//------------------------------// // III: Epilogue // Story: A Stallion for the Time Being // by Sharp Spark //------------------------------// “...And then you garnish with a twist of lime and voilà, one Minu-tini!” Twilight clapped his hooves together appreciatively, lifting the glass carefully with his magic. Minuette busied with fixing herself a second drink as he took a sip. “Mmm!” he said. “Maybe you should have claimed to be a bartender. I think I could have believed that.” Minuette grinned back at him. “I have totally gotten stallions to believe the ‘Celestia’s secret spymaster’ story before, but that was generally due to a desperate need to appear interesting.” Twilight rolled his eyes. “Please, and the truth isn’t more interesting than that?” Minuette stuck her tongue out at him. “Ponies rarely believe that. Or worse, they just bug me to take them back in time for one stupid reason or another.”  Finishing her own martini, she took a long sip, closing her eyes at the taste. The kitchen was silent for a moment before Twilight spoke up. “You really did know it was me from the beginning though? The very very beginning?” “Since I saw a purple stallion out in front of that restaurant, yes.” Minuette smirked. “It was not an entirely difficult conclusion to draw.” “I knew I should have kept the moustache,” Twilight muttered to himself. Minuette heard him well enough. “What? No, ew ew ew.” Twilight looked up at her, a grin forming on his face. “What’s wrong? Not a fan of... these?” With a flash of his magic, a bushy moustache blossomed on his face. Minuette’s mouth dropped open, then her eye began twitching. “Uh...” “C’mon, Minny. Gimme some kisses. Mwah!” With surprising agility, Twilight darted around the side of the kitchen table, but Minuette had anticipated his movement and circled the opposite direction. For several tense moments, the standoff continued, Twilight chasing her around the table. Sensing a moment of opportunity, she ducked back to flee into the living room, but Twilight only saw that as an opening. With a flap of his wings he dived through the air to tackle her onto the couch. “Eeeek!” Minuette cried out, awaiting the horrible bristly feeling of hair on her face. But none came. She opened one eye cautiously just as a thankfully non-mustachioed Twilight gently kissed her forehead. She sighed and relaxed, shifting slightly so they laid more comfortably on the couch, Twilight’s hooves still wrapped around her. This was perfect, and she had no desire to move. Except... As she looked up, Twilight was already levitating their drinks in from the kitchen. Okay, now this was perfect. She took another sip of her martini. “Starsy...?” she said, softly. “Mm-hmm?” he replied. She could feel the rumble of his voice from her head against his chest. “I’m still curious. What exactly was your plan originally? I get that you’d take me out on a date and show me a good time so that I’d stop with the big temporal disturbances, but what about after the date?” He was silent. She frowned slightly. “I mean, if I had a good time, I’d clearly want to pursue things further. What were you going to do then?” “I...” Twilight sounded like he had been caught off guard. “I didn’t even think about that!” Minuette giggled. “For being the smartest stallion I know, you can be an awfully dumb mare.” She felt him tense just a bit, but she wrapped her hooves around him and snuggled in a little closer. “It’s okay though. You’re my stallion, and if I have to take the mare along with it, we can make do.” He remained silent, no witty comeback. Finally, he spoke up, in a quiet but serious tone. “Why?” She paused to look up at his face, which held a troubled frown. “I like you, and I don’t think anypony could blame me,” he said. “But why do you like me? I don’t understand it.” “Fishing for compliments, are we?” she said lightly, but as he opened his mouth to protest, she put a hoof to his lips. “Just a joke.” She thought for a long moment before speaking up. “I like you because you like me.” “That’s not an answer,” Twilight said. Minuette smiled. “No, it is. It’s the truth. I’ve... I’ve tried dating a lot of stallions, and it’s pretty much always gone badly. But it’s given me a lot of chances to try just about every approach and all kinds of different personas to try and get ponies to like me. I... don’t have to do that with you.” She looked up at Twilight and took a deep breath. “When I’m with you, I can just be me. I don’t have to be quiet and demure Minuette, or intellectual and refined Minuette, or sexy flirty Minuette—” “Actually, I wouldn’t mind getting to know sexy flirty Minuette better,” Twilight said, with a wink. She smiled and gently elbowed him. “As I was saying, with you I can just be myself. And... somehow you still like me. Which means there’s something probably wrong with you in the head, but I’ll figure that out later.” Twilight laughed. “I think my friends might have suggestions for where to start. But that’s okay.” His hooves tightened, hugging her closer against his chest. “Never change, Minuette.” She looked up at him, a sparkle in her eye. “Actually. About that.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?” “I was wondering... maybe you could teach me a spell?” She bit her lower lip. “I think I want to try being a stallion next time.” “I thought you said you were only begrudgingly putting up with me being a mare,” Twilight said, teasingly. “Who said you’d be a mare?” Twilight blinked before a short laugh, taking the time to look off into the distance and rub his chin thoughtfully. “I think that can be arranged.” Minuette exhaled and smiled. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against him, a faint glow forming around her horn as she used her magic for one last task. Over in the kitchen, a little black book slid off the counter and floated to the trashcan, where it was neatly deposited with the rest of the garbage.