Twilight paced anxiously around the library, her mane disheveled and her eye twitching. A glance at her clock informed her that it had been exactly six hours, twenty-four minutes, and thirty-three seconds since Rainbow had left, and Twilight was no closer to an answer than she was six hours, twenty-four minutes, and thirty-three seconds ago.
“Ugh! This doesn’t make any sense!” Twilight exasperated, slamming her copy of 101 Dating Tips for Every Mare shut with distaste.
“What doesn’t make any sense?” Spike asked from his perch on a ladder, safely out of reach from the unicorn’s own brand of destruction. He had lived with Twilight long enough to know to steer clear of her when she got like this.
“How can none of these books have any answers!” Twilight continued, ignoring the baby dragon as she paced through the mess of books littering the floor of the library. “A pony would think that for an area so written about in literature, there would at least be some hint for a pony to figure it out for herself!”
“Figure what out?” Spike tried again to attract her attention. If Twilight had heard him, she chose to ignore him. At some point during the last six hours he had returned home, though Twilight had paid him no mind. What she was working on was much more important.
“I’ve gone through every book in the library on the subject, but none have any useful information!” Twilight flipped through her notes, scrawled haphazardly as she went through every book on romance and dating in her possession. Her resources were fairly limited, but she had hoped there would have been something to help her. “All of these are on how to ask somepony out and what to do with them on a date! How does that help me figure out if I should say yes?!”
“Whoa!” Spike cried in surprise, losing balance on the ladder and crashing down into the pile of books below. Digging himself out, he stared at the unicorn flabbergasted. “Did you say dating?”
“Yes, why else would I have every single book on the topic out Spike?” Twilight asked, as if the answer should have been obvious to the baby dragon. Spike raised a claw to say something before Twilight continued, her back still turned to him as she read through her notes. “I’ve skimmed through everything from those romance novels Rarity and Fluttershy keep on going on about to... what is this one again? The Perfect Date For Your Special Somepony. And so far nothing!”
“Twilight, could you just-”
“They all keep on going on and on about how a mare should listen to her heart at times like these, but they don’t tell you how to do that! How does a pony know when they’re listening to their heart and not their head? And how does that make any sense anyways?! The heart can’t think, it can’t send brainwaves or other messages that can be translated as basic thought!”
“Twilight!” Spike jumped in front of the unicorn to get her attention.
“What?!”
The twitch in her eye was all the warning Spike needed to turn tail and run. However, against his better judgement he stood his ground. “What are you even talking about? What date? I thought today was reading day with Rainbow Dash anyways? I was expecting to come back to you two reading together in front of the fireplace or something, not... this!” Spike waved to the disaster that was the library. “Would it kill you to just back up and explain what the hay’s going on here?”
“Explain?! I don’t have time to explain, Spike! I have less than a day to figure this all out or everything’s ruined! Rainbow will hate me, and then I’ll have to move away from Ponyville because everypony else will hate me for hurting her! I said I’d have an answer for her, but I just don’t know what to do!” Books flew around the library in erratically as Twilight rapidly flipped through them. Each book was soon discarded and replaced by another faster than Spike could follow, the unicorn’s eyes darting from page to page. “Maybe I overlooked something... No, this isn’t any good. No, what does spaghetti have to do with any of this? No, nothing here either. Maybe this one? No, no, no! Ugh! Spike, are these all of the books on romance we have?”
Spike sighed, looking around the library, “I think so, but it’s hard to say anything for sure with the library like this! I mean…” He reached down, plucking a book from the floor. “Why is there a cookbook down here? It’s gonna take forever to organize this,” he groaned, dropping the book on the floor. “C’mon Twilight, will you just tell me what’s going on? It can’t be that bad.”
This caught Twilight’s full attention. Turning to face Spike, her face one of pure shock and disbelief at the young dragon’s words, she asked in a high-pitched voice, “Not that bad? Not that bad?!”
Twilight’s horn began to glow brighter, amassing a large amount of energy. Spike laughed nervously, slowly backing away from her as the library itself began to shake. “Umm, maybe?”
Just as the shaking and brightness of Twilight’s horn hit its peak and Spike braced himself for the worst, everything stopped. Books, previously held aloft in Twilight’s magical glow, fell to the floor as Twilight fell to her haunches, eyes shut and shoulders hunched in defeat. Spike cracked an eye open as a book bounced off of his head, falling open next to him.
Cautiously, Spike ventured forwards, risking placing a comforting claw on Twilight’s shoulder, “Twilight?”
“You wouldn’t understand...” Twilight mumbled dejectedly, shrugging off Spike’s clawed hand.
“Maybe I would if you would tell me.”
Twilight raised her head to meet Spike’s concerned gaze. How could she tell him about this? On one hoof, he was still a baby dragon who couldn’t get over his own crush on Rarity. She couldn’t help but think that telling Spike about all of this would just get him worried or make him want to get involved in something Twilight felt should be dealt with by her and her alone. On the other hoof, Twilight needed someone to talk to, and Spike knew her better than anybody in Ponyville.
