//------------------------------// // Chapter 31: The Bookworm's Bane // Story: Harmony and Courage: Running Parallel // by SSJRandomMaster //------------------------------// Chapter 31: The Bookworm's Bane ---------------------------------------------- Though things had went horribly wrong, within a few days, everything seemed to be back to normal, aside from a small unit of Royal Guards holding the fort to make sure the other pony didn't come back. From what Azure had heard from his cousins, Tagane wasn't talking, even though he really wasn't in a position to argue with his very obvious surgery rendered null and void. Of course, there was something else that wasn't the same as before in Ponyville either. Azure didn't quite get how, but the word quickly spread of the blooming relationship between himself and Twilight Sparkle. It was probably the fact he'd screamed out his choice in front of everypony, and now that the crisis was over, Rainbow Dash likely said it to anypony who'd listen. If he'd still been in the middle of his rough decision, he might not have been so forgiving, but given that his mind was made up, it was really irritating to hear all the things the townsponies would say about it. Some of them would tell him how lucky he was, for various reasons. Some of them would whisper that he was a two-timer due to the stuff he'd been seen doing with Applejack. Others would say nothing, but he could tell what they might have been thinking from looking at them. Azure had to take it easy at work whenever he could; given that nothing in the town was damaged or needed anything more than a touch-up, it actually seemed he could rest his sore body and listen to his coworkers grill him about the mare that had stolen his heart. "You know, A.C.," Steel said, "I never thought you'd go for a bookworm..." Azure shifted a little on his seat, reminding him of the attacks he sustained from Tagane. The way he was hit, it was a wonder he wasn't more seriously injured than just that. However, Azure wasn't about to question it--after the horrid luck he'd had over the winter, he felt entitled to something a bit more than that. "Yeah, well," Azure responded, "It's one of those things that gets you by surprise..." The unicorn chose not to mention the fact she was as close to royalty as a pony could get without marrying into it: her brother the captain of the Royal Guards; Twilight herself being Princess Celestia's trusted student. He'd never hear the end of how lucky he was if that got out... "I'm kinda confused myself, Azure..." Archie said, sitting down next to Steel. "We really thought it would have been Applejack...what happened with that?" Azure closed his eyes. Did he really want to tell his coworkers what had happened in his circle of friends? "It's just one of those things that comes back to you," Azure said, taking a different approach. "She and I were too much alike...I thought I mistook it for something else. I'm from Canterlot, so's Twilight..." "And that means..." Steel continued. "We met when we were still foals; though the meeting was brief, it stuck with us a long while..." Azure said. Steel and Archie Tact looked at each other again, and a single word could be heard coming out of their mouths. "Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh..." It was one of those noises that crowds made when a particularly bad burn was inflicted by verbal means. Azure breathed out and sighed, wondering why he even said that. After this, I'm going to go see Twilight... ----------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, at the library, the place was in a state of disarray. Twilight laid on her bed, books strewn about the room, with a large stack about twice her height next to it. She was reading one of the books, taking notes like a diligent student would. The mare looked as though she hadn't been sleeping too well at night, but she still seemed determined to finish her reading. "Twiley!" A voice called up to her from the front door, obviously her brother. Twilight stirred only slightly. "Up here, Shining!" Twilight called back, before returning her full attention to the book. "Twilight, I'm stopping by to tell you--" Shining halted when he saw the state of her room. "--this is the last day the Royal Guards will be in...town?" "Oh..." Twilight said, only now giving her brother her full attention. "I see..." "What's with all these books?" Shining asked. "The Princess giving you an exam or something?" "No, not yet..." the mare responded, sheepishly looking away. "Why are you so nervous?" The colt asked, taking another step forward. "I-I'm not nervous! Just doing some reading!" "...On what?" Shining's horn lit up