“What?”
That was the first thing that came to mind when TD Harrison Powell asked me out on a date. The same TD Harrison Powell that was best known in Equestria for punching me, Princess Celestia, in the face. He was having a hard time keeping eye contact with me.
Strange.
“Yes or no? I don’t have all day, Celestia. I have foals to teach back in Ponyville.”
He arrived in Canterlot that very morning and demanded an appointment with me. When I received the news, I quickly put his appointment above everything else that day. If this was the same TD Harrison Powell I brought to my world by a sheer stroke of luck, then this was important. TD and I have never gotten along before, and we hadn’t left each other on the best of terms. He said he never wanted to see me again, so him coming all the way from Ponyville just to get an audience with me was astonishing to say the least.
“I’ll be honest TD, I can’t see where you’re getting at with this. Care to explain?”
He was obviously holding a blush. Being as old I am, I could read facial expressions like a book even if the being making them was foreign to Equestria.
“I don’t have anything to explain,” he said as he crossed his arms. His posture was defensive. He was nervous. “I want an answer. Are you gonna go out with me or not?”
It was just as surprising as the first time. There was an awkward silence in the throne room. I didn’t know what to say. A few words came to mind that I would rather not stoop down to saying. At first I thought it was TD trying to get back at me for getting his spine snapped by my dearest sister, but something was off. This wasn’t the snarky, sarcastic being I had occasionally found myself in opposition with. I could not sense any magic from him, so he wasn’t a changeling, and Discord was reformed, so he couldn’t be under his influence. This was indeed puzzling.
He struck his own face with the palm of his hand. “I’m not joking, Celestia. I’m being honest and... if you don’t believe me, I…” He paused before going into deep thought before sighing again and did something nopony would have expected.
“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
The Pinkie Promise.
He even performed each action of this ritual step by step. When he ended though, he accidently poked his own eye. I was at a loss for words. Me! Princess Celestia, the co-ruler of all of Equestria. I took the situation in and walked out of the throne room leaving a confused TD inside. Than with all the quiet dignity and grace I could muster, I ran as fast as I could like a panicking foal to the only pony I could talk to about this situation.
“LUUUUUUNAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I threw Luna’s bedroom doors open with my magic. Luna was asleep before I entered, so she was not pleased to see me barge in like that.
“Sister, Is there something thou would like to share with us?” she inquired rubbing her eyes. I was panting. Why was I panting? I'm an immortal alicorn goddess. I don't pant.
“TD… here… castle...” I managed to say out loud.
Luna’s pupils dilated. She sat up on her bed. She contorted her face into a scowl. “Art thou referring to the human that had the nerve to punch thee in the face? What brings the wretched whelp here?”
“That’s just it,” I replied as I paced around her room after locking the door shut. Pacing helped me think. That habit somehow rubbed off on Twilight though, “He came here to Canterlot to ask me out on a date.”
Luna was shocked to say the least. “WHAT?!” she yelled in the Royal Canterlot Voice. A habit I am not fond of.
“Shhhh. I don’t want him to hear us.”
Luna thought for a moment. “Maybe he’s just getting back at us for snapping his spine.”
“I’m afraid not, dear sister,” I replied grimly “He Pinkie Promised, Luna.”
Luna gasped. “What do we do then, sister?”
I looked at Luna with a hopeless expression. “For the first time in a thousand years, I don’t know.”
A silence plagued the atmosphere of Luna’s room. None of us said a word. The eerie silence was broken by a knock on the door that shocked us back into existence.
“Who is it?” Luna called out.
“It’s TD. I’m looking for Celestia.”
I looked at Luna. It wasn’t like me to worry this much, but mother of me, it was TD we were talking about, one of the few beings in Equestria that was on par with me and my sister when it came to the battle of wits.
“Just a moment!” Luna called out.
“What do I do?” I whispered. By now my calm collected mask was completely gone. I was almost trembling.
Luna closed her eyes and went into deep thought and after a moment she opened them and looked at me with a stoic expression. “Here is our advice sister,” she said with a stern voice. I leaned closer to listen to her. “Go out with the human.”
I looked at her as if she slapped me in the face. “What!?” I yelled before covering my face with my hooves. But it was already too late. He had heard me through the door.
“Celestia? Is that you? Are you gonna answer me or not?” TD knocked on the door again, this time harder.
Luna continued despite the knocking.
“We suggest you go out with the human, sister. If you accept his offer and let him court you, you can make this a one-time date and end it there.”
I did not believe what I was hearing.
“Luna have you gone insane?! He is not like one of those nobles we have dealt with in the past. He isn’t in the pursuit of wealth and power like the Canterlot Elite. For all we know, he is out for my blood.”
Luna leaned in closer to me. Her face was as serious as could be. “Celestia, you are trying to avoid the problem here and judging by how adamant he is on getting thee on a date, we do not think he will stop unless he succeeds. It is not to our knowledge why he wants to court thee, but mark our words, we are in Equestria and you know as much we do that minor issues such as this have the tendency to escalate almost instantly. If we do not pluck the problem from its roots, than it will grow until it is a national issue for all we know. Do you want something like that to happen again?”
I looked at Luna, shocked. I wanted to deny what she said but she was right. Small problems like these could grow in short periods of time and this was no small problem. This was TD Harrison Powell. Luna’s expression softened, and she put her hoof on my shoulder. “We are not forcing you to do this, but keep in mind our past with problems of such delicate issues. If this continues, I can almost guarantee things will go from bad to worse. It is a sacrifice you must make for Equestria.”
I cringed as she pulled the Equestria card on me. I hate it when she does, but she had a point. I had to do this before things got out of hoof… again.
I sighed “Fine! If it’s for Equestria, it is a sacrifice I will have to make.”
Luna held back a sigh as she magically unlocked the door. “Good luck, Tia. May Faust guide you and have mercy on your soul.”
I nodded and swung it open with my hoof. TD didn't see it coming and his face took the full force of the door causing him to tumble back. I leaned closer to him until our faces were inches away from each other. I narrowed my eyebrows.
“Pick me up at five.”