Twilight's panic began growing in intensity as she paced the floor of her room. She had just agreed to meet another mare whom she had never met for a coffee date, but she was so caught up in the excitement of their conversation that she hadn't considered the fact that she had absolutely no practical knowledge when it came to dates. As the realisation of this came to her mind, her mind turned to panic and she was now frantically pacing while talking to herself.
"Oh Celestia, why did I agree to a date with her?" the lavender mare muttered to herself. "I'm just going to end up screwing it up!"
Her dragon assistant poked his head into the room. "Wait, did you just say you had a date?" he asked. Twilight turned to Spike and slowly nodded. A smile came to the young dragon's face. "That's awesome, Twilight! I knew you could get a date eventually!"
"No Spike, this is awful!" yelled Twilight. The volume and intensity of Twilight's outburst startled Spike, but he listened intently as she continued to speak. "I just know I'm going to screw this up somehow… I have no idea how to act on a date! I'll probably bore her or offend her or make her think that I'm crazy or-"
The unicorn's panicked speech was interrupted by Spike. "Twilight, you need to calm down! Remember what happened the last time you became this worried about something?"
Twilight gazed at the floor as she recalled this incident, remembering how she had caused the entire town to become completely obsessed with a doll. Her cheeks reddened as she remembered her mentor needing to undo the spell and bring her back to reality. She turned her gaze to Spike again. "Sorry. You're right about me needing to calm down; I definitely don't need Princess Celestia to be disappointed in me again."
"Maybe she could help you," suggested Spike. "She could give you advice for your date and ease your mind about the whole thing."
Twilight shook her head. "I don't think this is a situation that Celestia could help with. In all my years as her student, I never saw her with another mare or stallion. I don't think she's dated in quite some time."
"What about your friends here?" asked Spike. "I'm sure they can help. At the very least, Rarity knows a thing or two about dating," he added in a bitter tone.
Twilight gave a sympathetic smile. "Still disappointed that she picked Fluttershy over you?" Spike nodded, his face showing his feelings of sorrow. "Don't worry Spike, you'll find someone eventually. You've still got a lot of growing up to do."
"Maybe I won't end up falling in love with a fillyfooling pony next time, and I'll actually find a dragon to love me," replied the librarian's assistant.
Twilight chuckled. "That's the spirit. You know, I think you're right about Rarity being able to help me; I should go see her."
The lavender mare bid her assistant farewell and left him in charge of the library. She began trotting towards Rarity's house. Along the way, her mind wandered back to anxiety about the date, despite her attempts to ignore it. She had no idea why she was so nervous about it – she had gone on a date with Pinkie Pie, after all – but the irrational worry would not leave her mind.
After a few minutes, Twilight arrived at Carousel Boutique, the dressmaking shop run by her alabaster friend. Walking up to the door, she noticed that the sign hanging on the front of the door said 'OPEN'. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," she said to herself, "I could really use her advice at a time like this." She attempted to open the door, but it was locked. Thinking that the contradiction between the sign and the locked door was odd, she raised a hoof and knocked on the door.
Twilight waited for about a minute, and when there was no response, she knocked again. She kept this up for about five minutes, but her friend did not answer the door. The unicorn sighed and turned to leave, but a creaking noise prompted her to look at the door again. It had been opened a bit less than a hooflength, just enough for her dressmaker friend to peer out. "Oh, I was so worried you wer-", she began.
Rarity cut her off. "Twilight dear, I'm sorry, but I'm much too busy to talk right now." As she spoke, the lavender mare noticed that her friend had sweat dripping down her body, and that she was slightly out of breath.
"Can I help you at all?" offered Twilight, the concern obvious in her voice.
Rarity shook her head. "Oh no, I couldn't do that, dear. I have a large number of dresses to make for a client, and sewing isn't something you can just learn by reading a book."
"Oh, I guess you're right," said Twilight. "Maybe I can get some help from Fluttershy."
Rarity blushed at the mention of the demure pegasus' name. "Uh, she's not home darling."
Twilight gave her friend a confused look. "Wait, how do you know that?"
"Oh, that's because she's helping me," replied the white unicorn, a forced smile plastered on her face. "She really is quite good at sewing, even if her fashion sense is a little…tacky."