in a purple glow, different from Blitz's purple, and the book on Twilight's bed lifted up. "Hey! Give that back!" Twilight said, seeming to forget she had magic on her side. It was too late; Shining was already looking along the spine of the book. "'Romance and You: Why You Feel Like Throwing Up When You're Around Your Special Somepony'..." Shining read aloud, setting the book back where he got it. He managed to keep a straight face for a few seconds, before he burst out laughing, "Oh yeah, I've been there..." "Hey..." Twilight was embarrassed now, and her face showed it. Shining caught this, and quickly cleared his throat, though the fact his sister was looking this stuff up (and the books actually existed for her to do so) was still a little funny. "Sorry, Twiley, it's just..." Shining said, rubbing the back of his head, "Why are you looking up books on romance?" He already knew his answer very well after what had happened a few days ago...but he felt like asking anyway. "Isn't it obvious?" Twilight asked, some of her snarky side showing through now, "If Azure and me are going to be in a relationship like this, I have to understand how it all works! I've gotta understand how I feel, how he might feel, what to do when something comes up..." Shining blinked. He never put this much thought into his own relationship-actually, most ponies in general didn't. He just went with it. "Twiley..." Shining started, unsure of how his sister would react. "Don't you think you're...overthinking this, just a little bit?" "Overthinking...?" Twilight tilted her head, "Overthinking?! I don't want to ruin it for either of us!" "Hey, hey, I'm sure it'll be just fine," Shining patted his sister on the head playfully. "You just gotta do what you think is natural." Almost as soon as he said it, Shining Armor regretted saying it. For most ponies, doing what was natural was what came naturally to their relationships. However, Twilight wasn't like the others. "This...is natural..." Twilight responded, motioning at the books around her. She would try to research the subject no matter what, even if the subject was something that most ponies wouldn't research. "Well...don't push yourself too hard," Shining responded, "Just thought I'd drop by to see how my sister was doing. If you want to, come see me before I have to go back to Canterlot." "I'll make time for that!" Twilight barked, "I never get to see you that much anymore..." With that, the siblings parted ways. Shining sighed as soon as he was out of the library. "Hope he's ready to handle that side of her..." From within, Spike could be heard groaning as Twilight requested him to hunt down a couple more books... ----------------------------------------------- Azure Courage had completed the day's work a bit early. There was nothing more he needed to do than go see Twilight after all of the ribbing that he'd taken that day. He did plan on going by there anyway to see if she was still okay. However, after he spent most of the day afterward with her, she did seem fine on her own. Call me overconcerned if you want, I can't see her being all better just yet... he thought to himself as he galloped towards the library. He was there in practically no time, still having his hard hat on from the job. Azure knocked on the door. "Spike!" Twilight called out from the inside, "Can you get that?" "Right, right..." the dragon groaned, and a few seconds later, the door opened. Of course, the instant Spike saw who it was, he turned around to look into the house, a mischievous grin on his face, and let out a yell: "Hey, Twilight, it's your coltfriend!" Azure blinked. Had Twilight let it slip to him about the rather...passionate, kiss they'd shared within about ten minutes of getting her back home safe and sound? "It's not official yet!" Twilight barked from upstairs! "Not that I don't want to see Azure anyway...come on up...!" She halted for a good five seconds before she finished her sentence, "Uh...honey!" Azure looked up towards her room, feeling his center of gravity shift wide right as he stepped over the threshold. Isn't that what married ponies call each other? As Spike burst out laughing hysterically right next to him, Azure cast a dirty look in his direction, thinking of only one thing: And isn't that what you want Rarity to call you? He would have said it aloud, but he wanted to let Spike delude himself into thinking that his crush was a well-kept secret. The drake nearly kissed Applejack in the middle of a daydream and probably would have had she not snapped him out of it! "Right..." Azure awkwardly said as soon as he righted himself, walking straight over to Twilight's room max speed to get as