She sighed, admitting defeat, “Okay, you win. It’s Rainbow.”
“Hold that thought,” Spike said, shuffling over to the kitchen as fast as he could. “Why don’t you sit down at the table or something and I’ll go make some tea? Fluttershy always says it helps calm her down.”
A few minutes later, Twilight found herself nursing a cup of tea while Spike busied himself with tidying up the library. It had taken some work, but somehow Spike convinced Twilight to sit down and stop worrying, at least for the moment.
“Okay, now what’s this about Rainbow Dash and dating?” Spike asked, picking up a small stack of books to be re-shelved, his eyes gauging the unicorn’s response carefully.
Twilight took a long sip from her cup to calm her nerves. She was close to the breaking point, but she knew she needed to stay in control. She licked her lips, suddenly wishing for some milk and sugar to go with her tea as she tasted its bitterness on her palate. Delicately lowering the cup, she began, “Well, this morning, Rainbow came over for our weekly reading day. Except she was very jittery and nervous, like before the Best Young Flyer’s Competition. And... I guess long story short she asked me out.”
Spike stared at Twilight, books in his arms forgotten, “Rainbow Dash? Our Rainbow Dash asked you out? On a date?”
Twilight nodded, swirling her tea around to avoid making direct eye contact.
“A date date? Like with flowers, and walks under the moonlight, and fancy dinners and all that romance stuff?”
Twilight nodded solemnly again, staring into the dregs of her tea. Despite the situation, she couldn’t help but admire how the light, when caught just right in her tea, created the fleeting image of a rainbow that danced in her eyes.
“That’s great! I’m happy for you Twilight!” Spike cheered. His smile faltered when he saw Twilight’s glare. “Or maybe not so great?” The baby dragon backpedalled, taking a few steps away from the table. When Twilight lowered her glare back to her tea, Spike cleared his throat. “So? What did you say?”
“I...” Twilight started, looking helplessly at her tea as if it may have all of her answers. “I told her that I needed time to think. She said that she’ll be waiting for me down at the carnival gates tomorrow at noon if I decide to say yes.”
Spike nodded sagely, or at least what he thought would look sagely, “Okay, so what are you going to do? Are you going to see her tomorrow or not?”
“I don’t know!” Twilight groaned, letting her head fall to the table. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship! Rainbow means a lot to me, but so do all of the other girls! If something goes wrong, then everything could fall apart!”
“Twilight, you need to calm down. This isn’t the end of the world, and it’s just one date. You don’t have to go off and marry her or anything.”
Twilight blushed as the images of Rainbow in a long, flowing white wedding dress perfectly fitted to accentuate her toned form danced through her mind. Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts, she pushed her chair away from the table as she fought down her blush. “But what if it doesn’t go well and things get weird between us! I don’t know what I’d do or how to fix it.”
“Well, isn’t it kind of impossible to not let things get weird between you two already? I mean, Rainbow pretty much guaranteed that when she asked you out. Besides, I know I’m young and all, but isn’t the whole point of dating to figure out if you can be somepony’s special somepony?” Spike blinked, somehow what he had said even confused him a little. “Somepony’s special somepony?” He muttered to himself so that Twilight couldn’t hear. “Does that even make sense?” He shrugged it off when he noticed Twilight shift around in her chair.
“I... guess so, but it still doesn’t help me figure out if I should even say yes in the first place.”
“I think only you can answer that one, Twilight. I mean, do you think you could see yourself dating Rainbow Dash?”
“I don’t know... maybe?” Twilight sighed, standing up from the table to resume her pacing. Her mind was drawn to her analysis of Daring and Rosetta, and couldn’t help but compare it to her situation with Rainbow.
I guess I don't see any major flaws in their dynamic.
It was true, there was no reason why she couldn’t date Rainbow. Wordlessly, Twilight trotted over to her desk, levitating her copy of Daring Do and the Devious Doctor Negative out in front of her. She turned to where she and Rainbow had left off, so close to the end but not quite there. Carefully placing the book down, she pulled out the blue feather that they had used as a bookmark.
Twirling the feather in her magic, Twilight’s mind drifted to all of the time she had spent with Rainbow. She could feel the warmth of Rainbow’s coat pressed up against hers as they read in front of the fireplace. She could see the twinkle in her eyes as they delved into a new book every week, a twinkle of joy and hunger that Twilight had only ever seen in herself. Twilight smiled fondly at the feather and at the memories.
“Before Rainbow left, she said something to me... She said that she wasn’t sure if this would work out, but that she could feel that there was something there. You know,” Twilight giggled, smiling earnestly at the little dragon. “I think she may have been right. And you know what else?”
“What?” Spike asked, beaming back at Twilight, happy that she had figured this out.
“I agree with her. It may not work out, but I think... I think that I want to give it a shot!”