Twilight frowned. "Hmm, I guess I'll have to ask Applejack for dating advice then. Thanks anyway, Rarity!"
"Wait, did you say dating advice?" Rarity asked, her curiosity piqued.
Twilight nodded. "Yes, I have a date, and I was really hoping that I could get some advice from my friends beforehand. But I understand if you're busy."
Rarity practically squealed in glee. "Oh, Twilight! I'm so happy for you!" Looking behind her, she noted the time displayed on her wall clock. "Listen, I should be done with Flut- I mean, these dresses in an hour, so you could come back then. I'd be happy to share my vast knowledge of dating with a friend in need."
Twilight smiled in gratitude. "Thanks Rarity, I appreciate that. I'll be back in an hour." Her friend closed the door and Twilight turned to leave. As she trotted away, her mind was filled with thoughts of her friends. It's so nice of Fluttershy to help Rarity with her dressmaking. I wonder if Rarity ever helps with taking care of Fluttershy's animals. As she passed by town hall, something occurred to her: Since when do ponies get sweaty when making dresses? She brought a hoof to her face as she realised that she had interrupted her friends in the middle of something much more important and intimate than dressmaking.
She did not have long to dwell on this fact ,however, as she soon found herself standing in front of the gates of Sweet Apple Acres. Passing through them, she noticed a sight that was becoming more familiar. In the field to the east of the Apple family's barn lay two ponies in each other's embrace, resting in the cool shade of an apple tree.
Twilight approached the couple. "Hey Applejack, hey Rainbow Dash."
Applejack opened her eyes. "Well howdy there Twilight, what's going on?"
"I was wondering if you two could give me some advice on something," replied the unicorn.
"Ah don't see why not sugarcube, what is it?"
"Well, since you two have been dating for a long time, can you give me any tips on how to behave on a date?" asked Twilight.
Applejack's eyes lit up. "You want dating advice? Ah never reckoned you'd find somepony here in Ponyville. Who's the lucky mare?"
"I don't actually know," admitted Twilight. "She's from Canterlot."
Applejack's expression turned to one of concern. "You don't know her? Don't tell me that ya'll met on that fancy ponynet Pinkie's been going on about…"
The lavender unicorn nodded her head. "Yeah, I thought it was going to be another bust, but I actually met somepony!"
"Sugarcube, how do you know you can trust this pony? There's no way to tell if they're even a mare!"
"But I-" Twilight began before she was cut off by her farmer friend.
"It's just not safe," she continued, the worry evident in her voice. "Ah reckon you should just not go on that date."
Twilight looked down at her hooves, a bit discouraged by the possible truth in her friend's words. Before the orange mare could continue, a cyan hoof found its way over her mouth, muffling what she was about to say. Rainbow Dash, her eyes still shut, and still embracing her marefriend with one hoof, spoke up. "Forget about that, Twi. You should always take an opportunity if you see one."
Applejack stood up, breaking free from the pegasus's grip. Fixing her with a cold glare, she spoke. "Did Ah hear you right? She should just forget what Ah told her?"
"Well yeah," her marefriend responded in a matter-of-fact tone. She stood as well. "Life's no fun if you don't take a chance once in a while."
"Ah'm not saying that taking chances is bad, but Twilight could get hurt! It ain't safe."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Sure, but she could get hurt doing anything. Just think of us – what if we hadn't taken a chance on going into that cave?"
"That was completely different," retorted the farmpony. "We were already in danger!"
The two mares brought their heads inches away from the other's, and their glares intensified. "It's not all that different!" yelled the pegasus.
"It is so!"
Before the two could come to blows, there was a flash of light as Twilight teleported between the two and pushed them apart. Her face displaying the annoyance that she was feeling, she spoke before the lovers could get a word in. "I don't mean to interrupt your bickering, girls, but I could still use that advice I asked for, if you don't mind."
Applejack and Rainbow Dash relaxed as they realised that they had begun to ignore their friend. The farmpony gave Twilight a sheepish grin and reached a hoof up to scratch her head. "Gee, sorry Twilight. Ah just get a little heated when Ah feel strongly about something."
"That's for sure," Rainbow Dash muttered.