far away from the laughter that was splitting Spike's sides. The instant he got inside, he noticed Twilight lying on the bed, reading a book...with several others piling around her and a large stack right next to her bed. "So..." she paused awkwardly again, and this time looking to her notes, "...cutie, I've been thinking..." Azure blushed, but the fact she sounded a little awkward when she said it... "C-cutie...?" Outside the room, Spike laughed even harder, and this time Azure knew he'd been called that by Rarity on at least one occasion. "Calling each other pet names is common in a relationship," Twilight levitated an open book in front of him, opened to a specific page. "According to this book!" Azure blinked several times in quick succession before he could get his focus back. "Wait...this stuff's in books?" "Of course..." Twilight said, "Why wouldn't it be?!" Azure would have retorted, but he didn't feel like starting an argument today. Instead, he said, "My mistake..." "So...now it's your turn to call me one..." Azure couldn't help but smile. She doesn't know the first thing about relationships, so the first thing she does is look them up in books...I wouldn't have expected anything else. ...I don't know much either. Maybe her way can work... "O-okay..." Azure felt awkward being put on the spot for this, and couldn't think of one straight away, but he was going to deliver, "Babe...let's see how this goes..." Azure did his best to ignore the fact that Spike was laughing harder than ever now outside the door. Twilight huffed, practically rushing past him to slam the door. It didn't block out the sound completely, but it sure made her feel better. He could notice how red-faced she was about it. "A-anyway, I complied a list of common things couples do..." Twilight's blush suddenly intensified, "M-minus a few things I wasn't too comfortable with..." "...What books did you look--" Twilight hastily changed the subject before Azure could finish, "So for now I think we'll tackle each thing on..." she produced a small list, "This list, one at a time...Let's see..." A quill floated into view, followed by the scratch of something on the list being crossed off. "We've already covered pet-names...Now we have to go on a date." "Makes sense to me..." Azure said, not really seeing any problems with it. "Good, then let's go," Twilight responded, opening her door. "Wait, now?" Azure asked, not expecting it so soon. "Yeah, that is, unless you're busy..." Twilight turned back to Azure. "No, I'm not. Planned to spend it with you anyway..." Azure responded, feeling that awkwardness intensify again, "So...let's go..." He paused again to try and come up with a new pet name, "...Sweetie...pie..." It still felt strange to be put on the spot for something like that, but he didn't want to give Twilight the wrong impression. However, her mood lightened--just like her cheeks, and moved past a giggling Spike who was struggling to complete his chores. Azure was surprised to see he wasn't mid-molt from all the laughing he had done in the past few minutes. "We'll be back later, Spike..." Twilight said as the two walked out the door. As he left, Azure's ears twitched. Somepony else laughing too? ----------------------------------------------- "You okay?" "Y-yeah, I-I'm fine..." Silver and Fluttershy were walking through town. Not that long ago, Silver had helped her feed her animal friends. After making sure each of them had been fully satisfied, Silver suggested they go into town to grab a meal for themselves. The meek Pegasus didn't take long to figure out what it was he was asking for. "First time on a date?" Silver asked. Fluttershy stumbled just a little before looking around self-consciously. It wasn't that she didn't want to be seen with him...she was new to the concept and didn't want anypony else knowing this was her first. Outside of her friends, anyway. "Y-yes..." "Then we're on equal ground," Silver chuckled as he playfully gave the shy mare a little nudge. Fluttershy didn't get how, but he always seemed to find a way to calm her nerves. "O-okay, so wh-where do you want to go?" Silver paused midstep to think, and motioned to a place nearby. "This looks like a good place..." "...Um...That's a hardware store..." Fluttershy said plainly upon realizing what it was he was pointing at. "It is?!" Silver said, sounding surprised. "I swear, I'm blind sometimes..." He rubbed the back of his head. Most ponies would have felt awkward in this situation, but it wasn't the case here. It was obvious he was joking, and she giggled lightly in response. That laugh...so cute... Silver thought to himself, unable to notice the blush that was lightly on