Awesome! I'm so happy right now... But about Friday--"Twilight's hoof was thrust into her mouth suddenly.
"Pinkie, we can talk about this while we make lunch, right? The Princess could show up any second now!" Worry was clear in her voice and expression, so Pinkie nodded. The two trotted to the mini-kitchen section, where Twilight pulled out some things from her saddlebag--namely, the food ingredients.
The pink pony stared at the bread and daisies before reaching a conclusion, "We're making daisy sandwiches?"
"Yup!" Twilight chirped in response. She sounded chipper, so Pinkie figured she liked daisy sandwiches quite a bit. Their ears picked up on the disturbing sound of Spike's wretching somewhere else in the tree, but they decided to ignore it. As they began making the daisy sandwiches, Pinkie cleared her throat and tried again.
"So, about Friday, Twi... Um, I dunno if you've ever heard Mrs. Cake talk about how she met Mr. Cake or romance in general, but she's really passionate about it, and the other day she kinda figured out that I was dating and--oh, who am I kidding, she wants you over for dinner, but the thing is she thinks you're a stallion!" Pinkie stopped and took a deep breath, her gaze imploring and her hooves shaking slightly. She watched as Twilight stopped what she was doing and looked over at Pinkie.
"Uh... What?" Twilight felt nervous, and hoped that she'd heard wrong. Not that long ago, she'd talked about this problem with Rainbow Dash, who'd told her not to bring it up! Pinkie appeared nervous, too.
"Yeah, I don't want to force you to go, 'cause I mean I'm not so sure about where they stand about same-gender couples or how they're gonna react, and it's almost like they're my parents and we only just started dating, so--"Twilight kissed her out of nowhere, abruptly cutting her off. Pinkie stared at her marefriend's closed eyes, and relaxed into the kiss.
But just as she was getting into it, Twilight pulled away. Pinkie wished she'd stop doing that. "I... I want to do it."
Pinkie blinked, and then she blinked again. She hadn't been expecting Twilight to want to tell of their relationship so soon. As for Twilight, she was somewhat surprised of her own words, too.
"But," she continued slowly, "Just Mr. and Mrs. Cake, right? I don't think I'm quite ready to... you know, just jump right in and declare it to everypony." Twilight shuddered at the thought. After speaking with Rainbow about it and getting it off her chest, she felt more confident in meeting with Pinkie's employers, but not enough to tell any other ponies. Perhaps she would go to see Rainbow for some more advice before then.
Pinkie watched Twilight carefully, and time seemed to slow down. She felt happy that the unicorn valued their relationship enough to meet two of the most important ponies in her life. The earth pony was feeling a strange, almost foreign sort of happiness--instead of making her want to bounce for joy, it made her want to relax and be with Twilight for the rest of her life; it was the sort of happiness that slowly spread from her heart and soul to the rest of her body until it had completely engulfed her in its serene bliss.
All of this had happened within the span of five silent minutes. But Pinkie didn't say anything about the experience, not that she didn't want to. Being around Twilight just seemed to be changing her, just a little bit, and making her feelings that much more powerful. Pinkie then realized that she'd been staring for too long. She let her muscles loosen from their earlier tenseness and allowed a small smile to grace her expression. Then, she turned back to the nearly forgotten sandwich ingredients with a new, certainly un-Pinkie-like care.
"...Let's keep working, before the Princess shows up and we have nothing done."
Soon, the couple had exhausted all the ingredients they'd purchased for daisy sandwiches, and it was just about twelve. Spike hadn't returned from his restroom venture, though the occasional sound of him throwing up could be heard. Twilight felt bad for him and how easily he got sick. But even more than that, she couldn't help but wonder what she'd done wrong. Pinkie was being quiet, which was clearly a cause for concern--she was never just silent. And what made it even stranger was the care she was putting into her every move, almost in a Rarity-esque fashion. There wasn't even any sort of emotion in these movements, except for maybe some repressed happiness--though that was up for debate.
Twilight opted not to bring it up, or even to strike up a conversation. Instead, she allowed herself consolance within her own mind, by way of distraction. I wonder when the Princess is going to come... When was the last time I saw her? Hm... I think it was back at Shining and Cadence's wedding. Wow, that was a long time ago... Wait, is she coming to check on my studies? Oh no, oh no, oh no, I haven't so much as looked at my books in the past week! Princess Celestia is going to be so angry with me--quick, Twilight, what's the formula for the force of gravity on an accelerating object with the speed of--
"Twilight..." Startled, Twilight suddenly became aware of what was going on: she'd been drowning her current daisy sandwich with dressing, from squeezing the bottle too hard. Pinkie pressed her muzzle into Twilight's neck and placed a hoof on the one holding the sauce. It was odd to have Pinkie so close, and yet so far--at least, in mind. "You have to be careful when you're in the kitchen, or else you'll make a mistake. Even with the simplest of recipes, you have to pay a lot of attention to what you're doing. Especially if it's for somepony you love." The pink mare kissed the underside of Twillight's chin. The lavender unicorn could no longer hold off a blush from all the extra attention. Pinkie giggled quietly before stepping back. "I think we've made enough sandwiches now, since there's no more bread!"
Then, the two mares heard a knock on the door. Twilight knew that Spike was probably curled up in the bathroom, asleep, so she moved over to open it herself. The two ponies behind the door surprised her:
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.