“That’s my Twilight!” Spike cheered, placing his stack of books on a nearby stool. “Come on, let’s get you something to eat! After all, tomorrow you’ve got your date with Rainbow Dash to look forward to, right?”
Twilight giggled again and followed Spike into the kitchen, “Yeah... you’re right.”
“Should I start setting the table for three from now on? Or would you prefer if I just take my meals upstairs and let you have some privacy?”
“Careful buster, or I’m cutting you off from your gems,” Twilight teased, cantering with her head held high to the kitchen table as Spike set to preparing their dinner. Now that she had figured out what she was going to do, she was filled with a giddy anticipation for her day with Rainbow. The thought of Rainbow not just as her friend, but her date made her stomach churn with a nervous excitement.
She was going on a date, her first date, tomorrow with none other than Rainbow Dash. Twilight squealed on the inside at the prospect as she took the first mouthful of the casserole Spike had prepared. In her opinion, it was the best casserole she had had in a long time.
Rainbow paced impatiently outside the carnival gates, her wings twitching in anticipation and uncertainty. How does my mane look? Should I have gone to the spa or something? Maybe I should have asked Rarity for a dress? Wait, this is a carnival! Why would I get a dress?!
Rainbow groaned, she was starting to sound like Rarity with all of this worrying. She took a deep breath, making sure the lilac she bought for Twilight was still safely tucked inside her saddlebags. The flower itself was magically enchanted to never wilt under normal circumstances, making it the perfect surprise for the unicorn at the end of the day. She told herself she just needed to be her regular awesome self and everything would turn out equally as awesome if Twilight showed.
She cringed. “Once Twilight shows, once Twilight shows,” Rainbow repeated to herself over and over again as if it were some kind of chant. She could feel that there was a spark there with Twilight, and she hoped that Twilight would see it too. But even then, Rainbow couldn’t shake the feeling that this would be too big a leap for the unicorn. After all, she didn’t even have friends until she moved to Ponyville, and now one of her closest friends had just asked her out on a date. Twilight seemed okay when Rainbow left, maybe a little confused, but not Celestia’s-going-to-send-me-back-to-magic-kindergarten bad. How did she react after she left though? She could have locked herself in her room and gone crazy for all Rainbow knew, maybe she-
“No. Gotta stay positive. Can’t think that way. Twilight’s gonna show, I can feel it,” Rainbow shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. She had always trusted her instincts, and right now they were telling her that everything would work out. Then again, there was always the miniscule chance that she wouldn’t. Rainbow gulped, “I hope.”
Her worrying was interrupted by somepony calling her name. “Rainbow!” Rainbow knew that voice. Hearing it call her name filled her with a warm tingly feeling that spread from hoof to wing. Turning with a smile of relief, Rainbow saw Twilight galloping down the dirt road towards her.
With a flap of her wings, Rainbow took to the sky to meet her halfway. Twilight skidded to a halt as Rainbow landed a few feet away, breathlessly beaming at the pegasus who wore a smile matching her own. They simply stood there for a few minutes, smiling widely at each other, waiting for the other to say something.
“So...” Rainbow coughed, fluttering her wings excitedly behind her. “Is that a yes?”
Twilight’s tail swished happily as she nodded silently to Rainbow, still catching her breath from the running. “Uh-huh,” she finally managed to breathe out. “I’d love to accompany you to the carnival, Rainbow.”
Rainbow’s smile only widened, “As... as my date?”
“Yes Rainbow, as your date.” Twilight’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she realized the full meaning of the moment. Rainbow Dash, her date.
“Awesome!” Rainbow jumped into the air, zipping around in loops and dives, cheering all the while in joy and, while she would never admit it, relief that Twilight had said yes. Alighting down and falling in line with her official date, Rainbow slung a leg around Twilight’s neck. “Then what are we waiting for? We have an entire day of sheer amazingness just waiting beyond those gates! Rides, games, food, and Luna knows what else!”
Twilight giggled, ducking out from underneath Rainbow’s leg, “Rainbow, you sound like one of those Flim-Flam brothers.”
Rainbow puffed her chest out in pride, “Hey, can ya blame me? Probably the cutest and smartest mare in Ponyville just said yes to a date with me!” She blushed and looked away sheepishly. “Plus, I wasn’t even sure if you were gonna show at all. I was kinda scared that I may have ruined everything we had, and that’s the last thing I want. I love what we have right now, it’s just... I want it to be something more, something even more special with you. I know it sounds really cheesy and all, but this is something I can’t describe with words. That’s your area, the best I can do is show you.”
Smiling, Twilight leaned in and pecked the pegasus on the cheek, “Well I’m here now. Why don’t you go on and show me Rainbow?”
Twilight trotted ahead to the ticket gate, leaving a violently blushing Rainbow in her wake. Looking over her shoulder, Twilight giggled at the very surprised pegasus, “Well, are you coming?”
Snapping herself back to attention, Rainbow half-galloped, half-stumbled to catch up to Twilight, “You bet!”