his cheeks. "Why don't we go to Sugarcube Corner?" Fluttershy suggested. She was feeling better about being on her first date now. "Sounds great, let's go..." Silver responded. As they walked towards their intended destination, they began to walk closer together than they already had. Though Fluttershy felt herself blush, she wasn't about to say anything. "Well, well, what have we here?" A familiar voice rang out. Fluttershy froze, and Silver stopped walking. Both turned around. Rainbow Dash was just coming in to land, a rather happy look on her face. "H-hello, Rainbow, what brings you here?" she asked the cyan pegasus, already having a small inkling. "Oh, you know, just flyin' overhead when I saw the two of you," The quality of her smile changed to more mischievous in nature, "Walking awfully close to each other..." Fluttershy blushed heavily as her friend stepped closer to the two of them, and couldn't maintain eye contact, hiding her face behind her mane. "O-oh, w-well...w-we were j-just going to Sugarcube C-C-Corner..." Fluttershy utterly failed to maintain her composure. This, combined with the general layout of the scene before her, gave Rainbow all she needed to know. Her eyes widened, and her mouth gradually began to open. "Oh...my...gosh..." Rainbow finally said, "You're...you're on a date!" The blue pegasus happily picked her friend up and forced her to stand on her hind legs. Fluttershy could only give a very shy smile in response to all this extra praise. "That's so awesome!" Rainbow practically squeezed Fluttershy. Meanwhile, all Silver could do was stand there blankly. Somehow, not many ponies had bothered to notice the spectacle. "Well," Rainbow finally let Fluttershy down. Her legs shook, but she was still able to walk, "I'll just leave you two to it then..." She began to hover away. "Don't have too much fun...oh...yeah..." The way she grinned as she turned back to the two concerned Fluttershy (who had been embarrassed by the mare's prior statement), "Don't overdo it with the names either..." "W-what...?" Fluttershy asked. "Just some friendly advice..." Rainbow winked before speeding off. "W-what'd she mean by 'names'...?" Fluttershy turned to Silver. "Beats me. Don't know why she'd bring up pet names at a time like this..." Silver responded. "And...that other thing she said..." Silver shook his head, hoping Rainbow was kidding. "Let's keep going. We're almost there!" The two ponies continued to walk on to the Sugarcube Corner without further interruption, still with that closeness between them. ----------------------------------------------- At about the same time, Twilight and Azure walked through town. Twilight had read that ponies in relationships generally intertwined their tails with one another's. So, they walked through town in this manner, going for their first date. Azure tried to block out the stares--and he could have sworn he heard somepony whistle in their direction. Well, I guess everypony knows now... The cyan colt thought to himself. "We're almost there..." Twilight said with glee. "Sugarcube Corner...A common spot in Ponyville for first dates!" The two finally reached their destination, but something unexpected happened. "Twilight?" Both of their heads immediately turned in the direction of the soft voice. It was Fluttershy, walking close together with Silver. "Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, surprised to see this. "Azure?" Fluttershy questioned, confused at the fact the two were holding tails. "Silver!?" Azure yelled, probably just a bit too loud, looking back and forth between the blind pony and Fluttershy. Silver had a blank expression on his face as he listened to the event that just occurred. "Is this really happening?" The group fell into an awkward silence. Both sides knew what the other was doing, but neither side wanted to be the one to say it straight away. "S-so, are you two...?" asked Twilight, trying to break the silence between the four. "Y-yes, I-I mean no, I mean...we're eating lunch together," Fluttershy blushed heavily as she faltered through this conversation. "I mean, we're not together yet, not that I don't want to be, I mean--" Silver took control of the situation, placing a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder with all the tenderness he could muster. The act snapped her out of this nervous rambling. "Easy, Fluttershy, just take a deep breath," Silver said calmly. Fluttershy did so a few times, and the jitters that had settled in her gradually vanished. "We're just eating lunch together. It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to..." Fluttershy looked down and kicked at the ground, "Well, I never said