Applejack glared at the cyan pegasus, but the sound of Twilight clearing her throat convinced her that resuming the argument would only lead to frustration. Her gaze softened as she returned it to the lavender unicorn. "Well, like Ah said before, Ah reckon that this date is a bad idea," she said. "But if you really gotta go, Ah'm not going to stop you."
Twilight smiled. "Thanks Applejack. I know you care about me, but I'll be fine. I promise."
"Well alright," replied the orange mare. "Ah'll give you one piece of advice. Don't you dare lie to her. Don't exaggerate or make up details. It's important to always be honest with your marefriend, because she'll always end up finding out if you lie."
"That makes sense," commented Twilight. "I was really hoping for more advice about how to behave on a date, but I'm sure that'll be useful."
"Sorry sugarcube, can't help you there," answered the farmpony. "Ah've never really been on a date before. Why don't you try asking Rarity and Fluttershy? From what ah hear, they go on dates all the time."
Twilight's cheeks went red as she recalled her realisation of what the pair had been doing during her prior visit. "I already tried them. They were, uh, kind of busy," said Twilight.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash glanced at each other, nodding in understanding. "Ah get what you mean," said the farmpony. "Ah don't like to be interrupted when Ah'm alone with my little Dash either." A faint blush appeared on Dash's cheeks at this comment. The orange mare turned to her marefriend. "Ah'm sure you know a thing or two about dating. Maybe you could give Twi here a few pointers."
"Who, me?" said the cyan pegasus, caught a bit off guard. "Nah, I don't know anything about dating. I haven't been on a real date either."
"Really?" replied the other two mares in unison.
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yeah, like AJ said, we haven't been on any dates, and I was never serious enough with anyone else before."
"Not even with Gilda?" asked Applejack.
"Not even with Gilda," Rainbow Dash repeated. "Gilda was never much into the whole romantic part of the relationship. It was mostly just…physical…"
"Well, that was certainly more than I needed to know," said Twilight, slightly put off by the mental image of her friend having a relationship with the horrid griffon. Looking back at the town, she noticed the clock tower was approaching seven in the evening; it had been nearly an hour since she had left the boutique. She began to step backwards, intent on leaving the orchard to meet her other friends. "Thank you for the advice girls, I'm sure it will help. I need to go meet with Rarity now, so I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."
"Wait," responded Rainbow Dash, flying towards the unicorn until they were about two hooflengths apart. "I do have some advice for you. It might not be that useful on your date, but it will be important if you want to actually have a relationship with her." Twilight leaned in closer, eager to hear it. The cyan mare continued, her tone becoming more serious than normal. "Listen up Twi. If you start dating her, and you find you love her, and that she truly loves you, never let that mare go. Fight for her, go to the ends of Equestria for her, do whatever it takes to keep her. Let her know that she's the only one for you. That's something I've learned to do, and it works."
Twilight's mouth gaped open at the surprising profound advice that had just come from her friend's mouth. She had believed the rumours going around Ponyville that the weatherpony had been very promiscuous before dating Applejack, so the words that had come from her mouth was a bit shocking to the unicorn. Smiling with pride, Applejack wrapped a hoof around her lover, nuzzling her neck. Rainbow affectionately returned the gesture, inspiring Twilight's mouth to return to a grin. "I can definitely see how well it works," she said, "I'll be sure to remember that."
"Y'all be careful sugarcube," spoke Applejack, her face turning serious again. "Ah trust your judgement, but Ah hope for your sake she don't turn out to be dangerous."
Twilight sighed. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine. Thanks for the help, both of you. " The couple waved goodbye to the librarian as she trotted off to Rarity's boutique.
As she left the farm and began her trek towards the boutique, she reflected on the information she had received. She had hoped to get more advice from the couple, but she had not expected them to be just as inexperienced as her when it came to dating. Still, she was sure that what she had learned would be helpful. She made her way to Carousel Boutique as the sky darkened, hoping that her friends were no longer busy.
She arrived at the boutique after a short walk. Though the sign on the door still read 'OPEN', the librarian decided to knock, just in case she was interrupting her dressmaker friend again. Thankfully, the door opened within a few seconds, this time much more than just a hooflength. Rarity appeared in the doorway, smiling in delight at the sight of the purple mare. "Oh Twilight! Do come in, I've been expecting you!"