I didn't..." she whispered in a low voice. "Hey, I have an idea," Twilight brought out her list from her saddlebag and looked through it. "It's not exactly in the order I wanted it, but we could have a double date!" The amount of glee in her voice was unparalleled. Fluttershy and Silver looked to one another. "I don't have a problem with it if you don't..." Silver responded with a smile. "I guess it's okay..." Fluttershy replied. Neither of them expected what came next, though. "Great!" Twilight cheered before turning to Azure, "C'mon honey, let's get a table!" Azure's face became painted bright red from the fact she'd just thrown out the pet name right in front of Silver and Fluttershy. Silver's eyes widened, and all he could do was blink them. Fluttershy didn't know what to make of it either. "R-right behind you...sweetie..." Azure responded, too embarrassed to speak his words clearly at first. A loud snort sounded, and Azure turned, really hoping Rainbow hadn't flown down at that precise moment. "Sorry, pollen..." Silver apologized, holding a napkin to his nose. Azure decided to buy the cover story for now, really not wanting to think Silver was laughing because of the pet names. ----------------------------------------------- Silver would be lying if he said he didn't want to laugh because of what he just heard. However, he'd also not be lying if he thought it was funny. However, he really didn't want to get caught laughing. I guess this is what Rainbow meant... Silver didn't even want to be caught smiling right now, but it was going to be difficult. If Azure sees me laughing, I'm one dead pony... Fluttershy and Silver followed the couple in, Silver getting himself under control. Pinkie noticed the four, and quickly moved in to greet them. "Hi!" she greeted the group, seemingly materializing from Silver's left?! I...I didn't even notice her there! "Why'd you all come!?" She gasped, "Are you two holding tails?!" The silence was a bit overwhelming following Pinkie's statement, but Twilight moved to point it out. ----------------------------------------------- "Yeah, Pinkie...the four of us came for a--" "--A double date?!" All heads turned to the five ponies, the four in question nodding in confirmation. However, it was apparent everypony was listening in now. "Y-yes..." Twilight responded slightly awkwardly to the whole thing. "Pinkie...could we just...sit over there?" Twilight walked to an empty title, closely followed by Azure. Fluttershy followed. Azure noticed somepony was missing, however, so he temporarily unentwined his tail with Twilight's to see that Silver hadn't moved much from his spot. "Hey, Silver, what's up?" Azure asked. Silver blinked. "She snuck up on me..." Silver replied; Azure's eyes momentarily widened from this information. "Nopony ever sneaks up on me..." "You'll find Pinkie and logic haven't met," Twilight said walking toward the two, "It's best not to think about it...Take my word for it." The ponies finally got to the empty table, Silver attempting to forget about the fact that for the first time, somepony had virtually materialized out of nowhere at his side. He used his magic to pull the chair nearest to Fluttershy out. Fluttershy took the unsaid invitation, and sat down in the chair. Soon as she was comfortable, Silver slid the chair back in. "I knew this list was spot-on!" Twilight cheered, looking to her list once again, "I thought getting the chair for the mare was important...so I put it on there..." "...I thought something like that was common courtesy," a slightly confused Azure said, already a step ahead of Twilight. The mare quickly stowed her list into her saddlebag and took her seat. Once she was seated, Azure pushed her back in. As the colts took their seats next to their dates, Silver popped the question: "So what happens when you run out of things on your list? Do you move on to the next?" Silver intended it for a joke, but Twilight merely blushed fiercely. "N-no... I..." Before Azure could wonder what other lists Twilight had; or what books she'd been reading recently, Pinkie Pie seemed to teleport at the group's side once again. "Everypony ready to order?!" Pinkie chirped, pulling everypony's attention to her. It was fairly simple from there. Twilight decided to order a smoothie with two straws. Azure, spotting her intention, decided not to order anything. Fluttershy ordered a vanilla shake with extra oats. "How about you, Silver? See anything you like?" Ordinarily, the moment would have been awkward given Silver's condition, but Silver laughed it off, ordering a slice of carrot cake afterward. Pinkie hopped away with the orders written down, prompting Twilight to look to her list for a guide on what to do on this double date. "Small talk..." Twilight nodded to herself, and turned back to the table, plainly asking the first question that came to her mind, "So, have you two given each other pet-names yet?" Silver did nothing, while Fluttershy just about fell off her chair from the awkwardness of the question, "I...I--" "It's a little early for that," Silver responded, blinking, while Fluttershy tried to recover from the last question Twilight asked. "It's easy!" Twilight encouraged, her cheeks reddening slightly from the memories, "Like today, I've called Azure 'honey' and 'cutie'..." Azure practically put his head down on the table, trying to hide how red his face was, "While Azure has called me 'babe' and 'sweetie pie'..." Silver tried to hold back a snort, firmly convinced if he was caught smiling now he'd be murdered on the spot. The image of Azure using those names was too hilarious. "Come on, why don't you two try it?" Fluttershy shrunk, and Silver looked at Fluttershy. "I...think we're good, Twilight..." "Okay, then how about holding tails?" Fluttershy seemed to shrink a little more, and she began to blush. "When we're ready..." Silver declined. "Well, have you two at least kissed yet?" Fluttershy promptly fled under the table to escape her friend's unintentional peer pressure. Meanwhile, Silver stiffened, sitting bolt upright in his chair. "Azure, we'd better check on the order," Silver practically jumped out of his seat, masking his amusement at Twilight's attitude. "Uh...okay..." Azure said, rising up, blinking at his friend's sudden need for this. He followed Silver away. Meanwhile, Fluttershy finally poked her head out from under the table, and began to nervously rise to her seat. "C-can we talk about something else, T-T-Twilight?" ----------------------------------------------- At first, Silver lead Azure directly to the front desk to check on the order. However, he suddenly broke left, and trotted away for a few more steps. A little after Silver turned left, Azure realized checking on the order was the last thing on Silver's mind. Sure enough, Silver stopped a few more steps later, and turned to Azure. "So, how's this date going for you?" Silver stated just as soon as he finished turning around. "What do you mean?" Azure asked. He was having fun, Twilight was having fun (even if it was a little embarrassing because of all the pet names he had to endure and come up with)...where was the issue? "I'm talking about Twilight's list..." said Silver, "Don't you think she's overdoing it?" Azure was suddenly reminded of the fact she might have had another list. He found himself wanting to know more than ever what else couples did that was so embarrassing. He almost died on the spot when Twilight used a pet name right in front of Silver and Fluttershy. What was left? "I don't know...maybe?" Azure responded, shrugging, "But she seems comfortable enough with it, and I'm not up for arguing about it with her." "Azure...I've never been in one, but I know this much," Silver replied after some silence, "Relationships are about sacrifices for one another. You just seem to be letting her take control. I never thought you'd be...submissive." Azure tried to say something, but Silver continued on, "I mean, I don't want to tell you how to date your marefriend, but don't you think she's forcing it? I mean...what's next? Locking tongues in front of the fireplace?" Azure blushed heavily, and he was sure Silver sensed the sudden awkwardness. Sure enough, Silver did. "Oh...Celestia, you already have..." "It was from the heat of the moment," Azure was now trying to explain the context, not wanting to think about Twilight's list, "We were on the sofa...she must have felt vulnerable after all that, and--" Silver's iron-gray hoof jammed between Azure's jaws, silencing him. "Don't tell me the details!" Silver said. "...Getting back to the topic...It does feel like she's trying way too hard to ensure the relationship works, but I really, really don't want to disappoint her. She must have worked very hard to make that list..." "Where's the adventure?" Silver wasn't letting up, asking yet another question. Azure opened his mouth, but no words came out. "Look at me and Fluttershy...Neither of us know what'll happen when we leave. Maybe we'll hold tails on the back, maybe I'll get a kiss at the door, maybe she'll invite me in. There's also a chance none of that will happen at all. But if it does, it's because we feel that we're ready to. Not because some list says we're supposed to." Azure looked back over to the table. Twilight still seemed to be badgering Fluttershy, but it was definitely much more