Twilight followed her friend into the boutique's living room, where she spotted Fluttershy sitting on a couch, sipping a cup of tea. Upon seeing the librarian, the pegasus's cheeks reddened. "Oh…Um, hi Twilight."
Twilight sat down on another couch across from Fluttershy while Rarity took a seat beside her lover. She returned the pink haired pegasus's greeting. "Hello Fluttershy. I guess you two finished making that order of dresses?"
The blush on the yellow mare's face only increased as she nervously responded. "Um…yes…"
"Enough about us, dear. Why don't you tell me about that date you mentioned earlier?" said Rarity, hoping to save her marefriend from further embarrassment.
"Oh right," replied Twilight, reminded of the actual reason that she was at the boutique. "Well, I started talking to her on that ponynet site Pinkie's been telling me about – Plenty Of Mares I think it was called. Anyway, it turned out that we both had a lot of things in common, so I agreed to meet her at a coffee shop in Canterlot."
"Oooh," cooed the fashionista as she poured herself a cup of tea. She offered some to Twilight, but she declined with a shake of her head. "A mysterious mare! A meeting in a coffee shop that turns into so much more; it's just like in one of those romance novels I used to read… I used to imagine that someday I'd meet somepony like that, and fall deeply in love with them." Turning her gaze towards her pegasus companion, she continued. "Of course, then I realised just how much I loved my dear Fluttershy, and I've never so much as thought about those silly stories since."
"Let's not get too hasty here," replied Twilight. "It's just one date; there's no guarantee that it'll end up as anything more than that."
"Darling, don't be so pessimistic!" exclaimed Rarity. "I simply know that whoever you're meeting will end up being perfect for you. Don't you think so, Fluttershy?"
The yellow mare nodded her head. "Oh yes… You'll be a perfect couple…"
"That's what I'm hoping, but I can't know that for sure," said the librarian. "Now, like I said before, I've never really been on a date, and I was hoping you two could give me some pointers."
"Of course dear, anything for a friend," replied Rarity. "Let's see, it's a coffee date, so dress casual, but not too casual; a hat would make you look just right… But wait; maybe you should wear a dress… No, that's too formal…"
Twilight's mind began to wander as Rarity continued rambling about different types of clothing. It didn't really seem particularly important to her, and she considered interrupting, but the fashionista beat her to it.
"I've got it!" she exclaimed, jumping to her hooves. "Give me a second Twilight dear, I must go find something." Without another word, she headed upstairs, leaving the purple unicorn alone with Fluttershy.
"What was that about?" asked Twilight, slightly confused.
"Oh, Rarity's just going to find a piece of clothing for you," replied the pegasus. "Also, I, um, think it's amazing that you have a date. I know you've been having a difficult time finding somepony."
The unicorn smiled. "Thanks Fluttershy. I'm honestly a little surprised by the whole thing. Who knew one of Pinkie's wild plans would actually work?"
"It's not really that wild," replied the yellow mare. "I've heard that the ponynet is becoming a more popular way to meet ponies. Pinkie meets quite a few ponies that way, from what she tells me."
"Like… for relationships?" inquired Twilight. She had no idea that Pinkie had been seeing anypony recently.
"I think you'd have to ask her that," answered Fluttershy. "But as far as I know, she's still single." Finishing her cup of tea, she poured herself another cup. "Are you sure you don't want any, Twilight?"
"No, but thank you for the offer," said Twilight, shaking her head. "Do you know anything that might help me on my date?"
"Um, nothing besides the obvious," replied the pegasus. "Be nice to her, tell her she looks beautiful, be interested in what she says; just things like that."
"I couldn't have said it any better," chimed in Rarity, descending the stairs, a box floating behind her, enchanted by the unicorn's magic. "So many ponies are so rude these days – it is most certainly NOT proper to act that way on a date. But of course, I can't see you being rude at all."
"I'll do my best," said the purple mare. "So did you find what you were looking for?"