light that it had been when all four were at the table. I was...a little iffy about the tail-holding thing. I never liked attention like that. And I had gotten it way before I realized either of my crushes... Azure thought. Because I happened to pal around with mares a lot of the time. "...I guess you have a point," Azure rubbed the back of his head, turning back to Silver, "But...won't she be disappointed?" "You mentioned she worked at that list like it was some kind of report?" Silver asked. Azure could only nod. "To me, that says she's willing to do what she can to make this work between you." "...You sure you've never done something like this before?" "I just pay attention." Azure remained silent. When the blind pony was right... "I guess I'll talk to her about it, but for now, I think we'd better get back to the table before they wonder what's keeping us." ----------------------------------------------- Despite the vast difference in how each couple executed their relationships, the double date proceeded smoothly, though the sight of Azure and Twilight sharing a smoothie did draw quite a bit of attention to the two of them. The two couples parted ways soon after, and the whole way back, Azure once again found himself ensnared by Twilight's tail. He bit his tongue, wanting to make sure that the two were relatively alone before saying what was really on his mind. He did not doubt Twilight wanted it to work between them, but she was putting a lot of stress on it due to the fact she overthought it and made it far more organized than it really needed to be. Azure understood full well why she researched...it was in her nature. Eventually, the two reached the library, passing by Spike. "So, how'd it go?" he asked, semi-dryly, as the two passed. "It went perfectly!" Twilight chirped with a smile. "Isn't that right, honey?" Azure bit his tongue as Spike started to snicker again. At least the pet names, he could get used to. Everything else they did today, except maybe the sharing of the smoothie, was a bit too far, though. "Sure was...babe..." As Spike's sides began to split once again, the two made their way up to Twilight's room, which had been cleaned up significantly since the two left. When Twilight closed the door, Azure breathed out a heavy sigh, not exactly sure what he wanted to say. "Twilight..." Azure started, "we need to talk..." The instant he spoke those four words, Twilight's expression changed from happy to extremely scared and sad. "Oh, no...no, no, no, no..." she said, walking towards him, "You're breaking up with me, aren't you?" "Breaking--what, no..." Azure responded, "Why would you think that?" "I-I read about it in my books!" said Twilight, "Every time a conversation between a couple starts with 'we need to talk', it usually means a break-up is going to follow!" "I'm not breaking up with you..." Azure assured her. "There's just...something I have a little bit of an issue with..." "W-what is it?" "I-it's your list..." Twilight blinked. "Y-you don't like the list...? But...I researched for several hours making it..." "Twilight...I understand it..." Azure said, "I understand that it was your first instinct." He walked forward until he could reach Twilight's shoulders. It was a bit awkward to touch both of them at the same time, but he managed it well. "You didn't know what it was, so it was books you turned to...but...the list isn't needed. And whatever other lists you might have...well..." Twilight blushed, "T-those were...for..." "I...don't want to know what those were for." Azure cut her off before his curiosity got spiked to the limits, "You wanted to make it work, and you turned to your lists. Something that helped you during the winter wrap-up even after you slipped a little..." "Twilight...What I'm trying to say is...for romance, neither of us can approach it like we normally would," The cyan colt said, finally standing on four legs again, feeling Twilight relax just a little. "I can't blindly follow my instincts like I'm used to, but planning it down to the detail isn't going to work either." "Silver...Fluttershy...neither of them planned their day, and both of them still had a good time..." "I..." Twilight started, sounding unsure. "I get that you value organizing affairs like this..." Azure replied. "But...well..." He blushed a bit, remembering something important. "We didn't exactly plan our first kiss now...did we?" "Well...yeah..." Twilight blushed heavily at the memory, "And...that was...the best thing I'd ever felt..." "And...you know..." Azure responded. "I don't plan on planning that anymore either..." Azure kissed her full-on the mouth, holding it for five seconds, before pulling back. Twilight half-opened her eyes afterward, seemingly convinced with his answer. "So...babe...I think we can do...without the planning..." ----------------------------------------------- The Royal Guards left town later that day. A couple of days later, Silver also left, leaving Azure with a hoofbump as departure, along with more teasing words about his current relationship. The cyan colt didn't care much for Silver's advice of "don't overdo it with the sweetness now", but he did notice Fluttershy seemed just a little down when he left town. Silver also hinted he would be back sooner next time without needing to be asked before departing. Azure stretched out on the sofa, feeling less restless than he normally would. He had himself a cute marefriend, he'd proven he could defend her and his other friends if the need arose, and he'd managed to mend what he'd broken through his own stupidity. Yet...through all this, the cyan colt couldn't help but feel he was forgetting something. A knock at the door broke him out of his thoughts. He got up to answer it, not really caring who it was as long as he didn't have to kick some teeth in. He opened it, finding Twilight. "Hi, Azure," she said, forgoing her pet name for the moment. "How have you been today?" "Still just a little sore from the whole mess a while back, but I think I've healed..." "Always downplaying major problems..." Twilight said, "Whether you've burned up most of your magic or physical endurance...Doing it so we don't have to worry about you?" "...Probably..." Azure said, "So...why'd you come?" "Well, I wanted to see you, but more importantly...the Grand Galloping Gala's coming up." Azure blinked. "Grand Galloping Gala...? Oh, right! The whole mess with the ticket...and you changed me to your color..." "Yeah...Well...do you remember we each got one? Even Spike got one?" Twilight asked, walking inside without Azure even telling her to come in. Azure, for his part, didn't mind. Azure closed his eyes. A memory returned, one from way back when he and Twilight first started to get along. It was that night, after he got home and dried himself off following his little swim. --------- "Actually, there's something else I'm here for too..." "Wait a sec, you're taking me? Didn't I say--" "Actually, you see, I sent a letter to Princess Celestia about how she'd only sent two tickets, and how I couldn't decide between each of my friends. She'd sent eight tickets in less than a minute after I'd sent her a letter. There's one for each of us, including Spike. Honestly, I'd imagine she didn't want you or Spike to be left out." "I get it. Well, I guess it'd be rude of me to not go. If anypony expects me to dance, they're bound to be disappointed..." Twilight's giggle, even now, remained in his memory. "I don't plan on dancing either..." -------------- "Right. I still stand by not dancing..." Azure only now seemed to figure out what it was he was forgetting. "Oh...manure...that's right...it's one of those formal events, isn't it!?" "Azure...?" Twilight asked. "I completely forgot...I don't have any formal wear..." Azure responded. "Actually..." Twilight smiled, walking up to him, "Rarity said she had something for you...She told me she was saving it for something like this..." Azure blinked, "...What is it?" "If I had to guess, it'd be that 'formal wear' you were just fretting about..." Twilight kissed Azure on the cheek as he started to blush from her sentiments. "...Oh..." Azure said, "What about the rest of you?" Twilight paused, "...Where were you when we put her through so much stress?" "I...had other things to do at the time..." Azure remembered bits and pieces of Rarity's ordeal. She had put the work all on herself, and initially the mares had placed way too much on her to make each of their dresses. The first results turned out horribly for her at the fashion show, but the second ones were much better. It occurred to him that he hadn't even seen any of the fabled dresses. "Those are the ones you're wearing to the Gala, then?" "That's right..." Twilight said. "Don't worry...she's covered us...oh, and Azure..." "Huh?" "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth..." Twilight seemed to be rattling off something she learned at that moment. Azure wasn't complaining about what Rarity made; he had no intention of doing so. He was sure whatever she had in mind for him wasn't something that would conflict with his character too much. "...Got it..." Azure responded. "Gonna walk there with me to see what she's got in store?" "...Planned on it..." Twilight replied with a smile. The two ponies left for Rarity's shop, perfectly content with going with the flow for now.