"I certainly did," replied the dressmaker as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Setting the box on the floor in front of her, she opened it and began announcing the items as she magically lifted them out. "Here's a gorgeous dress, a pair of ruby earrings, some high heeled horseshoes, a diamond necklace, a lovely scarf, some lace stockings, one of my finest hats, a pair of diamond earrings…"
Twilight's eyes went wide at the sight of all the clothes and accessories that her friend had stored in the box. "Hang on a second, Rarity!"
The alabaster mare halted. "What's the matter, dear?"
"First of all, how in Tartarus did you fit all of those clothes in that box? Secondly, I can't accept all of this! I know you love being generous, but all I really need is your advice."
"Oh nonsense," admonished Rarity. "I insist, you must take something! I can't let you leave empty hooved!"
Sighing, the librarian used her magic to lift the scarf towards her. It was a lovely pink and red tartan number, and it seemed to be the least fancy piece of clothing in the box. "I'll just take this scarf."
"Excellent choice, darling," said Rarity. "That will really bring out your eyes. Your date will find you irresistible with that on!"
"I hope you're right," said Twilight. Looking at the clock above the couch that Fluttershy was sitting on, she noticed that it was nearly nine PM. "I think it's about time for me to leave," added Twilight, "I still want to get Pinkie's input on my date. You two have been very helpful, but I want to get advice from all of my friends."
"Of course dear," said the fashionista. "Fluttershy and I were thinking about going to bed a bit early tonight anyway." The couple escorted their friend to the door, saying their goodbyes along the way. As Twilight stepped outside, the white mare spoke once more. "Just one last piece of advice dear, you should brush your mane before your date; a well groomed pony always makes a good impression."
Twilight turned back and smiled at her friends. "Thanks Rarity, I'll try to remember that. I'm very grateful to the two of you for all of your help."
The librarian made her way over to Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie's place of residence. Thankfully, it wasn't too far from Carousel Boutique, and she reached the front door within a few minutes. Though the sign in the window said 'CLOSED', she knew that somepony in the building would still be awake.
Knocking softly on the door, so as not to wake the Cake foals, Twilight patiently waited for somepony to answer the door. Hardly thirty seconds later, the door was opened by her pink friend. "Oh hey Twilight! What's up?"
"First, I should thank you for telling me about Plenty Of Mares," began Twilight. "I actually found somepony who wants to date me!"
"Of course you did, silly," replied the pink party pony. "Didn't I tell you that you shouldn't give up?"
"You were definitely right, Pinkie. I should have trusted you from the start," said the purple mare. "That's why I came here to ask you for a bit of help. I need to figure out how to make this date successful."
Pinkie's response was short and simple: "Fun!"
Twilight cocked her head and gave the earth pony a quizzical look. "Fun?"
"Sheesh Twilight, I figured you at least knew what fun was," replied the pink mare. "It's when you're doing something that you really enjoy and-"
"No no no," interrupted the unicorn. "I know what fun is; I'm just not sure what you mean. How can I make a coffee date more fun?"
"Plenty of ways! You could tell jokes, perform prop comedy, wear a clown suit, use a party cannon, break the laws of reality... And that's just the beginning!"
"What was that last one?" inquired Twilight.
"Using a party cannon? I have a spare one I can lend you for your date; they're tons of fun," replied Pinkie.
"Uh, I'll pass. I think that might be a little extreme for our date. But I guess I could try telling a few jokes."
"That's the spirit Twi!" exclaimed the pink pony. Suddenly, her tail twitched, followed by her ears flopping. "Uh oh, I need to go! Pound and Pumpkin are about to be due for a change, and the Cakes are already in bed. Good luck on your date!"
Pinkie closed the door, and sure enough, there was the sound of crying a few moments later. As Twilight walked back to her library, she went over the advice Pinkie had just given her. "Is that stuff really relevant?" she wondered aloud. "I guess a few jokes couldn't hurt, but I can't really see myself following any of her other tips."
Regardless of the usefulness of the various pieces of advice she had been given, she was thankful that her friends had been kind enough to help her out. Compared to the stress she had felt earlier in the day just after she had made the date, she felt more relieved about the whole thing. There was a bit of anxiety deep inside of her, but she was now confident that the date would be a success. She went to bed, eagerly awaiting Wednesday.